Summary: Ambushed by Decepticons, Mudflap and Skids power up to find they are stuck in their alt-modes, with no communication. And they're in a chop-shop. The results are ...interesting. Rated T for swearing and violence.
Finally I managed to bust the dam loose on this one. So for all of you who were waiting for it here's the final chapter of Mania! Enjoy!
Disclaimer - Don't own 'em. Just for fun.
Dipstick Mania:
All thoughts and comm. are bold
*-* = comm.
^-^ = thoughts
Chapter 3: Think why don't you!
Rachet had his servos full trying to get the Chevy twins to their bi-pedal mode. It didn't help that the two were constantly getting into verbal fights with each other. And they'd probably play 'bumper cars' if he hadn't had the foresight to have Jolt strap them down. After about two days of this and several reprimands from Prime, the two sat and sulked in different corners.
If that nonsense was enough to make his processor ache, Rachet also had to try and prevent a recurrence. He had no clue as to what or how the Decepticons had gotten the twins in this predicament and he had no wish to see what would happen to one of his other comrades should they try it again successfully. He finally got an idea of how to tackle the problem when he was finally able to undo the block on their transformation.
Looking on it, Rachet realized that whatever the 'Cons used, it had acted like a 'virus' as a human could understand it. And now he knew how to combat the problem. Chasing the twins out of the repair bay with a couple of wrench tosses, The 'Hachet' got to work. The cure had led to a preventative and it only took him a few hours to put it together. In human terms, he created a anti-virus that protected the mech in question and sent a reversal order to whatever caused the disruption in the first place. Likely as not, it would trap one or more of the Decepticons in their alternate form the next time it was triggered.
His being mighty pleased with himself lasted all of a Terran minute. Then something jammed itself in his foot-pad, triggering pain sensors and sending Rachet hoping around on one foot. The base shook as Rachet blistered the air in Cybertronian. Finally able to get to a berth he put the offending appendage up and reached down. The piece of metal was Terran in origin and was somewhat twisted. It looked like a foot-long narrow metal rod and Rachet glared at it in exasperation. The twins must have picked it up in their escapade at the chop shop.
Triggering his access to the Web, he soon came across the identity of the little monster and shook his head module in shear disgust. It was a dip-stick, a rod used to check the amount of oil in a car's engine. It also carried a certain connotation among the Cybertronians, if one wished to filthy-processed. He idly skimmed through the information out of a perverse curiosity, then his optics widened over a commercial. An evil idea bloomed in his CPU as he considered the thought.
Skids and Mudflap seemed only to respect brute power and crude antics. Well since they hadn't been impressed with anything else, he was going to try a little corrective crudeness and see if that wouldn't get them to shape up and stop acting like brawler bots! After he repaired the damage to his foot-plates of course.
The twins were confined to the base for the remainder of their stay in Florida. When Optimus took the other Autobots out to track down the Decepticons, Rachet was the first to volunteer to watch the two hooligans until their mission was complete. Everyone thought that he knocked a microchip or two loose in his processor. Even Prime questioned his CMO before they left. ^Are you certain this is what you wish to do Rachet, I can easily have the two of them sent back to Diego Garcia.^ ^And have them terrorize the rest of NEST? I think not Optimus. I'll be fine and they'll be good little mechs, if they know what's good for them!^
It was Skids who got the first taste of what Rachet had in store for them. After knocking over some loose equipment and not picking it up, Skids found himself with a ringing helm just five astro-seconds later. He looked up to see Rachet holding the metal rod in his servos twirling it back and forth. Said rod had been welded to the tip of a longer and stronger piece. Now when he used it, the dip stick would stay together but deliver a resounding snap to a mech's anatomy.
And so it went for the next week. Whenever Skids or Mudflap didn't use their processors, Rachet was there with a sharp smack with the stick to the back of their helms. And usually giving them as scathing, "Use the processors you were created with." At the end, Rachet thought they were making progress. Until Optimus and the others showed up with Starscream. The jet was sitting on the tarmac shrieking Cybertronian curses when the twins and Rachet arrived. Before the CMO could stop him, Skids had deftly grabbed the dip-stick and run over to the disabled Decepticon. Whacking the nosecone, Skids solemnly declared, "Yo! Ya get a foul reminder for a foul mouth, cause ah ain't got enough solvent on the planet to clean it!"
Rachet rolled his optics as Mudflap joined his twin and they fought over who would whack Starscream next. The twins were what they were, and he doubt that anyone could ever get those two to behave.
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I hope you've enjoyed this little jaunt.
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Peace and Long Life \ /
May the Force be with you
and
Till all are one
laureas