Chapter 27: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
Review Replies
B.E.A.T.N: Nice work. It's tense to see the villains slowly gaining the upper hand just after Tiberius created that new mask of his. Can't wait to see how things turn out. Have a great day/night and stay safe.
ThermalsniperN7: More like the villains are prepping for an arms race with how things are going.
Dragon Emperor0: And with MECH being a third party wild card faction that wants to influence the Cybertronian Civil War for the purpose of furthering their own goals in the story rather than a sporadic occasional antagonist that doesn't really do much than just the odd hiccup or occasional team up that just loses all relevance after Project Chimera goes kaput. These guys could really end up making the war turn far more deadly for Earth and humanity at large than in the show.
-Autobot base, Jasper outskirts, Nevada.
Two weeks shy of three months later in the Autobot outpost Omega-1, Tiberius Darwin was currently working on his formula of Synthetic Energon with the help of Ratchet and Brains–and Raf, who just got there.
"Hey guys, is that the Synthetic Energon?" The boy asked.
"Yep. This is it." The golden Bioformer nodded in reply. The Synthetic Energon looked to be in a golden color, if you wanted a clear picture.
"We're actually just about to test it." Ratchet nodded. "I see you have on protective goggles." He smiled at the young man.
"I can watch?" Raf smiled back as Brains bounced up to him.
"Ah shit, why not? We've been waiting to show this off all day." The Minicon nodded.
"Let's try using it on this drill." Tiberius suggested, patting a Cybertronian sized drill next to him.
"Well, it is simple." Ratched mused before shrugging. Then he put some of the Synthetic Energon in the drill, and it sprang to life.
"It works!" Raf cheered as he hopped down to get a closer look. "Bee!" He called his guardian.
"Ep ep ep. This iteration of the formula still needs further trial before it can even be considered for fuel, ammunition or first aid." The ambulance bot told him.
"Which is rather unfortunate, seeing as our reserves are damn near bone dry." Tiberius sighed as he continued running tests.
"Even with the deposits that we've secured for mining and the stuff we've stolen from the Cons, our outnumbered Autobots still burn through them." Ratchet nodded.
"Shit, and Megatron's got his grubby exhaust beaters all over the newest deposits on top of that." Brains added.
"Here's hoping that Synthetic Energon will turn that around, if only long enough for us to find more Energon." The hybrid sighed.
It was then that the alarms went off, signaling that a new Energon vein was breached. This alerted everyone in the base.
"More Energon on the move." Arcie said.
"Urgh, again?" Bulkhead groaned.
"This suggests a familiar pattern. The Decepticons are searching for another Energon deposit." Optimus noted.
Seconds later, Ironhide called in. "Optimus! Come in!" The weapons expert shouted.
"What is it, Ironhide?" The Prime questioned/
"The 'Cons have found another Energon deposit! But the Mechticons came in guns blazing–now they've got me and the twins pinned down!" He replied.
[Seriously? How is MECH finding everything?!] Bumblebee buzzed in exasperation.
"Oh, tell me about it…" Tiberius groaned in agreement. "Well, we better get in there and help–." He added, before the ringing of his phone cut him off. "... Sierra? What's up with her?" He wondered, answering. "Hello?" He asked.
"Tibs! Listen, this is an emergency!" The redhead stated frantically, almost causing the blonde to nearly drop his phone.
"Whoa, calm down! What's going on?" The golden haired hybrid asked.
"Miko's gone into labor!" The redhead cried, causing the sound of glass shattering violently to happen in Tiberius' mind.
"WHAT?!" The boy yelled in shock and panic. "But Mrs. D said she wasn't due for another week! What happened?!" He questioned.
"I don't know! We were just shopping for some more baby stuff at the mall, and then all of a sudden, her water broke!" Sierra explained.
"Crap crap crap!" Tiberius muttered, his thoughts going five miles a second. What the hell was he supposed to do?! He didn't expect this to happen today! Shaking his head, he turned to Optimus. "Can you guys handle helping Ironhide and the twins without me? I have to tend to Miko." He asked.
"Then go to her, Tiberius. We will manage." The Prime told him. "Autobots–!" He began.
"Optimus, if one of you comes back injured, well–our reserves are severely depleted." Ratchet told him as Raf hopped into Creator's cockpit.
"We'll be careful." Optimus told him before the Ground Bridge opened, allowing him, Arcee and Bumblebee to go to where Ironhide and the twins were.
Bulkhead decided to go with Tiberius to check on Miko, which was most likely the best option at present.
As they all left, Ratchet was now alone with Brains and Wheelie. "Sometimes, I just wish I could do more." He sighed.
"Trust us, doc, we all do." The Minicon told him.
(Later)
-Jasper County Hospital-
June Darby was quick to make sure Miko Nakadai–soon to be Miko Darwin–was comfortable and prepared for the agonizing and grueling process she was about to undergo… and the poor girl was unfortunately–through no fault of her own–not making it easy for her.
"MOTHERFUCKER, WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN NOW OF ALL TIMES?!" Miko yelled as she grit her teeth in pain.
"MIko, calm down! This kind of stress isn't good for the baby!" June told her.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M IN THE MOOD FOR BEING CALM?!" She yelled as she squeezed the armrest of her hospital bed, throwing her head back as she felt like she was being split open! "くそっ、夫と呼べる野郎はどこだ!?彼はすぐにここに着くべきです-さもなければ、私はすべての神聖なことに誓います：私は彼の首を鳴らします!" She yelled in her native tongue, Showing just how angry she was.
Translation: [Goddamn it! Where's that bastard of a man I call husband?! He better get here soon–or I swear to all that is holy: I will ring his neck!]
Right on cue…
"I'm here!" Tiberius shouted as he burst through the door with Raf, panting like he'd run a marathon.
Miko could only wail again as another contraction hit her before she glared at her fiance with a look that likely would have made even the bravest of Decepticons to leak a little lubricant.
She was definitely screaming ungodly words, which went along the lines of, "Tiberius Maximus Darwin! I will kill you for impregnating me!" She yelled at him before groaning, throwing her head back again. "I swear to God, I will sell these kids to the orphanage for inflicting pain on me!" She yelled.
The punk girl didn't mean any of it, of course, but it was still pretty rough to hear.
"Um, should I wait outside?" Raf asked, not wanting to be in close proximity to this kind of chaos.
"Go ahead." Tiberius told him as he went to his lover's side and held her hand. This turned out to be a mistake because she nearly broke said hand, her squeezing knuckles turning white. "Ow…!" He whimpered. He was definitely gonna need to get that hand looked at.
"YOU GAVE ME THIS PAIN, YOU FUCKER! DEAL WITH IT!" Miko yelled at him.
"Sweetheart, for Primus' sake, control yourself!" The blonde hissed at her, his eyes flashing gold for a second.
As the pain lessened for the moment, Miko's mind started to clear up. This also allowed her to catch her breath.
"Sorry about that. I didn't think this would happen a week early." She panted, sweat covering her forehead.
"It's alright." Tiberius sighed as she kissed her on the forehead. "You're doing great." He smiled at her.
"Thanks." The rock girl sighed before groaning as she felt another contraction. "Oh fuck, here they come again!" She yelled.
"How long has she been at this?" Tiberius asked June as Sierra and Jack came in with the doctor.
"From the mall to here? An hour at least and half an hour since then." The woman explained, Miko breathing heavily.
"Glad I got here when I did." The green eyed teen sighed. It had been just shy of three months since Miko reached halfway through her pregnancy, so this should have been a possibility, but he hadn't thought about it.
"Well, at least she wasn't in battle when it happened." Jack commented. That would've been an absolute disaster.
"True." Sierra nodded, right as a huge contraction hit Miko.
"AAAAAHHHH! FUCK! THEY'RE COMING!" The rocker girl screamed.
"Come on, Miko! Push!" June urged, and the female Bioformer did so, crying out before the first baby came out with a cry of its own. The Darby matriarch quickly handed her off to another nurse to get cleaned.
Luckily there was a brief fifteen minute reprieve before another contraction hit Miko.
"ARGH!" The girl screamed as she started pushing again. A few minutes of pushing later, a baby's cry filled the air as June had the second baby handed off to be cleaned.
As the contractions finally stopped, Miko was allowed to rest, her body finally flattened from the pair of infants that just came out of her, leaving her absolutely exhausted.
"Ugh… That sucked…" She groaned tiredly.
"But it was worth it." Tiberius told her before June came back to them with their kids in her arms. It was obvious to tell which one was which based on their appearances and the pink and blue blankets.
Both had their mother's Japanese features and skin tone, as well as her nose, but that's where the similarities ended. The boy, for example, had Miko's black hair and Tiberius' green eyes. While his sister had her father's blonde hair and her mother's brown eyes.
They were similar and opposites all at once, contradictory was definitely an accurate term there.
"Our little sweeties…" Miko smiled as tears of joy poured down her face.
"I have a new reason to fight." Tiberius said as he looked at his children. He needed to end this war with the Decepticons so that his children wouldn't have to grow up in the midst of it.
June handed the two their children. "So, have you two decided on names?" She asked.
"Well, I have." Tiberius nodded as he looked down at his son. "I had the idea of naming my son after my father's grandfather Octavius and my mother's grandfather Julius. Octavius Julius Darwin." He nodded.
"Perfect." June nodded with a smile.
"And I've decided to name our daughter Yang Cleopatra Darwin." Miko continued, kissing her daughter's forehead.
"Japanese and Egyptian names? Well chosen." Mathias said as he and Serena walked in.
"Well, mom is Egyptian on one side." Tiberius noted.
"Have you decided who you want to make your godparents?" Serena asked.
"Indeed we have, and they're standing right there." Tiberius replied as he pointed at Jack and Sierra, much to their surprise.
"Wait, for real?" The redhead gasped.
"Well yeah, you're probably the most responsible people we know." The rocker girl nodded, rocking Yang back and forth in her arms.
"O-Okay then." Jack nodded, still a bit nervous.
"The kids will have to stay here for a week or two before we can discharge you three." June explained. "So in the meantime, we should probably get their birth certificates done." He added.
"Right." Tiberius nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, back at the base. While the others were gone, Ratchet–deciding that the results were well enough in the evidence department–injected himself with the Synthetic Energon.
There weren't any overt changes, but his optics did turn gold. And he felt… different. Stronger, even.
"Interesting…" Ratchet noted as he rolled his shoulder–and quickly became aware of the fact that it didn't creak or lock up like it used to! "I… I feel young again!" He gasped. He then started doing movements that would've otherwise left him locked up on the ground, and did them fluently.
"Whoa, doc, you sure that was a good idea?" Wheelie questioned as an injury tag appeared, Arcee was hurt.
"Only one way to find out." The medic replied. "Man the ground bridge." He ordered, running through the portal.
(Meanwhile)
On the front lines, Arcee was taking cover and nursing her wound while Optimus, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Ironhide tried to fight off the enemy seekers.
"There's too many of 'em!" The weapons specialist called over the blaster fire.
"And it looks like the Mechticons just made off with the Energon cubes the Cons had!" Skids yelled.
"Scrap!" Mudflap yelled as he kept shooting, right as Air Razor swooped past them with a cube in her Hawk-like talons.
"This is not our day!" Bulkhead groaned before the Ground Bridge opened and Ratchet rushed out.
[What the–Ratchet?] Bumblebee buzzed as the ambulance rushed into battle and proceeded to go to town on all of the Seekers, beating them to a pulp, right up until he came up against none other than Wingnut.
"I'm a little confused, seeing you fight. You look more at home in a lab." The MECH Bioformer remarked.
"And you look like you'd be more at home in a cave. Your point?" Ratchet questioned, getting into a fighting stance.
"Rude." Wingnut huffed before he made the first move with a right hook. Ratchet blocked it with no trouble and countered with a kick at his legs, causing him to stumble before the medic nailed him with a haymaker to the face and judo tossed him over his shoulder.
"Hooah!" The ambulance bot grinned as the Mechticon groaned, falling unconscious.
"... How the hell…?" Ironhide questioned as Ratchet hoisted up to of the cubes the Cons left behind.
"Grab some Energon and I'll show you." He stated as they went back to base.
(Later)
So, what's the magic secret?" Arcee quipped as she patched her wound up.
"Just a small dose of Synth En." The medic replied, holding up a vial.
"From the formula Tibs got? I thought it was still in the testing phase?" The two wheeler asked.
"Since we had the full formula I thought it safe to begin testing on an Autobot subject." The doctor shrugged. "I'd say the results speak for themselves." He added as he grinned, stretching a bit, but had to hide a twinging pain that appeared in the pit of his stomach–or at least the Cybertronian equivalent.
"Well, I'm not gonna lie when I say that it certainly works." Ironhide mused with a shrug. Optimus picked up a vial and looked at it warily.
"Despite the benefits, I am still uncertain of all of us using it right away." The Prime commented.
"That's fair, Optimus. I'm still unsure if even this complete formula has any side effects." Ratchet nodded. "Luckily using myself as a test subject should help me pinpoint the problem." He added.
It was at this point that Bulkhead came back with Tiberius, Raf, Jack and Sierra. The kids got out of his vehicle mode and quickly made their way to the others.
[Hey, guys. How'd everything go at the hospital?] Bumblebee asked before his gaze turned concerned. [Is Miko okay?] He added.
"Miko's fine. She'll have to stay in the hospital for two weeks before she's released." Tiberius replied, ignoring the dull pain in his stomach.
"And your uh, kid?" Arcee questioned.
"Kids, actually. Twins." Tiberius explained, showing them a picture. "The boy on the left is Octavius, and the girl on the right is Yang." He told them.
"Aw, look at 'em! They're adorable!" Mudflap exclaimed in delight as he looked at the picture.
"Tiny little buggers, ain't they?" Wheelie noted.
"You're one to talk, pipsqueak." Bulkhead retorted.
"That's enough of that." Jack interjected. "Anyway, how'd things go out there?" He asked.
"The 'Cons and Mechticons had us pinned before Ratchet came in and took 'em out. I didn't think he could fight like that." Bulkhead remarked.
"Thanks to the Synth En formula." Arcee added, shaking a vial of the liquid.
"Any side effects?" Tiberius asked the medic.
"None as of now, no." Ratchet replied, still trying to ignore the pain in his internal organs.
"Well keep me posted if any make themselves known." The golden haired father told him, getting a nod in return.
"I will." The bot nodded.
(A few days later)
"And then, he came right at me, and I–." Ratchet said as he was telling Tiberius what happened during his beatdown of the Cons and Mechticons. "Well, come on Creator, come at me." He added, taunting the bot.
"Alright, fine. Let's go!" The golden bot growled before he charged and threw a right hook at the medic, only to be caught and judo tossed through a wall. "... Ow." He groaned from his spot on the floor.
"What the–? What just happened?" A surprised Arcee asked.
"Ratchet." Bulkhead said, stepping through the hole.
"You have competition, Tiberius. I'm a bit faster than I used to be." The medic noted, jabbing at Bumblebee. "Also a bit faster! Think you can take me, muscle car?" He taunted.
[Uh, you know what? No thanks.] The blank and yellow scout chuckled nervously.
"Wimp." The bot huffed, walking past them, winking at Arcee. "How's it hummin'?"
"Did he just…?" The two wheeler questioned, trailing off.
"I think so…" Bulkhead nodded awkwardly with a blink.
"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger…" Creator groaned as he got up. "And apparently, studlier." He added.
(A Week Later)
Tiberius sighed as he rolled his son and daughter out of the nursery while Miko was wheeled out of her hospital room, her body seemingly recovered completely from popping the two babies out.
"Oh man, it's good to breathe fresh air again." Miko sighed as she took a deep breath and exhaled. "And get away from all that bland hospital food! Seriously! Even back in Tokyo, they at least give you stuff that tastes good!" She ranted.
"Yeah. I missed having you around." Tiberius nodded with a chuckle as he rested a hand on her shoulder.
"As a Nurse who's done plenty of research, I can say that we've definitely been stepping backwards in terms of food quality in hospitals." June nodded.
"Mom and dad have the cribs ready at home, by the way." The golden haired Bioformer told his lover.
"Good. I imagine that these two will want to sleep a bit after the drive." The rock girl mused as she hopped into Bulkhead's navigator seat.
"That's definitely gonna be the case, I bet." Tiberius nodded as they drove away from the Hospital.
(Later)
After dropping the twins off at the Darwin's house, they then went back to the base, where everyone was glad to see that Miko was alright–only for the alarms to go off.
"What's going on?" The female Bioformer wondered.
"Decepticons, looks like they hit another vein." Arcee told him.
"Oh! Hey can I go with y–Ooooh, no. Nevermind." Miko chirped before groaning as her body ached from still recovering from the stretching of a 8 month pregnancy.
"Yeah, you're staying here. Can't risk you getting injured in the field." Tiberius told her as he turned into Creator.
"I concur." Optimus nodded in agreement.
"And with how things went last time. You might need some extra muscle, and maybe some first aid." Ratchet grinned, banging his knuckles–and also hiding a wince from his internal working grinding against the processed synthetic Energon.
"... Fair point." Ironhide nodded.
"I guess I'll man the Ground Bridge in the meantime or something." The sound using Bioformer shrugged.
"Probably the best idea." Creator nodded.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, at said mine lo and behold, the Mechticons were going for round two of "steal the Energon" and were beating the crap out of the Cons.
"Man, this is too easy! We need a challenge!" Brawl sighed as he blasted a Vehicon's head off.
"Please don't invoke Murphy!" Swindle all but begged.
"The last thing we need is that Autobot kicking our asses again!" Blast Off added.
"Way to jinx it, Blast!" Onslaught yelled.
Right on cue, a Ground Bridge opened and out came the Autobots, Ratchet among them.
"Aw shit, here we go again!" Swindle yelled, right as Ratchet came flying in and sent him to the ground with a kick to the face–body surfing him.
"It's alright! I'm an emergency vehicle!" The medic exclaimed, weapons deployed.
"How does that help?!" Vortex yelped as he dodged a shot from an unusually irate Creator.
"What he said!" The weapons expert of the Mechticons added as he clashed with Bulkhead.
"You guys picked the wrong day to mess with me, Mechticons. The wrong fucking day!" The Bioformer growled as he grabbed the bot and hurled him into a drill, causing it to gash his side.
"Ow!" The helicopter-jet hybrid groaned as he held the gash. "Okay, what's gotten into you?" He wondered.
"I had to pass up spending time with my infant twins for this, you'll have to excuse me if I seem a little peeved." He stated, cracking his knuckles as he noticed Ratchet following a Decepticon miner. "Hmmm, light bulb." He chuckled darkly as he followed.
Ratchet came to the top part of the ravine by the battle and managed to incapacitate the con by lobbing a bolder at him.
"Nice throw." Creator noted.
"Thanks." The medic nodded before they approached the downed miner, who was scrambling away from them nervously. "Why the rush?" He asked, pinning the miner.
"Just trying to get away from the Autobot and Mech stink." The con shot back.
"Your boss know you have a potty mouth?" Creator questioned.
"Oh frag off. What do you even want from me, anyway?" The miner wondered dismissively.
"Just one thing…" Ratchet trailed off as he brought out his fusion cutter. "Where's Megatron?" He demanded with a growl, causing the pinned miner to start trembling.
"Get melted, Autobot scum!" He yelled.
"Melted, huh?" Creator smirked before nudging Ratchet. "Do it." He nodded.
"Alright then." The medic grinned before he pressed the tool to the 'Con's optic, causing him to scream in pain.
This happened to get the attention of the others as they wrapped up their fight with the Mechticons, prompting them to see what was going on and widen their optics at the sight of Ratchet and Tiberius torturing a miner.
"That's all I know! Really!" The miner yelled frantically.
"Alright. I think I've heard enough." Creator said as he brought out his chest cannon. "Move aside, Ratchet." He added, his weapon charging.
"Creator, Ratchet, stand down!" Optimus ordered sternly as he quickly grabbed his student, distracting them long enough for the miner to get free and make a run for it. "What are you doing?" He questioned firmly.
"Getting results, obviously." The Bioformer growled, forcing himself from Optimus' grip.
"That was a Decepticon Miner. Servant class, not warrior class." The Prime stated, before turning to Ratchet. "I would have expected this from Tiberius due to his inexperience, but you, Ratchet?" He said, baffled. "Autobots don't use violence until all other options have been exhausted. It's what separates us from the Decepticons." He added.
"Oh come off it, Optimus." Creator retorted. "I get that you've got me in the experience department, but I've researched nearly all of Earth's many militaries throughout history and its many wars. We humans have fought thousands of wars, you're fighting one. And we've learned an important lesson: Desperate times, desperate measures. And if victory lies in a necessary evil, then you take the evil." He continued.
"Quite right, Creator. Besides, do you happen to know where Megatron is? We do! We're constantly squandering our resources, chasing after his crumbs! We should be hitting him hard and hitting him now!" Ratchet nodded, slamming his fist. "Precisely where it hurts!" He added.
"Exactly! This is the shot we need!" The Bioformer nodded in agreement.
"Enough!" Optimus barked, silencing them. "Attacking Megatron now will only lead to retaliation. Leading to incalculable losses. I will not endanger innocent human lives." He continued.
If Ratchet's behavior was due to Synthetic Energon usage, then it looked like Tiberius had taken some himself without being noticed. It was likely that he wished to assess its effects on Bioformers but didn't want to use his wife as a guinea pig.
"Yet you seem completely fine with endangering ours! Just ask Cliffjumper! Oh I forgot. He couldn't be here today!" The medic retorted.
"Why you, THAT'S IT–!" Arcee growled angrily, stepping forward only for Bumblebee to hold her back.
"You know, Optimus." Creator stated, his arms folded, causing the Prime to notice that his usually green eyes were now gold. "For such a strong bot, a Prime even, you're soft." He added.
"Exactly my thinking, Creator." Ratchet nodded. "You didn't scrap Megatron when you had the chance! Many chances, in fact!" He snapped.
"... It is apparent that the Synthetic Energon has compromised your rationality. Both of you return to base." The Prime told them after a moment as the Ground Bridge, which Miko had opened up at Ironhide's request.
The two growled irritably before they walked into the portal… Only to charge back out with Ratchet shoulder charging Optimus aside before transforming and rushing off, Creator flying right behind him.
"What the–?! What's gotten into them?!" Bulkhead gasped in surprise as the group returned to base.
"Wasn't the formula complete? What's happening?" Jack asked as Brains hobbled towards them.
"I got an answer, but it's not real pretty." He told them, pulling up an image of one of the chemical compounds in Synthetic Energon. "You see this? That's Alcholiacyberzine. It's a byproduct of the Energon refining process that's usually flushed out when a Cybertronian processes the stuff." He explained.
"Yeah, and if they don't process right, it gives us the mother of all stomach aches and pipe problems." Wheelie added.
"And it looks like Synthetic Energon produces a strand of that stuff that can't be processed correctly without a proper refining." Ironhide noted.
"So… it's basically like if a human who's lactose intolerant drinks a glass of milk?" Miko offered.
"That's an accurate way to sum it up, yeah." Brains nodded.
"Well that explains a lot." Jack noted. "I get the same way when I drink non-lactose free stuff." He added.
"And it looks like the same effect extends to Bioformers." The rock girl noted with a sigh. "Lovely. Is there a way to track them?" She questioned.
"Yep. Got it right here." Brains nodded as he stomped on a button, causing the two's signals to pop up.
"Where are they going?" Arcee wondered.
"To where they claim Megatron is." Bulkhead told her.
"We have to find them–before Megatron can." Optimus stated.
(Elsewhere)
"Yeah, she's kinda domineering and the extra arms are weird, but I find myself intrigued by her if I'm being honest." Breakdown said as he walked with Ruin and a Vehicon.
"Really? I always figured you and Knockout were a thing." The femme hummed in intrigue.
"Nah, nothin' like that. We're just great partners." The cycloptic wrecker replied with a shrug.
"Okay, if you say so, big guy." Ruin chuckled as she elbowed him in the side.
Seconds later, they heard a whistle and turned to see Ratchet and Creator walking towards them, the latter glowing as he assumed his Asura formation.
"Uh, what are you two even doing here? And I don't remember you being able to grow extra arms… and faces." Breakdown asked, noting that this was the first time Creator had used Asura mode in front of them.
"We came here to deal with Megatron, but I'll gladly tear my piece of waste apart with several new exhaust pipes!" Creator growled as he gave Madame Ruin a glare of murderous intent, blades and guns forming on his arms.
"Heh, I'd like to see you try." Ruin growled as the two bots and cons charged each other.
(Elsewhere)
"You call yourself a scientist?" Megatron growled as he manhandled Knockout. "You were supposed to locate a new Energon deposit by now!" He barked.
"I'm trying, but with us going through just about every deposit along with the Autobots taking some along with… Creator's rampage a while back…" The automobile enthusiast replied with a small shudder. That had seriously set them back much farther than they'd liked, and bouncing back from it was a nightmare. "Energon deposits are becoming harder to locate." He finished.
"Really? And what other complications may that be?" The warlord questioned, not really impressed with the excuse.
"Well, the Mechticons are certainly becoming a screw in our tires. And that's not even mentioning the new Autobot they brought in…" Knockout explained, right as Ratchet made the two turn to him as he and Creator tossed an unconscious Breakdown and Ruin at their feet.
"Hooah!" The two grinned, fist bumping. Megatron blinked at them before raising an eyebrow… Or the Cybertronian equivalent of one.
"And what brings you two here? Without Optimus, no less." The Warlord wondered. "And I don't remember you using… Whatever that is, in our previous clashes, Creator." He added, drawing blanks on Creator's Asura mode.
"Say hello to my Asura formation. A little something I can pull by reconfiguring my body with my T-Cog." Creator smirked, cracking his four knuckles.
Megatron was actually a bit surprised by that. First time for everything, as the saying goes.
"Uh…" Knockout gulped, backing up.
"Creator aside, that is your fearsome new adversary?" The con leader questioned, gesturing to Ratchet, who at this point could feel his body grinding down due to Energon deficiency caused by the processing error. "He's Optimus Prime's medic." He laughed.
"Oh no, Megatron. I am your doctor of doom." Ratchet retorted through pain gritted plates.
Then he tried to charge at the Warlord and… got swept aside effortlessly, the strike making a gash on his side that let the Synthetic Energon start leaking out.
"Hmm, Ratchet does seem more energetic than I recelect." He noted, cranking the medic's arm back as he tried to punch again.
"Chemical enhancement perhaps?" Knockout offered.
"Perhaps." Megatron nodded, punching Ratchet unconscious right as he had to use both hands to catch a two fisted attack from Creator, and received two body blows in return by the Bioformer's free arms. "Gah!" He gasped.
"Let's see how you fare against me in this state!" The Bioformer growled as he went on the offensive.
Megatron growled against the repeated body blows to his midsection as they continued to push against each other–managing to get the upper hand long enough to face slam Creator, causing him to stagger backwards and give him the opportunity to deploy his sword and chop off one of his arms.
"FUCK!" The hybrid cursed, gritting his metal teeth in pain at the loss of an arm. Deciding to change tactics, he made gatling guns with his remaining arms, causing Megatron's optics to widen before they narrowed.
"Hmph, alright." He muttered before Creator started firing, forcing him to take cover with his free arm.
Holding his cannon arm out to the side he aimed carefully and fired a blast straight down the middle of the gatling gun on the last remaining lower arm, causing it to explode and Creator to stumble again–which then allowed Megatron to swiftly get behind the Bioformer, knock him to his knees, and then grab him by the arms, his foot on the bot's back.
"You seem very fond of these arms of yours, Creator. Very, attached to them, as it were." The warlord noted with a sickening grin.
"Oh frag off…" Creator growled, knowing what was about to happen.
Megatron then started pulling as hard as he could before…
CrrrrreeeeeaaaAAAAAAK!
He ripped his arms off, causing the Bioformer to scream in pain.
"There's your laboratory sample, doctor." Megatron said as he stepped over the now armless Creator. "If this is what made Optimus' lapdog a force of reckoning. Imagine what it could do to our troops." He chuckled, walking away.
"I'll be sure to get to work right away." Knockout chuckled as he stepped toward Ratchet, his buzzsaw ready.
(Elsewhere)
Down in the actual mine, the Autobots arrived just in time to hear a sound they did not want to actually hear.
"AAAAAAAARRREEGHHHH!" The agonized cry of Creator and the creaking of metal being torn echoed as the bots kept fighting through the cavern.
"Scrap! Everyone, move it! Now!" Ironhide yelled as he started running and gunning through the Vehicon ranks.
A few minutes later they came to a now recovered Ratchet tiredly trying to fend off Knockout from getting to a downed Creator, whose arms were strewn mangled around the cavern like morbid golden ornaments.
"Autobots, defend our comrades!" Optimus exclaimed as he fired on Knockout, forcing him back.
"Gah! Scrap, why now of all times!" He cursed before transforming and driving off.
Ratchet groaned as he collapsed against the cave wall, Optimus running to him. "Oh Optimus… I've been a fool." He gasped weakly.
"Save your strength, old friend." The Prime told him as he let Skids and Mudflap carry him. "Creator, are you…?" He asked.
"I'll be fine, just grab my arms, they can get reattached back at base." The Bioformer told him equally as weakly, Arcee helping him up. "Remind me never to fight Megatron without backup." He added.
"Noted." The two wheeler nodded. "Though I think you should be more worried about how Miko's gonna feel about you doing all this." She added,causing him to freeze.
'... Shit…' He thought. "If I had arms, I'd facepalm right now." He groaned. Miko was gonna have his ass for this one! … Oh, and probably make plans to maim Megatron for hurting him.
Not in that order, though…
(Later)
Ratchet slowly came to as an IV of natural Energon was put into his system, with the Synthetic Energon being already removed, all while Brains and Wheelie were assisting Creator in reattaching his arms.
"Oh…" The medic groaned as he sat up, Optimus putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Take it easy, old friend. You lost a lot of Energon. Good and bad." The bot leader told him.
"And you, sir, are going to be sleeping on the couch for a week for doing something so crazy!" Miko huffed as she hopped onto her currently colossal lover's chest.
"You do realize my couch has a fold out bed, right?" The gold and silver plated hybrid pointed out weakly as his left arm was reconnected. "Ah, that's better." He sighed as he assisted in reattaching the last of the two.
"... Damn it." The female Bioformer pouted since her lover had dodged the age-old punishment wives would give their husbands. "Still, one way or another a certain gladiator is going to get the biggest headache in the universe!" She growled, wanting nothing more than to have Megatron at the mercy of herself, her resonance blasters and the Requiem Blaster.
NOBODY MAIMS HER MAN AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!
"Urgh, not a good idea. Speaking from experience here." Tiberius groaned as he turned back to normal, Miko now in his lap.
Back with Optimus…
"I'm sorry Optimus, I don't mean to hurt anyone I just wanted so badly to–." The medic told his friend.
"Help us. We know." The Prime nodded. "But you both almost caused the loss of something irreplaceable." He told the two. "Our medic, and two of our most trusted friends." He added.
"Heh… Thanks, Optimus." Tiberius nodded tiredly as Miko rested on him, listening to his heartbeat as he stroked her hair.
"The Synthetic Energon formula clearly needs refining before it can be tested again." Ratchet nodded.
"A process that should be easier now that we know the route cause." Brains chimed in.
"Though, let's try it on machines and not Autobots next time, yeah?" Wheelie added.
"I second that." Mudflap nodded.
"Still, reckless though you were, your actions did lead us to a much valued supply of natural Energon." Optimus said, gesturing to a pile of Energon cubes.
"And a mine full of restocks to boot." Ironhide nodded.
"So I'd say we should be thankful for that." Arcee added.
[Plus, on the brighter side, once we get the Synthetic stuff fixed, we'll have something to lean back on when we run out.] Bumblebee buzzed, getting a slightly jaded look from Miko. [...Too soon?] He asked awkwardly.
"Yes." She responded curtly, getting a few chuckles from the others.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile, with MECH, one of the scientists and his Bioformer partners was currently synthesizing a sample of the Synthetic Energon that was spilled from Ratchet after the Autobots left.
And now they were also trying to perfect it.
"So, Doctor. Any idea on how we can avoid the issues that our peers have had?" The Bioformer, a bot named Burnout, questioned.
"A method of filtration and extraction similar to that of the pasteurization and nixtamalization processes for milk and grain respectively could be the answer." The doctor hummed. "As this particularly hard compound would likely digest similarly to unrefined corn." She continued.
"That is to say, not well?" Burnout questioned.
"Correct." The woman nodded. "Now, how to achieve this is another thing entirely…" She hummed as Burnout assumed his human form.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out, my heart." He chuckled.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, corporal Burns." The woman stated coolly.
"I know, Dr. Belladonna, I know." The corporal said as they continued working on their own.
Dragon Emperor0: So it took me a hot minute to figure out how to make this episode work with the Autobots having the full formula. But after watching Max Miller from Tasting History's videos of Quesadillas and Tomales and knowing how terrible people with intolerances have it–I was able to find a work around.
ThermalsniperN7: This is basically proof that Cybertronians can have indigestion, too… And us realizing that we never had Tibs use his Asura mode in combat before. What happens when we finally have that happen? Megatron goes and pulls a Curse Mark Sasuke… Though given that he's a former gladiator, he probably did that bullshit like ten times a week.
Dragon Emperor0: I swear if he has a flashback to his Gladiator days where he literally did the "Are you not entertained?" bit, Imma fucking lose it.
ThermalsniperN7: Oh, tell me about it. I don't know if we do or don't need to hear that.
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah. And on a completely unrelated note, the babies are here! Meet Octavius and Yang Darwin. These two are gonna be kinda important later on. And for all you RWBY fans out there, if you noticed similarities between these kiddos and the Brothers Aether and Urba, that's intentional. Anyway, see you next time.