Jazz, Slag, Chromia, Strongarm, Omega, Big, and Charmy arrived at an abandoned Eggman base, Chemical Plant Zone. Pink liquid flooded the area and gave the place a creepy aura. \u201cI wonder what that stuff tastes like,\u201d mused Charmy as he buzzed towards it. \u201cIt smells like\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care what it smells like, kid!\u201d called Slag. \u201cDon\u2019t touch it! My scanners tell me it\u2019s toxic to organic life!\u201d Charmy immediately buzzed back to the group, holding Slag\u2019s head in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay! Important safety tip! Pink water\u2019s poison!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can stay there if you want. Big, you pick another bot. Us machines can wade through it easily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLucky,\u201d grumbled Omega. The E-series robot folded his arms in a grumpy fashion. Big sat on Strongarm\u2019s shoulder and Jazz led the team through the poisonous lake. As they walked, the Autobots kept their sensors on alert for a Chaos Emerald\u2019s energy signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMan, this place has an eerie atmosphere!\u201d shuddered Chromia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo kidding,\u201d agreed Slag. \u201cSonic had to go through all this sl\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLanguage,\u201d admonished Strongarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was gonna say \u2018sludge\u2019! Besides, it\u2019s my name!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCouldn\u2019t you have picked a better name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, like Slug\u2019s any better!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Slug?\u201d Slag sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my real name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Your real name\u2026is Slug?\u201d asked Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy parents took a few too many knocks to the head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026If it\u2019s any consolation, my real name\u2019s Munka Spanka.\u201d Charmy snorted as he held back a laugh from Jazz\u2019s revelation. \u201cNow you see why my friends are sworn to secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSecrecy about what?\u201d asked Omega.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou told us nothing,\u201d said Strongarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026I can get behind thaaaaAAAAAGUH!\u201d Jazz\u2019s scream was the result of seeing a body being held under the poisonous liquid. Everyone looked further ahead to see more of the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, that\u2019s gruesome, even for a Dyno-bot!\u201d shuddered Slag. Strongarm went into crime scene investigator mode and dove under the pink sea to examine the nearest body. After careful examination, she looked at a few more before returning to the surface, breaching carefully so she didn\u2019t get her organic allies in the splash zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt looks like the bodies were pierced so the poison could enter it and be more effective,\u201d she reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho could do such a thing?!\u201d asked Big, scared for his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPerturbed by the whole scene?\u201d asked a voice. Everyone looked behind them to see Red Pine, Soundwave, and Vortex wading through the poisons with Frenzy on Soundwave\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait, Frenzy can\u2019t go through this stuff, but Red Pine can?\u201d asked Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy suit\u2019s air-tight enough,\u201d answered Red Pine. \u201cBesides, Frenzy needs to see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook, we\u2019re just doing a normal patrol, nothing to see here,\u201d assured Slag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cZero percent probability of truth,\u201d droned Soundwave. \u201cChaos Emerald energy signature: detected. Probable reason for presence of G.U.N soldiers: securing it for Autobot collection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo, what, you butchered them to secure it for yourselves?!\u201d accused Slag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo facts support your thesis. Methods: too brutal. Prisoners: required to be executed on spot. Corpse disposal: required. Smelting pool or acid lake: most effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen who\u2026?!\u201d Slag\u2019s question was interrupted by someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow, to be fair, they WOULD be tossed into the Smelting Pool of Polyhex, but that\u2019s currently on Cybertron and we\u2019re on Mobius now, so this will have to do.\u201d Everyone turned their gazes upwards to see a well-dressed male human with a monocle, a hood, and a cane with a sharpened, curved handle holding a G.U.N. soldier over the poisonous lake. Soundwave and Strongarm saw a siege tank behind the man and found a Spark signature within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Straxus?!\u201d yelped Strongarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOrders were to stay on Cybertron,\u201d droned Soundwave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, listen to the former Autobot, that makes sense,\u201d scoffed Straxus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cExplanation: required.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEh? Speak up, my boy. I\u2019m a little deaf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho ARE you?\u201d asked Charmy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, a new face! Excellent! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Straxus, Governor of the Northern Decepticon Settlement of Polyhex and inhabitant of its capital fortress, Darkmount. I\u2019m merely exercising a hobby here, a little bit of improv acting. Let me give you a demonstration. I\u2019m going to play a merciless dictator and this man,\u201d Straxus then grabbed the last soldier by the hair, \u201cis going to be my hapless victim!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease! Let me go! Have mercy!\u201d wailed the poor soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, starting already, are we? One moment, must get into character.\u201d Straxus cleared his throat, then adopted an animalistic snarl. \u201cMercy is not dispensed here, fool! Only DEATH!\u201d He swung the can into the soldier\u2019s neck, point first, then threw him into the poison lake. Strongarm picked the body up and scanned it\u2026but it was too late. \u201cAnd scene!\u201d Everyone adopted a snarl and glared at Straxus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cQuery: Repeated!\u201d called Soundwave in a louder tone. \u201cExplanation of presence on Mobius: Required.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere we go! You see, I was just in the solar system and I thought this place would be a delightful place for a summer WHAT IN THE PIT DO YOU THINK I\u2019M HERE FOR?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Something that Unicron requires?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAh, guessed I\u2019m a Terrorcon, did we? Well, you\u2019re correct. So, all kidding aside\u2026where\u2019s the Chaos Emerald?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLocation: Unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the same boat as Soundwave,\u201d called Strongarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know, I\u2019d almost be inclined to believe you if the soldiers didn\u2019t say the exact same thing, even as I tortured and subsequently killed them all like the one you just witnessed,\u201d replied Straxus. \u201cYou know, it\u2019s the darndest thing; you\u2019re sounding a lot like them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReasons for you being upset: Nonexistent,\u201d droned Soundwave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, one: REAL sympathetic. Two: I thought that monotone was patched!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cReasons for you being upset\u2026existent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it! STRAXUS, TRANSFORM!\u201d As the holo-form vanished, the front treads of the tank unfolded and revealed arms while the rear treads became legs. Part of the barrel folded down and revealed Straxus\u2019 head and hood while the gun itself detached from the assembly and extended a pick-axe style head. He leapt into the water and started swinging, his movements splashing it everywhere. Charmy and Big jumped out of the splash zone. Big swung his fishing rod and the line wrapped around Straxus\u2019 weapon. He tugged hard and made Straxus fall backwards. The sudden splash brought something to the surface briefly, a flash of cyan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Chaos Emerald!\u201d called Charmy. Red Pine then dove for it and snatched it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGot it! Get us home!\u201d he shouted to Soundwave. Soundwave then opened a Bridge portal, and they made their escape. Straxus developed a twitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn Emerald!\u201d he hissed dangerously. \u201cAn Emerald right under my nose! A chance of victory and it was snatched away!\u201d He turned to the Autobots. \u201cA joint operation between your factions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStraxus, I swear, the Decepticons are not our allies!\u201d assured Strongarm, but Straxus wasn\u2019t listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou made me fail! Those responsible for this will pay with their lives! And I will collect the fee personally!\u201d He charged his axe with energy and swung it, discharging an energy wave and knocking all Autobots down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTeletraan, we need a Bridge!\u201d Charmy called. \u201cGet us out of here!\u201d A Ground Bridge opened, and our heroes ran into it. It closed before Straxus could even touch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Lord Unicron will NOT be happy about this,\u201d he muttered to himself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jazz, Slag, Chromia, Strongarm, Omega, Big, and Charmy arrived at an abandoned Eggman base, Chemical Plant Zone. Pink liquid flooded the area and gave the place a creepy aura. \u201cI wonder what that stuff tastes like,\u201d mused Charmy as he buzzed towards it. \u201cIt smells like\u2026\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t care what it smells like, kid!\u201d called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,628],"tags":[146,337],"class_list":["post-3273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles","category-transformers-mobian-chronicles-arc-12-seven-lights-of-the-earth","tag-sonic","tag-transformers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3273"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3274,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3273\/revisions\/3274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}