Rebecca Hb. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beckyh2112) wrote2006-09-24 11:57 pm
beckyh2112) wrote2006-09-24 11:57 pm
31_days - Final Installment of "A. atropos"
This ficlet was written to "Gasoline" by Enter the Haggis, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, "Tarzan and Jane" by Toy Box, and the George of the Jungle themesong. I am amazed the crack didn't infest it any more than it did.
Title: Acherontia atropos (3/3)
Day/Theme: Sept. 24 'bioremediation'
Series: G1 Transformers
Characters: Megatron, Shockwave, Ravage, Constructicons
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Megatron makes the Constructicons an offer they can't refuse. Unfortunately, they don't know that they can't do so.
Part 1
Part 2
---
"I want them to come to us willingly," Megatron said as he paced back and forth.
Shockwave stood nearby, watching the strangeling tank work out just how to handle the current problem of the Constructicons. Recruiting didn't seem like something their leader should occupy himself with, but all previous mechs that he'd gotten involved with personally had proven to be valuable assets to the Decepticon cause. The blue cassette-host, for example, was practically indispensable to their intelligence branch now. "Of course, Megatron."
"But they're too valuable to kill if they deny us..." Megatron pivoted to face Shockwave. "I need a guarantee, Shockwave."
Shockwave blinked; he'd often noticed that Megatron would overlook the obvious for something more complicated. He suspected that was why the warlord kept him around as second-in-command. "The Robo-smasher should work."
Megatron frowned. "It hacks up the minds it changes too much. I don't want them useless."
"I shall fine-tune it."
He'd put a little too much of his devotion into his voice, Shockwave noted. Megatron tensed just slightly, the way he did whenever anyone expressed an... intimate interest in him.
Curious.
***
Hook checked his hands for the last time before he entered the restaurant, reassuring himself that they were immaculate. Mixmaster rotated his drum and glanced at the sky briefly, while Scrapper's shovel twitched and jerked every moment they stood outside. The payloader seemed to be the only one of the three of them who actually wanted to be there, though Hook sometimes found it hard to tell with Mixmaster. Be that as it may, however, someone had to keep Scrapper, even after all these vorns, from offering Megatron the moon.
"Are you gentlemechs ready to be seated?"
Hook opened his mouth to answer the server, but Scrapper chimed in first. "We're here to see Megatron."
"Of course." The smaller robot bobbed its head and escorted them to where Megatron sat in one of the back corners of the restaurant. A cassette-cat sat with him, on the table itself rather than in a chair.
"Ah, Scrapper, Hook, Mixmaster." The tank smiled and gestured at the cat. "This is Ravage. He has been a good friend to me."
"Greetings," Ravage said with a noticeable northern accent, regarding them cooly. Hook restrained the urge to examine his tail with his own hands, as that was far too forward. But it seemed like an interesting design...
The three Constructicons made their hellos and took their seats, Mixmaster snatching up the seat nearest to Megatron and Hook all but forcing Scrapper into the back corner away from him. That, unfortunately, caused Scrapper to put his elbows on the table and lean towards the tank.
They exchanged small talk until the meal arrived, Mixmaster happily doing most of the talking. The conversation changed when the server delivered their dinner, Megatron shifting the topic onto his Decepticons and their cause. Hook only picked at his meal and wound up having his and Scrapper's boxed up to share with the others later.
Ravage, he noted, also ate sparingly. Megatron disposed of his meal as quickly as ever, somehow not seeming as if he was devouring it while still making it disappear almost faster than could be believed. And yet he still managed to speak intelligibly as he offered them what amounted to worlds to reshape to their whims if they joined his cause.
It was an enticing offer, Hook had to admit to himself, one hand digging firmly into Scrapper's thigh. "We'll... have to think on it. This is a very reaching decision you're asking us to make."
"But of course." Megatron smiled. "But of course. I'm a patient mech, but I do ask that you give me your answer as soon as you can."
"Oh, I'm sure you're a very patient homme," Mixmaster muttered.
Something flickered across Megatron's face, and if Hook hadn't been looking right at him, he feared he would never have caught that micro-emotion of pure rage.
"We will, of course," the crane said smoothly. "Let you know immediately. But I'm afraid we have a job to finish, so we must take our leave."
"Of course..." Megatron stood up with them, the cat climbing up his arm and curling across his shoulders like an especially strange stole. "Oh, and if you find the time someday, Scrapper, I'd like to discuss Crystal City with you."
Scrapper's shovel twitched, Mixmaster's barrel rolled, and Hook barely managed to keep from dropping a length of line. Did the Decepticon leader know of their project? No, no, of course not. Their precautions had been flawless. Nothing had leaked out. Nothing could have leaked out.
But... Hook regarded those two bright pairs of optics looking at them with a certain dread. If Megatron didn't know now, he might know to start looking now. They would have to work fast and get this finished. Damn it all to the Nine Smelting Pits, this was too delicate to rush!
"Of course," Scrapper said at last. "I would be glad to. But we've got to go now."
Megatron nodded and waved his hand, almost dismissively. "Go then. Just get me an answer when you can."
***
Hook laid it out in black and white for all of the Constructicons. "We can't join with him. We'd alienate too many of our customers by doing such a drastic alliance-shift."
Scavenger and Long Haul nodded, Bonecrusher looked bored, Mixmaster was poking at the plans for their new defense for Crystal City and not paying attention at all, and Scrapper... Scrapper seemed a bit too reluctant to agree for Hook's tastes. The crane glared at his partner, fingers tapping against his forearm.
"If we're on his side, though, he won't attack Crystal City..." Scrapper offered.
"No, then the Autobots will!" Mixmaster snapped.
"Yeah," Long Haul said. "We can't trust any of 'em to look out for Omega and the city. We gotta do it ourselves."
"But who'll tell him no?" Scavenger asked.
"I will, of course." Hook folded his arms. "Bonecrusher can stand with me, but we'll keep this strictly to a video conference. We don't want anymore dealings with Megatron if we can help it."
Title: Acherontia atropos (3/3)
Day/Theme: Sept. 24 'bioremediation'
Series: G1 Transformers
Characters: Megatron, Shockwave, Ravage, Constructicons
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. Megatron makes the Constructicons an offer they can't refuse. Unfortunately, they don't know that they can't do so.
Part 1
Part 2
---
"I want them to come to us willingly," Megatron said as he paced back and forth.
Shockwave stood nearby, watching the strangeling tank work out just how to handle the current problem of the Constructicons. Recruiting didn't seem like something their leader should occupy himself with, but all previous mechs that he'd gotten involved with personally had proven to be valuable assets to the Decepticon cause. The blue cassette-host, for example, was practically indispensable to their intelligence branch now. "Of course, Megatron."
"But they're too valuable to kill if they deny us..." Megatron pivoted to face Shockwave. "I need a guarantee, Shockwave."
Shockwave blinked; he'd often noticed that Megatron would overlook the obvious for something more complicated. He suspected that was why the warlord kept him around as second-in-command. "The Robo-smasher should work."
Megatron frowned. "It hacks up the minds it changes too much. I don't want them useless."
"I shall fine-tune it."
He'd put a little too much of his devotion into his voice, Shockwave noted. Megatron tensed just slightly, the way he did whenever anyone expressed an... intimate interest in him.
Curious.
***
Hook checked his hands for the last time before he entered the restaurant, reassuring himself that they were immaculate. Mixmaster rotated his drum and glanced at the sky briefly, while Scrapper's shovel twitched and jerked every moment they stood outside. The payloader seemed to be the only one of the three of them who actually wanted to be there, though Hook sometimes found it hard to tell with Mixmaster. Be that as it may, however, someone had to keep Scrapper, even after all these vorns, from offering Megatron the moon.
"Are you gentlemechs ready to be seated?"
Hook opened his mouth to answer the server, but Scrapper chimed in first. "We're here to see Megatron."
"Of course." The smaller robot bobbed its head and escorted them to where Megatron sat in one of the back corners of the restaurant. A cassette-cat sat with him, on the table itself rather than in a chair.
"Ah, Scrapper, Hook, Mixmaster." The tank smiled and gestured at the cat. "This is Ravage. He has been a good friend to me."
"Greetings," Ravage said with a noticeable northern accent, regarding them cooly. Hook restrained the urge to examine his tail with his own hands, as that was far too forward. But it seemed like an interesting design...
The three Constructicons made their hellos and took their seats, Mixmaster snatching up the seat nearest to Megatron and Hook all but forcing Scrapper into the back corner away from him. That, unfortunately, caused Scrapper to put his elbows on the table and lean towards the tank.
They exchanged small talk until the meal arrived, Mixmaster happily doing most of the talking. The conversation changed when the server delivered their dinner, Megatron shifting the topic onto his Decepticons and their cause. Hook only picked at his meal and wound up having his and Scrapper's boxed up to share with the others later.
Ravage, he noted, also ate sparingly. Megatron disposed of his meal as quickly as ever, somehow not seeming as if he was devouring it while still making it disappear almost faster than could be believed. And yet he still managed to speak intelligibly as he offered them what amounted to worlds to reshape to their whims if they joined his cause.
It was an enticing offer, Hook had to admit to himself, one hand digging firmly into Scrapper's thigh. "We'll... have to think on it. This is a very reaching decision you're asking us to make."
"But of course." Megatron smiled. "But of course. I'm a patient mech, but I do ask that you give me your answer as soon as you can."
"Oh, I'm sure you're a very patient homme," Mixmaster muttered.
Something flickered across Megatron's face, and if Hook hadn't been looking right at him, he feared he would never have caught that micro-emotion of pure rage.
"We will, of course," the crane said smoothly. "Let you know immediately. But I'm afraid we have a job to finish, so we must take our leave."
"Of course..." Megatron stood up with them, the cat climbing up his arm and curling across his shoulders like an especially strange stole. "Oh, and if you find the time someday, Scrapper, I'd like to discuss Crystal City with you."
Scrapper's shovel twitched, Mixmaster's barrel rolled, and Hook barely managed to keep from dropping a length of line. Did the Decepticon leader know of their project? No, no, of course not. Their precautions had been flawless. Nothing had leaked out. Nothing could have leaked out.
But... Hook regarded those two bright pairs of optics looking at them with a certain dread. If Megatron didn't know now, he might know to start looking now. They would have to work fast and get this finished. Damn it all to the Nine Smelting Pits, this was too delicate to rush!
"Of course," Scrapper said at last. "I would be glad to. But we've got to go now."
Megatron nodded and waved his hand, almost dismissively. "Go then. Just get me an answer when you can."
***
Hook laid it out in black and white for all of the Constructicons. "We can't join with him. We'd alienate too many of our customers by doing such a drastic alliance-shift."
Scavenger and Long Haul nodded, Bonecrusher looked bored, Mixmaster was poking at the plans for their new defense for Crystal City and not paying attention at all, and Scrapper... Scrapper seemed a bit too reluctant to agree for Hook's tastes. The crane glared at his partner, fingers tapping against his forearm.
"If we're on his side, though, he won't attack Crystal City..." Scrapper offered.
"No, then the Autobots will!" Mixmaster snapped.
"Yeah," Long Haul said. "We can't trust any of 'em to look out for Omega and the city. We gotta do it ourselves."
"But who'll tell him no?" Scavenger asked.
"I will, of course." Hook folded his arms. "Bonecrusher can stand with me, but we'll keep this strictly to a video conference. We don't want anymore dealings with Megatron if we can help it."