Repeating Patterns

Sick if going to the transformation class Deltron asked his mother Prizm to help him learn to do it better, and when she pulled out a recording of Megatron’s jump he got overly excited.

“I haven’t seen dad do that.”

“He hasn’t had the need to do it for some time.” Prizm smiled.

“How can I learn that?” Deltron studied the motion in on slow.

“All you can do is try. How far can you transform now?”

Deltron thought about it for a moment. “I can get all the way down to my waist, but then I have trouble with the legs.”

“Alright try it lets see what happens.” Prizm nodded then waited.

Deltron did as asked transforming down putting his feet together then it all halted.  “This is without  learning the mass shift first.” He said.

She took note of it and compared it to what she had memorized of Megatron’s own transformation. “Alright transform back.”

With the familiar sound Deltron did. “Well?” his tone wasn’t demanding but he was ready to have this done. “I’m sick of the other kids laughing at it.”

“You are just more complicated than they are, most of them can’t mass shift, and it isn’t something you can learn either.” She answered.

“So what can I do about it?” The look on Deltron’s face told her he wasn’t going to stop until he had it down.

“Have you tried the mass shift at all?”

“A little, Dio was helping me with it, he is how I got this far.” Deltron nodded.

“Have you tried doing that first?”

Taking a large intake of air Deltron shook his head. “I didn’t want to be small in front of the others.”

Prizm tried not to giggle, sounded like something Megatron would do. “Let’s start with that then.”

For a moment Deltron looked at his mother unsure if she could help with that since she couldn’t use it herself.  “Okay.” He concentrated on the shift and engaged the protocols. “It’s ready.”

“Now try from the bottom up.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” He protested for a second.

“Up till the last moment balance, stay upright and after that I’m here don’t worry about it.”

Deltron thought about it. Last things that would be put into place would be his shoulders and arms. It should work.  He began to do so, working through the gears in his lower body making sure he kept balance.

Prizm watched, as her little mech’s form started to take shape and as his shoulders began to turn she placed her hand down at the base his size having been changed in the process left him in once piece in the palm of her hand. “See now was that so hard?”

“No, Dio though was trying from the wrong direction.”

“Can you get out of it?”

The small gun in her hand began to shake and she put it down. Deltron transformed, “Getting out of it is much easier.” He paced a few moments making mental notes and adjustments. “ I think I can do it. I want to try it once more just standing.” He stood again and transformed this time nearly three times the speed, Prizm had to grab him before the force of the movements caused him to fall over. “The jump can’t be much harder.” He said aloud. He shook again and Prizm put him down so he could stand.

“You think you can do the jump?” Prizm couldn’t help but smile.

“I think the jump’s force will actually help.” He took a few steps forward mentally trying to calculate where he would land, or where Prizm would have to catch him. “You’ll catch me right?”

“Yes of course.”

With a look of determination Deltron took one more step and turned away from her. He paused for a second knowing that his mother had caught his dad on many of occasions that she would know what to expect and then lit his jets slightly and aimed himself head over heels. The pressure of the jets put too much spin into it, leaving Deltron only have transformed as he came down in front of Prizm. She caught his shoulder just before his hilt hit the ground.

“No jets, just jump.” She said.

Deltron reversed the process returning into robot mode. I hadn’t quite taken that part of it into his equations. He judged the distance again, then turned around once more.  First he just jumped, testing his own strength and how he would manage to make the turn without the jets. He then bet slowly at the knee joints and pushed himself up in the air using his arms to gain the spin.

Prizm marveled for a moment at the dexterity that Deltron had inherited from his father then reached out and snatched him out of the air, making Deltron chuckle slyly.

“I did it!” His entire frame seemed to gleam with pride.

“Yup, but  can you do it again?” Prizm opened her fingers to Deltron could revert to his robot mode.

The small mech stood there for a moment then a mischievous grin came to his face. “I am sure I can.” He looked at her and the distance between them, turned around took a few steps forward and repeated the process.  Again Prizm caught him, then released him and he transformed back. “The force really does help.”

“Are you going to go run and show your father?” Prizm asked.

For a second Deltron didn’t respond he hadn’t thought about that just yet. “I will after I see if I can catch Astrotrain before he leaves. He took off at a run out the door.

[b]Academy Grounds[/b]

The lights in Astrotrain’s room were off and the Triplechanger was nowhere to be found.  He growled  and stood at the door looking down the hall. He could have it all done with and be out of this class and on to the next one if ‘Train would have been there. He headed to the exit of the hall and out into the open area that served as a small flight ground for those who needed space for practice.  Windraker was standing there talking to Augmentation, Onium, Talon, Windstorm, Flareup,  Blaze and Conduit. Deltron came up a little slow trying to catch what was being talked about.

“You can’t possibly do what I do Windraker.” Augmentation stated.

“Why not? I’ve got jets in my feet, I can take off vertically.” He protested.

“That isn’t what VTOL is.” Onium answered. “VTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Take-Off and Landing.”

Windraker looked at Onium with an irritated look that made him look just like his father Starscream.

“In robot mode we all do it.” Augmentation said as a matter of factly. “Even some of the Autobots have been out fitted to do it.”

“Yeah and what? You don’t think I can do it in jet mode? It’s just a matter of half transformation.”

Onium shook her head. “That isn’t VTOL. That’s make it up as you go along.”

“IT IS VERTIAL TAKE OFF!” He ground through his dentals.

“Let’s see you hover in complete transformation then Windraker.” Deltron said smartly.

The crowd turned to look at the new comer.

Augmentation smiled at his injection. “He can’t.”

“What did you come out here for Deltron, you don’t need the room to practice your transforming.” Windraker crossed his arms.

“No I don’t need the room, because I can do it already.”

Windraker laughed. “I’ve seen you do it, half way through you get stuck.”  Some of the others started to giggle.

“I can, and I can add the mass shift. If Astrotrain was still here I’d be so out of this class right now.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to look bad. Seeing who your father is and all.” Talon answered. There were several nods from others.

Augmentation didn’t have to be told Deltron had learned his transformation, she could feel the confidence coming from him easily. She short COM’d Onium [i]’This is going to get messy.’[/i]

Onium exchanged a glance with Augmentation.

Deltron looked around. “You aren’t any better than anyone else just because you have a jet mode.”

“Jet mode, gun mode, tank mode WHATEVER, if you can’t do it you can’t do it.” Windraker answered.

“I can! And you will catch me!” Deltron came closer his optics burning and looked right into Windraker’s. “If you don’t I will get up and see that you will spend more time in the med bay than you have in class!”

Shaking his head Windraker didn’t believe it, “Sure, if you can fit into my hand I’ll catch you. If not your going to land on your aft because I’m not going to have you falling on me.”

“What’s the matter? Scared of a little weight?”

“I am not afraid of anything!” Windraker snorted.

Deltron walked away from him taking mental measurement of the distance he would have to jump. He then turned around and looked at the small crowed that had all their optics trained on him. “Maybe I should have Aug catch me first, at least I know she will do it.”

“I can do it.” Windraker ground out.

“Fine, you better.” Deltron faced away from Windraker and concentrated making sure his mass shift protocols were engaged and ready. He put one foot behind him and then jumped back flipping over transforming, but then decided not to landing right on top of Windraker forcing him to the ground.

Augmentation shook her head, while Onium chucked, most of the others looked in surprise then began to giggle again.

“You asked for that.” Talon chuckled.

“GET OFF OF ME!” Windraker rasped.

“Why should I? You want to taunt me? You will get what is coming to you.” Deltron sat still a little longer and glared at Talon and Blaze daring them to say something. After a moment longer he got up and stared at Windraker.

The small blue, red and sliver jet got up and brushed himself off, it hurt somewhat to be hit like that, but he wasn’t about to let anyone know it. “I knew you couldn’t do it.”

“Aug, will you catch me?” Deltron quickly measured the distance.

Augmentation’s telepathy reassured her that he wouldn’t do to her as he did to Windraker. “Yeah fine, if it makes you happy.” She hadn’t had any practice or anything else, but in this case she would rely on him to tell her where he would be.

“Good.” He took  a step again and began the sequence once more. He jumped back and engaged the transformation as well as the mass shift. Falling right in front of Augmentation who snatched him out of the air.

The small crowd marveled a little.

“He did it.” Talon whispered.

“Yeah well gimme that!” Windraker reached out to grab Deltron out of Augmentation’s hands.

“No, it isn’t a toy.” She growled back trying to keep him from taking the gun.

“Stop it!” Deltron demanded.

“Give it to me!” Windraker got his hand around Deltron’s barrel and managed to get Augmentation’s hand to slide down the hilt. Before he could pull it completely away, his hand slide down to the trigger pulling it back.

Proud of her youngest Prizm made her way to Megatron’s office, the information of Deltron’s learning to transform wasn’t ground shattering news but it would be one of those mile stones that you want to know about. She buzzed the door and waited for him to answer.

“Come.” Megatron released the lock on the door. Prizm walked in and sat, the grin on her face was apparent that she knew something. “What’s happened this time?”

“Assuming the worst?”

“Not particularly, since I didn’t get an alert.” Megatron shook his head.

“Nothing bad.” Prizm’s smile widened a little. “Just that Deltron is just like you.”

“I knew that. I can see that by just looking at him.”

“No no, he came to me for some help on learning to transform. So I got a record out of yours and let him have a look. He demanded to learn the back flip just like you do.”

“Is that so? I gather he managed to learn it then?”

“He did, in fact he got the mass shift down as well.”

“That is to be expected.” He nodded. “The centripetal force aides.”

“He ran off to see if he could catch Astrotrain and pass the class.” Prizm explained.

“He is going to need more attention now, I will have to explain how to regulate the power that comes from him…”

They alert on his desk lit up stopping him mid sentence. He accessed and read the report. He got up from the desk quickly and headed for the door, Prizm on his heels.

**

Deltron tired to wiggle within the double grip of Augmentation and Windraker, as another finger slipped and his trigger was pulled again.

“Stop it!” Augmentation pulled away from Windraker. “Look at what you’ve done.” She pointed at the side of the near building which stood in rubble.

“I did nothing of the sort, if you had given him to me in the first place this would not have happened!” Windraker shouted back.

Talon, Flareup, and Blaze exchanged glances. “Windraker, your gonna be in so much trouble.” Blaze said.

Windraker only glared at him with daggers in his optics.

“What do you think Megatron is going to say?” Talon looked at the rubble.

“We’ll find out I’m sure. Since he is on his way.” Augmentations said smartly.

Windraker’s mouth stopped while hanging open. He had yet to come face to face with the leader since his transportation to Cybertron only a few short days ago. “He will send be back to Earth.” He spoke in a whisper.

Deltron finally got lose enough in Windraker’s preoccupied hand to shake free and transform back into his robot mode. “Windraker you aft!”  Deltron got up in the smaller Sparklings  optics and pushed him. “Do you know what’s going to happen now?”

Windraker looked around obviously scared. “I don’t want to go back to Earth dad will kill me!”

“You should have thought about that.” Deltron started walking toward the damage, he wanted to assess what he had done. The rest of the group following him.

“Your dad’s going to be pissed.” Augmentation looked at the rubble.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Deltron said still looking at the debris.

“Since when does he ask that?”

Deltron shook his head. “He doesn’t.

“He’s already here.” Augmentation stepped back and looked at the spot that quickly became the Decepticon Emperor. Talon and Blazed looked optics wide, Flareup stood back not wanting to get in the way at all. Windraker looked awestruck, not only was this Megatron but his grandfather as well.

Megatron landed noticing that the group didn’t disburse in fear.  “This is a practice area, not a firing range what is going on?” He demanded.

Landing just behind him Prizm looked to see who else was there.

Windraker couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Deltron turned around, “I’ve learned to transform.”

“I was just being informed about that. This is not doubt a product of that.”  Megatron looked over the damage for himself. “Which one of you pulled the trigger?” he turned back to the kids and looked over each one.

Talon shook his head, as did Flareup. “Wouldn’t touch him.” Blaze answered.

Onium scoffed a bit. “No way.”

Megatron looked from Augmentation to Windraker and then stopped seeing the look on the smaller ones face plate.

She took one step, “He transformed and I caught him.” The leader looked at her with a bit of surprise. “Deltron’s trigger was pulled when Windraker tried to take him from my hand.”

Megatron looked at the damage again, “You; you are Windraker are you not?” Of course Megatron had don’t his homework he knew who was who on site. What he wanted to do was instill some fear into the little mech.

The small mech looked up at what seemed to him as a towering dark shadowed mech. “Don’t send me home! Don’t send be back to Earth!”

His optic brow rose, “Deltron we will discuss this later, the rest of you I’m sure you have better things to be doing. Windraker you will come with me.”

Onium and Augmentation didn’t need a second thought, they had been in enough scrapes with Syndication’s antics to know when they were going to get off easy, so when it came they headed off quickly.  Blaze and Talon had stepped back twice since Megatron’s arrival, they turned and fled as fast as their legs could carry them .

Prizm joined Deltron, “I’ll take him home.”

“I expect you both to be there when I arrive then.” Megatron answered. He took a step toward the direction of the main command center and then turned to Windraker. “Come.”

Windraker took a few shaky steps then did as told. His mind was racing with questions, and fear of what might happen, right along with the awe of seeing Megatron.

Once they were alone Prizm looked down at Deltron. “He really did that?”

“Yeah they were holding on so tight I couldn’t shake free.” He was quiet for a bit then looked up. “What do you think dad is going to do with him?”

“I don’t know, but it really looked like Starscream shrunk.” Prizm smiled holding back a laugh.

Deltron shook his head, “It seems to run that way, Audio, Me, Windraker. Even some of the others do that. Lenear looks like you.”

“I know. Come on if your father makes it back before we do he’ll be even more pissed.”

“Do you think I’ll be in trouble?” Deltron asked slowly following.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so. We were just talking about how you were going to have to learn to control the blast when this happened. You’ll probably have to do some more training, but you should be used to that.”

Again Deltron nodded. “Yeah.”

Megatron closed the office door as Windraker entered he could see the mech was scared. “Explain to me why you tried to take a weapon from another?”

For a second it seemed like Windraker wasn’t going to answer, then Megatron sat at the desk and glared at him. “If Deltron hadn’t landed on me the first time I wouldn’t have done it.”

Megatron questioned Windraker until  the whole story unfolded before him. “You taunted him until he agreed to show off.”

His optics at his feet. “Yes.”

Shaking his head Megatron smirked. “You will repair the wall. Scrapper will oversee it. Make sure you report to him or he will report to me.”

Windraker’s entire frame sagged some more at his punishment, then suddenly  perked up. “I don’t have to go back to Earth?”

Megatron rubbed his chin thoughtfully as if he were still deciding on the verdict. “If I sent you back then your father would know what had happened correct?”

Windraker nodded.

“I have my reasons don’t question them. This is your only chance. See that you don’t cause any more damage. Or I will be forced to report it to him. Now. Get out of my office, I will come speak to you later at your room.”

Shocked Windraker didn’t move. The Mighty Megatron had just dismissed him with little more than some clean up duties and a warning. His face broadened in a smile then he hopped out of the chair and headed out the door.