* * * * *
Part Four
Rhinox let his chain guns fall back to his sides and looked over at Optimus. "I don't think it's working."
The taller Maximal bleakly nodded. The Maximals had been attacking the shield, but all that had resulted was a lowering of their energy levels. "You're right. Overdose isn't going to respond."
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Cheetor asked. His doubts about Overdose's ability to torture Tarantulas had long since been banished by the screams coming from deeper in the caverns. Somehow, he still couldn't connect the laughing femme to someone who could coldly torture the spider. "Are we just going to leave him in there?"
"No," Optimus told him gently, "but I don't know how we can--"
"Hell-OOOOOOOOO?! Who keeps bam-blam-blasting at my door?"
"Overdose!" He spun to see her walk around the corner. "Overdose?"
The blackened femme smiled brightly as the Maximals stared at her. They didn't know what to make of her lack of color. "Yep, it's me. At least I think it's still me. Let me check!" She ran her hands down her body. "Me, me, me, and I think that's me. What do you guys think? Look at me from the side; do I look different to you?" She turned and posed.
The chatter was definitely her. "Overdose, we need to talk," Optimus said seriously.
"Really? Gee, that was easy! We talked already." She waved and spun around to walk away again.
"Overdose!" the Maximal leader bellowed. "Come back here!"
The rest of the Maximals flinched in surprise at the pure volume, but Overdose just half-turned to look at him. "Whyyyyyyyyyy?" she whined.
"I have something you want."
"Well...alright." Moping, the crazy sea slug shuffled back towards them and stopped behind the shield. "Whazzup?"
"You said you wanted to..." how had she put it? "...a Maximal by day," Optimus said quickly to keep her attention. "I've thought it over."
The colors in her eyes picked up speed. "Hey, neat! So can I?"
"Yes." He cut off her squeal of pleasure, "But only if you let Tarantulas go!" She fell silent, her eyes slowing again, and he pressed on. "Maximals don't torture, Overdose, so if you want to become a Maximal you'll have to let him go."
"But..."
"No 'buts', Overdose," he said sternly.
"C'mon, Overdose!" Cheetor burst out finally. "You gotta let him go!"
The femme gave him a blank look. "I do?" Then she held up her hand before anyone could say anything more. "Wait a click! I gotta think..." She looked at the wall and fell silent.
No! I won't let you free him just so you can join some weakling group!
"Oh, you shut up, too," she muttered. The Maximals exchanged a glance and wondered who she was talking to, but she ignored them. Deep in her mind colors danced and whirled, separated from the frustrated sane personality who could only look on and wonder what she was doing NOW. But what the insanity was doing was coming up with a plan...or more like, completing something she had thought of in passing before. It was insane, yes, but cunning with its insanity. The very thing that made insanity unpredictable was that it could be sane at times, but not at reliable times...
"Alright," she said slowly. "I'll do it."
Optimus smiled, and the Maximals all relaxed a little. "That's great, Overdose."
No, Overdose! Don't do this! Goomba's killer--
"Shut up!" she yelled suddenly at the ceiling, and the Maximals froze in surprise. "I don't CARE what you say!" Folding her arms stubbornly, she muttered and twitched a couple times, then seemed to regain control of herself. She gave Optimus an apologetic look and shrugged. "She's rude, but she's stuck in my head. I can't really ignore her, ya know?"
The Maximal leader shook his head slowly, wondering what he was getting himself into. "No, I don't really know. But you can tell us later, after you set Tarantulas free, okay?"
Overdose's eyes widened, all innocence. "Okay! Is it alright if I start tomorrow, though? I gotta go see that one guy in that one place over by those rocks and things, and I don't know how long it'll take."
Optimus stared at her. "Who..?"
"You know; that guy!"
"Um..."
"He lives in that one place with those other guys."
He looked at the others helplessly. Rhinox puzzled through her odd babbling, though. "You mean Megatron," he said.
Overdose giggled. "That's what I said!"
"Why do you need to go see Megatron?" Optimus asked.
She sighed and gave the impression that she was speaking to a half-wit. "OBVIOUSLY, I have to bring Tarantulas to him. How else will I get into the Predacons?"
Belatedly, Optimus remembered that it had been the other half of her idea of becoming a Maximal to become a Predacon, too. "But you just agreed to let Tarantulas go..."
Her smile was all sweetness and light. "Sure. But did I ever say I was going to give him back to you guys?" She giggled again as she turned and skipped away.
"Overdose, you can't--" Optimus started.
The femme whirled and glared at him, and her eyes glowed red. "Take what you can get, Maximal," she hissed softly, and there was no more innocence. Cheetor looked at her in shock, finally seeing what she was. "This way, he lives." Her head tilted to one side as she stepped back into the darkness of the caves, her smile sarcastic. Her fins blended into the blackness until only her eyes could be seen, colors swirling. "I'm not always so willing to compromise."
The eyes blinked, and she was gone.
Part Four
Rhinox let his chain guns fall back to his sides and looked over at Optimus. "I don't think it's working."
The taller Maximal bleakly nodded. The Maximals had been attacking the shield, but all that had resulted was a lowering of their energy levels. "You're right. Overdose isn't going to respond."
"So what are we supposed to do now?" Cheetor asked. His doubts about Overdose's ability to torture Tarantulas had long since been banished by the screams coming from deeper in the caverns. Somehow, he still couldn't connect the laughing femme to someone who could coldly torture the spider. "Are we just going to leave him in there?"
"No," Optimus told him gently, "but I don't know how we can--"
"Hell-OOOOOOOOO?! Who keeps bam-blam-blasting at my door?"
"Overdose!" He spun to see her walk around the corner. "Overdose?"
The blackened femme smiled brightly as the Maximals stared at her. They didn't know what to make of her lack of color. "Yep, it's me. At least I think it's still me. Let me check!" She ran her hands down her body. "Me, me, me, and I think that's me. What do you guys think? Look at me from the side; do I look different to you?" She turned and posed.
The chatter was definitely her. "Overdose, we need to talk," Optimus said seriously.
"Really? Gee, that was easy! We talked already." She waved and spun around to walk away again.
"Overdose!" the Maximal leader bellowed. "Come back here!"
The rest of the Maximals flinched in surprise at the pure volume, but Overdose just half-turned to look at him. "Whyyyyyyyyyy?" she whined.
"I have something you want."
"Well...alright." Moping, the crazy sea slug shuffled back towards them and stopped behind the shield. "Whazzup?"
"You said you wanted to..." how had she put it? "...a Maximal by day," Optimus said quickly to keep her attention. "I've thought it over."
The colors in her eyes picked up speed. "Hey, neat! So can I?"
"Yes." He cut off her squeal of pleasure, "But only if you let Tarantulas go!" She fell silent, her eyes slowing again, and he pressed on. "Maximals don't torture, Overdose, so if you want to become a Maximal you'll have to let him go."
"But..."
"No 'buts', Overdose," he said sternly.
"C'mon, Overdose!" Cheetor burst out finally. "You gotta let him go!"
The femme gave him a blank look. "I do?" Then she held up her hand before anyone could say anything more. "Wait a click! I gotta think..." She looked at the wall and fell silent.
No! I won't let you free him just so you can join some weakling group!
"Oh, you shut up, too," she muttered. The Maximals exchanged a glance and wondered who she was talking to, but she ignored them. Deep in her mind colors danced and whirled, separated from the frustrated sane personality who could only look on and wonder what she was doing NOW. But what the insanity was doing was coming up with a plan...or more like, completing something she had thought of in passing before. It was insane, yes, but cunning with its insanity. The very thing that made insanity unpredictable was that it could be sane at times, but not at reliable times...
"Alright," she said slowly. "I'll do it."
Optimus smiled, and the Maximals all relaxed a little. "That's great, Overdose."
No, Overdose! Don't do this! Goomba's killer--
"Shut up!" she yelled suddenly at the ceiling, and the Maximals froze in surprise. "I don't CARE what you say!" Folding her arms stubbornly, she muttered and twitched a couple times, then seemed to regain control of herself. She gave Optimus an apologetic look and shrugged. "She's rude, but she's stuck in my head. I can't really ignore her, ya know?"
The Maximal leader shook his head slowly, wondering what he was getting himself into. "No, I don't really know. But you can tell us later, after you set Tarantulas free, okay?"
Overdose's eyes widened, all innocence. "Okay! Is it alright if I start tomorrow, though? I gotta go see that one guy in that one place over by those rocks and things, and I don't know how long it'll take."
Optimus stared at her. "Who..?"
"You know; that guy!"
"Um..."
"He lives in that one place with those other guys."
He looked at the others helplessly. Rhinox puzzled through her odd babbling, though. "You mean Megatron," he said.
Overdose giggled. "That's what I said!"
"Why do you need to go see Megatron?" Optimus asked.
She sighed and gave the impression that she was speaking to a half-wit. "OBVIOUSLY, I have to bring Tarantulas to him. How else will I get into the Predacons?"
Belatedly, Optimus remembered that it had been the other half of her idea of becoming a Maximal to become a Predacon, too. "But you just agreed to let Tarantulas go..."
Her smile was all sweetness and light. "Sure. But did I ever say I was going to give him back to you guys?" She giggled again as she turned and skipped away.
"Overdose, you can't--" Optimus started.
The femme whirled and glared at him, and her eyes glowed red. "Take what you can get, Maximal," she hissed softly, and there was no more innocence. Cheetor looked at her in shock, finally seeing what she was. "This way, he lives." Her head tilted to one side as she stepped back into the darkness of the caves, her smile sarcastic. Her fins blended into the blackness until only her eyes could be seen, colors swirling. "I'm not always so willing to compromise."
The eyes blinked, and she was gone.