Transformers

My children used to play with Transformers when they were young. I think that came to a close right around the Dinobots. We were always careful folding and unfolding them so we wouldn't break them. When the Transformers movies came out, there were a lot more moving parts but the effects were still cool.

When the time came to write the scene for the unpacking of the Erklirte "weapons" in the middle part of Rome's Revolution, I had the vision of the Transformers in my mind. I had this idea that their vehicles would be compressed into a large yellow block and they would "inflate" when they were powered up. See if my depiction of a Transformer-like unfolding comes to mind here:

     Most of the Essessoni had sore backs so as a matter of practicality, the Ibbrassati were forced to do the heavy lifting. Some were better than others but most were nearly incapacitated in some fashion or another. The Ibbrassati slid the containers down the cargo ramp and dragged them until they were flat on the ground. Two Essessoni limped over and inserted one radioactive rod into the each of the boxes using the cavities made for just for that purpose.
     Like a flower unfolding its petals, the squarish boxes began to unravel in glinting segments. Each arm unlocked, revealing another segment in its place. Underneath, wire wheels emerged and their electrostatic filaments stiffened causing the vehicle to slowly rise up from the ground. When the transformation was complete, the two vehicles resembled large, open cabin trucks with flatbeds and sides made up of shining metal.
     “Ionelli, Greer,” Keller said to two men standing nearby, “Stage Two.” Keller pointed to two cavities now visible near the front of the two vehicles. With some effort, the Essessoni inserted two more rods into each vehicle and they began transforming again. The flatbeds unfolded again and again forming a huge surface. Walls came up along with bars on the sides and another set of wheels descending from their underbelly turning them into giant transports.
     The two men swung up, one each into the cabin and fired up the electric motors. One made a grinding noise but no one seemed to care. The two men pulled the transports around and each pointed their front directly into the belly of the cargo compartment. They turned on huge floodlights and night became day.

Good? Bad? Oh well, I tried. It'll be cooler when the movies are made.