Tox-En

Tox-En is a form of Energon from the Aligned continuity family.

From this angle, it looks a bit like a dying fish...but deadlier.

Tox-En is a highly poisonous Energon variant, easily identified by its sickly green color and visible fumes. It has the opposite effect as regular Energon on Transformers, causing them to feel nauseous and weakened by the slightest physical contact. Prolonged exposure to Tox-En can outright paralyze a Transformer, eventually extinguishing their spark.

Needless to say, it's pretty nasty stuff which sane individuals will dispose of on sight. In the hands of a complete lunatic, however, it can become a devastating weapon against their enemies.

Fiction

Prime cartoon

Megatron found a way to refine raw Tox-En during the war, converting it into a bioweapon that devastated the Autobots. A sample of the substance came into Autobot possession and was stored in the Vaults of Iacon. At some point, it ended up on Earth, near a volcano at the equator. It fell into an active lava flow, which carried it some distance away from its projected coordinates, but neither the container nor its contents were damaged.

During the race to find the Iacon relics, the Tox-En was found by Bulkhead. Deeming it too dangerous to leave intact, he sought to destroy it in the fiery depths of the volcano. To stall Megatron's own search party - Hardshell and a group of Insecticons - Bulkhead left a small chunk of Tox-En in the canister, along with a grenade that destroyed the chunk and left one Insecticon with a neck full of toxic shrapnel.

After leaving a false trail of Energon to keep the Decepticons busy, Bulkhead took the remainder of the Tox-En with him on his trek to the top of the volcano. Unfortunately, his earlier ruse forced him to actively carry the toxic substance, rapidly weakening his body and mind as he struggled up the slope. Although the encouragement of Agent Fowler gave Bulkhead the strength to reach the crater, his fatigue allowed Hardshell and his remaining minions to catch up to him before he could destroy the Tox-En.

During the ensuing confrontation, Bulkhead used the Tox-En as a makeshift weapon against his foes, completely incapacitating one Insecticon and sapping Hardshell's strength. After a brief battle between the exhausted Cybertronians, Bulkhead further weakened Hardshell by forcing his face into the Tox-En. As Hardshell staggered back, Bulkhead tossed the Tox-En to him, causing the disoriented Insecticon to fall into the volcano. Although Hardshell survived, the Tox-En was dissolved in the molten rock. Toxicity

Unfortunately, the Tox-En exposure had taken its toll on Bulkhead; combined with a shot in the back from Hardshell, it was enough to leave him clinging to life. Ratchet was forced to put Bulkhead in stasis and diagnose him with sub-micronic system-wide shutdowns, preventing him from even beginning to operate on Bulkhead's other injuries until his patient had regained some strength. Megatron was highly displeased at Hardshell's failure. Later when Wheeljack was fighting Hardshell, he made fun of him saying he could never beat anyone with out the Tox-En, but Hardshell regarded this mid battle banter as a sign of weakness. Hurt

Notes

• The name "Tox-En" name comes from its nature as "toxic Energon". Its pronunciation is similar to the word "toxin".
  • Its name is similar to "Synth-En", Ratchet's nickname for his version of Synthetic Energon. Interestingly, both are an unnatural shade of green and detrimental to Transformers, but Synth-En mainly affected the user's mind, while Tox-En primarily affects the body.
• Between its appearance as a glowing green crystal and its potentially-lethal effect on Transformers, it bears a strong resemblance to Kryptonite.