The stillness allows Bumblebee’s thoughts to catch up to him. His new role as leader is at times uncomfortable and frustrating.
Something shifts along the water’s surface and takes a familiar shape. Curious, Bumblebee peeks over the side of the dock and looks down to see the reflection of his fallen leader.
“Optimus,” he whispers warily. “Is that you? Got any advice on how to lead a group with no military training whatsoever? I’m just wingin’ it here, and every time I think they’ve learned how to work together, they start bickering and fall apart.”
The reflection ripples but remains unmoving. Bumblebee can hear the Prime’s voice in his head.
You were once as inexperienced as your teammates, and yet your limitless potential has surpassed my greatest expectations. I see the same dynamic spark within your team. You are a leader, Bumblebee, and you have made me proud.
Suddenly, the Autobot feels a hand on his shoulder.
“Optimus? Oh, hey, Grimlock,” Bumblebee says, embarrassed. “Must’ve drifted off. Sorry.”
“Seems quiet,” the dinobot whispers. “Are we in the right place?”
“Too quiet if you ask me,” Bumblebee replies. “But these are the coordinates Fixit gave us. Let’s look around.”
The Autobot and his team walk toward the warehouse.
“We should set up a perimeter,” Strongarm says.
“Excellent idea, cadet,” Bumblebee replies.
“I was just gonna say that!” says Sideswipe.
Strongarm rolls her optics.
“We should enter from the back door,” Sideswipe continues. “Catch them by surprise.”
“We should drop in from the roof,” Strongarm offers. “An aerial view would allow us to acquire the targets faster.”
“Both are viable options,” Bumblebee replies. “So we’ll split up into pairs and double our chances at capturing these criminals.”
Suddenly, the warehouse wall erupts in an outward explosion.
KA-BLAM!
Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Strongarm, and Grimlock jump back and shield themselves from the flying debris.
The large projectile that caused the explosion has now landed on the dock with a ground-shaking thud.
It is their familiar foe Underbite engaged in a raging battle with two unidentified Decepticons!
WHAM!
BAM!
The Chompozoid grabs one of the Decepticons by his long tail and whips him through the gaping hole in the wall. The other Decepticon tackles Underbite from behind, and they both tumble back into the warehouse.
“Or…” Grimlock says, peeking in after them, “we find out what’s behind door number three!”
Chapter 7
Team Bee stealthily enters the warehouse, prepared for anything but the contradictory tableau before them.
While Underbite continues fighting with Snitch and Sneak, Thunderhoof casually converses with Slink.
“I see you’re a fellow entrepreneur,” he says, sliding his arm around her.
“Cut the scrap, antler-head,” Slink snaps. She wriggles out of Thunderhoof’s embrace.
“I got here first. Fair and square. If you had marked this territory, I woulda smelled your stench from a mile away!”
“Listen up, sweet-bot, this here is my territory. So if youse wanna conduct business ’round these parts, youse play by my rules. I’m the boss! And I get a cut of yer profits.”
“Not a chance,” Slink says.
Thunderhoof snorts loudly, exhaling steam from his snout. “Well, then, I guess we do this the hard way. No more Mr. Nice-Bot!” he shouts.
He lunges at Slink and grabs her.
“Stand down, Thunderhoof!” a booming voice echoes through the warehouse.
The commotion stops, and all the Decepticons turn to see Bumblebee and his team standing in front of the broken wall, heroically silhouetted against the full moon.
Strongarm has her blaster aimed at the elkbot.
“You’re under arrest!” she commands.
“Scrud!” cries Snitch. “It’s the law-bots!”
“Everybot put your hands where I can see them,” Bumblebee orders. “NOW!”
Thunderhoof raises Slink into the air and uses her as a shield. The catbot kicks at her captor, but his grip is too strong.
“Mine are right here, law-bots,” he taunts. “But don’t any of youse go makin’ no sudden moves or nothin’, ’cuz I’ll crush her intake valve.”
Underbite follows suit and grabs his opponents in each fist. Snitch and Sneak squirm and tremble in the massive mitts of the Chompozoid.
Strongarm puts Thunderhoof in her sights. “I have a clear shot, Lieutenant,” she whispers to Bumblebee.
“Hold back,” he replies.
Strongarm lowers her weapon.
“Smart bot,” Thunderhoof says. “I’m the boss, see, and this is how things are gonna go down. Me and Underbite are gonna trade youse these here punk junk-bots for a free ride, capiche?”
“None of you are leaving the premises unless it is in a stasis pod,” Bumblebee states.
“Is that so?” the elkbot responds. “How’s about we cut a deal? I’ll even give youse the friends and family-bot discount.”
“What’s that?” Grimlock asks.
“You get two Decepticons for the price of one!” Underbite roars.
The Chompozoid hurls Snitch and Sneak directly at the Autobots.
SMASH!
Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Strongarm are taken by surprise, but Sideswipe acts swiftly. He shifts into his vehicle mode and rockets toward Thunderhoof.
VROOOOOM!
The speedy sports car slams into the elkbot.
BAM!
Slink breaks free and somersaults through the air. The catbot lands on her feet.
Sideswipe strikes again, launching Thunderhoof across the room, where he bashes into a tall shelving unit. The shelves tip over into the next unit, and the next, causing a domino effect.
CLANG!
BANG!
Tin cans, steel drums, and metal trays clatter and crash all around the Cybertronians, creating a cacophony.
“Who’s the boss now?” Sideswipe quips.
The other Autobots follow Sideswipe’s lead and charge into battle.
Rushing toward the dazed Decepticons, Bumblebee and Strongarm confront Snitch and Sneak with their weapons drawn.
Bumblebee wields an energy sword. The blade illuminates the dark warehouse with an iridescent blue glow.
Snitch and Sneak shield their optics from the blinding light.
“Arms up, Decepticons!” orders Bumblebee while brandishing the blade.“
We get the point, cop-bot,” Snitch says. “Sneak and I are more than happy to oblige. Ain’t we, Sneak?”
“Sure thing, Snitch,” Sneak replies with a sly grin.
In a flash, the weaselbot lifts his arms up over his head and squirts two pungent puffs of a ghastly green gas at Bumblebee.
FSSSSSS!
FSSSSSS!
“Drop and roll!” Strongarm shouts, jumping back to avoid the gas.
It is too late. The Autobot leader catches a whiff of the toxic fumes, and they cause his neuro-sensors to go haywire. He hacks and wheezes and stumbles, disoriented, through the thick, pungent cloud. With one blind swipe, he manages to catch Sneak with the broad side of the energy blade, knocking him back into his buddy Snitch.
CLANG!
Bumblebee finally heeds his cadet’s advice, sheathes his weapon, and changes into his vehicle form. He drives out onto the docks to flush his system with a rush of cold fresh air.
Sneak watches him go and cackles. “I ain’t no business-bot, but that seems like the sweet smell of success to me!”
The weaselbot pumps his fists in the air and gives the raticon a high five.
Strongarm wills her weapon to become a double-bladed energy sword. Twirling it with considerable skill, Strongarm brings one end down on Snitch.
WHAP!
Then
she whirls it over her head and brings the other end down on Sneak.
WHACK!
Strongarm sheathes her weapon and pulls a steel cable off a nearby hook. The Autobot wraps it around Sneak, pinning the weaselbot’s limbs at his side.
“On second thought, keep your arms down!” Strongarm commands.
Before she can get to Snitch, the raticon whips around and hits Strongarm with his tail.
SMACK!
The Autobot gets knocked off her feet.
THUD!
Snitch rushes over to Sneak and starts nibbling through the metal coils with his sharp, bucked front teeth.
“I’ll have you out in less than a nanosecond,” Snitch says.
“Less chat, more chew!” gripes Sneak.
Meanwhile, Thunderhoof pulls himself out from under the heavy fallen shelf. The elkbot is covered in kibbles and bits.
“Say, what is this filth?” he asks, brushing himself off.
Slink appears from the shadows and purrs, “It’s called pet food. The fellas on this backwards rock use it to feed something called a pet. They all got ’em, and they’d pay their weight in Energon to get their hands on it… were there a shortage, see?”
Thunderhoof shakes his head. “I gotta admit, Slink, ol’ gal. That ain’t a bad racket.”
Slink smiles, baring her sharp, pointy teeth.
“I’m glad you think so, big fella, ’cuz if you wanna be in my gang, you’ll need your own set of whiskers.”
With that, Slink scrapes Thunderhoof’s snout with her claws, leaving matching scratches on either side. The elkbot howls in pain.
“Serves ya right, you slimy slag-heap!” she hisses.
Thunderhoof leaps to his feet, but when he reaches to grab Slink, she is gone.
“Come out and fight me, ya scaredy-catbot!”
“Mind if I cut in?” says a voice behind Thunderhoof.
The elkbot turns and comes into direct contact with Sideswipe’s fist.
POW!
“Let’s dance!” Sideswipe yells. He turns on his radio speakers and fills the air with a bass-heavy electronic dance anthem.
Thunderhoof takes a swing at the young Autobot, but Sideswipe backflips out of the way. He hops onto an upturned shelf and grooves to the music.
The elkbot snorts in disgust and charges at Sideswipe, who halts Thunderhoof’s momentum with a swift kick to the chest.
WHAP!
The Decepticon staggers back, then charges forward again with renewed vigor.
Sideswipe evades Thunderhoof’s angry offensive strike by leaping around him like a cricket and attacking with a rapid succession of jabs and hooks.
Thunderhoof finally gets his bearings and begins to expertly block Sideswipe’s flurry of punches. In a flash, he grabs both of the Autobot’s hands in his mitts.
“You got some gears in ya, kid, I’ll give you that,” Thunderhoof says, trying to catch his breath. “Fast with your mouth, faster with your fists. But you gotta use your head once in a while, too!”
The elkbot rears back and brings his antlers crashing down on Sideswipe.
THUNK!
The Autobot crumples into a heap on the floor. The music comes to an abrupt stop.
“I could use a bot like you in my gang,” Thunderhoof says, standing over Sideswipe. “But first, we gotta remind ya who’s boss!”
The Decepticon raises his heavy hoof, preparing to crunch Sideswipe’s head into the ground!
Chapter 8
BAM!
SMASH!
CRASH!
While the Autobots and Decepticons clash, Slink swiftly packs a forklift with piles of salvageable pet-food cans.
“I better git while the gittin’s good!” she says to herself. “Enough of this food fight!”
The catbot scans the area for her lackeys and spots them across the room.
Snitch has finally gnawed through the steel cable that was wrapped around Sneak.
Slink whistles and gets their attention.
“Git yer lousy hides over here and help me!” she hisses.
The raticon and weaselbot jump at attention and bound toward their boss.
During this time, Underbite picks up a supersize tin tub and looks at the label.
“Power Pup Dog Food,” reads the Chompozoid. “Lemme try some of this!”
Underbite empties the contents of the tub onto the ground and crunches the container between his paws. Then he chucks the mashed-up metal into his maw.
CHOMP!
His body shimmers with energy, and he grows a little bigger.
“Mmm! I’ve got the power!” he snarls. “Who wants some of this?”
“Me!” shouts Grimlock.
The dinobot rushes toward the Chompozoid.
“You wanna go one-on-one with the Devourer of Nuon City?” Underbite taunts.
“You’re looking at Cybertron’s living lob-ball legend, Gridlock Grimlock!” replies the dinobot. “MVB—Most Valuable Bot—four cycles in a row! WHOO!”
Bring it on, MVB!” shouts Underbite.
Grimlock shifts from dino to bot mode and picks up an enormous steel drum. “Go long!” he yells, and snaps it at the Chompozoid, hoping to knock him down like a bowling pin.
Underbite runs toward the drum, leaps into the air, and catches it close to his chest. Then he rips it in two and swallows both pieces in the blink of an eye.
CHOMP!
CHOMP!
GULP!
His body ripples with glowing energy, and he grows a foot taller.
SHOOM!
“Thanks for the boost, bro-bot!” Underbite says to Grimlock. “I can feel the pump!”
“Uh, maybe that was a bad idea,” Grimlock laments at the result of his actions. “Guess it’s time to unleash the Dino-Destructo Double Drop!”
“Let’s get ready to rumble!” Underbite shouts.
Grimlock charges Underbite, and the two robots tackle each other to the ground.
Meanwhile, Strongarm recovers from Snitch’s attack and takes in the situation.
To her left, Underbite and Grimlock are locked in battle. To her right, Snitch and Sneak are loading a forklift with Slink in the driver’s seat.
Straight ahead, Thunderhoof’s humungous hoof hovers over Sideswipe’s battered body. Strongarm makes her decision. She aims her plasma cannon and fires two shots.
ZAP!
ZAP!
The first blast catches Thunderhoof in the shoulder and spins him around. The second blast catches him in the back and sends him tumbling over his own hooves.
SPLAT!
Strongarm rushes to Sideswipe’s side and revives her groggy teammate.
“Uh… thanks,” Sideswipe says as Strongarm helps him off the ground. “Gimme a nanocycle to catch my ball bearings.”
“I guess I owed you one, huh?” Strongarm replies. “Now let’s regroup and figure out our next plan as a team. We’re in over our heads here.”
Before the two Autobots can take another step, Thunderhoof appears behind them.
“Youse two are gonna be deactivated right—”
BEEP!
BEEP!
Thunderhoof is interrupted by a honking horn. He turns to see Slink zoom by with her henchbots in the loaded forklift.
The elkbot’s jaw drops. “What in the—?”
Strongarm grabs Sideswipe, and the two Autobots run away while Thunderhoof is distracted.
“Don’t think I’m letting youse make tracks with my goods, Slink!” he shouts. “I’m not lettin’ you outta my sights!”
“We’ll see about that,” the catbot purrs.
Slink extends her paw and shoots bladed claw projectiles from the tips. The razor-sharp darts zip through the air and shatter the lightbulbs in the overhead lamps.
SKEESH!
The warehouse plunges into darkness.
Just as quickly, Slink shouts, “Get into stealth mode, boys!”
Glowing green lenses pop over the bandit-bots’ optics, giving them night visi
on.
“Not only are they nasty, they’re nocturnal, too!” Strongarm observes.
She can hear Thunderhoof stomping around blindly and hurling insults at anyone within an audio receptor’s reach.
Oblivious to their surroundings, Underbite and Grimlock continue to tussle and clash, until the two titans crash through a nearby wall.
SMASH!
When they land on the docks, Grimlock has the upper hand. He is straddling Underbite and pummeling the Chompozoid with his fists.
POW!
WHAP!
POW!
Underbite rolls over and pins Grimlock to the dock. He bares his sharp jaws and says hungrily, “I’ve never eaten dinobot before. I wonder if it tastes like chickenbot!”
The Chompozoid lunges forward and bites into Grimlock’s shoulder.
“YOWCH!” yells the dinobot.
As Underbite lunges for a second bite, he is distracted by the loud screeching sound of burning rubber.
SCREE!
The high-pitched squeal hurts the Chompozoid’s sensitive receptors, and he covers them with his hands. He looks up to see a yellow sports car speeding around the corner and heading his way—it’s Bumblebee!
The Autobot changes into his robot form and rushes toward the brawling bruisers.
“Biting is not a regulated move, according to Rumbledome rules,” Bumblebee states.
“Well, I’m ruling the ring now,” Underbite growls. He gets in Bumblebee’s face. “So just wait your turn while I make this dinobot extinct!”
Grimlock’s optics go wide.
“Tap me out, Bee,” he says, rubbing his shoulder. “This game isn’t fun anymore.”
“So how about a little two-on-one?” Bumblebee replies.
“My kinda odds,” Underbite sneers.
He reaches for Bumblebee, but the Autobot sidesteps the Chompozoid and delivers a deft roundhouse kick.
WHAP!
Underbite reels back, giving Grimlock an opening to leap up and bring a double-fisted elbow drop raining down on the Chompozoid.
POW!
Bumblebee administers a devastating uppercut that lifts Underbite into the air.
BAM!
Grimlock finishes the four-hit combo with a swift judo chop to the back of the Decepticon’s thick neck.
Sideswipe Versus Thunderhoof Page 3
