Russell recounts the events that transpired earlier, leading up to Filch’s escape.
Bumblebee consoles the dinobot.
“It’s all right, Grimlock. Let’s look at the fuel gauge as half full, shall we?”
He hopes that his positive attitude will be contagious.
“How can I?” Grimlock wails. “This is a massive mistake!”
Denny steps in and tries to lighten the mood. “It just so happens, Fixit has been itching to repair something all day. Maybe this is an opportunity in disguise?”
“Great to hear,” Bumblebee says.
“Well, little buddies,” Denny says to Fixit and Russell. “The pinball machine can wait.”
With his dad, Russell grabs the downed end of the stasis pod and they tilt it back upright. Fixit reconfigures his arm into a hyper-span regulator so that he may begin repairs on the damaged chamber.
Strongarm turns to her team leader and asks, “What’s our next course of action?”
Bumblebee crosses over to the command center’s main console and pulls up the holo-scroll. “Hmm, it appears there are two active Decepticon signals in our vicinity. Must be Scuzzard and Filch.”
“They haven’t gotten far,” Sideswipe says. “If we act fast, we may still catch up to them!”
“We have to act fast,” Strongarm adds. “Or else they’ll fly back into the city and put all those civilians at risk.”
“Precisely, Strongarm,” Bumblebee says. “This time we’ll need to combine all our forces to take them down.”
Grimlock lifts his head with pride as the team leader looks his way.
“Here’s the play, Team Bee,” Bumblebee commands. “Get out there and cage those birdbots!”
Chapter 9
The sun sets over Crown City, and its citizens are unaware of two large winged creatures soaring high above the skyline.
Filch is flying toward the amusement park, attracted by its blinking lights and bright colorful surfaces. She plans to build a new nest atop the Ferris wheel.
“SHINY!” she squeals.
Scuzzard is less enthusiastic.
“Unhand me at once!” he commands.
Filch ignores her captive.
Furious, Scuzzard bites down hard on the Corvicon’s foot.
Filch howls and drops the Scavengebot into the empty bumper car pavilion.
SMASH!
Looking around, Scuzzard is pleased with his new surroundings.
“This isn’t exactly the central plaza at Kaon, but it definitely deserves a good thrashing,” Scuzzard says. “It’s hideous!”
He immediately lays waste to the bumper cars. Once they are reduced to scrap, he eats them one by one. His body shimmers and increases in size until he is as big as the pavilion itself!
The Decepticon bursts through the roof of the tent. He looms ominously over the amusement park, casting a dark shadow with his imposing form.
“I’m large and in charge!” Scuzzard cackles.
The Scavengebot sets his sights on the scrumptious skyline of Crown City in the distance.
“Now, there’s the main course!”
Fearing that her new territory is being threatened, Filch dive-bombs toward Scuzzard. She head butts him in the chest, knocking him off balance.
BAM!
The gigantic robot lurches backward over the pavilion and crash-lands in the parking lot of Doug’s Den.
Seconds later, Scuzzard rises back to his full height. Filch torpedoes toward him once again. The massive monster plucks his flying foe out of the air and crunches her in his grip.
“You won’t catch me off guard this time, but I’ll catch you!” he jeers.
At that very moment, Bumblebee and his team of Autobots speed into the parking lot. Grimlock looks up in awe.
“Whoa! Scavengebot versus Corvicon? This is better than Rumbledome!” he shouts.
Scuzzard turns his attention toward the new arrivals and smiles wickedly. “The fun has just begun! Let’s play whack-a-bot!”
He stomps and pounds the pavement with his enormous feet as the heroes scramble to evade being crushed. They swerve and dodge the rapid assault from above, narrowly missing one another.
“Ha! Now I’ll get to see some Autobot bumper cars in action!” Scuzzard says with a laugh.
“Your wish is our command sequence!” Sideswipe cries, burning rubber.
He slams right into the Decepticon’s foot.
BAM!
“Way to take the lead, Sideswipe,” Bumblebee says.
Bumblebee and Strongarm follow their friend and bash into the humongous Decepticon’s other foot.
They drive in reverse and then slam into his feet again as if they really are bumper cars!
“Enough games,” Scuzzard bellows. “You are nothing but nanodrones to me!”
He hurls Filch at the Autobots, and she lands on top of Bumblebee. The yellow sports car and the Corvicon speed across the parking lot until they come to a screeching halt. Neither of them moves.
Strongarm races to her lieutenant’s side.
“Keep that Scavengebot occupied until we can regroup!” she calls out to Sideswipe and Grimlock.
“Hey, birdbrain!” Grimlock shouts at Scuzzard. “I’ve taken down bigger bots than you with my Dino-Destructo Double Drop!”
“I’d be shocked if that were true,” Scuzzard replies. “But I’m willing to let you try. Dinobots make me laugh!”
The Decepticon advances on Grimlock and kneels down to face him.
Sideswipe uses this opportunity to change into his bot mode and springs into action. He sprints toward a nearby lamppost, swings around it with the agility of an acrobat, and leaps onto an adjacent telephone pole. Then he hurls himself off the top and lands right on Scuzzard’s back.
“Let’s get ready to Rumbledome!” Sideswipe yells.
The flashy Autobot punches the Decepticon right in the head.
POW!
Grimlock follows suit and jumps onto Scuzzard, too.
ROARRR!
“You’ve got double trouble now!” he quips, and bashes the big robot with his tail.
In the meantime, Strongarm changes into her robot form upon reaching Bumblebee. She pushes Filch off the team leader. The Decepticon twitches and starts to stir.
Bumblebee revives first and quickly shifts into bot mode.
“We have to stop Scuzzard!” he exclaims.
Strongarm guides his gaze to the gargantuan villain and says, “He’s got a lot on his mind right now, sir.”
Bumblebee beams with pride watching his teammates work together.
Suddenly, a screeching voice pierces their audio receptors.
“SHINY!”
Filch is on her feet and ready to attack.
Bumblebee and Strongarm deploy their neo-forges again and will them to take the shape of an energy staff and crossbow.
Filch charges Bumblebee, pecking at him with her beak. The Autobot parries with the staff and directs an energy blast at his flying foe.
ZAP!
The Decepticon falls to the ground.
Strongarm shoots an energized grappling hook from her crossbow that loops around Filch’s body. The Corvicon hisses and bucks as the glowing rope ties tight.
“We got us a live one here, sir!” Strongarm grunts.
On the other side of the arcade’s parking lot, Sideswipe and Grimlock continue to tag-team Scuzzard.
Grimlock throws a jab.
WHACK!
Sideswipe follows with a right hook.
WHAP!
Grimlock lands an uppercut.
WHAM!
Disoriented, the Decepticon flails his arms. One of them catches Grimlock and swats the dinobot onto the pavement.
THUD!
Scuzzard lifts his leg and prepares to make street pizza out of Grimlock.
Sideswipe acts fast and covers the Scavengebot’s optics with his hands. Scuzzard whirls around blindly while the Autobot guides him toward a telephone pole.
Scuzzard stumbles and his upper body gets tangled in the power lines. Sideswipe swiftly slides down the pole to safety as volts of electricity surge through the wires and overload the Decepticon in a shower of sparks!
ZAAAAAAAARK!
Scuzzard spasms and jolts as he shrinks back to his normal size. Finally, he slumps headfirst into a crumpled, smoldering heap.
BOOM!
“Aw, yeah!” Sideswipe cheers. “Team Bee always brings the buzz!”
Grimlock laughs. “Yeah, he looks a little shocked!”
All of a sudden, more electricity crackles behind the duo. They turn to see an illuminated portal light up the night sky.
It is an activated Groundbridge and out from it emerges the bounty hunter and their teammate Drift. “I believe I can be of some assistance,” he says.
“Nah, we got everything under control,” replies Sideswipe.
Suddenly, someone screams.
“AAAAAAAAH!”
Sideswipe, Grimlock, and Drift turn to see Strongarm hoisted off the ground. She is clutching her crossbow, which is attached to Filch, who is soaring high into the air!
The Corvicon flaps her wings faster and faster, dragging the Autobot along for a wild ride.
Pulling Scuzzard with them, the other three Autobots rush over to their leader.
“What’s the plan, Bee?” Sideswipe cries.
“Gridlock Grimlock!” Bumblebee exclaims.
“Reporting for duty,” the dinobot calls out.
“Strongarm is going long, and I need you to make the pass,” says Bumblebee.
“With what?” Grimlock asks.
“Me.”
The plan dawns on the dinobot and he picks up their leader.
Grimlock winds up and snaps Bumblebee into the air. Bumblebee slices through the night sky like a rocket and reaches Strongarm in seconds.
Bumblebee grips her feet, and their combined weight slows Filch down. The trio begins a descent toward the asphalt below.
At that very moment, Doug comes out of the arcade to investigate the commotion behind his store—and is immediately dumbstruck!
He sees Drift and Sideswipe standing over Scuzzard, and Grimlock watching Bumblebee and Strongarm touch down with Filch in tow.
“Scrap!” Sideswipe shouts when he sees the man. “Let’s make tracks!”
The young Autobot and the bounty hunter drag Scuzzard into the Groundbridge.
Grimlock helps Bumblebee and Strongarm yank Filch into the portal also before it closes behind them in a blinding flash.
Doug takes off his glasses, rubs his eyes, and puts the glasses back on. He searches the empty parking lot, but the sentient robots have disappeared.
“I must be playing too many video games,” he says.
Chapter 10
Team Bee appears at the scrapyard in an instant. The Autobots find themselves behind the tall tower of cars where Grimlock was napping earlier that morning.
Fixit contacts them from the command center.
“Is everybot in one piece?” he asks.
Before they can answer, Filch sees the cars and screeches.
“MORE SHINY!” she squawks.
In a flash, she expands her wings, shoving Bumblebee and Strongarm to the ground. The other Autobots give chase, but the Corvicon is too fast.
Filch flies up to the top of the tower and heaves it with all her might. Tipping and toppling, the cars come crashing down in an avalanche of heavy metal.
“Brace yourselves!” Drift shouts.
With lightning speed, the bounty hunter unsheathes his energy sword and cleaves the first falling car in half. Then he nimbly somersaults out of harm’s way.
Bumblebee and the others fire their blasters at the vehicles, but the onslaught overpowers them.
CHOOM!
CHOOM!
SLAM!
Drift watches in horror as his comrades-in-arms get buried under a pile of used cars. Then he sees Filch heading toward the command center. He is faced with a decision: save his teammates or stop the Decepticon?
Bumblebee emits a muffled cry.
“Drift… help…”
“Jetstorm, Slipstream,” he calls out. “Heed your master!”
Jetstorm and Slipstream are Drift’s mini-con apprentices who reside upon his armor. At his command, they hop off and spring into action.
“The captive Corvicon has escaped… again!” announces Drift. “But I must assist my fellow soldiers.”
“Of course, master. We’re off!”
Jetstorm and Slipstream bow and then zip after Filch. Fixit uploads coordinates directly into their mainframes, instructing them where to guide the Corvicon.
As the mini-cons zigzag through the scrapyard, they scrape their limbs across the metal nearby. The screeching sound and shower of sparks catch Filch’s attention.
She hones in on the mini-cons and squeals.
“SHINY! For my collection!”
Jetstorm and Slipstream bank left down a crowded aisle. Filch dives after them and chases the mini-cons until they come to a clearing.
And at the end of the aisle, Denny, Russell, and Fixit are waiting for them. They are driving the hydraulic truck!
The two mini-cons split up and zoom in opposite directions, confusing the speeding Corvicon. She flaps her wings to slow down, but it is too late.
Denny activates the magnet and extracts Filch from her flight path straight above!
CLANG!
The Decepticon dangles helplessly while screeching in distress.
“Looks like we’re adding you back into our collection,” Russell replies.
Moments later, the Autobots reconvene at the command center. They look a little worse for wear but are relieved that the Decepticon disaster was finally brought to an end.
Together, they deposit Scuzzard and Filch back into the repaired stasis pods.
“Who says there’s no excitement at the scrapyard?” Sideswipe says with a smile.
Russell smiles back and replies, “To be honest, I wouldn’t mind some quiet time around here.”
“We can always play pinball!” Denny adds with a laugh.
As the group finds itself in a harmonious mood, Bumblebee turns to Drift and says, “Thank you for your assistance today.”
“Think nothing of it,” Drift says. “It takes a strong Autobot and great leader to ask for help.”
“Agreed,” Bumblebee nods. He looks at Strongarm, Sideswipe, Fixit, and Grimlock. “There is no problem too big that can’t be handled with teamwork,” he says.
“And that includes a three-story Decepticon!” Sideswipe adds.
“We accomplished our mission and became better teammates thanks to you, sir,” Strongarm says to Bumblebee. “I’m positive Optimus Prime would be very proud.”
“Speaking of phenomenal forces,” Drift interrupts. “There is indeed a batch of Energon in a quadrant not too far from here. We can set our course for the power source in the morning.”
“Awesome,” Bumblebee says. “It will definitely give us an advantage in future battles against the Decepticons.”
“I agree with you, boss,” Grimlock tells his leader. “But don’t you think we all deserve to recharge a bit? I know I do.”
And with that, the dinobot curls up outside the command center and falls fast asleep.
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Chapter 1
On the outskirts of Crown City, two vehicles are racing on a secluded, miles-long stretch of road. One is a sleek red sports car, zooming far beyond the legal speed limit. The other, trailing behind, is a blue-and-white police cruiser. Both are more than meets the eye. They are really robots in disguise!
The red sports car is Sideswipe, a fast-talking, fun-loving Autobot from the planet Cybertron. Strongarm, the cruiser, is a young cadet from the Cybertronian Police Force. Both Autobots are members of an elite team that keeps Earth safe from a diabolical faction of robots known as Decepti
cons.
“Aw, yeah!” cheers Sideswipe as the wind rushes past him. “This sure beats sitting around the scrapyard.”
“Slow down!” orders Strongarm.
The hotheaded Autobot disregards the police-bot’s command and picks up more speed. Sideswipe and Strongarm are usually at odds with each other. Sideswipe thinks Strongarm is far too serious and hung up on the rules. Strongarm finds Sideswipe’s disregard for order and authority extremely annoying.
The red sports car blasts his radio speakers, filling the air with an earsplitting, guitarshredding heavy metal song.
“Ack! What an assault on the audio receptors!” Strongarm cries.
“Catch me if you can!” Sideswipe replies. “Or else, eat my dust!”
Sideswipe’s tires kick up a cloud of dirt as he barrels faster down the road.
The dust cloud envelops Strongarm, but she does not waver in her course.
“You want to play dirty, Sideswipe? Fine by me,” she says. “Eat this!”
In an instant, Strongarm shifts from her vehicle mode into her robot form. She somersaults in the air and lands right on top of Sideswipe.
THUD!
“Tag, you’re it!” she exclaims.
“Hey, watch the paint job!” Sideswipe cries. “Okay, let’s see how strong you really are!”
The sports car swerves quickly to the left and then veers hard to the right. Strongarm keeps her grip as well as her cool.
“Is that the best you got?” she taunts. “At the academy, we were taught to expect the unexpected.”
“We’re making an unexpected stop,” Sideswipe says. “And this is where you get off!”
The Autobot slams on his brakes, and his tires squeal against the gravel.
SCREEEEE!
Strongarm hurtles forward and lands on the road in front of Sideswipe.
SLAM!
“Oof!” says Strongarm.
Changing from his vehicle mode into his robot form, Sideswipe lends Strongarm a hand and helps her off the ground.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“My ego is more bruised than anything else. I should have heeded my own advice.”
At that moment, the two Autobots feel a low rumble under their feet. There is another vehicle heading their way.
Bumblebee Versus Scuzzard Page 4
