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Chapter 1
A massive red-and-blue semitruck barrels through a narrow canyon, sounding its booming horn like a rallying cry.
Three other vehicles race close behind: a boxy blue police cruiser, a sleek red sports car, and a compact yellow coupe with black stripes.
At the opposite end of the canyon, an army of imposing figures stands armed and ready to fight. The semitruck and its convoy spit clouds of dust into the air as spinning wheels tear across the sandy ground.
Moments before the truck collides with the edge of the army, its wheels leave the ground, its shape twists and changes in the air, and it reveals itself to be much more than just a vehicle—it’s actually a robot in disguise!
“Autobots, attack!” the robot shouts, landing so one massive foot crushes an enemy to the ground.
The three other vehicles follow suit, lifting into the air and changing into robot modes of their own!
The army of foes reveals itself to be composed of snarling, angular robots of a much more sinister variety: Decepticons. These terrible foes brandish wicked blades and maces.
The four Autobots stand together as a team, pushing back attackers and knocking them off one by one with energy blasters and swords. The red-and-blue leader calls the shots and looks out for his teammates.
“Bumblebee, on your left!” the leader warns, directing the yellow-and-black bot to block an incoming blow.
CRASH!
The parried Decepticon staggers back and takes out a few of its brethren as it falls.
“Sideswipe, take out that cannon!”
The nimble red bot catapults over a pile of rocks and slices through a pair of foes readying a massive energy cannon.
THUD!
The cannon hits the canyon floor and blasts back a whole fleet of Decepticons.
CHOOM!
“Strongarm, create a perimeter for us!”
VROOM!
The broad-shouldered blue bot changes back into her vehicle mode and plows through the Decepticons, clearing a space for the Autobots to make a unified stand.
The enemies continue to swarm, but the four Autobots work together like one well-oiled machine.
“Good job, Autobots! But this Decepticon horde doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. We need backup.”
With a flick of his wrist, the Autobot leader summons an energy shield to hold off the aggressive attackers. He speaks into the communicator embedded in his other arm.
“Fixit, we could use some extra feet on the ground right about now!”
The communicator crackles and hisses.
As if on cue, a shape darkens the sky above the Decepticon infantry. Its shadow grows as it plummets toward the ground.
BOOOOOM!
The formidable figure smashes into the gathered Decepticons, flattening the unlucky enemies caught beneath it. The impact emits a shockwave that knocks many more off their feet.
“Thanks for dropping in, Grimlock,” the leader quips.
A huge black-and-green Dinobot climbs out of the crater he just formed, grins, and joins the rumble.
“Any time!” he replies, stampeding through the horde.
The leader can’t help it: He cracks a smile, too.
Even as the enemy army doubles then triples in size, he is confident that his team can stand strong against the forces of evil! He continues to bark orders and provide covering fire while countless Decepticons pour into the canyon.
Then, out of nowhere, a large swell of new enemies separates the huddled Autobots. The leader can no longer watch his teammates’ backs. He hears a pained cry ring out and then get cut short.
“Sideswipe!”
The red bot has fallen and is quickly covered by Decepticons.
Then another scream echoes through the canyon.
“Strongarm, no!” Optimus cries.
The blue police-bot drops against the canyon wall and is similarly overtaken.
The leader’s resolve begins to crack, and the confidence he felt mere moments ago leaves him. He searches through the crowd for his remaining teammates. It’s not too late to rally and force the Decepticons back.…
A deep groan and an earthshaking thud tell him that the large Dinobot has been defeated, too.
Beating back Decepticons on every side, the leader pushes through to the yellow-and-black bot’s position. Blades slice and maces smash against his plating as he prioritizes the search for his last standing teammate over his own safety.
Cannons fire around him into the canyon walls, throwing dust and rock shards into the air. Optimus hears a familiar cry and sees a blur of yellow fall toward the ground.
“Bumblebee!” the leader shouts. With a wide swoop of his sword, he knocks back a swarm of enemies to reveal the crumpled shape of the last remaining member of his team.
“No, not you, too,” he whispers, kneeling beside his friend. The yellow-and-black bot barely moves.
“Optimus…” Bumblebee struggles to speak.
The leader looks down at his injured comrade.
“Optimus, the others…”
The dazed Decepticons pick themselves up and surround the duo. Escape is impossible.
The Autobot leader, Optimus, is soon covered on all sides, stumbling under the combined weight of his faceless assailants. He struggles and strains to hear what Bumblebee has to tell him over the din of the Decepticon army.
And suddenly, the message is clear:
“Optimus… you failed us!”
Chapter 2
For a few nanocycles, everything is dark. Then, one by one, the Decepticons piled on top of Optimus blink out of existence, like the static hum of a television set when it is unplugged.
The defeated Autobots are the only ones left in the canyon.
Optimus eyes the broken frames of his teammates, until those, too, fade away.
The leader looks down into his arms just in time to catch the last hazy shadow of Bumblebee before he disappears from sight.
“Not as ready as you thought you were, eh, hotshot?”
A voice rings out from the canyon walls above.
The next time it speaks, it comes from a different direction. “Hate to be so hard on you, but taking it easy never helped anyone.”
Optimus squints up into the harsh light, searching for the source of the voice.
“Down here, big guy,” the voice says, suddenly appearing behind the Autobot.
The voice’s owner is a short green bot with bulky shoulders and a wide, square jaw. He hovers cross-legged a few feet off the canyon floor.
As he speaks, the canyon walls start to dissolve in a flurry of light, until the space around the two bots becomes a vast, nondescript void.
“My teammates…” the leader mumbles, as if waking up from a dream.
“Not your real teammates, Optimus, just holograms of bots you barely know,” the floating figure replies. “Except for that yellow one, I guess. And maybe I went too far by giving it dialogue processors.”
Optimus narrows his optics.
“Those bots are
Bumblebee’s teammates. That makes them my allies. And I couldn’t save them.”
The green bot chuckles.
“Well, they’re still holograms. Just like all the Decepticons who whooped your rear bumper. Not that it makes your new dents and scratches feel any better, I’m sure.”
Optimus surveys the damage he accumulated during the simulated battle.
Despite the seemingly sharp weapons of the holographic Decepticons, his wounds are no more than surface-deep. The simulation wasn’t meant to actually harm Optimus, only to test him.
The other bot waves his hand and a shimmering light passes over Optimus, fixing any signs of damage.
“Thank you, Micronus,” Optimus says, slightly bowing his head in respect. “The Realm of the Primes is still so disorienting to me. I know I am here to train and prepare myself for the battle ahead, but these simulations feel so real.…”
“Would they do you any good if they didn’t?” Micronus shoots back.
Micronus is one of the Thirteen, the original Transformers created by Primus to battle Unicron eons ago. Each was designated a Prime and given unique powers and abilities.
Micronus is the very first Mini-Con, a race of small Cybertronians imbued with the ability to enhance the powers of their allies.
Ever since Optimus Prime made the ultimate sacrifice to restore the AllSpark to their home planet of Cybertron, he has existed in the Realm of the Primes. Here, he strengthens himself physically and mentally for an ominous and unknown battle to come. Micronus has served as his mentor… and he hasn’t gone easy on his pupil.
“Now shake it off. We’re far from done here,” Micronus says.
“I need to return to Earth,” Optimus replies. “Every day that passes is another day that the Decepticons could strike. Bumblebee and the others need me.”
Micronus scrutinizes his student.
“Do they need you, or do you need them?”
Optimus doesn’t respond.
“Pellechrome wasn’t built in a millennium,” Micronus says. “And you just royally scrapped that training sequence. I’m not exactly shooting confidence in your abilities out of my tailpipe right now.”
“I understand your reservations, Micronus,” Optimus replies. “But I’ve faced Megatron. I’ve stood against Unicron. And now it’s time for me to rejoin my team on Earth.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Micronus asks with a scoff. “All right, I’ll convene with the other Primes to discuss this. No promises, though. You’re still rough around the grill as far as I’m concerned.”
Before Optimus can thank the elder bot, Micronus fades away in a glimmer of sparks, leaving Optimus alone in the Realm of the Primes.
An unknown distance away, Micronus reappears, hovering in the shadow of a council of immense bots: the Primes. Of these powerful beings, only Micronus has chosen to reveal himself to Optimus.
“Okay, fellas,” Micronus says, comfortable among his brethren. “The kid is getting antsy. He wants to return to Earth.”
A booming laugh breaks out among the shadowed Primes.
“He’s bold enough to suggest that he is ready after failing against a mob of your conjured Decepticons?” a deep voice asks.
“‘Bold’ or ‘stupid’?” a cackling voice chimes in.
Micronus turns toward its source.
“Optimus is far from stupid, Liege Maximo,” he retorts. “He is one of our best chances at beating back the growing darkness. Not that I would expect you to care.”
The figure with the deep voice speaks again to Micronus.
“You are right to believe in Optimus’s potential, but he is not yet ready. We have been too easy on him, and his progress has faltered as a result. We charge you, Micronus, with making his training more rigorous. When he does return to Earth, he must be prepared.”
“Your wish is my command sequence, brothers,” Micronus replies, fading away to give Optimus the disappointing news.
As the other Primes drift off, Liege Maximo remains. He pulls his cape around his frame and flexes the imposing hornlike appendages on his head.
“Perhaps I should care about Optimus’s training.…” Liege Maximo says aloud to himself, forming a plan. “After all, having a new plaything to manipulate might help relieve my boredom!”
Chapter 3
“Well, don’t act surprised,” Micronus tells Optimus as the Autobot leader processes his disappointment. “We didn’t bring you here for scraps and giggles, we brought you here to prepare to face unimaginable evil.”
“Worse than Unicron and Megatron?” Optimus asks. “Because I defeated them—with my team. I trust Bumblebee to protect Earth in my absence, but what if this great evil strikes before the Primes think I’m ready?”
Micronus hovers high above Optimus. He waves his hands and four large bots rise out of the ground. Each is outfitted with hefty shoulder cannons.
“You think you’re ready? Prove it.”
Optimus flexes his pistons.
“Bring on the slag-heaps!” he shouts.
“Oh, we’re going to make things a little more interesting now,” Micronus responds.
He lets out a laugh and waves his hand.
Glimmering buildings rise out of the ground, creating an approximation of a metropolis on Earth. With another wave of his hand, smaller holograms of humans appear.
“Think you can keep these little ones safe?” As soon as Micronus issues his challenge, the four weaponized bots split up and dart after different groups of the holographic civilians.
Optimus springs into action!
He chases after the biggest bot and leaps onto its back. Optimus unsheathes his energy sword and wedges it under the bot’s shoulder cannon.
SHTICK!
The bot tries to shake Optimus loose, but Optimus uses all of his weight to pry the cannon loose from its shoulder mount.
With a backward leap, Optimus lands with the cannon in one arm and holsters his sword.
Optimus tugs on the cannon’s firing mechanism, blasting the big bot off its feet in a noisy explosion of energy.
CHOOM!
“One down, three to go!”
With one group of civilians safe, Optimus hoists the cannon onto his shoulder and aims it toward another adversary.
BOOM!
Optimus drops the cannon and darts after the remaining robots.
“Don’t get cocky, Optimus!” Micronus shouts.
“Oh no, please do get cocky, Autobot,” another voice whispers just out of audio receptor distance. “And reckless. It will be much more fun if you’re reckless!”
Unbeknownst to Micronus and Optimus, they’ve got an unseen guest watching them: Liege Maximo!
Liege Maximo is not necessarily evil, but his petty jealousy and boredom motivate him to be a tricky troublemaker.
While Optimus chases down the third bot, Liege Maximo pulls the fourth one into an alley. He twitches his horns and reprograms the bot to be much more vicious in its attacks! He also installs a few surprises for Optimus.
His meddling accomplished, Liege Maximo slips away out of sight. He settles into a spot high up on one of the fake buildings where he can watch the chaos unfold unobserved.
Just then, Optimus subdues the third bot, saving the humans from being harmed.
“Last one! It’s closing time!”
The brave Autobot leader dashes through the holographic streets, eager to find his final foe.
Before he can, a cannon blast knocks him off his feet and sends him flying into a nearby wall.
CRASH!
“Ouch! These simulations aren’t playing around!”
Optimus climbs to his feet and rushes toward the source of the blast.
When the bot charges up for a second cannon blast, Optimus summons his energy shield.
The bot fires, but Optimus deflects the blast.
FWOOM!
The Autobot leader draws his sword and watches his attacker’s arms suddenly turn into spinning saw blades!
<
br /> “Saving the worst for last, Micronus?” Optimus asks under his breath.
Micronus is puzzled by this development.
“I may be many eons old,” he says to himself, “but I’m pretty sure I didn’t summon attack-bots with saw-blade arms.…”
Meanwhile, Optimus pedals backward, stepping out of the path of the spinning blades.
The attack-bot presses forward, preparing to fire its cannon again!
Optimus pulls up his shield, just as a large volley of energy—much larger than before—shoots directly at Optimus.
His shield splinters, but not before reflecting the bulk of the blast, aiming it back at the bad bot.
KABOOM!
When the dust clears, Optimus finds himself in the wreckage of one of the holographic buildings. He stumbles into the street and sees what’s left of his opponent: a lone saw blade rolling across the pavement.
Optimus didn’t survive unscathed, though. His injuries feel much more serious than before, as if this simulation was actually meant to hurt him!
Luckily, none of the simulated humans were in this part of the city. Despite the damage he sustained, Optimus feels good about his training session.
“Looking sharp, Optimus,” Micronus says, hovering down to the Autobot’s level. “Did you find this session… particularly challenging?”
Optimus doesn’t want to admit to his mentor that he’s actually hurt. If the Primes don’t think he’s mastering their tasks, they won’t let him return to Earth. The Autobot leader grimaces through the pain.
“It was a pretty close shave, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Micronus is suspicious—not of his pupil’s abilities, but of the attack drone’s weapons.
Still, the drill is complete. He waves his hands and the cityscape and its humanlike inhabitants fade away. A second gesture heals some of the dents and scrapes on Optimus’s frame, but the deeper wounds inflicted by the fourth bot still ache.
As the last of the buildings fade away, Micronus thinks he spots something in one of the higher windows.
Transformers Robots in Disguise - The Trials of Optimus Prime Page 1
