Genescan

Sideburn’s fingers twitched spastically against the sides of his hips while the rest of his body remained motionless. His helmet casing and visor lay in pieces on the floor, and his face ended abruptly north of his nose. There was a thin cable connected to his cerebral processor that led directly into the Axalon’s mainframe computer. Though blind, the small Autobot could hear a faint crackling sound as his memories were raped by Megatron’s probe.

“Blast!” Megatron slammed his fist down onto his keyboard. “It’s at times like this when I miss that sinuous spider.”

Bruticus was sat on his hind legs by Megatron’s side and looked up blankly.

“Someone has encrypted this Autobot's memories so that not even he himself can remember them.” Megatron paused for a second, and tried another command. “I’m getting nowhere here. Tarantulas would have broken the cipher decacycles ago.”

Megatron’s three-headed pet pawed forwards and pushed its noses into his thigh.

“And you’re no help to me either,” Megatron barked. “We need something to keep you distracted so I can concentrate. These memories are hidden for a reason, and anything I can glean from these Autobots will only aid my future goal.”

The Predacon leader rose from his workstation, nearly tripping over Bruticus’ tail. He kicked the robotic dog in the stomach, and was about to deliver a second when he realised something. He snapped his fingers. “Why, yes. I know the perfect thing to keep you occupied.”

As usual, Speedbreaker’s quarters were full of clutter. Upon entering the room, Mach Alert was greeted with the sight of empty energon canisters, blown-out tyres and surfaces covered in plastine models.

One of Speedbreaker’s hobbies was to sculpt models of his comrades. He spent hours on them, crafting every detail with his knife and capturing every nuance of their character. He was currently working on one of Sideburn.

“So, have they made a decision yet?” Speedbreaker asked without looking up.

“They’re not even talking to each other.”

Speedbreaker scratched at the Sideburn model a little faster. “Then I think it’s time we took matters into our own hands.”

“Are you sure that’s—“

“Get some ball-bearings, Mach Alert,” Speedbreaker said, slamming the model onto his work surface. “What’s more important?”

Rue le Goff, Paris.

Richard dashed around his kitchen, holding a piece of toast in one hand and looking for the keys to his scooter with the other. He muttered something to himself while chewing on the last bite, wiping the crumbs from his chin. He spied the keys under a magazine on top of the microwave, then promptly shoved them into his pocket. He was about to take a sip of his coffee when a tremor shook the building.

“Merde!” he cried, spilling hot coffee down his tie. He was already late for work. He dabbed the stain with a paper towel, and scurried out of his flat.

Bruticus’s three sets of optics blinked in confusion as Megatron held the DNA scanner up to his face.

“At the time I stole the golden disc, the Maximal Elders were planning on installing one of these into each Cybertronian,” Megatron explained. “Our culture had reached the point where everyone was changing their names and alternate modes as often as their lubricant. These personal scanners eliminated the need for costly CR chambers.”

Megatron opened a monitor panel on the side of the scanner. “I, ah, acquired one for myself at great cost. Of course it paid for itself once I had cloned Dinobot, and again when I scanned for dragon DNA inside that lava pit.”

A list of names flashed up on the monitor. “It was also handy to scan the DNA of all of my crew and the Maximals.”

Megatron paused the list at the final name, and pointed the scanner at Bruticus. “Even with all that’s going on in my life right now, I still have time for small-minded, petty revenge.”

Bruticus lurched as the scanner downloaded its information into him. “Somewhere on this planet is the closest match to this particular piece of DNA.”

Megatron bent forwards and growled into Bruticus’s face. “Fetch!”

Mach Alert had been breaking the speed limit for hours. In his configuration as a police patrol car, no one was bothered that he was cruising the European motorways at 150 miles per hour. However, his mind was on other things.

He was the nervous kind. Unsure of his own actions, always questioning himself and wondering if he was doing the right thing. Both Wildride and Speedbreaker were persuasive, but he worried that Fire Convoy would be less than happy that the three brothers had left the Brave Maximus to search for Sideburn. But then again, seeing as there was no trace of Sideburn’s energy signature, it was logical that he was being kept somewhere cloaked; somewhere like the Axalon. Surely Fire Convoy would be happy if they found the Axalon.

There was a flashing light on his dashboard and his onboard computer said, “Predacon energy signature detected.”

Richard undid his coffee-stained tie as he walked over the Iena Bridge towards the Eiffel Tower. He’d had a terrible day and prayed that it wouldn’t get any worse before he got home. God can’t have been paying attention, because at that moment a giant three-headed robotic dog leapt out of the river Seine and onto the bridge.

The entire area around the Eiffel Tower boiled into a chaotic frenzy as hundreds of tourists screamed and fled in all directions. Bruticus snapped his jaws open and shut, his onboard computer telling him he’d found his DNA match. He growled and took a step towards Richard. The human had a 94% chromosomal match (allowing for generational shift) with that of the anthropoid that Megatron had a grudge against during the latter stages of the Beast Wars.

The scene filled with sirens and flashing lights as the cosmopolitan police arrived, leaping out of their cars and brandishing firearms. They began firing at the Predacon with no effect, as he stalked towards his target – now frozen with fear.

One of the police cars transformed into a robot and said hesitantly, “Freeze, you big, ah, dumb dog!”

Bruticus turned to see Mach Alert step over the police cars. His chest mounted machine guns flipped down and pelted the dog’s armoured hide with lead. Bruticus unfolded into robot mode and ran straight for the Autobot. Mach Alert howled as the Predacon’s circular saw cut off his machine guns.

Mach Alert stepped back onto the bonnet of one of the police cars, setting off its alarm. The high frequency noise caused Bruticus to double over.

A few of the policemen and some of the braver tourists began to cheer the Autobot on. Mach Alert felt empowered and his initial reluctance faded away. He ran forwards and brought his knee up into the Predacon’s chest, then brought his fists down hard onto Bruticus’ back. The Predacon collapsed to the ground and reverted back to beast mode.

Mach Alert leapt over him onto the bridge, standing between his six rows of teeth and Richard. “My leader may not be interested in saving human lives,” the Autobot said, activating his flame-thrower, ”but I am.”

Bruticus was repelled by a wall of flame and suddenly sat on his hind legs. He considered for a moment and decided the human wasn’t worth getting burned alive for. The giant dog barked and dived off the bridge into the river.

Mach Alert quickly quenched the fire and turned to Richard. He didn’t know quite what to do, so threw an energon snack at his feet. The Autobot then transformed to car mode and gave chase to the fleeing Predacon, sirens blaring.

“Mach Alert to all units,” he called into his radio transmitter. “I have apprehended a lone Predacon, and I think he might just be dumb enough to lead me to the Axalon.”