Rumble V

It would be advisable right now to wear breathing apparatus, the atmosphere outside the briefing room of the Brave Maximus is tense, to say the least.

“What do you mean, ‘no deal’?” Ultra Magnus shouted, grabbing Fire Convoy’s right forearm as he stormed out of the room.

“Get off me, Magnus.”

Ultra Magnus gripped harder and spun Fire Convoy around to face him. “Why are you being so impossible?”

“I am trying to remain focused on my mission.”

“To the exclusion of helping these humans?”

Jennifer and David cautiously stepped up to the doorway. They wanted to be anywhere other than here.

“It’s not my responsibility to help them,” said Fire Convoy.

“It damn well is.” Ultra Magnus’ voice was getting louder, “You’re an Autobot!”

Fire Convoy held up left arm and squeezed his finger and thumb together. “I am this close to putting you down, Magnus.”

Upstairs, on the bridge, the Bullet Team worked at their comms console.

“Take a look at this, Midnight,” said Rapid Run, pointing to a datastream on his monitor. “Looks like someone is transmitting unauthorised radio signals.”

Midnight Express moved over to Rapid Run’s console. “Where is it coming from?”

“Hold on, guys,” Railspike announced. “I’m picking up some unusual tectonic activity.”

“Where?”

“Just off the coast of New Zealand. I’ll sound the alert.”

The tension in the hallway was sliced with the sound of klaxons. Fire Convoy jabbed a finger into his radio. “What’s the problem, Railspike?”

“Sir, we’re getting a tectonic build up in New Zealand.”

“This could be Megatron,” said Ultra Magnus. “We need to get out there.”

“Agreed,” said Fire Convoy. “I have a score to settle.” He then looked down at the humans. “I will beat the location of the Axalon out of him.”

With a fervour of only the most ruthless of military commanders, Fire Convoy barked his orders: “Bullet Team: get the Aktirak ready for flight. Mach Alert, Speedbreaker, Wildride: Load up and get down there. Now! Build Team: You’re useless and I hate you, so you’re staying here. Pitstop and Tow-Line: Make sure Magnus’ meatbag friends are out of here when we return.”

Ultra Magnus was a little taken aback. Maybe he did feel threatened by Fire Convoy.

“What about me, sir?” Sideburn’s voice crackled out of Magnus’ communicator.

“So that’s it?” Jennifer knocked on Magnus’ foot as if it were a door. “You promised to help us and now we’re being shipped out of here?”

“Sir, I want to come with you.”

“Thanks for nothing, Ultra Magnus.”

Jennifer and David were ushered away by Pitstop and Tow-Line, and Fire Convoy made a dash to the turbo lift, leaving Ultra Magnus with his hands over his audio receptors. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

Not far from the town of Kaitaia in New Zealand, Megatron transformed from jet mode and touched down beside Sky-byte, Wartoad, Gaskunk, and Darkscream.

“We’re all done here, commander,” said Sky-byte. “Rumble V should hopefully erupt within the hour.”

“Good work, my saw-toothed sycophant,” purred Megatron. “Wartoad, Gaskunk, to me. It’s time we left, this is going to be a big one.”

From nowhere: “Autobots, attack!”

Fire Convoy and his followers leapt out of the hovering Aktirak, discharging their weapons at the Predacons.

Mach Alert leapt onto Sky-byte’s shoulders, punching down hard on his head. Sky-byte flicked his neck back, impaling the Autobot’s arm with his head-mounted fin. He then flicked forwards, sending Mach Alert to the ground.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot, Megatron,” Wildride said, landing in a crouch in front of the Predacon leader.

“I’m flattered, Autobot, but your paintwork would clash with my colouring.”

Wildride leapt up and grappled Megatron into a headlock. “I’m a strategist, Megatron, and I intend to find out all about you.”

“Ah yes.” Megatron manoeuvred out of the headlock and grabbed Wildride around the throat. “Know thy enemy. Thanks for the tip, Autobot.”

Ultra Magnus suddenly charged into Megatron, releasing his grip on Wildride. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Wildride croaked, massaging his neck.

Megatron threw a punch into Magnus’ chest. “Ultra Magnus, isn’t it? One of the greatest Autobots in history.”

Magnus retaliated with a blow to Megatron’s chin, knocking him backwards. “Can’t say I know anything about you.”

Megatron nursed his chin. Not another familiar spark, he thought to himself. What is it with these Autobots?

“No you don’t Magnus, this one’s mine!” Fire Convoy said, knocking Ultra Magnus to one side, then kicking Megatron square in the abdomen and sending him to the ground.

The three smaller Predacons ganged up around Sideburn. “Look at this one,” sneered Gaskunk. “Not worth bothering with, really.”

Sideburn unholstered his disrupter rifle. “Yeah, well, um, bother with this!”

Wartoad swiped the gun from the Autobot’s hand. “How cute.”

Before Sideburn could react, Gaskunk plunged his serrated tail right into his chest. Sparks and burning oil sprayed from the wound. Darkscream was about to add a second injury with his thermal sword but Speedbreaker suddenly appeared and ripped his left arm from its socket. Darkscream silently collapsed from the pain.

Gaskunk and Wartoad turned their attention to the larger Autobot. Speedbreaker took them both out in one fluid move: He slashed Gaskunk’s chest open with his knife, and in the same movement kicked Wartoad in the side of the head.

“You’re so cool,” said Sideburn, as Speedbreaker helped him to his feet.

“Yeah,” Speedbreaker smiled. “Primus made me cool.”

Mach Alert fired his flame-throwers at Sky-byte, but the Predacon was too swift. The Autobot’s nerves got the better of him, and while he hesitated, Sky-byte rendered him unconscious with a dual missile strike.

“Megatron, we need to get out of here!”

“A moment please, Sky-byte,” Megatron replied, struggling to overpower Fire Convoy’s fervent grip. There was hatred in his optics that actually scared Megatron. Sky-byte launched a missile into the Autobot’s back, giving Megatron the advantage.

A moment later, Fire Convoy landed in a heap next to Ultra Magnus. Magnus offered a hand to help him up, but he refused.

“I want one of those Autobots,” Megatron told Sky-byte.

“We could have had Megatron if you hadn’t charged in like that,” scolded Ultra Magnus.

“Save it, Magnus.” Fire Convoy rose groggily to his feet.

“Once again, we’ve lost thanks to your foolhardiness.”

Megatron and Sky-byte ran over to Sideburn and Speedbreaker. Megatron lifted Speedbreaker up and brought him down over his knee, almost snapping his spinal strut in half. Sky-byte folded up into shark mode and secured Sideburn in his jaws.

Fire Convoy frowned at Ultra Magnus and punched him right in the middle of his face, cracking his optics. Magnus swayed backwards with the force, but remained standing.

Magnus glared back, but didn’t return the act of violence. He was above that.

Sideburn howled in pain and the two Autobot leaders looked over to see Sky-byte convert to his secondary Transmetal mode and take to the air.

“Oh no,” Magnus whispered.

Megatron scooped up the three small Predacons and transformed to jet mode and blasted off into the sky.

Speedbreaker dashed over to Fire Convoy. “Do something! Shoot them down!”

Before any of the Autobots could lift their weapons, the submarine volcano, Rumble V, erupted over 100 km away and 700 metres under the sea. The ground trembled and a blast of water and pyroclastic flow shot up into the sky. A chain reaction started and the other four Rumble volcanoes erupted in succession. A boiling tidal wave headed for New Zealand, and the ground underneath the Autobots split open.

Quick to react, the Bullet Team piloted the Aktirak overhead and its tractor beam saved the Autobots just as the raging tsunami engulfed the coastline.

Weakened, injured, wet and angry, the Autobots remained silent. Fire Convoy and Ultra Magnus locked their gaze at one another. Speedbreaker glared at them both, didn’t either of them care about Sideburn?