Machine Robo: Storm of Steel

[Ford Prefect]

750-kilogram armor-piercing shells shrieked as Zod's 38-centimeter cannons electromagnetically launched them to sublight speeds, sufficient to reach the Autobot warship hidden beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

I'm curious as to whether you actually meant to use relatavistic weaponry in this instance.

[Sidewinder]

750-kilogram armor-piercing shells shrieked as Zod's 38-centimeter cannons electromagnetically launched them to sublight speeds, sufficient to reach the Autobot warship hidden beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

I'm curious as to whether you actually meant to use relatavistic weaponry in this instance.

I admit I did very little research on rail guns and relativistic weapons (what research I did was focused on the real-life weapons they were based on). At least I have an excuse for the presence of these weapons, just as Hasbro has an excuse for why G1 Megatron and Soundwave shrink to sizes comparable to the real-life human artifacts they're based on: they're aliens using technology we humans are currently unable to duplicate, based on sciences we humans are currently ignorant of. That puts me light-years beyond S. M. Stirling (cough! wanking Draka and nerfing their enemies until everyone's covered in shit, including the reader! cough!).

If you have links with detailed, real-life info on relativistic weapons, I'd appreciate it.

[Sea Skimmer]

Real life info on relativistic weapons? I doubt much of value exists considering how absurd that kind of acceleration within the length of a weapons barrel is. But basically, your looking at unleashing a nuclear bomb level event when something that fast hits water. Even in the air it would almost certainly create a shockwave that would cause nuclear bomb level destruction on its own.

An 8-10km/s weapon would be a lot more sane with fewer practical issues like that, while still being able to destroy just about anything.

[Sidewinder]

Real life info on relativistic weapons? I doubt much of value exists considering how absurd that kind of acceleration within the length of a weapons barrel is. But basically, your looking at unleashing a nuclear bomb level event when something that fast hits water. Even in the air it would almost certainly create a shockwave that would cause nuclear bomb level destruction on its own.

An 8-10km/s weapon would be a lot more sane with fewer practical issues like that, while still being able to destroy just about anything.

Well, that was embarrassing.

Thanks for the info. I've revised this story (and the others set in this universe) and replaced "sublight speeds" with "Mach 30," or approximately 10 km/s.

[Sidewinder]

'Divide and conquer.' Schuppenpanzer jettisoned the metal plates disguising him as a Schneider; then the revealed A7V transformed into another Utahraptor. His tracks slid forward and pivoted 90 degrees downwards to form legs; the front of the hull unfolded 90 degrees to reveal the head; the neck extended as the 57 mm Maxim-Nordenfelt gun pivoted 90 degrees until the barrel was parallel to the head, the muzzle pointing forwards; and arms unfolded from the sides. "Roarrrr!" The Decepticon scout lunged, the sickle-shaped claws on his feet reaching for Streetwise.

The Autobot scout drew a combat knife, whose blade met the claws; then Streetwise turned his parry into a throw that sent Schuppenpanzer flying into a tree, which shattered under the Decepticon's weight.

"Roar!" Schuppenpanzer quickly rolled onto his feet, and laid on the ground just as quickly, dodging HE shells from Streetwise's guns. Plasma beams reached from the Decepticon's Maxim-Nordenfelt gun-- a disguised plasma cannon-- and the Autobot cartwheeled to dodge the shots.
>

"Behind you!" Nick shouted as the wingless drone lunged. The medic's sudden turn shook the ground, throwing the young man off his feet. "Whoa!" The laser beams nearly blinded Nick as they reached between First Aid and the Cruellock, making Cybertronian alloys glow as if they were in a furnace; then the drone's arms, legs, and head fell off, sending the "butchered" torso crashing before the medic.

"How'd you do that?" Nick asked.

First Aid immediately turned to the forest in which the snipers-- it was now clear the Autobots faced multiple enemies-- hid. "I targeted its joints." The answer was barely audible over the missile warheads. 'Warheads are German 10.5 cm shells. Rocket motors and sensors are Gobot designed, but only trace amounts of Cybertronian alloys. Excellent use of local resources and facilities. I wonder who thought of this?' "This is like fighting a pack of Rock Narlies! Do you have a plan?!" the medic demanded.

"We just have to survive the next minutes!" Groove shouted as he danced away from First Aid to draw enemy attention-- and attacks-- away from the medic and the humans.

"For what?!"
>

Streetwise and Schuppenpanzer alternately dodged shots or sought cover; shot from behind a tree, a large rock, or a low hill; moved out of the enemy's line of fire as further attacks vaporized their cover; and repeating this sequence. The combatants knew their strengths and abilities were closely matched; whatever computer functions weren't devoted to attacking, avoiding an enemy attack, and counterattacking, was focused on devising a tactic or technique that would bring victory.

Boom! A human would think the roar was that of thunder, field artillery, or the explosion of bombs, shells, or other ordnance. The Cybertronians knew different.

"Whoa!" Streetwise uprooted a tree and spun it like a propeller, blocking a flurry of wild shots. He threw the now burning tree at Schuppenpanzer-- or rather, where the Decepticon was. "Schuppenpanzer, you coward! Return so we can finish this!" The Autobot's face expressed none of the anger in his voice; he smiled at the reason the Decepticon fled.
>

The attacks suddenly became less accurate, the missiles missing the Autobots by meters. 'Jamming?' Then a Sea Scout (SS) class blimp appeared above the forest. Hatches opened on the blimp envelope to reveal 18-pounder guns, which blanketed the forest with flames and shrapnel. "Pathfinder!"

Fireballs launched a Mars 2-cylinder motorcycle into the air; the front fender bore a hawkish head, the beak opening to shriek in pain.

'Razorwing drone heads,' First Aid noted as a squadron of motorcycles joined the first. The rear fenders bore metal tubes, 10.5 cm in diameter-- 'Missile launchers,' the medic guessed. 'The human vehicles were converted into autoguns,' automated gun turrets.

The remaining autoguns directed their attention towards the blimp, but the jamming sent the missiles towards false targets; the detonating warheads destroyed only still air. The blimp pilot tracked the drone controller's transmissions to his location, and returned fire.

"Ahhhh!" Then silence fell.

Early models of the SS class used a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance plane's wingless fuselage as their car; the car of this "blimp" detached herself from the envelope before transforming. The landing skids retracted; the rudder, tailplanes, and lower wings unfolded from the fuselage; the upper wings, parallel to the fuselage to hide their profile, pivoted 90 degrees before struts unfolded from the lower wings, locking the upper in place. The now complete B.E.2c and dived towards the voice of pain, followed by Groove.

The drone controller-turned-sniper was a 10.5 cm light Field Howitzer 16 with its carriage trail split to form legs; he was damaged as he began transforming, and caught between modes.

The B.E.2c transformed into a machine woman and landed beside the howitzer. "Rogun."

"I... am... Kilotron!" The carriage wheels began separating to form pauldrons, but the damage was too great. "Argh!"

"Rogun, you're not one-thousandth of the warlord Megatron is; you're lucky to have one-millionth of his strength and skill," Groove said as Pathfinder bolt a security device-- a bomb with a remote detonator-- on the hatch from which where the Decepticon's head would emerge if he was fully transformed. "Let's go. He grabbed a carriage wheel, Pathfinder grabbed the other, and the Autobots dragged their prisoner away from the burnt trees.

[Sidewinder]

The Cruellock drones continued their descent, the trailing cable now attached to the shuttle, disguised as a Drachen observation balloon. "Target detected." They telegraphed images of a 23 class rigid airship-- the disguised Autobot ship-- in a vertical position, the stern resting upon the sea floor.

Hackmesser examined the data received. 'The damage doesn't appear serious enough to cripple the vessel.' "Odd numbers, target the reactor. Even numbers, target the bridge." He drew his pistol-like bomb launcher, aiming the weapon at the reactor. "Fire on my command." A talon pulled the trigger, but static suddenly flooded the telegraph line and, through it, overwhelmed his senses. "Roarrrr!" The spymaster barely felt the left hand pulling his leg-- this sent the bomb towards the sea floor, where it harmlessly exploded-- until Hackmesser was optic-to-optic with Hotspot; then the Autobot giant's right hand crushed upon the Decepticon's skull and tore off his head.

The drones had preprogrammed orders they were to follow if they lost contact with their controller, but this was anticipated; Ratchet, now attached to the cable and armed with codes decrypted and copied from Liena's memory, ordered the drones to abort their attack.

Hotspot approached each Cruellock and, with care and caution unexpected in one so large and powerful, reprogrammed the drones to obey the Autobots. "The drones will obey you until Fightmaster or another high-ranking renegade uses an override code; then they'll attack and, most likely, destroy you. Put the hybrid in the shuttle, transport her to Nebulon, and restore her humanity."

"No." Liena's voice was cold and mechanical; she was still recovering from simulated brain death, which Ratchet induced to sever Doomwing's psychic link. "I... will not... abandon my brothers... to slavery and Cy-Kill's whip."

"You don't have that option," Hotspot insisted.

"You need... a scout or spy... to survey the target area," the hybrid repeated Hotspot's words.

"Because our presence will provoke a Decepticon reaction; if the target area is populated, uninvolved and innocent humans will die in the resulting crossfire. You're a hybrid; the Decepticons will detect the Cybertronian technology in your frame, they will identify you and assume you defected or were reprogrammed to our side, and react with violence." Hotspot looked up. "The scouts we recruited are here." He turned to Ratchet. "Go."

The medic saluted. "Yes, Leader One."

[Sidewinder]

In the blimp-- Pathfinder's disguised shuttle-- Matt's eyes danced between the screen and the many technological "wonders" in the bridge. "How do you keep this thing airborne? With Cavorite?" The major watched First Aid's expression change to one of confusion. 'They're so lifelike-- more human than some of the brass I served under.' "It's a substance 'opaque to gravitation', from H. G. Wells' novel-- a work of fiction."

"Ah," the medic nodded in understanding. "The shuttle is using its repulsorlifts, antigravity engines that push against the gravity field of a large mass, such as a planet. A repulsorlift cannot function without a gravity field to push against, and are useless in outer space and other zero-g environments."

"Can this... antigravity field... be detected?" Nick wondered.

"Yes, which is why Groove and Blades will transport you; few Cybertronians have integral repulsorlifts, due to the engines' prodigious energy needs."

A DH.4, now bearing a German camouflage pattern and Iron Crosses, shot out of the sea like a flying fish.

First Aid turned to Matt and AJ. "There's your steed."

Groove exited the repair chamber, where the German camouflage pattern and Iron Crosses were applied. 'I wish we had more time, but we're already running out,' he thought, regretting the fact his vehicle mode wasn't an Imperial German Air Service aircraft. "Are you ready, Lieutenant Burns?"

Nick smiled as he turned to his guardian angel. "Yes, and please call me Nick." Groove took a knee and held a hand before the young man, who stepped onto the hand as the shuttle opened a hatch to let Blades enter the shuttle. Groove put Nick in the Camel cockpit as he jumped out of the shuttle and transformed in midair; seconds later, Blades did the same with Matt and AJ, and then both Autobots flew away, hiding their frustration at the snaillike pace they adopted to avoid arousing suspicion.

[Sidewinder]

I revised an earlier scene to introduce Fangs, a Decepticon who transforms into a Mark V booty tank. He and Doomwing (originally named Weird Wing) are both based on members of this Renegade subgroup. Guess who'll make an appearance soon?

[Sidewinder]

The Fera Islands were an autonomous province of Denmark, a neutral power; the islanders, alarmed to see a Zeppelin appear overhead, alerted the Danish military garrison. Soldiers and seamen manned antiaircraft guns and targeted the airship, which bore a strange and apparently burning insignia-- a violet draconian head above a red triangle, a silver thunderbolt shooting from the dragon's mouth.

Cy-Kill saw no further reason to hide this insignia, which distinguished his "renegades" from the Decepticons under Megatron's command-- or rather, the imposter's. He turned to Doomwing, ignoring the HE shells reaching for Zod. "Where is the Light?"

"The fragment of Primus' spark," the werewolf saw the islands as a field burning with hundreds of stars, the light of human souls, "is dormant, but Starscream's," a claw stabbed the holographic map, "is there, caught between the physical dimension and the Pit," what the Decepticons believed was their post-destruction destination, similar to the human belief in Hell. "We must beware, for Starscream is a powerful psychic whose spark will be stimulated by the presence of another; my presence will stimulate him, possibly to fully functional."

"I do not fear Starscream. Fightmaster, Crasher."

"Yes, Milord?" the two transmitted.

"Secure the area. I will not tolerate any interference as I claim the Light."

"By your command." Fightmaster, now a Fokker D.VIIF biplane fighter, dived towards the gun batteries to draw attention-- and gunfire-- away from Zod, while dodging incoming bullets and shells with aerobatics that would've torn off a real Fokker's wings. Crasher, a Ehrhardt E-V/4 armored car, took advantage of this distraction to approach the gun positions, using noise cancellation technology to avoid alerting the gunners; then booster rockets accelerated the armored car to ramming speed, crushing the antiaircraft guns and the crewmen in her way. Minutes later, the Decepticons transmitted, "Antiaircraft guns, neutralized."

[Sidewinder]

Cy-Kill turned to Doomwing. "Bring me to Starscream, so I may prove I am worthier of Primus' powers than that... mercenary," he growled the last word, remembering the insults Megatron dealt by promoting Starscream before him.

The werewolf bowed. "By your command." He followed the silver titan through the hangar doors, transformed when Cy-Kill transformed into a Zeppelin R.VI "giant" bomber, and followed his lord towards a temple surrounded by darkness-- although the islanders converted to Christianity centuries ago, successive construction remained a respectful distance from the "guesthouse" they built for Odin, King of the Norse gods.

The R.VI bomber released what looked like 300 kg bombs, a disguise reinforced when flames shot from the noses as the weapons neared the ground, but instead of craters, the smoke cleared to reveal each "bomb" bent into a T. Tripods extended from the nose to keep the bomb upright; missile launchers extended from the sides of the tail, now parallel to the ground to form the barrel of a laser cannon.
"Autoguns," automated gun turrets, "One through Four, armed. Scanning," an autogun transmitted images to Cy-Kill. "Unidentified organic life form, one, detected. Targeting," crosshairs appeared on the curious policeman approaching what he thought was a dud bomb. "Laser firing," the beam bisecting the man. "Target neutralized."

The R.VI bomber transformed, landed before the temple, and raised a wings-turned-arm. The airship flew overhead to drop a rifle-like bomb launcher into the silver titan's waiting hand; then Zod began flying circles around the province, scanning for incoming threats.

Despite the airship's alertness, he failed to see the handheld bomb launchers reaching out of the water. Blades and Groove knew detection meant destruction, and used their pistol targeting optics as improvised periscopes, scanned the shore before they surfaced-- unseen-- beneath a pier.

Nick shivered as he climbed onto the pier, but not because of the weather. 'So that's Zod.' He turned to help Matt and AJ. "Everyone remember the codes?" the phonetic alphabet for the first letters of involved persons and important actions.

Matt nodded. "I'm Monkey, you're Nuts," he pointed at Nick, "she's Apples," he pointed at AJ.

"Blades is Butter, Groove is George, Pathfinder is Pudding, and a Decepticon is a Duff," the nurse repeated.

"Archie means an enemy attack. Sugar means silence-- remember Pathfinder's warning. If there's an emergency--"

"Shout, 'Edward,' three times," Matt and AJ finished.

Nick adjusted the eyeglasses Pathfinder gave him, activating the HUD; his companions did the same. "Let's go." The HUD displayed a map to guide the human scouts to the temple.

(Note: The story will be titled, 'Gobots: Storm of Steel' when it's posted on my MediaMiner page. I changed the title to one more suitable for the era, as "robot" didn't come to mean "machine man" until 1921.)

[Sidewinder]

Pathfinder, an electronic warfare specialist, disabled Rogun's main weapon and confiscated his concealed weapons-- or rather, those in obvious hiding places as decoys. A hydraulic cylinder detached itself from each arm, extended legs to reveal themselves as disguised spyders, and-- trailing control cables because a transmission could trigger the security device-- disarmed the bomb, unlocked the Decepticon's restraints, enabled his main weapon, and began repairing the howitzer. Once Rogun was able to transform-- he swore, 'I'll return the damage the Guardians inflicted upon me, a hundredfold,' as pain shot from components the spyders were unable to repair-- he began repairing himself as the spyders began unlocking the cargo compartment he was imprisoned in.

The Decepticon removed a hydraulic cylinder from each leg, unfolded pistol grips from the disguised weapons, and waited. Click! 'Primus, protect me.' Then he burst out of the cargo compartment; an alarm instantly drowned out the sound of his shoulder hitting the door.

[Sidewinder]

'Patience,' Cy-Kill reminded himself as the spyders entered the temple. The silver titan feared not for himself-- he was confident nothing on Earth could endanger him-- but for his prize.

One by one, the spyders reported the completion of their scans. Cy-Kill's HUD now displayed a map highlighting the weak points on the temple floor, information his lasercom transmitted to Doomwing. "Where?" A star appeared on the map.

"There is a chamber underneath this human construct... a cyber viper's nest, where Starscream lies in wait," the werewolf answered.

At Cy-Kill's command, a Cruellock drone approached the temple and flooded it with radar beams that pierced earth, stone, and then metal-- a Cybertronian alloy. "Megatron!" The image made him smile. 'The Light is finally within my reach!' "Crasher." The Ehrhardt drove up and transformed beside the silver titan. "Create an opening through which one of us may enter the chamber. Take care not to cause a cave-in and extinguish the Light, or you will face such wrath, the Dark God of Destruction's will be dim in comparison."

"By your command." Crasher examined the map. 'There.' Hatches opened on her hips to reveal two storage racks, from which the Amazon selected four octagonal blocks-- incendiary charges-- she handed to the second drone. Self-repair arms, resembling an insect's legs, extended from Crasher's forearms and detached the Deinonychus' upper wing so it could fit through the gate. The Cruellock entered the temple, set the blocks in a cross at the location its controller designated, and exited.

"Burner, burner, burner!" the Amazon warned as flames shot from the charges, burning a hole in the stone floor. The drone reentered the temple, its fire extinguisher cooling the stone so infrared sensors may look into the chamber.

Nick and AJ were all but invisible in a dark alley-- if found, they would claim to be lovers in a tryst-- the eyeglasses' integral cameras and radios sending images to the Autobots. "Nuts to George. Duff, four, sighted. I say again, Duff, four, sighted." They didn't see the second drone.

Blades replied with, "Butter to Nuts. Edward has Pudding. I say again, Edward has Pudding. Archie suspected. George visiting her."

[Sidewinder]

"Sh--" The young man suppressed the curse to avoid offending the woman beside him, and walked backwards until the Decepticons were out of sight, hoping they were out of the machine men's sight. "Mrs. AJ..."

"I'm not running or hiding," the nurse insisted.

"If a Duff catches you, he won't believe you came alone, and use you as bait to lure us out of hiding. Matt and I are gentlemen; we can't just abandon you, and we're likely to die in the rescue attempt. If a Duff catches me, he's more likely to believe I came alone..."

"You expect me to abandon one of my patients to a fate worse than death?"

"If I have your death or maiming on my conscience, my soul will suffer equally-- that is a fate worse than death."

AJ knew Matt would support Nick's decision; if necessary, the men would drag her away, claim she had a panic attack and leave her with a civilian, and continue the mission. 'Damn fools.' "Don't make my soul suffer for your chivalry." She walked backwards until she was near the alley entrance, and then walked down the deserted streets, to where Nick left a bicycle they bought from an islander, with coin-sized gold disks the Autobots provided.

Nick slowly advanced, careful to avoid making noise, until the temple was in sight. His right hand remained on his hip, where a Colt Single Action Army (SAA) revolver rested in its holster. 'I hope I won't have to use this,' he thought, knowing how useless the weapon was against the Decepticons.

[Sidewinder]

"Shriek!" Crasher clutched her head, drawing the machine men's attention away from the temple.

'Can they hear me? Do they really have eyes on the back of their heads?' Nick controlled his fear, his desire to turn around and run away, and slowly backed away.

An audio storm-- the sound of gunfire, explosions, the shriek of metal torn asunder, and roaring flames-- flooded the Amazon's radio, disrupting her control of the drone. "Rogun, you fool! Stop transmitting!"

"Pathfinder!" Rogun shouted before two guns spoke as one; then silence.

A frown was the only sign Cy-Kill received Rogun's final transmission. "Doomwing, contact Fangs," in the repair chamber. "I must know if he can support me."

"By your command." The werewolf bowed.

The humans waited with tension that transformed minutes into hours, frozen in place to avoid drawing attention, and fighting every instinct to flee. Then Groove radioed, "George to Apples, Monkey, and Nuts. Pudding has spoiled, I say again, Pudding has spoiled," Pathfinder is dead. "The party is over," abort the mission.

Nick whispered, "But the Duff--"

"Will use you as living shields against our guns. The party is over," Groove repeated.

"Apples, go home." "Monkey, go home," AJ and Matt radioed.

'Did Cornwallis feel this way when he surrendered at Yorktown?' "Nuts, go home." Nick turned around and slowly walked down the alley. He paused, turned to check for any pursuers, and then continued towards the alley entrance. The young man checked for pursuers again, and then scanned the street before him; seeing no threats from either direction, he exited the alley. "Gasp!"

A man, wearing an Austro-Hungarian Army great coat, stood before Nick.

'How did I miss him?' "Good evening," the American said in passable Danish. Nick withdrew his right hand to reveal a pack of cigarettes-- he didn't smoke, but he hoped the stranger believed he was reaching for the pack instead of a concealed weapon. "Do you have a match?"

A laser pistol appeared in Rom's hand. Nick, recognizing the weapon, lunged at the stranger, but failed to tackle him-- the hybrid was too heavy. Rom slammed the pistol grip against the back of Nick's neck, hitting the pressure point he targeted. Nick remained conscious for the moment he cried in pain; he didn't hear Matt and AJ ask, "Are you all right?!" as Rom carried the unconscious American upon a shoulder, an offering to his master.

[Sidewinder]

Courageous burst through the sea like a breaching whale; this was how the battleship was described by fishermen in nearby trawlers, the human minds trying to rationalize something alien by describing it, however inaccurately, as something familiar.

In the bridge, a low but powerful voice shook the air-- "like a lion's growl," Liena later described to the others-- as the battleship asked, "Is it logical to reveal ourselves to save...?"

"Nick's safety is a secondary concern, one we'll address if it doesn't endanger the primary concern-- prevent Cy-Kill from leaving Earth with his prize. Whatever it is, it must be vital to the renegades' plans for him to reveal himself and risk an Autobot or Decepticon response," Hotspot answered.

"And us? Is it right to risk the millions of sentient beings on this planet, to capture a Decepticon renegade whose former comrades seek his destruction?"

"I'm doing this to save the sentient beings on this planet... prevent Cy-Kill from using his prize to kill the billions of sentient beings beyond this planet."

Courageous sensed the 'But if I fail, I can still...' in the middle of the sentence, but he saw too much destruction to retort his commander's cold logic. "Kill one to save another; sacrifice one to save a dozen. When will we be free from the need to justify these sacrifices?"

"When the war is over, and these sacrifices are no longer necessary."

[Sidewinder]

The Danes felt no relief when they saw 18 rigid airships, each bearing Royal Navy insignia, approach the island; joining the Allies may kill or maim far more of their own than the "German" attack.

The same sight planted no fear in Zod, who knew Hotspot had but one battleship to challenge him, and detected no warp signatures to suggest Autobot reinforcements arrived; if the Guardians had another, that ship would've attacked the renegade battleship to save Courageous. 'Inflatable decoys with metallic envelopes to prevent sensor beams from penetrating them, and prevent me from learning revealing which ones are not threats, until I am within the Autobot weapons' maximum effective range. I am insulted to learn you believe I will fall to this ruse.' His guns extended and then fired with such force, the HE shells pierced and deflated multiple decoys at once, denying Courageous a means of concealing his approach.

Finally, an 8.8 cm shell roared as it exploded upon armor, instead of hissing as it pierced another gas envelope. Zod himself roared as he transformed into a Giganotosaurus.

"You asked for it!" Courageous expressed no fear as he transformed into a machine man, but his namesake emotion was born of a readiness to die for his brothers-in-arms; he had no confidence in his own chances of victory.

'So Nick wasn't delusional when he saw an armored Zeppelin,' Matt thought, studying the images on the screen extending from the Camel's instrument panel. "We're gonna rescue Nick, right?"

"I'll try to rescue Nick. The others will try to stop the Decepticons. Hopefully, we can get to our human friend before the Decepticons get whatever they came for." 'Hopefully, we won't have to sacrifice Nick's life to prevent the deaths of millions.' Groove cursed the Decepticon firepower forcing him to creep like a spyder, fighting dread and despair with each step taken. The Autobot warrior stopped 300 kilometers from the alley entrance. "My stealth capabilities are at their minimum effective range." A hatch opened to reveal the Camel cockpit. "I'm afraid you must continue on foot."

"I understand." Matt climbed onto the cobblestone road.

"Take this." A disembodied hand, holding a tube, appeared in midair; the sight shocked Matt, despite his knowledge of Groove's stealth capabilities. "It's a rocket launcher adapted for human usage. When the grip and shoulder rest unfold," self-repair arms unfolded and then folded these components, "your glasses will project crosshairs for you to aim the weapon. It ejects a counterweight to eliminate recoil from the rocket launch; before you squeeze the trigger, make sure the rear end is clear of anything you do not want to destroy."

"Thanks." Matt unfolded the grip and shoulder rest, holding the rocket launcher like a rifle; Groove was invisible again as the man advanced towards the temple.

[Sidewinder]

Cy-Kill ignored the sounds of battle; the Matrix promised to make him a god, against whom even an ultra warrior like Courageous is helpless. The Cruellock continued transmitting images to the silver titan as its talons reached into the hole in a gray colossus-- "Megatron!"

"Did the Light survive whatever burned this hole in his chest?" Crasher wondered.

"The Light itself burned Megatron; even here, its power reaches my spark." An air of awe and humility accompanied Doomwing's statement; he sensed the Matrix was 'Holy.'

"Evidently, Megatron he was unworthy of it and the powers it granted," Cy-Kill added. Blinding light filled the drone's talons when they withdrew from the colossus' chest. "Primus!" Static filled the lower left corner of their optics-- a display for the drone's transmitted images-- as the Deinonychus turned to the hole in the ceiling.

Doomwing growled as it became increasingly difficult for to control the drone as it moved away from Megatron, as if the colossus-- in stasis lock, the Cybertronian equivalent of a coma-- refused to surrender his prize. The werewolf heard the clang of metal against metal as the drone stumbled; his head looked through the temple gates, using the light rising from the floor to visually guide the Cruellock back into the temple. "Come..."

The static spilled out of the display, blinding all three Decepticons. "What...?" "Shutter your optics!" Thunder and lightning followed Doomwing's warning; then the static cleared.

'Radiation detector; system diagnostics; execute,' Crasher ordered, only for her integral computer to report, 'NO ERROR DETECTED'. "What happened?" the incredulous Amazon demanded.

Two wire-guided spyders crept into the temple. "The drone was destroyed, possibly by the Light," Doomwing answered, adding, "Its power is not detectable or measurable by conventional sensors. One's spark must be receptive-- be worthy of the title 'Prime,' and able to bear its inherent responsibilities-- to seize and use this power." The automatons transmitted images of a diamond in a golden frame. "The challenge is how to retrieve the Light, when those it deems unworthy, will be damaged or destroyed."

Cy-Kill's optics widened. "What affects will the Light have on organic life forms?"

The werewolf searched his memory; he answered, "Unknown," despite his considerable knowledge. "There are no known records of the Matrix interfacing with an organic life form-- but we may as well perform a test. If the Light rejects the human hostage, it is but an inconvenience; if the Light has no affect, he can retrieve it for us."

"And if the Light chooses the human hostage as its bearer?" Crasher answered Cy-Kill and Doomwing's skepticism with, "A lesson from 7,000,000 years of war-- Blades damaged Fangs and I for forgetting it-- was to expect the unexpected."

"If so, we will crush him and then seize the Light." The silver titan's answer made the Amazon smile. "Bring forth the hostage."

[Sidewinder]

Crosshairs appeared on the back of Cy-Kill's knee; then a blond head appeared beneath it. 'Nick!' Matt lowered his weapon, knowing his friend's blood would be on his hands if he fired; it mattered not if the rocket and its warhead killed him, or if the Decepticons did when they avenged the attack. The werewolf pointed at the temple; the Amazon's extended claws burned, an unmistakable threat; then Nick marched through the stone frame, resigned like the damned at Hell's gates. 'How...?'

"The structure may collapse, damaging or destroying Nuts, but he remains safer there than he is with the renegades," Groove radioed, revealing thoughts identical to Matt's. "Wait until we can draw their attention; you can rescue Nuts when the Duff guns target us instead of you."

"Roger." 'Better you than me-- I hope.'

Courageous fired his 12-inch (305 mm) guns at point-blank range; an 870-pound (395 kg) armor-piercing shell shrieked, ricocheted off Zod's force field, and then buried itself. Boom! The shell exploded underground, sending forth shock waves that were felt kilometers away.

"Ah!" Matt found himself on his back. 'There goes hope and optimism.' The American stood up, checked and confirmed the rocket launcher was undamaged; then his attention returned to the temple. 'Oh hell!' He lay prone as the Decepticons rocketed into the air, ignoring the human.

'I can no longer ignore Hotspot and his Guardians, or the possibility they may extinguish the Light in their ignorance,' Cy-Kill thought. "Elites, to me! Unite and form Thunderwing!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom! "Argh!" Courageous flew backwards and then crashed into the sea; the resulting wave destroyed the pier from which Nick and his friends came ashore, scattering wooden chips everywhere. Zod paused to release Fangs-- still blind, dependent upon Doomwing's guidance-- then the Giganotosaurus fell upon the Autobot ultra warrior.

'Now's my chance.' Matt jumped forwards, targeted the remaining Cruellock drone, and squeezed the trigger.

"Shrieeeek!" The Deinonychus jumped to dodge the rocket, which refused to abandon its prey. Thunder roared, a metal limb pierced a brick wall across the road, and the drone-- an arm damaged, a leg severed-- fell on its side, smoke rising from its hip.

Rat-at-at! "Shit!" Matt fell backwards, rolled onto his chest, and crawled down the alley as the Deinonychus' nose-mounted machine guns blazed; the bullets ricocheted off the walls beside him, raining chips on the American. Fear, and the gunshots echoing in the alley, propelled Matt onwards; by the time he noticed the guns have stopped firing, he was staring at a pair of metallic boots. "What...?"

Rom kicked Matt's temple, stunning the American without causing serious or permanent injury; his master knew prisoners had value, if only as hostages. The hybrid took a knee, reached for the back of Matt's neck, and then paused to study a red dot-- projected from a laser sight-- on his hand.

"Raise your arms straight up, and back away from the man." The ambulance driver raised a Webley Mark IV revolver, adjusting his aim to target the hybrid's head.

Rom complied. His armor was impenetrable to manmade small arms, but the fact the revolver-- and the man wielding it-- were holograms made him cautious. A moment's observation revealed a mechanical arm under the Ford Model T ambulance, aiming a laser weapon; the Cruellock drone's wreckage burned behind the disguised Ratchet.

"Are you well, Sir?" the medic called to Matt.

"Yeah." Matt climbed to his feet and turned to his savior. "You-- you're Ratchet, right?" A shadow caught his eye. "Watch out!"

The warning came too late. A shaped charge, resembling high explosive antitank (HEAT) weapons that would see use in the future, landed on the ambulance roof. Boom! "Ahhhh!" Burning white light-- a jet of molten metal, electric arcs from damaged systems, and the holographic driver flickering as its projector shutdown-- accompanied pain so great, it paralyzed Ratchet, one who endured almost 9,000,000 years of war.

Bang! The .45 caliber bullet flew harmlessly over Werner, whose sensors tracked Matt's arms as the American drew an SAA; the hybrid moved out the line of fire before Matt squeezed the trigger. Werner dashed out of Ratchet's reach-- the medic would quickly recover from the HEAT charge, a weapon incapable of destroying those the hybrids served-- as Matt cocked his revolver.

"Ah!" The American struggled to free his wrist from Rom's grip; then Werner's hand closed upon Matt's neck.

"Surrender or I will crush this vertebra, paralyzing you from the neck down."

Matt released the SAA, glaring as Werner caught the weapon. "I hope you--" It became impossible to finish the sentence as burning pain consumed him-- pain so terrible, the American didn't feel the ground rise against him.

[Sidewinder]

The renegades formed a phalanx around their lord as he hovered over the island, master of all he surveyed. Hardpoints on Fightmaster and Doomwing's backs locked onto those on Cy-Kill's shoulders; the hoplite and the werewolf became arms. Fangs and Crasher heads retracted so hardpoints on the titan's feet may lock onto those on their shoulders; the manticore and the Amazon became legs. The bomber's fuselage extended to reveal a neck; then the cockpit split to reveal a mouthful of metal-cutting teeth. Fightmaster's power sabers and knives detached from hiding places in the wings' leading edges, attached themselves to the super warrior's left hand, and became talons. Fangs' 57 mm guns, Cy-Kill and Doomwing's bomb launchers united to form a multi-barreled superweapon.

"Roarrrr!" Golden light enveloped Thunderwing, the nightmarish union of Cy-Kill and his intelligence; Fightmaster and his martial skills; Doomwing and his psychic powers; Fangs and his predatory instincts; Crasher and her brute strength. To humans who found themselves outside an air raid shelter, the super warrior was the Devil himself, clad in hellfire and bearing a trident.

Streetwise's visor flickered as it scanned various frequencies of the electromagnetic radiation. "Electrum?!" Cybertronian alchemists, employing long lost arts, fashioned nigh indestructible armor from this natural alloy of gold and silver-- arts Cy-Kill evidently recovered.

The V/1500 and the DH.4 sent forth a hail of 112 lb bombs, which detonated upon the machine devil's armor. Blinding lights highlighted the points of impact as Thunderwing energized the electrum to resist the attack; then the machine devil retaliated with a hail of 57 mm shells and 50 kg bombs.

Hotspot maneuvered to dodge the incoming projectiles. 'United, the renegades' weapons fire a projectile at three times its velocity from an individual's weapon,' an enhancement he knew was beyond the Autobots' powers. Then Thunderwing rocketed towards sea, ignoring the other Autobots. "His target is Courageous! Guardians, unite! Specialized Defense Formation!" Hardpoints on his shoulders locked onto those on Groove and Blades' backs; those on his feet locked onto hardpoints on Streetwise and First Aid's shoulders. Hotspot and Blades' bomb launchers united to form a superweapon; the Autobot super warrior shot Thunderwing in the back despite the knowledge this gesture was futile.

"Roarrrr!" Amusement replaced anger as the machine devil turned towards the united Guardians. "I'm disappointed, Hotspot... or does your combined form have its own name? My strength is greater than the sum of my individual components. Do you realize your partial union only wastes precious energy and...?" The united Guardians fired a salvo. Thunderwing detonated two bombs in midair, blowing the Autobots' off target; Courageous exploited this distraction to shoot the machine devil in the back. "Argh! You breach! I will repay you a hundredfold for this!" Thunderwing lunged, his talons extended for the pleasure of dismantling the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.