eugenesis-text

PART THREE
The Antiholocaust
Earth – 5th January 1986
Soundwave jabbed a finger at the fleeing Autobot spy.
‘Laserbeak! Deal with him!’
Bumblebee stumbled down the ravine, leaping strips of shadow and cursing an earthen landscape he
had yet to master. How could be have been so stupid Pursuing Ravage across the desert in a misguided
effort to prove himself to Optimus Prime, and stumbling blindly, idiotically, into a Decepticon ambush. He
had been foolish and impetuous, and any moment now it was going to prove fatal.
Laserbeak let his prey run for a moment, happy to spectate, and then launched his flare missiles.
Bumblebee was knocked wide by a three-tiered explosion. He landed badly and mumbled to himself in an
effort to articulate the pain.
Soundwave watched from a distance, frowning while his subordinates laughed out loud. Rumble,
Frenzy, Thundercracker and Skywarp were easily amused, but their laughter betrayed a nervous tension.
They had been hiding inside this rocky enclosure for six hours, waiting for the Autobots to arrive. They
had expected Prowl or Hound or Prime himself, but Bumblebee Bumblebee was a joke. So much for
carefully laid plans.
‘Skywarp – he’s yours if you want him.’
Skywarp disappeared into the desert’s heat shimmer while Soundwave led the others into the open.
Thundercracker was content to let them go on ahead. He had no particular desire to see them murder
an Autobot, particularly one as feeble as Bumblebee. He looked at the watercoloured sky and considered
flying back to the Fortress, but thoughts of Soundwave’s reaction – a dressing down as scathing as the one
given to Starscream earlier that day - kept the dust on his feet.
‘Hey! Thundercracker!’
He recognised the voice and turned. Another Transformer was hiding in the shadows, beckoning him
over. Another Autobot Could it be that Bumblebee had not come alone
‘Come out of the shadows… Frenzy’
Frenzy moved into the light, dragging a larger robot in the dirt behind him. ‘Hi, Thunders. Long
time no see.’
‘Where’s Bumblebee’ said Thundercracker. ‘You, er, sort him out’
‘That close,’ smiled Frenzy, squeezing his thumb and forefinger together, ‘And then this piece of junk
comes outta nowhere and tries to put me down!’ He dropped the body. ‘Soundwave’s dealing with the
minibot.’
Thundercracker crouched and prodded the bright blue mechanoid, which he’d only now realised was
an Autobot. ‘Who the hell is this’
‘You tell me. Soundwave thinks it’s one of those “ultimate Autobots” Ravage told us about this
morning.’
‘This is an ultimate Autobot Big deal.’
‘You said it.’ Frenzy kicked his prisoner in the stomach with undisguised relish. ‘Right old heap of
junk. Ugly, too.’
‘You okay, Frenzy You look kinda beat up yourself.’