Hunted!

Hunted!

All Bumblebee wanted was to see some action. Soon he would see too much!

Dawn in South America and life returns to the jungle. Jungle beasts, perched on their tree branches, began to stir. The birds rise and celebrate the day's arrival with a high-pitched melody. Suddenly alien sounds disrupt the scene...

Struggling for breath, the man entered the clearing. He'd been running and hiding for days and his dark rimmed eyes showed his exhaustion. Mud caked the lower parts of his legs and his clothes were torn where the undergrowth had snatched at him.

He hardly saw the tree stump that jutted out from the undergrowth and sent him sprawling on the ground. The man clutched at his ankle. It's broken, he thought. It's broken! But it can't be, not now, not when he's so close...

He grasped a branch and began to climb to his feet. That was when he saw it...from the corner of his eye, a sudden blur of grey through the dense foliage behind him. There was something in the jungle, something cold and hostile!

The air grew still. There was a faint rustling of leaves, then the undergrowth erupted. Out of the darkness it leapt. It seemed to hang frozen in mid air, a creature of unearthly power, a huge metallic panther... Ravage!

The Decepticon's savage assault propelled the man back to the ground. In panic, he stuck at Ravage's body with the broken branch, dislodging a small silver of metal. But resistance was futile and the creature's powerful jaws tore the branch from his grasp.

Ravage crouched by the man's frozen body. “You've led me a merry chase, human,” he growled. “But it's over now!”

The Decepticon slowly inched forward...

Left Behind

“Prowl? How much longer must we monitor these news broadcasts?” Bumblebee's words echoed throughout the cavernous room that he shared with the Autobot's master strategist.

Optimus Prime instructed us to look out for Decepticon activity,” Prowl snapped, his eyes hardly leaving the grey image that he watched flickering across a large video screen, “and that's what we're going to do until he and the others returned to the Ark.”

Bumblebee moved away from his comrade, his arms slumped by his sides. It just wasn't fair. The other Autobot's were on a mission, a mission that would undoubtedly bring them into conflict with the Decepticons. It was a mission that Bumblebee had been purposely excluded from.

“It's tipical,” he muttered, just loud enough for Prowl to hear. “Why's it always me that get's the boring tasks? I bet Jazz never...”

“Look...On the screen!”

Bumblebee hurriedly spun around. On the video screen an unshaven man could be seen standing in the centre of a jungle clearing. Torrential rain battered his frail form and a blanket had been wrapped around his shoulders. A young woman was gently trying to persuade him to enter a nearby Jeep. Prowl remained motionless, completely transfixed by this image. Long minutes past before he spoke.

“Can't you see it?” he whispered, almost to himself. “On the ground, a small piece of metal.”

“Are you alright?” Bumblebee asked. He was beginning to worry about prowl. Perhaps the pressures he was under had finally taken their toll on his logic circuits.

Evidence

Ignoring his friend's concern, Prowl continued to stare at the screen. “Quickly, computer,” he shouted, “freeze frame! Now, enlarge the picture.”

He turned towards his smaller commrade. “According to the commentary I received through this audio link-up,” he said, pointing to a heavy cable that connected his chest to the video screen, “that man is Doctor John Butler. He was a member of an expedition team that recently disappeared in South America. The Red Cross found him in the jungle and he's now being treated for shock in a convent hospital.”

“That's all very interesting,” Bumblebee said, a quizzical expression etched across his robotic features, “but what's it got to do with us?”

The Autobots' tactician pointed fiercely at the computer-enlarged image on the video screen. A small metallic chip was lying in the undergrowth. “that piece of metal is not of Earth design,” Prowl exclaimed, “it was manufactured on Cybertron... and if my memory circuits are correct, it was once part of Ravage's armoured hide!”

“But that would mean the Decepticons are active in South America.”

“It's more than likely. We'd best informed Optimus Prime.” Prowl raised his right arm and spoke into a radio transmitter that he'd previously built into his wrist circuits. “Autobot Prowl calling group leader Optimus Prime.”

There was no reply. Prowl switched to another frequency. “Prowl calling Optimus Prime.” Again nothing. Not even the faintest whisper of a signal. “it's no good,” Prowl cried, “something's interfering with the radio transmissions. I'm receiving nothing but static!”

Rage swelled within him and he tore the audio up link from his chest in an uncharacteristic fit of anger. A shower of sparks was sent across the room.

“Hey, watch it!” cried Bumblebee.

Prowl marched towards the room's exit.

“So what do we do now?” Bumblebee shouted after him.

“There's nothing we can do,” he replied, “except wait.”

“Wait!” Bumblebee chased after the taller Autobot, placing an arm on his friend's shoulder. “The longer we remain inactive, the greater any possible threat becomes. Surely the two of us should go to South America and investigate.”

“No,” Prowl said, as he turned and looked down at Bumblebee. “Such a move is out of the question. We have no idea of the Decepticons' strength or Megatron's plans. Logic dictates that we remain here until Optimus returns. He'll decide on an appropriate plan of action.”

“Twin Twist and Top Spin are in the Ark,” Bumblebee persisted, “I'm sure they'd help us.”

“For the final time, Bumblebee... No! We are not going to South America.”

Action at last

Prowl had never been in the jungle before. It was a dark and primal place that defied logic. It was not to his liking. It's utter madness, he thought. How did I let myself be talked into coming to South America? Even with the help of the Jumpstarters we'd never be able to defend ourselves against a Decepticon attack.

He peered through the trees; Some yards up a primitive dirt road there was a military checkpoint. Behind a barrier that spanned the road, Prowl could see a number of jeeps and a handful of well armed troops. He transformed back to his vehicular mode and drove back to where the other Autobots were waiting.

"Well?” asked Top Spin, as Prowl approached.

“I'm afraid there's a road block,” he replied. “Perhaps we'd best go back to the Ark.”

“I haven't come all this way for nothing,” Twin Twist shouted. “I say we just don't stop!”

“Yeah,” agreed Top Spin.

“Wait!” cried Prowl, but before he could stop them, the two Jumpstarters had reverted to their vehicle modes, forced their way through the undergrowth, and were soon racing towards the road block.

“Come on, Prowl,” shouted Bumblebee, changing to his car form, “or we'll be left behind.”

The four Autobots sped along the dirt road.

“Out of the way, humans,” Twin Twist shouted, crashing through the checkpoint, his diamond tipped drill splintering the barrier into countless fragments.

The troops unslung their machine guns and fired at the driverless vehicles. Spurts of dust and stones exploded from the road, as bullets rebounded off the fleeing Autobots. A group of soldiers leapt into a jeep and gave chase, still firing their machine guns, but as Prowl and Bumblebee raced past them, they saw them swerve to the side of the road and the soldiers watch helplessly as they rounded the next corner.

Danger Ahead

The road soon came to an end.

“This is where we enter the jungle again,” Prowl said, less than enthusiastically.

Top Spin took the lead, rotating his drill in order to clear a path through the dense foliage. Ten minutes later, the group had entered the clearing where John Butler had been found.

Prowl change to his robot form and groped about in the undergrowth. “Ah, here it is,” he said, uncovering the grey metallic chip. “It's just as I thought... this splinter has come from Ravage's body.”

“We already know that,” Top Spin complained. “What we don't know is Ravage's current whereabouts!”

“Oh, but we will,” Prowl replied, smugly. “The Decepticons admit a chemical into the atmosphere when they burn their fuel and if we're lucky we'll be able to track Ravage by following the trail left by this chemical.”

“In which direction does this trail go?” Bumblebee asked.

Prowl switched on his sensors. “That way,” he said, pointing towards the heart of the jungle.

It's no good, thought Bumblebee, I'll never catch them.

After hours of following the chemical trail, he had fallen behind his stronger companions. Now he was standing chest deep in a filthy swamp. Mud threatened to clog his joints and he was convinced that the damp atmosphere was doing untold damage to his delicate circuitry.

A boa constrictor dropped from a tree and coiled itself around Bumblebee's neck; It tightened its muscles an the autobots visual sensors began to blur!

There was a sound like the crack of thunder, and the creature was suddenly bathed in a burst of electrical energy. It fell into the murky water, stunned.

Bumblebee looked towards the far bank where he could see the other Autobots, Top Spin was holding his electric blaster.

“You ought to be more careful in the future,” Prowl said, helping Bumblebee climb out of the swamp.

Reunited the friends continued to follow the chemical trail. Hours stretched into days as they slowly pushed their way through the unyielding mass of vegetation. Eventually the group came to an abrupt halt. Immediately in front of them the land dipped and fell, forming the sides of a deep valley.

Amazing Sight

The Autobots stared in disbelief. The valley floor had been levelled and cleared of all plant life and now in an unearthly structure towered into the jungle sky.

“That building...” commented Top Spin. “It's an exact replica of Megatron's fortress on Cybertron.”

“Yes,” Prowl agreed, intensely studying the valley. “And behind it there appears to be some form of mine shaft!”

“Mine shaft? But what would the Decepticons be digging for?” Bumblebee's question went unanswered as his comrades focused their attention on the valley floor. Megatron and Ravage were leaving the fortress and making their way towards the mine.

Top Spin rose to his full height, his expression was pale and lifeless... But his eyes circuits blazed with hatred. He motioned as if to speak.

“Quiet!” Bumblebee cried. “If I concentrate I may be able to overhear part of the Decepticons' conversation.” the Autobots fell silent, remaining completely motionless as Bumblebee trained his extra -sensitive audio circuits on the distant forms of Megatron and Ravage. Fifteen minutes slowly ticked by and then: "they're mining for rare crystals, as yet undetected by the humans.” Bumblebee's words were whispered in a flat, almost ominous tone. “Megatron hopes to imbue these crystals with artificial intelligence and then place them into recently constructed bodies...thus creating an army of Decepticon warriors.”

Prowl walked over to Bumblebee. “But how is the missing expedition team involved in all of this?” his voice was edged with a little uncertainty. He was used to the other Autobots coming to him for help and advice.

Bumblebee turned around and for a split second Prowl thought he saw a faint grin on the small Autobot's face... but then it was gone.

“The expedition team stumbled onto Megatron's mine and were imprisoned,” Bumblebee said. “Doctor Butler escaped and Ravage was sent to deal with him ... obviously he didn't perform this task as well as he thought.”

“We must destroy this mine,” Twin Twist said as he and Top Spin moved closer to Prowl.

“Agreed,” replied the Autobot strategist, his confidence returning. “But first we contact the Ark for reinforcements.”

Solo Attack

As the group continued to debate possible battle tactics, Bumblebee moved away. He transformed stealthily into his vehicle mode and began to trundle down the valley side towards the Decepticon base. From his eavesdropping, he had learned that Megatron intended to use the humans as a labour force in his plan. Action had to be taken immediately, there was no time to wait for aid. Bumblebee was determined to save the humans. He was after all, their last hope.

Ba-Damm! the Autobots' discussion was broken short by an explosion that rocked the jungle.

“Where's Bumblebee?” cried Twin Twist, realisation already singing in. The group stared in unison at the valley floor. Bumblebee was racing towards the fortress. All around him air to ground missiles were detonating, spraying dirt and rubble across his small form. High in the sky, partially obscured by cloud cover the Decepticon warriors Starscream and Thrust turned and began a second attack dive.

“Bumblebe's no match for those two. We've got to help him!” shouted Top Spin as he and the others scrambled down the side of the valley.

Only yards from Bumblebee, the Autobots came to a dead stop. Panic seemed to creep through their circuits and they were unable to move. Behind them they could hear the sound of an approaching Decepticon fighter. Prowl tried to overcome his inexplicable fear, however his efforts proved fruitless.

The noise from Decepticon's engines grew louder... then Prowl recognised a familiar sound. The distinctive echo made by the Decepticon known as Dirge. Dirge, whose engines had the uncanny effect of producing fear in anyone who heard them. Marshalling all his logic circuits, Prowl fought against his terror and he turned slowly, his automatic rifle in hand. Dirge was taken by complete surprise as Prowl fired three acid pellets into his armoured frame.

Now out of control, the Decepticon spiralled and crashed into the ground.

Released from Dirge's control, the Jumpstarters rushed to Bumblebees aid. Meanwhile, Starscream was preparing to make another strafing run, when the two Autobots filed their weapons simulataneously. The Decepticon was struck by a powerful particle beam and rendered non-functional. He fell to the earth, completely destroying Megatron's mine in a thunderous explosion.

Avalanche!

The Autobots re-grouped and were planning their next move, when Thrust flew past them. The full force of his sonic boom struck the valley wall and the Autobots were suddenly buried under an avalanche of chalky rock.

Bumblebee was the first to tunnel his way out of the rubble. With the mine destroyed, the Decepticons were making good their escape and Bumblebee could see a familiar figure leaving the metallic fortress.

“Megatron!” he cried.

The Decepticon leader turned and looked towards the charging Autobot. “I'd advise you not to hinder my escape,” he sneered, “especially as I've planted a bomb in my fortress!”

Bumblebee stopped in his tracks. The members of the expedition team was still held captive in the fortress, and Megatron was obviously aware of the Autobots vow to protect all human life. He had judged correctly. He watched with a sneer as Bumblebee raced into the fortress to save the humans.

Using his extraordinary strength, Bumblebee freed the expedition team, and together they fled Megatron's fortress, just before the bomb exploded, once again shattering the peace of the surrounding jungle.

The small Autobot surveyed the valley floor. His three friends had finally clawed their way from under the chalky rubble, and he was relieved to see that they had only sustained minor damage. He had behaved rashly and he felt a little ashamed. Nevertheless, he had freed the humans, and although Megatron had escaped, there would undoubtedly be other battles with the Decepticon leader.