“I need to convene with the rest of the Primes and discuss this troubling development.”
Micronus creates a large, flat-topped pyramid out of the ground.
“You stay here. I don’t want you caught by surprise until we find out who’s behind this.”
Optimus climbs to the top of the pyramid, where he can see most of the land around him.
“Micronus, are the other Primes testing me, too? I… I don’t want to fail them.”
“If they were, I’d know,” Micronus replies. “And wrecking you here wouldn’t do us any good back on Earth or Cybertron.”
Micronus points to Optimus’s very real dents and scratches when he says this.
The Prime disappears, leaving Optimus alone.
Far in the distance, Liege Maximo grins wickedly, excited that his new plaything is all his for the moment!
Back on Earth, Strongarm and Grimlock help Bumblebee load Sideswipe onto Fixit’s repair table. The brash young Autobot is badly banged up and is drifting in and out of rest mode.
“I’ve got him from here, Bee,” the Mini-Con says cheerfully. “Nothing some elbow grease can’t fix! And some Energon infusions. And an extensive diagnostic repair kit—”
“We get it, Fixit,” Bumblebee interrupts. “Just make sure he’s okay, all right? It’s my fault he’s injured. I was distracted and Sideswipe saved me from getting hurt by taking the blast himself.”
Grimlock and Strongarm look away. They’re not used to their leader expressing this kind of regret.
“I want you two to stay by his side,” Bumblebee tells them. “I’m going to track down Skinkbomb’s whereabouts so we can put that dangerous dynamite stick back on ice.” The Autobot leader takes another look at Sideswipe and walks out of the repair center.
“Grimlock, did you see what distracted Bee during the fight?” Strongarm asks.
“Uhh… it kind of looked like he was staring at his own reflection,” Grimlock replies. “I like to look at my handsome face, too, but there’s a time and a place, ya know?”
Fixit eavesdrops on Strongarm and Grimlock’s conversation while he works away at repairing Sideswipe.
“Was Bumblebee acting dazed and confused without rear… fear… I mean, clear reason?” he asks.
Strongarm and Grimlock consider for a second, then respond in unison, “Yes.”
“Have there been moments recently when Bee seemed to be distant and aloof, as if he were in his own world?”
Strongarm and Grimlock think about it again, remembering Bee’s odd behavior in the command center before the mission. They reply in the affirmative again.
“Ah, it’s very simple, then,” Fixit says. “Our leader must be suffering from brain rust!”
Chapter 7
Strongarm and the other members of Bumblebee’s beleaguered team on Earth aren’t the only bots grappling with concern for one of their own.
Back in the Realm of the Primes, Micronus again consults with his brothers about Optimus’s training.
“You told me to take it harder on the kid, not turn him into spare parts,” Micronus says, hovering in front of the shadowy figures of the Primes. “And if you entrust me to train him, you should let me know if you’re going to stick your sprockets into the proceedings.”
Micronus can’t help a note of wounded pride from entering his voice.
“Has there been… an incident?” a deep voice asks.
Micronus looks at the Primes with mounting confusion.
“You mean to tell me you haven’t been sending your own bots after Optimus?” the miniscule bot asks. “Real aggressive ones, loaded up with pointy blades?”
The gathered Primes look at one another for answers, but none claims responsibility.
“Wait a minute,” Micronus says. “Where is he? Where is that no-good, horn-headed, backstabbing son of a slag-heap?”
The Primes step out of the shadows, revealing one fewer figure than the last time Micronus met with them.
“Where is Liege Maximo?”
Back at the pyramid, Optimus takes advantage of his solitude to practice sword techniques. Time does not pass the same in the Realm of the Primes as it does on Earth or Cybertron, and the Autobot leader finds that he rarely needs to rest.
Optimus’s desire for justice and peace has always been enough to drive him, but he misses working alongside his teammates.
Unfortunately, Liege Maximo has figured this out from watching Optimus check in on Bumblebee and the crew on Earth, and he hatches a diabolical idea.
With a stir of his horns and a wave of his hands, the manipulative mischief-maker conjures up an approximation of Bumblebee, visually identical to the Autobot stationed back on Earth, except with a pair of creepy red optics.
Liege Maximo imbues the false bot with a devilish mean streak and directs it toward Optimus’s pyramid!
His plan in motion and a smirk on his face, Liege Maximo gathers his cape and retreats to a safe viewing distance. He creates a curtain of fog to hide his presence.
“And now it’s time for the second act!” he says.
In between thrusts of his blade, Optimus picks up on a slight noise, like treads scraping against the mysterious bedrock of the Realm. The red-and-blue hero glances around, noticing the gathered fog for the first time.
“You’re not going to catch me off guard, Micronus!” Optimus shouts into the near-total silence. He swings around with his blade drawn… and comes face-to-face with Liege Maximo’s cruel creation!
“Bumblebee?!”
Optimus is shocked at first, but remembers Micronus’s holograms of his teammates during the canyon simulation.
The Autobot leader is a fast learner and a quick thinker. A trick like this can’t fool him for long!
“Did Micronus create you to test my emotions?” Optimus asks.
The fake Bumblebee rushes forward and grabs Optimus by the shoulders.
“I’m real, Optimus!” Bumblebee says. “And I’m here because we failed! Earth is lost!”
The Autobot leader staggers back out of the fake Bumblebee’s grasp. His confidence that this isn’t the Bumblebee he knows is slightly shaken.
“We couldn’t stop what was coming without your help. Now the others are gone, and I’m stuck here in this weird place with you,” the false friend explains.
Optimus hesitates, but stands firm that the feeling in his bolts is true.
“I don’t believe you,” he says. “Tell me something that only Bumblebee would know, something that will prove to me that you’re the bot I’ve trusted by my side in the past—and that what you’re saying about Earth is true.”
The imposter bot stares at Optimus.
Some distance away, Liege Maximo fumes with fury.
“Scrap! Curse that Optimus and his resistance to my trickery. I’ll just have to use a little force!”
The Prime upgrades his creation to unnerve Optimus even more.
“Come on, buddy, you know it’s me, deep in your spark,” Bumblebee says, shaking the bigger bot’s frame. “It’s me… your ol’ pal BEE!”
The evil imposter leaps at Optimus, red optics glaring.
With the back of his sword, Optimus clocks the phony Bumblebee in the noggin.
BONK!
“Is that how you treat an old friend?” the dazed doppelgänger whines.
Optimus unleashes a powerful roundhouse kick that sends Bumblebee tumbling off the pyramid. He slides down the side like a skater grinding a pipe, shooting up sparks as he goes.
By the time he reaches the bottom, the mock Bumblebee has faded away like the other constructs of the Realm.
The fog recedes and disappears, too.
“Micronus!” Optimus yells. “Micronus, what sort of test is this?”
“No test of mine, for Solus Prime’s sake,” Micronus says, suddenly appearing behind Optimus.
With an aggressive wave of his hand, the pyramid rapidly flattens.
“Optimus, we have a big problem, and his name is Liege Maximo.”<
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Some distance away from Optimus and Micronus, Liege Maximo continues to seethe.
“That humorless, rust-headed reject is ruining everything!” Liege Maximo says aloud to himself. “This realm is endlessly boring and the other Primes are no fun at all. Now the first new plaything to come along in eons is already growing wise to my tricks!”
The horned bot paces back and forth, considering his options.
In the midst of his stomping, Liege Maximo notices that he is near a small hill. He climbs the gentle slope and stares down into the pool at the top of it, the perfect plan leaping instantly into his manipulative mind.
“If Optimus won’t play along, I’ll turn my attention back to these other new toys.”
With a wicked wave of his hand, the pool at Liege Maximo’s feet stirs and reveals a window to another place, far away from the Realm of the Primes: the scrapyard on Earth, with the real Bumblebee and the other bots!
Chapter 8
Bumblebee enters the command center cautiously, remembering his vision of an unhinged Optimus. He doesn’t want to believe that these garish glimpses of his former leader are real, but they certainly felt like they were.…
Even if the visions were just hallucinations brought on by stress and pressure, they threw Bumblebee off his game during the Autobots’ battle with Skinkbomb. He takes full responsibility for the injuries Sideswipe sustained, and the only way to make it up to him is to track down the escaped Decepticon!
Bumblebee runs his digits over the keys of the computer console, bringing it to electronic life. He pulls up Fixit’s tracking software and sets the radius as wide as it will go.
The outskirts of Crown City, where the team first fought Skinkbomb, are clear of Decepticon life-forms. The forest around the scrapyard is likewise deserted.
The quarry on the other side of the forest, however, shows one big red blip on the radar!
“Bingo!” Bumblebee shouts. “I’m taking you down personally, you overgrown lizardbot!”
As Bumblebee moves to gather the rest of his team, the red blip on the radar flickers in and out like a dying lightbulb.
The Autobot leans in closer to examine the screen. The light flickers again, and then a second red light pops into existence a short distance from the first.
“A second Decepticon!” Bumblebee says. “Skinkbomb must have an ally!”
The two lights flicker and blink in unison like a pair of eyes.
“Are they trying to disguise their signals? I’ve got to get the others and track these two down before they disappear!”
Just then, a loud, familiar voice pipes through the speakers.
“WHY DO YOU FIGHT AGAINST US, BUMBLEBEE?” the voice asks.
Bumblebee recoils from the screen.
An outline appears around the two red lights, bringing Optimus’s face into view. The red eyes make the electronic approximation of Bumblebee’s former leader look even more sinister.
“JOIN ME, BUMBLEBEE, AND RULE BY MY SIDE WHEN MY DECEPTICONS SQUASH YOUR PUNY AUTOBOTS.”
“Stop this, whoever you are!” Bumblebee yells back at the screen. “I know you’re not really Optimus. You’re just a Decepticon trick, and Team Bee’s specialty is taking you down!”
“TELL THAT TO SIDESWIPE… IF HE RECOVERS!”
Bumblebee pulls back his fist and darts forward to destroy the console.
“Sir, stop!” Strongarm shouts, appearing in the doorway to the command center. “What are you doing?”
The Autobot leader turns around and takes in the concerned faces of Strongarm, Grimlock, Fixit, Rusty, and Denny, all cautiously keeping their distance from him.
“Can’t you see?” Bumblebee asks, pointing behind him. “Somebot infected our systems with an evil version of Optimus!”
The teammates look at one another, worried, then frown at their leader.
Bee turns back to the console and sees that the screen displays a normal map, with only one bright red blip in the quarry. The flashing red eyes and clear outline of Optimus’s profile are nowhere to be found.
“It… it was here just before you came in,” Bumblebee tries to explain. “It was taunting me and threatening our team.”
Fixit whispers to Denny and Russell, and the two humans leave the room, a concerned look cast on their faces.
“Bumblebee, perhaps you should let me tick… tock… take a look at your wiring,” the Mini-Con says, rolling toward the confused yellow bot. “The negative effects of group management stress are not to be underestimated and can lead to—”
“Wait a minute,” Bumblebee interrupts, taking a step back. “Do you all think I’m malfunctioning?”
Strongarm, Grimlock, and Fixit exchange glances.
Grimlock takes a careful step forward, his bulky arms outstretched.
“Let’s all calm down, Bee,” the Dinobot says, inching toward his leader. “We’re all friend-bots here, right?”
Bumblebee shakes his head vigorously, clearing his thoughts.
“Grim, stop it, I’m not going to do anything crazy,” he says.
The Dinobot continues to move closer until Strongarm elbows him to cut it out.
“I know what I’m saying sounds unusual, but hear me out. Somebot has been sending me evil visions of Optimus trying to distract me.”
“I believe you, sir, but a tune-up never hurt anybot!” Fixit adds, approaching Bumblebee with forced cheerfulness.
“Fixit,” Bumblebee says. “I don’t have brain rust. I admit I’m shaken up by what happened to Sideswipe, but someone is messing with us and I intend to put an end to it!”
The other Autobots in the room look at one another with renewed confidence in their leader.
“But first we have a Decepticon that deserves some payback,” Bumblebee says, pointing at the red blip on the screen. “And as Sideswipe would say, ‘What goes around, comes around!’”
Chapter 9
Far away in the Realm of the Primes, a very disgruntled Liege Maximo stomps and kicks at the ground.
“These Autobots are NO FUN AT ALL!” he bellows, blowing up several fake bots.
“All I ask for in this vast, endless existence is some semblance of joy, and these boring bots are intent on keeping that away from me with their ‘teamwork’ and ‘justice’ and ‘loyalty’! I can taste the fuel coming back up my intake valve!”
Liege Maximo’s horns twitch, and a full legion of mindless bots appear before him, covered in all manner of slicing blades, blunt maces, and spiky armor.
“If all those awful Autobots want is some fight to destruction against a grand evil, then I’ll give them the destruction they seek!”
“Who is Liege Maximo?” Optimus asks, his frame tensing.
“He’s above your pay grade,” Micronus explains. “Liege Maximo is one of us, an original Prime and member of the Thirteen. Long, long ago, Liege Maximo grew bored of our existence. He’s never been truly evil, but his cruelty and penchant for manipulation are legendary. To relieve his boredom with the power he wields, Liege Maximo uses it to pit brother against brother for his own amusement.”
“Brother against brother?” Optimus asks. “Micronus, before you arrived, I was attacked by something that took the shape of my teammate Bumblebee from Earth. It spoke in Bumblebee’s voice and looked just like him, but the things he said…”
“That’s Liege Maximo’s doing, all right,” Micronus says. “He is one of us, and we tolerate him, but his lies and treacheries have cost us dearly in the past. Now it looks like he’s trying to have some twisted ‘fun’ with you.”
Optimus narrows his optics and pounds his mighty metal fists together.
“If this is Liege Maximo’s idea of fun, then it’s time we twist it back at him,” Optimus says with gusto.
Micronus laughs.
“Optimus, you’re not ready for a Prime!” Micronus says. “You’ll meet Liege Maximo in time, and he might even teach you a thing or two worth knowing down the line, but this is one problem you can’
t punch to scrap.”
The Autobot leader’s tactical brain races with ideas.
“The false Bumblebee’s patience didn’t last very long when I called it on its bluff,” Optimus says. “It seems like Liege Maximo gets bored of his games as soon as they don’t go his way. I think we can use that to our advantage.”
Micronus smiles. Immensely powerful foe or not, this is one trial that his pupil seems ready to take on.
Back on Earth, Bumblebee leads Strongarm and Grimlock toward Skinkbomb’s signal in the quarry. Fixit, Rusty, and Denny stayed back in the scrapyard to take care of Sideswipe. Bumblebee’s and Strongarm’s wheels tear rivets into the ground and Grimlock’s pounding feet shake the trees around them.
“You know I have utmost faith in you, sir,” Strongarm says to the yellow bot speeding ahead of her. “But even if you’re not suffering from early symptoms of brain rust, we’re still one Autobot short against a Decepticon that nearly turned us into spare parts last time we squared off against him.”
“Fixit said Skinkbomb needs to consume large amounts of metal and flammable oils to regrow his tail-bomb. If we can catch up to him before he’s eaten enough, we may have an upper hand.”
Bumblebee shifts into a higher gear, spitting grass and dirt behind him as he goes.
“And this time, I won’t be so easily distracted.”
Bumblebee, Strongarm, and Grimlock arrive at the edge of the quarry in good time. The Autobot leader whispers into his wrist communicator.
“We’re about to enter the quarry, Fixit. If you have any luck getting in touch with Drift, give him our coordinates.”
The bots scan the rocky landscape for any sign of their explosive enemy.
They follow a loud crunching noise around a bend and spot Skinkbomb, chewing on a construction crane and guzzling barrels of oil!
“Autobots, it’s time to ignite the dynamite!” Bumblebee yells.
Transformers Robots in Disguise - The Trials of Optimus Prime Page 3