Battle Lines, Part 2

The Elite Guard searches for Deathsaurus and the Combaticons.

Synopsis

At Autobot headquarters, Optimus Prime and his team gear up, the Council having assigned them to go after the Decepticon Warlord Megatron. Jazz and Trailbreaker think that the mission will be easy, while Ironhide wonders why they aren't going after Deathsaurus and Bruticus instead, feeling that they're the greater threat. Prowl explains that the Safety and Defense Mobilization Sub-Committee has given the Elite Guard the go-ahead on Deathsaurus' faction, Brawn derisively claiming that Magnum's committee would do that. Prime calms his troops down, stating that for the sake of civilians, they must fulfill the task they have been given, but stops his speech when he notices Side Burn has gone missing. All eyes turn to Prowl, who begrudgingly admits that he knows where his friend might be...

Meanwhile, Side Burn watches as Magnum and the Elite Guard drive through dilapidated streets. Dion questions whether what they're doing is illegal; Magnum claims that a small group of councilors have approved his mission, but Landshark points out they need a majority decision. Magnum admits that the situation is complicated, and opens up a slot on the door of one of the nearby buildings. Magnum's secretary, the gruff Outback, demands to hear the secret code, which an exasperated Magnum gives. Magnum explains to the others that this was the Guard's auxiliary storage locker, built after the Combaticons, and that they'll need all the weapons they can get if they want to go up against Deathsaurus' army. Additionally, Outback, along with other assistants Ricochet and Moonracer volunteer. Magnum explains to the enthusiastic bots the danger that lies ahead of them, and the consequences of what would happen if they fail, but the three are undeterred. The 9 Autobots head out to search, followed by the still hidden Side Burn...

At Deathsaurus' headquarters, his personal cadre of Constructicons look over the Combaticons. The head foreman explains to his master that while the individual's repairs are near complete, Bruticus will not be up to full functionality if they were sent into battle right away. Deathsaurus has them stop repairs on the individuals, and the Constructicons force a combination against the Combaticon's will. With his optics still destroyed, the Constructicons prioritize rebuilding them over the other repairs. The blind combiner flails about, knocking one Constructicon into the wall, but the Constructicons shoot him in the back, knocking him offline. Starscream enters the room, praising his leader's ingenuity, but Deathsaurus has him get to the point. Returning to the control room, Starscream shows to his master that the Elite Guard still functions. Starscream meekly states that the Elite Guard must have been more persistent then they thought, and Deathsaurus subtly insults his lieutenant's intelligence. Still, the Decepticon Warlord offers the Seeker a chance to redeem himself, telling Starscream to gather all the troops. After all, if the Elite Guard still wants a fight, Deathsaurus is all too happy to give them one...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Why thank you, Outback. I'm glad my own assistant recognizes me."

—Magnum

"Decepticons, tremble! The desk jockeys are here!"

—Flak is amused by Ricochet and Moonracer.

"We might as well get started right--"
"YES, SIR!"
"--away..."

—Magnum and an over-enthusiastic Ricochet

Notes

• Characters mentioned but not seen include: Megatron.

Continuity notes

• Jazz remarks that their mission to hunt down Megatron should be a "piece of oil cake", a substance mentioned by Reflector in Transformers episode "Roll for It".
• Outback was previously mentioned as Magnum's secretary in "Flames of Yesterday".
• Bruticus' eyes were destroyed by Dion in "The Coming Storm: Part 6".

Transformers references

• The gun Ironhide holds on page 1 is the "Static Laser Gun" that came with his original toy, while Jazz fiddles with his toy's shoulder mounted missile.
• Optimus Prime begins to say "no matter the cost" before realizing Side Burn is missing, paraphrasing the line he would (chronologically) later say in The Transformers: The Movie.
• Outback is depicted in his BotCon 2005 toy body, which was called "Fallback" for trademark reasons.
• Magnum's code is "TF2001-1500-69". This is taken from the 2001 Robots in Disguise series' 15th episode, "Commandos", where, 69 seconds in, the Commandos blow up Sherman Dam. Author Jesse Wittenrich stated that he chose this because he felt this was the Commando's first truly evil act, and that they served as a parallel for the Wings Universe' Combaticons.