Transformers: Rise of the Maximals - Issue #3

Panel One:
Tracks speaks down the lens of a camera. The angle of the panel is from within the camera, looking out. Tracks still has his hand in the top of the shot, as if he’d just switched the camera on. We are in Tracks’ quarters.

Tracks: Tracks’ personal log.

Panel Two:
Tracks’ turns from the camera and makes for the chair against the wall.

Tracks: The date is... I have no idea. Does it really matter?

Panel Three:
Tracks slumps into the chair and sits back as if he were quite tired.

Tracks: I’m sorry I haven’t kept up with these things -- it’s been a busy few days.

Panel Four:
Tracks puts his head back, reclines the seat a bit and looks towards the ceiling.

Tracks: Urgh, where do I start?

Panel Five:
Tracks gestures mindlessly with his hand as he recounts recent events.

Tracks: I’m pretty sure I covered Sunstreaker’s little operation in my last update. And, yeah, the Preds uncovering the hole.

Panel Six:
Tracks rubs a small mark of grease on his shoulder to remove it.

Tracks: It’s been all go since then, starting with old Razorclaw giving the humans an unwanted wake-up call.

Panel One:
Razorclaw’s face fills the panel. He stares squarely back at the reader.

Razorclaw: Attention Human Parasites.
Link Panel: You have been told that the Autobots have left your planet...

Panel Two:
An aerial shot of the AutoHum Research Centre.

Dialogue Panel: A lie.

Dialogue Panel (2): You believe yourselves capable of defending your own interests...

Panel Three:
A futuristic American aircraft carrier is torn apart, on fire and half sunk on the water.

Dialogue Panel: A delusion.

Dialogue Panel (2): You think the scars the war has caused your planet are merely cosmetic...

Panel Four:
The city of Sydney lies in tatters.

Dialogue Panel: A falsehood.

Dialogue Panel (2): Behold…

Panel Five:
An aerial shot of the giant hole in the ground.

Dialogue Panel: The rift!
Link Panel: A gaping chasm, stretching right to the core of your rotten world!

Panel One:
We return to Tracks, who has his legs crossed casually and his hands behind his head as he reclines in his chair.

Tracks: His little spiel carried on for a while until we figured out how to shut it off, but unfortunately the damage was done. He’d let slip about the bomb and how the Earth’s imminent destruction would give rise to the Predacon faction.

Panel Two:
A meeting of the UN has two large screens on its front wall, which both display Razorclaw’s terrifying face.

Razorclaw: The fireworks to mark this auspicious occasion will be provided by the good people of the Earth, whose screams will ring out as a warning to the universe...

Panel Three:
Back to Tracks again, who is resting his head on his arm, propped up on the armrest of the chair.

Tracks: Needless to say, the proverbial really hit the fan after that.
Link Panel: I got hold of Bluestreak who said a similar thing got some airtime on Cybertron, with the plucky Pred putting out the call for Decepticons to join him.
Link Panel: So all hell has broken loose there, too.

Panel Four:
Megatron unleashes his shoulder-mounted cannon on a group of Decepticons.

Tracks: Megs is said to be pissed, but thankfully he’s found an outlet for his anger -- rounding up any dissident Decepticons and putting a round or two through their chests.
Link Panel: Hopefully that drives the message home.

Panel Five:
Tracks leans in to the camera and makes to turn it off.

Tracks: So I think that’s it for now. Stay tuned for whatever the hell Primus throws at us next.

Panel One:
Grimlock sits in his darkened office and glares at a computer screen on his desk. He is slumped back in his chair.

Optimus: Grimlock, this is a direct order from your commander, and a plea from your friend...

Panel Two:
Inset panel. Optimus Prime’s face is displayed on the computer screen. He looks stern.

Optimus: Get off the Earth.

Panel Three:
Inset panel. Grimlock’s brow furrows quizzically.

Grimlock: We run?

Optimus: We survive.

Panel Four:
Grimlock leans forward in his chair and points to the Autobot brand on his chest, with a crude Maximal insignia etched over the top of it.

Grimlock: This our fault. We doomed Earth.

Optimus: The human race will live on. We’ve done as much as we can.

Grimlock (2): You might see it different from here.

Panel Five:
In Optimus’ office on Cybertron. From an angle looking over Optimus Prime’s shoulder, we see the screen he is looking at, which is filled with Grimlock’s angered face.

Optimus: You cannot win this fight. If you stay, you’ll die.

Grimlock: Then me die doing what you swore to do when we arrived!

Optimus (2): Grimlock. Please.

Panel One:
Grimlock presses a button on his desk and the computer screen goes black.

SFX (button): Pwi

Panel Two:
Grimlock stands up.

Grimlock: Goodbye, Optimus Prime.

Panel Three:
Grimlock walks to the door of his office, which opens, revealing Fonix, who stands nervously.

Fonix: Eh, Grimlock. I must speak with-

Panel Four:
Grimlock knocks Fonix out of the way without breaking stride.

Fonix: Urmf.

Panel Five:
Fonix lies on the ground looking at his commander. Grimlock walks down the corridor.

Panel One:
Back in Optimus Prime’s office, Optimus tears the communications equipment from its housing.

SFX: Grrrnn

Panel Two:
Optimus hurls the detached equipment at the wall. It shatters into innumerable pieces.

Optimus: No!

SFX: Krrshhh

Panel Three:
Optimus leans on his desk with his head slumped.

Megatron: He always was a fool.
Link Panel: Too stupid to save himself.

Panel Four:
Megatron stands at a window in Prime’s office, looking out to the tattered city of Iacon.

Optimus: What are my options?

Megatron: You have none. Those people are already dead and nothing you do can change that.

Panel Five:
Inset panel. A close-up of Prime’s face, looking very concerned.

Optimus Prime: I can surrender.

Panel One:
Megatron turns his head to look at the distraught Prime, who is still leaning on his desk.

Megatron: If any part of me believed for a moment that you’d fold under the threat of a single world’s destruction, I’d have tried it.

Panel Two:
Inset panel. Optimus raises his head and glares at Megatron.

Optimus: Part of you did.

Panel Three:
Optimus comes to stand beside Megatron. Megatron’s head is lowered, still reeling from Prime’s last comment.

Optimus: Grimlock was right. I was too blind to see the threat the Predacons posed, and now it’s too late.

Megatron: Blame won’t lie at the feet of the Autobots. It will lie squarely at mine.
Link Panel: I’ve failed to keep my house in order, and it will cost the Earth its very existence.

Panel Four:
A shot from beside the two great warriors, showing them both in profile as they look out the window.

Megatron: But you and I alone are burdened with the knowledge of what lies ahead of us all, coiled in the shadows.

Panel Five:
A shot from behind the two figures, looking out onto Iacon. Orange and purple laser-fire streaks through the sky and between the tattered buildings. Cybertron is at war, again.

Megatron: Surrender is less of an option now than it has ever been.

Panel One:
Tracks, Trailbreaker, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stand near a makeshift landing pad, created by lights lined up in the desert.

Sideswipe: I just think we could have bought the humans more time by taking the fight to the Preds, that’s all.

Trailbreaker: If it had been a fleet of Maximal battlecruisers that arrived, sure.

Panel Two:
A tighter shot of Sideswipe and Trailerbreaker. In the background, in the distance, is the AutoHum Research facility.

Sideswipe: We could have fitted some of the shuttles with plasma cannons.

Trailbreaker: They were better served in accelerating the human evacuation effort.

Panel Three:
Sunstreaker looks up at his fellow Maximals. He is slightly dwarfed by their size.

Sunstreaker: Have you seen the footage? They’re going to kill each other before the Preds even arrive.

Panel Four:
Tracks looks down to Sunstreaker, who shrugs his shoulders.

Tracks: You can’t blame them for wanting to get off this rock as soon as possible.

Sunstreaker: I know, but...
Link Panel: What’s it all for if they’re just gonna wipe themselves out anyway?

Panel Five:
Trailbreaker stands proudly, hands on hips, as he addresses his fellow soldiers.

Trailbreaker: We knew before we came that there wasn’t a winning hand in this deal, but we came nonetheless. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and it’s been an honour serving with you all.

Panel Six:
Tracks has a cheeky smile on his face as he looks to Trailbreaker.

Tracks: ...
Link Panel Did you swallow the Matrix while I wasn’t looking? That speech had ‘Prime’ written all over it.

Panel One:
Sideswipe looked over his shoulder. Approaching the group is Grimlock.

Sideswipe: Easy with the ‘P’ word. Looks like the call didn’t go well.

Panel Two:
A shot from behind the group, who are now looking up into the sky. There is a ship in the distance, coming in to land. Tracks points to the ship.

Grimlock: What this all about?

Tracks: We picked up the signal of another ship. Communications have been sketchy at best but we think we got some landing coordinates through.

Sideswipe: It could be some kind of Predacon trick, so we thought we’d come to greet it.

Panel Three:
An inset panel of Sideswipe’s face, looking quizzical.

Sideswipe: Although it only occurs to me now that it might be filled with explosives, or other destructive devices.
Link Panel: I guess we’ll soon find out.

Panel Four:
The ship is hovering just above the ground, blowing sand around. Its tail is pointed towards the Maximals. The Maximals draw their weapons. Sideswipe leans down slightly to insult his brother.

Trailbreaker: Weapons at the ready.

Sideswipe: A little higher.

Sunstreaker: Shut it.

Panel Five:
An angle from beside the ship, looking back to the Maximals. The door at the back of the ship has opened, but we can’t see in from this angle. A voice comes from within the ship.

Tracks: By Primus...

Dialogue Panel: Are we too late? Did we miss it?

Panel Six:
The Dinobots -- Slag, Swoop, Sludge and Snarl -- stand proudly at the rear of the ship. In the foreground are the Maximals.

Trailbreaker: Destructive devices, indeed.

Panel One:
An aerial shot of the hole. The emitters are producing a blue energy dome, covering the hole.

Trailbreaker: Let’s begin with some good news: Divebomb’s little visit only damaged the emitter’s holographic circuitry. As the cat’s out of the bag anyway, we’ve turned off the camouflage systems on the rest of the emitters and diverted all power to their primary function -- shields.

Panel Two:
On the bridge of the lead Predacon vessel, we have a mid-shot of Divebomb. Behind him is a large display screen, showing the Earth.

Divebomb: They’ve got Wheeljack written all over them. If they’re anything like the ones I’ve come across before, they’ll be able to withstand anything we can throw at them from orbit. We need to take them out from the ground.

Panel Three:
A large group of Maximals, large and small, stand guard in front of one of the emitters on the edge of the hole.

Trailbreaker: The bad news: These things are our only hope. If they go down, we go down.
Link Panel: Their protection is our #1 priority.

Panel Four:
Enormous artillery guns are seen lined up around the edge of the hole, pointing up into the sky.

Divebomb: They’ve got a formidable ring of anti-aircraft artillery around the entire hole. Our first objective is to neutralise them, allowing our ships to land.

Panel One:
Huge swathes of human troops march in formation. Beside them roll futuristic tanks.

Trailbreaker: G.U.A.R.D. forces have been mobilised around the world, but the bulk of their troops have been deployed here.
Link Panel: They’ll be providing both land and air support on a scale we’ve never seen.

Panel Two:
Human and Maximal soldiers alike look skyward as futuristic human-built fighter jets streak overhead.

Swoop: What G.U.A.R.D. stand for again?

Sideswipe: I always thought it was Global Unity Against Rogue Decepticons.

Tracks: Close enough.

Panel Three:
Trailbreaker, Grimlock, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Tracks and the Dinobots sit around the Command Room for one final briefing.

Trailbreaker: The last convoy of evacuation shuttles has departed. The survival of the human race has been, in some small way, ensured -- but that of the Earth and of all those still here is now up to us.

Tracks: No pressure.

Trailbreaker: This’ll be one for the ages.

Panel Four:
The display screen on the Predacon vessel shows the convoy of ships leaving the opposite side of the Earth. Each has a red target ring around them, as if the Predacon vessel is ready to fire. At one of the operating consoles is a Predacon trooper, who has spun around in his chair to speak to Razorclaw.

Razorclaw: They are of little concern to us now. Their time will come soon enough.

Predacon Trooper: Commander, I usually wouldn’t question your orders, but I can’t help but feel you’re just toying with the Maximals and needlessly putting the lives of those that serve you at risk.

Panel One:
Razorclaw steps down towards the trooper, whose shoulder we’re looking over.

Predacon Trooper: We could decimate their forces from orbit, land troops to destroy the emitters, return to the safety of our ships and then fire. I believe that to be a far more effective plan.

Razorclaw: And a coward’s plan it is.

Panel Two:
Razorclaw goes nose to nose with the trooper. The trooper doesn’t know when to shut up.

Razorclaw: Don’t let the vocal defect deceive you -- Grimlock is no fool. He knows his position is futile.
Link Panel: But a warrior of his standing is deserving of an honourable end, and I will be the one to deliver it!

Predacon Trooper: Your humouring of his death wish could cost us dearly. The greater prize is Cybertron.

Panel Three:
Quick as a flash, Razorclaw draws his sword from over his shoulder and cleaves the insubordinate trooper in two.

Razorclaw: Enough.

SFX: Shooo

Panel Four:
Razorclaw looks to his fellow Predacons on the bridge who laugh heartily at what has just happened.

Razorclaw: Any questions?

Panel One:
Razorclaw comes to stand right at the front of the bridge, up against the display screen showing the Earth below.

Razorclaw: Tantrum -- signal the fleet to begin its descent.

Panel Two:
An external shot of the lead Predacon vessel, showing Razorclaw behind the glass. A great number of other Predacon vessels can be seen -- a formidable armada to be sure.

Razorclaw: The apocalypse begins now.

Panel Three:
An angle from the side of Trailbreaker and Grimlock, who stare straight ahead.

Trailbreaker: I know you’re not a big one for speeches, Grimlock, but is there anything you’d like to say?

Panel Four:
An angle from the front of the two figures, showing them to be standing in front of an enormous number of fellow Maximals of all shapes and sizes. They’re armed to the teeth and ready to fight.

Grimlock: Let’s shred some Pred.

Panel One:
Artillery fire fills the sky as Predacon landing craft come under attack. The dome shield easily repels any incoming fire from the Predacon ships.

Tracks: It actually started better than we expected.

Tracks (2): The artillery cut down the first wave of Predacon ships like it was nobody’s business.

Panel Two:
Maximal soldiers, large and small, charge towards a downed Predacon ship as the survivors try to escape the burning wreckage. The Maximal soldiers lay down heavy fire on them.

Tracks: Our boys streamed in to mop up any survivors.

Panel Three:
Divebomb flies through the sky, having just unloaded his armament of bombs. There are several other Predacon fliers behind him, which are engaged in an aerial dogfight with futuristic fighter jets. The bombs have struck a large artillery gun. The humans that were manning the gun try to jump to safety but are enveloped in flames.

Tracks: As fast as the human jets were, they just didn’t have the agility, and soon we were losing turrets.

Panel Four:
A Predacon ship has landed, though damaged, and Predacon soldiers stream out and into battle with oncoming Maximal and human soldiers. Some human tanks roll in.

Tracks: Once on the ground, the Preds spread out, giving us no fixed point to target. It was just an all-in brawl over a massive area.

Panel One:
A wider shot of the battlefield. More Predacon ships have landed and are deploying troops.

Tracks: We were holding our own, but the ships just kept coming. I wasn’t worried, though.

Panel Two:
Grimlock cuts a terrifying path through a group of Predacon soldiers. Blaster in one hand, sword in the other. He is unmatched on the battlefield.

Tracks: I thought I knew what Grimlock was capable of. I’d seen him in action before, but never like this. This was something else. Something more.

Panel Three:
Sludge breathes fire and melts a Predacon. Sunstreaker, in his alt-mode, has driven up and over Sludge’s back, using his neck as a ramp and has launched into the air.

Tracks: And there was something more in all of us.

Panel Four:
Sunstreaker transforms, mid-flight, and begins to fire at some Predacons that Sideswipe and Tracks are also engaging.

Tracks: We fought with purpose.

Panel One:
Grimlock easily deals with a Predacon, cleaving him in two with his sword. A Predacon ship lands almost on top of the Maximal Commander. The gangway of the ship is already down.

Tracks: You hear stories about the impossible happening on the battlefield, but it’s something else entirely when you see it yourself.

Panel Two:
A large number of Proto-Matter-sized Predacons stream off the ship and into battle. Up the gangway, in the darkness, is a set of glowing eyes.

Tracks: Predacons, in Proto-Matter bodies. It didn’t make any sense.

Panel Three:
Grimlock stands relaxed as countless Proto-Predacons stream past him, but he doesn’t attack them. Walking down the ship’s gangway, in his lion form, is Razorclaw, and Grimlock’s attention is fixed on him.

Tracks: Grimlock didn’t notice or didn’t care.
Link Panel: His quarry had finally arrived.

Panel Four:
Razorclaw leaps off the gangway, claws out, ready to land on Grimlock who is now poised for battle.

Tracks: Things really went up a gear after that.

Panel One:
From a camera sitting on the ground’s point of view, we see Tracks, sitting on a metallic floor, leaning against a metallic wall. His body is extremely battle-damaged, with his left arm completely missing. Tracks speaks to the camera.

Tracks: A voice suddenly crackled over the radio. It was Fonix -- and with the bearings of a bot ten-times his size, he demanded that Razorclaw leave the Earth immediately, or else witness the agonising deaths of each and every one of his Proto-Matter-clad troops.

Tracks (2): Razorclaw laughed -- a more chilling sound I don’t think I’ve ever heard.

Panel Two:
Tracks’ head fell slightly, his focus falling to the floor.

Tracks: I don’t know the specifics, I probably never will, but it seems that Fonix had tried to play the Preds, and lost -- the result of which was the Preds having their own mini-militia.

Tracks (2): Then, the shield went down.

Panel Three:
A Proto-Pred picks up a G1-scale grenade from the ground. It’s almost as big as he is.

Tracks: Time sort of sped up, but slowed down all at once.

Panel Four:
The Proto-Pred hurls the grenade into the air.

Tracks: It was as if the entire battlefield stopped to watch -- transfixed.

Panel One:
The Proto-Pred is impaled by a horn of Slag, in Dino-mode, who charges through.

Panel Two:
The grenade bounces.

Panel Three:
A shot looking over Slag’s shoulder, as he chases the grenade towards the edge of the pit. The dead Proto-Pred is still impaled on his horn.

Panel Four:
The grenade has some small bounces and comes to teeter on the edge of the pit. In the background, Slag transforms and reaches out for the grenade.

Panel One:
The grenade topples over the edge.

Panel Two:
An extreme close-up of Grimlock’s face, with abject terror.

Grimlock: No!

Panel Three:
An extreme close-up of Razorclaw’s face, with absolute delight.

Razorclaw: Yes!

Panel Four:
Predacons flee for any of their ships that are still viable. Razorclaw grabs the leg of Divebomb, who flies him into the air.

Razorclaw: Predacons -- mission complete! Move out!

Panel Five:
Slag is among a number of bots fleeing for their lives as a great geyser of molten lava spews upwards from the pit. In the foreground, Grimlock has fallen to his knees and is facing the spectacle.

Panel One:
Slag and Snarl drag Grimlock backwards towards a shuttle in the distance. Grimlock is transfixed by the enormous geyser.

Panel Two:
More lava geysers have burst through the Earth’s surface. Running towards the Dinobot shuttle is Trailbreaker, who has Tracks over his shoulder. Some humans are fleeing towards it, too. Swoop stands on the gangway and waves them in.

Panel Three:
Sideswipe lies lifeless on the ground, his body shot to pieces and his eyes dark. Sunstreaker stands near Sideswipe’s head. Sunstreaker is clearly devastated and is holding a blaster to his own head. More geysers are spewing lava all around.

Panel Four:
In an Autobot command room on Cybertron, Tracks’ video is played on a large display screen on the wall. In the video, Tracks is sitting on the floor, but is looking squarely at the camera. In the command room, Tracks (repaired) sits at a table opposite Optimus Prime, Megatron and Ultra Magnus, who are watching the video, but Tracks stares directly at Optimus.

Tracks (video): The date is March 18th, 2145.

Panel One:
A mid-shot of Tracks, arms crossed, looking decidedly angry at the Autobot leader opposite.

Tracks: Now would be where you tell me what’s so important that you were prepared to sacrifice the lives of 15 billion people.

Panel Two:
A mid-shot of Optimus Prime, looking resolutely back at Tracks.

Optimus Prime: Before Jhiaxus was consumed by the Swarm, he revealed to me a name -- one that harkens back to the very birth of our race. Since then, we’ve been trying to piece together a puzzle without knowing the full picture.

Tracks: How absorbing for you.

Panel Three:
The focus of Prime’s gaze fall to the table, clearly affected by Tracks’ shortness.

Optimus Prime: Some months ago, we received 12 seconds of a data-stream from an Autobot ship on a planetary survey mission. All attempts to contact that ship have failed.
Link Panel: The data we received -- coupled with that amassed by your colleagues on Earth -- were the missing pieces.

Panel Four:
Prime pressed a button on the table’s surface and the display screen on the wall showed an image of interlinking, metallic planetoids: The Hub.

Optimus Prime: Jhiaxus called it The Hub.

Optimus Prime (2): It’s the base of operations for the Cybertronian Empire.
Link Panel: And the home of the Liege Maximo.

Panel Five:
Megatron fixes Tracks with a cold stare. Tracks returns it.

Megatron: The would-be god has ascension in its sight, but we have it in ours.

Panel One:
A shot of Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime. Magnus is clearly angry as he addresses Tracks.

Ultra Magnus: The Alliance is in the final stages of amassing the largest fleet our planet has seen in an age. We need to get as many pairs of boots on the surface of The Hub as we can.

Optimus Prime: You and your fellow...

Tracks: Maximals...

Optimus Prime: ... survivors are ordered to help combat this threat.

Panel Two:
A shot looking over the shoulder of Optimus towards Tracks. Tracks is stunned.

Tracks: And what about Cybertron? You’re just gonna leave the door wide-open for the Preds to waltz in?

Optimus Prime: A small contingent will remain behind to protect the planet.

Tracks (2): Talk about Déjà vu.

Panel Three:
A shot looking down the table. Tracks makes to get up out of his chair.

Optimus Prime: The fate of our world and every other is at stake. There may be no coming home from this, for any of us.

Tracks: Wow. Your speeches sure have lost their magic, Prime.

Panel Four:
Tracks is walking towards the doorway with his back to the others.

Tracks: But don’t worry, we’ll be there.

Panel Five:
Tracks walks out the doorway and into a corridor, walking towards the reader.

Tracks: Forged in the fires of the Pit, we’re made of pretty tough stuff.

Panel Six:
The same shot as the previous panel, but Tracks has ‘walked’ up to the reader, so much so that the Maximal insignia on his chest is all you can see.

Tracks: We’re Maximals.