Gone Too Far

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"Gone Too Far"
Publisher	Transformers Collectors' Club (online exclusive)
First published	March 13, 2008
Written by	Greg Sepelak and Trent Troop
Illustrations by	Evan Gauntt
Continuity	TransTech & Classics
Page count	28pp

Two Autobots try to make their way in Axiom Nexus and get more than they bargained for.

Synopsis

Jackpot and Hubcap, having been transported in a space bridge accident to an alternate Cybertron, are put through "processing" by the native Cybertroninains, known as the Transcendent Technomorphs. Jackpot is interrogated by a old robot named Nitpick, working for the Department of Acclimation. The old bot asks his name and subjects him to a scan, gives him his Tech Specs, and sets him out to meet his guide. Reunited with Hubcap, Jackpot is intrigued by the "Jackpot III" designation on his tech specs, while his friend is uncomfortable. The two are suddenly greeted by Scattorshot, their guide, who welcomes them to Axiom Nexus.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons/Malignus	Others
Jackpot (1) Hubcap (2) Scattorshot (4) Roulette (8) Swerve (13) Stungun (18) Airazor (19) Cheetor (20) Detectas (21)	Black Shadow (6) Backslash (7) Gutcruncher (9) Demolishor (10) Dirge (11) Bruticus (12) Jipe (15) Calcar (16) Buzzbomb (17) Camaro (22) Pick-Up (23) Scourge (24) Menasor (25) Killzone (26)	Nitpick (3) Cryotek (5) Mindset (14) Yurgeth (27)

Quotes

Hubcap: "So, when do we get to go home?"
Scattorshot: "Oh, that. Whenever. You just gotta apply for exit visas, an' the 'Techs will deliver you to your universe of origin... or at least an approved alternate reality. Provided, a' course, that you ain't been designated 'units of interest'."
Jackpot: "And I'll take 'Ominous Terminology' for 500 shanix, 'Shot."

"Expression of menace and unveiled hostility. ...Ironic yet mean-spirited quip."

—Black Shadow's Crossformer shell AI. It knows the words, my dear, but it will never master the tune.

"You are in Zoruul, capital city of Zegris. Please, are you to bring more terror as he did? If so, kindly strike us down in a more painless and efficient fashion, for we are running out of places to pile the rubble and the screams are disturbing the rest of the untouched."

—Yurgeth is a practical-minded alien.

Notes

• Characters mentioned who do not appear include: two other Jackpots, Unicron, Sights, a creepy Hubcap, Megatron, Elita One, a Sharkticon, Nightbeat, Alpha Trion, Optimus Prime, Primus, and a Terrorcon.
• Characters who appear in art but not in-story include: Delta Seeker, Tigertrack, Deep Cover, Beastbox, Squawktalk, Duck Diver, Signal Lancer, Geno, Samus Aran, Tracks, Thrust, Manta Ray, Apeface, and Crowmax.

• Axiom Nexus is home to a whole host of teams, gangs, and subfactions. The United Anarchists League rule the Heap, to the extent that anarchists will deign to rule anything. Gutcruncher notes in his speech that the crowd includes representatives of the Destructicons, Free Technorgs League, Scourges, Destron Boys, WildGuard, the Neo-Mutant Liberators, Beast-Riders, Mayhem Attackers, the Malignus Revolutionaries and the Junkion Rippers. He also mentions the Lightning Strikers, Imperius Legions, and Dinobots.
• The Generation 1 reality that Jackpot and Hubcap arrive in at the end of the story was later identified in The AllSpark Almanac II as Primax 207.0 Epsilon, the Classicsverse. It is not, however, the one that they came from, merely one that the TransTechs considered similar enough to deport them to.

Transformer references

• Tracks is in his Alternators body.
• Hubcap's ID card reads "Strength=3".
• Jackpot describes himself as an Action Master; various characters in the story construe this to mean that he is a Nucleon addict. Several asides in the story explain some of how the Nucleon serves as a self-regenerating fuel source and a means of sudden power bursts.
• Jackpot and Hubcap are surprised to find that energon is not a currency in Axiom Nexus, but appreciate a currency format that isn't likely to explode, as energon is so often shown to do in the Generation 1 cartoons and comics.
• Jackpot: "Shall we make like a Scraplet and bolt?"
• Jackpot regrets the absence of Sights, his Targetmaster partner.
• Jackpot notes the irony of them being unable to afford a disguise, which would have been in the form of a reformatting.
• Cheetor mentions "three very strange mechs" who've just arrived—a reference to Breakaway, Landquake, and Skyfall's transit at the end of "Crossing Over".
• While verbally harassing Jackpot about his "Nucleon habit", Stungun first quotes the Action Master tagline of "Stronger, faster, more alive", then parodies a line from the 2007 live-action film: "What else you into? Syk? Chips? Solitarium? Hit a little of the Old Fortran at nights?" Jackpot plays along: "Are you on plugs?"
• Cheetor: "And anyhow, did you want to live forever or something?" (Jackpot and Hubcap: "Yes.")
• Hubcap tells the blue Decepticon hoverskiff (presumably Scourge) that he's been rigged with an Exponential Generator.

Real-world references

• Jackpot's personality is inspired by the "the goofy, gabby, pun-hurling Tony Oliver-voiced version" of Lupin the Third, while Hubcap's personality and mannerisms are based on comedian-magician Penn Jillette.
• Jackpot, as quoted above, parodies the contestant format of the game show Jeopardy!.
• If you don't recognize Widow's Cafe Cybertronian, then it's been too long since you watched Casablanca— it's a stand-in for Rick's Cafe Americain, the club run by Humphrey Bogart's character. This, of course makes The Blue Deployer an analogue of Sydney Greenstreet's competing club, The Blue Parrot (the Beast Era Cryotek having owned a Deployer, who is a blue bird). This is not the first time that a Cryotek has been based on Greenstreet.
• "They can't catch us! We're the wind, baby!" Jackpot enthuses during a high-speed chase, paraphrasing Mystery Science Theater 3000's Tom Servo.
• "This is another fine mess you let me get us into," says Jackpot, a play on a famous Laurel & Hardy line.
• "Didn't we just leave this party?!" Jackpot says, quoting Han Solo.
• Boy, this thing borrows pretty heavily from The Warriors, doesn't it?
• "Olde Fortran" is an alcoholic beverage made for robots in Futurama, which was in turn a reference to the computer programming language FORTRAN.
• It is unlikely that the Freelance Police Legion could exist without a dog and rabbity thing for very long.
• Nintendo characters Geno and Samus Aran can be spotted hidden amongst the crowd in the illustration of downtown Axiom Nexus.

External links

• "Gone Too Far" at The Official Transformers Collectors' Club