Prime Bomb!
There's a bomb on Optimus Prime that will go boom.
Stats
Origianally published in: Marvel UK Annual 1988
Date: 1988
Script: Ian Rimmer
Illustrations: Robin Smith
Colours: Steve White
Major characters (in order of appearance): Protectobots, Getaway, Slapdash, Joyride, Rev, Dreadwind, Darkwing, Combaticons, Optimus Prime
Synopsis
The Autobot Powersmasters Getaway, Slapdash and Joyride arrive to guard a warehouse belonging to Ethan Zachary's Alternate Reality computer company, where a backup of the floppy disk containing Optimus Prime's personality is stored. They relieve the Protectobots to that they can travel to Rutter U.S. Military Base, where the Combaticons have been spotted. However, once the Protectobots are gone, Darkwing and Dreadwind attack the base, and after a struggle with Rev, Darkwing's Nebulan partner Throttle steals the disk.
Getaway grabs onto Darwking and Dreadwind as they combine, and ends up trapped in their joints as they escape. The newly-returned Protoctobots form Defensor, but are unable to to shoot the Decepticons down without also destroying Getaway and Rev. The appearance by 4 of the 5 Combaticons (Blast Off had been tasked with transporting the stolen military equiment) allows the Darkwing and Dreadwind to escape.
Getaway is imprisoned onboard Scorponok's orbiting space ship. He learns that the stolen equiment, two missiles with warheads and most of the components for the advanced A.B.C. guidance computer, are going to be used to create a smart bomb, designed to home in on the Optimus Prime, using the specifications on the disk. Despite being restrained by energy manacles, Getaway is able to escape from a cell via the creative use of a credit card (probably a Blackrock card.) Still manacled, he and Rev reach the A.B.C. (which has been completed with Cybertronian technology) and retrieve the disk with Prime's backup. Getaway interfaced with the upgraded A.B.C., but was unable to change its rigid human programming, and it refused to stop the missile even when Gateway spoke eloquently about Optimus Prime's good nature. Rev secured an escape pod, and they were forced to flee, radioing a warning to Optimus Prime.
Optimus Prime flees to the mountains where he he can face the missile with minimal interference and a decreased risk of collateral damage. However, the smart bomb proves to be a clever opponent for Optimus. When he tries to trick it into a collapsing tunnel, it evades. When he tries to blast it out of the sky, it retreats. Deciding to outwait its fuel supply, Optimus Prime races to a nearby lake, where the missile would be unable to strike them beneath the water. However, his Nebulan partner Hi-Q so over-strains his systems to get them to the lake ahead of the missile, the breathing system in his Powermaster exo-suit malfunctions. Rather than let Hi-Q drown, Prime surfaces. Prime leaves Hi-Q at the shore and then sprints far enough that Hi-Q would not be harmed by the explosion. Bereft of any other options, when the missile came at him- Optimus Prime punches it.
The missile fails to explode. It seems that that A.B.C. computer had been so moved by Getaway's description of Optimus Prime's good character that it overcame its programming and disarmed the warhead. Getaway laments that Scorponok will almost certainly destroy the computer for its disobedience, but the Autobots instead choose to celebrate it's, no his life, as the first Earth machine to achieve free will.
Errors
Items of note
- Slapdash's Nebulan partner Lube does not appear in this story -- Slapdash forgot about him, trapping himself in vehicle mode.
