GroundBridge
- GroundBridges are a form of technology in the Prime portion of the Aligned continuity family.
A scaled-down iteration of space bridge technology, a GroundBridge allows transport to coordinates on a single planet, or even (with great difficulty) into the planet's orbit. Considerably easier to maintain and less costly in energon to operate, it is the primary means of coordinating Autobot forces on planet Earth. Most tellingly, GroundBridge technology requires no receiving terminal at the destination in order to function.
Fiction
Prime cartoon
When Cliffjumper called for backup, Autobot reinforcements converged on his location via GroundBridge. Darkness Rising, Part 1 When Cliffjumper's life signs were later detected by the computers in the Autobot base, the team likewise departed via GroundBridge to investigate. Ratchet was left behind to mind the Autobots' human guests, and explained to them that the team did not have the means to maintain a full space bridge, nor the energon to power such. As a result, they relied heavily on GroundBridge technology to dispatch the team to deal with alerts. Darkness Rising, Part 2 Travel through the GroundBridge had the tendency to induce nausea in humans. Ratchet was able to get it to stretch as far as orbit when the Autobots needed to attack the Decepticon space bridge. Darkness Rising, Part 5
The GroundBridge control system was severely damaged during the Scraplet infestation, leaving Optimus Prime and Arcee marooned in the Arctic until the Autobots at base got it fixed. The Scraplets were sent through the bridge to the Arctic where they froze. Scrapheap The GroundBridge was still giving them trouble when Wheeljack arrived. This turned out to be just as well, since it was the Decepticon Makeshift posing as Wheeljack in an attempt to access the GroundBridge. Con Job
Moving the unstable D.N.G.S. by GroundBridge might have resulted in mass devastation, at least according to Optimus Prime. Using the GroundBridge on a moving target such as a train was also extremely dangerous, potentially causing mass displacement trauma, twisted limbs, or metal burn, however having the target's precise coordinates helped. Ratchet was forced to move the two older children onto a moving train to prevent MECH capturing the D.N.G.S. device. MECH terminated the Autobots' computer, forcing Prime to save the children as they could not be transported back. Convoy
Without the Autobots' knowledge, the Decepticons constructed a GroundBridge of their own. When Starscream used the Decepticon GroundBridge at the same time as the kids were using the Autobot one to return to base, the two bridges interfered with each other, resulting in the three kids being transported into a strange other dimension, along with an undead Skyquake. They were able to get enough of a cellphone signal to send a text message to the Autobots, and Ratchet replicated the original feedback loop, creating a GroundBridge portal through which they returned to reality. Shadowzone
When Jack was grounded, Arcee was able to use the GroundBridge to sneak into his garage so his mother wouldn't notice his motorcycle was missing. Crisscross
Bumblebee snatched the Spark Extractor off Megatron while the latter was strolling through the GroundBridge tunnel back to the Nemesis. Operation Bumblebee, Part 1 During his time as an independent agent, Starscream set up base in the derelict Harbinger, which had enough Energon aboard to maintain a GroundBridge, albeit one that was remote-controlled. Armada
Optimus used the Forge of Solus Prime to turn the Autobot GroundBridge into a space bridge. Regeneration After Megatron mounted an attack on the Autobot base, the Autobots abandoned base through the GroundBridge. Optimus stayed behind and used the Star Saber to destroy the GroundBridge controls to prevent the Decepticons following them. Moments later, the Nemesis opened fire, obliterating the base and the GroundBridge with it. Darkest Hour
Starscream's neglecting to dismantle the GroundBridge he had left behind at the Harbinger upon his return to the Decepticons Patch proved to be a critical asset to the scattered Autobots. Raf and Bumblebee decided to set up a temporary base in the crashed vessel, but they only got the GroundBridge working when Ratchet joined them. Scattered Once the majority of Team Prime had reunited at the Harbinger, newcomer Ultra Magnus took command in Optimus' absence Prey and launched an assault on Darkmount. The Harbinger's GroundBridge proved invaluable when the Decepticons' juggernaut of a Predacon joined the battle. Magnus used his ship to lure the beast into a GroundBridge to the Earth's polar regions, freezing the creature for the time being. Rebellion The Autobots would salvage the GroundBridge from the Harbinger for their new base. Project Predacon
After the war had been won in the Autobots' favor and Megatron having fallen in battle, Ratchet elected to stay on Earth with Unit:E, Deadlock but returned to Cybertron when Magnus was wounded in battle, and made deft use of the GroundBridge to save the Autobots from Unicron. Predacons Rising.
Titan Magazines Prime comics
Raf was hypnotised by a video game and ordered to operate the Ground Bridge. Vehicons started pouring through into the base though the open bridge, but once Raf was snapped out of his trance, he created a loop in the Ground Bridge to make the caller and receiver appear to be the same location so the Decepticons wouldn't be able to fix the location of the base. As a bonus, when they shut down the Ground Bridge, it created a vacuum that sucked all the Vehicons back through it. Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy!
Novo damaged the Ground Bridge with some grenades while using it to escape the Autobot base. The Autobots were unable to follow him until Ratchet repaired it. The Novo Incident
Games
Transformers: Prime - The Game
Transformers: Prime - The Game
Notes
Foreign names
- German: Erdbrücke (Earthbridge)
- Japanese: GroundBridge (グランドブリッジ Gurandoburijji)
- Polish: Most Ziemny ("Earth Bridge")
- Russian: Zemnoj Most (Земной Мост, "Earth Bridge")
- Portuguese: Ponte da Terra ("Earth Bridge")
