Transformers: Robots In Disguise
Season 2
Optimus Prime: Last time on Transformers: Robots In Disguise, the Hyper Force set a trap for
Unicron's henchman, Starscream. But Hot Rod jumped the gun and gave Starscream ample opportunity
to get away. Heavy Duty scolded Hot Rod severely and he left the Hyper Force. Hot Rod ran into
Starscream and apparently they decided to join forces against both the Autobots and Unicron.
Their first act was to attack the Build Team who were currently in battle with Gateway, then they
turned on the Hyper Force. Is Hot Rod really turning on his own teammates? Find out right now.
Hot Rod raised his cannons and fired them. He got Siren and Shuttle and blasted them into a
tree.
"Those weapons of his are on full power!" Firestar realized. "How else is he able to take them
down with one shot." As a rule, all Hyper Force members were suppose to keep their weapons on
85% power. They were not killers, and setting their weapons at 100% would seriously hurt a
robot, to say the least.
"Heavy Duty, Firestar, we'll need to attack him together." The three remaining Hyper Force
members charged. Hot Rod elbowed Firestar then fired his blasters at Heavy Duty. Heavy Duty
used his arms to block them.
"Hyper Cannons!" Hyper Flight shot a stream of energy at Hot Rod. Hot Rod's feet dragged back.
"Hot Rod, use your new power," Starscream instructed.
"Oh yeah, right, I forgot. Hot Rod, super power!" Immediately Hot Rod began glowing with a
white light.
"That proves it," Heavy Duty said. "Only Unicron's henchmen could do something like that." He
rushed at Hot Rod and delivered a lethal upper cross.
"Laser Whip!" A ribbon of red energy wrapped around Heavy Duty blocking use of his cannon.
It was Hot Rod. Somehow his arm was producing shapable energy.
Firestar attempted to rush him but Hot Rod got him in a judo throw.
"Hot Rod, I'm sorry I have to do this," Hyper Flight apologized. "Hyper Flight, transform!"
Hyper Flight hated to run over his own teammate, but Hot Rod was a loose cannon who had to be
contained.
Hot Rod leaped up and landed on top of Hyper Flight's canopy. Hyper Flight tried to roll but
Hot Rod was too heavy.
"Hyper Flight, trans..." Before Hyper Flight could change, Hot Rod leaped up and came down on
him again, extending an energy field down to him. Hyper Flight crashed into the ground.
{This is great,} Hot Rod thought. {I must have more power than all of the Hyper Force combined.
But... was it worth it?} Hot Rod thought about what happened that lead him to this situation.
Hot Rod and Starscream stood in the rain forest. Hot Rod has just lowered his weapon.
"What do you propose?" Hot Rod asked.
"I can convince Unicron that you want to join us. That way, he can give you the same power that
he has given me and the others under his command."
Hot Rod thought about that. He saw what the super power function did to Starscream and Skywars.
Perhaps it would give him enough power to...
"All right, Starscream, I'll agree, but on one condition. We avoid taking on Optimus Prime for
now. He's too powerful. We start out with the Hyper Force then work our way from there."
"A reasonable agreement," Starscream said. "Master Unicron, I request an audience with you."
"I grant it to you, Starscream."
"I have one of the Autobots with me. He desires to join forces and obtain the same power we
have."
"Very interesting. But if I give him this power, how will I know he will use it against the
Autobots?"
"Let me attack an Autobot team," Hot Rod interrupted. "An easy team first, then a hard team.
Will that be acceptable to you?"
"Did you hear that, Master Unicron?"
"I did. An interesting proposal. Very well. Starscream, prepare for a datalink." Starscream's
eyes began to glow. Energy shot from him into Hot Rod's eyes. Hot Rod screamed for a second,
then calmed down.
"The transfer is complete," Starscream said to Hot Rod. "And once we're done, both the Autobots
and Unicron will bow down before us."
Hot Rod smiled. He knew he was making a pact with the devil, as the humans would say, but he was
tired of being pushed around by the other Hyper Force. It was time to fight back, to show the
Hyper Force what they were missing. Yes, it was worth it.
"Arm Blasters!" Hot Rod opened fire again at Hyper Flight.
{I can't believe Hot Rod would betray us like this,} Hyper Flight said as he withstood Hot Rod's
assault. {Did Heavy Duty's comment really get to him?}
It must have if Hot Rod was attacking with such force.
Heavy Duty ran up and pounded on Hot Rod's back. The robot fell to one knee. Without stalling,
the robot brought his leg up on the former Hyper Force member.
"Pathetic," Starscream muttered from the sideline.
Firestar came soaring over Heavy Duty and delivered a lethal kick to the head. Siren got behind
Hot Rod and kneed him. She and Shuttle were just revived. The tides were turning. The Hyper
Force was overwhelming him with sheer numbers.
Heavy Duty's chest cannon began glowing. "Sorry, Hot Rod, this will hurt us both but in
different ways. Energon Cannon Fire!" A red energy beam shafted out and struck Hot Rod in the
stomach. The robot went flying back into a tree.
"Hyper Force, move out!" Hyper Flight commanded. "Hyper Flight, transform!"
"Heavy Duty, transform!"
"Firestar, transform!"
"Shuttle, transform!"
"Siren, transform!" The Hyper Force drove (or flew) off. Starscream stood over Hot Rod.
"You were so weak out there. You had all that power and you let them kick you like a can."
"I didn't see you doing anything helpful," Hot Rod snapped.
"Perhaps I was mistaken with you, Hot Rod." Starscream said as he pressed a control stud on his
shoulder. Suddenly Hot Rod began convulsing. "Truthfully, Hot Rod, I wasn't planning on turning
against Unicron, not when he can give me all this power. But I knew that if I could get you to
go against your former comrades, then that would be less work for me. Alas, I was wrong. So
when I datalinked your super power, I also included a mechanism that would override all your
systems should you fail."
Hot Rod screamed in pain. He rolled around clutching his head. Starscream laughed maniacally
and left.
Optimus Prime had just received the report on Hot Rod's situation. Tai and Tow-Line had been
working on the Build Team and Ultra Magnus was there too because it was him who brought the Build
Team in after they lost against Hot Rod and Starscream.
"Something here doesn't make sense," Optimus told his brother. "Hot Rod is reckless, there's no
denying that, but even he wouldn't go so far as to join the enemy."
"Oh come on, Prime," Ultra Magnus said rolling his head. "You heard what the others said, Hot
Rod's a traitor who must be dealt with."
"According to Hyper Flight's report, he's already been dealt with. No, there's still something
we're missing."
Tai materialized in the control room. "Optimus, I'm glad to report that the Build Team is going
to make a full recovery."
"That's great, Tai. That's one less worry off my processor. Now we need to figure out what Hot
Rod was doing to get the Hyper Force to beat on him like that."
"Maybe he was putting on an act, like Mirage was when the Predacons put that transmitter on him,"
Tai suggested.
"You might be onto something, Tai. Contact Mirage, I need him to do some investigating for me."
"Sure."
"What do you have planned, Optimus?" Ultra Magnus asked casting him a cautious glance.
"The humans have a saying," Optimus replied. "I'm getting the information straight from the
horse's mouth."
Meanwhile, Starscream needed to contact Unicron. "Starscream to Master Unicron, I request an
audience."
"I grant it to you, Starscream. How goes the plan."
"Not well I'm afraid. The Hyper Force were able to overpower Hot Rod. I left him in pain."
"No big lost for us. The armor shall be on its way to you now, Starscream, use it to destroy
the Autobots."
"As you command, Master Unicron."
Hot Rod laid in the clearing. There was nothing wrong with him, mechanically anyway. He had
plenty of fuel and energon, all his circuits were intact, he had a few dings but what car doesn't
have those? No, Hot Rod was laying there because he was ashamed. Starscream played him for
a fool. Now, he was truly alone. He couldn't go back to the Autobots, no doubt they would brand
him as a traitor. He couldn't go to Starscream, he would destroy him without a thought. Maybe
he should just go back to Cybertron. No, he had no place there either. Basically, he was an
outcast.
"Help me!" A small voice called. Hot Rod lowered his hand from his optics and looked around.
The voice called out again, "someone, help me!"
Hot Rod got up. "Hello? Is someone here?"
"Help me! Get me down!"
"Hot Rod, transform!" Hot Rod drove towards the sound of the voice. When he got close, he
transformed again. "Who's here?"
"Help me, I'm up here!" Hot Rod looked up and saw a young girl hanging from a cliffside.
"Hang on, I'm coming to get you." The girl looked down at Hot Rod. She started screaming her
lungs out. "Wait, calm down, please, I'm not going to hurt you, but please stop screaming or you
will fall!"
The girl calmed down. Hot Rod scaled the cliff and took her in his hand. Putting her on his
shoulder, he climbed towards the top of the cliff where he put her down.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
The girl nodded her head, sniffling.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," Hot Rod apologized.
"It's all right. You saved me, I can't be scared of someone who saved my life. My name is
Carly. What's your name?"
"I'm called Hot Rod."
Starscream stood on the outskirts of the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. That was the best place
to receive his package without attracting the attention of the humans. He didn't have to wait
long before it arrived.
The package was a large purple-colored humanoid armor. It was over sixty feet in height and had
various weaponry stashed in it. The inside of it was hollow.
"Perfect. With this Devastator armor, I will crush the Autobots. Starscream, transform!"
Starscream turned into his shuttle mode and inserted himself nose-down into the armor. He felt
himself interface with the armor. Soon, he looked like one robot, with the only connection
between what he is now and what he was was his chest which contained his original body in
vehicle mode. He was Devastator-Starscream.
"So Carly, why were you hanging off the cliff?" Hot Rod asked as the two sat at the edge of
the precipice.
"I was running, I didn't see the cliff in time."
"Were you running away from somebody?"
"Sort of. I was running away from my village."
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't wanted."
"Wasn't wanted?"
"All I wanted to do was to help people, but others just thought I was in the way."
{This seems all too familiar,} Hot Rod thought.
"Eventually, I figured that I'd be better off if I ran away so I did."
"But don't you have people who care about you back at your village?"
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so, but you don't know for sure."
Carly looked up at Hot Rod. "I don't understand."
"Did you actually hear people say they didn't want you around?"
"Well... no, but I could tell by their actions."
"Not good enough," Hot Rod said sternly. "They didn't say they didn't want you around so there's
no way to tell that that's what they want. They're probably worried sick about you."
"Why would they want me?"
"Because everybody needs somebody. Where would you be if I didn't come along? Hanging off a
cliff, that's what. Could you have gotten up by yourself? I doubt it."
"I never thought of it that way," Carly said staring at her knees.
"I bet if you were to return now, they would welcome you with open arms."
"Perhaps. I've been gone for about a day, almost two."
"Then let me take you back."
"But how? You don't know the way to my village."
"But you do. Hot Rod, transform!" Carly stared with wide eyes as Hot Rod turned into his
convertible mode.
"Wow! Can everyone like you do that?"
"Everybody I know can do it. Hop in, Carly. I'm taking you back in style." Hot Rod's driver-
side door opened and Carly climbed in. She buckled her seat belt and Hot Rod zoomed off.
Devastator-Starscream spotted the Hyper Force at their base. He thought he could sneak up on
them, but...
"Intruder!" Shuttle shouted.
"UniCannon!" A mini fusion cannon on Devastator-Starscream's right shoulder fired scattering the
Hyper Force.
"Defense formation," Hyper Flight ordered. The Hyper Force took cover behind trees and returned
fire.
"Is that thing Starscream?" Siren asked. "He's giant!"
"Sure is," Hyper Flight agreed.
"Should we call for reinforcements?" Firestar asked.
"Not yet, let's try to handle him ourselves." But deep down, Hyper Flight knew they couldn't
handle this without help.
"Hot Rod, what were you doing here in the forest anyway?"
"I was suppose to be protecting the Earth from a giant metallic planet."
Carly found that hard to believe, then again, if what she saw Hot Rod just do was any indication,
there was probably some truth to it. Instead, she asked "What do you mean 'suppose'?"
"I betrayed my friends."
"Betrayed?" Carly didn't understand the word.
"I turned against them," Hot Rod explained.
"Why?" Hot Rod explained how he and Heavy Duty were always arguing about one thing and how the
others didn't come to his defense so he left.
"So why am I going back to the people who don't like me while you're not?"
"Because... because I am a complete moron."
"Huh?"
"I should be practicing what I preach. In a way, we're two of a kind. We're both outcasts by
others so we both have to confront the others and show them that we're there for them even if
they aren't there for us."
"I guess you're right, Hot Rod. Hey, there's my village." Hot Rod veered right and came to the
village.
The other villagers looked up startled as Hot Rod came roaring into town. One of the villagers,
an elderly man, came up to Hot Rod's hood.
"Carly! Oh thank heavens you're all right." He embraced her while she was still in her seat.
"You had us very worried, young lady. What made you think you could run away like that."
"Tell him the truth," Hot Rod whispered.
"I'm' sorry, Dad, I thought nobody would care if I ran away because they didn't want me around."
"I don't know where you got such ideas, but you're wrong. If we didn't want you, would we be
worrying ourselves sick over you?"
"No," Carly admitted.
"Oh well, at least you're safe. Come on, let's go inside." Carly's father picked her up out of
Hot Rod.
"Wait," Carly said. "I have to say good-bye to my friend."
"You're... friend?" Carly's father looked around like he was expecting somebody who wasn't
there.
"Good-Bye, Hot Rod," Carly waved. "Good luck with your friends."
"Thanks, Carly, hope to see you again," Hot Rod called back. Carly's father, and the other
villagers who gathered around to see the return of their wayward child, all got paled faces upon
hearing the car talked. Their faces got even paler when the car spun around and drove off.
"Apparently, you had a big day," Carly's father commented. "Come inside, you can tell me all
about it..."
"Thanks, Mirage," Optimus Prime said as he got off the communication link. He turned and went
up to Ultra Magnus. "Up for a little action, Magnus?"
Ultra Magnus punched his palm. "Always," he said with a sly grin.
Hot Rod drove through the forest. His time with Carly had really raised his spark. He was
ready to confront the other Hyper Force members.
"Might as well check in to see if there's a price on my head." Hot Rod activated his radio.
"Shuttle, Heavy Duty, move under him and attack," came Hyper Flight's voice.
"No can do, sir," Heavy Duty replied. "Starscream's got us covered."
{Starscream?! Uh-oh, this isn't good.}
"Hyper Flight to Autobot HQ, we're under attack by what appears to be Starscream in some sort of
battle armor. Request backup."
"Message received," Tai replied. "Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus are on their way."
{The others are in trouble,} Hot Rod thought. "I better go help them. But where are they?"
"I can show you where they are," a voice called.
"Hyper Cannons!"
"Strata Blaster!"
"Chest Laser!"
"Star Shooter!"
"Siren Blast!"
The Hyper Force unloaded all their weapons on Devastator-Starscream. They didn't even phase him.
"We have to retreat," Hyper Flight said.
"But he'll follow us," Heavy Duty pointed out.
"Not like we have any choice. Hyper Force, transform!"
"Transform!" The others echoed. Everyone drove/flew off with Devastator-Starscream in pursuit.
They kept up this race for ten miles.
"Man, Skid-Z would love something like this," Siren commented.
"Nervous?" Firestar asked. He knew that Siren would sometimes say something out of the blue
when she was scared.
"Can you tell?"
"Just a little."
"Hyper Flight to all Hyper Force members, we're coming to the end of a line. There's a cliffside
ahead. We'll make our final stand there."
"I hate it when you say final stand," Shuttle commented.
"Pathetic fools," Devastator-Starscream insulted. "There's no escape!" It was true, it seemed
like the Hyper Force was done for.
Suddenly a portal opened and Omega Prime stepped through.
"Omega Blast!" An energy beam knocked Devastator-Starscream to the ground.
"Omega Prime!" Heavy Duty said excitedly. "You came to help us?!"
"Actually, I'm just the temp until the real help could arrive."
Omega Prime and Devastator-Starscream grappled. Even though Devastator-Starscream outsized
Omega Prime, Omega Prime was strong enough to hold him at bay. But not for long. Eventually,
Devastator-Starscream pushed him to the ground.
"So where's the help that Omega Prime said would come?" Hyper Flight asked.
"Right here!" Hot Rod came flying off the cliff. "Hot Rod, transform!" Hot Rod landed a side
kick to Devastator-Starscream's head. The giant robot fell to the ground. Hot Rod backflipped
to the ground.
"What are you doing here, traitor?" Heavy Duty asked.
Hot Rod looked at him calmly. "I know you consider me a traitor, Heavy Duty, but I'm still an
Autobot, still assigned to protect the universe from evil and that's what I'm going to do."
"You attacked us," Firestar pointed out.
"I have decided," Omega Prime interrupted. "That after hearing Hot Rod's case, to pardon him."
"What do you know about what happened?" Shuttle asked.
"I told him," a voice said from nowhere. A formula one race car appeared on the side of the
cliff. "Mirage, transform!" The racer turned into a robot and landed with the group. "Optimus
asked me to track Hot Rod after he received word that he attacked you guys. He wanted to find
out Hot Rod's reasoning. It was while he was talking with a human girl that he revealed why he
did what he did, so when I relayed it to Optimus Prime, he decided to forgive Hot Rod this time
around."
"Mirage also lead me to where you guys were," Hot Rod threw in. "I know you guys don't trust me,
and you probably never will, but I will help you guys against Starscream."
"Hot Rod, we never doubted you for a minute," Siren said.
"I did," Heavy Duty said. "And I was wrong. I was behaving like a Predacon. If the others
were willing to give you another chance, then so am I."
"Thanks, Heavy Duty." The two shook hands. "Now, let's send Gigantor back to the scrap heap."
"Right."
"Arm Blasters, maximum power!" Two huge blasts of energy lanced out from Hot Rod's arms.
"Energy Cannon fire!"
"Hyper Cannons!"
"Strata Blaster!"
"Star Shooter!"
"Sonic Siren!"
"Omega Blast!"
With Omega Prime and Mirage throwing in their attacks, Devastator-Starscream was pummeled to the
ground. He grunted. He couldn't use his super power without ejecting from the Devastator armor.
Suddenly the Hyper Force's sparks began to blow. Their bodies were covered in an indigo blue
energy field.
"Time to show him what teamwork can do," Hyper Flight shouted. "HYPER FORCE, UNITE!" They all
transformed into their vehicle modes. Heavy Duty connected with Hyper Flight on his underside.
Fists came out of Shuttle and Siren. Firestar and Hot Rod became legs. All of them combined to
form one big robot. Heavy Duty's turret section detached and stuck itself barrel down into a
slot between Heavy Duty and Hyper Flight. Siren was the right arm, Shuttle the left arm, Hot Rod
the right leg and Firestar the left leg. Heavy Duty was the back and Hyper Flight was the
chest. The head was formed from the main part of the turret.
"By the power of the sun, I am Hyperion!" The robot announced. Hyperion was bigger than Omega
Prime, he was just about the same size as Devastator-Starscream.
Hyperion landed a one-two combo punch to Devastator-Starscream. The two engaged in hand-to-hand
combat. Devastator-Starscream kneed Hyperion who retaliated by clobbering Devastator-
Starscream's head.
"We need to detach Starscream from the armor," Omega Prime instructed.
"Let's hit him with everything we got," Hyperion suggested.
"Right. Omega Blast!"
Hyperion's hands began glowing with blue energy. "HYPER POWER!" Hyperion fired a huge energy
beam. The two attacks struck Devastator-Starscream. Unicron's henchman screamed in pain. He
was forced to detach himself from the armor.
"This isn't over, Hyperion!" Starscream cried. He took off with the Devastator armor following
closely behind.
"Go ahead, Starscream, I'll be waiting," Hyperion declared.
A while later, Omega Prime and Mirage left. Hyperion stood staring at the setting sun.
"Thanks for giving me another chance, guys," Hot Rod said. "I promise I'll try my best to be a
team player from now on."
"We know you will, Hot Rod," Siren encouraged.
"I'm just glad you and Heavy Duty are friends," Shuttle said.
"Well, maybe not friends," Heavy Duty ammended. "But I think we can tolerate each other."
"Oh I don't know," Firestar said. "I thought it was rather funny watching you and Heavy Duty act
like protoforms."
"Hey, I was not acting like a protoform," Heavy Duty argued.
"Sure you were," Firestar countered. "You should've seen yourself, you made Sky-Byte look
competent in comparison."
"Take that back, mag-bot!"
"Hey, it's just an opinion."
Hot Rod laughed as Heavy Duty and Firestar continued arguing. He looked at the sun and thought,
{Thanks, Carly, thanks for showing me the way.}
Ironhide: Uh-oh, Kelly accidentally falls into the Spacebridge and discovers our headquarters.
She would rather have tried to find a way home but instead, she ends up learning our secrets.
Not that she could care. The next episode of Transformers: Robots In Disguise: "Kelly's Not So
Excellent Adventure." So get ready to roll out!
Season 2
Optimus Prime: Last time on Transformers: Robots In Disguise, the Hyper Force set a trap for
Unicron's henchman, Starscream. But Hot Rod jumped the gun and gave Starscream ample opportunity
to get away. Heavy Duty scolded Hot Rod severely and he left the Hyper Force. Hot Rod ran into
Starscream and apparently they decided to join forces against both the Autobots and Unicron.
Their first act was to attack the Build Team who were currently in battle with Gateway, then they
turned on the Hyper Force. Is Hot Rod really turning on his own teammates? Find out right now.
Hot Rod raised his cannons and fired them. He got Siren and Shuttle and blasted them into a
tree.
"Those weapons of his are on full power!" Firestar realized. "How else is he able to take them
down with one shot." As a rule, all Hyper Force members were suppose to keep their weapons on
85% power. They were not killers, and setting their weapons at 100% would seriously hurt a
robot, to say the least.
"Heavy Duty, Firestar, we'll need to attack him together." The three remaining Hyper Force
members charged. Hot Rod elbowed Firestar then fired his blasters at Heavy Duty. Heavy Duty
used his arms to block them.
"Hyper Cannons!" Hyper Flight shot a stream of energy at Hot Rod. Hot Rod's feet dragged back.
"Hot Rod, use your new power," Starscream instructed.
"Oh yeah, right, I forgot. Hot Rod, super power!" Immediately Hot Rod began glowing with a
white light.
"That proves it," Heavy Duty said. "Only Unicron's henchmen could do something like that." He
rushed at Hot Rod and delivered a lethal upper cross.
"Laser Whip!" A ribbon of red energy wrapped around Heavy Duty blocking use of his cannon.
It was Hot Rod. Somehow his arm was producing shapable energy.
Firestar attempted to rush him but Hot Rod got him in a judo throw.
"Hot Rod, I'm sorry I have to do this," Hyper Flight apologized. "Hyper Flight, transform!"
Hyper Flight hated to run over his own teammate, but Hot Rod was a loose cannon who had to be
contained.
Hot Rod leaped up and landed on top of Hyper Flight's canopy. Hyper Flight tried to roll but
Hot Rod was too heavy.
"Hyper Flight, trans..." Before Hyper Flight could change, Hot Rod leaped up and came down on
him again, extending an energy field down to him. Hyper Flight crashed into the ground.
{This is great,} Hot Rod thought. {I must have more power than all of the Hyper Force combined.
But... was it worth it?} Hot Rod thought about what happened that lead him to this situation.
Hot Rod and Starscream stood in the rain forest. Hot Rod has just lowered his weapon.
"What do you propose?" Hot Rod asked.
"I can convince Unicron that you want to join us. That way, he can give you the same power that
he has given me and the others under his command."
Hot Rod thought about that. He saw what the super power function did to Starscream and Skywars.
Perhaps it would give him enough power to...
"All right, Starscream, I'll agree, but on one condition. We avoid taking on Optimus Prime for
now. He's too powerful. We start out with the Hyper Force then work our way from there."
"A reasonable agreement," Starscream said. "Master Unicron, I request an audience with you."
"I grant it to you, Starscream."
"I have one of the Autobots with me. He desires to join forces and obtain the same power we
have."
"Very interesting. But if I give him this power, how will I know he will use it against the
Autobots?"
"Let me attack an Autobot team," Hot Rod interrupted. "An easy team first, then a hard team.
Will that be acceptable to you?"
"Did you hear that, Master Unicron?"
"I did. An interesting proposal. Very well. Starscream, prepare for a datalink." Starscream's
eyes began to glow. Energy shot from him into Hot Rod's eyes. Hot Rod screamed for a second,
then calmed down.
"The transfer is complete," Starscream said to Hot Rod. "And once we're done, both the Autobots
and Unicron will bow down before us."
Hot Rod smiled. He knew he was making a pact with the devil, as the humans would say, but he was
tired of being pushed around by the other Hyper Force. It was time to fight back, to show the
Hyper Force what they were missing. Yes, it was worth it.
"Arm Blasters!" Hot Rod opened fire again at Hyper Flight.
{I can't believe Hot Rod would betray us like this,} Hyper Flight said as he withstood Hot Rod's
assault. {Did Heavy Duty's comment really get to him?}
It must have if Hot Rod was attacking with such force.
Heavy Duty ran up and pounded on Hot Rod's back. The robot fell to one knee. Without stalling,
the robot brought his leg up on the former Hyper Force member.
"Pathetic," Starscream muttered from the sideline.
Firestar came soaring over Heavy Duty and delivered a lethal kick to the head. Siren got behind
Hot Rod and kneed him. She and Shuttle were just revived. The tides were turning. The Hyper
Force was overwhelming him with sheer numbers.
Heavy Duty's chest cannon began glowing. "Sorry, Hot Rod, this will hurt us both but in
different ways. Energon Cannon Fire!" A red energy beam shafted out and struck Hot Rod in the
stomach. The robot went flying back into a tree.
"Hyper Force, move out!" Hyper Flight commanded. "Hyper Flight, transform!"
"Heavy Duty, transform!"
"Firestar, transform!"
"Shuttle, transform!"
"Siren, transform!" The Hyper Force drove (or flew) off. Starscream stood over Hot Rod.
"You were so weak out there. You had all that power and you let them kick you like a can."
"I didn't see you doing anything helpful," Hot Rod snapped.
"Perhaps I was mistaken with you, Hot Rod." Starscream said as he pressed a control stud on his
shoulder. Suddenly Hot Rod began convulsing. "Truthfully, Hot Rod, I wasn't planning on turning
against Unicron, not when he can give me all this power. But I knew that if I could get you to
go against your former comrades, then that would be less work for me. Alas, I was wrong. So
when I datalinked your super power, I also included a mechanism that would override all your
systems should you fail."
Hot Rod screamed in pain. He rolled around clutching his head. Starscream laughed maniacally
and left.
Optimus Prime had just received the report on Hot Rod's situation. Tai and Tow-Line had been
working on the Build Team and Ultra Magnus was there too because it was him who brought the Build
Team in after they lost against Hot Rod and Starscream.
"Something here doesn't make sense," Optimus told his brother. "Hot Rod is reckless, there's no
denying that, but even he wouldn't go so far as to join the enemy."
"Oh come on, Prime," Ultra Magnus said rolling his head. "You heard what the others said, Hot
Rod's a traitor who must be dealt with."
"According to Hyper Flight's report, he's already been dealt with. No, there's still something
we're missing."
Tai materialized in the control room. "Optimus, I'm glad to report that the Build Team is going
to make a full recovery."
"That's great, Tai. That's one less worry off my processor. Now we need to figure out what Hot
Rod was doing to get the Hyper Force to beat on him like that."
"Maybe he was putting on an act, like Mirage was when the Predacons put that transmitter on him,"
Tai suggested.
"You might be onto something, Tai. Contact Mirage, I need him to do some investigating for me."
"Sure."
"What do you have planned, Optimus?" Ultra Magnus asked casting him a cautious glance.
"The humans have a saying," Optimus replied. "I'm getting the information straight from the
horse's mouth."
Meanwhile, Starscream needed to contact Unicron. "Starscream to Master Unicron, I request an
audience."
"I grant it to you, Starscream. How goes the plan."
"Not well I'm afraid. The Hyper Force were able to overpower Hot Rod. I left him in pain."
"No big lost for us. The armor shall be on its way to you now, Starscream, use it to destroy
the Autobots."
"As you command, Master Unicron."
Hot Rod laid in the clearing. There was nothing wrong with him, mechanically anyway. He had
plenty of fuel and energon, all his circuits were intact, he had a few dings but what car doesn't
have those? No, Hot Rod was laying there because he was ashamed. Starscream played him for
a fool. Now, he was truly alone. He couldn't go back to the Autobots, no doubt they would brand
him as a traitor. He couldn't go to Starscream, he would destroy him without a thought. Maybe
he should just go back to Cybertron. No, he had no place there either. Basically, he was an
outcast.
"Help me!" A small voice called. Hot Rod lowered his hand from his optics and looked around.
The voice called out again, "someone, help me!"
Hot Rod got up. "Hello? Is someone here?"
"Help me! Get me down!"
"Hot Rod, transform!" Hot Rod drove towards the sound of the voice. When he got close, he
transformed again. "Who's here?"
"Help me, I'm up here!" Hot Rod looked up and saw a young girl hanging from a cliffside.
"Hang on, I'm coming to get you." The girl looked down at Hot Rod. She started screaming her
lungs out. "Wait, calm down, please, I'm not going to hurt you, but please stop screaming or you
will fall!"
The girl calmed down. Hot Rod scaled the cliff and took her in his hand. Putting her on his
shoulder, he climbed towards the top of the cliff where he put her down.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
The girl nodded her head, sniffling.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," Hot Rod apologized.
"It's all right. You saved me, I can't be scared of someone who saved my life. My name is
Carly. What's your name?"
"I'm called Hot Rod."
Starscream stood on the outskirts of the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. That was the best place
to receive his package without attracting the attention of the humans. He didn't have to wait
long before it arrived.
The package was a large purple-colored humanoid armor. It was over sixty feet in height and had
various weaponry stashed in it. The inside of it was hollow.
"Perfect. With this Devastator armor, I will crush the Autobots. Starscream, transform!"
Starscream turned into his shuttle mode and inserted himself nose-down into the armor. He felt
himself interface with the armor. Soon, he looked like one robot, with the only connection
between what he is now and what he was was his chest which contained his original body in
vehicle mode. He was Devastator-Starscream.
"So Carly, why were you hanging off the cliff?" Hot Rod asked as the two sat at the edge of
the precipice.
"I was running, I didn't see the cliff in time."
"Were you running away from somebody?"
"Sort of. I was running away from my village."
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't wanted."
"Wasn't wanted?"
"All I wanted to do was to help people, but others just thought I was in the way."
{This seems all too familiar,} Hot Rod thought.
"Eventually, I figured that I'd be better off if I ran away so I did."
"But don't you have people who care about you back at your village?"
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so, but you don't know for sure."
Carly looked up at Hot Rod. "I don't understand."
"Did you actually hear people say they didn't want you around?"
"Well... no, but I could tell by their actions."
"Not good enough," Hot Rod said sternly. "They didn't say they didn't want you around so there's
no way to tell that that's what they want. They're probably worried sick about you."
"Why would they want me?"
"Because everybody needs somebody. Where would you be if I didn't come along? Hanging off a
cliff, that's what. Could you have gotten up by yourself? I doubt it."
"I never thought of it that way," Carly said staring at her knees.
"I bet if you were to return now, they would welcome you with open arms."
"Perhaps. I've been gone for about a day, almost two."
"Then let me take you back."
"But how? You don't know the way to my village."
"But you do. Hot Rod, transform!" Carly stared with wide eyes as Hot Rod turned into his
convertible mode.
"Wow! Can everyone like you do that?"
"Everybody I know can do it. Hop in, Carly. I'm taking you back in style." Hot Rod's driver-
side door opened and Carly climbed in. She buckled her seat belt and Hot Rod zoomed off.
Devastator-Starscream spotted the Hyper Force at their base. He thought he could sneak up on
them, but...
"Intruder!" Shuttle shouted.
"UniCannon!" A mini fusion cannon on Devastator-Starscream's right shoulder fired scattering the
Hyper Force.
"Defense formation," Hyper Flight ordered. The Hyper Force took cover behind trees and returned
fire.
"Is that thing Starscream?" Siren asked. "He's giant!"
"Sure is," Hyper Flight agreed.
"Should we call for reinforcements?" Firestar asked.
"Not yet, let's try to handle him ourselves." But deep down, Hyper Flight knew they couldn't
handle this without help.
"Hot Rod, what were you doing here in the forest anyway?"
"I was suppose to be protecting the Earth from a giant metallic planet."
Carly found that hard to believe, then again, if what she saw Hot Rod just do was any indication,
there was probably some truth to it. Instead, she asked "What do you mean 'suppose'?"
"I betrayed my friends."
"Betrayed?" Carly didn't understand the word.
"I turned against them," Hot Rod explained.
"Why?" Hot Rod explained how he and Heavy Duty were always arguing about one thing and how the
others didn't come to his defense so he left.
"So why am I going back to the people who don't like me while you're not?"
"Because... because I am a complete moron."
"Huh?"
"I should be practicing what I preach. In a way, we're two of a kind. We're both outcasts by
others so we both have to confront the others and show them that we're there for them even if
they aren't there for us."
"I guess you're right, Hot Rod. Hey, there's my village." Hot Rod veered right and came to the
village.
The other villagers looked up startled as Hot Rod came roaring into town. One of the villagers,
an elderly man, came up to Hot Rod's hood.
"Carly! Oh thank heavens you're all right." He embraced her while she was still in her seat.
"You had us very worried, young lady. What made you think you could run away like that."
"Tell him the truth," Hot Rod whispered.
"I'm' sorry, Dad, I thought nobody would care if I ran away because they didn't want me around."
"I don't know where you got such ideas, but you're wrong. If we didn't want you, would we be
worrying ourselves sick over you?"
"No," Carly admitted.
"Oh well, at least you're safe. Come on, let's go inside." Carly's father picked her up out of
Hot Rod.
"Wait," Carly said. "I have to say good-bye to my friend."
"You're... friend?" Carly's father looked around like he was expecting somebody who wasn't
there.
"Good-Bye, Hot Rod," Carly waved. "Good luck with your friends."
"Thanks, Carly, hope to see you again," Hot Rod called back. Carly's father, and the other
villagers who gathered around to see the return of their wayward child, all got paled faces upon
hearing the car talked. Their faces got even paler when the car spun around and drove off.
"Apparently, you had a big day," Carly's father commented. "Come inside, you can tell me all
about it..."
"Thanks, Mirage," Optimus Prime said as he got off the communication link. He turned and went
up to Ultra Magnus. "Up for a little action, Magnus?"
Ultra Magnus punched his palm. "Always," he said with a sly grin.
Hot Rod drove through the forest. His time with Carly had really raised his spark. He was
ready to confront the other Hyper Force members.
"Might as well check in to see if there's a price on my head." Hot Rod activated his radio.
"Shuttle, Heavy Duty, move under him and attack," came Hyper Flight's voice.
"No can do, sir," Heavy Duty replied. "Starscream's got us covered."
{Starscream?! Uh-oh, this isn't good.}
"Hyper Flight to Autobot HQ, we're under attack by what appears to be Starscream in some sort of
battle armor. Request backup."
"Message received," Tai replied. "Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus are on their way."
{The others are in trouble,} Hot Rod thought. "I better go help them. But where are they?"
"I can show you where they are," a voice called.
"Hyper Cannons!"
"Strata Blaster!"
"Chest Laser!"
"Star Shooter!"
"Siren Blast!"
The Hyper Force unloaded all their weapons on Devastator-Starscream. They didn't even phase him.
"We have to retreat," Hyper Flight said.
"But he'll follow us," Heavy Duty pointed out.
"Not like we have any choice. Hyper Force, transform!"
"Transform!" The others echoed. Everyone drove/flew off with Devastator-Starscream in pursuit.
They kept up this race for ten miles.
"Man, Skid-Z would love something like this," Siren commented.
"Nervous?" Firestar asked. He knew that Siren would sometimes say something out of the blue
when she was scared.
"Can you tell?"
"Just a little."
"Hyper Flight to all Hyper Force members, we're coming to the end of a line. There's a cliffside
ahead. We'll make our final stand there."
"I hate it when you say final stand," Shuttle commented.
"Pathetic fools," Devastator-Starscream insulted. "There's no escape!" It was true, it seemed
like the Hyper Force was done for.
Suddenly a portal opened and Omega Prime stepped through.
"Omega Blast!" An energy beam knocked Devastator-Starscream to the ground.
"Omega Prime!" Heavy Duty said excitedly. "You came to help us?!"
"Actually, I'm just the temp until the real help could arrive."
Omega Prime and Devastator-Starscream grappled. Even though Devastator-Starscream outsized
Omega Prime, Omega Prime was strong enough to hold him at bay. But not for long. Eventually,
Devastator-Starscream pushed him to the ground.
"So where's the help that Omega Prime said would come?" Hyper Flight asked.
"Right here!" Hot Rod came flying off the cliff. "Hot Rod, transform!" Hot Rod landed a side
kick to Devastator-Starscream's head. The giant robot fell to the ground. Hot Rod backflipped
to the ground.
"What are you doing here, traitor?" Heavy Duty asked.
Hot Rod looked at him calmly. "I know you consider me a traitor, Heavy Duty, but I'm still an
Autobot, still assigned to protect the universe from evil and that's what I'm going to do."
"You attacked us," Firestar pointed out.
"I have decided," Omega Prime interrupted. "That after hearing Hot Rod's case, to pardon him."
"What do you know about what happened?" Shuttle asked.
"I told him," a voice said from nowhere. A formula one race car appeared on the side of the
cliff. "Mirage, transform!" The racer turned into a robot and landed with the group. "Optimus
asked me to track Hot Rod after he received word that he attacked you guys. He wanted to find
out Hot Rod's reasoning. It was while he was talking with a human girl that he revealed why he
did what he did, so when I relayed it to Optimus Prime, he decided to forgive Hot Rod this time
around."
"Mirage also lead me to where you guys were," Hot Rod threw in. "I know you guys don't trust me,
and you probably never will, but I will help you guys against Starscream."
"Hot Rod, we never doubted you for a minute," Siren said.
"I did," Heavy Duty said. "And I was wrong. I was behaving like a Predacon. If the others
were willing to give you another chance, then so am I."
"Thanks, Heavy Duty." The two shook hands. "Now, let's send Gigantor back to the scrap heap."
"Right."
"Arm Blasters, maximum power!" Two huge blasts of energy lanced out from Hot Rod's arms.
"Energy Cannon fire!"
"Hyper Cannons!"
"Strata Blaster!"
"Star Shooter!"
"Sonic Siren!"
"Omega Blast!"
With Omega Prime and Mirage throwing in their attacks, Devastator-Starscream was pummeled to the
ground. He grunted. He couldn't use his super power without ejecting from the Devastator armor.
Suddenly the Hyper Force's sparks began to blow. Their bodies were covered in an indigo blue
energy field.
"Time to show him what teamwork can do," Hyper Flight shouted. "HYPER FORCE, UNITE!" They all
transformed into their vehicle modes. Heavy Duty connected with Hyper Flight on his underside.
Fists came out of Shuttle and Siren. Firestar and Hot Rod became legs. All of them combined to
form one big robot. Heavy Duty's turret section detached and stuck itself barrel down into a
slot between Heavy Duty and Hyper Flight. Siren was the right arm, Shuttle the left arm, Hot Rod
the right leg and Firestar the left leg. Heavy Duty was the back and Hyper Flight was the
chest. The head was formed from the main part of the turret.
"By the power of the sun, I am Hyperion!" The robot announced. Hyperion was bigger than Omega
Prime, he was just about the same size as Devastator-Starscream.
Hyperion landed a one-two combo punch to Devastator-Starscream. The two engaged in hand-to-hand
combat. Devastator-Starscream kneed Hyperion who retaliated by clobbering Devastator-
Starscream's head.
"We need to detach Starscream from the armor," Omega Prime instructed.
"Let's hit him with everything we got," Hyperion suggested.
"Right. Omega Blast!"
Hyperion's hands began glowing with blue energy. "HYPER POWER!" Hyperion fired a huge energy
beam. The two attacks struck Devastator-Starscream. Unicron's henchman screamed in pain. He
was forced to detach himself from the armor.
"This isn't over, Hyperion!" Starscream cried. He took off with the Devastator armor following
closely behind.
"Go ahead, Starscream, I'll be waiting," Hyperion declared.
A while later, Omega Prime and Mirage left. Hyperion stood staring at the setting sun.
"Thanks for giving me another chance, guys," Hot Rod said. "I promise I'll try my best to be a
team player from now on."
"We know you will, Hot Rod," Siren encouraged.
"I'm just glad you and Heavy Duty are friends," Shuttle said.
"Well, maybe not friends," Heavy Duty ammended. "But I think we can tolerate each other."
"Oh I don't know," Firestar said. "I thought it was rather funny watching you and Heavy Duty act
like protoforms."
"Hey, I was not acting like a protoform," Heavy Duty argued.
"Sure you were," Firestar countered. "You should've seen yourself, you made Sky-Byte look
competent in comparison."
"Take that back, mag-bot!"
"Hey, it's just an opinion."
Hot Rod laughed as Heavy Duty and Firestar continued arguing. He looked at the sun and thought,
{Thanks, Carly, thanks for showing me the way.}
Ironhide: Uh-oh, Kelly accidentally falls into the Spacebridge and discovers our headquarters.
She would rather have tried to find a way home but instead, she ends up learning our secrets.
Not that she could care. The next episode of Transformers: Robots In Disguise: "Kelly's Not So
Excellent Adventure." So get ready to roll out!