Backfire starts shooting at the larger drones as Simon ran for cover. Finn is launched by Jake at one of the drones to furiously poke into its crevices with his night sword. "We have to help them!" Susan said. "How? They're giant robots and we're tiny compared to them!" Frieda wondered. Susan looks at Chop Shop leaning against a picket fence in vehicle mode.
She throws the motorcycle at the drone Finn is attacking. Finn sees the incoming motorcycle and jumps off before it crashes into the drone's face, leaving it dented and Chop Shop slightly dented as it lands on the cracked pavement. "Thanks, Susan!" Finn thanked Susan. "Let's try out Chop Shop to beat these punks down!" Jake suggested. "Yeah!" Finn agreed as he held up his Master Belt.
He places it on his waist, inserts the Master Brace, and shouts "Head on!" at the top of his lungs. His body is instantly transformed into a slimmer purple Headmaster mode before the two adventurers. "Woah! Instant armour!" Susan responded in awe. Chop Shop transforms into a robot mode bearing Elita-Two Prime's body-type and runs directly at Finn. Chop Shop picks up Finn and, instead of transforming into a head, places him in a cavity where its neck should be where a silver wing-like mask forms on his face.
Now standing at equal height of Backfire, he leaps at the remaining drone with his Night Sword. As Backfire was shooting at a drone, Chop Shop clings onto its shoulders and stabs into the crevices between its armour plating. As the drone was trying to get Chop Shop off, Simon burns a hole in its chest with a M.H.M. as he was under cover by a door frame. "Took you long enough!" Backfire yelled to Simon. "I swear I'm more accurate than this!" Simon yelled back.
The drone collapses when Chop Shop jumps off and lands before Susan and Frieda. Finn emerges from Chop Shop, jumps down, and removes his Master Belt, reverting back to his astronaut suit. "That was amazing!" Susan complimented Finn. "Thanks, Susan." Finn replied. "Since you two aren't using suits, it looks like this place is radiation free." Simon said as he removed his helmet.
Finn and Jake also remove their suits and throw them at Backfire carrying a box. "Hey, you have a new arm again!" Susan pointed at Finn's skin-covered robot arm. "Nah, this is another robot arm. It has some fake human skin on. Mom gave it to me." Finn corrected as he wiggles his robot fingers. "So, back to our conversation. What are you guys doing here?" Frieda asked. "We're looking for some place that has some frozen brains and rescue them!" Finn answered. "And those car robots, are they also Cybertron aliens?" Susan asked.
"They're drones. Think of them as robots of robots. They don't have feelings like I do, and are purely artificial." Backfire explained. "They're Lockdown's. He's a dangerous space bounty hunter, and it looks like he's down here, too." Jake added. "We've been down here for weeks. We haven't seen any giant car robots, but I think we know where this frozen brain place is." Susan told them. "We can tell from the giant frozen brain sign. It's not too far from here, actually." Frieda added. "Really? Can you lead us to it?" Simon requested.
"Sure. Follow me!" Susan agreed. The Voyagers proceed to follow Susan and Frieda down the road. "So, what kinds of adventures have you guys went on?" Finn asked Susan. "We've been to a lot of places outside Ooo." Frieda began. "There was London, Detroit, Tokyo, places you guys probably never heard of." Susan added.
"Well, about that…" Finn began as they all entered a cave tunnel. During much more tunnel-travelling, the two parties exchange stories of their exploits around the world. "You've been to space?!" Frieda said excitedly. "Yep! That's gotta beat your trip to Antarctica." Jake confirmed confidently. "And it turns out, that giant chunk in the Earth was transported to another planet in another system." Finn added.
They soon emerge into another cavern where an entire city block was buried; skyscrapers scraping the cave ceiling, cracked pavement across the ground, and ruined cars scattered about. "Are we here?" Finn asked Susan. "No, the place is another cavern down." Susan answered. "Do you recognize this place, Simon?" Jake asked. "This… I think this is downtown L.A., and Cephalon is around this area, corresponding with Miss Strong's account." Simon answered.
"Simon, how do you know so much about Cephalon? You don't look like a medical kinda guy." Jake asked Simon. "Well, I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Using lottery money, he signed up for Cephalon's brain freezing project with the promise he would be thawed and cured in the future. I just hope he's still there." Simon explained. "That must've been though. Don't worry, if that brain mom found made it to Hub City, then the others may still be alive." Finn assured Simon. "Speaking of that, your mom said a Secure-T drone carried it there. Why did it deliver the brain there? Did someone program it to do that?" Jake wondered. "We'll find out once we get there." Finn said.
They soon hear the faint rumble of car engines around the corner. "Hide!" Susan warned them. They all flee into a nearby building and peek out of the shattered glass door frame. Driving past the corner was a squad of three drones in robot mode, led by the dirty-yellow-coloured leader drone. They stop at the junction to transform into robot mode and survey the area.
"How many of these guys are there?" Susan wondered. "We were chased by about a hundred of these guys back in Mexico." Jake answered. "Lockdown used the spark of an ancient Cybertronian called Solus Prime to create armies of them instantly." Simon added. "Did you say Solus Prime? I thought her return was just a rumour." Backfire said. "Be quiet! They'll hear us." Frieda warned them.
The drones cease surveying and transform into muscle cars to continue their search along the road, with the exception of the leader, who stayed back at the junction. "Why's he still here?" Simon whispered. The leader walks down the same street where the team's hiding place in the abandoned building is. "He's coming this way!" Finn panicked. "If he spots us, run." Backfire told his team as he held up his assault rifles.
The leader walks down the street past the team under the building. The leader looks over the corner of another building with his back turned to the team. "Let's go while he's distracted!" Jake said. The team runs out of the building and follows Susan and Frieda down the road the rest of the drones left to. As they ran through the street, they pass the drones as they searched in another street.
The drones take notice of this and chase after them in vehicle mode, but not before remotely alerting their leader. "They're on our tail!" Jake exclaimed. Backfire jumps into the air and lands on top of one drone. The two drones between him have machine guns mounted on their rear windows aim at him. Backfire disables the machine guns with his own guns while shooting holes in their windows.
He produces two grenades from a compartment on his back and throws them into the holes he shot into the drones. The drone he stood upon began to transform when the other drones explode, sending Backfire flying into the air. "I got him!" Jake sad as he stretched his hands to catch Backfire. He pulls Backfire from the air and puts him down gently on the ground. "Thanks, Jake." Backfire thanked Jake.
"That was amazing!" Susan told Backfire. "It's one of the perks of having a small frame." Backfire replied. From the fiery wreckage, the drone leader speeds towards the team. "Look out!" Simon yelled. Upon seeing Simon, the leader swerves away from the group and crashes into a building.
It transforms into robot mode and begins screaming with a distorted tone as it clutches its head. The team backs away as they look in horror. The drone leader transforms into vehicle mode and drives away from the team. "What's up with that guy?" Jake wondered. "It did that back when we were in Mexico, too." Simon noted.
"Come on, we gotta get to those brains fast!" Finn hurried the team. They continue following Susan and Frieda, now knowing they were watched by third party from a ruined building. They approach another tunnel that should lead them to the cavern where Cephalon Cryogenics should be. After another long walk they emerge through the other end and find themselves in a similar-looking city ruin. "Finn, is there a way to quiet down your motorcycle? There are native here and we'll want to keep quiet to avoid them." Susan asked.
"Natives? Like Hyoomans?" Finn asked. "I don't know. We saw them a few times and they almost attacked us. They used guns and dressed up like soldiers." Susan said. "Could they be real humans?" Jake wondered. "If they are, it's a miracle they've survived down here for so long." Simon said. Finn remotely transforms Chop Shop into robot mode using a holographic interface projecting from his robot arm.
"Remember, we have to keep quiet around these parts." Frieda reminded The Voyagers. They silently walk into the city, even Backfire and Chop Shop managed to step silently thanks to their relatively short stature. They walk through the city when they hear an explosion around a corner. They spy around the corner and see multiple drones fighting the camo-clad natives Susan mentioned. As described before, the natives wear green army uniforms with gas masks covering their face and helmets to protect their heads. They were armed with ancient assault rifles while some others were armed with rocket launchers.
"They're attacking some of the drones." Finn noted. "That's good. That means there's a low chance they'll notice us while they're fighting each other." Simon said. "Are you sure we shouldn't help?" Finn asked his team. "Yeah, I don't think those guys have a chance with those drones, even if they have rockets." Jake added. "Susan, what do you think?" Frieda asked Susan.
Susan looks back and forth from Finn and the battle with an unsure look. "*SIGH* Okay, we'll help them. Maybe they'll thank us by not shooting at us next time we travel here." Susan agreed. "Alright!" Finn said excitedly. He transforms into Headmaster mode and links with Chop Shop before he, Backfire, and Jake rush in to help the natives fight the drones. "I guess I'll stay back here with you two." Simon said to Susan and Frieda.
As a drone was about to step on an injured native, Jake punched it away with an enlarged fist. "Ow! Now I remember why I don't fight giant robots! These guys are spiky!" Jake said in pain. Backfire drives around the drones in vehicle mode, shooting them as he passes between their legs. As they were distracted by this, Chop Shop jumps from shoulder-to-shoulder, poking his Night Sword between their armour and slicing their vital wires and cables. Jake grabs the drones by their legs and uses them to bash other drones into scrap metal.
"That's the last of them." Backfire said as he gathered with Chop Shop and Jake around the destroyed drones. Native soldiers then surround them, pointing their rifles at them. The Voyagers respond by putting their hands up in the air. Joining them were Simon, Susan, and Frieda escorted by more soldier with their hands up. "So much for being thankful." Simon said as he grouped with the team.
A soldier approaches Simon with their rifle lowered. "Simon, Backfire, is that you?" a muffled voice asked Simon. "You know my name?" Simon asked the soldier. The soldier unmasks themselves, revealing a young blonde woman. "Nancy?!" Simon and Backfire said simultaneously in surprise.
To be continued…