PART 3

Great blackened chunks of metal ringed the city of Iacon. Only a few cleared areas allowed access for vehicles to drive in and out. Like masses of Earthly rocks or ice, the metal piled up taller and wider than Predacons in beast mode. A couple of Vehicons clambered up these hills of rubble, standing with hands on hips and surveying their surroundings. Far behind them, ghostly silver triangles hunched on the horizon.

Predaking asked the Vehicons, "What lies there yonder?"

Some shrugged; one said, "Those are the Manganese Mountains. I hear they're huge, but I've never been there."

"We should go there!" Darksteel exclaimed.

"Work first," Predaking stated.

The four Predacons split, watched by the small group of Vehicons. Every chunk of metal was far too heavy for the troopers to carry safely, even as a team. Predaking hefted up a battered chunk of metal as large as himself, then stomped up to an immense transport truck. High over its spiky, Decepticon-graffitied sides, the black head of a silver Vehicon popped out.

"Don't you throw those! You could damage the vehicle!"

Grunting, Predaking walked up the ramp and calmly set the chunk down in the back. Exiting, he clapped his hands, letting rust flakes snow. Ripclaw, Skylynx, and Darkteel came in carrying other massive metal chunks. Predaking wandered away to find another, but paused and peered at a giant dent in one of them. Like a row of diamonds, the dent likened knuckle marks. Predaking glanced at his own much smaller knuckles and shook his head.

The Vehicons slid down the rubble hill.

"There used to be a wall here all around Iacon," one Vehicon said. "That's what the archives said. We don't know how it fell though."

"That is apparent…" Skylynx examined the long stretch of rubble that curved out of sight. Old greasy scorch marks stained the crumbled walls, long tears cleaved them, and many more wide dent marks crunched them.

"It looks like a giant tore it down!" Ripclaw remarked.

"Impossible!" Predaking scoffed. "No bot is larger than us!"

The Vehicons glanced at each other, but before they could speak, someone cackled. Whirl sprang onto the rubble, then pranced across the hill on his springy legs.

"Buaha! Now that's just stupid!" he exclaimed. "You really think you're all that and no one is bigger than you? Ever seen a titan? How 'bout Primus and Unicron, idjits?"

Whirl stopped hopping and glared down at the Predacons.

"It was a Combiner that did it. I was there," he said. "Devastator gone insane, crawling on all fours n' dragging a dead leg. Oh sure, you're big strong Predacons. But I'd rather face one of you than Devastator or any other Combiner!"

Predaking scoffed again, "You truly believe a so-called Combiner could best one of us?"

"Oh I bet one could take you all out. They are next level, they are."

"One could never defeat four Predacons!" Predaking snarled.

As Predaking bristled, Whirl cackled.

"You mad?" He tapped his feet. "Predakid?"

Predaking transformed and crashed down on all fours. Bearing his teeth and shrieking, he tore up the rubble. Whirl hopped over the other side and transformed, zooming into the city. Behind the decaying pillars of buildings, the copter vanished from sight. Predaking shot after the sound of Whirl's chopping blades. Fresh golden buildings rose around them before Predaking spotted the blue and orange copter again. Whirl dove for Springer with a group of Autobots, crying out, "Mad Predacon! Mad Predacon!"

Predaking's forefoot crushed the copter to the ground. Whirl transformed in his claws and his long limbs flopped out.

"Oh flying scrap!" Whirl hollered.

Predaking ground Whirl underfoot, until blue and yellow blasts peppered his face. He swung his neck around to face a row of armed Autobots. Springer halted their fire with a spread arm, but addressed Predaking in a tight voice.

"Let him go, Predaking!"

Predaking transformed, his forefoot lifting off Whirl. Before Whirl could peel off his stomach, Predaking snatched him by his thin ankles. He marched over to Springer, dangling Whirl upside down, before dropping him in an undignified heap.

"He insulted me." Predaking raised his chin and looked down at the Autobots.

Springer prodded the gangly pile with a foot. "What'd you do, Whirl?"

Whirl sat up quickly. "Oh, I did insult him. I thought it'd be hilarious to call him 'Predakid'."

"You mustn't mind him," Springer told Predaking.

"Yes…" a white and black Autobot growled tensely, his blaster still locked on Predaking. "That was an unjustifiably violent response. But expected of your kind."

Predaking flicked his eyes to the speaker's yellow visor. At once he hated visors—cowardly, pathetic things. Were they worn to hide the fear in one's eyes or to make an attempt to intimidate others?

"Your tone is confrontational and insulting," Predaking growled back. "Cease."

The other Autobots drew back their blasters, but not this Autobot. He kept his weapon trained on Predaking, but he glanced behind himself at the snap of many Predacon wings.

"I heard alll about you," the white and black Autobot muttered. "You prehistoric beasts were brought back into existence by Shockwave… which makes you worse. Everything Shockwave creates is violent and can't be trusted. You must be the worst of all his creations."

"Even if that is what you believe…" Predaking stomped closer. "What are you going to do about it? Shoot me with your puny blaster to your spark's content. You cannot harm me."

A red Autobot cut between them. "Prowl, let's not pick fights like this un…"

Prowl shoved his blaster back into his arm, but retorted, "We have Superion; we could handle them. You see, Predacon? Maybe I can't hurt you, but one way or another, the combined might of the Law will bring you down!"

Predaking huffed. Whirl, still sitting, curved his long neck to tilt back his head. "Ah nah, he's super arrogant. He doesn't think anyone is bigger or stronger than him—that's why I was makin' fun of him!"

Prowl flinched as the other three Predacons passed overhead. After they landed behind Predaking and transformed, Ripclaw hissed, "Whirl was causing trouble. It's all his fault!"

"I'm well aware…" Springer muttered.

Prowl puffed up as much as a below hip-height, average Autobot could. "Listen here! We can and will take you down if you pose a danger to innocent Autobots!"

"Innocent?" Darksteel coughed.

Prowl flexed his arms and cried, "If it were up to me—!"

"Oi, Prowl," the big red Autobot said. "That's enough."

"I wouldn't have your kind anywhere near here!"

"Prowl."

"I saw Commander Ultra Magnus' wounds!" Prowl jabbed his finger at Skylynx. "I can match those teeth marks to that Predacon there!"

The Autobots gawked and didn't interrupt him now.

"What in the blazes are we doing, working with them after that?" Prowl boomed. "Look at them! Wounding the Commander? Going after Whirl like that just for a lame insult? They're monstrous bombs waiting to go off! Shockwave's beasts ought to be caged!"

"Caged?" Predaking snarled.

"I'd go after me," Whirl interjected.

"Stop fighting!" Springer commanded. "Sweet Solus Prime, Prowl, do you want them as our enemies or allies? We already have enough to deal with! Besides, the Predacons have been nothing but helpful since the War's end!"

The other Autobots who hadn't spoken a word looked nervously at the Predacons, their arm plates shifting, on the brink of arming themselves again.

"Get the Aerialbots here," Prowl spat.

"I care about Ultra Magnus too, Prowl," Springer lowered his voice. "I'm his second-in-command, after all. But we can't hold grudges. We want peace. And Bulkhead's gonna knock you in the head if you destroy everything we just rebuilt in a foolish Combiner battle."

Another Autobot, white, black, and blue, crossed his arms and stared around himself through a blue visor. "Seems right to me. Hasn't Iacon been busted enough by Combiners? Prowl, you need to cool it. I'mma find Bluestreak."

Prowl whirled on him. "You keep him away from this!"

"Jazz's right," the red Autobot said. "Prowl, you blew this up big time. And now you got t' cool it."

"I'm not crazy!" Prowl snapped.

"Heh heh heh," Darksteel chuckled.

Ripclaw hissed, "I never once harmed anyone. You have no business calling our kind dangerous!"

"As if you aren't fanged and clawed…" Prowl growled. "With a name referring to your carnivorous nature!"

Jazz transformed and drove off calling, "Bluestreak? Bluestreak, where you at?"

"No! No!" Prowl roared. He started to run after Jazz, then stopped to point at the Predacons. "I'll be watching you!"

Prowl switched to vehicle mode and his tires screeched after Jazz. Everyone stared after them until they disappeared.

"Primus, I'm sorry," the red Autobot drawled. "I think I oughta get that bot some therapy."

He lumbered forward and nodded.

"I'm Ironhide, I'll be the chief of police, not 'im, no matter 'ow he acts. So I'll keep him in line."

Predaking calmed, taking a liking to his accent and manner of speaking. Ironhide drawled like he put thought into every word.

Predaking sighed, "He is not the first hostile Autobot we have had the displeasure of meeting. But I will expect the Autobots of rank to keep their underlings in line."

"Yes," Ripclaw punctuated.

"Whirl…" Springer looked down. "For at least Prowl's sake, can you swear to leave the Predacons alone?"

"I'll do it for Bulkhead's sake," Whirl decided. "Yeah, I don't want his nice new buildings to get destroyed in a fight no matter how epic. And the Predacons aren't that bad… can't be when Preda kiiing showed restraint. I was testing them too. Wanted to see if we could trust 'em."

Ironhide chuckled to Predaking. "Well you really did show you have a lot o' patience. You ain't monsters or beasts, nah. Don't let anyone harpin' such nonsense get t' you, alright? Bots are gonna say things but if ya snap, they'll think you're just provin' their point."

Ripclaw retorted, "We won't suppress our anger."

"Just don't chase and jump on bots like Predaking did. You're huge n' frightenin'. You'll cause panic 'n chaos. An' we got to change our ways now tha' the War is over. We have to all learn t' stop blastin' and punchin' and cuttin'. Peaceful society needs peaceful solutions. And justice is orderly. You know what it means to be 'police'?"

"No," Predaking replied.

"Police officers are the ones entrusted to capture and punish troublemakers for ya. You tell us what happened, we deal with the bot. 'Cause we're bound by rules. Aye, we read 'em and know 'em. We act in a way t' cause minimal harm, at least, that's the objective. When an officer acts like Prowl, we can't tolerate it. I know we were less than perfect in the past and some departments were downright corrupt, but I wanna make the ideal reality. I'm gonna make Optimus Prime proud."

Ironhide watched them with a knowing shine in his blue eyes.

"Now I see ya stirrin', you wanna take justice into your own hands 'n fight who you wanna fight. But it just can't be like that. Without rules, bots hurt each other as much as they wanna hurt each other. Bots create their own definitions of right and wrong where they're right and can't do no wrong."

"I'm never wrooong!" Whirl chirped.

"Ya see?" Ironhide said. "Now listen, if you got a strong moral sense, I wouldn't mind Predacon strength on the force. We can work together. Maybe you can help us if we ever need t' break up a big fight or take down a nasty strong foe."

Predaking uttered, "You would have us join you and that vexing officer Prowl? No. I reject your idea of justice and order. Let all know it is simple with us Predacons: treat us with respect, and we will be peaceful. Insult or threaten us, and you will feel our claws and fire."

Predaking looked back to his brethren.

"Come," he said. "The Vehicons await us."

They transformed, flying off and leaving the Autobots.