Round robin pitch: One of our Dinobots is Missing

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I have no thoughts as to what happens next, so I'm hoping someone else will feel like jumping in...

ONE OF OUR DINOBOTS IS MISSING

Somewhere in the North Sea off the coast of England, on board an Autobot aircraft carrier, Hubcap monitored communication channels as a ground-breaking joint search-and-recovery operation got under way. Two Autobot helicopters that had launched from the carrier rendezvoused with a third over the Thames Estuary, approached London and separated, each to scan a different section of the English capital for dormant Transformer signals. It was night, and all lights on the helicopters were switched off to avoid detection by the humans.

Below them on the streets of London, the Autobots Inferno, Roadbuster and Swerve followed up leads provided by Hubcap based on reports coming over on the police wavelengths. Their quarry was unfortunately running silent for now, making triangulation difficult, but they doubted he would stay quiet for long. According to their new human allies, seated in the Autobots’ driver’s seats and the cockpit of one of the three helicopters, the motive of the crime was terrorism, and the scene of the denouement would be a high-profile target. The only question was, which one?
___

An hour earlier, Roadbuster had briefed his men in the following terms: “Autobots, our mission is highly sensitive. The Autobot Commander on planet Earth, designation Grimlock, has been abducted and we must find him before it becomes common knowledge among either the humans or Grimlock’s own troops. We have guides in the form of two Autobots who are familiar with the planet’s ways. One will lead our aerial search, the other our ground force. We will also be accompanied on this mission by a literal handful of human allies, who will use their military influence to help us avoid entanglements with the authorities. Any questions?”

“Do we have identification on Grimlock’s abductor?” queried Whirl.

“Not positively, but our human contacts believe it to be another human, a sleeper agent for the terrorist network known as ‘Cobra’, who had infiltrated the ranks of the anti-terrorist outfit ‘Action Force’, posing as a driver. The theory is that his brief was to break cover when the opportunity presented itself to cause maximum chaos and destruction. When he found himself entrusted to remove the unconscious Grimlock from the scene of a battle with Megatron on a covered flatbed trailer, it seems he judged that his moment had come, and took it.”

“Are we sure the Decepticons aren’t involved at all?”

“We can’t be certain. It’s possible that there are further Insecticons – the purple team – active on the island in their small insect modes, but we have no evidence to support that theory. All right, then? Spanner’s prototype Space Bridge powers up in five. Let’s move out.”
___

“Nice to have you, Scarlett and Bazooka along for the ride, Flint,” came the voice of the Autobot fire engine Inferno, from a speaker on his dashboard. “But couldn’t you have provided more men and vehicles on your side?”

“Sorry, pal,” replied the Action Force team leader, now clad in a fireman’s uniform that Inferno had kept stowed away under his driver’s seat, having acquired it during his previous years of undercover activity on Earth. “We lost too many vehicles in our battle with Megatron, and have none left to spare. All our resources are tied up making safe the scene of battle. The three of us and Wild Bill should be there by rights, but if our hunch is correct we have a personal stake in hunting down your quarry.”

“Heads up, you guys,” the voice of Whirl came over the radio. “I think I’ve spotted something going on, right in the heart of the city!”
___

Not far away, on a moving lorry, Grimlock’s optics flickered as he battled in his dreams…

TO BE CONTINUED?

[legios]

It has taken me a while to crack writer's block and get this out of my system, but here is a further installment of "One of our Dinobots is missing""-

-----


The Baroness turned away from the window and looked around the room. Four of the five Cobra Troopers were filling their time uselessly. One was inspecting his sidearm for the twenty-fifth time, one idly drumming his fingers on the table whilst the other two played cards for pocket change. The fifth Viper was leaning on the wall, his mirror-smooth visor regarding her implacably. She pulled her very expensive sunglasses down the bridge of her nose,
“Do you have some sort of problem trooper?”
“Yes,” he replied calmly.

*****

“What have you got Whirl?” Flint asked.
Not sure. Looks like a crowd of humans milling around in the road waving things in the air. Does that not mean anything to anyone?

“What sort of things?” Scarlett asked, “weapons?”
Maybe, but there not showing up on mag-res so probably not any of your chemical slugthrowers, Whirl was quiet for a moment, thinking, could be some sort of improvised club?
“Would they be squareish and flat?” Flint suggested.
Yeah, I'd say so, Whirl agreed.
“Placards,” Scarlett and Flint said at the same moment,
“Must be a demonstration,” Scarlett continued.
Several actually, Hubcap broke into the conversation, I've been listening to the Met's radio traffic and it looks like there are several unauthorised demonstration groups – anti-your primitive nuclear weapons and pro- 'environment' groups gathering at major public buildings and government offices to hold 'candlelight vigils' if that means anything.
“There wasn't anything about demonstrations at our briefing,” Inferno observed.
“Ours either,” Flint agreed, “and I'm guessing that it has probably caught the police on the hop.”
Sounds like it, Hubcap replied.
“Cobra?” Bazooka asked. Scarlett and Flint exchanged a look as they both weighed up the options.
“Probably,” Scarlett nodded, “ we know that some of their people dabble in agit-prop if Cobra want chaos, even if just to cover their extraction, then anything that puts the authorities on the back foot plays their way.”
If they start blocking roads then this is not going to make the ground search any easier, Roadbuste interjected as he joined his fellow Autobots on the frequency.

*****

Somewhere, under a heavy tarpaulin a semi-comatose Dinobot strained against the chains that held him down as his dreams became more violent.

*****

“We need more Troopers,” The trooper observed, his tone surprisingly calm and controlled all things considered. The Baroness looked at him coldy, over the top of her sunglasses.
“No we don't,” She replied, “with the deception plan stretching the resources of the police thin, Action Force otherwise occupied and the..... other distraction that we have planned, this country's authorities will be far too distracted to stop us when we strike at the symbols of their nationhood. The troops we have deployed around the target will be quite sufficient.”
The trooper seemed to consider this for a moment,
“I'm still not sure....”
“That is why I give orders, and you take them,” she told him, snapping the sunglasses back up to hide her eyes. She turned and looked out across the water at their target, sitting where it had sat for so many centuries. It wouldn't be long now.

*****

The driver eased the truck carefully around the corner. The roads were quiet at this time of night, but what he was pulling was the very definition of a heavy and awkward load, and something told him that if this load broke loose he would be lucky if he was around for his Commander to punish for his failure. With his attention on manoeuvring the unwieldy vehicle through the city streets he could be forgiven for not noticing several pairs of eyes watching him intently from from the top of a nearby building.

TO BE CONTINUED?

[Grand Moff Muffin]

This is what I missed about TMUK round robins - how you'd start something off with what you believe to be limited possibilities, and then the next person opens up a new and unexpected front. Grimlock has (as I read it) suddenly become merely the "other distraction" in a Cobra plot to destroy presumably one of the great London landmarks visible from the Thames. And who are these several pairs of eyes watching from the top of a nearby building?

Anyone else here up for doing a quick chapter? The more people involved, the less predictable the story becomes...

Martin

[Grand Moff Muffin]

OK, so this story (much like my Death’s Head one) has so far failed to inspire any sort of reaction. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Time for a kill or cure.

ONE OF OUR DINOBOTS IS MISSING (PART 3)

The story so far, I hope that it sticks,
Follows directly from Ancient Relics.
Centurion and Megs have been blown up or not,
But our story concerns our stunned Dinobot.
For whilst Flint and Blades saluted the dead
They should have been watching Grim’s body instead.

The Joes had loaded it onto a lorry,
For which they would soon be heartily sorry.
A Cobra man was at the wheel
And away with the Dinobot he did steal.
When they learnt that the truck had gone the wrong way
They began too late to perceive the foul play.

The truck and Grimlock were long gone by now
And Action Force had guessed the who and the how.
But they had no resources to do a full search
Leaving poor Blades somewhat in the lurch.
Some Autobots would be happy with Grimlock gone.
To some he was like a Decepticon.

Blades didn’t want to report to the Ark.
He preferred to keep that lot in the dark.
But he called Inferno, a special one
Who had new friends on Cybertron.
A team was sent over to help with the hunt
And put an end to the Cobra stunt.

Broadside and Hubcap watched from the seas,
Scanning all the police frequencies.
Whirl and Sandstorm joined Blades in the air.
Wild Bill was riding in Blades up there.
Roadbuster and Swerve joined Inferno for the ride
With Flint and Scarlett and Bazooka inside.

They spread right out across London city.
If Grimlock was lost ’twould be a pity.
For though he wasn’t a tip-top boss
His Dinobot chums would feel the loss.
And while Blades didn’t always think him right,
They shared the same tastes when it came to a fight.

Meanwhile, Grimlock was having a dream
And the Baroness stood by with her team.
Cobra had incited a demonstration
To cause Action Force further consternation.
Unknown eyes watched from a roof.
Would their owners remain aloof?

The driver of the truck had his target in view.
He hoped the Baroness would be there too.
But little did he guess, as he put on a spurt,
That he was about to be squashed in the dirt.
For the Cobra plan now had a hiccup
As Grimlock decided ’twas time to wake up.

I pause, gentle reader, at this point,
If it doesn’t put noses out of joint,
And ask you to go back in time with me
Just a couple of years, as you shall see.
To understand what happens next,
We must go back. Don’t be perplexed!

There once was a small-time crook
Who found a strange gun in a brook.
It did all he could ask,
No matter the task.
That silly old gun in a brook.

When Megatron landed on his head,
Instead of ending up quite dead,
Something broke inside his brain,
And until he was knocked all right again,
He would do anything that he was told
Which made Joey Slick feel quite bold.

Back now in the present day,
You’ll guess what I’m about to say.
This time it was Grimlock hit on the head,
And now he woke up just as I said.
But he could not control what he did.
He could only do what he was bid!

A sign said “Go straight on for Waterloo”.
Grimlock read it and realised he had to do
Just what it said. But too bad for the man
From Cobra who was heading for Barbican.
Grimlock stepped off causing the bad guy much pain,
As his truck flipped over on Chancery Lane.

So many signs! Which one to read?
Grimlock began to pick up speed.
It wasn’t exactly what Cobra had planned
As Grimlock stomped along the Strand.
“To visit the Theatre Royal, turn right.”
The audience there would be in for a fright.

Hubcap picked up an increase in chatter
And knew that something was the matter.
A robot dinosaur had brought the house down
And was now heading west into China Town.
He told his friends up in the air and below
That Grimlock was sighted just south of Soho.

This came as bad news to Commander Roadbuster.
The news left him in something of a fluster.
The news to him was quite unpleasant
As he and his group were at Mornington Crescent.
A false clue had led them past Regent’s Park
But the trail had run cold leaving them in the dark.

“Eat in Covent Garden,” said one sign
So Grimlock felt obliged to dine.
The food on offer was not to his taste
But he couldn’t let it go to waste.
He followed a sign to Leicester Square
But was at a loss when he got there.

“Run for your life!” cried human voices,
But this left him with too many choices.
“Go back where you came from!” yelled an old man,
So he did a U-turn and eastwards he ran.
A sign sent him southwards down Charing Cross Road
Obedient to all but the Green Cross Code.

“Never fear,” said Blades, who was carrying Wild Bill.
“If the ground troops can’t reach him, we surely will.”
But before they could fly to his last known location
Grimlock had come upon Charing Cross Station.
“Take the Tube,” said a fateful sign.
And Grimlock was now on the Northern Line.

What happened next? Damned if I know!
Perhaps someone else will go on with the show.

I know this doesn't scan,
But I did the best I can.

Martin

[Rich]

Fantastic verse, Martin. And it does scan. I'd be tempted to have a go at a part, but I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the Action Force types.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Ta, Rich.

Martin

[legios]

Completely different to where I would have gone next, but that is part of the fun of this sort of thing. Nice one Martin.

So, anyone want to pick up the baton for the next leg?

Karl

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Aug 19, 2011 21:06:32 GMT legios said:

Completely different to where I would have gone next

Well, the plot threads you dangled remain dangling still. Cobra could yet play a major role, should an author wish them to do so.

Martin

[blueshift]

Somehow I missed this thread, I'll have a go at the next part!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Aug 20, 2011 9:10:59 GMT blueshift said:

Somehow I missed this thread, I'll have a go at the next part!

Yay! Have karma.

Martin

[blueshift]

PART 4

The lights began blinking like mad over the Cobra switchboard as technicians ran around in panic. Scouts had located the missing Dinobot smashing his way through the underground stations, but the Autobots were not far behind.

“This is all going wrong!” Baroness cursed, shaking a fist and stabbing the nearest technician in the back in anger. “All of our carefully laid plans! We must recapture Grimlock first!”

“Don’t worry!” The voice came from the corner of the room where a man in a mysterious trenchcoat stood, wearing a mysterious top hat and fondling a mysterious cane. “It just means we must reveal one of our hands early. It’s all under control Baroness, despite the best efforts of your organisation.”

The Baroness felt her face twitch in a snarl. “You!” she hissed. “Just who are you? Why are we working with you? Even Cobra Commander is scared of you! He’s not scared of anyone!”

The man slowly walked towards the Baroness, his cane tapping loudly on the ground, his face in impossible shadow under his hat. “You need me Baroness, you need my contacts with the Decepticons to pull this off. You need the power I wield. You may want wealth but I… I want, as I have for millennia, the total destruction of human culture. For I am…”

The man lifted his hat to reveal his eyes. The Baroness screamed.

“I am… THE MAN FROM PORLOCK!”


***


Blades stood on top of a high rise building as he scanned the surroundings, Scarlett, Wild Bill and Bazooka next to him. “I don’t believe it!” he whined, pacing up and down. “I can’t lose Grimlock twice! He’s close, I know it!”

Wild Bill patted Blades on the leg. “Don’t worry boy, we’ll get him. Full Force!”

“Full Force!” Bazooka repeated.

Blades smiled, but then froze. Something was wrong. The sound that came out of their mouths sounded like ‘Full Force’ but the voices were deeper, like a bad recording, and the mouth movements were out of synch.

“Hey Wild Bill…” Blades slowly leant down, a hand near Wild Bill’s head. “You’ve got something on your chin.” With a sudden tear, he ripped off Wild Bill’s face, to reveal the face of a deadly android!

“FULL FORCE! FULL FORCE!” ‘Wild Bill’ shrieked, lasers blasting from his eyes. Blades recoiled in alarm, flipping up his communicator. “This is Blades to Whirl! Wild Bill is really an evil robot!” He leant down to Bazooka and ripped his face off. “And Bazooka!” He leant down to Scarlett. There was a scream and a wet tearing noise. “…uh but Scarlett isn’t!”

***

Below, standing before the crowd of protestors, Roadbuster was having a heated argument with Whirl.

“What do you mean I CAN’T fire into the crowd with deadly neurotoxin gas? Of course I can, look!” Roadbuster turned to shoot wildly into the crowd. He paused. “Oh I get it, you mean I SHOULDN’T…”

Suddenly from over the communicator came Blade’s garbled cries. The hunt for Grimlock would have to wait – it was action time!


***

“I can’t believe what those bastard robots did to Scarlett!” Flint trudged down the underground tunnels, Blades, Whirl and Roadbuster in tow.

“…Uh yeah…” Blades repeated. “Those evil robot things were sure bad! I hope we’re not too late to rescue Grimlo-“

As they rounded a corner, they saw a welcome sight. Sprawled on the tracks in robot mode was their favourite dinosaur buddy, unconscious but alive.

“Thank the Primal Programme!” Whirl announced, lifting Grimlock to his feet. “We were sure Cobra would have got to you first.”

Grimlock rubbed his head. “Thanks chaps!” he chirped. “Jolly good show of you turning up pronto, what what?”

Everyone stared at him. Grimlock coughed. “I mean, me Grimlock think this was a spiffing rescue, back to base chop chop.”


***

As the Autobots happily took Grimlock back home, a radio set up in Grimlock’s helmet began to buzz. On the other side of it, in the secret Cobra base, stood the Man from Porlock, leaning on a prone silver dinosaur.

“Concentrate! Remember the mission! Don’t mess it up Overkill!”

TO BE CONTINUED!

Who's next? ;D

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Aug 20, 2011 16:40:45 GMT blueshift said:

stabbing the nearest technician in the back in anger

She's a mean one. And I hope Scarlett's not too badly hurt! Your instalment is suitably nuts, and I do like the twist at the end.

Martin

[blueshift]

Aug 20, 2011 17:28:14 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

Aug 20, 2011 16:40:45 GMT blueshift said:

stabbing the nearest technician in the back in anger

She's a mean one. And I hope Scarlett's not too badly hurt! Your instalment is suitably nuts, and I do like the twist at the end.

Martin

She uh... she went into a coma Martin!

Yeah...

[legios]

Do I detect a bit of a German TF influence on your work here Mr Shift? Utterly not where I would have expected this to go, a little bit bonkers but rather fun.

Karl

[blueshift]

Aug 21, 2011 14:09:23 GMT legios said:

Do I detect a bit of a German TF influence on your work here Mr Shift? Utterly not where I would have expected this to go, a little bit bonkers but rather fun.

Karl

Everything I ever write from now on will just be that little bit more insane...

[blueshift]

Now rhyming week is over, someone must write the next part!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

PART FIVE!!!

Several days later.

"Destron advance operative Squawkbox to Destron Space-Fortress. Come in, please."

"Soundblaster to Squawkbox. Proceed with your report."

"Our human facsimile constructs have met with variable levels of success. A number have been detected and neutralised, but they have succeeded in respect of influencing the organisation known as 'Cobra'."

"And Operation: Overkill?"

"Mixed success here also. Autobot Commander Grimlock has been injured in battle with one of our Decepticon throwbacks, and captured by Cobra. The nature of his injury means he obeys any verbal command given to him. This capture provided the ideal opportunity we were looking for to substitute our perfect copy of Grimlock into the Autobot ranks. As far as I can tell, the Overkill prototype has been accepted without question in place of their missing leader."

"Impressive. I had my doubts about the Overkill, but... wait. You said mixed success. Explain."

"Yes, two points of concern. Firstly, my facsimile constructs are having difficulty dissuading Cobra from using the real Grimlock as a weapon, or dissecting him to gain Cybertronian technology. Secondly... the Overkill has deviated from its mission brief. By all accounts, it is taking to his new role a little too enthusiastically. I'm rather embarrassed to report that it's making an extremely effective, conscientious and popular Autobot leader!"

Pause.

"Acknowledged, Squawkbox. Resources are tight, and there is no further support forthcoming for your exploratory mission to Earth. Do what you must to keep Cybertronian technology out of alien hands, but you are ordered to cut communication with the Overkill unit and leave it to its fate. It's the Earth-based Transformers' problem now."
___

The nearly repaired Ark, under Mount St. Hilary. In the medical bay, Prowl and Jazz lay recovering from injuries sustained in battle. Jazz was still unconscious, following the serial traumas of lobotomisation by Galvatron and a laser shot to the head from one of the Constructicons whilst on a mission with Hoist. Prowl was recovering from a point-blank range splinter grenade detonation but was awake and able to converse. Ratchet and Wheeljack joined him for a covert conference.

"I'm telling you," said Ratchet. "I've spent enough time working on Grimlock in my repair bay, and that's not Grimlock who Blades brought back from London."

"A Decepticon imposter?" inferred Prowl.

"I'd have said so, except..."

"What?"

"Well, it's the way he's been behaving since we got him back. He's given up wearing those silly crowns, cancelled all orders to hunt down Blaster and Goldbug, reigned in the excesses of the other Dinobots and started assigning Autobots to proper missions, focussed on protecting humans and thwarting Shockwave's Decepticons."

"It's unbelievable," said Wheeljack. "I was all set to call Cybertron and beg my old friend Sky Lynx to come to Earth to help us overthrow Grimlock, but now I'm not so sure. It's as if he's finally decided to read that copy of the Autobot Code with annotations by Optimus Prime that I left in his quarters, and act in accordance with its precepts."

"So what you're saying," summed up Prowl, "is that we have an imposter posing as Grimlock, who is actually doing a much better job of leading the Autobots than Grimlock ever did."

"Precisely. We've achieved more good work on Earth in the last week than in the previous three months. I'm in two minds about exposing or confronting this Grimlock imposter. I think he's rather good!"

TO BE CONTINUED?

Martin

[blueshift]

Haha that's a brilliant twist Martin :v