Transformers: Retribution by David J. Williams, Mark Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

ability to improvise had been useful in many a tight pinch. Like nearly every Autobot on the ship, he’d seen a few million years of combat. Yet his experience was nowhere near Kup’s; though the old-timer was old and dented, his experience dealing with the unknown just might be the edge they needed. Rounding out the team was Bumblebee, who had proved himself to be a first-rate scout many times over.
    “So this dropship has been fitted with aquatic capabilities should we need to do any underwater exploration …” Ironhide chuckled to himself as he eavesdropped on Prowl’s somewhat tedious briefing. He wished he weregoing. It had been a while since he’d seen some action, and he hated to think that someone else might be seeing it first.
    “Remember, I’ll be in command of this operation,” Prowl continued.
    “Second time you’ve mentioned that,” said Rodimus. “I think we get it.” Bumblebee beeped in agreement.
    “Just as long as you get this: If you have any doubts or questions, run them past me first. It’s vital we obtain as much actionable intelligence as we can.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah …” Rodimus offered with a bored wave of his hand. Kup pulled out a cy-gar and slapped Rodimus on his orange-plated back.
    “Easy, kiddo; knowledge is power, after all. Prowl knows what he’s doing. Top-notch operator he is. Nobody better suited for a sneak-and-peak job like this one. Did I ever tell you about the time we tricked a herd of Igyaks into—”
    “Only about a million times,” Rodimus interrupted. He raised a finger in the air. “I have a question.”
    “Yes,” Prowl said impatiently.
    “Who gets to fly the ship down?”
    “Nobody,” said Ironhide. “Teletraan-1 will be handling the drop.”
    “Aw, where’s the fun in that?” Rodimus said, disappointment written on his face. Ironhide handed the electronic checklist to Prowl and gave him a jaunty salute.
    “All systems are green, good buddy.”
    “Thanks, Ironhide.”
    “Just remember that if you find any Deceptifools down there, leave a little bit for old Ironhide, all right?”
    “Count on it,” Kup answered with a thumbs-up.
    “Okay,” said Prowl. “If there are no more questions, let’s get this show on the road.” The team members climbed in through the hatch, found their seats, and strapped in.
    “Away team ready for drop,” said Prowl.
    “Green light,” Sideswipe said over the radio. The massive flight bay doors opened; the dropship rocketed out of the bay and soared in toward the planet.
    “You’re in the pipe,” Sideswipe said. “Looking great.”
    “Passing the rings now,” Prowl said. They were spectacular, stretching out in both directions. But there was something about them that was a little peculiar …
    “Look at that,”
Rodimus said, pointing at one of the rings that was … It didn’t seem possible, but it was
blinking
, its colors alternating slowly from green to blue to purple and back again.
    “Sideswipe,” Prowl said as he put the feed through to the Ark’s bridge, “you getting this?”
    “Roger that,” Sideswipe said.
    Perceptor broke in. “Initial scans indicate they might be artificial.”
    “What do you mean artificial?” Kup asked.
    “I mean somebody made them. Possibly to shield the planet’s equatorial seas from cosmic rays and their radiations. The placement seems very specific indeed. I’m going to have Teletraan-1 slow your descent so we can take a better look.”
    “Copy that,” Prowl said. The dropship fired its retros, rolling right to give the crew a closer view of the planet’s ring system. The purple and blue hues reflecting off the rings made for a breathtaking symphony of light.
    “This is really quite amazing,” said Perceptor. “There seem to be particles in the rings capable of trapping the sun’s rays. They might be serving as solar collectors.”
    Bumblebee chimed in with a series of high-frequency bleeps.
    “Same here, kiddo. I don’t like it.” Kup