Goldbug lunged with surprising speed, catching Rodimus in the jaw and sending him careening into the far wall. Rodimus swung his buzzsaw-arm wildly, forcing Goldbug to swerve and miss with his followup attack. Arms and legs sailed in wide arcs, sending sparks with every connection.

“Why don’tcha use your blasters, Goldbug?” Rodimus grinned as his saw caught Goldbug’s arm.

“Trying to goad me into using a gun in a leadership duel?” Goldbug lunged at his opponent and pinned him against the far wall. “I’m not some idiot who will lose on technicality!”

“Then you’se an idiot what will lose the old fashioned way!” Rodimus freed himself with a head butt and followed through with a kick to the midsection. Goldbug fell a foot from Butch’s position in the crowd, sending the young human scurrying back behind Big Daddy.

“You normally solve arguments like this?” Buster gasped in fascination.

“Little roughhousing keeps the processor sharp and the sparkplugs firin’,” Big Daddy replied with a casual tone, kicking back against a console. “And if one of ‘em happens to deactivate the other, well, we call that a lesson learned on both sides.”

“I like you bots.”

Goldbug regained his feet quickly, blocking his head with his arm-shields and charging. Rodimus sidestepped, but not fast enough, catching a glancing blow that spun him.

“We’re too evenly matched,” Goldbug snarled, skidding to a halt. “But you forgot one thing.”

“What’s dat?”

“Fuel economy. You’re getting tired.” Goldbug made a desperate leap and pinned Rodimus against a security console. In one smooth motion he twisted Rodimus around and locked his buzz saw hand behind his back. “I, however, am feeling quite energetic, invigorated, pumped. Got any words for the commander of the Autobots, Rodimus?”

“Yeah… a few,” Rodimus grinned. “Teletraan-X, delete personnel file designate Goldbug.”



- Eye in the Sky