Intimidation Game

Some guys we never met before turn out to be some different guys we never met before.

Synopsis

An announcer for the program Cybertronian Theater introduces the various cast and crew members, before cutting to an advertisement for the Spark Wellness Center. After the break, the first act, a play entitled Primus of Cybertron by William Shakespearecon, begins. Rodimus, Starscream, Powerglide, and Red Alert enter a hall in the chamber of Primus, and trade objects amongst themselves. After the first act, a commercial for the upcoming show, The A-Team, plays.

The next act, entitled Intimidation Game, begins, where Flamewar wakes up in a prison cell on Tantalus Five, surrounded by Ricochet, Obsidian, and K-9. Struggling against her energy chains, Flamewar is informed by Ricochet that she managed to save herself using her personal forcefield, and that the Autobots found her in stasis lock, patching her up just enough for interrogation. The three bots offer her a mission: assassinate Deathsaurus, and they'll give her a new body that the Tripredacus Council will not be able to recognize, preventing reprisals from them. Incredulous, Flamewar doesn't believe that heroic Autobots and Maximals would use such dirty tactics, but Ricochet informs her its his job to do the dirty work while the other Autobots can fight for freedom. Flamewar still refuses, as Deathsaurus, much as she hates him, is still a Decepticon, and in her eyes, as long as they still exist, the Decepticons will win. Using one last attempt to coerce her by telling her that the medics have placed a bomb next to her spark that will go off unless she agrees, he is still met with resistance, as Flamewar insists she will never work for any Autobot or Maximal. The three supposed Autobots and Maximals begin to laugh evilly, as they drop their holographic disguises, and reveal themselves to be the Predacons Scourge, Buzz Saw, and Max-B. Revealing that this was a test, the three offer her a position under a new leader who will return glory to the Decepticon and Predacon cause. A leader...named Megatron!

After the second act, a commercial for Maccadam's plays. The third and final act, Transformers: Rebooted, an adlibbed version of the Battle of Autobot City, begins. After its conclusion, an ad for Hoist's Autobody Shop plays, before the night is closed out with musical act Three Dobson Night playing "Knockin' on Primus' Door".

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

• Characters mentioned include: William Shakespearecon, Primus, Tripredacus Council, Deathsaurus, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Spike Witwicky.
• The cast:
  • Brandie Tarvin: Flamewar
  • Brian Orms: Ricochet / Scourge
  • Paul Dobson: Obsidian / Buzz Saw
  • Brian Dobson: K-9 / Max-B
  • Other members include Michael Chain, Wally Burr, Michael Dobson, Brian Savage, and Pete Sinclair. Thanks are given to Melissa Kelly, Ben Yee, Rik Alvarez, and Brian Savage.
• This live-action script reading took place at BotCon 2005, and follows up on the events of that year's comic story, "Descent into Evil".

Transformers references

• Moonbase 3 is mentioned, following after the precedent set for the first two Moonbases from The Transformers: The Movie.
• Maccadam's originated from the Marvel UK The Transformers comics.
• Transformers Rebooted is an adlibbed version of The Transformers: The Movie.

Real-World references

• Cybertronian Theater is named after Masterpiece Theater.
• Three Dobson Night is named after the Dobson brothers (who played characters throughout the Unicron Trilogy) and rock band Three Dog Night.
• William Shakespearecon is named after William Shakespeare, and Primus of Cybertron is based after Timon of Athens, down to dialogue.
• The A-Team is based on the real life television show also called The A-Team, and the Cybertronian Broadcasting Company is based on the BBC.
• "Knockin' on Primus' Door" is named after the Bob Dylan song, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".

External links

• Script scan at Obscure Transformers