Appearing in "Showdown!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Donny Finkleberg
- Charlene (First appearance)
- Jake Dalrymple
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Showdown!"
Continued from last issue...
Ravage scours the Wyoming wilderness searching for Donny Finkleberg, who fled from Decepticon captivity during their last battle with the Autobots. Donny has come across an empty campsite and takes some clothing so that he can get out of his Robot Master costume, leaving money behind for the clothing that he's taken. Fleeing the scene, he spots Skids but thinks he's just an abandoned junker, and Skids is unable to make contact because his speech circuits have been disabled.
Ravage meanwhile manages to track Donny's scent to the campsite and destroys it. However, when he finds no remains in the resulting explosion, he continues his search for Donny. While miles away, grocery store clerk Charlene is given a ride home by her co-worker Wendell. On the ride home, she laments at how dull her job is and expresses her need for adventure. She convinces Wendell to drive off the road and explore a little and they come across Skids. They are about to dismiss it as a wreck when Skids turns on his radio, prompting Charlene to convince Wendell to bring the vehicle back to his Uncle Bob's garage. There Bob manages to make repairs and turns the car over to Charlene who drives off with it. Skids finds the idea of being this young woman's vehicle interesting and decides to carry on the charade of being a normal car.
Things get hairy when Jake spots Skids coming out of the garage and chases after the Autobot in an attempt to get even over a fender bender caused by Skids. No matter how hard Jake tries to smash up the Autobot, Skids uses his extraordinary powers to fend off his attacks, and all Jake gets is a green coat of paint splattered on his car for all his troubles. Charlene is frightened by the seemingly impossible stunts and tries to abandon the vehicle. Skids reveals his true form to her and explains his origins and explains that he is sick of dying or the threat of death and simply wishes to be her car. Charlene decides to give him a chance. Jake and his girlfriend meanwhile have gone to a diner, and as he's talking about the experience he witnessed, his story is overheard by Donny Finkleberg who is interested in the story.
As the days progress, Charlene and Skids spend time together, Skids gets introduced to westerns and is shown the local scenery. He is eventually tracked down by Donny who demands that Charlene and Skids give up their rues because he has important information to give to the Autobots. Just then they are attacked by Ravage, forcing Donny to push Charlene into Skids and speed off to safety. Spotted speeding away by Jake, the tough guy follows after them.
Donny, Charlene, and Skids decide to try and hide out in an abandoned western town where they are tracked by Jake and his girlfriend. Jake takes a tire iron and manages to sneak up on Skids and smash his windshield, causing Skids to black out. He has a nightmare where Charlene is a prisoner of Megatron who forces Skids into a draw, one which he loses and is obliterated. As he's coming around, Donny is telling Jake off for smashing the windshield when they are attacked once more by Ravage. Ravage pounces on Skids, but before he can destroy the Autobot, Jake, having a change of heart rams his car into Ravage giving Skids enough time to come around and transform into robot mode.
Ravage is by far the more superior combatant and manages to knock Skids near an abandoned mine shaft. This proves to be Ravages undoing as when he lunges toward Skids, the Autobot moves out of the way and Ravage ends up falling down a mineshaft, and seemingly destroyed. In the aftermath of the battle, Skids realizes that he cannot abandon the Autobots mission to stop the Decepticon on Earth, otherwise people he cares about like Charlene will be hurt. Saying goodbye to Charlene, Skids leaves with Donny to take the information Finkleberg has to Optimus Prime.