We had a chat and before long, I was secured as the lead for Challenge of the Gobots. Then one of the scouts from Hanna-Barbera thought that a transforming Jet/Robot was kind of cool. Anyway, I did a bit of courier work, joyflights, that sort of thing. Sold one of my jet engines for three cartons of cigarettes and a couple hundred litres of leaded petrol a few years back. I can transform into a jet plane you see. In my early years, while I was trying to get a contract for a TV series, I did a bit of work at the local airport. Turning down a role with Leader-1: Hasselhoff’s biggest mistake? Maybe even have a joint human protagonist, probably played by David Hasselhoff. It was my goal since I was a kid to have a robot TV series of my own. You know - fighting evil, transforming, red carpet appearances. My mother and father became famous working on the Japanese series Machine Robo. “I used to be a bright young Gobot with a promising future. After a brief coughing fit and a swig of his LRP, he began his tale. “The rise and fall of Leader-1, eh?” His words echoed in the uneasy silence of the control room. How did you come to be leader of the Gobots?” “No, thank you,” I replied, my eyes watering from the stinging fumes. Not as good as the ol’ leaded stuff, but it does the trick,” he added, drunkenly chuckling to himself. “You want some?” Leader-1 gently thrust the jerry can in my direction. His robotic eyes emitted a dim, red glow. He lazily shoved a chair in my direction. ![]() “Grab a seat,” slurred Leader-1 as he recovered from his coughing spell. The uncomfortable silence was finally broken by violent coughing. Since leaded petrol had been banned, many of the older generation of transforming robot vehicles had been forced onto leaded-replacement petrol (LRP) to manage their addiction. He reeked of petrol, and not the unleaded kind. In the other hand was a large jerry can he took a long swig from. ![]() In one hand, Leader-1 held a cigarette, of which he would occasionally take a disinterested drag. ![]() I had been one of those kids who had abandoned the Gobots for Transformers, and before me was the ruin I had helped to create. Looking upon him, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with pity. Slumped in a chair by the filthy, grease-stained windows was Leader-1 himself. It looked like Leader-1 had hired Ghengis Khan as his maid. ![]() Scattered around the room were machine parts, spare tires and jerry cans. Immediately, I was struck with the stench of old cigarettes, petrol and exhaust fumes. Stepping into the main compound of Gobot HQ, I made my way through the ghostly metallic halls and into the control room. The sheds and bunkers of these noble guardians that had once stood as symbols of honour in the fight against Cy-Kill and the evil Renegades were now decrepit skeletons of what they once were. I’d hazard a guess that they were probably using PFAS as well. Years of overuse by the Gobots had seen tires, oil and jet fumes kill off most of the plant life. I arrived at Gobot HQ shortly prior to our arranged meeting, and took some time to survey the remnants of the base.
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