“Vortex is the most out-and-out sadistic of the Combaticons, and functions as their interrogator.”

History:

Vortex is dangerous, even for a Decepticon. He is a vicious loose cannon with next to no respect for chains of command, and a twisted desire to torture weak victims for no logical reason. After routinely disobeying Megatron and disregarding orders, the final rivet in his proverbial coffin was a horrific incident since deemed classified. Vortex was sent to the brig, but after murdering other inmates and a guard, he was deemed too savagely dangerous to remain fully operational. His vital systems were separated from his chassis and he was placed in a secure, solitary-confinement detention facility.

Vortex’s components were amongst those ‘liberated’ by Starscream. The mutinous flier stole the systems of several locked-down convicts to form a small army for himself. Vortex respects Starscream for busting him out of detention and returning him to his chassis, and echoes Starscream’s anti-Megatron sentiments.

When Vortex received news of Megatron’s demise, he quit his lurking in the shadows of asteroids and backwater blackmarket worlds to see if his history of allegiance to Starscream might bring him power. Eager to discover whether he might be in line for rewards of some form, he set a course for Earth, where the battle for supremacy within the Decepticon forces rages.

Personality:

Vortex is a dark, cold sadist and has sickening skills in interrogation. He will extract everything and anything from his cowering prey, given the time to work his ‘magic’. He is loyal only to those he deems worthy of his allegiance, with a convicted criminal’s code of honor that runs well outside protocol or normal decency.

Specification:

Alt-Mode: UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter in dark army grey, with red-tinted windows and fitted with a pair of M240H machine guns. Top speed of 222mph, weight: 4.5 tonnes.

Transformed:
• Main rotors are not used as a weapon.
• Tail rotors are collapsed like a folded fan in his left wrist. These can be spread and pivoted to form a rake that reaches over his fist, or a row of blades on his forearm.
• 19 ft tall, compact build.
• Both arms carry machine guns.
• Heavily armored chest and legs. Weakest points are his thighs and upper arms.
• Feet are armed with large, grasping claws.
• Index fingers are long, dextrous and armed with a wickedly sharp claw.
• Little finger is usually held curled up in his hand/palm/wrist. This delicate little appendage is as sharp as a razor, with retractable barbs, and when pushed, this needle worms its way forcefully through the corner of your optics to saw away at the back of this sensitive component and flay your optical cable. That’s when most start to scream…