Optimus Prime stepped off the shuttle ramp, surveying the wreckage of Autobot City. He could hear the continued laser fire as the battle continued around him. He said to himself, "Megatron must be stopped… no matter the cost…." He transformed into his truck mode and drove into battle. Coming upon a group of Decepticons, he plowed through several of them until they took flight and began firing at him. Prime then transformed into robot mode, riding the force of an explosion up into the air. Carefully aiming his rifle, he picked off Decepticon warriors one by one. He landed and rapidly blasted the remaining Decepticons into stunned submission on the ground.
Prime heard the familiar crump of a large fusion cannon. Megatron was near. Prime walked around a corner and saw Megatron, who was chuckling over the lifeless form of Hound, who had accompanied Prime in the shuttle. Hound now had a large hole blasted in his chest, obviously from Megatron's cannon. Sensing a presence behind him, Megatron turned. "Prime!" Prime growled to Megatron, "One shall stand, one shall fall." This did not please Megatron. "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" Megatron had little hope of convincing Prime to surrender; as much as he hated his foe, he respected his will to fight. However, the delay gave Megatron time to allow his fusion cannon to fully recharge. Prime replied with a disrespectful comment; "That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron." Megatron could not tolerate this disrespect, and roared back "No! I'll crush you with my bare hands!" Tackling Prime, their fight began. Megatron fought with all the means at his disposal, including his fusion cannon, a jagged piece of metallic debris, and a discarded laser sword. Prime endured some attacks, avoided others, and battered Megatron with his bare fists. Finally, he threw Megatron face-first onto the ground, retrieved his laser rifle, and aimed it at Megatron's head. Although wounded, Prime's vital systems were still strong. Megatron was severely battered. He could no longer fly or transform, and his fusion cannon lay in a pile of debris behind Optimus Prime. Still, he was not helpless. Spying a discarded blaster hidden from Prime's view, Megatron pretended to beg for mercy as he slowly inched his way closer to the blaster. Just as he grabbed it, Megatron felt a form land on top of him. A foolish young Autobot was attempting to disarm him. Megatron may have been wounded, but he was still twice the size and many times the strength of this young fool. Megatron grabbed the Autobot and intended to use him as a shield. Instead, Prime fired his rifle, blasting Hot Rod out of Megatron's grasp. His next blast destroyed the pistol that Megatron had grabbed. Hot Rod lay on the ground, severely wounded, but still alive. Prime repeated to himself, "No matter the cost…" He then spoke to Megatron. "Megatron, you have finally convinced me.. we are in a war, you and I, as we have been for millions of years. There has been enough death and destruction from this war. There is only one way to win a war. That way is to KILL the enemy. Goodbye, Megatron." For an instant, Megatron knew complete terror, then Prime fired. A hole was ripped into Megatron's chest, spewing fire and sparks. Megatron fell flat on his back.
From a distance, Starscream watched with joy as Optimus Prime stepped closer to Megatron and fired again, severing Megatron's head. The head rolled, then stopped. The red eyes flickered, indicating life still existed. Prime walked over and stomped on Megatron's head, crushing it flat. Megatron was dead. Prime walked over to Hot Rod, knelt down and surveyed the damage. "Forgive me, Hot Rod." Prime straightened up and called out. "Autobots! Listen to me! This ends now! Take NO prisoners!" With that order, the remaining Autobots roared to life. Optimus Prime led by example, grabbing Frenzy as he attempted to flee. Prime swung Frenzy violently into the ground, shattering his body. Prime aimed his rifle and finished off the small Decepticon warrior.
Starscream saw this, and seized his chance. "Decepticons! Megatron has fallen! I, Starscream, am now your leader!" With that established, Starscream surveyed the situation. Optimus Prime, although wounded, had rallied his warriors and had turned the tide of the battle. The addition of the Dinobots, the fall of Devastator, and the death of Megatron all added up to a battle that could no longer be won. Starscream made a decision. "Astrotrain! Transform and get us out of here!" With that command, Starscream fired at the charging Autobots, in order to cover the gathering up of the fallen Decepticons. Sunstreaker, who had discovered the lifeless body of his brother Sideswipe, charged at Starscream in a rage. Starscream fired with both of his lasers, riddling Sunstreaker with laser blasts that ripped through his body. Sunstreaker fell, gravely wounded. Grimlock then rose up from the rubble, opened his mouth, and blasted fire at Starscream, who took off immediately, escaping only slightly singed. As he soared through the air, he saw the last remaining Decepticons scampering inside Astrotrain in his train mode. Starscream landed at the entrance as several Autobots attempted to rush him. He fired at the lead Autobot, Gears, and hit him squarely in the face, completely melting his faceplate. Gears thrashed in silent agony as Kup and Springer attempted to help. Starscream ducked inside Astrotrain, the hatch closed, and Astrotrain escaped into the sky. On the ground, Gears continued to thrash, then went completely still. His body faded to gray. Kup and Springer stood up as Prime walked up behind them. "Another warrior fallen. Gather up the wounded and dead, and help who we can."
Inside the Decepticon escape shuttle, Starscream walked over to the corner where the wounded lay. He looked down at the wreckage of Megatron's body, complete with fusion cannon and flattened head. "Who brought THIS along with us?" Starscream demanded. Soundwave stood and said with his melodic voice, "He deserves to be laid to rest… on Cybertron…" At that moment, Astrotrain spoke up. "Jettison some weight, or we'll never make it to Cybertron!" Starscream then said, "Fellow Decepticons, as your new leader, I say it is survival of the fittest! All dead and wounded out of the shuttle, NOW!" The hatch opened, and out flew Thundercracker, Skywarp, the Insecticons, and the body of Megatron. As Starscream stood in the doorway, watching Megatron's body float away into deep space, he felt a laser blast hit him in the back. Starscream lost control of his body as he crumpled to the floor. One question screamed through his mind: who dares? He soon got his answer as he heard Soundwave's melodic yet cruel voice. "Not everyone desires you as leader, mighty Starscream." Starscream heard other Decepticons chuckling, then felt a hard kick to his side, and he was flying, paralyzed, out of the shuttle. He drifted closer to his wounded Decepticon comrades and the body of Megatron, as they all drifted deeper into the endless void of space.
Optimus Prime walked down the row of dead Autobots. This battle had been their deadliest on Earth by far. Confirmed dead were Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl, Gears, Windcharger, Wheeljack, Sideswipe, Huffer, Bluestreak, Skids, Hound, Trailbreaker, and Mirage. Severely wounded were Hot Rod, Inferno, Sunstreaker, Red Alert, Hoist, Grapple, and Brawn. Prime walked over to Brawn. "Brawn, tell me what happened in the shuttle." Brawn struggled to turn on his operating table to face Prime. "They… managed to sneak up on us, must have had some kind of cloak. Decepticons blasted their way into the shuttle. I was the first one to fall, they blasted my shoulder. They killed Prowl and Ratchet and shot up Ironhide pretty good, but he was still alive. I couldn't move or I woulda smashed those Decepti-turkeys. Anyway, poor Ironhide, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut, so Megatron blasted him at point blank range. After that, I had a catastrophic electrical surge from my wound and passed out." Prime looked at all the dead and nearly dead Autobots laid out at his feet. He turned to Brawn. "Listen to me, Brawn. You rest and let Perceptor fix you up. We're going to go about this war a different way, starting today. No more knocking the Decepticons down and then letting them fly away to fight another day. From now on, the standing order is 'take no prisoners'. The Decepticons have proven they will kill to win this war. We must do the same. This war has claimed enough lives and caused enough destruction. It must end, once and for all." Brawn grinned. "Glad to hear it, Prime… I hear the Decepticons will be looking for a new leader." Prime nodded. "A little too late for these warriors, though." Prime walked over to Hot Rod's table. Perceptor was examining his wounds. Perceptor looked up at Prime. "His wounds are serious, but not fatal. He should be operational within 3 hours. You did what you had to do, Prime. Had Megatron been able to blast your wound, it may have been you on this table." Prime nodded. "Perhaps." As Prime began to walk away, Perceptor spoke up again. "Prime, your own wounds may not be fatal, but they are serious. You should let one of the automated medical droids tend to them." Prime knew it was useless to argue, so with a sigh, he lay on a table and let a white medical droid—one of Wheeljack and Ratchet's last team inventions—start to tend to his wounds.
In space, Starscream had moved beyond panic and fear, and was consumed with rage and the desire for revenge. He was completely paralyzed from the sneak attack. That miserable traitor Soundwave knew precisely where to hit him. But Soundwave was not the only one to blame. All of the Decepticons that failed to warn him were just as guilty in Starscream's mind. Suddenly, Starscream noticed off in the distance an oddly shaped planet. It appeared to have a ring around it, and they were heading straight toward it. The closer they got, the more Starscream could see. It was a massive planet, with a gaping hole and two huge claws, one on each side of the opening. Suddenly, the floating Decepticon's progress stopped. A bright light came out of the opening, accompanied by a massive, deep voice, which the former scientist Starscream found remarkable since they were in the airless void of deep space. The voice said "Welcome, Decepticons… I… am Unicron." Starscream responded, "You… you're alive?" Unicron ignored the foolish question. "I have summoned you here for a purpose… but you are not ready to lead." Starscream roared "I am Starscream the mighty, leader of all—" Unicron interrupted him. "SILENCE." Unicron focused a beam on Megatron's corpse. The cracks and wounds on Megatron's body were bathed in light and healed. The head was reformed and reattached to his body. Megatron's black, lifeless eyes suddenly glowed red again. He looked around in confusion, and saw Starscream. "What… Starscream, you fool, what are we doing in space?" Before Starscream could answer, Unicron got things back on to his agenda. "I am Unicron. You were brought back from the dead to serve me, and this fool next to you is not fit to lead. You must destroy the Autobot matrix of leadership." Megatron was not liking this. "Why should I? What's in it for ME?!" Unicron answered calmly. "First, I will allow you to continue living, or, I can easily return you to the condition in which Optimus Prime placed you. Second, I will give you and your warriors here new, more powerful bodies." Megatron's arrogance nearly derailed the negotiations. "I take orders from NO ONE! If you destroy us, who will destroy the matrix for you?" Unicron responded with two simple words. "Very well." The healing yellow light from Unicron turned painfully red, and Unicron pushed the Decepticons away from him. "Proceed… on your way to oblivion." Megatron looked down and saw the wounds inflicted by Optimus Prime re-appearing. "No! Wait! I accept your terms, I ACCEPT!" "Excellent." Unicron bathed Megatron in light, and re-formed him into a larger, more powerful robot colored grey and purple with an orange cannon on his right arm. "Behold… Galvatron... and these, shall be your minions." Unicron them re-formed Skywarp into Cyclonus, Thundercracker into Scourge, and the Insecticons into the Sweeps. Unicron then turned his attention to Starscream. Starscream yelled out "Wait! Don't re-format me into one of those ugly purple monstrosities! Just repair my damage! I am Starscream the mighty—" "SILENCE." Unicron cut him off. "You are an annoying fool, but very well." Starscream was briefly bathed in light, repairing all of the battle damage from Autobot City and the traitors in the shuttle. However, Starscream retained his familiar body. Suddenly, an enormous door opened in Unicron's side and a battle cruiser floated out. "This shall be your ship… now GO. Destroy the Autobot matrix."
On Cybertron, chaos ruled. All of the Decepticons were screaming at each other, most pointing weapons, trying to make their case for leadership. Even the formidable presence of Shockwave could not silence them. Of course, Soundwave had his cassette warriors to back him up, which gave him an edge, but he had many challengers. Suddenly, an unfamiliar jet swooped in, causing the gathered Decepticons to scatter in order to avoid being sliced in two by the plane's wings. The cockpit flew open and a strange looking purple robot with an orange arm cannon soared out and crashed to a landing. He glanced up a nearby staircase, spying an empty throne that had a crown waiting on the arm. The stunned Decepticons then saw Starscream land, transform to robot mode, and stand next to Galvatron. Shockwave was the first to piece the puzzle together. "Megatron? Is that you?" Galvatron barked a reply. "Here's a hint!" He transformed into an oddly shaped, yet very powerful looking cannon, and immediately fired. The throne dissolved into ashes, and the waiting crown bounced down the steps. It came to rest near Galvatron as he transformed back into robot mode. Galvatron crushed the crown with his foot, turned to face the stunned Decepticons, and asked "Was anyone here thinking of occupying this throne?" Silence, as the Decepticons looked at each other. Rumble broke the silence. "Uhh, what did he say his name was?" Galvatron took this as a sign of the Decepticons accepting him as leader. "Galvatron!" While the Decepticons did not understand how it had happened, they understood that somehow their longtime leader, Megatron, had returned to them in this new form. This immediately settled the issue of leadership. "Long live Galvatron! GALVATRON!" In the excitement, Starscream sidled over to Soundwave. "Do not think for a moment, you miserable traitor, that I will forget your treachery!" Soundwave dismissed this and joined the other Decepticons gathered around their 'new' leader, who was being peppered with questions. All too soon, Galvatron's patience ran out. "Enough! Megatron is no more! I am Galvatron, I am your leader, now get to your stations! We must prepare to attack Earth and finish off the Autobots!"
Back on Earth, Optimus Prime walked to a control panel deep inside what remained of Autobot City. He pushed a button and spoke. "Metroplex, are you operational? What is your status?" In a moment, Metroplex responded. "I am operational and stable, Optimus Prime, but I am damaged. I cannot transform, and most of my weapons are destroyed. The battle was long, and my energy reserves are down to 20 percent. I will tap into the city's dam to recharge." Prime nodded. "Yes, do that, and I shall also summon the Aerialbots in from patrol, in order to bolster our defenses." Prime then walked back outside. Ultra Magnus reported the status. "All repairs have been completed, Prime, except for Metroplex. We have moved the bodies of the fallen into a storage hangar for internment at a later time." Prime told Ultra Magnus to reassign all of the medical droids to work on Metroplex, and then asked where Hot Rod was. Ultra Magnus told Prime that he had assigned Hot Rod to gathering up the dead and placing them in the hangar. Prime walked over to the hangar, where he saw Kup, Hot Rod, Blurr and Springer carefully laying down the dead Autobots in order to be permanently laid to rest. The mood in the hanger was somber and quiet. Prime caught Hot Rod's attention and motioned to him. They walked outside the hangar to a secluded area. Prime looked down at Hot Rod and spoke. "First of all, Hot Rod, I apologize for having to open fire on a fellow Autobot. It was painful to my soul, but necessary to win the battle. Second, don't you EVER try anything that stupid again! Even though he was wounded, Megatron was twice your size and much stronger than you. All you did was give him an opportunity to use your interference against me, which very nearly succeeded!" Prime had to take a breath for a moment, because he was becoming angrier than he wanted to. He then chuckled. "Besides, why did you tackle him when you have laser blasters attached to your arms? Just shoot his pistol!" Hot Rod nodded, silent with humiliation over his mistake. Prime ended their discussion on a positive note. "All right, go on back to work, put this whole thing behind you, just use your head a little more in the future. We can't afford to lose you."
Back on Cybertron, Galvatron was intently studying a detailed schematic of Optimus Prime. In particular, he was interested in the Autobot matrix of leadership, which was stored in a compartment in Optimus Prime's chest. Galvatron considered how to get his hands on this. Optimus Prime would have to be literally torn apart, but not incinerated. Galvatron did not want to destroy the matrix just yet. He had plans of his own for that. Galvatron was shaken out of his thoughts by a wailing planetary alarm. Galvatron stormed into the control room where Shockwave informed him that Unicron was attacking Moon Base One. As they watched in disbelief, Unicron slowly consumed the helpless moon. Galvatron's anger built as he watched Unicron approach the second moon. This time, however, the moon exploded as it was half inside Unicron's gaping maw. Galvatron grunted his grudging approval of the Autobot's desperate move. How convenient if the puny Autobots were to destroy his master for him… Alas, it was not to be. As the explosion subsided and the debris cleared, it was soon apparent that only the moon was destroyed. Unicron was unharmed, and in fact merely began to suck in all the debris. He would not be denied his meal. With a mixture of rage and fear, Galvatron thundered "How dare Unicron! Cybertron and all its moons belong to me!" From nowhere, a painful red light surrounded Galvatron and had him rolling on the floor in agony. Scourge attempted to help his leader, saying "But remember, we belong to him." Galvatron gasped through the agony: "I will obey, Unicron…" With this, the red light vanished and Galvatron recovered. It was clear to him now there was only one way to defeat Unicron. "Decepticons, to Earth!"
On Earth, the Autobots were gathered around Blaster, who had been relaying panicked distress calls from the two moon bases. Optimus Prime was stunned, as were the rest of the Autobots. He had no idea how to go about defeating this monster of a new threat, which had appeared literally out of nowhere. Suddenly, a swarm of Decepticons appeared on the horizon. The Autobots raised their weapons and started firing. Ultra Magnus, who happened to be near Optimus Prime, muttered "how did they get here so quickly? They were on Cybertron five minutes ago." As he was firing, Prime shrugged his shoulders. "It's best not to think about it. Just keep firing." At that moment, the Aerialbots appeared and raced to intercept the Decepticon swarm. This proved to be a somewhat unwise move, as the Decepticons outnumbered the Aerialbots three to one, but it did take lots of pressure off the Autobots on the ground. Galvatron, piloting Cyclonus, spotted Optimus Prime and dove on him, guns blazing. "I, Galvatron, will crush you just as Megatron crushed SIX Autobots on this very spot!" Prime retorted, "And you'll die trying, Galvatron!" Meanwhile, the massed fire from several Autobots got the better of one of the Sweeps, who crashed near one of the Autobot shuttles. Prime contacted the leader of the Aerialbots, Silverbolt, by radio, and relayed his orders. "Merge the Aerialbots into Superion, and cover our departure! We must get to Cybertron to fight this monster planet. When the city is no longer under attack, get into the third shuttle and join us." The Aerialbots complied, and the giant Superion forced the attacking Decepticons to alter their attack plan, giving Prime and the other Autobots a respite. Prime ran to the shuttles with the other Autobots, aided Hot Rod in coaxing the Dinobots on board, and ordered Ultra Magnus and Springer to bring along the wounded Decepticon Sweep. Prime hoped to gain some information by interrogating him.
As the two Autobot shuttles lifted off into the sky, Galvatron realized the futility of fighting a giant Autobot, and recognized that his true target, Optimus Prime, was escaping in a shuttle. He ordered the remaining Sweeps to destroy the third Autobot shuttle, still parked on the ground, and then the Decepticons retreated to their own ship, which was in low orbit, awaiting their return. The Aerialbots disengaged from Superion into their individual robot modes, watching the Decepticons retreat. They had successfully defended the city, but their ride to Cybertron had just been destroyed. Unless… Silverbolt had an idea, and got on the Autobot radio frequency.
On one of the shuttles, Optimus Prime walked up to the captured Sweep, who had managed to transform his wounded body back to robot mode. Prime levelled his blaster rifle a few feet from the Sweep's face. "Speak, Decepticon. Who are you, and where did you come from? I have not seen you before." The wounded Sweep noted that behind the formidable figure of Optimus Prime stood the equally formidable Ultra Magnus, as well as Arcee, Blurr and Springer, and quickly decided that cooperation was the wisest course of action. He rapidly spilled the events of the last day, including Megatron's resurrection and new identity. "I myself was once Kickback, an Insecticon, but I have been reborn. Galvatron, our new leader, was once Megatron, and still retains all of his memories. You should be afraid, Optimus Prime! Galvatron is much more powerful than Megatron was, and he will finish you!" This did not please Prime, but he chose to ignore this threat, and focused on bigger problems. "Tell me about this planet threatening Cybertron." The captive Sweep hesitated, so Prime attempted to appeal to reason. "We Autobots and Decepticons both call Cybertron home, and no one wants to see the planet destroyed. Tell me what you know about this monster planet." The Sweep whispered in terror. "I cannot! If I say anything…" At that moment, the Autobots saw a mysterious red light surround the Sweep, and he cried out in agony. At the same time, an explosion rocked the Shuttle. Perceptor called back from the pilot station "Decepticon ship, dead astern, gaining fast!" As the Autobots turned to look at the controls and viewscreens, the red light surrounding the Sweep dissipated, and he used the distraction. He ran and threw his body with all his might against the side hatch, and succeeded in breaking through and falling out into open space. He then allowed the pursuing Decepticon ship to come to him, and flew toward the docking bay door, which opened to allow him entrance. Neither Prime nor any of the other Autobots were able to do anything about it, so they merely closed the emergency backup door to cover the Sweep's rather unique exit, and concentrated on avoiding Decepticon fire. As they did so, they saw the other shuttle containing Kup, Hot Rod and the Dinobots besieged by Cyclonus and the Sweeps. Soon, it fell out of control onto a strange looking twisted planet. Springer stated the obvious: "Kup and Hot Rod just bought it!" Ultra Magnus, his voice strained, replied, "We can't deal with that now!" He then turned to Prime and proposed splitting the shuttle, over the objections of Perceptor. Prime agreed, just as the Decepticons fired a volley of missiles. The main part of the ship started to list, then briefly lit up the dark void of space with an explosion. This explosion masked the escape of the tiny cockpit section of the shuttle that contained the Autobots. Aboard the Decepticon ship, Galvatron scanned the debris field, and grunted an amused grunt, but said nothing.
Hours later, the Autobots were standing on a planet composed entirely of junk, contemplating how to salvage their shattered, crash-landed remainder of a shuttlecraft. Optimus Prime was just starting to issue orders when out of the rust-colored sky flew a familiar sight: a swarm of Decepticons. While the Sweeps and Cyclonus chased the other Autobots, Galvatron and Starscream landed in front of Optimus Prime, isolating him. Prime transformed from truck to robot mode, taking advantage of his first real opportunity to get a good look at Galvatron. Truthfully, his old mortal enemy was significantly larger and stronger now. He stood head and shoulder over Optimus Prime. Where Prime and Megatron had been perfectly matched, almost to the point of stalemate, Prime was now clearly outmatched. Prime spoke. "Is that you in there, Megatron? Quite a new body you have there. Sorry about your old one, by the way." The phrase was deliberately chosen by Prime to infuriate Galvatron, and it worked. "BAH! I was going to show you some leniency, Prime, out of respect for you as a warrior, but now… SWEEPS! Terminate him!" The Sweeps flew overhead, and each one grabbed a limb of Prime's using laser lassoes. They lifted him up into the air, deliberately pulling slowly, causing Prime to suffer excruciating agony, then his arms and legs were ripped from his torso, which fell back to the ground. Galvatron kicked the torso so it was facing up, then jammed his fingers into Prime's chest and tore open the cavity which contained the matrix of leadership. Galvatron pulled it out and studied his prize with satisfaction. Then Prime's barely audible, weakened protest caught his attention. Galvatron sneered, carefully aimed his arm cannon, and blasted Prime's head free of his torso. "Goodbye, Optimus Prime!" Galvatron them stomped Prime's head flat… or, he thought he did, but unknown to him, Prime's head partially sank into the loose junk surface of the planet, so it was not completely flattened. But Galvatron was far too enraptured with the matrix to notice. "Unicron, my master… with this, I shall make you my slave." Deep in space, Unicron suddenly unleashed a long, enraged roar.
Hours later, the Autobots on the junk planet emerged from hiding and regrouped near the destroyed shuttle. They had no more than started to grieve the loss of their leader, when hundreds of strange robots rose up from the junk and started to chase them. Half of the robots transformed into motorcycles, with the other half riding and harassing the Autobots. The Autobots fought bravely, and damaged a good number of the enemy, but the fact that this enemy just rebuilt itself after being damaged, and the sheer weight of numbers, soon made it clear that this battle could not be won by the Autobots. One of the junk robots who was somewhat larger than the others strode up to Ultra Magnus, introduced himself as Wreck-Gar, and demanded to know why the Autobots were on his planet. Ultra Magnus started to explain, when suddenly a very strange looking silver ship that looked like a sort of alien corkscrew descended and burrowed partway into the surface. Wreck-Gar stared with anger at the damage being caused to his planet's surface. A hatch opened, and Kup, Hot Rod and the Dinobots walked out. Hot Rod attempted to give what he called a "Universal Greeting." He cleared his throat. "Bah Weep Grana Weep Ninny Bom?" Wreck-Gar looked at his comrades as if to say, 'do you have a clue what that means?' Another Junkion shrugged his shoulders. Wreck-Gar had had enough. These robots had crashed their shuttle on his planet, fought a battle on his planet, and now their friends brought a ship that drilled into the surface just to land? Clearly they were destructive invaders that had to be stopped. Wreck-Gar was about to give the signal to his troops to resume battle, when another shape appeared in the sky. This one was a large rocket, which lowered itself down onto the surface. The five Aerialbots flew out, and Omega Supreme transformed to his full towering height. Likewise, the Aerialbots merged into Superion. This astounded the Junkions; they had never seen a giant robot, let alone two at once. Perhaps fighting them was not the best answer. Kup approached Wreck-Gar and Ultra Magnus, and said, "Sorry about that universal greeting, I was sure you'd recognize that; after all, it was on tv!" Ultra Magnus grew impatient at this and was about to rebuke Kup, but to everyone's surprise, Wreck-Gar perked up and said, "You talk some tv?" He held out a mini television unit. Kup replied, "And now the news, don't touch that dial!" The Junkions responded with loud cheers, and Wreck-Gar's perception of the Autobots was permanently altered, for the better. For the next hour, the Autobots and Junkions talked, sang, danced, swapped stories, but the best was when Wreck-Gar led Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod over to Optimus Prime's body. Wreck-Gar declared he would "have your smashed up friend like new again with 90 day warranty." The Junkions gathered up the torn and shattered wreckage of Optimus Prime, and amazingly, in just a few moments, had him reassembled and repaired. They even waxed him. He did indeed look like new. The really amazing part came when Prime revived and rose to his feet. The Autobots joyfully gathered around him. Ultra Magnus questioned him with just two words: "The matrix?" Prime hesitated. "It is gone." Kup felt hopelessness overtake him. "And with it, all hope." The Junkions then informed the Autobots that Galvatron had the matrix, and had gone to meet Unicron. Optimus Prime feared that Galvatron would provoke Unicron into attacking Cybertron, and declared that they had to destroy Unicron. The Junkions offered their assistance. Truthfully, living on an all-metal planet, it had crossed their minds in the past that Unicron might come across their planet one day and make a meal out of it. He was closer now than ever before, so it made sense to take him on with their new Autobot allies rather than to try to do it alone. Wreck-Gar activated a concealed control panel, and a giant ship made out of junk rose up. Autobots and Junkions alike boarded their ships, and took off into space.
Near Cybertron, Galvatron stood on Unicron's surface. "Unicron! Unicron, answer me! See this… the matrix! I now possess that which you most fear!" Unicron briefly trembled, then loosed a roar of rage. Galvatron pressed on. "You will do my bidding, or taste my wrath!" Unfortunately, try as he might, Galvatron was unable to budge the matrix open even a fraction. Unicron replied "You underestimate me, Galvatron." At that moment, Unicron's surface began shifting and changing, literally under Galvatron's feet. He struggled to understand what was happening. Soon, he saw that the planet was taking on a different form. Only when he saw giant, massive fingers appear did he understand. Unicron was a transformer too, a huge one, and he was turning into a robot the size of a planet. Galvatron was sufficiently stunned that he could not move or speak, for he was completely frozen in terror. Galvatron could see Unicron's face, and it was death itself. The face remained motionless, but he could hear Unicron's voice. "For a time, I considered sparing your wretched little planet Cybertron. But now… you shall witness… its dismemberment!" Galvatron saw that Unicron had moved next to Cybertron, and was drawing back his hand for a blow to the surface. All he could do was scream "Nooooooo!" Unicron lowered his hand onto Cybertron, and the blow actually shook the entire planet. A few more like that and Cybertron would break into pieces. Galvatron saw the Decepticons swarm up from the surface to attack Unicron, which was utterly futile. Galvatron transformed to his cannon mode and blasted at Unicron with all of his might. The blasts had no effect whatsoever, but they did cause Unicron to cease his attack momentarily. Galvatron transformed to robot mode just as Unicron's fingers closed around him, lifted him up, and dropped him into Unicron's open mouth. Galvatron fell, and fell.
The Autobot and Junkion ships approached Cybertron, and they all beheld the most incredible and terrifying sight that any of them had ever seen. Even Kup, who loved to share his old war stories, declared he had nothing to compare this to. Unicron sensed the ships approaching, and turned to greet them with fire blasted from his mouth. The alien ship that Kup and Hot Rod had "borrowed" took a hit, but it was not a direct hit, so they kept going. Hot Rod reached up, grabbed the control yoke, and guided the ship straight through Unicron's left eye. This caused the monster planet severe pain, but it also broke up the ship, and the Autobots tumbled out and down into the depths of Unicron's body. Optimus Prime's fall was interrupted by large spikes lining Unicron's innards, while the rest of the Autobots fell away.
Outside, the Decepticons kept up their attack on Unicron, and they were joined by the Autobots. There was an unspoken truce between the two forces, since even the dim-witted Dinobots understood that Unicron was a much larger threat to Cybertron, and that their war could wait until this terrible evil was eliminated. Starscream, Cyclonus and the Sweeps joined the Aerialbots in leading a strafing run on Unicron's head. The combined fire of 11 transformers hardly caused even light superficial damage, but it did earn a swat from Unicron's hand. At the same time, Grimlock led the Dinobots in an attack on the other end. "Me Grimlock kick butt!" And he proceeded to do just that, and aided by the other Dinobots, they succeeded in causing some minor damage to the monster planet's rear end. They were also nearly crushed by Unicron's hand. A new strategy was clearly needed. From the surface of Cybertron, the Constructicons, Stunticons, and Combaticons flew up to offer what assistance they could in the battle against Unicron. But it was increasingly clear that even the two armies combined were little more than an annoyance to Unicron, who alternately swatted and fired at the transformers harassing him and continued to rain blows on Cybertron. Starscream called out, "It's hopeless! How can we defeat an enemy the size of a planet?" Silverbolt happened to be nearby, and called back "Just keep fighting, or Cybertron will be destroyed! Our attacks are drawing him off, somewhat." Grimlock happened to be nearby, and his response was less diplomatic. "You Decepticons keep fighting, or me, Grimlock will take YOU out." Starscream transformed to jet mode, fired both cannons at Unicron, but failed to notice Unicron's hand coming up behind him. Starscream was knocked completely out of control and crashed on the surface of Cybertron. Grimlock shrugged and said, "Well, that no good." He and the Dinobots joined a mixed group of Stunticons and Aerialbots who were making a pass at Unicron's belly. There was a glass section there that appeared as if it might be vulnerable, if they could get close enough to use their weapons on it. They were to be disappointed. Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet, Blitzwing and Astrotrain led a charge straight at Unicron's remaining good eye, and although it was a good effort, most of their shots missed the eye and impacted the facial area near the eye. What this accomplished was to enrage Unicron further, and he swatted at the five Decepticons. Even Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw and Ratbat joined in the fray.
Deep inside Unicron's innards, the group of Autobots who had fallen from the ship struggled to their feet, just in time to see automated claws which acted as Unicron's immune system emerge from the walls and chase them. The Autobots simultaneously fired and the hooks and ran away, hoping they would find a way out. At one point, Arcee stumbled and fell, and the hooks surrounded her and started to take her apart. The other Autobots stopped running and opened fire on the hooks. Hot Rod started to advance toward Arcee, determined to be the one to rescue her, when several of his shots went high and blasted a hole in the ceiling. Immediately, a flood of water erupted forth and swept all of the Autobots away. Hot Rod was swept down a different path from the others, fell down several levels, and found himself in a large space with a giant cauldron. It was extremely tall, preventing him from seeing what was inside, but he was soon to find out what was in that cauldron. First, he could see heat waves and large amounts of smoke and steam rising up. Second, above the cauldron was a conveyor belt, and every few feet was a captured robot from the planets that Unicron had consumed. Slowly but surely, one at a time, these poor victims were dropped into the cauldron. Hot Rod climbed up the side of the cauldron onto the narrow edge, and saw that it was full of pink colored burning acid that was incredibly hot. He saw one robot drop, and saw how they were dying. The robots fell into the acid, and were immediately covered from head to foot. The acid slowly melted them down to liquid metal, which meant that the robots were not even granted a quick death. Their deaths were slow, and horribly painful, which explained why the screams did not cease immediately. The robots desperately thrashed in the acid, blindly trying to escape, despite the fact that even if they could get out, the acid would cling to them and finish its work. No sooner had one robot fallen and was silenced, than another one was right behind. Hot Rod knew that the robots could see what was in the cauldron, since they were attempting to force the conveyor claws open before they were over the cauldron, and when the claws opened to drop them, the robots would attempt to hang on. A strong electric shock jarred them loose, and they fell to their deaths. Hot Rod was stunned by the cold, brutal, utterly uncaring manner of disposing of so many innocent robot life forms. He resolved to stop it, but was unsure how. Then, he noticed that on the conveyor line, several Autobots were headed toward the cauldron. He also realized that every second he stood there stunned, another robot was being dropped to a slow and painful death. Hot Rod raised his arms and fired at the support for the lid to the cauldron. His laser blast was not strong enough to destroy the support. On the conveyor line, the Autobots were almost over the cauldron. Hot Rod fired at the acid just under the support, causing it to splash up and onto the support arm. Beachcomber fell off the conveyor and into the acid, just as the lid started to close. He died slowly, screaming in agony. The lid fell with a giant clang, and the vibration nearly knocked Hot Rod into the acid. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Jazz and Hubcab landed on the lid safely. They had no time to mourn the loss of Beachcomber. As they blasted the other side of the cauldron shut, the bubbling acid almost sounded angry that there would be no more robots coming to feed it today. The Autobots jumped off the cauldron of death and searched for their comrades.
Far away, in another part of Unicron, Optimus Prime slowly gathered himself up off the floor. He had fallen off of the spike that caught him, and ended up in a very dark area. Suddenly, he saw the Autobot matrix of leadership. Galvatron was wearing it like a prize around his neck, silently watching Prime. Prime gasped, "The matrix!" Galvatron shook his head. "It will do you no good, Prime. It cannot be opened." Prime retorted, "Not by a Decepticon!" Galvatron had long ago reached the same conclusion that the armies outside had reached; their war could wait. "Like it or not, we are allies now, against a common foe." Prime was about to agree, when Galvatron was surrounded by intense red light, and began shouting in pain. Unicron's voice could be heard. "Destroy him Galvatron, now, or you yourself shall be obliterated." Galvatron gasped, "Of course, my master!" The red light dissipated. Prime knew that was the end of any possibility of an alliance. Just as with Megatron before, Galvatron's number one priority was always self-preservation. Galvatron fired a few shots, and Optimus Prime leaped back to avoid them. In the smoke from the blasts, he took cover as Galvatron slowly walked around, searching for Prime. "Come out, Optimus! We all must die sometime!" Prime leaped out of hiding. "Not today, Galvatron!" He struck a vicious blow that sent Galvatron stumbling back, but the matrix stayed around Galvatron's neck. Prime fired a few blasts with his rifle, but feared hitting the matrix. Galvatron had no such fears, and quickly fired a series of blasts that forced Prime to run for cover. Prime then transformed to truck mode and rushed Galvatron, headlights glaring at full capacity, and temporarily blinded Galvatron. Prime rammed him in truck mode, knocking Galvatron down, then transformed to robot mode and attempted to wrestle the matrix away. But here, Galvatron's superior size and strength began to tell, and Optimus Prime was simply overpowered by his foe. Galvatron pinned down Optimus Prime, then began to choke the life out of him. It had been eons since Prime had been so completely overwhelmed in one-on-one combat. Galvatron continued to squeeze.
Outside, Unicron finally caught hold of the Junkion ship and slowly crushed it with one hand. The Junkions inside the ship cowered down as the floor and ceiling moved toward each other, and the walls buckled. Unicron then flung the ship, which broke apart. The Junkions fell toward the surface of Cybertron. Both the Autobot and Decepticon armies were wounded, low on power and ammunition, or both, and they all knew that they could not keep resisting Unicron for much longer. On the surface of the planet, Decepticon headquarters had suffered a direct hit from Unicron, and Shockwave lay in pieces, quite dead. This meant there was no organization or coordination among the Decepticons. Not far away, Starscream stumbled to his feet, only now regaining consciousness. He transformed back to jet mode and took off into the sky.
Back inside of Unicron, Galvatron had apparently forgotten about the danger to Cybertron, and was gloating over the imminent death of Optimus Prime. "First, the fools in your shuttle. Then, the fools in Autobot City, Now, you. It's a pity you Autobots die so easily, or I might have a sense of satisfaction. Now…" As Galvatron moved to finish Prime off, the matrix suddenly started glowing an intense blue. Prime ceased struggling against Galvatron, reached up, and grabbed the matrix. The chain broke, and some force knocked Galvatron back. Prime heard the voice of his mentor, Alfa Trion. "Arise, Optimus Prime." As Galvatron watched, Optimus Prime was bathed in the blue light of the matrix, and slowly grew in size until he was equal to Galvatron. He looked essentially the same, but was larger, more streamlined, and definitely more powerful. Even his familiar black rifle was upgraded. Galvatron fired a series of blasts that bounced harmlessly off of Prime, but succeeded in knocking the matrix out of his hands. Prime stood up to his full height. "This is the end of the road, Galvatron…" Prime rushed Galvatron, and with his new size and strength, was able to overpower Galvatron, lift him over his head, and heave him through the side of Unicron and out into space. Galvatron tumbled out of control, screaming as he did. Prime knew that the battle outside was nearly lost, and that he did not have time to destroy Galvatron today. He picked up the matrix and resumed opening it. "Now, light our darkest hour…" As the matrix slowly opened, its full power was released. Unicron began to tear apart from the inside. The acid pit was destroyed. The defense hooks fell uselessly to the ground. Explosions were everywhere.
Starscream was flying to Unicron to rejoin the battle, when there was a small explosion from Unicron's side. Galvatron exploded out of the giant and tumbled out of control, right past Starscream. "Megatron-er, I mean, Galvatron, wait! Come back!" Starscream took off after Galvatron, and most of the surviving Decepticons joined him, partly to recover their leader, and partly to get away from the evil monster they had been fighting. By this time, Unicron was obviously racked with explosions from inside, and had ceased his attack on Cybertron. Both armies, Autobots and Decepticons, moved away from the evil giant.
Inside Unicron, all of the Autobots had managed to find each other, except Optimus Prime. Just as they were prepared to die inside an exploding monster, Bumblebee yelled "Look!" Running up a tunnel was a larger and even more commanding Optimus Prime. He issued his familiar order: "Autobots! Transform, and roll out!" They all transformed to vehicular mode, and followed Optimus Prime, who was being guided by the wisdom of the matrix. They sped right through Unicron's remaining eye and out into space. Omega Supreme spotted them, and swooped over in rocket mode, scooped them up, and flew away to a safe distance. They all watched as Unicron writhed in agony. "Destiny… you cannot… destroy… I… DESTROOY!" At that moment, Unicron's body exploded, and his head entered into orbit around Cybertron. The Decepticons were still in full retreat, chasing after their leader, and the Autobots descended onto Cybertron and took control of the planet.
Days later, the repair and rebuilding process had just begun, much as it had on Earth. The Autobot's losses had been staggering, but so had their gains. They finally had control of their planet, and a steady source of energy on Earth. The Decepticons were completely disarrayed and without their leader. No doubt they would one day be back, either under the leadership of Starscream or Galvatron, but for now, the Autobots celebrated. Optimus Prime stood before the Autobots at a new memorial for their comrades who had fallen in the shuttle, in the battle for Autobot City, and in the battle for Cybertron. "Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian wars as we march forward to a new age of peace and happiness. Till all are one!" The gathered Autobots answered as one.