The Combiner Wars rage on as the Autobots and Decepticons harness the power of the Enigma of Combination to create powerful super-robots. While Megatron may have an advantage over his foes in numbers, a sinister threat lurks on Cybertron as Shockwave and Governor Straxus work in secret to build their own combiner army for Megatron. After this revelation was brought to light, Megatron prepares to move against this threat from within, and the Autobots continue to develop and refine the Enigma of Combination with the hope of making more powerful combiners to stand against the Decepticons' overwhelming strength in numbers, all while Shockwave prepares to make moves of his own...
Scrapper and the Constructicons were sent on a mission by Megatron to steal materials from a construction site outside of Wichita, Kansas to rebuild their space bridge and get back to Cybertron. Megatron had recently discovered that Straxus was in league with Shockwave, sending across the space bridge not one, but two combiner teams. He was also part of Shockwave's original plan to use Archforce during Megatron's attack on Kansas City. It was paramount that Straxus be dealt with before he could rally more Decepticons against Megatron, whose ideas lead to the very founding of the faction. The work day was just beginning as the workers were starting their shift. Using the clamor of the early morning rush, the six green construction machines were able to slip onto the site relatively unnoticed. The foreman of the site, however, saw this and was suspicious. He stepped out of his truck and marched off to confront the operators of these suspicious machines. "Hey, you there! Stop! I didn't order any more iron!" He shouted as he climbed the ladder and threw open the door to the cab to find no one in the driver's seat. Scrapper, seeing his cover had been blown, then changed to his robot mode, which signaled the other five to do the same. Everyone was shocked as to what had happened as the Constructicons pointed their blasters at the humans.
"Out of our way, fleshbag, or else this might get ugly!" Scrapper growled as he held the foreman by his shirt. He feared for his life as he looked Scrapper in his eyes behind his glowing red visor. The leader of the Constructicons then dropped the human to the ground as he then turned to begin pillaging building supplies from the site.
"We'll be taking some of your supplies, and if anyone even thinks about calling for help, I'll squeeze you 'till you pop!" Bonecrusher added as he clenched his fist to intimidate the humans. Scavenger loaded up girders in his excavator mode into Long Haul's dump bed, while Hook held more with his crane arm and Mixmaster carried some on his shoulders. All of a sudden, a ground bridge portal opened up and through it came Prowl and a squad of Autobots.
"Take 'em!" He barked as he waved his hand to signal the attack. Tracks, Hound, Smokescreen, and Skids then opened fire with a furious salvo of machine gun and blaster fire, while Prowl, Jazz, Brawn, and Sideswipe advanced to engage the marauding Constructions servo to servo. Scrapper relayed a signal and suddenly Starscream, the seekers, and a squadron of Jet Vehicons swooped in from above and strafed the Autobots' forward thrust.
"We'll handle this!" Silverbolt boomed as he and the Aerialbots then rapidly changed to their jet modes and blasted into the air to provide cover to their comrades and opened fire in response to the Decepticons' assault. Sideswipe deflected Skywarp's laser fire, but was caught off guard as he used his teleport power.
"Too slow!" He the battle raged, Scrapper and the Constructicons escaped with the steel they required while Soundwave, orbiting over the battle, opened a portal for the Constructicons to escape through back to the Nemesis. Starscream and the other Decepticons then held the Autobots at bay for a few more minutes until they then took back off and flew into another portal with Soundwave. The Decepticons had been repulsed, but Prowl was now left with questions. Why here? Why were they stealing building materials? Were they just making mischief, a diversion for an Energon raid? These questions buzzed in his head as he took his squad back through the portal, leaving Ratchet, Jazz, Trailbreaker, and Smokescreen behind to tend to any injured humans and clear away any collateral damage.
When Starscream, Scrapper, and the rest of their team returned to the Nemesis, Megatron ordered them to his location outside about half a mile from the ship. "What is it you wish of us, Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked.
"Did you procure the materials necessary to fully repair the space bridge, Scrapper?" Megatron turned to them.
"Yes, Lord Megatron. The rest of the Constructicons are at work on it as we speak." Scrapper answered.
"Excellent." Megatron purred. A few minutes prior, Onslaught, Swindle, Brawl, Blastoff, and Vortex had all been uploaded with the Enigma of Combination and were testing their combined form. "Behold, Bruticus." Starscream and Scrapper indeed beheld the imposing combination of the Combaticons. With his massive strength he was able to smash a pile of ice to pieces with a single punch.
"BRUTICUS...UNSTOPPABLE!" He roared at the top of his voice box, and after his feat of strength he returned to Megatron's side.
"Shockwave may know that Straxus is compromised on Cybertron. We must keep our guard up. You will play a vital role in snuffing out these sparks of dissent before they engulf the Decepticon faction in chaos, Combaticons." Megatron said as Bruticus dismantled. He knew that he was playing a dangerous game in moving against this threat from within his own faction. Dividing his attention between Optimus Prime and Shockwave would leave him vulnerable to attack from both, but he a lot to gain if he was successful against Straxus and Shockwave's treacherous alliance.
"Of course, Lord Megatron!" Onslaught agreed.
"It doesn't make sense, Optimus. Why did the Decepticons attack where they did?" Prowl said after debriefing Optimus when they returned to the Ark.
"Given the targets the Decepticons have attacked-an Air Force Base, a pulp wood plant, a jet aircraft factory, electrical stations-I agree, it is especially perplexing. However, the Decepticons have unknowingly laid a clue as to their intentions. Do you remember during our first encounter with Shockwave at the aircraft plant?" Optimus replied.
"Of course I do!" Prowl said.
"Shockwave and the Constructicons were procuring metal alloys that were to be used for the construction of those aircraft. Shortly after the battle in Kansas City, Wheeljack and Perceptor analyzed wreckage from the space bridge receiver and found trace amounts of those same metals. The humans refer to these substances as 'rare earth' metals, and they make up the majority of the materials used in their technology. Perhaps it would not be too much to suggest that the Decepticons utilized these materials to the same end." Optimus elaborated. Prowl was thoroughly convinced by Optimus' arguments, but something still did not fit. It was quite a mystery to the Autobots, one that they would get more answers to than they would expect. Meanwhile, at Shockwave's headquarters in the Australian outback, Seawing was monitoring a human news feed of the skirmish between the Autobots and Megatron's Decepticons in Wichita earlier that day.
"Commander, I think you'll like this." He told Shockwave. Shockwave came to analyze the reports of the skirmish. Seawing watched as Shockwave seemed to audibly ponder these events.
"Megatron's plan is all too obvious." Shockwave said, coldly. "It is quite possible that he was able to discover the connection between Straxus and myself. The space bridge I built for him was destroyed at the battle of Kansas city, but it is apparent that he was able to repair it to some extent, and he knows that the only way for him given his circumstances to get to Cybertron is by space bridge. Megatron has already conducted his own display of force to this planet, but Optimus Prime defeated him. Now the pieces are in place for us to put on a display of force of our own."
"You aren't saying..." Seawing gasped.
"Indeed, gather the others. We leave immediately." Shockwave replied to Seawing. The Seacon did as Shockwave ordered and gathered the rest of his teammates and the Terrorcons, who all then followed Shockwave toward the target of his choosing. At the Nemesis, the ship's long range scanners picked up twelve Decepticon energy signatures on the move.
"Lord Megatron, scans indicate a cluster of Decepticon energy signatures at these coordinates." Soundwave reported to Megatron on the bridge. The scanners indicated that Shockwave and his Decepticons were in Melbourne, Australia. Megatron stroked his chin for a moment.
"Shockwave...gather our troops. We may have let him escape one time, but never again!" Megatron declared, fiercely, pounding his fist on the screen, cracking it. The suddenness of his movements prompted all of the other Decepticons on the bridge who bore witness to the event to scramble to the hangar with all haste. Megatron then gathered the Constructicons, Predacons, Stunticons, Combaticons, Starscream and the seekers, Bludgeon, Dreadwing, Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Lugnut, Lockdown, Soundwave and his scout force, Blackout, and several battalions of Vehicons to deal with Shockwave, the Terrorcons, and the Seacons.
In Melbourne, Shockwave and his Decepticons were causing chaos. People ran as they razed the city before them. Flames and smoke rose from the wreckage as humans fled in terror.
"Hahaha! I can't wait to taste humans!" Hun-Gurr cackled as he ripped a car in half between his two mouths.
"Eww, gross! Why would you want to eat them when you could just squish them!" Sinnertwin replied.
"Do as you wish with the humans, so long as Megatron is drawn to our position." Shockwave said, coldly. Close by the Seacons emerged out of the Yarra River to terrorize the riverfront.
"Where are those bloody Autobots?!" A man exclaimed as he hid under a table. Suddely, a space bridge portal opened up as Snaptrap slashed through a building, then an energy blast spewed out of the portal and hit the Seacon Commander in the arm, knocking him down. The humans who saw this cheered, thinking that the Autobots had arrived to put a stop to the carnage, but they were dead wrong as Megatron and his Decepticons strode forth from the portal.
"Hmm. The humans are cheering for us? Perhaps we should put on a show for them; DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!" Megatron roared, then his Decepticons charged through the portal. Shockwave saw Megatron coming and his eye glowed. Megatron stared him down and raised his fist, signaling the Decepticons to halt.
"Lord Megatron. We meet again at last." Shockwave said, coldly. Megatron scowled, intensely. "I can feel the rage inside you. You regret letting me live."
"I regret nothing!" Megatron retorted, furiously.
"The Decepticons deserve better. When we finally had the Autobots cornered on Cybertron, you were the one who went on a fool's quest in pursuit of Optimus Prime! The war could have reached its logical conclusion had you not been in command." Shockwave told Megatron.
"The war will only end when I want it to, even if it goes on for the rest of eternity!" Megatron shouted. Shockwave's taunts had obviously gotten to Megatron, as he was how seething with blistering rage.
"And what if it does? Should you manage to defeat me, others will see the fruitlessness of this eternal war you speak of and the Decepticons will plunge even further into chaos, then the Autobots will win and yours will be a meaningless death." Shockwave said. Shockwave's logic seemed to be airtight. The war had already raged on for four million years, and at last the Decepticons had an opportunity to destroy their enemies or at the very least end the war with the Autobots on their terms, but Megatron would only be satisfied when he had finally killed Optimus Prime, and in their hour of triumph he and his most loyal followers pursued their sworn enemy across space when they could have just as easily let Optimus Prime and his handful of Autobots slip through their servos, powerless in any attempt at retaking Cybertron. It was for this reason that Shockwave swore to install himself as the new leader of the Decepticons and finally end the war with Cybertron and the rest of the galaxy under his rule.
"Then by all means, show me that you deserve to lead!" Megatron finally shouted as he fired a blast of his fusion cannon at full power...