Above Earth, Elita One and her Autobots have found the crash site of Optimus Prime and prepare to make contact. Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Shockwave and his Decepticons are in the final stages of construction of their space bridge with which they will assist Megatron in an attack on Kansas City, Missouri. However, Blaster, a former Autobot turned mercenary, prepares to reveal to Ultra Magnus this information in hopes of coming to terms with his former brothers in arms...
Kup, Bluestreak, Brawn, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Pipes, Hosehead, Siren, Gears, Mirage, and Flak were on patrol as they entered Tetrahex, an Autobot-held city state that was in danger of slipping away after increased Decepticon attacks. "Keep your receptors peeled, lads. It's this kind of alertness you had to have when I was stationed on Gerodos-Alpha during the Kappa Quadrant liberation campaign." Kup advised his team.
"How can you be so old but be able to remember so much?" Sideswipe questioned.
"Moral of the story, always back up your hard drives, kid" Kup answered, then an explosion rang out and gunfire from above rained down upon the Autobots. "Scatter!" Kup shouted as the Autobots took cover. Some of Shockwave's Decepticons, Lugnut, Skyquake, Falcon, Stalker, Snare, Talon, and some ground Vehicons launched an ambush on them from an abandoned factory. The Autobots then transformed to robot mode and mounted a counterattack against the Decepticons. Sideswipe deflected laser blasts with his swords as he sliced apart his attackers, while Sunstreaker fired blinding blasts of photons at Snare.
"Graargh! I can't see!" The Decepticon jet exclaimed as he fell from the sky and smashed into the ground.
"That's the point, Decepti-crap!" Sunstreaker retorted. Lugnut then flew over in his jet bomber mode and released his payload as he carpet bombed the Autobots, shouting,
"Your destruction shall rain from above, Autobots! For the glory of Lord Megatron!" However, a precise burst of missiles from Flak's launchers destroyed the bombs before they could reach the ground.
"Think again, Lugnut!" Flak replied. The Decepticon juggernaut then transformed to robot mode and landed with a 'THUD' on the hard, metal ground as the rest of his squadron joined him, and Kup and his Autobots battled them. Nearby, Blaster watched as the battle raged.
"There! Those Autobots look like they need some help, and I'm gonna give them some!" He decided to himself, then he transformed to vehicle mode and sped toward the battle. There, Kup fought Lugnut close up.
"You're getting slow, old timer-give up while you still can and surrender!" Lugnut growled as he swung his mace, but Kup swiftly dodged the attack and fired his automatic shotgun at Lugnut, who blocked the spray of shot with his wing shield.
"Not many 'bots my age are in this good a shape! It's not about age, but mileage, Lugnut!" Kup responded, defiantly, then he jumped and kicked Lugnut in the jaw. Suddenly, a car streaked in and slammed into Lugnut, transforming into a red, grey, and yellow, 'bot whose face was covered with a blue visor.
"Sic 'em!" Blaster called as he launched from his chest compartment five stereo speakers who then transformed into Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Rewind, Eject, and Stripes. The Autobots were in awe as Blaster and his scouts tore through the Decepticon ranks. Blaster fired his electro-scrambler at Skyquake, Steeljaw sliced and chomped through Vehicons, Ramhorn trampled and smashed over them, Rewind and Eject fired their blasters at Stalker, and Stripes launched missiles from his hip mounted launchers until Lugnut shouted,
"Decepticons, retreat!" as he transformed back to his jet bomber mode and the others followed. Kup watched as they departed from the battle, then he turned to Blaster. He then looked at his smudged, scratched badge.
"Brawn, book him!" He commanded, solemnly. Brawn then tackled Blaster while Siren handcuffed him, then he fired stun blasts at the five small scouts which hit their mark and made them transform back to stereo mode. "Blaster, you're under arrest for desertion." Kup spoke, sternly to his captive.
"A little 'you're welcome, Blaster' would've been nice. Besides, I have important information that Ultra Magnus needs to see!" Blaster replied.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of military justice." Kup said. He and his patrol made their way back to Iacon with their prisoners for processing. There, they were kept at Autobase Iacon's prison complex, better known as the 'Dark Heart'. At this facility are some of the worst criminals within the Autobot and the Decepticon factions, but are kept separate to keep them from fighting one another. Later, Kup went to report to Ultra Magnus the day's event's.
"Well sir, we finally caught him." Kup began his briefing.
"Caught who?" Ultra Magnus wondered. Kup then displayed a hologram of Blaster, his captive. "Blaster. It says he deserted about 50 stellar cycles ago. He didn't much care for rules and regulations. He even punched me in the face." Ultra Magnus recounted.
"He seemed to have been in the right place at the right time when we were fighting Lugnut and a squadron of Decepticons on the outskirts of Tetrahex. He told me about something you needed to hear." Kup replied.
In the meantime, thousands of light years away, another group of Autobots are faced with another challenge. Elita One's ship cruised in to a landing somewhere in the dense forests of the Canadian Shield. The hatch opened, and the crew of female Autobots' commander was the first to set foot on Earth's surface.
"Alright, ladies, transform to vehicle modes!" Elita said, and she transformed to her new Earth vehicle mode, an M1126 Stryker ICV. In quick succession, Chromia, Moonracer, Firestar, Velocity, Airazor, Lancer, and Nautica transformed into their vehicle modes, a Can-Am Spyder, a Dodge Viper, a Dodge Ram 3500 brush truck, a drag racer, an F-22 Raptor, A Gumpert Apollo, and an Audi R8, respectively. Nautica activated the ship's cloaking mechanism to allow it to turn invisible.
"The Ark is a few hundred kliks south, ma'am." Nautica reported as they got underway. At the Ark, Wheeljack was monitoring the movement of a cluster of energy signatures on Teletraan 1's viewscreen.
"Optimus, I'm picking up some energy signatures heading south towards us." He informed Optimus.
"Are they Decepticons?" Optimus asked Wheeljack.
"No, they're Autobots!" Wheeljack answered. Optimus was confused, the only Autobot energy signatures on Earth were those belonging to the crew of the Ark. How could more Autobots be on Earth?
"I'll prepare a team to investigate." Optimus said. "Autobots, transform and roll out!" Prowl, Smokescreen, Jazz, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Arcee, Skids, Hound, Huffer, Inferno, Cliffjumper, and Jetfire transformed to vehicle mode and raced toward the signals.
Back on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus, with Mirage, Gears, Siren, and Brawn as his escorts, went to the Autobase Iacon prison, where he then made the necessary arrangements to free Blaster and his scouts. "Blaster, I've heard from Kup that you have some information for me. Would you mind telling me that information?" The Autobot City Commander asked Blaster.
"That depends," Blaster replied "If I give you this information, I would like to be pardoned of all charges and readmitted to the Autobots." Ultra Magnus thought about this for a few minutes. Blaster could have information key to what Shockwave could be planning next. He had to hear it, Autobot lives depended on it.
"We'll see. Debrief me on the information you have stored on one of your scouts' hard drives, first. Then we can make deals." Ultra Magnus replied. Blaster then called up Steeljaw, who sauntered up to his master and transformed to stereo mode, then inserted himself in his chest compartment. Blaster flipped down his visor and projected from it Steeljaw's recordings. Ultra Magnus studied the recording intently, and it was of Shockwave's meeting with Strika after her return from the Paradron Space Bridge Research Station which had been pulled into a star. "I will take your requests into consideration, Blaster. Thank you." Ultra Magnus thanked him after the playback ended.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Blackout, the Insecticons, Dreadwing, and some jet vehicons were on patrol when he picked up some Autobot energy signatures on his scanners. "Lord Megatron, I'm picking up a cluster of Autobot energy signatures heading south." Blackout radioed the Nemesis.
"Intercept and destroy them!" Megatron replied.
"With pleasure, Milord. Decepticons, attack!" Blackout called, and the Decepticons swooped in to attack the unsuspecting Autobots down below.
"We've got company, Autobots, attack!" Elita One barked, and her crew scattered, then transformed to robot mode to fight back. Elita fired her twin handheld machine guns, Velocity fired her laser cutter cannon, and Airazor streaked in and strafed the Decepticons. Lancer ran a Vehicon through on her spear, then used it as a shield to block blaster fire from another and then shot him in the face. Blackout landed and then deployed his rotor saw, whirling its blades around so fast they acted as a shield, blocking any blaster fire towards him, then he turned them into a pair of swords with which he tried to strike Elita One, but she drew out her energy swords and dueled the Decepticon electronic warfare operator.
"Well, if it isn't Elita One! How'd you end up on this mudball?" Blackout said as they clashed. En route, the Autobots were notified by Wheeljack about a development.
"Optimus, I'm picking up Decepticon energy signatures near the cluster of Autobots, be on alert!" He radioed Optimus.
"Understood, Wheeljack." He replied. Optimus saw eight robots battling against a contingent of Decepticons on the horizon as they neared the U.S-Canada border, then his crew transformed to their robot modes to assist their comrades. Elita and Blackout locked their swords until Optimus charged into battle brandishing his sword and axe, then Blackout bolted around and dueled Optimus at the same time.
"Optimus!" Elita cried as she saw who had come to her rescue.
"I see you used the medallion." Optimus said as he and Elita dueled Blackout. Close by, Ironhide and Chromia stood back to back as they unleashed a torrent of firepower.
"It's nice bumping into you again, Ironhide!" Chromia said as she shot a Vehicon in the head.
"I know, and I see your aim is still as good as it was back on Cybertron!" Ironhide remarked as he fired his shotgun, which then blew another Vehicon out of the sky. Blackout and his Decepticons were taking heavy losses, and he called,
"Decepticons, retreat!", and they hastily withdrew from the battle. Once the smoke cleared, Optimus and Elita One could properly reacquaint themselves.
"Autobots, this is Elita One, commander of Amazon Squadron." Optimus introduced Elita One to the Autobots.
"We were sent by Kup to find you after they couldn't contact you ourselves. I owed him one." Elita explained.
"Kup... I know him from somewhere in the past. that is a name haven't heard in some time." Optimus said, thoughtfully. Elita One then turned and said to Nautica,
"Nautica, bring in the ship."
"Yes, ma'am." Nautica said, then she pressed a button on her forearm which sent a signal to start the ship. Within a few minutes, the Autobots had all boarded Elita One's ship and Optimus was guiding them to the Ark.
"We have made the best of our situation here on Earth, Elita. After crashing on this planet about forty two stellar cycles ago, we went into stasis to conserve energy after the crash. As a result, our subspace communicator was destroyed, and any means of contacting Cybertron." Optimus explained.
"We can help with that, Optimus." Elita replied. They then flew over the crash site of the Ark and set down, where Ratchet, Wheeljack, John Richard, Harris, and Jessica all came to see.
"Another spaceship? Who could it be this time?" John Richard wondered. His question was answered when the hatch opened and Optimus and Elita One stepped out. "Optimus!" The humans exclaimed. Elita One knelt down to examine the humans more closely.
"Awwww, they're so cute!" Elita cooed as she picked up Harris. "Are these your pets, Optimus."
"Pets!?" Harris spluttered. "Skids, can you catch me?"
"Gotcha!" Skids replied as Elita then placed Harris in Skids' hand.
"These are our human allies, who act as our ambassadors to the rest of this world's population. Their names are John Richard, Harris, and Jessica." Optimus explained to Elita. Optimus then took Elita and her crew inside the Ark. "Now that you have arrived, Elita, our priority is establishing a link with Cybertron. My engineer, Wheeljack, will no doubt be of good use to you."
"Right. Nautica, go with Wheeljack and help him get the subspace communicator online." Elita said. Nautica obediently joined Wheeljack in their objective to reestablish contact with Cybertron. The two engineers took long cables and ran them to the transmitter on Elita's ship, then connected them to Teletraan 1's core processor. While they worked, there seemed to be another connection made, one on a different level, but we'll see more of that later. Once the task was done and all the proper preparations made, Wheeljack announced,
"Autobots, history is in the making! We'll be in contact with Cybertron in three...two...one, hit it, Nautica!" Nautica threw a switch which completed the circuit of using the ship parked outside connected to Teletraan 1's transmitter to emit a powerful radio signal. Optimus, Elita, and all of the Autobots as well as the humans, watched and held their breath, hoping the signal would reach Cybertron.
"This is it, John Richard! We can finally contact Cybertron!" Bumblebee murmured excitedly to his friend.
"I know, I'm just as excited!" John Richard replied.
On Cybertron, Nightbeat ran to Ultra Magnus' office. "Ultra Magnus, come quickly! A transmission is coming through, from Optimus Prime!" He exclaimed. Ultra Magnus followed him to the command center, pushing their way through dozens of Autobots, then put the transmission through. Optimus Prime's face then appeared and an explosion of jubilant yelling erupted from the crowd. "Optimus, this is Ultra Magnus. Do you copy?" Ultra Magnus said. His voice was instantly carried thousands of light years beyond Cybertron to Earth, where Optimus then replied,
"Affirmative, Ultra Magnus. It is good to see you again, old friend. The Ark is no longer operational, and we are stranded on the planet Earth. What is the situation of the war back on Cybertron?" Optimus asked Ultra Magnus.
"Hi there!" John Richard, Harris, and Jessica interrupted. Ultra Magnus saw them and inquired,
"Um...Optimus, what are those...creatures?"
"They are our human allies, John Richard Ericsson, Harrison Clancey, and Jessica Banderleigh. Three of my crew have befriended them in hopes to act as ambassadors to the humans, the dominant life forms of this planet. Your report?" Optimus answered as he then shifted the subject.
"Ah, yes. We seem to be gaining the upper hand over the Decepticons on several of the active battlefronts across the planet, but there's a greater threat on the rise. Shockwave and Megatron are planning a massive assault on this 'Earth' as well, and to do it, they're building a space bridge to send a Decepticon army across!" Ultra Magnus answered. The Autobots and humans gasped. Megatron was now going for broke, and the Autobots stood little chance of stopping him.
"Do what you can to disrupt their operations on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus. My Autobots and I will do what we can as well. Until next time, old friend, Till all are one." Optimus replied.
"Till all are one." The Autobots echoed, and the transmission ended.
On Cybertron, Shockwave was now at the construction site of the space bridge and was in communication with Megatron. "Lord Megatron, I am pleased to report that the space bridge's construction is ahead of schedule." Shockwave reported to Megatron.
"Excellent, Shockwave. I knew I could count on your talents to complete this project in time. The Autobots are building up their strength on Earth. Just this cycle, the Autobots gained eight new warriors, the infamous Amazon Squadron, commanded by Elita One." Megatron continued.
"The Autobots' increase is nothing compared to number of Decepticons I am currently mobilizing. As we speak, I have an entire legion of troops waiting to deploy to Earth." Shockwave said. "The Autobots stand no chance." The transmission then ended. "And neither do you, Megatron." Shockwave said to himself as he then turned and watched as the gleaming form of the space bridge took shape...