At the wreckage in the Iacon Hall of Relics. A former Decepticon turned Autobot scavenger named Huffer is searching for weapons through the wreckage. The building has become the most dangerous place a Cybertronian can get to. The roof is almost completely destroyed with most parts barely hanging on. The fire that was once burning in the building has covered anything it touches with highly corrosive Rust which attracts wild Scraplets. Not even Scavengers have been able to survive venturing into the Iacon Hall of Records. Huffer ignoring the dangers in the building continues to venture deeper, whilst scavenging inside. He manages to find a powerful weapon.
"Hmm….What is this?" Huffer said asking himself what he could've possibly found. Huffer pulls the entire weapon out of the rubble and immediately recognizes it.
"Oh Primus!" Huffer said in complete shock.
"It can't be!" Huffer said still talking to himself.
"It is! It's a Heavy Iron Blaster!" Huffer said the name of the weapon.
"A powerful gun that was wielded by the great Elite Guard member "Ironhide""! Huffer explains to himself the origin while amazed at the same time.
"I shall honor Ironhide's memory by wielding this blaster on any Decepticon that tries to harm me and Cybertron itself!" Huffer with pride and a loud tone in his voice vowed to use this weapon in honor of Ironhide and the Elite Guard. His yelling accidentally gets the attention of 12 Scraplets. They started slowing crawling towards them while grinding their large teeth and aggressively hissing on him.
"Oh Scrap!" Huffer cursed as he was frightened by the metal-eating pests. The Scraplets got closer and started flying towards Huffer grinding their teeth faster and ready to dismember him piece by piece. The panicked Huffer fires at one of the Scraplets causing it to fall into a pile of Corrosive Rust where the Scraplet starts to slowly fall apart and die in agonizing pain. Huffer smirks for a moment and looks back seeing the other 11 Scraplets flying towards him. He starts running away with the Scraplets still chasing him. Huffer turns around from time to time and using the heavy iron blaster shoots and kills 4 Scraplets. When running into a dead end, he notices the 7 other Scraplets flying faster to him. Huffer covers his optics and waits for his fate to come when suddenly, a group of Decepticon seekers fire from the rooftop killing 3 more Scraplets leaving the other 4 to retreat. Huffer is immediately surrounded by the Seekers who transform out of their interstellar jet forms and land on the ground, aiming their Null Rays at him. One of the Seekers slowly walks in front of the others and shows himself to Huffer. The Autobot scavenger immediately recognizes him.
"Dirge!" Huffer says the name of the Decepticon Seeker.
"Been a long time!" Huffer said as he and Dirge were once partners when he was a Decepticon.
"Well if it isn't Huffer the treacherous low-life Scavenger!" Dirge insults Huffer for his new lifestyle and change in faction.
"The war has been rough on many of us, some bots needed to find some way to survive!" Huffer explains why he is now a Scavenger.
"Oh don't bore me with your sad life!" Dirge continues to mock his old friend.
"I see you have found a powerful Elite Guard weapon!" Dirge mentions the weapon Huffer has in his hands.
"It can be useful for us Decepticons! Give it to me!" Dirge forces Huffer to give him the weapon. Huffer stares at the weapon in his hands and looks back at Dirge with a worried look in his face. After a few seconds if thinking, Huffer makes his decision.
"Never!" Huffer said.
"We used to be best friend Huffer! If you give the weapon to me, I could ask Starscream to spare you!" Dirge said as he offered Huffer a chance of re-joining the Decepticons.
"No! I will not work with a bunch of Cybertronian terrorists…..Nor will I ever take orders from the likes of Starscream or Megatron!" Huffer said showing to Dirge that truly hated working for the Decepticons and will never re-join their faction.
"Well then…..this pains me brother but I'm afraid that I must end you!" Dirge replied back to Huffer aiming his null rays at his former ally ready to finish him off. Huffer got in a defensive position aiming the heavy iron blaster he's holding at the Seekers.
"FIRE!" Dirge ordered the Seekers to kill Huffer. All of the Seekers miss and Huffer retaliates firing his weapon at them. He kills 2 Seekers and badly injures Dirge by shooting off his left arm. Dirge collapses from the impact and the Seekers fly up to the sky to avoid being hit. Not knowing what to do, the Seekers stay at the air and don't fire back. Huffer goes to investigate Dirge's body to make sure he's dead. Dirge's body remains motionless, the Energon is dripping out of his left arm socket while a few small sparks keep popping out. Huffer steps on Dirge's chest to check if he'll respond to it, Dirge still didn't get up. Huffer assumes that he's dead and looks away. Without even noticing, Dirge reactivates and grabs Huffer's leg causing the Autobot to trip and fall to the ground. Dirge though struggles because of his missing limb eventually gets up and walks toward to Huffer, pinning him down with his foot and aiming his null ray at the Autobot.
"It pains me to do this but…..as under the Decepticon code I'm not allowed to show any mercy to an Autobot or traitor!" Dirge says showing how loyal he is to the Decepticon cause even willing to kill his own friend.
"One day Dirge….guh…..Primus will make you pay for this….And when your life flickers out…..I'll be waiting at the Realm of Allsparks…To beat the ever living Scrap out of you!" Huffer says as he expects Primus to avenge Huffer by inflicting pain and suffering to Dirge in the living world. Dirge said nothing and without hesitation fired at Huffer twice in the chest and once in the head finishing him off for good. The remaining Seekers land back down to the ground asking the injured Dirge for their new orders.
"Commander Dirge! What are your next orders?" One of the Seekers asked. Dirge was silent for a moment rapidly exhaling and staring at the wreckage around them.
"Commander?" The Seeker asked trying to get Dirge's attention.
"Oh uh…..Take the weapon and the dead Autobot back to Nucleon. Starscream may find use for both items!" Dirge replied giving them their instructions.
"Yes Sir!" The Seekers replied back grabbing both the heavy iron blaster and Huffer's corpse and flying back to Nucleon with them. Dirge unable to transform into his jet form due to missing an arm flies in his robot mode holding on to his damaged shoulder and arm socket.
Far away from the battle that occurred. Dino left Kaon and drove off to an abandoned Autobot academy to meet up with an old friend of his. Given the huge number of Decepticons patrolling Cybertron, it's extremely dangerous for an Autobot to venture off Kaon on his own. Dino transforms out of his Cybertronian hover car mode and checks the perimeter. He suddenly receives a call from the Command Center.
"Dino! Dino? Where are you?" Jolt asked trying to get Dino's attention.
"I'm here Jolt!" Dino answered.
"What is it?" Dino asked.
"Where are you?" Jolt asked the same question again.
"Where do you think I am? I'm at the Autobot academy!" Dino said wondering why Jolt keeps on forgetting where Dino always goes.
"You run off too much Dino, The Bots have just noticed that you're gone and have sent Drift and a few other troops to search for you!" Jolt warned Dino. Dino only sighed in annoyance wanting Jolt to stop being so paranoid.
"Any sign of those Decepticons?" Jolt asked with a concerned tone in his voice.
"Nah I don't see any of those bastards anywhere!" Dino replied back.
"You sure?" Jolt asked.
"Of course I'm sure nobody comes here anyway!" Dino replies back.
"Okay just…be careful okay!" Jolt begged.
"Don't worry Jolt I'll be fine, I have the ability to cloak! I can survive outside the command center easily unlike the others!" Dino said boasting about his cloaking abilty.
"Come back soon Dino!" Jolt said.
"Don't worry pal I will!" Dino replied back. Jolt left the call and Dino was ready to enter the Autobot academy.
"Okay buddy….Let's see if I can convince you to help us this time!" Dino said to himself staring at the entrance. Dino opened the gates and entered inside. The Autobot living inside the building has places Turrets all over the area and other machinery that is capable to making weapons and a Cybertronian's special ability de-activate while inside. Dino was unable to use his cloaking ability and tried to move as slowly as possible to avoid activating any turrets. He manages to enter the main room but accidentally activates the security system "Teletraan 1".
"Warning! Warning! Unidentified Cybertronian has entered the building!" Teletraan 1 activates and gives out a warning.
"Leave this facility once or you'll be destroyed!" Teletraan 1 threatened Dino due to its programming.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy now, I'm a friend, I'm a friend!" Dino cried out trying to make Teletraan 1 deactivate the turrets. But Teletraan 1 kept giving off the same warning until…..
"STAND DOWN TELETRAAN 1!" The Autobot living in the building said ordering Teletraan 1 to deactivate and left Dino pass. Teletraan 1 eventually deactivates and Dino is able to go through to greet the Autobot.
"Dino!" The Autobot said
"Hello…Sideswipe!" Dino said greeting the former Autobot scout turned Combat Instructor.
"It's been a while old friend!" Sideswipe says as he comes closer to Dino.
"Too long pal!" Dino replies back. Sideswipe gets closer to Dino and shakes his hand allowing him in.
"So what brings you here?" Sideswipe asks.
"Well….The Autobots are starting to win the war ever since Megatron disappeared and hopefully died!" Dino said.
"Impressive!" Sideswipe replies.
"I hope my former students have been helpful!" Sideswipe says as he mentions the young Autobots that he trained and were recruited by Optimus Prime.
"Yeah they are! Bumblebee, Hot Rod, Cliffjumper, They all made great scouts and soldiers!" Dino said to Sideswipe.
"That's great to hear!" Sideswipe replied back happy with himself.
"But Cliffjumper sadly passed away at the hands of Stockade!" Dino then mentioned Cliffjumper's fate. Sideswipe was deeply saddened by it.
"By the Allspark!" Sideswipe said.
"He was one of my best pupils!" Sideswipe said mourning Cliffjumper.
"Anyways Sideswipe. Cliffjumper was killed, Huffer's life signal went offline and Sandstorm is on the verge of dying, he we need as much help as possible, we need….Your help!" Dino said to Sideswipe asking for him to re-join Optimus Prime's army.
"I won't!" Sideswipe replied back with a serious and slightly annoyed tone in his voice.
"Not after what happened to…Sunstreaker!" Sideswipe mentioned his late brother.
"Sunstreaker's death deeply affected all of us but we kept fighting for him…..it's what he would've have wanted you to do!" Dino said to Sideswipe how much Sunstreaker meant to the Autobot cause.
"It was because of Optimus sending us to the Sea of Rust on our own that Starscream was able to surprise us and stab my brother before my very optics!" Sideswipe in anger mentioned how his brother died.
"I know how it happened, Starscream impaled him through the spark and threw him into a smelting pit!" Dino explained Sunstreaker's entire demise angering Sideswipe even more.
"I don't want to be a part of this war anymore! I would gladly be isolated and not have any friends!" Sideswipe said.
"That way I would never have to be depressed anymore!" Sideswipe continued talking.
"But you still mourn Sunstreaker!" Dino knew that Sideswipe still misses his older brother.
"I feel the same about Mirage, I fight every day to avenge him. I destroy as many Decepticons as possible, the very monsters who brainwashed him!" Dino mentioned how he misses Mirage and continues fighting for him. Sideswipe still didn't come to reason.
"Don't you see Sideswipe? This is what Sunstreaker would've wanted, he would've wanted to keep fighting for him, he'd want you to stay in the Autobot Ranks, he….he…He would've wanted you to brutally kill Starscream in his memory and instead you isolate yourself in a damaged academy having no other company but a security system!" Dino begins lecturing Sideswipe further pissing him off.
"THAT'S IT!" Sideswipe yells as he pushes Dino away in anger.
"GET OUT!" Sideswipe ordered Dino to leave the academy. Dino begins to walk away heading to the exit and stop just to say one last thing to Sideswipe.
"I hope you remember this! Your brother died a hero…Mine died a coward!" Dino mentioned what type of person each their brothers died as. Sideswipe didn't reply, he was staring away from Dino trying not to further lose his temper.
"Let me know when you have changed your mind, I hear Hound is planning on slitting Starscream's throat…And I know how much you want to finish him off yourself!" Dino tells Sideswipe before opening the exit door and entering outside.
As Dino heads outside deeply angry and annoyed by Sideswipe's ignorance, he is ambushed by 6 Decepticon soldiers who surround him and aim there plasma rifles at him…