TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED - Remake Season 1
Episode 7: Home is Where the Spark Is
Several years ago, Detroit...
"Your excessive consideration and charity for your fellow humans astound me, Sumdac.", a dark and gravely voice echoed throughout the large, private laboratory.
At the sound, Isaac Sumdac looked up from where he was currently changing his attire into a pale turquoise-colored lab coat and black gloves.
"Oh. You were watching us through the surveillance systems again?"
"Sadly, there's little else I can do with my time these days.", the voice sighs.
"I understand, my friend.", Sumdac nodded with sympathy. "As for your concerns over how I manage my money, the reason is quite simple...
"You see, the people call me a revolutionary... The father of modern-age robotics... But the fact of the matter is that I didn't do it all alone. Rather, I owe it all to the technology I gleamed from the extraterrestrial artifacts that one night fell out of the sky and crashed upon my family's farmland.", he said as he walked past a severed metallic hand many times the size of a normal human's and came to stand in front of a robotic head of corresponding size. "Or to be more precise... I owe it all to you, my friend."
The giant head sat in the lab on a small plateau, heavily hooked up to a multitude of wires and thick cables that connected it to the surrounding machinery. Much of the outer plating that made up its facial features were either damaged or missing like the ridges that were supposed to frame its left optic-sensor, and nearly the entire structure that made up its mouth was gone as well, though this didn't impede the head's vocal processors.
But despite its condition - as well as outright missing its entire body - the Cybertronian head was indeed conscious and aware; both optics glowing with a crimson light as the bright pupil in the intact right eye settled down onto the human scientist.
"Hmm. Don't sell your own talents short, Professor.", Megatron mused. "I'm still amazed you were able to learn as much as you did considering this planet's rather... limited scientific advancement."
"Yes, I suppose there's no helping that to you we must still seem quite so primitive.", Sumdac noted matter-of-factually as he walked back to the Cybertronian's right hand and climbed up into its open palm to use it like a chair as he conversed with its owner.
"To think... For years I wondered just who or what could've constructed such an incredible metal man. Imagine my surprise to recently have learned that there's an entire planet out there inhabited by alive and sentient machines! Goodness, my mind still staggers at the prospect."
"Yes... That day was indeed full of surprises.", Megatron noted wryly. "Like the rude awakening I suffered, discovering my... predicament. As well as learning that I am apparently all alone on this planet."
"Yes, you said you came here with your allies on a ship, but I can assure you to the very extent of my knowledge that there has been reported nothing else quite like yourself to appear here on Earth."
"We need to be absolutely certain.", Megatron pressed. "At the very least, the rest of my body that broke up upon entering your stratosphere should still be out there somewhere."
"I've suspected as much myself over the years. In fact, one of my secret reasons for creating my company was in order to expand my resources to scour the globe for any such potentiality. Unfortunately for both of us I've so far come up with nothing, but I will now however double, no, triple my efforts in this endeavor!", Sumdac declared empathically.
"Good, but make haste, Professor. I am needed back home. There is no telling how my people, how my planet will fare if I'm not there to protect it!", the 'bot said, his gaze trailing after the human as he moved out of his "seat" and headed towards the lab's computers.
"I assure you, Megatron. I will do everything in my power to help restore you to your proper self so you can return to your friends. After all, it is the least I could do in return for everything you've managed to do for me."
"Then I will hold you to that... my friend...", Megatron remarked coolly, the intact features of his right optic narrowing ominously behind Sumdac's back as the good-natured professor started working.
Present day...
"Are you sure Megatron is in there?", Barricade asks in vehicle mode in front of Sumdac Tower. "I mean we were literally on top of that building and didn't detect his signal."
"Most likely to prevent Starscream from detecting him.", Geist said. "Have you completed the distraction?"
"Yes, I tipped off this Angry Archer of a bank transfer.", Barricade answers. "This will keep the law enforcers and the Autobots occupied for the time being."
Up on the tower is Soudwave, his cassettes and Scalpel. Rumble and Frenzy are cutting open the roof, as using more quicker methods could alert the Autobots.
In the dark and dusty laboratory that once served as Isaac Sumdac's private working space, a handful of his company's drones are spread throughout the large room, busy at work with restoring the facility to working order.
As they repair and reconnect wires and cables and, one of the many video-screens in the room was currently tuned into Powell making another military contract after having the glitches with the Vehicons patched up.
"If only that sentimental old fool was still around to see what's become of his precious company...", Megatron comments in the room. "Hnh. It almost warms my spark thinking about it..."
Sitting on a podium in the center of all the wires, cables and consoles the drones were busy restoring, the head of Megatron snorted to himself in derision.
"But the Professor's disappearance has nearly been as much of a hindrance as it was a benefit. For the last few stellar cycles I've been forced to sit here, simply observing the outside world through these screens while unable to do anything to influence it. ...But that all changes today."
Megatron's optics look up seeing a large piece of the roof falling, but was caught at the last second by Laserbeak and Buzzsaw.
"I appears I have visitors."
Soundwave softly land with Scalpel on his palm and they both see Megatron.
"Lord Megatron!", Soundwave calls out bowing before his leader, before looking back up at him. "What happened to your body?"
"It's a long story I'm afraid.", Megatron answers. "It also appears you have one a well, but first let us give the others entry."
Outside the tower, Frenzy waves a glow stick giving the Decepticons waiting the signal to enter.
"That's the signal.", Geist said as he transform into robot mode along with the others. "Let's go."
The Decepticons enter the tower with Powell blocking their path.
"Hey, you Autobots can't just waltz in like you own this place.", Powell shouts.
"First of all, we're not Autobots.", Barricade said straight to Powell's face. "And second, I believe we can, unless you want this to go public."
Barricade reveals a footage to Powell doing some 'dirty' business.
"(Nervous laughter) Please make yourself home.", Powell said welcoming the Decepticons.
"Oh, and that's for calling us Autobots.", Geist said firing a laser beam from his finger tip vaporizing Powell's hair making him bald.
"My mullet!", Powell screams.
In the Autobot base, the Autobots are working on the finishing touches on the place.
"Our new home is coming together nicely.", Optimus said setting the TV monitor with Bumblebee.
"If I had my way, we'd never leave!", Ratchet growls. "It's not safe out there. They're always watching... waiting..."
"...the Decepticons?", Optimus asks in amusement.
"No! Those annoying camera-bots!", Ratchet growls as he plugs the cable network into the television.
Appalled, Bumblebee cuts in. "What! No way, being a star rocks!"
The screen suddenly comes to life, with Optimus front and center holding his most recent capture, the Angry Archer.
Seeing this, Bumblebee continues. "If the titanium-alloy plating fits, wear it! And, hah, I make it look good.", he boasts.
"You guys got it easy.", Bulkhead said. "All people want me to do is break stuff. I got a sensitive side too, ya know!", he declares. He hesitates, then continues, "…but breaking stuff is kinda fun…", he chuckles.
"Either way, there's a lot to learn about this planet, so we'll just have to roll with it.", Optimus said.
The sound of a familiar jetpack have the four of them turning to face the skylight of the factory. Their own resident ninja-bot fall through the open window and land with a crouch on the factory floor. Rising up from his crouch, but with his shoulders still hunched tensely, he marches out of the room with his only greeting an aggravated growl.
After his angry footsteps dies down, Bumblebee smartly remark. "I guess Prowl didn't get the memo about 'Rollin' with it'."
At that moment Skyfire in his vehicle mode lands outside the building with Arcee and Wheeljack exiting out carrying many items.
"Who would have thought the Nemesis would be a gold mine!", Wheeljack cheers.
"So the Allspark has scattered into fragments all across this planet.", Megatron said after Soundwave's side of the story. "And you have know idea what became of Starscream."
"Apologizes, my lord.", Soundwave said.
"No matter, Starscream will be dealt with and the loss of the Allspark is a major setback.", Megatron said before looking at the monitor showing the Key to Vector Sigma. "However the Key will make up for this loss and possibly help us find the Allspark fragments."
Megatron then turns to his Decepticons.
"For the time being, your main task is to restore me to my former glory.", Megatron said. "And we shall make use of the Professor's company to do so for we have ways to control his "inheritors"."
Megatron then look at the monitors revealing the Vehicon blueprints.
"We shall start by building an army."
In the Autobot base, Ratchet was doing some work on the probe.
"There that should do it.", Ratchet said closing it up. "Alright, Sari. Try and download yourself into the probe."
"Alright Ratchet.", Sari said as she does so.
The probe activates and creates a holographic avatar of Sari.
"So how do you feel?", Ratchet asks.
"Not completely myself, but at least I'm out of that monitor.", Sari said looking at herself.
"Good, I have to help Wheeljack with Skyfire.", Ratchet said.
"Why? You already fixed him up.", Sari said.
"We're working on removing his weaponry.", Ratchet explains. "We can't have him walking around in public with guns and missiles sticking out like a sore thumb."
"Good point, but what if there is Decepticon attack?", Sari asks.
"Wheeljack is working on a process similar to Optimus' Super Mode allowing Skyfire to call up his weaponry."
"Mind if I help?", Sari asks.
"Well, since you're the Key I suppose."
Bumper
Geist in his tanker truck mode drives through the battlefield before transforming into his robot mode and throwing his Geist Cutter.
Prowl in his motorcycle mode drives over a ramp, transforms into his robot and two holographic clones of himself.
Somewhere in an abandoned airforce base...
"Arg! Why do we hide here like cowards?", Thundercracker shouts. "I say, we go at destroy those Autobots!"
With that his arm falls off.
"Patience, Thundercracker.", Starscream said walking past him. "As long as we are stranded in this planet we have all the time to destroy the Autobots."
"You seem in surprisingly good spirits considering this loss.", Slipstream said.
"Loss, you say?", Starscream asks. "The Allspark and Key may currently be out of my reach and there is a True Prime among the Autobots here, but what I discovered makes up for it."
Starscream summons a holographic screen revealing blue crystals.
"What you see before you is Energon, but the kind we are used to.", Starscream explains. "This is an Allspark-infused Energon formed from the energy wave from the Allspark. Unlike regular Energon which serves a fuel this particular Energon can double a Cybertronian's power for some time. It can even be used to forge Energon weapons. However there are some drawbacks."
An excavator scoops up a chunk of the crystal when suddenly it overloads and explode after the driver jumps off.
"The Energon is bursting with raw energy, and hence hazardous to any machinery including us Cybertronians."
"That just mean it's practically useless too us.", Thundercracker said.
"For the time being, but eventually we'll find the means to refine it for our needs.", Starscream said turning to the Seekers. "Scour the globe and mark every locations have high concentration of Energon."
"And what are you going to do while we're at it?", Slipstream asks as most of the Seekers transform and takes off.
"I'm going to find a way to mine that Energon and with any luck take the Key to Vector Sigma.", Starscream said sitting down and lowering a visor.
"You hid a Lensmeter on the key.", Slipstream said. "Clever."
"(Chuckles) Megatron always say, "A wise ruler must always have a contingency should something goes wrong."", Starscream said as Slipstream transform and takes off.
In the Autobot base where the Key to Vector Sigma lays, a Scalpel-like drone de-cloaks itself and scurries off.
"Now to find their computer and access the files."
The Lensmeter scurries across the hallway passing the medical room. It comes back and sees the holographic Sari working with Ratchet.
"So the Autobots have somehow found a way to separate the girl's conscious from the Key. Fine by me, it'll make using the Key much easier."
The Lenmeter then continues off with it's original mission.
It enters the command center where Wheeljack is doing some last minute adjustments.
"There!", Wheeljack said. "With that Teletran-1 is now patched into the system."
Wheeljack leaves the room allowing the Lensmeter to climb onto the console and begin hacking.
"Now to find the information I need and at the same time get rid of the Autobots."
"That should do it.", Ratchet said removing the last piece of weaponry from Skyfire. "Take a good look at your public form."
Skyfire walks up to the mirror and is clearly impressed.
"Wow! I look like a different bot.", Skyfire comments looking at himself.
Suddenly the lights shut off.
"Hey, who turned off the lights?", Ratchet shouts.
"WARNING. INTRUDER ALERT. TELETRAN-I ON-LINE. ACQUIRING TARGETS.", on screen in front Starscream's Lensmeter displays the targets consisting of Optimus, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Arcee and Skyfire.
"Have fun Autobots."
"Show's over, Wheeljack! Shut her down!", Bumblebee said worried.
"How? The control console is guarded by defensive weaponry.", Wheeljack said.
"It's not just the auto-guns.", Bulkhead said. "The machinery on the assembly line are moving."
"Take cover!", Wheeljack warns everyone as on of the mechanical arms fires red hot rivets, while two pincers grab both Wheeljack and Bumblebee and toss them against the wall. Arcee picks up a lid of a metal crate using it as a shield against the rivets.
Bulkhead meanwhile was avoiding a flamethrower. An automatic sentry gun fires on Sari, but due to her being a hologram the bullets simply shoots through her. It then aims for the probe projecting the hologram. Optimus jumps in, shields Sari's probe with his body, while taking her to safety. Just then, Prowl enters the room.
"Can't you be quiet for just...", he intrudes only too meet two sentry guns firing on him. Prowl jumps out of the way just in time as Ratchet leaps in and use a magnetic field to block the bullets away.
Two pincers pick up some gas tanks, snaps off the nozzle, and teh tanks became bootleg rockets which propel themselves through the air, while missile turrets pop out of the ceiling firing real missiles. Ratchet dodges them, but the force of the explosion still sent him flying towards Wheeljack.
"I can understand the sentry guns, but missiles?!", Rachet shouts.
"I thought it was a good idea for the moment.", Wheeljack explains.
"Now's not the time to argue.", Optimus said. "We have to shut down the defense grid!"
"The controls are in the command center, but you'll have to get through a line of tougher defense systems.", Wheeljack said pointing to the hallway.
Bumblebee heard him and decide to take matters into his own hands. He activates the motorized wheels on his shoes and skates through the room to hallway.
"This looks like a job for heels on wheels!", Bumblebee boasts, only to slip on some zero friction fluids on the floor resulting in him to crash to the wall. Three flamethrowers shoots fire on the downed mini-bot. Bumblebee leaps away, but was still singed by some stray flames. "Hot hot hot!"
Bulkhead sneaks up behind the flamethrowers and smashes them with his wrecking ball. "Ha! Who needs 'sensitive'? Smashing stuff is fun!", he laughs.
"Thick bolted moron. Let's see how you like this?"
A hatch opens up and deploys several spheres armed with lasers.
"Heat Seekers!", Wheeljack screams as the drones fire on them. Skyfire destroys some with his blaster rifle.
Several pincers grab Bulkhead and wrestle him down onto an assembly line. The line starts dragging him straight for a die press.
"That can't be good!", Bulkhead said as the die press slams on top of him. Fortunately Bulkhead use his arms and legs to stop the press, but is struggling to push it up.
"Hand on Bulkhead!", Optimus said running to Bulkhead's rescue, however one of the sentry guns fires some sort of rope binding Optimus to the ground. "Energon Chain! I can't break out of it!"
"This must stop!", Prowl said smashing the last Heat Seeker Drone to the ground. "We have to get to the controls, but I'll need help to get through the defensive line."
Prowl, Arcee and Bumblebee moves to the hallway leading to the control center.
"Everything's downloaded. Now for the Key, but first..."
The Lensmeter controls the pincer to puncture a hole into one of the fuel tanks near the open flame.
"By the time it explodes I'll be long gone with the Key."
With that the Lensmeter leaves to get the key.
Several auto-guns pop out of the wall and ceiling pointing at the approaching trio.
"Watch out!", Arcee warns. "These guns are armed with Disrupter Bolts. One shot and you'll be in stasis!"
"Not if I get them first!", Bumblebee said firing his stingers at the guns. Arcee connects her two swords together and throws it like t boomerang destroying many of the guns in the way.
"Prowl, go!", Arcee shouts catching her weapon.
Prowl, Transform!
Prowl change into his motorcycle mode and drives at full speed to the controls. Prowl changes into his robot mode and jumps for the kill switch only for a pincer to grab onto his leg stopping him. Unable to move Prowl stretches him arm to the kill switch only millimeters away from pushing it, unaware of an auto-gun aiming for his back. Prowl presses the switch before the gun could fire. Prowl could only sigh in relief.
The assembly line and defense system shuts down. Everyone sighs in relief believing the whole ordeal is over until Optimus notice something in the corner of his eye: a leaking fuel tank next to an open flame.
"The fuel tank!", Optimus exclaims. "They're gonna blow!"
Wheeljack fires a small laser at the fuel tank's support allowing it to roll on its side. Optimus grabs it with his cables and throws it up upward with Bulkhead's punch and Ratchet's magnets speeding up the process. The fuel tank flies though a skylight and into the sky. The oil touch the fire, sneding a flame up the trail of fuel and into the tank which immediately explodes.
"What could cause all this?", Sari asks seeing the mess in their base.
"Whatever it was, it was smart enough to merge the defense grid with the assembly line.", Ratchet comments as Optimus spots the Lensmeter dragging the Key.
"I think this might be the culprit.", Optimus said picking up the Key with the Lensmeter dangling under it. Skyfire takes a closer look.
"A Lensmeter. Clever, they were meant for repair work on areas we can't reach, but they also make excellent infiltrator units.", Skyfire explains. The droid manage to wriggle free of Optimus' hold and scuffle away.
"Catch it!", Optimus orders. "We need to examine it!"
"Got it!", Bulkhead said grabbing it only for the Lensmeter to break into several pieces.
"Bulkhead, I needed that!", Ratchet shouts in dismay.
"The Key was at the palm of my hand!", Starscream screams in frustration as he lost connection with the Lensmeter. He then calms down. "No matter, I get the Key in due time. For now I must deal with my Energon problem."
Starscream's finger transform into a USB and inserts it into a computer downloading the information Starscream copied.
"If I recall correctly there was a time when Allspark-infused Energon was plentiful and we Cybertronians had a species capable of mining them.", Starscream said searching the data. Starscream finds what the group of Cybertronians are: the Omnicons. "The Autobots may have won the battle, but the war will be mine."