In Metroplex, an unconscious Bumblebee laid down on a medical table as Raf and the other Autobots watched over him. Raf waited patiently for his Autobot Guardian to wake up as Ratchet turned his attention to Windblade.

"Of all the scrap-brained ideas, taking Bumblebee into a potential chase scenario when he no longer has the ability to access his wheels?!" Ratchet asked with an outraged expression.

"I was against this, but you know how Bumblebee is." Windblade said while rubbing her head sheepishly. "You do have to admire his unfounded moxie."

"Hey, Bee's waking up." Raf said as Bumblebee regained consciousness.

"Oohh, did anyone get the number of that Buffaloid?" Bumblebee moaned while rubbing his head.

"You've already lost your voice box and your T-Cog. Were you really trying to add your Spark to the list?" Ratchet questioned in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Ratch. You were right, I'm useless." Bumblebee said in depression.

"Don't say that, Bumblebee, you're not useless." Raf tried to assured

"Ey, I hate to break up the Pity Party, but we cannot ignore that Cons just unknown Iacon payday number 2 to their collection," Crosshairs questioned them.

"Neither blame or praise will modify past events. But we cannot afford to take further unnecessary risks." Optimus declared as he approached them. "Bumblebee, you are not to leave our base or Metroplex. Not until we can retrieve your missing bio-mechanism."

Optimus then walked away as the others did their best to try and comfort Bumblebee, while Ratchet approached his leader to speak of something.

"Bumblebee is right to be less than hopeful, but you and I know there exists a way to make him whole again." Ratchet told Optimus, making him stand in his current position.

"A transplant. But that would require a donor." Optimus replied as he continued to walk away.

"You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you." Ratchet said, referring to himself.

Optimus immediately heard him and turned around with a surprised expression, not expecting Ratchet to wilfully offer his own T-Cog to replace Bumblebee's. "A generous offer, old friend. But your solution would merely trade one Autobot's handicap for another." he told him.

"I don't rely on my T-Cog, not like Bumblebee does. The ability to transform is virtually wasted on me. This is where I spend my days, where my thoughts and hands are a value, not my weapons or engines. Our team can't afford to be shy even one warrior on the field." Ratchet explained, turning to Bumblebee as Raf and the other Bots did their best to make him feel better.

"You make a compelling case, but know that we will find Bumblebee's T-Cog." Optimus said assuringly.

"Optimus, M.E.C.H are savages. Who knows what damage they may have already inflicted upon it?" Ratchet asked before looking down in guilt. "Or…or if I will be able to repair it."

"Ratchet, you did everything in your power." Optimus told him with a soft expression.

Ratchet then scoffed, "Ugh, please. Do you simply think this is simply about my inability to restore Bumblebee's voice box?" He questioned in annoyance, slightly turning away while Optimus continued to look at him. "I…I just want to do what's right, for our scout. For the team."

Onboard the Nemesis, Knock Out was presenting the relic he obtained to Megatron. "Ah, excellent work, Knock Out." Megatron said with a pleased expression.

"I live to serve, Lord Megatron." Knock Out replied, bowing in respect. "But, what exactly is it?" He asked confused.

Suddenly, Megatron fired his arm cannon as the Vehicons behind Knock Out jumped out of the way while the Red Decepticon held the relic up in panic, causing it to form an energy shield that made the shot bounce away in another direction.

"Now you know." Megatron told the Decepticon doctor simply.

"I think I leak a little transmission fluid." Knock Out said with a relieved look.

Meanwhile, Silas and his M.E.C.H troops were seen in a dark mountain alleyway as one of the troops was holding a scanner device, picking up a signal up ahead.

"Source located." The M.E.C.H trooper informed before he and others advanced forward.

"Yes. Gratifying, isn't it, Silas?" Starscream asked as he approached the M.E.C.H Commander from behind. "I often advised Megatron to seek out human allies. After all, it seems to provide the Autobots with an occasional edge alongside their precious Witch pets. But despite his reputation as a brilliant strategist, Megatron is woefully small-minded when it comes to working with minds smaller than our own."

However, Silas gave Starscream a look that reminded the former air commander of Megatron.

"I was…simply referring to head size." Starscream corrected with a nervous smile.

"Do you ever not speak?" Silas questioned rhetorically, walking away.

Starscream noticed a single M.E.C.H trooper standing next to him, deciding to start a conversation with him.

"Did I mention that I personally extinguished a Cybertronian facility full of Autobots during a raid on Iacon?" Starscream bragged.

Soon, Silas, Starscream and the M.E.C.H troopers came upon a large amount of Energon crystals right in front of them.

"Energon, in its purest state." Starscream said with a pleased smile.

"Ready to be mined." Silas added.

"And processed, my flesh-covered compatriot, to give us the edge." Starscream sneered.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Hot Rod spoke up as the Autobots had all gathered in the medical bay to hear Ratchet's alternative plan to help Bumblebee, "You wanna give Bee your T-Cog?" He asked in shock.

"Whoa, doc! As much as it's a brave thing to do, we can't risk giving up your ability to transform." Jazz said to them.

"Ratchet, I can't ask you to-" Bumblebee tried to say.

"Eyp-eyp-eyp-eyp!" Ratchet interrupted with a hand up, "As a Medic I don't rely upon transformation like the rest of you, as such I am the only viable candidate for this."

"Ratchet, what about when an emergency comes up?" Prowl asked. "I mean, you're the best medic here and back on Cybertron, and you used to rely on your vehicle mode to get to medical emergencies faster, and your swords and tools are still attached to you. If you give up your cog, you'll lose not just your vehicle mode, but your tools."

Ratchet just turned to them, "Then I better start practicing my legwork and handheld equipment," He answered simply.

"Which would be hard since I broke most of them." Bulkhead said with a sheepish look.

"Obviously, since I'm the other patient involved, I would be unable to perform the surgery." Ratchet continued. "Therefore, Fixit will serve as my proxy."

"Are you certain, sir?" Fixit asked with an uncertain look. "I am flattered, but are you sure it's wise to give up your bog, tog…" He hit himself. "Cog?"

"It may be the only way I can atone for my previous failure," Ratchet told him as he prepared the operation equipment.

"Does this mean that Bumblebee will be able to transform into an ambulance for now on or be all cranky?" Miko questioned in wonder. "If either of those things happen, it'd be weird."

"Not exactly." Fixit said to her. "While the cog may come from another bot, the holder would not obtain the same structure or personality as the last bot. So while Bumblebee will wield Ratchet's cog, he would still be able to transform into his own vehicle mode."

"Huh, so a cog is more of a blankslate," Raf said with an intriguing look. "Interesting."

Later, Ratchet was seen laying on a second medical table next to Bumblebee as Fixit began his work at the terminal.

"Inducing stasis," Fixit informed, pressing some buttons on the terminal.

"Ratchet, thank you for doing this." Bumblebee told the Autobot medic kindly.

"Dat dat dat, you can…thank me when…it's over." Ratchet said in a tired tone before he finally went into stasis.

"Alright Bumblebee, now your turn," Fixit said as he was about to induce Bumblebee next, but then the alarm on the terminal sounded off, which startled the group.

"What's happening?!" Raf asked in worry.

"Ratchet's flatlining!" Miko exclaimed with her hands on her head.

"No, no, no don't worry, he's perfectly fine," Fixit assured with a servo up, "That was just another Iacon homing beacon detected."

"Fixit is correct." Optimus said as he and Elita were at the console.

"Looks like the Cons found another weapon." Elita said with a serious look.

"Autobots, prepare to roll out!" Optimus declared as Bumblebee stood up.

"Let's get that relic." Bumblebee said confidently, standing up from the medical table and showing off some fighting moves.

"Except for our patients." Optimus replied as he stood in front of the yellow Autobot.

"Awww." Bumblebee sighed before sitting back down.

"Don't worry, Bee. We'll kick double Con tailpipe for you," Hot Rod assured before Elita stopped him.

"I'm sorry Hot Rod, but we need you to stay here with Windblade and Jazz." Elita told him.

"What? Come on, you'll need me out there!" Hot Rod complained.

"And Bumblebee will need the support of a trusted friend even more," Optimus told him, "And there is no one I would trust more than you three." He said.

Hot Rod looked to Bumblebee as Jazz and Windblade tried to cheer him up and sighed, "Yes, Sir." He conceded.

"It would be best to interrupt stasis." Optimus told Fixit.

The small minicon nodded in response before shutting down the stasis power, while the Autobot began to approach the Ground Bridge.

On a snowy mountain, the Ground Bridge appeared and walking out of it was the Autobots. Optimus held up a scanner and looked to where the signal was coming from. "It is atop that mountain peak." he deduced.

"Let's hope we'll get that relic this time." Kup said as they started trekking.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Windblade, Jazz, Hot Rod, Fixit and the human kids, were waiting patiently for the other Autobots to return, until the main console started gaining a call from Agent Fowler.

"Prime! Breaking news!" Fowler called out.

"What is it, Agent Fowler?" Bumblebee asked, rushing over to hear him out.

"Huh? Where's Prime?" Fowler asked as he wasn't able to understand what the yellow Autobot was saying.

"On a mission, got something to say, Fowler?" Windblade asked.

"Look, let him know I just received access to satellite imagery, which I believe pinpoints the center of operations of M.E.C.H." Fowler told him, making the four Autobots' eyes widen in surprise.

"Wait, you found M.E.C.H's location?" Hot Rod asked hopefully.

"Yes. I believe so. It took some time to trace back, but I believe we found their base." Fowler nodded.

"Send us the coordinates, Fowler. We'll go there." Bumblebee said.

"Oh, no, no, no. Bee, last time you went into action without your cog, you fell from a cliff." Windblade said firmly.

"What?!" Ratchet called out in a dazed tone, making the children and the Bots flinch nervously. "Do I hear a Fuzor in need of voice box repair?!"

"What's a Fuzor?! What's going on over there?" Fowler demanded.

Turns out, the stasis activation made Ratchet go a little looney and he sat up on his medical table. "I am able! Just ask Bantor! He was all mandrill before I…put a tiger in his tank!" Ratchet stated before he collapsed, much to Fowler's bewilderment while Hot Rod gave a small laugh from that.

"That was just over use of stasis talk, sir." Fixit said with a sheepish look. "He'll be fine in a few hours."

"I've gotta get my T-Cog back." Bumblebee told his three friends and human friends.

"But Bee, you heard what Optimus said about leaving the base." Raf said to his guardian in concern.

"Raf, by the time Optimus and the others get back, M.E.C.H will have already finished making their transforming Robot and moved somewhere else," Bumblebee told him, "This might my one chance to get my Cog back, and prove that I can still be an Autobot without it."

"I agree, this might be our only chance to jump M.E.C.H." Hot Rod said, which made the group turn to him in surprise. "And Bee's right. Optimus once told me what defines an Autobot is not the Cog in his chassis but the Spark that beats inside him. And right now, my Spark is telling me, we teach those gutters not to mess with Cybertronians."

The others all looked at Hot Rod in surprise while feeling inspired by his speech. "When did you become such a speech giver, HR?" Jazz asked with a smile.

"Spend enough time with Elita and hear enough about Optimus, you tend to pick up a few things." Hot Rod said with a smile.

They all looked at each other before Jack spoke up. "Send the coordinates, Agent Fowler. We'll make sure the bots get that Cog." Jack said as Fowler nodded.

"And Bee, if we wanna get your cog back, this time, follow our lead." Windblade said to him. "We don't want you jumping off another cliff."

"Don't worry. Won't plan on it." Bumblebee assured her.

"Great. Now let's get your cog back, Bee." Jazz said with a smile.

"Okay, as Optimus and Elita would say; Autobots, Roll-" Hot Rod started before he stopped as he turned to Bumblebee, who gave him a dull look as his car doors dropped a bit. "Uh, right. Sorry. Uh, let's just go. Fixit, prep the Ground Bridge."

"On it." Fixit said as he went to the controls.

Back at the snow mountain, the Autobots were climbing up the stone surface as the signal was coming from higher up. Once they reached the edge, they hid under it as they spotted Knock Out, Breakdown and Knock Out were already at the signal's exact location. Breakdown used his sledgehammer to bash away a bunch of large rocks, which were covering up a ginormous Cybertronian hammer that was coloured gold.

"I don't get it. All this chipping away with my hammer just to bring Megatron another hammer?" Breakdown asked confusingly as Knock Out looked down in wonder as well.

Elita's eyes widened in shock, "Optimus, isn't that hammer…" She started.

"A sacred relic of the 13 original primes, correct." Optimus nodded, recognizing it as well. Much to the Autobots surprise.

"Really?" Bulkhead asked in shock.

"By the Allspark." Whirl muttered in awe.

"Isn't that the opposite of Decepticon doomsday device?" Acree asked in confusion.

"It would stand to reason that in addition to confiscated Decepticon artillery, any artifacts of great significance stored in the vaults of Iacon would also be shipped off world." Optimus theorized.

"And none would be more useful to us than this one: The Forge of Solus Prime." Elita told them as Breakdown continued to chip the Forge out, "For it has the power to mystically create anything raw Material."

"As in if we had it," Rack started in amazement,

"We could pound any weapon we can dream of into existence?" Ruin finished hopefully.

"Or…possibly construct a new T-Cog for Bumblebee." Optimus replied.

"Okay, so the Cons can't get that hammer," Firestar stated firmly.

At the M.E.C.H warehouse located in the center of a distant forest, Silas and his troops were once again testing their man-made robot for their project. But now, they had the element they needed to make it properly work.

"Initiate transfusion." Silas ordered.

A large tank of Energon was shown to be next to the robot as two M.E.C.H troopers worked at the terminal, making the blue liquid course through a cable connected to the robot. Once the Energon was inside, the robot began to power up and its hand moved slightly.

"It's working." Silas said with a satisfied smirk.

"Energon, it will do wonders for our future army." Starscream added while approaching Silas, only for the M.E.C.H Commander to glare at him. "Your future army. In fact, we are mere moments from beholding the miracles of transformation." He added before the doors were busted open, making the whole group turn and saw it busted down as four figures walked in as Bumblebee, Jazz, Windblade, and Hot Rod entered with serious expressions.

"More like the Miracle of defeat!" Hot Rod called out as M.E.C.H and Silas armed their weapons and pointed at the four Autobots while they eyed the homemade robot.

"That bot must have Bee's cog in it." Jazz deduced seriously.

They then saw Starscream arming his missile arm at them. "Starscream?!" Windblade exclaimed in shock.

"Windblade? Jazz? And Hot Rod?" Starscream questioned before giving an amusing smirk. "So nice to see you three again."

"No wonder M.E.C.H knew to take Bee's Cog, you told them how it works!" Hot Rod called out with a glare.

"Oh, I wish I could take credit, but they knew about the T-Cog way before I came to them. I simply imparted them with information on how to use it." Starscream said with a smirk. "You underestimated these humans."

"We heard that you went rogue after leaving the Decepticons, but to be reduced to working for lowlife humans?" Windblade questioned with a smirk. "How the mighty have fallen." She taunted.

"Then again, you never were one of the mighty," Jazz added.

Starscream growled. "I'll show you four mighty." He growled before he eyed Bumblebee with a smirk. "No T-Cog. One of them is unarmed." He said as he fired a missile at Bumblebee.

"Watch out, Bee!" Windblade called as she tackled Bumblebee away from the missile as Hot Rod and Jazz quickly charged forward with glares.

"Well we're not unarmed!" Hot Rod called as he and Jazz ready their blasters just as M.E.C.H and Starscream started firing at them as the Autobots quickly moved around to avoid the shots.

"Cover fire!" Jazz called out as he and Hot Rod provided cover by returning fire as Windblade picked up Bumblebee and they hid behind a metal pillar to avoid a blast from Starscream.

Bumblebee saw this as he picked up a large barrel and swung it at Starscream, knocking him back as the Seeker crashed into the wall. "Nice hit, Bee." Hot Rod said with a smile.

"I can do more than transform." Bumblebee bragged before the four Autobots were then getting hit by bullets from M.E.C.H that barely did any damage to their Cybertronian metal, but it still stings.

"I'm starting to see why you and Team Prime hate these guys." Windblade said as she deflected some shots with her sword.

At the same time, Breakdown smashes away the last of the rocks and the Forge of Solus Prime is now ready to be extracted by the Decepticons.

"Time to get a grip." Knock Out said.

Breakdown grabbed the Forge and attempted to pull it out of the stoney surface, but they heard the sound of engines coming from behind and they quickly turned around to see the Autobots charing to them as they, except Bulkhead, Rack'n'Ruin and Firestar, went into bot form and started firing at Knockout, who used the Shield Generator to block the laser shots.

Bulkhead, Rack'n'Ruin, and Firestar drove past Knockout and went into bot form as they tackled Breakdown away from the forge as the rest of the Autobots charged at Knockout, but he produce a shield wall and pushed them back as they looked in shock.

"A Shield Generator?!" Ironhide questioned in shock.

"Autobots, check out my new finish protector." Knockout taunted with a smirk.

Back at M.E.C.H's base, Windblade, Hot Rod, Bumblebee, and Jazz continued to fight off the troops as the homemade robot took a scan of the area just as Hot Rod tossed some soldiers away as one of their weapons hit the optics of the robot, cracking it.

Bumblebee quickly took the barrel and used it as a bowling ball to knock some troops away. "Strike." Jazz said with a smirk.

"Bumblebee, get your cog! We'll take care of these guys!" Hot Rod said as he blasted some troops away.

Bumblebee nodded and rushed to the Robot as Silas watched him rip into it and found his T-Cog, "There you are." Bumblebee said, pulling out the cog before he was blasted into the computers.

"Bee!" Windblade called out as they turned and saw Starscream, who regained consciousness as he looked down at Bee's T-Cog in front of him.

"So close, and yet." Starscream said while smirking as the three Autobots glared at him.

"Our location and prototype have been compromised." Silas said frustratingly as his troopers began to evacuate. "Destroy the intruders and meet me at the rendezvous point, with my T-Cog."

"I am not one of your foot soldiers!" Starscream retorted to the M.E.C.H commander, who also left. "I am a consultant!"

"Get Bee's cog!" Hot Rod called out as he, Windblade and Jazz rushed towards Starscream as Jazz jumped over and kicked Starscream away from Bee's cog.

"Get off of me!" Starscream called before he used his claw hands to knock Jazz away as Jazz was tossed to the floor with three scratches on his face that was leaking energon.

Windblade then rushed in just as Starscream got up as the two flying bots then started fighting each other before Windblade drew her sword, but Starscream swatted it out of her hand as it fell from across the room as the two seekers kept fighting in close combat.

Hot Rod picked up Bee's T-Cog as he went up to Bumblebee, who regained his bearings. "Ugh, that hurts." Bumblebee muttered in pain as his optics flickered.

"Hey, Bee, did you order one T-Cog?" Hot Rod quipped as he showed Bumblebee his T-Cog.

"Yes!" Bumblebee cheered taking the Cog as he looked at it longly.

"Ah-ah-ah," Starscream spoke as the two turned as Jazz got up with a groan as the three Autobots saw Starscream holding Windblade in a chokehold as he pointed his blaster to her head. "Hand over that T-Cog, or your precious City Speaker is scrap." He said with a smirk as Windblade struggled to break free as the three Autobots looked in worry.

Back on Mextroplex, Ratchet had finally woken up and he stood up with a groan before walking towards the main console, where Fixit and the children were waiting.

"Ratchet. How are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Fine. In fact, I feel as though nothing's changed." Ratchet admitted while looking over himself.

"Uh, yes." Fixit said with a sheepish look since they have a feeling Ratchet went through surgery before the console beeped up.

"Prime." Fowler called on the communication system.

"What is it, Agent Fowler?" Ratchet asked.

"Has Prime reached the coordinates?" Fowler questioned.

"Coordinates?" Ratchet repeated confusingly.

"Possible M.E.C.H location! I sent 'em a half hour ago!" Fowler stated.

"Don't worry, Agent Fowler, it's taken care of." Jack reassured him.

"Optimus has to lock fenders with some cons." Miko added.

"So, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, Windblade, and Jazz went instead," Raf added.

"What?! Bumblebee can't do that! He's recovering from surgery!" Ratchet shouted. "Hot Rod, Jazz, and Windblade were enough, but Bumblebee can't fight!"

"Uh, yes, about that…" Fixit said as he and the human children trio gave sheepish looks as they have a lot to explain to Ratchet.

Back at the M.E.C.H Base, the three Autobots stared Starscream down as he held Windblade at gun point, "Don't you dare listen to this Scrap picker, guys!" Windblade told them.

"Let Windblade go, Starscream, or I'll…" Bumblebee growled.

"Or you'll what? Shoot?" Starscream asked mockingly. "How sad to be incapable of achieving vehicle mode. Experiencing the sensation of speed. How very pathetic to be a failure as an Autobot who needs help from others."

Bumblebee narrowed his eyes in anger after he heard those words, "It's the Spark, not the Cog that makes you an Autobot, Starscream!" Bumblebee shouted as he charged at Starscream.

"Bee!" Jazz called out as he and Hot Rod looked in surprise as Starscream screamed in startled as Bee punched him down, freeing Windblade but he lost his grip on his T-Cog as it was sent flying.

Bumblebee jumped up to grab his T-Cog, but just when it was in his servo Starscream quickly fired his blaster at Bee's cog, knocking Bumblebee to the ground. "Bee!" Windblade cried out as she, Hot Rod, and Jazz rushed to him as Starscream jumped onto the prototype robot.

They help Bumblebee up before they looked at Bee's cog, which they looked in horror at seeing how damaged it. "Sweet Solus Prime," Hot Rod said in shock.

"Starscream!" Windblade yelled in anger as she, Jazz, and Hot Rod armed their weapons at him as the four Autobots glared at the seeker.

"Time to jet, because I can!" Starscream taunted as he transformed and took off through the ceiling.

"Why you come back here and say it again, you rusted coward!" Jazz dared with his fist up.

Bumblebee walked up to his damaged T-Cog and pick it up gently with a sad expression as Windblade, Jazz, and Hot Rod crowded around him with defeated looks, "M-Maybe Ratchet and Fixit can still patch up," Hot Rod told him hopefully but Bumblebee didn't look hopeful.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Windblade promised softly, holding the scout's shoulder.

Outside the warehouse, Silas was observing from the edge of the forest before he heard the sound of a fighter jet in the air. He turned around and Starscream transformed in midair, landing in front of the M.E.C.H commander.

"My T-Cog." Silas said.

"Yes, that. Unfortunately, it was severely destroyed during the ferocity of battle." Starscream admitted, earning an angry look from Silas. "A…temporary setback. Other Autobots, other T-Cogs. We shall find a replacement soon enough."

"Not soon enough. Now." Silas corrected before Starscream suddenly found himself surrounded by M.E.C.H troopers aiming their rifles at him.

The only thing that was heard next was Starscream's cries of agony as a bright light was shown within the forest.

Back on the mountain, Knockout continues to push the other Autobots while pushing them back with the shield wall to the edge. "For the most creative use of a Shield Generator in a supporting role, the winner is Knock Out!" Knock Out declared.

With Firestar, Reck'n'Ruin, and Bulkhead, they continue fighting off Breakdown, but even the three of them are having trouble fighting him off before Breakdown flung them back and saw Knockout pushing the rest of the Autobots back.

As they were pushed back, Moonracer looked at the sheer drop behind them, "Uh, guys?" She said nervously.

"Oh, Scrap," Crosshairs grumbled with his heel right on the edge.

Bulkhead looked at the Forge and got up before grabbing the handle, using his strength to pull it out of the ground. Breakdown reeled his hammer back for another fight, while Bulkhead hoisted up the Forge with both hands.

"Mine's bigger!" Bulkhead stated with a smirk.

.Breakdown looked at his sledgehammer and shouted in fury before charging at Bulkhead, only for the dark-green Wrecker to smack him into the air with the Forge.

"Going," Rack started with a servo over his optics.

"Going," Ruin continued.

Knock Out looked up and gaped in horror as Breakdown crashed into him, causing him to drop the Shield Generator which bounced towards the other three Autobots. "Bullseyes!" Rack'n'Ruin declared.

Firestar then picked up the Shield Generator, "For me? Oh, Knock Out, you shouldn't have." She taunted with a smirk as Knockout growled at her.

But then, a Ground Bridge opened up behind the three before a purple blaster hit them, knocking them down as Bulkhead lost his grip on the Forge. "NO!" Arcee yelled.

Coming out of the Ground Bridge was none other than Megatron, with his blaster raised as the Autobots armed their blasters and aimed at him as Megatron picked up the Forge. "Nah ah ah." Megatron taunted as he aimed his blaster at the three down Autobots, which made the rest of the Autobots move their weapons away, not wanting harm to come to their comrades as Breakdown and Knock Out stood up.

Megatron looked at the Forge in interest. "A relic of the Primes here on Earth?" He asked with a smirk as Knockout and Breakdown stood beside him before he backed away to the Ground Bridge. "The Decepticon cause is once again indebted to the contributions of Orion Pax." He said with a smirk before walking backward through the portal, shouldering the Forge.

"Get back here!" Kup ordered as the Autobots started firing at the Ground Bridge Portal before Knock Out and Breakdown transformed and drove through it before it closed, "Scrap," He grumbled.

The others rushed up to Reck'n'Ruin, Firestar, and Bulkhead as they got up with a groan. "We're fine." Bulkhead assured them.

"A little shook up." Rack started.

"But fine." Ruin added.

"Megatron just surprised us." Firestar added as she got up while holding the Shield Generator.

As Optimus put his blaster away, he then started to get a com-link call from Ratchet.

"Optimus, we have reason to believe we have located M.E.C.H's center of operations. Bumblebee, Jazz, Hot Rod, and Windblade are already there." Ratchet informed, making Optimus' eyes widen in horror.

As he began to open his eyes while groaning lightly, Starscream suddenly gasped away as he was shown to be laying on the forest floor.

"What?" Starscream asked, not remembering what had happened.

The former air commander stood up and looked towards the warehouse that was once M.E.C.H secret base before a Ground Bridge appeared in front of it. The Autobots then emerged from the Ground Bridge and looked around the area.

"Autobots." Starscream whispered as he stepped back and attempted to transform. However, his attempts didn't work as his transformations simply halted the moment he tried doing them. Starscream gasped in realization before looking to his side, now knowing what M.E.C.H had done to him earlier.

"My T-Cog!" Starscream said in realization as he quickly ran away before they spotted him.

As the Autobots reached the entrance, they saw something walking out of the hole and it was revealed to be Bumblebee, who had his damaged T-Cog in hand while Hot Rod, Jazz, and Windblade walked behind him.

"Oh no," Elita said in shock with a servo to her mouth.

"We managed to find Bee's T-Cog," Hot Rod said in regret, "But Starscream got to it first."

"Ratchet, reopen the Ground Bridge. And prepare for surgery." Optimus informed him on the com-link.

"Well thanks to me, Megatron has the Forge." Bulkhead said, looking down in guilt.

"Well, at least we have the Shield Generator." Firestar said while holding the Shield Generator up.

"While we would have put the Forge of Solus Prime to valuable use, I do not believe we have reason to fear Megatron's possession of it." Optimus reassured.

"What makes ya say that, Prime?" Crosshairs asked with a brow.

On the Nemesis, Megatron was smashing the Forge of Solus Prime onto an Energon canister while shouting out with all his might. However, the canister was revealed to be completely flat as Soundwave and Knockout.

"Hmm. It doesn't look like a Fortress Maximus great nucleon shock cannon." Knock Out noted.

"It is as I suspected. Without the power of a Prime to activate it, the Forge is merely another addition to our tool chest." Megatron said, placing the giant hammer down. "One we must nonetheless keep as far as possible from the reach of a Prime." He said, knowing they had to keep the Forge out of Optimus's hands.

Back on Metroplex, the Autobots and their human friends watch as Ratchet and Fixit scanned Bumblebee, with Raf next to his guardian as Ratchet and Fixit turn to them. "We did what we could." Ratchet said to them with an uncertain look.

"But it is uncertain if the operation was a success." Fixit said with a frown.

"Our scout could not have been in better hands, old friends." Optimus said as he placed a hand on Ratchet's shoulder while looking at Fixit with a nod.

"And we didn't stick to Plan A and let Ratchet donate his cog why?" Miko questioned in confusion.

"Bumblebee wouldn't accept it." Jack answered.

"He's right." Windblade said in agreement. "Bee wouldn't want what happened to him to happen to anyone."

"So, how did it go?" Bumblebee asked as he stood up from the medical table.

"Bumblebee, easy." Ratchet instructed.

"I'm starting to feel like myself, now." Bumblebee commented while stretching himself out.

"Please, recovery takes time." Ratchet told him in concern.

"You did went through surgery." Fixit added.

Bumblebee tried to transform, but it still didn't happen. "What?" He asked in confusion.

"The damage to your T-Cog may have reduced the recovery procedure." Fixit admitted.

"But we're not sure if it will make transformation fully possible." Ratchet added

Everyone looked concerned for Bumblebee as he continued his attempt to transform.

"No. I'm not giving up." Bumblebee declared in determination.

With one last attempt, Bumblebee finally managed to transform into his vehicle mode and this made Ratchet smile brightly, while humans cheered in happiness. "Oh, thank the Primes!" Windblade said with a joyful smile.

"Bee, you can transform again!" Jazz cheered with a smile.

"Alright, Bee!" Hot Rod said with a smile.

Bumblebee screeched his tires on the floor and turned around. "Hey, Raf, where do you want a ride to?" Bumblebee asked, opening his door and honking his horn enthusiastically.

"Anywhere." Raf said with a smile as he got on Bumblebee. "Just drive!" He said.

"Hey, Bee? You up for a Race?" Jazz asked, transforming as well.

"You're on!" Bumblebee cheered as the two rushed out of the ship.

"Go easy!" Ratchet called out before letting out a laugh of happiness. "Adhere to standard breaking procedure."

"Whoa. Bee's T-Cog looked like it was ready for the scrapyard." Bulkhead commented in amazement.

"Hard to believe that doc and Fixit repaired it." Acree said with a smile.

"That is not all that Ratchet repaired today." Optimus said as the Autobot medic continued to smile proudly for himself. He then turned to Hot Rod and Windblade. "And Hot Rod, Windblade, you both and Jazz did incredible work, in both recovering Bumblebee's T-Cog and foiling M.E.C.H plans of a transforming army."

"Thank the speedster here," Windblade said with a grin, jerkin a thumb at Hot Rod, "He's the one who inspired the troops with his speech and led the mission."

The Autobots looked at Hot Rod in surprise. "Hot Rod, leading and inspiring on a mission?" Ironhide asked with a look of disbelief.

"You gotta be pulling my strut." Crosshairs scoff, not believing it.

"No. Really. Hot Rod really stepped in and led the mission to stop M.E.C.H, Starscream and get Bee's cog back." Windblade said while Hot Rod gave a sheepish look while rubbing his head.

"Ah, it was nothing," Hot Rod said bashfully.

"Heheh, not bad, rookie." Bulkhead said with a chuckle as Elita and Optimus walked up to him.

"Hot Rod, that was very brave and mature of you to inspire your friends and lead the mission so important." Elita said as she placed a hand on Hot Rod's shoulder. "Before, you were just a thriller bot, but you just proved you are more than that."

"Well, Bee is my friend." Hot Rod said with a small smile. "I never leave a friend in need hanging."

Optimus smiled at Hot Rod. "And that is what makes you a true Autobot who is willing to do whatever it takes for others." He said.

Hot Rod smiled and nodded, "Well now that Bee's got his T-Cog back, who's up for some more relic hunting," He asked as he and the others walked away for some more searching while Elita and Optimus stayed where they were.

"So, what are you thinking?" Elita asked with a smile and hand on her hip as Optimus looked at Hot Rod as the fiery autobot laughed as Arcee gave him a playful elbow.

"That there is more to Hot Rod than meets the eye," Optimus said with a smile, having a feeling that Hot Rod had a greater destiny ahead of him.

Well, looks Like the Bee is back.

And not only that, here the Autobots take the Shield Generator while still losing the Forge of Solus Prime.

Also, Hot Rod has shown his skills at being a leader when the going gets tough, and Optimus recognizes it. I'm sure some of you very knowledgeable fans of Transformers know what might be ahead for Hot Rod but you'll have to wait and see.

Be sure to post your thoughts in the comments below, and stay tuned as new allies and enemies, plural, will be arriving in "Loose Cannons".