Shockwave's survival surprises Megatron and Starscream, who both believed he was dead. Shockwave says he was merely wounded after his encounter with Arcee and Cliffjumper and stranded on Cybertron all these years, continuing his scientific work. When the Omega Lock was activated and fired on Earth, he headed over to it, but only arrived when Knock Out was searching the site for relics. Shockwave questions Starscream as to why no one went looking for him, but Starscream makes a point that they found no body in the wreckage of the Space Bridge and assumed he was killed in the explosion. Shockwave accepts this with no bad blood, and Megs appoints him his first lieutenant in charge of science, sharing the rank and power with an annoyed Starscream.
Jack worries that they are the only ones who can fight the Decepticons, but Arcee admits there were other Autobots who were scattered from the crew of the Ark, out there somewhere. Raf's search of the web bears fruit when he finds a picture of Ratchet in a junkyard, which Starscream also finds, but by the time he presents it to Megatron, Raf has replaced it with the dancing monkey GIF. Megatron flatly tells Starscream to keep some things to himself. While Bulkhead and Miko wait at the Wreckers' meeting spot, Shockwave uses a cortical psychic patch on Wheeljack, which yields nothing. Starscream sends Wheeljack to be dumped in a smelting pool, but the Wrecker is able to use the Vehicons to escape Darkmount with little effort. Megatron is enraged until Starscream reveals he intended for Wheeljack to escape the Vehicons, having planted a tracking device inside him during the interrogation.
Raf and Bumblebee find a brooding Ratchet in a junkyard. Ratchet asks them to leave him alone, as the Autobots have pretty much lost. Raf says they can use the Harbinger's groundbridge and Cybertronian tech as a start, but Ratchet still remains despondent as he believes Optimus has died. The wounded Optimus suggests Smokescreen seek the Forge of Solus Prime, which the young Autobot reasons Optimus will be able to repair himself with it. Wheeljack finally meets up with Miko and Bulkhead, and Starscream sends his Seeker armada after them... but they are killed in an explosion from a grenade Wheeljack strapped to his tracking device, which he found by himself. Wheeljack leads the trio elsewhere to find a way to make themselves findable for the others.
Arcee and Jack are on the open road when they're stopped by a massive Autobot ship, and out comes no one else than Ultra Magnus.
Megatron is enraged by the increasing number of failures to find the Autobots, and Shockwave suggests a pet project of his from fossilized CNA. The scientist returns to Cybertron and returns with the "ultimate Autobot hunter" - a massive Cybertronian dragon.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: The dancing monkey photo that Raf swaps in place of a photo of Ratchet. The other Decepticons appear quite annoyed by Starscream pointing it out, but Knock Out laughs out loud.
- The Cavalry: The arrival of Ultra Magnus is treated this way by Arcee.
- Exact Words: Shockwave claims to have yielded "promising results" after experimenting on CNA, based on an old excavated specimen from Cybertron. When Starcream questions why the Decepticons should wait for the experiment to be completed while the Autobots are on the run, Shockwave clarifies that it is already completed and stored in his lab.
- Heroic BSoD: Ratchet feels the war is lost now that they lost the base and (presumably) Optimus.Ratchet: We can't stop Megatron, not anymore. The war is over, and we lost.Raf: You're giving up?! We can't just give up!Ratchet: Then tell me what we can do without communications, without a ground bridge, without a base of operations or resources of any kind!(Bumblebee beeps)Raf: Bee's right. We know Starscream had access to a ground bridge while he was operating solo.Ratchet: Yes, yes, he'd clearly been using the derelict Decepticon ship the Harbinger. What does that have to do with anything?!Raf: It could be full of Cybertronian tech, and it's probably abandoned again now that Starscream's back with the 'Cons.Ratchet: Well, resources won't be of much use, not without someone to - lead us.Raf: It's a start!Ratchet: You'll have to "start" without me. This is someone else's fight now.Raf: There is no one else, Ratchet just us, just the team.Ratchet: Please! Just let me... rust in peace.
- He snaps out of it later, though.
- Hypocrite : Starscream quietly complains about Shockwave "sucking up" to Megetron, stating that respect is earned with deeds, not words. His deeds did earn Megatron's respect when he stops betraying or groveling before him, but has been sucking up to him as well.
- Lampshade Hanging: Starscream deriding Soundwave's "vow of silence.""Such a cop-out."
- Man Hug: How Bulkhead greets Wheeljack.
- Mythology Gag: Darkmount has a smelting pool, just like its Generation One namesake.
- Never Found the Body: Starscream claims that this is why he never ordered a rescue party to search for Shockwave, who deems that a logical move.
- No Escape but Down: Wheeljack is lead to a smelting pit for execution. His captors demand he jump. Then, after asking his nearest captor if he can fly, throws him into the pit first. Before the others can shoot he then jumps in of his own accord. And procceds to ride the flyer he'd tossed down a moment before to escape Darkmount.
- Oh Scrap: Starscream, as Shockwave questions him over why he was left for dead.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Starscream once again brags about killing off Cliffjumper, letting Shockwave know he "avenged" him.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Said nearly word-for-word by Shockwave:"Reports of my demise were greatly...premature."
- You Have to Believe Me!: Starscream found a photo of Ratchet's location on the Internet, but before the other Decepticons could see it, Raf swapped it with a dancing monkey. Starscream had this reaction.
