Issue #12

• Writer - Simon Furman
• Inker - Elaine To
• Colorist - David Cheung
• Lettering - Paul Villafuerte
• Penciler - Guido Guidi

Summary

  In Death Valley, California, Smokescreen and Scavenger are secretly spying on a Decepticon launch facility, where a massive rocket sits. Sensing an impending crisis, a message is sent to Autobase, and Optimus Prime prepares to deploy the Autobots. Just then, Sparkplug and Astroscope arrive; they overhear the conversation and believe Prime is talking about a mission to rescue five Minicons whose escape pod has crashed in northern Alaska. As Prime apologizes for ignoring the Minicons, Sparkplug pleads -- their newly-arrived Minicons are already skeptical of the Autobots, and a lack of concern from Optimus Prime would give them reason to leave...

  At the Decepticon base in Silver Ridge, Starscream and Cyclonus watch as Megatron links up with the Destruction Team Minicons -- they have power beyond compare, but it completely overwhelms him. They disengage, and Dualor explains that the pain is from some sort of failsafe they have. He then offers to give Megatron a "free sample" of the power risk-free, in exchange for a leading role in the Decepticons. Megatron agrees, and forces Cyclonus to volunteer.

  Back at Autobase, Rook is rallying the Minicons to abandon the Autobots and live free. Before a consensus can be reached, though, Optimus Prime arrives with Sparkplug, and offers the Autobots' full resources to help rescue the missing Minicons.

  Meanwhile, in Alaska, the Adventure Team has found the crashed escape pod when they bump into Thrust. The Minicons try to escape, but Thrust quickly has them on the ropes. The fight is interrupted by the blinding-fast arrival of Cyclonus, who is linked up with the Destruction Team. Thrust tries to brush Cyclonus aside to retrieve the fallen Minicons, but Cyclonus suddenly gets in a berserker rage and attacks Thrust!

  In Death Valley, Laserbeak arrives to tell Scavenger and Smokescreen that Prime has authorized them to stop the launch by any means necessary. But it's too late -- the Decepticon rocket already launched twenty minutes ago. Now in Earth orbit, it has deployed as a space laser cannon, and Megatron has it aimed at the Alaskan crash site...