What Lies Beneath

• Writer - Simon Furman
• Penciler - Guido Guidi
• Inker - Rob Armstrong
• Colorist - David Cheung
• Colorist - Jong-Im Lee
• Lettering - Ben Lee

Summary

  In flashback, we see Megatron being consumed in the bowels of Unicron (following Transformers: Armada issue #18). Though his body was destroyed, his spark survived, an infinitely small mote in Unicron itself. Over time, Megatron began to reassert some control, and began to build a new body for himself...

  At the Alterenergy site in Western Australia, Scorponok is grilling Kicker on his unique abilities. Apparently, Kicker's nervous system is stimulated in the presence of energon, making him very useful to the Decepticons. Spying from nearby, Rad relays the information to Carlos, who tells him that Alexis is also a prisoner. And despite Carlos' repeated retransmissions for help, there has been no response from the Autobots...

  On Cybertron, Optimus Prime is leading a team of Autobots through the Space Bridge to Earth when he gets another vision from Megatron. The vision passes in an instant, and Prime leads the Autobots towards the Alterenergy site. Unknown to them, their arrival has been detected by Battle Ravage; after having the Decepticons recharge themselves with energon, Scorponok leads them on an attack against the Autobots! The Autobots fight back valiantly, but the energon-enhanced Decepticons slowly gain the upper hand...

  Meanwhile, at the now-abandoned site, Carlos uses satellite tracking to guide Rad to Alexis, who's sitting alone in the open. As he approachesher, however, she yells him away -- just as Battle Ravage leaps to the attack! While Rad and Alexis evade him, Carlos activates Rad's rocket sled by remote-control, activates the self-destruct sequence, then uses it to ram a nearby energon siphon!

  The ensuing explosion interrupts the Decepticons' victory over the Autobots, as Scorponok immediately withdraws his forces to salvage their booty. Even as the Autobots recover from their beating, Optimus Prime receives another message from Megatron -- his new body is complete...