High above Hoover Dam, a lone F-15 supersonic strike fighter shrieked through the clouds. With a violent shift of metal, it transformed into a towering, jagged Decepticon, slamming down onto the dam's observation deck.
The moment his pedes hit concrete, Starscream deployed his cluster-bomb launcher. He unleashed a volley toward the dam's power station.
Thump-thump-thump!
The bombs, trailing white streaks of exhaust, blanketed the generators in a carpet of secondary explosions. The electrical heart of the facility stuttered and died.
[POWER FAILURE WARNING. EMERGENCY SYSTEMS ENGAGING...]
Deep within a derelict basement level, Secretary Keller and Maggie were frantically trying to find a way to contact the Air Force. As the overhead lights flickered and dimmed, they froze, looking up at the groaning ceiling.
"They're here," Keller muttered. He smashed an emergency display case with his elbow and pulled out two tactical shotguns. He tossed one to Simmons. "Catch."
"We have no comms!" Glen shouted from a radio console, his fingers flying across dead switches. "The network is fried! How are we supposed to signal the Raptors?"
Maggie, digging through a pile of salvaged tech, hauled a heavy laptop onto the desk. "Glen!"
"What?"
"Can you patch this laptop into the shortwave radio?"
"Yeah, sure, but what's the point? The voice channels are jammed by the alien virus!"
"We don't use voice," Maggie said, her eyes bright with a desperate plan. "We use the radio to broadcast the digital signal. We send Morse Code!"
Glen blinked, then a grin broke across his face. "Morse code... Maggie, you're a genius! I can do that in my sleep!"
Keller hurried over as Glen began to wire the devices together. "Write exactly what I say, kid: 'This is Secretary of Defense John Keller to Northern Command. Initiate Emergency Response. Target: Armed Convoy. Air Strike Code: Raptor. Coordinates follow...'"
On the road leading away from the dam, Bumblebee surged forward, catching up to the convoy escorting Sam and Mikaela.
"Sam! Bee is back!" Lennox shouted over the radio. He signaled the convoy to pull over. "Get the boy and the girl into the Camaro. The Cube is safer inside a Cybertronian than a Humvee."
"Got it, Will!"
Sam scrambled into the driver's seat of the yellow car, clutching the humming AllSpark to his chest. He looked at the dashboard, feeling a bit sheepish. "Hey... Lennox is a good guy, really. He stood up for me back at the base. He just... he doesn't know about us yet."
"It's alright, Sam," a series of radio clips chirped back. "I understand. Stress does strange things to biologicals."
Mikaela hopped into the passenger seat, smoothing her hair back and trying to look composed despite the madness.
"Good... good," Sam exhaled. He looked out at the passing sandstone cliffs before turning serious. "Bee, what happened to that Decepticon in the vault? Did you take him down?"
"No, Sam." A crisp broadcast voice came through the speakers. "The Decepticon Skygnaw has evolved. He is an Elite-Class warrior now. My equal in raw power."
"Evolved? What does that even mean?"
"It means he's much more dangerous. He used the Spark to reinforce his chassis. And Megatron is awake. We must link up with Optimus immediately. Only he knows how to handle the Cube, or we're all in trouble."
The convoy, now centered around the yellow Camaro, hammered the accelerators. They were heading for Rushville, the nearest major city thirty miles away. Lennox's plan was simple: get into the urban sprawl where the giants couldn't use their full scale, and hide the Cube until the Air Force arrived.
As they tore along the mountain road, Lennox failed to notice a group of vehicles approaching from the opposite lane: a Peterbilt semi, a silver Pontiac Solstice, a Hummer H2, and a GMC Topkick.
The two groups passed each other in a blur of dust. Seconds later, the four vehicles executed a synchronized U-turn and began trailing the military convoy at a distance.
At the base of the dam, a massive Cybertronian jet shrieked out of the primary transit tunnel, followed closely by a Pave Hawk helicopter.
On the observation deck, Starscream transformed back into jet mode and banked hard to follow them. The three fliers touched down on a plateau just outside the canyon.
"Lord Starscream."
Skygnaw inclined his head toward the Seeker. For now, he was still officially part of Starscream's wing.
Starscream studied Skygnaw, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his cruel features as he registered the Elite-Class energy signature. But with Megatron standing right there, his curiosity was sidelined by his instinct for survival.
"Lord Megatron," Starscream said, dropping into a deep, theatrical bow. "Your loyal second-in-command reports for duty. Seeing you free brings such relief to my spark."
"For cycles, I have scoured the galaxy, following the faint trail of your signature until it led me to this primitive world. When I found you imprisoned by these maggots, my core ached with—"
Skygnaw kept his faceplate neutral, but internally, his processors were groaning.
To the grunts, Starscream was a lethal, cunning commander. To Megatron, he was a fawning lapdog, shamelessly taking credit for the work of others. It was a pathetic display, yet Starscream's ambition and his sycophancy were two sides of the same coin.
Skygnaw respected Megatron for one thing: the Leader's sheer tolerance. If it were Skygnaw, he would have scrapped the two-faced Seeker centuries ago. But perhaps that was the confidence of a true Leader—Megatron knew Starscream was a snake, but a snake that could still be pointed at an enemy.
"Enough, Starscream! Spare me your hollow words!" Megatron snarled, clearly losing patience. "Where is the AllSpark?"
"Lord Megatron... the humans have taken it. They fled the facility moments ago."
"You fail me again, Starscream!"
Megatron deployed his massive crushing claw, turning to glare at the Seeker with burning optics. "Mobilize the Decepticons! Hunt down the insects! Bring me my Cube!"
"As you command, my Liege."
Starscream offered a cruel, thin smile. He turned toward Skygnaw. "Skygnaw. With me."
"Yes, Lord Starscream."
Shifting into helicopter mode, Skygnaw banked after Starscream. Whether Starscream was too busy coordinating the hunt or simply didn't care yet, he hadn't asked about Skygnaw's sudden promotion to Elite-Class.
They reached the outskirts of Rushville. Skygnaw recognized the skyline; this was where he had pulled his first human currency heist.
A heavy shadow passed overhead—Blackout. The massive Pave Low helicopter accelerated, and Starscream led them to the roof of a mid-rise building.
THUD.
The weight of the three machines made the building groan. Below, humans were already gathering, pointing their phones at the "UFOs" on the roof. Skygnaw realized that with Megatron free, the time for secrecy was over.
Blackout landed a moment later, his ten-meter frame making Skygnaw the smallest of the trio.
"Lord Starscream," Blackout acknowledged. He wasn't Starscream's direct subordinate, but he respected the chain of command. "And this is..."
"Blackout, you've met the recruit. This is Skygnaw."
Skygnaw remained silent. He noticed Blackout didn't seem to recall their brief encounter at the base.
Starscream looked down at the gathering crowds with a sneer. "The Autobots have allied with the biologicals. They intend to hide the Spark in this city and use the humans as a shield. Typical of Prime's cowardice."
Skygnaw wasn't surprised. He had sensed the AllSpark's signal was no longer in the vault when he fought Bumblebee. He knew the scout wouldn't have come for him unless the Cube was already safe.
"Barricade and Brawl are on-site," Starscream announced, looking at his internal sensors.
Skygnaw looked down at the highway. A familiar black-and-white police cruiser was tearing into the city, followed by a massive tank and a mine-clearing vehicle.
Barricade's paint was pristine. It seemed his repairs at the hands of Scalpel had been thorough.
"Go," Starscream commanded, having no intention of getting his own hands dirty yet. "Join the ground units. Reclaim the Spark!"
Skygnaw and Blackout exchanged a glance.
"By your command, Lord Starscream."