Later, GuardianClaw is visited by Dredwulf, the bounty hunter who lead eventually to his capture. In robot mode, the hunter wears a blindfold, as both his eyes are now missing. He confronts GuardianClaw about his past, but when GuardianClaw remembers nothing, Dredwulf leaves in frustration.
Determined to preserve Stormcrow's life, Medusa begins a strict regimen of prayer. As what Stormcrow has taught her about Primus and the Matrix sinks in, she grows more accustomed to the habit. Stormcrow's spirits gradually improve due to her aid, and, after a week, he asks if she will be his wife.
As rumors about Shockwave and the Maximals build, protestors and conspiracy theorists gather outside of the Council Citadel. When the fliers built up around the eighth level outside become more aggressive than Grimlock alone can deter, Elita One decides she can no longer wait. She steps onto the balcony, her assistants in tow, in order to address the crowd. Stunned at first, the Maximals eventually become certain that she is a hologram. They discover they are wrong when a stray shot fired at her connects. Injured, Elita activates her power, leaving only several witnesses outside to watch as Shockwave carries her back into the Citadel.
Curious about what makes GuardianClaw so stubborn, Otternaut uses her increased security clearance to learn more about him. She manages to finally trace him back to an incident where he was a renegade Maximal trooper, who killed an underling and then, Predacon-like, attempted to assault a superior officer for rights to his position. She returns to GuardianClaw's cell, and attempts to explain what she's discovered, but as it was before Guardian's first memory wipe, he does not remember the incident, and insists that the records must be falsified.
Later that week, the Maximals return again to the Matrix complex, attempting to create a new protoform. This time, the process is a succcess. A spark is installed, and the resulting Maximal, first of the new line, is named Kitfox.
Late one night, GuardianClaw is waiting in his cell when he has an unexpected visit from Rattrap. Rattrap, insisting there's no jail he can't break into or out of, makes arrangements for GuardianClaw's escape. The rat is incredibly sneaky, but the bear, not so. He sets off an alarm during his exit, alerting prison guards, who surround the area. Running after Rattrap, he escapes, but not so his ally Absolute Zero, who attacks the Prowl officers and is thrown back in jail.
Hearing about the summit held between Tripredicus and Magnaboss, Darkwave, now considering himself and his troops the "other" great Predacon power, offers to hold a conference of his own. The Mangaboss drone, several Maximal senators, and Darkwave and his highest-ranking troops meet on neutral ground to discuss arrangements. Magnaboss states that he can make no arrangements with the rebels as they are in violation of several sections of the Pax Cybertronia, particularly those involving limits on reproduction. Darkwave promises that the treaty can be reassessed when Tripredicus is deposed. They ask if Angel can be returned to her Maximal alliance, as she is tired of being a rebel and deposed councilmember. When Magnaboss presses the issue of "renegade" Maximals on Predacon ground, Stormcrow knows he is being addresssed. In view of the Maximal senators, he calls Elita by name, saying with frustration that if she would rather he become a Predacon to aid legal matters involving his residence and marriage, he will do so, if temporarily. All at once, it dawns on one of the council elders that Darkwave is a plant, working for Magnaboss to depose Tripredicus. Asking Elita in specific if she had set the situation up, the councilman gets an unusual response: "No, I, Shockwave, set you up."
The next day, Elita and Shockwave set up a wideband broadcast to the Maximal half of the planet. They reveal themselves as the leaders and Magnaboss, and encourage Maximals to put aside racial hatreds as they have already done. GuardianClaw and his rebel force, watch the broadcast from their new base in an old Autobot bunker. The planet-wide response is varied; while many young Maximals applaud the union of the races, others are afraid of the Decepticon takeover.
Among the latter is Kitfox, who insists that he needs to take a walk to sort out mixed feelings about his new situation. Thundercat, however, tails him. The two dash through the streets and into the underground, dodging streets and bridges and bypassing whole sectors. Eventually, Kitfox tires out, the persistant Thundercat still on his tail. The two find themselves in a natural metal cave, a territory completely new to the both of them. Not sure as to what direction to travel to get back, they temporarily team up, and explore the cavern. Narrowly escaping an attack from some kind of creature lurking in the darkness, they find a few ore deposites, and an underground river. Following it to its end, they eventually encounter a nest of organic beings in a dark pool. They continue on until they find a cave-in, and a door marked with an Autobot symbol. The cave-in does not seem accidental, so they choose to explore behind the door. Eventually, they find a long sloping hall, an elevator, and an underground entrance to GuardianClaw's new base. GuardianClaw is surprised to see Thundercat, and doesn't know Kitfox at all. When the pair mention the creatures and the cave-in, GuardianClaw assigns Rattrap and some of the more experienced miners to check it out.
Dredwulf, both eyes now repaired, follows Guardian's scent back to his new base. Rather than assaulting it, however, he puts in a call to the Prowl, who set up a blockade around the entrances. Shockwave knows the layout of this particular area intimately, as it once belonged to Elita. Thundercat has already left the area, but Kitfox has stayed, hoping to aid the rebellion. Having a strong connection to a past life as an Autobot, Kitfox manages to access some of the base's security specs. Sadly, he notes that most of its internal defenses were already overcome, some time near the end of the Great War. In the mean time, Guardian puts other computer specialists to work trying to discover if there is another "Prime" due in the Autobot line. Such things seem to no longer exist, so he asks them to trace Optimus Primal's heritage, as well.
After several days of blockade, Shockwave calls the rebel base, asking Guardian if he plans to surrender. Guardian insists he will not, then calls out to his contacts on the Predacon side. The Secret Police insist that, with that much Maximal Police activity, there is very little they can do to aid in short notice. GuardianClaw conferences with Shockwave again. He challenges Shockwave to single combat, leader against leader, for the right to Maximal rule. Shockwave knows that by Predacon and Decepticon law, he must accept the challenge, but explains that as a Maximal, he has the right to decline. Nevertheless, he would rather be a tyrant than a coward, and accepts. When GuardianClaw attempts to postpone the challenge to five days later, Shockwave denies the request. He already suspects that GuardianClaw may have Predacon allies, and does not want them to have time to gather strength.
Angel returns to Maximal territory, and leaves her offspring in the hands of the technicians at the Matrix facility. Starfire looks her up, knowing she is back in town, but she doesn't seem interested in chatting about her situation.
That same day, the new Predacons begin to emerge from the Pit. They are strong warriors, lead by a faction of "True Predacons" that merge to form Predaking, and a female squadron called Razor Women, lead by the wyvern ninja Nightbird. Darkwave addresses his new troops, promising them that they are the first of a new breed of proud warriors, who fight for their Decepticon heritage while free from Unicron's bonds.