While Stalker recovers from her stint in the Transmetallization chamber, Stampede is the next to experience the treatment. His process takes slightly longer, and he finally comes to the next morning in his Transmetal body. That same night, Mantisoar has another dream, sent to him by a Unicron spawn. He recognizes the pattern from before; she offers no face, but a name: Whisperswift.
At the greenhouse, Eldred, Darkecho, and Rhinox have finished their work at last. The new Autobot, the first built from scratch on Cybertron in centuries, is called Fracas. Darkecho, feeling a strong connection to his ancestor Soundwave, asks to have his ally inserted in a "tape deck" on his front. Rhinox has already researched the matter, and agrees, provided Darkecho will let him repair his ancestral flashbacks. The deal is made; no more unwanted flashes, for the most part, and the bat resembles his ancestor like never before.
It's now the Predacons' turn to question their prisoners, starting with Pantora. Their plan: to infiltrate Blackarachnia and Silverbolt's Silicon City home and capture Blackarachnia. Angel is all too happy to interrogate Pantora; Upgrade, who's had his strength artificially implemented after losing his original arm at the greenhouse, tags along. The cat offers plenty of information...though not exactly EVERYTHING. After the gleeful Angel finishes beating Pantora unconscious, she reports to her commander. Upgrade, meanwhile, has plans for the captured Warder, Ravvok. He explains that the Predacons' loss of their Transmetal II Driver has forced him to experiment on his own accord with a technology he calls Transmetal III. Of course, he still needs test subjects, as the machine he's built hasn't worked right quite yet. Ravvok continues to taunt him as he hooks the Warder to the ray, eventually frustrating the hornet so much that his newly built arms lock up in a strength overload. After having Stalker aid him, Upgrade tosses Ravvok behind the blast shield and throws the switch on the Transmetal III device. A flash…and Ravvok falls into stasis lock, still functional, and unchanged. When Upgrade walks over to inspect the body, he and the TIII ray are blown away by an activated charge in Ravvok's arms. His work destroyed, Upgrade is so frustrated that he tears the raccoon to pieces.
Pantora, in the interrogation room, is awakened by the sound of the blast. She finds herself bound to a chair and grievously injured...but able to transform. She wriggles her way out of her cuffs, foiling the autoguns and the inattentive guard by the door, and running...directly into Upgrade's lab. The very, very angry hornet, unhappy at seeing a furry in his lab, sounds the alarm and puts the base on full alert. Luckily for Pantora, she is able to simply run away from the worst of the attacks, blowing all her fuel to make a streak for the exit, and, eventually, the border. While running, she calls ahead to Blackarachnia and Silverbolt, warning them of the pending attack.
Stalker, Stampede, and Angel appear before Swiftsting. He is brief, explaining the plan in certain terms. Because the three before him are all ex-Maximals, they will have the easiest time evading scanners and making the grab. The trio returns to the city at night, not realizing that they are expected. They scope out the front door; when the autoguns aim at Stampede, he steps away. They realize now they are expected, and make a quick plan: send Stalker, the sneakiest, around to the back entrance, while the other two distract the Maximal couple at their front door. Stampede blows away the front door while Angel concentrates on the autocannons; Stalker picks the lock at the back and cloaks herself to invisibility. When Stampede's next shot hits Blackarachnia HARD, Silverbolt sees nothing but red until the turncoat is a battered mess on the streets. It's all the distraction Stalker needs to sneak up behind the widow and knock her out, taking the prisoner and the credit. Pantora finally arrives at the house to see a nearly-dead ex-Maximal and a howling Silverbolt. News of this attack travels fast...but not fast enough to stop the Predacons from getting to the border and depositing Blackarachnia in a cell on their base. Stalker is promoted instantly for her impressive victory, and Sellsword, now fully repaired and duly impressed, offers a different sort of reward...
Blackarachnia is under highest security, but can use her spark to heal the damage done to her body. As she and Mantisoar, in the adjoining cell, discuss possible escapes, the story finally comes out how she is the one who allowed Transmetal II technology to filter across the Predacon border. The reason? She gave the plans to two confidants, one an eventual founder of the Daughters, the other a then-Maximal scorpion named Whisperswift. When Whisper turned Predacon, this was the group that got the information. However, Whisper's been off-line, by Blackarachnia's reckoning, for at least twenty years.
The Warder hummingbird, Glimmer, who was involved in the bombing over the city, awakens from repairs. His other allies still injured, he calls home and hears about Ravvok's death. He follows Pantora's trail at light-speed, and arrives at Silverbolt's about the same time as Rattrap.