GuardianWing, desperate for the answers as to why he flashes back and what he ought to remember, approaches Scanner asking for information on his personal files. However, Scanner is extremely busy, and he promises he will get the files ready when he has the time.
Stalker is still inside the Maximal Council hall, and she and her Daughter ally are trying desperately to escape. However, the other Maximals are still seeking them out. They attempt to use the elevator to escape, but, cloaked and low on fuel, they are spotted, and Armageddon and GuardianWing cut the cable on the elevator, sending her crashing to the first floor. She is pinned beneath rubble, and the Green is no where to be found. Starfire begins to shoot down the shaft, and the Maximals are warned to lock the building and seal the exits. GuardianWing and Armageddon sweep the halls, causing confusion and combat, while Starfire telekinetically seals off the front door. Stalker, injured and low on fuel, manages to limp out of the building just before the back exit is sealed, and returns to the Daughters' complex.
The Predacons steal two vehicles, attempting to ride their way out of the Maximal sectors. Heavy gunfire from the opposing side becomes a serious problem, until Oblivion and their ship, Silence, which they had left in the arena sector, shows up to give them a lift. The Predacons regroup. They are low on energon and resources, but their raid was a success. They are missing only a few members...
Epitaph is among the Predacons unaccounted for, as his body is currently occupied by a presence of a different sort. Darkwave attempts to sneak Starscream back into the Maximal complex, but Starscream becomes more suspicious. As he begins to determine what exactly is unsettling him about the Soundwave lookalike, he gets better grounding in what year he is currently residing. His spark escapes the Predacon body, leaving Epitaph, baffled, in Maximal custody. Thundercat, with his unedited copy of the Covenant, places a call to Optimus Primal. He offers to return the book, saying that he has some questions to ask Optimus when he can find the time. Optimus is somewhat broken up as he responds, saying that Thundercat should meet up with him at the church of Primus. When Thundercat and Rhinox arrive, they see Rattrap sobbing over the bodies of Blackarachnia and Silverbolt. They had been delivered that evening. Optimus doesn't know for sure what killed them, but he has a pretty good idea...
Meanwhile, in the Daughters' Complex, a Black Sentry of Unicron's Guard is put on special assignment. Tarantulas complains that he is no longer authorized to use the Daughters' elite force, the Green Assassins, to keep an eye out for Stalker. He assigns Splitarachnus, a very loyal Sentry with a peculiar rift to his personality, to be his consort's bodyguard. When Stalker returns, Tarantulas puts her through extensive repair.
Megatron, distrusting the repair the Green Daughter offered him, asks to have use of the Predacon R-Bath on Silence. He is followed closely by Medusa, and Angel, who returns his long-lost duckie. Both of the females vie for the dragon's attention, his disinterest evidently not as apparent to them as it would be to any onlooker. Just as he is managing to get rid of them completely, he is approached by Subcommander Stahldrache. Stahldrache explains to him the situation with Tarantulas once again, and explains that he has a plan to kill the spider once and for all. Megatron is receptive, responding that he will meet with Tarantulas, but only on his own terms, and the spider's death would be a pleasure would it turn out to be necessary. After hearing the news about Tripredicus and their relations with Unicron, Megatron knows that the Predacon generals would be a fair target as well, but his group needs a steady supply of energon and a larger loyalty base.
When the next day rolls around, the Maximals have a meeting with a very important person, though her identity has until now remained a mystery. Optimus brings Thundercat and Rhinox with him, and Darkwave brings the majority of his force... minus Tusk and Miriam, who have been sent on "special assignment" by Armageddon. Darkwave has also invited Daybreak to come along. When the Lady of the Maximals enters the waiting room in the Matrix complex, Darkwave is surprised to be confronted with Elita One, the thought-dead female Autobot General. However, no one could be more surprised than Optimus Primal, who remembers her as the once-love of Optimus Prime. Elita gives them a tour of the complex, and explains the problem that she hopes Darkwave can help her and her Magnaboss solve: the life energies in the Matrix complex, which give organic components to all Maximal protoforms, are dying. Only one clue can be amassed; a mysterious protoform which emerged from the Matrix with a new spark right before it shut down. The Maximals tell Elita what they know about Megatron's escape, and about the Daughters of Tarantulas and their plan to sacrifice Megatron to Unicron to appease the dark god. Thundercat then mentions that he has a quest to open Cybertron's "Seven Seals." Elita sheds some light on the mission: opening all of the seals will surely cause the death of Cybertron, so long as one of those seals is the Plasma Forge. However, closing all the seals means disaster as well, and the end of days. The Matrix complex is one of those seals, and it is now closing. The Maximals don't know for certain how to reopen the seal, but they have a hunch that the Daughters are the ones responsible for closing it. After some debate, they decide to activate the last protoform. The new Maximal is a Transmetal with the demeanor of a black knight, and identifies himself as Stormcrow. He then gives no further explanation, save that it is his quest to find and destroy Tarantulas. The Maximals stop him, and he explains the final memories of Silverbolt and Blackarachnia: his parents. The Unicron-worshippers pin their sacrifices to a wall, and they have three left before their god will respond. Stormcrow plans to destroy the cultists, with or without help. The Maximals insist on calling for aid, and sending in their best troops. Elita One gives Darkwave her authority in order to rally whatever forces he needs, and appoints Optimus Primal a general to enforce her word.
Darkwave then calls the Predacons. He informs Subcommander Stahldrache that Megatron is a planned sacrifice, and that he would be safer if he submitted to Maximal authority and protection. The subcommander is interested to hear about the birth of Stormcrow, but tells Darkwave the Predacons have their own plans for killing Tarantulas. He then enlists Hardhead, Sellsword, and Medusa to help him with his own plan. Heading for the Daughters' complex in order to make a "friendly deal" with Tarantulas, he hopes to beat the Maximal armies to the scene and kill the spider himself.
When Optimus leaves the complex, he confronts Darkwave, attempting to use his new rank to get information about what higher power is giving them their orders. More importantly, he wants to find out who it was that ended up marrying Elita One. Darkwave, however, refuses to respond, voluntarily passing out before giving any information. He later tells Optimus that he will learn about Magnaboss when the time is right.
Meanwhile, the Predacon commanders are in conference, deciding on their next move as a unit, when they receive a call from Tarantulas, in person, with Stalker on his arm. Tarantulas wonders why Megatron hasn't yet contacted him. He warns the commander himself about the planned sacrifice, and, more importantly, tells Swiftsting that the cultists plan on killing him as well. Swiftsting, who thought he was getting tactical suggestions from his dead lover, still inside his Optimized spark, was in fact speaking telepathically with Mindrazor. For years, she had been manipulating Swiftsting's connection, using the Transmetal II Driver, the trip to Earth, and the attack on the Council as methods to lure Swiftsting and Megatron to her sacrificial wall. Needless to say, the commander is highly displeased...