New Cybertron, Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back Flashback: Four million years ago, Jetfire leads Orion Pax and Prowl to a Decepticon bolthole to meet the 'bot who told him about Pax: Soundwave.
Present: In Cairo, Thundercracker has agreed to consult on Cybertronian technology for G.I. Joe. He and Chameleon start chatting about their respective pasts with Marissa and Flint, and Thundercracker becomes very interested in the exciting life of espionage Chameleon has lived. The subjects of their conversation, meanwhile, are talking in a nearby cafe about something else entirely: Thundercracker's condition for helping out was that Marissa be invited to join G.I. Joe, but Marissa isn't overly keen on serving under Flint... who is her father!
On Cybertron, Optimus Prime speaks before the Council of Worlds to argue for the peaceful sharing of Junkion technology with Earth. The Mistress of Flame sees no harm in it, given the things Prime has done to "divinely" prove the humans' world is a valid Cybertronian colony, but Starscream is far from convinced. Earth has not been officially accepted into the council, he angrily explains, and does not even have a representative; it remains an unaffiliated world, and so sharing the Junkions' tech with it is a breach of the Tyrest Accord. The hearing comes to an end, and Prime departs, clearly frustrated. But Starscream's grandstanding has made clear the path Prime must take to ensure Earth a place on the council...
Flashback: Soundwave speaks of the compromises it is necessary for one to make to achieve their goals, but Orion Pax disagrees; Jetfire accuses him of being blind to the problems of society, ignoring the moral compromises his own side has made while condemning the Decepticons' for theirs. Prowl steps in to question Soundwave directly about Hefter, inquiring whether the allegation that he was running guns from off-world is true. Soundwave refutes the claim, insisting that the compromises the Decepticons have made do not define their goals or lives going forward, but Orion isn't convinced; he offers Soundwave immunity from prosecution if he will tell them the truth. Soundwave reiterates that Hefter—and all the Decepticons—are innocent of such crimes.
Present: In Mexico City, Jazz reaches out to the woman who was injured in the recent shooting, who shunned his help when offered. The woman has nothing but hate for him, having lost her uncle in the Decepticon invasion of Earth, but Jazz does not want to convince her otherwise—he just wants to listen to her, to try and understand.
Though Flint doesn't give him a clear answer when he inquires if Marissa has accepted his offer, Thundercracker agrees to perform the necessary calculations on the Junkion ship. By comparing Thundercracker's estimate of the energy output of the ship's system to the total radiation they can detect emanating from the vessel, Mainframe and Hi-Tech set about trying to deduce the size of the Junkion force inside. Soundwave arrives at the Joe camp as they are in the middle of their equations, offering to lend a hand—an offer happily accepted by a surprised Mainframe, but with slightly more trepidation by Talon.
Flashback: Prowl, Jetfire, and Orion Pax leave Soundwave, but no sooner have they stepped out the door than Starscream emerges from the shadows. Soundwave turns to face him and reacts with shock to see him carrying a huge weapon. Starscream grins; the newest shipment of weapons has arrived from off-world...
Present: With his stealth coating active and Rumble and Frenzy on board as back-up, Cosmos approaches the Junkion spacecraft in vehicle mode and is able to successfully enter it. The trio carefully creeps through the garbage-strewn hallways of the ship, sadly unaware that the stealth coating was not enough to hide them from the Junkions' sensors, and that their every move is even now being watched by Rum-Maj. When one of her Junkion attendants offers to go after the intruders, however, she tells him not to bother... as Cosmos, Rumble, and Frenzy have j