A television news anchor reports that the discovery by spy satellites of energon manufacturing by North Korea, leaving the United States uneasy due to North Korea's history of pursuing nuclear weapons.

In the Korean Demilitarized Zone, Onslaught drives through the fence separating the North and the South and starts to attack South Korean soldiers. He is struck by a shell from a tank, but the tank is vaporized by another tank—who transforms, revealing himself as Brawl. Jet fighters scrambled to attack the invaders are cut down in the air by Vortex, who transforms and joins the others on the ground. Onslaught radios their boss, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Du, and reports that the battle is over. Kim, arriving at the head of a large North Korean military force, is pleased; Seoul will be theirs in hours at this rate.

At Skywatch headquarters, Spike Witwicky reflects that North Korean collaboration with the Decepticons was inevitable. Consulting Joe Henderson about the specifics of the situation, he is unable to learn anything besides the presence of seventeen energon production facilities in North Korea—and evidence of one further Combaticon in play not yet sighted at the border.

Elsewhere in the base, Ratchet explains to a Skywatch engineer the internal workings of Cybertronians, using a relaxed Cliffjumper as an example. Jetfire expresses his hesitancy to Bumblebee about giving their knowledge to the humans, but Bumblebee replies that not only have the humans given them similar access to human information, they've also supplied the Autobots with all the energon they need. Spike enters the room, asking to speak to the leader of the Autobots. Jetfire, Ratchet and Cliffjumper all gesture to Bumblebee, but Spike insists on Optimus Prime.

Spike finds Optimus Prime sitting in the now-open cell where he was previously detained, which he claims helps him to think. He requests Prime's help to deal with the Combaticons, who are more organized and powerful than any Decepticon they've had to bring in before. Bumblebee accepts his request, but before he can assemble a team, Campolongo bursts in to tell them that the President is making a live address.

The President announces the act of aggression from North Korea towards the South, and that Cybertronians were involved on the side of the aggressors. He then declares that any nation collaborating with Cybertronians or using their technology will be considered to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Aware of the problems this causes for him and the Autobots, Spike orders that everyone act as if the base was under communications blackout and no one had heard the address. He then continues preparing for the mission.

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