On the rooftop of the Hybrid Technologies building, a party is taking place. Most of the employees aren't very happy to be there, but one tells another this is a direct order from the the chairman of the board. And here comes their beloved chairman now: Astoria. She tells the crowd she knows they're all grossed out to be here, but it's her birthday, so she's going to have a party. She wants to know why aren't these geezers having a good time?! Why can't they just lighten up and enjoy themselves?



She can't stand it, and thinks this place is like a prison. She hates it, and wants some excitement. As she starts to cry someone tells her to stop, but she says it's her party and she'll cry if she wants to! But just then, Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet appear and open fire, saying their target has been sighted. Nearby, Powerglide spots them and reports to the Autobot HQ that the Decepticons are attacking Hybrid Technologies. He wonders what the Decepticons are up to...



...but then sees that they're after a girl. He flies over and lowers a rope, telling her to grab it. She does and is whisked away, as the Decepticons transform and go after them. Astoria is pulled up into Powerglide.



She goes to thank the pilot, only to find there isn't one. She thinks they'll crash and starts touching the controls, which makes Powerglide spin out of control. However the Decepticons see this as a sign of superb air agility, and believe Powerglide to be a truly worthy adversary.



Powerglide manages to regain control and lands under a bridge, as the Decepticons pass over. He transforms and introduces himself, as Astoria tells him she thinks he's completely the greatest! Powerglide sheepishly thanks her for the compliment, but she the says she wants to go flying again.



He tells her to shut up and listen, as he wants to know why the Decepticons were after her, and who she is. She tells him she's Astoria Carlton-Ritz, and the chairman of the board of Hybrid Technologies. She explains that her father died, and left the company to her. Powerglide says they need to find out why they want her, but she repeats that she wants to go flying. Powerglide tells her he'll send her flying, and takes her to Sparkplug's garage. He contacts Optimus Prime, who tells him that according to this data, Astoria isn't allowed access to the research labs of equipment of her company, despite the fact that she runs the company. Powerglide says there must be some reason why the Decepticons wanted her, and Prime thinks maybe they just wanted to hold her hostage, in exchange for some secret information. Powerglide just wishes he knew what information it could be.



Nearby, Spike asks Astoria about her run in with the Decepticons, and says it's too bad he wasn't there -he's always ready to rescue a girl as pretty as her. Astoria wants to know more about Powerglide, and Spike tells her he thinks he's OK, but a bit of a blowhard. She thinks Powerglide is wonderful, as he's tall, handsome, shiny and he can fly! Spike says there's a few things he can't do, but Astoria then decides to watch what Spike is doing. As he repairs a car, he makes a mistake with a drill, and tries to fix it with a blowtorch, only to end up setting the engine on fire. He tries to fan out the flames and pushes her back...



...but she bumps into another piece of apparatus causing it to drop an engine onto another car. Powerglide has been watching, and says it's no wonder her company won't let her near any of their equipment!



Astoria agrees, saying that her and machines don't get along too well. Powerglide says he can personally attest to that, but then tells her to come on, as he's been given the lucky task of escorting her back to their main HQ. But she tells him she's hungry, and she's absolutely got to have something to eat. Meanwhile, at the Decepticon HQ, Megatron chews out Thrust and the others for failing to capture the girl. Thrust says they hadn't counted on Powerglide's interference.



Megatron reminds them they are supposed to be the most powerful jets in the galaxy, but they were beaten by a pipsqueak Autobot plane?! Ramjet asks for the chance to try and find her again, but Megatron tells them they will not try to get her, they will get her, or he'll have them all melted down for scrap! Meanwhile, Powerglide has taken Astoria to a carnival, where she buys a hot dog. As she eats it, he tells her they've got to go, but she tells him to wait -she wants to do that, and points to something.



The something is a merry-go-round, which both she and Powerglide have a ride on. She thinks this is better than running that stupid old company any day, but he tells her he needs to get her out of here, it's dangerous. She doesn't know what he's talking about, they're on a merry-go-round for crying out loud! As the ride ends, Astoria wonders what she wants to do now, but Powerglide says he doesn't care what she wants to do -they're going to the volcano!



He grabs her but she tells him to let go, and then yells at him for touching her necklace. She calms down and explains that her Dad gave it to her before he died, and made her promise to never take it off. Powerglide says he's sorry but she tells him it's OK, he didn't know.



Before they can move out, the Decepticons appear, and say they've come for the girl -and they will get the girl, or else! Powerglide tells Astoria to run as he heads straight towards the Decepticons, firing his gun at them.



Ramjet picks up the merry-go-round and throws it at Powerglide, and he gets hit by part of it as it breaks up from the landing impact. The Decepticons shoot at him and knock him back...



...but he fires back and hits a vending machine, causing a load of liquid to spill out over them. As they're distracted, he then shoots at a tent, causing it break way and cover them up. He transforms and has Astoria board him, as they head into the air.



It doesn't take long for the Decepticons to recover and go after them, and Ramjet collides into him, damaging his wing. He manages to lose them by flying through some thick clouds, but due to the damage he's taken, he has to make a landing in the desert. As he does, he sends a distress signal out to the Autobot HQ and transmits his coordinates.



He comes to a stop and transforms, but Astoria says this place is like... nowhere. She then notices Powerglide is hurt, but he says it's nothing. She persists and whilst he tells her she's a pain in the afterburners, she tells him he doesn't have to be Mr. Macho all the time, just let her help! She rips part of her dress off and uses it to cover up his arm wound. She says she cares about him, as he saved her life, but of course he wouldn't feel anything like that about her, as he's a robot, and above all those kinds of things. Powerglide starts to answer, but before he can, the pair are attacked again.



The Decepticons have found them, and Powerglide gets blown away. Dirge says he'll finish him off, and fires a couple of missiles...



...which cause lots of rocks to fall down and cover Powerglide up. Ramjet and Thrust take Astoria and put her in Dirge, as they head off. Powerglide gets up and tries to follow them, but he's too injured, and collapses.



Thankfully it doesn't take long for Ratchet and Wheeljack to find him, and take him back to the Autobot HQ. Ratchet starts repairing him, but he gets frustrated as he wants to save Astoria. He says he feels fine, and goes to leave, but Ratchet tells him he's not done. Powerglide asks him if he can fly again, and when Ratchet tells him he can, he tells him he is done!



He goes to Optimus Prime and asks if there has been any word from the Decepticons, but he's heard nothing. Prime wonders that maybe the Decepticons don't want to ransom her, maybe she has something they want, but he doesn't know what. However Teletraan I then reports that a Sky Spy has detected unusual atmospheric disturbances over the North Atlantic. The source is ten miles above sea level. Prime thinks the Decepticons have some kind of orbital station, and Powerglide says that's where they've taken Astoria, and that's where he's going.



At the orbital station, Hook tells Megatron that the energy transductor is now fully operational. Megatron says as soon as he finds out what the girls knows, they'll turn the Earth's electromagnetic field into raw energon. He goes into the room where she's been restrained, as she annoys Soundwave by asking if they have any burgers in this joint.



Megatron tells her to tell him what she knows, and she'll be released. She doesn't know what he's talking about, so he tells her that before her father died, he gave her an energy formula. He wants that formula now, but she tells him not to be so hostile. He asks her again to tell her what she knows, but she starts insulting him. He silences her and says as she won't give him the formula willingly, there are always other ways. The psycho-probe is capable of extracting all of the information from a human's mind, and it isn't a pleasant experience. Since she still won't talk, Megatron tells Soundwave to energize the psycho-probe.



However, Soundwave reports that the subject's mind is completely empty. Megatron thinks that's impossible, but Soundwave finds out it was a computer error. Astoria says she forgot to tell them -she and machines don't get along too well -especially slime ball machines like them. Meanwhile, Powerglide closes in on the orbital station, but comes across the energy waves it's sending out.



Soundwave corrects the problem and tries again, but now the probes won't even stay on Astoria's head. She tells them she told them, and Megatron can't believe it!



Soundwave finds out about the mechanical error. Meanwhile Powerglide attempts to fly through the waves, but starts taking damage. He doesn't know how long he can take this for, but is determined to get through for Astoria. Back inside the station, as the probes won't stay on, Megatron tells Soundwave and Rumble to hold them in place.



Megatron warns Astoria that the psycho-probe will put 90,000 volts through her brain, and is an excruciating experience, and asks her if she will tell him what she knows. She says all this waiting around, that's what's excruciating! She's starving and wants to know when they are going to feed her, and their dumb machine doesn't even work! Megatron yells enough, and turns the machine on.



However it malfunctions yet again, this time shocking Rumble and Soundwave instead of Astoria. Megatron turns if off by destroying it, just as Hook reports that an Autobot is approaching.



The Decepticons leave the room, and Megatron says he'll attend to Astoria later. With them gone, she manages to pull her hands out of the restraints they were in, and frees herself. The Decepticons look on as Powerglide heads towards them, but Megatron says he'll never make it through that energy storm.



Astoria heads out and sees where the energy storm waves are originating from. She thinks something metal could short circuit it, but as there is nothing around for her to use, she has no choice but to use her necklace. She apologizes to her father, but says she's got to chuck the formula in order to save Powerglide. She throws it and it hits the target, causing the tower to blow up.



This lets Powerglide fly in easily. Megatron sees the explosions, and realizes that the control housing has been damaged. He tells the Decepticons to return to their HQ, so they fly off. This lets Powerglide land on the station without having to face any opposition.



He transforms and lands, and finds Astoria. He asks why she smashed the antenna, does she want to get herself killed? She tells him she did it to save him, and hugs him as she says she doesn't care if he yells at her, just as long as he's safe. He pulls out a parachute and tells her to jump for it.



He says he has a plan, so she throws the parachute away and tells him she's staying with him, no matter what. He thinks she's going to drive him crazy, but the two enter the control room. He makes some repairs and says now he should be able to steer this floating parking lot.



But it doesn't work, and he realizes why: it's because of her! She's jinxing the controls, and when she says she's staying with him, he throws her out. He sets the station on a new flight path, and then runs out to Astoria. She's ready to sock him one, but realizes they're still heading downward. He transforms and tells her to get in.



The Decepticons return to their HQ, and whilst Rumble says they at least got away in one piece, Megatron says the girl and the falling sky platform are Powerglide's problem. Soundwave corrects him: it's their problem, as he's found that the platform is heading straight for their HQ. Outside, the platform crashes into the sea.



As it starts to sink, Megatron tells him to energize the force fields, to which Soundwave says what force fields. The platform hits part of their HQ, breaking apart some walls and flooding the place. Megatron tells the Decepticons that their new orders are to... clean up this mess.



Back at Sparkplug's garage, Powerglide asks Astoria what the Decepticons were after, and she tells him it was just that necklace her father gave to her. He thinks she never makes any sense, but she tells him she has got to be going. He says that next time he's in town, would it be OK if he looked her up? She thinks that would be wonderful, and thinks he's wonderful. He doesn't think she's so bad herself. Astoria is delighted and kisses him.



She heads off to her limousine, as Sparkplug says who would have believed it: Powerglide shot down by Cupid! As Ratchet and Ironhide snigger at Powerglide, he asks them who wants to be the first to get his circuits punched out. As he storms off into the garage, he stops, opens up a panel on his chest, and reveals a bunch of lights are flashing on and off, in the shape of a heart!



NOTES

-Whilst the name of Astoria's company is Hybrid Technologies, Optimus Prime calls it just "High Tech" at one point, and Megatron does the same thing later.

-Towards the end there's a rather unfortunate piece of animation where it looks like Powerglide shoves Astoria off the platform, when really, it was supposed to be a gust of wind that did it. This is close to a bad shot you might have noticed above, where Astoria is missing part of her body when Powerglide passes her a parachute.

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