Optimus has survived the mine explosion, and the Autobots help dig Bumblebee and Sparkplug out. They believe the Decepticons have been destroyed, only for them to burst out of the mine and fly away with their energon cubes. They return to base and Hound comes up with an idea to create a gigantic holographic illusion which will trick the Decepticons into coming to them. Optimus decides to have Hound make a rocket base hologram. Hound heads back outside and tells Mirage about the rocket fuel base, which Ravage overhears. They then let Ravage escape on purpose, who informs the Decepticons about the base.

After more leadership squabbling, Starscream attempts to kill Megatron, but fails. Megatron shoots him but spares him, saying they'll attack the rocket base at sunrise. The Decepticons attack the fake base, but the Autobots are ready for them. However, it turns out the Autobots have been duped -the Decepticons they're fighting are just junk robots which fall apart after a few punches. The real Megatron appears and says the Decepticons are attacking the real rocket fuel base. At the base, the Decepticons quickly destroy any human defenses and take the fuel they want.

With their new space cruiser ready, the Decepticons prepare to leave the Earth. The Autobots arrive and begin fighting them, but the Decepticons board the space cruiser and take off. The Autobot think they've failed, but Optimus says it's not over yet. He takes Sideswipe's rocket pack and uses it to fly after the Decepticon's ship.

However, he soon gets blasted back down to Earth. On the ship, Mirage has managed to get onboard, and blows up some of the ship's computers. He gets shot by Starscream, but manages to jump out as the ship starts to plummet back to Earth. Megatron demands Soundwave doesn't let them crash, but Soundwave is unable to stop the ship from going completely out of control.

The Autobots celebrate as they see the Decepticon ship crash into the sea. With their enemies defeated, the Autobots return to their own ship to repair it. The governments of the Earth agree to provide the Autobots with the energy they need to revitalize Cybertron, and Spike and Sparkplug are going to go with them back to their home planet. But what none of them know is that the Decepticons have survived -as Megatron gets out of the damaged space cruiser.

Notes

-SCRIPT DIFFERENCES: Click here for details.

-Oddly, when Prime says "perfect" when finding out Ravage has escaped, Jazz, Prowl, Mirage and Hound act shocked when he says this. It makes sense for Mirage since he wasn't informed, but the other three are supposed to know about Prime's plan, so why do they look surprised?

-Ravage speaks in this episode! His voice can be heard when he plays back his intel about the rocket fuel. In all future appearances, he only makes animal noises.

-This episode also marks the appearance of Prime's combat deck, which is very rarely used in the series, but is a feature the toy had. The trailer can open up, revealing a dual-missile launcher.

Errors

-When Bluestreak flies up to Ironhide, Ironhide's back laser is already visible. It then disappears, then Ironhide reveals it seconds later.
-When Hound creates the Megatron hologram, he overlaps Ravage's cell.
-Megatron's cannon is mostly colored the same as his body during this shot.
-One of the Air Force base staff says "There's nothing we can" -part of his line has clearly been cut off in error.
-Ratchet's fists are colored white instead of red during this shot.
-When Megatron rallies the Decepticons, Soundwave's chest faction symbol is missing and Skywarp's chest is colored purple instead of black.
-When Prime uses the combat deck, there is a rocky background. A few seconds later, the same animation gets used again, but now there's a sky background.
-When Megatron loses his cannon, the Decepticon symbol on his chest is missing.
-When Soundwave says "prepare for impact", Megatron's foot overlaps his arm.
-Parts of Prime's legs are colored red instead of white during this shot.