A group of Autobots leave Cybertron and fly towards as asteroid. Blaster asks Perceptor what the deal is, as this asteroid has been there for a billion years. Perceptor explains it isn't the asteroid belt, but rather the energy pulses he's detected emanating from it.

He says he's reading chronal, which is the force of time itself. It's coming from the bowl shaped asteroid ahead, but as Ramhorn asks why they were brought along, Perceptor says Rodimus told him to bring them along for protection. He thinks this was absurd, however he then narrowly avoids being blasted. Several Sharkticons appear, and start to attack the Autobots.

Blaster sends Ramhorn out as the Autobots fight back, destroying several of the Sharkticons.

Perceptor tells Blaster to beam a message to Rodimus Prime, telling him that they require reinforcements. As the Autobots continue to battle the Sharkticons, Blaster sends out Rewind to help them out.

He finishes off the remaining Sharkticons, as Perceptor heads down to the asteroid by himself. He lands and overhears a Quintesson scientist, Inquirata, telling the other Quintessons to lock the coordinates at minus 11 million years.

He tells them that on his signal, they are to open the time window, and to remember that precision is of the essence. The window must not remain open for more than four hundred macro seconds. The window is activated, and Inquirata says the target subject is in range. He has the energy hook activated.

The hook partially enters the window, and retrieves something. But as it brings it back out, the other Autobots arrive, and are being chased by some Quintesson ships. The ships are firing at them...

...and one of the lasers hits Perceptor. The ships continue to chase after the Autobots, blasting away, as they head towards the time window. Inquirata yells at his own forces to cease firing at once, but they keep shooting, as the Autobots head through the time window.

The Autobots are suddenly surprised to see that the Quintessons are all gone, as is the asteroid. Meanwhile, Inquirata is still yelling at the Quintessons to stop firing, but they don't listen and end up hitting the time window.

The Quintessons ships are then attacked by more Autobots, as Rodimus Prime and Superion show up. Inquirata says they can't leave now, as the time window is still open, but some of the other Quintessons drag him away.

The Quintessons end up retreating from the asteroid. Rodimus lands on it and finds Perceptor, who has been damaged. Perceptor tells him that the other Autobots went through the time window, and tells him to find them, but can't finish what he was going to say.

Superion lands and transforms back to the individual Aerialbots. Air Raid asks if they are going to go after the Quintessons, but Silverbolt says further risk would be foolish. Air Raid asks why he was made leader of the Aerialbots, as he has no sense of adventure. Silverbolt says that's exactly why. Nearby, the object the energy hook retrieved appears, and is revealed to be a robot. Slingshot thinks this guy came from a toy store.

Rodimus says he thinks he came through the time window, the one Perceptor said the other Autobots went through. Silverbolt asks where the window leads to, but Rodimus says he doesn't know. The other Autobots aren't sure where they are, but then a search light spots them.

They are then shot at, so start to retreat as a dark guardian is released. As it goes after them, Rewind says that robot is from the earliest days of Cybertron, even before the Great War against the Decepticons. Blurr doesn't understand how this is possible, as he didn't think there were any guardians left.

Blaster says they tried flight, now they should fight. But before they can do anything, the guardian looms over them and prepares to stomp them all into the ground. He's about to do this when his foot explodes, causing him to fall over. Another robot, Beta, appears, and asks the Autobots it they'll come with her.

The Autobots follow her, as she says she's taking a risk taking them, but with the final assault on the hive city planned for dawn, they need all the help they can get. She finds it odd, as they don't look like slaves. Blurr says they aren't slaves and asks why she thinks they are, and she points to the symbol on his chest. She tells him he wears the same hated mark they all do, the hated mark of their servitude to the Quints. For a million years, it has been their symbol of shame, but A-3 says they must make it a symbol of freedom. A-3 is her leader, and with his coder remote device, he can freeze the guardians in their tracks. Then they would force the Quints out of the city they forced them to build, and slaves all over Cybertron could rise up to claim their freedom.

From within Blaster, Rewind says they're in the past, when the Quintessons still ruled Cybertron, and the robots were their slaves. Beta says it will be a difficult battle, as their forces aren't warriors. They're workers, scientists, technicians... but they all want the same thing: freedom from the Quints!

Blurr wonders how they are in the past, but Rewind ejects and explains things. He says that if the Quintessons stop the Autobot rebellion in the past, it'd change the future. The Quintessons would still be the masters of Cybertron, whilst they'd be their slaves. He asks Beta where A-3 is, but she says he's missing. She'd been looking for him when she found them, but there isn't much choice -time is running out, so with or without A-3, they have to attack at dawn.

Back in the present, Silverbolt tells Rodimus things don't look good -ever since they drove off the Quintessons, the time window has been leaking energy. Some other Autobots have arrived at the asteroid, and as Pipes tries to repair Perceptor, Perceptor mumbles about ripples and the time stream. Rodimus asks Pipes what Perceptor means, but he says he doesn't know. Silverbolt suggests they try shutting the window down, but Rodimus says they can't do that with five Autobots trapped on the other side. He just wishes he knew if the time window is dangerous.

At the Quintesson fleet, the Quintessons watch as rings of chronal energy head out into space. Inquirata explains to a Quintesson commander that if the window isn't closed in the next hour, the ripples will spread through the universe. From Cybertron, to Earth, and beyond into infinity to jeopardize the stability of reality itself! The commander asks what precisely is going to happen, and Inquirata says everything.

He says that, in some cases, events will repeat in an endless loop, as a race is shown. A few Autobots are shown competing, as Wheelie wins the race... and then wins it again as things repeat.

Inquirata says other phenomena may reverse their natural order, as on one planet, the sea is shown to reverse its flow. The ripples makes their way to Earth.

Inquirata explains that past and present will collide, as Marissa Faireborn is about to start a target run session. As a guard starts the session, the ripples effect Marissa, turning her back into a baby!

Inquirata says that ultimately, as every natural law breaks down, the universe will cease to exist! The commander asks what they can do, and Inquirata says they must destroy the time window before it destroys them all. The commander tells some Sharkticons to inform the other ships that they will make a full scale assault on the asteroid. Meanwhile, back on the asteroid, Rodimus asks the retrieved robot if he's feeling better, and asks him what his name is.

The robot doesn't tell him, saying his Quintesson masters must want to know all about the rebellion. Rodimus says he doesn't work for the Quintessons, but the robot tells him only their technology could have pulled him from the empty lands. And he also points out that Rodimus wears the slave brand. Rodimus doesn't know what he's talking about, but then the asteroid begins to explode as the Quintessons start their attack.

Many Sharkticons are sent out, who descend onto the asteroid. Rodimus has the Aerialbots form Superion.

The Sharkticons land, as Rodimus tells the other Autobots to form a battle line. He is about to tell them to hold their positions, but gets hit. Kup catches him and tells everyone to blast the Sharkticons.

An explosion sends the robot flying out into space, and as he screams for help, Superion saves him.

Superion comes under heavy fire, and has to hide behind another asteroid. As he keeps getting shot at he tells Rodimus he's failed, but the robot tells him no...

...as he suddenly changes into Alpha Trion! Alpha Trion tells Superion that he must live, so he can be born. As Superion says Alpha Trion's name, the robot changes back to his usual self, but not before saying the name "A-3". More ripples blast out of the time window...

...and effect Superion, allowing another Superion to appear. The other Superion open fires on the Quintesson ships.

Inquirata says this is the chronal force, warping time around the asteroid -Superion is literally in two places at once! He panics and says the very fabric of existence is unraveling like sub-standard cloth, and says unless the window is shut within the next ten minutes, they are all doomed. The commander orders for all ships to retreat and regroup.

The time ripples effect the other Superion, making him vanish. As the other Autobots finish off the remaining Sharkticons, Superion takes A-3 back to the asteroid.

Pipes is about to tend to Rodimus, but Rodimus tells him to concentrate on Perceptor, as they need his insight to figure out what the Quintessons want. Silverbolt asks A-3 if he still thinks they are the enemy, but A-3 isn't even sure about who he himself is any more. They then notice something strange going on in the sky.

Back in the past, the Autobots move in to distract some dark guardians, and need to lure them away from the walls, so Beta and the rebels can attack. Beta's group remain behind, out of sight.

The Autobots begin their attack, and the dark guardians start to go after them. As this is going on, Beta heads out by herself.

Back in the present, Inquirata contacts the Autobots and tells them they must put aside their differences, as the fate of the universe depends on their cooperation. He says they must close the window, as nothing else matters now. Rodimus asks why they should do that, just as the asteroid starts to shake. Inquirata says that is why -space and time are tearing apart. They have only minutes, or perhaps less, to close the window, or they'll all be doomed. Silverbolt thinks it's a trick, as he knows their friends are trapped in there. Inquirata begs for them to believe him.

Back in the past, the Autobots topple several of the dark guardians, as Beta and Rewind cheer.

But a Quintesson then appears and tells the slaves that they have observed their futile rebellion with much amusement, but their appetite for entertainment has been satisfied, and they will now put down their arms and return to work. If they don't, the dark guardians will incinerate them where they stand. As more dark guardians surround the Autobots, the Quintesson asks them to decide quickly.

Back in the present, Rodimus tells Inquirata he's convinced him, and asks what he has to do. Inquirata tells him to return the time window to its original focus -11 million years a go. Rodimus presses a switch to do this, but Silverbolt says he doesn't see the Autobots. Air Raid says this has to be a trick.

Rodimus suggests sending someone through to find them, but Inquirata says there's no time. Rodimus is about to hit the switch to close the window, but A-3 tells him to wait. He says he'll go through and find their friends. Rodimus says he thought he didn't trust them, but A-3 says Inquirata convinced him, too. A-3 leaps through the time window, much to Inquirata's chagrin.

He arrives back on Cybertron, and lands right before Beta and the Autobots. The Quintesson says their time is up, and orders the guardians to vaporize everyone.

A-3 removes the symbol from his chest, revealing that it is the coder remote. He uses it on he dark guardians, as it emits a bright, powerful light.

The dark guardians all malfunction and topple over. A-3 tells the Autobots their friends want them home, and tells them to go. He thanks them for their help, but they must go at once. Blaster says ok, as he guesses he can trust them to win this one -after all, they already did. He and the other Autobots head through the time window...

...and arrive back on the asteroid. Rodimus presses the other switch, and the time window blows up.

Perceptor reactivates and tells Rodimus that they must close the time window, but Rodimus says he knows. Rewind tells Blurr it just hit him: A-3... A for Alpha, 3 for Trion. Air Raid realizes that guy was the one who created Optimus Prime, and was also the father of the Autobots...

NOTES

-The Sharkticons at the start of the episode aren't merely defeated by the Autobots, some of them are totally obliterated! A rare occurrence of actual death on the show.

-Inquirata is never named in the episode itself, but is in the script.

-This is the first episode in the series to not feature any Decepticons at all.

-This is also the first episode to feature a Secret Files of Teletraan II segment, showcasing the Predacons. These segments will be seen in certain future episodes, and were put in to take up some time if an episode was running short.