Roll For It

by Ragey

With Megatron stranded on Cybertron, Starscream is more than happy to boast about being the new leader of the Decepticons, and shoves Soundwave aside just to show how much he means business. The two of them plus Thundercracker and Skywarp are on a mission to a dam, and proceed to crash straight through the windows of the operations building, and even though they haven't even done anything yet aside from smash some glass, a remarkably happy looking worker calls for help.

Three security officers pop up and hide behind boxes while spouting typical "FREEZE NOBODY MOVE WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED" police jargon, but the Decepticons send them packing by destroying their cover while Starscream rips up a few oversized wires and claims they have no need for Megatron because they got the energy themselves. Baby's first success!

Optimus Prime, Cliffjumper and Brawn arrive on the scene, where the crimson midget merely shows how useless he is. 
 

Starscream attempts to crush him and Brawn, but Optimus Prime steps in and throws the pipe at the energon cubes, destroying them completely, leaving Soundwave to suggest a hasty exit. The leader blasts off with no problem, while Soundwave is left to lose any dignity he had by nearly toppling off the dam, running through a net and then being rammed into the sky by Bluestreak, leaving a ridiculously huge Starscream to pick him up. He then blasts Starscream and the Seekers, weakening them, while Optimus Prime encourages him and Prowl to chase after them by doing a jig.

Meanwhile in deep space, Megatron commands Shockwave to give him communication with Starscream, whose battered state only proves his point that the jet has been a terrible leader. After briefing them that their mission to obtain the anti-matter formula must still go through, he tells them to meet him at their aquatic base and heads through the space bridge back to Earth, where he's greeted by Laserbeak and Rumble, the latter of which informs him that Reflector will return soon with the lab report.
 

Bumblebee drops Spike and his new buddy Chip Chase over at the anti-matter laboratory where they meet up with Dr. Alcazar, who granted Chip VIP access because "without his help the anti-matter formula would be a mystery to us all," and provides him with a data cassette that'll let him access the lab's computer from his own one at home. Things aren't all smelling roses, as Reflector recorded the access code to the entrance while they entered, and Laserbeak is now attempting to explode them! Of course, when kids are involved nobody can get hurt, as they make an exit into an underground car park.

Laserbeak reports back to Megatron with the news, and the Decepticons head straight over to the lab to attack instead of waiting for Starscream, while Chip gets home safely and Bumblebee continues on his way to alert Bluestreak and Prowl, but they can't come due to stumbling upon Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Soundwave hanging out in an aircraft hangar, stealing energy. Chip alerts Dr. Alcazar of the Decepticons approaching his lab just before they bust in, allowing him to erase the data from his computer.

Then Megatron pulls a Superman by gaining a new power from his ass and learns that he actually uploaded it to Chip Chase, but this knowledge is beyond the realms of this inexplicable power. Not that it matters much because they end up finding him in a couple of minutes. Spoilers!

Meanwhile, Bluestreak and Prowl are getting their asses kicked, and a shot from Soundwave somehow disables Prowl's battle computer, leaving him helpless unless he links up with an online computer, and that just so happens to be Chip's one. Somehow, this genius child manages to control him better than he controlled himself, pulling all kinds of freestyle moves to avoid laser fire, using a jet's missiles to destroy the rest of them before their energy can be used and to send them packing. All with a keyboard.

HOW

This is where Megatron finds out where the anti-matter data was uploaded to and Starscream and his posse bust in to take it. What I didn't spoil was that Chip tears up the disc with relative ease after memorising the data, only for Ravage to simply pick him up and drop him in Starscream's storage hold, wheelchair and all. Even if they are robots with the intent of taking control of the universe, you have to admit that acknowledging his disability is thoughtful of them.

Elsewhere...

WHO ARE YOU WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN BUMBLEBEE

The kidnappers of Chip arrive at the lab before Prime and the Autobots do, and take him inside for Soundwave to also demonstrate a new ability: Mind reading. With the data extracted, badly drawn Megatron claims they can now create anti-matter.

Outside, Rumble is left on guard duty, which is a pretty stupid thing to do since Mirage messes with his head while letting his comrades inside, and Hound disguises himself as a highly inconspicuous boulder that's rolling towards the entrance.
 

Anti-matter is successfully created, and Reflector fills the energon cubes with it while an army of Hounds threatens Thundercracker before he can terminate Chip, giving Bumblebee and Spike the chance to sneak in and rescue him. Mirage blasts the gun from Starscream's hands before he can use it to destroy them, and they escape by driving up a staircase.

Up.

You'd expect me to ask how Bumblebee transforms around Chip and Spike, but seriously, driving up a staircase. A narrow one. I'M BOGGLED.

The Autobots return safely to Prime, who rolls into the base to dispatch more troops from his trailer, but Megatron claims it's too late. Why? Because

SHIIIIIIIIT

Of course, after the commercial break it turns out to be not so bad, and the Autobots are merely scuffed a little, but they decide to just return to the ark for repairs, because a cracked windscreen means a lot. Chip laments that all those scuffed paint jobs and crooked rear view mirrors are all his fault, as Megatron would never have gotten the formula if he hadn't memorised it; Wheeljack consoles him by claiming he couldn't have erased his brain, and tells them of a little task he has in store for him and Spike.

Teletraan-1 alerts the newly repaired Autobots of Decepticons heading their way, so Sunstreaker and Sideswipe go out to stop them, but aside from riding their tail fins, don't exactly accomplish a whole lot. The rest of the good guys then try to fight them, also accomplishing little, while Megatron fuses two anti-matter energon cubes with himself, supposedly allowing him to transform into the "most powerful weapon in the universe!"

When you hear a claim like that, normally you expect something huge and dramatic, but it's just his regular gun mode with added explosions that bury his opponents in rubble. Wheeljack supplies Spike and Chip with two devices while Brawn throws Optimus Prime's truck mode at Starscream, merely knocking Megatron out of his hand and into Skywarp's possession, where Spike pretends to be useful by jackhammer on his leg. Skywarp simply grabs the little bugger and prepares to blast him, but Chip rolls into the scene and places Wheeljack's device on his leg.

It turns out to be a mind override, turning him against his allies, but just like everything that's happened for the past few minutes, doesn't achieve much before Megatron resumes his regular form and explains that somehow the override also screwed up the anti-matter energon cubes, leaving him no choice but to dump them out before they explode. After nearly exploding his own army and weakened by the whole event, they decide that to vamoose would be a wise idea.

The Autobots celebrate their abrupt victory and praise Chip for his bravery and heroism, and Optimus Prime gives his personal approval of his work. Even Megatron is astounded by Chip and how he was the one thing that came between him and total conquest of the universe, but claims that such a failure will never happen again.

All this praise, and Dr. Alcazar's probably pissed the man he trusted destroyed his work on the formula. You can't be a winner all the time, Chip!

Apparently Megatron being sent up to Cybertron via the space bridge in the previous episode is close to being considered dead by Starscream.

For some reason I find Prime's look when he gets shoved hilarious.

You have to feel sorry for Shockwave; he waits four million years for his leader to return, and when he finally does he simply berates one of his minions on Earth before returning there again.