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| - The Autobots once again must aid in the restoration of the increasingly disaster-prone city of Detroit. There is an odd amount of balking, considering they're a space bridge repair crew, but Optimus Prime reminds them that a fair amount of the destruction is indeed their fault. These musings are cut short by Bumblebee spotting the other party to Detroit's deterioration, the Decepticons. Blitzwing and Lugnut are scurrying by in a most undignified manner, carrying construction supplies for Megatron. A combined effort by Bumblebee and Ratchet manages to knock the two Decepticons skidplate-over-processing unit, but they still manage to flee with a much smaller portion of the supplies. The Autobots are prevented from giving chase by the cracking of a bridge support, which they then repair. At the end of the day, the Autobots are ready to head home. Bulkhead tells Optimus Prime he'll catch up, to mask the fact that he's accidentally adhered his feet to the ground with cement. Meanwhile, across town, two construction vehicles are seen with AllSpark fragments embedded in them. The two fragments activate, and the machines gain sentience. After a brief debate over naming, they discover their new ability to turn into giant robots. This does not faze them in the slightest, and soon they chase off after a highly attractive sports car. Thanks to the use of expired fixative, Bulkhead's attempts at mixing more cement prove explosive, knocking him out and nearly getting him skewered by iron girders. He also had trouble converting Standard Cybertronian Units to parts (or is it the other way around?). Thankfully, the newly minted Constructobots spot this and save his skidplate. They then help the lumbering Autobot to do the job right (making sure he doesn't leave the fixative lying around, either) and then take him off to a tanker for an oil break. Though Bulkhead is quite pleased with the oil he is served, he soon voices misgivings as to whether they ought to be doing this. Asked by the Constructobots whether he's going to act like a little yellow compact, he remembers his friends back at the base and invites his new acquaintances back to meet them. At the base, the Autobots are not impressed with the crass pair. Loudly carousing to the point that even Ratchet thinks they're a bit rude, they soon wake up Sari. Wondering what all the commotion is, the poor girl gets her pigtails amputated by a game of smashed-oil-barrel frisbee. This is the last straw for Optimus Prime, who kicks the two paisanos out on their keisters. The next day, Blitzwing and Lugnut are once again hauling heavy construction materials, this time Laurel and Hardy style up a steep hill. Blitzwing's footing slips, and he is nearly offlined by the heavy trailer that sends him careening towards a wall. Bracing for an impact that never comes, he is startled to find Mixmaster and Scrapper have saved him. Immediately, he asks them who and what they are. At first, the jovial pair answer that they are Autobots, but as this is met with some static, they quickly amend it to Constructobots. Blitzwing sees an opportunity in the pair's brawn, and as police sirens approach, he convinces them to help haul the load. Lugnut objects, worried about Megatron's reaction. Blitzwing reassures him, sotto voce, that they will offline the two goombahs immediately after the work is done. Lugnut is all for this plan, and once the goods are delivered, he charges up his signature punch while Blitzwing distracts the pair. However, Megatron arrives and gives Lugnut an awful case of punchus interruptus. Megatron invites the Constructobots into the Decepticon inner sanctum, which they would find to be quite commodious if they knew the meaning of the word. Once there, they express how cute Megatron's pet is, and the interstellar warlord shows them the schematics he stole from the Autobots' ship for the building of a space bridge. His hunch turns out to be correct when he finds that the Constructobots display an intuitive knack for grasping construction projects, and they tell him that the supplies he's been gathering will be insufficient to the task. Megatron grins as they reveal to him that they know exactly what is needed and where to get it. The following morning, Bulkhead goes looking for his wayward friends. He finds them, pursued by Sumdac Systems police robots after a daring heist of construction supplies. Stepping in and generally making a mess of the pursuers, he asks Mixmaster and Scrapper what they're up to. After being told that they stole these materials, he becomes irate because he thought they were so helpful before. They tell him they still are, they're just helping other bots. Becoming suspicious, Bulkhead presses them further and finds out they're working for Blitzwing and Lugnut. The large Autobot tries to convince them that the Decepticons are bad news, but is less than effective. The Constructobots think the Decepticons are just regular fellas and that Megatron is a laugh riot. Bulkhead grows still angrier, saying that Megatron is the worst of the bunch and was only tricking them. This finally clicks in their heads, and they drop what they're doing—on Bulkhead—and tear off down the road to take up their grievances with Megatron. Covered in girders, Bulkhead is unable to pursue. Upon discovering the Constructobots pounding on the steel door of the mine, Megatron is a bit less genial in tolerating their antics. Picking them up by their collars, he slams them against the mountainside and demands to know what they're doing. They explain that they want a piece of him because Bulkhead told them that Decepticons are the scum of the universe and that he'd tricked them. Megatron softens his demeanor and tells a tragic tale of Autobot oppression and the Decepticons being driven from their homeworld by these cruel tyrants. The Constructobots only understand about every third word of what he says, so he submits it would be a little easier to understand over a barrel of oil. Once inside, Mixmaster and Scrapper are quite impressed by the potency of the oil they're offered, which Megatron reveals to be his "special blend". Suitably placated, they listen to his pitch in which he stresses that as Constructobots, they can spend their lives fixing highway bridges, but as Constructicons, they can build space bridges and be the heroes of millions of Cybertronians. Back at the auto assembly plant, Bulkhead is relaying his latest encounter with the Constructobots to his fellow Autobots. This doesn't go over well, so he attempts to convince Optimus Prime that his friends were actually angry at the Decepticons and that there's nothing to worry about, as afterwards they can lead the Autobots to the Decepticon base. Ratchet, however, worries that they'll do the exact opposite. Right on cue, Scrapper and Mixmaster arrive. Bulkhead is initially hopeful, as they are still his friends. The two bots agree with him, but business is business, and Megatron has better oil. Thus they say that they won't fight anyone, so long as they can pick up the fragments of the AllSpark and be on their way. Optimus Prime objects, and the Constructicons announce that they're sick and tired of the little dipstick and knock him over. A fight ensues, in which the industrial chassis of the Constructicons prove fairly impervious to most of what the Autobots can dish out. Bumblebee is taken hostage and ransomed for the AllSpark fragments. Optimus attempts to stall, but Bulkhead hands them over. As all the Autobots look on in disbelief, he encourages his old friends to have "one for the road." They partake in the offered oil and depart. The Autobots give chase, berating Bulkhead for trusting them. The large Autobot, however, states simply that the Constructicons aren't going anywhere. His plan is revealed as Mixmaster and Scrapper start to slow down, emitting smoke and having increasing trouble running. Soon, there is an explosion, and the AllSpark fragments' container lands at Bulkhead's feet. He had tainted the oil with the expired chemicals from his earlier botched repair job. Bulkhead confronts his former friends, but the blast has scrambled their memory. Confused and frightened, they haul tail out of there. The not-so-gentle giant is disappointed, but Optimus reminds him that even if they've lost their memories, they still have a choice not to serve Megatron.
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