Day of the Machines

Megatron seizes control of the Torq III supercomputer, using it to turn the world's automated machines against humanity.

Megatron and Soundwave (the former disguised in a guitar case!) not-so-silently infiltrate Quantum Laboratories, a top-secret facility where the world’s most powerful computer, TORQ III, is housed. Megatron reprograms the computer with his own personality and gives it the power to control, from remote distances, dangerous machines of all types through the use of "Remote Control Circuit Linker cards."

At the same time, scientist Dr. Paul Gates of Quantum Labs muses with a colleague about the dangers of machine sentience and that, in the wrong hands, TORQ III might be too powerful. Since Fate is both cruel and timely, the very scenario they were discussing comes true when TORQ III locks them in their office and announces that he’s taking over.

Megatron is using TORQ and the circuit linker cards to remotely control fleets of oil tankers. This alerts Teletraan I, who notifies Optimus Prime. Prime then receives Dr. Gates’ distress signal; Gates fills him in on TORQ III’s rebellion and asks to be rescued.

Hound and Skyfire are assigned to investigate the tankers, and Spike tags along. Prime leads a group to Quantum Labs, where they immediately come under attack by machines controlled by TORQ. Overwhelmed, Prime orders in the Dinobots (minus Swoop) to come help, and they smash, chomp and melt down all of the machines. Grimlock makes his usual pompous comment about having to save Prime’s bacon when things get rough. Afterward, Prime rescues Dr. Gates and they advance toward the buildings, meeting lots of resistance from TORQ’s machines.

Meanwhile, Hound, Spike and Skyfire sneak aboard an oil tanker and infiltrate the Decepticons' oil platform. Their attack falls short when Spike is captured and they are forced to surrender.

After smashing more remote-controlled machines at Quantum, Prime decides to explore inside TORQ’s maze-like complex alone. As Optimus moves in closer, one of the machines places a circuit linker card on him, making him Torq’s slave, and he is brought into the computer’s domain. But—surprise, surprise—Prime rips the card off his body, saying it was a dead circuit linker he placed in the robot’s claw, and he disables TORQ with a well-placed punch to the control panel. At the oil platform, Soundwave senses TORQ's demise; Megatron takes over control of the tankers with a gargantuan remote control device.

Dr. Gates lends the Autobots a high-speed hydrofoil to reach the Decepticons. Back at the oil platform, Spike has hatched an idea to use an electromagnet (which happened to be in their cell) to immobilize Rumble and Ravage. Skyfire easily smashes through the cell door and Hound disables the force dome that was protecting the platform. The rest of the Autobots arrive and a battle ensues. Prime faces down Megatron and manages to wrest a remote control device from his hands, then tosses it back to him. Megatron lands on it, crushing it, and comes back up spitting mad. He retaliates by activating the self-destruct mechanism on the platform.

The Autobots escape, but Prime stays behind to find Hound, Skyfire and Spike. He rips apart the platform deck, revealing the missing team members, and Skyfire flies them out of danger.

—TORQ III is reprogrammed by Megatron

—Grimlock laments at yet another Autobot bungle he is called upon to resolve. Forcefully.

—Dr. Gates and Optimus Prime, right before Prime "delicately" blasts his way into TORQ's building.

—Spike and Hound discuss the finer points of Cybertronian facial structure.

—Dr. Paul Gates after he tells the Autobots that all machines are unreliable.