Decepticons plan to attack Detroit, Michigan, in addition to plotting something code-named "Operation: Pillar", as well as that Megatron is looking for someone known as "Shockwave". In Detroit, the Decepticons Soundwave and Mixmaster lead a full-scale assault on the city, with the former deploying Lockdown to infiltrate the Autobots' base. While Lockdown uploads a virus created by Mixmaster into the mainframe terminals, Ironhide, the only Autobot in the area, protects some satellite dishes from the Decepticons troops. Learning that Mixmaster is trying to bring his former teammates back online and to reform Devastator, Ironhinde confronts and kills Mixmaster, before fighting Soundwave, who is aided by Starscream. After defeating Soundwave, who retreats, Ironhide is called by Optimus back to the headquarters, just as Lockdown is ordered by Starscream to destroy the controls for the main gate and escape, all the while avoiding Optimus. After tracking the Decepticons to an abandoned base in Siberia, an Autobot team led by Optimus assaults the base, during which Wheeljack informs Optimus that Megatron is trying to reactivate his primary objective: Shockwave - a deadly Decepticon scientist and assassin. After Mirage takes out the Decepticon's communications and Ironhide destroys the shield protecting the entrance, Megatron orders Soundwave to fight off the Autobots while he reactivates Shockwave. As Soundwave defeats Mirage, who was aided by Stratosphere and flees afterwards, Megatron destroys the coils inside the base to speed up Shockwave's reanimation. Upon awakening, Shockwave tells Megatron that his Energon levels are depleted, so Megatron orders Soundwave to escort him to safety while he fights off the incoming Autobots. Megatron is soon informed that the Driller - a giant worm-beast like robot controlled directly by Shockwave - has been awakened as well, and decides to use it to destroy Optimus, while ordering Starscream and the other Decepticons to leave Siberia. Megatron defeats Optimus and attempts to escape from the base as well, but is confronted by Ironhide. Against Wheeljack's warnings, Ironhide fights Megatron and defeats him, much to his surprise, as Megaron remarks that he has "a warrior's spirit" and that he will destroy him during their next encounter. Megatron then escapes, as does Ironhide, at Wheeljack's advice, who promises that they'll get Megatron next time. Later, Megatron meets with Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave somewhere in South Africa, where he prepares to launch "Operation: Pillar" and orders Shockwave to retrieve a certain ancient Cybertronian artifact from Chernobyl, leading