With Prime down, the halls of the Ark were tense and fretful; the officers bunkered themselves in the security room for nearly two hours, and passersby pretended they couldn't hear the raised voices. At last, the doors opened, and the comm for an all-hands meeting went out. With the exception of those still stuck in medbay either as patients or repair workers, the Autobots gathered in the rec room to behold Prowl taking point, Jazz at his shoulder, and Ironhide, Silverbolt and Hot Spot sitting down, visibly ceding command to the pair.

"We're taking the fight to Megatron," Prowl announced, and the room, recently quieted, roused again in disbelief. Prowl waited pointedly until everyone quieted down again. "And we're not fighting fair. Jazz has the Decepticon base mapped out; I'll let him explain the plan."

Prowl stepped aside, and Jazz, unsmiling for once, stepped forward and began to talk over a projection of the undersea base. The mood among the soldiers began to change again, from tense and shaken to grimly determined. Prowl and Jazz didn't always agree, but when their minds were aligned, nothing could stop them.