Hurt

Hurt is the forty-second episode of Transformers: Prime. Aired on August 26, 2012

Premise
Wheeljack and Miko embark on a quest to avenge Bulkhead who faces near death.

Synopsis
Arcee, Jack, Bumblebee, and Miko are on their way back from their first successful relic mission. Miko is feeling victorious and listening to rock music, then Bumblebee turns it off and Miko is grumpy that her tunes were turned off. Miko asked Bumblebee if he and Raf listen to chip tones as she announces that she's ready to get back to hanging with Bulkhead. As they arrive through the Ground Bridge, they almost run into Bulkhead's body which causes Miko to cry out in dismay, still laying by the entrance as Ratchet attempts to revive the Wrecker with defibrillators. Fowler has to restrain Miko as Ratchet explains what has happened to Bulkhead while the other Autobots drag Bulkhead to the medical bay. Miko blames herself for not going with Bulkhead, but Fowler points out there's nothing she could have done against Hardshell.

On the Nemesis, Megatron rages that only Soundwave brought back a relic. Hardshell claims that, though he failed to secure the Tox-En, Bulkhead was terminated in the process, which does please Megatron though he makes it clear that he has his doubts. Hardshell and Knock Out almost come to blows over the effectiveness of Insecticons.

Fowler is called away to cover up the activities in New York, but makes Optimus promise to keep him updated. Arcee reports that Wheeljack is coming in, which causes Miko to storm off as she believes the others are giving up on Bulkhead. Arcee was going to talk to Miko, but Optimus stopped her and told her that Miko needed some time. Ratchet reports that Bulkhead is stable, Wheeljack arrives and promises to go after whoever did this. However, Optimus refuses to say who's responsible and believes they should wait for Bulkhead's recovery than rely on revenge. Wheeljack rushes off anyway, but doesn't get far in the Jackhammer before Miko reveals herself. Though Wheeljack's immediate instinct is to take her back to the base, Miko makes a deal to tell him who's responsible for Bulkhead's damage, if he takes her with him.

Hardshell boasts to his fellow Insecticons, but they overhear a couple of Vehicons badmouthing them. Knock Out's buffing session is thus interrupted by an all-out brawl between the two groups, and ends up being punched by an Insecticon which damages his finish, much to his dismay.

Miko and Wheeljack find an energon mine that Wheeljack intends to attack to draw out Hardshell. Miko goes in first, using her phone to transmit footage back to Wheeljack. Midway through her recon, Wheeljack himself assaults the cave, leaving her to duck for cover while Vehicon parts fly everywhere. He makes swift work of the Decepticon contingent.

Knock Out takes his concerns about the Insecticons to Megatron, insisting they be confined somewhere. Hardshell is defiant, but the discussion is interrupted by a transmission from the mine—Wheeljack informs Megatron that the mine is his and he's going to attack more mines until the Decepticons give him Hardshell. To underscore the threat, he blows up the mine. Megatron is more upset at the news that Bulkhead might not be dead, and announces Hardshell owes him a spark, whether it is Bulkhead's or Wheeljack's.

As they head to the next mine, Miko and Wheeljack discuss Bulkhead's chances, but Miko's so tired she falls asleep mid-conversation. She wakes up when they arrive, but Wheeljack leaves her in the ship with instructions to use the auto-pilot to return to the Autobot base. She watches from the cockpit as Wheeljack approaches the mine and calls out Hardshell, who promptly appears on the clifftop above. Wheeljack and Hardshell clash, though the latter is wise to the former's grenade trick. The much-larger Insecticon soon gets the better of Wheeljack, tossing him about and landing solid blows, until the Autobot is left lying on the ground. With the fight's outcome clear, Miko goes to press the autopilot, but instead uses the controls to fire off a couple of missiles that strike Hardshell.

As Wheeljack stands, more Insecticons appear at the clifftop, and he has to limp back to the Jackhammer. The swarm follows the ship, but Wheeljack throws a box of grenades at them, and the explosions dissipate the swarm. He congratulates Miko by welcoming her to the Wreckers, but she remains despondent over Bulkhead's condition.

Some time later, the pair drag themselves back into the Autobot base. Ratchet sadly reports that Bulkhead will survive, but may not be fully-functional again. While Miko rushes to her friend's side, Wheeljack opts to leave, not wanting to see Bulkhead that way.

Megatron looks in fury down at the corpse of Hardshell, and is shocked when he's told that the one responsible is a human girl.

Trivia

 * Wheeljack's "one grenade, one shot" strategy is actually more of a "one grenade at a time, one shot" strategy, as Wheeljack says when Miko sees his case of grenades in the Jackhammer.
 * Wheeljack lets us know that Insecticons are bound by a single mind.
 * Miko is the second human in the series to have killed an Insecticon, Jack having destroyed the first one on Cybertron in "Orion Pax, Part 3". So... Raf... no pressure, then?
 * Despite Energon being generally volatile when mishandled, the cubes remained stable while being knocked around by Wheeljack inside the mine. Must take some really clumsy handling to make them explode.
 * Hardshell claims that talk during battle is a sign of weakness. Interestingly, both of his battles against Bulkhead in the previous episode had almost no dialogue, and what was spoken was usually done during lulls in the fight.
 * Fowler comments that Hardshell sucker punched Bulkhead, although he never heard Hardshell's name in the previous episode.

Gallery
Main Article: Hurt Gallery