Sky-Byte Saves the Day

A brilliant bluff Has gone disastrously wrong Sky-Byte - hold on tight!

Detailed synopsis
Optimus Prime and T-AI look over the site of several Predacon attacks, trying to work out what it is they're searching for. Optimus realises that Megatron must be after the O-Parts, and T-AI establishes finding the remaining O-Parts as the number one priority.

Meanwhile, back in Metro City, Sky-Byte and the Predacon Trio arrive to disrupt the grand opening of the CGA Tower, one of the tallest towers in the world. Sky-Byte plans to knock it down, believing this will make the Predacons famous (the trio is more sceptical). As they begin their attack, endangering the omnipresent Koji and Kelly, Optimus orders the Build Team in to keep the tower up. Their arrival prompts the Predacons to launch a devastating attack on every nearby building as a warning, until Wedge pleads with Sky-Byte not to harm his hostages.

Which throws Sky-Byte off, as he didn't actually realise they could be hostages. Trying to seem in control and that he knows what he's doing, he demands to talk to Optimus - and when Optimus asks for his demands, Sky-Byte randomly blabbers a desire for the "thingamajiggy". By sheer luck, T-AI believes this to be a demand for O-Parts, which Sky-Byte seizes on. Optimus prepares to take the O-Parts direct to him in exchange for the hostage's safety.

And then Sky-Byte accidentally knocks the last tower support off. Along with Wedge, he swiftly moves to hold the tower up; unwillingly to let the rest of the Autobots hold the tower, he gets the Predacons to help. To the panicked people in the tower and the watching journalists, it looks like the Predacons are helping...

Optimus is ambushed en route by Ruination and Scourge for the O-Parts, as the latter wants to steal some of Sky-Byte's glory. Optimus kicks Ruination into the air before blasting him into component parts, disables Scourge with a shot, then drives on - nothing will stop him protecting the hostages.

The Predacons and Wedge desperately hold onto the tower, though the Predacons are facing severe back pain and Sky-Byte has an inch he can't scratch. The younger hostages, led by a small girl, begin cheering Sky-Byte on though, something that's never happened to him before. Wedge uses this to talk him into letting the hostages go. However, when Optimus arrives, Scourge attacks out of revenge and threatens to use his firepower to destroy the tower if he doesn't get the O-Parts!

While Optimus battles Scourge and the Build Team try to keep Scourge's missiles from hitting the tower, Sky-Byte struggles to keep it upright despite the crossfire - gone completely round the bend, he now altruistically wants to save his "dear hostages". The hordes of small children cheer him on.

Once Scourge is driven off and Landfill manages to dig a hole for the tower to go in, the tower is saved and he can finally scratch his back. Optimus Prime and Koji wonder why Sky-Byte helped them, while the Predacons sit near a beach at sunset still trying to recover from their crippled spines. Why, Dark Scream wonders, did they even do all that?

Which is when they realise they forgot to pick up the O-Parts.

Stats
Written by: Matthew V. Lewis

Featured characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notable quotes
"On a level of One to Ten - that was stupid."
 * Slapper on Sky-Byte's plan

Optimus: What do you want from me? Sky-Byte: Oh I believe you know. *hopeful* Don't you, Optimus?! Optimus: I'm afraid I don't know, Sky-Byte. Sky-Byte: No, you know what I'm talking about, Optimus! That... erm, er... thingamajiggy you monitor at your headquarters! Slapper: He wants a "thingamajiggy"? Gas Skunk: Wow! Dark Scream: Sounds important. Sky-Byte: My comrades know what I want! Gas Skunk: Er... course! The, er, thingy! Slapper: Yeah, the... whatchacallit. Dark Scream: The frim-fram with the flibbity jibbet! Optimus: I'm sorry. It's a good description but I can't think of anything it might fit.
 * And yet Optimus fails to realise Sky-Byte doesn't know what he's doing

Sky-Byte: The O Parts, or else! Don't make me fill in the blanks. Gas Skunk: Hey. Do we know what an O Part is? Slapper: Nope.

"These are my hostages! I'm protecting them! Let me have my pride!"
 * Sky-Byte to Wedge

Scourge: Lucky move, Prime! Now face me! Optimus: All right. *shoots*
 * Don't mess with Optimus Prime

"Thats it Sky-Byte - hold on tight!"
 * Small children

"Let's take a vote. All those in favour of freeing these innocent hostages, raise your hands - I DIDN'T MEAN TO LET GO!"
 * Sky-Byte

"Now, more than ever before - my dear hostages need me!"
 * Sky-Byte loses the plot

Continuity

 * The artifact recovered in The Ultimate Robot Warrior are revealed to have been an O-Parts; there was apparently also one at Montrose Island, as the Autobots have more than one and Optimus links the Predacon's attack on the island to the O-Parts. Megatron knows about the Parts, as does Scourge, but the Predacons don't know.
 * The 'Cons mission in Volcano is now retroactively revealed to have been based on the O-Parts and memories from Doctor Onishi, rather than geothermal energy.
 * This starts a plot arc of small children adoring Sky-Byte which will last the rest of the series.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * Since the plot reveals around the deliberate knocking over of a tall tower, this episode was never shown in the US. It has aired elsewhere and is on the Region 2 DVD.