The Gift Horse

Colonel Horiuchi and Lieutenants Klonowski and Larsen drive to the Autobots hideout to replace Bumblebee's damaged and unresponsive badge, which (they believe) has trapped Bumblebee in vehicle mode. Klonowski worries that their unauthorized methods will be discovered, but the Colonel believes that his control of the Autobots and Skywarp's capture will earn commendation for their actions.

At the cave, Ratchet welcomes the Colonel and tells him that, regardless of what Bumblebee said yesterday, the rest of them fully support Horiuchi's plan. While Klonowski is replacing the damaged badge, Horiuchi turns to Ratchet and tries to ease tensions, proposing that after they succeed, the alliance could go public, but his suggestion of setting aside a piece of land for the Autobots sounds more like imprisonment to Ratchet. Klonowski notices some rust and a new license plate on the silent Bamboozlebee, but does not catch on. When Horiuchi punches Bumblebee's call sign into his control board, nothing happens. He gives up and angrily orders Klonowski to tell Sanjay Bharwaney that he needs a replacement control board. Believing that the badge may have caused more damage to Bumblebee than previously thought, Horiuchi puts Ratchet in charge and orders him to fix Bumblebee. Klonowski, unsure if his suspicions are correct, dismisses them and departs with the Colonel.

Wheeljack, via text-only frequency, tells Bumblebee that the decoy worked and passes information on Sanjay, who they now expect is constructing a second control board (at his home, due to the Horiuchi's unofficial activities). Wheeljack suggests stealing the board so that he can modify it to disable all the kill-switch badges. Bumblebee observes Sanjay's daughter Serena playing in the front yard, honks his horn to get her attention, and lures her to a hiding spot around the corner, where he transforms and reveals himself to her. Serena, like any other child, is filled with wonder and excitement, but their conversation and games are interrupted when Sanjay's housekeeper, Swati, calls Serena in for lunch from the house. Bumblebee asks Serena to get the control board for him while inside, claiming that it's broken, and that Sanjay could get hurt if he tries to use it. Not wanting her father to get hurt, Serena agrees to do so.

Meanwhile, Ratchet accidentally answers a texted question from Cliffjumper verbally. Back at Skywatch, Klonowski monitors the Autobots and overhears the answer with no question. Curious again, he begins searching other frequencies and eventually discovers the text communications between the Autobots. Shocked at his discovery, he prepares to tell the Colonel about his discovery when the computer alerts him of a new transmission. He listens in while Bumblebee discusses with Wheeljack and Ratchet his betrayal of Serena's trust; Bumblebee's guilt causes Klonowski to consider his own morality.

At the ruins of Skywatch's Phillips Base, a raiding Skywarp discovers information regarding the control board and muses that if only the humans had cooperated, then their deaths may not have been necessary. He transforms and flies off into the sky.

Serena returns to Bumblebee with the control board. Bumblebee sends the schematics to Ratchet, who discovers that the device contains tracking devices and cannot be taken undiscovered. Standing up to Ratchet and Wheeljack, Bumblebee refuses to abort the mission after coming so far, and convinces them to walk him though the alteration over the text frequency. Bumblebee finishes and hands the case containing the control board back to Serena and tells her to put it back where she found it. While she does, Bumblebee transforms and drives off, regretting abusing her trust, and hoping to one day repay her, unaware that Skywarp has teleported overhead.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans
Ratchet (4) Hound (5) Cliffjumper (6) Omega Supreme (7) Wheeljack (8) Bumblebee (10) Blaster (12)	Skywarp (15)	Colonel Gordon Horiuchi (1) Lieutenant Larsen (2) Lieutenant Daniel Klonowski (3) Sanjay Bharwaney (9) Serena Bharwaney (11) Collins (13) Swati (14)

Quotes

"After you prove yourselves, and we may go public, both to Skywatch and the rest of the world... Well, who knows? The Government may be able to set aside a piece of land for you. A sovereign nation, safely apart from the humans."

—Col. Gordon Horiuchi proposes the ~~Indian~~ Autobot Appropriations Act

"Hey... Is that rust? I didn't think you Autobots got rusty."

—Lieutenant Daniel Klonowski apparently doesn't know about Cosmic Rust

"Are—Are all cars robots? Ha!"
"No, not all cars are robots, Serena, just special ones. Just... ...uhh...German ones."

—Serena Bharwaney has Bumblebee explain the technical wonder that is the Volkswagen Beetle

Notes

Since the titles of the other issues in this mini-series are inspired by ancient Greek myths, we can assume that "The Gift Horse" refers to the Trojan Horse and not a certain unrelated proverb.

Errors

Sanjay Bharwaney is a pretty odd name for a white dude, even before considering his red-haired daughter. And don't forget their housekeeper, Swati! Do we blame the colorist or the artist on this one?
The Autobots uses their communications devices to text in each other in English. Surely, it would have made more sense for the Autobots to text(or speak) in their native Cybertronian language to avoid their conversations from being intercepted by Lt. Klonowski.

Covers (3)

Cover A: A close up shot of Bumblebee's face while he is snooping through the shipping yard with Scavenger behind him; art by Guido Guidi with colors by Josh Burcham.
Cover B: A full body shot of Bumblebee crouched down and casting a shadow against some rubble; art by Chee Yang Ong with colors by Moose Baumann
Cover RI: Black and white sketch version of Cover B.