During the battle aboard the Ark as it approached prehistoric Earth Bumblebee gets into a confrontation with Starscream. But, rather than destroying the diminutive autobot the decepticon instead stuffs Bumblebee into a nearby stasis pod and jettisons it. The pod falls to Earth, landing in a river where it is eventually buried by sediment. Four million years of erosion later a stray lightning bolt frees Bumblebee from the pod. He finds himself in 1850's Tennessee, his transformation systems damaged and not knowing where the Ark was or even if his comrades were still online. While exploring the area Bumblebee finds, and rescues a young human boy trapped in a bog. He learns that the boy, Isaiah, was part of a group of slaves who had escaped captivity and where fleeing to freedom in the north. Appalled at the very notion of sentient beings held in the bonds of servitude Bumblebee resolves to help his new friends in their bid for freedom. Bumblebee and co. share numerous adventures together. Such as run-ins with bounty hunters hired to bring the escapees back. (during which Bumblebees left optic sensor gets shot out) But Bumblebee knows he must find the Ark before his energon reserves run out and is forced to bid Isaiah and the others a sad farewell. Eventually Bumblebee finds the Ark where it crashed. But, by then his energy is so low he barely has the strength to stager inside (and give Megatron a kick) let alone climb up to activate Teletran-1. His energon finally depleted, Bumblebee collapses, lamenting his failure to revive the other autobots. Bumblebee then joins his friends, as well as his enemies, in stasis.