Sixty-five million years ago, an alien species known as the "Creators" deployed advanced devices called Seeds to spread a metallic substance, Transformium, across Earth, an event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. In the modern era, geologist Darcy Tirrel collaborates with K.S.I. Industries to extract Transformium for the creation of Transformer drones. Following the catastrophic Battle of Chicago, public sentiment shifted against Transformers, leading to the dissolution of cooperative efforts like NEST. Despite assurances of sanctuary for Autobots, they are systematically hunted by Cemetery Wind, a covert CIA division led by Harold Attinger, who deems all Transformers a threat. Concurrently, Lockdown, a Cybertronian bounty hunter aligned with the Creators, is tasked with capturing Optimus Prime. Lockdown strikes a deal with Attinger, offering a Seed in exchange for Optimus's apprehension. During his mission, Lockdown locates and eliminates Ratchet after the Autobot refuses to divulge Optimus's whereabouts.