IDW - More Than Meets the Eye #5

Comic Staff

Title: How Ratchet got his hands back

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Chris Mowry

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

On Delphi, the newly revived Fortress Maximus kills the Genericons in...well frankly nightmare inducing ways, but then calms down once both are dead. First Aid tries to tend to Pharma's wounds, but is struck away from him. Ratchet tries to work on Drift, but he's afraid he'll die, when Ambulon goes to recover a part of one of the Genericons from Fort Max's chest Pharma draws a gun on him and claims that Ambulon, as a former Decepticon is a traitor and released the Decepticons from their cell. However the other Autobots quickly realize through several clues that Pharma is in fact the one who released the Decepticons, and also caused the virus to be released, with it being caused when the infected Transforms. Pharma escapes from the group by blasting a power relay that threatens to kill most of the lifers at the facility.

The Medics all try to save the now fading patients, and Ratchet transforms to allow Backstreet to survive by using his medical supplies in his vehicle mode, after which he runs off after the traitor.

On the Lost Light Tailgate asks Ultra Magnus to help him get ready for the Rite of Autobrand, and so Magnus starts to teach him the very extensive Autobot Code, elsewhere in his Ofiice, Rung is having a session with Red Alert, who has started hearing voices from under the Sparkeater's cage, despite there being just empty space under there. Red Alert reveals a recording he made that features something saying "Me...Kill..." repeatedly. During his lesson Tailgate gets interested in a clause that Magnus says is redundant, Clause 19-80-4, which reminds Tailgate of the robots who attacked Skids when they first met him. Magnus tells him that it regards Thought Warfare.

Back on Delphi, Ratchet catches up with Pharma and manages to get him to monologue about what he's done, he reveals that the only reason why the DJD has been leaving Delphi alone is because Pharma's been supplying their leader with Transformation Cogs, but the orders kept increasing, so in order to leave without any odd questions being raised, he arranged with Sonic and Boom to enter the facility and to help him deploy the virus and knock out communications etc, which infected everyone who heard it, and then spread via touch. Pharma planned to survive by hiding in the quarantine lab, but then Ratchet arrived and ruined everything. Ratchet tells Pharma that all of this is pointless, as he's just infected him with his rusting parts (as he transformed and infected himself earlier). The two medics fight briefly, with Pharma revealing he has a cure for himself and then blasts Ratchet, knocking him out.

Pharma escapes to the roof where he encounters Ratchet's Human holo-avatar, who distracts him long enough for the real Ratchet to tackle Pharma from behind and sends the cure falling over the edge. Ratchet and Pharma fight on the roof and Pharma ends up hanging over the edge begging for help, Ratchet turns his back on him, and Pharma activates his back mounted cannons and prepares to kill him, when Drift suddenly appears and slashes off Pharma's hands, sending him falling or flying to his doom.

Later First Aid administers the cure to everyone remaining at the facility (Ratchet had his holo-avatar catch the cure before it fell) and on the ride back to the Lost Light Ratchet suggests that First Aid takes over from him as Chief Medical Officer due to his actions at Delphi. The Delphi Survivors join the Lost Light crew and Ratchet has had Pharma's old hands replace his own faulty ones.

Character List

Autobot
Ratchet - Ambulance
First Aid
Ambulon - Leg
Pharma - Jet Presumed Dead from Fall/Virus
Drift - Car
Pipes - Truck
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Rung - Maintenance Buggy
Red Alert
Backstreet On Life Support
Tracer (Mentioned) On Life Support
Omega Supreme (Mentioned)
Skids - Van (Mentioned)
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick (Mentioned)
Chromedome - Car (Mentioned)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)
Ironfist/Fisitron (Mentioned) Dead
About 20 Patients at Delphi (Mentioned)
Delphi Staff (Flashback) Dead
Pharma's Victims (Flashback) Killed/Mutilated by Pharma

Decepticon
Sonic - Part of Light/Sound Cannon Killed by Fortress Maximus
Boom - Part of Light/Sound Cannon Killed by Fortress Maximus
DJD Leader (Flashback - Heavily Shadowed)
Megatron (Mentioned)
Starscream (Mentioned)
Killmaster (Mentioned)
Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)

Other
Tailgate - Car
"The Voice under the Ship"
Nineteen Eighty-Four Bot (Flashback)
Nova Prime - Truck (Flashback)
Sparkeater (Mentioned) Dead

Comic Notes

• The panels on Fort Max's chest can be used to slice off heads!
• The Decepticons tried to create a Gestalt 10 years ago
• First Aid has a damaged Transformation Cog
• Red Alert's character model from the past uses his more commonly known model from the G1 toys, cartoon etc rather than his new different character model (which sort of brings up the question of what's up with this new body)
• "Me...Kill..." could be a reference to Grimlock in some way, or could be really meant to be "Kill Me"
• Ultra Magnus hates dirt
• Holo-Avatar's were taken out of common use due to them not looking right and being energy intensive and requires constant concentration
• I wonder how long it'll take for Ratchet to paint his new hands red again?
• It's not stated, but it's likely that the lifers from Delphi (like Backstreet and Tracer) would have been taken to the Lost Light too
• First Aid and Ratchet both think they could have saved Ironfist