IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #6

Comic Staff

Title: Interiors

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Nick Roche

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

Fortress Maximus has been ordered into therapy with Rung in response to his over-the-top battle style on Delphi, and Max remembers his experience with Overlord on Garrus-9, and how Overlord tried to get him to reveal what was under Aequitas. Rung tries to reassure Max that he's safe now since Overlord was destroyed, but he doesn't seem too reassured.

At Swerve's bar Chromedome and some other Autobots are playing a game where Chromedome has to guess who just transformed when tailgate arrives, exhausted from his lesson with Magnus, when his teacher walks in and arrests Swerve for opening an illegal bar without permission. Afterwards Trailbreaker starts talking smack about Fort Max, when he walks in and just opens fire on Pipes, unprovoked, he then leaves and starts "randomly" attacking several other crew members before locking himself in Rung's office, during a session with Whirl.

Rung is restrained to his chair by a bent pole, whilst Whirl is impaled to the floor with another pole. WHirl keeps taunting Max into killing him, but he refuses, as he needs the hostages. Blaster hacks into a camera in Rung's office so they can watch what's going on, Rung notices the camera activate and turns on his microphone too, so they can hear as well. Max makes a call to Rodimus to turn the ship around and send them back to Cybertron so he can make Prowl explain why it took so long to send anyone to G9, and then to kill him. He annoys Rodimus though by calling him Hot Rod, basically making it certain that he wont turn around. Fort Max notices Rung's microphone on his thumb and tears it off.

In the Medibay, Ratchet and First Aid have just finished stabilizing the five victims of Max's rampage when Ratchet notices that all of them have similar colour schemes to Overlord. Back in Rung's office, Max demands to know why Whirl even bothers with therapy since everyone knows he just insane, he reveals his past and that he used to be a watchmaker and then worked for the senate for a while (As shown in Chaos Theory). During the story Rung picks up his toy Ark and starts pointing at the windows, which tells Rodimus to get at Max from the windows. Rodimus calls Rewind and Swerve who are outside changing the rivets as punishments to go to the window.

Whirl reveals at the end of his story that he was kicked out of the Wreckers by Roadbuster after he tried to end Springer's life using  a weapon Roadbuster invented called a Sparkeater (based on the "mythological" one). Max realizes that the star field outside the window hasn't changed, meaning that they haven't turned around yet, so he decides to start killing hostages. Whirl volunteers, but Rung stalls him by saying that he knows this isn't about Prowl and justice, but about Overlord, and how he'll never get revenge. Ratchet tells Rodimus this at the same time.

Rewind and Swerve are in position outside the window, but Max moves behind a pillar and Rewind can't get a clear shot with his gun. Rodimus has Swerve take the gun, whilst Rewind streams in images from G9 and his torture into the room via his camera, which paralyzes Max in pain, Whirl pulls himself off the pole in the distraction, whilst Rung is able to hug Max into trying to calm down. Swerve tries to convince Rodimus not to make him take the shot since Max has stopped now and Rung might get hurt, but Rodimus has him take the shot regardless, resulting in Rung's head being struck and explodes, killing him, resulting in Fort Max screaming, before Whirl can use his pole to impale Max, knocking him out.

Later Rodimus gives a heartfelt speech about Rung's death which impresses Drift, who them tells Rodimus that Red Alert is acting strange and sneaking around, all whilst Red Alert goes into the Sparkeater's old room using Ore's drill weapon, and digs a hole, revealing a chamber that shouldn't exist, containing the supposedly destroyed, albeit disarmed, Overlord repeatedly moaning "kill me"

Character List

Autobot
Rodimus - Speedy Car
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Drift - Car
Fortress Maximus - Tank Injured by Whirl and Incarcerated in Brig
Rung - Communications Maintenance Buggy Killed by Swerve (Accident)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter
Swerve - Van
Rewind - Memory Stick
Ratchet - Ambulance
First Aid - Ambulance
Boss - Car Injured by Fortress Maximus
Pipes - Truck Injured by Fortress Maximus
Dogfight - Jet Injured by Fortress Maximus
Turbine Injured by Fortress Maximus
Doubletap Injured by Fortress Maximus
Chromdome - Car
Hound - Car
Trailbreaker - Van
Skids - Van
Sunstreaker - Car
Brainstorm - Jet
Blaster
Red Alert
Deftwing - Jet
Powerflash
Aquafend
Ore - Drill Tank Dead
Siren (On Radio)
Springer (Flashback) On Life Support
Inferno (Mentioned)
Orion Pax/Optimus Prime (Mentioned)
Prowl (Mentioned)
Roadbuster (Mentioned)
The Wreckers (Mentioned)
Garrus-9 Staff (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Overlord - Tank and Jet Neutered and Restrained

Genericons (Mentioned) Dead

Megatron (Mentioned)

Other

Tailgate - Car

Cyclonus - Jet

The Heavies (Flashback)

The Heavies Boos (Flashback)

Senate (Mentioned)

Senator Empurata (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• Though not clearly identified here, it seems most likely that Turbine is the one with turbines and wings, and Doubletap is the one with two cannons on his arms.
• It's implied in this story that Whirl was ordered to try and kill Megatron by the Senate, as shown in Chaos Theory, most likely due to his message of revolution
• Ironically Swerve is probably going to need therapy after killing the therapist!
• Brainstorm again seems to try and use his briefcase as a shield
• Whirl says he wont be Max's helicopter in his ransom demands...this is funny :D
• This issue clearly shows that Fort Max's design has been slightly updated since the Wreckers storyline on page 2
• Chromedome and Rewind can tell who someone is from just the sound of their transformation. Rewind is better though
• There is something under the Aequitas Chamber on G9.
• Swerve gets punished for opening a bar on the ship, but he's sure Rodimus will let him keep it open
• Rung's office is (was?) on Level 7
• The security team includes Deftwing, Ironfist's wave-mate from the toy line, wonder if he knew ol' Fisitron in this continuity too?
• Fort Max calls Rodimus by his old name Hot Rod, which Rodimus hates (especially since Optimus officially renamed him at the end of Space Opera)
• Seriously? WHY is Siren doing announcements?
• Whirl was once a watchmaker who went a bit crazy....sort of like Sylar from Heroes no?
• The golden disks Rewind bought off Swindle were revealed to be snuff films here, which even disgusted Rodimus, meaning that Rewind is on rivet duty outside for the forseeable future (unless his actions in helping with the hostage situation changed that ruling somewhat)
• Whirl really doesn't care about having his face smashed in or having a pole stabbed through his middle does he?!
• The pole stabs right through Fort Max's Autobot insignia...that has to be symbolic!
• The distorted voice from the previous issue is revealed to have been Overlord! He's restrained in a room that shouldn't exist underneath the Lost Light
• What will happen to Rung's toys now!?! (I can has?) - though as pointed out to me by a certain Drift stalker that probably doesn't need an introduction, Drift is holding a mis-coloured Ark in his hands after Rung's memorial...that thief....
• Chromedome still hates Cyclonus for his actions in Chaos
• It's implied here that Whirl is Jetstream from Bullets, the guy who bullied Rotorstorm
• Despite not knowing his name, Whirl seemed to think of Rung as a friend
• Fort Max, the ultimate prison warden is now in the brig...so ironic.