IDW - Nefarious

Plot

In orbit, Soundwave is monitoring Earth for activity and witnesses Alice being hunted down and killed by the Autobots and NEST, and remarks about how Galloway is essentially doing his work for him, by constantly trying to break up NEST and get rid of the Autobots due to his own prejudices. Soundwave decides to look for Ravage to see why he was activated again recently.

The Initiative swarm over the rubble of the building Ravage was buried under and prepare to extract Ravage, NEST finds out about this and sends out a team led by Bumblebee to find out what's happening, at the same time Buzzsaw monitors this situation too and Soundwave sends out his minions to retrieve ravage first, and kill everyone else.

The Initiative find Ravage's inert body and starts extracting the Allspark energies from the Appliance Bots he stole earlier when Soundwave's pets attack. The Autobots soon arrive, but Soundwave almost instantly kills Breakaway whilst in the air, and the other Autobots are attacked too. During the battle, the Initiative members are airlifted away and the Decepticons leave, and Buzzsaw places an object on Ravage. Soundwave is annoyed as he can't find any trace of the Initiative's vehicles or troops now.

Elsewhere, the heads of the Initiative commune via a holographic conference, during which they are happy about the recent mission and begin their next stages. Afterwards, Carter Newell leaves the "meeting" and looks over a half-constructed Allspark under his control.

Galloway is shouting at Lennox for sending out the Autobot team earlier without asking him first, and also reveals that the threat levels have been lowered to Blue, which means that there should be no more need for battles after a long time of no activity, and Galloway plans to have all NEST members reassigned before long.

As the Autobots and their human allies worry about the Initiative team, another group are at the damaged building, where Buzzsaw and Ravage spring out, with Ravage now back under Soundwave's control again. Soundwave has Buzzsaw go to Utah, and has Ravage meet with the other Minions before he can arrive to work out what happened to him, and why.

Back at the Initiative Carter has the Allspark mostly completed, but it needs more of it's energy, so they decide to get it from Sector Seven's old base, Hoover Dam. In Utah Buzzsaw and a team of Decepticons arrive at a barn, which was in Ravage's memory banks and start investigating it, whilst Soundwave examines Ravage for what happened to him. In the barn the Decepticons find a bomb, and run away before it detonates. The Initiative recieve a signal saying that one of their facilities has just blown up and inform Carter about it. NEST detect the explosion as well and decide to send out a team to deal with it, despite Galloway's objections.

Ironhide and Sideswipe are sent out to Utah where they manage to take down Reverb and Brakedown before Dirt Boss pretends to surrender to give Soundwave a chance to arrive and attack the Autobots with Ravage. However Optimus Prime arrives as well and manages to subdue Soundwave, but Dirt Boss manages to escape too.

Meanwhile Galloway has just lost the signal from Hoover Dam (as he's been monitoring all Transformer hotspots on Earth, so he decides to divert his jet to investigate, unknown to him though, the Initiative are in the Dam gathering Allspark energies.

Bumblebee and his team have been given custody of Soundwave so they can transport him to a high level facility in Odessa, Texas, which is being prepared by Optimus, Ironhide and Sideswipe. On the way to Odessa Buzzsaw attacks the plane and causes it to crash in the middle of nowhere. Meanwhile Galloway has been taken to an air base where he gets reinforcements to go with him to Hoover Dam. Carter learns of the incoming helicopters to the Dam, and has an "airborne agent" sent out to deal with them.

Bumblebee's team decides to transport Soundwave on the ground now, but run into his minions and Dirt Boss, the NEST team gets worried about where the transport with Soundwave has gone, whilst Bumblebee and his team battle the minions. Ravage goes to free Soundwave, but the Initiative take control of him again, and he runs off. Bumblebee however does free Soundwave, as it's the only way he can see to stop his minions from fighting and allow him and his team to escape.

On their way to Hoover Dam, one of the helicopters in Galloway's group is shot down by an antique looking Bi-Plane, which also slices off the rear of his own helicopter's tail, causing it to start to fall.

Galloway's helicopter has crashed and he and his aide Frank run off to hide whilst the army guys fight the old plane, which unknown to them is being controlled by the Initiative, during the battle Frank has a piece of shrapnel sliced through his abdomen  Galloway runs off for one of the radios to call for help as he watches as the bi-plane transforms into the transformer Ransack. NEST picks up the message and dispatch a team to rescue Galloway.

Ravage has been taken in by the Initiative, but unknown to them Soundwave has had a tracer implanted on Ravage so he can follow him, he and his team arrive outside their base and he has Dirt Boss go first to set off the automated defenses first, he then sends in his forces to fight the guns etc, but they are all slowly taken down by the Initiative's forces, as well as some of their captured Transformers under their control, which subdue Soundwave as well.

Near Hoover Dam, Galloway is being chased by Ransack, but is rescued when the Twins arrive and chase him away, allowing a NEST team to blast him out of the sky. Frank is taken to hospital and Galloway thanks Lennox and his team, and starts changing his views on NEST and the Autobots.

NEST and the Autobots investigate Hoover Dam and remember that the Allsaprk was stored here, also Ironhide finds Soundwave injured, and the Decepticon offers an alliance with the Autobots against the Initiative.

The Initiative have moved their base, where Carter is talking to a Transformer (Fortress) who he has trapped and promises that all of his kind will be killed soon.

Optimus meets with Soundwave in California, where they learn that the Initiatve must have a mobile base, which is why it's suddenly gone now. The Transformers and NEST start hunting down the Initiative using Soundwave's talents as well, but Soundwave keeps his knowledge of the controlled Transformers to himself. Galloway officially apologizes to Lennox for his actions, and says he'll try to trust the Autobots from now on as well.

The Initiative have moved their base to Oregon where the Allspark has been reformed, and Carter links himself up to it as part of a plan of his, he begins a holo-conference with the rest of the Initiative's command, whilst Sounbwave checks on security footage and manages to track the Initiative to Oregon, the united team head out towards them.

In the meeting, Carter is moaned at by the others for him not informing them of every step in the Nefarious project and that they want to cancel it. Carter, in response uses his new Allspark connection to connect to machines in the offices next to the Initiative members and creates Mutations to kill them all, leaving him as the only head remaining.

On the way to the Initiative's base Optimus feels a lot of pain due to the Allspark's corruption and misuse. At the Initiative Ingrid starts spying on stuff and manages to get the passcode to enter the room Fortress is being held in, whilst the Initiative discover the Transformers and NEST approaching their base. The teams take out the outer defenses with great ease. Carter has the controlled Transformers sent out to fight their former friends, whilst inside the base Carter is told that the Allspark is going into meltdown due to him drawing too much power from it.

Carter's become mad with the power of the Allspark as now he finally has the power to get revenge for the last 80 year's he's suffered because of the Transformers. Outside the base the Transformers are fighting with their controlled friends (And some enemies as well) and are trying not to kill them in the process. Optimus is worried that the Allspark is going to explode and take the planet with it, whilst Soundwave leaves the battle to go after Ravage whom he wakes up again.

Kirkpatrick tries to stop Carter from using the Allspark anymore, but Carter just blasts him with it's energies, which renders him to ash. Meanwhile Ingrid runs off and breaks into Fortress' room, where she sees Fortress and asks him why Carter hates the Transformers so much. Outside, the battle is going badly as the Autobots are having problems dealing with their mind-controlled friends.

Inside the base, Fortress tells Ingrid the story about how a fight between him and Ransack about 80 years ago led to Carter's parents being killed in a car crash, and Carter being paralyzed. Fortress felt so bad that he allowed himself to be captured by Carter and forced to help him in his eventual plans.

Elsewhere in the base, Ravage, now BACK under Soundwave's command again sends out Reedman to attack Carter, whilst Carter is using the Allspark to start to overload the Transformer's sparks outside, however Reedman slashes the human before being blasted by Carter.

Carter uses the base's transformation ability to turn into it's mobile vehicle mode and tries to escape, however Optimus, whom has now stopped feeling the pain and chases Carter's vehicle, whilst Fortress has been freed by Ingrid from the mobile base.

Optimus manages to catch up with Carter and destroys his vehicle. Optimus grabs the Allspark and plans to destroy it, but Carter, still with his connection to it goes to try and kill the Autobot, but is then gunned down by Buzzsaw who then flies off himself.

Optimus prepares to sacrifice himself to save the world when Fortress appears and takes the Allspark from him, and offers to do it himself, he launches into space and it blows up, killing Fortress as well.

In the aftermath everything is pretty much back to normal, the Initiative's survivors are arrested and Soundwave is back in orbit, back to waiting and planning whilst the Autobots wonder about the future again.

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Bumblebee - Concept Camaro

Ironhide - Pick Up Truck

Ratchet - Emergency Humvee

Sideswipe - Concept Corvette

Skids - Smart Car

Mudflap - Smart Car

Jolt - Electric Car

Knock Out - Motorcycle

Dune Runner - Military Buggy

Breakaway - Fighter Jet Killed by Soundwave

Decepticon

Fortress - Mobile Base (Formerly Delivery Truck) Killed in Allspark Explosion

Soundwave - Satellite

Ravage - Aquatic Vehicle

Reedman - Ball Bearings Killed by Carter

Buzzsaw - Military Helicopter

Rumble

Beastbox

Ratbat

Dirt Boss - Forklift Killed by the Initiative

Brakedown - Sports Car Killed by Sideswipe

Reverb - Motorcycle Killed by Ironhide

Alice - Animatronic Woman Killed by Sideswipe

Megatron (Mentioned)

The Fallen (Mentioned)

Initiative Controlled

Ransack - Bi-Plane Killed by NEST and Twins

Armorhide - Truck Cab

Blazemaster - Helicopter

Brawn - Military Humvee

Smokescreen - Sports Car

Thrust - Fighter Jet

Lockdown - Muscle Car

Mindwipe - Stealth Jet

Tankor - Tank

Skystalker - Stealth Bomber

Sonar - Battleship 

Allspark Mutation

Shredder

Air Conditioner

Printer

Coffee Maker

Appliance Bots Dead

Human

Lennox

Epps

Galloway

Frank Pelletier Badly injured by Ransack

Carter Newell Killed by Buzzsaw

Ingrid

Woolf

Hank Kirkpatrick Killed by Carter

Initiative Board Killed by Allspark Mutations

Captain Cox Killed by Ransack

O'Brien Killed by Ransack

Maddocks Killed by Ransack

Janson (NEST)

T. Johnson (NEST)

Agent Highland (NSA)

Old Man Seymour and his Wife

Hank and Miami Security Team

Carter's Parents Killed by Ransack and Fortress

Initiative Members

NEST

Sector Seven (Mentioned) Defunct

UN Secretary General Bankai-Moon (Mentioned)

Notes

• This story is a sequel to ROTF, and is also essentially part 1 of the DOTM Prequel story too.
• The Transformers don't seem to like the idea of Pretenders like Alice
• Alice survived her collision with Mikaela's car in ROTF...She doesn't fair so well against Sideswipe however
• Ravage was trapped under the building from the start of this story in his Tales of the Fallen issue
• Soundwave is revealed to have several minions (though Laserbeak isn't included for some reason)
• Buzzsaw's character model is based on the toy only Booster X10, and was clearly originally meant to be Laserbeak, but was altered to Buzzsaw
• Due to the very bad artwork used for the robots (seriously, half the time it looks like the artist grabbed a toy and threw it in a blender and just drew what he saw afterwards) it's hard to work out who some characters are, or they just seem to be drawn wrong (like in Dune Runner's case, where he's drawn like Landmine)
• Oh my god! The scene with all the Initiative controlled Transformers is just a headache of unidentifiable and mis-coloured characters!
• Really? How does Buzzsaw turn into that Helicopter exactly??
• The Allspark being able to be reformed from a small piece was sort of explored in ROTF where the small shards left over seem to hold the whole power of the thing.
• It's not shown here, but the next storyline shows that the controlled Transformers were later recruited back to their respective factions.
• It's not clear where the Initiative got all these Transformers, with the Decepticons it's posisble they took some who were killed during the unseen fights from Alliance, but the Autobots are a bit more confusing (considering for one thing that Smokescreen was on Mars when he was killed)