IDW - Regeneration One #89

Title: Natural Selection Part Four

Writer: Simon Furman

Penciler: Andrew Wildman

Inker: Stephen Baskerville

Colorist: John-Paul Bove

Letterer: Chris Mowry

Editor: John Barber

Editor-in-Chief: Chris Ryall

Plot

The Dinobots are hiding from the now evil Autobots and the Decepticons and decide that they need to take down Grimlock for betraying them, and Scorponok for doing all this, so they head somewhee they know Grimlock will go to.

Soon, Treadshot detects someone entering the Nursery and Grimlock overhears, he kills the Decepticon and heads out himself, as he wants to help Slag, who's there, and must assume that the Dinobots are the intruders.

At the Sonic Canyons, Scorponok is surveying the construction of the pan global gene key, but starts to lose his cool, possibly as a result of his reattachment to a body.

In the lower levels of Cybertron Hot Rod is standing before the two artifacts, the sword and covenant of primus, he assumes he needs to choose one.

On Earth Optimus is driving around, and tries helping the humans in secret by helping repair the damages caused by Megatron, but he knows they won't accept him in the long run, at the Ark, Galvatron learns through Shockwave's memories that he seemed to hook himself up the the ark's computers so that he could survive due to his bad injuries after the crash.

Back on Cybertron Grimlock reaches the Nursery where he checks on Slag, but gets ambushed by the other Dinobots who want to kill him for all he's done, meanwhile Brainstorm, Hardhead and some Decepticons find Treadshot's body and report to Scorponok, who reveals that he has a tracer on Grimlock's body, and tells them where he is.

Hot Rod grabs for the Covenant and is shown how in the distant past the Demons were Cybertron's inhabitants and worshipped Primus, however after they started to war with eachother, Primus culled the planet, however leaving some alive in the aftermath, which Hot Rod now understands is his job to now finish off, so he grabs the sword and goes to attack a Demon who has just come through the phased wall as well.

Girmlock fights back against his friends, but before long Brainstorm and the others arrive and say they're going to kill all the Dinobots, in responce Grimlock blasts open Inferno's cell, releasing him and causes him to unleash his internal combustion effects, filling the place with fire, and taking out the bad guys.

Hosehead and the other uninfected Autobots arrive outside and put out the fire, and join forces with the escaped Dinobots, Grimlock reveals his plan is to turn the gene key against Scorponok and reverse the effects.

Ultra Magnus' ship, the Valiant, arrives in Cybertron space after the battle on Earth, unaware of the chaos below, and are granted access by the Decepticon clones, who have been ordered to blow the ship out of the sky when it gets close enough!

Characters

Autobot

Optimus Prime - Truck

Hot Rod - Sports Car

Ultra Magnus - Car Carrier

Grimlock - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Snarl - Stegosaurus

Sludge - Apatosaurus

Swoop - Pteranodon

Hosehead - Fire Engine

Grapple - Crane

Blurr - Race Car

Crosshairs - Van Buggy

Hound - Jeep

Smokescreen - Sports Car

Sideswipe - Sports Car

Red Alert - Emergency Sports Car

Kup - Pick Up Truck

Cosmos - Flying Saucer

Slag - Triceratops Infected by Nucleon

Inferno - Fire Engine Infected by Nucleon

Blaster - Boom Box Infected by Nucleon

Rest of Nursery Infected by Nucleon

Evil Autobot

Perceptor - Microscope

Highbrow - Helicopter

Brainstorm - Jet Injured/Killed in Inferno's explosion

Hardhead - Tank Injured/Killed in Inferno's explosion

Erector - Truck

Groundpounder - Front End Loader

Landmine - Car

Tailgate - Car

Road King - F1 Race Car

Decepticon

Scorponok - Scorpion Tank

Galvatron - Laser Cannon

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Needlenose - Jet

Windsweeper - Jet

Triggerhappy - Jet

Wingspan - Eagle

Pounce - Puma

Treadshot Killed by Grimlock

Dreadwind - Jet Injured/Killed in Inferno's explosion

Darkwing - Jet Injured/Killed in Inferno's explosion

Shockwave - Ray Gun Hooked up to Ark

Megatron (Mentioned) Dead

Other

Demons

Primus (Statue in Flashback)

Notes

• It's unclear who the white car on page one is, but I'm going to assume here it's Tailgate...just because!
• Also, why is Slapdash driving around alive? The Headmasters killed him a few issues ago! (It could be Road King I guess though, so that's what I'll call him here!)
• So I guess the giant sized gene key NEEDS to look like a key still huh?
• Oh lookit! Erector!! Most things are now forgiven!!
• Hot Rod's choice between the Sword of Primus, and the Covenant of Primus is a pretty clear parallel to Captain Britain's choice when he'she gains their powers. Though unlike them, Hot Rod seems to choose both!
• Inferno's Nucleon infused abilities are quite ironic, since he's a fire fighter, and now he expels fire!
• Why do the Decepticon clones look different? Shouldn't they be, you know, identical from the head-on?
• Why is it that Scorponok never used the Gene Key on Grimlock? And why doesn't he just get the other Dinobots infected either? He just orders for them to be killed on sight. Maybe the key can't be used on "primitives"?
• Seriously, what is it with Decepticons and shooting Autobots out of orbit? Megatron did that to the Wreckers above Earth, and now Scorponok plans for the Clones to do it to the Valiant as well!!