IDW - Robots in Disguise #25

Title: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7: The Dead Are Not Enough

Written by: John Barber and James Roberts

Art by: James Raiz, Atilio Rojo and Livio Ramondelli

Colours by: Josh Perez and Livio Ramondelli

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Plot

At the Lost Light's site on the bottom of the Crimson Ocean Hound leads the Lost Lighters against the Ammonites. During the battle, Swerve saves Crosscut, a former Senator and current Play-write, but is shocked when Crosscute doesn't even know his name, despite being one of the "Main Guys". Crosscut notices Swerve's communicator flashing, meaning he has a message, Swerve says he'll check it out after the battle...but it's already done!

Hound has the injured crew members head back to the ship as they assume the Ammonites have retreated, but Waverider reports that they seem to have just regrouped towards the inactive body of Metroplex.

Inside Metroplex the team are confused as to why they aren't dead since the Rodpod exploded, but they find a wall in front of them instead. Because of this the team quickly figure out that the insides of Metroplex are just shifting all the time, meaning that the maze they found themselves in before was actually just them being trapped inside Metroplex's ever changing corridors.

Whilst figuring this out Getaway gets a message back from Swerve telling them to get out of Metroplex, as the Admium shards in the water are due to Metroplex catching a deadly disease that is turning his body into Admium slowly, and also reveals that it's contagious too. Before they can sort out anything Swerve then informs them that the Ammonites are invading the Titan as well..

In the Dead Universe Nova Prime has dragged his captives into the central castle (which is in the shape of his head). Inside Orion sits by Kup's dying body and tells Nova to reverse what he's done to him, but Nova says he was dying already when he arrived, and he simply manipulated his body afterwards. Nova then has Nightbeat take Orion and the others to a cell, and he'll be along himself later.

On Cybertron, Galvatron argues with Shockwave over them not going after the Transformers who escaped the Necrotitan's attack, but Shockwave counters that there's no need, due to his big-picture plans. During their discussion Jhiaxus and his crew return to Cybertron in their stolen Time Ship. Shockwave has Waspinator and Galvatron take Megatron's body back to his lab, so he can work on using him to recover Nova Prime again.

In the Dead Universe, Nightbeat reveals to the prisoners that Nova Prime is planning to extract their sparks to strengthen Kup's and make the Space Bridge inside his body work properly. Rodimus shows Nightbeat his hand again, and reveals the engraved "89/101" and challenges Nightbeat to explain it, even offering him one question. He hopes that this will help break Nova's control as he has to use another part of his brain (this assumption is due to him sounding most like himself when he was doing his cold reading of Cyclonus after just meeting him).

After making his brain hurt a bit, Nightbeat figures out that the numbers have something to do with the number of crew on Rodimus' ship. Nightbeat lowers the bars, having been (seemingly) freed from Nova's control. Orion is confused as to the significance of the numbers and why they mattered, which prompts Rodimus to start to explain himself to his former commander.

Back on Cybertron Bumblebee stops Galvatron and Waspinator on their way to the lab and demands they hand over Megatron to him. Galvatron finds this hilarious and starts laughing. He throws Megatron aside and rushes Bumblebee, mocking his lack of experience and mocks that 4 million years of warfare is nothing to him, he also starts to mock Megatron...until he notices that he's disappeared.

Megatron, still torn in half has pinned down Waspinator and shoots Galvatron with his fusion cannon,, allowing Bumblebee to grab him and the two leave. Outside, they see Cybertron burning in the Nectrotitan's wake, Bumblebee notices Megatron smiling and asks how he could do so in this situation, but he says he's not smiling about Cybertron, but rather how Starscream must be suffering right now.

Sure enough, in Iacon Starscream is distraught amongst the fire and ruins, all whilst Scoop is mocking him for how he's screwed up everything, and how he's betrayed Cybertron with his actions since taking command of the world (yesterday).

Inside Metroplex, the team are getting ready for the Ammonites and wonder where Whirl has gone. Whirl reappears with the Ammonite Stowaway, who reveals that the Ammonites were recruited by Shockwave to delay the Lost Light in case the "Dead" weren't enough for his plans and if the Lost Light might stop his plans somehow. After his confession he explodes, due to a failsafe created by Shockwave to hide his plans. The team decide to return to Cybertron to stop Shockwave in his plans, when suddenly a harpoon shoots between them and allows a couple of FEMALE Transformers to lower themselves down, telling the crew to make no moves!

Characters

Autobot

Orion Pax - Truck Cab

Rodimus - Car

Bumblebee - Car

Nightbeat - Car

Kup - Pick Up Truck Turned into a Space Bridge by Nova Prime

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Getaway

Ratchet - Ambulance

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Skids - Van

Perceptor

Brainstorm - Jet

Hound - Jeep

Chromedome - Car

Highbrow - Helicopter

Blaster

Sunstreaker - Car

Waverider - Aquatic Vehicle

Trailcutter - Van

Swerve - Van

Crosscut - Van

Metroplex - City/Space Ship Dying

Lost Lighters

Rung (Mentioned)

First Aid - Ambulance (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Megatron Legs severed off

Shockwave - Flying Artillery 

Dreadwing - Stealth Bomber

Waspinator - Wasp Injured by Megatron

Bludgeon - Tank

Scowl

Slog

Bristleback

Icepick

Wildfly

Birdbrain

United Cybertron

Starscream - Jet

Scoop - Front End Loader

Cybertonian

Nova Prime - Truck

Galvatron - Laser Tank Shot by Megatron

Metalhawk - Jet

Jhiaxus - Jet

Necrotitan - City/Space Ship

Sweep Army - Space Shuttles

Cyclonus - Jet

Chromia

Nautica

Other

Ammonite Stowaway Killed by Unwilling Self Destruct

Ammonites

Notes

• The title of this issue was omitted from the actual issue, but was revealed online
• Hound's role as acting field commander here is a callback to his previous role as a team commander during the older stories in this continuity, like Spotlight Galvatron and Revelation.
• Swerve's "My First Blaster" has been implemented to his alternate mode here.
• Crosscut mistaking Swerve for Rung is a callback to how people don't remember who Rung is.
• Swerve also refers to himself as one of the "main guys" a reference to his real life status as a main character.
• Of course, the events of Transformers: Infestation gets a rare mention here
• It's heavily implied here that the Sweeps and Galvatron who were dissolved at the end of Chaos were simply sucked back into the Dead Universe...wonder if Scourge is amongst the Sweeps too?
• Shockwave brings up my point in an earlier blog about how Galvatron just happened to get out the portal first, then tore apart the portal's generator (Megatron) as well before Nova could escape too.
• It's somewhat implied here that Nova Prime's control over the dead Universe may have been exaggerated, as Rodimus points out that all he's really done so far is manipulate their containment cube, and Nightbeat seems to begin to say that just touching Kup won't kill him, despite what Nova said.
• I personally think that Nightbeat's de-conditioning was a bit too forced, possibly meaning he's still under Nova's command.
• Megatron's comment about his legs being severed off being just a scratch is sort of understandable, he did just survive for months as just a skeleton after all!
• Scoop reveals here that he didn't really believe the Dark Cybertron prophecy as being any more than just a story, but Starscream's actions actually made it come true.
• The Stowaway Ammonite says that his faction has been spying on the Lost Light since they made contact with Cybertron....that was only like 2 days ago or something at the most!
• Chromia and Nautica's appearances here would have been a major shock to me, had there not have been a solicitation for the Windblade comic that mentions them by name....
• Nautica is shown holding a wrench, meaning that she's most likely trying to repair Metroplex. 
• It's revealed here that the process used on Nightbeat is Shadowplay, or something like it. This implies that Jhiaxus had something to do with the process' creation.
• During the scene of Iacon burning we can see a silhouette of Necrotitan smashing around.