IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #40

Title: Our Steps Will Always Rhyme

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Brendan Cahill

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: John Barber

Plot

Ratchet has never been good at saying goodbye to his friends, he failed to do so with Roller, Pharma and Hunter before he never saw them the same way again, but now he wants to succeed.

In the present day, the Lost Light is recharging the Quantum Engines on Scarvix, so the crew are having some downtime. Tailgate has bought himself a hoverboard, and is racing around the corridors with it, causing all sorts of havoc to the crew, and eventually steers into Swerve's deserted bar, and hits Ratchet, knocking them both over, and he starts talking about his planned fishing trip with Getaway in the Oil Reservoir. Swerve starts panicking over his bar failing, following the poisoning caused by Brainstorm the week prior, and Mirage opening a new rival bar on the ship too. Ratchet and Tailgate start to complain to Swerve about how he treats his work-bot, Ten, when he claims Magnus said the same stuff to him before.

Soon, Ratchet leaves and arrives at Brainstorm's private trial for his crimes, he admits to being a Decepticon, but never gave harmful information to the Decepticons, but does admit to how he tried to change the timeline. Nautica storms out of the trial, abandoning the spanner that Brainstorm made her. He does say however, that he refuses to be tried on the actions of the OTHER Brainstorm, who got his Lost Light attacked and the crew killed, as that was never him, Perceptor proceeds to applaud Brainstorm's statement. The committee debate the punishment, and Magnus and Rodimus states that the time machine, Brainstorm's life-time of work will be destroyed, and he will be heavily monitored for the time being, but allowed to stay on the ship, so long as he cuts off all ties to his Decepticon handler, which Brainstorm agrees to. Ratchet watches on, clearly disappointed.

Ultra Magnus heads to Megatron's room to ask him whether he's seen his missing datapad, and also to ask what he's been doing since Brainstorm's arrest, since he's been locked in his room all this time, seemingly alone, but Megatron just vaguely says "Thinking. Working.".

Getaway and Tailgate are hanging out in Mirage's new bar "Visages" where Getaway is still trying to turn Tailgate against Cyclonus, by plying him with drinks and lies. Ratchet borrows Tailgate's hoverboard (without his knowledge).

Ratchet gives the board to First Aid in a quarantine tube telling him it's infected with Super-Scraplets, and has him call in certain members of the crew who were in some way connected to it, even by tedious means, and proceeds to give them all a check-up.

He uses this time to tell Rodimus that he thinks it's unfair how he treated Drift, and how he's now treating Brainstorm very differently, he gives Rung Hoist's number as he needs to speak to someone now that his roommate has been killed, and he already suffered from isolation issues (see Spotlight Hoist), He makes Nautica realize that Brainstom acted selflessly in trying to change the timestream, as he was an MTO, meaning he'd never have existed if he succeeded, making Nautica begin to forgive him. He tells Skids to get his puncture wounds fixed, and that Rung needs someone to talk to outside of therapy sessions. He suggests to Swerve that Megatron's poetry could help his bar pick up business, and he talks to Magnus about his private datapad going missing, and how he thinks the crew look down on him now that they know about his true form, after finding a small model of Minimus outside his door.

Following the sessions, Ratchet meets up with First Aid, who has figured out that the Super-Scraplets were just a ruse so ratchet could say goodbye to all his friends before he leaves. Tailgate knocks into Ratchet again, with a new hoverboard, which he learns was made by Ten.

Ratchet goes to visit Ten's "quarters" in the boiler rooms where he discovers that Ten is extremely artistic with a large mural of his favourite crew members on the wall (minus Swerve of course) and even a series of models of his favourite crew members (again, no Swerve, though his bar has been made!). Ratchet comments that Drift isn't there, and that Ten would have liked him, like he does, but he hopes he can meet him soon enough.

Ratchet sees that Ten has a display dedicated solely to Ultra Magnus, and realizes that Ten "stole" the datapad, and replaced it with the model of Minimus as a trade, so he could have something of his favourite's.

Ratchet writes a note to Magnus on the datapad and tells Ten to return it to him.

Later, Ten and Minimus Ambus walk into the now booming Swerve's bar where Skids and Rung are also hanging out. Swerve explains that he had Megatron do his poetry at "Visages" rather than Swerve's, driving all the customers back to him.

Brainstorm and Nautica make up, and Brainstom adds a function to Nautica's spanner that says "Brainstorm is an ass!" when pushed. Tailgate and Getaway go fishing for Legislator parts in the Oil Reservoir (with Riptide as their boat), Cyclonus broods from his window alone, and Perceptor and Rodimus burn all of Brainstorm's briefcases, except for one, which Ravage has stolen for Megatron.

First Aid walks into Ratchet's office, where he finds a communicator for in case First Aid, as the new Chief Medical Officer of the ship, needs to contact Ratchet for any advice.

Now that he's fixed his friends, Ratchet heads off in a shuttle, armed with a new Drift model, and starts his search for Drift in space....

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus - Vehicle Transport/Mine Sweeper

Megatron - Tank

Xaaron

Ratchet - Ambulance

First Aid - Ambulance

Swerve - Van

Mirage - Race Car

Getaway - Car

Tailgate - Car

Chromedome - Car

Brainstorm - Helicopter

Nautica - Submarine

Rung

Skids - Van

Riptide - Boat

Perceptor - Microscope

Rewind - Data Slug

Siren - Car

Nightbeat - Car

Hosehead - Fire Truck

Hound - Jeep

Mainframe

Huffer - Truck

Inferno - Fire Truck

Jackpot - Car

Bluestreak - Car

Blaster - Acoustic Tank

Slapdash - Race Car

Atomizer

Rad - Car

Crosscut - Van

Broadside - Jet/Boat

Other Lost Lighters

Pharma - Jet (Flashback)

Hoist - Tow Truck (Model)

Drift - Car (Model)

Grotesque (Mural)

Trailcutter - Van (Mural)

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)

Prowl (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Ravage - Cassette

Bombshell - Boll Weevil (Flashback)

Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)

Other Brainstorm - Helicopter (Mentioned) Dead

Other Overlord - Tank and Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Brainstorm's Handler (Mentioned)

Cybertronian

Ten

Cyclonus - Space Jet

Swerve's Serving Droid

Roller - Paddy Wagon (Flashback)

Tyrest (Mentioned)

Legislators (Mentioned)

Human

Hunter O'Nion (Flashback)

Hunter's Sister (Mentioned)

Notes

• This story was originally meant to be released before Transformers #40. as evidenced by the spoilers given there, such as First Aid becoming CMO, Mirage opening a bar, and it failing, etc. We also know that First Aid leaves the ship, at least for Combiner Wars since he joins the storyline with the other Protectobots for that storyline.
• This story also acts as a prequel to the Drift: Empire of Stone mini-series showing Ratchet's actions just before leaving for the storyline.
• It's revealed here that Ratchet leaving for Earth before Infiltration was the reason that Pharma left for Delphi, on Prowl's orders....so yeah, prowl is responsible for Pharma going mad on Delphi too then!
• It's shown that by the time Hunter is returned home after Maximum Dinobots, Bombshell has been created, and began following Hunter, ready for his involvement during the Autobot Purge during All Hail Megatron.
• Tailgate's new love of hoverboards is a reference to Back to the Future II, which Tailgate was shown enjoying during Movie Night.
• Also, his use of a hoverboard, fishing rod, and crashing into things is probably a reference to Daniel in the 80's Transformers Movie.
• Hosehead, Nightbeat and Siren are seen hanging out together. In the toyline they were sold in the same Headmaster wave. Hosehead even references this by saying "nearly took my head off!"
• Tailgate still thinks that Whirl's name is Nutjob :)
• Megatron is absent from his committee chair, this is either due to his recent self-seclusion following his close death during Elegant Chaos, or more likely due to him being the intended victim in that situation, and being unable to be unbiased.
• A few guys from the time travel team aren't amongst the viewers of the trial, wonder why?
• Brainstorm reveals that he only became a Decepticon to get his hands on some sensitive materials that the Decepticons had captured, and never disclosed any major details to the Decepticons that could hurt the Autobots.
• Brainstorm jokes that Rung is also a Decepticon double agent, which no-one seems to react to...odd huh?
• Getaway is getting creepier around Tailgate with every new issue....
• Seriously, I think he'll need an adult before long!
• Hoist and Hound are on Ratchet's patient list, whilst Hoist is mentioned as needing to speak to Rung due to his isolation issues, Hound is never seen or mentioned during the sessions shown.
• It's revealed here that Brainstorm is an MTO, meaning he was made during the war, in order to be used as a soldier. Normally this means he should be a warrior, rather than a scientist...interesting still! Also, his name is Genitus of Operation: Solar Storm.
• First Aid appears to know that Ratchet is leaving the ship, but no-one else seems to mention anything meaning he's been keeping it quiet.
• Ten is revealed to have an artistic side, implying that he may have a Spark of some sort. It was shown in the past that the Legislators were also built from the remains of the Circle of Light members they had killed, so maybe something from one of them was put into him?
• Ten appears to have the parts to make a Drift model, including a sword and the right colours and shapes, despite him never meeting him, and Ratchet pointing out that he was missing.
• Ten's obsession with Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus, and his display including all his modes and forms, COULD be seen as a reference to his upcoming Combiner Wars toy....
• Ultra Magnus seems to be finally at peace with people knowing about his true Minimus Ambus form by the end of this issue, as he's shown entering Swerve's bar in it with Ten
• Getaway and Tailgate use Riptide as a boat for their Legislator parts fishing trip in the Oil Reservoir.
• I wonder how Drift will react when he sees that Ratchet now has a little model of him in his shuttle?
• Since Brainstorm cuts off ties to his Decepticon handler here, I guess he's now a full Autobot again!