IDW - Till All Are One #4

Title: The Line Between Us

Written by: Mairghread Scott

Art by: Sara Pitre-Durocher

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B Long

Editors: John Barber & Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

The Combaticons have now combined into Bruticus, but due to their anger, they wind up going on a rampage and attacking the city. Chromia, Rattrap and Wheeljack run away to avoid being killed by the combiner.

Inside his head, the Combaticons are looking for the secret that Swindle had on Starscream, when Blast Off finds the memory, the team discover that Starscream gave the Enigma to Swindle to cause havoc on Caminus with the Stunticons, but that he recorded the conversation for proof. The Combaticons, minus Blast Off want to kill Starscream now, but Blast Off just wants the tape to take down Starscream legitimately, leaving Bruticus outwardly confused and further angry.

Ironhide is informed of the Combiner attack and gathers his security forces to take him on, quickly recognizing one of the limbs as being Blast Off, he tries to reach out to him, but the other Combaticons see him as an enemy. Bruticus attacks the security forces, whilst the Council Chambers are evacuated for their safety. Starscream orders Windblade to assassinate Bruticus so his secrets can be kept safe, and threatens Chromia's safety again.

Windblade has had enough, and contacts Chromia telling her to stop Ironhide from killing Bruticus, as she has decided to break off her deal with Starscream, and take him down with Bruticus' information. She orders Chromia to return to Caminus as soon as she can for safety from persecution.

Windblade makes it to Bruticus, and Chromia manages to get Ironhide to stop his attacks on him. Windblade appeals to Bruticus and tells him that she is against Starscream too, and wants his help, but the angry combiner doesn't believe her and smacks her out of the sky. Chromia rushes to Windblade's aid, and Bruticus aims his back cannons at the two Camiens, preparing to kill them.

However Ironhide shoots Bruticus through the head, and forces the Combaticons to decombine, knocking them all unconscious in the process, stopping Windblade from getting the information from them.

Chromia and Windblade are mad as this was their only chance to take down Starscream, and now he'll use the dirt on Chromia to destroy them both. Chromia sees Circuit and Longtooth nearby and decides to protect Windblade one last time. She interrupts their live report on the Combaticons and admits to her murders and causing the Acrolight earthquake. She forces Ironhide to arrest her, to show that NO-ONE is above the law.

Starscream watches this on the news feed and is clearly angry at losing his main gambling point with Windblade, and hopes that Windblade will be fine without her, and will step into the light now...

Characters

Autobot

Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet

Ironhide - Van

Chromia - Speedbike Arrested by Ironhide

Wheeljack - Race Car

Metroplex - Iacon City

Decepticon

Bruticus - Combaticon Gestalt Disabled by Ironhide

Onslaught - Anti-Aircraft Tank Arrested by Security Force

Blast Off - Jet Arrested by Security Force

Swindle - Van Brain-Dead, Arrested by Security Force

Vortex - Helicopter Arrested by Security Force

Brawl - Tank Arrested by Security Force

Sparkstalker - Insect Monster

Tall Tankor - Truck/Jet

Fat Tankor - Tank

Unified Cybertron

Starscream - Fighter Jet

Rattrap - Mole Rat

Circuit

Longtooth

Unaligned Colonist

Strika - Battle Tank

Moonracer - Sports Car

Knock Out - Sports Car

Air Hammer - Owl-Hammerhead Shark Fuzor

Other Cybertronian

Random Civilians

The Primes (Mentioned)

Scrap Cruncher (Mentioned) Killed by Chromia

Exhaust (Mentioned) Killed by Chromia

Technimus (Mentioned) Killed by Chromia

Notes

• This issue marks the end of the first storyline in Till All Are One, resolving the mystery of Swindle's "death", the Combaticon's role in modern Cybertron, and even the plot thread of Starscream blackmailing Windblade over Chromia's crimes.
• This is the first time a combiner created by the Enigma of Combination has gone on a rampage, and has had visible problems. This is likely because of Swindle being brain-dead, but could be because of the team not really trusting each other.
• Windblade decides that her Cityspeaker role should include speaking to Combiners....that doesn't work too well....
• So Bruticus was defeated with just one shot through the head by Ironhide? Seems a bit anti-climactic for the built-up "villain" of this first story arc.
• The names scratched into Chromia's scalp are confirmed here to be the names of the Cybertronians she killed.
• The next issue to be released will be the Revolutions tie-in. So unless #5 is set during the same time as Titans Return, I'm guessing there will be a time-gap between the issues
• Despite their factions not being mentioned here, Chromia's three victims sound like Decepticon names.