IDW - Lost Light #5

Title: Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

Nightbeat has Rung meet him in an office in the Necroworld Fortress, where he asks him if he wants to talk about things, assuming that he is hurting due to the death of Skids, however Rung reveals that he is actually more concerned about something else that he discovered about himself...

Meanwhile on Functionist Cybertron, Rodimus is being held in a beam of light shot by Six-of-Twelve and his Matrix head. Rodimus claims that the Matrix he is using a fake, since he is used to the energies of the Matrix from his universe. Ratchet appears, holding Rung hostage, and threatens to kill him if he doesn't drop Rodimus, the Functionist drops him, knowing that they still need him for their big plans. The Autobots and Rung head to the matter transporter, where Rung mocks the Council for their own alternate modes turning out to be useless, since they combine into an elaborate ornament, as they transport away, leaving the Councillors at the centre of the planet, with no way to leave except by foot, due to them damaging the teleporter upon using it. The group arrive in the Cog, and Rung gets an idea on how to get back to Adaptica quickly.

In Adaptica, Luna 2 is still tearing apart the city, and starts to speed up it's attack by beginning to tear up buildings as well as Cybertronians. Megatron and the others decide to evacuate the city. Terminus uses a quiet moment to try and convince Megatron to stay in the Functionist Universe to help the AVL to fight the Council, but he refuses, before they can properly discuss it though, the AVL HQ in the statue of Adaptus is torn from it's foundations, and Megatron is left hanging onto a pylon for his life, as Luna 2 tries to suck him up...

Back on Necroworld, Brainstorm manages to rescue Ten and Swerve from the "pocket prison" that Killmaster sent them to, by reversing the effects of the wand (whilst leaving Killmaster behind). Whirl and Tailgate join the others, just as Brainstorm makes a discovery about the pocket prison that makes him happy.

Both versions of Rung explain to Nightbeat, and Team Rodimus respectively (the latter group having stolen the Cog and are using it as a spaceship, heading to Adaptica by the way) about their discoveries of their true functions, to create photonic crystals, which shocks everyone, showing them that the Silver Harvest by Nova Prime, and the process of Cold Construction was possibly pre-ordained by Primus after all. The Functionist Rung goes on to explain that the Council was using him to create thousands of crystals for their future plans...

Functionist Rung explains that the Functionist Council had decided that their own functions was for Functionism itself, and planned to go on a crusade across the universe, destroying everything that had no purpose according to Primus, leaving everyone on a sour note.

Rodimus receives a call from Brainstorm, to tell him that Killmaster's wand can be used to send Necroworld back to their home universe. Rodimus is happy, but thinks there's a horrible condition (there normally is) but Brainstorm says that there is no conditions this time, they just need to get back to the planet before the energy burns out. Rodimus tells Rung that they need to head to Luna 2, so they can use it's long range teleporter to get back to the planet, but Rung refuses, since he wants to destroy Luna 2, using the Cog as a battering ram, thus setting back the Council's plans by decades. He refuses to move, and tells Rodimus that he'll have to fight him to get control of the Cog....

In the Medibay of Necroworld, Anode interrupts the surgery on Fangry, following his injuries from Tailgate, looking for Lug, who has gone missing again, however she is shocked when no-one remembers her. She is shown footage of her leaving the Stasis Pod, and shows her alone, and talking to no one. Velocity attributes her see Lug as being a side effect of the Time Sickness, but Anode is determined. She heads to the Monument to the Disappeared, where she finds her name, and not Lug's, leaving her to conclude that she was left to die on Luna 2 by the Necrobot.

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Drift - Car

Megatron - Tank

Minimus Ambus - Minesweeper

Rung - Photonic Crystal Generator

Chromedome - Car

Rewind - Data Slug

Ratchet - Ambulance

Nightbeat - Car

Swerve - Van

Brainstorm - Jet

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Tailgate - Car

Velocity - Race Car

Nautica - Submarine

Kaput

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (Mentioned)

Skids - Van (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Fangry Under Repairs

Rapidfire - SUV

Killmaster (Mentioned) Left in Pocket Prison by Brainstorm

Anti-Vocationist League

Nine-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Functionist Anode - Bi Plane

AVL Members

Functionist Council Allied

One-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Two-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Three-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Four-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Five-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Six-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Seven-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Eight-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Ten-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Eleven-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

Twelve-of-Twelve- Part of Ornamental Key to Vector Sigma

50 Functionary Guards Defeated by Team Rodimus

Sweep (Flashback)

Other Cybertronian

Functionist Rung - Photonic Crystal Generator

Cyclonus - Jet

Ten

Terminus - Mining Vehicle

Roller - Truck

Anode - Bi Plane

Vector Sigma

Adaptus (Statue Only)

Lug - Backpack Equipment (Mentioned) Seemingly Died before Anode's Time Jump

Necrobot (Mentioned) Dead

Functionist Orion Pax - Truck (Mentioned) Location Unknown

Primus (Mentioned)

Mortilus (Mentioned)

Nova Prime - Truck (Mentioned)

The Primal Vanguard (Mentioned) Defunct

Notes

• Rung retired as a psychiatrist after the Sunder incident at the end of More Than Meets The Eye, following the revelation that he broke patient-doctor protocols in the past.
• Rodimus held the Matrix during the Space Opera storyline from the Costa Ongoing series, until he returned it to Optimus upon returning to Earth in time for the Chaos event.
• Rung's "Word" to the Functionist Council, by referring to them as ornaments and useless are direct references to how he was referred to by them and others due to his seemingly useless alternate mode. With the revelation that their combined mode as the Key to Vector Sigma being actually just ornamental and not actually needed to access the super computer.
• Roller brings up a good point that I've been wondering about, where is Orion Pax in the Functionist Universe? He and Megatron determine that he has probably died due to his heroic personality, but wouldn't it be really messed up if he was on the Functionist Council's side in this reality? Either that, or he'll turn up in an epilogue to this storyline finding the Matrix and becoming Optimus Prime here too.
• As previously assumed, Killmaster IS the key to getting Rodimus' team and Necroworld back to the normal Hasbroverse, but it's confirmed that it's due to his pocket prison being in the Hasbroverse, giving them a back door home.
• Just as an added insult, this means that Killmaster, a lowly Decepticon sort-of scientist is able to create technology that gets past the Shroud created by Nexus Prime to keep the Multiverse separate...good job there!
• Rung's original function is finally revealed, he was born to create photonic crystals, which are critical to holding spark energy for the Cold Construction process, meaning that by the logic of the Functionist Council, that means that Cold Construction is ordained by Primus himself. He re-learned his role when he "vomited" up a crystal when mourning for Skids, as seen at the start of the series.
• So...Lug was just a figment of Anode's imagination all this series so far! It's attributed to time sickness, but since she already got written off as not having time sickness by Velocity, maybe she should sue for malpractice? However, since the Necrobot kept detailed records on all deaths, I'll guess that there's no record of Lug's death either, giving us another series long bot-hunt.
• Terminus out-right brings up the idea that he and Megatron should remain in the Functionist Universe and help them fight the Functionists, but Megatron still wants to return home, so he can face his judgement.
• The Functionist Council's new scheme was to use the sparks procured from Vector Sigma, and stored within Rung's crystals to create a massive army to conquer the universe, and eradicate anyone who isn't seen with a role created by Primus, aka, everyone who isn't Cybertronian.
• Rewind accidentally created this universe when he almost killed Megatron at the time of his creation, creating a splinter universe where Decepticons were never formed and the Universe was kept safe from Cybertronian wars. It's revealed here that this actually only postponed the horror against the rest of the Universe, and the Functionists would have ended up attacking the Universe themselves
• Tailgate and Whirl's conversation about Whirl's "love story" isn't shown here, but it does seem to leave Tailgate a little kinder than he has been lately.