IDW - Lost Light #6

Title: Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Joanna LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B Long

Editor: Carlos Guzman

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

In the Cog, heading towards Adaptica, Rodimus and Rung prepare to battle for the control of the ship, which Rung intends to use to destroy Luna 2, but Rodimus simply slugs the much weaker bot, and sends him to the floor, leaving everyone to wonder why that was needed...even Rodimus...

Below them, Megatron is hanging on for his life, leading to Terminus manning a cannon, and aiming it towards the tractor beam, however his aim isn't the best, and he also shoots the Cog, sending it crashing. Luckily it also damages the tractor beam, freeing Megatron.

Ratchet and Drift wake up, following the crash, and find Rung messing around with something on his neck. Ratchet warns him to stop, but he refuses, urging them to stand clear...

Terminus and the others rush towards the Cog's crash site, where Rodimus receives a message from Barinstorm stating that Killmaster's wand is going to run out of power soon, and they have to return to Necroworld before then, or they'll be trapped in this universe forever. Before he can react though, he is shocked at the sight of a giant Rung attacking Luna 2!

Rodimus reports this development to Brainstorm, who just tells him to have Rung scoop them into the moon, but Rodimus brings up a new issue for him, if they use the teleporter before the moon is destroyed then they cannot help the resistance, but if they destroy the moon, then they can't use the teleporter. Roller comes up with the idea to teleport the entire moon to Necroworld, with it being stored within the hollow planet.

Everyone is happy with the plan, but Terminus announces that he's staying behind. Megatron asks for a moment with him to say his goodbyes, but Rodimus isn't happy, but allows him a minute...

Rodimus' team arrive at a transporter to get them to the moon, but find it unfunctional,  they locate another one to use, and Roller sends the coordinates to Terminus. He begins to tell Megatron about the change of location, but they both pause when Rung suddenly explodes, and falls to the ground, dead.

Elsewhere, Rodimus is furious that Megatron hasn't arrived at the teleporter, a sentiment shared by Minimus Ambus, who states that he will not GET AWAY. This mention of Rodimus newest nemesis pushes his buttons, and he orders the group sent to the moon now.

Megatron arrives at the original teleporter site, having been given the wrong ones from Terminus, he panics and runs to Terminus, only to see the moon vanish from the skies, having been sent to Necroworld. Terminus claims that the crew have given him a second chance...which Megatron replies that they already had done that....

On Necroworld, Anode is taken to see Lug's spark flower, where Kaput explains how she died, having read the Necrobot's records. She was killed when the forcefield fell, and so the Necrobot prepared her body for the afterlife and recovered her "fading echo" and placed it into her flower, which Kaput then gives to Anode to say goodbye to...Anode looks between the flower and the sentio metallico that Nautica returned to her, and gets an idea before running back towards the fortress.

Inside the medibay, Anode explains that she wants Kaput to release the echo of Lug's spark from the flower, so she can store it within the metallico, the process isn't going well, as the metal's temperature is falling, but Anode doesn't quit....

The Necroworld, having returned to the Hasbroverse, and the groups reunite, with Roller commenting on Anode's new "backpack" which she is very proud of, but they also notice that Megatron isn't with them....

Back in the Functionist Universe, Megatron has taken on a touring speaker role for the AVL. He visits the various resistance cells tells them of his plans to win their fight with words rather than violence, and overthrow the Council the right way...through empathy.

Megatron steps outside to look upon the stars, when he is interrupted by his phone ringing, and a familiar voice speaks from it, looking for Roller.....causing Megatron the smile.

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Minimus Ambus - Minesweeper

Megatron - Tank (Remained in Functionist Universe)

Ratchet - Ambulance

Drift - Car

Chromedome - Car

Rewind - Data Slug

Nautica - Submarine

Velocity - Race Car

Kaput

Brainstorm - Jet

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Tailgate - Car

Nightbeat - Car

Swerve - Van

Getaway - Car (Mentioned)

Skids - Van (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Killmaster (Mentioned) Trapped in Pocket Prison

Anti-Vocationist League

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

Functionist Anode - Bi-Plane

Clicker - Laser Pointer

Glitch

Dominus Ambus

Random Members

Other

Terminus - Mining Vehicle (Remained in Functionist Universe)

Anode - Bi-Plane

New Lug - Backpack Equipment (Newly Reforged)

Roller - Truck

Cyclonus - Jet

Ten

Functionist Rung - Photonic Crystal Generator Exploded due to Mass Displacement Generator

Censere (Flashback) Dead

Original Lug - Backpack Equipment (Flashback) Dead

Functionist Orion Pax - Truck (Speculative Voice Only)

Functionist Council (Mentioned)

Notes

• Unsurprisingly, Rung lasts for all of about a third of a second in a fist fight against Rodimus...though he does last a bit longer when he's super sized and against a gun-mounted moon.
• Anode appears to use some level of telekinesis to reconfigure the sentio metallico, when they explained she was a blacksmith I assumed she'd need some tools.
• Also, since she can put a tiny fragment of Lug's spark into a new body and it apparently works, does that mean that anyone who has died, and had the fading echo of their spark implanted into a flower, then she can revive them? Not gunna happen? Just a plot device to bring back her girlfriend? Fine!
• It's left ambiguous in the comic itself, but James Roberts confirmed on Twitter that Terminus gave Megatron the wrong coordinates, not Roller passing on the wrong information to them.
• Amongst Megatron's new revolution members is someone who is probably supposed to be the Functionist version of Hot Rod (in front of Terminus during his talk)
• Through dialogue, we learn that the Council are still in power following the attack on Adaptica, they blamed the Black Box Consortia for the attack, and claimed that new hot spots appeared, explaining the mass of  new Cybertronians suddenly appearing
• Quick question, since they are no longer in Adaptica, and the Council will be going all out to destroy them now....why don't they activate their Obsolescence chips and blow them up now?
• The guy on the phone looking for Roller at the end of this issue is most likely Orion Pax (pre-Prime Optimus) as Roller was looking for him in the previous issue, and I guess he gave Megatron his phone...
• So, who wants to wager if we'll get a follow-up arc with the Functionist Universe to catch up with Megatron and the others, or if they'll just go balls in and make a new spin-off comic set in this universe?