IDW - Requiem of the Wreckers

Written by: Nick Roche

Art by: Nick Roche, Geoff Senior and Brendan Cahill

Colours by: Josh Burcham & Josh Perez

Letters by: Shawn Lee & Tom B. Long

Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Greg Goldstein

Plot

Following the events of the Noisemaze, Verity and Springer have remained on Earth, with an array left by Prowl, which allows them to send and receive messages to and from Cybertron, from which they have learned that Kup has died. Springer has arranged a meeting with Impactor to discuss the death of their fallen ally, but Verity is worried about some phantom signals that have been sent from the array in the past. She syncs up the array to a portable device so she can monitor it during their trip, and Springer reminisces on when he first met Impactor...

Springer and Kup were taking down a squad of Decepticons during the war, when Springer impressed Impactor by single-handedly destroying a supply drone, and he invites him to join the Wreckers, which Kup seems to have been expecting...

Back in the present, Springer and Verity head out to meet Impactor, but Springer decides to stay in car mode, rather than his alien helicopter form, so as to not cause any further tensions on the already shaky-relationship between Earth and Cybertron.

Along the way, Springer tries to talk to Verity about them finally locating her long-lost mother, but she interrupts him, asking for a pit-stop at a gas station.

Inside the station, Verity gets some coffee, and lingers at some greetings cards that she'd tempted by, when she suddenly seems Springer being smashed away by a random bulldozer. She tries to give chase, but they are already gone, instead she calls Impactor to let him know what happened...

Verity searches for Springer for the rest of the day, and makes her way to a nearby town, where she comes across a rally for a controversial anti-Cybertronian politician, Megan Guiglione. She isn't interested in her or her cause, so she just gets back in contact with Impactor. Unfortunately at that moment Springer arrives, declaring Megan as an enemy to Cybertron, and shoots her, under the mind-control of Carnivac. Megan however, survives, and is pissed that Springer ruined her "outfit", shedding it, revealing "herself" to be Overlord! The sight of Overlord snaps Springer out of his trance, and the Decepticon smacks him aside. A nearby group of vehicles suddenly transform, revealing themselves to be the Mayhem group, who decide that Carnivac's plan has failed and they need to take down Overlord for everyone's sake.

The group attacks him, but he easily kills them all. he heads toward Springer to finish him off, when Verity attacks him, using her exo-suit's arm cannons. He instantly recognizes her from the rescue mission on Garrus-9, so he grabs her and flies away.

Just afterwards, Impactor arrives and scolds the hidden Carnivac for messing up so hard and for using Springer in this plan. He takes them both back to the Mayhem HQ for repairs...

Overlord takes Verity to his new base, a dormant volcano, where he reveals his new business partner, Tarantulas, as the two have joint interests in chaos and destruction, as well as a history with the Wreckers.

Whilst in his Stasis-Chamber, Springer remembers how Kup escorted him to meet with the Wreckers for the first time in their hidden base, and how happy he was to be part of the team and be with Impactor.

When his treatment ends, Springer immediately smashes out of the chamber and attacks Impactor for what he did to him. Impactor is like-wise angry with Carnivac for using Springer in the plan, but Carnivac points out that it was Impactor's plan to use an Autobot to kill a prominent human to cause problems for them, and Carnivac simply used Springer due to his war-hero status. Springer leaves, using Verity's portable device to track her, saying that both the Mayhems are as bad as eachother.

Back in the villain's volcano lair, Tarantulas shows off his newest invention, the Timemaze, a version of the Noisemaze that allows the user to travel through time, and reveals that he survived their last encounter by reducing himself to his smallest form and hiding on Springer, and was hiding in their base for a while without their knowledge, explaining the phantom messages from the array too. Verity soon realizes that Tarantulas intends to send Overlord into the Timemaze to do something in the past.

Tarantulas confirms this, explaining that by sending Overlord into key points of the past, he can alter events, allowing him to examine the effects on the war and Cybertron itself. Overlord however decides to change the plans, and reveals that he plans to travel into the past to kill Megatron in his pre-war form, before he ever became an Autobot like he is now. Tarantulas is fearful of messing with Megatron's past as he is a staple to the universe and this could unravel everything, and the duo start to fight.

Whilst the villains fight, Verity jumps onto the Timemaze console to disable it, with Overlord threatening to kill her if she doesn't stop, however Tarantulas warns him to not touch her. Overlord soon realizes that Tarantulas is trying to protect her, hoping that it will win Springer's favour and bring them closer. Overlord announces that Springer will probably not even turn up to save her...just as a harpoon is shot into his eye...

Springer and Impactor crash into the base, and Springer immediately tries to get Verity to safety, until she explains what the Timemaze is for. Tarantulas appears behind them, and eagerly tells Springer that he never intended to abandon him, he thought he was destroyed by Prowl, which Springer acknowledges, but he still has to stop him from using the Timemaze to destroy the universe. Tarantulas quickly decides that he'll change his ways and will disable the device, just to prove he wants to change to Springer.

Unfortunately Overlord hears this and shoots Tarantulas in the back of the head, Impactor and Springer attack Overlord, and they all end up falling deeper into the volcano. Springer winds up trapped under a pile of rocks with Impactor wedged in the rocks. The two know they can't move the rocks, or the rest will collapse, so they take the moment to finally speak about Kup, and Springer reveals that he doesn't remember how he even met Kup, so Impactor tells him the story...

Prowl calls Kup to have him take care of Springer, having given him the need-to-know version of his creation story, and explains that he wants him treated like any other Autobot, despite him being created artificially rather than naturally. The two Autobots quickly bond, and leave, with Impactor having been present in the shadows the entire time.

Imapactor finishes his story and apologizes to Springer for ever bringing him into the Wreckers and making his life harder. Impactor notices Overlord's shadow coming up along the cave walls, and orders Springer to shoot through him to attack Overlord and escape, just as Impactor did to Springer on planet Pova.Springer reluctantly does as he is ordered, but is mad at Impactor for making him do it.

At the Timemaze console, Verity has found Tarantulas' files on the Guiglione project using her portable device and discovers the funds he was able to create for it...then transfers it all to her own bank account as compensation for all he's done to her. Springer rushes in to the room with Overlord chasing him. Springer wants her to use the device to take control of the Timemaze, but there's no time to use it...that is until a loud howl fills the room and forces Overlord into his component parts. Carnivac followed Impactor and Springer to the volcano and decided to help just this once, and leaves.

Overlord is still active, despite being trapped in his vehicle modes, but Springer puts his plan into action, he grabs the frame of the Timemaze and has Verity set a destination for as far in the past as possible, and he scoops Overlord's jet mode into the portal, then does the same with the tank mode, but into the distant future, taking Overlord effectively out of the picture.

Following the battle, the dying Tarantulas calls out to Springer and apologizes for all the bad he has done, but says that he was happy to be with him for a while when he was hiding in their base, but also says that he thinks it was best he was taken away from him in the first place, since he ended up being such a good person, but is happy that he created him, and dies in his "son's" arms...

Following this whole event, Springer decides to use the Timemaze himself to try and stop the war before it ever happened, and really give himself a past. He offers to send Verity back to see Hunter if she wants, but she is fine in the present. He asks her to send out a message after her leaves, and she gives him a "Thank you" card, and the two have a hug.

Verity sends out Springer's final message, transmitted to every surviving Wrecker, their allies and even some rookies that Springer was training remotely, he orders them to learn from the Wrecker's mistakes, dismantle the group and use their skills to help others as best as they can.

Later, Verity arrives at a house and presents a greetings card wordlessly to her long-lost mother, and is invited into the house...

The end.

Characters

Autobot

Springer/Ostaros - Car/Helicopter Travels into Distant Past

Prowl - Police Car

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Sandstorm - Buggy/Helicopter

Broadside - Jet/Boat

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Arcee - Sports Car

Perceptor - Tank

Bulkhead - Armoured Van

Sixknight - Sixchanger

Breacher - Personnel Carrier

Strongarm - Police Van

Kup - Pick Up Truck (Flashback) Dead

Rack'n'Ruin (Flashback)

Roadbuster - Jeep (Flashback)

Topspin - Jet (Flashback)

Twin Twist - Drill Tank (Flashback)

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab (On Screens)

Fire Convoy  Fire Truck (On Screens)

Jazz - Sports Car (On Screens)

Goldbug - Sports Car (On Screens)

Hot Rod - Sports Car (On Screens)

Pyra Magna - Fire Truck (On Screens)

Windblade - VTOL Fighter Jet (On Screens)

Ironfist - Van (On Screens)

Stakeout - Police Car (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Overlord/Megan Guiglione - Tank and Jet Split in two, sent into distant past and future

Past Decepticons (Flashback) Killed by Kup and Springer

Shockwave - Flying Artillery (On Screens)

Starscream - Fighter Jet (On Screens)

Mayhem

Impactor - Armoured Urban Assault Vehicle (Tank in Flashbacks) Killed by Springer (on orders)

Carnivac - Wolf

Overbite - Police Car Killed by Overlord

Stampy - Police Motorcycle Killed by Overlord

Tuskmaster - Mini-Coach Killed by Overlord

Smolder - Fire Truck Killed by Overlord

Steamhammer - Bulldozer Killed by Overlord

Other Cybertronian

Tarantulas/Mesothulas - Spider Killed by Overlord

Megatron - Mining Vehicle (On Screens)

Galvatron - Cannon (On Screens)

Cyclonus - Space Jet (On Screens)

Scourge - Space Shuttle (On Screens)

Beast Megatron - Tyrannosaurus Rex (On Screens)

Human

Verity Simone Carlo

Guiglione Rally-goers

TV Personalities (On Screens)

Verity's Mother (Mentioned)

Madame President (Mentioned)

Officer John Powell (Mentioned) Dead

Hunter O'Nion (Mentioned) Dead

Other

Death's Head (On Screens)

Notes

• This one-shot "annual" issue is designed to act as an epilogue to the Wreckers storyline by Nick Roche, as such it heavily references and concludes many plot points from the previous stories
• Megan Guiglione's name is a reference to Overlord's Japanese Godmaster partners from Masterforce, Mega and Giga.
• It's mentioned that Verity's DNA was used to create the Guiglione alternate mode, so it's likely that this could be what her Mother looks like.
• Overlord was last seen working with the Galactic Council to take out Megatron, however he left the mission, and presumably their alliance, when he thought Megatron had turned weak as an Autobot.
• This issue is set following Kup's death in Transformers vs Visionaries #1. But also, since Ultra Magnus and Whirl are shown, presumably alive, we can also guess that it is set after the current Lost Light storyline.
• The flashback scenes are done by Geoff Senior in traditional Marvel Transformers style.
• Kup's character model in the flashbacks is based on his "old" body from Spotlight: Kup
• Springer was informed of his mysterious past as Tarantulas and Prowl's creation/child by Verity since the end of Sins of the Wreckers.
• The "Humans First" banners used by Overlord in his human disguise are likely somewhat related to "Children of Earth", a group of humans who hate Cybertronians from the Costa era.
• The Mayhem Chimeracons have been re-outfitted with vehicle modes, but still retain their undetectable signatures from their animal modes.
• Considering Impactor's plan involved him using an Autobot under Carnivac's control to kill a public figure to cause havoc, and he was undercover as a part of the US President's vehicle convoy, it's likely that he planned to have her killed at some point!
• Amongst the images shown on the Timemaze's monitors is Optimus Prime from the Car Robots/Robots in Disguise series, so I'll just name him by his Japanese name here, Fire Convoy,
• Also amongst the Timemaze screens is what appears to be Galvatron and his lieutenants during the Heart of Darkness era.
• This story is a little inconsistent on what the Timemaze can do. Initially it's implied that it can allow alternate timelines to be created by altering things in the past, for Tarantulas to experiment on. However from the point where Overlord declares that he plans to use it to kill Megatron in the past, it's treated as though it alters this universe's past, and changing things is going to affect the future
• Amongst the rookie Wreckers, made otherwise of imports from alternate universes, is someone who appears to be Quickswitch. The problem with that is that Quickswitch was killed off in Transformers vs Visionaries #4. So I will assume that is Sixknight, his Japanese counterpart instead
• Stampy's police motorcycle alternate mode is possibly a round-about reference to the Galaxy Force version of Ransack, who had a police deco variant. I believe this to be the case due to the precedent for Ransack, Rattrap and Stampy sharing alternate modes in Animated.
• The greetings card in Verity's hand when at her mother's door seems to be coloured to match the Aequitas data slug that she had in her possession in Sins of the Wreckers.
• It is mentioned that Megan Guiglione was created as a diversion for Tarantulas whilst developing the Timemaze, to perfect the "human alternate mode", obviously an evolution of his work with the Chimeracons in Sins of the Wreckers...no one tell him that Onyx Prime/Shockwave perfected a human alternate mode with Blackrock already...
• It's not mentioned here, but due to Guiglione being a political figure, it seems likely that "she" would have ended up running for office in the future, meaning they could have used "her" to try and control Earth as well.
• It was theorized at the end of Sins of the Wreckers that Tarantulas was the spider seen in Springer's wheel well, and this confirms that this was the case.
• Despite the jet part being sent into the distant past, the tank mode appears to still be alive in the present (before also being sent far away in time) Does this mean there are two Overlords now? Just half the size and power each though?
• From the backgrounds, we can assume that Perceptor and Broadside are on the Lost Light, Prowl is on his ship with his crew, Arcee is likely on Cybertron, Sandstorm is probably in Trypticon with the Dinobots still. Whirl and Magnus appear to be on a planet with clouds....so no clues there!
• Aww this was a nice bitter-sweet but happy ending...I'm sorry to do this, but remember how Unicron is coming to destroy Earth and unravel all this happiness soon right? (Let's just how Verity and her mother can get off-world before he turns up!)