IDW - Transformers (2019) #14

Title: The Change in Your Nature, Part 2

Written by: Brian Ruckley

Art by: Anna Malkova & Bethany McGuire-Smith

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editors: David Mariotte & Tom Waltz

Plot

Security send in drones to try and talk to the Risers holed up in the Immersant Titan, but they keep shooting them down before they can talk for too long.

Outside, Chromia is coordinating her forces to deal with the Risers, whom she's started to identify. Suddenly one of the Risers non-fatally shoots at a sniper in waiting, Javelin, prompting Chromia to call Kup's team and orders them to break into the back of the Titan, but with as little damage as possible, due to the religious nature of Titans to the Reversionists, who would have a fit if one were to be damaged in some way.

In the Xeni-Quarter, Nautica visits the Voin embassy to speak with the delegate there about the recent Voin murder, and reports her finding to Prowl, waiting outside. She has a basic description of Brainstorm's murderer, but also learned that the Voin who was killed was important, and his death will cause some problems down the line...

At the Titan Mountain, the Securities distract the Risers, whilst Kup, Strongarm and Sideswipe manage to break into a hatch at the back of the Titan, but are found by one of the Risers, Lowload, who attacked them. he puts up a good fight, but Sideswipe plants an explosive on him, and badly hurts him, but the strong-bot manages to get back inside, resealing the hatch.

Sideswipe reports what just happened to Chromia, but is interrupted by Soundwave and some Ascenticons arriving, and Soundwave forcing his way into the Titan, confident that HE can speak with them and get them to give up, to everyone's confusion. Bee is unsure on Soundwave's motives, so he follows him into the Titan, whilst Elita-1 stays outside to stand guard.

Starscream soon arrives, claiming to be there to make sure there's some survivors from this mission, and walks to the side, where he starts getting into from his spy within the Ascenticons, Refraktor.

Inside the Titan, the Risers are immediately willing to give up and cooperate with Security on Soundwave's request. He starts to leave to inform them and turn this into a win for the Ascenticons over Security, when Ruckus reveals that he knows too much about the Rise, mentioning Shockwave and how Soundwave helped in the abduction of Barricade. Soundwave calls him a fool, and leaves his staff behind, telling them it is to disable surveillance, and leaves.

Bee manages to get out of the Titan just before Soundwave, and pretends he was there the whole time. Soundwave claims that the Risers have explosives and are unstable, with Bee noting to Elita that Soundwave doesn't have his staff with him.

Below, Starscream has been briefed on all the recent activities with the Ascenticons, but asks Refraktor when Bumblebee joined up, as he finds that suspicious.

Before he can get an answer though, the Titan explodes, sending everyone flying and stunning Chromia on the spot at the sight.

Elsewhere, Geomotus and Landmine are witnessing some odd behaviours with the natural geysers in an open field, when they see the huge explosion from the Titan

Back in Iacon, Megatron witnesses the explosion from a balcony with Jhiaxus and Strika, and claims that they are now in a race against catastrophe, which they cannot fail....

Characters

Security

Chromia - Car

Prowl - Police Vehicle

Springer - Car/Helicopter

Kup - Pick-Up Truck

Strongarm - Police Van

Sideswipe - Car

Stakeout - Police Vehicle

Flak - Missile Launcher Mounted Truck

Javelin Injured by Kaskade with Sniper

Ascenticon

Megatron - Treaded Vehicle

Soundwave - Hovercraft

Elita-1 - Car

Bumblebee - Winged Hovercraft

Refraktor - Hovercraft

Acidestorm - Tetrajet

Strika - Battle Tank

Jhiaxus - Jet

The Rise

Ruckus - Buggy Seemingly Killed in Titan Explosion

Wirespike Seemingly Killed in Titan Explosion

Kaskade Seemingly Killed in Titan Explosion

Lowload - Drill Tank Seemingly Killed in Titan Explosion

Shockwave - Hovercraft (Mentioned)

Barricade - Police Vehicle (Mentioned)

Ex-Intelligence Officers (Mentioned)

Brainstorm's Murderer (Mentioned)

Other Cybertronian

Starscream - Tetrajet

Nautica - Submarine

Road Rage - Flying Car

Geomotus - Radar Mounted Rover

Landmine - Plough Truck

Immersant Titan Merged into Cybertron, Body Destroyed with Explosives

Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned) Dead

Reversionists (Mentioned)

Other Species

Voin Diplomat

Other Voins

Murdered Voin (Mentioned) Dead

The Thraal Authorities (Mentioned)

Notes

• Oh, so the drill-guy ISN'T Frenzy, or anyone else after all, he's just some random guy called "Lowload"...that was fun while it lasted...
• It's confirmed here that some bots who go "Immersant" do eventually die, as the Titan where this story is set it is mentioned as having no brain or spark readings in a long time.
• Nautica mentioned in Issue 12 that the murder of the Voin could be very bad news depending on who it was, and she confirms this issue that he WAS one of the ones who it is bad news to kill here (we don't know in what way or what the repercussions would be yet though)
• Springer works security in Crystal City? Shouldn't he be dealing with the rampant riots there, rather than being involved in this stand-off?
• Soundwave is revealed to have been in the Intelligence department before Starscream took over as the Head, we previously learned that a lot of Risers were ex-Intelligence, so it is likely they joined the Rise on Soundwave's orders or coercion.
• Refraktor is revealed to be a mole in the Ascenticons for Starscream, much like how Bumblebee is for Optimus.
• Bee is shown to be spying on Soundwave during his meeting with Ruckus' crew, but it's unclear if he left before Ruckus started giving out information about the connection between the Rise and Ascenticons or after.
• It's unclear yet, but it seems that Soundwave's suppressor staff either has an explosive setting, or it activated some pre-planted bombs in the Titan (somehow), which causes the explosion in the Titan, which was in turn clearly done to silence them from revealing Shockwave's position on Cybertron, and the connection between the Rise and Ascenticons 
• I've put the Risers down as a deaths, but let's be honest, if Windblade can survive an explosion and being thrown miles away, then there's no reason (beyond branding) that the Risers couldn't as well.
• Geomotus' friend Landmine, previously only mentioned in the series, is revealed to be based on Energon Landmine's smaller robot mode.
• Landmine's fear-induced transformation is similar to the condition that Flywheels had in MTMTE, where he transformed whenever he lied.
• The last page seems to imply that Megatron knows that the explosion at the Titan was caused by Soundwave, implying again that this was pre-planned or expected to happen, perhaps Megatron had someone set off an explosion without Soundwave's knowledge even, as revenge for him keeping secrets from him earlier in the series?