IDW - Lost Light #16

Title: The Everlasting Voices 1: Metastasis

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Jack Lawrence

Colours by: Joana LaFuente

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Greg Goldstein

Plot

Rodimus and Cyclonus wake up in separate rooms and walk outside them, with them looking shocked and happy (respectively) to see a giant Matrix in the sky above them.

Soon afterwards, Rodimus contacts Ultra Magnus, who is also there, to see if he can identify where they are, arranging to meet "under the Matrix", where Rodimus comes across Ten, who thanks Rodimus for taking him in, and says that everyone made him so happy. At the moment of his happiness, Ten is stuck with light from the Matrix, his chest tears open and his spark leaves his body, leaving him dead on the ground. Ratchet arrives just afterwards, now not in his intangible form.

Back in the awakening rooms, Nautica is analysing the glyphs on her own bed when Brainstorm and Nightbeat arrive, Nautica deciphers the glyphs to be the creation story told by the Clavis Aurea, which tells about how Primus split into five individuals to start the Cybertronian race. Soon Drift arrives to tell them to come see what he's found outside...

Ratchet examines Ten's body and determines that he is indeed dead when Magnus arrives, with Whirl, Velocity and Swerve in tow. The assembled crew try to determine where they are, only for Swerve and Cyclonus to explain that they must be in the Afterspark, having been killed when Ten directed them to a portal where they were exposed to compressed space, and killed the entire crew.

The crew, especially Rodimus are distraught over this news, but Ratchet refuses to believe that he and the others are in some after-life, as that goes against everything he believes in. On cue, two of the long dead previous crewmates ppear from nowhere, Trailcutter and Pipes! The crew are shocked, and Cyclonus speeds off to find something...

Back with the other group, Drift explains to them how they died and is now in the Afterspark. Nightbeat is upset since this is yet another one of the great mysteries he has been denied of solving. Suddenly Roller appears with his friend from his days as a cop, Springarm, who was murdered on the job by Senate thugs. Roller rides off with him again after introducing him to his new friends, all whilst Brainstorms warning device freaks out and even burns his hands, showing that they are indeed in danger...

Ratchet examines Pipes to determine if he's actually alive or not, but can't find anything wrong. Trailcutter and Pipes explain that they are in a limbo-like location BEFORE entering the Afterspark, where their minds can be shielded from the intense emotions in the real Afterspark, but will be able to ascend when they "put their affairs in order".

On the note, Cyclonus locates what he was looking for, Tailgate, who was seemingly waiting for Cyclonus to arrive so they could pass on together, and the two embrace upon finding each other again.

The crew don't know what to do, but Whirl manages to get Rodimus out of his funk by asking him what he thinks Megatron would do in this situation. Rodimus immediately sets about to try and get answers, he asks Trailcutter who is in charge, which he just says "god" so Rodimus does the reasonable thing....he yells at the sky, demanding that Primus speak to him directly. The rest of the drew and embarrassed by his actions, until Rodimus gets struck by lightning and vanishes.

Rodimus arrives on a dias, where he is surrounded by the giant figures of the Guiding Hand, Primus, Epistemus, Mortilus, Solumus and Adaptus, and he offers them his hand in greeting!

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport

Drift - Car

Ratchet - Ambulance

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter

Swerve - Van

Velocity - Race Car

Nautica - Submarine

Nightbeat - Car

Brainstorm - Jet

Afterspark Tailgate - Car

Afterspark Trailcutter - Van

Afterspark Pipes - Truck

Rung - Photon Crystal Generator (Flashback Only)

Chromedome - Car (Flashback Only)

Rewind - Data Slug (Flashback Only) Injured by Sword Slash

Megatron - Tank (Mentioned)

Getaway - Car (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Skip - Space Shuttle (Flashback) Dead

Other Cybertronian

Cyclonus - Jet

Roller - Truck

Ten "Ascended" to Afterspark 

Afterspark Springarm - Motorcycle

Afterspark Primus

Afterspark Mortilus

Afterspark Adaptus

Afterspark Epistemus

Afterspark Solomus

Anode - Bi-Plane (Flashback Only)

Lug - Backpack Equipment (Flashback Only)

Wheelarch - Motorcycle (Mentioned) Dead

Kroma (Mentioned)

Notes

• We rejoin Team Rodimus following the events of issue 13
• I know all the crew are mentioned as being killed before this issue, but I don't believe it happened, so I wont be putting it in the character list section.
• So....Rodimus' communicator/phone works in the afterlife? hmm....
• Here's a weird thing...where are Anode, Lug, Chromedome, Rewind and Rung in the Afterspark? I could understand the former four as they would be "happy" and could instantly move on, but we know Rung has massive issues and worries in his life...so where is he?
• The characters in the Afterspark don't all remember what happened following Ten's big announcement...perhaps this is because they are false memories, planted by whoever placed them here?
• So...why is Pipes one of the guys summoned to show the crew the way to the real Afterspark? I mean I like seeing him again, but why is he there? His main joke was that no-one really cared about him. Wouldn't Skids have been a better choice, given the people assembled?
• Trailcutter being summoned and being of interest to Rodimus is a nice nod to how broken up he was over his death. He even tried to re-write history to make Trailcutter not die!
• Drift refers to Primus as the "Celestial Architect"...wonder if that is somehow connected to the "Grand Architect"? Perhaps he was called that before being split into five, and having the name inherited by one of his components? 
• It's confirmed here that the disappearances of Luna-1, Ark-1 and the purpose of Rung's alternate mode are the "Big Three" mysteries that Nightbeat has been investigating in his spare time since the start of IDW's Transformers line!
• Trailcutter's projection of what the Afterspark looks like seems VERY similar to what was believed to be Cyberutopia in issue 12 huh?
• If they are all in the Afterspark, then why are some of their belonging (Rodimus' phone and  Brainstorm's early warning device) with them?
• Pipes knows both who Velocity is, and what Nautica's nickname for her is....why? Pipes doesn't know who either of them are, having died well before either joined the crew. Maybe he can watch the Lost Light from the Afterspark? (or something more sinister!)
• Can I just say how perfect it is that the egotistical Rodimus is so confident in himself that upon meeting his creator Gods, he just asks for a handshake with a grin!
• Of note, the only four dead Cybertronians we see in this issue all died violent ways, Springarm was decapitated, Pipes was stomped to death, Trailcutter was torn apart and crushed against his own forcefield and Tailgate was (supposedly) killed by a spark explosion. Even if we count the Guiding Hand, they all were mentioned as dying or being turned into a new item during a war.
• Okay, it seems painfully obvious that the "Afterspark" isn't what it appears to be. There are so many things wrong there that it hurts. I've mentioned a few throughout these notes, but one major thing I haven't mentioned is that Brainstorm's Early Early Warning Device has been going off, and overheating throughout the issue, it even gets too hot to touch right after Roller rides off with Springarm.
• Here's my theory on what happened. At the end of issue 13, Ten told the crew what to do to save themselves and they wound up in the Warren and arrived at Cyberutopia, where they were knocked out and left to wake up in this scenario. The dead characters are facsimiles made from reading their memories, possibly including Ten himself who is noted as sounding different throughout the story. The crew are being tested to see if they can be used in whatever the Cyberutopians want to do to the Universe and that is what will be revealed over the next couple issues.
• Following the usual adverts, the back page features a funeral/memorial announcement for Kup, acting as an advert for Transformers vs Visionaries, where he died (and giving a small announcement about the "road to Unicron"underneath)

IDW - More Than Meets the Eye #15

Written by: James Roberts

Pencils by: Alex Milne

Inks by: Alex Milne, Marc Deering, Brian Shearer and Phyllis Novin

Colors by: Josh Burcham and Josh Perez and Joana Lafuente

Letters by: Tom B. Long

Editorial Assistant: Mariel Romero-Ocaranza

Editor: John Barber

Plot

Overlord escapes from his cell and locks the door behind him, 5 seconds later Chromedome manages to escape as well, however 5 seconds for inside the cell is 30 minutes to everyone else, so when he reaches the top of the stairs he finds the entire crew fighting Overlord.

30 Minutes earlier, Blaster lets Whirl blast some asteroids using the bridge's cannons, when Pipes walks in to check if the communications systems are back up yet so he can get a message to his friend Hubcap, Blaster says it won't be ready for some time, but takes Pipes' message for when it is. Pipes goes off on his happy way, heading towards one of Rewind's movie nights, when he literally bumps into Overlord, who stomps on the poor little Autobot twice, before walking off. Pipes recites his message to Hubcap in his mind to keep himself conscious as he crawls to the alarm button and sets it off, just as he dies.

Elsewhere at Brainstorm's workshop, Rewind is confronting him about what he's been doing with Chromedome lately when Swerve asks what a weapon he found is, Brainstorm worries that Swerve's activated it, but reveals that it's a Metafiction bomb, which makes the enemy think he's in someone else's narrative, Swerve then says to Rewind that it doesn't work as he did use it...Off Panel!! Then the alarms go off.

Elsewhere, Perceptor explains to Rodimus about how the Matrox map is copy-proof, Rung goes to visit and forgive Fort Max for his actions, and Tailgate is making something in Hoist's workshop, when he's warned by Skids that Cyclonus is mad that he volunteered their quarters for Movie Night. The alarm sounds for them too.

Ratchet complains to Rodimus over the communicators about the alarms as he has patients trying to relax when Overlord enters the medibay, Ratchet somehow notices him and attacks the Decepticon with his gun, Drift appears and helps Rtachet against the giant Decepticon, and Ratchet informs Rodimus of the situation and gives a short will.

Soon, Rodimus appears at the medibay with most of the crew to find Overlord having beaten the two Autobots. Magnus attacks Overlord first, for revenge against what happened at Garrus-9 with the Wreckers, however Overlord easily pierces his hand through Magnus' chest and severs his spark. Rodimus orders everyone to attack at once, whilst First Aid tries to save Magnus, but just manages to slow down his spark from shrinking, to the horror of Tailgate. Nearby, the legless Drift asks Swerve (who's shouting out the solicits to this issue thanks to the Meta-Bomb) so he can call for some help.

Rodimus leaps at Overlord, who grabs him, just as Chromedome enters the area and is reunited with his love, Rewind. Overlord asks Rodimus if he has any last words, which of course, are "Til all are one", which fills Overlord with fear and paralyzes him. Fort Max appears (the guy who Drift called for) and pummels into the Decepticon.

Chromedome reveals that he planted the phrase into Overlord's memories to make his basically useless when he hears the phrase, which reveals to Rewind that he's been plugging in, even though he promised not to. Chromedome has Fort Max drag Overlord back to the slow cell, with the intent of detaching it from the ship, however upon closing, the doors are jammed in one of Drift's missing swords, so Rewind enters the chamber to dislodge it, and gets trapped inside as the cell gets detached from the ship, with Chromedome's arm being sliced off in the process too, they wordlessly say goodbye and Overlord recovers.

Chromedome runs up to the bridge, and shoots the cell to spare Rewind the pain of being trapped in there with Overlord, and then breaks down on the floor of the bridge.

Characters

Autobot

Rodimus - Car

Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport Spark Severed by Overlord

Drift - Car Legs chopped off by Overlord

Chromedome - Car Arm sliced off by Slow Cell

Rewind - Memory Stick In Slow Cell when Exploded

Fortress Maximus - Tank

Pipes - Truck Killed by Overlord

Blaster

Whirl - Osprey Helicopter Used as a mace by Overlord

Ratchet - Ambulance Injured by Overlord

First Aid - Ambulance

Ambulon - Leg

Cosmos Injured by Overlord

Brawn Injured by Overlord

Gears Injured by Overlord

Inferno

Hound - Jeep

Hoist - Crane

Smokescreen - Car

Dogfight - Jet

Trailbreaker - Van

Skids - Van

Powerglide - Jet

Rung - Communications Maintenance Buggy

Highbrow - Helicopter

Powerflash

Aquafend

Jackpot

Blades - Helicopter

Boss

Brainstorm - Jet

Swerve - Van

Perceptor

Xaaron

Atomizer

Sunstreaker - Car

Pointblank

Backstreet (maybe?)

Hubcap (Mentioned)

Wreckers (Mentioned)

Trepan (Mentioned)

Prowl (Mentioned)

Decepticon

Overlord - Tank/Jet In Slow Cell when Exploded

Tentakil In Lost Light Brig

Snapdragon In Lost Light Brig

3 More Prisoners In Lost Light Brig

Megatron (Mentioned)

Other

Tailgate - Car

Cyclonus - Jet

Notes

• Oh wow, Overlord uses Whirl (or another blue Osprey Helicopter Autobot) as a mace in the 2 page spread!
• Some of the characters in the background are shown in heavy shadow, but one looks a bit like Backstreet...maybe he's gotten better?
• Overlord killing Pipes is sort of like a bad guy stomping on a puppy, the worst part of it is that he actually stomps on him TWICE!
• Swerve is now able to break the fourth wall...that;s right, at the moment at least, he's like Deadpool!
• The map to the Knights of Cybertron inside the Matrix is mentioned here as being unable to be copied, even onto your own mind..me thinks magic may be involved!
• I have to ask, since he's seen here a few times...why has Cyclonus not just had Ratchet make him a new head horn?
• Drift appears to have a hover-car mode (this could just be a between-modes thing though)
• Whirl seems to be after new hands still, as Ratchet  offers them to him in his message to Rodimus
• Magnus has felt guilty about leaving the Wreckers to go to Garrus-9 alone, and wanted to atone for that here (just to get easily pummeled by Overlord of course).
• Tailgate seems to feel quite close to Magnus, most likely because he's been his teacher lately.
• The overusage of the phrase "Til all are one" in the memories last issue are shown here to have been implanted there by Chromedome, so that Overlord would be crippled with his fear of losing when he hears that phrase (which Rodimus is famously known to over-use) through a process called Trepan's trigger
• Overlord's finger tools are drills rather than needles like Chromedome and Trepan have.
• It's unknown what Chromdome's last words to Rewind are, it could be anything from a sweet "I love you" to "I killed Deminus" and anything in between
• Yeah...I don't think that being shot and exploded in the Slow Cell will kill Overlord...Rewind maybe, but not Overlord, he'll be back!
• I wonder, with Magnus' apparent death here, and his admitting to Swerve about his friendship with Verity, could this mean a trip to Earth so she can be told about his death?

IDW - More Than Meets The Eye #6

Comic Staff

Title: Interiors

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Nick Roche

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

Fortress Maximus has been ordered into therapy with Rung in response to his over-the-top battle style on Delphi, and Max remembers his experience with Overlord on Garrus-9, and how Overlord tried to get him to reveal what was under Aequitas. Rung tries to reassure Max that he's safe now since Overlord was destroyed, but he doesn't seem too reassured.

At Swerve's bar Chromedome and some other Autobots are playing a game where Chromedome has to guess who just transformed when tailgate arrives, exhausted from his lesson with Magnus, when his teacher walks in and arrests Swerve for opening an illegal bar without permission. Afterwards Trailbreaker starts talking smack about Fort Max, when he walks in and just opens fire on Pipes, unprovoked, he then leaves and starts "randomly" attacking several other crew members before locking himself in Rung's office, during a session with Whirl.

Rung is restrained to his chair by a bent pole, whilst Whirl is impaled to the floor with another pole. WHirl keeps taunting Max into killing him, but he refuses, as he needs the hostages. Blaster hacks into a camera in Rung's office so they can watch what's going on, Rung notices the camera activate and turns on his microphone too, so they can hear as well. Max makes a call to Rodimus to turn the ship around and send them back to Cybertron so he can make Prowl explain why it took so long to send anyone to G9, and then to kill him. He annoys Rodimus though by calling him Hot Rod, basically making it certain that he wont turn around. Fort Max notices Rung's microphone on his thumb and tears it off.

In the Medibay, Ratchet and First Aid have just finished stabilizing the five victims of Max's rampage when Ratchet notices that all of them have similar colour schemes to Overlord. Back in Rung's office, Max demands to know why Whirl even bothers with therapy since everyone knows he just insane, he reveals his past and that he used to be a watchmaker and then worked for the senate for a while (As shown in Chaos Theory). During the story Rung picks up his toy Ark and starts pointing at the windows, which tells Rodimus to get at Max from the windows. Rodimus calls Rewind and Swerve who are outside changing the rivets as punishments to go to the window.

Whirl reveals at the end of his story that he was kicked out of the Wreckers by Roadbuster after he tried to end Springer's life using  a weapon Roadbuster invented called a Sparkeater (based on the "mythological" one). Max realizes that the star field outside the window hasn't changed, meaning that they haven't turned around yet, so he decides to start killing hostages. Whirl volunteers, but Rung stalls him by saying that he knows this isn't about Prowl and justice, but about Overlord, and how he'll never get revenge. Ratchet tells Rodimus this at the same time.

Rewind and Swerve are in position outside the window, but Max moves behind a pillar and Rewind can't get a clear shot with his gun. Rodimus has Swerve take the gun, whilst Rewind streams in images from G9 and his torture into the room via his camera, which paralyzes Max in pain, Whirl pulls himself off the pole in the distraction, whilst Rung is able to hug Max into trying to calm down. Swerve tries to convince Rodimus not to make him take the shot since Max has stopped now and Rung might get hurt, but Rodimus has him take the shot regardless, resulting in Rung's head being struck and explodes, killing him, resulting in Fort Max screaming, before Whirl can use his pole to impale Max, knocking him out.

Later Rodimus gives a heartfelt speech about Rung's death which impresses Drift, who them tells Rodimus that Red Alert is acting strange and sneaking around, all whilst Red Alert goes into the Sparkeater's old room using Ore's drill weapon, and digs a hole, revealing a chamber that shouldn't exist, containing the supposedly destroyed, albeit disarmed, Overlord repeatedly moaning "kill me"

Character List

Autobot
Rodimus - Speedy Car
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Drift - Car
Fortress Maximus - Tank Injured by Whirl and Incarcerated in Brig
Rung - Communications Maintenance Buggy Killed by Swerve (Accident)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter
Swerve - Van
Rewind - Memory Stick
Ratchet - Ambulance
First Aid - Ambulance
Boss - Car Injured by Fortress Maximus
Pipes - Truck Injured by Fortress Maximus
Dogfight - Jet Injured by Fortress Maximus
Turbine Injured by Fortress Maximus
Doubletap Injured by Fortress Maximus
Chromdome - Car
Hound - Car
Trailbreaker - Van
Skids - Van
Sunstreaker - Car
Brainstorm - Jet
Blaster
Red Alert
Deftwing - Jet
Powerflash
Aquafend
Ore - Drill Tank Dead
Siren (On Radio)
Springer (Flashback) On Life Support
Inferno (Mentioned)
Orion Pax/Optimus Prime (Mentioned)
Prowl (Mentioned)
Roadbuster (Mentioned)
The Wreckers (Mentioned)
Garrus-9 Staff (Mentioned) Dead

Decepticon

Overlord - Tank and Jet Neutered and Restrained

Genericons (Mentioned) Dead

Megatron (Mentioned)

Other

Tailgate - Car

Cyclonus - Jet

The Heavies (Flashback)

The Heavies Boos (Flashback)

Senate (Mentioned)

Senator Empurata (Mentioned)

Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)

Primus (Mentioned)

Notes

• Though not clearly identified here, it seems most likely that Turbine is the one with turbines and wings, and Doubletap is the one with two cannons on his arms.
• It's implied in this story that Whirl was ordered to try and kill Megatron by the Senate, as shown in Chaos Theory, most likely due to his message of revolution
• Ironically Swerve is probably going to need therapy after killing the therapist!
• Brainstorm again seems to try and use his briefcase as a shield
• Whirl says he wont be Max's helicopter in his ransom demands...this is funny :D
• This issue clearly shows that Fort Max's design has been slightly updated since the Wreckers storyline on page 2
• Chromedome and Rewind can tell who someone is from just the sound of their transformation. Rewind is better though
• There is something under the Aequitas Chamber on G9.
• Swerve gets punished for opening a bar on the ship, but he's sure Rodimus will let him keep it open
• Rung's office is (was?) on Level 7
• The security team includes Deftwing, Ironfist's wave-mate from the toy line, wonder if he knew ol' Fisitron in this continuity too?
• Fort Max calls Rodimus by his old name Hot Rod, which Rodimus hates (especially since Optimus officially renamed him at the end of Space Opera)
• Seriously? WHY is Siren doing announcements?
• Whirl was once a watchmaker who went a bit crazy....sort of like Sylar from Heroes no?
• The golden disks Rewind bought off Swindle were revealed to be snuff films here, which even disgusted Rodimus, meaning that Rewind is on rivet duty outside for the forseeable future (unless his actions in helping with the hostage situation changed that ruling somewhat)
• Whirl really doesn't care about having his face smashed in or having a pole stabbed through his middle does he?!
• The pole stabs right through Fort Max's Autobot insignia...that has to be symbolic!
• The distorted voice from the previous issue is revealed to have been Overlord! He's restrained in a room that shouldn't exist underneath the Lost Light
• What will happen to Rung's toys now!?! (I can has?) - though as pointed out to me by a certain Drift stalker that probably doesn't need an introduction, Drift is holding a mis-coloured Ark in his hands after Rung's memorial...that thief....
• Chromedome still hates Cyclonus for his actions in Chaos
• It's implied here that Whirl is Jetstream from Bullets, the guy who bullied Rotorstorm
• Despite not knowing his name, Whirl seemed to think of Rung as a friend
• Fort Max, the ultimate prison warden is now in the brig...so ironic.

IDW - More than Meets the Eye #4

Comic Staff

Title: Life after the Big Bang

Written by: James Roberts

Art by: Alex Milne

Colour by: Josh Burcham

Letters by: Shawn Lee

Editor: John Barber

Storyline

In the Delphi medical outpost on planet Messatine First Aid is writing a journal about the situation in the base and how it started just after they allowed two Decepticons into the base out of mercy.

Two days later on the Lost Light Swerve has opened up his new bar and the team are enjoying themselves. Ratchet walks in to speak to Swerve about them both receiving a new datalog from Ironfist, despite him being dead. Ratchet reveals that the message is in fact survival rates from Delphi. Swerve mentions that they've just found themselves on the map, and that they're near Delphi now. Ratchet decides to make a "house call".

Magnus meets with Rodimus in his office to discuss the situation with Tailgate and his wanting to be a Decepticon. Rodimus says he'll deal with it. Later Ratchet, Drift and Pipes approach Delphi on a set of MARD's and Pipes is excited, since this is the first time he's ever been on an alien world. At the entrance Ratchet sees a red cross on the door and decides against entering, but Pipes decides to be impulsive and rams down the door, ending up in a pile of dead plague infested bodies. Drift stops a "zombie" from attacking Pipes by slicing him up into little pieces much to Ratchet's horror.

First Aid walks into the room after hearing a noise and is glad to see Ratchet got his message from the datalog. He starts explaining about the Red Rust being an illness and quickly examines Pipes to see if he has any signs of illness as he touched the infected bodies. First Aid takes the group further into the base.

On the Lost Light Tailgate is taken to see Rewind, who downloads an abridged Cybertronian History for Tailgate to witness, showing him what the Decepticons have done, and he is horrified and changes his mind about being a Decepticon.

Back in Delphi the group head into an emergency ward where they learn that the medics there aren't infected for some reason, and neither are the long term patients at the base. Ratchet is taken to see Fortress Maximus who is in a state of eternal coma, but First Aid tries to talk to Ratchet about a possible treatment for him, however Ratchet just wants to see Pharma.

Tailgate returns to his quarters to speak to Cyclonus and hits him because he lied about the Decepticons just being freedom fighters. Cyclonus tells him he was an idiot for rushing into a decision like that after just hearing an outsider's view of the war. Cyclonus gets annoyed and beats up Tailgate, then leaves.

On Delphi Pharma is revealed to have been trapped in a treatment chamber since the base was hit with the virus and the Big Bang (which knocked out communications). Pharma burns a message into his hand to warn the group that Pipes is infected. ratchet and Drift try to keep a scared Pipes calm. Drift knocks him out with the handle of his sword whilst Ratchet frees Pharma from the room, and he runs off to check on some patients as he's worked out what's happening here.

Pipes is rushed to a treatment room where he is put on a Nucleon Feed to try and keep him alive. Ratchet tells Drift to stay away in case he gets infected too, but Drift reveals that he is infected already, as Pipes must have sprayed him a bit. Pharma is thrown into the room by the Genericons as Drift begins to succumb to his illness. Ratchet tries to surrender, but then First Aid walks in with a newly revived Fortress Maximus, who is itching for payback against any Decepticons after Overlord beat him five years earlier.

Characters

Autobot
Rodimus - Speedy Car
Ultra Magnus - Vehicle Transport
Ratchet
Drift - Car Infected with Red Rust
Pipes - Truck Infected with Red Rust and Incapacitated by Drift
First Aid
Pharma - Jet
Ambulon
Fortress Maximus - Tank
Rewind - Giant Memory Stick
Powerglide - Jet
Highbrow
Chromedome
Swerve - Small Van
Skids - Van
Trailbreaker - Van
Sunstreaker
Dent/Prowl Died from Red Rust, Sliced up by Drift
Backstreet- Car Stasis Lock
Prowl (Mentioned)
Rung - Communications Buggy (Mentioned)
Ironfist/Fisitron - Van (Mentioned)
Red Alert (Mentioned)
Brainstorm - Jet (Mentioned)
Jackpot (Mentioned)
Whirl - Osprey Helicopter (Mentioned)
Zeta Prime (Mentioned) Dead
The Wreckers (Mentioned)
Delphi Patients Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Security Staff Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Delphi Miners Dead/Dying from Red Rust
Long Term Delphi Patients In Stasis Lock

Decepticon
Genericon Blue
Genericon Purple
Decepticon Justice Division (Mentioned)
Megatron (Mentioned)
Starscream (Mentioned)
Soundwave (Mentioned)
Bludgeon (Mentioned)
Bludgeon's Deviants and Half-Forms (Mentioned)
Overlord (Mentioned)
The Constellate (Mentioned)
The Conclave (Mentioned)

Other
Tailgate - Car
Cyclonus - Space Jet
Bob
Serving Droid
Progenitors (Mentioned)
Knights of Cybertron (Mentioned)
Adaptus (Mentioned)
Primus (Mentioned)

Comic Notes

• Oh look! Pipes appears! ....And it looks like he's dying....Sounds normal to me!
• Delphi and it's crew etc first appeared in Bullets, also written by James Roberts
• The old red cross design for medical bots appears to be back (though in a non-infringing stylized style)
• The Genericons are in extreme stages of a Branched Spark's Proximity Pains, which Twin Twist and Topspin were feeling in LSOTW. It's mentioned that they may need to be operated on and conjoined to save their lives (which could explain Rack'n'Ruin too)
• As I predicted, Swerve opened a bar, and even has a serving droid.
• It's not clear why Skids decided to lasso the serving droid, but it is funny!
• It's revealed here that Ratchet was a subscriber to "Wreckers: Declassified" until Ironfist's death
• Rodimus appears to be analyzing the Matrix half he was given by Optimus in his office! HE ACTUALLY DOES WORK?!? (albeit whilst playing with a knife of course)
• Pipes' eyes can be either individual or have a visor lowered so he looks like either his toy or cartoon version
• It's revealed here that the Decepticon insignia's are made by using a piece of the wielder's spark casing, which COULD explain why they were able to be controlled by D-Void in Chaos (and presumably Megatron wouldn't have done this himself either)
• The above comment also shows that you can't be a Decepticon unless Megatron or a Member of the Conclave allows it, which means that the error with Galvatron and his crew being called Decepticons was just that.
• Dent/The Other Prowl is based on the Beast Wars Prowl (the Lion one, not the owl)
• Fortress Maximus was moved to Delphi after Last Stand of the Wreckers
• This story shows that Overlord took Garrus-9 (the the Surge in general happened) five years ago.
• Ratchet plans to make Pharma the new Autobot CMO
• Ratchet and Pharma certainly do look very similar don't they?
• The infected are referred to as the Weeping Dead in solicitations due to the crying they have to do when their eyes start to melt away 
• The Militant Monoform Movement are a religious group who remove their Transformation Cogs (maybe Action Masters are members?)