Issue: #4
Released: April 18th, 2012
An Autobot named First Aid tells his story: he's not anything special, just another medic working at Delphi, a tiny little place on Messatine, located right at the edge of Decepticon Justice Division territory. And grouchy shift-manager Ambulon aside, things were pretty good, until the plague. A few days ago, two Decepticons showed up, apparently running from the D.J.D. Despite the misgivings of the head of Delphi, Pharma, the two were allowed to stay, once Ambulon determined they were monoformers. Then, they complained of having a Branched Spark, and were close to synthesis. Before Pharma could perform the operation, people started crying to death. Red Alert is interrupted from explaining more by a call from Ambulon.
On the Lost Light, Swerve has opened his bar. Unofficially, that is, since Ultra Magnus doesn't know yet. Ratchet's been invited, though his failing hands destroy his (incredibly tiny) free drink. Discussion quickly turns to Ironfist, the doc and Swerve having been fans of his writings. And last night, they received a new datalog, filled with random looking numbers. Only, as Ratchet explains, it's statistics, medical statistics, from Delphi. Over the last two years, patient deaths have been increasing at an alarming rate, and in the last six months, half of all patients there have been dying. Someone's trying to send a message. Ratchet's decided to answer.
Meanwhile, Ultra Magnus brings his concerns about Tailgate to Rodimus, who's busy carving up his desk. Despite not remembering Tailgate at all, Rodimus notes Magnus is in an unusually irritable state, even for him, and now he's not even sure why he signed on in the first place. Acting decisively, Rodimus tells him to relax, and assures the Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord he'll handle Tailgate.
On Messatine, Ratchet, Drift and Pipes take some M.A.R.B.S to Delphi's front door, Ratchet feeling suspicious. Pipes, meanwhile, is feeling great. It's the first time in his life he's been on a planet. As they get closer, Drift asks Ratchet what he'll do if there's nothing wrong, and Ratchet replies he'll give Pharma the job of Chief Medical Officer. Conversation turns to the D.J.D., who've killed 'bots for lesser crimes than Drift's, and yet he's seemingly unconcerned about being on their turf. Pipes interrupts,having found a door... with a giant red "X" over it. In a burst of impulse, Pipes drives through it... and straight through a morgue. Ratchet angrily points out the "x" was a warning sign, a plague symbol. As Pipes worries whether he's infected, a shambling form moves behind him. Drift quickly slices it to shreds, claiming it was going to attack Pipes. Ratchet takes him to task for it. After that, he recognises the now very dead person: Dent, formerly known as Prowl, who had to change his name to avoid confusion with the other guy, and... well, all the better names were taken. First Aid appears, having heard the bickering while looking for the escaped Dent. Having found him, he examines Pipes, and tells him that Dent's ailment could be transferred by physical contact. Pipes is infected.
Back on the Lost Light, Tailgate has been summoned to a meeting by Ultra Magnus. Rodimus reintroduces him to Rewind. The archivist has been charged with giving Tailgate a history test. He also hands Tailgate two badges, one Autobot and one Decepticon. In eleven point three seconds, Tailgate sees the highlights of the great war, at its murkiest. Stunned, the little bot walks away, the point made, and the Decepticon badge crushed.
Ratchet talks with Red Alert about the disease, noting the medic is marked with the sign of infection, but isn't displaying any symptom. First Aid speculates that either as a medic he's acquired immunity, or perhaps "life persists". Drift asks why they didn't call for help sooner, but communication's been out since "the Big Bang", a loud explosion five days ago, just before everyone started dying. Any attempt to work out what it was has been stymied by all the dying. As Ratchet quickly notes, all the older patients seem clean. There's also anther patient, one who despite the doctor's best efforts won't wake up. First Aid has a suggestion, using his own Spark to revive them, but Ambulon thinks it's too risky. So he asks Ratchet's opinion.
Meanwhile, Tailgate confronts Cyclonus, who brushes off Tailgate, deriding him for believing life is organised as neatly as "good" and "bad". Angry, Tailgate punches Cylonus, only to immediately apologise. Cyclonus just sends the smaller bot flying, then kicks him before walking away.
Back on Delphi, Ratchet meets Pharma... who's stuck in the quarantine cell, and has been since everything went wrong. Ambulon hasn't been able to open it, the doors are meant to be sealed until any possible pathogen dies out, which would normally take five million years. Ratchet points out that as a ward manager, Ambulon should be able to open the doors now, something he didn't know. Any further conversation is stalled when Pharma points out something's wrong with Pipes. He's beginning to show symptoms. Ratchet tells Drift to handle Pipes while he frees Pharma. Drift quickly and non-lethally incapacitates Pipes, while the freed Pharma runs off to the cells, apparently having worked out the cause.
Ambulon carries Pipes back to the emergency ward. Pipes is already dying. Ratchet takes some small solace in the fact that he's still able to be useful, but then Drift reveals he's been infected by Pipes. Then Pharma is thrown into the room. The two Decepticons have gotten lose. And they're incredibly happy to find a room full of dead and dying Autobots. Ratchet tries to get them to leave by telling them they've won, though First Aid has revived someone who might disagree with that notion.
While everyone else was busy, First Aid had gone and revived the coma patient. Now, Fortress Maximus is back. And he's pissed.
This issue contains examples of:
- An Arm and a Leg: One of Pipes' legs falls off while Ambulon's carrying him to the ward.
- Apocalyptic Log: First Aid makes one, which also serves as a handy info-dump for the reader.
- Arc Number: 113, again, this time showing up as the number of seconds it takes to show Tailgate the worst of the war (11.3 seconds)
- Armor-Piercing Question: During their conversation, Magnus mentions the crewmembers who didn't really sign up to find the Knights, so Rodimus asks him why he joined. Magnus just collapses in a chair and admits he doesn't know himself.
- Body Horror: The rust plague
- Break the Cutie: Rodimus gets Rewind to show Tailgate a condensed history of the entire war, particularly the worst parts.
- The Bus Came Back: Thanks to First Aid, Fortress Maximus is back.
- Call-Back:
- First Aid's collection of Autobot badges, and his obsession with checking them, all established in The Last Stand of the Wreckers, gets mentioned. He's been demoted because of it.
- Pharma and Ambulon were both mentioned as well. We finally get a look at them.
- Staying with Wreckers, Ratchet and Swerve both mention they were readers of Fisitron's work, something Swerve had already been established as in the text-only story Bullets, included with the LSOTW trade-paperback.
- And the Monoformers get an explanation.
- Continuity Nod:
- Pharma speculates that Sonic and Boom could, for all the Delphi staff know, turn into Class 3 Ruination Tanks, the same brand of tank Guzzle was noted to be back in Last Stand of the Wreckers.
- Among Rewind's abridged history of the war are The Cataclysm (implied, but not directly confirmed to be when Thunderwing trashed Cybertron) and The Surge.
- The M.A.R.B.S, from The Transformers (Marvel), return as the transport to Delphi.
- Control Freak: First Aid labels Pharma as one.
- Cryptic Background Reference: Rewind's history of the war is filled with these, with previously recurring instance Simanzi showing up.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Tailgate lightly punches Cyclonus for lying to him about the history of the war. Cyclonus responds by smashing, kicking and walking over him.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Monoformers, and the prejudice against them. Apparently these days it's a lot less common, but some 'bots are still holding on to old grudges.
- The Dreaded: The D.J.D. get some more mentions. Seeing them in action apparently made Swerve stop talking for six whole months.
- Dr. Jerk: Pharma, head of the Delphi Institute. Kindness and compassion are not his fortes. As the next issue will reveal, that's the least of his problems.
- Eye Scream: The illness causes eyes to melt.
- Failsafe Failure: Delphi's quarantine room is designed to seal itself until all known pathogens die out. Ratchet points out that'd take millions of years, time they don't have.
- Funny Background Event: While Ratchet and Swerve talk about the datalog, Skids can be seen in the background aiming his grappling hook at a waiter-bot while Chromedome and Rewind watch; a couple panels later, the hook flies into the air, and the next panel the waiter is yanked back; two panels later than THAT, Skids can be seen drunkenly pointing at Chromedome while holding the waiter.
- Gaslighting: Swerve mentions re-arranging all of Red Alert's furniture while he's asleep, with plans to wheel him into a different room next.
- Leeroy Jenkins:
- Pipes, who on seeing a massive 'x' painted on the door, drives right on through it. As Ratchet points out, it was a warning.
- Drift, who's first reaction to seeing a shambling corpse-like person in a room full of bodies is to slice them to pieces. Turns out it was another Autobot.
- Meaningful Background Event: Skids can be seen playing around with the serving droids at Swerve's, with his gun going missing between panels. This will be important later.
- Meaningful Echo: Pipes' first impressions of another world are "wet, and kinda brilliant". His impressions of the disease are "wet, and kinda horrible".
- Meaningful Name: As Pipes points out, he's easy enough to identify with the pipes on his forearms.
- Naïve Newcomer: Pipes is new to the whole "exploring new worlds" thing.
- One-Steve Limit: Discussed, played straight and averted. The late Dent was once named Prowl, and had to change it because of that other guy.
- Pet the Dog: Invoked by Drift, who claims that Ratchet will probably only say something nice to him before saying he's dying.
- Unfortunate Names: Dent, who only chose the name because all the better ones were taken.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: After "encountering" Dent, no-one seems concerned about the fact that he had no eyes, or was basically rotting from the inside.
