| 1 | -> "There is nothing easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him." |
| 2 | -->-- '''Creator/FyodorDostoevsky''' |
| 3 | |
| 4 | -> "Be near me when my light is low, |
| 5 | -> When the blood creeps, and the nerves prick |
| 6 | -> And tingle; and the heart is sick, |
| 7 | -> And all the wheels of Being slow. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | -> "Be near me when the sensuous frame |
| 10 | -> Is rack'd with pangs that conquer trust; |
| 11 | -> And Time, a maniac scattering dust, |
| 12 | -> And Life, a Fury slinging flame." |
| 13 | |
| 14 | -> "Be near me when my faith is dry, |
| 15 | -> And men the flies of latter spring, |
| 16 | -> That lay their eggs, and sting and sing |
| 17 | -> And weave their petty cells and die." |
| 18 | |
| 19 | -> "Be near me when I fade away, |
| 20 | -> To point the term of human strife, |
| 21 | -> And on the low dark verge of life |
| 22 | -> The twilight of eternal day." |
| 23 | -->-- '''Creator/AlfredLordTennyson''', ''In Memoriam'' |
| 24 | |
| 25 | -> "Do not go gentle into that good night, |
| 26 | -> Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" |
| 27 | -->-- '''Creator/DylanThomas''', ''Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night |
| 28 | |
| 29 | !Issue 1 |
| 30 | ->"Did he give you all that scrap about finding the Knights of Cybertron and retracing our steps to the Golden Age? It's all scripted, you know, Drift writes it for him." |
| 31 | -->'''Bumblebee''' |
| 32 | |
| 33 | ->"You know what your problem is, Chromedome? You think that just because the war is over, we can afford to stop fighting!" |
| 34 | -->'''Prowl''' |
| 35 | |
| 36 | ->"Besides... I'm exempt from all security checks. See? Special dispensation from Rodimus himself. It's authentic. Check out the rubsign." |
| 37 | -->'''Brainstorm''' |
| 38 | |
| 39 | ->"Oh, it's started. The alt mode bashing. Every time you get agitated... Let's have a go at Rewind because he turns into a giant memory stick and not a... super space tank or—or—whatever..." |
| 40 | -->'''Rewind''' |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ->"Don't open the coffin. Don't let them take Skids. Don't go to Delphi. And do not — I repeat do not — look in the basement. And for the sake of the Cybertronian race itself, please don'tkzzzzzzzk" |
| 43 | -->'''Ominous Future Message''' |
| 44 | |
| 45 | !Issue 2 |
| 46 | |
| 47 | ->"I was expecting a call from Perceptor." |
| 48 | ->"Yes, well, your ''beloved'' Perceptor doesn't want to go on the record until he's run, like, a ''billion'' more tests, triple-checked his findings, and subjected his hypothesis to rigorous peer review... [-And I think I might have killed myself by that point.-]" |
| 49 | ->"Okay, so tell me what happened–– In layman's terms, please. The fewer syllables, the better. Science makes me twitchy. Too many rules." |
| 50 | ->"Then how about just ''one'' rule? The first rule of interstellar travel: Never stand next to a quantum generator when it's about to flout the laws of physics." |
| 51 | ->"So who broke the rule?" |
| 52 | ->"Um... Good question. One of the Duobots, I think. Shock? Ore? I can never remember which is which... The blue one. Ore. He's sort of been-- [-What's the scientific term?-]-- ''totally mashed'' into the generator itself." |
| 53 | ->"That sounds-- That sounds terrible." |
| 54 | ->"Oh, in many respects it is. But look on the bright side: At least it'll be easy to tell 'em apart from now on." |
| 55 | -->'''Rodimus''' and '''Brainstorm''' |
| 56 | |
| 57 | |
| 58 | !Issue 3 |
| 59 | ->"I once arrested a Decepticon who thought he was a Sparkeater. He called himself the Dark Assassin, Devourer of Souls and Propagator of Infinite Sin. His real name was Blip." |
| 60 | -->'''Ultra Magnus''' |
| 61 | |
| 62 | ->"If by 'Sparkeater' you mean "Freaky, mad-eyed psychopath who floats above the ground with half his head missing and dead souls in his guts," then yeah, I'd say we've got a positive I.D." |
| 63 | -->'''Chromedome''' |
| 64 | |
| 65 | ->"I'm too smart to die!" |
| 66 | -->'''Brainstorm''' |
| 67 | |
| 68 | !Issue 4 |
| 69 | ->"Either it's very far away, or you've invented the world's smallest drink." |
| 70 | -->'''Ratchet''' |
| 71 | |
| 72 | ->"Don't say I'm irritable. It really—it really irritates me." |
| 73 | -->'''Ultra Magnus''' |
| 74 | |
| 75 | ->"You know, Ratchet, one day you'll say something nice to me—just before you tell me I've got a terminal illness or something." |
| 76 | -->'''Drift''' |
| 77 | |
| 78 | ->"I gave you the briefest overview of the war through the eyes of an outsider. You're the one who wanted to pick a side. Bad guys and good guys... do you really think life is as straightforward as that?" |
| 79 | -->'''Cyclonus''' |
| 80 | |
| 81 | ->"Do you two realize where you're standing? No? Then let me explain. My name is Fortress Maximus. Five years ago I was attacked by a Decepticon so powerful he redefined the word. He took me down. Hard. I was paralyzed, lobotomized, and left for dead. All of which means that right now, you two—you two Decepticons—being the very first Decepticons I've encountered since I was all but beaten to death—are standing in the very worst place in the universe." |
| 82 | -->'''Fortress Maximus''' |
| 83 | |
| 84 | !Issue 5 |
| 85 | ->"It's just—I thought it would be more of a ten-point plan...? One: Don't do bad things. Two: Don't, er, be rude... stuff like—three: don't be a Decepticon. Stuff like that." |
| 86 | -->'''Tailgate''' |
| 87 | |
| 88 | ->"You've been long since dead, Pharma. What's currently standing in your place is a sociopath long since overdue a merciful execution. And as for me... my hands don't work, I'm miles from anyone I truly care about, and I'm still coming to terms with the fact that after a four-million year build-up, peace has turned out to be a massive anticlimax. Bottom line? I've got nothing else to lose." |
| 89 | -->'''Ratchet''' |
| 90 | |
| 91 | !Issue 6 |
| 92 | ->"We just spent six hours discussing the relevance of a '''semicolon'''. I say 'discussing'—it was more like a thrilling Magnus monologue. I say 'thrilling'—it was actually '''very, very boring'''." |
| 93 | -->'''Tailgate''' |
| 94 | |
| 95 | ->"Wow. If I'd known '''that''' was the best you've got, I'd have said something '''genuinely''' offensive." |
| 96 | -->'''Whirl''' |
| 97 | |
| 98 | ->'''Rung''': You never told me any of that. |
| 99 | ->'''Whirl''': Yeah well you never threatened to shoot a friend of mine! |
| 100 | |
| 101 | !Issue 7 |
| 102 | ->"Nice to meet you, loser! They call me '''Misfire'''. Long story. Actually, you know what? It isn't. It's a very short story involving a machine gun, a '''misunderstanding''', and a dozen dead Decepticons." |
| 103 | -->'''Misfire''' |
| 104 | |
| 105 | ->"But there's always been a war! That's like saying there's no more '''blue''' or—or the '''weather's''' stopped!" |
| 106 | -->'''Fulcrum''' |
| 107 | |
| 108 | ->"I always dreamed of captaining my own P-6—Followin' the likes of Shockwave and Sixshot and the other big guns. I'd have called it something '''noble''' and '''majestic''', like '''Mega Starpuncher''' or '''Mighty Spaceship'''." |
| 109 | -->'''Crankcase''' |
| 110 | |
| 111 | !Annual |
| 112 | |
| 113 | ->'''Rewind:''' Nothing tingles like a teleport. How come ''we'' don't teleport everywhere, Brainstorm? |
| 114 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' 'Cos it's bad for you. |
| 115 | ->'''Rewind:''' Whereas all those weapons you build-- |
| 116 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' --Are bad for other people. |
| 117 | |
| 118 | !Issue 8 |
| 119 | |
| 120 | -> "Wear my faaace." |
| 121 | --> '''Vos''' |
| 122 | |
| 123 | ->"I was aiming for the other guy...! Obviously." |
| 124 | -->'''Misfire''' |
| 125 | |
| 126 | ->"Stout-hearted Decepticons and DJD scum, say hello to-- '''Mighty Megapuncher'''!" |
| 127 | -->'''Crankcase''' |
| 128 | |
| 129 | ->'''Misfire:''' A senseless waste, a terrible tragedy. Boo hoo. |
| 130 | ->'''Fulcrum:''' 'Boo hoo'? I thought Flywheels was your ''friend''! You're just going to leave him here? |
| 131 | ->'''Misfire:''' You're right. What were we thinking? |
| 132 | ->'''Crankcase:''' I'm having his rotor system-- |
| 133 | ->'''Misfire:''' There's probably enough for a sip of innermost Energon each... |
| 134 | ->'''Spinister:''' Leave the knees for me. |
| 135 | |
| 136 | ->"This is ''our'' badge, not theirs." |
| 137 | -->'''Crankcase''' |
| 138 | |
| 139 | !Issue 9 |
| 140 | |
| 141 | ->'''Rewind:''' ''(carts Rung out)'' We're going to repair Rung's brain! |
| 142 | ->'''Ratchet:''' By the vaulted heights of— |
| 143 | ->'''Drift:''' You had him ''hidden behind the bar''?! |
| 144 | ->'''Chromedome:''' [--So embarrassing.--] |
| 145 | ->'''Skids:''' —not ''seriously'' telling me that he's been here the whole time?! |
| 146 | ->'''Whirl:''' Cool. |
| 147 | |
| 148 | -> "How many times has he flipped a table?" |
| 149 | -> "Prowl? Ooh, four times." |
| 150 | -> "Y'know, when we left his office for the Lost Light I swear I heard-" |
| 151 | -> "You're right! ''Five'' times." |
| 152 | -->'''Rewind''' and '''Chromedome''' |
| 153 | |
| 154 | !Issue 10 |
| 155 | |
| 156 | ->"''Impactor''?! ''Impactor'' was your cellmate?! ''That's'' how you met?! And—and I bet he promptly added your name to the list of warriors who would one day become... The Wreckers!" |
| 157 | ->"No—he promptly beat me to the brink of fade-out and left me in a critical condition—and years later we met again." |
| 158 | ->"But that's a whole other story. Sorry—I always wanted to say that. That, and 'Impossible! Our laserfire is just making him stronger!' [-Ahem.-] Go on..." |
| 159 | --> '''Rewind''', '''Whirl''', and '''Swerve''' |
| 160 | |
| 161 | !Issue 11 |
| 162 | |
| 163 | ->"Sorry, Swerve, I need the secret password." |
| 164 | ->"Sigh. 'Whirl is a million billion times tougher than Cyclonus.'" |
| 165 | ->"You may enter." |
| 166 | ->"Jeez, Whirl, even I think that password's immature, and I glued Tailgate to his recharge slab the other day..." |
| 167 | --> '''Whirl''' and '''Swerve''' |
| 168 | |
| 169 | ->"Ooh! Ooh! What about Orion Pax? What happened to him?" |
| 170 | ->"Orion Pax...?" |
| 171 | ->"He was great! I really liked him. 'I trust him, Roller. End of conversation.' I'm gonna start saying stuff like that." |
| 172 | ->"Tailgate—Orion Pax became ''Optimus Prime''. They're the same person. I thought you knew that." |
| 173 | ->"What?! (holds up picture of Prime) You mean ''this'' is Orion Pax? Well, I'm floored. I did not see that coming." |
| 174 | -->'''Tailgate''' and '''Rewind''' |
| 175 | |
| 176 | -> "Remember me as I was." |
| 177 | -->'''[[spoiler:Shockwave]]''' |
| 178 | |
| 179 | !Issue 12 |
| 180 | |
| 181 | ->"I'm Nautilator, by the way, one of Snap Trap's crew. I thought you'd want to see this." |
| 182 | ->"Woah. Say that again." |
| 183 | ->"What?" |
| 184 | ->"You sound ''exactly'' like Megatron." |
| 185 | ->"Everyone says that, but I really think you should look at the monitor." |
| 186 | ->"Ha! Brilliant. Is that your actual voice? Say, um, you know—something something ''tyranny''." |
| 187 | -->'''Nautilator''' and '''Blip''' |
| 188 | |
| 189 | ->"D'you mind if I film this? If I die, I don't want my last recorded footage to be of Whirl punching himself in the face to prove he's 'super-unvincible.'" |
| 190 | -->'''Rewind''' |
| 191 | |
| 192 | |
| 193 | ->"Please! I surrender! Don't shoot!" |
| 194 | ->"That is uncanny! Has anyone ever—?" |
| 195 | ->"Megatron, yes, I know! Just don't shoot!" |
| 196 | ->"Okay, you be Megatron, I'll be Prime. "You who are without mercy, now plead for it?" Wait wait wait. Try again: "You who are without—" Not deep enough. "You who are—" How can anyone's voice be that low? [-Ah, frag it.-]" '''*BLAM*''' |
| 197 | -->'''Nautilator''' and '''Whirl''' |
| 198 | |
| 199 | !Issue 13 |
| 200 | |
| 201 | ->"MUTINY! Everywhere I look I see rules being stretched and laws being broken and protocols being dragged outside and ''kicked to death'''. I've made a list: one, Skids keeps using the maintenance droids for target practice. Two, Waverider and Sureshot ''insist'' on playing hand-grenade tag outside my office. Three: the warning signs that Dipstick's put up in the engine rooms are ''riddled'' with misplaced apostrophes. Four: Sprocket keeps touching his—" |
| 202 | ->"MAGNUS!" |
| 203 | -->'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus''' |
| 204 | |
| 205 | ->"Maybe I have been taking things too seriously. Maybe I should try and... and... whatever. There's a word for it." |
| 206 | ->"Relax?" |
| 207 | ->"That's not even a word. I'd have heard of it." |
| 208 | -->'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus''' |
| 209 | |
| 210 | ->"If anyone can cheer [Magnus] up, you can!" |
| 211 | ->"You say "cheer him up" like it's something ''other'' than a centuries-long undertaking destined to end in madness and suicide." |
| 212 | -->'''Rodimus''' and '''Swerve''' |
| 213 | |
| 214 | ->"These holomatter avatars are ''brilliant''—they even come with fake I.D.s! Say hello to 'Joe Human.' Who are you, Swerve?" |
| 215 | ->"'Mr. Person.' I dunno, these pseudonyms are a bit weak, aren't they?" |
| 216 | ->"Least you've got a name—mine's ''blank''." |
| 217 | ->"I think the program is struggling with human gender—do I ''look'' like a 'MarySue'?" |
| 218 | -->'''Rewind''', '''Swerve''', '''Skids''', and '''Rung''' |
| 219 | |
| 220 | !Issue 14 |
| 221 | |
| 222 | ->[[spoiler:"Breaking these paper chains was never a problem: I just lacked the motivation. But if Megatron's alive, then there's everything to play for."]] |
| 223 | -->'''Overlord''' |
| 224 | |
| 225 | !Issue 15 |
| 226 | |
| 227 | ->'''Swerve:''' Oi—ship's genius—what happens if I press this button? |
| 228 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' Don't press it. Did you press it? Swerve? Tell me you didn't press it. |
| 229 | ->'''Swerve:''' Course I didn't press it... but what if I had pressed it? |
| 230 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' You'd have activated an abstract weapon-- a meta bomb. |
| 231 | ->'''Swerve:''' A ''what'' what? |
| 232 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' A metafictional bomb. It blows a hole in the fourth wall. |
| 233 | ->'''Swerve:''' Me no understand. |
| 234 | ->'''Brainstorm:''' Basically, it makes the enemy think they're characters in someone else's narrative. Robbed of agency, they lose the will to fight. I'm still working on it. |
| 235 | ->'''Swerve:''' [-Guess what? I pressed it. Nothing happened.-] |
| 236 | ->'''Rewind:''' [-I didn't see you press it...-] |
| 237 | ->'''Swerve:''' [-Yeah, it must have happened off-panel.-] |
| 238 | ->'''Rewind:''' [-What does ''that'' mean?-] |
| 239 | ->'''Swerve:''' [-I have no idea.-] |
| 240 | |
| 241 | ->[[spoiler:"I'm sorry, Domey. I'm sorry things didn't work out."]] |
| 242 | -->'''Rewind''' |
| 243 | |
| 244 | !Issue 16 |
| 245 | |
| 246 | ->"Look, I know you want me to tell you it's going to be okay, but—" |
| 247 | ->"''Yes!'' Yes, I do! Because it's not okay! I know 'okay'—I ''specialize'' in 'okay'—and I can tell you pretty emphatically that ''none'' of this—none of this business with [[spoiler:Overlord and Magnus and Rewind]]—none of this even ''approaches'' my definition of 'okay'!" |
| 248 | ->"Maybe you should see Rung. You could be suffering from some kind of stress-related disorder..." |
| 249 | ->"I'm upset! Doesn't anyone do upset anymore? What's ''wrong'' with you people? Is this a war thing?" |
| 250 | -->'''Ratchet''' and '''Tailgate''' |
| 251 | |
| 252 | ->[[spoiler:"Rewind ''deserves'' to be remembered. By us, yes, of course. But by ''you'' a thousand times more. Your pain will ''change''. It won't go-- Course not, course it won't-- but eventually it'll turn into something else. Something you can live with. Take it from someone who knows."]] |
| 253 | ->"Okay. Okay, fine. You're right. What you said. I won't go through with it." |
| 254 | ->"Yeah you will. 'Cos we've had this conversation before, you and I. [[spoiler:After Pivot, after Mach.]] It always ends the same way. [[spoiler:I'll leave the room and you'll stick your fingers in your neck; and later, when I ask how you're feeling, you'll give me that blank look. The worst look. Because then Rewind really ''will'' be dead."]] |
| 255 | -->[[spoiler:'''Brainstorm''']] and '''Chromedome''' |
| 256 | |
| 257 | ->"Your attention for a moment. [[spoiler:This is Rewind, showing you edited footage from my database.]] I've probably got 0.8 seconds before game over, so hear me out. [[spoiler:I've always been terrified that you'd die before I did, because you and me apart strikes me as intensely wrong. So promise me something. Be brave. And be strong. And keep going without me. And another thing: no more injecting. It will kill you. And remember: you deserve to be happy. The New Institute was the old you. You're a better person now—stubborn and frustrating, but wonderful. And to think, I will never see you again... One more thing—one last thing—because I don't say it enough: '''I love you'''."]] |
| 258 | -->[[spoiler:'''Rewind''']]'s last message |
| 259 | |
| 260 | !Issue 17 |
| 261 | |
| 262 | ->'''Cyclonus''': "You're visiting [[spoiler: Luna 1]] for the experience, nothing else. This can't be about finding [[spoiler: a cure]]." |
| 263 | ->'''Tailgate''': "'Course not! 'Course it can't. ...why can't it?" |
| 264 | ->'''Cyclonus''': "It just can't." |
| 265 | ->'''Tailgate''': "Right. Fine. So I'm not allowed to hope." |
| 266 | ->'''Cyclonus''': "Listen to me. NEVER. HOPE. Hope is a lie." |
| 267 | |
| 268 | ->'''Rodimus''': "Where are you going to put it, Brainstorm? In your briefcase?" |
| 269 | ->'''Brainstorm''': "I wasn't, but if I did... oh, man. You've just blown my mind." |
| 270 | |
| 271 | ->"[[CallBack That was a nasty fall. Need a hand]]?" |
| 272 | -->'''Pharma''' |
| 273 | |
| 274 | !Issue 18 |
| 275 | |
| 276 | ->"Now, I didn't say it to Fort Max—and I didn't say it to Whirl—and I didn't even say it to Cyclonus when he had his Dead Universe flashback. But you, my friend—to you I say..." |
| 277 | ->''*DramaticGunCock*'' |
| 278 | ->"Get the hell out of my bar." |
| 279 | ->'''*BLAM*''' |
| 280 | ->"♪ HOORAY! ♩ YOU SCORED A DIRECT ♫ HIT! ♪" |
| 281 | --> '''Swerve''' and '''My First Blaster''' |
| 282 | |
| 283 | ->"The last time I danced this dance some piece of scum had just destroyed my memories. I woke up with blowtorch in my hand and nothing in my head, and your friends were all over me. So you'll forgive me if I put two and two together—and make fist!" |
| 284 | ->(THWOK) |
| 285 | ->"Okay, that didn't really work, did it, the whole 'two and two' thing. It should be 'four'—you're expecting me to say 'four,' but I said... 'cos it coincided with me punching you, yeah? Forget it." |
| 286 | -->'''Skids''' |
| 287 | |
| 288 | ->"[[spoiler:Pharma]], we really must sit down some time so I can explain to you why we all hate you. We'll start with your personality and go from there." |
| 289 | -->'''Lockdown''' |
| 290 | |
| 291 | ->'''Brainstorm''': "Ah, enriched nucleon...! The magic ingredient! Two drops turns hand gun into a banned gun." |
| 292 | ->'''Perceptor''': "You should really stop and listen to yourself sometimes." |
| 293 | |
| 294 | ->'''Tailgate''': "Brainstorm! How about cobbling together some kinda superweapon out of—out of the ceiling or something? You're always telling us what a genius you are..." |
| 295 | ->'''Brainstorm''': "I don't respond well to pressure." |
| 296 | ->'''Tailgate''': "Well, why not open your magic briefcase and make all the naughty people in the universe disappear?"- |
| 297 | ->'''Brainstorm''': "Don't. Mock. The briefcase." |
| 298 | |
| 299 | !Issue 19 |
| 300 | |
| 301 | ->'''Whirl''': "How many Decepticons did you kill back there? Y'know, overall." |
| 302 | ->'''Cyclonus''': "I wasn't keeping count... Six. You?" |
| 303 | ->'''Whirl''': "Dunno. More than six." |
| 304 | |
| 305 | ->"You wanna know a secret, hornhead? Life's messed up. I'm messed up. I've done bad things and I continue to do bad things, because the voice telling me not to...? He's not said much for a while. And y'know what keeps me going? ANGER. Anger's an insulator. Stops life getting too close. If I got myself "fixed," maybe the anger would leave me—and then I really would be screwed." |
| 306 | -->'''Whirl''' |
| 307 | |
| 308 | !Issue 20 |
| 309 | |
| 310 | ->"Your life is in the palm of my hand, [[spoiler: Dai Atlas]]. Before I squeeze, I offer up one last shining truth: ''''Primus hates you''''." |
| 311 | -->'''Star Saber''' |
| 312 | |
| 313 | ->"The portal opens and the Primal Pantheon beckons. Primus! The Guiding Hand! The Knights of Cybertron! Can you hear them singing? '[[spoiler: Tyrest]], come closer, come closer, come closer/[[spoiler: Tyrest]], come closer, come closer... you've won.'" |
| 314 | -->'''[[spoiler: Tyrest]]''' |
| 315 | |
| 316 | !Issue 21 |
| 317 | |
| 318 | ->'''Star Saber:''' "If God were on your side you'd have stopped me by now! Will anybody pit their faith against mine?" |
| 319 | ->'''Cyclonus:''' "I will." |
| 320 | |
| 321 | ->"I've never bought into the notion of Primal Infallibility; I think that sometimes, God gets it wrong. He lets the best of us get sick and die while degenerates like you go on forever. But I think Primus is smiling on me today, Star Saber: he's letting me correct one of his mistakes." |
| 322 | -->'''Cyclonus''' |
| 323 | |
| 324 | ->'''Swerve''': "But we're friends! You should have told me! You should've said something..." |
| 325 | ->'''Tailgate''': "I know, but—what would you have done?" |
| 326 | ->'''Swerve''': "I dunno—made you settle your tab?" |
| 327 | |
| 328 | ->'''[[spoiler:Pharma]]:''' Righto then, nurse: arrest me. Tell me off and lock me up. I've been a bad Autobot. |
| 329 | ->'''First Aid:''' You're smiling. Everything you did at [[spoiler:Delphi—all those patients you killed]]—and you're smiling?" |
| 330 | ->'''[[spoiler:Pharma]]:''' I know, I know—I'm incorrigible. |
| 331 | ->'''First Aid:''' You killed [[spoiler:Ambulon]]--and you think it's funny? |
| 332 | ->'''[[spoiler:Pharma]]:''' Oh now come on, that was funny. "Lengthways." Your face! It was an absolute pic- |
| 333 | ->'''CHOOM''' |
| 334 | |
| 335 | !Issue 22 |
| 336 | |
| 337 | ->"It's Whirl, spelled: ker-klick! Choom!" |
| 338 | -->'''Whirl''' |
| 339 | |
| 340 | ->'''Blaster:''' "I thought you didn't like hats." |
| 341 | ->'''Rodimus:''' "Theme Night at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone Megatron in a sea of Whirls." |
| 342 | |
| 343 | -> "What's the problem? Everyone on board the Lost Light is cracked in the head!" |
| 344 | -> "Yeah, dysfunctional isn't the word! There isn't a normal 'bot among you!" |
| 345 | -> "And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually made progress—but as far as I can make out, all you do is argue, crack jokes, and get sidetracked doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!" |
| 346 | -->Various '''Circle Of Light''' members |
| 347 | |
| 348 | ->"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking." |
| 349 | -->'''Brainstorm''' |
| 350 | |
| 351 | !Issue 28 |
| 352 | |
| 353 | ->'''Brainstorm''': [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience Color-coded lasers]]. Red if you're an Autobot, purple if you're a Decepticon. And the best bit is this: the color would change depending on who's firing the gun. |
| 354 | ->'''Nautica''': So the gun would- |
| 355 | ->'''Brainstorm''': Know if you were bad or good! Yes! What do you think? Good idea? AMAZING idea? Be honest. |
| 356 | ->'''Nautica''': Honestly? I think for an intuitive weapon to promote long discredited notions of moral absolutism is problematic in the extreme. |
| 357 | ->{{Beat}} |
| 358 | ->'''Brainstorm''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint ...It doesn't have to be red and purple]]. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | ->"And when did you first decide that the universe needed 'dominating'?" |
| 361 | -->'''Rung''' |
| 362 | |
| 363 | ->"Prowl! Wish us luck because who knows? Maybe the Knights can help us find a cure for your personality. And if you get angry, remember: ''It's not the table's fault.''" |
| 364 | -->'''Rodimus''' |
| 365 | |
| 366 | ->"My life is a succession of decisions made in confined spaces." |
| 367 | -->'''Megatron''' |
| 368 | |
| 369 | ->"Here's a little—whatever. A little thing. A disclosure. An insight. Revisionism—I've always been fascinated by it. By the idea of a writer going back and altering things. Make no mistake: an edit is a profoundly aggressive act. As Froid once said, we grieve for the murdered word. If you want to get the measure of an author, don't look at what they've left on the page.... look at what they've taken away." |
| 370 | -->'''Rung''' |
| 371 | |
| 372 | ->"Now hang on Mr. flippin' high-and-mighty-back-from-the-dead-thinks-he's-all-that-maverick-investigator!" |
| 373 | -->'''Swerve''' |
| 374 | |
| 375 | !Issue 29: |
| 376 | |
| 377 | ->'''Atomizer''': Is this a good time Rodimus? I don't want to interrupt if- |
| 378 | ->'''Rodimus''': Interrupt. ''Please, GOD, interrupt''. It's not that it's boring, it's just- Every victim impact statement sounds the same. "''Bad things happened, part 405''". |
| 379 | |
| 380 | ->"It's a scandal sheet, Riptide. It uses gossip, mockery, and slander to titillate its readers, and whoever writes it should be ashamed of themselves. And 'Mags v. Megs' would've made a much better headline." |
| 381 | -->'''Nautica''' |
| 382 | |
| 383 | ->'''Tailgate''': If he's called Ten why's he got 9 on his back? |
| 384 | ->'''Swerve''': [[RuleOfFunny Because it's funny]]. |
| 385 | ->'''Tailgate''': Is it? |
| 386 | ->'''Swerve''': It is if you've got a sense of humor. You must've lost yours to cybercrosis. |
| 387 | |
| 388 | ->'''Trailcutter''': I'm at the medibay door—they've done something to it. They've made it all lock-y. |
| 389 | ->'''Skids''': Lock-y'? How many have you had? |
| 390 | ->'''Trailcutter''': I think I want to punch it. |
| 391 | |
| 392 | ->"Now, what am I actually looking for? A vat? A flash? A vial? My money's on a vial. Vials are sinister." |
| 393 | -->'''Trailcutter''' |
| 394 | |
| 395 | ->"Information carries weight. It's not corporeal, but it has presence. It can be felt. It hangs in the air like—like words. Like the morning after an argument! Actually, not like that. That's a bad analogy. I'm distracted. Shut up. Stop expecting things of me." |
| 396 | -->'''Nightbeat''' |
| 397 | |
| 398 | !Issue 30: |
| 399 | |
| 400 | ->"Although I reject the charges against me, I do not deny that I am the founder of the Decepticon movement. I started it - and I am about to finish it. |
| 401 | ->"I hereby renounce Decepticonism and its offshoots, and denounce all those who continue to fight in its name. There is nothing intrinsically special about our race, nothing that lifts us above non-mechanical species. We were wrong to assert ourselves. |
| 402 | ->"And to all those who follow me, I say this: do not expect guidance, or wisdom, or answers. I have none. I never did. To those Decepticons still out there, I give one final order: stand down. Discard your weapons, tear off your badges, and stand down. Free yourselves from the shackles of a flawed philosophy and move on. |
| 403 | ->"The Decepticons are over. The war is over. |
| 404 | ->"And, thankfully, we lost." |
| 405 | -->'''Megatron''' |
| 406 | |
| 407 | ->'''Megatron''': You've been sulking in the shadows ever since we took off. |
| 408 | ->'''Rodimus''': I've been taking stock! |
| 409 | ->'''Megatron''': No, Optimus "takes stock." I "take stock". You sulk. You're sulking now. |
| 410 | ->'''Rodimus''': I'm confronting my own mortality! I'm having one of those—those existential crisises! |
| 411 | ->'''Ultra Magnus''': Crises. |
| 412 | ->'''Rodimus''': Not now, Magnus. |
| 413 | |
| 414 | ->'''Rodimus''': If there are still some memories in [[spoiler: my dead lookalike]], you could read them and find out if he's [[spoiler: really me]]. |
| 415 | ->'''Chromedome''': You do realize that interfacing with a corpse is highly dangerous. I could die. |
| 416 | ->'''Rodimus''': "Could"! The luxury of "could"! '''I'm already dead'''! |
| 417 | |
| 418 | ->'''Megatron''': What are you doing? UNHAND ME! |
| 419 | ->'''Rodimus''': Shut up and follow me. Oh, and for future reference? Only bad guys say "unhand me". |
| 420 | |
| 421 | !Issue 31: |
| 422 | ->'''Ratchet''': I didn't realize how hard it was to explain the science until Tailgate asked me how 'quanton technology' worked. I don't think you learned anything that afternoon, did you? |
| 423 | ->'''Tailgate''': Just some new swear words. |
| 424 | |
| 425 | ->"If I sit next to you too long, am I going to die of smartass poisoning?" |
| 426 | -->'''Getaway''' |
| 427 | |
| 428 | ->'''Tailgate''': Cool it, guys! Cyclonus isn't the enemy! |
| 429 | ->'''Huffer''': He's not? Oh I'm sorry. It must've been the other Cyclonus who murdered all those Autobots at Kimia—because if not, that makes you a MONUMENTAL FRIKKIN' HYPOCRITE! |
| 430 | |
| 431 | ->"There's a thin line between categorization and segregation, and I never want to see it crossed again." |
| 432 | -->'''Megatron''' |
| 433 | |
| 434 | ->"In the end, High Command decided they wanted their new troops to fight, not study, so they reduced the steps from ten to eight to three. Three steps, Nautica: 'From thaw to war in under an hour.' Because who cares whether or not a warborn knockoff with a three-minute life expectancy can quote Dominus Ambus or notate the Grand Celestial Melody? So long as he can assemble a path-blaster with his brand-new eyes closed, everyone's happy. That's sarcasm, by the way. I dabble." |
| 435 | -->'''Skids''' |
| 436 | |
| 437 | !Issue 32: |
| 438 | ->"Nuh-uh! It's not Ultra Magnus, which makes this a fail... I'm just waiting for confirmation from the judges and... oh! Not only is it a fail, but it's been placed in the epic category." |
| 439 | -->'''Riptide''' |
| 440 | |
| 441 | ->'''Nautica''': I love my wrench. |
| 442 | ->'''Nightbeat''': Is it technically a wrench? |
| 443 | ->'''Nautica''': It's a wrench-slash-scanner-slash-everything. Brainstorm added a billion extras. See? There's even a light that goes on when I'm exaggerating. |
| 444 | |
| 445 | ->"I once told Optimus I killed for the sake of killing. I wanted to make him hurt me, you see—because when he hurts others, he hurts himself. And the thing is, when the words were in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realized that I did. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is wrong. But when you start to think of yourself as a monster... I came to hate the person I'd become. And I decided that the best way to leave that person behind—perhaps the easiest way—was to become an Autobot." |
| 446 | -->'''Megatron''' |
| 447 | |
| 448 | ->'''Megatron''': Look at me, Ravage. I'm old. Old and weak. Their poison makes me brittle, but even at full strength, I'm long past my prime. My spark flickers where once it flared. And this body... oh, this nonsense body. It doesn't graft to the spark like the others. There's no purchase. No bite. |
| 449 | ->'''Ravage''': I don't like to hear you talk like this. |
| 450 | ->'''Megatron''': Why? |
| 451 | ->'''Ravage''': Because it's not you! The Megatron who tore down the Senate—who emancipated millions; the Megatron we followed; the Megatron we loved... what happened to him? |
| 452 | ->'''Megatron''': I don't know. [[ThatManIsDead I think he's dead.]] |
| 453 | ->'''Ravage''': Dead? Or just resting? |
| 454 | |
| 455 | ->"It's a game, Nautica—an old wartime favorite. When someone shouts D.J.D. you have to find your friends and run like hell." |
| 456 | -->'''Getaway''' |
| 457 | |
| 458 | !Issue 33 |
| 459 | |
| 460 | ->'''Nautica''': I've never seen the quantum drums outside of the quantum engines... even hidden behind all the quantum foam, they're impressive... |
| 461 | ->'''Riptide''': Nautica, to be a quantum mechanic, all you have to do is put the word 'quantum' in front of other words. True or false? |
| 462 | ->'''Nautica''': [[MathematiciansAnswer Both]]. |
| 463 | ->'''Riptide''': Eh? |
| 464 | ->'''Nautica''': It's both, simultaneously. True and false. It depends on the quantized energy state of each proposition. |
| 465 | ->'''Riptide''': Eh? |
| 466 | ->'''Nautica''': It's a joke. |
| 467 | ->'''Riptide''': Oh. Are jokes not funny where you come from? |
| 468 | |
| 469 | ->'''Megatron:''' If that planet were teeming with Cybertronians, then yes, there'd be an argument for going back into the breach. But I doubt that's the case. |
| 470 | ->'''Skids:''' Ah, your true colors. I'd forgotten how purple they were. |
| 471 | ->'''Megatron:''' You've forgotten something else: I am your prisoner. I've been granted conditional bail while we look for the Knights of Cybertron. Where in my bail terms does it say—where precisely does it say—that I have to risk my life to save a handful of strangers? Where does it say that? |
| 472 | ->(''Skids taps Megatron's Autobot badge.'') |
| 473 | ->'''Skids:''' Right. There. What does that badge even mean to you? How has wearing it forced you to modify your behavior? I'm serious! How has being an Autobot in any way prevented you from doing exactly what you want? Because if the answer is "it hasn't"—then nothing you've said or done in the last six months counts for anything. |
| 474 | |
| 475 | ->'''Nautica:''' Before you volunteer, Ravage, I'm sorry, but you lack the manual dexterity to perform the task. |
| 476 | ->'''Ravage:''' Touch me again and I'll kill you. |
| 477 | |
| 478 | ->"Here's a survival tip: When everyone's lining up to make sacrifices... always get to the back of the queue." |
| 479 | -->'''Megatron''' |
| 480 | |
| 481 | ->"I'll let you in on a little secret... I can do whatever the hell I like." |
| 482 | -->'''[[spoiler:[[TheMole Brainstorm]]]]''' |
| 483 | |
| 484 | !Issue 34 |
| 485 | |
| 486 | ->""Postwar Edition"? Don't tell me—there's a new chapter at the end: "Ignore everything I just said."" |
| 487 | -->'''Bluestreak''' on Towards Peace |
| 488 | |
| 489 | ->"Maladies of the mind are easily hidden. We don't want to see them. They remind us of our fragility." |
| 490 | -->'''Froid''' |
| 491 | |
| 492 | ->"You have two weapons at your disposal: your brain and your fists. You must be prepared to use ''both''." |
| 493 | -->'''Terminus''' |
| 494 | |
| 495 | ->'''Trailcutter''': It's Old Cybertronian—and it sounds like a prayer. |
| 496 | ->'''Bluestreak''': Do you speak...? |
| 497 | ->'''Trailcutter''': No. Unless swearwords count, in which case I'm a expert. |
| 498 | |
| 499 | ->"Protest is a form of sickness, Megatron. But don't worry... I'm here to cure you." |
| 500 | -->'''Trepan''' |
| 501 | |
| 502 | !Issue 35 |
| 503 | |
| 504 | ->"I'm fine. Bad dream, that's all. My first flashback. These things'll happen when you've got a head full of history." |
| 505 | -->'''Rewind''' |
| 506 | |
| 507 | ->'''Megatron''': This conversation is ridiculous. You are ridiculous. Everything that's happened in the last few days is intensely ridiculous. Six months into this shambles of a quest—six months!—and not a day goes by—not an hour—when I don't have to stand back from this endless parade of nonsense and remind myself, by means of several blows to the head, that I am here of my own volition, and not as a result of some—some elaborate trap set by Optimus Prime. Why bother looking for the Knights of Cybertron? Why postpone my trial? I've already been convicted—and this is my punishment. You! This ship! This life! |
| 508 | ->'''Ultra Magnus''': Better? |
| 509 | ->'''Megatron''': ...Yes. I apologize. |
| 510 | ->'''Ultra Magnus''': Not at all. On this ship, a minor breakdown is practically a rite of passage. |
| 511 | |
| 512 | ->"Oh, so I'm not allowed to take an interest in magic? I don't just captain ships and build Rodpods, you know!" |
| 513 | -->'''Rodimus''' |
| 514 | |
| 515 | ->'''Ultra Magnus''': What do we do now? Take his machine apart? Blow it up? |
| 516 | ->'''Perceptor''': No, that would [[spoiler: strand Brainstorm in the past—and quite possibly cement any changes he's made. Will make. Might make.]] |
| 517 | ->'''Rodimus''': It's [[spoiler: time travel]], Percy. Leave your tenses at the door. |
| 518 | |
| 519 | ->'''Rewind''': They took his words! |
| 520 | ->'''Minimus Ambus''': His what? |
| 521 | ->'''Rewind''': His vocabulary! All he's got left are the basics: yes, no, up, down, big, small... and the words he's lost—when you speak to him, the words he's lost—he doesn't know what they mean anymore! And there are certain words, Minimus—tiny words—important words—there are certain words you can't afford to lose. |
| 522 | |
| 523 | !Issue 36 |
| 524 | |
| 525 | ->'''Whirl''': Hold on. Let's be absolutely clear about this. You're just given me permission to take whatever I like from Brainstorm's forbidden toy box? Even the experimental stuff—the stuff that unsettles people? |
| 526 | ->'''Rodimus''': No, I- |
| 527 | ->'''Whirl''': Shhh. On second thought, let's keep it ambiguous. |
| 528 | |
| 529 | ->'''Orion Pax''': How was Messatine? |
| 530 | ->'''Megatron''': I worry it changed me. |
| 531 | ->'''Orion Pax''': I'm sure it did. We're all of us the sum of our experiences. |
| 532 | ->'''Megatron''': Yes, but "the sum" implies an accumulation—an aggregation. What if something gets taken away? And how would you know if it has? |
| 533 | ->'''Orion Pax''': I'm not sure I follow. |
| 534 | ->'''Megatron''': I know who I am, Orion, but I don't necessarily know who I ''was''. I find it hard to compare the two. |
| 535 | |
| 536 | ->'''Cyclonus''': If you're going to kill newborns you'd want to do it discreetly. |
| 537 | ->'''Tailgate''': Cyclonus! That's an awful thing to say! |
| 538 | ->'''Cyclonus''': I'm not endorsing it! |
| 539 | ->'''Tailgate''': It's still awful. |
| 540 | |
| 541 | ---- |
| 542 | |
| 543 | !Lost Light Issue #4 |
| 544 | |
| 545 | ->'''Whirl''': I want to tell you a story. |
| 546 | ->'''Tailgate''': A story? |
| 547 | ->'''Whirl''': A love story. |
| 548 | ->'''Tailgate''': Oh, does it have a happy ending? |
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