Escalation issue 1

Script: Simon Furman Art: EJ Su Lettering: Chris Mowry Colors: John Rauch with Zac Atkinson and Aaron Myers Editors: Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Drake, Ratchet, Hunter O'Nion, Jimmy Pink, Ironhide, Jazz, Verity Carlo, Megatron, Astrotrain, Sunstreaker, Optimus Prime.
 * Originally published: November, 2006

Synopsis
The first issue opens on Drake and his team using a sohpisticated VR simulation to train on how to destroy a Transformer. This setup turns out to be in the back of a large campervan parked near Lake Michigan. At the bottom of said lake, aboard Ark-19, Ratchet is informing the humans that Prowl has decided to send them back to their normal lives. Ratchet and Jazz have both grown fond of their human charges, but it is Sunstreaker and Ironhide who are tasked with ferrying the humans back home - and although Ratchet and the humans blame Prowl, it seems the Autobot lieutenant was acting on Optimus Prime's orders.

In the meantime, after having been briefed on Ore-13 by Astrotrain, Megatron brings his wayward unit to heel, and then issues an order to begin Phase Two by activating "the facsimiles."

As the two Autobots surface from the bootom of Lake Michigan, they are immediately picked up by Drake and his team, who make their move near the city of Lebanon in the US state of Michigan. While the Autobots are separated in traffic, Drake's team causes a jam, deploys a smoke screen, then temporarily imobilises Ironhide while moving in on Suntreaker with a disabling electrical charge. Ironhide, with Verity and Jimmy aboard, frantically weaves through the other cars caught in the jam, but the humans deploy a bazooka - and by the time Ironhide catches up with Sunstreaker, the yellow Autobot, with Hunter inside, is already a burning wreck...

Errors

 * None yet identified.

Items of Note

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