Transformers Comic issue 4.9

The Novo Incident
MECH home base receives a report from Agent Novo in China. Silas is intrigued by the device Novo has found, which the agent says is a device for transferring a living mind into another body. While Novo is still making his report, Bumblebee and Bulkhead GroundBridge to the location to pick up the neuron refractor. The two Autobots load the refractor onto an industrial-sized trolly and haul it back through the GroundBridge to the Autobot base where Novo, who was hidden inside the refractor, finishes downloading the device's technical specifications. As the base is shielded against radio transmissions, he grabs the unsuspecting Miko and takes her hostage. Ratchet has no choice but to operate the GroundBridge, and Novo drops a few grenades, damaging the GroundBridge so the Autobots can't follow him.
 * Script: Chris Cooper
 * Art: Dario Brizuela
 * Lettering: Comicraft
 * Continuity: Transformers: Prime

Novo and Miko are soon picked up by MECH. Silas is pleased with the refractor schematics, and gives his men until midnight to build a working copy. While Miko is thrown in the interrogation cells, Silas shows Novo the fruits of a program MECH has been working on, Project Mechanoid. Silas intends to transfer Novo's mind into the robot they've built.

The Autobots arrive in China to search for Miko, but Ratchet has already found a lead; when Miko was kidnapped, she was downloading music onto her phone, and Ratchet is now able to track the signal.

Having finished a neuron refractor, the MECH technicians activate it, transferring Novo's mind into the mechanoid. Silas is pleased that the transfer has worked, but Novo seems to have had a change of heart and, declaring himself superior to both humans and Transformers, starts smashing things. Fighting off the MECH troops, Novo breaks into Miko's cell to declare that he made a mistake in kidnapping her.

The Autobots reach the MECH base, buried under an old ghost town, but as they approach it there's an explosion and Novo emerges carrying Miko. The reunion is interrupted by Silas and his goons and though Optimus Prime and Miko offer to take Novo back to the Autobot base, he announces he'll see to it that the technology that made him into a robot is destroyed. Miko and the Autobots return to base where they check the satellite imagery and, sure to Novo's word, the base is a smoking crater. Though none of them are aware of it, Novo himself has escaped the destruction.

Autobots

 * Bumblebee
 * Bulkhead
 * Ratchet
 * Optimus Prime
 * Arcee

Humans

 * Silas
 * Novo
 * Miko Nakadai

Quotes
"My god! With this technology, those darned robots could take over the minds of every person on Earth!"
 * —Silas

"He ain't no Autobot. But he ain't a Decepticon either. So, what are you?" "I... I don't know anymore!"
 * —Bulkhead and Novo

Errors

 * Either the Autobots have souped up Miko's phone, or it has a hell of a range for Ratchet to be able to pick up its signal.

Trivia

 * The neuron refractor was used on Optimus Prime by Knock Out in the previous issue.

Articles and features

 * Use Raf's codebreaker to crack the Cybertronian codes in this comic!
 * The Transfiles - Silas
 * Episode guide: Volume 1. #9 - "Convoy"
 * Starscream's Stumpers
 * Ratchet's Joke Page: Ratchet and some more "doctor doctor" jokes.
 * Dark Energon Hunt! - searching in the Amazon
 * Soundwave and Ratchet posters
 * Mega-Mouth: Megatron and Arcee answer letters and critique art.
 * MECH Spy Maze
 * Competition: Win a Deluxe or Voyager Prime toy!
 * Weaponry Wordsearch
 * Prime targets - cutout standees of Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and a Vehicon to shoot your spin shooter at.

Free Gift!

 * Spin Shooter!

Mega-Mouth
"Fear is the substance that fuels our glorious empire – fear and your darling pictures of course. Pencils at the ready, pus bags!"


 * —Megatron

"Pretty in pink! Good job, Billy! I always thought Starscream was long due a makeover!" "Remind me why I ever made that slime my second in command?" "Because you're a poor judge of character?" "LIES! MEGATRON EXCELS AT ALL!!!"


 * —Arcee and Megatron

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