Out of Time!

'''Transformers vs. X-Men! Okay, not really...'''

=Marvel US issue #73= (Story also appears in: Marvel UK issues #315-316)

Script: Simon Furman Art: Andrew Wildman Inks: Stephen Baskerville Lettering: Rick Parker Colors: Nelson Yomtov Cover: Andrew Wildman
 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Galvatron II, Xaaron, Landfill, Quickmix, Hook, Line, and Sinker, Starscream, Scorponok, Optimus Prime, Shockwave, Nightbeat, Mindwipe, Soundwave, Kup, Fangry, Thunderwing
 * Originally published: December, 1990

Synopsis
In the Primus chamber, at the center of Cybertron, Galvatron grows impatient. He and Emirate Xaaron have fled down here, to escape the loyal minions of Unicron, and to entreaty Primus himself to take the necessary steps to gather his children against the Chaos-Bringer. Unfortunately, Xaaron's prayers take both time and patience to awaken Primus properly, neither of which Galvatron has in abundance. The latter is demonstrated when he punches through a wall at Xaaron's slow methods, and the former is shown when Unicron grows suspicious of his herald's undetectable absence, and sends his other minions to track down the wayward time-traveller.

Back on Earth, Scorponok is highly amused at the "super humans" who have dared to challenge him. Thunderpunch does little to challenge the humor of the situation, but Dynamo at least manages to temporarily topple Scorponok. To his horror, Optimus Prime realizes it might actually be necessary to step into the fight against the humans, in order to preserve Scorponok and the alliance. As he reaches this conclusion, Rapture and Circuit Breaker both have a go at Scorponok as well, with the latter sizzling his every circuit. The amount of damage she's doing on the Decepticon is not lost on the observers -- Nightbeat cries out against the torture she's inflicting, while the prone Shockwave takes the opportunity to blast her out of the sky. Unfortunately for Nightbeat, Circuit Breaker misinterprets who her attacker was, and her fragile grip on the Autobot/Decepticon dynamic shatters, as she begins attacking both sides with renewed vigor.

On Cybertron, Hook, Line, and Sinker have found Galvatron, and quickly assessed he is up to no good. With Xaaron's entreaties still making no headway, Galvatron takes matters into his own hands, and gears up for the rematch with his former kidnappers. After momentarily stunning Hook, he disarms Line and uses Sinker's pounders to destroy the swordsman's head. With Sinker momentarily shocked at having killed his compatriot, Galvatron converts to cannon mode and annihilates the robot. His winning streak is cut short, though, when Hook skewered him in the back and begins to draw the Decepticon in for the kill.

Amidst the Decepticon Civil War, Mindwipe has managed to snag Field Commander Soundwave in his hypnotic gaze. He plans to use this ace to end the war...and the Autobots who approach him from behind with their guns drawn agree, so long as he ends it their way.

Back in Manhattan, Circuit Breaker has disabled Nightbeat and moved on to Prime himself. Blackrock is desperately trying to find a way to stop her rampage, when he notices Shockwave and remembers the Decepticon from the attack on his oil rig years ago...the attack that crippled Josie Beller. He draws Circuit Breaker's attention to the robot and, as recognition crosses her mind, she unleashes everything she has in a single blast that sends Shockwave fuming to the ground. Scorponok arights himself and prepares to continue the battle with the Neo-Knights, but a sharp word from Optimus Prime gets him to reconsider, and put aside his battlelust.

On Cybertron, Galvatron is saved by an act of God -- literally. Xaaron has succeeded in awakening Primus, and now serves as the living avatar for the god, a vessel through whom Primus addresses his creation. Galvatron convinces Primus that the time has come to unite his creations against Unicron. And, in that moment, the Transformers on Earth begin vanishing one after another: from New Jersey, to Manhattan, and beyond.

And, on a distant planetoid, the Creation Matrix hungers for new sensations once more. It hungers...for revenge...

Items of note

 * Hector Dialonzo is first identified as Dynamo in this story.