Escalation issue 6

Script: Simon Furman Art: E.J. Su Lettering: Robbie Robbins Colors: Zac Atkinson Editors: Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor


 * Major characters (in order of appearance): Megatron, Optimus Prime, Hardhead, Jazz, Wheeljack, Prowl, Hot Rod, Georgi Koska, unidentified Transformer in infraspace, Ratchet, Ironhide, Jimmy Pink, Verity Carlo, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Nightbeat, Hunter, Dante, unidentified damaged Transformer, Joshua Red, Ravage, Laserbeak, Astrotrain, Sixshot, the Reapers.
 * Originally published: May 2, 2007

Synopsis
In Brasnya, Megatron (in his best General Zod impersonation) gloats over the Optimus Prime's dead body and orders the Autobots to kneel before him. Furious, Jazz, Hardhead and Wheeljack instead attack him but to no avail thanks to his enhanced Ore-13 power. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Hot Rod wants to join the other in attacking Megatron but Prowl him to stay with Georgi Koska and wait for Nightbeat to teleport them back to the ship. Prowl joins the battle himself, hoping Prime isn't really dead. Prime is indeed alive, having downloaded his mind into his Command Deck. While in this transition, known as infraspace, Prime has a strange vision of a unidentified Transformer calling his name.

In Fort Wayne, Ironhide and Ratchet attempt to rescue Verity and Jimmy. Ratchet cuts a hole while Ironhide's holomatter driver grows in size and lifts them up through it. Ratchet clears the shop just as the countdown reaches zero and the building explodes, but Ironhide is not as lucky. Clutched in Verity's hand is the Machination's calling card.

In Brasnya, Hot Rod and the facsimile are attacked by Skywarp and Thundercracker before Nightbeat can beam him out. A disembodied Prime contacts the Autobots and explains the weakness of Ore-13, having experience it while battling Thunderwing, and knows how to stop Megatron. Prime reconnects with his battered body and blasts Megatron in the head at point blank range, wearing out his Ore-13 instantly and causing his retreat. Unfortunately, the Facsimile was destroyed by the Decepticons' attack and Hot Rod was badly damaged.

In Machination's headquarters, Dante brings Hunter to the damaged Transformer from the previous issue and explains that the procedure is now a success. Hunter's purpose is now served, and Dante ponders if perhaps he could be part of their New World Order, which involves several headless Sunstreaker duplicates.

In Washington, Skywatch leader Joshua Red learns of the Brasnya incident and while the archaeological dig at Eureka won't net anything useful for the moment, the long captured and chained up Ravage and Laserbeak are ready and raving to go.

At the Decepticon base, an angry Megatron demands Sixshot be summoned, although it's not the proper phase for his level of devastation to be used on a world. Observing the exchange on Muma Obscura, the Reapers prepare to follow him to Earth.

Errors

 * None yet discovered.

Items of note

 * Followups on many of the Spotlight issues are touched on in this issue:
 * Ravage and Lazerbeak from Spotlight: Soundwave
 * The archaeological dig from Spotlight: Shockwave
 * Sixshot and the Reapers from Spotlight: Sixshot
 * The mysterious Transformer in infraspace is later identified in Spotlight: Optimus Prime