Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism

2012-10-31T22:05:36Z

ConnorT:

{{Comicstory|
|series=mtmte|issueno=10
|prev=Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc
|next=
|caption=
|image=MTMTE10_cvrB.jpg
|title="Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 31]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=October 2012
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2012)]]
}}

'''As Rewind's tale of the past continues, the senator murders lead Chromedome and Prowl to uncover the truth behind an urban legend, and Orion Pax to discover just how deep the corruption in the Senate runs.'''

==Synopsis==

''On Cybertron, before the war, [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] flips between the latest news bulletins covering the murder of Senator [[Sherma]] and the death of [[Nominus Prime]]. Tensions are high as the deadline date for "Proteus's Promise" draws near, the vow made by Senator [[Proteus]] that the [[Decepticon]]s will be recognised as a legitimate political party if 10,000 sign up with the [[Decepticon Registration Act]]. Then, an update on the missing [[Pious Maximus]] is interrupted by breaking news of a high-speed pursuit in [[Translucentica Heights]]...''

In the present day, said pursuit is now the subject [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]'s story, with [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] describing how he followed the killer of Senator [[Momus]] in an aerial chase, which ended when the murderer collided with one of the reinforced glass walls of the region and exploded against a billboard. On his way back to the crime scene, Chromedome met the warden of Translucentica Heights, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], who was able to provide evidence that Momus was not killed ''by'' Decepticons—he was killed because he secretly ''was'' a Decepticon. Prowl's study of the crime scene quickly determined the involvement of a second killer, who then made himself known by opening fire. Pinned down and with Prowl never having seen combat before, the trio seemed doomed until the surprise appearance of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], who brought the killer down, only for his [[Spark]] to collapse before he could be questioned.

Elsewhere on the ''Lost Light'', [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] has turned [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]'s lab into an interrogation room, where [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] is presently trying to get a confession out of [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] for the attack on Red Alert, whose spark is faint but still pulsing. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and Rodimus step in when the interrogation turns violent, at which point a communique from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] clears Cyclonus, as the medic reports that he has discerned the killer's identity.

Before handing the story over to [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], Rewind explains that the ex-watchmaker was, at the time, incarcerated in [[Garrus-1]] on [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]]. When [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] poins out that Whirl was in prison for assaulting [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the event allegedly responsible for turning him "bad", Whirl furiously interrupts and quickly picks the story up, describing how he summoned Orion away from investigating the senator killings to give him a message. In hopes of revenge against the [[Senate]] for ruining his life, Whirl shared with Orion information from a cellmate about a Senate plot involving the death of [[Conspicuously-unnamed senator|Pax's senator friend]] and a bomb "hidden in plain sight". Orion left to act upon this information (leaving Whirl to be viciously beaten by his new cellmate [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] just a few minutes later), sending Ratchet and Roller to the [[Academy of Advanced Technology]], where trainee theoretician [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] watched them take Orion's senator friend into protective custody.

Narration returns to Chromedome, who prepares to recount how he and Prowl investigated the nearest [[Relinquishment Clinic]], suspecting that the killers had been using borrowed bodies. Rewind is dissatisfied at Chromedome's decision to preface this with a recollection of how he and Prowl stopped to watch a Decepticon protest and talk about what they would do if war broke out on the way, hurrying him along to the events that took place in the clinic itself. While waiting in its lobby, Chromedome remembers how the pair saw a news report based on their findings that cleared the Decepticons of the murders, which left Prowl frustrated as the results were only preliminary. They were then met by clinic tech [[Trepan]], who they easily pegged as squirrelly and promptly cuffed so they could investigate. The pair eventually found a secret facility beneath the clinic that Chromedome was horrified to realize was [[The Institute]]—a state-sponsored brainwashing facility that was supposedly just urban legend. Accessing its mainframe and verifying it as the source of the bodies their killers were using, the pair took the data and absconded without incident, prompting Rewind to resume the position of storyteller and sum up how the pair met back up with Orion, Ratchet, Roller and the senator in [[Rodion]]. Putting all their evidence together, Pax realized that Proteus arranged the murders so that the Decepticons could expressly ''not'' be found guilty, thereby demonstrating his fairness and leading to a surge in registrants. The bomb mentioned by Whirl would then be pinned on the Decepticons as supposed proof of their "true colors", giving Proteus and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel]] the excuse needed to use The Institute to brainwash all those registered. Chromedome lamented their lack of knowledge at the bomb's location, but a news report immediately provided the answer: it was the fake [[Matrix of Leadership]] in the chest of the deceased Nominus Prime, whose body was to be lain in state the next day. The course of action for Orion's team was clear: they had to steal the Matrix!

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Roller (G1)|Roller]] (1)
*''[[Nominus Prime]]'' (3)
*''[[Pious Maximus]]'' (4)
*''[[Slamdance (G1)|Slamdance]]'' (5)
*[[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] (7)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (8)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (9)
*''[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'' (10)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (11)
*? (13)
*[[Rad]] (14)
*[[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]] (15)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (16)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]]? (17)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (18)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (19)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (21)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (22)
*[[Ambulon]] (23)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] (24)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (25)
*[[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] (26)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (27)
*[[Rung]] (28)
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (29)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (32)
{{!}}}
|c2=

|c4=
*''[[Proteus]]'' (2)
*''"[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]"'' (6)
*''"[[Streaker]]"'' (12)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] (20)
*''Garrus-1 warden'' (30)
*''[[Empurata]]?'' (31)
*''[[Conspicuously-unnamed senator]]'' (33)
*''[[Trepan]]'' (34)
}}

==Quotes==

"You do '''read''' my memos, don't you, '''Rodimus?'''" 
"If there's a reason '''not to,''' I've yet to find it. I read '''all''' your memos. And every one of your many, '''many''' reports. And since you're finally here, you can read one of '''mine.'''" 
"'We found '''Red Alert''' in the oil reservoir. No head. Pretty sure '''Cyclonus''' is to blame—obv. watch his space.'" 
"'Obv' stands for obviously." 
"No, I, er—I guessed that."
:—'''Ultra Magnus''' and '''Rodimus'''

'''Tailgate:''' "No. Frikkin'. Way. '''Orion Pax''' landed on the guy's '''back?''' Where'd he even '''come from?'''" 
'''Chromedome:''' "I always assumed he jumped off the '''roof,''' Tailgate. He did that sort of thing quite a lot." 
'''Tailgate:''' "Pax is '''so''' cool." 
'''Swerve:''' "More of this, please. More jumping off roofs. Rooves. Roofs. More jumping off things."

'''Whirl:''' "It was Pax's fault I was in prison—" 
'''Ratchet:''' "'''Rubbish!''' It was '''your''' fault you were in prison! Pax was the one who '''arrested''' you! Whirl attacked '''Megatron''' in his cell." 
'''Tailgate:''' "But wasn't Megatron the '''main bad guy?''' Or... have I missed something very important?" 
'''Ratchet:''' This was '''before''' he went bad. In fact, many say that the '''reason''' he went bad was—" 
'''Whirl:''' <big>'''HEY!'''</big> Can I just tell my part of the story? It's only a frikkin' '''cameo''' as it is! Yeah? Yeah? '''Right.'''"

"Five minutes. Ten if I hear him screaming."
:—'''Garrus-1's warden'''

"The Senate '''mutilated''' me, got me to do their dirty work, and '''abandoned''' me. I want you to '''hurt''' them. I want you to '''crush''' them. I want—I want—I want my hands back."
:—'''Whirl'''

'''Rewind:''' "'''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!'''" 
'''Whirl:''' "No—he promptly '''beat me''' to the brink of fade-out and left me in a '''critical condition'''—and '''years''' later we met '''again.'''" 
'''Swerve''': "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..."

==Notes==

*We've linked Roller to his [[Roller (G1)|Generation 1 self]] in this article for convenience, but whatever relationship this character may or may not have to Prime's longstanding buggy-companion, we don't know it yet.
*"Proteus's Promise" has been referenced in issues [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]] and [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]]; here, we finally learn what it was.
*The robot speaking out against Nominus's policies at the [[J.A.A.T. Lectures]] on page 1 appears to be the placard-carrying [[NAIL]] protester from "[[The Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]", who transformed himself to death in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|issue #1]] of this series.
*Fallout's alternate mode is a Thunderbolt fighter from ''[[Wikipedia: Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]''.
*The classic Generation 1 "tetrajet"—Cybertronian alternate mode of the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]]—can be seen on the billboard "Fallout" crashes into.
*One of the Decepticon tracts Red Alert finds is titled "The Illusion of Progress: Revisited", evidently a sequel to Megatron's earlier work, "Nominus Prime and the Illusion of Progress", mentioned in "[[Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory]]".
*Prowl's ability to "observe 800 moving objects and compute their direction of travel" is, verbatim, an ability from his original ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' profile.
*First Aid is seen working on a [[Diagnostic Drone]], likely the same one that watched Red Alert visit [[Rung]] in [[Interiors|issue #6]].
*Whirl's cellmate is the agent of the Senate who appeared in his flashback in issue #6. Presumably, this is the robot that issue's dialogue identified as [[Empurata]].
*Whirl's brutalization of Megatron was previously chronicled in the first part of "Chaos Theory". Left unsaid in the comic itself, the fact that Impactor immediately beats Whirl up upon meeting him is obviously because of the fact that Impactor and Megatron were once friends.
*Orion Pax's still-unnamed senator friend has had his color scheme completely overhauled in this issue, going from white, blue and gold to red, white and blue. We're not calling it an error, though, because like his namelessness, this is surely intentional for reasons we are not yet privy to...
*The helmet the nervous-looking orange robot in the background is wearing in the scene of Roller and Ratchet arriving at the academy is Doc Brown's [http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Brain-wave_analyzer brain-wave analyzer] from ''[[Wikipedia: Back to the Future|Back to the Future]]''.
*Prowl's pacifism, and his promised attempt to leave Cybertron to escape a potential war, were alluded to back in "The Death of Optimus Prime", where it was revealed that he ''did'' try to leave, but didn't make it.
*The Institute has been referred to several times in Roberts's work, stretching back to "Chaos Theory". At last, the mystery revealed!

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Chromedome riding a sky-dart, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Cover B:''' Chromedome and Prowl, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Cover RI:''' Orion Pax and Ratchet, by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]

<gallery>
Image:MTMTE10_cvrA.jpg|
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Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism