Alliance issue 2

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Publisher	IDW Publishing}}
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First published	January 14, 2009}}
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Cover date	January 2009}}
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Written by	Chris Mowry}}
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Art by	Alex Milne}}
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Colors by	Josh Perez}}
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Letters by	Neil Uyetake}}
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Edits by	Denton J. Tipton}}
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{{#switch:{{#sub:xx|2|14}}|dark cybertron=}}

Wreckage and Starscream have a (w)reckoning.

Synopsis

It's moving day in Nevada, and Vine and Simmons are still packing. They lament the loss of their new source of information as they wait for their escort to arrive. They also discuss N.B.E.-03 (whom Vine, surprisingly, refers to by his name), who still hasn't woken since he went on a rampage through Sector Seven headquarters and Agent Salazar pulled the plug on him. Salazar used information Wreckage had given (while in a more cooperative mood) to create the L.M. units. Vine speculates that if he is alive, he is some sort of hibernation. Simmons isn't worried, as he believes that when Wreckage does come online, Lennox and Epps will be able to handle him.

As Lennox regrets his decision to join S7, the Autobots finally arrive. Optimus Prime insists on accompanying Jazz's remains, and also gives Vine a shard of the All Spark. (Megatron's corpse + life-giving power = a very bad day.) As the caravan leaves, Lennox leaves Salani in charge of the others. The soldiers and Autobots speed toward the waiting aircraft carrier.

On Mars, a shadowy figure examines the wreckage of Starscream's ship, Dreadwing's head, and an impression of Frenzy. He is unaware of the recent events, but is soon able to piece together the mystery—and looks toward Earth for an answer.

Back in Nevada, Simmons and Vine argue about whether the All Spark shard is safer underground, where any stray Decepticons won't be able to detect it, or above ground, where it won't get close to the offline Wreckage, which Vine has a bad feeling about. When Salani chimes in on Simmons's side, Vine agrees to take it underground, giving it to a pair of S7 guards, but insists that they keep it isolated from Wreckage. As soon as they pass Wreckage's chamber, the shard flies out of their hands, and into Wreckage's chest.

Things kind of go downhill from there. The newly reactivated Decepticon promptly rampages through the base; Salani lays down covering fire as Vine and Simmons escape. Wreckage soon bursts onto the surface, looking for revenge against Salazar and the location of Megatron. Suddenly, three of the Landmine units attack. Simmons realizes they must have been brought online by the shard as well, and Vine goes to look for it as the battle rages. Wreckage is surprised that they can transform, but quickly dispatches the Landmine units with ease. Wreckage is about to squash the scientist when a missile strike from above slams into him, and Starscream descends on him like an avenging angel. The two titans clash, each shouting accusations of betrayal: Wreckage for working with Sector Seven, Starscream for leaving him to die. During the battle, Wreckage knocks Frenzy's remains out of Starscream's chest; they land near Simmons.

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime changes his mind about leaving the All Spark fragment with Vine, and he sends Bumblebee and Ironhide back to retrieve it. Bumblebee, show-off that he is, speeds ahead and is able to arrive at the base with reinforcements just in time. Wreckage gains the upper hand—and Bumblebee promptly shoots it off. Starscream immediately takes advantage of the distraction to rip out the traitor's Spark, then turns against the humans and Autobot. He downs Bumblebee and is about to finish the job, when he receives a communication from a Decepticon on Mars. Recognizing the sender, Starscream once more blasts off into space, now with renewed confidence. Starscream informs his compatriot of the death of Megatron, the loss of the All Spark, and the apparent alliance between the Autobots and humans. The recently arrived Decepticon asks what threat this poses, but Starscream is confident they can defeat it, and becomes even more confident when he learns that reinforcements are heading toward Earth, with even more held in stasis on the ship.

In space, several comets streak toward Earth as Starscream makes his plans with Soundwave, who claims he still has orders to follow.

Featured characters

{{#if:* Optimus Prime (6)

Ironhide (7)
Bumblebee (8)|

{{#if:* Optimus Prime (6)

Ironhide (7)
Bumblebee (8)|| style="background:#ffdddd;" valign="top" |
Optimus Prime (6)
Ironhide (7)
Bumblebee (8) }}{{#if:* Wreckage (3)
Soundwave (11)
Starscream (13)
Frenzy's corpse (14)|

Autobots }}{{#if:* Wreckage (3) Soundwave (11) Starscream (13) Frenzy's corpse (14)\|	Decepticons }}{{#if:* Seymour Simmons (1) Vine (2) William Lennox (4) Robert Epps (5) Salani (9) Admiral Morshower (10)\|	Humans }}{{#if:* Landmine Units (12)\|	Others }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}{{#if:\|	Misc }}
Wreckage (3) Soundwave (11) Starscream (13) Frenzy's corpse (14) }}{{#if:* Seymour Simmons (1) Vine (2) William Lennox (4) Robert Epps (5) Salani (9) Admiral Morshower (10)\|	Seymour Simmons (1) Vine (2) William Lennox (4) Robert Epps (5) Salani (9) Admiral Morshower (10) }}{{#if:* Landmine Units (12)\|	Landmine Units (12) }}{{#if:\|	}}{{#if:\|	}}

Quotes

Agent Simmons: "Did N.B.E.-3 come back online yet?"
Professor Vine: "Wreckage? He asked you to call him that, you know."
Agent Simmons: "I'll call them what they are."

—Fleshling-345 giving Fleshling-564 a lesson in adequate nomenclature.

Captain Lennox: "Come on, Simmons. Do you really have to be here?"
Agent Simmons: "Antsy for your alien date, Lennox?"
Captain Lennox: "Look, when they get here, I'd rather you not be here. Get what I'm saying?"
Agent Simmons: "Worried that the Lubricator is going to make a repeat performance?"

—Simmons, remembering his first encounter with Bumblebee.

Ironhide: "Wait up, Bumblebee!"
Bumblebee: "Come on, I'm faster. I can get there and get back in no time. Just keep following and I'll keep the coms up."
Ironhide: "Showoff!"

—Not exactly the most flattering presentation of the GMC Topkick.

"Humans working with Autobots? How typical of either kind."

—Starscream, realizing the meaning behind the comic's title.

Notes

Continuity notes

Simmons's motivations are amazingly unclear. In the previous issue, Simmons seemed determined to reactivate the dormant Wreckage (for whatever reason), to the extent that he contacted the newly recruited Lennox to lure the Autobots to their Nevada bunker, with the implication of some sort of trap. However, there are a few problems with this subplot as seen in this issue: Simmons and Sector Seven were unaware that Optimus Prime had possession of the All Spark shard, the only thing that could reactivate Wreckage, and even if the Autobots knew of some other way to reactivate Wreckage, they obviously wouldn't. When Optimus Prime left the shard in Sector Seven's care, Simmons wanted it moved underground ostensibly to hide it from any possible Decepticon detection, and was just as surprised as anybody when it flew out of his hand and reactivated Wreckage.
Ratchet barely makes a cameo appearance on page 7, in the panel showing the freeway from above.
Also on this page, there are two trucks on the opposite lane that bear a very close resemblance to the original G1 Optimus Prime and the G2 Hero Optimus Prime figure.

Transformers references

On page 13, a truck is based on the alternate mode of Generation 1 Optimus Prime. In an issue where the "real" Optimus Prime is already carrying a trailer based on his G1 namesake. Ooookay. Another car on the same page is based on G1 Bumblebee.
The All Spark fragment taking on a life of its own and reactivating Wreckage is oddly similar to the behavior of another AllSpark-powered plot device.

Real-world references

The Autobots pass a billboard with a strangely familiar logo advertising Arbco gasoline.

Errors

Though he is not named in this issue, Admiral Morshower's fleet later dumps the Decepticons in the Laurentian Abyss, which is in the Atlantic Ocean. However, this issue establishes that his fleet is moored in San Diego, California, which faces the Pacific Ocean. This does not seem practical or likely.

Other notes

In the same panel that cameos Ratchet, we can see that the Decepticon corpses are being transported without any sort of tarp or covering.
Bumblebee's side view mirror says "objects in mirror (picturing Ironhide) are slower than they appear."
Wreckage's short-lived new colour scheme was based upon the Toys 'R' Us-exclusive Revenge of the Fallen Bludgeon figure for the "Masters of Metallikato" versus pack.

Covers (3)

Cover A: Wreckage and Starscream fighting; art by Alex Milne & colors by Josh Perez.
Cover B: Ironhide and NEST; art & colors by Josh Nizzi.
Sketch Cover RI: Inks-only and text-free version of cover A

When we're done fighting, can we step on the squishies?
You feelin' lucky, punks?
You broke the colors, Wreckage!

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