Editing Windblade issue 4

{{Comicstory|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Windblade]]'' #4
|prev=Windblade issue 3
|next=
|image=Windblade04_regcvr.jpg  
|caption=
|title=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 23]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=July 2014
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|art by=[[Sarah Stone]]
|letters by=[[Chris Mowry]]
|assistant editor=[[Rebecca Huard]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}

'''The identity of the bomber is revealed as Windblade takes the ultimate risk and merges with Metroplex.'''

==Synopsis==

[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] race to [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s brain with [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'s enforcers hot on their tail when another blackout plunges the city into darkness. Chromia advocates simply killing their pursuers, but in deference to Windblade, she simply disables them by clipping their wings with her bladed weapons. As Metroplex begins to convulse all around them, the pair take refuge in Metroplex's brain chamber, but even a barred door proves no obstacle to Starscream himself, who has dealt with [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and has arrived to put and end to Windblade. Chromia engages Starscream in battle, while Windblade is faced with a daunting task: to risk her own life by mentally merge with Metroplex in order to gain full control over his stricken systems.

Chromia holds her own in the fight, but Starscream takes the upper hand when he hurls his sword at the distracted Windblade, tearing a gash in her shoulder, then severs Chromia's arm with his second blade when she instinctively turns to aid her friend. Standing victorious over the two fallen females, Starscream gloats that they could never have beaten him because he is the "Chosen One", but Windblade still has some fight left in her, and plugs an interface cable into her head, linking herself to Metroplex. The fabric of Metroplex comes alive at Windblade's command, blasting Starscream band and restraining him against the wall, as Windblade probes all of Metroplex's systems, realizing that the blackouts have been orchestrated to divert power to the Titan's [[space bridge]]. Through the bridge, she is offered glimpses of many of the other worlds across the galaxy that were colonized by [[Metrotitan (body-type)|Metrotitans]], but finds that she cannot sense the beacon of [[Caminus]]. Perceptions being to swim and blur as Windblade and Metroplex become further and further intertwined, and the truth is revealed to the [[cityspeaker]]: the one who was responsible for the blackouts was Chromia, in an attempt to power up the space bridge and return herself and Windblade home. Chromia tries to reason with Windblade, explaining that she did it for her and trying to coax her into activating the bridge, but Starscream screams in protest, noting with distress that, as Metroplex is now integrated with [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], jumping him will kill everyone not completely inside the Titan. Windblade/Metroplex's linked mind drifts through space and time, as the cityspeaker loses her grip on reality and starts to feel isolated and alone... but as that thought seizes her mind, a vision of Metroplex offers her his hand with the assurance that she is ''never'' alone. United in purpose, Windblade and Metroplex deactivate the space bridge. Disconnecting herself from her Titan, Windblade strides past Chromia and frees Starscream with an offer he cannot refuse: keep everything that has occurred a secret, and in return, she will help him find and unite ''all'' of Cybertron's colony worlds, making the "Chosen One" the true savior of the entire Cybertronian race.

As dawn nears, Windblade prepares to look for [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] to try and prevent any information about what has gone on getting out. An abashed Chromia thanks Windblade for taking the blame for her; Windblade grants her permission to leave Cybertron if she wants, but demands that she follow her orders until that time. Chromia vows to serve her faithfully, and Windblade quietly hopes to herself that one day, her friend will ''believe'' in her too. Windblade launches into the dawn sky, with the vow that she has only just begun to fight for the safety of both her homes: Caminus ''and'' Cybertron.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (1)
*[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] (2)
*[[Slag (G1)|Slug]] (3)
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (6)

|c2=

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (4)
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] (5)
*''Knock Out?'' (7)
*''[[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]]'' (8)
*''[[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]]'' (9)
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Injector]]'' (10)
*''[[Air Hammer]]'' (11)
*''[[Caminus]]'' (12)
*''[[Nautica]]'' (13)
{{!}}}
|}}

==Quotes==

'''Windblade:'''"We have to shake them."<br>
'''Chromia:'''"You sure you don't mean "'''kill'''"? I would've gone with "kill"."<br>
'''Windblade:'''"No, Chromia they're '''not''' the enemy."<br>
'''Chromia:'''"You wanna tell '''Them''' that? 'Cause I don't know- if you're accurately- '''assessing''' the situation."
:—'''Windblade''' and '''Chromia''' discuss their pursuers.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===

===Transformers references===
*Further establishing just how diverse the colony worlds have grown, the few occupants that Windblade glimpses include [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] (a pair of [[Micromaster]]s), and [[Injector]] and [[Air Hammer]] (two [[Fuzor]]s). The other who appears seems to be a version of [[Knock Out (Prime)|''Prime'' Knock Out]], with a non-Earthly alternate mode.

===Other trivia===

===Covers (3)===
*'''Standard cover:''' Windblade and Starscream by [[Sarah Stone]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Windblade by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Chromia by Phil Jimenez and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

<gallery>
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File:Windblade04_subcvr.jpg|
File:Windblade04_cvrRI.jpg|
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===Advertisements===

*''Robots in Disguise'' #33
*[[Twenty Plus One|''More than Meets the Eye'' #31]]
*''[[Transformers: Primacy]]''
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*''Machi Koro'' (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.newsarama.com/21621-idw-transformers-previews-july-23-vs-gi-joe-launches-windblade-s-first-mini-wraps-up.html Preview]
[[Category:Windblade issues]]