Fallout (issue)
| The name or term "Fallout" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Fallout (disambiguation). |
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| "Fallout" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | April 24, 2013 | ||||||||||||
| Story by | Chris Metzen & Flint Dille | ||||||||||||
| Art by | Livio Ramondelli | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Tom B. Long | ||||||||||||
| Editor | John Barber | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Before the war | ||||||||||||
Cybertron faces a critical fuel shortage, and the exodus begins.
Synopsis
In the wake of Scorponok detonating the fusion core of the Toraxxis mega-refinery, Cybertronian society is aghast at the devastation. Blaster reports on the damage, noting that thousands are dead and one of the last remaining sources of energon on-world has been destroyed by a terrorist act of the Decepticons. He directs the newsfeed to the heart of Metroplex, where Optimus Prime is speaking in honor of the dead. Optimus vows to bring those responsible to justice, to the support of the crowd and the consternation of Dai Atlas. The neutral leader holds his tongue and visits Optimus in private afterwards, again pleading for an end to the escalation. Though wracked with doubts of his own, Optimus is less than eager to accept Dai Atlas' recommendation, an exodus from the planet to seek new sources of fuel.
In Kolkular, Scorponok commands his forces to scavenge what portions of their fallen are intact and functional, but to take care not to fall prey to the weakness that caused their demise. An injured Decepticon objects, asserting that it was purely chance and not weakness that caused some to die and others to survive. Scorponok berates his subordinate's soft thinking, but is suddenly moved to action when the Decepticon mentions Megatron, an impertinence which the lackey pays for with his life. Scorponok tells the others not to scavenge the newly-dead Decepticon, because he was weak. He likewise vows that anyone who mentions Megatron will suffer similarly.
On Junkion, Megatron bursts from the roiling depths of the Acid Sea. Pentius has remained in spite of his captor having been dragged away, and is impressed that Megatron has survived. The warlord in exile remarks that the Sharkticons released him unexpectedly, a fact that Pentius finds fascinating. He remarks that while Megatron may yet escape this wreck of a planet, it is more important that he learn the lesson of its downfall. Pentius reveals to Megatron that the wretches he has encountered are the remnants of an affluent, thriving race which was beset with the exhaustion of its fuel supply. Megatron vows that he will not let the same befall Cybertron, for his thirst for dominance will keep him from the idleness of the benighted people of this world. Pentius seems satisfied with his answer.
At the Toraxxis blast site, Grimlock crawls from the ashes, his teammates nowhere to be seen.
Blaster and Dai Atlas look out upon the ships leaving Cybertron. Optimus Prime has acquiesced to Dai Atlas' request reluctantly, and though many Autobots wish to leave as well, he vows that they will remain behind and find hope for their homeworld.
Equipped with radiation shielding, an Autobot rescue team combs the blast crater for survivors. Though initially their search comes up dry, they gradually come to the conclusion that they aren't alone. While this might be survivors, the question is who, or what, could live through this?
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
- Though this is not the event that rendered Cybertron uninhabitable, it did spark the fuel shortage that drove both Thunderwing and Shockwave to begin their respective projects. This exodus marks the departure of many non-aligned Cybertronians from the planet, including the Circle of Light.
Errors
- Optimus, Scorponok, and company are at ground zero for the explosion, but somehow they survive. At the same time, thousands of other anonymous Transformers die. The discrepancy is not explained.
