Escalation issue 4

	; Brains!
Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	February 28, 2007
Cover date	February 2007
Story by	Simon Furman
Art by	E. J. Su
Colors by	Zac Atkinson
Letters by	Neil Uyetake
Edits by	Chris Ryall & Dan Taylor
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Escalation

As the Decepticons raise global tensions, the Autobots deploy to stop them. Meanwhile, the search for Sunstreaker and Hunter continues.

Synopsis

Hunter O'Nion is alive, and in a strange medical facility surrounded by masked medical personnel. Something is injected into his IV bag, and the last words he hears are "Prep him for surgery", before he loses consciousness.

Outside Idea & Design Works Custom Wheels in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Ironhide, Jimmy Pink, Ratchet, and Verity Carlo conclude that the store's sophisticated security system indicates it is more than it appears to be. To avoid detection, Verity and Jimmy insist that they go inside, since the security system might detect the Autobots' holomatter drivers. Ironhide agrees reluctantly.

In Brasnya, Blitzwing is camouflaged and in the perfect position to take a shot at Optimus Prime. Just before he fires, Roller, controlled by Prime, takes Blitzwing out with a cannon blast; he'd been tracking the Decepticon from his Combat Deck.

The facsimile Georgi Koska drives onto the scene with Megatron still in his alternate mode as a hand gun; the two of them are attacked by Prowl, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Megatron gives the order for Koska to self-terminate as the other Autobots scramble to preserve him for study. Skywarp and Astrotrain appear and attack the Autobots just as Hardhead and Hot Rod arrive on scene via orbital jump to help. Seeking termination, the Koska facsimile limps toward the enemy line.

Verity and Jimmy are inside the auto parts store and nose around. Verity discovers a secret door behind a shelf which the two of them manage to open. What's inside?

As Brasnyan troops watch in surprise and confusion, the Autobots have their hands full with Skywarp and Astrotrain, then get some help in the form of Hardhead. With that added firepower, Prowl is only seconds away from capturing Koska, but an impatient Hot Rod gets in his way, and the two tumble out of control. Meanwhile, Nightbeat reports to Optimus Prime that all transmissions in the area have gone dead. Prime has bigger fish to fry; Megatron has just transformed and landed right in front of him.

In Indiana, the secret entrance leads Jimmy and Verity to a large workshop filled with advanced tools that Jimmy doesn't recognize. Jimmy sifts through the trash for clues, while Verity starts searching a computer and desk, where a business card catches her eye. Without warning, the door locks and the vents start pumping a gas into the room. The two humans are overcome and fall to the floor. On the computer screen, a timer starts ticking down.

10:00...9:59...9:58...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Facsimilies
Ironhide (2) Ratchet (5) Optimus Prime (6) Wheeljack (8) Prowl (9) Jazz (10) Roller (11) Hardhead (16) Hot Rod (17) Nightbeat (20)	Blitzwing (7) Megatron (13) Astrotrain (14) Skywarp (15)	Hunter O'Nion (1) Verity Carlo (3) Jimmy Pink (4) Todorof (18) Breski (19)	Georgi Koska (12)

Quotes

"We appear to have an American F-22 Raptor, being shot at by some kind of rally vehicle. And a police patrol car, also American... under attack from a space shuttle?"

— Captain Todorof observes the battle. Robots in disguise, folks!

Notes

Continuity notes

As Megatron notes when comes face to face with Prime at the end of the issue, this is the first time they have come into contact in the modern day portion of the continuity. The last time we saw the two meet was in the flashback in Stormbringer #2 where they parted ways before both factions abandoned Cybertron; this was up to hundreds or even thousands of years prior.
- Megatron further specifies that it has been "Longer still since we met in actual combat." During the flashbacks in Stormbringer, Optimus and Megatron were working together in a truce against the immensly powerful Thunderwing. The last time they actually fought is much harder to pinpoint down, most likely it had simply not been depicted. That being said, The Transformers #22 offers some candidates for battles that would have taken place within that time frame.

Transformers references

Going along with last issue's appearance of Prime's Combat Deck, this issue features the final component of his original toy: Roller!
When Verity and Jimmy are searching the auto shop, a Binaltech-brand air filter and "Seibertron Car Show" pamphlets can be seen on the shelves.
The word "Takara" can be seen on the book by Verity's hand as she sets off the trap.

Real-life references

The above references strangely make much more sense once you realize the auto shop's name is the "Idea and Design Works Custom Wheels". Could IDW be a front for the Machination? Maybe they just share the same secret hideaway.
Ironhide and company undertake their investigation in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Errors

Brasnya is still identified as a "soviet state". This will change starting with the next issue.

Other trivia

The "Decepticomments" section did not answer readers' mail but did have an ad for the movie prequel comic.

Covers (3)

Cover A: Astrotrain vs Hardhead; art by E. J. Su. The cover was also reused for the TPB.
Cover B: Optimus Prime; art by Klaus Scherwinski.
Cover RI: cover A, uncolored