#3 - "Balancing Act," part 2

Credits

Writer - Forest Lee / Artists - Dan Khanna, Terry Pallot, Chuck Gibson, and Espen Grundetjern

Story

Following the attack of last issue, Sentinel Maximus gets repaired while Vector Prime places Alpha Trion in a stasis tube in hopes he can be repaired later. Vector Prime then explains their attackers' origins: Nemesis Prime was crafted by Unicron from the remains of another reality's Optimus Prime, a dead soul tortured into a corrupted perversion of the original. Ramjet, in contrast, has been twisted by the unreality between dimensions into something even Vector Prime cannot identify. When Sentinel Maximus dismisses them, Vector Prime notes that Unicron may be able to use the space-time distortions to summon more minions...

Unknown to them, Unicron has done exactly that, materializing a drooling mad mechanoid near the Iacon spaceport just as a ship arrives from the planet Speed. A Transformer emerges from the ship, annoyed at the lack of inhabitants, and is suddenly attacked by a swarm of Vermin-drones! Before they can do much damage, the drones are immediately destroyed by Unicron's manic creation -- who snarls his desire to feed on the visitor's spark!

Elsewhere on Cybertron, Ramjet and Nemesis Prime are waiting for their Vermin-drones to find information about where Primus' essence is located. Ramjet explains to a confused Nemesis Prime that Unicron is not truly dead -- that Unicron exists anywhere evil does. Ramjet then explains that Cybertron is the "stable axis of the multiverse," and that destroying it in one reality destroys that entire universe as well. Furthermore, thanks to the singularity of the black hole (created by Unicron's destruction in the Transformers: Armada television series), this reality's space-time is weakened here. If Nemesis Prime can use his Dead Matrix to kill Primus, Cybertron will be fed into the singularity, and this reality will be destroyed...

...causing the singularity to break through into another reality, where it will immediately consume the Cybertron located there. This process will then repeat recursively across all realities -- destroying the entire multiverse!

Notes and Comments

• The device that repairs Sentinel Maximus is a replica of the repair tower from the trailer of Hasbro's original Optimus Prime toy.
• Unicron's mad robot is Dark Scorponok from Hasbro's Transformers: Cybertron line.
• The unnamed arrival from planet Speed is Skyfall, the first Transformers Collectors' Club toy exclusive.
• If Unicron exists wherever evil exists, does that make him Satan? Which would imply that Primus is really God, and that Transformers are the true beings cast in his image. Can't imagine the (human) theologians being thrilled with that idea...
• Considering that both are heralds of Unicron, it's odd that Nemesis Prime needs Ramjet to explain how Unicron's metaphysical aspects work.