Transformers: Evolutions: Hearts of Steel #3

Credits

Writer - Buzz Dixon / Art - Luis Czernizwshi, Antonio Vazquez, and Sulaco Studios / Letters - Robbie Robbins / Colors - Josh Burcham and Jay Fotos

Story

A lone stagecraft trundles through Death's Valley, its heat-exhausted drivers grousing that they're running a danged fool's errand. A shadow towers over them as Frenzy appears, who orders them to turn away. As the drivers gape, a man steps out of the coach; introducing himself as Jacob Lee Bonadventure, he asks to speak to the Decepticons' leader. Introduced to Starscream, Bonaventure explains himself as an industrialist who seeks a mutually beneficial partnership. When Starscream says that the Decepticons wish to improve mankind and turn it into a technoarchy like Cybertron, Bonaventure smiles at the potential profits to be made...

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Tobias Muldoon has finished telling his recent adventures to Mr. Merriweather, his daughter Kitty, and Mark Twain. As the men debate the truth of Tobias' tale, the front window crashes in and Ravage attacks! Urging the others to escape, Tobias grabs a sword from the mantlepiece and fights back, but is soon thrown into the street. When Ravage appears in the doorway, the others panic, but Twain relaxes, noting that the house is rapidly filling with gas. A stray spark ignites, detonating the house and throwing Ravage far away. Though shaken by the attack, Merriweather pledges to use all of his resources and connections to reach the President and fight back against the invaders.

At the Decepticon base, Bonaventure and his crew chief Vanflint (last seen in issue #2) are admiring the tireless automation of the Decepticons' assembly, and thank their discovery of the "little yellow locomotive." Overhearing this, Starscream inquires further, and soon concludes that the humans are referring to Bumblebee. He then orders Squawkbox to inform the Decepticons that the Autobots are awake...

That evening at the Denver-Cheyenne rail line, John Henry's friends Brawley and Cletus are composing ballads about his rail-driving skills, despite John's playful objections. John leaves the campfire and soon meets Bumblebee, who appears to say goodbye; the Autobots have intercepted the Decepticons' messages and must go fight them. Not wanting to be sidelined, John joins in as well, then rouses Brawley and Cletus to ride with the Autobots.

In Death Valley, the U.S. Cavalry has reached the Decepticon base, only to find it abandoned. In conference, Tobias believes that the Decepticons are going east, to seize the new electric power plant being built in New York. The Decepticons are rapidly laying their own rail to join the Nevada Pacific line near Benteen, which will give Astrotrain an uninterrupted run to New York...

Unknown to them, on another rail line, Bumblebee is hauling the other Autobots on an intercept course, accompanied by Brawley's newest ballad...

Notes and Comments

• It's unclear -- and seems rather convoluted -- why the Decepticons need to lay rail at all. After all, if they wanted to go to New York, they could simply walk or fly there on their own power. And even if it's more efficient for them to use the humans' train lines, there's still no need to lay rail to connect at Benteen, when they could presumably walk to the tracks...