Transformers: Evolutions: Hearts of Steel #4

Credits

Writer - Buzz Dixon / Pencils - Guido Guidi / Inks - Aaron Leach / Letters - Robbie Robbins / Colors - Jay Fotos

Story

40 miles west of Bent's Mill, AZ, the United States cavalry tries to hold the line against the Decepticons' runaway Astrotrain -- and fails. Heading on an intercept course are Tobias Muldoon, Mark Twain, and the Merriweathers; the men are madly shoveling coal into their locomotive to make speed, but Twain doubts they'll be able to intercept the Decepticons. After Tobias chides him for his pessimism, Twain points out an odd-looking engine on a siding in a rail yard. Stopping his own train, Tobias tries to interrogate the locomotive's crew, but is stonewalled by an uncooperative John Henry. The stalemate is broken when Bumblebee and the other Autobots reveal themselves, and the two factions quickly agree to join forces.

Unknown to them, however, a worker in a nearby office has spotted the transforming Autobots. He telegraphs this information to Bonaventure, who remains unworried as he stands on the Decepticons' train and watches the launch of an armored dirgible named Dirge.

Their trains hitched together, the humans resume their chase, with Tobias' group and Henry's group busy fueling their respective engines. Suddenly, Scourge appears overhead, blotting out the sky, and begins to bomb the track! As the train rushes for safety in a nearby tunnel, Tobias rushes to the caboose to tend to Kitty Merriweather, while Ironhide shoots down Scourge, and the Autobots enter the tunnel just before Scourge crashes into it!

As Bumblebee leads the train out of the mountainside, the Decepticons bombard the entrance, collapsing the tunnel's mouth in the middle of the train and trapping Tobias' crew inside. The Autobots stop the train and start to clear the avalanche, but are toppled by a second bombardment! Satisfied, the Decepticons resume heading for New York, unaware that John Henry and Bumblebee are racing on a parallel track to stop them.

Following John Henry's extensive knowledge of the tracks, Bumblebee soon merges with the main line just ahead of the Decepticons. Henry orders Bumblebee to a nearby switch, then throws it with a hammer smash as they race by -- diverting Decepticons off the main line to an emergency brake siding! Already at full speed, Astrotrain helplessly smashes through the safety barrier at the end, sending the Decepticons pummeling into a deep chasm beyond...

Afterwards, John Henry and his crew rescue the other humans, who emerge into the sunlight, surprised at the Autobots' abrupt disappearance. Henry explains that with their mission accomplished, the Autobots have returned to their hibernation, and Twain speculates they will rise again to face the Decepticons when needed.

Notes & Comments

• So... Decepticons can't fly?
• What happened to Shockwave, who was last seen swimming underwater in Hearts of Steel #2? Let's not even ask about Megatron, who's been mentioned throughout this limited series but remained unseen...