Transformers: Spotlight #6 - "Soundwave"

Credits

Writer - Simon Furman / Art - Marcelo Matere / Letters - Neil Uyetake / Colors - Rob Ruffalo

Story

Eden, Texas, 1964. The Decepticon communicator Soundwave is disguised as a cassette player, watching an excavation site. Numerous humans are working, spurred by the recent discovery of a strange ore sample. Unknown to them -- but known to Soundwave -- two of the supervisors are actually facsimilie constructs controlled by Bludgeon. They have just confirmed that the mysterious ore is ultra-energon, and have been ordered to rendezvous with Bludgeon that evening.

In flashback, we see Bludgeon on Cybertron, where he has just received orders from Megatron to investigate the studies and projects of the now-missing Shockwave (from Transformers: Spotlight #1), not knowing that Soundwave has been sent to spy on his efforts. Yet despite this order, Soundwave fails to inform Megatron of Bludgeon's surreptitious work on a project called Regenesis. Instead, Soundwave merely watches in silence as Bludgeon proceeds with his plans, which involve an underground research facility, a heavily-guarded artifact culled from Cybertron's depths, and -- ultimately -- a trip to Earth...

With the work done for the day, the excavation crew disperses. Though Soundwave is taken to his "owner's" trailer, he has Ravage and Laserbeak follow the facsimilies as Bomb-burst flies them to Bludgeon's hideout inside Mt. St. Helens. Laserbeak watches as Bludgeon gives plasma-density charges to the facsimilies, then orders them to detonate the excavation site so he can extract the ultra-energon among the confusion.

That evening, Laserbeak retrieves Soundwave while Bludgeon's plan is executed. Later, when Bludgeon, Bomb-Burst, and Iguanus return to Mt. St. Helens, Soundwave greets them. Despite Bludgeon's paranoia, Soundwave tells them that he isn't going to report their treachery to Megatron, but wants to be a partner in their venture. However, when Bludgeon tells him that their goal is to use the ultra-energon to resurrect Thunderwing -- a being who previously nearly destroyed Cybertron -- Soundwave realizes he has to stop their mad plan.

A fight ensues; Soundwave guns down Bomb-Burst, but Bludgeon takes out Laserbeak and Ravage. Realizing he's outnumbered, Soundwave tries to detonate the ultra-energon ore, but a moment's hesitation allows Iguanus to hit him with an experimental weapon! Soundwave is suddenly transformed into his cassette-player mode before being locked immobile! With a final farewell, Bludgeon drops a plasma-density charge into an underground lava pool, then teleports his troops away before the volcano erupts...

In 1985, a Skywatch team is excavating the remains of Laserbeak from Mt. St. Helens, leaving their leader Joshua Red optimistic at their future funding. And in Portland, Oregon in 2007, two teens at a storefront window debate the worth of an "antique" cassette-player versus a modern-day iPod...