First Strike issue 4

Publisher	IDW Publishing
First published	September 27, 2017
Cover date	September 2017
Written by	Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez
Art by	Max Dunbar
Inks by	John Wycough (pg. 3-9)
Colors by	Ander Zarate
Letters by	Gilberto Lazcano
Editor	David Hedgecock
Assistant editor	David Mariotte
Continuity	2005 IDW continuity
Chronology	Current era

Scarlett and her team become victims of Cybertronian politics, as Colton's cabal nears their objective.

Synopsis

Beneath the surface of Cybertron, the villains grumble when Joe Colton temporarily halts their forward progress so he can set up a small sensor. They pass the time bickering with one another, but it doesn't faze Colton; as he tells Miles Mayhem, he knows with absolute certainty that Scarlett is going to catch up to them sooner or later, so putting obstacles in her path to buy them time to reach Cybertron's core and activate the Talisman before she can is key. Colton triggers a hand-held remote, and the fallen Trojan-bots back on Cybertron's surface come back online, some of them reconfiguring into turrets to join the Red Shadows in barring the way of any pursuers that come after Colton's team.

In the Spire, Marissa Faireborn dismisses Elita One's order to have Scarlett's team executed as ridiculous, but Elita stands firm, unswayed even by Soundwave vouching for the humans. Windblade adds her voice to Marissa's, opposing the motion, and Elita is forced to scale her demands down to forced deportation back to Earth, which Marissa still opposes, since Earth is a member of the Council of Worlds with just as much right to represented on Cybertron as anyone else. Optimus Prime speaks up, but Elita does not share the rest of the council's respect for him and dismisses his words, causing tempers to start flaring as other council members join the argument. Eventually, Starscream—as ruler of the planet under actual attack—overrules everyone with his own decision. Knowing how hard it is to deceive Soundwave, he concludes that the humans are telling the truth about Colton and his mission to the core of Cybertron—but at the same time, he does not believe that the humans can bring any force to bear that actually endangers the planet, and orders Scarlett's team detained until the matter can be investigated.

As Scarlett's team are escorted to a cell, Marissa assures them that, for all his posturing, Starscream will take the threat seriously, if only to not look weak in front of the rest of the council. And she's right: true to form, Starscream immediately orders Ironhide to perform a security sweep of the tunnels beneath Metroplex. Windblade, meanwhile, rebuffs an offer of help from Optimus; she tires of his wartime-leader mentality, thinking he knows best for everyone, and leaves for Metroplex's brain chamber to see if he has detected Colton's team with his own sensors. Soon enough, the Autobots have verified Scarlett's story, finding Mayhem's abandoned "Outlaw" truck by a vent shaft, and they begin preparing to head in after them.

Optimus Prime visits Scarlett in her cell to apologize for the way things have shaken out. He admits that peacetime is a strange new experience for him; he is not used to his voice not being heard, or his good intentions ignored, and he thanks Scarlett for coming to Cybertron to try and save his kind despite being on the receiving end of the same dismissive treatment he is enduring. Scarlett stresses that that's not the only reason she came to Cybertron—she is primarily here for Colton. She cannot understand how the man she once knew, the man who founded G.I. Joe, who offered her a spot on it after she was deliberately denied a promotion, could be the man behind this genocidal plan, and seeks to save him from himself. Scarlett thinks she must sound foolish to Optimus... but Optimus knows a little about risking credibility and the lives of others in order to save someone long considered past redemption, and promises to fight at Scarlett's side regardless of what happens next.

As the villains draw near the access hatch that will take them out of the depths of Metroplex and on into the planet below, they are finally sighted by the Titan's internal systems, and he slows their advance by transforming the corridor around them. As Mayhem and Destro are sent sliding down a newly formed slope, Storm Shadow snags Destro with her extending limbs; Mayhem is left to fall, and thinks Storm Shadow has abandoned him on purpose, but it turns out it was because Shazraella was waiting to catch him. Meanwhile, two teams of Badgeless led by Ironhide and Sunstreaker move in to intercept them, but find their way blocked by the obstacles Colton set up: Sunstreaker's team is beset by the Red Shadows, while Ironhide's triggers the sensors Colton planted and winds up pinned down by fire from the turret-robots. Sunstreaker alone manages to fight his way through, and confronts the villains just as they are about to open the hatch leading into the planet. Despite being outnumbered, he orders them to surrender; Colton counteroffers, telling him they won't shoot if he stands down. Sunstreaker scoffs at the offer, knowing Colton's plan is planetary genocide... and Colton takes his point, and shoots him then and there. Through Metroplex's eyes, Windblade and Optimus Prime can only watch as Sunstreaker falls, and the villains escape out of the city... just as Scarlett had warned...

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in flashback.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

The Iron Ring

Others

Scarlett (14)
Roadblock (23)
Lady Jaye (25)
Tunnel Rat (30)
Rock 'n Roll (31)
Doc (32)
Spirit (33)
Agent Helix (34)
Snake Eyes (35)
Quick Kick (36)

Gloria Baker (22)
Matt Trakker (24)

Humans

Marissa Faireborn (8)

Cybertronians

Airazor (9)
Elita One (11)
Tigatron (13)
Starscream (15)
Rattrap (18)
Mistress of Flame (19)
Moonracer (20)
Knock Out (21)
Assorted Badgeless (26)

Quotes

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with the damn ninja."
"You should do so more often. It's the only time you're not insufferable."

—Miles Mayhem and Destro

"There is no scenario where [Scarlett] doesn't reach us. But it won't matter if we can keep her locked down long enough to trigger the Talisman."
"And if we don't?"
"I trip you and run."

—Joe Colton and Miles Mayhem

"Why did I ever think politics would be less violent than war?"

—Starscream

"I'm Carcerian. And we imprison Primes, not worship them."

—Elita One, to Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime: "I am Optimus Prime."
Elita One: "Is that supposed to intimidate me? I am the First of the Carcerians, and you're nothing to me beyond the 'bot who got us into this mess."
Optimus Prime: "Is that what you all have to say?"
Starscream: "Don't presume that we all feel the same as Elita One, Optimus. Some of us hate you even more than she does."

"There's no halfway with genocide."

—Sunstreaker

Notes

In addition to this 20-page main story, First Strike #4 also includes the four-page fourth chapter of an ongoing back-up strip, "The Origins of Evil," detailing how Ironblood assembled his evil allies.

Continuity notes

Reference is made to Liege Maximo's imprisonment aboard Carcer and his recent escape, which took place in Till All Are One #8. The characters speak with surprisingly open-ness about this information even among themselves; it's been established the council is keeping it a secret from the public, and until now the only 'bots shown to even have knowledge of Maximo's existence were Elita, Starscream, the Mistress, and those present to witness his escape (Windblade, Moonracer, Tigatron, Fireshot, and Obsidian).
Optimus Prime alludes to Megatron, the one "long thought past redemption" that he "risked everything to save," back in More than Meets the Eye #30.

Covers (7)

Cover A: Heroes and villains assemble, by Freddie E. Williams II and Jeremy Colwell
Cover B: Destro blasts Fat Tankor, Starscream casts his shadow over the Joes and M.A.S.K., and Windblade glowers, by Max Dunbar and Ander Zarate
Cover C: Scarlett, Roadblock, and Matt Trakker in cuffs before Optimus and Elita, by Alex Ronald
Cover D: Our heroes in technicolor action, by Rob Duenas

Yes, we know you're buying this because because of Optimus Prime.
Oh come on Destro. Can't you find anyone less cute to kill?
The Joes are gonna want a new jury.
Warning. This cover may give you epilepsy.

Retailer incentive cover A: Soundwave defends Scarlett in court, by Jay Fosgitt
Retailer incentive cover B: Optimus and Soundwave watch as Scarlett faces off with, uh, Prime Arcee by Davidé Fabbri and Monica Kubina
Retailer incentive cover C: Optimus Prime and Scarlett, by Leonardo Manco