The Pri¢e of Life!

Shock. With the hideous fusion of Megatron and Ratchet having been retrieved from unspace and deposited before them, the only word which can describe the feelings of the assembled Autobots is shock. The unreality of the moment ends when Kup enters the room and, seeing the Megatron side of the creature, takes aim with his laser. His distraction gives Megatron an opening to belt Optimus Prime in the face, and Kup then fires on the Decepticon. Before any more damage can be done, though, Nightbeat disarms his fellow Autobot and forces him to take a second look—at Ratchet. As Nightbeat explains the situation, Kup has to question whether Ratchet would even WANT to go on living in his current condition. Before the discussion can heat up from there, "Megatron" rams through the Autobots, leaving them stunned.

As Kup gets up to pursue the creature, Optimus Prime picks up Nightbeat's side of the conversation and the two begin to debate the survival of Ratchet versus the danger of Megatron. As Ark security officer, Kup insists the creature is too much of a threat to everyone on board the longer it remains functional, and yet Optimus cannot choose to throw away his friend's life so wantonly after just getting him back, whatever his condition.

ME GRIMLOCK HATE HYDRUS FOUR!

Meanwhile, on Hydrus Four, Grimlock begins his search for the well of Nucleon. With a local mechanoid as his guide and comic-relief sidekick, Grimlock is forced to endure another round of blatant exposition until, mercifully, the "dumb guide" is chased off by one of the Hydrusian mechanoids who has been driven mad by the Nucleon. The creature is rotting away, yet somehow still capable of animation, and gives Grimlock a meager fight before it is too damaged to continue struggling.

Back on the Ark, things have gotten worse. The fusion creature has damaged Sureshot and sealed itself in the engine room, creating serious wreckage out of critical systems just as the Ark is beginning to make planetfall to meet the Decepticons for the surrender. Kup lays this all on Optimus Prime's head and goes so far as to threaten to invoke the Crisis Act and relieve him of command; after this incident and Optimus's decision to surrender the Autobots to Scorponok, Kup is sure many of the crew would back him in that action. Turning to look the other Autobots in the eyes, Prime realizes his security officer isn't half wrong. Without another word, he takes the gun offered to him by Kup and bashes his way into the engine room. When Prime's gone, Kup admits to Sureshot that he's not just more bothered about it than he let on, he's partly driven by the view that Ratchet's better off dead than suffering like this.

The fight is short-lived; despite all its power, the Megatron fusion is in constant agony and totally off-balance. Optimus Prime quickly overwhelms the entity, but as he is staring down the barrel of the gun into its optics, Prime just can't go through with the deed. He's then shocked when the creature (clearly under Ratchet's control at this point) pulls the gun back into line with itself and begs Prime to end its life.

On Hydrus Four, Grimlock is forced to deal with the second guardian of the well the same way he did the first: brutally. Reaching the island where the well of Nucleon sits, he finds the last of the three guardians, who is far more coherent and far less violent than his friends. He tells Grimlock that Nucleon is not the prize he thinks; it revitalizes mechanoids, sure, and truly doesn't affect any two the same way, but it also causes wasting depletion and utter madness. In order to satisfy his doubts, Grimlock exposes himself to the Nucleon first before his fallen Dinobots. He emerges from the well feeling magnificent and prepares to load his comrades into the energy post-haste. The little dying robot can only say, "Time will tell..."

In the Ark's medi-bay, Optimus Prime receives a prognosis on the patient(s) from Fixit. The good news is, the doctor can save Ratchet's life. The bad news is, he cannot do so without also saving Megatron; the two robots have become so tightly entwined with one another that it would be impossible to do otherwise. Under the hard stares of his fellow Autobots, Optimus tells Fixit to preserve the life of both patients...

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Others
Optimus Prime (2) Nightbeat (3) Waverider (4) Kup (5) Grimlock (6) Sureshot (9) Fixit (10) Slag (11) Snarl (12) Siren (15) Getaway (16)	Megatron/Ratchet (1) Hydrusian guide (7) First Nucleon guardian (8) Second Nucleon guardian (13) Third Nucleon guardian (14)

Quotes

"Dhhh Awabus!"
"Nuuuh -- nuuuh!"
"Yuuus!"

— the fusion-slurred rantings of Megatron and Ratchet

"Thought Earth was the pits, but this place got it beat! Me dirty, corroded, tired -- and very ticked-off! @$*#&!! Where dumb guide go now? Paid enough for him -- expect good service!"
"Ah. There you are. For the delay, much sorry. But I... erm... got lost."
"Must be mad! Remind me someone, please -- tell why I bother!"
"Oh, that is easy. You are here because up ahead is the island of Farooth, the Medi-Center and the nucleon!"
"Nnn. Give me strength..."

— Grimlock calls on all his strength to deal with the guide robot

"Defend the well!"

—First Nucleon guardian. Note the double meaning in that phrase.

"Me no taste for this! This not warrior's work--me surgeon, cutting away diseased tissue!"

—Grimlock waxes poetic as he destroys the First Nucleon Guardian

"*zzsk* Defend the well *zzsk* None must *zzsk* none must *zzsk* none must"
"Must what?! Me think your needle stuck!"
"Feed *zzsk* none must feed *zzsk* Defend!" [opens fire]
"Enough! You go defend somewhere else!"

—Nucleon guardian vs. Grimlock

"No. Be strong. Be resolute! Be merciless!
...I -- cannot! It is not my way, not the Autobot way! Matrix forgive me, but I ca-- Wha--?"

— Optimus Prime tries to coach himself into killing the Megatron-Ratchet fusion... only to find the creature begging to be killed.

Notes

Artwork and technical errors

The opening narration says “Where once there were two, now there is ome”.
In the previous issue, Grimlock took Swoop and Snarl with him. This issue shows Snarl and Slag instead. However, in "...All This and Civil War 2" Grimlock will be seen with all four Dinobots. Obviously some were just off panel this issue and the last.

Continuity errors

So why didn't anyone use the Crisis Act on Grimlock back when he was being a rubbish leader? Would Grimlock have even abided by it?

Continuity notes

Kup states there are around thirty active Autobots on the Ark, along with sixty deactivated and in stasis - almost exactly in line with the current count (see Bot Roster, below.) Since less than sixty have been confirmed as killed on-panel in events like "Dark Star", then this would seem to confirm that characters who've vanished (like the Monsterbots) should be assumed to be offline.
Despite the central focus of the last two issues, Ratchet and Megatron would not be addressed again until "The Void!".
Nightbeat outlines his theory from last issue again, explaining the events from the end of "Skin Deep".
Prime's announcement that he plans to surrender to the Decepticons also happened last issue.
Though there are still a few glitches, this issue is the closest "turning point" where the UK Earthforce Saga could reasonably break off from the standard comic timeline. Megatron is back (sort of) as well as Shockwave building a crew, the Dinobots are going to be back due to Nucleon (and Decepticons wanting to know how they dun it is key to "Two Steps Back!"), and Galvatron II has not yet committed to attacking Cybertron. We know from "The Magnificent Six!" that the attempts at allying with Scorponok, starting in the next issue, do not work out in Earthforce.

Real-life references

The subplot involving the horrific fusion of Ratchet and Megatron is strongly influenced by the classic horror movies The Fly and its remake.
- A terrible fusion accident involving teleportation is the major plot device in both movies.
- The scene where Ratchet/Megatron points Optimus' ion blaster at their head is a direct reference to the finale of the 1986 film.
- The "HELP US" on the cover is a reference to Delambe's phrase in the climax of the 1958 film.

Bot Roster

Autobots: 30 active, plus 1 fused with Megatron; 8 rogue Micromasters; 1 in storage, 31 offline, 24 presumed offline.
Decepticons: 21 active, 5 gone rogue; 25 offline, 25 presumed offline, 2 offline/missing. (78 total)

Other trivia

In the credits, over the merged Transformers, editor Rob Tokar and editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco are said to "Share One Brain".
The running theme in all of this is whether characters should be euthanised or live in suffering. While most of the Ark cast believe Ratchet and Megatron should be dead (and so do Megatron and Ratchet), Grimlock thinks this about the Nucleon victims, and the third guardian thinks it about himself, both subplots end with a character (Prime and Grimlock) rejecting the idea. Both decide they were right to do so as they can, in fact, save their comrades but have to deal with consequences as a result (saving Megatron and the later loss of transformation).
A Transformers Universe profile for Powermaster Prime is found after the main story. Roller is referred to, who is not part of Powermaster Optimus Prime.
Note in the quotes that Megatron and Ratchet can both think and talk independently to each other.

UK printing

Issue #309:

Reprint Transformers story: "The Enemy Within!"
Other strips: Machine Man - "He Lives Again" and Combat Colin
AtoZ: Thundercracker and Thrust - a full colour reprint of the AtoZ from issue #283
Free gift: A Megatron/Ratchet hybrid bookmark.
The UK #309 cover tagline is derived from "21st Century Schizoid Man", the opening song of King Crimson's 1969 prog rock opus In the Court of the Crimson King. Fittingly, the cover of the issue bears a semblance to the album's iconic cover.
With this issue the UK comic changed from a weekly to fortnightly schedule. The remaining 24 UK issues would return to the old format used on most of the UK run (from issue #27 until issue #213) of a single Transformers story and a backup strip. The remaining 24 UK issues would each contain half a US issue.
The Machine Man story was previously printed, starting way back in Issue #27

Issue #310:

Other strips: Machine Man - "He Lives Again" and Combat Colin
AtoZ: Optimus Prime (updated)
Free gift: An A2 poster by Jeff Anderson, featuring a group of Autobots and Decepticons facing up

Covers (3)

US issue #70 cover: Ratchet/Megatron fusion, by Andrew Wildman.
UK issue #309 cover: Ratchet/Megatron fusion, by Frances Farmer.
UK issue #310 cover: Grimlock tests out the nucleon, by Stewart Johnson and Robin Bouttell.

US issue #70 - Ouch.
UK issue #309 - AND he won't stop dribbling!
UK issue #310 - Tough love from Grimlock.

US

Capcom Code Name: Viper for Nintendo - inside front cover
Taito Wrath of the Black Manta for Nintendo - between pages 4 & 5
Acclaim NARC for Nintendo - between pages 5 & 6
Fleer NFL Football cards - between pages 9 & 10
Child World / Children's Palace video game HQ: Sega Genesis and Nintendo - between pages 12 & 13 (2 pages)
East Coast Comics - between pages 15 & 16
Bullpen Bulletins w/ Ultra Narrow Checklist - between pages 19 & 20
NFL Pro Set football cards - between story and Optimus Prime profile
Transmissions
Marvel subscription service
Konami Super C and Snake's Revenge for Nintendo - inside back cover
TSR AD&D books (back cover)

UK

????

Reprints

Transformers: All Fall Down TPB: Powermaster Optimus Prime, Megatron/Ratchet, Starscream, Shockwave and half of Unicron, by Andrew Wildman.
Transformers: All Fall Down BotCon exclusive cover: Powermaster Optimus Prime and Unicron, by Geoff Senior & Oliver Harud.
Transformers: All Fall Down standard HC: Bludgeon, by Howard Chaykin & Chris Blythe.
The Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman: Cybertron, by Don Figueroa.
Best of Transformers: Eye of the Storm: Optimus Prime, Ravage and Skywarp, by Andrew Wildman.

Transformers: All Fall Down TPB
(Titan Books, 2001)
Transformers: All Fall Down hardback Botcon exclusive cover
(BotCon Exclusive, 2001)
Transformers: All Fall Down hardback standard cover
(Titan Books, 2003)
The Best of Simon Furman
(IDW Publishing, 2007)
Best of Transformers: Eye of the Storm
(Titan Books, 2008)

Classic Transformers Volume 5: panels from this issue, "Deadly Obsession", "All Fall Down" and "...All This and Civil War 2".
The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6: Blitzwing, by Guido Guidi.
Transformers: The Definitive G1 Collection:Volume 18: Edge of Extinction: Grimlock, above an interior scene (issue #74) of Powermaster Optimus Prime battling the Acolytes of Unicron. Grimlock art by Guido Guidi, Retro art by Andrew Wildman (pencils) and Stephen Baskerville (inks).
Transformers: Best of Megatron: Megatron, by James Biggie.

Classic Transformers Volume 5
(IDW Publishing, 2009)
The Transformers Classics, Vol. 6
(IDW Publishing, 2013)
The Definitive G1 Collection: Volume 18: Edge of Extinction
(Hachette Partworks, 2017)
Transformers: Best of Megatron
(IDW Publishing, 2022)