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Guión: | Bob Budiansky |
| Dibujo: | Don Perlin | |
| Entintado: | Ian Akin & Brian Garvey | |
| Letra: | Janice Chiang | |
| Color: | Nel Yomtov | |
| 23 páginas |
Resumen:
Ethan Zachary is an employee of Energy Futures Industries, a whiz kid working on the hydrothermocline energy generator in the day. One night, he stays late to play a game called Multi-World on the company computer. When a co-worker asks about the game, he teaches her the secret command -- "afterdeath" -- that resurrects dead game characters. Unknown to them, over the power plant is an eavesdropping helicopter.
At the Ark, Wheeljack removes the cerebro-shell that was planted in Optimus Prime's brain (issue #22). Wheeljack modifies the shell, allowing Optimus to eavesdrop on Megatron as he orders the Combaticons to prepare for a raid.
That night, Megatron and the Combaticons attack Energy Futures Industries' plant to steal the hydrothermocline. Instead of human guards, however, they run into Optimus Prime and the Protectobots. Both sides are equally matched, and Optimus points out that a fight would result in the destruction of the plant and the hydrothermocline. Ethan tries to escape, but is captured by Bruticus.
Ethan suggests that the Autobots and the Decepticons can fight each other inside the Multi-World game. To win, one side has to destroy the other's leader, and the Decepticons get the hydrothermocline if they win. Megatron adds an extra rule: that the losing leader is also destroyed in real life. After everyone agrees -- and Optimus and Megatron are wired to self-destruct controls -- the game begins.
Despite the strange obstacles of Multi-World, the Autobots slowly win, aided by the game's inhabitants that they befriended. While standing against Optimus and Defensor, Megatron learns from Vortex that the command "afterdeath" lets him cheat. When Megatron falls to his death in the game, he resurrects himself and ambushes Optimus. Though confused, Optimus still manages to kill Megatron -- along with some of the game's innocents.
After Multi-World ends, Optimus Prime rebukes himself for killing innocents in the game. He orders Ethan to spare Megatron and destroy himself instead, and Ethan reluctantly obeys. The victorious Decepticons leave with the hydrothermocline, while Ethan saves a floppy disk that contains Optimus Prime's game character.
No se explica como Megatron da vida a los Combaticons. Es de suponer que lo realiza con el mismo método que utilizó con los Stunticons, por ejemplo cuando Optimus Prime creara a los Protectobots, ya que sino implicaría que Megatron tendría una copia del programa de la Matriz Creativa, y a partir de entonces él también sería capaz de dar vida.
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