Infestation

• Writer - Brad Mick
• Writer - Adam Patyk
• Penciler - Don Figueroa
• Inker - Elaine To
• Colorist - Espen Grundet Jern
• Colorist - Jong-Im Lee
• Lettering - Ben Lee

Summary

  In an abandoned movie theater in the small city of San Desto, the movie "Enter the Nightbird" plays as two soldiers search the building. After some horsing around, the two separate, and one is jabbed in the back of his neck with a cerebro-shell. The other soldier finds him a minute later in a zombified state, but falls victim to the same trap...

  At Area 51 in Nevada, Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe listen to an audio recording of the encounter. The base serves as headquarters for Earth Defense Command, led by Commander Marissa Fairborne (see issue #4), who explains that San Desto is emitting a strange Cybertronian energy signature. Jazz interrupts, thanking the EDC for their repairs, but demands more information before they can help. After taunting him a bit, Marissa takes the Autobots through decontamination, then leads them to the other Autobots still being repaired. After rejoining Warpath and Bumper, Jazz asks Warpath to stay behind while he leads the others to investigate San Desto.

  Meanwhile, at the Decepticon Nemesis, Rumble and Frenzy are shooting fish in a barrel when Starscream returns. Frenzy tries a stalling action, but Starscream swats him aside and confronts Soundwave, who quickly kills a video conference. With unrestrained impatience, Starscream demands an update on what's happened since his absence...

  Back at Area 51, the Autobots are being briefed on the San Desto mission when Sideswipe sees a strange robot on a nearby monitor. He calls Sunstreaker to check, but the image is gone a second later. Later that evening, Marissa's EDC forces and Jazz's Autobots parachute into San Desto under cover of darkness. It is quickly apparent that the city is deserted; Jazz and Marissa begindispensing search orders, unaware that they're all being watched...

  While Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are investigating energy readings, Bumper leads a squad of EDC soldiers in investigating an empty movie theater, and Jazz and Marissa check an abandoned hospital. A scream suddenly cuts through the night, and everyone converges on the theater. As two EDC soldier stammer about being ambushed, Sunstreaker notices some organic slime covering them. Disinterested, Sideswipe charges into the theater for some action, and Sunstreaker follows a moment later.

  Before Jazz and Marissa can decide on a course of action, the ground around them rumbles and erupts -- disgorging a swarm of Insecticons all around them!