Prelude to Infiltration

• Writer - Simon Furman
• Penciler - EJ Su
• Colorist - John Rauch
• Lettering - Tom B. Long
• Lettering - Robbie Robbins
• Editor - Chris Ryall

Summary

  At a bus station in Phoenix, Arizona, a teen runaway named Verity Carter studies a businessman whom she wants to steal from, unaware that he's also being spied on by a nearby Decepticon. After her mark falls asleep on the bus, Verity steals his PDA, then feigns sickness and gets herself dropped off. After the bus leaves, Verity begins hitchhiking for a ride, unaware that others are seeking her purloined prize...

  Verity is soon picked up by Hunter O'Nion, a social misfit who's headed out into the desert. As she teases him about searching for UFOs, they see that the bus Verity was on has been knocked off the road. The passengers recall that they were being rammed by two cars, then there was a burst of light, and then they inexplicably found themselves standing on the roadside -- minus one passenger. As the bus driver calmly explains that help is on the way, Hunter spies explosions on the horizon, and quickly leaves with Verity.

  Resuming their ride, Hunter tells Verity that he runs a web site called mechatopia.com, where he gathers evidence that Earth was secretly infiltrated by robots two years ago. Just as Verity laughs at the idea, a blinding flash fills their vision and an F-22 rattles their van with a thunderous fly-by. Verity screams that they've wandered into a military test range, but Hunter realizes that they're the target -- and pulls Verity out of the van just before it's destroyed by a missile! Panicking, Verity suggests they surrender, but Hunter points out that the jet doesn't have a pilot...

  As the blue jet banks around for a final strafe, an ambulance suddenly appears and blasts it with a roof-mounted cannon! The shock sends the attacker careening off a mesa, and Verity and Hunter get a sight of the ambulance's driver -- a smiling holographic man. In a mechanical voice, he tells them, "If you want to live, come with me..."