Epilogue Two

As one door closes, another door opens.

Synopsis

There is not one universe, but many, in a multiverse. Millions of universe orbiting around one another...and in the center on one Cybertron is Axiom Nexus, a city home to the super-advanced TransTech. They were once stewards of the multiverse...but they are no longer its protectors, with the Shroud cutting them off from the rest of the multiverse. But, with their door having been closed, another one now opens...

Rhinox shuts down the last of the monitors observing the multiverse, sorrowfully noting that after millions of years, they're no longer able to show them much of anything. As Heinrad and Thrustinator warp off to parts unknown, Rhinox presses one last button, and says goodbye...

...And on the flipside, in a negative-polarity universe with an Axiom Nexus of its own, Airazor and Rhinox succeed in opening a window in the multiverse for the first time, proving their theories. Rhinox vows to observe this multiverse first hand, refusing to limit himself to simple monitor duty. The two are interrupted, however, when High Chancellor Megatron, wary of Rhinox's ambition, enters the room. Airazor explains to the High Chancellor how, before, they believe they were the only universe in existence, but now they have undeniable proof; some sort of veil has lifted them, showing them many worlds to...explore. Astonished by the multiverse's beauty, Megatron tells them to begin recording these universes...

...and in one of these, the heroic Decepticon Starscream reports to his leader, Megatron, that Nightbird is no Autobot plaything, but a robot invented by Doctor Fujiyama the Infamous Scientist to steal the World Energy Chip the Decepticons were entrusted with. Megatron consults with Mr. Xamot, who assures Megatron that America's highly-trained, special mission force, Cobra, will be there to help the Decepticon against the Autobots and anyone else who threatens Earth!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Notes

• Characters mentioned include: Doctor Fujiyama the Infamous Scientist, Lt. Cisarovna, and General Kessler.

Continuity notes

• The TransTech were cut off from the multiverse when Nexus Prime strengthened the multiversal walls with the Star Saber and the Terminus Blade in "Out of the One, Many", resulting in the Shroud. The effects were seen in the various TransTech Facebook pages posted through the latter quarter of 2015 and the first half of 2016. Both Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist and Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter noted that TransTech Megatron did manage to open a hole back into the multiverse-but only powerful enough for limited observation, and as such, Rhinox shuts down the screens. This story happens concurrently with posts on the Rook and Andromeda pages on the last day of 2016, where a confused Waspinator, believing that the monitors going black meant that the universes were being destroyed, reported it to the infonet, causing mass panic.
• Heinrad and Thrustinator are seen heading off; Thrustinator was mentioned as meeting with the Spy Changers of Primax 085.0 Eta to inform them of their Megatron's alliance with Cy-Kill and Magmar, as seen in Transformers: Renegade Rhetoric, presumably placing that after this story. Evidently, Thrustinator still has access to the multiverse.
• The existence of a "Shattered Multiverse" was hinted at in "Coalescence".

Transformers references

• The text box recounting the origins of the TransTech is done in homage to the text box published at the top of the first page of every issue of Marvel's The Transformers comic.
• Shattered Glass TransTech Airazor is based directly on unused 1996 concept art for an unknown character from an unknown line, uncovered by Fun Publications staff. Shattered Glass TransTech Rhinox shares his body with his positive-universe counterpart, but in the colors of Armada Rhinox. Megatron, too, shares his positive-universe counterpart's body, but in the colors of an alternate red-and-white color scheme seen on the Transtech Megatron concept art, rather that the green and red color scheme that was chosen to be used for TransTech Megatron's appearances.
• Shattered Glass TransTech Megatron is the High Chancellor of Cybertron; in the positive TransTech universe, Optimus Prime is High Chancellor, with Megatron serving as High Commander.
• The worlds displayed in the holograms are all Shattered Glass versions of main continuities, alongside the original Shattered Glass universe. Accompanying them are identifiers that resemble truncated versions of the familiar universal stream designations. They're formatted as "Cybertron -[x]" with the first letter of the cluster name, the first letter of the universe type (described with a Greek letter), and the year component of the numerical part. These universes include:
  • "Cybertron -MA07": the Shattered Glass Animated universe featuring Shattered Glass Animated Bumblebee, who first appeared with several other characters on the BotCon 2011 lithograph "The 'Cons" before going on to appear in various other pieces of ancillary media, based on concepts for Transformers Animated season 4. Notably, rather than using the numbers from the universal stream given to it previously—Malgus -411.27 Zeta—it's based on the positive universe's numerical designation, Malgus 1207.26 Alpha.
  • "Cybertron -AA02": a Shattered Glass version of the "Unicron Trilogy" cartoons: Transformers: Armada, Transformers: Energon, and Transformers: Cybertron. An image of a Shattered Glass version of Cybertron Optimus Prime illustrates it, based on his positive universe counterpart in the colors of the original Shattered Glass Optimus Prime.
  • "Cybertron -PG05": a Shattered Glass version the 2005 IDW comics continuity. Illustrating the universe is a Shattered Glass version of IDW Rodimus in the original Shattered Glass Rodimus colors—though without a goatee.
  • "Cybertron -PE08": the original Shattered Glass universe. Cyclonus and Tailgate illustrate the image, in homage to their positive-universe counterparts' relationship in the 2005 IDW comic continuity. Tailgate is depicted as being repurposed from the Transformers Figure Subscription Service Nightracer toy, as he was in "Coalescence".
  • "Cybertron -PA84": a Shattered Glass version of the Sunbow The Transformers cartoon, which the TransTech choose to record.
• Shattered Glass TransTech Megatron lets out a "yes," much like Beast Wars Megatron.
• The Starscream seen in Cybertron -PA84 is in his (then-unseen) Transformers Figure Subscription Service 5.0 body. Megatron is based on his positive-universe counterpart's early character model design (used in the first two issues of the Marvel comic), with the colors of the original Shattered Glass Megatron. Soundwave is based on Combiner Wars Onslaught, with the colors, shoulder cannon, and head of the original Shattered Glass Soundwave, the colors themselves taken from the Music Label Sonic White Soundwave. Thundercracker and Skywarp are both "virtual" redecos of Starscream (who was redecoed from the Unite Warriors Starscream toy), with Thundercracker in the Action Master colors of his positive-universe counterpart (as was the original Shattered Glass Thundercracker), and Skywarp in the colors of the Cybertron incarnation of the character. Bombshell is based on his positive-universe counterpart’s Combiner Wars toy in the colors of Collector's Edition Salvo (who the orignial Shattered Glass Bombshell was repurposed from). Nightbird is based on her positive-universe counterpart, with the colors of Combiner Wars Autobot Dust Up, whose head is very similar to Nightbird's.
• The scene of the Shattered Glass "Sunbow" universe is a mirror of the original The Transformers cartoon episode, "Enter the Nightbird". Starscream notes that Doctor Fujiyama (who is specifically namedropped as Doctor Fujiyama the Infamous Scientist; the positive universe Fujiyama was referred to by Cliffjumper as Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist) designed Nightbird to steal the World Energy Chip from the Decepticons. In "Enter the Nightbird", the Decepticons stole Nightbird from Fujiyama, and reprogrammed her to steal the World Energy Chip from the Autobots.

G.I. Joe references

• Xamot was previously in the "Adventure Team: Shattered Glass" storyline published in the G.I. Joe Collectors' Club Magazine from chapters 37 to 50 of The Adventure Team Chronicles. There, the Shattered Glass world was the result of a time travel accident, but this version of the character is one that more closely resembles the Transformers model of a mirror universe.
• The Sunbow cartoons for both The Transformers and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero were indicated to take place in the same world by a variety of easter eggs, and the same holds true here.
• The original version of Shattered Glass Xamot, as seen in The Adventure Team Chronicles, had dissociative identity disorder, with his alter being a "twin brother" named Tomax. Whether or not this holds true for this incarnation is unclear. The positive-universe Xamot had a scar on his right cheek, while this Xamot has one on his left.
• Xamot mentions talking to Lieutenant Cisarovna, a mirror version of the Baroness, and General Kessler, who must be either a counterpart of Billy Kessler or his father, Cobra Commander. If he is a mirror of Billy, his being a general could also be a homage to General Flagg, Jr, son of the original General Flagg.
• Cobra is "America's highly-trained special mission force", i.e. what G.I. Joe was according to the intro of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon.

Real-world references

• The use of "Cybertron" in the universal stream designations calls to mind how, in both the DC and Marvel Comics multiversal system, each universe is designated as Earth [X].

Errors

• In the top text recounting the story of the TransTech, the second "the" in the sentence "this is the home of the TransTech" is misspelled as "he".

Other trivia

• This comic serves as an advertisement for the Shattered Glass Starscream toy from the Transformers Figure Subscription Service 5.0, and the Shattered Glass Xamot toy from the G.I. Joe Figure Subscription Service 5.0.
• This two-page minicomic was released as bonus content at the end of the Diamond edition of G.I. Joe vs. Cobra issue #9, "Project: Downfall", Fun Publications' GIJoeCon 2016 comic. Its odd name is a reference to the TransTech-focused epilogue to Of Masters and Mayhem, the final comic arc to run in the Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club magazine.
• The image of Cybertron on Shattered Glass TransTech Rhinox's screen is taken from "Cybertron's Most Wanted", with lineart by Matt Frank and colors by Thomas Deer and Wade Alexander.

Covers

• G.I. Joe vs. Cobra issue #9 Diamond Edition cover: Cobra Commander holding aloft the JoeCon 2016 toys by the parachutes they're attached to. Pencils and inks by Dan Khanna, colors by Jesse Wittenrich.