Summary: Inside the Ark, the Autobots, Joes and Cobras are being shook by tremors caused by Project Alpha as it starts working on the Decepticons' plan to turn the Earth into a giant energy ball. We get a lot of exposition from Omega Supreme and Blaster that basically fills us in on the stuff from the last three issues as the Cobras try to keep from being squished, lest an Autobot fall on them and the Joes are grumping about being stuck working with Cobra.

The Joes, Cobra and the Autobots try to come up with a plan for what to do. Blaster worries that Alpha, modified by the Decepticons, may now be sentient. Serpentor says that sentient or not, Alpha must be destroyed. They don't have time to argue about the finer points, since Alpha is already creating quakes and tremors.

Blaster says that the Autobots suspected that Alpha was a threat, but they had no idea it would become one so quickly. We get a bit more exposition a bout what Alpha is, how it's been changed and why it's now dangerous.

Shockwave gloats about the coming destruction of Earth and tells Bombshell to get rid of Dr. Mindbender, who he finds transmitting data on Alpha to someone, probably Serpentor.

Bombshell tells Mindbender that he's there to kill him. "IT is time for you to meet your manufacturer, Dr. Mindbender." Instead of simply blasting "Mindy" as Bombshell calls him, he figures he'll plunk him with a cerebro-shell and order him to rip out his own limbs for Bombshell's amusement.

Before he can do so, someone off panel blasts him. A second blast forces Bombshell to revert to his insect mode, leaving him the size of a real-life weevil. The Baroness is revealed as Mindbender's savior. Serpentor sent her to bring Mindbender to Ft. Lewis, where the Joes are stationed. They're allies for now, she tells Mindbender, but this crisis will also give them the chance to see the Joes' inner workings.

At Fort Lewis, Mainframe shows off the repair job he and Crankcase did on Bumblebee to Scarlett and Snake-Eyes. he's very proud of the work he's done (understandably so, considering that despite his looking like a VW Bug, Bumblebee is a sophisticated piece of alien technology).

As they're talking, Ratchet arrives, having been given clearance to the lab areas. He introduces himself and asks for Mainframe who introduces himself and the others. Ratchet asks after Bumblebee, wanting to examine his remains. Mainframe apologizes for the attack, saying that Blackrock explained about the Transformers and that what he didn't fill in, Bumblebee did.

Ratchet is surprised and pleased that Bumblebee is still alive. Mainframe shows off his handiwork and asks Ratchet to take over for him and finish the job. Ratchet agrees.

Cobra arrives on the scene in the form of the Baroness and Dr. Mindbender. Mindbender notes that the Joes can barely disguise their disgust and hatred for the Cobras. He figures that he can't really blame them, considering the rotten stuff he's done to them. Especially Snake-eyes (see GI Joe Yearbook #3).

Mindbender's brought Bombshell back with him. Mainframe figures they should do what they can to be ready and walks over and starts poking at the cerebro-shell taken out of Anthony Duranti. The poking causes Bombshell to transform from bug to larger bug to robot form and back again.

In Washington, Hawk is still brooding about Senator Larkin. AS he walks into the Pentagon, two officers beckon him over to a view screen. We're told again that Alpha's operations will destroy the earth (WE GET IT ALREADY!).

Hawk confers with Serpentor and Blaster via radio-view screen. Serpentor suggests destroying Alpha in a sneak attack. Hawk says he doesn't like the idea of being a 'snake in the grass' but that he does see the potential value in the plan. Blaster still fears that Alpha may be sentient.

Serpentor's plan is as follows: send a small force in to plant explosives on Alpha while a second, larger force serves as a distraction for the Decepticons. Once the explosives are planted, Alpha can be detonated via remote.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Mainframe finish the repairs to Bumblebee. Mindbender asks why they are working on something so frivolous, considering the urgency of the situation. Ratchet tells Mindbender that Bumblebee is his friend and besides, the work is now done.

Bumblebee, apprehensive at first when Ratchet mentions that changes have been made, is very pleased with his new body and takes on a new, more dignified, name: "Goldbug".

Just as Mindbender and Mainframe are about to start squabbling, Hawk calls in and passes on word of the plan: Scarlett and the Baroness are going to be sent in to plant the explosives on Alpha. Goldbug will accompany them.

Meanwhile, the combined aerial forces of GI Joe, Cobra and the Autobots will launch a frontal assault on the Decepticons' headquarters, serving as a distraction.

When the combined forces attack, Shockwave sends out the Decepticon jets (Starscream, Thundercracker, Ramjet, Skywarp, etc.) and Laserbeak to meet them. He also has the Constructicons merge into their gestalt mode, Devastator.

Scarlett, the Baroness and Goldbug drive for the San Andréa's fault, where they will meet up with Alpha. The Baroness throws a hissy because Goldbug isn't driving fast enough for her tastes. Luckily, Alpha begins its descent and they can prepare to plant the bombs.

Mainframe, Ratchet and Mindbender realize that they might be able to control Alpha via Bombshell's cerebro-shell if they use Mindbender's "cybernetic helmet".

Superion fights with Devastator during the Joe/Cobra/Autobot vs. Decepticon battle. Ace marvels at the scope of the fight. As the fight continues, the two gestalts continue to duke it out, leaving the Deceptijets for the human pilots. Serpentor takes out Ramjet. The tide begins to turn, the Decepticons are falling to the combined forces amassed against them.

Shockwave still believes that the Decepticons will be victorious (showing that he's just as delusional as Megatron can be).

Goldbug, the Baroness and Scarlett arrive at Alpha. The two women prepare to scale the station and plant their explosives. Scarlett notices that Alpha is releasing a dangerous amount of energy.

The two of them plant the explosives and Scarlett radios Hawk that Phase One is complete.

Mindbender takes control of Alpha, shutting down its destructive links and it's other systems. The final stage is in motion. Alpha blasts off. It'll now detonate once it safely reaches orbit. Scarlett turns on the Baroness, that wasn't part of the deal. The Joes and the Autobots did not agree to this part of the plan. The Baroness shakes Scarlett off, telling her that the threat is now over and the alliance is off.

Tony Duranti sees Alpha detonate and runs in to tell his mother. Superion blows Devastator's gestalt coupling and breaks the gestalt into its component parts.

The Baroness radios Serpentor that Alpha is destroyed. She tells him that she'll be meeting up with Zarana to take care of one more loose end. Since the alliance is now no longer profitable, Serpentor orders the Cobra forces to leave. Blaster tells the Joes that they to can leave. He wonders how the Autobots can ever trust the humans, since they weren't consulted about the destruction of Alpha.

The Decepticons retreat, since we're 21 pages in to the story and this is the last issue. Mindbender skulks off. Hawk watches as Larkin is being led to the car he's standing in front of. Apparently, she's being taken into custody for her deal with Cobra, not to mention lying to Congress and all that. As she's walking toward him, we get a sniper's eye view of her right before she's shot and killed on the Baroness's orders.

Tony tries to persuade his mom that he really did see Alpha blow up, but she doesn't believe him. Still, she's glad that he's his old self again.

Hawk visits Larkin's gravesite an unknown time later.

"Why did it have to end this way, Barbara. I know you made some mistakes -- fell victim to some misguided notions -- but I also know in your own way, you were trying to help people. I know you never meant for any harm to come to anyone -- especially to me!

"You didn't mean for anyone to get hurt.

"Somehow, it didn't' work out, Barbara, because this is painful...Because I love you.

"Rest in peace."

With that, the last panel shows Hawk kissing the rose he brought to lay on Larkin's grave, a tear running down his face.

FINIS.

Commentary: And the day is saved! Thanks to…The BARONESS?! What the heck? Yes, yes, Scarlett helped plant the bombs, but let's face it, The Baroness is the one who programmed the timers and more or less cut off any arguments about whether or not Alpha was sentient by simply taking Alpha out of the equation. The world is now safe from the possible threat, though I don't think Cobra did it out of any altruistic sense of "Let's save the world" so much as they did it out of a sense of "If we can't have it, nobody can!"

On the whole, I think this miniseries would have been better if it had lasted longer and given us a chance to see some of the plot points develop more fully, instead of having things whip past us at a breakneck speed. Things like, how did Mainframe get the cerebro-shell? How did the government figure out what Larkin was up to?

It would also have been nice to have gotten more closure on the Transformer side of the ending. Sure, the humans get things wrapped up fairly nicely: Cobra goes back to fighting the Joes, Hawk mourns his lady-love, and Tony Duranti is back to normal. But, other than the Autobot/Decepticon war continuing ad nauseum, we have no idea what happens to the Cybertronians.

Then again, anything else might have paved the way for the series to continue and that just wasn't in the cards. This was meant to be a one-shot deal.

Which is yet another reason why it should have taken place entirely outside regular continuities, since otherwise it causes a problem similar to the one I brought up in the commentary for issue #1: "Why is it there's no more mention of the Transformers in the GI Joe universe (well, except for when they reappear temporarily in the 140s)?" I mean, c'mon! I can believe that Transformers like Goldbug/Bumblebee or Ravage and Laserbeak could go unnoticed, since they're fairly small, but what about gestalt teams like Devastator and Superion? They're frickin' enormous, someone would be BOUND to have noticed them rooting around somewhere on the planet. But no, when we get back to the regular Joe/Transformers continuity, it's like this miniseries never happened. Which wouldn't be so bad, except that the miniseries refers to the regular continuities of both series repeatedly. It's almost as if the writer was trying to have things both ways: just enough new stuff to be separate, but just enough old to be tied back into regular runs if necessary. Annoying, that is. Especially when the story jumps because the regular continuity changed (Optimus Prime 'died', Cobra Commander disappeared, not to mention that Destro appears in the same issue that refers to #55, an issue that Destro appears in with Cobra Commander. One that has him, as I recall, leaving Cobra temporarily and returning to Scotland. AUUGH! WHERE IS THIS SERIES?! *sob*

On the whole, though, I don't think this series is nearly as bad as its reputation makes it out to be. Choppy in places, yes. Could have been smoothed over and fitted into the other two series better, definitely. Not a patch on the current Devil's Due crossover, most certainly. But where this story works: Larkin's motivations, the bits with Tony Duranti, the scheme to destroy Alpha, it works very well. And it has a lot more depth to it than I thought it did. The fact that it's COBRA rather than the Joes who try to ally with the Autobots to stop the Decepticons just comes out of left field, but it works within the parameters of the storyline.

If you get the chance, check it out. The issues are fairly cheap and if you're lucky, you might find the trade paperback edition from 1993.