IDW - Micronauts #9

Written by: Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston

Art by: Max Dunbar

Colours by: Ander Zarate

Letters by: Tom B Long

Editor: David Hedgecock

Assistant Editor: David Mariotte

Publisher: Ted Adams

Plot

The staff at the holding facility are being shouted down by their commander, who learns that they can locate the Micronauts, due to their ship leaving an Argon trail behind them. Commander Klain then contacts his boss, Miles Mayhem, who orders him to capture the Micronauts ALIVE.

At the Microspace settlement, the Micronauts are shocked to find that the guys with the guns, are actually friendly, and are greeted by the Time Traveler inside his Casket, he reiterates that they were expected, and escorts them to the great hall for a feast. Oz contacts Microtron, and informs him of the change in situation, and allows him to continue repairs to the Heliopolis.

In the great hall, the Traveler explains that the walls are inscribed with the history of Microspace, and that they themselves are from the future, having escaped the end of Microspace with the Kronus, and that they travelled in time with them by accident, landing on Earth 1000 years ago, and were unable to leave, due to his energies being badly depleted. The Micronauts are a bit distraught, as this implies that they'll fail in their mission of saving Microspace, but the Traveler corrects them, explaining that time can be changed, and this was just one possibility.

Later, the Traveler explains that the Micronauts can return to Microspace without a Spacebridge, but will need to locate one of the dangerous interdimensional portals located on Earth, meaning they can continue their research on the Entropy Cloud before they leave.

The human soldiers locate the settlement, and start an attack on it, whilst capturing as many of the Kronus as they can for Mayhem's experiments. The Micronauts start processes to evacuate the city, and take as many Kronus as they can. Oz tries to head back to the great hall to preserve the historical records, but the Traveler tries to explain that it is pointless.

Klain throws a grenade towards Oz and the Traveler, causing the casket around him to shatter, and injuring Oz. Oz is shocked, as he didn't think a Time Traveler could ever die, when the mask inside starts talking to him, asking him to recover it. It explains that it is the Enerchanged form of the Traveler and the Casket itself, and that the Casket was the only thing keeping the time-displaced Kronus alive. Klain grabs Oz, and plans to take him in, but Acroyear slices off the human's fingers, and rescues Oz and the Mask, taking them back to the Heliopolis, as they escape.

On the ship, Oz learns that the Kronus all turned to dust, and faded from history as soon as the Casket was destroyed, and mourns for them. Larissa is distraught over all the pain they've suffered since arriving on Earth, and storms off. However, the Mask gives Oz another disturbing warning, an Earthwar is coming....

Characters

Micronaut

Oziron Rael

Larissa

Phenolo-Phi

Biotron

Microtron

Acroyear

Other Microspace Denizens

Time Casket Destroyed by Klain's Grenade, turned into Time Mask

Time Mask

Kronus All killed when Time Casket was destroyed

The Time Travelers (Mentioned)

Human

Commander Klain

Agent Hillenbrand

Omega Team

Holding Facility Staff

Miles Mayhem (On Holo-Communicator)

Notes

• Miles Mayhem is revealed to be in charge of the holding facility that abducted the Micronauts
• Turns out I mis-identified the insectoid Microspace denizens last issue, they are Kronus.
• The Time Casket's speech bubble has been recoloured to the normal white, making him not seem like a robot now!
• According to the Time Casket, Kronus will be the last planet to be destroyed by the Entropy Cloud.
• It's not clear yet, but the Casket's comments on how they travelled for at least a millennium (1000 years) and in reverse time, and they arrived on Earth 1000 years ago, it seems likely that the death of Microspace is coming soon.
• Amongst the many interdimensional portals glimpsed by the Casket are some random Earth artefacts and structures, as well as the Obelisk, currently being fought over in Revolutionaries, a series that the Micronauts are due to appear in the next issue of...hmmmm.....
• The insectoid appearances of the Kronus are due to them Enerchanging with some local insects upon arrival on Earth...not sure where they got their tiny guns from though....
• The Micronauts learn that the "giants" are known as Humans here.