Another Time and Place

Grimlock returns to Hydrus Four, seeking a cure for the curse of Nucleon.

Published in: Transformers Annual 1992

Writer: Simon Furman
Pencils: Staz
Inks: Lesley Dalton
Colouring: Caroline Steeden

• Characters: Optimus Prime, Prowl, Grimlock, Swoop, Sludge, Slag, Snarl, Bludgeon, Dreadwind, Fangry, Megatron, Quake, Stranglehold, Octopunch, Nightbeat, Springer, Ironhide, Blaster, Roadhandler, Crankcase, Silverbolt, Air Raid, Skydive, Tote.

• Originally published: July 1991
• Format: Text (prose) story with illustrations

Synopsis

Note: This story follows the events of the mainline comic story End of the Road!.

Part One

Far in the future Optimus Prime remembers the events that led to the end of the war...

Optimus Prime stands, depressed, looking out onto Cybertron. As Prowl, watching him, reflects, Prime had lost his ability to transform shortly after the Last Autobot had reconstructed him from Hi-Q's body, a result of HiQ's being "soaked" with Nucleon when he accelerated Grimlock's reconstruction. Of the "Nucleon generation" - those revived by Grimlock with Nucleon, plus Prime and Grimlock himself - Prowl was one of the few still able to transform, while the ashamed Grimlock had gone into hiding and most others, like Prime, were depressed and felt emasculated by the handicap.

Prowl interrupts Prime's thoughts to inform him that Grimlock had gone, and, after being shocked by a curt response, tells him that Grimlock was going to Hydrus Four, the Nucleon source. Prime is briefly shocked, but tells Prowl he "doesn't know" what to do.

Meanwhile, upon Grimlock's landing on Hydrus Four with the rest of the Dinobots - of whom only Slag was still able to transform - they get into a fight with a native monster, and Grimlock is almost killed by futilely trying to transform at a vital moment, before recklessly killing the beast. He then thinks of how he had heard a rumour of a cure for Nucleon's effects on the planet, but volunteers were needed to test it. Having told Prime, who had in turn told him not to go despite clearly wanting to due to the risk of Decepticons following them and reviving deactivated 'Cons, he proceeded to go anyway, out of hatred for what he had caused and become as a result of Nucleon.

Shortly after, the Dinobots are beaten and captured by Bludgeon, Dreadwind and Fangry; who plan to revive Megatron.

Part Two

Grimlock awakens, badly beaten and strung up on chains, to find himself in the midst of a Decepticon grouping chanting Megatron's name, and with the rest of the Dinobots in no better shape. When Bludgeon notices his return to consciousness and tells him of his grand plan to revive Megatron, Grimlock manages a yawn, but is emotionally crushed further when Bludgeon laughs the reaction off.

Meanwhile, Prowl is shocked and embarrassed when Optimus Prime apologizes for his actions earlier, and reveals he had put together an assault team and medical crew since their talk, and humbly asks that he joins them.

The assault succeeds, and Grimlock discovers that the new version of Nucleon indeed allows him to transform once more. Ultimately, Swoop kills Bludgeon, and Grimlock and Optimus Prime team up to rip the half-alive Megatron in half.

And that was the end. But Optimus Prime has now heard of a new generation of Decepticons. Truly it never ends!

Items of note

• The framing sequence of "Another Time and Place" is set millennia in the future, essentially forming the original conclusion of (or coda to) the Marvel US Transformers comic.

• The storyline serves to restore the transformation ability of those turned into "Action Masters" (a term never used in the comics at any point).

• Prime speaks of "a new, more powerful breed of Decepticons" gathering, an idea that would be explored in the Generation 2 book. However the events of the story make it entirely incompatible with the Generation 2 comic.
  • On the other hand, this new breed of Decepticons in not referred to by name. Optimus Prime thinks back to this point in time because it seemed like the end of the war at the time but it wasn't. The Transformers could have still pursued being Action Masters now that they had the means to revert to their original bodies thanks to acquiring new nucleon. Therefore, this story could still take place in the Marvel comic continuity.

• In the Timelines prose story "Withered Hope", TransTech Rhinox makes a reference to this story as a "universal stream" (catalogued as "Primax 1291.0 Zeta") that had been destroyed by a rogue splinter timeline. The story is never outright named, but translating the catalog code (see link above) points to "Another Time and Place".

External links

• Another Time and Place online @ NTFA.net