The Betrayers Part 6
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| "The Betrayers Part 6" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| First published | December 3, 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | December 2009 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Chuck Dixon | ||||||||||||
| Line-art by | S.L. Gallant | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | Andrew Crossley | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Robbie Robbins | ||||||||||||
| Editor | Andy Schmidt | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | Carlos Guzman | ||||||||||||
Events come to a head in both The Pit and Section Zero, as the fates of Destro and Scarlett are decided.
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
At Section Zero, Baroness brandishes a pistol at Destro, incensed by what she insists is to be his final failure with the M.A.S.S. Device. The laird's business patter does nothing to convince her otherwise, so instead the weapons manufacturer proposes a show of loyalty. In a flash, he snatches the pistol... and shoots dead his assistant Rory! As a distraught Glynis cradles her father's body, the Baroness announces Destro has earned one more chance. Back in their quarters, Glynis flies into a rage at Destro, but the laird argues that his actions were the only way to keep his promise to Rory to protect her. When the Baroness enters, Glynis leaps at her, now blaming the woman for Rory's death, and is knocked down by a Cobra trooper. When questioned, Destro explains that three days are all he needs to salvage M.A.S.S.
In The Pit, Lab-Rat gets the auxiliary generators running, returning power to key areas. However, if full power is not restored within six hours, the facility will flood. Down below, Scarlett jolts awake as said rising water reaches her face, and after several attempts is able to jump to a ladder out of the chamber. Above, Hawk admits that the virus from Mainframe's goo may just be proof of Cobra's existence, and asks for everything that the computer specialist knows about the biological computer system and the organization operating it. Accepting at last the truth of Mainframe's conspiracy, Hawk reinstates him as a Joe with immediate effect. Elsewhere in the facility, Lifeline leads the medical team working on Snake Eyes, but is nearly choked for his troubles when the ninja attacks the medical team in a stupor.
At the bottom of The Pit, Tunnel Rat has reached the overflow area where Scarlett wound up, only to discover that she has already left. Following the ladder up out of the chamber, he finds Scarlett's stolen weapon, with a scrawled message claiming it is a "peace offering". Tunnel Rat quickly clocks that it's actually a distraction, and that the rogue Joe is nearby, but he lets her go, still grateful to her for saving his life.
At Section Zero, Destro lays out his plan to kidnap Dr. Gerald Orizama of Robillard University and use the man's expertise in particle physics to solve M.A.S.S.'s re-integration problems. The laird also has a second gift for Cobra: the approximate location of the underground facility housing the US counter-terrorist group who interdicted Nico Mandirobilis.
Meanwhile, Duke's team is still en route home, with Brainstorm continuing to fret over the implications of a teleportation device. Alarmingly, Ace reports that The Pit gone dark, meaning that their landing will be completely blind. Luckily for them, Lab-Rat finally restores full power, and in Hawk's office, the lights flick on to reveal Scarlett! Done running, the Joe admits that she had never intended to escape The Pit, and that her supervised message to Snake Eyes had actually contained a secret signal for the rogue agent to flee, unwilling to risk his life even to prove their conspiracy. As she hands herself in, Hawk reveals that to her that Snake Eyes is in the facility, and Scarlett quickly barrels into the medical center. However, she finds his bed empty - after he awoke from surgery, he was somehow able to get up and leave!
Snake Eyes has made his way to Manhattan, and approaches an old man hosing outside his shop. They acknowledge each other with a bow, and the man greets the ninja by his code name. Back at The Pit, Mainframe makes his way back to his quarters, greeted home by his old friends. Less enthusiastic is the response from his roommate Tunnel Rat, who insists that he hasn't missed Mainframe one bit!
Featured characters[edit | edit source]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes[edit | edit source]
"Just volunteer to be a test subject? And if I refuse?"
"I'll shoot you in the head. Then use you as a test subject."
- —The unfortunate test subject has his options laid out by Baroness
Notes[edit | edit source]
Continuity notes[edit | edit source]
- G.I. Joe moved against Nico Mandirobilis in issue #5. Destro also got video of The Pit's exterior in that same issue.
G.I. Joe references[edit | edit source]
- We get another glimpse at Snake Eyes' Arashikage tattoo, previously remarked upon in Origins #2.
Real life references[edit | edit source]
- A piece of equipment in the laboratory resembles R2-D2's head.
- Tunnel Rat is reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, and has a Rashomon poster.
Errors[edit | edit source]
- "Mandirobilis" as "Mandrilobus" again.
Other notes[edit | edit source]
- This issue does not feature a printed title, but the arc was titled "The Betrayers" in the solicitation text for issue #12.
- Name Watch: From "Lab Rat" to "Labrat" and now "Lab-Rat", which is the version that will stick around.
Covers (3)[edit | edit source]
- Cover A: Cobra has Destro at gunpoint, by Howard Chaykin and Edgar Delgado.
- Cover B: Snake Eyes on the operating table, by Robert Atkins and Andrew Crossley.
- Cover RI: Virgin version of Cover A.
