Editing Earthfall, Part 2

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[ROM (comic)|ROM]]'' #2
|prev=Earthfall: Part One
|next=Earthfall: Part Three
|image=ROM 2 regcvr.jpg
|caption="Come on, man, I just polished my armor."
|title="Earthfall": Part Two
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]], [[Ted Adams]]
|published in=
|date=[[August 24]], [[2016]]
|coverdate=August 2016
|written by=[[Chris Ryall]] and [[Christos Gage]]
|art by=[[David Messina]]
|inks by=[[Michele Pasta]]
|color assist by=[[Alessandra Alexakis]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[David Hedgecock]]
}}

'''As Rom begins his hunt for the Dire Wraiths on Earth, he finds that danger lurks everywhere on this new world.'''

==Synopsis==
After rescuing her from her [[Dire Wraith]]-infected family, [[Rom]] takes [[Darby Mason]] back to her home in [[Cooper's Mill]]. Darby begins to break down, wondering how much of her life was actually real. Rom comforts her, saying that while the Wraiths may have taken her family, they can never take away the love she felt for them. After calming down, Darby tries to put Rom in touch with her commanding officer, but Rom destroys her computer, warning that he may already be a Wraith. Darby asks Rom if her "father" was trying to replace her as well; Rom confirms that he tried, but was unable to, which Rom finds curious. As the two discuss what to do next, Wraith tendrils spring from Darby's computer to attack them, while outside the house is surrounded by Wraiths. Rom flies them out, converting his [[Neutralizer]] to its ultimate form in order to destroy the entire town, save for Darby's house. Darby looks on in horror, though Rom tells her it is necessary to stopping the spread of the plague that are the Dire Wraiths. 

The two fly off, with Rom needing somewhere to recharge after using so much of his Neutralizer's power. As they fly, Rom tells her that they will need other members of Earth's military to aid them in their fight... only for Darby to inform him that there is no central authority for the planet, something that surprises the Space Knight. Darby takes him to [[Blind-Eye Cave]], a secret hangout spot she and her friends had as kids. As Rom sits to relax, he expresses that when he is tired is when he feels the most human, prompting Darby to asks if he actually is a human. Rom says that, by all standards, he was. 

''Rom was born on the planet [[Elonia]], a peaceful, paradise of a world... until the Dire Wraiths invaded. To combat them, Rom joined a peacekeeping force called the [[Solstar Order]], becoming one of their elite Space Knights to protect his world and others. However, the Dire Wraiths were still able to infiltrate and destroy Elonia; the Space Knights ultimately triumphed, but at great cost. The Solstar Order have been hunting the Wraiths throughout space for the past 200 years.'' 

Rom notes, however, that the Wraiths tactics on Earth are different than their past invasions. Before he can speculate further, he senses an inhuman presence nearby, leaving Darby in the cave to go investigate.

Elsewhere, [[Scarlett]] argues with General [[Joe Colton]] about his orders to go to [[Utah]] instead of pursuing the alien exo-suited killer in Cooper's Mill. Colton insists that it is a local problem, and they need to focus their attention on a situation with global ramifications. When Scarlett says they can't just ignore the exo-suit, Colton says that they're not. He's already sent an "elite unit" to Cooper's Mill, where said finds the lone Darby Mason in Blind-Eye Cave.

Meanwhile, [[Camilla Byers]] is being pursued by a group of "Wraith Stalkers", hearing their thoughts in her head as they chase her. Before they can attack, Camilla is saved by Rom, who makes quick work of the creatures with his Neutralizer. Rom introduces himself to Camilla before spotting the Wraith-mark on her. Rom raises his Neutralizer against her, apologizing for hero infection. However, before he can fire, he is interrupted by a group of soldiers, whom his Analyzer identifies as human. The soldiers fire on Rom and Camilla wonders what kind of killer robot he is. Rom clarifies that he isn't a robot, and that he does not kill humans. Camilla is confused as to why Rom can't see what she can: there's nothing human about them! The Wraiths emerge, with a [[D'rge|Wraith Sorcerer]] binding Rom with magic as he taunts the Space Knight. Realizing his [[Energy Analyzer|Analyzer]] failed him, Rom worries that if he falls now, Earth will follow.

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.<br>
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Solstar Order|Space Knights]]|c1=
*[[Rom]] (1)
*''[[Q'b]]'' (4)
*''[[Nikomi]]'' (5)
*''[[Orphion]]'' (6)
*''[[Livia]]'' (7)
*''[[Guar]]'' (8)

|h2=[[Dire Wraith]]s|c2=
*[[Wraith Hawk]] (3)
*''[[Wraith Soldier]]s'' (9)
*''[[Wraith Sorcerer]]s'' (10)
*[[Wraith Stalker]]s (14)
*[[D'rge]] (15)

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Darby Mason]] (2)
*[[Joe Colton]] (11)
*[[Scarlett]] (12)
*[[Camilla Byers]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
"I know they're monsters, but this... It's horrible."

"Yes. And necessary. The Wraiths have '''chosen''' to embrace the dark arts. They have sacrificed all you would consider humanity for power. Think not of them as sentient beings. They are a '''plague''', to be eradicated."
:—While '''Darby Mason''' watches a Wraith horde burn, '''Rom''' justifies his extreme methods.



"What kind of a killer alien robot are you, anyway?"

"I am... neither robot... nor killer... of any human."

"Human? If I can see it, why can't you? There's nothing human about those guys!"
:—'''Camilla Byers''' meets '''Rom'''.

==Notes==
*The second half of the ''[[Revolution]]'' prelude story "[[Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders]]" is printed in the back of this issue.

===Continuity notes===
*Darby mentions that people have "started getting used to the idea of alien robots", referring to the events of season 2 of the [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|''Robots in Disguise''/''The Transformers'']] series.
*Rom's memories show several of his fellow Space Knights, most of whom would be named in the [[Cold Fire|2017 ''ROM'' Annual]].
*While the last issue ended with G.I. Joe arriving to deal with Rom, this issue sees Joe Colton ordering Scarlett to deal with a more pressing situation in Utah, leading into their appearance in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].

===Errors===
*The major characters list refers to the [[Earth Defense Command]] as the "Earth Defense Corps".
*One of the Solstar Order personnel seen in Rom's memories seems to have been drawn as a Dire Wraith.

===Trivia===
*The space vehicles seen in Rom's flashback of [[Elonia]] are reused models from IDW's [[Wikia:c:memorybeta:Khan (comic)|''Star Trek: Khan'']] mini-series.

===Covers (5)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Close-up of Rom's face, reflecting a soldier firing on him, by [[Zach Howard]] and [[Nelson Daniel]]
*'''Subscription cover A:''' Rom holds the Earth and the Moon in his hands, by [[Mike Allred]] and [[Laura Allred]].
*'''Subscription cover B:''' Rom lands on an alien planet, by [[Bob Layton]] and [[Mike Cavallero]].
*'''Subscription cover C:''' Modern Rom action figure, by [[Adam Riches]].
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Photo of the Mighty Muggs Rom vinyl figure, by [[Jack Rivera]].

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Earthfall: Part 2}}
[[Category:ROM issues]]