| Storyline |
Several
of Darkseid's minions arrived in Gotham City via
BoomTube. Superman and Lightray (who was there to
warn Earth of the invasion) were there to greet
them. They were victorious and the demons fled back
to Apokolips. One was left behind with no way to
return.
Five and a half months later, Metron landed on a
desolate planet in his Mobius Chair. Darkseid's
techno-chiefs captured him. Darkseid realized he
needed more than what he had to continue his quest.
He needed heroes.
A week later, Batman went undercover to find out
who - or what - was causing people to disappear
in a specific neighborhood in Gotham City. He heard
a noise from a manhole and went into the sewer to
investigate. He followed tracks to the abductor's
hideout. There, he found alien items and the remains
of several partially eaten people, including one
of a missing cop. The demon returned; Batman surprised
him. Batman, when the creature didn't stop, was
forced to shoot him with his own weapon. As he died,
he said "Darkseid." He returned with Gordon
and a group of officers: the alien was missing and
so was the body of the cop he'd seen.
A week later, an ambassador from New Genesis, Lonar,
gathered some of Earths heroes: Martian Manhunter,
Starfire, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern (John
Stewart), and Jason Blood. He took them to Highfather.
On New Genesis, they were told a truce had been
formed between their planet and Apokolips. The heroes
were told of an ancient war between two races. After
over a century of fighting, one side developed what
was called the "anti-life equation." They
went to use their new weapon, but it instead destroyed
their own planet. A darkness emerged, destroying
suns. Though it appeared the entire universe would
be destroyed, the darkness simply retreated inward
and reduced its size to that of dust. New Genesis
and Apokolips survived, but were tossed back into
stone ages.
Metron had gained the knowledge of the anti-life
equation and had become catatonic due to its nature.
J'onn J'onzz touched Metron's mind to find out what
had happened. He'd finished the equation, but tweaked
it so that he could better observe and understand
it. He unleashed it on an uninhabited section of
space and was thrown into another dimension. He
realized the anti-life equation's darkness was a
living entity. As he rocketed away, the entity sent
four aspects of itself with him.
Darkseid showed them his findings from Metron's
data: the four aspects were headed toward four star
systems in the Milky Way Galaxy: Sol (Earth), Alpha-Centari
(Rann), Thalisus Minor (Thanagar), and Pegaron (Xanshi).
He told them that if the galaxy were to be destroyed,
the anti-life entity could gain passage to their
universe. If any two of those star systems were
destroyed, the entire Milky Way would fall in on
itself. Darkseid armed the heroes with weapons he'd
created which should be able to capture the entities.
Teams were formed and sent out: Superman and Orion
(Thanagar), Lightray and Starfire (Rann), Batman
and Forager (Earth), and Green Lantern and Martian
Manhunter (Xanshi). They were sent out via Boom
Tube.
After the heroes were gone, Jason Blood was introduced
to Etrigan (they had been split). Superman and Orion
were met by hostile Thanagarians. Orion believed
they were being mind controlled by the aspect. John
and J'onn found Xanshi to be under the grips of
a plague. John's power ring created an antidote.
They found the aspect had taken over a weather control
station and was controlling the planet seismographically.
Batman believed Earth's aspect would attack computer
systems. Madness gripped the citizens of Rann. Starfire
and Lightray found Adam Strange.
Jason Blood reluctantly agreed to become host to
Etrigan once more in order for the demon to be used
by Darkseid. The anti-life catcher that had been
given to GL and J'onn was destroyed by lightning,
but John was able to construct one with his ring.
The team on Rann found a doomsday device which would
throw the planet into its sun.
John Stewert placed the Martian Manhunter in a protective
bubble and moved it away so he could take the aspect
alone. He headed into the weather station half-cocked
and found it was rigged with a doomsday device.
A yellow doomsday device. The planet was destroyed
within ten seconds. As it burned, it crashed into
its own sun, destroying both (the antimatter destroyed
the star). John and J'onn survived.
Lightray returned to their makeshift base to find
Starfire unconscious (she was staying behind with
the injured Adam Strange). He was also taken down
by the aspect, who then activated its doomsday device.
Starfire awakened and used a native being to destroy
Rann's doomsday device. The aspect escaped.
Elsewhere, Superman encountered his target. After
a short battle, he captured it with Darkseid's device.
He disabled the doomsday device and contacted New
Genesis. When he got back to the planet's surface,
he found Orion had killed dozens of Thanagarians.
Superman stayed behind to bury the dead.
Batman and Forager arrived at their location (Moosejaw,
Arizona) and awaited nightfall.
Darkseid attempted to sway Etrigan over to his side.
He planned to take battle to the entity's universe
to enslave it. Etrigan reluctantly agreed and joined
him. Realizing what had happened, Highfather and
Orion joined a shadowed man - sent by the Batman
- en route to the anti-life universe.
In Arizona, Batman and Forager stopped the doomsday
device, but the aspect destroyed the captivity gun
and broke one of Batman's legs. The aspect restarted
the countdown.
Darkseid and Etrigan faced the anti-life creature.
It was more powerful than they'd calculated, and
Darkseid opened up a portal for escape. An aspect
of the creature brought them back. Dr. Fate pulled
them out of the creature's grasp. Using his own
magics and those of his four now-companions, Dr.
Fate destroyed the threat by breaking the bridge
into the anti-life dimension. They appeared back
on New Genesis, but the threat to the galaxy was
still real as long as the aspect on Earth survived.
Batman called New Genesis - the doomsday device
had been destroyed (again) by Forager, but they
were going to need another anti-life catcher.
John Stewart ordered his ring to go 20 light years
away. He told it that he would contact it within
one hour. If not, it was to present itself to Hal
Jordan. J'onn appeared as John was about to kill
himself. Using reverse psychology, he convinced
him not to do it. Stewart called his ring back.
Superman brought Batman and Forager back to New
Genesis. Forager was dead. When Orion made a racial
slur against him, Batman punched him in the face.
Darkseid escaped with the anti-life aspects in containment.
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