Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman rummage through the ruins of the JLA Watchtower. They argue with one another over Wonder Woman's recent decision to murder Maxwell Lord.

On Earth, chaos erupts throughout most major American cities. OMAC units take control of human hosts and hunt down wanted criminals and renegade heroes. In Bludhaven, an OMAC targets and terminates Otis Flannegan, the Ratcatcher. Nightwing stands on a rooftop and looks towards the sky as hundreds of OMACs begin swarming over the city.

In the Polaris system, war rages between the citizens of Rann and the people of Thanagar. Members of the L.E.G.I.O.N. and the Green Lantern Corps are present, but the Corps members are lost without the guidance of the Guardians of the Universe. Guy Gardner volunteers to lead the Lanterns. The Guardians meanwhile, sequester themselves inside their citadel and analyze the situation.

Back on Earth, the untethered essence of the Spectre destroys the Rock of Eternity (New Earth). Captain Marvel plummets from the shattered remnants of the Rock and lands in Gotham City. Following in the wake of the Spectre, demons begin scouring across the chaotic streets.

Twenty miles south of Metropolis, the Freedom Fighters conduct a raid on an abandoned refinery. Upon entering the facility, the walk into an ambush set for them by the Society. The Society takes no prisoners and Black Condor, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb are killed.

Back on Earth's moon, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman discover that Mongul has been hiding in the wreckage of the Watchtower. He pounces onto the heroes and begins fighting. Superman beats Mongul down and Wonder Woman is prepared to finish him off with her sword, but Superman catches the blade before it can strike. This leads into an even more intense argument between the three heroes. Mongul, barely conscious, takes advantage of their distraction and uses a JLA teleporter to escape.

Elsewhere, four beings watch the nightmares taking place on Earth and the Polaris Galaxy. One of them, the Superman from the destroyed reality known as Earth-Two, decides that he can no longer stand by and do nothing. He punches a hole through the crystal barrier separating their paradise dimension from the Earth reality and flies off. His companions, Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three, Superboy of Earth-Prime and his wife Lois Lane-Kent follow suit.

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