On New Earth, Hal Jordan, Batman, Black Canary and Black Lightning have come up with a plan to contact John Stewart and the Flash. With the help of Doc Magnus, Jordan uses his ring to link with Magnus' communication satellite, beaming the signal to the edge of the universe. Jordan makes contact with something, but cannot speak to it or transport himself to the other universe. He remarks that, if the boundaries between New Earth and Tangent Earth had not been disturbed by the travel of the two lost heroes, he would be unable to contact Earth-9 at all.
On Earth-9, the Green Lantern has received Hal Jordan's signal. However, she has more important things to worry about - the return of Manhunter, the Spectre and the two Flashes, with the newly-freed but emaciated Atom. John Stewart was captured rescuing him, but Lia Nelson is optimistic - the Atom is a beloved hero with a proud history, who will surely help. Manhunter then starts questioning Lia's disappearance during the Infinite Crisis. When Green Lantern backs Lia up, Manhunter capitulates, stating that they must all be on their guard while Superman is trying to infiltrate their group. The Atom can remember nothing of his capture, and New Earth Flash is determined to go back for John Stewart.
In the sewers under New Atlantis, Hex (Vincent Lord) has dragged Lori Lemaris, the retired Joker, out of range of any listening devices. There, he shoots down her protests by confronting her with the fact that the behaviour conditioning she received in prison didn't take. He impresses her with Nightshade, his techno-familiar and his only souvenir from his days with Nightwing. He tells her that he Secret Six are preparing to move against Superman and need both their help - and the fact that she's committed a felony just by talking to him.
At his base in Switzerland, the Superman is amazed at John Stewart. They knew other universes existed due to their skewed remembrance of the Infinite Crisis, and the Superman gained further information from telepathically questioning the Atom. John Stewart attacks the Superman, but he cannot use his power ring - a 'precautionary measure'. After that the fight deteriorates into an argument - the Superman believes he is acting in the best interests of the people, but John sees only a power-hungry tyrant like the others he has faced.
At this point, Hal Jordan's ring makes contact with John Stewart's. The Superman wonders if he should let them talk. On New Earth, Hal Jordan remarks that something(the Earth-9 lantern) is acting as a conduit between the two rings. In the graveyard, the Green Lantern decides that the other heroes should come here too, and promptly teleports them to the graveyard through Hal's ring's signal and her own magic. The Superman discovers this fact quickly, surprising John Stewart. The Superman reveals his secret - he has the Atom sealed in a vault in this building. The person freed by the Secret Six is one of his agents, looking for the Green Lantern's hiding-place.
In the graveyard, the Justice League heroes are surprised by the appearance of the Atom - what has happened to the burly young hero they met months ago. The Atom reveals himself by deactivating his holographic disguise and attacking Manhunter - it is the missing Chinese superhuman known as Powergirl, and the heroes are in very deep trouble...
