Earth 2: World's End (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 2015. It was published on December 24, 2014.
Synopsis for "Betrayals"
On Apokolips, Darkseid, now repowered, stands in the throne room of Apokolips. The Nobles (Paternus, Rectifier, Lowest, Arcanis) prostrate themselves before him, and the Incarnation of Apokolips declares that Darkseid is once again the ruler of the planet. Darkseid asks for a status report on the planet; Arcanis tells him that, since they boom tube'd into Earth's Moon and destroyed it, they've wreaked total havok on Earth, and will soon be ready to consume it. Paternus says that the humans think they can still survive; Rectifier interjects, noting that the core of Apokolips has been depleted. Arcanis reminds them that the Hornblower has announced the death of a planet. Lowliest informs Darkseid that his minions are preparing the Firepits for the arrival of the god planet. Darkseid announces that Big Barda has now been granted the rank of Doyenne of the Furies. She enters and tells him that the Firepits on Earth are turning the humans into the army of Apokolips in large numbers. Many of the Wonders have either died or been converted, and the Furies continue their attack.
On Earth, in the Firepit in Geneva, down in Desaad's Labyrinth, Power Girl (Kara Zor-El) battles the newly-turned Fury of Famine, Helena Wayne (Huntress). Having suffered Desaad's torture and conversion, Helena is now disfigured, with large bat-like wings on her back, talon-like feet, and a pale, vampiric face. She now wields a whip. Kara tries to reason with her, but Famine is adamant that Helena no longer exists, and she attacks Kara. Kara defends but refuses to attack, and when Helena comes in close enough, Power Girl hugs her around the neck, pleading for Helena to return to her. For a moment it seems that she has gotten through, but quickly Famine attacks her again. A voice beckons Famine to join the other Furies, and with Kara on the ground, Helena flies away. Kara laments that they've come all this way and traveled back to their Earth, only to once again be separated. Kara rejoins the rest of the group (Superman II/Val Zod, Batman II/Thomas Wayne, Superman I/Clark Kent, Red Tornado/Lois Lane) and lets them know that Huntress got away. The group is examining a large machine in the lab, which Clark - having been held captive there for five years and used for the experiments - explains that when Desaad tried to use Clark's DNA, it caused cellular corruption, and took away his powers. This extraction process also meant that ultimately, none of the clones they made were sentient. He ponders that the machine might somehow be a solution to their problem. Thomas says that they need to leave because they're too exposed, and right on cue, Desaad appears, proclaiming that now, having terraformed the Earth and turned Helena, he plans to turn these Wonders to the side of Apokolips, as well.
Back on Apokolips, outside the Shackleton Assault Craft, Dodds (Sandman), Mister Miracle, Fury, and Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) appear out of Miracle's boom tube. Miracle says they need to hurry since Darkseid was freed. Fury tries to console him, but Terrific interjects, yelling at them and blaming them for the failure. Fury nudges Miracle to explain that Barda betrayed them and provoked Miracle into (unintentionally) freeing Darkseid. Again Fury tries to comfort him, saying they both had been betrayed, manipulated, and blinded by rage; Miracle shouts at her that he doubts if he can even trust her, too. Calmly she reminds him that they share the same enemies and suffered the same transgressions, and together they'll make up for the mistakes. She tells him they need to forget revenge and focus on retribution.
Back on Earth, in Chicago, Dick Grayson is fighting the man who killed his wife (Barbara Gordon-Grayson). He thinks to himself that all he feels now is anger, and that - plus the knowledge that his son, Johnny Grayson, is still alive out there, somewhere, hopefully en route to the escape locations via train. As he continues to fight the thug, he picks up a baseball bat, macabrely thinking how not too long ago he would play baseball with his son. After bashing in the thug's skull, someone in the background yells that the tidal wave from Lake Michigan (caused by the falling debris from the Moon) is going to arrive any moment now. As the crowd starts to flee, Dick looks towards the water defiantly, embracing the death.
Up on Apokolips aboard the Shackleton Assault Craft, the team prepares to depart the god planet. Terry Sloan (Mister Eight) is at the helm and tells Commander Amir Khan of the World Army to prepare for liftoff, saying the cannot afford to wait any longer for Mister Terrific and that group. Khan asks him why the forces of Apokolips still haven't attacked their craft, and where Sloan had snuck off to. Sloan reminds him that the craft uses dimensional camouflage to hide, one of his genius inventions, and claims he had been out checking to make sure the craft hadn't suffered any exterior damage. Khan calls him a snake and reveals that he knows Sloan rigged the craft with explosives, and jumps at him, tearing open his suit jacket and button-up shirt to reveal that Sloan was already wearing his Mister Eight costume, prepared for a solo flight. Sloan punches Khan in the face, saying he knows Apokolips will win, and if Khan had acquiesced, he could have been saved, too. Khan orders everyone off of the craft and continues to fight Sloan.
Down on Earth in Amazonia, at the base of the remaining World Army of Earth 2, Major Sonia Sato contemplates how little time they have left on Earth as she watches footage around the world of the destruction. She never expected to have so many people's lives under her surveil, despite the World Army being named such. At least a billion people died when Apokolips crashed into the moon; how many more will die? She snaps herself out of her contemplation and decides to activate the underground transport tunnels of the army as an evacuation route for the remaining humans. She decides to reactivate Project Beyond.
Over in St. Louis, Dr. Fate (Khalid Ben-Hassin), Hawkgirl (Kendra), The Flash (Jay Garrick), and Jimmy Olsen help supervise the evacuation of the population into the underground via the subway. Major Sato calls Flash and tells him to scout ahead in the tunnels to make clear the path to the launch area under Oklahoma City. As he speeds down the tunnel, he asks Sato if being in the tunnels will make them easier targets; she tells him that she has to handle what she can. After running for a while, he runs into robot minions of Apokolips.
Back at the Amazonia World Army Base, Sato tells him to hold the enemy forces off as long as he can, until they can send reinforcements. She walks down to the infirmary, thinking to herself that now she has to use one of her last options. She arrives at the bedside of Atom (Sgt. Al Pratt), who has been in a coma since Brutaal (the evil Apokoliptian clone of Superman) ripped off Atom's arm during battle. She laments that she has to put him back into action while they still have time.
Up in the skies above Russia, the Avatars of Earth continue their fight against the Furies of Apokolips. As we see the two groups locked in battle, Helena calls to her sisters, letting them know she is en route. With a major crash, Helena joins the fray, and shouts her praise of Darkseid.
Appearing in "Betrayals"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Avatar of the Blue
- Avatar of the White
- Jimmy Olsen
- Mister Terrific
- Solomon Grundy
- Superman I (Kal-El)
- World Army
Antagonists:
- Darkseid
- Terry Sloan
Other Characters:
- Barbara Grayson (Mentioned only)
- Johnny Grayson (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Apokolips
- Court of Apokolips
- Earth 2
- Earth
- Amazonia
- World Army Base
- Russia
- Switzerland
- Geneva
- Labyrinths of DeSaad
- Geneva
- United States of America
- Chicago
- Oklahoma City (Mentioned only)
- St. Louis
- Amazonia
- Earth's Moon (Mentioned only)
- Earth
Items:
- Boom Spheres (Mentioned only)
Vehicles:
- Shackleton Assault Craft
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Earth 2: World's End Vol. 2.
See Also