Justice League United: Futures End #1

Issue Details

Synopsis

HOME WORLD, PART 1 OF 2 Equinox has sworn to protect the land of her people, and to that end, she puts a stop to the trapper calling himself Polargeist, who captures animals and performs perverse experiments on them. Despite successfully putting a stop to him, she is startled suddenly by a telepathic call for help from the Martian Manhunter, and hurries off to investigate.   Her first stop is in San Diego, where she reunites after a long absence with Buddy Baker and his daughter Maxine, with whom she has built an almost sisterly relationship. Knowing his wife won't approve, Buddy sends Maxine inside to distract Ellen while he and Equinox talk super-heroics. Once alone, Buddy admits that he received J'onn's message as well. If what they saw in their vision is true, they will have to go to Mars. Buddy, though, has retired. He promised his wife after Green Arrow got killed. Unfortunately, Miiyahbin has no one else to go to, since Supergirl won't help, and Stargirl is already off-planet. Alanna Lewis, meanwhile, is in no condition to help. Buddy insists that he can't break his word to Ellen, but suggests that Miiyahbin ask the current Justice League for help.   Outside the Justice League's headquarters, Equinox encounters Cyborg and Vostok-X, who explain that their security measures are merely a precaution they felt necessary following the death of Green Arrow. When she reveals the contents of the Martian Manhunter's message, Victor becomes concerned and invites her inside to discuss it.   Some of the newer leaguers are disturbed to learn that a gulag was built on Mars - a secret shame of the League. Dawnstar admits that there are some villains too dangerous to be kept on Earth. The prison had been J'onn's idea after a particularly disastrous attack by Despero on New York City. With Mars abandoned, it seemd a fine place to host it as a joint effort between the League, Terrifitech, the Queen Foundation, and S.H.A.D.E.   The prison has a threefold security system. There is the prison itself, with its state of the art security. The most important security measure, though, has been the Manhunter's role as the warden, keeping the prisoners docile, telepathically. If he has stopped answering their calls, it suggests that his hold on them may have weakened. This is enough for Cyborg to believe a mission to Mars is necessary.   Not long after setting foot on the red planet, Equinox is dragged telepathically to J'onn's location, where he explains that the inmates have a powerful telepath on their side who helped get them free. Before he can tell her who it is, the connection is severed. She has little time to relay the message to her companions before the doors to the gulag burst open and they are beset by the inmates. Cyborg orders Stormguard to take Dawnstar and Equinox inside to find the Manhunter while the rest of the team holds these criminals off.   Inside, they are confused by the fact that the majority of the prisoners are still in their cells. Ignoring that fact, they run past to the lower levels, where they find J'onn imprisoned by Grodd. J'onn warns that it was a trick. Grodd explains that this was not his plan. There is yet a more powerful and dangerous kiler who has engineered the breakout - and he wants off of the planet.   That killer is Captain Atom.