Tangent Comics: Nightwing - Night Force #1

Issue Details

Synopsis

The Doom Patrol is in Prague and on the run from Nightwing to find an old acquaintance of Star Sapphire to seek protection. Nightwing agents have found them, but are confronted by Meridian agents Obsidian and Jade, who are the Doom Patrol's contact, and proceed to brutally dispatch the agents. Director Moore learns of the events transpiring in Prague and has sent Gravedigger and Night Force to find the Doom Patrol. Francis Powell informs Moore that Jade had known Gravedigger was with Nightwing during the matter with Powergirl and would jeopardize him to Night Force. However, Moore maintains that he will create a cover story in which Gravedigger and Wildcat had supposedly freed Powergirl and Night Force won't know they are working for Nightwing. Moore then visits the Creeper, who is now a slave to him, to check that the Dark Circle has not acted in concert in twenty years. In Moscow, the Doom Patrol and the Meridian agents are led to an underground chamber to meet the true head of the U.S.S.R. There, they find a coffin which opens to reveal Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin, who is an undead vampire. Stalin offers political asylum to the Doom Patrol and promise that his nation will help them however they can. But Dr. Dey doesn't fully trust the dictator and knows well about his past atrocities under his rule and notes that he was supposed to be dead decades ago. Stalin then admits that he had realized the need to become undead in order to exist forever. The Doom Patrol refuses Stalin's offer and prepares to attack the dictator, but only for Stalin to quickly using his vampiric powers to holding Firehawk hostage and forces her team to submit. Night Force arrives outside of Moscow where they meet their contact who turns out to be none other than Jade and Obsidian. The Meridian agents reveals that they have exercised their independence and left Meridian. Jade tells them that Stalin is planning to extract the souls of the Doom Patrol, with the exception of Dr. Dey, to feed the soul of a Lovecraftian creature known as the KGBeast. Night Force and the ex-Meridian agents arrive in the middle of the extraction and do battle with Stalin. As Gravedigger and Black Orchid try to free the Doom Patrol, the KGBeast drags Gravedigger into its pit and Wildcat follows after to save him. Black Orchid attempts to use her power to transport the Doom Patrol's souls back to Earth, but in the process she only manages to meld their souls into one. According to a panicked Hex this soul is "hot-wired" to the Earth, and becomes sentient. As Hex warned, a powerful energy is created and unleashing an electromagnetic pulse across the planet, causing all electronic technology to suddenly shut down. Out of the explosion emerges an entity who calls itself the Ultra-Humanite and declares Earth as its own. The surviving members of Night Force and Dr. Dey stand awestruck before retreating to a safe area. Hex loudly laments that the Earth and everyone on it is doomed, but is denounce by Black Orchid who states that they have survived and can undo what has happened.