The Doom Patrol discovers Negative Man also survived both the explosion and the loss of his radio-energy being to Soviet defector Valentina Vostok (herself a member of the new Doom Patrol as Negative Woman), and was a hostage of Arani's now demonically controlled father Ashok Desai, renamed Kalki. Like the terrorist Kobra, Ashok believes it is his destiny to bring about the Kali Yuga. Ashok Desai had worked with Niles Caulder to develop the immortality serum. Ashok tested an early version of the mutagenic serum on himself, manipulated by Dr Niles Caulder as a part of his catastrophe curve and to secure getting the beautiful blue eyed 15 year old Arani for his young bride & vessel of the immortality serum. The failed formula of Ashok triggered his metagene, and mutated his body, driving him insane. He was transformed into a living portal to a nether dimension that he believed was "hell".