Desaad steals Firestorm's powers and attacks Val and Una. The Atomic Knights arrive and, deploying a device on Desaad, separate Firestorm from Desaad, who then escapes to Apokolips. The Atomic Knights turn their attention to Karate Kid and the others, but are unable to act before Jason and Gehenna re-merge into Firestorm and overpower them. Buddy Blank leads Val, Una, and his grandson deeper underground. Coming upon a sealed door, Karate Kid attempts to open it, which enables Brother Eye to escape the NORAD storage hangar. Converting the people in the hangar into OMACs, Brother Eye assimilates the entire base and breaks free. Upon detecting that the Morticoccus host is in its final gestation, and that the virus' release is imminent, it sets course for Blüdhaven, declaring: "Eye am the Shepherd, Eye am the way".