52 # 5 - Stars In Their Courses

Week 5, Day 1.

Ellen Baker, the wife of Buddy Baker the Animal Man, is taking down a 'Welcome Home' banner. Her husband has not come back with the other heroes, but she hasn't given up hope. Alan Scott arrives and tells her that Animal Man went missing in action in outerspace.

Metropolis. A radio announcement tells of Lex Luthor's newest discovery - a way to synthesize the metagene and give ordinary people superpowers.

Steel is paged to go to Saint Camillus hospital to help the newly returned superheroes. A truck brings in Hawkgirl, who has inexplicably become 25 feet tall. With Alan Scott and Dr. Mid-Nite, Steel makes the rounds and learns that an accident in space caused Hawkgirl's growth, as well as the fusion of Cyborg and Firestorm. Adam Strange, who used his powers to transfer the superheroes using his Zeta-Beam matter transfer system, but didn't make it back. The beam refracted, causing injury and Alan Scott to lose an eye.

Scott says that after the rift in space was healed, a reality-warping wave emanated from it. Adam Strange used his Zeta-Beam to transfer who he could, but they all went different ways and many didn't make it back at all. Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire did not materialize with the rest of them, nor did Scott's daughter, Jade.

Week 5, Day 7.

On another planet. Animal Man is sitting near a beautiful waterfall, talking to a bathing Starfire. Animal Man wonders what his family thinks, and if the crisis is at all over. Starfire reveals that they crash-landed on this planet along with Adam Strange. Strange, who has lost his vision, is attempting to fix up a spaceship in order to get back to Earth when they all sense something suspicious. A pair of glowing arms is watching them through the bushes.