A mysterious energy source appears and starts causing problems, as does a villain by the name of Ambush Bug. Superman and the Doom Patrol team up to handle it all in "Negative Woman Goes Berserk."
Superman is on hand to rescue several power plant workers. The plant's generators have suffered a massive power overload, and are threatening to explode. The seeming cause of the overload is a strange black band of energy that erupts from the generators, rocketing away before Superman can fully react. Back at the Galaxy Broadcasting building, Superman, as Clark Kent, types up the power plant story. On the air are Lois Land and Jimmy Olsen, providing live coverage of a celebratory parade. As the camera focuses in on the parade's master of ceremonies, Lane and Olsen bear witness to the man's murder at the hands of the Ambush Bug, who promptly disappears. Kent, as Superman, immediately heads out to investigate. Suddenly, the same black band of energy appears in the skies of Metropolis. As it impacts with the city's skyline, debris rains down upon Metropolis' streets. Superman vaporizes the debris with his heat vision, while pursuing the energy band. Just as Superman realizes that the energy band is in the shape of a woman, it passes straight through him, rendering him unconscious. As Superman falls to the ground, Celsius and Tempest, of the New Doom Patrol, reveal themselves on the street. It turns out that the energy creature is their teammate, Negative Woman, inexplicably run amok. The Ambush Bug hijacks the news broadcast and declares himself, nationwide, to be a villain. He quickly vanishes again, as Robotman crashes the scene. The broadcast goes dark, along with a fair portion of Metropolis' electrical grid, when Negative Woman impacts the Galaxy Broadcasting Building. Grabbing up his camera, Olsen hits the streets to cover the story, only to be smothered under the remnants of a burst parade balloon.
Tempest and Celsius revive Superman. They are in the process of introducing themselves when Ambush Bug surprise attacks Superman. After Ambush Bug incriminates Tempest and Celsius as his accomplices, the Man of Steel turns on this "New Doom Patrol." Smitten by Negative Woman's wanton acts of destruction, the Ambush Bug declares his love for her. While defending themselves, Tempest and Celsius try to convince Superman that they are, in fact, heroes. Robotman arrives to clear up the misunderstanding. Robotman fills Superman in on the Negative Woman situation. Once upon a time, Lieutenant Colonel Valentina Vostok had stolen an experimental Soviet fighter plane, in a bid to defect from the Soviet Union. The plane, however, was still very much in the experimental stages of development, and crashed into the sea. By happenstance, the plane hit the exact spot that, months before, Madame Rouge and Colonel Zahl murdered the original Doom Patrol. Wreckage from the plane released the radio energy being that had, formerly, inhabited Larry Trainor, Negative Man. The radio energy being inhabited Vostok's body, transforming her into Negative Woman. Days ago, the radio energy being began to bleed out of Vostok's pores. Driven mad by the agonizing pain, Negative Woman went berserk. The Doom Patrol have been trying to catch her ever since. Superman and Tempest pursue Negative Woman. Tempest briefly engages the Ambush Bug, but the villain teleports out of Tempest's vortex. Superman continues to dispose of falling debris, in his pursuit of Negative Woman. On the street, Olsen has just managed to dig his way out from under the parade balloon, when a second one falls on top of him.
The Ambush Bug warns Superman off from messing with "his" girl. Superman attempts to grab the Ambush Bug, but once more the villain teleports away. Celsius encases the Ambush Bug in ice, but, he easily teleports out. Celsius counters with a fire attack, that Ambush Bug eludes by teleporting away. Quickly teleporting back, Ambush Bug violently beats Celsius into unconsciousness, enraging Robotman. Superman discovers that the Ambush Bug has covered Metropolis with tiny robot insects. The insects are really tiny matter warping devices, which allow the Ambush Bug to teleport anywhere in the city he desires. Superman rounds up all the "bugs" and destroys them. Tempest manages to direct Negative Women with his vortices, enough to keep her from destroying any more property. Not realizing that Superman has disabled his teleportation network, the Ambush Bug taunts Robotman into hitting him. Only when he hasn't teleported, as Robotman's fist comes at him, does the Ambush Bug realize he's in trouble. Robotman lays the Ambush Bug out with an epic haymaker. Superman suddenly flies away, leaving Tempest to handle Negative Woman alone. Seconds later, Superman returns, from his Fortress of Solitude, and catches Negative Woman in a lead container. Digging himself out from under the second parade balloon, Olsen finds himself escorted away by a police officer, for being in a restricted area. Though incarcerated in Metropolis State Prison, the Ambush Bug chalks the whole affair up to a learning experience, and is already planning his next foray. Vostok is swaddled from head to toe in chemically treated bandages , to prevent the radio energy being inside her from taking over her body, once more, and going on another rampage. Vostok is understandably depressed that she will have to spend the rest of her life this way.
Notes:
- The Metropolis Day Parade is celebrating Metropolis' 309th anniversary.
- One parade float celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Daily Planet.
- Several of the parade floats pays homage to Skywise, Cerebus and Judge Dredd.
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