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This six-issue limited series tied directly into the “Infinite Crisis” crossover event and built on the story line that originated in the Countdown to Infinite Crisis special. It also also the build up to events that took place in the “Sacrifice” Superman story arc that culminated in Wonder Woman having to take on a mind controlled Man of Steel. The fight resulted in Diana having to take the unprecedented step of killing Maxwell Lord in cold blood.
Synopsis
Maxwell Lord, revealed as the Black King of Checkmate, has just murdered Blue Beetle in cold blood. He orders his knights to take the body away and incinerate it. His most trusted knight, Sasha Bordeaux, begins to distrust her superiors.
Sasha meets with another agent, Jessica Midnight, on the ramparts of the Checkmate compound. Midnight openly questions Max’s brash actions, but Sasha is determined to keep her in line.
While Jessica and Sasha settle their differences, Maxwell Lord goes inside to activate Brother Eye – a master satellite system capable of spying on anyone, anywhere on the globe. The satellite’s creator, Batman, tries to regain control of Brother Eye, but has no idea who usurped control of the station from him. Lord uses the satellite to awaken human sleeper agents, OMACs, and orders them to terminate selected metahumans with extreme prejudice.
Maxwell Lord then orders Sasha and her team to dismantle Blue Beetle’s Bug and scatter its components in an untraceable location. Sasha, guilty over her part in Beetle’s death, surreptitiously mails his broken goggles to Bruce Wayne.
Meanwhile in the United States, Booster Gold investigates Blue Beetle’s disappearance. He has yet to learn the grisly fate that has befallen his friend. He meets up with Wonder Woman and together they fly to the JLA Watchtower to investigate further.