Tokyo, Japan
Doc Savage had become the new Spectre. Chosen by the previous Spectre as her successor, Savage had surrendered the remainder of his natural life and then been given the powers of the Angel of Justice.
After ridding the Earth of the menace of Godzilla, he re-introduced himself to his old friends in the Doom Patrol. Mr. Terrific, Elasti-Girl, Robotman, Negative-Man, Namorita and the newest member Halo, were stunned by the arrival of the legendary hero in his new incarnation.
"I've never seen you so speechless before, Michael," the Spectre said.
"It's a lot to absorb," Mister Terrific responded.
"For me as well, my friend," the Spectre commented.
"But how did this happen?" Elasti-Girl asked.
"I'll explain it all to you," the Spectre said. "But let me clean up this mess first."
With a wide gesture and the power of Heaven, the Spectre repaired all the damage from the recent battle with the Super-Skrull and Ronan the Kree Accuser. "This is no place for such a conversation."
The Spectre and the Doom Patrol vanished from Tokyo.
New York State . . . The Estate of Clark Savage.
The Doom Patrol and the Spectre re-appeared in Doc Savage's manor. "Home again," the Spectre said.
"I'm dyin' ta here the story behind this whole wackiness," Robotman said.
"And so you shall," the Spectre said. "Rest yourselves and get something to eat. I shall explain."
The Spectre told them the tale of how he inherited the divine power of the Angel of Justice. "Natasha Romanoff will live out the rest of her life as a normal human woman. I shall spend my eternity in the cause I have always fought for . . . The cause of Justice."
"Cool!" Negative-Man said. "We'll have the Spectre as a member of the Doom Patrol. We're gonna kick serious bad guy butt now!"
"I'm afraid not, Larry," Doc Savage said. "I can't stay."
"Where must you go?" Namorita asked.
"Everywhere," the Spectre said. "Justice has no geographical limits."
"Do you mean you'll be traveling all over the world?" Elasti-Girl asked.
"Don't think in such one-dimensional terms, dear Rita," the Spectre answered. "There are other worlds. I am a citizen of the Universe, and the Earth is only a small minority of that grand union."
"Will I see you again?" Mister Terrific asked, hoping for the answer he wanted.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," the Angel of Justice answered. "I go where I'm needed. Hopefully, this world is done with me. I may be back, and we may meet. But we may not. Only Heaven knows."
"So, this could be Goodbye?" Terrific asked, sadly.
"For now, anyway," the Spectre replied. "And if it's a permanent parting, then let's just be glad we got to know each other. You were a good friend."
The Spectre and Mr. Terrific hugged. Terrific kept a stiff upper lip. The Spectre smiled to the rest of the team. "It's been a pleasure knowing all of you. I couldn't have asked for better companions in my final years on Earth. I wish I could have gotten to know Halo better, but I see in her a good soul. I'm so proud of every one of you. Remember me not as the legendary Man of Bronze, but rather as a friend. I'm taking a part of all of you with me. You'll always remind me of the best things on Earth. It's been fun, my friends. Alas, it must end. No regrets, no tears. Just continue to fight for Justice and I shall do the same. Be staunch in your beliefs, and remember I'll be doing the same. And now, my dear friends . . .
"Goodbye."
The Spectre faded away. The whole team - except Halo who didn't know Doc Savage - felt extremely sad. Mister Terrific was especially affected by the loss of his hero and mentor. Rita wiped a tear from her eye. The room remained silent for a long time.
The Spectre stood on top of a hill, looking out at the world for possibly the last time. Or at least, the last time for a while.
"I'm going to miss everything," the Spectre said. "The ocean. Trees. Food. Butterflies. Women. All of it. I'm going to miss it dearly. It's such a beautiful world. Goodbye, all you bickering, confused humans. Be good to each other. Or I'll be back."
The Spectre - once Known as Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze - took a last good look around and then faded from the sight of humans, leaving the world of his birth behind . . . Perhaps forever.
That evening, Mr. Terrific sat on a lawn chair in the back yard of the Savage estate, looking up at the stars. He tried to hide his sadness, but it was obvious to Elasti-Girl, who knew him so well. She joined him out back, kneeling next to his chair.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"Its strange," Terrific said. "As a scientist, I always made it a habit to believe what the facts presented. Empirical evidence was my bible. Clark Savage taught me that. Science was our religion. Now he's become some type of mystic being, and all I can think of is that I can't believe I won't see him again."
"He was a great man," she said.
"He truly was," Terrific said. "He taught me everything that a good man needed to know. He made me a doctor and a superhero. He taught me how to use my scientific knowledge to help the world. Everything I am I owe to him. I shutter to think where I would have ended up if not for him. I'll miss him."
She stroked his neck. "It's been a long day. Let's go to bed."
"I'll be up presently," he said. "I just want to sit here for a while."
"Do you mind if I sit here with you?"
"There's no one else who's company I'd rather have just now," he said.
She squeezed in onto the chair with him and they looked out at the heavens, saying nothing. Nothing needed to be said.
One month later . . .
Michael Holt had buried himself in his work. To help get his mind off the loss of his mentor and friend, he focused his formidable mind on a difficult scientific problem. A problem begun by Doc Savage, who never got a chance to find the answers.
For several years before Doc Savage got involved in the Dr. Doom scenario that led to his coma, he and Mister Terrific had been working to prove Savage's theory of the theoretical Negative Zone. Savage had postulated the theory of the Negative Zone five years earlier and had been very determined to prove its existence, with the able assistance of Michael. Now that Doc Savage was gone, Terrific decided to pursue the project, as a tribute to his teacher. Savage had worked so hard on this, it would be a shame to abandon the research. Especially since he seemed to be coming very, very close to an answer. Michael built upon the significant groundwork created by the Man of Bronze to unravel the puzzle of the Negative Zone.
Michael had announced to the scientific community, some of whom had scoffed at the Negative Zone idea, that he was going to justify Savage's faith in the existence of the Negative Zone.
Columbia University, in New York City, NY . . .
Gregory Gideon was racing against time to complete his project. Ever since the news was released that Michael Holt - the famous Mr. Terrific - was close to proving the existence of the Negative Zone, Gideon was steadfast in his determination to beat the young hero to the punch.
A few years back, Doc Savage came to Columbia University to speak to a panel of scientists about the Negative Zone theory. The idea was met with a less than staunch reaction. If anyone else had suggested it, they would have been laughed out of the building. But this was Doc Savage, the smartest man in the world. Who could possibly dismiss his theories outright? Still, the prevailing theory was that old age had caught up to the elderly super-genius, and that the Negative Zone did not exist.
But Gregory Gideon had long been haunted by the idea. The thought of proving the existence of a new universe was all the glory any scientist could want. Gideon wished that he had thought of it . . . assuming it really exists.
Ever since Doc Savage went into his coma, and later vanished from the hospital, Gideon felt that the Negative Zone was up for grabs. He wanted to be the one to prove it was real. Building a variation of the Spatial Distortion Portal created by Dr. Reed Richards, Gideon worked to unveil the Negative Zone. Now that the brilliant Michael Holt was working on the same project, and using Doc Savage's notes, Gideon struggled furiously to make the theory a reality before Holt did.
His preliminary findings were promising. He didn't have time to double-check them, not if he was going to beat Holt. He had to roll the dice while he still could. Already he had violated the regulations by pirating more power than he was approved to use. Only a reckless disregard for rules and safety could assure that he would defeat Mister Terrific.
He had to act now, before his departmental supervisor found out about his indiscretions, and before Michael Holt succeeded. He had to jump in feet first. It was time to gamble!
Gregory Gideon activated the Spatial Distortion Portal. It hummed to life, red lights flashed, gauges recorded readings that Gideon couldn't decipher. Were they good or were they bad news? He could only guess. This was uncharted territory.
He watched as a spatial portal began to open before his eyes. He prayed that it would lead to the Negative Zone. The hole in the fabric of dimensions floated in front of him. Gideon used the devices at his disposal to record the incident.
And then he saw it! A silhouette appeared in the portal. It was the silhouette of a man. Gideon's jaw dropped. Someone was coming out of a rift in reality! Was it a new life form?
A humanoid man stepped out of the portal. He was a little man in a green costume. On his face were a series of marks that looked like lightening bolts. He carried a wand. The man looked around, getting his bearings.
"Is this Earth?" the newcomer asked. "Am I back on Earth?"
"Y . . . Yes," Gideon said. "Have you been here before?"
"I was born here," the little man said. "And I died here."
"Died?"
"Essentially," the man said. "The experiment that gave me my powers ended the life I once knew. That was the life of Owen Reese. He is no more. I am now the Molecule Man!"
The Doom Patrol members heard Mr. Terrific shouting and ran to see what the emergency was. Elasti-Girl, Robotman, Negative-Man and Princess Namorita rushed down the hall of the Savage estate, expecting to find an enemy, to find some attack.
When they pushed their way into the lab, Mr. Terrific was standing in front of something that appeared to be a big window looking out onto a night sky. On the other side of the "window" was a huge, fearsome looking creature that resembled a giant bat.
"Don't just stand there, ya bloody bookworm," Robotman yelled. "Duck and cover!"
Rita grew to a giant size and Larry Trainer released the negative-Man from his body. They were ready to fight the monster.
"Stop!" Mr. Terrific yelled. "It's not what you think! I'm in no danger."
Confused, Negative-Man returned to his body, while Rita shrank. "Wait-a-minute!" Rita said. "Why's it night out? It shouldn't be dark yet!"
"It's not," Terrific said. "You're not looking at the sky, because this isn't a window. It's a trans-dimensional viewer."
"For viewing what?" Larry asked.
"The Negative Zone!" Terrific said. "I've finally found it! I've proved Doc Savage's theory was correct! The Negative Zone exists!"
"What is that ugly whose-it?" Robotman asked.
"It's a denizen of the Negative Zone," Terrific said. "One of millions, of billions of creatures yet to be discovered. This viewer is only the beginning. After observation, one day exploration of the Negative Zone will begin."
"We heard you cry out," Rita said. "What's wrong?"
"That wasn't a cry," Terrific said. "It was a cheer. I've finally found the Negative Zone!"
"I am confused," Namorita said. "What is this Negative Zone?"
"It's a pocket dimension," Terrific said.
"A who?" Robotman asked.
"As you may know," Terrific began. "Universes are not infinite in size. Our own universe has its limits. It is immense and expanding all the time, but it is finite. All universes can be measured. Some are bigger than others."
"So a pocket universe would be a comparatively small universe, right?" Rita asked.
"Exactly," Terrific answered. "No more than 5 or 6 thousand light years. They are a by-product of our own universe."
"How so?"
Mister Terrific explained. "Everything action has an equal and opposite reaction. When our universe was created - a positive universe - the anti-matter universe of Qward was simultaneously born. Between those two galaxies, is a nexus, a void called the In-Between. The In-Between is like a dimensional gravity belt linking these two opposite universes. The power of that void is incalculable. It's a dense strand of dimensional energy, strong enough to bind two universes together. Naturally, when so much power exists, it attracts other things. Just like a planet with incredible gravity will attract heavenly bodies that will become moons, so the In-Between attracts the sort of primal forces that create universes. A string of small pocket universes have formed around the In-Between. Asgard, Olympus, and all of so-called 'God Lands' are pocket universes. The Dark Dimension, or Shadow-Verse as it's often known, is another pocket dimension. So is the Ghost Zone and several others, all products of the power of In-Between."
"So the Negative Zone is one of these pocket dimensions that formed around the In-Between?" Rita asked.
"Precisely," Terrific said. "Doc Savage postulated its existence years ago. Since all the pocket universes discovered so far have been positive, and since the In-Between is a belt linking the positive and negative Universes, Savage speculated that a least one negative pocket dimension had to exist! And so it does. Look at the screen. There's the proof! The Negative Zone exists!"
The Molecule Man was still in Gregory Gideon's lab at Columbia U. Gideon was filling him in on the situation, while the Molecule Man looked at a newspaper, updating himself on world events.
"So how did you end up in the Negative Zone?" Gideon asked.
"Negative Zone?" the Molecule Man asked. "What is this Negative Zone?"
"Isn't that where you were?" Gideon asked.
"I don't know any Negative Zone," the Molecule Man answered. "I've been stuck in an empty limbo. It was a timeless nothingness. I was consigned there by the Spectre!"
"The Spectre?"
"Indeed!" the little man said. "Over a year ago, I accidentally gained great power in an accident. It was such an awesome power that I was like a God among men. Even the Avengers League couldn't stop me! But the Spectre unceremoniously exiled me to limbo. My powers are useless in limbo, since there are no molecules there to control. But now I am back on Earth, and I intend to make the whole planet pay for my suffering! Let the entire world tremble, because here comes the Molecule Man, and I'm angry!"
Gideon was obviously afraid. The Molecule Man smiled. "There's no need for apprehension, Gregory. You've assisted me in escaping my torment. I won't hurt you. Relax. And now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and make my presence known to the people of the world."
The Molecule Man waved his wand, creating a doorway in the wall. He walked out. Gideon let out a sigh of relief, feeling like he dodged a bullet. But then, the Molecule Man returned.
"I apologize for this, Gregory," he said. "But if I go easy one you, I'll be off to a bad start. People will say I'm soft. I need to instigate fear. And I must start with you. I regret this. Goodbye Gregory."
"No . . . !" Gregory yelled, but never finished his protest.
The Molecule Man turned Gideon into glass, and then kicked him, toppling Gideon over. Gideon shattered into a million little pieces. The Molecule Man left, thinking no more about the man who freed him.
Mr. Terrific was putting the finishing touches on the "doorway" to the Negative Zone. Robotman and the Negative Man were glad that the long-winded explanations were over. Rita wrapped her arms around her lover Michael and whispered in his ear, offering both congratulations and words of love.
Namorita, the Princess of Atlantis, watched this scene with disgust. She hated it when Rita made these public displays of affections, especially in front of Namorita herself. She wouldn't admit to jealousy, but she had acknowledged Namorita as her rival. And in Atlantis, women fought for their men. Sometimes, they fought to the death!
Halo, the light-powered Inhuman, entered the room. She had been so engrossed in her TV watching that she had missed Mr. Terrific's whole explanation of the Negative Zone. She wouldn't have really been interested, at any rate.
"Excuse me," she said. "I hate to interrupt an obviously happy moment, but I have some news."
"What is it, Halo?" Rita asked.
"I was watching this marvelous thing you call television," she said. "And something called an 'Emergency News Bulletin' interrupted the program. It seems that there is a dilemma occurring as we speak."
Mr. Terrific hit a control button and a television monitor activated. A reporter spoke . . . "A scene of chaos and bizarre, indescribable happenings. Things are changing like magic. Cars becoming boulders. Street lamps becoming geysers of oil. And now, buildings are floating into the air. The instigator of this insanity calls himself the Molecule Man. He is standing atop a Lexcorp building that is hovering in the air. Just a second, I'm told he's addressing the crowd and the media again. We're cutting there live."
On top of one of the levitating buildings, the Molecule Man used his power to create a sophisticated bullhorn-type device to echo his voice.
" . . . and if I do not see some cooperation soon, I will let these buildings fall onto the city below," the Molecule Man was saying. "Pay attention, and obey without hesitation. I hereby nullify every existing law and countermand the authority of every government. From this moment on, there shall be no other rule of law except what I say. I proclaim myself absolute ruler of the planet Earth. And if anyone thinks they can stop me, let them come and try. I especially invite the Avengers League to come out of hiding and face me. Or are they called the Justice League of Avengers now? Let them try and defy me! I dare them!"
Back in the savage Estate, the Doom Patrol watched this with grave consternation.
"Fire up the Terrifi-Car, Larry," Mr. Terrific said. "Its time to go to work."
"Let the JLA handle it," Negative Man said.
"They're away just now," Terrific said. "Captain America usually lets the others groups know when the JLA is out of the country or off the planet. We can't afford to wait for them to return. Who knows what damage this lunatic will do in the interim. Its up to us to stop him!"
In Midtown Manhattan, the Molecule Man was continuing to address the world via the media.
"Stop your shouting, you stupid, annoying little rabble, or I swear I'll turn you all to stone!" the Molecule Man yelled.
The green garbed villain spotted a small aerial vehicle zigzagging through the maze of floating skyscrapers. He was disappointed that it wasn't the JLA, but it was clearly some costumed super heroes, coming to stop him. Or rather, to die trying, the Molecule Man thought.
"Step into my parlor," the villain muttered, eagerly.
The Molecule Man tapped his wand against the bricks of the building. Dozens of bricks disconnected from the structure and launched into the air. Then, they formed into the shape of a fan blade. Finally, they turned to metal and started spinning. The powerful suction drew the Terrific-Car to it.
"Full power reverse!" Mr. Terrific ordered.
Larry Trainer complied and the Terifi-Car slowly pulled away from the spinning doom. The Molecule Man gave them no reprieve. He turned the fan blade into a giant Magnet and tried to snare the vehicle. Mr. Terrific activated a reverse polarity device that freed the craft from the magnetic pull. However, this didn't save the metallic Robotman, who was pulled out of the Terrifi-Car.
"Get me down!" Robotman yelled. "This is humiliatin' as hell!"
Halo fired a laser blast the shattered the magnets. Robotman fell.
The Terrifi-Car landed. Elasti-Girl grew to giant size and caught her falling teammate.
"Nice catch, Rita," Cliff said. "Thanks a heap."
Larry Trainer released the Negative-Man from his body. Negative-Man flew up to the enemy and emitted a microwave pulse. Molecule Man, able to sense the radiation, turned the air molecules around his foe into a lead cage that encased the Negative Man. The case fell, but didn't shatter.
"We've got to get Negative-Man out of there!" Mr. Terrific yelled. "If he doesn't get back into Larry's body in thirty seconds . . . "
"We know the deal!" Robotman said, and pounded on the lead cage. The enlarged Elasti-Girl helped him, as did Namorita. Meanwhile, the Molecule Man created a slide and a parachute, and descended to the ground.
"Come with me, Halo," Terrific said. "We have to delay this madman while the others free Negative-Man."
"Yes sir," Halo replied, and joined Terrific in facing the villain.
"I suggest you run away, very quickly," the Molecule Man said.
"The Doom Patrol doesn't run away from trouble," Terrific said. "Not while there are people in danger."
"The Doom Patrol?" the Molecule Man asked. "Never heard of you. And I won't bother getting acquainted, since you'll be dying in - oh, say, twenty seconds from now."
With a wave of his wand, the ground under the feet of Terrific and Halo began to throb and wriggle. They were thrown off balance. At that moment, the Molecule Man caused a hail of brick and rock to launch themselves at the duo.
Nearby, Robotman, Elasti-Girl and Namorita finally broke the lead cage. With hardly a second left to spare, Negative-Man dived back into Larry's body. The weakened Larry passed out. Rita turned and saw the stones flying toward her Michael. She stretched out a massive hand and yanked Terrific out of the path of the projectiles. Halo turned herself into her light body, and the bricks passed through her harmlessly.
Robotman charged at the little villain. "Gangway, everyone! I'm gonna demolish that grinning little monkey!"
"Cliff, don't!" Terrific yelled.
But it was too late. The Molecule Man turned the charging metal hero into an ice sculpture.
"No!" Rita yelled, while Mr. Terrific tried to control his rage at the sight of his best friend's plight.
"I wonder how long before he melts," the Molecule Man said, mockingly. "Perhaps I should create a wall of flame around him. That would speed up the melting process, wouldn't it?"
"Fiend!" Namorita yelled. "Monster!"
Namorita concentrated and shot an eel-like electrical charge at her enemy. The Molecule Man instantly created a glass wall in front of himself. The electricity harmless dispersed through the glass. Angrier than ever, Namorita raced at the Molecule Man with murder in her eyes. She shattered the glass wall and kept closing in. The Molecule Man was not worried at all. With his wand, he caused metal pipes to burst out of the ground like snakes. Traffic signposts and gates also obeyed the little man's summons. All the metal strands wrapped themselves around the Atlantean Princess, restraining her. The sea-born girl strained against her bonds. One of the pipes cracked. It was a water pipe. The water washed over her, giving her strength and vigor.
With a satisfied grin, Namorita snapped the metal restraints. She joined Terrific and Rita, who stood face-to-face with the molecular villain. The Molecule Man pointed his wand at the trio, and prepared to eliminate them.
"Now!" Terrific yelled.
With the speed of light, Halo popped into view and shined a burst of blinding light into the Molecule Man's face. The villain shouted at the stinging pain, covered his eyes and staggered away, momentarily blinded.
Mr. Terrific leaped at the Molecule Man, kicking out with his foot, and knocking the wand out of his hand. Rita caught the wand. "Got it!"
All at once, the city began to distort, like something seen through a fun-house mirror. The floating buildings began to spin like tops. The frozen Robotman turned to glass, then to stone and back to ice. Everything was chaos!
"Give me back my wand!" the Molecule Man said. "I can't control my powers without it! I may destroy the whole planet!"
Mr. Terrific thought for a moment and then tried a risky bluff. "Maybe I'd rather risk the destruction of the whole world than to bow down to the likes of you!"
"Are you insane?" the Molecule Man asked. "You don't know what you're doing! Give it to me!"
"Maybe I will," Terrific said. "But on two conditions. Firstly, you put everything back the way it was before you arrived. Secondly, you leave the city and we settle this privately somewhere else!"
"I agree!" the Molecule Man said. "Just say where and when!"
"Doc Savage's estate on Long Island, in one hour!" Terrific answered.
"Done!" the Molecule Man said.
Terrific nodded to Rita and she tossed the wand back to the Molecule Man. Immediately, the distortion and chaos stopped. "I could kill you all right now!" the Molecule Man said.
"That's no way for the ruler of the world to act," Mr. Terrific said. "Shouldn't a king keep his word? Dr. Doom would always keep his vows. You're supposed to be better than us."
The Molecule Man hesitated. "All right, then. I can wait for an hour. The delay will only whet my appetite for the kill! See you soon, dead men!"
The Molecule Man set the city to rights, restoring things just as they were. Then he floated away, riding on a floating manhole cover. He vanished into the clouds.
Robotman was restored to normal. He checked himself, to verify that everything was okay. "What a rotten day!" He muttered.
"That's round one to us," Terrific said. "Now we have one hour to prepare for the showdown. If we do this wrong, I fear for the safety of the world!"
Soon, back at the Savage estate, Terrific was in his lab working feverishly on a device that would save them, and thus the world, from the Molecule Man. "Almost ready," Terrific muttered.
"I hope so," Rita said. "Because if the long range sensors are right, we've got a man-sized object descending toward the estate, and I've got a nasty feeling that it isn't Santa Claus!"
Outside . . .
The angry Molecule Man set down on the lawn and proceeded to turn part of the wall into water vapor. He walked into estate, anxious to avenge his earlier humiliation. 'No one makes a fool of me!' He thought, enraged.
He looked around. "Where are you, Doom Patrol?" He shouted.
Pointing his wand, he casually caused the sofa to explode. After that, he turned the stairway to glass. "Where are you?" He asked, kicking the stairs and shattering them. "Come out and face me!"
"This way," the voice of Mr. Terrific called, from down the hall.
The Molecule Man followed a series of taunting shouts. They led him down a stairway and into the basement lab created by Doc Savage. This same lab was earlier the site of Mr. Terrific's triumphant discovery of the Negative Zone.
The Molecule Man saw the six members of the Doom Patrol standing between a large viewing screen and some sort of door that looked like a vault. The heroes looked calm. "I expect better manners from my guests, Molecule Man," Terrific said.
"You want to see bad manners?" Molecule Man asked. "Try this on for size!"
The Molecule Man pointed his wand and the Doom Patrol, and send out a burst of power meant to reduce them to free-floating, molecules.
But nothing happened! The Molecule Man was stunned.
"How in the world . . . ?" he whispered, and tried again. But once again, his power had no effect on the Doom Patrol.
"Give up, Molecule Man," Terrific said. "We've got your number."
The Molecule Man panicked and kept trying to destroy the heroes. In his desperation, he never realized the nature of the trap he had fallen for. He didn't know that the figures he was trying to eliminate were decoys.
They were holograms. Six solid light holograms, complete with tactile resistance so that they felt real. But they weren't. They were merely light images. The Molecule Man thought he was dealing with human flesh and bone. He therefore commanded his wand to dismember human bone and human flesh, but this tactic had no effect on the holograms.
Hiding nearby, Mr. Terrific activated a control panel. The controls opened the vault-like door. But this was no ordinary door. It was a dimensional portal, a "hole" in the fabric of space leading from our positive universe to the Negative Zone. Only the door had prevented a massive suction from occurring and sucking everything in the room into the Negative Zone. The door was open now, and the suction began.
Like a spaceship with an open airlock, the entire room became caught in the vacuum suction and everything was drawn irresistibly into the Negative Zone. The Molecule Man had been so focused on the images of the Doom Patrol that he didn't hear the door/portal open until it was too late.
The Molecule Man was caught in the incredible suction and yanked off his feet. He was dragged toward the portal. He tried to use his molecule controlling powers, but the natural laws of the negative dimension were different. The Molecule Man had trouble affecting these negatively charged molecules. They interfered with his power, causing his abilities to momentarily freeze-up, like a faulty computer. For a few seconds, he was powerless.
These few seconds were all it took for the Molecule Man to get sucked through the portal and into the Negative Zone. "Nooo!" He screamed. "Help me!"
He vanished into the distorted kaleidoscope of colors inside the dimensional doorway. Mr. Terrific, hidden safely behind a protective two-way mirror made of crystal, watched the Molecule Man vanish from our universe. He was relieved that his plan worked.
Namorita was also watching. She had very good eyes. They were the eyes of a hunter. She thought she saw something else moving in the portal. Something moving in the other direction. But there couldn't be . . . could there? She must be seeing things, she thought.
Flicking a switch, Terrific closed the portal door, sealing off the Molecule Man permanently. Stepping out from behind the protective glass, the Doom Patrol scanned the room, which was stripped of everything that wasn't nailed down and a few things that were.
"I wasn't sure that would work," Terrific said. "The physical laws of the Negative Zone are not a constant."
"Well it worked," Rita said. "That's all I care about. I'm glad to see him gone."
"Hey, wait!" Negative-Man said. "If you opened a hole into a negatively charged universe, shouldn't there be some sort of problem? You know, like when matter and anti-matter collide?"
"I'll explain about the reverse polarity properties of the distortion zone later," Terrific said.
"I bet this is gonna be a loooong explanation," Robotman lamented.
Namorita was looking around. Had she imagined it, or had something entered this universe while the Molecule Man was being pulled out? She hoped she was wrong.
Next: Mr. Terrific continues to delve into the mysteries of the Negative Zone, and a powerful intruder from that strange universe invades our world. Can the Doom Patrol stop the formidable menace of Blastarr, the Living Bomb Burst? Find out in part two!