| Synopsis
| - At Justice League headquarters, Guy Gardner searches for his Green Lantern ring. Blue Beetle had tossed it over his shoulder during Guy's recent one-punch fight with Batman and it had since rolled away. He finds it underneath a storage basin, but a mouse scurries by, causing Guy to bump his head on the underside of the bin. He is left unconscious for several hours.
Meanwhile, Doctor Fate takes the Gray Man to the home dimension of the Lords of Order. The Lords tell him that assuming the role of the Gray Man was intended as a high honor, not the punishment that the Gray Man believed it to be. The Gray Man begs them to take away this "honor", and they acquiesce, stripping him of his immortality and removing him from existence.
Doctor Fate returns to Stone Ridge, Vermont to consult with the rest of the League. They part company with the Creeper and return to their base of operations. Doctor Fate however goes elsewhere.
In New York City, Maxwell Lord labors to get the Justice League an international charter with the United Nations. Oberon is by his side and strongly supports Max's initiative. The Martian Manhunter however, has deep reservations about the plan, and fears that Max's work is done merely out of self interest.
At Justice League HQ, Batman places Mister Miracle on monitor duty. Miracle cannot locate Guy Gardner, who was supposed to have been taking care of things while the League dealt with the Gray Man. Miracle telephones his wife, Barda, and tells her that he won't be back for twenty-four hours. Barda is furious, and smashes the telephone.
Guy Gardner revives, but his personality is dramatically different from what the others are used to. Rather than his typical abrasive demeanor, Guy is now pleasant, polite and overly willing to help the team in any way he can. Guy's former colleague, Hal Jordan, stops by the HQ to check up on him, and is astounded at Guy's behavior. Even Mister Miracle and Captain Marvel can't explain why he is acting so strangely, but none of them are complaining.
In Washington, Superman consults with the President over the Justice League's pending international charter. President Reagan is concerned over the long term ramifications of such an act, but Superman gives a sterling testimonial, confident that the League can overcome any obstacle.
Meanwhile, a large, mysterious satellite hovers unseen above the Earth. Something activates from deep inside, and it suddenly discharges a gigantic, red death-ray that begins sweeping across the oceans of Earth. The crisis draws immediate media attention, and before long, the Justice League are ready to do what they can to save the Earth. S.T.A.R. Labs lends them one of their shuttle crafts and the team flies into outer space to deal with the satellite. The shuttle's onboard weapons systems prove ineffective, so the League is forced to space walk to the satellite to disable it manually. Batman is injured, and his space suit ruptures, but miraculously, he doesn't die. Witnessing this, Mister Miracle begins to suspect the true origins of the satellite. He flies directly into the path of the death-beam, but it doesn't harm him. He then flies inside of the satellite and turns it off from the inside. Returning to his teammates, Miracle reveals that the satellite is originally from New Genesis and is typically used as a training module for warriors. The machine has a failsafe which prevents it from actually harming another living being. However, someone else must have reprogrammed it to attack Earth.
Returning to the United States, the Justice League are hailed as heroes once again. The success of their mission convinces the United Nations Security Council to grant them an international charter. However, the charter comes with two provisions. The team must accept American military hero, Captain Atom, into their ranks, as well as the Russian soldier, Rocket Red #7. Captain Marvel decides that he cannot commit himself to full-time status and regrettably leaves the team. Doctor Fate telephones in and likewise tells the League that he must remove himself from the team as well. The final change in the roster takes place when Batman steps down as team-leader. Batman prefers to operate in the shadows and is uncomfortable with the prospective media attention that the League will earn, so he recommends the Martian Manhunter as the new team leader. Being an alien, the Martian Manhunter is the most objective League member when it comes to matters of international diplomacy.
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