The Defenders
(Wolverine, Nomad, and Spider-Woman) are held at bay by Macabre, threatening to
age to death her prisoners Tabitha and Chris Powell, the latter being Darkhawk
in his real persona. The heroes surrender and are then blasted into
unconsciousness by Tokamak. The youths in the gang are surprised and upset so
Dreadlox subdues them with visions of what they most dread: aging….
Logan, Spider-Woman, and Nomad
wake up in a cell composed of an energy field which they are unable to break
through. The villains open a window to reveal what they are….
Chris and Tabitha (real name:
Wilhemina) awaken in a padded cell where Chris accuses her of being in league
with the bad guys but she denies it, revealing that despite her appearance of
youth she is 68 years old…..
The villains inform their captives
of the demoness Lillith’s eruption into their world and how it weakened the
barriers between the dimensional planes. The Zusommin were a viral swarm with a
single mind and they crashed through into this world into a room where several elderly
poor and homeless people were taking refuge. The swarm absorbed the bodies of
five of the seniors, gaining individual existence for the first time. The one
possessing the youngest of the bodies evolved the personality of Macabre, the leader;
she drained the life of a random victim to demonstrate their power, offering
youth to the others in exchange for their service in stealing money for the
aliens. The Defenders reveal that Macabre is lying, that the rejuvenation is
only temporary, that they have seen one of the youths age and die before their
eyes. They redouble their efforts to escape from the cell….
Elsewhere, Chris and Tabitha are
trying to break out of the padded cell, then she begins aging rapidly. He is
finally able to concentrate and transforms into Darkhawk and smashes his way
out of the cell, launching himself at the bad guys, breaking Macabre’s concentration
so that the energy cell dissolves, freeing the other Defenders. The teams line
up for battle. Dreadlox unleashes her powers but an elderly woman turns it back
at her, causing the villain to see what she most dreads: oblivion; she faints
and the old lady is revealed to be Doctor Strange in disguise. A fight breaks
out but the Defenders are unable to overcomes their foes. The Zusommin merge
into a giant skull-like form before returning to their original form as an
amorphous entity which they cannot fight and Strange is too weak to battle
them. As they did before (last issue) the others merge their minds and this
gives Strange the power to force the Zusommin back to their own dimension and
seal up the aperture behind them. The homeless have all returned to their true
ages and some have not survived the process. Darkhawk returns with Tabitha/Wilhemina
who thanks him as she dies in his arms. The others decide to help the homeless
where they can….