"Oblivion Upon Us" - - *In his satellite, the Monitor is observing and testing Alex Luthor, who has grown to adolescence in mere days. Alex asks why he is being made a human guinea pig, and the Monitor replies that he is an anomaly, composed of both positive and negative matter, and must have been changed by his trip between Earth-3 and Earth-1. Somehow, he must be the key to the salvation of the Earths.
Harbinger attempts to attract the Monitor's attention, fails, and wonders if he suspects her changed nature. She leaves, and reappears in the lair of the unknown, unseen adversary. The Psycho-Pirate taunts her knowledge of her fear, and says that their master will give them a world of people whose emotions he can manipulate. The adversary silences the Pirate and orders Harbinger to destroy Alex Luthor, and she leaves to do his bidding. The Pirate asks why the Master doesn't let him instill blind loyalty in her, but the shadowy figure replies that it isn't necessary. Before long, she will kill the Monitor.
In a future era of Earth-1, the Flash, speeding along a street in Central City, has been reunited with his wife Iris for an entire month. Now, in a driving rainstorm, he has been called out to repair damage caused by disasters beyond the power of this future Earth to stem. While attempting to halt volcanic eruptions in the middle of the city, he gapes at the sight of a wall of absolute whiteness coming toward him, devouring all matter from its path. The Scarlet Speedster vibrates until he fades from sight.
Back in July of 1985, the wave of anti-matter approaches Earth-1. In New York City, the New Teen Titans and the Outsiders, together with Superman and Batman, team up to stave off crowd panic and save lives where they can. At the height of the chaos, the Flash appears again, and is seen by all. The Scarlet Speedster has returned to the present by relaxing his internal vibrations, but he barely has time to warn the heroes of an impending catastrophe before he vanishes again, seemingly against his will. The heroes are aghast, and at a loss to understand the incident.
In outer space, Brainiac observes the wave of anti-matter approaching. He opts for self-preservation, but to save himself, he reasons, he must also save the universe, and to do that, he needs an ally. He chooses to enlist an old crony, Lex Luthor of Earth-1, and speeds towards that planet.
In late June of 1944 on Earth-1, the tiny European kingdom of Markovia is still occupied by the Nazis, but it is being liberated by American forces, led by Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, Lt. Jeb Stuart and the Haunted Tank, and the Losers. Two wild cards have been thrown into the battle; the Monitor's giant machine, which has materialized in the capital city of Markovia, befuddling Germans and Americans alike, and the appearance of the Blue Beetle, Geo-Force and Dr. Polaris. The ghost of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart appears to the lieutenant and warns him that today, "losers shall lose and never be seen again." Dr. Polaris and Geo-Force join the Allied forces in wiping up the Nazis, but Blue Beetle decides to protect the machine.
The Losers - Capt. Storm, Gunner, Sarge, and Johnny Cloud - approach the machine. Capt. Storm scales the device to try to discover its use, when a shadow emerges from its interior and grabs him. The other three Losers attack and are grabbed by more shadow demons. As the soldiers and super-beings watch, Capt. Storm, Gunner, Sarge, and Johnny Cloud are killed by the shadows.
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company attack the shadows with rifle-fire. Flower, one of Rock's soldiers is killed by a shadow demon. Meanwhile, the Blue Beetle has landed near the machine from overhead and is wounded by a shadow, but the demon is destroyed by the mystic Egyptian scarab given to him by Dan Garrett, the original Blue Beetle. The Monitor returns the injured Blue Beetle to his own world and time period.
In the world of Earth After Disaster, Superman of Earth-2, Dawnstar, Solovar, and Kamandi notice the sky turning red and becoming streaked with electrical storms. Kamandi, who has become attached to Solovar, is grief-stricken to learn the great ape is dying from his wounds.
In 1879, in an abandoned mine in Coyote, Texas of Earth-1, Bat Lash, Scalphunter, Jonah Hex, Johnny Thunder, and Nighthawk face a mystery: the Monitor's machine. Suddenly, Psimon, Cyborg, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and Firebrand (Danette Reilly) appear out of thin air. As the time-lost heroes explain their mission to the Westerners, they are abruptly attacked by another contingent of shadow-beings. Outside, Nighthawk spurs his horse into the anti-matter wall that is destroying Coyote, but is killed for all his efforts.
In the 30th Century, the Legionnaires are busy saving citizens caught in the anti-matter's destructive path. Kid Psycho, aiding evacuation efforts in Britain, is killed by anti-matter.
Meanwhile, the Montior watches the devastation of the different time-periods on his screens, and regrets that his adversary as moved more quickly than he had expected. Still, his machines are in place, and his plan can begin.
*Source: The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index #1 - Published by ICG.