Before Rich can change into Nova, a new super-hero arrives on the scene! The newcomer announces his name is Crimebuster and begins knocking out the Sandman's partners. As the Sandman rushes to their aid, he is knocked back by Nova!

The two begin a quick but furious battle with Nova locking Sandman in the bank's airtight vault. Nova takes a few moments to meet his fellow hero. Crimebuster reveals this was his first public appearance but had been fighting crime for two years. After a short discussion, Crimebuster leaves the bank in his hover vehicle. Back in the bank, Sandman escapes through an air vent in the vault. By the time, Nova and the police open the vault door, he's gone. Watching the Sandman's performance are two shadowy figures who begin to show an interest in the sand-shaping villain.

Meanwhile, Nova arrives at Harry S. Truman High School and changes back to Rich Rider. He meets up with his girlfriend, Ginger Jaye, and go to Psychology class. In class, Rich's fellow student, Mike Burley, admits his jealousy towards the other students. His parents have always pushed Mike and his brother to be better than everyone else whether it's academics or athletics. He wishes he could live "normal" lives like his classmates.

Elsewhere in a lower-Manhattan hotel, the Sandman returns to his room. He is greeted by one of the shadowy figures who was monitoring him earlier. His claims his name is Heinrich Von Flessle, a psychologist, and wants to help Sandman overcome his lack of criminal success. An hour later, back at the doctor's lab, the Sandman has been hooked up to a large mechanism. Flessle claims the device will help him overcome his lack of confidence and starts the machine. Suddenly, the Sandman screams in pain as he is forced to relive all of his previous defeats.

Flessle contacts his master, the other previous shadowy figure, on a video monitor. He tells the mysterious man that the Sandman is now theirs. Hessle, an alias for Karl Von Horstbaden, is using his Encephalogrammer to control their helpless victim. The shadowed man tells Von Horstbaden to proceed with their plans. He then turns to a young prisoner who is in chains. The mysterious stranger tells his prisoner to stop resisting and tell him what he needs to know. He also claims that when the knowledge is his, he will control the world!

Later that evening, Nova is on patrol and unknowingly scares his fellow hero, The Thing. Actually, the Thing scared himself as he was reading Dracula when Nova zoomed by! Nova passes a limousine just as a passenger is thrown from it! The Human Rocket finds out from the man that a Doctor T'Kora has just been kidnapped. He flies after the car and smashes through the car's engine! After capturing the kidnappers and saving the doctor, Nova talks to the man he rescued. Dr. T'Kora is a representative from the country of Wakanda who is attending a nuclear proliferation seminar. He tells Nova he has no enemies and doesn't know why he was taken.

Before they can continue their discussion, Nova is hit in the back by the Sandman! The super-villain wants to kill Nova for defeating him in the bank. The two begin battling and Nova is knocked into the ocean! His costume's life-support system keeps him from drowning until Nova can revive. After coming to, Nova rushes back into battle only to be crushed into nconsciousness by the Sandman. The Sandman grabs Dr. T'Kora and claims the doctor was his true assignment.

Back at Von Horstbaden's lab, Nova has been hooked up to a devious death trap. He has been chained inside of a glass room with fire jets mounted below him and liquid oxygen tanks above him. If Nova tries to escape or even moves, he will be incinerated and frozen at the same time!

Von Horstbaden turns his attention to the Sandman's next assignment. Using the Encephalogrammer, the Sandman is ordered to kidnap Mike Burley!