The Emily Dinsmore Saga, Part VIII: Estranged
When the battle for the fate of Emily Dinsmore was over, Chloe Sullivan was in the care of the Justice League, and Lex Luthor turned Emily over to Lana, as he promised.

Emily, who had recently been released from Belle Reve Sanitarium, was now rehabilitated, yet her mind still remained somewhat child-like. Emily looked to her childhood friend, Lana, for guidance.

Kevin Grady disagreed vehemently with Lana's decision to bring Emily into the Hand of Vengeance. He believed that Emily deserved better than the life of a vigilante. He was also alienated by Lana's aloof demeanor. Kevin began to question Lana's reasoning, and his own.

Jeremiah Holdsclaw, a member of the Kawatche Indian tribe, learned of Lana's activities on the Kawatche reservation. He was as first angered at their intrusion, but after learning of their opposition to Luthorcorp and to Kryptonians like Clark Kent he was drawn into their group.

Jeremiah's knowledge of Kryptonian artifacts was prized by Lana, who sought after artifacts that would make her group, the Hand of Vengeance, a greater force to be reckoned with. She played on Jeremiah's affections for her, to the chagrin of Byron Moore, to gain access to his knowledge.

Over time Lana's group became more and more powerful, yet Lana remained the strongest. She wielded a powerful weapon known as a Zamaron power-ring. Her group called her Star Sapphire. She became a cult figure.

Jeremiah began to suspect that Lana's feelings for him weren't genuine. Eventually he learned about her relationship with Byron Moore, who was known within their group as 'Werewolf'.

One day Lana asked Jeremiah to help her with a device called a 'resurrection stone'. She wanted to use it to bring Van McNulty back from the dead. She said that Van was the one who instilled in her the foresight to begin the battle against the meteor-infected and those who were not of this world. Jeremiah agreed to her request.

Together they gave new life to Van. Van was furious as he saw himself surrounded by freaks. Lana was disappointed, but realized that in time he would come to see her wisdom.

But before Lana could convince Van, he disappeared. Jeremiah was also gone. Van hid in the Kawatche forest, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Jeremiah's hatred of Lana drew him into the hands of Lex Luthor, a man he had once hated. At that time Jeremiah saw Lex as Lana's most powerful enemy.

Meanwhile, the specter of Van McNulty lurked ominously in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to have his revenge against Lana for bringing him back from the dead. Van saw his chance as Kevin Grady lead Emily Dinsmore away from the group to meet Chloe. Kevin hoped Chloe would be able to protect Emily from Lana with help from the Justice League.