Ult. GL Corps #9 - The Return of Hank Henshaw 1/2

[liquidsword34]

Ultimate Green Lantern Corps #9
The Return of Hank Henshaw Part 1 of 2

The Coast City highway lays in ruins, cars and trucks strewn across the road ripped into pieces, some parts still smouldering. For the past ten minutes the busy highway has been sealed off, allowing police and rescue teams to sort through the debris. The hot California sun bears down on the raised up highway, scorching the tarmac and twisted metal of the auto mobiles. A least a dozen police officers, fire fighters and paramedics are stood in the wreckage, carrying out various tasks.

"Any idea what happened?", Hal asks an elderly police officer as he and Sinestro inspect the scene. In the distance he can make out a number of people behind police tape, watching on.

"Going off of what witnesses say?", the police officer sighs, using his pen to push his glasses up his nose as he looks at his note pad. "An angel, or the terminator, descended down from the sky and then shot a laser beam at the highway. Kind of hard to believe, huh?"

"Not as hard as you'd think", Hal replies. "How can we help?"

"Everybody's either OK or on the way to the hospital already. No casualties, luckily, but we still have no idea how in the darned blazes this happened or what did it. If you two can help track down the cause, that would help us greatly".

"Understood", Sinestro says, causing the officer to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"Didn't think you'd speak English, being an alien and all. No offence intended".

"I can't, my ring translates whatever I say into a language the listener understands, and translates anything anybody else says into a language I can understand", Sinestro explains. "Now, could you please allow us to get on with our work?"

"Fine, fine", the officer muttered as he shrugged at Hal, who simply rolled his eyes while gesturing his head to Sinestro.

"You didn't have to be so rude about it".

"And he did not have to ask useless questions, stopping us from catching whatever did this", Sinestro rebutted. "A simple scan should tell us enough to start an investigation".

A line of green light extended from each lantern's ring, and became to split apart. Slowly, the strings of light created a cross section of sorts along the ground on the damaged highway. A few seconds later, the light dispersed into thin air/ "Detected unknown element, possibly artificial life based", the duos rings call out.

"Artificial life? Like clones?", Hal wonders out loud, as Sinestro looks up towards the sun.

"Possibly, or a reanimated body of some sorts, using a new form of energy".

"The question is, was whatever did this trying to hurt people or not?"

"I'm not sure, but it appears that we are about to find out", Sinestro mutters to his partner as the angelic form of Saint Walker descends from above

"Hello, Lanterns Jordan and Sinestro", Walker lands in front of the Green Lanterns and disperses the blue light surrounding him. "I believe, that I can explain what has happened here".

"Go on", Sinestro cocks his head at Walker. Around them, most of the response team stop to stare at Walker for a few seconds before going back to their work, satisfied that the new arrival is not hostile thanks to the relaxed demeanour of all three lanterns.

"Not long ago, after Lantern Jordan was injured in battle, I healed the injured human Hank Henshaw. I gave him a new, artificial body". Walker's voice is as soothing to Hal's ears as it was when they first met, when Walker brought Hal back from the brink of death. A voice that is relaxed, calm, and full of hope.

"And?", Hal asks,

"His mind was shattered by the loss of his wife, friends, and life. I did all I could, but he left Mogo approximately twenty days ago, Earth time, in as bad a mental state as I found him. He has a degree of control over how he uses his body and the energy stored within. Enough to carry out this attack. He is clearly unstable, it is po-"

"It does all seem to make sense", Sinestro butts in, eager to get to work. "Can you track him?"

"Being that my ring gave him the ability to create the energy he uses, I believe so", Walker slowly raises his ghostly white hand, holding his ring up high. Seconds later, the ring flashes. "Follow me, please". Walker rises into the air, followed by Sinestro and Hal".

"HEY!", the officer Hal and Sinestro previously spoke to calls up. "Where are you going?"

"To follow a lead", Hal yells back as the trio speed off.

***

He's high up in the air, above the city, above the shade provided by the buildings, even above the clouds now, the suns beams shine off his metallic body, but he can't feel the heat any more. He can't feel the soft gusts of wind whistling past him. He can't feel any of it.

Hank Henshaw still isn't used to his new body. With a thought he can draw energy from the internal power source created by Saint Walker's ring, allowing him to fly, create explosive blasts and summon a force field at will. He doesn't need to eat, sleep, drink; even breathing is no longer needed. He swoops down, spotting the Coast City Air Force Base below. He focuses his speed, hitting terminal velocity and slamming down into a hanger with enough force to shake the very foundations of the main base building. The F-15 jet is shattered like a glass bowl at the mercy of cannon fire, chunks of metal strewn all around. Before Henshaw can straighten up, he finds a spherical prison of green light around him. A siren blares as base personnel scatter all around and the three lanterns float over Henshaw, Hal and Sinestro trapping Henshaw as Saint Walker floats in close.

"Hank. I tried to help you. You don't have to do this. You can rebuild, you can continue your old life", Saint Walker stares through the hard light barrier, making eye contact with the red lights in Hank's metal sockets. "Please, don't hurt more people than you already have".

"I can't", Hank's voice is a dull, monotonous drone, which seems to scrape at Hal's ears.

"Can't what?", Sinestro barks, showing little patience.

"Continue my old life. My old life is dead".

"You can't let your anger make you think that", Saint Walker sets down on the rubble and walks towards Hank, trying to get through to him. At this point, the base is on lockdown. Armed Air Force personnel surround the altercation, fingers on their triggers, but unsure who or what destroyed the hanger. "You're still alive, Hank. I know you're trying to channel your rage, but this isn't how you should be doing it".

"I died with her, Walker". Hank's eyes seem to glimmer with at least some amount of emotion as a spark of blue energy crackles up each arm. "I DIED WITH TERRI!" A blast of energy explodes out from Hank's body, cutting through the Green Lantern's shields and sending them hurtling back. Many of the soldiers are thrown off their feet by the raw energy being exerted from Hank's body in the form of a blue mist, trampling everything in its way.

"JORDAN, FLANK HIM!", Sinestro orders as he falls backwards, creating what looks like a gigantic scorpions tail using his ring and wielding it in both hands. As Hal swoops around Henshaw's back and summons a gigantic boxing glove, Saint Walker tends to the injured, easily removing a chunk of metal which has been flung up by Henshaw's blast from a soldier's hand and healing the wound better than any earthly medicine ever could with a simple touch.

In the time it takes for Hal to launch the boxing glove at his opponent, Henshaw has already turned and blasted the young Green Lantern in the chest with a beam of energy, throwing him at least forty yards back through the perimeter fence of the base. And in the time it takes for Henshaw to refocus on Sinestro, the Green Lantern has already swung his weapon, hitting Henshaw in the shoulder hard enough to dent his armour and send him stumbling back. Henshaw remains silent, rising up into the air while firing down bolts of energy at the scattered people below. Saint Walker and Sinestro erect shields of green and blue light to block the energy as Hal re-enters the fray, launching himself into the air and colliding with Hank.

Hal can hear the screams of pain from the injured men and women. He can still feel the force of Hank's energy blast in his chest. He knows what this man can do. And as he swings a wall of green light at Henshaw, Hal focuses all of his will power on making sure nobody else gets hurt. Hal pushes back Hank, who is so surprised by the sudden show of strength he has no time to unleash a counter attack. Feeling his armour being crushed under the force of the green battering ram, Henshaw turns and flees, leaving Hal triumphant. Hal descends back down onto the base, where tempers are simmering to a cool. Seeing Saint Walker healing their allies and with the Green Lanterns appearing regularly in Coast City, the base personal quickly worked out who the enemy was.

"He wasn't so tough", Hal quips to Sinestro, who scowls back at his partner.

"So why couldn't you bring him in?"

"I didn't want to get into a fight with him, with so many people around. I didn't want anybody else getting hurt".

"Sometimes you need to take that risk", Sinestro says as he turns to Saint Walker, who is stood silently monitoring the conversation. "So? Where next?"

"Hank isn't fleeing off planet, he seems to be heading to somewhere in the city", Walker replies. "Most likely locating another target to attack".

"Unlikely. If he's driven by his anger, he will be looking for easy targets to attack".

"If that was the case, why would he attack one of the most heavily armed places in the city?", Walker responds, still as stoic as ever, in contrast to Sinestro who seems ready to take flight at any moment.

"Wide open, easy to attack from above, h-"

"I think I know where he's going", Hal pipes in, interrupting the debate. "Henshaw didn't attack this base randomly, or because it's a soft target. He used to work here, before NASA. He said his old life is dead. Maybe he's trying to make that reality".

"So, where will he be?", Sinestro asks, seeming at least slightly impressed by Hal's knowledge.

"Hank was a big hero in Coast City", Hal continues. "Big enough to have a giant statue erected for him in the park across town just before he went into space. A statue of him and his wife. My money's on there".

"Then we must go there", Saint Walker proclaims. "Before anybody else gets hurt".

-To Be Continued-