Post by Stardrifter on Jun 3, 2012 12:20:47 GMT -5
by
Stardrifter
The Last Hope: Part 1
The Call
A bright green light streaks across the blackness of space. Alone amongst the vast cosmos around him, Hal Jordan is still in awe of it all. Holding his fist out before him, his rings glows bright as he traverses the light-years of space. The empty black in front of him soon becomes filled with the chaos of the Howling Void. The light show caused by the immense gravity of the black hole impressed Hal yet again. After taking a moment to soak it all in, he turns his gaze toward the shimmering planet orbiting the black hole. Oa.
Hal enters the atmosphere above the single settlement on the planet. As he does, the crystalline city comes into view. All around he can see hundreds of green lights streaking as his brothers and sisters in arms go about their own business. He even notices two indigo and one blue light. Hal directs himself to follow the blue light, smiling as he reaches his friend Tom.
"Hal?" Tom inquires at the unexpected sight of his friend, smiling none the less. "I thought you weren't due back on Oa for another week?"
Hal and Tom land on top of one of the many buildings and firmly shake hands. Much goes unsaid in the exchange. These two men, long time partners and longer friends, have seen much together. As comfortable as Hal is becoming with his role as a Green Lantern, being able to now share the experience with Tom has made it much easier. Even if Tom's role has been different.
"Yeah well things are quiet in ol' 2814. Thought I'd come by, see how things are." Hal's lighthearted demeanor is betrayed by his awkwardness. "See if you guys have found...anything."
Hal's true meaning does not go unnoticed by Tom. Before he can give Hal any answers, a green streak shoots from the sky to land beside them with a loud thud. If Hal did not know the man, he would have been intimidated by the large frame coming toward him.
"Greetings again, Hal Jordan!" Kilowog shouts as he slaps Hal on the shoulder with his massive hand. It takes all of Hal's reflexes to keep his balance. "What are you doing back, my friend?"
"Just doing a quick drive-by, seeing how things are going."
"We've still not been able to find Booker. Or Guy and Carol," Tom says solemnly, finally giving Hal the answer he was truly here for.
"The entire Corps has been alerted to keep an eye out for them," Kilowog assures him. "It won't be long."
"We have had some good news," Tom says with excitement, trying to lighten the mood. The three men walk to the edge of the rooftop to overlook the rest of the city. "We've located a couple more Lanterns."
"Yeah I saw John flying with another Indigo Lantern as I came in. How many are we up to?"
"Three Indigo Lanterns, two Violet Lanterns, one Red Lantern, and one Blue Lantern," Kilowog checks off.
"And we just located another Blue Lantern on Earth!" Tom tells Hal, his excitement infectious. "I was actually planning to make the trip to get you so we could meet the boy together."
Hal smiles and claps his friend on the shoulder. "So no Orange or Yellow Lanterns?"
Tom and Kilowog share a look before Kilowog slowly answers. "No Orange Lanterns, no. We found one Yellow Lantern. It..."
"It wasn't pretty," Tom finishes.
"How so?"
"It was a creature out in Sector 3560," Kilowog explains. "On the planet Guush."
"A creature?" Hal interrupts, not understanding.
"That's the only way I can describe it," Kilowog continues, a haunted look on his face. "Some sort of mutation of one of the inhabitants. It...it was using the ring to terrorize the planet. Sines Toro and I..."
Kilowog pauses, obviously lost in the memory. Tom finishes the story for him. "They were forced to kill the creature. It wouldn't see reason. The ring fled after it's death."
"We tried to track it," Kilowog explains, shaking his head slightly to try and drive the memory out. "But it was so fast we lost it."
Hal turns back to the edge of the building. With a stray thought he generates a glowing green railing for him to lean on as he ponders what they've told him. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a violet streak. He turns his attention to it, for an instant the hope that it's Carol wells up inside his chest. A hope that is quickly dashed.
"You haven't told him the most interesting development, Kilowog." Tom says conspiratorially, gaining Hal's attention back.
"Oh?"
"Ah yes," Kilowog smirks. Or at least, Hal thinks it's a smirk. "We also found two Green Lanterns."
The sentence plays around in his head for a moment as he tries to understand. "What do you mean, found?"
"Just that," Tom continues, a definite smirk on his face. "We found two Green Lanterns. With two rings that weren't sent out by the Guardians."
"How is that possible?"
"The Tree of Light," Kilowog says matter-of-factly. "It's sending out Green Lantern rings along with the rest of them, it seems."
Hal paces a bit, thinking over this new piece of information. Tom smiles to himself, seeing the sheriff come back out of Hal. "What have the Guardians said about it?"
"Nothing," Kilowog harrumphs. "Ever since we came back and the news of the Tree of Light came out, they've been awfully quiet. They haven't even told us what to do about the new Lanterns. Green or otherwise. We've just been bringing them here and training them because it's all we can do. But the Corps is definitely feeling tense lately. Sines Toro thinks..."
Kilowog is cut off mid sentence by a blaring sound in his head. Hal hears it too and grabs his head in his hands. Concern overcomes Tom as he put a hand on Hal's shoulder and tries to help. "What's going on?"
"No idea," Kilowog answers, the pain affecting him less than Hal. He looks out over the city and sees all the other Green Lanterns in the air and amongst the buildings experiencing the same thing. "This has never happened before."
It's then that the trio notice a shadow looming over the city. They look up into the sky, the sight even enough to dim Tom's boundless hope.
<All members of the Green Lantern Corps: Return to Oa at once! Oa is under attack!>
****
Three Days Later: New York City, New York. USA. Earth.
It's a busy day at Phil's Diner. The weather is warm and the sun is shining, leading many New Yorkers to venture out into the world and into the antique booths for some old fashioned meals. The room smells like fried meat and pie. The old jukebox in the corner fills the room with the sound of Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters. A young waitress, her red hair pulled back into a ponytail, is busy cleaning a table when someone grabs her from behind.
A short scream escapes her lips before she turns. The crowd in the diner laugh and she can't help but smile despite herself. "Kyle!" she yells, swatting him with her dirty rag. He grabs her wrist and pulls her in a quick kiss. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be..."
"My meeting isn't until three, Alex," he grins at his girlfriend. It's the same grin he gave her the first time they met at a mutual friend's party two years ago. "Thought I'd get some lunch first."
"All right! All right!" a grumpy old man in a grease stained shirt yells from behind the counter. "Stop yer fraternizing at work Alexandra!"
"I'm not at work," Alex teases back. "I'm on break."
"Since when?"
"Since now, Phil." Alex pulls Kyle over to sit at the counter with her. She flashes Phil a smile and waves her eyelashes at him exaggeratedly. "Can we get some lunch, please?"
Phil does his best to keep the scowl on his face. It doesn't last long. "Yeah yeah," he groans while he wipes the sweat from his bald head. "You're lucky I like you girlie."
"I didn't hear you get up this morning," Kyle tells her once they're alone.
"Your face was mashed into the pillow," she teases him while idly making adjustments to his black hair. "How late were you up last night?"
"Four." Kyle bats her hand away and runs his hand through his hair, ruining what she'd done. "I had to make sure everything was perfect."
"I'm sure they're fine, baby. And make sure you text me after the meeting, I want to know what happens."
"I will," Kyle promises. His leg on the stool is bouncing faster than his heartbeat. Alex reaches down and puts a hand on his knee, steadying it. "Sorry, just nervous."
Alex leans in and kisses him on the cheek. "It's going to be fine. You've worked this long and hard, it's got to pay off."
"You're right. You're right."
"I'm always right," she tells him as their food finally comes.
****
"I'm sorry Kyle, but we're letting you go."
The world drops from under him. For what seems like an eternity, Kyle just stares blankly into the face of his editor. He detects no malice in the face. Wrinkles, stubble, yellow teeth from years of smoking, but no malice. Yet why else would someone crush his dreams like this?
"Mr. Brundle...w-why?"
"I'm sorry kid," Brundle tells him sincerely as he stands up from behind his desk. He walks around to lean on the desk in front of Kyle. "You've got potential, don't get me wrong. But we have a standard here at Wonder Comics that you just aren't meeting. We could overlook the small stuff, the lazy backgrounds, the perspective issues, and such. But worst of all, you're slow. For the quality you give me, you should be done in half the time."
Kyle continues to stare with his mouth agape. He hears the words but he doesn't grasp them. The only thing running through his mind is that his dream has been crushed.
"Maybe you can fit in over at Illustration or Gallant. But I'm sorry kid, you're just not Wonder Comics material."
****
His head is still spinning when Kyle steps out onto the street. All he can think about is how for a brief, shining moment he had his dream. Only to lose it just as quickly. Feeling uneasy on his feet, Kyle stops to lean up against the wall of the building. What's he going to tell his Mom? That she was right all along? What's he going to tell Alex?
Kyle sinks down against the wall and onto the sidewalk. The busy New York pedestrians don't really notice. Alex. It's been almost two years since they met.A year and a half since they moved in together. In all that time, Alex has done the bulk of the bread winning while Kyle floundered from part time job to part time job, all while chasing his dream. It hasn't always been easy. There were times when Kyle thought she'd leave him. Or worse. Yet when he finally got the job at Wonder and showed her he'd been right all along, things were great. Now...
Kyle checks his watch. Quarter to four. She won't be home until six-thirty. That gives him some time to come up with something. Bracing himself against the building to get back on his feet, he brushes the back of his pants off and looks around to get his bearings. He needs to buy her something. Get her something he knows she likes. Maybe pick up dinner and have it ready for her before he breaks the news. That should soften the blow, and her mood.
A bus pulls up to the stop down the street and Kyle makes a mad dash for it. When he gets to his seat he runs his hands through his hair, nervous. His legs don't stop shaking the entire ride.
When he gets off the bus at his neighborhood, he rushes over to Marla's Market, a quaint corner store. The shop has been there for sixty years, though it's changed owners and names numerous times. For the past seven years it's been in the hands of Marla Hendricks, a kind woman in her forties. When Kyle bursts through the front door, practically tearing the bell off it's hook, she looks up from her register and gives him the sternest look she can muster.
"Kyle! Calm yourself boy! I won't have you knocking over my displays."
Taking a second to stop and take a deep breath, Kyle meekly smiles in apology. Marla can't keep up the angry facade and smiles warmly back. Kyle quickly ducks into an aisle and scours the shelves for the perfect apology items. Scented candles, a ten dollar bottle of wine, and an assortment of chocolate items. He brings them up to the counter and Marla chuckles.
"Big night planned sweetie?" Marla winks as she scans the items. "Or are you in the dog house?"
"Hoping to avoid it," Kyle replies with a frown.
"I'm sure everything will be fine, sweetie. Alex is such a sweetheart."
"Here's hoping she stays that way." Kyle hands her the money and she gives him his receipt. "Thanks, Marla."
"Good luck!" Marla calls out as Kyle leaves in a flurry.
Plastic bag wrapped around his wrist, Kyle rushes down the street, heading for Alex's favorite little Indian take out joint. Along the way he passes his favorite comic shop, Reed's Comics and Collectibles. Through the window he sees Duncan, the store owner, sorting through some vintage comics. Kyle slows to a stop and checks his watch. Five-thirty. Kyle looks down the street to the Indian take out place and back to the comic shop. It's only five-thirty, he can spare a minute or two.
"Hey Duncan!" Kyle calls out as he enters the store.
"Hi Kyle. How's it going?" Duncan pushes the glasses on his face back into place. A tall man standing at 6'5", Duncan is rail thin, making for an unusual appearance. The top of his head is completely bald, but for the hair on the sides and back.
"Great man," Kyle lies. He's not ready to admit to anyone that he was fired. Especially when it's made him something of a celebrity in this shop. Very minor celebrity, but more than he's ever been in his life before. "Got anything good there?"
"Some," Duncan replies, as brief and to the point as he always is. "Old garage sale."
"Ah. Looks like a nice haul." Kyle begins to peruse the comics, making sure not to move any of them. He made that mistake once before, interfering with Duncan's sorting process, and never will again. The mild mannered shop owner is probably the most easy going man Kyle has ever known, at least until you screw up his sense of order and organization.
"Hey Kyle!" a man yells from across the shop. Kyle looks over to see four people sitting around a table in the gaming section.
"Hey Ratchet," Kyle calls back. He goes to turn back to the comics but the man waves for him to come over. "What's up?"
The short, burly old man known as Ratchet motions him to a seat at the table. The table is covered in Dungeons and Dragons books, dice, character sheets, and snacks. "We're going to start a new campaign." It's less of an invitation and more of a demand. The retired mechanic has a fatherly authority about him.
"I'd love to guys but I'm..."
"C'mon, sit. We need a fourth party member."
Kyle looks down at the bags on his arm. He places them down beside the chair and sits down. "All right all I'm doing is making a character, then I gotta go. I'll join the campaign next session okay?"
****
"Ha! Critical hit!" Kyle laughs at Ratchet as his level 1 dwarven warrior Erghest cleaves the zombie in two with his battleaxe. The fight over, Ratchet begins to divide up the loot when a vibration in Kyle's pocket grabs his attention. He pulls out his phone and sees the text from Alex. Where are you? His breath catches in his throat and he looks down at his watch. seven forty-five. He looks out the front window of the shop and sees the street is dark and rain is drizzling down on the city. "Fuuuuuck!"
Kyle grabs his plastic bag and rushes out the door without saying another word. Running full sprint down the sidewalk now slick with light rain, he passes the Indian joint and just keeps going. The drizzle picks up and his clothes start clinging to his frame. Coming up on a busy corner, Kyle ducks and dodges around a number of people, trying not to slow his momentum.
"Excusemeexcusemeexcuseme!“
Rounding the corner, Kyle can see his apartment building four blocks down. The street is deserted, the rain picking up and beating down on the sidewalk. Kyles feet splash as he runs, kicking dirty water up onto his pant legs. He can hear a whistle in his ears and wonders if it has to do with the strain from the run, until it starts to sound from all around him. Orange and green light starts to shine on the water on the street, causing Kyle to look up. He immediately stops his run and loses his footing, falling onto his back with a splash.
Out of the night sky a giant fireball hurtles toward the city. Inside the ball a green light shimmers, engulfed in flames. The fireball appears to be falling toward Manhattan, then makes a sudden turn, as if it suddenly notices something that gains its attention. The fireball turns and starts flying straight for Kyle. Sitting on the rain soaked street, clothes absolutely drenched, Kyle just stares with his mouth agape as the fireball impacts the pavement in front of him. Smoke, flame, and debris spew from the crater.
Kyle slowly gets to his feet. As he does he notices the front of his pants are awfully warm. Leaving his bags without a thought, he walks over to the edge of the crater. Inside, surrounded by scattered fires of both orange and green, lies a small blue man. His thinning white hair is a mess. He's wearing a red robe with a symbol on his chest. It takes Kyle a second to recognize it as the same symbol of that Green Lantern hero seen down in New Mexico.
"W-we need...your help...Kyle..."
A chill runs through him at the sound of his name from the alien's mouth. Part of him wants to run and never look back. Run home to Alex and hide from the alien that knows his name. But from somewhere inside him, an unusual feeling of courage overtakes him. Without even thinking about it, Kyle finds himself sliding down the side of the crater to reach the wrinkled blue alien's side.
"Its...you're gonna..." Kyle can't even finish the sentence. Be okay? The alien looks so bad Kyle is shocked he's still alive.
"Oa...attacked," the alien moans, most of his words lost in the sound of the torrential rain. "...Corp destroyed....betrayed...he...cut off....Tree...be stopped..."
With no idea what to do, barely able to hear the alien, Kyle just takes his hand and tries to comfort him. The alien reaches up with his other hand. Opening it to reveal a glowing green ring.
"The last...you must...save us...all..."
"Me?" Kyle cries, eyes wide. "How...what...I can't save anyone! I..."
"Find...you must find...the other...here...he will...train..."
His voice drifts off and his eyes close, leaving silence but for the rain. Moments later, the blue alien's body begins to glow green. In an instant before Kyle's eyes, the alien vanishes. All that remains is the glowing green ring, floating in the air right where the alien had been holding it. Slowly, as though the ring were an animal threatening to bite him, Kyle begins to reach for it. Before he can the ring moves on it's own, flying to his hand and placing itself on his finger.
<Kyle Rayner of Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.>
-To Be Continued-