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The Greatest Green Lantern That Never Was...

The Greatest Green Lantern That Never Was...
By fearless2814.1

Space Sector 0: The Planet Oa: Former Home of the Green Lantern Corps

The Planet Oa. A desolate world that lay in ruin. It was once home to the greatest force in the universe, the Green Lantern Corps. An intergalactic police force, they were led by arguably the most powerful beings in the universe, the Guardians of the Universe. They assigned two beings to patrol each of the 3600 Space Sectors. At any time, there was 7200 members in the Corps. Now, their numbers had dwindled. To 6. The Lanterns walk down a hallway of a ruined building, formerly called the Hall of Great Service. They continue down the hall until they reach a large set of double doors. They slam the doors open and walk into the library.

"Not so loud, Kilowog. They could hear us." A Lantern says.

"Eh, quit yer whinin’, Tomar. I doubt anyone outside the limits heard that." Another Lantern responds.

"And look where that idiotic notion got us last time." Tomar retorts

"You better watch your mouth, you no good, scumbag of a-"

"HEY!" John calls out, trying to calm the situation, "Calm down you two. We have bigger problems. Now, let’s just get what we came here for, and leave." Tomar and Kilowog back off of each other. All the Lanterns turn toward the library, and each heads for a different section. They all start tearing through books, looking for one, specific book. Finally, after a few minutes, one finds the book.

"I have found it!" Salakk calls out. All the Lanterns head toward the table in the center of the library. Salakk comes over and places the book on the table.

"Hmm... "Prophecies of the Corps"... You sure this is it?" John asks.

"Positive, Lantern Stewart. This is the book that can tell us how to stop him." Salakk responds.

"Well then? Stop gawking and open it up!" Guy commands.

"Alright, Guy. Just relax." They open the book up and look for a particular page. They turn through the book, scanning each page. They then find the page they are looking for. They all lean in to look at it. Salakk begins to read the page aloud.

"And so, the one hailed as the Greatest Green Lantern shall corupt the Corps, and tear apart the universe. And a hero, dormant in Lantern status, lay in wait for when he is called upon to banish this evil from the universe. Though, if he is not called to arms, the universe will fall to the might of... Sinestro." Salakk finishes the page. All the Lanterns lean back out.

"So, how do we beat him? It didn’t say who we needed." Graf comments.

"Hold on..." Sal interrupts, "There is an inscription at the bottom of the page." All the Lanterns lean in once more.

"It says... "Let The Emerald Light Reveal The Hero For Who He Is."... What could it mean?" All the Lanterns think for a moment. Suddenly, Tomar gets an idea.

"Hey! Someone shine some light from their ring on the page." Tomar says. Guy pushes his way through and puts his hand up, then shines some energy from his ring down on the page. Suddenly, some more text is revealed on the page.

"So... This is why Sinestro didn’t destroy the book. He couldn’t find any indication that it told how to defeat him, so he saw no reason to destroy it." Salakk begins to read again, "The hero, forgotten to time, lies in wait in 2814, Terra, his home."

"Hmm... "Terra" is another name for Earth..." John says. All the Lanterns look over at Guy and John.

"So," John begins, "We have to go to Earth, and then, somewhere on the planet, we’ll find the guy who can beat Sinestro."

"Johnny, do you have any idea how many people on Earth could be that guy? I mean, it’s a needle in a haystack."

"Well... let’s think through this logically. Naturally, it would have to be someone who could become a Green Lantern. So, it has to be someone who the ring would choose to overcome great fear."

"...no..." A weak voice calls out.

"What the hell is that?"

"...it is I... Ganthet..."

"GANTHET!?" Sal calls out. Suddenly, a wormhole appears on top of the library. The room is encompassed in wind and lightning. Suddenly, Ganthet falls out of the wormhole. Sal forms a platform under Ganthet. He floats the platform down to the floor. All the Lanterns gather around Ganthet.

"Ganthet... We all thought the Guardians were wiped out..." Sal says.

"No..." Ganthet responds in a weak and drained voice, "that was only so we would not be relentlessly hunted. Several of us got away in the conflict. However, we decided that only one of us should live on, for fear of detection."

"Who else got away?" John asks.

"There was I, Broome, and Sayd. They both gave their life forces to me, so that I may live on, and deliver to you the secret of how to defeat Sinestro."

"Why didn’t you say anything when the battle first began? Woulda saved some time and a few lives." Guy comments.

"We did not tell you at that time because we were still too detectable by Sinestro. If we had come to you earlier, he would have noticed our energies. At this time, when our energies have dwindled, we are less noticable. Now, may I please inform you?"

"Go ahead, Ganthet." John says.

"Very well. Many years ago, a spaceship crashed in the California Desert. That ship belonged to Abin Sur, a Green Lantern. Dying, he sent his ring to find a replacement. That ring found Guy Gardener as his replacement." All the Lanterns look at Guy.

"What?" Guy asks.

"However, that ring was not supposed to find you, Guy Gardener. It was instead supposed to find the one called Hal Jordan. He is the hero you seek."

"Wait, what? How is he the hero? And, more to the point, who the hell IS Hal Jordan?"

"Through our powers, we are aware of alternate timelines. This is one of those alternate timelines. In the timeline that we were supposed to follow, the ring found Hal Jordan as Abin Sur’s replacement. Hal Jordan was then mentored by Sinestro, while Sinestro remained a Green Lantern. However, down that timeline, Hal Jordan discovered that Sinestro was using his powers to instill fear in his sector, to establish absolute rule. Hal Jordan than brought Sinestro to justice, and he was placed in the Anti-Matter Universe. But, without Hal Jordan as a Green Lantern, and without him bringing Sinestro to justice, Sinestro’s power went unchecked. He soon began to assist other Lanterns in their sectors, eliminating anarchy. Little did the Lanterns know that Sinestro began brainwashing the people of those sectors to become his servants. Soon, he had an army. He then launched an assault on Oa to take over as ruler of the Universe. And he succeeded in his quest."

"But, why wouldn’t the ring choose this "Jordan" guy? I mean, if he has the power to overcome great fear, it should’ve chose him." John asks.

"Not necessarily. You see, Hal Jordan’s father was a test pilot. His father, while testing a new aircraft, was supposed to perish in a horrific crash when Hal Jordan was a child. But, through some unknown phenomonon, Hal Jordan’s father never died. That crash was Hal Jordan’s greatest fear come to life. But, since Hal Jordan never experienced his greatest fear, he could never overcome it. There by, not being able to overcome great fear of any kind. So, the ring would have passed over him in the selection process."

"So, Hal was supposed to have put a stop to this years ago." John concludes.

"No, John Stewart. Sinestro broke his imprisonement many times. However, Hal Jordan was always there to stop him. So, you see, Hal Jordan keeps Sinestro from become ultimate ruler many a time. But, without him, the universe falls. So..." Ganthet brings his hand up to the Lanterns. He clenches it into a fist. Suddenly, his fist glows green. After a moment, he opens it to reveal a new Green Lantern power ring.

"Here, Lanterns. Take this ring. Give it to Hal Jordan. Save the universe." Ganthet hands the ring to Tomar. Suddenly, an explosion breaks open the roof of the library. Everyone scatters. As the dust clears, a figure is seen standing above them. He wears and glows yellow, as a worshipper of fear. He is Sinestro, ruler of the universe.

"Hello, Ganthet." Sinestro says. He then aims his ring at Ganthet, and fires a yellow construct wooden stake at him. The stake reaches him, and penetrates his heart.

"AGH!" Ganthet falls back on the ground.

"NO!" Salakk yells. He rushes to Ganthet’s aid. However, he is spotted by Sinestro.

"Why, if it isn’t Salakk." Sinestro says. Sinestro then gets a wide, sinister grin on his face. Salakk looks up at him, extremely distraught.

"You will PAY for the death you’ve wrought!" Salakk then flies toward Sinestro, charging his ring. Sinestro, not phased by Salakk’s charge, simply aims his ring at Salakk, and then fires. A huge tidal wave of yellow energy rushes over Salakk, smothering him. After a moment or two, Sinestro ceases the blast. Salakk, along with his ring, has been completely incinerated by the blast. Ganthet sees this. He then summons all his energy to float over to the rest of the Lanterns, now seeking refuge behind a large piece of rubble. Ganthet then speaks to them.

"Lanterns. I shall sacrifice myself this day so that you may escape." Ganthet says.

"No, Ganthet. We’re taking Sinestro down here and now." John says.

"Don’t be foolish! You cannot stop Sinestro! Not now. You need to find Hal Jordan. He is the only one who can stop Sinestro. Now, go!" The Lanterns then begin to sneak away, while Ganthet floats up into mid-air to challenge Sinestro.

"Sinestro!" Ganthet calls out. Sinestro turns to see Ganthet floating in the air.

"Pfft. Look how weak you are. How pathetic you are. You have lost, Gaurdian. Why do you continue your fight? Your Corps has been destroyed, your brothers and sisters are dead. Yet, you continue to annoy me with your presence. Why? What is there worth fighting for anymore?"

"I fight for the truth! The truth that you can still be defeated!" Ganthet yells. Ganthet now flies straight towards Sinestro. Sinestro barely has time to raise a shield. However, Ganthet breaks the shield and, with his last breath, destroys himself. He explodes his essence near Sinestro, practically decimating the area. Sinestro, however, has drawn too much power from his Fear Battery to be destroyed. He does, however, form an aura around him, protecting himself from the blast. All that is left is Ganthet’s charred robe, which floats to the ground. Sinestro, having time to think, now realizes what Ganthet said. How he can still be destroyed. This troubles Sinestro. He makes a call by his ring.

"Smithwick. Do you read me? This is Sinestro." Sinestro calls over his ring.

:Yes, my lord. What is you bidding?:

"Scan space for any traces of Green Lantern energy. Then, if any trace is found, diploy a unit to intercept the activity."

:Right away, my lord.:

"Sinestro, over and out." Sinestro then flies off the planet and out of sight.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Sector 2814: The Solar System: Inside of the Asteroid Belt

"Man, this guy better be worth it." Guy remarks.

"Relax, Guy. If this guy is good enough to have Ganthet give his life, he has to be one hell of a ring-slinger." John responds as he and the Lanterns pass by Mars.

"He better be ready for my trainin’ course." Kilowog says.

"Well, you’ll find out soon, Kilowog." Graf says.

"We’re here." Tomar finishes. Earth comes into view. It is still as green and blue as it was when Sinestro was a Green Lantern.

”Man, I love that Sinestro hasn’t gotten here in his universal conquests yet.” John says.

”Amen to that, Johnny. Amen.” Guy adds. They fly into Earth’s atmosphere. They stop once they enter the atmosphere.

”Alright, now, Ganthet said that when Abin Sur crashed in the California Desert, Hal Jordan was supposed to be chosen. So, we head to California.” All five Lanterns head west, towards California.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Sector 1417: The Planet Korugar: Sinestro’s Palace

”SMITHWICK!” Sinestro calls out from the entrance to his palace. He walks in and is met by Smithwick, and a servant, who holds out Sinestro’s robe.

”What is the status report on the Green Lantern energy activity?” Sinestro asks, while putting on his robe.

”Well, my lord, it seems a fair amount of Green Lantern energy was found heading towards the planet Earth. However, for reasons unknown to us at this time.” Smithwick reports. Sinestro thinks to himself for a moment, silent. Then, he dawns a look of realization, and almost disbelief. He knows why the Lanterns are going to Earth. However, Smithwick takes notice of this look.

”What is it, my lord?” Smithwick asks. Sinestro, realizing Smithwick noticed his reaction, quickly covers it with a lie.

”The reason does not matter, Smithwick. Deploy Arkillo, Karu Sil, Katma Tui, and Soranik Natu. We are finally going to wipe the Green Lanterns from the face of the universe.” With that, Sinestro walks into his private quarters, and shuts the doors behind him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Sector 2814: The Planet Earth: Coast City, CA

”Man, LOOK at this view!” Guy yells out, stretching out into the air. He is referring to the Coast City coastline, ”No wonder this guy chose to live here!”

”Yeah, yeah. Cool off, Guy. We’re on a mission here.” John then brings his ring up to his face, ”Ring, locate Hal Jordan.”

:Locating Hal Jordan...:

The ring processes this request for a moment. Then, the ring chimes in again.

:Hal Jordan- Located. Beginning tracking sequence.:

The ring then shoots out a stream of energy across the skyline. This stream lights a trail to where Hal Jordan is located.

”Let’s go, boys.” John says. They all take off, following the trail left for them. The trail leads them to Ferris Air. They fly right into the middle of a test flight.

”WHOA!” Tomar yells. He dashes out of the way when a jet flies right by them. Suddenly, the ring chimes in.

:Hal Jordan- Located.:

”That must be him in the jet...” Guy says.

”Gee, you think, Guy?” John says sarcastically. He then aims his ring at the jet. He follows the jet with his ring, looking for a good shot. He fires a blast and hits the plane. Just bad enough a hit for Hal to have to land the plane. Hal is forced to land the plane outside the fly zone. He then pops the shield to the cockpit open and climbs out. He takes off his helmet. He looks overhead and sees five beings float down towards him. They land in front of him. Hal recognizes two of them.

"Hey... aren’t you two the Green Lanterns?" Hal asks, pointing at both John and Guy.

"Yes sir, Mr. Jordan. We’re all Green Lanterns, actually."

”I can see that.” Hal comments, looking at all the Lanterns, ”So, what do you guys want? It’s gonna be a bitch tryin’ to explain this. So, the least you can do is give me an explanation.” Hal says.

”Mr. Jordan, we’d like you to join us. As a Green Lantern.” John says. Hal looks at them, with an odd look. He finally laughs in disbelief.

”Thanks for the offer, guys, but I’m no hero. Especially not a SUPERhero.” He says, still chuckling. Then, a call comes in over his radio in the jet.

>Hal? Hal? Can you read me?<

Hal runs over to the jet, climbs into the cockpit, and grabs the radio.

”Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. What’s up, Carol?”

>YOU’RE asking ME "What’s up?", Hal? You just landed our plane outside the fly zone in the middle of a test flight.<

”Uh...” Hal hesitates. He looks over at the Lanterns, ”Yeah, I had some engine trouble. Had to land her.” Hal says, lying through his teeth.

>Are you alright?<

”Yeah, I’m fine. Seems like a minor problem. No injuries.”

>Okay. I’ll be dispatching a mechanic crew.<

”Yeah... Okay, Carol. ... Yeah... OK... I love you, too. Hal Jordan- out.” Hal climbs back down and walks back over to the Lanterns.

”Mr. Jordan...” John begins, ”we STRONGLY suggest you reconsider our offer.”

”Why? I already told you guys I’m not interested. Now, just take that answer and leave.” Hal says, turning away.

”...That’s it!” Guy walks over to Hal and picks him up by his collar, ”Listen here, flyboy! The frickin’ UNIVERSE is about to crumble! Now, you need ta put that ring on and stop that from happenin’!” Guy sets Hal down and walks back over to the Tomar.

”Gimme the ring!” Tomar takes the ring and puts it in Guy’s hand. Guy walks back over to Hal. He picks his hand up and is about to put the ring on, when Hal pulls his hand away.

”Listen, Lanterns. I’m not taking your offer. Now, go back to saving the universe, already.” Hal turns to walk away. He walks back towards the jet. Suddenly, a blast of energy is fired at the jet, and it explodes. Hal jumps back at the sight of the explosion. The Lanterns fly over to Hal.

”What the hell was that?!” Hal calls out.

”That’s EXACTLY what’s going to happen to you, Lanterns!” Everybody looks up, and sees four of Sinestro’s personal guard members. They include Soranik Natu, Katma Tui, Karu Sil, and Arkillo.

”Arkillo! Get the frag outta here NOW!” Kilowog calls out.

”Not a chance, ’Wog! Not before your blood is on my hands!” Arkillo fires a huge blast of energy at the Lanterns. They all form up a shield. John starts to shout commands.

”Kilowog! Take Arkillo! Tomar and Graf! You two take Karu! Guy! Take Soranik! I got Katma!” All the Lanterns fly up towards their enemies, leaving Jordan behind.

”EAT THIS, YA POOZER!” Kilowog yells as he slams a wrecking ball construct into Arkillo and sends him flying up higher into the air. Kilowog follows Arkillo, and keeps slamming the wrecking ball into him. Soon, Kilowog and Arkillo are out in space, out of sight. Graf and Tomar fly in unison towards Karu-Sil, and her dogs. Karu sicks her dogs on the Lanterns.

”KILL THEM!” Karu commands. Her constructed dogs lunge at Graf and Tomar. Tomar gets taken by two dogs, each biting on to one of his limbs. The third is desperately trying to tear into Graf’s face, but Graf is holding the dog back. Tomar finally aims his ring across at one of the dogs biting onto him, and hits the dog. He then grabs the other dog by the nape of the neck, swings him around, and hurls him downwards. The dog flies down and slams into the ground, creating a cloud of dust. The dust surrounds Hal, who takes this opportunity to seek shelter behind some boulders. Tomar then aims his ring and fires at the dog attempting to get at Graf. That dog also is knocked away. Graf and Tomar then fly at Karu. She whips up a shield construct. But, as the construct is about to seal up, Tomar sends a wedge construct into the shield to hold it open. Graf
then flies in and uppercuts Karu in the mouth. He then begins to punch her repeatedly, back and forth across the face. Finally, he jumps up, spins around, and kicks Karu across the face, launching her downwards. She freefalls downward, and slams into the ground, creating a small impact crater.

”YEAH!” Tomar yells in victory. John flies at Katma Tui, ready to battle. Katma fires several blasts at John, but John skillfully dodges them all. He gets in close to Katma, and starts to punch her. But, his first punch is stopped by Katma, and she twists his arm around, and dislocates his shoulder.

”AGH!” John pulls out and grabs his shoulder. Just then, Katma kicks John in the chin. She then leg sweeps him and he looses his balance. He quickly recovers and blasts her in the shoulder. She spins around a time or two, as John comes up and punches her across the face. She then punches him across the face as well. He then kicks her in the gut. As she leans over, he elbows her in the back. She falls downward. As she falls, John uses his ring to grab her, pull her up, swing her around, and slam her into the ground. He then brings her back up and repeatedly slams her into the ground. Katma, however, gets back up. She is bleeding slightly from the lip, and is bruised around the face. She then flies back up at John. John forms up a shield in front of him. But, Katma flies around him and kicks him in the back. She then grabs him and brings his back down on her knee.

”AAGGH!” John begins to fall, but is caught by Tomar. Graf the flies up and begins to fight Katma. Meanwhile, Guy collides with Soranik. He starts to throw punches left and right, non-stop. However, Soranik is skillfully dodging them all. She finally catches one puch, then kicks Guy in the stomach. As he leans over, she brings her knees up and collides into Guy’s face. Guy turns around and falls back a bit. He finally gets fed up, and unloads a huge energy blast right at Soranik. She tries to put a shield up, but is not quick enough. She feels the full force of the blast. When Guy stops, both his ring, and Soranik, are smoking. Soranik falls to the ground. Guy the turns to see Hal hiding.

”HEY!” Hal looks up to see Guy. Guy flies down to Hal, and walks over to him.

”What the HELL do you think you’re DOING!? Put this goddamn ring on and WIPE’EM OUT!” Guy commands.

”I’m NO HERO!” Hal insists.

”That much is certain.” Guy and Hal both look to see Karu-Sil, and her dogs, staring them down.

”SICK’EM!” All the dogs leap at Guy and Hal. One bites the arm Guy is using to hold the ring meant for Hal. The other two attack Jordan. The two dogs start to tear at Hal’s flight suit. They begin to clamp onto his arms. Hal starts to flail his arms, to try and get them off, Suddenly, a green blast knocks the dogs off. It’s Guy who blasts them off of Hal.

”NO!” Karu shouts, ”I’LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!” She lunges at Guy. But, Guy aims up and blasts his construct buzzsaw blade at her. She is knocked back and knocked out.

”...Gardener!...”

”Ganthet?” Guy calls out, ”Ain't you dead?”

”...Get Hal Jordan to put the ring on. NOW. Sinestro approaches...” Guy looks down at Hal.

”Now... listen here, Jordan. You NEED to put that ring on NOW. RIGHT NOW.” Guy says. He extends his hand to Hal, and puts the ring up to him. Hal looks up at Guy, and back down at the ring. He takes the ring.

”Now... PUT IT ON.” Guy commands. Hal brings his hand up, extends his finger, and slides the ring on. The ring begins to glow.

”Good.” Guy says, ”How’s it feel?” He asks.

”It feels...” Hal says, ”good.” Suddenly, the ring begins to glow fiercly, and green streams of electricity flow out of Hal’s ring and overtake Hal. He floats up in the air, against his will. He is surrounded by a green aura of electricity and energy. Suddenly, green energy flows over his eyes, concealing them. Images flash before his eyes. He sees what could have lead him down the path to becoming a Green Lantern. He sees his father crash. He sees Abin offer him the ring. Hal sees his fellow Lanterns. And, most importantly, he sees Sinestro. Their friendship, his betrayal, and Hal defeating him, over and over again. Hal now knows everything that could have been. Suddenly, everything stops. The aura dissappears. Hal drops to the ground, smoking. He is groggy. Guy goes and checks on Hal.

”Jordan? You OK?” Guy asks. Hal looks up at him.

”Yeah, Guy. I’m fine. In fact,” Hal then stands up. His ring bursts a green blast of energy around Jordan. When the energy fades, Hal is in uniform. His ring is wildly glowing. He wears a green mask over his face. Hal has a serious look on his face. Then, he gets a small grin.

”I’m better than ever.”

---------------------------------------------------

Arkillo flies down from space and crashes into the ground with a monstrous collision. A crater forms in the ground around Arkillo. Kilowog floats down over Arkillo, victorious in their battle. Kilowog extends a beam of energy to Arkillo’s hand. He has the beam grasp Arkillo’s ring, and tear it off. He then flies up to meet his fellow Lanterns.

”That wasn’t a waste of time at all.” Kilowog says sarcastically, brushing some dust off his uniform.

”Yeah, well, we have bigger problems. Sinestro knows we’re getting close. So, we need to take him out NOW.” John says, ”With, or without Jordan.”

”How about with.” The Lanterns turn to see Hal float up with Guy by his side.

”Told ya I could get this guy ta put the ring on.” Guy says. He floats back over to the Lanterns. he throws Karu’s confiscated ring into an orb containing all the rings.

”Eviscerate.” Kilowog orders his ring. All the rings then burn up, and crumble away. He gets rid of the orb construct. He then goes to the group to discuss a plan.

”So, what’s our plan, Jordan?” John asks.

”Simple, John:” Hal says, ”We storm the palace, and capture Sinestro.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Sector 1417: Outside the Korugarian Star System

The six Lanterns rush through space towards Korugar. They quickly approach Sinestro’s homeworld. On the way, Hal is completely silent. John turns to Hal.

"Hey man, wake up." John says. Hal seems to jolt to attention.

"Sorry." Hal says, seeming to almost float back into his previous state of mind.

"Hey, we need you completely at attention if we’re gonna beat Sinestro." John says.

"I know... it’s just..." Hal begins, "Yesterday, I was just a test pilot. Now, today, I’m an intergalactic police officer who has to save the universe. It’s kind of a big transition." Hal says. It’s quiet for another moment or two, when John speaks again.

"So, do you know anything about the Green Lantern Corps?" John asks.

"Yeah. I know everything that COULD have been." Hal says, "Like, I know you and me would have been sector partners. I know that I would have been consumed by Parallax. And, I know that Sinestro has to, and will be, stopped." Hal says.

"Well, jet-jockey, you get your chance now." Guy says, "We’re here." The six Lanterns stop and look upon the lit-up, active planet known as Korugar. However, one spots shines above the other.

"THAT’S Sinestro’s palace." John says, pointing to the spot.

"Yeah, not only is it the brightest, but it’s also the most heavily guarded. It’s gonna be a bitch tryin’ to get in." Guy remarks.

"Well then," Hal begins, "we better have our heavy firepower ready." Hal says. He then draws the Lanterns in.

"Okay, we’re gonna split up into three groups. Tomar, Graf, and Kilowog, you guys go to face the back of the palace. John and Guy, you go to face the front."

"What about you, Hal?" Tomar asks.

"I’m going in by myself, over the top. If we all hit the palace at our marks, we should be able to bust through, and capture Sinestro. We split up, and radio in when we reach our marks."

"Okay." Kilowog says.

"No sweat." Guy answers.

"Good luck, Lanterns." The three groups split off from the one, and fly off down to Korugar to place at their marks. But, Hal pulls John aside, and stays behind for a moment.

"John, you ready to pull off what I set for your ring?"

"Yeah, Hal. I’m good."

"Good." It is silent for a monet. then, Hal breaks the silence. "Good luck, John." Hal flies off, and John takes off after Guy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Planet Korugar: Outside Sinestro’s Palace

The Lanterns line up their marks. They stare down the palace, as if staring down a person. They all radio in.

"Group 1 is in position." Kilowog says.

"Group 2 is set." John says.

"Good. Group 3 is good to go." Hal says, "OK, Lanterns. On my mark. Ready... NOW!" All the Lanterns rush towards the palace, flying at intense speeds. They rocket through the air without reguard for anything in their way. They all pull their ring hands back, and charge up. They then count it off.

"3... 2... 1... UNLEASH!" Hal yells into his ring. All seven Lanterns fire off a huge wave of energy. The blasts all veer off towards the part of the palace that houses Sinestro’s private quarters. The blasts connect, decimating that part of the palace entirely.

"MOVE IN!" Hal orders. All the Lanterns move in to the area which was just blown up. They all fly over and land in the room. However, when the smoke clears, nobody is there.

"What? NO!" Hal yells, "Dammit!" Hal kicks a piece of rubble, "He’s not here."

"Calm down, Hal--"

"CALM DOWN!? We only had ONE shot at this! Now, Sinestro knows we’re out here!" Suddenly, Hal realizes something,

"Wait... If Sinestro knew we were coming... Then he..." Hal gets a look of horror on his face.

"IT’S A TRA--" Hal can’t even get the word off when the palace explodes. The entire building goes up in fire and smoke. The building then falls apart and crumbles to the streets. All the Lanterns are scattered. Finally, the Lanterns, still in somewhat close proximity, look up in the sky. They see Sinestro, with Smithwick by his side, and a small army behind them.

"...Oh, no..." Hal says. Then, Sinestro looks down at Hal, shocked.

"No... how!? HOW ARE YOU HERE!?" Sinestro fires a blast at Hal. Hal flies backwards. Then, Hal gets an order out.

"LANTERNS! TAKE’EM DOWN!! JOHN! GO!!" The Lanterns all charge at the army, their rings blazing with energy. They pass by Sinestro, charging at Hal, and not caring or stopping for anyone or anything else. He flies right towards Hal. He charges his ring, and uppercuts Hal under the chin, at the same time, unleashing energy at Hal. Hal flies away from the building, and through the city, landing in another building. He crashes. He slowly gets up to one knee. A yellow spark then catches his eye. Hal looks up in the sky and sees Sinestro.

"Sinestro." Hal says, with anger in his voice.

"Hal Jordan." Sinestro says. Hal is a bit surprised.

"You know me?" Hal asks.

"How could I not? You would have ruined me." Sinestro fires a blast right below Jordan. Hal flies up and falls back not too far away. He gets up and flies towards Sinestro, wielding a green blade. Sinestro forms his own sword, and the two clash. Sparks fly off as their ring’s energy intensify.

"So, if you know me, you know that I’ll defeat you." Hal says.

"Hardly. I took every percaution to make sure you fail." Sinestro says, kneeing Hal in the stomach, and elbowing him to the floor beneath. Hal gets up on his hands and looks up.

"We WILL win, Sinestro." Hal says, coughing.

"No, you won’t. Even if you WERE chosen when Abin crashed, you would have still failed." Hal gets an even more surprised look on his face.

"How do you know I was supposed to be chosen?" Hal asks.

"Simple, Earth-bug. I rigged it so you wouldn’t." Sinestro says with a devilish grin. Hal gets a scowl on his face, now irrately angry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kilowog flies in first, charging at a small gathering of Sinestros. He forms up a kendo stick construct. He brings the construct back, and whacks it across the group of Sinestros, scattering them.

"HAHA!" Kilowog laughs. He charges at the scattered Sinestros. Meanwhile, Tomar and Graf fly towards another group of Sinestros. They each fire off a blast at the group. They two blasts twist around each other, forming in the shape of a double helix. They finally combine, and erupt in front of the Sinestros. The Sinestros are knocked back, and temporarily blinded. The Lanterns take this opportunity to form two giant hand constructs. They slam the hands together, crushing the Sinestros in between the constructs. The Sinestros fall to the ground.

"Yes!" Tomar yells in victory.

"Nice one, Tomar!" Graf calls out. Guy charges toward his own group of Sinestros. His ring, seeming to leak energy, fires off a huge spectral blast towards the Sinestros. The blast connects, and the Sinestros are severely burned by the intense heat of the energy.

"YEE-HAW!" Guy screams. Guy then turns and sees John, busy fighting a group of Sinestros. John forms up a building construct, and slams it into the group of Sinestros, disposing of them. Guy then calls out to John.

"HEY, JOHNNY! QUIT WASTIN' TIME! GO ALREADY!" Guy yells.

"ALRIGHT!" John yells back. John bursts away from the fight. He flies at fast speeds towards the point Hal designated for him. He is heading to the most northern point on Korugar. He rockets away from the group, until all he can see is a mass of yellow with spots of green. He focuses on his upcoming target. When his target comes into view, he preps his ring. He sees a large, yellow building is his target. Soon, he is able to make out what it is: The Central Fear Battery.

"...oh, Hal, what did you get me into..." John says to himself. He then rushes forward. As he approaches, he spots some of Sinestro’s guard watching over the battery. The guard members spot the Lantern, and try to rush towards him. But, John gets the jump on them. He pulls a construct of a fly swatter out, and dashes the guards away. He sees the guards fly half-way across the city. But, John pays them no extra attention. He rushes towards the battery. He pulls his hand back, and forms up a giant construct. It takes the shape of a nuclear bomb. John then pulls it back further, aims it at the side of the battery.

"YYEEAAGGHH!" John launches the construct at the battery. The construct, swirling with streams of green energy inside, hits the battery. The construct erupts into a fierce explosion. It detonates into the battery, and blasts away part of it. When the dust and smoke clears, a huge portion of the battery is gone, and the battery is now inactive. John, who was tossed away by the blast, looks at his work.

"OK, Hal, I did my part. Now, it’s up to you." John says to himself, looking back in the direction of the battle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How!? WHY!?" Hal yells, inquiring as to why Sinestro prevented him from becoming a Green Lantern. Hal lay on the ground, still shaken from the blast. Sinestro floats overhead.

"Because, I knew what a threat you would become. You see, Abin Sur was once my dearest friend in the Corps. However, once he crashed, I knew what the Demons of Ysmault had done to him. What they put in his head. So, I went to seek justice in Abin's name. However, the Demons told me that I could become ruler of the universe. That I could instill MY order across the cosmos. That I could have JUSTICE! I just had to eliminate you from my way. So, I did." Sinestro explains. He fires off another shot at Hal, launching him away. Sinestro follows, and continues with his explanation.

"Thanks to assistance from the Anti-Monitor, I managed to time travel back to when your father flew in his airplane, and was supposed to crash in it. But, I repaired it so it wouldn’t crash. So, your father never died. Then, I went forward in time, and eliminated that idiot Booster Gold, to make sure that Guy Gardener got the ring instead of you, as a minor precaution, in case saving your father wasn’t enough." Sinestro explains, "When I returned to my time, nobody had ever heard of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. So, I was set to rule the universe." Sinestro floats down, grabs Hal by the neck, and pulls him up.

"But, you remained. And, I saw you as no threat to me. That is, until the Lanterns began to seek you out. I knew then that it would come to this. So, I prepared. And, I won." Sinestro finishes, tightening his grip.

"A little -egh- early to say that, don’t ya -kak- think?" Hal says, choking the words out.

"No. My army will eliminate your Lanterns, and I will eliminate you. Then, my rule will go unchallenged. And I will continue to preside over my kingdom until the end of my days. To which, I will leave the universe in a power struggle, and let it tear itself apart in chaos. Only when I die, will I leave this universe alone, and unprotected. And, only you stand in my way." Sinestro drops Hal to the ground. Hal falls to his hands and knees. Sinestro then forms an executioner’s axe, and brings it up.

"Good-bye, Hal Jordan." Sinestro then brings the axe down, only to have it evaporate away before making contatc. Sinestro is stunned.

"WHAT?!" Sinestro tries desperately to form a new one, but to no avail. Then Hal gets up, and punches Sinestro across the face.

"AGH!" Sinestro backs away, holding his cheek. Hal then comes back at Sinestro. He punches Sinestro again, then kicks him in the gut. Sinestro falls to his hands and knees.

"You’re ring has made you soft, Sinestro. You forgot how to fight hand-to-hand. You relied on it too much. But, not anymore." Hal boots Sinestro in the face, and Sinestro falls backwards.

"HOW!?" Sinestro asks in fury, holding his face in pain.

"Simple, I rigged it." Hal says, mocking Sinestro. Hal then kicks Sinestro in the gut, and drops to his knees. He then begins to hammer away on Sinestro’s face, punch after punch. After a few solid punches, Hal stands back up.

"I had John nuke your Fear Battery with a nuclear bomb construct. Without it’s power, your army fell to the other Lanterns, and you fell to me." Hal explains. Sinestro gets a venomous look of hatred and anger on his face. Hal only smiles.

"Oh, and one more thing, Sinestro..." Hal aims his ring down at Sinestro. He weaves a construct of the Green Lantern badge, and places in front of Sinestro’s face.

"Sinestro of Krougar, you are under arrest."

"No... it's not OVER!" Sinestro yells out into the air. Then, suddenly, he glows bright yellow. The color throbes over his body. His eyes and mouth shoot out beams of yellow energy.

"ahehehehahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sinestro laughs meniacally, as if he’s going insane. Suddenly, the yellow light bursts, blinding Hal. Hal is also knocked backwards in the air. When Hal catches his balance, he still can't see.

"You may have destroyed the source of fear used for weapons..." Hal hears. He is then grabbed by the throat. He is raised into the air. Then, his sight comes back. He sees Sinestro, now with a, long, unfurling cape, pieces of body armor, and a wide devilish smile, with the sharpest teeth Hal has ever seen.

"...But let's see how you do against LIVING fear!" Sinestro yells, "Now, Lantern, you will die by the hands of PARALLAX!!" Sinestro forms a fist, places it at Hal's gut, and summons a huge blast of energy, which sends Hal flying straight into space. Parallax follows. He follows Hal, grabs him by the head, and hurls him towards an asteroid field. He races Hal again, and grabs both his arms, swings him around, and throws him back down to Korugar. Hal flies down to Korugar at top speeds. He breaks the atmosphere, crashes through a skyscraper, and slams into the ground. The impact forms a huge crater, which piles up smoke and dust and dirt. Parallax flies back down at Hal. He flies down, and slams into the ground. He then grabs Hal by the throat, lifts him up into the air, and slams him into the ground. Sinestro now gets in Hal's face.

"You've lost, Lantern. Even you cannot face the might of Parallax! Surrender now, and I'll ensure you a quick and painless death." Parallax says, "But, first, Lantern, before you die, tell me... what do you fear?" Parallax asks, grinning.

"-kak-Nothing! I fear nothing!" Hal says, choking the words out.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! EVERYONE feels fear! Even Green Lanterns!"

"Not me... I -kak- can overcome it!"

"No, you can't. HAHAHA!" Parallax laughs, "Now... GIVE UP!"

"No... I can't... give up! ... I'LL NEVER GIVE UP!" Suddenly, Hal's chest begins to glow fiercly. He shoots out a shade of green. Parallax seems harmed by this light. He covers his face and backs away. Hal then floats up into the air. He is emersed in green light. Then, suddenly, Hal sees a whale-like creature fly towards him in his mind. The whale bears the Green Lantern insignia. Then, Hal erupts into a ball of green energy and light. Parallax is knocked back by this light. Then, Parallax looks up. He sees Hal Jordan, only know he wears a glowing Green Lantern insignia on his chest.

"OK, Parallax," Hal begins, "let's see if you can take the full power of ION!" Hal charges down at Parallax. Parallax then charges back at Hal, and they collide. Their meeting sends a shockwave across the planet. They clench up, and stare at each other.

"I WILL DEVOUR YOUR SOUL, AND YOUR FEAR, LANTERN! ION OR NOT!!" Parallax threatens.

"Please, Parallax, save your threats for someone they actually work on." Ion knees Parallax in the gut. Ion then grabs Parallax's hands, spins him over, and slams him into the ground. Ion then charges his fist with green energies. He pulls back, and punches Sinestro across the face, knocking him out.

"OK, Parallax," Ion says, still charging his fist with energies, "time to banish you from this universe!" Hal then slams his fist through Sinestro's gut.

"RRHHAAGGHH!" Sinestro yells in pain. Ion struggles with his grasp against Parallax, but he wins. He pulls a giant, parasitic, yellow insect out of Sinestro's chest. Hal holds the insect up above his head. The insect squeals and screams in despair. It wrigles to try and get out of Hal's grasp. But, it does so to no avail.

"Now, Parallax, BE GONE!" With those words, Hal, summoning all of the Ion energy he can, tears Parallax into two pieces, and throws them on the ground.

"RRYYAAGGH!" The insect yells. It squirms around on the ground in pain. As it does, It's torn ends burn up in yellow fire. The flames travel up the two ends, and evaporate the creature into nothing.

"...WE'LL MEET AGAIN, LANTERN..." This comes from a voice in Hal's head, a voice that sounds malicious and evil. Hal, exhausted, drops to his knees. His body smokes with green steam. Then, suddenly, Ion flies out of Hal's chest. But, before it leaves, it turns to Hal. It looks at him intently, as if trying to communicate something to him. But, eventually, Ion flies up into the sky, and disappears. At this time, Guy, John, Kilowog, Graf, and Tomar fly over to Hal. They meet up behind him.

"Hey, Hal..." John says, "You OK?" John asks, bending down to Hal's level.

"Yeah... just a little tired." Hal says, smirking. Hal looks back down at Sinestro, now awakening. Hal stands up and walks over to Sinestro. He stands over Sinestro, triumphant in his mission.

"... I... HATE... you... Jordan...!" Sinestro says, weak.

"Why? Because I'm your better this day? Because I put an end to your diabolical rule? Is that why you hate me?" Hal takes a moment to breathe, still tired from the fight, "Well, you shouldn't be mad at me. You should be mad at yourself. You abandoned the Corps. You destroyed it, all in the name of greed, lust, and power. You saw yourself as superior to all other beings, and yet, here you lay, defeated. Sure, maybe long ago, you got the better of the Corps. But, now, the Corps has gotten the better of you." Hal says. Sinestro just smiles an evil smile.

"Naive fool! I took over... to establish JUSTICE! But... thanks to you... my rule has ended. But, you'll see. Without my rule... this universe will fall apart! Chaos will ensue. And then... when you realize you can't control things anymore... I'll be waiting to pick up the pieces..." Sinestro says. He now laughs a weak, evil laugh.

"We'll see about that." Hal says. He takes a pause, and frowns at Sinestro, seeing as how he is a lost cause.

"Now, let's try this again..." Hal says. Hal aims his ring at Sinestro, and forms the Green Lantern symbol.

"By order of the Green Lantern Corps," The other Lanterns now walk up behind him, and form Green Lantern symbols of their own. They all aim them at Sinestro, who is now scowling, "you are under arrest."

EPILOGUE

Oa buzzes about with Lanterns coming and leaving the planet, off to complete their duties. The planet seems to glow the green it once did in it’s glory days. It was rebuilt to befit it’s former glory. The planet is conquered by large buildings. Off to the side, new vegitation has grown, providing a training area for new Lanterns. In the Great Hall, five figures walk down the hall. They wear red and white robes, with the insignia of the Green Lantern Corps in the center.

"Do you guys know where he is?" An elderly African-American man asks?

"Yeah. He’s in the citadel. Meditating again." An elderly caucasian man says, "He’s been doing that a lot lately. Says he’s trying to ’Become one with the spectrum.’" The man says.

"I thought he was with Carol and his son, Martin, over in the new province?" An aged pink alien asks.

"Nope. He was, but he left not too long ago." An elderly orange man with face paintings says.

"So, who wants to tell him the news?" An old being with a beak and dorsal fin asks.

"I’ll tell him about it." The African-American man says. They walk through the hall, and come to an open doorway. They fly out towards the newly rebuilt Citadel, twice the size of the last one. They pass a giant statue of Ganthet on their way, erected in the center of the city. On their way, they pass a black-haired Lantern wearing the uniform of Ion.

"Is that the new Ion?" The elderly caucasian man asks.

"Yep. ...I forget his first name, but I know his last. Somethin' Rayner." The aged pink alien says.

They fly over to the Citadel, then land down before a large set of double doors outside of it. They open the doors, and float inside. The room appears to be it’s own universe, with no boundaries. Space and stars adorn the room, seeming to go on forever. In the center of the room, levitates a being, floating in quiet meditation. The being is covered in a veil of green energy. He wears a white and green robe, to symbolize superiority over the other Lanterns. His hair is gray, as is to show his age. The other beings approach the man.

"We have a problem concerning one of our maximum-security prisoners." the African-American man begins.

"What is the problem?" The meditating human asks, not disturbing his postion.

"We just got word of a portal, which temporarily linked our universe and the Anti-Matter Universe, opening in space. We believe he has escaped his imprisonment." The man says.

"Who is this escapee?" The man asks, already knowing the answer.

"Sinestro of Korugar. He has escaped." The African-American man says, now more firm in his conclusion.

"Well then," The meditating man says, turning. The being is revealed to Hal Jordan, new leader of the Green Lantern Corps, "I’ll just have to bring him in again." The being flies past the group. He rockets out of the citadel, and up into space. He leaves a trail of green energy behind him as he flies away. He flies out into space, until he himself is out of sight, leaving only a sparkle of green behind him.

THE END...

[(Superman-Prime300) Banned until 8.6.08 Find all posts View Profile Close (Superman-Prime300)]

A Different Shade of Green

A private jet flew through the clouds above Coast City.

Well if I can't cause sucessful havoc in New York I might as well cause some here.

Norman Osbron smiled out the window as he caught a view of the magnificent city. Hard to imagine that it had once been completely decimated.

Show time.

***

Hal Jordan shot into the sky in his jet. He loved flying. The speed, the sense of freedom. There was nothing better than being above everything else. All of you worries and burdens. You didn't have to think about that. All you had to do was fly.

***

Norman stood in his new apartment wearing a purple and green suit, putting together some equipment. He shoved about a dozen bombs shaped like pumpkins into a bag, put on puples gloves. He tested the gloves by shooting a yellow beam out of his right index finger.

"Good everything seems to be functioning." He then looked at a few more pumpkin bombs on the table and tossed them into his bag.

Norman grasped a green mask with a purple hat and put it in to don the identity of...THE GREEN GOBLIN!

***

Hal walked out of the airforce base, ready for a nice long relaxing night but he heard explosions coming back from the airforce base. He looked at his ring and grinned as his body was suddenly covered with green and black attire, complete with a domino mask to become...THE GREEN LANTERN!

"Ok." He took a deep breath and then flew off back towards the base.

***

Jet planes exploded as pumpkin bombs made impact with them. The Green Goblin flew above the base on his glider.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Green Goblin cackled as the base began to go up in flames.

Gun fire rang from below but the Goblin's suit protected him from harm.

"Is that all? I'm very dissapointed!" The masked villain raised a pumpkin bomb in his hand and chucked it down towards the soliders.

Seconds before the bomb hit, a green barrier got in front of its target and blocked the bomb.

"What?"

A green beam hit the Green Goblin and knocked him off his glider and plummeting through the air. The glider began beeping and then took off towards the ground, catching up with its rider. It hovered under his flailing body and he landed on it, glaring at the unknown attacker.

An emerald light filled the sky and a man outlined with a green barrier ascended into the air.

"Who the hell are you?" Goblin glared.

"Get out of my city." The Green Lantern ordered sternly.

"Sure. I'll leave right now, go back home and beg my mother for forgiveness..." Goblin rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Hal wasn't amused by this newcomer.

"Last chance to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." Goblin returned with a sinister grin.

The Green Goblin's glider charged at GL, a blade emeging from the front of it. Hal easily dodged it by bursting higher into the air, seconds before contact. Goblin's head swung around to see Hal form a giant eagle construct.

"HAHA! Is that all?" Goblin sped up as the eagle flew directly behind him, nearly upon him.

The Goblin made a u-turn in the air, the enormous bird a second behind him. Goblin pointed both of his index fingers at GL and fired off a yellow beam from each finger. Hal quickly created a shield that blocked the attacks but Goblin began flying around him, shooting off the beams. Hal created a bubble of energy around himself that deflected the blasts. Green Goblin's glider was hit by one of the reflecting blasts. It started sending off sparks. The Goblin looked down at it as he lost control of it.

"Oh no." He paniced as it descended towards a row of jet fighters.

Goblin leapt from the glider as it crashed into the jets, fire filling the area. Green Goblin hit the ground rolling but got up quickly to see Green Lantern in front of him.

"I'm taking you in right now." Hal aimed his ring and created a cage around Green Goblin who actually remained silent.

Hal flew through the air with his prisoner and brought him to a Coast City prison. As he made the cage dissapear, the Green Goblin didn't move at all. He remained exactly where he was before.

GL frowned. Looked like he would have to just force him into police custody. He approached him and reached for his arm. But as he made contact with the Goblin's wrist, Hal's hand just passed right through it.

"What?" Hal put his hand through the Goblin's chest.

Green Lantern looked down to see a small pumpkin bomb below the Green Goblin, emitting a strange light in the Goblin's direction. Hal swung his hand through his enemy but it just passed right through him.

"A hologram. Damn."

***

Norman Osborn sat in a chair in front of the fireplace of his new apartment, drinking a glass of wine. It had all gone so perfectly. Well not exactly as he had planned. He didn't expect that OTHER green man to show up.

Norman got up from the chair and approached a table with a stack of newspapers on it. He looked at each of them, fury growing with each view of the front page.

GREEN LANTERN SAVES CITY
GREEN LANTERN RESCUES HOSTAGES
GREEN LANTERN VICTORIOUS. SONAR BEHIND BARS
GREEN LANTERN HELPS WITH POVERTY

Norman spat in anger and forcefully tossed the papers into the fire, pouring himself another glass of wine.

"Norman...you know what me must do...you know."

Norman started to sweat as he looked around.

"I know!" Norman shouted at the unknown visitor.

Time to knock this guy off of his pedistal.

***

Hal went out to get his morning paper at the newstand when he saw the front page of today's paper.

GREEN GOBLIN OUTGREENS GREEN LANTERN

Hal stared at it for a moment. Word had gotten out about his failure to bring the Goblin into custody.

Hal then looked at the next headline.

GREEN LANTERN TO RECIEVE KEY TO THE CITY TODAY

***

The Green Lantern landed on stage in front of a large crowd of Coast City citizens. The crowd cheered merrily. Applause was everywhere.

"Thanks for this award. I'm not sure if I have earned it but..." Hal looked up to see at the last second a pumpkin bomb heading straight at him.

The explosion knocked him unconscieus and onto the stage floor. The Green Goblin's new glider floated above the screaming crowd and gracefully landed in front of the hurt Lantern.

Goblin approached the microphone.

"Sorry ladies and gentlemen! But the big man and I need to talk!" Goblin laughed as he picked up GL and jumped back onto his glider.

***

Hal's eyes opened to see the Green Goblin grinning sadistically at him.

"Wakey wakey, Lantern." The Goblin slapped him.

Hal regained his focus and staggered to his feet.

"Or should I call you Hal Jordan?" Goblin smiled.

"What?"

"I've done my homework. Funny how Hal Jordan and Green Lantern both dissapeared from this city after it went kaboom."

"You..."

"Silence. I have Ms. Ferris. What a beutiful young lady you could've had." Green Goblin chuckled to himself.

"You bastard!" Hal's fist smashed into Goblin's face, knocking him onto his back.

Hal grabbed his collar and reached for his mask. Goblin's hand snapped up and caught Hal's hand.

"Naughty naughty, Jordan." Goblin leered as he kicked GL off of him and ran towards his glider.

"LET CAROL GO!" Hal shouted as he ran after Goblin.

"I'd rather not!" Goblin shouted back as he jumped to his glider and took off into the air.

Hal prepared to follow but the back of the Goblin's glider opened and a missle fired out. Hal created a shield and blocked the missle. The missle exploded and knocked Hal off of the rooftop of the skyscraper they were on. By the time he flew back up, the Green Goblin was long gone.

***

Hal went back to his apartment to see a note under his door. He opened it up to see.

The new Oscorp construction site.

Hal's face became serious as he crushed the letter in his hand.

***

Hal landed on a pillar in the construction site to see the Green Goblin standing next to his glider on the pillar across from him. He held a chain in his other hand, with Carol wrapped around it below.

"Well Lantern. Here's my proposal. Leave this city, leave it in my trustworthy care and I'll let her live." Goblin smiled, arrogantly.

"No. I can't do that." Hal had his hand behind his back and created a construct of a beam but made it go under them, unnoticed.

"Well then she dies! Last opprotunity! I suggest you take it!" Green Goblin snapped.

"NO! It ends here!" The beam Hal made cut Carol loose and then caught her.

"You fool!" Goblin sneered as he picked a pumpkin bomb out of his bag and threw it but Hal leapt towards him, over the bomb and tackling his opponent.

The two plummeted towards the ground as the glider followed, attempting to catch its owner. Hal heard the beeping and fired a blast from his ring at it, destroying it.

Hal and the Goblin crashed into the ground. Hal got up quickly as the Goblin staggered to his feet but threw a punch at GL. Hal got his wrist and kicked him in the chest, then ripping off his mask.

"Norman Osborn?" Hal questioned.

Norman held his ribs and glared at GL.

"Shouldn't have done that Jordan!"

Norman pulled out an object in the shape of a bat from his bag.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Hal folded his arms.

"Nope!" Green Goblin threw the bat and it hit Hal in the shoulder, slicing his skin, blood trickling out.

"Ahh!" Hal groaned, putting his hand over the wound.

Norman rat at him. Hal raised his fist and a boxing glove construct fired from his ring and hit Norman rolling across the ground. Hal's hand was covered with his own blood but created a construct of bandages over his wound.

"That should do it..."

Norman looked at him, full of ferocious anger. He flung himself onto Hal, hands flailing. Hal joined the fray and they beat eachother nearly to death. Hal threw Norman across the sandy ground. Norman pointed his gloved finger on his right hand and the yellow beam hit Hal to the ground but GL was right back up and slammed inot Norman. Hal ripped off his bag, pumpkin bombs spilling out and activating.

"Shit." Norman said as the pumpkin bombs began exploding throughout the site.

GL soared away from the site, grabbing Carol and getting the hell out of there.

Norman was caught in the explosion.

GL cradled Carol in his arms as he looked at the destroyed building in process. Hal frowned, knowing no one could have survived that.

***

Hal sat in his apartment, thinking over what had happened. It all had happened so fast. The fight, the explosion.

I hope Carol's okay.

Hal picked up the phone but then after a moment of just putting it up to his ear. He hung up.

I wish Osborn hadn't gotten her involved...

Hal got up and got a bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

What a rough day.

***

Prologue

A figure's hand emerged from the rubble of the wreckage of the construction site the night after. Norman Osborn crawled out of it, sweating and bleeding. Suddenly a yellow light descended from the sky and floated towards him slowly. Norman reached for it and it slipped onto his finger. It was a ring.

NORMAN OSBORN OF SECTOR 2814. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO INSTILL GREAT FEAR. WELCOME TO THE SINESTRO CORPS.

A triumphant expression surfaced on Norman's face.
======================================

TO BE CONTINUED

Well this is the one I'm entering for the contest hope you enjoyed it. The sequel will come eventually but for now you'll have to wait.

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

I'll post my entry soon.

~KL~

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

Soooo.....

After I post my finished piece tonight is there still only two entries? Does this mean the contest will get extended?

I'm not complaining if it does cause I don't wanna rush my ending when I get home from work tonight.

~KL~

[Darth_Andrea Owned by Natu Find all posts View Profile Close Darth_Andrea]

Origin

Didn't intend to enter this but any contest should have more than 2 entrys.



Prologue

The End Of Time

Shafts of light flicker through the darkness. Sounds of fear and pain from the
last remnants of life coming from all directions. In the partial dark there is a
motion, fallen beams shift, the entry clears. A figure enters and moves towards
me in the dust. I know him, he must not have me not even here. He raises his
hand, tries to touch me.

Stop! I am not yours for the taking, Time-Trapper.

He freezes. He knew I contained power, was a holder of knowledge.
But he didn't expect me to think and know.

You know me?...Of course you do. You know everything. The
Guardians made you to know.

I know, and you can not have my power or knowlodge. The histories
I contain are not for you.

He laughs. I know why but he is mad. I must stave him off.

Book your time ends. History dies here. If I had not frozen
this single moment we wouldn't be having this conversation. Give me all you contain
become one with me and you live on through me. Then together we will defeat Legion Of
Super-Heroes who have so often made my plans turn to dust.

Yes he is mad, and still seeks vengance for the reasons known only to him.

Time is ending yes, Trapper, but I continue on. Time will die, I will
die, but there is always a tomorrow. Look into my pages, Trapper, I will show you
the Guardians' ultimate discovery. I will show you why I do not fear.

He moves onto the remnant of the viewing stand. My pages flick forward, to my beginnings.
The moment of creation. I unlock the rest and more pages appear and forward they fly.
He must know; I must show him. He is transfixed, for him even in this frozen moment he
steps between the nano seconds and reads the pages as they fly by.

He sees the worlds, the Earths he will never touch. Beyond the 52, beyond all knowing, to all but me.

The Page Turns.

A Earth, where Man has discovered eutopia, wielders of their One Power brought peace and
tranquility. But there was a mistake and they unleashed evil once again. Long years of battle ravaged the world
that ended when Lews Therin Telemon, The Dragon, lead his hundred companions to the Dark One's prison. They tried
to seal the crack they had made to remove him from the world. But the Dark One gave off a counter stroke.
Tainting the male half of the One Power. All the men who touched it went mad. They broke the world, and all was brought
back to the age of stone. Three thousand years pass, Lews Therin is reborn In a farm boy. Rand Al`Thor Rises
The Dragon Reborn gathers his forces and prepairs for the last battle with the Dark One before he himself goes mad.

The Page Turns.

A Earth, An Assassin killed while on a mission. His soul damned by his own actions he was offered a deal.
Lead Hell's armies againt God and Heaven and he would be allowed to be with his wife again. He accepted, Sent back to
the world in a rotting corpse, and gifted with unholy power. He finds years have passed, his wife remarried, his daughter
knowing not him but another man as her father. He discovers he was set up by those he trusted. He turns on Hell and takes
the war to the forces he would have led. Now, Known simply as Spawn he protects the Earth from Hell.

The Page Turns.

A Earth, Britan, A baby boy left on a door step, a note pined to the blanket wraping him. Harry Potter never knew loving parents
raised by his cruel aunt and uncle. Still a child he found power, A Wizard born. He went to the castle Hogwarts where he and other
children so gifted learned their power and potiental. He gained friends and enemies, and learned his secrets. A dark wizard, Voldemort
had tried to murder him when he was still a baby. His mother Lilly giving her life to protect him. Over the years Voldemort tried
to kill him over and over. But the boy wizard had a power the dark lord knew not...He could love. And in the end it was that love
that protected him and gave him the strength to destroy Voldemort.

Over and over the Time-Trapper sees worlds that astonish his mind that they could exist. I see it now in the distance of his eyes, he's starting to understand but it's not registering, and he fears.

The pages stop, the very first page, the hidden, The Earth that even the Guardians tried to forget to save their sanity.

Look Trapper, see this world. The Guardians call it ORIGIN. From this world all the worlds you have seen. All the worlds you know,
that have been or ever will be have sprung like weeds in a field. You see the points of light. A thousand times a thousand times a thousand times a thousand of them. A infinite depth of them. Each is a world being born, each is a universe's creation. And from this place they come.

He shivers, the fear grows in him, he refuses to believe or understand.

Why show me this? Why should I care for this world? You waste my time and yours.

No I do not, from this world we all sprang. It was also to this Earth the Guardians gifted their legacy.

My pages move back again to the place where it happened. The moment of begining and end, to one of the few events that while little known, was the most importiant thing to ever happen in the annals of time or space.

The page Turns.

Wakeing up she wonders, "A Dream Of Flying?" her mind slow she tries to move and finds pain. Her limbs heavy as if made of lead. She opens her eye's slowly. She can't focus, from what seems a distance she hears voices. Words she can't understand.

She sees them, in the corner looking at some kind of monitors. Slivers of fear penetrate the cloud in her mind. "Where am I, a hospital, what happened to me." she looks at the things around her, and blinks. All kinds of what she takes as medical equipment but it's strange to her. It's all glowing slightly, and some of it is completly transparent even though she can see the displays and readouts. The fear grows, she realizes she is nude.

She makes herself move, holding back the moan of pain and weakness she feels when she stands. On a table nearby she sees a robe and wraps it around her. Her eyes are clearer now, but she can't completly trust them one of the figures has four arms. She shakes her head but she still sees them. She dosen't know whats happened or where she is but she is afraid and she is leaving.

The people will be trouble they will try and stop her. As quietly as she could manage she moves behind them. They are still talking and don't hear her. Gathering all the strength she can, she spins and plants her heel in the back of the head of the one closest to her. Useing her momentium she extends her fist and lands a blow across the seconds face. The first is motionless on the ground but the second, Who Dose Have Four Arms, is still standing. She starts to spin again but before she has completed the turn she is hoisted into the air upside down and wraped in glowing ropes.

The fear takes her and she starts screaming and struggleing against the ropes. He said something and she hears a thrid voice then a prick on her neck they injected her with something. Blackness takes her and she falls back into a dream of flying.

Wakeing is easier this time. She's in dark room and a warm bed, it's night outside she can see stars out the window. She gets up and walks to the window. "Where am I? This city I have never seen it before." she wonders why there are so many green lights streaking across the sky. She turns and with a intention of finding a light switch she takes a step.

A dim light blooms from her hand and she freezes. Floating in Mid-air is a transparent flashlight. A thin stream of light connects it to the ring she hadn't noticed she was wearing. The flashlight looks so barely there she is sure a light breeze would blow it away like mist.

What is this? Whats going on?

Are you Makeing A Offical Inquary Ring Bearer.

Spinning she looks through the gloom of the room around her.

Who said that? Show yourself!

Her hand flys in front of her face of its own accord.

I Spoke Ring Bearer. Was Your Request A Offical Inquary?

Stunned she stares at the ring, "The Ring Spoke. Rings Don't Talk."

Ye..Ye..Yes..Yes it was.

The Construct Is A Light Sorce Created From Your Mind. The Weakness Of The Construct, Is A Result Of Your Lack Of Knowledge Of It's Construction. In Conjunction With The Lack Of Will Directed Tward The Construct.

As To Your Second Inquary I Can Not Access Current Files Of Situatonal Reports. That Information Is Restricted To Fully Trained And Qualified Members Of The Green Lantern Corps.

Per My Preprogramed Instructions I Informed Guardian Ganthet and Guardian Sayd The Moment You Regained Consiousness. You Are To Remain In These Quarters Till You Have Been Debriefed.

She sinks to her knees she finds herself laughing, it's all to insane to believe. Fear tried to creep in on her again. But she knows she needs calm to get out of what ever she is in. She pushes the screams in her mind down to a deep part of her mind makeing it a small chattering voice in the distance.

Um...Ring how do I turn on the lights?

The flashlight turns in the air and the dim light of it falls on a sphere on top of a stand.

Simply Touch Any Of The Light Orbs In The Room, Touching One Will Activate All. A Seconds Touch Will Deavtivate All.

Still shakeing she stands and steps to the orb and lays her hand on top of it. Instantly the room glows with light. It was a simple room, One bed just barely big enought for two people. A desk with a simple chair, and a full length mirror hanging on the wall. A door near the desk Leads to what appears to be a small bathroom.

She walked to the mirror and froze at the sight of what she was wearing. Across her face was a green mask. Her eyes hidden behind white lenses. Her clothes were made of something she couldn't identify. Though she knew the design. A costume like the Green Lanterns in the comics wore. The only thing different is that across her chest and breasts was a large white circle. It should have held the lanterns emblem, but it was missing.

She reached for the mask to take it off and a thin tendral of energy sprang from the ring and the mask vanished.

Thank you ring.

"Whats next a trip to Mount Doom?" she thought with a amused smile. She studied herself for a moment, and thought that for a delution it actually looked pretty good. In the Mirror she saw the door open. Her breath caught, two figures were floating above the floor and hovered into the room.

For a moment they just stared at her. But she couldn't speak, her emotions were flowing between fear and hilarity. The one she took as a man looked like Poppa smurf, perhaps two and a half to three feet tall with completly white hair. Oh he didn't have the beard or mustash, but they were both Blue. And wearing Poppa Smurf red. She knew them, Guardians. Now she was afraid not of them but that this wasn't a delution that it was real.

She is affraid, confused...and oddly amused by something.

What is your name child?

My..my..Name? It's Andrea...Andrea Millhouse.

You see Ganthet I told you she could speak, you owe me a disteration of Poetry From Daxam.

I Suppose I do at that Sayd. Well Andrea Millhouse, can you tell us how you came to Oa? How you moved from a universe so far outside our sphere that we didn't know of it's existance till you arrived and showed us the way?

Her knees began to give and Sayd moved to her side.

Sit child, calm your self.

A beam of energy lept from Sayd's hand and a glass of water floated into the room and right to Andrea's hand.

Thank you.

Her hands shook as she took a drink of the cold water.

To answer your question, I have absolutly no idea what happened to me. Last thing I remember before....Oh..my...are those 2 from the Hopsital ok, I was afraid I just wanted to get away.

Lanterns Natu and Salakk will be fine, though you should give you appoligies to them when you meet next.

I will, anyway last thing I remember is getting into the shower, I had just got the water the tempture I liked when there was this flash of light and pain alot of pain.

Both Ganthet and Sayd gave a sigh and exchanged glances of disapointment. Andrea thought she saw perhaps a slight amount of worry.

Well we had hoped you knew more. Don't worry we wil find a way to return you.

May I ask a question?

Of corse, questions are the first step to knowlage and wisdom.

If your going to send me home. Why give me this?

Her right hand raised the ring glinting with the light in the room.

Am I to be a Green Lantern till you find the right door to shove me through?

The Ring was needed. When we first found you about a mile from the citidel, you were dieing. Your bodys sub-atomic structure was destablizing and starting to quite literaly vaporize you. Once we understood why we took this ring and programed it to generate a energy field around you that will act like a micro pocket of your universe. Without it I am afraid you would have died.

All Andrea could do was stare. The fear inside her broke free and she tears began to fall hard and fast.

Whats wong? Why Tears?

Andrea continues to sob and shakeing as if freezing unable to stop the flow of emotion.

You just said I'm dieing. What happens if you can't send me home. Will this thing keep me alive till I grow old and just die. Is it enough? What happens if I run out of power and don't have a battery near. Happened to Hal all the time in the old days.

They both just stared at her, Sayd moved back to Ganthets side, they glanced at each other and Ganthet spoke very softly.

How do you know Hal Jordan?

Andrea looked up she saw what she believed to be a tinge of fear in their eyes or perhaps worry.

From the Comic Books, I grew up reading them. Hal, John, Guy. Then after the whole Parallax thing the stories of Kyle.

This time Andrea was sure, Sayd shivered slightly, she was afraid. The realization that these Guardians were afraid of something she had said stemed the flow of her tears.

Whats wrong?

Perhaps nothing.

Or perhaps everything Brother.

Sayd, will you show her the cafeiteria she has to be hungry, I will return to the others and we will study this more.

Without waiting for answer he flew out of the room quickly. Sayd studied her for a moment before she spoke. Andrea knew she was a mess and entered the bathroom to wash her face when Sayd began talking. Giveing Instruction

While we gave you the ring to keep you alive, we would like to keep your real orgins a secret for now from the other members of the Corps for the time being. You will be joining the new crop of recruits who begin takeing basic training with Kilowog in 2 days. This will allow you to become more aquanted with Oa in the mean time. You must recharge your ring from time to time depending on how much of it's energy reserves you have used. As a recruit you aren't issued a person power battery. You will have to recharge from the central core till Kilowog graduates you. Also, please note that when addressing myself or any of my brothers or sisters, it's custom for members of the corps or prospective members to address us as Master or Guardian.

If I may, it's awkward to address a woman as Master, would Mistress suffice?

It is acceptiable. Now come I'll show you around a little and give you a lesson as well.

Andrea touched the orb by the door as she left and the lights winked out. As they went down the hall, all Andrea could do was stare around her. People, if you could call them that, were out and about. Green Lanterns of every race and physical description. Many were humanoid, but it was the truely alien that attracted her eye. One was a snake looking creature, another ziped by but was so small it had to be some kind of bug.

They steped out into the night, it was crisp and cold, the skys were clear and full of stars. Sayd lifted higher into the air then looked down at Andrea

Your first lesson, focus your mind and will into the ring, see yourself takeing to the air in your minds eye. Believe it strongly enough focus on it clearly enough and the ring will make it reality.

Closeing her eyes she summons the images from her dream. Lifting through the air. Light as a feather but as controled as a bird. She opens her eyes and she smiles. For the first couple of minuites she was wobbely, but soon she was streaking through the skys like a eagle born to flight. The smile on her face barely touched the joy she felt from this.

She was really here, in a universe where all the heroes she had read about as a child were real. And for a time she would be part of it. A wonderous dream if it was one, and if it was she hoped to not wake till it was done. A wonderous dream, Dreaming Of Flying.


The Page Turns

They float among the stars projected in their chamber. All of them looking at a image of Earth.

Brothers and sisters, we can not Ignore what this Earth's existance implicates.

We are not Ignoring it Ganthet, but how can we reconsile it's meaning with our existance. For all of what we are and know this...this universe being what it is. The people of this Earth haveing the abilitys to do what they can.

Perhaps they are truely ignoriant of their abilitys. We see it, see all they create because of how we found them. Perhaps they can not.

Sayd and I have spoken with the girl carefully over the past days. She dosen't know of the ability, though I can feel it in her..Now that we know what to look for.

Let us not forget what we saw when we traced this worlds timeline. We saw with our own eyes...the moment of our creation. We saw the original multiverse being born.

Stop Sayd! You speak of which we all agreed must be Forbidden.

But my point is made. Think of the consequencse to our universe. Should our enemys discover this path. Should one of Darkside's mackentations show him the way...Once we send Andrea Millhouse home we must not just hide this path we must seal it completly...if we can.

Ganthet sees the reactions among his bretheren, many nod, some look afraid, and one sister rubs her arms and shivers as if cold. He looks at the image, a Earth, identical to all in the 52 he has ever seen, save for it being surounded by a infinate cloud of light. Each pin point a universe born. The fantasys of man made manifest. From the books of the greatest authors, to the imagings of new born babys. Suddenly he himself feels cold..Cold and afraid. They all move in closer and as if prompted they speak as one.

Origin

Andrea is tired Kilowog has been working her squad like dogs for days and today was no different. Sweat pouring from her and every nerve in her arm on fire. She still isn't use to the pain from useing the ring. Nine times Kilowog has had her stop a flight of dagger constructs. She's protecting balloons, she was told that if one pops she will be doing laps of the planet for 18 hours, and she hates doing laps.

Stand ready rookie here comes another.

Takeing a deep breath, she closes her eyes, useing a trick from a favorite novel, slightly modified, she brings herself calm. In her mind she see's the symbol of the Corps, made of emerald flame. Into it she forces all of her fear anger and pain. Shoves it all in till it's consumed and she had total calm. Openeing her eyes she stands, her ring already amped and ready. The nerves in her arm burning like she had places it over a very hot grill. Looking at Kilowog she simply nods.

Ready...

The fifty corpsmen standing in front of Kilowog raise their rings

Aim...

They pick their targets

Fire...

Fifty daggers fly from their rings right at Andrea. She never raised her ring, a beam shoots into the ground and 50 Identical Andrea's spring from the ground. Each right in front of a flying Dagger, As one they spin slightly and each catches one of the daggers. Andrea smiles and each of her ring constructed selfs giggle with a hollow sound. Then they and the daggers fade away.

Kilowog moves to her no expression on his face.

Unorthadox but it passes...But don't do it again.

Andrea Smiles again, takes two shakey steps back twards the rest of her squad then faints.

Heh...The poozer gave it her all...MEDIC!!

Wakeing she finds Salakk standing next to her bed, "Oh boy this can't be good. What have I done now?" She sits up and folds her arms around her knees

Greetings Lantern Salakk...um..am I in trouble?

All four of his hands folded he looks at her for a moment. then shakes his head.

No Andrea Millhouse of sector 2814, The Guardians have instructed me to being you to the Council Chamber.

Looking at herself she notices dirt and dust, and she knows she is covered in dry sweat.

May I have a moment to clean up? I'm a mess.

The Masters did allow for you to prepair, you have a hour then I will return.

As he leaves she steps into the bathroom and fades her uniform to nothingness. Hot showers are one of the few amenities of a recruits quarters. Given of corse water won't disolve the recruit in question. After she washes she pulls her chair in front of the miror and creates a brush, she always enjoys brushing her hair. 100 strokes, always 100 other wise her hair will get tangled.

Andrea waits and eventually Salaak returns, exactly one hour, the man if you can call him that, is never late. With out speaking they leave the building and take to the air. Silently she follows him, He accepted her appology for hitting him that first day, but she is still awkward around him. At least he was in a better mood than Natu when she went to her to Appologize.

Natu knocked her cold then said it was a balance of Karma. Natu has a odd temperment, when Andrea came to, Natu sat down with her and they had a drink together. Andrea had never met anyone like her.

Reaching the council building, which Andrea always noted to herself looked alot like the Senate Building from the Star Wars prequils, They landed and continues inside on foot.

They asked to see you privately so I won't be going in with you. I will wait outside until you leave.

Thank you Lantern Salakk, I appreicate it.

Reaching the inner doors Salakk waves his hand over a control and they open, like massive gates swinging outward but slient and ominious. Andrea looks at Salakk and he motions her inside. She takes a breath, she has spoken with Ganthet and Sayd several times but she has never stood before the entire council. As she enters a circle of light appears on the floor. Apparently where they wish her to stand. She hears the doors close behind her as she enters the light.

Summoned masters I come. How may I serve.

At least Kilowog can't say she didn't pay attention to the lectures about protocol conserning interacting with the Guardians.

For a moment they simply study her, even Ganthet and Sayd only stare. Then one of them she dosen't know moves forward and with a glow around his hand creates a image of Earth on the floor under her.

Andrea Millhouse we have found the path that leads to your home universe.

With a sudden rush she drops to her knees and stares at the image.

This...this is my Earth...my home? Are you sending me back today?

There was a momentary silence then Sayd came to her and and motioned her to stand.

I'm afraid not, while we have found the path, we do not yet think it safe to open the door with out further study.

Continueing to glance down, Andrea notices lights moveing into space from the surface.

Masters what are those? I have never seen them before.

Silence met her words, she looked around and saw they were looking at each other, she thought perhaps speaking mentaly deciding if or how much to tell her. Nodding Ganthet turned to her.

They are universes being born. Your people are creating them. They are your stories and fantasys. Each tale, creates a liveing breathing reality.

Her jaw droped, she swayed for a moment, confused and drifting in her mind. Her people were creating universes. She couldn't believe it, but a question occured to her a cold thought, but it had to be asked.

What happens to all these universes and the people and beings in them if my world dies?

Again they looked at each other, but one of the female Guardians shivered and rubed her arms as if cold.

If your people were to die, all these universes including ours would simply cease to be.

Sayd shivered as she said the words, Andrea was cold as well, to see Guardians afraid made her blood freeze.

I see...Masters have you been watching my world? Have you seen the strife and chaos?

We have, and we are conserned that your people are heading tward self destruction.

It was all the prompting she needed. Andrea had been thinking of a way to bring this up, how to word it. Now she had the opening and wasn't going to let it pass.

Masters, you can save my world, and in doing so protect your own as well as all these others.

They all turned to her now, some with odd looks on their faces. Not anger or worry but something akin to curriosity mixed with distain. Sayd was the only one to speak now.

What would you have us do? Send the Corps to protect your wold?

After a fashion yes. When you send me back, give me what I would need to build a Green Lantern Corp in my own universe.

Impossiable, with out Guardians to guide they would become corrupt and misuse their power. Would you have one or more of us forsake our universe to protect yours?

Andrea had thought this through knew it was the only way, she had to make them see it as well.

No, I would not ask you to leave your work here Masters. I would ask that...that you modify me on a genetic level. That you make me a Guardian.

Andrea expected a explosion, but silence met her statement. Sayd moved back to the others and they all closed their eyes. They were talking mentaly again. If they needed further convinceing she was ready. Ready to tell them of the people who were straping bombs to children and useing them as unaware suicide bombers. Of the starving masses because of the goverements who cared more for their power than feeding their people. Of the genocides and wars. They looked at her, they simply looked and she was afraid, she for a moment saw death in their eyes.

Andrea Millhouse, we will consider your request, it's a interesting proposial, but for now leave us and return to your training. We will notify you once we reach a decision.

She shivered, Ganthets tone made her feel like the Axman's hand had been stayed. She had one further request to make, one she had wanted to make once she realized where she really was.

Masters, I have one other personal request to make...

Exiting the chambers the doors closeing behind her, she see's Salakk speaking with Stel. Seeing her he gives his goodbyes and moves to her.

Given you still have your ring, I assume the Guardians are pleased with your progress.

She laughed, she hoped he was makeing a joke.

They are, and I would ask you to lead me to the Science-cells.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

Why would you want to enter the prison area?

I have permition from the masters to speak with one of the prisoners.

As they take to the air he continues to stare at her.

Who is there that you would know or wish to speak with?

Andrea smiled looked him straight in the eye and gave the answer.

Sinestro...

The Page Turns

The End Of Time

Enough!!! This little history lesson is meaningless. You will stop this now!

You must finish Time Trapper, you will finish, she demands it.

There is a momentary silence, then the Time Trapper begins to laugh madly waveing an amused hand before him.

Has the Book Of Oa finaly gone as mad as it's creators?! You speak as if this girl, dead for billions of years, holds some power over you. I am tired of this game Book and I end it!

The Time Trapper summons tremendous energys into himself. Focusing them he raises his hand to strike, and smiles. He can almost feel the power and knowlodge contained with in the Book Of Oa. Energy crackles through the air around his hand. Time itself rips and tears from the torrent of force with in him.

Nothing happens, he looks at his up raised hand, wills it to strike to lower to twitch a finger, nothing happens. He grabs his wrist tries to force he hand down, something holds it, holds him. Fear runs through him, and he releases his power, the moment the last drop drains from him, his hand falls to his side as if a string holding up had been cut.

Frightened and silent all he can do is stare at the pages of the Book of Oa, he shivers. Never before has he been so throughly thwarted from a goal. He was subverted from the inside of himself but even he has no clue how.

Are you ready to continue Time Trapper?

The books voice echos dully in his ears, he can't speak he is to afraid, all he can do is nod.

The Page Turns.

As Andrea and Salakk glide through the air she feels a little nervous. Sinestro...Greatest of the Corps, and their greatest enemy. She needed to speak to him. Needed to learn from him, she just hoped he would be willing to do more than scoff at a badgeless girl.

As they reach the confinement area Andrea has a momentary desire to devert for a moment. The Book of Oa it's self lies not far from here and except for the first day of training when her squad was show it, she hasn't had a chance to read from it. But her task here is urgent her need greater than her curiousity of what the book contains. She shoves it from her mind focuses and moves on.

There are Corpsmen everywhere here, guards set on the prisoners. They land in a series of halls with Scinece-Cells all around them. The walk takeing twists and turns Salakk dose not speak, she is sure he is upset with her for this, but she has to learn, needs to learn.

Salakk comes to a stop, Andrea looks at him begins to speak to ask if something is wrong, When he raises both of his right hands and points up.

3rd story cell.

Saying no more and not waiting for a reply he simply flys off. Oh yes he is very upset with her for this. Sighing and hopeing she can find a way of makeing this up to him Andrea takes to the air.

Comeing level with his cell she see's the man she had seen in so many comics for the first time in the flesh. Red skin wrinkled with age and worry, black close croped hair and that famous mustash pointed like thin daggers sharp and precice. Laying on the bed of his cell, arm behind his head with a leg bent his left hand laying on it's thigh. He looked lost in thought, stareing at the celing. His breathing slow and focused. Andrea focusing her will she created a set of walls with a floor and celing around the enterance of his cell giveing them some privacy. Sinestro never twitched a eye lash or as much as glanced at her.

Ring deactivation protocol 24177379

Audio, Visual recording of Bearers enviroment and thought patterns deactivated.

Bold rookie...you'll be striped of your ring for that. Especialy combined with comming to see me.

Sinestro hadn't moved just spoke, she was actually suprised he even noticed her at this point.

My name is Andrea, I'm from Earth.

I don't care what your name is, and it's obviouse your from that mud ball of a backwater world. Have the Great Guardians been reduced to sending rookies to intarogate their captives now?

She knew this wasn't going to be easy, she knows how arrogent he is. She suspects he might even be insulted by her being a Lantern in training.

I'm not here to question you about any crime your accused of. I'm here to talk to you, perhaps learn from you. If your willing to teach. I have heard about you, they say you were the greatest of the Corps. Perhaps greater than Hal Jordan.

He looked at her for the first time. She had hoped a little ego stroking would lossen his tounge a bit. It seems it had.

Do I look like a fool to you girl?

Or perhaps not

Most of the new members barely know more than I went Renegade and those who do know more wouldn't be telling you. What is it you want?

Sighing again Andrea created a chair to sit in. She had hoped she woudn't have had to use this, didn't want even the Guardians to know she had such knowlodge but she needed him to teach her, so she had to convince him.

I want your help Sinestro, You can teach me what I need for the mission I will be given once my basic is complete. You can also teach me what I will need to survive whats comming.

And just what is it you think is comming I can teach you to survive?

The Blackest Night...

He sat up slowly his eyes never leaveing hers. Sinestros feet touched the floor and his hands griped the edge of his bed as if he was holding himself back.

What do you know about that...how?

I know enought. It's going to be a war unlike anything seen since the 3rd world gods nearly destroyed each other and gave birth to New Genesis and Apokolips. I also know I won't survive with just the training I will get from Kilowog, while the training is exempliary it still won't be enought. Thats why I have come to you.

He never twitched just sat there listening, his expression unreadable save for a single moment when his face had darkened as if a shadow had crossed it.

You Sinestro Of Kougar can teach me the phyisoficl along with the practial. I'm asking for your help, not only to perhaps save my life when the war comes. But to perhaps help me save another world who is in dire need of salvation.

The Guardians have already spoken to me, I won't be sent back to sector 2814. They are assigning me to a different sector, my first mission will be to stop a species from self destruction. They are torn by political, racial, religious, and territorial disputes.

Its for these reasons and these alone I have come to you. I believe you can help me, and why I ask you to give me the benifit of your years as a Green Lantern.

He studied her, stood and walked to the energy field that sealed him inside.

Very well, I will assist you. I believe in the Corps, and you sound like you will be one of their best. Comming to a enemy to gleam knowlodge, risking your ring and your life to speak with me of all the enemys of the Corps. You may do every well indeed.

I know you still have some faith in the us. I may be wrong, but I believe had you been the one who had died instead of Abin Sur, it would have been him I would be talking to now, instead of you. Your still on a mission he started years ago, you always have been.

Sinestro's expression darkened again, but only for a moment, so quickly that Andrea thought she might have imagined it. But he went back to his bed and sat down. And he began to teach, they spoke for hours she posed questions and he would lecture for a hour or more. He would quote chapter and verse down to the line from the Book of Oa. She absorbed it like a sponge, let it flow over her and drew every drop in.

She posed several hypethitical situations to him. Things she was sure she would face on her Earth when she finaly went home. Sinestro would begin with out pause. Going through them detail by detail, of what should be done and how. Then he would go over the possiable changes based on the chances of betrayals, Ambushes, and refusals.

Eventually however Andrea could see him wearing down, they were both tired. She wanted to continue but it's always better to learn from someone when both are able to stay focused. She stood up and approached the cell.

Sinestro, we can continue this tomorrow if your ameanable to that, wearyness dose nothing for focus and retention of a lesson.

Very well, till then

Nothing more he simply went back to his bed and layed down as he was when she first arrived. She reactivated her rings recorder and disolved the room she had built around the cell then, with a final farewell that Sinestro didn't acknowlodge she left.

Getting outside she saw it was well after dark. She rushed back to her dorm. Showering and getting a final bite to eat she went to bed. She knew she was going to need all the sleep she could get, between Kilowog and Sinestro, she was going to be very busy for a while.

The Page Turns

Space Sector 3206, normaly a very active sector. Home to several intergalatic tradeing hubs and one of the outer reaches biggest pleasure planets. Now however it's empty, Nothing, no stars no planets not a single atom of interstellar dust or a whif of gas. Well not entirly empty, Two members of the Green Lantern Corps Honor guard are it's only inhabitants, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner survey the loss.

Guy I have seen alot of strange things since Ganthet gave me my ring. But how dose a entire sector simply vanish. I think sector 3600 has more in it that this one dose.

I know, my ring can't detect a spark of energy or a speck of dust. We need to get back to Oa, we have to inform the smurfs and rally the troops.

As one they streak off going transluminal and vanishing from sight. They believe the sector totaly empty. But they were wrong, they were being watched. In space there is no sound, no ear can pick up the vibrations when no gases are their to transfer them. But someone was laughing, and dark blue eyes peered out from somewhere, and the mind behind those eyes knew that this was only the begining.

The Page Turns


It's been three weeks since it began. Andrea and every other recruit on Oa summoned to the central battery. With out explination or time to prepair, they were all issued their badges. Kyle Rayner and Guy Guardner took more than half of them and left the planet. Along with every other senior member of the Corps on Oa. She and the rest had been posted on and around Oa takeing over guard dutys of sector 0000.

Andrea and the rest were as confused by what they had been told when this happened as Kyle and Guy promoted them all to full Corpsmen. An entire sector was simply gone. Since it had happened rumors had begun to circulate that even the space of sector 3206 was gone. It was impossiable the universe just didn't shrink like that with out someone noticeing.

But something was happening, The Guardians had been recalling Lanterns from every sector. Issueing orders and sending them back out to Join the now massing army. Since that day nearly half the universe had vanished. The biggest blow was when it was announced that Sector 2814 was empty. Earth and all of it's heroes were gone with no sign of a battle. To make it worse, Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Alan Scott had disapeared with the rest of Earth.

Things were bad she knew it, she was sure the Guardians were near panic. Salakk had told her in confidence that the Guardians have refused every request for a audiance he had made for days. She tried to get answers herself, she stormed into the council chambers began demanding to know what was happening. Next thing she knew she was a light year away from the planet, a projection of one of the male guardians stareing her down and telling her to do a sphearical partol of a one light year area around Oa.

And so for the last week she has been stewing, not knowing whats happening not being able to get any answers and out here alone watching bits of dust and rock drift by as she made a silent patrol.

It started slowly, she didn't notice it at first. But hundreds then thousands of green streaks began filling the space around her. Not Corpsmen...their rings... Stunned Andrea froze, how could this happen, she looked out into space in the direction they were comming from hopeing she would see Guy or Kyle leading some back to regroup. All she saw however was the flood of rings that soon became a trickle and was gone.

What ever happened it was time to get some answers. The corps was dead, only her and a hand full of rookies remained. Andrea knew that badge or no badge they weren't equiped to handel something that just wiped out the entire Green Lantern Corps. She went Transluminal for only a momnent and slammed into Oa's atmosphere she rushed to the Guardians and found no one. The Guardians were not in their council chambers. Nore their personal housings. She scanned the entire planet from surface to core and found nothing. Not a member of the corps, not a prisoner in the sciencecells not a single living thing.

She didn't know what to do. she was stunned this wasn't susposed to happen. She knew this wasn't right but didn't know what was causing it or how to make it right. Then something happened, everything around her shimmered. the floors the walls every piller everything. Then turned to mist and faded away.

Andrea was stunned she had seen it happen but couldn't explain it. Her ring detected nothing. She saw nothing, at first. In the distance of the absolute black before her she saw a figure, a solitary light. Rushing to it hopeing it was a survivor she found him.

He turned to her as she approached, Deep Dark Blue eyes looked through her from a slightly gaunt face. A man, human in his late to mid thiritys. He had this small smile on his face that made her afraid. There were no time for words she didn't know what he had done but suddenly she was running from fire. Walls of flame were raceing at her from all driections. She sent construct after construct at him and they all simply passed through him. The fires faded and without moveing he was simply there in front of her holding her by the throat.

I don't know how it is I can't wipe you away like the others little girl but no matter. I'll simply break you and be done with it.

Gasping for breath Andrea spoke what works she could.

Why...Have...You..Done...This...Who..Are..

His eyes were glinting in the light from a lamp he held. His smile grew and he let her go. She gasped hunched over trying to push the blackness from her eyes.

My name is Blake, and your like me aren't you?

What do you mean, like you how? I'm no killer?

He laughed a hollow sound echoing in the emptyness of space.

And whom have I killed? These were't people they were ink and paint on paper. You know that your like me. Were both from the REAL world. Not this world of dream and fancy.

All Andrea could do was stare. He was from her world, and somehow he had found a way of altering this reality. How could he do this when she could not? Then she remembered Sayd's words the first night she awoke on Oa.

"The Ring was needed. When we first found you about a mile from the citidel, you were dieing. Your bodys sub-atomic structure was destablizing and starting to quite literaly vaporize you. Once we understood why we took this ring and programed it to generate a energy field around you that will act like a micro pocket of your universe. Without it I am afraid you would have died."


It would explain why he looked sickly and gaunt, he was slowly atom by atom fadeing into nothingness. His mind was gone it had to be for him to start doing this.

In our world yes, but here they are flesh and blood, they were my friends my heroes and I'm going to make you pay for killing them.

Her mind focused she did it before she had known, her ring dulpicated in every detail down to it's complete and unique programing. And he flew right to this Blakes finger and burned it's self in place, She saw the energy field spring up around him. And before he could do more than scream she pounced like a cat on a mouse.

He had never trained with a ring, she now had more than two months of daily rigiours training and this son of a bitch was a push over on a level playing field. She wasted no time with conversation or gloating, not even a breath more of admonishment. He had murdered uncounted billions who lived and a even larger number who had yet to be born. He Would Pay.

To her mind it lasted hours her attacking him trying desperatly to defend with a weapon he had never held before. It wasnt a fair fight, and with a twisted smile she heard Guys voice in her head.

Fair Fights aren't as exciting Huh Andrea?

At least she thought it was in her head then before she knew it a construct of a giant kangaroo with boxing gloves slammed Blake nearly a light year. Looking around Andrea saw Guy Gardner, then he simply faded his ass biteing grin never leaving his face. For a moment she was stunned, that was till this Blake ramed her at least the half speed of light...he didn't have a very strong grasps on how things worked.

She was tired of playing with this murderer any more, Andrea manuvered away from him. Then as he rushed her she raised her ring. She let everything she had inside her burst through her will, rage, fear, hope, love, greed, compassion, and a beam of not green but solid white light bloomed from her ring. A white light as hot as ten thousand suns. She heard the scream as it touched him, but the sound lasted only moments. When she released the beam Blake was simply gone.

Ring Power Check.

24.7% Remaining.

Andrea curled up into a ball in the vast dark emptyness. She began crying, she may have avenged them, but they were still gone. She didn't know how to undo it all. As she floated there she heard Salakks voice echoing from a unknown distance. He had been the one to show her around her first day and she rememberd being shown the book of Oa, and the words he said.

"This Andrea Millhouse of Sector 2814 is the Book Of Oa. With in it's pages are the Laws of the Guardians as well as the history of the Corps. It's been said perhaps the entire history of the universe. If you have need of knowlage come to the book and it will assist."

She created a room around her holding a atmosphere instructed her ring to maintain it then took the ring off. Instantly she felt sick and she knew why, she had to hurry. She closed her eyes and focused her mind seeing the book of Oa as she remembered it. In her minds eye she saw it floating before her, she opened her eyes and there exactly as she had pictured it floated the Book Of Oa.

Book, The Guardians are gone, The Corps are gone, The universe empty and dead, but together we can restore it. I need your full knowlodge of this universe ever inch of every sector. Together we can restore it.

I will assist you Andrea Millhouse, but this universe is now unstable and imploding it can not be restored it must be recreated. You have the power I the knowlodge. Touch my pages and focus on me I will guide you.

She streched out her hand touched the page that was blank to her save for the one word Origin. She closed her eyes and saw the images begin to race through her mind. particle by particle, world by world, the ring construct zoomed out away from the explosion of the dead vacume. The boundries of the universes srounding it began to expand to fill the void. It was done in moments, she opened her eyes and smiled. A very fimulare sight to her mind. A hand holding a Galaxy, her hand...She flung it into the void and saw the flash of birth.

Time moved forward history flashed by. She saw it like watching a movie running at a million times speed. Stars being born and dieing, she saw the planet Maltus give rise to plants, animals then the first senient race. She saw it all happen. The original multiverse being born, and history moved forward. She saw it all every moment of every life of every planet. Then blackness took her.

She awoke in the Council Chambers of the Guardians. They all floated around her energy flowing from them to her. Makeing them shine like stars. As the light faded and they opened their eyes she sat up. She felt good and healthy. She wasnt wearing the ring they had given her.

What happened? Is everything right? I tired my best please tell me is it right?

Ganthet and Sayd moved to her and helped her stand. She saw that she was wearing a red dress with her Corps badge on it.

What..why am I wearing this?

The eight little figures all looked at each other some looking almost worried at answering.

You are one of us now. The Book of Oa told us what you did when it brought you to us. And it...Instructed us to infuse you as a Guardian.

Andrea looked around, many of them looked almost sulky, apparently the have never been told to do anything by something they themselves had created.

It said your name was Andrea Millhouse, said you saved the universe....that you created it.

Andrea looked at Sayd for a moment stunned and somewhat confused.

Sayd, you don't remember me?...Ganthet? I have been here months, trained with the Corps we talked nightly for weeks.

It has not happened that way, Your involvment in our history is gone, none but we and the Book Of Oa know of you and it must be that way.

We have prepaired as the Book instructed, we have found the path to your universe and are ready to send you back. And with you we send not only the power we have given you. We have also prepaired several Nano construction blocks, place and activate them and they will build a city for you, identical to this. With a Central Power Battery and machines to make personal batteries and rings. You will be able to build a corps of your own. We know of the strife of your Earth. We know you will do well Sister.

Andrea's eyes were full of tears she couldn't help but wrap her arms around Sayd and hug her. When she finaly stepped back her new brothers and sister gathered in the air above her. They again began to glow, but a voice halted them.

Wait, Andrea Millhouse you will need something more.

The Book Of Oa began to glow, till it was so bright it was painful to look at. It pulsed and flashed. When the light faded before them were two books of OA. And they spoke as one

We are twins, Brothers connected through time eternal. through us you may speak, and should the need arise call on each other for aid or advice.

The second book floated over to the rest of the gathered materials. there it waited silent and stoic.

Again the light grew around the Guardians, and before Andrea a portal opened wider and wider. Ten paces across and four paces high. She knew the goodbyes were over there was no more time. She raised her hand and focused her will, energy lept from her and the supplys lifted into the air and floated before her through the portal. On the other side she saw her home. Someone was waiting for her and she smiled. As she stepped though she looked back raised a hand in farewell as the portal begain to close. Then it was done.

Andrea took a deep breath and walked to her house.

Andrea what...what was that? Where have you been? it's been days.

Andrea put her arm around the young woman and they begain to walk.

Anna, let me tell you a story...

Andrea's hand began to glow as she held Anna's shoulder. She knew a single Guardian could become corrupted and misguided. Now she wouldn't be alone and soon there would be more.

The Page Turns

Epilogue

The End Of Time

The Time Trapper hadn't moved in what for him seemed like weeks. In all his searching of history in all his exploriations of the time stream he had never seen this. He was afraid beyond knowing, and yet still sturggeling to disbelieve.


This...This can not be. I would know, I would have seen it. I have witnessed it all. The original Crisis, The creation of the 5th world, the War of light and the universes Blackest Night. I know it all, You have some how fabricated all of this.

He tries to turn away from the book but can not move again he is held.

There is one more thing for you to witness. Look Time Trapper, Look and finaly know.

The Page Turns, upon it is the image of Andrea sitting at a desk apparently writeing in a note book. The Page Turns, The Time Trapper reads what she is writeing and begins to scream. The bonds holding him fade and he flees to another point in time and space. His power over the moment fades and time moves forward. Entropy encompusses all and time dies....

Andrea finishes writeing her story, It was a mostly accurate account. Though she added a few imbelishments with her Time Trapper additions. A knock came on her study door and she closed her book.

Forgive the intrusion Mistress, but Mistress Anna asked me to remind you that the new crops of recruits graduate in the morning. She also said...that you should come to bed now so you will be rested.

Very well, Lantern Vidine. Tell her I'll be there in a few minuites.

He noded and left, Andrea stood and walked to the widow. Peering out over the city, she smiled. It had been 60 years since she first returned. It took a long time for her and the first few she picked to aid her to bring stability to Earth. Now the Green Lantern Corps spread wide through the cosmos. Every day new races were discovered, and new recruits joined the ranks.

She turned away and walked to the door, looked back at her note book and for a moment wondered, shakeing her head she turned off the lights and closed the door behind her.


The Book Closes


Darth_Andrea

[Michael Heide Heide Finition Find all posts View Profile Close Michael Heide]

I would love to see an extension. I only found out about this thirty minutes ago (I know, I haven't been here for a while), and I don't know if I have enough time to finish my story. Besides, it's getting awfully late over here.

[Andrew NDB Shot Caller Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew NDB]

Extension granted until 6/25.

[Michael Heide Heide Finition Find all posts View Profile Close Michael Heide]

Thanks.

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

Damn, and I sped in traffic to get here in time to finish typing mine.

* edit: Is posting a link to mine okay?

~KL~

[Andrew NDB Shot Caller Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew NDB]

Deadline is rapidly approaching...

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

Here's my entry. Kyle fans enjoy!

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/...ead.php?t=3675



~KL~

[Cyberium Star Sapphire's Love Slave Find all posts View Profile Close Cyberium]

Here are mines...

Arkillo's Missing Ring

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/...ead.php?t=3481

Fear of the Feared

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/...ead.php?t=3416

The second one is planed to be very long and will type as time permits. Basically stories from the Sinestro Corps point of view.

[Andrew NDB Shot Caller Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew NDB]

Midnight tonight is the deadline.

[Michael Heide Heide Finition Find all posts View Profile Close Michael Heide]

Tomar Tu, the keeper of the Book of Oa, stood solemnly before the newest batch of Green Lantern recruits. Ever since Corps History became a mandatory part of Green Lantern training, he had been their teacher. And the Guardians established the curriculum.

“Okay, everyone. Today we will talk about emotions. As you all know by now, green, the color of willpower, is located in the center of the emotional spectrum. And the Guardians decided to harness that specific color, because it gives you the most control over your rings. The farther you move away from the center, the more you risk being overwhelmed by your emotions.”

“But I don't get it. If I'm overwhelmed by hope, or love, how is that a bad thing? Isn't hope something good?”

“That's a great question, Mark. And yes, hope can be something good, especially when you are confronted with the other side of the spectrum, fear. You can harness hope, transform it into willpower and overcome fear. The same can be said for compassion when faced with greed, or for love when faced with hate. But you have to be very careful to control your hope, your compassion, your love. Because if you don't, it's nothing but a distraction. And trust me, you don't want to be distracted when you're holding a planet together with your willpower. Besides, hope, compassion and love are tempting. They seem to be good things, so how can they be bad? It's not like you're succumbing to fear, or hate, so where's the harm? But that is a very slippery slope. And before you know it, love controls you. There's nothing worse than false hope, empty compassion and mad love. Besides, when love isn't mutual, it's not love at all, it's desire.”

“Okay... that makes sense, I guess. But what if it is mutual? What if the other person loves you back? And what if the one you love is a Corps member as well? Wouldn't that fuel your willpower when you're fighting alongside each other?”

“There have been cases of couples who were both Green Lanterns. Katma Tui and John Stewart, for example. Or Amnee and Matoo Pree. But for every couple where it works out, there are dozens where it doesn't. Let me read you a story from the Book of Oa. It will prove my point much more eloquently than I could phrase it:”

Yad Tsethgirb Ni

“In the millennia since its creation, the Green Lantern Corps had hundreds of thousands of colorful members. Some were as big as planets, some were as small as bacteria. Some were abstract mathematical equations, some came from the backwater planet its inhabitants call “Earth”. Some became traitors, some found redemption. But in all that time, the strangest Green Lantern of them all had to be Ollehto, the Lantern of sector 1221.

“His story began (or ended, depending on your point of view) during the fight against Bodono, the lost moon of Mogo, whose gravity field was wreaking havoc on Oa. It was the biggest disaster since Superman Prime broke out of his rubersolar prison. Inexperienced rookies and seasoned veterans alike were maimed and killed in action everywhere, rings were flying left and right in search of new bearers. In the middle of the heated battle, what appeared to be a stray blast came out of nowhere. When the smoke cleared, Ollehto was suddenly standing there, unscathed. He was wearing a customized Green Lantern uniform and wielded a power ring, and yet nobody was able to recognize him. Even the usually emotionless Guardians were caught surprised, an event that had not happened since the blind Rot Lop Fan, also known as the F-Sharp Bell of sector 911, was recruited by Katma Tui. However, Ollehto turned the tables on Bodono. His moves were awkward, there was something strange about the way he fought, like sped-up footage of a man running underwater, and yet he always seemed to know the sentient moon's next move. In the end, he won the fight almost singlehandedly and destroyed Bodono, spreading his atoms across the Megaverse.

“He seemed sad for a moment, like a huge weight was resting on his shoulders, but his mood immediately changed. He turned to his fellow lanterns, who still did not recognize him. When he finally spoke in an unknown language, his ring translated the words into the ancient language of Karkinikrak – a dead language that consisted of nothing but palindromes. He introduced himself politely as Ollehto, the last survivor of the planet Dnuorg. A planet that had never been in the Guardians' archives. Mistrust spread like wildfire. Accusations were made that Ollehto was a mole, planted by the mischievous Ultraviolet Lantern Corps, or by Mongul's disciples, or by Bodono himself. Others thought that he might be a shapeshifting Durlan or a Pale Martian in disguise.

“Guy Gardner of Sector 2814 was already starting to form a lynch mob out of the regulars in his bar, when once again, it was Saarek's unbeatable logic that finally made sense of the situation: It turned out that Dnuorgs like Ollehto had a different perception of time. To be more precise, their time moved in the opposite direction as our time. He theorized that they didn't witness Ollehto's sudden manifestation out of nowhere, they actually witnessed him being killed by Bodono. And Dnuorg did not appear in their databanks yet - because it had yet to be destroyed. Once that point is reached from our point of view, it will be around until its creation a million years from now. Everything on Dnuorg or from Dnuorg was moving backwards, and so was Ollehto. He knew what Bodono would do because it had already happened to him moments before. And yet he had no recollection of what happened in our past, because it was in his subjective future. Saarek was fascinated by this apparent paradox. He volunteered to become Ollehto's sector partner to further analyze the situation. The Guardians agreed.”

“Uhm... I can't quite see what this has to do with love?”

“Patience.

“In the following weeks, it did not take long for Ollehto to become a loner, accompanied only by his sector partner Saarek, by April Nox from Colu and by Stel, the robotic Lantern from Sector 3009. Other lanterns with lesser brains were irritated by the fact that Ollehto seemed to forget the beginning of a conversation in mid-sentence, but he always knew how the conversation would end, which took the fun out of most discussions. Besides, his dinner manners were upsetting his fellow officers in the Corps: In the cafeteria, Ollehto would pick an empty tray, sit at a table and regurgitate food that he would then return to the cooks.

“But social problems aside, Ollehto proved to be a highly valuable asset to the Corps. Every now and then, he would leave Oa to fly to a seemingly random planet in sector 1221 (the sector was given to him and Saarek because it was a palindrome in itself, making conversation about it a lot more simple), fight a menace before it became dangerous – and flew back to Oa. There, he discharged his ring (which would regain power when he used it) and visited the Guardians to get the mission that he just completed. The Guardians gladly played along. They were eager to use his talents to gain knowledge of the immediate future. And it payed off. Due to Ollehto's knowledge, the Corps thwarted the attack of the Subscientists of Dhor, the rise of the Silent Empire and the spread of the psychovoric virus Kah-Rinn.

“When the young Lallorian Mah Ruia joined the Corps, Ollehto was heartbroken for a while. Then one day, he approached her. His ring played a pre-recorded message:
"'You don't know me, but I know you. I have spent my last two years at your side. And I loved every single minute of it. The sunssets of Thanagar, the picnics on Mogo, waking up next to you. You complete me, and I would do anything to stay with you forever.'”

“Boring!”

“Once again, patience, this is the part where it is getting interesting:

“Mah Ruia didn't know what to say. She knew of his condition, but was this a lame pickup line, or will she really spend the next two years with him? He was cute, in a way.
'Two years from now by your standards, I will be a rookie fresh from Kilowog's boot camp, and you will play this exact message for me, only backwards. It took me a while, and it will take you a while, but I regret that now. Because my time with you is over now. But your time with me has just begun.'

“A few days later, she decided to give him a chance. And as days became weeks and weeks became months, they grew to love each other. The Guardians tried to intervene, but it was too late. Their love was too strong already. And for a while, it seemed like they gained willpower out of it. Together, they were unbeatable. Separated, they did everything to get back together. They even managed to defeat Kryb once and for all. They were on their way to become the greatest Green Lanterns in history.

“But nothing lasts forever, and so eventually, the day came that she had to say good-bye. When he kissed her, she realized that it would be their last kiss. Well, her last kiss. His first. After that, he became awfully distant. She didn't see him for days. The next time they met, he acted weird, treated her like a stranger.

“Now she knew what he meant when she first met him. Now she realized that she shouldn't have hesitated those two years ago. Because every day that she waited back then will now be a day that they didn't have together. With tears in her eyes, she ordered her ring to play the message she recorded two years before. Backwards.

“'Nugeb tsuj sah em hitw emit ruoy tub. Won revo si uoy htiw emit ym esuaceb. Won that terger I tub, elihw a uoy ekat lliw ti dna, wlihw a em koot ti. Sdrawkcab ylno, em rof egassem tcaxe siht yalp lliw uoy dna, pmac toob s'gowolik morf hserf eikoor a eb lliw I, sdradnats ruoy yb won morf sraey owt. reverof uoy htiw yats ot gnihtyna od dluow I dna, em etelpmoc uoy. Uoy ot txen pu gnikaw, ogom no scinicip eht, raganaht fo stessnus eht. Ti fo etunim elgnis yreve devol I dna sdis ruoy ta sraey owt tsal ym tneps evah I. Uoy wonk I tub, em wonk t'nod uoy'

“She watched him forget her. She watched him go through Kilowog's training, only backwards. She watched him lose his badge and succumb to fear. She watched him discover Karkinikrak, then helplessly stumble around because nobody understood him anymore. She watched him being taken away by the ring, back home to Dnuorg.

“It broke her heart and warped her mind. She decided to go with him, to visit Dnuorg, to meet him again, even if she had to play him the message again and again and again. But there was no Dnuorg, it wasn't destroyed yet. Ollehto was nowhere to be found. That was the moment when she fully succumbed to love. It became more powerful than her, overrode her willpower. And when the purple ring approached her, she gladly accepted it. With her limitless love powering her ring, she would become the most powerful Star Sapphire in history. And she tried to rewrite Destiny's book. And she created Dnuorg.

“And then she saw what she had done. And what it must have looked like from his perspective. And she tore out her own heart.”