"Approaching Spider Guild-run asteroid prison." The mechanical voice of Aya sounded through the Green Lantern Corps ship Interceptor. "Warning: Reach infiltrator unit detected within the prison."
Both present Green Lanterns were instantly on high alert at that bit of news.
"Reach infiltrator?" demanded Kilowog, "You're saying there's a Scarab Warrior in there?"
There was a short pause before the ship's AI spoke again, "Unknown. At this distance, it is impossible to tell if the infiltrator unit has found a compatible organic host, though activity levels indicate that it has not."
That wasn't exactly comforting, but... "Ok, that's not too bad then," Hal Jordan tried optimistically, "If it doesn't have a host we don't have to worry about it. We're in and out to drop off Razer, and then we leave and can forget we ever knew about it. If it's still here, that means it either can't find a host, or whatever security they have here is good enough to keep it locked down. Either way, it's not our problem."
Pale yellow light from strange crystalline growths were all that lit the caverns inside the asteroid as Kilowog and Hal sneaked past the patrolling Spider Guild guards. Finally they came to a fork in the path.
Hal turned to his partner and indicated a nearby doorway into one of the prison cells. "Hey, maybe we should check out the accommodations?"
Both Lanterns landed and walked through the opening, the door closing behind them.
"Well, there's no view," Hal joked, eyes sweeping the room before he zeroed in on the figure bound, struggling to the fixture on the opposite side of the room. "But there's clearly entertainment. For the guards, anyway."
Kilowog wasn't so easily convinced. "You don't know he's being tortured. This might be part of the rehabilitation Myglom talked about."
The figure bound to the large cross with a mechanical halo sitting around his head seemed to be unconscious, though that didn't stop him from thrashing against the restraints, muttering repeatedly about "...no... 419...399... ...no... I'm sorry... My fault. ...I'm sorry..."
"Kilowog, he's human. What's a kid from Earth doing in a prison way out here in Frontier Space?"
"It's a prison, Hal. No idea how he got here, but he must have done something if he's locked up in here."' The larger Lantern shivered, glancing around the room and up at the yellow stalactites hanging from the ceiling warily, "Can we get gong? These yellow stones are everywhere; they make my skin crawl."
Hal Jordan frowned, "I don't think I've ever seen you scared before.
Insulted, Kilowog rounded on his partner, "I ain't scared of no rocks!"
Hal backed off, looking up at the hanging crystals himself for a moment before agreeing with his friend. "Let's get out of here."
They turned to leave, but before they could get more than a few steps, the door opened form the other side, revealing a group of guards waiting just outside. Both Green Lanterns prepared to fight their way out, but with their rings suddenly failing them and the odds six-to-two against them, it was a very short fight before they were both taken down.
The pulse of green energy surged through the tunnels, sticking mostly to the path of least resistance described by the circuitry inlaid in the walls, before it came to a large concentration of yellow crystals and was unable to continue any farther. It paused for barely a second before reversing course, beginning it's search for one individual that it knew should be here. One who might be willing to help.
The first cell it checked did not have the individual it was searching for. Human. Young. An interesting anomaly, given the circumstances, but ultimately irrelevant to the mission. The second, third and forth rooms were the same, either empty or holding unknowns who couldn't be trusted to help find the Interceptor's missing crew. It wasn't until the fifth room that the energy found the object of it's search, and injected itself into the simulation created by the mechanical halo.
Meanwhile, back in the first room, a second presence had awoken in response to the unexpected visitor.
Significant quantity of Green energy detected / initializing Green Lantern Defense/Annihilation protocols.
No. Override. Current state of host [Jaime Reyes]: critical.
Assuming full musculoskeletal control of host unit.
Sorry, Jaime Reyes.
The bound human suddenly quieted, his entire body going still. Almost immediately blue and black armor began to cover his body, spreading outward from his torso until no flesh could be seen.
The armor around his right wrist began to bulk up, thickening until it burst out of the restraint. The armor quickly slimmed down again and it tore the halo from it's head before reaching over to free it's left hand and then doing the same with it's legs. The blue armored form stood under it's own power for the first time in several weeks, examining it's surroundings carefully. Excessive amounts of Yellow Aurrem in the immediate vicinity – the source of Green energy that had activated the Green Lantern protocols must have been massive indeed to have made it here undiminished.
A matter for another time. For now the highest priority must be the recovery of the organic host. And for that, safety from the radiation put off by the Yellow Aurrem was needed. It turned and began walking, ignoring the door in favor of forming a plasma cannon around it's right hand and blasting it's way through walls, always heading toward what sensors said was the lowest concentration of Yellow radiation in the local area.
Eventually it found a landing bay with a ship sitting in it. Unknown model, though design consistent with technology of the Green Lantern Corps. It would have to do. The armored form walked up the lowered entrance ramp, surprised when a ship so obviously designed by the Green Lanterns did not react immediately to it's presence. It searched the ship, eventually finding it's way to the bridge. All power to navigation systems seemed to be disengaged, but that wasn't a true problem. It could begin repairs and recovery of the host now, protected from the radiation by the hull shielding of the ship.
It wasn't long before the armor's audio sensors detected movement outside the ship. Four voices, moving up the entrance ramp and into the ship. The armored form backed into a corner, attempting to hide in the shadow under a console at least until the ship had taken off.
That plan was quickly ruined when all the consoles in the room powered on at the same time, and a synthesized female voice sounded throughout the ship, "Systems online. Warning: active Reach Infiltrator unit detected on the bridge."
Two figures immediately rushed through the door into the bridge, the larger of the two spotting it first and aiming his ring it it's direction with a command to come out from under the console. It complied, moving out to the center of the room, though it remained sitting rather than stand in an attempt to appear less hostile.
"I do not seek to harm anyone aboard this vessel," it spoke, startling the smaller Lantern into lowering his ring. That one was human, apparently recognized the host's voice and native languages for what they were. "My presence here has resulted in unacceptable psychological and physiological trauma to my host, and minor damage to several of my own systems. I require safety away from the Yellow light to effect repairs." It turned it's head, now visibly speaking directly to the human Lantern, "You. You will care for my host while repairs and healing are underway."
With that the armor retreated, entering a self repair cycle and trusting that the honor of this Green Lantern matched that of Green Lantern Guy Gardner and would not allow harm to come to a child, even one associated with the Reach.