It was mid morning and the corner store was fairly quiet. You stood in front of a magazine rack, idly flipping through one before picking up another, debating on how many you wanted to get. Movement to your left caught your eye and you took a few steps to the side so a little girl could reach the comics on the shelf below. She looked up at you and grinned when she saw the bright green fabric of the shirt under your jacket with the familiar symbol of the Green Lanterns emblazoned boldly across your chest.
"Green Lanterns are the best!" she declared.
"Indeed they are," you agreed with a smile. "Which one is your favourite?"
Her expression became thoughtful as she pondered the question for a moment before finally answering. "The one from New York. He makes the coolest stuff with his ring." She looked up at you again with curiosity, "Which one do you like best?"
"That's a tough question," you replied. It wasn't really, you had your own clear cut favourite, but it was fun to play along. However before you could answer her mother called her over to the counter, so she quickly grabbed the latest issue of General Glory and waved you a hasty goodbye.
After another moment or two you finally decided on which magazines you wanted, dropping one just before a large, burly man came storming through the door armed with a revolver in one hand. You could almost feel the fear settle in as people began to panic around you and the armed robber barked his demands, the focus of the gun barrel switching between the frightened cashier and the terrified mother with her daughter.
Your mind raced as you crouched behind the magazine stand. He hadn't seen you yet, perhaps there was some way this could work to your advantage. That's when you spied the shelf of canned goods. Carefully you sidled toward them and snatched up a large tin of peaches…
"Hurry up, old man," the thug growled as he waved the pistol menacingly. "I 'aint got all day."
A violent impact caught him off guard and he instinctively dropped the gun to cradle his head as he cried out in pain, the can of preserved fruit hitting the floor with a dull clunk. You didn't think, working purely on adrenaline as you charged straight for him. The tackle took you both to the ground but he was the stronger one and he managed to pin you down. With one of his large paw like hands squeezing around your throat you felt desperately around for something, anything, that could even out the playing field. You always did have a bad habit of leaping before you looked, and now it seemed as if your impulsive attitude was going to severely bite you in the arse. Little did you know that your current predicament would change your life in a way you never imagined.
Something small zipped into the store unseen and stopped to hover above your face. Instinctively you closed your eyes as its glow abruptly exploded into a blinding light. The surprised bellow from your attacker as he reeled backwards drowned out the sound of your name as the ring began to address you.
[You have the ability to overcome great fear,] it said. [Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.]
As the ring slid itself onto your finger you felt a surge of hot energy wash over you, tickling your skin as iconic colours of black and green enveloped you and concealed your identity. The brute above you looked from your now masked face to the ring on your fist and swallowed hard as you grinned savagely. The was another bright flash and he was effortlessly tossed upwards so high that he nearly hit the ceiling. You quickly scrambled out of the way as he came back down with an unceremonious thud. Against the backdrop of approaching sirens an agonised groan was about all he could manage, he wasn't going anywhere any time soon.
[Current threat neutralised,] the ring stated. [You will now report to Oa for training immediately.]
"Wait, what?"
Before you could say or do anything else the ring jerked you through the door and rocketed you into the sky. You looked down to see the earth rapidly retreating as you ascended higher and higher into the atmosphere and couldn't help the small shrieking laugh that was a mix of uncertainty and excitement. You were flying! Really flying!
You were flying straight into the cold vacuum of space…
People can't breathe in the vacuum of space.
"Hey! Wait a second-"
[Hyperspace travel engaged. Have a nice flight.]
The dark void scattered with starlight was then transformed into a swirling myriad of prismatic colours. Unable to do anything you simply had to trust in this strange piece of alien jewellery. Looking at yourself you noticed a green glow had surrounded you, protecting you from the rigours of space travel. You didn't know how long you flew through that psychedelic tunnel of light, but it stopped just as suddenly as it had started, leaving you to stare dumbfounded at a world so vividly green; like a giant emerald jewel suspended against a velvet black backdrop as streaks of green flitted around it. Other Lanterns, you quickly realised. Just how many were there?
The ring tugged you toward the planet's surface, guiding you through a large city, at its centre was a massive citadel topped with several spires. Below it was a wide square in which sat a huge lantern, and as you passed over it you wondered if it was something purely aesthetic, or if it served a bigger purpose. You finally reached your destination as you were bought to a platform, stumbling a little as your feet finally found solid ground again.
[Universal translator initiated.]
"Told you it would be another Earthling," a voice commented from behind. "You owe me a drink."
"What can I say? We humans know a thing or two about being really stubborn."
You quickly spun around. The sight that greeted you was that of a hulking alien you had only glimpsed on the news when everything had gone down in New York a couple of years a go against the Sinestro Corps. He wasn't alone either, standing next to behemoth was him.
This had to be a dream.
He took in your obvious bewildered expression and smirked. "Welcome to Oa, rookie. You're in for one hell of a ride…"