DC Redux Presents

"The Last Green Lantern"

An Abin Sur Story

Written by Bodhi Ouellette


Rann:

The sandstorm was getting worse and worse. It's harder to trench through the deserts in this kind of weather. I'm having a hard time seeing through these goggles. The sand is getting everywhere, my cloak feels like it's going to rip off of my body. All the beasts that roam in these deserts are nowhere to be found. No food tonight, it seems. I have to get back to shelter. So close, but in this weather, I feel that it will take longer to reach. Not unless I use the ring… No. It's too risky. I must press on in this weather. I can't let them find me again.

Towards east is where my shelter is located, inside of a hollow cave, easily hidden within this desert. In there, no one could ever find me, not unless I stay quiet for the remainder of my existence that is. The staff will keep me protected, keep my balance from the wind. The storm is getting stronger and stronger, any longer out here and I may be either buried by the sand, or flying with it. I have to move fast. If I'm lucky I won't be caught by any gunfire by fighter jets from either Rann or the Thangars.

Suddenly I can hear echos in the wind. I peer around carefully, checking my surroundings, or what I can see of it. The howling, it is of one of the disgusting beasts that ravage in these spaces. Too many have I slaughtered for food. Maybe I will get food afterall. I prepare my staff, pressing a button near the grip and from both ends of the staff shot out a blade. I slid the top ends of the staff closer together, making it smaller, easier to wield. I prepared myself from anything that would dare come near me, all the while still leading my way back to my shelter. I didn't hear another growl for awhile. Then, from behind, I could hear it chasing after me, it's breath like a siren. I quickly turned around and stuck the blade forward, scraping some skin off the four eyed beast that attempted to attack me. The beast reset his footing, I prepared myself for another strike. The beast's teeth grind, fresh and dried blood is dripping and chipping off. He's hungry for me, but so am I. Luckily for me, I've slayed these vermins on a weekly basis. He lunges over towards me, and I once again take a jab across his face, creating a massive gash across the beast's nose. It's bleeding profusely, but nonetheless he still stands. It tries to jab at me with it's claws, but I dodge his strikes at every attempt I can get. The beast makes one final blow before I impale the tip of my blade into it's heart. It struggles for a second, but it finally loses it's hold on reality, and falls down on the ground dead. The storm I've noticed is dying down. My luck has finally returned, it seems, and I begin to slice pieces of the beast up for food.

I've finally made it home, inside of the Cave. I've created a makeshift bed and table with scraps I take from a local town's trash heap. Some metal crates, a mattress, a small table where most of my junk goes, and makeshift refrigeration center, where I keep all of my food. I prepare myself a stew, cutting up the pieces of meat into chunks and throw it into a pot full of broth. Stirring it occasionally, I lay back beside the cave wall and periodically look over to see the decomposing corpse hidden at the end of the cave. I look at it, and everytime I do, it reminds me that although I may be running from the most vile force of evil living in this universe, at least I am not dead like the poor individual over there. It could be much worse than this. Once the Stew is done, I eat about half of the pot, before allow myself to digest and then fall to sleep…

The sky was bright red, like blood seeping through the clouds. The fire burning across the lands, bodies everywhere. The Hunters poured out from the sky like raindrops, cracking the ground when they landed. Their eyes glowed a blinding red, as bright as the sun. Their arms extended, morphing around like putty into cannons. The blinding red in their eyes transfered into their arm cannons as they began slaughtering all of us, no matter how much force we used, their power overcame. Throughout the years they hunted remnants of the Green Lantern Corps, and killed those who still continued on its legacy. Here, in the Mountain, they are coming for us…

We ran towards the exit down the small hallway, collapsing behind us. Closer and closer were the walls of our haven crumbling by our feet. My teacher, a man with six arms and four eyes, with pale yellow skin and long legs helped direct me out of the tunnel. I could see the light coming closer and closer, the exit close to our grasp. By then, he pulled me into his arms and jumped his way out from the tunnel, finally caving into itself. The smoke from the rubble covered us. He stood me back up and brushed off the dust from my shoulders, then kneeled down so that he was directly facing me. He knew I was scared of them, scared of what they would do to us. "We are almost there," he told me, wiping the tear off of my cheek. "They won't harm us, ever. I promise you."

I sniffed back the mucus building inside of my nostrils. "But… what will happen if-"

"They won't ever get to you. You are ready, my child. If it does come to it, you must go and take the battery with you, and get as far away as you can from them. As long as you never use the ring, they will never find you. Now come, we must get going."

We continued our way through the temple we resided in. An old school carved in the middle of a mountain, made to train younger members of the Green Lantern Corps. We could hear the mountain cracking above us, as they attempted to break their way through the thick walls of carved rock and stone so that they can kill us. I trusted my master that he would lead us to safety, but I feared that he and I would not make it out alive.

When we reached the room, we peered open the door that hid the only battery we harbored in the mountain. It's bright shining green light threatened our eyesight, blinding us with it's rage. It's desire to be used, to fuel our rings with the unending powers it wields. My teacher grabs it off of the rock it rested on, and looked back at me. "We have the Lantern," he stated. "We must get out of-"

The ceilings cracked open. Without a seconds thought to react, the brutes in red landed inside, breaking the earth beneath them, and almost immediately, attacked us with ferocious speed, pinning my master to the wall, losing grip of the Lantern which happened to be flung towards me. I grabbed it mid fall, and as I looked up I could hear him scream "RUN!" before his entire upper half of his body was reduced to a charcoaled red. It was then that the Crimson hunters turned their attention towards me…

I ran faster than I ever had before in my life, running from my inevitable fate from the hunters. Holding the battery tight in my arms, avoiding every blast from them, I closed my eyes and whispered the oath of the Green Lanterns. "In brightest day, in blackest night…" but they caught me off guard, knocking me into the wall, falling down onto the lantern, still holding it tight. They lifted me up from the ground and pinned me to the wall. I struggled to look away from them, I could not bear seeing their horrific faces. They try to pry the lantern out of my hand, but I keep holding on. Then it lays his barren hands onto my wrist, burning my already pink skin into a burnt read. I cried out in agony, it felt like the heat of a thousand suns had touched my skin, so I quickly created a ring construct that blew the Hunter's face off of it's body. I landed back onto my feet, and continued to run. "No evil shall escape my sight…" They were coming closer and closer. "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!" I shut my eyes tight, as I could feel the heat of one of their blasts approaching me. But instead, I felt nothing. When I reopened my eyes, I found myself around a bubble. They tried to break the shield that was protecting me, but nothing seemed to bulge. I then lifted my arm high, high into the sky, and with an immense force, broke the ground below me and split the air in half, traveling through space at a velocity that was too fast even for me, enough to make me pass out…

Once I woke up and made myself breakfast, I began to clean up my living space, collecting papers and tools off from the floor and table and throw them into a crate. Inside of one of these crates I remember, is a green Lantern. It's still glowing, although very faint. I don't even remember the last time I've ever recharged the ring, still placed on my ring finger. But I can never use the Lantern under any circumstance, unless I want to be found again. I have to stay quiet, and never use the ring ever again.

Today I ventured out into the city, as I was missing an important component that I needed to use to repair a radio I had purchased a couple of weeks ago. I had made a knack out of repairing old scrap I found in the city's local dumpster and repairing them, sometimes I even sold the items for a little bit of cash. Being in the city, roaming around the streets among the rest of civilization, it is a very different lifestyle then mine, much more sociable, but I prefer to live in the desert. I like the quietness from the outside world.

I purchase the necessary items needed at the shop, and as I begin to head back home, I hear a loud explosion, the sound ringing in my eardrums. I am very close by it seems, to what is happening. Already people begin to run away, as another explosion sets off. I turn around to find the entire block is being ariel bombed by men and women wearing gold armor, with wings that are keeping them into the air. A few of them descend down into one of the buildings, while the others begin to drop bombs into the streets. The trail of explosions setting off almost reaches me, so I hid behind a corner of a building so the blast does not hit me. When the smoke and debris cleared out, I glimpsed out to find the winged warriors carrying out a middle aged Rannian man and taking him away from the area. A family, distraught, comes out from the building, as more people come out from the other complexes.

"They took him!" The woman wailed. "They took my husband, and they're going to kill him!"

"They took the Senator?" Another citizen cried out. "Those damned Thangarrians!"

I joined in, with the rest of them as the crowd began to holler obscenities, worryful comments, and comforting words to the family whose father, and now it seems important political figure, was taken away from them. The Rannian's are all so defenseless, they have no idea what to do against the threat.

"We can't take anymore of this abuse from the Thangarrians!" professed a citizen. "We must stand up to them and save the Senator!"

"With what weapons?" replied another. "We have nothing to combat them! No swords, no guns, nothing!"

"Someone has to step up and take charge! We must show them what it means to mess with the people of Rann! Who will step up?"

There was a cold silence within the small group of citizens. I stood forward. "I will do it." The crowd then gives me space and I walk towards the family in peril. The youngest one, a girl, stares up at me, fearful of my somewhat hostile look. "Y- you will save daddy?" she said.

I kneel down. "I will. And I will make sure those who took your father never lay a finger on him ever again."

"Oh, bless you, kind sir." the mother utters giving me a big hug. "You must hurry, who knows how long they will keep him alive before they-"

"That won't happen. I will find him in no time." I started to leave, but then the girl grabbed my sleeve.

"Before you go… what is your name?"

"My name is not important. I am just a friend who is here to help."


Thangarr Tower:

The tower was apparently planted outside of the city walls as a means of threatening Rann's capital city. It is where the Thangarr's base themselves on this planet. Those are just the specifics as I follow the tensions between the two societies very loosely. But the Thangarr's have threatened to kill an innocent life. Being raised with the ideals of a Green Lantern, we must stand up against those who intend on harming or oppressing those powerless to defend themselves.

Through my binoculars, I can see up top of the tower. The Senator is not the only hostage they have up there. There are dozens of other individuals like the Senator joined with him in their kidnapping. Some of the guards up there have large assault rifles. One man, in particular, has a mace with tiny spikes on the ball. This is more than just a kidnapping. This is an execution. I must hurry before they kill them.

I put my binoculars away and pull out a couple of scrap metal, holding it tightly in my hands. Peeking the corner revealed three guards, all separate, and positioned at different spots. When they all looked away from my direction, I threw the scrap metal over to where they weren't looking over. The sound attracted them over to investigate, leaving me to bypass them and continue on. I sneak behind another guard, pulling out some rope I wrap it around his neck, choking him enough so that he would pass out, pulling the body behind a bunch of boxes stacked up. I move on, getting closer and closer to the tower, when suddenly, a guard turns the corner and spots me.

"You there! What are you doing in the perimeter?" he called to me. I quickly pull out a smoke bomb and lunge it at the guard, before he could pick up his walkie-talkie to inform the others. Although, the sound of the bomb going off will certainly alert anyone near me to come. I press a button on the side of my metallic strap, and flames exhale behind the pack. I fly up against the walls of the tower, eventually, reaching the top. When the Thangarrs notice me, I crash through the window and immediately, with my staff, I start picking off the guards one by one, beating them in even the simplest of combat techniques. To believe that the Rannian's are scared of these individuals.

I steady myself, facing what I can only assume is the General of the force. "Let these people go," I say, "Before I unleash my full set of skills against you."

"These people here threaten to take this land away from us!" the General cried. "We came to this planet offering peace and freedom from our own corrupt world and this is how they are repaying us, by sending us back!"

"This is not the way to negotiate for things, General," I say back to him. "There are other means than kidnapping."

"You don't understand, fool. We've tried that. But they won't listen. So now, we are using other means of negotiation." The Thangarr General pulled out his pistol and placed the barrel by the Senator's temple. "By means of torture and violence."

I stared helplessly as he slowly pulled on the trigger. "No!" I screamed out, where my arm extended out and the fluorescent, glass like construct of a clap, grabbing the gun out of the General's hands and flinging it across the roof. The Thangar looked at me with bugged eyes.

"Bastard… Shoot him!" He ordered the other soldiers to do, immediately a blaze of gunfire heading towards me. I shielded myself with another construct, this time in the shape of a semi half bubble. It's been so long since I have felt the energy of the ring flow through my body. When all of their bullets ran out, it gave me the chance to create a massive hammer and swiped them all off their feet, landing onto the ground. When some of them attempted to get back up, I came up close to them and smacked them back down with a gauntlet with thorns on the ends of them. I then grabbed each and every one of the Thangar warriors and pinned them to the wall, by retrieving some loose metal and wrapping them around it. With the exception of the General, who I approached, still on the ground. He looked up to see me, cowering back. "Who… are you?"

"My name is Abin Sur," I revealed. "I am the last Green Lantern alive. Remember my name, and remember who I am the next time you decide to beat another citizen of Rann to a bloody pulp. For the next time you do that, I will come for you."

With that threat, I created another bubble around all the Senators and brought them off the tower and back into the city.

When I returned to the city, with all of them safe and sound, they all reunited with their respective families and friends. They thanked me for my noble act, and wished to repay me, but I denied their offer. I told them, "I won't be able to stay much longer. I now put myself, and everyone else in danger just by using this ring. The Manhunters will come for me. I must escape, and get as far away from this planet as possible. Forgive me… You are all strong. Stand up for yourselves, and you will win this war. I trust you all…"

I left them, quickly returning back to my cave in the desert to retrieve my Battery, and then, for the last time, shot up into the sky and left the planet. I flew past asteroids and stars in my venture to escape the Manhunters once more. I can already tell they are behind me, the red glow seeping behind my eyesight. This time, it seems, that I must face the one thing I have been escaping from all my life… Death.

But now I'm no longer afraid. If I am to die, I am to die a noble death. Let the Manhunters come. I will show them what it means to be a Green Lantern.


Stay tuned for more one-shots introducing your favourite classic DC characters to this bold, daring new universe!

Find out what happens to Abin Sur, as well as the mystery to the disappearance of the Green Lantern Corps in DC Redux's "The Book of Oa" by Bodhi Ouellette