The Universe was dying. The second Blackest Night had come.
Black Hand had returned, not as Nekron's herald, but as his replacement. In an effort to save the Universe, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Atrocitus, Saint Walker, Indigo-1, Larfleeze, and Carol Ferris linked their rings to each of their corps' main power batteries, which unintentionally gave their rings an unlimited charge. But even this was not enough.
Now, only these seven individuals remain. Their mission: to rescue Kyle Rayner from Black Hand, as he is their only hope.
Ryut was once a world of beauty, a world of peace. This was before the now dead Guardians of the Universe built their Manhunters, of which killed this world, and many others within its sector. It is now a dead world, a perfect place to rest the Black Lantern Corps' main battery. It is also where Kyle Rayner is kept prisoner.
Each member of the team was shaken to their core. All of them have lost countless friends and loved ones. For all they knew, they were the only ones in the Universe left alive. And who would say otherwise?
"I still think we should give ourselves codenames," said Hal. "We could have it like this: I'll be 'Green,' Sinestro'll be 'Yellow'…"
"Must, you joke at a time like this, Jordan?"
"Sinestro, everyone is much stressed, and that could be dangerous for us. It wouldn't hurt to ease the tension now, would it?"
"See? Blue get's it."
"While at the same time, Hal Jordan, I can agree with Sinestro as well. I'm in no mood for any joking."
"Alright, who here agrees with them?" asks Hal, to which everyone raises their hand.
"Fine, I'll stop."
They stop at the base of a mountain, to go over their next course of action.
"I still don't see why we need to save one of the Green Lantern's friends," said Atrocitus.
Indigo-1 answered "Because Kyle Rayner is the White Lantern. He's the only one capable of restoring the balance of Life and Death in the Universe."
"WAS the only one. And now he's GONE."
The group spun their heads towards the direction of whoever said that, only to suddenly feel terror as the one who said it was none other than Black Hand himself.
"You're earlier than expected. But then again, being death itself gives you far too much time on your hands. And my time is overflowing."
"Where's Kyle, you bastard!?" shouted Hal.
"And what do you mean WAS?" added Carol.
"Why don't you see for yourselves?" said Black Hand, as he gestured his right hand, as if he was summoning someone. Indeed, someone was summoned, in view of everyone. The team's hearts sank in hopelessness, as Kyle Rayner was now a Black Lantern.
"I don't…how…what did you…?"
"You see, Mr. Jordan, I took the White Lantern prisoner so I could break him. It took time, of course, but soon he started seeing things our way."
"But…what of the ring?" asked Saint Walker.
"That I have no knowledge of. After his conversion, the White ring escaped my grasp, and then suddenly disappeared into space. I'm still looking for it."
"How could you lose it?"
"Look towards the sky."
They looked up, and saw a wormhole in the stars.
"Hal, what the hell is that?"
"My guess is that it leads out of our Universe. I know that's a stretch, but considering what I've seen in the past, I'm probably golden."
"That was my guess as well, Mr. Jordan. But this wormhole leads beyond not our Multiverse, but our Omniverse."
"Jordan, what the devil is he speaking about?"
"As it turns out there's more than one Multiverse out there. There's practically a ton. But how did a portal to another Omniverse suddenly appear?"
"I believe, Mr. Jordan, that it's the Universe's way of saving itself from its inevitable end. Now, I do believe we were in the middle of ending ALL OF YOUR LIVES."
Black Hand summons an army of Black Lanterns, surrounding the Team. They know that they will not survive this battle.
That doesn't mean this is the last.
Each Lantern fights at their peak. This is the best that they've ever been. The battle rages for what seems like hours, until Larfleeze starts to bleed.
He falls into Sinestro's arms. Sinestro hauls him over to the mountain wall, as he shouts "Jordan! Larfleeze is down!"
"Then it's time!" Hal yells back.
"Are you sure!?"
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be suggesting it!"
"There's no telling who'll receive it! I doubt they have any concept of the emotional spectrum!"
"It's worth a shot!"
Everyone was listening in, even the dying Larfleeze. They then put a command into their rings, and then return to fighting.
Larfleeze had to watch as his friends fell, one by one. The first to fall was Indigo-1, then Hal, then Sinestro, then Atrocitus, then Carol, and then Saint Walker. And one by one, their rings flew into the wormhole, and appeared to be carrying the batteries with them.
Black Hand surveyed the field, touching the recently dead bodies, and turning them into Black Lanterns. Then he walked towards Larfleeze with one eyebrow raised.
"Odd," he said, "I thought for sure Mr. Jordan would be the one to survive until the end."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," said Larfleeze, as he Black Hand's head apart. This did little than amuse him, as it fixed itself. Having one last laugh, Larfleeze succumbed to his wounds. As he died, his ring flew into the wormhole.
Black Hand did nothing. He wanted to wait, until the right moment to strike. For now, he must savor his victory.
The rings themselves ended up in the universe within that Omniverse, though at different points in time. The White ring had landed during a time of Intergalactic War, which had spread its ugly heads across the limits of its cosmos. The rest of the rings landed two decades later.
But they all landed a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
