This story takes place roughly 3 years before Kingdom Come events, and
introduces a KC era Green Lantern Corps.
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AN EMERALD KINGDOM
Chapter 1: Fallen from the sky.
New Heroes.-... And then came the day when Earth's greatest hero disappeared. With him went the inspiration of many and the trust of others. Since that dark day, new and less responsible superbeings arose and fear took possession of the planet. But not everything was lost. In that moment of need a light shone again, the light of the Green Lantern Corps...
1
2 The Great Book of Oa
He called himself "Holocaust, the Man-God" and wanted to sacrifice in his own honor the people that were in the replete New Coast City branch of Planet Krypton that night, but this guy chose a wrong day to make his move. In spite of the fact that it had been easy for him to enter to the place without being stopped by a security guard, and in spite of the fact that, even with his costume, he had passed unnoticed, thanks to the great amount of disguised people that walked through the restaurant, he was not the only one hidden in the crowd...
Almost an hour before Kyle Rayner and Jennie-Lynn Hayden had arrived incognito to the Planet Krypton, hoping to remember old and better times. The truth was their marriage hadn't been going well for some time, since Jennie requested Kyle to create her a new Green Lantern ring and he had consented, he had been overprotective toward her. He apparently had gotten used with the years to a Jennie without powers, without a life loaded with dangers; he now seemed unable to court the idea that she risked her life constantly. She seemed to understand it, but his attitude was beginning to annoy her; as the leader of the new Green Lantern Corps, Kyle always arranged things in order to assign her the less risky missions.
Holocaust was one of the incorrectly labeled "New Heroes." He saved people but wanted human sacrifices in his honor. This was one of those cases.
Holocaust addressed the crowd, "Humans, as you know, yesterday I protected this city from the attack of the infernal hordes of the demon known as Etrigan. I have come here today to claim what belongs me as a right. One of you must come with me."
Terror took possession of the people. Holocaust was strongly armed and Kyle knew this was not a game. This guy considered himself an immortal god, so he would not hesitate in detonate a bomb in the building if his conditions were not met. He wanted a voluntary sacrifice. Kyle got ready to face the situation, but before he made any movement He told Jennie to be careful.
"I will be," she responded quietly as she looked at Kyle. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."
Jennie always seemed so willing to demonstrate her capacity and value that he no longer questioned it.
Holocaust noticed Jennie approaching. "Ah, finally one of my grateful believers wants to honor me," he said. "Very well, you will be the one. This is your door to my kingdom," Holocaust said, giving her a small capsule. "Now, swallow it, daughter of mine."
Of course Jennie knew, as well as Kyle, the methods of this lunatic, so she had a plan. Using her green energy she covered the interior of her digestive tract in order to avoid the contact with the poison. She would simulate her death and, then, when Holocaust had allowed his hostages to go, she would surprise him, "returning from the death". Kyle, on the other hand, didn't know anything about the plan and didn't see an easy way to get out of the situation.
"Yes, my lord," said Jennie, continuing her performance. Then she swallowed the capsule.
Kyle didn't delay any more and without hesitating he rushed Holocaust. Responding swiftly, the self-proclaimed god threw his hand to his arsenal. His "holy grenades" quickly hit the building roof, and with the "purification flames" of his flame-thrower, he nearly incinerated a good numbers of innocents.
Kyle felt a look of disapproval from Jade, already changed into her Green Lantern suit and her true skin color. "Now we are in a worse situation," she said to him. "If you want him so much, I'll take the people out of here." She then wrapped the frightened crowd in an emerald protective sphere and took them out through a hole in the destroyed roof.
After that Kyle was sure everything would go quickly. After all, what could a single man with simple firearms and no hostages do against the bearer of the most powerful weapon in the universe? Not much.
Seeing he was overcome, Holocaust threw the flame-thrower towards the Green Lantern, as an emerald shield protected Kyle.
"Surrender Holocaust," shouted Kyle. "Face it, you are not a god! You are nothing more than an irresponsible kid with a weapon."
Holocaust responded furiously, "Do you dare to offend me inferior creature? You will pay for this dishonor!" Holocaust was apparently not so defenseless after all. He looked for in a pocket of his suit and found what he needed, a yellow power ring.
Surprised, Kyle lowered his guard and was hit by a ray of yellow energy. It was not the first yellow ring he had seen during the last year, and he found that suspicious.
Fortunately for Kyle, Holocaust didn't know one Green Lantern from another and Kyle's ring didn't have problems with the color yellow, like the other Lanterns' rings.
Kyle decided to finish the fight once and for all. Since Holocaust would not surrender, he enclose him in an energy sphere and extracted just enough oxygen for the false god to faint.
Just before becoming unconscious Holocaust said, "This can not be! What have you done?!!"
"I believe you've fallen from your Olympus, Holocaust. It looks like you are not a god, you black out as easily as any human." After that, Holocaust slumped unconscious and his ring oddly disintegrated. Kyle left Holocaust totally unarmed and took him directly to the New Coast City penitentiary trapped in an emerald straightjacket. With any luck, he'd be behind bars for awhile.
Using his ring, Kyle located Jennie. She apparently was going home, so Kyle accelerated his flight and reached her minutes later. He didn't say a word, rather it was Jennie who began to speak.
"This is going too far, you know?" she said.
Kyle defended himself, "I just wanted to protect you."
"It's okay you want to protect me Kyle, but it seems like you don't trust me anymore. You know good and well that I've being in this line of work even longer than you. You should have known I had a plan. I'm not one of those rookie heroes."
"I...don't know what to say Jennie. I can't control my concern..."
"Don't say anything else Kyle, it's late. Let's just go home, okay?"
And so it was. Not a word was spoken between them until they slept, or at least Jade slept. Kyle couldn't sleep, he went out to their apartment balcony. He was deep in thought when he saw in the distance what seemed to be a meteorite falling to the Earth. The lights of the city blinked for an instant and then came the sound of a distant impact.
"There is something strange in that meteorite," he said to himself, "something almost familiar."
And he recalled the memory of when he obtained his power ring, so many years before. He thought of waking up Jennie, but he didn't want to aggravate things with her. After all, the meteorite could be just that, a giant and boring rock from space.
Without doubting it any more, he exchanged his clothes for his Green Lantern suit and went to the impact site.
Upon arrival he realized his instincts hadn't failed him. What had fallen was not a meteorite. It was, without any doubt, some kind of space vehicle. It had pyramidal form and, as far as he could observe, its surface was totally flat. Suddenly, in one of the walls of the pyramid a hole opened up and from the interior emerged a being roughly six and a half feet tall. He was humanoid but completely covered with armor. The being pressed some buttons in his suit, and the helmet of his armor retracted. Kyle barely contained his surprise. It was a human, a boy of not more than 15 years. But the surprise didn't stop there.
The boy took some steps toward Kyle and said, "You are a Green Lantern, aren't you? My father sent me in search of you for help. My name is Max, and I'm son of the Warrior King of New Vuldar, Guy Gardner."
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AN EMERALD KINGDOM
Chapter 1: Fallen from the sky.
New Heroes.-... And then came the day when Earth's greatest hero disappeared. With him went the inspiration of many and the trust of others. Since that dark day, new and less responsible superbeings arose and fear took possession of the planet. But not everything was lost. In that moment of need a light shone again, the light of the Green Lantern Corps...
1
2 The Great Book of Oa
He called himself "Holocaust, the Man-God" and wanted to sacrifice in his own honor the people that were in the replete New Coast City branch of Planet Krypton that night, but this guy chose a wrong day to make his move. In spite of the fact that it had been easy for him to enter to the place without being stopped by a security guard, and in spite of the fact that, even with his costume, he had passed unnoticed, thanks to the great amount of disguised people that walked through the restaurant, he was not the only one hidden in the crowd...
Almost an hour before Kyle Rayner and Jennie-Lynn Hayden had arrived incognito to the Planet Krypton, hoping to remember old and better times. The truth was their marriage hadn't been going well for some time, since Jennie requested Kyle to create her a new Green Lantern ring and he had consented, he had been overprotective toward her. He apparently had gotten used with the years to a Jennie without powers, without a life loaded with dangers; he now seemed unable to court the idea that she risked her life constantly. She seemed to understand it, but his attitude was beginning to annoy her; as the leader of the new Green Lantern Corps, Kyle always arranged things in order to assign her the less risky missions.
Holocaust was one of the incorrectly labeled "New Heroes." He saved people but wanted human sacrifices in his honor. This was one of those cases.
Holocaust addressed the crowd, "Humans, as you know, yesterday I protected this city from the attack of the infernal hordes of the demon known as Etrigan. I have come here today to claim what belongs me as a right. One of you must come with me."
Terror took possession of the people. Holocaust was strongly armed and Kyle knew this was not a game. This guy considered himself an immortal god, so he would not hesitate in detonate a bomb in the building if his conditions were not met. He wanted a voluntary sacrifice. Kyle got ready to face the situation, but before he made any movement He told Jennie to be careful.
"I will be," she responded quietly as she looked at Kyle. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."
Jennie always seemed so willing to demonstrate her capacity and value that he no longer questioned it.
Holocaust noticed Jennie approaching. "Ah, finally one of my grateful believers wants to honor me," he said. "Very well, you will be the one. This is your door to my kingdom," Holocaust said, giving her a small capsule. "Now, swallow it, daughter of mine."
Of course Jennie knew, as well as Kyle, the methods of this lunatic, so she had a plan. Using her green energy she covered the interior of her digestive tract in order to avoid the contact with the poison. She would simulate her death and, then, when Holocaust had allowed his hostages to go, she would surprise him, "returning from the death". Kyle, on the other hand, didn't know anything about the plan and didn't see an easy way to get out of the situation.
"Yes, my lord," said Jennie, continuing her performance. Then she swallowed the capsule.
Kyle didn't delay any more and without hesitating he rushed Holocaust. Responding swiftly, the self-proclaimed god threw his hand to his arsenal. His "holy grenades" quickly hit the building roof, and with the "purification flames" of his flame-thrower, he nearly incinerated a good numbers of innocents.
Kyle felt a look of disapproval from Jade, already changed into her Green Lantern suit and her true skin color. "Now we are in a worse situation," she said to him. "If you want him so much, I'll take the people out of here." She then wrapped the frightened crowd in an emerald protective sphere and took them out through a hole in the destroyed roof.
After that Kyle was sure everything would go quickly. After all, what could a single man with simple firearms and no hostages do against the bearer of the most powerful weapon in the universe? Not much.
Seeing he was overcome, Holocaust threw the flame-thrower towards the Green Lantern, as an emerald shield protected Kyle.
"Surrender Holocaust," shouted Kyle. "Face it, you are not a god! You are nothing more than an irresponsible kid with a weapon."
Holocaust responded furiously, "Do you dare to offend me inferior creature? You will pay for this dishonor!" Holocaust was apparently not so defenseless after all. He looked for in a pocket of his suit and found what he needed, a yellow power ring.
Surprised, Kyle lowered his guard and was hit by a ray of yellow energy. It was not the first yellow ring he had seen during the last year, and he found that suspicious.
Fortunately for Kyle, Holocaust didn't know one Green Lantern from another and Kyle's ring didn't have problems with the color yellow, like the other Lanterns' rings.
Kyle decided to finish the fight once and for all. Since Holocaust would not surrender, he enclose him in an energy sphere and extracted just enough oxygen for the false god to faint.
Just before becoming unconscious Holocaust said, "This can not be! What have you done?!!"
"I believe you've fallen from your Olympus, Holocaust. It looks like you are not a god, you black out as easily as any human." After that, Holocaust slumped unconscious and his ring oddly disintegrated. Kyle left Holocaust totally unarmed and took him directly to the New Coast City penitentiary trapped in an emerald straightjacket. With any luck, he'd be behind bars for awhile.
Using his ring, Kyle located Jennie. She apparently was going home, so Kyle accelerated his flight and reached her minutes later. He didn't say a word, rather it was Jennie who began to speak.
"This is going too far, you know?" she said.
Kyle defended himself, "I just wanted to protect you."
"It's okay you want to protect me Kyle, but it seems like you don't trust me anymore. You know good and well that I've being in this line of work even longer than you. You should have known I had a plan. I'm not one of those rookie heroes."
"I...don't know what to say Jennie. I can't control my concern..."
"Don't say anything else Kyle, it's late. Let's just go home, okay?"
And so it was. Not a word was spoken between them until they slept, or at least Jade slept. Kyle couldn't sleep, he went out to their apartment balcony. He was deep in thought when he saw in the distance what seemed to be a meteorite falling to the Earth. The lights of the city blinked for an instant and then came the sound of a distant impact.
"There is something strange in that meteorite," he said to himself, "something almost familiar."
And he recalled the memory of when he obtained his power ring, so many years before. He thought of waking up Jennie, but he didn't want to aggravate things with her. After all, the meteorite could be just that, a giant and boring rock from space.
Without doubting it any more, he exchanged his clothes for his Green Lantern suit and went to the impact site.
Upon arrival he realized his instincts hadn't failed him. What had fallen was not a meteorite. It was, without any doubt, some kind of space vehicle. It had pyramidal form and, as far as he could observe, its surface was totally flat. Suddenly, in one of the walls of the pyramid a hole opened up and from the interior emerged a being roughly six and a half feet tall. He was humanoid but completely covered with armor. The being pressed some buttons in his suit, and the helmet of his armor retracted. Kyle barely contained his surprise. It was a human, a boy of not more than 15 years. But the surprise didn't stop there.
The boy took some steps toward Kyle and said, "You are a Green Lantern, aren't you? My father sent me in search of you for help. My name is Max, and I'm son of the Warrior King of New Vuldar, Guy Gardner."