The Lanazon
It was a year since Daria had been chosen to become the reserve Green Lantern for Sector 2814. She had no more than 2 months ago passed her final test. It was designed jointly by John Stewart and Batman to test everything she had learned as a trainee and a few things she wasn't taught. It started as a target training session at the Justice League's Wild West facility. She breezed through that, thanks to Katma's instruction. Then the tests became even tougher. Deflecting boulders hurled at her by Superman. Being double-teamed by Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl. Maintaining her concentration doing intricate tasks while having her thoughts clouded by the Martian Manhunter. Light-speed cat and mouse with the Flash. And finally, the most daunting task of all. The same task given to all the Robins, avoid detection for 24 hours with Batman, the World's Greatest Detective on your heels. It took all of Daria's ingenuity to pass that test. And even though he had found her within the first 20 minutes of her arrival in Gotham, Batman decided to be merciful and let her squeak by. After her tests were complete, John Stewart took her to Oa, to meet the Guardians of the Universe. Daria was a bit frightened at the sight of the 16 powerful beings who welcomed her.
"Daria Morgendorffer of Earth, John Stewart has informed us that you have passed the tests given to you. We congratulate you and officially welcome you to Green Lantern Corps. The council has decided to make you the guardian of Sector 694, but your assignment will be temporarily suspended as your Earthling formal education is not yet completed. Upon completion of your final year, you will take your place as the patrolman of your sector. That is all." The Guardians said in unison.
After they left Oa, Stewart took her to a small reception at The Watchtower. They even allowed her to use the site to site transporter to snatch Jane out of her house and on to the space station. Jane screamed in a mixture of surprise and delight as she was just about to make another brush stroke on the canvas on her easel and was then staring at her Lantern costume covered best friend.
"You mean we're on-?" Jane asked incredulously. Daria grinned and nodded, pointing DOWN at the Earth 25,000+ miles beneath their feet. She then led Jane down the hall to the main conference room, where seven adults dressed in different garbs gave her a standing ovation, the handsome red-headed young man they saw at Pizza Prince throwing streamers at them. The dark-haired man in the suit and glasses then cleared his throat and said, "I would like to propose a toast, to the newest part-time member of the Justice League as well as to her appointment as a full-fledged Green Lantern. Miss…..."
"I guess it's only fair that you know my name now, since I'm sure most of you already know who I am. Daria Morgendorffer." She said, allowing uniform to change back into her street clothes.
"Well Daria, we decided that as a sign of trust we can and would reveal our secret identities to you. I'm pretty sure that for the lady with the wings, the tall woman in the robes and the man with the green skin, it's fairly easy to figure out who they are." Clark said.
Everyone laughed at that, even Bruce allowed himself a small smile.
"For the record, my name is Shayera Hol aka Hawkgirl."
"Princess Diana of Themyscira or Wonder Woman"
"And I am J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter" the Martian said, allowing himself to briefly morph into his true form. The red-head spoke next.
"I'm Wally West aka the Fastest Man on Earth aka The Flash"
"Bruce Wayne of Wayne Industries" The other dark haired man in the business suit said.
"I heard about you! You're like the 7th richest man on the planet or something!" Jane piped up.
"Sixth now. I just bought the majority of the shares in Takahashi Industries about a week ago." Bruce said, staring at her.
"Oh...I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Quite alright, you all are the first to know since it hasn't hit the papers yet." Bruce replied, taking a Batarang out of his jacket pocket and tossing it to Jane.
"And last of all my name is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet, known to the world at large as Superman."
Wally then went to a side table and quick as a wink placed a glass of champagne in front of each of them, sparkling cider for the girls.
"Now that that's over with, a final toast to you Daria Morgendorffer. May you use your powers wisely and for the good of the universe."
They clinked their glasses and drank.
"You'll do fine Daria."
Those final words echoed through her mind as she stared out the window of Mr. DeMartino's history class.
"DARIA!" Mr. DeMartino shouted.
"Huh? Wha?" Daria stammered, shaking herself back to reality.
"Miss Morgendorffer. If you're DONE staring off into SPACE maybe you can explain to the class the IMPORTANCE of the Lewis and Clark EXPEDITIONS!"
"Huh? I thought they were reporters not explorers?"
The class exploded in laughter. Mercifully, the bell rang before Mr. D could reply. The students filed out the class until it was only Daria and Jane left.
"Daria. A word with you." Mr. DeMartino said.
"Yes sir?"
"Is there something wrong? Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Well…try to pay a little bit more attention huh?"
"Yes sir." Daria replied glumly.
"And if you're gonna practice your comedy routine do it in O'Neill's class." DeMartino said, grinning.
Daria gave him a small smile and caught up with Jane who was waiting outside for her.
"So DeMartino read you the riot act?"
"No. He was pretty cool about it."
"Huh. Must be getting soft in his old age."
As they were in the middle of their Literature class on the social significance of Animal Farm the loudspeaker in the room crackled to life.
"Good Morning students of Laaaaaaaaaawndale High. This is your principal Ms. Li with a special announcement. Due to the rampant outbreak of vandalism to school property there will be a bake sale on Friday to raise funds for surveillance cameras for the boy's locker rooms and bathrooms. And please people; don't think of it as an invasion of privacy. Think of it as you helping us help you preserve the cleanliness and sanctity of our school. Goodbye."
"Another chance to show your school spirit children!" Mr. O'Neill said, cheerfully.
Just as he was about to continue his lecture, there was a knock on the door. He opened it and there stood a very tall, blindingly beautiful woman in a starched, blue Air Force uniform. Her raven black hair was pulled back off her neck in a tight bun and secured by two pins that looked curiously enough like stiletto knives. She also wore a pair of frameless glasses perched high on the bridge of her nose which made her big ocean-blue eyes seem even bluer. These two things did nothing to detract from her stunning beauty. In front of her stood a teen girl who looked to be a carbon copy of the older woman save for the fact that she was about a foot and half shorter and didn't wear glasses. Her hair was in a long pony tail near the top of her head. It was surrounded by a scrunchy in a red and blue pattern with white stars all over it. She also wore a red blouse with 5 gold stars around the collar and a pair of blue jeans. The gold sandals she wore also had gold stars along the straps.
"Can I help you?" O'Neill said when he finally found his voice.
The older woman smiled at him and the room seemed to become two shades brighter than before.
"Good morning. My name is Staff Sergeant Prince and this is my sister, Donna. I was transferred to your area just recently and have just enrolled Donna in Lawndale High. You are Mr. O'Neill, am I correct?"
"Yes, yes I am." O'Neill stammered.
Another world altering smile.
"Oh good. Donna, enjoy your day and I will see you after school. I apologize for interrupting your class. Goodbye!" the lady said and turned around walked away, nearly knocking Miss Barch across the hallway.
"Oh I am very sorry! I am so clumsy sometimes!" the woman said as she helped Miss Barch to her feet, lifting her nearly seven inches off the ground.
"Uh...it's ok. It's good to see women taking charge in the male-dominated society." Miss Barch said as she stared at the sergeant's bars on the woman's uniform.
"You think so? Well maybe we can discuss that some time. But not right now. I am already late getting back to the base and Colonel Trevor is a stickler for punctuality." The woman said, smiling as she dashed out the door.
"Knew it was too good to be true..." Miss Barch muttered.
Back in the classroom, Mr. O'Neill asked for a volunteer to go to the custodian's office and request a desk and chair for Donna. Nearly every boy's hand in the class shot up, the football players stomping on the floor and hooting to get Mr. O'Neill's attention. Their girlfriends shot dirty looks at them. Donna eyes widened in surprise. O'Neill heaved a big sigh.
"Mack. Would you mind?"
"No prob sir. Let her take my seat." Mack replied and left for another chair.
"Well while he's gone Donna, would you mind telling us a little about yourself?" O'Neill said.
"Certainly. My name is Princess Donna, er, I mean, Donna Prince. I grew up on the island of Themys, um St. Thomas, that's it St. Thomas." Donna stumbled slightly, having a little trouble remembering the cover story Diana had taught her that morning.
"Wow! St. Thomas! How is the adjustment for you to living on the mainland?"
"I am adjusting quite well, thank you."
Just then Mack returned with the extra table and chair. "Alright class. Let's get back down to business." O'Neill said.
When the bell rang for lunch everyone dashed outside to put their books in their lockers. Donna pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket and began scanning the numbers until she found the one that belonged to her. Coincidentally, it was right to Daria and Jane's! Donna opened the locker and saw the condition of it and closed it back. When Jane and Daria came by to drop off their books they found Donna standing there smiling at them.
"Um, excuse me; can we help you with something?" Daria asked.
"Yeah. Are you lost?" Jane added.
Donna continued smiling and said, "I know who you are."
"Uh…ok….who am I?
Donna pointed to the green ring on Daria's finger. Daria's eyes went wide.
"How do you know about that?" Daria whispered fiercely.
"My sister told me about you. Even the story as how you came to acquire your ring. Very funny, how Mr. John Stewart lost it." Donna giggled.
"Sshh!"
Donna then smiled guiltily and whispered "Sorry!
"Ok, but just keep that quiet. Please!"
"So Dar. Are you and the new girl gonna stand there sharing secrets and excluding your best friend or are we going to the cafeteria so you can do it over lunch?" Jane said, interrupting their little pow-wow.
When they got to the cafeteria, Daria Jane and Donna found a table to have their lunch at. Their arrival had caused a stir among the male population of the school. Several of the jocks made several trips by their table to get a good look at Donna. Of course their girlfriends were none too pleased by this, cursing at them, hitting them and in some cases dumping trays of food on them. The boys weren't bothered by this though. Soon Jodie and Mack came by to sit with the trio.
"You. You are the boy who gave me his seat in class." Donna said, pointing at Mack.
"Donna Prince, Meet Jodie Landon and Michael Jordan Mackenzie."
Donna shook hands with them both and then said,
"You are named for the famous basketball player, right?"
"Yeah. My dad's idea."
"That's very funny as you are a football player." Donna said, smiling.
"Another bit of irony."
Then turning to Jodie, she said, "You and he are a couple, correct?"
"Yup. He's all mine." Jodie said, hugging Mack's arm.
"So if I may ask a question. How come you aren't hitting him like all the rest I see?"
Jane laughed.
"Well there's two reasons for that Donna. Number 1, Mack is a total gentleman and is very considerate of my feelings. And two he knows that if he stared at you, I'd bash his brains in."
"Wow. Football players at this school seem to be in very abusive relationships."
Everyone started cracking up at that. Soon a blonde with two ponytails walked up to the table and began staring at Donna hard. Then she turned her nose in the air, flipped her hair back said, "Hmph!" and walked away.
"Uh oh. I think the queen thinks you've come to knock her off her throne." Jane said.
Donna stared wide-eyed at the retreating figure and said, "SHE is a QUEEN? But she looks so young to be a ruler!"
Jane was laughing so hard, she couldn't breathe. Mack was pounding on the table.
"No Donna. She's not really a queen. We just call her that because it's common knowledge that she's….she's….." Jodie faltered.
"Been ENHANCED."
"Right! And she thinks that you have been similarly enhanced and she is jealous."
"I'm not sure I understand you." Donna said.
"Just look down. You'll get the idea."
Donna looked and then said, "I still don't see what you mean."
Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Jane pointed.
"Oh! You mean these!" Donna exclaimed, touching her bosom, "Diana has told me that there were women who use medical procedures to improve their bust line. I thought she was just telling stories! The women where I'm from are just as ample as she is or even a little bigger. Diana is much bigger than I am. And our mother is huge in comparison. But she's also much taller than Diana, so I guess it balances out some as well. I don't see what the big deal is. You just have to learn to be happy with what the Great Goddess has given you. That's what our mother tells us."
"And she's very right." Jodie said.
Donna then turned to Mack and said, "So that girl has been unnaturally altered has she?"
Mack nodded.
"Well I can assure you that mine are quite real. You may verify this if you desire." Donna said, thrusting out her chest in Mack's face.
Mack immediately felt Jodie's fingers digging into his arm and heard her say through clenched teeth, "The first time I said it, it was a JOKE."
"No thanks Donna. I believe you."
"Ok." Donna replied, sitting down once again.
Jodie then looked at Mack and said, "Aren't you glad I'm here to remove temptation from your path?" Mack then raised his arm and began checking it to make sure she didn't break skin.
"Yeah. Thanks a lot."
The friends then spent the rest of the lunch hour giving Donna the 411 on Lawndale High. Which teachers to avoid, the social order (Mack and Jodie were popular because of their positions, Jane and Daria were outcasts), where to find the coldest water , the best junk food from the vending machines and giving her basic instructions on how to navigate the halls. Their next class was art and while everyone else was working on perspective drawings, Donna was surprised to see that Jane was between two projects, doing a charcoal sketch of the lunch table they were at with everyone in their proper positions. The shocking thing was she was making the sketch purely by memory! The other project was a still life painting of a bouquet of wild flowers that was being held by the art teacher.
The next class that day was P.E. Jane and Daria took Donna to the supply shop so she could purchase a P.E. uniform. When they entered the locker room to change, they were stared at for a few minutes, and then all the girls relapsed into their original conversations. Daria and Jane disappeared into two of the bathroom stalls to change, being a bit self-conscious of their bodies. Donna on the other hand, had no such hang-ups and began stripping off her clothes in front of everyone. There was a collective gasp and the room fell instantly silent as Donna pulled off her t-shirt and wiggled out of her jeans.
"What? Is my hair a mess? Are my undergarments crooked? What is it? "Donna demanded amongst the stares and whispers. "You!" Donna said, pointing at Angie, "What is the problem?"
"Nothing ARNOLDA." Angie sneered.
One of the other girls giggled and said, "Yeah the weight room's 3 doors down, 'roid freak!"
Daria and Jane heard the commotion as they came out of the bathroom area and wondered what was going on. When they rounded the corner and saw Donna still in her state of undress, they both said, "Wow!" Donna was not only incredibly stacked as they had known before, but she was incredibly muscular as well! Her body was somewhere between a serious fitness model and a lightweight bodybuilder. She had muscles in places most of the other girls didn't have places and was easily the same size as some of the boys on the football team! Despite her own small stature and slight frame Daria tried to protect Donna from the jeers of the other girls.
"I'm sure you can find something better to do than stare at the new girl. What's the matter? Jealous?" Daria said to them.
"Yeah. Take a picture. It'll last longer." Jane chimed in, as she tried to push the P.E. t-shirt over Donna's head.
"Just as I thought." One of the other cheerleaders said, "Freaks of a feather flock together."
Donna, now fully dressed was about to lunge at the girl, to reciprocate the favor done by Daria and Jane. Daria pulled at Donna's sleeve and shook her head, indicating that the coach was coming. The girls walked out onto the field and did their mandatory warm-up lap. Then Brittany took over and led the class through a series of exercises. Then the coach announced that they would be doing some sprinting and long distance running today. Taking that as her cue, Daria eased off the line and headed toward the bleachers. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" the coach said. Daria stared at her and raised her eyebrow as to say, "You've got to be kidding me." The coach waved her on and sighed heavily. A few other girls headed for the bleachers as well. Some of the more athletic girls, Jane and Donna were left. As the coach walked down the line to explain what they were doing, she soon noticed that Donna was barefoot!
"You….uh, Prince is it? Why aren't you wearing any running shoes?" the coach asked.
"I do not own any."
"So how in the Sam hill do you intend to run without running shoes? "
"I shall run bare-footed. I used to do this all time back home. I am quite good at it as I will gladly demonstrate for you."
The coach looked at the strange young girl, then shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay ladies! Line up for 100 yard dash. Prince, you're in the first group."
Donna lined up with the other girls who were snickering at Donna's unshod feet. "On your marks! Get set! Go!"
The coach fired the starting pistol and the girls took off down the track. Donna however blew past all of them effortlessly.
"Holy cow! You just set a new school record Prince! Congratulations!" The coach exclaimed as she walked over to shake Donna's hand.
Donna just smiled and said, "Thank you."
Every race that afternoon Donna competed in and won or nearly won each of them. Much to the disgust of the other girls. The coach was overjoyed to watch Donna in action. "Keep that up and we'll make it to state this year." The coach said, "Okay sprinters, take a seat, my long distance people on the field for the 1500 meters."
Again, Donna stood up to run.
"Prince! You can't be serious! You've ran every race so far! You must be exhausted by now!" the coach said.
"I know we're getting tired just watching her." One of the girls said.
"Enough! Seriously though Prince, take a rest. If you're doing this to impress me, mission accomplished. But I don't want you to burn yourself out on your first day."
"It is okay coach. I will be just fine. Promise."
The coach then sighed and said, "Okay ladies 1500 meters!" She blew her whistle and the girls began going around the track. Much to the surprise of the coach and the annoyance of the other girls, Donna was in the lead with Jane right behind her. The girls went around once, twice, three times around the track with no real change. In the final 100 meters of the race, Jane decided to go for broke. She gave it all she had and sprinted as hard as she possibly could. Donna saw and felt her coming up fast and began running even faster. Jane however refused to give up. Soon it was a neck and neck race toward the finish line. The girls in the bleachers were on their feet cheering for them. Even Daria found herself screaming for Jane. They both crossed the finish line almost simultaneously. The other girls and the coach gathered around them to congratulate them.
"Prince! Lane! That was as exciting a finish as I have seen in years! I am proud of both of you!" the coach said, "Okay girls! Hit the showers!" It was then that Donna finally showed signs of being tired.
"Good…..race…Jane…You….almost beat me." Donna panted.
"Thanks…..Donna…."
They along with Daria then headed toward the locker room. After she had showered and gotten dressed, Donna sat on one of the benches in the back of the room, with her head on the wall and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Diana was in the middle of taking notes at an officer's meeting at the base. She suddenly felt this dull throbbing in the front of her mind. Someone was trying to contact her telepathically. She whispered to one of the other assistants seated next to her, "I need to take a break for a minute. " The other woman nodded and Diana quietly excused herself from the conference room. She then ducked into the bathroom and locked herself in a stall.
"Who is this?" She thought.
"Diana, it's me Donna."
"Is there something wrong at the school? Are you in trouble?"
"No, I am fine. I just wanted to tell you I found Jane Lane, the girl you told me about on the island. You were right. She is an amazing athlete. We had a foot race today and Jane nearly overtook me. It was difficult for me to not use my Amazonian powers to defeat her. I will definitely need to study her further."
"I see. Well, it is good that you met."
"I also met that Green Lantern you told me about, Daria Morgendorffer. It is hard to believe that someone so small and frail-looking could wield one of the most powerful tools in the universe."
"I am happy to hear you are making friends. I have to go Donna. We'll talk more when I pick you up." Diana said, "Bye"
By this time, Daria and Jane are standing over Donna looking at the strange smile she had on her face.
"Anybody home?" Jane said.
Donna's eyes popped open, she took a deep breath and blinked.
"Hi."
"You ok, Donna? We thought maybe you'd passed out from that marathon track session you did." Daria said.
"Uh no, I didn't pass out. I guess the fatigue was just catching up with me."
"Well you're in luck. We have economics class next. You can definitely catch some Z's in there." Jane said.
Donna grinned and stood up, following her new friends out the door.