For Dwayne

What Did You Do During The War, Daria?

"Jane, did you have to bring that camera?" Daria asked, shifting the Drugs N' Stuff bag she held in her hand.

"Daria, you think I'd miss a chance to preserve such a momentous occasion as this?" Jane replied.

"What, me buying toilet paper? I'm not even going to be able to get it home to dad in time to collect that twenty bucks."

"No, you getting a parade in honor of saving Lawndale."

"It's just the Lions' homecoming parade," Daria said. She and Jane left the drugstore entrance and walked down the street where a crowd was gathering. "Ms. Li just saw an opportunity to ride m- uh, Green Lantern's coattails and got her to agree to appear at this thing." They arrived at an alley between two buildings. "So, meet me at Pizza Prince after this is over with?"

"Er, I'll have to take a rain check on that," Jane said. There's a new art supply store in Metropolis that I've been dying to try out and Trent's going to drive me."

"Trent? You mean you're not going to ride in Tom's deathtrap with the baby-poop colored seats?"

"Uh-,"

Never mind, I wanna get this over with," Daria said, turning into the alley. "See you later."

Daria rounded the corner at the back of the building, not noticing the look of relief on Jane's face. After a brief flash, an emerald figure rose from behind the structure and streaked towards the edge of town. Jane's smile as Daria vanished faded as well as she felt for a piece of paper in her pocket.

Two Weeks Earlier…

Jane appeared at the kitchen door. "Hi, Mrs. M.", she said to Helen.

"Hello, Jane," Helen replied, sitting at the breakfast table. "You can go on upstairs, Daria's almost ready for school." She downed the rest of her coffee and passed Jane on her way out the door to her car.

Jane went up the stairs and called into her friend's room. "Daria?"

"Come on in, Jane and shut the door." Daria was sitting on her bed pulling on her boots.

Jane entered the padded room and closed the door behind her. She hitched her backpack on her shoulder while Daria finished lacing her boots. "Are you ready to go?" Jane asked.

"One more thing, then I'll be ready," Daria replied as she looked around cautiously. Raising her right hand, she concentrated and changed from her regular outfit to her Green Lantern uniform. "I just need to do something first."

"Oh. Uh, you want me to go outside?"

Turning, the masked teen replied, "No, it's okay. Just . . ."

"No smart comments, GL," she assured her. "I know how seriously you take all this."

"Thanks, Jane." Daria turned to the television mounted on the wall and raised her ring. Green energy reached out and released the hidden catches, allowing the front to swing open. Hidden inside the empty shell was the lantern-shaped power battery. A ring-generated hand lowered it to the desk.

Jane watched as her friend's face became solemn. It's still strange to watch this, she thought. I've seen lots of people take serious stuff so lightly, but she puts her very heart and soul into it every day.

Daria held out her hand so that the ring was touching the battery. "In brightest day . . ." she began.

I don't think she'll even take her wedding vows this seriously.

". . . In blackest night . . ."

If she even ever gets married.

". . . No evil shall escape my sight . . ."

So much for her kids calling me 'that crazy friend of my Mom's.'

". . . Let those who worship evil's might . . ."

But she'll never have to worry about a place to stay or someone to watch her back.

". . . Beware my power. . . "

Or someone to talk to when things get heavy.

"Green Lantern's light!"

And that, Amiga, is my vow.

Daria and Jane entered DeMartino's classroom and took their seats just as he was setting up the monitor in front of the blackboard.

"So Tom's folks keep hinting that he needs to get rid of his car," Jane said. "Angier is trying to get donors for the new wing at Fielding and he's afraid of what people like Bruce Wayne might think if they see his, er, 'unique' example of automotive history parked in front of the house."

"Tom knows Bruce Wayne?" Daria said. "I guess what they say is true. Old money attracts older money."

"His dad knows him, actually. He only met him once when they made a business trip to Gotham City. He said that Wayne's house gave him the creeps. Tom liked his butler, though. He kept calling him 'Mahster Thomas.'"

DeMartino's growl cut the conversation short. "Today we are going to watch the news coverage of the efforts of our visitors from Thanagar to construct a [whatever it is in the desert]. As you may know, a few weeks ago they helped the Justice League stop an attack on Washington, D.C. by the," He pointed to Kevin Thompson - "Who, Kevin?

"The Who?" Kevin replied. "Why would an old band attack Washington?

"The GORDANIANS, you dimwit!" DeMartino sighed. "Never mind. Just listen, class." He unmuted the remote control.

" - because of the threat of these invading aliens, the United Nations has agreed to permit our guests - some say saviors, from Thanagar to shore up Earth's defenses with assistance from our own Justice League." The camera pulled away from the close-up of the reporter and panned to a shot of a red blur darting around the base of a giant metal construct, while Green Lantern used his Ring to carry a stack of girders and sheet metal to the upper edge of the generator. Hovercraft moved to and fro over the site, carrying more parts. A flurry of hawkmen swarmed the sky over the generator, darting down to supervise construction workers welding parts into place.

Jane leaned over and whispered to Daria in front of her. "What do you think of Hawkgirl turning out to being a scout in the Thanagarian military?"

"I don't know," Daria replied. "I remember the stories that she was a police officer on her planet, and that she wound up on Earth by accident. Has she really been spying on us this whole time?" They both looked up to see the camera zoom in on the Flash and Hawkgirl standing on an upper ledge and conversing. The winged Justice Leaguer was now clad in her Thanagarian battle dress.

"She seemed nice from when we me-" Daria caught herself. "From what we've heard of her, but it seems that she's been lying to everyone. She may have had good reasons, but-" She frowned and shook her head. "I really don't know."

The camera panned over to where the Flash was now working with Green Lantern, when suddenly Superman and J'onn J'onzz flew up and hovered over them.

"Something seems to have happened," the reporter suddenly said, " The Justice Leaguers have suddenly left the construction and are heading for their Javelin spacecraft parked nearby..oh my God!" An energy bolt lanced out from a weapon held by a Hawkwoman in white and blasted the Javelin to bits.

The shaken reporter continued. "The Leaguers have been thrown clear of what seems to be an unprovoked attack by the Hawkmen, and are trying to regroup…Oh, no! Dozens of Hawkmen have flown up out of what was thought to be a force field generator and are now descending on the trapped Justice League."

From a distance, it looked like a cloud of angry bees swirling around the Leaguers. Blasts of green energy erupted from the battle, alternating with crimson bolts of heat vision. "We have just gotten reports that the Army has launched a missile strike against a Thanagarian spacecraft in U.S. airspace…the missiles have been stopped with no effect!"

The camera panned over to where dozens of M-1 Abrams tanks appeared over the horizon and charged what was now known to be a fortress in the desert. Lightning erupted from the sky over the fortress and stopped the tanks dead in their tracks.

The tank crews erupted from their disabled vehicles and attempted to continue the assault on foot, but discovered that their weapons were disabled. Hawkmen swiftly descended on the soldiers and forced their surrender.

The classroom stood silent and aghast at the carnage that erupted live on the screen before them. Suddenly, Daria noticed that her Power Ring was vibrating on her finger. Knowing what that meant, she hid her hand under her desk and formed what looked like a Bluetooth headset. She palmed the headset and placed it in her ear.

Daria! It's John! We've been double-crossed by the Hawkmen! Daria fought to keep her expression calm. Watch yourself you may be in dang- UHH! The contact was broken.

While Daria and the rest of the class watched in horror, the Justice League was swiftly overcome and subdued by the Thanagarians.

"Citizens Of Lawndale!" The entire classroom jumped as a strangely accented voice simultaneously came over the television, the P.A. system and reverberated outside. "For your own protection, we are now occupying your town and towns all over your planet. You have one hour to produce the Green Lantern known to reside in Lawndale, or we will be forced to begin a house to house search for her. If you cooperate, no one will be hurt."