*Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding*:
the clock rung out in the cold silence of the JLA Watchtower at the strike
of midnight. A ring glew in the cold dark. Most of the lights had been shut
off and only the light of this ring remained. The Power Ring of Hal Jordan
a.k.a. The Green Lantern. In the chair looking over the control center sat
our green clad hero with a ring created blanket over him, silently
sleeping. He had been coaxed in doing watch duty that night. ::Yeah I bet
whatever Batman has to do for Wayne Enterprises is important enough for me
to be away from my wife another night..::. Hal thought earlier that day
when he was assigned to guard duty. This had been the 3rd time this week.
*BA-BOOM!!* A large sound awoke Hal quickly. He leapt out of the chair
spinning around, the green blanket disappearing, to find nothing but the
cool whisper of the air conditioner in the satellite. He walked forward
towards the coffee machine, still wary for noises other than the sound of
his footsteps against hard metal floor. He dropped his guard and picked up
his mug and the pot of coffee, pouring a small amount into the small round
mug with a green lantern on it to indicate its owner. In the same respect
Flash's held a lightning bolt, Batman's a Bat-Signal, Superman's an S-
Shield, and Wonder Woman's WW sign. Hal lifted the mug to drink some of the
still warm coffee but quickly dropped it when another *BA-BOOM!!* sound
exploded though the silence. He quickly dropped the mug at the sound and
raised his right hand in a fist, his ring glowing once again. The mug fell
to the ground and shattered to pieces spilling coffee on the floor. At the
silence once again Hal dropped his guard. ::I must be getting as paranoid
as Batman to hear sounds this loud.:: Hal thought to himself, using his
ring to perfectly weld the pieces of the mug back together and placing it
back into place while at the same time constructing a mop to get rid of the
coffee. Hal filled his mug again and walked back to the control center. He
sat in the large chair and looked out into the starry appearance of outer
space and Earth. Hal sighed and recreated the green blanket to go back to
sleep. ::Batman never sleeps, he should be watching over Earth. At least
then Earth would be safe and Carol would be happy with me. It's not like
Batman has anyone to go home to. I guess that is a little harsh on Bruce
but when he goes home all he has is work and Alfred. Those of us who don't
stay up all night doing detective work should be able to go home to our
loved ones.:: Hal pondered while drinking his coffee and watching over
Earth.
Back on Earth in Gotham City's largest building, our very own Batman stood in a rather extravagant black tuxedo watching over the dance floor of the large ballroom. "Hello Bruce!" another man in a black suit called out. "Darren Pulaski, how wonderful to see you. I presume your company is doing well?" Bruce replied. "Well in no league with Wayne Enterprises but I do my best." Darren forced out, shamefully. "Better luck next year Darren." Bruce said noticeably distracted yet pleased. He walked to the door and left the ballroom to look in the sky. Sure enough the Bat-Signal was shining. Batman reached under his shirt to press a button on his utility belt. His Batman outfit deployed onto him and he ran off to the back to get the Batmobile.
Thousands of miles away in Coast City, a woman sits alone in her house. ::Three times. Three times he has watch duty for that league and he just leaves me alone here all night worrying about him. What if someone attacked the watchtower? Nobody's around to aid him for billions of miles. Bruce in Gotham, Clark in Metropolis with Lois, and the rest out on missions and stuff but Hal can't be with me one night this week so far.:: Carol thought, lying in her bed, trying to sleep while worrying about her husband.
*BA-BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!* The sound was getting louder. Hal was now investigating the sound, following the noise. It gets louder when I get closer to the power core of the watchtower but security is so high there I can barely get in. Hal thought, still moving toward the sound. *BA-BOOM! BA- BOOM! BA-BOOOOM!* The sound got louder and more frequent as he moved ever closer to the core. He continued until finally he got to the very large door leading into the main power source itself. Hal put in his code, then allowed it to scan his retina for identification followed by full out scan of his entire body as he walked in. ::Batman sure is paranoid.:: Hal thought as he was cleared to go in. He stared first up at the power core then at the computer attached to it. ::All systems are working so what could be the prob-:: *BA-BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!* Hal's thoughts were interrupted by the loudest sound yet that threw Hal off his feet for a second. He quickly got back up to stare up at the core literally crumbling apart. Hal glided forward to the computer and began typing furiously to no avail. He tried to shut it down, override the self-destruct mechanism, everything but something was blocking him off. Hal used his ring to try to repair the quickly destroying power core but at no use. A flurry of yellow lights shot down upon the emerald gladiator. ::Batman's fail-safe "just in case" for me. If my ring does anything to the core it will just shoot out yellow lights. I could try to restore it manually but I'm not about to endanger the Earth by trying. I'll have to find a way to deflect this from Earth.:: GL thought quickly. He immediately left the room and used his ring to propel himself into the air to glide quickly through the hallways and to the hangar. He opened the door and flew outside. GL created an enlarged lasso with his ring and roped in the watchtower. ::Now to land this thing. somewhere. uh oh.:: the green clad warrior thought as he watched his rope get incinerated in yellow light. ::Another fail-safe.:: Hal thought, ::I'll have to find some other way to block this tower. I'll call Superman on the com-link.:: Hal drew into the air from invisibility his com-link. He kept it invisible for safety reasons. "Green Lantern to Superman. This is an SOS call at the watchtower." Hal said but his link died. ::Without the tower in operation I can only imagine my com-link won't work and if that satellite crashes to Earth it could kill millions of people. The watchtower is almost the size of Texas alone.:: GL thought, still trying to find a non-yellowed spot of the satellite.
"That's strange." Clark Kent said to himself while sitting on the couch of his home. "What is it Clark?" Lois inquired coming around the couch to sit with him. "My com-link is down. That means something's wrong with the tower. I hate to go there on my night off from watch duty but Hal may need help." Clark replied. "But Clark. We were finally going to have a night alone. The past two nights where you've had the night off crime has gone down. We're finally alone and you're worried about a simple malfunction of your com-link." Lois sighed. "I know it could just be a malfunction," Clark said "But I can't risk it. I'm sorry Lois." Superman went into his bedroom to change then flew out the window towards outer space and the WatchTower.
At the Watchtower, Hal still struggled to find a way to stop the tower. ::Hmmmm. if I block the sun momentarily then no light will hit the watchtower and the color yellow won't exist on it. Then I could deflect it in time to-:: Once again GL's thoughts were halted by the appearance of Superman. "Hal! My com-link was down so I came right away. What's happening?" Superman yelled out to Hal. "The power core is self destructing! I can't shut it down! Help me deflect it!" GL replied to Superman from one side of the tower to the other. "Why is it yellow?" Superman asked flying towards the tower. "Batman's fail-safe!" GL yelled back. Superman flew forward and tried to move the tower away from the Earth's atmosphere. Guns suddenly deployed from the sides and began firing kryptonite lasers at Superman. "Another fail-safe." Superman called out to GL, dodging the beams of kryptonite spawned light. "I have an idea GL. I'll blast out the yellow lights with my heat vision. While I'm doing so block the shots of kryptonite and when I finish destroying a set of lights you fire off a laser from your ring. We can destroy the thing this way." Superman explained. GL rushed forward next to Superman and put up a shield against the blasts while Clark began putting out the lights one by one. "More are coming on as I blast Hal. You'll have to destroy a portion immediately after I destroy each light." Superman said but Hal was already multi-tasking keeping the shield up and turning his green beams of light into lasers destroying parts of the tower. Another gun emerged form the tower. It began charging particles of light and atoms until finally a huge beam of yellow light blasted out striking GL down. Superman flew to help the fallen GL who was floating in mid-air but before he could a kryptonite beam struck him. GL shook his head and came to his senses. His ring had been keeping him floating and able to breathe to protect him automatically from mortal harm. He slowly regained his flying stance and looked around to find the watchtower was gone. ::No Superman either.:: Hal thought to himself. GL flew back to Earth. Using his ring to propel him he flew around the Earth. ::It doesn't appear the Watchtower hit Earth. But if not, where is it? And where is Superman? And who did that to the tower? I better get to Carol though if I want to keep my marriage.:: Hal thought flying down to Coast City.
"Hello, I'm home Carol. Carol? CAROL?" Hal exclaimed upon arriving and entering the Ferris Estate. He began to walk upstairs to their bedroom but then broke into a glide up the stairs to the room. "Carol?" He said as he entered the room. No sign of her. ::Where could she be then?:: Hal thought. He walked over to the bed and suddenly realized how tired he was at the sight of it after fighting the tower and doing Guard Duty all night. ::Oh well. I'm sure she's ok. I'll just catch up on my sleep. I haven't slept in three days.:: He thought absent-mindedly lifting the blanket to find a pool of blood under it. Without realizing the emerald gladiator opened his eyes very widely. "Ring! Scan the blood for DNA and tell me whose it is." Hal said now visibly shaking as an emerald wave scanned over the blood. "Blood DNA of Carol Ferris-Jordan." The AI of the ring revealed. Tears began to fill the eyes of the Green Lantern of sector 2814. "What. why. who." Hal said, especially emphasizing with rage on the last word of the sentence. All right there's reason to think the worst but maybe she's still alive. Just badly bleeding. Hal thought, standing up and using his ring to open the window and flying out of it. ::GL of 2814 report to Oa immediately for briefing.:: A familiar voice said through a telepathic communication. The Green Lantern stopped in mid-air. ::Guardians? Why?:: Hal thought, communicating telepathically also but before he could question he found himself on Oa standing before the great crescent moon shaped table where the Guardians sat. "Green Lantern of 2814, Hal Jordan, you've been called here to be briefed on the reappearance of Lord Malvolio to be blunt." A booming voice said from atop the largest chair where none other than the leading guardian, Ganthet. "Malvolio? But I defeated him. My will power overcame his and destroyed him." Hal exclaimed in surprise. "Negative 2814," Ganthet said, "You simply subdued him. He siphoned enough power off you however to escape his pocket dimension and now has escaped. He was responsible for destroying your JLA Watchtower and has murdered six Green Lanterns now. He is currently in your Space Sector, Green Lantern of 2814. Someone of relevance to him has been brought here to accompany you to 2814 where you two will battle Malvolio and defeat him at the cost of the entire sector if need be. He is almost omnipotent and has a mental link with the person we have brought therefore anything he knows, Malvolio knows." A dark figure stepped out of the shadows in front of Hal. "Hello Hal. I'm the one they sent for." Alan Scott said. "Bu- wait a minute! Malvolio could be on Earth! And if he has a link with Alan he knows. Oh God Carol!" Hal exclaimed, now having tears streaming down his face at the thought of the death of his wife. "We aren't sure she's dead yet." Alan uttered, shaken by the news also. "But why Alan?" Hal stammered out in a rush of understanding, "Why do you have a link with him? Your outfits are alike. What did he do to Carol and what do you have to do with it!?" Hal lunged forward and gripped Alan's shirt in anguish and worry for his beloved. "Nothing Hal. I have nothing to do with her death." Alan said surprised and understanding at the same time of his long time friend's actions. "Then why the link!?" Hal cried out now using his ring to create a handkerchief to dry his tears while still holding Alan against the Guardian's table. "This does not concern you 2814. You both will be transported to the last place where Malvolio can be tracked by the Guardians!" Boomed Ganthet once again. He slammed his fist on the table and Alan and Hal suddenly disappeared.
So familiar the teleportation of the Guardians had been for Hal yet Alan was very unaccustomed to it. As soon as they landed, right near Ferris Estate, Alan stumbled behind a tree and proceeded to throw up on the ground. Alan walked back to Hal who had semi-calmed down. "So I was right. If Malvolio was last spotted here then she is dead. I still don't understand the link between you and Malvolio. What is it? Why can he see your thoughts?" Hal questioned of his traveling companion. "It's an incident I'm not permitted to speak of. I can only tell you it happened when I was just a rookie Green Lantern after finding the Starheart Lantern. It has nothing to do with you. It's between Malvolio and I. And as far as I can tell from our link, she's not dead. Just. injured." Alan reluctantly muttered. The two flew off using their respective rings to track Malvolio. "This is all happening so fast. First the Watchtower thing and then just a few hours later I'm after Lord Malvolio who I know next to nothing about and I find out you've known him forever." Hal sighed, still flying. "I've already said more than I should, I can tell you after he's gone. He's near." Alan said quietly. Hal suddenly sped up far past Alan. "HEY! Hal! If you go after him alone you're only hurting yourself!" Alan called out but it was too late. Hal had already flown in a whirl of green light toward where Malvolio was.
"Harold Jordan. Right on time. And where's my boy Alan? Ah he's close. That's nice. Alan Ladd Scott. Starheart Destiny. The prophecy foresees I shall rule the Starheart and-" Malvolio was interrupted by an enraged Alan who had sped forward and landed a fist right into Malvolio's mouth. Mal fell backwards but regained his composure and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Touchy about the truth Alan my boy?" Malvolio laughed. Hal shot a nasty look at Alan. "What truth Alan!? I'm through with all this. I want the truth!" Hal exclaimed over Mal's cackling. "And you'll get it Jordan. Right now. Do you think Alan obtained the Starheart at random? It was destiny. A fate caused by the Guardians and myself. Alan is just a key player in an inscripted prophecy. This prophecy came to be etched on the back of the Central Power Battery centuries ago. But why don't I let Alan speak to you the prophecy!" Malvolio exclaimed before teleporting away. "Yes why don't you tell me the prophecy, Alan!?" Hal said irrately. Alan reluctantly obliged.
Back on Earth in Gotham City's largest building, our very own Batman stood in a rather extravagant black tuxedo watching over the dance floor of the large ballroom. "Hello Bruce!" another man in a black suit called out. "Darren Pulaski, how wonderful to see you. I presume your company is doing well?" Bruce replied. "Well in no league with Wayne Enterprises but I do my best." Darren forced out, shamefully. "Better luck next year Darren." Bruce said noticeably distracted yet pleased. He walked to the door and left the ballroom to look in the sky. Sure enough the Bat-Signal was shining. Batman reached under his shirt to press a button on his utility belt. His Batman outfit deployed onto him and he ran off to the back to get the Batmobile.
Thousands of miles away in Coast City, a woman sits alone in her house. ::Three times. Three times he has watch duty for that league and he just leaves me alone here all night worrying about him. What if someone attacked the watchtower? Nobody's around to aid him for billions of miles. Bruce in Gotham, Clark in Metropolis with Lois, and the rest out on missions and stuff but Hal can't be with me one night this week so far.:: Carol thought, lying in her bed, trying to sleep while worrying about her husband.
*BA-BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!* The sound was getting louder. Hal was now investigating the sound, following the noise. It gets louder when I get closer to the power core of the watchtower but security is so high there I can barely get in. Hal thought, still moving toward the sound. *BA-BOOM! BA- BOOM! BA-BOOOOM!* The sound got louder and more frequent as he moved ever closer to the core. He continued until finally he got to the very large door leading into the main power source itself. Hal put in his code, then allowed it to scan his retina for identification followed by full out scan of his entire body as he walked in. ::Batman sure is paranoid.:: Hal thought as he was cleared to go in. He stared first up at the power core then at the computer attached to it. ::All systems are working so what could be the prob-:: *BA-BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!* Hal's thoughts were interrupted by the loudest sound yet that threw Hal off his feet for a second. He quickly got back up to stare up at the core literally crumbling apart. Hal glided forward to the computer and began typing furiously to no avail. He tried to shut it down, override the self-destruct mechanism, everything but something was blocking him off. Hal used his ring to try to repair the quickly destroying power core but at no use. A flurry of yellow lights shot down upon the emerald gladiator. ::Batman's fail-safe "just in case" for me. If my ring does anything to the core it will just shoot out yellow lights. I could try to restore it manually but I'm not about to endanger the Earth by trying. I'll have to find a way to deflect this from Earth.:: GL thought quickly. He immediately left the room and used his ring to propel himself into the air to glide quickly through the hallways and to the hangar. He opened the door and flew outside. GL created an enlarged lasso with his ring and roped in the watchtower. ::Now to land this thing. somewhere. uh oh.:: the green clad warrior thought as he watched his rope get incinerated in yellow light. ::Another fail-safe.:: Hal thought, ::I'll have to find some other way to block this tower. I'll call Superman on the com-link.:: Hal drew into the air from invisibility his com-link. He kept it invisible for safety reasons. "Green Lantern to Superman. This is an SOS call at the watchtower." Hal said but his link died. ::Without the tower in operation I can only imagine my com-link won't work and if that satellite crashes to Earth it could kill millions of people. The watchtower is almost the size of Texas alone.:: GL thought, still trying to find a non-yellowed spot of the satellite.
"That's strange." Clark Kent said to himself while sitting on the couch of his home. "What is it Clark?" Lois inquired coming around the couch to sit with him. "My com-link is down. That means something's wrong with the tower. I hate to go there on my night off from watch duty but Hal may need help." Clark replied. "But Clark. We were finally going to have a night alone. The past two nights where you've had the night off crime has gone down. We're finally alone and you're worried about a simple malfunction of your com-link." Lois sighed. "I know it could just be a malfunction," Clark said "But I can't risk it. I'm sorry Lois." Superman went into his bedroom to change then flew out the window towards outer space and the WatchTower.
At the Watchtower, Hal still struggled to find a way to stop the tower. ::Hmmmm. if I block the sun momentarily then no light will hit the watchtower and the color yellow won't exist on it. Then I could deflect it in time to-:: Once again GL's thoughts were halted by the appearance of Superman. "Hal! My com-link was down so I came right away. What's happening?" Superman yelled out to Hal. "The power core is self destructing! I can't shut it down! Help me deflect it!" GL replied to Superman from one side of the tower to the other. "Why is it yellow?" Superman asked flying towards the tower. "Batman's fail-safe!" GL yelled back. Superman flew forward and tried to move the tower away from the Earth's atmosphere. Guns suddenly deployed from the sides and began firing kryptonite lasers at Superman. "Another fail-safe." Superman called out to GL, dodging the beams of kryptonite spawned light. "I have an idea GL. I'll blast out the yellow lights with my heat vision. While I'm doing so block the shots of kryptonite and when I finish destroying a set of lights you fire off a laser from your ring. We can destroy the thing this way." Superman explained. GL rushed forward next to Superman and put up a shield against the blasts while Clark began putting out the lights one by one. "More are coming on as I blast Hal. You'll have to destroy a portion immediately after I destroy each light." Superman said but Hal was already multi-tasking keeping the shield up and turning his green beams of light into lasers destroying parts of the tower. Another gun emerged form the tower. It began charging particles of light and atoms until finally a huge beam of yellow light blasted out striking GL down. Superman flew to help the fallen GL who was floating in mid-air but before he could a kryptonite beam struck him. GL shook his head and came to his senses. His ring had been keeping him floating and able to breathe to protect him automatically from mortal harm. He slowly regained his flying stance and looked around to find the watchtower was gone. ::No Superman either.:: Hal thought to himself. GL flew back to Earth. Using his ring to propel him he flew around the Earth. ::It doesn't appear the Watchtower hit Earth. But if not, where is it? And where is Superman? And who did that to the tower? I better get to Carol though if I want to keep my marriage.:: Hal thought flying down to Coast City.
"Hello, I'm home Carol. Carol? CAROL?" Hal exclaimed upon arriving and entering the Ferris Estate. He began to walk upstairs to their bedroom but then broke into a glide up the stairs to the room. "Carol?" He said as he entered the room. No sign of her. ::Where could she be then?:: Hal thought. He walked over to the bed and suddenly realized how tired he was at the sight of it after fighting the tower and doing Guard Duty all night. ::Oh well. I'm sure she's ok. I'll just catch up on my sleep. I haven't slept in three days.:: He thought absent-mindedly lifting the blanket to find a pool of blood under it. Without realizing the emerald gladiator opened his eyes very widely. "Ring! Scan the blood for DNA and tell me whose it is." Hal said now visibly shaking as an emerald wave scanned over the blood. "Blood DNA of Carol Ferris-Jordan." The AI of the ring revealed. Tears began to fill the eyes of the Green Lantern of sector 2814. "What. why. who." Hal said, especially emphasizing with rage on the last word of the sentence. All right there's reason to think the worst but maybe she's still alive. Just badly bleeding. Hal thought, standing up and using his ring to open the window and flying out of it. ::GL of 2814 report to Oa immediately for briefing.:: A familiar voice said through a telepathic communication. The Green Lantern stopped in mid-air. ::Guardians? Why?:: Hal thought, communicating telepathically also but before he could question he found himself on Oa standing before the great crescent moon shaped table where the Guardians sat. "Green Lantern of 2814, Hal Jordan, you've been called here to be briefed on the reappearance of Lord Malvolio to be blunt." A booming voice said from atop the largest chair where none other than the leading guardian, Ganthet. "Malvolio? But I defeated him. My will power overcame his and destroyed him." Hal exclaimed in surprise. "Negative 2814," Ganthet said, "You simply subdued him. He siphoned enough power off you however to escape his pocket dimension and now has escaped. He was responsible for destroying your JLA Watchtower and has murdered six Green Lanterns now. He is currently in your Space Sector, Green Lantern of 2814. Someone of relevance to him has been brought here to accompany you to 2814 where you two will battle Malvolio and defeat him at the cost of the entire sector if need be. He is almost omnipotent and has a mental link with the person we have brought therefore anything he knows, Malvolio knows." A dark figure stepped out of the shadows in front of Hal. "Hello Hal. I'm the one they sent for." Alan Scott said. "Bu- wait a minute! Malvolio could be on Earth! And if he has a link with Alan he knows. Oh God Carol!" Hal exclaimed, now having tears streaming down his face at the thought of the death of his wife. "We aren't sure she's dead yet." Alan uttered, shaken by the news also. "But why Alan?" Hal stammered out in a rush of understanding, "Why do you have a link with him? Your outfits are alike. What did he do to Carol and what do you have to do with it!?" Hal lunged forward and gripped Alan's shirt in anguish and worry for his beloved. "Nothing Hal. I have nothing to do with her death." Alan said surprised and understanding at the same time of his long time friend's actions. "Then why the link!?" Hal cried out now using his ring to create a handkerchief to dry his tears while still holding Alan against the Guardian's table. "This does not concern you 2814. You both will be transported to the last place where Malvolio can be tracked by the Guardians!" Boomed Ganthet once again. He slammed his fist on the table and Alan and Hal suddenly disappeared.
So familiar the teleportation of the Guardians had been for Hal yet Alan was very unaccustomed to it. As soon as they landed, right near Ferris Estate, Alan stumbled behind a tree and proceeded to throw up on the ground. Alan walked back to Hal who had semi-calmed down. "So I was right. If Malvolio was last spotted here then she is dead. I still don't understand the link between you and Malvolio. What is it? Why can he see your thoughts?" Hal questioned of his traveling companion. "It's an incident I'm not permitted to speak of. I can only tell you it happened when I was just a rookie Green Lantern after finding the Starheart Lantern. It has nothing to do with you. It's between Malvolio and I. And as far as I can tell from our link, she's not dead. Just. injured." Alan reluctantly muttered. The two flew off using their respective rings to track Malvolio. "This is all happening so fast. First the Watchtower thing and then just a few hours later I'm after Lord Malvolio who I know next to nothing about and I find out you've known him forever." Hal sighed, still flying. "I've already said more than I should, I can tell you after he's gone. He's near." Alan said quietly. Hal suddenly sped up far past Alan. "HEY! Hal! If you go after him alone you're only hurting yourself!" Alan called out but it was too late. Hal had already flown in a whirl of green light toward where Malvolio was.
"Harold Jordan. Right on time. And where's my boy Alan? Ah he's close. That's nice. Alan Ladd Scott. Starheart Destiny. The prophecy foresees I shall rule the Starheart and-" Malvolio was interrupted by an enraged Alan who had sped forward and landed a fist right into Malvolio's mouth. Mal fell backwards but regained his composure and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Touchy about the truth Alan my boy?" Malvolio laughed. Hal shot a nasty look at Alan. "What truth Alan!? I'm through with all this. I want the truth!" Hal exclaimed over Mal's cackling. "And you'll get it Jordan. Right now. Do you think Alan obtained the Starheart at random? It was destiny. A fate caused by the Guardians and myself. Alan is just a key player in an inscripted prophecy. This prophecy came to be etched on the back of the Central Power Battery centuries ago. But why don't I let Alan speak to you the prophecy!" Malvolio exclaimed before teleporting away. "Yes why don't you tell me the prophecy, Alan!?" Hal said irrately. Alan reluctantly obliged.