*Yeah… so I was going to end the Flash story after two chapters just to show you his mindset and the way his powers function but I realized that it was too little of a story and more details needed to be added. As you will see, Barry Allen may be a fun-loving hero of his city, but he's not really a superhero until after this adventure. You'll meet a familiar Justice League Member in this story and if you somehow don't know who he is… one: you need to rethink your knowledge on the DC Universe and two: find out everything you can about him.
And the costume is almost exactly how it is in the movie… yes, the semi-okay version with Ryan Reynolds. Despite my own dislike for the film, especially the acting and the overall plot, I was a big fan of the suit.. I think it fits better than a space-cop in green spandex and white gloves. The only difference is the mask. It goes all the way around his head like Zorro's mask just for need of change.
"Finally… the man of the hour has arrived! Two sugars?" one of the officers asked as Barry carried two cup carriers full of coffee.
"Yes, sir, Brent. Here you are. Where's Betty? Betty's got the red top. This one's for you- yes, thank you. And the rest are just black, Get your own accessories." Barry said with his trademark fast speech as he handed out the coffee to the grabbing officers.
Within twenty seconds, the coffee was all gone and Barry threw the cardboard carriers in the trash. He shook his head as the officers went back to their cubicles and returned to their work. Barry eyed the forensics door and walked towards it, flashing his I.D. badge as he walked inside and was surprised to see a long-forgotten face.
"Hal?" he asked with a smile, running up to his childhood friend and giving him a big hug.
"How are you, Barry? You look great, man." Hal Jordan replied, slapping Barry's stomach.
"Jeez. You really slimmed down. You run a lot?" he continued.
"A hell of a lot more than I used to, man." Barry laughed.
Barry noticed the U.S. Air Force leather jacket and could see the word FERRIS wrapped around his left sleeve. He gave him a gratuitous slap on the back and look at the strange green ring Hal wore on his right middle finger.
"Have you gotten married or something?" Barry asked, tapping the ring slightly.
"Heh. No. But it's the reason I wanted to see you." Hal replied, twisting the heavy ring around his finger as he watched a lab tech from the corner of his eye.
"You look nervous, man. What'd you do? Go to Star and get married to a stripper or something?" Barry asked.
Hal laughed slightly before biting his lip in hesitation.
"Oh shit." Barry replied, his eyes widened.
"No. No. No. It's not anything like that but now… I am part of something bigger."
"Bigger than a Ferris pilot? That's a big deal, man. I got your e-mail a few months back when you got accepted in. Good job." Barry replied, scanning his former best friend and seeing that he was extremely eager to tell him something.
Hal Jordan was always the most popular guy at Garrick High during his and Barry's teenaged years. He was a baseball player, had a scholarship and his whole life planned out until his father was killed during a terrorist attack in Eastern Asia. His father, Martin Jordan took the skies to defend the broken city and was killed when a nuclear bomb was unleashed, destroying the city and damaging the sector of Asia for decades.
After his father's heroic attempt, Hal quit his sports career and joined the Air Force without any questions asked. He quickly became a recognized pilot in the military and received many awards including the medal of valor for saving his base from a sneak attack from a suspicious mercenary-like team. He was honorably discharged and made a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft's newest flight technologies. Hal didn't mind. He was still serving his country with bravery and a sense of patriotism
"Thanks, bud. I really need to talk to you. I've needed to catch up since we last had a real hang-out and I was surprised to see you were closer to me and Carol. Things didn't work out in Gotham?" Hal asked, brushing back his short brown hair as the A.C. blew in his face from the vents above.
"No. I… I met a girl. Finally. Heh heh." Barry said, his cheeks flushed red.
He always found that ironic. His cheeks never went ruby red when running at 700 MPH but if he felt embarrassed, they'd start flushing immediately.
"Really? Barry Allen settles down? Wow." Hal said with his signature pretty boy smile.
"Iris. Iris West. I met her at a conference for international crime and prevention at the Gotham Pavilion Center. We really hit it off and the flights became too expensive every month so I decided to get a job here. I was working at the S.T.A.R. lab here in Central but when that accelerator blew… that ended that. But I was already working here as a forensic expert." Barry explained as Hal sat down at Barry's desk.
"Whoa. Were you… there when the thing exploded?" Hal asked, folding his arms as he kept fondling the emerald ring.
"Yeah. No big deal, though. Let me-um- just send this footprint cast analysis to the chief and we can take an hour or two off. How long you staying in Central?" Barry asked, reaching inside his desk and pulling a beige thick packet that was tied up and sealed.
"However long I need. Got great flight deals now." his friend replied.
"Good. Be right back. I want to hear about that ring, man."
"Okay, Hal, I trust you and everything… but when someone takes me down a dark alley and stretches… it gives off the wrong vibes." Barry said as he watched his friend stretch his arms and legs.
After leaving the CCPD, Hal and Barry walked down the streets for six blocks until Hal noticed no people were walking around. He told him to enter the alley on the left and prepare to be amazed. Barry wasn't sure what to expect but knew it had to be something pretty amazing involving the strange green ring that Hal couldn't stop paying attention to.
"Okay, Bare. Don't be freaked out and please don't run away." Hal said, ignoring Barry's comment.
"Oh, God. I'm seriously worried now." Barry replied, stepping back a foot and watching as Hal took a deep breath.
He watched in curiosity as the ring began to glow an eerie green, covering Hal's body completely with a steady and electric hum in the air. Before he could speak, the green light briefly blinded him and when his vision returned, a green figure with Hal's body shape stood in front of him. The suit seemed to pulse with green energy like food coloring swirling in a glass of water. A green strip covered Hal's eyes and went completely around his head, his eyes transformed into a milky-white.
His hair was left untouched by the power of the ring and his face remained the same shape, a smile creeping across Hal's face. It wasn't until a few seconds later that Barry was aware that Hal was floating lightly, the tips of his black-green boots inches from the damp ground. He looked in the middle of his chest and saw a strange symbol similar to the black widow spider's insignia that was planted on their backs. Barry's mouth went dry and he was in complete shock.
"What in the hell happened to you?" Barry asked, staring at the ring that was now a part of his glove, safe from being removed.
"It's a long story, man. I needed to tell you. I haven't shown anyone else except the other Lanterns." Hal replied, his voice having a small hum to it at the end of his sentence.
"Lanterns? What?" Barry asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Last month, I was driving home from Ferris and I saw a ship-like thing fall from the sky and land about six miles from me. I thought it was just a shooting star and I kept on driving. Well… about five minutes later, my window was completely shattered from a little green object that shot from the air. I grabbed it… and it tossed me from the car and I flew across Coast City until I landed in the middle of the wilderness. That shooting star was actually an alien spaceship. And the pilot was part of a…" Hal explained, giving a loud sigh before continuing.
"An intergalactic space corps that protects different sectors of the universe. We are far from alone, Barry. I've seen hundreds- no, thousands of different species on Oa, the home base for the Green Lanterns. That's what I am now. A Green Lantern. My sector is 2814 and I've been assigned to protect the Solar System and the outer limits of the Milky Way whenever there is danger. Is this hard for you to digest because I can slow down?"
"No. No, I'm fine. But… I want to show you something just so I don't look like an idiot. Hold on, I'll let you finish your story." Barry said, still slightly fazed but excited to show his best friend his secret.
Hal crossed his arms once again and watched as within a literal blink of an eye, Barry was gone. He blinked again and turned around, his friend nowhere in sight.
"What in the-?" he began to himself before feeling a tap on his shoulder.
"Hey, hey!" Barry said, now dressed as the Scarlet Speedster in all its red and yellow glory.
Hal laughed out loud and touched his friend's shoulders.
"Yep. What a coincidence." Barry said with a smile, standing proud next to the glowing space enforcer.
"Wow. This is pretty amazing. You can run fast right?" Hal asked, just as shocked as Barry was.
"Yeah. Yeah I can run." Barry laughed.
"Wait…" Hal said, staring at the yellow energy running across the suit.
Barry turned his head and looked at Hal with his hands on his hips.
"That particle accelerator did this, didn't it? How are you alive?"
"I don't know. How are you an alien space cop, Hal?" Barry replied.
"Hm. Good questions. I think we can properly catch up now." Hal said with a smile.