Chapter Six

Jennifer sat in her room and listened to the news on her radio. She heard about the cops shooting the thirty-year-old man, and due to the news report, she wondered if he actually tried to attack the cops. Every now and again, she heard gunfire echoing throughout the city, and she wondered if the cops shot another citizen of Freeland. She saw the flash of blue and red lights of the police cruisers, all night long. When she walked through the house, her father said, "Don't you go anywhere tonight. That boy is on the loose, and the cops are shooting random people."

"Who did the cops kill?" She asked.

"Mister Ryan's son," he said with a grimace. He stood in the living room with his hands behind his back. The television was on in the background with a news segment about the kid. "They shot the boy in the back, and then claimed he feared for his life. Mister Ryan ran off with the kid, and nobody can find him."

"I'm so disgusted with the state of things in Freeland," she said. "We shouldn't have to live like this."

She wandered back into her bedroom, looked at her clock, and it was almost twelve o'clock in the morning. When she pulled back the blankets on her bed, she suddenly felt the pressure drop. Looking out her bedroom window, the entire sky was a blazing inferno. She ran out the front door, looked into the sky, and then said, "What in the hell?"

Later in the morning…

Jennifer found herself disobeying her father because she headed towards the area of town where she saw the fire in the sky. It only lasted for about two minutes, but she found it intriguing. When she stepped into the field, she noticed cops driving up and down the street with their sirens blaring, but didn't understand their methods. The drove to the edge of the field, turned around, and then raced down the road in the opposite direction. They almost seemed to move about erratically. She walked through the field full of grass and trees, and for a moment, she thought the area was free of vegetation because of the chemical waste. She walked for about five minutes, and then cracked her head on something, and fell out on the ground.

When she awoke, she was on a ship with the rocker from the Carnival looking directly at her. She didn't realize how tall he had grown since last year. "What happened?" She asked.

"You bumped your head," he said with a smile. "JJ Johnson," he said. He stuck out his right hand for her to shake it.

"I know you. It's me. Jennifer Pierce," she said as she shook his hand. "It's been awhile."

"Mister Pierce daughter!? Yeah. This is Eli Ga'Narian," he said, "She's from a planet called Moxia."

Jennifer waved, and said, "Yeah. I saw you at the Carnival. You were hanging with my uncle."

"That's right," she said, "He's going to be the next Green Lantern of this sector."

"Cool," she said with a smile.

"Your friend Bay was around here earlier, but he ran off," Eli said, "He's dangerous."

"He's just misunderstood," she said, "I know he killed some cops, but they shot his Momma."

"I think he's calm now," JJ said, "His Mom survived the gunshot wound. I told Bay, but he ran off."

"You know Bay?" Jennifer asked.

JJ laughed. "Yeah," he said.

"I better get out of here. My father will be looking for me," she said, "I can't believe all of the craziness happening tonight. The cops killed Mister Ryan's son."

"He's okay," JJ said, "He was merely grazed by the bullet."

"Then why is everybody saying he's dead?" She asked.

"To sell content," he said, "A dead black kid brings in more money than alive one." He paused for a moment, and then said, "Anyway, I'll walk you home."

"That's okay," she said with a half smile, "It's not that far."

He smiled. "Eli Ga'Narian, can you walk her home?" He asked.

"Yes," she said."

"Wait? What was that fire?" Jennifer asked.

"What fire?" JJ asked.

"It was a huge fire over this field. Oh, and where did all the trees and grass come from?" She asked.

"It's alien tech," Eli said. "I used my tech to clean up the waste in the area."

On the way home…

"You really didn't have to walk me home," she said with an uncomfortable smile. "I can take care of myself."

"There's civil unrest happening in this town," she said, "It wouldn't be right to let you go back alone. Besides, you have an injury."

"I feel great," she said.

"Well. That's because JJ used a device that healed you," she said.

Jennifer watched the Lantern as she stood next to her front porch. Suddenly, some warm air swept across the entire area, and then when she looked up, she saw an alien spacecraft. It was about a mile from her house, but she could actually see the ship.

"Dear God," Jennifer said with a grimace. "What the hell is that?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The alien ship was massive, and she could see the cannons on the front of the vessel.

"This isn't good, child," Eli said, "It's a Lord's ship."