Chapter 7

Ginger flew through the evening sky towards the lake where her journey to becoming a Green Lantern had all begun. If Reggie killed her father Ginger didn't know what she would do. She wasn't eighteen yet so she would have had to go live with her mother in Arizona, away from her friends and away from Hal. While she was getting used to this whole hero thing, she still felt that Hal had a lot to teach her and that she could learn from Betty, Barry and Cheryl.

She came to the small area where Reggie had parked his car and Ginger came to a landing beside it. She saw that two of the doors were open, almost exactly like they had been the night that Reggie had tried to rape her. However neither Reggie nor her father was in the vehicle.

Ginger glanced over her shoulder towards the path that led down to the lake. Reggie had to have her father down where she had come across Hal. Ginger took a deep breath and then walked down the path trying to mentally prepare herself for what was to come.

She came into the small clearing where she had found Hal and found Reggie and her father. He father had his wrists tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth. He looked to have a wound on his left temple. Reggie was standing behind him with a large calibre pistol to her father's head.

"That's far enough," Reggie said to her.

Ginger stopped where she was and raised her hands.

"Okay, okay," Ginger said. "What do you want Reggie?"

"First I want you to tell me where you got your powers from," Reggie insisted. "I bet it was from that old man wasn't it?"

"Actually yeah it was," Ginger replied. "He gave me this ring."

She held her hand up so that Reggie could see the ring.

"Give it to me," Reggie demanded.

"What?" Ginger asked a little surprised.

"Give it to me," Reggie repeated.

Ginger knew that Reggie had no idea how the ring worked and that it chose its user. But the situation was dire, Reggie had a gun to her father's head and Ginger couldn't see any other way to save her father's life.

Slowly Ginger took the ring off her finger, her outfit transforming back to normal as she did.

"It's going to be okay Dad," Ginger tried to reassure her father.

"Give it to me!" Reggie said angrily.

Ginger took a look at the ring and then looked at Reggie.

"Catch," she said as she tossed it underhand towards him.

As the ring flew through the air it seemed as if things slowed down. Reggie shoved Eduardo to the side so he could use his open hand to catch the ring. Eduardo did his best to run towards his daughter as Reggie reached out for the ring. At the last second the ring stopped in mid-air just millimeters away from Reggie's grasp and then suddenly flew back towards Ginger flying right onto her finger.

"You bitch!" Reggie cursed at her.

He pointed the gun at Eduardo and fired but Ginger created a simple barrier to protect her father. Reggie unloaded the entire magazine of the pistol but every bullet bounced off the barrier and fell to the ground. Frustrated Reggie threw the gun to the ground and advanced towards Ginger and her father only to be stopped by the barrier.

"You coward, why don't you fight me?" Reggie demanded.

Ginger ignored him and set about untying her father.

"Ginger, what is this? What's going on?" Eduardo asked his daughter.

"I'll explain everything Dad," Ginger replied. "Just let me deal with this first."

She turned around to look at Reggie who was still pounding on the barrier angrily with his fist.

"You want to know why the ring flew back to me Reggie? It's because it chose me. You would never be able to wear it because you wouldn't use it properly," Ginger said.

"I'll cut that ring off your finger you dyke!" Reggie threatened through gritted teeth. "You can't hide behind barriers like this all the time."

"You're right," Ginger agreed.

Suddenly the barrier vanished. Reggie charged at Ginger reaching for her throat. Ginger side stepped easily and drove her knee right into Reggie's groin. Reggie doubled over in pain surprised at the strength behind her blow and not sure if his testicles were intact. Ginger bent down to look Reggie in the eyes.

"I know that I lead you on for a while, and I'm sorry," Ginger said. "I get that I dealt a really serious blow to you fragile male ego and it set you off. But I'm willing to forgive you and forget that any of this ever happened; as long as you promise to leave me, my family and my friends, alone."

"Screw you," Reggie responded.

Ginger hit him with an uppercut knocking Reggie off his feet and on his back in the muddy bank alongside the lake.

"I don't think you're understanding the gravity of the situation," Ginger said as she put her foot on his chest. "You just kidnapped my father, you threatened to kill him, you were trying to extort me. I don't think you're really that bad of a guy Reggie so you either leave us alone, or I'll take you to the police do you understand?"

"You do that and everyone will know who you are," Reggie threatened her.

"That's fine," Ginger said. "Because then everyone will know exactly who you are Reggie, a petty scumbag. That legacy you've tried to establish at school, well it will be completely tarnished."

Reggie was quiet and stared up at Ginger for a long moment.

"Fine," Reggie agreed.

"Good," Ginger said. "Now give me your keys."

"What?" Reggie asked.

"Don't worry I'll leave your car at your house." Ginger said.

"But it's like 20 miles to get home from here!" Reggie exclaimed.

"You should have thought about that before bringing my Dad out here," Ginger responded.

She then reached down and grabbed Reggie's keys from him.

"Come on Dad," Ginger said to her father.

Eduardo hurried after his daughter as she led the way back to Reggie's car. Ginger got in the driver's seat.

"Get in," she said to her father who was just standing confused.

Eduardo climbed in the passenger side as Ginger started the car and drove off.

"Okay Ginger you need to tell me what the hell is going on," Eduardo demanded.

"Look Dad I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you're drunk all the time lately it's impossible to have a conversation with you," Ginger said.

"Okay fair enough, but I'm sober now, so tell me what is going on?" Eduardo asked.

"It all started a couple weeks ago when I went to that concert with Reggie," Ginger replied. "On the way home we stopped at the same place back there and Reggie tried to rape me. I was able to fight him off and run away but he chased after me. Then at that place by the lake there I ran into this old man who helped me. That man gave me this ring; it's from an order of Intergalactic defenders called the Green Lanterns."

"He tried to rape you? Turn the car around I'm going to kill him myself," Eduardo said.

"No, no dad," Ginger argued. "He might have tried but he didn't. And normally I would never say it is the victims fault, but I do hold a little guilt here."

"What do you mean?" Eduardo asked confused.

"Dad… I like girls," Ginger replied.

"Wait… what?" Eduardo asked as he stared at his daughter.

"I like girls," Ginger repeated. "I have for quite some time now but I was denying my feelings. I was really only dating Reggie to hide it. And I feel bad about using him like that, so I get why he would be upset."

"That is no reason to excuse his behaviour Ginger," Eduardo stated.

"I don't want to be the one responsible for ruining Reggie's life," Ginger said. "That was me clearing everything between us. From now on if he tries anything then it is entirely on him."

There was an awkward pause between the two of them.

"So this ring…" Eduardo said.

"It's pretty cool huh?" Ginger asked holding it out so her father could see it.

"It's certainly interesting," Eduardo conceded. "But I don't know if I want you running around playing hero. You need to stay in school."

"Dad, I'm still going to go to school," Ginger said. "The hero stuff will be second. Besides it's not like I'll be doing it alone. I've got my friends to help and support me."

"What friends?" Eduardo asked. "The only friend I've seen you with was that Reggie creep."

"Well Cheryl for one," Ginger replied. "And she knows the Flash and Supergirl."

"Then how come they weren't here to help you?" Eduardo asked.

"They've got lives of their own too," Ginger replied. "And Reggie said I had to come alone; besides I knew I could handle him."

"Ginger I want you to give me that ring," Eduardo said. "You're not ready to…"

"No," Ginger cut him off.

"No? I'm your father Ginger and as long as you're living with me…" he started.

"Well at this rate it might not be for very long," Ginger interrupted him. "You're not working, you spend most days doing nothing but drinking; I've seen the mail dad you've got two months before the bank forecloses on our house. And if that happens I don't think I'll have any option other than to move to Arizona with mom. So you know what I don't think you really have any room at all to tell me what to do."

Eduardo was silent for a long moment.

"You're right," he said finally. "Starting tomorrow I'm going to go out and find another job."

"Well, make sure that you shower and shave first," Ginger said.

The two of them laughed as they drove on into town.

The Planet Qward…

Thaal Sinestro the leader of the Yellow Lanterns, better known as the Sinestro Corps was sitting, staring into space as he plotted his next move against the Green Lanterns when his daughter and second in command Soranik Natu arrived.

"I have news father," Soranik said.

"I'm busy," Sinestro said as he continued to stare off into space.

"It concerns the Green Lanterns," Soranik said. "And Hal Jordan."

At the mention of that name Sinestro finally looked at his daughter. Sinestro despised Hal Jordan. Sinestro had been a Green Lantern before Hal Jordan had arrived and had been one of his trainers in fact. However while outwardly Sinestro had the appearances of being the ideal Green Lantern, it was not true.

Using his powers as a Green Lantern, Sinestro had ruled his home planet of Korugar. Hal Jordan had been the one to find out and had led the other Green Lanterns to capture Sinestro. Sinestro had been stripped of rank and ring and banished.

Angry and bitter Sinestro had roamed the galaxy until he had come to Qward where he discovered the ancient parasitic being of fear, Parallax. Sinestro was able to use Parallax's power to create his own lantern corps; this one powered by fear.

For years Sinestro and his corps had fought with the Green Lanterns. The reached a climax with a huge battle between the two. Sinestro's followers were losing when he himself joined the fight to take on Hal Jordan personally. Hal had been about to kill Sinestro when his lover and fellow Green Lantern Soranik had intervened.

Soranik had been chosen to replace Sinestro as the Green Lantern for Korugar's sector of space. She had grown up not knowing that Sinestro was her father, however during her time with the Green Lanterns she had been interested in the man that had ruled her home planet with an iron fist and had been shocked to learn that he was her father. When she saw that Hal was willing to kill him without a second thought Soranik had intervened. There were many questions that she had for her father. Soranik had given up her Green Lantern ring and had left with her father and the few followers that he had left, eventually joining him.

For the past decade Sinestro had slowly been rebuilding his forces. He planned to get his revenge on Hal Jordan and to destroy the Green Lanterns once and for all replace them with his own Yellow Lanterns who would rule the galaxy with fear.

"What news do you have about Hal Jordan?" Sinestro asked.

"Hal is an old man now," Soranik replied. "The Guardians have sent him back to his home world to find a replacement."

Sinestro was a little saddened. He had longed to battle Hal Jordan once more, certain that this time he would defeat him, but if Hal had indeed given up his ring to a successor that was not to be. However it gave Sinestro and idea.

Sinestro got up and began walking without a word. His daughter followed curious as to what her father was up to. Sinestro went to a vault where he stored rings for future use. He picked one of them up and held it in front of him.

Searching for User the ring said and then it flew off.

"What was that?" Soranik asked.

"Hal Jordan has gone to Earth to find the next new Green Lantern," Sinestro replied. "I just sent that ring there to find the next member of the Sinestro Corps."

Not a lot of Betty, well actually no Betty, in this chapter. But don't worry, Betty, Barry and Cheryl will all be back in the next chapter as the school year begins. Is Reggie truly going to leave Ginger alone now? Find out! Please Review!