Hal Jordan sat on the asteroid and waited. This is a bad idea, he thought as he made a baseball with his ring and absentmindedly tossed it from hand to hand. Sinestro says he needs my help, I know it's probably a trap, and yet here I am. There has got to be something wrong with me. He glanced around to make sure he was alone. The asteroid was normally a safe meeting place, constantly orbiting Oa but staying far enough away from the planet for visitors to go undetected. However, it was also a common spot for other green lanterns to visit, so there was a risk of running into other people here.
Hal remembered when he had first come here. He was still a rooky then, and his mentor Sinestro had taken him there to yell at him for some mistake or other. Since then it had become one of his favorite places to come and think, and he and the other green lanterns from earth would often come here to talk. After the Blackest Night Hal and Sinestro had agreed they needed a way to contact each other in case of another emergency, and they had chosen the asteroid as a meeting place. Hal had also told the leaders of some of the other corps about the asteroid. He liked knowing people like Sinestro or Attrocitus had to meet him in a place where he could call the rest of the corp for help if necessary.
A spot of yellow appeared in the distance. The baseball dissolved in Hal's hand and he stood. Within a moment the approaching shape was close enough for Hal to see that Sinestro wasn't alone. There was a girl with him, travelling inside of a transport bubble. Sinestro landed a few yards in front of Hal with the bubble hovering a few feet behind him. Hal couldn't see much of her Sinestro, but he thought there was something off about the girl. She was sitting with her legs bent strangely beneath her, and she seemed to be glowing, although it was difficult to tell through the walls of the bubble.
"Jordan" Sinestro said with a nod. "I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure you'd show up."
Neither was I, Hal thought before speaking. "What's this about, Sinestro?"
"I need your help." Sinestro said the words as though they brought physical pain.
Hal was surprised. Normally it would be like pulling teeth to get Sinestro to admit he needs help. This time he had come right out and said it. This must be something serious, Hal thought. "What do you need help with?"
Sinestro explained briefly how he had found Filia and what had happened to her since then, as well as his theory about her fear poisoning. Hal was surprised to hear that some of Sinestro's lanterns had tried to overthrow him. Most of his followers were loyal to the point of death. He was even more surprised to hear about Filia's powers. He had never heard of anything like it before.
"So, she has all the same abilities as a yellow lantern?" he asked.
"Nearly. She can make constructs of a sort, although they can't form a specific image. Similarly, she can make a personal shield, but it tends to spread out further than it should as though it can't exactly hold her shape" Sinestro explained.
"Can she fly?" Hal tried to see around Sinestro by leaning to the side, but it was no use. He wouldn't be able to see Filia until Sinestro stepped out of the way.
Sinestro shook his head. "Once when she was startled she flew to the ceiling. Since then she has been unable to, but I believe she could if she was motivated to."
Hal thought about this for a while. He had no problem helping this girl if she needed help, but he wasn't sure it was true. It wasn't like Sinestro to do so much to help a stranger. It was even less like him to hand a potentially powerful alley over to his enemies. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care about her?" He asked skeptically.
"Despite what you may think, I do understand the concept of responsibility, Jordan" Sinestro said defensively.
"Responsibility?" Hal asked his tone accusing. "Everything that's happened to this girl has happened because of you. You train your lanterns to spread fear throughout the universe, and then wonder why they do things like this. And you want to talk about responsibility? She and countless others have suffered through the actions of your lanterns, which makes their suffering your fault."
"I know!" Sinestro snapped. "That is why I want to help her." He took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "Will you help her or not? I do not wish to waste any more time here if your answer is no."
"Of course I'll help" Hal said, taken back by the outburst. Sinestro usually made an effort to appear calm, as though he wasn't really concerned with whatever was happening. Judging by his reaction, Hal thought he'd struck a nerve. "Are you sure Oa is the best place for her?" He asked, hoping the change in subject would calm Sinestro down. Hal wasn't in the mood for a fight.
"Green lanterns are trained to overcome fear. It is a skill Filia needs to learn."
"What about the Guardians? You know how they react to things they don't understand or that could pose a threat to them." Hal knew the Guardians wanted all the other lantern corps gone. He didn't think they'd react very well to someone with the capabilities of a lantern without the use of a ring.
"Then don't tell the Guardians about her powers. I've asked and she says she can hide them if she needs to, as long as she doesn't become too afraid."
Hal thought for a moment before asking "mind if I speak to her myself?" Without waiting for an answer he stepped around Sinestro and walked toward Filia.
"She speaks Korugarian" Sinestro said as Hal stopped at the edge of the bubble.
Hal told his ring what language to translate into and dropped to one knee so he was at eye level with the sitting girl. "Hi. My name's Hal. What's yours?"
"Filia" she replied.
Although she mostly looked curious, Hal also saw a trace of fear in her eyes. He lifted a hand to brush some hair out of his eyes and she flinched as though expecting to be hit. Hal quickly lowered his hand and apologized for frightening her.
"It's not your fault" she said, trying to stay calm. "Everything scares me. It's not just you."
Hal talked to her for a little while longer, asking a lot of the same questions Sinestro had already asked her. Her answers matched what Sinestro had told him, and he didn't think anyone as terrified as Filia could lie very well, so Hal assumed it was true. Still, part of him thought it was too good to be true. None of this fit with the Sinestro he knew. Even the confident attitude seemed to be slipping. It doesn't matter, he told himself. This girl needs help and green lanterns might be the only ones who can help her. That's what's important.
Hal turned back to Sinestro and said "you're right. This looks like fear poisoning. Although you have more experience with it than I do."
"You have experience recovering from it. That's what she needs."
Hal stood up and started making his own transport bubble. "I have to get back to Oa. If I'm gone too long the Guardians will start asking questions and then I'll have to start making up answers."
Sinestro helped transfer Filia to the new bubble. "I must also go. I have other business to attend to." He turned to Filia and said "goodbye. I hope to see you again." Filia nodded in response.
Sinestro began to fly back the way he had come and Hal turned back toward Oa. Filia put her hand on the side of the bubble and watched Sinestro getting further away. Something didn't feel right. He had saved her life and helped her when no one else would, and she didn't know if she'd ever see him again. She didn't want to let him go without expressing gratitude for all he had done for her. "Wait" she said as Hal began to move in the opposite direction. Filia let the yellow aura she had been holding back spread over her skin and pushed against the wall of the bubble. It immediately dissolved around her fingers and she flew toward Sinestro.
Filia was surprised at what she was doing. She had acted without thinking at first and was now shocked at how easy flying was. When she had flown half the distance to Sinestro she called out his name and he turned to face her. She didn't slow but continued until she hovered about a foot away from him. Without hesitating Filia wrapped her arms around his chest and whispered "thank you."
Sinestro hesitated, startled, before lightly placing his hands on her back. He then took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her back to arms length. Filia stared into his eyes for a moment longer before turning and flying back to Hal.
Hal tried his best to hide his surprise and amusement at what had just happened. . He had never seen anyone hug Sinestro before, but what was even more shocking was that Sinestro had returned the hug, albeit reluctantly. It was all too weird to even think about.
Hal offered Filia the transport bubble, but she declined with a shake of her head. She had been carried enough during this journey. She wanted to finish it on her own.
