Chapter 9


Hal headed on to the Interceptor's bridge followed by a stunned Kilowog. "And that's it!" He grinned at the speechless Bolovaxian. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

Kilowog shook his head and walked over to his chair, sitting down heavily. "This universe just gets crazier and crazier..."

"On the contrary..." Both lanterns tuned at the sound of Razer's voice. He had an arm loosely around Krishna's waist and was helping her walk, since she was still a little weak. Hal almost got angry, but Razer wasn't carrying her or anything too intimate. His arm was supportive, but not intimate. Hal smiled accepting their friendship. He was tired of Krishna and Aya being hurt by Razer, but he seemed to have seen the light and was better.

The pair awkwardly walked over to Aya's station and Krishna sat in the chair. "The universe is quite predictable in my opinion." Razer was studying Krishna.

She rolled her eyes. "Wr're both fine, Razer. Stop fussing!" Krishna pointed at his chair. "Now go sit so we can take off! Aya seems frustrated with your "observing and analyzing us" as well. Now go!" Her words seemed harsh, but she said them teasingly.

He sighed. "Very well." Razer marched over to his station and sat down. The Interceptor eased off the ground, turned, and raced off into space.

"Soooo, Krishna. I've been wondering..." Hal pondered aloud after the coordinates for the Bolovax Vic fragment had been set. She turned and smiled at him, amused. "Why couldn't you just download Aya into the Interceptor? Why did it have to be you?"

The guys all cast their eyes on her, waiting. She shyly looked down and twirled a piece of hair at their attention. "That was my initial plan once I learned Aya became one with the antimonitor. I was planning on downloading her forcefully into the Interceptor so she would began her sense. My powers and chip may have been enough to get me close enough to her when no one else could get that close, but before I could even try to do it it became too late. By the time I managed to reach Aya, it was when she was coming out of hyperspace. The Interceptor had been rammed into her and I saw the two as they entered the space near me. I tried to talk to Aya yet again, but instead she attacked me." Krishna slid up her shirt enough to show an ugly half-circle of scarred flesh on the left side of her stomach.

'I am truly sorry for..." Aya began.

'Shhh, Aya...I know.'

"So she attacked you and then what?" Kilowog interrupted her mental conversation.

"Then she left. Aya was still herself and could not bring herself to kill another, obviously. I knew right away when I heard of her threat she could not be elimininating loving planets. It isn't who she is. So once Aya left, I checked the damage to the Interceptor. It was minimal and I made short work of the repairs. Unfortunately, due to Aya's attacks and the hyperspace jump the frequencies of the Interceptor had been thrown off, meaning that Aya could not properly asssimilate into the Interceptor. Her memories and personality would be altered so I couldn't do it. Also, if I put her into my own body there was a great advantage to it." She smiled at the group slowly.

"What advantage would that be?" Razer asked softly.

"It would be the advantage of later relocating her to an organic body of her own."

The three boys' eyes widened and Krishna giggled at their expressions. Aya was amused as well.

"Wh...what?" Kilowog could barely sputter out the question. Hal was speechless and Razer's heart was racing.

Krishna smiled. "My powers would be enhanced if she was within my body and her 'soul' would overpower any other being if she took control of them, which would not be fair and make her unhappy." She spun in her seat and pointed at the floating rock they needed. "That's why we're gethering these ingredients. They're the ingredients to make her an organic body."

After another stunned moment, Kilowog punched his fist to a panel and extended a green claw construct to retrieve the rock. The two green lanterns hurried off to store it. Krishna set the coordinates for their next destination, Volkreg, and LANOS flew off towards it. The halfbreed and blue lantern sat in silence for a moment.

Razer finally broke the silence, knowing the green lanterns would return shortly. "So you really can create an orgaanic body for Aya?"

Krishna nodded as she tapped on a console. "Yep. I sure can." He watched her.

"Where are we going?"

"Volkreg."

His eyes widened a fraction. "Why?"

"To get hope flowers."

"For Aya's body?"

"Yep."

He was growing annoyed. "Why are you hardly talking to me?"

She blinked and looked at him as if she only just realized he was there. "Oh, sorry. I'm calculating the amount of flowers we'll need and Aya and I are discussing the appearance of her new body."

Razer was startled and delighted to hear this. "May I have an idea of what you two are considering?"

"Nope." Krishna smirked.

Razer glared. "Why not?"

"Because we want you to be surprised. No spoilers."

He was about to argue further when Kilowog and Hal returned. "Where to next?" Hal was chipper and positive as he questioned Krishna.

She smiled at the human. "Razer's homeworld. Volkreg."


The Interceptor touched down on the planet's barren surface. Krishna was the first of the ship, eager to see the planet she had spent most of her childhood on. The boys watched her as she looked around like an excited child. She scampered off and around a building. "Don't go off too far!" Hal called after her.

"I won't!" Krishna's voice was already faint.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Razer began to fly after her, but stopped when he felt Hal's hand on his shoulder.

"Remember what I told you."

Razer looked at him seriously. "I do, but Krishna and I grew up here and have many memories of this place together. Besides, she lacks a ring to contact us." Hal nodded and the blue lantern flew off.

"You think they'll be okay by themselves?" Kilowog looked at Hal hesitantly.

"Yeah. Razer's a good kid. Now c'mon! Let's go pick some flowers!"


Krishna was gazing out from a building window. Her hair blew around her head and she loved the feel of the breeze on her face. She stepped close to the open wall to feel more wind.

Suddenly, the floor beneath her feet crumbles and she started to tumble out the open wall. Krishna's eyes widened as she fell in what felt like slow motion. From this height, she could be seriously injured or worse and her body was still too weak to use its powers enough to save her. Krishna and Aya were both paralyzed with fear, but Krishna recovered quick enough to turn and grab an edge floor piece. She swayed in the wind until the weak block broke off and she was falling again. Was this it? Was she going to die now that she had finally found Razer and was so close to bringing Aya back? Was this really how it woul end? With the others finding her body broken and lifeless?

Krishna squeezed her eyes shut when she suddenly felt arms slip beneath her knees and behind her shoulders, holding her against a broad chest. She was saved! Her eyes flew open and she looks up to see gray skin meeting a blue uniform. Razer had saved her! Krishna thought happily how nice this was, but something was odd. The arms seemed gentler than Razer's usually felt. They felt more...loving.


Razer flew through the buildings searching for Krishna. She couldn't have gotten that far or into that much trouble...or so he was hoping. He rounded a corner and stopped. Krishna was in someone's arms and gazing up at him in wonder. He flew towards them angrily. Who was this person holding them? The person whose hands were holding Aya and Krishna, whose body was near his friend's and his love's...was Saint Walker's?

Saint Walker looked up and smiled at him. "Why hello there, brother."

Krishna turned and smiled. "Razer! Where were you two minutes ago when I needed you, you lazy bum?" She laughed happily.

Saint Walker turned his attention back to Krishna. "You have a lovely laugh, miss."

Krishna batted her lashes shyly and looked away.

'Are you doing what they call "flirting" right now, Krishna?' Aya asked.

'Perhaps. Why?'

'I may observe for for information on how to behave around Razer once I have a body.'

'Aya, you are just too cute...' Krishna mentally giggled.

Razer cleared his throat causing the pair to look at him. "Krishna, are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yup! We're all good here!"

He nodded and turned his attention to Saint Walker. "Saint Walker. What are you doing here?"

"Simply observing the effects of hope, brother. Your planet was once bare, but it now has regained life and it doing well. Hope has done that."

It was true, Razer observed, surprised. The planet was, by no means, thriving, but it was better even then when he had last visited with Aya. "It is true that hope has great power."

Saint Walker nodded. "You have learned a great deal, but there are still many lessons ahead of you."

"Hey, Razer! You there?" Hal's voice chirped over Razer's ring. He raised his fist and projected a hologram of the green lantern. "Have you found Krishna?"

"Yes. She is with me, along with a visitor."

Hal looked at him, puzzled. "Well will the three of you head back to the ship? We have all the flowers."

He nodded and cut the transmition then looked at the two before him.

"Your companions await you, brother. It is rude to make them wait. Come." He looked down at Krishna. "I take it you can not fly, miss, so would it be alright if I fly you there?"

Krishna nodded. "Yes. I'd like that..." Saint Walker smiled and flew off toward the Interceptor. Razer watched the pair curiously, the way Saint Walker held her closely and she snuggled against his chest. It was unlike anything he had witnessed in either of them before. She had not acted that way with Hal when he had carried her and he had never seen Saint Walker so...affectionate. Something seemed to be blossoming between the two of them that was more than a mere beginning frienship, but with Aya in the middle he felt uneasy about it. He hoped he was misreading the situation and followed them to the Interceptor.


The next chapter is here! Saint Walker is here with it! I hope everyone enjoys. All the ingredients are here now! Dundundun! Please keep enjoying and reviewing! It won't be much longer now...

*Slight Spoiler Alert: The story won't just end with Aya getting her body back. It will go past that a little. Just to let you know.