Chapter Ten:
In Brightest Day…
In St. Croix…a half an hour earlier...
Condor just finished talking to Daytona who was in the middle of taking care of the surveillance bugs when he looked curiously into the west. Zombie walked up to take a look around and squinted his eyes to the west as well. He then looked at Condor who looked back at him acknowledging what he thought he saw in total silence.
Condor then stood up and walked up to Slim and whispered something into his ear.
"What do you think it was?" Slim asked.
Condor responded again in whisper.
Slim nodded, "Ok…but take Dog Shit with you."
Dog Shit perked up, "What the fuck? Why do I have to go?"
Slim looked at Dog Shit, "because Sadowski, everyone is actually doing something here but you. That's why."
Dog Shit put his boots back on and grabbed his rifle and looked at Condor, "Zombie isn't doing a damn thing...why doesn't he go? Well?"
Slim growing irritated, "Because he is QRF...you are part of a scout team...THAT is why."
Zombie pulls Slim aside, "its ok, Major...I will go with them. They might need me wherever they are going. I saw something too, and it doesn't feel right."
"Doesn't feel right? Nothing around here...FEELS...right. I want you here with McFly should the need arise that we need to get the Colonel and Daytona out of the area."
Zombie reluctantly nodded, "Yes sir."
Slim felt a little ping of remorse shooting down the enthusiasm of the Blackbirds newest member. He arrived only five years prior, but had already made a huge impact on them and the HLM brass with his amazing luck and heroism. But he knew that duty called more, and this he felt was the better course of action, "Condor...Dog Shit...you are up."
Condor grabbed his .50 caliber laser rifle and blades and strapped them to his back. He then began to walk outside, turning on the stealth suit. Dog Shit begrudgingly also did the same as he kept trying to find out where they were going.
About a mile down the road Condor pulled on the cloaked Dog Shit and hid down behind a large rock.
"I saw something very shiny and very fast enter what looked like a hidden hanger bay near here. Zombie confirmed what I saw..." Condor responded
"What the fuck difference does all that make? You trust Zombie to affirm what you see, now?"
Condor looked him dead in the eye, "I don't know what it is, but he has this uncanny luck and almost sixth sense on things. Just being able to see things, doesn't mean I understand things. Now shut the hell up and come on."
In front of the two Blackbirds was a large black cave. The dimensions and way it looked made Condor and Dog Shit know that it was cut, not natural. The two then quickly started to make their way into the cave and noticed that inside was declined into a large ramp. The doorway was open and he saw four Impergium raiders guarding what looked like 4 giant golden ships. All the ships looked as though they were prepared and ready for space travel.
Condor pulled his blades and walked up to one of the raiders and looked toward Dog Shit. With one slice, the Impergium raider's head fell onto the ground and Dog Shit started blasting the remaining soldiers with his rifle. They fell dead as Condor and Dog Shit turned off their suits for the moment.
In front of them was a sight that was almost too much to behold, "I need a picture of these…needs to be sent back to Slim. I have no idea what the hell this thing is." Dog Shit said as he pulls out his hologram projector.
Five minutes later, Sweets intercepts a hologram from Dog Shit. Sweets uploads it to the system and look at the hologram.
"Slim, you need to take a look at this…I think we found out what the assholes are mining in Atlantis…also getting high energy readings from this thing as well…and there are FOUR of them…"
Slim walks up and looks at the hologram, and then puts his hand on Sweets' shoulder, "Send it to the General…immediately. Tell Dog Shit and Condor to get out of there now." He then looked back toward Zombie who was grinning, "Well done...maybe instead of Zombie we should start calling you Lucky. I wish I had your gut feelings playing cards."
Back in Atlantis…
While Thunder was fighting on the moon...
Bruce Banner finally entered the end of the mine shaft and began to notice a green glow permeating from within cracks coming from the end wall of the mine and as closer he got to the end it got brighter and brighter.
A voice began to emanate from the cave walls almost as if he were literally surrounded by the voice as the glow began to center on rocks behind a wall of slate and Atlantean gold, "Finally…one who is worthy to combat the darkness."
A small earthquake began to tremble around him as he saw an emerald ring shoot through the wall and rise up from the ground floating toward Bruce Banner.
"Bruce David Banner…you in your life have had to stave off great rage and have shown the power to overcome great fear in doing so, and wield even greater willpower to keep it suppressed. You have been found worthy." The voice says to Bruce as the ring goes onto his finger.
In an instant he is on another plane of existence. Before him was a small man with long white hair pulled into a ponytail. His skin shines like a blue sapphire. He wears blood red robes with a pure white tunic overtop of it. At the center of the white tunic was a green lantern. Bruce looked down at what he was wearing and it was a black shroud like outfit with green accents. His skin was a shade of emerald like of what he used to see as the Incredible Hulk. One his chest, however, was a blazing green lantern; the symbol of the Green Lantern Corps. A black hood draped over his head as he removes it looking forward.
The little blue man smiled, "I am Ganthet. And it has been so long since someone was worthy of this ring."
"Where am I?" Bruce noticed as his skin was once again green, but not fueled by rage.
"You are in the far reaches of your mind. I am only a visitor, but I don't have much time to tell you what you need to know. Thaal Sinestro is here, and it might only mean that the Brainchild could be on his way, and your friends will need you. Just repeat these words with me…"
"I am not worthy of this honor…I just wanted to help find the ring."
"Bruce…you are humble and you have every tool needed to become the Green Lantern. Instead of focusing your willpower to avert rage…you can use it to create and make you powerful once more. You can be the hero the people need you to be, instead of the one they fear. Now you are also going to need this..."
From within the shale and gold burst forth an emerald green lantern filled to the capacity and then some with immense power as Bruce is snapped back into the real world.
Bruce nodded his head in agreement as he reached out and grabbed the lantern with his left hand around its wiry handle. He then held the ring to the lantern's bright light that was still blazing from its center.
Ganthet began to speak,"In brightest day…in blackest night…"
"In brightest day…in blackest night…" Bruce repeated.
"No evil shall escape my sight…"
"No evil shall escape my sight…"
"Let those who worship evil's might…"
"Let those who worship evil's might…"
"Beware my power…Green Lantern's light!"
"Beware my power…Green Lantern's light!" Bruce finishes his oath as a wave of green energy engulfs his entire body and mind as eons and eons of knowledge blaze forth from the ring and subsequent battery into the enlarged and intelligent brain of Bruce Banner.
Doctor Fate finally enters the end of the mine and finds Bruce Banner bathed in green light and smokeless fire. The clothes that Bruce was wearing were replaced by tattered and ripped black and grey robes with a hood over his face. His skin turned an emerald green color as his hair took in a shade slightly darker. Fate also saw a solitary green lantern symbol on the chest of his new clothing.
Bruce pulls the hood off of his head and holds up his fist with the ring placed firmly upon his middle finger. "Hello Hannah."
"Bruce?" Hannah said as she turned around to find the sneaky symbiote Venom leaping into the air and using her claws to jab into Doctor Fate's back sending both to the ground. Doctor Fate winced in pain and closed her eyes as she said a silent spell and watched as Venom was violently thrown from her body up into the ceiling of the mine, ripping pieces of her flesh and her cloak with it. She fell to her knees as without provocation and probably by instinct, the new Green Lantern surrounded Venom within a green energy bubble from his ring and walked closer to Doctor Fate. Blood trickled down her back as the Lantern looked her over.
He lowered his hand to try and help her up, "That monstrosity took a couple sizable chunks out of you. You need a hand?"
A rumbling began to be heard within the mine as everything began to fall all over the place.
"The mine is collapsing!" Doctor Fate screamed as the Green Lantern placed a protective dome around the heroes as well as Venom. He knew that it would be a matter of time until the oxygen would be depleted within the confines of the collapsed mine; While inside the dome though, everybody would be fine.
"You have condemned us to our death! Thunder will not survive Sinestro and now I am stuck here forever with you two fucks." Venom screamed.
"Cut your shit, Venom…We'll be out of here in a jiffy," Green Lantern said in a calm and collected manner, "Are you going to be ok, Fate?"
Doctor Fate looked at Green Lantern and nodded in the affirmative as she began to chant a spell to help heal her wounds, with the proximity of the Atlantean gold however seemed to block her efforts. "I should be ok if I can get out of here. If this is happening with my healing abilities, I can't imagine what else this place will not let me do." Fate said solemnly.
Moments later, Thunder finally blazes through the atmosphere and reaches Atlantis, but from the distance he sees massive amounts of Impergium raiders coming from the main palace. He closes his eyes and tries to channel Black Kryptonite from the connection from the Bands. "BK, I have a status report."
Thunder, go ahead.
"Unfortunately, your men were killed by a vicious alien symbiote called Venom which was living in the mines. What was worse was Sinestro came in protection of the mines…I have since taken care of the problem, but now I can't find Bruce or Hannah and there are tons of raiders on their way…"
You killed Sinestro? That's another victory for freedom…
"I know. I left the carcass on the moon. Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw a red blur heading to the moon as I got away."
It was most likely the Brainchild. Some of those satellites you didn't destroy probably sent some pictures to him. Good news is it seems that he didn't detect where you went, but there is a good chance now that there is a cosmic wielding being that he will eventually have to ally with or destroy. Do you have Sinestro's ring?"
"Yeah...I kept it."
"Good that will give you a little bit of cover but not for long." There was a pause in the dialogue from Black Kryptonite but then it ended abruptly, "I have detected an amazing amount of activity from the palace. It definitely looks like they are making their way to the mines…I asked Bridget prior to your mission what your next course of action should be, she thinks that the best thing to do is destroy the mines and whatever the Brainchild is using them for. Recon from the Blackbirds in Las Vegas say they saw some massive ships being made in the outskirts of the Imperial palace in New Argo, and it's composed of the same material being mined in Atlantis.
"How do you suppose I do that? My bands can glance off Atlantean gold..." Thunder asked curiously.
Just find a way and quickly get back to Everett's.
Thunder flies quickly toward the mines only to find that the mine has been caved in. He puts Sinestro's ring in his pocket as he looked at himself. Sinestro's blood has stained the clothing of the Defender of the Galaxy as he looks toward the collapsed shaft frantically trying to find a way to enter the collapsed mine. He tries to fire blasts into it, but all that does is destroy the slate, not the extreme amount of Atlantean gold that was blocking the entrances.
From underneath Thunder's feet however he began to feel a violent rumbling as cracks began to form under his feet. Thunder quickly leaped into the air only to feel a powerful blast of green energy knock him backward, sending rubble and Atlantean gold everywhere in a 20 foot radius. Thunder finally looked up to see the new Green Lantern carrying both Venom and Doctor Fate up to the ground level. Thunder squinted his eyes to see the brilliance of the Emerald Crusader blaze forth. Then he realized that it was Bruce.
"Holy…shit…" was all that could come out of Thunder's mouth.
Green Lantern turned around and looked at Thunder. "Looks like you took care of Sinestro. But we have to get out of here. Impergium Raiders are on their way, and Doctor Fate is badly hurt."
"I know…but we have one last task to complete my friend…we need to destroy the mines."
"Destroy the mines?" Doctor Fate asked confusingly.
"Yeah…the material in this cave needs to no longer be valuable to the Brainchild. But I have no way of destroying this mine with all this Atlantean gold in here."
Green Lantern lands and looks back toward the mine, and then back toward Doctor Fate, "I do...if I remember correctly this ring can atomize anything, resulting in returning it to its base molecules. I can just obliterate it. But the bigger question is what are we going to do about her?"
Fate begins to chant once more, her healing magic no longer inhibited by the effects of the mine, as her back begins to mend and heal all on its own. The ripped cloak also mends as though the attack had never happened, "I will be fine now. What do we do about our hostage? Do we kill Venom like you had to kill Sinestro?"
Thunder looked at Fate, "At this point, I think there might be a way to save the host but end Venom's hold over her." Thunder walks up to the bubble and quickly rubs his scruffy chin. He then looks to Doctor Fate, "I know that sonic attacks can hurt him, but what if I were to shock Venom with enough electricity would the host within Venom survive, but also kill the symbiote?"
Doctor Fate looks at Venom and closes her eyes then opens them, "Yes, but that also depends on who is in there and how old they are. But we are going to have to do this quickly…I can distract the Impergium Raiders away from this area, but Green Lantern is going to have to release her from the bubble and start blowing up the mine. You are going to have to focus and make sure that the symbiote dies."
"That's fine…but this is gonna take effort on all three of our parts. Go get 'em Doctor Fate…Bruce, whenever you are ready." Thunder says as electricity starts to bathe around his body and hands.
Within seconds, Fate leaves to take care of the oncoming raiders and Green Lantern releases the bubble from Venom to have Thunder place his hands on the tragic symbiosis; one hand on the head and the other on her hip.
Venom screams as a thousand volts of powerful electricity course through her body. The symbiote also screams but in an otherworldly voice. Thunder holds on as he sees the black ooze start to drip off of the woman. He continues to hold on to reveal that underneath was an older woman of her late 40's stark naked was the host.
He pulls his hands off the host and proceeds to pour it on the actual black goo, until the ground was charred, and the symbiote stopped moving.
Meanwhile, the Green Lantern stared at the mine and raised his ring. He remembered Kyle Raynor used to be able to atomize things with just his sheer will. He also knew that the ring sometimes reflected the nature of the wielder. Just what would a former nuclear physicist and former hulking menace construct? A grin formed over the new Green Lantern's face as he aimed the ring up to the sky and created what looked like an atomic bomb out of pure green energy and watched it fall.
The bomb exploded as Atlantean gold as well as slate were obliterated from the blast zone and atomized to its base elements within mid air, even sending Thunder backward from the blast. It even leveled several houses nearby, causing a crater where the mine used to be. Thunder leaped upon the body of Venom's former host closing his eyes and trying to shield her from the blast.
Thunder waited until the shock wave passed as then he opened his eyes to look up at Green Lantern and then at the mine, "Bruce you could have killed someone with that blast!"
"Dear God...I didn't know how powerful this thing really was...I am sorry…"
Thunder realizing that Bruce might have been the new Green Lantern but he was still a rookie cut him a little slack. "Just...Be careful next time, Bruce."
Green Lantern looked at Thunder and grinned, "I won't make that mistake again."
Thunder stood back up and looked at the woman, "are you ok?"
The woman shivered as the snow began to make her much colder than the symbiote let her be, "I…I don't know."
"Do you remember your name?" Asked Green Lantern.
She shakes her head in the negative as she shivers. Green Lantern got an idea as he then used his ring to temporarily clothe her in a long sleeve coat made of green energy, "This should help until we can find clothes for you." He then looked at Thunder, "How do you think Hannah is?"
Thunder looked up into the sky and then back at Bruce, "She can take care of herself at the moment, let's get back to base."
Thunder began looking at the woman beneath the menace that was Venom. She could have been attractive in her youth; she still had a great body and could obviously make a man happy if she wasn't in such a bad condition. From the looks of her she just looked as though she hasn't slept in a year…maybe more. It was imperative to get her help. He knew he had to make a risky decision. "We'll take her back to Everett's with us."
A troop of Impergium raiders finally make their way to the mine that didn't follow the disappearing illusions that Doctor Fate concocted. They saw remnants of green fire and the mine in ruins. One raider radioed back the Brainchild with the news as they also found everything in the area obliterated.
The Brainchild who finally returned back to his palace from his excursion on the moon was furious, but with the Impergium Summit less than 5 hours away there was nothing he could do about it at the moment, except to finally come clean to the rest of his magistrates at the Summit. Even though they were in a dwindling rate at the present moment, their ideas as well as their mortality would be a welcome change to his cold nature. The Brainchild plugged himself into his mainframe and strived to at least try to deactivate for at least 4 hours to let him recharge his vitals. He often wondered what exactly it would be like to actually sleep like the rest of humanity, but then he realized how stupid that actually would be and how fragile that would make him...and vulnerable to the hidden demons that somehow were within.
St. Croix…
From the pages of the journal of Willis Ferne…
Darkness settled over our location relatively quick since winter cuts all these damn days short. Our new uniforms have given us some relief from the elements but not much. It still can get pretty cold in the desert.
The most pleasant thing however is I have been able to get closer to Rick since I got here. Cold is cold, but body heat is warmer...and Rick is so handsome. He is definitely curious, but I have seen him look at women before. I just don't know what to think…
I have to let the mission take my mind over a bit. I figure it might help me cope with what I am feeling deep down in my gut.
Apparently from the information I have received, the Colonel and Daytona have completed the arduous task of placing the bugs where we need them. They now have the luxury of staying at the palace hotel until morning. I wish that could have been ME!
Staying by the indoor hot tubs or pools...who know what they would have over there. The food is probably a billion times better than back at home or at NAB.
Condor and Dog Shit came back after their brief recon mission. Turns out that it was more than just a recon mission. Slim was furious that Condor and Dog Shit killed the sentries that were guarding those monstrosities. Come to think of it...Dog Shit hadn't been treating Zombie with any respect at all since the return. Maybe he feels that Condor trusts his judgment more than his. I dunno…maybe Dog Shit is just a dick.
McFly has been on edge the entire time. He is looking for a fight...that is plain to see. Being so close to the enemy and not kicking some Raider ass is taking a toll on him, almost so that he is praying Daytona gets into trouble, just so he can go out there and help him. I find that a bit naive...maybe even a little fatalistic.
Sweets puts down his pen and closes the book as Slim walks toward him, "How are the scanners?"
Sweets pointed to all of his screens, "No proximity alarms have gone off, any heat sensors either. Everything looks good out there Slim."
He continues looking out the windows of the school and folds his arms together as he waits almost five more minutes before speaking again, "weather reports?"
Sweets pushes a few buttons and pulls it up on screen, "will reach in the 30s here after dark. It's going to be pretty cold."
Slim once again goes silent standing there as if he is wrestling with something in his mind and doesn't know how to get it out or if it needs to be there at all. Sweets watches him with a mix of fear and concern and decides to find out.
"Rick...you have been looking outside and in my screen for the past ten minutes as if in a daze...do you wanna talk?" Sweets said as he turned in his makeshift chair toward him.
Slim finally meets his eyes with that of his tech officer, "what is it about you?"
Sweets cocks an eyebrow, "what about me?"
Slim turns around and leans against the wall, "You know damn well what I am talking about."
"Do I?" Sweets stands up and puts his hands up, "No, Rick, I don't know what you are talking about. I do however think this has something to do with the weird fascination you have for me as well as what you wish to do with and to me on a regular basis and what you think you can do about it."
Slim unfolds his arms and gets defensive, "Let's get this perfectly fucking clear, Willis. For some reason, I have extremely lustful feelings for you. I don't know why...I DON'T have feelings for you. I don't love you, and I can say with most certainty that we would NEVER be in a relationship…but..."
"THEN WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT? You see the way I look at you. You see the joy in my eyes when I can spend any time in your arms. You make me feel better than any drug on this planet." Sweets yelled in frustration.
"Keep it down! Let the whole fucking platoon know, why don't you?" Slim retaliated.
"Why are you afraid of the rest of the boys? Not able to let go the fact that they might start razzing you like they razz me on a daily basis? I will not let you mix around my emotions like this anymore."
Slim stares at the floor in a daze that was reminiscent of what Sweets' parents looked like when a young Willis Ferne came out to them. It was plain to see that Slim was frustrated within. It breaks Sweets' heart.
"Rick...I think you are a wonderful man, and I would be lucky if you were mine. But that looks at this point like it's not in the cards for me, considering there is enough going on in your head to fill up several insane asylums."
Slim gets even more defensive, "I am not insane. Hell, after all this time and all this atrocity surrounding us, I am surprised I am actually THIS sane. Maybe I have just been desensitized…" Slim draws closer to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Let's...let's just keep this a physical relationship. You are getting what you need...and I am getting what I need."
Sweets sighed to himself knowing this wasn't the end of this subject but resigned to have a better evening as he walked into Slim's waiting embrace, "If this is all I can get...then maybe it's better than nothing."
Slim looked into Sweets' eyes and placed his lips upon his kissing him deeply.
Sweets hands started to wander on Slim's body and were about to continue further in his sexual escapade when the dull but noticeable din of the proximity alarms started going off. Sweets broke away from an excited Slim and immediately dove for his equipment. His scanners were detecting a small contingent of figures coming from the east.
"What do you think they are?" Slim asked as he tried coming back to his senses.
Sweets started typing information into his scanner system. "I don't know...they are moving too fast."
Condor intruded quickly into the room with rifle in hand, "Impergium raiders...jet packs, and some have high rankings."
Slim looked at Condor, "I had a feeling what you guys did was going to have repercussions...ok then...Wake everyone if they are sleeping. We can't let them know we are here or have been here. Its time to go stealth...We have to make it look like no one's been here for ages. Plus we need to mask our heat signatures so turn on the schools heating system. Lastly...Sweets, I want you to send word to the Colonel and Daytona what is going on. No one attacks a single raider unless we are compromised."
Condor salutes and then points behind him, "I understand...but he might not."
McFly comes up from behind Condor as Sweets puts and shuts down his equipment in great haste. Slim looks at McFly, "I know what you are going to say, big man and the answer is no…"
"Slim...you don't know what I was going to even ask!" McFly retorted in desperation.
Slim started helping Sweets dismantle the equipment, "did it have something to do with taking that super powerful rifle of yours and picking off the enemy before they got here?"
McFly paused as if humbled, "well...yeah it did."
Slim turned around and looked McFly in the eye and actually flung around his military rank, "Staff Sergeant...Do you realize that that kind of unprovoked attack could not only endanger the mission, but the safety of the HLM in general?"
"I know, Slim I know. Its just I am tired of being cooped up here."
Slim slaps McFly on the shoulder, "No shit...now go and get into your position."
Elsewhere, outside…minutes later...
A squad of ten Impergium raiders land outside the school yard and look around with their laser rifles pointed toward the school. The captain of the squad started directing the other soldiers into position silently as another scout looked around.
"Captain...I have visuals on different sizes of shoes and boots all around this area." The scout responded.
"Could be children and their parents. In any case, open up the school and let's look around. Project Valkyrie was compromised and I am certain that the culprits are still around." The Captain ordered as he marches his soldiers where he wanted them.
The highly trained Impergium raiders surrounding the school as the scout meandered to the main doors. He pressed his communicator, "The doors are open, sir. And I am detecting a lot of heat coming from inside."
The Captain took three raiders with him and walked to the entrance. "Stay here. Guard the outside and activate your heat sensors as well. We will take a look around inside.
The Impergium raiders entered and started looking around at the dusty and extremely humid school. The floors were very dirty, but there are traces of animal droppings among other tracks nearby.
The Captain looks to the two troops with him, "This seems odd...no one looks they have been here for a long time, but the heating system of the school is on." The others nodded in agreement as the Captain continued on, "Go to the utility and boiler rooms and look around. I will search up here."
The three soldiers searched the entire school from top to bottom in a matter of one hour. They didn't find anything that would indicate someone was there but some animals. There were some footprints of human beings, but were covered in dust from years of neglect.
The raiders and their Captain rendezvoused back at the entrance of the school and exited. The Captain grabbed the rest of his squad together to see if they found anything. Nothing was found.
"The animals must have turned on the heater inadvertently. Let's move on." The Captain commanded as the squad activated their jetpacks and sped away, still looking for something that they would never find.
Inside…
A sigh of relief comes from the mouth of Major Rick 'Slim' Waltham, "Ok boys...looks like these stealth suits DO work."
Dog Shit materialized back shaking his head, "They may work, but their inability to mask body heat isn't going to help us in the long run."
Condor walks in from another room, "I have a strange feeling that they will still be taking more looks into this place. If the plan is supposed to make this an auxiliary base, the guys in R&D better come up with something to cloak this place or at least give it off as the appearance of something else."
Slim looked at Condor, "I agree…" Then he looked for Sweets who still hadn't made his way back to the entrance. "Sweets? Where are you?"
He received no answer as he started walking to the semi boarded up office they came out of originally. He saw Sweets putting his equipment back up. He turned around as he looked at Slim, "You need me for something...I am a little busy at the moment but I can see you after I am finished debriefing the Colonel."
Slim smiled a knowing smile and left Sweets to himself, knowing later on that was definitely not going to be the case.