AN: I know what you're thinking: Where's the re-write?! But it's coming, I just need more time! I am trying to make it just right. I will be re-writing the beginning of this story for a while in the background of this story. Meanwhile, I had some spare time and so... I have re-released the poll for Tommy's love interest on my page. I didn't get a response enough to really make a decision with so now it's back. It will be up until the end of this season in about twelve chapters. Please go and vote.

|OA
|November 17

Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner were all on guard duty for Oa's newest training program. Below them came the flashes and booms of Kilowog's training process. The guardians had decided to commission a better training for the new recruits to better combat these new "Red Lanterns." In Hal's mind, it was all a bunch of bull. It was just polishing up the old training, adding a few more trainers and a couple of guards to watch over them. They basically put a wall of plastic blocks in front of a play house in the path of a bulldozer. But what really made him furious was the Guardian's continued refusal to formally train claimed that he was still far too young to bear the burden of a power ring at full strength. Or, so they said. Hal thought that they were still too worried about his phantom ring that seemed to appear out of nowhere. But he was certain that Tommy was a good kid. And although he agreed that he was still young, but he was also already in the business, like it or not. And this wasn't a job you could just quit. Not fully. And besides, it didn't seem like he wanted to. He sighed in anger.

"What is it Hal?" John asked.

"I just don't get why we're still here." He said.

"We're on guard duty." Guy huffed, clearly not pleased with it himself.

"If the Red Lanterns aren't really a threat then why are we still needed here?" Hal asked. "And if they are a threat then why aren't we doing more about them?"

"Very good point." John nodded. "But I doubt that we'll get any answers for those questions anytime soon."

"I don't think that that is all that's on your mind." Guy said.

"And it's not just Carol either." John commented.

"Yeah, I feel that Tommy should be getting proper training." Hal insisted.

"He's too young, though."

"I agree with Hal," Guy said, "if the kid is going to have a ring he should know how to use it, before he blows half the dang planet up."

"Oh, come on. He's not that reckless." Hal argued. "He has some idea what he's doing."

"I'm not saying he would, I'm saying he could." Guy said.

"It just don't feel right." Hal mumbled to himself.

I slept like the dead. It was the best sleep I had had in years. Better than if I was comatose. Maybe I was. I didn't really care. It was so relaxing! I didn't dream, but I wasn't fully conscious of the world around me, like I thought I would be. Instead of dreams or nightmares, my memories played over and over in my head. Which was just as good as a nightmare. At first it was nice. I was at the Yankees game with my Dad. He had bought me the biggest thing of nachos they sold with everything on it. Chicken, beef, pork, four kinds of cheese, jalapenos, beans, onions. The works! On the side he had gotten me a huge root beer. It was awesome. My Dad took off his hat, and placed it on my head. I smiled up at him and he smiled back. Then everything changed. The seat under me vanished. The nachos on my lap were gone. As were the lights of the baseball field. There was trash all around me. I was in an alley. I looked down the alley, there were cars zooming by. I looked back the other way and saw a mugger with a gun. I took up a ready stance, waiting for him to attack. Something was wrong. My suit wasn't on me. I didn't even have my ring! The guy started running at me. Fear gripped my gut. My legs failed me. I turned and ran as fast as I could. He fired at me, but hit everywhere other than where I was. If I could just make it to the end of the alley... All of a sudden my Dad was at the end of the alley. I realized what was happening. I shouted for him to run. But it was too late. The gang member behind me shot out at him. Three bullets struck my Dad in the chest. I shouted in anger but nothing came out of my mouth. My suit appeared around me, but it was different. It was red. I flew forward, a sword forming in my hand, and cut the man in two.

"Tommy..." A sound.

Then the scene changed. I was sitting on a beach with Tara. It could've been any beach around the country while hunting any dark magician. I couldn't remember if it was a lake, pond, ocean, or just some river. But I was tranquil. I was at peace. Tara looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back. Then she brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear in the way that drives me crazy. Reaching over, I pulled her closer to me. She didn't fight. In fact she rolled onto me with a giggle. I brushed the back of my hand across her face, brushing aside more of her hair that had fallen loose when she rolled on me. She looked so sexy in her bikini top and short shorts. The beach was the only place where she wore shorts. She loved the beach, so I loved the beach. She smiled, revealing her perfect teeth. I firmly pressed my lips to hers. Suddenly gravity shifted. Where I was lying on my back before, now I was hovering upright. I threw my arms around Tara and held her close. There was smoke all around us. My ring was back on my finger. My green lantern suit appeared around me. I tried to fly up and away but for some reason I couldn't. My ring was almost out of energy. My eyes scanned the horizon for anywhere where I could land, but there was nothing! And then Tara kissed me. I grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her close, holding her to me. And then she dropped. Right out of my grip. I tried to shout to her; my throat wouldn't make noise. I launched myself downward at her. Before I could reach her, she disappeared into the smoke.

"Tommy..." A voice.

Again the scene changed. I was with Carmen. We were fighting off the Hidden Fist together, as brother and sister. And we were kicking some major ass. But then she got stabbed through the chest. Again the scene changed. Over and over again. I saw them die. Everyone I had lost. Over and over again. I wish that they were only nightmares. But they were all memories. My memories. My failures.

"Tommy." Who was it?

"Tommy." Did I know it? The speaker?

"What have you done?" It sounded familiar.

"Tommy!"

|WATCHTOWER
|November 17, 14:13 EDT

My eyes flew open in a flash. I gasped for air. It felt like there was a giant rock on my chest. I couldn't breathe! I clawed at what was around me in attempt to regain oxygen. Nothing!I was not going to black out again, damn it! I was hyperventilating! Oh god! Was I going to die? Was I going to suffocate? I was going into shock. I was going into shock! Holy god, of all things, to die of shock! Damn it, I will not die of something this stupid! This... this... damned ordinary! I needed to relax! I had to force myself to relax. I sat up, and put my head between my knees. I was going to puke, I knew it. I forced my breathing to slow down. Slowly I calmed down.

My senses, both physical and mental, came back enough for me to realize where I was, the medical bay of the Watchtower. I was in a medical gown. There were tubes and wires attached all over my chest and face. It felt so weird. I tugged on a wire, but it wouldn't come off. I pulled harder, and it ripped off. Instantly my skin stung intensely! I yelped in pain. It felt like taking off seven band-aids at the same time. I swore, and started ripping them off of me. It hurt pretty bad, but I got them all off. Then there was this tube-thing in my nose. When I pulled on it I could feel it moving deep inside me. A giant shudder zapped through my spine. It was the weirdest feeling ever! It was like something had snaked it's way into my head. I was immediately desperate to get it out of me. Grabbing it with both hands, I pulled, and pulled, and pulled... It just kept coming out! It felt disgusting! Both in my hands and inside... God... But anyway, I got it out and gasped for breath. The only thing left was an IV needle in my arm. That one was easy. I just ripped it out. Finally I had time to assess my situation.

There was a screen at the other end of the room playing news from around the US. None of them interested me except for Star City and Gotham. It looked as if there had been some strange criminal activity. Disappearances, murders, thefts, and worse. It must be the Hidden Fist. But why were they being so brash? And why was I in the medi-bay? What had happened? The last thing I remembered was being captured by the Hidden Fist then... power. But what happened?

I struggled to swing my legs over the side of the bed, and tried to stand up. Nausea gripped my stomach. I fell back onto the bed. I put a hand to my head to try and focus on something. My mind refused to work. As did my legs. And pretty much all of me. I tried to stand up again, and was rewarded with pain all along my legs. I threw out my arm as I crumpled to my knees to prevent falling all the way to the floor. Gritting my teeth I forced my way to my feet. It took a second, but I stood of my own will, and strength.

Someone walked in the room. "What the-! Tommy!"

I turned around to see Blake staring at me with shock on his face. "Still kicking." I muttered.

"Uh... Wait here! I gotta... I gotta tell everyone!" With that he ran out of the room.

I shook my head. What was he freaking out about? Whatever. I stumbled into the hallway with a massive headache. I reached up to hold my head, and... My ring! Where was it?! I searched the hospital gown that someone had put me in. I didn't have it! I hastily stumbled back to the hospital room. I tore through the sheets of the bed, the drawers of the nightstand, even the adjacent bed and nightstand. It wasn't there! What had happened to it?! I tried reaching out with my mind. I was still terrible at summoning the ring to me, but if it was on the Watchtower I could find it. Probably... I relaxed, calmed my mind. Reaching out with my will, I searched for anything. When the ring chose me, it made a connection with me. It had left something in me so that I could call upon it again when I needed it. I had never needed to use it before, or just couldn't figure it out, so I didn't know what I was looking for. But even not knowing what I was looking for, I expected to feel something! There was nothing but my own thoughts! There was nothing, damn it! I slammed my fist down on the bed. Where the hell was it?! Why the hell wasn't it working? It must not have been on the Watchtower. I swore to myself, and smashed my fist on the nightstand, denting the metal. If I found out that someone had taken it I would- I felt something. A spark. I perked up. It was here! Although, not too close. I had to find it!

I turned and immediately ran through the halls. My feet weren't very responsive yet so I tripped and fell a few times. But I just got up and kept going. I needed my ring back! I didn't know where it was, but I could feel that it wasn't very far. Unfortunately knowing where it was didn't give me directions to it. As I ran I regretted more and more not familiarizing myself with the blueprints of the Watchtower more. I hadn't been here too long. In all honesty I had only spent a couple months on the satellite. Even before my training I didn't spend as much time up here as the others did. I had a bad taste in my mouth about spacecrafts since the whole Warworld incident. I still get the heeby-geebies whenever I think about it. Space it's self didn't scare me. In fact I loved the place! The utter freedom of it was magnificent! But I don't really like being in spacecrafts.

I ran straight through the mess hall and through another corridor. There seemed to be a commotion going on back there, but I didn't have time to stop. By then I had remembered where I was. I spent more time than I care to admit in the mess hall. Mentally I aligned the position of my ring with the blueprints of the Watchtower from here. I must've been wrong though. If I was right, then it was somewhere it would never be. Or at least, why would it be there? It didn't make sense. So I must've been wrong. But with each corner I turned, my mental map was exactly correct. It was very concerning. The only way to find out for sure was to keep going. Story of my life...

There seemed to be noises coming from somewhere behind me. It sounded a lot like someone calling my name. But I had to ignore it. I was getting close. I rounded a corner and ran smack into an arm that felt like a metal bar. It struck me square in the chest, knocking the wind out of me, and laid me flat on my ass.

"What the hell..?" I coughed and sputtered out.

Looking up I saw Batman standing above me as if he hadn't just clothes-lined me. "Good morning." He said.

"You dick..." I coughed.

"Tommy!" I heard a female voice shout.

"He's awake!" Another voice.

"You idiot!" Well that one was definitely Sarah...

I shook my head back and forth to clear the buzzing from my ears. Suddenly I was surrounded by people nagging me. Mom, Ollie, M'gann, Tim, Kori, and a whole lot of other angry faces. I sighed and stood up. My head was still blurry; I barely heard a word of what anyone said. Mom kept poking me over, and over again, and asking me weird questions. I said yes to all of them even though I didn't hear a word of any of them. Batman turned to leave, and finally I got fed up with all of it.

"Where are you going?" I shouted over everyone fawning over me. They all went silent.

He half turned back, and said, "I have work to do."

"Where's my ring?" I asked.

He was silent fora moment. "Shouldn't you know that?"

He turned to leave again. "I can sense it in your on board laboratory."

"Batman, is this true?" Tim asked.

He stopped. "Then your question was pointless." He ignored Tim.

"Give it back." I roared. He didn't answer. "Give me back my ring!" I repeated.

"Batman?" Mom asked pensively.

"If you need it back then take it. But I don't need to explain my reasoning." He said.

"I know you can summon it." He said. And with that he left, without another word, despite my shouts and swearing.

"Tommy!" Mom tried to calm me down.

Blake was behind me, holding me back. "Dude, he'd crush you under his heel without even lifting his foot."

"I can take him." I mumbled.

He scoffed. "Oh yeah, you can take on the 'Dark Knight'. Dude what's up with you?"

"I want my stupid ring back." I growled in his face.

"And you're going to be stupid enough to challenge a League member to get it back without even wondering why he took it? That doesn't sound like you man."

I huffed. "Whatever. First I get it back. Then I break his face! And then I get answers."

"Tommy." Mom repeated.

"Y-You're..." Tim stuttered.

"Awake." M'gann finished.

Everyone was staring at me like I had risen from the grave. I was really confused now. "Yeah so?" I asked. "I took a nap. Why is everyone so freaked out about it?"

"You don't know." Ollie stated.

"Don't know what?!" I shouted. Everyone jumped. I sighed, "What is going on?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tim asked.

I thought back. Something clicked. "Oh shi-. Raph, Selena!" I shouted.

"They're OK." Mom said.

My head snapped to look at her. "Where are they?!"

She gave a mixed look. "They're at the Manor. They told us everything."

If they were real then... "And Bucky?"

"Yeah, she's there too." Mom nodded.

My stomach knotted. "Carmen?"

Mom's face went slack. "Raphael told us about that too."

Something in me broke, yet I couldn't let everyone see me broken. I straightened up, and cleared my throat. I turned from everyone and held out my hand. I was just so conflicted. I felt so tumultuous inside I couldn't focus on my will, and yet somehow, I knew that wouldn't be a problem. I decided I didn't want to feel this conflicted, so I did what I always did, I drowned everything else out with anger. I felt a spark. It was working. I stoked the spark with more anger, feeding it like a fire. Eventually I felt it move. I checked my mental map and added in the position of my ring. Then I began to work it towards me. Before I knew it, it was in the same hallway as we were. I opened my eyes to see something I did not expect. Instead of a green glowing ring flying at me, there was a red one! It was streaking right towards me! I flinched in surprise, covering my face with my hands. But I was a second slow, and the ring fixed itself on my right middle finger, the same place as my green lantern ring used be. Where was it? And what was this thing? A red ring? It had a different insignia on it than a green lantern ring. The insignia was as if someone had tipped over the symbol of Oa and then extended the two sides upwards and outwards before straightening them upwards again.

I sighed. Maybe this was a promotion? Like what Sinestro had said. Only, I had green, and then was given yellow, and now had red. Where was orange? And I never even used the yellow ring, how could I be promoted beyond it? For that matter, I thought it a little suspicious that Hal, and the other green lanterns of Earth had been in service so long and yet I was getting promoted so quickly above them. They hadn't even told me it was possible to be promoted like this. It was all so weird. And for some reason it all made me so angry! Why the hell didn't they tell me about this!? Why didn't Sinestro even tell me that there were other rings? Were there any more rings? It was so stupid!

"Tommy?" Kori squeaked. All of my anger melted.

I turned to look at her. She was crying. I opened my mouth to say something but she slammed her face against mine before I could get a word in. It took me a moment to regain my senses. Once I did, I placed one hand behind her head, and the other behind her back, pulling her closer to me. Once we disassembled, Blake put a hand on my shoulder.

"There's something you need to know." He said. "But first, let's get you some pants."

I smirked. "No need."

I extended my arms down, and slightly outward. My suit instantly... didn't appear around me. Wait, what?! I tried again, making a conscious effort to make my suit appear, but nothing! It wouldn't form around me! What was going on!? Was it this stupid red ring? I was really getting pissed now. I tried again, but it still wouldn't appear.

I sighed. "Yeah," I looked at Blake, "pants would be good."

|QUEEN MANOR
|15:30 EDT

I had been asleep for two over two weeks! After I had changed into some fresh clothes, Blake told me that I had gone into a coma soon as they found me. when he had first told me the date I thought I had just been kept prisoner by the Hidden fist that long. But then he told me that they had found me in less than a day! It had felt like I was in there for weeks. Tim said he thought that they drugged me. Zatanna said she thought they used a spell on me. Gar said he thought they brainwashed me. Thinking about it made my brain hurt.

I went back to the Manor to see Raph and Selena for practically the first time ever. Ollie and Mom went back with me. I didn't know what to expect, at all. The first things I saw coming out of the Zeta-tube was Artemis cracking a big smile at seeing me, and Roy couldn't help but stifle a giggle. I wasn't surprised. The only thing on the Watchtower for me to change into was the old Speedy costume. Not my Speedy costume, Roy's old Speedy costume. I had left off the mask, and hat, but I still looked ridiculous. I growled at them as I stepped out of the tube. But then I noticed the little red headed toddler on his shoulders. It was a beautiful little girl.

"Morning, Sleeping beauty." Artemis joked.

He noticed me string at her and smiled. "Oh, yeah. This is your first time meeting Lian." He picked her up off of his shoulders and placed her in front of him. "Lian, say hello to your Uncle Tommy."

"Uncle?" I said shocked at the title.

"What?" Roy asked.

"Uh... Nothing." I muttered.

She giggled, and tottered toward me. I took a step back in surprise, making Artemis burst into laughter. Lian grabbed on to my leg. I just stared at her. She was kind of creepy. I didn't know what to do. She wouldn't let go of my leg.

"Uh... OK. That's enough. You can take her off of me now." I said.

Ollie, Roy, and Artemis were all too busy laughing their heads off. Mom; however, was my savior. She pulled the little drool bucket off of me.

I sighed. "I need to change my pants."

After I changed my clothes, I went to get some food. That's where I saw Raph. I was in the middle of making a sandwich when he walked in. I was so shocked I dropped the knife I was using. He was scowling at me. I didn't know what to say, and he didn't say anything, so we just stood there awkwardly. Suddenly I became very interested in the floor.

"I'm just going to point out the elephant in the room," He said, "I don't now what you think my sister and I are to you, but we're not. I don't want anything to do with you."

"I... I don't know what to say." I said. "I want to be there for you-"

"No." He insisted.

"I just-"

"No. You are not my brother. You are a stranger to me. All I know about you is that you got my sister killed!" He was trying to keep from shouting. He walked up to me. "I'm may have to live with you for now, but that doesn't mean that I forgive you. I will never forgive you. But I can ignore it if you just stay away from me and my little sister, and we won't have anymore problems. OK?"

"I-I..." I stuttered.

"Good." He huffed. And left.

I sighed, whispering to myself, "I'm sorry, Carmen."

AN: I'm still re-writing the beginning of this story, it's taking longer than I thought, but it will be coming soon. And as always, thank you for reading.