AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, but I really can't tell which of my stories are doing well unless you leave a review to let me know. Otherwise I'll update my other stories first.
"Tell me Jordan," said Atrocitus as the mind stone flitted around his coarse fingers. "What is it that makes you the most angry?"
Both he and Dex-Starr glowered at Hal and his wife, anticipating the Green Lantern's reply. Hal gripped his head in pain as the mind stone invaded his thoughts, searching for the answer. Terrible memories are forcefully dug up, revealing themselves to Atrocitus. Each one had a core theme. Ever since becoming Parallax all those years ago, it had always haunted Hal at the back of his mind. He always feared that he might become that monster again and destroy everyone he loves. He feared that he wasn't going to be a good father for Sam and that being a Green Lantern will get in the way of being with his family. He feared that somehow he'd drive Carol away to leave him. He has before. But this wasn't about fear, this was about hatred.
"What is it that you hate the most?" Atrocitus presses, ever the eager.
Carol attempted to fight through her pain and lend a loving hand toward Hal but her body wouldn't listen.
Then the answer came up. Hal's inner voice was projected loud enough for everyone surrounding them to hear.
"What I hate most is… myself."
Hal's hatred for himself had reached a boiling point and sent him over the edge. This was attributed to the mind stone's control over one's psyche. Naturally, Hal would've dealt with his self loathing and moved past it.
Atrocitus was satisfied with Hal's answer that he didn't even feel the need to give Carol the same treatment. The worst was yet to come. Dex-Starr briefly retreated from his master's side to retrieve a Red Lantern ring. Now he is back in his place as Atrocitus' intentions are revealed.
ʜᴀʟ ᴊᴏʀᴅᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ʀᴀɢᴇ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ʟᴀɴᴛᴇʀɴ ᴄᴏʀᴘs.
The Red ring glowed and flew over to Hal's hand, fighting with the Green Lantern ring for the rightful spot on the index finger. The Red ring beat itself into the Green ring, ramming itself back and forth. But the Green ring never budged. Hal still clung onto his willpower and he wasn't going to give up that easily.
"I won't…" he protests through gritted teeth.
"Very well then." Atrocitus replied, clamping his large hand around the mind stone. Suddenly Hal gasped out, almost as if the air was ripped out of his lungs, but rather the will out of his system. Atrocitus was trying to make Hal's rage take over his brain so that he would become the greatest Red Lantern there ever was.
The Green ring flung off of Hal's finger, momentarily relieving him of any oxygen and reverting him back into his civilian garb.
"No!" Carol shouted as she broke free of the stone's control. She shot a blast of violet construct toward the Red Lantern ring, sending it flying away before it would inevitably come back.
Faintly the words could still be heard.
ʜᴀʟ ᴊᴏʀᴅᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ʀᴀɢᴇ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ʟᴀɴᴛᴇʀɴ ᴄᴏʀᴘs.
Carol refused to let this happen but while he was incapable of getting his Green Lantern ring back, she created a construct bubble that'll give him some air in the meantime. For now, she was going to have to take the mind stone from Atrocitus' hand.
Carol constructs a comically large wrecking ball to slam the red alien into the rock behind him. She kept him pinned there and flew over to see if his grip on the stone let up.
Unfortunately, Atrocitus began to spit up blood that was able to burn through the construct ball and free him. He tried to take over her mind once more, but it didn't last long as Carol's heart is the source of her power. According to the Emotional Spectrum, love and hate were on the outermost ends, countering each other. They were weak to each other, but Carol was going to prove that love was stronger.
She constructed a battering ram and kept ramming Atrocitus into the wall continuously. If he caused it to disintegrate, she would just create another one and continue the process. All she needed him to do was release the mind stone.
While Bleez and Rankorr had taken up fighting one another, Dex-Starr was still around. While he could've defended his master, he instead chose to break Carol's construct bubble around Hal. He spat unto it, causing the pink shield to melt away. At this point Hal would either die from lack of oxygen first, or the Red Lantern ring would come to his aid and convert him. Either way, he had a fair chance of becoming Red as Red Lanterns doesn't need hearts anyway.
The words of the Red ring could be heard more clearly now as it advanced. Hal held onto his breath, trying to cling onto his life. His primal instinct to live, overcoming the mental bearings of Atrocitus. Atrocitus himself was distracted with Carol so he wouldn't notice until it was too late.
The Red ring came zooming in to take its place on Hal's bare finger.
ʜᴀʟ ᴊᴏʀᴅᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ʀᴀɢᴇ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ—
A small thunk sound could barely be heard above the scuffling.
ʜᴀʟ ᴊᴏʀᴅᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ ғᴇᴀʀ. ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʀᴘs.
The will to stay alive has brought Hal's ring back to him, sending the red one away to possibly find a new host elsewhere.
Hal sighed in relief, gulping in air. "Oh thank God," he said, giving his ring a kiss. "Don't ever leave me again."
Taking care of business, Hal conjured up a construct of a slingshot to shoot Dex-Starr away from him and into the two quarreling lovers.
"That's for trying to kill me." Hal quips. He then turned to relieve Carol of the relentless bashing of Atrocitus. If he weren't so tough, she'd have mashed him into mush by now. But she was getting tired and weaker. Her constructs would shatter against the impact.
Coming to her rescue, Hal used a construct of a hand to grab Atrocitus and shake him like a rag doll. Easily, Atrocitus burned through the green light and attempted to use the mind stone on Hal again. But while he was being shaken, the stone flew from his grasp and into the safe hands of Carol Ferris. "Nice try Atrocitus." Hal says. "I'm not going to be your lackey, but flattered."
He then put his attention on Carol. "Ready to go dear?"
Carol simply sighed in exasperation, at loss for words. Hal chuckled at this and flew by her side. "I take it as a yes." He took his weakened wife bridal style and started to fly them back home, leaving the Red Lanterns dumbfounded and upset.