Wavelengths

A DCAU Plus fanfiction project

Arisia

Atrocitus was so huge a being, it was easy to forget how fast he could be. In an instant he was on her, slamming a fist into her gut. Even with her protective aura, it knocked the wind out of Arisia's lungs and left her feeling numb.

Then the pain hit, and she gaped in a silent scream.

Atrocitus gripped her by her uniform, and tossed her aside like a ragdoll. She landed in the rubble, head down, trying to get air into her lungs. She willed her ring aura into her body, and gasped loudly. She got up just in time to see Atrocitus form a giant, cruel sword and raise it up over Sinestro's prone body.

"Nngh…!" She formed a construct arm, seizing the huge Ryutian in her grip, and threw Atrocitus with all her might! He flew off, landing in another rubble pile some meters away with a boom. His eyes narrowed and burned yellow, locked onto her as she flew in front of Sinestro. She cast a shield-Just in time, as Atrocitus unleashed a massive red plasma blast.

"You are at war! He is your enemy!" Atrocitus bellowed, advancing on her. "Why do you protect him?!"

The intensity of the blast doubled, then tripled, and Arisia formed her shield into a complex, pointed polyhedron to deflect the energy away from her. She gripped her wrist and pulled on more willpower into the ring, the heat rising around them. She chanced a glance back at Sinestro, who was struggling in the rubble pile.

"Get out of here!" She snarled. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Sinestro stared at her in disbelief, not quite understanding the situation he was in. Arisia could barely grasp it herself. Yet the infamous commander of the Yellow Lanterns hit a small box on his belt, and a Boomtube formed. He allowed himself to be pulled in by the gravimetric pull, and vanished into the light.

"NO!"

Arisia turned back and saw Atrocitus. He had advanced on her, his energy blast never waning. Clearly though, he had seen and heard the Boomtube. His eyes burned like tiny suns, and the red plasma assaulting Arisia ceased. It instead coalesced into a gigantic clawed hand that wrapped around Arisia, growing around her shield.

She shifted into a bubble defense, but the burning red constructs squeezed around her. She grunted and focused more will, expanding her shield further. The walls held for a moment… Then shrank, smaller and smaller around her. She crouched in mid air, closing her eyes, blocking out everything but her shield and her will…!

Arisia's world turned upside down as Atrocitus flung her across the courtyard, her shield protecting her as she barreled through the main doors to the Central Power Battery. She bounced along the ground, her construct breaking as she hit the floor right in front of the huge power reserve.

"Ungh…" She looked up at the comforting green glow. She held up her ring-She didn't need the AI to tell her she was running low on power. She could feel it.

"In brightest-ARGGHHH!"

A red construct knife pinned her hand to the ground. Arisia screamed in agony as it burned through her hand, her blood dribbling out of the wound. Tears peeked from the corners of her eyes as she tried to will the pain away-Then Atrocitus' foot stomped down on her hand.

"EEEYYYAAAHHH!" She screamed again, the pain icy and harsh throughout her entire body. She looked up, desperately pulling air into her lungs, as Atrocitus glared down at her in rage.

"You could have had everything," he growled. "I would have given you anything you wanted! Yet you spared him?!"

Arisia gritted her teeth, hissing her pain through them.

"He needs… Justice… Not… An execution…!" She managed. Atrocitus seized her and pulled her up, the knife still embedded in her hand. He held her up over nothing. The Central Power Battery was on a raised platform, a seemingly bottomless pit leading down deeper into the planet below it. Only the platform that led to the Power Battery held them aloft. Arisia's good hand grasped onto Atrocitus' larger one, her injured hand weakly scrabbling at his wrist on the other side.

"You would defy me just to spare the life of a monster like that?!" Atrocitus roared. "I should burn you-BURN YOU WITH THE REST OF THIS PLANET! WITH THE GUARDIANS! WITH EVERYTHING!"

Arisia locked her eyes onto Atrocitus'. Her heartbeat slowed. Her pain faded. Everything seemed crystal clear to her now.

"Then do it," she whispered. "I'm in your way… Get rid of me."

Atrocitus glared back at her. She didn't flinch. She didn't cower.

"I'm in your way," she repeated. "Do it."

He held up his ring, burning with his fury. He charged it, the power radiating from it hot and horrible. It was bright and painful, but Arisia kept her eyes open. She wouldn't back down-Not now. Not here.

She wondered who would get her Ring after this…?

"Atrocitus," Laira's voice came through on his Ring, loud and clear, "Mogo is confirmed Inbound with substantial Green Lantern reinforcements."

Atrocitus dimmed his Ring, as his eyes stayed locked onto Arisia's.

"Your status?" He gritted back.

"We're away with seven cruisers and ten transports; along with a number of prisoners," Laira spoke. "Ready for hyperspace jump."

Atrocitus stared at Arisia. She stared back.

"Atrocitus? Are you there?" Laira asked. "We must go now!"

"... I will join you shortly," Atrocitus stated. The Red Rage energy again burst from his ring, and wrapped itself around Arisia as bindings. He stalked to the doors of the Central Power Battery complex. She grunted, trying to focus her will into her Ring again as she struggled.

"I won't be your hostage!" Arisia shouted. Atrocitus tossed her aside, and she landed hard on the floor. "OOF!"

"Hostages are for cowards," Atrocitus said. He stared at her intently. "I have other business to attend to. Setbacks are, after all, part of life. But the goal remains the same."

His eyes burned as he gazed upon her.

"You unlocked your potential, Little Lantern," he said, "you know your true strength. You will embrace it, given enough time. I look forward to the day we meet again."

Arisia glared at him, silent. He turned away from her.

"You'll make everything worse," she called out. "You'll just cause more and more bloodshed, and death, and horror... You'll just make more people like you, Atrocitus."

Atrocitus froze for a moment, his entire body tense. He then let out a long sigh, and glanced back over his huge shoulder. His eyes no longer burned with fiery rage… Just an ancient sadness that hit her like a splash of icy cold water. A grief so deep and heartwrenching she couldn't put it into words.

Then he spoke, in a tired voice.

"The path of life has endless twists and turns. The goal will be obscured, the path will be darkened. The future is seen not by those who make the journey… But those with the will and faith to finish it."

He turned back, and lit up his aura to take flight.

"So sayeth the Book of Rage," he concluded, before he shot up into the sky and vanished in a flash of red.

So, how was that?