Hal's fingers grip, white knuckled, around the shaking controls of the jet. He can feel the vibrations into the bones of his fingers, and his muscles scream in protest as he tenses, jaw locked in painful determination.

Hal scans the rapidly approaching runway, trying to decide between ejecting or doing his best to facilitate a controlled crash.

The ring on his finger pulses under his leather gloves, and Hal narrows his eyes. He is Green Lantern. He's survived aliens and asteroids and space cop boot camp. His ring can protect him from anything from meteors to explosions. No way is he abandoning ship.

Hal chokes the stick in a death grip, grunting as the jet careens downward in a barely-controlled plunge.

The impact with the ground jolts him like a rag doll, and the unearthly screeching of protesting metal and rubber and cement combine like the siren song of the angel of death. Hal's ring activates for the final halting jolt, shielding him from whiplash as the dying plane slams to a final halt. The smell of gas and smoke reaches his cockpit, and Hal scrambles to deactivate his shield and climb out of the wreckage. He barely manages to stagger away from the downed machinery before the explosion tosses him away from the downed bird like a ragdoll.

Hal tumbles head over heels, neck stinging as if from a bad sunburn, until he finally comes to a halt, pounding feet dashing around him.

Someone helps him to his feet, and Hal winces at the bruises, cuts, scrapes and minor burns he's received from his escape, but doesn't find anything broken as he shakes himself off.

"HAL JORDAN!"

Hal winced, because of course this would happen to him, and he turns to face his ex.

"Hal, what was that?! What could possibly have possessed you to keep trying to fly that thing? Did you see that crash? How are you even alive right now? You should've died in the crash, nevermind stumbling away from an exploding jet!"

Hal offered a tremulous smile. "Hey, Carol. Just lucky, I guess."

"Lucky, nothing! Idiotic is more like it! I've never seen a more reckless display of mindless abandon, even from you, Mr Jordan! It's as if you were trying to get yourself killed!"

"I wasn't going to-"

"Don't you interrupt me! What you did was selfish and stupid and… and I can't believe you haven't been incenerated yet! How did you even survive?"

Hal tugged off his too-tight helmet, and glanced down at his right hand, ring safely concealed under the bulky pilot suit. Carol was right. No normal human would have survived that crash. Too many safety protocol malfunctions, too much damage in too short a time.

Normally, he would've made that call himself. Normally, his instincts would have worked. But he couldn't bear to be unavailable again. Couldn't bear to leave his signal device and ring behind, couldn't stand to intentionally leave himself helpless.

Hal continued to stare at his hand.

"Well… well until you can behave more responsibly, mister, you can consider yourself grounded! I can't believe the nerve! You think everyone can't get along without you because you're such a hotshot, huh? Well, I've got news for you - we can get along just fine, and we all prefer it that way! Try to get yourself killed on company time, will you? Well, you can just get along and try to grow something resembling a brain while you get going!"

Hal turns toward base, tugging at his gloves as he goes. He needs to clear his head.

Hal breaks the atmosphere like a diver surfacing to find air, gasping and taking in the beauty around him. Space wraps around him like a blanket, and Hal feels a burning tug in his chest to get away - to somewhere he can spin in any direction without seeing a single sign of Earth, with all it's chains and problems.

Hal closes his eyes, before opening them to take in the stars around him… and feels a surge of panic raise its head. Wally. Where is he. Is he alright? Nervously, Hal turns in midair, sending a glance down to Earth as he remembers rocketing through space, keying in to Wally's distress signal, coming home to find that home wasn't here…

What if Wally was gone now too?

He tries to dismiss the thought as irrational. He checked up on Wally last night. And the night before last. And the night before that. Never intruding, never revealing himself just… checking. And Wally was fine. He didn't even want to be Kid Flash anymore (thank goodness).

But what if?

And Hal leaned his head back, torn between a raging desire to check on Wally, despite knowing, knowing how much it was going to hurt, and the burgeoning desire to leave. To just stop trying, to consciously put everything out of his mind, to just… drift. Anywhere but here.

But… but even if he hadn't worked up the nerve to see Wally yet (and he would, he just needed time), he knew he had to eventually. He had a responsibility, he had to take care of this kid, to be a pillar, to support him and protect him. And that meant he had to stay.

Hal closes his eyes to the lure of the heavens. He has to stay. He has to stay.