A/N

Hi guys, welcome back to another part in this story. In a few parts, I'll be revealing what my plans are for the future so please keep a look out!

Episode XI: Wondering Woman, Part II

"This is the place alright."

A welcoming sight to the tired and bored eyes of the young lantern, Zamaron is every bit as magnificent as Hal and the other lanterns had described when they gave him tales of the planet and it's inhabitants. It's weird enough for the Guardians to have female members of their race - they aren't exactly known to be flirtatious - but for them to have evolved into an almost completely new species is an extra level of funky.

Most of the records on Oa about the Zamarons have been restricted to only the high level Green Lanterns, usually since they are the only ones who have the courage and permission to come into contact with the Zamarons.

To say that Hal bringing the newly re-inducted Kyle is against the rules would be an understatement.

"Remember what I said Kyle, the Zamarons may look pretty and can charm anyone in the universe, but they are deceitful, manipulative and most of all... envious," Hal reminds the young lantern as they casually break through the atmosphere. "Love is a powerful emotion and to learn it, we need to learn it from the best."

"I thought that would be you," Kyle jokes around with his mentor, giving him a friendly nudge. "All of the ladies like a good Green Lantern."

Laughing, Hal responds, "Yeah they do kid - just not the old ones."

Despite all the strange and curious things which occur as the day-to-day activities whilst being a superhero, it's still a peculiar thought to Kyle that heroes can still get old. When he met Jay Garrick it was as though he'd never even seen an old man before, but it turns out he'd just never seen an old superhero before.

This war between superheroes and supervillains is still fairly young in the grand scheme of things, and the real question is whether in a few decades time it will still be raging on or will the heroes hold a veterans party every year to mark the good old days when buildings were collapsing every week and aliens invaded the planet on a regular basis.

Kyle is barely old enough to remember the days before Superman and the Justice League, when the closest thing to a superhero were the ones everyone saw at the movies or on television. Now, a random person can walk down the street and fall into a sewer which had recently had radioactive material dumped into it by a corporation and boom, there's another superhero saving the day.

They either hid themselves extremely well before all this, or the powers above decided this decade was the one they wanted to have fun with.

"Do you remember the days when you were just a pilot?" Kyle asks his mentor, the ponderings of heroism still leaping around his mind.

"Barely," the Green Lantern answers honestly, looking thoughtfully at Kyle. "I remember waking up and strapping on my boots every day, just rolling through life like everyone else did at the time - the biggest threat you could face was the taxman. Then, Abin-Sur crashed into Earth and here we are now."

"If you could choose whether to accept the ring - and you had all the knowledge you have now about the future - would you still have taken it?"

Kyle's question throws Hal Jordan off his game for a second and the lantern struggles to come up with an answer, although Kyle suspects the answer was much more easier than Hal was letting on.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the days when I didn't have to care about the safety of an entire universe, especially when I had Carol at my side and things were looking on the upside," Hal answers, rolling his eyes when Kyle gives him a cheeky smirk at the mention of Star Sapphire. "Before you ask, I am expecting Carol to be here, and yes, things are probably going to get heated as always."

"Maybe you need to learn about love just as much as I do," Kyle suggests, his smirk not fading away for a moment.

"I think I've learnt enough to know how both satisfying and painful it can be," the lantern replies, literally wiping the smirk off Kyle's face with his hand. "Time to focus now Kyle, we've got a right ol' problem ahead of us."

Wondering what he meant by that, Kyle soon understands as they lower themselves towards the main palace of the Zamarons and see a large group of them - armed, of course - waiting for the two at the main entrance. Nodding to Hal, Kyle picks up the pace a little before slowing down before impact, landing lightly on his feet and is quickly followed by Hal.

Motioning for Kyle to stick behind him, Hal walks towards the group with a welcoming smile, although his fist clenching in preparation.

"Zamarons, a pleasure to meet you all as ever," Hal begins and opens his mouth again to continue but is silenced by one of the Zamarons at the front.

"No speaking," the lady impolitely interrupts.

"Rude," Kyle mutters under his breath.

"I hope you didn't expect a warm welcome."

Floating down in front of them, Carol Ferris immediately storms over to Hal. Once within slapping distance, her hand leaves a stinging mark on the lantern's face as he touches it softly.

"Thanks for that Carol," Hal sighs, rubbing his cheek tentatively.

"Don't act as though you don't deserve another one," Carol venomously retorts, turning her attention over to Kyle. "You are supposed to be dead."

"So everyone keeps saying. I think it's quite rude to assume someone is de-"

Being cut short by one of Carol's infamous slaps, both lanterns find themselves rubbing their cheeks as the pain only grows over time. Kyle forces himself to stop rubbing his face as he swears it's starting to swell, and looks over to Hal who is clearly biting his lip to stop himself from laughing.

"Just to make you both aware - you are under arrest until we can figure out how to deal with you," Carol states, gesturing for the guards and they immediately surround the two and raise their weapons to the lantern's throats.

Corralling them into the palace, it's not long before they find themselves sitting inside of jail cells staring at the walls opposite. From one jail to another, things certainly aren't looking as up as Kyle first believed when his mentor stumbled across him. Then again, this jail is far more impressive and comfortable than the desolate cave Larfleeze pities himself in.

The air smells of strong perfume and the walls are adorned with various pretty designs and what can only be described by Kyle as something close to a nude painting. He knew Hal enjoyed coming to Zamaron for some reason.

Sitting inside of the cell, Kyle looks over to Hal with interest as something tells the young lantern this isn't Hal's first time seated inside one of these cells judging by the calmness of the Green Lantern.

Still, Hal isn't exactly someone who is easily intimidated by jail cells if his tumultous past is something to be included in the analysis.

Something about socking his commanding officer when he was in the air force, but Hal also stated the story behind the punch was worth being launched into a small cell by his legs, but he never revealed the reason why.

Kyle knows better than to pry into Hal's normally boring life, so he has never really bothered to uncover the reason.

Maybe one day though.

"Been here before?" Kyle asks, hoping to answer his own questions.

"Something like that. Although it wasn't as quick as this time - she literally threw us in here without even taking a second look at us. Knew she was going to be mad at me as always, but not at you," Hal responds, giving Kyle a wink.

"I pretty much died and came back to life without even telling anyone, so it's understandable," Kyle smirks back, and Hal nods in agreement. "Though Carol has never really liked me since I said she was hot."

"It wasn't that you said she was hot," Hal returns, "If I remember correctly, it was the fact you said it and then starting laughing as though it was a joke."

"I laugh when I get nervous," Kyle innocently replies, earning him a quiet chuckle from Hal.

Most people wouldn't believe Kyle gets nervous, especially when he goes around saying outlandish things for the fun of it, but it's a real possibility when he says something really stupid that he's laughing to hide the fact he's secretly cringing at his own idiocy.

Artemis was the only one who could really see through that, because in some ways she does the same thing. Whenever she is nervous or anxious, she deflects it through sassy remarks or casual aggression and eventually, they found a way to make each other comfortable with their respective social problems.

Despite everything, he sometimes wishes to could fly back home and make things up to the archer, but it's out of the question as things stand.

The greater good comes before his own selfish desires, or something along those lines; it's hard to picture a greater good which hasn't been shown to him let alone described.

"What did you do to Carol to make her hate you so much? Must have been something only you could do," Kyle jokes, to which Hal turns towards the young lantern and shakes his head.

"I don't know if you realise Kyle, but you are far more in the wrong than I am right now," Hal begins, taking Kyle aback slightly. "At least Carol knows I'm alive and you know what that means.. she can hate me. Artemis is sitting there right now taking herself into more grief and pain and you are sat here criticising me? Ask yourself honestly Kyle, how much does Artemis mean to you if the first thing you do when this happened is head over to Larfleeze and become his lackey."

"I'm not ready for that yet," Kyle honestly answers, earning a sigh from Hal.

"Then you aren't ready for to embrace love, are you? This whole journey was a waste."

Honestly, Kyle hadn't thought about the possibility he can't embrace love without first reconciling with Artemis. And now it's brought to his attention, it kind of makes sense why he didn't go straight home.

The worst part about returning to Earth wouldn't be to suddenly announce he's still alive and kicking, but it would be somehow explaining to Artemis all the mourning she has - hopefully - done was for nothing. More than that, he's been chilling with a universal criminal for the past few months without even letting anyone know.

"Not a waste," Kyle ponders out loud. "Just a step we have to keep for later."

"So what? We skip this emotion for last?" Hal raises an eyebrow. "Or is that you just delaying your return to Earth for a little longer?"

"Probably both if I'm honest," Kyle replies, standing up and cracking the bones in his back.

Standing up as well, Hal does the same and turns to face Kyle. "In that case, we both need to get out of here as soon as possible. Zamarons tend to have a very one-sided judicial system at best, and Green Lantern laws about fair trials generally are ignored here."

"Fair trial? I don't know about you, but I've never seen one of those since I became a Green Lantern."

"Same here, kid."

Going to a real trial was something Kyle dreamed of as a kid from all the TV shows which made it seem so cool. It still is cool, but being personally involved in the trial is definitely killing his mood. As Hal has been repeating to him every since they were taken out of the cell, technically we shouldn't get anything serious due to our status of universal peacekeeper, but it sure feels as though the hammer is about to be brought down.

With the room filled to a point it overflows into the corridors of the palace, any hope of escaping the trial without a fight is next to impossible. To make it doubedly certain, some Zamarons currently have weapons pointed in their faces.

"You know what Hal? I think we might actually be acquitted," Kyle jokes, the atmosphere around the room betraying the false sense of justice around the trial. Though Kyle is not the greatest judge of character, it certainly seems as if their verdict has already been read out and this is all a bleak formality.

"We'll be fine kid - just going to get a slap on the wrist," the veteran lantern confidently assures the younger lantern, giving him a wink. "Zamaron's haven't handed out a serious sentence is over five hundred years."

"Hal, that was the only sentence they have carried out in over five hundred years."

"What can I say, just trying to lighten the mood a little," Hal Jordan smiles, clearly confident in the verdict which has been decided. "No-one is going to do anything serious to a Green Lantern, which I'm pretty sure is apart of regulations," he adds on.

"Sisters, we have reached a decision," Carol Ferris's voice booms from her raised position, lowering her gaze down to the level of both the Zamarons and the two lanterns. "After reviewing the details of the case, I am glad to announce that we have reached a decision which is both fair and just."

"Fair and just, Kyle, fair and just," Hal smirks, clearly pleased with himself.

"Both Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan will be executed immediately for crimes against love."

Fair and just, Kyle groans, exchanging looks with his mentor, who is both surprised and confused. Although it shouldn't come as a major surprise to him the laws protecting Green Lanterns wont be closely followed by an entire race of people who usually try to murder them upon sight. I am really going to die again? The universe really is against me.

Just before the Zamarons could raise their hands and begin to clap the announcement, an explosion rocks the room and a large chunk of the palace ceiling crashes to the ground. With that grand entrance, the Green Lantern Kilowog drifts down into the palace, a cheeky smirk plastered on his face.

"Not today Zamarons. These two poozers are going straight to Oa - the Guardians have a lot of questions to answer," the alien snorts, giving Carol Ferris a lazy nod.

"You know, I'm going to gladly accept the title of poozer this time around. I'll take it as a badge of honour," Kyle states, brushing aside the spear pointed in his face and soaring into the air to meet Kilowog at the ceiling. Hal soon joins them and turns back around to Carol, giving her what Kyle could only presume is an apologetic look as they make their hasty escape from Zamaron and into the atmosphere above the planet.

As soon as they reach safety, Kilowog grabs the two by their arms and shoots them a look which is almost as powerful as their rings. "Talk."

"You want to tell him or should I?" Hal asks Kyle, earning him an intrigued expression from their comrade.

"Go right ahead," Kyle sighs, gladly giving away the opportunity to explain the unexplainable. With a more roundabout explanation than a solid one, Kilowog politely listens to Hal's story of how Kyle died and magically came back to life not knowing how, as well as all the other stuff about their quest.

It takes him more than a few minutes to comprehend, but Kilowog is soon nodding at the two.

"Sounds risky.. and you were going to do it alone," Kilowog grunts. "Why didn't you ask me to come along?"

"Didn't you just say the Guardians wanted to see us both?" Kyle scratches his head.

"They are immortal - they can wait. I want to see how much trouble both of you get in for this," the alien chuckles.

"It's decided then. The two become the three and the three become heroes... I need to make a movie about this."

A/N

There we have it folks, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice week!