Hal and Sam make their way into the Ferris building, going up the elevator to the floor where Carol's office is.
For a few minutes they stand there awkwardly with Superman's theme music playing softly over the elevator radio. Truthfully they were both nervous about how Carol was going to react, of the three of them she was the most grounded, the most down to Earth, even when she really wanted to be up there with the two of them.
The elevator finally opens and the two head down the hall. They stop right in front of Carol's door at the end, it had her name embroidered on a bronze placard.
"Okay sport, just told her exactly the same thing you said to me. Minus all that hypothetical stuff, get straight to the point." says Hal, getting ready to lightly rap on the door.
Sam gulps and nods and his dad knocks.
"Hold on a second-" comes Carol's voice on the other side, "Come in!"
Father and son enter the office to see Carol on the phone, holding her hand over it. "Oh, boys, what can I do for you?"
"Go ahead Sam."
Sam sinks into the seat that's in front of Carol's desk and subconsciously lets out a whimper. His mom can be quite scary when she's mad. She hangs up the phone giving her son her undivided attention.
He begins to explain everything he told Hal as fast as possible that if barely even registered in Carol's head. She sits there and blinks, as if trying to adjust her eyes to see what Sam was trying to say.
"So… let me get this straight, a strange man wants you, a teenage boy to go find this helmet thing and fix something that you aren't even sure about." Carol rubs her temples, feeling stress seep into her soon to be throbbing veins.
Sam nods, "And get this, he called me Sam Alexander."
Hal gives Sam a curious look, "You didn't tell me that part."
Carol's eyes widen, "Well then it mustn't have been you. Sam is a common name."
"B-but it was on dad's ring! What other Sam would he mean?" Sam turns to Hal and gestures to his ring. "Show her and then you'll both see!"
Hal holds out his fist, willing the ring to broadcast the message again. It starts up again, "sᴀᴍ ᴀʟᴇxᴀɴᴅᴇʀ, sᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ɪ ғᴇᴇʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs sᴏ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ᴜᴘ."
Upon seeing it, Sam's parents look on in awe, unsure of what to do.
"sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪs ᴡʀᴏɴɢ sᴀᴍ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇs ᴛʜᴇʏ- ErrOr." The ring cuts off. The holo-constuct malfunctions and fizzes out of view.
ᴜɴᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀᴀɴsᴍɪᴛ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ.
Carol huffs and crosses her arms, "Well I think I've seen enough anyway." she declares, her face turning a tinge of red.
Both Hal and Sam looked at her expectantly to hear any kind of verdict, but no avail. Carol stares at the table, trying to wrap her head around this.
"Carol…" Hal starts calmly, moving to sit on the table. "I think I should help Sam with this."
"I trust you enough to figure this out, but I don't want him to go." Carol replies numbly.
Sam winces upon hearing the words, he wanted to say something but thought better of it. Best let dad handle this. He thinks.
"Carol." Hal states again. He slips his hand under her chin, pulling her gaze to look up at him. "The message was meant for him, I know it. He's been having dreams like this for as long as we can remember. He'll be safe with me, I promise."
Carol sighs, guiding her husband's hand to her cheek. "I know you'll protect him, but I can't help but worry… I-i should come too."
"You've got the business Carol-"
"And so what? I've left before for a long period of time and it has been just fine without me. You always go off and do Green Lantern duty and you don't even live down here anymore. Always hanging out up there with your brother buddies." Carol spits, projecting her inability to have a free spirit unto him. She moves his hand away from his face.
Hal knitted his brows together, wearing a hurt expression."Carol, you know it's not like that. With Simon and Jessica here on Earth, I'm not allowed to be Green Lantern of this sector."
Sam just keeps quiet, it was rare hearing his parents argue- mostly because Hal was up in space, but the arguments would never be about this. Usually it would be because of Hal's recklessness… not about Carol feeling lonely. Sam's ears flushed with heat in embarrassment for them both, squirming in his seat.
Carol glances at Sam seeing his discomfort and then back at Hal. "I know…" she takes a deep breath to deescalate the situation. "I'll let you two go… but soon, I'll be joining you two as Star Sapphire."
Sam lights up in surprise and excitement. "Really?!"
"Yes really." Carol slowly nods before going mother hen on him. "Now you go with his and you behave, you hear me young man?"
"Yes mom…"
Carol leans over and kisses Sam's forehead. "Good luck my little nova…" she whispers.
Sam smiles. "Thanks mom. We'll be waiting for you up there."
Carol dips her head, and before any further words can be discussed Hal clears his throat. "'Um, where's my kiss?" he asks.
"You're right." Carol pulls her husband down toward her by his shirt collar. "Who knows how long it will be until I see you again."
The two promptly begin a make out session like two adolescents in the hallway between classes. Sam gags and turns away, he hated when they did this in front of him.
"Daaaad…"
Hal pulls away, sliding off of the table. "Alright son, I'm coming. Not like you can leave without me anyway."
Full of energy, Sam heads to the door. "By mom! Love you!" he waves enthusiastically.
"Love you too sweetheart." Carol calls back, her painted lips drawn into a smile. She had no doubt that her sound would do great things.
As Sam heads back outside with his dad, he realised something.
"Wait… you've got your lantern ring… how am I going to get into space?" he asks, looking up at Hal.
Hal folds his ring bearing hand into a fist. The ring glows and his civilian attire dissolves into the Green Lantern uniform, the last thing forming being the mask. He creates a construct bubble around Sam, trapping oxygen in it.
"Hold on tight because we're getting ready to fly."
Without warning, Hal bolts up into the air until Ferris Aircraft is nothing but a playhouse below them. Alarmed, Sam claws at the walls of the bubble trying to hold on for dear life. He was terrified for a moment before realizing that he was actually flying! He'd been on a plane with his dad piloting once, but he's never flown like this before.
Sam gets on his knees and surveys the fast disappearing ground below them. "Wow…" he whispers in sheer amazement.
Hal smiles wide upon seeing his son's reaction. "Pretty cool isn't it?"
"Way cool."
"Just wait until we peak the atmosphere and get into space."
Sam's heart flutters. Space! I'm finally going to see it!
Once they crested the atmosphere, the clouds become blankets around them, causing condensation around Sam's protective bubble.
Soon they see starts and Earth is nothing but a large blue sphere below.
Sam presses his face against the construct watching the planet from this view. "Is this how you feel all the time?"
Hal nods, "Yes. Space is quite beautiful, and scary too. The only thing I love other than you or your mother would be the stars. I have loved them so much that they have become a part of me."
Sam grins, watching the shining stars dance off the white reflection of Hal's eyes under his mask. "There you go being cheesy again dad."
"The grandeur of space does that to a person."
"I can tell."
Sam looks back at Earth which was farther away now. "So… where're we heading first?" he asks.
"Oa. There's some things we can research about your helmet. Perhaps the Guardians know about it."
"Sweet! Will Guy, John, and Kyle be there?"
Hal shrugs, "Most likely, if they aren't on some other mission."
"Can't wait."
"Won't be needing to wait long, in a second we're about to go really fast." Hal states.
"Wait how fa-"
Too late, Hal picks up the pace before Sam could ask his question, a streak of green follows in their wake.
Pushed up against the back of the bubble, Sam sits tight. He thinks he make overturn his doughnut breakfast he had that morning.
