CHAPTER 4 of 7
As Green Lantern and Wonder Woman approached the construction site in Central City a massive explosion rattled buildings, shattering windows around them.
"What the hell?" Lantern paused, hanging in the air long enough to survey the surroundings, making sure citizens weren't in danger from falling glass.
Not ten minutes earlier he'd been dozing in the lounge of the Watch Tower when Diana woke him, saying Flash was in Central City and needed help to evacuate a group of people. It wasn't like Flash to cause such destruction so quickly, and John wondered just what the speedster had gotten himself into this time.
"There!" Diana announced, pointing to their original destination. Orange flames and black smoke could be seen spewing into the air.
Lantern's neck muscles tightened at the thought of Flash being caught in the blaze. "Let's go!" He and Diana propelled themselves forward even faster than before.
It wasn't hard to spot the bright red suit from the sky. Flash was several yards from the inferno, sprawled across a pile of lumber. As the duo landed, Green Lantern noted a fifty-foot robot melting to scrap at the center of the fire.
Wonder Woman reached Flash first and pulled him to a sitting position. "Are you all right?" she asked as the speedster's eyes fluttered open.
Flash staggered to his feet and grabbed his head with both hands. "Ugh," he moaned, "somebody stop the world from spinning."
Lantern offered a supporting hand to his friend. "What happened?"
"The robot," Flash said, "it was...crazy. I tried to stop it."
"Looks like you did," Lantern complimented.
Flash looked at the burning wreckage. "Yeah." Then, he frowned. "No." Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh, no!" He zipped from Lantern's grasp so fast it took John a moment to realize he was gone.
Wonder Woman and Green Lantern exchanged a puzzled look.
"Hawkgirl! She's here!" Flash said frantically as he returned to their position after an instantaneous trip around the perimeter of the flames. "She did this, not me. Help me find her!" He dashed off again, this time making a wider circle around the devastation.
At the mention of her name, John froze, his glowing eyes locked on the blaze. "Oh, no," he echoed in exhale.
"You don't think..." Diana began. She grasped John's shoulder and shook him. "Lantern!"
He turned his head slightly toward her, but kept his eyes on the flames, terror etched in his dark features.
"Put out the fire," she ordered.
Lantern blinked, coming back to himself. Quickly, he produced an airtight bubble of green energy around the flames, snuffing them out.
Wonder Woman took to the air and examined the smoldering scene. "I don't see her."
Flash looked up from the ground to Diana. "Where'd she go?"
Green Lantern also leapt into the sky and hung higher than Diana. He scanned the charred ground below. It was obvious no living thing could have survived the blaze. The likelihood of even finding a body among the ashes was practically non-existent.
"She was hurt too bad to fly off," Flash said sadly.
John felt bile rising in his throat at the speedster's words. Shayera was injured. He had to find her, to help her, to see her again before it was too late. His heart pounding loudly in his ears, John continued to scrutinize the area, looking for any sign of the former League member.
In desperation, his scan grew wider until he saw the hole in the security fence. Something had been blown through the metal slats, leaving tell-tale feathers in its wake. John's stomach contracted in fear as he followed the trajectory across the street.
Crumpled on the sidewalk lay Hawkgirl.
"Shayera," John breathed. Without word to his teammates, he dove out of the air and landed on the sidewalk near her.
As a Marine and a Green Lantern, he'd witnessed plenty of horrific scenes over the years. But the sight of the woman he loved, bloodied and broken nearly undid him. Biting back the helpless sound that threatened to escape his throat, he knelt next to her.
He could hear her breathing -- a short, wet panting sound that froze the blood in his veins. To have proof she was still alive should have been a good sign, but it was anything but a relief. He'd heard that sound before. It never ended well.
Swallowing hard, John forced himself to examine her injuries. It was clear without much inspection that both wings were broken. A snapped bone protruded through the top of one and both lay at odd angles across the ground. Her clothes, hair and feathers still smoldered. And she was so thin. The clothes she wore -- the same ones she was wearing when he saw her months ago -- no longer fit.
John put his hand gently on her sunken cheek. She flinched at his touch.
"Oh, Shy," he choked.
"Holy Hera!" Flash gasped as he and Wonder Woman arrived.
John barely noticed Diana holding Flash back and the speedster's shoulders slumping in defeat. The end was inevitable, John knew, and they were all helpless to prevent it.
Shayera had an inventory of regrets longer than she could list in the short amount of time she had remaining. If it were not so painful to do so, she could almost laugh at the fact that in just the last few moments of life she'd managed to acquire two new regrets. The first being that her plan of instant incineration backfired, resulting instead in a slow, agonizing drowning in her own blood as her damaged lungs fought against the unavoidable.
The second -- and she hoped final -- regret of her life was that John had found her alive. A few minutes longer and it would have been over. Instead, she would have an audience for her expiration. Having no desire for John or anyone else to watch her slip away, she silently damned the Justice League's always-fast response.
Gathering her remaining strength, Shayera forced her lids open to see the glowing green of John's eyes. "No," she exhaled, a trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. In agony, Shayera reached out with her right arm.
John held out his hand to her. But to his dismay, she bypassed his offer and instead scraped at the concrete. With gritted teeth she attempted to claw her way toward the shadows.
John grasped her arm causing an involuntary whimper to escape the back of her throat. Instantly he released her, and Shayera's arm dropped limply to the pavement. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
She attempted to breathe, but it was to the point where it was easier to not bother. Instead, she weakly coughed, spattering blood onto John's boots. Wheezing in a shallow breath, Shayera forced as much intensity as she could into her voice. "Let me die..." she begged, her blood now dripping from her nose as well A rattling breath was painfully drawn into her lungs. "...please."
As darkness closed in around her, Shayera thought she ought to tell John that she still loved him -- even though he probably hadn't believed her the first time she said it. But she didn't have enough air left to say anything. Her last thought was a Thanagarian curse at the realization that she'd added yet another regret to her list at the last possible second.
Her body went slack as she was engulfed in blackness.
For a long, chilling moment, no one moved.
"Hera protect her," Diana prayed.
John's eyes slid shut, unsuccessfully blocking his tears. His hand slid slowly down to her battered wing where he stroked the feathers. "No," he croaked, shaking his head. "No, Shy..." His fingers fisted in her feathers.
Diana crouched next to Lantern and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, John," she said.
His muscles quivered beneath her fingers with his efforts to repress his cries.
"Wait," Flash said, his eyes wide. He dropped to his knees next to his fallen friend. Cautiously, he put his ear to Shayera's back. He listened for a few seconds. "She's not gone!" he announced.
Skeptically, John looked up to Flash. If he was joking, John was prepared to have another lifeless body sprawled on the sidewalk.
"Seriously, GL!" Flash assured him, his ear still on Shayera's back. "I can hear her heartbeat. It's weak, but it's there. Take her to the Watch Tower." He raised his head and looked John squarely in the eye. "Don't let her die," he pleaded.
John glanced to Wonder Woman. The Amazon's tight expression revealed little, but her words were compassionate. "We have to try, John."
Looking down at the battered body of his lover, he saw her back rise slightly with a shallow breath. A bubble of hope rose to the surface of his gloom and broke through. A determination he'd never felt before overcame him.
Before they could know what was happening, Green Lantern swept his teammates up in a transport field and had them hurdling through the atmosphere toward the Watch Tower and possible salvation.
To Be Continued...
As Green Lantern and Wonder Woman approached the construction site in Central City a massive explosion rattled buildings, shattering windows around them.
"What the hell?" Lantern paused, hanging in the air long enough to survey the surroundings, making sure citizens weren't in danger from falling glass.
Not ten minutes earlier he'd been dozing in the lounge of the Watch Tower when Diana woke him, saying Flash was in Central City and needed help to evacuate a group of people. It wasn't like Flash to cause such destruction so quickly, and John wondered just what the speedster had gotten himself into this time.
"There!" Diana announced, pointing to their original destination. Orange flames and black smoke could be seen spewing into the air.
Lantern's neck muscles tightened at the thought of Flash being caught in the blaze. "Let's go!" He and Diana propelled themselves forward even faster than before.
It wasn't hard to spot the bright red suit from the sky. Flash was several yards from the inferno, sprawled across a pile of lumber. As the duo landed, Green Lantern noted a fifty-foot robot melting to scrap at the center of the fire.
Wonder Woman reached Flash first and pulled him to a sitting position. "Are you all right?" she asked as the speedster's eyes fluttered open.
Flash staggered to his feet and grabbed his head with both hands. "Ugh," he moaned, "somebody stop the world from spinning."
Lantern offered a supporting hand to his friend. "What happened?"
"The robot," Flash said, "it was...crazy. I tried to stop it."
"Looks like you did," Lantern complimented.
Flash looked at the burning wreckage. "Yeah." Then, he frowned. "No." Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh, no!" He zipped from Lantern's grasp so fast it took John a moment to realize he was gone.
Wonder Woman and Green Lantern exchanged a puzzled look.
"Hawkgirl! She's here!" Flash said frantically as he returned to their position after an instantaneous trip around the perimeter of the flames. "She did this, not me. Help me find her!" He dashed off again, this time making a wider circle around the devastation.
At the mention of her name, John froze, his glowing eyes locked on the blaze. "Oh, no," he echoed in exhale.
"You don't think..." Diana began. She grasped John's shoulder and shook him. "Lantern!"
He turned his head slightly toward her, but kept his eyes on the flames, terror etched in his dark features.
"Put out the fire," she ordered.
Lantern blinked, coming back to himself. Quickly, he produced an airtight bubble of green energy around the flames, snuffing them out.
Wonder Woman took to the air and examined the smoldering scene. "I don't see her."
Flash looked up from the ground to Diana. "Where'd she go?"
Green Lantern also leapt into the sky and hung higher than Diana. He scanned the charred ground below. It was obvious no living thing could have survived the blaze. The likelihood of even finding a body among the ashes was practically non-existent.
"She was hurt too bad to fly off," Flash said sadly.
John felt bile rising in his throat at the speedster's words. Shayera was injured. He had to find her, to help her, to see her again before it was too late. His heart pounding loudly in his ears, John continued to scrutinize the area, looking for any sign of the former League member.
In desperation, his scan grew wider until he saw the hole in the security fence. Something had been blown through the metal slats, leaving tell-tale feathers in its wake. John's stomach contracted in fear as he followed the trajectory across the street.
Crumpled on the sidewalk lay Hawkgirl.
"Shayera," John breathed. Without word to his teammates, he dove out of the air and landed on the sidewalk near her.
As a Marine and a Green Lantern, he'd witnessed plenty of horrific scenes over the years. But the sight of the woman he loved, bloodied and broken nearly undid him. Biting back the helpless sound that threatened to escape his throat, he knelt next to her.
He could hear her breathing -- a short, wet panting sound that froze the blood in his veins. To have proof she was still alive should have been a good sign, but it was anything but a relief. He'd heard that sound before. It never ended well.
Swallowing hard, John forced himself to examine her injuries. It was clear without much inspection that both wings were broken. A snapped bone protruded through the top of one and both lay at odd angles across the ground. Her clothes, hair and feathers still smoldered. And she was so thin. The clothes she wore -- the same ones she was wearing when he saw her months ago -- no longer fit.
John put his hand gently on her sunken cheek. She flinched at his touch.
"Oh, Shy," he choked.
"Holy Hera!" Flash gasped as he and Wonder Woman arrived.
John barely noticed Diana holding Flash back and the speedster's shoulders slumping in defeat. The end was inevitable, John knew, and they were all helpless to prevent it.
Shayera had an inventory of regrets longer than she could list in the short amount of time she had remaining. If it were not so painful to do so, she could almost laugh at the fact that in just the last few moments of life she'd managed to acquire two new regrets. The first being that her plan of instant incineration backfired, resulting instead in a slow, agonizing drowning in her own blood as her damaged lungs fought against the unavoidable.
The second -- and she hoped final -- regret of her life was that John had found her alive. A few minutes longer and it would have been over. Instead, she would have an audience for her expiration. Having no desire for John or anyone else to watch her slip away, she silently damned the Justice League's always-fast response.
Gathering her remaining strength, Shayera forced her lids open to see the glowing green of John's eyes. "No," she exhaled, a trail of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. In agony, Shayera reached out with her right arm.
John held out his hand to her. But to his dismay, she bypassed his offer and instead scraped at the concrete. With gritted teeth she attempted to claw her way toward the shadows.
John grasped her arm causing an involuntary whimper to escape the back of her throat. Instantly he released her, and Shayera's arm dropped limply to the pavement. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
She attempted to breathe, but it was to the point where it was easier to not bother. Instead, she weakly coughed, spattering blood onto John's boots. Wheezing in a shallow breath, Shayera forced as much intensity as she could into her voice. "Let me die..." she begged, her blood now dripping from her nose as well A rattling breath was painfully drawn into her lungs. "...please."
As darkness closed in around her, Shayera thought she ought to tell John that she still loved him -- even though he probably hadn't believed her the first time she said it. But she didn't have enough air left to say anything. Her last thought was a Thanagarian curse at the realization that she'd added yet another regret to her list at the last possible second.
Her body went slack as she was engulfed in blackness.
For a long, chilling moment, no one moved.
"Hera protect her," Diana prayed.
John's eyes slid shut, unsuccessfully blocking his tears. His hand slid slowly down to her battered wing where he stroked the feathers. "No," he croaked, shaking his head. "No, Shy..." His fingers fisted in her feathers.
Diana crouched next to Lantern and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, John," she said.
His muscles quivered beneath her fingers with his efforts to repress his cries.
"Wait," Flash said, his eyes wide. He dropped to his knees next to his fallen friend. Cautiously, he put his ear to Shayera's back. He listened for a few seconds. "She's not gone!" he announced.
Skeptically, John looked up to Flash. If he was joking, John was prepared to have another lifeless body sprawled on the sidewalk.
"Seriously, GL!" Flash assured him, his ear still on Shayera's back. "I can hear her heartbeat. It's weak, but it's there. Take her to the Watch Tower." He raised his head and looked John squarely in the eye. "Don't let her die," he pleaded.
John glanced to Wonder Woman. The Amazon's tight expression revealed little, but her words were compassionate. "We have to try, John."
Looking down at the battered body of his lover, he saw her back rise slightly with a shallow breath. A bubble of hope rose to the surface of his gloom and broke through. A determination he'd never felt before overcame him.
Before they could know what was happening, Green Lantern swept his teammates up in a transport field and had them hurdling through the atmosphere toward the Watch Tower and possible salvation.
To Be Continued...