Disclaimer:  See Chapter 1.

Author's Notes:  I want to thank each of my reviewers; Aura Starfire, Artemis Hawk, Lindsay, MegMeg, shondie, Tracey Claybon, and Lynxie – for supporting my work in this story.  I hope you enjoy this second chapter!

Onyx: Brilliant, Sarah. Very eloquent.  Can we get on with this already?

Sarah: (points to Onyx) That's my cranky muse.  She's the one that comes up with all these ideas, and it's my job to put them on paper. So to speak. 

Onyx:  Ha ha ha, very funny… Are you interviewing the characters at the end of the chapter?

Sarah:  Um, no actually, I'm starting that next chapter, I hope.  Anyways, they aren't gonna want to talk to me after what you made me write in this chapter.

Onyx:  Don't give it away!

Sarah:  I didn't.  And if you try to kill me, or anyone else, I'll change the account so it's in my name instead. 

Onyx: (rolls eyes) Idle threat.  If you do that, I'll quit. 

Sarah:  Yeah, right.  Look, my dear Muse, let's finish this later, OK?  These good people didn't come in here to watch us argue.  

Onyx:  Right.  Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy!

HAWK'S NIGHT, LANTERN'S LIGHT

Chapter Two

            "…and halfway across the galaxy for what, exactly?  This isn't even your sector of space, why are they calling you?  And why do you need me to help you with this?  I mean, those two can duplicate my powers and - "

            "Flash, you complain more than any man I have ever known in my entire life!"  Onyx's voice cut sharply across the passenger compartment of the Javelin-7, causing John Stewart to stifle a grin.  Although Onyx was relatively young, she had a fair idea of men's level of complaints, and John had to agree with her.  When unsatisfied, Wally West could become exceptionally vocal. 

            "I'm just saying that there was absolutely no point in dragging me along on this mission when J'Onn and Onyx can duplicate my powers exactly if they want to.  Hawkgirl is a better fighter than I am.  And you have that ring.  Why do you need me?"

            "I selected each person here to perform a specific duty.  I have a task in mind for you that J'Onn and Onyx cannot perform in your place.  I spent years in the Marines doing things like this, now would you shut up and trust me?"

            "I trust it's something like you want him to flirt with the K'Zarian Prime Minister?"  Onyx's comment, tossed idly over her shoulder as her eyes were still on the chessboard before her, was only just loud enough to be overheard.  John snorted in laughter, and Flash huffed in annoyance. 

            "K'Zarians are ugly.  I don't want to flirt with a K'Zarian.  Even if it is the Prime Minister."

            "Flash, I'm going out on a limb here, but are you missing a date for this mission?"  Onyx asked, even as she stared at the chessboard settled between herself and J'Onn.   Frowning in frustration, she shifted one of her knights. 

            "I'm actually missing three.  How did you know?"

            Onyx turned her head slightly, enough to see him out of the corner of one green eye.  "I've heard quieter banshees."

            "How can you hear something that isn't real?"

            Ignoring them entirely, J'Onn calmly shifted his bishop. "Checkmate." 

            Onyx blinked twice, then reverted her attention to the board that lay between them.  "Damn!"  Looking irked, she promptly changed the chessboard back into her left arm. 

            "Lose again, Onyx?"  Green Lantern didn't even bother to turn around in his seat.

            "It's hardly my fault, John.  I can't be expected to win against someone with an IQ of eight hundred and something."

            Hawkgirl, settled in the front seat next to John, glanced back at the two telepaths in surprise.  "J'Onn, your IQ isn't really over eight hundred, is it?"

            "Four hundred and thirty-six," came the somewhat absent reply. 

            "He still outranks me by two hundred and eighty four points."

            "You have a one-hundred and fifty-two point IQ?" Flash turned to stare at her in surprise.

            "Yes.  What's yours, your shoe size?"

            "One thirteen.  My feet aren't that big," Flash grumbled back, then abandoned his seat and moved to the back to coerce Onyx into forming and playing a game of checkers.

            It took another sixteen hours for the craft to enter the system where their target planet, a red-hued sphere bearing a surprising resemblance to the Milky Way's Mars, made its home.  Orbiting an aging red sun, the planet looked remote and barren.  Sadly, that was no longer far from the truth. 

            "Almost two million years ago, K'Zaris was an Earth-like planet," John Stewart began, keying in the autopilot sequence before turning to face the small group assembled in the craft behind him.  "The inhabitants were humanoid but reptilian, their society and technology similar to that of Earth in the late nineteen eighties.  However, there was little peace on the planet.  Two factions were forming, one fiercely pro-technology, the others strictly against it.  After a meltdown at a nuclear plant killed almost three thousand people and left the surrounding area uninhabitable, the two factions divided further.  The pro-tech group wanted to increase research to prevent such a thing from happening again.  The anti-tech group was in favor of abandoning all attempts at nuclear power and returning to safer methods of generating power.  The debate continued for a hundred years."

            "What happened then?"  Flash sat forward further in his seat, anticipating the continuation of the history eagerly – a bit too eagerly.  Having been perched on the edge of his chair in the first place, this move forced him too far forward, and he toppled out and onto the floor.  Helped in part, no doubt, by the gentle telekinetic nudge he received from Onyx, who sat back a bit further in her own seat and hid a smirk behind her hand.  John shot her a warning glance and waited courteously until Wally had gotten back into his seat before continuing.

            "At that point, the citizens of K'Zaris had developed that allowed space travel.  The secondary planet of the system, K'Tanis, was, although a great deal colder than K'Zaris, able to support life.  The anti-tech group, which totaled nearly a third of the population, was offered the choice.  Cope with the technology, or leave."

            "Hard choice," came Onyx's voice, surprisingly soft in the suddenly echoing silence of the Javelin.  "Leave behind everything you've ever known to start over, start with nothing.  That's a lot to go through for an ideal."

            "It requires faith."  J'Onn added, the deep timbre of his voice overpowering the whispered echoes of Onyx's own. 

            "Yeah, well, only about half the anti-tech group had that kind of faith.  That half that was willing up and left, taking with them the equipment they would need to start 'clean' power generating facilities, set up a government, and begin keeping records of both worlds. 

            "The remaining half stayed on K'Zaris.  It took another two centuries before the descendents of the original anti-tech group began to feel resentful.  They attacked the descendents of the pro-tech group, and started a global war."

            "Let me guess," Flash murmured cryptically.  "Nuclear war, great loss of life, and the anti-tech group took over the planet after the war was done."

            "'Great loss of life' doesn't begin to cover it.   After the war was over, only two thousand members of the species were left alive."

            The silence from before fell again, this time ringing in the cabin of the sleek ship.  Onyx's face had gone chalk-white under her black mask, Flash's face registered a combination of humiliation and horror, and Shayera's soft, horrified gasp was the only sound to be heard.

            "The majority of the members of the species, either died from the initial explosion or the radiation.  Of those that survived the war, many were starved to death because of contaminated food stores."

            "That still doesn't explain how the rest survived."  Shayera, speaking up for the first time, was as sharp-voiced as ever, her black eyes unemotional behind her helmet.

            "The survivors lived in remote areas outside of the bombed areas.  High on the mountains, mostly.  They came down from the mountain after the war was long over, took over the planet."

            "Look, that's all very well and good, but that doesn't explain why we're flying to a planet light-years from home inhabited by lizards."  Hawkgirl, impatient with the extended confinement, rose from her seat and walked to the end of the compartment before turning back, her shoulders tight with exasperation. 

            "After the survivors gained enough technological expertise to make contact with the secondary planet of the system, the records of the old K'Zaris were transferred.  They were able to see what happened to the old populous of the planet.  Able to see that they had been destroyed by war.  And now, the issue begins all over again.  One group is fiercely against the new power-generating technology, the second group firmly in favor of it.  The central city is unveiling a new power-generating facility, using a high-risk new technology.

            "The anti-tech riots started last year, when the new plant was announced.  The unveiling is next week, and the riots are becoming especially violent.  The capital building was bombed, and twelve plant workers have been wounded or killed by the anti-tech protesters."

            Four hours later, the sleek silver craft slowly descended to the surface of the planet K'Zaris.  The Prime Minister, an unusually tall representative of her race – standing at equal height to Hawkgirl's five foot five inches – raced forward to meet them. 

            "I cannot thank you enough for coming sss-sso ss-swiftly after ress-cieving my call," she murmured as she drew closer, much to Flash's dismay.  The snakelike species' accent came through most clearly in the hissing of her sibilants.  He took a half-step backward as the Prime Minister approached, discreetly dodging behind J'Onn's powerful frame. 

            "It is the sworn duty of the Lantern Corps and the Justice League to help those in trouble," John answered quickly.  "What is the current situation?"

            "The riots-ss that we originally called you for have continued ss-ceaseless-ssly.  They are burning everything their torches-ss will touch.  The numbers of people in the mob has grown to nearly one million.  I fear that innocents-ss are becoming ss-swept up in the crowds-ss.  They need to be contained before more of our people can be hurt."

            "This is your mission, Lantern," rumbled J'Onn.  Although his words were directed to Lantern, his gaze strayed to Onyx.  She returned his gaze for a moment, then shook her head violently.  J'Onn sighed inaudibly and looked back to John.  "What do you wish us to do?"

            "The crowds in the central district of the city are the only concern.  We need to contain them.  Once we do, the other groups will collapse in on themselves.  Unfortunately, the central  group has become exceptionally violent, and they are very close to breeching the wall around the central power supply chamber.  We need to contain them, before they breech that wall, and with minimal risk to ourselves and all innocent bystanders.  We have at our disposal the Royal K'Zarian Guard, and the K'Zarian Regional Law Enforcement.  They can offer us sheer manpower and a variety of light weaponry and restraining equipment.

            "In order for this to work, we have to keep communication lines open.  That means you two," he nodded to J'Onn and Onyx, "acting like radio towers.  All of our telepathic transmissions have to go through you."  The pair nodded slightly, and John continued.  "J'Onn, you'll be with Hawkgirl and I doing strifing runs from the air in order to drive the front line back.  Flash, your job will be to force the mob into the smallest possible space.  The tighter packed they are, the easier they are to contain.  Onyx, you will be pushing the front line back from the ground.  You'll want a powerful form.  Now…"  Raising his right hand, he willed his ring to project an image of the city's layout into the air between them.  Tightening his concentration, he focused the image in on the portion were the mob lay.  "The front line of the mob is here.  The power chamber is this building…"

            It took another three minutes to brief everyone.  By the time all of the city's enforcement units and the other members of the Justice League had been briefed, organized, and moved to the scene, the situation had degraded severely… 

            "By the Seven Hells!"  Shayera banked sharply to her left, avoiding by inches the bottle of flaming fuel that one of the rioters had hurled at her.  Another man shouldered a laser rifle, aiming with the confidence that only practice can bring.  Before he could fire, however, a whiplash of emerald fury cut through the weapon.  When he looked away from his target – Hawkgirl – and toward the source of the bolt - Green Lantern – he was immediately struck from the side by a solid wall of fast-moving, black-coated flesh.  The sleek, enormous black unicorn looked up towards Lantern, its green eyes flashing sharply, reflecting the light of the planet's ancient red sun.

            'Nice tackle, Onyx,' John offered, telepathically.  Co-ordinate with Flash and push them back as far as you can.

            'On your orders, sir,' came the response, and the unicorn leaped out of the crowd, landing just beyond the front lines, and began rearing and striking out, driving the front line back and away from her sharp hooves.    From above, J'Onn swooped down, his arms extended to form long, black, whip-like tentacles, which he snapped at the ground at the feet of the people in the front lines.  As he shot up and away, twisting his body in and out around the bolts of laser fire, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl flew down and in, charging the rioters from the air.  Hawkgirl's crackling mace swung, bare centimeters from the noses of three men in front.  John's own energy bolts lanced the ground, forcing the men and women in the furious crowd back, further and further away from the walls of the power supply building.  Even as they moved, a brilliant crimson streak circled them, moving in swift circles around the mob, forcing the people together in a tighter and tighter circle.  Above him, J'Onn watched the progress of the defense force's vehicles moving in.  Dozens of tanks, accompanied by light troop-carrier trucks with soldiers and heavy barricades, were speeding through the city's empty streets.  It was the Martian's job to judge when Flash had to move in order to escape entrapment with the rioters.  It did not take long.

            'Flash!  Get out of the way, now!'

            'Right!'  The red-clad human made an abrupt turn, sending him rocketing away from the confused crowd and into a clear zone.

            As soon as Flash bolted away, the enforcement officers raced forward with their vehicles.  Although they had never performed maneuvers of the like before, they smoothly surrounded the crowd in an ever-tightening circle, pulling the vehicles together without gaps, allowing the troop-carriers to pull in behind them.  It took less than ten minutes all told before the tanks had been replaced with the weighty barriers and dozens of guards bearing energy blasters. 
            Slowly, the members of the Justice League filtered in from their various places surrounding the main square of the central city.  Flash moved in at a slow walk, choosing to conserve his remaining energy.  J'Onn, Lantern, and Hawkgirl slowly descended from their airy heights to settle again on the ground.  Resuming her human form, Onyx quietly joined them in the square, stumbling slightly as she walked. 

            No sooner had the five gathered together than they were inundated with cheering K'Zarians, all jostling to get a glimpse, or a touch, of the heroes that had contained the riot with so little effort.  So intent were they that only the members of the Justice League noticed a group of four renegades racing from their hiding place in an ally and sprinting toward the power plant, dragging a heavy black missile launcher with them.

            "Stop them!  Someone stop them!"  Onyx, to weak to attempt morphing again, lunged against the alien hands that unintentionally restrained her.  Despite her cries, nobody paid her any heed, and the aliens continued cheering them.

            "Sit tight," Shayera snapped at her.  "I'll deal with them."  So saying, she spread her wings, shook off the grasping aliens, and glided skyward, her mace already sparking to life in her hand. 

            "Shayera!"  John's shout rang out behind her, but to no avail.  His voice was lost in the clamor of alien cheers.  "Shayera, wait!  Shayera!!" 

            But it was too late.  She was already out of hearing range.  Even J'Onn and Onyx's attempts to summon her telepathically were lost in the tumultuous waves of alien thoughts.  Held down by dozens of clasping alien hands, it was all the four could do to watch helplessly as the four renegades reached the power center.  And they could only shield their eyes as they blaze of the power center's explosion swallowed the renegades, and Shayera's distant form, whole.

TO BE CONTINUED