These Prometheus stories are like a running series in my head, and it occurred to me that someone just stumbling across this one may be a little confused. To get a better understanding of the character and where I'm trying to take him, it might be beneficial to at least read the story "Prometheus Rising". It gives background on Prometheus and details his encounter with Green Arrow. If you don't want to, get out of this one what you can. Thanks.
The crooked man sat listening in bored awe to the old timer. His chair was slightly off center, which suited the white haired listener just fine. The oldster across from him had been droning on for some time, and Prometheus considered killing him, just to make the world a better, and quieter place. In the end, he settled for a deep sigh as he rested one elbow on the table, and cradled his head with an idle hand.
He had just popped into this coffee house in San Francisco because he liked their cinnamon crème cake. He had been enjoying the treat with a large cup of mocha latte when the old man had intruded upon him. Prometheus had been about to tell him to go bother someone else if he valued his life, when the codger began to talk of the return of a hero. At this, the villain perked up his ears. Apparently, the old man was a big fan.
"I tell you, he is the best of them," said the old man, working himself into a bit of a lather. "I don't believe them things they say he did. Lies is all they were."
"Fascinating," said Prometheus, "but aren't there already several Green Lanterns floating around the planet?"
"Imposters," said the man. "None of them can hold a candle to Hal Jordan."
"Ah, he must have been a great hero back in the day," said Prometheus. "I heard he died some time back."
"Heroes come back all the time," intoned the old man. "They never stay dead."
"Tell me about it," whispered the villain under his breath.
"What?"
"Never mind," said Prometheus with a wave of his hand. " So this Hal Jordan is a big inspiration to the other heroes, huh?"
"Yup, and now that he's back, things are going to get better. No evil shall escape his sight." The old man smiled, showing a mouthful of stained teeth. Prometheus cringed, hoping the senile fool wouldn't launch into the a recitation of the entire Green Lantern oath right there at the table.
"Indeed," said Prometheus, slowly stirring his coffee. "I am in your debt, old man," he said. "I haven't had much motivation lately, but our little talk has galvanized my interest."
"What's that mean?" asked the old man.
"It means my sabbatical is ended." Prometheus stood, took out a roll of cash and plunked down several bills on the table. "Lunch is on me," he said. "A dark day is coming, my friend, and when it comes, I want you to remember who snuffed the light." The villain turned and exited the shop, leaving a quizzical look on the old man's face.
Once outside, Prometheus ducked into an ally, and clicked the Cosmic Key hidden under his shirt. He was instantly transported to his home inside the Ghost Zone, the extra-dimensional place where he spent most of his time. Walking into his crooked house, Prometheus sat down on a crooked chair. He cleared his mind and waited.
His patience was soon rewarded with a slight fluttering of raven wings. Prometheus cracked one eye and saw the bird, which was of course, not really a bird, sitting on his window sill. "About time," he said. "Listen bird, it seems one of the old school heroes has returned. I intend to send him back to the grave. What can you tell me about Hal Jordan?" The raven ruffled its feathers, as if gathering its malicious thoughts. Images appeared in Prometheus's head. The gallant career of a Green Lantern, his apparent fall from grace, redemption and heroic death, another incarnation as The Spectre, and then his return to the land of the living.
When the final picture had faded, Prometheus was outraged. "I whack a few people, and the spandex crowd gets all cranky," he complained. "Jordan kills, maims and tries to remake the entire freaking Universe, and he's welcomed back with open arms? That's crap!" He sat back and thought for a moment. "I beat the Rayner kid with neural chaff and luck the first time," he said. "That may not work against Jordan, and besides, it's no fun to repeat yourself." He looked at the raven again. "But that's the key, isn't it? I don't want to pit myself against the ring, but the man is vulnerable. If I attack his mind, his spirit, his will, Hal Jordan will break." The villain leaned back further and smiled a crooked, wicked smile. "After all, it's been done before." The raven regarded him with an unblinking eye.
Weeks later, a white haired man was walking the streets of Star City. He stopped in front of a newsstand and perused the publications. Waiting until the attendant's attention was on another customer, the man quickly snatched a daily newspaper, and moved unseen around the side of the small structure. Crossing the street, the man scanned a front page story on the city's new guardian, Green Lantern. It came complete with a full color photo of the hero, and explained that he had chosen Star City as his new home out of tribute to his old friend, Green Arrow, who had been slain in the line of duty. The man who had killed Oliver Queen, the second time, felt a tingle of excitement inch up his nerves. He tucked the paper under his arm and kept walking, stopping only long enough to drop a handful of worthless metal slugs into the cup of a blind man begging on the street.
Two days after the appearance of the strange man, a sudden crisis struck Star City. Traffic lights all over town began to change at random. Multiple auto accidents created massive chaos on the streets, and the resulting confusion paralyzed the entire metro area. Police and emergency personnel were taxed to their limits trying to cope with the disaster. Law enforcement reserves had to be called out to work injury scenes and direct traffic.
Prometheus watched the panic and disorder from atop a familiar abandoned warehouse building. It had been a simple matter to engineer the collapse of the city's traffic system. A home-brewed computer virus introduced by remote transmitter was all it took to induce the mass hysteria.
A time display inside of his helmet flashed, telling the villain that the second part of his plan was about to commence. He smiled underneath his crackling headgear, and went downstairs to prepare for the endgame.