Jay placed his hand softly onto Carol's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear about the tension between you and your family?"

Carol cringed to herself, her stomach churning. "What's new at this point? My dad's still the same prick he's always been."

Jay frowned. "Your father does not seem to realize how lucky he is." Then he patted her shoulder and added, "Do you like baseball? It's been a long time since I've played a game of catch with someone who can keep up."

Carol perked up and agreed to the game. Jay had a small bag besides his leg, and he pulled out two baseball gloves and a ball that they could toss over to each other. After they each grabbed one, they stepped away within 30 feet of each other and began tossing the ball over to one another.

As Carol caught the ball for the first time, she felt this weight pressing down on her shoulders, and it needed to be lifted. "There's something else bothering me. I'm sorry to say this, too."

She threw the ball over to Jay, who extended his arm up to catch it. "You can talk to me about anything. And I feel like I know who it concerns anyway."

"It's Alan," Carol replied. "He's been pissing me off the entire trip. He just seems like your typical grumpy old man, but he's been particularly condescending and critical to Hal."

She took a moment to jump in the air and catch the ball as Jay threw it. Levitating in the air, she drew her arm out and then lunged the ball back over towards Jay. "It's like, he can't take a moment to give Hal any credit, and the moment he sees an opportunity to nitpick the tiniest thing he does, he'll take it. I know Alan's been your closest friend for decades, but I can't help but want to punch him in the face."

Jay had kept the ball with him as he listened to Carol speak, and he looked down at the ground, sighing. "I understand. Perhaps because he's been a close friend for decades, I understand how you feel. I didn't talk to Alan or Namor for seven years because we kept butting heads more and more as time went on. Even after we reconciled, they both still argue. Namor's worse, I tell you. I'm pretty sure he would've flooded New York if not for me and Alan reigning him in."

Jay shook his head. "Sorry, got off-topic, I know we're not talking about Namor. Alan has his moments, but he still has a good heart, and I believe he wants what's best for Hal."

"He kind of has a shitty way of showing it."

Jay pursed his lip. "Right…"

There was a pause as they just stood there for a moment. Then Jay raised his head up, smirking. "So, how do you personally feel about Hal? I mean, you know…"

Carol's entire body jolted, her eyes widening. "What are you talking about? All I did was say Alan shouldn't be a petty jerk to him. I'm sure Barry and even Jessica would say the same thing."

"Right, right, they probably would. But I can see it in your eyes. Honey, I've seen it for a while. And if he won't make the first move, then there's nothing wrong with you doing so. After all -"

Jay smiled. "All right, all right, I get the hint. I won't say anything more. But let's just say that you're not known for your subtly, Miss Danvers."

Then Jay heard Barry calling him, and he sped off. With that, Carol walked over to Hal, who was trying to set up one of the tents that they were going to use to sleep in together. She saw him try about ten different setups, before Alan levitated down the ground.

"No, no, no, you're doing it wrong!" he barked.

Hal rolled his eyes. "Sorry that I don't have a degree in engineering."

"Here, don't worry yourself over it. Leave the rest to me."

And with that, Hal walked off while Alan used his ring to gather all the components needed for the perfect tent. It was a massive, hulking, silver structure that had triangle outlines colored all over it, and it was at least two stories high.

Carol's mouth went agape. "What, are we staying a year?"

Alan chuckled without breaking his attention away from the tent. "Sorry, it's in my blood, I guess."

Carol looked over to Hal and said, "Hey, Highball, you wanna go on a quick flyover?"

Hal nodded, and the two bolted up high into the sky. The pressure one had to thrust upon themselves in order to lift off the ground and defy gravity was a feeling that one never got used to. Nor was seeing everything on the ground shrink into the distance as one rose higher and higher into the sky. There was silence between Hal and Carol for a few moments before they started talking.

Hal groaned. "I really tried to make that tent best as I could. I bet you're disappointed."

"Yeah, I'm disappointed. Disappointed in Alan," Carol replied with, waving her hand around.

Hal perked up. "Oh, at Alan. That's a relief, to be honest."

"Now why would I be mad at you? You're doing your best, and Alan seems to have made it his mission to make you look bad, and it's honestly ridiculous!"

"You're telling me!"

They continued to soar through the skies of Xandar. The gentle, comforting breeze soothing through their faces was not unlike anything they would feel on Earth, but the crystal-clear purple lake glistening below them reminded the two of their alien surroundings.

Carol began to think about Barry and Jay, and she could see them zooming around the forest that they were staying in. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen Barry and Jay make so much as a snide comment to one another, let alone argue."

Hal smirked. "That's because they're both ridiculously nice people. Alan and I are both different people from them."

"Very different, I should add."

"Yeah, yeah. Sometimes they seem like they want to keep having the same conversations again and again and again."

"I guess it's good for the both of them that they have such stable lives."

Hal didn't respond, but Carol saw him nodding in agreement. They continued to fly through Xandar's sky, talking about the lush scenery and the city nearby; it looked so much like an Earth city, but a few details were off, such as the green lights all around and the skyscrapers all have a sterile white-and-blue look to them.

Nighttime soon fell over Xandar. Everyone was in their briefs and undershirts, with Carol and Jessica chatting about some baseball game while Jay and Alan reminisced about an old war memory. Hal had just gotten done hearing a message from Stark about wanting to go out for a drink and walked over to his mattress. And there Barry came back into the tent, dressed as if he were a sheltered eight-year-old boy, wearing striped purple-and-white pajamas. Everyone else snickered.

Hal clasped his hands. "Alright, Barry, it's time for your bedtime story. What should I read to you?"

Carol perked up, snickering while saying, "I think it's been a while since you've heard The Hungry Little Caterpillar."

Barry plopped down onto bed, rolling his eyes. "Hardy hardy har. You're the funniest people in the galaxy, without a doubt. Good night, everyone."

Jessica swatted his shoulder while grinning. "Good night, Barry. And don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Barry threw his hands into the air. "That's enough!"

From the corner of his eye, Hal could see Alan's silent stern look of disapproval as he got into his bed, shaking his head and muttering something to himself. "Humorless old fart" thought Hal. They all plopped down onto their makeshift beds and laid down, with Hal staring up into the ceiling of the tent. Although Alan acted like a prehistoric fossil who refused to change his ways, Hal had to give him credit for the scale and detail of their tents. That this tent could even have a ceiling blew his mind; Alan was quite the engineer, he had to give him that. He almost wanted to bolt up and shout some random thing, just to see if it would echo. But then he remembered that each of his fellow campers would find a unique way to end him if he did that. So he planted his head down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Hal's slumber only lasted five minutes. Before he knew it, the Green Lantern felt himself sinking into the ground.

"What the hell?!" he cried out.

Quicksand. But why had it only just started? Shouldn't they have begun to sink the moment they set up camp here?

Hal tried to wiggle his way out of the quicksand. In a few moments, he was able to lift his left arm out, and he used it to try and raise himself up. He saw that the others were beginning to wake up.

"Wha -" Carol said, her eyes still mostly shut. They grew three times in size when she fully realized what was happening. "What the hell?!" She tried to break free, but ended up just squirming around. "Regular quicksand shouldn't be able to hold me! Why can't I -"

"This isn't ordinary quicksand!" Jessica stated as she clawed at it with her one hand. "I've been in regular quicksand and this ain't it!"

"Hal!" Alan shouted out; he was further down the sand than the others, only being up to his shoulders, with his right arm still free. The arm that lacked his power ring. "I can't use my ring! It's up to you!"

Hal felt the whirring and humming of his ring. Power level 19.40%, it told him. "Perfect time to be running low on juice" Hal thought to himself.

"I would blast out myself!" Carol barked. "I should be able to do that! What the hell is up with this place?!"

Hal was finally able to release his right hand, and he formed it into a fist as his ring glowed that familiar green. "Don't worry about it!"

He created several constructs of beach shovels to scoop everyone out of the mysterious quicksand. As Hal flew away, the rest of the heroes followed behind him carried by the green shovels.

In a few moments, everyone was outside, catching their breath.

"What a spot to pitch the tent," Jessica stated, her hands on her knees as she groaned.

Hal pondered this for a moment as he created a shower that he used to wash himself. What happened with that sand…how had it been able to restrain superpowered titans? There were many unanswered questions.

Barry took his seat next to Carol on the tree log as everyone gathered up by a fireplace that had just been used to cook some breakfast. They had changed their campsite to one about five miles away. Barry had just eaten six pieces of bacon, and he was about to double that amount.

"Oh, you would not believe the metabolism we speedsters have!" Barry said, following it up with a chuckle.

Jay let out a hearty laugh. "Namor would always give the Whizzer and I such a hard time when we would eat so much of the food! Well, I guess everyone did, really."

Not sharing that metabolism was Hal, who sat by himself, his bacon and eggs just staring up at him, begging to be devoured in an instant. Alan walked over to him, scowling. "Aren't you going to eat the rest of your breakfast?" asked the senior Lantern.

Hal growled. "I haven't decided. As a matter of fact, I realized I forgot to pick out your mother's day card, so I might have to get to that real quick."

There were a few moments of silence as Alan just walked away from the rest of the group. Barry rolled his eyes at this point; one grown man and one very old man, bickering nonstop over the pettiest things. Every time Barry would meet up with Jay, they would talk for hours. Not a single snarky remark or passive aggressive comment would be made. He just looked down at his food and continued to eat, practically shoveling down his food.

Carol elbowed him. "Hey, buddy, remember the Simpsons episode with Frank Grimes, where they say Homer eats like a duck or some other kind of farm animal?"

"Oh, will you stop!"

Hal hurriedly got up, cracking his knuckles. "Eh, I didn't really like that episode."

Jessica broke the silence and got up as well. "While we're at it, at what point do you guys think that show needed to end -"

Before she could finish her thought, the clouds around them turned a ghastly and ugly shade of yellow. Such storms were uncommon but not unheard of on Xandar, but the weather report had given no indication that a storm would happen today.

A wha-room thundered through the area, and massive drops of rain began to unleash themselves upon the six heroes. Barry watched as Hal created an energy bubble to shield everyone from the massive drops. But while the yellow weakness in the Green Lantern power ring was not as prevalent as it once was, as it disappeared once the wielder overcame fear, this rain was still overwhelming.

"What in tarnation!" Jay shouted out, placing his helmet above his head. "Won't that shield hold, son?!"

"This rain is intense!" Hal shouted out. "This shield can only do so much!"

Carol then perked up. "Wait, I have an idea! Barry, remember how you and I once busted up the Weather Wizard's storm that one time!"

Barry remembered that down to the most minute of details. And what a story that was, when they and Iris met at Jitter's, only to have the Weather Wizard bring down a lightning bolt upon the entire place before causing a storm around the city. Carol darted over to Barry and the Scarlet Speedster felt the woman's gloved hands place themselves on his hips as she readied to launch him. Carol threw Barry up in the air, with Hal dissipating his shield to allow him through.

In the distance, Barry could hear some protests from Jay. It made sense. There was no ground for him to run on. But in less than a split second, Barry began rotating his arms around again and again and again, until whirlwinds were emerging from his hands. The whirlwinds grew larger and larger, until the storm was torn apart in a matter of moments. Barry could then feel the construct of a parachute being created around him as he came back down, courtesy of Hal.

Jay smiled. "Well, at least it's comforting to know you all have your teamwork down to pat!"

And Alan also walked over, clapping his hands. "Excellent thinking on your parts, Barry and Carol. You are both doing quite well for yourselves!"

Barry couldn't help but grin. He had beaten his record for dissipating a storm from the last time he dealt with the Wizard Wizard. The Rogue would be in for quite a surprise next time they crossed paths…

Hal wondered where the hell Alan had gone during that storm. Come to think of it, he thought to himself, Alan didn't seem as concerned during the quicksand incident as the others. He looked over his shoulder and saw Carol flying over with him.

"Man, what a hell of a place Alan picked for us, what will all of these storms happening," shje lamented as she looked around the sky.

…And in that moment, it all clicked for Hal. The quicksand and the storm…it wasn't a coincidence. Not in the slightest. Scowling and reddening, he glared at Alan Scott.

"You pompous jerk!"

A giant green fist erupted from Hal's ring, violently slamming Alan Scott dead in the face. The original Green Lantern was sent hurtling dozens of feet away, crashing hard into the ground. Emenating from his ring was a gigantic green hand that hummed rapidly, and Hal extended it until it smacked Alan dead in the face, sending him dozens of feet away.

"You set me up to fail! There you were, old enough to be my great-grandfather yet making backhanded comments like an 11-year old brat, and now you have the gall to jam my ring so that you can set me up to fail!"

Barry sped over to Hal and held him back as he tried to lung towards the other Green Lantern. "Hal, take it easy -"

Hal, fuming, exhaled deeply and looked down at the ground. "Alright then. I won't expose Alan. He can do that himself."

Alan got back on his feet, wiping away a drop of blood from his chin, while Jay, Carol, and Jessica rushed to the scene. Jay raised his hands up. "Can someone tell me what the heck is going on?"

"Alan's duped everyone is what's going on, Jessica!"

Jay, a scowl adorned onto his face, darted over to Hal; he might as well have been wagging his finger when he said, "Now, Hal, I've known Alan for a lifetime, and I'm very sure he wouldn't have done whatever it is you're accusing him of doing."

"Well, it turns out that even when you know someone for eighty years, you still don't know everything about them!"

By this point, Hal was snarling his words, his ring emanating a darkened emerald glow. To this, Alan scoffed.

"Okay, come on, let's not act like children here, Jordan."

Hal exploded, his face reddening and his teeth gritted hard as he lunged towards Alan, creating a boxing glove with his ring that he used to deck Alan in the face. The others just stood there for a moment, stunned, their mouths agape. Alan was down on the ground now, and Hal lifted him back up, his eyes narrow.

"I outclass you, old man, and I'm about to prove it, here and now!"

And with that, Hal created an even larger boxing glove. This time, he conjured it up so that it would strike Alan upwards to the chin. Alan was sent flying into the air, unable to regain his bearings. Hal darted up into the sky, and it was only a few moments before he caught up to the senior Lantern.

"Almost getting me killed, just to make a complete ass of me? What the hell were you thinking?!"

Afterwards, Alan finally regained his bearings, and his face was stone-cold. "I am done humoring you."

And with that, a green fire emanated from Alan's ring, and he created a massive timberland boot that he used to bash Hal away. The boot disappeared immediately afterward, replaced by a colossal fly swatter that swiped Hal's left side, before Alan followed up with a baseball bat that cracked Hal right in the temple, hurtling him into the ground.

Once he had a chance to regain his bearings, Hal created a machine gun and began firing away at Alan, who deflected the green bullets with a Captain America shield.

"Trying to evoke your old war buddy, I see," Hal said, dissipating his weapon. "Maybe I should give him a call. Few people can give lectures the way he can."

Alan pointed his finger. "Enough! This is childish! Let's talk this over like adults!"

"Why didn't you want to talk things over in the first place?!" Hal shouted, throwing his hands up into the air.

Alan looked down at the ground and released a sigh. "I…I am not sure. Please let's just talk."

Hal frowned. There was a moment of silence between the two, and they both began levitating down to the ground, back to the campsite. Jessica, Carol, Barry, and Jay were all still just standing there, looking dumbfounded at both Lanterns. When they levitated down, Hal felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Carol, just trying to give him a small moment of comfort.

Jay walked over to Alan. "What the hell is going on?"

Alan let out a heavy sigh. "Now, now. Give me a moment, and then I'll answer your question."