Chapter Two — Alienated

"I exist in two places; here and where you are."


"Recognized Adam Strange, A-one-one. Green Lantern B zero-two. Miss Martian B zero-six. Superboy B zero-five. Beastboy B-one-nine."

Everything was white, and then, as the light began to die and Arley and the others who had traveled to traveled to Rann with her stepped out of zeta tube and the S.T.A.R Lab Erdel Initiative came into vision Arley couldn't find it in herself to look up, at the four heroes and the S.T.A.R Labs scientist who were set to meet her and the others.

Conner kept a comforting hand on the space between Arley's shoulder blades.

"Nightwing!" Garfield cheered excitedly as he brushed past Adam Strange and M'gann, "Nightwing, check out my super cool alien souvenir!"

"Gar," M'gann said as she placed a green hand on her pseudo-brothers shoulder, "Business first."

"Noted," Garfield nodded. Dick, with his arms crossed over his chest, looked up at the heroes and Arley briefly made eye contact with one of her oldest friends; over his shoulder she saw John and Arley's eyes flitted down once more to the metal flooring beneath her feet.

Krolotean blood was such a dark purple it was practically black; that was a fact Arley never needed to know.

"Zeta squad, report," Dick said. M'gann squared her shoulders, her fingers curled into her palm and Arley could see the tension the Martian held in her back as she stood up straight in front of Dick and Captain Atom, Wonder Woman and John; in her nearly six years on Earth M'gann had only ever lead a handful of other missions.

"Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean zeta platforms on Rann was a success."

"I've also brought back specs from Rann to create a zeta shield to prevent any more aliens from beaming to Earth off world," Adam Strange said, stepping up.

"How will that affect our own zeta capabilities?" Captain Atom wondered as Strange pulled out a Rannian holographic device to display the Earth and the zeta shield in relation to the Watchtower.

"It won't," Adam Strange told the Justice Leagues leader, "The shield will activate at an altitude above the Watchtowers orbit, League zeta tubes will still function normally."

Garfield turned to Arley; the green teenage hero grabbed the Lantern hand and pulled her forward, away from Conner.

"Tell them about Rimbor," Garfield said as he led Arley forward, closer to the Leaguers, "Tell them about the missing sixteen hours!"

Wonder Woman pivoted away from hologram Adam Strange was still displaying; John took two steps closer to Arley.

"I—" the words caught in Arley's throat; her stomach twisted and her gut churned. Being a killer was something Arley had made peace with; being a monster was something that she struggled to live with.

Wally and the Guardians, and the other heroes, always said she wasn't a monster, that what she always did was what she had to do but there was a reason she was called the Morningstar in space, why it was what the rest of the universe knew her as; the people— the aliens —of the planets she saved, and the aliens she fought alongside in the Corps, knew that when she went green—

That like the morning sun, when she went green a new day would start; that their enemies would fall. That she would kill them if needed to.

Arley breathed.

"I interrogated a Krolotean back on Rann. He and the other Kroloteans had paid off the Rannian Science Command-the Rannian government," Arley clarified, as she looked up at the heroes who hadn't come to the alien planet with her and the others. Dick nodded, Arley licked her lips, "To allow them to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle. Once there the Kroloteans stole zeta platform technology from Adam Strange's Rannian friend Sardath. From there they landed another ship on Earth and used the zeta platforms they stole to beam more Kroloteans to us. From there they began abducting and replacing humans-it's sort of unclear why, for money was all I got."

"But why Earth?" Captain Atom asked, "And what does any of this have to do with the sixteen hours?"

"Well back when Savage had control of your minds," Arley said looking at John and Wonder Woman, "It turns out he transported you to a planet called Rimbor. The six of you-the six Savage sent to Rimbor," Arley said to Dick and Captain Atom, "Spent sixteen hours on a rampage, laying waste to the plantes capital city. They attacked everything and everyone in sight and announced that they were the Justice League of Earth and that the rest of the galaxy should beware. That's why the Kroloteans came here, the League itself brought Earth to their attention."

Wonder Woman seemed to pale; Arley had never seen the Amazonian princess look so distraught. John looked horrified.

"I don't know what to say," Wonder Woman said, "I have no memories of this-none."

"Don't blame yourself," Captain Atom said to the founding League member, "It's not your fault, blame Savage and his Light. But John," Atom said as he turned to the older Lantern, "How is it you haven't heard of this intergalactic incident?"

John's brows knitted together; "No clue, Rimbor's not a planet in our sector"

"I do," Arley spoke up; the ball that's settled into her throat bobbed as the room turned to her, "Rimbor isn't in Guardian space-it's Tribunal territory. Us Lantern's aren't prohibited to travel there."

John nodded.

"I'll head to Oa then and talk to Guardians."

Arley paled.

"John are you sure?" Ever since Arley had told the council about the rings being sentient the Guardians had become more secretive, and ever since Siniestro had escaped the Prison Planet and began to gather his forces their decisions had become harsher— prisoners that would have once gone to the science cells were carted off to the Prison Planet and situations where deadly force wouldn't have been permitted were waved away —and the repercussions for oath breakers was no longer just banishment, not when Sinestro could pick them up the minute their Corps ring was off their finger.

John's lip quirked up.

"Of course I'm sure. The Guardians need to know." John turned to Captain Atom; "With Arley here on Earth she can serve as a teleline between us; but I promise Cap, the other's and I, we'll get to the bottom of why no one heard of a rogue Green Lantern in Tribunal territory."

"Okay." Captain Atom nodded, he turned to Arley and the other young heroes, "In the meantime, we still have a Krolotean invasion force to track down on Earth. You did good work on Rann, but now we need you at the Hall of Justice."

No; Arley thought sorrowfully. She didn't want to be the person she had to be in the Rannian jungle, not again. But she would be, sooner or later Arley knew she would find herself back in that situation; after all she was a good soldier, she had been raised to be.

"I can't," Arley said almost meekly; she breathed and rolled her shoulders, "I used Lantern Corps interrogation methods on the Krolotean."

Sort of; Laira had taught Arley and the others when the war first started how to make even the toughest of Thanagrians talk and while she hadn't implemented those measures back on Rann she had threatened too; she would have had to if the Krolotean hadn't started to talk.

John sucked in a sharp breath of air; Captain Atoms brows knitted together.

"I don't know what that means," the man said.

"That means you'll have more luck with Miss Martian interrogating the Krolotean we have at the Hall," John replied as he looked at Arley. John looked gutted; he looked guilty and upset and Arley looked away, unable to stand the heavy look that had settled in the eyes of her father figure.

It wasn't his fault she had to bear the burden she did; it wasn't Hal's or anyone else's, it was just the will of the universe.

Captain Atom pressed his lips together and looked at M'gann; "You're up for it?" M'gann smiled brightly at the Justice Leagues leader, her chin tilted up. Conner however, crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head in M'gann's direction.

"Yes sir."

Though Arley knew that it would only be a few hours until M'gann got a location from the Krolotean the League had at Mount Justice and Batman came up with an attack plan the Lantern didn't bother waiting around the Watchtower or Cave for that to happen; instead she flew home to Palo Alto.

With a heavy heart, Arley could hear Bodie barking as she— in jeans and a sweater; not her uniform —approached the stairs on the outside of her apartment and she could smell Mary Wests sauce cooking through the open kitchen window.

Arley— as she climbed the stairs outside her apartment, with her duffle bag over her shoulder —couldn't help but feel undeserving; she didn't deserve to have a happy vulpimancer to come home to, she didn't deserve to have Artemis as a best friend or as a roommate because she couldn't always help Wally with bills and she didn't deserve Wally.

She didn't deserve his love.

Arley opened the apartment door and Bodie bounded forth; his large orange bear-like paws pounced on Arley's shoulder's, knocking the Lantern back with a smile as her hands moved up to scratch the top of his head and the underside of his jaw.

"Hey baby boy," Arley cooed with a sigh, "Yes I'm home-yes I am."

Arley pushed the Vulpimancer off of her and shooed him back into the house; excitedly, Bodie ran around in a circle as Arley stepped into the apartment and shut the door behind her.

There was a gust of wind that had come from the inside of the apartment and Arley looked up to see Wally, still dressed in the button up and slack he usually had to wear when he worked at the university lab. The first three buttons of the shirt were popped open and Wally had rolled the sleeves up; there was an off red sauce stain on the speedsters forearm.

Wally's hands settled on Arley's waist and Arley's head thumped against the speedsters chest as her own arms wound around his waist, her eyes shut as she breathed in the speedsters body wash; sea grass and driftwood. Wally pressed a kiss to the top of Arley's head and the Lantern tightened her hold on him. Arley pressed her weight against Wally and leaned limply against the red head; she should relish the feeling of being in his arms— and she did —but she didn't feel like she deserved it. She didn't feel like she was worthy of it; of him.

"Welcome home, babe," Wally said into her hair.

Arley let out a hum as she tried to ignore the burning she felt behind her eyelids.

She was home safe in the arms of the man she loved and all she could think about was the smoldering wreckage she left behind in the Rannian jungle. The wreckage that was the Krolotean base came to mind and the fear in the Kroloteans' eyes as she held him for questioning made the Lantern queasy.

"Thank you for coming back," Wally said into her hair.

"No way I don't come back to you," Arley said wetly into the speedsters shirt, "I love you."

"I love you too," Wally said. Arley wanted to say how she didn't deserve it but it was a moot point— they'd both been over it countless times over the years; Wally had said it enough over the years that Arley had it engraved into her brain —she didn't get to say what Wally deserved, Arley could feel like she didn't deserve him but it wasn't her decision anymore than what she deserved was his decisions.

"Hey," Wally said, he tipped Arley's head up so that her watery eyes would meet his, "Mom's sauce has to simmer for a while and Artemis is covering for a coworker tonight-you, look like you could use a hot shower."

He didn't ask about the mission he just saw the strings she was clinging to and decided to take care of her; Wally West was handsome and he was smart but it was his kindness Arley had fallen in love with at thirteen and it was his kindness that made her fall in love with him all over every day after that.

"Okay," Arley nodded. Wally pushed her duffle bag off her shoulder and placed it on the coffee table as she pushed Arley into the small apartment bathroom by her shoulders.

The walls were a dark blue and the two twenty-one year olds barely had room to maneuver around the small bathroom; Arley sat on the closed toilet as Wally turned on the shower. The speedster turned to Arley,

"Do you want me to call Dinah after this?" Wally wondered as Arley kicked off her shoes and socks; Wally began to fully unbutton his shirt. Arley shook her head,

"I have to see her Monday about my clinical hours," Arley said as she stood to slip off her pants, "I'll talk to her then."

Because, more often than not being a hero interfered with their day-to-day lives, League members helped one another out when they could; Bruce Wayne had bought the Daily Planet so that Clark Kent wouldn't lose his job due to Superman related business and Guy Gardner regularly employed teen heroes at the dinner he had opened the year before in Manhattan, so when Arley had found out that on top of a Bachelors she was required to have thirty-two hundred hours of supervised clinical work experience to become a registered Social Worker in California, she had gone to Dinah because if anyone could make her clinical work schedule work around the one she had as a Lantern and hero of Earth it was Black Canary.

Steam began to fill the bathroom and as Arley slipped her sweater over her head Wally dropped his slacks and boxers into a pile on the floor.

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" Wally asked kindly as he stepped into the shower first; the speedster tensioned under the hot spray before moving over so that Arley could join him; the couple's bare chests pressed together.

Arley shrugged; she was scared too, because what if she said something and Wally finally saw her the way she saw herself? What if he looked down at her and saw the same endless sea of red she woke up screaming about most nights?

"Hey," Wally said softly, his head bowed forward and the water that'd been hitting the top of Arley's head cascaded down his neck, "I'm not going to judge you-whatever happened on the mission, you need to do it, right?" Arley nodded, "Then how can I judge you?"

Arley's lip quivered.

"I-" the words were on the tip of her tongue, Arley didn't bother to hold back her tears, "We blew up the Kroloteans compound like we were supposed to but, Wally, they zeta-beamed back just as they were about to blow. They weren't supposed to be on the platforms when we did it."

"Oh Babe," Wally said.

"I killed one of them," Arley whispered, "They shot Conner and all I thought about was protecting him, we had a civilian with us—"

"—You don't need to rationalize your decision to me, never to me," Wally said cupping Arley's face; her voice had turned frantic in the explanation, she had needed him to know why she had done what she did, how it wasn't just an act of cold blooded murder.

The Kroloteans' fearful eyes when Arley had threatened to rip them limb from limb played through her head.

"I had to-we needed the information and I had the Krolotean tied up anyway. I didn't hurt them."

She had only threatened to.

Arley let out a sob; she was disgusted at herself. Being a Lantern had always meant being a soldier but with war and blood all she ever saw anymore— the carnage the Sinestro Corps left behind as they tried to seize control of planet or posed an attack on a group of Lanterns flying through space —it was hard to remember what side she was on; it was hard to remember the good she did and had already done.

Wally nodded and he brought Arley closer to his chest; one of his hands cradled the back of her neck as his lips pressed against the crown of her head.

Arley and Wally sat on the couch with Bodie beneath their feet, their empty bowls of pasta and the dishes Wally had used to cook were washed and put away and the two young adults' homework was scattered around them; their textbooks were piled high on the coffee table.

"Please remind me why I'm taking Vietnamese as my language?" Wally wondered;

"Because you're a nerd and you thought if Artemis and I can have a conversation in Vietnamese you should be able to join," Arley answered with a small smile. The skin on her face was still puffy and the whites of her eyes were still red, but she felt lighter since crying into Wally's chest.

Dinah was right, holding it in helped no one.

"Nerd?" Wally said overdramatically, he pressed a hand to his chest, "My own girlfriend-I'm a nerd?"

Arley let out a giggle and moved the laptop she was using to take her classes on to the coffee table, on top of her psychology textbook.

The Lantern leaned over the speedster and pressed her lips to Wally's; the book the speedster had been writing on slipped between him and the couch cushions and the pen he had been holding had dropped to the floor in favor of allowing Wally to thread his fingers through Arley's hair as he deepened the kiss.

Arley's phone rang from the kitchen counter just as Wally's tongue was swept across her bottom lip; the couple groaned.

"Don't answer it," Wally said as she pressed another kiss to her lips. Arley's nails raked down Wally's chest, over the shirt he was wearing— electing a moan from the speedster —only to pull away.

"I can't," she said against Wally's lips, "It could be important."

"Or it could be Artemis asking if we want pizza."

"Which is also important," Arley said as she pulled away. A hand formed from Arley's ring and a moment later returned with her phone; Arley looked down at the caller-id. "It's Dickie."

Wally's lips pressed together as Arley slid her finger across the screen and answered it.

"Hey Dick."

"M'gann got the location of Kroloteans base, Bats wants everyone to meet up at the cave."

"Everyone?" Arley blinked.

"Superman's coming; John's not back yet but the other four who attacked Rimbor are coming too."

Arley nodded; though Superman and Conner had gotten close over the years and Arley often found herself on the Kent family farm in Smallville with the clone, Arley could— in the thirteen years she had the ring —count the number of times she fought alongside Wonder Woman and the Man of Steel on both hands.

"Right, I'll be to you soon." The call ended with that and Arley looked at Wally. The speedster looked at Arley with a crease between his brows and a worried glint in his eyes.

"You'll be okay?" Wally worried, Arley flashed a forced smile, one that made Wally's shoulder sag.

"I'm a Green Lantern Handsome, I'll be fine." Wally pressed a kiss to Arley's lips; it was chaste and meaningful, one that had the Lantern's breath catch in her throat. When he pulled away and Arley was left looking into Wally's eyes the speedster looked at her seriously.

"I don't care about the mission or what might happen or what you might have to do, come back to me, just like this." It wasn't a request, it was a plea, one he always said before Arley walked out the door.

"As if I could ever leave you Wally West."

Arley was with the others in the bio-ship as they approached Malinia Island under the cover of night.

"Remember," Batman told everyone, "This is primarily a recon mission, we want to discover all we can about the Kroloteans invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps."

Tim, the newest Robin, looked over his shoulder at Arley, who stood behind the captain's chair Nightwing was in; Arley smiled at the newest bird and Tim, timidly smiled back at her. Batgirl peaked over her shoulder and Arley, with a roguish grin rolled her eyes in Batman's direction, they all already knew what they had to do.

Batgirl bit her lip and turned back around.

"Lantern stop rolling your eyes at me."

Barbra let out a loud snicker and Arley's shoulders dropped, Guy and Hal were right, Batman wasn't human.

"Sorry Bats," Arley half-heartedly apologized; Batman let out a huff.

"Approaching drop zone Beta," Nightwing called out. Arley turned to watch Both Lagoon-boy and Aquaman drop from the hole in the bio-ship Nightwing made appear and down into the waters of the Pacific.

Nightwing circled around the island; the bio-ship arched over the island's volcano.

"Drop zone gamma." Nightwing said as the bio-ship came to a stop outside the front of the Kroloteans base. Batman was the first to drop from the bio-ship; Arley, with Batgirl in her arms was the next to fall through the hole in the bio-ship floor, after them Robin and then Nightwing dropped into the island jungle.

Arley and the Bats paused outside the large doors; it wasn't Kroloteans guarding the base but rather henchmen in familiar looking garb. Arley turned to Nightwing, her brows raised, as if to ask When does Manta hire out his help?

There was no mind-link established but neither young adult needed one to read the other, they had known each other for over half their lives.

Nightwing shrugged; Batman's hand moved to the five guards standing in front of the large metal door to the base and then his hand moved over to the lone guard that was moving up the mountainside.

Batman moved to disappear into the jungle brush and Robin knocked his elbow against Arley's arm as Nightwing and Batgirl disappeared in the opposite direction. Arley's lips pressed together as her feet lifted off the ground.

"I hate when you guys do that," Arley hissed to Robin as they moved to the guards; Nightwing and Batgirl had already knocked three of them out, Arley flew behind one of the two left standing and wrapped her forearm around their neck, locking it behind her other arm the same way Kilowog had shown her.

The Black Manta henchmen in her arms dropped unconscious just as the one Robin had gotten to hit the jungle floor. Arley looked at the younger boy and nodded her head in his direction, he was different then Jason— Arley's heart clenched at the memory of the second Robin; Jason had been a sweet kid Arley hadn't wasted any time in taking under her wing, they'd both been Gotham street rats before they'd become heroes and there'd been a certain kinship there —less aggressive in his fighting style.

"Nice work baby bird," Arley nodded as she followed Nightwing and Batgirl up the side of the volcanic rock. Robin lagged behind her,

"Don't call me that," Robin pouted and Arley silently snickered as she folded her body and followed Nightwing and Batgirl into a vent Batgirl had dismantled. The four of them quickly dropped out of the vent once inside the volcano base.

Arley dropped down first, if only to see if she could make sense of anything she heard the Kroloteans saying; Nightwing dropped down after her. Batgirl dropped to Arley's left and Robin dropped on Nightwings right; Nightwing held a fist up, Arley watched as he then held up two fingers and then a flattened out hand, signaling for them to move.

Nightwing went with Batgirl and Arley went with Robin. Below Arley could make out Black Manta walking the length of the Krolotean ship. Arley followed Robin to a computer and as the younger boy plugged a wire from his gauntlet into it the Lantern pressed her back against his, guarding him.

"There!" Someone shouted and Arley's eyes widened as she looked around to see what guard had spotted them—if a guard had spotted them and not the others —and saw two henchmen in Black Manta gear raising their guns at her and Robin.

Arley threw up her shield.

"Hurry up there Rob," she told him as the henchmen fired. Their blasts bounced off of the Lanterns shield, but the structure under their feet shook.

"I need another minute," Robin said just as the rafter they were under crumbled beneath their feet. Arley's arm went around Robin's waist as she yanked the falling boy to the side; her shield still up.

Batman dropped from the vent he had crawled through and onto the second henchmen firing at them; he then kicked his leg out and the henchmen stopped firing at Arley and Robin turned only to be kicked into the wall behind him.

Arley dropped her shield and Robin moved away from her so that he could take out his bo staff; Batman threw a batarang at another henchmen which Batgirl and Nightwing attacked two others.

Arley caught sight of a crowd of Kroloteans watching two henchmen fire into the water where Aquaman and Lagoon-boy were.

"Got these guys?" Arley asked Robin as he motioned her head to the henchmen that ran above them, Robin nodded,

"Go."

Arley did; as Aquaman and Lagoon-boy jumped out of the water and attacked the henchmen that had been firing at them Arley settled down behind Black Manta's fallen men, in front of the Kroloteans. She wasn't going to kill them; she wasn't going to torture or threaten them, she wasn't even going to arrest them, just take them to the rest of the people in Arisia's sector, and yet the Krolotean that Arley landed closest to stumbled back, away from her.

"The Earthlings found us!" Another Krolotean screamed;

"Yeah we did, now you're all in violation of Guardian law, submit peacefully and you will be returned with the other Kroloteans who are stationed over Rann unharmed," Arley shouted loudly over the sound of the mechs wielding the ship behind the Kroloteans, blaster fire and the excited Krolotean chatter.

"Use the Mechs!" The Krolotean closest to Arley shouted.

The Lantern let out a huff as she glared down at the Krolotean in front of her. The mechs that had been wielding bits and pieces to the Krolotean ship jumped from the spacecraft and landed in front of Arley who used her ring to form a medieval shield on her arm. The blasters on them locked onto Arley and the Lantern grimaced.

Just like criminals on Earth they didn't make things easy.

"Right no," Arley muttered to herself as she threw her shield up in front of her when the first mech took fire, "Of course not, why would guys come peacefully?"

The blaster fire hitting her shield sent Arley two steps back only for Lagoon-boy, whose body has swelled up, tripling his size to come out of the air and land on the mech to the left, exploding it, most definitely killing the Krolotean trapped inside of it.

"No!" Arley screeched; her construct dropped and before she could race forward the second mech shot Arley across the room and into the rocky walls of the base. Arley hit the floor with a groan.

Arley looked up to see the second mech turned to fire at Lagoon-boy who was still in the rubble of the mech he had destroyed and Arley fired at the blaster on top of the mech— not the machine or the Krolotean inside of it —blowing it up. Smoke swirled from where the blaster had been and the Krolotean inside the mech opened the machine up with a scream and jumped out of it; rushing away from Lagoon-boy and in the opposite direction of Arley.

Arley pushed herself up off the floor and rushed forward to where M'gann's new boyfriend was; with one hand she helped the Atlantean up to his feet. Breathlessly Arley's eyes scanned the bits and pieces of mech as she looked for the mech's technician; the Krolotean who had driven the mech could still be alive. But when she found a large pool of dark purple blood seeping out from under a piece of fiery metal Arley's heart clenched. The Lantern turned and dragged the Atlantean away from the heat of the wreckage and closer to the water.

"Thanks!" Lagoon-boy said cheerily, once more his normal size as he moved away from Arley. HE didn't even know what he had done; Arley opened her mouth to tell him only for both herself and Lagoon-boy to roll in separate directions in order to avoid a hit from one of Manta's men.

Across the room Aquaman laid on the ground; Arley looked to Lagoon-boy,

"I'll take care of these guys, you help Aquaman," she told the gilled teen and Lagoon-boy nodded. Arley fired a blast of energy from her ring in the direction of Manta's men so that she could draw their fire and Lagoon-boy could get to Aquaman.

The bat Arley had formed with her ring hit the mouth of the henchmen's gun, knocking it up into the air; Arley swung her bat into the henchmen's gut and then brought her knee up into the glass of the henchmen's mask, knocking him out.

Lagoon-boy destroyed another mech, one that had surrounded Aquaman. A laser fired through the volcano's rock and destroyed the mech behind the Atlantean king; Superboy, in Superman's arms flew into the base and Wonder Woman and her protégé Wonder Girl flew in after.

Arley smiled at the young man she thought of as a brother.

"Nice if you to finally join," Arley snarked. Superman said something to Aquaman; the Kryptonian shrugged.

"My ride was slow," Superboy joked.

"Hey!" Superman rebuked, Superboy's smile slipped as he looked over at the man he was cloned from; Arley saw a Krolotean hanging from a broken rafter, two more Kroloteans pulled at the dangling aliens hands.

Arley didn't think, she just flew towards the dangling Krolotean; the Kroloteans who were helping the dangling alien screeched at the sight of her and ran from their comrade.

"Superman triple combo!" Arley heard Superboy shout; Arley formed a hand from her ring and grabbed the Krolotean around the waist— the Krolotean kicked and screeched as it was lifted in the air, just as the one back on Rann had —and deposited the Krolotean onto a sturdy piece of rafter.

Several small explosions rocked the base; Arley didn't need to turn to know it was the mechs.

The Krolotean Arley had turned to her, uncertainty shining in their eyes.

"Get to safety," Arley told the alien, "After this I'll be escorting you and your people to your ship above Rann."

"Liar," The Krolotean hissed, "You wear the mark of a killer, you stand with killers-kill me now."

Acid shot up Arley's throat.

"I'm not going to kill you," Arley told the alien before she turned and flew off, Arley caught sight of Wonder Girl holding the part of a mech which contained a Krolotean; the Lantern formed a baseball mitt from her ring when Wonder Girl threw the bit of mech down at a second.

"Hey!" Wonder Girl shouted, "What gives!" Arley looked sharply at the demi-god and set the bit of mech on the ground; the Krolotean inside of it stumbled out and Wonder Girls blue eyes widened. "Oh."

"We're here to get them off Earth, not slaughter them," Arley said sternly, "Treat them as you would humans, alright?"

Wonder Girl nodded and she dropped out of the sky and onto the back of the mech she had meant to destroy, leaving the mech unusable. With an angry screech and several alien swears in the blondes direction the Krolotean who had been moving it popped out of the front and shook it's fist at Wonder Girl.

Arley flew between the blasts coming from Manta's men and the Kroloteans and the wilds laser beams that Superman shot from his eyes, only to stop mid-air as Aquaman punched Manta, knocking his helmet off, because it wasn't David Hyde who lifted his head as he stood; no, it was Kaldur, the boy Arley had known for years, the one she wouldn't have ever second guessed in entrusting her life too.

Months ago Dick had told the team but none of them had thought it was true; it was easier for Arley to believe that Dick had gotten bad intel then believe Kaldur had switched sides.

Arley settled on the ground behind Aquaman, her mouth open in disbelief.

When they'd been younger Kaldur had been the boy who help would get Arley to gather all her courage up so that she could confess to Wally only to take her out for ice cream when she chickened out, he was the boy who could rival Arley in stories about boot camp— because before either of them were heroes they were soldiers —and he was a boy Arley thought of as family.

"I had not believed Nightwing until this moment," Aquaman said in a whisper.

"You did not want to believe!" Kaldur shouted back.

"None of us wanted to believe this! How could you betray us!" Superboy snapped as he stormed over, his arm was pressed against Arley's. Kaldur had been as much Superboy's family as he had been Arley's.

"You dare question me!" Kaldur shouted, "After all of you let Tula die!" Kaldur drew his waterbarers forward and formed twin dual swords, Arley didn't form anything with her ring; how could she? How could she ever raise her ring to someone she loved? To someone she had spent years thinking of as family; it would be no different then if she raised her ring against Hal or Conner.

Nightwing dropped down in front of Aquaman, Lagoon-boy, Arley and Superboy; his shoulders squared. Nightwing had known Kaldur just as long as Arley had, just as long as Wally and Roy had.

This is going to kill Wally, Arley thought.

"Kaldur, that was a mission! Aquagirl knew the risks. No one—" Nightwing said, only to be cut off by Lagoon-boy.

"—Neptune's beard! Don't coddle this traitor! He has joined forces with our kings greatest enemy!"

"Do you mean the king who hid from me the true identity of my father?" Kaldur snapped. Kaldur's foot slid out as he prepared himself for battle.

"That was my error in judgement Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman said, "No one else needs to suffer for it." Kaldur glared.

"All will suffer if Black Manta demands it. Blood is thicker than sea water." The suit Kaldur wore opened up and a small smile fired forward; Arley raised her ring to form a shield in front of Nightwing only for Superman to slide forward, away from where he was and take the small missile to the chest.

Smoke bellowed around Arley and the other heroes, and when it cleared Kaldur nor Nightwing and Superboy were anywhere to be found. Arley spotted a large hole in the rock behind where Kaldur had backed himself up to and moved to follow only to be side tracked by a mech that fired her way.

Superman raised his head to shoot a laser beam at them; Arley formed a shield around herself, the Man of Steel, Aquaman and Lagoon-boy.

"There's Kroloteans in there!" Arley snapped; there'd been enough bloodshed, there didn't need to be anymore. Superman's face fell at the Lantern's declaration; the Kryptonian paled. "I'll deal with the mech's, you guys just sort out Manta's men."

Superman nodded and Arley dropped her shield; Lagoon-boy rushed towards the Manta flyer in the water and Arley formed a bat with her ring as she evaded each shot the Krolotean mech fired her way. Arley drove through the bat through the front glass of the mech and then, when her hand was through the glass— and her construct had dissolved —she grabbed the Krolotean driving the mech by the sash they wore around their body and pulled the tiny alien out of the machinery.

"Let me go!" The Krolotean shouted as he clawed at Arley's wrist. The Kroloteans legs kicked out as Arley flew up to the rafters and deposited the alien onto the metal.

"Stay here, I'm coming back," Arley snapped; she had only turned around, away from the Krolotean when Nightwings voice came through the com in her ear.

"There's a bomb down here," Nightwing said, "Alien tech, I can't disarm it."

"Maybe I can," Arley said into the com-link, "Aniell can scan and tell me how to disable it."

"No," Nightwing said, "There's two minutes left-all squads evacuate to bio-ship, now."

Batman's cape trailed behind him as he ran after Batgirl and Robin towards the exit and Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl scooped up both Lagoon-boy and Aquaman before carrying them out of the hole Superman had made to burst into the base, leaving just Arley and Superman in the Volcanic base.

"Listen-listen to me!" Superman demanded the Kroloteans that had taken cover from the fire fight poked their heads out, one of them yelled.

"The Meta's flee! Victory is at hand!" There was that word again, meta. Arley didn't have time to dwell.

"There is a bomb!" Arley shouted to the Kroloteans, "And it will kill you all!"

"We're not trying to hurt you!" Superman shouted just as loud as Arley, "Please listen to us! There's too many of you to carry individually but if you board your ship Green Lantern and I will carry you to safety."

A mech fired in Superman and Arley's direction and Superman flew in front of Arley, protecting her from the mech's attack.

"Fire at the criminal and their accomplice!" A Krolotean shouted, pointed at Superman and Arley.

"Listen!" Arley shouted from behind Superman; the Kryptonian knocked Arley back lightly as he was pushed back from the mech's fire. "There is a bomb!"

"Please!" Superman begged and then suddenly the world around them exploded. Superman turned to wrap Arley in his arms— he buried her face against his chest and curled his arms around her back as he took the brunt of the blow —and Arley felt fire race up her arm from where her ring was as Melania Island blew up around them.

The last thing Arley could remember seeing was green.

Arley woke up in Mount Justice Cave medical bay with Wally at her side— her hand was clasped tightening in between his —and John and the other Lantern that worked alongside Arley in their sector half asleep in the chairs they had pulled around her bed.

The last thing she remembered was green, which wasn't uncommon when Aniell unlocked her full potential as a Lantern and allowed Arley to go green, but— Arley knitted her brows together —she couldn't remember why she had gone green.

"What the kriffing fuck happened?" Arley croaked; her throat hurt as she spoke and her mouth felt unbelievably dry. Wally's head snapped up; there were tears in his eyes and the tip of his nose was red.

"Babe!"

"Kid!" Hal got to his feet; he knocked Guy Gardeners heel off the edge of Arley's bed and the red headed Lantern jolted forward. Hal leaned over Arley and rested his hand on the top of her head.

"What the hell's going on!" Arley winced and her adoptive father picked his hand up off of her head. John turned to say something lowly to Guy and the red headed Lantern got to his feet; he paused and looked at Arley, when Arley met Guy Gardeners baby blues the red headed Lantern winked at the girl.

"Good to see your eyes, Nightlight," Guy said before he walked out of the medbay.

"Hey Handsome," Arley smiled lazily at the speedster, her eyes flickered up to Hal. "Hey Hal-why am I in the medbay?"

"Because you gave us a hell of a scare kid," Hal answered.

What scare? Arley asked her ring; no reply came.

"I'm twenty-one, I'm not a kid," Arley mumbled automatically as she tried to recall what scare Hal was talking about.

"Please," Hal scoffed playful as Arley's brows knitted themselves together, "You'll always be my kid."

Arley frowned; Aniell?

Arley looked up at the fore men that surrounded her bedside. Green Lantern Rings had a life span of twenty-four hours, which begged the question; "How long have I been out?"

"Three days-almost four," John answered over Hal's shoulder and Arley jolted upright in her bed— her hand was still in his as he did so —Hal pressed his hand against Arley's shoulder and Wally had jumped to his feet.

"What do you mean I've been out for three days-what happened to me!" Panic flooded Arley's veins; what had happened to her that caused her to be unconscious for nearly four days?

"You seriously don't remember?" John asked, Arley's frown deepened.

"No," She told him, "I remember green-something happened, that's all I know."

"Think back," Hal said softly, "Malina island," Arley's sector leader led, "There was a bomb—"

"—The Kroloteans," Arley breathed as her memories came back to her, a leaden weight settled in Arley's stomach, "Please tell me they got out."

Hal and Wally looked away from Arley and red hot tears bubbled in the Lanterns' eyes.

"That's not your fault kid," Hal said determinedly as he looked back at her, "Clark told us you both stayed behind to try and get them out."

"They still died," Arley whispered, she shook her head, "I should have made them listen."

"Babe," Wally said as he sat on the sliver of bed near Arley's hip, "That's not on you-Superman said they attacked you when you guys were trying to save them, you couldn't have done anything else."

But she should have, she should have figured out a way to save them; she was a Green Lantern.

Arley pressed her lips together and looked at her and Wally's jointed hands;

"Hey," the speedster said as he got closer, "You did everything you could to save the Kroloteans."

"I know, but, still," Arley said quietly. Wally cupped her cheek and though it hurt Arley didn't move away from the warmth of his palm. Wally's eyes were wet from crying and the emerald color of his iris' looked almost luminescent.

"But nothing, you did what you could; everything else, that's not on you." Wally West didn't lie to her; everything else in the universe could be a lie but at the end of the day whatever came out of Wally West's mouth was the truth and yet Arley struggled to believe the words the speedster was telling her.

"Okay," Arley said, if only to move away from the Korloteans deaths weren't on her— because they were, she was a Green Lantern, it was her job to save people —and the Lantern moved her own bandaged hand to cover Wally's.

"I'm sorry if I scared you-all of you," Arley said.

"You should be, you almost gave your old men a heart attack," John said.

"Old?" Hal scoffed, "Who're you calling old-I'm still in my prime thank you."

"You're almost forty Jordan, what kind of prime is that?" John snipped back with a smirk. Arley, with a faint smile turned away from two of her father figures and to Wally.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "I know Dickie calling probably scared you—"

"—Babe," Wally breathed, cutting her off, "When I saw who was calling me I thought the worst, you being here in this bed? You came back to me, don't be sorry for that."

Love; Arley Gluck loved the young man in front of her and though she didn't deserve his love there was nothing in the universe she would trade it for.

A little over two weeks later Arley found herself on the beach outside of Mount Justice cave, surrounded by the sidekicks and ex-sidekicks of the six heroes Vandal Savage had, five years ago sent to the planet Rimbor.

Hawkgirl— who hadn't looked the same since Hawkman's death two years ago —looked almost small as she stood next to Captain Atom, the Thanagraians wings were tightly pressed together behind her.

Arley stood with John several feet away from Hawkgirl and Captain Atom; Karma-Tui Stewart, John's wife and a fellow Lantern stood next to her husband, her and John's hands were locked together.

"You'll be fine right? Like you'll come home?" Arley worried; John set his free hand on Arley's shoulder.

"With Icon in our corner, how could we not?" John said, "Besides the Guardians met with the Tribunal so they know I didn't cross into their territory of my own free will and Guy and Hal are making sure the High Court on Rimbor knows we come in peace and expect a fair trial, so I don't see anyone taking us showing back up the wrong way and trying to blast us out of the sky when we get there."

"I'll miss you," Arley said, she looked at Katma; Katma had been like a mother to Arley for years— Arley's mother Maria had been attacked by the Joker when she had been a toddler and gassed with Joker venom leaving the young mother in a cationic state —especially after her own mother had died of a stroke four years ago, "Both of you."

Katma wrapped an arm around Arley and tucked the twenty-one year old under her chin; Katma and John had never been able to have children, the closest they had ever had was Arley.

"We'll miss you but we'll call with updates and if John is convicted I'm sure you'd be up to helping me break him out."

Arley snickered at Katma's comment.

"That's not funny Kat," John grumbled with a faint smile of his own. Arley stepped back, away from Katma and threw her arms around John's neck, hugging him tightly. John rubbed the length of the girls back comfortingly. "Everything's going to work out fine, trust me."

"I hate being on the other side of that," the girl grumbled with a snort as she detangled herself from the other Lantern.

"Now you know how the rest of us feel when you and Jordan say it," John said as he swiped the top of Arley's head. John then stepped back; "Kat and I'll call you and the others with updates."

"Love you two."

"Love you too kiddo," John replied.

"Love you," Katma said.

"Alright time to go!" John said and the six other heroes who were going to Rimbor said their final goodbyes before crowding around John. Arley took several feet back as John and Katma raised their glowing rings to the sky and a plane— much like the ones Hal flew for work —formed from the inside out; Arley could see each and every nut and bolt that made his construct work.

Arley's shoulder knocked against Dicks as the plane's engines swirled and the construct lifted off the ground; Dick's hand gripped Arley's wrist and squeezed. Far more quickly then any jet plane on Earth could move the construct flew off into the atmosphere; Arley and the others stood there on the beach outside the Mount Justice Cave watching until they could no longer see the green glow of the construct.

Captain Atom was the first to turn back inside; Conner and M'gann followed after and one by one the sidekicks went back inside until it was just Dick and Arley out on the beach; Arley turned to the former boy wonder.

"So what did you want to talk about?"