Chapter 159
From another skyscraper across the street, a sniper rifle fires right at Green Lantern. The masked hero throws up an energy shield, and the bullet shatters against the shield, the impact failing to even make a dent. The female superhero throws down several marbles that burst out a dark smoke, concealing the both of them as the front door of the apartment bursts open, and multiple armed police officers swarm the room. Shining their flashlights through the smoke and stepping over the bodies of the fallen robbers, the officers scan the room.
"Search for the targets. They have to be here somewhere. Someone guard the door," one of the officers directs, speaking through a heavy face guard.
One of the police officers reaches the end of the room, near the broken window where Green Lantern had smashed through, and he looks downwards.
"There! Below!"
The other officers race to the edge to find the female superhero scaling down the skyscraper, using the rope from her grappling gun.
"It's the Trickstress!" another officer shouts.
She looks up at the officers as they aim their guns at her. Her expression hidden by her mask, she waits only a moment before releasing the grappling gun, launching herself off of the brick wall, free-falling to the streets below. However, she doesn't fall for long before she becomes encased in a green bubble of energy, holding her afloat in mid-air. A trail of energy connects the bubble to Green Lantern's ring, as he soars through the air.
"Citizens! Officers! Please, remain calm! We mean no harm to you!" Green Lantern declares, "I am simply in search of a yellow ring-"
"You and every thief in this town, buck!" Detective Bullock cries from one of the cop cars below.
From the skyscraper apartment, the cops start shooting their handguns and pistols at Green Lantern. The sniper on the rooftop opposite them also fires another shot. Green Lantern puts up a giant barrier on both sides, but his shields start to weaken under the repeated fire.
"Can't we all just sit down and have a civil conversation?" Green Lantern grumbles under his breath.
From inside her energy bubble, the Trickstress shrugs, "The GCPD is very much 'shoot first, ask questions later' when it comes to us costumed freaks."
Green Lantern's confident expression suddenly turns sour as he scowls, "I am not a 'costumed freak'! I'm a superhero! I stand for everything that is good and just-"
One of Green Lantern's shields cracks under the pressure of the GCPD officers' bullets, and Green Lantern winces, a single bead of sweat running down his forehead.
"Well, we're not going to be standing at all if we don't get out of here, and fast!" the Trickstress counters.
Releasing his shields, Green Lantern flies off, the Trickstress in her suspension bubble in tow. The Green Lantern easily outspeeds the GCPD helicopter following them, and the two of them disappear among the glut of city skyscrapers.
Green Lantern and I land in a deserted side alleyway. With the flick of his ring finger Green Lantern causes the bubble of energy around me to disappear without a trace.
"What is it with this town? Haven't they heard of me at all? Green Lantern, famed superhero of Coast City?" Green Lantern scratches the back of his neck with confusion.
"Gotham and Coast City are two very different places," I explain, "we read about a flying man from outer space and believe he's nothing more than another petty jewel thief."
Green Lantern takes this into consideration, his speech slowly slightly, "Well, I guess you could be right. After all, before I was bestowed the powers of the Green Lantern ring I was just an average, ordinary citizen-"
"Yeah, yeah, aren't we all?" I cut him off as I glance around the alleyway entrance, making sure no one else is around.
Once I confirm that we're the only ones in sight, I take off my mask and start stripping off my costume, revealing a slim layer of civilian clothing underneath.
Green Lantern gasps in horror, "What are you doing?! You're compromising your superhero identity!"
"Again, I'm not a superhero. And no one's around, it's the perfect time to dress down, blend in," I argue, wrapping up my Trickstress costume into a discreet bundle that I tuck under my shoulder.
Floating closer to the ground, Green Lantern stares at me with some confusion. He hesitates, his feet touching the damp concrete.
"Will you swear an oath? To hold my identity a secret?" he asks, humbling his usually bravadic tone.
I raise an eyebrow, "Who are you? The President of the United States?"
Upon closer examination, I realize he's dead serious, and I hold in an exasperated sigh, "Yes, I promise to keep your identity a secret."
A bright, green glow envelopes Green Lantern, and I squint my eyes, blocking some of the shine with my hands. When the light fades, and I open my eyes, and find that Green Lantern has been replaced by a blonde, muscular man in a modest suit. He has strong features, including high, brimming cheekbones and a chiseled chin built for television or the boardroom.
"See? I have no idea who you are," I quip.
He extends a large hand towards me, "Alan Scott, freelance journalist."
I shake his hand, "Natalie K. Police officer."
"If you're a journalist, you have a perfect in to get into the GCPD. We have newsmen crawling around here all the time, no one's going to question you," I explain, as Alan and I head back into the GCPD.
It's late at night, and the precinct is quieter than usual. The few officers remaining are slowly working or snoozing at their desks. I make my way over to the filing cabinet labelled "Active Case Files", pulling out a manila folder heavy with loose papers.
"Are you sure this'll lead us somewhere? I've always found the superhero route to be more effective," Alan asks.
I open the folder and the cover page reads, "Yellow-Suited Menace". There's a map pinning all known sightings of the Yellow Lantern ring holder.
"This person's been hitting electronic stores, the Gotham Science Institute, and there have been multiple sightings around...Gotham High?" I scratch my head.
"Usually the ring holder wants to instill fear in places that have done wrong against them," Alan explains.
I nod, "That makes sense, but who-"
Just then, my communicator starts to go off, its loud ringing echoing through the relatively quiet GCPD precinct. It stirs awake some of the sleeping officers, including a snoring Detective Bullock.
"Huh, wha…" as he opens his eyes, he spots Alan and I, "...oh, hey, Penguin's girlfriend."
"Please don't call me that," I grumble, crossing my arms.
Alan is more than confused, "You're a...what?"
Bullock raises a hand, as he stumbles out of his desk chair, "So here's the deal, just today, not only are we dealing with an internal case in which our own damn witness was killed in our own damn precinct, now we gotta worry about masked nutjobs with, get this: real superpowers."
I catch Bullock by the shoulder, as Alan picks up a half empty bottle of whiskey on his desk, "So we've heard."
"Commissioner Essen doesn't know what to do, no one knows what to do. What can we do? Before at least the vigilantes were humanesque, but now, this, Green Lantern, he can fly, he can deflect bullets, he shoots lasers from his eyes-"
"Actually, he emits energy constructs that can take any form-…" Alan trails off as I shoot him a warning glance.
"And supposedly the yellow dude he's chasing is just as worse. He's wreaking havoc across town and no bullets or SWAT team can stop him. And of course a catastrophe like this falls in the lap of the GCPD, just look at us, even without superpowered whackos we can barely pick up our own two feet."
I frown, Bullock's right. No way is the GCPD equipped to handle something like this, but are we?
I turn to Alan, "We should get going."
Just as I say that, James Gordon bursts through the door, "Bullock! Bullock, we've got a lead!"
"Can't it wait till morning, hothead? Can't I get one moment's rest?" Bullock gripes, resting his head on his desk.
Gordon tries shaking Bullock in his chair, "C'mon, get up. If you're too much of a sullen drunk to do your job, I'll follow up on it myself."
Bullock barely tilts his head up at Gordon, "You really know how to motivate a guy, Jim. Really."
Gordon turns and spots Alan and I, he gives me his usual accusatory glance, before putting his hands on his hips, approaching me, "What are you doing here?" his head tilts to the right, spotting Alan beside me, "And who's he?"
Before I can respond, Alan approaches Gordon, extending a strong, firm hand, "Alan Scott, freelance journalist. I've written for the Coast City Sentinel and Metropolis Today."
Alan flips open his wallet to reveal his press credentials, but as he opens up his wallet, a picture slips out and falls onto the floor. I pick it up before anyone else notices; it's a picture of Alan posing with a similarly muscular man with short cut dark hair. They have their arms wrapped around each other, their heads tilted and touching.
"I'm familiar with your work. I remember reading your reports on the attacks on Coast City University some years ago," Gordon shakes his hand, the two of them establishing eye contact of mutual respect.
Alan nods his head, "And these attacks here in Gotham bear some resemblance to the attacks back in Coast City. That's probably why Green Lantern's showed up on the scene. Wherever and whenever there's supernatural goings on, he always seems to follow."
"I don't believe in the supernatural," Gordon disagrees, his tone stiff and stern, "these 'Lanterns' must be using some sort of laser technology, bending light to take physical form-"
Bullock finally stands, rising from his chair as if it's taking all the strength in his body, "Alright, I've heard enough of your armchair science, Jimbo. Let's go."
Gordon and Bullock exit, leaving Alan and I in the precinct.
"You know, if they ever bothered to just ask Green Lantern, he'd tell them that his powers are derived from the planet Oa through the Central Power Battery, which is protected by the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians of the Universe."
I shake my head, "Wha...what?"
Alan doesn't find any humor in my confusion, his expression straightforward, "The Green Lantern Corps are the protectors of the universe. I myself am protector of Sector 2814, which includes the planet Earth. Green Lanterns uphold the universal laws of the galaxy, and are protectors of all the galaxy's citizens."
"That...doesn't make anything less confusing."