Chapter 80: The Temptation of Thaal Sinestro
Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman and Green Lantern belong to DC. No infringement is intended.
Planet Ysmault, sixteen years ago
In a flare of green light Sinestro dropped out of hyper space above a truly dismal looking planet. Viewed from space, the entire world seemed an ugly brownish-grey color, almost like one giant speck of dirt. This, Sinestro knew, was the result of the entire atmosphere being filled with ash and debris, the remnants of a planet-wide cataclysm. Natural or man-made, he did not know. He only knew that he was here to meet a friend.
Abin Sur, Green Lantern of sector 2814, was waiting for him on the surface of the desolate planet, his green uniform the sole speck of color amidst a landscape entirely devoid of life.
"Thank you for coming, Thaal," Abin greeted him.
Sinestro nodded at his old friend. It had never been a question, really. Abin Sur had been his mentor when he had been a rookie Green Lantern and ever since then they had been close friends. Their duties kept them far apart, literally galaxies apart, but their friendship still endured.
"It sounded urgent, Abin. What is the emergency?"
He took a closer look at his friend, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the haggard look on his face. Abin looked distraught, burdened, even more so than he already had this entire last year. Sinestro knew that Abin was haunted by the destruction of that planet he had told him about (Sinestro had forgotten the name, to be honest), which he perceived as a personal failure, no matter what anyone told him. Today, though, he looked even worse.
Abin turned, looking out across the desolate landscape.
"You know what this planet is, Thaal?"
Sinestro shook his head.
"Millions of years ago, it was the capitol of the Empire of Tears, an empire spanning three galaxies, ruled by demonic entities utilizing darkest magic."
Sinestro scoffed. He was not a believer in magic. Oh, he did know that there were creatures and sentients with the ability to manipulate exotic energies that might appear magical to the easily impressed. Just like the miraculous Green Lantern rings, though, it could all be explained with science and technology in the end. There was no such thing as true magic.
"It seems they came to a rather violent end," he remarked.
"They did," Abin agreed. "They came into conflict with the Guardians and after a long and terrible war they were defeated and entombed here."
Sinestro blinked. The Guardians had fought a war? Well, it made sense that they had not always been the benevolent, aloof administrators they were now. Still, it was hard to imagine them going to war themselves instead of letting others fight it for them.
"Why the history lesson?" Sinestro asked.
"I came to this planet yesterday," Abin told him. "A ship had crashed here, and I was looking for survivors. The background radiation and atmospheric contamination made it almost impossible to properly scan the world, though. Instead of finding the ship, I found something else."
Sinestro listened with rapt attention as Abin spun a nearly unbelievable tale. Ysmault was not a dead world, not entirely. Some things still survived here, terrible and abominable things. The entities that had once ruled the Empire of Tears still endured, entombed, eternally bound, but still alive. They were immortal, much like the Guardians, and death refused to take them. So they remained here on their former throne world, forever imprisoned.
Abin had encountered one of them, a malevolent being called Qull of the Five Inversions. Qull had recognized Abin as an agent of the Guardians, but instead of being hostile, it had set on an air of friendliness. Qull had offered to aid Abin Sur by giving him answers to three questions, any three questions, freely given with no expectation of gratitude or reward.
Abin had been suspicious, naturally, so his first question had been where to find the downed ship and any survivors that might yet be rescued. To his surprise, Qull had answered him truthfully. Abin had then found the ship and saved the sole survivor, a small child. Having seen to the safety of the child, Abin had then returned to Qull.
"What else did you ask him?" Sinestro asked.
"I asked him if there had been any way that I might have saved the planet Krypton," Abin told him.
Sinestro sighed. Krypton, that had been the name, yes. The world that haunted Abin.
"What did he reply?" Sinestro was sure he would not like the answer, no matter what it was. There was no good answer to such a question.
"He said that not even the Guardians themselves could have saved Krypton. That its destruction was preordained, a fixed point in history. That it was necessary for Krypton to die in order for the universe to unfold as it should. That its death served a greater purpose."
"That sounds like nonsense, Abin," he told his friend. "The creature was probably just trying to play with your mind, lacking any other way to take revenge."
"I am aware of that," Abin shot back. "I'm not stupid, Thaal."
Figuring that they were approaching the main reason for his presence here, Sinestro looked at his friend. "What was your third question?"
"I asked Qull what catastrophe awaited the Green Lantern Corps."
Abin then told him of the disturbing prophecy Qull had given, the so-called Blackest Night. How he had spoken of the Corps' enemies uniting against it. The Weaponeers of Qward, the unspeakable Children of the White Lobe, the sentient city Ranxx, and even the Empire of Tears itself, all rising up to extinguish the green light forever. He spoke of the planet-form Green Lantern Mogo dying through a Blink Bomb, of a Green Lantern called Sodam Yat being the last to fall, and demons playing on drums made from blue skin sitting in the ruins of Oa. At the end of the tale, Abin was visibly shaking.
"It's nonsense, Abin," Sinestro reiterated. "Wishful thinking of entities that have nothing left but dreams of revenge."
"I know," Abin assured him. "I know, but... look, Thaal. I know that this tale is probably exactly what you said, utter nonsense. But just in case it is not... I thought someone else should know. Just in case something happens to me, someone should know. Just in case."
Sinestro sighed but nodded. "Okay then. I know, you told me. Now let's put this behind us and leave this dismal place, okay?"
Abin nodded and the two Green Lanterns took flight.
"There is one more thing," Abin said as they began to clear the atmosphere. "Qull said that the Blackest Night would begin when the Empire of Tears recovered the great weapon that was forged for them by the Weaponeers of Qward."
Sinestro chuckled. It all sounded like a drunken story teller's yarn. "And what would this great weapon be? A magic hammer to split the heavens? A sword forged in the heart of a burning galaxy?"
"No. A yellow ring!"
Planet Ysmault, two weeks ago
Even as a revolution swept through the Vega system and the Citadel empire collapsed, something began to stir in the ruins of another fallen empire's throne world.
"As I have foreseen," the monstrous Qull of the Five Inversions whispered, his voice like acid. The howling winds of Ysmault carried it far and wide. "The weapon has been found."
From a lake of red, another shape emerged. Huge, intimidating, a creature so foul that merely looking at it would drive the weak-willed mad.
"The Blackest Night approaches. The War of Light will usher in the Great Darkness."
A shudder went through the world. Invisible chains forged eons ago from light and righteousness groaned and protested. Creatures of shadow were barely visible in the cracks of the desolate landscape as they danced and heckled, feeling the walls of their prison weaken.
"Who shall be our emissary?" the entombed demons of Ysmault whispered and screeched. "Who shall paint the skies red?"
A hundred and more voices yelled, argued, until finally a mighty roar drowned them all out. For a long moment there was nothing but silence on Ysmault, broken only by the howling of the eternal dust storms. Then the voices started up again and began to chant.
"Atrocitus! Atrocitus! ATROCITUS!"
The creature from the red lake strode onto the shore and looked to the sky.
"All will know fear!"
Planet Earth, the present
"Green Lantern Thaal Sinestro, Green Lantern Guy Gardner!"
The two Green Lanterns came to attention as the glowing green image of the Guardians of the Universe manifested before them.
"We are present, Guardians," Sinestro said.
"We have reviewed your report on the incident in the Vega system that motivated you to breach Corps regulations and enter the restricted system."
Gardner grumbled under his breath. Sinestro thought he was saying something about how it would have been nice to know why the system was restricted, but maybe that was just his own mind asking that very same question. Not that he did not have his suspicions. He kept his mouth shut, though, awaiting the verdict of their superiors.
"While entering the system was a clear violation of Green Lantern Corps regulations," the Guardian standing the middle said, "the circumstances surrounding it show that you have acted in good faith and true to the spirit of the Corps. Billions of lives were saved that might otherwise have been lost. Therefor it is our decision that, in this case, no disciplinary action shall be taken."
"Thank you, Guardians," Sinestro said, inclining his head. Gardner grumbled something again, possibly a thank you as well.
"There is one other matter," the Guardian said. "The reason the Vega system was declared off-limits to Green Lanterns."
"We were wondering about that," Gardner said, earning him a glare from Sinestro.
"From your reports," the Guardian went on, ignoring Gardner, "it seems that your paths have not intersected with it."
"It? What is 'it'?" Gardner asked.
"I trust that your reports are fully complete?" the Guardian asked. "There is nothing you have forgotten to mention? No strange encounters or other peculiar happenings?"
"Well, during the victory party there was this orange-skinned beauty and she...," Gardner began.
"Our reports are complete, Guardians," Sinestro interrupted him. "There were no further... happenings of any kind."
The Guardians stared at them for a long, seemingly endless moment, and then nodded. "Very well, Green Lanterns. Excellent work in Vega. Green Lantern Sinestro, how much longer do you estimate that Green Lantern Gardner will require your mentorship?"
"Oh, he can leave right now," Gardner said, smirking. "I'm so done with him!"
Sinestro glared at him again. "There are still some … rough edges to smooth over. I think another few months should do it."
"Very well. Return to your duties, Green Lanterns!"
The images of the Guardians faded, leaving Gardner and Sinestro alone on the observation deck of the Watch Tower. Sinestro was still using the guest room at the Justice League headquarters, so meeting here had made sense, even though neither of them were official members of the team.
"Great, another few months with you," Gardner grumbled, though by now there was somewhat of a humorous undertone to it.
"Believe me, Gardner," Sinestro replied, "I am very much looking forward to the day where I can trust you to fulfil the duties of a Green Lantern without my guidance. Sadly, that day is not here yet."
"Oh, so you do admit that the day WILL come?" Gardner asked, teasingly. "Will I get a diploma for completing the Sinestro school of pomp and haughtiness?"
"An entry in the Great Book of Oa will have to suffice," Sinestro replied with the barest hint of a smirk. "We will make another sweep through the Rao system to ensure that no pieces of Kryptonite remain. It will be your responsibility to scan the system for radioactive traces!"
"Fun," Gardner deadpanned. "I'll need some shut eye then. See you in the morning, Sin!"
Watching Gardner leave, Sinestro turned on his heel and walked down the corridor to the guest room that had been his home (on and off) since he had taken over mentorship of Guy Gardner. As frustrating as the entire exercise had been so far, he grudgingly had to admit that Gardner did indeed have potential. Maybe with a decade or two of experience under his belt, the Earthling might actually turn out to be a worthy successor to Abin Sur. Maybe.
Entering the guest room, Sinestro closed the door and sat down on the bed. For a minute or more he simply stared straight ahead, his mind churning with conflicting thoughts. Finally, he slid the Green Lantern ring off his finger and put it on the small desk beside the bed. Reaching under the bed, he slid out the cloth-wrapped object he had… acquired... in Vega and put it into the room's table.
It was a Power Battery, that much was easily apparent. It looked very similar to the devices the Green Lanterns carried, their direct link to the Central Power Battery on Oa. When their rings were depleted, the Green Lanterns would touch them to their batteries, recite their oaths, and the green power would flow, recharge their rings, and make them fit for duty again.
The Power Battery in front of him was yellow, though, and he could not help but wonder if there was a Central Power Battery somewhere, looking just like the one on Oa. The design was somewhat different, looking... cruder. As if someone had created it from memory, not entirely sure how it was supposed to look.
On top of it, there was a ring. A yellow ring. Sinestro had seen it before.
"Is the future truly set in stone?" he muttered, his fingers itching to reach out to the ring. He balled his hands into fists, clenching them at his side. "Has destiny determined that I am to discard the green?"
He put his face into his hands. "Oh, Abin, old friend, would that you were here right now to aid me."
He remembered it all. The tale told by his old friend Abin Sur about how the Blackest Night would begin once a weapon, a yellow ring, was uncovered. He had never given this tale any credence, but then he had gone to the time-lost city of Kandor. It had shown him a glimpse of the future, one where he wore the yellow ring and became an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps, leading an army armed with yellow light against them.
"Have the Damned of Ysmault truly seen the future?" he asked himself. "Or were they merely yearning to gain this weapon for themselves? A weapon that would empower them beyond even the Guardians?"
Yellow was the power of fear, he reminded himself. Even now he could hear it whispering in his mind. Fear is the most powerful emotion of them all, it said. Fear can take control of even the strongest sentient. Fear makes the masses cower and submit. Fear can make even a saint do abominable things. He who controls fear can control the universe. All can be accomplished through fear!
Shaking his head, he tried to dispel those whispered temptations. He was a Green Lantern. A Green Lantern would not allow fear into his mind. Fear was the mind-killer! Green Lanterns would save the universe by the power of will, not fear. They were respected, not feared. Green Lanterns inspired hope, not terror.
And yet… would things not be easier if the universe feared the Green Lanterns? Would it not be better off if the guardians of peace and order were respected AND feared? Would the universe not be better for it?
He tried to sleep, but found no peace. After tossing and turning for an hour, he got up again, slipped on his green ring, and took flight.
"What's the situation?" Superwoman asked over the com, even as she went supersonic and headed towards the west coast.
"Reports are confusing," Green Arrow reported in from the Watch Tower. "Something about an alien appearing in the middle of Coast City. Then we had reports of riots, civil unrest, destruction of public property, take your pick!"
"Who else is on call?" she asked, three minutes out from Coast City. She could go faster, of course, but that would carry the danger of igniting the atmosphere around her.
"Black Canary and Wonder Woman are here with me and ready to teleport down. J'Onn is busy somewhere in Asia and Batman is offline due to some undercover thing. Haven't reached the Hawks yet and Adam is on Rann."
"Then let's hope that we're simply talking some publicity gag gone wrong or something," Kara said.
"Sinestro told us he was doing a lap around the solar system to clear his head. He should be back soon in case we need some more backup and we have Gardner on call, too."
Kara snorted. Things would have to be pretty desperate before she called on Gardner for backup.
"I'll check out the situation, then let you know."
She was still a dozen miles away from Coast City when her enhanced vision spotted the probable culprit of the calamity that had apparently taken hold of the city. It seemed the reports of an alien were accurate, for that being was certainly not human. It was at least ten feet tall, probably more, and completely red. Its skin was the color of blood and for some reason that sight disturbed Kara on a deep, instinctive level.
"There is indeed an alien in Coast City," she reported in. "Not a species I am familiar with."
"What's it doing?" Green Arrow asked.
"Nothing, best I can see, but everyone around him seems to go crazy. I can see people brawling, smashing cars, just going crazy."
"Some kind of psychic assault then?" Wonder Woman chimed in.
"Possibly. The question is whether the alien is doing that intentionally or not. I'll check it out!"
"Should you not keep your distance, just in case?" Black Canary's voice came over the com. The newest member of the Justice League had not worked with Kara on an actual mission yet, but they had clocked some training hours together. "I mean, if this thing makes people go crazy..."
"She's right, Kara," Arrow agreed. "Last thing we need is a crazy Superwoman! Let me go in and check things out. If I should flip out, you can knock me over with your pinky."
Kara stopped her approach and hovered in mid-air. It went against the grain to send others into danger while she stayed back, but the others had a point.
"Okay, GA, you take point. Port down to Coast City and check out our strange visitor. I'll keep watch from here!"
There were times Green Arrow considered himself more mascot than actual member of the Justice League. Sure, he was not the only member without actual superpowers, but still. There were times he feared he could not contribute enough.
Today, though, being just a normal guy without any world-shattering superpowers was just the ticket. As the teleportation beam set him down in Coast City near the alien, he did his best to focus his mind. Like an arrow streaking towards its target, his thoughts were focused on his.
All around him, people were going crazy. He took the time to subdue a few of them with rubber-tipped arrows and sleeping gas, but there were just too many. They all seemed... he was not sure how to describe it exactly. A few were simply cowering in a corner somewhere, looking extremely frightened. Others seemed enraged beyond any sane thought, simply smashing whatever got in their way. He resisted the impulse to somehow aid them all. Instead, the root of the problem needed to be taken care of.
The alien really was a big guy and completely red, too. He was also bulging with muscles and looked capable of ripping him apart without too much strain. Still, looks could be deceiving, especially when it came to aliens. He might well be just a normal guy who got lost and had no idea that his presence was causing trouble on this strange world he had found himself on. Yeah, he did not really believe that, either, but it was possible.
Time to find out.
"Hey, buddy," he said, approaching the alien. Wow, it sure had a lot of teeth. "New to these parts?"
The alien turned toward him, and its stare made something deep inside Green Arrow shiver. There was something deeply unnatural about this thing. It looked humanoid, more or less, but there was something... wrong about him. As if something about this being repulsed him on a deep, almost spiritual level.
"Oliver Queen of Earth," the alien said, and its voice was like a hundred razorblades leaving shallow across Green Arrow's skin. He took a step back and reached for an arrow. When had he raised his bow? He did not remember, but he was already aiming.
"You will know fear," the alien growled, suddenly standing directly in front of him.
Startled, Green Arrow loosened the arrow, an actual arrow with a sharp edge, and the projectile bit deep into the alien's skin. Red blood began to flow from the wound, but instead of dripping down along gravity's path, the droplets seemed to float through the air like snowflakes.
A tiny drop of red splashed on Green Arrow's skin and the entire world went crazy.
"GA is in trouble," Kara said over the com. "The alien has done something to him, he's freaking out."
"We need J'Onn here," Diana told her. "If this is a psychic assault, he is best equipped to handle it."
"We can't wait for J'Onn. I'm getting GA out of there."
"Kara, don't...," Diana began.
Kara was already moving at super speed, figuring that the alien would be unable to do anything to her if she simply flew in, grabbed her friend, and flew back out again before the intruder could even blink. Maybe another pass directly after that, hitting the thing at top speed and knocking it out before it could pull whatever psychic mumbo-jumbo it did on her.
She was roughly a hundred meters away from the alien when she realized that she had miscalculated. She knew that particular tingling on her skin, this feeling of being utterly vulnerable. The alien was not using psychic powers.
It was magic.
"Kara-El of Krypton," a voice rang out painfully, bypassing her ears and going directly into her mind. "You will know fear!"
She was no longer flying, instead her feet were on the ground. The ground that began to shudder and moan. The buildings around her started to tremble and collapse, shattering like crystal. Huge fissures opened up; lava spewed forth. Earth was dying, she suddenly realized. Just like Krypton, Earth was going to explode. It was already happening.
Kara screamed.
Guy Gardner knew that, as a Green Lantern, he was responsible for policing an entire galaxy. His own home planet, Earth, was just one of thousands upon thousands of habitable worlds with sentient life on it and it was his job to protect them all. Some days he wondered why the blue midgets did not just create more of those green rings, so that each galaxy would at least have a dozen or so space cops floating around, but there was probably a highly complicated, far-beyond-mortal-ken reason for it. It wasn't like the midgets ever gave anyone a straight answer anyway.
The bottom line was that he could only spend so much time here on Earth. Sure, his ring was capable of letting him travel from one end of the galaxy to the other in mere hours, but it could not put him in two places at once. So he was determined to savor what little time he had back home. Right now, he did so by taking a long overdue nap. That, at least, had been the plan.
"Gardner, come in!"
The voice coming from his ring woke him up from a most pleasant dream.
"What's up?" he grumbled, still half-asleep.
"We have a situation in Coast City, Gardner!" He finally recognized the voice. It was Wonder Chick. Right, he had programmed his ring to respond to the Justice League's emergency frequency, no matter that they did not want him in their fancy super club.
"And you need my help?" he chuckled. "What's the matter, Superbroad busy working on her tan?"
"Some kind of alien is making people go crazy, Gardner," Wonder Woman told him sternly. "Superwoman seems to have fallen under its influence."
Guy sobered. As much as he did not like most members of the Amazing Super Friends, the worlds 'Superwoman' and 'people go crazy' should not be uttered in the same sentence. That was so not good.
"I'm on my way," he simply said, summoning his battery from subspace.
"Be careful! Hopefully your ring can shield you from whatever psychic assault this alien is using. The rest of the League is gathering as we speak, but I am hesitant of sending more super-powered individuals in. Right now, I fear it would just make things worse."
"Got it!"
Shutting down the connection, he touched his ring to his battery.
"In brightest day, in darkest night,
no evil shall escape my sight!
Let those who worship evil's might
beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
Sinestro returned to the Watch Tower and it was immediately apparent that something was wrong. Alarms were blaring through the station and the members of Earth's Justice League – two of them, at least – were gathered in the control room. He quickly joined them.
"What is going on?" he asked the one known as Wonder Woman, who was effectively the team's second-in-command.
"An alien is attacking Coast City with psychic powers. Green Arrow and Superwoman seem to have fallen under its influence. We cannot reach J'Onn, so we sent in Gardner."
Sinestro nodded, understanding. Facing foes with psychic powers was exceedingly difficult. The Martian would have been his first choice as well, as his own psychic powers would have the best chance of protecting him. The Green Lantern rings, too, provided their bearers with protection from psychic assaults, at least if the Lantern in question had the necessary will power and knew what was coming at him. If Gardner was forewarned, he should theoretically be fine. Sinestro had practiced psychic shielding with him, after all.
"Do we have a visual of this alien?" Sinestro asked. "My ring should be able to identify it, so we know what we are dealing with."
"I am not as good at this as Kara, Adam, or Batman," Wonder Woman replied, "but I think I have found a local security camera to patch into."
The monitor in front of them came to life and showed an image of devastation. The center of Coast City was in shambles. People were running around, screaming and cursing, their faces contorted with stark fear or sheer rage. The scene was all the more bizarre for its lack of audio, everything occurring in complete silence.
"Great Hera," Wonder Woman muttered.
"There's Green Arrow," the woman to her left said. Sinestro failed to remember her name, she was new to the team. He, too, spotted the team's archer. He was stumbling around, clearly disoriented, and seemed to be shooting arrows at imaginary enemies.
"I can see Kara," Wonder Woman said, pointing at the far-left edge of the screen.
Superwoman was kneeling on the ground, her fingers digging deep into the concrete. The image was not good enough to really get a look at her face, but her entire body was shaking, even as her hands were digging deeper into the ground.
"What is she doing?" the blonde woman asked.
"She... she is trying to hold the ground together," Wonder Woman whispered.
"Why would she...?" Sinestro began, but then he stopped as his mind put the clues together.
All the people in Coast City seemed to be experiencing extreme emotions. Fear and rage chief among them. Green Arrow was shooting at imaginary enemies. And Superwoman, a woman from a planet that had literally exploded out from underneath her, she was trying to hold the ground together. It all came down to one thing.
"Fear," he whispered. "It is drowning them in fear."
Wonder Woman looked at him, then nodded. "You could be right. I... I know that Superwoman's greatest fear is Earth dying just like Krypton did. If that creature is somehow making her experience just that scenario…"
"Do we have an image of the alien?" Sinestro asked, suddenly feeling a deep sense of urgency.
Guy Gardner arrived in Coast City, where everything seemed to have descended into pure chaos. For the third time he checked that his ring was projecting a solid psychic barrier around him, which would hopefully keep him safe from whatever was making these people run amok. Streaking through the streets, he only slowed down a few times to prevent imminent deaths.
"Time to kick some alien butt," Guy muttered, his ring scanning for his primary target.
An arrow shattered against the force field surrounding him. Looking down, he saw the punk called Green Arrow stumbling around, sending arrows every which way.
"Robin Hood wannabe!" Guy quickly created a huge boxing glove arrow with his ring and sent it into the confused Justice Leaguer, knocking him out.
"Seems I'm in the right place then!" Looking around, he saw Superwoman kneeling on the ground, apparently having a serious grudge against concrete. He briefly considered checking on her but decided against it. Supes was not a lightweight like the Arrow guy and could probably rip him to pieces if she was sufficiently crazed (or pissed off). She was currently not hurting anyone except innocent flooring, best to leave her be.
"Gardner, come in," the voice of Sinestro suddenly came over his ring.
"Joining the party, Sin?" he asked, looking around for his target. "Don't bother, I'm about to wrap this up!"
"No, you don't understand, Gardner. The alien is not using psychic abilities. It's somehow creating an intense aura of pure fear!"
"Fear? Ha!" Guy laughed. "Might as well be shooting firecrackers then. I'm a Green Lantern! Being without fear is our thing, right?"
"Truly, Guy Gardner of Earth?"
Guy started. Where had that voice come from? It seemed to echo directly in his mind.
"Gardner, get out of there," he heard Sinestro's voice as if from very, very far away.
"You truly believe you are without fear?"
"Where are you, coward?" Guy yelled, looking around. When had he touched down on the ground? Hadn't he been flying a moment ago? Why was his ring responding so sluggishly?
A huge red shape was standing in front of him, appearing as if from nowhere.
"The Guardians have you wield the green light of Will," the alien growled, its voice like icicles stabbing through Guy's chest. His hand was shaking. "Did they not warn you that the green light will fail you if you allow fear into your heart?"
"I don't do fear!" Guy protested and commanded his ring to fire on the alien. The ring sputtered, unfocused strands of energy flowing from it like water, none even coming close to hitting his foe.
"Ah, but you do, Guy Gardner of Earth! You do know fear!"
The world shifted around him and suddenly Guy was somewhere else. His breath hitched as he recognized the place. He was standing at the bank of a river.
"No," he muttered. "No! No! No!"
An empty wheelchair stood near the bank and there were marks in the sand where someone who could no longer walk had dragged himself towards the water.
"No, Mace!" Guy ran towards the water, already knowing that he would come too late. "Don't do it, Mace!"
As he always did when his nightmares returned him to this place, though, Guy Gardner arrived far too late to stop his older brother Mace from committing suicide. Always too late! Never good enough! Not even capable of saving the one member of his family who had believed in him!
"You know fear!"
Guy Gardner screamed.
As fast as his green ring could carry him, Sinestro sped towards his room in the Justice League Watch Tower. The ring had transmitted Gardner's words, followed by his screams. Their foe, whoever he was, was using fear against them. The kind of fear that reduced a woman powerful enough to topple mountains into a trembling mess. The kind of fear that shattered a Green Lantern's will and rendered their rings useless.
He did not know who the alien was, but he did have his suspicions. It all fit together a little too neatly. He had no proof on hand, but his instincts told him that their enemy was one of the Damned of Ysmault. They had come, somehow breaking free of their prison, and they were looking for their weapon. They were using Fear as their weapon and now they wanted the ring and its battery. Empowered by this kind of fear, Sinestro figured the ring would be unstoppable. If they got their hands on it, the prophecy Abin Sur had listened to might actually come to pass.
He saw only one way to keep it out of their hands.
Arriving in his room, he quickly retrieved the battery and the ring from underneath his bed. Without a second thought he removed the green ring from his finger and took the yellow one.
"I need to fight fire with fire," he muttered to himself, even as he felt the ring activate. Much like a Green Lantern ring, it touched his mind, judged him. He focused his mind, gathered his thoughts. This was not a Green Lantern ring. It would not respond to will power. Digging deep into his own mind, he brought forth the things he usually pushed away.
He saw his own sector descend into chaos, saw his beloved home planet Korugar burn. He saw the Green Lantern Corps fail as evil took hold of the universe. He saw millions crying out his name, asking him to save them, but he was helpless.
"Thaal Sinestro of Korugar," the ring whispered in his mind. He held his breath, awaiting its judgement. "There is much fear in you!"
The ring flared brightly, and a yellow uniform manifested around his body. Almost without conscious thought his hand with the ring on it shot forward and touched the yellow battery. The words tumbled past his lips as if he had recited them a thousand times before.
"In darkest day, in brightest night,
beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right
burn like my power, Sinestro's might!"
End Chapter 80
Author's Note: In the comics Sinestro wore a yellow power ring for decades before DC came up with the whole emotional spectrum thing and introduced the Sinestro Corps. Sadly, after the brilliant original storyline ("The Sinestro Corps War" from 2008) they became just another group of colored ring-slingers among many. The yellow rings' specific abilities regarding fear were barely ever used properly. Hopefully I can do a somewhat better job here.
Abin Sur encountered the demons of Ysmault in Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 (1986) in a story sprung from the brilliant and disturbing mind of Alan Moore. The prophecy given by Qull of the Five Inversions was the trigger for the Sinestro Corps War story, which led into the DC crossover event Blackest Night some years later. Atrocitus would go on to create the Red Lantern Corps, though by that time he, Qull and the other Inversions had been retconned into more or less generic alien warlords who had legitimate beef with the Guardians of Oa, a far cry from the eldritch terrors Alan Moore had originally envisioned.
Up next: Beware my Power!