Chloe watched from her car as the green light blazed towards the airfield. She had seen this in her visions and knew what was about to happen. The light slowed as it neared the airfield, swaying left and right as if looking for something. Finally, it turned towards the hangar and surged forward. Any second now, Hal Jordan is about to be thrust into a brave new world.

In the hangar, Hal sat in the cockpit of his dad's plane, staring at the sky through the skylight. His mind drifted back to his youth and remembered when his father used to fly. He had thought that Martin Jordan was indestructible and the pilot had certainly acted it, putting every plane he flew through paces other pilots would deem impossible or, at the very least, insane. Hal once said to his mother that his father wasn't afraid of anything. She agreed, albeit with exasperation.

Hal continued gazing at the sky when something caught his eye. A small but bright glow had appeared in the air above him. It hovered over his head as he took in its light. It almost seemed to be calling to him. In fact, he was nearly certain that he heard a voice whisper his name. "Hal Jordan, you have been chosen."

"Okay, I'm hearing things." He blinked and rubbed his eyes, thinking he had fallen asleep. "Carol will kill me for snoozing on the job." When he looked again, the light was gone from the sky. "Last time I fall asleep in a cockpit, I promise."

Suddenly, he noticed the glow again. It was hovering in front of his face. "Hal Jordan, you have been chosen."

"Okay, definitely not hearing things. I'm going to regret asking this, but what have I been chosen for?'

The green light did not answer. Instead, it flew forward and wrapped itself around Hal's right middle finger, revealing itself to be a ring. Hal had very little time to observe it as his arm suddenly jerked up and he found himself being pulled into the sky. Part of his brain was screaming at the prospect of being hurled through the sky without being strapped to a pair of wings. Another, more dominant, part of his brain couldn't help but think how cool this was. He finally managed to calm himself as he enjoyed the feeling of zipping through the sky.

On the ground below, Chloe watched as the pilot streaked away in an emerald flash. She started the engine and followed as fast as she could.

Hal watched the desert rush past him below as he headed towards…well, he still didn't know what, but he couldn't wait to find out. As he flew through the California sky, he thought he heard voices whispering in his ear. Telling him that he was chosen, that he was receiving a great destiny, that he was capable of overcoming fear. And out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a car driving below.

Soon, he forgot the car and the voice as he saw a sight far too familiar to him. The sight of burning wreckage. He felt a dull pain in his chest as he took in the sight. At first, he thought that a fellow pilot had suffered a mechanical failure and gone down. Hal could only hope he had punched out in time until he took a closer look at the wreck and saw that it was clearly not a plane, at least not one of human design. It almost reminded him of something out of his brother's comic books.

On closer inspection, he saw what looked like a person, presumably the vessel's pilot. He looked badly injured. Hal wanted to go down there and help him and suddenly found himself descending to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the sand, he ran towards the stranger. "Hey, are you all right?'

The stranger looked up at him and the first thing Hal noticed was that he was clearly not from around here. He had deep red skin and he was devoid of any visible hair. Purple blood flowed from the many open wounds on his body and he stared at Hal with pain in his bright green eyes. Taking in the sight of the ring on Hal's finger, he sighed with relief. "It is you. Thank the stars," he said with shallow breaths.

"Don't talk," Hal said as he reached the being's side. "Save your breath. I'll figure out a way to help you."

"Too late for that. I've not got much time, but I am enormously relieved to see you."

Chloe had followed Hal as closely as she could without being noticed. After a while, however, the road went in a different direction from the pilot and she had to pull over. She knew she would not be able to keep up on foot, so she waited. He would be back soon enough, then the real work would begin.

"What happened to your…ship, I guess?" Hal asked the being.

"I was transporting a criminal when he got loose and attacked me. The ship was damaged in the process and I was forced into an emergency landing."

"All due respect from one pilot to another, but your landings could use some work."

"No other choice. It was either here or in the city nearby. Landing there would have cost lives. Here, the only person who gets hurt is me."

Hal sat in silence as he remembered the last time he had heard those words. His father had spoken them on the day he died, forcing a malfunctioning plane into a crash landing and sacrificing himself to protect the crowd below, including Hal. He felt a connection with this strange alien who acted so much like his father and wished there were something he could do for him.

"Who are you?" the alien asked.

"Hal Jordan. I'm a pilot at the airfield nearby. What's your name?"

"I am called Abin Sur. I am pleased to meet you, Hal Jordan. I can tell by your spirit that the ring has chosen well."

For the first time, Hal remembered the ring on his finger and looked at it. It seemed to be made from some kind of green metal, but it felt as light as paper. It was of a round design and it bore a unique symbol in the center. It was a circle with two horizontal lines along the top and bottom. "It said I was chosen. Chosen for what?"

"My replacement. I'll soon be dead and somebody has to finish what I started. Somebody has to take my place."

"What do you mean?"

"I am a member of an intergalactic peacekeeping force. There are over three thousand of us protecting different parts of the universe. This world is part of my sector. Now, the responsibility for protecting it is in your hands."

"Me? Are you sure you have the right guy?"

"The ring chose you. It wouldn't have done so if it didn't think you were capable. Still, the choice is yours alone. If you wish, you can return to your life and it will be as if none of this had ever happened. Or you can accept this responsibility and step into a larger world."

"I've never been one to run away. I accept."

Abin nodded as a slight smile crossed over his face. "Then the ring has chosen well and I may rest easy knowing that this sector is in good hands. Goodbye, Hal Jordan, and good luck." He closed his eyes and his body grew still.

Suddenly, the ring glowed brighter and began to speak. Its voice was everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Hal Jordan of Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps."

As Chloe watched the sky, she saw a distant green flash. She started her car and turned back towards the city. "It's time."