Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League, nor any of it's associated characters. All original characters are copyright me, and may not be used without permission.
Fire. It raged four stories high. Flash looked up from the ground. "Flash, we're glad you're here. We've got people trapped on the roof, and we can't get a ladder up there. I know it's not terribly heroic, but can you run a rope up?" the fireman seemed nervous. Flash nodded.
"Sure, pass it over. I'll stay up there and send them down too you." Flash grinned, and bulleted up the side of the building. The rope went taught, and people began to slide down it. The last man was heading down the rope, when the roof under Flash collapsed. A red streak caught him as he was trying to tread air. Captain Marvel landed on the ground, and set Flash down. "Thanks, I almost became the fastest fireball on Earth." Flash grinned, shaking Marvel's hand.
"Not a problem. Anything else I can do for you?" Flash shook his head.
"Well, answer how you knew I needed help?" Marvel held up a small, silver and blue pin. "Ah. He's good at that."
"Terrific to Flash, we have reports of another Robot, it's in Central City, northwest district. Superman, Booster Gold, and Batman are on scene. Zatanna, and Vixen are inbound." the voice was stern and straight to the point.
"Understood, I'm on my way. Flash out." Flash lowered his hand, and looked at Marvel.
"Want to lend a hand?" He asked. Marvel shook his head.
"No, if Superman's there, he can handle it. If you'll excuse me." he bowed, and swept away. Flash turned, and bolted.
---
John Stewart, current Green Lantern of earth, on temporary leave, due to equipment problems, stared at the cracked ring. "It's no good. It's not even answering to commands now. I think it's busted permanently." he spoke softly, trying not to wake his son. Shayera Hol Stewart, his wife, walked up beside him, carrying her energy mace, a Thanagarian weapon designed to combat energy, and a powerful energy weapon in it's own right.
"I could give it a jolt, see if that'll start it up." she grinned when he playfully snatched it away.
"No thank you, it's broken already, it doesn't need any help." he turned away.
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." came a voice from outside the window. The pair turned to see Kyle Rayner floating just outside the window. "Can I come in?" at John's nod, he opened the window with his ring, and floated in, landing and shutting the window at the same time. Familiar green light flared momentarily, and he was in street clothes. Shayera reached him first, and enveloped him in a hug. He returned it warmly, if a tad hesitantly. John extended a hand, which Kyle shook just as warmly, and a little less hesitantly. While they were not best friends by any stretch, they had become much closer during the two months John and Shayera had spent on Oa, shortly after the earth ceremony. Since she was considered a traitor on Thanagar, and he was a member of the corp, they had been invited to join in a second marriage ceremony on Oa, one used exclusively by corp members. Kyle had been second inline as best man, because Kilowog was in front of him. Shayera had brought along a friend from earth, not a league member, but someone she had met while wandering after the failed invasion, to be her maid of honor. The ceremony was flawless and they took up the offer of two months vacation offered by the league, and corp.
"So, you think you can help?" John asked, after letting Kyle examine the ring.
"I don't know. What did you do to the ring?" Kyle asked, a puzzled look on his face. John explained, and a sigh of disappointment crossed his face.
"I don't know if Katma, who says hello by the way, ever informed you, but these aren't toys. They do have limits, and fifteen minutes of continuous high through put use is not a good idea." Rayner was very calm, trying not to wake the child.
"So you can't help?" John asked, sounding disheartened.
"I never said that, I just wanted an excuse to lecture you on the proper usage of a power ring. I can repair it in a few minutes, but I smell pot roast. I haven't had a homecooked meal in nearly ten years." Kyle let his nose lead him into the kitchen. Shayera laughed, and went after him. John looked at his ring, then at Rayner's disappearing back, and sighed.
"I see it's going to be one of those days." he was wrong of course. It was going to be one of those Months.
---
I called it 'Descent from on High'. Most people called it showing off. I won't repeat what I called them. It did happen to be a bit showy, but I found it to be a great entrance, and excellent ice breaker. Or heads, if the occasion called for it. It seemed to call for it here, and I dropped onto the back of a particularly large goon. He hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Unfortunately, his buddy hit me like a locomotive. Defensive Shield or no, hitting walls hurts. This one didn't crumble either, which made it all the worse. The goon took hold of my throat, and pulled back for a killing blow. He shouldn't have waited. I gave him the tazer treatment. Discharging fifty thousand plus volts, he tumbled to the ground. I turned to face his boss.
"Hoo-boy, and I thought Batsy was no fun." Joker grinned wickedly at me.
"I don't suppose you'll even consider coming quietly?" Joker answered with a fist gun punch. I was expecting it, but he didn't aim for my face, instead he hit my guts, the burst of lightning I'd prepared blasting into the floor, and bouncing. It missed Joker, and instead flashed up, hit the ceiling, and shattered the containers of gas he'd been stealing. The resulting explosion was sufficient to bring the wall crumbling down, but unfortunately, I was what it used as a battering ram. On the upside, Joker got the same treatment. I didn't see the fate of the two goons, though I learned later one was severally injured by debris, while the other was paralysed from the waist down. I never did feel any better when informed that it wasn't really my fault. If they hadn't been working for Joker, they wouldn't have been in danger. Anonymous payments to the families did help though.
It was when I was ascending to the Watchtower, that I saw something that seemed to be my imagination. A flash of bright Yellow, streaking out of space towards South America. When I arrived, it was noted as merely a navigational blip. I decided to check it out, when my shift on call ended. Of course, since I was called to four other emergencies in the next hour. As I ended my shift, I was half-asleep on my feet. I still had the frame of mind to request a different landing zone.
"Why in the world would you want to land in Brazil?" Terrific asked, a bit suspisciously.
"Kara wants some real south of the border cooking. I'm going to pick it up, and head home. It's easier to make just one jump from there to home, then go home, jump down, and then back." I answered. It wasn't a complete lie. I did tell Kara I was bringing home something spicy. She always wanted spicy food when she got hurt, rare as it was. As for the latter part, a single jump was less energy, but not tremendously.
"Alright, whatever. I'll have the co-ordinates changed for you." Terrific shook his head.
"Thanks. See you in... what two weeks?" he nodded, and I walked away. The teleporter is not among my favorite methods of travel, but considering the alternative is a deep breath, and a long first step, it's much easier when one is tired. Appearing about a foot too high off the ground is one of the occasional hazards using the teleporter. I found myself staring into a laughing face when I opened my eyes after tumbling to the ground. Fire offered me a hand, which I accepted. "I thought you weren't going to be around for a month?"
"I'm not, but the teleport point is just outside my house. That way I don't have to walk far, and if someone pops in, I can meet them instead of them having to hunt for me." she shrugged. "What can I do for you?"
"I have the unfortunate feeling, that Sinestro is about. I was certain I saw him heading this way about an hour ago, but it registered as only a navigational blip on the Tower Sensors." she frowned in thought.
"What about your ship?" she asked after a few moment's thought.
"Addy was in low Lunar orbit, but I can check." the silver bracelet glowed on my wrist as I pressed the red jewel. "Addy, are you there?"
"Where else would I be sugar lips?" came the distinct voice of the powerful ship.
"Ha ha. About an hour ago, I thought I saw Sinestro arriving, and heading for South America. Can you check your records and see if the passives caught anything?" I asked. I knew she had but it was better to ask. Never a good idea to piss off an AI incontrol of heavy weapons.
"Of course, give me a second." Fire was grinning at me.
"Sugar lips?" she asked, grinning.
"She heard an old girlfriend of mine calling me that, and decided she liked how the term sounded." I answered, a bit sheepishly. She chuckled, before the bracelet chirped. "Go ahead."
"I'm registering two oddities around then. Passives picked them up, and tripped Actives. One is the nav blip you mentioned. The energy harmonics match the signature for Sinestro's ring. The other, is a different energy, and is on the very upper end of the electronically measureable energies. It almost has to be magical. I'd check your Fate." Addy reported, chuckling at the last.
"Gee, thanks. I think I'll find a sword to fall on instead." the communicator shut off.
"Why do you not like him?" Fire asked.
"Because he's a pompous all knowing ass." I asked.
"So, you see much of yourself in him?" she snickered.
"Exactly. I'll have to admit, I don't like being a pompous ass, but I prefer to be the only one if I have to be." I replied.
"Maybe you're in the wrong business? I think you just need a change." she smiled.
"You're very right. Want to help me hunt down Sinestro?" I didn't think she would, but I had to offer, she accepted with a nod.
"If he's still on this continent, we'll find him." A blast of flame, and she was in costume, and ready to roll. The first stop was the local meteorological center. They turned out to have seen it as well, and made a rapid course plot, incase it was a meteor. It was so small it was assumed that it would simply burn up on impact. Instead it disappeared under the radar floor. They gave us the co-ordinates for the projected landing point, and we flew there. The landing zone was a mess, the rain forest heavily damaged. It looked familiar.
"I recognize these patterns. Some years ago, there was something similar in what was Russia. Best estimates say it was a meteor that burnt away not too far from the ground. Flattened the trees, and left no crater." Fire looked at me.
"Could it have been something decelerating from space, and not landing, but taking a new course?" she asked.
"Very possibly. And almost certainly someone who would know that if they came down fast, from a high angle, and descended below radar, they'd be thought no more than a meteorite." I replied. I scanned around with altered vision, and shook my head. "It's been too long to tell if it was Sinestro."
"You can do that?" Fire asked.
"The rings all have a distinct power signature. Sinestro's is on a different wavelength than those the Lantern's use. Besides, the Lantern rings can completely avoid most detection system's except those attuned to them." I replied, scanning farther out.
"I thought you said they were distinct." she asked.
"They are. John's signature is different from Katma Tui's, and Kilowog's. But they're very close so that something not trying to sense specific's would sense them all as Lantern's." I answered, and then rubbed at my forehead.
"What's the matter?" Fire asked.
"Oh not much, just trying to figure out how to find... hang on, that's it. I need you to stand right where you are, and act as my anchor point."
"What are you going to do?" Fire asked.
"I'm going to make a ten mile sweep, and see if I can pick up his trail. If I can sense it a second time, we'll know which way he went." I replied, grinning knowing I had him now. Fire looked dubious. "You'll be my anchor point, so I know where I am, and I don't get too far away. Trust me, I'm not going to try without you. I don't like fighting Sinestro." I rose, and spun out in a circle ten miles wide. The strongest signal sent us racing straight north. As we accelerated over the Pampas, I took note of why she enjoyed living here so much. It really was a beautiful place. Suddenly I felt something up ahead. Then I felt something hit me in the head. I came to about two hours later, Fire laying beside me, already awake.
"What hit us?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Don't know." I answered, trying to stop my head from ringing.
"I found you on the ground in the middle of my fields senor." The voice spoke off to my right, and I turned my head to see a farmer and his wife standing there. "Are you hurt badly?"
"No. Gracias for helping us. I hope we didn't do any damage."
"Only a little. Do you know where you are?"
"Brazil." Fire chuckled weakly.
"I think they will be alright Hernando." his wife nodded. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"
"I will, but you have to get home, don't you?" Fire asked. I winced, and nodded.
"She's going to be mad."
"That's the price you pay." Fire chuckled. "Go ahead, I'll repay them."
"Bugger that. I'll pay them." I pulled out my wallet, and handed the farmer two hundred dollar bills, and whispered in his ear. He grinned, nodded, and thanked me. I stepped back. "We'll get him. I know he's here."
"When you find him, call me." Fire grinned. I nodded back, and then vanished in a flare of light. I reappeared, to a look of agitation from Kara.
"So, want to explain?" she asked. I really, really didn't.