The Interceptor made its way through the Frontier space. A heavy feeling of uncertainty and dread had swept through the ship since its departure from Oa and the fight against the newly discovered Red Lanterns had begun. The tension has grown dramatically again after the capture of the Red Lantern Razer. He sat in his holding cell, his escape prevented by the green energy field. Aya stood by the cell entrance, replaying the feed of the planets destruction at Razer's request.
Kilowog walked through the field, entering the cell. "You like lookin' at that stuff pooser? You proud of what you did?"
Razer was silent.
"How many a you red lanterns are they? And why you hunting green lanterns?" he demanded, lifting Razer form his cot.
Again, Razer was silent.
Kilowog slammed Razer against the wall angrily. "Answer me!"
Hal rushed into the cell. "Easy there Kilowog. This thing's a rental remember?"
Kilowog gave an annoyed growl and tossed Razer aside, before storming out of the cell. Aya stepped from the cell, allowing Hal a moment with their prisoner.
Hal turned to Razer. "The Red Lantern's abandoned you, Razer. Left you for dead. I think that calls for a little payback, don't you? Help us, tell us what you know."
"I do hate the Red Lanterns for what they made me. But it doesn't mean that I stopped hating Green Lanterns. It just means I have more people to hate." Razer answered.
"Hal, the Guardians are on the comms." Kilowog called.
"On my way." Hal answered. He turned back to Razer. "You might want to think about what I said." He turned and left Razer in his cell.
On the bridge, Appa, Ganthet, and Sayd were already present through the vidcomm. Appa looked less than pleased when Hal entered the bridge.
"Ganthet, Sayd." Hal said. "Appa."
Ganthet nodded to Hal in acknowledgement. "Green Lantern Jordan. The council is discussing what form of action to take with your recent show on Oa."
"I vote for expulsion from the core." Appa said.
"I believe that Hal Jordan should remain in possession of the Interceptor for the time being." Ganthet replied.
"Hal Jordan stole the Interceptor and you want to reward him by granting him command of it?" Appa exclaimed.
"Appa, we have no choice. They are our only line of defense in the frontier. Besides at this distance, there is very little we can do to punish Jordan anyway." Ganthet explained.
"Then we are of one mind." Sayd said. "The crew of the Interceptor is tasked with gather information on the Red Lantern threat, taking reasonable action to slow their advance."
"We may be of one mind, but only under protest." Appa said. "Now, what is the status of the Red Lanterns ring?"
"Safe, in a stasis box." Kilowog answered.
"Yeah the ring doesn't take up much room, unfortunately Razer does. What do you suggest we do with him?" Hal asked.
"Even you know your duty, Hal Jordan. He must be imprisoned." Appa answered.
And with that, the council's image vanished.
"Fools, for what I have done, they should execute me." Razer mumbled.
"I do not understand your desire for self-destruction. If one regrets ones actions, one should find a way to make restitution." Aya said.
"I'm not about to debate this with a cyborg!" Razer snapped.
Aya said nothing, but she continued to stare at Razer. For a moment, he thought his statement had upset her. But in the few days of watching her, she had shown no emotional response to anyone. He doubted she would start now.
"Aya, bridge please." Hal called.
Aya turned from Razer's cell without a word and walked onto the bridge,
"So, any orders?" Kilowog asked.
"Yeah, find me a prison. It's not like we can drop off Razer at a Green Lantern science cell." Hall said.
"Frontier Lanterns use privatized penitentiaries." Aya commented, taking her seat at one of the consoles. "I can compile a detailed list-"
"That's won't be necessary, Aya. Just something nearby." Hal said.
"But nothing too nice." Kilowog remarked.
Aya quickly started her search for the penitentiary. It took her all but a minute to find a nearby cell and plot a course. The penitentiary was constructed within the confines of an asteroid. The entire asteroid was a penitentiary, capable of housing close to ten thousand prisoners at maximum capacity. As Aya had put it. The Interceptor landed in one of the many hangers. Hal and Kilowog escorted a bound Razer down the plank of the ship onto the asteroid.
"Wow, she really took your word about the 'nothing too nice' thing." Hal stated as they walked off the ship.
The interior of the prison wasn't too far different than the exterior. Sporadic yellow crystals lined the hanger walls, providing illumination around them. Canisters of unknown supplies were stacked out of the way of prisoners and guardsmen.
"It ain't that bad." Kilowog said.
"Are you kidding, this places give me the creeps." Hal replied. "It's like fear radiates from the walls. It's a dark, dank, repulsive hole full of-"
"Spiders." Kilowog said.
"I was gonna say rats, but-oh!"
Two arachnid type guards emerged from the dark corridor in front of them, both wielding spears. Their big, numerous blue eyes zeroed in on them. Then a third spider emerged.
"Welcome, well Green Lanterns. It's been long time since we've host a prisoner for our esteemed colleges in justice." He said.
"I take it you're the warden?" Hal stated.
"I am Myglom." He answered. "I operate this prison on behalf of the Spider Guild. Oh, it appears you have something for me."
"This piece of word is Razer. We have documented evidence of his crimes against sentient-"
"Oh I'm quite confident he's guilty." Myglom said, walking behind Razer. "No one has ever escaped this facility. I'm very proud of that. But I'm even more proud of our rehabilitation program. You'll find that nearly one hundred percent of our former guests never return to a life of crime."
"Well, I'm sold." Kilowog said eagerly. "Myglom we hereby remand custody of the prisoner Razer, to your care."
The spider guards took hold of Razer and walked him into the corridors.
"That's one Red Lantern down." Hal said.
"More where that came from." Kilowog said. They turned back toward the Interceptor.
Back onboard the Interceptor, Hal and Kilowog had taken to the bridge. Aya was seated at the far console, working on their next coordinates. Kilowog was looking at Razer's ring, still imprisoned in the stasis box.
"I don't know about you, but I'm gonna sleep a whole lot easier knowing that guy ain't on board." Kilowog said. He sealed the box and leaned back in his chair. "Now we can be to nailing those red-" his sentence stopped, catching sight of something across the hull. Kilowog sat up in his chair. "Lanterns. Did you see that?"
"What?" Hal asked, looking up from the controls. "Out the window, in space?"
"There are numerous sentient beings that are capable of-"
"There! Right there!" Kilowog said.
"Right where?" Hal asked, joining Kilowog.
"I am not crazy. I saw something there." Kilowog said.
Hal arched one of his brows. He patted Kilowog on the back and moved toward his chair. Aya turned back to her console. Kilowog looked back out the screen, watching intently. Another motion across the hull caught his attention. He grabbed Hal's arm and dragged him back to the station.
Hal wrenched his arm free. "What is up with you?"
They looked around the hull for any sign of the creature. Suddenly an eel-ray creature appeared on the screen of the Interceptor.
"Sensor's indicate a sentient being attached to the hull." Aya said.
"Thanks for the help Aya." Hal said. "Let's go."
Kilowog and Hal quickly departed the ship into space.
"Fan out." Hal ordered. "Our hitch hiker's here somewhere."
Kilowog took the starboard side while Hal took the port. The creature climbed under the hull of the Interceptor, just out of Hal's sight. Hal flew off to catch up with it. Kilowog caught sight of the creature on the underbelly and took off after it.
The creature crawled across the hull back to the surface of the hull where Hal caught sight of it. Hal flew off after the creature. The creature managed to crawl across the hull and avoid Hal's attempt at apprehending him, just as Kilowog came above the hull. The two Lanterns collided into each other in space.
"Will you stay outta my way?" Kilowog demanded.
"We're going about this all wrong!" Hall replied. "Whatever it is, it's intelligent. It's watching us and staying one step ahead."
"Why are you yelling at me?"
"To cause a distraction so I can do this!" Hal answered. He aimed his ring and caught the creature in the rings grasp and launched it back toward him.
The creature latched onto his arm. Kilowog grabbed the flippers of the creature and pulled. The creature cried out in pain, but refused to let go. Kilowog released the creature and formed a construct cube around it instead. Hal slid his arm out of the box, trapping the creature inside. They flew back inside the Interceptor where Kilowog released the creature into the holding cell.
"Okay squid start talking. Kilowog here loves seafood and he has a big appetite." Hal said.
The squid thing crawled from the cell opening.
"What?"
"It's an old interrogation method on earth. Good cop, hungry cop." Hal explained.
"Goggan will not go back, cannot go back! Destroy me but do not take me back to the Grim Rock; to live all days like my worst." Goggan ranted.
"Great. Ugly and nuts." Kilowog said.
"You escaped from the Spider Guild Prison?" Hal asked.
"Yes. With this!" Goggan help up his flipper with nothing on it. "Goggan tunneled. Twelve years! Kept me sane. SANE! Goggan reached the air shaft, then you-ha ha still sane."
"Shouldn't have bothered nut job. Cause you're just going right back to prison where you belong." Kilowog explained.
Goggan freaked out. "NO! PLEASE NO! Mercy! Not back to nightmare rock! Goggan lives his pain there! Torture! Goggan is a child there and old! The worst of fates! Again and again!"
Hal gave Kilowog a look.
"What? An escaped con will say anything to stay outta prison." Kilowog stated.
"And if he's telling the truth?" Hal asked.
"Razer's worse than a criminal." Kilowog replied. "If the spider's wanna torture him, let 'em."
"It's our jog, our duty to serve and protect. Even if they're criminals. "Hal explained.
"Intriguing."
Hal and Kilowog turned. Aya was standing not too far behind them. Her face withheld any sign of emotional understanding.
"But criminals must be punished. Surely prisoners deserve their fate?" Aya asked.
"They deserve justice which sometimes involves punishment. But not torture." Hal explained. He turned to Kilowog. "Look, we've gotta take this…thing back anyways so we'll have a look around."
"Okay" Kilowog huffed. "But even if there is something wrong with the prison, it's not like Myglom's going to let us see it. They'll clean up their act as soon as they see us coming."
"That's why they're not going to see us coming." Hal answered with a smirk.
"Please, don't say it." Kilowog begged.
"We're going to break into prison." Hal stated. He turned to Aya. "Aya, plot a course back to Grim Rock."
Aya nodded her head. "Course plotted. Adjusting heading."
The Interceptor returned to Grim Rock's coordinates less than an hour later. Aya's pristine and precise piloting brought the ship around the asteroid. Perfectly avoiding the security systems. The Interceptor landed on the far side of the asteroid, hidden within the crater of an old hanger.
"IT'S WORSE THAN DEATH!" Goggan screamed from his cell. "Infinity upon infinity. You mustn't go!"
"Don't worry Goggan, just taking a quick look around." Hal said. "Dinner's in two hours. If we're not back start without cause we're probably dead."
The landing doors closed behind them. Goggan cringed and looked over toward Aya.
"Pretty computer lady! Please, Goggan mean what he say. Grim Rock is torture! We leave now!" he called.
Aya turned her attention to Goggan. "Negative. We will wait for the return of Green Lantern's Hal and Kilowog. As ordered."
Goggan groaned, covering his face with his flippers. "Not coming back!"
Aya turned from Goggan and resumed her duties on the bridge.
Hal and Kilowog entered the prison through a hole cut out from one of the prison doors. The halls were dimly lit and jagged.
"We really doin' this?" Kilowog asked.
Hal started through the hall.
"Really?" Kilowog followed after him.
They flew through the dark tunnels, careful of the spiders that could be patrolling in the nearby cells or halls.
"Maybe we should check out the accommodations?" Hal suggested.
They slipped into an open prison cell. Kilowog sealed the door behind them. The cell walls continued the power strips inside the cells, leading the center wall in the back of the cell. It appeared to be some sort of restraint device built into the wall.
"Well there's no view, clearly entertainment for the guards anyways." Hal said.
"You don't know that stuff for torture." Kilowog said. "This could be the rehabilitation that Myglom talked about."
Hal knelt down at the device. "Whoever was being rehabilitated here was scratching desperately to escape."
Kilowog shuttered. "Ugh, these yellow stones are everywhere. They make my skin crawl."
"I've never seen you scare before." Hal stated.
"I ain't scared a no rocks!" Kilowog replied.
"Let's get outta here." Hal said.
They tuned toward the door. The cell doors opened quickly as several spider guards entered. Their jaws snapped open and closed at them. Kilowog and Hal raised their lanterns rings, but nothing happened.
"I'm almost ninety percent sure I remembered to charge it this time." Hal stated.
The spiders lunged.
Hal and Kilowog woke, hanging from the ceiling of a yellow crystal chamber. They were wrapped in some sort of cocoon.
"Rings are still down." Hal said.
"Makes no sense. They're charged. "Kilowog replied. "The only thins working is the universal translator."
Hal sighed. "Something's interfering with them."
"My Green Lantern friends," Myglom entered the cavern. "I'm shocked. Shocked to find you in this untoward position."
"Well then cut us down." Hal said.
"I'm afraid not. Now that you've seen our…humane cells." Myglom answered.
They struggled to get free.
"Oh your rings won't work here. You've must've noticed this unusual mineral. We stumbled upon a rich vein of it nearby. Not only does it power and light the facility, but it has an interesting side effect. It nullifies the energy of a green lantern power ring." Myglom explained.
Fear wasn't an emotion Hal was used to feeling since he became a lantern. But as he was hanging from the ceiling of a prison, trapped inside a cocoon with spiders, it wasn't too far from what he was feeling at this very moment.
"So you do run a goolog after all." Hal said.
"Not at all." Myglom answered. "We don't torture the prisoners here. Not in the traditional sense." He signaled above them.
Two spiders crawled down the threads holding the cocoons to the ceiling. Each one seemed to be carrying some sort of device in their hands. The spiders crawled down to Hal and Kilowog and slipped the devices over their heads tightly.
"These devices, fore their wearers to relive their worst moments again and again." Myglom explained/
"So, that's what you got in store for us? A couple of bad dreams?" Kilowog asked.
Myglom laughed. "Oh no, no. The memories are only the beginning. After we treat our prisoners, then we eat them."
Myglom's dark laughter echoed through Hal's mind as the device activated. Pain burst through his skull, driving deep into his thoughts. The cocoon chamber vanished in front of him as he was thrown into the depths of his mind. Myglom's laughter escorting him all the way.
Goggan paced around his cell nervously. Aya stood at one of the console near the cell, trying to track Hal and Kilowog's power rings.
"They're dead by now. We must leave." Goggan said. "Leave, before we're found."
"Negative. We will continue to wait." Aya answered without turning to Goggan."
"Ugh, the one said he would be back in time for dinner two hours ago! Dinner time has passed. Dead!" Goggan countered.
Aya glanced toward Goggan. "There is a high probability that Hal was attempting to be humorous."
"If they're not dead yet, they will be soon!" Goggan explained. "Worse than dead even!"
Aya was silent. She searched through her memory files of Hal and Kilowog's attempts to free prisoners for rumors of torture. They had risked their lives to save prisoners. The logic in the action was not sound at all. However, they were Green Lanterns. Protectors of the universe. They could not be allowed to suffer like criminals.
"Unacceptable." Aya said. "Action must be taken to rescue the Green Lanterns. Even at the risk of this unit." She pressed several buttons on the console in front of her.
A biobed emerged from within the wall. Aya entered another sequence of commands and turned to the bed. She lay down on the bed and engaged her face plates. "Portable interface, activated."
The Interceptors lights shut down in a flash of green. Emergency power remained online within the ship. Aya lay motionless on the biobed. Goggan looked up from his flippers in confusion. He scooted closer to the energy field to look at Aya.
"Uh…computer girl?" he asked.
Aya had never successfully activated her portable interface. The program had been a basic program Aya had found while enhancing her programing. The theory of the interface was to allow Aya to transfer her consciousness from her body on Interceptor, into another computer system. It was, in a sense, an acceptable program. Aya was untrained in defensive and offensives techniques. She could do more good-or damage to the enemy- as a program in their systems. As of yet, Aya had never had the chance to test the interface, she calculated the program would be unsuccessful, and result in her demise. But as the Green Lanterns were in danger of death themselves, it was time to test the program.
Aya traveled through the power lines of the prison. She searched through the lines, looking for any sign of the lanterns. She hopped from circuits to lines, searching though the prison. But her searching ceased when an unknown force blocked her from continuing through the prison. Without continuing further, Aya would be unable to locate the green lanterns. She needed an alternative option. Aya altered her course and searched for her next possibility. Aya hopped into the power strips and flowed through the lines power Razer's headpiece.
Razer hadn't seen his home planet in many years. Longer than he would like to admit. He'd forgotten what it looked like. Of course, that was why he'd left. It was in nothing but ruins. Stone homes were left in piles of rubble, big enough for only rodents to search through. He stood in the far edge of his home, looking out the gaping hole in the opposite wall, where she stood.
"The fighting stopped." She said. He could hear the fear in her voice. Every time he could hear her tone, he wished he could end it. Stop the war and bring hope and happiness back into her voice.
"For now. They'll be back." He said. He walked across the room to her side. "The warlords always come back."
"Maybe someday they'll leave us alone?" she asked, turning to him. "The Forgotten Zone will be a place where we can raise a family. Without worry. Without fear." She leaned her face against his shoulder.
"I'm going to help make that happen." Razer said. "By joining the militia."
"Razer no!" Ilana cried. "Please, no!"
"I'm sick of hiding while the warlords take what they want." Razer explained, turning form the view.
"You think more fighting will help? Our people need teachers, and doctor, and builders. Not more soldiers!" she said.
"I'll gain power in the militia and protect everyone." Razer said. He turned back to Ilana and gently kissed her forehead. "Especially the ones I care about most."
Ilana reached up and gently stroked his face.
It was the last time he would ever see her. The last time he would hold her close, or hear her voice again. When he returned months later for her, their home had taken an even stronger beating. What remained of the wall had crumbled completely, encasing the floor in ruble.
"Ilana!" he called.
The room was silent. Fear struck him immediately. Radiating in his gut and bursting through his chest. He scanned the room, searching for any sign of his beloved wife. And he found her. Lying amongst the ruble was Ilana. Her eyes closed, as if asleep. Razer dropped his weapons and ran to her side.
"But, I came back for you. I came back." He said. He gently lifted Ilana's head into his lap. He'd failed her. He left to protect her, only her. And in return she was killed while he fought for her. Fury raged within him, overtaking the pain. "I CAME BACK FOR YOU!"
Amidst the ruble and dust, a ring floated into the structure. It glowed with red energy, calling to Razer.
"RAZER OF THE FORGOTTEN ZONE. YOU HAVE GREAT RAGE IN YOUR HEART. YOU BELONG TO THE RED LANTERN CORPS. GIVE IN. THE RING KNOWS YOUR PAIN."
"SOMEONE MUST PAY!" Razer yelled. He rose from Ilana's body and stood in front of the ring. He extended his hand toward the ring.
"YOU WILL HAVE YOUR REVENGE. THIS YOUR NEW MASTER ATROCITUS PROMISES."
It floated over his finger. Immediately the red rage fueled his body. The pain ignited through his entire being, fueling him with rage. The energy consumed him whole, changing him. He wore red armor, powered by his ring. His jagged armor fit his fury filled being now. Razer exhaled deeply, consumed by the transformation. He opened his eyes and looked down at Ilana's body.
Razer knelt down beside his fallen wife and lifted her body from the ground. He carefully placed her on the bed they once shared. He placed her hands over hear chest, as was a tradition in the ceremony. Slowly, he placed small lamps around the bed. He turned his back to her, giving in to the pain.
Suddenly Ilana's eyes opened. The small blue lamps turned green. Ilana rose from the bed. "Razer."
Razer turned quickly.
"Razer none of this is real." Ilana said. "It is not really happening."
Razer could not believe his eyes. Had everything been a dream, an illusion?
"Do not panic. I am the Aya counterpart." She explained.
The little hope Razer dared to cling to, vanished with Aya's words. He turned his back to her. "I know this is a fantasy. An illusion meant to bring me pain."
"You know? Then why-?"
"The memories keep replaying over and over in my head." Razer explained. "They hurt, but I don't mind. I get to see her again. Even if it is for one more moment."
"I do not understand." Aya said.
"Pray you never do." Razer said.
"I need your help." Aya replied. She rose from the ground. "I cannot save Hal and Kilowog without you. Some force is keeping me out of the prison."
"The prison? What are the green lanterns even doing here? And how did you manage to infiltrate this illusion?" Razer demanded.
"I initiated my interface protocol and transferred my conscious into the prisons system. The Green Lanterns heard that prisoners were being tortured here and Hal thought it was unacceptable. They came back here to investigate. And to save you, if it was true." Aya explained.
"They shouldn't have done that. I deserve to be here. I helped destroy an entire world. All those people died because of me." Razer replied.
"No. Kilowog was able to rescue the settlers before the world was destroyed." Aya explained.
Razer looked back at Aya. Was she telling the truth? Had the green lanterns saved them? Had those people in fact survived? "What? Then, I didn't-I doesn't matter. I'm still the one who pressed the button in my heart I'm guilty of murder. I'm going to stay here."
Aya's eyes narrowed angrily. "What you want is irrelevant."
Razer suddenly found himself falling from the restraints onto the prison floor. He pushed himself up from the floor. He turned his head to the console where Aya was residing. "I will never forgive you for this."
"I have seen your past and know your pain." Aya said.
"No one knows my pain. Certainly not a machine." Razer replied.
Aya's conscious hopped from the panel to the power strips. She floated to the door control and opened it. Razer ran out of the cell and followed Aya's consciousness through the corridors. The spider guards and seemingly vanished as Razer found no one patrolling the corridors as he and Aya traveled. Suddenly Aya came to a stop at a split tunnel.
"Where now?" Razer asked.
"Some force is preventing me from exploring this direction. I believe this is where they are keeping Hal and Kilowog." Aya explained.
"And the other way?" Razer asked.
"That is the path back to the ship." Aya answered.
Razer ran down the right corridor.
"No! You cannot leave them to die!" Aya called.
What difference would it make? He had been killing green lanterns for years. Two wouldn't make a difference to his slate. But that wasn't his plan. If he was to have any chance of rescuing the green lanterns from the spider guild, he was going to need something back.
Razer hurried through the corridors. He could hear Aya's conscious calling after him. He could explain his plan, but there was no time. He found the entrance he assumed the green lanterns had used and slipped out onto the asteroid. The ship was docked not too far from the entrance. Razer quickly boarded the ship. He moved fast onto the main deck and caught sight of the holding cell. He noticed a small creature with a single eye behind the field.
Aya was rising from the bed, apparently severing her interface connection. She looked over at him, her eyes holding the faintest hint of anger.
"And what are you supposed to be?" Razer asked.
"I am Goggan. Are we leaving?" Goggan asked.
Razer didn't answer the creature. He ran to the bridge and activated the stasis box. His ring rose from the box. He grabbed his ring and turned round, finding Aya right behind him.
"I am trusting you to rescue Hal and Kilowog from the prison. Do not fail me." Aya said.
Myglom watched from his post as the green lanterns struggled within their minds and cocoons. It was always his favorite part of the sessions. Every inmate always fought the memories, trying to escape them. None ever did, but it still made for excellent entertainment. But his hunger was more prominent than his amusement.
"Enough. These two need little tenderizing. Green Lantern is best eaten, fresh." He said. He jumped from the plateau onto one of the cocoon threads. Myglom scaled down the thread toward Hals' cocoon. He removed the device from Hal's head and opened his drooling mouth.
Suddenly red energy blasted Myglom from Hal. Hal turned to find Razer standing on the plateau blasting the other two guards from it. Razer launched two whips and sliced open the cocoons. Hal and Kilowog slipped from the cocoons and fell toward the ground. They both caught themselves on more spider thread, slowing them enough to jump to the ground. Hal turned back toward Razer.
"Great timing kid." He said.
Razer barely acknowledged the comment before he turned his attention to the gathering spiders. Two more and entered from the door while three crawled from the ceiling and five joined the ground patrol. The ceiling dwellers dropped onto Razer, forcing him to the pack of five on the ground. They piled on top of him. But in a burst of red energy, they were thrown from Razer across the chamber. Razer turned and quickly lashed out and three charging spiders, sending them into the wall. He turned to the waiting spiders and grasped one. He threw it into another counterpart behind him.
"We just got our butts saved by a red lantern. Kilowog grumbled.
"I noticed." Hal said. "You gonna stand for that?"
Kilowog turned his attention to the spiders. "No." He broke off a large club of stone form the ground and charged the closest spider he could find. "Oh you want some pooser?" he slammed the club into the spiders head. "There's plenty for everybody!"
Hal caught movement from behind him. It was Myglom trying to escape. Hal quickly ran toward Myglom, getting in front of him. The spider had yet to see hi, which was an advantage to Hal. Myglom stopped short when he realized that Hal stood in his path.
"You were going to leave without saying goodbye." Hal said, blocking Myglom's escape.
"No, you have it all wrong green lantern." Myglom said. He lunged for Hand.
Hal ducked Myglom's numerous strikes. He dove over the staff and landed behind Myglom. Myglom swung the staff, trying to crush Hal. Hal swung his fist into Myglom's thorax, meeting with a sudden stop. Hal groaned at the pain bursting through his fist. Myglom laughed and tripped Hal with his staff. Hal hit the ground and looked up. He rolled out of the path of Myglom's staff and rushed to his feet. He flipped out of the way again. Myglom threw his face toward Hal. Hal caught Myglom by his fangs and jumped, kicking Myglom in the face. He grabbed the staff and ripped it form Myglom's grasp. Hal beat Myglom over the head with his own staff, temporarily dazing him. Myglom charged Hal in fury. Hal leaped over Myglom and stung the staff hard over Myglom's skull. The spider collapsed to the ground, semiconscious.
"I was kicking butt long before I ever got this ring." Hal said. "And I've been swashing bugs even longer."
Razer and Kilowog finally disabled the spider guild guards. Razer stood in a field of fallen spider, raging still with red energy. Much to Hal's surprise, Razer quickly pulled the ring from his hand, removing his powers. Razer fell to his knees in exhaustion and held the ring toward the green lanterns.
In the main hanger, on Aya's skill, the Interceptor sat once again. Hal, Kilowog, and Razer stood beside the landing pad while Goggan came sliding toward them in a hurry. Hal kept a cautious eye on Razer, who had apparently found the floor very interesting.
"Myglom and his guards are in the jail cells, like you wanted." Goggan said.
"The guardians have dispatched a new warden. He should arrive in eighteen months." Hal explained. "In the meantime, I'm designating a temporary warden." He knelt down in front of Goggan. "Congratulations Goggan. I'm leaving the prisoner temporarily in your hand-things."
Goggan smiled and shook Hal's hand.
"I trust you can free the prisoners form their cocoons?" Hal asked.
"Yes! Yes of course. Oh and no one will ever be tortured here again." Goggan answered.
"You know for a second there, I thought you were going to make Razer the warden." Kilowog said.
Razer lifted his head.
"Are you crazy? I couldn't possible leave a red lantern in charge of this place." Hal said. He turned and started to walk toward the Interceptor. He stopped not too far from Razer and tossed the ring. "Because he's coming with us."
Razer caught the ring and looked back at Hal in disbelief. Kilowog shared the same expression.
"Let's go." Hal ordered.
Kilowog growled darkly and motioned his head to Razer. Razer followed Hal to the Interceptor with Kilowog close behind him. Goggan jumped up and down waving goodbye to the team until they boarded the ship.
Kilowog and Hal walked to the bridge, where Aya was waiting. Hal took the main console, relieving Aya from her position. Kilowog took the base position. Hal plotted the ships next course. The Interceptor rose from Grim Rock and began its flight toward their next destination.
"You know how that thing the spiders used made you relive your absolute worst moments?" Kilowog asked, tuning back to Hal.
"Yeah?"
"I got a new one." Kilowog grumbled looking back at Razer seated in the main bay.
Aya walked to the table where Razer sat silently, staring at his ring. "You do not seem to have recovered from your ordeal."
Razer looked up. "You have seen my past. It is private."
"The intrusion was necessary to insure the crew's survival." Aya explained. Her face remained expressionless.
"You are a cyborg, yet you risked your existence to save them." Razer stated.
Aya's expressionless face seemed to disappear for only a moment in Razer's eyes. Pride seemed to linger on her face as she spoke. "A green lantern would do no less." Without another word, Aya turned from Razer and walked back onto the bridge.
Razer turned his gaze from Aya and thought back on her words. The crew was indeed a curious crew.
okay...so the next few chapters are probably going to just be aya and razer pov's just cause that's easier. and yes i know i missed part 2...still in progress. but everything up to fear itself is written already.