Title: Fester
Summary: "'Let the dissenter pay the price'" The Red Lanterns are seeking revenge on Razer for leaving their ranks. However, is Razer too valuable to lose? The Green Lanterns must decide whether or not if it is worth risking their own lives to save their Red counterpart. How much torture and pain is a life worth?
Disclaimer: I do not own Green Lantern: The Animated Series or Green Lantern. It all belongs to DC comics.
Time Frame: Will include some things from later episodes but the takes place Pre-Reckoning. It's kind of like my version of Reckoning
Authors Note: First off, sorry about the long wait in between updates. I haven't forgotten about you guys! I swear! In fact, I was busy drawing up an outline for this story so I know where I'm going in it. Updates should be pretty regular now :D A big thanks to anyone who has read, reviewed, favorites, or alerted this bad boy. Already I'm almost at 1,000 hits and it's only been two chapters. WOW! Thanks a ton, guys! Thanks especially to all of the reviewers out there. I have to conclude, the GL: TAS fandom is definitely the nicest and coolest fandom out there. Every single review has made me giggle aloud and flail rather sporadically. So, I can send you guys my health bill when I have a heart attack, right?
Thanks in particular to everyone who commented on my video as well. I just love you guys (um, you too, iSniffMarkers o.O)! To bronze andromeda shun: Thanks for both of your comments! Your video request is on the top of my list of things to do :D To Rowanfall: I just love your reviews xD The whole blood spitting out was not really intentional/referencing to that. That's really cool, though! Thanks for pointing it out. Also, to those of you pointing out that this is one of the best GL: TAS stories out there (Starburst22 and Gaaraxluvr), you guys are AWESOME!
(And I think I used the word "guys" about a hundred times just now :P Sorry, [placeholder])
Kilowog was the first one to break the silence. "Wait…what? I think I missed something. What is it supposed to look like?"
"Not like that, apparently," Hal frowned. "Does it have something to do with your ring or you being a Red Lantern?"
Razer coughed lightly, the brunt of the storm obviously over, and sat up, squatting on his heels. "I believe so."
Aya tilted her head at the Red Lantern. "I am unfamiliar with your customs as a Red Lantern. Is this an indication of your power levels being at a critical level?"
Razer stood up shakily with the help of Hal. Once he was back on his feet, he instantly shrugged the human away and pretended as if nothing had happened. Something still felt hot in his hand. He glanced down at his still dully pulsing ring and his frown deepened. The eyes of the Green Lanterns followed Razer's and they too stared uneasily at the ring.
"I'm a bit curious to that myself. You have to be running low, Razer. I know when we run low, we feel tired and cranky." It was hard to miss the obvious look the human gave to his former drill sergeant. "Is this," Hal waved his hand around as if trying to come up with an adequate description of the past events, "a side effect?"
Razer clenched his fists tighter. With each pulse of his ring, it felt as if waves of fire were licking across his flesh. "No. Not quite."
Aya was clearly about to ask another question when Kilowog interrupted her. "Wait a minute. Red, you said someone was here. Who are they?" Kilowog squinted suspiciously at the Red Lantern. All eyes turned on Razer questioningly. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing: they were green; Razer was still red.
"I…" Razer hesitated. Suddenly his face changed and his slightly nauseated expression took on a look of forced determination. "I was trying to say that the Green Lantern is somewhere close." He crossed his arms and made sure to hide his ring. "We need to find him or her soon."
Aya and Kilowog both nodded while Hal looked unconvinced. "I don't think there is a 'we' in this mission. Razer, I order you to stay back on the ship while we look for the Green Lantern." Hal paused and considered the younger Lantern for a moment. "You will be alright by yourself on the ship, right?" He added that part as if it was a second thought.
Razer was at first shocked by the Green Lantern's command. Then his expression morphed into a dark glare. "What? You're making me stay on the ship? You Green Lanterns need all the help you can get in retrieving this Lantern."
"You aren't much help to us when you can't even breathe because you're coughing up who knows what!" Hal snapped back. "Besides, your buddies, the Reds, might've already visited this planet. You'd just be something that scares them off." Hal suddenly stopped. "Wait... Haven't we already had this argument before?"
Instead of caving like he did before on Queen Iolande's planet, Razer refused to back down. He flung one of his arms out and waved a hand with angry, sweeping movements. "There is no one here!" Razer grounded out loudly through clenched teeth. "Who is there to frighten? If we do not hurry, there will be one less inhabitant of this desolate planet and one less Green Lantern." Razer paused. "We don't know if the Red Lanterns have come here yet or if they're still here…" he trailed away. This seemed like a place Atrocitus would have loved. Or a ruined home he would have loved to cause. "We just have to hope we aren't too late."
Hal's hard expression looked as if it were chiseled in stone. He too refused to back down but the younger Lantern's logic was flawless. This strange planet certainly wasn't ranking high on the population meter. However, part of the reason Hal was not about to cave in was because he was worried for the Red Lantern. Ever since Razer started to look "sick," he had become very irritable and irrational. Unstable would be the word Hal would use to describe it. Unable to risk the chance of having one of his own crew—for now he considered Razer a member of the Interceptor—injured, Hal did not blink or glance away when he was locked into a glaring contest with Razer. Therefore, the two stood, a mere foot apart, and scowled at each other, daring the other to give up. Surprisingly it was Kilowog who decided to end the stand down. He was just as surprised by Razer's sudden hostility and a bit spooked by Hal's sudden use of authority.
"Jordan, as much as the Red and his coughing up blood gives me the creeps, I think we need as much help as we can get. I don't know this planet—and you don't know it either. "
"I agree with Green Lantern Kilowog. Even though Razer is unwell, his assistance, although most likely it will only further damage his health, may prove to be invaluable in locating the Green Lantern. I believe Razer is aware of the consequences and is willing to help."
Hal sighed loudly and looked away from Razer's blue eyes. "I guess I can't argue with a computer. Majority rules. Razer, you can come along."
The Red Lantern nodded tightly, not one to gloat over his accomplishments. He was silent, waiting to hear more information about the Lantern they were about to track.
"So, Aya, do you have any idea where this guy is? Is he at least close?" Kilowog wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and removed the sweat that had pooled above his brow. "It's getting pretty hot out here. It's about as hot as a—"
Aya's synthetic eyes started to glow a bright shade of blue. "Forgive me for correcting you, Green Lantern Kilowog, but the Green Lantern is a female. My sensors have picked up her image."
"Her?"
"Female?"
"Wait… You were able to 'pick up her image?' How is that possible?" Hal looked severely confused. "Have you ever been able to do that before?" The other Lanterns turned to look at Aya.
The Artificial Intelligence shook her head. "I have not."
Kilowog frowned and turned to face Hal. "She wasn't even able to pick us up without meeting us first. This doesn't seem right."
"I agree with the Sergeant," Razer crossed his arms. "Something is not right."
"Do you have any idea as to why you can do this now?" Hal still wanted his question answered. "Is an enormous boost of power as the cause still on the table?" he asked, trying to sound hopeful.
Aya shook her head again. "No. However, I am led to believe that Razer's initial suggestion that this may be a trap is now a valid possibility."
"Who would set it?"
"Again I am at loss, Sergeant Kilowog. It is unlikely that the trap would be set at random because the knowledge and the methods required to infiltrate my internal processors are highly advanced. I have upgraded them since our last faulty encounter with carbon-based beings. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that the potential danger was planned. Thus creating a dangerous trap with a formidable enemy."
The other Green Lanterns shifted on their feet uneasily. Formidable? That was never a good word to hear when talking about enemies.
Apart from his few side comments, Razer was relatively quiet. He still was feeling sick and neither the burning ring around his finger nor the pounding headache he had suddenly acquired were feeling any better.
"You said you have the image of the Green Lantern?" Razer asked eagerly, breaking the silence and changing the subject. "What does she look like?" The Red Lantern didn't exactly know why he cared or why he was so anxious to find out what she looked like. He just had to know.
Aya blinked and searched back through her processing drives for the image. "She is familiar…" The computer faltered for a moment. Now that she was looking at the details of the Green Lantern, she recognized the features on the young woman. They were not unlike her own synthetic features. Aya started again, surprised by the very human action of stuttering due to shock. "She is of Razer's species."
Razer's downcast eyes darted up to Aya's face for a moment as if he could guess what she was thinking. Then, as quickly as he had looked up, he stared back down at the dusty ground.
"Huh, that's interesting." Hal tilted his head in a puzzling way. "Are you sure she is? You must've met or seen her before for you to have recognized her."
"And I don't remember seeing anyone who looked like Red lately." Kilowog jabbed a plump thumb at their former prisoner. One of them is bad enough.
Aya shook her head once. "The Guardians downloaded images and information on every single species and genus into my mainframe during my conception." The AI explained all of this in a smooth voice. It surprised her how easy it was to be untruthful. It was the first time she had ever not told the whole truth to the other Green Lanterns. However, Razer had informed her that his past was private. Although it may be more beneficial to the mission in general to share Razer's past, it would be considered a betrayal to violate his trust. "She seemed familiar because the physical similarities between males and females from Razer's race are very close." Razer neither objected nor agreed to her statement.
Hal and Kilowog seemed to believe her lie. "Even if that's the case, Aya, can you still create a construct of this Lantern so we all know what she looks like?" Hal asked.
Kilowog chuckled and looked back over at Razer. "I don't think I need one. It doesn't take much imagination to picture a more girly Red. If Aya could see him as a girl, it won't be too hard for me either."
Razer's lip curled up into a slight sneer, but not because of Kilowog's insult to him. "Perhaps a construct would help them find this Lantern sooner." He refused to look at the female Green Lantern and stared at everything but her.
Why does he wish to torture himself again? Organic beings do not make sense. Aya stared at Razer for a moment before shooting out a beam of green light from her palm. The light shifted and congealed, trying to tweak itself into a perfect image of the woman in Aya's head, before settling.
"Eh, she has a nice enough face," Hal grinned. Razer's sneer grew tenfold at the human's remark.
"Do you gotta try to hit on every Green Lantern we find, Jordan?" Kilowog rolled his eyes and bumped the human with his ginormous shoulder. Neither of them were particularly affected by the new Green Lantern and neither drew the connection back to Razer or Aya's face.
For Razer, seeing the construct felt like a punch in the gut. Standing before him was his precious Ilana. Instead of the cold, inanimate slash that served as her mouth when she was dead, this constructed Ilana was actually smiling. Each shimmer of the green light caused the Red Lantern's heart to contract painfully. He ached to reach out and touch the false Ilana, but he knew doing so would raise many questions. Instead he dropped his gaze and tried to keep his voice at a level tone, devoid of all emotions.
"This is a trap. She—I mean, it's not real."
"I can see the pain clearly upon Razer's face! You chose the perfect bait for those weak Lanterns, Master." Zilius Zox was practically bouncing with malicious glee he was so excited.
Atrocitus was almost smug. "The young female has always held a place in Razer's heart. It was unfortunate when she was killed. Perhaps it may have been the thing that drove Razer to be a Red Lantern." Atrocitus' face lit up in a dark smile. The two Red Lanterns were watching the scene unfold on a red energy screen created, ironically enough, by a modified version of Razer's hunter-killer drone. The more killer version was in recon mode and remained undetected by the four visitors—even by Aya's very precise sensors. The Green Lanterns and their Red "tagalong" were completely unaware of the Red Lantern presence. However, the small Red Lantern team that Atrocitus had assembled knew everything about their soon to be engaged in battle opponents.
"I don't know how you knew that, Our Raging Lord, but my place is not to question." Zilius bowed down so low his face nearly brushed the floor. He straightened up and let out a cross between a cackle and a growl. "My place is to kill, kill, kill!" Red light twisted like fog around his spherical form. "I cannot wait to destroy those Green Lanterns and the traitor."
"No!" Atrocitus' booming command shook various objects in the vicinity, including Zilius Zox. "This attack is merely a distraction. You will not kill anyone."
The Red Lantern solider pouted slightly. "But Mas-ster!" he whined. "Why can't we kill the Green Lanterns? Surely they aren't important for your plan, too."
Atrocitus grounded his teeth together. It was taking nearly all of his patience and self-restraint to not punish the Red Lantern in front of him immediately. Zilius is becoming a bit too sure of himself. A reprimand may be necessary. Atrocitus took a threatening step towards the spherical Lantern.
"Are you questioning me, Master Atrocitus, Zilius Zox?" He sneered at the lower ranking officer. "Are you forgetting your place? Do you need to share Razer's fate?"
The other Red Lantern cowered under his master's rage. With downcast eyes and quite a bit of stammering, Zilius apologized for his impertinence and begged for forgiveness.
"Your insolence has been pardoned." Atrocitus turned away in order to hide the dark grin stretching across his scarred face. If only his other Lanterns were as easy to manipulate as Zilius Zox was.
"Do…do you have any further instructions, Master Atrocitus?" Zilius was inching towards the door.
"No." The leader of the Red Lantern Corp strayed towards the window in his quarters. The small ship he had traveled in with his Lanterns had a room identical to his private study on Shard. If it weren't for the dismal change in scenery shown through the window, Atrocitus could still be in space. "You will have your chance to destroy the Green Lanterns soon enough, Zilius Zox." Atrocitus' voice wasn't gentle, exactly; it seemed more like a thoughtful tone. "But first I must…experiment with the Green Lanterns." Through the window, he continued to inspect the dusty, dry world they had landed on. It wasn't a promising place for life, but it was a fine reminder of his mission and the consequences. "To be able to defeat my opponents completely, I must understand them completely." Atrocitus glanced up sharply, suddenly remembering he had company.
"Zilius, you are free to go. Summon a party that will help us cause a suitable distraction for the Green Lanterns. Remember—no killing. Not yet." Zilius ached to ask about Razer but remember Atrocitus' warning. The leader of the Red Lantern Corp seemed to know what his soldier was thinking and answered him with a sick smile. "I shall handle Razer myself. Now go! And don't forget the leverage."
The spherical Lantern dipped his entire body in a salute to his master and retreated quickly from the room, leaving Atrocitus alone with his thoughts and schemes. The first Red Lantern turned back to the window and continued his plotting aloud.
"The Green Lantern moral system is indeed unique. Their bravery is foolishly reckless." He twisted his ring hand and looked down at the glowing power piece. "Unlike the Red Lanterns, they favor preserving the community more so than preserving themselves individually." Red Lanterns were not known for a particularly strong sense of loyalty when it came to the welfare of their fellow Lanterns. The only person any true Red Lantern would swear their loyalty to was Atrocitus. On the other hand, though, it was a known fact that Green Lanterns risked everything, often times even their own lives, to save another Lantern. Atrocitus suppressed a humorless chuckle. Probably some demented idea the Guardian Watchdogs pounded into their brains to prevent them from rising up.
"Still, I am curious to see their reaction to Razer's punishment." When Atrocitus had pulled up Razer's image on the lantern hologram with Zilius Zox, it had not been the first time he had seen the dissenter. Atrocitus had monitored Razer ever since losing track of him. The Green Lanterns seemed to have grown fond of their Red counterpart. The human Green Lantern especially, obviously the commander of the group, viewed Razer to be a member of their pathetic little team. He was curious to see what they would do when Razer was deathly incapacitated.
Atrocitus continued to evaluate the unfolding strategy. While he was at first furious because of the Red Lantern's desertion, he soon concocted a plan that made it fall in his favor. Razer's action infuriated him…which was exactly what he needed to discover a new, horrible form of torture. Similar to how he first got his rage ring, the pure rage and hate was able to unlock another level of power. The rage he felt towards Razer was not nearly as deep as his hate for the Guardians, but it would be enough hate to initiate the excruciating torture process and keep it operational. If his cruel punishment of Razer yielded favorable results, Atrocitus was positive that it would work equally as well for those blue, weak monsters when he invaded Oa. But at the current moment, Razer was just his guinea pig. He needed to perfect the pain in order to make the Guardians truly suffer for their offences. Soon, with Razer to thank for its changed perfection, this new form of agony would become a suitable punishment for the Guardians of Oa and would make them atone for their heinous crimes against his decimated sector.
Atrocitus forced himself away from his delightful thoughts and prepared for the upcoming showdown with the enemy Lanterns. All would soon fall; let his will be done. The mantra would soon become law.
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern 2814 of Earth and part-time plane test pilot, was not happy. In the grand total of two hours in which he and his crew were supposed to have tracked down a new Green Lantern, they had made little positive progress. They had, on the other hand, managed to get themselves stuck into coughing fits, confusing secrets, and computer malfunctions. All in all, Hal just wasn't having too much fun on this sandy and life deprived planet. Razer's little comment wasn't helping anything either.
The human crossed his arms and brought back his suspicious expression. "You seem to know quite a bit that you aren't sharing with us, Razer. Spill. Now."
"Whudya mean it's a trap? How can you tell?" Kilowog was too confused to even attempt to be malicious.
Razer took a deep breath and looked away. Aya killed the hologram immediately. "I do not have to explain myself to you. Just know that we are on the edge of a trap."
"You are on the edge, Razer. What is going on?" Hal raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Fine. The woman that Aya saw was…someone from my past." Razer paused for a moment. "The people of my species had—have a unique trait that helps us tell others apart. No single set of markings," his hand lightly skimmed across his own painted cheekbone before clenching into a fist at his side, "is the same. This can't be real because the woman who had those markings is…gone." The Red Lantern forced his face into a hard mask. "Did my explanation adequately answer your questions?" Razer sounded almost bitter.
"So…does that mean there isn't a GL now?" Kilowog was finally starting to grasp what was going on. "What do we do now?"
"What we do now is we find out who's been messing with us." Hal frowned. "How did they hack into Aya and how did they get into Razer's memories?"
"Didn't you hear what Red just told us? It's a trap, Jordan! Our best bet is to get outta here."
"It'll only get worse if we don't find out what's going on," the human insisted.
Aya had been relatively quiet throughout most of the conversation. She was still trying to pinpoint the location in her programming that held the glitches that were causing them problems. "Forgive me for interrupting, Green Lanterns, but I believe there is an error within my systems. I am receiving help signals from another Green Lantern on this planet. However, I cannot identify the Green Lantern, nor can I pick up traces from the false Green Lantern woman. There is also a concentrated energy field that is shielding an unidentified object that is incoming in ten seconds."
Aya's long speech left the others in silence for a few moments.
"Wha—?"
"I do not und—"
"One more ti—"
There questions were all cut off by a flash of red and all four heroes hit the ground. Razer was the first to react from the initial strike. Propping himself up on his elbows, he glared up at the swirling clouds above him. Hal stirred beside him, Aya was also up, and Kilowog was woozily getting to his feet. A pair of red boots first descended from the raging clouds. A sneer lit up across Razer's face.
"Atrocitus," he spat under his breath. Razer climbed to his feet and curled his ring hand into a fist. The Green Lanterns were also soon in an offensive possession.
The rest of the leader of the Red Lantern Corp came through the pulsing red clouds, wearing a malevolent smirk.
"I wondered where you had wandered off to, Razer."
Characterization is for suckers, right? I still feel like I'm writing everyone wrong D: Hope you enjoyed it! I swear, everything will make sense next chapter. A completely random and confusing storyline is always my twisted version of a cliffhanger. But, you know, you don't hang on that cliff forever. Feedback would be greatly appreciated! It does speed up the writing process, I hear ;]
(On a completely different note, who is completely going to lose it with all of this Razaya interaction and stuff going on. I nearly sprained my throat screaming when Razer caught Aya for like the tenth time this season and held onto her for practically the whole episode.)