A/N: Thanks for waiting!
Again, thank you to all the new followers and to all the reviews! Thanks a lot you guys, this really helps my muses! :D Also on a different note, I'll try my best to update, but like I said before, once a month.
Note: I will only use OC's in this story as filler characters to move the plot along. Astonia is where Saint Walker is from, although they never really stated where he came from in GL:TAS.
On with the story!
Ten hours ago, on a small blue and purple planet near Oa . . .
The Astonian caretaker smiled as she watched over the young ones.
She wore an orange, sleeveless turtle-neck-like shirt. Her pale arms were slender, and had several, dark markings on them. She sported salmon colored gloves that went down to her elbow, and the glove on her hand wrapped snugly around her pointer finger as the rest of her hand showed. Her hands were also calloused, proving she wasn't one to be idle. Around her head wrapped a headband that looped around and under her 'head-tail' that matched the color of her outfit. The extension from the back of her head reached just past her nape, signifying that she was an adult.
The young children she watched over ran around, happily playing. All of them were from a variety of alien species from around the universe: orphans from dead or war-torn planets.
"P'len! Sister P'len!" shouted one of the little ones. The caretaker turned to see one of the spindly children rush over to her, holding a messily made bouquet of picked-out-of-the-ground flowers. The roots were clear at the bottom of the flowers, desperately grasping what little dirt they once belonged to.
"Oh, are these for me, Draarr?" P'len asked. She gingerly took them from the little one. She chuckled as Draarr quickly planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Yeah! I know those are your fav-or-it!" the little one grinned. P'len smiled back at him. As she stood up, a sudden shadow was threw itself over the entire play area. P'len automatically gazed up, and the cold feeling of horror raced through her veins. Nearby, the other orphans had looked up as well. Several pointed up at the looming shadow overhead. The smaller, younger ones huddled close to their older counter-parts.
P'len squinted to see whatever it was better. She stared in shock as she heard loud engines coming from it. A ship? All the way out in this part of the universe?
To her horror, she saw the Red Lantern insignia upon the hull of the ship.
"Get inside!" Sister P'len called. The orphans diligently followed her command. Several yards behind the caretaker was the little building they all lived in. Immediately, P'len opened the door and quickly counted each innocent head as they passed her.
"Two . . . three . . . five, and six," she sighed in relief. Once they were all inside, P'len shut the door behind her. The orphans ran through another door, which led to a room tightly packed with beds. As soon as they sat or landed upon their designated spots, P'len stood tall as she gazed at the orphans in front of her.
"All of you must hide under your bed or in the various closets: you know the drill."
"B-but, this isn't a drill, is it?" one of them murmured. P'len spared a glance outside a curtained window. As she pulled aside the cloth, the ship outside landed. The wind from it's turbines violently cut up grass and spewed it her way. The pitiful blades of grass smacked against the window like hail.
P'len sighed. "No, it's not I'antaurtora, but for the sake of your sister and everyone else, keep down and hide." The little ones darted off to their various hiding places.
"Be careful!" the young ones chorused. P'len glanced back at the little ones and nodded. She closed the door and locked it from the outside. If all else failed, the orphans knew that the fake closet in the back of the room led to an underground spring. From there, they'd march on to the safe-house.
P'len prayed that it wouldn't have to come to that. She walked to the front door, heart pounding like a drum. As she opened the door, she looked up at a Red Lantern. Her blood ran cold as she registered who it was.
As calmly as she possibly could, she inquired, "What is your business here?"
"Dear Sister, I believe you know who I am," the menacing creature chuckled. P'len shuddered inwardly.
Suddenly, the larger alien grabbed her forearm. P'len tried in vain to get out of the powerful grip. Without warning-
P'len stared in horror as her forearm was snapped like a twig.
"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" The scream seemed to echo throughout the valley.
Oa . . .
"To the members of the Interceptor, this is Aya. I ** ** * ****ible situation. I feel that I am in *** places ** ****. I barely am able to send this message to you, forgive me-"
The Lanterns jumped when the message suddenly turned blank as the screen shut down.
"What the-why did it suddenly go wonky?" Kilowog murmured. He tapped the top of his ring, as did Hal. The human then meandered to the main navigation console, where the cube of what was L.A.N.O.S. usually was.
"L.A.N.O.S., you ok?" Hal knocked upon the steel.
"Ugh . . ." L.A.N.O.S. coughed. Razer stared at the cube as it appeared once again on the main navigation console. "Ack! My translation systems have been tampered with! The message had a trace of a virus . . ."
Razer exhaled. "What matters is that we know that she's alive, albeit with limited knowledge where."
"-Honor Guard member Hal Jordan, please report to the Guardians!-" Salaak called through the Earthling's ring.
"What did you do?" Kilowog asked.
"Nothing! Honest!" Hal exclaimed. "At least, not recently . . ."
"Better hurry before the Guardians throw another tantrum," Razer remarked.
To all of their shock, that wasn't the case.
"Easy, easy," Salaak murmured to a . . . woman that seemed to be from Saint Walker's species. Speaking of the Blue Lantern, he sat right next to her. Walker inspected the cast around her forearm.
"Wait, wasn't Saint Walker's home destroyed?" Kilowog murmured to himself.
"Oh, thank you for coming so fast to aid us . . ." the lady exhaled once the Green Lanterns were close enough. She rubbed her forehead. "If the Green Lantern near our region hadn't been around-"
"Ease fellow Sister, ease," Saint Walker soothed. "What nearly happened to you hasn't passed, and the little ones you care for are safe."
"Whoa." Hal stared at her as he pulled himself a seat near the Lanterns and civilian. "And, Saint Walker, I don't mean to reopen old wounds . . . but wasn't your world destroyed by the Red Lanterns?"
"Yes," the civilian sighed. "Though before that, I had been kidnapped . . . for slave trade." She seemed to shrink a bit, but Saint Walker placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "My name is P'len."
"Who did this?" Razer asked. He could see that her arm was in a sling, but there was evidence of the blood that stained the bandages.
"I couldn't believe it myself when I saw the ship," P'len shuddered. "I knew the Red and Green Lanterns signed a treaty and all-"
"Red Lanterns?" Razer's eyes widened a bit. He turned to the Green Lanterns. "Zilius Zox never mentioned any in-fighting."
"Sounds like a few have gone rogue," Kilowog frowned in contempt.
"Let the lady speak," Hal cut in. He turned to P'len. "I am sorry if other people have asked this all ready, but who in the world did this to you?" P'len nervously gazed at Hal, Saint Walker, Salaak, Razer, and back to Hal.
"Go on," the first Blue Lantern encouraged. The others could see anger behind the usually calm eyes of Saint Walker. She exhaled, and whispered the name.
Hal, Kilowog and Razer gaped at her in shock.
"Are you absolutely positive it was he that attacked you?" Razer questioned.
"That's impossible, that Red is in prison!" Kilowog exclaimed. Hal could only clench his hands into fists.
"Yes, Blue and Green Lanterns," P'len whispered. "I know it was him. He somehow escaped without notification from the prison. I don't know why he ended up on my door-step . . . but it is so."
P'len looked up with solemn eyes as she gazed at Hal Jordan.
"Atrocitus has been freed."
A/N: DUN-DUN-DUN! Be kind, review please!