Kim Possible and all related characters are the property of Disney. Green Lantern and all related characters are the property of DC Comics.
With blood and rage of crimson red ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,
Together with our hellish hate we'll burn you all;
That is your fate!
-Oath of the Red Lantern Corps
Planet Ryut in Sector 666 was once a world filled with life. It was burned to a cinder with the rest of the sector when the Manhunters, androids created by the Guardians of the Universe to patrol the cosmos, decided that the only way to preserve order was to eliminate life. Only five beings survived the massacre; among them was Atrocitus, the last survivor or Ryut and future leader of the Red Lantern Corps.
Atrocitus joined with the other four survivors of Sector 666, who became the Five Inversions. They were captured by the Manhunters' replacements, the Green Lantern Corps, and jailed on the planet Ysmault in Sector 2814. Their last escape attempt resulted in the death of Abin Sur, the induction of Hal Jordan into the Green Lantern Corps, and Atrocitus finally being recaptured by Hal and Thaal Sinestro of Sector 1417.
But Ryut, a supposedly dead world, was not uninhabited. A gigantic black lantern arose from the scorched soil and encased the injured Anti-Monitor after Superboy Prime, a Superboy from an alternate universe, had hurled the antimatter warlord into the depths of space.
Now, swarms upon swarms of black rings were streaming from the lantern. "Go", an ominous voice commmanded. "The dead shall rise."
Accross the cosmos, on planet Oa in Sector 0, the exact center of the universe, the Guardian known only as Scar heard this voice. "Yes, my lord Nekron," she said as black blood poured from her eyes, nose and mouth. "By your will I shall venture to Earth to enlist the embodiment of the black."
Sector 2814. Planet Earth. Go City USA.
Hero's Day was originally proposed to memorialize Superman after his death at the hands of the alien monster known as Doomsday. Since the Man of Steel's return, it has become a day to honor all heroes; from super heroes to military, police, and firefighters.
The woman known as Shego has once been called a hero when she was a member of Team Go with her brothers. But she got fed up with it when her brother Hego became overly obsessed with do gooding, making evil more appealing. But through it all Shego had one real hero in her life; one she was glad never lived to see her fall from grace.
"Hi, Dad," the green skinned woman said to a grave marker at Go City Cemetary. She was dressed in black pants, a green shirt and a black leather jacket. Her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses despite the fading sunlight. Shego stood before a small grave marker that read "Joseph Gordon. Husband and Father."
"I should've visited sooner, I know. But you know how I am; I hate the mushy stuff. It's just that..." Shego was fighting with herself, trying to keep the tears that were stinging her eyes from flowing.
"Sis," a pair of identical voices said from behind her. When Shego turned she saw her twin younger brothers, collectively known as Wego. They were also dressed in civilian attire.
"Crap!" Shego muttered. "Forget you saw me here."
"Sheila wait!" the Wego on the left called out. Shego stopped cold. No one had called her by her real name in a long time.
"Hego and Mego don't know we're here," the other Wego said. "They're still at that dumb parade for Team Go that ended three hours ago. Wyatt and I wanted to come see Dad."
Shego slowly turned around and looked at her two brothers. The Wegoes, Warren and Wyatt, never grated on her nerves the way Hego and Mego did. "Is... is Mom here?" she quietly asked.
"Yeah," Wyatt said. "She was parking the car."
"Don't worry, Sheila," Warren added. "Mom forgave you a long time ago. And you've kept out of trouble since you and Drakken got pardoned. It's good."
Shego and Drakken had spent most of their free time in one of the former villain's island lairs, exploring their new relationship. Of course, that exploring didn't get much farther than the bedroom. Although there are plenty of other rooms in that lair that need "broken in." Shego gave her youngest brothers a slight grin. "So you want a family day, is that it?"
"A family day would be a nice way to honor your father, honey," another voice said. When Shego looked up she saw a woman who looked quite a bit like she did, except she was a bit shorter, and had brown hair. "What do you say, Sheila?" Lucy Gordon asked. "Let's all go for dinner."
Sector 2814. Planet Earth. Gotham City USA.
William Hand had been the black sheep of his family. The youngest son of morticians, he'd been fascinated with death from an early age, to the point of killing the family dog and using the body to practice his taxidermy on.
As a young man, William was caught in the middle of a fight between an alien called Atrocitus and a pair of Green Lanterns; Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro.
The monster targeted me, the man thought as he lumbered through the dark cemetary. He saw something in me; said I was the cause of the end of everything. He was right, and I didn't know it.
After being saved, William had taken the energy draining weapon Atrocitus was weilding, but he could still see the bright green light of the Green Lanterns. He needed to put it out. Making his first costume from a Hand Mortuary body bag, and using the emblem of his parents' business, an upside down triangle with five lines coming off the top, as his symbol. William Hand became Black Hand, and he lost time and again to Green Lantern.
Then the light went out when the Corps was destroyed. There was only one ring left, and I could ignore it. But the light came back. It always comes back! So I went after a source of it in Green Arrow's home. A ring I could use to soak up the light. But the Spectre came and destroyed my right hand as "punishment" for my crimes. After that, a bunch of aliens gave me the power to rebuild my hand by draining the life force of others. I was becoming death. Little did I know that was my destiny.
I am the Black Hand. I am the embodiemnt of death. All I needed to do was die. And die he did, by his own hand after murdering his parents and brothers. Then the Guardian called Scar came and bestowed the first of the black rings opon him, making him the first Black Lantern. The first of many. All I need now is a tether to the so called heroes; the ones who escaped my master's clutches. Superman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, the Flash... even the Green Lantern who always defeated me!
Black Hand came upon a trio of graves. Two of them shared a lavish headstone that read "Thomas and Martha Wayne." Beside it was a smaller, unmarked stone. That grave held what the super hero community believed to be the mortal remains of their friend Bruce Wayne, the Batman. Black Hand calmly began to dig. It was only a matter of time before the end of the light came.
Sector 2814. Planet Earth. Gotham City USA.
She sat at a high tech terminal in a hidden room in what was, on the outside, just a regular apartment. The bespectacled redhead was searching various databases and satellite photography looking for one person in particular; Ron Stoppable of Middleton, Colorado. The world at large knew her as Oracle, the premier information broker in the world. The only other people who came close to her level of hacker skills were a villain called the Calculator, and a young man named Wade Load, who Oracle had recently begun a friendship and working relationship with. He's a resource I should've tapped sooner. And one of the best online chess players I've ever met.
Once, Barbara Gordon was known as Batgirl; swinging through the Gotham City skyline with Batman and Robin. A bullet through the spine from the Joker's gun ended that, but she refused to let her paralysis keep her out of the fight. Barbara, or Babs as she was sometimes called, had always been brilliant, and she decided to use that dizzying intellect to help those in need; be they heroes like the Justice League and the Justice Society, the FBI, or local law enforcement.
Today she had her computers linked with one of the most powerful mainframes in the world. She wished she had better news. "Sorry, Kim," Barbara said over a special encrypted channel. "There's just no sign of him anywhere."
On the other side of the line, in a fortified bunker beneath Wayne Tower in downtown Gotham City, Kim Possible sat. She was a memeber of the Green Lantern Corps, assigned to the Honor Guard. She, along with fellow Honor Guard Lanterns Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner, had been "temporarily reassigned" to Earth following a riot in the sciencells on Oa. The Red Lanterns and Sinestro Corps freaks we locked up got out, and the Guardians were gonna have the Alpha Lanterns execute them all. That's not what we're about. Kyle, Guy and I stood up to the Guardians, so they teleported us back to Earth without even a second thought.
"Thanks anyway, Barbara," Kim said, expecting that answer. "Whoever did this had to be good to get by your all seeing eyes." Kim sat in thought for a moment.
"I really don't like this," Barbara said. "It's like Ron just vanished from the face of the Earth! Any chance of your fellow GL's finding him out in space somewhere?"
"I've thought of that," Kim sighed. "We can't think of any reason Ron would have been taken off world. I mean, the only person out in space who would want to hurt Ron or me was Amon Sur, and he's dead now. It's not the same anymore. The Corps, I mean."
"I've gathered that from John and Hal," Barbara said. "The new laws in the Book of Oa."
"The laws about lethal force bother me," Kim admitted, "but Hal and John both say it's sometimes necessary."
"My dad would say the same thing, Kim. He's had to kill in the line of duty before, and he's hated doing it every single time."
"But the third law," Kim continued, "that one bothers everyone."
"What's the third law?" Baraba asked.
"Physical relationships and love are forbidden among Corps members," Kim said. "I'm not crushing on anyone in the Corps, but I know at least a couple of Lanterns who are." Kyle and Soranik. "But what if the Guardians decide to outlaw friendships in the Corps? Or if they decide Lanterns can't have romantic relationships with anyone? I'd throw this ring in their little blue faces if they did that."
"That's really messed up," Barbara said. "Back to the case at hand, are you sure Sinestro wouldn't have anything to do with this?"
"The only Earth Lanterns he hates that much go by the names Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner," Kim explained. "Even though he's on the loose again, I don't think Sinestro is behind this. I don't know who is."
While this was going on, another figure watched from the bunkers of the shadows. From afar the silhouette he looked right. But upon closer inspection, the highly trained eye would notice that the ears on the cowl were shorter than they had been, and that the figure himself was shorter than he should be. This wasn't the same Batman everyone was familiar with. He was the first to be called Robin the Boy Wonder, and then he was Nightwing. Since taking the mantle of the bat following his predecessor's demise, Dick Grayson sometimes felt like a kid trying to wear his dad's clothes.
"I take it you've had no luck," he said as he walked up to the computer. Knowing he could trust Kim implicitly, Batman peeled back his cowl.
"None, Dick," Barbara said. "Whoever took Ron Stoppable was better than anyone I've ever encountered."
"Thanks, Babs," the current Batman said.
"I'm not giving up," Barbara interjected. "I hope you don't either, Kim. I'll be in touch. Oracle out."
Kim slumped back in her seat. "I hate this."
"I can understand why," Dick said, sitting down. "I'll keep my eyes open for Ron. I have contacts of my own."
"Thanks, Batman," Kim smiled.
"I'm not wearing the mask, Kim, you can call me Dick."
"I'm surprised you let me in on 'The Big Secret'... Dick"
"I think I can trust you, Kim," Dick said. "Besides, I'm sure Bruce would have told you himself, if he'd gotten the chance. Master Sensei spoke very highly of you and Ron."
Kim's eyes grew wide. "How do you know Sensei?"
"Bruce trained at the Yamanuchi school for a while," Dick explained. "He took me there a few times back in my Boy Wonder days. There were those who thought Bruce would be the next Monkey Master. Bruce and Sensei both knew that wasn't gonna happen. When Ron was infused with the Mystical Monkey Power, Sensei had to tell Bruce about it. Of course, Bruce already knew."
"He really was the best," Kim said in admiration of Dick's mentor. "How did he know?"
"Bruce had been studying you and Ron for a while at that point," the new Batman said. "He knew there was more to Ron than everyone thought. Part of me wonders if he was considering Ron for a role as a Boy Wonder someday."
Kim couldn't help but laugh. "I love Ron, but I can't see him wearing green briefs and pixie shoes."
Dick joined in the laughter. "Thankfully the uniform has changed since my tenure."
The lighthearted mood was broken when an older gentleman rushed into the bunker. "Master Richard!" he shouted. "You were right, sir. I should have listened!"
Dick and Kim rushed to the man's side. "Easy, Alfred; what happened?"
Alfred Pennyworth had been employed by the Wayne family for many years, and had raised Bruce Wayne following his parents' murder. The look on the Englishman's face was chilling.
"His grave... Master Bruce's grave! It's been defiled! His skull is gone!"
A dark look spread across Dick Grayson's face. "Get Damian, Alfred," he said in a stern voice, referring to the new Robin, Damian Wayne. "We're going to find who did this."
"I've already alerted the Justice League. Flash and Green Lantern... Mr. Allen and Mr. Jordan are going to look into it."
"I'm here if you need me, Batman," Kim said, already in mission mode.
"This is a family matter, Kim," Batman said. "Robin and I will handle it." With that the Dark Knight melded into the shadows.
Kim made a move to follow when Alfred stopped her. "He's right about this being a family matter, Miss Possible. Master Richard is as protective of family as Master Bruce was."
"So we just stay here and wait?"
"No, young lady, I stay here and wait," Alfred said, "as I have done for many years. And I pray that I don't have to bury another man I love like a son. You have a young man to locate, and a family of your own to visit with."
Kim nodded, knowing this was an argument she would never win. "Have Oracle call Wade if you need me, Mr. Pennyworth."
Sector 2814. Planet Earth. Middleton USA
Rebecca Possible smiled as she walked into the dining area of her youngest son's home with a tray of lemon squares in hand. "Desert!" she happily announced.
"Boy howdy!" her youngest granddaughter Joss explaimed. "I sure have had a hankerin' for some of your lemon squares, Nana!"
"And since Jim and Tim aren't here, there will be more for all of us," Anne Possible said. "Those boys are starting to eat like... like Ron." The entire table became quiet.
"Don't worry, Auntie Annie," Joss said. "Jim and Tim are out there lookin' for him right now. And Kim's a super hero now! She said she was workin' with Batman to find Ron! Batman!"
"Not even Batman can do everything, Jocelyn," Nana reminded her granddaughter. "Neither can Green Lanterns. I met a Green Lantern once; the fellow with the red shirt who was in the Justice Society."
"I think Kimmie-cub mentioned him," James Possible said. "She said he's not in the Corps."
"Regardless," Nana continued, "even he had his limits. Even with that miraculous ring of his."
"Are, are you sayin' that they're never gonna find Ron?" Joss asked with a tear in her eye.
"No, dear," Nana said. "All I'm saying is even super heroes have their limits. But I also know they never give up. Now where were the boys looking?"
"They're going after anyone who ever had a bone to pick with Ronald," James explained.
"Like that Monkey Fist guy!" Joss excitedly cut in. "But he's just a stone statue now. But maybe DNAmy did something' since she's sweet on Monkey Freak."
"She was in jail before Ron disappeared," Anne said. "But Jim and Tim do have an idea of who to look for."
Secotr 2814. Planet Earth. Camp Wannaweep.
Ron Stoppable called Camp Wannaweep a place of evil on more than one occasion, and he was proven right every single time. The horribly polluted waters turned a boy named Gil Moss into a reject from a 1950's horror movie. No matter how many times he was cured of his amphibious mutation, Gill always found a way to return to his monstrous form.
Over land, Gill was just slightly slower than the average human, but in the water, he had no equal. That was why Jim and Tim Possible, the current members of Team Possible, had done their best to steer the fish man away from the water.
"That dermal homing beacon you shot him with is holding," Tim said to his twin.
"And that hologram you set up by the lake is working like a charm," Jim said, returning the compliment. "He'll never find the water."
The twins, wearing their own versions of the classic Team Possible mission suit (one wore a green shirt, the other a red shirt), continued to trek through the forest surrounding the abandoned camp. "I just hope he knows where Ron is," Jim muttered.
"Yeah, because otherwise, I'm out of ideas," Tim agreed.
"So that's what this is about!" a gurgly voice said from behind them. Before the Tweebs could react, they were plastered to the nearest trees by a blast of sticky stuff from the mutant's mouth. "That's why you're hunting me! The Sqweeb sent you!" Gill hollered. "It's always about the Sqweeb! HE DID THIS TO ME AND NOW HE'S SENT YOU FREAKS TO FIND ME!"
"Who are you calling a freak?" Jim asked.
"You're the one who went swimming in a polluted lake," Tim pointed out. "And you're the one who took Ron's free swim time. This isn't his fault!"
"Shows what you know," Gill spat. "But that's what I would expect from kids dressed like the Sqweeb. What are you, his fanclub? Or do you have a thing for the cheerleader?" Gill hissed. "You're just a couple of look a like know it all's. Why is the Sqweeb having you look for me?"
"Eeeeew," Jim gagged, struggling against his bonds. "Kim's our sister!"
"And Ron's cool!" Tim added. "He used to watch GWA with us. Well until he disappeared. That's why we're here! We thought you took him!"
"What?" Gill asked. "The Sqweeb's gone? Where is he? He's mine to get revenge on!"
"If we knew, we wouldn't be here, fishstick," Tim sneered. "And for the record, we're the new Team Possible. Our big sister Kim passed the torch to us after she became a Green lantern."
"Yeah," Jim added, "where have you been?"
Gill snarled at the captive Tweebs. "A Green Lantern, huh? And she left that Sqweeb far behind."
"Not by choice," Jim said. He almost had a hand free to reach his Jimmunicator. "I mean, Kim is Ron's girlfriend."
The mutant let out an inhuman scream. "HE GOT A CHEERLEADER? I get mutated and he gets a cheerleader! I don't think so!" Gill started thrashing about, cutting deep gashes into the nearby trees. "Who took him? The Sqweeb is mine!"
Deep Space; the border of Sectors 1416 and 1417
The remnants of the battle still floated in the empty void. The scorched sciencell that was to carry Thaal Sinestro back to his homeworld still burned with the fires of rage, for only the red light could burn in the airless vacuum. The bodies of dead Green Lanterns had been taken back to the crypt on Oa, but the dead Sinestro Corps members still drifted with their fallen Red Lantern attackers. Sinestro had been taken back to Ysmault, but he would eventually escape. But the rings of the dead Red Lanterns didn't care. They awaited one thing and one thing only.
"Rage detected," a ring said. "Proceeding to Sector 2814."
Jim Possible finally got his wrist Jimmunicator free. A flick of the wrist activated a cutting beam that freed him and his brother. "Let's move!"
"Right behind you!" Tim yelled, setting off a magneseum flare to blind Gill.
The pair ran as fast as they could, using their communicators to guide them back to their rocket powered skateboards. The rampaging mutant dogged their trail the whole time.
"At least it can't get any worse," Jim smirked at his brother right before another glob of Gill's scapture goo shot by them.
"Define worse."
"It's just him," Jim smiled. "And we know his tricks."
A red light from above caught Tim's eye. "I think it's worse, Jim."
The red light shot towards them, making the Tweebs dive for cover. It was homing in directly on the snarling monstrosity. "Gil Moss of Space Sector 2814," it said, "you have great rage in your heart." The glowing object shot onto the middle finger of Gill's right hand, revealing itself to be a red ring. The band adjusted itself to fit and not interfere with Gill's webbed fingers. "You belong to the Red Lantern Corps!"
A flaming red aura surrounded Gill, and he screamed. His heart stopped, replaced in function by the ring. A flaming aura formed around him, becoming a form fitting red and black uniform. On the chest, an image of a stylized red lantern with long prongs coming off the top formed inside of a black circle.
"Stoppable," Gill hissed with corrosive blood dripping from his lips.
"Stoppable," the ring repeated. "Burn." The glowing mutant shot into the sky, leaving a blood colored contrail behind him.
"We've got trouble," Tim said.
"Big trouble," Jim agreed. "We need to call Kim."
Sector 2814, the upper atmosphere of planet Earth.
The black rings spread through the unsuspecting cosmos like a swarm of locusts. With specific targets preprogrammed, the swarm scattered, sending rings in all directions and into all sectors. A cloud of rings descended upon planet Earth, ready to unleash a storm of carnage. Four rings broke off from the main group, and shot towards specific targets in the western United States, while another ventured towards the mountains of Japan.
This ring was homing in on a special mountain top crypt located near a secluded school. It blasted through the boulder blocking the entrance with no effort.
"Toshimiru of Earth...
A ring jetted towards a well cared for gravestone in a Billings, Montanna graveyard; it burrowed into the ground in front of a stone that read "Nathaniel Possible; Husband, Father and Grandfather."
"Nat Possible of Earth..."
Two more rings shot through the desolate expanse of the Nevada desert, coming to a secret yet publically known military installation. Area 51 hid in plane sight, allowing everyone to know that it really did hold alien technology. Military brass wagered that the public at large wouldn't believe such fantastic stories and, for the most part, they were right.
The two rings bored through stone and steel to the lower levels of the base. Specifically, to the cold room where specimens were kept, awaiting disection. The rings approched a pair of charred, mangled bodies being held in refrigerated tubes. The black trinkets tore through the titanium caskets like tissue paper to perch on deformed fingers.
"Warhok or Lorwardia..."
"Warmonga of Lorwardia..."
A fourth ring came to rest in front of the very tombstone in Go City Cemetary that Shego had been visiting. Like the ring in Montanna, this one burrowed into the earth to reach the coffin below. Without effort, the ring punched a hole in the metal casket and came to rest on the lifeless finger. Tendrils came out of the ring and wove into the body like a plant sending out roots.
Atrophied muscle started to repair itself, holes in rotten flesh closed, but the dead skin did not resume its once healthy color. Eyes, once closed in eternal sleep, again opened, as newly clenched fists began pounding at the coffin lid.
"Joe Gordon of Earth. Rise."
Sector 2814. Planet Earth. New York USA
Honor Lantern Kim Possible had arrived at the New York University campus to visit with her best girlfriend Monique before heading back to Oa. The African American beauty could tell what was wrong before Kim could even open her mouth.
"Still nothing?" she asked.
"No," Kim sighed. "Not even Batman's super hacker can find Ron."
Monique's heart broke a little more. Since hearing of Ron's disappearance over a week ago, she'd been worried sick. Despite Monique's lackluster track record with members of the opposite sex, there was no one else on Earth who loved her friends as much as Monique Davies. She looked at her crestfallen friend. "He'll turn up."
"I hope so," Kim sighed. "And I really hope he was kidnapped by some villain somewhere, because if he just lost track of time doing something stupid, I swear not even the Alpha Lanterns could protect Ron from me!"
"Yo! Possible!" a voice from Kim's ring yelled. An image of Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner flickered into view. "We're heading back to Oa. You about ready to go?"
"I'll see you back on Oa, Guy," Kim said. "I want to take one more look for Ron before I leave the sector."
"Take your time, Kim," Kyle Rayner said. "We'll see you at Warriors."
Just as the image of Kim's fellow Honor Guard vanished, it was quickly replaced by that of Lantern Salaak. "Honor Lantern Possible, I have a mission for you."
"I was about to report back to Oa," Kim lied. "Can't Hal or John handle this?"
"Lantern Stewart is out of the sector, and Lantern Jordan is dealing with a grave robbery. They are the ones who requested Honor Guard assistance with this."
"What's the sitch, Salaak?"
"I believe we have located one of the Sinestro Corps power rings that flew off after the containment around them failed," the Protocol Lantern explained. "The ring in question belonged to Amon Sur, and has returned to Sector 2814. It's telemetry indicates it is on Earth."
Before Kim could respond, her Kimmunicator alert went off, and her ring created an image of the Tweebs. "Kim! We have a problem!"
"I see all humans are rude," Salaak snorted.
"Especially my brothers," Kim grumbled. "I'm kind of busy here, Tim."
"We went looking for Ron!" Jim exclaimed.
"At Wannaweep," Tim continued. "And we found Gill, but he didn't know where Ron is."
"He got tweaked," Jim said. "Really tweaked. Then a red ring came for him and he started spitting burning red blood!"
Salaak quickly forgot his annoyance. "The Sinestro Corps ring can wait. Honor Lantern Possible, you are to locate this new Red Lantern, neutralize him, and transport him to the sciencells on Oa."
"I'm on it," Kim said. "Thanks, Tweebs. I'll take it from here." Kim looked over at her friend. "Sorry, Monique, but duty calls."
"Go do what you gotta do, GF," Monique smiled.
Kim smiled and flew off into the night, leaving Monique alone in a strange violet glow. "What's that?" Monique asked when she noticed the light getting brighter.
"Monique Davies of Earth, you have great love in your heart..."
When Team Go built their tower in Go City Bay, there were those who accused the super team of stealing the idea from the late Dr. Silas Stone, who had a T shaped tower built for the Titans in New York when his son Victor, a.k.a. Cyborg, joined the team. Now there were two Titans Towers; one in New York and one in San Francisco. The Titans never commented on the architectural plagiarism, but Hego of Team Go never shut up about it, saying that their tower was a whole word and not just a letter. "It's not the same," he would say."
Go Tower's alarm klaxons shrieked in the night, alerting those inside that something was amiss. The missing main entrance in the front of the tower said the same thing.
"Who could have done this?" Hego asked, stroking his chin. The blue clad muscle man could easily rip that door off its hinges, as could many other super humans, but no one in Go City had that kind of power.
"I don't know, Hego," Mego said from the doorway. "Why don't you keep asking the door and maybe it'll tell you."
"There's no need for the attitude, Mego," Hego said in his best confident hero voice.
"That's right, Mel," a vaguely raspy voice from the shadows said.
Hego lit up his glow, increasing his strength, while Mego doubled his size. "Who goes there?" Hego demanded.
"Calm down, Herman," the voice said. A figure from the shadows emerged; a man with sickly gray skin, blank eyes, and a black suit. On his breast pocket was a strange symbol; an upside down triangle with five lines coming from the top, enclosed in a cirlce. That same circle was on the black ring on the creature's right hand. The symbol of the Black Lantern Corps. "Now boys, is that any way to greet your dear old dad?"
"It can't be," Mego whispered.
"It is," the Black Lantern that had been Joe Gordon said. He looked at his sons, and could see their emotional auras. Hego's was a kaleidoscope of blue and violet swirling over him; hope and love. Mego's was a yellow and violet; fear and love. "Now where are your brothers and sister? I'm sure they want to say hello. Especially the twins. They were so little when I was taken away from you. I'm sure they'll want some quality father/son time!"
Hegos's aura changed to solid red. "Stay away from them!"
"That's my boy, Herman!" the Black Lantern shouted. "Always wearing your heart on your sleeves!"
Kim flew through the night sky, using her ring to track the energy signature of the red power ring. "You'd think a mutant fish man barfing flammable blood would be easier to find," she groused. But if Gill really is a Red Lantern now, it's a good thing Ron's MIA. Red Lanterns are controlled by their rings. All that rage... this is gonna be tough.
"Red Lantern energy signature detected," Kim's ring reported.
"Finally," the Green Lantern muttered. "Shields up. Time to go in."
It didn't surprise Kim that Gill came to Middleton. The best place to look for Ron is in his hometown. I'm surprised he's not burning down the Bueno Nacho.
Kim's flight path took her to the high school, which was still being rebuilt following the Lorwardian invasion.
"Are you sure he's here, ring, I don't see-" Kim was cut off when a ball of burning plasma slammed into her, scorching her even through her ring generated shield.
Kim was knocked out of the sky by the burning mass of pain, and she hit the street, leaving depressions and cracks with each bounce. Kim's shield faded, and Kim struggled to her feet. "Should've seen that coming," she groaned. "All right, Gill! Come on out! As a duly designated representative of the Green lantern Corps, I'm placing you under arrest for assaulting an officer of the intergallactic peace. Meaning me!"
Another burning blast of goo shot at Kim, that she was easily able to avoid. "You're not doing yourself any favors, Gill!" Kim yelled as she ducked for cover. "This is Honor Lantern Possible," she said into her ring. "I'm under attack by a Red Lantern. I need back up. Hal, Kyle, Guy, anyone!"
"Power ring corrupted. Com function disabled."
"Great, now you tell me," Kim grumbled. "Anything else you think I should know?"
"Power ring corrupted."
"Yeah, you already said that."
"Power levels at 74.3% and falling."
"I had to ask." Kim mustered up her will power and put a protective aura up. She fought every step of the way. "This isn't going to be easy. But he's a fish out of water. I've got to be able to use that to my advantage."
Before Kim could mount an offensive, she was hit by a flying tackle from the enraged fish man.
"Stoppable," Gill hissed. "Burn!"
"Ron's... not here..." Kim struggled to say.
"Cheerleader... burn."
Next chapter: Kim vs the Red Lantern of Earth, and the return of some familiar faces. Also, Monique's induction into the War of Light.