The street was dark, even with the lamps lit. Most of them were dirty, and several were starting to go out. A few flickered in a vain attempt at life. One gave out even as Brittany passed under it. The alleys were nearly pitch black; anything or anyone could be hiding in them. There was probably at least one person in one right now.
Brittany would have been scared to death if it wasn't totally normal for her. She'd found it terrifying for her first few months, but a couple of encounters with would-be muggers had always ended with her kicking their butts. Two of those encounters had involved her stepping in to help someone else. It was a good thing she worked out, she mused. Not to mention her black belt and general street smarts. She was also a good hand with a bow and various projectiles; more than once she had considered carrying some along with her when she went out. It had never gotten so dangerous that she actually did so, though.
Still, normalcy was no reason to give up on caution, and she kept a close eye on her surroundings as she continued on at her brisk pace. She was only a block away from the apartment she shared with Amber-and wouldn't Amber be worried about her walking again! She always was, and offered to drive her on an almost daily basis. Brittany had always turned her down. Walking was healthy, and it gave her an opportunity to see what the streets were like, get a feel for the rhythm of the day.
A sudden movement in an alley caught Brittany's eye, and she paused to get a closer look. For a moment, nothing stirred, but then something moved again. She frowned; whatever it was had a considerable size, certainly larger than the average man. She hesitated, debating the wisdom of taking a closer look, and then dug a penlight out of her pocket, switching it on as she approached the mouth of the alley.
She swung the light about, but the alley looked empty. There were only a few lone trashcans, and nothing seemed to be hiding behind them. She frowned once more, but figured that whoever or whatever it was had run off.
She was about to switch off the light and turn away when an object on the ground caught her attention, and she stepped over for a closer look. It was a plate of some sort of unfamilar metal, with strange grooves and markings on it. It looked alien in origin; she had never seen anything like it on Earth. Possibly technological, or maybe an unusual key to an unusual lock. Whatever it was, Amber would be interested. She picked up the item-it was surprisingly light-and stuffed it in her pocket before returning to the sidewalk.
Amber looked up from her examination of the item Brittany had found; her worried rant about Brittany's recklessness had been left off and forgotten the moment she had seen it. "I think it is alien. You said you found it just sitting in an alley?"
"Yep." Brittany was leaning against the table beside Amber's seat, tuning out the television playing in the background. "Just laying there, like someone had dropped it." She paused a moment, wondering if the figure she had seen had been looking for it. "Y'know...I saw something moving in that alley, too."
"And you went in for a look anyway?" Amber looked flabbergasted.
Brittany held up her hand to forestall any further complaints or exclamations. "I don't think it was human. Too big. It may have been looking for that. But it was gone by the time I got there."
Amber turned back to the item, holding it up and turning it this way and that. "Seems to support the alien theory."
Brittany's attention was suddenly caught by the words, "-similar to the Green Lantern, though obviously, in this case, it's blue." She turned to the television to see a choppy video of a figure in a blue aura flying through the sky.
"Amber, look," she said, hitting her friend's arm until she turned to see the reporter continuing, "She has not appeared to speak with anyone yet, and the reason for her presence is currently unknown. She does not appear to be hostile-"
"Saleen, I bet," Amber said. "That Blue Lantern Janet talked about. Wonder what she's doing here?"
Brittany glanced at the item on the table. "Maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe we should ask her. If we can figure out how to contact her."
"We need some way to get her attention," Amber murmured, looking around. Her gaze alighted on her old Batman comics stacked by the couch, and she brightened. "I think I've got an idea."