I completely forgot to update! Sorry!

What hope gave back – Chapter 9

xxxxx

Disorientated, he floundered under the water, feeling it close around him as he sank towards the bottom. He gasped - and was surprised for a moment when he realised he could breathe. Of course he could, he remembered, the ring protected him here as well as in space. It would have detected the danger and acted accordingly.

And then, he felt something far more surprising. A tugging on his arm, a pull of unexpected strength hauling him towards the surface. His eyes widened when he realised it could only be one person.

Faced with her fear of water or the fear of losing her father again, Peesh had defeated her terror of the river to go in after him. Almost without thinking she'd plunged in, determined to pull him out. Losing him again, losing him the same way she'd lost her mother and almost her own life - it was unthinkable.

"Peesh!" He grabbed her and flew out of the water, hearing her gasp as they left the river behind. He could feel her shaking in his arms and cursed whatever had caused the blast that had sent him tumbling.

"Mogo! What is happening?! "In the distance, he could hear a battle being fought. Invaders? But there had been not even a hint of trouble in weeks, if not longer.

"Red Lanterns, Saint Walker," Mogo responded. "They are attacking our core defences." The voice was understandably distracted, as most of Mogo's attentions went on repelling the attacking force. "I am doing what I can, but many have already made it to the surface."

"So I hear." He glanced down at Peesh, still wet and trembling in his arms. He knew he would be needed in the battle, his blue light invaluable at times like this. Yet he had to consider, protect, his daughter. Where was the safest place for her? His mind raced to choose. With little time to consider the options, he decided on the medical centre. Hopefully the Red Lanterns would not waste time on those already injured or ill.

"Hold on tightly, Peesh. I must go quickly now." He hugged her a little closer and raced towards his destination.

As they flew, the battle became closer and he realised, getting her to the medics would be no easy task. The battle was raging both on the ground and in the air and there were numerous Red and Green Lanterns in his way. Flying through them with a child was not an option.

He flew down, keeping to the trees in an effort to keep his daughter safe. He'd never have thought that there would be this kind of danger here - the Reds must have come in great numbers to cause this kind of battle.

Flying low and fast, he looked for a place to provide safety and cover, knowing he could not join the fight without knowing she was safe. Yet even as he looked, he became aware of a growing flash of red behind him and knew there was no outrunning the fight. Not willing to risk dropping her, he landed quickly beside the densest trees he had the chance to look for. 'Quickly, hide! They must not see you!"

"Daddy no! Stay with me!" She clung to him in terror even as he tried to prise her off.

"Peesh, please. They are nearly here. I cannot fight them with you here. Hide - I will come back for you. I - We will not be parted again. Do not worry."

She hesitated, still clinging to his arms, but a burst of a Red Lantern's trademark napalm vomit made her scream and she stopped protesting as her father pushed her under a low bush and set a shield around her. It was a risk, as he had to stay in range to keep her protected, but it was currently the only decent option. He pushed down the fear inside of him - he couldn't afford it right now. He had to keep believing that all would be well. Letting his hope falter now would be disastrous. He would protect her. There was simply no other option.

He turned, facing the Lantern coming towards him. He didn't recognise him, which wasn't surprising. He kept his interactions with Reds to a minimum. At least here, he had full power. Mogo exuded green, keeping his rings attack capabilities unlocked. He could drain a red ring without it, but that depended on getting close enough to do so.

He looked at the Red Lantern as it spewed the fire vomit at him again. More and more Reds had bathed in the lake, had their minds cleared. They knew what they were doing. This one certainly seemed to be thinking tactically. He'd have to be better.

Walker moved, weaved and dodged red blasts as he tried to get closer and lead his attacker away from where Peesh was hiding. Using his heightened power he created a construct, a long chain to wrap around his attacker. Flinging it outwards he was forced to fly high when the Red dodged at the last moment and blasted him with an energy beam.

Glancing down he checked the distance, making sure the shield was still in place around Peesh and allowed himself a moment to wonder what she was thinking. He had never been a fighter - he had learned how, since getting the ring and ending up in situations where it was unavoidable - but it was not his nature. She had barely even seen him raise his voice before, let alone go into battle.

He shook his head as he tried to get a lock on the Red. He couldn't worry about that now. Keeping her safe was what mattered at the moment - the rest could follow later. A second flash of red suddenly appeared behind him and he gasped, realising that he was now under attack by two Red Lanterns. They were both coming at him at speed and he was forced to twist his body into an impossible position to avoid the joint attack.

His ring glowed and he constructed a snake, keeping it moving as it wrapped itself around one of the Reds. The Lantern screamed and thrashed, but he tightened it, pulling his opponent in until he was close enough to drain the red ring, watching as the red glow dulled and faded before releasing the alien and watching him fall unconscious to the ground below. All the while he was dodging blasts from the other one and now he turned his full attention to it. Yet at that moment, the Red Lantern stopped targeting him.

It was with wordless horror that he realised the other Red had seen the blue shield around his daughter and was heading directly for it. "No!" He flew down, faster and faster, trying to beat the Red Lantern to Peesh, knowing the shield was unlikely to hold at close range. From here he could see her face, only slightly distorted by the blue light. She was terrified.

Her fear made him angry. Rage was not an emotion he had a close acquaintance with, unlike their attackers. The last time he had been truly angry was when he believed Larfleeze to be responsible for the fate of Odym and before that - had been the time he reached the top of a desolate, empty mountain, utterly alone.

With no more time or inclination for constructs, he focused his power into a beam of pure energy and unleashed it just as the Red Lantern reached the shield and attacked it. The alien screamed in pain and paused, giving Walker the moments he needed to place himself between the attacker and his daughter.

Hovering over the Red Lantern, he wrapped the screeching creature in blue chains. It was enraged, determined, as sure as any of them that their rage was righteous and for one dark, terrible moment, Saint Bro'Dee Walker felt a kinship with him.

What had this wretched creature been through to turn it into this rage filled monster? Could that have so easily been him? If he hadn't had hope after he lost his family, would he be fighting for the other side today?

The thought lasted only a moment, but it was one he knew would return to plague him in the future. Yet as the creature began to move, fighting the blue light that was draining it, he became of more Reds approaching. More to threaten his child. The chains pulled tighter, tighter, until the red faded and the alien's skin paled. It let out a strangled sound and, realising he was perilously close to crossing a line, Walker dropped the chains, which faded to nothing as they fell.

The thin arms of his daughter wrapped themselves around him and he pulled her in. He could see three more Red Lanterns approaching already. How many were there? He wrapped a new shield around them both. "Do not worry. All will be well."

"How?" Her fear coloured her voice as she asked.

He didn't answer. He didn't know.

Xxxxxx

There had been no warning of the attack. The Green Lanterns that had been on patrol around Mogo had seen nothing until the last moment. Kyle still didn't know how they'd managed it, but he planned to find out, as soon as they weren't fighting for their lives. He was sure it was all tied in to the mysterious disappearance of the Red Lanterns a few weeks ago. They'd been everywhere, then gone and now, suddenly, they were all here without any warning. It couldn't be a coincidence. Once it was over, he wanted answers – assuming they survived.

He'd already taken down several Reds and had broken away for a moment, when he realised he hadn't yet seen Saint Walker in the battle. Everyone else was there, even Arkillo, which had become slightly less strange but no less questionable.

Now Kyle cut across the sky, looking for the one flash of blue in the mess of green and red. His own light changed as he willed it, though he stuck mostly to green and white, finding them the most effective.

It was with no small measure of relief that he finally saw him, though the relief was short lived when he saw Walker fighting a very large Lantern. He saw Walker lash out with a chain, catching his opponent in them and pull them tight. He expected Walker to release the Lantern once it was drained, but to his horror, The Blue Lantern continued to squeeze until he could see the alien go limp. Only at the last moment did he let go, the Red falling soundlessly to the ground. Kyle was horrified to see his usually peaceful friend fighting rage with rage - until he saw Peesh cowering nearby. Then he understood. This was not blind rage, but deeply rooted paternal instinct. He was determined to protect her and Kyle was just grateful his friend had his wits about him enough to stop short of crossing the line.

Still, Kyle could see that Walker's victory here was only a momentary reprieve. Red Lanterns were already swarming like flies around him and, despite his increased power levels, with Peesh right by him he was limited on what he could do and not put her at risk.

"Walker!" He flew as close as he could, blasting away as many Reds as possible. "We need to get out of here, regroup!" They had no battle plan yet and he had no idea where in that mess Hal was.

Walker nodded, pulling Peesh into his arms and flying up. "Where to?"

Headquarters... We need to find Hal and we need you there. Lot of rings running low now."

"Kyle... I cannot leave her. It is not safe."

"I know, but Bro'Dee, we need you in the battle. We can find her a safe place, but quickly. Even with Mogo fighting back, I think they've brought every Red they have. We need to end this now."

"Very well. I was attempting to get her to Soranik anyway... Perhaps you can help with that."

Kyle nodded. "I think I can clear us a path. But we have to move fast." Already another group of Red Lanterns was nearly at their position. "Stay close and boost me - we're going to smash our way through if we have to."

Walker nodded, pulling Peesh close and wrapping one arm firmly around her. Encasing the three of them in a bubble, they flew as high as they could while still keeping an eye on their destination.

"Ready?" Kyle's ring glowed and mixed with the blue.

"We are ready Kyle."

"Okay. And - GO!" With a blinding flash of blue and white light, they sped forward. Reds came at them though and Kyle bit his lip as they flew at them head on.

"Please, let this work," he murmured, a moment before they collided.

END CHAPTER NINE