Chapter 2 – A World Without Light
Quick note, I know I've made Ghaul overpowered as hell, but that's how it's supposed to be. The heroes are supposed to feel broken and powerless. Also Oliver wasn't granted the power of the light because he has too much darkness in him. Yes he's a hero, but he has done some pretty horrific things. But I do have an idea on how to introduce Oliver to the light. I forgot to mention the Speaker in my last chapter. The Speaker speaks for the Traveler since it can't speak for its self. He wears white robes and a white face mask and speaks with a soothing voice. The Traveler has also been damage and it's shards are imbedded in certain parts of the Earth.
Kara woke up in a crater on the ground. She was hurting, and bad. She got up and gripped her abdomen as she got up. "Kara!" someone whispered. Kara looked over and Saw Barry. Oliver was helping Barry walk, it looked like he had a broken leg.
"Barry!" Kara whispered back as she tried to run towards Barry. She fell to her knees as she tried to run. Oliver helped Barry limp over to her.
Barry fell to his knees and grabbed Kara and wrapped her in a hug. "I thought I lost you. How did you survive?" Kara asked as she hugged him so tightly. It was as if her life depended on it.
"Oliver grabbed me before I hit the ground, but I broke my leg." Barry said, as he hugged her with the same amount of force.
"All that matters is that you're ok." Kara said and then she kissed him.
"We'll have time for this later. Now we need to move." Oliver said as he helped Barry back to his feet. "Kara, can you walk?" Oliver asked, having seen her fall.
"Yeah, barely." Kara said as she got back up.
"We need to get out of the city. The Red Legion is hunting us, and everyone else like us." Oliver said.
Oliver, Barry, and Kara hid under a bridge as a search light come over the dried river they were sneaking around in. They could hear the troops walking over the bridge. "Shhh" Oliver said as he put a figure over his lips as a reminder for them to keep quiet.
Once the army passed, they made their way to the forest at east side of National City. The ports on the west side were occupied by The Red Legion. As they were leaving, Oliver looked back at the city. "We've failed this city." He mumbled to himself.
Oliver tried to contact the team, and when he did, he discovered that not only had National City fell, but so did the entire planet. The other worlds and moons that had been colonized were defenseless and under siege. The Red Legion had broken and crippled their defenses. They traveled for a couple of days, following a hawk that seemed to want them to follow it.
They followed the hawk right to a group of survivors. "Are there any others? Did anyone else make it?" asked the woman who now had the hawk perched on her arm.
"No, as far as I can tell, we are the last. I didn't see anyone else make it out." Oliver said.
Oliver took notice of the space craft, most likely used for traveling to the other worlds and moons, behind her. "Names Hawkthorne and this is Louis. Can you fly?" Hawkthorne asked Oliver. He only nodded his head. "Ok, take that ship over there and follow me."
Hawkthorne wore a light blue and red poncho. She also had a sniper rifle slinged over her shoulder.
Oliver helped Barry onto the ship and then he helped Kara. "Have you seen anyone named Alex Danvers? She's a DEO agent." Kara asked Hawkthorne as Barry grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers.
"No, I'm sorry. We have been getting hundreds of people to safety. Maybe she made it." Hawkthorne said.
"We'll find her." Barry said as he kissed Kara's head.
"We need to move before The Red Legion comes looking this way." Hawkthorne said as she entered her ship. As the engines fired up, Hawkthorne asked "So Flash, why can't you run?" Over the coms.
"I've lost my light. Ghaul has taken away the light from everyone who was once given it." Barry said. "There is no more light."
Oliver switched the com channel to the Justice League's channel. "If anyone can hear this, you need to hide. Get away from the Red Legion. They are hunting us down. We need to regroup. I'll send my coordinates once we get to a safe location." Oliver said and put the message on a loop. With any luck, the League could regroup and maybe even take down Ghaul.
They followed Hawkthorne to a small settlement that appeared to be untouched. "Welcome to the Farm. I know it's not much, but it's the best we could do under the circumstances." There was a barn and a few other buildings.
As Oliver landed, Kara, who was feeling much better, was helping Barry walk around. "Man, I hate feeling so powerless." Kara said, as she only had the strength of a human now.
"I know what you mean." Barry said, gritting his teeth from the pain in his leg.
"Let's get you patched up." Hawkthorne said. They followed her into the barn and Hawkthorne had Kara lay him on a table and she had him bit down on a rag. "I'm gonna need to make sure the bones are set correctly, this may hurt a bit." Hawkthorne said as she started to move his leg's bone around, to properly set it in place.
Barry gripped onto Kara's hand and bit into the rag to keep from screaming out in pain. "Or ya know, it's gonna hurt a lot." Hawkthorne said as she finished setting the bones. Hawkthorne made a makeshift cast to put on Barry's leg and gave him crutches.
"So what exactly happened back there in the city? Why don't you guys have your powers?" Hawkthorne asked.
"Those devices on the Traveler and sun are blocking us from our powers." Kara said. "We couldn't beat the Red Legion. I don't know if we can comeback from this."
"We will be able to comeback from this. We've just have to have faith." Barry said. "It won't be easy, but it'll happen. Stronger together, remember?" Barry asked as he grabbed Kara's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Hey," Oliver started as he entered the barn, "Have you guys heard any chatter about the Speaker? I've been getting reports that a lot of the Leaguers made it out of their respected cities, but I've heard nothing about the Speaker, have you guys?" Oliver asked.
"No, we haven't seen or heard from him." Hawkthorne said. "I'll gather a small search party and we'll head back and look for him."
Meanwhile, aboard Ghaul's ship
"Do you see Traveler…" Ghaul started as he was staring out his ships window at the Traveler. The white, cracked and broken sphere was now being covered by a black substance. "… all that I have done. Grace me with your light. Take your place at the center of my empire. See me, and the Red Legion will be your true protectors."
"Dominus!" said a cabal shorter than Ghaul and in red armor. "The city is secure. Those who have fled are being hunted and those foolish enough to stay are being executed. Victory, as is all things, is yours to claim."
"Victory is as much mine as yours, old friend." Dominus Ghaul replied.
"All that remains is the completion of the cage around the Traveler. Then we may begin the extraction of its power and put it to its rightful use. It's functions can be controlled and exploited, as we have so clearly proven."
"Yet they treat it like it's a god" Ghaul said in a curios tone.
"Dominus- Ghaul. We have spent our lives, you and I, working to reshape our society. Reforge our people. Rebuild an empire nearly destroyed by Calus and his greed and corruption. There is nothing in this universe greater than you!" he said pointing as Ghaul. "The Red Legion will have the Travelers power. You will be called Emperor. What more will the Dominus have?"
"I would have words with my guest." Ghaul said. The ceiling opened up and a mechanical arm holding an X restraint came out, facing Ghaul's chair. As it reached near the ground, it stopped. "So…" Ghaul started as he got up in the man's face. "… You're the one who speaks for the Traveler."