Again, hope you like it, please review!
An hour later, the Lantern corps were all seated around the room, the League members standing between them, keeping an eye on things in the tense room. Mallory glanced across the room to where Captain Marvel was standing near Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern. The creature was clutching the box he'd brought and was eying Billy suspiciously, all the while muttering, "it's mine, all mine, don't touch my things, it's mine. I want that cape." She kept her face blank, but she wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, and Marvel's discomfort in the situation.
Inferno was standing between the Greens and the Blues, with the Indigos and Reds directly across from her. The Guardians had already explained the situation, and now they were in deliberations about how to proceed.
"This doesn't concern us. Why should we care if these Black Lanterns wipe out the Greens? They'd be doing us a favor!" the winged Red sneered.
Razer's hands were clenched into fists, and Mallory saw Hal narrow his eyes. "Once they get through our defenses, they'll destroy the galaxy one planet at a time. No place is safe from them, not even the Forgotten Zone," he said. Bleez scoffed.
"Even if we were safe, it would not be right to ignore the needs of others. You cannot let trillions of beings suffer simple because you have problems with one group of individuals. This isn't the time for selfishness," Indigo 1 said, turning to the Reds. They scowled at her, Atrocious's scarred face fitting the facial expression perfectly.
"She's right," Razer said, his voice low and measured, like he was trying to keep his temper in check. "Besides, I've never known you to not do what's best for yourself. If you don't join the fight, you'll die. It's that simple."
Atrocius laughed, a sound that was at once grating and bone-chilling, and said, "You underestimate us, Razer. We do not fail. If it comes to it, we will win on our own."
"That sounds like the same arrogant overconfidence of every general who has ever lost a battle," Sinestro said, arching an eyebrow at the Red's leader.
Atrocious glared at him and rose from his chair, his ring glowing on his finger, and Bleez rose at once to back him up. "You dare to question my greatness?!" he yelled, his voice booming in the small room. Several of the other Lanterns rose from their chairs, and the Leaguers watched carefully to see if they should step in yet. Mallory felt a sudden surge of anger bubble within her, but she fought it down and settled for clenching her fists as she watched the scene.
Sinestro, however, didn't even rise from his chair. He simply looked up at the Red and calmly said, "Of course. I'm not one of your stupid, dog-like soldiers, following your orders and worshiping you as a god. Unlike them, I actually use the brain I've been given."
Atrocious lifted his hand, ring ready. Mallory and the other Leaguers took a step closer, ready to step in, but it was too late. The construct, an enlarged dagger, was already coming down on Sinestro, who was still as calm as if they were having a picnic in the park. A yellow shield appeared, deflecting the knife, and Soranik Nato leapt over her father, charging the Red leader. Bleez lunged at her, and they started a heated fight. Mallory looked at her colleagues. Icon and Captain Marvel had stepped in to pull Atrocius away from Sinestro, who was still just sitting there with a condescending look on his face, which seemed to enrage Atrocius. Blue Beetle and Zatanna were hanging back, their abilities not very useful in the situation, and Rocket was rushing over to help her dad contain the main threat. Bleez had a whip construct and she was currently trying to strangle the Yellow Lantern. Mallory summoned her fire and sent it across the room, circling the Red Lantern with it.
"Hey!" she said sharply, coming over to the women who were fighting, "that's enough!"
Bleez looked up and sneered. "You threaten me with fire?" she said, and suddenly she was breathing fire at Mallory. The pyrokinetic dodged the attack, but she looked behind her and saw Blue Beetle in the path. She put up a shield to dissipate the fire before it reached the powerless Leaguer, and the action grabbed the attention of everyone in the room, even calmed down Atrocius as he trained his eyes on the two women, waiting to see what would happen.
Mallory stood up from where she'd slid onto the floor and faced Bleez. At this point, she was furious at the recklessness and difficulty the Reds had shown. She wasn't going to back down, and neither was Bleez, who seemed confident in her abilities.
When the winged Lantern saw Mallory preparing for a fight, she smirked and said, "please, Earthling. Your very breed is below me. You can't hope to win against a superior being, especially not with a Red Lantern ring."
Mallory narrowed her eyes, ready to prove her wrong right there, but Zatanna caught her eye and she took a calming breath. She couldn't risk getting someone hurt. She focused back on the problematic Lantern. "You want to take this outside?" she asked.
Bleez seemed surprised, but she smiled and narrowed her eyes, her eyes burning with hatred. "Wherever you want to die is fine by me," she said.
Mallory's hands clenched into fists and she nodded gravely. The others in the room looked at each other, and Mallory was aware of someone coming up to her.
"Mal, you need to stop this. You can't even go outside, we're in space," Zatanna said quietly.
Mallory let out a breath, her mind clearing a little, remembering that her fire needed oxygen just like any other flame. She looked around the room and saw that everyone was watching her, waiting to see if she would back down. Her resolve hardened.
"You may have my ship for your battle," Sinestro's voice cut through the thick silence. Mallory looked at the man with surprise and found that he was watching her intently, trying to gauge her reaction. Bleez nodded, and Mallory did as well, and the Red Lantern stalked out the room to the docking bay. Mallory started to follow her, but the League was blocking her way, Hal at the front.
"Inferno, stand down," he said firmly, his arms crossed.
Mallory didn't answer him, at this point almost blinded by her anger.
"Mallory, I'm not kidding. You aren't in control of yourself," he insisted.
"I know what I'm doing, get out of my way," Mallory snapped.
"No, he's right," Razer said from where he was standing at the edge of the group. His hand was closed around something, but Mallory couldn't tell what it was, nor did she care. "Trust me, the ring brings out the rage in everyone, whether they are wearing it or simply in the vicinity of it. That is what is controlling your actions right now, not your reason." He paused, then tightened his grip and said, "I'll fight her."
"No, she's mine," Mallory said simply, and she tried to move past Hal. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him.
"Mallory, you can't win against a ring," he said.
Mallory narrowed her eyes and stretched her neck so she was closer to his height. "Get. Out. Of. My. Way."
Hal narrowed his own eyes, but at length he let out a breath and stepped aside to let her pass. Zatanna and Raquel exchanged a look, and the magician stepped up to the Green Lantern. "Hal…." she started, but Hal shook his head and said, "if you think you can stop her, go ahead."
Razer opened his fist, looking at the bright red ring contrasting with the blue uniform. When he looked up, though, Hal and Kilowog were both staring at him gravely. Hal caught his eye and shook his head slightly. Razer closed his fist and sighed heavily, shutting his eyes for a moment, then looked back at Hal and nodded solemnly. He wouldn't go back to that place. He couldn't.
Mallory walked into Sinestro's ship and the doors slid closed behind her. She didn't even have time to reorient herself before she felt the air change around her and she ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by Bleez's sword construct. Rage filled her more than it had in years, and she felt her eyes flame up.
Bleez had a grim smile plastered on her face. "Well, Earthling, I hope you are ready to be defeated. A shame you will never see your home world again."
Mallory held up her hands, readying her flames. "Just shut up and fight," she growled.
Bleez's ring powered up, giving her a red glow as she activated a personal body shield. They didn't say anything else, just charged. Mallory found that controlling her fire took more effort here than it did on Earth with all of the usual forces playing into the flame, but despite this she was in rare form. Her fire burned wider around her than she usually dared let it, and her reflexes were overly sharpened in preparation for a fight that she knew she couldn't win. She thought about all of the other people that she'd been in the same position with, and a time several months before popped into Mallory's mind, a time when she'd been sparring with Hawk Woman.
The seasoned fighter had beaten Mallory mercilessly for the fifth time, and when the younger hero again popped to her feet for another round, the winged Leaguer had taken pity on her and let her arms go to her side, walking over to the pyrokinetic. "Canary trained you well," she'd commented. Mallory had crossed her arms, sulking a little. "Not well enough, apparently," she'd said. Hawk Woman had chuckled and tilted her head, her red hair falling across her face without her helmet to keep it back. "You know, I can't tell you how to take down every opponent you'll ever face, but I'll tell you a little secret about Thanagarians. We have a pressure point on our backs, right between the base of our wings. If you can survive the initial attack, and manage to somehow get behind one of us, all you have to worry about is how hard you need to hit it, because I promise you, you'll only ever get one shot, if you manage to get that."
Now, Mallory sharpened her focus, zoning out everything except her opponent. She wasn't even sure if her plan would work, but it was the only one she had. Besides, she'd always been trained to use her anger as fuel, and right now she had enough to fuel a star for a millenia.
Back on the meeting ship, Zatanna was pacing nervously as she and the other Leaguers and Lanterns alike watched out the large window as Sinestro's ship drifted further and further from them. 'I should have stopped her,' the magician thought, furious with herself for not trying harder, and furious at the other Leaguers for not physically restraining her.
Raquel caught her shoulder and gave her a firm look. Get your act together, girl. Mallory can take care of herself.
Zatanna nodded. It was funny how connected she still felt with Raquel and Mallory. Even without Megan's link, sometimes she could swear she could hear their voices in her head while they had an entire conversation with only looks and body language. Right now, though, she had something bigger on her mind.
It didn't matter if Mallory could fight. A Lantern ring was a game changer for any fighter, and Mallory didn't have very much experience with them. And then there was the Black Lantern threat hanging over their heads. It could almost be considered an invasion, if the Lantern Corps couldn't get together on it. That thought hung heavily on her, and flashbacks of losing Tula came at her full force. She clenched her fists. Why had they even come on this mission? They weren't equipped to fight aliens! Especially not aliens armed with the ultimate weapon. She noted that Hal, Icon, and Captain Marvel were all leaned forward, paying close attention and ready to move if anything seemed off. She took some comfort in that, even as she was racking her brains for a teleportation spell that could bring her friend back to the ship safely.
It went on like this for many long minutes, before the Sinestro ship suddenly shook violently. Before Zatanna could ask what was happening, the ship exploded, the ball of fire stretching out into space before the lack of oxygen started to end the fire's life. Zatanna felt her heart sink to her stomach as dread took hold, and she strained along with everyone else on the ship to see who the victor was. For a long few seconds, there was nothing. Then, Kilowog pointed to a shadow emerging from the dying fire. Zatana squinted, and she made out a figure holding a much larger figure on its shoulder, small bursts of flames propelling them towards the ship. Her heart bucked as she realized that it was Mallory. She'd somehow gotten hold of oxygen masks for herself and Bleez and she was making her way back to the meeting ship with the unconscious aggressor, the going slow as the lack of oxygen killed the flames coming out of her feet almost as soon as she started to move forward.
The Guardians started floating to the docking bay, and the Leaguers and Lanterns followed closely. Mallory got into the airlock, and the Guardians opened that for her, and she walked deliberately past the group, not looking at any of them. They followed her as she carried Bleez over her shoulder back to the meeting room and dumped her barely conscious form back into her spot. She turned to the others and said, "I think she's ready to listen to reason now."
The Lanterns looked at each other, and one of the Guardians said, "Right, well, if you'll all take your seats, we can begin again."
Mallory barely managed to make it back to her spot between the Blues and Greens before she collapsed into one of the chairs intended for the Lanterns. Hal didn't say anything, and he stood beside Kilowog as the meeting started again, giving her a look mixed with anger and concern. The rest of the Leaguers took their spots without a word to her, which she was grateful for, and she avoided looking at Zatanna or Rocket, not having the energy to defend herself from their accusations.
Really, she didn't know how she hadn't passed out as soon as she'd gotten back to the meeting ship. After the explosion she'd had to create to distract Bleez enough to let her flip over her head, and the amount of strength she'd had to summon to break the shield around the Lantern's body and hit the pressure point with enough force to knock her out, and then the tedious trip back to the ship where she'd had to put out four times as much fire to go half the distance she usually did, she was exhausted. She couldn't pay attention to much of the meeting, she was mainly concentrating on staying awake. A few minutes later, though, she was aware of Razer looking at her. She forced an alert expression on her face and turned to him.
"What?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the deliberations.
"I was just wondering, how could you have fought Bleez and won? You should have been blinded by rage, yet you must have been able to out think her in order to win. How did you do that with the Red Lantern Ring playing on your anger?" His face was insistent, his eyes trained intently on her, like he really needed to hear her answer.
Mallory shrugged. "I don't know. I've been working with my anger my whole life, it's become second nature for me to channel it," she said dismissively.
"Yes, but how?" Razer insisted.
Mallory sighed and thought about it. "My team," she said softly.
"I do not understand," he replied.
She sighed again, trying to find the words to explain it without sounding corny or stupid. "I- I don't know if this'll make sense," she started, keeping her voice as low as she could, "but my team, not the League, exactly, but they're related to it, they helped me get a handle on my powers, and they helped me figure out how to control my anger. When I think about them, or really I guess when I think about anyone I care about during a fight, it reminds me what I have to protect, and it helps me channel my anger and use it as a tool, something that I control and not the other way around." She looked at the Blue Lantern, gauging his reaction. He was nodding slowly, so she relaxed, satisfied that she'd been able to explain it in a way that made sense.
"So, you use your love for your companions to neutralize or weaponize your rage, whatever you need in the moment," he said.
Mallory thought about it, then shrugged. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it," she said.
He nodded, then he snorted softly and muttered, "must be nice to have people like that in your life."
She tilted her head, studying him for a moment. "Yeah, it is," she said. "If you're ever on Earth, you should come by and give it a try. You'll always be welcome."
That seemed to startle him a little, and he looked at her, seeming to think she was kidding. When her face remained serious, a small smile came to his face. "You know, I might just do that," he replied. Mallory returned the smile, a good feeling filling her up, replacing the lingering anger and emptiness from her fight, until she felt like she must be glowing.
Their moment was interrupted by the Guardians calling for a vote on the issue at hand, and the two turned their attention back to the meeting. The only two groups holding out were the Reds and the Orange, and after a stubborn pause from Atrocius, he too agreed to join forces with the other Lantern Corps. All eyes turned to Larfleeze.
"Why should I help any of you?" he insisted.
Hal and Kilowog exchanged a look, and they both smiled. Hal crossed his arms and said, "because, if the Black Lanterns make it past our front lines, they'll steal all of your stuff, and you won't have anything left."
The Orange Lantern all but had a panic attack right there, and he hastily threw his hand up, saying, "I'll help! I'll keep those savages away from my things! They'll never get my things!"
Razer chuckled, and Mallory smiled up at Hal, who winked at her.
"All right, well, if everyone is in agreement, then I suppose this meeting is adjourned. We will be in touch with further details, and each corps will be further briefed on the upcoming threat. Until then, I suggest each of you ready your troops."
The groups rose, and the indigos teleported away immediately. Larfleeze made a beeline for the docking bay so that he could be sure no one would steal his ship, and the Guardians left the room soon after. Zatanna and Rocket were at Mallory's side as soon as they could get through the small crowd, being sure to give the Reds a wide girth.
"Inferno, are you all right?" Zatanna asked.
Mallory shrugged and nodded. "I've been better, but I'll live," she assured her friends, offering them a reassuring smile.
Zatanna and Raquel looked at each other, and Rocket smacked the back of Mallory's head.
"Hey!" the pyrokinetic exclaimed, rubbing the spot, more out of surprise than pain.
"That's for being stupid. You don't get to worry us like that," Raquel explained, her hands on her hips.
"I know, sorry," she replied, struggling to get to her feet. Zatanna moved to support her, but she shook her head. She couldn't appear to be weak with the Reds still in the room. Bleez was glaring at her, still seeming to be recovering from the defeat. For a moment Mallory thought she was going to challenge her again, but then Atrocius shoved her towards the door and the Reds went to the docking bay. Mallory watched their ship leave with relief, and she finally let herself lean on Zatanna.
The rest of the Leaguers and Hal and Killowog were talking to Razer and Saint Walker while the Star Sapphires left. The girls watched from a distance, Mallory not having the energy to socialize.
"Well, you surprised even me," a calm voice said, and they turned to see that Sinestro and his daughter were standing beside them, keeping a few feet away.
Mallory narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I'm guessing that wasn't what you were hoping for when you said we could use your ship," she said.
"Oh, on the contrary, my dear. I got more than I bargained for. I expected you to survive the encounter, but even I couldn't have predicted you to have won so unquestionably against a Havanian. I'll have to keep a closer eye on you from now on. You are destined for greatness. It's a shame that you are so limited by your world's definition of justice."
Mallory narrowed her eyes slightly, not sure how to take that. "Sure. Uh, sorry about your ship."
Sinestro nodded. "Ah, yes, it would seem that you owe me now."
Her gut twisted. "Ugh, I can get you a ship from Hal, I guess."
He shook his head. "Never mind that, I have others. I'll find some other way for you to pay your debt." With that, he strode out of the room, Soranik Nato in tow. The girls exchanged a glance, and Mallory shook her head. None of them liked the sound of that, but what could they do? They made their way to the group, Mallory still all but being held up by the magician.
They were greeted by Killowog clapping Mallory on the back, nearly sending her to the floor. "You did all right, kid," he said.
Mallory looked up at him from where Hal had caught her. "Thanks," she said with a weak smile.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, I forget how fragile you Earthlings are," he apologized.
Mallory narrowed her eyes in playful defensiveness. "Weak? I just defeated a Red Lantern!" she said.
He chuckled. "That you did. If you ever want to spar with a more seasoned fighter, just look me up."
Hal laughed. "She has that on Earth," he said.
"Oh, yeah? Who? Guy?"
Hal narrowed his eyes with fake anger. "No."
"Stewart?" Kilowog continued.
"No. She can spar with me whenever she wants," Hal said.
Killowog laughed, and Mallory rolled her eyes and made her way back to Zatanna and Rocket. She looked at Razer while Hal said goodbye to his friends and said, "I meant what I said. You're always welcome on Earth, and the team would love to meet you." He smiled and nodded his thanks.
"All right, well, we should start out. As it is we're not going to get back to Earth until tomorrow," Hal said. They said their final goodbyes and the League made their way to the loading dock, where Hal fashioned his ship construct and they boarded. Zatanna helped Mallory to her chair and she and Raquel took their seats.
As soon as they started out, Hal came and stood in front of Mallory, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed. Mallory sighed. 'Here it comes' she thought.
"What were you thinking?" Hal asked, his tone authoritative. Mallory didn't respond, her energy still drained. Besides, she didn't think he really wanted an answer. "You could have gotten yourself killed out there, and then what would I tell the League? This was supposed to be an easy mission, a chance to get your feet wet in space, not fight a Red Lantern over something stupid and destroy Sinestro's ship. You know you owe him now, right? That gives us one more thing to worry about now. I thought you had more sense than that, Inferno." He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I ought to suspend you from the League for that, you know?" he sighed heavily and added, "but, it did help get everyone on the same page, and it sped up the deliberations to one day instead of most of the week, and you didn't die, so I won't."
Mallory hid her smile, keeping her face blank.
"But," Hal continued, "you do something like that again, and you'll have to face the consequences. You can't just disregard orders and make your own rules to follow. That's how you get yourself killed."
At this, Mallory couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. "Right. You're the perfect person to be giving me this lecture, aren't you?" she said, her voice heavy with playful sarcasm.
Hal tilted his head, stunned into silence, which only widened Mallory's smile. Finally, his soldier exterior broke and he turned away, chuckling to himself. "Fine, good point," he said, going to the pilot's seat. "Just, do me a favor and none of you die on a mission I'm leading, ok?"
The girls exchanged a look, grinning. "Sure thing," Raquel replied, and Zatanna and Mallory nodded their agreement. Hal shook his head and focused on the windshield as they sped back towards Earth. Mallory was finally able to relax, and she was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
Please review!