Kilowog, Ben, and Amy (still trapped in a ring) stared in shock of Oa being under attack by a mysterious black void coming. Even worse...there were lots of falling Lanterns from whatever was coming and looked practically drained.
"All right, you poozers. I'll show you not to mess with the Green Lanterns!" Kilowog stated, charging his ring and ready to fight.
"Dude, stop! Cool your jets!" Ben exclaimed, creating a shield to stop Kilowog. "I think whatever that black void is might be some sort of alien virus."
"Ben's not wrong. I am detecting heavy amounts of negative energy that is like the Lantern's, but more toxic and life draining," Amy stated, constructing schematic results of the situation. "The best solution is to evacuate and come up with a better strategy that doesn't involve risking any more lives."
"There is no way I am running from a fight. Especially when it this is about Oa," Kilowog argued.
"If we stay here, we'll all get turned into that!" Ben stated, pointing at the fallen Lanterns that were looking drained like undead zombies. "We won't win this fight on just pure will! We need backup from the other Lanterns, NOW!"
Although he didn't like being told by a rookie, Kilowog knew Ben had some logic there. "…Fine. Only because I don't trust a bunch of newbies getting involved on such a big job."
"Good enough for me," Ben stated, constructing a large futuristic speed cycle for two. "Get in. Stay close, Amy. I don't like the looks of this."
"You're not the only one," Amy remarked, not going anywhere by staying close to Ben by constructing a necklace around him where her mind ring is.
Back on Zamaron...
"Ben, what's going on?" Hal asked.
"No time to explain," Ben said, zooming around in his end to avoid hard objects and hits. "Talk to you later. Just send my coordinates quickly."
"Okay." Hal said, sending the coordinates.
Tina overheard everything to the point where she felt worried. "Ohhhh...Poor Ben and Amy. I wish there was a way I could help."
"Maybe you can," Aga'po said, looking at the ring on Tina's finger.
"She's right. You still have the Star Sapphire Ring." Carol said.
"Too bad you can't take it off," Guy added.
"What?!" Hal, Carol, and Tina asked together.
"What are you talking about, Guy?" Carol questioned.
"Around fighting Morganite, I tried pulling the ring off her finger but it wouldn't budge," Guy explained, folding his arms.
"Morganite? Is that what I called myself?" Tina asked, only to register the other thing, and tried pulling the ring off her own finger with no vail. "AHHHH! Does anyone have any ring removal? It's really stuck!"
"We'll worry about that later," Hal said, looking at Aga'Po. "Right now, you mentioned Tina being able to help somehow?"
Aga'po smiled. "Tina should hold on to the ring for a while until you reunite her with her sister." She said. "She could be useful temporarily."
Hal blinked from this...as if getting serious Déjà vu.
"Um...Miss Aga'Po, darling? How can I help the people I care about when I'm possibly a billion miles away from them?" Tina asked while waving her hand, sincere and a little confused. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do as a Lantern. I'm just a fashion designer who knows how to make stylish outfits."
"That's true. You'll need some training, but we're technically on a time crunch." Guy said.
"We don't have time. We'll have to improvise." Hal said. "We can make a barrier around you to breathe in space while we fly."
"If I may, Green Lanterns, there is a way for our new member to help get your friends here," Aga'Po stated, walking over to the young human girl. "Tina Fitzpatrick. You possess great love in your heart. The power of the Star Sapphires can help us summon the people we wish through love. If you truly love the ones that you are worried about...then perhaps you can use that to bring them here to you."
"Queen Aga'po's right, Tina. Star Sapphires have the power to bring forth their true love." Carol said. "Hal did it to get to me so he can return to Oa and defeat Atrocitus."
"And Carol used it just now to summon me here when it involved you," Hal reminded, placing a supporting hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Being chosen as a Star Sapphire was no mistake. I've seen the love you expressed to your family and to me for years. You're capable of so much more. I know you've got what it takes to bring your missing family and friends straight to you."
"You just need to focus," Carol said, directing Tina to bring her ring up where the young teen followed.
"You must concentrate and repeat the oath that all Star Sapphires go by." Queen Aga'po said. "It should be implanted inside your mind…and your heart."
Although a little confused, Tina closed her eyes focusing on the love of her family…causing her energy to glow bright as much as her ring.
"For hearts long lost and full of fright, For those alone in blackest night," Tina chanted the oath. "Accept our ring and join our fight, Love conquers all… With violet light!"
After saying those words, Tina's ring glowed and created a portal to show her the first person she loves and cares about...her sister, Amy Fitzpatrick. However, that portal was slowly splitting into two. One shows Amy's physical body and the other her mental mind trapped in the Green Lantern ring that is in Ben's/Ultra X's possession.
Hal, Carol, Guy, and Aga'po see Ben/Ultra X and Kilowog coming in from the first portal in a hurry with Indigo-1, Razer, and Aya coming from the second portal. "Razer? Aya?" Hal and Carol said, in confusion.
"That's awkward," Kilowog said. "Didn't expect you two to get wrapped up in this situation."
As Tina opened her eyes, she lightly screamed when seeing some unfamiliar faces to her carrying Amy's body. "Who are all of you? And what have you done with my sister?!"
"Tina, calm down!" Ben/Ultra X exclaimed, raising his hands up to unveil the helmet in showing his regular face. "It's me, Ben. The others are on our side."
Carol blinked in small surprise. "Whoa...Lea's so not going to believe the small makeover her boyfriend's gone through."
"Ben?" Tina asked. "Lea's gonna be mind-blown when she finds out I'm on an alien planet with a cool outfit on! Almost as much as you!"
Ben scratches his head. "Actually..." He said as his voice was getting a little high.
"Never mind that. What happened to my sister?!" Tina exclaimed, quickly going to the unconscious Indigo Lantern girl. "Is she OK? Can she hear me?!"
"She's fine...and her mind is right here," Ben said, bringing out the Green Lantern ring. "How to get her back together? ...I have no clue."
"Tina? Is that you?" Amy asked from inside the ring. It scared Tina a bit.
"AAAAAHHHHH! Amy?! So, it is true! My sister's ghost is trapped in a cursed ring!" Tina shouted, looking back at the ring and Amy's body.
Ben groaned, facepalming while looking at Razer and Aya for the first time. "Whoa...So, you two must be Aya and Razer?"
"Affirmative." Aya said.
"Wow...You're exactly how Lea described and drew in her art," Ben stated with a smile, bringing his ring to construct a picture of one of Lea's drawings. "She'd go on and on about your adventures together."
"So, Lea talks about us," Aya said.
"She even mentions how she saved the universe?" Razer asked
"Well...She never bragged about saving the universe. Mostly about Hal and you guys saving it," Ben stated, rubbing his neck.
"I know." Razer said. "So, you're a Green Lantern?" He asked Ben.
"Yes...Sort of," Ben replied. "That white blast sent me to Oa and I woke up with the get up."
"That's the same white flash that teleported my sister and I, as well!" Tina replied, overhearing that last part...until gasping something. "Wait! Where's Lea?! Was she hit and teleported somewhere off in space, too?!"
Hal and Carol looked at each other from that. Same with Ben, since he heard where his girlfriend was heading.
'With any luck, maybe she's found Little Chill and neutralize her biggest fear?' Ben thought.
Meanwhile... On a Blue Lantern ship...
Lea and Saint Walker had succeeded in rescuing Little Chill from Okaara. Unfortunately, they can't get the ring off of the little Necrofriggian larva. "We should tell the others to meet at Odym. The Guardians would not understand the white flash." Saint Walker suggested.
"Or maybe they do and prefer not telling anyone," Lea stated, having Little Chill rocked in her arms for comfort. "Hal already told me about how they hide secrets from others and not the good kind. All the more reasons to go to Ganthet and Sage, instead."
"Wise choice, Sister Lea." Saint Walker replied in agreement. "I'll inform Hal Jordan to meet us at Odym."
Lea nodded, petting on Little Chill.
"Mine..." Chill muttered in his sleep, enjoying Lea's comfort.
Saint Walker then thought of something. "The white flash could not be caused by coincidence. What if it was by choice?" He theorized.
"What do you mean?" Lea asked, looking at her partner. "It felt random to me. I ended up in Odym, little Chill was sent to Okaara, and I get the news of Ben taken, too, by that white flash ending up in who knows where in the galaxy."
"You may be right," Saint Walker replied. "Though, it's suspicious that it only affects Lanterns off the planet. But not on the planet. Specifically, the Lantern planets"
"But that's just it. Little Chill isn't a Lantern," Lea explained. "Neither is Ben."
"Exactly. It's like the white flash has chosen them as well as you for something." Saint Walker said.
That made Lea lost in thought on that subject.
Saint Walker was on to something. Of all the weird things to happen with that White Flash, it is odd that it picked me and the people I know. Why would something supposedly bad do that?
It didn't take long for Saint Walker to call Hal Jordan and informed him to get to Odym at once. "We will see you on Odym right away." He said on his ring.
"Got it. I'll be there in a sec," Hal assured. "And if Lea's there, I hope you're okay and found your little moth friend all right."
"Believe me, Hal, I'm more than good," Lea assured, seeing Little Chill turn in his sleep. "I just hope Fro'Gieon won't freak out about his son having an Orange Lantern ring stuck to his own finger."
"Orange Lantern? You didn't take off the ring?" Hal asked
"We tried, but it won't come off him," Lea stated. "It's like the ring has embedded itself to Little Chill. Not even our own Blue Lantern energy can slip it off him, and it managed to calm Chill down to make him fall asleep."
"Right now, we're getting to Odym before he wakes up." Saint Walker said.
"Okay, if you get there already, wait for us. We have some... baggage you won't believe." Hal said.
"What sort of 'baggage'?" Lea questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's just say, you, Ben, and Little Chill weren't the only ones that were teleported by that white flash." Hal nervously said.
"Wa-Wa-Wait, What!?" Lea exclaimed, almost waking Little Chill up. "Hal...How many individuals were teleported and missing because of that white blast? Including myself?"
"About seven," Hal said, trying to let it down easy. "The good news is that two are already back on Earth and I had help finding the others, including Ben."
Just then, the ship Saint Walker and Lea were in got hit by something hard.
Hal heard the thud. "Uh... What just happened?" There was no response. "Lea, Saint Walker?"
Shaking off the sudden hit, Lea was the first to respond. "Something just hit us. I'm not sure what it was, though."
"Lea...Walker...Can you-?..." Turns out, there was another call coming from Ganthet.
"Hang on a sec, Hal. I'm getting a weak signal from another caller," Lea said. "Sounds like Ganthet trying to tell us something."
Saint Walker answers his ring. "Ganthet, is that you?"
"Oh, thank the blue spectrum I was able to call you," Ganthet said from across the other line.
"Is there something wrong?" Lea asked. "We're almost reaching Odym and-"
"NO! That's exactly why I called you!" Ganthet replied in deep fear. "Do not return back to Odym! You're both in grave danger!"
On cue, another hit was blown on the ship.
"GAH! Who keeps hitting us?!" Lea shouted in annoyance, not caring if Little Chill woke up.
I fear it's the same being Odym has encountered attacking you! You have to run away!" Ganthet yelled. "This creature has a horrifying power that is more powerful than yours."
"I don't understand! Who's attacking us?" Lea asked, trying to stay calm. "What the heck do they want from us?!"
"Whatever happens, do not let him touch your ring. You will never be the same again, if he succeeds," Ganthet warned, only to get cut off.
"Ganthet? Ganthet?! Hello!?" Lea said, trying to call him back. "We lost the signal!"
Just then, Saint Walker and Lea got out of their seats to see from the window of the ship from behind on what appeared to be a person covered in a black fiery aura, a black-like suit with a cape, and a crooked grin. Saint Walker then noticed something on the man's finger.
"A ring..." Saint Walker said. looking at his ring by comparison. "This man is a lantern."
Lea gasped in horror...as if seeing this Lantern before while holding Little Chill like a protective mom. "Oh, no...That's not just any Lantern. It's a Black Lantern. He's what I saw in my meditation dream. The Blackest Night prophecy has just begun."
"A Black Lantern?" Saint Walker asked, as he then called Hal from his ring. "Hal Jordan, stay where you are! Do not go to Odym! We're being sieged by a Black Lantern!"
"What?!" Hal exclaimed.
"We got to lose him!" Lea shouted, taking the wheel to drive the ship on full speed.
This is probably a bad time to say that I have no clue how to drive a spaceship as much as a car yet. Well, I had to learn somehow...especially when I was driving in reverse.
Just then, the ship moved back and whacked the Black Lantern from behind before pausing.
"Oops! Wrong way!" Lea called out, doing opposite of what she did before to go forward instead.
"You have to hurry. Since the blue energy enhances your green ring, you should be able to feel it when you get to us." Saint Walker on his ring, alerting Hal.
"Get to Zamaron as fast as you can!" Hal instructed, trying to stay calm. "Try to lose that Black Lantern first, if you can. And Lea, if you can hear me, stay calm and try not to get yourself blown up."
"Can do, Hal!" Lea shouted, stirring the ship away from the hits. "This is super different from Mario Kart!"
That caught Hal's attention slightly. "Wait...Saint Walker, is Lea driving the ship?"
"Lea's driving a spaceship?!" The Fitzpatrick Sisters and Ben exclaimed together.
Lea heard the familiar voices from Saint Walker's ring. "Those voices...Hal, where are you?"
"I'm on Zamaron with Ben and Carol and..." Hal laughed nervously, unable to reply.
Then, Carol took Hal's hand and spoke through his ring. "And your cousins! They're here on Zamaron too!"
"My WHAT?!" Lea shouted, turning her head on that. "As in Tina and Amy?! The Fitzpatrick Sisters were the baggage you were telling me about earlier!?"
"Baggage?!" Tina exclaimed, sounding offended when hearing that and glaring towards Hal. "How rude!"
Hal then snapped. "Okay, YES! You, Ben, and the Fitzpatrick sisters were all transported by the white flash! Tina is fine, but Amy... is out of her body."
"Come to Zamaron and we'll explain everything we know. Razer and Aya are here, too." Carol said through Hal's ring.
Lea felt her eye twitch.
Yeah...I was trying not to scream my head off out loud. I already was doing that on the inside when seeing a Black Lantern up close.
The Black Lantern kept shooting the ship. "Die..." it only cried out. "You must... die."
"You're telling me...that the white blast not only hit me, Ben, and Little Chill off our home worlds, but it also happens to hit my cousins?!" Lea recapped in shock, still driving out of control. "And one of them happens to be half dead?!"
"Not dead. Just Amy's body and mind separated," Hal corrected.
"We're going to have a long talk about this later if Saint Walker and I get out of this one piece," Lea stated.
"Sister, you try to steady the ship, I'll hold off the Black Lantern." Saint Walker said.
"Wait, what?!" Lea asked, looking at Saint Walker. "No, that's a bad idea! Ganthet and the others already warned us that the Black Lanterns are extremely dangerous! Along with that ominous warning of never letting him touch your ring! We don't know what he'll do to you!"
"We need to get him off our trail." Saint Walker said, seeing something upfront. "There's an asteroid field up ahead. We can lose him there."
"That might work. Although I should probably warn you that this is my first time driving a space ship and the closest thing that I had on driving with a wheel was from a video game," Lea said, chuckling nervously. "So...might want to buckle up for whatever bumpy ride is about to happen."
"I will do that. I'll get on top of the ship, and create a harness on the ship while I fight the Black Lantern." Saint Walker said, as he leaves the docking bay of the ship. "Good luck, sister."
Lea gulped a bit, keeping her eyes forward. "Same to you, Walker. Just please be careful out there."
"I will," Saint Walker flew up and created a blue strap to the ship.
The Black Lantern sees the blue lantern in a fighting stance as he floats in space. "Finally... you die now."
"Who are you?" Saint Walker asked.
"Black Hand..." The Black Lantern stated his name. He then lifted his arm and shoots his ring at Saint Walker. "Die..."
So, this is happening. I'm driving a spaceship with zero driving experience towards a field of asteroids, a crazy Lantern of Death trying to obliterate us, and my teacher/partner is out risking his life to deal with him. And if you think that's bad, then you should check back on things at Zamaron which I have no clue about.
To Be Continued…
