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Hawkgirl was irritated. One of the Watchtower's main monitoring systems had been on the fritz the last few days and needed repairing. It hadn't been too much of a problem but the League wanted it fixed sooner rather than later. It hadn't taken J'onn long to determine the fault so Green Lantern had volunteered to go outside the tower to fix it. Hawkgirl, Flash and Alucard were also on the tower that day so she had agreed to work with Lantern to fix the broken system. It required two people, one person on the outside and one on the inside to monitor the system's repairs.
However, neither Hawkgirl or Green Lantern were getting much work done.
"It's not working, I said turn the securing bolt counter-clockwise," Hawkgirl said, annoyed.
"I did," Green Lantern responded.
"No, you didn't. If you did, then it would be working,"
"Okay fine, I'll just try it the other way," Green Lantern offered.
"Don't do that, you could blow the whole circuit if you do,"
"Hold on, didn't you say that Thanagar and Earth had opposite rotations on their clocks?" Green Lantern asked "Are you getting the two mixed up again?"
"I…I never said that," Hawkgirl shot back embarrassed.
"Pretty sure you did, it was the day you were wearing that cute outfit," Green Lantern remembered.
"What cute outfit? I only have my costume," Hawkgirl pointed out.
"And it's cute," Green Lantern flirted.
"Flirting will not help this situation," Hawkgirl huffed. Ever since the Safe Haven incident, Hawkgirl had been much more receptive to Green Lanterns' flirtations. She even responded with her own or encouraged him in her own way. "…but it is nice," she added with a slight blush.
"I know. So, I'm just going to turn it clockwise," Green Lantern said. A moment later the terminal that Hawkgirl was watching clicked green and she crossed her arms.
"Oh, would you look at that, it's working now," Green Lantern teased.
"Whatever, I still say I never told you about the clocks on Thanagar," Hawkgirl huffed.
"Would you two stop bickering, you're like an old married couple," Flash complained.
Hawkgirl looked over her shoulder to see Flash was sitting at another chair with his feet up on the terminal he was supposed to be monitoring, reading a comic book and eating a doughnut. Alucard was sitting next to him on a chair. He was very relaxed and was watching Hawkgirl and Green Lantern with keen interest.
"We are not!" both Hawkgirl and Green Lantern shouted back.
"Uh-huh, surrrre you're not," Flash commented.
"You're supposed to be watching the deep space scanners," Hawkgirl scolded. She then turned her attention to Alucard "And what are you staring at?"
"I am merely observing modern courtship methods," Alucard responded with a smile.
"It's called dating Al," Flash clarified as he turned a page on his book "And those two need to seal the deal already by making it official,"
Before Hawkgirl or Green Lantern could respond to Flash's comment, the alarm on the terminal that Flash was supposed to be watching went off. Flash immediately pulled his feet off and started typing away.
"What is it?" Green Lantern asked from the radio.
"Not sure... somethings approaching Earth fast," Flash answered.
Green Lantern who was outside the Watchtower looked up and saw that there was a meteor-like object heading for the planet. It was moving fast and started to burn up in the atmosphere.
"I see it. Looks like a meteor," Green Lantern claimed.
"Wait, the sensors detect a single life sign," Flash warned.
"It could be a possible incursion," Hawkgirl added.
"I'll go after it, follow me in the Javelin," Green Lantern instructed and he took off from the Watchtower, heading down to Earth in the same trajectory as whoever was falling to Earth. Green Lantern followed the meteor which crash-landed on a mountainside in Colorado. Fortunately, the impact missed the nearby town by a few miles and the damage would be minimal. It left a large impact crater though. Green Lantern slowly floated down to the base of the crater and was shocked by what he saw.
Lying on the ground was not an incursion or a threat to the planet, it was a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall bipedal alien, wearing a Green Lantern uniform. The alien was severely injured with deep gashes and burn marks all over his body and Green Lantern suspected that he was only alive thanks to the power ring that he wore.
"Kilowog?" John gasped and knelt next to his friend and fellow Green Lantern. Kilowog moaned in response, the only indication that he was still alive.
The Javelin landed a moment later and J'onn, Hawkgirl and Alucard flew out to join Green Lantern and Flash raced off the plane. Alucard looked over the other Green Lantern curiously, having never seen him before.
"Whoa, is that Kilowog?" Flash asked "What's he doing here? What happened?"
"Don't know," Green Lantern said and started trying to wake the alien up by tapping on his face "Kilowog, wake up, come on wake up,"
Kilowog's eyes opened slightly, they trailed over everyone there not recognizing anyone other than Green Lantern.
"John…they…they got her…they got Kat," Kilowog said weakly.
Alucard was unsure who or even what this creature was but given it knew Lantern's name and was wearing the Green Lantern uniform he had to assume they were an ally…for now at least. Green Lantern's face suddenly went from concern to anger. "Who, who got her?" John angrily demanded, "Where is she?"
"Ranstad….7…." Kilowog managed to get out before he fell unconscious.
"Take care of him," Green Lantern ordered and then he shot upwards out of the crater and flew off into space at top speed. The League watched him go.
"What just happened?" Flash asked. He didn't get an answer because J'onn and Alucard turned to Kilowog to begin tending his wounds. Hawkgirl kept her eyes on the sky, in the direction Green Lantern had gone with a sad and unreadable expression. Only one thing was on her mind. "She?" Hawkgirl said softly and in a disbelieving voice.
Alucard glanced briefly at her but maintained his focus on Kilowog. It was clear that Green Lantern's friend needed immediate medical treatment. J'onn carried Kilowog into the Javelin and the League headed back to the Watchtower. As soon as they were there Flash got Kilowog set up in a medical tube. Unfortunately, Kilowogs injuries were so extensive and severe that he was going to need surgery.
J'onn oversaw the treatment with Alucard assisting, though the vampire did not know Kilowog's physiology and was only helping by passing tools and keeping an eye on the aliens' vitals.
"Lucky for Kilowog we have Martian technology and super-advanced medical care for our JL health insurance policy," Flash said. Though he was trying to make a joke it didn't come out in his usual happy tone, it was more serious and filled with worry.
"I have never encountered another of this species before, but it appears that Bolovaxian physiology holds some similarity to my own,"
"Do they shape shift and have advanced mental powers as well?" Alucard asked.
"No,"
"J'onn, how much of this is just guesswork?" Flash asked suspiciously.
the Martian suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked up at Flash for a brief moment and then returned his focus on Kilowog "I would rather not say," he responded.
Alucard looked over at Flash "I realise this may not be an appropriate time to ask this but…who have we brought to the tower?" Alucard asked "The uniform indicates this creature clearly knows Green Lantern,"
Flash stared back at Alucard and was about to respond but then he remembered Alucard had not been with the League at the time when Superman and the others had first met and had their first dealing with other members of the Green Lantern corp. Other than Hal Jorden of corse.
"Oh right, you wouldn't have met Kilowog before," Flash realised. "Kilowog is an alien, he's a Green Lantern and a pretty powerful one at that. He trained Hal, the first Green Lantern of Earth," Flash explained. "He's a good guy and pretty friendly with the League for the most part,"
"So an ally of the Justice League then," Alucard concluded. Hawkgirl nodded in confirmation, though Alucard had already suspected this was the case.
"Last time we saw him was at John's trial," Hawkgirl sighed "After I punched him and four other Lanterns in the face and beat them in a bar fight,"
"Green Lantern had a trial?" Alucard asked in surprise. He was more surprised by this than hearing Hawkgirl had gotten into a fist fight with five Lanterns and won.
"He was accused of blowing up a mining colony and killing all its inhabitants. Everyone, even the Guardians and the Green Lanterns were convinced he did it. The only ones who weren't convinced were us," Hawkgirl remembered.
"The trial was held on the colony's moon. The charges were bogus of course. Turns out the moon the trial was held on was still in orbit and the planet was just cloaked," Flash summarized.
"Who judged this trial?" Alucard asked.
"Some cosmic beings who oversaw law and balance in the universe. Additionally, there were representatives from almost every race in the sector attending," Hawkgirl answered "They were full of themselves."
"You are telling me in a court filled with representatives from every race and near-omnipotent celestial beings overseeing the proceedings. Not one person thought to ask why the moon was still in orbit?" Alucard asked sceptically "Not even the Guardians who supposedly know everything in the universe?"
"I mean when you put it like that... Sounds like the universe is being mismanaged," Flash joked rubbing the back of his head.
"Clearly," Alucard agreed. He didn't recall this particular mission or event and he was sure the League would have mentioned it had it happened when he was unavailable. "When exactly was the trial?"
"A little more than a month before we met you," J'onn answered.
Alucard nodded and turned his attention back to the unconscious alien. He was under the impression that the green power ring protected its wearer from harm. Yet here was a member of the Green Lantern Corps, so heavily injured.
"Did Green Lantern not inform us that his ring protected him from serious harm? How did this one get so injured?" Alucard asked.
"That is something we will need to ask if Kilowog survives," J'onn stated.
"If?" Flash asked worriedly.
"His injuries are extensive, whatever foe Kilowog was facing would have to be extremely powerful to cause such damage," J'onn said gravely.
That put a downer on the room and the infirmary, Flash backed up and sat on another medical tube with a worried look on his face. Alucard joined him; however, the vampire leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and stared up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. Hawkgirl decided to leave the infirmary and let J'onn do his work. She wandered the halls of the Watchtower and eventually stopped in the monitor womb window and looked out into space.
Her mind kept drifting back to the look on Green Lantern's face when Kilowog mentioned Kat. Did Green Lantern have someone in the corps he loved? Given John's reaction, Hawkgirl would not rule out the possibility. She should have expected that he would have someone. But if that was the case why did he never say anything? Why did he flirt with her and make her feel special and loved? Hawkgirl couldn't help but wonder if John was like her, separated from the one she loved and lonely. Seeking comfort and companionship, even though deep down she knew it was wrong. After all, Green Lanterns were expected to patrol various parts of the universe and keep them safe on their own.
Thinking about his reaction made her think about Hro. Hawkgirl missed him greatly and even though she knew it would not be long now until she met him again, she could not help but feel scared. Where this fear came from Hawkgirl could not place, but it was unsettling. She didn't know exactly how long she was standing there as she lost track of time. But she was pulled out of her thoughts by J'onn contacting her on her comm, asking her to return to the infirmary. Hawkgirl took one last look out into space before she turned and headed back.
Once she entered she noted that J'onn had put away all the medical equipment. Kilowog was still unresponsive and lying in the medical tube, though now it had been closed up.
"How is he?" Hawkgirl asked.
"He is out of danger," J'onn announced "We need to wait for him to wake up and he will need rest and time to heal,"
"What about Green Lantern?" Alucard asked, "Should we not go after him?"
"We can't, Ranstad-7 is on the other side of the universe on the outer rim," Hawkgirl answered, "It's even further away from Earth than Thanagar,"
"Yeah, GL's power ring makes long-range space travel a breeze, but we don't have rings, so if we want to follow we need to wait for Kilowog to recover," Flash explained.
"Even if we did have a ring we cannot go into a situation blind, we need more information on what is happening on Ranstad-7," J'onn pointed out, "It would be pointless to go otherwise."
"That is why I asked. Green Lantern taking off as he did…it is not like him to act irrationally," Alucard stated "I am worried for him."
"We can't do anything until Kilowog wakes up. I will inform Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman of the situation and that we may need to leave at a moment's notice to assist Green Lantern," J'onn said before he phased through the floor.
Kilowog slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was a bright light. However, his vision cleared up and he saw there was a glass tube above him. He could hear beeping. He tried to sit up but his body didn't obey him, instead, he did his best to look around. He couldn't see much from where he was laying, but it didn't take long to figure out he was in a medical lab of some sort.
Kilowog spotted his power ring on a table next to the tube he was in, at least he still had that. He tried to remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was flying through space and crash landing on a planet. He had to make an emergency landing since his ring's life support function was about to fail.
Guess someone found me, Kilowog thought to himself. Though it was weird since he had this odd dream of talking to John before he blacked out.
Suddenly he heard the door open, Kilowog turned his head to try and see who it was through the glass. Alucard walked in, carrying a box and he stopped and looked down at Kilowog for a moment and took a few deep sniffs through his nose. Kilowog stared up at Alucard, he looked human so he had to assume he was on Earth at least.
"What's the matter poozer? You never seen a Bolovaxian before?" Kilowog challenged.
"I have not," Alucard answered "Excuse me…I will return momentarily,"
Kilowog watched as Alucard walked over to a sealed freezer door and opened it, cold air hissed out and Alucard walked in. He was only in there for a few minutes before he came back out with the now empty box. Setting it aside, he walked up to Kilowog again.
"I apologize, Green Lantern Kilowog. I did not mean to stare…I was checking your health," Alucard claimed.
Kilowog's eyes narrowed. He was sure he'd never met Alucard before. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.
"We have mutual friends," Alucard answered.
"Who are you and where am I?"
"My name is Alucard and you are on the Watchtower, headquarters of the Justice League," Alucard replied.
"Justice League?" Kilowog asked in surprise. So he was on Earth…or above it, that meant he hadn't dreamt of John… and if it wasn't a dream… "Oh, no."
"Is something the matter?" Alucard asked.
"How long have I been here?" Kilowog asked urgently "Where's John?"
"John left Earth a little over two days ago…you have been on the Watchtower for a nearly identical time frame," Alucard informed.
Kilowog's eyes widened at that, if that was true then John would be reaching Ranstad-7 in just a few hours if he wasn't there already. He was flying straight into danger and a death trap. "No, you need to call him back, tell him to turn around before it's too late,'' Kilowog urged.
"Very well. I will inform J'onn that you are awake and ask him to send the message," Alucard said and walked out. Leaving a perplexed and slightly terrified Kilowog behind, the Bolovaxian was left wondering who that man was and where John found him.
Kilowog tried to think of the Justice League that he'd met at John's trial. There was the tall guy with the red cape and blue tights, the human that sent chills down his and his fellow Green Lanterns' spine simply by looking at them, the Martian, John's speedy friend who never shut up and the Thanagarian chick with a mean right hook…he hoped she was not on the tower. Thanagarians were known to hold grudges… but he didn't recall seeing Alucard among them.
J'onn entered the medical bay five minutes later, opened the tube and examined Kilowog. The Martian declared that Kilowog was out of danger but still needed a lot of rest. While J'onn wanted to know what had happened, Kilowog's health was more important at the moment.
"Thanks for the help," Kilowog said "Mind if I ask ya something?"
"Go ahead," J'onn responded.
"There was a poozer that came in when I woke up, tall, long hair. Didn't recognise him,"
"That was Alucard, he is a trusted friend of the Justice League," J'onn assured.
"New recruit?"
"Something like that," J'onn agreed but didn't elaborate further.
Kilowog stayed in the infirmary for another three days, with J'onn checking on his condition twice a day. Under J'onns care, he recovered quickly. While Kilowog wanted to tell the League how he ended up on Earth, he didn't have the energy to explain and J'onn was insistent he rests and recovers. During his stay, Kilowog received visits from the other League members and Flash brought him food and kept him entertained while also dragging Alucard along in an attempt to have the Bolovaxian befriend the vampire…with little success.
Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman also stopped by for a visit and to catch up when they were able. On the third day, Kilowog's injuries had healed enough that J'onn was able to finish the healing process the rest of the way using medical technology on the Watchtower. While he was removing the scars and sealing up the last of the deeper wounds Kilowog explained what happened to him to J'onn, Hawkgirl, Flash and Alucard.
"We were sent on a mission to Ranstad-7," Kilowog started "A cult leader by the name of Despero has taken over and is subjugating the people and amassing an army that has already started to invade other nearby planets. Our job was simple, go in, get Despero and bring him back to Oa to face justice,"
"I'm guessing that you didn't get him," Flash said.
"No, when we arrived it was a bloodbath. We were a team of seven Green Lanterns and they slaughtered us. We tried to pull out but Despero's men were too strong. Kat and the others made sure I got away to report back to the Guardians. A lot of good that did since I didn't even make it to Oa,"
"Who is this Kat person?" Hawkgirl asked curiously.
"Katma Tui. She's the Green Lantern who trained John, and one of the best in the corps. They were very close back in the day," Kilowog explained.
"Wait, GL was a teacher's pet?" Flash smirked "Didn't know he had it in him!"
"Knowing him, he will try to pull off a rescue on his own," Hawkgirl said.
"It won't work, Despero's forces, they have a strange power and our rings aren't effective against them," Kilowog claimed "Worse than that, their weapons can cut through our constructs with ease,"
"We need to head to Ranstad-7. If only a few soldiers did this much damage then Lantern will need aid," J'onn declared.
"Well, count me in. I've got some unfinished business on Ranstad-7," Kilowog said eagerly "I'd give you a ride but my ring is out of power and my battery is back on our ship on Ranstad-7 so I can't recharge,"
"Can't you use GL's power battery?" Flash asked.
"Do you know where it is?" Kilowog asked hopefully.
"No, but he never recharges up here on the tower. We could try his apartment," Flash suggested.
"With a fully-powered ring, how long will it take to get to Ranstad-7?" Hawkgirl asked.
"Top speed? Fifty-seven hours," Kilowog claimed.
"And it's been five days since John left," Alucard added.
"That's too long, Green Lantern could be hurt or worse," Hawkgirl claimed.
"If you have a way to get there faster then I'm all for it, but last I checked Earth was very far behind in interstellar space travel,"
"Let's just take the Javelin," Flash said "We've used that to get to other planets before,"
"We can't. The warp drive is in Superman's fortress for maintenance," J'onn stated, "It won't be ready for another week,"
"Oh right," Flash deflated. Suddenly he got an idea "What about your castle Al? Could we use that?"
"Excuse me?" Alucard responded in surprise.
"Castle?" Kilowog asked, confused.
"That's right, you said it could move," J'onn remembered.
"I cannot just move Castlevania. Did you forget about the curse on it? If I move it, the curse will infect and kill all life around wherever it lands," Alucard reminded the League.
"I'm sorry, his Castle does WHAT!?" Kilowog shouted.
"Yeah, it's pretty sweet," Flash smiled.
"That's not a problem, Ranstad-7 is a barren planet. Nearly 95% of it is uninhabitable badlands," Hawkgirl stated "In fact, there is only one major settlement on the entire planet. How long does it take for your castle to travel from one point to the next?"
"Well…instantly…but I would need to know exactly where I am going before the castle moves," Alucard said hesitantly.
"Not a problem, my ring can give you exact coordinates," Kilowog claimed "Once it's recharged of course,"
"Great, then it's settled, we'll use Castlevania to go to Ranstad-7 and help Green Lantern. Flash, go get Lantern's power battery and a charm for Kilowog and meet us at the castle," Hawkgirl instructed.
"Can do, let's go big guy," Flash said and helped Kilowog stand "See you at your castle Al!"
"Hawkgirl, do you have your charm on you?" J'onn asked.
"Yep, I'm wearing it now," Hawkgirl claimed. She pulled up the necklace from her armour to prove it.
"Give me a moment to get my charm," J'onn said and phased through the floor. He returned a moment later with his charm around his neck. "I am ready,"
Alucard looked between the two and let out a sigh. He did not want to move his castle. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he could move it off-world. His father had certainly never tried. But he would make the attempt. If it didn't work, they would just have to rely on Kilowog's ring to get them to their destination.
Alucard took Hawkgirl and J'onn to Castlevania via the return spell. When they arrived Alucard excused himself to go speak to Dracula, leaving the two Justice League members in the care of the Master Librarian. Alucard found Dracula easily enough as the castle was more than willing to guide him to the spirits' location. Dracula was standing outside a sealed double door and looking up at it. He knew what lay behind this door and it was one of the rooms he could not enter as the castle-wide spirit weave did not go into this particular room.
Dracula turned away from the door when he heard Alucard approach.
"Father, is it possible for Castlevania to travel beyond this planet?" Alucard asked.
Dracula raised an eyebrow, that was a very specific question and not one he truly had an answer to.
"Theoretically the castle can move to wherever its lord wishes to go," Dracula answered "Though admittedly, I never tested to see if it could move off-planet,"
"So it might be possible," Alucard murmured.
"Why the sudden need to know?"
"Green Lantern has gone to the other end of the universe alone and there are forces there that are beyond his ability to handle on his own," Alucard explained "J'onn, Hawkgirl, Flash, another Green Lantern and I wish to aid him…however it would take too long to arrive by conventional methods,"
"There is more than one Green Lantern?" Dracula asked in surprise. A thoughtful expression crossed his face "I would be interested in meeting them,"
"They will be here soon," Alucard assured. He then looked up at the door "What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to see Lisa," Dracula said.
"Mother is long dead," Alucard said softly "She is not here,"
"No? Oh…another difference then," Dracula responded.
"What do you mean?"
"The night my Lisa died, my son did not declare his intentions right away. Instead, we both went to the square where she was burnt and scared everyone away. We were too late to save her but we did recover small bones and ashes. My son and I put her to rest in the chapel…it was only afterwards did he declare war on humanity,"
Alucard looked shocked at this, his other self and father had gone and collected Lisa's remains and laid them to rest inside Castlevania? His alternate self was much braver than he was, he should have done something like that, but instead, he'd left his mother to burn as any attempt to save her or even claim her remains would reveal his vampiric nature to the town.
"It appears my evil self was much braver than I. Mother does not have a final resting place," he said shamefully "So not even I could call her spirit back to speak to her…no matter how much I want to,"
"So Lisa is not here then?"
"No. My father avoided this room, I think he only put it in for my mother. I just assumed you would be the same…If you like I can extend the spirit weave into the chapel," Alucard offered.
"No, there is no need if Lisa is not here," Dracula said he then turned and walked away from the chapel door "Come, let us meet this other Green Lantern,"
Flash and Kilowog arrived at Castlevania, they had just come from John's apartment where the two had snooped through John's things and Kilowog had eaten a whole tub of Bob & Jerry's ice cream as well as a couple of old VHS tapes. They had been caught snooping by John's landlord who had attacked both of them with a broom. Once Kilowog found John's power battery he and Flash quickly left with Flash grabbing John's protective charm on the way out.
Once the two were safe from John's landlord, Kilowog used the power battery to charge his ring up and then the two headed for Castlevania under Flash's direction. Once the two had landed, Kilowog stared up at the massive structure.
"Whoa, this place is huge," he started.
"Just wait till you see the inside," Flash smiled and walked up to the door. As usual, it opened on its own and the two walked inside.
"Yeesh, it's as gloomy as Razor in here," Kilowog commented, looking around and feeling the gloomy and empty nature of the castle.
"Razor?" Flash asked.
"A good buddy of mine and Hal's," Kilowog claimed.
Flash was about to ask something else when the Master Librarian suddenly emerged from the shadows, the old man took one look at Flash and then eyed Kilowog up and down. Kilowog was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Master Librarian.
"Sir Flash, I thank you for your offering. I am sure the Master will be very happy that there will be fresh meat in the castle once more. I believe there are one or two books provided by the late mistress on how to prepare and process such beasts," The Librarian said.
"Say what now?" Flash asked, confused.
"Excuse me?" Kilowog asked offended.
"Oh, it talks…well that will make things a little easier," The librarian stated "Tell me, what is the best way to prepare your meat? Where are your best cuts and what is the best way to serve you up to my lord?"
"Prepare me…Wait, are you planning on eating me?!" Kilowog shouted.
"Of course not," The Librarian responded. Kilowog let out a sigh of relief "It will be my lord who will eat you," the Librarian added as if that was perfectly obvious.
"Your lord?" Kilowog asked.
"He means Al," Flash supplied.
"If that poozer wants to eat me, he's going to get the fight of his life trying,"
"I think he's already had a few of those," Flash muttered under his breath.
"Even better, my lord likes meat who fights back. It makes the meat more tender," the Librarian said enthusiastically.
Alucard and Dracula chose that moment to arrive, they had heard some of the conversations and as they walked down the stairs Flash greeted them.
"What is going on here? We heard raised voices," Dracula asked.
"Hey Al, Drac," Flash greeted "The Librarian wants to cook Kilowog for Al's dinner,"
"We should put him on a pike, roast whole over an open flame and while basting with olive oil, rosemary and pepper," the Librarian said.
"That actually sounds pretty good," Flash admitted.
"That was one of my recipes," Dracula informed "I learned how to cook human food for my wife."
Alucard let out a low moan and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. He could feel a headache coming on.
"The hell is wrong with everyone on this planet?!" Kilowog blurted out in surprise "First off, I am no one's dinner and secondly, he can't eat me. I'm one of the last of my kind and I'm sentient."
"And pray tell why that should matter to us?" Dracula added, "It never has in the past."
"You can't eat something that is sentient," Kilowog claimed "There are universal laws against it."
"Interesting how these laws were never enforced before," Dracula stated.
"They are enforced by the Green Lantern Corps," Kilowog argued "Are you telling me you've eaten people before?"
"You are correct, the previous lord feasted on quite a number of humans. My lord's race lived and survived by eating humans for several millennia. The humans were sentient and they were feasted on as you would feast on an animal," The Librarian confirmed.
"You…you can't be serious," Kilowog gasped. As his head went back and forth between the Librarian and Dracula.
"Indeed we are and no one ever came to stop us or persecute us…aside from the Belmonts that is," Dracula added. "So I ask again, why should your sentience matter? If what you say is true and you are the last of your kind then you would be considered a rare delicacy,"
"Al, you want to stop this before the old geezer really does eat Kilowog?" Flash requested.
"Father, Master Librarian…I have no desire to eat Kilowog at this present time," Alucard claimed.
"Very well my lord, I shall prepare options for you and wait until you decide how you wish to enjoy this rare dish," the Librarian said.
Kilowog looked horrified at this whole conversation.
"That's not… never mind," Alucard sighed, he then looked at Flash and Kilowog "Follow me, I will need your assistance in moving the castle,"
After collecting J'onn and Hawkgirl, Alucard led the group to a large empty room. It was the size of a ballroom with a thin red carpet that led to the other end of the room. The walls held archways that allowed a view into the castle's walls. Inside were large gears that were not moving. At the end of the room was a four-step staircase that led up to a pedestal with a twenty-sided shape that was floating on its own and rotating slowly. Behind it was a large arched window with a small balcony for viewing.
Hawkgirl looked around in awe as she walked into the room. Kilowog was on guard as his ring started to flash and sent him a danger warning. Flash zipped up to the walls and stared at the gears in wonder.
"There are gears in the wall," he said. Flash reached out to touch one thinking they could not be real however the cold metal proved him otherwise "Whoa, they're real."
"They are throughout the walls of the castle, but are only viewable from this room," Dracula claimed.
"Alucard, what is this room?" Hawkgirl asked.
"And what is that thing?" Flash added, pointing at the floating object.
"This is the engine room of Castlevania located in the very centre of the castle," Alucard answered as he walked up the steps and stood before the floating shape. "And this icosahedron is the mechanism to control and move the castle…you could say that this is Castlevania's heart,"
Flash zipped up to get a better look at the icosahedron, Hawkgirl, J'onn, and Kilowog approached more carefully.
"This thing controls Castlevania?" Hawkgirl asked. She couldn't believe it, after everything she had seen of the castle and all Alucard had told the League of it, this small floating shape was its central control mechanism.
"Not all aspects of it, but the castle's movement at least…yes," Alucard confirmed as he stopped and stood in front of the pedestal. The icosahedron did not indicate that it sensed its master's presence as there was no change to the speed or rotation.
"It looks like a D20. Don't roll a nat 1," Flash joked.
"I do not understand…there are no numbers on it," Alucard stated.
J'onn looked back over the room and then focused his attention on the icosahedron in front of him, he had never seen such a device before and he couldn't see any controls or way to input commands.
"I do not see a way to turn this device on," J'onn stated, "How do you use it?"
"It is already active…it has been for some time now," Alucard claimed as he stared up at the device for a moment before turning away "Kilowog…I will need the coordinates for Ranstad-7,"
"Uh…sure," Kilowog responded. He pulled his ring up to create a large holographic map of Ranstad-7, it appeared along with the coordinates of the planet, the coordinates looked like blocked shapes at first but were quickly translated to English by the ring.
Alucard took note of the coordinates. He asked Kilowog to show him where the settlement was and the map zoomed in. Alucard had no desire to move the castle anywhere close to where flourishing life may be, so after a brief discussion, it was decided to move Castlevania to the direct opposite side of the planet that the settlement was on. This would ensure the damage the castle did wouldn't affect any life.
Once Alucard had what he needed he turned his attention back to the icosahedron.
"I can not guarantee the castle will take us across the universe," Alucard said "If this does not work…we will need to use Kilowog's ring,"
"But if it does, we will be instantly transported to Ranstad-7?"
"Correct," Alucard confirmed.
"Then do it," Flash urged.
"Very well…You all should brace yourselves," Alucard warned as he raised his hand and closed his eyes, focusing on how the icosahedron reacted. It started to spin faster and faster until it broke apart, letting out a burst of blue energy. Reflexively, Kilowog brought up a barrier with his ring; however, the energy passed through him and the rest of the League harmlessly.
As the icosahedron spun the cogs and gears in the walls began to move, it was slow and creaky at first, but as they moved it triggered a chain reaction throughout the castle. The blue energy that had been released continued to flow down the pedestal and into the cogs, making them rotate faster. As the gears' speed increased, electricity started to flow through the castle walls like a wave.
The Justice League watched in awe as the three aliens in the room, who came from a much more technologically advanced society and held a greater understanding of said advanced technology, were baffled at how this ancient structure could store and release such energy. The icosahedron increased its speed turning the separate parts from blue to orange as its power continued to grow and form a circular shape. Once the circle was formed Alucard's eyes snapped open.
"To Ranstad-7, in the dead lands," he commanded, bringing his desired location to the front of his mind.
The burning icosahedron reacted to the command and all the parts suddenly splintered out. At that moment the built-up energy was released and the sound of thunder echoed throughout Castlevania. Outside, the castle flickered before vanishing from the spot it had rested for the last five hundred years and a beam of light shot out from the ocean for a split second and then it was gone.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud and the sound of stone shattering and it felt like the castle had crashed into something hard. The vibrational force was enough to knock them off their feet but they recovered quickly enough. The icosahedron calmed as the gears and cogs in the wall slowed. Once it completely stopped, the icosahedron reformed back into its original shape and resumed the slow rotation it had when the League entered.
Alucard lowered his arm and walked over to the viewing window. Gone were the dark depths of the ocean, the lava pools and the walls that entombed the once great seat of vampiric power. Gone was the steam generated by the castle's evil being neutralized by the salt water. Instead, only a vast desert landscape stretched out across the horizon. Alucard glanced down at the ground and took note of the black veins seeping across the landscape like roots that originated from the castle as well as a dark veil that covered the sky blocking out the stars.
It was as if Castlevania was infecting the very ground and sky with its evil. Alucard turned back to look at his friends who were pulling themselves up and made their way over to the window. They all stared out at the wasteland before them.
"Where are we?" Hawkgirl asked.
Kilowog checked their location on his ring. "Right where we're supposed to be. Directly on the opposite side of the planet from the settlement that Kat and I were sent to investigate," the Bolovaxian announced "We're on Ranstad-7,"