Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Halo Franchise.
Chapter 7:
Ajuris 5, Milkyway galaxy...
**MULTIPLE JEERING VOICES** "BOOOO!-...BOOOOOO!"
There were a lot of noise around the grand hall, a magistrate where the representatives of multiple alien species were seated in circle in stepped fashion. At the center was a large monitor, which was still not powered up as another alien in a white robe and a helmet like structure in its head stood over a floating platform near the screen. There were other guards that had a single horn in their head.
"Order! Order! Order!" a guard shout at the crowd who ignored and continued their bickering.
"SILENCE!" a loud baritone voice echoed the entire council chamber as the people stopped jeering out of fear. Then a mysterious face appeared in the large screen, at the center followed by two more to its left and right.
"THE HIGH TRIBUNAL IS NOW CONVENED" The center figure said.
"NEVER BEFORE HAVE WE PUT ASIDE OUR DIFFERENCE AND UNITE IN PURSUIT OF A SINGULAR GOAL!" The left said, it was a female.
"AND NEVER BEFORE THERE HAD BEEN A CRIME SO HEINOUS, SO VAST THAT IT UNITED US IN GRIEF AND REVULSION!"
"WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO SEEK JUSTICE!" the Juror spoke as another alien approached them.
"WHERE IS THE ACCUSED?"
"Unfortunately, he is still at large!" he said somberly.
"WHO IS IT?"
"Your honorable judges, he belongs to planet Earth in Sol system. His name is John Stewart of the Lantern Corps" he said as the huge image of him came from a holo-projector.
*LOUD JEERS*
"MANHUNTERS, STEP FORWARD"
One of the huge robotic unit walked in mechanical precision towards the judges.
"YOU WILL APPREHEND HIM. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISK IT INVOLVES? ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY?" The center juror asked.
"No man escapes the manhunters. I will bring him here to face justice!" the robotic being said as it tightly gripped its staff. It's robotic eyes glowed golden orange for a moment. The Tribunal took a couple of seconds to decide the best course of action and finally they voiced their decision.
"VERY WELL. TAKE YOUR UNITS AND BRING JOHN STEWART HERE!" he said as the robot bowed in respect as it left the chamber to gather the other soldiers for pursuit.
Intro: As the sun rises above the horizon, 8 figures walk slowly towards the front, prideful and confident.
Then comes a man in Bat themed costume throwing a batrang at unknown enemy, then a woman with a tiara and patriotic colored dress, blocking bullets at high speed. A man surrounded by emerald green energy forming a lantern shape as a green costumed man clench his fists as his ring glows with energy. Then a man in a blue dress and red cape smashing through a wall as he flew in. Then a dragon like being morphing into a caped man with yellow eyes.
Then a red costumed figure with yellow lightning streak in the chest sprint towards the unknown. Then in the sky, a woman with wings and a hawk mask carrying a spiked mace flying in the sky.
The finally a tall stocky armored being jump the ground with blast carrying a rifle in one hand and a hammer in another hand as huge dark monsters were ready to kill him as he turned and ran towards them with a hammer slash that cuts to all 8 figures standing side by side and the words 'JUSTICE LEAGUE' forms below.
Chapter 7:
John, Captain and Cortana were in the bridge doing their scans for the conduits to open from the domain.
"How is it going?" John asked.
"So far, there are no active paths opened. No promethean signatures-...for now" Cortana replied.
"Everything looks good in the Orion arm" Miranda responded.
"Good. Keep scanning. Even if there is small out break, let-...*BEEP*...*BEEP* *BEEP*"
"Well, its our jolly green. Opening the channel" Cortana said as it was none other than the Green lantern
"Commander" Stewart's image in a hardlight display popped up
"Sargent" he greeted him. Though the three saw his face was dull as if something was bothering him.
"Something wrong, ?" Miranda asked.
"*SIGH* Yes, Ma'am. Meet me at the watch tower. This is important" he said as he closed the channel.
"Now what was that all about?" Cortana asked the question on everyone's mind to which John and Miranda agreed that there is one way to find out.
Aboard the Watch tower...
Superman, J'onn, Flash and Hawkgirl were present in the observation deck. Stewart was there too waiting for the UGSC crew to appear.
"Hey man! What's this all about? and why are you so restless?" asked Flash confused with the green lantern's behavior.
"Yes, Do you know that you've been walking 1475 steps back and front in the same place?" Hawkgirl quipped folding her hands. But stewart was silent all the time.
"What could possibly be bothering him?" Superman thought.
"They are coming here" J'onn said with his eyes glowing. The next moment they all turned to watch the Spartan and Miranda Keyes teleport into the observation deck in front of the league members. They were in their civilian clothes and it was rare sight for them to see like that. It was Stewart who approached them first as others followed him.
"Hello Spartan, Ms. Keyes" Superman welcomed them with warm smile.
"Well, its been quite some time since I last saw you. After that bout with Aquaman" Miranda said.
"Yeah, Cortana said that was a great vacation spot!" Flash said with a smirk.
"Planning to take someone?" Hawkgirl asked, raising her eyebrow.
"You're welcome if you want, brain" Flash said, giving a cheeky grin to which she rolled her eyes.
"We can have this meaningful conversation some other time, ladies and gentlemen. Stewart, what's the emergency?" Miranda asked. Stewart took a deep breath as he began to explain.
"Remember, what I said about the White Lantern ring?" he asked to which they nodded.
"I managed to send a word to my friends in the corps. Surprisingly, they encountered a mysterious humanoid looking for the same ring" he said which alarmed everyone.
"Really? Who was that?" Superman asked terrified at the news since the white lantern ring is a cosmic power source.
"Must be the Prometheans. But definitely not the soldiers. Either the Warden or some one else we've not yet seen so far" John said analyzing.
"Unfortunately, before they could find out, Hal Jordan was captured by the enemy and ring was smuggled a day after. But not before, he sent a transmission to the corps detailing the way the ring would be transported to him" Stewart said feeling worried for his mentor figure. Hal was senior to him in the Lantern corps and was always supportive of him.
For John, the news of a delivery man didn't sit well. He wondered, why would a powerful Promethean needed a mediator. But, he also know, even someone like the Didact needed the temporary alliance with the Covenant until he can get his hands on a Composer, so its not unusual. But still, it didn't make any sense to him.
"Wait, are you suggesting the enemy is using proxy?" Miranda asked.
"If it is, then finding him would lead us directly to the Promethean leader" Hawkgirl surmised. John and Miranda agreed on her point.
"But it won't be easy" Stewart said which downcast their plan of action.
"Now what? Can't anything be simple?" Flash asked irate.
"You don't understand the gravity of the situation, Flash! While you all were tending to the matters in our world before the Atlantean crisis, I was called on a mission to intercept a transport vessel on its way to Ajuris 5. I hope you all can guess what that package was" Stewart said looking at them.
"The White Lantern ring?" J'onn asked monotonically.
"Bingo! Hal's intel was valuable for the corps to track the package. I went for interception. We had a fight. I used the ring's energy to crack open the vessel. But the container was empty and the vessel crashed on a planet nearby-..and-..." Stewart said as he bowed his head down in shame. John's mind picked up a sense of guilt in his thoughts which confused him. He could have easily peeked into his memories, but he would never sneak without one's consent or willingness.
"Come up with the truth, Mr. Stewart" John said which quite confused the others except the martian.
"Truth? What are you talking about?" Hawkgirl asked looking at him.
"I sense guilt in his mind. Please proceed to speak J'onn" J'onn supplemented the Spartan.
"C'mon Stewart, spit it out! What's the big deal?" Superman asked in a comforting tone to ease his fellow league member.
"It is Superman-.." Stewart said as he went down the memory lane. "When I attacked the cargo vessel, the ship was damaged and it crashed on a planet. When I tried to hold it with my ring, I was attacked by a pirate vessel from behind that shook my concentration. As a result, the energy bolt that I shot from the ring hit the planet's most dangerous active volcanic fissure and-..."
"And destroyed the whole planet. I now understand your long face" Miranda finished to which Stewart was silent in agreement. Though she can't believe lantern was a cause of a planet's destruction and didn't jump to conclusions as she assumed Stewart could be a victim of circumstance.
"My God! I didn't know this. Why didn't you say this before?" Flash asked shocked at the revelation.
"Are you sure that you are responsible for this? You were at a good distance from the planet. You couldn't have known for sure!" Hawkgirl said trying to ease him.
"I-...I did it...With my own hands" Stewart said regretfully.
"Crap! I hate to be the breaker of truth, but if there's any witness to that incident, then Stewart's in big trouble!" Cortana added as her hardlight form appeared besides John. Everyone though hesitant accepted that grim fact.
"So what will happen now?" Miranda asked the obvious question.
"I have to surrender to the galactic council to stand trial for my crime, in two days. And that was two days ago already" Stewart said which further stupefied the others.
"Wait What? You're gonna get arrested?" Flash asked wide eyed.
"Nah...he will be awarded a pulitzer...WHAT do you think is gonna happen hotshot? If he doesn't surrender, he will be apprehended by force. Trust me, I know how these juridical system works. But don't worry Mr. Stewart, We all are with you till the end" Cortana said with a bitterness in her voice. Stewart was happy with the comforting words. Flash was still glaring at her for her earlier sarcastic quip.
"That's right. I still don't believe you are the reason for this. We will find the truth behind this!" Superman said determined. Hawkgirl, Flash and J'onn extended their support.
"Hmm, I am lucky to have them with me! Hope I am worthy of their trust" Stewart sombered.
"Thanks, but what's done can't be changed. *SIGH* I must face judgement" Stewart said.
All this time John analyzed the situation. He felt something was not right. Especially the part where the cargo vessel didn't carry the package. A cargo vessel is never highly protected unless it carries a dangerous payload. And if it's a matter of security, then the vessel would never pass through major settlements.
"Could it be a decoy?" he thought.
"If the jury's going to decide, then I believe we can have an advocate to speak on your side" Miranda said.
"That's right! We can argue with the court to prove his innocence" Flash said.
"And also to find the real culprit!" John finally broke his silence which made others to look at him curiously.
"You have any idea commander?" Miranda asked looking at the supersoldier to which he nodded.
"So, how do we do it?" Hawkgirl asked.
"First we need to analyze the situation. If the Prometheans are the ones targeting the ring, they with all their powers, don't need a proxy. But if they wan't to maintain being clandestine, especially from powerful police forces like the Lantern corps, its a logical move. Then they will need a decoy to distract the police force if the intel slips out by accident"
"Then it means, the convoy that Stewart attacked was a setup and now with the planet destroyed, The real enemies have succeeded in getting the ring as well as hide their trail" Superman said to a grim realization. They can't come to terms that they have been setup and now with one of their own framed for something not his fault. They are determined to stand by his side till the end.
"Commander, we can investigate the location where Stewart attacked the vessel. That will be a good place to start" Cortana suggested to which he nodded.
"But then what? The Jury will send the manhunters to arrest me anyway" Stewart said.
"Let them arrest you. We don't want to make a scene through retaliation that would bring all of humanity at war with the galaxy. Like Miranda said, we can stand as an advocate to you to stall them from making decision, while some of us can investigate the crime scene" John explained his plan.
"Solid plan. I like it. So who will be with Stewart and who will lead the investigation?" Flash asked.
"Myself and Captain will lead the investigation. Rest of you, assist Stewart with his trial. Cortana, you stay in the Labyrinth and keep an eye on Earth, help Diana and Batman if they need any" John gave the orders, like the soldiers under his command. Everyone acknowledged their assigned roles.
"I'll stay here. You can reach out to me for any assistance, any time" Cortana said with a nod.
"With the plan set ready, let's get to work" Miranda said.
"Cortana, prep a Phantom vessel. We'll need stealth!" John said.
"Aye Aye Commander. A ship is locked and loaded in launch bay 87" Cortana replied as they all moved on.
...
A few hours later...
Stewart was in space, staring at the endless void with the distant stars, as he observed a vessel exiting from faster than light travel.
"There they come!" he thought as the vessel stopped and from the bay doors came three tall and huge red colored robotic beings with a staff in their hands. They finally reached Stewart's position as both gazed at each other.
"JOHN STEWART?" one of them asked.
"Yes" he replied.
"YOUR RING" another robot ordered as John made fist in his right arm as he reluctantly looked at the ring he wore. Then finally removing it and giving it to the manhunter robot.
"WE ARE THERE BY ARRESTING YOU FOR THE CRIMES AGAINST AJURIS 4" the center one said to which Stewart nodded. Then he was cuffed with an advanced motion inhibitor and taken back to their vessel. Then the manhunter ship jumped into FTL travel as it left the system.
...
Aboard the phantom vessel...
John and Miranda were in their respective armor minus the helmet. Both were in their pilot and co-pilot seat. Ajuris-4 is 300 light years from Earth and it will only take few minutes to reach there depending on the power input to the slipspace drive. But a Phantom vessel being small and powered by a single anti-deutrium fusion reactor, the drives can't harness more power to generate hyper accurate paths like the bigger vessels in their navy. Still, it will only take 3 minutes for them to cross that distance. Last time, when rescuing Miranda, the vessel was able jump double the distance in the same time span, but the reactor lost more plasma and required time to reach self-sustained state again.
"So commander? Even if we uncover the truth, the white lantern ring is still already lost. You know that, right?" Miranda said to which John was silent. He can only agree with her statement as it was the fact. He had to agree that these prometheans managed to outsmart everyone and get their hands on another cosmic artifact.
"Yes Captain, But we will find it and get it back" John replied in a calm composure.
"Huh, too optimistic! But this is just an opinion, nothing more...What if the prometheans managed to obtain all the artifacts they are looking for and gain the necessary power?...for whatever they are trying to achieve" she asked to gain insight on how well humanity is prepared against this new threat.
"Then humanity will be fighting a war to protect everything, Just like the flood and the Ceph. We will do our duty as always" John replied to which she took some time to process those words. She knew he was right about another budding war. But she don't know what would be the price they will pay this time.
"Hah, yeah...Honor and Duty-...who would have thought!" She muttered at his blunt response. The phantom vessel exited the slipspace after 3 minutes of journey. After getting out of the alternate dimension, they expected a pleasant sight of the astronomical objects. But instead,
"Destination reached-...Hooollly SHIT! What is that?" Miranda said as they both looked at the sight of the planet shattered in million pieces. John looked at the debris and felt something odd. A destroyed planet will have a lot of background energy trail. But the sensors revealed there was no such thing. Since this happened only a few weeks ago, the planetary energy signature should be visible in all spectrums in the space, except that it was not.
"Something's not right. Sensors don't read any background radiation" John said as he pressed a few buttons in the hardlight console.
A small 3D model of the environment displayed in front of them, scanning over the debris and only to reveal a stunning result.
"This-...This can't be!" Miranda said equally shocked at the resultant image.
"We need to hurry" John replied to which she nodded as John steered the vessel towards the debris field.
...
At Ajuris 5...
The manhunters brought Stewart in their vessel to the landing zone outside the magistrate building. Stewart walked out as the door opened followed by the three robots.
**LOUD JEERS**
"BOOOO! BOOO!" Stewart was welcomed with lots of jeers from the alien public who watched the destroyer of their world coming out.
"WELCOME TO AJURIS 5, JOHN STEWART. DON'T EXPECT YOUR STAY TO BE A PLEASANT ONE!"
"I know and I am not here for that" Stewart said frustrated as he wanted to get this over with.
The manhunters and Stewart stood on a floating platform as they moved towards the entrance to the court. After reaching the place, thats when Stewart saw four of his fellow lanterns and surprisingly two of them were Kilowog and Guy Gardner, a fellow lantern from Earth. His team was the first to receive Hal's intel on the White lantern ring and the ones to lead on with the mission.
"Kilowog, Arkus, Galius, Gardner? Good to see you all, especially after the recent events" Stewart said.
"Wish we could share the same sentiment, Stewart" Arkus said not so happy with the fellow lantern.
"Arkus, Cut him some slack! He's one of us remember?" Guy Gardner came to his support.
"What happened with Hal? Is he alright?" Stewart asked concerned of his mentor figure.
"You don't say his name! Hal Jordan was the best among us and YOU!? You are a disgrace to the corps! If he learned of what happened?-..." Galius chided to which others didn't react, except Guy who raised his arm towards him to stop castigating a fellow lantern.
"We don't have to jump into conclusions, Galius-..." he said turning to Stewart "Hal is still in captive. Your warning about the white lantern ring proved to be true. But Hal-...Jesus, I don't know! If someone can capture a lantern of 'HIS' reputation, then he or she must be truly dangerous" Guy said to nerving revelation. As the manhunters watched their conversation, one of the robot's eyes glowed in golden orange again for a split second. Stewart hoped the league could somehow help in finding him. But he also cursed himself for letting this happen.
"Take me from this place" Stewart said not wanting to be here anymore. The manhunters then escorted him away from that place and that's when a robot hit Arkus with its shoulder.
"HEY!-...Stupid robot!" Arkus muttered which the robot heard as it held its staff high and approached him in anger.
"No! Not now-...Our time will come" The other robot stopped it from doing anything. The manhunter reluctantly backed away.
The Manhunter then had Stewart stand besides other alien species that were encased inside an energy field. Then one of the robots hit the floor with the staff that sparkled with electricity and then the same energy field began to encase the lantern.
"Now what?" he asked.
"Your trial will begin soon. You will be weighed on your actions and judged accordingly" the robot answered.
"Huh, yeah! Tell me something I don't know" Stewart muttered under his breath as his face turned desponded looking above the stars hopelessly.
With the league...
Superman, Flash, Hawkgirl and J'onn were flying their javelin, only minutes before they exited the FTL travel in the Ajuris system.
"Hope the Spartan and Captain could find anything to save Stewart. Can't believe he gave the ring to him!" Hawkgirl said,
"Well, Stewart's a strange one that's for sure" Superman replied.
"I'm starting to think you all humans are!" She said turning to look at the man of steel to which Superman raised an eyebrow at her quip.
"Sorry-.." she apologized.
"It's alright. I will take that as a compliment" Superman said with a smirk to which she smiled.
"Initiating landing procedu-..." *ZZZAAT ZZZAAT*
A couple of energy rounds hit the javelin as the others grunted in response.
They all watched as three fighter crafts approached as they kept firing on them.
"GREAT!...SO MUCH-...FOR SAVING STEWART!" Hawkgirl mentally chided.
"Shit! They are not responding to our hails!" Flash said as he tried to communicate.
"Its clear what they want. Lets give them some of our own!" Hawkgirl said as she went to press the weapons console only to have her hand grabbed by Superman.
"No, we are not here to start a war" Superman said firmly and let go of her hand as she nursed it.
"What the heck!" she thought still feeling the effect of his firm grip.
Superman then got up from his seat,
"Flash, take controls. Others follow me" he said they all got back to the blast door entrance. Flash was giving a skeptical look at them and rushed to the pilot seat.
"Dear God, please watch over me!" Flash said nerving as he flew the vessel.
Superman, J'onn and Hawkgirl flew outside once the blast door was opened and they all split to chase each of the fighter.
Superman first got to the engine of one craft as he held the tail flap and pressed his leg that crushed the engine casing and blasted it down as it lost control and flew upward.
Another craft approached towards the Martian who was floating still as he became intangible. The fighter shot rounds at him to no avail as it passed through him. Then the fighter flew over him as J'onn got inside. Then all of a sudden he used his strength to blast open the engine compartment as it lost flight controls.
The third one was chasing Hawkgirl firing its cannons at her position. She maneuvered the rounds as she charged her mace. Then she dodged to the back and let a battle-cry and hit the engine too hard which destroyed the engine and caught fire. The jet lost total control as it was on a collision course towards the city.
"HAWKGIRL!" Superman yelled in tense as he blitz towards the jet.
"What now?" she asked as she watched the craft about to crash.
"Oh THAT!" she said in realization. Superman flew below deck as he held them tightly in his arms and guided the vehicle safely to the ground as the local people panicked. Then he got to the back and used his super breath to put out the flames. Then he flew away from the place.
Meanwhile Flash was struggling to control the Javelin as it intermittently hit the buildings.
"Flash, take the controls! Did anyone tell me HOW!?" he yelled, hastily pressing all the buttons losing faith in landing this vessel safely. But somehow after bumping through all the buildings, he managed to crash land to the ground sliding all the way to the edge of the landing zone after which there was nothing but river.
"Phew! Talk about cutting it close...!" Flash thought with sense of relief as he slowly walked towards the back and opened the door,
"They say any landing you can walk away from-..." he quipped with a sarcastic smile only to be aimed by more than a dozen alien soldiers with their rifles pointed at him. His face turned sour.
*CLICK* "FIRE!" one of them yelled as began firing their guns at him.
"CRAP! GIVE ME A BREAK!" He yelled as he closed the door and rushed to the cockpit riding the buttons again.
"Starter? Starter? Which ones the Starter?" he rumbled. But by then Superman, J'onn and Hawkgirl flew towards the Javelin to tackle the soldiers.
Superman used his heat vision to blast the rifle of one unit. Then two more charged at him, grabbing him in an attempt to topple Superman to the ground. But he was unfazed as he simply threw them in the air. One of them fell over the wind shield as Flash observed his friends fighting the soldiers.
Hawkgirl flew towards three soldiers as she let a battle cry and destroyed their weapons which exploded.
J'onn became intangible when the remaining soldiers open fired on him. He then ran in zig-zag and the grabbed one of them and threw him over the other soldiers. Finally he phased below ground that made the last one look confused. Then the martian appeared behind him like a ghost and held him over his neck as his eyes glowed in yellow. The soldier then fell unconscious with a loud sigh. Superman and Hawkgirl walked over him and Flash finally came out of the ship.
"I had everything under control, didn't I?" Flash asked to which he earned a glare from Hawkgirl.
"Ugh...sorry!" he replied feeling little embarrassed.
"Stewart is in the tall structure...That one!" J'onn said as he pointed out to the biggest building on the planet that had lights lit up like Times Square. They began to move to that structure.
Inside the chambers, the prosecutor was so determined in his argument.
"There is no excuse for this horror! And there is no escaping the law!" he said as Stewart hopelessly watched him and the Juries in the monitor.
:An example must be made. He-..." as he said when they all heard a burning sound in the backside as they all watched the wall turning red to yellow hot and finally molten to a man sized hole. Superman was using his heat vision to burn it off. Then he along with Martian, Hawkgirl and Flash came through and landed near Stewart.
"Looks like they came sooner than ever" he thought with inner glee.
"So this is the trial he mentioned?" Flash asked looking around.
"Apparently" Superman replied.
"What is the meaning of this!? Intruders! Remove them out of this place!" the prosecutor barked the orders as two guards came in floating platform towards the four. As they neared, Superman effortlessly caught them both with his arms and threw them back.
That's when the man hunters decided to act which the man of steel observed.
"No WAIT!" Superman stopped judges to avoid further violence.
"We apologize for disturbing this proceedings. But John Stewart is our friend" he said.
The judges were silent for a couple of seconds and the female judge first spoke,
"This is a public trial after all"
"Very well, Have a seat in the galley and kindly refrain from any further outbursts" the other said.
"Thank you honorable judges!" Superman responded.
"Hope the Spartan and Captain Keyes find any clues before its too late!" he thought as they all walked towards the stairs to take a seat nearby the other audiences.
"Thanks for coming in guys!" Guy gardner said who was in the lower row.
"No problem, we will get Stewart out of this mess" Flash said with a hand wave.
"Yeah, the others don't trust him though Kilowog always had a soft spot on him" Guy said.
"Why is there so much biased views towards him?" Hawkgirl asked not understanding the other lantern's anger towards Stewart.
"*SIGH*...You see, a Lantern lives by strict military code and honor. You do mistake, you fall from grace and the entire Lantern corps loses its name! Arkus and Galius's reactions are purely instinctual" he explained. Of course Superman and Hawkgirl understood that part very well. Every Lantern took an oath after wearing the ring of power. Even a small mishap costs the entire corps their reputation.
"Hope the others find clues to prove his innocence" Superman said to which Guy shrunk his eyebrows.
"Other!?"
"Yeah we have certain new comers in our team" Flash said before interrupted by Superman.
"We'll explain later. They are starting"
"ARE YOU READY TO CALL YOUR FIRST WITNESS?" One of the judge asked.
"Yes my lord! I there by call out my witness...Kanjar-Ro" the prosecutor said as he turned to right. A insectoid being walked out of the shadows to reveal itself. It was a Dhorian, the same species that Miranda Keyes befriended before rescued by John-117.
"Kanjar-Ro, do you thereby accept the probing of your mind for memories related to the incident?" the guard asked.
"I have nothing to hide!" Kanjar replied as he stepped in the circular platform.
"State your name and occupation"
"Kanjar-Ro, I-...uh-...I am a pirate" he replied that quite stunned the prosecutor.
"A criminal? Yet you are here to bear witness to another crime...why?" he asked surprisingly.
"I steal things...But its nothing compared to what he did!" he yelled as he pointed his hand towards the Lantern.
"Fine, you may proceed" one of the Judges spoke as a containment field enveloped Kanjar.
"I was on a transport vessel to deliver a package to some highest bidder, on the way to Ajuris-5-...and-.."
"Package? That's the white lantern ring idiot! What a butt load of crap!" Guy murmured under his breath in anger though Superman heard him.
"That's when this Lantern blazed across my ship and its escorts. He caught me off guard and contained. But the other ships, during a fight, he shot that green energy from his ring into the planet's active volcano. Then it was only minutes until the planet cracked itself open to pieces. 3 billion lives gone in a blink of an eye" he finished explaining as Stewart was silent.
The prosecutor rubbed his chin analyzing the statement and turned to look at the judges.
"I have no more questions, your honor"
"Fine. Thank you for your statement. His account is at most disturbing We will recess in the next 20 peta-cycles" the judges said as the display went off.
The crowd began to disband as the heroes walked towards Stewart.
"Sorry man! Looks like our hands are tied on this one for now" Guy said regretfully.
"That bug is lying. Just give me 5 minutes with him, I will ask questions in my way" Hawkgirl gritted her teeth in anger looking at the direction Kanjar left.
"Don't bother...Did the Spartan and Captain found anything?" Stewart asked.
"Not yet. We haven't received a word from them" J'onn replied.
"So those are the two people flash mentioned as new to your team?" Guy asked.
"Yes, they are quite unique and really resourceful, especially the blue computer chick-...*CRACK*...Aoww!" Flash spoke with increasing enthusiasm as Superman stopped him right in the middle by poking him with his elbow.
"Huh...yeah whatever...Thing is we still don't have a lead on Hal. That's what worries us!" Guy said frowned at the thought of their friend and mentor.
*BEEP BEEP* suddenly superman's comm earpiece beeped up.
"Someone's calling-...Hello?" Superman asked as he pressed a button in the comm piece.
"Superman? Its Captain Keyes!" a voice that they long sought finally came up.
"Captain! Glad to hear from you! What's up?" he asked finally letting other know that brought a smile on their face.
"Ugh-...Its better you head down to the coordinates sent to the Javelin's computer...ASAP" her voice alarmed the Man of steel as something clicked his mind. Something's about to be revealed.
"Fine, we will be there fast. Superman out" he said as he cut the comm and looked at others.
"What happened?" Stewart asked anxiously.
"Looks like the Captain and the Spartan have found something important. I am going there. You guys stay with Stewart for support, stall the trial" Superman said as he floated above the ground.
"You want the world's fastest man to slow things down?...not gonna be easy!" Flash replied sarcastically.
"I will come with you too" J'onn said as they both flew towards the same hole they came in to get outside.
Superman and J'onn reached the Javelin entrance as they walked in.
"So what do you think we will find there?" the martian spoke his mind.
"We need to ask them to know. But something tells me this whole planet destruction thing is a hoax. I don't know...may be call it-..."
"Intuition?"
"Exactly" Superman said as he accessed the computer to look into the coordinates of the place where the destroyed planet once resided.
"So this is where we go. We will keep the javelin here for the others" he said as they both flew towards the destroyed planet. But unknown to them they were being watched the whole time.
With the Spartan and Keyes...
John and Miranda were walking on the surface of the planet that is devoid of atmosphere. The black outer space directly visible without the scattered sunlight. The planet was surrounded by asteroid debris.
"The whole planet was concealed behind a holographic shroud. This planet was never destroyed and never hosted life" Miranda said to a shocking revelation.
"The enemies knew the lantern corps would pursue them. So they needed a diversion" John replied.
"Huh, looks like our secret enemy sorted things out to the letter. This is only increasing my anxiety" she replied in a sullen tone.
John had to agree on that, though he never let emotions run its course on him as he always kept them in check and be level headed all the times. Ironically, that was the only thing that helped him succeed in every mission. He is always aware of the stakes and ready to make any kind of sacrifices required at the time. Its not any different to the current situation they are in. He had already figured out that their enemy is not some slouch, but someone with ridiculous powers beyond comprehension hiding in shadows so far, or in plain sight that they can't see.
ENERGY SOURCE DECTECTED
DISTANCE: 30 METERS
John's visor suddenly displayed the messages about a possible energy source.
"Armor sensor's are picking up an energy field 30 meters from here" John said as something has piqued his interest.
"Then let's check it out. We may get some answers there" Miranda said as she rushed towards the place John pointed to. He already used his visor's deep layer scan to see through the rocks only to get a sight of a glowing machine underneath.
John began to jog over that place and by then Miranda already found something as she contacted him.
"Uh..Commander, looks like you need to see this...Holy crap!" She said stunned at the sight of something.
"Already there" he replied as he finally stood near Miranda and both were greeted with the sight of a huge machine nailed to the rocky crater wall below them.
"My suit's sensors finished scanning this thing. Its a-..."
"Holographic shroud generator. This is how they hid the planet and created an illusion" John finished to a grim realization. Now it all made sense how Stewart became victim to these accusations.
"The Jerk really wanted this to happen...to stall us or distract us" Miranda said spitting her words in anger as she had this urge to snap the neck whoever it is that got them into this mess.
"The trial must have just begun. This will be a good evidence to prove Stewart's innocence" John said to which she nodded. She then opened her comm to contact Superman as the line was established.
"Hello?"
"Superman, Its Captain Keyes"
"Captain! Glad to hear from you. What's up?"
"Ugh-...Its better you head down to the coordinates sent to the Javelin's computer...ASAP" She said as she sent the coordinates to Javelin computer.
"Fine, we will be there fast. Superman out!" With that the comm was closed.
...
Back at the trial after sometime...
The trial once again began after the break as everyone were gathered except the Lanterns.
The Judges were once again online in the screen with the prosecutor and Stewart in the floating platform.
"JOHN STEWART, YOU MAY NOW PROCEED TO QUESTION THE PROSECUTOR IN YOUR DEFENSE" one of the judges said.
"Question? I am not sure if am entitled to do that! I am aware of my actions and dont even know what to do!" Stewart was thinking of his own actions and dilemma looking down.
"I-...I have no questions" He simply said which shocked Flash and Shayera.
"BUT...YOU DON'T WISH TO DEFEND YOURSELF?" the female judge asked in surprise.
"Okay, this is not working out!" Flash thought as he stood up
"I object! You call this a trial?!" Flash stood up and yelled as Hawkgirl placed her palm in her for head.
"Great! We are so dead! Good job, Flash!" she mentally chided him.
"REMOVE HIM!" the judges asked as he was about to be apprehended by the guards. But Flash ran away at high speed towards the judges screen.
"Listen, I respect this council. But you need to listen to both the sides before passing judgement-..HEY!..LEAVE ME!...ARGGH!" Flash said as he was grabbed from behind by the gaurds.
"WAIT! THIS BEING MAY HAVE A POINT! WE DON'T WANT ANY LINGERING DOUBTS IN OUR FINAL JUDGEMENT DO WE?" the lady judge asked.
"OFCOURSE NOT. BUT WHO WILL SPEAK FOR JOHN STEWART?" the other left one answered and asked the next question.
"Don't you have any lawyers?" Flash asked.
"WE SOLVED OUR LAWYER PROBLEM A LONG TIME AGO" the center one answered.
"HOWEVER YOU BEING HIS FRIEND, YOU WILL SPEAK FOR HIM. YOU WILL BE HIS ADVOCATE!" the lady judge replied.
"BUT BE AWARE! IF YOU LOSE, YOU WILL FACE THE SAME PUNISHMENT AS THE ACCUSED!" the center judge replied which made Flash gap his mouth in little fear as he understood the implications looking at the cuffed Stewart.
"Oh hell! Don't know if we should be happy or afraid of this! Please don't screw this up Flash!" Lantern thought being worried of the situation growing strenuous everytime.
As Flash prepared himself in the platform he started speaking.
"Okay, where do we start. Need to buy time...whatever it takes!" he thought
"First I would like say a few words about-...ugh...Habeous Corpus. Yeah Habeous Corpus!...5 beta kappa-..." he said. Stewart and Hawkgirl both nodded their head irritant.
But then Shayera suddenly watched Kanjar-Ro creeping towards the next hallway as if making sure no one followed him.
"Think I need to see what that bug is up to" she thought as she sneaked behind him in the air.
Hawkgirl then flew away from the court room to the outside, where she noticed Kanjar-Ro talking some secret with a Manhunter robot which looked too suspicious to her senses.
"That doesnt look good. Need to follow this creep" She thought as she proceeded to follow him wherever he went.
Meanwhile Superman and J'onn flew the javelin towards the planetary body where the Spartan and Keyes were present.
"Ship sensors identify two living beings in the planetary surface" J'onn said.
"That must be them. Finally!...Spartan, Keyes, can you hear us? We are near" Superman said to which he received response.
"Loud and clear Superman, meet us at the sur-...*STATIC*...*STATIC*" the Spartan said as they started to lose the line.
*BAAM*" suddenly the ship was attacked by a cannon fire.
"Whoa! What is that?" Superman said as he used his x-ray vision to see outside the ship only to observe another security vessel from Ajuris-4 came.
"We are being attacked by the Ajuris security vessel" Superman said
"Counter measures initiated!" J'onn said. But they could attack, the security vessel was attacked by another security vessel.
Superman and J'onn steered the javelin steadily to the planet surface. Then they both exited the vessel to get out and see what was happening outside.
"Superman-...J'onn!" a femal voice came behind them only to see the Spartan and Keyes approaching them.
"Glad you guys are here! Whats happening!? Whats those two ships!?" Keyes asked. Spartan's armor visor deep scanned to reveal one contained none other than hawkgirl and the other one a Dhorian.
"Its Hawkgirl! She is attacking a Dhorian!" Spartan said to which Keyes was surprised. She didnt expect hear from a Dhorian ever again.
"A Dhorian, here? Why Shayera's attacking him?" Keyes asked confused. By then they saw Hawkgirl finished hitting the Dhorian vessel as it crash landed on the ground nearby their location. Then the other vessel slowly landed as Hawkgirl came out.
"Hawkgirl! What was that?" Superman asked concerned. Thats when they saw the Dhorian coming out rattled from the crash. The Spartan used his telekinesis to bring him towards them.
"WHOOAA! DONT KILL ME! JUST DONT KILL ME!" the Dhorian yelled in fear.
"I have been following him for sometime. He's been secretly conversing with the manhunters. He knows something that we dont" Hawkgirl said which quite trobled everyone.
"What would a pirate like him would want with the manhunters?" J'onn asked.
"I have lived with your people for 5 years and only for that sake I will keep talking with a dirtbag like you! Tell me what the hell were you talking about with a manhunter?" Miranda asked feeling disgusted at the sight of him.
"Why should I tell you?" he asked not realizing his grim predicament
"Seriously? Let me tell you why. J'onn here can enter your mind and get the info we need anyway. But the Spartan here..huh, you dont want him inside your head. You will never recover after he turns you into a walking corpse! You GET THAT!?" She gritted her teeth in anger which surprised the league members.
"Wow, remind me not to piss you off lady!" Hawkgirl said shaking her head.
"FINE FINE! I'll Tell you everything!"
"The Manhunters made a deal with someone who will help them get revenge against the Guardians of the Universe, by extension, the Lantern corps"
"In exchange for what?" Superman asked though he had a faint idea what it could be and already feared the worst.
"The White Lantern Ring. So I was asked to set up this decoy to lure the Lanterns into this trap by having their people framed for this planets destruction" the Dhorian told the others as a realization dawned upon them.
"There is a holographic shroud generator in this planet that created this illusion" Keyes said which stunned Hawkgirl, Superman and the Martian.
"With the Lanterns in disarray, the Manhunters will destroy the Lantern's home world, Oa!" J'onn said.
"Who gave away the location of the White Lantern ring's delivery?" The Spartan who has been silent all along asked the question.
"The Manhunters told that a green lantern was the one who gave away the location. But thats all they said. Only the Manhunters know, I Swear! I'm telling the truth. I dont know with whom those Robot freaks are working with!" the Dhorian repeated himself in fear.
"Wait, could it be Hal Jordan? The other lanterns in Ajuris-5 were saying he's been missing for a long time" Hawkgirl remembering the early conversation.
"Is he telling that Hal Jordan is a traitor?! Is that even possible?" Keyes asked in confusion
"Hal Jordan is regarded as one of the best as per catalog that Batman has and he calls him an ally. If Batman trusts him, then Hal would never do such thing" Spartan said.
"Yes, the Spartan's right. Even among his peers, Hal is considered the greatest. He was John's mentor too" Hawkgirl added.
"Where is Hal Jordan?" Superman asked.
"I managed to sneak upon the manhunters and learned that a green lantern is being held captive in Rigel-5. But not sure about his name though" the Dhorian said.
"I think we heard enough. Its worth to go to Rigel-5 and check for ourselves" J'onn said.
"Myself and Keyes will go. You take this pirate to the court for confession and save John Stewart. Someone stay here to destroy this holographic shroud generator at the right time for the jury to see this planet is still intact" the Spartan said.
"I can handle the generator" Hawkgirl said gripping on her mace that glowed with electricity.
"J'onn and myself will get back to Ajuris-5, save Stewart and stop the manhunters from getting to Oa" Superman said to which
"Good luck" the Spartan said as Keyes and the Spartan entered the Phantom vessel which John summoned from his armor computer that landed before them.
Superman and J'onn entered the Javelin and headed to Ajuris-5.
"Commander, I think I have a hunch on who these manhunters could be working with. It oddly convenient that the manhunters care about the most powerful artifact" Miranda said to which John agreed.
"Its gotta be the Prometheans. We need to hurry" John said.
"You dont say!" she replied.
Keyes and Spartan took the seat in the cockpit as John entered the coordinated for Rigel-5. The Phantom prowler then slowly lifted up as John steered it out of the Ajuris-4 surface and after getting to a safe distance in space.
"Initiating slipstream jump" John said as the vessel entered the blue vortex and vanished.
Near the Rigel-5 planet...
The phantom vessel exited the slipspace as it neared the world. A holographic map of the planet appeared before them that gave out all geographical information side by side.
"Looks like this planet is an abandoned outpost used by the Rigellians long ago. The planet is barren" John said analyzing the scan.
"And yet there is one life sign detected. Oh my god! That's gotta be Hal!" Miranda said to which he nodded as he flew the Phantom towards the surface.
The ship slowly landed as John and Keyes came out walking as the dust wind was blazing past them with scorching heat. The area they landed is a partial desert where they saw many ruins of facilities.
"This is where we found the life sign. Lets get in" John said as he and Keyes entered a building which immediately was so dark. John and Miranda activated the visor night vision as they saw lots of tables with broken hologram projectors, computers broken and shattered.
"Wow, this place is a mess!" Keyes said as she took her Ion-Particle rifle from her back. John summoned the rifle in his hand from slipspace.
"The life sign is showing 5 levels below here" John said as they looked at some sort of an elevator door. John telekinetically opened the door only to see no elevator there. It was empty space till the bottom.
John held Miranda to his side and lifted them both using the armor's internal artificial gravity engines to slowly take them to the bottom without making noise.
"Was that you levitating around?" Keyes asked chuckling.
"No, its the suit's artificial gravity engine" he replied.
"Sheesh! If we had this kind of technology back in the covenant war-...but hey! We are 60000 years past that...atleast for him though" she thought. Its true that while its ancient history for John, the wars only over for her like 5+ years ago for her since the day she was resurrected and came to this universe. The dark memories of that time still feels fresh for her.
Both kept walking inside slowly as they were nearing the lifesign, Hal Jordan, possibly.
**BROKEN OBJECTS FALLING**
They both heard loud noise of broken objects falling and crashing down from ceiling as they lifted the rifles in that direction. There was nothing there. As they reached the end of the big hall, they saw a door, more like a blast door that had broken holo panel.
"Hal must be beyond this door" Keyes said. John used his hands to open the door by force, effortlessly which then gave the two the sight of something they didnt expect.
"It was a partially functioning facility with a huge machinery at the center.
"Hal?" John said as they both finally found the missing Green Lantern. They both rushed towards him.
"Let me yank him out" Keyes said as she worked on the controls. Though the hologram was different in appearance, her armor's computer was able to translate it to her. Finally with the stasis gone, Hal fell down as John held him immediately from free fall. The respected green lantern was bruised and bloody, beaten. John surmised he didnt go down without a fight.
Then Hal slowly awakened as his ring glowed.
**DISTINCTIVE GROAN**
"Rrrrr!-..." Hal finally took a breath as he slowly opened his eyes. As the blur in his vision cleared, he saw two armored people that lloked like terror to him at that time as he immediately crawled away from them as he pointed his ring towards them.
"Who-...Who the hell are you people!?/ Are you his cohorts? Do you work for him!?-.." Hal asked tensed which confused them both.
"Hal Jordan of the Green Lantern corps from Earth. We were made aware that you have been kidnapped enroute to a mission" John spoke.
"We are with the Justice League, your friends on Earth. We came here to rescue you" Miranda said trying not to set him off. The word 'Justice League' flushed his memories with everything from being in the team to his last mission before being captured.
"Justice League!? Thanks goodness! So John Stewart sent you?" he asked.
"Yes, though the situation he is in is not good. He's been accused of destroying a planet but the other league members are taking care of that"
"Word is you were chasing someone who's trying to steal the white lantern ring" Miranda said which made Hal wide eyed.
"Oh my God! He-...He got the ring! We need to hurry!" Hal said as he got up to his feet.
"Those who are looking for the ring are our enemies! They come from my place. We need to stop them. Tell us who kidnapped you and took the ring" John asked. But before he could answer
**HEAVY STEPS**
"RRRRAAAAHHH!" suddenly a tall being charged at the spartan from the back. But the Spartan's mind already sensed the presence as he turned to look at the thing.
"COMMANDER!" Keyes yelled as John telekinetically blocked a powerful attack from an energy spear. He then used his right arm to send a gravity surge wave towards the thing as it slid a few meters back.
"Miranda!" he called out as she took her rifle and starts unloading it. The metallic plasma rounds burned through the skin as it growled in pain.
It then activated a device in its wrists that covered it with a shield that started to take the damage.
Then that thing charged towards the Spartan without wasting time. But then Miranda unloaded the ion particle rounds from her rifle which the shields absorbed yet after few rounds it failed as the rounds started to incinerate the flesh which made it roar in pain.
John used this opportunity to summon telekinetic wrist swords as he ran towards the being. After, the mysterious entity swung its arms, John dodged to its left and cut both of its arm. But shockingly its arms immediately grew back and kicked the Spartan. Spartan blocked with his hands, though he could see the power behind the kick was so much he slid back a couple feet. The thing was taller than him and faster for its size. Thats when Miranda threw the rifle at the thing and the ran so fast to give a jumping side kick that sent it back a feet. John then telekinetically lifted the thing up and pinned it to the wall.
"Damn! That thing is so strong and fast for its size!" Miranda said taking a deep breath as the being was finally restrained.
The being then violently shook its body to get out, but John had it under control.
"Who are you?" John asked as the torn piece of cloak that was covering its face opened up as its face was revealed. The being had a half human, half squid like face, but burned severely as if someone torched its face and its eyes were fury red.
"This has to be an intelligent being, since it used energy shields. But I dont see that now" Keyes said observing the being.
All of a sudden, the entity stopped the violent shaking as its eyes turned golden color, glowing like a star.
"SO WE MEET AGAIN SPARTAN!" the entity spoke in a deep growling voice. Half of it sounded like Gravemind itself. John for that split second ran so many scenarios on that familiar voice as well as how it knew him.
"Wait, how do know him?" Miranda asked confused by its statement.
"OFCOURSE! WE HAVE A GREAT HISTORY! I WAS WAITING TO MEET YOU AGAIN...SINCE THAT-...DAY YOU FED ME TO MY OWN COMPOSERS-...!" the being said which stunned John. Miranda for her part trying to figure out what did it meant by that, since she started to feel familiar with the story it said.
But for John, he doesnt have to recall anything. He knew who he was dealing with.
"DIDACT!" John said to which Miranda looked at the Spartan in horror. She knew the Didact very well and also remembered what was his fate the last time John and he met.
"But-...But how-...?! Here?" Miranda was still reeling from the shock as she could articulate the words properly.
"You were composed!" John said trying to get an explanation.
"YES! BUT EVERY MIND THAT HAS BEEN EXTRACTED-...REACHES THE ONLY PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE THAT CAN CARRY IT. THE REPOSITORY OF EVERYTHING!" the being said to which John instantly understood what exactly he was talking about.
"The Domain! All these times-...you were in the Domain! The Prometheans and Warden Eternal started their assault after several thousand years outta nowhere. Exuberant Witness said something has awakened the Domain-...That was all YOU!" John monotonically said as if he felt ghosted.
"Then why dont you show your face instead of talking through someone else?" Miranda said angrily.
"OFCOURSE, DEAR HUMAN! THAT IS MY PLAN AFTER ALL-...RETURNING TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING IN FULL STRENGTH AND EVERY UNIVERSE WILL BE MINE!" it said maniacally.
"Thats impossible. The Domain is just a storage device that holds everything. There's nothing you can do from there!" John said.
"THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS YOU DONT KNOW ABOUT THE DOMAIN. WHAT IT CAN DO! THE PRECURSORS NEVER REVEALED EVERY DIRTY SECRET ABOUT IT!" Didact said.
"Why do you need the White lantern ring and a mother box?" Miranda asked trying to make a connection between the artifacts and his goal.
"THEY ARE NEEDED FOR MY RETURN TO MY PHYSICAL SELF. BESIDES, THERE ARE FEW MORE OTHER ITEMS I NEED. AFTER THAT-...I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE ON YOU SPARTAN!" Didact said.
"Thats-...not-...going to happen!" John said confidently, though this didnt sit well with him as his ancient and the most dangerous enemy has returned.
"WE'LL SEE! BESIDES, HOW DOES IT FEEL LIKE KEEPING A SHARD OF KEYMIND INSIDE THAT HEAD OF YOURS!? IT ONCE HAPPENED TO ME! bUT YOU!?-...YOU ARE UNTETHERED BY IT! ONCE I RETURN, I MUST STUDY YOU! UNTIL NEXT TIME-..!" The Didact said as the being's eyes stopped glowing as fell dead. John released his telekinetic field as it fell down lifelessly.
Miranda for a minute there, was confused at Didact's last statement.
"A shard of keymind!? what the hell was he talking about?" she thought looking at the Spartan.
"Commander? What did he mean by the last thing he said? Is there something you didnt tell me already?" she asked concerned for his well being.
Ever since she red everything about John, what he did in the next 60 millennia, she was both mind boggled at the same time worried about his mental. The reference to the shard of keymind by the Didact only brought the details of John's encounter with the keymind during the flood war. She was wondering if there was any peice of information that was left out and John was not truly alright since then.
"The Didact has returned, Captain. From the look of it, the war has just got much bigger" John said ignoring her previous question though wondering how long the Didact has been awake and how much did he know? Also how is he aware of this Universe and why is he seeking specific artifacts from here? So many questions, no answers.
"With all due respect sir-...I know you will stop the Didact like you did before. But that wasnt my question" Miranda said.
"I will explain that once we reach Earth. Now to contact the others" John said as he opened a channel to the Justice league.
"Superman, Hawkgirl, Jonn? Does any read me?" John asked to which Superman answered.
"SPARTAN! FINALLY! Glad to hear from you" he said enthused.
"What happened with the trial?" Miranda asked.
"Hawkgirl broke the holo generator and everyone in the jury learned the truth. John Stewart has been exonerated. But-.."the kryptonian said.
"What?" John asked.
"We were right. The manhunters were given powerful weapons to hit the Lantern HQ in Oa. But we all reached there in time and stopped them. The surviving machines have been apprehended in and imprisoned. We are returning to the watch tower" Hawkgirl spoke.
"Good. We'll return to the watch tower too. We have something to discuss" John said.
"What happened to Hal Jordan? Did you both find him?" the martian asked this time.
"Yes, Hal's been through a lot. His vitals are normal but he's unconscious. He needs medical attention. See ya at the watch tower, Keyes out" she said as she turned to the Spartan and gave a nod.
John carried Hal and they went outside. John placed in the seat as he was still knocked out. John and Miranda then flew the phantom vessel to Earth.
At the Watch tower...
Hal was in a glass canister with lots of microbots doing surgeries in and out. Cortana helped with providing some medical assistance to cure his condition.
"He's suffering PTSD. No one knows how long he had been holed up there" Cortana said.
"But atleast we have him back. And we still lost the white lantern ring too. Its an insult to what he went through!" Stewart castigated at the situation that they are in.
"What concerns the most is that this Didact is back. He was once your greatest enemy and a threat to humanity itself: Batman said who was also in the watch tower.
"So he wants to walk this universe again, physically, isn't it!? Thats why he's looking for those artifacts!" Superman said.
"Cant believe that forerunner douchebag is back! He was too relentless back then. We all thought we got rid of him once and for all! If his personality is in the domain as he claims, then we don't know what else he can do" Cortana said angrily as she cant believe their old nemesis is back to play.
"No matter what, We all are here to help you, the spartan and the captain. He may have been a big threat, but he doesn't know what its like to face the Justice League" Stewart said confidently.
"Not so fast Sargeant. We need to tread this carefully. Even his own people feared him for a reason" Miranda said.
"But he also needs few more powerful items like this to finally be free. Guess anyone got any idea on what he's looking for next?" Flash spoke this time.
"No one knows. So we must assume every powerful object in this universe is his target. We need to act fast and stop him before he gets them with his prometheans" J'onn said.
"To bad Hal got stuck in the middle of these. Hope he will come out alright" Hawkgirl said to which Stewart felt guilty.
"No need to feel guilty. Hal did his job and we all learned some important things. He's a true soldier, he'll be alright. Cortana, run, every deepspace scans, inter-galactic scans and interept any signal referring to anything strange or related to powerful artifacts" John said.
"Sure Commander"
"Let us all rest for the day. Its been hard. We will talk tomorrow! And once again, thank to you 3 for helping Stewart here" Superman said with a smile as he gave his hand. The Spartan shook it gently with a nod.
"Its our job, no need to thank us" Miranda replied with a warm smile. The league members left the place to go back to Earth.
"Right, now that they are gone, care to explain that keymind stuff?" Keyes asked which confused Cortana.
"Keymind stuff? Whats going on here?" Cortana asked raising her eyebrows.
"Back there, Didact said something about a shard of keymind in commander's head. Care to explain that!? I am sure you know this Cortana" Keyes said folding her hands. Cortana's face changed bilious as he glanced at them both. Miranda knew something was wrong.
"Cortana, if its not okay, then maybe you both dont have to tell me, I'm sorry! I-...what Didact said was quite bothering to me" Miranda said feeling guilty of prying.
"No no, Captain-..Miranda! Its just that you wont like the truth" Cortana said.
"Please! I've been back from dead. Besides you can tell me. I'm your friend right?" She said with a smile.
"*SIGH*...very well. After the flood war ended-...you know how-...After some years, John was hearing voices of the keymind in his sleep. It started as a mere taunt, then slowly over decades, it started to torment him. Not that John actually gets annoyed, thanks to his clear state of mind-...but-..."
"Guess this is the part I once again regret hearing" Miranda said assuming the worst part is to come.
"My psyche began to distort. My thoughts, the way I think, strategize-...they all took a hit. I was becoming more reckless, yet efficient. But-..." John said as if he didn't like to talk about that. Miranda could sense the trouble in voice.
"But at the cost of his morals. Taking drastic measure just to make sure the mission is accomplished, not bothered by the loss of life of soldiers and civilians" Cortana finished it for him.
"Thats definitely not the John I know back then! How!?" She asked shocked at the gradual revelation.
"The torturing of keymind actually left a personality shard of itself into John's sub-consciousness, a psychological scar. That was slowly manipulating him from the inside until John himself realized that something was wrong with him"
"Thats how you found out?" Miranda asked horrified at what John went through.
"Yes, a neural conformal mapping revealed the truth. But unfortunately, we were unable to cure it. We tried the next several thousand years to cure him but somehow, the personality latched onto him so hard, like an unbreakable shackle" Cortana explained/
"Holy crap! So you are keeping him locked all by yourself all this time?" Miranda turned to the Spartan wide eyed. John nodded in acknowledgement and spoke.
"Also Cortana placed several neural blocks to make sure the keymind doesn't take over my mind. I've been successful so far" John said.
"But-..God! I dont even want to think about that possibility, but what it-...the fortifications weaken..by any chance!?..just a what if!?" Miranda asked tensed as she prepared herself for the worst answer he can give.
"If I am compromised, then Cortana will enact protocol RED FLAG-034" John said to which Miranda was confused.
"To neutralize Spartan-117-..." Cortana finished to which Miranda was speechless. On one hand, she understood the drastic measures that needed to be taken. On the other hand, John was a friend and above that, the hero of humanity. To see someone of his reputation to go down like this was unacceptable.
"*SIGH*...I don't know what to tell you Sir! But I hope to god, it never comes to that" Miranda said with a smile.
"Likewise Captain" John replied with a nod. Then the three teleported back to Labyrinth. This was truly an eye opening day for a lot of people.
...
A/N: Thats all folks. Next chapter/episode will see John fighting Hades