In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night
COAST CITY
June 23rd, 20:32 PDT - 2007
If there was one thing Nathan Garber wished at this very moment, it was that he could have superpowers of some kind.
The reason for the fourteen year old to think that was because he was among a crowd of people that watched as firefighters escorted a whole bunch of people out of an apartment building that was on fire.
Among all of the sirens, water gushing and shouting, he heard some of the people, who were coughing and watery eyed, crying that an elderly man was stuck inside, but the firefighters told them that the building is falling apart and collapsing, and the elderly man was all the way in the back of the building, where it was impossible to get him out.
Nathan, or Nate as he preferred to be called, knew that various superheroes of the Justice League were busy, including the Green Lanterns, so there was no chance any of them could help the elderly man.
Nate wished he had powers to help the man, but he didn't, he was just an average teenager who was homeschooled and specialised in drawing and painting artwork. But there was one thing he felt was special about him: he feared nothing. And his father, a military man, told him some words that stick with him to this day: If you see someone who needs help, then it's your duty to help them, no matter what.
Due to this lack of fear and drive to help, he was going to do something that could get him killed, but what mattered was that the elderly man was saved.
Taking a deep breath, he bolted out of the crowd and charged to the burning building, ignoring the cries from everyone telling him to stop and avoiding those that were trying to tackle him before entering the building.
Instantly, the heat skyrocketed and Nate was sweating with his eyes stinging from the heat, but he couldn't let that stop him now.
He squinted his eyes and looked around, seeing that the hallway to the back of the building was blocked by burning rubble, but he saw that the walls were opening up.
With that, he ran into the closest room to the left and then barged through the walls, all breaking apart with relative ease.
"Help! Someone help!" He heard the voice of an elderly man cry out in front of him.
Nate was getting close.
He barged through one last wall and found the elderly man, who was pinned to the floor by a large beam on top of his leg.
"Help me!" The man cried to Nate, who instantly went to try and move the beam, but he snarled as it was too hot to hold with his bare hands.
Because of this, he took off his hoodie and wrapped his hands in it before grabbing the beam and lifted it off the man's leg, dropping it on the floor.
"Come on, let's get you out of here." Nate said as he lifted the man onto his feet, putting an arm around his shoulder since the man's leg was injured.
It was a struggle to get back out, due to the weight of the elderly man and because the building was starting to fall apart faster, but eventually, they made it back out, the crowd cheering and the firefighters running up to Nate and the elderly man, taking the latter from Nate and took him to all the other people that ran out of the building, which was now starting to collapse in on itself.
"What were you thinking, young man? You could've gotten yourself killed!" One of the firefighters scolded as he escorted Nate to the people from the building and handed him a towel to clean himself.
"I was actually trying to help, since you and your men gave up too quickly!" Nate snapped back after he finished wiping the sweat and ash from his face and arms.
"We couldn't risk it with the building starting to fall apart!" The firefighter snapped back.
"You still could've tried! Weren't you told that you sometimes have to put your lives on the line to save people?" Nate pointed out.
"Don't tell me how to do my job!" The firefighter roared right into his face. Nate simply threw the towel away before leaving, the crowd parting, some of them patting his shoulders and back before he left the scene.
Nate made it into a nearby alleyway, where he stopped to take a moment to relax.
"Honestly… can't people just do their jobs properly? At least the heroes out there do that." He muttered to himself. "It would be nice to be one of them and help people."
Of course, not a moment sooner, a bright green light formed behind him. He turned and covered his eyes, finding that the source of the light was a green ring that floated in midair. On the ring was the symbol of the Green Lantern Corps.
"What the -?" He said, being cut off when a hologram formed out of the ring.
The hologram was a humanoid female with orange skin, long brown hair and green eyes. She wore a version of the Green Lantern suit as well.
"Nathan Garber of Earth, you possess the need and desire to fight for justice and have incredible willpower. Are you willing to join the Green Lantern Corps?" The hologram asked Nate, who frowned in shock.
He was actually being asked to be a part of who are pretty much intergalactic police officers. And he knew of the Lanterns because of his father's close friend, Hal Jordan, who was actually a Green Lantern. Nate was told stories by Hal of all the adventures he's been on, both on Earth and out in the galaxy.
He knew that being a Green Lantern was something that isn't to be taken lightly, and to be one requires a strength that not everyone wields.
Of course, Nate knew he had such strength, which he proved by just saving someone from a burning building.
He knew what his answer was.
"I am willing." He said to the hologram.
"Then recite the oath of the Green Lantern Corps." The hologram replied as the ring hovered directly to his right middle finger, sliding onto it. Thankfully, Nate knew of the oath, as Hal said it aloud to him.
In brightest day, in blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!
He was consumed in a green light and once it dimmed, he looked at himself and found that he now wore the Green Lantern uniform. It covered his whole body from his feet to the base of his neck. The symbol of the corps was on his chest and his uniform didn't resemble Hal's at all. It was more like an armoured suit with the sleeves reaching only to his elbows. He also wore fingerless gloves. Nate felt his head and realised he had a mask on that covered his whole head except his jaw.
"Looks like we have a new Green Lantern." A deep voice said from behind Nate.
He turned and saw two Green Lanterns hovering above him. The one on his left was an African American man he knew to be John Stewart and the one on his right was Hal.
"I'd take it easy, kid, everything will be explained when we take you to Oa." Hal said, trying to reassure Nate, who snorted.
"I'm pretty sure you've explained plenty, Hal." He replied, causing said Lantern to have his eyes widen in shock, recognising his voice.
"Nate? You're now a Green Lantern?"
"Looks like it." Nate replied. "Trust me, I'm as shocked as you are, but I felt it was best I did something that had some responsibility attached to it."
"Well, looks like you might become a worthy Lantern with that attitude." John said with a smirk.
"Thanks. So… how long does it take to get to Oa? Also, it would probably be best if my parents knew that I'd be gone for a while." Nate said.
"It'll take a short amount of time to get there. And I'll make sure to call your dad and inform him." Hal replied. "Now, first, you need to fly."
"Right." Nate muttered and within a few seconds, he found himself hovering off the ground, a green aura formed around his body.
"Nice." He said with a smile before he followed Hal and John up into the sky, flying at incredible speed and soon found himself in outer space. "Wow….."
"Yeah, I was like that the first time I flew out of Earth's atmosphere." Hal said as he flew next to Nate. "By the way, a quick warning before we make it to Oa: your drill instructor, Kilowog, will be tough, so be prepared."
This made Nate's eyes widen, realising that training will make him be forced to endure harsh treatment and conditions.
"Crap." He muttered, much to Hal and John's amusement as they continued on, heading for Oa.
Nate's life will forever change, and will have its various ups and downs along the way.
Very short, but I had to get this out of the way so that I can focus on retelling episodes from the show.
I've finally watched Young Justice when the first three seasons were put on Netflix in the UK. So far, I'm halfway on season 3 and I can comfortably call it one of my favourite things from DC.
Also, to give a description for Nate: He has short and spiky brown hair, green eyes, fair skin and a small scar on his chin. His name comes from Nathan Fillion, who voiced Hal Jordan in various DC animated content and Victor Garber, who voiced Sinestro in Green Lantern: First Flight.