Avenging Justice 3:
To Infinity and Anti-Life
Part XXVI
Sector 0000, Oa
The Green Lanterns were going to lose. Even with the assistance of the Star Sapphires, there were too many. They were overwhelmed, with most of the Red Lanterns going forth like an angry mob. As such, they did have some success when using tactics that required maneuvering around, as the Red Lanterns just tended to attack without thought. It just wasn't going to work though, there were too many and too few of the Green Lanterns.
One Star Sapphire took a red blast of plasma to the face, her power protected her to an extent. She was still blinded and it still felt like burning acid on her face, but she would heal, she would live. That would be if the follow up attack failed, which it didn't look like it was going to. Gritting her teeth, the Star Sapphire yelled a war cry. She would meet her end like a true warrior, and she'd made her enemy pay!
"Not today, miss," came a very small, squirrel looking Green Lantern. It produced a green bubble around her, and two massive hands that squished the Red Lantern. "Get behind me till you recover."
Despite herself, the Star Sapphire did, even as the two green hands now slammed the Red Lantern between them. Then picking up the rage filled Lantern, the Green Lantern threw them towards another of Red Lantern, and was rewarded with the sight of the two Red Lanterns beginning to fight one another. It didn't last long, but it did give them both a chance to reform with the others.
"Oh dear, this is bad," the Green Lantern said. "I knew it was going to be a hard fight, but this looks…"
"Unwinnable, I know," the Star Sapphire said. "And you Green Lanterns only begrudgingly accept our help."
The Squirrel looking Lantern cocked their head, "I did not recall speaking about that to you or anyone else. Don't speak for me, if you please. Besides, when bad things happen, any bough in a storm."
The Star Sapphire was about to question that when a huge green portal opened up and several figures pour out, two were giving off green lights, another violet. The others were just like black specks against the star scape of the battle. Their arrival wasn't full of poise or grace, but it wasn't out of control. Instead they looked battered, but still ready to fight. Which was good, those black specks started to move!
"Hurry, let's give Lantern of Sector 1148 assistance, and I believe that is your lead Star Sapphire," the Squirrel Green Lantern said, blasting off.
The Star Sapphire shook her head, "Sure, let's just blast off before assessing anything. Then again, you did save my ass, so maybe I shouldn't complain."
She followed the Green Lantern, as the Leader of the Red Lanterns watched like a triumphant general. Biding his time, before he personally led a contingent to destroy the Guardians, once and for all. Finally his family, his people, his world, would be avenged for the brutality visited upon them by these "Guardians of the Universe." The power of Anger and Wrath called for him to savor his victory, draw it out, make them suffer.
He would, he'd leave one alive, and torture them for as long as they lived. The others would be destroyed. How many had been taken down by their need for vengeance, only for that overwhelming need to bring them down? No, he held his mind, the power only gave him what he needed to fight them, but he was still in control. Another failure of the Guardians, they thought controlling the Power of Rage was impossible. He knew it only took the right focus, and now the would pay for their crimes.
A blast of green and blue, caught his attention. That came from the same Lantern. That was new, something he didn't know about. The Guardians were fanatical in their reluctance to use the other emotional spectrums. Yet, here was one of their officers, wielding the green light and blue light. He queried the ring on his hand, and it gave him the answer.
"Hope," Atrocitus focused on the fighter. "It is empowering his attacks, making them stronger. Interesting, is a side experiment of those little blue fools?"
What came next brought ice to his burning blood. His ring detected an unknown signature from black specks, and all it would bring back was the world, "Death." What light did that come from, and why did that cause him to pause. His victory was almost complete, yet he didn't want to turn his back to the fight. That small little feral part of his brain, the one most affected by the power of Rage, was sending out alarm bells.
One of the black specks fell upon a Red Lantern. The unfortunate being felt bony, clawed fingers rip into their body. Burning plasma jetted out, burning away the black undead thing, but still it continued its attack. The Red Lantern vomited up more red plasma, disintegrating more of the attacking creature, to no effect. One clawed finger impaled the Red Lanterns ribcage, damaging the lungs beneath.
"You hunt bad. Worse than a kit," a flying house cat named Dex-Starr growled as massive red fangs ripped at the Black Lantern. "Prey, die!"
The undead thing, half melted, opened its nearly destroyed mouth and uttered something. Being in space, there was no sound to carry the words, but that didn't seem to matter. More of the black specks came at the cat. With a warning growl, Dex-Starr attached to the back of his quarry and began ripping it apart with red claws.
The undead thing turned its head three hundred sixty degrees and began trying to bite the cat. The agile little thing dodged them all, but a small bit of fear was creeping into the cat's mind. It was still angry that this prey wouldn't die, most prey died now that he had this power. This thing was in ribbons, and yet it would not die! It just wasn't natural.
"I thought I was seeing things, but you really are a cat," came a voice beside Dex-Starr. "I'm the Green and Blue Lantern of 1148."
The cat watched as the Green Lantern, unleashed a barrage of green arrows, followed by blue grenades. The resulting damage destroyed the Black Lantern, and hurt the others that had been advancing. Next came a green two-handed sword that cut through several more, and the Lantern turned to Dex-Starr and motioned for him to attack.
The cat wasn't used to pack hunting tactics, but he could appreciate this one leaving such a juicy opening for him. The cat snarled and latched onto another Black Lantern, once again ripping it to shreds. Now, thanks to the damage caused by the Green Lantern, the thing stopped moving. Dex-Starr saw a black ring rocket off, and he wanted to follow. It was just too bad there were more of those things to kill.
Still, the human Green Lantern wasn't too horrible, kind of reminded Dex-Starr of someone else. It was the eyes, blue orbs looking at him as something more than vermin. This Green Lantern might be alright. Then he leapt onto the next Black Lantern, his hope not getting too fight. He had been disappointed before.
Below the Guardians watched, all but one. He lifted into the sky, a blue ring powering his flight. Ganthet still had his green one, but this was going to take more than just fighting. He had to get Atrocitus to see that there were bigger things going on, and continuing this battle would bring doom upon everyone. Knowing this one though, and remorseful for going along with the rest of the Guardians all those years ago, it wouldn't be easy. Then again, he'd learned that nothing ever worth doing seemed to be easy.
He floated up to the red glowing leader of the Red Lanterns, and immediately noticed several "guards" acting like they wanted to attack. Something held them back, and Ganthet was sure it was Atrocitus himself. Whether curious or wanting to rip the Guardian apart himself, he was holding his guards back. Focus, intelligence, and if those eyes were true, understanding, no Atrocitus wasn't affected like the other Red Lanterns. He still had his mind, and that might just be how they would win the day.
"Atrocitus, I ask you to cease this unnecessary attack," Ganthet calmly said. "As you can see, there is a great threat then you and us."
Atrocitus nearly spat out plasma spittle, "There is only one threat to the Universe, and that is you, 'Guardian.' I will destroy you all for what you have done to my world, to my family. The universe will know your crimes."
"You're right, we made mistakes," Ganthet said. "We then tried to cover it up. Then we spent the remaining eons since trying to make up for it. You are right to be furious, but can't you see your own forces falling? They are being taken down by something other than our Green Lanterns or the Star Sapphires."
Atrocitus nodded, "Another of your experiments I presume. You reanimating the dead now to do your bidding? Making cyborgs to better obliterate whole sectors of space?"
With that last word he sent out a pure beam of hot plasma at Ganthet. He wasn't shocked when the beam his a round shield, and that face it was blue instead of green didn't bother him. What did cause him to pause his attack, were the sudden removal of his guards. The forces he had held back, were soon sucked into a whirling vortex of green and blue. Almost as immediately, they reappeared on the other side, bound in green and blue chain. They were still screaming and writhing, alive but just incapacitated.
A Green Lantern floated up, on his shoulder was a cat with a red ring on its tail. Dex-Starr jumped off the Lantern and flew over to Atrocitus before landing on his shoulder. Any cat owner would recognize the shoulder parrot position, and showed this being was one of the few he trusted. It also gave Atrocitus a second thought of immediately attacking the Green Lantern, so he just sent Ganthet backdown to the planet side with a red hand.
"You've got my attention, Green Lantern," Atrocitus growled. "Not many can earn Dex-Starr's trust. So, I will let you leave. Take with you any Lanterns willing to go, though I don't believe there will be many left."
Green Lantern McCallister held out his hands to show he wasn't readying to fight, "Actually, I come to tell you that we're going to need your help, everyone."
"You're joking?! I will have my vengeance upon the Guardians…" Atrocitus bellowed.
Keith McCallister finished for him, "For what they did. What the Manhunters did. How they destroyed a full sector of space, killed every living thing inside of it. Yes, Ganthet told me of this, but I also know that a noble heart still beats in you. However, we're going to have to go on a little faith here."
"You test my patience, Green Lantern," Atrocitus warned. "Leave now and take your life, otherwise I will destroy you."
Keith shook his head, "I can't. If I leave, if you continue fighting the Guardians, we all die. See those black specks fighting your people, killing them? Those are Black Lanterns, and they are Death."
The single world, the translation his ring had given him, the Green Lantern had said it exactly. Still he thought this could be a trick, maybe the Guardians could detect these things, or the rings translated things similarly amongst the Lantern Corps. That little bit did earn the other Lantern a few more seconds of life.
"Explain," Atrocitus commanded.
The Green Lantern used his ring to bring forth images all around them, "Most don't know this, but there is more than the emotional spectrum. You have Anger, Will, Love, Fear, Compassion, Avarice and Hope. These are what we draw our powers from, but the Black ones are the absence of these things, but Death. The inclusion of all of these emotions make up Life. Someone has tapped into Death, and it's going to take all the Corps together to defeat it. We need your Anger alongside our Will, Love and Fear."
Atrocitus hung in space for a moment, "You had me there, but there is no Violet or Orange Corps. You were entertaining at least, little Lantern."
"There is an Orange Corp, but an army of one," Ganthet corrected as he finally managed to make his way back up to Atrocitus. "We were going to subdue him, you would have heard of him as Agent Orange."
Atrocitus snarled, "Just like you Guardians. Wanting to ever be controlling the universe."
"We started with just trying to make it better," Ganthet replied. "You have no reason to trust me, but do trust this Lantern here. I can't explain it, but I can feel there is a history between us. I trust him, and am willing to surrender myself to you, if that'll end this pointless conflict."
Atrocitus turned to Dex-Starr on his shoulder, "Thoughts, little one?"
"I like that one. Blue one make a good hunt," the cat said. "Undead things tough, know how to hunt now."
As if something had called them back, all the Red Lanterns flew back up to Atrocitus. The exhausted Green Lanterns and Star Sapphires took up defensive positions, but made no move forward. The few black specks remaining were taken out by Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris, both had to land on Oa as their power levels were getting low. With that the attack came to an end, but in no two ways, this was just a pause. In Atrocitus' eyes, rage still burned for those who he blamed for the loss of everything.
"We shall listen," Atrocitus said. "If you are right, then our vengeance will be held till this threat is exterminated. Then the Guardians will be made to pay."