Chapter 78: Con Space
Onboard the Watchtower, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman were walking down one of the corridors, GL apologizing for his actions under the control of sins.
"It is alright," Wonder Woman insisted. "You have nothing more to apologize for."
"You're sure?" GL asked. "I mean, I was the one who grabbed your-"
"We were all under the sin's control. It was not your own doing. However," she held up her lasso. "If it's really troubling you."
GL took the end of the lasso and wrapped it around his hand.
"I am deeply remorseful for my actions under Lust's control. While I do respect you as a warrior and find you pretty attractive, I would never do what I did while possessed by Lust. I'll admit to being a bit of a womanizer in the past, but I have tried to curb those impulses since getting together with Carol. My relationship with her means that much to me. She knows my flirtatious tendencies, but still sees the man I can be regardless, and things have only improved since knowing I'm Green Lantern. Especially with-"
"And that's enough," Wonder Woman decided, pulling the lasso off him.
GL exhaled in response. "Thanks. It's really hard to stop when you get going with that thing."
"Believe me I know."
"So, how about you?" GL asked as they began walking again. "How are you dealing with our dip in the dark side?"
"I'm… dealing with it. Honestly, it's Victor I'm more concerned about."
"Right. Flash told me he had some kind of falling out with his dad, but he didn't get any details."
"From his demeanor as of late, I fear he resents himself more than anything."
"Has anyone been to talk to him?"
"He's locked himself in his quarters," Wonder Woman lamented, both of them stopping near a window. "He only comes out to get food. I've tried to talk to him, but he won't listen."
"Let me take a crack at him. Maybe I can get something out of him."
"You are welcome to try," Wonder Woman allowed, heading off in another direction. "I wish you luck."
"Thanks," GL replied, heading off toward the onboard bunks.
…
Inside his room, Cyborg was sitting on his bed, staring out the window blankly into space. As he did, his Heads Up Display showed that his father was calling again.
"Ignore," he spoke, allowing the call to go to voicemail.
He just grabbed a slice of pizza and ate as Green Lantern opened the door.
"Hey, Vic," he greeted, entering the room. "Diana said you were in a bit of a funk."
"I don't wanna talk about it," Cyborg replied before taking another bite.
GL looked down at the empty pizza boxes on the ground. "Or clean, I take it. Look, Flash told me you had some stuff going on with your dad before everything went down. That what's buggin' you?"
"Look, Lantern…" Cyborg replied, turning to face him. "I appreciate you coming to talk, but I'd rather be alone right now."
"Honestly, Vic, I think that's the last thing-"
Before the conversation could continue, GL's ring started blinking.
"Now what?" he let out, holding it up and answering it. "Go ahead."
"Green Lantern of Sector 2814, you are needed back on Oa for a high-security mission. Report for duty as soon as possible."
"Looks like you're needed," Cyborg noted, feeling he was about to be left alone.
GL suddenly perked up with an idea before smirking. "Yes… we are."
"Wait, what?"
Before Cyborg could protest, GL surrounded him in a green energy field before flying off.
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?!"
"I'm not gonna let you rust in your room because you're feeling sorry for yourself. Besides, a little action in space will do you some good."
"I am not in the mood for this Lantern!" Cyborg protested as they reached the hangar. "Let me down, now!"
"Can't do that, Tin Man," GL replied, opening the hangar doors and flying out. "So why don't I make us some comfortable accommodations while we ride to the Emerald City."
GL then stopped mid-flight, using his ring to create a jet that they could fly off in.
"You know, I could just Boom Tube back to my room right now," Cyborg threatened.
"Then I'd have to chase after you, and it would waste both of our time," GL commented. "Look at it this way, the sooner we get this done, the sooner you get to go back to your room and sulk."
Cyborg thought for a moment, before finally relenting and taking a seat. GL smiled before taking the pilot's seat, jetting off into space.
…
Later, the Emerald Jet was still rocketing through space, Cyborg leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. GL glanced back at him, still feeling concerned.
"You know… it's a long shot, but maybe we can ask around and see if anyone in the Corps knows anything about your Motherbox armor," GL offered. "I know the Guardians have come up dry, but hey. It's a big universe. Someone's gotta know something, right?"
"Yeah…" Cyborg muttered. "Sure. Whatever."
GL sighed. "Look, I know what the sins made us do wasn't the most flattering sight. Everyone's working through it."
"Yeah, and what about you? You aren't ashamed of what they made you do?"
"In my defense, I've always been a bit of a womanizer. I just dialed it back when I got together with Carol. Still feel bad about what I did to Diana and Caitlin, but I'm making progress on it. Why aren't you?"
"I apologized to Flash."
"But not your dad. You can't ignore him forever."
Cyborg turned away, looking back out the window. "Try me…"
"Well, you're gonna have to buck up anyway. We're here."
Cyborg turned and looked ahead, his eyes going wide at the sight of Oa ahead of him.
"Whoa…"
"Yeah, it's pretty impressive," GL replied before holding up his ring. "This is Hal Jordan of Earth. Reporting for duty."
"Reading you, Hal Jordan," one of his fellow Lanterns relayed. "Head to landing bay 94 for your mission debrief."
"Roger that."
The jet sailed down toward the planet's surface, skimming over the various buildings heading toward their destination. At the designated landing platform, GL and Cyborg saw a ship with three other GL's on standby. One of them was the ever-recognizable Kilowog, while the other two were a woman with orange skin and a man with a dog-like face. The jet set down near them, the energy forming it dissipating and retreating into GL's ring as the two moved to join the others.
"Well, look who decided to join us," the woman teased.
"Nice to see you too, Karma," GL greeted with a two-fingered salute.
"Who's your friend?" the dog man asked.
"Guys, this is Cyborg of Earth," GL introduced. "One of my Justice League friends. Cyborg, meet Arkkis Chummuck," he gestured to the dog man. "And Katma Tui," again to the woman. "Kilowog, I'm sure you know."
"Yeah," Cyborg greeted weakly. "Hey."
"Good to see you again, Poozer," Kilowog greeted, patting Cyborg on the back hard and causing him to lurch over.
"Wasn't expecting you to bring company," Katma admitted.
"Felt we could use an extra set of hands," Hal admitted. "What's the job, anyway?"
"Prisoner transfer. Some of the inmates are too dangerous to keep in Oa's Science Cells, so we're moving them to the prison asteroid on Seti-Alpha Seven."
"Must be some pretty big deals if they need all this security."
"You have no idea."
Just then, an entrance to the nearby building opened. Several Green Lanterns came out, each having their rings on standby as the first prisoner came out. A bald man dressed in an open vest and black pants led in cuffs by two other Lanterns.
"First on the docket, Vartox," Arkkis relayed. "Valeronian. Used an illegal energy ax to go on a massive killing spree across half a dozen planets."
Kilowog used his ring to form a platform that brought Vartox onboard the ship. Once on board, Kilowog placed him in one of the containment cells on board. Once Vartox was secure, Kilowog came back out, ready for the next prisoner. It was a woman in her early 20s dressed in black and silver.
"Komand'r," Arkkis continued. "Tameranian. Caught trying to stage a coup on her home planet."
The guards kept moving her toward the ship, only for her to stumble near Cyborg. Seeing her fall, he went over to help her up.
"You alright?" he asked, helping her up.
Komand'r smiled, leaning in and kissing Cyborg full on the mouth. The guards quickly pulled her away as Cyborg stepped back.
"Much better now," she replied. "Thank you very much."
"Move it," the guard told her, forcing her forward.
Cyborg just looked on in confusion as she was loaded onto the ship.
"What was that about?" he wondered.
"Maybe she likes you," GL teased.
"Ha ha," Cyborg replied sarcastically.
The group braced themselves for the next prisoner. They were all surprised to see it was some kind of giant red monster, lumbering toward them in his cuffs.
"What's his story?" GL wondered.
"No one knows," Arkkis admitted. "No record of his home planet, his species, nothing. All we know is that he was caught murdering Green Lanterns… He beat one to death with his own power battery."
The creature smirked a little as if he was reflecting on his handiwork. Kilowog looked up, seeing his sadistic glee.
"You proud of that, Poozer?!" he yelled, marching up to him. "You get your kicks snuffing out a couple GL's?!
"... yes. It does make me happy."
Kilowog snarled. "Get him outta my sight!"
Katma formed a platform for the creature and brought him on board.
"Yikes," Hal commented. "What else you got?"
"Just one more," Arkkis answered. "In fact… he's the reason we called you."
The group all turned, only to see an all too familiar face being brought out in some kind of containment device, Hannibal Lecter style. Hal's eyes narrowed as he was brought forward.
"Sinestro," Hal snarled.
"Jordan," he greeted.
"Wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Or at all."
"Do not think me contained forever, Jordan. I will escape these confinements as I have before, and then I will finish what I started."
"Killing me, right?"
"And the rest of the Lantern Corps," Sinestro confirmed. "I promise you tha-"
Just then, a piece of green energy slapped across his mouth. Hal turned to see it was coming from Katma.
"Save it for someone who cares, Sinestro," she told him. "You're a disgrace to the corps and all it stands for. The sooner we put you somewhere you never have to see the light of day, the better."
Katma went back into the ship, allowing Hal and Kilowog to bring Sinestro on board and secure him. With all the prisoners accounted for, the GLs and Cyborg made their way to the bridge.
"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking," Hal quipped as he took his post. "Please stow all prisoners, inmates, and psychopaths and keep your seats in their full upright position."
He pulled on the throttle, allowing the ship to take off off the platform. It sailed upwards, breaking free of the planet's atmosphere and jet off toward its destination.
Meanwhile, on another ship a safe distance from the planet, several men dressed in black uniforms with silver circles on their chests watched as the GL cruiser left the planet.
"There's our target, gentlemen," the leader reported. "You know our mission. We board the ship, liberate the prisoners, and kill anyone that gets in our way."
"You sure the weapons you supplied us with are gonna do the job?" one of the others asked.
"They should get the job done. Now, move before we lose them."
The soldier nodded, activating the ship and following after the Lanterns, making sure to keep a safe distance to avoid detection.
…
Sometime later, the GL cruiser continued flying through space. On board, the GLs and Cyborg sat at the command deck in silence. Tapping his finger, Cyborg looked around at the GLs going about their work. Katma happened to look up from her work at that point, seeing Cyborg looking her way before turning away.
"Something on your mind, kid?" she asked.
"Uh… not really," Cyborg replied before something came to his mind. "Though… you seemed to lean hard on Sinestro before we took off."
"Yeah, well, you would too if the Green Lantern of your sector turned out to be a murderer and a traitor."
That caused Cyborg to perk up. "Sinestro was from your sector?"
"More than that," Kilowog confirmed. "Katma and Sinestro come from the same planet of Korrigar."
"Really?"
"Not many people on Korrigar knew the extent Sinestro was capable of," Katma chimed in. "We all just thought he was a dedicated Green Lantern."
"Guess finding out the truth was a bit of a shock," Cyborg surmised.
"No kidding. When I was given the ring, I promised myself to restore honor to both my planet and the corps. Try to wipe away the stain Sinestro left on both of them."
"Sounds like a lot to take on."
"It can be," Katma admitted. "Not a lot of people back home are keen to trust another GL after the truth about Sinestro came out. They think the ring brought out the worst in those who use it…" She looked down at the ring, pondering to herself before snapping back at attention. "But it just means I have to work harder. People's thoughts aren't as important as getting the job done."
Cyborg cocked an eyebrow at that, noting the dedication in her voice. "You Lanterns take this gig pretty seriously."
"Because it isn't just a 'gig', as you put it," Arkkis responded. "It is a commitment. A duty and honor to serve and protect for the sake of others across the universe."
Katma smirked in response. "And you're all about honor, aren't you, Arkkis?"
"Yeah," Kilowog chimed in. "So honorable that he ate the last GL of his sector."
Cyborg did a double take upon hearing that. "I'm sorry, what?!"
"It… is considered a sign of respect on my home planet to consume the body of a fallen warrior," Arkkis responded. "I defeated him honorably."
"The Guardians were a little hesitant to keep him on after hearing that," Katma continued. "But they eventually relented and allowed him to serve in the Corps. As long as he adhered to standard GL customs."
"Which I have," Arkkis confirmed. "I've even shared some of my planet's battle tactics with the Corps to help their efficiency in battle."
"You're a tactician?" Cyborg wondered.
"I'm an archivist. I've studied the histories and tactics of not only my planet but of the Green Lantern Corps as well. It's how I was able to defeat the Green Lantern of my sector."
"So that's your secret identity? A librarian?"
Both Katma and Arkkis look at him confused.
"Secret… what?" Arkkis questioned.
Katma then snapped her fingers. "Oh, you must mean Hal's deal."
"Deal?"
"The mask," Arkkis elaborated. "Not a lot of Lanterns are that dedicated to it."
"What?" Hal remarked. "I like it. It looks cool."
"I get it," Kilowog commented, rising from his seat. "I mean, it makes perfect sense to keep it on. I mean, you never know if some human will sneak onto a GL Prison Transport, while we're in space mind you, and go," he fakes surprise. "Aha! The Green Lantern on my planet is Hal Jordan! I'm telling everyone!"
That elicited a laugh from the others at Hal's expense, including Cyborg.
"Ha ha," Hal replied sarcastically. "You guys wouldn't find it so funny if your planets had paparazzi and the 24-hour news cycle."
"Yeah…" Kilowog replied, his mood dropping a bit. "I'm gonna go check on the prisoners."
Kilowog then left the room, leaving Cyborg to ponder to himself.
"So… what's Kilowog's story?"
"Not sure myself," Hal admitted. "Guess it's something he doesn't want to talk about. I wouldn't pry."
"Well… alright," Cyborg replied coyly. "If you say so."
Just then, an alarm started blaring, getting everyone's attention. Including Kilowog, who came running back onto the bridge.
"What's going on?!"
"Sensors detected something," Katma responded, trying to pull it up on screen.
A few seconds later, an image appeared of a purple electrical storm in front of them.
"It's an ion storm! And it's heading right toward us!"
"Can't we go around it, somehow?" Cyborg asked.
"Not at our speed and making more modifications than we have time for. Shields up!"
Arkkis increased power to the shields just as they entered through the storm. The energy of which poured on top of them, wreaking havoc on their systems. The control consoles immediately began sparking with electricity as Hal made his way over to the controls, doing his best to try and keep them on course. As they continued moving, the mysterious ship that was following them before was coming up close behind.
"We seriously wanna go through that?" one of the soldiers questioned.
"Just get us close enough to fire connecting cables," the leader demanded.
"Our systems will never handle the strain!" another soldier protested.
"We have a better chance hitching a ride than going the long way around!" the leader insisted. "Now go! Full speed ahead!"
Reluctantly, the soldiers concurred, opening up the throttle and jetting forward. They passed through the storm, suffering the same system failures that the Lantern's ship did. The soldiers all covered their faces as the consoles sparked with electricity as a result.
"Fire tow cables on my command!" the leader ordered. "... now!"
One of the soldiers pulled the corresponding lever, allowing two tow cables to launch out of the ship and attach themselves. Fortunately for them, the Lanterns on board didn't seem to notice as they tried to maneuver their way out of the storm.
"Come on," Hal let out, doing his best to guide the vessel through. "Come on!"
After a few more moments, the vessel finally broke through the storm, but the onboard systems were badly damaged, indicated by the dimmed lights and unresponsive controls.
"Whoa," Cyborg let out.
"What's our damage?" Katma asked.
"Systems are heavily damaged," Hal noted.
"The storm must've damaged some of the energy conduits," Arkkis surmised. "We'll need to get below and make some repairs."
"Vic and I can handle that," Hal volunteered. "Come on, Cy. Time to start pulling your weight."
"Right," Cyborg replied as he and Hal went off.
"I'm gonna go check on the prisoners," Kilowog volunteered. "Make sure the containment fields are holding.
"We'll keep working on things here," Arkkis relayed.
…
Outside the ship, the enemy vessel retracted the cables, allowing it to be pulled toward the ship. It was now stationed right on top of the GL cruiser. Once in position, all the soldiers of the enemy vessel gathered over a hatch on the floor, ready to move out. At that point, the hatch opened up, allowing each one of them to leap out and land on the top of the vessel. The leader grabbed his weapon off his back and used it to cut a hole into the top of the vessel. After cutting a circular hole in the top, the leader kicked the metal into the ship, allowing him and his fellow soldiers to leap inside.
"Stick to the plan," the leader ordered. "Keep the power down. Free the prisoners. Kill the Lanterns."
"Let the Black Circle envelope all," one of the soldiers declared.
"Indeed," the leader agreed as they all set out to complete their tasks.
…
Down in the engine room, Cyborg was interfacing with the ship's computer system.
"Alright, let's see what we can do to fix this thing," Cyborg said to himself.
While he was working on that, Hal got to work repairing some of the damaged energy conduits so power could flow through them. As they both continued to work, Cyborg happened to look over at Hal.
"So… your friends got some interesting stories," Vic admitted.
"Comes with the job," Hal replied. "Green Lanterns come from all over the universe. Everyone's got a story to tell. Some more… more interesting than others."
"Clearly. Can only imagine half the stuff you guys go through."
"Well, at the end of the day, all that matters is getting the job done," Hal responded.
Victor's mood dropped. "You make it sound so easy."
"It isn't. But it can be done. Just gotta remember what's important."
"Right…"
Cyborg turned away as he got back to focusing on his work. Hal looked on feeling disappointed, before returning to work.
…
Down in the brig, Kilowog was ensuring that the containment cells were still powered and secure.
"If any of you thought this little power trip was a sign of early release, then think again," Kilowog announced. "None of you poozers are going anywhere."
"Such brazen words, Kilowog," Sinestro mused from his containment cell. "One has to wonder if it would hold up if these cells 'were' down."
"I'm tempted to find out, Sinestro," Kilowog commented. "Doubt you'd be able to hold your own without that fancy yellow ring of yours."
"I am curious about that ring. Did the Guardians destroy it, or is it being held onto for further study? Knowing how duplicitous they can be, I'm willing to bet the latter."
"It's not gonna matter before long. Where we're going, the only yellow you're gonna see is from the stars you'll see from gazing out of a prison window."
"And my nights will be spent dreaming of hurling you into one of them. As well as Hal Jordan and the rest of the weak-minded fools deluded enough to serve the Guardians and their inept mission for so-called justice."
Kilowog slammed his fist against the side of the cell. "Just keep testing me, Sinestro. I dare ya!"
"Ooh, a fight," Komand'r remarked. "If I'd have known there was gonna be inflight entertainment, I'd have let myself get arrested a lot sooner."
Kilowog just turned to Kormand'r and scowled, not liking the attitude he was hearing. After a few moments, he decided to back off, taking a few steps away from the cells.
"Just get comfortable, all of ya," Kilowog told them. "It's gonna be a long flight."
Just as Kilowog turned to leave, however, the door he came through started glowing and cracking with energy.
"What the-?!" he let out in surprise.
Just then, the door was blown open, allowing the Black Circle soldiers to start piling through. Narrowing his eyes, Kilowog opened fire with his ring, causing the soldiers to scatter as they fired at him. He quickly formed a shield to block the oncoming blasts before he summoned a massive alien machine gun in his other hand, allowing him to open fire on his would-be assailants.
…
On the bridge, Katma was underneath one of the consoles, trying to repair some of the wiring so they could have systems online.
"Alright, that should do it," she surmised. "Arkkis, go ahead and try it."
Arkkis pressed a few buttons on the control console, allowing minimal power to siphon into the systems.
"How's it looking?" she asked.
"Not great, but it should be enough to get us going again," Arkkis replied. "We'll have enough power for navigation and engines in a few minutes."
"Great," Katma replied, activating comms on her ring. "Jordan, we've almost got power to the engines. Be ready to start her up."
"Roger that. Cyborg and I are on standby. Just give us the word."
"Will do," Katma replied before hanging up.
Suddenly, the door to the bridge was suddenly glowing with energy. The two GL's turned and saw the door blown open, allowing the Black Circle soldiers to storm into the room and open fire. Katma quickly formed a shield to block the blasts as Arkkis stood behind it, scanning the area. Seeing several specific points, he fired three separate shots at those points, causing the shots to bounce off the walls and hit the blasters out of the hands of the soldiers. Once the soldiers were disarmed, Katma lowered the shield and formed twin blades before charging forward, she swung at one soldier, knocking him to the ground before kicking another aside. One of the soldiers tried to pick up their weapon, but she just sliced through it, cutting the weapon in two before kicking him aside. As another one of the soldiers reached for his weapon, Arkkis fired a blast straight on, knocking him to the ground.
"You went to a lot of trouble just to be locked up with the others," Arkkis commented.
"Arkkis," Katma spoke, noting their uniforms. "They're Black Circle," she grabbed one and lifted him up. "What's the Black Circle doing attacking a Green Lantern Cruiser? They've never been this bold before. What's the angle?"
"This," the soldier replied, pulling out a concealed blaster.
He shot Katma dead on, knocking her back as the soldier landed on the ground. Katma picked herself up and tried to blast at the soldier, only for her ring to short out.
"What…?"
Both Katma and Arkkis were shocked by what had just happened. Causing them to look back and see the fallen soldiers begin to pick themselves up and rearm. Arkkis began opening fire on them, trying to keep them down as best he could. However, the soldier who shot at Katma now fired at him. He tried to put up a shield, but the energy passed through the barrier and hit the ring straight on. Arkkis clenched his hand in pain as the soldiers advanced, one of them striking him with the blunt end of the gun, knocking him to the ground. Both Arkkis and Katma were overwhelmed as the Black Circle forces surrounded them, their weapons trained on them and ready to fire.
…
Down in the engine room, Hal and Cyborg managed to finish their work. Cyborg disengaged from the computer systems as Hal landed next to him.
"That should be it," Vic noted.
"Right," Hal replied before activating his ring. "Katma, we're all good down here," no response. "Katma?"
"What's wrong?"
"Getting nothing from Katma. Something's going on."
As if on cue, the door to the engine room began to glow. Both of them suddenly perked up as the door was blown open, causing them to see several Black Circle soldiers storming in, instantly opening fire. GL was quick to fire on them as Cyborg rolled to dodge the attacks, he activated his cannon but froze at the sight of it. His mind was overwhelmed at the sight of his own signature weapon, and the fear of what it could do. His hesitancy was enough for one of the soldiers to nail Cyborg in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
"Vic!" Hal cried out, flying over to him.
With his guard down, one of the soldiers managed to hit him with the same kind of specialized blaster the other soldiers used on Arkkis and Katma before. It hit Hal head-on, causing him to fall out of the sky and roll on the ground as the soldiers closed in. Hal tried to fire at them, but the ring shorted out, much to Hal's dismay.
"Ob boy…" he let out as he looked up at the approaching soldiers. "This is not good…"
…
Back in the brig, Kilowog continued during it out with the soldiers, firing his massive guns at any that got close. Eventually, he changed the gun to a massive hammer and began swinging it at the soldiers, taking them out one by one. As Kilowog continued fighting off the soldiers, the leader began to approach, casually pulling out his own specialized blaster.
"Oh, think you're tough, eh?" Kilowog challenged. "Well, bring it!"
Kilowog charged forward, but the leader just nonchalantly fired the blaster, knocking him back slightly. He tried firing at him with the ring, but it just shorted out, just like the others. Several of the other soldiers pulled out devices and used them to fire cables that wrapped around Kilowog's arms and legs. With a push of the button, causing electricity to course through Kilowog's body and make him cry out in pain. As he dropped to his knees, he looked up at the leader, sneering at him. This caused the leader to smack him across the face in a seemingly petty manner. From his cell, Sinestro looked on in astonishment.
"Impressive," He commended. "Kilowog is not one to go down easily."
The leader turned toward Sinestro, walking toward his cell. "I have gone to great lengths to acquire the armaments to take down the Green Lantern Corps. That's why I've come for you."
Sinestro was curious as the leader opened his cell.
"And what of the others?" Sinestro asked as the leader deactivated his shackles.
"They'll serve their uses, but you are my main goal. You are the only one that possesses the knowledge and skills to bring down the Green Lantern Corps."
"The GL's ain't going down easy," Kilowog promised. "Even with your fancy guns."
"Your bravado is misplaced, Lantern. The Green Lanterns are nothing but a parasitic ideal that sucks in and destroys everything that it comes into contact with."
"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Kilowog commented.
The leader remained silent for a moment, before removing his helmet and revealing himself to be a pinkish alien that looked eerily similar to Hal's predecessor.
"Because I am Amon Sur… son of Abin Sur… and your Corps stole my father away from me."
