A/N: Hey guys! This is my first attempt at making a story, where Jack's Green Lantern. So, go easy on me, okay? But this won't be the kind of story; where they discover the existence of Green Lanterns, for the first time. Instead, it'll be one where Hal Jordan, and various others; are very well known Lanterns of Earth. Jack will just be the latest edition. I'll try to make this not suck.
I know some of my stories are still unfinished; with some incomplete chapters added to the mix. But I'll get around to them, in due time. You got my word on that.
By the way; Hal Jordan's my favorite human Green Lantern. I know, in the comics, he's done some less than noble things... But then again, who hasn't? Although, I don't know who my favorite alien Green Lantern is. But I'm leaning towards either Kilowog, Tomar-Re, or Arisia.
I don't own Transformers, Green Lantern, or the picture I added for this story.
LET'S ZOOM THE COSMOS!
Somewhere within the solar system
A spaceship appeared; going past the Moon, and heading straight for Earth, fast. It arrived, somewhere in a forest, in the middle of night. It crash landed; dragging itself against the ground, until finally, it's skidded to a stop. Meanwhile, sometime later, in that same forest; Jack & Arcee were investigating an anomaly. Arcee was carrying a scanner, in her hand; to search for any readings. Jack was walking not too far behind her; trying to fight off a small number of mosquitoes. "Really wish I had packed some insect repellent. The mosquitoes out here, on this routine recon, are the size of vampire bats. And they drink just about as much blood." Jack complained. He swatted a mosquito, that landed on his arm.
"Quite the outdoorsman, aren't you, Jack?" Arcee said, with a sarcastic voice, and smile.
"You wouldn't be making fun of my survival kit?" Jack questioned, referring to the survival kit, strapped to his belt.
"Maybe." She commented, with humor.
"I may not have stinger-proof metal skin, Arcee. But, in a pinch; I can use my multi-function pocket knife, and magnesium fire starter, to cook up some freeze-dried mac and cheese." Jack said, while patting the kit on his belt; and giving the A-OK hand gesture.
"You have your tools, I have mine." Arcee responded. Her attention was then alerted to the beeping, emanating from the scanner, in her hand. "That's odd. Ratchet's satellite scans were accurate. But subterranean Energon deposits don't cause this kind of surge." Arcee said, then started walking further into the forest; with Jack following behind. She continued walking; until her scanner resumed beeping. This caused her to stop, in her tracks. She looked up, to see the giant trail the ship made, during its crash landing.
"What happened here?" Jack questioned.
"Crash landing." She answered. Stay behind me, low and close!" She instructed. Arcee continue to follow the ditch, made by the ship. Jack followed, and stood beside her in a crouching position, on a hilltop. They came to a stop; so they could observe, from a distance.
"Autobot, or Decepticon?" Jack wondered aloud, regarding the ship.
"Can't tell. Wait here!" Arcee instructed, while unholstering her blaster; and going in for a closer look. She maneuvered around the outside of the ship, with caution. She reached the entrance and; pointed her blaster inside. She started walking inside, after that. In the meantime, on the hilltop, outside of the ship; Jack waited patiently for her return. But, he had a strange feeling. Something was up. He saw her exit the ship, a moment later.
"Arcee?" He said, with concern; while making his way to her. Arcee seemed unnerved. She had flashback about being tortured, by some sadistic Decepticon, with multiple legs. She was snapped back to reality, shortly after. "Arcee, what's wrong?" Jack asked, as he approached her.
"I know who this ship belongs to." She responded. She then put her finger to her comm; trying to reach headquarters. "Arcee to base. I need a Ground Bridge, ASAP."
"W-Wait, why? Whose ship is this?" Jack questioned, showing concern for his friend.
"Base, do you read?" She repeated, only to hear static, on her end. "Scrap! Comm link's dead. The ship's got to be transmitting a high-frequency transmitter pulse." She speculated, and gave it a rest, with her comm.
Jack trailed behind her, with worry. "A-Arcee? Okay, you're kinda freaking me out here."
"Wait here." She told him again. She walked into the woods, some more. She came to a stop, and crouching down; at what she believed to be fresh tracks of some sort. This caused her to have another terrible flashback.
"Arcee?" She was snapped back to reality, at the sound of Jack's voice.
She transformed to motorcycle mode, right next to him. "Climb on!" She ordered. Jack did as instructed, and put his helmet on; with her speeding them further into the woods, afterwards.
Jack was freaking out; and holding on, for dear life. The only other time he experienced her driving like this, was when they first met. He saw they were approaching a ravine, up ahead. This caused some concern from him, obviously. "WHOA, WHOA! ARCEE! WHOA!" He said, as they jumped the gap; and skidding to a stop. "Okay, was that really necessary?" He said, while taking his helmet off, and dismounting her.
"Arcee to base. Scrap!" She said, while slightly drifting away from Jack.
"Look, I've seen danger before. What's the big...?" Jack said, only to be interrupted.
"Wait here! I mean it, this time." She firmly ordered.
Jack couldn't believe the way she was acting, right now. "Okay, first you shut me out. And now you're ditching me?" He said, while she transformed. "I thought I was your partner." He's said, with a finish.
"No, Jack. You're a kid. You're only here, because this was supposed to be no-risk. Got it?" She replied, while kneeling down, slightly to his level. She transformed, and jumped the gap; driving away, and leaving him with his thoughts. Jack had an annoyed look on his face.
He then walked over to the gap, and looked down. "Huh." He said, while seeing how far down the ravine went. He started climbing down; attempting to follow her. But before he even had a chance to climb halfway down; he saw a bright green light, emanating from the same direction as the ship. "Whoa! What's that?"
Meanwhile
Arcee continued driving; until she came to a stop, and transformed. She activated her blaster, and aimed it in all directions; preparing for the worst. Not long after that; she stopped, dead in her tracks, at the mere sight of a tree. It was nearly melted, to its stump, by acid. This caused her to have another flashback.
(Flashback)
It was during the war for Cybertron; and Arcee was sprinting somewhere on a mission, during a battle. "Arcee to Delta Team. Requesting rendezvous coordinates. Do you copy?"
"Arcee, you lost again? Your sense of direction could use some improvement." Another voice said, through the other end of her comm.
"So could your aim, Tailgate. If you'd tagged that sniper, back at the artillery depot; I wouldn't have had to break rank, and engage the enemy, hand-to-hand." She responded, while still sprinting. Tailgate was her partner, back on Cybertron; before she teamed up with Cliffjumper. But that was a long time ago.
"From the sound of things; I'm guessing you came out ahead." He replied.
"Try waiting up for me, this time; and I'll give you the blow-by-blow. What's your position?" She said, while she ceased sprinting; and started walking with her blaster at the ready.
"About half a click from the depot, due north. Think you can find it, partner?" He answered, with humor in his voice.
"Trust me, Tailgate! My navigation abilities are - UHH!" She said, before getting interrupted mid-sentence; because of getting stuck to a wall, by an oversized stream of spider web. She began struggling and grunting; trying to break free. Suddenly, that same Decepticon she's been having flashbacks about, stood right in front of her. She had purple optics, black armor, talon styled fingernails; and what looked to be a set of metal spider legs, on her back. She then completely covered the rest of Arcee, in web. Sometime later, Arcee awoke; in what one could assume to be that Decepticon's lair. Her legs were bound together, by that same web. Restraints held her arms, in place; and lifted her off the ground. She continue to grunt, and struggle; trying to get free.
"Piece of advice... Make yourself comfortable!" The Decepticon said. She then extended her right index finger, and walked towards Arcee. "You're going to be here, awhile." She said, as a follow-up. She brought her finger closer to Arcee's face. Arcee tried to avoid it; only for it to prove in vain. The Decepticons scratched her talon across Arcee's left cheek; leaving a scratch, that was now secreting a small amount of acid. The same kind of acid, found on the tree.
(Back to Present)
Arcee brought her mind back to the present; and looked at the melted tree, one more time, before moving on.
Elsewhere in the forest
That same Decepticon was spying on a small campsite with only one occupant. "My first local. Time for humankind to feel my sting." She said with a sadistic tone and smile. Her regular legs folded up as she began walking with her spider legs. She started stalking her prey and jumped in the air at them, only to be ambushed in mid-air by Arcee. They continue to fight and roll down on the ground; until they fell down a hill, with Arcee slamming her back against a mountain, bringing her to her knees, and throwing the Decepticon off of her. The Decepticon rose to her feet, setting her sights on her attacker. "Arcee. Small universe." She said.
"Too small, Airachnid." Arcee commented, revealing that to be the Decepticon's name.
"You're still holding a grudge? The war's been over for megacycles." Airachnid replied.
"Tell that to the Decepticons." Arcee said while taking up a fighting stance.
"These days I travel solo in pursuit of my new hobby." Airachnid said.
This caused Arcee to develop a sour expression on her face. She thought back to a few moments ago when she inspected the crashed ship. She was filled with shock at the time, due to seeing all the dead species on both sides of the wall. Her mind was immediately brought back to the present after that. "I got a look at your souvenir case." Arcee stated.
"You mean my trophies? I collect endangered species. Of course, they aren't really endangered... Until they meet me. And I have a slot reserved for "Human." Responded Airachnid.
"Not gonna happen." Arcee exclaimed. She ran towards Airachnid and tackled her to the ground on her back. Arcee was about to deliver a punch, but Airachnid used her spider legs to push her off and slam her back against the mountain again. Airachnid sat up, recovering from The tackle. Arcee got to her feet and shot at Airachnid with her blasters, but she dodged the shots and jumped in a tree, shooting a web at Arcee and binding her arms. Arcee started yanking on the web till she pulled Airachnid out of the tree, like a fish on a hook being pulled out of the water.
Arcee used the blades in her arms to cut the web. She started shooting again, with Airachnid dodging the shots again, but while shooting some of her own lasers this time. Now, Arcee was the one dodging her shots. She jumped in the air and swung on a tree branch a few times like a monkey bar, until she swung forward and jumped off a tree, then delivered a powerful kick to Airachnid's chest, sending her to the ground on her back, with Arcee pointing her blasters at her face. It looked like it was over, until they were both alerted to the sound of falling rocks. They both looked up to see Jack standing atop the hill. This was just the distraction Airachnid needed, as she pushed Arcee off of her, and stuck her to the wall with her webbing while she was still recovering.
"Arcee!" Jack shouted with concern for his friend while still running towards her. Arcee directed her attention to Jack, and Airachnid turned towards him releasing a hiss. Arcee released one of her arms with her blade and shot her back down with her blaster. Jack made it to Arcee, trying to get the webs off. "I told you to wait for me!" She reminded Jack.
"Well, partners don't ditch partners." Jack commented as he continued trying to free her from the web.
"Get this through your head... You're not my partner. You're a liability." Arcee firmly stated.
"I don't believe you. I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid, Arcee, and you're never afraid." Replied Jack. Everything Jack just said caused her to really think about things, while also causing her to have another flashback at the same time.
(Flashback)
Arcee was still being interrogated by Airachnid, back at her layer on Cybertron. "You know, for an Autobot, your resilience is quite impressive. In fact, I'm guessing that no matter what I do to you, you'll never crack. Am I right?" Airachnid said while circling the still restrained Arcee. Arcee gave her an angry look as a response. "That's what I thought." Airachnid said as a follow-up. Then the cell doors opened; revealing a bruised and beaten Tailgate being dragged in by some cons.
"Tailgate?" Arcee spoke with shock. The other Decepticons hoisted him up with the same kind of restraints Arcee was wearing. "What have you done to him?"
"Not much... Yet. Just tell me what I want to know, or... Well... You're a smart bot. I think you can imagine what happens to Tailgate next." Said Airachnid
"I don't know the attack coordinates." Arcee told her. But Airachnid seemed unsatisfied with her answer, as she developed a less than pleased look on her face and started walking towards Tailgate. "I swear upon the AllSpark it's the truth!" Arcee pleaded.
"We shall see." Commented Airachnid. She bared her sharp spider legs to deliver the killing blow.
"No... Please!" Arcee continue to beg, but to no avail. Airachnid released a growl and swiped her spider leg across Tailgate, spilling his Energon, killing him. "TAILGATE!" Arcee shouted, watching helplessly as he was killed right in front of her.
(Present)
Arcee looked at Jack and said. "You're right, Jack. I am afraid... Of losing you." This caused Jack to look back at her with surprise.
Airachnid decided to chime in on their little conversation. "You sure have trouble hanging on to your partners, don't you? We both know what happened to Tailgate. But I recently picked up some Decepticon radio chatter regarding the passing of Cliffjumper. At some point you really have to ask yourself, Arcee, "is it them, or is it me?"
Arcee directed her attention back to Jack while speaking. "Do you get it now, Jack? She's not interested in me. She hunts indigenous species, and she's on Earth. That means humans. You!" Her words brought a look of fear to his face. "RUN!" She shouted. Jack did as she told, and started running. Airachnid shot more webbing onto her immediately after that.
Airachnid started laughing and came closer to Arcee. "And that's why I now prefer to work alone. It's so sad when bad things happen to those close to you. But don't get me wrong... I fully intend to snuff out your spark. And believe me, I will make it hurt." Airachnid said while now facing Arcee upside down. "But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel knowing I'm adding your human to my collection." She finished, now directing her attention to Jack, who continued running up the hill. Airachnid then gave chase.
"JACK!" Arcee echoed his name through the forest with concern.
Jack was running away from Airachnid. As he was running, he looked behind to see Airachnid hot on his trail. "That's the spirit, Jack. Play hard to get." She commented. Meanwhile; Arcee continued struggling and grunting, trying to break free of the webs. This was causing her to have one last flashback.
(Flashback)
Airachnid approached Arcee after killing Tailgate, pointing one of her spider legs in her face, most likely with the intention of killing her too. Until the door to her layer was blown down. Airachnid turned around, and made a strategical retreat. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper stormed in, with Bumblebee shooting at her Decepticon minions, terminating them. Cliffjumper approached Arcee and got her down from the restraints, he and Bumblebee started carrying her out of there by the arms. "I couldn't save him. I couldn't save my partner." She said while making their way out.
(End of flashback)
"Jack, I'm sorry. I never should have looked back. I should have... Kept driving." Arcee said, with a new idea popping in her head. She struggled to move forward, just enough. Then transformed into motorcycle mode, and started accelerating forward in an attempt to get the webs off.
Elsewhere; Jack continued to evade Airachnid, jumping over a log suspended two or three feet in the air by connecting to both sides of the ground and fell to his knees, taking a breather. He started looking around, hearing noises, thinking she could be anywhere. So he hid under the log. Airachnid came in his direction; releasing a hiss as she was looking around for him, while also coincidentally leaning over the same log he was hiding under. She stepped over the log.
Jack was trying to remain as quiet as possible, hoping she wouldn't find him as he saw her spider legs step in front of the other side of the log. "Hello, Jack." Airachnid said while leaning her head upside down right in front of him. Jack screamed in terror, getting away from her. She made an attempt at grabbing him, but to no avail. Jack jumped over the log again, and resumed running in the opposite direction. Airachnid tried snaring him with a web she shot, only for him to dodge and have it hit a tree instead.
Back in the other neck of the woods; Arcee continue to burn rubber, until all the webs restraining her finally snapped off, releasing her. She then drove to stop Airachnid and save Jack. Meanwhile; Jack was still running, with Airachnid releasing another hiss, still hot on his trail. Soon; Jack stopped just short of that same ravine that he crossed. "Whoa!" He said, stopping in his tracks. He climbed down one side, and climbed up out of the other side, running again. Airachnid, on the other hand, just jumped on the other side, while still chasing him. Jack ran for a bit longer, then began hiding behind a tree for a moment. He reached into his survival kit and pulled out his swiss army knife, looking at it while trying to explore any and all options. "Oh, who am I kidding?" He commented to himself. He continued running after that.
"You're making this too easy, Jack. And I do not enjoy being bored." Airachnid spoke. She went a little further, seeing Jack running inside her ship. "Huh." She said, giving off another hiss. She then approached the ship herself. "Now, where did you scamper off to?" She wondered. Jack was hiding behind a wall of the ship, remaining quiet, then moved somewhere else to hide. Airachnid crawled on the outside of her ship, then jumped off and deployed her regular legs while retracting her spider ones. "If you wanted a tour, Jack, all you had to do was ask. Did you spot the empty space? I hope you like it. It's where you'll soon hang your head." She said while heading inside, thinking that's where he was.
Jack moved to the back of the outside of the ship; he then heard a slushing sound, and looked down to see a puddle of blue liquid he just stepped in, that was leaking from the ship. "Energon." He said as he recognized it. He looked up to see that it was leaking from the ship's thrusters. A certain look appeared on his face, as an idea came to mind. So he started rubbing his magnesium fire starter against a stick on the ground, lighting a spark, remembering that Energon was highly flammable.
"Jack?" Airachnid said while turning around, hearing something outside. She ran outside across the roof of her ship, trying to track the noise. Jack continued to stroke his fire starter against the stick until it started emanating smoke. He picked it up and blew on it, causing it to catch fire in his hand. At the last minute; he threw the stick in the thruster and started running. Airachnid finally reached the other end of the ship, only to see the Energon in the thrusters catch fire. "JACK!" She shouted, knowing that was his doing.
As Jack continued to run, the explosion from the ship blew him away, causing him to land on the ground hard. Jack sat up, seeing what was left of the exploded ship. He released a sigh of relief, then started walking away. But suddenly; his leg was stuck to the ground with a stray shot of webbing. He looked up to see a still alive and very scorched Airachnid standing on the branch of a tree, and she did not look happy. She shot another web line at him, sticking him completely to a tree. Airachnid jumped from the tree, releasing a growl while approaching Jack. She got uncomfortably close to him and stroked one of her talons down the side of his cheek. Then suddenly; as Jack made attempts at turning his head away from her talons, a green light emanated underneath the webs, creating a force field and repelling Airachnid away.
They were both shocked by that occurrence; but Airachnid approached him again. But this time, as Jack turned his head away, the same green light emanated from the webs again. Then a light burst from the webbing covering his right hand, forming a big green fist made from pure energy, punching Airachnid away. She got up; seeing the green light coming from a ring on Jack's right hand. Her optics widened in response to this. "That ring?!" She said, somewhat recognizing it. She then made one more approach for him. Suddenly; the rev of an engine could be heard and a bright light was seen. Airachnid looked to her left to see Arcee drive up a hill, launch herself in the air, transform and punch her in the face, sending her away from Jack.
Arcee ran at Airachnid and delivered a strong kick to her chest, knocking her a bit off balance. They both then got into a fist fight, with Arcee coming out on top as she landed blow for blow, while Airachnid didn't even lay a hand on her. After Arcee was done throwing punches, she delivered one more powerful kick to Airachnid, sending her a few yards away, while also clearing out a straight row of trees in the process. Airachnid laid on the ground, not getting up because of the pain. Once that was done; Arcee brought her attention to Jack. "Jack? Are you okay?" She said while approaching him and tearing the webs off.
"Yeah, of course. Survival kit." He said with humor while displaying his pocket knife in his hand.
This brought a smile to Arcee. But then she turned her head to the sound of drilling. Airachnid regained consciousness and began drilling into the ground, making her escape. Arcee tried shooting her, but she missed every shot as Airachnid got away through the tunnel she dug. "AIRACHNID!" Arcee shouted with frustration. She and Jack looked into the now empty humongous hole, as Airachnid was long gone by now. Arcee released a sigh of defeat before speaking. "So much for closure."
"Now Airachnid's stuck here on Earth. I'm not sure that's such a good thing." Spoke Jack.
"I'm sorry you had to face My demons today. You were pretty fearless there, Jack." Arcee said to him with an impressed smile.
Jack gave a smile of his own before speaking. "Actually, I was terrified. Mostly for you."
Arcee put her hand to her comm, contacting the base, since the jammer along with the ship was destroyed. "Ratchet, requesting Ground Bridge." She then looked down at Jack, seeing him swat a mosquito that just landed on his chest, before continuing. "Need to get my partner far away from any oversized insects."
"Partner, huh?" Jack remarked with a sly look and tone while looking at her.
"Junior partner. I can still pull rank." She corrected. At that moment; Arcee noticed a green light shining brightly from Jack's right middle finger. "Jack, what is that?!" She asked with concern as she knelt down to him.
Jack looked at the ring on his middle finger before responding. "I don't know. But I think it just saved my life today."
"Where did you get it?" Arcee asked.
"Well, believe it or not, I found it in Airachnid's sh..." Jack didn't get a chance to finish, on account of a green energy field forming a bubble around him. "HEY... WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" He said out of concern.
"JACK! Hold on! I'll get you out." Arcee said while doing her best at trying to reach him through the force field. Whatever this energy was, it was tough. But she refused to give up. Soon enough; with enough force and maximum effort, she managed to break through the bubble and grab a hold of Jack. They thought it was over... Little did they know, it was just getting started. Arcee may have reached through the bubble, but that didn't cause it to disperse. Instead; it formed a much bigger version of itself around the both of them, and flew them in the air, until they were cruising through space. The combination of both the velocity and experience caused Jack and Arcee to lose consciousness during the trip.
Sometime later
Jack was still unconscious, currently hovering around in nothing but his boxer shorts in a bright futuristic/alien-like med bay... kind of like something you'd see in a Sci-Fi movie. Soon; he started fidgeting because of some strange energy coursing through his body from the machines... Almost as if it was making adjustments to his body. Once that was done; Jack's newly acquired ring started glowing, and encased him in green energy, causing him to momentarily scream.
Then the energy wrapping around him formed a green uniform with a Lantern symbol in the center of the chest, and a domino mask forming on his face. Jack's eyes shot open as he sat up, observing his surroundings. He looked to his right to see Arcee, still unconscious. He rose from the medical table, which caught him after he stopped hovering, then approached Arcee to make sure she was okay. "Arcee, are you okay?" Jack said while nudging on her face, trying to wake her up. Only to stop midway through, on account of being shocked to see his hands now wearing black gloves. "Whoa! What the...?" He then looked himself up and down, seeing he was wearing some sort of green uniform. He then resumed trying to wake his partner up. "Arcee, please wake up! We need to find out what's going on."
Arcee opened her eyes and started freaking out, as she didn't know where she was. "Whoa, whoa, Arcee! It's okay. You're alright." Jack said, putting his hands on both sides of her face in an attempt to reassure her, which seemed to be working as she calmed down.
"Jack? Is that you? Where are we? And... what are you wearing?" She asked, in reference to his new attire.
"I don't know. I just woke up myself... next thing I know, I'm wearing some weird green get up." He responded. He then saw his reflection in a nearby mirror, causing his eyes to widen as a result. "Wait... There's a mask too?" He walked closer to the mirror, busting a few moves in the reflection, admiring the look of the suit. "Wow! I don't know what's going on, Arcee. But dang...! This ain't a bad look for me. Also, it kinda looks familiar." Jack felt as though he's seen that suit before, but he couldn't all the way put his finger on it, though. But it's definitely something he's seen on Earth. "You know, it's funny. I kind of look like..." He didn't get a chance to finish, because of some mysterious person grabbing his attention via the sound of throat clearing.
Jack & Arcee both looked in another direction to see an anthropomorphic bird wearing a nearly identical uniform to Jack's. "Have you concluded admiring yourself?"
"Umm... Yeah... I guess." Jack said in response.
"Ah, I see the translator in your ring is working all fine and well. Splendid." The bird replied. At that moment; Arcee deployed her blasters, not knowing whether or not he was a threat. Jack attempted getting her to chill out at that very second. "Please, there's no need for that. If any of us were to harm you, we would have done so while you were both unconscious." Said the talking bird. Arcee thought about what he just said, and after hearing that sound logic, she realized it made sense. So she put her blasters away after that. "Thank you! Much better." He said in reply to her actions. Jack's mask then disappeared, surprising him. "Your mask will appear when protection of your identity is required, or unless you choose to wear it. There is no need for it on Oa." The bird alien explained.
"You're a talking birdman... Thing. I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound disrespectful." Jack said that last part at the last second, trying to avoid any offense.
"Actually, my race is Xudarian. Our D.N.A. and appearance do somewhat resemble your own avian species. I am Tomar-Re, protector of sector 2813 and home to..."
"80,012 galaxies, 2.34 million sentient species." Jack said, finishing Tomar-Re's sentence. His eyes then went wide with wonder. "Wait, how do I know that?"
"It's the induction process. It activates the ring's higher functions, including a working knowledge base. And as you probably know by now, you're not the first human to be chosen to become a Green Lantern." Tomar-Re spoke.
This made the gears in Jack's head click. "Wait a minute... Green Lantern? As in "The" Green Lantern?" Jack then turned towards Arcee as he spoke. "Arcee, this all makes sense now. I thought this ring and uniform looked familiar. I mean, you've seen it on the news too, right? This is everything the Green Lantern has back on Earth."
"You mean that superhero who fights alongside those other heroes, in the Justice League?" Arcee questioned.
"Yeah, that'd be the very one. And I knew there was more than one, and that they all claimed the Green Lanterns are a large diverse organization of alien species. Wait..." Jack stopped midway through his sentence, now looking at Tomar-Re. "That's true... that you Green Lanterns come from planets in all corners of the universe?"
"Yes, quite." Tomar-Re replied.
"But isn't he a little young to be a Green Lantern?" Arcee asked.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first to assume so, my dear. But believe it or not, this young man is not the first adolescent to become a Green Lantern." Tomar-Re responded.
"Umm... Tomar-Re?" A new voice said, getting their attention. They then looked to see a humanoid-looking young lady around Jack's age; with pointed ears, gold skin, blonde hair with a bob haircut and blue eyes. She also wore a white top with an upper green piece forming a collar around her neck that had the Green Lantern symbol on it, green slightly knee-high boots, a green skirt and green gloves. She was also carrying a duffel bag.
"Ah, case and point. Perfect timing, young lady." Tomar-Re commented. He then began the introduction. "My friends, this is Arisia Rrab. A Graxosian Green Lantern, from sector 2815. Arisia, this is... I'm sorry, but I don't believe I heard your names." Tomar-Re spoke to Jack and Arcee.
Jack started blushing at the mere sight of her, until he snapped out of it and spoke. "Oh, right. I'm Jack Darby, and this is my friend, Arcee."
"The pleasure's ours, I guess." Arcee commented.
Arisia started blushing a little bit too. "Well, umm... Here, catch!" She said while tossing Jack the duffle bag, which he caught. He looked inside, finding his clothes. This caused him to wonder aloud about that, until she cleared things up. "Yeah, sorry about that. But sometimes the induction process requires direct skin contact. But don't worry! Once you learn how to use the ring, you can change later."
"Uh, thanks!" Jack replied to her.
"Good. Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, it's time to properly welcome you here." Tomar-Re said.
"And where exactly is here?" Arcee queried.
They took a view off the balcony of the building where they stood, as Tomar-Re guided them. "Welcome to Oa, the home base planet of the Green Lantern Corps, created a millennia ago by an ancient race of immortals called the Guardians of the Universe. Since you are a new Lantern, we're going to meet them now. Let us fly." Tomar-Re said as he flew off the balcony in front of him, with Arisia floating beside him. "Come now. There's nothing to worry about. Just will yourself to fly." Jack & Arcee were amazed at the unbelievable sight of this incredible planet, especially the part where they were asking Jack to fly. But soon enough, Jack came out of that dazed state.
"Right. Um... Okay, then." Jack spoke with nervousness in his voice. Jack looked over the edge of the building, and one thing came to mind. That sure was a long way down. So he really wouldn't want to fall. But he swallowed his nerve and took a leap of faith; then stepped off the edge, only to start falling, with him screaming as a result.
"JACK!" Arcee shouted with concern, looking over the edge.
But to her amazement, Jack came back up, flying right in front of her. "Hey, Arcee, check it out! I'm flying. I'm really flying." Jack exclaimed with excitement.
Arcee got over the shock, releasing a sigh of relief before speaking. "Hmph! Yeah, I can see that. But next time, give me a little warning, why don't ya?!" She crossed her arms after saying.
Again, some throat clearing was heard from Tomar-Re. "Now... Shall we?" He said while pointing his hand to their destination. Jack and the other two Lanterns preceded to fly. Of course, this caused Arcee to wonder, "What about me?"
At that moment, Arisia came back and said." Don't worry, Arcee. We didn't forget about you." She then aimed her ring at her and projected a green bubble around her, lifting her off the balcony and into the air.
"WHOA! Take it easy!" Arcee said in response.
"Relax! I promise, I'm not gonna drop you." Arisia replied, reassuring her. They then flew alongside the others. Naturally; Jack had questions, and Tomar-Re answered them to the best of his ability. He told Jack everything about the history of the Green Lanterns, that willpower empowers their Lantern batteries, which in turn charges their rings, and it also forms their suits. When he showed the new arrivals the central power battery in the center of the planet, he told them it powered all their personal batteries and their rings, and without it, they couldn't be Lanterns. He also told them the reason why it was green was because it was the spectrum of will, which the guardians harnessed because they believed it to be the strongest force in the universe.
But that they've also discovered other emotional spectrums with their own colors and Lantern Corps, such as the Star Sapphires, who harnessed The violet energy of love, and are mainly an all female organization. The Blue Lanterns, who use the blue light of hope. The lesser known Orange Lantern Corps, which embodied the emotional element of greed. The Red Lanterns, wielders of the power of rage. And finally the worst of all, the Yellow Lantern Corps, Lanterns using the yellow flame of fear, which was a Green Lantern's greatest weakness. The last thing he told them, was that a Green Lantern's weakness was actually anything that was yellow, and not just of the Lantern variety. This shocked Jack.
"Seriously?!" Jack said in reference to that.
"Right?!" Arisia commented.
At that moment, there was one other thing Jack felt as if he had to address. "I can't believe it. I'm actually on another planet, and it's so diverse. This is amazing." He said without even trying to contain his excitement.
On the way to the citadel housing the council room of the Guardians, Jack saw all the other Green Lanterns roaming around the planet. It surprised him to see thousands of Lanterns, all from different worlds. "By the way, Jack Darby, I don't mean to sound rude. But there is basically a Green Lantern in every sector of the universe... however, I have never seen a being quite like your friend Arcee. So what is she, exactly?" Tomar-Re asked.
Jack thought hard about what he said before responding. "Uh, you know what? I'll let her tell you and the Guardians that, when we arrive."
Tomar-Re was about to say something, until he took a pause, and realized that sounded reasonable. So he just shrugged his head and said. "Fair enough." Soon; they arrived at the council room, coming face to face with the Guardians, as Arisia set Arcee down and removed the bubble around her. To Jack and Arcee's surprise, the Guardians were a group of elderly blue people, all wearing red robes with a Green Lantern symbol in the center. They even saw some fellow human Green Lanterns, especially one or two of them that were in the Justice League.
"Ah, so you are the latest Green Lantern? Well, welcome, Jack Darby. We have much to discuss." One of the Guardians proclaimed. Even though it wasn't entirely necessary; the Guardians began introducing themselves individually to the newly arrived duo. Appa Ali Apsa was the first. He seemed like a wise Guardian, but he felt very strict, as well as serious. Next, was Sayd, one of the only known females among the Guardians. All things considered, she seemed all right. They met various other Guardians after them, but the one Jack felt as though he was the most comfortable with, was Ganthet. He wasn't just wise, it felt as though he was very reasonable and considerate... almost exactly like Optimus. He was also really nice. Thankfully, it was his turn to speak now.
"You see, Jack Darby; technically, there is no age requirement for being a Green Lantern. And I would also like to remind the same thing to a certain brash Lantern among us..." Ganthet said while pausing between sentences, choosing that time to look at a certain redheaded human Green Lantern who made a snarky remark about letting a boy do a man's job. At this point; the Guardians had introduced him to nearly all the human Green Lanterns in the Corps.
There was a brunette man, wearing a domino mask, who was also the Green Lantern who hung around with the Justice League. His name was Hal Jordan. The next, was a black man who didn't wear a mask. This was John Stewart. After him; he was introduced to a Lantern with dark hair and a domino mask. His name was Kyle Rayner. Then came the ginger man who made the snarky remark. He didn't wear a mask with his uniform, and his name was Guy Gardner. He was kind of a jerk. Next; was another male Green Lantern with brown-ish skin, who wore a mask that seemed like a version a luchador would wear. This Lantern's name was Simon Baz. Finally; the last was a Latina woman named Jessica Cruz. Ganthet released a breath before resuming his speech.
"Therefore; we found it best, you were greeted by a Lantern around your age, who is almost as new as you..." Ganthet motioned his hand to Arisia, who was basically a rookie just like Jack. He then pointed at the other human Green Lanterns before resuming. "And to make it a little more comforting; we also took the liberty of inviting all the other human Green Lanterns for the occasion. We figured this would help acclimate you to things, a little more smoothly. Now let us get to the matter at hand." The Guardians then displayed a hologram of a humanoid Green Lantern with pointed ears, white hair and a beard. "This is the now deceased Green Lantern, Fentara Rrab, whose ring you now wield."
Jack's eyes widened at this revelation. He was then informed that this particular Lantern was also Arisia's father, which made things kind of awkward between them, since he now had her dad's ring. She displayed a less than friendly demeanor towards him for that, but it was decided that was a tabling conversation for another time. "Yeah, I remember him. I saw him back on Earth a few hours ago."
(Flashback)
When Jack saw that green light, to his shock, he was suddenly engulfed in a green sphere, which levitated him in the air. "Hey, what gives?!" He exclaimed in a concerning manner. The sphere began pulling him towards the ship, causing him to scream in response. Once Jack was brought inside the ship; the sphere set him on the ground and disappeared, as he now faced a humanoid being in a green uniform, who seem to be in bad shape as he was coughing up blood while he was restrained by shackles. Jack didn't know who he was, but a part of him wanted to help him. So he ran towards him, assessing his injuries. "Hey, man! Are you okay?"
The being coughed up more blood before speaking. "Just by being here, you and anyone with you, is in grave danger."
"Never mind that. Let's just get you out of here, and get you some help." Jack replied.
"There's no time for that... and there's no point. The wounds are fatal. You must stop that metal fiend, before she kills everyone on this planet. She's the one who did this to me." Said the being.
"Wait, metal fiend? You mean a Cybertronian? So a Decepticon did this to you?" Spoke Jack.
The being weekly raised his hand, as his ring began glowing brightly. "The ring... has chosen you. Use it... Wisely." The being said between coughs, as he finally died, lowering his hand as a result.
"No, no! Stay with me." Jack said, hoping to keep him alive, but it was too late for that. Then the ring slid off his finger, and levitated in front of Jack. "WHOA!" Jack said in regards to that.
"Jack Darby of Earth... You have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps." The ring's A.I. spoke. Jack raised his hand as the ring slid on his finger after that.
(End flashback)
"And that pretty much, leads us up to where we are now." Said Jack, recounting the events up to now.
"Indeed. And under normal circumstances, the ring would usually fly off the Lantern's finger and return to the Guardians, upon their death." Appa Ali Apsa stated.
This surprised the Autobot-human-duo. "Well, if that's true, then why did it choose Jack instead?" Arcee asked.
"Because the rings are programmed to find suitable wearers in the closest proximity, upon that event." Ganthet said.
"Affirmative." The A.I. in Jack's newly acquired ring spoke, surprising him and his newly established partner.
"So it wasn't just a one-time thing? This thing really can talk?" Jack spoke with amazement.
"Yes. All Green Lantern rings are programmed with an A.I., to assist with user operation. And that ring chose you, Darby. It wouldn't have done so if it didn't see something in you, that you yourself don't fully understand. The ring never makes a mistake." Said Ganthet. He then decided to bring another subject to the matter at hand. "Now; Jack Darby. Would you be so kind to explain what your metal friend is? We are the Guardians of the Universe, and yet we have never encountered a being such as her. Nor have we ever sent a ring to her sector, wherever it may be."
Jack looked between Arcee and the Guardians, before speaking, and one idea came to mind. "Yeah, I could. But I think it'd be much better coming from her. Because trust me, no one speaks for her, except her." Jack then looked to Arcee, making her form a surprised look. He waved his hand to the center of the room. "The stage is all yours, partner." Jack spoke with confidence. Arcee smiled at that, and walked to the center to address everyone. She told them everything about Cybertronians, their home planet Cybertron, about the war and how it got started, about their mission on Earth, and that despite the fact they were mechanical beings, they're alive. Everyone, including the human Green Lanterns were processing all this new information.
"So let me get this straight. You're saying you tin heads just brought your war to our planet, just like that?! How did we not know this?" Guy Gardner said through his potty mouth.
This earned him less than pleased stares from Jack, Arcee, and the rest of the human Green Lanterns. "Shut up, Guy!" Spoke Kyle.
"Well, I'm just saying, I think..."
"SHUT UP!" All the human Green Lanterns shouted at the same time.
"Well then; given this turn of recent events, I believe it would be prudent you went through basic training, before we allow you to return home." Sayd suggested. Jack & Arcee were a little hesitant with that at first, but if doing so meant they could go home before he broke curfew, then who were they to argue with that?
A few minutes later
Jack and Arcee were standing in the training hall, with Tomar-Re acting as one of his instructors. Even the human Green Lanterns came as observers. "Hey, Hal. You really think this kid's got what it takes?" Asked Kyle.
"He has to. He's a Green Lantern." Hal replied.
"Yeah, but he's so young. He's got a lot to learn." John Stewart said.
Hal looked John in the eyes before answering. "As some of the very few humans who were lucky enough to join the Corps, were we so different? Were any of us?"
Tomar-Re was demonstrating the capabilities of his own ring, by materializing a construct of a city with a working subway system. "The ring functions off your willpower and concentration. It allows you to turn sheer thought into physical reality. It's limits are only what you can imagine."
"WOW! I've seen the Green Lantern's power on the news back on Earth, but wow! That's incredible." Jack said. Then a new realization suddenly dawned on him as he looked at Arcee. "Wait, Arcee. That would explain how I was able to manifest those things, during my encounter with Airachnid."
"Exactly. You wanted to be safe. You wanted her away from you, so the ring acted on your will, making it happen." Tomar-Re said .He then stopped the demonstration. "Now you give it a go."
"Um... Okay. Sure." Jack said as he shot green energy in the air right in front of them. But the energy looked like it was scrambling as it struggled to take shape, which made sense, considering Jack himself, was struggling to form an image, with very little success. Then his ring started beeping and rapidly flashing. "Hey, what's that mean?"
"Your ring is also programmed to warn you of an imminent threat." Tomar-Re informed him. Suddenly; Jack was knocked off his feet by a green burst of energy. "This particular threat's name is Kilowog. He'll be your training instructor, as well as your drill sergeant. Good luck." Tomar-Re then flew aside to join the other observing Lanterns. Jack got to his feet, and was met by a huge behemoth alien that resembled an anthropomorphic pig. This must be Kilowog.
"Welcome to boot camp, rookie. Hmph, another human Lantern, huh? You guys seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days. And I guess the ring really doesn't care if you're at junior age, huh, squirt?!" Kilowog was making a jab at Jack's age.
"Is it just my imagination, or am I really getting lectured, and or insulted by a seven foot talking pig?" Jack commented.
"I'm a Bolovaxian. You got a problem with that, poozer?! Kilowog said.
"Poozer? What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked out of curiosity.
"That's what I like to call rookie Lanterns like you, till they pass my tests. And with me as your coach, that'll likely never happen. Because first you gotta come out a ten, then crank up to twenty. Think you can do that, poozer?" Replied Kilowog. He then looked at the Green Lantern symbol on Jack's chest; then with a wave of his ring, he made it disappear. "Till you pass my training, you'll never be a real Lantern. Just a white dot. Got it, rookie?" Kilowog looked at Arisia after that. "The same goes for you, kid." He then waved away her symbol too.
"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Jack shouted, not liking him giving her the same treatment.
"Oh, that so? Well, what are you gonna do about it, poozer?!" Kilowog replied, giving Jack a firm push to the shoulder. "Let me give you the spoiler. You're not gonna do anything. You wanna stand up to people bigger than you, then you gotta become a Green Lantern. So let's get started!" A little while later; Kilowog put him through a stern ring slinging training regiment. He started by shooting energy blasts at Jack, which he blocked using a force field with almost minimum effort, but he had to admit, Kilowog was tough. Kilowog then materialized a boulder now falling above Jack, which he caught by materializing a metal sheet out of green energy. Then Kilowog threw metal discs his way, trying to make Jack multitask, but thankfully, Jack managed to dodge them.
Kilowog put more boulders on top of Jack's construct after that. "Your constructs are only gonna be as strong as your will, and from what I'm seeing, your will's pathetic." Jack tried increasing the strength of his construct by materializing metal stilts underneath the metal plating holding the boulders. When that wasn't working, he tried going the extra mile, by making bulldozer constructs to try and support the weight. But Kilowog broke through his defenses, causing Jack to take evasive action, knocking him on the floor. Kilowog then offered him his helping hand. "Here, let me help you up, kid." Jack took the offered hand; the next thing he knew, Kilowog grabbed him by the leg and slammed him against the ground hard. "There's your first mistake. You gotta remember; your enemy won't play fair."
Arcee developed a frown, then attempted marching right over there and teaching him what for. Because no one treats Jack that way and gets away with it. But before she could make even two more steps, a brick wall construct appeared right in front of her, complements of Hal. "Trust me, that would be ill advised." He said to her.
"Yeah. Besides, Kilowog's going easy on him." Kyle commented.
Arcee's optics were filled with shock. "That's going easy?!" She spoke.
"It is for Kilowog. He's usually more brutal than that." John informed.
"But I can't just stand here and do nothing. And not to mention, he's just a kid." Arcee said with determination and concern in her voice.
"Look, I know it's not fair, Arcee. But here's a tip you should already know. Life ain't fair. But the ring wouldn't have chosen Jack if it didn't think he was worthy of something. And besides; if what you say he did to fend off Airachnid back on Earth is accurate, then he definitely has the will to overcome Kilowog. He just doesn't know it yet." Spoke Jessica. So as unpleasant as it may be, all Arcee could do was watch.
Kilowog then looked at Arisia. "Okay, kid. Now it's your turn." He said while approaching her, causing her to tense up a bit.
Jack saw this while still on the ground, then he formed a look of anger with his eyes glowing green, as he rose to his feet, with his eyes changing back after. "Hey, Piggy!" He said, getting Kilowog's attention. "You know, back on Earth my mom yells a lot more sternly than you. And my boss is twice as pushy. And as of lately; my life's been threatened by aliens much bigger than you. So this was nothing, and I can keep going. How about you, big boy?"
Kilowog formed a look before speaking. "Your funeral, poozer."
Kilowog approached Jack, forming a hammer construct, trying to whack him with It, but to no avail, as he dodged every swing. Jack then formed a motorcycle construct that charged at Kilowog, knocking him off balance a bit. After that; Jack had the motorcycle whack him in the face, knocking him to the ground, with it grinding it's wheel against his face in a not too major way afterwards. For the finale; Jack made a construct of a giant mech suit that resembled Optimus, surprising Arcee in the process.
Then he slammed the oversized fist against Kilowog, pounding him to the ground. He then picked him up and played the ultimate game of hacky sack with him, choosing to embarrass him just a little bit. Finally; he kicked him in the air, then made a construct of a big baseball bat, swatting him away a few yards. He put his hand over his forehead, choosing that moment to speak. "And there we have it, ladies and gents. Kilowog is going, going, gone! Home run! Jack Darby wins! One, nothing! And the crowd goes wild!" Jack deactivated the construct and made a small echoing sound, celebrating his victory. Kilowog flew back, slightly after that.
"This is unreal. I've never seen Kilowog beaten by a rookie that fast." Kyle remarked.
"Yeah, tell me about it. I guess the old coach is losing his touch." Guy commented.
Kilowog approached Jack with a not too pleased look on his face. "This isn't a game, kid. You're more green than that uniform you're wearing. You're inexperienced, cocky, encourageable, quick to defend someone when it's not your fight or even knowing if you're gonna win, and more importantly, arguably reckless..." Jack lowered his head in shame from hearing that. He didn't really want to be a Green Lantern to begin with, but after today's whole experience, he felt like he could want to. But now it looks like that wasn't going to happen. "But... You wouldn't be the first Lantern to start out that way..." Jack raised his head, wondering if that meant what he thought it meant. "So from now on, you'll do a lot more training, and hopefully... You'll be able to earn that badge that goes with your uniform. Good luck, poozer." Kilowog gave him a tap on the shoulder as he finished his statement, then flew away.
"Well, I'll be. The kid actually proved his metal. I guess deep down, we all knew he could. Well... Everyone except Guy, that is." Simon remarked.
"HEY!" Guy retorted.
Once all that was over; Arisia approached Jack with something to say. "Not bad, Darby. It's nice to have another youngster Lantern around here. Now I don't feel so lonely."
"Well... Um... I aim to please." Jack said with a nervous stutter while scratching the back of his head to relieve tension.
Arisia then formed an awkward look on her face. "But you still have my father's ring, you know?! And you have no idea how awkward that feels, especially knowing that he's dead." She said with tears starting to form in her eyes a bit. Earlier; Jack was told about Arisia. Apparently; she came from nearly a whole family of Green Lanterns. Both her uncle and father were Lanterns, and she inherited her uncle's ring after he died. But now she knew her dad was dead too.
After seeing her vent her feelings, Jack attempted to make her feel better. He put his hands on her shoulders and spoke. "Look, Arisia, was it? I never asked to be a Green Lantern, nor did I think the most common way of becoming one was if one of them near you were to die, let alone your dad. But I promise, the last thing I want to do is spit on your family business. Look, if you want it back, then just take it." Jack immediately began removing the ring after that.
Only for Arisia to put her hand on his, stopping him. "No, it's fine. It chose you for a reason. So who am I to argue with it? That ring's yours now. So just promise me you'll use it wisely."
Jack gained surprise on his face, but then smiled before responding. "I promise."
Arisia smiled in response."Oh... By the way, you're gonna need this." She said, handing him a Lantern battery. "The ring needs to be charged every 24 hours."
"Okay... So how does it work?" He asked.
"Just place the ring against it and say the oath." She told him.
Jack's eyes widened at hearing that. Did it really have to be something that simple and weird? Almost immediately after that, he got over the shock. "Right... The oath. Because everyone knows the oath. People usually recited to join secret clubs, and join the police force. Not to mention, the hypocratical oath for being doctors." Jack then place the ring in the Lantern while still wearing it, trying to decipher the oath. "I, Jack Darby, promise to be loyal, brave and fearless in the order of the cause." When nothing happened, he felt a tad embarrassed.
"That's not how you do it." He heard someone say. He looked to his left to see the other human Green Lanterns approach him. "This isn't the boy scouts, kid. You can't just throw in a makeshift oath, and expect it to work." Hal spoke.
"But how am I supposed to know what it is?" Jack asked.
"Oh, trust me. You'll just know." John chimed in.
After hearing that, Jack started rambling to the Lantern, trying to figure out what needed to be said, in order for it to work. He then tapped the center of it, releasing a burst of green energy, sending him to his knees from the shock. Arcee was about to run to his side to check on him, but he held up his hand, signaling her to stop. He then placed his ring in the Lantern, with his eyes glowing green as he recited the oath. "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!" The ring became fully charged after that, as Jack rose to his feet.
"Well, that's pretty much it. Now you just have to commit to policing the galaxy as a Green Lantern." Arisia told him.
"Yeah, I guess that's something to get used to, since... Wait, what? Okay, hold up. I knew Green Lanterns were superheroes, but let me get this straight. You're basically telling me they're also intergalactic Five-O?" Jack queried.
That expression cause confusion from Arcee, Tomar-Re and Arisia, until Kyle clarified. "It's Earth slang for cops."
"Oh? Then yes. Exactly like Five-O." Tomar-Re added.
"Wow! I guess you really do learn something new everyday." Jack said. He then approached Arcee and said. "Come on, Arcee. Let's go home. But first..." He then formed a mirror construct, viewing his mask in the reflection, which he made reappear. "Nah, this doesn't work for me. Let me try something." He then concentrated and focused his energy; until his mask started reforming itself, turning into a bandana mask which also covered the top of his head.
"Ah, that's better." When everyone gave him stares, he felt the need to elaborate. "What? When I was a kid, I was a big fan of the TMNT." When no one, not even Arcee got that reference, Jack clarified. "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?!" No one except the human Lanterns got that analogy. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget you're an alien, Arcee. Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'll tell you about it some other time. Let's just go home." He made a bubble construct around the both of them and flew into space, proceeding to Earth, with the other Lanterns waving them off.
Earth's moon
Before Jack and Arcee set foot on the planet, he set her down on the moon, wanting to do something first. "Jack, what are you doing?" She asked.
"Sorry. Just give me a minute, Arcee. I'm still processing all of today's events. And also; can't believe I'm actually in space, without a space suit. When I was a kid, I always used to dream about being an astronaut. And now; I'm not just the next best thing. I'm the absolute best thing." He said with joy in his voice. "I mean, look at me. I can go anywhere now, planetary and beyond." He formed a smile on his face, then flew around in a green streak of joy, having the time of his life. "HEE-HAW!" He exclaimed with excitement.
After a minute of letting him have his fun, Arcee chose now, to snap him back to reality. "Jack; I'm really happy that you seem to be taking this so well. But remember, that thing's not a toy. It's a powerful weapon that comes with tremendous responsibility. And on top of that; we really gotta get home before your mom has a meltdown." That got his attention, as he ceased his entertaining montage.
"Okay; you're right, Arcee. No more goofing around. Let's head home." Jack re-established the dome construct, entering Earth's atmosphere afterwards.
Jasper
The duo landed in the parking lot of K.O. Drive-In. Luckily, no one was there at this time of night, so Arcee transformed as Jack deactivated his uniform, ending up in his normal attire. "Hop on, partner!" She said to him. But before he did, he developed an unsure look, then spoke to her.
"Arcee, do you really think I'm ready for this?"
"What do you mean, Jack?" She asked.
"Arcee, when you and the other bots showed up in my life, I was a nobody. Now all the sudden; I'm handed the most powerful and omni-functional weapon in the universe. But what if in spite of what they said on Oa, the ring made a mistake in choosing me?" He said with doubt in his voice.
Arcee could tell he wasn't feeling sure of himself, so she decided to rectify that. "Jack, earlier today, you blew up a Decepticon ship. That's not something anyone can do, bot or human."
"I was just lucky enough to find the weak point for that to happen." Jack clarified.
She then transformed and knelt down to him while resting a hand on his shoulder to better make her point. "Doesn't matter. You knew how sadistic and terrible Airachnid was, yet you still braved all odds, trying to end her so she couldn't hurt anyone else." Arcee replied.
"Yeah, but..." He tried to say, only to be interrupted.
"But, nothing, Jack. They said the ring sees something in you that you yourself don't see. But given your actions today, you should. Jack, you've been given a tremendous new responsibility. And yes, there will be many obstacles to overcome, in order to live up to being an intergalactic police officer. But after everything we've been through in these last 24 hours; I know you're more worthy than anyone I've ever met. So no more self-pity, okay?" She said that last part with a smile while rubbing his shoulder, trying to make him feel better, which seemed to be working.
Jack smiled back at her before speaking. "Thanks. I needed to hear that... Partner." He said with pride.
She returned the smile. "Anytime, partner." She said with an equal amount of pride. She then transformed back to vehicle mode. "Now come on. Let's get rolling." He hopped on and put his helmet on, as they then started driving down the road, proceeding home.
A/N: It actually took me a few days to get this finished. Because for one thing; I got sick today, so there's that. Moving on; there are some versions of Arisia you both New Earth and Prime Earth, that have yellow eyes, I chose to give her blue eyes like she had in either First Flight, or Emerald Knights. And believe it or not, she actually does come from a family which is comprised of Green Lanterns, with her being the 5th generation of her family to be one... I think. As for how she became one; she really did receive her uncle's ring after he died, and her dad's dead too. But both were Lanterns.
I know that some of the things I used for this story seems like it came from the Green Lantern movie. But that wasn't initially my intention. That's just what kind of happened. As for the pairing in this story; I don't know who I want to hook jack up with. A part of me wants to make it Arisia, but I'm also leaning towards Jessica Cruz. And I'm aware there's an age gap between them, but I learned from the New Earth comics that Arisia had a crush on Hal Jordan at one point, but you were buffed her because of her age, or so I'm told.
So she used her ring to will herself into an adult. They started dating sometime after that. I still can't believe in the comics she got a job as a model on Earth... That one time. Anyway; if I did want to pair him with Jessica, that's all he'd have to do, will his age to adulthood. By the way, I don't know if Kilowog is seven feet tall. I'm only basing that from what Razer said in "Green Lantern: the animated series." Furthermore; I don't know if Tomar-Re is an alien fish, or an alien bird. But in the animated series he looked like a bird. So that's what I'm going with.
This is Cloud Prince J'onzz, signing off.
STAY COSMIC!
