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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:39:09 GMT -5
Green Lantern Issue 11: ChangesWritten by Daniel Palmer Cover by Roy Flinchum Edited by Don Walsh
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:40:23 GMT -5
“Call now for a free reading with Coast City’s foremost psychic authority! Learn the future, understand the past, decipher today! Call 1-800-HEC…”
The blaring of the television offered him no comfort, as he stood in front of the mirror. Discarded outfits littered the floor of his condo, as he stood in his seventh shirt and third pair of pants in the last fifteen minutes. What was it that ate at him, made him so indecisive?
He was scared. No, that wasn’t it, he was never scared. He was nervous, that’s more accurate. This was a man who had faced down alternate dimensions, the legions of Apokolips, countless ‘villain of the week’ types looking to make a name for themselves, even more angry women. He was the lone survivor of the largest peace-keeping force in the universe for crying out loud, and here he was, brushing his teeth again, palms sweaty like a sixteen year old on prom night.
“Get it together, Hal,” his reflection said to him. “Just another date with another girl.”
As he lied to himself, he swallowed hard. This was anything but ‘just another date’ and most certainly not ‘just another girl.’
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:41:02 GMT -5
“You’re late, flyboy.”
She had chosen a table outside; through all the years he had known her, she was always partial to the sea air.
“You look wonderful.”
“I know I do, you’re still late,” she said abruptly. “I don’t have time for someone who can’t even be on time for something they set up. You’d think it was important enough to be on time.”
She started to rise from her seat, when a small construct dove flew to her, and landed on her shoulder.
“Truce, okay, I’m sorry. Getting ready took a little longer than I thought.”
She sat, and glared daggers into him. “Well, it doesn’t look like you took any time getting ready.”
“C’mon, you know how important you are, how important this is. You know—“
She cut him off.
“If I’m so important, then why’d you wake me up this morning, telling me I should start staying at my own place again, and had to get all my stuff out ASAP?”
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:42:04 GMT -5
Something had changed. He was conscious again. After millennia of slumber, he was aware again. The walls that caged him still stood, the bonds still strong, but something had changed, something had roused him back to the world of the living. Then, he knew what it was.
Silence.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:42:36 GMT -5
Hal knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but this was ridiculous. He had barely taken his seat, and Ferris was already attacking him from every angle. Though he had to admit, she had a point, he recognized her attempts to put him on the defensive. He also knew that the best defense was a good offense.
“If you must know, I wanted you to get your stuff out because I care so much, and because you’re so important.” His jaw set, as their eyes locked. “The government’s been watching me since I got this ring, and with the whole Starro thing, I bet they're going to be even more brazen.”
“But you and the League were right; you saved us all--”
“Doesn’t matter. Trust lost is trust lost. With all that’s happened, I have to assume they will be more…” he paused, thinking about Chloe being snatched from his apartment, “brazen.”
Without breaking their stare, Hal reached out for a passing waiter.
“I’ll have a Jack and coke, and a vodka tonic for the lady.”
She raised an eyebrow as the waiter went to fetch their drinks.
He couldn’t suppress the smile.
“Guess I just know what girls like.”
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:43:02 GMT -5
“More time, more time, that’s all we need.” Hector Hammond pleaded
“I don’t know how much time I can give you,” said Chris from behind his desk at the headquarters of NCB. “I’ve sunk a lot of my money into this, and I’m not seeing much in the way of reward.”
“Chris, you know about my powers, you know what I can do! I know this can work, I can help people, and your investment will be--”
Chris held up his hand. “Look, I’ve got the 11 o’clock news to get ready for. You’ve got two weeks to show me we can do this.”
“Thanks, Chris, you won’t regret this. I mean it. We’re going to the top!” The door closed behind Hector and Chris reached for the phone on his desk. He tries hard, thought Chris, but he just thinks too small. There was a click as the line was picked up in Star City.
“Mr. Alva, good to talk to you again…”
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:44:11 GMT -5
As she worked her way through her salad, Hal dabbed another piece of steak into the A1 sauce. The silence of a good meal had fallen over the table, as a slow smile crept over her face.
“Mmhm?” Hal asked, mouth full of steak.
“I was just thinking about how uncharacteristically sweet it is of you to be afraid for me.”
“No.” He swallowed, and put down the fork. “Never afraid. I don’t do fear, you know that.”
Her eyes rolled as she put down her own fork. “Fine, not afraid. It’s still sweet. But, Harold,” he winced at his real name, “won’t it be hard for you to give up the never ending chase for the next girl? Because that’s part of the deal with me; I’m not just the next girl.”
“I wouldn’t even think about giving all that up.” He picked up his fork again, picking at his potatoes, knowing that his response had shocked her.
“Keep pushing it, Highball.”
“All I mean is, giving up that stuff for you isn’t even a decision for me.” He sighed deeply; this is the part of the night he was unsure about. “I gladly leave it all behind for you…I’d even give up this,” he said as he pointed at the ring.
“Hal…”
“I’m serious. I’d walk away to protect you, to ensure us. No matter how much I love it, if it comes to this, I’d leave the ring with Kyle, and tell him to find someone better suited to the life. I’m all yours, from here on out.”
Her silence was deafening. “Highball,” she choked out. “You really do know what girls like.”
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:44:35 GMT -5
He finally felt clear of mind again, and he noted how revitalized he felt after his long slumber. His arms were strong again, as they had been when he had fallen before his enemies. Remembering the epic battle, he knew the silence he heard, he felt, meant his captors were otherwise occupied.
Cackling, he knew that it was only a matter of time until the bonds broke, until his conquest of the cosmos could continue.
With that, he began the work of freeing himself.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:45:03 GMT -5
“So, do you need a ride home?” Hal and Carol walked arm and arm towards the parking lot.
“Nice try, Jordan,” she brushed the hair from her face. “But maybe there’s some truth in staying at my own place.”
“Besides,” Carol continued, “I’ve got to be there early to welcome our new test pilot tomorrow.” The shocked look on Hal’s face was priceless. “Is that a little bit of fear?”
“Real cute, Ferris.”
“Well, when it looked like all you guys were going to be arrested, I had to have a back up plan.” She pulled him close. “But don’t worry, he’s no threat to the great Hal Jordan.”
Winking, she planted a quick kiss on his lips, and got into her Mustang.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:47:40 GMT -5
As the ring carried him over the Coast City skyline, he couldn’t help thinking about her ability to keep him on his toes. Man, he thought, she’s taken everything that’s hit us in stride. From power rings to mind swapping villains to alien gladiator combat.
Landing on the terrace, he was just glad to have the whole night behind him, and relieved that everything had gone so smoothly. So what if his playboy days were behind him, he was ready to be happier than he ever had been. As he landed and powered down his ring, he couldn’t help but think of how glad to be done with the drama of juggling girls. “…-TOR-1 for your first reading into the mysteries of the world.”
He knew he had turned the television off before the date. What the hell? Powering up his ring as he entered the condo, he was met by a ghost from the past.
“Hey, flyboy. Remember me?” Chloe Sullivan sat on his couch, scrolling through late night commercials. “So, how was the date?” she asked as she stood up.
“How did you--” Hal fought to shake the shock of seeing her. Here. Now.
“C’mon Hal. No matter the reason I stayed here that night, you’re still a meta, and I’m still DEO.”
He felt his shock turn into anger at a flash. “So, you just let yourself in? To what? To guilt me about us, about Carol? Not going to work.”
“I forgot the great Hal Jordan regrets nothing, questions nothing. No second guessing, huh GL? Or is it Emerald Gladiator this week?”
“Knock it off, Chloe. When did you find out about the kid? I went to the hospital after we were finishing up in D.C., but they said you had taken off.”
“Yeah, got tired of waiting around for you, so I left. I figured I’d find you here, eventually.”
She walked into the kitchen, Hal still frozen just inside his doorway.
“So everything we had?”
“Had, Hal?” She spun, hands on her hips. “What we had were a couple of nights of in depth reconnaissance. Nothing more.”
The silence weighed on the room.
“The baby?”
“Was hilarious. The look on your face when I said that was priceless.”
“You lied…? Why?” Anger welled within Hal again, when their conversation was interrupted by the ring-generated image of Kyle Rayner appeared before them.
“Yo, Hal, I’m picking up something – did I interrupt something?” The small hologram looked at the two stern faces he was situated between.
“Keep going…Ion.” At the last moment, he remembered the DEO had no updated files on Kyle, and something between responsibility and spite wanted to keep it that way.
“Yeah, well it’s in your sector, and I can’t figure out what exactly it is. I know it’s on Mars, and it has something to do with the Guardians, but I’m having trouble figuring out what it exactly.”
The room flashed green as Hal transformed his meticulously chosen date clothes into his Green Lantern uniform. “Understood, I’ll check it out. Oh and ‘Torchbearer’?” The emerald image smiled back at the Lantern. “Try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone?”
“Who me?” Kyle laughed. “You won’t even be gone an afternoon, what trouble could I possibly get in?”
“That’s why I said it.” As the emerald image faded from view, Hal turned to the balcony door.
“I guess we’re done here,” Chloe called from behind him.
“Duty calls,” he replied, never once looking back. “You know the way out.”
With that, he took off into the night sky, Chloe watching until he was a green speck.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:48:06 GMT -5
He knew no tiredness, no exhaustion. He worked the bonds that held them, celebrating no signs of progress, bemoaning no semblance of barrier. Relentless, he pushed on, until the bonds that held him so fast finally gave, and he plunged his fist through his prison into the soft ground above.
Soon…
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:50:21 GMT -5
Hal had never been so sure of anything in his whole life that he needed to get out of that apartment. How could she, how dare she, what gave her the right…he punched through the atmosphere without a second thought, as the ring synthesized the nothingness around him into breathable oxygen.
C’mon Hal, he thought. Don’t let her throw you off your game. Focus. As he called for the ring to bring up the coordinates of his target on the far side of Mars, he checked the charge on his ring.
<Ring at 20 % charge.>
More than enough to get there, and back, and clean up whatever’s here.
With that thought, he pressed onwards.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:51:15 GMT -5
“--he knows we’ve been watching him, and he doesn’t seem to care in the least. He remains unafraid of our forces, and acts brazen in the face of authority. I understand. Sullivan out.”
As Chloe hung up her secure line to DEO headquarters, she laid back on her motel bed, emotionally drained from the evening. She knew that it was her job to watch Hal and his friends, but her loyalties were so torn. Growing up with Superman, getting to see the agony his side felt made it tough to work on both sides of the fence. But that wasn’t what was really bothering her. Absent-mindedly, she picked up the phone, and called on not nearly secure line.
“Hello?” The Kansas-twanged voice answered groggily.
“Sorry it’s so late... they wouldn’t reassign me, I have to stay in Coast City.”
The voice on the other end of the phone cleared, suddenly alert. “Did you tell him about... did you tell him?”
“I couldn’t...” she choked out. “Clark, he was right there, and I couldn’t tell him I was pregnant.”
Her best friend had flew to her side immediately and he held her as the tears flowed until the morning.
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 13:59:05 GMT -5
As Hal touched down onto the red Martian surface, he whistled low. J’onn gets homesick for here? Walking across the scarlet sand, his ring notified him he was in the proper coordinates. Nothing. Guess even the Torchbearer can be wrong with all his big, fancy pow-- Mid-thought, his perception of the serene Martian landscape was altered significantly. The ground beneath him seemed to explode, spraying ruby-colored grains everywhere, as he instinctively threw a flimsy shield around him. Visibility limited through the fog, his world shook as a voice cut through the Martian air.
“FREEDOM!!!” The entire planet seemed to quake beneath the force of his voice. “SOON AGAIN, THE COSMOS WILL BOW BEFORE MY MIGHT!!!”
“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” Green Lantern strode from the mist, and took in the full sight of the monster in front of him. Before him stood an 8-foot tall alien conqueror, seeming as wide as he was tall. His eyes were blood red, and locked with Hal’s.
“I mean, maybe we could talk about it.”
“I thought I noticed Oan stench.” Faster than even seemed possible for something so big, his left arm swung, and caught Lantern underneath the chin. As Hal flew over the skyline, he slipped in and out of consciousness, despite the ring’s best efforts to deaden the blow. Finally landing on a hastily made construct pillow, he dusted himself off, and launched himself back the behemoth.
Flying further than he remembered, Hal came upon him…it…whatever, scrounging around what had been his holding cell, looking for something. Landing behind him, he checked his jaw again for any breaks, and turned to the ring for advice.
“Ring, what the hell is that thing?”
<Extraterrestrial of unknown species, designated Mongul,> Abin Sur’s voice responded. <Imprisoned within Martian home world in a joint effort by Martian military and Guardians with the aim of preserving the universe from his might. His raw strength is immeasurable on any known scale.>
Jeez, way to sugar coat it, ring, thought Hal, as the world quaked and shifted around him, while Mongul continued his search. “Anything else I should know?”
<He is directly behind you.> Even Abin Sur’s ring generated voice seemed to heighten with anxiety as the former world conqueror loomed over the Lantern.
“Oh,” Hal smiled. “I knew that.” Spinning like a top, he unleashed a beam of singularly focused energy, pouring all of his willpower into a single shot. As the torrent of emerald energy streamed from the ring, Hal was sure he had taken the behemoth by surprise, and could build some distance. The smoke cleared, and what he saw took his breath away.
Mongul had taken a single step backwards.
“Valiant attempt to catch me unawares, Oan dog. But as you can see,” he glared down at his foe. “I am made of sterner stuff.”
Without any discernible motion or discomfort, Mongul lunged, and Hal dodged, while a construct suit of medieval armor appeared around him. Closing his visor, brandishing a sword and shield, he stood tall against his opponent.
“Foolish mortal, do you not know the might of Mongul?” The monster regarded the Lantern quizzically, seemingly amused by the sight in front of him. “Have your masters not warned you of my irresistible power, my undeniable destiny as ruler of the cosmos?”
“You should meet this guy Despero, you guys would get along great,” muttered Hal as he launched himself back at his opponent, who grabbed him by the throat, crushing in the armor.
“Is this a joke?” The emerald armor cracked and gave under his grasp.
“No,” choked out the Lantern, “it’s a distraction.” With that, he swung the sword as hard as he could will it into his enemy, focusing all his willpower into the blade of the weapon, finally drawing blood from the yellow skinned beast.
Frowning, Mongul looked at the blood and threw the last agent of the Guardians again into the horizon. His power works against yellow, he thought. This might be interesting after all.
As Hal flew across the landscape, again, he thought, his Corps uniform vanished, as his ring sputtered and issued a final warning.
<Power levels at 0%>
Left with no way to cushion his inevitable landing, he braced himself for the harshest and most final of stops to. All of a sudden, he found himself enveloped in emerald energy, caught within a giant catcher’s mitt.
“C’mon, GL, running out of juice?”
<Power levels at 127%>
Hal looked at his newly charged power ring, and groaned as he looked up to his rescuer.
Ion floated above him, slight smile on his face.
“What a tired cliché.”
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 14:00:04 GMT -5
To Be Continued!
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Post by lissilambe on Mar 19, 2008 14:02:20 GMT -5
Let us know what you thought of this issue here!
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