“So, you really miss that place?” Hal could hardly hear as the wind whipped around him on his way to work perched on his motorcycle, yelling into his Bluetooth.
“Of course, Harold. The silent stars and the singing sands.” J’onn J’onnz, better known as the Martian Manhunter sighed, reminiscing about home. “You did your best to leave her undisturbed I trust?”
“Uh…” Hal’s mind flashed back on the carnage he, Kyle and Mongul had wrecked on the planet’s surface. “Yeah, J’onn, you know me.”
“Hm,” was the Martian’s only reply, as Hal mentally kicked himself.
Never lie to a telepath, even if it isn’t in person. “Well,” J’onn was still clearly displeased, “I know of no such collaborative efforts by the Guardians and our military. There would be no records, as our history is a shared telepathic one. Could it be a mistake by your ring?”
“Yeah, maybe.” As he banked toward Ferris Aircraft, he shot a glance at the ring on his right middle finger. “This thing has been acting kinda wacky lately, giving me all sorts of weird messages.”
“A glitch in the most powerful weapon in the universe? That doesn’t seem like a small problem.”
“I’m not going to worry that much about it,” Hal smirked.
“You never do,” sighed J’onn
“Thanks for the talk J’onn,” Hal said as dust kicked up around him, signifying his arrival at Ferris Aircraft. “Time to go pay the bills.” Turning off his cell phone, he hopped from his motorcycle, twirling his helmet on his finger and strode into the pilot’s locker room.
“Mr. A, it’s all set.” Chris kicked up his feet onto his rich mahogany desk. “No sir, no way to tie it back to you at all.”
Jittery little Hector Hammond walked by his open office door, waving meekly, sucking on his inhaler.
“Ready for your big break, champ?” Chris put his hand over the receiver.
Nodding and shooting a half-smile, Hector gave a less than enthusiastic thumbs up.
“Poor kid,” he spoke back into the phone. “He keeps sucking back that stuff, he won’t be able to stand, let alone promote the station…which will be infinitely more famous in about thirty minutes.”
*****
Hal came out of the locker room, Highball emblazoned on his chest, walking tall and proud towards the fleet of planes that awaited. His old friend Tom Kalmaku smiled admiringly at him as he handed the pilot his helmet.
“Wow Hal, it’s great to have you back--”
“Great to be back, Tom. Can’t wait to take one of these babies out for a ride.” Hal patted the new, gleaming X-52.
“Yeah, it’s the only one we’ve got in so far--”
“Well, it’s a good thing there’s no question on who’s going to be taking her up.” Hal flashed that trademarked pilot’s grin.
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more.” Both Hal and Tom turned to see Hank Henshaw strolling towards them. Smiling slightly, he poked the name on Hal’s flight suit. “No question at all.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean Henshaw?” Hal pushed Tom from between them, and pushed himself right into the taller man’s face.
“It means, I’ve heard about you. And apparently, the stories of short temper, recklessness, and the more than occasional ‘highball’ are all true.” The last part dripped with sarcasm, angering Hal even more.
“You got a problem, tough guy?”
“Old hot-headed Highball…”
“
Boys!” Both military men snapped around at the sharp, commanding voice of their mutual boss. Carol Ferris stood before them, hands on her hips. “If you keep this up, no one gets to play with the new toy.”
Begrudgingly, the pilots stood side by side, as Carol continued.
“The X-52 is the jewel of the new experimental fleet the government has commissioned Ferris Aircraft to develop. This prototype is literally one of a kind, and is the first model incorporating cutting edge technology that--”
“Where is this tech from Ms. Ferris?” Hank stepped forward. “Even at NASA, I’ve never seen anything like this stuff.”
Hal had. Up close and personal, during the Apokoliptian invasion, when the Corps' numbers fell from thousands to one.
“It’s classified, Mr. Henshaw. I’m sure you’re used to
that from NASA.” Carol smiled coyly. “Hal is going to take the first trip up, so you can get a feel for how we do things here.”
Shooting a passing smirk at his newfound rival, Hal’s happiness was quickly dashed by a voice in the back of his head:
<Metahuman disturbance in downtown Coast City>This is why I leave the ring in the locker when I fly. Hal debated ignoring the call to duty when Abin Sur’s voice rang out again, now more urgently.
<2814, your presence is needed. Now.>Scowl on his face, he started backing up towards the locker room.
“Let the rookie take her up, then I’ll come back and really show him how to fly.”
Cursing to himself, he opened his locker, and slid on the ring
This better be damn good.*****
“Dammit, Hayes, get down!” Sergeant George Kaskiw tackled the young officer out of the way, as the air sparked around them.
Electricity arched through the air, blowing out the windows and lights of the Coast City Police Department cruiser they were hiding behind.
“No one will stand in the way of Ohm!” The bellowing would-be-bank robber stood at the bank door, satchel of money at his feet. Bullets sent his way were melted by the fury of the electricity surrounding him. Small fires littered the streets, as Ohm poured his electrical onslaught onto Coast City’s finest.
“George, cover me. I’m gonna sneak around back of him.” Crouched low, Hayes positioned himself to roll behind Ohm – leaving himself completely exposed.
He fired two rounds at the back of the metahuman’s head, two rounds that immediately melted from the heat generated by his electrical field. Slowly, Ohm turned back to face his assailant, and growled low.
“Hero.”
Bo Hayes cowered before the electrical behemoth, who inexplicably fired a bolt of voltage over his head. As Sergeant Kaskiw pulled him back under cover, there was a smile on his face.
“I don’t think he meant you, kiddo.”
The Green Lantern was there.
*****
As Hal soared to the scene of the disturbance, he saw the officer roll out and fire twice at the massive man. Rolling his eyes, he launched a bolt of energy, getting the monster’s attention while giving the officer an opportunity to get clear.
“Hero.” The hulking, sparking man snarled at him.
“Glad to see someone’s been watching the news…” As Hal quipped, he generated a bubble around Ohm, cutting off his onslaught. “That should hold you.”
“Foolish Lantern! You think this bubble can hold me?” Ohm closed his eyes, increasing the voltage emanating from his body, and putting additional stress on the bubble and the Lantern.
“Where’d this guy get his dialogue, 'Monologuing for Dummies'?” Turning away from the advancing CCPD, and back to Ohm, he yelled, “Well, it is a pretty good bubb--”
He never finished his last word, because the increasing power had overloaded the construct bubble, and sent everyone in the vicinity sprawling backwards. Gathering himself, the Lantern saw his opponent still standing in front of the bank, breathing heavily.
“Not even your mighty Emerald Knight can stand before my might! All will bow before…*cough* *cough*” Ohm’s self-serving speech was cut off by a green cloud surrounding his head, bringing him to his knees, and eventually into unconsciousness.
Hal limped over towards the fallen villain, and nudged him with his boot.
“He’s all yours from here, guys.” The ring sparked, and he began flying away from the scene.
“Hey, GL,” Hayes cried out. “What’d you do?”
Hal grinned. “Just cut off his oxygen supply briefly. Kind of a sleeper hold, you'd say.”
As the Lantern disappeared into the horizon, Hayes could only say one thing:
“Cool.”
*****
I hope I’m not too late, Hal thought as he zipped up his flight suit and strode out onto the tarmac. Carol and Tom had their eyes were locked skyward, watching the X-52 being put through its paces. Barrel rolls, steep climbs…she flew smoothly as anything that Hal had ever seen.
“Oh, you’re back.” Hal looked away from the plane and into the eyes of Carol Ferris.
“Hal, where’d you go?” Tom’s voice spiked with excitement, seeing his friend and hero again.
“Had to call Jim, small family crisis, no big deal.” Hal could feel Carol’s stare like daggers as he lied to Tom. “When’s my turn?”
“Well,” Tom swallowed hard. “Ya see, Hal…”
“His time was up, and you weren’t here.” Carol cut straight to the point. “So I told him to stay up there, and do the maneuvers YOU were scheduled for. Since you weren’t here.”
“Okay.” Hal bit his tongue. “So, any chance I get a shot at her once he comes down?”
“No, Highball,” Carol looked at her clipboard. “You’ll be too busy in the simulator all day.”
*****
The caller’s finger trembled as it input the digits. The caller had been dialing this number for years, but this was different. This was not comparing notes, or being a shoulder to cry on. This was a cry for help.
The phone in the Metropolis loft rang twice, and went straight to voicemail.
“You’ve reached Clark Kent’s machine. I can’t come to the phone at the moment, but please leave a brief message and your phone number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks, and have a great day.”
BEEP
“Clark, it’s me. I, um, need to talk to you, so call my cell whenever you get this. Thanks.”
Chloe Sullivan hung up the pay phone, and no matter how nice a day it was, she just couldn’t stop trembling.
*****
“Please empty your pockets.”
The guard’s sharp tone shook Hector from his daydream. Swallowing hard, he placed his wallet, cell phone, and inhaler into the small dish, and walked through the metal detector.
“NBC huh?” The guard handed Hector back his personal effects. “How’d you get picked to interview the freak of the week”?
“Um,” Hector took another blow from his inhaler. “Just lucky, I guess.”
*****
As Hal hopped out of the shower, Hank entered the locker room, joking and laughing with the support team.
“See you guys later,” he called over his shoulder, as the door swung shut behind him. Seeing Jordan, his face hardened somewhat, but the grin never left his face. “Pretty hot in that simulator huh?”
Hal was silent, brimming with anger, embarrassment, and envy.
“Look, I don’t see any reason why we can’t get along. Sure, we didn’t get off on the best foot, but that doesn’t have to mean we can’t be civil. What do you say?” Hank extended his hand.
Hal had things he wanted to say, but none of them were in the spirit of camaraderie. Opting to say nothing at all he turned, slipped on his power ring, and continued getting dressed.
*****
Alone in his apartment, Hal hesitated, but eventually relented, since he knew he needed help.
“Ring, call Alan Scott.”
Across the country, Senator Alan Scott’s ring vibrated on his finger, and as he took the call, while a small construct of Senator Scott appeared in front of Hal.
“Bad time?”
"Not at all Hal, just got out of a meeting." Alan took a seat behind his mahogany desk.
“What’s on your mind?”“It’s the ring, hell it’s everything that’s been going on lately.” Hal related the story of Mongul and the strange messages from his ring to the elder Lantern. “And the way I figure, you’ve been around the power longer than anyone, so I should come to you.”
"Hal, you know good and well that my ring works completely differently than yours, even a different power source." Alan smiled at the exasperation on Hal’s face.
"But we can swap war stories anytime, what’s really on your mind? Work getting to you?"“Am I that transparent?” Hal sat on his couch, beer in hand. “This new hotshot pilot they brought is an arrogant punk, and I want to just wipe the smile off his face with my ring.”
"So he’s just like you?"“Heh.” Hal couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe there are some similarities, but I’m allowed to be me, it’s what I do. Who really needs another me? Besides, now that there’s a second pilot, the ring slinging is getting in the way of me doing my job. How do you get to be a Senator, and still do the hero thing?”
"Honestly?" The construct of Alan put its hand on its chin.
"Being a Senator is a lot easier than you'd think. Seriously though, it’s going to be hard, but that’s what we do. The hard thing. We are the role models, we stretch ourselves thin, and while it doesn’t always pan out for us personally, it is always worth it. When you see the people we do it for, see them safe, see them cheering you, and living their lives with smiles. You’ll figure it out, I know you will, kid."“Thanks Alan, I needed to hear that.”
"No problem. But now, I have to run, I have another meeting."As Alan’s construct faded, the door to Hal’s apartment opened, and Carol stood in the doorway.
“Yeah, looks like should be running along as well.”
*****
As the door shut behind the departing corrections officer, Hector took another hit from his inhaler. Sitting across from him was Travis Bowman, aka Ohm, who sat, chained to the metal table between them.
“Well?” Bowman harsh voice cut through the silence. “Ain’t you supposed to be askin’ me stuff? Then readin’ my mind?”
“Ah yes, well,” Hammond cleared his throat. “Well, what made you want to rob the bank?”
“I wanted the money.”
“Um..well, how’d you get these powers”
“Dunno.”
“Um…”
“I got a question for you, egghead. With my powers, don’t all this metal in here make you nervous?”
“Oh no,” Hector seemed to actually relax. “The warden assured me that you had been given power suppressors.”
“Is that what they said?” Ohm grinned at him, and winked. Suddenly, a small shock flew through his hands, through the metal table, and into Hector. The psychic flew backwards across the room, and was left trembling on the floor.
The door flew open, and guards armed with plastic shields and batons stormed the room, battering Ohm onto his back. Then, as suddenly as they had burst in, they relented, all standing at stark attention, blank stares affixed on their faces.
“What the hell?” Ohm’s question went unanswered, as his back suddenly became rigid, and conscious thought left his mind, and his will was no longer his own.
“I say it’s time to go, Mr. Bowman, what do you think?” Hector Hammond rose from the crumpled heap against the wall, and the air around him seemed abuzz.
“Of course, Mr. Hammond. Time to go.” Ohm’s voice was little more than mechanical, as he was now little more than an extension of Hector’s will.
“Excellent. Then let’s go.”
*****
“Carol.”
“Hal, look,” she sat down on his couch next to him. He stood immediately. “I’m sorry about today. You were gone, and I had to make a call.”
“I get it.” He called from the kitchen.
“I don’t think you do. I know last night didn’t look good..” Hal returned with two beers and cut her off.
“I do get it. You’ve got a business to run, and one of your pilots being your boyfriend, not to mention a superhero, puts you in a weird place. I understand that you’ve got to act in the best interests of Ferris Air, not Hal Jordan or even Carol Ferris.”
“Wow.” Carol was dumbfounded. “I, um, I guess you do get it.”
“Being a pilot means the world to me,” Hal flashed his million dollar smile, “but so do you. And I’ll make all this as seamless as possible, I swear.”
“You never fail to surprise, flyboy,” Carol leaned in to kiss Hal, but stopped just short. “Wait, I saw the news about today, but where were you yesterday?”
“On Mars, fighting a million year old would-be conqueror of the universe.”
“Oh.” Carol shrugged. “Good answer.” Again she leaned in, but was this time interrupted by what seemed to be a small earthquake, followed by a gust of wind.
“I’m afraid I’ve got to send you home, Carol.” Hal grinned as he looked past her, at the door of apartment.
“Again, Hal?” Carol exhaled. “You’re going to give a girl a complex.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. But, since I don’t break promises, I have to go.” He looked past her and rolled his eyes. “That earthquake wasn’t an earthquake, it was the Flash, and he left a reminder.” Carol followed his pointed finger to the hastily scribbled words on the door.
POKER NIGHT! YOU STILL COMING?“Hal,” Carol rolled her eyes. “You have weird friends.”