Jonah Hex: Shades of Gray #8

[arcalian]

Shades of Gray #8
"A Matter of Perspective"
Story by Susan Hilliwig
Art by Trevor Yarmovich
Edited by Jay McIntyre[/center]

*Note: The next few issues take place before Green Lantern #56 and Brightest Day #13.*

[arcalian]

“So...um...who do we talk to first?” Dove asked. “Who do you think is going to be the White Lantern?”

“Personally, I have no idea.” Boston Brand looked at the files spread upon the table between them. There was a stack of loose photos as well, and he began to shuffle through them like playing cards, saying, “I guess we need to single out those who’d be...I dunno, worthy? Someone who already upholds what the white ring stands for.”

“Other than life, you mean? Because if that’s the only qualifier, doesn’t that make everyone living a candidate?”

“Not necessarily.” Boston fanned out the photos. “I noticed you and Oracle left out all the light-based bad guys, or any villains who’ve come back from the dead.”

Dove looked surprised by his observation. “Of course we did. If a supervillain got a hold of this ring...” She paused a moment as his point sunk in, then said quietly, “You think anyone who’s killed before should be disqualified?”

“Don’t you?”

Dove bit her lip, and Boston couldn’t help but think of how adorable she looked whenever she did that. “It’s something that never occurred to me. I mean, they’re all heroes...”

“One person’s hero can be another person’s villain.” He pushed two of the photos to the side, saying, “Green Arrow’s out, and so’s Barry Allen.”

“Barry Allen killed someone?”

“Not long before he died himself. It was accidental, from what I heard, but it still counts.” Boston glanced at the remaining pictures. “We’ll have to check up on the rest of these people, maybe ask them outright if needs be. I know, it’s not the nicest way to approach this, but we have to nail down some sort of criteria, or else we’re just...”

[Balance], the white ring on Boston’s hand suddenly said.

Dove and Boston looked at each other. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Beats me,” he said, then asked to the ring, “Are you telling us we’re on the right track?”

[They’re upsetting the balance. You have to help him achieve it again].

“Help who? The chosen one?” Boston stood up from the table, as did Dove. “Dammit, ring, why can’t you ever give me a straight answer?”

[Help him]. White light flared out from the ring, engulfing Boston and Dove, and when it faded, they were no longer standing inside Oracle’s headquarters in Gotham City, but rather what looked like a dance club. A group of people were huddled in a dim corner, and one of them said, “He’s over there,” pointing to the other side of the room.

“Who are you talking about?” Boston asked.

“The guy with the gun.”

The two heroes turned to see a young man curled up on the floor. There was a massive revolver in his hand, but he didn’t seem to be in any shape to use it. “What happened?” Dove asked. “Did someone attack him?”

“No, he just started grabbing his chest and yelling, then he dropped. I think he’s on drugs. He threatened to shoot us if Green Lantern didn’t show up.”

“Get these people out of here,” Boston told Dove, then moved closer to the young man, who appeared to be in too much pain to even notice his approach. The reason for this became evident when Boston saw portions of the young man’s flesh turn gray and desiccated, then back to normal within the space of a few seconds. Carefully, Boston knelt down and turned him onto his back in order to get a better look at what was happening to him. To Boston’s surprise, he quickly recognized the young man. “I saw this guy a few days ago, when the ring was still bouncing me around,” Boston said to Dove when she returned to his side. “He was sleeping in a field, and he didn’t appear to be in very good shape then, either.”

“Was he like this?” She winced as the young man suddenly cried out, his back arching while his whole body took on a corpse-like appearance.

“No, he just looked like he’d been having one heck of a nightmare. I remember the ring was babbling that ‘balance’ nonsense back then, too. Funny thing is, after this guy woke up, I’m pretty sure he saw me. No one else had been able to see me before I ran into you.” Boston paused, realization dawning in his eyes. “You don’t think he’s...”

“The ring said to help him,” Dove replied, “so no matter who or what he is, he must be important somehow.” As she talked, the young man’s condition began to stabilize: his body regained its vitality, the dead flesh receding to a spot on his upper chest, which was in plain view beneath his unbuttoned shirt. His eyes were shut, but they fluttered open as Boston reached out to examine the remaining dead flesh before it disappeared. With a trembling hand, the young man took hold of Boston’s own, saying in a weak voice, “Hal...”

“Actually, my name’s Boston,” he replied. The young man blinked rapidly at this, obviously confused, then tried to sit up -- he was trembling all over now, so Boston steadied him with his other hand. “Hi there,” he said as the young man stared at him. “Long time no see.”

“Yo’re real?” The young man’s Southern accent was so heavy it was almost comical. “Thought fer damn sure Ah was hallucinatin’ the other day.” His eyes slid over to Dove. “Didn’t see the girl, though.”

“Her name’s Dove...she wasn’t with me yet.”

The young man grunted, then said, “Better help me off’n this floor, boy. It’s cold.” Boston did so, and the young man immediately stumbled over to the nearby bar, bracing one hand against it as he tucked his revolver beneath his belt -- there was a matching one in the holster laying against his right hip. “So, did Green Lantern send y’all in his stead, or are yuh a couple of charlatans like thet fella in the park?”

“Excuse me?”

“Yo’re wearin’ a ring, but it’s white, not green. Matter of fact, yo’re both white, even though she ain’t wearin’ a ring at all.” He rubbed his eyes, saying, “The two of yuh is glowin’ so much, it’s a wonder y’all don’t burst into flames.”

Dove stepped closer to him. “Do you mean our auras? Is that what you’re seeing?”

“Reckon thet's so,” the young man answered, squinting at her. “Would yuh mind steppin’ back afore Ah go blind, missy?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just...we’re on a special mission, and we think you might be a part of it.”

“Unless thet mission involves findin’ Green Lantern, Ah ain’t interested.” He turned away from them and began to walk the length of the bar, keeping one hand on it for support.

“What do you need to find Green Lantern for?” Boston asked. “And why the heck were you holding a gun on those people?”

“Muh business with the man is muh own, not yers. As fer the gunplay, it was a half-assed attempt at gettin’ his attention.” The young man had slipped behind the bar and was rummaging through the liquor bottles stacked against the back wall. “But instead of the man Ah wanted, all Ah attracted was a pair of yammerin’ fireflies. Now, unless y’all want tuh tell me where he is, Ah suggest yuh fly off afore Ah swat yuh.”

[arcalian]

Looks like the party’s just getting started, Hal Jordan thought as he descended upon the Emerald Theatre. Two police cars were already in front of the place, along with an ambulance where some medics were examining a group of people, while good-sized crowd had formed on the other side of the street. “Any idea of what’s going on inside?” Green Lantern asked one of the cops nearby as he touched down in front of the nightclub.

“From what I hear, it’s all over already.” The cop pointed at the people by the ambulance. “It sounds like a couple of your fellow capes showed up and hustled the hostages out before the shooter could hurt anyone. Been quiet since then.”

“The shooter hasn’t been escorted out yet?”

“Nope, and we’re not even sure which capes are in there: best description we got is that it’s a man-and-woman duo. We were about to move in with...”

“I’d rather you held off for a few more minutes,” Hal interrupted. “The shooter asked for me, so let’s see what happens when he gets me.” With that, Hal strode up to the nightclub doors and went inside, his mouth set in a hard, thin line. The expression wasn’t all for show: Hal really was mad that Jonah Hex had decided to use Coast City as his own personal shooting gallery. The other two times they’d met, he had made it clear to the cowboy how he felt about killing, so to have Jonah attempt to break that cardinal rule in Hal’s own city...dammit, he didn’t care what screwy time-traveling twist brought them together this time, he was going to knock the man flat!

The interior of the nightclub was dim, but Hal could pick out the glimmer of broken glass on the floor. The shards crunched under his boots as he walked into the main room, which was deserted except for three people. Hal recognized Dove right off, and after a moment of thought, he realized the man next to her in the trench coat and red Spandex was Boston Brand, the newly-resurrected Deadman. Neither of them had noticed Hal yet. “What do you need to find Green Lantern for?” Boston was asking the third person, who was standing behind the nightclub’s bar with his back to them all. “And why the heck were you holding a gun on those people?”

“Muh business with the man is muh own, not yers,” the person behind the bar replied, confirming what Hal already suspected. Even without seeing his face, the presence of the Confederate officer’s hat and ivory-handled Dragoon slung at his hip, coupled with that unmistakable voice, were enough to prove to Hal that the shooter was indeed Jonah Hex. The man wasn’t wearing his old gray uniform tunic, opting instead for a collarless white dress shirt, but Hal figured he’d ditched it due to the warm California weather. “As fer the gunplay,” Jonah continued to say as he perused the liquor bottles, “it was a half-assed attempt at gettin’ his attention. But instead of the man Ah wanted, all Ah attracted was a pair of yammerin’ fireflies. Now, unless y’all want tuh tell me where he is, Ah suggest yuh fly off afore Ah swat yuh.”

“Judging by the mess you made in here, Hex, I’d say you’ve done more than enough swatting tonight,” Green Lantern called out, which made all three of them turn in his direction. “You’re damned lucky that I didn’t let those cops outside come in here and haul...”

The rest of the threat died in Hal’s mouth as Jonah finished turning around. He had been expecting to look upon the same middle-aged, weathered face he’d seen on two other occasions, with the same horrifying scar engulfing the right half of it. But instead, he was looking upon a young, unmarked visage that seemed leaps and bounds away from the one he knew. The only things that remained unchanged were the icy-blue eyes and the gravelly voice, which took on a hint of annoyance as Jonah snapped, “Well? Are yuh just gonna stand there all slack-jawed, or are yuh gonna say ‘Hello’?”

“Hello,” Green Lantern repeated, then shook his head and asked the first question that came to mind: “What the Hell happened to your face?”

“Yeah, Ah know, thet damn white ring turned me into a pretty-boy like yerself.” Jonah picked up a bottle of whiskey and managed to wrestle the top off. “Least it makes me a mite neater in muh drinkin’ habits,” he said, taking a swig.

“White ring?” Dove echoed, to which Boston added, “Don’t look at me, I didn’t do it.”

Hal, on the other hand, immediately caught the gist of what Jonah was saying. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “When I found out you were here, I automatically assumed it was time travel again, not...not this.”

“Nope, Ah got here the honest way: Ah dropped dead, then spent the next hunnert-odd years as a stuffed corpse.” Jonah sneered at Hal. “Thanks a whole helluva lot fer gettin’ muh hopes up ‘bout thet, by the by.”

“I’m sorry, Hex, I really thought...”

Boston held up his hands, saying, “Wait a minute, time out. Dove and I are a bit lost here. Who the heck is this guy, GL?”

“His name’s Jonah Hex. He’s a bounty hunter from the 19th century,” Hal answered. “And up until last week, he was as dead as...well, as you were. I guess the White Lantern brought back more than the twelve people we already knew about.”

“Yuh mean it wasn’t just me?” Jonah’s eyebrows shot up. “Who else is runnin’ about? Please tell me Bat Lash ain’t one of ‘em, Ah don’t think Ah could stand havin’ him around.”

“Sorry, Hex, the other twelve aren’t anybody you know, they’re all a lot more recent. Aside from you, Boston here has been gone the longest.”

“Do you think there’s some kind of significance to that?” Dove asked. “Why would the white ring bring back someone who’s been dead for an entire century?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that we need to go somewhere else to discuss all this.” Boston turned to Hal. “Didn’t you say there’s cops outside waiting to haul your pal away?”

“Unfortunately, there are...but I might be able to bluff a way around that.” The Green Lantern hopped over the bar and approached Jonah, saying, “Hold out your wrists.”

“Whut fer?”

“Because if we walk out of here and you’re not restrained, the cops won’t believe the line I’m going to feed them. Take off your holster, too.”

Jonah’s eyes narrowed, then he grunted and did as Hal asked, setting both the bottle and his gunbelt upon the bar. “Y’all want the knife in muh boot while yo’re at it?”

“No. I can’t see it, so most likely the cops won’t either.” As Hal’s ring produced a set of handcuffs, he noticed how badly Jonah’s outstretched hands were shaking. “Are you okay?”

“Ah ain’t been okay fer a damn long time,” Jonah told him. “Come on, let’s get this dog-an’-pony show of yers out of the way.”

[arcalian]

It was a short, simple lie: Green Lantern told the cops that Jonah was a “person of interest” in a case the Justice League was working on, and therefore needed to remain in his custody. They didn’t seem all too happy about it, but since no one had been seriously injured by Hex’s shenanigans, they agreed to it under the condition that Jonah be turned over to the Coast City P.D. as soon as the League was done with him. Jonah himself tried to hide his amazement over the whole affair, reflecting again on Hal’s old “Texas Ranger” analogy. Just how much authority did all these folks in longjohns hold over regular people?

Once he was done with the cops, Hal whipped up an emerald sphere to carry away the four of them. As it soared high in the air, far from prying eyes, Jonah said to Hal, “Ah do appreciate the help, son. This week’s been one godawful thing after another, an’ Ah’d just about reached the end of muh rope.”

“I’d say you must have if you’re actually admitting that you need help.” He removed the cuffs, then handed Jonah back his guns and satchel. “Just keep this in mind the next time you get the urge to shoot somebody. You’re on my turf now Hex, which means you play by my rules.”

Jonah gave him a nod, and the sphere continued to drift across the night sky, eventually coming to rest on a flat-roofed building a few miles away from the nightclub. “We shouldn’t be bothered up here,” Hal said as the sphere dissolved into nothing, “which is good, because we definitely have a lot to talk about. Starting with you.” He gestured at Boston. “You vanished not long after the Blackest Night ended. Have you been hanging out with Dove all this time?”

“We just met a few days ago,” Dove replied. “I’ve been trying to help with his mission.”

“What mission?”

“The one the White Lantern gave me.” Boston held up his hand -- to Jonah’s eyes, the ring on his finger looked like a star fallen to Earth. “Ever since I came back to life, it’s been speaking to me, dragging me all over the place.” He nodded towards Jonah, saying, “Not long before I ran into Dove, it took me to see your cowboy buddy here.”

Hal glanced over at Jonah, who nodded in agreement. “The fella showed up outta nowheres, then disappeared afore Ah could figure out was goin’ on. Reckoned it was muh eyes playin’ tricks. They ain’t been right since this all started.” The bounty hunter then turned around and walked towards a large metal cooling unit sitting atop the roof. “‘Scuse me while Ah rest fer a spell. Ain’t so steady on muh feet at the moment.”

Hal watched as Jonah plunked himself down next to the cooling unit, leaning back against it and letting his trembling hands dangle between his legs. To Hal, the fact that Jonah wasn’t bothering to hide his exhaustion either meant that he trusted the Green Lantern enough to let it show, or he was becoming too far gone to even care. Hoping it was the former, Hal looked to Boston and asked, “What did the White Lantern tell you to do?”

“It said I have to find the ‘chosen one’, the person who’s meant to wear the white ring and protect all life.” Boston cocked an eyebrow. “Not as easy as it sounds.”

“Yeah, it does like to be vague, doesn’t it?” Hal ran a hand through his hair, saying, “It told me that I need to track down all the other entities, but it didn’t tell me how. It also showed me a vision of all the people it resurrected...but Hex wasn’t among them. I’m sure of that.”

“The white ring keeps to referring to ‘balance’ whenever Mr. Hex is around,” Dove offered, “plus he could see Boston when no one else could. When you take it in altogether, it seems like all the signs are pointing towards him being the chosen one we’re searching for.”

Hal gave her a look of surprise. “Jonah Hex? The chosen protector of all life? That’s gotta be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Why is that? Has he done something that you think disqualifies him?”

“I’d say single-handedly killing 336 people disqualifies him...at least that’s according to a book I read.” Hal looked over at Jonah. “That number sound about right to you?”

From his resting spot, he answered, “Ah always reckoned it tuh be well over five hunnert, muhself. ‘Course, Ah ain’t one fer keepin’ score.”

Dove blanched at Jonah’s casual tone. “My God...you’re some kind of mass murderer?”

“No, he’s an Old West gunfighter,” Hal corrected. “He’s from a time when things were a bit looser in regards to how justice was carried out. Luckily, Hex has got a sense of honor that puts him on the side of the angels, so I try to cut him some slack when it comes to his spotty record. When I’m around, though, I ask that he show more restraint.”

“Well, I think we can safely knock Hex off the list,” Boston grumbled, “but we still don’t know why the white ring keeps singling him out.”

“Maybe yer white ring’s tryin’ tuh warn yuh ‘bout the black one Ah’ve been carryin’ around all week,” Jonah said.

All three heroes gaped at him. “Please tell me you’re joking,” Hal said after a moment.

“Wish Ah was, son.” Jonah tapped a finger against his breastbone. “The damn thing’s stuck in here, an’ it’s caused me nothin’ but trouble. Thet’s why Ah came a-lookin’ fer yuh: figured y’all were in the thick of thet fight with the overgrown Grim Reaper whut made ‘em, so yuh’d know how in blazes tuh get rid of it.”

“But that doesn’t...how did...” Hal sputtered, then wised up enough to use his own ring to scan Jonah’s chest. Seconds later, multiple readouts popped up in front of the Green Lantern. “I don’t know how it happened, but there is a Black Lantern ring lodged in the center of his heart,” Hal said. “Worse yet, there’s tendrils of dark matter branching out from it and into every corner of his body. It’s done to Jonah what all the other black rings did to the corpses it took over.”

“But he’s still alive, or at least he appears to be,” Boston said. “It looked like he was flipping between living and dead earlier, but he seemed to shake it off. If this black ring has done to him what you said it has, then how come it hasn’t taken him over completely?”

Hal waved the images away, saying, “Maybe because it’s trapped inside, it can’t make the proper connections...though I can’t figure out how it got off his finger and into his heart.”

“It didn’t,” Jonah said. “The black ring thet resurrected me fell tuh dust. This other one was made fer a fella named Don Hall, only he never rose up tuh claim it.” This new information caused Dove to gasp, and he said to her, “Yuh know who he is?”

“He was Dove before me,” she replied, “and as far as we know, he was the only person the black rings couldn’t bring back.”

“The white ring couldn’t do it either,” Boston added. “Believe me, I tried.”

“Don Hall of Earth is at peace.” The voice was Jonah’s, but the tone was much softer than his usual growl, and his expression had gone slack, as if he’d gone into a trance. This only lasted a few seconds before he shook his head with a grunt.

“You still with us, old friend?” Hal asked, hunkering down next to Jonah.

“Not sure. Ah just...Ah was rememberin’ something.” The growl was back in Jonah’s voice. “When Ah first got hold of this ring inside me, it...that’s whut it kept sayin’ tuh me. The same words, over an’ over, an’ it felt...it made me feel...Ah don’t know.” He shook his head again. “Ah’m tired, Hal. Ah just want all this tuh stop.”

“I know you do, but there’s a lot of things here that just aren’t adding up.” He laid a hand on Jonah’s shoulder. “I need you to start over from the beginning. Tell us everything you can regarding that ring and how you acquired it. Don’t hold back anything.”

Jonah lowered his head for a moment as he tried to clamp down on the pain in his chest so he would stop trembling. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand this: it was all supposed to be over once he found Green Lantern, but instead he was sitting on a rooftop surrounded by folks that were more interested in chatting than fixing him. He didn’t want to talk, dammit, he wanted to be a normal human being again! Why didn’t they understand that?

But Jonah did talk, first with hesitation, then a bit more openly as he became comfortable with speaking the words. He told them about spending a century screaming in the dark, and the madness that fractured his old memories. He told them about the first black ring, the one that conscripted him into Nekron’s army and forced him to recover Don Hall’s abandoned ring from the fortress beneath the town of Illumination. He told them about the siren song coming from the ring that almost freed him from the black, only to be dragged back under its influence by his fellow corpses. He told them about riding hard to deliver the spoils of war to his master, a mission he never finished because of the white ring that sped at him like a bullet, trapping Don Hall’s ring within Hex’s own body as he regenerated. Jonah then spoke of the long week afterward: the fear and confusion over his altered state that grew with each new discovery; the brief solace he found in Maggie’s arms; the four thieves he killed in a fit of rage after they’d attempted to kill him (Hal somehow managed to hold his tongue when Jonah mentioned that); the desperate search to find Green Lantern, the only person he knew in this time, and the obstacles he had to avoid as he made his way to Coast City. Above all else concerning the past week, though, Jonah spoke about the nightmares, and how he now believed them to be more than just his mind trying to cope with all the trauma. “When Ah came back tuh life, Ah thought fer sure Ah was the only one,” Jonah said to the three heroes gathered around him, “but y’all claim thet there’s a dozen others who did the same. An’ Ah reckon by the looks on yer faces as Ah’ve been talkin’ thet none of these other folk are havin’ the same problems as me.”

“No, not exactly,” Boston said.

“So maybe Ah ain’t part of the same group as yerself an’ those other folk,” Jonah proposed. “Maybe Ah’m part of the group thet’s been tryin’ tuh get into muh brain...the ones who’re still dead like me.”

“First off, you’re not dead,” Hal told him. “Despite that black ring trapped inside of you, my own ring registers you as being very much alive, just like the other twelve people who came back. Secondly, every single Black Lantern in existence was wiped out once Nekron was defeated. There aren’t any left anywhere.”

“Except fer me. Ah’ve still got a damn ring, Ah’m still seein’ things all funny, Ah cain’t be killed...Hell, muh Dragoons still fire bullets even though the cylinders are empty! An’ whut do yuh think of this?” Jonah reached into his boot and pulled out the weapon concealed within. “Ah needed a knife a few nights ago, so the ring made one fer me without muh askin’. It hurt like yuh wouldn’t believe when it pushed through muh skin, but otherwise it did a fine job.”

“How does all this prove that there’s still Black Lanterns running around?” Hal asked.

“‘Cause when thet Nekron fella was callin’ the shots, all them rings could talk with one another. The ring Ah’ve got still works, thet’s plain tuh see...an’ Ah’ll bet yuh a wooden nickel it kin still hear all the others talkin’. Not enough tuh make me a puppet on a string like afore, but enough tuh mess with muh head.” Jonah rubbed the spot above his heart. “Ain’t sure how much longer thet’s gonna be true, though, so yuh’d best pry this thing outta me afore it’s too late.”

“I wish I could, but it’s impossible,” Hal told him. “The ring’s worked its way through your entire body. Even if I could safely remove it from your heart, pulling on all the other tendrils would rip you to shreds. You’d die from internal bleeding almost immediately.”

“So long as it’s over an’ done with, Ah don’t care.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Hal stood up, saying, “God, Hex, you’re crazier than I ever thought you were. I am not going to kill you!”

“Why the Hell not? Ah’ve been a goddam corpse fer a hunnert years, so all yuh’d be doin’ is layin’ me tuh rest again,” Jonah said. “Ah’d rather be all-the-way dead than like this.”

“There might be another way,” Boston said, and knelt down in from of the bounty hunter. “My ring told me that I had to help you achieve balance again, so maybe I can use it to destroy the black ring without killing you. That is, if you’ll let me give it a try.”

“Cain’t make things any worse, Ah reckon.” Jonah pulled his shirt open, saying, “Just give it Hell, okay? Don’t hold back on muh account.”

Boston nodded, then pressed his hands flat against Jonah’s chest and concentrated on the power contained within the white ring. Soon, the two of them were encompassed in a halo of light, the brilliance of which blinded Jonah completely. He could feel the warmth of it passing over him, but as for the pain inside his body, it neither grew nor lessened. Jonah was about to tell them so when he heard a voice speak out, one that sounded familiar in an odd way:

[It isn’t time for this yet!]

The next thing Jonah knew, the light was gone and Boston was flying backwards across the roof -- Green Lantern caught him in an giant emerald baseball glove before the former Deadman could go over the edge. “What the heck happened?” Hal asked.

“No clue,” Boston replied, setting foot on the roof again. “The ring said this isn’t the right time, then pushed me off. It’s that whole ‘being vague’ problem again.”

“I’ll give you points for...” Hal began to say, only to be cut off by Jonah screaming. The two men turned to see Dove kneeling next to him as he lay on his side, shaking violently. “He’s changing again,” Dove told them, “just like he was when we found him in the nightclub.”

Hal scanned Jonah again with his own ring and said, “Tell me what’s happening.”

[Dark matter quotient currently in flux], the Green Lantern’s ring replied.

“What’s causing it? And what can we do to stop it?”

After a long pause, the ring answered, [Unknown].

[arcalian]

The transition was almost instantaneous: one moment Jonah was sitting on the rooftop, the next he felt like he was being torn apart, his mind getting thrown down a dark tunnel while his body stayed behind to be shredded. Like before, he was assaulted from all sides by thoughts and images, but this time, he tried to isolate and hold onto a single one in the hope that he could figure out what exactly was going on. Hal wasn’t convinced that these “Black Lanterns” were still running about, so Jonah knew he had to collect some proof, which meant staying alert and keeping quiet until he had some.

One particular image caught his eye, and Jonah focused on it as best he could until the rest of the noise around him became muted. It was a small room, cramped, objects thrown into disarray. The Black Lantern whose eyes he was seeing through was in the process of tearing apart a coat made of rough cloth, with braiding stitched onto the collar and cuffs. A sense of recognition swept over Jonah, which he quickly tried to extinguish -- Jonah was sure that it was his emotional reactions that alerted them to his presence last time, and he had no intention of making the same mistake twice. He had to keep his thoughts neutral, cold, distant...

“Okay, buddy, if you’re still in there, you’d better step out right now,” a woman’s voice said. Elsewhere in the world, Jonah could feel his spine stiffen, yet that was the only reaction he had, even as the voice added, “Look, I’m coming up, and I’m armed, so don’t get any ideas!” The image before Jonah’s eyes swung around until he was looking at a closed curtain, and Jonah knew who was standing behind it. “Last chance!” the voice hollered.

Jonah wanted to holler himself as the Black Lantern tossed the coat through the slit in the curtain and growled, “Where is he?” But he didn’t. He felt paralyzed, helpless, unable to utter a single syllable as he watched a pair of deathly-pale hands reach out and pull Maggie Dupree through the curtain, throwing her against the wall of the tiny berth in the back of her truck until she dropped her gun. “I can smell him all over this room, you Yankee whore,” the Black Lantern said. “How long ago did you bed down with him? ANSWER ME!”

“Oh God,” Maggie sobbed, her aura an ugly smear of yellow. “Please, I don’t...I don’t know where he is. Please...”

“Don’t lie to me! Are you trying to rile me up, whore?” The Black Lantern pressed itself against Maggie, saying, “Then again, maybe you like things a little rough. Eh? I always knew you Yankees couldn’t be as genteel as a proper Southern woman. You all spread your legs for every willing man that comes around.” Its dead lips hovered near Maggie’s grimacing face. “And I am soooo willing right now. Been a long time since I had a furlough.”

The plan of remaining unnoticed flew right out the window was Jonah screamed at the Black Lantern within his mind, Don’t yuh dare touch her, yuh maggot-ridden skunk!

“Did you hear something?” the Black Lantern asked Maggie. “No, of course you didn’t. Damn shame. I sure you would’ve liked to have heard your beau’s voice one last time. But don’t worry, he can hear you loud and clear. Can’t you, Hex?” The Black Lantern let out a harsh sound that vaguely resembled laughter. “There was no point in trying to hide in the black, you know. I was the only one in the whole regiment you could never sneak up on.”

Jonah’s mind recoiled at the sudden realization. He had his suspicions, but to find out he was right was almost too much to bear. Let her go. Ain’t no honor in killin’ an innocent woman.

“Ain’t no innocents in this war, Hex. You’re either with us or against us.” A bony hand slid across the front of Maggie’s shirt. “And we don’t take prisoners.” With that, the Black Lantern punched right through her chest and closed its hand around her heart.

NO! As Jonah screamed, a new flood of images came over him: dozens of Black Lanterns swarming across the truck stop, some pulling drivers from their vehicles, while the rest poured into the diner, every single one of them tearing their victims apart like a pack of wild dogs. Throughout it all, the sight of Maggie’s heart being drawn from her chest remained front and center in his vision. A mixture of love and rage exploded in Jonah’s soul with such intensity that he could feel himself moving forward, a phantom bullet launched down the Black Lantern’s arm, through Maggie’s dying heart, and into something beyond. A riot of color assaulted his eyes, yet he could still see this one wisp of white, a glorious shimmer that called out to him with Maggie’s sweet voice. He reached out to her, straining with all his might just to touch her, if only he could touch her, he could bring her back safe and sound, he knew he could.

Then he saw it: a thread of silver floating between him and Maggie, so slim and delicate. Jonah grabbed hold of it, and suddenly Maggie was right in front of him, reeled in like a fish. She smiled at him, and it was the most beautiful smile Jonah had ever laid eyes on, the smile of an angel...that soon vanished along with Maggie in a flash of blinding light.

[Maggie Dupree of Earth is at peace], a very small voice said.

[arcalian]

“MAGGIE!!!” Jonah’s body nearly bent in half as he screamed aloud, while the other three heroes did their best to hold him still. He’d been thrashing about for close to a minute, his body going through violent throes of transformation that showed no signs of stopping. But now it seemed as if the ordeal was over, and Jonah went limp upon the rooftop. When the others let him go, he slowly drew up into a fetal position, moaning Maggie’s name over and over.

Hal had never seen the man in such a state. Even at his worst, Jonah would usually maintain a facade of strength -- sometimes at the expense of those around him -- but it appeared that there was a limit to how much punishment he could take. Though it was obvious he was still in pain, Hal knew they couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to recover, so he leaned down and asked, “Can you hear me, Jonah? Did you have another vision?”

“They killed her. They killed everybody. Ah couldn’t do nothin’ tuh stop it,” Jonah said hoarsely. “They knew Ah was there, so they made me watch.”

“Who did? The Black Lanterns you say are still around?” Jonah gave a feeble nod, and Hal asked, “You’re certain about this? Do you know where they are now?”

“Yeah, Ah know.” He swallowed hard. “Should’ve known thet’s where they was goin’.”

[arcalian]

The truck stop was completely dark, as all the lights had been smashed, even the ones inside the diner -- the emerald sphere Hal and the others were enclosed in provided the only illumination, and even that didn’t extend more than ten feet away. “Everybody stay close,” Hal said as they touched down on the blacktop not far from the diner entrance, the sphere dissolving. “My ring says there’s definitely Black Lanterns here, but it can’t pinpoint them.”

“What about life signs?” Dove asked.

“There ain’t gonna be any,” Jonah rasped, leaning hard on Boston. He insisted upon coming, despite the fact that he could barely stand on his own. “They slaughtered ‘em all. They didn’t find me here, so they took it out on...on...nnngh...God...” His fingernails dug into Boston’s shoulder as his living flesh began to turn dead and gray again.

“What’s the matter, Hex? The guilt starting to eat away at you?” an unearthly voice called out from the shadows. “The traitor finally grows a conscience.”

“Come out where we can see you!” Hal made another sphere, much smaller than before but giving off a more intense glow, and sent it into the air so it would light up the area. And it did its job only too well: dozens of Black Lanterns came into view around them, some dressed in Confederate uniforms, others in traditional Indian garb, and even a few in simple chambray shirts and denim trousers. One of the Confederates was toting a pole with a Rebel flag fluttering on top, the Black Lantern symbol painted over it. All of them were armed.

The crowd of corpses parted slightly so a Black Lantern wearing a Confederate officer’s coat and hat could step forward. “We’ve got you Yankees surrounded,” it said. “Surrender quietly, and we’ll kill you quick. Fight back, and I’ll let the boys have some fun with you first.”

Hal set his feet and said, “Who put you in charge of this mob?”

“Ah did,” Jonah replied. “Thet’s muh best friend. Thet’s Jeb Turnbull.”


NEXT ISSUE: “The New Fort Charlotte Brigade!”

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