Guardians' Citadel, Coast City
"They are faring badly," Tuebeen stated as he watched
the monitor within the Guardians' Citadel.
"That's no joke," John Stewart replied worriedly.
"Of course it is not," Chaselon waved his robotic arms
around his spheroid crystal body. "Tuebeen's race is not
known for jokes."
John Stewart, Tuebeen, Chaselon, and the Guardians Makaba Mylla
Mi and Wununu Werro Wa stared at the monitor, which showed the
expanding green dome composed of a mixture of Oan energy and solid
sound. The image on the screen also depicted the pitched battle
between two villains called Sonar and the majority of the Green
Lantern Corps.
"Kilowog was right, the Corps is pretty rusty," Stewart
observed somberly. "It's especially evident when they're
up against foes who are familiar with fighting Lanterns."
He turned to Makaba and Wununu. "What about shutting down
the central power battery? That at least would eliminate the dome
Sonar created with Rot Lop Fan's ring. If we warn our guys first,
let them land on the ground
"
"No, John Stewart," Wununu Werro Wa replied, with no
discernible emotion in his voice. The Guardian's black eyes peered
unwaveringly from beneath his wide blue brow. "That is not
a feasible possibility. The consequences of abruptly de-powering
the central battery would be grave, if not catastrophic. It would
also leave the Corps powerless for a significant period of time,
far longer than the time needed to recover from a battle that
has fared badly. Even were we to take the necessary time and precautions
to shut down the central battery without incident, we would not
be able to make a difference in time to affect the present situation."
"So you can see, John Stewart," a voice from the doorway
added, "that the Guardians themselves can rarely act with
haste and decisiveness. Such things are left to their agents."
Stewart and the others turned to see Ganthet entering the observation
chamber. He walked toward his fellow Guardians, an indomitable
expression set in his features.
"Things are as they are," Makaba Mylla Mi intoned gravely,
"with good reason, Ganthet. Have a care."
Wununu Werro Wa nodded. "And what of your own agent, Ganthet?
Where is Kyle Rayner during this conflagration?"
The faintest hint of a smile touched the wizened corners of Ganthet's
mouth, and he shrugged slightly. "Things are as they are,
with reason," Ganthet answered. The omitted 'good' in his
response hung heavily in the air, an unspoken reproach daring
to be challenged. The three Guardians stood in a tense, mute circle,
communicating wordlessly. Tuebeen and Chaselon turned their backs
on the trio, allowing themselves to be transfixed by the battle
on the monitor.
John Stewart kept his eyes on the Maltusians, focusing himself
on understanding what was being said. Stewart's powers were increasing
every day, but had not yet reached the same level as the Guardians.
As a result the cosmic bandwidth on which the confrontation between
Ganthet, Wununu and Makaba was unfolding remained just beyond
Stewart's perceptions. Still, his human instincts led him to believe
that far more was at stake, and argued over, than the battle in
Modora.
Small comfort, however, for the Corps struggling to end that
battle.
Modora
With a series of hand gestures made by a construct of his power
ring, Hal Jordan directed his fellow Green Lanterns to the base
of the expanding dome. A few miles to the east lay a small hamlet
that would be ground to dust within minutes if the growth of the
voluminous green bubble could not be halted. The Green Lantern
Corps arranged themselves equidistantly around the base of the
dome and channeled all of their will into stopping its progress.
Shilandra Thane projected a wide row of emerald flying buttresses
to brace against the wall of the dome. Medphyll willed his power
ring to create a grove of redwood trees standing tall against
the dome's edge. Hollika Rahn's ring generated a giant team of
dyarku, beasts of burden from her home planet of Rhoon, that lumbered
into the dome wall while Stel created a wedge-shaped apparatus
with intricate systems of gears and servos to withstand the pressure
exerted by the dome, and Voz stood on the surface of the dome
itself and sank oversized, energy construct claws into its lip
to pull it back.
The deafening roar of the dome's sonic component insisted that
it would not be forestalled. It took its toll on the Green Lanterns'
concentration as well as their own energy constructs. Relentless
vibrations at uncountable frequencies tore Medphyll's enormous
trees to splinters, shattered Stel's blocking device, and reduced
Shilandra Thane's buttresses to solid light rubble. Inexorably,
the dome continued to expand and flatten the surrounding countryside.
A keening lance of pure sound slammed down from the apex of the
dome, driving M'Dahna into the earth 100 yards away as she attempted
to ready a wall of force in the dome's path. A second later another
blast of sound cut Adam's legs out from beneath him, a moment
of helplessness in which the Green Lantern was smothered and crushed
by the oncoming wall of the dome.
Atop the dome stood father and son, both calling themselves Sonar.
The younger looked around the dome, searching out another target
to snipe with a sonic blast, while the elder simply stood with
fists on his hips, laughing triumphantly.
The son spoke into a radio transmitter programmed to cut through
the cacophony filling the air. The device was a bulge on the exposed
circuitry that ran down the side of the young man's face; his
father's was built into the gleaming golden military helmet he
wore. "You could help me out," the younger Sonar said,
making no attempt to conceal his irritation.
The father looked at his son with amusement and pity. Using his
own radio transmitter, he replied, "The defeat of the Green
Lanterns is inevitable, my boy. Our victory is at hand. And still
you feel nothing but anger? Not even a shred of
satisfaction?"
"Nothing about this satisfies me!" the younger Sonar
spat vehemently. "We have a power ring under our control,
one that uses sound in ways that we can exploit completely! The
rest of the Green Lanterns are here to take it back, which means
we should be busy making them all dead! But all you want to do
is toy with them while you raze Europe in slow motion. We could
be ruling the world by now!"
The amusement faded from the elder Sonar's eyes, and he answered
ponderously: "I take my time in orchestrating Europe's down
fall so that the rest of the world may take notice. I have no
desire to 'rule the world.' A single continent is enough for me
so long as in every other nation across the globe, the name
of Modora is known! Modora, and its sovereign, Sonar! In the days
required to literally push the borders of our country from the
North Sea to the Mediterranean, those names will be repeated a
thousand thousand times! Modora! King Sonar!" The father
came back to himself and met his son's gaze levelly. "And
Prince Sonar." He threw back his scarlet cloak and gestured
down at the ground. "The Green Lanterns are irrelevant."
"Maybe," his son retorted truculently. "But I'm
not taking any chances." With that he fired another sonic
blast at the Corps members below.
Hal Jordan swung up into the air and away from the dome, narrowly
dodging the incoming sonic blast. Jordan continued to pour energy
into a construct of interlocking barriers, along with Kilowog
and Apros. The squat, bulbous alien had established a telepathic
link between the three, allowing them to talk despite the insurmountable
volume of sound surrounding them.
We're fighting on too many fronts at once,
Jordan thought to his teammates. It's taking
everything we've got to try to figure out how to stop this construct
from plowing down everything around it. We can't spare anyone
to try to get in and get Rot Lop Fan out. And we've still got
the Sonars to contend with.
Yup, Kilowog assented mentally.
Wish there was some way we could just shut
those poozers up.
Shut them up? Jordan repeated.
Kilowog, buddy, you're a genius. Apros,
I need Brik and Larvox over here right now.
I will summon them, Apros answered.
Moments later, two more Green Lanterns flew around the edge of
the dome, Brik's huge but unmistakably feminine stone form and
Larvox's smaller bacterial shape. They approached Jordan and Kilowog,
connected to Apros' telepathic net.
You have separated us from the actions
of the collective, Larvox stated.
With good reason, I'm sure,
Brik thought adamantly.
I hope so, Jordan nodded.
So what is it, Hal? Kilowog
demanded.
I remembered an experiment back at Ferris
Aircraft. We were testing supersonic jets and my biggest complaint
about them was that they were too noisy. So the engineers got
to work on cockpit and canopy materials that didn't vibrate. They
were constructed with molecular lattices that couldn't budge an
angstrom. No vibration, no noise. The four of us, he
pointed in turn at Kilowog, Larvox, Brik and himself, are going to freeze the air around the dome. Stop
it from vibrating. Without the sound component of the attack,
the rest of the Corps should be able to halt the dome.
Just might work, Kilowog mused.
It will work, Brik insisted.
Jordan lifted his ring hand into the air, and the others followed.
Diffuse, emerald light shone out of the four upraised power rings,
bathing the entire countryside in green. The volume of the dome's
preternatural rumbling began to subside, muffled like a bell grasped
by a great unseen hand, and then fell silent. Jordan, Kilowog,
Brik and Larvox strained with exertion, willing a stillness to
the atmosphere. The power ring constructs of the rest of the Green
Lanterns remained intact, and were able to bring the expansion
of the dome to a halt.
Atop the dome, the would-be rulers of a continent-spanning Modora
stood frozen in the green, locked air. Shock and outrage stretched
the features of the elder Sonar, while murderous fury clouded
his son's face. The patches of circuitry scarring the younger
Sonar's body pulsed with energy, emitting sound which was instantly
nullified by the deadened air. The sound cycled through higher
and higher frequencies, until reaching an intensity that cut through
the effects of the Green Lanterns' rings just enough to allow
Sonar to drop to his hands and knees. With his palms braced against
the dome, Sonar amplified the vibrations of the dome itself, fighting
back against the measures taken by the Green Lanterns. The dome
surged against the bulkheads erected by the Corps.
Stalemate.
New York City
Jenny Hayden walked down the sidewalk, navigating on pure somatic
memory. Her eyes saw nothing before her, as she struggled with
inner conflict. Her distress had grown more and more acute since
Kyle had left after hearing the Guardians' summons. Jenny wanted
to believe that her roommate's duty was the cause of her own anxiety,
that her heart feared surrendering itself to the man who answered
the call of both the JLA and the Green Lantern Corps. How could
she let herself fall in love with anyone whose life would constantly
be placed at risk? How could she allow Kyle to be the center of
her life when one day she might wake up to find him ripped away
by a danger too strong to overcome? Yet Jenny knew such thoughts
were so much rationalization. Her father was the first Green Lantern,
and to this day regularly risked his life as Sentinel, and she
had never tried to stop herself from loving him. Jenny and her
brother Todd had become adventurers themselves because they understood
well that protecting humanity was worth risking oneself. If anything,
Jenny knew her feelings for Kyle were strengthened by his sense
of duty, by the commitment they shared in common.
Being a member of the fraternity of superheroes brought many
complications, but Jenny knew her present dilemma had nothing
to do with insane villains, metagenes or power rings. Kyle Rayner
was Green Lantern, but he was also a kid from California without
a father, a struggling artist, a human being with all the attendant
strengths and weaknesses, issues and baggage, and just as much
chance to break Jenny's heart as be the love of her life. A few
days ago she had been caught up in everything bright and wonderful
about Kyle. But now
The shop door opened in Jenny's path and she barely managed to
stop herself before colliding with the young woman who stepped
out. Yanking herself out of introspection, Jenny almost gasped
aloud. Standing before her, like a negative thought made manifest,
was Haven Donovan.
"Oh!" Haven said herself, immediately covering her
surprise with a plasticene smile. "Hello there, neighbor.
It's
Jainie, right?"
"Jenny," the green-skinned girl answered, the hands
stuffed into her pockets clenching into fists.
"Of course," Haven nodded. She ran her eyes up and
down Jenny, as if sizing up the enemy. Noting Jenny's body language,
Haven remarked, "I suppose I should count myself lucky that
you didn't 'accidentally' knock me head over teakettle."
Jenny grinned, an expression she hoped looked as phony as it
felt. "Count yourself lucky for a lot. Excuse me," she
shouldered her way past, continuing down the sidewalk.
"Jenny, wait," Haven called after her, with enough
force that Jenny stopped and turned her head to look at the other
woman. Haven stepped closer so that she could lower her voice,
and continued, "Let me tell you something, woman to woman.
You and I both know that it's me that Kyle wants. And there's
nothing you can do about it. But you still have a choice. You
can hate me, even though I'm not making Kyle's decisions for him.
You can try to make Kyle feel guilty about wanting me and not
you, but in the end nobody wins there. Or you can keep your pride,
and show some class, and accept the way things are."
Jenny glared at Haven for a long moment. She could feel the bio-energy
coursing through her, pounding in her fingertips, demanding outlet.
Her throat was locked with pain and hate and her eyes stung from
the daggers she cast at the conceited blond bimbo staring back
at her. But Jenny retained her self-control, turned away from
Haven and stormed off down the street. As she walked away, Haven
smiled, a hard, joyless expression, and went on her own way.
Modora
Neither side can gain advantage now,
Larvox observed to his companions.
One thing at a time, Jordan
responded.
One thing's about all we got goin' for
us, Kilowog thought. The dome
ain't growin' anymore. What's next?
I
don't know, Jordan admitted.
We just have to hold the line until we think
of something.
In the distance, a pinpoint of golden light appeared. It grew
in size as it drew nearer, moving with an eerie fluidity through
the pale green tableau in which everything else was frozen. As
it approached, its shape became more distinct, finally recognizable
as a 1978 Dodge Charger, glowing in the yellow energy signature
of a Qwardian power ring. Behind the wheel of the car sat a grinning
Guy Gardner; beside him rode Kyle Rayner.
The Charger flew with mounting speed directly at the top of the
dome, bearing down on the two villains called Sonar. The golden
construct was unimpeded by the effects of the Green Lantern Corps
rings, due to their impurity rendering them impotent against the
color yellow. Gardner rammed the car into the younger Sonar and
continued downward, smashing a hole in the top of the green dome.
The elder Sonar fell through the dome as well.
Looks like the cavalry is here,
Jordan thought with relief. Apros, tell
everyone that this should be our last big push. We're going to
force that dome back!
Inside the dome, the Dodge Charger dissipated from around Rayner
and Gardner. Rayner was airborne, in full costume and sheathed
in Oan energy, while Gardner stood on the ground, wearing boots,
blue jeans and a leather jacket, brandishing his yellow ring at
the Sonars.
"Bwahahahaaaa!" Gardner crowed.
"I'll find Rot Lop Fan," Rayner announced, flying toward
the castle at the dome's point of origin. "You take care
of those goons."
"Not a problem," Gardner replied. To the father and
son regaining their feet, he said, "You been trumped, boys.
Your ultimate weapon's got a big old weakness, and I'm all over
it. Just call me the little yellow fly in your chardonnay."
"I'll call you an insect all right, blast you!" the
younger Sonar screamed. Shrill soundwaves tore through the air
from Sonar's fingertips toward Gardner, but Gardner leapt into
the air and evaded the attack.
"To the moon, Alice!" Gardner laughed, projecting a
golden Ralph Kramden directly before the younger Sonar. The energy
construct reached back, twirled its fist, and smashed an uppercut
into Sonar's jaw. The force of the blow knocked Sonar off his
feet, laying him out twenty yards away.
Gardner turned to face the cybernetic villain's father, who made
no motion to run or to fight. Gardner projected a yellow lariat
to snare the elder Sonar, and drew him closer. Sonar snarled,
"If you are so adept at fighting the power of a Green Lantern,
you had better turn your attention to the ones outside."
"Not in a million, Sony," Gardner scoffed. "Me
and the Lanterns, we're all on the same team here. I'm just their
insurance policy on occasions like this. I ain't helping you out.
Face it, you lost."
"We are all lost, if you do not heed me," Sonar continued
with unabated malice. "The dome is collapsing, but the nucleo-sonic
engine powered by the Green Lantern ring will continue to output
power to match the opposing force. It was not built to withstand
such pressures! A complete collapse of the dome will result in
an explosion as the engine overloads, and that explosion will
kill us all!"
Gardner scrutinized Sonar, attempting to determine if the villain
were telling the truth. Then his ring created an oversized blackjack
that rendered Sonar unconscious at a blow. Carrying the self-proclaimed
monarch, Gardner flew toward the castle to warn Rayner, as the
walls of the dome continued to close in.
A column rose up from the Modoran castle, a mixture of faint
green light and ultrasonic vibrations that Rayner could feel resonating
through his bones. Overhead the column reached a zenith and spread
outward in the shape of the dome of green noise the rest of the
Corps struggled against. Rayner strengthened his forcefield and
bashed through the gates of the castle. He followed the energy
signature of Rot Lop Fan's ring down into the subterranean levels
of the castle, to an unmarked room at the end of a dark corridor.
Rayner opened the door to the room and found Rot Lop Fan attached
to what appeared to be a combination medieval torture device and
hi-tech weapon. Surprisingly, Adam stood inside the room as well,
as if guarding over his fallen comrade.
"He has been drugged," Adam said
"Adam
how did you get in here?" Rayner asked.
"The doors of the castle were not locked. I imagine its
owners were not expecting visitors."
"No, I mean, how did you get inside the dome?"
"I was born inside the dome." Seeing Rayner's bewilderment,
Adam continued, "My father was killed by the expanding dome,
crushed into the earth which the dome now encompasses. Or so the
ring tells me."
"I'm gonna think that through later, when I can handle blowing
out a few brain cells," Rayner shook his head. "Right
now, let's get Rot Lop Fan loose and get out of here."
Rayner's power ring projected a half-dozen sprites with butterfly
wings, holding "jaws of life" tools. The sprites set
to Rot Lop Fan's bonds and severed them, and the pale alien slid
off the plank and into a cushioned chariot emanating from Adam's
ring. Rot Lop Fan's entire body seemed lifeless, but his ring
hand rose up and strained toward the device which took up the
back wall of the room. Emerald light and sound poured out of Rot
Lop Fan's ring.
Rayner's sprites attacked the column of energy itself, but had
no effect. Adam erected a wall of solid light between the device
and the unconscious Green Lantern; still the connection remained
unbroken.
"That machine must be destroyed," Adam concluded.
"No!" Gardner yelled as he entered the room. Indicating
his prisoner in tow, Gardner explained, "Sonar's got that
thing rigged to put out so much power, if you bust it the sonic
boom'll level the whole area. Oh, and Hal and the others outside
don't know it, but by fighting the dome they're liable to bust
it themselves."
"Then you should go out there and tell them," Rayner
suggested.
"Too late," Adam proclaimed, pointing at the device.
Its outer casing began to vibrate as if struggling to hold back
a raging flood. Unidentifiable sounds began to fill the air of
the room, layering on each other discordantly.
"Too late," Sonar agreed groggily from the corner of
the room. "At least Modora will be remembered as the final
resting place of the Green Lantern Corps
"
"Don't bet on it," Rayner retorted, aiming his ring
at the device and creating a protective cocoon around it. Gardner
turned his attention to Sonar, willing yellow restraints to form
around the villain's limbs, while Adam added his own power ring's
force to Rayner's.
"You fight at cross purposes with your own fellow Green
Lanterns," Sonar sneered. "To think, I used to be grateful
there was only one Green Lantern on the Earth. Now I see the liability
of greater numbers. Don't you agree?"
"Hardly," Rayner said curtly. "Adam, take over
for Guy." The alien with thistle-colored skin obliged, encasing
Sonar in new, green restraints.
"Guy, put some mittens on Rot Lop Fan," Rayner ordered
next.
"Kyle, you sure?" Gardner questioned.
"Positive," Rayner insisted. Already the restraining
wall around the device was changing under Rayner's mental command,
becoming faceted at irregular angles. Gardner nodded and pointed
his ring at Rot Lop Fan, encasing the flipper-like silicon hand
which bore the green ring in a golden sheath of energy. The flow
of light and sound from Rot Lop Fan's ring to the wall-length
device ceased. The device buckled as if suddenly compressing in
on itself, and then was blown apart as the Green Lantern Corps
completely beat back the dome.
At the instant of explosion a tapered tube extended from the
surface of Rayner's faceted enclosure. Then the device was gone,
utterly obliterated, even though the castle and its occupants
remained.
"Impossible
," Sonar gaped.
"Nothing's impossible," Rayner contradicted the villain.
"Being part of a whole, one of the Corps, isn't a liability.
It's an asset, the greatest one possible. We work together, we
back each other up. I thought I couldn't live up to something
that was bigger than myself," Rayner confessed, looking at
Adam and Gardner. "Now, I don't think I could live without
it."
"Well, all right," Gardner agreed. "Not that I'm
complaining, mind you, but
kid, what did you do? Why aren't
we all in a million vibrating pieces? My ears ain't even ringing."
"I channeled the sound," Rayner shrugged. "Deflected
it all into a wormhole that opened at the other end above the
atmosphere. You know, in space, no one can hear you scream
"
New York City
After delivering both Sonars to Interpol and accompanying the
Corps to the Citadel, making certain that Rot Lop Fan would recover
form his injuries, Kyle Rayner flew to New York as fast as he
could. He let himself into his apartment and closed the door behind
him. "Jen? Roomie? Hello-o-o-o?" No one answered him.
Rayner counted that as a blessing. If Jenny were out on an errand,
it would give him time to decompress on his own, and shift a little
more smoothly from ring-slinging mode to human interaction mode.
When she returned, they had a lot to talk about. Being a member
of the Green Lantern Corps was not the only aspect of his life
he had been afraid he couldn't live up to. Nor was it the only
one he couldn't live without.
Rayner made his way into the kitchen, heading for the refrigerator,
when a sheet of paper on the table caught his attention. He recognized
Jenny's handwriting instantly as he picked up the note. At least
now he would know where she had gone and how long he had to wait
for her to return. There might even be enough time to do something
special for her, a pleasant surprise to lead into the longer conversation.
Rayner read the note:
Dear Kyle - I never thought I'd write a note like this, especially
not to you, but life has a funny way of surprising us. I don't
think living together is such a good idea anymore. We don't
know what we want with each other. Things were crazy when
we kissed, and we've been spending all our time since then
trying to either justify it or get out from under it. It's
time to just let it go. I'm going to Apollyon City to be with
my dad and Molly. I feel it's okay to tell you that because
I'm not trying to cut you completely out of my life, but I
hope you'll respect my privacy. We both need this. Hope life
is good to you. Jenny.
Rayner sat down heavily in one of the forlorn kitchen chairs.
He read the note a second time, a third, and a fourth, but every
time the message was the same. She was gone.
NEXT ISSUE: The spotlight is on John
Stewart as he examines his role as "human Guardian"
and tries to establish understanding with the masters of the Green
Lanterns. Can human vision ever truly encompass the meaning of
becoming a Guardian of the Universe? Plus, an ending that will
lead directly into one of the most explosive storylines of the
year! Be here!
