Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, CA                              

"Man, I can't remember the last time overpriced hot dogs and beer tasted so good," Hal Jordan sighed contentedly, slouching in his seat in the left field Pavilion. The Dodgers were at bat in the bottom of the fifth, leading the Reds 4 to 2. L.A. was living up to its reputation for near-ideal weather, offering up a sunny, warm day for the baseball enthusiasts in attendance.

"Good thing Tegra's not here to hear you say that, Hal," Tom Kalmaku chided his friend. "If she thought her home cooking didn't measure up to ballpark slop, she'd be crushed."

"Aw, come on, Pieface, don't get me wrong," Jordan responded. "Dinner at your place last night was amazing. I wouldn't dream of disparaging your lovely wife."

"Darn good thing," Kalmaku smiled, elbowing Jordan.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you had yourself a quality idea when you suggested this manly outing, Pie. The smell of the grass, the sun on our faces, it all just feels ... good."

"I'll drink to that," Kalmaku agreed, raising a plastic cup full of suds. Jordan grinned and raised his own, and the two touched cups in a toast.

Shawn Green laid into a breaking curve ball, roping a line drive into shallow centerfield. The crowd roared exuberantly as Green rounded first, and Jordan and Kalmaku added their voices to the cheering. Green reached second safely, and the crowd noise diminished as the Reds' pitching coach emerged from the visitors' dugout and trudged toward the mound.

"Could be the Dodgers' year this year," Kalmaku commented.

"We say that every year, Pieface."

"Yeah, but still...," Kalmaku smiled, taking another sip of beer. He lowered the cup. "Could be."

"Peanuts! Peanuts!" a hawker cried, descending the staircase in Jordan and Kalmaku's section.

"Wow, I didn't think the roaming vendors made it out to the Pavilion," Jordan observed.

"See," Kalmaku nodded, "even the Dodgers know this is their year. Making sure every seat's a good seat."

"Right," Jordan laughed. The Reds' pitcher left the mound with the pitching coach, accompanied by jeers from many zealous Dodgers fans.

"Peanuts!" the hawker's voice boomed again, nearly on top of Jordan and Kalmaku. "Peanuts!"

"So, I let you talk me into giving Carol a little space," Jordan plied his friend.

"What happened to, 'This whole day feels so good, Tom you are so smart'?" Kalmaku asked.

"Come on, work with me here, buddy," Jordan continued. "What do you think I should do? There's gotta be a way to get Carol to see me for ... you know, for me. Just Hal."

"Peanuts!" the hawker cried, almost angrily. "Kalmaku!"

"I can't even remember the last time Carol saw you as Just Hal," Kalmaku shrugged.

"Ha-ha. Seriously, how'm I gonna get through to - "

"KALMAKU!" the hawker screamed. The two friends had been so engrossed they had not heard the first time the peanut vendor had called Kalmaku's name. Now they both turned toward the aisle, watching as a heavy-set man in a blue apron and blue ballcap swept paper bags of peanuts off the tray braced against his gut. The man unhooked the neck strap from the tray with one hand, while his other drew a blaster rifle from the bottom of the tray itself. The weapon was quickly aimed at Jordan and Kalmaku, and the hawker glowered at the two men over the rifle's sights. "No man escapes the Manhunters!"

People all around were clambering out of the bleachers at the sight of the enraged gunman. "Get down, Pie!" Jordan commanded, as a green band of light radiated outward from the ring on Jordan's right hand, transforming Jordan's t-shirt and chinos into his green, black and white costume. Jordan was floating above the seats an instant later, aiming his power ring at the would-be assassin. The Manhunter was momentarily taken aback by the appearance of the emerald gladiator, giving Jordan time enough to project a gigantic green baseball glove and scoop up his foe.

The game on the field came to an unplanned halt with Green Lantern's abrupt appearance in the left fields seats. The entire stadium watched as Jordan dumped a disarmed peanut vendor just behind the outfield wall. Jordan scanned the ballpark himself, searching for other agents of the Manhunter cult who might be lurking behind.

"Hal!" Kalmaku yelled urgently. "Heads up!"

Jordan spun in mid-air, facing the back of the stadium, and could see three Manhunter androids flying into the park.

                              Guardians Citadel, Coast City, CA                              

"Feel free at any point to commend me for sharing this important but embarrassing information," Kyle Rayner's phosphor visage implored from the Citadel monitor screen.

"You did the right thing, Kyle," John Stewart answered. "And there's nothing to be embarrassed about. It could happen to anyone." Stewart thought for a moment he could detect unspoken disapproval emanating from the Guardians flanking him, Wununu Werro Wa and Poggepgee Pego Pau.

"I got suckered by a pretty face, John. Again. Same thing happened to me in Qward, you know."

"Kyle, you've got to get past that. It happened, it's over. We'll deal with whatever remains to be dealt with," Stewart assured Rayner. "Now, you're still alive, even though this Haven had you dead to rights, so obviously you weren't the target."

"Yeah, and I've still got my ring, so ..." Rayner trailed off in mid-realization. "Aw, crap. Hang on, John." Rayner ceased willing his ring to act as a transceiver between himself and the Citadel, and the monitor screen faded to black.

"Kyle Rayner, once again, seems to lack the instincts of a warrior," Poggepgee said dispassionately.

"Ganthet chose him for other reasons," Wununu answered, with no real conviction.

In the depths of the Citadel, the Sciencell corridor was deathly still. Of the four prisoners contained in spherical holding chambers, only the White Martian T'Amm S'Amga, kept in a constantly fluid state by a metamorphic inhibitor frequency, moved noticeably. Despero and Evil Star remained in listless repose in their Sciencells, and the Durlan Deef Kibbuk stood at rigid attention due to the metamorphic lock affecting his own body. The corridor appeared devoid of activity.

At a smaller than molecular level, however, insidious forces were at work. The Starlings, Evil Star's diminutive helper drones, had split their indestructible bodies into smaller and smaller duplicating pairs, until millions upon millions of sub-atomic homunculi stood ready to follow their master's commands. Those commands, based on a plan agreed upon by the four prisoners of the Guardians, were now being enacted.

The particle stream of Starlings infiltrated the sub-basement of the Citadel, and entered the Sciencell of Deef Kibbuk. There the servants of Evil Star broke microscopic fragments away from the Durlan's extremities, and spirited them out of the Sciencell. In a few moments, a small pile of Durlan dust accumulated in the center of the corridor. The millions of Starlings recombined, until two dwarfs in blue and purple garb and star-shaped hoods stood on either side of the pile.

"Well done, my precious little ones," Evil Star whispered weakly, not even raising his head. The three other prisoners continued the plan, exerting their considerable mental powers on the granules of morphoplasmic material collected by the Starlings. The effects of the potent psionic combination were immediate. The fragments merged together, and became a tiny, writhing ball of green tentacles. The ball grew, the tentacles gaining mass and strength, until they stood as tall as the two Starlings. Then the color of the tentacles changed from green to pale blue, and seemed to melt together into a much more humanoid shape. A layer of red began to cover the blue, as the indistinct lines of the creation began to solidify. Then, where moments before a humble pile of dust had lain, a perfect replica of a Guardian of the Universe stood, turning its head slightly from side to side as if surveying a new world.

The artificial Guardian moved to the Sciencell containing Kibbuk, and pressed its wizened blue hand to the outer door, in the same way Despero had seen the Guardians do so when his fellow prisoners had been imprisoned. The twin apertures between the Sciencell and the corridor opened at the Guardian construct's touch. The two Starlings flew into the Sciencell, and carried the frozen Durlan out through the connecting structure to the corridor. Beyond the paralyzing broadcast of the metamorphic lock, Kibbuk began to flex his tentacles freely.

The Guardian construct crossed the corridor to T'Amm S'Amga's cell, and opened it as well. S'Amga flowed in a viscous wave out into the corridor, and immediately began rebuilding a suitable body. Soon the White Martian appeared in his natural state, a bestial biped creature with pale skin, a long tail, an elongated head and a mouth full of sharp teeth set beneath hate-filled eyes. The artificial Guardian, meanwhile, opened the dual doors of Despero's Sciencell, followed by Evil Star's. Despero lumbered out of his cell, and seemed to become larger inside the corridor, as repressed hatred and anger now fully experienced began to fill his body with power. Evil Star was helped out of his own Sciencell by the Starlings, leaning heavily on them as he staggered into the corridor.

The four former prisoners looked at each other, four beings unaccustomed to thanking or congratulating anyone other than themselves. Finally S'Amga broke the silence, hissing the thoughts in each of their minds.

"Freedom ... and revenge!"

"My battery's gone, John. That's what she came for. And it's not like the place was trashed, like she tore it apart looking for it. She knew right where to find it," Rayner reported through his ring in disbelief.

"Took the power source, not the weapon," Stewart nodded, trying to work the premise through to a logical conclusion in his mind. "So is there another weapon in waiting?"

"The woman will find it a most inconvenient power source," Poggepgee Pego Pau insisted. "The battery's own failsafes will ensure that. This is a trifling concern."

"Wally's never gonna let me live this down," Rayner shook his head. "That's not a trifling concern. More important, my ring may not have a 24-hour time limit, but it will burn through its charge eventually. I gotta get the battery back before then."

"Of course, Kyle Rayner," Wununu nodded, almost too deferentially.

"You'll get it back, Kyle," Stewart assured him. "Now, let's think this through. How much do you know about this neighbor of yo- - " The floor of the room exploded, interrupting Stewart, and amidst the flying green rubble Despero, Kibbuk and S'Amga burst into the room.

"John! What's going on?" Rayner demanded.

Despero, boiling with all-consuming loathing for the JLA, recognized the Green Lantern on the monitor, and charged toward it with fists raised and a primal scream issuing from the depths of his being. Stewart, Wununu and Poggepgee dove out of the rampaging monster's way, just before Despero struck the screen with both fists and reduced it to splinters of glass and metal.

The sounds of destruction drew the attention of others within the Citadel. Ganthet, Mikaba Mylla Mi, and the convalescing Rot Lop Fan* reached the room at a run, just as Evil Star and his Starlings were emerging from the jagged hole in the floor. T'Amm S'Amga spied Ganthet and grinned savagely, shifting shapes to his Zenturion form, a muscular humanoid in a white and blue costume with full facemask. A glowing blue shield appeared strapped to one of Zenturion's arms, and a crackling red and black lariat materialized in his other hand, with which the Martian snared the eccentric Guardian and began to reel him in.

(* Rot Lop Fan got worked over by Sonar and Sonar in GL 214 & 215 - TJB and DG)

Deef Kibbuk transformed as well, assuming the form of a mammoth beast, a collection of ungainly yellow bulges crowned with horns surrounding a cluster of red eyes, atop four incredibly powerful legs. At that moment Shilandra Thane flew into the room, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Guardians! Guardians! We are under attack!" As soon as she cleared the doorway, the Durlan kicked out at her with one oversized leg, smashing the fair warrior-woman Green Lantern into the wall.

John Stewart hurried to Shilandra Thane's side. "Yeah, we know we're under attack," he said.

"No ..." she protested, struggling to keep her large black eyes open as she shook off the effects of her collision with the wall. "Under attack ... outside ... Manhunters!"

                              Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, CA                              

Jordan hovered in the battle-ready position he had assumed so many times before: legs spread slightly, one knee lifted, his left hand making a warding gesture toward the approaching Manhunter androids, his right hand drawn back in a fist crowned by his glowing green power ring. Fearlessness allowed him to calmly wait for the Manhunters to make the first move, and react accordingly.

The Manhunters appeared less uniform than Jordan remembered, although they still each wore crimson armor with deep blue trim and two of them had faces of pale blue. Flying point was an android nearly seven feet tall, with a wiry, non-muscular build. It seemed to cruise through the air in stutters, flying ahead quickly, stopping suddenly, flying ahead again. To its left was a slightly shorter android whose body was emaciated and skeletal, and its face was painted black. On the right corner of the formation was a Manhunter android of nearly senseless design. Its head was shifted off-center to sit atop its right shoulder, which was massively oversized to match the muscular bulk of the right arm. The left arm, by contrast, was elongated, as were the fingers of the left hand. The legs of the Manhunter android were approximately symmetrical, but the right leg was turned backwards.

As Jordan regarded the curious collection of androids, the Manhunter in the central position of the formation spoke. "::Unit : Nahnsenz : will : engage : Green : Lantern::. ::Unit : Morbo : and : I : will : proceed : to : eliminate : primary : target : Kalmaku::." The Manhunter android sounded like a person with breathing difficulty, and forced each word out.

"::Agreed : Unit : Anx::," the skeletal Manhunter android replied, its robotic voice eerily cadaverous, "::so : long : as : I : deliver : the : killing : blow::."

"::Purple .:.: morning:: look..;; ::00at .;. me..:: ::: Spoobly :; :deeble :..: ::dee;:!" the mismatched android Nahnsenz cried, as Morbo and Anx dove for the Pavilion seats. Nahnsenz unhooked a red power baton from his belt and brandished it at Jordan.

Jordan turned his back on Nahnsenz, erecting a green forceshield behind him. Should be able to withstand Nahnsenz's attack without looking - androids tend to be unimaginative. That'll give me enough time to pick off the other two going after Tom ...

Jordan's thoughts were interrupted by a tsunami of red energy washing over his forceshield and sweeping him through the air. He could only make out a few shapes in the crimson tumult. One appeared to be a giant pretzel of striped plumbing looping back on itself at all ends. Others looked like animals made in the same mold as Nahnsenz: a dog with its legs coming out of its ears and nose, a headless cow with wheels instead of hooves, a feathered fish. The rest of the images in the energy wave were even more bizarre. They had distinct, complex shapes and seemed to serve some function, but their strangeness precluded Jordan from comprehending them.

Morbo and Anx approached Kalmaku under the rapid thrust of their bootjets, as Ferris Aircraft's lead mechanic watched his best friend buffeted by a storm of scarlet madness. Kalmaku dove into the aisle and grabbed the blaster rifle dropped by the Manhunter agent moments before. He raised it quickly and fired wildly at the two incoming androids, who split off course to avoid the searing blasts.

Morbo spied several fans still trying to evacuate to Pavilion. The bone-thin android grabbed a hapless middle-aged man who was slowed by his excessive consumption of beer throughout the game. Morbo lifted the man with one hand, and punched the man's chest with the other, hard enough to crater half of the man's rib cage. Blood-tinged spittle flew from the man's mouth. As his heart struggled with the final, labored beats of the man's life, Morbo stared intently into the man's eyes, enraptured. A deviant smile formed on the Manhunter's android mouth. "::Enjoy : the : beauty : of : death::, ::human::."

From the other side of the aisle, Anx narrowed his eyes in frustration. He called for his counterpart in a mechanical bellow, "::Unit : Morbo::! ::Save : your : death : urge : for : primary : target : Kalmaku::!"

Kalmaku braced himself for the assault.

                              Guardians Citadel, Coast City, CA                              

The majority of the Corps occupied the training grounds of the Citadel complex when the attack came. Kilowog had finished putting the rest of the Green Lanterns through a gauntlet of training exercises as five Manhunter androids flew into sight. The lead android was solidly built with an almost grotesquely muscular frame. To his left flew an average-sized android with thick limbs, and to his far left, a squat midget Manhunter android with a red patch over one missing eye. On the lead's right was a much thinner android whose head hung low between hunched shoulders. The android's eyes bulged out from its head and wrapped around the sides, nearly meeting again in the back, and robotic pupils scanned constantly across their surfaces. At the V-formation's far right was a Manhunter android about the same size and build as an adolescent human boy.

"::Units : Parranoyt : and : Greeve : acquire : target : Guardians::. ::Units : Spyte : and : Oblige : engage : Green : Lanterns : with : me::," the lead Manhunter commanded.

"::Affirmative::, ::Unit : Rager::," the four other androids responded in unison. The thick-limbed Manhunter and the bug-eyed Manhunter broke formation and crashed through the walls of the Citadel's upper levels. The strongman, midget, and youngish Manhunters dove for the assembled Green Lanterns below.

"Awright, I wanna see some major four-on-ones!" Kilowog barked. The weary Green Lanterns began to cluster into trios and quartets. Almost too fast to react to, Rager barreled into their ranks, and delivered a bone-shattering haymaker on Shilandra Thane. Her emerald forcefield protected her from serious harm as her body hurtled through the air and into the Citadel itself.

Zghithii, Galius Zed, Adam and Tuebeen moved to surround the midget Spyte. Two emerald cannons mounted themselves on Zghithii's serpentine tail, flanking his power ring and aimed at the android. Galius Zed landed firmly on his three legs and leveled a solid green light cudgel at the Manhunter. A flaming jade broadsword appeared in Adam's hands, while Tuebeen's power ring began generating a full set of restraint chains.

Spyte turned in circles like a cornered animal. With lightning speed the diminutive Manhunter pulled a yellow-bladed vibrodagger from the rear of its belt and lunged at Zghithii. Emerald cannons blazed, but Spyte was inside their minimum range, and in one stroke severed the tip of Zghithii's tail with the vibrodagger. The cannons dissolved, along with the forcefield enveloping Zghithii's body. Spyte raised his free hand at Zghithii's reptilian head and unleashed an energy barrage that flayed the scales from Zghithii's skull, while at the same time hurling the vibrodagger backwards at Adam, where it struck true in the center of the pale purple alien's chest. As Zghithii and Adam each fell lifeless to the ground, Spyte grabbed Zghithii's power ring and soared into the air, evading the twin attack of Galius Zed's cudgel and Tuebeen's restraints.

Oblige remained high overhead, raining down an energy deluge upon Chaselon, Apros, Stel, Salaak, and Voz. The solid sheets of energy kept the Lanterns pinned down, even as green constructs chiseled, slashed and burned a slowly increasing path toward the Manhunter android. Spyte flew past Oblige and flipped Zghithii's power ring toward his comrade. "::Souvenir::, ::Unit : Oblige::." Oblige caught the ring with one hand, casually slipped it into his belt, and resumed smothering the Green Lanterns with energy.

"Xax! Larvox! Get up high and see if you can sandwich in any o' the Manhunters fightin' the ground troops," Kilowog commanded urgently. "Medphyll! Hollika! Go after the Manhunters inside the Citadel!" The tiny grasshopper and the giant bacterium raised their rings and shot into the sky to lend air support. The vegetative, frond-haired alien and the woman with deep pink skin and a black mohawk sailed up to the top of the Citadel in pursuit of the invading Manhunters. Kilowog led Umburu of Z'Nang, Brik and M'Dahna toward Rager, whose robotic body seemed to heave with bloodlust. The big alien from Bolivax Vik sized up his opponent, who was nearly as big as he. "Ready t'take yer best shot, poozer?"

Rager answered with a berserker scream and launched himself at Kilowog.

Medphyll and Hollika Rahn quickly navigated the hallways and stairwells of the Citadel and reached the maelstrom of the monitor room. Chaos reigned in the cramped chamber. Near the shattered remains of the monitor screen, Despero battled against John Stewart and Rot Lop Fan. The pale, frog-like alien's power ring generated a birdlike creature that clawed at Despero's head and emitted piercing shrieks. Stewart fired pure green energy blasts at the roaring purple giant, who grabbed huge chunks of debris within his reach and hurled them at Stewart and Rot Lop Fan indiscriminately. A short distance from them the Manhunter android called Parranoyt grappled with Zenturion, who held Ganthet suspended in a red and black energy noose. Zenturion maintained his grip on the noose even as Parranoyt grabbed the White Martian by the knees and flung him up viciously into the ceiling. In the middle of the room, Shilandra Thane defended herself against Deef Kibbuk, who had taken the form of a gigantic, ten-legged insect, and the Manhunter android Greeve. Greeve moved slowly, firing dark energy blasts with melancholy determination, while Kibbuk attacked recklessly. Thane's ring projected a titanic warhammer to crush Kibbuk, and the Durlan instantly shrank to a size too small to be seen and disappeared into the floor. In the far corner of the chamber, four Guardians huddled together and observed the free-for-all melee.

As Medphyll and Hollika Rahn entered the monitor room, two Starlings helped Evil Star ascend through the jagged hole in the floor. Looking around at the intense combat, Evil Star shouted, "No more! No more fighting! All I wanted was my freedom, to seek the stars!" With that the Aoran scientist unleashed his final reserve of Starband energy to blow an escape route through the ceiling, and he and his Starlings flew out swiftly.

"Evil Star, you fool!!!" Despero shouted. "What about revenge?" In that moment of distraction, Rot Lop Fan willed his sonic bird to spread its wings and explode in a cacophony of noise, which overwhelmed Despero completely. As the purple giant lost mental focus, Stewart was able to deliver a potent blast of Guardian energy and put Despero down for the count. Despero hit the floor heavily.

Shilandra Thane turned her giant warhammer on Greeve, as Hollika Rahn projected a massive emerald anvil directly behind the Manhunter android. The warhammer crushed the Manhunter between its head and the anvil's surface, and as each construct shrank back into its respective power ring, a pile of sparking, convulsing red and blue scrap metal was left lying on the floor.

Medphyll wrapped both Zenturion and Parranoyt in thick tangles of green energy thorns, which snaked down Zenturion's arm to his lariat and severed the energy noose. Ganthet rolled away from the Martian, rubbing his bruised neck.

Parranoyt's eyes roved in their sockets wildly. "::You : are : all : out : to : get : me::. ::I : will : not : be : stopped::. ::I : will : achieve : the : primary : objective::." The android activated a yellow flare, which bathed the room in blinding light and allowed Parranoyt to escape his bonds. The Manhunter rocketed toward John Stewart, nearly cracking Stewart's skull with a fist to the temple. Parranoyt gathered Stewart under his arm as the Green Lanterns' vision cleared. Rot Lop Fan, sightless and immune to the flare, fired high-decibel grenades at the zooming Manhunter android, but Parranoyt was able to stay ahead of the attacks.

Literally looking over both shoulders with alternating robot eyes, Parranoyt swerved toward the Guardians in the corner, grabbed the nearest one, and flew out of the room. A second Manhunter android emerged from the shadows behind the Guardians, grabbed another small, red-robed figure, and followed Parranoyt out through the chamber ceiling. An energy blast from above caved in more of the Citadel structure and blocked the escape route from pursuers.

Zenturion's glowing blue shield sliced through Medphyll's energy thorns and he was free. He adopted a battle stance and beckoned, "Come to your deaths at my hands, Green Lanterns!"

"Not today," Hollika Rahn answered. Her ring projected a solid beam of green light toward the wreckage of Greeve and slid it along the floor to Zenturion's feet. She then narrowed the beam of light to laser intensity, and the materials of the Manhunter's body ignited. Flames leapt up at the White Martian, who shrieked in pain. Twin blows from Medphyll and Shilandra Thane deprived Zenturion of consciousness.

Two Manhunter androids burst out of the uppermost level of the Citadel. Xax and Larvox aimed bolts of solid green light at the figures carrying Stewart and two other Guardians, but in the process lost track of Spyte. The midget Manhunter's fiery energy blasts crashed into Xax and Larvox, knocking their aim askew and shoving them through the sky. Spyte's lone eye gleamed malevolently.

On the ground, Rager bashed away all assaults from the Green Lanterns surrounding him. Umburu, M'Dahna and Brik intensified the volleys of weapon constructs, but to no avail. Desperately, Kilowog threw himself bodily at the Manhunter, wrapping his massive fingers around the android's metal neck. Rager growled ferally and tensed his bulging arms. Wicked yellow spikes popped out of the android's knuckles, and Rager jabbed them into Kilowog's arms. Kilowog howled and let go. Rager flew to join his fellow Manhunters in the sky, sweeping past M'Dahna and gashing one of her manta-like wings with his yellow knuckle-spikes as he departed.

Oblige laid down a monstrous blanket of solid energy, pinning down all of the Green Lanterns, cracking the superstructure of the Citadel and buckling the very ground of the affected area. With all the Manhunter androids assembled, their bootjets propelled them away at maximum thrust, and they disappeared.

                              Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, CA                              

Hal Jordan allowed himself to ride the current of incongruous energy images. He shot a stream of emerald light in the same direction as the scarlet tide, and as it outraced the madness the green light doubled back toward the Manhunter Nahnsenz. As the light made contact with the baton-wielding android, it wrapped itself around Nahnsenz as an emerald straitjacket, pulling the Manhunter's mismatched arms under each other so that the baton was aimed away from Jordan. The flood of incoherent symbols abated immediately.

Jordan turned his attention to the Pavilion. Kalmaku was running down a row of seats, hunching low to make himself as small a target as possible. Morbo and Anx took aim with their robotic hands and let fly intense energies, exploding the plastic seats just behind Kalmaku. Morbo's blasts were precise, while Anx's were agonizingly hurried.

Trust me, here, Pieface, Jordan thought to himself. His power ring projected a light so pale it was nearly invisible, and the light permeated Kalmaku's entire body. Kalmaku fell to the concrete surface of the Pavilion, unmoving.

"::Life : sensor : scans : show : no : heartbeat : or : brain : activity : in : primary : target : Kalmaku::," Morbo announced with cold satisfaction.

"::Mission : accomplished::," Anx agreed. Louder, he continued, "::Unit : Nahnsenz::, ::target : is : terminated::. ::This : mission : is : at : an : end::."

":;:Glabba...:: glabba0;:;0!!" Nahnsenz answered. Tiny images of physical non-sequitors slid under the emerald straitjacket and began to grow. The restraint bulged and expanded until Nahnsenz was propelled through the distended neckhole on a crimson geyser of impossibilities. Nahnsenz joined Morbo and Anx and the three Manhunters flew off at top speed.

Jordan dove to Kalmaku's side. "Pie? Tom, can you hear me?" Jordan demanded, shaking his friend by the shoulders.

Kalmaku's eyes fluttered open. "Hal...? What...?"

Jordan almost smiled. "A few seconds of power ring induced suspended animation threw the Manhunters off your trail. Now you need to get out of here and lay low, while I figure out what's going on."

"How are you ... gonna do that?" Kalmaku asked weakly.

"Same way I always do," Jordan responded grimly. "Stopping at nothing to get answers." In an emerald burst Jordan flew up out of the Pavilion and down to the outfield wall, where the Manhunter agent who had attacked him and Kalmaku was just rousing himself.

                              Guardians Citadel, Coast City, CA                              

Kyle Rayner could hardly believe his eyes. He flew toward the remains of the Citadel, which had practically been razed to the ground. Half of the structure had been reduced to rubble that lay strewn across the earth, while the other half was cracked with fissures from which tendrils of smoke issued forth. Rayner landed among the Green Lanterns and Guardians assembled in the ruined courtyard. Chaselon tended to Kilowog and M'Dahna near the base of the Citadel's remains. Brik and Voz were finishing building a cairn of rocks a respectful distance away. Most of the rest of the Green Lanterns stood with Mikaba Mylla Mi and Wununu Werro Wa in the center of the courtyard. Ganthet remained isolated from the rest at the far wall of the courtyard.

Rayner approached Salaak. "I ... I got here as fast as I could," Rayner explained. "What the hell happened?"

Salaak exhaled heavily. "The prisoners in the Sciencells effected an escape while a group of Manhunters laid siege to the Citadel. Truthfully those of us still alive are lucky to be so."

Rayner cursed inwardly. Note to self: never ask the Eeyore of the Corps 'what happened.' Rayner pressed on in spite of his reservations, "How bad was it?"

Salaak crossed his two pairs of arms meditatively. "You can see the extent of the physical damage to the Citadel well enough. Despero and T'Amm S'Amga were recaptured and returned to the Sciencells, which were undamaged. Evil Star and Deef Kibbuk escaped in the battle." Salaak pointed at the cairn of rocks. "Zghithii was killed by a Manhunter. Adam was, as well, but death seems always a temporary condition for him thanks to his reincarnative abilities. Zghithii, not so fortunate, is now laid to rest."

Salaak gestured toward Chaselon. "Kilowog and M'Dahna were injured, but not gravely. One Manhunter was destroyed within the Citadel; the rest made good their escape."

Rayner nodded and looked around the courtyard. "Where's John?" he asked.

Salaak shook his long, violet-skinned head. "He is wherever our two missing Guardians are. Captured by the Manhunters."

Rayner uttered a few words that mixed a curse and a prayer, and tried not to succumb to the despair embodied by the scene of destruction all around him.

TO BE CONTINUED...!

NEXT ISSUE: The Manhunter War is underway! The former servants continue their relentless campaign against their masters the Guardians and all of their works. The Corps fights on multiple fronts and tries to ascertain the master plan of the Manhunters. Plus, a special guest appearance by Alan Scott!