Last Time: Fired and drunk
ex-test pilot Hal Jordan's world suddenly turns upside down as he is
drafted into an intergalactic army of ring-wielding gladiators: the
Green Lantern Corps! Alongside Abin Sur he takes his first
tentative steps towards learning the powers of the greatest weapon ever
created and what his role would be. But too soon he is thrown
into conflict, a war started by the interstellar tyrant, Mongol and Hal
Jordan's baptism of fire began against the Manhunters!
“Manhunters,” Hal Jordon said a blank look on his face.
“What the hell is a Manhunter?”
He made sure to keep his distance from the bizarre, purple-skinned man
with pointy ears. A few minutes ago he had been flying through the air,
dodging blaster fire from robots in red armor just after this alien had
showed up and shoved a ring on his finger. He chanced a glance at the
green ring, wondering if he had been on that big of a bender for all of
this to be in his head.
“It would take a lifetime to tell you their tale,” the
alien replied. He had called himself Abin Sur, but Hal wasn’t
sure if that was a first or a last name. “Suffice it to say that
they are killers of the worst kind, and for the foreseeable future it
would seem that they have centered their attention on you.”
“And do I have you to
thank for that?” Hal held up his right hand so that his palm
faced his own face and the ring on the opposite side was presented to
Abin Sur. “Are those bastards trying to kill me because you gave
me this damn thing?”
“Please lower your voice.”
Hal’s eyes went wide and he spread his arms open. He spun around
once, slowly, taking in the miles and miles of desert sand around them.
A few rocky crags jutted up from the dunes as well as a few random
selections of desert fauna. Moments ago he had been nearly killed while
soaring over a Podunk town, but now Abin Sur had led him deep into the
desert where they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“Why?” Hal shot back. “Because the lizards might get
upset? Listen, Spock, you really
need to start explaining yourself and you really need to do it fast.”
The cool demeanor of the alien didn’t show even a small sign of
cracking. He looked confident and capable, like a soldier. He stared at
Hal, his gaze never wavering. He showed great control over his emotions
considering the aerial battle they had just been subject to.
Hal had been a fighter pilot for a number of years, but only a handful
of times had he been involved in an actual dogfight. They were never
clean and they were rarely successful for both sides of the conflict.
An incident just over the border in Afghanistan had left him shaken
enough that when his tour was over the only work he wanted to do as a
pilot was to test experimental aircraft. He never wanted to leave the
air, but he didn’t have the stomach to kill ever again. His shame
for what had happened had driven him to drink, perhaps a little too
much, seeing as he had just lost his job over it.
Flying under the power of the ring was different, though. He felt
fearless again. He felt like nothing could ever knock him out of the
skies again, which is why he needed to know just what the hell had
happened to him in the last fifteen minutes.
“The Manhunters were indeed sent to kill you because of the ring
that was bestowed upon you,” Abin Sur said. “I will explain
everything you need to know, but you will lower your voice. You have
been drafted, Hal Jordon, and you are addressing a superior officer.
You used to know something of respect, as I understand it. You will
show me that respect.”
Hal’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t lash out with a reply.
He looked down at the green and black uniform that had somehow been
projected onto him, and then again at the green ring on his finger.
“What is this thing and why did you give it to me?”
“I was merely the deliverer of your power ring, Hal Jordon. I did
not choose you as a wielder of this awesome responsibility. That ring
is the most powerful weapon that the universe has ever known and it is
my job to ensure you have the willpower to control it. We don’t
have much time, as Mongul has already made his first move. You’re
about to get a crash course in ring-slinging.”
The ring on Abin Sur’s finger flashed green and the desert was
suddenly gone. In place of sand was black space and the stars overhead
had multiplied by the thousands. Planets swirled around them as if they
were suddenly being transported across the cosmos, even though they
were both standing completely still.
The sudden vision disoriented Hal and he became nauseous, something
that hadn’t happened to him since his first day in the cockpit of
a training jet. Once his brain realized that his feet were firmly
planted on Earth and that the images he saw were nothing more than a
three-dimensional light show the nausea began to pass.
A single planet expanded into view and came to rest between them. It
looked strikingly similar to Earth, although there was much more, green
landmass.
“This,” Abin Sur said, “is Oa. It is at the center of
the universe, both known and unknown. It is where the Guardians hail
from and where the Honor Guard of the Green Lantern Corps resides,
sworn to protect the great Power Battery.”
The planet enlarged to such detail that Hal knew what it would look
like if he ejected from a plane when in the stratosphere and fell
straight down. The zoom effect continued until Hal was blasting through
an enormous city, which centered a towering green structure that looked
like two opposing cones sandwiching a cylinder with a hole taken out of
the center.
He glanced at his chest and saw the symbol on his newly acquired
uniform, matching it to the design of the structure.
“That’s the Power Battery,” Hal said. Somehow he knew
he was right.
“Indeed. This is where the green element is kept, which empowers
the rings of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Your ring is a shard of
that element, broken away from yet still undeniably connected to the
one Battery. With this ring you are tasked to carry the heaviest burden
one can possibly imagine.”
The image shifted and they were somewhere else on Oa, inside a large
amphitheatre surrounded by hundreds of blue-skinned men with white hair
and red robes. “These are the Guardians,” Abin Sur
continued. “Our commanders. They are delegates to an infinite
number of worlds, keepers of peace within the universe. It is they who
collectively chose you, Hal Jordon, to bear the ring and become a Green
Lantern.”
“That’s what I am now? A Green Lantern? What’s that,
like a space cowboy?”
“Allow me to use a situation you would comprehend. If the
Guardians are the delegates then the Green Lanterns are what you might
call the Secret Service. We are their protectors, their enforcers, and
their emissaries.”
“Sounds like an intergalactic Marine Corps, only more
political.”
“That is a fairly accurate assumption,” Abin Sur responded.
“If not slightly misguided. The Green Lanterns are authorized to
act on an individual basis if need be, but each Lantern is assigned to
a Guardian in the field.”
“Okay, so why did they choose me in the first place?”
The amphitheatre vanished and they were back in the desert again,
having never moved an inch even though Hal’s senses had told him
otherwise. “The Guardians are not prone to sharing their secrets
with the Lanterns,” Abin Sur explained. “I was merely sent
to give you the ring and show you how to properly wield it.
You’ll need its power soon enough.”
“Because of something this Mongul guy did? That’s what you
said, right? That he made some kind of first move.”
“Mongul is a terrorist who thinks himself above the
Guardians’ jurisdiction. He hates them for placing him into exile
centuries ago, but he has somehow found a way back. He has already
killed one Lantern, the very Lantern whose ring you now possess. He
will not stop until all of us are dead. He is coming here and has sent
the Manhunters as the forbearers of his presence.”
“So those red robots were his security personnel. Got it. Well,
you kicked their asses easily enough, right? This Mongul can’t be
so tough.”
“He is the worst menace that the universe has ever known,”
Abin Sur said. “It took the entire Honor Guard to place him under
arrest in a siege that took place over three of your Earth weeks. He is
close, he is coming here, and he will not rest until you, and all of
the Green Lanterns, are dead.”
“Well, thanks but no thanks. I draw the line at interstellar
terrorists trying to kill me for a reason that has nothing to do with
me.” Hal yanked on the ring to remove it, but it didn’t
budge. It stayed in place just below his second knuckle as if glued
there. “What…what the hell!”
“As I said,” Abin Sur stated. “You have been drafted.
Now, let’s begin your training.”
“Push the engines to the maximum. I want to reach Earth as soon
as possible.”
A yellow-skinned warrior, bulky with thick ropes of muscles, stared at
the viewscreen on the bridge of his commandeered starship. The stars
were nothing but blurs of light at the speed the ship was moving,
creating a unique tunnel vision that was both mesmerizing and relaxing.
The red-armored Manhunter androids worked the controls of the massive
starship, following his commands the moment they were uttered.
“We will arrive ahead of anticipated schedule, Lord
Mongul,” one of the Manhunters replied.
Mongul smiled and clasped his hands behind his back. After centuries in
exile, he had finally stumbled across the means to not only return him
to Oa, but to grant him the power to finally kill the Guardians and
their wretched police force, the Green Lanterns. If he believed in
destiny he would have sworn that fate had guided him to the one thing
that could actually kill his enemies.
Ironically, just as soon as he had discovered the treasure it had
nearly driven him insane. Only the will of Mongul could keep his new
weapon under control. Only his guiding hand could utilize it for its
true purpose.
He had killed one Green Lantern already, having stumbled upon him by
chance on his way to Earth. It had proven a success test of his new
power. The Lantern had fallen easily enough and Mongul had taken great
pleasure in killing a member of the Honor Guard, a feat that the
Guardians were sure to take seriously.
“Any word from the first wave I sent ahead?”
“None, Lord Mongul,” a Manhunter behind he replied.
“Their broadcast signals have been lost. It is a reasonable
estimate that they have been destroyed.”
Mongul frowned. He had anticipated that the Guardian there would be
trouble, especially considering what Guardian was stationed on Earth,
but he held out hope that the old man had been killed.
He picked up one of the power staffs that he had fashioned as weapons
for the Manhunters, wishing that he could touch what was housed within.
He wouldn’t dare, however. He had learned his lesson already. It
must never come into contact with him, or any other creature, which was
why the Manhunters were so perfect as his minions. Their robotic minds
could never be overwhelmed by the source of power inside.
He looked at the viewscreen again, watching the stars blur by at
amazing speed. Soon he would be on Earth, and he would crush a Guardian
beneath his feet before moving on to Oa.
“Focus your will, use it to bolster your construct!” Abin
Sur ordered.
Emerald light rocketed out of Abin Sur’s power ring, splashing
against the medieval style shield that Hal had erected in defense. They
slowly spun around each other in the air as one attacked while the
other defended.
When it was Hal’s turn to disrupt Abin Sur’s attack he felt
drained, both mentally and physically. He found that his own
determination in executing the manipulation of the ring was critical.
Without sufficient willpower he wouldn’t be able to create a
basic shield as opposed to anything more complicated.
The beam of solid green energy shoved him back in the air, but his
defense held. Abin Sur had easily broken through it several times
already, showing Hal that the ring couldn’t be picked up and used
like a normal weapon. It would take intense training, focus, and
discipline to use it to its full potential.
“You take naturally to the air,” Abin Sur commented. His
eyes narrowed and his energy beam grew in thickness as well as
forcefulness. “You seem well suited to most maneuvers. You should
be proud, Hal Jordon. Not all of my recruits do this well on their
first day.”
“I’ve always been an overachiever.”
“Is that what you were doing in that cesspool I found you outside
of? Achieving something?”
Anger splashed against Hal’s fortitude and his focus went lax.
The shield wavered and Abin Sur’s attack shoved through, blasting
Hal head over heels until he smashed down into a sand dune.
Abin Sur gently floated down beside him, saying, “Focus, Jordon.
You cannot let your judgment become impaired and you cannot afford to
let your emotions run rampant with your concentration. It could very
well mean the end of you.”
“It’s my first day on the job,” Hal replied.
“I’ll get the hang of it.”
Abin Sur’s power ring flashed three times in quick, short bursts.
He raised his fist in front of his face and a green hologram formed
just over the ring. Hal saw the back of someone’s head form and,
oddly enough, begin talking to Abin Sur.
“Green Lantern 2813,” the head spoke. “Your immediate
assistance is required at the embassy.”
“Is this an emergency?” Abin Sur inquired.
“Mongul has—”
The hologram faltered for a moment and the head turned to one side, as
if the person the head belonged to had been suddenly surprised or
distracted. Hal saw the thin lines in the man’s features, as well
as thick eye brows and a receding hair line at the front of his wavy
hair.
The head winced in pain and the image faltered again before
disappearing altogether.
“What just happened?” Hal asked as he stood up.
“The Guardian delegate for Earth has just come under attack. In
all probability Mongul has already arrived on your planet.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yes, that’s very bad.”
Hal hopped into the air and a green sheen instantly surrounded him. He
hovered there for a moment, looking directly into Abin Sur’s
purple face. “Then let’s move,” he said. “I
might be new to this whole thing but I get the gist of it. He’s
the bad guy and we’re the good guys. So, let’s go be the
good guys and kick the bad guy’s ass.”
Abin Sur smirked and then rocketed away into the air. Hal Jordon
concentrated on his ring and exerted an effort of will to follow him,
ripping through the clouds and sky like an emerald thunderbolt.
Abin Sur led him across the Nevada border and began to gain speed
rapidly. Hal struggled to keep up, but managed to keep Abin Sur in
sight. As bizarre as the whole occurrence was, he found that he was
actually enjoying it. While certain danger awaited he maintained a
carefree attitude, which he attributed to his brain’s way of
keeping the panic and fear at a minimum.
“Jordon,” a voice said in his head. It was Abin Sur, using
their rings to speak with him mentally. It was the first thing the
alien had shown him in the desert. “We’re nearing our
destination. Follow my lead and do not, under any circumstances, leave
the Guardian’s side.”
“The Guardians have an embassy on Earth? I’d think that
would stand out, you know, aliens having a place to hang out and
all.”
“Earth has been at the center of several intergalactic conflicts
over the years,” Abin Sur replied. “However, the Guardians
believe that the populace is not yet mature enough to be welcomed into
the Federation of Planets. The Guardians operate incognito so as not to
spook your elected officials.”
“I think the INS would be the most curious.”
“We’re here. Focus, Jordon, and you’ll come out of
this alive.”
Hal followed Abin Sur down through the clouds and saw a sprawling city
laid out under him. He recognized a few of the landmarks and exclaimed,
“Hey! That’s Coast City! I lost my vir—”
“Focus!”
Abin Sur descended toward the city, his green aura reflecting the night
lights. Hal dove down after him, chasing him toward downtown. Abin Sur
pulled up short just above a white building that looked as unimportant
as any other apartment complex. Just when Hal was about to say
something, he noticed the large hole that had been ripped into the side
of the building. People on the street were fleeing away, panicked and
screaming.
With brazen courage, Abin Sur flew through the hole and entered the
apartment building. Hal looked at his ring, took in a deep breath, and
followed his new mentor.
FWASH!
Sizzling energy cut through the air, barely missing Hal. He
barrel-rolled to one side, narrowly avoiding the blast. He formed the
same shield he had used before in front of him as he flew down into the
apartment.
Inside a pair of Manhunters were duking it out with Abin Sur. The Green
Lantern cocked his fist back, formed a spiked glove around it, and then
punched through the head of one of the Manhunters. Wiring and sparks
flew everywhere, dousing the floor in bits of red-armored android.
“Jordon, secure the Guardian!” Abin Sur ordered as he
dodged a blast from the second Manhunter’s staff. He pointed to
one side of the apartment and Hal flew by him in that direction.
The apartment itself was fairly normal, not at all anything that he
would have expected when thinking of an alien embassy. Tan carpet lined
the floor, books were stacked neatly on a shelf, and a stack of mail
was on a table beside the front door.
It wasn’t until he flew by the kitchen that he began to see the
apartment for what it really was. Portions of the normal kitchen were
replaced by a growing distortion, as if the light were bending in
certain places. At the center of those distortions were dark, gray
walls, some of which had sophisticated equipment attached to them.
Hal remembered the desert and the illusion that he had been whipped
through space to Oa. He reasoned that the entire building must have
been camouflaged so as not to attract attention, which went along with
what Abin Sur had told him about Earth not being ready for alien
occupants.
He reached the end of the hallway and turned the corner, seeing more
and more distortions along the way. Soon the hallway wasn’t a
corridor of plaster and drywall, but a smooth, seamless entryway made
of metal.
He came upon a chamber at the end of the hallway and entered, readying
his power ring for whatever was inside. He saw a man kneeling in the
center of the chamber and recognized him as the man that had spoken
with Abin Sur through his ring. Behind him, standing as an executioner,
was a Manhunter. The red robot held the tip of his staff to the back of
the Guardian’s head and it was brimming with energy.
“Back off!” Hal screamed as he pointed his ring at the
Manhunter.
A lance of green energy shot from the ring and impaled the Manhunter
through the chest, knocking it back from the Guardian. The staff it
held was thrown to the side. The Manhunter stumbled and fell against
the wall. A hole as large as a watermelon had been opened up in the
robot’s torso, with wires and circuits spilling out.
Hal flew to the Guardian’s side. He bent over and reached out a
hand, saying, “I’m Hal. I’m here to help…I
think.”
“Yes,” the Guardian replied as he took Hal’s hand.
“Yes, I do believe you are, Green Lantern.”
As soon as the smaller man took Hal’s hand, a distortion took
place around him just like Hal had seen in the building. The cloaked
visage of a normal human guise dropped and Hal was slightly taken aback
to discover that the man’s skin had turned sky blue and his hair
pale white. His forehead widened until his own head dwarfed his
shoulders and he somehow looked smaller now.
“Elim…eliminate…” the Manhunter choked as it
tried to peel itself from the wall.
The hole Hal had punched through its chest was beginning to shrink and
the wiring was pulled back into the red armor casing. Hal recalled what
Abin Sur had told him upon their first encounter with the android
soldiers, realizing that they would only rebuild themselves unless he
utterly obliterated them.
“We must hurry,” the Guardian said. “We only
have—”
“Hold that thought,” Hal said.
Hal focused his will and imagined two large pinchers holding the
Manhunter in place. As if by magic, a pair of large, green constructs
formed on either side of the reconstituting Manhunter. The ring
generated the two pinchers, which Hal mentally commanded to stab into
the Manhunter’s shoulders.
With the Manhunter firmly in place, Hal used the ring to construct a
large stamp press in the hallway. The pinchers lifted the Manhunter
into the air and placed him under the heavy dropping stamp. It slammed
down on top of the robot with a barking crunch, and when it rose, the
robot had been substantially flattened.
Another green streak of energy shot past Hal and struck the flattened
Manhunter, disintegrating it.
“While I applaud your imagination,” Abin Sur said from
behind him, “you can’t toy with a Manhunter. Destroy it
quick and clean.”
“Green Lantern 2813,” the Guardian said. “You arrival
was most welcomed.”
“Guardian Ganthet,” Abin Sur replied with a nod. “We
came as soon as we got your summons. This is Hal Jordon of Earth, Alan
Scott’s replacement.”
“Uh…for the moment,” Hal replied. “Listen, we
really need to talk about—”
“There’s no time,” Ganthet interrupted. “My
peacekeeping mission is in jeopardy due to the recent actions of
Mongul. The outer rim notified me of his presence the moment he broke
into the galaxy. He’s headed here. We must send word to Oa
immediately.”
“We’ll escort you to the outer rim to make the jump to
Oa,” Abin Sur responded. “Earth is no longer safe.”
“Unacceptable. My missions clearly states—”
“With all due respect, Guardian, I believe that your wellbeing
supercedes your mission. Mongul is coming and he will not hesitate to
kill you, regardless of your charge here on Earth. He will only send
more Manhunters the longer you are on Earth. You need to leave.
Now.”
“You do not understand, Green Lantern 2813. Earth is the subject
of a sensitive investigation. It is the very reason that Hal Jordon was
chosen to bear the ring.”
“Wait,” Hal said. “What do you mean? What are you
saying?”
Ganthet replied but did not even turn to look at Hal. “You are
more important than you realize, Hal Jordon.”
“Guardian,” Abin Sur pleaded. “I beg you to listen to
reason. Whatever your mission may be, my own clearly states that I are
sworn to protect you from danger.” He looked at his feet and saw
the Manhunter’s staff lying there. “Danger such as
this.”
He lightly kicked the staff, which had been cracked open from
Hal’s assault. It split in half from the prodding of Abin
Sur’s boot and yellow light protruded from within the weapon.
Curious, Hal bent over to pick up the two fragments, but Abin Sur
scooped it up with a green hand created by his ring.
“The Manhunter’s weapons show a remarkable resistance to
our power rings,” Abin Sur commented absentmindedly. “There
power source must be something unique, something that the Corps would
want to know about.”
He jostled the broken staff in his hand, peering down inside.
“There’s something loose in there,” he stated as he
tipped the end of the staff down into his hand.
A shard of yellow stone fell into his palm. He narrowed his eyes,
looking at it intently. Its eerie yellow glow covered all three of
them, basking them in not only amber light but a wave of discomforting
emotion as well.
“Green Lantern 2813,” Ganthet muttered. “You must
release—”
Abin Sur screamed in sudden pain. His vision went blank and his mind
began to twist. He fell to his knees holding the shard of yellow stone
to his chest. Hal bent to aid him, but Abin Sur suddenly lashed out,
blasting him across the room with a charge of green energy.
“Abin Sur!” Ganthet exclaimed. He took several steps back
but couldn’t pull his eyes away from the screaming Green Lantern.
“No! Not Abin Sur!” The purple-skinned Green Lantern looked
up from the floor and Ganthet could see insanity building behind his
eyes. “I am finally free! I will use this vessel to live again!
You, Guardian! Your kind will be the first souls I feast on!”
Abin Sur rose from the floor, covered in a dark green aura. His eyes
widened and the veins on his neck bulged. “Abin Sur is
gone…only Sinestro lives!”
NEXT ISSUE: Hal is tasked with
defending a Guardian against not one,
but two threats! What are the consequences should he fail, and what
will become of Abin Sur? Plus, Carol Ferris comes to check on Hal and
doesn’t like what she finds.
ISSUE
#1
ISSUE #3
