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The blackness of space was silent and surreal. Stars shone in every direction, a vast tapestry that was undisturbed by anyone or anything….until now.

Space warped and twisted as a tear opened, a small one. A man shot out of the tear before it sealed itself away as if it had never been there in the first place. The man spun slowly in the vacuum before a brilliant emerald aura appeared around him, creating a breathable atmosphere that protected him from the cold expanse of space.

Kyle Rayner looked around, getting his bearings. He shivered at the momentary exposure to the cold of space. He looked down at the Green Lantern power ring on his right hand. Moments ago, it had been offline in that weird other place….it was still offline now.

“Ring?” asked Kyle. He shook his hand as if it would jar the ring back to active. “Ring?”

The power ring sparked and sputtered, then finally came back online. “POWER RING IS ACTIVE AND ONLINE WITH RAYNER POWERSOURCE.”

“Well. Thank god for that,” said Kyle. “Can you get a bearing on where we are?|

“STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY INDICATES WE ARE IN SECTOR 2814. BACKGROUND STELLAR RADIATION INDICATES WE ARE IN OUR NATIVE PRIME REALITY.”

“ We're home??” asked Kyle.

“ AFFIRMATIVE,” said the ring.

“ Damn, then let's head to Earth….maximum warp,” said Kyle.

With an emerald blink of light, Kyle warped away towards Earth…and home.

 

DC Infinity Presents

#1O

“ Solaris Eclipse – Part One”

By Mike Hintze

 

Elsewhere

The massive behemoth that called itself Solaris travelled through space, heading to Earth. It had nearly been destroyed the last time it was at its birthworld, but now things were different. The sentient sun was now more than it had been. It had built itself bigger and larger than most planets. It had stolen and subverted technology from a multitude of sources in order to enact its plans for today. It was going to destroy the Earth and everything that surrounded it…all to spite the Kryptonian named Kal-El….Superman.

Solaris had taken on advance agents to prepare for his return to Earth. His agents had attacked both overtly and covertly, undermining the superhuman presence on Earth that would stand in its way. One such agent had killed the Earthborn father of Kal-El, Jonathan Kent, and framed Kal-El for the crime. Another had even created a version of the Justice League that served the will of Solaris. The key to Solaris' plans on Earth were hinged primarily on a human whose ability was to escape notice…Ray Palmer, the Atom. Palmer had been infected with an alien Scarab that transformed him into more than a size-changing hero….it also made him, under the thrall of the Scarab intelligence, the latest incarnation of Monarch.

Solaris' sensors detected an anomalous reading several parsecs away.

“ STRANGE,” boomed Solaris' voice within its planet size shell. “THIS ENERGY SIGNATURE SCANS AS A VARIANT OF OAN ENERGY…BUT DIFFERENT.”

“ Oan?” said one of Solaris' agents. He was seated in a massive control room where he could see and interpret what Solaris saw. “It's been some time since I tasted Oan blood…or that of a Green Lantern.”

“YOU MAY HAVE YOUR WISH,” said Solaris. “GO AND INTERCEPT THIS ANOMALY. IF IT CAN SERVE ME, TAKE IT. IF IT CANNOT SERVE ME…ANNIHILATE IT.”

Evil Star smiled. “Yes, my lord. At once.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Untold worlds away

“Penny for your thoughts, sir?”

Kevin Green, aka Prime, looked over at the military officer who was bringing him a warm cup of coffee. Kevin took the cup and nodded his thanks, although he hated the taste of coffee. Despite his massive size and muscles, he was still a teenage boy. He could have done with a Coke.

“ Just wondering how long I'm going to wait,” said Prime. “My friends have been gone for weeks now…I don't think they're coming back.”

“ I'm sorry, sir,” said the soldier. “Commander Rey has left standing orders that if you wish it, we are to take you to the Planetary Union Headquarters. His offer of a commission is a standing one.”

“Yeah,” said Prime. “Maybe I will take him up on that…” He looked up at the stars in the night sky. “Axel…Kyle…I hope you guys are all right.”

Prime stood up and turned to face the Planetary Union soldier. The man was motionless, as if he were paralyzed. Prime waved his hand in front of the man's face, but there was no response. Then he noticed a bug in the air beside the soldier. It was floating as if frozen in amber. It was as if time itself had stopped.

“ I'm afraid that is my doing,” came a voice behind Prime.

Prime turned and saw a man whose skin was a blue-tinted starfield. He looked exactly like Charon, the leader of the Negation Empire…except this man's face was different. Plus, he was bald and had angel-like wings springing from his back.

“ Who are you?” asked Prime. “What have you done to…everything?”

“ My name is Appolyon,” said the man. “I have come to you with…a gift.”

“ What kind of gift?” asked Prime. “Do you know what happened to Kyle and Axel?”

“ Somewhat,” said Appolyon. “I'm afraid the likelihood of your friends being alive is very…remote. I am sorry.”

Prime was crestfallen. He had held out hope, even thinking that if he went to the Planetary Union he could still one day see the two that had been the last friends he had.

“I can offer you a condolence,” said Appolyon. He brought out his hand and opened it. In it was a ring.

A Green Lantern ring.

“ Your friend…Axel?...wore this. It was taken by a dwarf he called a Keeper.” He held the ring between his index finger and thumb. “The dwarf ate it….but he didn't keep it down long. I found it…and thought you should have it.”

Prime reached out and took the ring. It barely fit on his pinky finger. As soon as he wore it, it shone with a silver light.

“ I have charged it with my power,” said Appolyon, “It is a remarkable device. It seems my energies are similar to those that it normally contains. I was able to give it…instructions…on how to get you out of this universe.”

“ You mean…” said Prime.

“ Yes,” said Appolyon, “It holds quite a large charge of my essence…it can pierce the dimensional barrier and begin your trek home.”

“ How does it work?” asked Prime.

“ Just say ‘Home',” said Appolyon.

“ Home?” said Prime. An instant later he disappeared in a haze of silver light.

“ Well,” said Appolyon, “Maybe not home for you….but certainly somewhere out of my hair…or lack thereof.”

He smiled and disappeared as time resumed. The soldier looked taken aback, as from his perspective, Prime had simply vanished.

“ Oh crap,” said the soldier. “Commander Rey is not going to like this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kyle Rayner closed his eyes as his ring propelled him through hyperspace. The ring had calculated a transit time of an hour, enough rest that Kyle could grab some sleep. Despite the power granted him by having his genetic code rewritten to match that of a Guardian of the Universe, Kyle still needed to sleep and rest as far as his mental health was concerned. It wasn't until he had returned to his home universe that he realized just how tired he was.

His mind drifted over recent events. He had been given a mission by the Guardians of the Universe to travel the cosmic byways that connected the Multiverse and greater Megaverse to hunt the evil Keepers of the Cluster. Twisted, evil versions of the Guardians from the Anti-Matter Universe, the Keepers were bent on destroying what were called 'Prime Realities', keystone universes that were essential to the cosmic foundation of existence. Kyle was partnered with Axel Asher, a human previously held prisoner by the Keepers who had the ability to travel to other universes and detect the fabric of those 'dark worlds' were Prime Realities. Once they realized they were in a Prime Reality, the duo then worked to find the presence of a Keeper or one of their agents, ring wielding beings called Power Rings, and stop them.

Kyle and Axel had met twisted versions of people Kyle considered friends in the form of the Teen Tyrants, led by an alternate version of the evil Cyborg Superman and his disciple, the Cyborg Superboy. There, they had met a strange man that had turned out to be a metamorphing boy named Kevin. They had travelled to a universe where war had begun with the powerful Negation Empire, a war that had ended with Kyle, Axel and Kevin becoming separated. Kyle had ended up in a universe where an alternate version of himself was the sole inhabitant and all powerful besides. This other Kyle had warned him that the Guardians had not been entirely truthful with him regarding the origins of the Keepers. The other Kyle had also revealed that the Guardians had sent another agent on a quest to stop the Keepers: The Monitor, an ancient alien that had supposedly given his life saving existence in a Crisis years ago.

Now, Kyle was coming home. Friends and family he hadn't seen in ages were only a short trip away. Despite all the upheaval of late and worrying over the fates of Axel and Kevin, Kyle was looking forward to being home again....and having a frank discussion with the Guardians.

Kyle felt a jolt and opened his eyes. Everything around him was spinning as he was pulled forcibly from hyperspace. As he spun in the expanse of space, he struggled to reorient himself.

“ Ring,” said Kyle, “What the hell happened?”

“ A gravimetric field has pulled us from our intended hyperspace course .”

“ A mass shadow? But there's nothing around here that could have done that!”

A brilliant light shone onto Kyle followed by concussive force. It took several seconds for him to straighten his thinking. He looked back to where he had been and saw a humanoid in the ether of space. The humanoid wore a dark navy outfit with a matching cloak. His face was entirely covered by a mask. On the mask, a lopsided blood red star was emblazoned on it. The same star design was replicated on his chest. On his wrists he wore two bands that glowed with brilliant light.

“ What luck,” said the humanoid. “Dispatched to stop an unknown intruder in Solaris' plans...and it turns out to be a Green Lantern.”

“ Who the hell are you supposed to be?” asked Kyle.

“ You don't know me? Pity,” said the humanoid. “I would have thought the Guardians would have taught you all fear me.”

“ WARNING, ENTITY IS LISTED IN GREEN LANTERN CORPS MOST WANTED DATABASE, DESIGNATE EVIL STAR OF AURON.”

“ Never heard of you,” said Kyle.

“ You will,” said Evil Star. He waved his hands.

Instantly, Kyle felt his power ring's energy leave and arc towards Evil Star. His eyes glowed with emerald light.

“ Delicious,” said Evil Star. “More, please.”

Kyle screamed as energy poured from him into his ring and out towards Evil Star in a torrent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The being known as the Monitor appeared in a twinkle of light. This universe was nearly dead, entropy very close to finishing its task and collapsing everything into nothingness, only to be reborn anew. The Monitor, however, was only planning on being here a very short while.

He looked across the desolate landscape. Nothing lived, but there was an atmosphere here, however basic. It wouldn't last long in any event.

The Monitor walked up to a small ingress, too small to be called a cave. It offered the barest amount of protection for its sole occupant. The Monitor knelt down to the huddled man, dressed in ripped tatters.

“ You've been here for some time,” said the Monitor. “I am sorry.”

The man looked up, beard and hair long and wild. His eyes were slits, not used to being open for some time. “Who...are...you?”

“ I am...a friend,” said the Monitor. “I am here to take you someplace safe.”

“ Safe?” asked the man, his voice cracking from non-use.

“ Yes, Axel,” said the Monitor. “I am taking you home.”

They disappeared in another twinkle of light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Issue: The conclusion of Solaris Eclipse!