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Captain Hal Jordan was chosen to represent an intergalactic police force created by the oldest beings in existence - the Guardians of the Universe. Protecting Earth and all of space sector 2814 from every extraterrestrial threat imaginable. Hal Jordan shines his light proudly as the Green Lantern

"In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight.
let those who worship evil's might, beware my power - Green Lantern's light!"

 

#9

RING OF DARKNESS (1 of 4)

By Neil Gow

 

The Mind of Hal Jordan

Johnny Carson once described a New York Minute as being the time it takes "From the lights to turn green, till the guy behind you starts honking his horn." I always loved that quote but I prefered the one that Barry used to tell Ralph and me when we were out on the tiles. I remember him putting his glass down and saying ‘Hey guys, how long's a JLA minute? From when Bats finishes explaining how he solved one crime till Supes hears the next one!” We laughed so hard at that one because we knew it was so true. One fight after another and no-one seemed to mind. It was never too hard.

Even by my standards though, this year has been hard – very hard. I thought it could only get better when Clark, Bruce and Diana returned but the pressure has been … relentless. I've tried, I really have. I wanted to balance things this time – a family, a job, friends, the League and the ring. I'm no spring chicken; I know how these things work. You have to prioritise people's lives first, then your own. Even when that means that you have to let those things you hold dearest slide away.

Edwards Air Force Base

Lieutenant Graves stands to the right and behind General Adams, his face fixed with a slightly smug look, like someone who has finally been given permission to say ‘I told you so' and now is biding their time before they say it.

“You remember, do you not, and Graves, what I said about Captain Jordan?” Adams voice is firm as stone.

“I do sir.”

“Would you care to repeat it, Lieutenant?”

“You said that you never lost a man on your watch sir. You said that until the body of Captain Jordan could be retrieved, he would be listed as Missing In Action. Sir.”

“And can you imagine why I would do a thing like that Graves?”

“No Sir!”

“I said that, because I have respect for the men under my command. I would not wish to have their reputations tarnished. I would not like to see their loved ones embarrassed by the shame of a serviceman having deserted their post. So they go missing in action until I find them dead or I hunt them down. You are neither dead, nor hunted, Captain Jordan, so what the Hell are you doing on my Air Force base?!”

Hal stands before his commanding officer, silent. During the last week there has barely been a day when he has not been part of a pitched battle. His ring has been broken and is mending, slowly, but every fight he has means that the ring cannot be healing. His body is battered and bruised, the ring slowly healing the wounds of his battle with Superboy Prime and the Swarm. If his ring was fully functional, this wouldn't be a problem – but a shattered ring takes time and therefore so does a shattered body.

“You're obviously wounded although we have yet to ascertain whether those wounds are from the explosion of your plane or something else? What's your answer Jordan? Where have you been?”

“I…I…” A shooting pain runs up Hal's arm from his broken hand.

“Spit it out, airman.”

“I was knocked unconscious by the force of my ejector seat sir. The last thing I remember is being wrapped up in a green glow. I woke up some time later in a hospital on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I'm sure this had something to do with Green Lantern, sir. He could testify…”

“ Rubbish. Absolute rubbish. You are a member of the United States Air Force, aren't you Jordan? You have been for some years now I believe? I've read your records and I know you've had a rather interesting career, but I couldn't care less whether you get Christmas cards from the whole damned Justice League! You are a member of the armed forces and you never even thought to report to your base when you woke up? That's why your story is rubbish, Jordan. I'll give you one last chance to come clean, airman. Where were you?”

Hal is desperate to tell him – I was saving your universe from a threat so unfathomable that if you ever met it, you would never sleep again. That's why General Stone never asked these questions, because I trusted him enough to let him know who I am and he knew that my work saved more lives than yours ever would.

Hal stands silent.

“I'll tell you what happened, Jordan. Your plane was wrecked and you popped your ejector and then you floated on down somewhere and decided that it was time to make good on some R&R. You decided you would lay low for a while, probably hook up with some woman that would be impressed by a smart uniform and some tall tales. You got involved in some drunken bar brawl and you returned to this base – my base – with your tail between your legs. That's how it was, wasn't it Jordan?”

Hal stands silent.

“I've had enough. As of this moment you are suspended from duty. I will be recommending that your recent reinstatement as an office is reviewed and reversed. I want you off this base and out of my airforce, Jordan. Dismissed.”

Hal starts to open his mouth, to somehow appeal against this madness. Adams ignores him completely.

“Dismissed airman. Get out of my sight!”

The Mind of Hal Jordan

I wonder where Kyle is? ‘Where' being a very malleable word when it comes to Kyle. It's a pity I never really got to know the kid, because from everything I have read he did a damned good job when I was … possessed. He was part of the League when it went back to brass tacks. I'm pretty sure there were some people who saw him standing next to Clark and Bruce and thought he couldn't do the job. Ganthet's a good judge of character but I wonder whether he could have seen Kyle's potential. What do they call him? Torchbearer. I hope he's safe… wherever he is.

Of course, if Kyle is the prodigy, Guy is the kid you used to cross the street to avoid. That ‘used to' is what's important about Guy nowadays. Sure, he's still as arrogant, volatile, sarcastic and just plain irritating as he always has been, but now Guy seems to have changed. And changed for the better. All he ever needed was a chance to shine and he took it with both hands. Everyone thought that I would be Grand Marshal – Guy does it so much better. I hate to say it, but I'm proud of him.

Which inevitably brings us to John. Oh God John, where are you? We could never understand – your ring never returned, so you are not dead, but it's disappeared as well. It's like you ceased to exist. Disappeared from reality. Some of the rookies say that you went on a mission beyond the border, into the Blackest Night. You would never have gone alone, not without Guy and me. The Guardians would never have sent you … would they? I'm never sure what they are capable of, especially after the business with the Swarm. They seem so detached nowadays, as if there are things happening that we have no idea about. Maybe Kyle has an inkling, but even then, they play him more than anyone else. I wish I could have found you, old friend. I wish…

The Darkest Night

John Stewart hangs in the darkness, wreathed in shadow, before an army of distorted, pain wracked spirits. His matt black eyes stare out into space, searching amongst the stars – no, between the stars, probing the darkness of the void. Out there is his home, Earth. And he will now wage war upon it, for his master, Nekron.

His black-green ring flashes and the darkness radiates from him. Stars blink out as the darkness grows and grows. Stewart concentrates and the darkness begins to pulse and twist, writhing in space as if it was a giant muscle, struggling with a great task of strength. Stewart concentrates and his dark energies pierce the fabric of space itself, opening a hidden transwarp.

With a piercing, unearthly screech, the floating dark hordes plummet through the transwarp. Thousands and thousands of deadly spirits, their minds set on one purpose – serving Nekron. As the last one passes through, Stewart turns and bows to the darkness and then follows them.

The darkness blinks behind him and he emerges, hidden from sight, floating on the dark side of the moon. From here he will launch his attack. From here he will teach Earth the curse that is Nekron's anger. From here he will defeat Hal Jordan.

“Deliver the First Curse, Children of Nekron. Remove death from his presence. Let him feel the agony of immortality!”

The Mind of Hal Jordan

God, I miss Barry. Everyone used to say that I was the playboy and he was the square, but I never saw it that way. He had everything I never had. I remember watching him with Iris one day and thinking about Carol and wondering whether we could ever be like that. I remember deciding that it could never be like that. Those things were never meant for me. How can a man who's part of a brotherhood of 3600 warriors ever be lonely? The answer always shocked me.

Everyone had their family – the people who they could count on. Take Bruce? Every looks at him and sees this dark and brooding loner, cut off from his emotions. What a load of horse hockey! Bruce always has someone around – Dick, Tim, Barbara, Helena, Alfred, Tatsu … even Selina when the time is right. He's a veritable social animal. Look at Barry – he had Wally and Jay and then Wally had Max and Bart. The Flash family, all speeding around together. Sure, I have Alan but it was never the same. Alan has his own brood and his own problems. There was never a little Lantern, that's just not how it works. No-one was going to tell Kyle or Guy or John or even Charlie that they were my sidekick. I've always been alone in the crowd. No family … Hell, even my flesh and blood have had enough.

Coast City

“Look Jim, it's just not that easy!” Hal stalks around his virtually empty apartment in Coast City, speaking to his brother on his cellphone. It had been strange coming back to his home after so much time in space. He was never someone who spent a lot of time inside but even so, this time it felt different. Now, he is dealing with another problem caused by his absence. His family.

“No Hal, I think it is that easy. You missed Howard's birthday. Again.”

“I'm so sorry, Jim. I was …”

“You were somewhere else right? On the other side of the universe being good old Green Lantern? You know what Hal, I'm beyond caring about you and your special ring. All I care about is being tired of having to explain to a young boy where his Uncle is and why he never keeps his promises!”

Hal feels a spark of anger growing in his stomach, fuelled by the pain from his aching body. “Goddamit Jim! Do you think I try to hurt the kid? Do you? Do you realise what I do when I'm not here?” Hal regrets saying it as soon as his words leave his mouth.

“Sure Hal, we all understand. We all owe you so much for saving the world over and over again. The thing is Hal, you can save everyone and everything else – you just can't save the feelings of your own nephew.”

“I'm sorry Jim, I never meant..”

“No Hal, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever thought that someone as self-centred as you could keep a promise to a kid. Listen Hal – no more promises. If you arrive, you arrive but as far as I'm concerned you can stay away from Howard. I'm not building him up again just for you to drop him.” The phone goes dead.

“Jim? JIM!” Hal hurls the handset across the room, watching it smash and scatter into the empty corners of the room. He takes a deep breath and tries to focus his mind. His ribs ache and a pain pierces his side. He looks down at his ring. The emerald spark splutters deep within the setting. Something is very wrong here. He should be healing. The ring should be healing.

Holy… what's happening! I've just been thrown off the base for going AWOL and my brother has virtually disowned me, and all I care about is this blasted ring!

Hal shakes his head, as if to clear some unseen fog that is confusing him. He has been so assured for years, so cool and calm but recently he has began to lose it. Something just doesn't feel right. He has to put his Earth-side problems aside, regardless of the consequences. Something far deeper is wrong here. Or is it? Why does everything that happens to him have to have some nefarious origin. Maybe he is a terrible uncle? Maybe he has pushed his luck once too often with the Air Force?

Hal stares out of the window of the apartment and looks over the sea. And then something strikes him. The last time he was here, he was with Darla and she is dead. Killed by the Swarm, according to Guy. A guardian is dead and the others barely raise a finger. He recalls the murmurings on Oa – the constant complaints of the veteran Lanterns that the Guardians never seem to be available anymore. They seem distant and removed. They haven't launched a rescue mission for John. They have always said that they were aware of the situation…but have done nothing. When they were fighting Superboy Prime, they stood and watched, rather than intervening as they should have – why?

‘Ring. How many Green Lanterns have died since my return to being this sector's protector?”

541 sentients have died in the service of the Corps in the designated time period.

More Green Lanterns have died in the last two years than in the rest of Hal's career bearing the ring put together. Something is rotten in the Corps. He is Honour Guard. He has to settle this.

Hal's resolve is challenged by screaming from the bay area of Coast City. Hal rushes to the window and looks out to see a light opaque mist floating through the streets. Screaming people are running from the cloud but those that are caught fall down, clutching their throats, spasming and then crawling on their hands and knees. The gas eats away at their flesh, dissolving them as they crawl…and yet they do not die!

Hal's ring flashes and his clothes change to his Lantern uniform as he dives out of the window. He forms a giant green vacuum cleaner and sucks up the gas, revealing the choking and horrific twisted crawling bodies beneath it. In the middle of the cloud, a man is standing. His posture is perfect. His looks … his looks are almost androgynous, a strange mix of features like a melding of different races and sexes. His naked body is patches with glass arcs, accentuating his muscles and revealing a green, bubbling viscous fluid filling his body – a body that appears to be made of flesh and bone in other places. The figure glances up at Hal and smiles.

“Green Lantern, I must say this is an unexpected surprise. “ His voice sounds slightly distant, as if being heard through water. “I had heard that Coast City was without any super heroic defenders. The perfect place for a test run for my new abilities. I assume that this challenge will result in inevitable physical confrontation?”

Hal hovers before the figure. “I don't care what you thought, this is my city and you are going to pay for what you have done to these people!” He forms a massive green fist and slams into the strange figure. He expects the man to fly backwards but the pseudo-human form opens up, like Plastic Man, letting the emerald hand pass through him.

“Disappointing. However, I would be remiss to cast aside this opportunity.” The man's mouth opens and a stream of violet acidic gas billows out, enveloping Hal. The power ring insulated him from the effects of the acid, but the sidewalk beneath him is not so lucky, bubbling and boiling as it is eaten away.

“Who are you?” Hal creates a force bubble to contain the acid cloud as the man laughs at his question.

“The last time you were aware of me, Green Lantern, your foes had dropped me on one of your Eastern cities. As you can see, I have changed since then. For the better, I believe?”

Hal is momentarily stunned. Surely not. “I will allow you to refer to me using the name your kind has always used for my designation. My name is Chemo!” And with that, the very air around Chemo begins to flicker with flame and the oxygen ignites. Hal raises a shield just in time, as the air itself explodes! He is thrown back crashing into a boat moored at the harbour. He gasps as he feels his rib truly break. Hal's power ring splutters again, surging and losing power in an unpredictable cycle.

The Mind of Hal Jordan

I was amazed when the Guardians presented me with the robes of the Honour Guard. I refused them once, but this time I felt that I should take them. This time was different. It could have been a show of solidarity from the little blue guys, to show that they had forgiven me for Parallax. It could have been genuinely a show of recognition for the battles I have fought – Christ, that sounds conceited doesn't it? There have been better Lanterns than me, but whenever this reality has to flex it's muscles, it's always Earth and inevitably, it's always me. That's the responsibility of the ring.

There's been something that has been bugging me for weeks now and I haven't been able to focus on it, what with the Earth being ravaged by ancient energy sucking insects and some insane Thanagarians deciding to release the most dangerous man in the Universe so that they could worship him as a god. It is the ‘prophecy' that Hector Hammond tried to get me to believe when he tricked me into seeing him. At first I was sure that it was a ploy to open my mind to Hammond and allow him to escape, but the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. There was such sincerity in his voice, he really believed those visions. He really was scared. What if what he showed me was true? What did it mean?

Coast City

Hal soars above Coast City as the screaming echoes from the city below. ‘Ring. Analysis!'

Monitoring of radio and data transmissions indicates fatal trauma resulting in zero fatalities across the city and an expanding radius.

“What? People aren't dying?”

Affirmative

Hal uses his ring to view scenes in the city. A car crashes into a motorbike, smashing the legs of the rider and breaking his neck. He lies, conscious but unable to move, screaming in agony with wounds that would have killed someone ordinarily. In a seedy bar on the outskirts of the city, a man raises a pistol and pumps three rounds into the chest of another man because of a lost game of pool. The shot man clutches his chest and sees the spread of blood blossom from the holes, but he does not fall and does not die. He laughs and the shooter runs for his life. In a hospital a mother feels tears fall down her face as she holds her ailing baby in her arms, feeling the last vestiges of life drain from it's body. The monitors peel their single tone of death… and the baby laughs with dead eyes.

Could Chemo be doing this? If that indeed was Chemo – it didn't look like Chemo, but it had the same powers. Why was he even questioning it? Polaris has possessed Francis Kane, Hammond claims to be on the side of the angels and Star Sapphire is working with the Guardians on Oa – what's so strange about Chemo taking pseudo-human form and intelligence?

Radical molecular imb..zzzz…ce to the north of the city. An…zzzz..s indicates increases in cyanide levels.

Chemo! Hal ignores the malfunctions on his ring and streaks towards the disturbance. It's a suburban area, filled with young families returning to the area finally. His face blanches with horror at the sight before him. Dozens of dead people, stumbling around helplessly. Their eyes show the pain and anguish they felt when they died but their bodies continue.

In the centre of the macabre scene, Chemo stands, examining the ‘dead'. He looks ip at the approaching Green Lantern and shrugs. “A most unexpected side-effect of my toxic emissions. It would appear these people are refusing to accept death?”

The smug yet emotionless tone in Chemo's voice drives the increasing anger rising in Hal. He forms a simple ball of force around his fist and hurls it at Chemo, blasting him off the ground and rolling back along the street, knocking the un-dead aside in his wake. Without speaking Hal charges in and grabs Chemo by the throat, ramming him against a wall. Looking into the construct's eyes, he can see the luminescent green liquid bubbling … but he can feel the flesh under his hand.

“Intriguing” Again, without fear or qualms, Chemo smiles at Green Lantern. “Your constructs are complex. Unlike anything I have ever seen before. This new form is scintillating. Condensed human potential. Amazing. The creator would have been fascinated at my progress.”

Hal's hand burns. He snatches it away and sees green smoke rising as the protective shielding generated by his ring bubbles and burns. Chemo steps forward and blows a stream of orange gas from his mouth. Hals body is wracked with pain – his shield is failing!

The Mind of Hal Jordan

Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to fly. With or without the ring, the skies have been my home. But space – space is something else. Sometimes I would just fly, out there, going nowhere in particular. So fast, so very fast. The ring protected me but sometimes I would order it to just ease down slightly, so I could feel the cold ripple across my skin and the tug of the space winds on my hair. As close to the ravages of open space as I could risk, just to feel the danger again. The ring is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it can just take the edge off your soul. No danger. No risk. A perfect, autonomic emerald cocoon.

It was worth the loss of danger to sail through the stars. I can only think of a handful of human beings who may have seen what I have seen. Been the places I have been. I have watched the final, lurching death throws of a star system and I have been there at that one moment when the seething plasma of the universe coalesces into a new life-giving sun. I've swum with shoals of alien fish, riding the solar winds and I have played hide and go seek in swirling asteroid fields. Am I blessed? I think I am. Space is not my final frontier.

Sector 2261, onboard an unmarked LEGION Cruiser

“What the Hell was that?!” Stone stumbles forward across the bridge of the cruiser and steadies himself next to the pilot's chair, currently occupied by Thom Kallor.

“Space debris, loads of it – it looks like there may have been some sort of battle here. We took a bad hit.” Thom stabs more controls and the cruiser takes a sharp turn to the left and down, but it is wracked again by several thunderous impacts.

“Holy crap son, get this thing under control!”

Thom casts Stone a withering gaze. “With all due respect, General, asking me to pilot a craft as Neanderthal as this is akin to asking you to drive a chariot! I am doing my best!” He takes the craft into another steep turn, but the impacts are coming heavier now.

“Does this thing have shields or something? Every ship like this I ever saw had some sort of shield.” Stone looks around the console as Thom gives him a quizzical look. “ Oh yes, I've seen spaceships before, so don't throw me that look.” Another massive smash twists the ship in it's path. “Ah, crap boy, get us out of this now.”

“OK sir, lets set ourselves down on a planet. We're going to have to make some checks on the ship anyway.” Thom quickly looks over the scanner, blinks and then looks again.

“What now?”

“I do believe that green planet is moving into our path…”

“Well, don't look a gift… planet in the mouth. Land this damned thing!”

The Mind of Hal Jordan

I remember the days before Parallax when being a Green Lantern was all about yellow. It seems so simple now – just avoid everything yellow, anything that could turn yellow or any nefarious soul who handily managed to be … yellow! So many people and so much yellow. Alan and I used to laugh about it all of the time. We wondered whether there was a villain thrift store somewhere shipping in dozens of yellow wooden cudgels each day, just to deal with both of us in one sale.

That all changed after Parallax. Now we think of it as … what did Salaak call it? The Parallax Fear Anomaly. Over come the fear, overcome the weakness. No more embarrassing problems with Mr Yellow and his yellow horde of assassins. Of course, it adds more problems. Green Lanterns don't have any truck with fear – that's how we thought the rings chose us, they chose the people without fear. That can't be right can it? No-one can truly be without fear. No, I think they chose those of us that can face our fears. Those that can rationalise fear.

And what is my greatest fear? I wonder. I've never been afraid of pain, or battle, or even death. I think my greatest fear now is being alone. I spent so many years chasing Carol, so many fruitless years and for what? Nothing. There have been others – lots of others. Too many others. One woman after another, chasing that someone that would make me happy. No-one ever did.

I wonder whether Donna and I have a future? She's special. Someone who at least understands what it's like to be so complex. Then again, these things rarely end well. Maybe this time could be the exception. Why am I shaking? Is it that scary a prospect – that I may have finally found a woman who I can live with, who will understand the madness of my life. Why is that so frightening? Why can't I manage that fear? Why is it so cold….?

Coast City

Hal backs away from Chemo, trying to think of a plan that can counter this. His shield, generated by his power ring, can survive the ravages of space. It has protected him from virtually everything he has ever fought and a breath from Chemo is disintegrating it. “Ring? Stability?”

ooooooooooooooo

His ring is dying. The fracture created by Superboy Prime hasn't healed. There's some power there but not enough. Hal clears his mind as Chemo turns away, kneeling over a crawling zombie and shaking his head, as if disappointed by the turn of events. Instinctively, Hal pulses two messages with his ring. He has no belief that they will reach their targets. The first is the standard Corps distress signal. The second is the broad spectrum Justice League alert. Not just the current League – all of the League. Anyone who has been a member. Someone. Anyone. This horror has to cease.

Chemo turns and looks Hal up and down, as his body writhes in the acid gas cloud. “I hoped to absorb these humans and amalgamate their DNA with my own. Increase my potency. However, it would appear that they simply do refuse to die, no matter what I do to them. Still, it would appear that I can feed on one human today…. Green Lantern?”

Chemo walks towards him and blows more of the orange mist towards him. Hal backs away and takes to the skies… but the ring fails again and he crashes to the ground. Scrambling he gets to his feet as Chemo advances, his hands glowing and pulsing. “Your life will add to mine, Green Lantern. Imagine the power I could have? Be part of me now.”

The ground under Hal disintegrates into an oily sludge and he slips backwards as the deranged construct falls upon him. He feels his shield finally shatter as the ring's power fades and dies. His flesh burns under Chemos hands and then his mind goes white under the wave of digestive acid that is spewed over him. The last two things he sees before he fades are a flash of red and blue and an image of a corrupt John Stewart. Laughing and mocking.

The Mind of Hal Jordan

Johnny Carson once described a New York Minute as being the time it takes "From the lights to turn green, till the guy behind you starts honking his horn." I prefer my version. What's a Green Lantern Corps Minute? It's the time between when you succumb to your wounds and a new ring seeks a new owner. The moment your life flashes before your eyes…..

RING STATUS REPORT. GREEN LANTERN 2814.1 DECEASED
SPACE SECTOR SCAN 2814 FOR REPLACEMENT SENTIENT INITIATED

Next Issue: Hal Jordan is dead? Nekron's curse is on Earth? Chemo triumphant? The ring searches for a new Lantern? It's not looking too good is it? Ring of Darkness Part Two follows soon.