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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:49:18 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:50:02 GMT -5
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Vidar Issue 3 of 3: "RAMPAGE!" Written by Scott Kruger Cover by Jim Dufresne and Scott Kruger Editor: David Charlton
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:50:42 GMT -5
The one thing I loved more than anything else in the universe was gone. Yes, I have a son… but it was her. Marisa. I lived for her… Everything I am, I did for her… she made me want to be a better man. She was my inspiration. And now I sit here on the floor of my burned out apartment in downtown Metropolis, surrounded by neighbors & a fire crew, crying and holding onto her body for dear life.
“Sir?” the fire chief looks to me again.
My ring suddenly activates, throwing a protective aura around me. It doesn’t stop a searing, burning flame from penetrating my chest.
I gasp for breath and fall over on the body of my beloved. In a hail of yellow laser fire everyone in the apartment is dead… but again, me. The intended target, bastard can hit everyone but me.
Frakker would have had me too, if he realized my heart was not in the same spot as a humans. I play dead for him, because I’m sure he needs proof of my death to take back to his Dominion masters on Elia. He’ll probably go for the ring. They always do.
God, Marisa…
I lay there on her when I hear footsteps crunching on broken glass. I lay there still, willing my ring to slow down my heartbeat & breathing. If I look dead, I’ll have the Frakker.
He kicks me hard and I go flying off of her. I hit a wall and slump to the ground. He walks over to me and rolls me onto my back. He reaches for my ring.
“DIE YOU SONOVABITCH!” I scream at him firing a blast from my ring. But the beam passes right through him. His body wrapped around it. His left arm rears up and his hand melts away, changing into a solid weapon.
Durlan.
He hits me so hard I fly through a wall into a neighbors apartment. I recover quick and surround him in a transparent green bubble. The only way I know of to contain a shape changer. I bite through the tears stinging my eyes and start shrinking the bubble. I want to crush the life from him.
Would have worked too, if I’d have disarmed him first.
He starts shooting at me with his rifle, the yellow beams shattering the bubble. I can’t contain him. I can’t survive against that weapon. Not in these cramped quarters.
I fly for the window as fast as I can muster.
Goodbye, Marisa.
I turn and fire another of my emerald bombs in my apartment. It detonates upon impact. Destroying not only my apartment, but the entire floor. The building begins to collapse in on itself. I start willing my ring to brace the building, when I see him. He flies from the smoldering wreckage with wings of his own.
I charge him, ramming him back into the building. We fly through wall upon wall. Debris & bodies flying and falling all around me. But all I think of is my wife. She was the kindest person I knew… she would never hurt anyone, and this…
“NNNYYYAAARRRHHH!!!” I scream with rage as I drive him through the bottom floor of the building into the permacrete street below.
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:51:19 GMT -5
The news casters swarm the like flies to the collapsing building. The collapse of the building halts on the 125th floor due to safety measures incorporated into its construction. It would have ceased immediately had the explosion the Green Lantern created been more subdued.
The two person news crew from the Daily Planet are the first on the scene.
“This is Laurel Kent reporting from the corner of 15ths St. and Shuster in downtown Metropolis, where Green Lantern is facing off against an unknown assailant!” The report hits the ground taking cover as an explosion takes out their vehicle.
“… Initial reports say…” she cowers behind a fragment of the fallen building, “The Green Lantern was responsible for the initial explosion… yes in fact, here we have footage from the 15th St. security cam.”
The footage from the earlier incident is displayed on Daily Planet P.a.d.d.'s across the world.
“As you see here, if we zoom in and replay the image you see the Green Lantern shooting what looks like a large explosive into the 150th floor of Levitz Tower. The explosion was so large it buckled the support columns on a number of floors. The coll…” Another explosion causes the reporter to wince. “The collapse was finally halted on the 125th floor. At this time of night, the number of people home asleep in their beds… the casualties will be staggering.”
“We focus in now as the battle continues. The unknown assailant appears to be altering form. It appears as though he is a Durlan.”
Laurel Kent and her assistant run out from behind the relatively safe cover of the debris, back out into the street behind a large transport vehicle.
“The Durlan is killing indiscriminately, and the Green Lantern isn’t using any caution at all in his own attacks! He seems Hell bent on stopping the Durlan at any cost. The Science Police have arrived, but can’t get close enough to the mayhem to stop it! What will the repercussions of his actions mean between the United Planets & the self-proclaimed Guardians of the Universe? Will this cause even more tension between Earthgov and…” another large explosion sends the reporter face first onto the debris littered street.
She picks herself off the ground, wiping blood from her lip. Her assistant, dead from shrapnel. The floating camera knocked to the ground, it’s repulsor engine crushed. She lifts the camera and speaks again to her captive audience.
“Will this cause more tension between Earthgov & Durla? Stay tuned for further developments as I bring them to you live in downtown Metropolis! This is Laurel Kent with the Daily Planet.”
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:52:09 GMT -5
I’m finally able to knock the damned things weapon free. It’s about then that I realize I’ve been shot so many times, my weapon and flesh look like they’ve been ripped to shreds. He hasn’t hit too many of my vital organs though I’m sure the only things keeping me alive right now are my ring and my will to smear his shapeless body across all of Metropolis.
He reaches for the blaster with a tentacle of some sort, which I neatly slice off with a very sharp green blade. It doesn’t even squeal when I do it… do these things feel anything?
I wrap him again in a air tight bubble and begin to constrict it.
I walk over to face it. Tears flow down my cheeks, I can’t cause it enough pain for what it did to her.
“Vidar… I have won.” It gurgles at me in a heavily accented Interlac.
“Frak you, I’m going to kill you.” I spit at it, staring into it’s tentacle ridden, eyeless face.
“It doesn’t matter… I may not have killed you like my masters requested, but look around you. I have destroyed you.” It makes a sound like laughter.
I look around me at my surroundings, the building. The street. The injured. The dead. Everyone staring at me, fearing for their lives. Science Police standing ready to take me down as soon as I let my guard down. I realize something at that very moment.
I don’t care.
I constrict the bubble and it changes shape attempting to survive whatever size I throw at it. Frak. I make it microscopic in size, and my ring still tells me it’s alive. The horrified masses watch in horror.
“WHAT THE FRAK ARE YOU STARING AT???” I shout, not helping my cause in the least.
Then I see him. Rond. He’s been there watching me all along. The fearless little boy cowers behind the leg of his grandmother. She stares at me with horror and revulsion in her eyes. They won’t understand.
I need to kill this thing.
I launch myself skyward and am instantly in space with my little captive still in tow. Without the restrictions of an atmosphere I pour all of my will power into my speed and within seconds we float before the Sun. I enlarge the bubble and watch as the creature increases his mass as well.
It is speaking to me, but I don’t allow the sound to leave his bubble. I just watch as I hurtle the bubble into the sun. The moment a yellow flare touches the bubble it evaporates, but the Durlans momentum stays true. I watch as he ignites and fades from sight. It’s then that I wish I could have heard him scream.
I look down at my hand, my pulse races again. It’s still not over. I’ve been clutching a small pink card in my hand.
From Elia, with Love!
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:52:49 GMT -5
The Citadel of the Guardians of the Universe, OA
Within the halls of the main audience chamber the Guardians watch as the pre-recorded assault on the Durlan in Metropolis unfolds. Vidar, bloodthirsty, unrelenting, uncaring, fearful. This is not the same Vidar they recruited over 10 years earlier.
This is also not the first time a Green Lantern has gone rogue and taken justice into their own hands. It probably will not be the last. To give beings that are, by nature, flawed, weapons like the rings of power guarantees that one will slip every now and again.
Something the President of the United Planets and the Prime Minister of Earthgov are more than happy to point out.
{“In light of the events that took place a little over an hour ago in Metropolis,” President Zandage began, “and considering the current state of affairs within the United Planets and on Earth, Prime Minister Marsda of Earthgov and I, have written it into law, that members of the Green Lantern Corps will stay out of the United Planets indefinitely.”}
“If I may, President Zandage, it would be very unwise to prohibit the Corps from…”
{“With all due respect, Guardian, this is not the first time one of your Corps has caused this type of destruction within the United Planets”} Prime Minister Marsda added, {“in fact, this is not the first time this has happened on Earth itself… Need I remind you of…”}
“No, you need not.” Ganthet rose from the overhead platform, lowering himself to the floor, face to face with the President & Prime Minister. “We are more than aware of our failures.”
{“Indeed? Then are you aware of the current location of your Green Lantern?”} the President asked mockingly.
“We are, and are dispatching agents to apprehend him.” Ganthet assured.
{“Excellent, we want him extradited to the custody of Earthgov upon apprehension, then your agents are to leave the United Planets… permanently.”} The President orders.
{“Failure to do so, would be considered an illegal action against the United Planets. And we have just… obtained… new technology that could make life very difficult for your agents.”} The Prime Minister of Earthgov adds with more that a little malice in his voice.
The transmission ends. “I fear that 2814 was correct in his accusations.” Ganthet says sadly to his brothers.
“This is not the first time we have failed to listen to the concerns of our Corpsmen. And it’s not the first time such action lead to disaster.” Another Guardian adds.
“Perhaps we have become too old & complacent.” Ganthet says turning to leave the Citadel. He reaches the doorway and turns to his befuddled brothers. “It is apparent that someone wants us to stay out of the United Planets. Most likely the Dominion. The question remains… why? Perhaps… it would be, best, if we allow 2814 to continue?”
The Guardians fall silent staring at one another communicating telepathically. They nod and turn back to Ganthet, though he heard all that had been said.
“His ring has less than 3 hours left to its charge. We recall his battery. When his power is drained he will not be able to recharge it.”
“He will most likely perish. A worse fate would certainly meet him in the hands of Earthgov.”
Ganthet considers the words carefully, staring at the floor. The center of the room, the Green lantern symbol. He closes his eyes remembering back to a simpler time… he opens them again and with a heavy heart, addresses the gathering.
“Brothers… I feel we have become ineffective and I have grown weary. I resign myself of this council effective, immediately.” Ganthet steps from the council chambers, leaving his remaining brothers speechless for the first time in over a thousand years.
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:53:25 GMT -5
Somehow they knew I was coming. The damned Disk-heads sent every ship in their defense fleet out against me. Lucky for me, not all are equipped with the yellow particle cannons. Those that do though, have made this interesting.
I tore through the outer defenses that surround the Dominion easily enough. But the better equipped defenses surround Elia completely. Every ship armed to the teeth specifically to stop me.
Under different circumstances, I’d be honored.
No matter what I try, I can’t get near the surface of that damned planet. They must have been burned before. So I decide to take out my aggressions on their border colonies.
I’m exhausted… I’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m missing a finger and I’ve lost an eye.
But I keep seeing her body, there on the floor of my apartment. Burned beyond recognition, a hole where her heart used to be. And I crave more death. I see the look in my sons eye… he’ll understand what I had to do one day.
I set down on the surface of a planet on the Dominion frontier. I look around me and see the bodies of dead Dominators & their slaves. I left no one on this little mud ball alive. I look at my hands… they’re covered in blood. Most of it is not my own.
My ring signals that I’ve been pursued. My ring also signifies that it is almost out of power. Unlimited power when charged, but unfortunately the charge only lasts 24 hours. I call out to my power battery… no response.
I try again, I throw all of my willpower to call it forward. Nothing.
“Frak.”
I’ve less than 5 minutes left in the charge. I quickly scan the ground around me as the ring tells me the Dominators have touched down. I gather as many weapons as I can find, shouldering the rifles. I ditch my uniform… I had pockets in my civvies. I load my pockets full of pistols and clips.
The atmosphere is breathable.
I may die here on this planet, but I’ll sure as Hell make sure I take as many of these Bastards with me as I can. I see a convoy of them over the horizon as my ring tells me I have less than a minute left.
I take aim and fire the most destructive blast of energy I can muster. It takes out about a hundred of them. Then the ring dies. It falls from my finger and hits the ground with a dull ‘clink’. I’m a dead man and I rush to face my fate with rage and longing in my heart.
I know it won’t bring her back… But it doesn’t matter, I lose myself in my rage, and I march forward, guns blazing.
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:53:58 GMT -5
The lone Guardian stands on the surface of the battle scarred planet. Vidar made his final stand here. His blood remains on the ring of power that lies at Ganthet’s feet. It has been weeks since Vidar’s rampage on Earth and in the Dominion, and his body was never recovered.
Ganthet feels responsible. He bends down to pick up the ring… He feels it’s weight in his hand.
This ring… handed down from Green Lantern to Green Lantern had been worn by some of the Corps greatest. And more than once, by it’s greatest failures. No… that wasn’t right. He had failed them. If only he had listened, he could have prevented tragedy.
He absorbs the ring into himself, bonding with it until the time is right, and another can be chosen to guard Sector 2814.
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2006 21:55:31 GMT -5
THE END?
Coming in April: Legion of Super Heroes #0!
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 30, 2011 15:06:42 GMT -5
To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!
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