#26 (37): Love Lost, Pt. 1 (HoM / Kilburn)

Hal Jordan sat in the Kent farmhouse, watching the fire place crackle and blaze. His ring buzzed on his finger, feeding information directly into his subconscious, integrating the day's events into his mind. He'd flown from New York to Smallville in a matter of minutes, and had placed himself in front of the fire as soon as he had touched down. Chloe was upstairs with Jessica, and he didn't want to get in the way.

"What are you thinking, Hal?" Chloe asked, as she descended the stairwell. "You've been down here for ages."

"I didn't know if you were awake, didn't want to..." His words petered off, and he cleared his throat. "Someone from the past rearing it's head. I'm just thinking things through." He smiled and she sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "...I've seen the security detail that's covering the farm. Clark was very kind to lend you... us... his childhood home."

"Any trouble getting in or out?"

"Nah," replied Hal, "they don't even know I'm here. I phase in and out. No problem."

"So, what's the case?" said Chloe, "I deal in information, I can give you a hand if you like?"

Hal smiled, "You're sure?"

Chloe laughed, and pushed Hal away. "Have to keep myself sharp, don't I?"

"Right," Hal nodded, "well, remember the Alex Nero case? Parallax? Sinestro? All that business."

Chloe pouted softly, and then nodded. "Clearly."

"Alex Nero has gone missing again. There's an unknown power signature involved. Similar to a power ring," he tapped his own, "but different. Unknown to the Book of Oa database."

"Legion?" interjected Chloe. "You always said that Legion was an unknown in the grand scheme of things?"

"No, something else. And that’s what unnerves me."

"And rightly so," replied Chloe. She took his arm, and squeezed it tightly, and the two of them watched the fire continue to burn.



Carol Ferris was sat in her office, the moon up high in the sky, the rest of the compound shut down for the night. She worked late, throwing herself into every facet of the Ferris Air corporate machine. Her laptop buzzed, and she leaned back, stretching her arms up above her head.

“Yeah, I’ve been here too long.”

She fumbled her shoes back on her feet, her toes doing all the work, and then shut down her computer. She looked outside, across the airfield, and then saw a familiar face looking back at her. He was wearing his black leather jacket, the one he always used to wear, and his silver hair was slicked back across his scalp. He looked happy. Calm. This was the face she remembered when he drifted up into her mind.

He smiled, and her jaw dropped. The next thing she knew she had fallen to the floor, unable to catcher her breath from the sheer shock and surprise at the sight outside her door.

“No, no, that’s not…”

She pulled herself back to her feet, her eyes darting about, but he was no where to be seen, and then she exhaled, shaking her head.

“Impossible,” she whispered, her hand over hear heart. “Hank Henshaw is dead.”



"Right, so the Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic peace keeping force, you're following so far?" Guy Gardner paced the floor of the apartment, looking down every now and then at the man who had invited him inside. "Good, right, there are 3600 sectors of space. Earth resides inside 2814. I'm Green Lantern 2814.2, my partner is 2814.1. You, currently, look to be 2814.3. This is unprecedented."

"Why so?" asked John Stewart, as he looked at the ring residing on his ring.

"Well, in 3600 sectors of space, there should be two Green Lanterns assigned to each. Three in one? S'weird, is what I'm saying."

"Right. Look, I've been in an army before. I was a marine. Sniper division. I know about you Green Lanterns. I have access to the internet. It took me a few hours to, you know, click," he tapped his head, and then opened his hand wide in a smooth motion, "but I'm not an idiot. If it's unprecedented, then why did it happen?"

"Seriously?" asked Guy, as he thought up a chair, and reclined. "You want to know the whole story?"

John crossed his arms. "If you want me to join up, then yeah, I sure as hell want to know."

"I have been AWOL from Earth for two, maybe three years, right? I was possessed by a power ring that had been infected with a virus known as 'Legion'. My mind was not my own. Only recently did I get free, and now I'm Green Lantern. I was 2814.3."

"So if you were... .3, or whatever, how is my being point-three unprecedented?"

"Because point-two died. And that's his ring. You charge it up, you'll meet him. Hank Henshaw."

"Meet him?" said John, surprised, "How?"

"On accepting the ring, your persona is downloaded into the ring so that when you die, you can guide the next bearer of your ring. Henshaw is inside that ring, he can tell you more, if you like."

"And who is in yours? If you were possessed by... Legion?"

"I've not even told my partner about the voice inside my ring. I'm the only one who can hear him clearly."

"What?"

"The previous owner of this ring, Sinestro, was basically abducted. Possessed like me. I killed him in my... stupidity, right? Shot him in the head. 'Cept he wasn't dead, and he came back to haunt us, continually used and abused by whoever deemed it necessary that month. But my ring doesn't speak with Sinestro's voice. It speaks with the voice of a friend of mine, also dead. My ring, it speaks with Kyle Rayner’s voice."

John Stewart blinked. "The kid you were telling me about? Ion?"

<Got it in one.>

"Jesus!" John jumped as the ring spoke, and then settled. "Jesus..."

"Yeah. Which is freaking weird, you know? Considering he wasn't there when I was freed from Legion, and I wasn't there for his death. It's a mystery to me. But that's the world we live in."

"Right, right. But... I've fought my war, Guy. I appreciate being chosen. I dig that 'overcoming fear', or whatever the ring said I was, I understand that it's a compliment... but I don't know whether or not I want to do this."

Guy put up his hands. "Being a Green Lantern is the greatest honor and chance you’ll get in this universe, Johnny. Let me show you one more thing, and then you tell me if you don't want to be a Green Lantern or not, 'kay?"

"Sure, one more thing," nodded John.

Guy opened up the dimensional rift that contained his power battery, and pulled it out. "Ok, repeat after me," he said, pointing his ring at the swirling energy inside the battery. "In brightest day, in blackest night."

"You're serious?"

"Please," Guy replied.

"Fine, fine. In brightest day, in blackest night..."

"No evil shall escape my sight," continued Guy, with John repeating after he was done, "let those who worship evil's might, beware my power--" Energy swirled and began to transfer from battery to rings, as Guy's grin began to broaden, "--Green Lantern's light!"

The two were consumed in emerald light, and John looked down at himself to see that he was wearing a Green Lantern flight suit.

<Welcome to the Corps, John,> his ring said to him.

John couldn't help but smile. "Hank Henshaw I presume?"

<Too true,> replied Hank's voice, <now, I know what Guy has in mind, so let’s get going, ‘kay?”>

"What does he mean?" asked John, looking up at Guy.

"We're going flying. And then you can tell me you don't want in, alright?" said Guy with a smile.



"A great love is threatened, the love of an entire universe," purred Queen Aga'po, stroking the sapphire studded scepter of her regency, her large black eyes looking down on her subjects, "The Green Lantern Corps is a scourge against existence. They preach order through discipline and willpower, but do nothing to truly ensure it. This cannot be allowed to stand. There is a better way."

"Love." A male voice interrupted, and the royal guard turned their attentions to a new arrival, who trudged forward from the central power battery chamber on the home planet of the Star Sapphire Corps. "3600 sectors. 7200 Lanterns. Each weak. All too easily murdered. The universe must be protected. They know nothing of the coming war. They know nothing of what lies beneath the folds of the universe." The man, clad in a thick fuchsia uniform, energy throbbing from his hands and into his eyes, took another step forward. The royal guard didn't know what to do-- the man radiated with a purple energy that seemed so familiar-- "Aga'po, you have preached war for love for so long, but you have not acted upon it. I will. I shall. I am."

"Who are you?" demanded the Queen, "who are you to come here? To address the royalty of this place with such a lack of respect? Answer me or die!"

The royal guard knew what to do now. The jewels on the tips of their staffs throbbed pink with the concentrated energy of the Star Sapphire Central Power Battery.

"I am all that was, and all that will be. I am both a dead man, and the living embodiment of love and life in this universe. Don't you recognize your master? Don't you recognize the first Star Sapphire?" The royal guard attacked-- their staffs unleashed a barrage of purple lightning at the intruder, but the silver-haired man opened his hand up, and the power coalesced in his palm. The royal guard froze. "Please." He sent the energy flying back at the weapons and they shattered on impact, leaving them powerless before him.

"No," hissed Aga'po, "not possible, a myth, a bedtime story, you cannot be what you claim--!"

The man continued to approach Aga'po, light swirling across his body, his uniform pure undiluted light. He stood in front of the Queen, and his black eyes met hers. "The love eternal. Unrelenting. Unstoppable. Unfettered by morals or laws. Your bastion of power. And the living battery of the Star Sapphires." He placed a hand on her chest, smiled, and she screamed-- "Love me, Aga'po, love your besotted Predator."



Hal smiled as Chloe yawned, nestled closely into him, her head just fitting the gap between his head and shoulder. They were sat whispering on the sofa opposite Jessica’s crib, watching their baby girl sleep. “I never thought I’d be in this position.”

“Me neither,” said Chloe, as she sipped from her hot chocolate. “Not on my old list of ‘things I want to achieve before I’m forty’.”

“Yeah?” said Hal, as he turned his head, and smelt Chloe’s hair. It was an unconscious response to her proximity, and he felt his head flutter after. “…Huh.”

“What?”

Hal shrugged, “Chloe, II--” His ring buzzed. He looked at it, and frowned. “Uh, I better take this.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Carol. I haven’t spoken to her since, well, since we broke up.”

“Ah,” said Chloe, nodding slowly. “Sure, go ahead.” She watched as Hal hesitated in the doorway, his head arched turned and facing his Jessica; and for a moment a look of hurt and mourning spread across his face—Chloe had noticed this before, back when he had reluctantly given Chloe Jessica back for some silly, inane, domestic reason. She sometimes forgot that Hal’s mother had died so recently, and that the hurt still weighed on him heavily.

“What’s up, Carol?” said Hal, stepping outside into the brisk Kansas air. The moon loomed large overhead, and Hal felt himself smile at the sight, a little bit of the weight leaving him.

“I saw Hank, Hal. I saw him outside my office.”

Hal frowned. “Hank’s dead, Carol. I—we-- saw his body with our own eyes. He wasn’t getting up from that.”

“No, I know, but… but I saw him… I did.”

“I’m sorry, Carol. Really. But we both know he’s dead. You miss him, I’m sure, but he’s not coming back. He’s not.”

“Hal--!” said Carol, nervously. “I didn’t imagine him! I did not. Don’t you dare dismiss this. I was always there for you, always waiting, and you can’t just… you… oh, I don’t know why I bother. Have a great night.”

She hung up, and Hal looked at his ring for a moment. She was being silly. Hank was dead. He’d seen him. A hole through his chest and the blood just… not in his body. Mongul had done it. Mongul had killed Hank Henshaw, leaving Hal partnerless, mad, raging, and then… he exhaled sharply. He thought he was over it. He thought he had come to terms with the death of Henshaw.

“Are you okay?” asked Chloe, standing in the doorway. She’d put Jess to sleep, and was now looking so concerned, so caringly, at Hal. “You just… I understand if you miss her, Hal.”

“I don’t, I’m with you,” he said abruptly. “I mean…” he scratched the back of his head, and then smiled. “I’m with you.”

She approached him slowly, and placed a finger on his chin, before stretching up and kissing him softly on the lips. He hesitated for a moment, before holding her in his arms, and pulling her closer, returning the kiss with all the passion he felt for her.



“My God,” whispered John Stewart, as he looked over to Guy Gardner. “This is amazing!”

“And it’s the one thing that never gets old,” replied Guy, as he laid back on an emerald recliner, a pair of glowing sunglasses over his eyes. He pointed down, and the two of them touched down atop the Statue of Liberty. “Look, being part of the Green Lantern Corps is an amazing opportunity. This ring can do anything you imagine. You can fly, you can shoot energy blasts, you can try and think about becoming as God-damn awesome as me, but I think there are limits…” Guy smiled. “I know about you John. I know about your military career. My ring has been feeding me data since this 'interview' began.”

John’s expression shifted. “Excuse me?”

“I know you were dishonorably discharged. I can relate. I know that you struck a superior officer because you didn’t believe his orders were completely righteous. You question authority--”

“Is that a problem?” snapped John in reply.

“--No,” hissed Guy. “It’s not. Definitely not in my book. It’s what we need. I’ve told you about the Guardians of the Universe, and their universal edict to protect the 3600 sectors of space, right? We need more people in the Corps that won’t take crap from them. We need more people keeping the Corps honest. And I think you could be part of that. I want you to be part of the GLC, John. Plus--” Guy hesitated. “Did you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

“My ring feeds information directly into my head, comes with being on the job for a while,” Guy explained. His aura flexed, and suddenly strands of light seemed to move into the centre jewel of the power ring. “And something just popped the atmosphere. Almost undetectable. It’s not a foolproof system, but it’s quite reliable.”

“So what did you just feel?” John concentrated, and his own ring suddenly throbbed, and he could feel the movement of the winds across the world, and he could feel light and air brush up against the upper atmosphere. He pulled his perceptions back with a gasp, and saw Guy grinning at him. “What?”

“That happened to me first time. Got a bit lost in myself, come on, I’m tracking…” He shot away, and John followed, taking them toward…



Carol threw her phone across the room, and spun away in the same instance. She slammed her fists onto her desk, and sobbed once, clutching her mouth to stop herself from making another sound. She thought he would care. Make an effort. She didn’t want him back. She knew that the boat had sailed on that one, but couldn’t he, she didn’t know, couldn’t he sympathize?

“Wait,” she murmured to herself. Why hadn’t the phone smashed apart against the wall. She didn’t hear the impact, she didn’t hear it land in a hundred pieces on the ground. She turned slowly, and stumbled back a step when she saw what had happened.

Hank Henshaw was stood by the door, his arm outstretched and her phone in hand. He looked solemn. Quiet regret on his face. “I came back for you, Carol.”

“You’re dead!” she said, scrambling behind her desk and rummaging through the drawers. “You can’t be here--!” She pulled the stun-gun that Hal had given her a few weeks into their relationship, when she had discovered his secret identity. Hank put up his hands, and shook his head. “You… how…?”

“That won’t work on me, Carol, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“How are you here? How is it even--?” There was a loud knock at the door, and Carol gasped, triggering the weapon, sending two pellets at Hank Henshaw. He shrugged with a regretful frown as they passed right through him. “Who—what?” She didn’t take her eyes off Hank, but he picked up the discarded pellets, and placed them on the shelf next to his shoulder, joining the cellphone he had placed there moments before.

“Miss Ferris? Ma’am, are you alright?” It was Bates, the night security, and he knocked again. “I heard a commotion--!”

“Come in!” she said, and Bates unlocked the door with his emergency key, and looked around the office. “Is everything alright?”

Henshaw walked past Bates, and Carol watched him go. Bates didn’t even seem fazed. He didn’t even seem to notice. Hank turned back, and smiled. “I’ll come back for you, Carol. I’ll never let you down.”

“Do… do you…?” whispered Carol, as pale as a sheet, her hands shaking, and the alien weapon still in her hands.

“Are you alright, Miss Ferris? What’s going on? Who were you talking to?”

Henshaw had disappeared outside, and Bates hadn’t even noticed. She needed to talk to someone. Was she seeing things? “Sorry, late night,” she said, nervously, “I’m heading home now, Carl. Thank you.”

“No problem, you want me to lock up?”

“Yes, yes, please,” she said, and she hurried out of her office, and headed straight for her car, without looking back.

“Who’s she?” asked John Stewart, floating overhead, invisible to all but Guy Gardner, who had a concerned expression on his face. “You know her, obviously.”

“Carol Ferris, my partner—our partner’s—old flame.”

“She looked spooked,” said John.

“Yeah, she really did. Talking to herself. Weird. Never thought Ferris would turn flake on us. But it can happen to the best.” He arched his ring up, and the two of them entered the upper atmosphere, before leaving it with a pop. “My ring might have been mistaken. Throw up a satellite array, your ring holds the spec, and we’ll see if we can’t figure this out.” The two Green Lanterns went to work, their rings creating vast constructs that began to uncover all the information seeded to and from earth in the last ten minutes. It was a deluge, but their rings focused it, channeled it, and the two Lanterns felt themselves covered in a rain of information, slowly pooling in their heads.

“There’s something heading our way,” said John, “something big, but the power signature…”

“That would be me, rook,” Kilowog appeared from nowhere, the lag of the subluminal drifting off his costume in a blue haze, “Gardner should know that when a rookie receives a ring he’s to report to Oa for immediate training. What’s going on here, Poozer?”

“Henshaw’s ring, ‘Wog,” said Gardner, “charged died on arrival, so Johnny here, he’s been sitting on it, contemplating what to do. I talked to him about it, and actually. Well, John, are you in?”

“What’s a Poozer?” asked Stewart, sincerely.

“You’ve been flying around with one for the past few hours,” Hal Jordan smiled as he floated toward the three other Lanterns. “It’s a regular convention up here. My ring was telling me about some familiar bogeys, and lo-and-behold. Here we are.” He put out his hand to John Stewart. “Hal Jordan. And you’re John Stewart? Guy’s ring synced with mine a few minutes ago. It’s nice to meet you. Your predecessor and me, we got on well.”

“I’m in,” said John. “How could I say not to an opportunity like this?”

“You’d be surprised,” said Guy, shrugging. “So this is Kilowog. The best drill sergeant the Corps has ever seen. If you aren’t ready for the big time, he’ll know.”

“Pleasure, sir,” said Stewart, saluting Kilowog.

“Aww, you don’t haveta do that,” said Kilowog, blushing. But then he straightened out, and pointed a finger at the newcomer. “Yet.”

John nodded at Hal, and then departed with Kilowog into subluminal.

Guy met Hal on the crest of Earth's atmosphere, and the two floated there for a moment. "So, that's another Green Lantern of 2814. Seems like we've always got quite a few, said Hal. "Plenty, even."

"Why'd you say that, Highball?" asked Guy.

Hal thought about home, about Jessica and about Chloe, and then looked up at his ring. "Just thinking out loud. Let's get home."

The two Green Lanterns vanished back toward Earth, their eyes not seeing and their rings not detecting the silver and black clad man who had floated so very close to them mere moments before. He smiled, and licked his top lip slowly, reptilian. “Why’d you say that, Highball?”