DCU Green Lantern Corps #50 50th Issue Special

Hal sat on the small office chair, his hand idly tapping on the desk in front of him. August 21st, their anniversary. They never married, but had always said that August 21st would be the perfect summer day.

 

 

The picture frame was cracked, it had been ever since their first fight. It still… haunted him. Seeing her, corrupted to hatred in the name of love. Especially when he still loved her. Still to this very day.

 

 

"Carol, please!" he pleaded, kneeling before Star Sapphire. "I know this isn't you… you know it isn't you!"

 

 

Carol's eyes narrowed, her lips remaining in the ever-present scowl. "You think you know me? When you left me, I changed."

 

 

"No!" spoke Hal as he shook his head, pure pain in his voice. "That's not- I didn't-"

 

 

"You didn't what?" she asked, her scowl turning to full on enragement. "You didn't try to talk to Sinestro when he took me? You didn't leave the fight because he couldn't have done something like that?" Her voice became low, anger leaving it, being replaced by something almost vulnerable, "You didn't leave me?"

 

 

He knew he had sat sulking too long when a teardrop hit the cracked frame. Wiping it off, he placed the memory back onto the desk.

 

 

The past was unchangeable, Carol Ferris was a murderer. But he still hoped for her. His heart wouldn't let him do anything else.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

The rain fell over John Stewart's head. His long black coat covered his torso and his thighs, black sunglasses concealing his emerald eyes. It was almost four years ago now. Four years ago when his wife, Katma, had been killed by Star Sapphire.

 

 

The guilt it brought him… the feeling of powerlessness as he watched the pink blade slide through her abdomen. It never left him. The fact that he could've stopped it, he was given the second chance to stop it, but never did.

 

 

He would tell himself it drove him. That he had moved on from the death, stronger than before, but it wasn't true. It was a lie he told himself everyday. The death didn't motivate him to do better. He didn't move on with it like it was nothing. In reality it was eating away at him. Every day, every minute.

 

 

His emotions were unbalanced, his ring faltered at times, him barely being able to conceal it from the others. Rage towards Star Sapphire. Fear of losing someone else. The greed. It was the thing eating at him most. The want. The want for her to be brought back to him. The want for a redo at the moment. The want for everything to be like it is, just with her here with him.

 

 

But he couldn't have that. He was a soldier, and he knew it. He knew loss, and knew it was something unchangeable. So he knelt down, placing the lone orange flower he held onto the headstone.

 

 

"I love you, Kat."

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

"It's a boy!" shouted the doctor, holding up the small, pale baby in his hands. Alan held the hand of his wife, Alyx, tightly, smiling at her as she heaved breaths.

 

 

"Great job, hun," he whispered, only to hear her scream again.

 

 

The doctor tilted her head, noticing another head exiting the womb of the woman. "Twins! You've for twins!" he exclaimed, handing the first baby off to one of the nurses. "Give me a big push, Mrs. Scott."

 

 

The woman did as she was told, pushing the second child out, the skin complexion much less pale than the first. Alan stood amazed. "Twins?" he asked idly, before looking down to his wife. "Hear that hun, we've got two little ones."

 

 

The woman slightly smiled at him before the doctor continued to wrap up the process.

 

 

About twenty minutes went by as Alan sat in wait. Finally, the process was done, and he could hold his children. Sitting in the chair next to his wife, she held the two close to her.

 

 

The boy was pale, a small bit of ice white hair on his head, with irises of pure black. The girl was much richer in skin tone, darker hair on her head. Her eyes were different then the boy, emerald, almost glowing with light.

 

 

"Alan Junior," spoke his wife in a soft voice. "And Jade."

 

 

Alan felt himself cry, the children, his children, would have the best lives he could give them. He'd make sure of it.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

Guy knocked on the front door of the small countryside house. The smell of alcohol already filled his nostrils, even from outside the house. The door opened to reveal an older man, his hair graying, but the orange still present.

 

 

His father.

 

 

Around a week ago, Guy had learned that his father had another son, Richie. He had been torn about it over the past week, whether to intervene or not. He had decided to visit, to see the conditions his brother lived in.

 

 

"The fuck're you doin' 'ere?" slurred the man, a scowl of disgust on his face.

 

 

'Drunk at one in the afternoon,' sighed Guy in his head. 'Not a good sign.' He looked past the man, seeing the boy inside. He had Sandy blonde hair, a pair of mangled glasses on his face. "It's me, Guy."

 

 

His father tilted his head. "Th'fuck?"

 

 

Guy ignored his father, pushing him aside and walking inside. He already noticed Richie's behavior, the timid flinch. That oh so timid flinch that spoke thousands of words.

 

 

"Hey, y'bastard. Get th'fuck outta my house!" shouted the drunken father, reaching into his belt.

 

 

"I'll be leaving in a minute," Guy informed, not looking away from the boy who had confusion plastered on his face. "Hey, my name is Guy. I'm your uh- your half brother."

 

 

Richie's mouth parted in amazement. "Oh? I'm uh- I'm Richie."

 

 

Guy smiled slightly. "So, I wanted to know, how is it here?" he questioned, noticing the teen's amazement drop. "I thought so. Your mom ever around?"

 

 

"Ah- no… she uh… she left," he responded, his head lowering.

 

 

Guy nodded to himself, not looking away from the boy as he addressed his father, "He's coming with me."

 

 

"Not happening," notified his father from behind him. His head turned to see the man holding a pistol. "Get the hell outta my house, now."

 

 

Guy stood up, his hand outstretched to guard his brother. "Put the gun down dad. I've called the police already," Guy bluffed. His lie likely wouldn't work on the drunken man, but he wanted to try and keep things from escalating.

 

 

"Good. They can take the body of the fuckin' intruder that broke into my house."

 

 

After the words left his mouth, the sound of a gunshot filled the room. The teen gasped as a green light encompassed him and his half brother. His father was stunned, watching the green suit form to his son's body.

 

 

Guy stood tall, his suit on. "Richie, how'd you like to come live with me?" he asked, looking down to the boy. "Away from… him. From all this."

 

 

The small nod was all Guy needed, walking forward with the same green glow encompassed around him and his brother.

 

 

Before exiting, he looked to his dad, a look of pure terror filling the man's face. "Don't ever come into our life again, you hear me? Never again."

 

 

Guy then exited the house, his brother still in amazement over what had happened. "So, Richie, ready for a life that you deserve?" he asked with a smile, knowing he stopped his father from hurting the boy. He wouldn't be hurt ever again.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

'Ok, you got this,' thought Jessica in an attempt to hype herself up.

 

 

Her mind was racing, her heart thumping almost sporadically. Ever since she had gotten her ring, her confidence had gone up. Having friends, real ones, was a big help to ease out her anxiety. However when they weren't around, she still heavily struggled. Without the reassurance that they provided, it still felt like the whole world could close in on her.

 

 

'Get it together!' she internally scolded. 'You've fought off other worldly rings, alien parasites, and even a planet destroyer.'

 

 

Her gaze shifted back to the door in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards it.

 

 

As the door opened, the light of the room hit her eyes. The gasps heard from the seated people didn't help the situation, but she pushed them aside.

 

 

"Woah..."

 

 

"She's really here?"

 

 

"Green Lantern!?"

 

 

Jessica stood at the front of the room, next to her sister, Sara Cruz. "Alright class, here's that surprise I told you all about!" Sara exclaimed with enthusiasm.

 

 

Jessica looked out at the class of 3rd graders, their looks of awe worrying her. That is until they all began to smile and send a barrage of questions to her.

 

 

The questions ranged from asking about her favorite part of being a hero to what it was like to fight villains.

 

 

Jessica let herself finally smile. She was a Green Lantern, and she deserved it. She wasn't afraid. Not anymore or ever again.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

"Give it back!" shouted a boy, no older than eleven. "It's not yours!"

 

 

The boy jumped, trying to reach the comic book being held above his head. The boy holding the book laughing as he did so, "C'mon… just a bit higher. You can do it, Cam."

 

 

The boy jumped again, before one of the bullies tripped him, making him fall onto the sidewalk. The chortles of the boys made the small boy look down in shame.

 

 

"Y'know," called a voice from behind the bigger kids, making them stop laughing and turn. "It isn't very nice to take other's things." Floating in the air, arms crossed, was Simon Baz, a stern expression on his face. "I'd appreciate it if you gave my friend, Cam, his things back."

 

 

The boys quickly handed the comic back to Cam, running off from the scene. Floating down, Simon took a knee next to the boy, picking the comic off the ground.

 

 

"Incredible Hulk, huh?" he asked as he looked at the cover. The boy nodded slightly, still not looking up from the ground. "He's one of my favorites too."

 

 

As Simon finished, his ring glowed, a small beam shooting from it. The beam formed a miniature Hulk. "Hey, Cam," spoke Simon, in his best Hulk impression. "I heard that you were being bullied."

 

 

Cam looked up, surprised by the construct. "I- yeah…" he responded, his head low again. "They said I'm weird for looking up to heroes. That it's kids stuff."

 

 

"Whaaaat?" asked the Hulk construct, bringing its hands to its cheeks acting surprised, making Cam chuckle. "Heroes are definitely people you can look up to. I mean, Green lantern back there" -It said, pointing its thumb over its shoulder- "looks up to another Green Lantern."

 

 

Cam tilted his head, looking away from the construct and up to Simon. "Really?"

 

 

"Yep," he said, letting the construct fade. "Y'know the Green Lantern with brown hair? The small green mask?" The boy nodded wordlessly. "He's… he's my hero. He has been, for longer than I can remember."

 

 

Cam's mouth morphed to a frown, "B-but, what do I say when they say it's useless. When they say I'm gonna be useless…"

 

 

"Don't ever let someone tell you who you are, or what you are," informed Simon, an absolute fire in his eyes. "You are you, and that's what matters."

 

 

Simon smiled at Cam, the boy's frown shifting to a small smile. Both of them made a new friend, and Simon knew he could definitely make a difference.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

"Tell me, Commander," requested the low, booming voice of the green cloaked ghost. Jim Corrigan, the Spectre, floated idle next to John Starr, the Commander of Time.

 

 

John was appointed as such by Metron, the New God. He had been given the Hourglass of Time, a tool crafted from the Mobius Chair to watch and observe the time stream. He sat upon an asteroid in the Milky Way's asteroid belt.

 

 

"I am bound by silence, spirit," John denied, turning his head to the ghost. "You know of this already."

 

 

"Silence is not what I request," beckoned the Spectre. It shifted, a small light appearing in its hand that glowed a bright green. The light spread into three separate orbs, floating in front of John.

 

 

"What is your game, Corrigan?" commanded John, eyeing the orbs of light.

 

 

"Observe, and you shall see."

 

 

John watched as the three lights shifted, turning into that of spy glasses. On the first, the brown haired test pilot, Hal Jordan. He sat in the office of Carol Ferris, holding a picture frame of the two.

 

 

The next featured the ex-marine turned architect John Stewart. He stood alone in a graveyard, a lone flower placed on the headstone in front of him.

 

 

The last showcased the bearded Guy Gardner, an angered scowl on his face. His hand was placed in front of a teenage boy, guarding him from the older ginger holding a gun.

 

 

John narrowed his eyes, turning his head to the ghost who was staring at the three orbs. "I may not know the exact future, but I do know parts of it," announced the ghost, eyes unmoving.

 

 

"The future is never concrete," confessed John, his eyes locked on the orbs. "While events must happen, how they come to be is forever changing."

 

 

Spectre challenged him, "So tell me, Commander, do you know?"

 

 

"One of them," John revealed. Spectre staring at him, looking for confirmation. "One of them shall become your successor. One of them shall become the next Spectre."

Done