DCU Green Lantern #54 Brotherhood (Mini Arc Collection)

1996

 

 

"Stewart, get to cover!" shouted the voice of Colonel Allen.

 

 

John Stewart dove to the side, an RPG soaring past him. He landed in the sand, his hands gripping the material harshly as he stood.

 

 

"Helluva dodge there, Johnny," chimed Rex Mason, one of the members of his squadron. The man held a minigun in his hand, the bullet belt feeding from his backpack. "Don't just stand there, get up ya dumbass."

 

 

John nodded, quickly standing to his feet. His hands lifted the M4 Carbine off the ground, quickly reloading the rifle. "Where the hell is our sniper support!?" He shouted, firing a few shots off at the aggressors.

 

 

"The helicopter was being fired at!" stated the Colonel, pulling the pin on a frag grenade and lobbing it over the piece of cover. "He hasn't relayed back!"

 

 

John cursed under his breath, hoping his friend was okay. As John was in his thoughts, the sound of an aircraft filled the sky. John, as well as his other two squadmates, turned their heads to see a jet soaring towards them, unleashing rounds trailing to them.

 

 

The rounds exploding as they touched the ground caused John's eyes to widen. "Get down!"

 

 

His yell falls on deaf ears as a frag grenade rolls past their cover from the enemy troop. Allen immediately leaps to the frag grenade, landing on top of it to reduce the blast. As the explosion occurs, the jet passes, exploding their car and knocking John out of consciousness.

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

Abel Tarrant tapped his foot anxiously in the back of the helicopter. They finally took down one of the jets following them, but the other doubled back to where the convoy was. Where his squad was.

 

 

The voice of the pilot broke him from his thoughts, peering over the edge of the chopper to see the remains of multiple explosions. His teeth grit, praying to whatever god there was that his squad was okay… that John was okay.

 

 

As the vehicle landed, he immediately hopped out, almost vomiting at the scene. Chunks of flesh and body parts of Colonel Allen were spread around the site. A lone minigun sat, the body of Rex completely gone.

 

 

His eyes locked on the body that was slightly twitching, dashing over to see his friend. His clothes were torn, a large chunk of metal lodged in his back, his body covered in blood.

 

 

"John?" he asked, praying to hear something. A small grunt from the man was all he needed. "MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC, NOW!"

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

Present Day

 

 

John grit his teeth as ink encompassed his construct, the octopus slowly crushing the ball that he shielded himself in. "Dammit, Lee!" he shouted, shattering his own construct as well as the octopus with a burst of energy.

 

 

Abel Lee Tarrant, the Tattooed Man, stood across the street with various tattoos already lifting off his skin. "What's wrong Johnny?" he asked, sending forward a flaming skull. "Can't take a little ink?"

 

 

John narrowly dodged the skull, watching it explode against the building behind him. He quickly created a baseball bat and hit the second ink skull back his way. "Just give up!" he shouted, throwing the bat towards the man.

 

 

Lee raised his arm, a snake unravelling itself from the limb and coiling the bat until it shatters. "Why? So I can go to prison?" he asked, two guns forming in his hands. "I think I'm good."

 

 

He began to fire off ink bullets, John diving to avoid the attack. Swooping down towards him, his ring created a hammer that smacked him in the side, sending him flying back into the building he had just left. John flew in quickly after him, but halted at the sight before him.

 

 

Lee held a small girl in front of him, his arm against her neck. His free hand was held in the air, a lion tattoo snapping it's teeth at the girl's head, only centimeters away.

 

 

"L-Lee…" John stuttered, watching as the girl tried to free herself.

 

 

"Yeah… now you're not chasing, huh?" Lee asked, his voice different than before. "You better let me go, or else she gets it."

 

 

John landed, taking slow steps towards Lee as he spoke, "Lee… this isn't you…"

 

 

"Shut up!" he yelled, moving the tattoo closer. "You don't know me John!"

 

 

John, hesitated for a moment, surveying his options. After taking a deep breath, he reached to his hand and slid his ring off, tossing it to Lee. "I do know you," he stated, continuing to walk forward. "You could kill me in an instant now that I don't have my ring… but you haven't."

 

 

"This ain't a movie John," Lee informed threateningly.

 

 

John nodded, "I know. There isn't some script that you need to follow… there isn't some type of preconceived path for you…"

 

 

Lee, rather than pushing his offensive, took a step back away from John. "What are you getting at!?" he shouted, an octopus tendril shooting from his back. "You think I'm some sorry sack of shit that'll fold that easy?"

 

 

The tentacle shot forward wrapping around John and lifting him into the air. John felt his body being crushed by the ink, but not at the rate it should have been. Lee was holding back. He was hesitating.

 

 

"Vi-villains… don't save others…" he wheezed, not being able to speak under the crushing of the ink. "Villains… don't… help someone… l-learn… to walk again…"

 

 

The ink suddenly splashed onto the floor, dropping John in the process. The lion on his hand disappeared, his grip releasing, letting the hostage go. John wheezed as he took in breath, looking up at Lee, now on his knees.

 

 

"What… what am I doing?" he asked, looking at his tattooed hands. "I… I never wanted this. None of this."

 

 

John watched as he placed his head into his hands, lightly starting to cry. John stepped forward, his ring zipping back to his finger. "Lee…"

 

 

Lee looked up slightly, his eyes both filled with regret. "I don't know… I… I just don't know anymore," he whimpered. "Why I'm doing any of this…"

 

 

As police sirens could be heard, John's ring began to glow, ready to form handcuffs, but stopped. "Go."

 

 

Lee looked up to him, confusion filling his voice, "Huh?"

 

 

John reached out his hand to him, offering him help to stand. "Get out of here… go start fresh somewhere else…"

 

 

Lee shook his head in disbelief. "Wh-why? Why would you ever-"

 

 

"You don't turn your back on family," John interrupted, his hand still extended. "And I'd never turn my back on my brother."

 

 

-^-^-

 

 

Hal brought a can of beer to John, who was sitting idly on his couch. He arrived telling Hal that he needed to talk to someone, but he didn't specify what.

 

 

Sitting down next to him, Hal opened a beer of his own. "So, what's up man?"

 

 

John looked, troubled. His eyes a duller shade of green than they usually were, his body language stoic and lifeless. "I… I let Lee go today," he whispered out. "I had him on the ground and… and told him to leave."

 

 

Hal watched as his friend grit his teeth slightly, his fists closing. That's what it had been, what happened earlier today. He was busy with a threat downtown, so he only saw the news story about Tattooed Man escaping.

 

 

"John, I know you," he finally stated, placing his can down on the coffee table. "I have for… what, almost nine years now?" He sighed as John didn't seem to move, still holding his eyes shut tight. "The point is," he began, "You wouldn't have done it without a reason."

 

 

John nodded slightly, "I… I couldn't do it… he… John turned his head to Hal, looking at him in the eyes. Taking a deep breath, he began. "I… I've never told anyone this… only people that know are Lynn and Lee…" John informed, his head lowered. "I… for two years I couldn't walk…"

 

 

Hal looked at him with surprise on his face. "What?" he asked, confused by the statement.

 

 

"It… it was back in 96. I was only in the military for about a year when our convoy was attacked… I was the only one on the ground that made it out."

 

 

Hal stared at John, placing a hand on his shoulder. "John…" he whispered in a comforting way.

 

 

"A piece of metal from one of the cars… it lodged itself in my back," his words came out in a slight sob, his eyes tearing up at the memory. "The government funded my schooling… but it was Lee… h-he helped me learn to walk again…"

 

 

Hal patted his friend on the back as he cried, the most refined, toughest man he knew… he'd seen him laugh, cry… but never like this… he was… broken.

 

 

"I… I'm a monster," he whimpered out, catching Hal's ear. "Everyone… everyone that comes into contact with me… Tommy, Alan, Lee… K-Kat… it's my fault he's like this… it's like some kind of fucking curse."

 

 

Hal reached forward, pulling John into a hug. He felt the man's tears begin to stain his shoulder. "You aren't a monster… you're a hero…" Hal insisted. "You are a Green Lantern. You do nothing but put your life on the line everyday… you don't get to call yourself a monster."

 

 

"I just want to help him… help him be the man I know he is… I feel like, if it don't…" his voice trailed off, causing him to look up from Hal's shoulder. "I'm so tired of graveyards…" he mumbled, his voice cracking as he spoke. "I don't want Lee… or you… or Jessica… or Guy or Simon… I can't bury someone else… I can't do it."

 

 

"You don't have to," assured Hal, placing his hands on his shoulders. "I won't let you bury anyone else."

 

 

"Th-th-thank you… brother… thank you."

 

 

John left the apartment a few hours later, leaving Hal in his own thoughts. His thoughts on someone he once considered a friend… a brother.

 

 

1993, Starheart

 

 

Hal Jordan laughed alongside Thaal Sinestro, both sitting on bar stools with stings in hand. "And I tell her, 'Sorry I had to raincheck, giant evil space star might be trying to take over a planet,'" chuckles Hal, gaining a laugh from his pink skinned partner.

 

 

"Jordan, how you live such a healthy life between duty and family will never cease to surprise me," stated Thaal, taking a drink of his beverage. "I only wish it were that simple with Soranik."

 

 

Hal placed his hand on his friend's back, giving him a small pat. "Hey, don't sweat it," he insisted, "you'll get it… erm… eventually?"

 

 

Thaal chuckled, "Inspiring as ever," he paused, taking a drink before continuing, "the Honor Guard of the century."

 

 

"Hey! I feel like I did good," he retorted.

 

 

"You did. We did," he stated matter of factly.

 

 

"Not everyday you get to stop a giant evil starfish from taking over the Green Lantern central battery," he noted, raising his glass to Thaal. "So, a toast?"

 

 

Thaal raised his glass, "To brotherhood."

 

 

Hal smiled, nodding before he drank, "To brotherhood."

 

 

Present Day

 

 

Hal sighed to himself. He missed having Thaal around, the pink skinned man was his brother through and through…

 

 

But you don't turn your back on family, and Thaal turned his back on his brother. He wished that he could be redeemed, that there was some way to help him… but he was a villain. He was beyond saving.

 

 

He couldn't save his brother, so he vowed to protect John… he couldn't lose another brother. Not again.

Done