King Clown
DCU Green Lantern Corps #64 A Better Tomorrow (Blackest Night)
To go along with the issue, here is the track for issue 5. If you care to, listen to it before, during or after the issue, I feel it elevated the experience :)
"So, Odym, right?" Simon asked as he and Jessica flew through the stars. "Ever been there?"
The two were on a fast track to the home of the Blue Lanterns, Odym. The plan was simple: have Saint Walker convince Adara to use his body as a host. The man was bursting with Hope, he'd be the perfect vessel.
At least, that was what Simon kept telling himself. He knew that something would occur to cause them trouble, but he didn't know what it could be just yet.
"A few times," she responded. "It's… peaceful there."
Simon nodded in response. "Maybe a vacation after all of this is over?" he asked with a smile.
Jessica chuckled slightly. "Maybe…"
He smiled slightly wider. As long as the two kept their spirits high, they'd get the task done, he knew they would.
"Please pass these back, they are forms your guardians will need to sign."
Simon sat in his chair, cheek in palm. He was ready to just go home; he was tired, bored, and his face still hurt from the group of boys that had jumped him earlier in the day.
"These forms confirm you and your guardians accept police inspections before entering the school and must be turned in by Friday or you will receive suspension until we receive the form."
Simon took the stack of papers from the person in front of him, sliding one onto his desk and holding it behind his head.
"Woah!" The person behind him exclaimed. "Teach, can… can I have someone else in front of me."
Whispers broke out around the classroom, the hushed words causing Simon to lower his head.
"Simon will not partake in any Islamic acts, don't worry, Conner," his teacher reassured, which made him grit his teeth and clench his fist.
"Now that that is out of the way, please open your textbooks to page-"
Simon began filtering out the woman speaking, his eyes unfocused on his textbook below him. His mind harping on the fantasies of being seen as a person, a good one at that.
"Simon…"
The man looked up, leaving his thoughts behind. As he did, his eyes widened, mouth falling agape.
Odym. The once beautiful planet, riddled with calming waters and luscious greenery, was now gone, in its place a dark, dreadful orb of blackness. The faint blue of the Hope Central Power Battery was visible, the darkness slowly consuming the beacon.
"We have to stop it!" Simon shouted, beginning to fly toward the mass.
"Stop!" an unknown voice called, causing him to cease in his tracks. His head whipped around to see the man they were here for.
"Saint Walker?" Jessica asked, a look of horror falling over her. "What the hell happened?"
The man had cuts and bruises running all along his body. His ring's glow was faint, obviously on low power.
"You… must leave now…" he spoke, his voice dissolving into a wheeze. "The darkness has… has consumed all."
"No… you… you can't be thinking that," Simon rebutted, pointing to the faint blue of his ring. "You're hope; you have to be the one."
"I am sorry…" he said, his head lowering.
"Don't be sorry, you need to believe!" Simon shouted, grabbing and shaking Walker's shoulders. "Stop it! You can't just quit!"
"Simon!"
He stopped, looking over to Jessica, then back at Walker, tears leaking from his eyes.
"They're all gone…" he sniffled, gritting his teeth. "The Reapers arrived and… and butchered them all."
"Reapers?"
Before Walker could speak, a deathly screech sounded off, both Simon and Jessica wincing from the noise. Simon peered toward the source of the noise, his face filling with dismay.
"Is that…" Jessica mumbled, her voice shaky and small.
Floating above them were two figures, large black wings outstretched from their backs. An axe in the man's hand, a mace in the woman's.
"Hawkman and Hawkgirl…" Simon finished, his ring lighting up a bright green.
"Well Kendra, shall we?" the zombified Hawkman spoke, his head turning to his partner.
The woman's black tongue exited her mouth, liking her lips. "We… shall…"
"Yeah, don't worry about it Kevin," Simon said, placing his textbooks into his locker. "I'll just tell my ammi I have a club to be at once I drop off Sira."
"Alright, coolio," he responded, patting Simon on the shoulder. "I'll meet you there."
As the man walked away from his locker, Simon frowned. Stealing cars and selling their parts wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing in highschool. He wanted to play on the basketball team, participate in clubs, maybe get a real job.
But it just wasn't his world. He could hardly enter a building without eyes falling onto him. Any applications were instantly vetoed; too big of a risk, they'd say. His parents were both laid off from their jobs, so they ended up forced into social services.
It's why he had to keep it up. Any money helped, no matter how he'd get it.
As his locker shut, his eyes were met with his language arts teacher, a disgusted frown on his face. Simon knew those eyes; everyone looked at him with those damn eyes.
Eyes that meant hatred and fear.
A blast of energy shot from Simon's ring; the blast pierced through Hawkman's wing. With a tug, Simon yanked the zombie toward him, hitting him with a right hook.
The clang of metal caused his head to swivel, witnessing Hawkgirl's mace slamming into Jessica's shield. A large blade sprouted from the construct, decapitating the monster, followed by a shield bash. Jessica quickly sliced off the finger with the ring on it.
Simon's eyes widened, barely ducking under the swing of Hawkman's axe. A construct from Jessica clamped around the axe, holding it in place for Simon to recover. Simon gmcreated a pair of boxing gloves, a barrage of strikes breaking away parts of the creatures body. Finally, one of the gloves gripped it's ring, ripping the finger off.
"That's both of them," sighed Jessica, Simon following her to the nearby asteroid that Saint Walker occupied. "Knowing how to take them out sure does help."
"I know, right," Simon agreed, rubbing his neck. "That one nearly got my head."
"They aren't gone…"
Simon turned to Walker, "What do you mean?"
The screech occurred once more, causing Simon to grit his teeth. His head whipped to the space above them, the two zombies reassembled once again.
"I mean… you must kill them both together, at the exact same time."
Simon's heart pounded against his ribcage, the officer's hands patting down his legs. His mouth was dry, body shaking in fear.
"So," the officer started, spitting onto the sidewalk, "How old are ya son? Look 'bout eighteen."
Simon waited a moment before opening his mouth, his voice small as he spoke, "I am sixteen; I did not assault anyone."
Simon's body was slammed against the cop car, the officer's breath right against his ear. "You callin' me a liar, boy?" he asked, his breath smelling of cigarettes.
"M-my school ID is in my r-right pocket," Simon spoke, nodding his head to his pocket. "May I g-grab it?"
The butt of a pistol struck his neck, the officer pushing him into the street after the strike. Simon coughed, a few drops of blood leaking from his mouth.
"Ya' think I'm stupid?!" he exclaimed, his handgun aiming at Simon and his sister. "Let's see Allah save you now, ya' damn terrorists!"
Simon brought himself to a stand, pushing his sister behind him. "You… you don't have to do this…" he pleaded, slightly slurring his words.
"But I want to."
Simon's body was slammed into the surface of the asteroid, dust and blood mixing as they floated into the vacuum. A bubble encompassed his body as Hawkman slammed his axe downward.
"Nekron will have your blood!" the creature screeched, it's wings extending into long, dagger like feathers. "Nekron's Curse: Wraith Wings!"
The wings began surging with black flames, the feathers sharpening even further. The wings came crashing down, piercing through the bubble and into Simon's abdomen.
His voice felt silent as he cried out, the black flames torching his inards.
"Burn… feel the pain of death," he spoke, digging ever deeper.
Simon's fist clenched, another guttural scream leaving his body as he raised his arm. The blast of energy sent Hawkman into the air, giving him time to stand.
His eyes locked onto Jessica dangling in the air, wrists pierced by the wings of Hawkgirl.
"Jess…" he mumbled, his vision becoming blurry. He rocketed forward, his body slamming into Hawkgirl to knock her down. His hands reached down, adjusting Jessica to sit upright against a rock.
The sound of wings flapping caused him to turn, ring aimed. The downward swing of Hawkman's axe was too quick to counter. The blade followed through, slicing Simon's finger and hand down the middle.
As the slice finished, Simon felt the air leaving his lungs. 'My ring…' he thought, watching the metal split along his finger. As his suit disappeared, he began to feel the pressure and cold of deep space.
Hawkgirl floated down, landing next to Hawkman. Both had twisted smiles on their faces. "Embrace death," Hawkman ordered.
"Embrace Nekron," Hawkgirl added.
A faint green glow wrapped around Simon, allowing him to warm up and breathe. He looked back to see Jessica frowning, her face mixed with blood and tears.
"Simon… I don't think… I think this is it," she whimpered, her lip quivering.
"Don't say that!" he shouted back, coughing up blood as he turned his whole body to her.
"I'm sorry Simon… I… can't hold the construct much longer…"
"Jessica please!"
"I wish… I wish we just had a little more time… just a bit…"
"You can't give up!" Simon shouted, stopping Jessica from speaking. "Even… even if it's the only thing you can do… you… you just can't give up."
Simon turned his body around, facing off against the avians once again. Biting his lip to keep himself conscious. "You can't just give up… not when this world has so much to offer…"
Simon's fist clenched, his body swaying side to side. "That's the only reason I'm here today!" he exclaimed. "The only reason I could bring myself to stand up. The only reason I could stop Puppeteer."
His head turned, eyes watering as he stared back at her. "It's the only reason I was ever able to meet you…"
The man swiped his hand across the air, the blue glow leaving a trail. Simon could hear the four Lanterns screaming out to him, but the voices blended into one.
"Simon, no!" "Fight it man!" "You coward!"
His eyes watched them though. Watched the anger, the fear… the despair.
The woman was frozen in pure shock, her mouth unmoving as his hands moved up to grasp his head.
"No…" he whispered, tears running down his face.
The villain laughed harder at the struggles, Simon's hands placing themselves on his cheek and the back of his head. "Your attempt at encouraging him is futile. You should know that by n-"
"I said no!"
The yell pierced through the villain's words, causing everyone's gaze to fall upon Simon.
"Huh?" questioned Puppeteer, confused by the outburst.
"I-I won't!" cried Simon, his face plastered with determination. "I won't die here!"
Simon's body began to tremble as he resisted the telekinesis; Puppeteer grit his teeth, raising a second hand to finish off Simon.
Simon does not submit.
"Wh-what the hell is going on?!" screamed Puppeteer, anger boiling over.
"I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Simon shouted, his hands pulling themselves off his face. "Everything I've done… that I've been through; I won't let it end here!
Puppeteer backed away from Simon, his nose leaking blood. "What… what the hell are you?!" he questioned, the fear in his voice evident.
Simon's eyes took on a glow, bright green in color. Puppeteer shook, as did Simon. The aura around him had changed, the blue from Puppeteer's powers now to the green of his eyes.
"I won't let you kill me!" he screamed, the skylight of the warehouse shattering as a green comet rocketed through the opening.
"I won't let you kill me!" he screamed, the stars around him flashing blue. "I will not give up on tomorrow!"
Simon felt his wounds begin to heal, the holes in his stomach patching themselves together. The aura of green that Jessica had around him had dissipated, now replaced with a brilliant blue glow.
'Simon Baz.'
Simon's eyes closed, the projection of a large blue bird entering his mind.
'You have exhibited a Hope strong enough to be detected by Adara.'
"In fearful day, in raging night," Simon spoke, eyes opening as he walked forward towards the zombie lovers. "With strong hearts full, our souls ignite."
"Simon…" Jessica gasped.
"When all seems lost in the War of Light," he continued, a trail of blue light shooting to both Saint Walker and Jessica's rings, bringing them to fill charge and healing their wounds. "Look to the stars..."
Simon was now fully adorned in black and blue. The two pieces of his broken ring shot to his finger, melding themselves together, now an electric blue.
"For hope burns bright!"
The two hawks launched themselves at Simon, weapons aimed at his skull. Simon's fist clenched, uppercutting the air. Forming in front of him were two fists, striking the two under the chin. Before they were launched by the impact, the fists grabbed hold of the two.
Two green daggers sliced across the zombies's wrists, removing both their hands from their bodies. The blue fists disappeared as the corpses began turning to dust, fading into the stars.
Simon's head turned, smiling at the woman who stood next to him. "You did it…" Jessica said, a relieved smile on her face.
"We did," he responded, a small chuckle leaving his mouth.
"You… you restored Hope," Walker stated. Simon and Jessica both looked at Odym, it's Central Power Battery burning a bright blue, warding off the darkness.
"We… we don't have time to stay and admire it," Jessica said, Simon nodding in agreement.
"We need to get to Nok, then to Qward," Simon added, his ring begining to light up.
"No, Simon."
Simon's head turned to Jessica, asking "What's wrong?"
"We don't have enough time to go to the two individually… we have to split up," she said, looking up to him.
"That's crazy!" Simon returned. "The Hawks nearly killed both of us! What if there are more?"
"This isn't a debate, Simon!" she responded, her voice raising. "The world is at stake!"
"Jessica… I… I can't lose you… I-"
Simon's eyes widened as Jessica pressed her lips to his, her arms snaking around his shoulders. His heartbeat increased as his lids slide shut, the initial shock fading. The man wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his body closer to her.
As the two broke away, a tear rolled down Jessica's face, her mouth quirked upwards. "You won't… I promise." Simon nodded, unravelling his arms from her waist.
As she lifted into the air, she looked back to him. "I love you, Simon."
"I love you too, Jessica."
DCU Green Lantern Corps #64 A Better Tomorrow (Blackest Night)
To go along with the issue, here is the track for issue 5. If you care to, listen to it before, during or after the issue, I feel it elevated the experience :)
"So, Odym, right?" Simon asked as he and Jessica flew through the stars. "Ever been there?"
The two were on a fast track to the home of the Blue Lanterns, Odym. The plan was simple: have Saint Walker convince Adara to use his body as a host. The man was bursting with Hope, he'd be the perfect vessel.
At least, that was what Simon kept telling himself. He knew that something would occur to cause them trouble, but he didn't know what it could be just yet.
"A few times," she responded. "It's… peaceful there."
Simon nodded in response. "Maybe a vacation after all of this is over?" he asked with a smile.
Jessica chuckled slightly. "Maybe…"
He smiled slightly wider. As long as the two kept their spirits high, they'd get the task done, he knew they would.
"Please pass these back, they are forms your guardians will need to sign."
Simon sat in his chair, cheek in palm. He was ready to just go home; he was tired, bored, and his face still hurt from the group of boys that had jumped him earlier in the day.
"These forms confirm you and your guardians accept police inspections before entering the school and must be turned in by Friday or you will receive suspension until we receive the form."
Simon took the stack of papers from the person in front of him, sliding one onto his desk and holding it behind his head.
"Woah!" The person behind him exclaimed. "Teach, can… can I have someone else in front of me."
Whispers broke out around the classroom, the hushed words causing Simon to lower his head.
"Simon will not partake in any Islamic acts, don't worry, Conner," his teacher reassured, which made him grit his teeth and clench his fist.
"Now that that is out of the way, please open your textbooks to page-"
Simon began filtering out the woman speaking, his eyes unfocused on his textbook below him. His mind harping on the fantasies of being seen as a person, a good one at that.
"Simon…"
The man looked up, leaving his thoughts behind. As he did, his eyes widened, mouth falling agape.
Odym. The once beautiful planet, riddled with calming waters and luscious greenery, was now gone, in its place a dark, dreadful orb of blackness. The faint blue of the Hope Central Power Battery was visible, the darkness slowly consuming the beacon.
"We have to stop it!" Simon shouted, beginning to fly toward the mass.
"Stop!" an unknown voice called, causing him to cease in his tracks. His head whipped around to see the man they were here for.
"Saint Walker?" Jessica asked, a look of horror falling over her. "What the hell happened?"
The man had cuts and bruises running all along his body. His ring's glow was faint, obviously on low power.
"You… must leave now…" he spoke, his voice dissolving into a wheeze. "The darkness has… has consumed all."
"No… you… you can't be thinking that," Simon rebutted, pointing to the faint blue of his ring. "You're hope; you have to be the one."
"I am sorry…" he said, his head lowering.
"Don't be sorry, you need to believe!" Simon shouted, grabbing and shaking Walker's shoulders. "Stop it! You can't just quit!"
"Simon!"
He stopped, looking over to Jessica, then back at Walker, tears leaking from his eyes.
"They're all gone…" he sniffled, gritting his teeth. "The Reapers arrived and… and butchered them all."
"Reapers?"
Before Walker could speak, a deathly screech sounded off, both Simon and Jessica wincing from the noise. Simon peered toward the source of the noise, his face filling with dismay.
"Is that…" Jessica mumbled, her voice shaky and small.
Floating above them were two figures, large black wings outstretched from their backs. An axe in the man's hand, a mace in the woman's.
"Hawkman and Hawkgirl…" Simon finished, his ring lighting up a bright green.
"Well Kendra, shall we?" the zombified Hawkman spoke, his head turning to his partner.
The woman's black tongue exited her mouth, liking her lips. "We… shall…"
"Yeah, don't worry about it Kevin," Simon said, placing his textbooks into his locker. "I'll just tell my ammi I have a club to be at once I drop off Sira."
"Alright, coolio," he responded, patting Simon on the shoulder. "I'll meet you there."
As the man walked away from his locker, Simon frowned. Stealing cars and selling their parts wasn't exactly what he wanted to be doing in highschool. He wanted to play on the basketball team, participate in clubs, maybe get a real job.
But it just wasn't his world. He could hardly enter a building without eyes falling onto him. Any applications were instantly vetoed; too big of a risk, they'd say. His parents were both laid off from their jobs, so they ended up forced into social services.
It's why he had to keep it up. Any money helped, no matter how he'd get it.
As his locker shut, his eyes were met with his language arts teacher, a disgusted frown on his face. Simon knew those eyes; everyone looked at him with those damn eyes.
Eyes that meant hatred and fear.
A blast of energy shot from Simon's ring; the blast pierced through Hawkman's wing. With a tug, Simon yanked the zombie toward him, hitting him with a right hook.
The clang of metal caused his head to swivel, witnessing Hawkgirl's mace slamming into Jessica's shield. A large blade sprouted from the construct, decapitating the monster, followed by a shield bash. Jessica quickly sliced off the finger with the ring on it.
Simon's eyes widened, barely ducking under the swing of Hawkman's axe. A construct from Jessica clamped around the axe, holding it in place for Simon to recover. Simon gmcreated a pair of boxing gloves, a barrage of strikes breaking away parts of the creatures body. Finally, one of the gloves gripped it's ring, ripping the finger off.
"That's both of them," sighed Jessica, Simon following her to the nearby asteroid that Saint Walker occupied. "Knowing how to take them out sure does help."
"I know, right," Simon agreed, rubbing his neck. "That one nearly got my head."
"They aren't gone…"
Simon turned to Walker, "What do you mean?"
The screech occurred once more, causing Simon to grit his teeth. His head whipped to the space above them, the two zombies reassembled once again.
"I mean… you must kill them both together, at the exact same time."
Simon's heart pounded against his ribcage, the officer's hands patting down his legs. His mouth was dry, body shaking in fear.
"So," the officer started, spitting onto the sidewalk, "How old are ya son? Look 'bout eighteen."
Simon waited a moment before opening his mouth, his voice small as he spoke, "I am sixteen; I did not assault anyone."
Simon's body was slammed against the cop car, the officer's breath right against his ear. "You callin' me a liar, boy?" he asked, his breath smelling of cigarettes.
"M-my school ID is in my r-right pocket," Simon spoke, nodding his head to his pocket. "May I g-grab it?"
The butt of a pistol struck his neck, the officer pushing him into the street after the strike. Simon coughed, a few drops of blood leaking from his mouth.
"Ya' think I'm stupid?!" he exclaimed, his handgun aiming at Simon and his sister. "Let's see Allah save you now, ya' damn terrorists!"
Simon brought himself to a stand, pushing his sister behind him. "You… you don't have to do this…" he pleaded, slightly slurring his words.
"But I want to."
Simon's body was slammed into the surface of the asteroid, dust and blood mixing as they floated into the vacuum. A bubble encompassed his body as Hawkman slammed his axe downward.
"Nekron will have your blood!" the creature screeched, it's wings extending into long, dagger like feathers. "Nekron's Curse: Wraith Wings!"
The wings began surging with black flames, the feathers sharpening even further. The wings came crashing down, piercing through the bubble and into Simon's abdomen.
His voice felt silent as he cried out, the black flames torching his inards.
"Burn… feel the pain of death," he spoke, digging ever deeper.
Simon's fist clenched, another guttural scream leaving his body as he raised his arm. The blast of energy sent Hawkman into the air, giving him time to stand.
His eyes locked onto Jessica dangling in the air, wrists pierced by the wings of Hawkgirl.
"Jess…" he mumbled, his vision becoming blurry. He rocketed forward, his body slamming into Hawkgirl to knock her down. His hands reached down, adjusting Jessica to sit upright against a rock.
The sound of wings flapping caused him to turn, ring aimed. The downward swing of Hawkman's axe was too quick to counter. The blade followed through, slicing Simon's finger and hand down the middle.
As the slice finished, Simon felt the air leaving his lungs. 'My ring…' he thought, watching the metal split along his finger. As his suit disappeared, he began to feel the pressure and cold of deep space.
Hawkgirl floated down, landing next to Hawkman. Both had twisted smiles on their faces. "Embrace death," Hawkman ordered.
"Embrace Nekron," Hawkgirl added.
A faint green glow wrapped around Simon, allowing him to warm up and breathe. He looked back to see Jessica frowning, her face mixed with blood and tears.
"Simon… I don't think… I think this is it," she whimpered, her lip quivering.
"Don't say that!" he shouted back, coughing up blood as he turned his whole body to her.
"I'm sorry Simon… I… can't hold the construct much longer…"
"Jessica please!"
"I wish… I wish we just had a little more time… just a bit…"
"You can't give up!" Simon shouted, stopping Jessica from speaking. "Even… even if it's the only thing you can do… you… you just can't give up."
Simon turned his body around, facing off against the avians once again. Biting his lip to keep himself conscious. "You can't just give up… not when this world has so much to offer…"
Simon's fist clenched, his body swaying side to side. "That's the only reason I'm here today!" he exclaimed. "The only reason I could bring myself to stand up. The only reason I could stop Puppeteer."
His head turned, eyes watering as he stared back at her. "It's the only reason I was ever able to meet you…"
The man swiped his hand across the air, the blue glow leaving a trail. Simon could hear the four Lanterns screaming out to him, but the voices blended into one.
"Simon, no!" "Fight it man!" "You coward!"
His eyes watched them though. Watched the anger, the fear… the despair.
The woman was frozen in pure shock, her mouth unmoving as his hands moved up to grasp his head.
"No…" he whispered, tears running down his face.
The villain laughed harder at the struggles, Simon's hands placing themselves on his cheek and the back of his head. "Your attempt at encouraging him is futile. You should know that by n-"
"I said no!"
The yell pierced through the villain's words, causing everyone's gaze to fall upon Simon.
"Huh?" questioned Puppeteer, confused by the outburst.
"I-I won't!" cried Simon, his face plastered with determination. "I won't die here!"
Simon's body began to tremble as he resisted the telekinesis; Puppeteer grit his teeth, raising a second hand to finish off Simon.
Simon does not submit.
"Wh-what the hell is going on?!" screamed Puppeteer, anger boiling over.
"I WILL NOT DIE HERE!" Simon shouted, his hands pulling themselves off his face. "Everything I've done… that I've been through; I won't let it end here!
Puppeteer backed away from Simon, his nose leaking blood. "What… what the hell are you?!" he questioned, the fear in his voice evident.
Simon's eyes took on a glow, bright green in color. Puppeteer shook, as did Simon. The aura around him had changed, the blue from Puppeteer's powers now to the green of his eyes.
"I won't let you kill me!" he screamed, the skylight of the warehouse shattering as a green comet rocketed through the opening.
"I won't let you kill me!" he screamed, the stars around him flashing blue. "I will not give up on tomorrow!"
Simon felt his wounds begin to heal, the holes in his stomach patching themselves together. The aura of green that Jessica had around him had dissipated, now replaced with a brilliant blue glow.
'Simon Baz.'
Simon's eyes closed, the projection of a large blue bird entering his mind.
'You have exhibited a Hope strong enough to be detected by Adara.'
"In fearful day, in raging night," Simon spoke, eyes opening as he walked forward towards the zombie lovers. "With strong hearts full, our souls ignite."
"Simon…" Jessica gasped.
"When all seems lost in the War of Light," he continued, a trail of blue light shooting to both Saint Walker and Jessica's rings, bringing them to fill charge and healing their wounds. "Look to the stars..."
Simon was now fully adorned in black and blue. The two pieces of his broken ring shot to his finger, melding themselves together, now an electric blue.
"For hope burns bright!"
The two hawks launched themselves at Simon, weapons aimed at his skull. Simon's fist clenched, uppercutting the air. Forming in front of him were two fists, striking the two under the chin. Before they were launched by the impact, the fists grabbed hold of the two.
Two green daggers sliced across the zombies's wrists, removing both their hands from their bodies. The blue fists disappeared as the corpses began turning to dust, fading into the stars.
Simon's head turned, smiling at the woman who stood next to him. "You did it…" Jessica said, a relieved smile on her face.
"We did," he responded, a small chuckle leaving his mouth.
"You… you restored Hope," Walker stated. Simon and Jessica both looked at Odym, it's Central Power Battery burning a bright blue, warding off the darkness.
"We… we don't have time to stay and admire it," Jessica said, Simon nodding in agreement.
"We need to get to Nok, then to Qward," Simon added, his ring begining to light up.
"No, Simon."
Simon's head turned to Jessica, asking "What's wrong?"
"We don't have enough time to go to the two individually… we have to split up," she said, looking up to him.
"That's crazy!" Simon returned. "The Hawks nearly killed both of us! What if there are more?"
"This isn't a debate, Simon!" she responded, her voice raising. "The world is at stake!"
"Jessica… I… I can't lose you… I-"
Simon's eyes widened as Jessica pressed her lips to his, her arms snaking around his shoulders. His heartbeat increased as his lids slide shut, the initial shock fading. The man wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his body closer to her.
As the two broke away, a tear rolled down Jessica's face, her mouth quirked upwards. "You won't… I promise." Simon nodded, unravelling his arms from her waist.
As she lifted into the air, she looked back to him. "I love you, Simon."
"I love you too, Jessica."