Chapter Text
Hal ignored the whispers and stares as he, John, Jessica, and Simon entered the mess hall on OA.
“The Earthmen are here”.
“Still can’t believe they let Lantern Jordan return to duty after everything he’s done”.
“You can’t trust any of those Earthmen. Remember what happened with Senior Lantern Stewart and Xanshi”?
“They probably need all those extra Lanterns in their sector because they’re so weak. Why else would they have six Lanterns from one sector? And all of them are Earthmen”.
“Heard their two new rookies are at the bottom of the rookie class”.
Hal rolled his eyes but kept looking for Guy. The comments didn’t bother him really. The Corps had never really liked humans, and what Hal did as Parallax had made that worse, so he didn’t blame them. He didn’t appreciate the comments towards John, Simon, and Jess, but it wasn’t worth the fight that would ensue. Hal was already on probation and had his rank stripped, he couldn’t afford to get on the Guardians bad side at the moment.
Maybe later though.
There were a lot of Lanterns around today, making it more difficult to find Guy. Hard to believe that they went from one member in August to around 7,200 now in November. Plenty of Lanterns that survived had come back after Oa had been restored in September, and everyone helped with recruiting efforts. Most of the rookies had only trained for less than 2 months, but there were a couple of promising candidates.
He didn’t know if it would be enough to stop whatever Sinestro had planned. At least, not without massive casualties. They needed to find Guy so they could continue the case.
“I always forget how much everyone hates us” Simon mumbled as the group made their way deeper into the mess hall. Hal turned to reassure him it wasn’t everyone when someone shouldered past him roughly.
“Starting problems Ke’haan?” John asked, tone dangerous. The tall horned alien just glared at him.
“It’s fine John. Come on” Hal said. The four of them sat at an empty table nearby, leaving a chair open for Guy. He could find them at this point. “The Lost Lantern’s have their reasons”
The Lost Lanterns were made up of Ke’haan, Boodikka, Chance, Graf, Laira, and Hannu. They were the Lanterns that had been sent to stop Hal when he had been possessed by Parallax and was on his way to OA. He had brutally beaten them and left them for dead.
They rightfully had a grudge.
Most people treated him differently now, even after he had been “cleansed” from Parallax in September. The League was still on edge. Batman never liked him, Hal knew that, but now Hal could feel the man’s eyes on him whenever they were in the same room together. There wasn’t anymore banter between them, since Batman avoided speaking to him unless he had to. Clark and Diana looked at him with pity in their eyes, and Arthur and J’ohn acted like he was going to snap at any second.
The only people in the League who didn’t treat him differently were Dinah, Ollie, and Barry. Dinah acted like nothing happened, which Hal really appreciated. He had only asked her about it once, and she had said that it wasn’t him and had left it at that. He didn’t have the heart to tell her she was wrong. Ollie and him had recently become friends again, and while Ollie didn’t treat him differently, he could still see the sadness in his friend’s eyes. But Hal chose to ignore it, because if he didn’t his guilt would get him. And Barry hadn’t been there when Hal was Parallax, so of course he didn’t treat Hal any different. The stories didn’t deter him because Barry was just nice like that.
“I know you Hal, that wasn’t you”. Too nice really.
“I’m here” Guy announced as he sat down in the only empty seat at the table. He had a beer in his hand.
“Did- did you stop to get a beer?” Jess asked as Guy used a construct of a bottle opener to open it.
“Yeah? Whatsit to ya rookie?” Guy asked before shaking his head and taking a swig. John looked unimpressed.
“What did Salaak say?” John asked, getting them back to the matter at hand. Guy rolled his eyes.
“Guardians are busy or whatever. He’s gonna try to fit us in but it doesn't look like it’s gonna be today. Not like we need to tell ‘em about anything important” Guy said sarcastically. “I think we should just walk in, bypass the red tape”.
“Not smart Guy” John said. Hal’s already on thin ice was left unsaid. Guy took another swig of beer.
Batman had been approached by a yellow power ring. There were yellow power rings now. But none of them could find Sinestro, who was apparently behind all of this.
The Sinestro Corps.
“The Torchbearer is here”!
The mess hall broke out into whispers about “Ion” and “Torchbearer” as Hal turned to see the source of those excited whispers enter the mess hall.
When Hal had basically destroyed the Corps, the Guardians had sent out one last ring with Ganthet in an effort to stop Hal. Ganthet had gone to Earth and had given the ring to Torchbearer. Against all odds, Torchbearer had not only succeeded in defeating Hal, but he had restored the Green Lantern Corps.
The Corps loved him for it, with even Senior Lanterns praising him for his work well done, not caring that he was also an Earthman. Hal was sure even the Guardians and Salaak favored the kid.
But Torchbearer was a mystery to Hal.
They were from the same sector, the same planet , but Hal didn’t know anything about the kid. “Torchbearer” was a title and rank given to him by the Guardians for carrying on the Green Lantern’s legacy in their darkest hour, but no one could refer to him as anything else since he kept his identity a secret from even the Corps. And he avoided the other Earth Lanterns like the plague, even going as far as changing directions so he didn’t have to cross paths with them.
It didn’t make sense for him to be avoiding the others. Guy and John had mentioned that they had been on good terms with Torchbearer, even giving him advice and kind of mentoring him when he was the last Green Lantern. But Guy had said that when they had seen him just before he left Earth to restart Oa, he had been acting off and hadn’t really talked with either of them since then. And Torchbearer hadn’t really met Jess or Simon yet, both of them saying they’ve never spoken to him but they’ve been around him for Rookie training. There was no reason for him to be upset with them.
With Hal though, that made sense.
Everything the kid had been through recently was because of him, and Hal actually felt guilty about it. He remembered some of the conversations he had had with the kid as Parallax, and he knew Torchbearer was a good kid. He actually reminded Hal of-.
Hal shook that thought from his head. He couldn’t afford to think about her. Not right now
The kid walked in flanked on either side by Tomar-Tu and Sodam Yat, two of his friends from his rookie group. The rookies had been divided into groups of four to an experienced Lantern due to the sheer amount of rookies compared to experienced members that could train them. Despite the fancy title and a rank that put him above everyone besides Salaak and the Guardians, the kid was still a rookie technically since he never had gone under proper training but he didn’t seem to mind.
Hal didn’t know a lot about Yat besides the fact that a lot of the senior members were impressed by his potential, but he knew Tu personally. His father, Tomar-Re, had been a friend and mentor to Hal when Hal had first become part of the Corps. Tomar-Re had died on duty (because of Hal), and Hal had the honor and privilege to be the one to recruit Tu, giving the kid his father’s ring. The last member of their group was Soranik Natu, but Hal didn’t know much about her besides the fact that she was a surgeon or something like that on her planet and helped out in the Oa infirmary.
Their group was actually at the top of the rookie class. Though they did have the unfair advantage of Torchbearer being thrown into the deep end and therefore having more experience, Tu being a legacy and therefore having a better basic understanding of all of this before getting to Oa, Natu’s smarts, and Yat just happening to be good at this. Jess and Simon’s group had the misfortune of the other two members constantly dropping out and Jess and Simon’s constant arguing not letting them get anything done (which Hal thinks is over with? He might've fixed that, but that’s yet to be seen).
“Oh yay, my favorite group of people” Guy grouched when he saw Torchbearer and his group walking in. Hal knew he was just upset over the volleyball incident.
As the three of them drew closer to sit at a nearby empty table, Hal noticed Torchbearer was holding something in a sphere construct near his right shoulder. Laira was quick to get up from the Lost Lantern’s Lanterns table and sit with them, and Hal swore Arisia appeared out of nowhere to take the last chair.
“What’s he got?” Guy asked. Hal tried to lean as subtly as he could to get a better look.
“It’s hard to tell from here,” Simon said. Hal leaned a bit too far to be considered subtle and accidentally locked eyes with Torchbearer. Or well, as much as they could lock eyes while both wearing masks. Torchbearers “eyes” widened and he looked away quickly, but the way he moved made his sphere move just enough that-
Oh.
He had captured a yellow ring. It was zipping all around the inside of the sphere, trying to break free. The five Earth Lanterns that were sitting together all glanced at one another, silently agreeing to eavesdrop on the conversation.
“Did you get an audience with the Guardians?” Laira asked.
“Yeah, Salaak said we’d be up next,” Yat replied, leaning back in his seat with an easy grin. “They made an opening just for us”!
Guy’s mouth opened in rage but John put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. Because Torchbearer was favored by the Guardians, he would get special privileges like an almost guaranteed audience with the Guardians when he asked for it. He also got away with things like not wearing the rookie uniform and sleeping over in his friends room sometimes instead of in his assigned room.
Or going out wherever he and his friends went at night.
“Where’s Sora?” Arisia asked.
“She said she would be here. She must have gotten held up on her home planet” Tu said and Torchbearer shrugged. They turned to him, frowning.
“You have been quiet,” Tu said. “Is everything well”?
“I’m supposed to hear my mom’s will today” Torchbearer said after a few seconds. Arisia put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like I like, expected or wanted anything but- there was this painting in the house that I used to stare at for hours and I thought- I dunno”.
Hal and Guy locked eyes. Torchbearer’s mom had died recently, and Guy had been around for that. After she had died, Torchbearer had stopped coming to Earth completely.
“What was it of” Yat asked, uncharacteristically serious.
“A boy in a field. My mom and I used to make up stories about it all the time” Torchbearer said.
“I can understand how you feel,” Tu said. “My father isn’t alive anymore, but I am lucky to have his ring. Something to feel close to him, like he’s still here”.
“After we talk to the Guardians, go back to Earth,” Laira said, her voice gentle. “Get everything settled and then rejoin us. I think we have time before things in this case escalate”.
Hal could see Torchbearer turn to Laira out of the corner of his eye, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by a loud buzzing noise. The ring in his sphere started to go crazy.
“What is-” Tu asked, pointing his ring at the sphere but it was too late. A burst of yellow energy broke Torchbearer’s sphere construct and sent everyone close by flying back, including Hal’s table.
The ring went crazy, zipping all around the mess hall. Hal got up quickly, and he and several Lanterns did their best to try to recapture it.
“It’s too fast” Jess cried out, ducking out of the way as it flew through where she was.
“ New Objective Received. Targeting Ion ” the ring said before flying around Torchbearer. The kid tried to swat at it as Laira tried to subdue it but it was too late, the ring placed itself on Torchbearer’s finger.
“ Ion Captured ”.
Hal ran forward, but with a scream that sounded like he was in pain, Torchbearer was pulled out of the mess hall and off Oa in a streak of yellow.
“ Torchbearer !” Yat cried out as Hal ran out of the mess hall. He could hear people following.
“Where did he go?” Someone else asked as Hal took off into the air. He looked around but didn’t see any sign of Torchbearer or yellow light. He had his ring do a scan.
“Get back inside rookies!” Guy ordered as he flew up next to Hal, looking around for any signs of Torchbearer. A couple of experienced Lanterns had followed Hal outside, but Jess, Simon, Yat, Tu and a couple of other rookies that Hal didn’t know the names of had followed too. The other rookies quickly went back inside, but Jess, Simon, Yat and Tu flew up with the experienced Lanterns.
“That was an order rookies,” John said. “That includes you too, Jess and Simon”.
“John-” Simon argued but John cut him off.
“I need eyes and ears on the ground. Check the damages and report back” John said as a way to get them back inside.
Simon and Jess were capable, Hal knew that, but one person ( from his planet ) was already missing. Hal didn’t know if more rings would come to take more people, so the less people out in the open the better.
The two of them didn’t look happy to do so, but they went back to OA. Yat and Tu however, didn’t move. If anything, they looked more determined to stay. Hal was going to say something but his ring caught his attention.
“Scan Complete. Traces Of Antimatter Detected. Subject Has Escaped Into An Interdimensional Vortex ” Hal’s ring said.
“The antimatter universe” John said and Hal nodded. This wasn’t good.
“What’s th-” Yat started, but a Lantern behind him got their head blown off before he could finish.
“ Sniper ! Keep your head down!” Guy cried out, and the Lanterns got back to back, using their rings to create joint shields around each other.
“Simon!” John barked into his ring.
“John?” Simon’s voice came from John's ring.
“Get everyone inside and stay on OA” John commanded into his ring.
“Understood”. The Lanterns hated the Earthmen, but at least their rookies did as they were told. Sometimes. When they wanted to.
“I’ll take out the sniper” John said, creating a sniper rifle construct with his ring. A wave of something familiar washed over Hal, making him freeze. He knew this feeling, but where did he know it from? A slight sour taste filled his mouth.
“We have more problems than just a sniper,” Yat said. “Yellow Lanterns incoming”!
Hal glanced over his shoulder and cursed when he saw a lot of Yellow Lanterns (because that was a thing now apparently) flying towards them.
=
“How many casualties” Guy asked, John supporting him as they followed Hal into a half destroyed Central Meeting Hall.
“57” Salaak answered, not even looking at them as he looked over multiple monitors.
“58, 59, 60-” the system rang out. Hal paused.
“Why is it still counting?” Hal asked, limping over to where Salaak was floating.
“The Yellow Lanterns that attacked us are long gone,” Jessica said, looking around wearily.
John had been able to take out the sniper, letting the Lanterns on OA to fly out and help them with fighting off the Yellow Lanterns. Jess and Simon had of course fought well and came out of it only a little banged up (Hal was very proud and would have to remind himself to tell them later), but not everyone was nearly as lucky. Now the Green Lanterns were on Oa, licking their wounds and regrouping.
“Yellow Lantern’s all over the universe are hunting down Green Lanterns” Salaak told them. “Others continue to spread fear across the universe”.
Hal felt his eyes widen.
There had to be a lot of them then, much more than the amount that attacked them just now. How were they able to recruit this fast? Or had they been recruiting for a while and the Lantern’s just hadn’t caught them?
“Hal”? Hal turned quickly.
Tu looked a little banged up, but not too bad. Hal hadn’t seen him fight before today, but damn was his style a lot like his father’s. He did good, really good, and Hal knew without a doubt his father would be proud. Hal could easily see why Tu was near the top of the rookie class.
He couldn’t help but remember the first time he had met Tu, who had been maybe 13ish in Earth years at the time. Hal had gone with Tomar-Re to help him solve an issue on his planet and had met his wife, his daughter and Tu then. He remembered how excited the kid was, how much he looked up to his father.
He remembered having to tell them earlier this year that Tomar-Re had died.
“You okay?” Hal asked, aiming his ring at Tu. “Ring, do a med scan’.
“It’s not that bad,” Tu insisted, gently pushing Hal’s hand back down. “We need to talk”.
“What’s up?” Hal asked. Tu made a face and looked up before looking back at Hal, a bit embarrassed.
“You’re not saying hi, you’re not asking me literally, so you’re asking me what is going on. I should know better, Torchbearer uses that phrase a lot” Tu said. “But that ring- Torchbearer found it in sector 424. That sector’s Lanterns had been pursuing it. Torchbearer said he had found it because he had felt something off in that sector, something about a leh-mohn? I am not too sure what that is. He said things were unbalanced, but he found that ring and thousands like it. But even without the yellow rings, there is something more happening in the Universe. Torchbearer said he felt it”.
So recruiting had been recent? Hal didn’t like how fast that was, and how strong they were for just having started. What was Sinestro planning? And what was the something more Tu was talking about?
One step at a time Hal.
“And now it has taken Torchbearer,” Tu continued. “We have to retrieve him and Ion. Sodam and I are ready to go with you”.
“I- Tu” Hal started but Tu cut him off.
“I know you were already thinking of going to find him Hal. That’s how you are” Tu said.
“You’re right,” Hal said. “But wherever he is, it’s gonna be behind enemy lines. You did really well out there, don’t get me wrong, but a mission behind enemy lines with a small group isn’t the place for a rookie. We can’t lose three more people just trying to get one” Hal said and Tu frowned.
He trusted Tu, but Hal barely understood what they were up against and he couldn’t trust himself to watchout for Tu. The Yellow’s brought a weird feeling with them that Hal couldn’t place, but it was familiar. To get Torchbearer he needed people he knew that could watch out for themselves and that have a history of doing so. Tu and Yat were rookies. They’ve been training for less than two months and wore the rookie uniform; the base green and black suit with the empty white circle in the middle of their chest. They haven’t gotten the Lantern symbol yet, they needed more time. They couldn’t afford to mess up because they couldn’t guarantee a second chance.
He was going to explain it, but he was pulled away roughly from Tu.
“Ke’haan?” Tu asked, confused. Laira put herself in between Tu and Hal, not even looking at Hal as she spoke.
“You don’t need to be talking to him, Tomar-Tu,” Laira said. “Especially about the details of our case”.
“Really guys? Right now” Simon asked, making his way over.
“It’s fine,” Hal said, putting a hand on Simon’s shoulder. Simon frowned.
“We’re on the same case as you guys,” John said. “After this attack, all the Corps are on the same case. We can work together, let us help you”.
“But even without the yellow rings, there is something more happening in the Universe. Torchbearer said he felt it ” Tu had said.
“None of us would want your help even if we had a dead ring in a black hole you-” Chance spat, the last word not translating to english. Guy was making his way over now and Hal could feel a migraine coming on. They had better things to do than stand around and fight with each other. They still had no idea where Torchbearer was.
Well, Hal had an idea. If he had been transported to the antimatter universe, he was probably on Qward. Hal needed to get to Qward.
“Who said I would help you even if you did ask?” Guy asked, getting in Chance’s face.
“The Guardians have given their orders” Salaak’s voice came over everyones rings. Everyone who was in the Central Meeting Hall turned to look at him. “All available Lanterns across the Galaxy are to return to Oa to prepare for another attack. Senior Lanterns Boodikka, Ke’haan, Chance and Toren, Lantern’s Omoto and Hannu, and Trainee Lantern Tomar, you will go to Qward to retrieve Ion”.
Tu looked surprised, looking between Hal and the Lost Lanterns. Hal had no idea why the Guardians would put a Rookie Lantern on a rescue mission that should’ve only been experienced Lanterns, but at least it was only one rookie to six more experienced Lanterns. Yat also looked surprised, but there was something else there.
“Ion is your top priority,” Salaak continued, “Not Sinestro or Torchbearer or any of the Sinestro Corps members. It is a rescue mission. In and out”.
Almost everyone in the room froze, even the Lost Lantern’s who’s mission this was looked uncertain. But Hal felt angry. How could they abandon h-
“Let me go!” Yat said, stepping forward, his eyes bright and determined. “I’ll retrieve Torchbearer”!
“Patience Yat” Kilowog said, putting a hand on Yat’s shoulder as he locked eyes with Hal. “You’ll get yer time to shine”.
Yat looked upset and opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes followed Kilowog’s to look at Hal, and a look of understanding passed over his face as he nodded.
“Alright” Yat said, still not looking happy, and Hal nodded.
“Yat, Arisia, and all of you,” Kilowog said, gestring to a small group of Lanterns, “come with me. The rest of ya, get to the mess hall and get ready”.
The Lost Lanterns and Tu left for Qward and the other Lanterns went to where they had been ordered, but Hal pulled John and Guy aside, through a hole in the wall that Hal thinks might’ve been made by him crashing through it earlier.
Oh well.
“So we’re going to Qward right?” Guy asked.
“Of course”.
“Without a doubt”.
With the Lost Lanterns and Tu’s priority being Ion, Hal’s could be getting Torchbearer back. Whatever the Yellow Lantern’s wanted with him couldn’t be good, and they certainly weren’t gonna let him keep Ion. The kid probably had no way to defend himself right now, and who knows what they were doing to-
“Let’s go,” Jess said, determined, causing the three of them to whirl around to see Jess and Simon standing behind them. Hal, Guy and John looked at one another before looking at her and Simon.
“You two aren’t going with us,” John said. They looked outraged.
“What? But we-” Simon started but was cut off by Guy.
“Are still Rookies. Stay here and defend with Kilowog’s group” Guy said.
“We’re still trying to figure out what we’re up against, these Yellow Lanterns are a new thing. Besides, you guys are still part of the action, that’s why we said go with Kilowog and not the rest of the Lantern’s. We don’t know what he’s up to, but knowing Kilowog-” Hal shrugged. Jess sighed and Simon nodded. “We’ll keep in contact, and after we get Torchbearer back we’ll all defend OA together”.
Jess and Simon went to follow Killowog and Hal went with John and Guy to the central battery to charge their rings. Hal was worried about the kid. He knew Torchbearer was tough, he had seen it first hand as Parallax, but Sinestro was cruel. And now he had a whole army with rings powered by fear.
There was- there was something familiar about the central battery, but in a bad way. Something in his gut was telling him not to get any closer. The feeling he had was ugly and left a sour taste in his mouth but Hal forced himself to keep going, telling himself it was nothing. They barely started the process of charging their rings, they only got the first line of the Oath out, when something wrapped around Hal and he was consumed. He could barely register Guy and John’s shouts of alarm when he was suffocated by that ugly feeling.
He was standing at the airfield, 8 years old and clutching his Dad’s jacket to his chest as he eagerly watched his Dad fly by. He waved and smiled when his Dad got a bit closer, unsure if his Dad was even looking at him. But just in case!
“Carol!” Hal said eagerly to the girl standing next to him, also 8 and wearing a dress. “My Dad’s flying that plane”!
“You’re Dad’s gonna die”. Hal snapped his head to Carol, who looked at him with cold eyes.
She was supposed to say “ I know dummy. My Dad owns that plane-”.
“He’s gonna die. Why won’t you save him?” Carol asked, tilting her head. Hal looked down at the ring on his finger and willed it to power on, but nothing.
“Why- no!” Hal cried out. He heard screaming around him and he looked up. The plane was going down. “No! Dad, no ”!
Hal ran forward, clutching the jacket tightly in his hands. The plane was miles away, he wouldn’t reach it in time. But he had to! He needed to -
The plane hit the ground and he wailed, falling to his knees. He pounded his fists against the ground as he sobbed, not wanting to look at the flames. It didn’t happen like this! He didn’t have the ring, and Carol wasn’t supposed to say that. He-
The air tasted sour , and he could barely breathe. His hands were shaking but- he knew this feeling. He remembered feeling cold, nauseous and like he couldn’t- this was fear . But not just any kind of fear. The same type of fear he felt when he was-
Everything around him was yellow, he realized as he stood up and looked around. The airfield, the sky, his mother, his brothers- they were all yellow. This wasn’t real, this- he was doing something he- where were John and Guy? He had to find them and find Torchbearer. He couldn’t-
“You’re afraid”. Hal knew that voice, but there was something different about it he couldn’t pinpoint. “Just give into it, just like your Father did when he died”.
“You’re not here, you died! You’re gone!” Hal argued, pulling his Dad’s jacket closer to his chest as he looked around frantically. He couldn’t see it anywhere, but he could hear it.
“What do you think your father’s last words were?” it continued. “I don’t think it was Geronimo”!
“Stop it!” Hal shrieked. He was feeling suffocated, it was getting harder to breathe, but he just clutched his father’s jacket tighter.
“Let’s watch again, maybe we can hear his screams of fear this time” it said, and Hal was standing at the airfield, 8 years old and clutching his Dad’s jacket to his chest as he-
No! He couldn’t watch this again he- he couldn’t give in. He had to find John and Guy, they had to save Torchbearer. He couldn’t go through this again, he couldn’t let-
“No” Hal said, and he was no longer at Ferris Air, he was no longer 8 years old and clinging to his Father’s jacket. He was on his knees surrounded by a yellow abyss. He stood up, only hesitating a bit before calling out, ”Parallax”?
But Parallax couldn’t be here, it was gone and Hal was free. It was stupid for Hal to even think about being afraid of being Parallax’s host again.
The yellow faded and Hal realized that he was on Qward, surrounded by Yellow Lanterns. Thousands of them.
This was bad. He could feel the fear buzzing in the air despite not being afraid himself, but at least Parallax hadn’t been real.
“Hal Jordan” Sinestro said as he stepped out from a group of Yellow Lanterns. Hal glared at him.
“Where’s Guy and John? Where’s Torchbearer?” Hal asked, glancing around. He didn’t see any of them, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Guy Gardner and John Stewert? They’re around” Sinestro said, unimpressed. “You may have overcome your fears for now, but they are weak. Screaming and crying”.
Hal was ready to fight, but no one else seemed to be. They all just stood around, looking down at him with grin’s that told him they were waiting for something. What was Sinestro up to?
The air was still thick with the acidic feeling of fear, and Hal understood something new about the Yellow Lanterns. Green Lanterns got their strength from willpower, the ability to overcome great fear. Yellow Lanterns seemed to be the opposite, they got their strength from fear. But not feeling fear, no one wearing yellow right now was afraid. They got it by causing fear.
Just like Sinestro had done on his home planet.
“As for the Alley Rat” Sinestro said with a grin. “He’s been dieing to see you. Come and say hello”!
The acidic fear in the air quadrupled, and while Hal wasn’t afraid (he couldn’t let fear control him again), the intensity of it was almost suffocating. He almost gagged at the sour feeling in his mouth. The familiar wave washed over the area and Hal froze. He was freezing again, and he could barely breath despite all of his efforts. Imagined flashed in his mind, his worst moments like his Dad’s death, Barry “dieing”, seeing Coast City destroyed, learning what Ollie did, his mother-
He quickly shoved those images away.
No . It couldn’t be. That had just been a fear induced hallucination, it wasn’t really he-
“Hal Jordan”. It hadn’t been a fear hallucination. He looked behind him and couldn’t help but let his jaw drop.
Oh God . This is worse than he could’ve imagined. He failed.
Behind him was Parallax, but instead of being the huge bug looking thing, it was Torchbearer .