"How is he?"

"Given the fact that he took an electric shock powerful enough to knock down an elephant... pretty well. It's a good thing that he's in such good shape and that the Power Ring managed to protect him somewhat."

Hal Jordan nodded slowly, pushing his hands deeper into the pockets of his bomber jacket. He was in plainclothes, though most of the others around him were in their working uniforms. The colorful costumes of the Justice Society would normally have put him into a good mood... but not today. Not when one of his best friends in the world lay in a coma. He glanced at Dr. Mid-Nite and asked "Can I see him?"

"Of course. But don't expect him to know you're there. Alan says that the ring's working on him, healing him somehow... but I wouldn't anticipate a speedy recovery."

Hal stepped into the darkened recovery room, noting the many photos that lined the walls of the room -- of every room. JSA Headquarters was a virtual museum; a monument to the enduring legacy of the world's first superhero group. It was a legacy that Hal had revered once upon a time -- and it still gave him hope that, despite it all, the Good Guys could win.

John Stewart lay in the bed before him, looking ashen and worn. His Green Lantern ring flashed once when Hal entered, as if recognizing the presence of another ring-bearer. Hal sat on the edge of the mattress and took his friend's hand in his own. "Hang in there, pal. I'm gonna get whoever did this to you."

"It was the Fearsome Five."

Hal jumped at the sound, turning to see the Batman stepped from the shadows. "Mid-Nite didn't tell me you were here."

"Good. He wasn't supposed to."

Hal sighed, knowing what was coming and dreading it. "Look, I don't want to waste any time arguing with you. You don't trust me. I know that. Can we just move on?"

"Like all those people you killed can move on?"

"That's not fair." Hal held up a hand, trying to ward off any further exchange. "What are you doing here anyway? What do you want?"

"John was found by Guy Gardner, who in turn contacted me. I've identified the perpetrators and tracked them to their next stop -- the JLA's old HQ in Detroit. The Bunker was violated last evening and its computer files hacked into. Whoever did it unleashed a worm into the Watchtower's databanks that's still wreaking havoc. While the computers are down, the League is at a serious disadvantage. I thought you might want to handle the Stewart affair."

"You were the one who contacted?" Hal asked, mostly in disbelief.

"I think you're a loose cannon who bears watching. But you're also a Green Lantern and one of Stewart's closest allies. I'm giving you a chance."

"I don't need your approval. Superman's invited me back into the League."

"Over my objections." The Batman turned away from him, cape swirling. "Fearsome Five. Detroit. Take it from there."

Hal watched his old teammate leave the room, mentally summoning his GL uniform. It appeared over his normal clothes, seemingly making him twice the man he was. "Bastard," he whispered, though he didn't truly mean it. Batman was right -- Hal did need to prove himself. And Stewart was his friend.

Green Lantern rocketed through the ceiling, passing through it harmlessly. He was headed to Detroit and increasingly eager to act on the Dark Knight's information.

Carol Ferris closed her eyes, letting the familiar sensations told hold once more. She'd dreaded this once, when using these powers had meant loosening control over herself... but now that Star Sapphire was locked away inside her, Carol planned to enjoy this as much as possible. 

Her feet left the earth and she soared high above the cabin she'd been sharing with Hal. The ring on her finger felt heavy and new... and she wondered again if this was the right thing to do. She and Hal had been through so very much -- and now that they were together once more, they were talking about making a lifetime commitment. 

It was scary as hell. 

Carol heard her cell phone's ring tone and reached into the pocket of her jeans, retrieving it. She'd kept the ringer off the past few days but if Hal could go back to work, why couldn't she? "Hello?" she asked, smiling when thought of how strange this was -- chatting on the phone, while flying with the birds.

"Hi Carol, it's been awhile...."

Carol frowned for a moment, not able to place the female voice. But then she placed it -- an old friend, but one that she hadn't heard from in a long time. "Sue Dibny?"

"That's right! I can't believe you recognized my voice."

Carol executed a spin move and thanked her father for making her take those gymnastics lessons. "In my business, it pays to have a good memory. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I missed you when you guys came to the Justice Squadron HQ*. You've heard that Ralph and I are expecting?"

(*In our fourth issue)

"No! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. We're really excited -- and I wanted to invite you to a baby shower that Constance is throwing for me."

"I'll be there... and I guess you can be the first one to hear the news from me: Hal and I are engaged."

Carol laughed aloud as Sue began gushing her own congratulations -- and she was completely unaware that she was being watched from afar. The man who held binoculars up to his eyes kept them trained on her as she circled overhead. He lowered them finally, picking up the small communicator at his belt. "Wintergreen. I've spotted her."

"Moving to intercept, sir?"

"No. I'm going to wait until she's back in town. Our employer wants her taken intact and unharmed -- with all the passwords and access codes from Ferris Aircraft with her.  When she goes back to the office, I'll make my move -- some of the files I'll need are probably kept on her computers." He paused. "One more thing, Wintergreen... this isn't going to be as easy as we thought."

"Green Lantern, sir?"

"No. I'm prepared for him, if it comes to that. Ms. Ferris seems to have developed superpowers." Deathstroke the Terminator turned off the receiver before Wintergreen could respond. The woman was flying lower now and might spot him. The master assassin moved into the cover of the trees, biding his time.

"Mammoth! Stop!" Gizmo flew up before his large teammate, putting himself between the brute and the heroine known as Gypsy. The young girl was a bloody pulp now, her breathing coming ragged and short.

"Why?" Mammoth muttered, his eyes filled with bloodlust. "We're supposed to kill her, aren't we?"

"She's a little girl, man. I don't mind offing superheroes, but couldn't we save the killing for the big guns -- Red Tornado, Superman, the Flash?"

"Perhaps you're getting soft, little man." Mammoth's sister, Shimmer, moved up next to them. The apartment which Gypsy had been renting was a shambles now, with a good bit of blood splatter on the walls. The girl had been a better fighter than the villains had expected, but her camouflage powers weren't nearly enough to save her. "If you don't have the stomach for this, maybe you should go do something more your size. Like working as a circus midget."

Mammoth snorted at his sister's humor, but Gizmo merely frowned. He'd suffered such insults before and they'd only pushed him to become smarter and more dangerous. "Where's Light and Psimon?"

"Right here," Dr. Light said, entering the room. He was glowing softly now, radiating power. Since absorbing the energy from John Stewart's Power Battery, he'd missed few opportunities to show off. At his side, Psimon floated silently, letting Light have his way for now. "This was a good test run. The intel in the JLA computers is still accurate enough. We've taken out two of them now. Our asking price is going through the roof!"

"I don't think beating up Gypsy's going to increase our street cred," Gizmo whispered. Louder, he said "When are we going after another of the big guns? And how long are we gonna keep this up before we start taking paying jobs again?"

"Eager little runt, aren't you?" Light said with a smile. "One more hit, just to prove to everyone that we're for real. This time we'll go for one of the League's biggest guns -- the real Green Lantern. Hal Jordan!"

Green Lantern strode through the Bunker, feeling increasingly frustrated. The Five were long gone, but they'd delighted in destroying as much as possible, it seemed. Hal hadn't been a part of the League during its Detroit period -- he'd 'retired,' in fact, and had passed the ring on to John Stewart 'forever.' But the League was the League and he hated that any base of theirs had been so compromised.

Hal held his ring up, willing it to trace the energy from John's Power Battery. Every Battery had its own signature but John's Battery had been so drained that Hal's ring had trouble picking up on it. Here, though, where Light had recently been... the trail was much clearer. The ring's voice, which always sounded so tinny and small when you considered all the power it possessed, said "The energy signature is strongest in Jersey City, New Jersey."

"Jersey City," Hal whispered. "Is there a Leaguer there?"

"It is the last known resident of Justice Leaguer Gypsy."

Green Lantern flew into the air as quickly as his ring could take him, covering the distance from Detroit to Jersey City in the blink of an eye. He slowed himself down just as the Fearsome Five stepped out from Gypsy's apartment building. He blasted the ground in front of them, sending the villains scattering. "It ends here and now! No more heroes are getting hurt."

Psimon smiled coldly. "How convenient, Light. You pick your next target and he arrives on cue."

Dr. Light sneered, "Give me some credit. I knew he'd be on our tail. He's a GL, isn't he?" Light pointed up at his old foe. "It's different this time, Jordan. Very different." He brought up both hands and channeled a beam of yellow light directly at Green Lantern. 

Hal dodged the attack, knowing that his ring's impurity to yellow would leave him defenseless against the assault. Pain flared in his head, however, as Psimon launched his own assault and Shimmer transformed the air around his head to sulfur. Hal used his ring to counteract Shimmer's actions and he generated a bubble of mental defense around his head. 

Mammoth reached down and pulled up a chunk of earth, throwing it towards Hal. It just barely missed Green Lantern but it did serve to distract him enough for Light to hit home with another energy burst. Hal felt himself falling towards earth and he tried desperately to surround himself with an energy shield of some kind, but his mind was too addled. He knew the ring wouldn't let him die -- not unless Light took advantage of the yellow impurity again -- but he could certainly be hurt by a fall from this height....

And then he stopped in mid-air, as a familiar voice said "ria pots lah nadroj!"

Green Lantern resisted the urge to smile. He should have known...

"It appears that our plans have changed, Light. And not for the better." Psimon fought to keep the pleasure out of his voice, but it was hard. Despite the horror of the situation, it was good to see Light looking chagrined.

Hal righted himself in the air, his head still throbbing. Behind him, Zatanna, Supergirl, Starman and the Martian Manhunter hovered in the air.

"Looks like it's five on five, Light. Ready to give it another go?" Without turning his head, he said "Thanks, J'onn. Guess it'll take me awhile to get used to being part of a team again."

The Martian Manhunter said nothing but he nodded, smiling softly. 

The Justice League's cosmic division waited for the villains to make their move....

"He's back. He's been spending time with her at a cabin."

The man sighed, taking another sip of brandy. "Someone else who'll have to be dealt with, if I'm to get back what's mine." He glanced over at the fireplace, watching the crackling embers before speaking again. The speaker phone on the table transmitted his words to Deathstroke, half a world away. "I hope you're worth what I'm paying you."

"Don't worry about that. Carol's going to be in your custody before you know it."

The man nodded to himself. "Good. It's about time she had someone straighten out her life for her -- before she makes yet another mistake."

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Issue: "Five for Fighting" concludes, while Deathstroke's employer is revealed -- and Carol is in for the shock of her life!

AUTHOR'S NOTES

We have a review here, posted to the DC Heroes mailing list. The author is Mark "Puff" Anderson:

I like the proposal scene between Hal and Carol. Do we get a super hero wedding sometime soon? I picture GA and Plastic Man standing near the punch bowl trying to look innocent. Could make for fun bacheolor and bachelorette party scenes as well.

The attack on John Stewart was especially cold blooded. Nicely done.

A power battery-amped Dr. Light is a fearsome thing to contemplate.

Its funny how its worked out that GL's issue #5 and Replacements #5 are both featuring different flavors of the Fearsome Five. Cool stuff.

I like the potential line up for this Justice League Pan Galactic Task Force.

Considering Hal's recent past Supes considering him a good influence is a stretch.

Which one of the JLPGTF is Batman's spy to keep an eye on Hal? C'mon, you know there has to be one.

And the Bunker is getting play here as well. Cool beans.

Which one of us revive Vibe first? HA!

Looking forward to the next issue.

I give it 9.5 out of 10 cigars.

Thanks for the comment, Puff. They're always appreciated. The proposal actually me by surprise -- I'd had it in the back of my mind, but hadn't planned to do it so soon. But the scene wrote itself, really. I remember when superhero weddings were big deals, so yeah, you can expect me to pull out all the stops on this one -- look for it sometime around issue 10.

John Stewart has so much emotional baggage, it's very easy to put him through the wringer. Glad you liked that scene.

One vote for Justice League Pan Galactic Task Force? The JLPGTF just doesn't roll off the tongue, though... I might have to continue taking suggestions! As for Batman including a spy in the group... have you been peeking at my notes?

As for Superman trusting Hal... I think it's in his nature to believe in people, especially given that Hal's actions really were the result of Malvolio's influence. Batman, on the other hand, is more likely to think that Hal gave in too easily and can't be trusted.

Keep in touch,

Barry Reese