"First half of the day missed….. entirely." Kyle mused as he laid on a construct of a cloud, hidden behind the cover of a dozen others blocking the mid-day sun from full exposure. He floated, laying on its pillowy softness. A softness he could adjust at any given second with little more than some extra concentration. All grievances aside, the ring had its upsides.
He sighed, "Hopefully all they covered was the syllabus. Hopefully the Professor isn't a hard nose and flunks me. Alex, would you forgive me for this? I had to fight a quantum energized hitman. You've forgiven me for worse. Sorry…."
A flock of birds flew underneath him, causing him to look down at the campus below. It was lunch period for most everyone. Even the cops who snacked on donuts and trail mix as they occupied the beach and forest where the evidence of Kyle and the Lanterns battle with Major Force were clearest. Now it was all a pegboard of caution tape and flashing lights.
Classes went on regardless. They lived in a world of superheroes, deep sea warriors and genocidal alien space tyrants. A couple craters and tremors was a cakewalk, Coast-City trauma's aside.
If only they knew, one of their less impressive students, alongside his old football team and recently dead girlfriends brother, was to blame for it.
"Oh shoot! Jack…"
Kyle's cloud construct popped like a balloon. He floated in limbo— both literally and figuratively, as he realized his identity was more exposed than a naked man in broad daylight.
Maybe not that exposed. Even so.
He eyeballed an alley between the fine arts and manufacturing wing of the campus. Without a seconds extra hesitation, he dove. Nothing more than a green blur before landing behind a garbage can.
When he stepped out, he was back in his old outfit. Only, his tote bag was torn, most of his art supplies were shattered and cleat tears put new— unstylish, holes in his henley.
"Fantastic. Really." He looked up from his clothing just in time to see a woman step into the alley with him.
She looked just like the poster he kept in his room.
A true warrior queen. She was tall— at least six and a half feet tall. With the armored heels she wore, she was topping out at close to seven feet thanks to the wild mane of curly black hair she had. It reminded him of a lion. He felt the same about her striking blue eyes and thick mannish nose that sat on her face like a snout.
The switch in her walk accentuated the curve of her hips and muscle flexion in her legs, visible even through the tights and armored knee guards.
She didn't even need shoulder pads. The muscle was doing all the protective work.
The two short swords at her hip and great sword sheathed at her back were overkill, and that was without considering the lasso of truth she wore as a belt. It held up the helmet of some old spartan warrior.
Wonder-Woman. Sun-kissed and battle-tested based on the endless scarring.
In the flesh.
In the alley.
On campus.
Walking towards him.
"Hey handsome."
"She did not just say that…." Kyle hadn't moved away from the dumpster since he saw her.
She stopped just a foot away. So close he could smell the iron and waterfalls on her.
He looked up at the giant Demi-godess and swallowed.
"Are you…. Uhh… here for Major Force?"
She shook her head. Her neck was as thick as a skyscraper support beam. "No, Kyle Rayner of earth. I'm here for you."
"Why are you talking like an alien?" He thought before gaining some composure, "Well, I mean no disrespect, but can it wait? I've already missed half the day thanks to superheroing. That means I've broken my promise at the start. At least partially. Not a good look, you know?"
She nodded, "I understand, but there's nothing more important than serving your sector. It's paramount to a lantern— to the universe, Kyle Rayner."
"What the hell is a sector?" The last time he heard that, Ganthet was talking to Nightwing— "Wait a damn minute…."
Wonder-Woman continued to give him— a broke, untrained, unfit, struggling artist, the sex eyes. As if he didn't know.
"Ganthet, why?"
Wonder-Woman evaporated into green smoke.
Kyle's phone beeped. He dug into his tote bag and pulled it out, finding the time depressingly.
"Late…. Again!"
***
He made it to creative writing one ten minutes late. But he made it. It felt good to stick to his goal. To be outside. To slowly step back into his old self with new perspective. To try and be better. Be true.
Even if— throughout the whole rest of the day, different superheroes flew by the windows and called to him from storage closets in passing time.
Sometimes a armored man with eagle wings and a mace, or a caped Martian, or a boyscout in blue.
Other times a dark-skinned woman in tiger print spandex with cat eyes.
Thankfully he had half a brain. He couldn't geek out to every superhero he saw and do well in his first day of classes. One or the other.
He chose the right one based on how pleased his professors were with his initial drafts for various short stories and comic panels. If only they knew he'd been struggling with writers block for months.
An issue for another time. Classes were over and he had a blue dwarf to scold for playing with his emotions.
He didn't remember the journey to his apartment, all he knew was the door was looking real weightless in those moments. He burst through, knowing what he'd see on the other side.
Ganthet sat on his couch eating Kyle's last tub of cookie dough ice cream drizzled in ranch and hot sauce.
"Once again, if this is how you handled all of your Lanterns— I get why there was a rebellion. Wonder-Woman? Really? That was my childhood crush, man. And you ruined it. How did you even know that?"
Ganthet bit a spoonful of hot sauce ranch cookie ice cream with his front teeth, "When I read your mind through your ring I studied your childhood up to the human age of sixteen years and two-hundred and twelve days."
"Ganthet— that's private! And that's my ice cream!" Kyle slammed his bag on the ground. To hell with the supplies, they were already broken.
Ganthet looked down at the food remorsefully before handing it to Kyle.
"My apologies. May the rest be yours."
Kyle fought off a gag, "Keep it, man."
Ganthet did so without hesitation. Even beginning to swing his feet as he sat at the edge of the couch.
"Why are you here?"
Ganthet left the spoon in his mouth and patted the couch beside him.
Reluctantly, Kyle took a seat.
Ganthet looked over at his hand. "You've accepted your divine duty."
"I needed to protect someone."
"You faced great fears." Ganthet took another spoonful of ice cream.
"I faced an energized psycho."
"You will face worse." Ganthet said matter of factly.
There was silence for a moment as Kyle looked at the ring on his finger.
"You told me it never makes a mistake."
Ganthet nodded.
"So you don't consider Hal a mistake?"
Ganthet set the ice cream in his lap, not bothered with eating anymore as if he got sick from the mere mention of his name.
Then, he shook his head, "I don't. Not anymore. I used to. But the ring is my creation. It cannot make a mistake, but I suppose…. I can."
He'd only known Ganthet for two days but even for Kyle, that sounded like a first ever.
"I listened to your words, Kyle Rayner of earth. As crass and based outside of reality as they were—"
Kyle rolled his eyes.
"They held merit." Ganthet stirred his ice cream into a spicy ranch cookie smoothie, "Perhaps I can try a new approach as you grow into a new lantern. Parallels exist throughout the cosmos. From Far Secter, to to Thanagar's asteroid belts and all the way to this abode that smells like chemical paints …. and the process that leads to procreation."
"Oh…. So you're going to try and not be a overbearing callous dwarf tyrant?" Kyle questioned sarcastically.
"Yes." Ganthet replied seriously, "Today I've respected your human boundaries and saved your indentity from exposure."
"What— how?"
"I haven't told John Stewart who you are. Or Guy Gardner— a police officer that's arrested you for drunk driving before." Ganthet replied.
Kyle raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I also wiped the memory of the football players in the parki—"
"YOU WHAT?!"
"What?" Ganthet replied.
"Even Jack?"
"Of course Jack. He knew your name." Ganthet replied, "That's a liability. Liabilities make your job more difficult."
Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's….. nevermind."
"Yes, nevermind."
Kyle ignored the thoughts of punching him just as Ganthet set down his empty ice cream.
"Oh also, we have work to do."
"Of course we do."
"I have a lead on Major Force and what he was after you for."
"His employers want a green lantern ring. Not that crazy, anyone would." Kyle shrugged.
Ganthet shook his head, "No. They want that ring specifically." He pointed at Kyle's hand, "And I've acquired a lead on the previously mentioned employers."
"Let me guess, more nonconcensual mental probing. Y'know you're living up to your stereotype, right?" Kyle questioned.
"Would you prefer I asked Major Force to allow me to read his mind before or after he turned you into lantern paste?" Ganthet questioned.
"You got it." Kyle cleared his throat and sat up straighter as he was acutely reminded of the grim reality of things. "So how'd you do it?"
"John Stewart is by far the most accurate lantern in history. I sometimes wonder if he's a meta-human. Anyway, it was his bullet to the mercenary's forehead that led to this breakthrough. Mid-travel I assumed my corporeal form and hybridized with his projectile blast of will. It held enough power to clear a path into his mind." Ganthet explained.
Kyle remembered seeing John flying in the prone position beneath the clouds. Construct of a sniper aimed and ready. Now apparently Ganthet was there.
"Do you understand?"
Kyle face of confusion answered the question before his words did, "So…. You turned into a ghost-alien and mixed with a sniper bullet made out of another persons emotions and used the impact to penetrate the mind of a metal skinned giant?"
Ganthet nodded, "Yes. You must keep up."
"Right. Continue."
Ganthet did, "His impenetrable skin and innate quantum energy aura made entering his mind difficult. I couldn't get a clear picture. Just flashes. Terms. Images. But one stuck out to me."
Kyle nodded along.
"Project Cadmus."
Ganthet looked at Kyle as if he was supposed to understand immediately.
Then it clicked.
"Nightwing— the Titans. They were just talking about that. Why are they in lantern business?"
Ganthet shrugged, "I am not sure. But now we need to be in Titans business. Let's go, Kyle Rayner."
Kyle held up a hand as they both stood up. "No. No. No. What I said before still stands. I'm not just going to give up my life and goals to be a…. A space cop, alright? I have assignments due and virtual classes to make up. I am part-time."
"No." Ganthet said firmly.
"Yes." Kyle replied.
"No."
"You haven't changed. You're still an overbearing alien space tyrant."
Ganthet sighed, "I understand, Kyle. Your mundane human life matters. But time is of the essence. They may send another— and he may not be so lacking in intelligence. This is not entirely about serving your sector. You're being hunted. If you want to live— if you want the ones you love to live, you have to fight. Face your fears. Brandish your will."
The door swung open.
John came in with an officer at his side.
Kyle looked back and Ganthet was gone.
The officer was familiar. Long red hair. Unkempt beard. Evil stupid grin.
"This is not as racially charged as it looks. "
"Guy."
"Yea, John?"
"Shut-up."
"Sure thing, jarhead." Guy walked into the apartment and threw off his hat like it was supposed to float its way to an acceptable spot on its own.
He plopped down on the couch, grabbing the empty ice cream cup to smell it. "AUGH!! Is that battery acid?"
John and Kyle looked away from Guy as he brazenly itched his crotch.
"Hey…." Kyle said.
"Hello." John replied. "How was your first day back?"
"….. Not what I expected. How about you?" Kyle asked.
John nodded, "Same."
Guy burped, "Alright ladies, cut the bs. We're all sporting some serious jewelry in here. Now let's bump knuckles and re-up. I've got questions and you need training." He pointed at Kyle with his ring finger.
Kyle took his hands out of his pockets, brandishing his ring. "I need to be home at a reasonable time."
"Shut-up, rookie."
"I'm not gonna like you, am I?"
"Haha! You're gonna love me."
From outside of his apartment, a flash of green bloomed from the windows. A few seconds later, three verdant streaks cut across the sky.