|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Green Lantern
Emerald Renaissance
Book Twoby Vendikarr_DeWuff & starsky_hutch76
Molly was stretching out on Alan's couch, loving the way her youthful body felt. So limber, so energetic, so very much alive. She couldn't wait to get Alan home to show him how alive she felt.
The intercom in Alan's office buzzed. "Mr. Scott, Miss Hayden is on line two."
Alan hit the button. "Thank you Marcie." Then he picked up the phone. "Jennie, honey, how are you?" A brief pause as he listened, then, "That's great honey. Molly... Molly, Jennie's back from the Island, and Helena is recovering nicely."
"Give her my love," replied Molly.
"Molly and I both send our... oh hahaha, you heard her. What, honey?" A pause again, then, "That's wonderful, sweetie, look forward to seeing you then. Okay, 'bye. You too." Alan hung up the phone. "Molly, Jennie and Todd want to come to Gotham and visit; I agreed, hope it's okay."
"Oh, Alan, like I would stop you from seeing your children. Is Jennie bringing Hank?"
"Yes. I know Syl trusts him, but I am really bothered by him. I see too much of his father in him."
"Alan, look who's talking. Do you forget who married his greatest nemesis?"
"I didn't marry Solomon Grundy." Molly put on a pouting face, and Alan walked over and kissed her softly.
"I'm teasing."
"You better be, I can call Jennie back and have her bring that thing too."
"Okay, okay. I give. I just wish she could find someone else."
"How about that young man we met at the Christmas party last year, the one from the Graphics department. He seemed sweet enough... what was his name... Kyle-something."
"I remember him. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. My little girl is too good for the likes of him. Besides... I heard he quit."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he went to New York. He's trying to become an artist. Bum is more like it."
"Alan Scott. You moved from one job to another yourself in your youth. Just takes some time for some young men to find their place."
"I suppose. Hey, maybe I can see if Marcie is doing anything this weekend. I really think she and Todd could hit it off."
"And what is it they say about women being matchmakers?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," responded Alan, with maybe a hint of indignation in his voice.
In New York.
A young man exited a bar, intending to walk to his apartment down the alley. He took three steps, and was stopped by a blinding flash of yellow light.
He was then stopped by a man in a weird hat, carrying what looked like lightning bolts in a quiver of some kind.
"Human, what world is this? This was the only place where the boundaries between worlds was weakest," demanded the man.
"World? It's Earth. Duh," responded the man.
"I know that, fool. But which Earth? Lord Sinestro awaits his replacement, and I have been charged with delivering it."
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Who are the heroes of this world, then?"
"Umm, Superman, Flash, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, Wild..."
"Green Lantern!!! I have then arrived in the right place. But I cannot stay. The fabric of realities is weaving stronger. I must go quickly."
The man reached into a pouch, and handed something to the young human. "Take this. Lord Sinestro will search you out when he needs it."
With that, the strange being disappeared in a flash again, leaving an obviously confused man standing there.
He stared down at his hand, and remarked to himself, "I think I had one beer too many."
Kyle Rayner then put the yellow ring in his pocket, and walked the rest of the way home.
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 6
by Vendikarr_DeWuff
Alex DeWitt sat and watched AM America on WGNY while she rummaged through the bottom of her purse looking for bus fare, so she could get to work on time. "Twenty-five, thirty-five, thirty-seven..." Shook her purse then turned it over on the coffee table. "Oh, I give up."
She got up and walked into the bedroom. "Kyle, do you have any change? " He didn't move. "Kyle, do you have any change? I need to get to work."
He lifted his head and mumbled, "mhpphf coat pocket," then dropped his head back on the bed.
"My hero," she said sarcastically. She grabbed his coat, and looked at him. Alex was glad he was here. She had missed him, even if she would never tell him that. When he was in his groove, he was the most talented artist she had ever seen. But he didn't hit his groove often enough.
Kyle was unmotivated and irresponsible. She found those traits both endearing and frustrating. She wanted him to 'make it', but he didn't have the discipline. She had tried to get him a job at the paper as a cartoonist, but he turned it down. He was searching for his muse. Alex could understand that, but he seemed to search for his muse in bars far too often.
She reached her hand into his coat pocket, and pulled out a handful of change, and a yellow ring. Curious, she asked, "Kyle, where did this ring come from?"
He again mumbled, "Guy with lightning bolts... gave it to me. Keep it if you want it." Then he was asleep again.
Alex tried the ring on. Originally it was too large, then it sized itself down to fit her finger, almost like magic. "Cool," she said, and was about to ask Kyle if he saw that, when she heard a loud snore from the bed. She instead put down his coat and left the room.
Grabbing her purse and camera, she ran to the elevator, and just caught it. Must be my lucky day, she thought, and took the ride to the ground floor.
She walked to the corner to catch the bus, and heard a screeching sound; Alex realized that two cars were about to collide. The screech went down her spine, and she screamed, "Stop!"
With that, two yellow beams of energy radiated from the ring, each forming a hand, that picked up the cars before colliding. Then the hands released the cars, and they fell loudly to the ground.
Alex saw it and couldn't believe it. That came from her ring. Other people saw it as well, including the drivers of the two cars that were dropped. Alex decided it would be best to leave, and commented to herself, Gotta fly.
With that, the ring radiated energy that lifted her off of the ground, and she took to the sky. It seemed that she controlled where she flew by thinking it. Alex was excited to say the least. She had a power ring, just like Green Lantern. And she had helped someone already. Well, sort of helped.
She decided she liked the power of the ring, and needed to know how to control it. And the only one she could think of who could help lived in Gotham City.
Alex landed on a rooftop, and called work, telling them she had to go to Gotham for an emergency. Then she left a similar message for Kyle. She then took to the air toward Gotham, trying to figure out how to get the attention of the Green Lantern.
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 7
by starsky_hutch76
"Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Scott," Marcie said pleasantly. "Have a pleasant afternoon."
"You too," Alan Scott said. "If anything really pressing should come up, just call me at home. That is, if it's definitely something that can't be handled without me."
"Will do, Mr. Scott," Marcie said knowingly. In other words, he really didn't want to be bothered, which was fine with her.
The elevator doors closed on the couple and Marcie eased back in her chair with a relieved sigh. Thank God they were gone. Ever since she'd become involved in the plot, having one of them around was bad, but both were unbearable.
She stepped into Alan Scott's office and looked for any clues she could find to help her carry out her orders. She didn't hold out much hope for anything of use being in Mr. Scott's office. The best hope would be to somehow get into their home. She'd thought about trying to date his son. Then perhaps she might be invited in. That might take too long, though.
Suddenly, she saw a ray of hope. Or to be more precise, the old bat had left her purse behind! She could drop by and return it during the day and that would get her inside.
She sat down on the sofa with the purse and out of curiousity, she began to dig through the purse. It was filled with the usual things you'd find in a purse. Wallet, make-up, gum, a comb, a pill box, and keys... Keys! Keys to the Scott house! Keys to their alarm! All she had to do was make copies of these keys and then she could get in there anytime she wanted to and look around at her leisure.
One slightly smaller key made her suddenly realize it might not be as simple as that. It was a small key sporting a bank logo... Probably the key to a safety deposit box. If that was where the object she was looking for was, her objective might be more difficult than she had planned. How could she get past the bank manager and the guards to use this key to get what she was after? The irony was, if she already had it, getting past them would be no problem at all.
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 8
by Vendikarr_DeWuff
Alex DeWitt sat near the top of the Gotham State Building, trying to figure out the best way to get the attention of Green Lantern. She had tried asking the ring, but it didn't talk.
"Duh!" she remarked to herself, remembering the JSA headquarters were also in Gotham City. She decided to present herself to the JSA, and ask them to summon Green Lantern. But first...
She decided she had to make herself look presentable. Most heroes have flashy costumes, and Alex thought she should have one too. She thought up a basic design, and thought about it. The Ring then reworked her clothes to resemble the costume she imagined. Yellow and white, with a yellow starburst type design. Alex admired herself in a window, gave herself a satisfied smile, and was off to find the JSA headquarters.
Driving home from GBS, Molly was inspired.
"Alan, I just had the greatest idea."
"What's that, hon?" he replied, while nibbling on her fingers.
"Alan, stop that, or I won't be able to think."
Alan Scott stopped nibbling and looked into his wife's eyes. "I'm all yours, dear."
"Hmm, don't I know it." She paused, lost in thought, then, "Umm, anyway. I came up with the solution to your going to work. I can't come with you every day, so... how about you wear the old Harlequin specs. That way you can let the entire world see you as older," Molly finished, feeling rather proud of herself.
"That's a good idea, hon, but they're really not my style," he says, and then flinched from the slap on the shoulder he received from his wife.
"Silly man, you make then look any way you want them to. We can swing by the bank; they're in my safety deposit box." Molly paused, then, "Oh dear, my purse. I must have left it at the office."
"No problem." Alan then used the phone in his car, and called the office. "Marcie, it's Alan... yes, I just knew you would still be there. Could you do me a favor?... Mrs. Scott left her purse in my office. Could you find it and bring it to the bank... I'll wait."
He then turned to his wife. "She's looking for it."
"Did you ever remember to invite her over this weekend to meet Todd?"
"Oh shoot, I'll do it when she gets back on the phone." Then, "You've got it. Great. Our bank is First Gotham. We'll wait. Oh, and Marcie? Mrs. Scott and I would like it if you could come out to the house this weekend. We think very highly of you, and there's someone we want you to meet.... That's great. See you at the bank... about fifteen minutes. 'Bye."
"Molly, she'd love to join us."
"Wonderful! Now, do we tell Todd, or just let it be a surprise?"
"Surprises are great. Let's leave it at that."
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 9
by Vendikarr_DeWuff
"That's just great!" Marcie Cooper commented to herself as she ran down the hall. "I as good as have it in my hand, and then they figure out it's missing. Plus, they trust me. I feel like such a heel."
Outside the building, Marcie hailed a cab. "First Gotham, please," she told the driver, and she was on her way. She then thought to herself, Maybe it's not in the bank. Maybe it's in the house. Being invited out may be the excuse I need to search the place. Marcie then sat in silence until the cab reached the bank. She saw the Scotts standing there. Alan walked over and paid the fare, and Marcie exited the cab.
"Wait here, Marcie, we'll give you a ride once Mrs. Scott gets something out her safe deposit box."
Marcie stood still, and thought to herself, Great, she's getting it now, and I will be so close to it, and can't do a thing about it.
After about ten minutes, the Scotts exited the bank, and Marcie assumed that it was in her purse. So close... so damn close, Marcie thought.
Then Alan said, "Marcie, why don't you come back to the house with us now? We can start the weekend early. My children should be there by now."
"That would be great," replied Marcie Cooper, wondering how she could get the glasses and keep from running up against the Wall.
Alex knocked on the JSA headquarters door and got no answer. Someone should be here, she thought. She knocked harder, and still no answer. Beginning to feel frustrated, she went to knock again, and the ring accidentally knocked down the door, alarms going off.
Alex felt like running, but decided it was best to apologize and do what she came to do. She then saw the Atom and Wildcat running down the hall.
She screamed down the hallway, "I'm looking for Green Lantern."
The Atom, leading the charge, ran at her and screamed back, "I don't care who you're looking for, but you've found trouble..." And he launched himself at Alex.
Damn, she thought, this is not what you'd call making a good first impression.
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 10
by Vendikarr_DeWuff
"Atom, wait!" screamed Wildcat as the Atom went charging toward Alex.
She pointed her ring at him, and a yellow hand appeared and grabbed ahold of him. She then created a transparent yellow-tinted jar about six foot high, and put him in it. Then a large screw lid appeared on top of the jar, with air holes punched into it. Wildcat started walking down the hall, and two young people peeked out of the lounge to see what was happening down there.
"Please, Mr. Wildcat, I don't mean any trouble. I am just looking for Green Lantern. I came into possession of this ring, and want to learn from him how to control it."
Wildcat stopped next to the oversized bug jar, and looked at his long time friend pounding on the glass, and laughed. "Looks to me you know just what to do with this thing, girlie." He looked at Atom again, laughed, then said, "Come on kid, let's sit down and talk, and I'll give GL a call."
Damage came down the hall, with Coral in tow, and asked, "What about the Atom, sir?"
"Here's a test of your abilities kid, see if you two youngsters can get him out of that jar." And Wildcat laughed again. He turned and waved to his friend, who was screaming some very unhero-like words at his friend.
Wildcat and Alex sat down in the monitor room, and he called Green Lantern, who indicated he would be at brownstone shortly. Wildcat then poured a cup of coffee for himself and Alex.
"So ya want to be a hero? I like the union suit. Did ya pick a name yet?" asked Wildcat.
"Yes, sir. I chose the name Corona."
Wildcat sputtered and said, "Corona? You named yourself after a beer?"
Alex gave him an irritated look, and replied, "Umm, no. I named myself after the yellow ring that appears around the sun during an eclipse."
"Ahh, interesting choice. Look, kid, from what I have seen, you have a handle on this ring already. But it takes smarts to come to look for training."
"Thank you, sir."
Just then, a loud laugh could be heard from the hallway outside the monitor room.
"That's GL. He must have just seen Atom in the jar."
The door opened, and Green Lantern entered, laughing still. "Okay, who do I owe for the best laugh I've had all week?"
Wildcat and Corona stood up, and Wildcat said, "GL, let me introduce you to our new friend, Corona."
Alex just looked at him and smiled.
EMERALD RENAISSANCE: Part 11
by Vendikarr_DeWuff
"Corona? as in..." began Alan.
"No," replied Wildcat.
Alex walked up to Green Lantern to shake his hand, then stopped, and said, "Please don't take offense, but I thought you were much older."
Wildcat took a better look at Alan, and said, "Ya did the Karkull/Starheart energy trick, didn't ya?"
Alan replied, "Guilty as charged, both me and the missus."
Looking somewhat puzzled, Alex looked back at Wildcat, and said, "I don't understand."
Wildcat replied, "Don't let it worry ya, girlie, this sort of thing happens around here all the time. Why, if you don't get yourself killed, you can live forever." Then silently to himself added, Ya can live forever even if you do get yourself killed.
Alan then said, "So the bug jar is your handiwork?"
"Yes, sir. My roommate got this ring from some guy he said was carrying lightning bolts. When I asked him about it, he gave the ring to me."
"Let me take a look at that," Alan said, as he took her hand in his, to view the ring closer. "Good God, this is Sinestro's ring."
"Whose ring?" asked Alex.
"He's a major baddie on Earth-One, uses this type of power ring to menace my counterpart on that world."
"Earth-One? This all ties in with that trouble the papers called the Crisis, doesn't it?"
"Sure does, Girlie," Wildcat replied. "Let's just hope this guy doesn't come looking for his ring."
"Well he'll be in for a fight if he does. It's mine now, and I want to use it to help." She turned to Green Lantern, and said, " I have been reading about heroes all my life, you especially. When this came into my life, it was a dream come true. Mr. Lantern, I want to help. And I would really like your help in learing how to use this."
Alan looked at her, and saw the fire and determination of youth. Then he said to Wildcat, "Were we ever that young?"
"Can't remember. But I will tell ya, if you don't train this kid, I will." He turned to Alex, and said, "I know more about willpower than anyone on Earth, except him."
"Now wait a minute, 'Cat, I never said I wouldn't help her." And to Alex he said, "Where are you staying ?"
"I really didn't plan that far ahead, I just flew into town this afternoon."
"Then you're coming to stay with me while we train. It'll be great, my kids are in town too, they're about your age."
They heard a crashing sound in the hall, and saw the jar containing the Atom turned on its side, and Damage was unscrewing the lid.
Wildcat and Green Lantern laughed some more, and Green Lantern said, "I had better get you out of here before he gets out of that jar. I doubt the Atom will be in a good mood."
"I could just make the jar go away," said Alex, and Green Lantern and Wildcat replied, "No," at the same time. Green Lantern and Alex walked to the door, and Alex called out, "Sorry, Mr. Atom."
Her apology was greeted by more unhero-like language. Wildcat said, "I'll smooth it over with him. You guys go." Then to Damage he said, "Great thinking, kid, I'm proud of ya."
As they walked out the door, Green Lantern said to Alex, "Since you're going to be staying with me, you might as well know who I am." He took off his mask, and said, "My name is Alan Scott, President and CEO of Gotham Broadcasting." And he shook her hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Alex DeWitt."