Green Lantern - Sleepers Book 2

by Unknown Author

  Scott squeezed harder. “Did Malvolio send you?”

  The other Green Lantern could barely shake his head no.

  But Scott did not let up. “I don’t believe you. And after I’m done with you I’m going to find Malvolio, so you might as well tell me know who you are.”

  “His name is Hal Jordan.”

  Scott whirled around.

  Before him stood a small ancient man with an enormous head. He was not deformed, but rather appeared not to be human. The tiny man wore a uniform of material that Scott had never seen—it almost appeared to be alive with energy.

  The little man spoke again. “His name is Hal Jordan and he was sent to help. Release him.”

  Scott was aware that the little man’s lips did not move. This message was given to him, not through language, but with instant understanding. Scott instantly knew who Hal Jordan was and what his purpose was and released him.

  “Sorry, Hal.”

  Jordan was shaken and stayed kneeling, trying to catch his breath. “Hell of a thing you did there. When I saw you lying there I thought you were a goner.”

  “I did, too.”

  “Then, when you started stomping me I thought I was a goner.” “Again, sorry.”

  Scott looked at the glowing ring on his finger.

  Jordan turned to the little man. “So how did his ring charge?” “The power was within him. He had never tapped the full use of the ring’s power until now.”

  Scott understood. “So the power was always there, but I could not see it.”

  “Yes.”

  Scott turned back to Jordan. “So where the hell are we? And who the hell is he?”

  “Like I said before you started beating on me, you’re on Planet Hell. It’s being made habitable by the Qwardians but, as you can see, it’s not quite to move-in condition yet.”

  “Is he a Qwardian?”

  “No.”

  “But this is their planet?”

  “It was, until Malvolio destroyed it. Follow me.”

  Jordan took off, flying above the planet. The simplicity of Jordan’s act inspired Scott to mimic it, and doing so he found himself gliding and swimming through the space of the alien atmosphere as well, behind his fellow Green Lantern. As they flew, Scott could see the remains of what was once a beautiful, ethereal city. It had been built directly into the rocky terrain, its buildings made colorful by inlaid minerals, spires of cobalt and other exotic metals.

  But now the city was covered in dust, the buildings burnt-out and collapsed. Yet everything still had a resonant beauty, as if retaining the memory of its former greatness.

  The Green Lanterns landed and walked down the deserted avenues between the ruins. Above them, the twilight suns burned weakly, giving the dead city a melancholy cast.

  Jordan walked ahead, as if giving a tour. “This was to be the sanctuary of the Qwardians dissidents.”

  Scott was clueless. “Oh.”

  “Okay, let’s start over. I’m part of the Green Lantern Corps. We’re scattered all over the universe.”

  “Can I smoke on this planet?”

  “If you got ‘em. But pay attention, okay? This story’s hard enough to keep straight, let alone tell. There was this evil Green Lantern named Sinestro. He had too much power—literally. The Qwardians were desperate and listened to his lies. And gave him power over them.

  “Sinestro eventually was terminated.”

  “’Terminated’?”’

  “Died."

  “Ah.” .

  “And the Qwardians, trapped in their own anti-matter universe...”

  “Anti-matter?”’

  “Look, don’t worry about that part. Let’s just say that they’re not over here and we’re over here, and they want to get rid of us over here.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a universal desire, I suppose.”

  “Guess so-just like what the Nazis are up to.”

  “Exactly. So to cause harm to our universe, they spread these replicas of Sinestro’s ring throughout time and space, including Earth.”

  “Those rings that are hidden all over Earth... ” “Yes they are.”

  “What do they do?”

  “If anyone puts one on they will become a Sleeper. Sleepers are bent on destroying whatever world they’re in, and the ring gives them the power to do so. But in order to work, the rings have to be gathered together and activated by someone with the ability. Such as a Green Lantern.”

  “Like Malvolio.”

  “Right. My guess is that he’s scouring the Earth for those rings. Once he’s got them, there won’t be any stopping him or his army.” “Those Qwardians must really hate us.”

  “They are not fond of anyone. But there are good Qwardians—rebels, dissenters. Those, like the one you met, used the same trans-dimensional technology... ”

  “’Trans... ’”

  “Look, I’m not Einstein, I can only tell you what they told me. The Qwardians are over there. They figured out a way to get the rings over here, literally planting the rings as seeds of destruction. But the Qwardian dissidents, who are all about peace and harmony, used the same technology to escape their dimension and get to ours. Got it?”

  A minute or so passed as Scott sat deep in thought.

  Finally he caught up. “Yup. So the bad news is that we’ve got these rings around. But the good news is we’ve got the Qwardian dissidents... ”

  “-and the Green Lantern Corps... ”

  “-to help gather the rings.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  Scott looked around. “So this was going to be the Qwardian dissidents’ new home?”

  Sadness from Jordan. “Yeah.”

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Malvolio happened. They were terra-forming... ”

  A blank look from Scott.

  “Making this planet habitable. And they built a series of Star-gates, or transformer bridges to bring more of dissidents over when the planet was fit for living. That’s when Malvolio showed up. The dissidents’ transformer gates inadvertently released Malvolio from his limbo. Worse yet, the gates bypassed any warning buoys, so they had no idea who Malvolio was or what he’d done. The dissidents are a trusting lot, so they figure he’s a Green Lantern who can help them and they essentially make him their savior. They think that if there’s anyone that can protect him from their Qwardian persecutors, it’s him.”

  “Bad move.”

  “Indeed. What they didn’t know about was his past and how he got all the way out here. And where does he want to go?” “Earth.”

  “Right. He sees all these transformer bridges everywhere, so he tells the Qwardian dissidents to build him one back to Earth. They don’t like this idea and that’s when they get a taste of who he really is. With the power they gave him, Malvolio destroys this place and kills most of the Qwardians.”

  “Bastard.”

  “You know the Qwardian you met? Malvolio made him enable the transformer bridge to take him to Earth. Malvolio told him it was the only way he could save what’s left of his people.”

  “So where are they?”

  “Malvolio killed them anyway. From what I’ve seen, he sees any life the way humans see germs. It’s nothing for us to kill some germs, or millions of ‘em, to keep us healthy. That’s just the way things go. That’s pretty much how Malvolio sees all other life.”

  “Which would make some sense if we were one-celled nonthinkers, and he was so far above us.”

  “Right—he’s not. He’s just a arrogant fool from the seventeenth century with lots of issues. But he does have a tremendous amount of power-more than any Green Lantern has had.”

  “So what is this Corps?”

  “Thousands of us throughout the universe. We’ve been given the power to balance out the malignance the Qwardians unleashed. It’s been a running battle for quite some time now.” “So I’m part of this Corps?”

  “Not exactly. You do have the power, but you got it
accidentally. And now you’ve got to use it.”

  Scott threw his cigarette butt into the orange sand and squished it out with his foot.

  “I haven’t been exactly gangbusters with it, to tell you the truth...” “Well here’s the thing, the power is the power-you don’t have any more or less than me or any other Corps member. The trick is tapping into it. I mean, look at what you did to me back there-don’t tell me you don’t have the juice.”

  “Maybe so. Maybe I do. But controlling it... ”

  “Yes, that’s the issue. That 1 can’t help you with—you just gotta find your way to that yourself. But you better huny-Malvolio’s getting ready to do a lot of damage back on Earth. He’s building a Sleeper army.”

  “An army? So I gotta stop him and his army?”

  Jordan smiled. “Sure. It’s just the human race in your hands.” “But I’m a guy who stops bank robbers! That’s like asking a minor leaguer to step up to the plate against Dizzy Dean and hit a home run!”

  “Malvolio’s no Dizzy Dean. And you’re no bush leaguer.” “Why don’t you help me?”

  “It’s not my destiny, Alan. It’s not even my timeline.”

  “But what about Malvolio? He’s from the goddam Middle Ages. And what time are you from?”

  “For you, I’m from the future. I know-it’s confusing, but part of the effect of the transformer gates is that time becomes elastic. We are so far from Earth that travel even at the speed of light would take thousands of years. The gates allow us to travel these distances also allow us to travel through time. That’s how I can meet you here and Malvolio can show up in the 1940s. I can’t leave here-that’s why you sent me here to talk to you.”

  “I sent you here?”

  “The future you. The future you is busy as well, so I’ve got Sleeper trouble here that I have to deal with.”

  “Why would a future me send you here to talk to me?” “Because you’d know you’d need the help, I suppose. The future you told me to tell you about the dream.”

  “What dream?”

  “About your mother. He said to believe in it. If you don’t, the future you won’t exist, nor will I.”

  Scott let the cigarette drop from his fingers. He was overwhelmed to speechlessness. “Who are you to me?”

  Jordan smiled again. “Let’s just say we’re close. And if we survive this Sleepers stuff to meet again, it’ll be because of you. If you don’t stop them back home, no one will be around to stop them here. We’re all part of a chain that’s only as strong as its weakest link.”

  “And that would be me.”

  Jordan got to his feet and walked into the ruin. “I don’t think so, Alan. I know you pretty well. Keep in mind that your ring wasn’t glowing when you attacked me. There was no lantern. Look at your ring now.”

  It shone like the north star.

  Jordan grinned. “You did that.”

  Scott looked at Hal. “I recharged it?”

  Hal shook his head. “No—you found and refined its full potential. The power was there all along-it wasn’t glowing because you couldn’t get to it. And now you have. But just in case you need it...”

  Hal held up Scott’s Green Lantern, once again in pristine condition. Knowing better than to ask how it came back to him, Scott took it with simple gratitude.

  The shimmering Stargate was before Hal and Scott. Hal turned to Alan Scott and put a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was strange—a reverse of a father-son relationship.

  Scott smiled, but there was some concern in his eyes, knowing what Alan Scott was about to go through.

  “Good luck Alan, and Godspeed.”

  Scott nodded to Hal, then stepped through the Stargate.

  Irene felt a shiver as she knocked on the door of the elegant townhouse. Something in her intuition, sharpened by years of a reporter’s instinct -warned her that something bad was about to happen.

  But the feeling was dispelled when Malvolio opened the door. He was dressed in handsome white suit, his long hair pulled back in a ponytail. He smiled warmly at the sight of her.

  “Irene, welcome. Come in.”

  As she entered, her concern turned to anxiety that she had not dressed well enough. The entire house was lit with beautiful candles, giving the space a warmth and comfort despite its grand size. Garlands of fresh roses, red, white and yellow, set in vases throughout each room. The sight was enchanting.

  “What a marvelous house.”

  Malvolio, shrugged, embarrassed.

  “Friends have lent it to me-I’m lucky for their kindness. I must

  admit the place was in great disarray, but I tidied up on the advice of Alan.” Malvolio smiled at this.

  The dinner of fresh fish and Cornish hen was abundant Irene noticed that Malvolio barely touched his meal. The cheriy wood dining table was huge, but Malvolio had arranged the settings so that they sat next to each other. The rest of the table, room and house felt superfluous as they dined together.

  Irene noticed that Malvolio had brought the food out from the kitchen himself.

  “The meal is delicious, Mai. Did you cook this?”

  “Yes. It really is hard to get good help nowadays.”

  Irene, who took most of her meals at hot dog stands and automats, smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “Yes. I can imagine,” she said. “And the freshness of the food is fantastic-where did you get it?”

  “I caught it myself.”

  Irene smiled at what she thought was Malvolio’s attempt at humor. “Really? In the reservoir at the park?”

  “No,” Malvolio replied. “In the Pyrenees. Just today.”

  Irene was confused but she decided to let it pass. As Malvolio poured more wine for her and himself, she started in.

  “So what do you know about the invasion?”

  Without missing a beat, Malvolio said, “What would you like to know?”

  Irene was surprised at this. She was so used to caginess, anger or outright denial that she stammered, at a loss.

  “Well, uh... ”

  Malvolio interrupted. “It’s going to be part of a larger invasion of some island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. I can’t keep them all straight. If I remember I’ll let you know.”

  Irene frowned. “You don’t have to be such a smug bastard about it,” she thought to herself, “just tell me you don’t know or won’t tell me.”

  Malvolio continued. “I can picture it and getting there, but to tell you the truth I seldom bother with maps. I simply take flight and, traveling through the skies, look down and locate it by sight.” “Veiy funny,” Irene said, fuming.

  “If you like, I can take you there.”

  Irene had had enough of Malvolio’s lopsided jokes-she felt as is he were mocking her.

  She put her napkin on her plate. “It’s late and I’ve had a long day. Thank you for the wonderful dinner.”

  Malvolio stood up. “Before you go-I wish to show you something.”

  Irene followed Malvolio through the library door. The room was restored to its original form, the globe back in place.

  Irene walked around the candlelit room, amazed at the beauty of it. She could see that something was draped with a heavy black cloth, and the back of a statue.

  “I’d always known there were rooms like this in Gotham,” she said, “but I never got a chance to walk into one.”

  She went to the Louis XIV desk and ran her hand along the polished wood. She stopped when she saw the map sitting on it. It was marked top secret and she could see that it showed the location of the main invasion, along with the island that Malvolio would be going to.

  She turned to see that Malvolio was fetching something from a cabinet. Quickly she memorized the latitude and longitude coordinates from the map of the islands. The name stuck out to her: Iwo Jima.

  Malvolio stood near a life-size statue of a woman. “Irene, come here please.”

  As Irene walked toward the statue, she saw that for the first time it had her face. She wa
s stunned by the sight. Her first instinct was to laugh-it seemed like an elaborate joke, a rich man’s prank. Then, realizing it wasn’t, she began to get scared.

  When she turned, Malvolio was standing close, within range of a kiss. She wanted to step back but resisted doing so.

  He smiled coyly. “It’s the best my feeble imagination could conjure.”

  “Mal-what is this?”

  “Irene-please accept this gift as a symbol of my deep affection for you. I’m certain that our fates were meant to be entwined.”

  Irene wanted to laugh at Malvolio’s suddenly ham-handed behavior, but something told her that that would be a very bad thing to do.

  Malvolio stammered. “My love for you is... limitless. Like the stars. And I would give up everything for you.”

  “You would?”

  “Yes.” He gently took her arm and they walked before the cloth-covered object. Malvolio pulled the cloth away to reveal the shimmering Stargate.

  Irene shielded her eyes from the Stargate, more afraid and struggling not to show it.

  “Mal-what is this?”

  Malvolio pulled his Green Lantern’s ring from his pocket and held it up for her to see.

  Irene’s eyes opened wide. “You’re the Green Lantern?”

  “I’m one of them.”

  “There’s more than one?” Irene asked.

  “Yes, but I am the most powerful.”

  Malvolio held up the ring. “Irene, this is the source of my power. If I toss it through this Stargate, it will seal behind itself and I’ll be left to remain here on Earth forever. I’ll return to being a mere human. But I’d be willing to do this for you.”

  Irene shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “I love you Irene.”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  Malvolio laughed. “I’ve known you forever! You brought me here, you will marry me, we will live our lives together and upon our deaths our souls will be united forever! You may think you have a choice in this, but you truly don’t. Neither of us do. It’s destiny.” Malvolio dropped to one knee. He held the green ring in his hand before the Stargate, ready to push it through.

  “I will give up infinite power to be with you. All you must do is recognize our love.”

  Irene slowly shook her head. “No.”