by PDebord, with CSyphrett
Green Arrow paced around the monitor room in the JLA Satellite, his eyes fixed on Green Lantern with a mixture of concern and amusement. “I don’t believe it! Those little blue whackos put an APB out on you? You’re their top guy!” he exclaimed, his voice laced with incredulity.
Green Lantern sighed, his eyes clouding over with worry. “It’s something like that, Ollie,” he said, his voice measured. “The Guardians weren’t involved in this, since they’re not even in our dimension any longer. It was actually the Old Timer — who’s still the mortal he’s been since the ‘little blue whackos’ took away his life-powers after he traveled through America with us a few years back — who accused me of this heinous crime.” (*)
[(*) Editor’s note: See “No Evil Shall Escape My Sight,” Green Lantern v2 #76 (April, 1970) and “Death Be My Destiny,” Green Lantern v2 #81 (December, 1970).]
Oliver Queen’s expression turned serious, his eyes narrowing. “Downright ungrateful of the old fella,” he muttered, and Green Lantern continued with his explanation.
“It sounds just like what Kyle said — that I headed to Oa and ripped the place apart,” said Hal Jordan, his voice low and thoughtful. “For some reason, they think it’s me, and I would say that Kilowog, John, Guy, Arisia, and Katma will think it’s me, too.” His jaw clenched in determination. “I have to get to Oa, stop this guy, and clear my name,” he said, his voice firm.
Green Arrow nodded, a wry smile spreading across his face. “You go do what you have to — what does my opinion matter? I’m just the dumb schmuck you called up here to cover your monitor duty,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Green Lantern chuckled, a hint of relief in his eyes. “I knew you would understand, Ollie,” he said, as he phased through the wall.
The real Hal Jordan flew like a green streak toward the distant planet of Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps and the once and future home of the Guardians of the Universe. He slowed down as he saw something in front of him, his stomach twisting with a sense of dread. The man who knew no fear turned sick at the sight of what had once been at least three Green Lanterns. Each of the bodies were missing their right hands, along with their power rings.
“It’s just like in Kyle’s recording — he’s killing every G.L. he encounters and taking their rings as he goes,” Green Lantern said to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. “Was this what happened on his world? Did his Hal Jordan get stuck with another man’s crimes? I’ll figure that puzzle out later. I have only one shot at beating him to Oa. I only hope he doesn’t know the star charts like I do.”
***
Meanwhile, on a world not so far away from Oa, a slender, red-faced alien flew up into the sky in a flash of yellow. Sinestro was on a mission of his own, and he would not be stopped. His eyes gleamed and his heart burned with a desire for revenge. Having tapped in to the message from Oa, he knew that his old enemy Green Lantern would already be on his way to that world, and he was determined to get there first.
***
William Hand gazed down at his right hand as he soared through the vast expanse of space. The captured power rings had merged into one, and it was tracing the power ring energy back to its source: a small planet just ahead. The only obstacles in his way were five more Green Lanterns: Kilowog, John Stewart, Katma Tui, Arisia, and Salaak. He encountered them as he entered the planet’s atmosphere.
“Oh, good! I needed another snack,” said the man whose face was identical to that of Hal Jordan, except for the wicked smile he now wore. “And that which does not kill me makes me grow stronger!”
Kilowog stepped forward, his eyes blazing. “You’re not getting past us, Jordan!” he declared.
The former Black Hand chuckled, a cold, mirthless sound. “I’ve left a long string of broken hearts behind me,” he said with a smile. “Well, that and the broken heads, hands, arms, legs, et cetera. You don’t really think you can stop me, do you?”
“I can,” said a nearly identical voice from William Hand’s right.
The villain turned just in time to see a giant green fist wrap around him. The power ring that had created the fist belonged to the real Hal Jordan.
“Now I’m really confused,” Arisia said, her brow furrowed in concern.
“But you can’t be here! I left you on Earth hours ago!” Hand exclaimed angrily. “Time flies when you’re having fun!”
Hal Jordan’s eyes narrowed. “No wonder an alert was sent out for me,” he said. “The energy you’re using was siphoned from my ring. I’m no Batman, but only one man comes to mind when I think of that trick — Black Hand, AKA William Hand. Those hackneyed clichés you’re spouting only confirm this.”
The gloves on the villain’s hands turned from white to black. “Oh, well. You can fool some of the people some of the time,” Hand said with a shrug. “However, I will help myself to some of your energy.” Suddenly, the giant green power ring-generated hand around him disappeared as the villain absorbed it into him.
Kilowog’s eyes widened in confusion. “Which one do we fight?” he asked. “The GLC alert said Jordan had to be stopped at all costs!”
Hal Jordan’s expression was grim. “You don’t fight either one of us, Kilowog,” he said. “This guy’s a living power battery in reverse. He’ll absorb both your ring and you if he touches you.”
Kilowog’s face darkened. “So he’s here to do what Kyle said you would do — absorb the power battery?”
“That’s right,” said Hand, his smile growing wider. “I’m here to send you to the unemployment line or the morgue if you get in my way.”
John Stewart’s eyes lit up with a mixture of relief and understanding. “So Hal’s not Parallax — he is!” he exclaimed, pointing at Hand.
The former Black Hand chuckled. “Parallax? I like that — has a nice ring to it.”
Salaak’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you will like this less,” he said, creating a giant church bell over Hand’s head. A will-powered swing of the clapper later left Hand holding his ears and howling in pain.
John Stewart nodded in approval. “He doesn’t have the experience with power rings that we do,” he said. “If he had, he could’ve taken this fight out of the atmosphere, where there’s no air to carry sound.”
Katma Tui’s eyes gleamed with determination. “There are many ways to beat him without actually touching him with the energy,” she said.
Salaak nodded in agreement. “Exactly.”
“Too late,” William Hand said, his voice dripping with malice as he reached out toward Hal Jordan.
The black glove of Parallax hovered mere inches from Green Lantern’s chest, its dark energy crackling with malevolent intent. But just as all hope seemed lost, the glove halted its advance, as if repelled by an almost invisible but faintly yellow force-field. Green Lantern and Parallax exchanged a confused glance, their eyes tracing the source of the barrier back to a yellow power ring on the right hand of a newcomer.
“Sinestro?!” Hal exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise.
Parallax’s face twisted with rage. “No! I have not come this far to be stopped!” he snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. With a burst of speed, he streaked past the other Green Lanterns, racing towards Oa’s capital city.
But Sinestro was one step ahead. With a flick of his wrist, he projected a force-field barrier around the city, effectively trapping Parallax outside. “Those rings you wear are Green Lantern rings,” Sinestro said calmly, his voice dripping with condescension. “They have only one weakness, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
Parallax’s eyes widened in shock as a bright yellow cage materialized around him, its energy tendrils wrapping around him tightly. Sinestro’s power ring glowed with an intense yellow light as he dragged Parallax captive, leaving the other Green Lanterns staring after them in stunned silence.
“No way did that just happen,” Arisia breathed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Did Sinestro just save Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps?” John Stewart asked incredulously.
The six Green Lanterns’ rings suddenly projected an image of Appa Ali Apsa, alongside K’ryssma of Etrea and Apros of Minus Seven Pi. “The Green Lantern of Earth has been cleared of any wrongdoing,” Appa declared through the power of his Honor Guardsmens’ rings. “Hal Jordan, will you please come down to the Central Hall so that we could apologize in person?”
Hal’s face creased into a wry smile. “Nothing like a universal threat to make you feel better about the future,” he quipped, turning to fly toward the city.
As Hal Jordan and Kilowog landed on Oa’s surface near the Central Power Battery, Kilowog turned to him with a curious expression. “You didn’t mention how you managed ta get here just as he did,” he said, his brow furrowed.
Hal shrugged. “There’s a space warp not too far from Oa that leads directly to Earth,” he explained. “It takes minutes instead of hours to get here. My only hope was that Parallax didn’t know about it.”
Kilowog nodded thoughtfully, satisfied with the answer. He and the others had used the same warp to arrive before Parallax entered the system. “He may look like you, poozer, but he definitely ain’t you,” he said, his voice laced with amusement.
***
Meanwhile, in deep space, Parallax paced in his yellow power-ring-created cage like a wild animal, his eyes blazing with fury. “Why? Why did you do this?” William Hand screamed, his voice echoing through the void. “You hate them as much as I do — so why did you stop me?”
Sinestro’s voice was cold and detached. “Jordan is mine to destroy, not yours. I will not be denied my revenge by an inept Earther,” he said, his eyes glinting with malevolence. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the cage out into the cosmos, leaving Parallax to vanish into the cold dark night of space.
“I won’t forget this, Sinestro,” Parallax screamed, his voice fading into the distance. “You haven’t heard the last of Parallax — any of you! I will have my own dish of revenge!”
The End