"Ardakian Trawl, do you realize you got patrol?" "Oh, and I thought I was coming 500 million light-years to give you a sponge bath, Kilowog." "Knock it off you poozer." "How much longer?" "I'm in your star system, so quit flaring your nostrils." "My God." "Ardakian, you there?" "Ardakian?" "What happened?" "Ardakian!" "Where is it?" "Needless to say, we're all shocked and saddened by the news of Ardakian Trawl." "She was a bold and gallant Green Lantern whose achievements will long be remembered." "But for now, we must set aside our mourning for the threat at hand." "Glad you could make it." "Sorry." "We know from her ring that Ardakian's murderers were Shadow Demons." "Soulless creatures from the Antimatter Universe." "We haven't seen them since the great crisis." "They came from a rift in our sun, a rift that connected directly to their universe." "We take it this was no mere anomaly." "No." "We were able to make a detailed analysis through the ring." "There's no mistake." "The demons were sent by Krona." "Most of you know Krona's story how he defied authority and created the Antimatter Universe billions of years ago." "He nearly annihilated all of creation." "As punishment he was turned into disembodied energy and cast throughout the cosmos." "We thought him gone but it seems he has reconstituted himself in the Antimatter realm bringing the Shadow Demons under his control." "We sense this is just the beginning that Krona means to use our sun, the very center of the universe as a portal to attack us." "We have sent a squadron of Lanterns to the sun to begin monitoring." "They'll be setting up observation platforms to conserve energy." "Meanwhile, all important documents and artifacts will be moved from Oa to the Broome-Kane star cluster for safekeeping." "We'll need everyone to keep a close watch on the sun while we evacuate." "Evacuate?" "We have already removed the Book of Oa, our most sacred text." "Next will be the library." "You gotta be kidding." "Excuse me, Ganthet, but these precautions do seem rather extraordinary." "Krona was a tyrant with insatiable aggression, Sinestro." "He vowed to destroy Oa, and we take that threat seriously." "We suggest you charge your rings immediately for the Central Battery will be removed as well." "Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power Green Lantern's light" "In brightest day, in blackest night" "No evil shall escape my sight" "Let those who worship..." "Sorry, kid." "Usually I like to mentor recruits for more than a couple of hours before they face Armageddon." "It is kind of overwhelming." " Are you all right?" " Yeah." "Sure." "It's just that, well, three days ago I was sitting in class trying to figure out a physics problem and then this." "Yeah, that's the way it is." "The thing is, why me?" "I'm just a student." "A nobody, really." "I'm sure Avra felt the same way." " Who?" " The first Green Lantern." "It's one of the first stories you learn." "I guess we got a little sidetracked." "To quote scripture:" "The first one given a ring was not the first Lantern." "The first was Avra." "The Book of Oa, first chapter, first verse." "Long ago, before our stars had ignited long ago, when life was new and the universe was in its infancy before order.." "...there was chaos." "Chaos outbalanced creation hate outbalanced fellowship and all life suffered." "The Guardians saw it all." "The evil was too great to be left unchecked." "And so they gathered the light." "They knew of its variety and strength and the light with the most power." "But they sought their answer in the light of will to form from it a weapon unequaled to turn armies to sand." "Will, given substance forming." "The greatest warriors of the universe were gathered." "Four would be chosen." "The first four." "An event to be recorded and remembered." "And the Guardian said to the assembly:" "Stand tall, warriors." "If we are to be Guardians, you are to be our strength." "If you are to be our strength, these shall be your arms." "But then, the unexpected." "They called it an accident." "Accident is only the will of the universe expressing itself" "And it was the universe's will that the fourth Lantern be Avra a mere scribe chronicler to the Guardians." "And so it would be for all time, the rings would choose their successors." "The Guardians had armed the first four, and sought to train them." "Though no training could prepare them for what would come when training gave way to duty." "A plague had savaged the universe." "The Guardians dispatched the first four to stop its advance." "Ready or not." "Your first battle?" "Just do what I do." "And try to stay alive." "Are these really enough to stand against all that?" "The Guardians say they'll protect us." "But they're just rings." "And before getting yours you were just a scribe." "Use your imagination." "It was too much for them." "For anyone." "These rings are useless." "We might as well be wearing trinkets." "What do we do?" "We have only two options:" "retreat or death." "There is no victory here." "Retreat it is, then." "Go." "I'll cover your escape." "And the first Lantern saw and would not run." "Wait." "The Guardians forged these rings from will." "Will can do more than pave our retreat." "Will is the first cause behind any action." "We must will our survival." "You're commended for your faith in the Guardians, Avra but this is a failed endeavor." "You'll die." "So be it." "I choose to believe in the Guardians." "This is battle, Avra. it's real." "It's not one of your books where you can invent the outcome." "He's dead." "The Guardians forged these rings from will." "We must will our survival." "By the stars." "He held his first construct." "No longer a scribe now a warrior." "The first Lantern." "This was the beginning." "In time, the first of the rings would be passed on while a hundred more were forged and then thousands." "All would be taught as the first Lantern had learned." "A new path to victory." "A use for the ring that even the Guardians had not predicted." "In time, old Lanterns would fall their rings given to the new, to learn as they did." "Even Avra would fall his ring given to one who would be taught his lessons and would one day teach them." "What was once a unique innovation became the way for all." "The way of will." "Know then, when you shape the light of your ring... you walk in the footsteps of the first Lantern." "Believe me, they each have quite a history." "In brightest day..." " Come on, missy." "It ain't a wedding ring." "Let those who worship evil's might..." " Right, sorry." "Green Lantern's light" "In brightest day, in blackest night No evil shall escape my sight" " She the new one?" " Arisia meet Kilowog, our kindly drill instructor." "Hello." " First combat?" " Yes." "Don't worry, rookie." "This ain't gonna be half as bad as boot camp." "In brightest day, in blackest night No evil shall escape my sight" "I've heard of Kilowog." "What horror stories did they tell you?" "I heard someone got killed training with him." "Don't believe everything." "Kilowog has some rough edges, but he's a cakewalk compared to Deegan." "Deegan?" "That's Sergeant Deegan to you, poozer!" "You know what a poozer is, don't you, poozer?" " No, sir." "I can't hear you!" "No, sir!" "Poozers are what I call useless, stupid, stinking rookies..." " ..." "like Brilowog over here." " Kilowog, sir." "Did you just say something, Brilobutt?" "No, sir." "Sorry, sir." "You're whoever I say you are!" " Understood?" " Yes, sir." "I can't hear you!" "Yes, sir!" "What was that ring call I caught you making?" " You crying home to mommy and daddy?" " No, sir!" "The call was to my wife, sir!" "She's pregnant and I" "Did I ask for a medical report?" "You got one family right now, poozer, and they're all wearing green rings." "Whose power, poozers?" "Our power, Sergeant Deegan!" "Whose light ht, poozers?" "Our light, Sergeant Deegan!" "You're damn right!" "Welcome to hell, boys and girls." "Here's where I weed out those who belong in my corps and those who don't." "First thing, I'll be taking your rings." "Sir, this volcano's active." "That's why we're here, bird-boy." "I wanna see what you're made of without that hunk of shiny green on your hand." "Get yourselves in a straight line." "I'll be the base." " We'll make our way up together." " Think so, poozer?" "Temperature spiking in magma chamber." "Eruption imminent." "Gonna let people step all over you, Brilolog?" "Just shrug them off and save yourself." "Not shrugging anyone." "Maybe you poozers would like to go someplace a little cooler." "Someplace with a breeze." "Can't hold on." "We won't let you go, Tomar." "Aah!" "Tomar!" "Guess you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, poozer." "Congratulations, rookies, you got two dead poozers eating sand instead of one." "Get some rest." "You're gonna need your wits about you when we hit the ice canyons tomorrow." "Why?" "Why what?" "Do you enjoy seeing us in pain?" "Seeing us doubt ourselves?" "It's like you want us to quit, sir." "I got nothing to explain to you." "We're all here because we wanna serve." "If one of us gets killed, you're nothing more than a murderer, sir." "Say that again." "You're a mean, sadistic son of a" " Uh!" "You don't like the way I do my job?" "I don't give a damn what you like, any of you." "If you're still alive and ring slinging a few years down the road and lucky enough to watch your family grow as you honor your oath then you'll understand." "But getting old in my corps is a privilege." "We die so innocents don't." "it's that simple." "Once you put on the ring, the life you lived stops being your own." "Deegan, this is Salaak." " Yes, sir." "We have a priority one emergency." "The Khundians have attacked Chiraka's capitol." "You and your recruits are the closest Lanterns at hand." "Got it." "We're on our way." "You heard him." "This is not a drill, poozers." "Let's go." "I got this." "You poozers take care of the civilians." "Yes, sir." "In brightest day, in blackest night" "No evil shall escape my sight" "You frigging bastards!" "Crap." " Where's Deegan?" "Out there." "He told us to protect the civilians." "This one will look good on my wall." "What are you doing here?" "Never said goodbye, sir." "You're gonna get yourself killed." "Haven't you heard?" "It's not my life anymore." "Lanterns, shield the civilians." "I'm doing a taser sweep." "Nice trick." "Hold on, sir." "I'll get help." "Forget it." "You know, I would've never let any of you get killed back there." " On that planet." " I know, sir." "It's just that in this job, sometimes you got to go to the limit." "Not many can, but you're not like them." "Lantern Kilowog." " What are you doing here?" " The Khundians, they're retreating." "It's over." "Yeah?" "What about the ones who are still down?" "I got a hunch when they wake up, they might be a little cranky." "We better collect them." "No kidding." "Come on, guys." "Get a move on." "Yes, sir." "Poozers." "So he's not a scary as he looks?" "No, you'll Survive Kilowog." "It only took me about three or four fights." "Just watch out for his left." "Any news?" "There've been a couple more rifts, five Demons." "Nothing major." "We have all our sensors skimming the surface." "Any sign of antimatter, they'll pick it up." "So we still don't know when he's coming?" "To serve as a Green Lantern means facing the unknown." "Although, sometimes facing the familiar can prove to be even more harrowing." "Do you sense anything, Laira?" "Only that the evil still churns and builds." "It will not be swayed." "It will not bend to reason or pity or suffering." "Only to force, as always." "That was strange." "Laira's unusual." "She hasn't been around long but next to Sinestro, I don't know another Lantern I'd rather have at my side." " She's that good?" " She's had to be." "About a year ago, the Guardians sent her to the planet Jayd." "It was her first solo mission." "But more than that, it was her homecoming." "The prodigal daughter returns." "I come as a Green Lantern, Ree'yu, by order of the Guardians." "The Golden Dragon is the law here." "And what law condones massacres?" "They were Khundians, Laira." "Savages." "Your father's sworn enemies." "You dare go against your family?" "Then you have no honor, Green Lantern." "You speak as if you knew what honor meant, Ree'yu." "I'm just amazed you could tear yourself from my father's bed." "Ha." "You're jealous because I deserve your father's love while you do not." "You are your mother's child, Laira Omoto." "Weak, submissive, so easily crushed." "I may have my mother's humility but I am my father's daughter." "Commander Antomokei." "I come as an emissary, Antomokei." "I'm not here to fight." "It's your call." "Remember when we used to come here and hide, little sister?" "You were never very good at it." "But I was." "Ooh, I could surprise you, couldn't I?" "Then I'd have to lock you up until you calmed down." "I'm no longer that little girl, Rubyn." "No, now you have a new clan and that flashy ring." "Why shine it here?" "Jayd has been declared a hostile world." "I can't help but wonder who's responsible." "I'm just a faithful son." "I honor my family, I follow the Golden Dragon while you have other loyalties." "Not loyalties." "Duty." "No more games." "No." "No more." "Happier times." "Father." "As you can see, I kept the room as you left it." "I even found this." "Sometimes after suffering one of your brother's antics I'd give you this." "It would stop your crying." "Never did get to fix the arm." "We started concentrating on making a warrior out of you instead." "Instilling discipline." "Making you face your fears." "What has happened to Jayd, Father?" "Jayd is safe." "At what expense?" "Only the blood of our enemies." "But you attack without provocation." "I have a life's worth of provocation." "You forget the dishonor they brought upon us, daughter." "You forget the day of carnage." "How many of our brethren perished in the Khundian invasion?" "How many warriors butchered?" "Not even the Green Lantern of our sector could withstand the onslaught." "I had one chance to turn the tables." "You instinctively called for help but not from your father this time." "The Golden Dragon had fallen that day." "I was found wanting." "Weak." "I needed to restore my honor and be the warrior my homeworld deserved." "You've turned Jayd into something worse than what the Khundians ever intended." "You've made it an outlaw world." "All I want is peace and it can only be achieved when there is no one left to oppose us." " But the Guardians" " The Guardians know this." "But their collective minds lack the singularity to do what must be done." "You can help me, Laira." "With the power in your grasp, no one will be able to stand in our way." "Not even your Oan masters." "No." "It's not what this ring stands for." "It's not what the Golden Dragon should stand for." "We should work to a higher calling." "Protecting our people is the highest calling." "Give me the ring." "Be your father's daughter again." "You defy me?" "So be it." "The Guardians have made you soft." "You will always be the child who runs to her father." "Enough." "Now things are as they were meant to be." "I came here hoping that Ree'yu and Rubyn were responsible for Jayd's atrocities hoping you were still the man who once tucked his daughter in at night but you are no longer that man..." "...and I am a Green Lantern." "You are not even worthy of that armor." "I was wrong about you." "You have grown up." "You are more than a worthy warrior and I" "I may never have regained my honor until now." "Father!" "I am glad I can be that for you in my last moments." "I see now the true protector of Jayd is not the Golden Dragon but Laira Omoto." "Green Lantern." "No." "I've heard of family fights, but my God..." "You've got a bigger fight than that coming, rookie." "Guardians are talking about this like it's doomsday." "Has Oa been cleared out?" "Not a Lantern left on it." "It's just a husk now." "What about here?" "Quiet so far." "I'm thinking of taking a closer look." "Might as well." "It's gonna get crowded in here." "All the platforms are filling up." "The Guardians are calling in everyone short of Mogo." "Mogo?" "Is he a Green Lantern?" "Yeah, but you won't be seeing him around." "Why not?" "Mogo doesn't socialize." "What are they talking about?" "Been having story time all day and you haven't told her about Mogo?" "That's the first story I heard as a rookie." "Mogo and Bolphunga." "You gotta tell her about Bolphunga." "Outside." "Doesn't socialize." "Well?" "There's a story that gets passed around the barracks about a creature known as Bolphunga the Unrelenting who had a thirst for combat as insatiable as his appetite." "Approaching Vud's homeworld, oh, great one." "After hundreds of victories there was only one warrior left willing to face him:" "Kloba Vud, the Titan of the Vlidomals." "Bolphunga." "I was wondering if you'd show up." "You just had to wait your turn, Vud." "Like everyone before him, Vud was no match for Bolphunga's brutality." "Poor Kloba Vud." "You seem to be completely, heh, disarmed." "And once I have your head, I, Bolphunga, shall be proclaimed the greatest warrior in the galaxy!" "Except for Mogo." "What?" "What did you say?" "Except for Mogo." "Not only is he mightier than you, he is also a..." "A Green Lantern." "Ha." "I fear no Lantern." "You'd fear this one." "He's the most powerful Lantern of them all." "Never defeated." "A cosmic legend." "Never heard of him." "Mogo." "Yes." "All right, where can I find him?" "You have nothing on him?" "The Lanterns are excluded from databases under Guardian security decree 82669" "It matters not." "This Lantern is meat." "Approaching coordinates now, oh, great one." "Mogo, you skulking coward." "I know not where upon this overgrown planet you are but hear this!" "I am Bolphunga the Unrelenting!" "Bolphunga, at whose name the deserts tremble and the mountains quake." "Bolphunga, who will cleave you from your soul." "Come meet your fate, you Craven cur." "Release the energy probes." "Alert." "Alert." "Lantern energy detected." "Alert." "Alert." "Prepare yourself, dog." "Prepare for the coming of Bolphunga." "Where are you hiding?" "Coward." "I know you're near." "Alert." "Alert." "Lantern energy detected." "Alert." "Alert." "Lantern energy detected." " Alert." "Alert." "And so it went." "For days." "Alert." "Alert." "Alert." "Alert." "And days." "Alert." "Alert." "And days." "Alert." "Alert." "Until days turned to weeks and weeks to months." "Alert." "Alert." "But they didn't call him Unrelenting for nothing." "Ship, release new probes." "I want them to map every square klick of this mud ball and set charges to force that son of a cur into the open." "If Bolphunga couldn't find Mogo directly, then he'd find him indirectly:" "A house, a training site, maybe even a power battery." "Planet map 0.5 percent complete." "And so he waited." "He could almost taste Mogo's blood." "One-point-eight percent complete." "Three-point-five percent complete." "Now I have you." "Planet map 100 percent complete." "Show me the whole planet." "Huh?" "It was then that Bolphunga the Unrelenting finally relented." " Get me out of here." "Yes, oh, mighty" "Now!" "His fight was over before it began." "He had found his enemy, who was hidden in plain sight." "The Green Lantern known as Mogo." "And that, Arisia, is why Mogo doesn't socialize." "A living world." "When this battle's over, I'll tell you about some of the really big Lanterns." "You're joking, Hal." "You are, right?" "Thicken your shield." "Don't let them touch you." "Above you." "Stay alert." "Watch out!" "You've been out for a while." "Careful." "You took quite a hit." "Where is everyone?" "Patrolling the sun." "Things are starting to get hot out there." "The sensors are picking up a pressure zone under the surface." "Won't be long now." "So the Guardians are right." "Krona is coming." "It seems." "My old friend, Abin Sur, would surely be quoting scripture if he were here." "And so it is written, the enemy long buried will return from a fire and Oa shall be consumed in its flames." "Almost makes you wanna hide under the nearest rock." "Do you think that somehow this is preordained?" "No, my dear." "Destiny is a tricky item." "Even Abin Sur found that out." "A sign of things to come, Abin Sur." "Darkness." "Who are you, creature?" "I am an enemy to all who serve the self-appointed Guardians of the Universe." "Then you are an enemy to me." "Warning." "Power level, 1.7 percent." "Warning." "Power level, 1.1 percent." "I have seen your future, Abin Sur." "And it is death." "We all die." "And I do not fear death." "There are things worse than death, Green Lantern." "If I had a power ring for every time I heard that, I'd have my own corps." "Sinestro." " Abin." "I've seen you look better, my friend." "And I've seen you look worse." "Warning." "Power level approaching 0 percent." "Still waiting to recharge until you're almost on empty?" "What can I say?" "I get caught up in my work." "Don't we all?" " What's he doing?" " He's trying to break it." "Abin, if that explodes, it could take out the city." "If not the entire planet." "Abin!" "In brightest day, in blackest night No evil shall escape my sight" "Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power Green Lantern's light" "No." "You want my power battery, Atrocitus?" "You're welcome to it." "Atrocitus shouldn't give us any more trouble." "I would think not, but who is he?" "Atrocitus is part of a terrorist cell called the Five Inversions." "I've never heard of him." "Because he's been imprisoned on the planet Ysmault for over 700 years." "Last week, a ship crashed there." "Atrocitus killed its survivors, repaired the ship and fled." "He's been hunting and killing Green Lanterns since." " How many?" " Three." "How did he find any of the Green Lanterns?" "Or me?" "According to the Book of Oa Atrocitus claims he is able to talk to destiny." " There is no such thing as destiny, Abin." " Then how-?" "He locked onto your power ring's energy somehow, as he no doubt did the others." " You don't believe in destiny?" " No." "We wear destiny on our fingers, Sinestro." "The power ring seeks out those destined to be Green Lanterns." "The power ring seeks out those who have shown the ability to overcome great fear." "It is a highly advanced computer program based on morality but it is a program nonetheless." "Do you remember the first day we met?" "Of course." "We were both summoned to Oa for training." "You mistook me for someone from your world." " From Korugar." " Yes." "But despite your mistake, we became friends." "Together, we saved your world from civil war and today, mine from Atrocitus." "Our meeting was destiny." "No, Abin." "It was luck." "As it was for this damaged ship that we came across." "No." "I believe in destiny." "All of this, everything we do, is a part of that destiny." "We will agree to disagree." "Are you certain you don't want my help delivering the prisoner back to Ysmault?" "No." "You have your sector to attend to, I have mine." "Then until we see one another again, my friend." " Keep the light burning." " Always." "Set us free and we will serve you as you serve your blue-skinned owners." "Paradise is right here." "This is anything but." "I told you there are things worse than death." "This prison is of your doing, Atrocitus." "I speak not of Ysmault, Green Lantern or of my own fate." "I speak of yours." "Your death." "I told you, I do not fear death." "But it will come to you sooner than you realize." "All because your ring fails you in your most desperate hour." "Then I will remember to charge my ring often." "But it is not your death that is the tragedy." "It is beyond it." "I have seen the future of the Green Lantern Corps." "I have seen its destiny should you care to hear it." "Continue." "Let me go further in time then." "To a future when the most vile murderers and deviants in the universe will become united under one leader." "There will be a war of light that will burn the surface of Oa black." "It will leave scores of Lanterns dead." "Even the greatest of them will fall." "The green light will be extinguished and there will be left a new corps." "A corps of fear." "Sinestro." "His corps will terrorize the universe." "The Guardians will find themselves without their soldiers." "They will be overpowered and captured." "They will be skinned alive and eaten by Sinestro's followers." "Their skulls will form the base of Sinestro's throne on Oa." "His reign will cover the universe like a shroud." "Wait, where are you going?" "You almost had me, demon but you took a Green Lantern down a path his willpower would never let him go." "Sinestro may not believe in destiny, but I do." "And I know my dear friend is destined for great things." "You, however, are not." "But Abin Sur knew a false prophet when he heard one." "Atrocitus was just another who would try to rip the corps apart." "But we're too galvanized a team and too bound in trust." "Never forget that." "But Atrocitus was right about Abin Sur." "He did die." "Everyone dies, Arisia." " Everyone gets replaced." "Sinestro." "The sensors picked up a tremendous spike in the readings." "A massive swelling in the dead center of the sun." "We have visible confirmation." "It's enormous." "Krona." "I guess this is the blackest night everyone talks about." "No, my dear." "Only dusk." "Stay sharp." "He's as big as a moon." "If he gets past us, he can annihilate any world, anywhere." "Let's move." "They're shielding him." "Can't break through." "We got a clear shot." "Everyone fall back." "Regroup." "We need to keep fighting." "We need a strategy." "Wait." "He's antimatter, right?" "The only way to destroy antimatter is with matter." "All we have to do is hit him with something of equal or greater mass." "What are you gonna do, chuck a planet?" "Why not?" "If he wants Oa so bad, maybe we should give it to him." "Kid, you just earned your stripes." "Everyone back to Oa now." "We've got one chance and one chance only." "Now, push with everything you have!" "Gonna need more juice than this." "Oh, my God." "He might not socialize, but he sure knows how to make an entrance." "Until a new Oa can be constructed Mogo has been kind enough to serve as our temporary base." "Once again, the diversity of the corps has proven to be its greatest asset whether it be represented by a planet or a young woman with the ingenuity to turn one into a weapon." "Looks like you have your own story now." "And while we mourn the loss of our fallen comrades we welcome a new generation in hopes for a brighter day." "Hear, hear!" "It appears you've fulfilled the prophecy of Oa's destruction." "Not only a hero, but some might say an agent of destiny." "You did good out there, rookie." "Does this mean I get to skip boot camp?" "Not a chance, poozer." "Where's everyone going?" "We got a new home to build." "Come on." "I'll tell you about the time I took on an army of Manhunters and my only backup was this squirrel."