by Marc | Oct 7, 2017 | Chronicles
“Thank you for visiting the Metropolis Public Library. How can I help you today?” The enthusiastic greeting came from the librarian at media lab. Kyle smiled over at him tilting his head a bit.
“I just need a computer to work on. Working on research project.” Holding up his headphones he smiled again. “Brought my headphones so I won’t bother anyone. I might need to review a few video files.”
“Oh a research project. Are you sure you don’t need any assistance? Many of our reference materials have been made electronic and if you can’t find them there I’m sure we can locate them here in the Library. Just last year the entire Metropolis Library System received donation from LexCorp to ensure that we continue to lead world in library science. The only way Metropolis can continue to be the City of Tomorrow is by inspiring young minds by providing access to the best information systems in the world and continuing to redefine how libraries are useful to the general public.”
Kyle wasn’t sure what he walked into, but it seemed that they had a bit of a spiel or someone was trying incredibly hard or something to the effect.
“Pretty intense there, but I think I should be ok. My laptops down and I needed to do some work.” That’s all.
“Sure. Library card?”
That was easy enough. Kyle produced his card handing it over to the librarian who walked over to the desk and ran it through the card reader. A few keystrokes later and he was walking back over towards Kyle. “I put you at station five. You have it for three hours. If you need additional time check back with me and I will code in additional time. If you have any questions I’m right at the desk. I’m Charlie.”
Kyle took is card back with a smile and let Charlie get back to manning his desk. Turning towards the various computer stations he walked over towards station five dropping his book bag down lightly and pulling out the chair. Sliding his fingers through his hair he thought about the pseudo conversation that he had with the recording that was in the ring.
Speaking of which Kyle had been unsuccessful in acquiring an additional information from the recording. It seemed limited in what it could answer. Which meant that he was going to have to do a little bit of digging. Why he was doing it at the library he didn’t know. He just felt that it would draw too much attention at school. Last thing he needed was someone looking over his shoulder why he was trying to dig up some information.
If he could find some information. The last bit of information came from a little blue man. He was still doing his best to absorb that reality. You know the fact that he got some kind of intergalactic message or some kind which meant that right now on his finger was alien technology and right now, today the world wasn’t exactly alien friendly. The current President ran on a platform of Earth first, second, third, fourth and fifth.
Which sucked because Superman was pretty cool. Cute too. Neither here or there, but he was, but now he was gone and it seemed like anyone that displayed anything that was more than human was in trouble. Contrary to my Kyle’s mother’s opinion he did pay attention to events happening around him. He even started listening to NPR so he knew things. He knew enough to know that the hardware on his hand would probably get his finger cut off by some fanatically anti-alien bigot. Either way he needed to find out exactly what he had gotten himself into or…what Papa Smurf got him into.
G-r-e-e-n L-a-n-t-e-r-n
He typed the letters, into the search bar, but he didn’t hit enter yet. It was almost like he was afraid to. Part of him didn’t want to know. The fact of the matter is that the name sounded familiar he didn’t know why. Like he heard it somewhere. Looking the letters over he glanced at the ring and decided to take the plunge and hit enter. Down the rabbit whole he goes and here comes the information. That’s if any information is out there.
Kyle didn’t know exactly what he would find actually, he thought there might be some odd links about green lanterns anywhere from camping gear to Chinese style lanterns, but the moment he list came up it was anything but that. There were links to articles about the Green Lantern.
It was a real thing. Lifting his fingers off the keys he didn’t move immediately to the mouse, because he didn’t know what he wanted to click instead he began to look over the information scanning it quickly. The older looks alluded to heroic acts that were undertaken by the Green Lantern, but as he got closer to the present things changed.
“Coast City.” He took a moment to review some of the articles a few that talk about Green Lantern sightings and actual heroic deeds. One article after the other he got additional information about this hero. Thing was that he felt like he was missing something. He didn’t have all the information. Chewing on his lower lip he leaned back in in his chair taking it all in. There was a lot to consider.
He moved on to the next link noting that it was getting closer to when the accident occurred. The accident where he crossed paths with Ganthet apparently. He wished he could recall more form that moment, but he didn’t all he could recall is the voice and now that he had a face with the voice he was still at a lost.
Cross reference Coast City with Green Lantern Kyle got ready to bring up another set search results. Perhaps that’s where he was from or perhaps near the area.
Sadly, there wasn’t some type of database he could check that would give him more information. There weren’t that many articles that gave him the information he was looking for. No splashy expose like it was with Superman. Everything that Kyle reviewed was more after the fact and eyewitness accounts. What he did find was promising.
That’s until he did the cross reference and saw that there was a major altercation in Coast City. Accounts were sketchy but there was a significant loss of life. It wasn’t a natural disaster either. Someone had deliberately attacked the city.
Reaching into his bag he pulled out his sketch pad and began to work out a few dates while typing a few things out. He needed a timeline, something that would help him put it all into context. Superman left in 2013 the events that took place in Coast City occurred in 2014. There was a drop in the Green Lantern sightings at the same time until shortly after the events in Coast City.
Scribbling down a few notes for himself Kyle started to craft a picture for himself. He didn’t want to rush himself.
Coast City disaster tragedy. That was around the time that that occurred so it might be best to get some context given the sightings.If there was another Green Lantern either something happened to him. Of course, there was a very off chance that maybe he might be able to locate him and he could tell him more about the ring and the little blue man. Maybe.
When the results came up he clicked the link for the Planet’s article by the paper’s very own Lois Lane.
The moment he clicked the link and it all came flooding back.
“Fuck.” Kyle looked around to make sure no one heard him. Last thing he wanted was to get kicked out of the library, but the picture that accompanied the story was pretty telling. The city had destroyed.
Kyle slumped back in the chair recalling the events. How could have forgotten. He always thought Coast City, but he didn’t make the Green Lantern connection. It was odd that it didn’t come together like that. Thing was that he didn’t remember the Green Lantern dying or getting hurt if anything. Rather than spend the next few minutes going over article after article, Kyle did something rather novel he sent PDF copies of connected articles to his phone.
It was better if he read this away from everyone else. He needed to get an idea of who Green Lantern was. At least the one that was before him. The message contained in the ring made it sound like Green Lantern was a big deal, but if that was the case how was he not able to stop Coast City from being destroyed?
That bothered him, but whatever happened it led to the events where Kyle was entrusted with the Power Ring even if it seemed that he was a seemingly random individual. Though he could have considered a dozen other people that probably would have been far more suitable given the fact that he was in a plane crash. Kyle considered it for a moment as he waited for the articles to download. Once they were done he searched for a few more downloaded them and checked to make sure they were on his phone.
Shutting the browser down Kyle gave himself a moment before he headed back to the desk to let Charlie know that he was done. He smiled over at him handing him his library card so he could scan it again. No need to keep the computer reserved if he was not going to be using it.
“I trust that you found all the information that you were looking for?”
“I…” He considered it for a second before giving it a bit of thought. “I think I have.” He could always come back look up a few other things. He had also gathered some information about a Green Lantern that appeared before the one in Coast City, but he would review that information later.
“Just have a lot of reading to do that’s all. “
Nothing wrong with that right?
“Well, if there’s anything else that you need feel free to comeback. We’re here to help you with all your questions and curiosities. There’s nothing that can’t be found in a book or article and here in the media lab we have records from news programs that were broadcasted on the radio, television or the internet. Our podcast library is also quite extensive.” World class library through and through it seemed.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sliding his sketch pad into his back pack Kyle was about to leave after he was given his library card back.
“Are you doodler or an artist. Not to pry, but I noticed some of the search criteria that came up and wondered if you had an interest in superheroes.”
Kyle thought about. “A bit…Superman’s my favorite.” He said deciding to make small talk.
“Then you saw Superman and Wonder Woman giving a press conference a few weeks back.” He pulled out a flyer holding it up.
“It seems that Metropolis has decided to embrace our local heroes. Unlike the vigilantes that you hear about in Gotham and all over they’re legitimate heroes. People we can trust. That said the city government is sponsoring a poster contest. Local artists all around Metropolis are being invited to create a poster or artwork that encapsulates the spirit of Metropolis and our heroes. Something that says that says welcome and we appreciate all that you do. I thought with your interest there you might be interested. Especially since you’re an artist.”
Kyle took the flyer looking it over. It could give him a little more exposure as an artist. Before you knew summer would be here and he was hoping to gain a summer internship or even be able to take some classes or participate at one of the programs at the university. His mother would be proud.
“Sure why not? Thanks.” Charlie nodded while Kyle looked over the information while reminding himself he had a few other things he needed to do. Like you know continue his research.
by Marc | Sep 16, 2017 | Chronicles
Life went on nothing changed for me after that night. I wouldn’t even nowhere to begin actually. Who would I talk to? Who would believe me. The last thing I wanted was to worry my mother, but I still the fact that I was able to help people, make a difference in a big way. It wasn’t lost on me that I did more than help people I saved them. Me. Kyle Rayner. Who would’ve ever thought anything like that was possible still I couldn’t help but wonder how it happened. Why it happened.
I took the ring off and stared at it for the longest time attempting to understand how and what happened. What I did to make it work the way it did. I spent most of the day curious about it. Classes dragged on as did work for the school’s magazine. I had art that was due for it and I needed to get it done. That came first. It had to come first or my mother would kill me. Nothing about the ring caught anyone’s attention and I didn’t really encourage it to come to life. I don’t know if I was ready to know.
I didn’t know what questions to asks. I guess it had no reason to speak to me. I wasn’t speaking to it. Perhaps I was in shock. Perhaps I experienced a waking dream a hallucination. Problem with that? I didn’t do drugs or drink. If this was a product of my too fertile imagination, as it was put more than once I think it shifted into overdrive.
Perhaps I was in shock. After all this time…after the crash I carried something with me that could do so much, but before I let myself travel down that path I knew that I couldn’t have changed what happened. I didn’t possess the ring thing. I came into possession of the ring after. After I woke up it was with my effects when I woke up in the hospital. I never gave it a second thought that it didn’t belong to me. Instead I became my good luck charm, but it was apparent that this was more than a good luck charm. It was..I don’t know. It felt familiar, but I couldn’t quite piece it together so until I was ready I slipped back into my routine, because that was good. That was easy. That was safe…also I had a portfolio to put together. Art school wasn’t cheap still a week was long enough right? Had to be, because no matter how hard I tried to focus on everything else the ring was starting to invade my thoughts, my dreams.
While I may have consciously set it aside my subconscious refused to let it be. Perhaps it was because I started dreaming of the crash again and the voice. It always led me back to the ring. So much so that I couldn’t get it out of my head. Sometimes when I drew, when I painted it helped relieve my mind of the images that would never fade. I had enough of the fireball and twisted metal. Instead I drew something different something that made no sense what so ever.
The voice was no longer a voice. It slowly came back to me. Not all at once more like a puzzle that had finally decided that it wanted to be solved. Piece after piece it came into view until the parts were made whole.
I could remember the sounds around me, voices…no screams of the other passengers. How could I forget them? There was a time that they were a constant companion that was often unwanted as they remained a permanent reminder of what I had been through. Much like a ringing, but ten times worse, because it was all in my head, but even there was one voice that rose above the chaos. In the beginning it was faint, but as time marched out it continued to stand out the rest until I could recall it easily. I could even remember the words, though according to what the doctor told him that memory was a funny thing. The brain usually played tricks filling in the missing gaps. Still it was the first time that I put a face with the voice at least what he thought was a face. Lines were gathered in the corner of the eyes and along his skin. Hair that was thin and receding, but not to the point that it had vanished. It was void of color, not grey, white, white as freshly fallen snow.
As I looked over the landscape of the man’s face I realized that I had been searching for something without even being aware of it. “Blue.” The man had blue skin and it was unlike any blue I had seen before. There had been a project I had been working on months ago that had long since been submitted, but I remember commenting to my instructor that it wasn’t right. That something was missing that it wasn’t right. I had said it several times. Mister Paulson and several of the other students thought that I was attempting to be a perfectionist, Furthest thing from it actually.
The blue I wanted could not be found nor could I make it. It was like it eluded it me. I felt like I was chasing a dream and now I know I was chasing a memory, a fleeting one at best and now as I sat staring at the picture that had drawn I knew where the origin of the elusive blue had come from. It wasn’t conjured from the random weaving of a dream, but from my own memory. Lost or locked away I didn’t know all I knew is that the blue was real and it belonged to a person, but how was that possible.
I wanted to paint the face upon the wall I stared at, but the blue was still lost to me. I had no idea how to bring it into being. To have forgotten it would be one thing, but it was never mine to have. It was frustrating as much as the mystery of the wrong. I looked down upon it as I moved to my feet. I was on a rooftop again ready to drape another wall with the contents of mind whatever they be, but right now I wanted answers.
“You will do.” I whispered, it’s what the voice had said right? Sliding my eyes shut I thought upon the memory exercise that I had been taught in attempt to recall everything that happened during that night. In the beginning I simply told the doctor what he wanted to hear, but he quickly explained that it didn’t work that way. If I couldn’t remember then I couldn’t remember. When my mind was ready, when I was ready it would share what was meant to be shared. There were some things that couldn’t, that should be forced.
“You…” I started, but rather than speak the words I kept my mind focused on the images. Build the story. Set the scene. That’s how it should begin. I moved back to sit on the roof reaching for my pencil and did what I did best. I drew, recreating the moments as my eyes opened. Page after page turned as the story, my story unfolded as I let the memory spill from my mind to paper. Unlike the wizards and witches of Harry Potter I had no wand that could draw the memory forth placing it a silver dish for me to view. Instead the tip of the pencil moved across the paper as quickly as my hand would allow revealing the events of my past to me. Flipping the page of the sketchpad I continued as the man came into view again this time it was more than just a face there was body which was the size of a child with a head that seemed far too large for it, but as it came into being my pencil stopped allowing me a moment to taken what I had drawn.
There was no color, but my mind filled in the missing parts, the red of his robes, the blues of his skin, the white of his hair and the green that surrounded him. Green much like the green that was created by the ring. Beside him I drew word bubble and filled in the words as drew at them like a thirsty man drawing water from the ground in the middle of the desert.
Untwisting and turning the back around they revealed themselves to me as if they had been waiting for me to find them like hidden treasure that was just left of <i>X</i> marks the spot. It wasn’t ”You will do.” It was,
“You shall have to do!” My voice had a touch of eureka vibe to it.
”Password accepted.”
Password…wait what? I glanced down at my hand as green glow began to spread out from the right.
“What password?” I asked aloud looking around turning my attention back to the ring. It was glowing and the voice that I heard before from the other night had spoken again. Was it the ring? Did ring speak? There was something that I wanted to remember, what I needed to remember and that phrase seemed to be part of it.
As the glow continued to grow it began to take shape. It was nothing more than glob but it quickly change gaining features that were much sharper than the forms that that I had made the other night. The other night all I was thinking about was saving people so he didn’t have anyone in mind, but this was something different entirely. Despite the fact that it was all green I could make out the different hues of green as the blob quickly became a person that seemed to spring forth from his ring.
Holding my arm out from my body I stared at the person that had been hugging at the edges of my memories for the last year. For a while I thought I was going crazy, but I knew that there was someone there. Except he wasn’t angel far from it unless angels are child sized blue guys.
”Kyle Rayner if you are viewing this then not only have you successfully demonstrated that you are capable of overcoming great fear you have provided the correct passphrase to access this message.”
You shall have to do was the passphrase? Seriously? Of course given everything that happened I could see how that would be the case. It’s not like it happened immediately. I couldn’t remember the phrase correctly. Even more the ring hadn’t gone active yet so perhaps it was a two-step activation like a two-step authentication. I wonder if it was keyed to my voice or biorhythms.
Everything and the kitchen sink began to pass through my mind when I remembered that there was a man of light floating before me, well a recording of a man. If he was a man he definitely wasn’t human.
“Right.” Great Kyle that’s the perfect answer to all of this.
“Sufficient time has elapsed for you to grasp that this is a pre-recorded message that I meant for you and you alone to access. Humans have always been clever creatures and despite the circumstances I believe that I have chosen wisely.”
He believes that he chose wisely. “I shall have to do right? Who are you?”
”I am called Ganthet and I am a Guardian of the Universe and yes, you shall have to do, Kyle Rayner. While our exchange was brief I know that I have entrusted the last power ring to the right individual. I wish there was more that I could tell you, but my time is limited. However, I wish for you to know that I sensed within you all the traits that are desired for those who wield a Lantern’s power ring. Let it be known that hence forth from this moment you are the Green Lantern.”
My eyes widen and I could feel my head shake, because I heard those words before but only in passing. Green, but I didn’t know who he was or what it meant. My focus was elsewhere. Did he say Guardian of the Universe? Ok he needed to back up.
”I offer you my apologies as I am not able to provide as much information as I would like, but my presence will not go unnoticed by the Fallen One. You have been entrusted with a great legacy, Kyle Rayner. One that larger than your wildest dreams no matter how vivid they may be.”
There was a bit of a smirk almost like an impish grin that accompanied statement that made me wonder exactly how much this little blue guy knew about me. Perhaps this was one of this interactive type of messages one where all my questions were going to be answered. I mean he couldn’t just drop that bit of knowledge on me and be all, Go out and save the world. Peace out.
”Perhaps our paths will cross again, but if not know that both I and the ring have chosen wisely. Until then may your ring and power battery serve you well and you them. Farewell.”
Questions so many questions and what did he mean fallen one.
“Ganthet…” Before I could get any more questions out the image disappeared fading from sight. They had an exchange? I couldn’t recall anything that was said. Perhaps it was more like I was in and out of consciousness and Ganthet did most of the talking. It was entirely possible, but I needed more than that.
“Green Lantern? Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Ganthet?” I brought the ring near my lips like bring it closer would bring him back out. “Just like that he’s out?” That literally gave me nothing. He totally just…I can’t. What the hell?!
“Are you serious?!”
by Marc | Sep 9, 2017 | Chronicles
He could still hear her voice over the phone. He couldn’t answer her she sounded so upset. How could he blame her? He was running the chance that he had, the chance that he had been given, but how could he live when it felt like everything he did, every choice he made was being watched. He knew that they were out there waiting to see exactly what he was doing. Who he was speaking to. They paid for him to attend school away from Los Angeles, one that afforded him a chance to enjoy art like he had never done before. Teachers who encouraged him to express himself through his art, but all he could do was find ways to upset them.
There were so many things left for him to learn, but as popular as he was with his art teachers the other teachers, his academic ones found him to a bit of a waffler. That’s what they called him. Just because he didn’t find much meaning in his other classes. He did his work. He made decent grade, but he felt that there was something more going on, and no matter how often he told his mother she told him that rebelling would not be allowed. His mother cared, she loved Kyle, but there was something else, something he couldn’t quite understand. All Kyle could guess was that they were watching her too. That they were waiting for his mother to make some kind of mistake, but he was baffled as to what kind of mistake that his mother could make.
They answered all the questions and he went through the endless tests that he had been given. As much as he wanted to provide doctors with answers he couldn’t. There was nothing that he could provide them with. He survived a horrific plane crash with nary a mark upon him. How many tests did they put him through to find out if he was some kind of metahuman. He knew what they were trying to find out. Kyle wasn’t a fool. They were trying to figure out if he was different if he had superhuman abilities.
He wished he had something to tell them, but all he remembered was the plane going down and the crash. He remembered the sounds of people crying around him. Babies screaming out as the plane went down. He was returning from a school trip from Washington D.C. He couldn’t believe his mother had saved enough to send him to the capitol. To see where it all happens, where the laws that govern the land start, to see the White House and the museums. Oh if only he could have gone to New York too he wished, but they had to return.
She said she wanted something good for Kyle after all that happened in Coast City, something better. She wanted to give him a different memory for the year something for him to hold on to than the tragedy on the Coast. DC was different. The atmosphere was tense, but it seemed that they were glad to have the students there. It was interesting. It was interesting until it became terrifying and he could not find his way out of it.
It began as a tremor that turned in violent shaking, turbulence they called it. It seemed to catch them by surprise, but it resulted in terrible damage to the plane it brought it down. They wanted to know what he remembered. He remembered the voices of the people around. He remembered seeing parts of the wing starting to shear apart. He remembered the violent drops of the plan. Kyle remembered the voices of pilot telling them to prepare for impact. They were doing a forced landing.
Brace! Brace! Brace! Head down! Stay down! They repeated it over and over until it was the last thing he heard and his body lurched forward. Afterwards darkness.
That is what Kyle Rayner remembered from that fateful night at least that’s what he told everyone even his mother. What else could he tell them? He had no idea how he survived the crash that took everyone else’s life. It made no sense. There was no rhyme or reason why he survived. He shook the can of paint in his hand and resumed the coating the concrete wall with it. It wasn’t the first one he had did. They usually took all night, because he could never bring it all into focus.
His mother asked him several times after he came to in the hospital if he had told them everything that he could remember like they expected him to know. So many doctors and the shrinks that wanted to scoop out what they thought he was holding back. Perhaps it was subconsciously the posited, but he offered nothing more than what he could provide them with. The story was told by numbers, because it was always the same nothing changed. How could he rehearse such a thing?
When his body had been found it had been thrown from its chair his body was bruised, but not so much that they would have to worry too much, but that alone made them worry. Was he something else? Was he an it instead of a he? Those were the whispers that circled around the floor that he was placed on. There were no other patients. He was the only patient that they had and he was put through many tests. Tests to gauge, his strength and endurance. Perhaps he possessed superior speed and agility, but there was very little that was remarkable about Kyle Rayner beyond skills that could not explain how he was able to survive a plane crash that killed every single person either upon impact or hours afterwards.
Why him? Perhaps it was a miracle. A nurse joked about it while passing his room which became his cell. It was something that made him wonder if it had been a miracle. Kyle Rayner miracle boy. He laughed it off, because there was nothing special about him, nothing but his drawings which he used to speak for a while. He said very little for a while. Instead he became obsessed with the plane crash which he drew from no perspective beyond his own, but how much did he knew know? He could guess, make assumptions, but as far as he knew he did not have an out of body experience? Or did he?
Brace! Brace! Brace! Head down! Stay down!
He heard the words pass through his mind again while he reached for another spray can. Shutting his eyes he took a deep breath. The flight attendant’s words passed through his mind again, but when he opened his eyes he was no longer on the roof of a building outside of Metropolis instead he was surrounded by bodies hanging in the air, twisted and turned in positions that were humanly impossible. There were burns upon their bodies and flames around him all frozen in time. It moving picture that had been paused for his benefit. He shut his eyes willing the images away just like he had before.
The images had come later, not until he was out of the hospital and after the second facility. They returned when he was on the bus. His mother was nervous about him taking another plane. He was on his way to his new school, private school all the way on the other side of the country. He was asleep when the images came, but it was the images that unnerved him it was the voice, the one that followed him since the crash.
”You will do.” He remembered it, but told not one, but there was something that caused him to flinch in a way. It was not until he was on the bus dreaming that he understood why. The hands, small blue hands reached out for him and then darkness.
You will do? Blue hands. Perhaps it was his subconscious attempting to make sense of everything that occurred. Perhaps there was some unforeseen damage that had occurred, perhaps something that people could not detect. Perhaps some type of brain trauma? Kyle had no idea, no recollection. All he could recall with complete before that moment were the tests. Tests that turned him inside out and the only compensation that his mother was given was that he would be allowed to enroll in a private school in Metropolis that would allow him to pursue an art career.
His mother agreed, because she wanted Kyle to have a good education one that would allow him to pursue his love of art. It could be encouraged at home, but resources were limited and truth be told Kyle’s mother wanted him away from the streets. She wanted him to stop tagging. He was better than the graffiti art that he was doing, but his mother didn’t understand. The city offered unlimited canvases and it was more than tagging.
Either way Kyle had no choice in the matter. He was being shipped off to Metropolis. He would finish out his secondary education and then move on to college or art school. That was the agreement that had been made per the deal that had been made between Kyle’s mother and the various agencies that had put her son through the endless battery of tests. For the last two years he had his body and blood tested to see if there was anything different about him. Anything that would set him apart from all the other passengers.
His name had been kept out of the papers and hidden from the media. They did not want this to become a circus and unlike years gone past new laws that had been passed to help the government with having to share information that dealt with national security. Sure Kyle was nothing special, but rather jeopardize a normal citizen that was suspected of being meta they treated him like he was one in terms of being able to keep his name away from the reporters.
It was the least they could do, but no matter what they told Kyle and his mother knew they were still watching him. Waiting for him to display some kind of hidden talent or ability that would explain how he could have survived the plane crash. They cared very little for the horror of it all, for what haunted him every waking day. The only way he could exorcise it was by painting and rather than have his instructors worry about his mental well-being by turning in assignments that depicted various images of death and carnage various buildings in metropolis displayed them.
Unfortunately for Kyle there were some individuals who didn’t care for it, which lead to conversations with his mother. Still tonight there were no images of death or carnage there was only hands, blue hands and negative space, hands that were reaching out for something or someone around them the negative space that could be filled with anything. Someone need only look with their mind rather their eyes to fill it. Finishing the piece he looked it over before checking his watch. Reaching out with his other hand he touched the ring he wore the one that had been mixed in with his belongings and placed on his hand by one of the nurses. Odd ring it was silver. He wanted to tell them that it didn’t belong to him, but he didn’t. It was his lucky charm. They were the two things that made it out of the wreckage unscathed. Whenever he thought about the crash or anything related to it Kyle found himself rubbing lightly as if it could chase it all away and sometimes if he was lucky it did.
Angels. The idea of them was not foreign to Kyle, but whether or not he believed in them? Kyle could not say he did or not. He would like to believe in them. He knew that a lot of people that came out of an experience like his might start believing. They called him a miracle, and God dealt in miracles so why would Kyle think anything otherwise?
Perhaps it was the ‘You will do.’ The idea of God saying something like that was a bit disheartening. Especially given everything that was taught when he was younger. Also no one said anything about Angels being blue, but it didn’t stop him from wondering or researching. He wanted to know and he wanted to know why he could not remember anything beyond the blue hands. He wanted to know if there was something more than blue hands. There had to be something beyond the blue hands.
Looking over finished work Kyle put the rest of his spray paint cans into his bag so he could get back to the dorms. He knew that he would probably be late, but he could call the dorm monitor and let them know that the movie ran a little longer than expected, because that is where they thought he was, a movie. Too many art shows that his instructors did not know about would become suspect.
Slipping the bag over his shoulder Kyle walked over towards the fire escape to make his way down to the alley blow. It was out of his system. Maybe he could stop thinking about it, maybe. Who knew? Making his way down the stairs Kyle reached the bottom level of the fire escape and made his way towards the ladder so he could climb and drop down to the ground.
Dropping down to the ground he glanced to his watch and pulled out his phone. He needed to put the call in let them know he was running late and start running.
Kyle was accustomed to making his way through the streets. It was something that the did when in Los Angeles, perhaps this was why he found himself out in the city painting on the buildings, because it was one of the things that he could control. He wanted to go higher, but he knew getting higher was a bit more difficult so he stuck to some of the neighborhoods where he could get away with his art.
Kyle knew that he was taking classes for it, but there were only a few classes that allowed him to be free and express himself. He wasn’t quite at the ‘We want to see what’s in your soul’ classes. It was more technique and working on form and shadow. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, he did, but there were some things that he wanted to do and there wasn’t always a free assignment headed his way. So he needed something that he could do away from the school.
As he continued to make his way down the streets he found himself colliding with a man that came barreling out he ran in front of. Kyle was unprepared for the collision he. Knocked to the ground it was literally like the air had been knocked out of him. His bag hit the ground with him as the man kept going.
“Let’s go.” He caught pieces of a conversation. Reaching out he started to push himself up from the ground as the guy that collided with Kyle glanced back, but not in Kyle’s direction he was looking at the building. Turning his attention back towards the car that pulled up he slipped in to the vehicle and drove off. A few moments later a van pulled off while Kyle was gathering his backpack. Looking back at the apartment building he shook his head pushing himself up. It wasn’t one of the more modern buildings. It was one of the older ones, probably targeted for gentrification.
Coughing a few times he glanced at his watch and knew he was late. Moving as quickly as he could Kyle resumed his light jog when explosion happened. He could feel the ground shake beneath him as the building he was just in front of him immediately started to catch fire.
There were dozens of phones up filming the blaze as it continued to grow soon it would engulf the building. People were also on their phones contacting emergency services to let them know that the building was on fire. If the fire department didn’t get out here soon it would spread to the surrounding buildings. Kyle knew that was a concern and was one of the people that was on his phone. He told them everything he knew basically the building was on fire. He didn’t know if he should say anything about the suspicious characters.
The fire had to had been going for five minutes already. Apparently, there were fires all around the area someone had begun in different areas of the city mainly in Suicide Slum, but it was going to take time for trucks to get in to the area though they seemed to be doing what they could to dispatch teams to each fire as they broke out. Some seemed to be smaller than others, but there were some that were rather large.
Kyle dropped his bag on the ground looking up as the fire continued to rage. He was quickly making its way through the inside of the building. There were people that were attempting to use the fire escape to get out of the building but it was already in disrepair. The hire you went the more dangerous it was. Kyle knew because he had been on the top of the building. He got out through the building rather than down along the side.
Staring at the fire he blinked a few times as he saw flashes from the crash. It all came rushing back. He could hear the sounds of people crying out around him. The shaking of the seats. Before he knew it he was running towards the fire rather than away from it. He moved right into the building as smoke filled the air. He saw them, he knew he saw them. The hands, the blue hands. They came out of the fire. He knew they did or maybe he was losing his mind.
He could feel the heat from the fire growing, but it didn’t stop him. “Keep going.” He told the people he passed. “Get out of the building.” The sprinklers came on, but they weren’t working the way they were supposed to. It seemed like everything was wrong with the building. Going for the stairwell he moved the door which was open to make his way up into the building. People were moving down. Most said that there were people trapped in the floors above them. The fire was bigger there.
How that was possible he Kyle didn’t know but he moved past the few people that came down the stairs as he moved up. He moved up as quickly as his legs would take him. He could help them. He could. That’s what he told himself. He made it up to the fourth floor when he looked at the door.
His doctor would tell him that this was reckless, but he heard no sirens there was nothing headed their way. Where were the firemen?
It passed through his mind before he kicked the door in. “Helps coming!” He called out to the voices that he could hear in the hall. They couldn’t get to the door. There had been some damage. He could smell it.
Accelerant. His mind flashed to the man who ran out. Instead of running towards the fire he ran towards the hall and broke the window open to try and give the smoke some place to go. They needed to get the window on the other the hall open, but most of the people were in their apartments trapped.
“They need help up here!” He called as he moved towards one of the empty apartments where people had escaped from and immediately turned on the shower and dropped a blanket from one of the bed rooms into it. He got it good and soaked before he draped it over himself.
Crazy maybe. He just couldn’t stand there slacked jaw. Kyle looked in the direction he was going the flames that were making their way towards him he started to run to make his way to the other side of the hall knowing that it was probably best to try and get them out. If he busted the window on the other end if it hadn’t broken yet then air would rush in. It would feed it.
He needed to push past the fear. He had to see past it. He had to try. No one could do anything for a plane falling through the air, but someone could do something about this. Balling his fist he could feel his nails digging into his flesh as he ran past the flames.
Someone had to try. Someone had to be for them. That’s what he was in his mind. Kyle ran and when his eyes focused through the smoke he was certain that he saw the hands again one that was reaching out for him. He wasn’t paying attention to the ring on his finger. It changed from silver to Green.
“Kyle Rayner of Earth you have the ability to overcome great fear. Re-stablishing link with Power Battery.”
He was hearing things he knew he was he tripped just as a part of the wall came falling down upon him. Kyle didn’t think he moved his arm to try and deflect the debris, but nothing fell, he found himself encased in a done of green light.
“Full charge has been gained.”
Full what? He looked around for a moment realizing that he was no longer coughing as much as he was before. He started to move, but when he moved he seemed to glide along the ground. The crumbling wall fell and Kyle blinked a few times while he looked at what happened. It was then that he noticed the ring on his finger didn’t appear as it had. Even more than that it was glowing. He lifted it and tried to figure out what was going on.
Confusion was on his face, but as he tried to make sense of it all he remembered that he was here for a reason instead. He immediately moved towards the door releasing he lost his water soaked blanket which probably wasn’t as soaked as it was before.
“Damn it where are the firemen?!” He cried out and almost like magic outlines of bodies began to appear as if they were bring drawn in to existence rapidly. There were no detail to the faces immediately as the green firemen with MFD written across the front of their hats began to work immediately. Kyle’s eyes widen as doors were broken down and the green fireman began…well what firemen do? Men and women began to break down the doors and moved to remove the occupants who were half scared, but didn’t fight it.
Kyle glanced at his and the ring continued to glow, but it flickered for a moment and the fire crew began to lose their shape until Kyle focused on them on trying to help people. The green figures regained their cohesion immediately and resumed doing their job. They moved everyone that was trapped on this side of the floor off.
Kyle was confused as they moved passed him, but he looked away from anyone that might look his way and immediately he found himself being surrounded by fireman’s jacket, hate and self-contained breathing apparatus. He said nothing. His face was covered that’s all that mattered and he moved with them guiding them where they needed to go down the stairs and out the back as the front was getting the worst of the fire.
The firemen crew moved to the front and everyone gathered near the building were all stunned some of them starting looking up towards the sky as if they were looking for something or someone. Kyle said nothing he just moved with the ring as the siren began first as the green fire engine came barreling down the street as it was drawn into existence. The crew that helped the people out were now on the engine hoping off as they moved to get the hose out and moved to the hydrant.
The hose was attached and they turned it on and the water came through and finally someone was fighting the fire. Kyle did his best to keep the ring out of sight as he moved towards the engine to make like he was nothing more than one of the green figures.
Better to blend in than stand out right now.
That voice he heard another voice he heard it twice and it wasn’t like the other from the plane. It was different. He continued to focus his thoughts on getting the fire put out.
Working with the green figures Kyle was able to help get the fire under control. By the time emergency services finally arrived the fire was nearly out. However, along with emergency services there was the police. Squad cards came to halt and Kyle knew that it was time for him to make an exit as people stood looking at the constructs. There was whispers because some of them were trying to figure out who was doing this.
It was when the actual fire trucks arrived that Kyle kept working with the other figures and moved out having them all move in a pack so he could slip away with them hoping he no one caught sight of them as they all began to fade from existence until there was someone disappearing into the night as he snatched his bag full of paint cans. He needed to make a speedy escape.
Someone called out after him as he pulled his hood up, but it wasn’t the only thing that happened as an aura of green light surrounded him and he shot up into the air.
“Whoa!” He called out as he disappeared from sight not because he vanished, but because he was traveling incredibly fast
There was no way that wasn’t seen, but his face wasn’t thankfully.
