Synopsis: Kyle is out discussing the pros and cons of been a Green Lantern to determine whether or not he should tell his mother. His discussion of one is interrupted by a high speeding Koriand’r aka Starfire. Kyle catches up with her and they proceed to make introductions.
KYLE: To say that things had gone from interesting to amazing would be an understatement. One moment I went from trying to learn more about who the previous Green Lantern to making a brand-new friend not only a new friend, we were totally going to be best buds. Superbuddies. That was totally going to be us, though I think I should find a better name than that. Oh yeah the Riggs and Murtaugh of superheroes.
Conner’s tip totally paid off. Alan is way awesome if not a little terrifying during training. I really did not expect a subway train to come barreling towards me like I was James Bond and anyone who’s met me knows that I’m anything but that, but it was good. I needed the sessions. Of course, that means that I’m totally going to be coming back for more. That was a promise, because how else am I going to make sure that I’m the best Green Lantern I can be. Me Kyle Rayner a Green Lantern that’s best buds with Superman.
Check me out.
Sailing through the air I stop for a moment taking stock in everything that’s happened. What are the pros of my life.
I’m the Green Lantern. I’m best buds with Superman. I have a kick ass mentor who was the original Green Lantern of Earth.
Lines slid across the air as white board or in this case a green board was created before my very eyes as I listed out the pros and if there are pros there have to be cons.
Cons? Yeah.
Previous Green Lantern right before me is responsible for really, really bad things. My mom could become a target if my secret is found out. Things aren’t the best for superheroes right now.
The words join the others that write themselves across the projected white board in front of me. Sometimes it helped to visualize it.
Did the pros out way the cons? That was the question. Right in this moment I could say yes. Still there was a lot for me to learn. However, at the moment I was still over the moment as I moved up into the air doing a corkscrew maneuver.
“I can be a soldier, I can be a king. I can be your president, gangster on the scene. I can be your hip-hop bulletproof vest. I can be the tattoo bleeding on your chest.”
Some things can’t be helped, and everyone knows that I like to sing and engage in seriously bad dancing when I think I can’t be seen. Besides up this high who can see me as I literally dance on air, or dance on cloud Mine.
“I can be a soldier, I can be a king. I can be your president, gangster on the scene. I can be your hip-hop bulletproof vest. I can be the tattoo bleeding on your chest.” I belt out again before I’m interrupted by…
[Inhabitant of Sector 2828 detected.]
The ring stated. My eyes glanced down towards it before turning left right then look up then down.
“Sector 2828? Inhabitant? Alien?”
[Affirmative.]
“Where?”
[2000 feet. 1500 feet. 500 feet.]
WHOOSH! There he, she, it went and there was a contrail for me to
follow.
“Well, then.” Dusting myself off. “Pursuit time.”
Let’s see.
iTunes. Internal tunes that is. “Boys Want to be Her – Peaches.”
Pursuit vehicle.
“Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. Motoslave.” A green version of Pris’s battle motorcycle was created by the ring. Slipping onto it I started it up, reved it and began my pursuit. I reigned it in by deciding against the flashing police light and siren, but pretty soon I caught up with the Sector 2828 Inhabitant.
I had a light generated helmet on that read MWPD across the front of it with the 2814 Precinct beneath it.
KORIAND’R: She wasn’t planning to swoop between buildings and cause a mass panic. Exploring in silence on the rooftops had become cumbersome and irritating. There wasn’t much interesting to see but she had taken away some notes. The real work could begin if and when that device could be designed for her. For some odd reason it had made her feel a little more at ease, the thought of being able to interact freely without anyone becoming freighted by her appearance or her origins was a very exciting one.
The snow heavy clouds above Gotham were softly glowing a warmish orange hue, each time Kori had dove into them or around them and above them, well out of sight and reach of the citizens below. Well, or so she thought. Someone was able to reach her and the flashing lights were caught from the corner of her eye. She could have sped off, gone faster, moved back to Metropolis and back to Conner where at least more predictable things happened.
She stopped. It was very sudden, very quick and her arms were crossed over her chest as she turned in the air to face the ‘sky police’.
“It is illegal to fly too?!”
KYLE: The helmet disappeared, but the mask remained as I slipped off the bike which disappeared the moment I moved away from it. Before my eyes a HUD displayed appeared along with lens over the eyes of my mask. The lens weren’t to hide my eyes, but they were scanning providing me with information that I would deem useful.
It had worked for Conner, why wouldn’t it work here. It was a massive scan it wouldn’t register, because there was no dramatic flash and sweep of light. Instead I was being feed information. The ring seemed to be aware of the individual, young woman. Don’t say girl, because that might be rude.
Information began to appear before my eyes. Tamaranean. Augmented. I glanced back towards Koriand’r as additional information was fed to me. It was a combination of the construct, and the information that was stored within the ring.
She was an alien.
“You were traveling awfully fast and flying on your own power can get you noticed by all kinds of people. Good, bad and well I would hate for it to be bad.” I say honestly while hovering there in the air. Did she know about the Lantern Corps? I wondered how I should address her.
Universal Greeting! No, no, don’t do that. Wait she spoke English. The ring wasn’t acting like a Tardis was it? Did it? Could it? OH MY GOD! What if it did have a translation matrix field.
MIND BLOWN!
Kyle. Back on track.
“I’m the Green Latern of Sector…” What did the ring say? 2828 Oh god that’s like Cleopatra 2525. Wait it was on the helmet. “…2814. The planet Earth is my home. If you come in peace. Welcome to earth visitor from Tamaran. If you have not come into peace well, let’s pretend you do, because if you don’t I’ll have to take you to jail and then you’ll tell your friends about how we’re locking up aliens left and right and really, that’s not what I want to happen. So, you come in peace right?”
I was having one of those moments wasn’t I?
“I also have a superpower. I know when people are lying to me.” Emma Swan for the win. Wait…Emma could never tell when people were lying to her? D’oh!
KORIAND’R: “You’re…a lantern,” her green eyes widened as her arms dropped to her sides. For a brief moment she was searching her memories, memories from what felt like an entirely different life. She had been told stories, she remembered the stories, but she had never met a Lantern in person. They didn’t need to come to her planet. Tamaran was peaceful and self-sufficient, there was no crisis that needed tending to until…well, the rest is history now.
“I do not lie, Green Lantern. I am also not a threat. My species is peaceful…” …until provoked, or forced to fight. Well, they were known for being passionate.
She frowned for a moment. She had felt like she had told everyone her story a hundred times over and at this point it was just emotionally exhausting.
“My name is Koriand’r, I am a refugee, visiting would be a massive understatement. My escape ship crashed into the bay, I was imprisoned for a very long time. Many earth years. My friends, they pulled me from the ship and are looking after me. Wonder Woman and Superman.”
She had hoped dropping their names may help clarify the situation, she had been here for a little while now. She opted to leave M’Gann out of the equation, it was an action did in kindness to keep her out of whatever mess this may bring on. The Lanterns were one organization and NOWHERE was something else entirely.
“I apologize, I was attempting to be discreet and it has been so long since I have flown.”
KYLE: She knew who a Lantern was. Seeing her eyes widen like that would have brought a smile to my face, but I’m supposed to be all official. Still. Green Lantern cred. I couldn’t help, but be jazzed about that, but at the same time she didn’t back away. So that was something. She’s not the only one that was making a bit of a display, but if I’m going to be the Green Lantern then I was going to be the Green Lantern. Lantern’s don’t skulk around in the dark. At least that’s not the feeling I got.
God or bad, rain or shine I was going to make sure that the people who needed to get my help received it.
Information was still coming across the HUD when I stopped it. The frown gave me pause, but I waited for her to explain how she came to be here. I’m sure there was more to the story, but it’s interesting that off all the places she could have crashed it was Earth. “I’m afraid that I’m not acquainted with Wonder Woman. I’ve wanted to meet her.” I may be a little curious. Conner was going to pick up macaroons for her from Paris. You just don’t do that for anyone.
“However, Superman is…” Total best bud. We’re so going to hang out and help make the world a better place. “…is a close colleague of mine.” Of mine. Maybe I should have swapped that around. Saying he’s good people would probably not be the way I want to go with that. Still, if she was being looked after by them I had to wonder.
“Apologies aren’t necessary, but Superman and Wonder Woman frequent Metropolis.” Not that it was far away and it hadn’t dawned on me that she meant Gotham Bay. “What brings you to Gotham?” Bigger question. Do they know she’s here and does she know about the unwritten rule.
The heroes here don’t like capes coming into their city. That’s more or less what Alan said. Then there was the bull horn. NO CAPES IN GOTHAM! Among other things. When he wants to hammer in a point he can be quite effective.
Flying’s the best. “I see. Hard to do so when there are so many rules and people potentially watching. I get that.” It’s pretty new for me. I wonder if she’s been flying for a while. Interesting.
KORIAND’R: “I was checking up on someone who was there when I landed. He was kind to me. He still is. I also understand my kind may not be welcome there. My decision to fly was on impulse, the clouds should have been concealing me.”
For a moment maybe there was just a rule that no fun was allowed. Somehow, she got on the radar of the Lantern this way. That couldn’t wholly me an awful thing, she wasn’t doing anything wrong and wasn’t planning to either, at least from her perspective.
“I set the course on the ship as far as it could go, to the most suitable inhabited planet. Do you know of The Daem? They were my captors. They invaded my planet and took me hostage, while my sister was left to rule and provide them with resources. It was not one of those honorable hostage situations. I was forced to fight to live, when I wasn’t fighting they were experimenting on me. If I disobeyed I was punished harshly. Failure was worse. I have….I….many perished at my hands, Lantern.”
There were tears in her eyes as her words began to choke up on her. She wasn’t sure why she had confessed to all of this, she couldn’t forgive herself, how could others forgive her? She could have let herself die but the cycle would have just gone on without her. She’d have just been another body thrown out the air-lock or preserved in their labs for study.
“I just want to do the right thing. I want to help others. I never want anyone to experience what I did.”
KYLE: Someone kind? Here? I thought for a moment who could have been here, but there were far too many people to consider not to mention I don’t know everyone.
“There are many ways to detect someone. Earth is a wonderful place with wonderful people, but things haven’t been easy over the last decade. There are some that chose not to trust. They choose to pull away and close themselves off to the wonders of the world, the galaxy…the universe. They rather focus on what’s happening here and only here and it’s easy to when you’re not aware.” When you don’t realize how truly vast the universe is. Perhaps it scares them because to consider its vastness they get caught up in feeling insignificant. A drop within a seemingly endless ocean. It’s possible.
I didn’t lose track of her words I was right there with her as she spoke of what happened. “The Daem? I can’t say that I am, but I can make it a point to learn about them.” They attacked her planet, took her hostage? Isn’t this something that Green Lanterns are supposed to stop? Don’t we stop bad things from happening? Is this what happens when light goes out in the universe where there are no Green Lanterns. Sector 2828 who was the Green Lantern of that Sector did…Jordan.
The thought off it caused my chest to tighten. The idea that what happened here could have rippled across all of space. That she could have been casualty of this. I pull it together, because I focus on what Alan and I spoke about. About what and Conner and spoke about. Living up to people who carried our mantles. Being who they were versus who we want to be.
“Experimenting.” My voice went low at the thought.
Experimenting. Making her fight. Making her a weapon. My fist clench at the thought. “I can’t say that I know what that’s like. I can only imagine, and people have told me I have a very, very, very vivid imagination. Also, my best friend went through…is going through something very similar.” I won’t let my buddy be someone’s weapon.
“People trying to control him. Make him do things that he doesn’t want to do. Sometimes…sometimes it’s a Kobyashi Maru,” I offer. “But…you broke away just like I’m going to help my friend break away so he can live the life he wants to. The one he deserves and show the world the person he can be. The hero he can be on his terms not theirs.” Not the puppet masters.
“I’m sorry for what’s happened. Even more I’m sorry that more was not do to aid you in your time in need.” Why? I want to know why, but I don’t want to get her caught up in that.
“The earth has laws many laws I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say that I meant it when I welcomed you to earth. Whether people want it or not I’m responsible for helping to protect earth and all its inhabitants, native and foreign and that includes you. You found the courage to escape our captors, Koriand’r. Take solace in that. You live. You’re free and if these Daem come looking something tells me that we will do the right thing. ”
That much was certain. “Superman and Wonder Woman will help you. If that is what you want is to help people they’ll help make it happen. Just be careful and also. It’s ok to be happy. To be free. Even though many have perished at your hand, your hand was forced. Weep for them if you must, but in the end the best you can do, the best you can hope for is to honor them. ”
KORIAND’R: “What’s a….Kobyashi Maru?”
Her head tilted to the side, it was not a term that was familiar to her, the language was not one she had absorbed yet and she felt like she should know it because the Lantern so easily let it out. The moment of confusion allowed herself to pull back together. His words were kind, reassuring. Mentally she was trying to wipe away those feelings of doubt, shame and guilt as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She was a warrior, warriors do not cry. It was one of the rare times she was allowed to and in a way it felt good to let a few tears loose.
“Yes, it felt like your friend’s situation. I am trying to be happy, Lantern. I am also making an effort to fit in, as much as I am able. I want to help the man in this city, I think I can. It would be a good opportunity for me to learn more about humans and how to blend into their culture. There is only so much the shows and movies can teach me, it’s not substitution for real situations. I enjoy very much interacting with others.”
KYLE: “Metaphor for a no-win scenario.” It slipped out, probably because I watched Star Trek II not so long ago. Still it was enough to give us both pause while I let the anger drain away and she wiped the tears away. I was angry, because it seemed like no matter what and no matter where someone was from the same things was happening. I can’t say that earth was the safest place, because I know that the same people that Conner was attempting to liberate himself from would be the same people that would see Koriand’r as a new resource to mine so to speak.
Still she was being looked out for by Conner and Wonder Woman. There was a tightrope that was being walked and it seemed that with each passing day it was being pulling tighter. Which meant that I needed to get in touch with Conner as soon as possible so we could meet with Kord and he could help do something about the suit.
However, I focused on the matter at hand. “Hmm. I see. ” I don’t recall see seeing any press conference about Koriand’r. “Given your status. I think you should talk to Wonder Woman and Superman about it. Make sure they know where you’re at. From what I can tell not everyone is aware of your presence and the last thing anyone wants is for there to be a misunderstanding.” And that could easily and quickly happen.
“Going back and forth between the two cities someone’s bound to notice. Just be careful.”
KORIAND’R: “They know where I’m at. Maybe not Superman but….”
She was imploring him with her gaze. He must have known something about NOWHERE and she was receiving a mixed bag of information about them. She wasn’t allowed to just roam the globe without some rules or someone watching over her. M’gann may have said she was leaving but she could be right beside them, observing and watching. Koriand’r hoped there was more trust than that between them though.
“I can use the public transportation when I am able to conceal myself more appropriately. I thought I would just, try not to show that I am stronger and faster and able to fire energy blasts from my hands. Just…blend in. Does that make any sense? I could try to pretend to be like them and I can use that to learn. I have so very much to learn about this planet and the people if I am to spend the rest of my days here.”
KYLE: It was possible that they knew where she was at, but at the same time they comprised of who exactly. Things like this could become problematic given everything that’s occurred involving aliens. Given everything that I’ve learned over a few short weeks I knew that there were some aliens that were bad news and some that weren’t. The same could be same about anyone really, but the majority of public had begun to accept a certain narrative that wasn’t helped by the Coast City incident. It’s one of the reasons that I was worried, because this could quickly go badly for everyone involved.
I knew what she was asking, and while I heard stories and I knew what Conner told me and what he inferred, but he was apart of that organization. If I said something it could undermine anything he and Wonder Woman were trying to do to help protect Kori and place her in far greater danger than she wanted to find herself in. Also, it sounded like she wanted some dirt.
This had a really ‘What’s the tea, sis’ vibe to it.
“Trust Superman and Wonder Woman.” It’s what I could say at best. “Learn what you can about Earth, Kori. There’s plenty of information out there. “ I didn’t want her to make a judgement based on my opinion. I knew there were unsavory elements in the government, but could I identify them all know. Also she could find allies within the system and it sounded like she had some already and I didn’t want to be the person that soured that by a few misplaced words.
Conceal herself? I understand why she would want to do that. I wonder if it was a suggestion she made or someone else made. I get why it would happen, but…I don’t know. There’s this part of me can see how that would make things easier, but I know I could see how it backfire.
“Take a step a day at a time. I think you’ll be able to figure out how much of who you are to reveal to the world. There’s only so much that you can conceal. There will always come a point when you have to choose between making the right choice for the moment versus the best choice for you. Sometimes it may happen so quickly that you might not even realized you’ve made it. I guess what I’m trying to say is to be authentic. Be the you that you want to be. You didn’t escape from one prison to become trapped in another.”
KORIAND’R: “That was exactly what I was trying to do, what I said to my friend. I don’t want to put myself in another situation where I’m a slave, where my freedom is stripped from me. I don’t even want the illusion of freedom, and I feel like that is what is being offered. I’m taking it slowly and being very cautious of my actions with…them.”
She didn’t even know how else to word it without outright saying the name and she was attempting to be subtle but subtlety didn’t always come easy for her. She was also trying to absorb as much information she could and that did mean interacting with some of the other ‘agents’. If she was better educated on the situation she could at least make a better decision on how to handle it. She tried not to think about the worst possible outcomes. They didn’t set well with her.
“Are you able to check with someone about Tamaran? To see if my sister is safe? She was crowned queen when I was taken, I have been very worried about her. It would soothe my spirit to know she’s okay.”
It was the closest she had gotten to admitting she was actually royalty to the Lantern. She tried not to advertise it otherwise, not that it could be used for any political gain at all. These people did not have the space travel technology even anywhere near where they would have to have it to find her planet.
“Please, let me know if I do something bad? I don’t want to create a problem, or make an existing problem worse.”
KYLE: It was the best that I could do at the moment. I didn’t want to jeopardize anything by saying too much. All of this had to be a bit overwhelming. A new world, alone, trying to figure out who she could trust. Figuring out if we could trust her. I didn’t sense that she was being deceitful. If I said anything that swayed her thoughts one way or another I could accidentally put her in a dangerous situation. If I told her to run, then Nowhere would be after her, and they wouldn’t stop until they had her in custody and what ever latitude that had given her could be snatched away. The only thing I could do is suggest that she be careful. Any more than than then I risk turning a delicate situation into a disastrous one.
However, given the fact that she was here gave me pause. Not anything I would say openly. No, better to share that with Conner. She’s new to the world, hasn’t been introduced and despite the fact she was high in the sky from what I gathered from Conner and Alan Nowhere isn’t someone to let something like this happen. The more I thought about the more I believed she was right that they knew where she was, but how far did that go and in what context.
I don’t want to go down the path of conspiracy, but you had to wonder what they were playing at if they were playing at anything and given the fact that I was working to help get Nowhere out of Conner’s hair I had to assume that they would use whatever means to get what they wanted.
However all of that was sidelined when she asked me about Tamaran and then her sister.
“I can see what I can do.” How do I tell her that in terms of Lantern’s I’m it. At least that’s what Ganthet said. I don’t know if I want to get into the fact that the previous Lantern went all Dark Side turned to Vader and decided to Order 66 the other Lanterns. I don’t know how successful he was in his efforts. “I can’t make any promises, but I can try.” That’s all I could promise for now.
“If that’s your way of asking if I’ll be your friend. I can do that. Friends help each other out.”
KORIAND’R: “I would be happy to help you in return. I tend to feel like I am imposing on all the kindness these days and I have very little to offer. Someday I will have more I can offer in return but right now I don’t have much. Does that make much sense? I suppose my clothes are all that I own and everything I had before was taken when I arrived. There wasn’t much. Those are just things though. I have skills I can offer but…”
Her lips twisted as she mentally reminded herself not to say too much, even to the Lantern. She didn’t know who she could trust just yet. He likely knew what she was probably capable of, if he had any data on her people at all. Unfortunately there were less tangible things that could be taken advantage of too. Her faith, her honor, her pride, all of those things had been chipped away at until there was very little remaining. She was just trying to gather up the pieces and pull it all together so she could function and slowly rebuild. Such weaknesses are things she would never admit to. Awful individuals could take advantage of it.
“I will be assistance to you if you are in need.”
KYLE: “You’re not imposing. I think if I found myself in your shoes, you would do the same.” This is it. This is a moment whether people believe it or not and it has little to do with me being Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern, it’s all Kyle Ryaner. I don’t know what will happen. Koriand’r can make Earth her home for years to come or she could eventually leave. What will she think of Earth? What would she tell other people? What would the other beings of the galaxy, the universe think of us.
Are we a closed off planet that looks to use, abuse any and everyone that crosses our path. Or will be spoken of kindly. I want the later. Sure, I don’t want to suffer fools or be foolish, but it doesn’t mean that we have to do things that will cast us in a negative light, because with as big and vast the universe is I think, I believe we can use all the friends we can because there come a time when we need to reach out to those that lay beyond the planet. Hope gets you far, but yo have to do more than hope you have to act.
We both were being guarded had to be, but it didn’t mean that I couldn’t start to foster good relations between myself and what will probably the first of many meetings. I’m a Green Lantern, threats can be anywhere from planestside to beyond. It’s the job right?
“Thank you and I will do the same.” That said. “I should let you get back home before people start to worry.”
KORIAND’R: “I suppose I must,” she wasn’t thrilled about going back and it was clear in her voice.
This night though, it was better than nothing. It was better than watching television all day and studying. It was that divine taste of freedom and hope and purpose she had been hoping for. She had even created something of a mission for herself, but she did want to get back and reflect on her thoughts, on what she had offered. She wasn’t even sure if she could help Damien and it wasn’t very fair to expect him to help her either.
“Thank you, Green Lantern. Travel well.”
The princess was capable of picking herself up from her thoughts and perking up enough to smile. There was plenty of time to dwell on her thoughts after she returned to M’Gann.
She offered the man a polite wave, pausing only to retrieve her cell phone and quickly tap out a message. She was checking in and planning to get back quickly before too many questions were asked. Kori would have to take a different approach the next time she wandered into Gotham.