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thatcrazycajunPart of my attempt at a novelization of the episode of Justice League where John Stewart (AKA Green Lantern 2814.2) is falsely accused, tried and convicted for a crime he did not commit: the destruction of an entire planet and its inhabitants.
Stewart scowled. "That description sounds awful familiar," he said. Raising his Ring hand, he projected a holographic image in colored light between him and the Man of Steel. It was of a humanoid male in a strange red coverall with matching helmet; the uncovered face and hands had blue skin and empty, dark slits for eyes. "Is this the man you saw?" he asked.
Superman's face registered shock and recognition. "That's him exactly! How'd you know?"
"We know them in the Corps only too well," said Stewart grimly. "They're called Manhunters. Androids created by the Guardians, thousands of years ago; their first attempt at a galactic police force, before us Lanterns. They're highly adaptable, highly intelligent...and very nasty. Most of them look like the one you saw...but some are able to disguise themselves. Their specialty is infiltration—getting close enough to the target to do the job by deceiving the target into trusting them."
"They were your predecessors?" said Hawkgirl. "What happened to them?"
"Over time, their programming got corrupted," explained Stewart. "They began to see themselves as superior to all organic life...including the Guardians themselves. They came to see it as illogical to stay in their inferiors' service and rebelled. Most of them were caught and dismantled...but a few escaped and built more. They've been underground, almost like a religious cult, ever since, hiring themselves out as mercenary soldiers and bounty hunters to the highest bidder. Lots of galactic master-criminals, and more than a few planetary governments, have hired them. Their motto is 'No man escapes the Manhunters.'" He turned the hologram off. "Every Lantern has standing orders, anytime we run across one, to apprehend it and bring it back to Oa—in pieces, if necessary."
"Androids," mused Superman ruefully. "And I never thought to take an X-ray-vision look under his skin."
"You think these Manhunters destroyed Vistula and framed you for it?" the Batman asked.
Stewart frowned. "Not by themselves, no; even at their height, they never had that much raw power. If they are involved in this, they'd have needed some serious help."
"Any ideas where they might have gotten that help?" Superman asked.
"Just one...and to be honest, it scares the living daylights out of me."
"Whoa," said the Flash. "Something scares a fearless Green Lantern? This can't be good."
"It's not," said Stewart. "Only one weapon I know of in the universe is powerful enough to pulverize a planet, yet small enough to do the job without calling attention to itself. There's about 7,200 of them in existence...and with a few exceptions for non-humanoid users, they all look exactly like this." He held up his right hand, its back facing the others so that his Ring was clearly visible.
"Hera help us," whispered Wonder Woman, horror in her face. "You think another Lantern was part of this crime?"
"I like the idea even less than you do, Princess," said Stewart bleakly. "But it's the only explanation I can think of that fits all the facts we have so far."
"But why would a Lantern want to do this?" Superman asked, bewilderment in his voice. "It goes against everything your Corps stands for. It doesn't make sense!"
"Oh, come on, Superman," said Stewart exasperatedly. "You of all people should know we've had our share of renegades in the Corps. You fought one."
"Oh, yeah. Sinestro." Superman nodded, remembering. "He almost killed me."
"And he's hardly the only one. Hell, some days I wouldn't even put it past Gardner."
"Who?"
"Another Lantern from Earth. If you haven't met him, consider yourself lucky." He shook his head. "No, that's not fair. Guy may be a jerk and a loose cannon, but at the end of the day, he's as loyal to the Guardians as I am. Someone else has to be behind this."
"Any way we can figure out which Lanterns besides Sinestro might have reason to want you in prison or dead?" the Batman asked. "Or the Corps and the Guardians discredited?"
Stewart's brow furrowed in thought for a moment. "Well, the record banks on Oa do contain psychological profiles of every Lantern, past and present, active and reserve. But there's literally millions of them; going through all those records could take forever."
"You just get me in," the Batman said darkly, "and I'll figure out a way to narrow down the list."
====
"He really creeped me out," said Superman. "Blue skin with no facial expression whatsoever. I only saw him for a few seconds before he disappeared."Stewart scowled. "That description sounds awful familiar," he said. Raising his Ring hand, he projected a holographic image in colored light between him and the Man of Steel. It was of a humanoid male in a strange red coverall with matching helmet; the uncovered face and hands had blue skin and empty, dark slits for eyes. "Is this the man you saw?" he asked.
Superman's face registered shock and recognition. "That's him exactly! How'd you know?"
"We know them in the Corps only too well," said Stewart grimly. "They're called Manhunters. Androids created by the Guardians, thousands of years ago; their first attempt at a galactic police force, before us Lanterns. They're highly adaptable, highly intelligent...and very nasty. Most of them look like the one you saw...but some are able to disguise themselves. Their specialty is infiltration—getting close enough to the target to do the job by deceiving the target into trusting them."
"They were your predecessors?" said Hawkgirl. "What happened to them?"
"Over time, their programming got corrupted," explained Stewart. "They began to see themselves as superior to all organic life...including the Guardians themselves. They came to see it as illogical to stay in their inferiors' service and rebelled. Most of them were caught and dismantled...but a few escaped and built more. They've been underground, almost like a religious cult, ever since, hiring themselves out as mercenary soldiers and bounty hunters to the highest bidder. Lots of galactic master-criminals, and more than a few planetary governments, have hired them. Their motto is 'No man escapes the Manhunters.'" He turned the hologram off. "Every Lantern has standing orders, anytime we run across one, to apprehend it and bring it back to Oa—in pieces, if necessary."
"Androids," mused Superman ruefully. "And I never thought to take an X-ray-vision look under his skin."
"You think these Manhunters destroyed Vistula and framed you for it?" the Batman asked.
Stewart frowned. "Not by themselves, no; even at their height, they never had that much raw power. If they are involved in this, they'd have needed some serious help."
"Any ideas where they might have gotten that help?" Superman asked.
"Just one...and to be honest, it scares the living daylights out of me."
"Whoa," said the Flash. "Something scares a fearless Green Lantern? This can't be good."
"It's not," said Stewart. "Only one weapon I know of in the universe is powerful enough to pulverize a planet, yet small enough to do the job without calling attention to itself. There's about 7,200 of them in existence...and with a few exceptions for non-humanoid users, they all look exactly like this." He held up his right hand, its back facing the others so that his Ring was clearly visible.
"Hera help us," whispered Wonder Woman, horror in her face. "You think another Lantern was part of this crime?"
"I like the idea even less than you do, Princess," said Stewart bleakly. "But it's the only explanation I can think of that fits all the facts we have so far."
"But why would a Lantern want to do this?" Superman asked, bewilderment in his voice. "It goes against everything your Corps stands for. It doesn't make sense!"
"Oh, come on, Superman," said Stewart exasperatedly. "You of all people should know we've had our share of renegades in the Corps. You fought one."
"Oh, yeah. Sinestro." Superman nodded, remembering. "He almost killed me."
"And he's hardly the only one. Hell, some days I wouldn't even put it past Gardner."
"Who?"
"Another Lantern from Earth. If you haven't met him, consider yourself lucky." He shook his head. "No, that's not fair. Guy may be a jerk and a loose cannon, but at the end of the day, he's as loyal to the Guardians as I am. Someone else has to be behind this."
"Any way we can figure out which Lanterns besides Sinestro might have reason to want you in prison or dead?" the Batman asked. "Or the Corps and the Guardians discredited?"
Stewart's brow furrowed in thought for a moment. "Well, the record banks on Oa do contain psychological profiles of every Lantern, past and present, active and reserve. But there's literally millions of them; going through all those records could take forever."
"You just get me in," the Batman said darkly, "and I'll figure out a way to narrow down the list."
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Date: 2007-10-29 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-29 09:51 pm (UTC)