When the ring had chosen him, it was said to be because of his ability to overcome great fear. And to an extent, it was right. Hal Jordan had lived his entire life as a man who threw caution to the wind and dived in, headfirst, towards whatever obstacle that faced him. That same courage, passed through generation after generation of the Jordan family, had brought to him every major accomplishment that Hal had earned thus far. His skills as a pilot, the very same employed by his daredevil father. Four stars in a brief career as a Captain in the Air Force, during a tour of duty over Iraq. The hand in marriage of the only woman that could ever out fly him and out talk him in the same breath. And ironically, even the low points, such as the failure of that same courtship. All because of the fact that when it came down to it, Jordan didn't know the meaning of the word 'fear'.
But all of that didn't mean a thing when it came to the sudden burst of energy that sent him flying upwards, at a faster speed than anything living should have been going.
"Holy #?$%! Holy #?$%! Holy #?$%!"
Foreign Expletive Registered.
All in one moment, Hal was seven years old again, strapped tightly in the passenger's seat of his father's F-16. As a child, the young Jordan had actually been quite fearful, possessing alot of unusual phobias and a clear social ineptitude. But Martin Jordan's idea of curing his son's bout of anxiety was almost equally unorthodox, as he bypassed his wife's promise to never take Hal into the air in order to let him experience the bright, moonlit skies firsthand. Even though he screamed at first, and promptly left a stain in his pants that never fully washed out, Hal got to see the stars he often fantasized up close, that night. And to Martin's surprise, by the time they had landed, Hal eagerly wanted to go for another flight.
Needless to say, it was a learning experience. Just like this one was, as blue skies turned to high clouds, and high clouds turned to gases and vapors, until the blue finally fully subsided for darkness. Hal's widened eyes gaped wider, as he hit open space on his own for the very first time. No rules or guidlines to follow, and no veteran Lantern to hold his hand and keep him at arm's reach. It was just him and the stars, all over again.
"Stop! Stop! STOP!"
Voice Command Activated. Hyperspace Flight Aborted. Preparing For Immediate Descent.
Hal breathed a sigh of relief. But not for very long, as he suddenly realized what stopping at the altitude he had been going was going to do to him. Any good pilot would have remembered the simple law of those physics, but in the event of the moment, Jordan's mind was scrambled. And that feeling wasn't about to improve by any wide margin.
"Oh, f-...!"
Moments later, and Hal rapidly spun and descended, still stuck in a warp of incredible flight speeds. But rather than crash on the surface directly below him and , the descent only slowed down. Until it was literally nothing more than a matter of floating to safety, just as Hal's boot touched the surface of the moon. Gently, his knees bent forward, and buckled into a stance. His previously closed eyes now opened, realizing that he wasn't dead. At least, not yet.
Is it over? Please tell me it's over.
But all stress left Jordan's body as he got a look at the sight behind him, turning around to get an understanding of his surroundings. It was the Earth itself, rotating slowly on it's axis. Jordan's jaw literally gaped open, as he stared at the planet for a good few minutes, awestruck at it's absolute beauty. Never once in his life, did he ever think he was going to see it up close like this. Yet... here he was. On the outskirts of Earth itself, standing on the moon.
It's amazing.
If only his father could have seen him now. Or seen it with him, and given Hal the reaction of a lifetime. He would've killed to see it like this... so pristine and perfect.
Awaiting Further Commands.
Jolted out of his absent-minded admiration, Jordan looked down at the ring on his finger. The one that was still pulsating with light, ready to burn off a steady supply of energy. It had tried to lead him somewhere, before the sudden stop. Somewhere evidently important enough to pre-determine before choosing it's new owner. Raising it to eye-level, Hal looked into the ring with curiosity.
"Alright, ring, I'll play ball. Where exactly is this 'pre-determined destination' you were talking about, earlier?"
Accessing Records.
FOUND: Lantern Abin Sur Has Requested Your Immediate Presence Upon The Currently Unnamed Sixty-Third Moon Of The Planet Jupiter, Within The Current Sector.
Hal considered what this meant, for a passing moment. Abin Sur, probably the greatest member of the Corps by Hal's standards, was stationed somewhere on a moon orbiting Jupiter and needed him for god-knows-what reason. And this was just after learning that he was to be Abin's replacement, which only confused him even further. If Abin was retiring, why the hell would he want an academy dropout from Earth to take over for him? Surely, there had to be better candidates within The Corps. And with the gnomes no longer running the show, they couldn't afford to hire any rookies to pick up the slack.
So why was he chosen?
Hal knew there was only one possible way to find out. Looking back towards the towering sphere of his home world, he turned away and looked towards the ring once more. Unfortunately, Carol would have to wait. There was something bigger going on, here.
"Ring, go ahead and take me to him. I need to get some answers."
Resuming Hyperspace Flight.
Jordan's stomach dropped, as he rocketed off the crater he had landed in. No matter how many times he had been in the air, this was a whole different ballgame for the ex-pilot. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it. Not that he was particularly confident that there was anything to get used to.
Once he found out what Abin needed him for, he was heading back to Earth. For good, this time.
"Light is... nnn... fading."
Abin Sur felt his body begin to grow colder. His legs had already fallen numb, as his organs began to shut themselves down. Blood of an otherworldly tint was beginning to stop seeping out of the agape wounds, and it was becoming harder to breathe. Yet despite having every reason to believe that he was surrendering himself into a world of torture and torment, once one of Hand's sinister dark rings grabbed ahold of his lifeless body, the former Green Lantern of Sector 2814 did not fear the prospect of death. Rather, he felt considerably comforted to know it was drawing near. He had served his purpose and given his life to ensure that The Lantern Corps remained strong. And he would only fail that promise if the Blackest Night would prevail in engulfing the entire universe.
Even in death, Abin Sur was clinging to the very essence of that which had kept him alive - the will to believe that good could still conquer over evil. Perhaps that was why he had been chosen by The Guardians in the first place. For now, he softly spoke to himself with quotes from the great Book of Oa, abiding for time until his replacement could arrive.
"But a Corpsman cannot... cannot be led into darkness. He who journeys the path of the undesired is taken by his own solace. And it is then, that the soul rejects the light. It is then that... ngh... that a Lantern must choose between what is just, and what is offered to him by temptation. Only the strong can turn away."
Abin lied his head back, content with the words of these passages.
"I have refused to live in darkness. I have lived the path... of a true Lantern."
In the distance, a bright emerald star clashed amongst the faded asteroids orbiting Jupiter. Lantern Sur's eyes darted towards it, as it grew ever closer, taking shape in the form of a man bathed in green energy. Abin closed his eyes, though still barely alive. His replacement had arrived. Hal Jordan had answered the call.
"Abin?!"
Instantaneously, Jordan landed hard on the rocky surface beneath his feet. Before him didn't lie Abin Sur, so much as a mangled mess of something that looked as if it were ripped right out of a horror movie. But despite Hal's fears, Abin's yellow eyes fluttered open, locking themselves onto the Earthman.
"My God... what happened to you?"
Lantern Sur raised his weakened hand, offering it to his one-time student.
"What has happened to me is... unimportant. Irrelevant, compared to the threat that you face now."
Jordan approached Sur with caution, unsure of what to do. He didn't know how alien physiology worked, so moving him could be safer than moving an injured human. But it could also be worse, and the damage was certainly substantial enough to warrant playing it safe. All he knew was that Abin wouldn't last the next hour without medical attention of some sort.
Grabbing his hand with a firm grip, Hal held onto his friend with optimism. Optimism that, for some reason, was not shared or returned through Abin Sur's eyes.
"Hey, that's no way to talk. You're gonna pull through this, alright? I'll be right here to make sure of that."
Abin weakly turned his head.
"I... I appreciate your sentiments. But you are better needed elsewhere, Hal Jordan. A struggle still remains between darkness and light. You must aide the light, at whatever cost."
Hal looked at him, serious.
"The Black Lanterns? Did they do this?"
Closing his eyes once more, Abin rested himself again. His student didn't understand. It was not about what the Black Lanterns had done, and the numerous atrocities they had already committed. It was about their ultimate goal, and the underlying doom it meant for the universe itself.
"Do not... nnn... concern yourself with me, Earth man. My time has already come. And with it, I feel as though I am spared."
Jordan tried to speak to his friend with another heartfelt promise of another day, but Lantern Sur's quiet moans suggested that there was no point. Even if there was a chance still left to save him, Abin had made it all but clear that he wanted this. He wanted to pass on, and finally obtain the peace that The Guardians had never let him have.
"What..."
Somber, Hal placed his other hand atop of Abin's.
"What can I do?"
Abin Sur opened his eyes for a final time. He saw a young man with great promise, and many years of service ahead of him. But he had yet to learn the greatest lessons that a Lantern's duty would provide him with. One of Abin's only regrets was that he would not live to see the day that Jordan would meet these expectations.
"You can... fight. Fight with all that it is that makes apart your great will. The universe needs the Corps now, more than ever. And with you to lead them out of this great peril, Hal Jordan... I see... a new beginning."
Hal lowered his head.
"Abin, I... I don't know what you're talking about. I've never been a leader. I couldn't even keep my promise to The Guardians. I walked out on the day they were going to induct me, remember? How can a guy like me do what you're asking?"
Abin placed his other hand on Jordan's, pulling himself upright with a final breath. The end was almost near, and there were so many questions filling his young pupil's mind. But he had faith that somehow, Hal Jordan would find his way amongst the stars without his help. And for one reason alone.
"Because you... have the will to."
Hal watched in silence as Abin's breath shortened, his eyes rolled back, and his body fell slowly limp. His hands grew as cold as ice, and his heart ceased to beat. Laying his friend's hand onto the sand in the ground, Jordan watched as Abin briefly looked to the stars for a final time, and smiled.
Abin Sur, Green Lantern of Sector 2814, was dead. But for the generations to come, his legacy would live on.
The student that had stayed by his side as he died quietly sat down, and watched as Abin's body faded away into merely nothing. He had heard an old legend, back in his days as an academy Corpsman in training. It said that there were a few Lanterns among the rest that would watch over the burial planet of Mogo, where every fallen Lantern was rightfully buried for their term of service. If there was nothing to bury, then it was likely that the Lantern's soul was already inhabiting the very skies of Mogo by the time they had passed.
Whether or not that was really true, Jordan chose to believe it was, in that moment. Because the thought was the only sane one that could bring itself up, in spite of what had just happened. Leaning against the rock that Abin had died on, Hal breathed a heavy sigh, and bowed his head in remembrance.
He may not have understood the alien's choice to make him a successor, but there was clearly a reason. And as much as he wanted to take the ring off and be done with whatever else the Corps had in store for him, The new Lantern of Sector 2814 couldn't bring himself to remove it. Abin Sur had entrusted him with this responsibility, and believed he could use it to fight against whatever was attacking The Corps now. And there was no way he could turn down the last wish of a dying man, even if he wasn't from the same planet.
Renewed with a sense of direct purpose, Hal stood up straight and brought the ring back to eye-level.
"Ring. How much power do you have left?"
Power Levels Currently At 34.6%.
Jordan closed his eyes, frustrated.
Dammit. Not gonna be enough.
"Alright, uh... where's that thing that the Lanterns use to charge you with?"
You Speak Of The Power Battery, Hal Jordan.
"Yeah, that. Is it anywhere nearby? Can you call it here?"
Affirmative.
Immediately, with a flash of light, Hal was faced with a glowing emerald battery that looked more technologically advanced than the latest iPod. Grabbing it by it's handle, he placed it against his fist and held it there, feeling his own determination rising.
Until he forgot the oath.
Oh, hell. Don't tell me I've forgotten that stupid...
Visibly confused, Hal thought to himself for a moment.
"In, uh... in brightest day, in darkest..."
He shook his head.
"No, that's not right. In boldest day, in bravest nigh-... no, not that either. In biggest day, in brightest night..."
Angrily, Jordan dropped the battery onto the ground, and grasped his head with agitation. They only taught him the damn thing once, and that was right before he was set to graduate the academy. He even spoke aloud, just to show himself off infront of The Guardians. But the oath he needed to use was just plain unmemorable. Like dialogue from a bad Saturday morning cartoon.
"Dammit! Dammit to hell!"
Kicking at the sand, Hal felt like he wanted to punch someone's face in. Abin Sur had just died infront of him, and he couldn't even get a simple oath right to recharge the universe's self-proclaimed "most powerful weapon". He was letting the dead Lantern down every moment that he didn't remember it.
"Why the hell did he even pick me?! I'm not cut out for this! I'm no Green Lantern!"
Turning around to face the battery, Hal angrily glared at the hunk of metal. It might aswell have been a piece of wood, for all the good that it was doing him.
"I can't even get the damned oath right!"
Kicking the battery, hard, Hal's foot shot back in immense pain. But before he could curse at the top of his lungs and damn the Guardians for ever inventing such a useless tool, the battery suddenly began to glow a deep emerald, connecting itself to the ring's energy.
Jordan looked at it, surprised.
"Well, I'll be-..."
The battery floated into the air, drawing Hal's ring finger to it, even though he hadn't moved an inch. But as the ring and battery became one with eachother, Hal's eyes glowed a pitch white, becoming stagnant as information clouded his mind. No longer was he struggling to remember the oath. Because it was writing itself onto his brain patterns in an almost literal manner, forming constructs around his head.
As Hal spoke, he felt the words of a thousand Lanterns being echoed from the past, present, and future.
"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight."
Hal's uniform began to change. Instead of the green that it once was, it began to burn even brighter, as if it were a living light powered by simple electricity. But it was being fueled by something far more powerful than that. A shape began to form over the armor of his chest, faint at first... but growing far more solid with each word spoken.
"Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power..."
A green flame burned onto Hal's face, but he felt no pain. Instead, the flame took the shape of a thick mask atop his face, stretching across his eyes and covering his nose, effectively concealing his true identity from anyone who'd know him. It was the final symbol required to recognize an officer of The Green Lantern Corps.
And it was now the greatest secret that Hal Jordan possessed.
