DC: DON'T UTTER A WORD - CHAPTER 134 (Patreon)

[Unknown POV - Planet Oa]

Hal Jordan stands before the Guardians, pleadingly trying to make them see sense, his sense. In his heart, he knows that what Superman is doing is right, that he's only trying to protect the planet. But the Guardians don't see it that way. All they see is a man who has toppled governments and created super beings to make an army.

They see a man who is out of control, a tyrant, and they're not going to stand by and let him rule the planet. Hal knows that he's fighting a losing battle, but he can't just give up. He has to try, even if it means facing the Guardians' wrath.

"He allowed grief, anger, and fear to control him," One of the Guardians stated without missing a beat. "He became that which he swore to fight against."

"Earth is better now!" Hal Jordan replied, but it was falling on deaf ears. "Superman made the planet a better place. Under his rule, crime is almost gone, starvation is disappearing, villains are no longer a thing, he's making a perfect world, a utopia."

"A utopia born out of fear, it's like a house of cards, unstable to the very base, and not a real house," Another Guardian replied. "Your attachment to Superman and the planet has made you blind, Hal Jordan. Be that as it may, your blindness will not change our judgment. Superman is a threat, one we cannot allow. The Green Lanterns will stop him, and that is final."

"You are the ones who are blind!" Hal Jordan shouted in frustration, staring at the Guardians as his eyes slowly fixed on the horizon as he noticed every single Green Lantern returning to Oa. They were all coming to Oa, and Hal knew why.

The Guardians were about to start a war.

Taking a deep breath, Hal felt a lump form in his throat. He had failed Superman. He hadn't managed to stop the Guardians, he hadn't managed to convince them that what the Regime was doing was for the better.

As Hal processed this, Kilowog appeared, slowly walking towards Hal. His eyes staring at Hal as his brow is furrowed in a seemingly permanent scowl. He moves with the deliberateness of a warrior who knows his own strength and has no need to hurry.

"I am to bring a squad to earth, and then we are to bring Superman to Oa to face justice," Kilowog states in a monotone voice, his eyes not leaving Hal's.

Hal freezes in place, shock running through his body. "Do you think I will just lay down and allow you to attack my planet?!"

"Don't be stupid, Jordan," Kilowog replied, his voice void of emotion. "You know as well as I do that you can't stop all of us. You're just one man. We are the Green Lantern Corps."

At this, Hal comes to the realization he's surrounded by several Green Lanterns, all of their power rings glowing, ready to fight.

He's outnumbered and outmatched.

But that never stopped him before. Hal was nothing if not stubborn. So gathering all of his Will power, Hal sent out a massive blast of energy around him, pushing out several Green Lanterns in the process before he took off to space at full speed, trying to get to Earth.

He had to warn Superman, the Regime needed to prepare.

However, before Hal can escape Oa, the Guardians put up a shield around the planet, effortlessly trapping Hal on Oa as the rest of the corp apprehends him, overwhelming him in a matter of seconds.

Hal had failed.

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[Hal Jordan POV]

I stared into the wall of my cell. The cold, hard concrete steel being all I had to keep me company. The Guardians had taken my ring, and as the seconds passed, they were moving their troops against Superman, the entire Corp.

I had failed.

I had sworn to protect Earth and its people. And yet here I was, locked up on Oa while the rest of the Green Lantern Corp went to war with my home planet.

There had to be something I could do, some way to escape. As I tried to come up with an escape plan, the door of my cell opened, revealing John Stewart standing on the other side. He stared at me for a few short moments before he spoke in a rough voice. "Here, take it. You're gonna need it."

Before I could question what he meant by that, John tossed me my Power Ring. The Ring immediately started to glow as its power enveloped me once more.

"I'm with you and Superman," John said, his eyes hard. "Capturing you was an act."

"An act?" I snorted. "You stood there as they beat me unconscious."

"I'm a very convincing actor," John replied with a hint of humor.

"I suppose," I smiled before turning my eyes to the horizon. "Let's go; we have a lot of ground to cover. Earth needs us." And with that, John and I took off into the stars, heading towards Earth to warn Superman of the decision the Guardians had come to take.

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[David Lance POV]

The days went by without much happening. Besides me fighting the urge to hug Dinah every time I saw her, things were mostly okay. Batman seemed to trust me more, but with him, that never meant a thing. After all, if you trust nobody, no one can betray you, and that was the unspoken motto of Batman.

Harley and I kept having our "dates". I had already made that mistake once. A few more times would not hurt anyone.

Little Connor seemed to have taken a liking for me really fast. He was a good baby, almost never cried, he had Oliver's smile and Dinah's eyes. It was truly a sight to see.

Other than that, I was still looking for a way out of this universe.

As I continued sitting on my bed, lost in thought, a satellite image suddenly appeared on my computer screen from one of the alerts I had set. In the image, there was Superman standing tall and proud in his blue suit and red cape. And arrayed before him, there were at least a dozen Green Lanterns.

This didn't bode well.

I know Superman destroyed the Green Lanterns in Injustice, but I didn't know how. Those comics were one of the few I never got to read.

I had to tell Batman.

Though knowing him, he probably already knew and was planning around the situation.

As if on cue, my computer dinged, alerting me of an incoming message. The message was from Batman himself, summoning me to the meeting room.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly saved the image to my computer before making my way out of my room, quickly reaching the meeting room, where Dinah was sitting on a chair, holding Connor. On the opposite corner, there was Batman; his eyes fixed on the computer screen in front of him.

Batman turned to look at me, his eyes cold and emotionless. "You said you weren't our enemy."

I nodded.

"Then prove it," Batman said as he tossed me a file.

I caught it mid-air and quickly scanned through its contents. It was a plan to take down Superman, a strategy that included me in the equation.

"This is your chance to earn my trust," Batman continued bluntly. "And this is our chance to end this once and for all."

I gave the file another quick scan. There was no way he had made this plan the moment Green Lanterns had arrived, meaning he had successfully anticipated the Green Lanterns opposing Superman months before it happened.

I originally wanted no part in this war. Not if I could help it. I just couldn't risk my life without going back home. But... Now, I couldn't walk away. This Dinah might not be my Dinah, just as Connor might not be my nephew, but that didn't really matter to me.

Not anymore.

~I will do my best,~ I nodded, giving Dinah and Connor a brief look as I turned around.

The things I do for love.

"You have one day to prepare. We must be ready for when the rest of the Lanterns come," Batman said as I walked out of the room.