Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Seeing Red

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 09: Holding On

It had been two days since Kara left her place and flew off, Alex behind her. Barry tried to sleep on her couch that night but couldn’t. He finally gave up, suited up and ran. The Flash wasn’t running for Central City nor running towards a robbery or fire, or even a meta. He was running because it was what he did when his world seemed to be falling down around him.

His thoughts were all over the place, seemingly moving as fast as his feet. He thought of his mother, Ronnie, Eddie, his father. He thought of Jay Garrick, his father’s inter dimensional other half. He also thought of Zoom, Thawne, and what he could have done differently, should have done differently.

But no matter how fast he thought, his mind kept coming back to Kara. She had looked nothing short of crazed. Barry had never seen her like that. Her eyes were like a trapped animal that feared for its life. He knew the world had never seen her like that. She was always confident, always strong and always kind. She was Supergirl. She protected the innocent of the world from metas and aliens, even everyday criminals. She saved people from burning sky scrapers. Her symbol was known all over the world, even in small villages in the Congo, or South America. There was no place and no one who did not know who Supergirl was and what she stood for, what she meant.

Barry realized he didn’t know her at all. Yes, she had told him when they first met about anxiety problems and he saw her face when she caught that plane but since then, every appearance in public she never appeared worried, or anxious. She even took fights out of city limits to save citizens from the fallout of battle, picking up aliens and flying them faster than the eye could track, taking them to prison of course.

The public never asked and they didn’t want to know. Supergirl must have had a prison somewhere or she turned them over to the Government.

No one wanted to think about it and no one wanted to know that she was taking them somewhere she could beat them to death. That was what the public did. They held up their heroes, they forgave them a lot. A headline would read Batman busts up Drug Cartel in Gotham. It didn’t read that Batman had beaten dozens of criminals to within an inch of their life. It was the way it was, the way editors and reporters like Perry White and Lois Lane reported. It was the way Cat Grant swayed the nation. Jimmy Olsen would never get a picture of a crazed Supergirl unleashing her rage on an alien. The public would not want it. They had to believe that she was safe. Because if she was not safe, none of them were.

Along with those thoughts were worry. Where had she gone? Where had Alex taken her? The man had stayed in a hotel Saturday night, checking her apartment often to see if at least Alex was back. He saw the lights out at her parents house and knew they were gone. They were with Kara and Alex.

Wherever the hell they were.

He did at least see one familiar face as the sun rose over the ocean. Sitting on the beach, watching the tide roll in, was Clark. The wind blew his shaggy dark hair as he sat in the sand with his arms wrapped around his knees. Barry zipped into the Danvers storage shed and back out, leaving the red behind and now dressed in blue jeans and a blue shirt with the House of El symbol on it. Iris had given it to him last year for Christmas and it was well worn. Clark knew he was there of course. There was no way he didn’t hear the rush of wind and Barry suspected Clark was one of the few people on Earth who could see him clearly when he moved.

Still the boy never moved, continuing to stare out over the horizon. Barry carefully walked up and sat beside him.

“Kind of early to be up. 6 AM? You do this everyday?” he asked quietly, not sure of the reception he would get. The boy didn’t look towards him but shrugged his shoulders. When he finally did meet his eyes Barry was struck by how much they were like Kara’s. He hadn’t taken a good look at the kid but despite the different hair color the two had the bluest eyes.

“She is a good person.” he told Barry.

The man didn’t bother to ask who he was talking about.

“I figured you would have gone back to Central City by now.” Clark added.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t seem to make myself leave. I’ve been running for hours, all day yesterday, all night. I can’t help it. I know she isn’t here but I don’t want to leave. Pretty dumb, huh?”

Clark surprisingly didn’t agree with him, which was what Barry half expected considering their last interaction.

“Its not dumb. I don’t even know where they are, but I know it won’t be easy. I know Kara is scared. I don’t know how I know, I just do. I can’t help her. I want to. I heard what she said to you before she left. It wasn’t… okay, most of it was probably true but she didn’t tell you everything. I have a scrap book I keep under my bed with every article about Kara and Alex. They have saved a lot of people. One time a hiker fell of a cliff and was caught on this ledge. He had broken his leg. Kara went to him and splinted his leg so it wouldn’t hurt more before she flew him up. Last month she flew into Chicago because this bank was being robbed. She just landed in front of the bank and told them to come out or else. They all came out with their hands up. They just gave up. She is a hero.”

“I know she is.” Barry assured him.

“She didn’t tell you everything though, only the bad stuff. She didn’t tell you about the sick kids she visits all the time or how she pays for some of them to get treatment. She never takes money that her boss makes off of her. All of it goes to sick kids.”

Barry was surprised. He was wearing a shirt with her symbol but had never thought of where the money for the rights to the image actually went. Come to think of it he wasn’t sure where the money for his merchandise went to either.

“When we landed she had all these powers and couldn’t control them but she ran with me, even though I wasn’t strong. She never hurt me. She kept me safe. She always flies in from the ocean at my birthday parties. My friends get to take pictures with her. I can’t say she is my sister. I have to say my parents are friends with Cat Grant. I wish I could tell everyone. I would ask Alex to but she is kind of known for shooting laser guns and beating people with a double bladed lightsaber. My friends would want to play with the guns I think.”

“That does sound like a problem.” Barry admitted. In every hostage situation in National City and wherever else Alex could fly to, every cop knew the routine. Stay out of their way. Alex went in the back while the bad guys were distracted by Supergirl. She attacked the bad guys and Supergirl went in to finish them off. As a result robberies involving hostage situations rarely ever occurred anymore. If Kara was fighting an alien it was no surprise to see the alien take a very bright, very hot bolt of energy from behind.

“She is a good person, she just thinks she isn’t. You know she wears that lightning bolt necklace everywhere, every day, even when we swim? Did you know you were going to be the Flash when you gave it to her? It wasn’t some time travel screw up, was it?”

Barry laughed a bit, remembering Clark and Jeremiah’s opinion on time travel.

“No, I didn’t even know Kara was Supergirl or about to be. She loved her motorcycle and took me out on it. I don’t think I had ever been that fast on anything in my life, at least that had wheels. She loved speed. I was walking by a jewelry store and something made me stop and go in. We talked everyday after I left National City. I think I would have moved to National City if she asked, you know? Just to give us a chance? Anyway I walked in and there it was in the case. I just knew I wanted her to have it.”

“Must be fate.” Clark told him, surprising the man. “I’m really scared. I don’t like being scared. I used to think Alex and Kara never got scared of anything. They never lost a fight, but right now I am scared and I know they are. Mom and Dad were really scared. I don’t know what is going to happen.”

Barry found himself uncharacteristically patting the boy on the back but Clark didn’t seem to mind.

“You said it yourself, they haven’t lost a fight.”

“There is always the first time. I wish I were older. I have a suit ready and everything. I’ll take over so she can stop. I know she wants to. She doesn’t want to be Supergirl. If I was better, bigger, I could do everything she does and Alex and Kara wouldn’t have to do it anymore. All Kara wants to do is move back to Midvale. She used to sing, and paint. She doesn’t do either anymore. She hardly eats. All she does is drink.”

“Maybe she will stop.” Barry told him, trying to cheer the kid up.

“Over there.” Clark pointed to his right. “Kara had to kill her mother’s twin sister. The lady attacked us, was going to kill us and Kara busted through the wall so quick I couldn’t even see her. She had to kill that lady to protect us. She wasn’t even scared. She even killed a whole bunch of others from Krypton. She blew up some bombs of this green stuff over all of them. She almost died because she was under the bomb too. I remember seeing her in our basement. She was shaking and… I was scared. You know I used to be scared of her sometimes? I know it hurt her. I wish I hadn’t been. I shouldn’t have been. I never should have been.”

The two sat in silence for a while, Clark looking out over the ocean, wishing Kara would come flying in and Barry wondering where she was and if she was okay. He knew though, Kara wasn’t okay. He strongly suspected she was going through hell right now.

Clark grinned a bit, seeing Dolphins swimming about three miles out by his guess.

“Me and Kara, when we go to the South Pole, we chase Orcas sometimes. Its cool to touch them when they swim to the surface. Sometimes at night we chase Dolphins.”

“That sounds like fun.” Barry admitted, smiling at the thought of the fun those two must have.

“I lied, you know? I knew who you were. I keep up with things. You are pretty awesome, but don’t tell Kara I said that. I liked when you made Captain Cold and Heatwave hit each other with their guns. And when you tossed that propane tank at the big meta on Flash Day and that cop shot them, it was pretty cool. I read you took out a guy made of steel. You took on a telepathic gorilla. You do good work. Mom and Dad think so too.”

“Thanks…”

“I’m still faster than you.” the boy added.

Barry shook his head and patted the kid on the back again. “Maybe one night we will go to that abandoned airport Kara took me too and we can find out if thats true.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders. “Even if you beat me you aren’t fast enough to keep me from hitting you. I hit hard. You should probably let me win.”

“I’ll take that under advisement. You going to be okay? Maybe your neighbors can talk to your parents and you can come hang out at S.T.A.R. with me for a few days.”

“Ha.” Clark laughed. “If Kara found out I was there she would do whatever it takes to break out of where she is and come get me. She isn’t a fan of S.T.A.R. Labs. Of course that was when she thought that Wells guy hurt you. Still though, Kara doesn’t like me around labs even the DEO. She is always scared someone is going to find out about me and try to study me. She doesn’t need anything else to worry about. I just want her to be happy. I am happy. I got great parents and cool older sisters who fight bad guys and I live on a beach. I wish she was as happy as I am. One day I will take her place. I’m working hard. I’ll be ready and she can relax. Maybe she can be happy then. I should probably go get something to eat. Do you eat a lot?”

“Yeah.” Barry admitted. “I eat quite a bit. I actually came here to talk to Dr. Ryan.”

“Come in for breakfast then. Don’t call her Dr. Ryan. The older she gets the more sensitive she is about sounding old. Can I ask you a question? I guess that was a question and since I’m going to ask anyway your answer really isn’t important. How hard is it to be a superhero? Do you see a lot of bad stuff?”

Barry thought for a moment, thought about the people he had saved and the people he had lost.

“It isn’t easy Clark. Yeah, you see a lot of bad stuff but you see a lot of good stuff too. I love being the Flash. I love helping people. Sometimes it doesn’t work out but I guess we got to keep trying, right? Who would we be if we didn’t? You are going to know one day. I have a feeling you are going to be the greatest superhero this world has ever seen.”

Clark laughed a bit and shrugged his shoulders.

“Kara has set the bar kind of high, but I will do the best I can to make her proud. As long as they call me Superman. If Cat Grant tries to pull some kind of Superboy stuff the two of us are going to have a long talk. Come on, lets eat.”

While a surprised Jessica Ryan greeted Barry for breakfast, Kara was in an underground facility indeed going through hell. Alex had managed to hold her down long enough for two IVs to be put in her hands but the shaking had only gotten worse and two were ripped out. Kara didn’t even notice, nor did she notice when two more were replaced. Alex sat behind her, back against the wall with the back of Kara’s head on her chest. The older sister had taken a beating, holding the girl’s arms down from behind, while Kara mumbled and shook. She had her first seizure an hour before and though it was mild and only lasted a minute, everyone knew worse ones were on their way.

Caitlin Snow stood near the window trying to take it in. The symbol of all that was right in the world, all that was good, was an addict going through severe withdrawals right in front of her while her crime fighting partner who was also her sister held her down.

Five minutes later the first drug was administered, Dr. Snow agreeing with Shay that this was the best dosage to start with.

“She needs fluids, or she will dehydrate. She is probably dehydrated now.” Caitlin pointed out. Veritas dropped her head, already knowing this.

“To do that we would have to strap her down. Alex can’t hold her much longer. Kara’s tremors are beating the hell out of Alex and she won’t stop holding her.”

“Sedatives? I think I can up a dose of the baclofen to help her muscles relax.” Caitlin offered. “What you have is good but she could handle a higher dose. It would help to calm her somewhat.”

“You think the drug I developed will work? Because if it doesn’t, it could put her in a coma, one she may not wake up from. I never expected the withdrawals to be this hard. I knew it would be difficult but she has started having seizures sooner than I thought. I am now sure she stayed in a constant state of intoxication and I suspect she may have used alien drugs I am not even aware of.”

Caitlin checked the microscope one more time. She couldn’t let Veritas’s worry sway her opinion.

“It will work. I also think the equivalent of valium will work. You have done a great job with these drugs. The valium can help with the seizures and we can adjust the dose depending on severity. You brought me here for my opinion. I think you are right, we have to do something. There are risks but if we do nothing I am certain she is going to die. Why is the family so against strapping her down, at least her wrists? She should be in a hospital bed.”

“If you were an alien who spent your teenage years afraid of being experimented on by the government, would you want to be strapped down? I know she needs it, but her parents and sister may attack you as well.”

Caitlin shook her head, trying to come to grips with what she had walked into. First was the cloak and dagger exit from her apartment and next, the terrifying flight in the back of a very small, very fast jet, piloted by a billionaire dressed as a bat. She wore a vest of some sort she supposed to protect her from the G forces of the flight but it had been hair raising and stomach turning even so. They had not flown high and with every bank she could see the ground. After they landed on top of some sort of log cabin, she climbed a ladder down and walked to an elevator activated by Bruce Wayne’s hand print. She had no idea how deep they went but knew it was deep. She walked out, was quickly introduced to Shay Veritas and given a microscope and loads of data. Then she was shown Supergirl.

No, then she was shown Kara Danvers, because that was who she was at the moment and she looked like hell. She was weak, obviously sick, shaking and her eyes stayed closed because Caitlin had a feeling when she opened them, she saw things.

Her sister, obviously Manhunter, looked like hell as well. She had the back of Kara’s head on her chest and her hands were on Kara’s arms, trying to prevent her from ripping out the IVs.

Caitlin walked to the two women, one moaning and one obviously exhausted.

“You want a break? I’ll hold her if you want.” Caitlin offered, surprising Alex. Alex shook her head.

“Mom and Dad asked me the same thing but Mom can’t keep her cool and Dad would be to afraid to bruise her. Besides we always hold each other. I got the flu when I was 16 and she stayed with me the entire time, even held my hair while I vomited. She always kept a wet towel on my head. She was so afraid I was going to die. She held me all the times I had a fight with my ex, all the times I stressed over school work. I held her a lot. The second day I knew her, she woke up from a nightmare and lasers exploded from her eyes. She couldn’t even speak English but I got her to stop. I held her from behind and talked to her. It was hot as hell, Clark was just a baby and they were living in a cave hiding from Government agents. I’ve held her through… everything. We hold each other. Always have, always will, good times and bad. So I will stay here and keep holding her arms down. You can give her saline. She isn’t sweating as much and is hot. She is probably dehydrated. I won’t let her move the bag.”

Caitlin was surprised. The woman sounded exhausted and on closer inspection she had a blue spot on her forehead that was going to be a pretty big bruise. Her voice left no room for doubt though.

“Thanks for coming. I realize this has to be very strange for you.”

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. “Strange has been the one constant in my life since Barry woke up from a nine month coma. I am going to give her an anti anxiety med and an anti convulsant. The work Shay has done is impressive. I suppose you and your parents had a hand in it as well? I think everyone is a little scared to give her anything. I can understand that, but I promise you I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Alex nodded her head.

“I know you won’t. Thats why I wanted you here.” Alex said, surprising Caitlin. “I know a little about your work but I also know about the times you saved the Flash. At least some of them. Shay is good and the two of you together are the best. My parents are very good but right now they are a mess. Mom and Dad are convinced she will never speak to them again and they are second and third guessing themselves constantly. J’onn is trying to keep them calm but he can only do so much. They are constantly watching but aren’t sure what to do. We knew Kara wouldn’t be happy, would be furious, say things like she said, but… knowing it and hearing it are two different things. None of us know how she will be when she finally gets through this.”

Caitlin looked closely at her, trying to decide if she should ask. Considering she had to know everything, she really didn’t have a choice.

“Alex, she has damage to her liver. Shay thinks it will heal with enough time in the sunlight as long as she stays away from alcohol. Has she… do you know if she has taken anything else, any type of alien drug, or drugs, anything that we may need to know about?”

Alex opened her mouth to deny it, even insulted by the notion but then stopped. Remembering the bag she found in their bathroom, she had no idea that Kara was considering using it without her powers so Alex would lay off about the alcohol. She didn’t know Kara still cut herself until she heard a strange sound after flushing the toilet and found the box cutter. What else did she not know about?

“I don’t know, Caitlin. I would like to tell you she would never do that but I don’t know. I can try to ask her but she has been mumbling to herself for the last hour. She has been speaking Kryptonese and talking to her mother, the one from Krypton. She just keeps asking why? Why did she do it, why was she born, things like that. When she has nightmares she talks in Kryptonese.”

“You speak Kryptonese?” Caitlin asked, impressed.

“The only human on Earth who does. Go ahead and hook some fluids up and if you wouldn’t mind, could you ask someone to get me a sports drink? I’m getting a little dehydrated myself. She is burning up. Ice for her head would be good too.”

“On it. I am being are going to get tired. I don’t mind giving you a break.”

Alex shook her head. “I’ll sleep when she sleeps. Thanks though.”

Caitlin asked another question that popped into her head.

“How did the two of you communicate when you found her, if she didn’t speak English?”

Despite her exhaustion, Alex smiled.

“Hand signals. You should see the two of us play charades. We have never lost a game. Charades was the first language we had in common.”

After Caitlin left to get the fluids and required dosage, Kara had a small seizure, small compared to the others. Thankfully it only lasted a minute. After the shaking stopped and Kara’s eyes seemed to come back to reality then close again, Alex thought of Caitlin’s question. She had no idea about other drugs but if she had taken something the only place she could have gotten it was from that damn bar Alex considered burning several times. She let go of Kara’s left arm for a second and quickly reached into her pocket. Putting the small com in her ear, she pressed the button on the inside and called Kelex.

“I am sure you are watching through the security feed, correct?”

“Yes.” Kelex confirmed.

“Seen enough? Override Protocol is now active.”

“I agree. You are in command of the Fortress until you end the protocol.” the robot assured her.

“Put me in touch with Lobo.”

Alex waited for a few moments, then she heard the deep voice of the guy who had somehow became a friend to the two sisters.

“Lobo, I need a favor.”

“Just tell me what you need. I’ll make sure it is done. How is she?”

“Not good. I need you to go that bar in National City and ask some questions. I need to know if she has ever taken…”

“I’ll find out. Give me two hours.” he interrupted her. The Czarnian had the same thoughts himself.

National City

Every alien in the bar looked up when the door opened. This was not unusual. It was a small community and everyone wanted to know who had joined the gang. This moment was unusual because the door wasn’t just opened, the guard at the door had been thrown through it.

Lobo walked in, bare chest with only leather straps leading to his back, crisscrossed and carrying two very large rifles. It was the chain wrapped in his hand with the large blade at the end that had garnered the most attention. Everyone knew a lot of heads had been lost to that blade.

“You all know who I am. Some cal me Lobo and some call me, Oh shit, its him. Thats the English translation anyway. Before any of you make a move towards any exists I have them all wired, Touch a door and you wind up in pieces. I have some questions and you are all going to tell me what I want to know and then continue on with your lives. First question, who is the dealer at this place?”

Everyone in the bar quickly pointed to a small, green man in the corner, who somehow just turned a deeper shade of green.

“Good job class. Everybody get out besides the green guy wearing a shady overcoat and the bartender. Martha or something, right?”

“Meghan.” the woman responded.

“Sure it is. Dealer and bar keep stay, the rest go out the door behind me so you don’t get turned into goo.”

The exit was swift, and in less than ten seconds the two remaining aliens were left with Lobo. The bounty hunter noticed the bartender did not appear frightened and he had a good idea why.

He started with the dealer.

“Come here.”

The man slowly shuffled towards him, staying a distance away.

“I said come here. I’m not coming after you. My chain can bring you to me but it will leave a few gashes.”

The green alien moved quickly in front of Lobo.

“You been selling to Supergirl?”

The man quickly shook his head.

“Stop lying. I need to know what she has taken. I need a sample. You are going to give me the truth or die painfully without your tongue.”

The green dealer looked around and reached into his overcoat. He handed a small zip lock bag of orange powder to the bounty hunter.

“Freez, from Starhaven.”

“How often does she buy from you?”

“Buy? She tells me to give it to her or she will kill me. You know how brutal she can be. Who the hell is going to tell her no?”

Lobo rolled his eyes and grabbed the dealer by his throat.

“I’m kind of on a time limit here, and I got no wish to hear your problems. How often?”

“Once a month. Never more. She drinks more than anything, ask Meghan! But yeah, sometimes twice but most of the time once a month, always on a Saturday. She doesn’t take much, probably enough for three or four hits a month.”

“She snorts it?”

The man nodded his head.

“Anything else?”

“No sir, I swear.”

Lobo was convinced. The man had already urinated his pants. He wouldn’t lie.

“You ever see her again you don’t give her anything. She might kill you but I will make it slow. She can be brutal but I am sadistic.”

The man shook his head. “So what? She kills me if I don’t give it to her and you kill me if I do? What kind of choice is that?”

“Price of dealing drugs man. Maybe you should find another job. I hear your business has a lot of fatalities. Get the hell out of here.”

The man left quickly, only falling down once, leaving Meghan and Lobo alone. The big man sighed and turned towards the woman.

“You must be good. I know J’onn has picked Kara up from this place a lot of times. Those are some damn good mental shields you must be throwing up for him not to notice a White Martian tending bar in National City. So what is your real name and why aren’t you with the rest of your kind?”

“I am M’gann M’orzz. How did you know?”

Lobo laughed. “Seriously? I can smell a White a mile away. The Green is a friend of a friend of here to take him out? If so you are about to have one very long night. Call some of your other friends and we can make this a real party. The Green Martian is under Kara’s protection. That means he is under mine, even if the bastard hates my guts.”

The bartender shifted, showing her Green Martian form she often used.

“I left those people, my people. I just want to be left alone. I want no trouble. I suppose you will tell him?”

Lobo shook his head.

“I know all about keeping secrets. I don’t think you mean him harm. You would have taken your shot already if you did. I wouldn’t be walking around in that Green Martian form though. Guy is still tore up over the loss of his people. He sees you, he is gonna think he isn’t alone and then find out you are one of the Whites, the man will kill you. He is a helluva fighter. Anyway, that ain’t what I am here for. I need a bottle of everything Kara has drunk since you been here. I need it quick and my payment is I won’t burn this place to the ground. Unless you want to fight about it? Like I told the drug dealer, I am on a time limit so the fight is going to be fast and brutal.”

M’gann shifted back to her human form and shook her head.

“It has finally caught up with her, hasn’t it?”

“I need those bottles, now.”

The Martian nodded her head and moved to the bar, pulling down three large bottles.

“The Thanagarian Whiskey is her favorite but lately she has been drinking from the clear bottle. Odorless, but pretty much straight 100% proof developed for the guards on Takron Galtos. She came in recently, maybe a couple weeks ago asking for something with no odor. The third is just an ale. I think she uses it to keep her maintained.”

“You knew she was an alcoholic and still…”

“Look Lobo, you know who she is and what she has done. She killed the rest of her race, she had to kill her Aunt. The girl has killed three White Martians. Every alien in the world knows who she is and what she is capable of. Nobody turns her down. Besides, she would just go somewhere else. Its not like she is stuck in National City. You said you were on a time limit. Since you ran out the business, I’m closing up… damn it. What the hell does he want? Probably you. I’ll be in the back. Get him out of here and I will lock up behind you.”

M’gann turned and walked to the office in the back. Lobo didn’t need to turn around. He could guess who it was.

“Hal Jordan. I didn’t take a human like you to be the type to drink the brew they serve here.”

Jordan took a stool next to the much larger man. Lobo noted with amusement that he was all suited up and green, even had his little eye mask. The man was ready for a fight. A White Martian and a Green Lantern and he was going to miss kicking both their asses because Kara’s sister needed this stuff to treat her.

“Lobo. What the hell are you doing on Earth?”

Lobo looked down at him, noting his ring was glowing. Damn, this man did want a fight. To bad he wouldn’t get his wish tonight unless Jordan tried to stop him.

Lobo shrugged his shoulders and clipped his chain on his belt.

“I got a cute blonde friend who says I can pretty much visit all I want. I may even move to the suburbs. What I am doing is none of your business. You Lanterns have been riding her cape for years. She had to take out Myriad, Fort Rozz prisoners, and every alien threat that comes to this planet. Who the hell do you think you are to ask me anything? The question should be what the hell are you doing on this planet because for all the Lanterns Earth has, it seems like you guys are useless.”

Jordan’s ring stopped glowing, his suit gone, giving way to more casual dress.

“Yeah, you may have a point. Doesn’t matter. You really want to get off this planet. Gardner beat Atrocitus and took over the Reds.”

“I heard. Am I supposed to give a damn?”

Jordan chuckled a bit, glad to see that Lobo hadn’t changed. He was violent as hell but smart and laid back. If he was here it was for a reason. It was true, everyone knew he was tight with Supergirl.

“Atrocitus wasn’t just taken down, He escaped but before he did he sent out thousands of red rings. He is going to try and rebuild an army, start a civil war in the Reds. One of those rings turned up on Earth. You know how it works. Its going to stay hidden until someone with great power unleashes their rage. Then its going to go to them. You know what a new Red can do, what he or she will do. Gardner is trying to help me find it but it is hiding its energy well, just waiting for the right time. I wasn’t too concerned until I heard you were here. Someone with your power and rage getting that ring wouldn’t be good for anyone, you, us or Earth.”

Lobo got a sick feeling in his stomach, not something he was used to. Great rage unleashed? What Jordan didn’t understand was that Lobo had no rage. He fought because fighting was his greatest joy. There was no rage behind his power. In his mind he was a pretty laid back guy, calmer than Jordan realized.

But he did know someone with great rage. A tiny blonde girl who crushed his skull and burned it off his shoulders, screaming with rage the entire time.

“Why the hell would I want a damn ring? If it shows up on my doorstep… I guess someone has to find it first, right? They would have to be…”

“Stop.” Jordan told him, noticing the Czarnian was sounding very different. Hal thought he might have wanted the ring but it wasn’t really Lobo’s style. “It doesn’t work that way. When someone with great rage absolutely needs it, it will offer itself. That person won’t think twice about putting it on and thats it. They become a monster until the Reds…”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lobo told him. “Until they take a dip in the Blood Ocean on Ysmault. Ive heard all the fairy tales. Look, believe it or not I am a pretty laid back guy. I got somewhere to be. Don’t ask, it isn’t your damn business and as much as I would like to spar with one of you power rangers, maybe the cute pink one, I got somewhere to be. Don’t follow me. I’ll know if you do.”

Lobo, bottles and powder in hand walked towards the exit, but stopped before he left. Turning back to Jordan, he offered one piece of advice he sorely hoped the Lantern would take heed of.

“Hal, find that damn ring quick and get it the hell off this planet. A lot of powerful people on Earth.”

Jordan shrugged his shoulders. “Like you said, this planet belongs to Supergirl. If we got her we can handle a Red. I would just prefer it not to come to that. The Blue Lanterns are all dead. Once that ring attaches to someone they are changed. It can never come off short of death.”

“Find the damn ring.” Lobo told him once more and walked out. He didn’t say what he knew in his heart. If that ring was waiting for the most powerful and angry individual on Earth to unleash their rage it would be Supergirl those dumbasses would be fighting.

Placing the items in his chopper’s saddlebag, he rode until he hit the desert highway. Once there the man opened a portal with a Rann transporter and drove thorough it, arriving in Kentucky seconds later.