The Rage Of A Child

Pathetic

But still. They were adults. Just like her parents, just like her aunt and uncle, just like every police officer, child care service official, and hero who never helped them before.

She remembered that, the abuse her and her siblings had been left to for years. She let if fuel her.

She opened her mouth--

Just as someone else dropped out of the sky.

  
 

Dust from broken buildings filled the air, hiding the figure from view.

Vera stepped in front of Jeannie, and the interceptor crew stepped in front of her.

A red glow revealed itself through the white and green dust.

"Don't suppose that's Margot." Hal said.

"Nope." Razer replied.

The dust settled. A scrawny alien man was revealed. He scowled in a way he meant to be menacing but in reality looked childish.

"This pozer!" Kilowog groaned.

Ragnar, brother to Queen Iolande, stood before them.

"Oh." Vera said. "I thought it was a threat. But it's just the whiny red lantern."

Jeannie looked to her sister in confusion as Ragnar turned his glare to her. Vera ignored him.

"Little prince here got his ring cause he was upset his big sister got the throne on his home planet." Vera gave him a sad baby face. "Poor thing."

"Why you impediment..."

"What do you want Ragnar?" Hal sighed.

"If its to be plead your case to Margot, her decision is final: your ring is to be taken on site." Razer reported.

"A pretender to the red lantern throne." Ragnar hissed.

"Actually," Kilowog interrupted. "Its more of a council now. Sure, Margot is like the Supreme leader but she still takes input from--"

"Enough with the politics!" Ragnar shouted.

"Wait, if you wanted to be king of your planet, wouldn't politics have been your whole thing?" Vera questioned, crossing her arms.

"I'm still confused about this whole lantern thing." Jeannie joined. "I mean I didn't even know there were more than 3 green lanterns. And now there are other colors."

"Emotional spectrum." Her sister explained.

"Hello!" Ragner shouted. "Serious threat he--"

"Red is anger," Vera hooked her thumb back at Razer. "Blue is hope, green is willpower."

Jeannie blinked. "But willpower isn't an--"

"ENOUGH!" Ragnar screeched.

Everyone stared at him for a moment.

Then Vera laughed. "My youngest brother doesn't even have temper tantrums like that anymore."

Ragnar stepped towards her, Aya stepped in front of her, and Jeannie took a step back.

"And how dis you get your ring, child?" Ragnar spat. "You have a 'temper tantrum'" He made air quotes around the words.

Vera rolled her eyes. "You could say that. My abusive guardians--who I was sent to live with after my abusive parents died--tried to kill my siblings. I ended theirs first."

Ragnar opened his mouth to reply. Then shut it.

He had...not been prepared for that.

Vera laughed again. "That's why you're so pathetic. All the other red lanterns, I've heard their stories now. They lost people they love, in some cases their home planets. You? You betrayed your sister--your kind sister who never did anything against you--for a title. A meaningless title."

"Well," Hal said after a moment, leveling his ring at Ragnar. "She basically just summed up your story Ragnar. So we can skip anymore introductions."

That awoke the red lantern from his stupor. "None of you see me for the threat that I truly am."

"I thought that was obvious." Aya noted.

Ragner looked at the Willpower A.I. (does Aya still count as an A.I.?) In shock before shaking his head to regain focus.

"But I am of the breed loyal to Atrocitus." Ragnar said as his ring begin to glow a putrid red, a red of slow blood.

"Inbreed, more like." Vera said, but she clutched her sister's wrists.

"Really?" Now Kilowog chuckled. "Look around little prince. Its 4--"

"5." Vera corrected, waving her ring in the air.

"Against you."

"I believe you've miscounted." Ragnar smiled as six armored mercenaries fell from the sky.

"You guys need security in your sky." Jeannie mumbled as she tried to hide herself against a wall.

"O-kay. 4 against 7. We've faced better odds." Hal whistled. He turned to the kids. "Hey, maybe you two should leave these guys to us."

Surprisingly, Vera agreed. Taking her sister into her arms and a "you don't have to tell me twice." The youngest red lantern took off, flying through the Oaian streets.

"Is that wise? Letting her get away?" Razer questioned as the crew the interceptor got back to back, weapons aimed at Ragnar and his 'troops'.

"You really want two kids the babysit in a battle?"

"Good point. But something tells me thay girl could have killed everyone here if she wanted."

"Well maybe its a good sign in her favor that she didn't."