Hal, John, and Carol led Jaina, her family, and representatives from each corps to the location just outside Coast City, where the guardians waited with the Justice League. The combined fleets of Hapes and the New Republic fleet set up a blockade around the planet along with the rest of the corps, led by Guy, in order to prevent Black Lanterns from breaking through.
"Mama!" Jaina could hear Allana's scream when they'd scarcely breached the atmosphere. And Zekk could barely keep the girl tethered to the ground as Tenel Ka ran and embraced her daughter in a one-armed hug. Han hugged Allana tightly, but Leia kept her distance, as she was from everyone, she didn't want to hurt anyone with the napalm-like blood that was dripping from her mouth. Guilt tugged at Jaina's heart. She should have asked her mother before cursing her like this.
Zekk looked the Jedi master up and down, then turned to smirk at Jaina, "Loving the new look, Master Skywalker."
"It's actually surprisingly comfortable," Luke chuckled.
Ben pouted. "I want one."
"We're working on getting word out to every government on Earth, but it's hard to get them to trust the League after everything that's happened, and it's even harder to get them to trust that aliens are going to help them." Batman explained, unperturbed by the newcomers.
"I suppose we have Godfrey to thank for that." Jaina huffed.
"I'll be sure to send him a card," A voice spoke up from the crowd.
"Nightwing?" Jaina whispered. She hand't seen him in weeks. He'd disappeared right after Wally had, she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.
She blinked, and ice-blue eyes were framed by sandy-brown hair for an instant before fading to black again. All the same, she hugged him as tightly as she could with her one arm, wishing again for both her arms so that she could hold Grayson tightly, never let him go, and keep him protected the way that she couldn't with her brothers, or with Wally.
"Where's Jessica?" She asked suddenly, alarmed that she couldn't feel her padawan nearby.
"Right here!" Power Ring landed with Blue Beetle, both of them out of breath.
"Sorry, got caught up in El Paso. It was all over the news- Ted Kord's grave was dug up. It's empty now!" Blue reported.
The League went quiet. The Guardians paid them no mind, most of the Corps members had begun to assist them in their excavation.
As Batman cleared his throat to speak, a tiny beep came from Aquaman's comm. After a moment, he turned back to the group.
"I have just received word from Atlantis. Aquagirl's tomb is empty."
Kaldur set his face firmly, but his fists trembled as he clenched them, his eyes shut against the tears.
Jaina was the first to place her hand on his shoulder, followed by Nightwing and Superboy. Miss Martian and Tigress both hugged him tightly, followed by Zatanna and Rocket.
"We're here for you, Kal," Nightwing whispered.
"Agent A, check the memorials," Batman briskly spoke into his comms before turning back to the group.
"The graves of our fallen comrades have been desecrated. Brakiss and his master know what's going to hurt us and they're going to use it against us. Brace yourselves." Batman said.
Jaina turned to Artemis, who was now staring at the ground with rage in her eyes. At Tenel Ka, who set her eyes straight ahead at the dig site, ignoring Allana's questions of what Batman meant. At her father, who wouldn't look at her, but tried to comfort her mother, who wouldn't let him.
Zekk stepped up to Jaina's side. "You gonna make it through this?" He asked her.
Jaina looked around once more, taking in the nervous whispers of her fellow heroes.
"Ask me again when this is all over."
"Hey," Zekk said sharply, stepping in front of her. He gripped her shoulders.
"You can do this, Jaina. I always knew that you could do anything you put your mind to. But you don't have to do this alone."
"I know, that's why we have a hundred different lanterns and two intergalactic fleets up there," She pointed to the atmosphere above.
Zekk followed her hand and sighed. "That's not what I meant, and you know it, Jay. Just because your uncle said that you'd have a hard life at your knighting doesn't mean that you have to make it harder for yourself."
"Look, I don't know if you've noticed, Zekk, but people who get close and try to help me as of late typically end up dead." Jaina snapped, shrugging off his grip. She started to march off, but she caught Zekk's last words.
"I know. And I don't care."
She faltered for a moment, pondering what he meant, but quickly followed after the League.
"How close are we?" Hal was asking Batman.
"According to your guardians, we should have already uncovered it by now. My estimate is erosion and other natural forces pushing and pulling it deeper."
"Do you think it could have been absorbed into the Earth's core?" Superboy asked.
"Child, the White Lantern is the ultimate force of life itself. It cannot simply be snuffed out," Ganthet scoffed. Superboy rolled his eyes. Beast Boy was digging in dog form, and Miss Martian helped her uncle levitate piles of cleared dirt out of the way. Superman used his lasers to carve out the rocks they ran into, so that people could clear those out of the way.
The air around them was suspiciously still, stale in their throats as everyone's lungs seemed to constrict with fear. Somehow, they all managed to keep working, silent but for the grunt of work and the occasional instruction from the Guardians. Jaina worked too, using her ring to pry through the dirt. Jessica and Carol were just to her right, while Tenel Ka, her mother, and Allana were to her left. Kaldur and Nightwing worked in tandem with Zekk, Ben, Uncle Luke, and her dad. Jaina's throat seemed to squeeze shut as she remembered her last stay on Earth. If they did survive this, she would be faced with that same decision again. Leave her Jedi family's Legacy for good, leave her Earth-Family, or abandon all she loved to keep them from falling victim from the curse that followed every Skywalker: loss of all they cared for.
Jaina's eyes squeezed shut, thinking of her grandmother. Would she turn to the dark side as Anakin had? As Jacen did?
Had all she been through truly prepared her to become the White Lantern?
Allana yelped, jumping back and rubbing her eyes. Tenel Ka dove to catch her daughter, making up for what she missed with a luxurious throw pillow formed by her ring, reminiscent of those she used on Hapes.
"What happened?" Leia asked.
"A bright light! It was so white-" Allana stopped, realizing what she was saying.
"The Lantern," Ganthet seemed afraid of his own voice, floating with Sayd over the massive crater that they had worked together to create.
It was at that moment that a breeze began to pick up, powerful and dry, threatening to drive everyone back and away from their scarcely-recovered prize.
Jaina glanced up at the sky, using her arm to block the stray dirt and pebbles from hitting her face. For a moment, she could faintly see the glowing dots that were Guy and the rest of the corps, but then they disappeared as the sky grew darker, blocked by a mass that resembled a black hole more than storm clouds, an endless void.
Her hand curled into a fist, her ring glowing white-hot as the clouds approached, silently and deadly. This was a silent storm, to take you without a fight. But that's what they would get.
With one hiss, a single drop fell from the cloud, burrying itself in the dirt. Allana clung to her mother and Luke pulled Ben closer as one by one, ebony drops began to fall around them.
Ganthet glared, into the darkness as the air once more became still, heavy with the stench of rot and wet dirt.
"Here they come."
Sorry, I ain't quite off hiatus yet, but if I don't publish this chapter now, and instead publish all the chapters all at once that I have written for this, y'all are gonna read the last chapter first and be scratching your head over what you missed.
Lots of Love,
~Lizard