Danger and Dvana

Alex White hated her office. She hated the fact that it was on the sixth story, with all the reporters that had bigger pictures next to their headlines themselves. She hated that Tess Mercer was parading her around like the Walter Cronkite of her generation. She hated that as much as a sellout as she felt like, moving to Metropolis had been the right move. Luthorcorp and the Daily Planet had made her an extremely generous offer, her stories always seated best with the Midwest, and it was close to home.

But even as she unpacked the last box in her corner office with floor to ceiling windows, she felt like something was missing. 

Coffee. All good reporters need java to write and the best brew in the house was always in the pit, regardless of the paper. So Alex headed downstairs with her plain mug in search of a fresh pot. The pit was on the bottom floor of the paper, where all of the cub reporters, researchers, and receptions were stationed. 

It was the name plate that had drawn her attention. Clark Kent. She could barely believe that the corn fed boy scout high school junior had grown up to be a reporter. And grown he had, that was for sure. “Clark Kent?” She asked, tilting her head so she was in his field of vision. He didn’t look like he’d looked up from his computer for the better part of the day.

______

“Lets get this baby off the ground.” Hal Jordan said, stifling a yawn. He was tired-not to tired to fly, just the kind of tired that comes for playing professional fly boy for two major corporations without either of them finding out. Thankfully, this was just a simulator, so the worst he’d get for crashing it was sent home.

Hopefully.



Prologue
Sunday, October 25, 2009
02:45
It started with one.

The sound was enough to stop the arguing that had long since devolved into shouting, cut through the panic and leave only cold certainty. The silence was the perfect backdrop for what followed, one ping on the hard, ancient surface of the council floor.

It started with one, but soon became a rain of sound, each innocent chime the death knell of a brave soul. Silence reined until the last echoing roll had died away; everyone stared in dawning horror at the litter of rings. No one had managed to keep count, but a single lantern death was devastating to the core; this many was a blow they may not recover from, even if they survived what was to come.

Ananda stared at one ring, indistinguishable from the rest but for its tiny size. She could picture the owner of that ring in her mind, see the long, delicate fingers it had graced, but she could not remember the name of the lantern who had worn it. She tried, staring even as the noise started up around her again, everyone shouting what must be done and everyone afraid to *do* it. She gritted her teeth in frustration and stepped over the ring that had rolled to a stop at her feet. The lanterns near her jumped, so tense from the day’s events that their courage was… shaken. Ananda was reeling too, but even stripped of their power, they were *lanterns.* This had to stop.

She moved forward, but Killawag beat her to it. Under other circumstances she would have smiled; one could always depend on the courage of their most effective trainer. Words sprang into her memory, putting a certain bounce in her step: “Stop being cute and *hit* the damn thing!”

“All due respect,” Killawag said in the tone that implied he thought you were being a goddamn idioit, “But I think we need to take our heads out of our respective waste orifices and fix the damn battery. Then we can call muster, find the asshole, and shove that yellow battery into the nearest black hole. Sir,” he added, definitely an afterthought. Another lantern, this one a stocky female, cleared her throats. “We should get in contact with our agents in the field, secure their safety until the battery is repaired. We can’t take any more losses,” she added. Mournful sounds colored her harmonics. 

The guardians nodded, and plans were set in motion. They may be powerless, but they had been heroes long before the ring had called them. The fear did not hold.





Sunday, October 25, 2009
2:51 AM


Clark blinked owlishly at her entrance, clearly surprised that anyone was talking to him. It took him a second of blank staring before recognition enlivened his face. “Alex White? We… it’s great to see you. What happened to you?” Aah, Clark Kent, as articulate as ever. “We haven’t heard from you in years.” And there it was, that grandmotherly level of accusation that he’d always been capable of, even with acquaintances like Alex. “How have you been?” He asked, clearly trying to soften his tone. God only knew how the guy had ended up in journalism; maybe he was more eloquent with a pen.
______

“Problems with icing should be sorted,” the voice came over the intercom. Which would at this rate be a goddamn miracle; they’d been fighting that for months, after the disastrous attempt at a real test flight. Hal had ejected safely, but it was literally back to the drawing board for the scientists.

Hundreds of miles away, an unknown object passed though the atmosphere, undetected by any satellite or observational station. The angle of decent was a steep one; even if the pilot had been healthy, the subsequent crash would have been devastating. 

As it was, the lone passenger considered himself lucky to be alive. It seemed that blessing would not last long; he must make what he could of this moment. Calling on the reserve energy in the ring, he fed it simple instructions; find one it would accept and bring them here. The rings were exacting; it would choose a worthy successor, one who would hopefully aid the lanterns in their hour of need. 

Assuming any worthy bearers were within range; earth had a certain reputation that its few spacefaring inhabitants had done little to dispel.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:04 AM

Alex snorted, “Don’t you read the paper, Clark? I was off in foxholes reporting from combat zones and now I’m here-Meet the Daily Planet’s newest reporter.” She said with a grin, “It’s nice to see a familiar face though, I was starting to wonder if I should’ve left Smallville at all. How the heck did you get into this business, anyway? How’s the family? Heck, how’s Chloe, and Lana? You’ve gotta fill me in. I’ve been so busy dodging bullets the past few years I haven’t had a chance to write.” She says, walking over to the filing cabinet with a coffee pot on it and pouring herself a cup. Alright, so maybe she’d missed home a little more than she was willing to admit.

______

Hal sighed, “Oh good, you finally broke out the hairdryers I see.” He teases, flipping the switches to deploy the flaps when the ice gets a little too thick. The simulator started rattling like it had when he’d had to eject months ago. He frowned, “Control, I thought you said you’d fixed that icing problem. Control?” He asked, tapping his comm. Weird. Must’ve just shorted out. He decided to abort and find out what the hell they’d done this time, but when he opened the door he nearly fell out onto a field of corn about 600 feet below him. The only thing that saved him were his reflexes, grasping onto the side of the doorway with a yelp. Jesus Christ-what the hell?


Sunday, October 25, 2009
03:08

Clark blinked at the questions, clearly not yet recovered from his focus on the computer. He was so accustoed to the lies by now that he didn’t even pause; he fed her the party line on his and Chloe’s lives. Lana was… more difficult. He hadn’t had to make excuses for her recently, but he managed. “Otherwise, things have been pretty quiet around here. Chloe helped me get a job for the paper and I haven’t looked back since.” Another lie, but he was well familiar with this one as well. “Dodging bullets? Sounds dangerous,” he prompted, eyebrows creasing. 
//aah, clark…
________

He could just see the green corona encompassing the craft, faint and flickering. The craft lurched once, causing him to grab for the side again, and then began a decent toward the still-smoking wreck. It settled abruptly, dropping the last five feet with a crash. The simulator, never actually meant for real flight, groaned at the impact.

Then it was quiet, aside from the tick of cooling metal.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:18 AM

Alex listened to the story that Clark fed her, pretty sure that it was only half true, while she sipped her coffee. There was more to this one than met the eye, but after several hours alone with Tess Mercer Alex figured she was probably just paranoid, “Ten kinds of dangerous. I’ve spent the last three years in the middle east, covering the war. Put out a book a few months ago and it somehow skyrocketed to the bestseller list for some mysterious reason. But hey, like Dad always said ‘can’t make an omlette without breaking a few heads.’ ” she chuckled awkwardly, inwardly wincing that her social skills had gone so in the toilet. “So, Clark Kent Daily Planet reporter eh? How are you liking it so far?” She asks, trying to make less awkward conversation. It was genuinely nice to see an old friend and the last thing she wanted to do was send him running within the first five minutes.
_____

Hal blinked at the craft, the soft landing in the Kansas grass, and dared to poke his head out a little further. “Ok, nothing exploding, guess that’s a good sign.” He frowned. That’s when he noticed the smoking wreck-in fact, he was wondering how the hell he’d missed it in the first place. Someone could be hurt, or worse. He pulled off his jacket and jogged over, yelling to see if anyone would respond.





Sunday, October 25, 2009
03:25

Clark smiled, clearly game to meet her halfway. “It’s been good so far. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, but now…” he shrugged helplessly, not yet able to express how it made him feel to be hunting down these problems and exposing them without ever needing secrets or superpowers. “A book, huh? I missed it,” he said apologetically, as if he should have known. “Congratulations. I’m guessing you’ve got an office upstairs, then. I’m glad you decided to mingle down in the basement, or I might never have known you were up there,” he teased.
________

There was no response, but a flare of green light drew his attention to one piece of blasted bulkhead; someone lay against it, wounded. It wasn’t until he approached that he saw the color of that person’s skin, and the royal hue of their blood. The stranger—alien?—had noticed him, and fixed him with an amber stare. “Hal Jordan,” he said, and paused with a wince.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:32 AM

Alex shrugged, “It’s not that big of a deal, If you really want to read it I’ll bring you down a copy.” She said, fiddling with her cup. He had to bring up the office, didn’t he. “Yeah, sixth floor. Didn’t want it but Tess insisted. Honestly I’d be much happier down here but I’m guessing she sort of has that scary girl thing going for her if you try and turn her down.”

Lois had walked into the conversation clueless, wondering who this woman was and what she was doing talking to Clark, “Clark.” she interrupts as politely as possible, “Going to introduce me to your friend?” she asks, stepping in between them with a classic Lois Lane smile.
___________

Hal took a knee, applying pressure to the abdomen wound of the alien. Alien or no, he couldn’t just let the poor man sit there and bleed out. “Hal Jordan, that’s me. We’ll uh…I’ll call an ambulance, get you patched up.” It sounded stupid even as he said it.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
03:36

“Come on, Lois, don’t you recognize Alex?” he said, unable to resist teasing his friend. “She’s famous,” he added, throwing in the extra poke.

Lois smiled at her with the air of someone sizing up the competition and held out her hand. “Good to meet you. Lois Lane,” she offered. “How do you know Clark?” There was something… protective in her posture.
________

The stranger shook his head, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. “No, that is not why I called you here.” He held his hand out, grasping Hal’s with remarkable strength. “You must take the ring, Hal Jordan, and learn to use its power.” A shudder ran through him and his grip weakened. “Protect your home and join the others when you can. They will send for you.” He had to believe that, had to believe that the sudden break in contact was only temporary. He had intended to offer so much more information, but perhaps it was better this way; the ring would show him the way. One more effort of will and it slipped free of his finger, falling into Hal’s palm when he pulled his hand away.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
2:48 PM

Alex glowered at Clark, “He’s exaggerating.” She says, juggling the coffee cup so she can shake Lois’s hand, “Clark and I went to high school together-seems like a century ago. Lois Lane…” She muses, trying to remember where she’d heard the name before. “You did some work for the Planet down in Cuba, right? I really enjoyed that day in the life piece you wrote. You’re Clark’s partner? Lucky kid-I think he could use someone a little more worldly than Smallville to be his Obi-Wan.” She chuckled.
____

Hal frowned at the ring now sitting in his palm. He used his free hand to try and find the pulse of the alien, an exercise in futility, he knew. “Ok…” He says after standing, “This is weird.” He needed to get out of here, and soon. Someone would’ve seen his ship crashing and-What the hell was the ring doing? It floated onto his finger, sending a surge of green energy that encompassed him like a blanket. The rest was a little foggy, but he remembered flying, and getting the simulator back-though he wasn’t quite sure how he managed that one. A basket had seemed like the best idea…


Sunday, October 25, 2009
15:13

Lois snorted, still wary of the newcomer but willing to play along—especially when it meant ribbing Clark. Clark, however, saw it coming a mile away. Before he could cut off what would undoubtedly be a snarky comment, his phone rang. Trying not to look to relieved, he bowed out of the conversation, leaving Lois with the newcomer. “So,” she said, assessing Alex. “I read your book,” she admitted, almost grudgingly. “You do good work. Some of those shots were fantastic. Why’d you end up here?” Not that there was anything wrong with the Planet, of course, but Alex could have chosen just about anywhere.

Clark looked at the caller before he answered and didn’t know if he should be happy or not; lately Chloe’s calls meant something was about to get complicated. 
_______

The flurry of activity when he got back didn’t help with the fogginess; everyone wanted to know what had happened, where he had gone, and he could answer truthfully that he didn’t know. 




Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:27 PM

“Thanks, It’s nice to hear from a peer.” She smiles, “You know some reporters joke about putting their lives on the line for a story.” Alex jokes, “Honestly? I’m from Smallville. My family is there, old friends too. I figured Metropolis wasn’t that far and Tess made me a really, really good offer. Besides, Metropolis is where all the good stories are. I mean Superheroes running around? Can’t get that in New York.”

Chloe sighed, letting the phone ring. It wasn’t every day she had to call Clark to tell him another ship had crashed in Smallville-this wasn’t the time for him not to be picking up.
_____________

Hal sat in his living room with an ice pack on his head. Well, a beam of green energy shaped like an icepack from the ring on his middle finger on his head, anyway. “I think I’m getting the hang of this thing.”


Sunday, October 25, 2009
15:39

“Ooh, is that why they brought you in? I know they were bringing someone in to start chasing down all the heroes that seem to have moved in,” she said, curiosity snapping in her eyes. “Let me know if you want to use any of my research; I’ve done a lot with the heroes.” It wasn’t an entirely altruistic move; Lois could use this as an in, get a hand in what she was certain going to be the story of the decade when it finally broke.

Clark broke away from listening to the conversation across the room to answer the phone. The last thing they needed was someone else writing about them. “Hey Chloe. What’s up?”


Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:44 PM

“Not supposed to tell anyone but yeah. Tess wants someone who isn’t afraid to go running around rooftops behind them. In fact, way I hear it you’re the go to girl for the Hero gossip. If you’re free for lunch maybe we should talk, maybe swap some stories-share a headline. This could be big.” And it saved her the trouble of having to start from square one.

“Clark, We have a problem. A ship just crash landed in Smallville. I don’t think it was Kryptonian, but still. I think you should go check it out.” It wasn’t like she could get a hold of anyone else, anyway.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
15:49

“Sounds great,” Lois said, a fiery grin putting the lie to her casual words. Oh, this was going to be good.

Clark frowned. Not Kryptonian? All things considered, that would be pretty rare. John was out of contact right now, so he couldn’t go to him… either way, he had to check it out. “All right. Anyone else there yet?” He asked, making his way to somewhere unobserved so he could move quickly.


Sunday, October 25, 2009
3:54 PM

“Awesome. I should get back up to my office before Tess shows up-she wanted to take me to dinner or something, gold help me if I’m late. Coffee later? My treat?” She asks, checking her watch.

“No, I haven’t been able to get a hold of anyone else. Oliver and the rest of the League aren’t responding. Looks like it’s up to you, Clark.”


Sunday, October 25, 2009
15:56

“Definitely,” Lois said, already compiling the latest info in her head. “I’ve a lead to chase down. Talk to you later.”

“Thanks, Chloe,” he said. No one there meant he could look around before the emergency vehicles made that… difficult. “I’ll call you when I know something.” He closed the phone and moved, getting to the position that Chloe had texted and coming to an abrupt halt when he saw the extent of the devastation.

They wouldn’t have to worry about hiding this one; there was nothing left. He could make out a twisted piece of metal here and there, a bent strut, but that was it. He was sorting through the debris, trying to find something to tell him who had crashed here and if anyone had survived, when he heard movement to his right.

Assuming that the police arrived, he turned, excuse on his lips… to face an alien.

Clark wasn’t sure he would ever get used to it. This one was relatively human, as these things went; even recognizable as female, though that could be deceptive. She was also really pissed off. “Where is the lantern?” she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.