Work Text:
Hal must admit, he didn’t think he’d ever be so glad to see a Manhunter’s head.
His ring is charged enough by it that they are able to take down the giant creature with a few well-placed hits, joined by Razer’s valiant throw of the Manhunter’s head. Hal and Kilowog land next to Razer on the floor of the arena and survey their victory. Dust floats in the air.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Hal thinks.
“What have you done to mother?” One of the piranha-people cry, pointing back to the fallen creature. Hal blinks. That’s their mother? Why would it eat its own children?
Scratch that, he really doesn’t want to know. “Time to go.” He says, and shoots into the air. Kilowog follows. Hal lifts Razer and they fly over the city, a few scattered angry piranha-people waving their blasters at them as they go past. All in all, Hal is rather glad he didn’t get killed by them, or by their sort-of mother. It’s not really a good look on your intergalactic epitaph.
His ring, thankfully, is up and humming happily – he might need to finish charging it, considering the Manhunter’s head wasn’t exactly a proper battery, but it’s working well enough that when Razer shouts up to him he understands.
“I need to go back and retrieve my weapons.” The Volkregian says, pointing back to the approximate area where they’d tried to haggle with the piranha-alien-thing. Although on this planet, Hal is the alien. Well, just about everywhere Hal is an alien, which even after all this time is a thought that jolts him. Hal’s not sure what the people of this planet are called, however. Maybe he’ll just stick with piranha-people until they stop trying to hit him with their blasters.
Green Lanterns are really unpopular here.
“Is it important?” Hal asks, but he already knows the answer. Razer wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t.
“Yes. They are of personal significance to me.” Razer tilts his head, considering. “Your device would best be retrieved as well. We do not know how compatible it is with this species’ technology.”
“Right, my phone. Good point, don’t want them figuring out how to send intergalactic texts to Carol.”
Razer gives him Look #3, the one he makes when he’s unsure if Hal is trying to be humorous or not and so scowls to be safe. “We should go now if we wish to reduce the chances of conflict.”
Hal glances back at the site, chews his lip for a moment. They could chance it. Most of the locals seem to be dealing with the scene in the arena now, and Hal and Kilowog’s rings do have enough juice….
“Alright.” He says, with one quick sharp nod to Razer. “Hey, Kilowog! We’re going to go back and grab our stuff.”
“Are you nuts? We just got out!”
Hal shrugs.
Kilowog sighs, sweeping back around. Hal catches the muttered ‘poozer’ at the edge of his hearing and grins.
They end up finding only the one piranha-person. Hal’s sure there’s more on the way, so he snatches his phone up from the dirt quickly. Kilowog tosses his keys and gum over and frowns down at the unfortunate piranha-person, who is still regaining full consciousness from their previous encounter. When they turn back to Razer, most of the weapons are already hidden from sight. The last few are tucked away with quick, efficient movements, with only a slight hesitation on the large, more decorated blade. Razer stares down at it for a moment, lips pressed together in a hard line, before it, too, disappears into his tunic.
It disconcerts Hal just how many blades Razer thinks is necessary to carry with him, even with his ring, and how they manage to be so undetectable.
“I’m ready.” Razer says as shouting starts up nearby. Kilowog gives the few grubs still left wiggling on the table a regretful glance and boosts into the air. Hal scrunches his nose at the squirming mess – seriously, gross – and does the same, lifting Razer with him. A few piranha-people try to take shots at them with their blasters, but in the air they’re easy to avoid and soon the three are out of the city.
It’s nice not to be choking on this air. Hal thinks, and yeah, that would be even worse to have on your epitaph.
When the Interceptor comes into view Hal wants to cry just a little. The ship looks terrible, and while Hal knows it’s easily fixable now the main battery is recharged, it still hurts the pilot part of him. A good ship like the Interceptor deserves better.
Hal considers the irony of the Interceptor’s navigation computer being responsible for her ship’s banged-up state and doesn’t laugh.
They set down inside the ship carefully. Kilowog gets to work on readying the controls on the bridge immediately, while Hal and Razer head down to the main battery. Rebooting everything takes only a moment. There is damage to varying degrees all over the ship, but most of it is minor and won’t take too long to repair.
“Cordon off this room and the areas that need your attention, and then set them to regain full life support first. That way you don’t need transport in your own personal bubble. Not that it isn’t a nice bubble.” Hal waves his hand a bit, and then green bubble bounces slightly around Razer, who remains steady inside.
Look #2 makes an appearance. Razer isn’t impressed, then.
“Hey.” Hal says, voice more soft. “You did a good job without your ring. We all did.”
Razer glances down to his powerless ring and clenches his fist. “I only wish I didn’t need it.” He says quietly. “But it won’t leave me, and I’m useless without it.”
Hal nods, understanding.
“There’s always hope.” He says, putting a hand on Razer’s shoulder. “Once we help Aya, and all of this is over? I’ll help you find another way. Kilowog and Aya too. You’re not alone anymore, Razer.”
Razer stares back silently, and then nods.
Hal smiles and claps him on the shoulder reassuringly. “Five months ago you wouldn’t have even let me touch you. You’re improving – we’re practically best buddies now.”
“Don’t push it, Jordan.” Razer says, but there’s a hint of smile at his lips.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Hal tells him, hands up in mock surrender, and leaves, whistling as he goes. The green line trails behind him back to the engine room.
Razer kneels down at the panel and starts the repairs as Jordan leaves, making a ridiculous high pitched noise as he does so. It’s probably supposed to have rhythm, Razer thinks, but like a Hadjur during mating season, it’s not a very pleasant sound.
Razer sighs and reroutes power to essential systems. The green light of the main battery is almost warm against his back, and Hal’s ‘bubble’ allows him to work without choking on the methane still present inside the ship. It takes him a while, but he finally manages to successfully cordon off the surrounding area to receive optimum environmental support. The doors slide shut with a hiss and the methane cycles out. Razer holds his breath in the short moment it takes between the cutting of Jordan’s line and the renewal of the life support.
Jordan’s voice flickers over the ship’s comm almost immediately after the ‘bubble’ drops. “Everything alright down there, Razer? The shield cut out.”
“Yes. Life support is now operating at full capacity for two thirds of the ship, and will soon be restored to the rest. Is the front window repaired?”
“Not yet. We’re working on it now.”
Razor suppresses the urge to tell them to hurry up – the sooner everything is repaired, the sooner they can leave and find Aya. But he knows it will not help. They want to find Aya too, and are likely working as fast as they can.
“Very well. I will hold off restoring life support to your section until you have finished.” Razer says.
“Understood. Jordan out.”
Razer turns away from the comm, glad that the Green Lantern’s ring was translating properly. Jordan’s earth language gave him a headache earlier, as choppy and uncoordinated as it was. Trying to follow it was even harder than attempting to understand Kilowog.
He briefly wonders what Volkregian sounds like to the others. It’s not Razer’s first language, but he’d taken to speaking it more often than his native Garesh, which was restricted to his clan and homeland. Volkregian was spoken on a planetary basis and was the most common language on Volkreg, especially in urban areas.
It had come in handy when he’d joined the militia.
Razer shakes off the thoughts of his home world and finishes the repairs in the engine room section. His foot kicks against his abandoned battery as he moves to continue repairs near the bridge, now the only place without life support.
The battery is glowing.
Razer kneels and picks it up, checking the damage. It’s almost fully restored, scratches and burns gone, and Razer sets it down before him.
He’s not sure if he’s glad it’s managed to recharge. On one hand, he needs the ring’s power. Without it, he’s useless and a burden, unable to help the others.
On the other hand, he wants the legacy of rage and hate gone. Using the ring makes him feel sick and dirty. It’s still with him, so anger does unfortunately remain in his heart, but he’s not sustained by it anymore. He’s just tired, and empty, and so very guilty.
He lifts his hand and places it before the Lantern, closes his eyes. He needs to do it. He won’t be of any help without a charged ring. He takes a breath and says the oath.
He opens his eyes when he’s done, but his ring is still dead, and he is not burning with red energy. It didn’t work.
You’re not angry enough. He tells himself. He thinks of Aya, and what he did to her in his misguided attempt to prevent anymore sacrifices for him on her part, and the Lantern battery flares in response. He’s still angry, but it’s only toward himself. Self-hate is what keeps the ring going now.
The ring can survive, at least, on that.
The battery blazes brighter and he fuels the anger toward himself. I knew I was going to hurt her and I did it anyway. He thinks. I did this, all of it – Aya is gone because of me, Aya isn’t Aya because of me. I’m responsible for hurting so many people. The least I can do is put aside my own disgusting selfishness and help Aya, no matter how vile recharging is.
She deserves better than what you've ever given her.
The battery burns eagerly, and he begins again.
"With blood and rage of crimson red,
We fill men's souls with darkest dread,
And twist your minds to pain and hate,
We'll burn you all—that is your fate."
The red energy – rage and hate – floods through him. It’s an incredible, painful rush of power, but by the time his ring is recharged and his armour is wrapping back around him, reassuring yet suffocating, he feels like he’s going to throw up. He stares at the ring on his hand like it’s going to eat him, and stands shakily.
It’s worth it, for Aya, he tells himself, and picks up the battery. His skin crawls at the contact, but he holds it tighter and makes his way to the bridge. Hal’s words from earlier surface in his memory, and with it a stray, hopeful thought slips through the despair and disgust.
We’ll find another way.
After leaving Razer in the engine room to work on repairs, Hal wanders back whistling to the bridge to help Kilowog. He runs diagnostic scans while Kilowog works on the front window, and for the most part it’s companionably quiet.
The scans, essentially, show that the ship is a mess.
He lets his palm rest on the console of a moment, almost opens his mouth to reassure Aya they’d get everything up and running fine soon enough, and then remembers.
We will. Hal reminds himself. We’ll fix this, and help Aya.
At one point the link to the shield he’s maintaining over Razer flickers and cuts out. The readouts say that Razer is simply sealing parts of the ship to restore life support, but Hal checks in anyway. The ship’s damaged and not completely reliable and he’ll feel better if he hears Razer’s voice himself. He doesn’t want to lose another crewmember.
Razer, alive and well, confirms the readout. Hal closes the comm and relaxes slightly.
“Kid alright?” Kilowog asks, voice rough, and Hal nods.
“He will be.”
Hal is directing the ship to repair the shattered pieces of the front window when a glint of red catches his attention. He looks up to see a fully powered Razer entering the bridge, clad in his typical red armour. Hal feels a pang of sympathy for him – he knows how much Razer dislikes using the battery.
The ship’s power flickers on in the bridge as the section returns to safe environmental levels, and Hal lets out a small, relieved sigh, dropping his shields.
Razer holds up his surprisingly unscathed battery, moving forward to join Kilowog. His shields drop too.
“Apparently my Lantern battery was able to recharge itself after all.” He comments.
“Well ain’t that convenient.” Kilowog says as Hal gets out of his chair and walks over. He slings his right arm over Razer’s shoulder, his left against Kilowog’s, and smiles. Time to put some optimism back into this ship.
“So, it was difficult, but we worked together despite the obstacles, like Lanterns are supposed to. I guess my pep talk hits home in any language, huh?”
There’s a moment of confused silence.
“Pep talk?” Kilowog says.
“The one in the arena.” Hal untangles himself, slipping between the two to face them. “The big all for one and one for all speech? You guys got that, right?”
Kilowog and Razer exchange a look, and then Kilowog turns back to face Hal, realization crossing his face.
“Oh, that, yeah. Real inspirational.” He says, Razer nodding along.
“Deeply moving.” Razer agrees, arm pressed against chest, hand over heart. Well, Hal’s not actually sure where his heart (hearts?) would be. He only has to eat every month or so, who knows how different his biology is to a human’s?
Aya would. She’d done scans on all of them in case of medical emergencies. Hal resolves to ask her about the important differences in biologies if – no, when – she returns.
Satisfied with his crew’s morale, Hal finishes off his little speech. “Now let’s get off this rock and find Aya.” He says, moving past them and to the door.
“Did you understand what he was –?” Kilowog begins.
“Not a word.” Razer says, folding his arms, and at the door Hal pauses and smiles. His crew is a mess, but they’re a mess together, and that’s the only way they’ll find Aya and bring her home.