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Chapter 354: New Decrees
Far exceeding the speed of light, the Sinestro Corps crossed the galaxy, emerging from a warp channel into the Solar System. Space debris and shattered wreckage whizzed past the porthole.
Hank Henshaw, now Cyborg Superman, sat silently on his throne, gazing through the porthole at the azure planet floating in space—a place he had once considered his home. It had once held everything for him, and he had been willing to pay any price to return.
But that was all in the past. Returning now, he no longer felt that same fervor. Now, his mind was filled with only one thought: the end. It was so close, and he fervently prayed for it to become reality.
"The time has come."
Encased in yellow light, Sinestro slowly descended and said calmly.
Cyborg Superman rose and came to his side.
"As you know, Earth may have some native 'superheroes,'" Sinestro said. "Our forces have an absolute advantage, but we cannot afford to be careless. They have defeated Apokolips before. Though they are few, the strength of some individuals cannot be underestimated."
"I don't need you to remind me of that," Cyborg Superman said.
"Ha, I almost forgot you came from this little mudball. Fine, just don't forget your job."
The hangar bay opened, and Cyborg Superman was the first to fly out of the warship. Countless Manhunters followed him, like a great swarm of metallic locusts.
Sinestro's ideal was to bring order to the universe, and he believed the only way to make that order last was through fear. But Hank Henshaw didn't actually agree. He believed that nothing so perfect existed in this world. As long as something existed, it was bound to be full of flaws. The only perfection was nothingness.
Hank did not trust the allies at his side. Although they had gathered together, their respective goals were actually different. The only ones in this force Hank truly trusted were the Manhunters who followed him.
The Manhunters were born to be perfect soldiers. The Guardians had built them as emotionless machines, forever loyal and dutiful, but without passion. Hank considered that the ideal state. Now, he too had become a machine, with the only difference being the curse of retaining his past memories. He was seeking liberation.
Cyborg Superman locked onto the primary target: the Justice League Watchtower orbiting Earth, funded by Wayne Enterprises, currently Earth's most advanced space station.
"Remember your plan," Cyborg Superman said coldly. "The operation begins in ten minutes."
"Acknowledged, Grandmaster," the Manhunters responded in unison. "No one escapes the Manhunters."
He said nothing more. The Manhunters dispersed to take their positions. The technology provided by Brainiac would allow them to completely deceive the Watchtower's radar until the operation began.
Until then, Cyborg Superman wanted to be alone for a while.
He left the squadron, flew toward Earth, and landed in a graveyard in Coast City.
The place where his wife was buried.
He himself didn't know why he had come here. Previously, when he returned to Earth, his mind was filled only with thoughts of revenge against Superman, of getting justice for his wife. But now, he no longer cared.
He reached out. A metallic tentacle plunged into the grave, overturning the tombstone and dragging out the corpse of a woman, caked with dirt and corroded beyond recognition, which he then held in his arms.
"I tried, Terri," he said softly. "I was shattered, melted, and broken down into dust. But even then, I only barely reached the edge of life and death."
"I once considered your fate unjust, but now I only envy you, Terri. I envy how easily you died."
"Perhaps I will succeed this time. Perhaps I will be with you again soon. But I don't want to see you, and I no longer miss your touch, your warmth. No, now I just want this all to end..."
As he spoke, he suddenly roared, twisting his arms and ripping his wife's corpse in half, as if doing so could tear her image from his tormented mind.
"All the memories, all the curses, everything ends today!"
At that moment, the Manhunters' communication sounded in his ear. "All units in position, Grandmaster."
"Excellent," Hank Henshaw declared. "Then now... begin the operation!"
Earth's orbit. Justice League Watchtower.
"You know, you don't necessarily have to take a shift on the roster," Martian Manhunter said to Batman.
"I know you have a lot to deal with in Gotham, and traveling between Gotham and the Watchtower isn't as convenient for you as it is for most of us..."
Batman turned to glance at him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply—" Martian Manhunter said.
"It doesn't matter," Batman said flatly. "I don't have superpowers, but that doesn't mean anything... Speaking of which, has Jordan not reported in this time?"
"It's probably Green Lantern Corps business. You know he's not always on Earth," Martian Manhunter said.
Batman sat at the control console, frowning at the Watchtower's readings. "The gravity readings are off. Something with a mass greater than the Moon is exerting a pull, but the radar isn't picking up anything—"
His pupils suddenly contracted. His detective's instinct flared, telling him something was wrong.
"Martian Manhunter, sound the alarm!" he shouted abruptly. "We're under attack!"
BOOM!!!
The impact of an explosion from an unknown location caused the entire Watchtower to tremble. Blazing flames and black smoke billowed up, surging rapidly through the sealed cabins.
"Raise the emergency shields," Martian Manhunter reacted instantly. "Activate the counterattack protocol."
Outside the Watchtower, a shield materialized, its energy barrier enveloping the space station. A dense barrage of light rays shot in from all directions, and ripples from the impacts continuously bloomed across the barrier. Its integrity plummeted at a visible rate.
Through the window, they saw the identity of their attackers. It was a massive legion of robots that had somehow formed an encirclement around the Watchtower.
"They're documented in the data reports provided by the Green Lanterns," Martian Manhunter said. "It's the Manhunters. Contact reinforcements. I'll go slow them down."
As he spoke, Martian Manhunter's body phased into transparency. He passed through the wall of the Watchtower and flew out to meet the swarm of machines filling the sky.
"Justice League emergency broadcast to all members. The Watchtower is under attack. We estimate it will fall in three minutes, at the soonest," Batman said. "All members, wherever you are... we are facing an interstellar war."
"Earth!?"
The moment Hal received the message, he nearly shot out of his seat.
"Sinestro's target is Earth? But why??"
Until this moment, everyone had been convinced that Sinestro's target was Oa. The entire Corps had assembled and was on high alert. Who would have thought he'd actually target such an insignificant little place?
Just then, an intense green glow bloomed from the Central Fortress. The entire Guardians' Council flew out slowly in that green light, floating in mid-air under the gaze of all the Green Lanterns.
"This only means that Sinestro has discovered a secret we hid within the Book of Oa, a secret concerning the safety of the entire universe," one of the Guardians said flatly.
"He has discovered why Earth is the most important place."
"Why?" Hal flew up and asked.
"I believe now is not the best time for explanations, Lantern Jordan," that Guardian glanced at him, then raised his voice. "All Green Lanterns, hear my command. We are facing a terrible fear. We have suffered tremendous losses. There have been many casualties, and the Green Lantern Corps has been greatly challenged. The Sinestro Corps acts without compassion, reveling in the suffering they inflict. Now, for some vital reason, they have targeted Planet Earth, and we absolutely cannot let them succeed."
"But to win this war, the Green Lantern Corps needs to change. To that end, we have rewritten the Book of Oa. Ten new laws have been synchronized to all Green Lanterns' Power Rings. The first of which..."
The mark of the Power Ring was reflected in the eyes of all the Guardians.
"...For the first time in billions of years, we are lifting the lethal force restriction on the Green Lantern Rings. The Power Rings are now authorized to use lethal force. So, Green Lanterns... do what you must."
(end of chapter)
Far exceeding the speed of light, the Sinestro Corps crossed the galaxy, emerging from a warp channel into the Solar System. Space debris and shattered wreckage whizzed past the porthole.
Hank Henshaw, now Cyborg Superman, sat silently on his throne, gazing through the porthole at the azure planet floating in space—a place he had once considered his home. It had once held everything for him, and he had been willing to pay any price to return.
But that was all in the past. Returning now, he no longer felt that same fervor. Now, his mind was filled with only one thought: the end. It was so close, and he fervently prayed for it to become reality.
"The time has come."
Encased in yellow light, Sinestro slowly descended and said calmly.
Cyborg Superman rose and came to his side.
"As you know, Earth may have some native 'superheroes,'" Sinestro said. "Our forces have an absolute advantage, but we cannot afford to be careless. They have defeated Apokolips before. Though they are few, the strength of some individuals cannot be underestimated."
"I don't need you to remind me of that," Cyborg Superman said.
"Ha, I almost forgot you came from this little mudball. Fine, just don't forget your job."
The hangar bay opened, and Cyborg Superman was the first to fly out of the warship. Countless Manhunters followed him, like a great swarm of metallic locusts.
Sinestro's ideal was to bring order to the universe, and he believed the only way to make that order last was through fear. But Hank Henshaw didn't actually agree. He believed that nothing so perfect existed in this world. As long as something existed, it was bound to be full of flaws. The only perfection was nothingness.
Hank did not trust the allies at his side. Although they had gathered together, their respective goals were actually different. The only ones in this force Hank truly trusted were the Manhunters who followed him.
The Manhunters were born to be perfect soldiers. The Guardians had built them as emotionless machines, forever loyal and dutiful, but without passion. Hank considered that the ideal state. Now, he too had become a machine, with the only difference being the curse of retaining his past memories. He was seeking liberation.
Cyborg Superman locked onto the primary target: the Justice League Watchtower orbiting Earth, funded by Wayne Enterprises, currently Earth's most advanced space station.
"Remember your plan," Cyborg Superman said coldly. "The operation begins in ten minutes."
"Acknowledged, Grandmaster," the Manhunters responded in unison. "No one escapes the Manhunters."
He said nothing more. The Manhunters dispersed to take their positions. The technology provided by Brainiac would allow them to completely deceive the Watchtower's radar until the operation began.
Until then, Cyborg Superman wanted to be alone for a while.
He left the squadron, flew toward Earth, and landed in a graveyard in Coast City.
The place where his wife was buried.
He himself didn't know why he had come here. Previously, when he returned to Earth, his mind was filled only with thoughts of revenge against Superman, of getting justice for his wife. But now, he no longer cared.
He reached out. A metallic tentacle plunged into the grave, overturning the tombstone and dragging out the corpse of a woman, caked with dirt and corroded beyond recognition, which he then held in his arms.
"I tried, Terri," he said softly. "I was shattered, melted, and broken down into dust. But even then, I only barely reached the edge of life and death."
"I once considered your fate unjust, but now I only envy you, Terri. I envy how easily you died."
"Perhaps I will succeed this time. Perhaps I will be with you again soon. But I don't want to see you, and I no longer miss your touch, your warmth. No, now I just want this all to end..."
As he spoke, he suddenly roared, twisting his arms and ripping his wife's corpse in half, as if doing so could tear her image from his tormented mind.
"All the memories, all the curses, everything ends today!"
At that moment, the Manhunters' communication sounded in his ear. "All units in position, Grandmaster."
"Excellent," Hank Henshaw declared. "Then now... begin the operation!"
Earth's orbit. Justice League Watchtower.
"You know, you don't necessarily have to take a shift on the roster," Martian Manhunter said to Batman.
"I know you have a lot to deal with in Gotham, and traveling between Gotham and the Watchtower isn't as convenient for you as it is for most of us..."
Batman turned to glance at him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply—" Martian Manhunter said.
"It doesn't matter," Batman said flatly. "I don't have superpowers, but that doesn't mean anything... Speaking of which, has Jordan not reported in this time?"
"It's probably Green Lantern Corps business. You know he's not always on Earth," Martian Manhunter said.
Batman sat at the control console, frowning at the Watchtower's readings. "The gravity readings are off. Something with a mass greater than the Moon is exerting a pull, but the radar isn't picking up anything—"
His pupils suddenly contracted. His detective's instinct flared, telling him something was wrong.
"Martian Manhunter, sound the alarm!" he shouted abruptly. "We're under attack!"
BOOM!!!
The impact of an explosion from an unknown location caused the entire Watchtower to tremble. Blazing flames and black smoke billowed up, surging rapidly through the sealed cabins.
"Raise the emergency shields," Martian Manhunter reacted instantly. "Activate the counterattack protocol."
Outside the Watchtower, a shield materialized, its energy barrier enveloping the space station. A dense barrage of light rays shot in from all directions, and ripples from the impacts continuously bloomed across the barrier. Its integrity plummeted at a visible rate.
Through the window, they saw the identity of their attackers. It was a massive legion of robots that had somehow formed an encirclement around the Watchtower.
"They're documented in the data reports provided by the Green Lanterns," Martian Manhunter said. "It's the Manhunters. Contact reinforcements. I'll go slow them down."
As he spoke, Martian Manhunter's body phased into transparency. He passed through the wall of the Watchtower and flew out to meet the swarm of machines filling the sky.
"Justice League emergency broadcast to all members. The Watchtower is under attack. We estimate it will fall in three minutes, at the soonest," Batman said. "All members, wherever you are... we are facing an interstellar war."
"Earth!?"
The moment Hal received the message, he nearly shot out of his seat.
"Sinestro's target is Earth? But why??"
Until this moment, everyone had been convinced that Sinestro's target was Oa. The entire Corps had assembled and was on high alert. Who would have thought he'd actually target such an insignificant little place?
Just then, an intense green glow bloomed from the Central Fortress. The entire Guardians' Council flew out slowly in that green light, floating in mid-air under the gaze of all the Green Lanterns.
"This only means that Sinestro has discovered a secret we hid within the Book of Oa, a secret concerning the safety of the entire universe," one of the Guardians said flatly.
"He has discovered why Earth is the most important place."
"Why?" Hal flew up and asked.
"I believe now is not the best time for explanations, Lantern Jordan," that Guardian glanced at him, then raised his voice. "All Green Lanterns, hear my command. We are facing a terrible fear. We have suffered tremendous losses. There have been many casualties, and the Green Lantern Corps has been greatly challenged. The Sinestro Corps acts without compassion, reveling in the suffering they inflict. Now, for some vital reason, they have targeted Planet Earth, and we absolutely cannot let them succeed."
"But to win this war, the Green Lantern Corps needs to change. To that end, we have rewritten the Book of Oa. Ten new laws have been synchronized to all Green Lanterns' Power Rings. The first of which..."
The mark of the Power Ring was reflected in the eyes of all the Guardians.
"...For the first time in billions of years, we are lifting the lethal force restriction on the Green Lantern Rings. The Power Rings are now authorized to use lethal force. So, Green Lanterns... do what you must."
(end of chapter)
