Chương 8: ISSUE 07 PROJECT DEADLINE
Saturday Afternoon September 16th, 2024. Northern-Hollywood California.
It had been two weeks since Kyle's world has changed. Since he decided to live life outside the bounds of fear and shame. Since he became a member of the Green Lantern Corps. A new experimental hire of sorts with a wacked out ring that only he could use.
It was an honor sometimes.
But most times it was a pain in the…. backside.
Villains spawned indescriminantely like paint splatter in an art studio. Some were straight up comedic extras and others were magical horrors out of your worst nightmares.
Guy Gardner hit like a train— and when you hit him with an actual train, he'd smile. His skull had to be made of iron.
John couldn't miss and was sometimes impossible to touch in training. His architecture degree and military training were somehow the most effective lantern adjacent professions ever. His constructs felt so real. All the way down to the nuts and bolts.
And Ganthet….. was Ganthet.
But Kyle was getting the hang of that crazier side of his life.
The normal side though…..
His alarm went off at the side of his desk. Thankfully, this time he didn't burst out his chair in fear of the mechanized roar.
He tapped the alarm and continued working. His fingers burned from the hours he'd spent writing outlines, drawing character designs and assigning color palettes.
Two weeks.
Three rejections by the class editors.
Everytime hurt worse than the last.
Birthed more fear.
Alex always told him he had a gift. A story to tell.
And here he was, trying to tell it. Taking hours to craft something— personal, something he used to be ashamed of sharing with the public.
Only to be rejected.
But he wouldn't quit.
Only a week ago, he beat Sonar— a superpowered villain able to manipulate sound waves, simply by not quitting. By trying new angles. Being patient and resilient.
Hopefully there was as much overlap as he felt there.
Because he had a new story.
The title popped in bright metallic colored bubbly lettering.
"The Adventures of EMO-MECH!"
A short comic series centered around a high sprung psychotically evil thief who hits his biggest heist yet and finds himself piloting a mechanical assault suit stolen from P.L.A.N.E.T Labs. Wink wink. Only it's powered by the human emotional spectrum. Wink wink. And the longer he goes serving himself with such an awesome power, the more his carnal desires and immoral impulses are drained, leaving a more rational and remorseful man beneath. Just in time for a tyrannical cabal of red skinned telepathic aliens that can influence emotions to try and take over earth.
"Refreshing juxtaposition between the protagonist and his power system. Theme relating to plot. Fitting artstyle…. Something big— explosive, unrealistic proportions and intense coloring, but also capable of reasonably sizing down for human character moments and growth. This has to get me a good grade or the editors are the next weekly villain I have to pulverize." Kyle thought as he finished his sixth draft of the first issue.
All around the room, constructs of hands held pens and wrote endless extra drafts. Some on the cieling, others against the fridge. It was everywhere. All with small tweaks and style changes he considered but needed to see on paper.
His skull burned from the effort. His fear of failure for Alex and rejection burned in tandem.
His pockets— and ego, would burn more if he failed his first semester.
He was all fire and sleep deprivation and—
"You're out of those delicious green orbs I like to slather in syrup. What were they called…? Oh yes, peas."
"Ganthet. Start knocking or I start blasting. Both of my mentors are pro-gun as hell, it could happen." Kyle's constructs popped as he lost focus.
Half finished comic panels fell from all angles making it look like windstorm hit.
Ganthet held a hand out. The papers floated and folded into one streamlined book of extras before landing at Kyle's desk.
"Yes of course. The Malthusian knocking on a college students door won't raise a single earthling brow." Ganthet began slathering peanut butter on a raw strip of skirt steak.
"Three days ago the whole of California just watched the Titans fight an alien rockstar bounty-hunter. I think we'll be fine."
Ganthet took a cringe inducing bite, "Perhaps."
They sat in silence afterwards. Ganthet ate and Kyle tried to find that previous streak of fearless productivity he once had.
Only Ganthet didn't come to his apartment for no reason. And he was eating the groceries he spent half his check on for muscle building at Guy's behest.
"You're built like a swimsuit model, ya twig. Do we look like swimmers?! We're superheroes dammit. Go eat a steak and do some shrugs. The stronger you are, the less you have to fear. The less you have to fear, the stronger your constructs become. That's some good lantern math right there!"
"What is a Lantern-math and why am I not aware of it?" Ganthet questioned as he hovered beside him.
Kyle waved him away, "Get out of my head, man!"
"Your thoughts are very loud. Most of your mind feels like it's plugged into an amp. In a world of acoustic minds, you are electric, Kyle Rayner."
Kyle put his pen down and spun around in his chair to face Ganthet.
"You can stop buttering me up now. Why are you here?"
Ganthet held up his hands, "Why else? You're being hunted, we have a lead. It's time we followed it. I read the minds of all your teachers and implanted an urge to give you all more time on your work. Your deadlines have been pushed back two weeks."
Kyle almost had an aneurism. "You little— dammit, Ganthet!"
"Reading your mind would really speed things up here but I'm trying to respect young adult human customs."
"I thought we understood the blue tyrant way of life was a pretty sizable contributor to Oa's destruction. Hell, there's three green lanterns left alive and two won't even speak to you. Yet you're still just…. manhandling things."
Ganthet stood strong, "Perspective, Kyle Rayner. I'm manipulating one aspect of your life to maintain the most important of them all. Living."
"Oh yea, this is for my sake and not your new ring expirment."
"You mean the ring that only works for you? The one that countless lives depend on? Yes. It is all connected."
"As true as that may be, what good is any of it if you have to strong arm everything around me. Those are people you just mentally tweaked and they'll never know."
"That was the goal."
"And this is my life. When I take the ring off, I have goals. I made promises. Do not get in the way of them. Success or failure. It's all me, Smurf."
Ganthet sighed. "I suppose this is at least in part why the ring chose you. Strong wills enforce stubborn minds."
"You'd do great in an inter-galactic karate movie." Kyle said, "Can you say wax on wax off real quick?"
"I have no use for wax currently."
Kyle rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, what's done cannot be undone."
"Sure."
"We have two weeks to make an advance on our enemies— who by nature, are enemies of the universe."
Kyle nodded suited up in a flash of light. "Writers block came back anyway. Let's head over to Titans Tower."
"Precisely."
***
When you could fly as fast as Kyle could, traveling across two cities and half an ocean felt like running around the corner.
Titans Tower stood in the distance.
Lightning danced to his left.
Then, lightning spoke.
"Hey, slowpokes. Need a lift?"
"Considering we're already flying, that wouldn't make much sense now would it, Impulse?" Ganthet replied as he flew beside Kyle.
"Yuck. Old people. You're more fun than that right, new guy?" Impulse— who looked like sentient lightning asked casually.
"Depends on what your defintion of fun is." Kyle replied.
"Hmmmm…..? How about spontaneous surfing?"
"Wha—WOAH!"
In a flash— no pun intended, Impulse was gone, blasting miles ahead of them. A trench of blue shaped in his wake. As the parted seas moved to smash into eachother in a frothy collision, he ran in circles, forming a small electrical hurricane that spit tidal waves in all directions.
"This is why there are no child lanterns." Ganthet casually flew away from the liquid hell.
Kyle decided to take the chance to challenge himself. A new experience could break his writers block as well.
Suddenly he wasn't flying, and was instead riding a construct of a surfboard.
"Haha! Hell yea, shred it man!" Impulse ran atop a forty foot tall wave beside him. His legs were a spinning blur of light.
"You act this crazy with everyone you first meet?" Kyle questioned as he struggled to maintain his balance in the blue.
"Maybe. Especially with you, though. We have a standard to maintain, greenie!" Impulse flipped off his massive wave and landed beside Kyle.
Immediately his wave grew wilder and faster moving. As if Impulse's connection to the speedforce was infectious.
"What are you talking about?" Kyle questioned.
"Don't you know? Green-Lanters and Speedsters are always bros. It's the law of the universe. Hal and Barry, Wallace and John, me and you!"
"What about Guy?"
"He's not friends with anyone."
"I see it honestly." Kyle and Impulse hit the shores of Titan Towers home island.
Ganthet waited for them calmly hovering above the sand. "If you two are done frolicking amidst the ocean, it's time we get to work."
"Work? But it's the weekend!" Impulse whined.
He looked so unserious. Kyle's world was maniac thieves in mech suits. Legendary lantern heroes turned genocidal gods. Cosmic horror. Death. Tragedy. Art.
And here stood someone no older than fifteen in bright red and white spandex with a wild spiky crop of brown hair sticking out of his head. He looked like he stuck his finger in an outlet. Lightning danced in his golden goggles.
"I'm starting to realize the hours on this job don't care about weekdays…. or ends." Kyle said as they approached the front door.
"Wait till you realize it doesn't care about sleep either." Impulse yawned.
Before Ganthet could even knock on the door, Nightwing opened it and waved them in.
"Impulse, you brought guests!"
"I'm a better recruiter than you, boy wonder!" Impulse stuck his tongue out at his leader and disappeared in a flash. Then reappeared beside Kyle. "Our adventures together are only just beginning! This eras green and gold….. it's gonna be sick!!!" Once again, he was gone.
Somewhere further inside a woman screamed something about knocking before entering the bathroom. Impulse giggled.
"I am so tired of babysitting." Nightwing pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Good thing this one is an adult. And quite good with children." Ganthet referred to Kyle.
"What…? Oh…. Right. Memories." Kyle sighed.
"That's great news because no one else here is other than Wonder-Girl. But she can be…. aggresive."
"So I've heard." Ganthet replied.
"Anyway what brings you guys here?"
"Project Cadmus." Kyle replied.
Nightwing nodded and tapped his ear, "Titans, report to the meeting room immediately... well, maybe not immediately. Finish getting dressed. Impulse, Beast-Man im talking to you."
Somewhere upstairs an elephant roared in protest, "What?! Only you get to show up half naked?"
"Bunker has before!" Impulse yelled from seemingly everywhere all at once.
"Yes. Because only I look good half naked." Nightwing led them down a hall to the left of the door, "Ignore the banter guys. We get a little fiesty since this is basically….. well, a superpowered college dorm. Or summer camp…. Never thought I'd be a camp counselor."
It sounded like a zoo.
Thunder crackled from one of the rooms behind them.
Speedsters flashed by.
A tiger with elephant tusks and hawk wings hopped down the stairs to follow them.
Someone was wearing armor. He could hear the metal clink of their boots.
They reached a massive metal door with a palm reader. Nightwing removed his glove and placed his hand on it. Mechanical beeps signaled the door opening and giving way to a massive black metal spiral staircase.
"Right this way, guys."
A few minutes later and they were inside a massive dungeon/training facility/eight other things. The walls and floor were black metal. Holographic screens gave slideshows and layouts and buildings and beings he had never seen.
Someone titled Black Beetle.
Something about cross dimensional mirrorings.
Mysteries of the speedforce.
And Project Cadmus.
So far so accurate.
They all stood around a massive black round table with a silver and gold T etched into the center.
"We should cosplay as Arthurian knights this Halloween." Impulse commented, "Dibs on Arthur."
"Impulse."
"Yes, boss?"
Nightwing grinned as he held a finger to his lips.
Impulse gave a thousand high-speed salutes and winked at Kyle.
"Alright, everyone. We've had a busy few months with the Justice League gone— some of you are more affected than others…."
Kyle noticed a blonde haired girl looking away at his words.
"With that being said, our workload has increased—"
"Get to the point, wings." The blonde haired girl said irritably.
"Everyone, meet the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps."
"Hey." Kyle nodded to everyone.
"New-guy, meet everyone." Nightwing pointed across the table, "Right over here— wearing the uhh…. thunderclouds, we've got our second oldest and second in command, Solstice. Like you she can bend light. But that's about where your similarities end."
Solstice was a sight. He only missed her initially because of the others. In the dark room she was almost invisible. A collection of shadowy thunderclouds holding feminine shape.
She gave a glowing smile and waved, "Hi Lantern! Please call me Kiran. For a someone so new to this world, you seem to be taking it all quite well. Even so, if you need any help, I'm here for you."
"Never judge a book by its cover." Kyle thought before nodding and returning her warmth.
"On her left we've got golden hands, also known as Wonder-Girl."
She was nice on the eyes. Not as wild and Warrior coded as her mentor, Wonder-Woman. She looked like someone he'd see on campus. Your run of the mill valley girl. Curly blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, freckles and a build made from spending her days outside. She looked like….. Ale—
"She's a clepto." Impulse said from beside Kyle before dashing back to his chair.
"Yep. Dont bother looking for your PlayStation tonight." Wonder-Girl replied without looking at the speedster.
His smile faded immediately. "You're lying."
"Am I?"
"Anyway!" Nightwing pointed to the next person, "Even further left we've got the purple pummeler, Bunker! He's also adept at making constructs."
Bunker wore a purple spandex suit and bandana mask proudly. He was tall and arguably Hispanic from the tone of his skin and goatee. He winked at Kyle, "The threads look better on you than the last one, amigo."
"Thanks."
"Next up we have, Beast-Man. Don't let his looks fool you, he's eighteen." Nightwing said.
"That's well into adulthood for the rest of the animal kingdom." Beast-Man added.
"And you already know me." Impulse smiled and waved as if Kyle was a football field away and not four steps.
"Stacked line-up." Kyle said to Nightwing.
"Not nearly. With the Justice League gone, their rogues are in a frenzy. We're actually looking for new additions wherever we can find them. Recently we picked up two new recruits. Aqualad—"
"He lives in the water." Impulse whispered.
"And Skitter."
"She's a nocturnal werespider." Impulse whispered again.
"A what?"
"Tell us what progress you've made with the criminal enterprise known as Project Cadmus." Ganthet sounded just a few solar systems shy of irritated.
"We hit an old synthesized photon manufacturing plant and I was able to hack into a comlink that gave us a lead on another plant. One that's active."
"Hold on." Kyle held a hand up.
"What's up?" Nightwing said.
"Photon…. Like light?" Kyle questioned.
Nightwing nodded.
"Do you know what exactly they were trying to do with the uhhhh…"
"Synthesized photon molecules." Impulse added.
"Yea. Thanks. Those." Kyle said.
Nightwing looked at Solstice.
"They were attempting to make malleable photon molecules through the integration of energy sensitive nanites—"
"Black Beetle played a role in that." Nightwing added.
"Does that not…. They were trying to make a lantern." Kyle said, partially thinking unfinished thoughts aloud.
The Titans looked at eachother briefly.
"That doesn't make sense." Wonder-Girl couldn't look any less wonderous.
"Why not?" Kyle questioned, "You said it was disbanded right? Anything there have an expiration date?"
Impulse itched his wild crop of hair. "Expiration? Listen, greenie, we have a world class detective on our team, we'd kn—"
"A year. It's was out of comission for a year. No guards. They left everything they thought was useless... building notes, mission debriefs. Shift dates."
"And of course the abandoned test fields. What are you thinking, young lantern?" Solstice inquired.
"Ganthet, when was this ring made?"
"One year ago."
"So, Project Cadmus was once attempting to remake Lanterns….. with robots that could manipulate light molecules? Dios mio that just seems like a lot of work. Id rather take steroids in Gotham." Bunker itched his goatee.
"Then for one reason or another, around the time my ring was made, they gave up. Easier to steal the finished product from a new hire than make it from scratch."
"Not bad, rookie." Nightwing grinned as he looked at Kyle.
"No, very bad." Ganthet explained.
"What? Why?"
"How did they know I made a ring worth abandoning their project here for? We have a cosmic spy issue, it appears." Ganthet explained.
Nightwing shook his head, "That might not be the case."
"How so?"
"We found word on another active project through the hacked comlink. It's promising enough that they might've abandoned the old one." Nightwing explained.
"And what would that be?"
"Something called Operation Hope Reborn."
"I see." Ganthet considered his thoughts before continuing. "Before you engage in uncovering that next operation, I'm requesting you take us back to the abandoned photon facility. This is now Green Lantern Corps business."
"Always down to help a lantern. We'll leave at sundown."
Impulse vibrated and cheered.
"SPEEDSTER LANTERN TEAM-UP TIME!!"
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
_Avatar0FFury_
_Avatar0FFury_ Yo! A bit of a longer chap, I hope you can enjoy all the same. if you couldn’t tell already, this titans lineup is heavily inspired by new 52 teen titans. as controversial and at times bad as that comic run was, I loved the characters. some will be a bit different here for story reasons but I hope to do them Justice. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment/leave a review telling me what ya think.
also you are currently seeing a lot of terms and things relating to the young Justice universe but I’d like to inform you that this isn’t that. It will be cleared up as the story goes on.
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