Chance Encounter #275

Aeolla central city

The beach

I couldn't help but sigh in relaxation as I opened my eyes and slowly stretched my arms. "How long have I been out...?" I asked as I looked at Kara lying on the beach's sand in her red bikini.

"An hour, give or take a couple of minutes..." Kara said as she turned to me, giving me an amused smile. "For a paranoid Gothamite, you sure sleep like a baby..." She added with a chuckle.

"Only when I'm relaxed, which doesn't come around too often," I said with a sigh, shaking my head. "I knew there was a strange substance in the air, but I didn't think it would affect me..." I added, promptly changing my metabolism so it wouldn't happen again.

"It's the black flowers field nearby... it induces relaxation and can put even an elephant to sleep..." Kara said, gesturing toward the back of the beach. "I instantly fell asleep when I came here first, but it doesn't affect me anymore," She added as she sat straight, staring into the alien beach waves.

"Don't worry, though. I made sure to keep an eye out. No one had their way with you..." She concluded with a smirk.

"Thanks, I guess..." I said, rolling my eyes at Kara. "Still, there's another guy following us now..." I said as I sat straight, noting a blue-skinned alien watching us from a respectful distance.

"He isn't with Aeollans," I added, having realized he seemed to be on guard against them as he would occasionally glance at our other tails, seemingly on guard.

"I know, and I'm starting to think the Aeollans tailing us aren't just following protocol..." Kara replied with a frown. "They would have been gone by now if they were," She added, shaking her head.

"Should we leave...?" Kara asked after a brief pause, causing me to raise an eyebrow as I rubbed my chin in thought.

We had already seen most of the city and spent a good portion of the money we earned from the commission after spending several days in Aeolla.

I still didn't take the so-called intelligence level test we scheduled for tomorrow, but I didn't really care. I knew I was way more intelligent than most sentient beings in the universe, and my intelligence would only continue to grow, so the test was moot at best.

Then again, Kara seemed excited to see the result, and I was curious about how the test would go.

"Nah... these guys are either targeting your or me, probably you..." I said after a brief pause. "They might come looking for you on Earth even if we leave..." I added with a sigh.

"It's better to stay here and deal with them before we go," I concluded as I lied down and stared into the clear sky, putting my hands behind my back in relaxation.

"If you say so," Kara said with a smile as she copied my actions, making herself comfortable. "I guess we'll just have to kick their asses." She concluded.

...

Somewhere in Aeolla central city

Jack couldn't help but curse as he watched Grayson and Kara head into their hotel, each heading for their room. He had resolved to approach the latter to ask for help, but Aeollan intelligence hounded the two as if their life depended on it.

They followed Kara and Grayso everywhere, rendering Jack unable to approach them as they knew his face already, and they were actively hunting for him.

Jack assumed they were only following protocol by tailing possibly problematic newcomers to ensure they didn't cause trouble. However, the fact they remained kept such a close eye on the two suggested otherwise.

It wasn't all bad since that would motivate Grayson to help him, but it meant nothing if he couldn't approach the young man without alerting the Aeollan hounds to his presence.

"If only this dumb old thing wasn't so god damned loud..." Jack muttered as he retrieved a silver cassette-shaped device with various blue and pink patterns adorning its outer shell.

The device was a Mother Box, a regular everyday-use item for the people of New-Genisis, but miracle sentient computers capable of achieving the impossible for other, less advanced denizens of the universe.

Teleportation was but one of many abilities a Mother Box could perform. However, it was too loud and noticeable, not to mention the outrageous amount of energy it would emit, rendering the function useless in any situation that required subtlety.

Jack had won the Mother Box from some drunken idiot in a wager. But neither he nor the previous owner knew how to use the miracle computer for anything more than short-distance teleportation.

It's why he was willing to part with the Mother Box in exchange for the young human's help, despite knowing its value, as he had his power ring and was too lazy to master something as complicated as New-Genisis technology.

What's more, Jack enjoyed making new friends, and it never hurt to have a powerful friend that even the high and mighty Hall Jordan, the so-called greatest Green Lantern to live, spoke highly of.

"What to do..." jack muttered with a sigh as he stared at the Mother Box, suddenly freezing as he felt something cold at the back of his neck, causing him to frown as he dropped it and raised his arms in surrender.

"The name's Jack T. Chance. I'm with the Green Lantern Crops. Kill me, and my friends will hunt you down for the rest of your life..." Jack slowly said, his hands still in the air as alarms rang in his mind, sensing the danger to his life thanks to years of experience surviving his homeworld.

"I find that hard to believe. I know a killer when I see one," said a calm voice behind Jack. "Show me your ring if you're telling the truth," He added, and the confidence in the speaker's tone told Jack all he needed to know.

"Sure thing..." Jack said as he stuck his right hand to the side and quickly removed the illusion concealing the green power ring. "It's not a prop either," He added as he created a small energy construct to prove in the shape of a spaceship to prove it was real.

"You can turn around and drop your hands if you wish," The voice said as Jack felt the cold sensation disappear from the back of his neck, prompting him to sigh in relief as he turned around, only for his eyes to widen as he realized it was Grayson standing there.

"So Jack T. Chance of the Green Lantern Crops, why the fuck are you following me around, and what the fuck are you doing here...?" Grayson asked as he crossed his arms.

"I just wanted to introduce myself..." Jack replied as he gathered his bearings, to which Grayson only gave him a skeptical look. "I couldn't approach because you had a tail, and folks here seem to have it out of me..." He added with a shrug, scratching his head.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't appreciate the heat," Jack concluded.

"Well, that's thoughtful of you, but you didn't answer," Grayson said with a frown, clearly unimpressed with Jack's reply. "What are you doing here, and what do you want from me...?" He repeated his questions, going out of his way to be more specific.

"I'm on corps business. The Oans sent me to investigate some sentient weapon from Krypton that infiltrated the planet and took control of its leader," Jack replied, tilting his head in confusion as he noticed Grayson's expression shift at his words.

"As for why I approached you, it's to ask for help. These Oans are more capable than I anticipated..." Jack explained and quickly went on before Grayson could say anything. "Naturally, I'm not asking for a free lunch," He added as he picked up the Mother Box from the ground and threw it towards him.

"A Mother Box...?" Grayson said as he picked up the box and gave it an appraising look before turning back to Jack, to which the latter casually nodded his head.

"If what you say is true, I'll have to help you either way..." Grayson said, tossing the Mother Box in his hand. "I don't know if you noticed, but my date is a Kryptonian. I'm certain this is somehow about her," He added, giving Jack a blank look.

"It doesn't matter. I've got no clue how to use that thing," Jack said with a chuckle, gesturing at the Mother Box. "You can consider it a gift," He carelessly added.

"Then it would be awfully rude of me not to gift you a little something in return," Grayson said as the Mother Box disappeared from his hand. "Give me your ring," He added, extending his hand toward Jack, much to the latter's surprise.

"I don't know how you got into Green Lantern Corps, but you don't fit the Oans recruitment standards..." Grayson said as he noticed Jack's hesitation. "They must have tempered with your ring somehow..." He added.

"I'll remove any limitations they put on it..."

...

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