CHPT 5: Light Dies, Rage Thrives…

Sector 2814, Earthen Date: Unknown. Approaching Planet: Earth…..

Spacial travel. Something many humans could only dream of. It had been Rankorr and his Corps' bread and butter for the past two years. And no matter how many times they did it— how many miles they roamed. It was always its very own specific brand of breathtaking.

It was unreal. To feel the unforgiving cold attempting to breach his Rage Aura and Blood-Beetle Armor— to fight the tug of each passing planets atmosphere that threatened to consume him whole. Even the stars— their heat fell against his shielded body like slowly awakening bombs, ready to burst and shed their light on the deaf dark of space.

In the distance, nimbus clouds sat in picture perfect stillness, glimmering shards within ignited by the glowing backdrop of the sun or a passing asteroid sheathed in flames.

Every aspect of space was gorgeous— and deadlier than anything from his home. Almost as if every feature was their to remind him it was all real despite its fantastical edge.

A beauty. Space was a sea of cosmic horror masked by beauty in its truest form. And at its current center, Earth floated.

His home. After two long years, he'd been pulled back. With new allies— and vastly unknown new power.

Without a moments hesitation, he veered off course and dove into the planet covered in blotches of blues greens and cloudy whites.

As the Rankorr and his Lanters ripped through the atmosphere, dive bombing like Hawks on the Hunt, the world gained strikingly clear detail.

His Scarab seemed to have visual prowess on par with his very own red ringed Kryptonian.

Even now, thousands of feet above ground, his visored mask scanned the world below in a technological wave of radio and topographical scans that he somehow understood perfectly.

His descent continued until he ripped through a cloud and came to a complete stop mid air.

The others appeared soon after. Kara hovered next to him as if she was never behind. Her face aimed towards the sun, she didn't seem to care that they'd just entered her old home as well.

"•Kryptonian Female psychological and physical readings remain alarming— but not harmful. Kryptonite isotope storage prepped.•" Khaji-Krow announced in Rankorr's mind.

"Stop being weird. All of our psychological readings are off— were Reds for fucks sake." Rankorr stated flatly while he continued to watch over the lands below him.

For a moment it seemed like an endless world of green.

Rainforest. He'd almost forgotten the word. Thin misty clouds swirled and drifted around the canopy below him like traveling ghosts. He could hear water running through the wooden labyrinth below— and smell wet grass as clear as day despite the distance.

His sights suddenly went thermal, showing him the clutter of animals leaping and bounding through the woodland, bodies heated with activity and carefree speed.

It was simple. Calming…serene. Much unlike the wildlands on other planets off world— places where even the trees would kill you. And Alien Sorcerers roamed in search of any life form to use in their cruel practices that rivaled all of humanities dark and grimey history.

He fought off a shiver as the memories fought their way to the surface and failed.

•SHHZZzz!•

"•Increased proximity recognized. New coordinates set.•"

The travel directions on his visor changed seamlessly.

"Excuse me, oh fearless leader…." Bleez's sarcasm fell on his ears. As caustic as her blood.

"What?" Rankorr replied, ready for her complaints.

"You feel like telling us what you and your back -bug are discussing? Or are we just going to keep hovering above this forest in silence?"

"So…the antenna thingies on your back glow when you're talking with it? How interesting." Skallox casually mentioned as he floated around Rankorr while itching his chin.

"Hey horseface, focus. Rankorr what's going on?" Bleez pressed.

"Coordinates were rerouted. The closer we get, the more accurate the scan gets— sometimes that means direction changes." Before Rankorr could finish speaking, his arm was forcibly moved upward, palm facing the sky. From its center, light bloomed into the shape of a hologram.

It showed the course they'd be taking to metropolis, complete with crime rates of populated areas, unregistered locations and even blocked areas.

"Holy..." Bleez said, all anger and sarcasm sapped from her hooded face.

Rankorr, who viewed along with the rest of them froze.

"This is wrong."

Bleez's eyebrow raised from beneath her hood.

"How so, human?" Atrocitus carelessly asked while tending to his nails.

"This is taking us straight into Metropolis." Rankorr stated.

Silence was all he was met with.

"•Checking hosts cognitive functions for sudden defects.•"

"Oh bug off!" Rankorr snapped, causing the others to look at him with even more confusion.

He took a breath, "You must all be forgetting this isn't some halfling planet full of semi sentient violent plants or a ship flying unprotected through space. We can't just fly into Metropolis fully suited and kitted out like this. Or did you all forget the Cities government funded defenders?"

Atrocitus snarled, "Damn you, human! You make us weak! The Justice Force is of no threat to the Red Lantern Corps. They have nothing. No Bat, No Kryptonian and no power. They are weak."

Rankorr's crown of flames flickered and burned brighter, "Be that as it may. We're not taking that risk— not when it doesn't pertain to our mission. I don't make this team weak, I give it direction. Something you failed to do. If you have a problem, why don't you do something about it?"

"Take off those extra rings and I will, kinslayer." Atrocitus snapped while Dex Starr hissed at his shoulder.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rankorr pressed.

Before the three could make any moves though, a laser as hot as the sun flashed between the two of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"Did you all forget why we're here? Stop arguing and fix the damn coordinates." Kara snapped, seemingly pulled from her sun gazing.

"Ugh…..men." Bleez groaned as the two split.

"Yes….men—wait-" Skallox followed up.

"Ok. I know where we're going. Just follow my lead and when I say lights out, we better be in complete darkness."

"Where are we going?" Kara asked, surprised by how quickly he resolved the issue.

"Main sewer line leading into the city."

Skallox shrugged, "we've been through worse."

"Indeed." Rankorr replied before they took off.

***

Hours of endless flight passed in a blur of misty clouds, darkening skies and the alluring and anxiety inducing sight of passing cities. Every few thousand miles, the coordinates adjusted, accuracy of their goal growing by the hour. Even so, they couldn't break into the city headfirst.

Rage needed direction to be useful. And a team needed a plan.

Plus, with Rankorr had seen of the passing cities on his way to Metropolis, he had the feeling he had some catching up to do.

Two years seemed to change the world in ways he didn't expect.

A thought that played on repeat in his mind as he lead his team through the main sewer line leading into Metropolis. The City of Light. The Big Apricot. Ground zero.

In the midst of their travels, they'd abandoned their Lantern Corps uniforms in hopes to maintain cover and concealment. Opting for dark clothing stolen along the way and scavenged from the sewers.

At the flanks of the line, their two largest members walked, sheathed in robes that were failing to hide their massive bulk…..and horns. Skallox would be a work in progress.

Kara wore a dark red short sleeve v-neck and black jeans with more rips than he could count. Without her mask he'd almost forgotten how insanely blue her eyes were.

Bleez wore a thick black shawl that hid her wings and made her pale blue skin pop whenever the winds from afar ruffled it.

Rankorr was able to find a black long sleeve and blue jeans that sort of fit. Either way, he'd blend in. As long as the scars stayed hidden, and the scarab at his back found a way to stop glowing and steaming from beneath his skin.

"We're so fucked." Bleez grumbled while she looked from Rankorr to Atrocitus who could barely hide his razor teeth in the shadows of his hood.

Rankorr was about to reply when the smell of clean air hit his nose— cold and absent of the musky odor found in sewers.

His pace quickened as they rounded a corner. And there it stood.

At the end of the black bricked hallway lined by rushing sewer waters. An exit.

The light of the setting sun peered in with purple and orange flashes of light. The sight was almost holy— as if the heavens themselves were heralding the sight of Metropolis.

From their spot in the shadowy sewers he could've sworn he was about to a see a city leagues above what it was when he'd left.

And then he reached the gates to view the city beyond. Reality hit him like a neutron bomb.

Darkness. The oncoming night did nothing to add to the darkness that permeated the city's soulless and eerily modern technological design. All hard edges and straight lines.

Buildings climbed high enough to breach the clouds, guarded by black manufactured sectional plating and fused metals. Each dark reflective monolith was connected by a network of walkways and borders guarded by men and women toting weapons of all kinds.

Where the haunting battle towers weren't present, billboards shined against the dark, broadcasting all manner of imagery, politics, news and world events.

At the Cities center, the Hall of Justice sat in crumbled remains, bordered off and forced to remain in ruins for reasons he couldn't guess.

All life looked drained from the City. Nothing but industry, money, power and military might showed on the surface of the city. Not even a bird in the sky.

And the rage. So intensely cold and seething. He could feel it dripping off the buildings and through the streets like a virus on the rise.

His power rings warmed against the skin of his fingers.

"Metropolis…..how you've changed…" The memories were becoming nearly impossible to hold off.

Suddenly, Khaji-Krow spoke,

"Welcome to Metro— correction. After citywide media scanning, information and mapping has been updated. Welcome to Ground Zero of the Gods, The City of Nekropolis."

"I guess we all changed." Rankorr said before opening up his palm. The Scarab Armor snaked down his arm like a family of metallic snakes on fire and formed in a flash.

The hologram bloomed from his palm in a flash of light.

"Khaji-Krow, pull up the schematics and directions for unmarked locations and unregistered areas."

"•Schematics pulled.•"

"You're doing it again." Kara said from beside him.

Rankorr kicked open the metal gate separating them from the city.

The thick bars flew off the hinges and fell into the ocean below, giving way for them to look beyond at the darkened city.

"We're making a base of operations. We have catching up to do."