NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Breaking Reality
Yellow Lantern (Hal Jordan):
While Nightwing is talking with the doctors, I'm focusing on the doors. With my yellow ring in front of me, I fire a beam that should have knocked the doors right down. However, something must be holding them together.
Pouring on more power, the beam glowing brighter and bigger, I can see the doors shake as they're pulling apart. I stop with the beam and pull back my hand. Holding my hand over my head, I focus and summon a giant third hand. Throwing my hand forward, my third hand flies forward as well. It slams through the double doors, breaking them down.
"Careful," Nightwing says, walking to my side with his stun batons in his hands. "According to the doctors, Captain Cold and a One Earth soldier barged into the infirmary with Golden Glider in Cold's arms. They forced them out before shutting the doors."
"I'll be careful," I say, holding out my yellow ring as I slowly hover toward the infirmary. Despite the doors being down, there's still a smoke cloud. It's covering the entrance and making it impossible to see inside.
"Hold on," Nightwing says, shooting out his hand and stopping me. Nightwing turns his head toward the squadron of One Earth soldiers, all armed with machine guns.
"Go," he orders.
"Yes, sir," the soldier in front says. He, along with his squadron, all carefully walk toward the infirmary. However, even before the first soldier can take a step into the smoke, a white and blue beam shoots it. It hits the soldier in front, knocking him down while covering him in ice.
"Cold," I yell, shooting out my yellow ring and making a fan. The fan taking all the smoke and blowing it out, I can see as clear as day Captain Cold standing in the infirmary's entranceway.
"Cold," Nightwing says, spinning his stun batons. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Sorry about this," Cold replies, bringing up his cold gun, "But I'm afraid the doctor is busy with a patient right now, and he cannot be interrupted."
Squeezing the trigger of his cold gun, Cold fires a cold beam at me. Seeing this, I shoot out my hand and summon a shield to block the beam. Ice quickly covers my yellow shield as Cold tries to push me back but he forgets there are two of us. Too busy with me, Cold can't do anything as Nightwing charges him.
Cold screams as Nightwing hits him with his stun batons. Forcing Cold to lower his gun, Nightwing then wraps his arm around Captain Cold, putting him into a headlock.
"What's the meaning of this," Nightwing asks. "Tell me now before I squeeze the air out of you!"
It seems Cold can't, or doesn't, want to answer. He's struggling to pull Nightwing's arm away but Nightwing's grip is too strong.
"That's enough," I say, aiming my ring at the two. "You're going to strangle Cold!"
"If Cold is going against the One Earth Government," Nightwing says, "Then this isn't even the worst thing that's going to happen to him!"
Nightwing pulls at Cold's head, choking him. Looking at Cold as he starts to turn blue, I aim my ring at Nightwing.
The Invisible Man:
Seeing Hal about to shoot his yellow ring, I charge from the side and jump into the air. Performing a flying kick, I knock Hal off his feet and onto the ground.
"What the hell," he shouts as he looks up at me. Moving fast, I look at Nightwing as he strangles Cold. Pulling back my arm, I hit Nightwing on the back of his head. Nightwing screams and lets go of Cold. With Cold free now, I grab Nightwing and throw him into the wall.
Falling to the floor, gasping for air, I help Cold back onto his feet. Cold, who is holding his neck, turns to me.
"Who the hell are you," Cold asks in between his coughs. I know there's no point in telling Cold anything since he can't hear me so I just pointed inside. Cold looks at where I'm pointing before looking back at me. "You're...You're friends with that guy? That's what you're trying to tell me."
I nod my head. I then point at myself, then at Nightwing, and then at Cold and Yellow Lantern.
"Yeah," Cold says, still coughing. "I got it!"
Bringing up his cold gun, Captain Cold charges toward Yellow Lantern. Meanwhile, I spread out my legs and arms as Nighting pushes himself up.
"Who are you," Nightwing asks as he spreads out his own legs and arms.
"You and I have a score to settle," I say. I know Damian can't hear me but it's still something I have to say. With the red gemstone firmly in my hand, I rush toward Damian.
The Man:
Still working on the potion for Lisa, I look out the infirmary to see the two busy holding off Nightwing and Yellow Lantern. However, because they're busy fighting, they don't see the One Earth soldiers recovering. They manage to break the ice and free the soldier Cold froze.
I gently put down the wooden bowl and glass jar and walk over to them.
"Hurry," one of the soldiers shouts. He, along with the others, gets into shooting positions. With half the team on their knees and the other half standing behind them, they all raise their standard issue M4A1 and aim at Cold.
As they put their fingers on the triggers, I come up from behind the soldiers standing and punch two of them out. As they fall to the floor, the other soldiers see me and turn toward me. Given the distance, the soldiers drop their guns and engage me in hand-to-hand combat. They try punching and kicking me but I block and counter them, knocking them out in seconds before returning to the infirmary.
"Darn it," I say as I enter the infirmary. "Lisa's condition is worsening. She's breaking apart."
The glowing cracks have taken over Lisa's body. She's shaking uncontrollably and her eyes have turned white. Also, as I hold Lisa's hand, her skin cracks and the pieces fall off. They fall onto the table before vanishing to dust.
"I have to move fast," I tell myself. "No more distraction!"
As I pour the lilyroot water into the bowl, I close the jar and open another. Sprinkling dried butterweed into the mix, the potion turns a neon-blue color before shooting some sprinkling dust into the air. Putting down the jar with the butterweed, I open the final jar with dried pink racantion.
I sprinkle in the pink racantion and the potion turns from blue to pink. Now that the potion is done, I rush to grab Lisa's head and carefully help her drink the potion but as I place my hand behind her head, pieces of Lisa's face fall off.
"Quickly," I say, "Drink this. It will help."
Lisa can't even talk anymore. All she can do is nod her head weakly as I help her drink the potion. Once Lisa is done with the potion, I set both the wooden bowl and Lisa down. The cracks on Lisa have gone down a little. She stops shaking and the color returns to her eyes.
I place my hands on the table and sigh.
"This is only a temporary solution," I say to an unconscious Lisa. "I hope you know that, and I hope Leonard understands. You died Lisa. Months ago, and that's why this is happening."
As I look at Lisa, I see another flash of white light, and once more, I see glowing cracks all over. They're brighter than before and have practically covered everything. Eyeing the nearest wall, I walk over to it and place my hand on it. Exactly like Lisa, pieces of the wall break off and vanish into dust.
"It's happening faster and faster," I say, watching as most of the wall breaks into pieces. "Reality is breaking apart. I have to move fast."
I pull out my cell phone and dial a number.
"Come on," I say, jumping up and down as I listen to the dial tone. "Come on. Pick up. Pick up, you idiot. Finally!"
I stop jumping when I hear John Constantine's voice.
"Hey! Is everything ready? Things out here aren't looking the best."
"Yes," Constantine answers. "Everything is ready! Ares and I have everything ready! You're set to go!"
"Thanks," I say, hanging up the call.
Pocketing my cell phone, along with all the glass jars and the wooden bowl, I pull out a teleporter. Dropping to my knees, about to place it on the ground, I stop and jump back when lasers shoot out from the side. They cut into the floor and leave scorch marks as they run up the wall.
Turning to the side, I see a red-eyed Superman and a glowing Raven flying into the infirmary.
"It's you," Superman says, "Isn't it? I know it's you."