arrival

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

A gate opens and slams shut again in an instant as a man in green comes tumbling through, carrying an equally green object in one hand.

Hal Jordan has his in-flight balance back in just over a second, narrowly missing impact with the expressway beneath him. He rights himself in mid-air, and makes a gentle touchdown on... Earth?

Well. It looks like Earth. But his ring is emitting a barrage of tech-speak, all of which could be summed up by a very heated, 'WTF?!?!'.

Not a good sign, Hal figures, but hardly the first time that's happened, so he's far from worried. After all, whatever happens next, he's pretty sure it won't be boring.

Comments

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

The airwaves are a lot quieter than they should be, really. Not much radio, no real television. But there is an active signal on pretty much every frequency the JLA has ever used. It's a simple message, repeated over and over.

"Contact Oracle on this frequency for a situation report."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

There's a familiar name, at least. And the one he probably should have expected to hear from first.

Reconfiguring the ring for broadcast along the same frequency is so natural, he hardly has to think about it.

"Oracle, this is Green Lantern," (just enough ego slipping through that he doesn't bother clarifying which one). "Has something happened?"

If it hasn't, he'd certainly like to know why there's barely any traffic on a major expressway in the middle of the day.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

It takes a minute or two before anything but that repeated message comes back, but when it does it's in the familiar computer-distorted voice of Oracle.

"You've been dimensionally marooned. I doubt we're even from the same reality, but beggars can't be choosers around here."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Marooned? We'll see about that."

Hal steps back off the ground and stops about one hundred feet up, scanning the horizon.

"Not many people around, Oracle. You're saying we've been brought here from other worlds?"

He's already running through the short list--very short list--of beings who might be able to pull something like that off.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"That's what I'm saying. And so far I've been pretty unsuccessful in figuring out how it happened."

"In my defense the world's a mess. I've been a bit busy."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"A mess?" Hal gives the horizon another pass.

"Seems pretty quiet here. Wherever that is."

"Can you get a fix on my position? Having a little problem with my ring just now. Passed through some kind of timespace anomaly a minute ago, and it's probably still compensating."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

There's a brief period of silence while some satellite data gets checked. "You're just outside of Gotham. I suggest you stay out of the city if you can. There's something dangerous in there that we haven't been able to identify yet."

She checks some things. "If you're in a secure location I can get someone out to meet you."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Hard to imagine Bats allowing that. Where is he, anyway?"

"And I can meet them just as easy, Oracle. I'm fully mobile here."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"He's..." she trails off. "I don't know. I haven't been able to establish contact with the one who should be here. And I can't find any records of him having existed before whatever happened happend."

[not-robin.livejournal.com]

It's one of those odd coincidences that seem to happen a lot in this world. You see, Tim has found himself a Batcave. More importantly, Tim has found himself a Batmobile, which allows him to travel the country a lot easier. Never mind that the Batmobile looks like this. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/1960s_Batmobile_(FMC).jpg/800px-1960s_Batmobile_(FMC).jpg) It's still a Batmobile, and it still gets awesome gas mileage.

Which explain why Batman pulls up next to the green man, the engine whining to an idle. Tim'll let Hal get in the first word.

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, Hal's first word is, "..."

(Take a note. That doesn't happen often, though Tim might know Batman has been responsible for it more than most.)

Hal's second word is, "...Tailfins?"

To be fair, Hal can't help loving the car on sight. Might have something to do with that Continental convertible he helped his dad restore that one summer. But he can't let Bats win that easily.

[not-robin.livejournal.com]

"Hal." It's a greeting, of a sort. Besides, most of the Batmobiles had tail fins of one kind or another.

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Batman," he replies slowly.

Hal squints, and then adds carefully, "...Bruce?"

[not-robin.livejournal.com]

"I'm a little later then that." He gestures to the empty seat beside him. "Need a lift?"

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

That explains the voice. Hal's not sure what to make of that, but it's hard to imagine Bruce allowing someone to take on the mantle who wasn't right for it.

Ok, Azrael, but he fixed that.

Hal would also normally say no to a ride, especially if he isn't going to be getting behind the wheel, but... That car's really growing on him.

"Not really, but I'll take one anyway, if you're offering."

"Where are we, anyway?" he asks, as he takes a seat and straps in. (He knows how fast Batmobiles can go.)

[not-robin.livejournal.com]

"Kentucky." Why not? Tim turns the car around, and then hits the accelerator. G-forces for the win!

"Also, a different Earth."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Had that feeling," Hal agrees. "Even for Kentucky, it's pretty quiet around here."

"The ring called what I went through a 'timespace anomaly' getting here. Same thing happen to you?"

[serinusniger]

Shortly after the conversation with Oracle (probably), a bike appears in Hal's line of sight. No one told anyone who to expect; just that someone needed a pick up from here. so it's only when the rider catches sight of the newcomer's outfit, that the bike accelerates.

No helmet, today. So there's just black leather, blonde hair, and fishnets.

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

Hal turns toward the sound of the bike and then grins. Now there's a familiar and welcome sight. He'd know that hair and leather anywhere. Let's not even start with the fishnets.

That bike's new, though. He wouldn't mind one of those himself.

He sets the lantern down on the ground beside him and puts his hands on his hips in the well-practiced way that makes him look the perfect fighter jock. (Yeah, it's Dinah, but Hal can't help himself.)

Grin still in place, he waits for her to drive up.

[serinusniger]

Usually such a pose would earn him a long-suffering look, maybe even sarcasm that you'd have to be listening to in order to pick up the extra fondness.

But that's under normal circumstances. It's been a year and a half.

Dinah skids her bike to a halt closer to him than she would for anyone else and swings a leg over to dismount. In the same movement, she throws her arms around him in a big, massive hug.

A year and a half.

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

Hal laughs in surprise and bearhugs her right back.

"Good to see you too."

[serinusniger]

"Hal!"

She's soon on her feet pulling away slightly just to give him a proper look.

"Did you just get here?"

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, some kind of timespace anomaly. That's all my ring's been able to figure out so far." He shrugs. "It'll work out. This kind of thing happens a lot."

"Where is this place, anyway?"

[serinusniger]

"It's Earth," says Dinah. "An Earth, anyway. An Earth that's trying to pick itself up after a massive Crisis.

"And I've been here for eighteen months."

[overcame-fear.livejournal.com]

"Eighteen--?" Hal replies, giving her another one-arm hug.

He frowns. "What kind of Crisis?"


Their world's had quite enough of those lately.

(That thought raises a question, but Hal shoves it back for now. He'll deal with whatever it is later.)