Heralding a New Day

[corps_of_death]

A flash of white light.

Nekron stands before a white being, composed of white light, curled up as if asleep -- or afraid.

"Your lie has been revealed, Guardians," Nekron swears... then swings his scythe towards the creature.

As the scythe connects, every being in the universe is hit with a sharp stab of agony.

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[corps_of_hope]

Ganthet looks at the gathered humans.

John has touched rage.
Travis has touched greed.
Hal has touched fear.
Both Kyle and Guy have touched will.
Hugh has touched hope.
Sasha has touched compassion.
Carol has touched love.

"Focus on the emotion you represent. Allow yourself to feel it. What you fear; what you love; what you hope."

[buildsgreen]

He's warm and comfortable. A bright light shimmers like a heat mirage, filling his whole being.

But he can't stay. He dimly recalls Katma, rallying his sorry butt once again to go deal with the whole problems of the universe. He's more than earned this peace and quiet and again he's not done marching just like a good little soldier should. Again he has to come back and go kick some bully in the shins, put a bullet in his head or engineer something to send the bully packing for one more day.

Nothing stays fixed. Not the Corp. Not the JLA. Not even love stays around for him.

So when he feels gently prodded away from Katma and any sort of heaven he might have earned, he'll be a man about it. When something starts pulling him past that sense of well-earned peace he could use to heal from a lifetime of abuse, he's more than a might grouchy. When he begins to feel like his very soul is being slapped awake by something more powerful, something that keeps wanting to break everything he's ever stood for...everything he ever set

[blind_will]

This is easy. All his life, Travis has wanted. There was this big empty pit inside him that could never be filled. He never ate well enough. He could never identify quite what that horrible anxiety that replaced fear was, when he had to sleep behind a dumpster, listening to sirens and gunfire. He needed to fight, to do something, and yet he couldn't.

And he hungered.

And then when he had the power, it was never enough. There was always another mugging. Another person starving. More drugs, more poverty, more horrors that he had never seen, and yet knew better than he knew anything else in the world.

And he wanted.He had to have more. Somehow, his will could do anything - except make a dent. Except let him go home

[lanternslight]

The fear...

He remembered it. He remembered it insinuating itself into his heart. Changing him. Making him different.

No. That was in the past. Memories of fear aren't feeling fear.

He was without fear.

He'd touched fear in the past, but he has overcome it. He has been given a new shot at life -- something few people ever get -- and he's doing it right. He's married Carol. He's with the Justice League again. He has Henry.

Henry.

And suddenly, he knows fear again.

Every strike on that white being causes excruciating agony to every being in the universe... including his son. And the Black Lanterns went after family members... including his son.

If Henry lives, he's in pain because of this monster. And he might be dead.

Hal lets the fear of this wash over him, even as he knows, he'll do whatever it takes to set things right.

[corps_of_hope]

When Hugh looked around, he saw how the world was, and how it could be, with just some work. He'd learned that blind faith that it would happen wouldn't work, but having faith that most people were basically good, helping them to see that they were, and then working alongside them to help improve things went quite a bit further.

It was why he'd joined the Navy Chaplain Corps, to help sailors and Marines see that even in the darkest times there was something worth fighting for. It was why he'd formed his youth group, to guide teenagers who hadn't had the best lives and give them hope that they could make better lives for themselves no matter where they came from.

And finally, it was why he was here. To make sure that the world still had a chance to work towards what he wished it could be.

[super_shrink]

A five year old girl stopped to pick a boy up off the sidewalk, he'd fallen off his bike and scrapped his knee. The boy was poor and had few friends, but he was hurt, he needed someone.

A twelve year old Sasha braved the 'witch's' house to help elderly Mrs Travers. Children feared the woman and made up stories about her. But when she called out, Sasha had answered.

In college she was pushed toward private medicine rather than mental health. She could have money, power make her own hours. But it was not what she felt was right. Her internship for her doctorate was spent working with the homeless in the city. Her compassion was fostered among those who needed it most.

So now here she was, given a chance to offer the entire world a helping hand, to reach out to each and every living being here and throughout the galaxy and tell them.. some one cares.

[geek_lantern]

He will never be the man without fear. That's not who he is.

That doesn't mean he can't overcome it.

Yes, he's failed, but failure only makes you meaningless if you refuse to learn from it. For everyone he's failed, there are those he has saved. It was not his fault that Alex died. It was not his fault that Donna died. It was not his fault that Jenny died. He was done being held back by doubt and regret.

Now it was time to man up and save the universe. Not because he was afraid of what the outcome would be if he didn't, but because he simply believed he would do so.

"Let's go to work." Kyle takes a step forward, and sets loose his greatest weapon.

His mind.

[carol_ferris]

Carol Ferris knew about Love.

Thanks to the Star Sapphire over the years, she'd known every aspect of Love that a human heart and mind could experience. Now that she and the sapphire had become a single entity with her in control, she felt it all the more. The sapphire still whispered to her, only now it took direction from her. She was in control and she made the choices. She loved where she wanted and who she wanted.

All she had to do was love and the world would be safe.