Green Lantern Corps. General. 081. How?
Title: The Man in Green
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Prompt: 81 - HOW?
Characters: Hal Jordan, others (undefined)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 655
Summary: There is a man in green, wandering the halls of the Watchtower.
Author’s Notes: Set during no particular time period.
“Who’s that?” The figure indicated was standing in the corridor, holding a broom, wearing mismatched green gloves and a green scarf over a long-sleeved t-shirt and well-worn slacks, also in various clashing shades of green. He had a sort of vacant smile, and from the way he fumbled the broom, he wasn’t entirely all there. It was sort of a pity, she thought, because without the bovine expression, he probably would have been handsome.
“Don’t.” Narrowed eyes flashed and the long cape billowed out as her guide turned and stalked away.
A hurried glance at the figure now pushing the broom and humming tunelessly was all she had time for before she ran to catch up. “The staff…”
“The staff members are identified by uniform and ID cards. Team members’ names, faces, costumes, and personal habits are to be memorized.”
“But not the staff-“
“That’s for your second week.” She didn’t think he was joking. A quick glance showed no sign of a smile.
“So that guy wasn’t wearing a uniform.” It wasn’t subtle, at all, but the individual in question clearly hadn’t been a member of the JLA, and he hadn’t been a liaison (they tended to wear ties), and he hadn’t been wearing the staff uniform, either.
She didn’t get an answer, just a sheaf of papers pressed into her hands and a flash drive before he stalked off. The papers proved to be personnel records, and she guessed the flash drive would be the same. When she reached her quarters, she found that assumption verified. The mystery of the man in green pushed to the back of her mind, she set about the task of memorizing the files.
It was to her great surprise that she found a face matching the man in green halfway down the list. The photo showed a man with a confident - almost cocky - smile, and eyes sparking with determination. She’d been right; he was attractive. Thinking perhaps this was a case of a clone gone wrong, or perhaps a damaged twin brother, she read the file.
The man in the file was described first and foremost as fearless; he wielded a weapon of great power with the capacity for incredible destruction, and yet he was also described as gentle and compassionate, respectful of authority while questioning the status quo. The tone of the passage sounded to her almost like a eulogy, an emphasis on the man’s positive qualities as if reluctant to speak ill of the dead, but she had seen no note on the photo indicating that he was deceased. She looked again to make sure, and saw for the first time the symbol meaning “Inactive/Retired.”
Frowning, she read on.
”Subject complained of headaches and memory loss, as well as occasional disorientation. Given subject’s history of repeated head trauma, recommended subject be removed from active duty until full physical evaluation could be performed. As this recommendation was immediately followed by a Level 2 emergency situation, subject did not comply. Subject was returned to the trauma center suffering two distinct blows to the cranium. Subject was unresponsive to external stimuli at the time of arrival. Subject showed signs of intracranial hypertension prior to regaining consciousness.
“Upon regaining consciousness, it was determined that subject had suffered compromised neuronal oxygenation resulting in impairment to motor skills (slight to moderate) and cognitive function (moderate to severe). Due to this condition, subject has been labeled as no longer fit for active duty. Subject’s ring has been confiscated and returned to its parent organization.”
The man in the photo and the man in the hallway were the same person. She shivered; of all the possible consequences of superheroing, she could honestly say she had never considered brain damage. She looked at the report again, and wondered if “moderate to severe impairment of cognitive function” meant that Hal Jordan remembered what he had been, or if he lived entirely in the present.
FINIS
Edit: Nalanzu's Little Damn Table.
Fandom: Green Lantern Corps
Prompt: 81 - HOW?
Characters: Hal Jordan, others (undefined)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 655
Summary: There is a man in green, wandering the halls of the Watchtower.
Author’s Notes: Set during no particular time period.
“Who’s that?” The figure indicated was standing in the corridor, holding a broom, wearing mismatched green gloves and a green scarf over a long-sleeved t-shirt and well-worn slacks, also in various clashing shades of green. He had a sort of vacant smile, and from the way he fumbled the broom, he wasn’t entirely all there. It was sort of a pity, she thought, because without the bovine expression, he probably would have been handsome.
“Don’t.” Narrowed eyes flashed and the long cape billowed out as her guide turned and stalked away.
A hurried glance at the figure now pushing the broom and humming tunelessly was all she had time for before she ran to catch up. “The staff…”
“The staff members are identified by uniform and ID cards. Team members’ names, faces, costumes, and personal habits are to be memorized.”
“But not the staff-“
“That’s for your second week.” She didn’t think he was joking. A quick glance showed no sign of a smile.
“So that guy wasn’t wearing a uniform.” It wasn’t subtle, at all, but the individual in question clearly hadn’t been a member of the JLA, and he hadn’t been a liaison (they tended to wear ties), and he hadn’t been wearing the staff uniform, either.
She didn’t get an answer, just a sheaf of papers pressed into her hands and a flash drive before he stalked off. The papers proved to be personnel records, and she guessed the flash drive would be the same. When she reached her quarters, she found that assumption verified. The mystery of the man in green pushed to the back of her mind, she set about the task of memorizing the files.
It was to her great surprise that she found a face matching the man in green halfway down the list. The photo showed a man with a confident - almost cocky - smile, and eyes sparking with determination. She’d been right; he was attractive. Thinking perhaps this was a case of a clone gone wrong, or perhaps a damaged twin brother, she read the file.
The man in the file was described first and foremost as fearless; he wielded a weapon of great power with the capacity for incredible destruction, and yet he was also described as gentle and compassionate, respectful of authority while questioning the status quo. The tone of the passage sounded to her almost like a eulogy, an emphasis on the man’s positive qualities as if reluctant to speak ill of the dead, but she had seen no note on the photo indicating that he was deceased. She looked again to make sure, and saw for the first time the symbol meaning “Inactive/Retired.”
Frowning, she read on.
”Subject complained of headaches and memory loss, as well as occasional disorientation. Given subject’s history of repeated head trauma, recommended subject be removed from active duty until full physical evaluation could be performed. As this recommendation was immediately followed by a Level 2 emergency situation, subject did not comply. Subject was returned to the trauma center suffering two distinct blows to the cranium. Subject was unresponsive to external stimuli at the time of arrival. Subject showed signs of intracranial hypertension prior to regaining consciousness.
“Upon regaining consciousness, it was determined that subject had suffered compromised neuronal oxygenation resulting in impairment to motor skills (slight to moderate) and cognitive function (moderate to severe). Due to this condition, subject has been labeled as no longer fit for active duty. Subject’s ring has been confiscated and returned to its parent organization.”
The man in the photo and the man in the hallway were the same person. She shivered; of all the possible consequences of superheroing, she could honestly say she had never considered brain damage. She looked at the report again, and wondered if “moderate to severe impairment of cognitive function” meant that Hal Jordan remembered what he had been, or if he lived entirely in the present.
FINIS
Edit: Nalanzu's Little Damn Table.