Episode fanfic title: There's always a price to pay when it comes to love.
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(Cassandra's POV):
"And then what happened???"
I was burning red and covering my face with my pillow while being pampered by so many questions from Kia. Trying not to feel embarrassed, I swallow my shyness and reply very slowly: "And then..."
"Go on, Cassandra." Kia ushers me to continue, "Ah! Jesucristo, Cassie! Tell us! You can't torture us like this!" Shaking my shoulders, in the process, as I take a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment and give her my answer. "And then... he kissed me."
The reaction I got from her was silence when all of a sudden, Kia shrieks from the top of her lungs that I instantly used my power ring to press the soundproof walls and doors so no one could know on what we were talking about nor why she was shrieking.
Bouncing on the bed, she shakes me by the shoulders, "He kissed you?! Shut up! Was it good? Magical? Did he..." She paused suggestively. "Did he take your...?" My eyes widened, and I smacked her hands away. "Kia! Jesucristo! That's enough!"
I can't believe she's even suggesting that!
"First of all, no, he didn't do THAT with me after the kiss, and secondly, we only kissed ONCE." I pointed to her, glaring at her while Kia just sat there, grinning like Cheshire the cat and an idiot at me. "Still~~~ there's always gonna be a second kiss~."
I groan and fall back onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow again. "Kia, stop it! You're being ridiculous." "Ridiculous? Cassie, you got your first kiss! That's, like, a monumental moment in a girl's life! And you're acting like it's nothing!"
"Can we just get out and see if my Uncle or the others need our help?" As soon as we were exiting Kia's room to go to the main hangar to join the others, we took notice that Razer was exiting the Interceptor.
I didn't move at first, until I decided to follow him without him knowing.
𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 ℤ𝕠𝕟𝕖...
Following Razer, I floated in my blue lantern suit, only to be met with disbelief on what I was met with. The planet ahead, though desolate, was disturbingly familiar. It had once teemed with his people, but now, only ruin remained.
'Oh my god...this is...Razer's homeplanet.' I thought, despite being the only living souls, besides Razer, I sensed the lingering presence of the lost. A little swirl sound had echoed the valley, I turn to see a red light floating over to the right and I knew who it was and continue to follow him.
After I finally landed, I carefully tiptoed my way inside as I began finding large paintings of some of which were of the Militia, the people, and most importantly, Razer; But that only led me to a very particular painting that I seemed to stop and turn slowly to meet it.
This one shows his people smiling brightly at Razer, well, technically, a younger version of him, where he was carrying a woman while being covered in traditional Arabian clothing with a veil. To be more precise, they both were sharing the veil.
It amazes me to see a large painting of Razer's wife right before my silver eyes, to know what she looked like: Same as Razer's appearance, she had pale skin, black markings under her eyes, wearing the same colors as his traditional ones, except it was a dress.
I could already tell that if she and I met in another life, we would've become best friends, or more accurately, she and I would secretly become troublemakers in the Forgotten Zone and go on adventures together...
However, as we (humans) say back on Earth, " 'what's done is done.' "
'She must've made him very happy.' Smiling fondly at Razer carrying her bridal style, I clasped my hands together, my ring a silent prayer: 'Illana, if you can hear me, I'm sorry for what Atrocitus did to you. But I promise you...'
I paused, hearing pebbles fall from the steps, then resumed my prayer: '...I promise to take care of him, no matter what.' I then lit a candle from the floor with my ring and walked away.
As soon as I was about to make a turn, I immediately hid behind a sturdy wall and realized that I had just found Razer, who seemed to be in deep thought for a while, until I decided to show myself to him.
"Razer?" He glanced over his shoulder to meet my gaze. "Sorry, I didn't mean to follow you," I told him.
To which he replied with, "No. It is alright, Cassandra. I just didn't see you come in."
Already turning his gaze back to the crumbling wall that was once a window for both him and his wife, Illana had held onto each other once is now covered in vines and webs. I felt guilty for interrupting his personal space but I couldn't help it.
I wanted to comfort him and be there for him.
Taking in a quiet, deep breath, and walk over to him.
"I remember this place," I said, "This is where your wife was murdered by Atrocitus. I share the memory and the pain you felt when she was in your arms."
Standing side by side as we stared at the crumbling wall in silence for a few seconds. "Yes..." Razer quietly said, as I glanced at him and thought it was best to leave him be, "I'm interrupting your grief, I should go."
That's when I felt him stop me by grabbing my hand.
"Cassandra, wait!... Don't go."
I froze but stayed to listen, "I do mourn for Illana," he continued when I turned to glance at his back, "But that was a different life. And I was a different person, I'm not the man who chose hate all those years ago. I have changed in so many ways... I thank you for that."
When our eyes met, I saw a man who once embraced hate as the ultimate power, seeing Atrocitus as a savior when it was his own "savior" who murdered his wife to fuel his army. But Razer's words now resonate with truth.
We changed the moment we met, finding a surprising and deep compatibility. A compatibility which we believe is our own.
"You're welcome." I softly replied with a kind smile.
He returns the smile before escorting me somewhere in the room: "Come. There's something I wish to show you. This was once a dead world." Razer let go of me, and kneels down to move each of the vines, and I silently gasped in awe.
Revealing to be the most beautiful blue flower I have ever seen.
"But life is returning." Razer picked the flower from the vine and handed it to me. I held it gently, as if it were made of fragile glass, and smiled. "It's beautiful!" I looked up at him and was met by the warmth in his softening blue eyes.
Holding his gaze, we continued staring into each other's eyes lovingly on what felt like an eternity when he ghostly bit his inner lower lip and took the initiative to grab both my shoulders, leaning in with his eyes close as I did the same.
But then his ring started beeping out of nowhere, which ruined the moment, and the worst part was that it was MY UNCLE who interrupted us:
"Cass, Razer. We gotta fly," He continues, "The Guardian diplomat on Ysmault just called, having a cold, emotionless freak out. We have to get there ASAP." The message ended, and Razer's coldness returned. "We should go," he said, pulling away.
I caught his hand, stopping him. "No," I countered, which left him speechless of my actions, "You started this. Now it's my turn to end it."
And with a sly smirk, I kissed him without missing a beat.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Entering the main hangar hand-in-hand with Razer immediately drew everyone's attention.
"This is awkward," I mumbled, my blush deepening under their scrutiny. While I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, Razer remained unfazed, his grip on my hand slowly tightened, indicating that he felt the same thing as I did.
My uncle raised an eyebrow behind his domino green mask.
"Something you want to share, Cass?" My uncle asked, teasing but also a little serious. I could tell he was amused, and it just made me blush even more. "So, um..." I started, trying to play it cool, but it was way tougher than dodging bad guys.
I was about to say something, but unexpectedly, Razer suddenly spoke up, "With your permission, Hal Jordan, I would like to court your niece, Cassandra." At that moment, everyone—Kia, Kilowog, and even Aya—stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at us.
Clearly confused, but intrigued.
Except Kia, she already figured it out.
"I'm going to ask my niece first, then I'll give you my answer." My uncle put on his serious voice, after he then turned to me, "Cass, do you like him?" Razer tightens his grip comfortingly. I smile at him, then meet his gaze, my voice firm: "More than anything."
A slow smile spread across his face. "Then Razer has my permission." Smiling, Kia was the first to jump in the air in joy and tackle us into a hug, "CONGRATULATIONS!!!!" Whereas Kilowog huffed and sarcastically groans: "Good for you."
We were met with the information about what was happening behind the scenes of the truce, and we began heading there. It was gonna take a couple of hours till we get there so I had time to glance at Razer.
Who's been typing down the missing coordinates in silence without speaking a word other than the small ghostly smile spreading across his face, as when he caught me staring, and I blushed, then boldly pecked his cheek.
Surprise flickered across his face before Razer's arm pulled me close to him that my face had turned crimson, with one small glance, I could see the corner of his lips twitch into a small smile.
Ysmault, the new home planet for the Red Lanterns...
"Wow, Ysmault really looks like Hell 2.0." Kia was the first to comment, making me hum in agreement as we came out from the Interceptor to meet a Guardian/Science Director named Scar: "What took you so long? There's a horrible problem, and—What is that doing here?"
My Uncle shrugs, "That's kind of a funny story."
"Enough, 2814! I thought I ended this AI experiment once and for all." She explains in frustration, "You've made our situation infinitely more complicated." "Then explain it to us slowly." Razer, arms crossed, coldly threatened her.
Joining him, I defended Aya: "She's been a constant help, like a sister and best friend to Kia and me." Leaning close, I met her gaze by leveling at the Guardian Scar darkly like no one has ever done before, "You either tell us what's happening, or we will have a problem."
Scar seemed stunned into silence, the tension palpable, and I could've sworn that I could hear her swallow in fear that my Uncle was the first to pull me away from her as my gaze stayed on her.
"Okayyyy, how about you don't do that and we just listen to Scar about the problem? Sound good?" I glance at him and soften my gaze with a sigh of defeat, as we all began listening and following her as she explains about what the problem was.
As it turns out, the Anti-Monitor is still on the loose. Meaning one of the Manhunters is here, on Ysmault, it's no surprise to be honest; We'd keep on finding them wherever we go, and this thing is malfunctioning but still active:
"It's no surprise," My Uncle narrowed his eyes, "Those tin cans have been popping up and turning on all over the Galaxy."
"Which is the reason you must handle this one. It is buried at these coordinates."
Handing the coordinates to him, she continues, "I'm overdue at the peace banquet. Take care of it quietly. If an operational Manhunter were to turn upon Ysmault today, of all days, the Red Lanterns would surely blame us. It would be war all over again."
We are all flying together, Aya was the one showing us the way since she was the only one to be able to have a connector where she can inject the USB drive in her arm, and once we finally made it to the designate location; We turn our power rings on and pointed directly at the rubble.
"Get ready. Let's make this short and sweet." Uncle Hal's quiet announcement coincided with Kia and me exchanging a determined look at the rubble, ready to face whatever lay beneath. We were immediately met with an arm.
Our eyes widened. "What the nux?" Kilowog exclaimed, clearly shocked. Aya activated her locator. "These are the correct coordinates." She tells us that, Uncle Hal, on the other hand, was bewildered and asked, "But where's our toaster?"
"Making a run for it! Look!"
Sure enough, we spotted it silently jumping towards the Red Lantern HQ, both of us took a chance to follow it, while flying over to it, Kia asked, "I'll slice its weapon-" "And I'll slice its full arm. Go!"
With a nod, we start to form our power rings into knives and slice them in half together. Almost a second we were about to destroy it but somehow, we both got our butts kicked but if it weren't for Razer saving us; We could've been splat like a couple of flat pancakes.
"Are you both alright?" He calmly asked, I groan, pushing myself up from the ground, Kia doing the same, "We're good." I answered after Razer decided to help me up a bit, earning a worried look from him to which I return it with a peck on the cheek.
Before he contacted Aya to tend to us, who agreed, and ended the comlink. Kia, on the other hand, was the first to speak when she spotted the Manhunter heading towards the Red Lantern HQ, I immediately pointed at it: "Razer, the Manhunter!"
Within minutes, Razer had already flown away to tackle the Manhunter like a pro, whereas I was about to cheer him on, only for Kia to shush me when Aya finally got to us to scan for any injuries.
(Razer's POV): Short!
As soon as I got hit, sent down to the ground, I got up with a tired groan.
"What is going on here?!"
Can it get any worse?
"You!" Zox sneers at me, "Explain yourself this instant! I am the Prime Magistrate, I demand an answer!" I wish he didn't have to act like a spoiled brat, "Nothing is going on...Prime Magistrate." I 'politely' lie while controlling my anger as I sarcastically rolled my eyes.
Which only furthered his anger.
"Say it with respect, Razer! What the-"
I didn't have time for this.
Suddenly I hear a loud bang coming from above, only to realize that Zox has seen what was happening as he went to check on it which only brought me tiredness and guilt. I contacted Cassandra to tell her what had happened.
(Cassandra's POV again): Back at the Interceptor...
A/N: Lazy to put fight scene like, seriously I'm tired....
While waiting for Scar to show up, Aya with Kia was standing by the exit, talking to one another. In contrast, I was in the medical room, healing Razer's back after the impact he took from the Manhunter: "Okay, anything else that hurts, Razer?"
"My pride, I guess." He sarcastically replied, making me snort when I thought of an idea. "Can I heal it with a kiss?" I innocently asked, causing Razer to slowly smirk, "It would be much appreciated, my beloved."
In an instant, I wrap my arms around his neck as he wraps his around my waist before we kiss. But before we could continue further, Kia decided to call us: "If you both could kindly get inside the main exit, Mr. Hal Jordan would know that you both are about to make out."
"Give me five minutes," I whined to her.
It only took her a few minutes to understand what I was doing, and the last thing she says was something I didn't expect: "Have fun, and don't get pregnant." "Kia, you-!" And that's when she ended the call, Razer groans in annoyance, "Did she have to say it so straightforwardly like that?"
Letting go of me, I began giggling at his reaction.
"Well, that's what makes us best friends, Razer."
"You're telling me," Razer mumbled, "She's got the subtlety of a Green Lantern construct made of bricks." I laughed, pecking him on the cheek, "Come on, Mr. Salty Pants. We can pick this up later. I doubt my uncle would wait all day for us to... ahem... heal your pride." I winked.
Only for Razer to clear his throat in embarrassment as we both walk away and exit the medical room. Scene changes, and Razer had already joined my Uncle and Kilowog to stand in front of the cell where we put beachball 'Prime Magistrate' Zox in.
I, on the other hand, had just joined Aya and Kia as we waited, and on cue, the Science Director had arrived on time:
"Did you finish your mission, 2814?" Scar asked us.
My Uncle scratches the back of his neck, "Well, about that..." "There's good news and bad news, Miss." I chimed in, Kia then does the same: "The good news is, we've disabled the Manhunter like champions."
Which made the Science Director narrow at her.
"Dare I ask what the bad news is?" She narrowly questions.
Where all of us glance at my Uncle Hal, as a way of telling him to tell her, which he complies and tells her.
"We...sort of picked up a new guest."
Upon seeing Zox, she widened her eyes and angrily exclaimed, "What have you done?!" Scar panicked and ordered, "Remove his gag at once!"
Kia transformed, now in a neon turquoise crop top, white shorts, and green sneakers. Mimicking her, I revealed a military crop top over my red sweater and jeans with red sneakers. We discreetly pulled out Cracker Jacks from our pockets and watched the show.
"Prime Magistrate, I apologize for this terrible mistake, and-"
Scar tries to simmer down his anger, only to get cut off by Zox's whining complaints, "Mistake?! There is no mistake! This is war! The truth of your vial duplicity has finally been revealed! I knew it all along. Me. I knew it. Peace? Please! The Guardians are-"
Enough was enough. I used my blue ring to knock him out as my Uncle slapped the constructed green duct tape over Zox's large mouth. "Are you insane, Miss Cassandra?" Scar snapped, I pretended that I was thinking in deep thought before answering her question.
"No, not really, Miss Scar." I glanced at Kia. "Kia, do you think I've lost my mind?" Kia mimics me, "Hmm," And responds with, "No~, I think Beach Ball deserved it for acting like such a brat."
Our answers got some suppressed laughs from the group, and Razer was seriously trying not to crack up, while the Science Director just shot us a glare. "At least you put the gag back on and didn't hit him again!" Scar said, looking unamused.
Kia and I just shrugged it off, not really bothered, which made her pinch the bridge of her nose; I could see a vein popping on her forehead.
Things got even more awkward when my uncle chimed in with, "So, how was the party, anyway?" "Calling this a monumental diplomatic disaster would be generous, Green Lantern." She glares at him, floating up to meet his gaze: "Your blundering has reignited a war."
"Incoming transmission." We all turn to Aya, who suddenly announces, "I am tracing an anti-matter pulse, originating near the maelstrom." "Which means the Anti-Monitor is in Frontier space?"
I said in surprise that I had already transformed back to my suit and put on my hoodie.
"Isn't that a little too close for comfort?" Kilowog asked with concern. "Maybe so." My Uncle hummed a bit, when he thought of an idea: "But we're going to get a lot closer." We all got seated in the main hangar as we got ready to locate the Anti-Monitor.
Kia secretly messages me in code on our secret computer screens:
"(Cassie, I get a bad feeling about this...I think we shouldn't do it.)"
I glance at her and grin by typing down my response, "(Why? You chicken?)" I teased in code, to which she furiously messaged me.
"(No! It's not that, Cassie...it's just...I'm worried about you.)"
"(Worried about me? What's there to worry about? We're practically untouchable. With the Blue Lantern ring, genius intellect, the whole shebang.)" I fired back, a little too confident, maybe, but it was the truth.
Though, what got me grounded the most was what she actually tells me...and it woke me up: "(That's what I'm worried about! You think we're invincible! But we're not! And this Anti-Monitor thing...it's way above our pay grade! No se hace la demasiado confiado.)"
Her message stunned me. 'Wow,' I thought, 'I never expected that.' I hesitated, avoiding her gaze with a frown, until Razer's hand covered mine. I looked up, meeting his worried eyes. I earned him a soft smile that says that I was alright, when in reality...
I couldn't help but feel like Kia might be right...
Maybe something was going to happen to me, real soon.
"Aya, magnify the view screen," Kia ordered.
My Uncle had already freed Zox after he woke up, who had already begun fussing about blaming the Guardians and the Green Lanterns for killing his kind:
"Manhunters... Is this what you brought me to see? The army with which you'll eradicate my kind once and for all?" "We're keeping our distance, Zox," My Uncle explains, "because these things are as big a threat to us as to you." "Ha!" The beachball laughs: "The robot soldiers you built?"
In an instant, Scar floats towards him, "It is true, Prime Magistrate, that the Guardians did create the Manhunters." She continues: "But we control them no longer." "Oh, right." Zox sarcastically says, but angrily sneers in question about who it was: "Then who does?"
The Science Director tells the Prime Magistrate the full story.
"The Anti-Monitor. The most fearsome creation in all our Universe; born of utter folly. It started eons ago on the planet Maltus. A renegade Guardian named Krona became obsessed with constructing the ultimate being, so powerful it could accomplish anything, even time travel. But his rash experiment had horrendous consequences."
"It was a proud apparatus. And when it became cognizant, it instantly recognized its superiority. It had an insatiable appetite and the ability to turn everything into anti-matter for its consumption."
"It would have destroyed everything had Krona not managed to banish it to another dimension."
"Yeah, been there, escaped that." My Uncle explained, both Kia and I nod in agreement of the previous mission where we almost lost him, believing that he died: "The Anti-Monitor ate that entire Universe for breakfast. And now it's loose in ours."
As we all watch the Anti-Monitor blasting the Maelstrom into ashes in space while Kia, Aya, and I sat next to one another to find some information about what's gonna happen: 'Something is not right...and why do I feel like it's me?' I thought, but was cut short before I could even find out.
"Watch his bloody boots... What is it doing to the maelstrom?" Zox questions in surprise, "Eating it." Kia tells him, typing down the codes Aya needed, as I glance at Razer with a worried look, to which he reassures me by mouthing 'nothing-is-going-to-happen'.
I nod and sigh in relief, but it wasn't enough to stop the gut feeling of mine that something might happen to us, "This is nothing but another weapon the Guardians have built to destroy us!" Zox nearly screamed his sneer at Scar's face.
That I almost got this close to punching him.
However, my Uncle used his power ring to grab his beach ball form, forcing him to look at the screen.
"Look at that thing, Zox!" He impatiently exclaims, "It's eating the maelstrom! If the Guardians were using it to attack your people, you'd already be chewed up and digested."
To make matters worse, Aya began announcing again about the Maelstrom.
"Warning—Apparently, the Anti-Monitor has detected my long-range burst scan."
Kia almost freaked out, as did Kilowog. "Does it mean it's coming closer and it saw us already?" "Uh, Hal?..." Kilowog tries to speak, already feeling uncomfortable, but my Uncle doesn't let it get to him: "Don't freak out. That doesn't mean he saw us."
"Famous last words," I mumbled under my breath.
Sure enough, the Anti-Monitor slowly turns directly at our direction and both Kia and I sarcastically turn our seats to face and raise an eyebrow at him: "You were saying?" He ignores our comment, "Pretty sure he saw us." Kilowog said.
"Manhunters! Attacking me! Get us out of here!" Zox frantically freaks out while cowering behind him like a coward, only for me to roll my eyes, "Calm yourself, Zox! We are in as much danger as you."
I tell him, only to make it worse: "Who cares if you're in danger?"
Though Kia's patience just got thin. She immediately transforms her ring into a fist and punches him straight in the face, "Cállate la boca, pedazo de mierda! Can't you just stop being a baby for at least, IDK, five seconds!!!!"
She angrily yells before sitting down with me, while everyone seemed stunned to even process what had happened, as Scar begins scolding her: "Kia Roberts, stop your verbalized attacks to the Prime Magistrate this instant!"
"Then you better make sure he doesn't complain, or I will break him."
I then raise my hand to say, "I second that."
"You both will be dealt with later, as for you, 2814, get us away from here immediately."
My Uncle turns to Aya, "Aya, initiate emergency ultra warp." He orders her, "Initiating." Aya begins typing down: "However, even ignoring safety protocols, I will require four minutes to prime the impellers."
Suddenly, a loud stomp echoed from above, while laser fire indicated the Manhunters were disabling the Ultrawrap's computer components outside. "Come on, boys, everybody out. We've got to hold them off until Aya's ready." He then stops in his tracks to turn to Zox.
As he then throws the red power ring back to him, offering him some reassurance to see if he would cooperate to fight off the Manhunters, "Want to help, Zox?" "Uh...Not so much," Zox hesitantly answers, stubbornly not willing to come.
What a piece of shit.
All of us got ready to leave and fight only for me, to stop midway when I notice Aya, unexpectedly calling out to him: "Razer," Razer glances at Aya, who then ends her response by standing up and saying: "Be careful."
With a curt nod, he left as I came back in and then told her, "Don't worry, when we come back, we're gonna have a girls' night, and watch all kinds of movies." "I'll be counting on it." Aya smiles a bit.
"See ya on the other side, Aya." Flying out of the Interceptor, we all began getting ready to take our shots to kill every Manhunter in sight, "Stay together. Hold 'em off and thin 'em out." My Uncle ordered us.
Kilowog flies next to him, "Right behind you."
"Aye, Captain Kurk!" I salute him, "You ready, Kia?"
Kia playfully rolls her eyes with determination: "I was born ready, bitch. Don't test me!"
And the fight starts with my Uncle leading the charge, his ring blazing as he formed a golf puck to hit one of the Manhunters in the head away from the ship; As for Kia, she went full American Psycho mode, conjuring a massive green chainsaw with her ring.
"Take THAT?!" She roared, carving through Manhunters like a lumberjack on a rampage. I snort at that before flying around to investigate where the other robots were until I heard her say: "Kilo, ya wanna swing this one for me?"
Kilowog took a more direct approach, forming a giant green mallet and slamming it down like a cosmic whack-a-mole. Sending mechanical limbs flying in every direction: "Nah, I got my own stuff."
Meanwhile, when I also encounter a Manhunter, I sigh and began to recite my oath before lending a boost for the Green Lanterns (Uncle, Kilowog, and Kia) with my blue energy, "You just have to freaking stay alive, huh?"
"=NO ONE ESCAPE THE MANHUNTERS!="
My pulsing blue ring radiated power as I extended my hands, unleashing a wave of energy that supercharged the Green Lanterns' rings. Their constructs instantly doubled in size. "Yeah, I heard ya." I immediately constructed a sniper rifle and took out one with a headshot.
Meanwhile, with Razer, who rocketed into the fight, his blood-red ring spewing napalm-like plasma by launching it at a Manhunter, where more decided to show up; I float over to help as I shot one away from him, where I witness him parkour twirl in the air in awe.
"Wow, smooth attack, handsome!" I fanned myself, momentarily flustering him as his face had turned flushed, but he quickly recovered, blasting through more Manhunters before I rejoined the fight.
My Uncle, ultimately, was in back-to-back with me, when he and I glanced a bit, we nodded and began blasting out more of the tin cans from the Interceptor, we shielded each other into one, and on cue, Kilowog and Kia swoop in to push them out of the way.
"Kia, remember the 'slingshot magic trick' we did back in high school?" I said, having an idea of what I wanted to try to stop the Manhunters, as I use my blue blaster construct to continue shooting at them.
Kia's brown eyes widened behind her green neon sunglasses, her chainsaw construct flickering for just a second as she processed my question, which almost got her shot, but she dodged it on time.
"You serious?" she repeated, ducking under a Manhunter's laser blast before slicing it clean in half. "Ahora? Out of all places in space?!" I grinned, spinning mid-air to avoid another attack before landing a roundhouse kick to a Manhunter's chest, sending it spiraling backward.
I float around to try to locate her, "Come on, Kia! When else are we gonna get a chance to do this with actual power rings?" I held up my Blue Lantern ring to shoot down more Manhunters out of the way, "Think about it—We'd be unstoppable!"
Kia hesitated, biting her lip as she deflected another barrage of lasers with a hastily constructed shield. The battlefield was chaos—Manhunters swarmed like mechanical locusts, their red eyes locked onto us.
Razer and Kilowog were blasting every Manhunter from us, but we needed something big to turn the tide; Then, ever so slowly, a wicked smirk spread across Kia's face.
"Fine," she said, rolling her shoulders, and we both got together, "But if this backfires, I'm blaming you in the after-action report." I whooped, flying up to her side as we faced the incoming wave of Manhunters. "Just like old times," I said, holding out my hand.
Kia clasped it without hesitation: "Just like old times."
We shot forward, our rings flaring to life. Kia's willpower surged—her Green Lantern energy forming a massive, glowing slingshot construct between us. I channeled my Blue Lantern's power, feeding into her creation, amplifying it until the slingshot hummed with raw energy.
"You ready?" I shouted over the din of battle.
Kia's grin was reaching from ear to ear, "Do it!" I jumped into the slingshot's cradle, letting Kia's willpower launch me like a living bullet. The world blurred as I shot forward, my Blue Lantern ring blazing.
At the last second, I twisted mid-air, forming a massive, glowing hammer construct in my hands.
"Hope hurts, tin cans!" I yelled—And brought the hammer down in a devastating shockwave.
The explosion of blue and green energy rippled through the Manhunters, sending them flying like broken toys. Sparks and shrapnel rained down as the remaining robots short-circuited, collapsing in heaps.
Silence.
Then—cheers.
Kilowog let out a booming laugh, Razer's eyes were wide with impressed disbelief, and even my Uncle was grinning like an idiot. Kia floated over, panting but triumphant, and bumped her fist against mine. "Damn. That was cool."
"Told ya," I smirked.
Unfortunately, our victory didn't last long as we were met with more, causing a groan of annoyance from us both, "You've got to be kidding me!?!"
"Time to leave this party!" Kilowog starts as we both began getting out of the Maelstrom, "Come on, kid, we're moving out." My uncle contacted Razer, to which left me confused, until I decided to find him: "I'mma go find him!"
Kia took notice of this, hearing from behind: "CASSIE, WAIT-!"
Ignoring her, I fly out to find him.
Somewhere in the Maelstrom...
As soon as I found Razer, on the verge of being defeated by the Manhunters, I immediately took action and saved him by blasting the Manhunters away from him. I suddenly floated down, only to be offered a soft gaze from him in return.
"You came back for me..."
I softly smile at his response, and give out my hand for him to take, "I always do."
As Razer takes my hand as we both float with our hands intertwined together in space, a slow but glowing light comes from behind the meteor next to us. Seeing that it was the Anti-Monitor was ready to harm us.
In sheer panic mode, I quickly glanced at him as he did the same, and then the Anti-Monitor, before making up my mind to push him out of the way as I took the impact.
"CASSANDRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Razer yelled.
The energy blast unleashed by the Anti-Monitor slammed into my intricately constructed shield, a shimmering barrier of pure blue energy. The force of the blast was immense, far beyond anything I had previously encountered.
With a sickening crack, my crafted defense, my blue construct shield, failed.
It shattered into a million fragments of glowing glass, scattering into nothingness as the raw power of the Anti-Monitor's attack continued its inevitable path.
There wasn't any protection left for me to construct again, as I was left vulnerable, and the full force of the Anti-Monitor's devastating blast then struck me directly in the chest. Causing me to scream in agony.
Once it left, I was only left with half my lantern body suit ruined and only half of my clothes were exposed.
"NO!"
Falling slowly in space, I felt myself losing oxygen because of the lack of energy I had left, but Razer swoops in to hold me up: "I will fly you back to the Interceptor." He tells me, fear was evident in his voice, which was something I didn't want for him to have anymore.
"We're...too far...away from it...ngh!" I wince in pain while gripping his shoulder to comfort him, but he doesn't budge, "I'll contact the others then!" Razer begins contacting others through his power ring, but no one responds: "Aya! Jordan! Kia! Kilowog, can you all hear me?—why is no one responding?"
Drowsiness pulling me under, I shook my head and wept. "Razer...I don't want to go...I promised I'd stay with you...But I'm... forced to leave you so soon..."
I pleaded with him weakly, but then felt Razer touch my abdomen, which made me hiss in pain, and he saw blood soaking through my clothes.
"Cassandra, don't go..." He pulled me into a tight embrace, which I returned with my last strength, and then I heard him say: "I...I love you. I love you, Cassandra Katherine Jordan."
Razer's words and his pull brought me closer, tears began welling up in my eyes as I let them fall, only for it to float up in space, where my surprise by his words quickly melted into a soft smile.
"Razer..." I weakly breathed. He slowly pulls me away, still in his arms, until we face each other, our eyes locking; his gaze intense, vulnerable. There was fear radiating from him, contrasting with the unwavering sadness in his eyes.
I reached up, my hand trembling slightly as I wiped a tear from his left cheek, my fingers brushing against his skin. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest.
Finally, I could say what I had been longing to say to him:
"I...I love you...more than...the universe itself."
With that being said, I pulled him closer to close the gap with one last passionate kiss that he returned it without hesitation.
The kiss was electric, his lips were warm and firm against mine.
And I could taste his tears mingling with the sweetness of his breath.
Every nerve ending seemed to sing, my weak heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. He deepened the kiss, his hand moving to cradle the back of my head, holding me close as if afraid I might disappear.
I responded in kind, my fingers losing their grip on his armored shoulders as I started to close my eyes, and my blue lantern suit disappeared.
The last thing I remembered was Razer crying softly while pulling our foreheads closer to touch before being taken away from me.