The greatest of the Green Lantern Corps. Hal Jordan was a former test pilot before being recruited by a dying alien, Abin Sur. He found that the universe is divided into 3600 space sectors, and that Earth was contained in space sector 2814.
He was given a power ring and battery. The power ring contained a finite charge, which was tied to the rotational period of the user's home world (which was later changed to a standard 24 solar hours). At which time, the ring would need to be recharged at the battery. To recharge the ring, the bearer had to recite the following: "In brightest day, in darkest night. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's Light!" The ring gave the bearer the most powerful weapon in the universe, limited only by the imagination and will power of the bearer. However, due to a necessary impurity in the power battery, the rings were ineffectual against the color yellow. Each ring had a reserve amount of energy, which protected the bearer from mortal harm. However, at the cost of this protection the bearer could tap into this reserve in an emergency. The portable battery drew power from the central power battery located on the planet Oa. Each ring has a limited degree of sentience, enabling the ring to answer queries and give assistance to its bearer.
During the events of the Death and Rebirth of Superman, Hal Jordan's hometown of Coast City (which for the purposes of this fic will be located south of Sunnydale on the coast of California) was destroyed by the evil warlord Mongul. The loss of his home town and the grief of his inability to prevent it caused Hal Jordan to become insane. He went on a quest to gain enough power to restore his city, and in doing so decimated the Green Lantern Corps. Upon reaching the central power battery, Hal Jordan found the Guardians unwilling to aid him in his quest. He therefore integrated himself with the central power battery, and thus was born Parallax.
Current Status: Deceased. Sacrificed his life to re-ignite the Earth's sun.
Founders of the Green Lantern Corps. Best described as short blue-skinned men with white hair, and garbed in red robes. The robes bear the insignia of the Corps, which is a green colored lantern overlaid on a white circle. These beings possess great power and are themselves "power batteries". When Hal Jordan drained the central power battery of energy to become Parallax, all but Ganthet gave their life force to form one final ring and power battery. Ganthet then departed for Earth to find the bearer of the final power ring.
Current Status: All but Ganthet deceased. Their essence lives on in the final ring.
The Guardians are dedicated to providing Order throughout the galaxy. To best ensure the success of their mission the Guardians divided the galaxy into 3600 space sectors and assigned a Green Lantern to each. Each Lantern is assigned a ring and power battery. Each operates independently of another, unless directed to do otherwise by the Guardians.
Current Status: Defunct. Most of the Green Lantern Corps are deceased. Those who are not have been left to their own means, powerless.
The Last Green Lantern. Found by Ganthet in an alley of a bar on Earth. The ring given to Kyle has no weakness to the color yellow, nor an imposed time limit. The only limit of the ring is Kyle's own imagination, which is vast due to his career as a freelance artist. However, in lieu of a time limit, the battery is drained of energy as Kyle uses it. With minimal use, the charge on the ring may last indefinitely. Over time, Kyle has learned to estimate when a recharge is needed by his connection with the ring. As of this time, it is unknown if Kyle's ring possesses any amount of sentience.
After many months in his role as the last remaining Green Lantern, Kyle has grown in both maturity and experience. He is a founding member of the reinstated Justice League of America (JLA), and has proven himself to be every bit as capable as the ones who bore the rings before him, if not a bit unconventional in his methods.
Due to a time displacement mishap, Hal Jordan was brought to the present from the distant past, before his fall into darkness. Learning of his future deeds, Hal Jordan vowed to never become Parallax. However, without the sacrifice of Parallax, the Earth's sun would have been extinguished. Therefore Hal agreed to have himself returned to the past with no memory of his deeds as Parallax. But, before returning to the past, Hal gave Kyle a power ring with the request that Kyle bring back the glory of the Corps.
And thus our story begins...
Kyle floated upside down, seated Indian Style with his head propped on his hands. His body was engulfed in a pale green glow, an indicator he was using his power to stay aloft. As a last minute check, Kyle went over the list of things he needed to accomplish before he left Earth for parts unknown.
"Let's see... JLA notified? Check. Made Jenny the first of the new Corps? Check. Rent paid? Check. Clean underwear packed? Check." Kyle slowly scratched his head. "There's always something I forget when I go on a trip. What am I forgetting? Hmm, latest freelance project submitted? Damn. No check."
Kyle uncurled himself and rocketed towards his SoHo apartment, a green streak marking his flight path. He streaked through the open window of his apartment and landed in the middle of his studio. Waiting there in his chair with her legs propped up on his drafting table was Jenny-Lynn Hayden, his girlfriend. Turning her head, she smiled at him, the white of her teeth contrasting with her green skin.
"Forget something Kyle?"
Kyle just watched in awe as she stood up, her bare midriff exposed by her short ragged t-shirt. His gaze traveled down and took in her long toned legs. As many times as he saw it, Kyle never got tired of looking at his girlfriend. "Huh?"
Laughing merrily, Jenny tilted Kyle's head upwards with her index finger. "I said, forget something Kyle?"
Kyle looked perplexed, his eyes still focused on his girlfriend. "Umm, I love you?"
Jenny shook her head in the negative. "Nice try champ. And any other time, I'd reward you for being trained so well, but you've got places to be." She turned around and picked up the package from the desk behind her. She flipped the package over and glanced at the written address in Kyle's familiarly sloppy script. "And it looks like one of those places is Sunnydale, California."
Kyle took the package from her, and with his free hand he caressed her cheek with a mischievous grin. "Is it too late to say I really came back just to see you?"
She nuzzled his palm and looked lovingly at him. "Totally. But I love you for trying." She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, letting the contact linger for a few seconds. "Now get that cute ass going. I'm already missing you."
He grinned and kissed her again for good measure. "I really do love you Jenny." After making sure she knew how deeply he felt for her, just in case, Kyle flew out his apartment window. His telltale green streak trailing off towards California.
Xander was in deep shit. Ever since the incident with Jack O'Toole the other day, he'd began to strike out on his own trying to find his own niche in the world of the Slayer. Unfortunately, Sunnydale wasn't a hotspot for zombies, the one supernatural subgroup Xander had shown an above average level of proficiency in dispatching. Which pretty much left Sunnydale populated with those groups that he was less than proficient with. Abysmal would be a better word. That went double for vampires.
As with all things in his life, it'd started simply enough. Find a suspicious obituary, scope out the burial site, and wait for the vampire to raise. His plan was to quickly dust the vampire, and return home with the rest of the Scooby's being none the wiser. Xander had no trouble finding the obituary or the grave site, and was completely prepared for the vampire to rise from his grave. His problems began when the guys in black robes began to show up.
He couldn't see any of their faces, but he knew they were up to no good. < Well, I don't know for SURE that they're up to no good, but how much good can you be up to wearing black robes in a cemetery while standing over a vampire's grave? Not much I'd say. >
He watched from behind a gravestone as they began to chant, their language guttural and certainly not human. Xander was working up a plan of attack, blindly rushing a group of nine cultists was suicidal even by his standards. Before he could put whatever plan he had in mind into place, the chanting abruptly stopped.
< That's never good. > Xander's plan went straight out the window when the earth began to tremor. Every instinct in his body told him to run away in fright. But this was something major, something the big hitters needed to know about, so he faught those instincts with all his will, overcoming his fear. < Now if I can just stay out of sight. >
As soon as Xander had that thought, two unnaturally strong hands grasped him from behind. "What have we here blood bag? Don't you know to mind your own business in this town?" The robed vampire drug Xander out from behind the gravestone and into the midst of the rest of the cultists. "Hey boss, look what we got here!"
The lead cultist lowered his cowl to reveal the typical features of a vampire, with the exception of black runes tatooed into his flesh. "Looks to me like we have our first sacrifice!"
< Do I have a target on my back or something? I mean, seriously, what's the chance of me catching the eye of the one bully in school who happens to be a zombie? And now this! At least it can't get worse. > Xander mentally slapped his head as the ground buckled and yellow light began to seep out of the cracks in the earth. < Shit. It just got worse. I have GOT to find a new hobby. >
Kyle was making his sixth loop around the city. < It's the advertising agency next to the cemetary she says. Does she have any freaking idea how many damn cemetaries there are in this town? > As he passed over Elmwood Cemetary, he noticed a yellow glow eminating from the densest grouping of graves. < Damn. Yellow glow. Cemetary. So much for having one last milk run before I leave Earth. >
Kyle swooped down towards the glow, pausing briefly to leave his package safely on the top of a nearby crypt. He paused a few hundred yards away. "Ring,. Magnify and overlay the area surrounding the local disturbance." A grin formed on Kyle's face as a visual appeared before him, giving him exactly the view requested. < Never hurts to have a little tactical information on hand. > In retrospect, he chuckled slightly to himself. < Guess I actually did pick up something during those tactical sessions Batman gave us at the Watchtower. >
Xander looked around as he saw a scaled hand claw through the ground. < From bad to worse. I can't catch a break. > The vampires around him forced Xander to his knees. He realized he was being prepared for the sacrifice to whatever-the-hell it was.
The head and upper torso of the vampire broke the surface, its skin seemed to glow with an unholy light. This vampire was certainly a different breed than the run of the mill Sunnydale vampire. The cloaked vampires surrounding Xander folded their hands together and lowered their heads. Had it been anything else but a vampire, Xander would have thought they were showing the new arrival reverence. His stomach sunk as they began to chant. "All hail the Vampire Savior. Our Unholy Lord!"
< Shit. Vampire Savior. I hate being me. >
The so-called Vampire Savior was mostly out of the grave. The glow of his skin increased with every inch he removed himself from the grave. Xander looked around, and saw exactly why the glow was increasing. Tendrils of light extended from each vampire cultist, flowing directly into the chest of the Vampire Savior. < Idiots. They never read the fine print. Of course, I'm still royally fucked. >
The vampires around Xander screamed in agony as the flesh began to dissolve from their bones, as if the very forces holding them together were breaking down. The vampires turned to dust one by one as the Vampire Savior drew the last of their essences from them. Their final screams bearing witness to the arrival of the Unholy Lord.
Kyle shook his head clear as he witnessed the events that Xander had a front row seat for. < Well, now I've seen everything. Never once did I think I'd see a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark come to life. > "Ring. Give me an analysis of all potential targets in the designated area." Kyle waited as the ring displayed its analysis of the two remaining combatants. < Hmm, the guy on his knees is 100% human. I wonder what in the fuck is he doing there? Check that. What in the fuck is he STILL doing there? >
Kyle frowned in thought as he tried to make sense of what his ring was telling him about the other being. < This doesn't make sense. I'm getting no life signs, but power readings are off the scale. This can't be possible, he's approaching J'onn levels. > As Kyle was processing the data he received from his ring, he watched in horror as Xander pulled a stake and cross from his belt and stood to face the monster. < Ah shit kid. Know when to fold 'em. > The emerald glow around Kyle increased as he prepared to enter the battle.
< I figure I've got about two options at this point. I can stay and fight this beast, and without a doubt I'll die. Or, I could run like hell and save my hide. If I run, then I'll just be the Zeppo again. Useless Xander, always fray adjacent. > Xander held the cross up and faced the vampire. < No way I'm dying on my knees later. I'll die on my feet like a man. A very, very stupid man. >
Xander gripped his cross tighter holding it up against the Vampire like a mystical shield. "Uh... Uh... Master Vampire huh? That's a new one." Xander cleared his throat. < Ok Xander, pull it together. Think, what will buy you some time? > "Excuse me, Vampire Savior. As a duly designated representative of the city of Sunnydale, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension." < Great, I'm going to die, I don't have clean underwear, and my last line is going to be a quote from Ghostbusters. >
The Vampire Savior said nothing, he merely leaned forward and grasped the cross in his hand, yanking it from Xander's grasp. Xander smirked at the Vampire Savior when he took the cross from him, expecting to hear the sound of sizzling flesh, but instead he heard nothing. Xander looked up to see the Vampire Savior licking the cross, chuckling all the while.
Xander's expression shifted between awe and horror as he watched the Vampire Savior lick his only cross. < Naturally. I mean, why should I have expected a cross to work? My luck is nowhere NEAR that good. > Xander slowly moved his free hand around to rest at the small of his back, hoping the movement was slow and slight enough to not arouse any further scrutiny from his opponent.
Growing bored with taunting the human, the Vampire Savior crushed the cross to splinters, the remains littering the ground below. Looking around, the Vampire Savior tapped into his supernatural senses, ensuring that there were no immediate threats nearby. He sensed an unknown source of powerful energy in the vicinity, but was unable to pinpoint its location. The energy didn't register to the Vampire Savior as dangerous, so he shifted his attention back to the human before him.
While the beast's focus was directed elsewhere, Xander took the opportunity to slide the small bottle of holy water he carried from its pouch on his belt. As he removed the cap, Xander considered his options. < After I use this holy water, all I've got left is my stake. > He glanced down at his left hand, the moonlight gleaming off of the imperfections of the stake. < Great, this thing is over seven feet tall, and all I've got is a six inch stake, which may or may not have any effect. I'm as doomed as doomed can be. >
As the beast began to move towards him, Xander readied himself for what was sure to be a futile offensive attempt. Xander reared back and hurled the bottle's contents at the vampire, which arced through the air and splashed upon the vampire's face. Immediately, the vampire reared back with a primal scream and covered his face with his hands.
Now presented with a finite window of opportunity, Xander rushed forward, stake at the ready. He was only a few scant inches from plunging it into the chest of the vampire when his wrist was caught in a powerful grip. Xander looked up and was astonished to see that the Vampire Slayer's face was unblemished. < Oh shit. Either he heals really fast, or... > The vampire's mocking laughter confirmed Xander's unspoken fear. He was immune to holy water as well.
The beast lifted Xander up by his wrist, until Xander's whole body hung suspended in the air. He felt more than saw the vampire's free arm move back, positioning itself for a lethal strike to his exposed torso. Xander closed his eyes, and prayed to a God he barely believed in as he waited out his last few moments of life.
Xander could hear a low whistle as the talons cut through the night air, the sound signaling his impending doom. Just as Xander expected the death blow to strike, he heard something resembling a dull thud. Slowly Xander opened his eyes, and to his astonishment the vampire's fist was caught in a catcher's mitt. A giant, green catcher's mitt. A GLOWING catcher's mitt.
Xander slowly turned his head. Not more than five feet away was a man floating in mid-air, a similar green glow emanating from his right hand. "Only in California would I find something like this, and someone insane enough to try and fight it. I knew there was a reason I moved East."