64 - Work

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

( James 5 : 16 )

*****

Hal Jordan traveled to different sectors, gathering his trusted allies, those who would hit hard.

He had experienced the power of the one he was to apprehend. Hal was cocky but not overly so. Even though he thought he could take care of the Inferno himself, under the Guardians' command, he tracked down other Lanterns.

He went to sectors 674, 1417, and 1414 to collect Kilowog, Sinestro, and Boodikka. They were the greatest warriors he knew, who would never relent in a fight.

But not all were ready for immediate departure as they still had things to do. For Kilowog, he was hunting a slave ship that was kidnapping people from primitive planets. Sinestro was returning a criminal to the prison he broke out of, and Boodikka needed to finish her patrol.

He helped Kilowog capture the traders and deliver them to the prisons and made arrangements for the slaves to return home. They both went to Sinestro and Boodikka since their sectors were near each other.

With all gathered, he began his explanation of the mission. He showed the projection of Nioz and the fight that was recorded in his ring. He also made sure to list all the powers he knew. Telekinesis, Telepathy, Shape-shifting, Pyrokinesis, Super strength, Heat vision.

Kilowog joked about how Hal was knocked out, but he also understood the danger of the target. The amount of force needed to break Green Lanterns' armor was astronomical, as it was made to combat the chaotic environments of different planets. But that defense was easily broken with a strong enough attack.

Moreover, the target knew of the innate weakness of their power rings.

From the orders and analysis on the target, the Green Lanterns decided to go with a less lethal option. They would converse with Nion and take him to the Guardians. They then decided on their roles and followed Hal to the Sol system, to Mars.

The once red planet was mostly black now with circuitry lines running through it. The small red spot on the black planet was like the iris of an eye, and the circuits looked like vessels. The black lands looked like a stretch of plains from above, but on the ground, it was filled with mountains and forests filled with tall trees. The forest was filled with mechmorphic flora and fauna, brimming with life at every corner.

The weird animals with circular eyes stared at the foreign visitors with curiosity, not with fear. These Mechmorphs were inherently not fearful, as death was not a concept in their world. The very earth that gave them life also gave them knowledge and immortality.

This was what humans could call Eden.

The Lanterns scanned the planet, but their rings could not recognize anything, not even the matter of the earth. The Ring just kept repeating 'not identified' as it scanned the flora around them. The Lanterns looked a bit skeptical of the surrounding as they flew toward a towering castle the size of a city.

The crystal city was a dot compared to the black land, but it stood tall in all its majesty. The high tower at the center graced the sky, cutting through the white clouds. The gothic towers and high walls looked intimidating, guarding against anything that dared to attack. Gargoyles sat intimidatingly as they judged the empty city.

The Lanterns flew above the city and floated above the force-field.

"NIOZ," Hal called out,

They waited in silence, waiting for a reply. For a moment, there was absolute silence as the Lanterns wondered if they were heard. Yet when Hal was about to voice again, the city came alive as a voice boomed from the high tower.

["He is not here"]

"Then who is talking?" Hal asked.

["Your grandma"] Zai answered.

"Nion, come out," Hal demanded.

["He is not here"] Zai repeated.

"Then where is he?" Hal questioned.

["None of your business, Green Lanterns"] Zai answered.

Hal groaned as he felt frustration rising. Sinestro placed a hand on Hal's shoulder before he moved forward. He then spoke with authority, "We are here under the order of the Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians demand your presence."

["Nion is not here, return after booking an appointment"] Zai responded.

"Should we use force?" Boodikka said as she cracked her knuckles.

"No," Sinestro lifted his hand to stop her, "Not yet."

"When can we meet?" Kilowog asked.

["The schedule is a bit busy"] Zai sounded like he was contemplating. ["So, how about never?"]

"Comply," Sinestro flashed his ring.

["You sure?"] Zai questioned.

The city hummed to power as the force-field flashed bright and the golden circuitry lines came alive near the city. It felt like a sleeping monolith was coming alive. The Lanterns felt no threat at the show of power, but there was no need to.

["Tell your arrogant superiors that if they want to meet, they can come here to do so"]

Kilowog was the one to speak out, "Guardians can't leave their post, from keeping order in the universe."

["Please rethink your statement at your leisure, Kilowog"]

["Come later, I am a bit busy to keep you company"] Zai stated, and the city lights died down, returning to its sleep.

Zai didn't care for the Guardians attacking him or others on this planet. He knew who they would be dealing with if that were to happen. And he judged Green Lanterns to have a hint of a brain left in their skull.

"What do we do now?" Kilowog asked.

"I will go to Earth," Hal said to Sinestro, "Get Superman who knows him."

"Okay," Sinestro replied.

Hal turned to Kilowog, and the two Lanterns flew toward Earth while Sinestro and Boodikka remained. Sinestro then lifted his hand and spoke, "Connect to the Guardians."

['What is it, Lantern?'] One of the Guardians answered.

"Our target is not complying, he demands the Guardians to visit. Should we use aggression?" Sinestro replied.

['Use force if necessary'] The orders came through.

...

Zion drove back to his warehouse, which was covered in light dust.

He then transformed into Terraspin, a giant turtle capable of turning into a fan to blow the dust away from his equipment. After dusting the place, he changed into his spare suit. He didn't want to return to Mars and deal with the Lanterns. They were such a pain, and he wanted to meet the Guardians anyway.

He then opened the door to Gordon's office and walked through. Gordon, who was going through a case file, freaked out. He pushed back on his chair and pulled his gun. It was fortunate that Gordon was not trigger-happy. Zion waved, unfazed by a mere gun.

Gordon lowered the gun and placed it on the table, feeling a headache rising. He was already stressed with all the things happening in the city. Since Nion's takeover, things had become complicated. Low-end criminals were going into a frenzy due to panic, while high-end criminals went underground.

He couldn't figure out what these maniacs were thinking.

"Gordon, ready to meet your new workforce?" Nion asked cheerfully.

Gordon sighed. He didn't want to deal with it now; he just wanted to return home.

"Don't worry, your stress will be reduced with their arrival," Nion continued to assure. "The crimes will be solved efficiently and methodically. There will be no worry about corruption or backstabbing. You will be able to deal with city-level threats and respond better to situations. You should be happy about this."

Gordon let out another sigh, resigning himself to deal with it. "Thank you, Sir." He didn't want some of his officers to irk the King and be reprimanded. He, as the commissioner, had to deal with it.

"Why don't we go and welcome them?" Nion asked as he opened the door.

The office, which was chattering, went pin-drop silent when they saw him walk out. Those who hadn't noticed due to their work turned due to the abnormal silence. They took a moment to understand and stood up in a hurry. They were in the presence of a King, and Nion's stature demanded respect.

Some police officers even shivered when they saw him turn to them, especially those with guilty hearts. And Nion was going through their files, evaluating who to fire and who to reappoint. He didn't want dirt in his system. Gotham would be clean when he was done with it.

Nion already had a hundred names of those he would fire from the force by the time he crossed the first table. He then scanned the facilities.

Gordon sheathed his gun and quickly followed Nion. He waved the officers to return to work while he rushed to the King. He followed Nion as he strolled through the station. He saw Nion looking around curiously before he commented.

"You are going to need a bigger building," Nion began. "The conditions of your facilities are less than desirable. Your metahuman prisons can't hold the strongest or most intelligent of them. The equipment you have is incapable of restraining or stopping them. The whole building is outdated and vulnerable to a break-in.

It also seems most of your budget has gone into some pockets. I will meet with the Mayor and see if he is willing to step down."

Gordon listened to all and gulped at the last. He knew that they were grossly under-geared for the criminals of this city. He had lost many of his trusted officers due to it, and he would really appreciate it if the situation improved.

Gotham's force was really poor compared to the criminals who controlled the city. The police were always outgunned by the criminals.

"I will appoint someone better," Nion stated. "But there are also too many corrupt individuals that if I removed them all, it would create a vacuum. I don't have experienced people to fill the created vacuum. Well, I can always appoint a Sentinel to do the job. Maybe the force doesn't need humans anymore? Should I make the whole upper echelon automatic?" Nion muttered to himself.

He could basically go fully tyrannical and install a new automated government that would control the whole world. It would be more integrated, but it would also be tyrannical, yet it would be more efficient. Conundrums. Moreover, he didn't have the time to create a fully integrated system in weeks. It would also create a disparity with social advancement and morality.

Too much good is bad too.

He would appoint a new Mayor to deal with it. He had a target in mind who would be more suited. Batman, the night, the vengeance, the mayor. He wouldn't need to run around in spandex, and Alfred would have less stress. How could he not care for his favorite butler?

He would at least do it for the shits and giggles. The grumpy Bat as Mayor is one of the hilarious sights.

With Nion lost in his world, Gordon followed him silently. They both arrived at the grounds where the teams gathered for mass briefing. Nion found only this space suitable for bringing his Sentinels. He gave a command, and a massive door opened at the end of the field.

Gordon watched the warped gold cuboid as the space churned and metallic beings walked through. The humanoid giant was followed by three rows of Sentinels, marching orderly. The sentinels were armored with sleek, metallic plating, adorned with glowing light and intricate mechanics. Their heads looked humane, segmented so they could mimic emotions. Their eyes glowed blue with intelligence, and their faces looked different from each other, distinguishing one from the other. They also had divided genders and different characteristics, designed so people could feel at ease when they saw a sentinel.

Gordon looked amazed at the Sentinels. They were bigger and intimidating, but also reassuring.

"Atomizer," Nion called, and the Sentinel at the front walked to them. His design made it clear that he was the leader of the others.

He came before Zion and saluted, "Sir."

"You will work with Commissioner Gordon and send others to their assigned officers. I want this city clean by the week, use the lethal option if necessary." Nion ordered. He had already programmed the Sentinels, but it felt natural to give them orders.

Atomizer turned to his subordinates and shared the files with them all. "Disperse, my Sentinels."

The Sentinels uniformly saluted and dispersed. They took to the skies and divided, moving towards their assigned districts. They would perform well, and if some idiot was dumb enough to kidnap them, he would kindly visit them in full force.

But he didn't need to worry. Each Sentinel was more capable than any metahuman on Earth.

Atomizer then turned to the commissioner and extended his massive hand for a handshake. Gordon was flustered, but he shook Atomizer's hand. The scene was like a child shaking the hand of an adult.

"It's an honor working with you, sir," Atomizer voiced, his bionic voice carrying his sincerity.

"Likewise," Gordon replied to Atomizer.

"Atomizer will handle the assignment," Nion looked at his clock. "I have somewhere to be; I better get going."

A door opened next to Nion, and he walked in, leaving few words for Atomizer.

"Do well, Atomizer."