Injustice 3: Rings War (Book 2)

Chapter 54: Permission

A/N 2 Days until the New Year.

Saint Walker:

"Saint Walker," a voice calls out. "Saint Walker. I know you can hear me."

I open my eyes and find myself floating in a strange void. There is no ground or sky. There is nothing around except for me.

"Saint Walker," the voice calls out again. I turn around and see the Earthling with the red ring. Only this time, he does not have the red ring with him. Similar to myself, he is floating in the void with me.

"Please listen to me," he says. "I need your help."

"What is going on," I ask, staring at my hand. For some unknown, I can see right through my hand. "What is this place?"

"It is a sort of astral plane," the Earthling answers. "Only our minds are here. Our bodies are elsewhere."

"Elsewhere," I repeat. As I try to think, I remember being in a fight against many green lanterns. "I was wounded if I remember correctly. What happens afterward?"

"Afterward, you were carried onto my ship where you are currently resting and healing. Your body is in one of my machines. It is accelerating the healing rate."

"If my body is on your ship," I start, "Then how did my mind get here?"

"I brought you here," the Earthling says, spreading out my hands. "The reason is that, once more, I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need your blue lantern ring."

Harleen:

Running down the stairs and through the hallways as fast as I can, I see the super parademons snooping through our rooms.

"Hey," I shout, pulling back both my arms and a hammer forming right in it. Slamming it down, I crush the first super parademon. The second one seeing me, roars and lunges for me. I jump back and switch my giant hammer for dual pistols. Bullets fly through the parademon before it falls to the floor.

Running and jumping over the fallen parademons, I check around to make sure the hallways are clear. Thankfully, they are, but only for a short time.

I hear a bunch of footsteps above and more snarling coming from where the stairs are.

"I don't have much time," I think. Giving the hallway one last look, I make a beeline straight for the doctor.

"Doc," I say, pounding on the door. "Doc, are you okay? Are you hurt? Can you hear me? Come on, say something! You lost your hand! Not your ears!"

"Thank you for reminding me of that," the Doc yells from the other side of the door. "Don't worry. Arisia and I are fine. So is the blue lantern alien. Whatever his name is. Listen, what is going on up there? What are the green lanterns doing now?"

"That was like ten minutes ago," I shout, "Now it's super parademons."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Listen, just barricade the doors and don't let anyone in."

"I am way, way ahead of you!"

"You and Arisia just stay safe, okay?"

I nod my head and turn away. As I do, I see the face of a parademon.

Superman:

I scream as I am blasted out of the building. Swinging my arms and clearing away all the dust, I look to see Kara, now wearing a red lantern suit with mask. The red ring on her finger is glowing brightly as she approaches me.

"I have to stop you," Kara says, rising her red ring and firing. "I can't let you hurt any more innocent people."

Kara fires off a bright-red beam. Rising my hand, I summon a yellow wall to block the attack. Flying to the side, I fire off a yellow beam. The yellow beam comes close to hitting Kara but Kara swings her hand and fires off a wave of red energy. The red energy collides with the yellow beam and cancels each other out.

"Kara," I yell, using my heat vision. "Stop this!"

Kara uses her own heat vision and pushes against mine. Unlike before, her heat vision seems stronger. It pushes against mine until I couldn't hold it anymore. Her heat vision hits me in the eye and blinds me.

Blinking over and over again, I see a blurry Kara using her red ring to cut off the top of a nearby building and grab it. She then slams the building's top onto me, crushing me against it and the metal ground.

The Man:

I scream as Darkseid hits me with his omega beams. The beams hit and knock me through a stone pillar. Slamming me into a wall, I fall down, the upper half of the stone pillar falling right onto me.

Shaking the dust from my hair as I push myself up, I look at Darkseid calmly walking toward me.

"I don't know how you got past my super parademon and my palace guards," Darkseid says. "But I do know this. You will not get past me."

Reaching me, Darkseid grabs my neck collar and lifts me up. His fist glows as he pulls it back. Punching me with his glowing fist, Darkseid sends me flying through the throne room. Coughing while using my sword to pull myself up, I shake my head and focus once more.

"Are you okay," Saint Walker asks, "What is happening to you?"

"I'm fine," I say, struggling to keep my mind in the astral plane. I shake my head to regain my bearing. "Saint Walker, please listen to me. Even if you have no reason to."

Saint Walker nods his head.

"I will listen to you," Saint Walker says. "You need my blue lantern ring to save the female Kryptonian who had been taken over by Darkseid."

Saint Walker looks down at his hand, the blue lantern ring right there on his finger.

"But you must know that I cannot. My blue lantern ring is like a green lantern ring. The ring chooses you. You do not choose it."

About to reply, I stop.

"Please excuse me."

I open my eyes and find myself back in Darkseid's throne room. Once more, he is standing in front of me. His fists are glowing again and he is about to punch me.

Moving fast, I cross my dual swords and counter Darkseid's punch. Darkseid's punch sliding alongside my blade, I lead it to the floor where Darkseid slams and cracks the floor. Sliding around him, I cut his leg. Darkseid screams as he drops to a knee. Once on his knee, I jump and kick Darkseid to the floor.

"I only have a few seconds," I think, closing my eyes and returning to Saint Walker.

"I know about the rings," I say quickly, "I know how the rings choose their owners, but you should know that I have used your ring before. Shortly after you were knocked out, I had to use your ring and a red ring to shield my ship from Mogo's attack."

"What," Saint Walker shouts, "You used my ring? That's impossible."

"No, it is not. There are secrets to the rings that only I know. Including how to properly wield them. Even if they don't choose me."

"If that is true, then why are you asking me for my ring? Why don't you just take it?"

"Because I am asking for your permission, and your help. Please, Saint Walker, lend me your ring so I may help Kara."

Saint Walker stares at his ring for a while before looking up at me.

"Of course," he says, pulling off the ring and giving it to me. "Use it well."

"Thank you," I say, taking the ring. We nod our heads and the astral plane disappears. I reopen my eyes to see Kalibak running up to me. Swinging his mace, he hits and sends me flying through the air.

It isn't even a full minute after I fall onto the ground that Kalibak jumps and lands on top of me. Once he had me pinned to the ground, he raises his mace before slamming it down.