[center][b][u]9:48 AM, July 21st
Seawatch Elementary
Coast City[/u][/b]

A red beam pierced the playground, the beam burrowing deep into the Earth as it streaked across the schoolyard and into the school gym. Flames erupted along the path of his attack, expanding outwards to engulf the whole [i]stupid[/i] place in fire.

There weren’t any kids or adults there. He’d forgotten that it was summer, and so school was out. He wanted to watch them all burn…but destroying the stupid building would do for now! He’d just have to find them all later! Or destroy the whole [i]stupid[/i] city! That’d show em’.

[color=crimson]”HAHAH, STUPID GYM! I ALWAYS HATED P.E.!!!”[/color] Billy screamed, turning his eyes to the school proper. Aiming his ring at it next, he watched with a broad grin as it too was reduced to a ball of fire. The fireballs he made were always [i]so huge!![/i] He wasn’t even really trying yet.

He couldn’t help wondering how big of a fireball he could make, if he [i]really[/i] put some effort into it? Maybe he could even burn Coast City in one big shot!

[color=crimson]”OH BOY, LET’S DO IT!!!”[/color]

Ascending sharply into the sky until he could see the city as a whole, Billy’s grin widened so far that it practically [i]hurt[/i]. But he didn’t mind pain so much any more. Pain, in fact, just made him angrier…and anger felt [i]good[/i].

Aiming his ring towards the ground, he narrowed his eyes as it began to glow. He was going to wipe it all away in just one shot…

From the distance shot forward a green blur at incredible speeds. The news of [i]something[/i] attacking his city and melting people was more than enough of a reason for Preston to suit up and fly head first into danger. Some said it was a smaller figure that was harming people, but Preston didn’t think much of it. 

He charged into the scene like a dart, aiming to ram into the red menace with his autoshields. However, with his enhanced abilities, Preston had caught just what this attacker was before he hit him, and shot straight up into the air mere feet from where he was standing. As he slowed himself down, he looked at who was floating around just as he did, his eyes widening as he took in the appearance of the masked attacker, and what emblem he bore on his chest.

It was a child!

Preston was quick to put his ring to work, creating a bubble around the kid. Preston floated closer and closer to him, getting a good look at his similar uniform with a similar emblem. And to make things worse, he had a power ring too!? Preston needed to have a big talk with the Guardians of Oa when he had some time to travel back. Not only to discuss why he seemed to be underperforming, but also why someone looked just like him, but had a completely different power set, one more volatile and dangerous than his own. 

[color=ForestGreen]“Hey, what are you doing?”[/color] Preston didn’t exactly know how to confront this kid. Should he treat him like any other criminal? Preston didn’t know enough to judge. [color=ForestGreen]“And how are you able to do all of this?”[/color]

Billy’s eyes narrowed when a green glow caught his eye. He was moving [i]fast[/i], but not as fast as him. He looked like he was going to slam into him, but instead he flew up and...and he did [i]something.[/i] Put some kind of...green bubble around him. He was a grown up, but his uniform looked kind of like his, just...green. That really pissed him off.

[color=crimson]”I ALWAYS HATED THE GREEN RANGER!”[/color] Billy screamed, pointing his ring at the man. Once again a red beam emerged, making contact with the shield that surrounded him. Almost immediately it cracked and splintered, before shattering in the face of the attack. [color=crimson]”SEE-YAH!!”[/color] 

Green ranger? Preston barely had any time to process that outburst before this kid shattered his bubble with a single beam. He was even forced to fly off to the left and around his target just to avoid the beam that was unleashed. He didn’t want to hurt this child, but he was far too much to handle. He needed to pacify him somehow. 

Preston had to think. Green Ranger, the kid mentioned. He made some wacky shouting noise as he unleashed the beam. It had been a very, very long time since Preston had to actually think about the power rangers, but he was forced to do whatever he could to keep this situation from getting any worse. [color=ForestGreen]“But wasn’t the red one still the leader?”[/color] He tried to make conversation with this fuming kid. [color=ForestGreen]“A leader has to be calm and focused, don’t you want to be like that?”[/color] 

He wasn’t very good at this whole talking to kids thing.

He was trying to lecture him, just like the people in that stupid school he’d just burned down. Just like those [i]stupid[/i] Make-A-Wish people he’d melted. That was what grown ups always did. Tried to tell him how to do things, how to act, how to think. He hated them [i]all[/i]. This one even thought he could tell him how to be Red?

[color=crimson]”I’M THE LEADER BECAUSE I SAY SO! BECAUSE I’M [I]SPECIAL[/I]!!!”[/color] He roared, blood erupting from his throat to splash at the green wannabe who was trying to get in the way of his fun. All they [i]ever[/i] wanted to do was keep him from getting what he wanted, the stupid jerks! Why couldn’t they just understand that he was more important than all of their stupid faces?

[color=crimson]”I’M GOING TO MELT YOU, JUST LIKE THE MAKE-A-WISH MORONS!!”[/color]

Preston’s autoshields were only able to withstand so much of the corrosive blood that this so called leader spat at him. As soon as it melted through, Preston could feel it burning through his suit and into his skin. He yelled in pain, but he withstood it. 

He had to be creative, he reminded himself. But there seemed to be no way to calm this kid down. Was the only choice really to beat him up and knock him out cold? Preston refused to accept that as an answer. [color=ForestGreen]“I’m agreeing with you!”[/color] Preston could barely hide his pain through gritted teeth. [color=ForestGreen]“You’re the leader! But people don’t want to follow a leader that kills them!”[/color] He sighed, letting out some of that pain in a guttural groan. [color=ForestGreen]“And as the green guy in this situation, I’m here to tell you that enough is enough.”[/color]

Preston held out his ring in front of him, just like Killowog taught him. With the powers of his ring, he made another barrier around the kid, and another. And more and more until there were ten bubbles shielding the kid from the outside forces, and protecting the world from this violent half-pint. [color=ForestGreen]“I’m sorry Kid, I have to take you to the space cops!”[/color]

[color=crimson]”YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE THERE!!”[/color] Billy shouted, enraged that the [i]stupid[/i] green man was still floating there, getting in the way of him burning this [i]stupid[/i] city. [color=crimson]”IF I’M THE LEADER, THAT MEANS YOU DO WHAT I SAY!!!”[/color]

Balling his fists tightly when saw yet [i]more[/i] of the stupid green barriers appear around him, Billy released a scream of pure rage. He was so [i]sick[/i] of this guy and his dumb, stupid bubbles! He wanted to melt him so badly right now. And what he wanted, he was going to [i]get![/i] He was the Red Lantern now, that meant he could do [i]whatever he wanted...[/i]and nobody was going to stop him!

[color=crimson]”I’M THE BOSS NOW!”[/color] Billy declared. [color=crimson]”THE BOSS OF THIS DUMB CITY, THE BOSS OF THIS DUMB [i]PLANET!![/i]”[/color]

Charging forward as fast and hard as his anger would allow him too, Billy slammed into the shields with a force capable of propelling him through interstellar space. While a Green Lantern’s barriers perhaps should have been able to offer him resistance, there was something wrong. The spheres Preston had created were not nearly as durable as they [i]should[/i] have been, and they broke on impact with the terrible tyke.

As he smashed through the last of the bubbles, Billy set his eyes on the grown up. Charging right for him, his hands lashed out for his throat. [color=crimson]”I’LL TWIST YOUR HEAD OFF LIKE MECHAGODZILLA!! DUN DUN DUN!”[/color]

While humming the mechagodzilla theme, he began to attempt to wrench the Green Lantern’s head off with his small but terribly powerful hands.

Mechagodzilla!? How did this kid even know about the star of the 1974 Kaiju film Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla? Was this kid that bored with things that he stumbled onto his dads collection of old movies and watched them in his spare time? Even Preston had to reach a little to get the reference. 

Preston set up another wall between himself and the the boy, but it was reduced to shreds just as soon as it was created. He had no choice other than to reassemble the wall as quick as he could around him, hoping to capture the boy and fling him  as far as he could with such a short wind. 

Hopefully tossing the Kid away would give Preston a second to think. His constructs were paper thin. He should at the very least be able to hold one adolescent within ten reinforced bubbles! But apparently that wasn’t the case, so he needed to end this as soon as possible, if that was possible.

Billy was briefly entrapped by the wall and flung away before he was able to smash through it. This guy was [i]really[/i] making him mad now! Madder than he normally was, even! He had already told him to die more than once, but he was just too [i]stupid[/i] to listen! Why did grown ups never listen to him? Didn’t they understand how much easier things would be if they just accepted how [i]special[/i] he was?

[color=crimson]”NO MORE BUBBLES! NO MORE WALLS![/color] Billy screamed, pointing his ring at him. [color=crimson]”I’LL BUILD A WALL AROUND [i]YOU[/i] THIS TIME, AND MAKE YOU PAY!”[/color]

Again a red beam emerged from his ring, but instead of it merely being focused red energy as it had up till this point, it took the form a wall almost identical to the green one that had been used to push Billy away. This one looked considerably more sturdy, however, and it was heading straight towards the green man at interstellar speeds.

Preston floated before the shining red wall that separated himself from this red ring user. While Preston was initially confused as to why he had summoned a wall when preston was not the one attacking, all thoughts flew out the window as Preston flew through the air. This kid even had more powerful constructs than he did!

While he soared through the air, Preston had a small conversation with himself regarding if he really was worthy enough to use the ring. Obviously so, but did it make a mistake? He couldn’t even square up against a kid.

The longer he let himself be carried away by the sheer force of the hit, the more he denied those thoughts. He fought space pirates! He took down starships with his ring and his wits! He could certainly use the ring as it should be, but ever since he returned to earth, he began to notice how its power has been decaying on some level. He knew he could deflect laser fire without a second thought when he first started, but something was wrong, and now he could barely handle human made laser weapons!

Preston’s body glew green, his shield recharging after a small breather while flying through the air. At about the same speed he had been moving away from the kid, he began to actually fly and curve around, aiming straight at him, hands stretched forward.. If he couldn’t use his ring to capture the boy, then he’d just have to use his hands!

Preston tried his hardest to grab the kid and hold onto him. He flew up high into the air, as fast as his ring could take him right now, and then some. The sky around them went from a bright blue, to navy, then to black, as Preston carried the kid off into space. If he had a power ring, surely it would protect him in outer space on the way to Oa.

Billy saw the green man approach him again. He was slow, and when he grabbed him Billy could tell he was [i]weak[/i] too. Grown ups had always been strong than him. Had always tried to use their size to push him around and make him do what [i]they[/i] wanted. But now that didn’t matter. Now [i]he[/i] was the strong one!

[color=crimson]”YOUR GREEN RING SUCKS!”[/color] Billy laughed, grabbing Preston by the throat. The sky had gotten darker. He could see stars now, twinkling above him. Were they in [i]space?[/i]

Glancing around him for a moment, Billy was quickly able to locate the moon. It seemed [i]so[/i] close right now, like he could just fly right to it! His lips stretched into a broad, positively manic grin as he shot off towards - and near-instantly reached - the moon. [color=crimson]”OH BOY, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KILL THE MAN IN THE MOON!![/color]

His eyes darted about as he touched down on the chalk-white rock, having apparently forgotten that he was still holding Preston by the throat with one hand. [color=crimson]”WHERE IS HE? I’M GONNA MELT HIM!!”[/color]

As soon as the kid had launched his hand into Preston’s neck, he could feel just how powerless he was to this red menace. Every passing moment reminded Preston more and more about how he no longer had any control over the situation. Maybe he never had any control, and he was always at the mercy of the kid. If Preston’s ring wasn’t nearly completely powerless at this point, only barely keeping him alive in the cold vacuum of space, he would have tried to deny that point. He would have tried to assert himself one more time in an effort to get the kid to stop. 

Now they were on the surface of the moon. Preston’s vision blurred, his uniform began to burn away in a green flame. He couldn’t even afford to struggle at this point. The last thing Preston remembered seeing was the furious boy strangling him, and their home planet behind him.

Suddenly, a concussive blast of green energy shot through the vacuum of space towards little Billy, aiming to hit his wrist and make him drop the weaker Green Lantern. A stern-faced, red-skinned figure floated a couple dozen feet off the moons’ surface, crossing his arms over his green and black Lantern suit. “So I hear you’re looking for a fight, little one?” The newcomer asked with a small sneer, glancing at Preston to make sure his autoshield was functioning for now. “How about a fight with a real spaceman?” He finished with a grin before the ring on his left hand flashed a brilliant green and a huge hand materialized in the void between the pair, smacking at little Billy with a good deal more force than Preston’s Ring had been able to manage.

[color=crimson]“GAGH!”[/color] Billy yelped when something struck him in the wrist, causing him to drop that weak green man who’d interfered with his fun.

Grasping at his stinging hand for a moment, Billy centered his gaze on yet [i]another[/i] one of those stupid green men. But [i]this[/i] one had red skin, of all things. Was he...an [i]alien?[/i] A real, authentic space alien?! His face began to brighten at the idea, his eyes practically trembling within his skull from the manic excitement washing over him.

Then he was struck by a big green hand that came out of nowhere. It hurt. It really, really [i]hurt[/i], and Billy went flying halfway to the Earth before he was able to stop himself, glaring wildly at the [i]stupid[/i] alien who had hit him. He was just like that dumb woman in the Baskin Robbins!

“Rage. Hate. [i]Devour.””[/i] The robotic voice of his ring hummed.

[color=crimson]”DEVOUR?”[/color] Billy blinked, before his lips stretched into the broadest grin yet. [color=crimson]”OH BOY!! HE’S RED, SO MAYBE HE TASTES LIKE CHERRIES!! BLARGHHH!”[/color]

Spewing up that corrosive blood that had made quick work of those [i]stupid[/i] Make-A-Wish people, Billy instantly closed the hundred-plus thousand miles between them, attempting to tackle the man and melt him. To sink his teeth into whatever was left afterwards. [color=crimson]”RED IS BETTER THAN GREEN!![/color]

Sinestro was momentarily surprised at the speed which the boy closed the distance between them, it seemed as though his ring offered the boy power at a similar level to the Green Rings, though Sinestro had never seen a ring that spewed red light before. He’d need to capture and contain this child, to bring the Ring back to Oa and see what the Guardians knew about it. The sheer power coming from this boy was immense, even if the control aspect was… Lacking. No time to consider that now though, as the boy was on him in a flash, vomiting up a stream of red, blood-like energy that began to corrode Sinestro’s auto-shield. Alarmed, Sinestro clenched his fist and generated an expanding bubble around himself, aiming to push the boy off of him for a moment so he could get some room.

Sinestro backed away and pointed his Ring at the boy, hoping to stall for just a few moments while he thought of a plan. “Devour, eh? No no child, I don’t like the sound of that. Unfortunately however, you appear to have stolen technology developed by the Guardians of Oa and have corrupted it, using its power to injure the Green Lantern in charge of your sector of space. That makes you my problem. Now we can do this the easy way, where you surrender the ring and come with me back to Oa; the Guardians would likely take pity on you. Or we can do it the hard way, and I drag you back by your bald scalp.” He said, allowing an edge of menace to creep into his voice at the end. A mere thought flashed through Sinestro’s mind and a large shield formed in front of him, a barrier that would at least slow the child down for a moment when he inevitably attacked.

Billy grunted in anger and frustration when the shield forcibly pushed him back. Smashing at it with his fists, he screamed at the top of his lungs when it didn’t shatter like the other one’s. Why was this [i]stupid[/i] alien so much harder to beat up than the other green man? [color=crimson]”NO FAIR! THE OTHER GREEN ONE WAS WEAK! YOU SHOULD BE WEAK TOO!”[/color]

Backing off ever-so-slightly, Billy aimed his ring at the shield the alien had created and began blasting at it with his red beams. They had pierced through multiple shields at once from the other green man, but he found that he had to use several while [i]really[/i] trying this time. It was just one [i]stupid[/i] shield, it shouldn’t be this hard!!

[color=crimson]”NOBODY TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!!”[/color] Billy screeched, blood still streaming from his mouth as his rage reached its peak, the dumb alien daring to try and boss him around. Charging full force into his shield this time. He was going to smash this guy’s stupid mustache face in!

Sinestro allowed himself a small smile as he continued to pour his power into the shield. He was right, the power coming from the red ring was immense, but lacked any sort of precision or control. If any other Lantern had shown up, the boy would have broken through their shield quickly, but Sinestro was no normal Lantern. He watched the boy back up and then scream in frustration, hurtling headlong towards his shield, and a wicked idea formed in Sinestro’s mind. 

As the boy closed in on the shield… Sinestro dropped it. He then sidestepped out of the way, using his ring to leave a ghostly, but intangible afterimage in his place for the boy to ‘hit’. The plan was thus: Allow the child to streak past and confuse himself, then Sinestro would create a Green Energy lasso to catch his ankle, and whip him around and slam him into the surface of this moon. It was a satisfying plan, assuming it worked.

[color=crimson]”WAH?!”[/color] Billy gasped in confusion when the shield vanished before he could slam into it, but he was too [i]mad[/i] to care about why. Instead, he continued on course towards the dumb alien, wanting to rip his dumb face off with his teeth! Opening his mouth wide as blood poured from it, he bit down on...nothing?

Blinking as he sliced through what had appeared to be the alien, he furiously began to scan the area for wherever he’d gotten to. [color=crimson]”YOU WON’T GET AWAY!! YOU’VE MADE ME MAD!!”[/color]

That was when he felt something tug at his ankle, his gaze falling to see a green...rope? Following along its length to see that it ended at the alien’s ring, Billy’s eyes flared. Raising his ring, he prepared to fire, only to be slung downwards into the moon below, the impact causing the surface of the planetoid to splinter and crack for many miles in all direction.

[color=crimson]”BLAARGH!”[/color] Billy puked up that red energy quite unintentionally this time as he struggled to push himself up. [color=crimson]N-NO FAIR!! YOU’RE CHEATING!! I’M SUPPOSED TO WIN!!”[/color]

Sinestro slowly floated down to the surface of the planetoid, pointing his ring at the collapsed body of his foe. Green manacles sprang into existence and closed around his wrists and ankles before chaining themselves to the surface of the moon. They might not hold him forever, but they would do for now. “Win?” Sinestro asked coldly, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow. “You honestly think this is a game, child? You’ve killed people, hurt people, given yourself over to rage. This is no game. It’s pest control.” Sinestro began to circle the boy, keeping a careful eye out for any signs of weakness in his constructs. 

“Do you know why I’m here?” Sinestro asked. “The man you were fighting, the Green Lantern of Earth; his Ring sent out a distress call when it encountered yours. I happened to be the closest Lantern nearby. If I wanted to though, I could send out my own call. Every Lantern from here to Oa would converge on this moon within the hour. You want a fight? I can bring you one here. Then you can lose not just to me, but to thousands of my brothers. You couldn’t beat me. Could you beat a literal planet with my powers? Let this be a lesson to you, boy.” Sinestro said, coming back around and staring Billy in the eye. “Do not fuck with the Green Lantern Corps.”

Billy roared, animalistic, inhuman. He tugged furiously at the constructs, though thanks to Sinestro’s attentiveness they did not break. The moon that they had been shackled to, however, wasn’t so resilient, and one of the manacles began to be ripped from the rock. [color=crimson]”I HATE YOU!! YOU’RE JUST ANOTHER STUPID GROWN UP!! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL EAT YOUR HEART!!!”[/color]

His voice had started to become almost electronic in tone, and it was no longer entirely clear whether it was just Billy, or his ring speaking to the man before him. That strange red energy still poured from his mouth, lashing at the alien with renewed vigor even as its host was unable to move for the moment. [color=crimson]”YOU AND YOUR STUPID FRIENDS ARE GONNA DIE!! GO GO RED LANTERN!!! DOO DOO DOO DOO DOO!!!”[/color]

As he began singing, the anger and rage grew within him and the moon he was chained to began to give way, even if the green constructs necessarily did not.

Sinestro paused for a moment, taken aback by the… Interesting response from the boy. He turned his attention momentarily to the surface of the moon, realizing it was perhaps not as good an anchoring point as he initially thought. Another flash from his Ring and the chains on the manacles extended, lifting in the air and beginning to wrap themselves around the boy. Tying him to the moon didn’t work, so it would be interesting to see him try to fight against himself to break free.

“I understand now.” Sinestro said, focusing more on the chains and getting them wrapped tightly around the child. “You’re utterly insane. You’re a crazy person. That makes you a danger to yourself and everyone around you. So you no longer get the chance to hurt anyone, even yourself.” He said, tying the rest of the chains together and clenching his fist, tightening the whole knot. “As soon as the other Lantern wakes up, we’re going to Oa.”

Billy continued to scream and struggle, gnash his teeth and spew “blood”. For a period, it seemed as if his efforts just might even overwhelm the supremely constructed chains of Thaal Sinestro, but eventually the boy seemed “calm”, for lack of a better word. When he spoke this time, he - for once - did not shout. Instead his tone was quiet, but carried within it a hatred and venom the Korugarian alien had likely never heard before.

[color=crimson]”I’ll remember your stupid face. I’ll kill everyone that has it. Everyone you love. I’ll drink their blood. Eat their flesh. And you’ll watch.”[/color]

Thaal Sinestro shook his head, staring coldly at the chained child. “You can try. And then I’ll kill you.” He said with a small smile before taking to the skies again, dragging the child along behind him as he found the still-breathing body of the Green Lantern Preston. ‘Emerald Knight’ he’d called himself. Some of the other Lanterns had taken offense when he forsook the name of the Corps, but the Guardians had allowed it. He was injured, his autoshield flickering, but he was alive. Sinestro began to channel green energy into the other Lantern, healing his wounds and trying to charge his Ring. 

Taking a closer look at the Ring on Preston’s hand, the ring of his old friend Abin Sur, Sinestro began to see some… Upsetting markers. The ring was underpowered, and not due to missing its recharging from the power battery. It was damaged. Breaking apart. It simply couldn’t hold enough energy. That was… Upsetting, to say the least.

It took a moment, but with a jolt, Preston coughed and hacked wildly. His whole body bent forwards as he coughed, his body struggling to regain the air that was lost from him. His first thoughts were the kid. From where he was floating, he was nowhere in sight.

As soon as he had enough strength and air in his lungs to look around, he searched the face of the moon for the one who had almost killed him. Preston was honestly surprised that he was still alive. What could have stopp-

Oh.

It was him.

Sinestro was another green lantern from a nearby sector, one of the best. Due to conflicting schedules, Preston had never seen him in person, but word on Oa quickly spread. Apparently Sinestro was friends with the guy who wore Preston’s ring before him. It probably hurt the red alien a bit when word got around that there was a new lantern for earth’s sector.

Being held prisoner was the kid. He didn’t seem to be as volatile as he was before, but Preston could still feel a deadly aura emanating off of him. Something about that boy unsettled him.

[color=ForestGreen]“Ah.”[/color] Preston groaned, rolling his shoulder. [color=ForestGreen]“You must be Sinestro. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”[/color] Preston had forgotten that he was no longer clothed in his uniform, now only bearing his civilian clothes. He was being protected by the power of his ring, and even a little boost to his ring’s energy could be felt. 

His eyes shifted to the child. [color=ForestGreen]“He’s got a red ring.”[/color] He stated the obvious. [color=ForestGreen]“I’ve never seen any rings other than green before. His ring is powerful though, [i]he’s[/i] powerful. I couldn’t stop him. You’ve got my thanks.”[/color]  Preston could only feel humble right now. He had failed in his job as a lantern, another had to step in and save him and his planet, and honestly? Preston felt like he could barely address Sinestro by name because of how revered some of the other Lanterns spoke about him.

Sinestro backed up to give his fellow Lantern some space as he coughed and came back to consciousness, glad that he wouldn’t be dragging two bodies back to Oa. he nodded in greeting to the new Lantern, his expression calm and cool. “Thaal Sinestro, Green Lantern of Sector 1417. I believe you’re Preston Westfield? It’s good to meet you, our sectors are close by and it’s good to… Know the neighbors, as it were.”

Sinestro’s attention shifted back to the business at hand and he turned to glance at the silent form of the child behind him. His expression said it all, a barely contained, simmering rage was building in the child, and Preston was right. He was dangerous. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s never seen a Red Ring before.” Sinestro admitted, thinking on the details he had picked up during the fight. “It appears whatever this ring is, it seems to be based off our own Power Rings, though it clearly taps into something aside from willpower. My best guess is that anger is its power source, though I had no idea anything aside form Will could power a ring… It seems to make him powerful, certainly stronger than an average Green Lantern. However, he lacks control. This is why Will is stronger than rage, we can control ourselves and think clearly in the midst of danger. Of course…” Sinestro said, turning back to Preston. “It also helps when your Ring is actually working. How long has yours been broken?”

Broken? Preston didn’t even know what to say about that. Was it even possible for a power ring to break? 

The confusion written on his face should have made it clear that he had no idea what Sinestro was talking about. [color=ForestGreen]“That would certainly explain why I can barely handle missile fire now.”[/color] He commented offhandedly. If his ring was somehow broken, then it would explain why he was slowly getting worse in fights, and how he needed to exert more of himself to get the same results.

[color=ForestGreen]“I never knew it was broken.”[/color] He admitted to Sinestro. [color=ForestGreen]“I got the ring, went to Oa, trained, and started patrolling. I guess any damage wasn’t apparent when I first arrived, so maybe the guardians didn’t even know.”[/color]

Sinestro frowned slightly, worried about the explanation Preston gave. Was it possible the ring had been damaged when whatever happened to Abin Sur had… Well, happened? If so, the Guardians should have picked it up, unless, as Preston said, the damage was so miniscule it passed unnoticed. Still… “There are very few things that can break a Green Lantern Power Ring.” Sinestro explained. “Immense natural forces, extremely powerful enemies, or the Guardians retiring a Ring are the only things I can think of off the top of my head. However, your ring is broken, of that I’m sure. Perhaps it was somehow damaged in the crash, when you found Abin… Regardless, we need to get it fixed. Come with me back to Oa, help me keep an eye on our little prisoner here. We’ll get your Ring taken care of and try to find answers about this Red energy. What do you say?”

Preston didn’t need to be told twice to go back to Oa to help sort all of this out. Talk about his ring, this red ring, and maybe he could learn a little bit more about Abin Sur, the previous owner of Preston’s ring. 

He nodded to Sinestro. [color=ForestGreen]“The sooner, the better.”[/color][/center]