The name Horace Wilks means nothing to you. In fact, it means nothing to almost everyone. Not that Horace see's this as a bad thing, he's a simple man with simple needs and desires. He was married straight out of highschool and has beautiful house with 2 daughters. Waking up this morning, he could hear the latest cheesy pop-song on the radio alarm. He looked at the alarm to see the time "10:01" He grabbed the clock as he quickly realized what was happening. This was the third time he had slept through his alarm this month, that was grounds for disciplinary action. Quickly leaping out of bed, he ran over to the wardrobe, pulling his clothes out and pulling them on as quickly as he could, before running out of the house. He looked around, not seeing his car. "What the fu... UUUUUGH!!!" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his wife. "Hello, dear, where's the car? What do you need it for? Well, i need it. Why didn't you wake me?" He asked. "AAaaaaaaaaahhh!" He roared, before running off down the street to try, in vain, to make it to work before he was fired. As he began to run, the heavens opened and sheets of rain pelted down.

By the time he had gotten to the city center, he had given up. Looking at his phone, he saw the time was 10:26 and he was hungry. Well, if he was going to be late and soaking wet anyway, better be late on a full stomach. Horace entered the McDonalds and waited in the que for several minutes, leaving immense puddles of rainwater dripping off of him, before finally being seen.

"Hello, can i please get a sausage and egg McMuffin meal? Large coffee." He asked. The woman behind the till pointed to the clock. 10:31. "Look, i'm not having a good day, can you please just give me an egg McMuffin meal?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but i'm not allowed to serve breakfast after 10:30am." Horace grunted in frustration. He then saw someone getting handed a pancake breakfast meal.

"Well, then why is he getting served?" He asked.

"That customer obviously made the order before 10:30." The woman replied with a smile. Horace's face soured even more. He looked at his phone to see 10:29 on it.

"Hey, it's not even 10:30 yet, look." He showed her his phone.

"I'm afraid that your phone must be running slow, sir."

"Have you ever heard the expression, the customer is always right?" He asked. He then saw the clock on his phone flip over to 10:30.

"Yes i have, and your phone now says that it's 10:30, i'm afraid that i cannot serve you breakfast. May i offer you a Big Tasty?"

"No you may not offer me a big tasty, i don't want a big tasty, i want an egg mcmuffin." He growled.

"Well, i'm sorry, i'm afraid that there is nothing i can do." She replied, big smile still across her face. Horace looked around, before looking behind her and seeing a whole row of egg mcmuffins on the pre-made bench behind her.

"Wait, can't i just buy one of those? You're going to throw them away anyway." She turned around and looked at the row.

"Ooooh, i'm sorry, but it's past 10:30, i am afraid that i could lose my job for selling you one of those."

"BUT YOU'RE GOING TO THROW THEM AWAY!" He yelled.

"Sir, if you are not satisfied with the lunch menu, then you can speak to the manager, or call our offices." She said. Horace didn't even care that he was getting later for work by the second, this was a matter of principle.

"Yes i would. Get your manager down here right now." He ordered. She spoke into a mic and a few moments later, the manager arrived.

"Hello sir, can i help you?" Asked the manager.

"Yes, you can, i want to buy an egg mcmuffin, one of those ones sat right there and about to get thrown away!" Horace demanded.

"Was this employee refusing to sell one to you?" The manager asked.

"Yes, she kept on saying "BuT iTS pAsT 10:30!!!" Despite the fact that it was 10:28." He growled.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it's past 10:30 and we aren't allowed to sell them anymore. We could lose our license." The manager replied.

"SELL ME THE FUCKING BURGER!!!" Horace snapped.

"Sir, if you will not remain calm, i'm afraid that we are going to have to call the police." Horace wasn't paying attention anymore as he watched an employee picking up the tray of muffins and taking them to the back to throw them in the dumpster and all he could feel was the purest of anger. He only wanted this one thing to brighten up his already pretty shitty day.

[color=ed1c24]"Horace..."[/color] A voice said. Horace looked around, he could see the manager still talking at him, but he couldn't hear a word the man was trying to say. [color=ed1c24]"Horace Wilks, I sense in you great rage. Say the oath and join our ranks."[/color] As the manager continued to talk at Horace, he saw the mans eyes starting to turn red, before his teeth sharpened, red foam started to pour from his mouth.

"Umm... Sir... Are you alright?"

[color=9e0b0f]"With blood and rage of crimson red,
From the corpse of the innocent, so freshly dead,
Together with our Righteous hate,
We'll burn all evil--that is your fate!"[/color] 

Horace's clothes exploded, revealing a crimson red business suit, with black lines and the [url=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41cjAGFrTML._SX425_.jpg]Red Lantern Logo[/url] over his breast-pocket. his eyes were now a burning red. Red fists of energy lanced out, punching the till operator and the manager in the face, before he let out a roar and a shockwave of red energy erupted through the McDonalds, throwing over tables and smashing the windows. Horace stomped through the carnage outside, before red hands of energy launched up to the golden arches and pulled them down and throwing them across the street. People were now running away screaming.

[color=9e0b0f]"BURN EVERYTHING!!! BURN!!!"[/color] He roared as he opened his mouth and a beam of fire shot from it, setting the McDonalds sign on fire.

****
[color=8dc73f][h1]The Green Lantern[/h1][/color]
****

Hal awoke in his bed, he patted himself over, remembering yesterdays training session with Sinestro. He crawled out of bed. "Shit, this is bad..." He groaned. If the social worker saw that he was injured, they would remove him immediately. Rushing over to a mirror to see how bad it was, he noticed that his face was fine... As was the rest of him, he looked down at his bare chest... He was more... Well toned than he remembered being. "Umm... Tom!!!" He called. Sinestro strode into the room in his human disguise.

"Excellent, you must have sensed it too. Quick, charge up and then we'll go."

"Go? Go where? Look at me, i've got pecks!" Hal chirped.

"The Ring heals your body and makes sure that it is in peak condition to wield it." In a flash of light, Sinestro was now in his Gold Lantern form.

"Oh, yeah!" Hal ran out of the room and downstairs.

[color=fff200]"Wait,"[/color] Sinestro called after him. Hal donned his costume in a flash of green light and ran out the back before jumping into the air, but this time, he just fell straight back down.

[color=8dc73f]"What the... Come on, ring. Up-Up and away! Come on!!! To infinity and beyond! In brightest day, in blackest night no evil shall escape my-WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING!?"[/color] He called to Sinestro.

[color=fff200]"Because you didn't give me the chance to give you this."[/color] Sinestro handed him a [url=https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61O%2B0HnhoYL._SX425_.jpg]Strange lantern[/url] [color=fff200]"Where do you think we got the name "Lanterns" from?"[/color] he asked.

[color=8dc73f]"Ok... Weird, but i'll take it, how do i use it?"[/color] He asked.

[color=fff200]"Put the ring in the torch and speak the oath."[/color] Sinestro replied. Hal did as he was told.

[color=8dc73f]"In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night
No Evil Shall Escape My Sight
Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might
Beware My Power, Green Lantern's Light!!!"[/color]

As Hal finished the oath, green energy permeated his entire body. [color=8dc73f]"Wow..."[/color] Hal smiled. [color=8dc73f]"That felt pretty good."[/color]

[color=fff200]"Good, then let us go."[/color] Sinestro said, before launching into the sky. Hal following him.

[color=8dc73f]"So, if the rings need charging, then this should be easy."[/color] Hal said [color=8dc73f]"We wait for the rogue rings to run out of juice and find them then."[/color]

[color=fff200]"An astute observation and a good plan!"[/color] Sinestro replied. Hal put on his smug grin. [color=fff200]"If that was how the rings worked."[/color] Hals smile faded. [color=fff200]"Everyone is filled with these emotions and the rings are attracted to those who have a lot of their specific emotion. When they attach to the body, they drain it of all of that emotion, focus it and then use up the body until it's completely spent. If that person doesn't have an affinity for that emotion, like we do, then the ring will move on. If it does, then we will have our new recruit."[/color] He replied.

[color=8dc73f]"Cool. So, what are we doing?"[/color] Hal asked.

[color=fff200]"The Red Lantern Ring has shown itself. Tearing up downtown."[/color] The two finally arrived to see Horace advancing on a pair of police that were emptying clip after clip of ammunition into him, a red shield blocking it. [color=fff200]"Damn, he's not got an affinity."[/color]

[color=8dc73f]"How can you tell?"[/color] Hal asked.

[color=fff200]"He's not in control, the Ring is just forcing him to feel nothing but unbridled rage. We need to stop him before he can do any real damage."[/color] Sinesto and Hal swooped down towards Horace. Horace looked at them.

[color=9e0b0f]"More misbegotten brethren!"[/color] He roared, before a red TeC-9 appeared in each hand and he pointed them firing wildly. Hal immediately created a shield, but Sinestro simply dodged out of the way of the bullets.

[color=fff200]"Green Lantern, we need to flank him, get the ring off of his hand!"[/color] Sinestro called.

[color=8dc73f]"Right, Gold."[/color] Hal replied. Hal lunged straight for him, deflecting bullets with his green shield, before Horace opened his mouth and a beam of blood-like energy blasted at Hal, breaking through a part of his shield and sending him to the ground. Hal rolled, before getting back up and began running. The green energy formed into a bazooka as he pointed it at Horace and pulling the trigger. Horace grabbed the green missile with one of his red hands and pulled it to his face, he gripped the missile between his teeth and bit down until it exploded. At that point, Sinestro grappled Horace into a full-Nelson.

[color=fff200]"GET THE RING!"[/color] He yelled. Hal began to fly towards Horace, but his mouth opened and Hal was hit by a beam of red energy, sending him sprawling backwards as he got a shield up at the last moment.

[color=9e0b0f]"GET OFF OF ME!!!!!!!"[/color] Horace let out an ungodly scream, Sinestro was forced to let go and grab his ears as Horace turned around and began punching Sinestro back and forth across the face with the red fists, before summoning a pair of baseball bats and continuing to hit him. Hal rushed fowards again, just as Horace grabbed onto Sinestro's head by the temples, before opening his mouth and his mouth glowing. There was a loud bang as Horace stopped and turned around to see Officer Stewart.

"Drop the magic ring and stand down, sir!" He yelled. Horace stared at Stewart before dropping Sinestro and rushing for him, getting body-checked mid flight by Hal.

[color=8dc73f]"Get back, officer!"[/color] Hal yelled. Steward fired a few more shots at Horace, before running back for his car. Sinestro was now back up and rushed over to Horace, a clamp made out of golden energy slammed around Horace. Hal reached a hand down and grabbed his hand, before finally managing to wrench the ring away. He held it in his hand before the ring began to wriggle and writhe, Hal clamped both hands around it. [color=8dc73f]"Gold, we got a live-one!!!"[/color] He yelled as the Ring desperately tried to get away. Sinestro shot a beam around the ring, wrapping it in gold energy. Hal pulled his hands out and sighed. He looked over at Horace who was laying naked in the street. [color=8dc73f]"Officer, want to give Nature Boy here your coat or something?"[/color] He called over to Stewart. John walked over to Horace and stared at Hal the entire time. He put his coat over Horace, before cuffing him. He then leaned over to his radio

"Stewart to dispatch, we need a bus and a wagon on West Phillimore street. Suspect in custody." He walked over to Hal and Sinestro, shaking their hands each. "Thanks for the save." He then leaned into Hal "We are going to have a talk later..." He then leaned back, before walking over to Horace and staring over at Hal as the two Lanterns slowly raised into the sky.

[color=8dc73f]"So... We have it... Now what?"[/color] He asked.

[color=fff200]"Little choice in the matter, we're going to have to wait for the Hero of Rage to show himself. I'll bleed some of its energy off to keep it from escaping. If we can calm it, then the next time it goes active will be when the true Red Lantern makes himself known."[/color]

[color=8dc73f]"Convoluted... But it makes sense."[/color] Hal sighed.

[color=fff200]"Tell Detective Stewart whatever you like, but do not tell him about me. As far as he is to be concerned, i'm just a regular human."[/color] Hal nodded as they flew back towards the house.