The following story contains characters owned by DC Comics/Warner Bros. It is written as a fanfic parody story not intended to make any use of actual story lines in published books. The story is purely for fun, with no profit to be made by the author. It is free to be archived on any site wishing to do so, provided the author is given proper credit.
I would really love to hear any comments you'd like to send me. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!
Green Lantern - Changing Ownership
by Steve Zink
For those not eminently familiar with the DC comic book character Green Lantern, until a few years ago, this character was a test pilot named Hal Jordan. He was given a ring by a dying Green Lantern, since he was determined to be the most fearless person in this quadrant of space. This ring, powered by a Green Lantern of energy from the planet Oa, given by the Guardians of the Universe, enabled him by force of will to form green constructs of anything his mind could picture, to fight whatever enemy or problem that arose. In the books, Hal more or less lost his mind and became Spectre. In my story, he gets lost for a very different reason.
His girlfriend, the daughter of the owner of the aircraft manufacturer he flew for, was Carol Ferris. In issue #16 of the Green Lantern comics, appearing way back in the early sixties, Carol was invited by an alien race of super women called the Zamarons to be their new Queen. Their Queen was always selected from anywhere in the universe that they could find a woman looking exactly like their dying or dead Queen. They gave her the identity of Star Sapphire to fight Green Lantern, and prove to her that he was unworthy of her love. Over the ensuing years, Carol would occasionally become Star Sapphire again due to one circumstance or another, always vexing GL.
* * * * *
Green Lantern was away from Coast City, working with the Justice League of America on a problem they were taking care of in Europe. The League had been called in because an alien race had picked Paris to base their mineral processing (read earth sucking) operations while they analyzed the Earth for possible takeover. Superman and Wonder Woman were doing the heaviest of the work in curtailing the aliens, while Green Lantern used his ring to block their rays from contact with the ground. Flash, Batman, Hawkman and Blue Beetle were doing what they could to aid in mopping up operations.
While Hal was away with the Justice League, his old enemy, the renegade Green Lantern named Sinestro who now used a yellow ring, came to Coast City expecting to find his old foe in order to once again engage him in battle. When he discovered that GL was not in town, the super villain thought of ways to vex the hero on his return, since he didn't want to wait around for him. Then the ideal solution came to the other worldly super villain.
Sinestro went to the Coast City Museum of Science and retrieved from their locked storage area the Star Sapphire gem, which the Zamarons had conveniently left behind so that Carol Ferris could once again take on her identity of Star Sapphire, using the gem as her source of power. He took the gem and flew to the home of Hal's girlfriend, who at the moment was busy at the aircraft plant supervising production with her father. He placed the gem in a jewel box, and left it on the night stand next to her bed. The yellow ring wielder then departed for parts unknown, knowing full well that Green Lantern would have his hands full on his return.
When Carol returned to her mansion after having dinner with her dad at a meeting with prospective buyers, she proceeded straight to her bedroom, intending to stretch out and just die on her bed after a day that just never seemed to end. She never got the chance to feel her bed. As soon as the pretty brunette entered the bedroom, she saw the jewelry box sitting on her night stand. Overcome with curiosity as to what could be in it, the young woman sat on her bed and picked up the box. Upon opening it, she was bathed in the purple glow from the gem. "Ohhh, what's happening to me?!" she exclaimed.
Her work clothes melted away, to be replaced by the Star Sapphire costume. This consisted of a long sleeved pink leotard with a wide white belt supporting a glowing star sapphire design, purple gloves, pink stiletto heeled boots coming up to the tops of her calves, a pink domino mask covering her face, and a pink tiara on her head to which she attached the gem which was pulled from the box. Star Sapphire stood tall in her boots, ignoring any feelings of tiredness Carol had exhibited moments before. She took a royal pose, with her hands circling her waist just above her flared out hips. The super villainess then took off, using the energy of her gem to fly away from the mansion and seek out her consort-to-be, Green Lantern.
Star Sapphire could find no trace of her beloved anywhere in Coast City. She decided to await his arrival by hiding near his power battery. Lantern's gorgeous foe knew from past experience how to find the battery, and also that GL would have to use it soon upon getting back, since the charge was good for only twenty-four hours. She didn't have long to wait. Only two hours after she hid herself near the battery, Green Lantern came in, stuck his ring finger into the portal of the battery, and began his mantra to charge the ring, "In blackest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight...."
Star Sapphire waited for him to finish, then came out of hiding to stand directly behind him. When he relaxed his arm, and also at the same time his willpower, she acted quickly. Without his willpower actively keeping it in place, the evil beauty in pink and purple easily pulled the ring from his finger. Green Lantern reacted in surprise, turning to see who was responsible for the theft. Seeing the pink clad villainess he knew to be his girlfriend, he gasped. "Star Sapphire?! What are you doing here now?"
"Isn't it obvious, my beloved? I've stolen your ring, so that you will no longer have a powerful way to shunt my efforts in trying to subdue you!"
Green Lantern figured he had only seconds before Star Sapphire would do something which he could no longer counter with ease. He used the only defense he knew to be workable from encounters with her in the past. The super hero said two words, "Carol Ferris". This was the only way to get Star Sapphire to relinquish her hold on her host. Almost as fast as he said the name, Star Sapphire started to shimmer and fade, and moments later, Carol appeared in the work clothes she'd been wearing at bedside hours ago. The star sapphire gem bounced to the ground, to be picked up by Hal. Carol was still holding on to his ring, though.
"Carol," said Hal, who technically wasn't Green Lantern at the moment, "please give me my ring. Star Sapphire may have wanted it to keep away from me, but you have no reason to hold on to it now."
"Oh, I don't know," Carol replied. "Are you sure there's no reason for me to have it? I've always wondered what you got from the power in this ring. Let's see...." With that, she slipped the fully charged power ring onto her ring finger. Neither had given it any thought before, but apparently one of the reasons besides her looks that the Zamarons had chosen the beautiful brunette to be their newest Star Sapphire was her own fearlessness.
The ring must have felt at home on her finger, for Carol once again saw her clothes fading away, this time to be replaced by the green and black uniform of the Green Lantern Corps. The brunette looked down to inspect the costume in which she was now attired, and decided to try seeing what her willpower could get the ring to do. Important changes immediately took place on the costume. The flat heeled green boots became spike heeled ones, the bulky green gloves became more sleek and form fitting, and instead of armoring her chest behind bulk, the chest plate now had large breast forms to show off her ample endowments. The simple green mask also changed, becoming more sweeping and feminine looking.
Carol then posed akimbo with her clenched fists on her hips, and said, "Well, it looks like I'm now the Green Lantern for this space sector. You have been replaced, Hal Jordan!"
His own uniform now gone, replaced by his olive green flight suit, Hal faced his girlfriend and said, "I hope you know what you're getting into. As Green Lantern, you're going to find a lot of responsibility resting on your shoulders. There are a lot of people out there who will be depending on you to save their bacon when the going gets rough. I'll support you for the time being if you want to continue to act out the part."
The new Green Lantern hugged him, then said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll try my best not to let you down!"
The very next morning, Carol heard of an emergency calling for the help of Green Lantern, willed her ring to change her into her new costume, then took off for her first mission.
Hal kept busy on the flight test schedule at Ferris Industries, scheduling some shakedown flights and setting up some test hops for himself. On one of the flights he was taking care of in the afternoon, he discovered how much a mistake it had been to let Carol take over from him as Green Lantern.
While cruising at 56,000 feet doing a pressure check, Hal looked up from his instrument scan to see Sinestro flying alongside. Before he had a chance to even radio in an alert or mayday, the test pilot found himself falling like a stone because his foe disintegrated the aircraft around him. Going into free fall until he was in denser air that he could breathe, Hal again saw Sinestro following him.
"What's the matter, my friend?" said Sinestro. "Did you forget to charge your ring or something?"
Hal ignored him as best he could, knowing that Sinestro was obviously toying with him, until he got to 10,000 feet and opened his parachute. This was a lot higher than he'd liked to have opened, but talking with Sinestro seemed like a better idea at the moment.
"No," Hal answered. "I hate to disappoint you, but for the time being, I'm not Green Lantern. That mantle has been passed on to another worthy soul." He started to check his pockets for anything left after the free fall, and discovered a bulge in his ankle pocket on the right leg. He had completely forgotten about picking up the star sapphire gem and putting it there the night before. As he opened the pocket and pulled it out, Sinestro took note.
"Ah, my friend, I see that you have met with Star Sapphire recently."
"Did you have something to do with her greeting me last night?" Hal asked, while fingering the gem.
"Funny you should ask, Mr. Ex-Green Lantern. Yes, I set it up for Carol to find her power source in her bedroom. I can see you fingering that gem. I don't think you'll have much luck using it against me!"
"If I could, you know you wouldn't be here waiting for me to do something rash enough to make you kill me," Hal responded.
"Well, if you really do want to use the power of the gem, I can arrange that for you," Sinestro said. "Yes, come to think of it, I think that is the ideal way to make you pay for all you've done to me in the past!"
Sinestro's ring was capable of much more than a lowly Green Lantern ring. It had been augmented by the Weaponeers of Quaard to perform any task Sinestro imagined. He willed his ring to strip Hal of his parachute, and then the flight suit he was wearing. Now once again in free fall, without a shred of clothes on his body, but still clinging to the star sapphire gem, Hal started to wonder just what Sinestro had in mind. He didn't have long to wait. "If you want to use the gem," Sinestro said, "you have to fit the gem's imprint. Voila!"
Sinestro's ring reached out to Hal and did a total rework of his body. The fearless hero felt all manner of modifications to his body being done, even with the wind battering his body the whole time. Then something amazing occurred. He saw the result of Sinestro's work. He looked just like Carol!
Then the gem did its thing. Hal found that he was now a she in the costume of Star Sapphire!
Instinctively placing the gem in her tiara, Star Sapphire felt energy flowing through her body, and she started to hover in position instead of falling. Her mind also became Star Sapphire's. This became obvious to Sinestro right away, when she said to him, "Thank you for bringing me back into action, Sinestro. I can never repay you enough for giving me this fresh host to occupy. Now, let's go find the new Green Lantern and see what she's made of."
"She?!" Sinestro exclaimed. "Did you say she? The new Green Lantern is a she?!"
Flying alongside Sinestro, Star Sapphire related the actions of the evening before. She was using Hal's memories, and he was aware of what she was doing, but unable to influence her actions. It seemed the longer he was in the form of Star Sapphire, the more she became in control of what had been his but was now her body. He feared that if she remained much longer, the super villaness would have permanent control, and Hal Jordan would be lost in her psyche.
As they orbited over Ferris Industries' airfield, waiting for Green Lantern to return, Sinestro and Star Sapphire debated as to who would have the right to attack first. They decided whoever saw her first would get the initial crack at her.
* * * * *
Green Lantern finished with her work in Mississippi, shoring up levees along the river with her ring's power to help them restrain the once again surging flow. As she headed back to Coast City, the fearlesss super heroine got a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that she'd accomplished something with her own willpower to save countless people from disaster. The press in the flood area was already buzzing about the sexy new Green Lantern who had saved the day for them. It seemed that her form was more important to them than what she'd accomplished. "I guess the superhero group faces the same biases as the business group, if females try to act and look like the people they are," she muttered to herself. "It must be the same all over. I wonder if anything will ever change?"
The biggest change she could imagine was about to greet her.
Green Lantern was dropping into the back of the Ferris facility when a pink and purple clad picture of ultra femininity flew up in front of her. A bolt of purple energy flew from her tiara, striking the unprepared heroine in the center of her gut. Green Lantern doubled over, at the same time willing a shield to protect her. "Star Sapphire? How did you get here? More importantly, who are you? There shouldn't be a Star Sapphire anywhere near here now!"
Then she heard another voice, looked up, and saw Sinestro saying, "Come now, Green Lantern, or should I just say, Miss Ferris. You do remember who picked up your precious gem last night, don't you?"
"Yes, of course I do," she responded to him, setting up a second shield at the same time. "Hal picked up the gem and put it in his flight suit pocket."
Sinestro chuckled in glee, then informed her, "Star Sapphire isn't biassed about who she picks for her host, as long as she looks just like you. If she couldn't have you, I gave her the next best choice. Your friend Hal won't be around to help you anymore, I'm afraid. He, or should I say she, is now very happily occupied with being my trusted and incredibly evil friend, the super villainess called Star Sapphire!"
With that, a two pronged attack from above and her front proved too much for the inexperienced Green Lantern to handle. She found herself pinned to the ground by purple energy emanating from Star Sapphire's tiara, and frozen in place by energy from Sinestro's ring. At that, Star Sapphire made a suggestion to Sinestro that the super villain was surprised he hadn't thought of first. Star Sapphire's personality had gained enough influence on her host body to remain in control no matter what now. She had Sinestro out-will Green Lantern, and remove the ring from her finger.
With that, the uniform on Carol's body disappeared. Her work clothes briefly reappeared, but Star Sapphire's plan now became obvious. The close proximity of Carol to the gem resulted in her once again becoming clothed in the Star Sapphire costume. For a brief moment, there were two Star Sapphires facing each other.
Then the airborne Star Sapphire took the gem off her tiara and gave it to the one on the ground. As the Star Sapphire on the ground was once again becoming herself, the other took the Green Lantern ring and placed it on her finger. As the sexy new costume formed on her, she made it even more so by giving her boots ultra high stiletto heels and bringing their tops up to her thighs, and having the mask take on a wicked shape.
From that moment, the Justice League and other law enforcement groups around the galaxy would be faced with the problem of having three super villains with which to contend. Sinestro now had two allies in the form of Star Sapphire and a new renegade Green Lantern, the ultra feminine version of the past holder of that ring. She decided to call herself Pandora, because of the way Sinestro had opened up her coming to life.
The end...of a new beginning
