Daniel scratched his ear and yawned. "Come on, Green Lantern. Show me that willpower. Didn't your blue-skinned Smurf bosses teach you anything? Be creative with your constructs."
Hal froze, his glowing ring hand dropping an inch. "You know about my bosses?"
His mind raced. He'd only met the Guardians of the Universe recently.
No one on Earth was supposed to know they existed — he was the first human to wear the ring. How did a guy sitting on a courthouse in Washington know about a secret cosmic council light-years away?
"Yeah, I know about their short asses," Daniel said flatly.
"If your bosses showed up right now, I'd make them do crunches on this pavement. They sit up there thinking they run the universe, but to me they're just overgrown Smurfs. And at least Smurfs are actually cute."
Hal let out a tired breath, looked up at the leviathans blotting out the sky, then back at Daniel. "Yeah, they aren't cute. They're just annoying."
Daniel smirked. "See? You agree."
Hal shook his head, forcing his ring to flare back to life, the green aura pushing back the shadows creeping across the pavement.
"Look, as much as I enjoy trash-talking the little blue guys, it doesn't change the facts," he said, voice hardening as he looked up at the blackened sky.
"What you're doing here is completely out of line. You're about to wipe out an entire country."
Daniel's smile vanished, dropping back to that cold, deadpan stare. "Wrong is subjective. And I'm not trying to wipe out a country. If I wanted America gone, you wouldn't be standing on American soil right now. It would already be ash."
Hal raised his fist, ring aimed at Daniel. "Then call off the monsters."
"No." Daniel rested his chin on his hand. "The government bought this consequence. They printed the bill, now the whole country has to pay it. I'm just the collector."
The leviathans shifted above them, their low growls rattling glass in the surrounding buildings.
"You're a hero, right?" Daniel asked, condescending.
"If you actually want to save these people, fly to the White House and force your politicians to apologize on national television. Because standing here trying to punch me with a glowing flashlight, you're just wasting their time."
Hal stood still, the words burning in his throat before he swallowed them down.
He wanted to scream that he couldn't do it.
The Green Lantern Corps operated under an ironclad mandate — no ring-bearer interferes in the sovereign political decisions of any planet.
If he flew into the Oval Office and forced the President to surrender on live television, he wouldn't just lose his ring — he'd be violating the oath that separated the Corps from cosmic dictators.
He couldn't do it. Daniel saw it immediately.
"That's why you should just come and sit here. Enjoy the show. Let's just hope the government doesn't make any nasty decisions."
A jagged limb of darkness shifted, handing him a cardboard pizza box and a cold six-pack of soda.
"I even brought food," Daniel said, pulling out a slice, chewing thoughtfully, pointing the crust at Hal.
"And hey, if it makes you feel any better — when the clock runs out and I start killing, I'll start with the politicians. They don't care about normal people anyway, so it's only fair I start at the top."
He cracked open a soda, took a long drink, and patted the empty step beside him. "Now come on. Let's eat."
Hal's aura sputtered, his right eye twitching.
He stood frozen on the cratered pavement, completely thrown off. He was standing beneath a continent-spanning army of extinction-level horrors, the sun blotted out, and the architect of it all was sitting on a courthouse step treating it like a tailgate party.
What the hell is this guy's deal? Hal thought, staring at the pizza box.
He sighed, the aura fizzling out, plunging the area back into dim, shadowy twilight.
He trudged up the stairs, and slumped onto the step next to Daniel. He stared at the box a long second, questioning every life choice that had led him here, then reached in and pulled out a slice.
He took a bite. It was actually pretty good.
Daniel chewed his own slice, staring out at the petrified military blockade in the plaza, then glanced sideways at Hal's face. "And I have to say — this green visor thing is doing a shit job."
Hal paused mid-chew. "It's a domino mask. It conceals my identity."
"I can see your entire face. You look like a male stripper who forgot the rest of his costume."
Hal swallowed, ring flaring slightly out of annoyance. "It manipulates cognitive brainwaves so people can't process my facial structure. Advanced Oan tech."
"It's stupid," Daniel said. "If you want to hide your face, wear a helmet. Like the bat guy in Gotham. At least he commits to the bit."
Hal rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
"Look," he muttered, staring out at the wall of teeth hovering over the city. "Are you really just going to sit here for twenty-four hours?"
"Yep," Daniel said, grabbing another slice. "Unless president decides to act like a grown-up and apologize early. But considering how politicians work, we're probably going to be here a while."
*****
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