Alien Starlight ch. 5

Chapter 5: Hawk and Lantern


John Stewart did not arrive by flying and landing upon the apartment deck as Nuriyah had been expecting, but simply showed up and knocked on the front door, to her disappointment.  She had been expecting more of an entrance.  But even as her aunt opened the door and Nuriyah looked up into those eerie green eyes again, she was getting the strong impression that Mr. Stewart would defy any and all standard superhero expectations.

“Good morning,” he greeted her, his voice a bit more warm than the last two times they had spoken, “Are you ready to go?”

She glanced at her aunt, exchanging a nod with the older woman, and held up the blue ring for him to see.

“This is all I need, yes?” she asked.

“For the time being it is,” He answered, before looking to Jinan.  “I’ll make sure she’s back by six; five-thirty, if I can swing it.”

She gave him a nod before wrapping Nuriyah in a quick hug.

“Go.” She whispered.  “Learn how to be a hero.”

Nuriyah smiled, following John out of the apartment and up a flight of stairs.  She half-wondered why they were going up, until they stepped onto the roof and he donned his ring, his uniform materializing in a green aura.  Hastily she followed suit, slipping on her ring and again being taken by surprise when the uniform encased her.

“Takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?” John said, looking at her with one corner of his mouth tilted up in the hint of a half-smile.  She gave him a shy smile back, nodding, but then his face went all business again as he placed his fists on his hips and watched her approvingly.  “I doubt that you haven’t played with your ring at all; have you figured out how to fly yet, or do I have to teach you?”

She barely had to think about it before her feet lifted off the ground, the shimmering blue aura glowing on the corners of her peripheral vision.

“I believe I have.” She answered, attempting to smile more confidently.

“Good,” he remarked with an approving nod.  “Now, your ring can sustain interstellar flight, so when you follow me, don’t panic.  We’re going to be flying into space, into the Earth’s orbit, specifically.”

Her mouth fell open.  “We’re going into space?”

Brief irritation flickered across John’s face and vanished quickly.  “You would have to eventually, but if I’m to train you, you’ll need to come to the Watchtower.”

“Watch…tower?”

“Current headquarters of the Justice League,” he clarified.  “Now, if you’ll follow me?”

He rose into the air with a fluidity befitting something ethereal, and Nuriyah realized she wanted to one day move with such confidence and grace.  A warm feeling spread through her, and with it came a sense that in time, she would move like that.  John continued to rise into the air and Nuriyah willed herself to follow, staying close behind him. The ground, the roof, the buildings, and the city all fell away slowly at first, but the higher they flew the more rapidly the Earth began to shrink beneath them.

“Don’t look at it the first time,” John called sharply.  “You’ll give yourself a case of vertigo and compromise your stability.  Keep your eyes on me.”

She was all too happy to obey, keeping her eyes up front.  Even so, the urge to look back was strong, and it was only when the sky above turned black and lit up with more stars than she had ever seen in her life that Nuriyah’s attention was completely caught.  She slowed her ascent without thinking as she gasped, trying to take in the sight.

“Little overwhelming for you?"

She gave a start and looked back to John, who was waiting and watching expectantly.  To her surprise, the ghost of his earlier smile flicked over his features.

"It was like that for me too at first." He remarked before continuing his flight toward what looked like a gigantic satellite.  She followed, eager to keep pace and unable to look away from the huge, orbiting structure.

"That's the Watchtower?" she asked tentatively.

"And I expect you not to say anything about it to anyone," he answered by way of confirmation, "not even your aunt.  We're not keen to advertise its presence yet, and I know at least one person is not going to be happy with me bringing you here."

He offered no further explanation or conversation as they flew up to the Watchtower, hovering outside an airlock door.  For a moment, Nuriyah wondered how in the world they were supposed to enter through it, but she didn't have long to ponder on the matter before John held his ring up to a control panel on the side and the airlock unsealed.  The doors slid open long enough for them both to fly inside, then slid shut again and the airlock resealed.  Instantly she began to look about her and observe the surroundings, and she shouldn't bring herself to stop staring even as John began to lead her through the halls.  She was only vaguely aware of what he was saying when he spoke, and when he came to a halt in front of her she nearly crashed into him.

"S-sorry, sir!" she gasped, flushing.  He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth twisting down.

"I need you to focus if we're going to do this, Nuriyah.  Pay attention." He said sternly.  She swallowed and gave a small nod.

"Y-yes, sir.  Sorry, sir.  I'll pay attention."

"Good.  We have this room set aside for sparring practice, so those of us in the League can practice with one another during our down time.  This is primarily where I'll be training you."

She lowered herself to the floor, trotting behind him as he opened a door before them, leading the way into what appeared to be little more than a spacious gym with a matted floor dead-center.

"Is this all of it?" she asked, confused.

"You sound a little disappointed."

Nuriyah ducked her head, trying to avoid eye contact and feeling instantly worried.  "I-I apologize, I just—I thought there would be a bit more to it."

"Your instincts aren't bad, Nuriyah.  What made you think that?"

"This place looks so big on the outside... and you are all superheroes, and-and... there are aliens, and..." she trailed off, realizing how ridiculous she must sound, and gave a helpless shrug.  "I do not know.  I just thought there would be more.  That maybe the room would be bigger or have more in it."

"Making too many assumptions can get you in trouble," John explained, walking toward the mats.  "You could wind up underestimating an enemy, or overestimating your own plans or abilities."

She hastened to follow, wanting to soak in the lesson.

"However, not making smart, well-informed assumptions in a battle or a fight is also going to get you in trouble." He added as he turned to face her, folding his arms behind his back.  "Most younger heroes your age aren't always able to balance the two well.  It's rough, trying to keep your emotions in check and make level-headed decisions in the heat of the moment, even as an adult.  It's going to be a lot harder for a teenager.  But I'm hoping—" he paused abruptly, realizing what he'd said.  Nuriyah couldn't resist smiling broadly at him and her ring gave a warm pulse.

"Yes sir?" she prompted, and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm hoping," he resumed, "that since a ring chose you, it wil help to balance your emotional reactions, in which case I can help you learn how to make well-informed judgments and assumptions without jeopardizing your mission."

She nodded to show she was attentive then, thinking perhaps it would be more appropriate, attempted a shaky salute.  A muscle in John's cheek gave a small twitch and he shook his head.

"How about we refrain from that until I teach you proper salutes?  You can just stick to 'yes, sir' for now."

"Yes, sir." She answered obediently.

"And one other thing you forgot in that lecture," a new voice broke in, "Sometimes you can't always trust what your eyes see."

John glanced up, looking past Nuriyah with a neutral expression.  She turned to follow his gaze, and her mouth fell open.

A woman was striding confidently toward them, long, wavy locks of fiery red hair tumbling down pale shoulders left bare by her uniform.  A large helm obscured most of her features apart from sharp eyes that studied the two Lanterns, and two enormous gray wings were casually folded against her back.  It was this most of all that had Nuriyah in awe, and as she watched the woman move, she realized the wings were part of her.

"That's true enough." John agreed.

"Though in this case," the bird-woman remarked, smirking slightly, "It seems I'm not seeing things.  I didn't expect you to be the type to take on a sidekick."

"I'm not." He replied coolly.  Something in his tone prompted Nuriyah to react, and she hastily bowed, her plait flying about her shoulders.

"P-please, ma'am.  I am Nuriyah Basir.  This ring chose me to be part of the Blue Lantern Corps, and until I can meet this Saint Walker, Mr. Stewart has very graciously offered to train me as a Lantern."

"Blue Lantern?" the woman's voice sounded nonchalant enough, but Nuriyah sensed some sort of undercurrent in it.

"That's right." John responded, his tone indicating that now wasn't the time to discuss the matter.  "You can straighten up, Nuriyah."

She hastened to comply and was surprised when she found the woman smiling at her with a hand outstretched.

"Shayera Hol," she introduced herself, "Though I prefer Hawkgirl, if you please."

Nuriyah beamed at her, shaking the proffered hand.

"It is an honor to meet you, Miss Hawkgirl!" She said breathlessly, feeling her cheeks flush with excitement.  First Superman, then the Green Lantern, and now Hawkgirl?  Could she possibly be more blessed with luck than she was in that moment?

"Please, just Hawkgirl." she answered with a small chuckle as she broke their handshake, her gaze jumping between Nuriyah and John.  "So, the grizzly bear is going to just give you a few pointers on how to use your power ring?"

"I plan on giving her some instruction in basic hand-to-hand combat, too." He answered a little defensively, bristling, and when Nuriyah looked back at him, he added, "There will be times you have to rely upon your own skills and abilities instead of your ring.  I plan on showing you how to do some independent fighting as well."

She found herself suddenly at a loss for words.  Basic hand-to-hand fighting wasn't something she had ever given consideration to.  Truthfully, she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

The ring gave her another squeeze of reassurance.

All will be well.

"What if I helped?" Hawkgirl asked a bit cheekily.

"You're not one to train rookies either," John remarked, a touch suspiciously.  "Seems a bit strange you'd offer that up so quickly."

"Sometimes it helps us girls to train with other girls." She answered noncommittally, tossing Nuriyah a quick wink.  The young Lantern hid her grin behind her hand, trying not to giggle.

"Thanks, Shayera," John said stiffly, "but I think for now we'll be fine on our own."

"Well," she said shrugging, folding one arm and propping her chin on the opposite hand as she smiled warmly at Nuriyah, "let me know if you change your mind."

The young Lantern nodded, her chest light with a buoy of hope and joy.


+++


The young man grinned, eyes sparkling with delight.

"That sounds like a dream come true for you, huh?"

Nuriyah rolled her shoulders in a light shrug as she seemed to consider the suggestion.  "Perhaps at the time," she consented.  "I really came to look up to Shayera.  All the women in the League became role models and mentors to me in different ways, really.  But it was only ever Hawkgirl that I came to regard as an elder sister."

Silence started to fall over them again as she continued to sip at her drink, but the lone member of her audience clearly expected more of her story.

"So... you trained with the Justice League!  How exciting is that, I mean come on!! So how soon did you get to see any real action with the Green Lantern?"

Nuriyah's face darkened instantly and she made no effort to hide it as her eyes fogged over with the haze of unpleasant memories.

"Oh, I got a taste of the 'real action' alright, barely two months into my training." She muttered icily.  His eyebrows rose sharply at the sudden change in her, and his face paled in the dim lighting.

"You... don't sound thrilled about it."

Her eyes blazed with cold fire.

"There is nothing 'thrilling' about Warworld," she said, her voice low and soft as a knife's edge, "That is where I met the one who has become my greatest enemy."