Peace of the Jedi [Sequel to Sword of the Lanterns]

Chapter Eight- Impulses

Almost forgot to say thank you to everyone for your input with the last chapter! I didn't get to use all of your ideas but I'm saving your comments just in case I need hangout ideas again! 

~Lizard

The droid poked Jaina's leg over and over again until she finally woke up from her nap. Using the ring was harder than she remembered it being. She got exhausted after every little use. Beating up those psychos who attacked Cost City last night shouldn't have tired her out the way it did. She came straight home to the mountain and fell asleep in her uniform. She couldn't even remember the guys' names.

She yawned, stretched, and grabbed a random pop tart out of one of the many boxes on the countertop. Jaina lived on pop tarts, granola bars, caffeine, and gatorade these days, except for when M'gann took the time out of the busy schedule to make a hearty meal for those who enjoyed it, which had only happened twice in the past month since Jaina returned to Earth.

Nothing had changed, but everything felt so different.

Bee rolling along at her side, watching his mistress curiously, Jaina lumbered down the hall to the mission room, where lil' Robin and Beast Boy were walking up to Nightwing at the computers.

"Is that the Krolotean intel?" Robin asked.

"What Krolotean intel?" Beast Boy asked at the same time as Jaina. She finally stopped trying to tame her bed-head and put it into a ponytail.

Nightwing waved at the data on all the screens in front of him. "M'gann and her uncle stole some data files from the Kroloteans, the alien pack rats who were destroyed in Aqualad's bomb last month, just before you got here." 

"Huh." Jaina squinted at the unfamiliar lettering, converted to English basic. "What's it say?"

"Well, from what I've read so far, the Krolotean's plan was to capture humans and use them as guinea pigs. They were hoping to find something in...inside us." Nightwing said.

"Something? Like what?" Robin prompted.

Nightwing shook his head. "There's no English word for it. The nearest translation would be..."metagene"."

"Metagene?" Jaina asked.

Garfield elbowed Robin, grinning broadly. "Never met-a-gene I didn't like!"

Jaina inhaled sharply and B-88 squealed as the computers suddenly shut off and the computer announced that an "unkown energy impulse" had been detected in the cave.

Jaina stepped in front of anyone as the "unkown energy" appeared in the form of a fizzing ball of electricity in the center of the mission room, growing bigged and bigger with every passing second. Inside, flickering like the light of a candle, was a round, hunk of metallic...something.

The energy disappeared, but the strange machine stayed, making a sound similar to the one Jaina's W-wing did when it winded down.

Jaina quickly recited her oath under her breath. "In darkest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might beware my power, Green Lantern's light!" Bee must have jumped a foot in the air when Jaina's ring lit up with a crack of energy. She'd used almost all of it up the night before. 

"Stand ready!" Nightwing pulled out a pair of eskrima sticks, Robin a bo staff, and Beast Boy and Jaina tensed as a door in the side of the machine clanked open. Two red-gloved hands appeared on the sides of the doorway, launching whoever was inside, out of the machine and into the center of attention, where he posed with his arms in the air.

"Ta-da!" The short, floppy-hair boy proclaimed proudly.

Jaina stared at him. "Ta-da what, exactly?"