Wrath of the Red Lanterns

#0.4 -- Razer

“Mommy!” he screamed out.

“It's okay, Razer... it's okay, everything's going to be okay.”

General Zartok smiled slowly, folding his arms. “No, 'Razer'. It isn't. Drusa... finish her off.”

“No! Mom, no!”

“It's okay, Razer, it's okay, don't worry....”

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“This is ridiculous, my lord. Skallox and I have served for far longer, and are only now just being inducted. We fought in the Four-Corps War with you, fought by your side next to Bleez and the others. Yet you sully the concept of an inner circle with this fresh-faced twink?” Zilius Zox flailed his short, stubby arms back and forth wildly as he ranted, looking up at the towering red beast that was just now creating the new sect within the Red Lantern Corps.

“You may have served longer, Zilius,” Atrocitus boomed out, crossing his arms across his massive chest. “But you also have a history of incompetence. It is only by plodding along that you have risen this far in rank – you should be honored, not spiteful.”

“What of Razer, then? What has he done?” Zilius continued, “He didn't even show up to accept his new rank, how has he risen up so quickly? Only Bleez, Dex and Ratchet outrank him, and he didn't even fight in the war alongside you!”

Bleez now pitched in, tapping one clawed finger against her full, silky blue lips. “Seems he is the High Lord's pet, does it not?” Atrocitus uttered a warning growl, but the havanian continued casually. “Think about it. Razer's home planet was destroyed by Mongul, the same way Atros's was by the Guardians and their foul Manhunters. Perhaps he relates to the frail little thing.”

“If you want to get technical...” Ratchet began, extending one tentacle thoughtfully and eliciting a groan from the other lanterns. “Razer, like our lovely Bleez here, showed a level of cognizance before our lord Atrocitus introduced him to the Blood Ocean, and even now that he has returned from it, he shows a greater level of control and skill... his military training, perhaps?”

“Yes, thank you for the exposition Ratchet,” Bleez sneered. “We all know that Razer served in the military. But he still lacks the passion and ruthlessness that gives the Red Lanterns our strength.”

Atrocitus lowered his eyes, one massive red hand slowly curling into a fist. “That's enough, out of all of you. Razer is being inducted into the Inner Circle, and your opinions on him are irrelevant. Even now, the reason he hasn't shown up is because he is single-handedly retrieving fuel for the power battery from a warzone not far away. He shows initiative and control, and therefore he's an asset. I'll hear no more...” his voice lowered dangerously. “...Criticism, of my choices.”

The other red lanterns, even Zilius, grumbled quietly and shuffled awkwardly, eventually leading to Skallox, who had been silent until now, piping up. “Well... thanks for the inner circle thing. It's an honor, my lord.”

Atrocitus grimaced, a gesture seen often from him. It was still unclear whether it was a smile, frown, or something else... those teeth tended to complicate things. “That's more like it. Now go, all of you. I'll tell Razer myself later. And... well, Veon, I don't think will much care.”

There was a brief pause.

Zilius floated up off the ground so that he could flail all four short limbs in tandem. “Veon's in the inner circle too?!”

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Razer exhaled slowly, wiping one gauntlet across his brow to draw away what little sweat he had build up, and set down his personal battery, still sticky from the blood he had filled it with. “There we go. All in a day's work, I suppose.”

“Feels good, doesn't it?” came a soft voice from behind him, causing the thin, pale warrior to turn instinctively. The speaker was their miracle-corpswoman, the incredibly resurrected Laira. “Bringing those bastards to justice? Doesn't it make you feel like you're doing something important?”

Razer nodded slowly. “Yes, it does,” he said in his soft, slightly raspy voice. “That feeling is all I have, anymore.”

“it's all any of us have,” Laira affirmed, carrying her own battery to the huge, cracked central battery of Ysmault and pouring in her payload. Razer's eye lingered as she turned away from him, tilting his head slightly to the side. The miracle girl had given him a lot to think about – how much a Red Lantern could withstand, how much they could heal from. How long their rage would keep bringing them back, and when they would eventually burn out.

Then again, she also gave him other things to think about, as her lithe blue figure abruptly reminded him. He could never pursue her, of course... not with Illana so fresh in his memory. “Yes, unfortunately, it is,” he said quietly, before lifting himself into the air. “Atrocitus has summoned me, so I'm afraid I must take my leave.”

“See you again sometime, maybe out in the field,” Laira replied as he flew off, offering a small smile.

“Yeah... maybe.”