Green Lantern's Return

6: "Are you a stripper?"

This chapter is dedicated to @FranBlackSnape, Bronwynn, and Cyra the Goat.

Taos

January 6, 09:56 MDT

"Nightwing! Check out my super-cool alien souvenir!" Gar pushed past Cyra to show the strap Miss Martian ripped for him off a Krolotean to the masked hero. Cyra huffed and walked besides Superboy, lounging despite there being a certain itch to her feet.

"Gar, business first," Miss Martian said.

"Noted."

"Zeta squad, report," Nightwing said. Some other members of the League—John Stewart, Captain Atom, Wonder Woman—stood behind him.

"Zeta squad? Why did all the cool nicknames become a thing once I left? Our team didn't even have a name, we just called it the Team—capital T."

The corner of Nightwing's mouth twitched a ghost of the cheerful boy once there. "It's nice to see you haven't changed, Cyra."

Cyra's soft smile didn't quite reach her eyes. At least it seemed that way. Since coming back, it was taking Cyra awhile to slip back into her old skin. The cheesy jokes were much harder to come by and her smiles were forced. Why did she have a reason to smile when she was only sent out on more missions? She was supposed to be home.

"Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean Zeta-platforms on Rann was a success," Miss Martian said.

"And we dismantled a Krolotean ship. It's unknown whether or not they got out any signals to more of them." Cyra used the term dismantled instead of destroyed because as she learned in the Corps if the words sounded nicer, they meant less.

"I also brought back specs from Rann to create a Zeta-shield to prevent any more aliens from beaming to Earth from off-world," Adam Strange, resident tech-expert, said.

"How will this affect our own Zeta capabilities?" Captain Atom asked.

"It won't," Adam reassured. "The shield will activate at an altitude above the Watchtower's orbit. League Zeta-tubes will still function normally."

"Tell them about Rimbor!" Gar said, tugging Miss Martian's arm. Cyra squinted her eyes. "Tell them about the sixteen hours!"

The League listened closely at this one.

"It may be easier to show you," Miss Martian said, and her eyes glowed green.

This was the second time that Cyra got plugged into Miss Martian's mind to watch the same movie—the first being on Rann when Miss Martian explained her brilliance. Cyra then got hit soon after for saying it was about time they all grew their brain cells in. Superboy threatens to throw her. When Cyra asked where he wouldn't say. Yet another mystery.

"I successfully interrogated a Krolotean general on Rann who had paid off a member of the Rannian Science Command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle. Once there, Kroloteans stole Zeta-platform technology from Adam Strange's friend, Sardath. They landed another ship in New Orleans and used the Zeta-platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth. They built more platforms, brought in more Kroloteans, and began abducting and replacing humans."

"Perhaps as part of an invasion strategy. Though that's still unclear," Miss Martian finished.

"But why Earth?" Captain Atom asked.

"And what does any of that have to do with the sixteen hours?" Wonder Woman added.

"Well, as you know, five years ago, Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control. Six Leaguers—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Hawkwoman went missing for a full sixteen hours. It turns out you were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where you spent sixteen hours on a rampage attacking everyone and everything in sight and announcing in several alien languages that you were the Justice League from Earth and that the rest of the galaxy should beware."