The Next Generation

Neal glanced down as the little girl just slowly began to wake up before beginning to cry. Starfire of course took the lead of feeding the child. That sudden act by someone else would have been strange, but considering that it was Starfire Neal hardly even flinched this time around. It was just too good to have all three of them in safe hands again.

As Sarah left, Neal turned back to Starfire and gave a nod. "We're glad that you're back. You two rest here, the rest of us are going to see if we can learn anything about where we are or how long it might take us to get home," Neal said before turning away. "Rest well," he called before leaving the ship and heading outside.

The first person he tried to find was Cyborg. As nice as the planet seemed, Neal still wanted to learn what it might take to get off of this place as soon as possible.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the damage to the Javelin was not too extensive. Granted, it would likely take weeks to repair, but at least it was repairable. Even spending hours upon hours straight working on the thing, the going was slow. He was the only one with the knowledge and the tools to do any work on it, so he couldn't really get anyone to help, except for the occasional time he needed something really heavy to be moved. Then, he just asked Starfire or Wonder Girl for help.

As the days passed, the group began to grow more acclimated to the planet they were on. It was hot constantly, which resulted in little clothing being worn. Rose pretty much spent all the time in her swimsuit, while Wonder Girl even reduced herself to a sports bra and gym shorts. Starfire pretty much just wore her normal outfit, while Sarah borrowed her swimsuit... the really tiny won that Starfire had worn when meeting her parents. By now, Kid Flash had woken up again, too, and he spent his time mostly in just shorts. It was a good thing that they had landed right next to a river and a lake, because they spent a good deal of time there cooling off.

One pretty big noticeable difference between this planet and earth was the time differential. Cyborg estimated that they'd been there for about six Earth days so far, and yet the sun had barely moved across the sky overhead. Apparently, the days here were much, much longer. It also meant that they'd need to get these repairs done before nightfall, considering night was probably equally long.

On the seventh estimated day, Rose lounged on a towel near the riverbank, lying on her front with her bikini top unhooked, working on her tan. Cyborg was still working on the Javelin, while Kid Flash and Wonder Girl swam in the river a short distance away. Starfire and Sarah sat on their own towel, while entertaining Lori as best they could. She was still only a few months old, though, so she was pretty much content with just sleeping and feeding.

Well, at the very least it was determined that the ship could be repaired, despite the fact that it was going to take weeks to do. Thankfully they weren't going to be stuck here forever. Neal juts wished that he could help Cyborg in some way, but it'd be more beneficial to just let him do it rather than to have Neal learn on the go. Odds were, Neal would just end up blowing them all to kingdom come before he even screwed a bolt into the right place.

The only thing that they could do now was wait...

---

About a week later, they had grown accustomed to the heat and nature of the planet, but that didn't stop it from still being hot as Hell. Everyone had basically switched to swimming trunks in order to not die of heat. Neal was glad that Rose had suggested packing swimsuits, not that he could even remember why she had suggested that they bring them up in the first place. Oh well, its not like he could complain about it now.

On this particular day, everyone but Cyborg was at the pool. Neal was at the edge of the lake, dipping his legs into the water as he stayed in his shorts. Things were calm and peaceful, and thankfully they had enough food to last at this place. Still, things were just a bit boring with the same procedure each and every day.

"Hey Rose," Neal said as he glanced over at her. "Are you happy?"

Rose opened her eye and glanced up at Neal. She had to squint for a few moments before she grew readjusted to the bright sunlight, as her face had been buried in her arms for about the past hour. "Hmm?" she said, giving off a small yawn and lifting her head up. "Well, I'm stuck on an alien planet, we're still a couple weeks away from being able to leave, and it's hot as hell all the time. So... things could better."

She yawned again, then turned over, holding her bikini top on as she sat up straight. "But, then again, things could be a lot worse. I guess we can just look at this as an extended vacation... it is pretty tropical. Kind of like... the Bahamas, or something. Just, you know, hotter. Granted, I miss being back on earth, but we'll get there eventually." Of course, that probably wasn't what Neal meant by that question, but any deeper implications had gone completely over her head.

Neal listened to Rose's answer and gave a small nod. All the things that she had said had definitely been true, but it wasn't really what Neal was looking for. Yes, they were on an alien planet and things weren't looking that great he was aware of this. He just kept seeing how Sarah and Starfire were happy together and he couldn't help but wonder how Neal and rose compared. Neal knew that Sarah and Starfire had a serious advantage in regards to time, but he still wanted to know the strength of their relationship.

"I meant are you happy with me"

At the next question, Rose lifted an eyebrow. Well that had been a bit out of the blue, hadn't it. Taking a moment to tie her bikini top back into place, Rose then stood up and went over to join her boyfriend in the water, walking up to her ankles. She gave him a curious look and folded her arms. "Well, yeah, I'm happy with you... why, aren't you happy me?" She was suddenly getting a bit worried. Had something, somewhere gone wrong in their relationship? Was this the start of a big break up conversation? She really didn't want to break up with him... she did like him. Hell, she loved him. She had for a while, especially after everything they'd gone through. So why was she so nervous all of a sudden?

Neal just kept his gaze on Rose as she looked over at him. Her look made it pretty clear that she hadn't expecting that kind of a question from her boyfriend. Her answer though only caused Neal to grow more nervous. God he had phrased himself stupidly again! "No no no, it's nothing like that Rose I swear," Neal said immediately. "I'm so happy with you, happy than I've been with anyone else. I told you that I loved you and I meant it," Neal said honestly as he looked right at her. "I guess just being stuck here......it got me thinking about what would have happened if we weren't able to go home. What if this was where we had to stay forever?" Neal asked as he motioned out towards the landscape around him.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have just asked that out of the blue. It wasn't fair to you. You've been perfect to me Rose and I really love you. I guess I just wanted to make sure you felt the same way," Neal said before looking down at the ground. "It was a stupid way to bring it up though, I'm sorry"

"Well, maybe you just need to think a little more before you blurt out silly questions like that," Rose responded with a small chuckle. She leaned forward, holding arms around his waist and kissing his forehead. It was strange; she'd always been such a bitchy, abrasive girl, and yet around Neal, she could be a normal woman. Well, as normal as someone like her could be, anyway. Still, he often saw sides of her that some others probably didn't even know existed.

"But, to answer your question," she began, thinking carefully, "well, at first it would kind of suck. I mean, let's be honest, no one wants to be stranded on an alien planet with no signs of any kind of civilization, right? But, you know, after we got used to the whole thing and had to accept it, I'd just keep going as normal. I mean, sure, we might never see Earth again or have any of the cool stuff from home... but I'd have everything I need right here. Friends, family... you."

Neal just gave a weak smile as Rose lightly chastised him for asking such silly questions, telling him to use that giant brain of his to think more before he talked. He supposed that she had a point, Neal should have realized how offensive his question might have been to her. After all, she would immediately begin to think that something was wrong. Neal leaned forward as she kissed his forehead, and as she did he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him.

As Neal heard the answer to his question, he had to admit that he was almost coming close to tearing up. It was something that made him feel special, and made him convinced that he and Rose truly loved one another. "I love you Rose," Neal said as he held his arms around her in a close embrace. "Anywhere you go, I'll follow you for as long as you let me. I would do anything to help and protect you, until the day that I die"

Rose held him close as well, resting her chin on his shoulder as he whispered out his response. She couldn't help but smile warmly. Years ago, she never would have thought that having someone in her life like this would feel so... good. Nor would she have ever thought that someone even could make her feel the way she did right now, but then life was full of surprises. Call her pleasantly surprised on that one.

"And I love you, Neal," she said with a soft breath. Then, with a small chuckle, some part of her couldn't help but add, "You do realize what you just said there, right?" She was referring to his last couple of sentences. Leaning closer, she whispered into his ear, "You pretty much just said your wedding vows."

Neal just continued to hold Rose closely, glad that they were still strong together in this entire thing. Neal didn't think that he would find someone that he connected with as well as Raven, but Rose had proved him wrong on all accounts. She had been there for him, their personalities matched, she was gorgeous, and they cared that each one ended up happy. It was an amazing connection that they had.

As Rose asked her next question Neal couldn't help but look at her curiously. What he had said? Did he say something wrong? He didn't quite get in until she whispered it into his ear, causing his face to turn red as she did it. He took a gulp out of nervousness before breathing calmly. "Well........I said what I felt in my heart. Take that as you like, but I'll never take it back" he said with a smile.

Rose chuckled again, giving him another kiss, their lips pressing gently together for several wonderful moments. "I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, winking at him. "Just be careful; you keep saying things like that and I'm going to expect a ring on my finger soon enough." Smiling, she took his hand and then started pulling him farther out into the lake. "Now come on, I feel like a nice long swim."

Neal smiled as their lips connected once again, holding each other close for several moments. Rose really was his entire world right now. Neal had never been so certain about how much he wanted to be with someone before. Rose just felt like the right match to Neal, and he was happy about that. "A swim huh? That sounds pretty nice actually. You first though!" Neal shouted before wrapping his arms around Rose and pulling her under water with him. He let her go soon after, wanting to just give her a quick surprise.

"Alright, everyone hold on to your seats," Cyborg said, starting up the Javelin.

It seemed to be running pretty well so far, though he hadn't yet turned on the engines. After weeks of repairs, he was sure they would work... at least, he hoped. The rest of the team had all taken seats behind him, strapped in and ready for lift off. They, too, hoped that this bucket of bolts got off this planet. When Cyborg pushed the button that was supposed to start the engine, a deep rumble sounded from within the ship... and then died down into a clicking that sounded like an old car trying to start.

"Well, that sounds... promising," Rose said, staring at the control panel that Cyborg was desperately fiddling with.

"So, uh.... is this thing going to start?" Kid Flash asked, looking out the window.

"It'll start," Cyborg said, sounding confident. "I'm sure of it..."

Wonder Girl tapped her fingers on the side of her chair. "Well so far it doesn't really- woah!" Before she even finished her sentence, the engine boomed to life, and two seconds later they were taking off into the sky. "Okay, I take that back."

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Cyborg shouted, with a delighted laugh as they began to exit the planet's atmosphere. "So long, hot-as-balls planet! Next stop, Oa!"

Neal sat in his seat, waiting anxiously for what could possibly come next. They had come so close now, Cyborg only told them the other day that the javelin was going to be fully operational and they could finally leave the planet. It was nice to hear, and Neal was looking forward to heading back home. At the same time a part of him would miss this place. Neal was going to miss this place probably more than everyone else, but for entirely different reasons.

As the engines seemed to die, so too did Neal's hopes at first. It was only when the engines came back online that they shot up into the air. "YES!" Neal shouted as he threw his arms up in the air. "You are the man Cyborg! THE MAN!" Neal shouted in excitement as they were already leaving the planet's atmosphere. He watched as the planet left orbit, seeing it grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

His gaze suddenly turned towards Sarah, the one that he was curious to speak to. "Hey Sarah," he said to get her attention. "What's Oa like?" he asked curiously. "You've been there a lot, but now that we're going I guess I'm really curious about what it's like"

When Neal asked his question, the heads of his teammates also all turned over to look at Sarah, interested in the answer. The only real thing they knew about the planet was that it was the Green Lantern Corps. base. But now they would be visiting it, and of course Sarah knew all about it. Then again, so did Starfire, though Sarah had spent much more time there. Plus, she was the Green Lantern, so it was only natural that she be the one to explain.

"It's a beautiful place," she said, smiling absently as the thought of the planet. "It's one of the oldest planets in the galaxy, you know, and the native home of the Guardians of the Universe, as the race calls themselves. They're the ones that created the Green Lantern Corps. and monitor its activities. The technology there is incredibly advanced, too... like, more than anything you can imagine. All the buildings, mountains, and other structures actually float above the planet's surface, which is nothing more than a vast ocean. Starfire and I were married on one of the floating mountains, inside a mountaintop temple. And at night, the glow bugs come out and light up the sky. It really is breathtaking..."

Neal listened curiously as Sarah explained what Oa was exactly like. Based on how she described it, it truly did sound like a beautiful and breathtaking view to see. Neal was looking more and more forward to it as she explained it. It almost just sounded like something that you'd only see in a movie or video game. Actually going to see it and check it out would be quite the experience, and Neal hoped to take it all in.

"The place sounds amazing. I can't wait to see it" Neal said as he leaned back in his chair. "It sounds beautiful"

It took about another week to get to Oa. The flight there was about as uneventful as usual, though with three new passengers this time around, things were at least a little bit more interesting. Though, it was a bit louder at various times... considering the walls weren't exactly soundproof, and Sarah and Starfire weren't exactly known for their... quiet alone time. But in any case, the planet soon came into view in the distance, and Cyborg set a straight course for it.

When they were within radio range, Sarah headed to the cockpit to open up their comms to the proper frequency, and then announced their arrival. Considering that she was traveling there on a ship instead of using her ring, they needed to make sure the defense systems didn't blow them to smithereens.

"Lantern 2814, Saraha Sanders, reporting," she said. "Requesting immediate docking at the Foundry entrance. My ring is out of charge and I am in need of a new battery. Full debriefing available upon request."

She was answered by a brief hiss of static, and then finally someone on the other end. "Understood, Sarah Sanders. Please dock safely. You may enter the foundry and recover a new power battery, then please report to the citadel for a full explanation. Your recent disappearance has not gone unnoticed."

Sarah narrowed her eyes a little. The voice on the other end was not one that she recognized It could be that they'd put someone else in charge of communicating with incoming vessels, but still, something seemed off... "Affirmative, will do. Lantern out." She then turned to Cyborg and nodded. "Alright, take it in. I've put the coordinates into the system's computer already, so just follow the blinking light."

Boy, those two really did go at each other like rabbits when they were together didn't they? Neal supposed that he couldn't blame them, after all they had been apart for weeks and hadn't been able to actually physically be with one another for quite some time. Neal just made sure to dull out his hearing whenever he heard their actions, instead using his own mind powers in order to create very loud music to drown them out.

It only worked part of the time.

As they approached Oa Neal only stood and watched as Sarah went through the procedure in order to inform the Lanterns that she was coming in on a ship. Neal wasn't sure how things worked on Oa, but the Lanterns probably didn't have a lot of guests. Neal just assumed Starfire was allowed because she was already a hero and also the significant other of a lantern. Neal was glad that they'd be able to see the planet though, even if this was the only time.

Neal let the past week ease his mind, so he didn't even catch the suspicious look that Sarah gave upon hearing the man's voice. Neal had no reasons to suspect him after all. "Man this is exciting, I can't wait till we land and actually have a bit of time to look around"

When Cyborg set the Javelin down, Sarah was already at the airlock and ready to get going. Her ring had been without a charge for far too long now, and she really wanted her new battery. She just didn't feel like a Green Lantern when her power ring was out of juice. The others decided they might as well go with her, considering it was better than just waiting in the ship, and it would give them a very rare opportunity to see the Oan Foundry, where new power rings and batteries were crafted.

"This way, the elevator will take us down," Sarah said, opening the doors. "All the way down." The Foundry was about two miles under ground, and the entrance was near the planet's surface, on one of the few remaining land masses not floating in the sky above. Of course, with the technology available at their disposal, reaching that two miles would take just a couple of brief moments.

When the doors opened back up again, Sarah led them down a long corridor, lit by brilliantly glowing torches. Though possessing such advanced technology, the Foundry had always kept a sort of ancient feel to it. It was the Green Lantern forge, basically, and it certainly looked the part; dim, hot, mysterious, everything made of stone. It was nothing like the world above. Eventually, they made it into the main storage chamber, where spare rings and batteries were kept for whenever the need arose to require one.

Sarah walked over to the wall of power batteries and lifted one off the shelf, holding it up in her left hand. "This will just take a minute," she said raising her right fist up to the front of it. Both objects were already starting to glow. "I just have to key my ring into the battery's energy force."

And to do that, not only did she need to press the ring against the battery's face, she also needed to recite the Green Lantern oath, so that the battery would activate and accept its holder as a true Lantern. "In brightest day, in blackest night no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power... Green Lantern's light!"

When she finished the oath, the power battery pulsated and glowed brightly, as it filled her ring with a full charge of energy. Sarah closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. In an instant, her Green Lantern uniform materialized over her body. Opening her eyes again, she removed her ring from the battery and smiled.

"Damn, that feels good," she said, holding up her glowing ring.

Neal walked along with the others, although his eyes weren't paying much attention to what was in front of him. Instead, he focused on everything that was around him. Oa was nothing like Sarah had described, it was everything that she had said and multiplied by ten. The place was amazing, like something you would only see in fantasy. Neal just kept marveling at it, never saying anything as they walked. This was the home of the Green Lanterns, Neal almost felt more connected to them by just being here.

As they moved down into the earth, Neal marveled at how fast they moved and yet it didn't even seem like they had moved at all. It was such a strange combination of technology and what seemed like magic. It was just so bizarre. Neal knew that Sarah hated being away from her friends, but this was just something else entirely.

Neal kept his gaze on Sarah as she moved forward and ended up charging her ring up. Her costume came afterwards, showing that a ring needed power if it was to help someone appear and look like a green lantern. "Much more flattering than the rags," Neal said jokingly as they stood there. He wasn't even sure what else to say, he almost felt bad for saying that! This place just felt so sacred.

Sarah smiled, taking a good look down at herself for a moment. "Yeah, well, it's definitely more comfortable, too."

Leaning over to her wife, Starfire gave Sarah a tender kiss. "You look beautiful"

Sarah's smile only grew, kissing Starfire in return. "Anyway, time to get going to the citadel. I'm sure the Guardians are eager to know where I've been for the past few months."

The group followed Sarah back out of the Foundry, through the long dim corridors, and back up the elevator to the surface. When they stepped back out into the open, they passed by a small garden on the left that they had neglected to notice on the way in. Populating said garden were small bushes of a bright, colorful plant with swirling flower buds. Upon noticing this, Starfire let out an excited breath and wandered over to them.

"Sarah, look," she said, kneeling down to take a deep breath in through her nose, smelling them. "The silph plants are in bloom."

Since Starfire was currently cradling Loriand'r, Sarah reached forward and plucked one of the flower buds from the plant and stuck it in her wife's hair. "Looks good on you," she said, smiling. She then reached down and plucked a second bud, holding it up to the others of the group.

"I adore the silph flowers," she explained, cupping the bud in her hands. "If you hold it just right, like this, and bring it up close to your face... the petals glow, ever so slightly." Bringing the flower up close to them, she allowed them to take a look at it in her cupped hands, blocking most of the surrounding light. The petals did indeed emit a soft glow of blue light.

"Alright..." Rose said, lifting an eyebrow. "I don't really enjoy flowers that much, but that's pretty cool."

"I wore many of these flowers in my hair the day we got married," Starfire mused, letting out a reminiscent breath. "They really are wonderful, and they smell sweet, like strawberries from Earth."

Sarah stuck the second silph bud in her own hair, then motioned for the others to follow. "Come on, the citadel is just a short flight up."

Neal just watched as once again Starfire and Sarah exchanged another passionate moment. It was cute to see, and it was clear that those two had been in love for quite some time. Every movement that they made just seem to reflect that for Neal. He was glad that they were back together, he had very rarely seen love that was so pure.

Lori was evidence enough for that.

Neal observed while Starfire examined the flowers, noting their importance more than everyone else due to how they had been used on the day of their wedding. No wonder she remembered something like that. Neal liked to think that he would remember his own day in perfect detail, but they would have to just wait and see about that. "They are indeed beautiful flowers," Neal said as he observed them to himself.

Neal couldn't help but wonder what kind of flowers he would use on his own wedding. Of course that would probably depend on who his bride was. Neal could only smile at the thought as he glanced over in Rose's direction. Without saying another word, he quietly walked with the rest of the group in the direction of the Citadel.

The Javelin touched down on the landing pad just outside the Citadel entrance. They had arrived at the central base of operations for the Guardians of the Universe, where they made all their important decisions and where they monitored the Green Lanern Corps.' activities all throughout the galaxy. Sarah was sure to remind them several times about how respectful they needed to be. Any callous remark would be about twenty times worse when said around these beings than anyone else.

"Just remember, this is a very rare opportunity," Sarah said, as she led them up to the floating platform at the top of the citadel, where the Guardians awaited. "It's not everyday that someone from outside of the Corps. is allowed audience with the Guardians."

"Yeah, yeah, quit worrying," Rose said with a flippant wave of her hand. "It's not like you're going to go up there and give them the finger or anything."

Sarah glanced over at her and let out a small breath. She knew that Rose was only joking, but it still made her nervous. These were her bosses, after all, and one wrong word could end up making her look like a disrespectful twat. That wouldn't be good at all. She waited outside the main platform for a few moments, making sure that everyone was ready and prepared to go in with her.

"Alright, everyone ready?" she asked, opening the door partway. "Let's go then."

Pushing the door open all the way, she walked out onto the main audience platform with he others in tow. The Guardians, the small blue skinned beings that they were, sat on raised seats that encircled the entire platform, looking down at them. Or at least... they should have been. The seats were empty, the Guardian nowhere to be found. Sarah stopped a moment, looking around in confusion.

"Wait, this isn't right," she said, wondering what the hell was going on. The Guardians were never late to an important meeting. Never.

Suddenly, a beam of yellow light shot down from behind them and wrapped around Sarah's waist. The light took the form of a link of chains and whipped her off to the side. She just barely had time to form a defensive barrier around herself before crashing into the wall with enough force to cave it inwards.

"Sarah!" Starfire yelled, taking a step forward. But she couldn't do anything before a yellow light prison surrounded her and the other Titans, making certain that they couldn't do anything to help their friend.

Sarah wobbled up to her feet, shaking off the surprise. What the hell was that? Looking around for the source of the attack, she held her ring at he ready, glowing and set to defend herself at a moment's notice. This time, a giant yellow hammer formed out of thin air and crashed down on top of her. She raised her fist and formed a solid shield above her head. The force of the impact drove her to her knees and cracked the green shield. A second blow shattered it and sent her flying across the platform.

"Over there, behind you!" Wonder Girl shouted, seeing their attacker.

Sarah pushed herself back up to her feet and turned around, just in time to form another defensive barrier against an incoming drill of yellow light. She stood her ground for a few moments before the drill skewered straight through her own light construct and lifted her off her feet. As she flew through the air, she stabilized herself in flight, slowing down and turning right side up as a green glow surrounded her. It was now that she got a good look at her attacker, or attackers as she now saw.

"Green Lantern of Earth," the man at the front of the pack said, floating down into view. His yellow ring glowed fiercely. Behind him flanked two more figures with yellow rings, one a small female alien, and the other a massive, intimidating monster. Further behind them were dozens more beings wielding yellow power rings. "I was beginning to worry we wouldn't meet before this was all over."

Kid Flash pressed her hands against the yellow barrier surrounding them and watched as more and more of the Yellow Lanterns started to appear. "Uh.... that can't be good.

The Sinestro Corps. had arrived on Oa.

Neal moved along with the others as they approached the citadel. Everything was going really well so far, and Neal was looking forward to meeting the leader of the Lantern corp. He wanted to personally thank them for all the good that they had done in the universe. The Lanterns had personally arrived when Earth needed them against Doomsday, and they also helped against the raid on Darkseid. Earth owed the Lanterns a lot, the least that Neal could do was show some appreciation.

"We will all make sure to show them our greatest respect. We owe them a lot more than that. Without the Lanterns aiding Earth we might not have defeated Doomsday or Darkseid," Neal said out loud. He was certain that even Rose would behave herself on this errand. She normally did after all.

As they arrived though, it was Sarah who noted that something was wrong. Neal just assumed that the Guardians were going to walk in with some grand entrance, but apparently they should have already been here and waiting. What came next happened too quickly for anyone to react to.

Sarah was hit, everyone else was trapped, and suddenly a dozen men and women showed up decked out in yellow. "What the hell are they?" Neal asked himself. They looked like they were Lanterns, and yet these guys were yellow instead of green. What was going on? Whoever they were, it seemed like they knew who Sarah was. They had to do something to get out of here fast!

"Rose, no chance you'd be able to cut through these bars is there?" Neal asked curiously. If Rose didn't think she could, he'd have to try with his own blade. They had to get out there and help Sarah! Fifteen against one wasn't a fair fight!