Across the skies of Coast City, Green Lantern flew towards a penthouse apartment on the nicer side of town. In his hand, he had a pizza box that had steam rising off of it. He used his ring to form a hand that knocked on the screen door of the balcony. It opened up, revealing Carol standing in a nightgown. She smirked, leaning against the door frame.

"I don't remember ordering pizza."

"It's a complimentary deal. Only price is a night of your company."

"You drive a hard bargain."

She stepped to the side, allowing him in. GL entered, quickly allowing his uniform to fade and returning him to his civilian clothes. He set the pizza down and the two kissed. When they parted, Carol glanced at the box.

"Is that National City pizza?"

"Only the best. I hear their pepperoni is killer."

"Cute."

The two sat down on the couch, partaking of the pizza as they snuggled against one another.

"I can't remember the last time we were able to just be like this," Carol remarked.

"It's been a while, I'll admit. Guess things have been keeping us busy."

"Well, I'm more than game to make up for lost time."

They prepared to lean in for another kiss, then Hal caught sight of three glowing green balls streaking across the sky.

"Now what?" Hal lamented.

He summoned his uniform, stepping back out onto the balcony. The second he did, a construct shaped like a claw grabbed him.

"Whoa!" Hal let out, getting pulled away.

"Hal!" Carol screamed.

The claw yanked GL all the way out of the apartment, flinging him towards the desert. When he stopped spinning, a massive hang came down, slapping him into the hard ground. Irritated, Hal formed an energy dome that shot the hand off of him.

"Alright! Who else wants some?!"

The three figures descended, revealing themselves to be different aliens in uniforms similar to his own. There was an orange creature with fish-like fins and a beak, a humanoid woman with lilac skin and slightly lighter hair, and a massive pink ogre with an overbite and an ugly snarl.

"So, the rumors are true," the purple woman let out. "Abin Sur is dead."

"Where's his body?" the fish creature demanded.

Hal blinked, then straightened up.

"The alien that the Centre killed," He recalled. "I buried him out in the desert. He deserved a proper burial."

"He did indeed," the ogre declared before grabbing Hal's hand. "Now, hand over the ring."

"Hey, let go!"

Hal tried to fight back, but was shoved against the ground hard.

"Forget it, Poozer. You're not even trained."

"Trained enough to kick your ass, Porky!"

He summoned a hand, shoving the ogre off of him and right into a cactus. The fish man tried to intervene, shooting a claw at Hal. He easily flew up, catching the claw with one of his own. However, that's when the woman got him from behind, pinning him to an outcropping of rocks. Hal struggled against the claw, continuing to keep the fish man pinned. Suddenly, a new voice rang out over the desert.

"Enough!"

The four of them looked up to see a humanoid alien with reddish skin and a beard descending from the sky.

"There's no need for such hostilities. Boodika, Tomar-Re, release the human. Oh, and get Kilowag out of that cactus."

The two were reluctant, but complied with him, releasing Hal and going over to help Kilowag. They pulled needles out of his back as he glared at Hal, who ignored him and focused his attention on the new player.

"So… you guys are Green Lantern's too," Hal deduced.

"Correct. I am Sinestro, Green Lantern of Sector 1417. You've already met Boodika, Tomar-Re, and Kilowag."

"Hi."

Kilowag just grumbled in response.

"Poozer."

"Okay, what is he calling me? I don't think the translator in this thing is working."

"The ring won't translate expletives," Boodika explained.

Hal growled, glaring at Kilowag, who immediately returned the gesture.

"I don't believe we ever got your name," Sinestro pointed out.

"Hal Jordan," he answered. "So what are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"We've come to find Abin Sur's body, and his ring."

"Like I told Shrek over there, I buried Abin Sur in the desert. As for the ring, I thought it was mine."

"So it seems. Then you will come with us to Oa."

"Oa? Whoa, whoa, whoa." Hal held up his hands, backing away. "Look, I'm not going anywhere with you guys. I have National City pizza and my first night off in weeks waiting for me back in the apartment."

"It wasn't a request."

"Yeah, well, you can talk to Colonel Flagg. He'll tell you how well I handle requests."

"Well if you refuse, you will be considered a suspect in the murder of Abin Sur and the theft of his ring and hunt by every Green Lantern in the Corps," Boodika informed.

"I believe a good Earth analogy would be 'killing a cop and stealing their badge'."

Hal froze at that, letting out a reluctant breath.

"Okay, fine. I'll go to Oa, wherever that is."

"Excellent," Sinestro replied.

…

Not much later, the Lanterns were on their way to Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Once there, Hal was floored by the massive green buildings that seemed to stretch across the entire planet. He let out a whistle as they flew by.

"Coruscant, eat your heart out."

As he continued flying, his mask seemed to recede, which made him blink a bit.

"Okay, that's new."

"No need for that kind of thing here," Sinestro told him. "Here, we are all Green Lantern Corp."

"Makes sense. So, what now?"

"Now you will be brought before the Guardians."

"Cool. And they are?"

"The creators of the Green Lantern Corps. And your superiors. Try to treat them with respect."

…

Soon, Hal found himself in a massive assembly building, being stared down by a circle of small blue creatures wearing red and white robes all sitting in a circular podium that stood above him.

"Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814," one of the creatures addressed. "You must understand the burden you have been selected for. The Green Lantern Corps is an elite organization that only recruits the most dedicated beings in the galaxy. Each Lantern is responsible for patrolling one of thirty six hundred sectors of the universe."

"Sort of like one cop per precinct," Hal reasoned.

There was a moment of silence.

"Yes..." the creature allowed. "That is an acceptable earth analogy."

"My uncle was a cop. Thirty years on the Coast City PD. Used to let me turn on the siren. Great guy."

"Yes very nice, but more than that, the Green Lantern ring is a complex tool. It takes someone with tremendous will and fierce concentration to wield it."

"I think I've pretty much got the hang of it."

"He's got the hang of it," another one of the creatures replied dismissively. "Why are we even entertaining this? He's a human?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Hal asked.

"Forgive us," the first creature replied. "I'm afraid the human race does not have the most sterling reputation."

"Hey, can you honestly say there's not a single race of beings that hasn't made mistakes?" Hal argued.

"He has a point," the first creature admitted. "It does seem unfair to condemn an entire race for the select actions of a few."

"It's not just that they've made mistakes Ganthet," the second creature replied. "It's the magnitude of them that makes humanity such an unfavorable race. Shall I list their atrocities, or should I leave that to our human friend. Maybe he has a few of his own."

"Hey!" Hal shouted. "Listen pal, I didn't sign up for this. The ring chose me, not the other way around. If you've got an issue with me being here, it's your fault, not mine!"

"Such impertinence," the second creature noted. "He should be reprimanded!"

"Hold a moment, Aper Aliapsa," Ganthet protested. "He makes a point. If he were unworthy as you claim, no power in the universe could force that ring on his finger. Yet, there it is, at one with him.

There was a wave of whispers from everyone present, except for Sinestro, who just watched with an unreadable expression.

"Guardians!" He spoke up, flying over. "If I may, I could take charge of the human. See if he is truly Green Lantern quality."

"That's my job," Kilowag grumbled.

"I know the human is… unorthodox," Sinestro admitted, "but people can surprise you if you give them a little… incentive."

"This is an unprecedented request," Aper spoke up. "However, Green Lantern Sinestro is one of our best and brightest. If anyone can determine the worth of this human, it is him."

"I will admit, I am curious of Sinestro's evaluation of the situation," Ganthet admitted. "Shall we put it to a vote?"

There was a murmur of agreement among the Guardians as all of their eyes started glowing white as they convened mentally. After a few seconds, the Guardians came out of their trance.

"We have come to a decision," Aper declared. "The human is now under your command, Sinestro. Good luck."

With that, the Guardians dispersed, leaving Hal and Sinestro alone. Hal clapped his hands together, looking at his new partner awkwardly.

"So… what now?"

"Now, I accompany you back to Earth, and I observe you in the field."

"Is that all?"

"For now. Let's just see what you can do."

Hal and Sinestro then flew off, the former wondering just what he had gotten himself into.

…

Back on earth, Kari, Batman, and Superman were at the Ferris apartment, having been called in by Carol. At the moment, she was sitting on her couch, clearly panicking and more than a little beside herself.

"He was just grabbed!" Carol explained frantically. "Whatever did it had the same powers he did, only they were far more aggressive."

Kari gently rubbed Carol's back, trying to calm her down as Batman took notes.

"Don't worry Carol," Kari reassured. "Whatever's happened to Hal, we'll find him."

"I don't think we'll have to look very hard," Superman declared as he glanced up at the sky. "I can see him now, and he's not alone."

"Is he alright?" Carol asked, standing up.

"Looks that way. I'm gonna fly over to him."

"Be careful," Batman warned. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

Superman nodded before flying off.

…

"Okay Sinestro," Hal began. "There's something you need to know about how I operate here on Earth. I work with a team of fellow heroes called the Justice League, and I'm pretty sure they think you and your buddies kidnapped me. So, you better let me do the talking so you don't end up face-first in the Coast City desert."

"If you insist," Sinestro replied. "Just don't expect me to become some kind of submissive to you or this 'league'."

"Oh no, not at all. I'll explain everything, I promise."

"Hal!" Superman called out, flying up to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Hal insisted. "Not even a scratch."

"Who's your friend?"

"I am Sinestro, Green Lantern of Sector 1417."

"Yeah, turns out being a Green Lantern is more like being part of a police force than a solo act. Also, they don't like humans all that much, so Sinestro here is here to supervise me and make sure I'm up for the job."

"I see," Superman noted. "Well, I hope we can give you a fair assessment of what we can do."

"Let me be the judge of that," Sinestro replied.

"Very well," Superman replied. "Let me take you to meet the rest of our team."

Sinestro nodded as the three flew off towards JL headquarters.

…

After collecting Batman from Carol's apartment, and allowing Hal to inform her of the situation, the Leaguers returned to their wing of the DEO, where Hawkgirl was on monitor duty.

"Hey guys," she greeted, noticing Sinestro. "We get a new member?"

"No," Batman declared bluntly.

"He's more like a shadow for Hal," Kari explained. "He's a Green Lantern here to observe him and make sure he's 'worthy of the ring' apparently."

"Ok then," Hawkgirl replied coyly. "This should be interesting."

"Indeed," Sinestro replied, looking around the room. "Something of a crude base of operations you have here."

"Yeah, well, we're working on a more permanent base right now," GL explained. "Batsy here had the idea for a space station, but it's taking a while to execute."

"I see. Well then, perhaps we should get started."

"Well, we'd need something to do first," Hawkgirl replied. "Unfortunately, I've been monitoring the planet all day and nothings been-"

Suddenly a monitor began flashing.

"Scratch that," Hawkgirl replied, turning to the monitors. "Looks like we've got trouble in Tegra Glacier. An archeological site is under attack by unknown assailants."

"Then we'd better hurry," Superman declared. "Prep the javelin."

"Javelin?" Sinestro questioned.

"Our jet," Hal replied. "For those of us who can't fly."

"Yep, and I'm flying," Kari declared.

"Oh heck no!" Hal snapped. "It's my turn!"

"Flip for it?" Kari offered. "Heads I fly, tails you fly?"

"Fine. You just got lucky last time though."

Kari smirked, then flipped her coin.

…

The Javelin streaked towards Tegra Glacier, Sinestro and Hal flying on either side of the craft as Kari piloted it.

"I can't believe you let her belittle you like that," Sinestro commented.

"What do you mean?" Hal asked. "She won, unfortunately, so she gets to fly."

"She shouldn't have any say in the matter at all. She's a cripple and not a fighter in the slightest."

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. She is part of this team, and she will be treated as such. Got it?"

"Until she proves otherwise, I will stick with my claims."

Hal let out a long sigh.

"Working with you is gonna be fun, I can tell."

…

At the dig site, the Javelin landed just outside of the site as the League disembarked. The two lanterns landed in the snow of the glacier, seeing what looked like a tomb entrance covered by a tarp and mounds of snow.

"What are we looking at?" GL asked.

"Not sure," Hawkgirl replied.

"I did some digging on the site," Kari reported. "Apparently it was discovered by a Professor Chilton about a month or so back. Unfortunately, he went missing after he was attacked by something, but we're still sketchy on the details."

Batman pulled a scanner off his belt, giving the entrance a onceover.

"There's a high concentration of unknown radiation coming from the tomb," he reported. "I can't tell if it's lethal or not."

"It's not," Sinestro declared. "If it were, our rings would have created a barrier to shield us from its effects."

"Wait, we're radiation proof?" Hal questioned, glancing down at his ring. "Sweet."

"It seems you still have much to learn about your abilities," Sinestro noted.

Superman attempted to scan the tomb, but just let out an irritated sigh.

"There are ore deposits everywhere, I can't see into the tomb."

"Then we do this the old fashion way," Hawkgirl declared, readying her mace.

Together, they all began heading into the tomb. As the light became dimmer and dimmer, Hawkgirl activated her mace, allowing it to light their way. The two Lanterns also summoned light with their rings, shining them around like flashlights. As they looked around, they found that the walls and floors were covered in several strange markings and glyphs.

"Hmm," Sinestro mused. "These glyphs…"

He was so enraptured by the glyphs he ended up stepping on a pressure plate. A massive door began to close, prompting Kari to grab Sinestro by the back of his uniform, getting him to safety. The doors slammed shut, mere inches from Sinestro's face.

"You ok?" She asked.

Sinestro just pulled himself free, turning back to the door.

"You're welcome," Kari grumbled.

Superman grabbed the door, effortlessly opening it so everyone could pass through. Once they made it, the door closed again.

"Rather sophisticated for an ancient trap," Hawkgirl mused.

"Makes you wonder what's down here that's so important," GL mused.

As they continued forward, everyone carefully scanned the room. As Batman looked around, he saw a hand sticking out from behind a corner. He ran over and saw that it belonged to an older man that was laying on the ground. The name tag attached to his coat identified him as N. Chilton, the missing scientist. As the others rounded the corner, they stopped as Batman checked for a pulse.

"He's dead," he reported.

"Damn," GL let out. "Any idea what happened?"

"Looks like he was shot," Superman answered, scanning the body. "Not with a bullet though, with what looks like a laser blast, and a very powerful one."

"Anyone else getting the feeling that there's more to this tomb than meets the eye?" Kari voiced.

"Agreed," Hawkgirl spoke. "Where do we start searching for answers?"

"I'd say down here!" GL called out.

The others ran down the corridor towards Hal as he stood in front of a massive door that seemed to have been pried open. From inside, an ethereal yellow glow could be seen.

"Whoa…" Kari let out.

"What is it?" Hawkgirl questioned.

Superman approached the door, prying it open as far as it would go. This allowed everyone to enter, where they found themselves staring at a massive, golden crystal that seemed to be humming with energy.

"It can't be…" Sinestro let out.

"What is it?" Hal asked.

"The Yellow Element… an ancient and powerful artifact that the Guardians of Oa sealed away long ago."

"On Earth of all places," Superman noted.

"It was planted here long ago, before Humanity reared its head," Sinestro informed him. "And if it's here… then I believe I know what killed that scientist."

"And what might that be?" Batman asked.

Just then, a barrage of blaster fire rang out towards the League, causing them to turn and see red, blue, and silver robots armed with staffs that fired energy shots at them. Hal and Sinestro instantly summoned shields, blocking the blasts.

"Manhunters!" Sinestro exclaimed.

"Manhunters?" Hal questioned. "Care to explain what's going on?"

"They are incredibly powerful sentinels that have been used by the Guardians as protectors and defenders."

"They seem to be doing a bang up job!" Hal shouted.

"Forget about them!" Superman called out. "Let's just grab the crystal and get out of here!"

Kari rolled over, grabbing the crystal and setting it on her lap.

"I got it!" she shouted.

"Hal! Sinestro! Clear a path!" Superman instructed.

"I take orders from no one!" Sinestro shouted back. "And I do not run from a fight!"

"Just do it!" Hal snapped.

Together, the two of them forced the Manhunters aside, clearing a path.

"Hawkgirl, watch our tails!" Superman went on. "Batman, lay down some cover! Kari, whatever you do, do not let go of that element!"

Batman tossed some batarangs at the Manhunters, which exploded on impact. Hawkgirl swooped in, swinging her mace hard enough to leave a dent in one of the bots. Hal used his ring to try and pick up Kari's chair and carry her out, but was instantly shot in the back by a Manhunter.

"No man escapes the Manhunters!" it declared as it fired again.

"First time for everything," Hal remarked.

Hal then formed a locomotive that drove right into the Manhunter, smashing it into a wall. He then formed a jackhammer to try and destroy the robot, but that's when the light around his ring began to flicker.

"What the-? Oh come on! I'm almost 95% sure I remembered to charge this thing!"

"It's the yellow element!" Sinestro called out. "It's an embodiment of fear, the opposite of will! It must be channeling that cripple's fear and using it to drain our power!"

"Sorry!" Kari called out. "This is a stressful situation!"

"Then let's finish it!" Hawkgirl declared, flying towards the Manhunters.

Hawkgirl bashed away at the Manhunters, holding them back as Superman made his way to the door. He began prying it open, holding it so the others could come through.

"Everyone! Through here! Hurry!"

Hal grabbed Kari's chair, shoving her through the door as Batman and Sinestro followed. Hawkgirl remained behind, destroying one of the Manhunters before the other two began closing in on her.

"Hawkgirl!" Superman called out. "We have to go! Now!"

She swung her mace again, either ignoring Superman or simply not hearing him.

"Hawkgirl!" Superman shouted again. "Now!"

Finally hearing him, Hawkgirl disengaged with the Manhunter and flew through the door, allowing Superman to make it through and allow it to close. Once he did, he used his heat vision to weld the door shut.

"That should hold," Superman replied before turning to Hawkgirl. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Manhunters are a scourge on all space. They wiped out an entire sector and left nothing but forgotten, lifeless worlds in their wake, and if you think these doors will hold them, then you're a fool."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hal interjected. "What do you mean scourge? Sinestro, you said these things were sentinels. Protectors!"

"They are," Sinestro agreed. "Now."

"Well what were they before?"

"The forerunners of the Green Lantern Corp, until the Guardians realized that machines could not differentiate between the subtle nuances of good and evil."

"I've seen their work first hand," Hawkgirl relayed. "They are cold, calculated, and cruel. Their actions led many beings in the Frontier sectors to distrust the Lantern Corp, if not hate them, including Thanagar."

About that time, the Manhunters began cutting their way through the door, their lasers burning through the thick metal and stone like it was nothing. The door then exploded as the Manhunters came through, firing on the group once more.

"Let's continue this discussion later!" Batman suggested, throwing an explosive batarang.

The batarang collided with a Manhunters chest, exploding upon impact. It did little as the Manhunters opened fire on them, causing them to scatter. Hal tried to summon a shield, but it just sputtered out of existence.

"Damn," Hal let out. "How can that thing take out our rings so easily?!"

"Now you see why the Guardians had it sealed away," Sinestro remarked.

"Yeah, I get the idea!" Something then occurred to him and he perked. "Wait, these things were made by the Guardians, right? Meaning they probably run on the same green energy that our rings do!"

"I'm starting to see your point," Sinestro replied.

"Well can you clue the rest of us in?" Kari asked.

"If that thing in your lap can drain our rings, maybe it can hurt the Manhunters," Hal rationalized. "It works on fear, right? So you just need to focus on everything that scared you."

"I'll give it my best shot!"

She closed her eyes, focusing on everything that scared her. She gripped the Element in her lap, which began glowing brighter and brighter. Then, just as the Manhunters reached for the element, it exploded in a massive beam of yellow light that tore through them like they were made of paper mache. Once the Manhunters were destroyed, the yellow energy died out, Kari shoving the thing out of her lap as she took a breath.

"I am starting to see why the Guardians locked that thing up."

"Indeed," Sinestro agreed.

…

Sometime later, Superman caused the entire tomb to collapse in on itself, burying the robots and everything else inside.

"Good riddance," Kari muttered. "Hopefully those robots don't come back to bite us."

"Hope not," Hal replied before turning to Sinestro. "So, how'd we do?"

"I will admit, I was skeptical of this 'Justice League', but they have all proven to be quite capable warriors," Sinestro admitted. "Moreover, your ingenuity and quick thinking were essential to our victory. I say you've more than earned that ring on your finger."

"Aw, you do care."

"Do not ruin this, Hal Jordan."

Sinestro then picked up the Yellow Element, now sealed in a large metal box to keep its power from effecting him.

"I will deliver my report to Oa, as well as the Yellow Element. Perhaps we can find somewhere uninhabited to store it so no more innocents are harmed."

"Let us know if you need any help," Superman offered.

Sinestro nodded, then flew off with the box in tow.

"Looks like we're gonna be stuck with you for a while Hal," Kari quipped, slugging him on the arm.

"Looks like. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pizza and a lovely lady waiting for me."

He gave a two fingered salute, then flew off in the direction of Coast City.

…

Sometime later, Sinestro arrived on a planet that was most definitely NOT Oa. It was a rocky planet that almost seemed to be lifeless. He flew through some of the cracks in the rocky surface, slipping into an underground maze of tunnels and magma channels. Once he reached an area that looked like a massive forge, he was greeted by the Weaponers of Qward, the most well respected weapon smiths in the known sectors.

"I am here!" Sinestro declared.

The Weaponers approached him as he set down the case, opening it to reveal the Yellow Element.

"I have brought what you need to complete our project."

"Excellent," one of the Weaponers replied. "With this, we will bring the Great Lantern Corp and their precious Guardians to their knees.

"That is the plan," Sinestro agreed.