Justice League of America - Batman: The Stone King by Alan Grant (best books to read for self development .TXT) 📕

as if the heavens themselves had opened and the Deluge descended. Green Lantern held the dome in place by force of will, opening windows here and there to allow access to the firefighters' hoses. It was all too easy for the embers of a fire to flare up again as soon as its oxygen supply was restored.

Kyle Rayner had never wanted to be a super hero. In fact, he'd never wanted to be much of anything. He thought he was happy just living his life, doing his own thing, getting by with whatever commissions his artwork brought him.

Until one night he met an alien in an alley behind a dance dub.

The weird little blue being in red had spoken to him, though Kyle was so bemused he could scarcely take in its words. Something about being the very last of tine Green Lanterns, the galactic peacekeepers, and that Kyle was chosen to be his successor. The Guardian then handed Kyle his green, glowing power ring, making him promise he would use it wisely.

Then he was gone, leaving Kyle wondering if he was the victim of some practical joke. Or maybe even the unsuspecting stooge on one of those hidden-camera TV shows.

But when he tested the ring–which is limited only by his imagination and willpower–Kyle discovered precisely what it was capable of, and the tremendous energy it contained. Soon his whole attitude changed. He found that doing good made him feel good. For the first time, his life seemed to have a purpose. He could help people who needed it. He could be a hero.

Suddenly, something crashed into Green Lantern's back. The ring automatically protected him from attack, but even through its force field he felt the impetus of the blow. He turned to look over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of a large stone ax as it plummeted toward the street.

A misshapen figure balanced on the flat roof of the building beyond. It was obviously humanoid, but something about the way it held its body reminded Kyle of a great ape. Its face was covered by some kind of horror mask with protruding fangs and bright blue light blazing from its circular eyes.

Even as Kyle watched, the figure launched itself at him from thirty yards away. As it soared effortlessly through the air, Kyle stole a glance at the museum. All of the flames had disappeared, but smoke drifted up from still-smoldering rubble. If he took away the shield now, the firefighters might perish in a reawakened inferno.

Kyle wasn't really afraid, because he knew the ring would protect him from whatever this assailant could do. So he braced himself, ready for the impact. But it never came. Instead, the weird figure spiraled in the air and came to rest, hovering six feet in front of him.

"What's your beef?" Kyle snapped, mentally preparing himself in case he had to go on the offensive.

In answer, the creature's eyes blazed ever more fiercely. They seemed to be spinning, spiraling round and round, dissolving Kyle's will as he felt himself fall under their malevolent influence.

Incredible, he thought with sudden shock. This thing is trying to hypnotize me–one thing the ring won't defend me against!

He felt as if his mind were turning to jelly, his thoughts drifting away into nothing. His deteriorating willpower was no longer enough to power the ring's efforts to contain the fire.

Almost in a dream, Green Lantern saw the protective shield fade and vanish. At once, flames reignited in a dozen places.

A firefighter screamed as the smoldering ground beneath him flared up in a blast of flame. It was the man's sheer terror that jerked Kyle back to reality.

Instantly, a beam of solid green light flashed from Kyle's ring. But before the hovering figure could take evasive action, the beam slammed into it with the force of a steam hammer.

There was a sudden haze of blue sparks, and the creature plummeted downward. Another beam shot from the ring, grabbing the tumbling figure in a pair of emerald pincers. Green Lantern lowered the body gently to the ground, then turned his attention back to the fire.

Only when he was satisfied that the museum was in no further danger did he return to the prone body propped against the wall.

It was a man in a security guard's uniform, a shaman's mask strapped to his face. The blue light in the eyes had disappeared, and his body was now lifeless.

Carefully, Green Lantern slipped off the mask and looked down at what had been the face of Don Bradley.

CHAPTER 5

Captured!

The Moon, October 28

The glaring sun cast deep black shadows across the lunar landscape. With no atmosphere to protect the rocky, crater-strewn landscape, the daytime temperature soared. In just twelve hours' time, as lunar night fell, it would plummet to a marrow-freezing hundred degrees below zero.

It was a world that had been dead for more than four billion years. A world hostile to all life-forms. The ideal place for the Justice League to build their base.

The Watchtower rose from the pitted surface like a monstrous artifact left behind by an ancient alien civilization. A wedge of concrete and steel towering to a height of almost a mile, the Tower was the team's official headquarters.

In the spacious penthouse boardroom, the windows were darkened Plexiglas to shut out the sun's torturous heat. Oxygen was provided by a gaseous exchange membrane J'onn J'onzz had built. Artificial gravity was generated deep in the machine rooms under the lunar surface. And the boardroom interior was softly illuminated by light produced from solar panels on the building's sun-facing sides.

Batman had called this extraordinary meeting from his lair in Gotham, then teleported here to preside over it. He sat at the head of the vast conference table, in the convenor's chair, his face grim as he recited the official roll call.

"Wonder Woman. Green Lantern. Flash. Superman." As he read out their names, each hero nodded. "J'onn J'onzz was also requested to attend, but sends his regrets. He's engaged on