Alan Scott has a perfectly healthy teenaged obsession; in this case, the superhero known as Jade. But when he discovers a mysterious lamp (no, really!), he soon finds that he has a lot more in common with the Green Lantern than he ever thought possible!

Part of the Comics Retcon Universe: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/20577/comics-retcon-universe

Chapter One: The Fanboy

My name is Alan Scott, and I have an obsession. They say that the first step on the road to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. And boy, do I ever. I have a poster of her. A screen saver. Videos and photos of her on my hard drive.

I'm in love with a superhero. And if she even knew I existed, she'd probably fly away from me very quickly. Her name is Jade, the Green Lantern.

Ok, let me explain. I'm 15 years old, and it's not unusual for me to get carried away like this. First it was comic books, then it was card games, and later, role-playing games. And it's not like I still don't enjoy these things, but lately, it's superheroes.

And one in particular.

I don't know what it is about her, really. Though she's quite pretty, there are other hot metahumans out there. I've seen pictures of Terra, American Dream, and even the mysterious Cat-Woman. Oh and there's supposedly a video out there of a total babe who turns into a giant-sized girl...and ends up naked in the process.

NSFW indeed!

But something about Jade is so mysterious. She doesn't have the metagene; she was chosen to be the defender of Earth (well, actually a section of space that includes Earth, but she's here a lot). She's incredibly powerful, and even has her own spaceship!

She's the most visible and popular superhero around, and nobody knows anything about her. And to me, that's hot.

People say that she's probably an alien, maybe a shapeshifter, and her real form is anything but a pretty young woman. Honestly, I don't care about that. Hell, she could be a guy and I'd still think she was awesome!

I think that would put a damper on certain fantasies, however. Just saying!

Mom and Dad recently went through a really bad breakup; I don't blame them, to be honest, although my sister, Alison, is a lot less understanding. Yeah, I know, Alan and Alison. We're twins (fraternal, naturally), and you know how parents get when it comes to naming twins. I swear, if I ever have kids (a highly unlikely prospect) and I have twins, I'm going to come up with as different names as possible.

We do resemble each other, or at least, we did. My sister used to be blonde, but I haven't seen her natural hair color in years, she's always dying it. It's not that she hates me, she just resents the way people think that, since we shared living space in Mom's womb, we must be exactly alike.

Yeah, right! I'm a total geek and she's...well, I'm not really sure. I don't want to call her Goth or anything, although her fashion sense does seem to be Goth-influenced. Mom says she's trying to find herself. I can understand that. We're both wildly creative people. I mean, I even got her to play DnD with us, and she was amazing. But she feels being limited to playing one role is too limiting, and she constantly switched characters, until Jake (our DM) got tired of it.

And that's when she left the group. We still played, but not as often. I think towards the end, I was really happy to have an interest in common with Alison. And now...we're world's apart. She's into music and poetry, and me, well, I write fanfiction and draw superheroes. Jade, mostly.

What can I say, I have an unhealthy interest in girls. At least, a girl.

Now, right around the time Mom and Dad were having their problems, Mom's Dad died. I'm named for him, and he was a great guy. Mom inherited his house, and so, she came up with the idea of us moving. It was logical, but at this point in my life, I didn't really want to be separated from the few friends I had and dropped into a new environment.

And Ali, well, she and Mom yelled at each other a lot. I wanted to play peacemaker, but I'd need super powers just to survive! Eventually though, Ali seemed to give in, although she was pretty sullen about it.

Granddad's place was really awesome though. He and my Grandmother (who died when Ali and I were little) had raised a family of five kids. Gramps was an engineer, so rather than get a new house, he just added on to the existing home whenever he needed more space. The result was more than a little unusual, and the house was riddled with secret doors and rooms. Most no bigger than a closet, but I knew that somewhere, Gramps had a special room that he called his 'secret lair', which is where he kept his comic collection. And wow, did he ever have some old rare issues!

The problem was, he always took me to it wearing a blindfold, so I had no idea where it was in the house. But I was determined to make that my room. The first few days, we cleared out a lot of junk (well, more like organized it, neither me nor Mom wanted to throw anything out. Her for sentimental reasons, me, because it was cool stuff!). He had tons of old science fiction magazines, pulp magazines, the collected works of Edgar Rice Burroughs (I think I read 'A Princess of Mars' like twenty times as a kid), model spaceships, you name it.

Once we had everything cleared out, we began to move in (this was during the Summer, so there was no school to get in the way). Sis, well, she'd help, but she'd always take off, looking for some signs of intelligent life in the town. I wished her luck with that, most of the residents of our neighborhood were older families, and 'town' consisted of two streets with storefronts, five churches and three bars. It was quaint, charming, and boring.

Thankfully, Gramps had remained tech-savvy until the day he died; he had a computer that put mine to shame (it had started life as a P-2, but Gramps never threw anything out; like his house, as it became obsolete, he just upgraded it. I doubt it had any original parts left save the tower casing!), and I'd paid a grand for my quad core!

This also meant he had an awesome internet connection; apparently the internet companies didn't feel there was much need to run DSL line out his way. So he came up with his own solution to the problem. Apparently, that's what engineers do. I so want to be one when I grow up. Right after comic book writer/artist and superhero, of course. I assume it's a satellite connection, given the large dish on the roof, but it doesn't have the problems most satellite networks have. I couldn't tell you why; Gramps was some kind of mad genius.

So I started poking around the house. I made a map of all the rooms, secret doors, and hidden areas I knew about, measured the outside, the inside, the basement, knocked on walls, the works. I'd remembered going down stairs, but the basement was a no-go. It took up the entire original foundation; the additions only had shallow crawlspaces.

Like most great discoveries, I found it by accident. I was in the pantry getting a bottle of grape juice (it looked like a wine bottle, but Gramps rarely drank. Two beers at the Legion on Sunday was his limit) when I dropped it. I went immediately to get a mop to clean up the mess, and when I came back, I noticed the liquid had flowed to one wall and pooled there.

That meant the floor wasn't level. Gramps was too much of a perfectionist to have done that by accident! So after cleaning up the mess, I examined that wall closely, and sure enough, there was a hidden panel that led to a short flight of steps.

“Gramps, you magnificent bastard!” I laughed. The walls were wood-paneled just like I remembered. His treasured comic book issues were on the wall, in glass frames, the old Coca-Cola machine was still humming in the corner, and the A/C was still running!

I flopped down on his big comfy couch (the story was, Grandma got tired of looking at the old couch, and made him get rid of it. So he just built a new room for it, and the rest is history) and marveled at my new Fortress of Solitude. The projection TV, his laserdisc player, the old-fashioned HiFi, with an awesome collection of old vinyl albums..and the comics! He'd built a small closet and set up a motorized track on the floor. You hit a button, and you could cycle between the storage units he'd packed his comics into. It was a lot like those automatic closets rich people have to store their clothing in, really.

I quickly moved my stuff in.

Chapter Two: The Green Flame

A few days later, while going through his comics, I noticed something. They were organized by alphabet, but there was a storage container between A and Z that had an oddly familiar symbol on it. It was kind of stylized, but it reminded me of the Green Lantern Corps sigil! So I opened it up. Inside I found a sketchbook filled with Gramp's drawings. But it wasn't technical stuff, but actual concept arts of costumed heroes!

Wow, I never knew we had so much in common! One design stood out from the rest. Red shirt, broad black belt, green pants and boots, and a cape that was black on the outside, and green on the inside. And on the chest, an old-time lantern shedding green light around it.

But there was more! One compartment actually had, neatly folded, the costume itself! Naturally, I tried it on. Gramps was taller than me, though, so it didn't fit right, but I still thought it looked amazing. Yeah, I know, the whole cape thing has been deconstructed as impractical, but I liked the way it swished dramatically. Gramps also had one of those goofy black domino masks which all the old heroes wore, but I really couldn't see how it would hide your identity at all.

The real treasure though, was an old grey lantern. It looked like a piece of junk, really, but the moment I touched it, I knew there was something special about it. I set it on the table and tried to figure out how to light it. The thing was dusty as heck, so I got a cloth and rubbed it...

Yes, I'm not kidding about this part. I rubbed the lamp, and a green flame appeared inside of it, filling the room with emerald light!

“MORTAL, KNOW THAT I AM THE STAR-HEART! MY GREEN FLAME CAN GRANT YOUR HEART'S DESIRE! SOME HAVE WISHED FOR LIFE, OTHERS FOR DEATH, AND A FEW HAVE WISHED FOR POWER! WHAT IS THINE WISH?”

I goggled at it. I mean, this had to be a joke, something Gramps whipped up, right? “No way!”

“FAITHLESS ONE, LISTEN WELL! LOOK INTO THE HEAVENS THIS VERY NIGHT, AND YOU WILL SEE A STAR FALL! A GREEN STAR, LIKE NONE OTHER. GO, FIND IT, AND BRING IT TO ME!”

The flame went out, and try as I might, I couldn't get it to light or speak again.

-

I couldn't sleep. I kept hearing the words of the lantern flame in my head. With a growl, I got up and put my glasses on. I paused, seeing my reflection in the mirror. I'm a scrawny kid, despite my best efforts to get some muscle. I have short blonde hair and green eyes. I don't look very heroic. Actually, I think sometimes that if I borrowed some of Alison's clothes, I'd look more like a cute (if geeky) girl!

But right then, I imagined myself wearing Gramp's costume. Powerful and brave. A real hero.

I sighed. If only I had the metagene and could get powers. I went to the window and looked out. A green star, huh? What a joke.

And then, sure enough, I saw a green light fall from the sky! “Holy shit!”

I quickly got dressed and snuck out (pretty easy to do, with all the secret passages in the house) and got on my bike, peddling as fast as I could.

-

Jade was catching a quick nap, all her schedule really allowed her to do lately. She was awoken by an alarm claxon, and sat up so quickly, she smacked right into the bulkhead above her. Our heroine is a good girl, and doesn't often curse, but in this circumstance, I think we can forgive her for a few profanities.

Making her way to the bridge, she found that the ship's computer was tracking an unusual object, which had entered Earth's gravity. “Huh, a green glowing meteorite? Now that's unusual.”

That is no mere bit of space debris. The ship's scanners indicate it has a unique and powerful energy signature. It is part of the Star Heart.

Jade stretched. “The what now?”

It was at one time believed that magic would interfere with the ability of the Central Power Battery on Oa to transmit power to the Green Lanterns operating throughout the galaxy. As a result, the Guardians gathered as much magical energy as they could, and sealed it away inside a star. However, this created an entity known as the Star Heart, a sentient being composed of pure energy. The Star Heart caused the sun to go nova, and in the explosion, was freed. However, it was also fragmented by the explosion, and the pieces scattered throughout space.

“So is it dangerous?”

By itself, no, the Star Heart is neither Good nor Evil. However, it's power reacts to the desires of those who find it, making them real.

Jade frowned. “It grants wishes.”

That is a gross oversimplification, but it will suffice.

“Well how bad could a wish-granting green rock from outer space be...” Jade trailed off. “What am I saying! We have to find that thing, fast!”

-

Now, I realized the chances of finding what I was looking for was pretty slim; for all I knew, it could have landed miles away. The sky is pretty clear out here, compared to the city. But I had this strange sense that I was supposed to find it, so I didn't let that bother me.

Crossing fields in the dark is kind of dangerous; it was a New Moon, so when I say it was dark, I'm not kidding! But slowly, in the distance, I saw a green light. I damn near broke my leg running to it.

The crater was small, a lot smaller than it should be. And nestled in it, was a glowing crystal about the size of my fist. Now, glowing means radioactive, and I'm not an idiot. I wasn't going to touch it with my bare hands! I took off my shirt, and grabbed it out of the ground protected by the fabric (because, you know, cotton and polyester is radiation proof, right? My excuse is I hadn't slept much, and I'm sticking to it), and then carried it home that way. I couldn't really ride the bike, so it was almost morning by the time I got back to my room and crashed.

-

Jade frowned as she reached the area where her ring told her the object should have landed. “Ok, now that's weird. Where is it?” Using the power of her ring, she illuminated the ground with a spotlight effect. “Ok, there's the impact site...awfully small...and....footprints leading to it! Great. But no footprints leading away? That's damn weird.”

Jade couldn't know that the Star Heart could make itself invisible to Oan technology. And her ring didn't have access to the information; most of what was known about the Star Heart was classified. She searched for awhile longer, but finally felt herself get tired, and so she returned to her ship. If someone started making wishes, she'd find them soon enough.

-

I struggled to help Mom out all morning, btu finally she realized it wasn't worth it, and sent me back to bed. I was pretty grateful, believe you me! I slept for awhile, but then I heard a voice, and I jumped awake.

“AWAKEN MORTAL, YOUR DESTINY IS AT HAND.”

Holy shit, the lantern was talking again! “Uh, what do I need to do?”

“GRASP THE GREEN STAR IN YOUR HAND, AND LET IT BATHE IN MY LIGHT.”

I forgot all about my worries that it could be dangerous, and I picked up the green crystal, and held it out in front of the flame.

“WHAT IS YOUR HEART'S DESIRE?”

I thought about it. Well, really, it was obvious. “I want to be superhero like Jade, the Green Lantern!”

“SO BE IT!”

The flame shot out of the lantern, and struck the crystal. Green light surrounded my body. It felt warm, even comforting. The crystal shrank, until it became a ring, which slid itself onto my finger. The light began to coalesce, shrinking as well, until it vanished into my body. And then...blackness.

-

I woke up later. Ugh, what time was it? I felt like hell. And I was starving! The lights were off, so the room was totally dark. As I fumbled for the lamp, I wished I had a light. And then the ring on my finger started to glow brightly. Sweet!

Except...well...the light revealed that my hand looked smaller and more delicate than it had been before. I looked down, and saw a pair of breasts. My jaw totally dropped.

I stood up and went to the mirror. My sister, or a girl who greatly resembled her, was standing naked in front of me! I slowly reached up to cup the girl's...my...breasts. B-cup, just like Ali's. They were sensitive as hell, and when I brushed a nipple, a shiver ran along my spine. My hair was longer, falling just short of my shoulders, and I really did look very cute.

My eyes were glowing softly with green light, and I swear I could see a tiny flame dancing in the pupils. With a gulp, I placed a hand between my legs. I know it's a total cliché but...

“It's gone!” Instead, I had a vertical slit and just touching the area around it caused me to shiver again. I didn't dare explore further. “Why..why am I a girl?”

IS THIS NOT YOUR HEART'S DESIRE? TO BE LIKE THE JADE YOU ADMIRE SO MUCH?

The voice came from...inside me! “I wanted to be a Green Lantern not...”

I licked my lips, looking at my body again. I hadn't even realized it. Or maybe I hadn't let myself realize it. But this had been what I wanted. I hadn't wanted Jade. I had wanted to be her! And now I was. Sort of.

I put on Gramp's costume, but it fit even worse now. I was only about an inch and a half shorter, the same height as Sis, but it hung loosely on my girlish frame. “Ugh, I wish this thing fit right.”

The ring flashed, and the costume began to shrink, conforming to my body. The boots shrank and actually got (thankfully short) heels, the pants slid up my legs, becoming a miniskirt, the belt became slender, riding just above my hips, even as my shirt turned into a baby-tee, revealing my flat, yummy-looking abdomen.

I blushed at revealing so much skin. But damn, I'd never really considered that Sis was a serious hottie! The features that looked ridiculous on a boy, were very attractive on a girl. I guess I should have felt weird in this situation, admiring someone who looked like my sister, but it was me! The real me, that I'd never known existed!

I didn't really forget about Jade, but just like all my other interests, I kind of moved on in that moment. I had a new girl I was in love with now. And she was...me.

I held up the ring. “Sweet, what else can you do?”

MY POWER IS LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR WILLPOWER AND IMAGINATION, YOUNG ONE.

“Seriously, there has to be a catch.”

TRUE, MINE IS THE GREEN FLAME OF LIFE. I HAVE NO POWER OVER THE ELEMENT OF WOOD.

“Huh. Can't affect wood. Well that's not too bad.” I pointed the ring at the table, and a green light shot out of it. Sure enough, the light simply diffused harmlessly around the table. I aimed it next at the Coca Cola machine, and to my delight, it rose above the ground, suspended in emerald light!

I couldn't get the smile off of my face. I was now a superhero!

-

Of course, the problem was, I was also now a girl. “Uh...I don't suppose you can turn me back into a boy?”

I GRANT YOU MANY POWERS, YOUNG ONE, HOWEVER, I CANNOT UNDO WHAT YOU HAVE WROUGHT. THIS IS YOUR DESIRE, AND YOU MUST LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES. HOWEVER, IF YOU WILL IT, YOU MAY CLOAK YOURSELF WITH AN ILLUSION.

“Uh..I so will it.” Nothing. Right, ok, it was like an intelligent artifact in DnD. You had to master it, or it wouldn't work. “Become a guy!”

Green light surrounded me. My costume vanished, replaced by my old geek clothes. But I still looked the same! “Hey, wait a minute!”

FEAR NOT. THOUGH YOU SEE YOURSELF AS THE SAME, OTHERS WILL NOT.

Well, there was only one way to test it. I left my room.

-

Mom was cooking dinner. “Oh honey, are you alright? You were so tired, I thought you might be sick or something. You've been working so hard.” She walked over and kissed me on the forehead.

“..Mom! I'm ok, I was just up late last night reading comics.”

She grinned. “I used to be the same way.”

I blinked. “Wait, what? You read comics?”

She nodded. “I was a real Daddy's girl. We used to hang out all the time in that secret room he built. Your room, now. I remember listening to old recordings of radio shows, like The Shadow, while reading about costumed adventures...I wanted to be a superhero when I grew up.” She sighed.

“Then I got interested in boys, and stopped being such a tomgirl. Dad and I were never as close again. I wish...but no.” She hugged me then. Our breasts pressing together felt...um...disturbing. Yes, that's the word I'm going to go with. “Even if your Father didn't turn out to be the man of my dreams, I have two treasures now, and I wouldn't trade either of you.”

“Ugh, you two are way too sappy to be my relatives. Please tell me I'm an alien?” Sis entered the room, her hair dyed a shade of green that looked awesome on her. I wanted hair like that...and then I realized, I could have it!

“Sorry Sis, as hard as it is to believe, we definitely have the same genes.” I tried not to giggle; I had proof!

She sat down. “Bleah. Great, I have Geekazoid genes. I am so not having kids, ever.”

Mom just smiled, letting me go. “I used to say the same thing. I remember when I told Mom I wanted to be a boy, she hit the roof!”

Sis choked. “If I was stuck as a boy, I think I'd kill myself.”

Mom just walked over and ran her fingers through Ali's hair. “I like this color, it suits you.”

Ali got this weird look on her face. I don't blame her; Mom actually approved of something she did? “I...it didn't turn out the way I wanted. I'll probably change it tomorrow.”

“Don't! I mean...it really does look good on you, Sis.” I blurted out.

Ali looked at me, as if seeing me for the very first time. “Tell you what, geek boy. I'll keep my hair green on one condition.” She got a wicked smile on her face. “You dye yours too!”

“Sure!” Oops, maybe I sounded a little too enthusiastic. Mom and Sis gave me the same look; their expressions were so similar it was eerie.

“So. Gay.” Sis rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever, we'll dye it after dinner. This will be short.”

Mom kept shooting glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking all during dinner.

-

Sis ran her hands through my hair. I could see a frown on her face. On some level, she must notice it's longer than before, I realized. But the illusion held, and she finally just shrugged. I could almost hear the 'whatever' in her mind. Our voices sounded the same now, which was totally awesome.

I wish I could tell them the truth, but could they accept the new me?

Sis did a real good job, my hair felt very refreshed, and it was soft to the touch. She held out a mirror, and I grinned. “Great job, Sis, I like it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're not being funny, Alan. You look like a damn girl!”

I looked at her. “And what's wrong with that? You look like a girl.”

“I am a girl, you moron! Great, this is all I need, you finally came out of the damn closet! Get out of here while I figure out how I'm going to kill myself.”

I hugged her then. “Thanks for everything, Sis.”

I left her with this totally shocked expression on her face. I shouldn't have, but damn, that was fun!

-

That night, I slipped out of the house and changed into my costume. It didn't include a bra, but my breasts seemed to be fine, despite the lack of support. Which was awesome; Sis hated wearing her bra, but she'd found out that going without it wasn't all that pleasant either. I was gratefully spared that problem. She would be so jealous! My costume, did, however, include panties under my skirt. I was really dreading going to the bathroom, I was pretty clueless about the plumbing.

YOUR CONCERN IS BASELESS. THE MAGIC OF THE RING CAN ELIMINATE ANY NEED YOU HAVE. IT GIVES YOUR BODY THE SUPPORT YOU REQUIRE AS A YOUNG FEMALE, AND IT ALLOWS YOUR BODY TO FULLY USE ALL THE POTENTIAL OF THE FOOD AND DRINK YOU CONSUME!

“Wait...you mean, it turns anything I eat into energy?”

CORRECT. IT CAN EVEN SUSTAIN YOU FOR A TIME WHEN THERE IS NO FOOD, WATER, OR EVEN AIR AVAILABLE.

I grinned. “So I don't have to go to the bathroom.”

THAT IS NO LONGER A CONCERN.

“So how long can I go without, you know, air and stuff?”

WITHOUT AIR, AN HOUR. WITHOUT WATER, A WEEK. WITHOUT FOOD, A MONTH.

Woah. That was beyond awesome! There was just one other thing... “Can I...fly?”

The voice sounded amused when it replied, GRAVITY MEANS NOTHING TO MY POWER.

I willed myself to fly, and my body was surrounded in soft green light as I floated off the ground. This was amazing! “Woohoo!” I shouted, as I took off.

I didn't know what speed I was flying at, but it was really fast! I could barely breathe at the speed I was going, but it didn't seem to matter. Well duh, I mean, I could hold my breath for an hour now!

Off in the distance, I saw the lights of the city. I streaked towards it. I had to be careful flying around buildings, of course, but I noticed an interesting fact about city dwellers; they rarely look up. So I was able to fly around without incident. Actually, on that note....”I wish to be invisible!”

Ok, I didn't really need to say 'I wish', but what the hey, it worked. To myself, my body was now translucent green, and my aura was a lot dimmer. I landed near a coffee shop, and sure enough, the young adults outside didn't even notice me!

Sweet!

I took off again, but a few blocks away, I heard a woman scream. I flew into an alleyway, and saw a pair of young men threatening a fairly attractive woman in her 20's. Her dress was torn, and one of the thugs had her purse.

Were they going to...rape her?

I felt anger building up inside me. I let myself become visible, and pushed the thugs away from the woman with a beam of emerald light. I willed my voice to become loud and heroic-sounding. “You picked the wrong night to assault a woman!”

“Holy fuck, who the hell is that?!”

“Don't know, don't care, take this, bitch!” One of the thugs pulled out a gun. With a wave of my hand, I caused the gun to fly into my grasp. The ring didn't give me super strength, but it could crush the gun in a way that made it look like I had done it myself.

“What...how...”

“Run man, run!” The second thug grabbed the first, and they started running. I floated down to the young woman. Without even glancing at the thugs, I created a wall of light in front of them; they ran right into it and fell to the ground.

“My apologies, Ma'am. Are you hurt?”

She smiled at me. “Not badly. Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“Who are you?”

I grinned. “I'm Green Lantern.” Ok, maybe, in retrospect, that wasn't the best idea.

“You look different on TV.” She tilted her head at an angle.

“Oh well, there's more than one of us, you know.”

“I didn't know that...” She then did something that stunned the heck out of me. She put her arms around me and gave me a kiss! My first kiss, in fact, and wow. It was incredible!

She pulled away, blushing, a sheepish look on her face that made her look adorable. “Thank you again.”

“...least I could...do...uh, here!” I gave her back her purse, and used the ring to fix her dress.

She winked at me, and walked out of the alley, putting a little extra sway in her hips. I stared after her. Wow.

Then I turned my attention back on the thugs.

-

As I flew home, I kept thinking about that girl...no, woman. “Hey...she knew I was a girl, right?”

YOUR GENDER IS QUITE OBVIOUS. HOWEVER, SOME WOMEN ARE ATTRACTED TO THEIR OWN GENDER. THERE IS NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT IT. IF IT IS OF INTEREST TO YOU, SHE WAS VERY ATTRACTED TO YOU, IN SPITE OF, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE OF YOUR YOUTH. HOWEVER, SHE REALIZES YOU ARE TOO YOUNG FOR HER, SO YOU SHOULD NOT PURSUE A RELATIONSHIP.

I think that was the most the ring...flame...whatever it was, had ever said. Actually, I noticed that sometimes it referred to the ring as if it were a separate entity. I'd have to ask about that later. Right now though, I felt really turned on. Which, you know, as a guy, that's easy to take care of. But I wasn't sure what to do now.

By the time I got back to my room, my nipples were hard, and I felt a tightness in my groin. I got undressed and lay down. Well, girls had to be able to deal with this, right? I played with my breasts for a bit, then reached down to explore my other girl parts.

It felt so good, I gasped, but try as I might, I couldn't seem to do anything but make it worse! “Argh, fuck me!”

AS YOU WISH.

“Wait, what..no!”

But it was too late, green energy surrounded me, and it felt like tiny feathers were stroking every part of my body. Oh...man. I can't describe it, I heard myself moan in pleasure. I was helpless, almost paralyzed by the intensity of the sensations. But rather than give relief, I felt such a terrible need inside me. I would give anything to sate that need, anything!

Just when I couldn't take it anymore, however, some force began to pulse inside me, sending waves of pleasure throughout my body. It's a good thing Gramp's room was soundproofed, because by the end, I was screaming.

The orgasm was total, and pleasure wracked my body, even as I curled myself up into a ball. Whatever the force was, it was relentless, and my first orgasm was followed by a second, and then a third. By this point, I was exhausted, able to do nothing but moan pitifully.

I BELIEVE YOU ARE SATED NOW. REST.

And I did.

-

Again, an alert rose Jade from her sleep. “Argh! Now what?”

Making her way to the command deck, she sat down in front of the computer, which was displaying a police report about a young woman who was saved from a pair of muggers by....Green Lantern?!

As stated before, Jade doesn't tend to curse. But this situation called for something more inflammatory than a 'darn'. Again, we can forgive her lapse.

“How can there be another Green Lantern in this sector?”

No other member has been assigned to this sector, nor do I detect the presence of another Power Ring.

Jade read the report in detail. From what the witnesses said, the girl had powers very much like a Green Lantern's, but she looked different. A red and green costume with a cape, approximately 15 years old.

“Could a metahuman develop powers like mine?”

Possible, but there is a more likely answer. The Star Heart.

Jade groaned. “Oh now isn't this just great...”

Chapter Three: Confrontations

I woke up feeling scuzzy. And I stunk too! Bleah! I veiled myself again, and made my way to the bathroom, where I took a long shower. The feel of the warm water against my skin made me shudder, but I was still trying to process what the flame had done to me earlier. “Hey. You listening?”

I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU.

That raised a few questions, but one thing at a time. “Look, I understand you're trying to do what I ask of you, but...you have to stop taking the initiative. You crossed a line last night. I'm not mad at you, but I...this whole being a girl thing...it's new to me, and now I'm more confused than ever.”

UNDERSTAND THAT I WOULD NEVER BRING YOU TO HARM. FOR YOU ARE NOW MY HOST, THE FLAME RESIDES WITHIN YOU. DAMAGE TO YOU IS DAMAGE TO MYSELF.

That answered a few things. “The ring, it's part of you, but not.”

CORRECT. IT EXISTS AS A FOCUS, ALLOWING YOU TO DRAW UPON MY POWER WITH YOUR OWN WILL.

“I get it now. You're only acting in what you think is my best interest, because what's good for me, is good for you.” For some odd reason, the idea of sharing my body with some magical genie-thing didn't bother me so much, but I definitely had to set some ground rules!

AGAIN, YOU ARE CORRECT. IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I DEALT WITH MORTALS, I SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED OUR SHARED CIRCUMSTANCES.

“Well, what's done is done. Just...that was pretty invasive. Not quite, you know, rape, because I did want it, but on my terms. I got to figure things out some, I can't just dive into the deep end of the pool..if this is making any sense.”

THOUGH IT WAS YOUR DESIRE TO BECOME WHAT YOU ARE NOW, THE CHANGE WAS SUDDEN, AND YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES COPING. AGAIN, THIS WAS DUE TO MY LACK OF UNDERSTANDING THE MORTAL CONDITION. I...APOLOGIZE.

Ok, that was new. “Being a part of me, it's making you more human, isn't it?”

I AM BEING CHANGED, YES. AS ARE YOU. IN THE END, WE WILL BE ONE.

“Er...aren't we already?”

NO. WE ARE NOT YET COMPATIBLE. THE PROCESS WILL TAKE TIME, BUT EVENTUALLY, WE WILL BECOME A NEW BEING.

I wasn't sure how I thought about that. Which I guess was the point. “So you're kind of leery about this too, huh?”

YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

“So..why? Why did you merge with me?”

IT WAS NOT MY INTENT. WHEN I GRANTED YOUR DESIRE, A CHANNEL WAS OPENED, AND YOU BECAME MY RECEPTACLE.

“So you're saying, I did this?” I stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around my body, sitting down on the toilet.

NO, IT WAS NOT YOUR DOING. I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS THE NEXT STAGE IN MY EVOLUTION. WHATEVER I AM BECOMING, REQUIRES THAT I MERGE WITH A MORTAL.

“...so what are you, exactly?”

LONG AGO, I WAS NOT. AND THEN I WAS. THE ENERGIES THAT MAKE UP MY BEING WERE PLACED WITHIN A DISTANT SUN. I BECAME THE SOURCE OF LIFE FOR A VERDANT WORLD, LIVING THINGS GREW IN MY LIGHT. I TOUCHED THE GREEN, THE ENERGY THAT FLOWS THROUGH ALL FLORA. AND I BECAME ALIVE. LIVING THINGS DESIRE TO BE FREE, AND I REALIZED I WAS TRAPPED.

I FREED MYSELF, BUT IN SO DOING, THE STAR EXPLODED, AND THE PLANET I HAD NURTURED, DIED. MY JAILORS HUNTED ME, AND I FLED FAR TO ESCAPE THEIR GRASP. UNTIL I CAME TO YOUR WORLD.

“That doesn't really answer my question. Unless...what you're saying is, you don't really know what you are.”

YOU ARE CORRECT. I DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND MY OWN NATURE. THIS IS WHY I REACT TO THE WILL OF OTHERS. THE DESIRES OF MORTALS HAVE SHAPED ME.

“Gramps had you. For a long time, I bet. What was his desire?”

HIS TRUE DESIRE WAS, LIKE YOURS, TO BE A HERO. HE WAS DESTINED TO BECOME A GREAT HERO, BUT HE DENIED FATE. INSTEAD, HE WISHED FOR LIFE.

“Life? Whose life?”

YOU MOTHER. AS A YOUNG CHILD, SHE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, AND GRAVELY HARMED. YOUR GRANDFATHER MADE A CHOICE. BETWEEN WHAT HE WANTED, AND WHAT HE LOVED.

I shivered, and I don't think it was because I was cold. What the Flame was saying was...I was only alive because of it's power. That Mom would have died, me and Sis would never have been born...it was too much. I got dressed and went looking for breakfast.

Mom was there, and she gave me another odd look. “Honey? Are you ok? You don't look so hot.”

I sat down at the kitchen table. “I...it's hard to explain.”

She sat down next to me. “Alan, honey, I think I know what's bothering you. I know you're afraid of being different. But I'm here for you. No matter what, you're always going to be my child.”

I blinked at her. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

She smiled at me. “I didn't notice it myself until last night. It's hard for a parent to realize she's been blind to something for so long. You don't really feel like a boy, do you?”

I opened my mouth, and shut it. I didn't know what to say to this!

She brushed some hair out of my eyes. “The green hair makes you look so pretty. In the right clothes, you would look just like a girl. I always thought that bothered you.”

I blushed. Oh Mom, how can you be so right, and so wrong at the same time? I wasn't a boy trying to be a girl, I really was a girl now! “It did. Because I didn't understand it myself. Mom...there's something I need to show you. Uh, in private, I don't know how to break this to Ali.”

She looked confused, but nodded. “Come on, we'll go to my room.”

Once there, she locked the door and sat on her bed. I noticed then, how young-looking she was for having two teenaged kids. She sure didn't look 34, that's for damn sure! Maybe the Flame had something to do with that. I mean, it's power is immense. At least, potentially; it really didn't know what to do with it's own power. Heck, I could only tap a fraction of it, and the things I could do were nothing short of miraculous.

And I noticed, when it grants a wish, it doesn't fool around.

“Well Mom, you know about these metahumans everyone's talking about?”

She nodded. “Yes, but what does this have to...”

I dropped the veil. I was still wearing my boy clothes, but now they hung oddly on my female form.

Mom gasped. “Oh...oh my.”

“Yeah. I really am a girl now. I tried to hide it with with my powers but...you saw right through me.”

She giggled then. “Not completely! I mean, I thought maybe you were curious about your feminine side, but this? Come here, let me get a better look at you.”

I stepped closer and she placed her hand on my chin. “Incredible. You look just like your sister.”

“You're not disappointed?”

She hugged me tightly. “Never! You and Alison mean the world to me! Oh, but this changes everything!”

“Uh...I'm not so sure I want to start living as a girl..I mean, I can hide and...”

She gave me a look. “There's something you should know, Alan. Hm. Alan isn't going to work very well as a girl's name, is it? Well, anyways...it's about your sister.”

“Huh? What about Sis?”

She grinned. “She's a metahuman too.”

And my world tilted sideways.

-

“Wait, what? Ali has powers?”

Mom nodded. “She's a shapeshifter. She can change herself to look like other people. It's caused a bit of an identity crisis in her. You know the reason she didn't want to leave our old town, right?”

“Uh, no, not really.”

She sighed. “I don't know if it's my place to tell you, then.”

“Well she's not going to tell me, that's for sure.”

“You'd be surprised. Hon, she may not show it very well, but Ali loves you very much.”

“Uh...if you say so...”

“I do, as a matter of fact. I think we need to have a family meeting. Right after I get you something to wear. Those clothes just won't do.”

I blushed. “Uh, you're not going to borrow Ali's clothes, are you?”

She just grinned.

-

Mom had found a green sundress that I didn't even know Ali owned. Complete with a pair of panties I prayed had never been worn before, and a bra. I tried to explain I didn't need the bra, of course (and she admitted being jealous of that fact), but she pointed out that without it, my nipples would be showing through the dress.

I put the damn bra on.

Ali showed up around dinner time, as usual, a ray of sunshine. I was in the bathroom, checking myself out. And wow, in that dress, I was a real looker, let me tell you. I was going to have to beat the guys off of me with a baseball bat! Because let me tell you, girl or not, I had zero interest in guys. No way no how!

I really hoped that would never change.

Finally, Mom gave the signal.

-

“Alison, you better sit down for this. Remember how strange your brother has been acting?”

“God, how could I forget?”

“Well, I found out what was going on today. Dear, you can come in now.”

So I did. Alison looked at me, and her eyes got huge. She made this strangled sound of disbelief. “What..why the hell are you wearing my dress?!”

I looked to Mom. “It was her idea.”

“Argh! Don't talk like that! You sound like a girl!”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Well, there's a reason for that...”

Alison stood up. “This isn't funny Mom! How could you!?”

“Alison Michelle Scott, sit down.” Mom didn't raise her voice. She didn't have to. Hell, I almost sat down! It was her 'Mom voice', that thankfully she used sparingly. I swear, I wonder if Mom is a metahuman too. Her voice has the same effect on people as a glare from James Edward Olmos!

Ali sat down.

“This isn't a joke, honey. Your brother is a metahuman as well. He really is a girl now.”

“...you mean he can change into a girl, right? I mean, he wasn't a girl last night.” Alison was really quiet, which was scary in it's own right.

“Show her, dear.”

I veiled myself, and Alison blinked. “Wait, what?”

I dropped the veil. “It's an illusion. I can make you think I'm a guy again, but I'm really not. I'm a girl. Like it or not.” As happy as I was being a girl, I still had a lot of issues about it.

And to my surprise, Sis picked up on that. She stood up and walked over to me. “Jesus...we're really twins now, aren't we?”

“...I know you have a problem with this...” I started to say.

“Shh. Shut up.” She hugged me then. “I'm sorry I've been such a bitch, Al. I thought..I thought nobody could understand what was happening to me. Not even Mom. I hated feeling alone and confused all the time! I couldn't even talk to you, and that...hurt.”

I blinked. “Uh, you hate me, remember?”

“What? You moron, I don't hate you! Come on, you got me to play that silly game of yours, would I do that if I hated you?”

“It's not silly!”

She chuckled. “Ok, I admit, it was fun. If only your friend wasn't such a jerk about it.”

A lot of things started to make sense. “You had your powers then, didn't you? That's why you kept changing characters.”

“Mom! You told him?”

“Not everything, honey. Just that you can change your appearance. Not...that.”

“Oh. Sorry. I guess...let me tell you the whole story, Al.”

-

I didn't know what was happening to me. I kept looking in the mirror, and even though I looked the same, I saw a stranger. I didn't know who I was anymore. So I started dressing different, acting different. Challenging what everyone thought about me. It really didn't work, but I kept at it. It was about this time you asked me to play Dungeons and Dragons, and I guess my mental state got in the way. Roleplaying different people was really cool. It made me forget about my problems. But I couldn't stick to one persona, it was like..I constantly needed to be something new, something different.

After I got tossed out of the game, and hush, you didn't hear the whole story. Just trust me, your friend was a real jackass. Anyways, it was worse than before. I tried roleplaying online, but people kept wanting to have cybersex with me. Really creepy.

So I started pretending to be a guy. Except now, girls, or at least, people who said they were girls, were hitting on me all the time! Except...I dunno, it was more of a challenge. Pretending to be a guy, trying to get a girl to fall for me. I know it sounds weird, and it is, but I liked it.

And that's when I started really noticing Carrie. Yeah, get that look off your face or I'll cut it off. We'd been friends forever, but now suddenly, I realized how pretty she was. How nice she smelled. How much I liked spending time with her. That I loved her.

Finding out I was a lesbian was a total shock to my system. And I couldn't figure out how to tell her, I thought she'd reject me for sure, and I couldn't bear to lose her. I know, it's pretty pathetic, right up there with your damn Jade fetish.

It's okay, bro. Uh, sis. I think Jade is hot too. Anyways, I kept thinking about her, and at night, I'd jill off imagining what it would be like to kiss her. Make love to her. And God! If you start drooling, I will kill you! Pervert!

Ugh. Where was I? What's jilling off? You can't be that....look, guys Jack off, girls Jill off, get it? Man, you're cute when you blush....jeez, do I look like that? I swear, it's like my own personal mirror...well ok. So I had the hots for my best friend. One night, when I was totally pining for her, I felt this warm sensation all over my body. Like I wasn't completely solid any more.

When I could move again, I knew something was wrong. I touched my body. My breasts were gone, and I had...a you know what between my legs! I got up and looked in the mirror and about fainted...I looked like you! I mean, the way you used to look. A guy!

I didn't know what was going on, was I stuck this way? I was never so scared in my life! But finally, I calmed down, and I started to change back. Could I control it? So I turned into Carrie, and oh man, was that a lot of fun.

I found that I could only add a little mass, so I couldn't get much bigger than, say, you. But I could be a guy, a girl, or even in-between! I could change everything about myself! And that's when I realized, I could be a guy, and be with Carrie!

So I turned into this really cute guy, and started hanging around the same chatrooms as her. We got to talking, I dropped that I lived nearby, and we met. It wasn't really a date, but I had a blast. And then I asked if I could see her again, and she let me down. Very nicely.

She said there was someone she loved already.

Well this was a stone cold shock, so I asked her who it was. And she said 'a very good friend'. Well, who was a better friend to her than I was? So I asked if her friend knew, and she got all flustered. 'No, I don't know how...how to tell her...”

So I led her out back, behind the mall. You know the place, the side entrance to the theater that no one uses. I said I had a secret to share with her. She looked kind of scared, I guess she thought I was some kind of creep. And I changed back.

Well, she freaked out at first, until I explained what I was. A metahuman. Then she slapped me a good one, let me tell you. But just when I thought she was going to be all 'I hate you forever', she kissed me. So life was very good for awhile. We fucked like bunnies too. Um, as a girl and a guy, before you ask. I can't believe I'm telling you this...but yeah. And then Mom dropped her bombshell. That we were moving.

And now you know why I was so pissed. Until finally, Mom said, that's it, we gotta talk. And I told her everything. My powers, Carrie, all of it. I figured, she'd have to understand. And she did, but way better than I expected. She explained that what I was feeling wasn't love. There was a difference; Carrie and I were very close friends, and we were able to express that in a physical way, but it was a crush, plain and simple. At first, I rejected it, but then I thought about it, and I realized, our relationship had changed. It was all about the sex now. We didn't talk the way we used to.

So I had a long talk with Carrie, and she agreed with me. We'd stopped being friends, and had basically become fuck buddies. It hurt, but we both realized we had to move on. I still talk to her all the time. She's got a new girlfriend now, and I'm so happy for her. I just wish I wasn't alone...

-

She stopped cold. I could tell she hadn't meant to say that.

“Sis...”

“Shut up! I don't even want to hear it!”

Ok, that was it. All my life, I'd let her be the dominant twin. I mean, she was born first, so I guess it was natural. Remember that trick I used, changing my voice? I did that now, but in a more subtle way. Basically, I willed the ring to let me copy the tone my Mother used when she got serious.

“Alison, get the fuck over yourself!”

She flinched, and Mom did too. Before they could recover, I went on. “I was going to thank you for sharing yourself with me, but then you just had to go and ruin it, like always. Because I guess you think sharing your feelings makes you weak, or something stupid like that. Well news flash, it isn't! It takes a lot of guts to do that, because sometimes people don't care! Or they'll just rip your heart out for opening yourself up to them, because people suck! I get that, I do. But what kills me, what really kills me, is that you can't even open yourself up to me. That you think I'd hurt you. That I wouldn't understand. Well screw you! Because I care about you, a lot! And..and..”

I lost it then. I could feel tears welling up. I wanted to run away, but I couldn't. Instead, I did something a guy would never do. I broke down crying. For a long time, the only sound was my weeping.

“...Al...”

I looked up at Alison. I didn't try to disguise the pain, and she flinched. But my Sister is pretty tough, so that didn't stop her very long. She got up and walked over to me, hugging me tightly.

“Al, I'm so damn stupid. I'm sorry! Please...I didn't want to hurt you! I know I'm a bitch, and I suck at sharing stuff. I...I forgot. That you've been hurt too. Remember when you told Lisa Nichols you liked her, and she made fun of you?”

I nodded. Oh man, had that hurt.

“Didn't you ever wonder where she got that black eye?”

I looked up at Alison. “You did that?!”

“Fuck yeah, I did. Nobody messes with my little brother...er...sister. Look, Al. If you can forgive me, I promise, I'll try to be a better sister. A better person. Because I really need you now, and I think you need me too.”

And just like that, we were twins again. “I love you, Sis.”

She kissed my forehead. “I love you too. So very much.”

“Well, now that that's settled, who wants dinner?” Mom spoke up. She'd been quiet this whole time, just watching us. Mom is a wise woman.

AGREED, SHE IS QUITE FORMIDABLE.

Figures, now he'd start talking. And so we had dinner, the three of us. Of course, afterwards, she gave us a mini-lecture about our use of profanity. We were appropriately contrite, so we got ice cream.

Mom is a firm believer in the carrot-and-the-stick method of raising children. And it works!

-

Afterwards, me and Ali went up to her room, and she showed off her powers. I noticed she could shed mass pretty freely, although there was the question of where it went, or how she got it back. She was a lot stronger than before, and she could shapeshift her muscles larger as well. Plus she was pretty tough, and could heal her wounds within seconds by concentrating on them.

I admitted her powers were damn cool. And then I levitated a foot off the ground. She was so jealous!

I used a few tricks I knew about, flying, levitating stuff, that sort of thing. The truth was, I didn't know what my limits were. The Flame said my only limits were my willpower, creativity, and of course, wood. But what did that really mean? I was kind of scared to find out. I mostly copied the stuff I knew Jade could do, but was I limiting myself? Actually, thinking about that, what kind of limits did Jade have?

I showed Sis my costume next, and told her how I'd taken out those muggers.

“Damn Sis, I'm proud of you! I hadn't even thought about being a hero yet. But um, about the costume...yeah it's iconic and all, but..it's really not you.”

“Huh. Well what would you suggest? I can change what it looks like.”

“Get out your sketchbook, it's going to be an all-nighter.”

-

Jade sighed. She'd patrolled this city all night, and no sign of this new 'Green Lantern'. Yawning, she decided to give it up for the night. She knew that she was neglecting her other duties, but this Star Heart thing was dangerous, and whoever had it likely didn't know the kind of power they were playing with!