I sat on the edge of the bed, the room bathed in a flickering, neon-blue glow as the Reach energy bled out of the ring and into the air.
"Ring," I whispered. "Sync with the Mountain's guest Wi-Fi. Scrape every public database, news archive, and scientific journal from the last decade. I need a full layout of this world's history, power players, and 'incidents.' Filter for anything involving the Reach, Kroloteans, or LexCorp."
"Syncing," the AI responded. A progress bar of light projected onto the wall, moving at a speed that would melt a standard router. "Estimated time to comprehensive local data-index: 14 minutes."
I leaned back, closing my eyes. My Sharingan was still spinning, the afterimage of the Reach crate's internal circuitry burned into my retinas. The Ring was siphoning the technical data it had scanned from that crate, cross-referencing it with the data it was currently pulling from the web.
"Data acquisition 40% complete," the AI noted. "Historical records indicate the Green Lantern Corps maintains a strict 'one-per-sector' policy. Current Sector 2814 Lanterns: Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner. Your presence is an anomaly. Recommendation: Maintain low profile to avoid Oan orbital scans."
"I'm already on the League's radar," I thought. "A low profile is a ship that's already sailed. We need to focus on utility."
The door to my room chimed. I didn't kill the light immediately—I let it fade naturally, like a dying lamp.
"Enter," I said.
It was Robin. He wasn't in uniform this time, just a red hoodie and sunglasses to hide his eyes, but he still moved with that annoying, calculated grace. He didn't look at me; he looked at the ring.
"Batman knows you're not supposed to be a Green Lantern. And you're definitely not supposed to have that Power Ring, Vex," he said, skipping the small talk. "He's just trying to figure out if you stole it, found it, or if some Guardian in space finally lost their mind. The signatures we picked up at the warehouse? They don't match standard Willpower frequencies. They're... different."
"It's a different model," I lied easily. "And yeah, the power source I found in Santa Prisca was 'dirty.' I had to dump the excess before I fried a circuit. Your boss should be happy I didn't let the Reach tech stay active."
Robin walked over to my desk, leaning against it. "He's not happy or unhappy. He's curious. And when he's curious, he looks closer. If you want to stay here, you need to be more than a 'guest' who sneaks around. You need to show us we can trust you and that you can control that ring of yours."
"I'm working on it," I said, my eyes flashing red for a split second. "But control takes power, and this ring doesn't come with a wall plug. I need a way to charge it that doesn't involve me gripping a live wire."
Robin smirked. "There's a reason we're here, Vex. We have resources. But trust? That's earned. Don't go siphoning the Mountain's core again. I saw the spike on the sparring mat."
He turned and headed for the door. "Dinner's in ten. M'gann made something that isn't burnt. You should come out. Being the 'mysterious loner' only works if people aren't already suspicious of you."
The door hissed shut.
"Data-index complete," the AI announced. "I have mapped the current geopolitical landscape and identified 42 potential high-energy locations for secondary power replenishment. I have also decoded 12% of the Reach's organic programming from the warehouse scan. Would you like to view the results?"
"Later," I said, standing up. My stomach growled. "Right now, I need to go play nice with the clone and the Martian."
I adjusted my hoodie, making sure the ring was visible but dimmed. I had the data. I had the power. Now, I just needed to act like I belonged.