- Hawkgirl: [waiting for John outside his "training" room] She's got a bit of an edge to her.
- Green Lantern: You're kidding, right?
- Hawkgirl: [pushes off the wall] Just an observation.
- Green Lantern: It's like she thinks I'm still a raw recruit.
- Hawkgirl: [starts to walk away] We tend to cling to images of people from when we knew them best,
- [looks over her shoulder at him]
- Hawkgirl: forgetting that they do change.
- Green Lantern: [follows her] OK. So, as someone who knows John Stewart in the here and now, how would you handle me?
- Hawkgirl: [stands in front of him] As a friend and equal, I'd say get in there and try again.
- [waves her fist under his nose]
- Hawkgirl: Or I'll knock you into next Tuesday.
- Green Lantern: Somehow I fail to see the difference in your approach.
- Hawkgirl: Oh there's a difference.
- [puts her hands on his shoulders and leans against his chest]
- Hawkgirl: You just haven't figured it out yet.
- [puts her face right in front of his]
- Hawkgirl: Now get back in there.
- [she turns him around, then slaps his butt]
- Shifflet: But I must admit, it does look hopeless.
- J'onn J'onzz: Only if you believe it to be, is it so.
- Green Lantern: There's more to me than just a fancy ring.
- Hawkgirl: I've always known that about you, John.
- Hawkgirl: That Katma's quite a woman.
- Green Lantern: Yeah. A good teacher, too. But some things can't be taught. Some things you only get through experience.
- Hawkgirl: Like?
- Green Lantern: Clarity.
- J'onn J'onzz: There seems to be a recurring theme here.
- Shifflet: You can read these?
- J'onn J'onzz: You mean you can't?
- Shifflet: These chambers are ancient. No one knows who built them.
- J'onn J'onzz: These icons suggest that your world may have had a flourishing ecosystem at one time, much different from the barren desert conditions of today.
- Shifflet: Legend does say that Kalanor was once a paradise.
- J'onn J'onzz: This same tree seems to repeat throughout. Apparently, it holds some significance.
- Shifflet: The only image I recognize is the Flame of Py'tar. That tells me that this evil has been on Kalanor for centuries.
- Radocko: Ancient drawings by cavemen, that's all they are. Are we just going to sit here and talk or do something?
- Shifflet: It's a miracle.
- J'onn J'onzz: It's just the normal life force of your planet reasserting itself after centuries of entrapment.
- Hawkgirl: And you won't have to worry about Despero anymore.
- The Flash: Where is old Three Eyes?
- Green Lantern: He finally saw the light.
- The Flash: Well, okay, then. We've saved the day. Can we go home now?
- Katma Tui: There's still a lot that needs to be done to rebuild Kalanor. We could use your help.
- Green Lantern: [kissing her cheek] Sorry, Kat. Duty calls.
- The Flash: [seeing J'onn possessed by the Py'tar] Okay. We are officially spooked here.
- Py'tar: Hear me, o children of Kalanor. Behold, I am the Py'tar, the living soul of this planet. Despero is a great deceiver. He has misused my power for his own petty ends. I say unto thee the Py'tar is not a source of hatred, but a beacon of hope. In times gone by, Kalanor was a paradise. It can be again. But thou must reject the dark ways of Despero and step into the light. The choice is thine.
- Green Lantern: I don't get it. Is the ring... broken?
- Katma Tui: Power rings don't break. But something else did.
- Green Lantern: You mean me? That's nuts.
- Katma Tui: The broken wills of over a million Kalanorn speaks to the contrary.
- Green Lantern: So Despero somehow got to me. He did something inside my head. That would explain this feeling, like a piece of me is missing. An important piece. But if that's gone...
- Katma Tui: Then we start over. I trained you once, I can do it again.
- Green Lantern: Back to basics? I don't think so.
- Katma Tui: The problem with half the Corps, you included, is that once you learn to use your rings like jackhammers, you forget the subtleties of manipulation and control.
- Green Lantern: I know, I know. The mind is the weapon, not the metal.
- Katma Tui: At least you remember that much.
- Green Lantern: Keep away from her!
- Despero: [admiring Hawkgirl] The wings give her an exotic quality, wouldn't you agree? I don't think I'll put her in the army. I have just the place for her as one of my personal attendants.
- Green Lantern: Don't even think about it.
- [as Despero uses his powers on her, John manages to summon his power ring]
- Green Lantern: Yeah!
- [blasting Despero and freeing Hawkgirl]
- Green Lantern: Round two, freak.
- J'onn J'onzz: Despero must have a weakness. We need to discover what it is and exploit it.
- The Flash: [Kilowog enters eating what looks like a piece of fruit] Got any more of that?
- Kilowog: [he offers one; taking a bite, Flash spits it out] It's not exactly Bob and Terry's.
- The Flash: No kidding. But with a hypercharged metabolism, I can't always be choosy.
- The Flash: Hey, what's Katma doing?
- J'onn J'onzz: Buying us time. We must go.
- The Flash: Say what?
- J'onn J'onzz: We have the carbon bomb. If we are captured, all hope is lost.
- Kilowog: J'onn's right, little poozer. We got a job to do.
- Katma Tui: Despero's created one of the most formidable forces I've ever seen. He's out to control the galaxy, and I think he can do it.
- Green Lantern: The galaxy is a big place, Kat. Despero doesn't have the manpower. He'd spread his forces way too thin.
- Katma Tui: Not if he pulls in new recruits from each world he conquers.
- Shifflet: Katma's right. Despero can subjugate a people using only his mind. His army will grow with each world he conquers.
- Green Lantern: All right, then. Enough talk. Let's mobilize the Corps. I doubt these amateurs can hold their own against a few thousand Green Lanterns.
- Katma Tui: Despero's got some kind of dampening field around this planet. Communications with Oa are impossible.
- Green Lantern: Then sit tight. I'll be back with the cavalry.
- Radocko: [an explosion is heard, and Despero's soldiers enter] We are betrayed! And you led them here!
- Katma Tui: Sorry, honey. I'm too good for that.
- Green Lantern: [trying to use his ring] What the...?
- Katma Tui: [conjuring a protective shield around him] Stewart, what are you doing?
- Green Lantern: My ring. I can't get it to work.
- Franzee: Our forces stormed the enemy headquarters. Unfortunately, the non-believers escaped. I failed you.
- Despero: I see. And, naturally, you've come to beg for forgiveness.
- Franzee: I know I'm unworthy.
- Despero: This is true.
- Franzee: What must I do atone?
- Despero: March into the desert dressed in simple robes and without provisions. Stay there and await a vision from me. Only then will you be cleansed and ready to re-enter my kingdom.
- Franzee: Thank you, Lord Despero. I praise your name. Thank you! Despero is the beginning. Despero is the end. Despero is all.
- Despero: [to one of his guards] Tell Lieutenant Franzee's forces that he won't be back. Then send them out again. These non-believers must be brought around to my truth.
- J'onn J'onzz: Kilowog, your rings and lantern batteries are all fed from a much larger power source, correct?
- Kilowog: That's right. The central power battery on Oa. Its energy is almost infinite.
- J'onn J'onzz: Despero is channeling a great of power himself. It stands to reason that he may have a similar energy supply and distribution system.
- Green Lantern: How about that flame of his?
- J'onn J'onzz: My thoughts exactly. Somehow, Despero draws power from it, then he channels it through his third eye.
- Hawkgirl: So if we take out the flame...
- Katma Tui: The Py'tar's comprised of pure nuclear plasma. You can't just blow it out like a candle.
- Kilowog: You can with a carbon bomb.
- The Flash: A what?
- J'onn J'onzz: Of course. Carbon can be used to arrest nuclear activity.
- Kilowog: And I can build one in a few hours.
- The Flash: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kilowog, the man of a thousand talents.
- The Flash: What are we waiting for?
- J'onn J'onzz: The Py'tar. It's a sentient being.
- The Flash: A what?
- J'onn J'onzz: It's alive. In pain. It wants to make contact.
- Hawkgirl: John, are you okay?
- Green Lantern: I'll let you know when my head stops throbbing. Katma?
- Hawkgirl: She's still out cold.
- Despero: I'll admit I'm puzzled as to how you survived the Py'tar, but it's just as well. Killing you is a waste when I can make better use of your talents in my army.
- Green Lantern: We're not interested.
- Despero: It's not like you have a choice. I've just launched a second invasion wave. Soon, I will launch another. You three will be part of it.
- [his third eye activates, and he uses its power on Katma]
- Despero: Prepare to embrace the power of the Py'tar.
- Radocko: Lord Despero, the un-believers and off-worlders have regrouped in the city's ancient catacombs. I can show you where to find them.
- Despero: And why should I take your word? What do you gain from this betrayal?
- Radocko: I only wish to be part of the winning side.
- Despero: [laughing triumphantly] Well, young one, you've assured yourself a position there indeed.
- [to one of his soldiers]
- Despero: Prepare your forces. I'll show this resistance the error of their ways. They will accept the light of Py'tar or they will die.