Every once in a while, this little legion team pops back into my head because I like background characters too much
I call them Legion Rebels because that’s what they are(?): defectors of the legion (or drop-outs, kicked-outs, war criminals, or not actually heroes at all).
It starts with a green lantern named Jordana Gardner. All the lantern corps have been dismantled and banned from earth for years after being declared a universal enemy. No one knows where they are or what happened to them, they’re just missing and presumed gone forever. But this is information Jordana doesn’t know. She’s from another galaxy, she barely even knows what earth is when she finds herself mysteriously called there by her ring one day, and as soon as she enters the atmosphere, the legion subdues and takes her in for questioning. It’s not an easy battle though, it’s quite the scene, and anyone near legion headquarters had heard or saw it firsthand.
The interrogation goes on for days and there’s lots of rumors in the hallways about the lanterns attacking earth again. This is despite what Jordana keeps telling them: that she came alone and doesn’t know the first thing about any of the corps. After a week of questioning, Jenni Ognats feels sympathy for their prisoner and decides to stay and see if she can get Jordana to talk to her one-on-one. She understands what it’s like to be a prisoner and is silently starting to believe Jordana is just as innocent as she keeps insisting.
Meanwhile, a few floors away, Jacques Foccart and Lyle Norg are in a lab having an attempt at a secret meeting. Lyle is trying to strengthen his powers and the only one he trusts to tell is Jacques. They disagree on the matter though; Jacques doesn’t think Lyle should be testing on himself and that he’s fine the way he is. Lyle replies that Jacques doesn’t understand because he has no powers of his own. It hurts, but he’s right; Jacques isn’t a superhero and never wanted to be, he’s just an engineering student. Lyle apologizes for hurting his feelings and shows Jacques the serum he intends to inject himself with, trying to make it sound less dangerous than it actually is. They don’t get much further into their conversation before the room starts to shake—alarms blare—and the two boys run out as the walls start crumbling around them.
Just outside the headquarters, Glorith and Brek Bannin are outside licking their wounds after being rejected from legion tryouts. They were both deemed too unstable and to come back a year later after more personal training. The legion will take in people with potential, but they require their members to have a strong sense of control over their abilities before they do, which Glorith and Brek do not. Glorith’s powers are often controlled with her heart instead of her head, and Brek is still learning to adjust with his new prosthetic arm.
Glorith admits she is scared to go back to Zerox and tell her mentor, the White Witch, that she was rejected. The White Witch had sent her to earth to learn to be a hero and Glorith isn’t sure if she’ll have a place back home anymore after failing her first and only mission. Brek feels similarly, the legion was meant to be his chance to get away from his family and all the trauma back on his home planet. Back on Tharr, Brek isn’t anything special, but on earth, he thinks he can be someone.
The two aren’t alone for long because Ral Benem, Brek’s only friend on earth, is quick to join them after hearing the news. Unlike them, Ral made it past the first step of legion admission and is meant to start off-world training in just a few short days.
Before Ral is able to break the news, the earth shakes as an unidentifiable source fires targeted blasts from above, aimed more at the building than all of the superpowered people outside of it.
Back inside, many heroes are rushing to get out and join the (what they can only assume to be) battle. Jenni is left making a tough decision: leave Jordana behind in the basement or let her out. She chooses the latter, but secretly keeps the green lantern ring stored away in her belt.
The two girls leave, but before escaping the building, they run into Jacques and Lyle, who they quickly adopt into their group. They’re moving slowly though because Lyle keeps saying he needs to go back to gather some of his top-secret work. It’s when they’re passing the private apartments that Lyle finally makes the decision to abandon them, ushering them all into the stairwell before shutting the door behind them and locking it. Jacques watches through a small, frosted window as Lyle runs to their shared apartment, disappearing as Jordana tugs his hand to go up the stairs.
Back outside, Ral decides to get Brek and Glorith out of the battle zone since they are not legion members. Knowing they won’t leave willingly, he lies, saying he spotted a figure going around the building and that they needed to follow it.
Ral, Glorith, and Brek are running when they’re interrupted by a door opening up from the ground and Jenni, Jordana, and Jacques come climbing out. They all try to ask each other what’s happening, but no one has answers, and during the qualm, they fail to notice the official legion members drawing in behind them.
Imra Ardeen, better known as Saturn Girl, is the first to speak up. She believes Jordana still has her power ring and is using it to make Jenni help her escape. Jenni—terrified—does not confirm nor deny the accusation.
Imra also states the attack is likely the green lantern corps and tells Jordana to call it off or they’ll kill her. Frustrated, Jordana tries to explain again that she isn’t part of any army and doesn’t know of any more lanterns, as she’d already been doing for days already.
Fortunately, Glorith is a powerful psychic and instantly knows Jordana is innocent and, in a panic, creates a forcefield around them, but not before Jenni can use her superspeed to run over to Imra’s side.
Glorith tells the small group Jordana has nothing to do with the attack, but doesn’t know how to convince the legion of it.
Brek says they won’t listen to reason and proceeds to layer Glorith’s forcefield with a layer of thick ice. The legion had told him and Glorith they weren’t ready to be heroes, but Brek—now having someone to help—thinks differently. He looks at Ral expectantly, asking if he could convince the legion since he’s a future member himself.
Ral doesn’t think he can and based on the legion’s aggressive response, he’s not sure he even wants to try. Maybe it’s because things have been quiet for a few years, but the legion has always been seen as a calm and steady organization, not imposing in the way they are now.
Suddenly, the time for talking is over as the first wave of attack hits their shield and threatens to fall apart over them.
Despite only knowing Brek for a week, Ral chooses to side with him and also adds to the shield by coating the underside with vine and sturdy weeds, which block out most of the sunlight.
Jordana says they are insane and to just give up before they get killed, but no one seems to listen, not even Jacques who is pressed up against the wall behind them, shivering on the floor with his head between his hands.
The attack on their fortress is still going strong and they all know it won’t be long before the legion breaks through their defenses. By some miracle, it seems Jenni left something behind when she left. Jordana’s power ring is on the ground, resting where the speedster had previously been standing. Jordana can’t tell if it was purposefully left or not, but she doubts it matters, and picks it up and quickly adds another layer of reinforcement to the barrier keeping them safe.
The next crash is loud and strong enough to bring Jacques back to the present and he is finally is able to look up at the scene ahead of him. Glorith, Brek, Ral, and Jordana are all visibly struggling to hold up their shields as thunderous booms roar just beyond the barrier. It’s dark, but through the thin beams of sunlight, he can see the pebbles in the soil stirring up dust with every hit.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Lyle had given Jacques the serum for safekeeping before he ran back to their apartment. He told Jacques the only way to keep it safe was to inject it in himself so no one could harvest it, but to only do so if there was no other choice.
Just as they got outside and ran into the other group, Jacques did what he was told and jabbed the vial into his thigh. He was shaking for minutes before he was able to stand again, pain still racing through his body, but he senses something about him is different now. And though he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he knows something needs to be done. Trusting his gut, he tells everyone to hold onto him and not having any better ideas, everyone does.
Jacques flinches just as the legion breaks through their defensive walls and suddenly they’re all in a vacant desert lot. Somehow, he was able to teleport them all in one piece away from the fight. Knowing they are safe, Jacques passes out.
Back at the battlefield, the legion unleashes their final and most lethal attack as the shields fall, only to reveal an empty spot where the rebel group once stood.
Jenni is relieved to see they got away. She’s never seen the legion so ruthless before and is scared to again. Jenni then asks to go home to make sure her parents are alright and knowing Jenni is young, they let her so she doesn’t have to see all the damage and injured.
Jenni goes home, hugs her parents, reassuring them she is fine. They spend the night as a family, but Jenni can’t stop thinking about the attack. She doesn’t like what she witnessed today, she’s confused about the entire week and worried about the way the legion handled it. She thinks that, internally, there is something wrong with the legion and if she wants to find out what, she needs to do it without the aid of her usual team.
After her parents are asleep, Jenni places her legion belt on her bed, packs a bag, and leaves the house to go find the rebel group.
