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Norrin Radd, in his traditional Green Lantern uniform, knocked on the apartment's door. He figured a less spectacular approach would be better than falling in through a skylight.
The door opened a few inches.
“Who is it?” The female resident asked through the crack.
“Hello, Alicia. It is I-”
“Norrin!” She yelled excitedly and she slammed the door shut and began undoing the chain.
The door opened and she practically leapt out and into him, throwing both arms around him. “I missed you so much!”
“I missed you, too. But I am not as I was.”
“I can tell. You're wearing some kind of clothing.” The blind woman had one hand on his chest, the other on his cheek. “And your face is warm, soft.”
“Soft? Yes, I suppose that it is now that it is flesh and not galactic glaze.”
“What happened? Have you lost your Power Cosmic? How?”
“Perhaps we should step inside?” He suggested.
“Oh of course!” She held his hand and dragged him in. He closed the door with his free hand.
“I do not know fully what has occurred, Alicia. I am mortal once more; the Silver Surfer is no more.”
“You don't sound so sad.”
“I was.” He admitted to her and hadn't to anyone else. “Being the Silver Surfer, seeing the stars was… wonderful. When I found myself on Earth and no longer gifted, I grieved. For what can compare to what I had lost?”
“What is it, Norrin? What has happened?” She could tell there as more to the story.
“Uatu the Watcher has formed an alliance with four of his brethren and with Ganthet, the last Guardian. They are now the Guardians of the Universe and have begun to reform the Green Lantern Corps.”
“That’s wonderful! The universe needs them!” She exclaimed.
“Yes. And I am now a Green Lantern.”
“Is that what you're wearing? A Green Lantern uniform?” She felt his chest again. “It feels real good on you. Give me your hand; I want to feel your ring!”
“There is more.” He began. “When you wore the armor from Cyphyrr, while we were in the macroverse * , and came to the defense of Earth, and the Shi'Ar homeworld **, you were watched.”
*: Silver Surfer
Volume 2. 146... Kenny
**: Galactus: The
Hunger 1-6... Mike
“Well, every Shi'Ar was watching us fight Galactus. You, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers were- Oh. You mean the Watchers.”
“Yes. The Watchers. And now the new Guardians have an offer for you, one that you may refuse if you wish.”
“You mean… I could be a Green Lantern?”
“Yes. That is the offer. I have a ring for you if you choose. But again, there is no obligation.”
“No obligation? Norrin, if they think I have the right stuff, well, gee… that is so sweet of them!”
“It is dangerous, Alicia, it isn't ‘sweet’.”
“You want me to say no, don't you? You want to keep me safe from harm, right?”
“Is that wrong of me?”
“No, it's not.” She hugged him and kissed him. “It's what I would want if I were the Green Lantern offering you membership.”
“If that were so, I would be unable to refuse. Though I am no longer the Silver Surfer, still I am a citizen of the cosmos. If the Guardians consider me worthy-” He saw the smile on her face.
“Good. You know how I feel, then. Where's my ring?”
“Very well. It is here. When you put it on, think of your former armor, how it enabled you to see. Will the ring to create armor for you.”
She held the ring and slipped it on. “For the good of the universe.” She was in emerald armor, which resembled her old suit. “Okay, feels a little different, but not bad.”
“And you will need this too.” He held up the Power Battery, which had been floating just behind him since he had first entered the building from the street. “You must recharge every 24 hours.”
“What do you want to do first, partner?” She asked him.
“I wasn't given any further instructions but to visit you and present you with the offer.”
“Well, then, let's eat. I was cooking my dinner. It can make it a meal for two. You DO need to eat now.”
“True. And I am hungry.”
“Let's slip into something more comfortable then.” Her armor vanished at will. “You can go wear my bathrobe, while I continue in the kitchen.”
He watched her turn for the other room, and put her Battery on a table.
Meanwhile...
An empty alleyway in the city known as Los Angeles.
A dimensional vortex suddenly appears, creating an updraft that makes every piece of garbage and every particle of dust fly all over the place.
A tall, muscular green figure comes flying out of the vortex and crashes with a nearby wall and seconds later the vortex closes.
"Where...?" the green alien said before completely loosing consciousness. Thankfully, years before, using his vast mental powers he had programmed his brain to automatically alter his body composition and revert to a standard human form. This is done through the use of this particular alien races shape shifting power.
He wouldn't be found till the next morning by a couple of bums looking for a place to stay...
