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Hal and John take a road trip to Wisconsin. Sheriff Kerrie cannot accompany them, as the region is outside of her jurisdiction – but not outside of a Green Lantern’s.
John wishes to use the ring to fly them there quickly, but Hal insists that they take his truck. In his experience, having the godlike powers of Green Lantern leads to a sense of detachment from the people you protect. He counsels John to remain grounded, alluding to “an old friend” that taught him
something very similar back in Hal’s heyday. This is a minor allusion to Hal’s comic book friendship with Green Arrow.
During the trip, John pokes and prods at Hal, wrestling more information out of him regarding the older man’s history. Hal resists opening up at first before sharing his sobering reality: he retired as Green Lantern out of a desire for a “normal” life with his old flame, Carol Ferris. Unfortunately, despite Hal’s best efforts, his relationship with Carol fell apart nonetheless, leaving him with no ring, no love, and no direction in life. John is moved by Hal’s honesty.
They arrive in a small town called Cedar Hollow, at the adopted home of Jennie-Lynn Hayden. The girl’s adoptive mother is reluctant to allow the two men to talk to the girl, and upon meeting her, they see why – she is a metahuman disfigured from her father’s long-term contact with the Starheart. The girl hates her heritage and wants a normal life, and a brief conversation quickly reveals she had nothing to do with her estranged father’s death. However, it does point Hal and John towards another lead – Jennie’s equally-estranged twin brother, Todd Rice, who lives not far from Hope Springs back in Iowa. The tense interrogation reveals the troubling reality that superheroism in this world leaves many scarred and damaged.
On the trip across the state border to find Jennie’s brother Todd, John opens up about himself to Hal. He was once a marine who served in Iraq, and in order to protect his platoon, John was forced to shoot and kill an enemy combatant who was only a child. The incident has haunted him ever since, and was why he hesitated to act during the riot caused by the Horminth – the line between innocence and guilt was once again blurred.
Hal is surprised to learn of John’s military service, finding it a point of familiarity as Hal was in the Air Force. Though the two men share scars and regrets, if there is one thing both can agree on, it’s that being Green Lantern is one of the few choices in life they have no regrets over.
Back in Iowa, they attempt to find Todd Rice at his residence in the Grasping Flats, a creepy halfway house for troubled youths. A search uncovers something startling – the Starheart is there amongst Rice’s belongings. Before they can contact Sheriff Kerrie, however, a sinister shadow creature emerges to dispatch Hal and flee the scene. John gives chase, and after an airborne pursuit across the countryside, he subdues the assailant. It turns out to be none but Todd Rice himself.
