"Put the gun down, Slade!"
Mera hurried forward and stepped in front of Deathstroke. When she saw the emblem on the alien's uniform, shock flashed in her eyes.
"That's the Green Lantern emblem... Are you with the Green Lantern Corps?"
She recognized the emblem from ancient Atlantean texts.
"The Green Lantern Corps?" Deathstroke frowned, but he kept his gun raised.
"That's right, the Green Lantern Corps." Phillips, the Amazon general, sheathed her sword and explained gravely, "They call themselves the guardians of the universe. They use willpower to wield their rings in battle. In ancient times, they fought beside us against Darkseid's invasion. We can trust them."
"Guardians of the universe?" Deathstroke asked coldly. "Then where were you guardians when Darkseid was slaughtering our planet?"
At those words, a look of anguish and fury crossed the fierce alien's face.
"My name is Kilowog. I'm an instructor with the Green Lantern Corps."
He sank heavily to the ground, as though he barely had the strength left to stand.
"You think we abandoned Earth? No..."
Kilowog clenched his fist. Green light struggled between his fingers.
"We couldn't even look after ourselves. Oa... our corps' headquarters, the heart of the light..."
"...has fallen."
Kilowog's words made everyone's heart sink.
"What do you mean?" Phillips asked uneasily.
Kilowog lowered his head, as if reliving a terrible nightmare.
"Darkseid... He personally led the Dark Elite in a surprise attack on Oa."
"We fought with everything we had. Thousands of Green Lanterns formed a defensive line in space. But it was no use... He was too powerful. His Omega Beams tore through our formation, and an endless army of Parademons swallowed our comrades."
Kilowog slammed his enormous fist into the ground.
"But I didn't fight my way here to complain. I came to warn you!"
"He