Gaurd! Parrry! Repoiste!

The two combatants went back and forth along the straight mat, each seeking and opening in the other's defense. A petite girl and slender but tall young man. The number of spectators increased in proportion to the intensity of the contest.

Heather was not even sure if this was "competative fencing" anymore. The rules of "right of way" and all the other nuances had long since been abandoned. Now they were just fighting. Each one trying to stick the other and prevent the other from doing the same.

This was not a sign of lack of skill. In fact, it raised the bar in that area. Anyone can take up a sport, and with practice become skilled... given that their body is up to the task. But to engage in raw combat without rules was the penultimate test of their skills. The only greater test would be to do away with their protective equipment and use sharpened weapons.

They nodded to each other, acknowledging that their battle had gone beyong the level of foils. If they continued with foils, one would surely break and then the contest could potentially become deadly.

Each reached into their bag and brought out a heavier practice blade known as a schleager.

This kind of blade was meant to approximate the weight and feel of a true rapier while still providing a mesure of safety.

The pair saluted each other and began fighting once again. The sound of clashing steel brought even more spectators from outside the gym. Heather and Evan battled back and forth like their lives depended on it.

Evan, thinking he was being clever, parried her blow, did a double feint to her left side, and feinted low once again, thinking that he could then catch her high.

It may have worked had Heather not been so agile. She jumped up over his thrust, tumbling in mid-air over his shoulder and landing behind him. She spun quickly about and caught him in his side as she spun to face her.

"Not bad," he said with shortened breath, "too bad you had to use those magick legs to beat me".

"Pfffffft!!!" she responded, "you forget that I'm a gymnist too. I don't need magick legs to jump like that. Too bad you didn't take advantage of the fact that I was completely helpless while airborn".

Heather headed into the showers and stripped out of her persperation soaked gear. She gladly let the water cascade down her body and over her legs. Her "magick" legs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad things happen to good people. Evidence of this can be seen everyday.

Bad things also happen to bad people. In fact, when the happening of badness is fully examined, it can be seen that it pretty much happens to everyone.

The consumate fatalists of the 1980's coined the phrase, "shit happens" to embody this principal.

But when it happens to those young and full of potential, it holds a special poigniancy.

At 14, Heather MacLeod was already considered a world class Athlete in two sports, fencing and gymnastics. Both Olympic teams where interested in her.

In the never ending battle between Good and Evil, it is often the innocent who pay the price. When Beings of Power collide, it those without power who bear the burden of consequence. Things get broken, people get hurt, shit happens.

The day Green Lantern tangled with one of the Bastard Children of Darkseid, it was Heather MacLeod who was caught in the crossfire.

The previously unkown Jerrigor showed up in good old N.Y.C., screaming for the blood of Green Lantern.

Having had a fight with Jade that morning, Kyle was only too happy to oblidge. He and Jerrigor went at it with gusto, tearing up several streets in the process.

One building in particular took a nasty hit. Kyle had slammed Jerrigor with a giant hammer. He sailed through the air and smashed into a nondescript building. Anything could have been going on in there. But what was going on, was an amature fencing competition.

A great sheet of glass feel from the cieling and sheered off Heather's Olympic dreams... along with her legs.

Recovery was a long and painful process. She spent months healing and trying to get used to prosthetics. She never did truly master them, it was like a piece of her Will was taken with her legs.

It would be two years before Kyle Rayner, Green Lantern, would find out what happened to Heather and his responsibility in it.

She remembered clearly the day he knocked on her door. She heard her mother gasp softly when she answered the door then came back to Heather's room.

"Dear," she said, "Someone is here to see you".

Heather manipulated the little joystick on her chair and rolled out into the living room. She saw Green Lantern standing there, framed by the front door, the afternoon sun making an aura around his body. Like a god come down from Olympus to see how the little people faired.

They talked for a long time, politely, if not skillfully, dancing around the subject that had brought him there.

He told her about the Green Lantern Corps. and what they stood for. He told her about Hal and his sacrifice during Final Night.

"Well," said Heather finally, "Thank you for coming to visit me. I'm very tired now so I should rest".

"Heather..."

She could see something like desperation in his eyes and she just couldn't take it.

"What?" she said with a bit more venom than she intended, "What do you want? Forgiveness? I understand, ok? I know why you do it. I know why it has to be done. If I had your power, I would do it too. So I get it, ok? It's not your fault and I don't blame you. I blame the other guy... the bad guy. Is that what you want to hear? Ok then.... but it doesn't change the fact that I'm stuck in this chair"!

Kyle sighed with deep remorse, "I wish... is there anything...."?

"Is there anything what? You can do for me? I don't know... is there? Can you give me my legs back"?

Tears flowed down her face as she burried it in her hands.

Kyle concentrated for a bit, focusing his Emerald Energy. He handed her a beautiful green rose.

"Hold this," he said, "and make a wish".

She did as he said, wishing with all her heart to have her legs back. When she looked down, two perfectly formed verdant legs were attached to the stumps where her legs used to be.

"I know they can't truly replace your legs," said Kyle, "but at least I can give you that much".

Heather could not believe how well the legs worked. She litterly could not tell the difference from her originals. She could do everything she could before.

The newspapers were all over the story...

GREEN LANTERN GIVES INJURED GIRL NEW LEGS!!

She was the talk of the town and her school for weeks. She took up gymnastics and fencing again but was barred from competition. Officials were afraid that her Green Lantern generated legs would give her and unfair edge.

Heather took it with her usual grace. She had competed before, and won before. She knew how good she was and that's all that mattered. It didn't stop her from fencing at the gym.

Heather's mind snapped back to the present.

How long had she been standing there in the shower?

She guessed that it was a while since she could hear no noise from inside the gym. She toweled off and pulled her stuff out of the locker and checked her watch.

God!! it was 6:30!! She really had to make up some time and the only way she could think was cutting through the park.

She knew it wasn't the brightest idea but she was running late and her mom was waiting for her.

"So," a voice said from behind her, "you're the Green Lantern girl. Have you ever thought that you could do more with that power than just make legs"?

She stopped short and spun around to see the speaker. It was a average height man wearing a trench coat.

"What do you mean"? she asked. She tried to casually unzip her bag enough to grasp the hilt of her foil if she needed to.

"It was your will that created your legs, yes? What if you willed the energy to create something else"?

"I... I never thought about that".

"Perhaps you should. Who knows? It could save your life someday".

The man turned and walked away.

Heather wasn't sure why, but the man's words troubled her.

She turned back to continue home and stopped short again when she saw 3 guys in her path. She yelped in surprise because she hadn't heard or noticed them.

"Heya, Cutie," said one, "what's a little girl like you doing in the park after sunset? Dontcha know it's dangerous"?

Heather made to walk around them but they moved to intercept her. With a yell, they suddenly charged.

Heather instantly knew she could not outrun them... the only escape she could figure out, was up. She jumped and was not the only one surprised at how high she jumped... or the fact that she did not come back down.

She hung in mid air, at treetop level, looking down on the three thugs.

She drew her foil out of her bag and said, "Well, indeed, the park can be dangerous after sunset... but I think not for me".

Two of the thugs looked like they were going to bolt, but the third one was full of bravado.

"Oh, and what are you going to do with that," he said, "poke us with the rubber tip"?

"This rubber tip," she replied, "you mean the one that comes off"?

She pulled the tip off of the foil. The steel underneath was not really sharp but you couldn't tell that at a casual glance.

That was all it took to break the third thug, and the three of them ran off into the night.

Heather pretty much floated home and determined to see just what she could do with her new abilities.