Duel of Wills

A cloud of translucent, gleaming particles has gathered around Libra's machine, and are slowly filtering into the scale-emblem on his chest.

But Vina makes a grab for the scales, holding the Batman icon in her other hand.

She can't quite reach Libra. A wavering force field is in the way.

"Not so fast, Ladyhawk," Libra gloats. "I may not have all your strength and speed, but I do possess half of it, or nearly so, balanced by my Libra Engine. And as I also have half of the powers of the Red, Green and Yellow Lanterns, I can hold you off with a forcefield while using my super-speed to repair my machine!"

He flashes around at super-speed.

"Or not ... the cables binding Atrocitus are damaged beyond repair. No doubt Superman could spin new wires somehow, but I haven't mastered all these subtleties yet. But why should I have to, when I can just power the machine with Green Lantern energy?"

Green power flashes across the room, hitting the machine and setting it in motion again.

"It doesn't matter which way the machine is aligned, as my target is everywhere!" Libra says. "And once I have half the energy of the Milky Way Galaxy, well ... that should be quite enough to deal with your interference decisively."

Then a yellow beam slashes across the room, parallelling the green beam, and overloading the machine until part of it melts! Glowing liquid copper splashes like hot paint, splashing everyone in the room:

SINESTRO is protected by his yellow energy field.
ATROCITUS, unconscious, is still protected by his red ring.
PIG LANTERN, unconscious, is likewise protected by HIS ring.
TATTOOED MAN is about to get pretty badly burned.
MIRROR MASTER is stealing a car several blocks away. He'll be fine.
GREG can easily avoid the flying globs of metal, as can VINA.
And LIBRA, well, he's got all kinds of force fields.

Whether or not someone saves the Tattooed Man, Libra says:

"What! Sinestro, how dare you turn on me when I am so close to ultimate power!"

Sinestro holds his smoking ring and fashions a spear out of yellow light.

"It would hardly answer to turn on you AFTER you had achieved ultimate power," Sinestro observes dryly. "Besides, the Milky Way Galaxy is my home. I do not think it would be served by losing half its energy. Its fumbling inhabitants can scarcely accomplish anything as it is!"

"And now, Libra," he says, "let us see exactly how well you have mastered the Yellow Ring's intricacies. We have, as you observed, exactly equal raw power ... so it is SKILL which shall decide the victor! Skill ... and FEAR."

Lit from below by his ring, the brick-red face of Sinestro does, indeed, look mighty fearsome ...