Black Arrow #4

[Glippernip]

Black Arrow #4

Here We Go Again

Written by Jim Crawbuck
Edited by Joel Sawyer

Black Arrow is out scanning the surrounding area from above. He’s looking for a woman, a woman he accidentally shot the night before. He knows the hospital released her. He knows her address and the fact she’s not home. He knows the surveillance capabilities of his armor. He knows his goal is within reach.

“Telescopic vision,” whispers Little John to his voice activated armor, “Zoom to 75%. X-ray vision. Night vision”.

It only takes him a few minutes to find his target. He sees her in an alleyway speaking to a large man.

That’s odd. “Vectors. Amplify vector f-24. Zoom to 90%. Jets stealth. Impulse 3”. I promise if it is none of my business I’m out of here. I am just going to take a fly by.

As the large man approaches the off duty detective the helmet’s amplifiers pick up this:

“Oh jeeze. Walter? Is that you,” squeals the detective, “What has happened to you?”

His sensors reveal a man who stands about 6’7”. His is built with abnormally wide shoulders and protruding gut. His skin has a reddish-orange coloring.

“I was chosen. I’m special now,” replies the man whom the woman called Walter. Then he knocks his fist together. A crash rips through his sound amplifiers like a sledgehammer to an old sidewalk. “You broke my heart and I want you to see what you gave up”.

“That was like eight years ago,” she argues, “and most guys just lose weight”.

Walter pounds his fists again and closes in on Kristan.

“Vector n-3. Garth. Repeat,” whispers LJ.

[Glippernip]

The arrow pops up from his backpack. He grabs it and fires while the arrow is replaced by another one. He fires again.

Uncle Roy invented most my arrows. He named them after people that he grew up with. Garth is my standard arrow. When drawn it creates an anti-friction field around it. It flies the same no matter the velocity of the wind or any other weather condition. It can even be fired under water. It is also laser sharp. Its tip will slice steel.

The two arrows enlarge themselves into the shoulder of Walter. Walter looks at his shoulder. He grabs the back of the arrows and rips them out whiling snapping them with one hand. He looks around the alley way searching for the sniper.

Okay his skin is to thick to pierce deep enough. That only pissed him off. I must separate him and Kristan. I can’t use a repulse arrow or explosive because they are to close together.

“Impulse to full”, mutters Black arrow. His pace hastens as he moves in closer.

Walter spots him. He swats at Kristan, who stands between Walter and a dumpster.

Kristan posts off his massive brick hand with her good arm, loosing her cigarette. She uses her far leg to post off the dumpster trying to balance herself.

Walter is too strong and lifts her over the dumpster wall and into the dumpster.

“Vector n-7, Mia,” commands Black Arrow, then lets another arrow fly. Adhesive arrow. my biological mother’s favorite I’m told.

The arrow explodes in a super strong adhesive jell that covers Walter from neck to waist. Walter growls like a weight lifter. He struggles for a few seconds then rips his arms out from his sides. Then he grabs the dumpster and flings it into the air at the approaching hero. Kristan and other objects rain down.

Bad move. He’s stronger then I anticipated. Save Kristan.

[Glippernip]

“Two! Donna! Wally!” Two arrows are dispensed simultaneously, and he knocks them at the same time. One arrow shots past the flying dumpster. It breaks into four sections; two of them sail across the alley into the roof of the bar. The other two dive into the roof of the bakery which preceeds the bar. The whole time remaining equal distant and parallel.

Donna Arrow breaks into four powerful electro magnets. When they hit they turn on, pushing and pulling each other creating an invisible force.

Kristan helplessly plummets toward the alley floor. Suddenly her descent begins to slow. When she reaches the center of the four pieces of the Donna Arrow she stops, suspended in mid-air.

Which makes a very effective safety net. Roy said that, “Donna would always be there to catch if you were falling; both figuratively and sometimes literality”.

The other arrow, ‘Wally’, hits the dumpster that’s in route to hit Black Arrow.

Roy would brag his 'Wally' is his most ingenious arrow.

It sticks into the steel then makes a deep humming sound. The dumpster passes right through Black Arrow and he is unharmed.

On impact Wally vibrates at an immeasurable speed. It moves so fast for 5 seconds that in that brief moment of time it, what every it’s shaking molecules get dispersed so thin it becomes intangible.

“He’s a wraith,” bellows Walter, “He’s like the ghost of Arrows past.”

I can’t penetrate with a Tranq Arrow. So I’ll have to go old school and use an Ollie. I got one Ollie but I got two Robins. That gives me three chances to put him down.

“Robin. Vector n-1”, says Black Arrow as he reaches for a new arrow.

Robins change the target’s personal magnetic field. It polarizes them so that the rest of my arrows are attracted to it/them.
That Robin must have been one really beautiful woman.

Walter picks up a crate from the floor. The Robin Arrow hits him square in the chest. He ignores it and throws the crate at Black Arrow.

“Ollie,” cries Black Arrow.

He easily evades while he pulls another arrow. He knocks his bow and fires his now guided arrow. The Ollie hits right below Walter’s neck. Immediately after impact it sprays a green gas.

An Ollie is an old school ‘Arrow family trick’ named after my father. It’s sleep gas.

Walter coughs and instinctually grabs the arrow to remove it. As he makes his first pull to remove the arrow his legs go weak and he gets a head rush. The arrow doesn’t come out on the first pull. Between him weakening, the deepness of the arrow and the adhesive on his chest he under estimates the amount of strength he needed to pull it out.

“Kory. Continuous ,” mumbles Black Arrow. Got to keep him off balance until he goes under.

Kory is my second most common arrow used. It sheds its skin in flight and becomes a green energy blast.

Three small consecutive green explosions connect with Walter’s chest. Each one makes him take a wobbly step backward. Each step keeps him from pulling out the gas arrow. After the third backward step his knees go weak and he falls. He tries to get up and falls again. He reaches to the gas arrow, which running out of spray, one last time before he’s overcome by the sedative. His hand grazes the shaft and then he’s out.

Wow. That was a tough one. “Retract, Kory,” says Black Arrow, and the remaining arrow sinks back into the quiver.

Kristan is keeping her muscles completely stiff. She doesn’t know what’s holding her up or if it’s safe to move. She just feels a weird sensation sort of like combination of a pulse and the feeling of ‘pins and needles’ in a body part that has ‘fallen asleep’.

“Hey, little help here,” chimes a confused Kristan.

“You are perfectly safe. That field holds for 10 to 15 minutes”, replies Black Arrow in the powerful, hollow sounding voice his helmet creates. He begins his slow decent to her.

“Good to know. I still want down. So how about a little hustle,” says Kristan voicing displeasure.

He flies above her, grabs her hand, and pulls her up to him. He slowly lands back in the alleyway. When they reach the ground she pushes him away.

[Glippernip]

“What the hell is this? 'Get cornered by one stalker and get the other one free’ day at the coffee house? What are you doing here,” asks Kristan.

“I was looking for you,” rings the deep echo of Black Arrow.
“Really,” says Kristan in sarcastic awe, “Are you looking to finish what you started last night?”

“I didn’t…I just saved you," stutters Black Arrow.

“You did? Was I in trouble before you shot him? You presumptuous twip," argues Kristan.

“I assumed…”says Black Arrow.

“That’s the problem. I’m a real detective. In my line of work we don’t assume. If you plan on doing what you do for a long time. You might want to take that into consideration.”
“Unless of course you are just trying to get me killed? In that case put one between my eyes right now. That’s better then waiting for Darth Vader and his band mutant crazies to crushed me in their cross fire,” forcefully interjects Kristan.

“I’m one of the good guys,” replies Black Arrow.

There’s a moment of silence while Kristan looks over Black Arrow. Then she starts laughing.

“You are serious," giggles Kristan, “I didn’t notice. You should add a white hat to your getup. That way everyone will know you are a good guy”. She makes quote marks with her hand when she says ‘good guy’.
“Are you from this planet? What kind of sheltered little childhood did you have? Or are you just some pampered little rich boy playing superhero?”
“Don’t answer me," she says, making gesture for him to stop, “I don’t care”.

“I sought you out to apologize for…,” starts Black Arrow.

“I sought you out,” mocks Kristan in a bad impression of his voice. “I know you didn’t mean to shoot me. I don’t care. You want to apologize. Stay away. You don’t know what you are doing and that makes you dangerous. How long is he out for?”

“One to two hours.”

“Fine! Get lost. I’m calling the wagon," she says as she takes out her cell phone.

Black Arrow flies away.

^

[Glippernip]

On Little John’s return home once again he finds himself adrift in his own thoughts.

I am sheltered. I have never known anything but training and my family. I was home schooled. I’ve been being groomed to be the next Arrow since birth. Money has never been an issue; if it was needed, Dad bought it. What do I know of normal life? Everyone I know is either a superhero, retired superhero or somehow related to a superhero. Black Arrow is my whole world, my whole reality. Detective O’Leary is right. I need for LJ to get a life.

I don’t even know were to begin. A job. I need a job. What can I do?

I’ll have Dad buy me a small Business. Yeah, That’s it.

^

[Glippernip]

A few hours later in a meta detention facility, Walter cries for help from his bed.

“Help! I can’t get up. Help!”

A guard and the medical doctor on duty come racing to his cell.

“Help! Crushing…..I can’t …” gasping and struggling Walter pleas for his life. Water is streaming out of his eyes. He coughs twice. The second cough sprays blood.

The guard and the Doctor get into the cell.

The tears have turn to blood.
“Get an ambulance here now,” the doctor screams at the guard.

The guard runs down the hall

Blood leaks from Walter’s nose and mouth.

The doctor takes out a phone. “Hello. Yes. Dr Katz. I have a message for Mr. Powers. Just tell him this one didn’t make it either. Tell him same as the others except with this one it happened faster”.



Next Month: LJ gets a life……………………..