Arsenal: Legend Watcher #2

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Arsenal: Legend Watcher #2
A Wanted Man

Written by Jim Crawbuck
Edited by Daniel Dyer

In a hollowed out, empty shell of a water tower somewhere in Mississippi, a small band of assassins are finishing up their mission. The echoes of feet clanging and machines humming are bouncing inside its walls. A ninja stands above a bound and beaten Kevin Draper. Onomatopoeia, the man in black with the strange mask, sits legs crossed with his back against the round wall, alone, staring forward, casually repeating every sound he hears to the best of his ability.

“Hmmm. Clang. Beep. Cling. Boup. Beep. Clang.”

In the center of this temporary base of operations stands a large screen. In front of that screen stand two ninjas on either side of the League of Assassins tactician Dr. Ebenezer Darrk. He has just finished a phone call. The screen reads:

Ended Call Thomas Bowne
Connecting Cabeza Diablo.
Voice analyses required.

“Cabeza Diablo”, pronounces Dr. Darrk.

The screen ripples and hums as it quickly auto adjusts its horizontal and vertical hold. The image on the screen is Merlyn; an infamous archer who has worked his way up the League of Assassin’s chain of command.

“How are we, Dr. Darrk? Have we progressed since his last inquiry?” asks Merlyn, a pinch of anticipation gleaming in his gaze.

“Yes. I’ve made contact with the client. I sent them their files. I also informed Mr. Bowne that the League has no interest in his man at arms.”

“Really?”

“This psychotic half mute is a loose cannon. He’s driven purely by an irrational blood lust. I can’t even tell if this dimwit understands me. He made a mess of this operation. If he hadn’t slaughtered those scientists and all of the facilities security, we’d be back home and no one would be the wiser. Because of his recklessness and total disregard of our strategy we find ourselves unnecessarily entangled in a DEO operation. He’s uncontrollable and unpredictable. His kind of action will get other assassins killed,” Dr. Darrk insists seriously.

“At least he helped bring another possible recruit to us,” Merlyn replies.

“Ah, yes. This Harper guy is the first time I’ve ever heard you praise another marksman.”

“Hold your tongue, Darrk. I never praised his ability. I was impressed by his potential. He is a natural that can take it to the next level with my tutelage.”

Dr. Darrk scoffs at the slightly heated response of his cohort. “ The size of your ego never fails to amuse me Merlyn.”

“Oh stuff it, Doctor. Don’t hand me that over-inflated-sense-of-your-own-intellect business. You know I’m one of the tools that keep your impossible tactics possible.”

“Calm down. I did not mean to belittle your ability. Your skills are extraordinary. You are a valued piece of equipment to me. As tools go, I agree. You certainly are a tool,” laughs Dr Darrk.

Behind Dr. Darrk, Kevin Draper rolls to face the wall. He takes in a deep breath and tries to pull himself up the wall. His right eye is swollen shut. This condition was preventing him from recognizing, the ninja assigned to guard him, was sizing him up.

The ninja fires a straight kick to Agent Drapers jaw. A few teeth fly out of Kevin’s mouth and bounce off the round metal wall of the water tower. The tower echoes with the sound the kick makes when it connects with Kevin.

“Pow. Ping, ping, ping,” Onomatopoeia repeats in his even toned, emotionless, raspy voice.

“Stay down,” warns the ninja.

Kevin’s complies by slumping to the ground.

“Fine. I was also told to tell you to ditch the rotten apple,” grunts a disheartened Merlyn.

“I plan to. Few things will make me happier then to put distance between that heavily disturbed psychopath and me. Still, I must wait until after we capture Arsenal. Our numbers are small here and he may prove useful.”

“Remember the mission is already accomplished; if things get too hot, abort.”

“Of course. I have no true invested interest here besides idle curiosity.”

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

At the same time on an old dirt road a car is being pushed to its limits. Trees and rocks are whistling by. The headlights dance in the distance as the car bounces at high speeds. Arsenal is giddy with the adrenalin. His passenger is being tossed around the back seat like a lotto ball.

Arsenal is looking through the rearview mirror to watch the effect his driving is having on his passenger. His smile grows with every lump his one time abductor takes.

“Morning sunshine. I see we’ve awoken. You ever have one of those days? When you get caught up in fight you weren’t ready for. Then you wake up in the backseat of someone’s car, all tied up? I’m having one of those days. Can you feel me, brother?”

The car hits a small bump in the road. The back of the car fishtails a bit. Arsenal quickly tries to control the slide. The bottom of the car scrapes some rocks and sparks fly as he regains full control of the vehicle.

“Just the good old boys. Never meanin’ no harm,” sings Arsenal as he demonstrates his driving skills.

“Slow down,” gasps his hostage.

“No can do, buddy. Your boss man gave me a deadline and I hates to disappoint. I like to live up to others expectations. Much like your self.”

“Watch the road,” cries the captive, referring to the fact that Arsenal is looking at him through the rearview mirror.

Arsenal turns his head completely to look at his guest. “Don’t be rude. We’re having a conversation and you’re not listening to me. That’s not very nice.”

The front of the car pops up a bit after bouncing off another rock. Then the front of the car gets violently slammed down when the rear of the car catches the same rock causing the grill to make a divot in the ground. It propels the back seat passenger up into the ceiling where he smacks his head.

“Right! Seatbelt! I forgot to put on your seatbelt,” Arsenal observes. “Now, I said ‘I like to live up to others expectations, much like yourself’. Now you respond.”

“You’re going to get us both killed.”

Arsenal pumps the brakes a little just to jerk his passenger forward. “No, you should either ask me what I’m talking about or say ‘I knew you beating me up was a part of the plan, so I let you’ or something like that.”

“What?! What are you talking about?”

“Atta boy, that’s the spirit,” cheers a gleeful Arsenal. “Your boss set you up, boyo. He planned on me beating you up and taking the car.”

“No,” rebuts the hostage half-heartedly.

“I love it. A realist. You didn’t know but you definitely see how likely that is. Awesome. You know you never think it’ll happen to you. At least that’s what I hear.”

“Fine. So what do you want from me?”

The car pops in the air and both of its occupants knock their heads on the roof of the car.

“Company. A friend. Food if necessary,” laughs Arsenal.

“I’ll tell what I know, just spare me your sophomoric humor.”

“Sorry pal, but this comes with being in the driver’s seat. Driver’s seat. See the double meaning. Oh man, where do I come up with them?” Arsenal sarcastically compliments himself. “Who’s pulling your strings, Pinocchio?”

“Dr. Darrk.”

“Dr. Ebenezer Darrk? Wow. He’s suspected to be a big time player in the League of Assassins. How does it feel to be his patsy?”

“If you want me to continue to talk, I’d suggest not going there.”

The car makes a sliding turn kicking up a huge plume of dust and sending the hostage sliding across the backseat.

“Why does the League want to kill two astrophysicists?”

“We were hired. It was done for a large sum of money.”

“Who hired you?”

“Come on. You think they set me for you and let me know stuff that important. I don’t know.”

“Why’d they take Draper?”

“Some guy who’s not with the league went on the mission with us as sort of a tryout. He went bonkers and started killing everyone. He made a mess of the whole op. When our intel told us DEO was sending an agent we took counter measures. Then Dr. Darrk decided to use him as leverage to get to you.”

“What? Why me?”

The informant just stares at Arsenal through the rearview mirror.

Arsenal’s smile grows. “Alright, you don’t know. Do you know where my weapons are?”

“Most likely they are where we are going. Idiot.”

Arsenal jerks the car slamming the assassin’s head into the car’s rear window. Then quickly straightens out again. “You got any weapons in this car, Meanie?”

“Yeah. There’s a tranquilizer gun taped under your seat.”

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Back at the water tower, Agent Draper quickly lifts his head. He immediately looks to Onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia confirms Drapers suspicion. “Click. Click. Squeak”, he mutters.

The agent knows someone is opening the water tower door. He, facing the inside of the room, jumps to his feet.

The ninja guarding him quickly reacts by throwing another kick at Draper’s jaw.

Draper catches the kick between his arms and bound hands. He pushes up with his far arm, which is holding just above the ninja’s ankle. He pushes down with his near arm where his elbow lies upon the ninja’s knee. The room vibrates with the sound, even drowning out the ninja’s scream.

“Crack,” calmly repeats Onomatopoeia.

The door opens. Another ninja enters. Agent Draper launches himself at the newcomer like a missile. The crown of Draper’s head connects just under the ninja’s jaw.

The ninja’s eyes roll to the back of his head. His body stiffens. He hits the ground like fresh lumber.

Draper locks his knees and wrists around the side of the water tower’s built in ladder and slides down. His pants are nearly torn off. The flesh in between his legs is being burnt and is bleeding from the friction against the metal pole. He dislocates three fingers on one hand and two on the other from them banging against every rung on the ladder in his rapid descent. About ten feet from the ground the friction burns away the rope that binds his wrists. This causes him to lose his top grip and free fall the last ten feet.

It only took moments for the shock to wear off the occupants of the water tower. Dr Darrk, who is visibly disappointed with himself for underestimating Agent Draper yells, “Well??” as he makes a run for the ladder.

The two ninjas who guard him run with him. The ninja that was knocked out wobbles to his feet and follows a few steps behind. Onomatopoeia leisurely strolls toward the ladder repeating all the sounds he’s just heard, “Smack. Clang. Clang. Bing….”

Kevin Draper, battered, bruised and bleeding from too many places to list, is aimlessly running through the high grass in a fenced in field. His knees are swollen and bleeding. His right eye is swollen shut. He doesn’t even know if he’s heading for an opening in the fence. He’s just running and running hard.

When you’ve done well by yourself and others your whole life sometimes karma intervenes. You can call it luck, either way, just before Agent Kevin Draper’s legs get wrapped up in a bolo. His eye catches two bouncing lights in the distance. He smiles, as the lights grow closer, illuminating the surrounding fence. Then he abruptly hits the ground.

The car comes sliding in through the fence sideways.

Darrk and company surround the fallen agent.

Onomatopoeia is way behind. He is just now getting to the bottom of the ladder.

Out of the car springs Arsenal.

“Dr. Darrk I presume,” he accuses, fingering the correct person.

“Roy Harper. Impressive timing. We meet at last,” replies Dr Darrk.

To be continued...