Arsenal: Legend Watcher #7

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Arsenal: Legend Watcher #7
The Morning After

Written by Jim Crawbuck (Royharper)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

The soft glow from the rising sun turns the thin white curtains an illuminated red. The sliding glass door to the hotel balcony translucently appears through them. As the outline of the door grows more defined, the glow of the curtains change color. First they turn orange. Then a yellow with the peak of the rising sun framed in the doorway. When the sun clears the horizon, the curtains revert back to white.

What? When did morning get here?

Chloe!

My phone.

Roy reaches behind his head, blindly feeling for the nightstand. He shutters when he feels a warm wet hand. He turns to face the nightstand. He sees Candi. She stands in front of him. She is fresh from the shower, glistening in the morning’s golden rays. Small streams of steam float off her nearly naked body. She has only a towel to conceal her awe inspiring womanly form.

Damn. Good morning me.

She grabs his hand and pulls him to his feet. They kiss. Her hands gently roam down his back.

Wait! No! You have to get moving. Roy gently pushes her away.

She playfully fights him.

Roy stiffens his arms, locking them into place to hold her at bay. Grab the reins, playa. Get yourself in control of this.

“What’s wrong? Daddy doesn’t want to bounce me on his knee,” she pouts slightly, puffing her bottom lip. “Or has Candi been a bad girl this morning?” she asks in almost a growl while letting the towel drop.

Roy smirks, stares her strait in the eye and arrogantly replies, “Sorry, Babe,” but his voice cracks like a 15 year old boy, forcing him to pause. He blushes and rolls his eyes in embarrassment.

She giggles.

He clears his throat and stops his posturing. He humbly continues, “Sorry. We got to get some clothes on. I have important work to get back to.”

“Okay, I have to get back to the real world also.” She plucks Roy’s under pants from the floor by her feet and throws them at him playfully.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“I’m telling you right now. We shouldn’t be here,” demands Vinny.

“I know but I owe him big time. If you want to go without me, or report me to Sullivan, then do it. I need to give Harper a heads up. It is the very lest I can do,” explains Kevin.

“Fine! You do what you got to do. I just want to be on record that I do not approve. If it becomes an issue, I’m saving my own skin. You got me big guy?” retorts Vinny.

“You do what you got to do,” says Kevin.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

A few moments later, down stares at the same hotel’s lobby, Agents Draper and Calvi approach the front desk.

“Good Morning, young fellows. How can I help you this glorious morning?” greets the chipper old man behind the desk.

Vinny flashes his ID and in a flat tone states, “We are looking for a Roy Harper. He should of checked in two or three days ago.”

“Good Heavens! Is he in trouble? He seemed a decent fella,” replies the old man.

“No. No trouble,” Vinny says coldly.

“We work with him,” Kevin adds.

“What a relief. You had me worrying for the boy. I’ll look up what room he’s in lickitty split,” says the inn keep as he waddles towards the back room. “I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

“Does that mean fast?” Vinny asks Kevin.

“I don’t know,” shrugs Kevin.

“Hold up, boys. The Roy toy is right behind me,” calls a soft, feminine voice from behind the agents.

They both turn to see Candi approaching the desk fast and Roy a few paces behind her.

Kevin sees Candi and is visible taken back.

Vinny smirks at his normally unflappable partner being caught off guard do to the appearance of a woman, even if it was for the briefest of moments.

“And you are?” asks Kevin.

“In a hurry, but you can call me Candi, handsome,” Candi brushes his chin lightly as she passes by.

Kevin’s eyes follow her all the way to the door.

“I got the room number!” cries the old man from the back.

“Never mind. We found him,” chuckles Vinny, as he and his partner take a second to watch Candi leave.

“What are you guys doing here? Besides site seeing?” asks Roy.

“I decided to let you know we took over the case before we leave town,” says Kevin.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. You know who to ask,” replies Kevin, “but that chic may have something to do with it, double oh stupid.”

“If she needed me, why didn’t she call me?” argues Roy, as he takes out his phone. Oh Crap! My phone is off. Now I don’t even want to see if she called.

“Roy! You are out. We are in. That’s all I know. I’m trying to do you a favor. Don’t make me regret it,” rebuts Kevin.

“You’re right. Good looking out, Kev.” Roy pounds fists with Kevin.

“What were you doing with Kathy?” teases Vinny.

Roy and Kevin just stare at him. Roy shakes his head no as if he can’t believe the question.

“Is that a lead we should be following up? Wink. Wink,” continues Vinny.

“Candi,” corrects Roy.

“What?”

“Her name is Candi, not Kathy, and just what are you implying?” Roy crosses his arms and stares at Vinny.

“Are you really going to play it like that?” asks Vinny.

“You got the wrong idea, Vin. I just desperately needed a bridge partner,” Roy says, knowing that neither of them will believe him.

“Bridge? That’s cute, Harper. I bet Sullivan will think it’s adorable,” digs Vinny.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Mr. Illard stands in front of his mirror in his office. He runs a pocket comb through his thin, oily, jet-black hair. When there’s a knock at his door.

“You may enter, Mr. Downes,” he says.

“You wanted to see me, Mr. Illard?” asks Thomas upon entering.

Mr. Illard never takes his eyes off his mirror. He looks at Thomas through the reflection as he speaks. He pulls his suit jackets lapels tight. “Indeed. I need you to get word to Ms. Fitzgerald. Her new objective is to track representative DV-6. This covert is in the field and on the move. Tell her DV-6 is on her GPS. When she catches up. She is not to reveal herself. She is to check in and await further instruction.” Then he fixes his already straight tie.

“What about William, Sir?” inquires Thomas.

Illard shows his teeth to the mirror. “Yes. Mr. Glass is to be sent to Mr. Luthor in Metropolis. Mr. Luthor is eager to meet the young man.” Then he takes this finger and rubs a few select teeth.

“And what of…?”

“Nope. Nope,” interrupts Illard, waving one hand as if to shun Thomas. He takes a moment to fluff his pocket-handkerchief. “We are done here. I believe you have work to do. On your way now.” Illard shoos Thomas through the mirror. “Chop-Chop, we both know what time is.”

Thomas leaves.

Mr. Illard takes a spray bottle of cologne off his counter and gives himself sprits. He fixes his posture and gives himself another look. Then he licks his finger tips and wets his eyebrows.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Before Chloe turns on the lights in her office, she sees the pale blue glow from her monitor. She draws her weapon from her shoulder holster. She shuts the door behind her and crouches down. She slides her back against the wall. She reaches up with just her arm and throws the lights on. Her eyes and gun are scanning the room.

Oh, Ira. If someone is in my office or has been in my office, we are going to have some words. DEO base of operations and people are just walking in. If I don’t get killed here, you are in some trouble. Okay, clean. What’s this?

Chloe holsters her weapon after a thorough scan of her room. She ends up behind her desk, looking at the monitor. It reads:

Director Chloe Sullivan,
The people who are working against you are working for LexCorp. I can’t get caught up in this. It’s too far from Gotham. I need you to find the boy. All I know is you are up against LexCorp and one of yours is a traitor. The one person I know you can trust is Arsenal. Please weed your double agent and get the boy. I hope this Intel helps.

There was no signature, just a symbol. A black bat.

This was made right here from my keyboard. We can’t have this. I don’t care if you’re Batman. I don’t even care if you are Clark, nobody should be getting in here without tripping an alarm. Ira is going to…Wait, I don’t know if I can tell Ira. Oh, boy, I just pulled that playboy off the case. Now I have to ask him for help. Harper, you little bastard. Okay, well I’m sure he’ll be here soon.

Chloe flops down into her chair and sighs. She runs her hand through her hair. Out of the corner of her eye she catches something zoom past her window, which is open. She shakes her head in frustration.

And sticks around to make sure I got the message. Okay, I admit he’s good but I still don’t have to like it.

She gets a soft breeze from her open window and leans back in her chair. All right, Lex, game on.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Vinny and Kevin are now miles out of town, bouncing around a dirt road. Vinny is staring out the window.

“I think this one is it. Slow down,” says Vinny as they approach a break in the trees. “Damn it. Drive past. Park a few yards down.”

“What’s going on, Vinny?”

“I saw a group of motorcycles parked out front and some people casing the place. Something is about to go down.”

A few yards up, Kevin pulls over. They both grab their radios and exit the car.

“You got a vest on?” asks Kevin as he loads his guns.

“Yep.”

“Is there another one?”

“No. You got to be careful.”

“Alright, set your radio to three and put in your ear piece,” says Kevin.

“Check.”

“I got the vest so I go front,” Vinny insists.

“Fine, I got back surveillance. We go on my mark,” replies Kevin.

“Sounds good. Let’s move.”

Kevin and Vinny get back to the bar in time to see the six motorcyclists enter. The one who appears to be the leader gestures to the two biggest to guard the front door.

Vinny finds a spot in the woods where he could keep an eye on them. He lines one of them up with the site on a sniper rifle and waits for word from Kevin.

Kevin uses the surroundings to sneak to the back of the building. He finds a window to spy through. He puts in an earpiece and sticks a small metal box to the window. Kevin watches and listens as these four oddly dress bikers confront a small teenaged boy. He appears to be working as a bar back.

“Let ’em go!” shouts the boy at the two bikers who have the bouncer pinned on the ground. “I’m Glass. George Glass. What could you possible want from me?”

The leader emerges from the chaos.

The man is sickly looking. He’s complexion is a pale greenish yellow. He’s mostly bald with patches of hair chaotically growing off his head. The strands are long and unkempt. His leather pants look like patches of skin sown together. He wears no shirt, exposing his ribs and his muscleless frame.

He approaches the boy and two of his gang follows. The other one is still on the bodyguard with a boot knife to his neck.

The boy grabs his head. “What do they want from me, Mother?”

Then George’s body tenses he throws his arms stifle to his sides and screams, “Get off him! What do you want from me?!”

The pale man shows his grotesque teeth in what was almost a smile. “We most prepare for the coming of Trigon. We need your heart,” he replies. He moves he hand in a slashing motion across the boy’s throat.

They boy lifts his chin to not impede the path of the sickly man’s hand as it glances off his neck.

“My mother says not to worry, there are people here to protect me,” says George as the panic subsides.

The pale man pauses in confusion. He looks at his hand. He looks to the biker next to him then back to his hand. After another brief pause, he slashes his hand across the neck of the biker next to him.

The biker screeches in pain. He wraps his hands around his neck, trying to stop the blood. Gurgles and twitches as he begins to fall to the floor.

The pale man’s other hand snatches the gun from the front of his victims pants.

Then George yells, “No! You’re killing your friend.”

Kevin draws his weapon and calls in to his two-way, “Now!”

The pale man, in the same motion from the grab, shoots the young teen in the forehead…

To be continued…