Arsenal: Legend Watcher #8

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Arsenal: Legend Watcher #8
The Boomerang Effect

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

"Nooo!” blurts Kevin as he hurls himself through the window he’s spying in. He is double fisted with DEO regulation side arms. He unintentionally holds his scream like the crescendo of a Whitney Houston song. The crescent moon reflects in the shards of glass that rain to the floor with the splintered wood from the smashed window and Agent Kevin Draper. He fires four shots before he hits the ground and rolls to his feet. The first one hits a neon sign behind the sickly looking biker. The second catches the biker who has the bouncer pinned down in the ear, killing him instantly. The third shatters a glass ashtray on one of the tables. The fourth catches the leader in his shooting arm’s shoulder, sending him stumbling backward and forcing him to drop his gun.

Kevin stands between the two remaining bikers with his gun aimed at both of them. He ignores the cuts and splinters all over his face and body. He takes a deep breath and pleads, “Please, don’t make me do this. Someone has already died. Stand down. I will kill you if you force me too.”

The skinny shirtless biker growls at him and charges.

Kevin fires both guns. The bigger biker takes one in the forehead and falls over backward. The one charging takes one in the eye and continues to charge. He reaches Kevin and easily throws him to the ground, pinning his arms over his head. His razor sharp fingernails are digging deeply into Kevin’s wrists.

“I am a high priest in the Order of Blood. You interfere with our ritual of the hunt. I am protected from a higher power. You’re here only for me to feast on your marrow,” gloats the biker.

“Feast on this!” shouts the George Glass as he smashes the biker in the face with a chair. Simultaneously, Vinny moseys through the front door with a shotgun. Just outside the door is two dead bikers assign to guarding the door.

He calmly cocks his gun.

“Well, this turned out to be a regular blood bath,” says Vinny seconds before he explodes the high priest’s head like a watermelon.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Roy Harper is pacing outside the DEO Headquarters, rubbing his temples.

What are you going to say? How can you possible get out of this? You never screwed up this big before. You know Chloe better than most. She is not going to be forgiving. Maybe I should put her on the defensive. Go in all-aggressive like she wronged me somehow. Oh, yeah. Like that would work. No one intimidates Director Sullivan. We do have some history, maybe I can play on that? I think if I tried that she might kill me. And she’s got connections. They’ll never find my body. Beg and plead? She’ll see me as weak but what other choice do I have?

Roy’s reflection time is interrupted by the crackling sound of a speaker. “Harper. Get inside,” Chloe orders through an intercom.

Super Agent? Standing outside a government law enforcement agency and forgets we have cameras. Oh my. What am I working with?

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The bar’s walls are filled with a peaceful silence for a moment. Kevin gets to his feet and wipes himself off. He’s just staring at George. He rips off the bottom of his shirt and wraps his wrist. Still staring at George with astonishment. Then Kevin clears his throat. “You were shot,” accuses Kevin.

“Yeah,” answers George, who seems to be a little embarrassed.

“In the head. You were shot in the head,” repeats Kevin.

“Yeah.”

“Are you all right?” ask Kevin, unsure of what to really say.

“Fine.”

“You need to sit down?” asks Kevin in the same manor.

“No. You?”

Kevin covers his mouth and walks over to a chair. He nods his head yes repeatedly and mumbles, “Yeah. Yes. I think I do.”

“Thank you for intervening. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful or rude but; who are you guys?” ask George.

“We are with the DEO. Our organization polices meta-humans in the United States. You are obviously a meta-human,” Kevin replies.

“Am I in trouble? Are you here to arrest me?” asks the young boy.

“No. You did nothing wrong. We’re here to confirm you are a meta. Confirmed. We also like to find out what you can do and document it. Also there is another organization after you. We are here to keep you safe. Would you mind coming back to headquarters to get interviewed?”

“The DEO, Mother. I never heard of it either. You think? I guess. Why not? Sure, I’ll go with you,” says George.

“Huh?” says Kevin, looking around the room for a female. “Are you talking to me?”

“I’m sorry. I was talking to Mother and also saying I’ll go,” explains George.

Kevin looks at Vinny. They both shrug. “Great,” says Kevin.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Roy enters Chloe’s office. He shuffles in with his head down, like a child entering the principal’s office. Chloe takes one look at him and rolls her eyes.

“Oh my, you have to be kidding me. Harper, you look pathetic. I can’t have you falling a part right now,” says Chloe with a clear air of disgust. I remember thinking how cute he was when he looked like this. Right now, it’s just making me want to vomit. I don’t even want to look at this guy right now.

“Chloe I’d just like to start by…” starts Roy.

“Stow it, pretty boy. Take a sit and listen.”

Roy reaches in his back pocket and pulls out his badge.

“Damn it, Harper. Now you’re a quitter? I don’t even know you anymore.”

“I thought…”

“Shh. Sit and listen. Only listen. Thinking has not been your strong suit of late. I must have been one evil witch in a former life for karma to put me in this situation but, I can’t believe I’m going to say this right now, I need you. You are unfortunately the only one I can trust. I got new Intel.”

Roy’s cocky little grin perks up as he leans back a little in his chair.

“Oh no, Harper. Don’t you do that,” Chloe blurts, waving her finger at him.

“Do what?” Roy asks as his smile grows.

“I did want to fire you. You are lucky to have this chance. And to quote a great female figure head from WWII, ‘Hera help you’ if you screw this up,” threatens Chloe.

“You never curse, do you?” Roy asks.

“Cursing is for the non-creative, ignorant and/or overly angry part of the population. I am creative. I try not to be ignorant and a frat boy such as you will never get me that impassioned. You must curse all the time,” she replies. “Roy, we have a double agent. All I know is it’s not you and they are employed by LexCorps.”

“So what’s our next move, Boss?”

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“Where is the DEO Headquarters?” asks George.

“It’s in New York,” answers Kevin.

“Wow. I’ve never been to New York.”

The sound of a shotgun loading stops the conversation.

“New York? There’s been a change of plans,” interjects Vinny.

Kevin slowly turns around to find Vinny has the shotgun aimed at his chest.

“Vinny, no,” weeps Kevin.

“I’m sorry, Kevin, but I’m on a different mission. Don’t make me do this. You know me. You know I will.”

Kevin laughs. “I know you? Really? I’m not so sure. I know you know me. So must know there is no way you’re getting to this kid without going through me. So this is how you want it to end? Bring it, you little bit…”

BOOM!

The sound thunders in the bar. The force of the shotgun blast throws Kevin backward and onto the floor. His chest looks like it was torn open by a hungry bear. With poor stubbornness, Kevin, still not dead, gets to his feet.

Shock pauses Vinny, giving Kevin enough time to rip the shotgun from his hands.

Vinny throws a right hook with such speed that a lightweight champion boxer would be impressed with.

Kevin blocks it with his left arm even faster. Then throws a straight right that explodes Vinny’s nose. He follows it with a more powerful left hook that cuts open Vinny’s eye. Then he throws his whole body into a right uppercut that lifts Vinny off his feet and sends him sliding across the floor. Kevin also falls face first with the momentum of his body.

They both just lie there. For about twenty seconds. In that time, the blood pool around Kevin is deep enough to drown in.

Vinny shakes out the cobwebs and staggers to his feet. He knows with all that blood Kevin must be dead. He looks at the lifeless body. “You did know me, Kevin. I am sorry.” He takes out a two way radio. “Let Mr. Illard knows I have the boy.”

“I changed my mind. I don’t think I want to go with you anymore,” says George.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“I want to go through LexCorps employee files with you. Maybe you’ll recognize someone,” Chloe tells Roy.

“Sounds good. There are worse things than being trap in a room with you for a few hours,” he replies playfully.

Chloe almost snares, “I can’t think of any.”

They begin hacking into databases and going through bio and pictures. Hours upon hours of feverishly reading and staring at monitors until the birds started singing. That’s when Roy’s face turns pale white.

“What is it, Harper?” asks Chloe.

“I know who the double agent is.”

“What? Who? How?”

“You see that picture,” Roy points to a beautiful woman’s picture.

“No,” she says, stretching her vowel, “that’s her?”

“Yep. She told me her name was Candi.”

“I remember, so what, she lied. You thought Kathy here would give her real name up to you?”

“No. Vinny and Kevin saw her. Vinny called her Kathy.”

“Great Scott, Kevin,” cries Chloe. “Roy, you go to her home branch of LexCorps. We got to cut Agent Calvi off just in case Kevin is no longer in a position to help us. I’m going to try to get in touch with Agent Draper and hopefully we won’t need you Roy.”

“He better not make it to me,” he spouts.

“Roy.”

Roy turns to his boss. They just look at each other. Then Roy’s arrogant little smirk creeps up.

“Go get me that SOB,” orders Chloe.

To be continued…