Unlimited Legends #5 (Featuring Green Arrow)

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Unlimited Legends #5
Robin Hood
Part 2:
Twisted

Featuring...

Written by Nikolai Peter Fomich
Edited by Daniel Dyer

Surprised at the resilience of his opponent, Count Werner Vertigo decides to put an end to his foe's confusion. Taking pity, Vertigo pulls out a handgun, choosing to knock Oliver unconscious, and leave his fate to the care of the island he had made his home. Before the butt of the gun reaches its target, Oliver twists to the side, pulling an arrow from his quiver and throwing it at Vertigo's hand.

"AHH!" Yelling in pain, Vertigo hits Oliver away from him with his other hand, not realizing in his moment of agony that his cloak that had induced dizziness and confusion is now closed. Oliver doesn't waste a second.

"Don't move, you son of a bitch." Staring his enemy down, his bow full drawn, Vertigo manages a smirk as he pulls the arrow threw his hand.

“Iki, draugas."

“What did you just-" Before Oliver knows what hits him, several flying stars are thrown in his direction, and he quickly lunges to the ground, but not without catching one in his left shoulder blade. Ignoring the pain, Oliver takes out another arrow, quickly pulling back his bow and firing- only to miss completely. Looking at Vertigo, he begins to feel dizzy again, and the world turns upside down. Firing another shot, he misses completely this time, and Vertigo's mocking laugh only adds to his frustration. Realizing that Vertigo is going for his gun, Oliver quickly leaps into the forest, hoping that his vision isn't too hazy. The vertigo affect was too much though, and Oliver lands against a low tree branch, knocking the wind out of him.

"Why must you hide, Mr. Arrow? Do you fear my power? The power of a prince?"

The vertigo affect had decreased when the archer had been forced into the woods, but now it was steadily escalating. I've lived on this island for years. It's my home- my life. If I can just get clear of this guy… Ignoring the villain's rambles, Starfish Island's lone resident tries to make sense of the wooded area he sees before him. No time for second guesses. Taking a deep breath, Oliver closes his eyes and begins to run. After running for a bit, Oliver Queen hears a gunshot close by. Another one, even closer, explodes in the not too far distance. Deciding he had gone on long enough, Oliver stops to open his eyes for a moment. Reality around him appearing normal, the “vertigo-effect” of his enemy was too far out of range to do any real damage. Turning around to see his villainous rival, Oliver knows he can make the shot. I've hit birds farther than that. Half-smiling, he reaches back into his quiver- only to find that he has no more arrows.

Approaching with ease, Count Vertigo grins as he sees the scattered arrows on the trail. In his haste, the archer had not noticed that the arrows had began to scatter from his quiver- a fact that had been helped in its creation when one of Vertigo's throwing stars had ripped part of the archer's quiver. Moving toward the direction he had seen him run, Vertigo was sure his sinister device's affect would soon be revisiting his new enemy. "Come out where ever you are, ‘Robin Hood'," the blonde, pale man says, in a heavy Eastern-European accent. "Let us- talk."

Suddenly, the archer lands on him, as if coming from the sky, though he had really been hiding in the trees above. "You seem pretty good at talking, Vertigo," Oliver says, as he hits his adversary with a good right hook. And good thing too. If he had been quieter, I wouldn't have been able to locate him without using my eyes. Grabbing his collar, the young hero takes his bow and cracks it across Vertigo's head, knocking him unconscious.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Traveling across the quiet sea in the rescue boat he had summoned with the self-styled Count's cell phone, Oliver Queen can not bring himself to look at what he is leaving behind. Starfish Island. It had been his home for over three years now… his old life, so quiet and peaceful, full of nature, was over. Looking down upon the handcuffed man, Oliver is slightly surprised at how peaceful he looks. The menace, twisted quality had been replaced by a strange tranquility. Though he still held much more than just distaste for Vertigo- he was a dangerous criminal after all- Oliver felt a small portion of gratitude towards him. Vertigo, for all his evil intent, had given Oliver Queen a second chance at life. Sighing, the returning native looks up at the stars, only to realize that luminous lights in the sky aren't stars at all, but city lights of the metropolis ahead.

It was like being born again. So many… people. The city seemed so vivid, so full of action, yet so familiar at the same time. But the happiness of returning soon faded, leaving only unease. His old home had both surprised and saddened Oliver at once- Star City was once considered the ‘jewel of the West Coast', only Metropolis in the east marveling its prosperity. Oliver Queen should know: his father had helped make the city into the grand place it once was. Now, that prosperity seemed to only affect the upper class, ignoring the poor and the desperate. Corruption had seeped through on many levels, turning Star City into a breeding ground for dirty politicians and creating even dirtier slums. The police had managed to maintain a certain degree of civility, avoiding corruption for the most part. City Hall, however, was a different story. Half of the city's councilmen worked not really for the city's interest, but their own, and despite Mayor Major's best efforts, Star City continued on, spiraling downward with no end in sight. But all that is going to change. I may have not done the best of jobs with Queen Enterprises in the past, but if the island taught me anything, it was to keep on going, no matter what. Star City won't die. I won't let her.

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Mr. Deleon? There's a- someone needs to talk to you. It's- it's very important."

Frowning at the disturbance his secretary had just caused, Mr. John Deleon puts his reading glasses down, along with the papers protesting Queen Enterprises' plans for construction in the Triangle, an area of Star City which had seen better days. The construction had been halted, but Deleon was sure that his company would prevail- they always did. Leaning back in his chair, Deleon looks up at his secretary. "Tell this person that I'm busy right now. Set up an appointment, and let them know that Queen Enterprises is a busy place- we can't just have people barging in-" Deleon picks up his reading glasses, only to drop them as a ghost walks in the room. "-here."

John Deleon's heart skips several beats, his blood-pressure elevating slightly. Finally, the selfish man of business manages to make sense of the situation, and clumsily tries to pick up the glasses he had dropped. "Ol- Oliver?"

Taking a seat right in front of the man, Oliver smiles like a fox. "Hello, John. How's my company doing?"

The words sink in for a moment before John Deleon can manage a reply. "Look, Oliver- Mr. Queen, the company has changed a great deal since you left; things just aren't the same as they were before you die- disappeared."

"You're right. It's much worse. My father built this to give back to the city that had given so much to him- to the people, the community. Now, you've turned Queen Industries into a thing hated and feared by the people- into a greedy, self-serving empire, allowing the rich to get richer and the poor poorer! My dad helped this city and its people, and I won't allow his name to be dragged through the mud by fat-cat, cocky idiots like yourself. I want my company back. And I want it now."

Staring at the hot-headed young man, Deleon is truly afraid for a moment. But then he remembers his own position, and realizes who is really in charge. "You never did understand how these things worked, Queen. I own the company now. If you want, I'll give you some position- an ‘executive associate' or some nonsense like that. In the mean time, enjoy your fortune. I'll see to it personally that a new personal bank account is set up for you."

"I don't need your money- that's suppose to be the people's money. And I'm going to win it back."

"Grow up kid. This is the real world. And in the real world, Robin Hoods don't exist.”

^

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Walking toward his temporary apartment, Oliver still can't manage to get over what has happened since his disappearance. The pain of seeing what his father's company had become was heart-wrenching… so much so that Oliver would not rest until Queen Industries was returned to him, so that the damage it had caused could be undone. Noticing two children in an alleyway, Oliver feels a great pang of pity- and of guilt- as two shivering, homeless children use a newspaper to cover themselves from the windy night. Taking off his jacket, he places it on the sleeping children, hoping to do what little he can to ease their unearned discomfort. Pausing a moment to take the scene in, Oliver hears the click of gun behind him.

"Wallet, man. Everything you got."

Turning around, Oliver is surprised at how young his assailants are. "I don't have anything. I swear, I haven't even a wallet."

The assailant's younger, teenage companion snickers, as a third joins them. "Well, that'll be a problem, now won't it?"

Before Oliver can defend himself, a figure dressing in leather drops down from the alleyway's staircase, kicking the gun out of the first criminal's hand, and karate chopping him in the jaw. Flipping backwards, Oliver's savior kicks the legs out of another one of the muggers, managing to throw the third on top of him. It happens so fast, Ollie could barely get a glimpse of his rescuer.

"Wow." Standing up with an uncommon confidence, Oliver gets a good look of the brave individual. It was a woman.

"Wow. I mean- thanks."

Allowing herself a small smile, the mysterious vigilante pushes her long blond hair away from her face. "Be careful at night." With that, the beautiful girl is gone, leaving Oliver alone to marvel at the courageous figure.

"Wow…"

Entering the dank apartment, Oliver can't get the image of his rescuer earlier that night out of his head. “This is the real world. And in the real world, Robin Hoods don't exist.” Taking out his old bow, Oliver Queen smiles, finding something that he has not had for years, maybe for his whole life: a purpose.

Continued...