Issue 3: "Green Arrow"

3 years ago.

Oliver Queen stalked through the jungle quickly. He could smell them, they were very close. This was his chance, his moment. He raced towards the eastern shore, with his make-shift bow in his right hand, and his sharpened arrow in his left. His shirt was torn to shreds, as were his pants. He hadn’t had a change of clothes or a shower in months. Ollie stopped dead in his tracks. He had spotted them, the drug dealers. They had paid monthly visits, delivering their goods to a hitherto secret smuggler’s cove on the remote isle.

Missed my chance last month…not letting it happen again. Two men, both kind of average. They’ll be down before either knows what hit them.

An arrow shot out of the woods and hit the first dealer’s shoulder; he fell to the sand, bleeding. The second dealer flung his gun out, pointing it into the jungle. Another arrow soared from the brush, nailing the second man’s hand. His gun flew out of his grasp, digging into the sand, as he yelled in pain. Ollie charged out of the jungle, sending a rough blow to the second man’s stomach, and then a left-hook to his jaw. He dropped to the white sand. The first rose up armed with a pole. He swung it towards the crazed-looking Oliver Queen. Ollie’s hand darted out, catching the stick in mid-air, just as his foot crushed the dealer’s nose. After catching his breath, he jumped and dragged the two onto the boat and started the engine. A smirk conquered his face.

Look’s like I’m going home tonight…

Present Day…

“Mr. Queen…how can I repay you?”

Ollie and a blindfolded Count Werner Vertigez sat across from each other in Star City’s most exclusive restaurant, sipping vintage Dom Perignon and discussing business of great personal importance to the exiled nobleman.

Werner Vertigez, former Count of Vlatava. The damage that occurred to his optical cortex during the raid destroyed parts of his brain, and ultimately gave him distorted vision. He was basically blind, his sight spirally, distorted and wavy, even known to change color; it was the ultimate version of vertigo. My reasons for funding the experimental surgery to restore his normal sight? Well…in that small country of his, he was ousted—thrown off the throne! And since then, Vlatava has been ruled by the most corrupt government in Europe, a military junta that makes Hitler’s Third Reich seem enlightened! There’s been a groundswell to recall the former Royal Family, to return the land to what the people call their rightful ruler. Now, I’m no big fan of a monarchy, but that is one dangerous corner of the world, and a restored Count on the ancestral throne might stabilize things a bit. But he won’t go back the way he is. This is a proud man who hates his vulnerability. If he is to one day return to his homeland and resume his rightful place, he would do it a whole man.

“Call me Oliver or Ollie. And you don’t have to repay me” Ollie said picking up the menu. “I recommend the Beef Wellington. I know the chef here, and the man is a wizard with pastry…”

Werner smiled, but it was uncomfortable. This was a man unaccustomed to taking charity. “Mr. Queen, I will accept your generosity, but not out of pity.”

Queen nodded, chuckling. “Alright, then; dinner’s on you.”

Werner agreed with a nod “And when I have been restored to my rightful place, I shall make you a Knight of Vlatava. Or one of my ministers, perhaps…?”

Now it was Ollie’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Um, thanks, but I don’t think I’m suited to that sort of thing, your grace. Besides, my interests in Star City keep my pretty busy.”

“So Mr. Queen, what exactly do you do to pass the time in this charming city?”

“I shoot a little.” Ollie remarked innocently, glancing out the window…

Ollie watched the operation intensely. It had never been attempted before. The surgeons were going to uncharted territory to repair this man’s eyes and brain…

Brain and eye damage…being repaired by combining biological organs with mechanical parts…not exactly the safest experiment-or my preference, but it just may do the job. Those S.T.A.R Labs guys know what they’re doing. I don’t like the way their going about it, but they’re the best.

Oliver waited eagerly as the operation continued. He peered in on the surgery, to spot a nauseous scientist shivering and shaking.

What the hell is--Holy Hannah!

The scientist slipped on the floor and landed on the patient just as he opened the eyelids. His knife flew into the wall, and he was immediately shoved off the patient by the others.

Oliver grabbed the overseer, “What the hell is happening in there?”

“I don’t kno-Huh?!” the overseer paused mid-sentence. Ollie’s eyes shifted to the surgery, another doctor had fallen. There was a small red flash, and the two others scientists stumbled backwards, crashing into the tables, breaking tubes of chemicals. The man tripped falling in the chemicals and shattered glass.

“Get someone in there!” …No volunteers. Oliver rushed to the door, and kicked it open rushing into the surgery room. He raced to the operation table to find Vertigez’s eyes and forehead a bloody mess. His blue eyes met with the patient’s red ones.

“Queen…”

A series of wavy red flashes, rose from his eyes, and Ollie stumbled to one knee. The room went upside down, the colors changed, and everything swerved and curved, and then it faded. Queen rose to face Vertigez only to feel the same sense of vertigo again. As soon as his normal vision returned, he scanned the room, to see the doctors and scientists unconscious, physically hurt, or soaked with chemicals.

“My god Werner…” whispered Ollie, noticing the patient soaked in blood, dripping from above.

Below one of the building’s ledges, Oliver clung for life, not being able to see anything but blurs and spirals of colored lights. He shivered, as the cool wind blew against the cuts that scattered across his body. Lights and blurs took shape soon, and his vision returned. He clutched the ledge tighter, when he realized the height he was at. He begin to breathe easily, in order to calm himself. Once ready, he swung forth with his feet, swinging backwards and boosting off the building, letting go. Upwards, he soared through the air, landing in a roll back through the window.

Damn…that was close…he got away. Can’t handle the situation like this anymore, though.

Three Months Later…

Oliver awoke in a cold sweat, leaping up from his pillow staring out of the open door, in front of him, catching breezes from outside on the balcony of his penthouse. His foot slid on to the floor as he approached the screen shutting it, not giving a second thought to the strange occurrence. The knob turned, and water poured from the faucet into his hands, seconds before splashing it on his worn face. Snatching a towel, he wiped his face. Bad vibe.

Ollie’s head spun around, as his eyes landed on a familiar figure. He was clothed in green and black, with a bullseye on his chest, and a mask. Even in the ridiculous costume Ollie knew who he was. The Count of Vlatava smirked, reading a newspaper from the rich man’s beside table.

“ ‘Count Vertigo attempts coup, considered dangerous terrorist… I didn’t vrealize I was this famous over here. Now, Mr. Queen, I wanted to forget about you and wanted you to forget about me, but I’m having frequent headaches… I think it’s your fault.”

“Werner---” He was cut off quickly.

“Vertigo. Count Vertigo, Mr. Queen. It’s what all the newspapers are calling me now.” Queen reached for his lamp, brandishing it and charging at the intruder.

Vertigo. The room faded into a spiral of psychedelic swirls. Ollie slipped and slid into the wall, Vertigo’s cold gauntlet wrapped around his neck shoving him up against the wall.

“You see…Ollie, I will be back in power. I've already recruited quite the mercenary army” The multi-millionaire stared straight into the now mechanical left eye, surrounded by a metal plate. “Hmmm? Oh yes, you see I’ve recovered quite nicely from your parting gift to me, Green Arrow?”

He knows…

“Yet, your perfidy has scarred me for life.”

“Werner please, you know you were out of control. You still are no---AH!” Thrown across the room, Ollie crashed into his desk.

“As we speak, my troops are infiltrating strategic spots in the city; call it a dress rehersal for my assault on Vlatava. And what will the great Emerald Archer do then?”

“You’re bluffing.” Queen smirked, lifting himself from the ground.

Count Vertigo returned the expression, but with a hint of cockiness.

He’s bluffing, right?

“We’ll see.” Another wave of vertigo struck Ollie. An elbow to the head, and he was unconscious.

Vertigo glared disgustedly down at the hero before turning to the balcony. He stepped off the edge, flying out over Star City. As he soared above the skyscrapers he snatched a communicator from his belt and switched it on. “Proceed with the operation.”

The soldier on the opposite end of the transmission, clad in a black stealth-suit, switched his Comlink off, attached it to his belt, and waved to the horde of similar soldiers behind him.

“Viper’s down.”

Vertigo’s smirk died, as his communicator buzzed. His fists shook with suppressed anger. The Vlatavian ruler, pressed down on the line.

“How?” his voice was filled with hate and disgust, as if that was all he had ever lived off of.

“He found the target, and apparently he was about to end it, but someone blew out his ear-drums and took him down, sir.”

“ARGH!”

The communicator snapped, Vertigo’s hand crushing it into pieces

Werner’s mad. I can’t take him lightly anymore. He’s just not another crook. But he’s also my mistake.

The archer crept the steps to the Queen Enterprises building and into the shattered doors of the structure, dashing through the ruined lobby. Before Vertigo’s guard could move, the archer wrapped his arm around his throat, and brought him to the floor.

“Where is he?!”

Floor Thirty Three.

The stairwell door flung open as Green Arrow emerged into the pitch black hallway.

“Vertigo!” The Emerald Archer began to roam the hallways, approaching the conference room in the dark. The lights flashed on just as his hand landed on the room’s door-knob. Two devices attached to the ceiling duplicated Vertigo’s eyes, spinning the hero into a flurry of blur and dizziness. He shut his eyes, and the vertigo declined, some dizziness remaining but he felt okay. He flung out an arrow and fired it at where the device had been. He heard a small crackle. If he was correct, the other one was exactly parallel to this that one. He nocked another arrow and shot it directly across from the first and heard the same sound. The dizziness had disappeared, and he slowly opened his eyes. His aim was as good as ever.

“Very good, Mr. Queen.” The Count hovered behind him, taunting him. The Emerald Archer turned, leaping at the villain, phasing right through him. “Here,” The voice came from behind him. Ollie twisted around, charging at the Count, only to witness him multiplying himself. The hero stopped dead in his tracks. “You see, I’ve become a house of mirrors.” The hero took a swing at the one to the far left, as the opposite eye’s spun around, spiraling Ollie’s universe. Everything became jumbled and jaded again. Crashing through the door, the hero was grabbed and thrown across the room.

“You’re nothing…” The Count snatched Green Arrow by the neck, smashing his head through the window, covering Ollie in glass splinters. Ollie’s eyes flickered open, and viewed his Star City buried in terror and pain. The green-clad hero threw himself backwards, sending the Count a haymaker. He spun into the wall sinking to the rug.

“Call them off.” Green Arrow pinned an arrow against the Count’s right eye, his only eye. “Your men gave you surgery on your left eye, after I took it. The whole experience was very painful, right? Don’t go through it again Werner, neither of us want that. But then again, now I’m just lying.” Vertigo didn’t flinch or move, he lie there silent. The Count faded into nothingness, as the real one clenched the Arrow’s neck lifting him. He tightened his grip, closing off Queen’s trachea. He fought for a breath as Vertigo smirked in triumph.

“I set out to take you down, you, your city, and the others who were involved in the ‘incident’. I’ve succeeded.” Vertigo ripped the quiver from the archer’s back, breaking it and its contents in half. He let go of his captive, who fell to the ground grasping his neck for breath. “You gave me my gift, I’ll give you your pitiful life for now.”

Vertigo smiled devilishly, swinging around approaching the exit. The Emerald Archer’s fingers crept over to the broken arrows, wrapping his weak hands around an explosive arrow. He lifted it, and with all the strength he had left, flung it at the Count. The half arrow soared across the room spinning in the air, leaking nitro glycerin, seeming to go in slow motion. The point collided with the door as Vertigo shut it.

The explosion was of giant proportions, recoiling back to the other explosive arrows, and setting them off as well. As the floor blew up simultaneously, exploding itself, the windows burst, shooting the vigilante out of them. As he descended through the cold air, he watched the 33rd floor and his penthouse above it collapse on each other.

The Emerald Archer fell into the lagoon just in front of the building, creating a monster splash. He sunk slowly, fading in his weak form. Giant chunks of rubble dove in to the pool of water from above, sinking around him. He could barely dodge the giant stones, finally finding the will-power to survive and surface. His head lifting from underneath the water, as he gasped for breathe, and climbed out of the deep lagoon. Gathering strength he limped across the building’s garage entrance, dropping under a ledge, to protect himself from the raining debris.

The Emerald Archer breathed heavily, ripping off his mask and tossing his hat to the side. Tears strolled down his cheeks as buried his head in his gloves.

Damn it, Werner…