Green Arrow #14: "Fortunate Son" Pt. 2

When the blackness lifted from Eddie Fyers, he found himself lying on a bed that smelled strongly of mold and urine. His head throbbed with so much pain that for a moment he couldn’t tell if he was about to throw up from the odor or the headache. In the end, he realized it didn’t matter as he swung his head over the bed and began to wretch.

He was surprised to find that there was a garbage pal being held for him, while someone’s cool hand was stroking his forehead.

“I think we need to get him to a doctor,” he heard the young girl called Mia say.

“Too dangerous.” It was Ollie’s voice, that one he recognized.

The young man, Connor was it, spoke up. “He was shot in the head, Ollie, and then struck on it while still recovering. I think she’s right.”

“I know she’s right,” Ollie said with mounting frustration and anger. “I’m not stupid, but after what happened, there’s no way we can drop him off at a hospital, or risk a doctor. It was bad enough that the government was after Eddie in the first place, but Mia shooting a CIA agent has really made matters worse.”

“I barely winged him!” Mia exclaimed heatedly.

“It is fortunate that you are a poor marksman,” Connor acknowledged.

She turned and gave him a cold look. “Yeah, I’m going to need some help changing that.”

“I’m... I’m fine,” Eddie whispered as he lay his head back down on the bed. “Just a little nauseous.” He looked around at the dingy surroundings. “What is this place? Some kind of purgatory before Hell?”

Ollie looked at his friend and grinned. “Kind of, we’re in Jersey.”

Eddie groaned. “Wow, you really know how to kick a guy when he’s down.”

“How can they joke like that when we’re on the run for our lives?” Mia asked in exasperation.

Connor smiled gently and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Everyone copes with stress in their own way. I’ve gotten the feeling that our fathers have been doing this for a while now.”

She turned back to her father, checking his forehead and relieved to feel that it wasn’t warm. She had just found him, and the idea of losing him now was too much to bear. He had risked his life to save her from Count Vertigo, and even if he couldn’t remember her at the moment, she owed him her life.

“You up for some questions?” Ollie asked as he sat in the chair across from the bed and threw his legs up onto the cheap table that sat next to it.

Eddie swallowed hard and nodded. “I just hope I have the answers for you.”



Star City

The limo pulled up to the mansion located on the north side of the city. It had once belonged to one of Star City’s more popular mayors, but when a new mansion was built, the old one was placed on the market. It was quickly bought by a rather large man named Brickwell.

The mansion sat back away from the rest of the neighboring houses, and the neighbors would readily admit to anyone who asked about it, that they had never seen the owner of the estate after his initial appearance. Yet, it wasn’t unheard of to see cars coming and going at all hours of the day and night.

Tai Lee was escorted into the twenty two room home by way of the visitor’s entrance. He found himself facing a large foyer, an extremely ornate staircase in front of him. Following it up with his eyes, he couldn’t help but notice the two Deviancies that hung on the wall behind the extended balcony.

“This way, Mr. Lee,” one of the men said as he ushered the young Asian man into a simple, and yet elegant, looking office. This too was two stories, with a spiral staircase leading up onto the second level where authentic mahogany shelves lined the walls; rows and rows of books standing upon the shelves.

He was so taken by the richness of the room that he did not hear the door open, then close, behind him. It wasn’t until the person cleared his throat with a low rumble that could have been mistaken for distant thunder, did he realize he was not alone. He turned to find the elusive Daniel Brickwell staring at him, arms folded.

Brickwell was a giant of a man. He stood at least six foot six, but his height was only half of it. He was as wide as two linebackers fused together. After the initial take on his general appearance, he then noted the Dolce & Gabbana suit that was obviously tailor made for him. It had to have cost a good five thousand dollars. Tai Lee had had his entire introduction planned out, but the sight of the behemoth caused his mouth to dry up and his brain to shut down.

“I don’t have all day, Mr. Lee. My time is money,” Brickwell finally said with noticeable irritation in his voice.

“Yes... errr... I’m sorry. I was just expecting someone...” He trailed off, not sure what to say that wouldn’t sound offensive.

“I get that a lot. Let’s skip the introductions. I know who you are, and who your brother was. He was a good businessman, although I wasn’t a fan of how he made his money. But he was a professional and I respected that. Now I’m hearing that you’ve come back to town to take over the family business?”

“That’s right,” Tai answered. He still couldn’t speak, frozen by this man’s stature.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re smart enough to know to come to me. Everything that goes down in this city is cleared with me first. This is very wise of you.”

There was a quiet knock at the door and a flicker of annoyance in Brickwell’s eyes, but he called for the interrupter to enter.

An older man, probably late sixties, was ushered in. His eyes were tired and gray, the look he gave the crime boss was apparent; he didn’t like this man at all.

“Karl, I hope this is good, I’m in a middle of a meeting.”

“You wanted to know as soon as I found out what the Mayor had to say about your proposal so I didn’t waste any time. His answer was yes, he’s in. He’ll have the papers for you by tomorrow morning. Tyler’s Shipping Yards will be handed directly over to you without going through the proper channels. He hopes that this is the beginning of a very long and profitable friendship.”

The giant of a man nodded thoughtfully, then slowly walked over to the older messenger, his face breaking out into a smile that seemed to Tai Lee like a shark right before he’s about to devour something.

Brickwell placed his hands on the man’s shoulders, the weight of which nearly forced the old man onto his knees. “I’m glad to hear this. It is unfortunate that you had to announce this in front of company, however. I suppose the saying that with age comes wisdom, isn’t always the case.”

In a blink of an eye, Daniel Brickwell’s hands went up to the messenger's head, cupping them between his ears, as he gave a sudden jerk; the old man’s neck snapped with a sound much like the tearing of a wishbone. As the man fell to the ground, the boss turned to the man who stood watching.

“Take him away and return him to the Mayor, and inform him that if we are going to be working together that ‘Brick suggests he gets some smarter help’.”

Without saying a word, the man nodded, picked the old guy up as a fireman would do, and walked out of the room.

Brick turned back to his guest. “Alright, you’re in. I’ll make sure to get the ball rolling for you, but I warn you, I do not tolerate stupidity. And in the end, your brother was a very stupid man.”

Tai bristled at the statement, but said nothing; nodding only and then leaving the room.

After he had gone, a call came through which Brickwell answered. “Yes? I see. What kind of condition is he in? Alright, come by as soon as you can.”

He hung up the phone, picked up a small file and opened it to a picture of a young African American dressed up in some kind of hero garb. He needed to send a message to the city's big protector and the one called Static might just be the way to do it.



“So these two agents, Turner and Gertz, you used to work with them?” Ollie was asking his friend as he paced back and forth.

“Yep, we were working out of Kuwait for over a year. Our main objective was to run the field agents we had planted in Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kandahar. They’re very good at what they do, and very loyal.”

“Why are they after you?” Mia blurted out with exasperation.

Eddie shook his head in bewilderment. “I honestly don’t remember. I can see bits and pieces in my mind, but everything is still jumbled. But something is really wrong if those two were going after me on American soil. They have no legal jurisdiction and should have turned the matter over to the FBI or Department of Homeland Security.”

“And the fact that they didn’t means that they’re trying to keep this quiet,” Ollie stated. “They’re also pretty obsessed with getting to you if they’d actually try to take you from the headquarters of the Justice Society.”

Across the room, Connor Hawke had been sitting quietly, his eyes focused on the television, its sound turned way down. He finally turned to the rest of the group. “I also find it interesting that Mia shot a CIA agent and it’s nowhere on the news. We know that he wasn’t seriously wounded, but still, wouldn’t the news have her face, and ours for that matter, plastered all over the television?”

Eddie considered that for a moment. “Possibly. But if their trying to keep this on the down low, they’d do everything in their power to keep it quiet.”

“The down low?” Mia couldn’t help but smirk at the use of street slang.

“I did use that right... right?”

Mia laughed. “Yeah, it just sounded strange coming from...”

The distant sound of a helicopter outside caused her to stop in mid-sentence. She looked at the others, but Ollie and Connor were already up, peaking through the drapes. Ollie cursed loudly as Connor grabbed his bow, slinging his quiver over his shoulder.

“We’ve got to get out of here, now,” Ollie said. “I think they found us.”

“Who found us? And why?!” Eddie nearly screamed in frustration.

Ollie and Mia helped Eddie out of the bed. “You’re the only one who can answer that, and I’ve got an idea on who can help us with finding the answers, but right now, we have to go.”

Connor was already in the bathroom, opening the window and lifting Mia through it. Her protests were going unnoticed as she was unceremoniously tossed onto the ground below. She landed hard on her bottom, thankful that they had gotten a room on the first floor.

Mia heard the helicopter getting closer, the screeching of tires in the parking lot in the front of the motel, and her heart began to race. They weren’t getting out of this; there was just no way.

“Catch.” She heard Connor whisper as she looked up to see two bags falling her way. She reached up too late, both of them striking her and knocking her back to the ground. This in itself didn’t upset her, but she could have sworn she heard Connor chuckle.

As she picked up the bags she was startled again by the thud of Ollie’s son landing next to her. She turned to see him reaching up as Eddie was lowered down by Ollie.

“Got him,” the younger archer whispered.

“No, we’ve got him,” Came a voice as the three of them turned around to find four men in dark suits aiming their weapons at the trio.

For a moment, nobody moved, the trio gripped in uncertainty, while their pursuers readied their weapons. Mia fought the urge to grab her father and start running, while Connor began to calculate the odds on taking them all out. In the end, however, it was Ollie, in costume, which reacted first.

Although his shoulder was damaged, he forced himself to nock an arrow, firing it out the window and between the two sides. In seconds, a cloud of thick smoke arose from the special arrow-head, and the men began to scream.

“Scatter!” Ollie hissed at all of them as he nocked another arrow, aiming up and into the ceiling of the motel. It exploded outward and he leapt up, grabbing the ceiling by his one good arm and pulling himself up onto the roof.

Looking down, he saw the cloud of smoke rising up to encompass the hotel, also catching a glimpse of Mia as she grabbed Eddie. Shots began to ring out, making Ollie’s stomach drop. They were actually shooting at them? That didn’t seem right at all. He could hear the helicopter above him, but the thick cloud had now surrounded him, so he crouched low, doing his best to listen at all the sounds that were playing out down below.

“I’ve got one!” He heard one of the men shout and his stomach dropped again. What had the guy meant? Had he captured them, or... he shook off the creeping idea. Then he saw both Mia and Eddie emerge from the smoke several yards away. They were running towards the car.

One of the black vans screeched to a halt in front of them and Mia tried to guide her father in a different direction, but it was too late, they were surrounded. They raised their hands in surrender and it was at that moment that Ollie realized he was on his own. All of them had been captured.

His mind raced. Now what? Think, Ollie, think! If he was captured too, it might be over for all of them, because somehow he knew, deep down, that these men were not CIA agents – at least not officially.

The smoke was beginning to dissipate; he had to make a move. He still couldn’t see Connor anywhere, and the other two were being led into the van. He tried to remember the layout around the motel; a convenience store sat to the right of the motel, to the left was a small wooded area.

It was at that moment that he heard Dinah’s words in his head after one of their many fights: You’re not Robin Hood, Ollie! No matter how desperately you want to be.

“Maybe not, Pretty Bird, but I’m as close as they come,” he muttered out loud as he leaped up and made a mad dash across the motel roof. If the people in the helicopter had spotted him, he wasn’t able to tell. He also realized that what he was about to do could quite possibly screw up his all ready battered collarbone beyond repair, but it was all he had.

He reached the edge of the hotel, his arm flying behind him with lightening speed as he jumped off the roof, simultaneously firing a grappling arrow in mid-air. It caught one of the higher tree branches and with his good arm, he held on to the rope as he swung across the empty field that stretched between the motel and the wooded area.

Ollie landed on one of the branches, gritting his teeth from the pain as he turned to watch his friends and his son being driven away. At least Connor was walking and didn’t appear to be injured. Scanning the area, he also saw that four men had been left there, obviously still searching for him. Only four left, he thought. He tilted his hat back and scratched his head with a dour smile. Good, my kind of odds.



Kemel Asad sat in the hotel penthouse overlooking Star City's skyline with growing impatience. He had never planned on coming back here, let alone this god forsaken country. When the American hero, Green Arrow, had destroyed his home however, and nearly destroyed his business, he knew that it would have to be taken care of once and for all. The man had dishonored him in his own home; as well as set him back in millions of dollars. The Arrow had stuck his nose into something so big that the only way to make sure it would not come back to haunt him, was to eliminate Arrow and his companions.

The ringing of the phone shook him from his thoughts. He was on it in a heartbeat, answering it curtly. He listened carefully, his brown eyes as cold as ice as he heard the news.

“Find him, or say goodbye to your loved ones,” was his only reply as he slammed down the phone.

He had barely replaced it in the cradle when it rang again, two short bursts, which signaled that the call was coming from the lobby of the building. Again he picked it up with the same curt greeting.

“Come up then,” he said sharply, replacing the phone.

He pulled out a decanter of fine Scotch from the glass wet bar, and poured some into a goblet of finest crystal. He waited patiently as the private elevator made its way up to him. He had always considered himself a patient man, but since the incident with the American hero, he had found his patience running out.

The elevator dinged to announce its passenger's arrival. The door slid open and a young man of about twenty slowly stepped out, his face was mixed with shock and pain. Asad’s instincts kicked in as he drew his gun; something was terribly wrong. Where were his men who were supposed to be escorting this man up?

Then the man took two more steps into the penthouse before falling forward, striking the beige carpet with his face. Sticking straight out of his back was an arrow. Asad cursed out loud as he marched across the room, stepped over the man, and caught the elevator doors before they closed. He looked in to find both of his guards lying in pools of blood. Arrows stuck out each of them: one in the throat, the other through the heart.

He reached over and hit the emergency stop button as well as removing the private key. Then he downed his drink as he looked around the small elevator, his gun still raised in his right hand. He noted the unusually large access panel in the ceiling and fired four shots at it, just for his own piece of mind. Then he turned and walked towards his phone.

Dialing the number he only had to wait a second before it was answered. “This is Kemel Asad calling for Mr. Brickwell. We have a problem.”



Three of the agents lay on the ground unconscious, the forth was receiving Green Arrow’s fist to his jaw for the third time. He lay, half dazed, as he was pummeled.

“You know, I’m getting really tired of this.” Ollie said with a growl in his voice. “Tell me where they took my friends and maybe I’ll leave enough of your face alone so that your mother will still love it.”

“You’ve assaulted four Federal agents,” the man spat back. “So-called hero, or not, you’re going away for along time, pal.”

“If you seriously think I still believe that any of you are actual agents, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d love to sell ya.”

The man gave him a knowing smile. “Reach into the breast pocket of my coat, asshole.”

Ollie shoved the man to the ground, placing his foot on the man’s neck to keep him still as he searched inside the pocket. His hand found a billfold and pulled it out. He flipped it open to find the badge and I.D. card that stated this man was indeed an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Huh, well I’ll be damned,” Arrow said, his voice still nonchalant as he dropped the I.D. on the man’s chest. “Guess I’m really screwed then. Ain’t got nothing to lose now, do I?”

The agent gave him a baleful look. “Not necessarily. This hasn’t been called in yet, and we’ve got the one we came for. You surrender now and come with us as well, and maybe you won’t have to face any prison time.”

Ollie scoffed. “Oh yeah, you guys are great at keeping your word, aren’t you. Tell me where they took my friends, or I’m crushing your larynx. You won’t be able to say a word, let alone eat anything solid the rest of your life.”

“Go to hell.”

The masked bowman let out a shout of frustration. How far could he go? He knew this man wasn’t going to give anything up, and he wasn’t prepared to go much further. If he could just get something out of the man... anything at all. That was when the idea hit him. It was a long shot, but what did he have to lose.

“Fine. I know where Gertz and Turner are, and since they seem to be the head of this little project, I’ll just bind and gag you and your friends and take a little trip down to Star General where Gertz is recovering.”

Laughing, the agent rolled his eyes. “They’ve got him so well guarded, there’s no way you’re getting in there, buddy.”

Green Arrow smiled. “Up until now, I wasn’t even sure he was even there, buddy.”

The agents face turned red, but before he could speak, Ollie struck him in the gut and then hit him across the face with his bow, knocking him out cold.

“Okay, I have no idea where Agent Turner is, but at least I can find Agent Gertz, and that man will tell me what the hell is going on,” Ollie declared to himself as he stalked off.

Getting into his vehicle he realized that he was now on a road of no return. Not even his connections with the Justice League could get him out of this one. Nor could he see any of them actually lifting a finger to help.

“Dinah’s going to have a lot to say about this one,” he murmured as the car took off into the sunset.



Kemel Asad walked through the office door to find Daniel Brickwell and Tai Lee waiting for him. To say he was unhappy would have been an understatement. Two of his best men, and his newest informant were all dead. Obviously the work of the one called Green Arrow, which made him re-think just how dangerous this man was.

“Come in, have a seat,” Brick said, gesturing to the chair at the right of Lee’s.

“Answers, Brickwell,” Asad demanded. “I want to know why my operations have been falling apart. We’ve had a very lucrative partnership until now, and I would hate to see it spoiled at his point.”

Tai Lee nodded in agreement. Although he had felt that way as well, he was not about to voice his opinion to the large man when the two were alone. Now, however, the third member of their four-member partnership had shown up; making his feel a bit safer. He envied Kemel’s arrogance and self- assurance.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Asad, things are being handled. In fact, our inside man is on his way here now, to give us the full update.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and then it opened. Two of Brick’s men ushered in a third man, dressed in a dark business suit and looking worn in the face.

“Well if it isn’t our own Agent Turner.” Brick announced out with more than a hint of mockery in his voice. “What does our favorite CIA operative have to tell us, and it better be good, for your sake.”

Turner gave the man a cold stare. “Don’t threaten me, Brickwell. We all know who I really work for. You can’t touch me without a world of hurt coming down on all three of you. Now get me some of that whiskey you got and I’ll tell you where we’re at.”

Both Lee and Asad watched Brick’s hands not only clench but shake in anger, but he was silent as he went to his bar, pored the drink, and handed it to the federal agent. “So spill it.”

It was obvious Turner was enjoying the moment as he slowly sipped the bourbon, smacking his lips before speaking. “Eddie Fyers is in our custody.”

“Finally!” Lee practically shouted with joy. “And what about the others?”

“The young female and male were also captured as well.”

Kemel leaned forward in his chair. “... and the one called Green Arrow?”

Turner shrugged as if the name was of no consequence. “He'll get caught eventually, and dealt with.”

Kemel shot out of his chair with something bordering rage on his face. “He killed three of my men! He needs to be captured now, before he realizes exactly what is going on.”

The agent shook his head. “No, he did not kill your men.”

“How can you be so certain?” Brick asked.

“First of all, we’re talking about Green Arrow. He’s a pain in the ass and a loose cannon at times, but when it comes to killing, every psych profile every department has on him, shows us that his code against that is right up there with the big S himself. Second, I had the shafts of the arrows that killed your men, examined. It’s nothing like Green Arrow’s. These were all made out of bamboo with authentic eagle feathers. Our research shows that those particular weapons are typically found in the Japanese art of Kyudo.”

It hung in the air, the last statement, for a full ten seconds before they all turned to Tai Lee; the Japanese partner’s face had turned pale.

“What’s going on?” Brick demanded to his partner.

“I... I am not sure.”

“Fine,” Kemel said. “You may not be sure, but you have some idea.”

Tai swallowed hard as he nodded. “It has always been rumored that the Yakuza has an assassin that is unstoppable. He has never actually been seen, but uses the weapon of which you speak of. I have only heard his name mentioned in hush whispers, Shado, and if this assassin and the Yakuza have entered the picture, Green Arrow is the very least of our concerns.”

To Be Continued![/b]