Green Arrow #27: "The Star City Tango"

New York City may be known as “The city that never sleeps”, but when it comes to the West Coast, Star City had gained that honor. How did the smaller city deserve the notoriety when it stood along side such cities as Los Angeles, Coast City, and Seattle? Simple: in the last five years it had become a major hub for illegal trading, and the syndicates that grew up around it, in large part because of the shipping lines to and from Asia and the South Pacific.

Star City had so far avoided a true mob war, however. In that aspect they were way behind the more dangerous cities like Gotham or Chicago, where mob violence and turf wars were as common as a Starbucks on every corner. So what was coming down the pike, as they say, was something that the Star City Police Department was not prepared for... except for one man...

The guys in his precinct had nicknamed him “Bulldog” early in his career, long before he had earned his detective's badge. His father had christened him Jebediah Lawrence Marshall, Jr. He was crowned with the nickname after the night of January 18th, 2003, when his partner and he were chasing down a rapist and murderer who had escaped from a mental hospital in Portland and had made his way down the coast to their fair city.

After four dead bodies, twelve rapes, including that of a fourteen year old girl, and two months of intensive search, Jeb and his partner, Officer James Downing, had cornered him in an old paper-mill just outside of town. Downing had gone in the front, while Jeb circled around back; both hoped they would be the one to capture them. Orders were to stay outside until they received proper backup, but neither of them were one to listen to orders.

By the time Jebadiah had made his way through the broken down loading dock, his partner had already confronted the psychotic who the press had nicknamed the Portland Monster. Jeb was able to follow the voices until he was practically right on top of the killer. Unfortunately the “Monster” heard his movement at the last second and dodged the blow Jeb tried to deliver. The man had a knife and was quick enough to stab Marshall in the side before Jeb could grab his arm.
Though he went down quickly, Officer Marshall, Jr. was not out. He grabbed the killer’s legs, holding on until his partner was able to fire two shots that took the Monster down. By that time, Jeb had been stabbed four more times in the back. Still, he held on, never allowing the man the chance to take off. From that moment on, he was called Bulldog by his co-workers.

He was a disheveled looking detective. It appeared as though he hadn’t ironed nor washed his cloths in weeks. Though not a dirty person, his appearance always gave that misconception. After making detective, he found himself on the receiving end of a rather nasty divorce that had left him bitter about life in general. Even now, two years later, he roamed the streets of Star City on his off time, rather than go home to his apartment on the lower west side. There isn’t a cop in the force who knows the city better than he does; which is why Amara Hunter of the D.E.O. went right to him when the organization began to take an interest in the meta human gangster who had become known as Brick.

At first Bulldog rejected her request for help, but after a rather private incident with his older sister, he decided it was time to get in the middle of the bizarre world of super heroes and villains. He had not particularly cared for any of them, including Star City’s own Green Arrow. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate what they did, but at the same time he couldn’t help but wonder which side started it all? If there hadn’t been the rise of people like Superman or Green Lantern, would the world have had to deal with crazies like Polaris or Lex Luthor? Okay, scratch Luthor, his kind would always be creeping around in the world.

So here he was, walking the streets of the Star, pretending to be something he wasn’t; just in hopes to catch wind of this new criminal mastermind who called himself Brick. All but the very top man in his precinct believed that The Bulldog had gone over the edge after what had happened to his sister; which was exactly what the D.E.O had hoped for. After a couple of well-placed phone calls, he was now considered a dirty cop. That particular reputation would have been something to wear like a badge in cities like Gotham or Hub, but here it was more than frowned upon, it was practically a death sentence if discovered.

Two nights ago he had been waiting for a contact that was supposed to finally hook him up with Daniel Brickwell, but true to his nature, he saw a young blond girl roaming the streets so late he went to scare her back home. Amara Hunter, who had been disguised as a street walker, had stepped in to get him back where he had needed to be. It wasn’t in time, though, as the contact had witnessed the scene and left. He had been chewed out royally by Hunter that night, but hadn’t really cared. A young girl like that didn’t need to be on the streets at that time of night. He did what he had to do – bottom line.

Two days later he sat at a rather good greasy spoon, waiting once more for this guy to show up. Once again he would be disappointed, but in a way that would possibly benefit him if he played his cards right.

When the first gun shot went off it actually startled him. He cursed himself for his slow reaction as he dove from the booth, coffee splashed onto the Formica table. Except for the staff, he had been the only one in the restaurant when the first and then the second shot fired. The waitress screamed, the cook swore, and Jeb sprang for the door.

He made it out and around the corner of the building in less than five seconds, more than enough time to see his contact lying in his own blood, two bullet holes in the back of his head. It didn’t surprise him, really; but what did was the fact that the killer was still there, holding the smoking gun in the cool night air.

The man’s black leather trench coat flapped in the mid-winter breeze as he eyed what he believed to be the dirty cop in front of him. “Been waiting for you, Bulldog. My employer would like to have a word with you.”

“And if I say no?” He could think of nothing better to say at the moment.

“You didn’t live this long cause your stupid.” The man smirked.

Jebediah shrugged and allowed himself to be taken. He had no idea where he was going, but he had always trusted his gut, and his gut was telling him this was the way in.



Mia Dearden was not panicking. She kept telling herself that as she looked out the window of the small apartment every couple of minutes. It was the window that Connor sometimes used when he came back from a night of patrolling. It had been nearly sixteen hours since she had last been in contact with him; highly unusual for him. It seemed she couldn’t go four hours without him calling to check up on her... now there was nothing.

Smack dab in the middle of her teen years, Mia had been through more in her short life than most teenage girls. Having been kidnapped and sold into white slavery, she would have lived out a life of horror had it not been for her father and the original Green Arrow – Oliver Queen – who had come to her rescue. After all this time she still struggled with that trauma... and more....

Since her father’s untimely death, she had been having a recurring nightmare that would not go away. It was always the same scene that had replayed itself over and over. The moment that she had taken a life – the life of the man who had tortured her, the same man who had been about to kill Connor Hawke. *

*In Green Arrow #17

She had convinced herself that what she had done was for the best, that there had been no other way around it. She had even convinced Connor that she was fine; the truth was she hadn’t been since they had returned. Too much had happened. There were some days when she felt as though she were barely hanging on to her sanity. The constant nightmares were not helping. At least she could breathe a sigh of relief that the ghost of her father was no longer haunting her; though that made her kind of sad as well.

With a glance at the clock for the tenth time in less than five minutes, it finally sank in that he was not coming home anytime soon. Something was definitely wrong. She had two choices at this point: call the emergency number that Connor had given her in case this event was to happen. It was a number that went directly to the personal phone of Batman; or... she could go out and look for him. Connor would want her to do the right thing, or at least what he told her. After ten seconds of careful consideration, she decided to find him herself. The idea of calling Batman was the scarier option.

She opened her closet and stared at the bow that Connor had bought her. She had a little training, but not much. Should she...?

“If you carry it with you, you must make sure you are prepared to use it,” a female voice said softly from behind her.

Mia jumped before turning around. The woman was dressed all in black, a plain face mask covering everything but her eyes and nose. Her accent was thick, and the bow that she carried in her hand was impressive to the eye. Mia’s eyes widened as she recognized the woman from her talks with both Connor and Ollie. Yet, it was impossible... this woman was dead!

“Shado?” She whispered in disbelief. “You... you’re dead.”

“No, child, I am obviously not. Nor is your father. That is why I’m here. We were plucked from the clutches of death by the Shadow Thief.*

*In Green Arrow #17

“He... he’s alive? Where!? Where is he?” In her excitement she went toward the assassin, but stopped short when the woman pulled her bow up.

“Do not come near me child. I have only told you this because in the time that your father and I were forced to work together, I gained a respect for the old man. He is alive and well and will return when he is finished with his adventure. He... misses you.” The last statement was said with obvious amusement in her tone.

“My friend is missing. Will you help me find him?” She blurted it out before she had thought about what she was asking. She had just asked a known assassin to help her find Green Arrow. That was rich!

It appeared that Shado had thought the same thing because she burst out in a throaty laugh, lowering her weapon slightly. “No.” Then she headed back to the window she had jimmied open and disappeared into the evening skyline.

Mia thought she was going to faint. Her father was alive! ALIVE! Now she definitely had to find Connor. She had to tell him. They had to find Eddie!

Going back to the closet she grabbed her coat and headed for the door. She decided not to take her bow; Shado’s words still lingered in her mind, but she was determined to find him. The small whine of her new Jack Russell caught her attention. She tossed him a treat she had had in her pocket and promised him she would be back soon. When she got outside into the chilly evening air she stopped on the stoop and looked around. She realized she had no idea where to start.

Not totally true, she thought to herself. Every morning when Connor came home he blabbed on and on about where he patrolled and even what routes he took. If she could remember what he had said, it would be a start. Mia made a mental note to herself to actually begin paying more attention to her friend.



Waking up again, Connor found himself surrounded by a couple of doctors who had a grave look on their face as they stared down at him. They must have been physicians for the D.E.O. It was now his second run in with this particular organization. During his brief tenure as Golden Arrow he had met agent Chloe Sullivan who had been a key player in their final battle against Asad Fara.*

*In Green Arrow #17

“I’m assuming I’ll live?” he asked them in a dry voice.

The one closest to him spoke in that typically reassuring doctor’s voice. “You’re going to be just fine. There was a little internal bleeding, but we stopped it easily. You’ve got three broken ribs and numerous contusions. You’re a very lucky man.”

“I’ve always thought so.”

“Alright, doctors, give us a few minutes please” said D.E.O. agent Amara Hunter from the door to his room.

“Just a few minutes, Agent Hunter; the boy needs his rest.”

“Yes, yes, I know the routine.” She stood at the door, giving them the look that they were to leave. They nodded and left without another word.

When she approached him a warm smile appeared on her face. “I’m glad to see you’re going to make it. You took quite a beating.”

“Thank you. I’m assuming that’s why I’m here? The beating I took from Brick the meta-human that your people have been investigating?”

“You’re quick, I like that. It had been a while, we weren’t sure you remembered. Yes, that’s exactly why we’re still in this city. One of our remaining loose ends while the DEO's busted up and doled out to other groups.”* She had a note of bitterness in her voice.

*Check out The Guardian mini-series for more details-editor

With no care for politics, Connor instead asked, “The other agent – Sullivan? Did she have her baby?”

Amara chuckled. “Oh yes, not to long ago. Both mother and child are healthy and doing well. I’ll send them your regards. Director Sullivan said you were a bright young man, polite, serious. I have to tell you, I’m glad this is the Green Arrow we are working with. Your predecessor had a reputation for being a bit... difficult.”

“That predecessor is also my father. Although he does have a reputation for being... passionate. Unless I misheard you, I could have sworn you just said we are working together. I don’t remember when that happened, actually.”

“Well I may have spoken a bit prematurely, but I’m hoping that you will help us. We need to bring Brickwell in, but to do so, we also need to catch him with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. My partner was recently killed trying to do just that. It was on Director Sullivan’s recommendation that I contact you for help.”

“If you know he’s a meta, then why don’t you just go in, throw a net over him, and drag him away?”

“You almost sound like your father just then. Being a meta isn’t illegal... yet. And I will admit that he is very smart. We’ve yet to be able to pin anything down on him; though we know he’s got quite an operation in Star City. The local police are also helping us with the investigation. They’ve got a man working hard to infiltrate his organization. But I figured you’re this city's lead hero and we could use all the help we can get. Especially as I lose budget and manpower each day.”

It did not surprise him that he sensed she was holding something back; his father had constantly harped to him about trusting people with government authority. He would say that their motives were always deeper than what they told you. Connor also knew to ask too many questions would get him nowhere at the moment.

“Alright, I’ll help you. This Brickwell fellow needs to be removed from society anyway. What do you want me to do?”

“Exactly what you’re doing. Patrol the streets, check with your contacts. If you hear of anything that we can use, contact me.”

“That seems relatively easy,” Connor mused.

“Then you haven’t been dealing with Brick long enough,” Amara grunted. “The guy is good; super smart and super strong. Trust me.”

Connor chose not to respond to the comment, his mind already working on this own theories.



The Bulldog was led down a side street in the fast growing area between 12th Avenue and Farmer Street that had been dubbed Star City’s very own Little Italy. He kept his head down, but his eyes were everywhere, and made sure he memorized every step they took.

He was ushered down steps and into a side basement entrance of a small Italian baker. The aroma of fresh bread was overwhelming and Jeb made a mental note to come back there someday to purchase a warm loaf.

When the door shut behind him he had to let his eyes adjust to the dim single light that hung over the mostly empty room. Except for two chairs that faced each other in the center, the place was bare. He was grabbed and roughly pushed down in front of one of the chairs as the other gentleman knocked on the inside door, once, announcing their arrival.

Within seconds the door opened and a well dressed man in his early sixties appeared. Jeb was used to surprises; but inside he was thrown by the sight of notorious mob boss, Anthony Scarapelli. He eyed the man coolly as the infamous godfather sat down in the chair directly in front of him.

“Detective Marshall, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance,” Anthony said. “You have quite a reputation in these parts. Is it too bold of me to assume you are aware of who I am.”

“I know who you are,” Jeb said with a deliberate brusqueness to his voice. “If nothing else, the cliché of this room pretty much tipped me off.”

Ignoring the remark, Anthony continued. “It has come to my attention that you are looking for some off-duty work. My men here were kind enough to stop you from making a huge mistake. Mr. Brickwell is not the type of employer that you really want to be working for.”

“And you are?”

“My pay is good, my fringe benefits are much better than his. A longer life span, for one. My Las Vegas and Hub City businesses are proof of that. I have a business proposition for you, Detective. One that I think can benefit the both of us.”

Bulldog eyed him suspiciously, but inside his heart was racing. What were the chances that he could nail two big crime bosses in one operation? “Go ahead, I’m listening.”



In the third neighborhood that Connor was known to frequent, she began to wonder if her idea had been a good one after all. The first night had been unsuccessful, but she still didn’t want to give up; still didn’t want to call for help.

She felt, in her heart, that it was her job to find Green Arrow. He had always been there for her, and now it was her turn. As she walked through the more derelict sections of the city, she began to doubt her choice.

This feeling increased when she saw the four young men headed right for her, only a few yards away on the same side of the street. They were all in their late teens or early twenties, and all of them looked at her with like a pack of hyenas.

Mia knew she had two choices: turn and run or continue to move forward with the hope that the training Connor had given her so far would be enough to fend them off. In an instant she chose the first thought, still insecure about her own limited abilities.

She turned around on a dime and sprinted down the street the way she came with. She could hear the young men run after her, with war cries, laughing as they chased her down.

She turned a corner quick, headed west back toward a safer neighborhood, and hoped that she could reach someone before they caught up with her; unfortunately her prayers went unanswered as she was suddenly tackled and brought down hard onto the concrete sidewalk.

“Hey Joey, nice catch. Don’t throw her back, I think she’s big enough to keep... for a while at least,” One of them shouted and the others laughed as she struggled to get away from the one who had pinned her down.

Before she knew how it had happened, Mia found herself on her back with the one called Joey straddling her; his knees pressed hard on her arms. He grinned at her before raising his head and letting a howl into the deserted street.

“Who goes first?” Joey called back to the other three. When there was no answer he turned his head to see what the silence was all about. His eyes widened as he saw his three friends lying unconscious on the ground. A masked, blond man standing in the middle of them with his bow drawn.

“I believe you would want to get off of her before you apologize,” Green Arrow said.

Joey cursed in shock before he leaped to his feet and ran down the street away fromthe weapon pointed in his direction. He only got several feet when he felt the blunt arrow head strike him in the back of the head; after that there was nothing but blackness.

Mia stared at Connor. “Oh my God, thank you! I really thought I was a goner.”

“What are you doing in this part of town?” Connor asked, a not of irritation obvious in his voice.

“Looking for you!” Her anger flashed at what she knew was going to be an argument. He wouldn’t even allow her a chance to be relieved that he was alive; something that ticked her off.

“I believe the agreement was for you to call the number I gave you if I disappeared for more than twenty-four hours. I’m positive I paid the phone bill this month.”

“Where the hell have you been?” She screamed at him as she ran up to him. What she really wanted to do was hug him, but he wasn’t allowing it and that too, was making her mad.

“It’s a long story and one that we can discuss after I get you back...”

“Well there you are!” A voice cried out from above them.

They both looked up to see a dark haired man in some kind of uniform on the edge of the roof, an arrow nocked and pointing right at them. “I was beginning to think I’d never find you in this city, Green Arrow. It would have been a disappointment since my employer went to so much effort to spring me from prison.”

“Do I know you?” Connor asked curiously. His own fingers were flexing as he gauged the distance between all three of them. He knew exactly who this assassin was, but he didn’t necessarily want the other man to know that... yet.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Merlyn and I’ve been hired to kill you. Feel free to try and fight me first. I’m dying to see if you’re any better than that loser of a Green Arrow that came before you.”

Raising an eyebrow was all the reply Connor gave him, choosing to let his actions speak for him as his hand flew up as quick as lightning and fired an arrow. He suspected that Merlyn would block it with his own arrow, which he did. The new Green Arrow then fired four more in rapid succession, counting on catching him off guard as he fired different angles on all arrows.

Merlyn was just as quick, just as agile as he blocked every single shaft with arrows of his own. They stood there, measuring each other up.

Then Merlyn sighed. “I didn’t think so.” He then leaped off the building and right toward the waiting Green Arrow.