Author's Note and Disclaimer:
This is a sequel to The Arrow's Path but it will not cover Season 2 with Deathstroke arc yet. I have planned that one in Summer. This one will be more focused on Adrian Chase and it will have similarities to Punisher Season 2 and Daredevil Season 2-3. Adrian will be the main character here but I plan for Oliver, Nyssa and others to appear too but I haven't thought of how crucial role will they have here.
Updates will be irregular due to my college duties. Expect one update every week or two weeks.
I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchise
Adrian Chase was alone in a bar somewhere in the United States, on a leave from his District Attorney services in Star City. He also decided to retire from his role as Vigilante, trying to move on and find some peace, after getting justice for his dead wife and children. He was listening to the country music before he noticed a young girl, around 19 years old approach the female brunette bartender. The girl seemed… familiar, yet there was something odd about her as Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"Can I help you?" The girl asked.
"Sorry, you just… have we met?" Adrian asked, since he could swear the girl looked familiar.
"I guess I have a familiar face." The girl shrugged as she turned to the bartender. "Lemonade, please."
"Here you go." The bartender handed the girl the lemonade as she drank it before the girl started to look around frantically.
"You OK?" Adrian asked.
"What?" The girl turned to Adrian, a little freaked out.
"You seem… on edge. Are you in trouble?" Adrian asked, genuinely worried.
"No offense, dude but it's none of your business." The girl said as she handed the bartender a $5 bill for the drink. "Keep the change." She left as the bartender sighed.
"Don't mind her. We got kids like her coming here all the time. Usually runaways from homes, which the P.I.s or cops from around come look for because they ran away from their homes. Kids like her come here every week or two." The bartender said.
"I see." Adrian nodded.
"You're not from around, are you?" The bartender asked, cleaning her glass.
"I work in District Attorney's office in Starling, I'm on leave currently." Adrian said.
"Starling City, the one, with the Robin Hood guy?" The bartender asked.
"Yeah." Adrian nodded.
"I've read the news. Man, Malcolm Merlyn and that Diaz guy… the city clearly went into chaos." The woman said.
"No kidding." Adrian said. "Lot of paperwork and indictment and stuff like that… I just couldn't take it, so I took a leave."
"What brought you here?" The woman asked.
"I go where the road takes me." Adrian shrugged as he swallowed his drink.
"Do you have any family you should go back to? Any friends? Family?" The woman asked.
Adrian sighed, remembering Doris and his children and one of his best friends, who had betrayed him. "Almost everyone that mattered to me… were taken away from me."
The woman suddenly looked guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"No. Don't. It's… it's OK." Adrian said. "I've been on a road for a while now and… kind of trying to figure myself out."
"I see." The woman said. "What's your name?"
"Adrian." He said.
"Annie." The woman nodded.
"Thank you for accompanying me home." Annie smiled as Adrian accompanied her to her apartment.
"It's no problem." Adrian said.
Annie sighed as she considered. "You won't mind coming in? Have a drink?"
Adrian considered but then he wondered, what was the worst that could happen?
Annie let Adrian into her apartment as he saw the toys scattered on the floor. "Uh, it's my son's toys. I haven't had time to clean that mess up."
"You have a son?" Adrian asked as he saw the photo of her and a young boy. "Where's…"
"The father?" Annie laughed shortly. "Frankly, there is not one worth mentioning. I… it's always been me and Sam."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Adrian said. "Must be hard… to take care of your son on your own."
"It is… but there are days, when… I'm glad there's no other influence for my boy. And sometimes… he's like a storm that I can't handle on my own." Annie laughed.
"Yeah, I know what that's like." Adrian nodded. "When my kids were barely able to walk… sometimes… it was fun… and there were days when they were like Tom and Jerry."
As they laid in bed after making love, Annie was looking at Adrian's scars and seeing the mark of a ring on his finger as she ran her fingers on his injuries as he fondled her hair. "Those scars… was that when your family…" Adrian nodded. "What happened?"
Adrian sighed. "We were all in the wrong place at the wrong time. A shootout between gangs. I passed out from the bullet wounds and when I woke up… my best friend told me that Doris, Drew and Adam were gone. Taken away from me."
"God, I'm so sorry." Annie whispered, being able only to imagine Adrian's pain. "I can only imagine… if you don't mind me asking… when…"
Adrian sighed. "There are days, when it feels like yesterday. And… sometimes… it seems like a lifetime ago."
Then Annie looked at the clock on her nightstand. "You better go before my son wakes up. I gotta make him breakfast in 10 minutes."
Adrian was entering his hotel room before he saw the girl he had met before in the bar sneak out through the window as he narrowed his eyes. What was the girl doing?
"You OK?" Adrian asked as the girl turned to him, startled as she glared.
"Are you following me?" The girl demanded, recognizing Adrian.
"Why would I be following you?" Adrian asked, genuinely confused.
The girl sighed. "Whatever. Just stay away from me, creep." She turned around, pacing down the car park as Adrian shrugged.
"You OK?" He asked but the girl ignored him.
Adrian entered his car and was about to drive down the road again before he considered. There was something that attracted him about the woman back in the bar…
Adrian went back into the bar as Annie was cleaning some cups with a cloth as he sat at the counter, to her surprise.
"Shouldn't you be on the road by now?"
"I don't know… I think I left something behind here and thought it would be pity to leave it behind. Thought I should stick around a little longer." Adrian shrugged before he saw the girl again, sneaking into the bathroom as she was being followed.
"Adrian. You OK?" Annie asked. "Adrian."
"Yeah… it's nothing, don't worry." Adrian trailed off.
"Annie, a beer please." A customer called out as she turned to him.
Adrian went to the corridor in the bathroom as there was a tall man guarding the door. "Sorry, you probably don't want to go there now, someone got really sick."
"Hey, have you seen my niece?" Adrian asked. "Around this tall, dirty blonde hair, brown jacket."
"No." The man said.
"You sure? Because I'm sure I saw her go in there." Adrian said.
The man narrowed his eyes before he was about to attack Adrian but Adrian kicked him, bursting through the woman's bathroom as two people, a man and a woman, were holding the girl around her neck.
"Where is it? Where is it?!" The woman demanded.
"Hey! Let her go!" Adrian yelled.
One of the men rushed at Adrian with a knife but Adrian slammed his head against the sink as it crashed and blood spattered on the floor and the man fell down, dead with cracked skull.
"No one mentioned a guy with her." The man said as he got up on his feet. He tried to stab Adrian with his knife but Adrian grabbed his arm and broke it before punching him in the face and throwing him against a booth. Adrian rushed at the woman and threw her on the floor, dazing her.
"What did they want from you? Who are they?" Adrian demanded.
"I don't know." The girl said, frightened.
"Don't lie to me." Adrian warned.
"I don't know, I swear, I don't know these people and I don't know why are they after me… Watch out!" The girl cried out.
Suddenly, someone pulled Adrian out from the toilets into the bar. It was a tall man, muscular as he faced Adrian in the middle of the bar.
"Bar fight!" One of the men cheered.
Adrian and the man faced each other. The man threw a punch but Adrian blocked and hit him in the face before slamming him against a pillar, pummeling him in the chest and grabbing him by his throat. "Who are you?!"
The man kicked Adrian in the stomach and headbutted him as Adrian staggered back. Adrian blocked the incoming punch and twisted his wrist before hitting him in the chest three times and slamming him to the ground. Suddenly, the woman, who had attacked Adrian before, jumped at him from behind and started to choke him with a garotte as Adrian choked out.
A bouncer grabbed the woman, making her let Adrian go but she pulled out a gun, shooting him in the chest as he fell down. She then aimed at Annie, who had in her hands a rifle as she hit her in her shoulder, while she cried out in pain. Adrian roared, tackling her to the ground and knocking her out.
"Annie. Annie!" Adrian yelled as he ran to her, while she was holding the wound on her shoulder. "Oh, my God, are you OK? Don't worry, we're gonna get you to the hospital, OK?"
"My son… Nick…"
"Don't worry, it's gonna be OK." Adrian assured her.
"I know where the hospital is here." The girl said as she showed up. She helped Adrian get Annie into the car as she showed him the way, while Adrian drove away.
The man, who Adrian had knocked out came to as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Yes? Do you have the girl?"
"No. There were… complications."
"You do know how I process failure…"
"Listen, this is different. Adrian Chase… he's alive."
The voice paused. "This better not be your lame attempt at saving your own skin…"
"Look, sir, I know what I saw. It was Adrian Chase. I swear to God."
The voice trailed off, considering his options. "Interesting. Find him. Find out what he knows. Then kill him."
FBI HQ, Starling City
Dinah Drake was looking at David Drayson's file as an agent approached her. "Agent Drake. There's a problem. Adrian Chase. You may want to go to Michigan. Looks like he left a trail of bodies."
"Damn it." Dinah cursed and wiped her face in frustration. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Adrian?"
Author's Note:
So, what do you guys think? Is it good? Is it bad? Should I continue?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this.
With regards
Bl4ckHunter