Green Arrow: Vertigo
Chapter 1: Welcome Home
Star City TransPacific Railway Station
Down next to the old dockyards that occupied much of the area where Star City met the Pacific Ocean was what looked like a train station, constructed and designed in the most modern architectural styles. Indeed, a track designed for a monorail train ran into the building, but instead of leading into the city, the rail disappeared into a tunnel that led beneath the water.
A group of people had gathered at the side of the station's one terminal, facing a small stage. Most of the gathered people were reporters, their cameras and microphones focused on the three men standing near a podium. As they watched, one person, a middle-aged Caucasian man dressed in a dark grey suit, stepped up to the podium.
"Good morning, everyone," the man greeted, "I wanted to thank you all for being here today for the completion of the inaugural trip of the TransPacific Railway. As many of you know, the state of the art bullet train, designed in a decades long joint venture between the Yashida Corporation and Queen Consolidated, left Sendai, Japan yesterday. According to the eggheads in charge of this operation, it should be arriving just about….now."
As the man spoke, the sound of whooshing air came from the tunnel, followed a moment later by the darkness being pierced by a pair of bright lights. A few seconds after that, a sleekly designed train emerged from the tunnel and glided to a stop within the station, kept hovering just above the rail by a series of powerful magnets installed along its belly.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the man continued, gesturing grandly to the train as he spoke, "As the mayor of our fair city, allow me to be the first to introduce to you the future! The TransPacific Railway!"
As the gathered crowd politely applauded, the train settled down onto the rail, the low hum coming from its magnets ceasing.
"Now, I'm sure you all have many questions," the mayor stated, before he indicated to the two men standing to the side, "For that, let me introduce to you the two men who helped bring this marvelous feat of engineering to life. The CEO of Queen Consolidated, Mr. Werner Zytle, and the CEO of the Yashida Corporation, Mr. Shingen Harada!"
As the mayor stepped aside, the two men stepped up to the podium. One was a tall middle-aged Caucasian man dressed in a dark green suit. His blonde hair had begun to recede, making his widow's peak all the more prominent and he studied the crowd with cold blue eyes. The other was a young Asian man dressed in black suit. His black hair was finely coiffed and his eyes were covered by a pair of expensive looking sunglasses. They both shook hands with the mayor before the older man stepped up to the microphone, the younger one standing to his side.
"Thank you, Mayor Altman," the man said, his voice carrying a slight accent from somewhere in Eastern Europe, "And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for being here on this momentous occasion."
Pausing for a moment in his speech, the man, Werner Zytle, motioned to the train with one hand.
"What you seen before you is culmination of one man's dream," Werner continued, "That of my dearly departed friend, Robert Queen."
Werner paused again, a solemn expression on his face.
"I wish he was here to see this, his life's work," Werner stated, "The very work he gave his life for. But this is not a day for mourning, but for celebration. So please, join me in welcoming the arrival of Robert Queen's legacy!"
At that moment, the doors to the train opened and a number of people began to depart, applauding as they did. In all the commotion, nobody noticed as a figure slipped out from between two of the cars and dropped down onto the other side of the train.
He was a young man in his mid-twenties, with Asian features, tanned skin, messy black hair and a scruffy beard. He wore a dirty green, hood sweatshirt that was barely holding together, a filthy, ripped pair of blue jeans, and sneakers with so many holes in them that they were practically sandals. Slung around his shoulders was a dark green gym bag.
Moving lightly, the young man snuck across the train station before exiting through a side door. Glancing around, the young man paused long enough to get his bearings, taking a moment to marvel at the skyscrapers that dominated Star City's skyline before he nimbly hopped the fence surrounding the building and disappeared into the concrete jungle.
Freeman Community Center
Deep within the confines of Star City was a rough and economically depressed neighborhood known as the Glades. At the center of the Glades was a squat, utilitarian building that an the words "Freeman Community Center" emblazoned above its door. Inside the building were a number of rooms used for various purposes, including a gymnasium and an indoor pool.
Tucked away in a small and messy office, was a middle-aged African American man. He was tall and athletically built, with black hair cut close to his head and a trimmed goatee. He was dressed in a dark navy suit and white button-up shirt, his suit jacket slung around the back of his chair while his blue tie hung loosely around his neck. He was currently reading a document, his brown eyes scanning it through a pair of reading glasses while his head was supported by the arm he had propped up on his desk.
"Mr. Pierce?" a young woman said from outside his office.
"Candice, how many times have I told you?" the man said good naturedly as he took off his glasses and looked up at her, "You can just call me Jefferson."
"Okay, Mr….uh, Jefferson," Candice replied with a nervous laugh, "There's uh….there's someone here to see you."
"To see me?" Jefferson questioned as his brow furrowed in confusion, "I didn't think I had any appointments today."
"You don't, sir," Candice answered, "But I think you'll want to see this person all the same."
His curiosity peaked, Jefferson stood from his chair and followed Candice as she led him to the community center's entrance lobby. As they approach, Jefferson saw the young man who had stowed away on TransPacific Railway waiting for him with his head lowered.
"Hello," Jefferson greeted with a friendly smile, "Can I help you with something?"
"It's been a long time, Mr. Pierce," the young man said, his words slow and methodical, as if he was out of practice in speaking.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Jefferson asked as he drew closer to the young man, Candice hanging back with a concerned look on her face.
In answer, the young man raised his head and looked Jefferson directly in the eye, grinning as he did.
"You really don't remember me, Mr. Pierce?" the young man questioned, "After all the shit you had to put up with because of me?"
As Jefferson looked the young man in the eye, recognition hit him and an expression of astonishment plastered itself across his features.
"Oh my God!" Jefferson shouted as he grasped the young man by the shoulders, "Oliver!?"
5 Years Earlier
"Oliver!" a voice shouted from down the alleyway as a young man in dirty, threadbare clothes ran down it, "Ollie! Cops!"
At this, the second young man who had been crouching in the alley looked up sharply. He was relatively short, with Asian features, a lean frame, a close cut black hair. He wore a black tank top, a pair of old, white sneakers and baggy blue jeans that hung low enough to allow his grey boxer shorts to be seen.
"Shit!" the young man, Oliver, spat as he stood up, tossing aside the wallet he had been rifling through as he took off down the alley, falling into step alongside the other young man.
"There they are, officers!" a voice shouted from down the alley, "Those are the crooks who stole my wallet!"
"Hey you!" another voice yelled, "Stop!"
"SCPD!" a third voice called, accompanied by the sounds of feet slamming against the pavement behind them, "Don't move!"
Neither of the young men paid heed to the order they had been given as they raced down the alley, desperately trying to outrun their pursuers. Turning a corner, the two skidded to a halt as they found their way blocked by a chain link fence.
"Shit!" the other young man shouted as he saw the fence, "We are so busted!"
"Not yet we're not," Oliver replied with a look of determination, "Come on!"
Rushing towards the fence, Oliver hopped up before grabbing onto it and starting to scale it. Oliver's friend watched him in surprise for a moment before following suit. By the time Oliver had gotten to the top of the fence, a pair of men dressed in navy blue police uniforms came running around the corner after them. Hopping off the fence, Oliver landed on the other side as the police officer's grabbed hold of the back of his friend's shirt and pulled him off the chain link. Oliver only spared a moment to watch his friend struggle hopelessly against the officers' grips before he turned and fled down the alley.
As Oliver approached the end of the alley, a grin of triumph began to spread across his features. Then, just as he reached the end of the alley, the sound of police sirens screeched through the air. A moment later, a police cruiser with Star City Police Department written across the side skidded to a halt in front of the alley, blocking it.
His eyes widening in shock, Oliver thought quickly. A determined look crossing his face, Oliver rushed forward, leaping onto the hood of the police cruiser and sliding across it. His sneakers hitting the pavement, Oliver moved to continue running. Before he could though, the passenger door slammed open, hitting the young man in the side. The blow sent Oliver stumbling onto his hands and knees, allowing the police officer who had opened the door to tackle him to the ground. Oliver struggled for a moment, but in the end, he could do nothing but grit his teeth in frustration as the officer yanked his arms behind his back and slapped cuffs on his wrists.
Later,
Oliver sat in barred cell in the general holding area of a SCPD precinct. Sighing in defeat, Oliver lay down on the metal bench he was sitting on and stared at the off white ceiling above.
"Man, I can't believe you just ditched me like that," Oliver's friend grumbled from the spot where he sat glaring at Oliver.
"Come on, man, you would have done the same thing," Oliver replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Besides, what did you want me to do? Fight off those cops with my mad kung fu skills?"
"I guess not," Oliver's friend answered with a sigh, "Still, not cool, bro."
"Whatever," Oliver said flippantly, "You gotta do what you gotta do to survive. When an opportunity to save your skin comes along, you've got to grab it."
"Oliver!" the police officer called out as he walked into the holding cells, reading the name of the clipboard he was carrying, "I'm looking for an Oliver Smith!"
"Speaking of which," Oliver said with a grin as he hopped to his feet, "Here!"
Looking in Oliver's direction, the police officer stopped in front of the holding cell Oliver was in.
"You're Oliver Smith?" the police officer questioned with a quirked eyebrow.
"Yeah, what of it?" Oliver challenged, "You expecting my last name to be Chan or something? What do you want?"
"You made bail," the police officer replied caustically, "Thought you'd want to know."
"I did?" Oliver asked in confusion as he stood and walked up to the bars of his cell.
"Well, someone paid bail for you," the police officer explained, "But you could always stay if you really want."
"No, no!" Oliver replied quickly, giving the police officer a friendly smile as he did, "I'll take it, it's cool."
"That's what I thought," the police officer replied as he unlocked the cell and opened the door to allow Oliver to exit. As Oliver walked out of the cell, he shot his friend a cocky smile, prompting the other young man to flip him off. Leading Oliver out of the holding area, the police officer brought him into the precinct's bullpen. Instead of bringing Oliver towards the front desk, however, the officer lead him towards one of the interrogation rooms.
"Hey, what's the deal?" Oliver questioned in confusion, "I thought you were letting me go?"
"Someone wanted to talk to you first," the police officer replied as he ushered Oliver into the interrogation room and closed the door behind him.
Glancing around the room, Oliver saw that the interrogation room fit the description of what he imagined they were like, with dark colored walls illuminated by a single light that hung from the center of the ceiling. At the center of the room was a metal table flanked by matching chairs, while one of the walls was dominated by what appeared to be a large mirror.
Sitting in the chair across the table from the entrance was a middle-aged man. He had blonde hair that had begun to go grey, grey eyes and a trimmed goatee. He wore an expensive, dark green suit with a matching tie and a white, button-up shirt. As Oliver entered the room, the man looked up from the file that lay open on the table.
"Hello, Oliver," the man greeted.
"Hey," Oliver replied, clearly weary and confused.
"Why don't you have a seat?" the man suggested as he gestured to the empty chair.
"You a fed or something?" Oliver questioned as he sat in the chair, slouching and crossing his arms over his chest.
"No," the man replied with an amused smile and a shake of his head, "My name is Robert Queen."
"Queen?" Oliver questioned with a quirked eyebrow, "As in that big tech company?"
"Queen Consolidated," the man, Robert, replied with a nod, "Yes, that's my company."
"Damn," Oliver commented with a smirk, "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you screwing supermodels or swimming in pools full of money or something?"
"I'm here to see you, Oliver," Robert explained.
"Why?" Oliver questioned with a baffled laugh.
"Breaking and entering," Robert said, turning his attention towards the file in front of him and ignoring the question, "Grand theft auto. Petty theft. Public indecency. You've racked up quite the record for someone so young."
"Yeah, so?" Oliver challenged.
"You're going down a dangerous path," Robert observed.
"What does it matter to you?" Oliver demanded.
"It matters to me because you're my son, Oliver," Robert answered.
There was a pause as Oliver stared at Robert for a moment before he burst out laughing.
"Shit man, that's a good one!" Oliver said between fits of laughter, "You-You had me going there for a second!"
"I'm not joking, Oliver," Robert insisted calmly.
At this, Oliver's laughter died down and he looked at Robert in confusion.
"What are you talking about, man?" Oliver questioned.
"I'm your father," Robert repeated.
"Bullshit, you are!" Oliver snapped, "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Wonder Bread?"
"Have you?" Robert countered, "I admit, you take after your mother more than me, but I can still see that you're my son. It's in your eyes."
"Don't give me that Harry Potter bullshit," Oliver replied as he turned his grey eyes away from Robert, "What's this really about? This some trick? You trying lead me into your pervy rich man sex dungeon?"
"Nothing like that, Oliver," Robert replied with a tired, disgusted look.
"Then what is this!?" Oliver snapped angrily as he glared at Robert, "Because you expect me to believe that you're my long lost father who decided to pop in after I spent my whole life on the street?"
"I know it doesn't make much sense, Oliver," Robert admitted with a sad sigh, "And I am certainly responsible for not being present in your life. But I am telling you the truth. I am your father."
"So, what is this?" Oliver questioned with a snort, "Some kind of intervention?"
"Yes," Robert replied with a nod, "If you want to put a label on it, yes, I suppose it is."
"Alright then, let's say you are my old man," Oliver said contemptuously, "So you're plan is what? Walk into my life and use your money to set me on the right path? Turn me into a productive member of society?"
"That would be something I'd want to see you become," Robert answered with a sigh, "But I'm not sure I have the time for that."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Oliver questioned before a look of understanding crossed his face, "Oh shit, is that what this is about? Are you dying or something?"
"No, Oliver, I'm not dying," Robert replied, "Not yet, anyway."
Oliver quietly quirked an eyebrow in reply.
"I'm going to be taking a trip soon," Robert went on, ignoring Oliver's look, "To look into a….business asset of mine. I wanted you to come with me."
"Looking for some last minute bonding time?" Oliver asked with a snort, "You realize I don't really believe you still, right?"
"I thought that it might come to that," Robert responded with a sigh as he retrieved something from his pocket and placed it on the table, "Which is why I brought this."
Looking down, Oliver realized the object was a check. Glancing at Robert, Oliver waited until Robert nodded at him encouragingly before he picked it up. Examining the check, Oliver's eyes wide before he looked at Robert in shock.
"Dude, are you serious right now?" Oliver questioned before looking back at the check to make sure he had read it right.
"I am," Robert confirmed with a nod.
"Let me guess," Oliver said, his shock giving way to skepticism, "I only get this if I go on the trip with you, right?"
"No, you can walk out of here right now with it," Robert answered with a shake of his head, "It's not a bribe. It's a gesture of goodwill. If you choose not to come on the trip with me, and want nothing more to do with me, at least I will know you're taken care of."
Oliver said nothing in reply, though he continued to glance suspiciously between Robert and the check. Seeing this, Robert sighed and stood from his chair.
"For what it's worth, Oliver," Robert said as he fixed his jacket, "It was good to see you."
With that Robert began making his way to the door leading out of the interrogation room.
"Say…." Oliver began to say, causing Robert to pause before opening the door and look back at the young man, who's gaze was focused on the check,"Say I did decide to go on this trip with you. Do I need to meet you at the airport or something?"
"Airport?" Robert repeated with a snort of amusement, "No."
Turning to look at Robert in confusion, Oliver watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out before handing it to the young man.
"Meet me tomorrow at the marina," Robert stated before turning away and leaving.
Looking down at the item Robert had handed him, Oliver saw that it was a picture of a luxury yacht docked in a marina. The boat was painted pure white, and across the side of it was written the name "The Queen's Gambit."
"Man," Oliver sighed, "This had better not be a sex thing."
A/N: Yep, I'm taking another shot at doing some superhero stuff. Hope you guys enjoy it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!