Green Arrow

KIA #1

By George Jones

"But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and, by heavens I tell you, it had gone mad."
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness


Present Day.

The stench of this City is overpowering, returning home I have traded one hell hole for another. One thing I have learnt from my travels is that we're all the same. We are all evil and corruptible. Leaders and rulers feed the masses lies and bullshit to stay in power or force their hand to stay in power when their bullshit is no longer enough. I was once employed by the government to kill people who didn't look like me, who didn't speak like me or pray to the same gods. This way I un humanised them to the point where taking a life meant nothing.

I was paid to kill the right people and was branded a hero for it. Funny that the act of killing isn't the taboo it's just whether or not you kill the right person. I have seen things you wouldn't believe but the memories will all fade in time like tears in the rain. The only thing I will have is the memory of once having those memories, essentially making it all a lie. American…the land of the free, what a joke. A country born on the ideals of equality and democracy but yet blacks are still getting gunned down on the street by cops and little kiddies are being blown away in their schools by crazed teens with automatic rifles.

This is madness, it's all madness. This is truly the asylum being run by the inmates. I wish I had never came back but I had to. To kill them for what they did to me. I was a weapon and I wanted a mission and for my sins they gave me one. We were sent out to Burma to dislodge a local warlord chieftain. The man had numerous wives, some of which were children. He was killing all those who opposed him and would display their naked bodies in the centre of villages as an example to the rest and it didn't matter if it was men, women or children. He was scum and he needed to die.

As it would happen I would never reach this man and personally, end him. But that story is for another time to tell. In those years spent in those jungles after I had been left to die I truly found out who I was and the nature of humanity at its worst. I had been plunged into darkness and yet madness did not take me over and consume my soul.

"He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is detestable. And it has a fascination, too, which goes to work upon him. The fascination of the abomination you know."
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness


Elsewhere.

The body lay in the alleyway, still warm. The forensics team were taking blood samples from the large wound on the chest of the recently deceased man. Detective Mack Morgan sat inside his unmarked police car and finished off his cigarette as the storm clouds above began to lash down heavy droplets of rain. Morgan who was newly promoted stepped out of the car with a sigh and tossed his cigarette to the ground. He tried to shake the cobwebs from his head as he approached the lead forensic agent with a semi-smile.

"What we got tonight then?" Morgan said trying to sound interested

"Well, this one's quite interesting actually. Found the body with an arrow lodged in his chest. Nothing I've ever seen before in 15yrs"

"An arrow?" Mack retorted with surprise

"Yeah, Game of Thrones shit. No markings, this thing was handmade"

"And the victim?"

"Male; Charles Green. Two stints in state, five in county. Rape, burglary, arson. We have witness in the back of Officer Davies car, crazy story on this one"

Mack smiled and patted the man on the shoulder as he turned on his heel and jogged back down the alley and over to the patrol car the witness was in and climbed into the back seat. The witness was a heavy set man with a big moustache and bad skin.

"I'm detective Mack Morgan-"

"Great. I told the officer here what happened but I guess you want me to tell you too?"

"If you don't mind," Mack said annoyed

"That bastard came at me with a knife, asked for my wallet and watch. Before I could say anything this fucking arrow came out from the sky and hit him in the chest. Honest truth, do I really look like a fucking archery enthusiast?"

"No, you certainly don't" Morgan answered back sarcastically using every effort and will inside of himself not to punch the man in the mouth

"Can I go now then?"

"Sure, an Officer will be in touch in the next couple days-"

Mack was cut off by the slamming of the car door as the man swiftly (for his size) made his exit into the rain.

SEAL TEAM/SPECIAL FORCES BEAURU OFFICE

Location: ********** *******

Behind the large ornate oak desk sat General William O'Neil, head of operations for all covert black ops missions of US military personnel. On paper, this man didn't exist. Behind him stood his bodyguard, a secret serviceman and in front of him sat Chester Wallace who was his second in the command chain.

"The official report says that Queen was terminated during the mission-" Wallace said with a worried expression

"Listen! I don't give a shit what the report says. The man is alive and this does not look good on us! We have sworn statements saying his body was buried and his dogtags returned. I have the President breathing down my neck asking me how people come back from the dead. Bring Queen in now! If he goes to the press and discloses what happened, we'll incite an international crisis for collapsing the Burmese government, not to mention the laws that we've broken. He could expose it all. He knows too much"

"Sir, Queen has gone AWOL again. Our men lost him at-"

Chester Wallace was interrupted as the room door was slammed open, Roy Harper who was wrestling off two other men fought his way into the room.

"YOU FUCKING KNEW HE WAS ALIVE DIDN'T YOU!" Roy screamed as he was tackled to the floor with pistols aimed at his head.

"Get that sonvabich out of my office!"

"You covered it up! You fucking knew!" Roy barked as he dragged out the room.

Star City

"The Triangle"

The large group of African-American gang members stood at the centre of the derelict car park. Burnt out vehicles blocked the entrances. The small crowd were doped up and drunk; fighting, sharing around women and performing doughnuts in her cars. The merriment quickly stopped as the white costumed figure of man slowly came walking to the centre of the carpark. He had a red cross symbol on his chest and black armour gauntlets and shoulder pads, a white mask covered his entire head only for two eye slits. The man stood well over 6 feet tall and 300lbs of pure muscle. The gang members fell silent and stood in disbelief.

"You all have 3 minutes to leave before I start killing you all" the man said. At first, the crowd was silent.

"FUCK YOU!" A shout came

"WHO THE FUCK YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Another shout came

"Bloodsport"

As the man finished his answer he pulled two high powered custom pistols from his back, but these pistols fired with the ferocity of bazookas. Bloodsport sprayed the first rows of the crowd. Bodies fell to the floor in heaps. Bloodsport swiftly dove for cover behind a burnt out car as numerous gang members drew their own pistols and fired back.

"WHITE POWER!" He screamed as he reached for a grenade from his belt and tossed it towards his attackers. In the confusion of the blast, he stood up and sprayed another deadly hail of bullets. Many of the gang members now began to run, many lay dead and many lay wounded. Bloodsport continued to fire and laugh manically as he rained down round after round…

Meanwhile.

Oliver Queen climbed down through the skylight of the warehouse and made his way down in the office of the derelict building where he had been living the last few weeks. He tossed his bow onto the floor and switched on the TV which was powered by a small generator. Oliver sat down and wiped the blood off his hands and face.

"A mass shooting occurred 20minutes ago in the lower east side of Star City. All citizens have been advised by the Mayor to stay indoors until the gunman is taken down. Witnesses say a costumed man opened fire on a group of gang affiliated youths. Updates to follow"

Oliver sat back in his chair and stared deeply at the blood at stained his hands. A million thoughts ran through his head.

"Stop him son," the cold voice came from behind. Oliver turned around so fast he fell onto the floor.

Sweat poured down his body as he gazed at the corners of the empty room. Oliver shook his head in disbelief and scrambled back onto the chair.

"It is as inhuman to be totally good as it is to be totally evil."
Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange


TO BE CONTINUED…