"This better be it," Arsenal muttered to himself. Having searched all of Avalon Heights for any suspicious Vertigo related activity, he found that while there was a lot of suspicious activity- a disturbing amount, really; were there even any laws in this town?- there was none that had any ties to Vertigo. Remembering that he was in town for a reason, he resisted the urge to do his thing of beating up bad guys and move on in search for the Vertigo. Taking to the rooftops, he flipped and zip lined his way through a few of Avalon Hill's blocks, before finding a particularly interesting building.
From the outside, it looked like an abandoned multi-floor apartment. However, there were two armed guards with assault rifles standing outside the front door, and Arsenal could see shadows moving that indicated more guards on the upper floors. From his vantage point across the street, he could also see briefcases being brought inside by shady-looking people- including the drug dealer from earlier that night.
"Perfect," Arsenal grinned. Taking a quick mental count of the amount of guards he could see, and guessing that there'd be a few more inside, he thought that while there was around ten armed guards, he could handle them if he took them on one by one, or two at one at the most. Just isolate them, and take them out. Easy. Oliver wouldn't approve of him storming the castle alone, but it wasn't like he had any backup- he still didn't know who that guy with the bird on his chest was, nor if he could trust him. And while ten on one were bad odds, two on one was a lot more favorable.
He drew in a deep breath. He notched an arrow on his bow. Steadying his sights, he planned in his mind what would happen. Arsenal took aim.
Arsenal fired.
The arrow whistled through the air and buried itself in the shoulder of one of the armed guards, taking him down to the ground. As the other guard reacted to the surprise, a second arrow flew and made its home in the other guard's shoulder, taking him to the ground too. Arsenal then launched a zip line arrow and descended to in front of the abandoned apartment. Making his way up while sticking to the shadows, he quickly and stealthily took out each armed guard he came across- an arrow for a shoulder, then proceeding to the guard and making sure they were knocked out.
When he had finally made it to the top, he thought he hit the jackpot: there were lab tables, chemical instruments, and lots and lots of those green and purple pills. Surprisingly, there weren't any people inside. Maybe there were on a midnight meal break or something, Arsenal thought to himself. He took an explosive arrow and began thinking of where he should let loose when he suddenly felt a piercing pain from his neck.
"You should learn to be more stealthy, little red riding hood," a voice from behind him taunted. Arsenal pushed off from behind him and turned to face his attacker, but it was too late. His vision began to blur, and while he felt like he was losing control of his limbs, he still felt conscious- barely conscious.
"The original Vertigo gave you an unimaginable high," the voice began. "The one that came out three months after the Count disappeared was more high risk, high reward. A few weeks ago, the version that began to be pushed came with a kind of… fear inducing effect, without the high. But you see, my Vertigo will give you a high that the original could never reach. You'll never want for anything else, I guarantee it. And the only thing I ask for in return is simple: your mind."
Arsenal's attacker chuckled, then made a tut-tut sound. "There is a new Count, my friend. A new Count Vertigo. Now, be a good little boy and drop your bow."
Arsenal couldn't think straight. Couldn't move his body. And yet… it moved on its own? It dropped his bow.
"Good. Now bow before your Count, boy."
Once again, without even moving his body, Arsenal's body moved on its own. It kneeled in front of the man that did this to him. He couldn't let it end like this- he had to fight back! He'd been in worse situations before, and nothing could be worse than the Mirakuru. He could fight back. He could!
And yet… and yet it felt so good. Whatever was in that syringe made Arsenal feel so good. Why did he need to fight back? He didn't need to do anything. He just had to enjoy this sensation…
From his perch outside the building, the man with the bird on his chest gritted his teeth. "Not good."
A/N: Looks like things aren't looking good for Arsenal. Can he break free out of his drug-induced state? Will the new Count Vertigo get his comeuppance? And- serious question here- what should Nightwing's Arrowverse name be? Like, you know how Green Arrow's just The Arrow, Black Canary's just The Canary... well, Nightwing doesn't have a color in his name, so I can't drop that... perhaps I should add a color to his name instead? Blue Nightwing! XD
Find out next time on: Super Friends! (I'm just kidding. But seriously, find out the answer to the first two questions next issue, coming soon.)