Chapter 4

Once again night falls on the city of Metropolis Drake begins to take his finally leap into his alter ego. This time he will not cause vandalism, this time he is set to decide who lives and who dies. For the most part the man who made him the way he was, had no chance to live tonight was not about showing mercy it was about showing vengeance. He remembered the tales of Jonah Hex a man who came back a changed man, scared for life. Now he was this time periods Jonah Hex but he was a vigilante not a bounty hunter. He was fully dressed by the time I.O.N reported and said, "Sir, are you sure you want to go through with this it is a big step to kill a man in cold blood." His black holes began glowing red and he replied, "COLD BLOOD! Look at me I am a monster I can not go outside like this, try a normal relationship who would want this to wake up to every morning. My only remorse and motivation is to cause as much pain to the people who did this to me as possible. Vengeance is the only thing keeping me sane." Drake thought to himself sane who is this sane in all rationality he was not being sane; it could have been the meteor radiation affecting him. No, it was his own motivation that the Skull brought out in him a chance to live out his darkest part of his heart. I.O.N just turned away and said, "I went through Virgil Swan's database took me all day to hack through his encryptions but I have found out there was one survivor from the exploding planet. Kal-EL, so our Blur's name is Kal-El." The Skull nodded and say, "At least I do not have to call him the Blur anymore if I meet up with him. Tonight I am actually hoping to run into someone else the Emerald Archer or Green Arrow." I.O.N said, "If you keep meeting these vigilante's every night one day they will catch on to who you are, and if that happens will try to bring you down. Even though you will most likely win out due to your powers, but they could out you to the world and leave you with nothing but your family farm." The Skull just ignored I.O.N something he never does I.O.N knew that his creator was going down a dark road, one that there could be no turning back from. He knew that he had to find someway to cure this insanity that The Skull was creating for his creator.


Marcus Longfellow sat in the state room he was provided by his employer Tess Mercer while she looked into the recent break in and destruction at the LuthorCorp. factory. This was the first time that one of his employers ever did this for him; he was a gun for hire. He had killed many people and he was good at it, even if they had a weapon he was able to disarm them neutralize within seconds. This time he injured a business man and scientist who were causing some type of economic turmoil for his boss. He read the paper about the Skull and had a funny feeling in his gut that this person was not targeting Luthor Corp for any reason but revenge. He was after Tess Mercer and if he was after Tess Mercer then that means he was after him, but then again he could be some thief with special powers. There was nothing to get worried about he had a nice room, unlimited room service and anything else he might want. He was living like a king and he was going to milk every minute of it, and the best part of all he was costing him nothing. As he was finishing reading the Daily Planet all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. He went to ignore it because his employer told him no visitors unless it was of the hooker kind and even then run it by the bodyguards. Then the knocking became pounding on the door. Marcus finally got up and was about to open the door when the door exploded in front of him, splinters landing in his face. He fell to his knees screaming out in pain and as the dust cleared through the doorway came the man from the paper. The Skull said in a demonic unearthly voice, "Marcus Longfellow, it is time to pay for your sins." The Skull grabbed Marcus and tossed him into the fire place and Marcus's legs caught on fire. The Skull laughed and said, "You are a professional hit man that goes after the weakest of enemy's women, children, scientist in their labs." Marcus knew what the Skull was here for; he was here for what he did to Drake Lionheart. The Skull then grabbed a knife that was on the table and cut out one of Marcus's eyes, blood spud out of the wound. Then the Skull tossed Marcus still screaming from all the pain out on to the balcony. Marcus got up on his knees and started to beg for his life, "Please, I will do anything even tell you who hired me just don't kill me man, please don't kill me." Marcus began to wet himself from all the fear. The Skull just chuckled and said, "Mercy, you ask for mercy. You will find know mercy here because I am the sword of justice and I am the bringer of death." Marcus got up on to his knees and rushed the Skull hoping to take advantage of a good situation, however The Skull pulled his "Peacemaker" from his holster with lightening speed and shot Marcus in the head. The speed of the bullet plus the speed of Marcus sent Marcus flying backward over the balcony down fifty stores on to a nice Mercedes owned by Tess Mercer who happened to be leaving. She looked up and saw the Skull looking down from her and realized that the Skull was after her all along.


The Skull was already on the roof by the time the Metropolis PD got to the scene and no one had seen him run up to the roof. Well almost no one, across on another rooftop aided by Watchtowers police ban scanner he had picked up word of a Skull like man killing a Marcus Longfellow, hired gun. As the Skull was nearing where he had parked his bike, the Green Arrow shoots an electric arrow at him of course the Skull absorbed that energy. Arrow said, "That should have put you down." The Skull turned and Oliver could tell that was no mask that was his actual face no doubt. The Skull says, "My abilities are very unique I have the ability to heal and the ability to absorb all energy and use it back on anyone ten times that of what they used on me." Arrow knew he was in trouble but he still held his ground even with Chloe screaming in his ear get the hell out of their and come back to Watchtower. The Skull said, "How did you like my little show of justice?" Arrow said, "That's a bit harsh don't you think even guys that kill deserve a second chance." The Skull chuckled and said, "People who do evil on others deserve harsh punishment that will end crime once and for all and bring about a peace in the world." Arrow thought that this creature or man had a point but he had traveled that dark road before and he knew it all to well, but thanks to his friends he was saved. Arrow said, "Maybe it doesn't have to be if there are heroes like us trying to make the world a better place even if we have to recapture criminals that should have been put away permanently." The Skull said, "There is only my form of justice." Arrow knew there was no reasoning with him, he fired one of the arrows right at the man's head and it went through the face or the skull that was his face. The Skull fell to the ground and Arrow said, "You aren't getting up from that." He goes over to retrieve the arrow and as he pulled it out he watched as the wound healed itself. Arrow said, "Oh crap." The Skull reached out and electrocuted Green Arrow to the point where his heart stopped and then he jumped down on this bike and sped away.


Chloe sat at Watchtower and began to cry as she saw that Oliver was dead at the hands of the Skull. She called Clark and he rushed over and started Oliver's heart again. Oliver began to cough and said, "Thanks." Clark said, "Don't mention it, but what were you thinking going up against him Oliver. His powers are strong even stronger than mine." Oliver said, "Thought I could reason with him but it turned out that I couldn't really do that." Clark helped Oliver up and then Oliver said, "But I got a real good look at that chest plate he wears and I've seen that technology before and it belongs to Lionheart Industries." Clark paused and said, "Drake is supplying this man with the tools he needs to kill. That does not seem like him, were friends all growing up." Oliver said, "People change Clark, I think it is time to do some digging into your friends past and my business relationship with him can make a good cover for that." Chloe said, "No you and Clark go at least you'll have backup in case Drake has a superhuman bodyguard to help take out people he thinks are a threat to him."


Drake woke up once again in his lab and saw the headlines that read The Skull official a wanted criminal. Once thought as a protected to the metropolis now he no more than a criminal that is set out to bring out old west type of justice. He read it and smiled and thought to himself that it was working, he was causing fear and when feared it would cause a permanently end the crime in the city. As he began to work on mortifications to his armor I.O.N said, "Sir Clark Kent and Oliver Queen are here to see you shall I have Ms. Jones have them wait." Drake turned to I.O.N and said, "No tell Ms. Jones that Oliver Queen is now a business rival and I do not wish to speak to the press any further." I.O.N did as his creator told him to do and the two men left talking and I.O.N knew that they were talking about his creator. I.O.N knew that his creator had gone deep into the darkness that his alter ego has created for him, and he knew that he was the only one that could find a cure to his madness.