Shadows of Unrest
The Manor was oddly quiet as Oliver opened the front door. Over the last few weeks, Oliver could physically feel how utterly empty it was now. Only the sound of the television playing in the living room made the home feel remotely alive.
"Let's address the elephant in the room, shall we?" a male's voice suggested. "By now we've all heard and seen the video that sparked the startling rumor... you know which one I'm referring to. The Red Arrow: Dead or Alive?"
"I don't think he's dead, this whole thing was sparked by a delusional psychopath intent on killing everyone in the Merlyn Global Plaza for some blood ritual," a woman's voice piped in as Oliver entered the living room.
"Then why haven't we had one single sighting of the Red Arrow since the public display he made by hanging Lester Buchinsky, the Electrocutioner, outside of the SCPD?"
"Jim, you saw the video the Red Arrow released the day after that rumor was started," the woman rolled her eyes.
"Vicki, with all due respect, the rest of the world doesn't use the upfront theatrics Gotham criminals use."
The woman, Vicki Vale, sighed. "Trust me when I say, there's nothing 'upfront' about Gotham criminals; but staying on the matter at hand, we're talking about the self-proclaimed 'Devil of Starling City' here. This guy thrives on theatrics."
"So, what... are you saying that the person in that video was the Red Arrow?"
"Based on what we know about this vigilante, yes, I do believe so."
Thea and Moira were sitting on the couch watching the debate, barely acknowledging Oliver's arrival. "The Red Arrow wouldn't make a citywide broadcast just to be theatrical. This has the Arrow's fingerprints all over it."
Vicki and Oliver both scoffed in unison, earning a light chuckle from Thea. "How on Earth does this point to the Arrow?" Vicki asked.
"During the Plaza attack, he couldn't answer whether the Red Arrow was alive or not. Think about it for a moment, Ms. Vale. The man leading the attack on the plaza clearly knew something about Red that the Arrow didn't want known. So, our assailant drops this bombshell in the middle of their fight, and in the moment the Arrow can't say one way or another regarding the validity of this news. Afterwards, when the fight is all done and over with, the vigilante realizes his situation, and in order to cover his back, he pretends to be the Red Arrow in a video, giving a warning to everyone watching."
Vicki crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Why would he need to send out a warning?"
"Simple... to instill fear."
Oliver was baffled, people were thinking he was the one that made the video? To be honest, even if Harry was dead, the idea of pretending to be the Red Arrow would never cross his mind. That identity would die with Harry, regardless of any trouble that might follow in the aftermath.
"Why would the Arrow want to instill fear on the civilians of Starling City? Isn't he the one protecting them?"
"Sure, he protects civilians... but the message clearly wasn't for the law abiding citizens, was it? It was meant for the criminals the Red Arrow kept at bay. With the fear of the Devil of Starling City being gone, what's keeping them from going out and committing whatever crime they like?"
"Alright... say you're right, and the Arrow did make that video. To anyone who believed it to be true, by airing this, you're causing doubt in the mind of anyone watching this."
She's right, whether I want to admit it or not. Airing this on live television probably isn't a great choice.
"Oh I've had enough of this," Moira groaned, turning the television off. "I'm sorry, Oliver."
"It's fine. Looks like Red's been the talk of the town the last couple weeks."
Thea rolled her eyes, looking towards the ceiling. "I'm sick and tired of hearing about that damn freak."
"Thea, please watch your language."
"I'm sorry, Mom, but that's all anyone ever talks about anymore. It's the Red Arrow this, the Red Arrow that, everything seems to revolve around him and he hasn't even made an appearance in a month!"
Oliver couldn't blame her there. It was the Red Arrow that brought the attention of Drakon and Electrocutioner to the Manor, which caused the events of the last month. If anything, the Red Arrow was nothing more than a dark shadow hanging over them, for some it was more than others.
"How about we just not mention any vigilantes for a while, hmm?" Oliver suggested with a shrug, and from the look in Thea's eyes as he said it, he knew that was the way to go. He sat down as they broke into conversation about something totally unrelated to the vigilantes, although in the back of his mind something about that debate had left a sickening taste in his mouth.
"By airing this, you're causing doubt in the mind of anyone watching this."
A cold laugh left the mouth of the mobster notoriously known as Brick as a group of men slowly gathered around him. His cold stare froze all of their murmurs as he muted the television.
"Blondie may be right about some of those people, but... we already knew the truth," he chuckled sourly. Brick's terrifying glare averted the men's eyes like scared dogs. He cleared his throat, straightening his posture and adjusted his suit's cuffs. "Thank you all for coming, truly. Then again," he laughed, tilting his head, "seeing as I'm the reason none of you are sitting in a prison cell right now, I figure it's the least you could do."
His physique matched his peculiar nickname, built like a brick wall looming menacingly over them. Those in the room wouldn't dare speak, the words held behind the thick tension in the air. Brick noticed the men's expressions and slightly frowned, sighing as he stepped down off of the lift.
"Hmm, granted the lot of ya won't even make a sound right now gives me the impression you're afraid. Don't be, we're friends here." He held his arms out with a smile. "Friends, with the same thing in mind. It's been three painstakingly long months with those damned archers around. Sure, sure... the Arrow hasn't been too much of a problem, but Red... oh-ho-ho... Red's another story."
That brought out whispers of excitement and concern, much to Brick's enjoyment. With a clap, he silenced every single one of them.
"Boys, we all know the Red Arrow has been far too problematic. When he and the Arrow aren't playing bloody Robin Hood, Red's been meddling in our businesses. A threat like that needs dealt with."
This sent the crowd into a panic. "He's a demon!"
"You haven't seen him in action!"
"-A demon!"
"-like a shadow-"
"-UNKILLABLE!"
"That's a suicide mission!"
Brick growled as the outcries continued. "QUIET!" he bellowed.
Within an instant, they all went silent. Composing himself, Brick took in a deep breath.
"Do you think I'm daft?" With a click of a button, the television changed to the video recording of the plaza attack. "This freak gave us the best news we could have ever asked for. Red, he's gone. Dead... now that our 'Devil' problem is taken care of, the only thing that's standing in our way is the runt."
One of the men stepped forward out of the crowd. "Runt? Uh, no offense Brick, but you do realize the Arrow took down that wolfman, right?"
Brick gave a malicious grin as he glanced down towards the floor momentarily. "Yeah, he took some rabid dog down. It don't mean much, trust me."
"It-it don't mean much? Brick, it puts him on Red's level! Did you not see how far Arrow sent that guy flying?"
"Kid, listen. I wouldn't send any of my men, my... allies, on a suicide mission." Looking towards the crowd now, Brick took a step closer. "Normally, that would be a cause for concern, if not for what I found in the last couple days."
"Found?" he heard the hushed whispers ask.
This was the good part. Brick had been worried about the Arrow following the Plaza's aftermath. He'd looked into the fight's aftermath, only to find the plaza in complete shambles from the destruction Greyback was clearly responsible for, to the broken arrows and debris left in their wake.
One thing was for sure in his mind though: The Arrow couldn't have gotten out of that fight without some precarious injuries.
"Lads, I called in a favor from a friend in the ever helpful SCPD to see the plaza. Place was destroyed... like a hurricane blew in. Do you know what I saw there?" Silence was the only reply. "I saw a losing fight, one that no man, (regardless of how strong, how durable, how deadly he may be) could come out only moderately hurt. The amount of blood I seen, I reckon Arrow's in a lot of pain. I say we put the poor dog out of his misery."
"H-how do you know that, huh? Arrow's still out there, he's been seen every night this last week."
"Ah-ha!" Brick cackled, snapping his fingers. "And there you have your answer, boy. This last week, it's been two since the plaza. There's a gap between his appearances."
The men looked confused until Brick smiled. "There's a rule among a group I know that after a fight, regardless of the outcome, they must not show weakness. Now, a wounded animal will act out aggressively and quickly if they felt threatened so they don't get cornered and killed. Let's say Arrow was off, licking his wounds, until something threatened him. The stability built from the fear Red created, crumbling to the ground all at once because it just so happens someone recorded the plaza and the big secret got out. The Red Arrow, is dead. He ain't healed, so he's gotta find a way to keep the city in line, hence the 'warning,' but it doesn't stick like he wants it to. With that, he has no choice but to make appearances, to keep the peace, as they say. Arrow's injured, so he can't be upfront like he normally is. He has to change tactics... Talked to a couple of the guys Arrow took down the last couple days, and curiously enough not once did he openly engage in close quarters. He's staying at range, taking down guys one by one rather than being in the open. That don't sound like someone who is confident in their abilities when they just took down a wolfman, right? He's injured, but trying to hide it."
The bewildered looks in their eyes told Brick that he'd managed to get through to them. "We can't let him heal... if we want our city back, then we have to act now. Put the pressure on him. I didn't call you here just because you all want the Arrow out of the way, I could have called anyone for that. This is an infestation, alright... and you don't call just anyone to take care of an infestation, you call in professionals. Each of you have your reputations backing my choice to call upon you. If you're willing to join me, you'll be a part of my crew, if only temporarily, to take down the Arrow and take back what's rightfully ours."
Smiles grew as far as Brick could see, and they started cheering. This was precisely what he wanted, what he needed.
"He thinks he can come in here out of nowhere and tell us what to do? This is our city! The lot of ya, go out there! I want you to be on the lookout for the Arrow, if he pops up I want it reported in immediately. We're going to track the bastard down, and when we do... we're going to take him out, once and for all!"
The Arrow was running out of time, and Brick would be there when it finally ran out...
Hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter, regardless of how short it was. I wanted the chapter to be as to the point as I could get. I'm happy to say that we've finally introduced two brand new characters into our story, expanding our cast of characters by a few numbers now. Our new additions are:
Elisha Cuthbert as Vicki Vale
Vinnie Jones as Danny "Brick" Brickwell
I apologize for the wait on the new chapters, but I've just recently started a new full time job that requires me to work 90 hours every two weeks so I'm generally exhausted by the time I get off work and haven't had much time to do really anything! Brick has been a fun character to write and hopefully it shows it in his dialogue. Something about his character just makes me smile so much. But, it's time to look at the reviews and make some very important announcements about this teaser.
1: I never said that in the very next chapter Harry would be back. Actually, all I really did was give you guys the idea of what the entire episode was about, with a small teaser of Harry coming back. Never said when he would be back, or how. I apologize if this made some of you mad thinking he'd be back right now. I promise you though, Harry will be back in a few chapters, and quite frankly, you guys are not ready for what's planned.
2: Harry's official return to the front lines of the story as a main character will be in Episode Nine! I can't wait for you all to see what's coming.
The next chapter will be here within the week so stay tuned!