El Tigre copyright Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua
The Mask copyright Dark Horse Comics/New Line Cinema
The American Rivera
Chapter 04: Chris And Zoe, The NEW Dynamic Duo
[Casa Del Maria, 5:48AM]
Chris Was Sleeping In His Bed...But, Was Tossing And Turning Under The Covers Chris Moaned As He Suffered Horrible, Nightmarish Visions: The Memories Of His "Unhappy" Childhood.
-{Dream}-
The Rained Poured Down On The Streets Of Queens, New York...
The Clouds Were Gray And Hardly a Soul Was Out In This Weather.
Then, From Out Of The Shadows...Came a Teenaged Girl In a Trenchcoat.
Her Face Was Hidden And She Was Carrying What Looked Like a Basket.
The Girl Walked Up To The Doorstep Of The "Martin Daniels Orphanage" And Layed The Basket Down.
She Knocked On The Door Rapidly, Then Ran Off As Fast At She Possibly Could.
The door Opened And a Woman Looked Out.
She Eventulally Saw The Basket On the Door Step.
The Woman Bent Down And Looked Inside...
And, There Was An Infant Baby With Brown Hair Under the Blanket.
She Quickly Picked The baby Up...Then, Looked Around.
She Saw No One, So...She Walked Back Inside The Building, Shutting The Door Behind Her.
[Three Years Later]
a Three Year Old Chris Walked Over To Some Other Kids.
"Hey, Guys...Can I Play?"
"NO WAY!
We Don`t Wanna Play With a Loser Like You!"
One Of The Kids Throws a Ball At Chris, Which Hits Him In The Head.
Chris Falls Backwards And Lays On the Ground As Kids Laugh And Tease At Him.
[Three Years Later]
a Six Year Old Chris Stands With Some Other Kids, Who Are Getting ready For Adoption.
Several Adults Walked In And Pick Out The Children One By One...
Sadly, Chris Was One Of a Few That Didn`t Get Picked...Just Like ALWAYS.
"Oh, I`m Sorry, Chris...
But, Look At It THIS WAY: At Least You`ll Spend Another Year Here At The MARTIN DANIELS ORPHANAGE!"
Chris Sighed As He Sat Down On a Bed.
The caretaker Walked Away...Once Gone, Some Other Kids Walked Into The Room.
"Didn`t Get Adopted Again, Eh?"
Chris Was Silent.
"Just Face The Facts, Chris...YOU`LL NEVER GET A FAMILY!
Afterall, Your Own Parents Didn`t Want You...So, WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT A LOSER LIKE YOU!"
The Kid Walked Off, Laughing.
Chris Shed Some Silent Tears As Layed On The Bed.
[Three Years Later]
Chris Snuck Up In a Dark Hallway And Looked Through The Crack Of a Door.
He Saw One Of The caretakers Talking To The Grandmaster Of The Orphanage.
"In All My Years, I have NEVER Seen One Kid Spend SO LONG In This Place!" Said The Grandmaster
"I Assure You, Mister Anderson...Chris WILL Get Adopted!
We Just haven`t Found The Right People For Him, Give It Some Times.
"TIME!, HE`S HAD ALL THE TIME HE NEEDED!
The Boy is NINE YEARS OLD!, And He`s Been Here Since He Was An Infant."
"Please, Sir...Give Us MORE TIME!"
The Man Sighed.
"Very Well, Ms. Belle...
Legally, I Can`t Take The Boy Away Until He Reaches The Proper Age Of THIRTEEN.
Since He Has FOUR YEARS LEFT Until That Time, You Have Until THEN To get Him Adopted...
And, If He Doesn`t have a family By Then...I Will Have NO CHOICE But To Put Him In a FOSTER HOME."
Chris Gasped At This.
The Caretaker Sighed Sharply.
"I Understand, Sir..."
"Good.
Chris Snuck Away.
[Three Years Later]
a Twelve Year Old Chris Pryed Open a Window And Snuck Out Of the Orphanage.
He Quickly Ran Into The Streets And Ducked Into a Dark Alley.
He Sighed As He Flopped Down, Crying To Himself...
At That Moment...He Felt Something Lick His Hand.
Chris Looked To See a Jack Russle Terrier Puppy Licking Him.
The Puppy Was Obviously a Stray And Chris Picked Him Up.
"Hey, Little Guy...You Like Me Don`t You?"
The Puppy Licked Chris`s Face.
"Yeah, You Know How I feel...Nobody Wants Us.
Well...At LEast We Have Each Other, Huh?
The Puppy Barked.
Chris Petted Him.
"I Think I`ll Call You...MAX."
Chris Hugged The Puppy Dog.
[One Year Later]
a Thirteen Year Old Chris Walked Through Central Park At Night With His Dog Max.
"I tell Ya, Max...My Life Sucks."
Max Eyed Him.
"I Need Food To Live, But I Need Money For That.
I need a Job To get Money, But Nobody Will Give Me One...And Those That Do, Usually Fire Me.
Chris Looked Up To See a Green Streak Of Light In The Sky.
"HEY, A SHOOTING STAR!"
Max Barked Loudly.
"They Say If You Make a Wish On a Shooting Star...It`ll Come True!"
Chris SHrugged His Shoulders.
"Aw, What The Heck!
I`ve Tried Everything Else, What Harm Could a Wish Do?"
Chris Closed His Eyes And Made a Wish.
"i wish...that my luck would change."
Chris Opened His Eyes...And Saw The Green Streak Of Light Headed Towards Him.
"Oh...Not Good."
Chris Grabbed Max And Ran For It.
They Jumped For Cover As The Shooting Star Crashed To The Ground.
From Behind a Tree, Chris And Max Looked Over At a Crater.
They Approached The Green Smoke...And Saw What Looked Like a Metal Chest Witha Viking Symbol On It.
Chris Put Max Down, Then Walked Over To The Chest.
He Slowly Opened The Lid And Saw What Was Inside: a Green, Wooden Mask With An "L" Branded On It.
Chris Reached Over And Grabbed The Mask.
He Looked At It And Saw That It Was Sparking With Green Electros.
"weird..."
He Looked Behind It, And Saw a Green Shimmering.
Curious, Brought It Closer To His Face...Closer And Closer, Then-
-{End Of Dream}-
!
Chris Was Woken Up From His Dream By The Alarm Of His Clock.
"CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!
GET UP!, IT`S TIME FOR SCHOOL!" Shouted Maria
Chris Grumbled As He Got Up.
He Walked Over To His Closet To Put On Some Clothes.
As He Opened The door...And Glanced Over At His Green, Wooden Mask.
He Shuddered As He Grabbed Some Clothes And Shut The Door Behind Him.
"Never Again..." Said Chris
Chris Quickly Got Dressed And Grabbed His Backpack.
He Walked Out The Door And SHut It Behind Him.
[Later, At School]
Chris Walked Down The Hall, Where He Saw Manny And Frida.
"HEY, MANNY!"
Manny And Frida Looked Over At Him.
"oh, great...HIM."
Frida Waved At Chris.
"HEY-YA!"
Chris Ran Up To Them.
"Hey, Manny...I need To Talk To You."
Manny Shut His Locker.
"Sorry, Can`t...I`m TOO BUSY."
Manny Walked Away, But Chris Followed Him.
"It`s Really Important, Manny...
I Heard That you Got Grounded, And I Wanted To Say "I`m Sorry".
And, I Was Wondering If We Could Do Something Later, Since Yo-"
"No."
"Oh, Okay...
Then, Maybe Lat-"
Manny Suddenly Lost It.
He Turned And Glared At Chris.
"DON`T YOU GET IT, YET!
When I Say "No", I Don`t Mean "Not Right Now", I Mean: "NEVER"!"
Chris Was Frozen As Manny Yelled At Him Pretty Soon, Everyone In the Halls Were Looking AT Him.
"Manny, What`s the Matter?
What Did I Do!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO!
How About When You Butted Into My Life And Took My FAMILY From Me!
Mom Spends All The Time She Had With ME On YOU, And Now Even My FATHER AND GRANDPAPI Like You Better!"
"Manny, I Didn`t Mean To-"
Manny Grabbed Chris By His Shirt.
"Get Something Straight, Gringo...
You Are NOT a Rivera! And You never Will Be a Rivera!
Your Just Some Loser Kid That My Mother Took Pity On How Pathetic You Were!
And, More Importantly: YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER!, SO STOP PRETENDING TO BE!"
Manny Shoved Chris Into a Locker, Which Opened And Poured Junk On Him.
All The Kids Laughed Out Loud At Him, While Manny Just Marched Away In Anger.
Frida Watched As Chris Got Up And Ran Away In Tears.
She Then Ran Up To Manny, Who Was Still Fuming.
"Don`t You Think That Was a Little Bit TOO HARSH?"
"Since When Do You care?"
"Well, Chris May Be a Loser...
But, Even He Doesn`t Deserve Something Like That!"
Manny Huffed.
"Whatever..."
Manny Marched Off.
Meanwhile, Zoe Aves Was Hidden In The Shadows.
She Sadly Watched As Chris Walked Off, Feeling Hurt And Being Mocked By Other Kids.
Zoe Then Looked Over At Manny And Frida...And Glared At Them With Anger.
"vendettaaaaaaaaaaa..." Muttered Zoe, With Venom In Her Voice
[Later, After School]
Manny And Frida Walked Out The School.
Suddenly, They Were Knocked Back By a Laser Blast.
They Looked Up To See a Teenager Girl Dressed In a Black Body Suit With Black And Purple Wings Connected To a Jetpack And Wearing a Helmet With a Purple, Beak-Like Visor.
"BLACK CUERVO!"
"Hello, EL TIGRE...
I`m Here To CRUSH YOU!...Is This a Bad time?"
Manny Spun His "T" Belt Buckle And In a Green Flash, Wore a Black Body Suit With a Brown Cowl, Red Scarf And Tiger Tail.
He Extended The Metal Claws On His Gauntlet And Roared Like a Tiger.
"EL TIGREEEEEEEEEEE!"
Tigre Approached Cuervo.
"What Do You Want, Cuervo?" Exclaimed Tigre
"Oh, Let`s Just Say...You Offended One Of My Closest Friends."
Tigre Thought a Bit.
"Dr. Chipotle?"
Cuervo Eyed Tigre.
"no.
"Senior Siniestro?"
"no."
"Uhhhhhh...Djengo?
"NO!"
Tigre Tapped His Foot.
"Okay, I`ve Got It!: The Golden Eagle Twins."
Cuervo Slapped Her face.
"oh, for the love of-, NO!"
Tigre Sighed.
"Okay, I Give Up...Who Was It?"
Cuervo Chuckled Evily.
"HA!
Like I`d Tell You..."
Cuervo Fired Her Laser At Tigre, Who Dodged It And Shot His Grappel Punch.
Cuervo Grabbed The Chain In Mid-Air And Activated The TURBO On Her Jetpack`s Thrusters.
"Let`s Go For a Ride..."
Cuervo Flew Up Into The Air And Carried Tigre Up With Her.
She Began To Fly In CRAZY Formations: Curved, Corkscrew, Long Dives, Tailspins, Ect.
She Then Stopped And Hovered Into The Air.
She Began To Swing Tigre Around And Around, Then Tossed Tigre Into a Wall.
"Oooooo...That`s GOTTA HURT." Said Frida
Tigre Fell To The Ground, While Cuervo Just Laughed At Him.
Just Then, Chris Walked Out...
He Was So Caught Up In His Depression, That He Didn`t Notice What Was Going On.
As He Walked, The Building That Tigre Was Knocked Into Began To Crack.
a Large Chunk Of The Roof Broke Off And Fell...Right Towards Chris.
Chris Looked Up...Then, Screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Cuervo Was In Shock And Horror.
"CHRIS!, NO!"
Cuervo Flew Towards Chris Was Full Speed.
She Caught Chris Just As The Debre Fell And Flew Him To Safety.
Chris Looked Over, Then Looked AT Cuervo.
"You...YOU SAVED ME!"
Cuervo Blushed.
"Y-Yeah...I guess I Did."
Chris Gave Cuervo a Kiss On The Cheek.
Cuervo Blushed Bright Red, Then She Layed Him back Down On the Ground.
Cuervo Looked Back At Tigre, Who Was Still Dizzy...She Huffed Sharply.
(("i`d better get outta here before somebody gets hurt!"))
Cuervo Extended Her Wings And Activated Her Jet Thrusters She Flew Away And Disappeared Into The Distance...Leaving Chris Alone.
"DUDE!
Black Cuervo Totally Saved Your Hide!" Said a Kid
"Yeah!, She Must Like You or Something." Said Another Kid
Chris Blushed a Little.
"Gee, Thanks..."
Frida Helped El Tigre Up.
"I Wonder Why Cuervo Saved Chris Back There...
Not To mention Just Leave When She Clearly Had You!"
Tigre Flopped Down On The Ground.
"Right...I`d Better Take You To The Hospital."
Frida Picked Tigre Up And Carried Him Away.
Meanwhile, Chris Walked Away From The Other Kids.
Then, He Saw Zoe Run Up To Him...a Little Out Of Breath.
"Hey, C-Chris..." Said Zoe, Breathing Heavily
Chris Walked Up To Her.
"Hey, Z...
Why Are You So Out Of Breath?"
"B-Been Jogging..."
"Oh."
Zoe Then Started Breathing Normally.
"Chris...
I Saw What Manny Did...I`m Sorry."
Chris Sighed.
"yeah...i guess."
Zoe Sighed.
"You, Uhhhh...Wanna Do Something?"
"Like What?"
"Oh...ANYTHING."
Chris Thought For Awhile.
"Well...
I Guess I Don`t have Anything Better To Do...not anymore, anyway."
Chris Then Smiled.
"Okay...Let`s Go."
Over The Next Several Hours, Chris And Zoe Had Themselves a Little Fun.
[The Carnival]
"I`m Not Sure About This, Zoey!" Said Chris, Holding a Rifle At The Shooting Gallery
"Just Give It a Try, Chris!"
Chris Sighed.
He Held Up The Gun, Aimed At The Targets And Fired.
POW!
"OWWWWWWWWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed a Man
"SORRY, SIR!" Shouted Chris At a Man
Chris Looked AT ZOe.
"I Can`t Do IT!"
"Just Pretend The Target Is Someone You Don`t Like...Like FRIDA SUARE-"
Zoe Stopped In Mid-Sentence.
"Or, Manny..."
Chris Sighed.
He Aimed His Gun And Pretended The Target Was Manny`s Face.
POW!
"CONGRADULATIONS!
You Win First Prize!" Said The Man Who Chris Originally Shot
"B-But, Only Hit It On The Side."
The Man Shoved An El Tigre Doll In His Hands.
"i don`t care...Just Leave, You Pain In My $$!"
"Sorry About That, Sir."
Chris And Zoe Soon Left.
"Well, What Do We Do Now?" Asked Chris
Zoe Smiled.
[Later, Atop The Miracle City Volcano]
Chris And Zoe Were In a Shopping Cart Pointed Towards The City.
"Are You Sure About This, Zoe?
This Whole Things Seems-"
"Exciting?" Said Zoe
Chris Eyed His Friend.
"I Was Gonna Say: "Stupid And Idiotic"
"Well, Relax...Manny And Frida Do this ALL THE TIME!"
"(Gulp!)...oh, joy."
Zoe Moved The Cart Closer To The Steep Hill.
"READY!"
"no."
"OKAY, LET`S GO!"
Zoe Pushed The Cart Forward And They Raced Down The Hill.
"!
"!
The Cart Raced Down The Hill And Into The Street.
Zoe Steered The Cart, Narrowly Avoiding The Passing Cars And Crashing Into Random Stuff.
"MANNY!" Shouted a Man
"FRIDA!" Shouted a Woman
"NOT MANNY AND FRIDA!" Called Back Zoe
The Cart Zoomed AT Full Speed Into a Freeway They Soon Approached a Road That Ended In a Long Drop.
"LOOK OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUT!" Shouted Chris
The Cart Crashed Through The "DEAD END" Sign And Fell Through The Air.
Chris And Zoe Held Onto Each Other As They Screamed.
They Fell Into a Passing Gargage Truck, Which Took Them To the City Dump.
As They Layed Motionless On The Pile Of Trash...Zoe Laughed Out Loud.
"I Can`t Believe We Survived That!"
Chris Had a Blank Stare On His Face.
"oh...my gosh.
THAT WAS THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE EVER DONE!"
Zoe Smiled.
The Two friend Just Sat Up, Looking At The Sky.
"Boy, We`ve Had Quite An Exciting Day..." Said Chris
"Yeah...And, It Ain`t Over, Yet." Said Zoe
Chris Smiled.
"Thanks For Cheering Me Up, Zoey...i needed it."
Chris Sighed As He Bended His Knees, Holding Them With His Arms.
Zoe Could See Some Tears Forming In His Eyes...And Scooted Over To Him.
"Chris?...You Okay?"
Chris Inhaled, Then Exhaled.
"No...I`m Not Okay.
I Tried So Hard, But Nothing I Do Really Matters...Manny Hates Me And Will Never Accept Me!"
Chris Sobbed a Little.
"Chris..."
"I Feel Like An Outcast.
I`ve Tried So Hard, But I Don`t Think I`ll EVER BELONG..."
Zoe Narrowed Her Eyes.
"That Isn`t True...Not Fully.
Sure, Your Different...But You DO Belong."
Chris Looked At Her.
"Oh, Yeah?
Name One Place Here That I Belong In."
Zoe Moved Closer To Chris.
"Right Here...With ME."
Chris Looked Into Zoe`s Eyes, Then Smiled...Blushing a Bit.
"You Really Mean That?"
Zoe Nodded.
"I Do."
Chris Smiled.
"Gee, Thanks..."
Chris Sighed Happily.
"Oh, I Almost Forgot To Tell You, Zoe...I Met Someone Today At School."
"Really?, Who?"
"The BLACK CUERVO."
Zoe Sweated a Little.
"Y-You D-D-DID!"
"Yep!
She Saved My Life At School..."
Chris Sighed.
"She Was SO PRETTY..."
"Pretty?"
"Yeah.
Now, I Know This May Sound Childish, But...I Think I Might Be In Love."
Zoe Had a Surprised Expression On Her Face.
"L-LOVE!
With The ME-, I, Uhhh...Mean: The BLACK CUERVO?"
Chris Nodded.
"Yeah, I Am.
And, I think She May Like Me...What Do You think, Zoe?
Zoe Twiddled her Fingers.
"I, uhhhh...I`m-"
Chris Looked At Zoe With Hopful Eyes.
Zoe Sighed Sharply, Not Wanting To Hurt Chris`s Feelings Anymore Than He Already Was.
"I`m Sure She Likes You..."
"REALLY!
THAT`S GREAT!, Maybe I Can Ask Her On a Date Or Something.
"D-DATE!"
"I If I Could Get Her Phone Number..."
"CHRIS!, Don`t You Think You Rushing Into This a Little Bit!"
Chris Looked At Zoe.
"Oooh, I Guess Your Right..."
"whew!"
"I`ll Write Her a Love Letter."
"CHRIS!
I`m Not Sure If This Is a Good Idea!
I mean...Cuervo is a SUPERVILLAIN, SHE IS EVIL!"
Chris Laughed.
"Oh, COME ON, ZOEY...The Girl Saved My Life!
Anyone Who Would Risk Their Own Life For Another, Can`t Be ALL BAD!
If She Was REALLY EVIL, Then She Would Of Let Me Get Crushed Instead Of Saving Me."
Zoe Stared At Chris.
"But-"
"So, Zoey...
Once I Write The Letter...How Do You Think I Should Get It To Her?"
Zoe Sighed.
"Well...If I Was The Black Cuervo, AND I`M NOT SAYING I AM!
But, If I Was: I`d Probably Hang Out Around Tall Rooftops...Like The Bird-Shaped Tower At My House."
"HEY, GOOD IDEA!
Why Didn`t I Think Of That...a Bird Girl Must Like Being In Places Like That!"
"Uhhhh...Sure." Said Zoe, a Little "Unsure" Herself
"Now...What Kind Of Love Letter Should It Be?"
"Uhhhhhhh..."
"I`VE GOT IT!: Poetry."
"Poetry?"
Chris Thought a Bit.
"OH!, How About This..."
Chris Cleared His Throat.
"Black Cuervo...My Raven...My ANGEL OF THE NIGHT.
Your Eyes, They Sparkle Like Rubies Stars In The Dark Sky...
Your Hair, Your Skin, Your Lips, Your Voice...So Smoothing, Like The Feathers Of a Baby Swan.
You Are The Love Of My Life...My Hero, My Guardian Angel, My...Black Cuervo."
Chris Looked At Zoe.
"So, What Do You think?"
Zoe Was Staring At Chris, Her Eyes Wide And Her Jaw Dropped Open.
"Zoe?"
Zoe Soon Regained Her Senses.
"That Was...BEAUTIFUL." Said Zoe In a Forlorn Voice
"GREAT!
Now, I Just Hope Cuervo Will Like It."
"oh, i do-, I MEAN: SHE!, SHE WILL!"
Chris Got Up, As Did Zoe.
"Well, COME ON!
I`ve Got To get Home So I Can Write This Down!"
Chris And Zoe Ran Off.
[Later, Somewhere In Miracle City]
Manny And Frida Walked Out Of The Hospital.
"I Still Can`t Believe Black Cuervo Clocked Be So Easily." Said Manny
"Maybe It`s KARMA!" Said Frida
Manny Eyed The Goggle Headed Girl.
"Karma?"
"Yeah!, Karma.
When You Do Bad Stuff, Bad Things Happen To You...Most Of The Time, Anyway."
"So?"
"So...Maybe You Should Tell Chris Your Sorry."
"TELL HIM I`M-!
GRRRRRR!, WHY SHOULD I SAY SORRY TO HIM!
Ever Since He Came Into My Life, I`ve Had Nothing But BAD LUCK!"
Frida Eyed Manny.
"Look, Manny...It Wasn`t Chris`s Idea To be Adopted Into Your Family!
If You Wanna Blame Someone For Him Butting Into Your Life, Then BLAME YOUR MOM!"
Manny Sighed.
"Maybe Your Right...Perhaps I Was a Bit HARD On Him."
As The Two friends Walked Down The Sidewalk...They Heard Voices.
Curious, They Ran Up And Poked Around The Corner Of a Building.
They Saw Chris Johnson...Walking With Zoe Aves.
"It`s...IT`S CHRIS!" Exclaimed Manny
"With ZOE AVES..." Said Frida Darkly
Chris And Zoe Stopped At a Bus Stop.
"I Want To Thank You Again For The Wonderful Time, Zoe..."
Zoe Smiled.
"No Problem, Chris...
If You Ever Need Anything, You Know Where To Find Me."
Chris Smiled.
"Of That...I Do."
Chris And Zoe Hugged.
At That Moment, The Bus Pulled In.
"Well, There`s My Ride Home...See Ya, Z."
Zoe Waved As Chris Got Into The Bus.
It Drove Away And Zoe Then Turned And Walked Home.
Manny And Frida Stood Against The Wall In Shock.
"Chris Johnson...Is Best Friends...With ZOE AVES!" Exclaimed Manny
Frida Faked a Sob.
"Poor Guy...
I`d Never Wish Such a Cruel Fate One Anyone...Not Even Sartana!"
[Later That Night]
Zoe Was In Her Night Gown And Was Turning In For The Night.
She Then Looked Out Her Window...And a Thought Crossed Her Head.
"now, i wonder if-"
Zoe Walked Up To Her Closet And Opened It.
She Strapped On Her Jetpack, Then Walke dOver To Her Window.
She Opened The Window And Flew Up To The Top Of The Building.
There, She Saw An Envelope Taped On The Top Of The Beak Of The Bird Statue On The Roof.
Zoe Smiled.
"now, i wonder how he ever got it way up here..."
Zoe Snatched The Envelope And Flew Back Into Her Room.
She Took Off Her Jetpack And Sat On The Edge Of Her Bed.
Zoe Opened The Envelope And Read The Letter.
She Sighed To herself, Getting That Romantic Feeling.
She Then Sighed As She Realised The REALITY Of It All.
She Looked At Her Black Cuervo Jetpack...And Kicked It.
"blast you, black cuervo..."
Zoe Layed Down On her Bed Pulled Up The Covered, Turned Out The Lights And Went To Sleep.