DC Comics Presents: Killing Roy Harper
Chapter 5: Arsenal and Green Arrow
By Christopher W. Blaine
e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: This original work of fiction contains characters and situations which are ©2002 by DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the author.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was originally posted to the Internet as DC Comics Presents: Arsenal and Green Arrow. It has been updated and corrected by the author.
This story takes place immediately after the end of Kevin Smith's "Quiver" storyline in the third Green Arrow monthly series.
The Time-Guardian yawned and stretched, his actions that of a bored child, not that of a man ready to begin the destruction of the universe. He eyed the swirling masses of colors that were above and below him, others to the side, but the beauty of the moment was lost on him. He had seen it millions, if not billions of times in his long, long life. Here was what was called the "empty space"; the place where the flotsam and jetsam of dead universe, deceased realities and could-have-been's floated in the void that was not a void.
All around him, pieces that were from things and events that no were longer were drawn into the colorful vortexes to be broken down into their basic quantum components and ejected somewhere else to create even more realities as events somewhere caused a divergence in the time-stream. The Time-Guardian found solace here, among God's trash, because this is where he should have ended up at one time. It was only through a chance accident that he was spared. Like a high-paid lawyer, he had managed to find the loophole in God's law.
It wasn't only him, though; everything he had known had died when the Crisis wave had destroyed his world, his dimension and his reality. It had tried to take his life and now he was in a position where he could never be killed. The irony was not lost on him as he turned his attention to a particular area of space.
There, surrounded by a shimmering energy field, were the last remnants of the original Phantom Zone. Created by the Jor-El of the Earth-1 universe, it was a place where time had no meaning, as it's occupants were nothing more than ghosts. Though he had never actually experienced life in the Phantom Zone, he had spent several decades as a bodiless soul.
The little piece of the Earth-1 universe was here, where the Time-Guardian had found it some billion years before while searching for something he could not even remember now. It was a unique find, as he did not know what it was at first and it took him thousands of years to fully investigate it. Realizing the potential, he had spent even more years seeking out displaced beings that he might find useful.
While it was true that the Crisis had destroyed nearly everything, there were some things that escaped or fell through the cracks, depending on your point of view. Through unseen forces that caused ebbs and tides in the fabric of time and space, they had ended up here, the galactic recycling bin. Had the Time-Guardian not been able to survive the Crisis, he would have ended up here as well. This was an all-too true fact since it was the Earth-1 Roy Harper that was chosen to continue life in the new universe.
That this Roy Harper or his peers were ignorant of the universe that came before theirs was of no concern, all that was important was purifying the time-stream by ensuring that he, Roy Harper, the original Speedy, was the only Roy Harper in existence.
He stood up, or at least simulated the act, as there really was no up or down in this place, only here and there, and walked over to his Phantom Zone. It was safe here, protected by the magical powers that he had been granted.
Reaching out, he placed a hand on the energy globe and concentrated, sending out a mental call to one of the inhabitants of the Zone. Though the inhabitants were not prisoners, there was no way for them to escape and even if they did, where would they go? They had no way to navigate out of this area, much less down the trails of Hypertime. They would simply become screaming bits of nothingness as temporal forces pounded them up.
His arm glowed blue and energy started to pour forth from the globe. The Time-Guardian concentrated on creating a platform for his visitor to arrive on; it wouldn't do much good for them to go floating away while he was talking to them. The energy began to collect on the platform, a construct of hard temporal molecules and atoms. It took a man-sized shape. Details, such as a costume and cape began to materialize; an outfit that was half Batman and half Superman, split right down the middle. Even the Batman's cowl covered half of the face; a face where the skin was emerald colored. Green eyes suddenly took in the view as the Composite-Superman became real again.
The Time-Guardian could not quite remember the Composite-Superman's real name, it was Joseph Meach or Peach or something like that, but he knew that he had once been a janitor on Earth-1 at the Superman Museum. Joseph, however, learned to hate the Man of Steel, who represented everything that Joseph could not be. A stray bolt of lightning struck several statues of the original Legion of Super-Heroes and imbued the powers of the futuristic super-hero team upon the lowly janitor. Using the powers of Chameleon Boy, Joseph created the identity of the Composite-Superman.
After battling both Superman and Batman, Joseph had sacrificed his life to become a hero in the end. The Time-Guardian found that part of the story boring as being a hero was not quite all it was cracked up to be. He had been a hero once, partner to Green Arrow and a member of the Seven Soldier's of Victory. The Crisis had changed that though and had spared, somehow, Joseph's life for a short while. Had it not been for the Time-Guardian finding him, he would surely be dimensional fertilizer by now.
"Hello, Joseph," the Time-Guardian said, a wry smile on his face. "I trust you've been well."
There was a sneer on his face. Obviously, this was a Composite-Superman pulled from the time-stream prior to his getting the idea of becoming a hero. "If being locked up with those fruit cups is considered okay, I suppose I am. I tell ya, I don't much like it in there."
"Yes, well, it isn't like you can exactly go home. I mean, you remember what I told you about this new universe, don't you?"
The Composite-Superman scratched his head. Obviously, the effects of the Crisis had done him some damage. It was alleged that he possessed the intelligence of Brainiac 5, perhaps one of the most intelligent beings that had ever existed. That intellect was nowhere to be see now. The Time-Guardian had also noted that the powers of the original Supergirl were not present either, another side effect of having your reality destroyed around you. "Uh, well, I kind of remember, but anything has gotta be better than sitting around in there, listening to those guys whine and whine and whine. I'm sure glad you let me out."
Reaching over, the Time-Guardian patted the Composite-Superman on the shoulder. "Well, I have a special mission for you and if you do it, then maybe I can arrange for you to have a reality all to yourself."
The Composite-Superman began to scratch his green chin as he considered the possibilities. While it was apparent that the high level intelligence of Brainiac 5 would not be used here, Joseph was far from an idiot. He was simply a little rough around the edges and like most common criminals; he was always looking for a way to better himself. "Would there be any heroes on this world…anybody I have to fight?"
Shrugging, the Time-Guardian spread his hands. "Whatever you want; I have an assortment of realities to choose from."
"Okay, who do I have to kill?" he joked.
The Time-Guardian raised an eyebrow and his innocent face took on an evil glare. "I want you to kill me."
"You're staying off the horse, right?"
Roy Harper looked up from behind his 13th beer and eyed the man who had once been his father. "Ollie, you don't have to worry about that…I learned my lesson."
Oliver Queen reached over and slapped Roy on the back. "Glad to hear it…son," he said. It felt good to say it, to finally acknowledge that he indeed had developed a parental love for the younger man.
When their paths had originally crossed, a bond began to form between the two and millionaire Queen took on Roy as his ward. A few weeks later, Green Arrow debuted a new partner, Speedy, the Adolescent Archer.
Unfortunately, Queen lost his fortune and began to change. He saw life differently and that life seemed to have little room for children. Roy was left on his own more and more and without supervision, he ended up turning to drugs for solace. When Hal Jordan discovered Roy abusing heroin and then informed Queen, their relationship was nearly severed permanently.
They separated for years, Queen moving to Seattle with his girlfriend, Roy joining a rock band. So deep was the rift between them that they almost never reconciled. Time and distance helped to mend their tortured souls.
Then Oliver died.
"So, Ollie," Roy said, pushing his red sunglasses up. Both men were in their costumes, drinking in Warrior's, a bar owned by former Green Lantern Guy Gardner. "Tell me who you saw up there in Heaven."
Ollie waved the question away. "I don't want to talk about it, kid. I will say this, though, I had it pretty sweet up until Hal decided to use his powers to screw it up."
Hal Jordan, Oliver's best friend, had been one of the world's greatest heroes until he went insane, his mind destroyed by the stress of being the best. Taking the name of Parallax, he attempted to rewrite history so that all of the things that he deemed wrong would never take place. One of those things had been Oliver's death at the hands of eco-terrorists. "I think that it's sweet that he wanted to help his friend," Roy said with a grimace. A barmaid came up and asked them if they wanted another round. Guy Gardner, so happy to see Queen still alive, gave them an unlimited tab for the night. The former Green Lantern had run out to track down more of the "old gang" as he had put it, leaving the short-skirted blonde in charge.
Both men eyed each other and then her, a silent challenge to see whom she would be most impressed with. After a few seconds, Roy started to laugh, followed by Oliver. They told her they had had enough and asked for some pretzels. "That's a damn cute kid you got, you know that? Damn shame about the mother, though," Oliver said, playing with a napkin. Roy had, when in government service, worked undercover to capture the terrorist Chesire. Roy had fallen in love with her instead and they had a daughter, Lian, whom Roy now raised on his own. Oliver took the napkin and hit Roy on the arm. "Dammit! I thought I taught you better! How do you fall in love with a killer?"
"Excuse me? How many illegitimate children are running around with that familiar blond hair?" Roy asked, knocking Oliver's green Robin Hood cap off of his head. "I mean, we know about Connor, but that waitress might be yours too!"
Oliver Queen was guilty of many things, and that included womanizing. It had cost him a potential life partner in Dinah Lance and had produced young Connor Hawke. The young man had assumed the Green Arrow mantle when Oliver was dead, even earning a place on the famous Justice League of America. "Yeah, yeah…whatever stud." Oliver grabbed his last bit of beer and drank it down. "So, you okay for money and everything. I'm a rich man again."
Roy sat back, picking up a toothpick and belching. "I didn't blow my inheritance from my father like some people I know." Oliver flipped him off; his original fortune had actually been embezzled. "I invested heavily into the Wayne corporations."
"Sure, give Batman more money…that's all he needs, damn leather-suited fascist. That money should be used for better things like a free clinic or free birth control…"
"Shut up, Ollie," Roy moaned. "Not every subject needs to become a liberal cause."
Oliver grabbed Roy's glass and swirled the beer before drinking it. "I should expect that kind of talk from a damn government lackey." He wiped his mouth on his glove.
Roy adjusted himself in seat, thoroughly enjoying the banter. It had been several years since the two of them had actually sat down to talk and he hoped that there would be many more opportunities like this. Secretly, he was excited that his daughter had an actual grandfather to play with and get spoiled by and to be dumped onto when a hot date comes up. "Listen, old man…"
Oliver was about to reply when the world became a mixture of sound, dust and flying bits of wall material. A hot blast of air blew both heroes out of their seats and they could hear several of the other patrons of the bar groaning and screaming.
Heavy footsteps resounded in the bar and the Composite-Superman stepped out of the billowing dist cloud to face the huddled patrons. "I'm looking for the hero known as Arsenal. It's time to die!"
In response, a green boxing glove arrow struck the villain square in the jaw. The Composite-Superman tried to use Ultra-Boy's invulnerability to shrug off the blow, but was not quick enough. His head snapped back and Green Arrow leapt up from behind his seat, another arrow notched. "What the hell are you? Good God, it looks like a comic book threw up!"
A blast of solar radiation courtesy of the powers of Sun Boy barely missed Green Arrow, but it was close enough that he smelled hair burning. The Emerald Archer cursed and fired his arrow. The glue arrow struck the Composite-Superman, but had no effect as he allowed it to pass through him as if he were Phantom Girl.
Arsenal hurried through the smoke to the other side of the bar, hoping that he would be able to get everyone out before his assassin came after him. He reached the other side and climbed over a table to find several people in different states of shock. He saw the little blonde that Guy had left in charge; she was lying on the floor under a large piece of wood and not moving. As he moved over to her, a large hand grabbed him around the neck.
The Composite-Superman smiled; he was winning even without the benefit of Brainiac 5's intelligence or Supergirl's powers. He knew very little about the Legion of Super-Heroes or even the process by which a portion of their powers had been transferred into the statues that gave him his abilities.
He gripped tightly, but not enough to kill or crush, though he could if he wished to apply his Ultra-Strength. This was his first mission on what seemed like centuries and he wanted to enjoy it. In the Phantom Zone, his powers were useless as he was nothing more than a cloud of gas with eyes.
He pulled the struggling Arsenal towards him, not even considering the Green Arrow character that was moving to a better vantage point. A sharp pain made him stop and release Arsenal and he saw that there was blood running from a wound caused by a single razor-tipped arrow. He turned to Green Arrow, who fired a glue arrow into his face. The Ultra-Invulnerability protected him this time. "That hurt, you bastard!" he cried.
"Blow it out your green butt! I didn't do it," Green Arrow taunted. He pointed to the other side of the room. The Composite-Superman whirled to see another man in a green and brown costume, holding a bow, standing in the doorway. "Father," Connor Hawke called. "I thought you wanted to buy me a drink."
"Hey, kid! Glad you could make it!" Oliver shot back. "Roy, you okay, buddy?"
Arsenal slowly got back up, pulling out his small crossbow. He rubbed his neck as he spoke. "I'm okay. Hey, Connor! Next round is on you!"
"I don't drink beer," Connor offered, notching another arrow. "How about some milk?"
"Milk? Maybe milk with some beer," Oliver said, pulling out a net arrow.
"How about some Sex on the Beach?" Roy said, choosing a special explosive bolt. He carried very few trick items. Both he and Connor felt they undermined the beauty of archery.
"I don't think that's a very proper thing to ask at this time," Connor said.
The Composite-Superman looked at all three, all the while nursing his wound. "Shut up! You're all insane, do you know that? I have the power of the complete Legion of Super-Heroes! I am the strongest being on Earth!"
All three heroes fired at the same time, each aiming for a different effect. Connor's arrow bounced off the currently invulnerable villain, but it drew his attention long enough for his father to launch his net arrow. The projectile exploded some three or four feet above the Composite-Superman, a net developed by Dr. Ray Palmer, the Atom, expanding upon contact with the air.
As the net fell over their adversary, Arsenal let loose the explosive bolt, aiming directly for the half Batman/half Superman emblem on the Composite-Superman's chest. The net and the explosive hit at the same time, the older Green Arrow activating the one-time electrical charge as well. There as a flash and a bang, the Composite-Superman disappearing under the triple assault.
Smoke began to rise from the chest of their foe and all three heroes were amazed to see that he continued to stand there, grasping the net. The Composite-Superman called upon the powers of Lightning Lad, transferring a new dose of electricity into the net. Whirling with Ultra-Speed, he tossed the electrified net at Connor, whom had wounded him twice already and was therefore the more dangerous.
The younger Green Arrow saw the net coming and moved with unnerving fluidity, easily avoiding it. The Composite-Superman roared in rage and unleashed a gravity wave via Star Boy at the cross members above Connor's head. Arsenal heard the wood starting to creak and break as the effects of gravity were increased upon them. "Connor! Look out!" he cried, turning his back to his foe.
As the cross members fell, bringing plaster, wood and debris down upon Connor, his father gave a war cry and lunged at the Composite-Superman, his bow in a double-handed grip, held like a baseball bat. Again, the transformed Joseph Meach was not quick enough to invoke his Ultra-Invulnerability and with a resounding slap, he fell to his knees, his hand clutching his burning cheek. "Roy! Check my boy!" Green Arrow cried, kicking the Composite-Superman in the side.
Arsenal felt a slight pang of jealousy; Connor was Oliver's son by birth, but he had raised Roy. He said nothing, realizing that now was not the time to have a father-son-ward heart-to-heart and moved over to the pile of rubble where Connor had been standing.
"What the hell is the matter with you, mister?" Green Arrow cried, giving the Composite-Superman a hard left hook. The assault was keeping him off-balance and he was having trouble remembering which powers he needed to use. One of the drawbacks of his considerable abilities was that he really needed the intellect of Brainiac 5 to be able to integrate them together correctly. Otherwise, he had to search his memory about whose powers he had and how to use them.
Green Arrow picked up his bow and hit the Composite-Superman again between the shoulder blades. Now on his hands and knees, Joseph Meach raged behind the green skin of his other identity. He had fought Superman and Batman and now an old man with a bow and arrow set was thwarting him. Growling, he slowly started to stand up, ignoring the multiple attacks. "God damn you, go down you big green son of a buck!"
Without even looking back, the snarling Composite-Superman hit Green Arrow and knocked well across the room, past the booth he and Arsenal had been sharing. Not even glancing back to see what damage his attack had done, the Composite-Superman stomped across the destroyed bar.
Arsenal stopped his digging when he moved a large piece of plaster to find Connor laying there, coughing slightly. He meant to ask how his friend was when he felt the bar shake with heavy footsteps. He turned, to see the Composite-Superman growing in size until he was about twelve feet tall. "Jee-zus! Who the hell are you?"
The now-larger Composite-Superman, using only a percentage of the power of Colossal Boy, crossed the distance so quickly, that Arsenal did not have the time to avoid the huge hand flying out at him. The Composite-Superman grabbed him around the torso and began to slowly squeeze the life out of the hero.
Oliver Queen slowly got up, thinking that being dead hadn't hurt so much when he saw Roy in the grasp of a huge Composite-Superman. Reaching back, he pulled out one of only a few razor-tipped arrows he kept in his quiver and notched it.
Several of Oliver's mid-life crises had been caused by actions that terminated the lives of those who would harm him or someone else. The guilt had been great and had led too much of his "bad" behavior. Justified in his actions, it had been little solace as he replayed every event over and over in his mind.
On the other hand, there may be no other way to save Roy. It was obvious that they were dealing with someone not exactly stable, who could be shot with an arrow one second and would then shrug off explosives the next.
Oliver aimed at the Composite-Superman's head and pulled the bowstring back. Arsenal screamed, first loudly and then it fell in volume as the air was forced out of his lungs. Oliver let loose, but at the last moment altered his aim so that the arrow sailed towards the shoulder instead of the brain.
There as a loud snap and Arsenal's eyes bulged. "No!" Green Arrow cried, stumbling over debris as he ran to the falling form of his former ward. The Composite-Superman growled again and turned to face the approaching hero. Two quick shots from Connor's bow caught the killer in the thighs.
His mission completed, the Composite-Superman leapt into the air and crashed through what was left of the ceiling. Green Arrow reached the fallen form of Arsenal and immediately checked for a pulse. There was a trickle of blood slowly running out of the younger hero's mouth. His son, who was holding a JLA signal device, soon joined Green Arrow. "I've called Superman and asked him to get here, dad."
"Oh, God, Roy…no…no!" There were tears running down Oliver's face and he tore off his mask and flung it to the side. "Get up Roy! Get up!"
Connor looked into his father's eyes and realized that the man was finally feeling the pain for his past sins. All of the missed opportunities to have a real relationship with the person he wanted to be a father to, or at least had volunteered to be, were now a reality that Oliver Queen was going to have to face alone.
Connor put a hand on his father's shoulder and then held him as he sobbed over the death of Roy Harper.
Roy Harper opened his eyes to find himself in a place that was completely devoid of light and shadow, of heat and cold. He also found himself naked. It was like he was in a dream, one of those where you can fly but you move very, very slowly. He tried to call out but when his voice did not carry.
A dim green glow in the distance caught his eye and he started to move towards it. There was no way to measure his progress, except by the size and intensity of the glow. While he "swam" he thought about the last thing he could remember, and it was not a pleasant memory. He remembered seeing Ollie firing at the strangely garbed creature that had been wrecking Warriors, and then there was a snapping sound in his ears.
And then there was nothing.
The glow turned out to be the one thing that Roy really did not want to face. "Oh, crap…hi, Hal."
The Spectre only nodded.
"Let me guess, you're here to pass judgment on me for my past sins."
"No." He walked closer and his form shifted from the pale form of God's angel of judgment to that of the former super-hero, Green Lantern. "I have found that most people find this form much more pleasing when they speak to me."
Roy shrugged and looked him over. He looked younger than he actually was when he died, but he was undeniably Hal Jordan, the proverbial man without fear. Once he was the greatest of all the Green Lantern Corps. "At least you have clothes," Roy remarked.
"You can have clothes if you want; what you see is your self-projection, the way you always perceive yourself. You picture yourself naked because you always feel vulnerable and you hide that first behind drugs, later it became sex. In that respect both you and Ollie are truly father and son." Roy thought about it and then thought about his favorite basketball shorts and tank top. Instantly, he was clothed in them along with his good shoes. The clothes even smelled bad. "So, I'm dead, aren't I?"
"If only it were that simple, Roy. No, you're not dead, you've been wiped out of continuity through the designs of a villain of the most grand scale."
"Who'd I piss off? What do you mean I've been wiped out of the continuity? That's impossible…"
Hal then explained everything that he had learned about the Time-Guardian, all the while, Roy's jaw hung wide open. When he had finished, Roy said nothing for a very long time. The concept was incredible, like something out of 70's science fiction comic book, but with implications that were biblical in nature. "If I died then I must have existed, right?"
"You were killed before your time, that left an anomaly that the Time-Guardian has exploited."
"What do you mean exploited?"
The former Green Lantern looked down towards the unseen ground. His voice was barely above a whisper. "He's taken over your life. You never existed."
"What about Lian? What about my daughter?"
Hal's silence was answer enough. His daughter didn't exist anymore either.
"Good morning, son," Oliver Queen said as he walked into the dining room. He straightened his tie before taking his place at the long dining table.
"Hey, dad," Roy Harper said, looking up from his oatmeal. "You look good today."
Oliver smiled. "Thanks. I've got a meeting with Bruce Wayne about some weapons development contracts for the government. You have to look your best when dealing with Bruce. I thought about growing a beard…"
Roy looked up and there was a brief flash of blue from his eyes. "That would be a bad idea, dad, don't you think?"
Oliver slowly nodded, a blank expression on his face. "Yes, that would be a bad idea."
Roy nodded and then went back to eating his cereal. "Donna is coming over later after school to study and then we might go to a movie. Is that okay?"
Oliver nodded and picked up the paper. Roy saw that the headline read TERRORIST CHESIRE KILLED IN QURAC. "Speaking of her, how is it going in that Teen Titans group? Not exactly the Justice Society, but it seems to be a darn good group of kids."
"It's okay, dad. Though Kid Flash and Robin keep trying to act like they're in charge."
Oliver laughed. "Then maybe Speedy needs to teach them a lesson. After all, you're one of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, you've got experience on them. You just sit them down and tell them who's in charge."
"Thanks, dad, maybe I will." He wiped his mouth on his napkin and excused himself, stating that he needed to get ready for school. As he left the dining room, a sinister smile spread across his face.
This was his world, the world that should have been and the world that was now. He had won; he had beaten the Anti-Monitor, God and even time itself.
He fingered his class ring. Today he would give it to Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, and then they would be going steady officially. He looked into the future and saw that they would marry in a few years. Donna, being an Amazon, was immortal as he was and so they would be together forever.
"Life is good," he said with a smile.