Hawkeye and Wonder Woman went to Free Spirit's apartment in Canarsie, only to find she wasn't home. And if a superhero wasn't home at nine o'clock at night, they had to be out on patrol.
The two Avengers split up to find her, Hawkeye going west on his Sky-Cycle, Wonder Woman flying east. He donned night vision goggles, scanning the rooftops below. So far he saw no sign of Free Spirit.
Hawkeye clenched and unclenched the handlebars. He wondered if Summoner still tromped around upstate New York searching for these energy beings. He also wondered if the Algonquian hero remained pissed off at him.
"You don't believe me! You think I'm making this up!"
Hawkeye shook his head. What would make Summoner say something like that? Could it be stress, like Wonder Woman suggested? Again he dismissed that. If you let stress get to you like that, you were not cut out for this business.
A more disturbing thought came to him. What if these energy beings somehow affected Summoner's mind? Maybe they wanted to drive him insane.
But for what purpose?
Hawkeye soared over Brooklyn, hoping to catch sight of Free Spirit or for Wonder Woman to report that she'd spotted her.
A half-hour went by without either happening.
He felt tempted to just bag it and head back to the mansion. It had been a long day. He was starving and his eyelids grew heavier with each passing minute. A roast beef sandwich before crawling into a soft bed sounded great right now.
Then he'd think about Summoner and that outburst of his. Hawkeye rid himself of all thoughts of food and sleep and kept going.
He approached Mill Island, a glass and steel skyscraper in front of him. The huge lighted sign on the roof read OSCORP. Hawkeye veered left, looking at the rows of houses on the other side of Jamaica Bay. Would Free Spirit be patrolling the suburbs?
A nasally wail came from the OsCorp building. Hawkeye turned to it. Red lights flashed over the front entrance.
What going on here?
A fifth floor window shattered. Glass shards fell to the ground.
Along with a gorilla.
Right behind it floated an orangutan with a large, cylindrical device hovering over its head.
"Swell." Hawkeye activated his comm. "Hawkeye to Wonder Woman."
"Go, Hawkeye."
"I'm at the OsCorp building along Jamaica Bay. Two Super-Apes just crashed out of a window."
"Super-Apes? Is the Red Ghost there?"
"I don't see him, but I'm sure he's close by."
The glass front doors shattered. A baboon tumbled across the walkway. It got to its feet, howled and transformed its arms into maces. An athletic-looking blond woman in a form fitting red and blue costume stepped out of the OsCorp building. She crouched, arms up, ready to fight.
"Oh," Hawkeye said. "I also found Free Spirit."
"Understood," replied Wonder Woman. "I'm on my way."
Hawkeye dove toward the parking lot. A dark SUV with flashing lights barreled toward the gorilla – Mikhlo - and the orangutan – Peotr. OsCorp security. Mikhlo let out a roar and leaped into the air. He landed on the roof of the SUV, caving it in. The wrecked vehicle slid forward, Mikhlo riding it like a mangled surfboard.
Hawkeye landed and jumped off the Sky-Cycle. He caught sight of Free Spirit ducking a blow from the baboon's mace arm. She nailed the mutated animal with a sidekick, stunning it.
Hawkeye nocked an arrow, aimed at Mikhlo and fired. A net burst from the arrowhead and flew toward the gorilla. Hawkeye charged, ready with another arrow.
The net stopped in mid-air.
Hawkeye looked right. Peotr held up his left hand, using his gravity powers to stop the net. He turned to Hawkeye, eyes narrowed, and flicked his wrist.
The net soared toward Hawkeye.
He rolled out of the way just as it hit the ground. He came up on one knee and launched another arrow. Peotr held up his hand. The arrow came to a stop, then spun high into the darkened sky.
Mikhlo bounded across the parking lot. Hawkeye hopped onto the hood of a nearby car, then jumped onto another car. Mikhlo knocked aside the first car. Hawkeye jumped to the ground and sprinted away, pulling out another arrow. Mikhlo took off after him. Hawkeye glanced over his shoulder. The big ape was twenty feet away. Fifteen.
Ten.
Mikhlo roared and lashed out with his arm. Hawkeye ducked, feeling a slight breeze wash over his head.
He dove to the right as Mikhlo took another swipe, missing him. Hawkeye rolled, then sprang to his feet. Mikhlo reared back his right fist.
Hawkeye fired. The arrow struck Mikhlo in the chest. Black smoke exploded from the tip and surrounded the gorilla. He stomped around and hacked.
Hawkeye scanned around him. Free Spirit flipped the baboon – Igor – over her shoulder. Peotr lowered the device to the ground and started toward him. He still saw no sign of the Red Ghost. That worried him. The Russian supervillain could become invisible. He could be anywhere.
Take care of the apes first, then worry about the Red Ghost.
Peotr raised an SUV off the ground and flung it at Hawkeye. He dove to the right as the vehicle crashed on its grill and fell over on its roof. Hawkeye fired an arrow with a hard rubber tip. Peotr caught it in a gravity field and tossed it away.
"Any more brilliant ideas, Clint," Hawkeye muttered to himself.
Something roared nearby. Hawkeye turned to find Mikhlo charging him. He went for another arrow when a rush of wind came from overhead. He looked up.
Wonder Woman streaked just a few feet above him. Fists extended, she rammed into Mikhlo's gut. Both Amazon and mutated gorilla flew across the parking lot and tore through the chainlink fence. Blue sparks exploded from it. The damn thing was electrified. No surprise, given this was an OsCorp facility. Trees toppled as they crashed into them.
Okay. Now it's one on one. Much better odds.
Peotr flung another car at Hawkeye. He rolled right. The car crashed into the asphalt, missing him by about ten feet.
He wondered how good the odds were taking on a gravity manipulating ape with trick arrows.
Hawkeye launched another smoke arrow. It detonated between him and Peotr. With the smoke cloud billowing, Hawkeye fired a flash/bang arrow and kept ran across the parking lot. A sharp bang split the air. A bright orange flash lit up the dark. Peotr wailed, half from pain, half from anger.
Hawkeye ran toward the fence, pulling out another arrow. He didn't break stride as he fired. Acid spewed from the tip. White smoke rose from the fence as an entire section dissolved. Hawkeye jumped through the hole, rolled and came up on both feet. He turned and looked back to the parking lot.
Peotr rose into the air and floated toward him.
Hawkeye smiled. He wanted to lure the orangutan away from the device he had stolen. Hawkeye had no idea what it was, but if it came from OsCorp it had to be super hi-tech and would be very, very bad if the Red Ghost used it.
He dashed into a small park, trying to think what to do next, hoping Wonder Woman and Free Spirit were faring well against the other Super-Apes. He ducked behind a tree and peered around it. Peotr floated over the electrified fence, his head moving left to right, searching.
Hawkeye nocked a gas arrow. That should put the damn ape to sleep. Then he could try and find the Red Ghost.
For all you know he could be standing next to you.
He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, watching Peotr hover over the park.
A little closer . . . a little closer . . .
He took a breath, exhaled halfway and stepped out from behind the tree. He took quick aim and fired. The arrow flew true.
Peotr raised his hand at the last second. The arrow shot higher into the air and exploded. A cloud of sleep gas hovered above the trees, too high to do anything to Peotr.
Hawkeye ran for another tree. Peotr aimed his left hand at a metal trash bin and hurled it at him. Hawkeye launched an exploding arrow. The trash bin vanished in a brief fireball. Flaming shards of metal dropped to the ground.
Suddenly they rose back into the air.
Hawkeye's jaw tightened. This won't be good.
The flaming debris shot through the air like miniature comets, right at Hawkeye.
He turned and ran. Thirty feet away was Jamaica Bay.
His legs pumped harder. He glanced over his shoulder. The little artificial comets gained on him.
Teeth bared, Hawkeye charged for the water. His heart slammed into his chest. He willed himself to go faster.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed off from the bank, arms extended. He hit the water with a loud splash. Muffled zips sounded around him. He looked to the left. His waterproof NVGs picked up the trash bin debris, sizzling as they sank past him.
Hawkeye twisted in the water, still kicking, going deeper. Peotr would not follow him in. Mutated or not, apes don't like water.
There had to be a way to use that to his advantage.
He turned to the left and swam along the shoreline. Peotr would at least come up to the banks and look for him. He didn't think he'd hover over the water, not with a primal fear of water. And the ape would likely stand right where Hawkeye dove in, staring straight ahead, expecting him to resurface in front of him.
Hawkeye's lungs burned. He kicked toward the surface, reaching for an arrow. He fought the building urge to take a breath.
He slowed his kicks as he neared the surface. His head poked through the water. Hawkeye tried to be as quiet as possible. As much as he wanted to, he still didn't breathe. The last thing he wanted was for Peotr to hear him gasp for air.
There! The orangutan crouched by the shoreline, looking straight ahead.
Hawkeye slowly brought his bow out of the water. He pulled back on the string, aimed and fired. The taser arrow struck Peotr in the neck. A buzz surrounded the orangutan. He convulsed, mouth open, trying to cry out.
Hawkeye filled his lungs as Peotr fell on his side.
Relief flooded through him, but only for a moment. There were still two more Super-Apes to deal with, along with the Red Ghost.
Hawkeye swam to the shoreline and pulled himself out of Jamaica Bay. He jogged through the park, soaking wet. When he reached the fence he hit it with another acid arrow, enlarging the hole already in it. He wanted as much room as possible going through it. A drenched hero and an electrified fence did not make for a good combination.
He made it through without getting fried and hurried across the parking lot. He saw no sign of Wonder Woman and Mikhlo. He did see Free Spirit standing over an unconscious Igor.
"Looks like you've got things handled here," Hawkeye said.
Free Spirit looked up at him, breathing heavily, her sweaty hair clinging to her head and cheeks. She must have had one hell of a fight with the Super-Ape.
"Thanks for the assist." She checked around. "Any sign of the Red Ghost?"
"Nope." Hawkeye shook his head. "Haven't seen him."
"I am here, Avenger!"
Hawkeye just started to turn when a fist crashed into his back. He grimaced and stumbled forward. He tried to reach for an arrow when a second punch caught him behind the ear. Hawkeye kept his balance and turned around. A stocky, balding man with shock white hair and wearing a red tunic and pants stood before him.
The Red Ghost.
Hawkeye whipped his bow around, aiming at the supervillain's head. The Red Ghost went intangible a split-second before the bow reached his cheek. He let out a cackling laugh.
"Fool. You cannot hurt me, but there are ways I can hurt you."
The Red Ghost reached out for him. Hawkeye did a couple of back flips, putting some distance between them. He figured the Red Ghost wanted to phase his arm through him, then turn it solid.
Not a good thing.
Hawkeye kept backing up. The Red Ghost floated inches over the ground, an evil grin on his transparent face. Hawkeye plucked another arrow from his quiver.
"Come now, archer, you know your arrows will just go through me."
"Oh yeah. I know."
Hawkeye fired his arrow, closed his eyes and turned away. He heard a loud pop and sensed a bright white light. The Red Ghost bellowed.
Hawkeye looked back at him. The supervillain had his hands pressed over his eyes. More importantly, he reverted back to his normal, solid form.
Hawkeye ran forward and launched himself at Red Ghost. The flying kick nailed the Russian in the side of the head. His arms flew out to his side as he crashed to the ground, unconscious. Not wanting to take a chance on the Red Ghost coming to, Hawkeye fired a gas arrow into the asphalt next to the supervillain's head. A dense white cloud formed over him. He'd be out for hours.
"How did you pulled that off?" Free Spirit walked up to him, rubbing her eyes.
"You may not be able to touch Red Ghost when he's intangible, but he still needs to see. That means his eyes are vulnerable to a flare arrow. I blind him, he loses his concentration and becomes solid again, and . . . well, you see the end result." He pointed to the still form of the Red Ghost.
"Yeah, well my eyes are vulnerable to that flare arrow, too."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. It's worth it to catch this nutjob." Free Spirit blinked a few times and looked around. "Where's Wonder Woman at?"
"Right here."
They both looked up to see the Amazon descending, Mikhlo hanging over her shoulder. She dumped the unconscious ape on the ground before landing.
"What happened to you?" Wonder Woman looked over Hawkeye's soaked uniform.
"I fell into the bay. How else do you think I'd get this wet when there isn't a rain cloud in the sky?"
Wonder Woman folded her arms and tilted her head. "I can't wait to hear this story when we get back to the mansion." She then turned to Free Spirit. "So what were the Red Ghost and his apes doing here?"
"I've been after them for the past two days. Red Ghost wanted this quantum generator prototype OsCorp built. Apparently he wanted to use it to build a portal to alien worlds so he could steal their technology and build his own arsenal of superweapons. I think it's safe to say we foiled that plan. I'm just glad you two happened to be in the area."
"Actually, it wasn't just dumb luck we were here," said Hawkeye. "We've been looking for you."
"Why?"
"It's about Summoner."
Free Spirit froze for a second. She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping.
"Free Spirit?" Wonder Woman stepped toward her. "Are you all right?"
The blond superheroine looked up, concern on her face. "Let me guess. This is about those energy beings he keeps seeing."
TO BE CONTINUED