Green Hero

Who is Green Arrow?

A young archer who, like Batman, posesses no powers. He fights with trick arrows. Once married to Black Canary, but after an incident, has long divorced her. Also has a sidekick named Speedy.

Who is Link?

... Why are you asking me?

"All right, so maybe I don't know much about being a hero like Mister Robin Hood here—but I amheroically drunk!"

A small grin creased his features as he sat atop his perch upon the Space Needle in the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington. The city tonight was quite peaceful, save for the occasional howl of a lone wolf as it called to the moon. It was on nights like these that he was always tempted to simply kick back, relax, and leave the hero work to the others. After all, Bat Knight alone could more than handle the horridly criminal infested streets of Smash City. Super Falcon was able to take care of all of Metropolis by himself. Heck, even Greil Lantern was more than capable of patrolling the farthest reaches of space.

So why was he needed again?

Deep down, he knew that he was needed because there was no one else. He was aligned with the Justice League, but rarely did they ever call on him for missions these days. He was too wild, they said, too reckless. He would have to prove himself to gain their trust again. Despite the resentment he felt to the team, the bitter jealousy of Bat Knight burning within him, he accepted his fate and here he waited.

"This wait's boring me!" his young sidekick, Toony, complained over the earpiece. In spite of himself, the hero smirked.

"Sorry kid, but that's the life of a hero," he replied for perhaps the umpteenth time that night.

"Waiting in complete boredom was never in the job description!" Toony shot back.

"Just shut up and get back to your post. We'll do one last scan of the city and then we'll head home, alright? I'll make waffles."

"I hate waffles!"

"Your point?"

Without even waiting for the young boy on the other end to answer, the archer cut his communication with Toony and carefully selected an arrow from his quiver. This arrow had a grappling hook attached to it and when it was fired, it created a nice long line for him to slide on. Using his bow as a means to get across, Green Arrow slid away from his favorite perch.

He loved it. He loved the thrill. He loved the feeling of the wind billowing all around him as he swung down to the ground. He loved how the adrenaline would scream in his veins, how his nerves would tingle in delight as he flashed by, almost transforming into another creature of the night. It had been long ago that he had discovered his passion for this thrill and it had always remained in him as a fierce, insatiable thirst.

He was, and will always be, a hero.

As a child, Link Queen had always idolized the green clad outlaw Robin Hood. He had been even more wild back then than he was now, thinking that there was nothing better than the life of a merry man. He had been a natural archer as well, able to hit right on the mark whether he was blindfolded or standing on one leg.

Or blindfolded while standing on one leg balancing an apple on his head.

It was absolutely true that no man alive could ever match his skill with the bow. Every mark he set his eyes on he would hit and he used to show off such a skill to women he met. Of course, it truly helped that he was a rather handsome young man. He was tall, broad shouldered, blonde, complete with sharp blue eyes. Every woman's dreamboat.

But at the same time, there was something within him that troubled him since the day he truly went hunting for the first time. He had shot down a young doe as it grazed, which in fact scarred him. To have the power within him to end the life of even a mere doe so quickly traumatized him for life. Since that day, he had always been hesitant to shoot down an animal, always afraid…

But that was a fatal mistake.

He had seen the lions coming, heard their starving growls as they smelled the scent of meat for the first time. They were on a safari back then and his parents were too busy taking pictures of the other animals to know what was going on. But he knew. He had his quiver and bow with him. He heard them and saw their golden hides undulating dangerously in the grass.

Though he had pulled out an arrow, though he had it loaded and ready, he still hesitated. That first encounter with the wild doe, the first time he killed something, was still fresh in his mind. He had hesitated and it cost him everything he cared for.

His parents had gone down quickly, mauled by the dreaded beast that had sprung in the brief moment of Link's hesitation. Link had fired the arrow almost immediately after it sprung, but it was too late. His father's head was ripped right off by one of the lions' power claws while the other lion had already ripped his mother's throat wide open. The arrow sailed true and hit not one, but both the lions' hearts.

But no matter how great the shot, his parents had already gone far beyond his reach.

Link landed on a building and did a quick scan of the area before leaping off onto another one and repeating the process. He had learned such techniques and truly mastered his bow after he was stranded on an island for months at a time. With no food nor water to nourish him, he had been forced to become a hunter to survive until a passing plane found him and brought him back to civilization.

It was then that he became the hero he was today.

Though he was one of the only two superheroes without powers, he made up for it with his trick arrows. There were all kinds of such arrows in his quiver, ranging from arrows with boxing gloves on their tips to arrows that spit out smoke when shot. It was with these arrows and his playful attitude that his longstanding rivalry with Bat Knight was born.

He couldn't help but grin to himself when he remembered that it had only been a few nights ago since he had talked to Bat Knight. He had just happened to be passing by Smash City when he heard the cries of the woman. Though he wanted quite badly to save her, Bat Knight had already beaten him to it.

Oh well, at least in Seattle, he could save all the women he wanted.

Beep…

Green Hero's sensitive ears twitched slightly at the noise. What was that sound? He had developed very acute hearing while stranded on the island and his instincts told him that whatever had made that noise was not his communicator. After listening more carefully, Link was also able to pick up a very, very faint… ticking noise…? It was almost like a…

Oh shit.

BOOM!

"Green Hero? Come in Green Hero!" Toony shouted over his communicator at the moment the blast filled the skies. Green Hero only had a second to jump off the building as its top blew off. In spite of himself, he accidentally inhaled a lungful of foul tasting white smoke as he leaped.

"HOLY SHIT! I ALMOST GOT BLOWN TO PIECES!" Green Hero shouted, chuckling as he launched one of his grappling hook arrows towards a nearby building.

Wait a minute…

He couldn't stop. His chuckling was starting to fade into snorting laughter. He was laughing and he didn't know why. The laughter was rising in pitch and volume now, transforming into maniacal cackles. He was shaking so hard that he was starting to lose his grip on his bow, the arrow was shot off track.

No…

He could hear Toony shouting over the communicator, but he couldn't understand a word. He was too busy laughing. Laughing at nothing. He watched as the arrow missed the building completely and he began to fall.

Faster…

Faster…

He couldn't stop laughing. He was running out of oxygen. His chest was screaming in pain. He could just barely hear more shouting down below him. Was that Toony's voice down there…?

He needed to stop laughing, now.

But he couldn't stop…

The ground was rushing up to him…

Shit…

No…