Green Arrow #19: Crossing the Border"

[starlord]

Green Arrow
Issue #18: “Crossing the Border”
Written by: Brian Burchette
Cover by: Gareth Williams
Edited by: Don Walsh

Green Arrow is a man on a mission. The apparent death of his best friend, Eddie Fyers, has sent him on a cross-country journey. The goal: Washington D.C. The enemy he is determined to take down: Secretary of Defense James Donaldson. Although at the moment, he has no concrete proof of an unholy alliance that Donaldson formed with countries that are considered “Enemies of the State”, his plan is simple; take some time to grieve for his lost friend by traveling across America, then arrive in Washington and pummel a confession out of the crooked politician. Well, this is Ollie we’re talking about. Elaborate plans were never his strong point.

*******

Small pieces of sand struck him in his face as he maneuvered his bike across Highway Ten, just outside of Tucson, Arizona. He had made good time since leaving Las Vegas, since leaving Dinah.

Dinah. How did things go so wrong so quickly? Or was she right, had they been going wrong for a while, but he had been too stubborn or to stupid to notice? Wouldn’t have been the first time, he admitted to himself. Still, he hated the way it had gone down between them. As breakups went, it hadn’t been his best. In the back of his mind, though, he knew it wasn’t over. For Ollie, he considered it more of a break.

The sun was just rising over the horizon when he crossed the state line into New Mexico. The early morning rays painted the buttes into deep purples and oranges. There was still a chill in the air as the desert began to wake from its black slumber. On top of a small mountains region to his left he saw a pack of coyotes heading over the ridge, preparing for a full day's sleep, he imagined, before roaming the night for supper.

As he steered the bike into the curve, cresting a hill, he saw a few hundred yards in front of him a car that appeared to have stopped right in the middle of the road. He cut back on the throttle to slow down as he approached. Drawing closer, he saw that the car was still running, the fumes coming out of the tailpipe. He squinted as the sun was now directly in his eyes; straining to see if there was anyone inside the vehicle. He couldn’t see anyone through the back window and as he pulled up behind the car he couldn’t help but notice how little traffic was on the road, even as early as it was.

He cut the engine, allowing the bike to coast until it came to a rest directly behind the nineteen eighty-nine Grand-Prix. At one time it had obviously been a shiny white car, but now it sat in the middle of the road with a neglected gray hue to it.

Absently checking the quiver strapped to his back he made his way to the driver’s side, scanning the horizon for any sign of life – he saw nothing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up straight when he saw the massive amount of blood not only on driver’s seat, but obviously splattered onto the passenger side as well. Both doors were closed but he could now see a large trail of blood starting from the driver’s side and going out in front of the car.

Green Arrow followed the crimson path, noting that liquid had not yet congealed, which meant whatever had taken place, had happened recently. The trail went along the front of the car and down into the ditch. He stopped short when he saw the boy lying there, barely covered by some dried tumbleweed. What made Ollie hiss in disgust was the apparent age of the young man. He couldn’t have been a day over seventeen, Hispanic in decent.

“Son of a...” His exclamation was cut short when he heard the sound of an approaching truck. He turned to see it coming west, the same direction he had been traveling. He stood out in the middle of the road, holding his arm up in a request for the driver to stop. The older, somewhat leather skinned looking man did just that.

His cowboy hat planted firmly on his head, the truck driver hopped out of his cab and jogged over. “You’re Green Arrow, aintcha?” he asked excitedly.

“One and the same. I need you to get on your horn and get the local authorities out here. We’ve got a stiff on the side of the road.”

The trucker’s eyes widened. “Holy crap!” He turned and ran back to his truck as quick as he could.

Green Arrow made his way back into the ditch. He wanted to check the body out before the boys in blue got a hold of it. It was obvious, as he got closer, that the kid had been stabbed several times, including the killing stroke – right into his jugular. He checked the boy over but found no driver's license on him. He crouched down for a second, staring at a face that could have been mistaken for someone at least five years younger than he was. He let out another sigh, gently closing the boy’s eyes.

Rising, Ollie made his way back to the kid’s car, being careful not to step in any tire tracks that were along side the edge of the road. His goal was not to contaminate the crime scene, just to stay one step a head of the police.

Footsteps behind him made him aware of the truck driver’s reappearance. He was digging under the driver’s seat his gloved hand grasping on to a book of matches. He pulled them up to read the name on the cover – La Fiesta.

The driver's shadow covered him. “Did you get help?” he asked the man.

“Yeah, somebody is coming.”

Something in the man’s voice set off Green Arrow’s internal warning system, but it was too late. He turned his body as he saw the arm of the shadow raise, something in its hand. Ollie tried to sweep with his left foot, but not in time as he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head... and then everything went black.

*******

“Hey buddy, you okay?”

His world did not come back into view slowly, but suddenly, in a bright brilliant slap of sun light that blazed a sharp pain from behind his eyes all the way into the back of his skull. For a moment, Ollie thought he was going to throw up, he rolled to his side in anticipation, but after a moment the feeling passed.

“You don’t look so good, Mr. Arrow. I think you’d better lie still. I called the cops, they’re on their way.”

The archer looked up to see two young men standing over him. Both were poorly dressed, Mexican in appearance, and neither looked old enough to be shaving, let alone out on a desolate stretch of road.

“Who are you?” he managed to croak out.

“My name is Miguel, and my friend here is Don. We were on our way to Tucson and we ran across this... this...” He motioned at the scene that lay in front of him, unable to find words for the gruesome find.

“Yeah, it’s not pretty.” Green Arrow agreed as he fought off another wave of nausea while trying to stand up. The two young men moved to help him when he swayed but he waived them away. “I’m fine,” he grunted.

“How long ago did you call the police?”

Don spoke up in broken English. “’Bout five minutes ago.”

Ollie went back to the inside of the car, only to find that the glove box was now wide open, all of its contents were scattered everywhere. What ever the truck driver had been looking for was either gone, or it hadn’t been in the car to begin with. Either way, there was nothing else here.

He turned to the two men. “Either of you know him?” he asked as he jabbed his thumb towards the corpse.

They both shook their heads no at the same time. Green Arrow thought for a moment then asked. “Ever heard of a place called La Fiesta?”

This question also got an instant reaction, but this time it was as if they had just seen the scariest monster of their lives. Both of them took a couple of steps back and for an instant Ollie was expecting them to take off running; instead they stood frozen, the color draining from their faces.

“Well I’m guessing I’ve struck a nerve with that. So which one of you kind gentlemen want to give me the rundown?”

“Not me,” Don blurted out. “I do not wish to die.”

“Huh, that good, is it?” Ollie replied. He turned to Miguel. “And you, I’m guessing you don’t want to die today, either?”

The other man nodded his head vigorously.

“So the fact that there’s a kid not much older than you lying in a ditch, murdered, doesn’t matter? Scratch that, I can see it don’t.”

“Please, Mr. Arrow, we must go now,” Don said as he grabbed his friend’s shirt sleeve and tried to pull him away.

Miguel shrugged him off, moving quickly to get as close to Green Arrow as possible. “If you are real hero, you will stop it. I tell you this: you can find La Fiesta in San Buenaventura. But beware, Sir. You are messing with Juarez.”

“Juarez? What the hell is a Juarez?”

He got no reply as Miguel turned and fled. Sirens could be heard in the distance. Ollie took off a glove and touched the side of his head. He felt the warm sticky blood that had already begun congealing. Well this trip was starting out to be par for the course, he thought to himself as he waited for the state troopers to arrive.

*******

“... So I’m taking a detour, heading south of the border to Buenaventura.” Ollie was on his blue tooth, his bike crossing some rather desolate terrain.

“What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?” The voice of Connor Hawke, his son, came back to him. “Do you believe you can avenge this young man’s death with a couple of cryptic names and one location?”

“Well yeah, that was the idea. At least until you made it sound near impossible with that tone of voice.”

“What exactly did Officer Patterson tell you?”

“Third roadside killing this month, he said. Each car had residual traces of cocaine in the trunk or underside carriage. Said that lately Interstate Ten had become a major route for Mexican drug trafficking from just across the border all the way through the southwest. I tried to get a hold of Batwoman for some more Intel but she’s not picking up at the moment.”

“Did they have any idea who was making the hits?”

“Just rumors that the Juarez cartel is striking out at the big boys – the Mexican Federation cartel. It’s nice that drug pushers now have their own federation, isn’t it?”

“I am detecting more than anger in your voice; some serious bitterness to be exact.”

The fork in the road that the one trooper had told him about was just a head of him. The dirt road to his left would curve east and take him along the Mexican border; if he stayed to the right the road would soon disappear, but a small trail would lead him through one of the shallowest areas of the Rio Grande and into Mexico.

“Ollie, are you there?” Connor asked when there was no reply over his observation.

Roy’s young, drawn face came rushing back from that part of his mind that usually kept all of his most bitter moments locked away. “Yeah, I’m here. Let’s just say I’ve got some real personal issues with drug runners.”

“Out of curiosity, what exactly is your plan? Do you expect to take down an entire cartel by yourself?”

A smile played at the edge of Ollie’s mouth for a moment as he stayed to the right, the cycle leaving the ground for a split second as he jumped off the road and into the desolate landscape. “Well, that’s an idea too. Probably could if I set my mind to it, but it ain’t on my agenda for this trip. All I’m wanna do is find out who murdered that kid and drag his ass back to the States so that dead kid can get some justice.”

“Noble cause, as always,” Connor said quietly. “Good luck with that. If you need me, you know where I am.”

“Thanks, but I’ve got this one. It shouldn’t be too hard,” he was saying as he suddenly found himself at the edge of the nearly dried up river bed that was called the Rio Grande. He didn’t even hesitate as he took the motorcycle across the small stream and onto the other side. “Trust me, their not even going to see me coming.”

His words were barely out of his mouth when he heard the roar of a motor behind him. He checked his side mirror to see two very old and beat up jeeps suddenly appear from behind some brush he had just passed by. There were four men in each vehicle, and all six passengers were sporting some heavy duty assault rifles.

Green Arrow swore out loud. “Gotta go son, I think they just saw me coming.”

*******

He gunned the bike, popping the clutch and kicking up dirt as he took off. He heard the sound of gunfire behind him; saw the bullets kicking up dirt on either side of the motorcycle as he tried to out run them. He knew he wasn’t going to get away. It wasn’t like he was in a major city where he could slip down a side road or back alley. He was out in the open, nothing around him but brush and desert. No, he just needed a bit of distance so he could do something really stupid.

A bullet whizzed by his head, so close he felt it brush against his hat. It was now or never he decided, as he suddenly brought the bike around ninety degrees while also slinging his bow from over his shoulder. He lost control for a second but quickly regained command. The two jeeps were now coming right at him, which was exactly how he wanted it. He reached back, felt the tips of his arrows until he found the one he was looking for, then in one fluid motion he let go of the bike, nocked the arrow, and released it.

Perfect hit, he thought, as it struck the front grill of the jeep on the left, letting out an electrical charge that seemed to envelope the entire vehicle. The men inside cried out in pain as the current of electricity enveloped them. The driver gave up control as he slumped forward; the jeep veered to the left, striking its companion car, causing them both to fly in opposite directions.

With the gunfire suddenly halted, Green Arrow steered his bike between them, firing one more arrow at the jeep on his left as he flew past it. The sharpened arrow head found its mark as it embedded itself into brake pedal... and the unconscious driver’s foot. Although the jeep had already shut off from the electrical discharge, it was still rolling until the sudden pressure on the brakes caused it to stop suddenly and sent the three passengers flying.

The second jeep was now back in the driver's control after the collision, and Ollie turned up behind them as the men prepared their weapons to fire on him. He knew he only had a couple of seconds as he accelerated the cycle while shifting his weight, the muscles in his arms straining as he brought the front of the bike up.

He heard the men shout in Spanish as he gunned the engine even more, bringing the bike right up and then over the back of the jeep. One of the men was thrown out by the sudden impact, while the driver began to scream what Ollie guessed to be obscenities. For the first time in days he found himself laughing as he surprised them and even himself by leaping over the bike, landing in the jeep.

One of the men swung the butt of his gun at him but he ducked, his fist striking the man in the kidney. The gun fell out of his hand as he heard the other passenger cry out in anger. Taking a move from Black Canary’s playbook, he kicked out with his left leg, made contact and caused the second guy to go flying out of the jeep backward. He hit the hard, dry dirt with a thud, went rolling a few feet, then lay on the ground broken and unconscious.

Green Arrow turned his attention back to the first guy, only to be struck in the side of the face by the man’s fist. He stumbled back and into the driver who continued to shout. Ollie noticed the driver reached for the glove box, and brought his elbow down on that arm, hearing the crack of bone an instant before the man’s cry of pain. Letting out his battle cry, Ollie pushed himself back up and into the guy who had punched him. Both of them went flying out of the jeep and onto the ground.

He made sure the wannabe killer was underneath him when they struck the earth, causing the wind to be knocked out of him. This gave Green Arrow all the time he needed to roll off the guy, bring himself up and give him a swift kick under the chin, knocking the man out.

His bow was still slung over his shoulder. He spun around to locate the final jeep, only to see it had continued south, toward the hot afternoon sun, his bike still attached to the back of it.

“Aw come on, I just bought that!” He grabbed his hat and flung it to the ground in frustration. He picked it back up, sighed, dusted it off, and turned to the two men lying unconscious in front of him. “Let’s party,” he grumbled to himself.

*******

Oliver Queen decided two things almost simultaneously as he lumbered on foot towards his destination. One: throwing his Outsider beacon and transporter device away was now looking like the most foolish thing he had done in a long time. Two: it was also the quickest regret he ever had when it came to burning a bridge. To his amazement, his cell phone actually began to buzz.

It was Conner. “Talk to me,” he said as he answered it.

Conner seemed to hesitate, catching the anger in his father’s voice – as well as exertion. “What is wrong? You sound out of breath?”

“Had a little trouble, but I’m fine. What do you got for me?”

“I contacted the New Mexico State Police like you asked of me and spoke to Lieutenant Patterson. They’ve identified the body as Angel Guertez. A sixteen-year old Mexican national with known ties to the Mexican Federation cartel; his older brother is one of their captains, wanted in the States for money laundering, homicide, and drug trafficking. I’m theorizing that this Juarez cartel got a hold of him, just as they have the others.”

“Sixteen...” Ollie muttered in frustration.

“I don’t mean to come across as negative, but I still think you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. What are the chances that you are going to find this guy's killer?”

“One hundred percent, actually; had a run in with some of the Juarez thugs as soon as I got across the border. It’s amazing how fast some of these low lives will squeal if you put the right pressure on them.”

“I’m guessing I don’t want to know what that pressure is.”

“Nope. The important thing is that I got the name of the man who was assigned to whack the kid. He’s holed up in a fancy little spa called... wait for it... La Fiesta, in Buenaventura. I’m on my way now.”

“Are you sure you don’t want some help. I could have the jet fueled and ready to go in no time.”

“Nah, this is going to be quick, but there is something I need you to do for me...”

*******

It was a beat-up, nearly broken-down Chevy truck that rolled into the out of the way town of Buenaventura. In the cab sat Green Arrow, surrounded by two goats, three sheep, and a llama. The truck pulled to the side as they entered the city limits. Ollie jumped out, turned to the llama, winked (it bleated back at him), then went to the driver.

“Gracias, amigo,” he said as he handed his several pesos. The driver said nothing, just nodded, and drove off.

Adjusting his bow, absently checking the arrows in his quiver, Green Arrow made his way down the street, in the direction the driver had told him.

He hadn’t made it very far when he was tackled near a small alley. Two men with baseball bats had appeared suddenly and brought him to his knees. He dodged one blow that brought up dirt and gravel near his face, but felt the sharp pain of the second as it struck him in the right hip. Thankfully, he didn’t hear anything crack. Still, it hurt...

What he did hear were several clicks of chambers being filled. He looked up to see several men now surrounding him: the two with the baseball bats and five more with guns. He also noted the people on the busy streets were now moving quickly to get out of the way. It couldn’t have felt more surreal – like a John Ford movie.

“Isn’t this the part where you call me a gringo and tell me this is the end of the road?”



“You’ve been watching too many American propaganda films,” another man's voice said as the men who had circled him broke formation to allow the newcomer to enter the scene. He wore a tailor-made three-piece suit, Armani by the looks of it. He was, of course, smoking a rather large cigar and wearing a wide brimmed hat.

“So have you by the looks of that get up,” Arrow quipped.

“Do we really want to talk of fashion?” the man looked said, giving him the once over.

Green Arrow stood up slowly, the men all taking a step back and leveling their weapons. He kept his hands up in plain site. “You know who I am.” It was more of a statement than an actual question.

“Si, we are all aware of you American heroes. I also know why you come here. You seek the man who you think killed Angel Guertez.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“He’s no longer here. He has went back to America.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you... why?”

“Because it is truth and because you die if you don’t.”

“Not sure about that first point, but you make a pretty good case with the second one. You want to tell me your name, hombre? You seem to have me at a disadvantage.”

“No.”

Green Arrow weighed his options. This trip had been a bust, and he knew it. He had figured it out while sharing a ride to town with the poultry. He had seen the driver on his phone talking to someone. There weren’t many in these parts that had cell phones, so it was a good guess that he was connected to this cartel.

“Fair enough,” he finally replied. “But this is how I’m seeing it. Either way, you ain’t going to kill me. It’s one thing to eliminate the competition or even Feds who are getting to close; however, you take out a bona fide member of the Justice League and you’re going to have a world of hurt coming your way that not even you could deal with. So here’s the plan; you tell me where Juan Sanchez went and I won’t bust your goons heads open and rip this town apart – not to mention shoving that God-awful cigar of yours where the sun don’t shine.”

“We kill him?” One of the men asked.

Three piece suit man just grinned as he took a long drag from the cigar. He waved for his men to put the guns down. “I will give you more than just Sanchez’s destination. I will also give you back your motorcycle, fixed, and some words of advice.”

“Oh I can’t wait to hear this,” Ollie said, folding his arms.

“Go back to your pretend life, Mr. Green Arrow. The real world is too big and too complicated for your kind. What you are brushing up against is not some big bad super-villain that you spend twenty minutes brawling with and then send to big American prison until next time. What I represent is something much bigger, much deadlier. It encompasses an entire hemisphere. Not only is it a creature so large that you, nor your people, could ever find its true head, but even if you some how did, and were able to cut it off? It would still live on. It is a vital role in both your society and mine. Without it, civilization as we know it would come crumbling down around us. Many of your leaders know this. They whisper it in secret meetings, behind closed doors. They shout their revulsion to the masses for show, but they know... they know...”

His final words hung there for a moment. Green Arrow’s face had become rigid during his speech. When it was over he took a couple of steps forward, getting close to this man, even as the others raised their guns at him. He didn’t seem to care.

“Now I’ve got some advice for you, so feel free to pass it on to the rest of the roaches that you lay with. My people have fought off fourth world psychopaths with the power of Gods. We’ve kicked alien starfish ass and sent it running back to its mama. All of us save thousand upon thousands of lives on a daily basis, so if you actually think you’re anywhere near as powerful as what my people have faced, you need to stop smoking the crap your people are pushing into my country. Now tell me where Sanchez went and get the $#@! out of my way.”

He blew smoke into Green Arrow’s face as he answered him. “He is going to New Orleans. Your bike is waiting for you on the outskirts of town. Let us hope that we don’t meet again.”

“Now on that, I agree with you... for your sake.” Ollie spat as he turned around, pushed his way through the armed men and headed out of town. He was fuming. It had all been for nothing, and on top of that, he couldn’t help but be pissed at himself for allowing the drug dealer’s words to get to him. He couldn’t help it though, the guy had spoken the truth, and Ollie knew it.

Epilogue

[/i]

Evening had come to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The sky was nearly black, with just a hint of midnight blue in the west. Lieutenant Patterson, a five year officer of the New
Mexico State Police Department pulled into the driveway of his home feeling tired. Although he was only thirty-five, tonight he felt as though he might as well be fifty.

Entering his house, he reached for the light switch on the wall, but a thwap sound broke the silence in the home. He felt the shooting pain in his hand as something pierced it, pinning it to the wall, just inches away from the switch.

He cried out in pain, going for his gun with the other hand. He was having a hard time, though, as it was on the other side of his belt and every movement caused even more pain in his hand. He dropped that idea and instead reached for what had struck him. His blood ran cold when he felt the shaft of an arrow sticking out of his now blood-soaked hand.

“Who... whose there?” he called out.

“You know damn well who,” Green Arrow’s reply came from somewhere in his darkened living room. “You’re not very bright for being a state trooper, are you Patterson?”

“I... I don’t know what you mean?”

“Cut the crap. They were waiting for me as soon as I got across the border. The exact spot, where you told me to cross! You and I were the only ones who knew it, and I didn’t take a few minutes to call them and invite myself over. So tell me, how long you been on their payroll?”

“You are crazy! And you’ve just assaulted an officer of the law! You are going to...”

There was another thwap and Keith Patterson let out another scream as the second arrow entered his leg, just below his knee cap. “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” he bellowed.

“HOW LONG?” Ollie shouted from somewhere in the darkness.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” There was now the sound of desperation in the officer’s voice.

“Here’s the deal, Patterson,” Ollie said and this time he seemed to be coming from a different location in the room. “Drugs are kind of a personal issue with me. Murder, don’t like it much, especially when it’s a goddamn kid involved, but you add drugs to the mix and I’m on a whole different level of rage. I don’t care if I have to become public enemy number one in this whole damn country, I’ll get my answers and I’ll take down anyone I have to to do it. Comprende, amigo?”

“You’re bluffing.”

Thwap[/b]

Lt. Patterson actually saw the arrow come out of the darkness to whiz by his face, the arrowhead close enough to cut his cheek.

“Just over a year!” he shouted quickly. “The Juarez cartel came to me. Said I’d be paid handsomely. Then two government agents showed up at my door, suggested rather strongly that I take them up on their offer. Two days later I found my dog nailed to my garage door with an American flag shoved in it and a note that said God Bless America. The next morning I took the job.” He began to cry quietly.

“Wow, you really make me sick,” Green Arrow said.

The officer’s table lamp in the far corner popped on and he finally saw Green Arrow. He was standing next to a video camera on a tri-pod. The hero turned it off, popped the tape out, and walked past him to the front door.

“Don’t try running; it’ll only make things worse for you,” Ollie said as he opened the door to leave.

“They’ll kill me,” Patterson whispered in a pleading voice.

“You stupid son of a bitch,” Ollie muttered with actual sympathy in his voice. “You were a dead man the second you accepted their offer. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get a deal. Now excuse me, I’m running behind.”

Green Arrow closed the door, his stomach a mass of knots. He got on his bike, started the engine, and headed out of town: Destination? New Orleans, Louisiana...

Next Issue: In the Big Easy, Ollie gets into even more trouble as he teams up with the original Vigilante of The Seven Soldiers of Victory to solve a very personal murder.
Brought to you by the combined writing talents of Susan Hillwig and Brian Burchette!


If you wish to comment on this issue, please CLICK HERE[/i][/b][/link] to visit the letters page.