Issue 2: "Forked Tongues"

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Green Arrow

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Issue #2: “Forked Tongues”
Written by Brian Burchette
Cover by Ramon Villalobos
Edited by Mark Bowers[/center]

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They were cornered, Green Arrow and his ex-CIA buddy, Eddie Fyers. Trapped by Kobra soldiers called Lanceheads. They were foot soldiers in a war they believed to be in the middle of, a war that, when won, would bring a new era to first America, and then the world. With them were a dozen of King Kobra’s elite strike force - the Black Adders, poised and ready to join their brothers in claiming their prize… Eddie Fyers.

“Any chance we can come to some kind of peaceful resolution to this?” Green Arrow asked as his eyes circled the rooftop, smoke filling the air around them as the fire from the hospital next door was carried, by the wind, in their direction.

The First Naga smirked. “Of course there is. Mr. Fyers comes with us quietly and you take a flying leap off the side of the building.”

Eddie shrugged. “At this point, I could live with that.”

“I think I’m starting to understand why you didn’t make it in the CIA. Look, you son of a bitch,” Ollie said, addressing the Kobra leader, “I don’t know why you want my friend here so badly, but blowing up a hospital to bring him out in the open was a stupid move. You’re going to pay for this sick act.”

The First Naga rolled his eyes beneath his hood. “Enough talk… take them,” he ordered his men.

The words were barely out of the terrorist’s mouth before Ollie was letting loose not one, but two arrows. The first one struck the roof in front of four Lanceheads and a brilliant flash of light burst forth. They cried out in shock and stumbled back, while the second arrow pierced the hand of the First Naga, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his own weapon.

Gunfire erupted from the other soldiers as the Black Adders began throwing their razor-sharp stars. Eddie dove to the ground, his gun firing and hitting two more Lanceheads. Green Arrow leapt into the air, diving forward and rolling out of the way of the incoming attack. He was able to make it behind a ventilation shaft where he could catch his breath, but he only had seconds, he realized, as Eddie was still out in the open.

He could also hear the sirens from the street below and this made him even angrier. The cries for help, the shouting of commands from both the police and fire units, were causing a rage to build inside him. The sick bastards, Kobra, had created this destruction, this chaos, in his city, and they were going to pay!
Green Arrow pulled out two more arrows and came up over the metal barrier that was protecting him, firing both shafts at the same time. He ducked back again, knowing that his aim had been true, and it was. One steel-tipped arrow had struck one of the Black Adders who was making his way towards Eddie, while the other arrow had arched to the left and struck a Lancehead in the thigh. The wind, the heavy smoke, was working in their favor, but for how long.

“They’re two men, you fools, take them!” he heard the leader shout, a hint of pain still in his voice.

“A little help over here,” Eddie called out as he fired his weapon blindly and crouched low, making his way in the opposite direction of Ollie and towards the air conditioning unit, trying to get cover.

Ollie started to rise again, ready to fire two more arrows, when he was suddenly struck in the back by a Black Adder. He went flying forward and into the line of fire again. He swung around to see the ninja flying towards him, his leg out in front of him. Green Arrow reacted quickly, letting his bow drop as he sidestepped and brought his arms out, clasping the outstretched leg at just the right second and twisting it until he heard the pop from the knee of the man dressed in black who let out a small grunt of pain.

“Thanks for teaching me that one, Pretty Bird,” Arrow mumbled to himself as he brought his fist down into the side of the fighter’s face and knocked him unconscious.

He looked up to see that Eddie had made it to relative safety, just as a bullet whizzed by his head. The smoke was getting thicker in the air and he was having a hard time seeing anything. He crouched low just as he caught a glimpse of a figure making his way towards the other end of the air conditioning unit, trying to come up behind Eddie. He went to shout, but saw a Black Adder making his way from the other side. They were boxing him in!

Green Arrow looked around quickly as he picked up his bow and reached for another special arrow. He saw what he was looking for as he noticed the glint of metal from a flagpole at the side of the building.

He ran to the edge of the roof, firing his arrow up and at the top of the pole. The rope that the arrow was attached to flew behind it, and he leapt off the building, grabbing the rope and adjusting his weight so that he swung out wide, nothing but air and the flashing of emergency vehicles far below him. He circled around and landed right behind the First Naga whose hand was still bleeding, but had drawn a jagged-looking dagger as he crept along the side.

The Naga heard the soft landing behind him and started to turn, but Green Arrow had already pulled out another shaft and slammed his enemy against the metal construct as he put the steel tip against the side of his neck.

“Everybody freeze or I’ll shove this arrow so far into his neck he’ll be a human shish kabob!”

The shooting stopped for a second and, although the smoke was at its thickest, he knew they had taken him seriously.

“Show-off,” Eddie mumbled.

“Take them! My death means nothing! FOR KING KOBRA!” the First Naga shouted.

“Awww….” But the curse never left Oliver’s mouth as he felt a set of nunchucks strike him in the back of his head, and then the world began to spin.

“Arrow!” he heard Eddie cry out from what seemed like a million miles away, and then there was nothing.

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Eddie saw his friend get struck and turned to fire his gun, but suddenly he was jumped by two Black Adders himself. He went to strike one with his weapon, but it was blocked and he was struck in the face.

He fell back and was struck by the second Adder in the gut. He collapsed onto his knees as his gun was kicked out of his hand and went flying over the roof of the building. He looked up just as he watched in horror as the Black Adder who had knocked out Ollie, picked up the Emerald Archer and was about to hurl him over the side of the building.

“WAIT!” both Eddie and The First Naga shouted at the same time, but that was the last thing he remembered as he was struck in the back of the head and blackness enveloped him. It was almost comforting…

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Connor Hawke gazed in a respect that bordered on love for the elderly man in front of him. This was harder than he even realized it was going to be. Master Jansen had been many things to him for several years now; a mentor, a friend, a guide, and a father figure. He was having pangs of regret as he shifted the sack that hung on his left shoulder, while his right one carried the bow that he had made nearly a year ago.

As if sensing Brother Hawke’s reservations, Master Jansen laid a hand on the young man’s arm and gave him a light, reassuring squeeze. “You are following the path that your heart has set you upon. Do not hesitate… embrace.”

“I haven’t been out there since I was but a child,” Connor replied, trying desperately to hide the fear that seemed to be knocking at the edges of his brain.

“Yes, it is a different world; a world full of danger and corruption. It is also a world full of much good. You know what you seek, and I believe that if you stay on your heart’s path, you will find what you are searching for at the end of your journey.”

The young blond man stared at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. “I hope you are right,” he replied, no longer able to fight the uncertainty that he felt was consuming him.

“Where are you headed first?” Master Jansen asked.

“South, to Katmandu, and then west, into the heart of India.”

“Then take with you the peace, serenity, and knowledge that you have received here, and remember, Brother Hawke, we shall always be here, if your heart ever desires to return to us.”

Connor Hawke nodded, but could not say anything. A part of it already does, he thought to himself. He turned then and left his home, knowing to say any more, or stay any longer, could cause him to change his mind; something he did and didn’t want to do.

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Oliver Queen’s world came back into view, but it wasn’t a view he was prepared for. Why was everyone standing on the ceiling, was his first thought. It took him a second before he realized that nobody was standing on the ceiling, he was hanging upside down, tied by some very heavy-duty rope and suspended from the ceiling.

His head was throbbing, which meant that he was alive; a good thing, he figured. Two guards, weapons resting on their arms, were watching him.

“Looks like he’s awake,” the first one said.

“Think so?” the other replied, mockingly. “Inform the King that the archer is awake. I’ll stand guard, he’s not going anywhere.”

“The King?” Green Arrow asked in a mocking tone. “He wouldn’t happen to be bringing any peanut butter and banana sandwiches with him, would he?”

The guard slammed the butt of his rifle into Ollie’s knee, and the archer stifled a shout as pain coursed through him.

“You guys have a thing or two to learn about hospitality,” Green Arrow spat out.

“Shut up,” the guard barked. “Why our King changed his mind and chose to keep you alive is a mystery to me. You are like all the rest of them in this world; arrogant and self-centered. Trying to police a world that is better off without your kind, better off with only one supreme ruler.”

“Yeah, and I bet I can guess who you’ve got in mind for that job.”

The guard straightened up, “Our master, King Kobra, of course, who shall bring in the age of the Kali Yuga, and then he shall reign above all.”

“Huh, well I don’t know what a Kali Yoda is, but I’m going to take a shot that your boss is really Dick Cheney.”

He saw the muscles tighten in the jaw of the soldier and prepared himself for another strike when a new voice interrupted them.

“The Kali Yuga is the age of chaos, a time when world leaders will stop communicating with each other, when all mankind will give up on their leaders and darkness will blanket the Earth, until such time as the final stage is ushered in, a time of peace and tranquility, when the entire world is ruled under one government… and that government will be Kobra.”

The man who had entered the doorway was dressed in green and gold, a hood covering the top portion of his face. He carried a cane made of gold, reptilian scales carved into it, and its top in the form of a large cobra about to strike, its eyes made of small red gems.

“You must be the King,” Ollie stated, his voice purposely sounding bored. “Forgive me if I don’t bow, I’m a little tied up at the moment. Nothing, eh? Well, it’s an old joke, anyway.”

“Shut up!” King Kobra barked. “You only live because I have chosen it to be so. If Fyers does not give us the information that we need, you may be the one thing that will get him to tell us what we need to know.”

“… and if he doesn’t?”

King Kobra shrugged. “It really doesn’t matter, either way, you are going to die.”

“You are one sick bastard,” Ollie spat out, his temper beginning to rise. “You blew up a hospital, killed and injured hundreds of people, just in the hope of bringing Eddie out into the open. I’ve dealt with your kind before, and, if you ask me, you all are overcompensating for a rather small...”

“Your small little mind cannot comprehend what is going to happen.” King Kobra said, interrupting him. “When the Kali Yuga comes, millions will die. They must die for the new world order to come about. True change for the best always happens by releasing the blood of the innocent.”

Green Arrow struggled with his bonds. “You won’t get away with this, you son of a bitch!”

“Now there’s a cliché I haven’t heard in a while,” King Kobra said with a malevolent laugh as he spun around and exited the room.

The two guards took up their positions again, after bowing to their master. Ollie let out a mental sigh and began to scan the room for something… anything that might help him. He stopped when he heard the screaming coming from down the hallway. It was Eddie…

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Tied to a chair, stripped down to his boxers, blood pouring from his nose and his mouth, and all that Eddie could think of was that he had been here, done this, before. He was ex-CIA, or at least he was in his own eyes, so this sort of predicament was not uncommon for him. He did wonder, however, what had happened to Ollie.

“The King is coming,” hissed one of his guards. “You would be wise to tell him what he wants to know.”

“Nice little hissing noise you’ve got there, you really believe in getting into the role, don’t you?”

“You’re as obnoxious as your partner,” King Kobra said as he entered the room; a cart with some kind of electronic device was being wheeled in behind him.

Eddie’s hopes soared at the comment; Ollie might still be alive! “Your first comment and it’s already wrong. I’m much more obnoxious than he is.”

King Kobra stared at the man for several moments; Eddie made sure to keep his eyes focused on the blackness under the hood of the robe. He wasn’t about to be intimidated, not at this late date in his life.

“You know why we’ve been searching for you?” It was a statement as much as a question.

“I have a good idea,” Eddie replied coldly.

“I give you only one chance. If you do not tell me where it is, then we will begin the motivational part of our program.”

In spite of himself, Eddie laughed at the statement. “Motivational is it? Fancy word for torture, but I guess I should play along and say the obligatory $%#@ you so we can get on with this.”

Eddie watched the leader of Kobra grip his staff tighter, and he couldn’t help but smile to himself. It was nice to know that sometimes the classics could still press the right buttons.

King Kobra motioned for the equipment to be wheeled forward, and soon Eddie was hooked up with electrodes on various parts of his body.

The leader of the terrorist organization nodded and one of his followers threw the switch. Eddie had vowed not to cry out; he was trained to withstand massive amounts of pain. Yet, as the electricity coursed through some of the most tender areas of his person, he couldn’t help but scream out.

“Now tell me,” King Kobra said, leaning down into the man’s face when the machine was shut off, “where did you hide the Staff of Shesha?”

Eddie, whose head had been down while he tried to catch his breath and ignore the pain that was still working its way through his body, looked up and grinned. “You know, I’m going to kill you second… right after the guy over there that’s throwing the switch.”

King Kobra let out a low chuckle and motioned for his lackey to throw the switch again; he did, and Eddie let out another cry of pain.

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Ollie listened to the tortured screams of his friend; they were growing more intense as the minutes wore on.

“Hey guys, I have to use the can,” Green Arrow said. The guards didn’t even look at him. “Oh, come on! Haven’t you heard of the Geneva Convention?”

“Shut up,” one of the guards grumbled as he struck Ollie in the face with the butt of the gun.

Green Arrow rolled with the hit and, just like that, the ropes around him gave way and he fell to the ground, grabbing the gun from the guard’s hand as he fell. The guard barely had time to let out a warning when GA swung the gun out, pulling the guard’s feet out from under him. The archer took that moment to jump up and strike him twice, knocking the guard unconscious.

“How…?” the other guard uttered as he backed up, apparently forgetting his gun for the moment.

“You idiots always forget that we heroes always trade home recipes. Don’t carry all your sharp utensils in the same place in your costume; the bat taught me that one.” Ollie grinned as a small knife came out of his glove and he threw it at the second guard. As usual, it struck right on target and pierced the guard’s hand, causing the gun to fall to the floor. “That was all me.” Green Arrow then struck with an upper cut that slammed him up against the wall, and the guard then proceeded to slide down it, unconscious. “… And that one was Ted Grant.”

Ollie looked around the room, but his bow wasn’t there. Of course not; that would be too easy, he thought to himself. It was then that he realized that he hadn’t heard Eddie for a few minutes. He hesitated for a second, then picked up one of the guns and checked the door… it was unlocked. Had to love overconfidence. He took off down the hallway.

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Eddie’s blood felt like it was boiling, the pain was becoming nearly unbearable, but he refused to say anything at this point. Refused, or was slightly afraid, he wasn’t sure, but, either way, he kept his mouth closed.

The Kobra King stood looking down at him, the hood of his robe masking any facial features. Finally he threw up his hands in disgust, beginning to pace back and forth as he thought for a moment.

“I should have realized that torture would not work on a CIA agent,” the King mused.

Ex, Eddie thought to himself, but kept his mouth shut.

“So, instead, I’m going to take the higher road here and offer you exactly what you are looking for, in exchange for what I am looking for. I want to know what you did with the Staff… and you want to know what happened to your daughter.”

Eddie’s head shot up on instinct, the words coming out of his mouth before his brain was actually functioning. “What do you know about my daughter?!” He couldn’t see the smile under the hood, but he felt it, and it disgusted him that this terrorist had gotten under his skin.

“I know where Mia is, and how she got there. If you tell me what I want to know, I will give this information to you. I’m willing to bet that when you find out where she is, you’ll want nothing more to do with this, rescuing her will be your only drive.”

There was more than slight mocking in his tone, causing Eddie to struggle against his bonds for the first time. “Do you think I’m stupid? As soon as I tell you where your precious staff is hidden, you’re going to tell me what I want to know, and then kill me anyway.”

The Kobra King considered this for a moment and then nodded. “Very true, you will die one way or the other. However, I will give you my word that the archer will go free. I will inform him where your daughter is located, and how she got there. He will make sure that she is rescued.”

“Rescued? She’s in danger?” Eddie asked. He was becoming ashamed of himself. He was playing right into the madman’s hands… but this was his daughter… his flesh and blood.

“I’m sure she is alive, but that is about all I know on her condition. If you want to know more, tell me what I want to know. Tell me where the Staff of Shesha is and I will help you save your daughter!”

Eddie struggled. He had still been working for the CIA when the weapon had been found, and he was not a fool. That staff was a powerful weapon; but after everything that had been done to him by the CIA… after the entire Starro crisis… he barely had any loyalty left. His loyalty to a daughter he had never met was much, much stronger.

“We never moved it,” he stated.

King Kobra leaned forward. “What?”

“It’s still in Karnataka.”

“Where?” King Kobra hissed with a growing passion.

“Where is my daughter?” Eddie demanded.

“That answer is not to be given yet, but I will tell you that at one time she was being cared for by Tai Lee.” Eddie’s reaction to the name made King Kobra chuckle. “So you have heard of him. Good, then you understand. Now, where in Karnataka is the staff. Tell me, and then I will tell you where your daughter is now, before I kill you. Then I will allow the bowman to be released so that he may retrieve her for you.”

It was at that moment that an explosion was heard from the hallway outside. Kobra agents raised their weapons and headed for the door.

“Sounds like the cavalry to me there, King,” Eddie said.

“NO!” the leader shouted to his men. “We have been compromised. You two, come with me. We shall use the escape exit. If the American Government left the staff in India, then my guess is that it is still somewhere in the ruins of Vijayanagra. We shall go there ourselves. You,” he said, pointing to the torturer. “Kill this one and then leave. Inform the others to make their way to the sacred temple and wait for the rest of us to join them.”

The Kobra agent bowed deeply as he watched his master leave, and then turned to face his victim with a small grin.

Eddie grinned back. “You are so dead.”

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Ollie was thankful that his bow and arrows were only two rooms away, and he had had very little trouble finding them, or getting into the room. By the looks of the place he was in, it was probably some kind of safe house. Somewhere that they could do their dirty work, but keep it away from their main headquarters; that seemed to be Kobra’s style, if he remembered correctly.

Two Lanceheads lay unconscious in the hallway as the smoke from the blast arrow began to dissipate. He didn’t carry very many trick arrows with him since he had moved back to Star City, but he was glad for the few that he did have.

Now, where are you, Eddie? Ollie wondered as he moved slowly down the hallway, his bow raised in front of him; an arrow nocked and ready.

The question was answered almost immediately by the sound of crashing that came from the room on the far left of the hallway. He heard shouting and cautiously approached the closed door. He checked the handle to find that it wasn’t locked. Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and threw himself into the room, bow raised.

He saw Eddie lying on the floor, bound to a chair, while a Lancehead was straddling him, knife in hand, beginning to bring it down.

As usual, Green Arrow fired instinctively and the sharp arrowhead hit its mark, striking the blade and knocking it out of the torturer’s hand. The Lancehead turned, startled, in time to see a green glove coming at his face… then there was blackness.

“Took you long enough,” Eddie grumbled.

Ollie grabbed the knife, working to cut the bonds that held his friend. “You know me, gotta wait until the last second so the entrance is a bit more dramatic.”

When the bonds were removed, Eddie stood up, swaying slightly. Green Arrow grabbed his arm to steady his friend. “Just give it a second.”

“We ain’t got a second,” Eddie replied. “King Kobra is on his way to India to retrieve an ancient artifact that’s going to spell disaster if he gets his hands on it.”

“Alright then, we go to India,” Ollie stated.

“I can’t,” Eddie said quietly and in obvious emotional pain over the decision.

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“King Kobra knew about Mia. He knew where she disappeared to. All he would tell me was that she had been taken by Tai Lee.”

Ollie stood quietly in shock, the memories of what he had seen Tai’s brother do to children just a few years ago, still fresh in his mind… as if it had happened yesterday.

“I’m sorry, Ollie, but I’ve got to find my daughter.”

Arrow’s jaw tightened. “We will, and we’ll stop Kobra, too.”

Eddie smiled gratefully. “Where to first?”

“We find Lee and get him to tell us where Mia is, then we head to India. I’ll try and contact the Justice League, see if they can spare anyone for some assistance.”
Ollie turned to leave, was almost out the door, when he realized Eddie wasn’t with him. He turned to see Eddie had picked up the knife and had pulled back the head of his unconscious torturer.

“Eddie! NO!”

Fyers snapped his head up, a wild look in his eyes. “Why not? He deserves it for what he did to me.”

“We don’t do that!” Ollie barked.

“Who’s going to stop me? You?”

There was a moment of silence as their eyes locked, then Green Arrow nocked an arrow and raised his bow slightly, not pointing it at his friend, but obviously prepared to do what he had to. “Don’t make me, Eddie. He’s not worth it, and I won’t be a part of it.”

More silence as their eyes never left each other. Neither was going to break it; the tension built as Eddie’s hand began to shake with rage. Finally he threw the knife down, and, right before it embedded itself into the hardwood floor, it cut across the Kobra agent’s face.

“Oops” Eddie said coldly, his eyes still locked on his friend’s.

Green Arrow lowered his weapon and broke the stand-off. “Yeah, oops. You made the right choice, Eddie.”

“Maybe, but I won’t promise you anything when we find the people who have my daughter.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Ollie replied, uncomfortably. He pushed several thoughts out of his mind before they could fully form. He didn’t want to think about what may lay ahead for him or his friend.

As they made their way out of the building a silence had grown between them. Their usual banter and bickering was absent, until they made it out and into the dawning light in the far east end of Star City.

Eddie finally spoke, “Hey, which one of us is more obnoxious, you or me?”

“No contest, you are.”

Eddie nodded. “That’s what I told that bastard. I knew I was right.”

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To Be Continued![/b]

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