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Silver Arrow
#3: Observatory of Danger
Cover: Silver Arrow hanging upside down, encased in ice, and about to be eaten by a giant venus flytrap, with snow swirling all around. In the bottom right corner are the words "Introducing FROSTBITE and VENUS FLYTRAP!"
The initial battle at the Griffith Observatory had been swift and brutal. At present, the place was surrounded by SWAT teams, with a pair of police helicopters and a half dozen news choppers circling the site. Silver Arrow, Los Angeles's resident superhero, had gone in, not waiting for the backup he'd asked for. The end result of this was that he was currently frozen in a block of ice, which itself dangled off the cliff by a giant vine. The villains in question had retreated into the Observatory, not yet making any demands.
Silver Arrow flexed his muscles slightly. Okay, Hugh. You charged in like a bull in a china shop, and got yourself caught. How do you get out of this one? What would Batman do? He snorted. Batman wouldn't've been caught like this, except maybe in the late '60s when played by Adam West. Arrow figured he himself didn't have that kind of plot protection. Stuff like that only happens in fiction, not in the real world.
He analyzed the situation: the ice wasn't melting that quickly, and didn't actually feel very cold to the touch. That meant it was a special chemical designed to be solid at just under room temperature. It was wet where it melted, though; he was sure that as it melted, the vines would let go, and he'd go crashing down off the cliff, long before he could break free himself. The vines themselves weren't anything special, just a super-large version of a tomato vine, which he'd noticed when he had cut through one. Non-toxic, and probably controlled by the woman by psionic means. Now he truly wished he'd managed to catch today's Physics class on psionic phenomena.
Still, the situation currently looked hopeless. At least, not without help.
Just then, he felt the ice break away as he was engulfed in a giant hand.
"Need a hand, hero?" He knew that voice. He'd put the guy in jail just last night.
"Big G?" he asked as the giant super-ganger turned him right-side up. "What are you doing here?"
"They've got my sister here," came the reply, as he set Arrow down on the cliff ledge. "I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing."
"But how are you here?" Arrow's voice still held confusion.
"And not in jail?" Big G asked, smiling at him as he shrunk back down to an eight foot height. "Got out on bail last night. You didn't think El Gato Negro was gonna let one of his own sit in jail, did you? What's your plan?"
Arrow frowned. He really didn't have a plan, but Big G's assistance wasn't totally unwelcome. But he had a few ideas. "Let's find the two who did this, first. I'll take 'Blizzard', you take 'Poison Ivy'. If that doesn't work, we switch."
Big G strode over and tore the back door off its hinges. "Fine by me. But that doesn't change things between us."
I didn't think it would, Arrow thought to himself.
Inside, the place dimly lit by emergency lights, Silver Arrow and Big G were unexpectedly joined by Doorway. "Isn't this interesting," she mentioned. "What's one of the River Cats doing here?"
"His sister's here," Arrow explained in a half-whisper. "What about you?"
"Just trying to do the right thing, for a change," she replied in the same tone.
"You keep some strange company, hero," Big G said with a smirk. "Friends with a street thief? We know your reputation, girl. Yours and your brother's."
"You leave my brother out of this, beefcake," Doorway growled.
"Children, focus," Arrow admonished them.
"Yes, dad," Doorway and G said in unison, both in mocking tones.
They found the two in the main observatory. The two villains were speaking with someone through a computer set up for video-conferencing, but whose face was obscured by a black full-face mask and cowl.
"You've failed," the figure said. The voice over the speakers was distorted, making the gender impossible to determine.
"We've got the hero dangling outside," the woman said. "Frostbite encased him in his ice, and my super-vines have him bound."
"The hero has friends who have already saved him, Venus," came the retort. "In fact, I think I see the hero and his friends over by the door. Frostbite, Venus Flytrap, do not fail me again. This time, kill him!"
The two turned as the connection was cut. Seeing that they had now lost the element of surprise, Arrow strode forward into the room, flanked by Doorway and Big G.
The next few minutes seemed like a giant blur to everyone involved. Venus rose up off the ground, suspended by a few of the vines that had bored their way into the room, while other vines attempted to grapple the trio. Frostbite fired off a number of icicles from his wrists at them. Doorway immediately opened one of her teleportals, deflecting them into the walls behind them. Big G grew to his ten foot height, and started ripping vines apart using his enhanced strength. Arrow, meantime, launched a trio of arrows tipped with circular sawblades, slicing through the vines beneath Venus, who fell to the ground. She landed on her back, but quickly rolled to a standing position.
Frostbite immediately shifted tactics, creating a blinding snow in front of him, hoping to blind the three. Despite this precaution, he was felled from behind, as a boxing glove arrow came through a teleportal to conk him in the back of the head.
Venus Flytrap turned to run, only to find herself grabbed from behind and held up off the ground. "Say goodnight, Gracie," G said as a boxing glove arrow bounced off her noggin.
"Ridiculous," she muttered as she fell unconscious.
"That's what I thought too, at first," Big G said.
Silver Arrow, Big G, and Doorway appeared in one of Doorway's teleportals in front of the police line, the bound and gagged Frostbite and Venus Flytrap at their feet. The police immediately moved in to read the two villains their rights, while the SWAT teams relaxed their guard. A number of officers moved in to arrest G.
"No need, officers," Arrow told them. "He's not one of the villains involved. In fact, he helped me out today."
"He's still a wanted fugitive," the detective stated. "George Martinez here broke out of prison earlier today."
"You said you were out on bail," Arrow said, turning to Big G.
"I'm here for my sister," came G's reply. "That part's true, and I'm not going anywhere until I know she's safe. After that... yeah, I'll return to prison."
The search for his sister didn't take long. Arrow found himself a little surprised as he learned G's sister was only twelve, and here on a school field trip. He helped melt the ice, using a localized heat lamp from his utility belt, and watched from the side as the two shared a tearful reunion, then as G was led away and the girl looked over by the paramedics.
"Penny for your thoughts, Arrow?" Doorway asked him.
"I was just thinking. G did the wrong thing - breaking out of prison - but for the right reasons. He was concerned for his sister, and helped take down two dangerous villains. He's not a bad person, even for a super-powered gang member."
"You keep reforming villains like myself, you'll end up leading a team of us some day."
"No thanks," he said with a grin. "I don't want the headaches. Let's get to work defrosting the others."
Hugh flopped onto his bed, exhausted from the day's events. He was still in his Silver Arrow uniform, but had ditched the mask and quivers. A soft knock on the door preceded his father entering the room.
"Hugh," Robert Knight said as he sat down in a chair next to Hugh's desk, "I know I haven't been very supportive of you risking your life, but when I saw the news footage today... I was scared for you."
"I was scared, too," Hugh said. "I messed up, and nearly paid for it with my life."
"Why do you do it, son? And don't give me that 'someone has to' line. There's more to it than that."
Hugh sighed. "You remember ten years ago? It was a bright August morning. You'd taken me down to your offices downtown, when things changed forever."
Downtown Los Angeles
Ten years ago
A young boy, not more than nine years old, stood gazing out a window in a downtown high rise office building. In the sky, men and women in skintight outfits flew around, shooting beams of energy at each other. A television nearby spoke of tripods in New Jersey, aliens in New Mexico, Triceratops in Kansas, and even stranger stuff. But it was the men and women in tights and capes flying about that had his attention. He watched in wonder and amazement. It was as if his favorite cartoon had come to life.
Suddenly, the building shook. He looked around, scared for the first time today. The building shook again, and then he felt himself falling. No, not him; the entire building was coming down! He looked around; time seemed to slow down for him, as he realized that there was no way out. Not knowing what else to do, he screamed, curling into a ball in a nearby cubicle as everything around him went black.
Half an hour later, or so he was told later, light blinded him. He was picked up, but due to the light he couldn't see who was holding him.
"One person can make a difference," he heard a voice say. He couldn't tell if the voice was male or female. He couldn't see if the hands holding him were bare, gloved, metal, or not even human. All he knew was that one line, echoing in his head.
"One person can make a difference."
"And that's why I do it," Hugh finished. "The memory of what happened during the quake. I'm just trying to make a difference. It was one of the supers that saved my life that day. I guess I'm just trying to do the right thing, the only way I know how. And this past year...."
"You made a difference today," Robert told him.
"Not really today. Fran and G deserve more credit."
"If it wasn't for you," Robert told him, "Fran wouldn't have testified against her brother two months ago, nor would she have aided you today. I'd call that a difference in her life, at least.
"The point is, son, I know I haven't been openly supportive, but I do know that I'm proud to be your father. I love you; don't ever forget that."
"Thanks, dad." The two shared a hug.
Elsewhere:
Jade stood in Sun Li's office, watching the news footage of the battle at the Griffith on her boss's extra-wide flatscreen television. Sun Li sat at the desk, her attention buried in paperwork.
"Something interesting in that footage?" Sun Li asked without raising her head.
"Yes," Jade said softly. Then she shook her head, as if clearing the cobwebs in her brain. "Yes, there is. He wasn't alone. He had allies this time. That makes him even more dangerous."
"Just what we do not need," Li commented. "More superheroes."
"Except that one was not a superhero. He was a Gato del Rio, who had escaped prison before his arraignment; he's back in police custody. The other who helped him was a reformed super-criminal."
"A River Cat?" Li asked, finally raising her head to look at the footage herself. "What was he doing helping Silver Arrow?"
"The press is saying the Gato was there to save his kid sister," Jade replied, "who was on a school field trip there."
"And the other one?"
"Doorway, Francine St. Claire, former partner of her twin brother Franklin, alias Time-Twister," Jade said almost without thinking. "They tangled with Silver Arrow several times last year, before she changed sides. Now, she uses her powers mainly to run a delivery service. Never thought she'd go in for actual heroics." Does she have feelings for Hugh? she thought briefly. Is that why she helped out?
"I see," Sun Li said, returning to her paperwork. "Release her brother from prison, and see what they do."
Jade almost grinned. "Yes, ma'am."