“More reports have come in seeming to confirm the existence of Star City’s very own vigilante,” the fair haired reporter stated. Her name seemed to be Faith Chance.
“Another vigilante?” Alfred sighed, passing by Bruce in the living room.
“I’m afraid so,” Bruce nodded.
“One of these days these posers are going to end up dead,” Alfred warned.
“I can’t be Batman without inspiring others to stand up to crime,” Bruce shrugged, “I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is.”
“Well you can put your foot down and do something about it. You know what happened to Jason when he wasn’t ready to go solo,” Alfred said.
“I remember, Al. I don’t need a reminder,” Bruce replied, envisioning Jason Todd’s charred remains.
Alfred exited the room.
“A picture was uploaded to Chirper earlier today by user greatpicperson_17, showcasing the vigilante calling himself the Green Arrow,” Faith Chance said, stepping to the side. In her place, and image appeared.
The image was of the Star City skyline. A full moon lit up the slumbering town. In between two buildings, there was a small dot. A small dot that seemed to be swinging from building to building.
“So Green Arrow has a grapple gun,” Bruce muttered to himself.
“I assume you’ll be going to Star City to have a… chat with this Green Arrow fellow?” Alfred said, passing back through the room on his way to the kitchen.
“Of course,” Bruce nodded.
“Tea before you go?”
“Bring it down to the cave,” Bruce said, standing up to head down to the Batcave. He walked over to the large grandfather clock on the wall, and set the time to 8:37. The time his parents were murdered. He then pressed on the hands, and they sunk into the clock. The clock opened, revealing a staircase. Bruce descended the stairs, and the clock closed behind him.
Bruce sat down at the Batcomputer once he arrived, and opened the image of the Green Arrow. He zoomed in until the dot was simply a block of pixels. Then he enhanced the image. Green Arrow had his face turned away from the camera, and the back of his head was covered by a green hood. The rest of his suit was emerald green, except for his black pants, lime green kneepads, and gold plates on his elbows. He gripped a bow in his left hand, that had a cord flying from it. Green Arrow didn’t use a grapple gun. He used a grapple arrow.
To make a grappling arrow, the Green Arrow would need time, money, and high levels of intelligence. And to fight crime, they would need to be exceptionally strong. Bruce plugged these factors into a scan of the Star City population. There weren’t many names.
Erin Connery, a business exec that worked in one of the branches of Wayne Enterprises located in Star City. She also posted multiple gym pics a day.
Tony Rayans. A manager at Papa Giorgio’s Pizzeria. He had saved up a lot of money by living in his parents’ basement, where he had set up a mini gym. He also had plenty of time, considering Papa Giorgio’s was only open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon to six. He had made the 5.0 honor roll every year through high school, something Bruce didn’t even realize was possible.
Lastly was Imari Yoshikazu. He had competed on American Ninja Warrior, and managed to scale Mount Midoriyama, the hardest obstacle. That gave him plenty of money, and he also worked as a hotel manager, which gave him an extra cushion of cash. His intelligence was stellar. All attributes that led Bruce to believe that he was capable of being the Green Arrow.
“Have you already identified the Green Arrow?” Alfred asked, approaching with a steaming tea cup on a china saucer.
“Not quite,” Bruce admitted.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Alfred chuckled, handing Bruce the Ginger Tumeric Herbal Tea.
“I have three suspects,” Bruce added, “Erin Connery is a business exec that works for us, and is also a gym freak. Tony Rayans has the money, time and intelligence, but is a teeny bit lacking on the physical side. Imari Yoshizaku is our best bet.”
Alfred examined the three profiles on the screen, and nodded, “I would agree with that. It appears that the likeliest candidate in Imari Yoshizaku.”
“He lives at 7653 Percy Road. I’ll go have a chat with him,” Bruce said.
“As-?”
“As Batman.”
Imari Yoshizaku examined the sleek bow that rested on its stand in his living room. He picked it up, and just let it sit in his hand. He absorbed the power that he knew the bow contained. He breathed deeply, letting the energy shoot through his body.
Suddenly, he felt a disturbance. He didn’t hear, he didn’t see, he felt. Felt a presence. He picked up a wooden arrow from the stand, and knocked it.
“Anata ga koko ni iru no wa wakatte imasu,” Imari murmured, “Anata jishin o misete.”
For some reason, holding the bow had made him convert to speaking Japanese.
“Watashi wa gai o imi shinai,” said a raspy voice. Whoever the intruder was, they claimed to mean no harm.
“Anata jishin o misete,” Imari repeated, ordering the intruder to step out of the shadows.
There was a blur that shot past Imari. Imari whipped around, and saw Batman standing behind him.
“Batman!” Imari exclaimed.
Batman reached for the bow, but Imari let an arrow fly into Batman’s chest. It tore through the gray fabric of the Batsuit, but stopped once it reached the armored plating underneath.
“Imari Yoshizaku, stop,” Batman ordered.
Imari did not stop. Instead he did a backflip, and analyzed his opponent. Batman lunged at him, attempting to once more take away his bow. Imari slid in between Batman’s legs, over to the stand. He grabbed three arrow, and strung them all up. He let them fly. The arrow slammed into Batman, knocking him back. Imari leapt onto Batman’s back, and slung his bow around his neck.
“Nandeshou?” Imari asked. What did Batman want?
“Anata wa midori no yadesu ka?” Batman sputtered. Batman wanted to know whether or not Imari was the Green Arrow.
“Īe,” Imari said, shaking his head. Of course not. Imari stepped away from Batman, letting him stand back up.
“You’re awfully good with a bow nonetheless,” Batman muttered.
Imari set down the bow and responded, “I’ve been doing archery for as long as I can remember.”
“But you’re not the Green Arrow?” Batman inquired.
“No, why would you think that?” Imari asked.
“You won one million dollars from American Ninja Warrior. That gives you plenty of money to fund vigilantism. You are strong and agile, as proved on American Ninja Warrior. You are also very intelligent, an aspect needed to be a crime fighter. You have everything you need to be the Green Arrow.”
“Well I am not,” Imari admitted, “I almost wish I was, though. Normal life is utterly boring.”
“Better than wearing your body down every night,” Batman assured.
With that, Batman grappled away, leaving a very confused Imari Yoshizaku alone in his house.
Batman rested atop the Wayne Tech skyscraper. He may not have found out who Green Arrow was, but he wasn’t leaving until he did. He contacted Alfred.
“How is everything going, Master Bruce?” Alfred asked over the earpiece.
“Alright. It turns out Imari Yoshizaku isn’t Green Arrow. Just remarkably similar to him,” Batman said, using his normal voice.
“What a coincidence,” Alfred said, “Have you tried visiting Erin Connery or Tony Rayans?”
“I’ll give them a go. Check the time sheets for the Wayne Tech branch here in Star City. Is Erin Connery still here?”
“It appears so, sir,” Alfred nodded, “Her office is on the sixth floor.”
“Okay. I’ll give her a quick chat.”
Batman hooked a cord down where he stood, and leapt off the roof. He shot down towards the ground, until he reached the eighth floor. Then, he began to shift his position, so that he would collide with the sixth story windows. It worked beautifully. He shattered through the windows on the sixth floor, and rolled to a stop on the ground. Workers all around froze, shocked.
“Where is Erin Connery?” Batman asked in his garbled, disguised voice.
“I’m right here,” said a woman with neon orange hair that stood up like a cone.
“We need to talk.”
“Then let’s talk,” Erin shrugged.
“In private,” Batman stated.
“We can talk right here,” Erin insisted.
Batman shot a line to the other side of the building, and zipped towards it. On the way, he grabbed Erin. Moments later, they were alone in an empty corner.
Erin wasn’t taking this well. She struck Batman across the face, and followed up with a kick to the groin. Batman stumbled back.
“Stop!” Batman hissed, “I just have a question that you will want to answer in private.”
“You could have just explained that,” Erin huffed.
“Are you the Green Arrow?” Batman asked.
“That weird archer on the news? Hell no,” Erin laughed, “I’m no vigilante.”
“Was that so hard?” Batman grunted.
“Only because you made it so.”
Batman jumped out of a nearby window, and grappled back up to the roof.
“And?” Alfred asked.
“Not Green Arrow,” Batman sighed, “But quite the fighter.”
“Well, sir, I have some good news. Someone got a better shot of Green Arrow. I’ll send it to you now.”
An image of the Green Arrow appeared on the lenses installed in Batman’s cowl. Green Arrow was taking on a crook, and it appeared that he was taking the thug down with ease. But this photo got a look at the face under to hood. The top half of the person’s face was covered in shadows. The bottom part, however, made it blatantly obvious who Green Arrow was.
“Oliver Queen,” Batman said aloud.
“Excuse me?” Alfred asked.
“Don’t tell me you don’t see it, Al,” Batman said, “That goatee is Oliver’s. He’s not even trying to hide it. Plus, this guy only makes his appearance after Oliver’s return. Think, Oliver has the strength, intellect, time, and money.”
“Then why didn’t he come up on your scan?” Alfred inquired.
“Because legally, he’s still dead,” Batman pointed out, “They haven’t put him back into Star City databases.”
“Of course. Good work, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, “Now what are you going to do about Mister Queen?”
“Oliver said he was having violent episodes. If one of those strikes while he’s on patrol, he might kill someone. So I have to put a stop to his crusade. At least until he gets better,” Batman explained.
“Good luck, sir.”
Batman was perched on the roof of the Queen Mansion. He was waiting for Oliver to leave the house as Green Arrow.
“Batman,” said a suave deep voice. Batman whipped around to see Green Arrow, aiming an arrow at him.
“Oliver Queen,” Batman growled, “Put down the bow.”
“So you’ve already figured it out. My identity. I figured you’d come to shut me down, just because I’m not part of your precious Bat-Family.”
“That’s not why at all, Oliver Queen. I read your medical records. Your therapist claims that you are having violent flashes, where you lose control of yourself. I can’t let you be the Green Arrow while you have this problem,” Batman stated.
“I will do what I must to keep this city safe,” Green Arrow shot back.
“This city is safe as it is. It doesn’t need saving,” Batman said.
“You don’t know what’s happening. Since I’ve been gone, Star City has gone to hell. Drug syndicates pop up left and right. Murderers can put a bullet through your skull at any moment. If I don’t stop this madness, Star City falls, and I fall with it,” Green Arrow explained.
Batman didn’t know how to respond.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a city to save,” Green Arrow said.
Green Arrow shot an arrow into the side of a tall, sturdy tree, and grappled away.
“Another vigilante?” Alfred sighed, passing by Bruce in the living room.
“I’m afraid so,” Bruce nodded.
“One of these days these posers are going to end up dead,” Alfred warned.
“I can’t be Batman without inspiring others to stand up to crime,” Bruce shrugged, “I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is.”
“Well you can put your foot down and do something about it. You know what happened to Jason when he wasn’t ready to go solo,” Alfred said.
“I remember, Al. I don’t need a reminder,” Bruce replied, envisioning Jason Todd’s charred remains.
Alfred exited the room.
“A picture was uploaded to Chirper earlier today by user greatpicperson_17, showcasing the vigilante calling himself the Green Arrow,” Faith Chance said, stepping to the side. In her place, and image appeared.
The image was of the Star City skyline. A full moon lit up the slumbering town. In between two buildings, there was a small dot. A small dot that seemed to be swinging from building to building.
“So Green Arrow has a grapple gun,” Bruce muttered to himself.
“I assume you’ll be going to Star City to have a… chat with this Green Arrow fellow?” Alfred said, passing back through the room on his way to the kitchen.
“Of course,” Bruce nodded.
“Tea before you go?”
“Bring it down to the cave,” Bruce said, standing up to head down to the Batcave. He walked over to the large grandfather clock on the wall, and set the time to 8:37. The time his parents were murdered. He then pressed on the hands, and they sunk into the clock. The clock opened, revealing a staircase. Bruce descended the stairs, and the clock closed behind him.
Bruce sat down at the Batcomputer once he arrived, and opened the image of the Green Arrow. He zoomed in until the dot was simply a block of pixels. Then he enhanced the image. Green Arrow had his face turned away from the camera, and the back of his head was covered by a green hood. The rest of his suit was emerald green, except for his black pants, lime green kneepads, and gold plates on his elbows. He gripped a bow in his left hand, that had a cord flying from it. Green Arrow didn’t use a grapple gun. He used a grapple arrow.
To make a grappling arrow, the Green Arrow would need time, money, and high levels of intelligence. And to fight crime, they would need to be exceptionally strong. Bruce plugged these factors into a scan of the Star City population. There weren’t many names.
Erin Connery, a business exec that worked in one of the branches of Wayne Enterprises located in Star City. She also posted multiple gym pics a day.
Tony Rayans. A manager at Papa Giorgio’s Pizzeria. He had saved up a lot of money by living in his parents’ basement, where he had set up a mini gym. He also had plenty of time, considering Papa Giorgio’s was only open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from noon to six. He had made the 5.0 honor roll every year through high school, something Bruce didn’t even realize was possible.
Lastly was Imari Yoshikazu. He had competed on American Ninja Warrior, and managed to scale Mount Midoriyama, the hardest obstacle. That gave him plenty of money, and he also worked as a hotel manager, which gave him an extra cushion of cash. His intelligence was stellar. All attributes that led Bruce to believe that he was capable of being the Green Arrow.
“Have you already identified the Green Arrow?” Alfred asked, approaching with a steaming tea cup on a china saucer.
“Not quite,” Bruce admitted.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Alfred chuckled, handing Bruce the Ginger Tumeric Herbal Tea.
“I have three suspects,” Bruce added, “Erin Connery is a business exec that works for us, and is also a gym freak. Tony Rayans has the money, time and intelligence, but is a teeny bit lacking on the physical side. Imari Yoshizaku is our best bet.”
Alfred examined the three profiles on the screen, and nodded, “I would agree with that. It appears that the likeliest candidate in Imari Yoshizaku.”
“He lives at 7653 Percy Road. I’ll go have a chat with him,” Bruce said.
“As-?”
“As Batman.”
Imari Yoshizaku examined the sleek bow that rested on its stand in his living room. He picked it up, and just let it sit in his hand. He absorbed the power that he knew the bow contained. He breathed deeply, letting the energy shoot through his body.
Suddenly, he felt a disturbance. He didn’t hear, he didn’t see, he felt. Felt a presence. He picked up a wooden arrow from the stand, and knocked it.
“Anata ga koko ni iru no wa wakatte imasu,” Imari murmured, “Anata jishin o misete.”
For some reason, holding the bow had made him convert to speaking Japanese.
“Watashi wa gai o imi shinai,” said a raspy voice. Whoever the intruder was, they claimed to mean no harm.
“Anata jishin o misete,” Imari repeated, ordering the intruder to step out of the shadows.
There was a blur that shot past Imari. Imari whipped around, and saw Batman standing behind him.
“Batman!” Imari exclaimed.
Batman reached for the bow, but Imari let an arrow fly into Batman’s chest. It tore through the gray fabric of the Batsuit, but stopped once it reached the armored plating underneath.
“Imari Yoshizaku, stop,” Batman ordered.
Imari did not stop. Instead he did a backflip, and analyzed his opponent. Batman lunged at him, attempting to once more take away his bow. Imari slid in between Batman’s legs, over to the stand. He grabbed three arrow, and strung them all up. He let them fly. The arrow slammed into Batman, knocking him back. Imari leapt onto Batman’s back, and slung his bow around his neck.
“Nandeshou?” Imari asked. What did Batman want?
“Anata wa midori no yadesu ka?” Batman sputtered. Batman wanted to know whether or not Imari was the Green Arrow.
“Īe,” Imari said, shaking his head. Of course not. Imari stepped away from Batman, letting him stand back up.
“You’re awfully good with a bow nonetheless,” Batman muttered.
Imari set down the bow and responded, “I’ve been doing archery for as long as I can remember.”
“But you’re not the Green Arrow?” Batman inquired.
“No, why would you think that?” Imari asked.
“You won one million dollars from American Ninja Warrior. That gives you plenty of money to fund vigilantism. You are strong and agile, as proved on American Ninja Warrior. You are also very intelligent, an aspect needed to be a crime fighter. You have everything you need to be the Green Arrow.”
“Well I am not,” Imari admitted, “I almost wish I was, though. Normal life is utterly boring.”
“Better than wearing your body down every night,” Batman assured.
With that, Batman grappled away, leaving a very confused Imari Yoshizaku alone in his house.
Batman rested atop the Wayne Tech skyscraper. He may not have found out who Green Arrow was, but he wasn’t leaving until he did. He contacted Alfred.
“How is everything going, Master Bruce?” Alfred asked over the earpiece.
“Alright. It turns out Imari Yoshizaku isn’t Green Arrow. Just remarkably similar to him,” Batman said, using his normal voice.
“What a coincidence,” Alfred said, “Have you tried visiting Erin Connery or Tony Rayans?”
“I’ll give them a go. Check the time sheets for the Wayne Tech branch here in Star City. Is Erin Connery still here?”
“It appears so, sir,” Alfred nodded, “Her office is on the sixth floor.”
“Okay. I’ll give her a quick chat.”
Batman hooked a cord down where he stood, and leapt off the roof. He shot down towards the ground, until he reached the eighth floor. Then, he began to shift his position, so that he would collide with the sixth story windows. It worked beautifully. He shattered through the windows on the sixth floor, and rolled to a stop on the ground. Workers all around froze, shocked.
“Where is Erin Connery?” Batman asked in his garbled, disguised voice.
“I’m right here,” said a woman with neon orange hair that stood up like a cone.
“We need to talk.”
“Then let’s talk,” Erin shrugged.
“In private,” Batman stated.
“We can talk right here,” Erin insisted.
Batman shot a line to the other side of the building, and zipped towards it. On the way, he grabbed Erin. Moments later, they were alone in an empty corner.
Erin wasn’t taking this well. She struck Batman across the face, and followed up with a kick to the groin. Batman stumbled back.
“Stop!” Batman hissed, “I just have a question that you will want to answer in private.”
“You could have just explained that,” Erin huffed.
“Are you the Green Arrow?” Batman asked.
“That weird archer on the news? Hell no,” Erin laughed, “I’m no vigilante.”
“Was that so hard?” Batman grunted.
“Only because you made it so.”
Batman jumped out of a nearby window, and grappled back up to the roof.
“And?” Alfred asked.
“Not Green Arrow,” Batman sighed, “But quite the fighter.”
“Well, sir, I have some good news. Someone got a better shot of Green Arrow. I’ll send it to you now.”
An image of the Green Arrow appeared on the lenses installed in Batman’s cowl. Green Arrow was taking on a crook, and it appeared that he was taking the thug down with ease. But this photo got a look at the face under to hood. The top half of the person’s face was covered in shadows. The bottom part, however, made it blatantly obvious who Green Arrow was.
“Oliver Queen,” Batman said aloud.
“Excuse me?” Alfred asked.
“Don’t tell me you don’t see it, Al,” Batman said, “That goatee is Oliver’s. He’s not even trying to hide it. Plus, this guy only makes his appearance after Oliver’s return. Think, Oliver has the strength, intellect, time, and money.”
“Then why didn’t he come up on your scan?” Alfred inquired.
“Because legally, he’s still dead,” Batman pointed out, “They haven’t put him back into Star City databases.”
“Of course. Good work, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, “Now what are you going to do about Mister Queen?”
“Oliver said he was having violent episodes. If one of those strikes while he’s on patrol, he might kill someone. So I have to put a stop to his crusade. At least until he gets better,” Batman explained.
“Good luck, sir.”
Batman was perched on the roof of the Queen Mansion. He was waiting for Oliver to leave the house as Green Arrow.
“Batman,” said a suave deep voice. Batman whipped around to see Green Arrow, aiming an arrow at him.
“Oliver Queen,” Batman growled, “Put down the bow.”
“So you’ve already figured it out. My identity. I figured you’d come to shut me down, just because I’m not part of your precious Bat-Family.”
“That’s not why at all, Oliver Queen. I read your medical records. Your therapist claims that you are having violent flashes, where you lose control of yourself. I can’t let you be the Green Arrow while you have this problem,” Batman stated.
“I will do what I must to keep this city safe,” Green Arrow shot back.
“This city is safe as it is. It doesn’t need saving,” Batman said.
“You don’t know what’s happening. Since I’ve been gone, Star City has gone to hell. Drug syndicates pop up left and right. Murderers can put a bullet through your skull at any moment. If I don’t stop this madness, Star City falls, and I fall with it,” Green Arrow explained.
Batman didn’t know how to respond.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a city to save,” Green Arrow said.
Green Arrow shot an arrow into the side of a tall, sturdy tree, and grappled away.