RIVERS OF RED

PROLOGUE:

RESURRECTION

The Brain Interactive Construct had decided on the thing following the failed restoration of Zod in the body of Lex Luthor. The second attempt would only end in failure if the son of Jor-El was not neutralized permanently. Zod had ensured that its core matrix included a programming restriction that prevented the taking of Kryptonian life. Zod had not done this out of any altruistic desire to force any operating system into making such a decision but rather to ensure that his creation did not turn on him.

Thus simply eliminating Kal-El was not an option.

However, neither was letting him be.

As proved when Zod had ruled briefly on Earth, too much of Jor-El was in the boy and though he had no real connection to the planet of his birth, his father had chosen his carers well. The same disdainful tolerance of lower species existed in Kal-El making him prone to the manipulations of barely civilized hominids. It was not possible to use Kal-El as a vessel for Zod and despite the convenience of Lex Luthor; it would not be easy to approach the man as he had done before. Luthor was gullible once but the Brainiac construct suspected that he would not be so easily tricked again.

No, a new stratagem was required.

Following the defeat of Zod, it had watched the progress of Kal-El in his life. The Brainiac Construct watched Luthor’s somewhat rapid descent into depths that made it question if Zod’s influence had truly been vanquished or some residue of the General’s spine been left in a previously flawed would be dictator. Luthor had great dreams but he had been conflicted. Whatever impetus has tipped the balance, its hold was almost entirely complete now.

Luthor was fast becoming Zod without even being aware of it.

Mildly impressed, the Brainiac construct offered no interference in Luthor’s descent, though it was curious as to what had been the fulcrum of change. In the final analysis, it mattered little to the sentient program, it only served notice that Luthor would not make a suitable host. If nothing else, he might even be useful when Zod returned. The General was always quick to recognize natural talent.

The new face that appeared in Kal-El’s life however, was another thing entirely.

He was in a position of power, he as affluent as Luthor and equally influential. One thing he surpassed Luthor was his physical excellence. While Luthor had been a prime example of human development, the construct new source of interest was even more perfect. Every muscle, every sinew and every thought had been honed to discipline. Furthermore, the specimen was considered a trusted ally of Kal-El, someone he would follow without question.

Someone, he would not suspect until it was absolutely too late.

***********

Goddamn Ollie, it’s only been a couple of months since Lois and you’re hung up over a blonde in fishnets.

Oliver Queen or rather the Green Arrow frowned as he continued his stake out over the Star City docks, waiting for the shipment of drugs he knew would be transported off a Russian freighter sometime this evening. The ship had made an unscheduled stop in Santa Marta, Columbia just before entering the Panama Canal from Europe. It had taken several weeks of careful surveillance, bribes and information from contacts in the cocaine capital of the world for the Green Arrow to be in this place.

Once the ship was offloaded, the Green Arrow would follow the load back to its distributor in Star City and hopefully, when the money exchanged hands, he would be there as well to see where the trail ended. He wasn’t interested in the small time operators, the dealers and the middle men, no the Green Arrow wanted whomever was in charge and the first rule of the game was – follow the money.

Of course it was easy to be distracted as he remained hidden on the roof, trying not to freeze his ass off despite how well insulated leather could be. It had been little over two months since he left Metropolis and even longer since a certain dark haired, Inquisitor reporter with a tendency to say the absolute wrong thing all time, had walked out of his life. He thought getting over her would be hard and had even insinuated a bit of brooding melancholy to his act. However, that whacko in Gotham had that act down and no one was going to say that the Green Arrow was a copycat.

However, that was before the blond in the fishnets.

She had come out of nowhere, collared the mugger he had about to take down. A flounce of golden hair and a smile that could make you forget your name and she was gone. Talk about POW right between the eyes, Oliver still couldn’t stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, she was extremely elusive and his efforts to find her had come to nothing. Oliver, who prided himself in being able to find anyone, was unable to find the woman the newspaper was calling the Black Canary.

Cute.

So he was left to languish, hoping he’d catch a glimpse of her when he was out on patrol, behaving like some love struck schoolboy and completely forgetting that he was supposed to be heartbroken over …

Lois. Her name was Lois, Oliver.

Yeah her.

So far, nothing had happened at the docks and Oliver was starting to question whether or not he had his facts wrong. Maybe his contacts had been misled; maybe the freighter was exactly what it was. He considered maybe going on board, checking it out for himself just to assure his own piece of mind. He had gotten into places a good deal more secure than this. After some of the high-security fortresses he had broken into since the beginning of his career, it would be pretty sad state of affairs if the Green Arrow couldn’t check out one Russian ship.

“Want some company?” a voice suddenly said behind him.

Spinning around on his heels, with crossbow unslung and ready to fire in a blink of an eye, Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow, found himself looking up at the greatest pair of legs in fishnets he had ever seen. She wore knee high black boots, a black backless number and bolero jacket, looking at him with that smile that was capable of rendering him senseless. As it was, she was unknowingly the party to some pretty intense dreams.

“This is a good way to get yourself shot,” he retorted, looking at her. His heart beating just a little faster. God, she was beautiful.

“No way,” she said cockily, dropping to her knees next to him in his hiding place. “You’re too good to have an itchy finger.”

“You’re just trying to be nice to me so I’ll let you stay for this bust,” Ollie maintained his cool persona and not because of his Green Arrow persona either. “This is my stakeout. Go find your corner of Star City to be a superhero,” he teased.

“Am I that transparent?” She batted those gorgeous eyelashes at him.

“Well just in the legs,” he smirked.

She uttered a soft laugh and Ollie sighed at that, great laugh too. Damn.

“Well can my legs buy me a spot next to the Green Arrow?” She asked. “My sources say that its not just drugs that ship is carrying.”

He turned to her sharply, all business now. “What do you mean?”

“There’s been a rash of child kidnappings in Bogota,” she said smoothly, watching the ship closely. “Girls and boys between the ages of four and ten, ripe ages if you know what market we’re talking about.”

His jaw clenched. Yes he did know and the possibility of that was more than enough for him to forget about the drugs and storm the ship right now. “If that’s the case, we’re not waiting.”

“I thought you might say that,” she said with a smile. “I haven’t done anything this big before, I thought a partner would be nice.”

“I didn’t say we’re partners,” he returned. “You follow my lead and try not to get in trouble.”

“Are you always this charming or is this something you’re saving just for me?” The Canary asked, giving him a look.

“Must be the hair,” he grinned.

“Well can we at least shake on it?”

“What are we in the schoolyard?” Oliver stared at her but extended his hand anyway. She was cute and had great legs; he could afford to cut her some slack.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him close, until their lips were almost touching. “We don’t do this in the schoolyard,” she whispered, drawing him close.

Blond. Fishnets. Oliver should have known better but he moved into kiss her anyway.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw her hand move, lightning fast. For a fleeting instant, he thought Kent fast. The hypodermic or at least he thought it was a hypodermic slammed into his bicep with enough force to penetrate the leather and impale skin in one strike. Ollie let out a groan of pain and looked up at the Canary in shock.

Except it wasn’t the Canary. Right before his eyes, the girl vanished.

Instead, he was staring at a man with cheekbones so sharp they could draw blood. He opened his mouth to speak as the dark haze began to fall over Oliver’s consciousness and said with a smile.

“You’ll do.”