webboysurf

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

_{Hotel, London, England, United Kingdom - Present Day, 14:23 Hours}

Issue 1.03.4: Cross of Iron

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.03.3: The Stranger

”So, you are telling me that a werewolf threw you off the rooftop last night and no one else saw it?” Fury raised an eyebrow as he folded his arms in Steve’s new hotel room.

Across the room, Steve was cleaning his sidearm while sitting in a large chair. He sighed, shaking his head. ”Yeah. That sounds about right.”

”Steve, I hope you understand how insane that sounds. You’ve been under a lot of stress, lately, and-“

”I know what I saw, Nick. It was a werewolf like the books when I was a kid.”

Sharon stepped forward from her spot in the corner, her eyebrows raised. ”Wait, Steve, you were afraid of werewolves as a kid?”

Steve shrugged his shoulders. ”We all have unrealistic fears. I feel like in a world where there are vampires and wizards, werewolves are a realistic fear right about now.”

Fury gave a nod and a smile as he began picking up on Sharon’s logic. ”That would explain the strange deaths. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they mobilized Trauma as part of their master plan. And now that Captain Rogers is here, they want to finish the job they started in the forties.”

Fury turned his gaze back to Cap, who nodded in response. ”That would explain why he had my old uniform. If it’s Agent Ward, then what’s our next play?”

”Simple. We lay a trap. And you’re the bait.”

_{Rooftop, London, England, United Kingdom - Present Day, 12:27 Hours}

---

The Captain stood in the pouring thunderstorm of another night in London, right near his hotel room. He was hard to miss, decked out in his strike uniform and with his shield in hand. Another crack of lightning lit up the night sky, forcing Cap to squint a little as the thunder rolled. By the time Cap’s vision returned to normal, the beast returned. It seemed larger than before, perhaps by about half a foot. It snarled, its low growl nearly drowned out by the pounding rain. The two figures watched each other for a few moments.

The beast made the first move, just as Steve’s muscles tensed. It lunged forward, closing the gap in a mere second. The Captain lifted his shield, managing to catch the beast’s claws just in time. The two were able to match each other blow for blow. This time he was prepared. Cap was fighting defensively, doing his best to dodge and block the beast’s incoming attacks. This forced the Captain back, inching slowly towards the rooftop’s ledge.

Of course, the beast adapted. Steve could tell it was learning and changing to counter his own fighting style. He felt the fear rising in his throat, but pushed it back down and kept doing what he could. He just needed to buy some time. But time was running out. The beast was able to grip the edge of Steve’s shield with its right hand, ripping it aside to get a swipe at his torso. Cap grunted in pain as he took a step backwards, throwing in a sweep of the beast’s leg. It landed on its back, giving its own growl while Steve lifted his shield back up to continue the fight.

The two continued fighting toe to toe, while on the rooftop across the street Fury gave a nod. ”Bring it down.” From their position, the SHIELD operatives began opening fire with their specialized ICER rifles. Small blue pellets impacted against the beast’s fur, causing it to recoil. Cap used the brief pause in the attack to reach towards his belt, pulling out a metal ring that was still partially open. He slammed the ring into the beat’s neck, and it instantly began glowing and molded around the beast’s neck. As the beast roared, electricity began sparking from the collar and causing it to convulse. It slowly lowered to its knees in pain. The SHIELD volley stopped, and Cap slowly approached his opponent.

As Steve drew near, the beast’s head snapped up to stare him in the eyes. The electricity was still sparking, but it showed no further pain. Cap’s heart dropped as the fear began to overtake him, and the beast lunged. He was really on the defensive now. Fury reached up towards his ear as he watched the battle ensue. ”Carter, you need to take the shot. Silver bullet.”

Sharon nodded and kicked open the emergency access door to the rooftop, gripping her revolver tightly as she circled around towards the fight. Cap’s eyes turned towards her, and the beast followed suite. Before Steve could try and restrain it, the beast began sprinting towards Sharon. Without hesitation, she pulled squeezed the trigger, firing a shot directly into the beast’s skull. Instantaneously, the beast reverted back into its original form. The corpse of Terrance Ward slid along the ground towards Sharon’s feet.

Cap sighed, falling to a knee as his eyes locked on the corpse of what must have been a man no older than 21. Through ragged breaths, he slammed a fist into the ground as he muttered, ”Not again.”

---

Next Chapter: Come and See

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

So, one thing I did want to put out there is that there are now multiple Power Rings floating around Earth whilst Hal and Sinestro try to hunt them down. If anyone maybe wants to interact with the rings, I'm more than happy for that to happen.

Examples:
*The Venom Symbiote gets chosen by the Star Sapphire for how much it, deep down, is absolutely madly in love with Peter.
*Lex Luthor's ambition to rule the world gets him chosen by the Orange Ring.
*Magneto's Hope's for a future where Mutants rule gets him chosen by the Blue Ring.

Now, I'm not asking for a Crossover or anything, just saying that, if you think a character in your story getting to weild a Lantern Ring would benefit the story, I'm more than happy to discuss that. It just adds to the size of Hal and Sinestro's search as they track the path of destruction that the Rings leave as they frantically search for a soul to bond with. "Hal, I just got a report that the Sapphire Ring was spotted in New York, attached to a weird, alien slime monster. It has let go and is on the move, but it's going fast and we need to get out there now if we want any hope of catching the damn thing!"

I dont want to spoil too much, but let's just say that, due to some fuckery on the bad-guys part, the Rings are trapped on Earth, unable to leave until they find a suitable host and so, are going crazy from their inability to leave and find the one true being in the universe that they should be bonding to.

@mattmanganon

As much as having SHIELD try to contain the rings could be interesting to tie this universe together from my perspective as a writer, this is going to be a no from me dawg. Too much shit to tie in as it is, and I don't want to touch power rings with a ten foot pole right now.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

_{Christ the Redeemer Church, Granville, Kansas - One Month Ago}

Issue 1.01.01: Knockin' on Heaven's Door

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: None

”Forgive me father… for I have sinned. I have had to do the Lord’s work in culling those who violate his laws. My hands are stained red with the blood of sinners, father. I know that God wills it, but doing what the Lord requires is so difficult, father. I beg for his forgiveness.”

The confessionals were cramped, and a thin screen divided the two small chambers so that neither individual could get a good look at the other. The confessor hadn’t even bothered to remove his gear, still wearing a ballistic vest with camouflage military fatigues and a sidearm strapped to his belt. On the other side of the screen, the priest simply nodded his head slowly as he pondered his next move. After a deep breath, the priest’s words lacked any hint of emotion. ”You are not forgiven.”

The confessor tilted his head slightly as he saw movement on the other side of the screen. ”I don’t think this is how confessi-“

Before he could even finish his statement, two gunshots rang out in the entirety of the church. The confessor slumped over in his confessional, while a red-haired man dressed in priestly garb kicked the door of his confessional open and began opening fire on the militia that had gathered inside the Church. The vigilante soldiers barely had time to react as the priest fired with expert aim, bullets piercing the skulls of various soldiers before they could even clutch at their own weapons. The priest briskly approached the stone altar as he fired, ducking behind it just as the seven militia men left standing had turned the safeties off their automatic rifles and began firing.

The priest quickly stripped off his outer robe, revealing a ballistic vest decked out with magazines and grenades over the traditional black button up shirt and white collar. Roy reloaded his two sidearms as the sounds of gunfire and bullets penetrating the altar behind him pierced his ear drums. He had grown accustomed to the noise at this point, though it was never a sound that he had grown to enjoy. After a few moments, Roy smiled as he heard the familiar sound of empty clips. He sprung back up, and fired six shots. Six of the seven remaining hostiles fell to the ground dead. The final one simply drew his own sidearms quickly and pointed them at Roy.

This last man standing was dressed slightly differently from his fellow soldiers. Unlike the, he wore a white mask that was designed to resemble a cross between a dog and a hockey mask. He had more firearms on his person, along with a machete and a metal baseball bat. The two men kept their guns trained on each other, refusing to even turn their gazes away or blink. After what felt like a small eternity, Roy’s target spoke. ”You walk into our territory, dress yourself up like a priest, shoot my boys and you think you can just kill me and walk out of here? You must be a whole new breed of stupid, boy.”

Roy gave a small smile as he slowly inched around the altar to get closer, his guns always locked in his target’s direction. ”Stupid, not really. Borderline psychotic and pissed off to no end, absolutely. You see, you killed someone I cared about more than life itself, Jack Wheeler. So I’m going to put you and your little group of Watchdogs down like the animals you are.”

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Roy’s grip on his sidearms loosened. He let them go and reached his hands towards his vest, managing to clutch on to two grenades with pins hooked on to his clothing. As he yanked on the explosives, he instinctively ducked to his right. He gave two quick tosses of the grenades just as he felt the first bullet impact against the ballistic vest over his left pectoral. Another protected hit was felt against his gut, and then another in his leg. Roy didn’t have much time to process the pain as he managed to nimbly catch the gun he had dropped in mid-air with his left hand. With an aim that seemed almost inhuman, Roy tracked one of the grenades with the sidearm’s barrel until it got within a few feet of the Wild Dog. A single pull of the trigger, and time returned back to normal.

The combined explosion of both grenades sent a shockwave of force and shrapnel ripping through the pews of the rural church. Roy felt wood splinter into exposed parts of his skin as he was sent rolling backwards towards the altar again, coughing and wheezing. The pain was excruciating as he fought back waves of nausea and a splitting headache to try and focus his vision on his former opponent. Roy saw a mangled body writhing in pain in the center of the church, and began approaching the injured target while hobbling along on his feet. Around the edges of the impact area, flames from the incendiary grenade’s detonation began to light on the pews of the rural church.

The Wild Dog’s mask had been blown open in part, revealing the terrified eyes of a man who seemed to be about Roy’s age. The terrorist was breathing ragged breaths, trying to gurgle out some words through his blood-filled mouth that Roy couldn’t comprehend. The vigilante had little room for empathy as he lowered the barrel of his firearm towards his target’s now-exposed forehead, gritting his teeth in both anger and an effort to cope with his pain. ”This is for Toni, you son of a bitch.” One final gunshot rang out from the Church, and Roy’s work was done.

Roy Harper slowly hobbled out of the Church’s open front doors, ripping off the ballistic vest after stuffing the sidearm into the back of his pants. He tossed the vest into the back of a partially-rusted pick-up truck lazily parked along a gravel parking section near the Church’s entrance. The vigilante lazily opened the unlocked door and hoisted himself up into the truck’s driver’s seat. The truck’s keys had graciously been left in the ignition, providing Roy the opportunity to start the truck and begin peeling away from the now burning church.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Roy Harper - The Red Arrow

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

R E D A R R O W

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^{_{R O Y H A R P E R ♦ M I L L I O N A I R E / V I G I L A N T E
S T A R C I T Y / V A R I O U S, U S A ♦ I N D E P E N D E N T}}

C O N T I N U I N G C O N C E P T:

---

^{"I was building military grade weaponry before I got my first erection, asshat."}

What happens when you put the stress of trying to save a city or even the world on a child? You inevitably get a washed up addict forced into service in SHIELD after getting sober. Roy Harper used to be a sign that even teenagers could take a stand against evil, but now is a reminder of the costs involved.

This Roy Harper has taken on the name “Red Arrow” as he begins to come to terms with the life he once led as the sidekick of the Green Arrow. However, his life has become increasingly complicated as he has been named public enemy number one after he was famed for the assassination of Director Jeffrey Mace. In order to clear his name, Roy has to uncover a web of conspiracy with the aid of his current partner in crime, a rogue SHIELD agent, and a metahuman hacker. At the end of this season, Roy is going to have to fully deal with the demons of his past in order to free his name with his team of Outlaws.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

---

This season, Roy's goal is simple: clear his name. He wants to earn his freedom for being framed for the assassination of SHIELD Director Jeffrey Mace. He meets every challenge he can rather head on, and refuses to simply go into hiding and let the real culprits fly by. At the same time, there is a rather big reveal last season that Roy will have to come to terms with: his flawed adoptive father and vigilante mentor has become a cold-blooded assassin. And while Roy may not consciously believe he has to deal with this, it's only a matter of time before student and teacher will cross paths again.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

---

Supporting Cast:

The Outlaws

Grace Choi (Artemis): An exiled Amazonian working with Roy Harper since saving him after a run in with the Watchdogs. She was a victim of mutant trafficking who swore to never let anyone suffer the way she did ever again.

Toshio Eto (Ronin): A SHIELD agent based in Tokyo. He is a metahuman with wind-based powers and years of training in the art of stealth and armed combat.

Daisy Johnson (Quake/Qu4k3): An underground hacker going by the screenname "Qu4k3" in some desperate attempt to legitimize herself in the eyes of that community. In reality, she is an exceptional hacker and a metahuman named Daisy Johnson with the ability to generate powerful vibration waves similar to an earthquake. She is wanted on various theft charges, as well as over 100 separate felony charges for hacking.

3 Mentors and a Lover

Waylon Jones (Killer Croc): A Reformed Serial Killer and general criminal. Saved Roy Harper when he suffered from serious addiction issues, and even sponsored Roy's rehab journey.

Oliver Queen [Missing]: Multi-Millionaire Oliver Queen has been missing for nearly five months. His disappearance has been explained away by Queen Industries as the Multi-Millionaire has simply gone to join a community of Tibetan monks. The real story: Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow haven't been seen since an encounter months ago against Merlyn. Those who know of Oliver Queen's secret life presume him to be dead.

John Diggle: Oliver Queen's former bodyguard, John Diggle serves as the founder of Queen Security Solutions, a high tech paramilitary security contracting company founded as a front for the Green Arrow's escapades.

Jade Nguyen (Cheshire): A member of the League of Assassins and former lover of Roy Harper well over a decade ago. She is a high-ranking member of the League of Assassins, and known for her prolific use of poisons.

The Law

Agent Phil Coulson: Phil Coulson acted as Roy Harper's late handler, and works for SHIELD in "asset management."

Agent Tony Masters (Taskmaster): A mutant who formerly served as part of the Howling Commandos, but has been reassigned to apprehend Roy Harper to answer for Director Mace's death. His mutation grants Masters "photographic reflexes" that allow him to perfectly mimic any individual's fighting style.

Enemies

The Watchdogs
Jack Wheeler (Wild Dog) [Deceased]
Jade Nguyen (Cheshire)
David Drayson (Slingshot)
The Dark Archer
Simon Lacroix (Komodo)
Red Dart
Merlyn
Madame Masque

S E A S O N O N E S Y N O P S I S:

---

Roy went on a personal revenge quest against the Watchdogs, who murdered a fellow SHIELD agent and personal friend when she tried visiting her father. After being released from his obligations, Roy posed as a priest and assassinated high-ranking members of the far-right terrorist organization. After traveling the road, he was tracked down by a few remaining members of the Watchdogs at a roadside gas station. When he was on the ropes, a passerby named Grace Choi saved the vigilante. The two began a partnership, in which Roy and Grace helped to take down a mutant trafficking operation run by a splinter cell of HYDRA. In order to provide refuge for the victims, Roy agreed to a temporary consulting deal with Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD. When the crisis began, Roy joined Captain America's team. He helped Captain America, Wonder Woman, and the Blue Beetle storm Four Freedoms Plaza and shut down the MSF devices. A month following the crisis, Roy Harper was framed for the assassination of SHIELD Director Jeffrey Mace.

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

Take me to Church

_{Christ the Redeemer Church, Granville, Kansas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.01: Take me to Church

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: None

”Forgive me father… for I have sinned. I have had to do the Lord’s work in culling those who violate his laws. My hands are stained red with the blood of sinners, father. I know that God wills it, but doing what the Lord requires is so difficult, father. I beg for his forgiveness.”

The confessionals were cramped, and a thin screen divided the two small chambers so that neither individual could get a good look at the other. The confessor hadn’t even bothered to remove his gear, still wearing a ballistic vest with camouflage military fatigues and a sidearm strapped to his belt. On the other side of the screen, the priest simply nodded his head slowly as he pondered his next move. After a deep breath, the priest’s words lacked any hint of emotion. ”You are not forgiven.”

The confessor tilted his head slightly as he saw movement on the other side of the screen. ”I don’t think this is how confessi-“

Before he could even finish his statement, two gunshots rang out in the entirety of the church. The confessor slumped over in his confessional, while a red-haired man dressed in priestly garb kicked the door of his confessional open and began opening fire on the militia that had gathered inside the Church. The vigilante soldiers barely had time to react as the priest fired with expert aim, bullets piercing the skulls of various soldiers before they could even clutch at their own weapons. The priest briskly approached the stone altar as he fired, ducking behind it just as the seven militia men left standing had turned the safeties off their automatic rifles and began firing.

The priest quickly stripped off his outer robe, revealing a ballistic vest decked out with magazines and grenades over the traditional black button up shirt and white collar. Roy reloaded his two sidearms as the sounds of gunfire and bullets penetrating the altar behind him pierced his ear drums. He had grown accustomed to the noise at this point, though it was never a sound that he had grown to enjoy. After a few moments, Roy smiled as he heard the familiar sound of empty clips. He sprung back up, and fired six shots. Six of the seven remaining hostiles fell to the ground dead. The final one simply drew his own sidearms quickly and pointed them at Roy.

This last man standing was dressed slightly differently from his fellow soldiers. Unlike the, he wore a white mask that was designed to resemble a cross between a dog and a hockey mask. He had more firearms on his person, along with a machete and a metal baseball bat. The two men kept their guns trained on each other, refusing to even turn their gazes away or blink. After what felt like a small eternity, Roy’s target spoke. ”You walk into our territory, dress yourself up like a priest, shoot my boys and you think you can just kill me and walk out of here? You must be a whole new breed of stupid, boy.”

Roy gave a small smile as he slowly inched around the altar to get closer, his guns always locked in his target’s direction. ”Stupid, not really. Borderline psychotic and pissed off to no end, absolutely. You see, you killed someone I cared about more than life itself, Jack Wheeler. So I’m going to put you and your little group of Watchdogs down like the animals you are.”

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Roy’s grip on his sidearms loosened. He let them go and reached his hands towards his vest, managing to clutch on to two grenades with pins hooked on to his clothing. As he yanked on the explosives, he instinctively ducked to his right. He gave two quick tosses of the grenades just as he felt the first bullet impact against the ballistic vest over his left pectoral. Another protected hit was felt against his gut, and then another in his leg. Roy didn’t have much time to process the pain as he managed to nimbly catch the gun he had dropped in mid-air with his left hand. With an aim that seemed almost inhuman, Roy tracked one of the grenades with the sidearm’s barrel until it got within a few feet of the Wild Dog. A single pull of the trigger, and time returned back to normal.

The combined explosion of both grenades sent a shockwave of force and shrapnel ripping through the pews of the rural church. Roy felt wood splinter into exposed parts of his skin as he was sent rolling backwards towards the altar again, coughing and wheezing. The pain was excruciating as he fought back waves of nausea and a splitting headache to try and focus his vision on his former opponent. Roy saw a mangled body writhing in pain in the center of the church, and began approaching the injured target while hobbling along on his feet. Around the edges of the impact area, flames from the incendiary grenade’s detonation began to light on the pews of the rural church.

The Wild Dog’s mask had been blown open in part, revealing the terrified eyes of a man who seemed to be about Roy’s age. The terrorist was breathing ragged breaths, trying to gurgle out some words through his blood-filled mouth that Roy couldn’t comprehend. The vigilante had little room for empathy as he lowered the barrel of his firearm towards his target’s now-exposed forehead, gritting his teeth in both anger and an effort to cope with his pain. ”This is for Toni, you son of a bitch.” One final gunshot rang out from the Church, and Roy’s work was done.

Roy Harper slowly hobbled out of the Church’s open front doors, ripping off the ballistic vest after stuffing the sidearm into the back of his pants. He tossed the vest into the back of a partially-rusted pick-up truck lazily parked along a gravel parking section near the Church’s entrance. The vigilante lazily opened the unlocked door and hoisted himself up into the truck’s driver’s seat. The truck’s keys had graciously been left in the ignition, providing Roy the opportunity to start the truck and begin peeling away from the now burning church.

Post Catalog

P O S T C A T L O G:

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Season 1: Back in the Quiver

Album #1: Appetite for Destruction

Chapter #1: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Chapter #2: Highway to Hell
Chapter #3: Welcome to the Jungle
Chapter #4: Paradise City (Absolute 2 for 1: Part 1)
Chapter #5: Estranged (Absolute 2 for 1: Part 2)
Chapter #6: Sweet Child O' Mine

Album #2: License to Ill (Season 1 Crisis Tie-In)

Chapter #1: So What'cha Want
Chapter #2: Fight for Your Right
Chapter #3: Sabotage
Crisis Tie-In
Chapter #4: Sure Shot

Season 2: Red Arrow and the Outlaws

Album #3: The Grand Illusion

Chapter #1: Show Me the Way (Absolute Comics 2 for 1: Part 1)
Chapter #2: Blue Collar Man (Absolute Comics 2 for 1: Part 2)
Chapter #3: Lady
Chapter #4: Renegade

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Well, I was kinda depressed over it for a quick bit, but I am awfully tired of falling out after getting my characters sniped and not getting in on the game. Since we've established Ollie's gone missing for a few months, mind if I jump in with a young Connor Hawke showing up in Star City to investigate his father's alleged death and fill his shoes?

@Dblade26

100%. We can coordinate on villains and such as needed, and I might have an interesting tie in idea if you're interested to get the two arrow heirs working together at one point. Excited to see your sheet!

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Dammit, I was just in the middle of writing up an earlier Oliver Queen Green Arrow app too. Why is it that every time I try to make a character it gets derailed....

@Dblade26

Sorry mate, I've been working on apping for Roy since the RP was kicked off but ended up going with my Cap idea instead to start things off. I could remove any ties to Oliver in my current plans, but that would also complicate things and Roy's story sort of requires an older and more experienced Green Arrow.

There's a lot of Arrow Family left, if you still want to take up residence in Star City or Seattle as the Green or Red Arrow.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Modified to remove Punisher-related content, at Co-Gm's request

Roy Harper – Arsenal

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

A R S E N A L

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^{_{R O Y H A R P E R ♦ M I L L I O N A I R E / V I G I L A N T E
S T A R C I T Y / V A R I O U S, U S A ♦ I N D E P E N D E N T}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

---

^{"I was building military grade weaponry before I got my first erection, asshat."}

What happens when you put the stress of trying to save a city or even the world on a child? You inevitably get a washed up addict forced into service in SHIELD after getting sober. Roy Harper used to be a sign that even teenagers could take a stand against evil, but now is a reminder of the costs involved. His current goals are now to settle personal scores and try to reclaim his own legacy.

This Roy Harper has taken on the name “Arsenal” after rejecting his former sidekick persona of “Speedy.” He is a technical genius and a loose canon, using his work as a vigilante to exorcise his personal demons. His origin story is meant to remain somewhat ambiguous (for good reason). At the same time, Roy Harper’s story is somewhat connected to that of SHIELD’s Initiative Program, as mentioned in Captain America’s first volume. In terms of what to expect, Roy never backs down from a fight or challenge and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. That being said, he is typically clever enough to formulate a solution to any problem, be it physically or through an improvised plan of attack.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

---

Roy’s story will look to complicate the nature of vigilantism and teenage sidekicks. It will highlight both the romanticized notions of the “golden age” of heroes through extended flashback sequences, while also addressing the harsher realities of modern comics. As for Roy’s motivations, he will be primarily focused on dealing with personal grudges from his past while trying to understand what role he has in a world that doesn’t like or accept him. Roy’s first arc will involve a personal search of self-discovery in his attempt to retire from the vigilante lifestyle permanently, before realizing that he can never escape from who he is and who he was.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

---

Roy Harper: Originally the sidekick Speedy for Oliver Queen’s vigilante alter-ego The Green Arrow, Roy is now an honorably discharged SHIELD agent battling his former addictions to alcohol and opioids. He still has millions of dollars at his disposal from when Q-Core (a subsidiary of Queen Industries) bought out his stock shares. Roy now operates under the alias “Arsenal” due to his vast array of weaponry and gear.

Supporting Cast:
Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow): A former mentor of Roy and occasional informant for the vigilante.

Grace Choi: A half-Amazonian biker roaming the country. Joins Roy on his personal quest for vengeance.

Mia Dearden: A fellow orphan and kid from the streets who gets in over her head and turns to the vigilante for assistance.

Antonia Monetti (Deceased): A mutant with the powers of energy projection and manipulation assassinated while visiting family in New Jersey. Once had an intimate relationship with Roy, and served alongside him in the Initiative Program.

Agent Phil Coulson: Responsible for “Asset Attainment” within SHIELD and one of the lead agents working on Director Mace’s Initiative Program. Acted as Roy’s former supervisor, and recruited the vigilante as a chance to help him “Do the Right Thing.”

Oliver Queen [Missing]: The former foster father of Roy Harper, and former vigilante known as The Green Arrow. Formerly the CEO of Queen Industries. Disappeared mysteriously months ago after a reported fight between Merlyn and the Green Arrow.

Potential Antagonists and other NPCS

The Serpent Society
Jack Wheeler (Wild Dog) [Deceased]
Constantine Drakon
Jade Nguyen (Cheshire)
David Drayson (Slingshot)
Malcolm Merlyn (Merlyn)
The Dark Archer
Simon Lacroix (Komodo)
Werner Zytle (Count Vertigo)
Red Dart
Crossfire

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

Take me to Church

_{Christ the Redeemer Church, Granville, Kansas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.01: Take me to Church

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: None

”Forgive me father… for I have sinned. I have had to do the Lord’s work in culling those who violate his laws. My hands are stained red with the blood of sinners, father. I know that God wills it, but doing what the Lord requires is so difficult, father. I beg for his forgiveness.”

The confessionals were cramped, and a thin screen divided the two small chambers so that neither individual could get a good look at the other. The confessor hadn’t even bothered to remove his gear, still wearing a ballistic vest with camouflage military fatigues and a sidearm strapped to his belt. On the other side of the screen, the priest simply nodded his head slowly as he pondered his next move. After a deep breath, the priest’s words lacked any hint of emotion. ”You are not forgiven.”

The confessor tilted his head slightly as he saw movement on the other side of the screen. ”I don’t think this is how confessi-“

Before he could even finish his statement, two gunshots rang out in the entirety of the church. The confessor slumped over in his confessional, while a red-haired man dressed in priestly garb kicked the door of his confessional open and began opening fire on the militia that had gathered inside the Church. The vigilante soldiers barely had time to react as the priest fired with expert aim, bullets piercing the skulls of various soldiers before they could even clutch at their own weapons. The priest briskly approached the stone altar as he fired, ducking behind it just as the seven militia men left standing had turned the safeties off their automatic rifles and began firing.

The priest quickly stripped off his outer robe, revealing a ballistic vest decked out with magazines and grenades over the traditional black button up shirt and white collar. Roy reloaded his two sidearms as the sounds of gunfire and bullets penetrating the altar behind him pierced his ear drums. He had grown accustomed to the noise at this point, though it was never a sound that he had grown to enjoy. After a few moments, Roy smiled as he heard the familiar sound of empty clips. He sprung back up, and fired six shots. Six of the seven remaining hostiles fell to the ground dead. The final one simply drew his own sidearms quickly and pointed them at Roy.

This last man standing was dressed slightly differently from his fellow soldiers. Unlike the, he wore a white mask that was designed to resemble a cross between a dog and a hockey mask. He had more firearms on his person, along with a machete and a metal baseball bat. The two men kept their guns trained on each other, refusing to even turn their gazes away or blink. After what felt like a small eternity, Roy’s target spoke. ”You walk into our territory, dress yourself up like a priest, shoot my boys and you think you can just kill me and walk out of here? You must be a whole new breed of stupid, boy.”

Roy gave a small smile as he slowly inched around the altar to get closer, his guns always locked in his target’s direction. ”Stupid, not really. Borderline psychotic and pissed off to no end, absolutely. You see, you killed someone I cared about more than life itself, Jack Wheeler. So I’m going to put you and your little group of Watchdogs down like the animals you are.”

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Roy’s grip on his sidearms loosened. He let them go and reached his hands towards his vest, managing to clutch on to two grenades with pins hooked on to his clothing. As he yanked on the explosives, he instinctively ducked to his right. He gave two quick tosses of the grenades just as he felt the first bullet impact against the ballistic vest over his left pectoral. Another protected hit was felt against his gut, and then another in his leg. Roy didn’t have much time to process the pain as he managed to nimbly catch the gun he had dropped in mid-air with his left hand. With an aim that seemed almost inhuman, Roy tracked one of the grenades with the sidearm’s barrel until it got within a few feet of the Wild Dog. A single pull of the trigger, and time returned back to normal.

The combined explosion of both grenades sent a shockwave of force and shrapnel ripping through the pews of the rural church. Roy felt wood splinter into exposed parts of his skin as he was sent rolling backwards towards the altar again, coughing and wheezing. The pain was excruciating as he fought back waves of nausea and a splitting headache to try and focus his vision on his former opponent. Roy saw a mangled body writhing in pain in the center of the church, and began approaching the injured target while hobbling along on his feet. Around the edges of the impact area, flames from the incendiary grenade’s detonation began to light on the pews of the rural church.

The Wild Dog’s mask had been blown open in part, revealing the terrified eyes of a man who seemed to be about Roy’s age. The terrorist was breathing ragged breaths, trying to gurgle out some words through his blood-filled mouth that Roy couldn’t comprehend. The vigilante had little room for empathy as he lowered the barrel of his firearm towards his target’s now-exposed forehead, gritting his teeth in both anger and an effort to cope with his pain. ”This is for Toni, you son of a bitch.” One final gunshot rang out from the Church, and Roy’s work was done.

Roy Harper slowly hobbled out of the Church’s open front doors, ripping off the ballistic vest after stuffing the sidearm into the back of his pants. He tossed the vest into the back of a partially-rusted pick-up truck lazily parked along a gravel parking section near the Church’s entrance. The vigilante lazily opened the unlocked door and hoisted himself up into the truck’s driver’s seat. The truck’s keys had graciously been left in the ignition, providing Roy the opportunity to start the truck and begin peeling away from the now burning church.

P O S T C A T L O G:

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Coming Soon.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

@webboysurf Well I must say you definitely caught me by surprise with the mysterious figure. Curious to see how you explain this one moving forward.

@Lord Wraith

I pretty much laid out exactly what this entire season will entail within one of the Issue #1 chapters. I knew I wanted to include a nod to Cap-Wolf when I chose the character, and the way I set things up allowed me to do so. Expect the rest of this season to balance between some character development for secondary characters (and, of course, Cap himself), a little bit of high-stakes action, and a lot of campy comic book craziness.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

_{Hotel, London, England, United Kingdom - Present Day, 01:32 Hours}

Issue 1.03.3: The Stranger

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.03.2: DownFall

The sound of pounding rain and roaring thunder was in some way reassuring to Steve as he had drifted off to sleep. The stereotype of London being a rainy, depressing looking place seemed to reign true starting in the afternoon, ending the plans Steve and Sharon had to tour and instead forced them back to the hotel to await further orders. Needless to say, it was surprising that a particularly loud wave of thunder woke Steve from his deep slumber.

He sighed and checked the time. It was about half past one in the morning, so it was far too late to check in next door with Sharon. So he found himself standing in his SHIELD issued undershirt next to the window of his hotel room, drawing the curtains away to stare out at the stormy night. He raised an eyebrow, a strike of lightning forcing him to squint for a moment. When his eyes readjusted after but a moment, Steve’s heart skipped a beat at the shock of seeing a lone figure on the rooftop across the street. The figure was just standing there, watching Steve through the window. Steve backed away slowly, still seeing the figure watching him, as he blindly fumbled for his sidearm to hook onto the belt of his jeans. He also clutched at a small metal bracelet, snapping it onto his wrist. With a clenching of his fist, his shield instinctively shot through the closet door as Steve began rushing towards the window. He was able to lift the shield just in time for him to place it in front of him as he powered his way through the window, glass spraying out onto the alley below as Steve’s leap took him across the gap and onto the roof of the slightly smaller building next door. He tucked his shoulder for a roll and slid along the ground, his eyes raising to meet the figure before him.

Standing on the roof opposite Cap was a hairy beast standing nearly seven feet tall, wearing the torn star-spangled suit that Steve had worn years earlier. The beast had a snout-like mouth, and its eyes glowed red. The best growled at Cap and leaped with superhuman strength and speed. Steve raised his shield to try and block the swipes of its claws, yet even the super soldier was just a fraction of a second too slow as the beast was able to scratch at Steve’s arm just enough to tear his flesh and draw blood. The pain was intense, and Cap was able to sneak in a swift kick to the beast’s knee. A loud snap signaled that it had broken easily, but the crunching sound afterwards was the thing of nightmares. The beast’s leg began to fix itself automatically, throwing Cap off his game for just a moment. The beast swung its arm into the side of Rogers, its claws ripping through Steve’s armor and flinging him to the side. The shield slid across the rooftop, but Steve flew just over the ledge of the roof. He was able to barely catch his fingers along the rooftop’s edge.

Steve strained as he began to lift himself up to continue the fight, but the beast was looming over him almost immediately. It bent down, snarling as it seemed to be lunging its head forward to bite at Steve. Steve did the only thing he could: he let go of the roof and clutched his left hand into a fist. His shield locked into place just in time for Cap to place the shield between himself and the car on the street below. The car’s roof crumbled as the shield and Cap’s body impacted from the fall. He groaned, his eyes rising up to the rooftop. The figure loomed for a moment, before disappearing after a flash of lightning. In his last moment of consciousness, Cap slowly lowered his head back down and closed his eyes, the sound of the car alarm blaring and the pounding rain being the last sounds he heard that night.

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Next Chapter: Cross of Iron

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

_{Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom - Present Day, 10:13 Hours}

Issue 1.03.2: DownFall

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.03.1: Home of the Brave

Rogers looked up at the residential building as he stood on the street, dressed in casual clothing as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He shook his head as he could still see the faint traces of a blood stain on the sidewalk next to him. ”The trajectory doesn’t seem to suggest foul play. Seems to line up with a small jump rather than a throw. Fury wouldn’t send us out here for the suicide of a politician, would he?”

A soothing voice came in over his communicator. ”Coroner’s report just came in. Seems like our victim was suffering from a heart attack before taking a tumble.”

”So he was dead before he hit the ground? Think it was just natural causes?”

Sharon rounded the corner and approached her ally, shrugging her shoulders. ”I don’t know. There were no traces of poison, no sign of forced entry, and no sign of a violent struggle other than the politician’s untimely spill. And, of course, no witnesses.”

Steve shook his head, sighing. ”What now?”

Sharon shrugged. ”We could grab lunch? I know a little place by the Thames.” Steve sighed and gave a curt nod, offering his elbow. Sharon gave a small smile as the two walked arm in arm down the road.

For the slightest of moments, a brief movement caught Steve’s eye. A figure on the rooftop across the street. But as soon as he actually attempted to focus on what he thought he saw, the figure was gone and Steve was forced along by Sharon, pushing deeper into the city. He gave a small smile as he laughed at his own imagination. There certainly couldn’t have been anything there... let alone something that large.

_{Fury’s Office, Triskellion, Washington D.C . - Present Day, 1549 Hrs}

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”You know how bad this looks, Agent Masters? You’re not making any friends here by putting my men in the medical wing.” Fury shook his head as he sat behind his desk, with Tony standing at attention in front of him.

”With all due respect, sir, I’m not here to make friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, Director Mace has ordered me to aid Agent Hill in dealing with the Trasnian crisis.”

With a flick of his hand, Masters was dismissed. The Colonel quickly tapped away at his keyboard, pulling up various holographic screens. He leaned back in his chair, sighing briefly. Next to each screen was an overlay, listing a series of agent names working on the situation. One screen discussed the mysterious deaths of British politicians, with Carter and Rogers being the only two agents listed next to it. The other screens showcased various issues around the world: the bloody conflict in Trasnia, a mutant attack at a high school, and the usual discussion of bat-vigilantes in Gotham. Just the usual.

The door to the office opened, and an older man in a suit sauntered in carrying a briefcase. Fury’s eyebrows raised slightly as he stared down Senator Rockwell. ”I don’t believe we have an appointment, Doug.”

Senator Rockwell flashed a smile to Colonel Fury. ”Don’t worry, Nick. I won’t be long.” He placed the briefcase on the desk, opened it, and slid a few files over towards Fury. The SHIELD officer flipped through the files, cringing slightly as he saw the large black stamp of approval from the Director of SHIELD on most of the documents.

Fury set the files down, shaking his head. ”I understand that you want to make sure America is protected from superhuman threats, Senator. But I’m afraid Steve Rogers died on a combat mission for the U.S. Army in 1945 and he is not working as a SHIELD operative. And while I’m more than happy to hand over the files you’re asking for, I am not going to give you access to blood samples. That violates our policies and your laws, Senator.”

Senator Rockwell gave a smug smirk as he picked up the files to pack up his briefcase. ”I know that you recovered Rogers, and the CIA has the photos of Captain Rogers in Rome months ago. You can’t hide him forever, Colonel Fury.” He snapped the briefcase close and straightened his tie, flashing a smile to the SHIELD colonel. ”The next person the Commission sends won’t take no for an answer, Nick. But I’m sure you know that.” With a simple wave, Senator Rockwell turned on his heels as a SHIELD agent stood in the doorway, waiting to escort the politician out of the building.

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Next Chapter: The Stranger