How to Take the Kill Shot - Part Three by: Enemyoffun Jonas Oliver's life has been turned upside down. While on vacation his parents are murdered, he's stranded on a deserted island and all he can think about is revenge. The only tools he has are his intellect, his overwhelming sense of right and wrong and his skill with a bow.

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Author's Note: Here's Ch. Four and Five. Ch. 4 has a great big time jump but it was necessary to get the story moving...its also kind of great because I've set up the idea of flashbacks so there's always the possibility of going back to the island. I'd like to thank djkauf for the excellent editing.Green Arrow is copyrighted and trademarked by DC Comics.

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Chapter Four:

After killing the boar I kind of felt less like myself and more like someone else. I’m not sure who that someone was but it gave me a new purpose in life. I wonder if that’s what happened to young hunters from primitive tribes when they were tasked with something like that. Killing that boar changed something inside of me. It didn’t make me feel like a man but it made me rethink my life. It was kind of sad too. A few days later I went wandering and came across a group of boars, there had to be at least twenty or more. They were living in a clearing, there were several adults, but there were babies too. They looked so cute compared to their elders. It was then that I realized that I robbed someone of their Dad. It made me sad because in the end I was no different than the drug dealers.

I had an epiphany I think. My vow had meaning. I would never again kill needlessly, nor could I stand by and watch others do it too. Sure I had to kill to survive but I’d only kill what I needed and hopefully nature would take care of the rest.

I skinned the boar, made a fire, and ate well that night. I gathered water from the ocean and used one of my mother’s shirts to drain the salt from it. I salted the boar meat. I’m not sure where I learned it from but I knew that salting meat preserved it for a while. It lasted too. I’m not sure how long but I think I had it for weeks.

Weeks, I think it’s been weeks.

The days are molding into one another now. If I had been a normal guy like Tom Hanks I would have been thinner with a beard and longer hair. But I’m not a man and I’m not normal. I got two out of three though. I was thinner except the fat wasn’t gone, it was moving places. I may have mentioned how I had a girl’s butt, well the one before was miniscule compared to the one now. I’m not sure but I think my butt’s at least twice the size. In fact it was so big now that my bikini bottoms no longer fit. I had to put on a pair of my mother’s underwear and shorts. My chest was bigger too. It wasn’t ginormous like Mia’s fake chest at the dance but it was bigger. My bikini top was starting to strain a bit and the strap was cutting into my flesh. Unfortunately there were no bras in my mother’s case.

I didn’t realize that it was my female hormones changing my body so I started exercising. I developed a routine. I started doing pushups in the morning, running in the afternoon and sit-ups in the evening. I alternated it every few days only it didn’t matter which I did or in what order. It was hard at first but then it became easy. I’m not sure when I started to notice the muscles but I did notice they were different than Roy’s. He was all bulging while I was lean and slim. I had the washboard abs but my pecs weren’t huge and my arms did look like tumors---not that Roy’s did. I was upset at first, not looking like the Terminator. But the more I worked out the more I realized that in a place like this it was bad to be huge.

A lot of my muscle came from island exploring.

I abandoned the oasis and the tree copse and moved north. After a few weeks of living here and there, drinking sparsely and eating salted boar meat, I finally found what I was looking for. The island had a little stream. I followed it for a few days until it led me to another little oasis. It was a lake, a massive one. Not as big as the one in my backyard but it was still impressive. Better yet, it was right at the base of the mountain. There was this freshwater waterfall running into it and the water was so crystal clear I could see my reflection in it.

My reflection startled me at first. When I first got to the lake it had been a couple weeks since I’d seen myself and when I saw the blonde haired girl staring back at me I was a bit floored. It was still me but there were subtle changes…I think. The girl in the water had a softer face, high cheekbones and I think her nose was a bit smaller than mine. Her hair was definitely longer. It was past my shoulders now and in my eyes. My mother always wanted me to grow it out but I always managed to keep it slightly androgynous. I liked long hair, but long as in guy standards---which to me meant down to my shoulders. The hair on me now was still about that long but it looked softer, shiny but dirty too.

Besides the changes, I kept myself busy.

I built a shelter, which took about a week---I think.

After my first initial sojourn, I went back to the beach but from a different peninsula. This beach was a gold mine. I found a lot of empty bottles, lots of plastic and driftwood and lots of useless consumer junk. It was funny but I never realized how much crap I had until I could no longer use it. A lot of the stuff I found on the beach was useless but there were some good things. On one trip I found my best tool yet: it was a machete but without the handle. It had a real dull blade but I sharpened it quickly enough. I also found a green tarp; it was at least five by five, about my height and in pretty good condition. I did some editing to it and made myself a cape/rain poncho. It was pretty wicked and it also helped me when the cold winds came blowing through.

I found a lot of other useful things on the beach. I found this old fish net and when I looked at it I had this image of an arrow, capable of spreading a net on a target. It was so cool but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it would never work. I kept the idea in the back of my head though. I wondered if it was possible to modify arrows to do different things. I know Robin Hood never did but he didn’t live in the modern age like us. Another image popped into my head: one of a man dressed in green, running around the city, fighting crime and helping people. It was an interesting concept, but it was crazy too.

I did use the net. Even though it was a little battered, I was able to fix it and use it for fishing. After getting my machete, I converted the metal shard into a spear. I attached it to a long branch and used it to spear fish. I was a little rusty and it took lots of practice but I pulled it off eventually. Now I’m a pretty decent spear fisher.

A few days after my first bow broke, I resolved to make another. This time I took my time and did it right. It turns out that there were a lot of trees on the island that were perfect for bow making. I found one that was like yew but was more sturdy and flexible. I took my time crafting the bow. I made sure I kept the wood moist and with the machete, I was able to carve it to give it a more bow-like shape. It took me several days to get it right, instead of the several hours like before. I perfected the string too. I actually found a tree that I was able to scrape some fibers from. I learned this from BB too. It took me forever but I was able to twist and braid the fibers into a practical and much stronger string that I ever could with a vine.

The arrows became a task. I realized how weak the stone arrowheads were. I still liked the idea of the green stone but I needed to perfect that too. I found my answer in scrap metal. A lot of it was washed up here and there. I gathered as much as I could. Then I carved an arrowhead mold into a thick piece of wood. I burned the wood, melted the metal until I filled the mold with it. I crushed some of the green stone with a large rock, sprinkling it into the metal. The arrowheads weren’t green anymore but they were a lot stronger than before. I made a lot more too: about twenty. I used the same process to make the arrows but switched from seagull feathers to a more colorful variety.

I found a bird on the island that had bright colorful feathers. I used those to make the fletch on my arrows. I tried to use mainly green ones, but they were in low supply.

With a proper bow and arrow, I became a better hunter. I tried to avoid killing the boars whenever possible, but I killed a few every now and then. I mainly stuck to killing chickens and other small game. I found that my new home was teeming with life. Not just birds either. Most of the animals hid further inland. There was a dozen different little rodents, none bigger than raccoons, but they easy to kill and had a fair amount of meat. My diet wasn’t just fish and meat though. There was a lot of fruit I was able to pick from trees. Most of it was of the tropical variety which I never really cared for before but I abided by Buck’s first rule.

After arriving at my permanent home, I went about building a shelter. I didn’t do anything real elaborate. I built a small hut out of thick branches. I tied them together using real thick vines and I made a roof by thatching huge fern leaves together. It wasn’t the greatest place but it was enough for my needs. I retired the net form fishing and turned it into a hammock. My mother’s suitcase had a place of honor as did the picture of us. I often went to sleep every night staring at it, dreaming about that day. It killed me that I’d never have another day like it. I would often think about the guys who killed my parents and my anger would get the better of me. I carved a rough likeness of the bastard who killed my mother, into a tree, and used it for target practice. Though I still refused to take the kill shot I did put every single arrow into his ugly forehead. In real life there was no way I could kill him but it helped me work out my frustrations.

It bothered me that men like them were allowed to walk around. The world was filled with dangerous people and nobody cared. In Star City alone, the crime rate was astronomical. There were drug dealers and rapists and petty criminals running all over the city. The police were overwhelmed. There was too much crime and they were spread too thin. Someone needed to help them, someone needed to stand up to all those bastards and put them in their place.

But my current task was to climb the mountain.

I’d been debating it for weeks---at least I think it’s been weeks. I’ve been trying to find the perfect way to do it. For a few days I tried to figure how to climb. I had no rope and nothing to climb the rock face with but my hands. Looking up it was a sheer rock face, I could see places to grab a hold, but I wasn’t really confident in my abilities to climb it.

I’ve only gone climbing once; it was one of those fake rock walls….

>-------------------------------------------------->

“Why are we doing this again?” I asked as we pedaled our bikes down the street.

It didn’t take him long to reach the top but it took me at least thirty minutes. I was kind of embarrassed because it was such a little wall. After we climbed down, Ted talked the two of us over to the exercising machines. He went kind of easy on Roy but he was really grilling me. First it was the bench press, then it was free weights then back to the bench press. We were at the Gym for about two hours and on the way back home I could barely ride my bike.
Roy and I parted, it was the last time I saw him. When I got home, my Mom was smiling and told me good news. Apparently my mother fixed the problem and we were leaving tomorrow.

>-------------------------------------------------->

I wonder if Super Roy would have problems with this rock wall.

It had to be at least a hundred and fifty feet straight up. From the ground it looked pretty sheer but it was actually pretty rocky. There were a lot of handholds and foot holes. I wouldn’t say it was an easy climb but it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It was a lot like the rock wall in fact except I don’t have a life line and I didn’t have boobs then---well I did, but they weren’t as big and they were compressed against my chest. Now I was having a hard time because they kept getting in the way. I tried to imagine what girls did with these damn things. Mia played intramural field hockey and her boobs were a little bigger than mine, I tried to imagine what she did with them. I cursed myself for not asking.

Besides the boobs, the climb wasn’t so bad as long as I concentrated. There was this guy in India who could climb up walls like a monkey. I saw it on some show on the History channel. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. He scaled right up the wall, he practically ran up it. When the host of the show looked at his hands, they were like sandpaper. It was so damn freaky. So I figure if he can do it then there’s some hope for me yet. Of course, he’d been doing it for about ten years but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

I climbed for about two hours. It was the most grueling and gut wrenching thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. When I finally reached the top, I collapsed to my knees, gasping. I took a giant swig from my water bottle and poured some of it on my head. My wet hair clung to my back and face until I whipped it around, splashing water about. I stumbled to my feet. I was still panting heavily so I took another swig of water. Then I stood up straight, took a few deep breaths and finally looked at my surroundings.

It wasn’t the mountain top that interested me---that was barren rock. What interested me was the view. I could see the whole island and beyond. I could see the whole jungle, including my little oasis---the second one with the waterfalls, the first was way too small. The island was a lot bigger than I thought it was. It was also the strangest shape I’d seen. I knew there were at least three peninsulas but what I saw absolutely floored me: there were at least five. It was kind of crazy and looked like a giant starfish. What wasn’t crazy was the fact that there was nothing else around. The whole of the ocean around the island was nothing but water.

So much for thinking, there were other islands around.

I thought maybe I could use the raft and paddle my way to another island but there was nothing. It made me think though. If there were no other islands around here, did any boats pass this way? Surely this place had to be on some map. It was too big an island to not go undiscovered. I don’t care if I was smack dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, there had to be some place somewhere that this thing appeared. I tried to remember if I saw anything like it on my father’s map. I had been looking at it the day before the storm. My parents liked to find little secluded places to set down and have picnics. This would have been the perfect little place for them.

I spent a lot time of the mountaintop, getting the lay of the land. The mountain had island on three sides and faced north into the ocean. It was a sheer drop to the water below. If the fall didn’t kill you, the jagged rocks would. The beach wrapped around the majority of the island. The rest was a rocky shoreline. The jungle was pretty much everything. I’d never seen anything like it. It made the one in my backyard look miniscule. I could see the little copse and the place where I buried the dead boar---yes, buried it. I skinned it, took whatever meat I could and then buried its bones. I even said a little prayer for it.
I stayed on the mountain for about an hour, walking the whole of it. I was trying to see if there was anything I missed. I was just about to leave when I saw it. At first, I didn’t think it was anything because it was so small. But after staring for about ten minutes, I realized it was actually a white speck and that white speck was slowly moving.

Oh my God, it was a ship.

Chapter Five:

I’m not sure how fast I climbed down the mountain but it was a lot faster than I went up it. I hit the ground running, exhaustion my constant friend but I pushed it back into my mind. Nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goal. I ran into my little shelter and grabbed everything I could carry. Most of the stuff was now set out and made things look homely. My mother’s clothes were hanging on the walls, her books---which I’d read from cover to cover---were stacked in a pile. Her flashlight was always with me even though the last battery went out about a week ago. I had her phone with me too but there was no charge left in it. They were just trinkets now but they were my mother’s trinkets.

I threw everything into the suitcase, well everything I could grab in a hurry.

The only things I didn’t were my things. I grabbed my boar hide quiver---that took me forever to make---and I got my bow. I wore the machete on a belt I made from tree fibers and I always carried my spear in case an aggressive male boar caught me off guard. I pulled on my tarp cape and took a deep breath. I took one final look at my little home. I felt a weak pit in my heart. Even though it wasn’t really home, it had been my security for God knows how long.
I couldn’t help but think about leaving my real home for vacation. Back then, I didn’t realize it was going to be the last time I’d see it…

>-------------------------------------------------->

‘C’mon Jo Jo.”

I wanted to punch him in the gut but my mother gave me a stern look. So instead, I let the “Man” load our bags and got into the back seat with my mother.
We left the driveway a few minutes later. I slouched down as far as I could go, not wanting anyone to see me. But our house was the only one around; the others were down the road a bit. I got one last glance at the house as we pulled out of the driveway. As we drove away, I couldn’t help but think that things were going to be different when we got back in three weeks. I’m not sure if that was extremely scary or really exciting.

>-------------------------------------------------->

I ran as fast as I could, thinking about my last day in Star City brought tears to my eyes.

I was making good time but I’m not sure if it was fast enough. It took nearly an hour to climb down the mountain. I spent at least ten minutes in my little camp and no matter how fast I ran it was still going to take an hour to reach the beach. The boat has to be there still. It was so far off so it was going to be there. I kept trying to reassure myself. I needed it to be there. This was my only chance to get out of here and I wasn’t going to let it pass me by.
When I reached the beach, I ran to light my fire. I set up this one and several just like it all over the island. I put them in places where I knew they’d be seen. My goal was to put one on the mountain as well. But I hoped that would no longer be the case. My signals were large piles of wood, stuff with whatever I could find that would burn long and fast. Mostly it was leaves but there was some plastic and paper shoved in. This particular one had all of that and some. A few weeks back I found a single flip-flop and remembered something Buck said about making the fire as noticeable as possible. The flip-flop was ideal.

Last summer Mia and I were on the beach, for the Fourth. Our parents were preparing to set off their fireworks. We had those dinky little sparklers and were waving them at one another. We started to pretend they were light sabers and were clashing them together. That’s when we had an accident. Mia’s broke and the top fell on her foot. Luckily, it didn’t burn her too badly but it scorched the hell out of her flip-flop. The flip-flop was completely burnt; the smoke that came from it was horrible and black. But it was extremely noticeable. It caused quite a commotion. One of the beach cops tried to shut down our fun but my Dad was able to convince him that no one got hurt.

So when I found that flip-flop I knew exactly what to use it for.

I reached into my belt and pulled out the two stones I used to light my fires. I rubbed them together and got a spark. I lit my Signal and waited. I couldn’t see the boat from the beach but I knew it still had to be out there. For a while, I started waving my arms in the air and shouting. But I got tired and I was starting to lose my voice. I sat down, sighing. Twenty minutes later, however, I saw the boat. At first, I didn’t think it noticed my fire but then I saw it turning toward me. I jumped to my feet and starting waving my arms some more.

As the boat got closer, I realized it was a cruise ship. All I could do was smile and thank the Maker. It was one of those huge liners, a giant Caribbean one. I saw them on all the commercials, advertising a tour of paradise. It was gleaming white and looking for all the world like it owned the ocean. My parents took a cruise on one of those a couple years back but they wouldn’t let me come. It was some kind of second honeymoon. They were gone for about two weeks; I had to stay with Mia. She and I had fun but I was a little jealous of the rents when they got back and told me about all the fun they had. They promised to take me on a cruise some day but…

The boat finally stopped coming. At first, I thought they were forgetting me then I saw them come at me with a smaller boat, it was white too and there were several people in white uniforms inside. It was some kind of launch. It bobbed up and down on the waves as it cruised toward my island. I quickly decided that I looked like a barbarian so I did some quick changes. I pulled off my hooded tarp and quiver. I stowed both of them in my suitcase. I did the same with the machete but there was nothing I could do to hide the bow. But I took off the string and set it up like a hiking stick, leaning a bit on it.

When the Launch came ashore, two of three people onboard scrambled onto the beach. They were both wearing white uniforms. One was clearly a Jamaican; his long dreadlocks were pulled behind his head in a ponytail. The other was a pretty blonde woman who was carrying a white bag. They both approached me at a rush.

“Holy moly, there really was a person on the island?” said the man, glancing back at the driver of the launch. Then he looked at me. “Are you an island princess?”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Are you all right, sweet heart?”

All I could do was cry. I dropped my suitcase and ran into her arms. She stumbled a bit and then wrapped her arms around me. I cried into her chest. It’d been so long that I’d seen or talked to anyone I wasn’t sure if they were real or not. She let me cry. I’m not sure how long I did it but after I was done, she had me sit while she ran some tests to make sure I was all right.

“I’m Dr. Carlson; I’m the Ship’s Medic, its company policy that I check you out before I let you onboard?”

I nodded. I wouldn’t have let me onboard either.

The Jamaican guy pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt and started talking to someone. I only heard his side of the conversation and it was all about me. I kept hearing him say “her” and “she”. I sighed; it looks like these people thought I was a girl too. Not that I was giving them any reason to doubt me. I looked more like a girl now than ever. I was wearing a pair of my mother’s shorts and my bikini top; my assets were on display for the world to see.
The Jamaican kept talking. All I could think about was the man who led the assault on our boat. Though they were nothing alike, his voice made me cringe. I’d been having a lot of nightmares about that voice.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

I lied, I don’t know why. “It’s Bonnie” I said, internally groaning. “Bonnie King.”

Great now I’m the damn cousin from Texas. I even said it with that stupid accent.

Dr. Carlson starting asking me other questions but I didn’t want to answer anything more. I was nervous and excited. I kept looking at the ship, wanting more than anything to get on it and off this island. But she kept asking. I kept refusing to answer. I clutched my bow in a death grip. I wasn’t going to let it go, I don’t know why. My heart was racing and I was starting to get a little woozy. I think Dr. Carlson noticed because she was doing everything to keep me conscious. I’m not sure if it was a delayed reaction or what. I was so happy to be rescued I think I overdid myself. The exhaustion from all the running caught up with me at that particular moment.

The world came rushing around me and I passed out in her arms.

>-------------------------------------------------->

The scream woke me up.

I snapped my eyes open, confused because I thought I was dreaming. I sat up, the fluffy white comforter slid off my body as I did so. I woke to darkness, which was strange. More strange was the fact that I had no idea where I was. I wasn’t in my hammock, I was on a bed and there were no creaking trees, strange jungle noises or stifling heat to greet me. Instead, the room was cool; the only noise was that scream and I was sure I was no longer on the island. I tried to think back to what happened. I remembered seeing the cruise ship, running myself to exhaustion to get to the beach and then the people came. They must have taken me to their ship when I passed out.

Oh, God, I’m off the island. I would have been ecstatic if not for that scream.

I jumped out of bed, nearly stumbling because I wasn’t used to being so high. I hung my hammock low and sleeping on it as long as I did, one tends to get accustomed to that. I stumbled about in the dark, trying to figure out what was going on. I found the wall and the light switch a few seconds later. I flipped the switch and the room exploded with light. I stumbled into the wall, shielding my eyes. It was fricking bright. I wasn’t used to so much light. I was used to the light the jungle provided which was half obscured by foliage unless I got into the open. Even then, it was quite different from the artificial light from a bulb.

I looked around my room and was shocked to see it was quite large. It wasn’t as big as my room at home or the one in the beach house but it was bigger than I thought. It was decorated in a corny nautical theme; everything was blue and white. The walls were wood paneling and the floors were carpeted. There was a closet, a white dresser, a huge vanity with mirror and a bathroom off to the side. The main wall had a huge white Q on it; I knew instantly what kind of cruise ship I was on. I knew the logo well: it appeared on every packet I received from my grandfather. I groaned. My mother spent my whole life trying to shield me from her father and all his billions but it had a tendency to pop back into our lives every now and then.

I heard another scream and it snapped me back to reality.

I ran to the door and opened it a crack. There was no one in the hall but I could hear screaming. What the hell was going on? Then I heard it, it was distant at first but it was recognizable. It was a noise that any avid action movie fan would know: gunfire. Holy crap. I shut the door slowly and leaned against it. What the hell is it with me and boats? I took a deep breath and pushed the dresser in front of the door. It wasn’t heavy at all but a while ago, it would have been. I guess all that jungle exercise was really paying off.

I turned around and saw my room had a balcony. There was a pair of glass doors opening up into it. I wonder if I can get out that way? I was about to rush to it when I heard the rain. It was pouring like crazy out there. I looked around my room and found the suitcase, my bow lying on top of it. I rushed over, finding a note there as well. It was from Dr. Carlson: Bonnie, I put all your stuff in the room with you. The Captain want me to check it for some ID but I told him I wasn’t about to invade your privacy. I also brought your walking stick; you were clutching it so tightly that it took me forever to get it out of your hand. When you’re up and about the Captain would like to see you, there’s some questions he’d like to ask you.

I opened the case and found my quiver and tarp right where I left it. I pulled them both out. I was wearing my clothes from the beach, so I’m glad no one bothered to undress me. I wonder what kind of shock they would have gotten seeing my you-know-what. I couldn’t imagine trying to explain things to them---after calming them down of course. I wasn’t too happy about them thinking I was a girl but I guess it was good for now. Hopefully I wasn’t going to be on this ship too long.

I pulled the tarp on; making sure the hood was over my head. It was a little big and obscured my face but it did its job. On the island, I don’t know how many times the thing kept me dry. It might have been a little stiff and uncomfortable but it was kind of cool too. Robin Hood wore a cape and hood when he went traipsing around in Sherwood. I wonder if he thought it was cool too.

I secured my quiver, restrung my bow and ran out onto the balcony.

The boat was no longer moving. Whoever was onboard, shooting, must have gotten to the bridge. I looked down, trying to see if I could see anything. I had a pretty good idea what was going on too. Before we left there was a lot of talk about pirates in the area. The Coast Guard and the Navy were having problems keeping them all in check. After I went into the water and was on the island a few days, I concluded that that’s what probably killed my parents. I thought they were drug dealers at first but now I was certain they were pirates. I still couldn’t figure out why they’d burn my parent’s boat though.

I hope these are the same ones. I hefted my bow and jumped barefoot onto the balcony railing. With only one hand, I grabbed the bottom of the balcony above me and pulled myself up. My upper body strength was insane now. I can’t remember how many pull ups I did in one day but I was sure it was more than the average man. After a while, I even got bored and started doing them one handed. I know it sounds crazy but there’s not a lot to do on a deserted island. Like I said before, exercise helped focus my mind and kept me sane. Without it, I’d of probably started talking to a coconut or something.

I climbed over the railing and slipped belly first onto the balcony. The room above me was identical to mine. The sliding glass door was unlocked and I let myself in. Whoever was there looked like they were about to go scuba diving or something. There were two beds in this room; one of them had a green and black wetsuit lying on the bed. Whoever it was, who stayed here had left in a hurry. There was a half-eaten sandwich on the night stand and a cup of coffee. I stuck my finger in the coffee; it was still warm. Did the gunshots scare them?

I walked to the door and peered out. There was no one in the hall. I went back into the room, closing the door and started pacing. I couldn’t keep climbing from balcony to balcony; someone was eventually going to find me. It was only a matter of time before whoever it was went room to room. I had to do something and I had to do it fast. In my pacing, I bumped one of the other tables in the room, causing the newspaper sitting on it to fall not the floor. The headline caught my eye: Mysterious Jade Saves Tour Bus. The name of the reporter---Lois Lane---appeared underneath as well as a grainy black and white photo, depicting what looked like a girl in a strange costume, hovering near a bus. She was in front of it, pointing her clenched fist at it and there was some kind of glow surrounding the bus, lifting it off the ground.

What the hell? I grabbed the paper off the floor and started to read: Mysterious Jade, the woman who calls herself the Green Lantern, strikes again. This time it was in Miami Florida where a tour bus full of senior citizens blew out a tire on a bridge and skidded into the guardrail. The bus was tittering on the brink, ready to go over when Jade appeared out of nowhere. She used her strange green ring and saved the bus. When this reporter tried to get an interview, Jade smiled, refused to comment and flew off. The passengers of the bus were ecstatic and the Mayor praised our new green protector for her courage and bravery. “We need more people like her in the world,” he said with a big smile on his face.

What is this? I sat on the corner of the bed, flabbergasted. This Jade person must have popped up when I was on the island. I quickly looked at the date: it was October 20th. Holy crap, I’d been on the island for almost three months. Damn, it felt longer than that. I stared at the picture again; the woman in it didn’t look like a woman at all. She looked be about my age. It was kind of cool. Mia was huge superhero fan and always said the world would be cool if they really existed. She was a huge fan of one of them; I could never remember her name. Me, I’d never really gotten into the whole thing, I liked my Robin Hood. I was always used to tell her “screw men in spandex, the world needs a Robin Hood again.”

I dropped the paper on the floor.

I went to pick up again but stopped when I looked at the wetsuit. There’s no way. I looked at the picture on the front page again and back to the wetsuit. I kept looking at both of them and finally sighed. I left the paper and grabbed the wetsuit. What the hell was I doing, I had no clue. But there were people in trouble on this ship. Yes, the bad guys had guns but I had the element of surprise on my side. Was I crazy? You bet your ass I was. But I needed to do something. Maybe they’d think I was Jade and surrender. I laughed at that.

I slipped off my shorts, the tarp and my quiver. I wasn’t wearing any underwear but I had the bikini bottoms on. They were real tight but they were good enough. I pulled the wetsuit on slowly. It was a little tight in a few places but it looked all right. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself. It was really tight and left nothing to the imagination. I had a body, a real hot body. Looking at me sent shiver up and down my spine. No guy alive had a body like this. Was it possible that I’d never be able to go back to being a guy again?

I smirked. As scary as that sounds I need to think about the now.

I pulled my tarp back on, pulling the hood down over my head. I looked like a total idiot but if it could distract the goons then I didn’t care. I grabbed my quiver, putting it at my waist and nocked an arrow. I opened the door and slipped out into the hallway.

Here goes nothing.