Target Practice- Part Nine by: Enemyoffun With her grandfather gone,Olivia has now inherited Queen Industries. But that's the least of her problems what with dealing with the press, the Board of Directors and trying to find the person who hired the assassin in the first place.

-----

Author's Note: Here's Ch. 9.Things are moving along nicely. The other day I mapped out the rest of this story in my notes so I have a pretty good idea where I want to go from here. I'd like to thank everyone who had input, djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters.

-----

Chapter Nine:

“This is so totally awesome,” said Roy as he and I entered the Hub.

After yesterday’s unfortunate incident at the school, I told him everything. I made him promise not to tell a soul about the operation Mia and I were running. He swore but on the proviso that I didn’t keep him out of the loop anymore. After all that crazy woman had tried to kill him, too. So we shook on it, with me promising him I’d show him everything. So here we were now, in the Green Arrow base of operations. The Hub started small back when Mia and I started this whole thing, only a computer or two. Now it was a massive network with several computers, plasma screens and servers. It had even grown more in the last week or so. When not doing her own thing, Mia spent all of her time in this room so now there were a lot of personal touches as well. When I say personal touches, I meant the vending machines, pinball machine and the futon. It was a home away from home for her now.

“Don’t touch a thing, Harper” the annoyance in Mia’s voice was pretty apparent.

She wasn’t a fan of the whole “let’s tell Roy everything” plan. I think she liked that this was just between her and me. However, with Roy here now, things were getting a bit too crowded for her.

I tried to ignore the tension between the two of them. I pointed to the futon, meaning I wanted Roy there. He got the hint and walked over, hobbling slightly as he did so. After yesterday’s attack, the two of us spent a few minutes tying the crazy bitch up with her own whip. Then we dragged her ass back to the locker room. Roy got his cell and we called the police. It took a bit of explaining to do but I think we were finally able to convince them that she just attacked us out of the blue. The last I saw of my crazed would-be killer she was being loaded into the back of a police car, saying nothing. After that, I stayed with Roy as a paramedic patched him up. Of course, the incident made the evening news, with my name used heavily. I made sure they kept Roy out of it though, the news calling him an unknown teenage male.

The two of us had been lucky. Roy went to the hospital afterwards, got ten stitches or so. I couldn’t help but feel bad though. I nearly got him killed. When I finally told him about the Green Arrow stuff, I used that as a selling point for him not getting involved. But he wouldn’t hear it. He wanted to help in any way he could. So I told him he could help us try to find out who these people were. I guess it was better than him grabbing his own bow and following me out into the streets. Though it might be nice to have a partner out there, I wasn’t willing to risk his life anymore.

I watched as Roy tried to get comfortable on the futon before heading over to Mia. She was typing away furiously, several computers on and working at once. She was working herself too hard but I didn’t dare tell her that. She was adamant to get to the bottom of all this crap. All the dead ends were driving her nuts. As soon as she got a little bit, several more roadblocks were thrown in her path. I tried to be as supportive as I could but this was her arena. The best I could do with a computer is play games, surf the net casually and send email.

“Tell me you know who the bitch with the whip is at least?”]

She groaned. “I hacked into the police database, pulled up the surveillance in the Interrogation Room like you asked. But the girl is good. So far they haven’t gotten a damn thing on her.”

I cursed. “Who the hell are these people?”

“Bad ones” said Mia, still typing. “Elusive too. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that she might be connected to Merlyn somehow.” She brought up a page quickly, throwing it up onto one of the plasma’s. I recognized it from Raines’s files. “This line of names here, all of these aliases are female. Look at this one here.” She zoomed in on one of the names.

I groaned. “Angela Whipman. You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“You think these people are connected with that jack ass who killed your grandfather?” asked Roy from behind us.

I turned my head slightly. He was making himself comfortable with a Hershey’s bar in one hand and a coke in the other. “Clearly someone doesn’t want me poking around in their business. They killed Raines right after I went to visit him; then that bitch showed up. It’s too much of a coincidence to think otherwise.”

“What the fuck is wrong with these people?” asked Roy, pushing himself up. “I mean first they kill your parents, try to kill you. Then they try to hijack one of your grandfather’s cruise ships. When that didn’t work, they actually killed your grandfather. Clearly someone has it out for your family.”

I sighed, nodding. I’d been thinking the same thing myself. My grandfather was a powerful man so he was bound to have a lot of enemies. In fact, there were quite a few that I could think of, several of them in this building. But there was no logic to the Board doing it, if it was in fact them. I mean what could they possibly gain. I’d been talking with John, trying to write up a Will of my own. In the untimely event that something did in fact happen to me, I was leaving a small fortune to both Mia and Roy and the rest of the company was going to Mr. Wayne. The only other person who knew about my Will was Jade and I trusted her more than anyone lately.

So if these people were trying to kill me to hurt Queen Industries they had another thing coming. But there was something else, something wrong. Merlyn felt like he had a purpose but that whip girl, she made no sense. It was clear she and Merlyn were friends because she mentioned him. What I couldn’t understand was why she’d go after me. It was possible that the same person who hired Merlyn to kill my grandfather hired her to kill me too. But for some reason I felt yesterday’s attempt was different. She knew I was the Green Arrow, that alone was enough to throw up warning signs. But she wasn’t using that information to her advantage. I mean she could have told the police about me but she was keeping her mouth shut. Something was going on here, something that I knew I wasn’t going to like.

Was it possible that there was more than one person out there trying to kill me? I shuddered at the thought.

My new cell rang at that particular moment as well, sending a different kind of shudder through my body. I pulled it from my pocket---cursing the stupid thing---and looked at the number. It was the office or more importantly, it was Jade. I pushed the pocket as I brought it up to my ear.

“I’m in an important meeting,” I said, knowing well that she knew this.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Olivia, but a Dr. Emil Hamilton called, he said you might be expecting his phone call?”

I cursed. With everything that had been going on lately I completely forgot about all this metahuman nonsense. I groaned loudly, causing Mia and Roy to look at me strangely. I took a moment to collect myself before speaking again. “Call Luke, have him bring the Mercedes around. I’ll be there in ten.”

I clicked the phone shut, returning it to my back pocket.

“Something wrong?” asked Roy, looking more concerned than usual.

I shook my head. “Just something I have to take care of. I’ve gotta go for a bit, might be a while. If you want I can have someone drive you two home?”

Mia nodded but Roy shook his head. “I brought my car,” he said with a smile.

It was a great smile, one that I could get lost in. When I got a moment, I would definitely need to sit down with him and discuss our relationship. I think he was probably just as confused about it as I was. It was clear the two of us were into one another but I’m just not sure what I thought about it. He was great and dreamy and wonderful. But he was Roy too, my best friend. The thought of us being together left a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach. But that feeling also had a neighbor and that neighbor didn’t like the idea all that much. I smiled back at Roy before turning and walking slowly out of the room.

I’d been dreading this meeting for a while now. I didn’t even want to go to this place the first time around and now here I was heading back to it. I tried to be in good spirits as I walked slowly through the lobby but I wasn’t. So they finally got my results back, it took them long enough. Ok, so I was a bit cranky but I got like that when it rained. It was pouring out right now, drumming loudly off the roof and the glass front of the building. I turned slightly to see the Mercedes still sitting there. Once again, Luke didn’t want to come inside. He was one of those standoffish kind of guys, a bodyguard that guarded his client from a distance, apparently. I’m just glad Spencer and Locke finally decided to ease up a bit. They were still around but once again, I managed to convince them that I didn’t need a huge detail.

The receptionist smiled when I approached the desk. “Good evening Miss King”.

I put on a good front. “Dr. Hamilton is expecting me.”

She nodded, pushing a button that unlocked the doors leading to the labs. I smiled, thanked her and went on my merry way. I pushed open the door and slowly walked to Hamilton’s office. I felt like a man being led to the gas chamber. There was just something about all of this that I didn’t like. If I were a Meta then wouldn’t I have crazy powers, laser beams shooting from my eyes or the ability to fly? Hey, I used to read comics---well Mia forced me to---but I knew all about those superhero guys. I found it hard to believe that I might be in the same category as them and the rest of the people in Jade’s superhero club.

I took a deep breath and knocked. A second or two later, the door opened. There was a burly guy in a black suit on the other side. I wasn’t expecting him. Nor was I expecting the woman sitting in the chair in front of Hamilton’s desk. I gave her the once over: sharp suit, mocha colored skin, short hair, welcoming smile. But there was something else about her, something that made Hamilton a bit nervous. I looked at the doctor and could read the disdain written over his face. Whoever this woman was, it was clear he didn’t want her here.

“Olivia Queen?” she asked, I nodded. She turned to the man at the door. “Benson, you can wait outside.”

“Yes ma’am” said the goon as he stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him.

“I was under the impression that this meeting was going to be between myself and Dr. Hamilton, Miss…” I was annoyed that this woman was here.

“It’s Agent actually” said the woman “Special Agent Helen Helligan, I’m with the Department of Metahuman Affairs.”

I groaned. Seriously. I looked over at Hamilton; he gave me an apologetic smile. I looked back at her, trying to put on my best angry face. “Never heard of it.”

She laughed. “You wouldn’t have. We used to be under Homeland Security for a bit. We’re a new division, recently created to help the world deal with the rise of the metahuman race.”

“Is this the part where you tell me I’m a dangerous whatever and try to lock me up?”

Helen laughed again. “Not exactly, Miss Queen.”

Dr. Hamilton cleared his throat. “Miss Queen, I contacted Agent Helligan.” He said it though he didn’t sound too happy. It was clear that he didn’t want her here. “As you know, the results of your tests are in. I’m sure if will be no surprise to you when I say they came back positive.”

I sighed. I was afraid of that. “So I’m a meta?”

“You don’t have to be upset by this news,” said Helen “you’ve been given a fantastic gift.”

And I was just told I wasn’t normal. I had no problem with Metas but I just never thought in a million years I might be one as well. It was kind of a scary thing to think about. “Bring on the laser beams.”

Helen smiled. Hamilton continued. “You’re a rare individual, Miss Queen. Of the Metas that my organization has had the pleasure of meeting, you’re the first who has exhibited these kinds of changes. Your acceleration into a female form is most fascinating actually. Then there’s the green rocks. I had a chance to study the one you sent me; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

I’d forgotten all about the arrowhead I sent him. “What does that mean exactly?”

Helen cleared her throat. “The rock appears to be extraterrestrial in origin. My department has sent your arrowhead to several different facilities worldwide and no one can make heads or tails of it. You’ve discovered something truly extraordinary Miss Queen, possibly even world altering.”

Hamilton spoke again this time telling me some of the scientific mumbo jumbo concerning the arrowhead. It was all over my head. All I seemed to get out of it was that the rocks gave off some kind of radiation and that my prolonged exposure to them somehow accelerated the dormant metagene in my body. So apparently, if not for the rocks, I might have been fairly normal. I was still neither truly girl or boy but the rocks tipped the scale toward girlhood. My penis was even smaller now, barely a visible nub. According to my latest physical with Gloria, I now had all the internal plumbing of a fully functional female. She wanted to operate to remove my penis but apparently that wasn’t going to be necessary now. According to her findings, it would gone in a matter of days. So, goodbye boyhood.

“These rocks are truly a fascinating discovery” finished Hamilton, ending his long and boring Snoopy adult talk.

“That brings me to the reason I’m here,” said Helen. “We were wondering if you could point us to this little island of yours.”

Of course they were. I had found something valuable and now the government wanted it for themselves. But I was a bit confused by her request. “Didn’t the cruise ship record the coordinates?”

Helen sighed. “Apparently the logs of the cruise ship were altered, removing any mention of the island at all.”

Who could…wait, never mind. It had to be the Old Man, but why would he do such a thing. Unless he was trying to protect me? But that didn’t make any sense. I sighed. “I can’t help you, Agent Helligan because I don’t know where the island is either, the best I can do is tell you it’s somewhere in the Atlantic, past the Keys.”

She nodded. “We have reason to believe that the information we seek might be stored somewhere in your company’s databanks. With your permission, we’d like to access them and try to find the information ourselves?”

A small part of me was willing to let them. I mean I really wanted nothing more to do with that damn island. It held a small place in my heart but at the same time, it was like a prison too. “You can try looking but if I know my grandfather, he’s probably covered his tracks pretty well.”

Helen smiled. “Let us worry about that.”

I nodded. “Ok then you have my permission but if I find any bugs in my system I’ll make you wish you never talked to me.”

“Fair enough” said Helen and she stood up, holding out her hand. I took it gently. “It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Queen. I suspect you’ll use your new gifts for the betterment of this city and its people.”

She winked when she said this, did she know about my extracurricular activities?

Agent Helligan left after that, leaving me alone with my new friend Hamilton. The good doctor and I talked for the better part of the hour after that. He asked me lots of questions, both about my so called abilities and the island. I had lots to say about the island, I was there for nearly three months. My abilities; I had nothing. I didn’t have a clue as to what they might be. Hell I was still convinced that he and his people made a mistake. There was no possible way I could be a Meta?

“We can run tests if you’d like” he said after I told him for the third time that I had no idea what kind of gifts I possessed.

“I’m not sure I want to be a lab rat doctor.”

He chuckled. “Not those kinds of tests. We’ve been trying to establish a way of testing powers, helping those who don’t know what they might possess.”

I nodded. “Thank you doctor but I’m not interested in your tests.”

He sighed. “I understand but if you change your mind don’t hesitate to make an appointment.”

I stood up from my own chair and shook the doctor’s hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you Dr. Hamilton, if I find any more like me, I promise to send them your way.”

He smiled big. “I’d like that very much.”

As soon as I stepped out of his office, I pulled out my cell. I hit #2 on my speed dial and got an answer on the second ring. “Speedy, I gave the government permission to access QI’s database.”

“Ummm, should I be worried?”

I laughed. “They want information on my little island. There’s something about those stones there, the government is really interested in them.”

“You want me to move any truly important stuff to a backup server?”

“That might be a wise thing to do.”

She groaned. “What the hell does the government want with you?”

I gave her the Cliff notes version of the meeting I just had. When it was done, she groaned. She made a comment about the DMA to which we shared a laugh. Then I let her go, realizing that it being eight at night she probably had loads of stuff to do before she went to bed for the night. As soon as I got off the phone with her, I considered calling Roy but decided against it. But I knew if I did, I would want to see him and I’m not sure where that might lead. So instead of dialing the number I really wanted too, I stuck the cell in my back pocket.

Then I found myself wandering the halls but not toward the lobby. I’m not sure why I didn’t head straight to the car and Luke. I couldn’t help but think of the conversation I just had in Hamilton’s office. So I was a Meta and it had something to do with the rocks. I knew there was something strange about those rocks when I first laid eyes on them. It’s not every day that you see green glowing rocks at the bottom of a little pond. But I shrugged it off simply because they were in one of the only fresh water sources on the whole island. It was either drink from that pond or walk all day to another source. But to think that the rocks were causing my changes, well accelerating them. On the island, my body had definitely changed. When I was diagnosed intersexed, my doctor told me I would be female on the outside but I’d be male as well.

Things changed on the island. My androgynous body---one that the doctor swore I’d have for more than a year or so---changed almost overnight. I thought the doctor had been mistaken. Now I knew the truth and it frightened me a bit. I was a Metahuman, my gene was dormant and much like the others, some traumatic event triggered it. I’m guessing that was the death of my parents and my eventual Robinson Crusoe adventure on the island. What I couldn’t understand was why I didn’t change fully? Others---like Terra---changed almost immediately. What made her different than me? Was it the rocks or was it something else, something about my genes?

Walking the halls, I ended up in front of the ladies room. I slipped inside. At the mirror, I looked at the pretty teen girl who called herself Olivia Queen. I tried to find Jonas in there, turning my head a bit. But no matter how much I looked, I only saw a shadow of him. I looked like my own sister or possibly a distant relative. Parts of me looked like my mother but other parts of me looked alien. I small part of me wanted to scream and punch the glass. But the rest of me liked what I saw. I wasn’t ashamed to be a girl; I was never ashamed of being who I was before either. But it was the idea of my genes being so much different than others that sent a shiver up my spine.

I shook my head. I’m still me though. I’m still the same person, I’m Olivia Queen. I’m sixteen years old---well fifteen but that didn’t matter. I had two great friends, an annoying Board of Directors and a huge company. So I wasn’t a normal teenager but I was still me. I was just a new kind of me, the kind that might have special powers. What they were I had no idea. I groaned, turning on the faucet, splashing water in my face. I did this a few times before I shut it off and dried off my hands. After that, I left the bathroom, pulling out my cell as I did so. I dialed Luke’s number; it rang twice before he answered. But the voice who said hello was not the voice of my friend.

“Who the hell is this?”

“Hello Miss Queen or should I say Miss Green Arrow” said the voice, it was cold and confident.

“I think you’re mistaken.”

He laughed. “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

“Ok so you know who I am. What are we going to do about it?”

He laughed again. I hated that laugh already. “We’re not going to do anything. You’re going to do something for me though. You’re going to back off. Your grandfather is dead and buried, things happen for a reason. You got his killer, now leave it alone.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“You know what they say about revenge Miss Queen?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “You have to dig two graves. But in your case, if you keep at this you’re going to be burying a lot more than that.”

“Just tell me who hired Merlyn and I’ll back off.”

He laughed. “It’s over with. You don’t want to stick your nose into it anymore. You should have listened to Raines and left well enough alone. We tried to be civil but you just wouldn’t get the hint. I’m going to give you one more chance and you better take it. Time is running out…tick…tick…tick…”

He clicked off, leaving me stunned. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts before I tried Luke again. But the phone kept ringing. I cursed and took off running. I cursed the fact that I wore more heeled boots today. I tried not to think about it as I pushed myself as hard and as fast as my feet could carry me. There was something about the way that he said tick, tick, tick that scared the hell out of me. When I got to the lobby, I barreled through it, ignoring the receptionist as she called out to me. I pushed through the glass doors leading outside, rushing into the pounding rain. I shielded my eyes as I ran, seeing the Mercedes where Luke parked it. A feeling of dread overwhelmed me when I didn’t see him in the car.

Then he popped up, apparently bent over. I let out a huge sigh of relief and stopped running, walking slowly toward the car as I did so. Maybe I was overreacting after all. Whoever was on the other end was clearly trying to scare me off. It only half worked though. He got me all worked up and I almost panicked. Now seeing Luke sitting in the car, looking fine. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. I smiled at the sight of Luke, glad to see he was all right after all. I even laughed a bit, finding humor in my stupidity. I slowed my pace to a brisk walk, dripping wet now from the pounding rain around me. When I got close to the car, I locked my eyes with Luke’s. He smiled too. He had a great smile, so warm and welcoming. Looking at him only lasted for a second and I found myself gazing across the street. At first, I couldn’t see anything but the rain. It was really coming down, in thick sheets no less. But something happened, something I can’t really explain. It was as if I could see through the rain or rather through the spaces in-between the raindrops. The rain slowed to a standstill and I saw him.

There was a man on the other side of the street. He was dressed in a brown trench coat, army fatigue pants. His face was obscured though, blacked out. No not blacked out, I could see his eyes. He was wearing a black ski mask or something, it stood out because he was wearing a red bandanna around his neck. I stared at him and he caught sight of me. There was something in his eyes, something that told me that this guy was up to no good. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled outside something small. He raised it up and waved. It was the oddest thing in the world. I watched as he moved his finger and then there was a loud explosion.
The blast tore me from him and threw me backwards. It was the Mercedes. My entire world screamed around me as I flew through the air. I hit the pavement hard. Fiery debris and smoke rained down around me. My ears were ringing, my back ached and for a moment, everything was in slow motion. The world came back to me a few seconds later. When it did, I heard screaming and realized it was my own. I found myself sitting up and didn’t remember how. Everything was blurry until my eyes focused on the car. Or what was left of it. It was now a burning wreck. I heard shouts and screams, lots of running. Security was coming out of the building behind me; bystanders were running in every direction. Me, all I could do was look at the wreckage.

Luke. He was in there. He was there one minute and now---I shook my head. Tears were streaming down my face and before I knew what was happening, I was on my feet.

“Miss, are you all right?” asked one of the security guards, taking my arm, trying to lead me away from the fiery wreckage.

I shrugged off his arm. Instead, I looked across the street to where the masked bomber had been. I gritted my teeth and took off, kicking off my boots as I ran. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I wove through all the stopped cars in the street. There was an alley behind where the man had been standing; he no doubt disappeared into it. I charged blindly into the alley, not caring about the consequences. I just watched one of my friends get blown up by this bastard and I wanted some payback. But the alley was deserted. I ran through it, running the whole length of it. It was a lot longer than I thought. When I can out on the other side, there was a line of houses to greet me. I cursed and looked both ways, wondering where the bastard might have disappeared too.

I caught sight of him finally. It was strange but he wasn’t trying to hide his presence. He stopped walking and actually turned to look at me as if daring me to give chase. I did. I wanted to tear this son of a bitch’s throat out for what he did. He started walking as I ran after him, taking his merry time with it too. He was quite a ways ahead of me but that didn’t stop me from trying to run and catch up. I was determined to get my hands on him and make him pay for what he just did. When I got close enough, he ducked into another alley. This side of the street was apartments. I couldn’t lose him though, I wouldn’t lose him. I ran faster, reaching the alley in no time. As soon as I charged down it, I realized my mistake. It happened pretty quickly after that. I’m not sure how many of them there were but I felt the first blow to the back of the head, driving me to the ground. The next few came at my ribs, it was all vicious kicks. I got the wind knocked out of me from the first hit and the rest were just for good measure.I rolled with the punches though or rather the kicks, using my arms to defend my vital spots as much as possible. It still hurt like hell but bruising I could deal with. Though they got a few shots in at my face, which I know was already starting to swell. I thought the beating was never going to stop and then it did.

One of them grabbed my braided hair and pulled me off the ground. Another pulled my arms behind my back and held me there. The Bomber was there, standing ten feet away. My eyes were starting to swell shut already.

“I told you to back off or you would be burying a lot more people.”

I spit blood in his direction. “I’m going to….”

One of his thugs punched me in the gut.

“You’re not in a position to do anything,” said the masked man. Then he turned to one of the guys not holding me. “End this. Keep her alive but make it hurt a lot.”

He disappeared into the shadows, vanishing from sight.

“Let’s take care of this bitch shall we boys.”

“Not here” said one of the others. “Too many yuppies. Let’s take her some place secure and finish this up.”

I was being dragged after that. The beating had torn my jeans and my bare knees were now scrapping across the pavement. I vaguely felt myself being lifted and tossed into the trunk of a car. I think I might have blacked out for a second because when I came to the trunk was being open. Someone pulled me out and there was more dragging. I caught a faint odor and realized I must be in the mission district. I groaned. So this is where I was going to die, how fitting. Someone grabbed my braid again, pulling me from the ground. Then the fists came again, fast and hard. There were too many to keep count. All I knew was that it hurt like a son of a bitch. I tried to roll my body like last time, hoping that I could avoid serious injury. But unlike being on the ground where I could protect myself, being held with my arms behind my back made it impossible to defend myself.

Then something happened. There was someone else there. It happened so quick. One minute they were pounding on me and the next they weren’t. In the next minute, someone was pounding on them. I saw black clothes, white tape wrapped around large hands. Those hands pounded the faces of several of them, coming back blood covered. I collapsed to the ground, barely able to maintain consciousness. Someone picked me up though, scooped me up in strong arms.

I saw a face, a vaguely familiar one. At the sight of it, I smiled then passed out.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF