#7 - "The Tale of Silver Arrow"

I leaned across the table and picked up another slice of pepperoni pizza. You had to be quick during these very rare gatherings of the Freedom League when we served food, otherwise you went hungry. It was Thursday evening and I was with all the other members of the Freedom League in our small meeting area. Just having all of us in the same room at the same time was an accomplishment in itself. Typically, we are scattered across the globe pursuing CII interests.

The Freedom League never had a real base, per se, just this little place where we could gather and shoot the breeze. Oh sure, we've had meetings and get togethers in the past, but none quite like the one we were currently having. On this night, we were saying goodbye to one of our own. Silver Arrow was resigning from the group and retiring from heroics all together. He was hanging up his bow and calling it quits. Arrow was the most recent member of the group to join and now he was the first to leave.

Can't say that I really blame him. Like myself, he had been badly injured during the conflict with the Crimson Claw. Unlike myself, this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. Silver Arrow was essentially a normal human with an uncanny accuracy when it came to the bow and arrow. He had numerous gimmick arrows in his arsenal that could do many wondrous things. I've seen him make shots that even I doubted would be possible to make without computer assisted targeting.

But when it all came right down to it, he was still just man who couldn't take the kind of punishment supervillains normally dish out. His list of injuries and mishaps were long and he had just tired of taking the beatings. I had lost track of just how many bones he had broken. We even jokingly called the infirmary his second home. Unfortunately, no one was laughing now.

The gathering had been Microwave's idea. She'd been the first member of the Freedom League and was our unofficial leader. Like I've mentioned before we're not your typical hero team. We rarely function as a group. The only real common connection is that we all work from Campbell Industries International in various capacities. It's no secret that some of the members don't even like each other.

That made it even more unusual that we were all in our hero costumes. Habit, I suppose. I had shared my secret identity with a few of the other Freedom Leaguers, but not with all of them. The situation was similar amongst the others, depending on the relationships they had formed over the years.

Microwave's alter ego is Dr. Mary Beth Williams. We've been friends for a long time, practically ever since the beginning of the group. As the only gals in the group, I guess it was natural. Microwave wore a white and purple body suit, but her full-face mask was pulled back during this occasion. Beth sat to my right.

On my left was the Speedster. He was a fast talker and a fast eater. Guess he needs to keep his fuel intake up at all times. Hyperactive metabolism, you know. His costume was yellow with blue trim. We had dated a few times during our early years with the Freedom League, but we never really connected; dissimilar personalities and interests. Not enough in common to form a relationship. Bob Hanson was his name.

The massive Brute came next. Now Brute is one of those people who stand out in a crowd. He can't help it. Radiation exposure had mutated him into something far beyond human. Once he had been a normal nuclear research scientist, but now he was a nine-foot tall reptilian/human hybrid of some sort. His dark skin was marked with black spots and covered by scales. He even had a tail that he could wield as a weapon. Brute was incredibly strong and tough.

And in spite of his appearance, Brute was one of the most amusing people you could be with. Having him around would always lighten things up. What surprised most people was the keen intellectual mind he possessed. Strong, misshapen men are often stereotyped as being big and stupid. In some cases, that is very much true. Take Ogre for instance. He was about as bright as a 40-watt burned out bulb. Correction, he'd probably just try to eat the bulb!

Befitting his gigantic build, the Brute could put away food. While maybe not in the class of Ben Grimm, he could certainly out eat the rest of the Freedom League. Microwave ordered half a dozen pizzas for him alone. Brute's real name, Mark McDaniels, was public knowledge. Not like he could function with a traditional secret identity anymore!

Rad, short for Radiance, sat on the other side of Microwave. A laboratory accident had somehow infused him with Anti-Protonic powers. He could fly and fire off blasts of anti-protons, as illogical as that might sound. He wore a costume of orange with aquamarine trim. It always reminded me of the uniforms of the Miami Dolphins. I didn't know much about Rad, but he was quite intelligent and had a family. He didn't talk much about his private life to me, and I didn't pry. He was closest to Microwave and Brute among the group.

FIST didn't sit at the table with the rest of us. He stood by impassively. I'm just guessing that he was being impassive. None of us had any clue what was really going on inside his green and silver armor. Dr. Henry Driscoll had been nearly burned beyond recognition. His armor served as something akin to a mobile life support system. FIST is infused with his armor and he can't survive without it. His fate has made him very bitter.

It was CII that helped Dr. Driscoll in the design of his armored life support suit. My guess would be that he stayed with the Freedom League because he felt obligated to. He served as the team physician, provided you could put up with his poor bedside manner. There was an unmistakable edge to FIST. There were times I thought that he was going to go over that edge, but so far he had not.

Resonator, our other armored guy, was able to remove his power armor unlike FIST. Res also filled the position of team jerk. Every group has to have one, after all. He was brilliant when it came to the science of sound. He was an idiot when it came to being a decent human being.

Don't even get me started on his fashion sense or lack there of! Resonator's armor was dull gray in color and just plain ugly. He routinely made Blackwell's worst dressed list. I didn't know much about Resonator personally, mainly because he was a jerk and I didn't really want to know much about him. He burst on the hero scene as something of a mercenary and later as a founding member of the Guardians. Later he left that legendary team and joined the Freedom League. I suspect that was a polite way of saying they kicked him out.

That left the guest of honor, Silver Arrow himself. He didn't bother wearing his costume. Not much point in it, really. His right arm was still in a sling and he walked with a noticeable limp. Arrow ate sparingly and seemed more content to listen as Speedster related his story.

It had also been Microwave's idea for us to reminisce about past exploits featuring our departing comrade. FIST went first, since we all figured that his memory of Silver Arrow was going to be unpleasant. It was. Being true to his nature, FIST related the story of when Pulsar had battered Arrow. For once that particular criminal managed to live up to his self-bloated ego.

Speedster's tale concerned an aborted robbery that he and Silver Arrow had stumbled upon...

"So we're tearing into these thugs," Speedster explained in an excited voice. "I'm running circles around them, knocking them silly. Arrow's doing his bit from a distance while I'm right in the thick of things. Next thing I know, a woman's scream pierces the air. I literally stopped in my tracks."

"Turning, I saw one of the thugs trying to take this woman hostage. I start running towards him as fast as I can. From my point of view, everything is moving in slow motion. The woman's scream becomes long and stretched out. The crook's gun is moving sluggishly as if he was in molasses. I'm getting closer and closer to them. It's a race whether I'll reach them before the gun is pointed at the woman."

"Then seemingly out of nowhere, a pair of arrows comes streaking past me. Everything is still going in slow motion, except for these arrows. It was unreal! I run only a few more steps before the arrows hit. A blunt arrow slams into the man's forehead, knocking him backwards. At the same time, an adhesive arrow hits the man's gun, covering it and his hand in glue."

"Just like that it was all over with. Arrow took the guy out before I could reach him. Not only did he turn and have to recognize the threat, but still managed to fire off a pair of arrows dead on target before I could cover thirty feet.

My respect for Silver Arrow grew by leaps and bounds that day. I was impressed", Speedster summarized, finishing up his tale.

"Our modern day Robin Hood saves the damsel!" the Brute toasted as he lifted his mug up into the air in salute. "Our hero!"

"Here, here!" Rad added happily, tapping his mug against Brute's.

"The odds of making those shots are astronomical," I added to the conversation. Jaime had already calculated them, but I didn't feel the need to share that information with the rest of the Freedom League.

"I'm sure that you could tell us what they are, Scarlet," Microwave teased. "Right down to the millionths of a percent."

"Oh, you know me, 'Wave. I don't like to show off," I responded in all modesty.

"Yeah, right," FIST grumbled. He does that a lot. "Our technological sorceress just loves to show off her latest toys. I bet her Imp is watching us right now plotting her latest practical joke."

The 'Imp', as FIST calls her, is Jaime of course. Given FIST's constant grim demeanor, Jaime took it upon herself to try and cheer him up. Unfortunately, her little gags had just the opposite affect on FIST. Jaime has a lot to learn about how to deal with people on her own.

"She tries something with me, it'll get real ugly," Resonator vowed from across the table. Being the group jerk, I expected him to say something like that.

"Uhm, yes," Microwave quickly added, trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "I believe that it's Scarlet's turn. So what's your Silver Arrow story?"

"Yeah, come on, Scarlet," Brute urged on. "Lets hear it."

I was prepared for this, of course. Jaime and I had been reviewing those few missions that we had shared with Silver Arrow. He had only been a member of the Freedom League for sixteen months and given our fractured nature, we had only worked together a handful of times. Luckily, one of these times did stand out in our mind.

"It wasn't too long after Silver Arrow joined our merry little band when my story takes place. Brute, Rad, and Microwave were involved in a research project at the upstate CII research lab involving radioactive isotopes. While they were there, a Minuteman robot attacked the place. The GENOCIDE mutant hunter was naturally after Microwave and Rad as both register as such to its sensors. They managed to defeat the automaton, but that's not quite the end of the story."

"Silver Arrow and I were on our way back to New York City in the cargo transport when we were redirected to their location..."

"Change in plans," I suddenly announced to Silver Arrow. We were chatting in the Situation Van in the hold of the cargo plane. The plane itself was on autopilot; Jaime was, figuratively, at the controls. "We're being sent to the Energy Research Lab in upstate New York."

This revelation came as a shock to my teammate. After all, I just spoke up out of the clear blue. It wasn't like I had received a phone call or any other obvious message. "How do you know that?"

"A friend told me. This should be an interesting little detour." I rose from my seat and started out of the Situation Van. I wanted to be at the controls when we set down at the research lab.

Silver Arrow followed behind me, filled with questions. "Was that your friend Jaime I keep hearing about? What kind of detour? What are you talking about?"

"Yes, it was Jaime who relayed the message from Sheryl."

Arrow had been initially reluctant to have anything to do with Jaime. I guess he found the concept of an artificial intelligence a hard one to swallow. I even offered to let him speak to Jaime directly via a hand held com-link, but he declined.

"As for the problem at hand, Brute, Rad, and Microwave were engaging in research on radioactive isotopes at the upstate New York lab when they were attacked by a Minuteman robot."

Silver Arrow froze in place in shock, again, after that comment. "A Minuteman! One of those giant mutant hunting robots GENOCIDE sends out?"

"Those are the ones. Anyway, the guys managed to take it down without seriously damaging it. This is a golden opportunity to take one of these things apart and see what makes them tick. We might uncover some weakness that could be used to combat these menaces in the future. It's an exciting challenge!"

I should note that apparently both Microwave and Rad meet GENOCIDE's requirements for being mutants. This was a particularly sore point for Rad, as not only had he endured prejudice because of his skin color, but now also because of his genetic make up. I could sympathize with his plight, but never would really know how it felt since I was neither a mutant nor an African-American. Microwave was in the same boat, but seemingly dealt with the situation much better than Rad did.

While Rad and Microwave were friends on the team, I doubt that she had revealed some of her own personal past to him. Given his reactions, it would make sense to not be so forthcoming. You see Microwave's own father was secretly an Agent of GENOCIDE. Fortunately, she never revealed her mutant powers to her parents. In fact, it was while practicing her ability to pass through objects when she discovered her father's dark secret. Mary Beth simply finished up high school, moved away to college, and never went back.

Silver Arrow settled himself in the co-pilot's chair while I guided the aircraft to the private landing strip out behind the lab. He didn't seem particularly enthused about this unexpected side trip. That really didn't surprise me. His own particular area of expertise, botany, was not going to be much help in this particular matter. Unless some bizarre fungus powered the Minutemen, Arrow was going to be very bored.

We landed and went into the lab to investigate. Our teammates were waiting for our arrival and already had the necessary equipment present. The Minuteman had been dragged inside a warehouse so that it could be checked out without outside interference. The robot had obviously been damaged from the battle with Brute, Rad, and Microwave, but seemed mostly intact.

This was my first up close and personal experience with one of these Minutemen. It was a Mark V as indicated by its markings. The robot was 30' tall and metallic black and silver in color. It was designed more for its function than to be aesthetically appealing to the eye. I think Silver Arrow took the color scheme personally as it matched the colors of his archer uniform.

"What a big fish you've reeled in," I joked as I approached.

Brute, Rad, and Microwave were gathered around an equipment cart placed near an open panel in the Minuteman. A laptop and other test equipment were already running and Microwave was making connections to the robot. Brute was busy checking readings and Rad didn't seem very happy at all.

"This is a big mistake", he complained. "We should destroy this evil thing and be done with it! For all we know it's currently active and just laying in wait to attack us again!"

"You're letting your personal feelings get in the way of your objectivity," Brute gently chastised. "We might uncover some weakness that may show us how to destroy these things even easier. In the long run, isn't that a desirable goal? Putting GENOCIDE out of business?"

Rad sighed in anger and frustration. It was obvious to him that he wasn't going to be able to get his way in this instance. "I pray that you are right. I want to be around to tell you I told you so."

"Glad you could make it, Scarlet, 'Arrow," Microwave said, turning to greet us. "In spite of our teammate's feelings to the otherwise, I can assure you that this monstrosity has been deactivated. Jaime ready to test how well they defended its CPU?"

"All raring to go," I responded as I held up one of Jaime's transport modules. It's a small device that I use to carry Jaime around in; something like a portable hard drive only much more durable. One quick connection later and Jaime transferred herself into the laptop. I reported her progress to my other teammates.

"Jaime's inside. The defenses would be formidable for your average hacker."

"Good thing you're not our average hacker," Microwave commented with a grin.

"We're past the first firewall," I continued. Unexpectedly, my jaw dropped in a combination of surprise and anger. "Those dirty rats!"

"Problem?" Brute asked.

"They're using my processing chips!"

Let me tell you, I was personally insulted. I never imagined that my work would end up in a device that stood for racism, evil, and persecution. This discovery made it all the more imperative to find a way to stop these things. I mean, how would you like it if something you created was bent and twisted to diabolical ends?

I lost track of what was going on around me at this point. My task took my full and complete attention. The hours rolled past quickly. At some point, while Brute, Rad, and Microwave watched me work, Silver Arrow must have gotten bored and wandered off. I didn't notice that he wasn't there anymore.

"Actually, I went to use the bathroom," Silver Arrow interrupted with a sheepish grin. That brought a chuckle from the rest of the team. Except from FIST who continued to be a cold fish. "But please continue with your story."

As I was saying, all of us, except for Silver Arrow, were completely engrossed in the task at hand. So much so that none of us realized that we were not alone in the lab. The regular staff had been sent home after the Minuteman attack for their protection. There were others who had a vested interest in our dormant Minuteman however.

This part of the story becomes a bit tricky, as I wasn't personally around to witness all the events. It wasn't until later on that Jaime put together most of the details using the security cameras inside the lab and her own interactions with Silver Arrow.

Anyway, we were all gathered around the equipment cart when a grenade landed in our midst and exploded! We all went flying and I was rendered unconscious immediately. Fortunately, my costume was reinforced to guard against injuries and I was otherwise unharmed. Unfortunately, Microwave and Rad were hurt and knocked out instantly. They both generate personal force fields as their sole means of protection. It's my understanding that Brute wasn't taken out right away. But follow up attacks from our ambushers also brought him down without much of a fight.

"Don't remind me," Brute muttered, momentarily interrupting my story.

I came around about five minutes later to find myself secured tightly in bands of metal. I could flop around on the floor like a fish, but do very little else. My sabre and gadget belt were out of reach. Freeing myself from these makeshift bindings was going to take some time and a lot of squirming.

Looking around, I could see that Rad was still out and imprisoned much the same way I was. He had a better chance of escaping than I did since he could generate an aura of damaging Anti-Protons. Granted, he had to be awake to do that.

Brute had been tied up using the cables from one of the overhead cranes. He was also still unconscious and was hanging some ten feet above the ground.

Lastly, Microwave had been imprisoned inside a makeshift metal cage. It was as if sheets of metal had been crudely wrapped around her, sealing her inside with only a few holes to allow the passage of air. It was a devious prison, as the metal would prevent her from phasing to escape. She could only pass through objects that normally allowed the passage of microwaves.

It was the sound of arguing that helped me locate our attackers. They were gathered around the equipment cart and were examining the laptop. Well, some of them anyway.

It had been the Conquerors who attacked us. Neutron stood a bit separate from the others, shouting out commands. He was a villain of Egyptian descent who possessed vast magnetic powers. That explained where our bindings had come from. Neutron had used the metal in the lab to fashion our restraints. He wore a charcoal black costume with yellow trim. This included a symbol of an atom on his chest and a belt with the letter 'N' as a buckle.

"You are doing it wrong, you fool!" Neutron was shouting at his lackey, the villain known as Arc. "A mere child could perform this task more skillfully than you!"

"I'm doing my best," Arc tried to explain. "The laptop isn't responding to my commands. It might have been damaged by Ankylosuar's attack." Arc wore a blue costume with yellow and black accessories.

"Or, more likely, Jaime isn't cooperating," I thought to myself. A quick telepathic message from Jaime confirmed my suspicion. She quickly brought me up to speed on what had transpired while I was unconscious.

"Hey, don't blame me!" Ankylosaur vigorously objected to the explanation Arc was offering for his computer troubles. "It was your idea to have me blast'm with grenades! It's not my fault stuff got broken!"

Ankylosaur was a large, armored monstrosity. Spikes covered the suit of armor and he even had a tail that could launch grenades. The armor was green in color, with rusty red patches. His claws, tail, and helmet were golden.

His partner in crime, the really monstrous Wyvern, just growled in agreement. "Nyargh!"

Imagine a naked man, thankfully covered in thick black hair to hide certain parts, with tan skin, claws, a tail, and large black, leathery wings and you've got a good mental image of Wyvern. He wasn't the most dynamic of conversationalists.

"I can make this work," Arc tried to explain, the frustration obvious in his voice. "I just need time."

"Fail me at your own peril!" Neutron threatened.

"This is boring," Ankylosaur announced. "Come on, pal, let's go see if they've got something to eat in this dump."

With a grunt, Wyvern followed off after Ankylosaur. At least that divided their forces, not that it really mattered the way we were secured. That's when I realized that Silver Arrow hadn't been accounted for. Perhaps he had managed to avoid the surprise attack and had gone into hiding waiting for an opportunity to rescue us. Or it was equally possible that he had been captured independently of us.

I decided that since there wasn't a whole lot that I could do, that I might as well try to pump Neutron for information. "You're not going to get away with this, you know," I said to him.

Neutron gave me a sly grin as he stepped closer, but maintained a healthy distance. According to our records on him, he's an egomaniac who doesn't like to be touched. I'd really like to reach out and touch him right now!

"I already have gotten away with this, woman. You are in no position to be making threats."

To back up his statement, Neutron gestured at me and suddenly my metal bands began to contract! Breathing became much harder and there was nothing I could do to stop from being squeezed to death!

"You made your point," I panted out and the bands returned to their original position. Neutron smiled gleefully like a pleased little egomaniac. "What's your game, Neutron? Why all the interest in the Minuteman?"

"I seek nothing but the absolute destruction of GENOCIDE and this weapon will ensure that! Once I have learned its secrets, I will destroy GENOCIDE for the good of all my brother mutants!"

"Then let us help you," I offered. Hey, it was worth a shot. "We seek to stop GENOCIDE as well. That's what we were doing when you attacked us."

"Do not think you can deceive me, female! I know that your so-called 'Freedom League' is nothing but a government front! It wouldn't surprise me if you were the ones responsible for creating these weapons against all of mutant-kind! This lab must be where you repair the damage done to them. I shall level this place and kill you all once your weapon has given up its infernal secrets!"

Now that made me angry! The idea that we actually had something to do with GENOCIDE was simply too much to swallow. Based on our records, Neutron wasn't the most tightly wrapped of individuals to begin with. It was his contention that GENOCIDE was a government plot to destroy mutants. He sought nothing less than to overthrow the government of the United States itself!

"You're loony! That thing attacked Microwave and Rad because they are also mutants!"

"A clever story, but I see through your lies." Neutron had to be one of the densest individuals I ever met. He'd probably argue that the sky wasn't blue if given the chance. "Silence, female! I will hear no more of your lies!"

Neutron gestured once more and another band wrapped itself around my head, effectively gagging me. I glared at him hatefully, but he simply turned back to observe Arc's progress.

"Now that's the smartest thing Neutron had done so far," FIST said with a laugh.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: pleasant fellow. "Good thing that you weren't there," I shot back at FIST. "Otherwise Neutron might have pealed you out of your armor like a banana." That had the desired effect and FIST shut up.

Jaime had Arc stymied and the villain hadn't made any significant progress. I wasn't sure just how long Jaime could keep it up before Neutron lost patience. Given his unbalanced state, I didn't want to be around when he blew his top.

While keeping Arc out, Jaime herself continued to explore the systems of the Minuteman. If she could tap into the controls, she might be able to operate the robot and use it as a weapon against the Conquerors. It was a slim hope, but a hope nonetheless.

That's when another option presented itself. Silver Arrow had made contact with Jaime, and indirectly myself. A quick trip back to the cargo plane provided him with a hand-held com-link that allowed contact with Jaime while on the move. We relayed the situation to Arrow and tried to formulate a plan. He had the element of surprise on his side, since the Conquerors were unaware of his presence.

Jaime provided Silver Arrow a profile of each of the Conquerors and any weakness he might be able to exploit. By way of the security cameras, Jaime was able to locate all of the villains. Neutron and Arc were at my position, but Ankylosaur and Wyvern were off on their own. They seemed the most likely of targets to begin.

The two villains were in the kitchen of the cafeteria ransacking the place for food. Wyvern ate much like an animal, savagely tearing into uncooked meat and generally making a mess. No, he didn't use napkins either. Ankylosaur was much more civilized compared to Wyvern, but he was still a slob. At least he had removed his helmet to eat.

It had been noted that Wyvern was very afraid of fire, much like many wild animals. Fortunately, Silver Arrow had a Fire-Flash arrow that would erupt in a small ball of fire. Moving as close as he dared, Silver Arrow launched his attack!

The villains were caught by complete surprise. The Fire-Flash arrow literally exploded in Wyvern's face and the monster freaked out. His hair on fire, Wyvern thrashed about wildly, sending Ankylosaur flying across the kitchen. Crying out in fear and pain, the Wyvern flew up, smashing through the kitchen ceiling. The monster flew off into the countryside and didn't come back.

The combination of the unexpected attack and being smacked by Wyvern had Ankylosaur on the ropes. A follow up Sonic Arrow put him down for good. Served him right for ambushing us like that!

That just left Neutron and Arc to contend with. They were going to be much more difficult to take down. He and Jaime worked out a different strategy while Arrow moved into position. Unfortunately, I was unable to relay this information to my teammates. Each had regained consciousness and they were equally frustrated by their captivity.

Once more Silver Arrow attacked from surprise. I knew it was coming and closed my eyes. A Flare Arrow erupted in front of Neutron and Arc, temporarily blinding them both. Another Sonic Arrow followed and both men covered their ears in pain. I would have done the same had I been able.

Silver Arrow used the time he had bought to good effect. An Acid Arrow sliced through one of the cables holding Brute aloft and his great strength did the rest. With a growl, Brute broke free and fell the short distance to the ground.

At nearly the same moment, Microwave blew a hole in her makeshift prison, giving her enough room to squeeze out. Neutron, like most people, didn't realize that Microwave has a high-powered attack that can punch through metal and most defenses. She uses it so rarely, that most are unaware of its existence. It served as an ace in the hole in this instance.

"Get Scarlet and Rad to safety," Microwave told Brute. "I'll hold these villains off!"

Brute complied without a response. He picked Rad and I up and slung us over his shoulders like sacks of potatoes and leapt away. We landed on the other side of the warehouse where Brute freed us from our metal bonds.

"Thanks," I informed my large teammate in gratitude. "That metal was rubbing me in all the wrong spots! Let's take these turkeys!"

Rad dropped to one knee, in obvious pain. We didn't know it at the time, but he had cracked several of his rips during the initial explosion and being banded up in metal didn't help any.

"You guys go," he panted. "I'll be right behind you."

Brute and I agreed and we made our way back across the lab. I needed to locate my sabre!

Back at the main battle, Microwave and Silver Arrow were firing away at the remaining Conquerors. Arc had been dropped, but Neutron was made of sterner stuff. His magnetic force fields were strong enough to protect him and he began to retaliate.

It was at that point when Jaime got into the act. She had accessed the motor controls for the Minuteman. Suddenly, the robots arm swept out and soundly slapped Neutron across the lab! The assault wasn't as powerful as it normally would have been given the damage done to the Minuteman, but it had the desired effect.

Unfortunately, it didn't put Neutron down but did get his attention. He flew back onto the scene, his face filled with rage.

"How dare you touch me!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "No one may touch me!" Neutron gestured at the prone Minuteman, bringing all his magnetic powers into play.

The metal body of the giant robot rippled like waves of water. It convulsed and twisted as Neutron took out his anger on this giant symbol of his frustration. Then the Minuteman exploded in a shower of metal and electrical components!

Silver Arrow ducked behind cover for protection while Microwave withstood the effects thanks to her force field. Brute and I were pelted with some of the debris, but were otherwise unaffected.

That seemed to take the fight out of Neutron as he simply telekinetically picked up Arc and flew away without another word. Good riddance if you ask me.

"So that's my tale about Silver Arrow," I concluded. "How the one who many consider to be our weakest link took on the Conquerors by himself and prevailed."

"Arrow really pulled our fat out of the fire that day," Brute added. "We're going to miss you, guy."

Silver Arrow smiled in appreciation. "I'm going to miss you guys as well. While I've enjoyed this little get together, I must be getting going. I've got a plane to catch." Arrow rose, as did the rest of us. Except for Resonator.

"We understand," Microwave offered. "Take care of yourself and try not to be a stranger."

We said our goodbyes and Silver Arrow departed, using a cane for support. I never did get to know him all that well, but I too was going to miss him.