It is now nearing 8 o'clock, just a little over an hour to go before the deadline is reached. Lt. Rhodes is sitting in his car alongside Sgt. Fatu while staking out Elevast Corporation, seeing if their new hooded friend turns up early. They had several other units waiting around the building, including detectives Steen and Zayn in the car right behind them.

"So, if this dude does turn out to be real, what'd you expect?" Josh asked. "You think he's serious?"

Cody shook his head with a shrug.

"Who knows. I've heard a lot about these guys turning up here and there, some of whom whose intentions were valid, others... not so much. I never thought I'd actually have to deal with one before; and now that we're faced with the possibility of one, it's a strange thing to comprehend."

Josh nodded as he spoke.

"Why? How do you feel about this?" Cody then asked.

Josh dryly smirked in a questioning manner.

"I don't know, honestly. I heard about all these stories too and they sound great as a kid, but now it's different."

Cody nodded with understanding, feeling no different.

"Man, this is a strange world we live in today," Rhodes commented.

Now Josh jokingly smirked.

"Could be stranger. You should hear some of the things my cousin tells me about Gotham."

That earned a chuckle from the Lieutenant.

"Tell me, does he still have it bad for that Batman guy?"

Josh giggled while nodding.

"Honestly, I get a little concerned about his obsession with that dude," Josh continues to laugh along with his partner.

"Oh man, that is one crazy city to live in," Cody added.

"Tell me about it," Josh nodded.

"I will say this, however: I used love the stories about the JSA growing up," Cody stated after a minute.

"Oh, now those guys were cool. My cousin never really cared for them for whatever reason, but me and ma brothers loved the hell outta them."

They continue laughing before their conversation is interrupted by a call on the radio.

"Calling for Lieutenant Rhodes! Come in Lieutenant Rhodes!"

The two partners share a confused glance before he picks up the radio.

"Go for Rhodes! What's going on?"

"Sir, we just got a call about a break-in at CNRI. The owner gave a description of one of the intruders that I believe matches a suspect you're after, a guy with a green leather hood? Carries a bow?"

Cody and Josh glanced at each other in surprise and suspicion.

"Roger that, we're on our way. Kev, Sami, you two stay put with the team just in case," Cody ordered before setting the speaker back.

"Copy," Sami replied before the Lieutenant and Sergeant began making their way to CNRI.

Speaking of which...

Benjamin regains consciousness from a sharp piercing pain shooting through his hand. A guttural, grunting scream emits from the archer as he realizes his own arrow is nailing his hand to the wall. He tries to reach and pull it out, but his other hand is grabbed, pressed against the wall, and gets its own arrow stuck through it to keep it in place. Another painful cry is drawn out of McFarland as he then glances up to see Constantine Drakon admiring his work.

"It was an honorable effort, my new friend, and the best bout I've had in ages, but no one interferes in my business. Let this be a message to others like you not to get in my way ever again."

With that said, Drakon begins making his exit with police sirens approaching in the distance. Benjamin knows if they find him here, his identity will exposed and everything will be over. He has worked too hard to have it all end this early.

He struggles to pull himself free, the awkward position with how the arrows were in making things difficult. The sirens have grown loud enough to where they had to be outside now. Benjamin is running out of time. So, he takes in a few short breaths, mustering up his core strength, his feet pressing hard into the floor, then with a prolonged and painful grunt, Benjamin rips the arrows out of the wall and frees his hands!

He then has to pull the arrows out of his hands, along with the one that is still stuck in his leg, but he manages, even with the excruciating process. He then places the arrows back in the quiver before rushing to retrieve his bow.

As he is grabbing his bow, the responding officers come rushing in with flashlights and weapons drawn. Benjamin keeps low as he hurries away, the officers spotting him immediately and demanding he stops. Ben just keeps moving, resulting in a few bullets shot his way. He stays low and keeps moving, gunning straight for the window and crashing right through the glass! The officers are quick to move to the window, but as soon as they reach it and peer down, there's no sign of their suspect whatsoever.

Soon afterward, Cody and Josh arrive on scene and are surprised by what the officer tells them, especially by how their suspect managed to escape.

"We don't know how he did it, sir. He was just too fast, but we're terribly sorry," he apologetically explained.

"Did you at least get a good look at him? Was he wearing a green hood?" Cody asked.

"He might have been, but it was dark and he was quick. We barely even caught a glimpse of him," he replied, still speaking with his apologetic tone.

"What about the other guy?" Josh asked. "We heard on the radio that there were two perps?"

"We only saw one, sir," he shrugs.

"Who phoned it in?" Cody asked.

"The owner, she's in our car," he gestures over to the squad car, where Beth sits in the backseat with the door open and the other officer keeping her company.

The two lead investigators walk over respectfully and Beth stands as she is surprised to see them.

"Mrs. Copeland," Cody greeted first.

"Lieutenant Rhodes and Sergeant Fatu, what're you two doing here?"

"We heard about what happened and we think this' linked to Martin Somers," Josh explained. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well, first, I can tell you that this is, in fact, linked to Somers. There was a guy sitting in my office, ready to kill me, and he even admitted that he was sent by Somers."

The two partners glance at each other before Cody continues.

"And there was someone else, right? A guy in a green hood and mask?"

Beth smiles a little while nodding.

"He saved my life. I would be dead now if it wasn't for him..."

The investigators could understand how she felt, even sympathizing with the gratitude she had.

"That's all we need, thank you," Cody noted with a hand on her shoulder, Beth nodding with gratitude. "Officers? Put her and her family in protective custody until you hear back from us."

"Yes, sir," they both nodded.

Rhodes and Fatu return to their car to head back to Elevast Corporation. This night was only getting started and they were going to see it through.

Back at Elevast Corporation, a frustrated Martin Somers is on the phone with Constantine Drakon.

"Lemme make sure I have this correct: you had that hooded freak right where you wanted him, and you DIDN'T FINISH HIM OFF?!"

Drakon remains calm and collective as he drives.

"You're not paying me enough to start killing masked superheroes. With the kind of attention that could bring me, it would cost you an even greater amount. Besides, the police should have him in their custody by now and the job you are paying me for is halfway done."

Martin furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"I got into the legal aid's office and erased what she had on you, which really wasn't much, before our mutual friend interrupted. The only downside is that she is likely being guarded by the police now, so her death sentence will need to be postponed. No worries, 'cause in the meantime, I'll take care of her intern and ensure she's not carrying any additional-"

"Woah, woah, wait!" Martin cut off. "Her intern?!"

"Yes, she has a little assistant, as it turns out, who may very well have copies, if not extras, of the evidence her employer had."

"I'm aware of her intern, and I'm also aware of the fact that she happens to be the McFarland Family's daughter!" He angrily shouted with an obvious hint of panic. "You wanna talk about bringing unwanted attention?! This is NOT what I'm paying you for!"

"Calm down, Mr. Somers," Drakon eased. "This is what I do for a living and I am a professional at it. Do you want your troubles gone or not?"

Martin took a moment to calm himself, breathing deeply while contemplating his options at this current moment. He saw no other alternative than what would certainly be necessary.

"Of course I do..."

"Good, then you have nothing to worry about."

Constantine hangs up the call.

Martin lets out a sigh as he too hangs up and sets his phone down.

"On the contrary..."

Martin's eyes widen as he jumps around and sees the hooded archer back in his office.

"I'd say you have 'plenty' to worry about," he finishes as the businessman just stares in fear.

"B-b-but... we're not at the deadline yet..." He staggers.

"It wasn't about a deadline, it was about a choice, and you've made yours."

He lets that sink in for a moment, Martin seeming to accept that this is it for him, before Benjamin gives him a final notion.

"You... have failed... this city!"

He fires his arrow, but it flies past the corporate tycoon and sticks to a cabinet wall behind Somers. He lets out a relieving sigh as he stares at the arrow before looking back at the intruder.

"And you're not as good of a shot as I thought you were."

Benjamin just smirks before they can hear voices and rumbling in the distance.

"Help! He's in here!!!" Martin calls to the police.

Benjamin just calmly walks over to the office window, taking another arrow out and pressing it against the glass as the noises draw nearer, now right outside the door. It breaks open with Cody, Josh, Kevin, and Sami at the front of a swarm of officers. They immediately stop as all eyes land right on the vigilante.

"Oh my God..." Sami speaks up.

"Holy shit..." Josh follows.

Benjamin just keeps smirking at them before pressing a button on the arrow. It triggers a piercing, siren-like sound that not only disorients Martin and the police, but shatters every window within the room. Benjamin returns the arrow and jumps right out of the building! The cops all rush to the no longer existing window and peer downward. The escape artist is using his bow to slide down a zipline to the nearest rooftop. He drops, ducks, and rolls before charging to the back of the building, the officers all watching in awe.

"Ok, so he is real," Josh stated.

"And slick," Sami added.

Benjamin makes it to the alleyway behind the building where his motorcycle is waiting.

He hops on, fires it up, and begins speeding off to return to his home and protect his family.

"Why didn't you arrest him?!" Martin angrily shouts at all the cops in his office, who all just stare at him with irritation. "He was right there! You had him surrounded! How could you let him get away?!"

He stops when he hears a notification on his phone, which he quickly swipes away without actually checking.

"You all just stood there and let him destroy my office you-"

He stops again when his phone continues sounding off with notifications. He grows confused as he brings it back up and actually checks them, which nearly causes him to have a heart attack.

"What the... what the hell is happening?! What is this?!"

The officers all grow equally confused as Cody walks up.

"What's going on, Mr. Somers?"

"All my accounts are being cleaned out! How could this be..." He comes to the realization and slowly looks back at the arrow shot in his cabinet wall. "Oh, no, No, NO!"

He rushes over, rips the arrow out, and opens the cabinet door to reveal a computerized data system.

"That son of a bitch!!!" He throws the arrow across the room and looks back at his phone. "He's taking everything from me! How could this have happened?!"

Kevin grew a smirk as he couldn't help with his response.

"To be fair, he did warn you."

A great many of his fellow officers struggled to keep from laughing or giving off any sort of reaction whatsoever. Martin just stares at him, baffled by his statement.

"Is this some kind of joke to you?!"

Steen continues to be shameless.

"Well, it is pretty ironic when you think about it."

"Kev, tone it down," Cody calmly ordered, but was teetering on the edge of laughter as much as everyone else.

"When I get done talking with the Commissioner, we'll see just how funny or ironic-" Martin is cut off once again, but this time by another sound coming from his desk.

The arrow stuck in there had suddenly tipped over, and there was now a small blinking light flashing near the head of it.

"Now what?" Josh asked as one of the officers went to examine it.

He sees that it is a button and it's next to a small speaker of some sort. He curiously presses the button and a recorded conversation starts playing. Not just any, but the very one that took place between Martin Somers and Constantine Drakon earlier that same day.

The CEO grows mortified and fearful as every cop in the room stares daggers into his soul, listening intently and with interest to every word displayed.

"On the bright side, Mr. Somers, I do believe we will be making an arrest tonight," Cody notifies, earning a look of defeat from the corrupt businessman.

Then, the recording suddenly shifts to the one he had with Constantine on the phone just minutes ago. The mentioning of the McFarland's daughter sent startled expressions throughout the room. Not to mention, blood boiling through one particular Sergeant.

"You lowlife piece a shit!" He lunges at the company owner, but is held back by his colleagues.

"Come on, man, this won't help," Cody reasoned. "She and her family need us right now."

"Then what're we waitin' for?! Let's go, Uce!"

Josh is the first of the entire room to charge out the office. Kevin and Sami are instructed to stay with and arrest Martin Somers before Cody pulls out his walkie.

"All units! All units! I need every available squad car to make their way to the McFarland residence asap! This is top priority!"

X

At the aforementioned residence, Racheal is cooking dinner when her mom walks over.

"Hey, sweetie, have you seen your brother all day?" She asks with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Mmm, I can't say I have, really. Why?"

"Just haven't heard from him. He told me this morning he would be out all day and not to worry, but just wanted to check."

"Hmm," Racheal furrowed her brow. "Hasn't Blake been with him?"

"I thought he would be, but apparently, he was never notified," Julie sighs as her daughter grows slightly irritated as well.

"I'm sure he's fine, just needed a day out and to himself; but if you want, I'll still give him an earful for you when he comes back."

Julie giggles before the power in the entire mansion suddenly goes out.

"Woah!" Racheal jumps, more than a bit startled.

"What the hell?" Julie questioned.

Racheal switches both burners off to be safe as both women look around, having a hard time seeing much of anything.

"Hold on, there's a flashlight somewhere here," Julie assured as she used the light from her phone to help search through the drawers.

She finds a flashlight and turns it on before pulling her daughter close. This is a strange situation given that the mansion has its own power grid.

"There's no storm or anything, is there?" Racheal asked.

"Last I checked," Julie shrugged.

Then, Blake Duncan and some of his fellow guards enter with their own flashlights.

"Is everyone OK?" He asks.

"We're alright, but any idea what happened?" Julie asks back.

"I sent a couple of my men to check it out, but let's move to the living room until then. We'll get some candles going."

"Is it alright if I grab some lights from my room first?" Racheal asks and Duncan nods.

"Sure. Ethan, help her get to her room and back," he orders one of his colleagues.

"Yes, sir. Right this way, please, miss," he responds and Racheal follows.

As she is escorted up to her room, Racheal feels her phone buzzing in her pocket. She realized it was still on vibrate as she always has it when cooking, helps prevent distractions. She hums when she discovers it's her favorite policeman calling her.

"Hey, Ucey," she answers cutely. "You won't believe the timing of th-"

"Baby! Baby! Listen to me!" Josh quickly cut off, Racheal growing confused by his sense of urgency. "Listen to me very carefully. Somers hired a hitman to kill you, and he's on his way to your house right now!"

An ice cold shock of fear hits her directly in the heart. Josh's voice fades as she glances around the darkness of her house, realizing what must have been the cause of their blackout. Ethan notices the look of panic she suddenly has.

"What is it, miss?"

"There's someone else in the house," she whispers.

Ethan grows alert as he shines his light around the area, checking for any signs of movement. He doesn't see anything, so he takes out his radio and calls for the two colleagues who went to check on the power grid.

"Mike, Willie, you two at the grid?" He waits a moment, but gets no answer. "Mike, Willie, one of you come in, please." Again, no answer.

Back in the living room, Blake hears Ethan on the radio and responds while Julie remains on the couch.

"Ethan, what's going on?"

"Sir, we might have an intruder in the house and I'm not getting through to Mike or Willie."

Both Blake and Julie both grow alarmed from that statement as the woman of the house begins glancing around.

"Get Racheal to her room and keep her there until further notice," Blake orders before turning to his other two colleagues. "Both of you search the house, check every dark corner, and watch yourselves. See if you find Mike and Willie anywhere."

"Yes, sir," they both respond before beginning their search, Blake staying with Julie while continuing to contact his missing employees.

As he speaks, Julie swears she can start hearing his voice echo from the other side of the second living room entrance, but it sounds more radio-like. She grows confused as she turns toward the door, trying to figure out if what she's hearing is real or if it's just her. Needing to figure this out, she rises from the couch and walks over to the door. Blake speaks into the walkie-talkie one more time before he notices what Julie is doing, but that final time is enough for her to confirm her suspicion.

There is someone with a radio outside the door, but it can't be any of the others, can it?

She opens the door to find out, and there's Constantine Drakon on the other side, his weapon drawn with a silencer on it while wearing night vision goggles.

Julie gasps out of fear as Constantine raises the gun, aimed right at her head, but Blake, who has already been walking towards her, steps right in the way as he fires. The bullet hits his vest and knocks him and Julie down. He then flashes his light right in the face of Drakon, earning a painful groan with the night vision on. This allows Blake to draw out his own pistol and fire back, knocking the intruder down as well.

"You OK?" He quickly checks on his boss.

"Yea, I'm fine," she sighed with relief. "Just make sure he's dead."

Blake does as ordered, but Constantine is already gone when he looks back. He hears a commotion down the hallway and quickly reaches his feet to investigate. He exits the living room, his gun holding hand over his flashlight like a true commando, and cautiously searches down the hallway, seeing his other two men down. He rushes over to check on them, relieved to find they've just been knocked down but not killed.

Even so, the fact he was able to move so fast, take down both guards so quickly, and disappear shows just how skilled he is.

"Ethan, do not leave Racheal's side! This guy's serious," he urged into the radio.

As he gave those orders, Drakon hid in a dark corner as he could feel the vest tighten after the gunshots. He quickly removes the jacket and the vest, ensuring none of the bullets went through. He silently breathes to relax and revel in the freedom he now has. He then shakes off whatever pain he sustained before continuing his task.

Up in Racheal's room, the guard called Ethan is standing by the door, listening for any signs of an intruder outside while Racheal sets up her own defense. Ethan glances back at her with confusion as she takes out one of her crossbows and loads it with an arrow while ducked behind her bed.

"What're you doing?!" Ethan whispers. "I told you to hide!"

"Where!? The closet? Under the bed?" She whispers back.

"Woah, shh, shh," Ethan quietly urges as he presses his ear to the door.

Racheal listens as well, her bow aimed and ready just in case. An anxious silent moment passes with the two listening with intent. There is no sign of an approaching invader whatsoever.

Until....

*BURST!*

The door breaks in half and knocks down Ethan. Constantine enters the room, his bare tattooed torso now displayed, and stomps a side kick to knockout Ethan. Racheal shoots her arrow right at his face, only for it to get caught like it's nothing.

"Woah, haha, good shot, missy. I guess arrows are a thing around here, but mine's more advanced."

He raises his gun at her and she instinctively raises her hands, growing terrified. He motions for her to stand and she immediately complies.

"Where do you keep your work files?" Drakon asks as he steps further inside.

"W-What?" Racheal stutters, nearly shaking.

"I'm certain you keep copies of your boss's work. So, where is it?" He continues walking until he is right in front of her.

"Listen, whatever he's paying you, my family can-" she tries to reason but stops with a slight gasp when he presses the gun to her head.

"Don't! I have zero patience right now. So, tell me where-"

Racheal suddenly swipes at the gun, nearly disarming him, but Drakon manages to keep a hold on it so she doesn't turn it against him. The gun is sent flying away before Racheal goes on the offense, attempting every punch and kick that she can and proving to have some keen self-defense skills. However, Constantine is easily able to block every strike before pulling her into a sleeper to keep her restrained.

"You're good, girly, but I'm on another level. Now, I won't ask you again... *tightens his grip* Where. Do you keep. Your work?"

Racheal continues to panic as it becomes harder to breathe, but only a second later...

"Drakon!"

The assassin turns and shields himself using Racheal as the emerald archer returns, standing in the doorway with his bow and arrow drawn.

"You... you just never stop, do you?" Constantine asks, almost with admiration.

"It's over, Drakon," Ben says, still with the voice modifier so his sister can't recognize him. "The police have Somers, and they'll be here any minute for you too."

"You have no shot, so why not make things easier for once and put the bow down?"

He has a point. He kept himself perfectly hidden behind Racheal with no chance of her escaping. There is no way Benjamin can hit him with a lucky shot, not without risking her life. Even if he could, just holding the bow and arrow with his stab-wounded hands is being difficult enough, but he can't do as he says either. Otherwise, she will die for certain. He looks straight into the pleading eyes of his sister, seeing the hidden desperate cry for help behind them. He knew what he must do to save her. He would not watch her die.

"Racheal, trust me, and I promise you're gonna be alright."

Racheal gives him a slight nod, understanding what he is intending, and lowers her arms a bit.

Benjamin fires his shot and sends the arrow right through her shoulder! Racheal screams for a moment, but Constantine grows stunned as the arrow has reached his chest. Benjamin sees his grip loosened, along with his opportunity. He charges and jumps into a jumping side-kick to his temple. Racheal drops to her knees with the arrow in her shoulder with Constantine separated from her, the puncture mark in his chest visible with blood. Benjamin capitalizes with a spin-kick to the face, then firing an arrow at each shoulder, earning a loud groan each time. Ben then hits a running knee to the face, knocking Drakon against the wall. He strikes him over the head with the bow before using it to grapple his head and land several knee attacks. Drakon tries to block, but the arrows in his shoulders make it difficult. He attempts to fight back, only for Ben to have the bow wrapped around his head and the hard part yanked back into his face. Ben follows this with elbow hooks and a spinning back elbow that send him tumbling to the side. Benjamin looks to advance, but Drakon stops him with a side-kick to the gut and a spinning heel-kick. Benjamin drops to a knee as Drakon tries to catch his breath. He is now bleeding from the nose, which is slightly crooked, with both eyes changing color and a bump on his forehead along with the bruise on his cheek. He rips both arrows out of his shoulders, holding them like knives, as he looks in fury at his opponent, who just wipes the blood from his mouth as he stands back up, eyes like arrows ready to be fired in their own right.

"The hell with the pay. I'm taking your head for free," Drakon pants.

"Just don't bleed on the floor too much."

Constantine yells as he swings and kicks at the archer. He even attempts to stab him with the arrows he is using. Benjamin moves quickly to block every hit, targeting the arms and shoulders with every counter, further affecting the arrow wounds. He punches both arms away before driving a straight punch to the sternum, knocking Drakon back before connecting a jumping kick to the jaw. Constantine stumbles and drops both arrows before Benjamin goes for a takedown, only running into a spin-kick that knocks him back. Drakon continues with another heel kick that knocks him to a knee, looking for a spinning roundhouse that Ben catches before taking him down. He lands a couple of hard punches before Drakon blocks and transitions into a triangle choke. Benjamin resists and escapes before being kicked away, rolling backward and picking something up along the way while Drakon kicks up. He advances with a few more kicks before attempting a punch, which Benjamin catches before stabbing his hand with the arrow he picked up. He follows with a backfist and forearm before lifting Drakon up on his shoulders, turning toward the nearby glass table and, with the hitman still on his shoulders, somersaults right through the table, crashing the bare-torso of Drakon through the glass.

Constantine painfully shouts as his body contorts in an unfamiliar way. Benjamin moves to keep him grounded and pressed on the broken glass before landing hard hits to the face. Drakon drives a knee up to his side and then a stiffer kick with his other leg to force him off. He quickly rolls off, forcing himself through the stinging pain of all the tiny pieces of glass in his back as he jumps into another spin-kick to the face. He then pulls the arrow out of his hand and jumps into another fancy kick, missing with the heel-kick but connecting with a straight kick to the face while still in the air. Constantine then kicks at the leg that had an arrow in it earlier before a roundhouse and right hook, forcing Benjamin to kneel before going for a stab to the head. Ben brings his arms up to block at the wrist, but Constantine keeps increasing the pressure, forcing the arrow closer and closer to Ben's eye. He tries to resist, but the position gives too much of an advantage to Drakon. He can't seem to push him off.

Then, he suddenly groans and relieves the pressure, allowing Ben to nail him with a big uppercut before pulling him to the side and laying him out with a spinning roundhouse.

Constantine is down and out. Benjamin is now able to see the arrow that had penetrated his back. He returns his gaze to his sister, still with the arrow in her shoulder, but had barely managed to reload and use her crossbow to assist her hero. Benjamin rushes to her aid now that the threat is neutralized.

"Hold still," he calmly tells her and she does so.

Benjamin breaks off the front half of the arrow before pulling the other half out, the hurtful cries of his sister wrenching at his heart.

"Shh, shh, it's OK. It's all over now. You're safe," he comforts her. "Just keep pressure on that until help arrives."

Racheal looks up at him with watery eyes, sniffing away her pain and fears and replacing them with a relieving sense of comfort.

"Thank you..." She manages a small smile, receiving one from her hero in return.

"Freeze!"

Both jump as they turn to see Blake in the doorway with his gun on the archer.

"Get away from her!"

"No! No! Blake, it's fine! He saved me! He's with us," Racheal tries to assure.

The skeptical Blake keeps his gun on him as he questionably stares at him, perhaps contemplating the situation.

Suddenly, they are interrupted by Constantine yelling and rushing at them with an arrow. Benjamin quickly shields Racheal and awaits the attack.

*POP! POP!*

Drakon goes crashing out the window from the power of the gunshots. Benjamin and Racheal glance up before the archer goes to the window. He peers down to see Drakon lying motionless on the ground after falling from the second floor.

"Is he dead?" Blake asks and Ben raises his brow.

"Well, if he isn't, he damn sure is wishing to be."

The sound of sirens brings his attention upward, seeing a dozen police cars arrive while Blake walks over to assist Racheal.

"I gotchu, sweetie," he assures her before looking back up at the vigilante. "You better get outta here before they see you."

Benjamin looks back at him, smirking before giving a respectful nod and making a quick exit.

"Be seeing you around, bud," Benjamin promised.

(A/N: Thanx for reading everyone!Next chapter will be the end of Arc 2. Stay tuned and see how it ends!)