Enøshima
Green Arrow #10: My Name Is Thea Queen
My name is Thea Queen. I was left behind by my own parents, seen only as a mistake. For years, I would live out my life on the streets of the Glades, left to fend for myself. To only trust my inner instincts. Kill, or be killed. Nothing else mattered, but survival. I would do whatever it took to survive. A trail of bodies would soon follow, as I became someone else.. Something else. I go by Red Dart now, and this is my story.
January 21st, 1982.. That's the day I was born. That's also the day I was abandoned by my mother. Left in the streets of the Glades, bawling my eyes out. It wasn't long, before I learned the harsh realities of the world. What it truly took, to get by in the Glades. The first few years of my life are mostly a blur, but by some miracle I survived. Getting by on scraps of foods, while living on top of garbage bags in various alleyways. The smell especially rancid. While I was suffering, there they were, on TV.. The Kings, and the Queens of Star City.. Arthur King, and Moira Queen. Who I would later learn, are my birth parents. Flaunting their wealth, without a care in the world. It didn't take long, before my resentment towards them grew. The first two names on my list.
In the years that followed, I would branch out into pickpocketing. Nobody really paid any attention to me, which made things a hell of a lot easier. I was lucky to get anything when I first started. But as time went on, I'd get hundreds of dollars over the years, which to me, was a gift. Unfortunately, all good things don't last forever, and soon enough, I got caught.
The man, Steven Tucker, was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. There was this glint in his eyes.. Almost like he was proud. At least, that's what I think it was. I don't really have much experience with the emotion. I remember stumbling backwards, until my ass hit the pavement hard. He would raise his arm from his side, and stretch it out towards me.
"Are you okay?" He would ask, to which I wouldn't respond. I wasn't sure whether to take his hand, or not. To trust this stranger . It was then, that my stomach would growl.
"Looks like someone's a little hungry! C'mon, let's go get you some food." He laughed, quick to help me back up. There was something about him, that made me feel like I could trust him. If it was anyone else that caught me, I would've been killed. But for some reason, he decided to help me, even after I tried to steal from him. He would even decide to take me in. I learned that he was not so different from myself.
First off, Steven Tucker, as it turned out, was also a thief. Many years ago, he lost his job as Leapo the clown at the Star City Circus. Finding sustainable work in the Glades is very hard to come by, which led to him becoming a small time thief. He would find that his aim was impeccable. This led to him calling himself Bulls-Eye, taking on more assassination jobs. So I asked him to teach me everything he knows.
It was during this time, that I would learn the truth about who my parents truly were. The same people I had seen on TV screens years ago. Billionaires Arthur King, and Moira Queen. I did try to contact Moira Queen once, but I was simply ignored. Treated like I was nothing to her, once again.
Bulls-Eye would spend the next several years teaching me various fighting styles, along with just general need to know knowledge. He also taught me the importance of having a signature weapon, so that the world would know its you. So that you would be remembered. I spent months with various types of weapons. Long ranged, short-range, you name the style, I've probably tried it. I've come to realize though, that close ranged weapons just aren't my style. I would gravitate towards this wrist launcher that I use now. Launching darts within seconds. Easy to have pinpoint accuracy with too, especially with Bulls-Eye as my teacher. Also helps that they don't make much sound when fired. Which, in my line of work, is exactly what you want. Get in, get out, no fuss.
I would occasionally tag along with Bulls-Eye on jobs, just for that extra experience. Some were easier than others, but we managed to never get caught. Also helped that at the time, there weren't any bigshot heroes roaming around Star City. It was through Steven that I would get my first solo gig as Red Dart, at the age of 17. While other kids my age were worried about graduation, I was worried about how many bodyguards the target had. How much security do they have? I still remember that first kill. His name, was Amin Mustafa.
Just another sleazy rich guy that thought it was a good idea to fuck the maid while his wife and children were out of the country visiting family. A spokesman, that my employer wanted out of the picture. I was more than happy to oblige. Scum like him deserve to suffer.
Getting into his penthouse was far easier than I ever thought. He had sent the majority of his security team home for the night, which was a big mistake on his part. I was able to take the four of them down with curare laced darts, hitting each of them on the neck, which was exposed skin. It didn't take me long to find them. Sure enough, the maid noticed me enter the room, and was about to speak, but not before I shot her multiple times. Amin looked over, as the maid flopped on top of him. Just for extra measure, I fired a paralysis dart at his shoulder. He managed to get the maid off him, but it was too late, as I fired a barrage of darts moments later, with them hitting him all over, as the paralysis took effect. I decided that wasn't enough though, as I repeatedly punched him in the face. There was no hesitation on my end. I had gotten this sort of rush, from killing such a shitty excuse of a person. This is what I was meant to do.
I had a list, of people who needed to suffer. And one by one, I checked names off that list. My reputation would skyrocket with each kill, leading to more jobs. My mentor, Bulls-Eye, would get caught, and sent to prison, during this time. I thought of breaking him out multiple times, but I knew that even with my skills, there's a slim chance of it actually working. So I had to wait. I'd kill dozens more, which included Isaac Stellmoor, Cyrus Vanch, Adam Hunt, and Justin Claybourne. Along with many others of course. While a few of them were associates of the Queens, that didn't satisfy me. I wanted the Queens to suffer as much as I did when I was left in the Glades. So when the opportunity to kill Robert Queen came up, I didn't hesitate. A few shots in the back, and he was dead.
That lead to me being hired by Edward Fyers to kill the Hood. Which I'll admit, I was hesitant on taking the job. Some Robin Hood wannabe really isn't worth my time. But the reward was too good to pass up. That, and the Hood seemingly stands by the wealthy elite. So I killed him.. Or so I thought. Turns out he survived. Make no mistake, next time we meet, he's a dead man.
Green Arrow #10: My Name Is Thea Queen
My name is Thea Queen. I was left behind by my own parents, seen only as a mistake. For years, I would live out my life on the streets of the Glades, left to fend for myself. To only trust my inner instincts. Kill, or be killed. Nothing else mattered, but survival. I would do whatever it took to survive. A trail of bodies would soon follow, as I became someone else.. Something else. I go by Red Dart now, and this is my story.
January 21st, 1982.. That's the day I was born. That's also the day I was abandoned by my mother. Left in the streets of the Glades, bawling my eyes out. It wasn't long, before I learned the harsh realities of the world. What it truly took, to get by in the Glades. The first few years of my life are mostly a blur, but by some miracle I survived. Getting by on scraps of foods, while living on top of garbage bags in various alleyways. The smell especially rancid. While I was suffering, there they were, on TV.. The Kings, and the Queens of Star City.. Arthur King, and Moira Queen. Who I would later learn, are my birth parents. Flaunting their wealth, without a care in the world. It didn't take long, before my resentment towards them grew. The first two names on my list.
In the years that followed, I would branch out into pickpocketing. Nobody really paid any attention to me, which made things a hell of a lot easier. I was lucky to get anything when I first started. But as time went on, I'd get hundreds of dollars over the years, which to me, was a gift. Unfortunately, all good things don't last forever, and soon enough, I got caught.
The man, Steven Tucker, was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. There was this glint in his eyes.. Almost like he was proud. At least, that's what I think it was. I don't really have much experience with the emotion. I remember stumbling backwards, until my ass hit the pavement hard. He would raise his arm from his side, and stretch it out towards me.
"Are you okay?" He would ask, to which I wouldn't respond. I wasn't sure whether to take his hand, or not. To trust this stranger . It was then, that my stomach would growl.
"Looks like someone's a little hungry! C'mon, let's go get you some food." He laughed, quick to help me back up. There was something about him, that made me feel like I could trust him. If it was anyone else that caught me, I would've been killed. But for some reason, he decided to help me, even after I tried to steal from him. He would even decide to take me in. I learned that he was not so different from myself.
First off, Steven Tucker, as it turned out, was also a thief. Many years ago, he lost his job as Leapo the clown at the Star City Circus. Finding sustainable work in the Glades is very hard to come by, which led to him becoming a small time thief. He would find that his aim was impeccable. This led to him calling himself Bulls-Eye, taking on more assassination jobs. So I asked him to teach me everything he knows.
It was during this time, that I would learn the truth about who my parents truly were. The same people I had seen on TV screens years ago. Billionaires Arthur King, and Moira Queen. I did try to contact Moira Queen once, but I was simply ignored. Treated like I was nothing to her, once again.
Bulls-Eye would spend the next several years teaching me various fighting styles, along with just general need to know knowledge. He also taught me the importance of having a signature weapon, so that the world would know its you. So that you would be remembered. I spent months with various types of weapons. Long ranged, short-range, you name the style, I've probably tried it. I've come to realize though, that close ranged weapons just aren't my style. I would gravitate towards this wrist launcher that I use now. Launching darts within seconds. Easy to have pinpoint accuracy with too, especially with Bulls-Eye as my teacher. Also helps that they don't make much sound when fired. Which, in my line of work, is exactly what you want. Get in, get out, no fuss.
I would occasionally tag along with Bulls-Eye on jobs, just for that extra experience. Some were easier than others, but we managed to never get caught. Also helped that at the time, there weren't any bigshot heroes roaming around Star City. It was through Steven that I would get my first solo gig as Red Dart, at the age of 17. While other kids my age were worried about graduation, I was worried about how many bodyguards the target had. How much security do they have? I still remember that first kill. His name, was Amin Mustafa.
Just another sleazy rich guy that thought it was a good idea to fuck the maid while his wife and children were out of the country visiting family. A spokesman, that my employer wanted out of the picture. I was more than happy to oblige. Scum like him deserve to suffer.
Getting into his penthouse was far easier than I ever thought. He had sent the majority of his security team home for the night, which was a big mistake on his part. I was able to take the four of them down with curare laced darts, hitting each of them on the neck, which was exposed skin. It didn't take me long to find them. Sure enough, the maid noticed me enter the room, and was about to speak, but not before I shot her multiple times. Amin looked over, as the maid flopped on top of him. Just for extra measure, I fired a paralysis dart at his shoulder. He managed to get the maid off him, but it was too late, as I fired a barrage of darts moments later, with them hitting him all over, as the paralysis took effect. I decided that wasn't enough though, as I repeatedly punched him in the face. There was no hesitation on my end. I had gotten this sort of rush, from killing such a shitty excuse of a person. This is what I was meant to do.
I had a list, of people who needed to suffer. And one by one, I checked names off that list. My reputation would skyrocket with each kill, leading to more jobs. My mentor, Bulls-Eye, would get caught, and sent to prison, during this time. I thought of breaking him out multiple times, but I knew that even with my skills, there's a slim chance of it actually working. So I had to wait. I'd kill dozens more, which included Isaac Stellmoor, Cyrus Vanch, Adam Hunt, and Justin Claybourne. Along with many others of course. While a few of them were associates of the Queens, that didn't satisfy me. I wanted the Queens to suffer as much as I did when I was left in the Glades. So when the opportunity to kill Robert Queen came up, I didn't hesitate. A few shots in the back, and he was dead.
That lead to me being hired by Edward Fyers to kill the Hood. Which I'll admit, I was hesitant on taking the job. Some Robin Hood wannabe really isn't worth my time. But the reward was too good to pass up. That, and the Hood seemingly stands by the wealthy elite. So I killed him.. Or so I thought. Turns out he survived. Make no mistake, next time we meet, he's a dead man.