Arrow Hawk: Birth of the Hockey Avengers

“Are you sure about this?” Evelyn, the gorgeous redhead, asks, facing her once-mortal crush Val Nichushkin. The angelic-looking person, glowing silver and wearing a green dress with white boots on looks at him. White angel wings with green tips protrude from her back. She has brilliant green eyes, which flash with curiosity.

Val, who is dressed in a black army type suit, is smiling as he replies, “Positive. I fight good. You and Hawkley teach me well.”

“You’re still a baby.”

“I can do this, Zvezda. I no like you doing all work, all time.”

“Arrow Hawk! But you have the Russian physique of Black Widow.”

“Yeah, but I is no woman! I more like Hawkeye...cause I have arrows!!” He points behind him to the cluster of arrows in the cylindrical holder strapped to him.

“But you aren’t a hawk.”

“I like name. I keep it. Look, I do good.” He reaches back and grabs an arrow and inserts it into the bow. Then he takes aim at an apple, hanging from a tree, where they are standing. He releases the arrow and it flies at the apple, hitting it with a narrow preciseness. “See?” Val drops his archer stance and faces her, wearing a cute grin and cocking his head.

Evelyn sighs and nods, “Alright. Fine. But you don’t forget that I am in charge and if I deem it so, I will save you still.”

“Fair enough. Oh, and…” Val leans over and kisses her. He raises up his bow and pulls another arrow out. He inserts it into his bow and lets it fly toward the tree again. “No look shot.” The arrow hits the apple and destroys it.

Evelyn breaks from Val’s lips and looks to see no apple there. She is shocked. “Impressive. Look at you, you’re just like Hawkeye.”

“But I is Arrow Hawk!” Val exclaims.

“Oh, come here you sexy Russian archer you!” Evelyn reaches up and grabs Val’s face and presses her lips to his once again. “I like Arrow Hawk, it suits you well. Kelly came up with a fantastic name for you.”

Suddenly there is a loud roar, followed by a steady stream of blazing fire. Evelyn breaks from Val and instantly powers up to her Zvezda form. Val raises his bow and draws another arrow, just as a man walks toward them, dressed like a male form of Maleficent. The two heroes stand at the ready.

“So, the Russian hockey player has superpowers now...or superhuman skills, not necessarily powers per-se?” the man sneers, stepping through the flames.

“No superpowers...just archery skills!” Val exclaims, cocking the bow and arrow in a ready position. “But it good enough!”

“He’s a natural!” Zvezda snaps, flapping her wings.

“Oh, is that so? So archery and the “Power of the Stars”, that is what you think can stop me?” the man glowers.

Zvezda goes to her dress’ belt and whips out four star discs, flinging them at the fiery man. He easily blocks them and instead opens his mouth up, roaring like a dragon. Fire follows the call, shooting at her. She dives to the side, out of harm’s way and gestures her hands around, attempting to produce a black hole but she is hit with the fire.

“Zvezda!” Val screams. He lets his arrow fly at the man. But it is consumed in a burst of fire. He reaches for another arrow. The man lashes him with some kind of fire whip, which knocks the bow from his hand.

Zvezda scrambles back to her feet and launches into the air, spreading her angelic wings behind her. “Arrow Hawk...er, Val, look out!”

But the man grabs Val, before he can get to his bow and arrow. Forgetting about his martial arts training and out of instinct Val screams out in the thick Russian accent of him, “Zvezda, help!” He pulls at the evil man but he is overpowered, and without his bow, he is panicked and defenseless.

“Помогите? Вы не кто ты только что развязал чувак. Подготовка к Звезде! Силою звезд и Вселенной, я повелеваю тебе отпустить его, или я сделаю тебя! (Help? You do not who you have just unleashed dude. Prepare for Zvezda! By the power of the stars and the universe, I command you to let him go now or I’ll make you!)”

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Russian. The name’s PyroHab...or maybe you know me better as Max Pacioretty!” PyroHab blasts fire at Zvezda, while gripping tightly to a struggling Arrow Hawk.

Zvezda whips up a whirlwind of cosmic energy around her and then sends it at the villain, trying to avoid Val in the process. It is instead met with a loud, echoing roar and more fire, which cut through the cosmic waves. PyroHab holds Val in a headlock as Zvezda conjures up another round of cosmic energy. She tries again but the same thing happens. No luck. And the villain begins to cackle evilly as he draws a fire ring around himself.

There has to be a plan with this! The heroine spots the bow on the ground. If she can get Val out safely there would be a chance! She attempts to go for it.

Suddenly there is a bright gust of light and an explosion. She screams and is sent flying backward. The orange and red flame-light vanishes quickly and the redheaded superhero scrambles up to see that PyroHab and Val are gone. “Val? Arrow Hawk?? Where are you? No! NO!!” She unleashes a powerful fury, building up enough energy to whirl around her and then blast outward. Her cosmic force field destroys the apple trees around her. Exhausted and feeling defeated, she drops to the ground in the center of a crater.

After a few seconds, she looks up and spots the bow. She snatches it up and holds it, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t worry Arrow Hawk, I’ll find you! Dallas cannot be without their talented power Russian forward!”

With that she zooms into the air and flies off, in search of her missing friend.

****

Meanwhile, a few seconds later,

PyroHab reappears with Arrow Hawk in some kind of evil villain lair. It looks like a Mad Scientist’s lab. Val is dragged over to some kind of metal cage.

“You want to be a hawk, right? Well a hawk is an animal and should be caged...therefore you are caged!” he sneers, flinging the new hero into the cage and then locking him up.

Val gets to his feet and runs to the bars. “Let me out of here!”

PyroHab just laughs and turns from him.

“Ugh! Zvezda will come for me!”

“Let her. She’ll fall right into the trap. Afterall, Canuck, Red Wing, all of them told me that her weakness is love. She’ll never let a friend...or lover perish. You’re perfect bait for her, Valeri Nichushkin.”

“Huh?” Val questions. “No! She come for me and save me! And defeat you! She no dumb!”

“We’ll see about that! Farewell for now, Val.”

“It’s Arrow Hawk!” Val cries and pushes against the metal as PyroHab vanishes from the room, leaving him alone. He kicks at the metal bars but they don’t bend or break. “I got find way out of here. Normally I scream for Zvezda but she already on her way, I know it. No, I need get out and warn her.” He continues at the bars, before he is flung back.

There are sparks around the bars, which lets him know that his escape is futile. But he has to keep trying. After a few minutes, the villain returns to the room. He unlocks the cage and steps in.

“Are we gonna do this the easy way or the hard way, Val?” Max growls.

“Hard!” Val spits, lunging at him.

PyroHab shrugs and clocks him over the head, easily. “Stubborn Dallas Star!” He seizes his unconscious body and carries him from the cage now. He puts him on a dentist type chair and straps him down to it, using ankle and wrist restraints.

As soon as he is secure, Val blinks awake to find out what has happened. “PyroHab, what’s going on?” He pulls at the restraints now, just as a big machine gun is moved and focused on him. An ominous red glow sparks around the barrel of it.

“Go ahead, by all means, keep on struggling. You think you can get free but we both know you can’t. See, I’ve studied heroes and villains alike. I’ve studied the archer too, I’m sure you know who Hawkeye is...maybe Legolas, Katniss, Merida, Robin Hood, or Green Arrow, any of those ring a bell? Yeah, I know about an archer’s weakness...so go on and struggle, it amuses me!”

Val stops, looking at him with big blue eyes. “Why you do this?”

“Because, I loathe archers!” PyroHab sneers. “They’re just so weak and pathetic...the worst kind of “hero”. Sure they can be skilled with a bow and arrow...but they’re just so easy to defeat.” He stands behind Val’s head and puts his hands on the Star’s neck. “I mean, you’re all just show-off hunks. But luckily that makes you easier to capture...or even corrupt.”

Val’s eyes shoot wide with horror and he begins to struggle more desperately as the villain cackles wickedly.

“And once I take control of your body, I’ll end Zvezda and the Dallas Stars once and for all!”

“No! You can’t! Zvezda--” Val begins to scream, before a white cloth is wrapped around his mouth and tied tightly at the nape of his neck.

“Zvezda will do what? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you little Russian kid. You’re no superhero by the way, you’re just a pathetic, pitiful baby that happens to be lucky enough to play for the Dallas Stars in the NHL. Now, hold still...or struggle, whatever. It’s up to you how you wanna go.”

Val pulls at the restraints, grunting his distress. Well, he can’t exactly cry for his heroine now. It truly is up to him. The machine is powered up by Max and the red glow brightens. Val lets out a shrill muffled cry, before he hears a thunderous crash. He lifts his head up to see flashes of black.

Suddenly, the barrel of the machine is whacked aside by a muscular man dressed in a tight-fitting black outfit. A mask covers his head. It goes off and shoots a red beam at the wall, allowing Val more time to struggle and possibly get free.

But then the rescuer is grabbed by PyroHab, who rips the black mask off of the man’s face. Val gasps. He knows who it is. Tyler Seguin.

Notes

In the one-shot I believe PyroHab was actually not a Canadiens player, but rather Steve Downie...well I figured that made no sense AT ALL...PyroHab is definitely Max Pacioretty!
Hey look my dislike of the Habs is showing! :P


Next up: Oh God...Black Scorpion!