Green Hornet

"THOUGHTS" !!SOUND EFFECTS!!

CHAPTER ONE

Britt Reid ran up the steep hill wearing an extra 400 pounds of gear. "Keep going, Britt, you're almost at the top. Keep it moving, you ox! That's it! Now run back down!" Dak Fong Yu called out.

The young man who ran down was six feet two inches tall weighing 225 pounds of rock solid, defined muscle. He was a handsome man with sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His brute strength was just short of superhuman as was his ability to take a beating without getting seriously hurt.

Once Britt had ran down the hill, he stopped right in front of Dak. "Well, that's it. I can teach you no more," Dak said solemnly with his hands clasped behind his back as he turned and looked off into the sky.

"That's it?! I've only been here for three months. Wouldn't learning tuk-gong moo-sul have taken longer than that?" Britt replied.

"Normally it would but because you've mastered so many other martial arts before this it didn't take you that long. I know you've mastered tae kwon do and hapkido; what other martial arts have you learned?"

"I've learned American boxing, Thai kickboxing, some wing chun kung fu, Russian sambo, Greco-Roman wrestling, some Brazilian jiu jitsu, several styles of military commando training, and street fighting."

"Have you learned any other techniques?" the aged martial arts master asked.

"Yes. I've learned gung fu(the ability to take a beating), iron skin/steel body technique, tai chi and speed hitting. I've also learned acrobatics, breakfall and contortionism but I'm not too good at these last three.

"Yes, I've noticed you're not the most agile student I've trained even though you're a lot more agile than the average person. But you have a tendency to let yourself get hit in order to get a hit in. Keep this in mind. You're not the best martial artist out there. There are several martial artists who are better than you, even if you have the ability to learn things quickly."

"I still plan to participate in the upcoming Street Fighter Tournament," Britt replied. "I've merged all the arts I've learned into a powerful combination."

"That will be a good experience for you but you will not win it. I suspect a tournament isn't the only reason you've gone out of your way to learn how to fight so well," Master Dak said waiting for an answer.

"Well, my father was killed by gangsters. So I want to do something about the corruption in my city," Britt answered.

"I figured that much. Your ancestor, the Lone Ranger, also believed in justice. He rescued some people in my family years ago even though he was an old man at the time; that's the only reason I agreed to train you in this secret art. Now the debt of my family has been paid."

"If you're going to disguise yourself the way your ancestor did I suggest you disguise yourself during the tournament. Any competent martial artist can recognize a fighting style no matter what kind of fighting style you use. May your crusade be successful." With that the Korean martial arts master walked away.

XXX

"I thought I could win this tournament but it's obvious I'm not as good as I thought I was. Even though I've done a lot of hand strength training and power lifting and I've won several street fights in America, my skills as a fighter are limited."

"It's a good thing I wore a yellow body suit with a mask and called myself Goldstar. This way nobody knew who I was. I'll improve as best as I can but I'm going to have to rely on gadgets to fight crime the way I've intended. I'll just watch the rest of this tournament and see what else I can learn," Britt Reid thought to himself as he watched the tournament from the fighters area of the arena.

At the end of the tournament, Britt walked over to where he saw a young boy being beaten. "Hey! What's going on?" Britt asked. He had already learned how to modify his voice and mannerisms making himself out to be an all together different person. However, the Goldstar costume he wore somewhat minimized the effect of his intimidating voice.

"Goldstar! Go back to America, you third rate fighter!" said a large, muscular, Japanese man with short cropped, bleach blond hair wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a black vest over it with matching pants.

"Ryuji Yamazaki! Enough! I'm a lot better than you think. You want to fight? Then fight me."

"I don't have time for this. You guys!" he ordered his four henchman. "Get him!"

The four henchman ran towards Britt surrounding him. One attempted a high roundhouse kick while another attacked with a snap kick but Britt ducked, dodged and legsweeped the two attackers knocking them off their feet. The other two quickly attacked with knives. With unexpected speed, Britt nerve attacked the hands of the knife welders who both dropped their knives and collapsed to the ground in great pain. The other two who had been knocked down came at Britt again with fists of fury. But Britt came at them faster cold cocking both of them with modified boxing jabs knocking the two out.

Ryuji looked at Britt surprised. "Were you holding back in the tournament? Never mind. I'll kill you myself." Ryuji ran towards Britt whipping out his knife slashing the very air in front of him. Britt barely avoided the knife attacks that seemed to be everywhere.

"This guy's really good but I'm not giving up. That kid's on the ground barely breathing. So I'll have to end this fight quickly," Britt thought to himself. As Ryuji lunged at him Britt took a chance and disarmed him of the knife sending it several feet away from the black clad fighter.

"Aargh! You'll pay for that! Aaaa!" Ryuji screamed as he made the same slashing movements with his bare hands. The black slashes were so plentiful and fast that they were all over the place. Ryuji seemed to move at super human speed as he attacked hitting Britt a couple of times.

"Ouch! Not so tough without that knife are you, Ryuji? In fact I think I'm going to attack all out," Britt called out as he moved in on Ryuji attacking with rapid fire punch and kick combinations. The two were toe to toe and eye to eye being about the same height. Eventually a few of Britt's punches struck home knocking Ryuji to the ground. But Britt wasn't done. He then grabbed the stunned Ryuji putting him in a sleeper hold.

"Third rate fighter, eh? Why were you beating on the boy?" Britt asked as he tightened his grip.

"Koff! What's it to you? If you like the boy so much let me go! If you don't get him some medical help soon he'll die. You can either finish me off or help him. By the way, where are you getting your steroids from? I haven't fought anyone as strong as you."

Britt let him go but not before striking him in his jaw hoping to knock him out. Even though the gangster was badly hurt he was still conscious as he woke up his crew and took off. "We'll meet again! Soon! And I will kill you! Ha ha ha ha ha!!" Ryuji laughed maniacally as he ran off.

"You all right, kid?" Britt walked over to the young boy and looked him over.

"His parents stood up to the local gang lords. That's why they sent that assassin to destroy him and his family," an old man stated as he walked over to them.

"Well, there's a hospital around here so I'll just take him there."

"The hospital is expensive. Unless you have a lot of money they won't help him. Even though his family were skilled martial artists, at best they were middle class. And with the burning of their home and their deaths, it's certain that the gangs have taken all their money, as well. Ryuji Yamasaki has very little to worry about since the child will surely die anyway."

"Not if I can help it." Britt picked up the twelve year old boy, leaped up into the air and took him to the local Hong Kong hospital.

XXX

"We can help him but the boy is poor and surely can't afford a stay here," the doctor stated indifferently.

"Will this help?" Britt said taking out a few hundred dollar bills.

"Yes, it will. Why would a stranger care about a young Chinese boy?" the doctor asked the strangely clad Street Fighter.

"Let's just say I know how it is to be an underdog."

"Yes, I saw you get defeated in the local tournament. If you weren't so big, strong and highly resistant to damage you'd be needing my services as well. I shall see to the boy."

The doctor had the boy put in the emergency room and made sure someone took care of him. As Britt turned to leave an old man faced him.

"Greetings, Goldstar is it? Let's talk outside, shall we?"

Once they were outside and away from prying eyes and listening ears. The old man began to speak but not to loudly. "Well, Britt. Thank you for saving my brother's grandson. Don't look so surprised. I recognized some of the techniques I've taught you in the tournament you were in. I must admit you advanced a lot farther in the Street Fighter Tournament than I would have thought possible for you. I guess your ability to 'take a licking and keep on ticking' as you used to say proved useful. Those over sized muscles weren't useless either after all. But Geese Howard was still too powerful for you."

"Greetings, Master Po. I didn't know the boy was related to you. What will become of him, now?"

"As soon as the doctors are finished I'll take him with me to Taiwan where there's a Shaolin temple. The child's name is Fei Long Sawada. He too can take a beating. You'll find him very useful to you in the future."

"What do you mean?"

"He'll be a great service to you in your crusade against the kind of people who killed his family. But I and some of my fellow priests will have to train him first. He'll be a pure martial artist. Not the martial arts mongrel you've become."

"Hey, if the kid does well, I'll be happy. But I don't need any help."

"Don't be so hasty. Even your ancestor the Lone Ranger had someone helping him. Are you so much better than him?"

"No, it's not about that. I don't want anybody else getting hurt. Besides, it will be years before I actually do anything. There are a lot of other things I need to learn. I still have to go to college and figure out a way to make up for the fact that I'm not invincible."

"Very good. It will take years to complete Fei Long's training. He will surely be more skilled than you by the time he's finished. Go ahead and do what you need to do to get prepared for your fight against evil. Fei Long will do the same."

"Uh, yeah. Well, I have to get going. I plan to take a look at some of the other fights in this tournament and then go home," the seventeen year old, young man said.

"Farewell then. You and Fei Long will meet again."

XXX

Eight years later, beneath his mansion, Britt Reid had set up a base of operations. He had taken his butler, Reginald, who had been his butler since from before Britt was born, into his confidence. Reginald was a tall, slender but muscular man having been trained in England to be a butler. He was in his mid forties with a full head of sandy blond hair and somewhat handsome with chiseled features and a lot stronger and efficient in hand to hand combat than he looked. His skills as a master chef, paramedic, mechanical and electrical engineer and many other useful skills were above par.

Britt had tried to hide his life as the Green Hornet from him but the butler was too smart to be easily fooled. "Are you sure about this, Master Britt? What you've been doing is very dangerous. More importantly I hope you have been doing a better job of concealing what you've been doing. The staff here do not need to know about your nocturnal activities."

"You're never going to let me forget how you found out about my underground base, are you?" Britt answered a little testily.

"Just looking out for your welfare, Master Britt. You could have just joined the police department. You would surely be respected."

"I went through the police academy but I've found that sometimes the police are paid off by the criminals in this town. Ivan Tovarisch, also known as Ivan the Terrible was the one who had my father killed; he paid off the police as well."

"How do you know this, Master Britt? Your parents were gunned down in a drive by shooting. No one knows who did it," Reginald asked politely.

"I've already investigated as the Green Hornet. As the Green Hornet, I've been gathering a lot of information on Ivan the Terrible. He's been trying to set up Chicago as a base for the Russian Mafia. He was mobster while he was in the Soviet Union, but things got too hot for him there so he stole some military secrets from the Soviets and gave them to the C.I.A. Now the U.S. Government has allowed him to live here in exchange for helping in the Cold War. I know he didn't tell the CIA and FBI everything because he still has missing Soviet weaponry hidden somewhere."

"As soon as the coast was clear he began to get involved in organized crime here in Chicago. The Italian mob didn't let him in the inner circle but Ivan had connections the Mafia wanted and needed. Ivan also did a lot of jobs for them he was able to get away with. Most people didn't know who he was because he was new to the scene. But Ivan had no intention of just being a gunman."

"More than that, Ivan had a friend from Russia who was in the KGB, Nikita Valoff. Nikita helped Ivan by getting him a lot of Soviet weaponry. The KGB had no idea what Nikita was doing. After the end of the Cold War, Nikita emigrated here."

"How did you get all that information, Master Britt?"

"I've learned a long time ago how to intimidate and interrogate people. I also know how to bribe people. Knowing whether or not people are telling the truth or lying to me is also very useful. By the way, I know you were lying when you told the maid from next door that you weren't seeing anyone else. But don't worry about it; your secret is safe with me," Britt said with a smile.

Reginald was a surprised but he didn't show it. "I can't see you being some kind of hero while viciously intimidating people at the same time. How do you do it?"

Britt looked up at the man for a moment. "I never pretended to be a hero. In fact most people regard the Green Hornet as a villain. If I had come off as a self righteous do gooder, no one would respect me or take me seriously. As far as anyone knows, the Green Hornet is as evil and villainous as master criminal. I've even gone through some pain and torture training by giving and receiving it. Soon, I'll carry along some truth serums and drugs like that just in case someone proves himself too strong for my methods."

"Heavens! What would your father say? And how about your famous ancestor the Lone Ranger? He surely wouldn't approve of the methods you plan on doing. What will be the difference between you and the criminals with whom you plan to do battle?"

"A hero is nothing but a sandwich. In this day and age only the bad guys get respect. I'm not the Lone Ranger. He did well in his time period but right now I have to be a 'bad guy' in order to get anything done. I have no plans of actually being a gangster; I'll just make it look as if I'm one. Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. I've already disguised myself as one of them and bugged most of their hideouts and buildings. I know them better than they know themselves."

"Very good, Sir. I shall see to dinner. But you don't want to forget about running the newspaper you own." As the butler walked upstairs using the secret passage way he helped Britt build, Britt kept on working on his devices and the car he planned to use as the Green Hornet.

"This is it. My car's almost ready. I've already have a few dark green clothes made of a material that's bulletproof. It'll even help me resist other killing attacks and ki attacks from other powerful martial artists. I never did master ki blasts and things like that but I'll have to make due."

"I've already learned as much as possible about electronics, engineering and cars. In few days from now my new rolling arsenal, the Black Beauty, will be finished. The car's actually bulletproof, even the windshield is bulletproof. Wait a minute! Someone else is here!"

"Come on out, whoever you are!" Britt shouted.

"I'm surprised you were able to detect my presence," the young man said as he appeared right in front of Britt. "My grandfather's brother taught you well, but he taught me better."

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Britt asked angrily.

"Have you forgotten me already, Goldstar?"

Britt scrutinized the five foot eight, 150 pound Chinese man looking back at him. "This guy's a martial artist for sure. He has more muscle definition than I have. His ki signature feels familiar and so does his appearance. Hey it's..."

"Fei Long! How did you find me?"

"I'm glad you still have the ability to read ki signatures. There's a way of masking ki signatures, too. I'll have to teach you that since you insist on keeping a secret identity. My grandfather's brother thought that skill would be very helpful, especially since you like to disguise yourself so much."

"Look, Fei. I'm glad you've recovered from nearly dying but I really don't need any help. What I'm doing is going to be very dangerous. I might not survive it. I've no intention of bringing about your death."

"I'm not afraid of death. Besides, if not for you I would be dead already. My granduncle knew what you were planning so he trained me to be one of the best martial artists on the planet, even better than you. I've even learned a great deal about electronics and cars so that I could help in other ways than just beating people up. I've also trained to be a chauffeur and manservant. I can even drive cars in a combat manner."

"That's all very good but I still think you could do a lot of better things than get yourself killed helping me fight crime. Do you know how to dodge gunfire and things like that? If people can't beat you up, they'll use guns to kill you. I've found that out the hard way," Britt said thinking about all the times he had been shot and nearly killed while being the Green Hornet.

"I'm prepared to deal with guns and things of that nature. You need all the help you can get. Do you know the Chinese belief about saving someone's life?"

"Yes, I know about it. I think something like that happened with Han Solo and Chewbacca," Britt answered.

"Hmmm. I've seen that movie and read about it. When I think about how tough Chewbacca is your analogy fits."

Britt regarded the young martial artist for a moment. "I suppose so. I didn't mean to say you were a walking carpet. But if I take you on, you'll have to pay attention to Reginald; he's a good man and very reliable."

"Yes, I've seen him. He's very competent. I can tell he's had some martial arts training, too. I'll be happy to work under him."

"I'll be glad to have your help, young man," Reginald said seemingly appearing out of nowhere surprising even Fei Long.

"Your stealth skills are as good as any ninja I've ever encountered. I had no idea you were there," Fei said as he bowed towards Reginald with suspect.

"Thank you. Since you plan to help Master Britt in his crusade against crime, I'll teach you how to function and where the hidden passages are and things like that. I'll also have to see about getting you an armored uniform much like the kind Master Britt wears."

"But I don't need to wear..."

"First rule, Fei, don't argue with Reginald; it's a waste of time. I've found that out the hard way."

"How do you know I'm reliable?" Fei-Long asked the stealthy butler.

"I know how to take a man's measure. Britt needs all the help he can get."

XXX

AUTHOR'S NOTES: If you haven't guessed it already, I'm crossing this over with Street Fighter and King of Fighters. Some of the villains from these games will be showing up in this fanfic.

For those of you who don't know, Fei Long is a Bruce Lee clone in the Street Fighter video game. If you want to see what Fei-Long looks like go to my website, then go to Images of Street Fighter Fanfiction(it's on the left hand side). Once you're there scroll down and look to the right.