These Prison Walls (An Arrow: Season 7 Fanfiction)

Chapter 18: A New Threat

Oliver and I walked down the hall in our full suits, heading directly for Dinah's office. 

'I told you to turn those cameras off,' Oliver scolded. Pedowitz walked after him. 

'You promised me full access!' she exclaimed as we walked into the office and shut the door, seeing Rene sitting in the chair in front of Dinah's desk. 

'What do you think you were doing out there?' Oliver asked. 

'Same thing you two do,' Rene retorted, looking up at us. 'I'm doing good, by the way. Thank you for asking.'

'I'm glad you're okay. We're glad you're okay,' Oliver replied. 'I'm glad the FBI made your immunity permanent, but being a vigilante is illegal in Star City.' 

'Well, that's easy for you two to say,' he shot back. 'I mean, you have a cute, shiny new badge.' He turned to Dinah. 'Thought about giving one to anyone else?' 

'First step would probably be not being so reckless,' Dinah replied. 

'You or me?' he shot back. 

'Take a guess,' Dinah replied. 'I nearly lost my job giving Oliver and Evelyn a badge, and Pollard is still looking for ways to take it from him.' 

'You said they took the new Green Arrow,' I chimed in. 'What happened out there?' 

'We were handling a routine drug bust,' Rene replied. 

'I'm sorry, Rene. Are you still working with the new Green Arrow? Because I'm pretty sure we've been over this.' 

'Not for nothing, but crime stats have skyrocketed ever since we hung up our masks, and they've gone down ever since N.G.A showed up.' 

'Oh, we need to come up with a better name immediately,' Oliver spoke. 

'Okay,' Dinah said with a sigh upon spotting Mayor Pollard in the room. 'Who was it that attacked you guys?' 

'Another mask, some sort of exo-suit,' Rene replied. 'Looked military.' 

'All right,' Oliver said. 'We need a full forensics sweep of the abduction point. I need to know where they could have gone.' 

'On it.' Dinah walked out and Mayor Pollard joined her. 

'What is this circus?' she snapped. 

'Public relations,' Dinah blankly replied. 'Oliver and Evelyn thought -' 

'I don't mean them. I mean what I've been hearing about a vigilante being abducted tonight.' 

'I thought you didn't care about vigilantes,' she replied. 

'Believe me, Captain Drake, I'm anything but sanguine, but your little stunt of deputizing Oliver and Evelyn Queen has set off a firestorm.' The two stopped at the end of the hall. 

'That's funny,' Dinah retorted. 'I think that's actually a different superhero.' 

'You're doing your damage control. I'm doing mine,' Pollard replied calmly. 'I'm holding a town hall on vigilantism.' 

'In the hope that firestorm will burn Oliver and Evelyn, get them both to resign?' 

'Your friends, Oliver and Evelyn, they're gonna have to stand in front of the city they lied to, a city that's afraid of them, and justify their continued existence as the Green Arrow and Athena.' 

'You can't force them to.' 

'Oh, as the mayor, I'm pretty sure I can.' Mayor Pollard left. Dinah sighed and then turned to the cameramen behind her.