These Prison Walls (An Arrow: Season 7 Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: Unexpected Encounters

Star City. 2040. 

'Damn it!' Zoe exclaimed, hitting the screen in anger. 'Still, no luck figuring out where Felicity planted those bombs.' Dinah walked around to look over her shoulder at the screen. 

'Well, I'm pretty sure hitting that thing harder's not gonna make it work better,' Dinah replied. 

'It makes me feel better, though. The ARCHER program's supposed to see everything, but what good's that when there's nothing to see?' Just then footsteps sounded on the stairs, and William, Roy and Evelyn came down into the room. 'About damn time,' Zoe said as the three walked up to them. 'Your algorithm kind of sucks,' she added, and William snatched the paper from her. 

'Ah, nice to see you too. Give it to me.' William walked over to the keyboard, with Roy and I following him. 

'ARCHER's not helping us,' Dinah said, 'and that means Blackstar's our only lead on finding those bombs. You guys have any luck tracking her down?' Roy shook his head. 

'Evelyn and I spent the last few days searching the entire city, but she knows how to be a ghost. Pretty easy to do with the way the city is now,' Roy replied. 

'Okay. The algorithm isn't the problem. The ARCHER program was designed to monitor the Glades, but Star City is ten times the size with half the technological infrastructure.' 

'So fewer eyes covering a larger area,' Dinah remarked. 

'Even if that's the case,' Evelyn spoke up, looking at her nephew, 'that bomb plan was massive. We should have found something.' 

'Well, not if the bombs haven't been positioned yet,' William replied. 'I mean, maybe Felicity stockpiled them somewhere off the grid. Somewhere no one would ever think to look.' 

'I think I might know a place,' Roy spoke. 

The group made their way down into the remains of the old bunker. 

'This is definitely off the grid,' Zoe said. 

'God, I used to think this place was so cool,' William remarked. Evelyn stepped forwards, her eyes watering slightly at the memories this place held and she smiled, wiping away a stray tear. 

'The memories here...' Evelyn said, trailing off. 'So much laughter - so much pain - victories and losses. It's a shame it's become this.' 

'I can't believe it's still standing,' Dinah breathed in awe. 

'I can't believe my dad used to call this home,' Zoe said. 

'Yeah. Well, no one's called this home for quite some time,' William replied. 

'Someone's been here,' Roy called out, making the group look in the darkness. Just then darts began whooshing out of nowhere, catching all of them by surprise and they fell one by one. 

'Someone's still here,' Blackstar said as she walked up to the group with a young man as Evelyn fought to keep her eyes open. 'I told you this wouldn't end so well.' Then her vision went black. 

Star City police precinct. Present-day. 

Rene and Curtis walked into the police precinct's main hall, carrying a small package with them. 

'Wow. This is a lot of blood,' Curtis remarked. 

'I thought Kullens was in jail for helping Diaz,' Rene shot back, coming up to Dinah, John, Oliver and me. 

'Yeah, well, apparently he had a very good lawyer,' John replied, 'because he got out a month ago?' 

'Any chance this connects with the two body drops we were looking at last week?' Oliver asked Dinah. 

'Kullens did have his throat slit, same as the other two,' she replied. 'I mean, the only difference is that Kullens was the only victim to leave behind one of these notes.' She showed the bloodied note to everybody. 'Look familiar? I spoke to the families of the other victims, and they did get notes, as well. They just didn't turn them in.' 

'Right,' Oliver said. 

'This is turning out to be one hell of a first day on the job,' Rene said. 

'Yeah, look at us, working together again, being targeted by a homicidal maniac. Feels like a Monday.' 

'What about Laurel?' Oliver asked. 'You said that she got a note too.' 

'She did, but she's fine. She's at a conference in D.C. all week,' Dinah replied. 

'Okay, so wait,' John spoke. 'You, me, Laurel and Rene all got notes. Curtis and Oliver didn't.' 

'I got one too,' I spoke up. 

'You got one too?' Oliver asked. 'Why didn't you say anything?' 

'I thought it was sus, but I didn't say anything because it could have easily been a dumb prank. Fan kids can be crazy. And when have I ever told you what's going on with me? You were busy handling William's problems. You didn't need mine.' 

'Oh, don't worry about me,' Curtis chimed in. 'I'm definitely not feeling FOMO over it.' 

'Well, we already know this killer's not only targeting people on the team. Kullens was against vigilantes, and we don't even know the other two victims.' 

'There has to be a connection. We just... be patient, and we'll find it,' Oliver replied. 

'Maybe this will help,' Nick, one of the younger police officers, said as he walked over to us with a file. 'Kullens' autopsy report.' 

'Thank you,' Dinah replied, taking it. She opened it. 'Tox screen is clear. No defensive wounds.' 

'He didn't fight back,' I mused aloud. 

'This M.O. feels very familiar,' Dinah said. 'When I was undercover in Central City, the guys in homicide were chasing after a serial killer with a very similar pattern - throat slash and victims that didn't fight back. I'm gonna give Captain Singh a call.' She turned and walked away towards her office. 

Star City. 2040. 

'Wakey, wakey, money bags,' Blackstar taunted in front of William's face. He opened his eyes and she punched him so hard in the face that it swung the chair that he was bound to around in a half-circle. She stepped over to Zoe, who snarled at her, 

'Touch me, and I'll bite your hand off.' Blackstar smirked in satisfaction. 

'Almost makes me forget that you're nothing but a pampered girl from the Glades playing vigilante dress-up.' 

'What do you want?' William asked. 

'The access codes to ARCHER,' she said, glaring over at him. 

'Go to hell,' Zoe replied drily. 

'Let's try this another way,' Blackstar said, and unsheathing a knife, she held it to Zoe's throat. 

'Wait, wait, wait!' William replied in a panic. 

'The access codes. Now.' 

'Keep your mouth shut, William,' Zoe hissed. Blackstar turned to him with an almost pleased look on her face. 

'So that's your name?' She lowered the knife that was at Zoe's throat and stepped forwards to where William was bound. 'Alright, William, what the hell are you even doing here?' 

'Funny. I was just about to ask you the same thing,' he retorted. 

'Ooh. Is that a backbone I'm seeing?' she taunted. 

'Even if we give you the codes, you're just going to kill us. Just like you killed Felicity and just like you're gonna kill the rest of the city, so what is the point in talking?' 

'Someone is trying to blow up the city, but it's not me, and I sure as hell didn't kill Felicity.' 

'Then who did?' Evelyn groaned, sitting up slowly.