Bab 103: Arrow ~ Docket No. 11-19-41-73 ~ Part One
***
There were times Oliver was grateful for his fiancée's super strength, especially in a fight, but her tight grip on his hand and arm as Jean led them through the courthouse made him start to lose all feeling in his left arm. He didn't complain, though, considering he was holding onto her hand as tightly as he could, trying to ignore the clamor of reporters around them shouting questions at them.
The officer finally opened the door at the end of the hall for them, and as soon as they were inside, Kara released Oliver turning to glare out the door. "I hope to never become a reporter as bloodthirsty as they are," she declared.
"As long as I'm never your subject, be as bloodthirsty as you want," Oliver rubbed feeling back into his arm.
"Thank you, officer," Jean said as the officer closed the door behind them. "You can wait outside."
"I'm right where Mr. Diaz wants me," the officer said plainly.
Jean scowled and turned around, hand on her hip. "I need to have a privileged conversation with my client."
"Nobody's stopping you," he shrugged.
Jean looked at Oliver incredulously, who just sighed and shook his head, sitting down. Jean sat down as well, Kara perching on the edge of the table, her hand on Oliver's shoulder. "Since the resignation of District Attorney Armand, the D.A.'s office has brought an outside counsel to prosecute," Jean told him.
"OK, good news, that could be someone not in Diaz's pocket," Kara said, glaring at the officer by the door.
"Have you heard of Alexa Van Owen?" Jean raised an eyebrow.
"Guessing that's the bad news," Oliver looked at Kara as she took her phone out of her pocket, quickly searching.
She gulped. "Um, she took down Intergang and Bruno Mannheim . . . she's prosecuted CEOs and serial killers, and she has CIA-caliber investigators that say they can find anything and everything." She took a deep breath, putting her phone down. "Her conviction rate is 99%."
"She called me last night, and she offered a plea," Jean informed Oliver. "Single count of first-degree manslaughter." When both Oliver and Kara looked at her expectantly, she cleared her throat. "With a fifteen-year minimum sentence."
"We're not taking that," Kara said at once.
"We're not taking any deal," Oliver said at the same time, Kara sighing in relief that they were on the same page.
"Look, Van Owen isn't in Diaz's pocket, but we have every reason to believe that Judge McGarvey is," Jean told Oliver. "I mean, this whole system is against you."
"No deal," Oliver said firmly. "Get me an acquittal."
***
"I'm not doing it, Rene," Dinah shook her head as they jogged down the stairs into their bunker. "I'm not playing make believe with you."
"It's a mock trial, not make believe, and we got to get our stories straight," Rene insisted.
"Well, I'm planning on pleading the fifth," Dinah told him. "Did you have a different amendment in mind?"
"We can't plead the fifth without looking guilty," Rene pointed out.
"We guilty!" Dinah huffed in exasperation. "We are vigilantes, and we know Oliver is the Green Arrow."
"Which is why we got to lie through our teeth, and we got to be convincing," Rene told her. "We got to have our stories straight." He scowled at Curtis, smacking his shoulder. "Hoss, you want to weigh in on this? You've been real quiet."
"Why?" Curtis shrugged. "It's not like I'm gonna have to testify."
Dinah snorted. "Curtis, please don't tell me you have FOMO because you weren't subpoenaed."
"Yeah, I have major FOMO," Curtis nodded, sitting up straight. "Don't I rate?"
"You know, maybe you are just so much better at maintaining your secret identity than the rest of us," Dinah smiled sarcastically.
"Guys, can we be real for a second here?" Rene scowled. "I mean, Oliver's facing life in prison! Look, we got our ears chewed off from basically everyone the other night, and yeah, maybe Oliver's a jerk sometimes, but he was in the right. We've screwed up the last few months, all right? But all of this started because of me, and Oliver doesn't deserve to go to prison."
Dinah took a deep breath. "The things we do for love," she reminded herself of Mon-El's words, then nodded firmly. "You're right. We can start making things right by doing this."
"Damn right," Curtis agreed, standing up.
***
"From where I'm sitting, it's pretty simple," Quentin told Bethany Snow as he sat in the deputy mayor's office. "They've got the wrong guy. Oliver Queen isn't the Green Arrow any more than I am, and for the record, I'mthe Green Arrow."
"There appears to be a fair amount of evidence to suggest the mayorguilty," Bethany countered.
"What evidence?" Quentin retorted. "That photo from several months ago, that was doctored. And I don't know who they're gonna find to say 'Oliver's the Green Arrow,' but they'll be lying."
"You sound pretty sure of that," Bethany noted.
"I am," Quentin snorted. "I'm the guy that arrested Oliver six years ago, remember? I watched him pass a polygraph. He's not the Green Arrow."
"Do you know who is?" Bethany asked.
"I got a few guesses," Quentin chuckled.
"Thank you, Deputy Mayor Lance," Bethany nodded, standing up.
"You're welcome," Quentin shook her hand. The door suddenly opened, and Laurel stepped through the doors, only to stop in her tracks when she saw the cameras. "Oh, hey," Quentin greeted her.
"Sorry," Laurel looked around cautiously. "They told me I could come in here."
"Uh, no, that's fine, right?" Quentin looked at Bethany. "We're finished."
"Actually, maybe we could just get some b-roll," Bethany made a twirling motion, and she walked towards Laurel, the cameras turning to face her. "As the Black Canary, you to know who the Green Arrow is."
Laurel eyed the cameras, then took a deep breath. "I do," she said calmly. "And I'll testify to it if they subpoena me."
Quentin hid an audible sigh of relief. If Laurel was put on the stand, there was no way she would throw Oliver under the bus. "Happy?" he asked Bethany. "Got your sound bite?" When she nodded, Quentin smiled at Laurel. "Good."
***
"Winn and Felicity worked on gathering information on all of the jury members and Judge McGarvey to see how many of them are in Diaz's pocket," J'onn said as he met with Slade, Malcolm, and Evelyn in the Team Arrow bunker.
Status Power Mingguan
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-- Power
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