Working With Red

Divide and Conquer; or, However It's Supposed to Go

Any and all information pertaining to the city of Sacramento, the places and locations used, and other regional factoids have either been altered or are completely fictional for the sake of this story and its plot. Please do not comment or point out inconsistencies that address Sacramento in real life. I purposefully researched Sacramento and made changes to certain things specifically for this story, so I am well aware that there are inaccurate inconsistencies. Thank you. 

* * *

"So, Sacramento." 

The three of you stood before Oliver, who was gesturing to the holographic screen hovering at his side. The screen displayed the border of the Sacramento city limits, as well as a series of pinpoints at different locations on the map. 

Your hands gripped tightly to the sleeves of your shirt, unblinking eyes focused on Oliver as he explained the mission. You knew it was important and that Oliver and Dinah were entrusting you and Roy with something serious enough to be considered League-level, but you couldn't shake your nerves. As much as you struggled to suppress your fidgeting, you were pretty sure everyone had taken notice of your restlessness. 

"While we aren't quite sure of the severity of the situation, it was deemed a big enough threat that the League has decided to aid in the investigation," Oliver continued. "About a week ago, there was a blackout among the four center districts between La Riviera and West Sacramento. The power was only out for a couple of hours, but it was enough to spark an interest in the officers working the security detail over there. They personally reached out to the Justice League because they weren't able to identify the cause of the fluctuation; none of their servers had been interrupted, nor had they been compromised or tampered with. What's more, nothing was altered in any of the locations, and each ran full inventory checks on their files, armories, staff, etcetera. Nothing was reported missing or out of the ordinary, other than the initial blackout." 

"So, they asked Green Arrow to handle it because it wasn't anything serious," Roy muttered, earning a nudge in the side from Dinah and a tight-lipped gawk from the blonde standing before him. 

"We were asked to handle it because we're close and we're available," Oliver retorted, turning back to the map. He then swiped his hand over the screen, and the map's layout changed. Now, all districts on the map were color-coded and individually labeled, and the pinpoints were listed off to the side, along with their locations within the districts. 

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS BUILDING
SACRAMENTO ARMY DEPOT
JFHQ
OKINAWA ARMORY
270TH MILITARY POLICE COMPANY
ACTION MILITARY SURPLUS

You lifted a hand and pointed at the last name on the list. "Wait, that's not a base, is it?" 

Oliver shook his head. "I don't know much about the military crowd in Sacramento, but from what I vaguely remember, it's a store where they buy and resell military equipment from veterans. They also have a warehouse on-site for bulk shipping. You can see why it was listed as a concern; there's some pretty heavy weaponry to choose from, should someone decide to go on a little unannounced shopping spree..." 

"And all of these buildings experienced a mysterious blackout, all at the same time?" Roy clarified, cocking an eyebrow. "That's suspicious." 

"You know, I thought so, too," Oliver murmured sarcastically.  

"So, what are we supposed to do once we get to Sacramento?" you asked. "Have the bases been informed we're coming as representatives of the League?" Both Dinah and Oliver simultaneously opened their mouths before shooting each other a quick glance. You frowned.