Trial by Fire Read online

  "And you'd know," Lacy said. She sounded grumpy in an empty, exhausted sort of way.

  "Well, what did we learn?" Janus asked.

  "Basically nothing," Lacy snapped.

  "That's not true," Oculus replied. Everyone looked to vir. "What we do know for certain is that Consequence isn't just talk. He can get his minions into government buildings, afford expensive LED set-ups to further his ego, and procure and set up explosives."

  "And unfortunately, I think this was only a taste of what Consequence is capable of," Archive said, looking up from her phone. She turned it around to show to the group.

  Everyone leaned in, trying to see what was on the tiny screen as it started playing. There was a little red tape at the bottom and logo in the corner marking it as a news broadcast. The camera was looking out from a balcony, past which one could see the Hall of Records. After a moment, the building lit up with the visible letters, displaying CONSEQUENCE IS COMING on the screen for a few moments before switching back to a news anchor.

  "Whoever this madman Consequence is, he appears to have infiltrated a government building. But now the question is: what will he do next?"

  Archive pressed the power button and put her phone down.

  "Consequence apparently had one of his cronies film the building lighting up, and released it as allegedly leaked security camera footage. It's too clear and convenient to be a security camera, in my opinion, but either way, the news has picked it up and run with it. Thus far, there's not much from the police. Their official statement is just that they're investigating a break-in and arson attempt, no further comment."

  "If he wants to sow confusion and distrust, that's one way to do it," Janus commented. Elena nodded. "Do something a little more subtle, but knowing it'll be discovered quickly…"

  Lacy rolled her eyes. "Still, you think he would at least come up with something better than 'Consequence is coming'," Lacy said. She bit her lip, the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement as she suppressed a giggle. "I mean, come on, dude."

  The meeting didn't last much longer, as Archive's attempt to stimulate discussion about Consequence's potential next moves went no further. As everyone got up to leave, Archive checked her phone again and sighed loudly.

  "Damn it," she swore under her breath. Elena and Val both looked to her, confused, before she continued more loudly. "Consequence, or someone claiming to be him, just emailed us."

  "Are you sure it's actually Consequence?" Lacy asked. "The blog's not that hard to find, and we know this is on the news already."

  "His emailed bragged about how easy it is to get into government buildings, and included a list of flaws ranging from the two security guards' incompetence to how simple it was to disable the Civic Center's power. It's either Consequence or someone who did a lot of research into the situation very quickly." Archive grimaced. "He said this was just a teaser. But the email doesn't contain anything useful at first glance, no obvious clues about when or what the next move will be, or about who Consequence is."

  "Forward it to me and I'll take a look, see if I can get any clues," Lacy said.

  "I'll take a look, too," added Janus.

  Part of Elena felt she should volunteer, but she couldn't muster up the enthusiasm or energy to pretend she'd have a useful contribution.

  Elena had just enough time to go back home and take a half-hour power nap before getting up and preparing for work. The fog of tiredness still loomed over her, but was less aggressive than it had been at the meeting. It was going to be a long day.

  "Everything okay with you?" Sophie asked when Elena walked into the kitchen. Sophie looked as bright as Elena felt dim, her curling black hair already styled and shining and the rosy undertones in her light brown skin strong in the kitchen's morning sunlight. "I thought I heard you up at weird hours."

  "Yeah, I was. I didn't get much sleep, but I'll catch up tonight," Elena replied.

  "Okay." Sophie took another bite of her bread with jam. "I'll be at Mitch's tonight, but if you need to talk about anything, you can text me, or we can catch up another night."

  "Thanks."

  Elena's commute felt unbearably long thanks to her exhaustion. When she arrived at work and stopped by the bathroom, she glanced up to look at herself in the mirror while she washed her hands. There was definitely a violet-tinged spot under each of her eyes, not quite covered up by her foundation.

  Elena's mind wandered all morning as she worked listlessly on paperwork. She was grateful that she and Lacy had been able to help the guards and Ricardo. At least she had done something useful. The firefighters might have showed up in time to rescue them, but Elena was very glad she didn't have to speculate. Still, knowing that Consequence was more than just talk—and that they had no idea who Consequence was or where he would strike next—made Elena feel not just worried, but helpless.

  She wracked her brain. Briefly, she considered revisiting last night's scene, but no, it'd be covered with investigators and security. As Elena tried to conjure up some other possibilities, she shook her head. There was nothing she could have done anyway; she wasn't a trained detective. Archive and others were already doing their best to extract any possible clue from the email from Consequence, no doubt.

  The only thing left was the newspaper ads. Whoever placed them had to have a connection with Consequence, if it wasn't Consequence himself. However, the LA Times wasn't just going to hand out that person's contact information.

  Elena reminded herself again that even though she was in the Hollywood Heroes, it wasn't her job to investigate. No one expected her to, but still, she felt compelled to do something. There might be a way to get the information, but she had to think of a way to do so without putting her integrity, reputation, or newborn secret identity at risk.

  Elena resolved to set it out of her mind at least until she was out of work for the day and had a good night's sleep again. Her thoughts cooperated for the most part, but not entirely, as the desire not to sit idly and helplessly burned too strong for her to be completely focused on her job. She hadn't joined the Hollywood Heroes to keep sitting by while these sorts of things happened, and helping wasn't always going to be convenient. Nevertheless, she reminded herself that diving into such matters while exhausted would cause more trouble than it'd solve.

  *~*~*

  Elena texted with Lacy over the next few days, but neither of them brought up getting dinner. Elena didn't want to push, and figured that Lacy was probably still recovering like she was, and likely frustrated by the situation as well. Work was slow, and she found herself spending time concocting up an unlikely plan, but the only possible way she could think to help.

  On Thursday afternoon, Elena had a brief errand at the courthouse and finished around two p.m. She headed down West 1st Street, back towards the office. She'd walked this route many times before and it took her right by the LA Times' headquarters. When she saw the sign for their offices, she stepped to the side of the building, out of the way of other pedestrians. Elena checked that her phone was still on mute from her errand and internally steeled herself. She didn't have a foolproof plan, but since Tuesday morning, it had been stuck in her head that she needed to at least try to get information about who placed that ad.

  Elena strode through the beige-painted entryway and approached the receptionist—Kevin White, according to the nameplate.

  "I'd like to see Arnie Dodson, the Ad Editor, please," she said with every ounce of confidence she could muster.

  "Do you have an appointment?" he asked politely.

  "I'm afraid not, but it's an urgent matter regarding an existing ad contract." The words, honest but misleading, flowed easily.

  "I'll check if he's available. Could I tell him who's here to see him?"

  "Elena Meyer, from Greenman & Greenman."

  "Thank you." Kevin picked up a phone and dialed. After a moment he said into it, "Mr. Dodson? There's an Elena Meyer here to see you, from Greenman & Greenman. She doesn't have an appointment,
but she says it's urgent, about an existing ad contract?" Pause. "Yes, I'll let her know."

  Setting the phone down, the receptionist addressed Elena again. "Mr. Dodson is currently wrapping up some business, but he said if you don't mind waiting for him, he can see you shortly."

  "Yes, please."

  Elena took a seat and flipped through the copy of the Times sitting on the end table. Even though the offices were neat, there were scuffs on the baseboards and the decor seemed a few decades outdated. She read through most of the first section of the newspaper before glancing at the clock on the wall. It had already been fifteen minutes. She knew it wouldn't be a problem if she got back to the office late, since her coworkers often ran errands on their way back from the courthouse on slow days, but sitting in the LA Times office wasn't a good use of her time. She debated how long she should wait before checking in with the receptionist again.

  After half an hour, Elena was nearly ready to give up for the day. She looked up to Kevin, who caught her eye and gave an apologetic smile.

  "Let me check in again with Mr. Dodson. He's a little bit forgetful sometimes," he offered.

  "Thank you."

  "Mr. Dodson? Ms. Meyer is still waiting. Great, I'll send her up." Kevin put down the phone. "My apologies! Mr. Dodson can see you now. Just head up the elevator to the fourth floor, and his office is the first one on the right."

  "Thanks," Elena repeated. "Have a nice day."

  "You too!" Kevin called as she headed to the elevator.

  Arnie Dodson's office was as easy to find as Kevin's instructions had indicated. The door was half-open, but Elena knocked on it gently before entering.

  "Come in!" Arnie was sitting at his desk, knees spread as he lounged in his chair. Untidy stacks of papers covered much of his desk around his desktop computer. He had a ruddy complexion and a distinctly receding hairline. He wore a loud tie that clashed viciously with the brown suit jacket slung on the back of his chair.

  "Thank you for taking the time to see me, Mr. Dodson." Elena walked over and held out her hand. Arnie rose and shook her hand; she returned his grip firmly.

  "Please, call me Arnie," he replied, with a grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. "What can I do for you, Miss…?"

  "Ms. Elena Meyer." Elena already didn't like Arnie, especially not with how his eyes lingered on her chest rather than her face, but she that wasn't going to stop her from getting what she needed.

  She sat down, setting her briefcase to the side before sitting up straight in her chair. "I'm here to talk with you about one of your advertising accounts."

  "Let me just shut the door—client confidentiality and all that."

  "Of course," Elena said as she waited for him to sit back down. When he did, she opened her mouth to continue, but Arnie spoke first.

  "So, what do you need from me, Elena?" Arnie asked. Elena bit her tongue, displeased that he was immediately so casual, but not wanting to jeopardize her mission. "I hope there's not any trouble with an account."

  "No, there isn't," she assured him. She opened her mouth to say more, but Arnie spoke first.

  "Oh, good. I never know with you lawyer types," he laughed, and Elena gave a forced smile in response. "Anyway, which of my clients do you represent?"

  "I'm actually not here on behalf of one of your current clients. I need information about an ad that was placed recently."

  "Well, most of them have contact info on them, or else they're shitty ads!" He gave another loud laugh, and Elena forced herself to smile.

  "Let me rephrase. I need information on an abridged manifesto, which hinted at upcoming criminal activity. Activity likely related to the recent incident at the Hall of Records."

  Arnie's amusement died abruptly, and he pulled himself in closer to his desk. "It's my job to sell ads, nothing more. I'm not here to comment on their content, or whatever wacky stuff might have happened."

  "I completely understand, and I really don't want to waste your time," Elena said. "I—"

  "Then don't," Arnie interrupted, holding up his hands. "I'm not just going to turn over client information without checking with my own lawyer!"

  "Arnie, neither of us wants more lawyers involved in this," Elena said placatingly. From his sudden defensiveness, she suspected he had a reason to be worried. Probably took a bribe on the side for publishing it, on top of getting the ad revenue.

  "All I need is the name of the person who sent in the ad," she continued, before lowering her voice slightly. "There's nothing to tie that information to you, not when similar ads were placed in other newspapers. But if my client doesn't get that name soon, they will throw a big fuss, and they'll be raising a lot of questions about how an ad like that got published, when someone clearly followed up on its threatening tone."

  "The head editor okayed the ad!"

  Elena decided not to directly call his bluff, but didn't let up.

  "I'm sure times are tough with newspaper advertising and the person who placed the ad paid well, but again, nothing would link me getting this name to you. There's no liability on you. But if those questions do get raised? Even if your boss okayed it, who do you think will be thrown under the bus? Especially if this madman does do something else soon? After what we saw from the Hall of Records footage, he's clearly up to something."

  "And if you get the name of whomever put that stupid ad in the papers, your client will be directing their attention to him instead of us, hmm?" Arnie seemed a bit suspicious, but it was clear he was more interested in covering his own ass than digging into her motives.

  "Yes."

  "Hrmph," Arnie grumbled, turning to his computer. Elena waited quietly, and a few clicks later, Arnie continued. "Guy's name was Michael Chandler. Now, I trust you know how to get back to the lobby?"

  His tone said more than enough, and Elena was eager to get out anyway. "Yes, thank you for your help."

  Arnie just snorted, and Elena let herself out. As she took the elevator back down, she turned on her phone to text the name to Archive and Lacy, only to find she already had a text from Lacy.

  Lacy: Sorry I didn't msg you sooner but—dinner tomorrow night?

  Great, yes, Elena typed back, her heart fluttering. After a rough start, this week was finally starting to turn around.

  *~*~*

  Elena met Lacy at Ichiro, a small, trendy Japanese restaurant—Lacy's pick. Slender white lamps hung from the ceiling, and the two women sat at a snug table near the sushi bar. Soothing instrumental music played softly in the background.

  "How has your week been since Monday?" Elena asked after they gave their order.

  "Work's busy, so I'm still a little sleep-deprived, but nothing I can't handle." Lacy gestured dismissively. "But what's this you've been up to?” She lowered her voice slightly before continuing, “How'd you get this Michael Chandler name?"

  Elena recounted her experience yesterday afternoon and was inwardly delighted when Lacy looked impressed.

  "Sounds like you've been productive," Lacy said. She paused as the server came by their appetizer of edamame. "Thanks," she said to him, waiting until he stepped away to continue. "I, on the other hand, haven't had a chance to even work on your costume this week."

  "It's fine. I'm still impressed you find time to work on costumes at all, on top of your job and hobbies and superhero commitments."

  "What can I say? I like keeping busy." Lacy sipped on her water. "Speaking of busy, though, are you doing anything after dinner? I've intruded on your hospitality a couple of times, but you have yet to see my place."

  "It hasn't been intruding at all," Elena insisted. "But I'd be happy to see your place sometime."

  "After dinner?"

  "I'd love to." Elena felt slightly shy and more than a bit excited, but tried not to let it show. Not too much, at least. "Actually, uh, there's something I want to clarify, if that's all right."

  Lacy grabbed a piece of edamame. "Absolutely. What's up?"

  "Well, I'm assuming – guessing – tha
t this is a date." Elena glanced to Lacy, who smiled and nodded before taking a bite of the appetizer. "I know that means different things to different people, so I thought I should check in with you about what it means to you."

  "At this point? We're going on dates. I like you a lot, and I want to sleep with you—literally and figuratively." Lacy shrugged. "I'm pretty happy with where we're at."

  "Me, too. But I was actually thinking more along the lines of exclusivity."

  "Ah, okay." Lacy smiled and leaned back. "Well, I prefer monogamy, but if you're poly and want to date other people, we could talk about it. I just don't have the time for dating multiple people myself, between work and hobbies and friends and superhero stuff."

  "I like monogamy, too," Elena assured Lacy. "And yeah, I can't imagine having the time to date other people as an active superhero."

  "Okay," Lacy said. “And thanks for bringing this up.”

  Elena placed her hand on the table, and Lacy reached out to take it. As Elena looked into Lacy's dark eyes, framed by dark lashes, she couldn't help but smile. The comfortable, warm feeling of affection lingered within her, bolstered by the peace of mind knowing they were on the same page about their relationship.

  Elena insisted on paying the bill, which Lacy only let her do after some sincere arguing.

  "You've been making my costume for me, and I'm the one who suggested dinner," Elena said adamantly.

  "I've helped several people with their costumes, and you made me dinner last time!"

  "That doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't appreciate you doing so. Also, I want to pay."

  "Okay, how about I let you pay this time, but I pay next time?"

  "That sounds fair to me." Elena finally pulled the bill out of Lacy's hand and slipped her credit card into it.

  "Do you want to stop somewhere for dessert before we head back to my place?" Lacy asked as they headed towards the door a few minutes later. "There's a good gelato place nearby."

  "That sounds tasty, but I'm still full from dinner," Elena said.