(Dive Benefit Concert - Saturday Night)
The parking lot for The Dive and the apartment complex is repurposed for the crash benefit concert. A collage of photos of the residents - old and young alike - is posted alongside a description of how the evictions violate established law and a call to action. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the Mayor's office and the City Planning Commission are posted for people to call.
Word of the concert draws the band's fan base, tenants and their friends, and regulars from The Dive. Local news stations have crews reporting the story as city politics and as a human interest story.
Of the Manada de Lobos, there is no sign ...
Dressed in a ragged, old T-shirt sporting a rather dapper evee on the front, Evie leans against the building wall clutching a cup of black coffee in her hand. She had not bothered to put on anything fancy when Lya called her not too long after everyone had departed from the sushi restaurant. Now, she's just trying to stay awake. Certainly, the caffeine, noise and abundant activity is helping, but she can feel drowsiness tugging at the edge of her consciousness.
I should go home and grab my vest, just in case, she thinks as she takes a sip of coffee. She wrinkles her nose at the bitterness of the brew. Blegh.
However, it could take her awhile to make the drive and, frankly, she doesn't want to be away that long. With everything else that has been going down, who knows what is going to happen, if it is going to happen, or when it will happen.
Maybe this will all be quiet, she thinks hopefully. Evie keeps a close eye on the crowd, watching people as they come and go. There's news cameras, hopefully some undercover cops...lots and lots of eyes. Could be good, could be bad. Lots of people to see, but also lots of activity to confuse.
Hmmmm... she glances around, looking to see if there are any fire escapes on nearby buildings. Maybe I should get higher. Better view.
Lya makes a face as Klepto makes the final adjustments on her toga for her. "Just hold still already..." she tightens Lya's girdle in the back and straightens a fold before stepping back and smiling.
"What... do I have something on my face?" Lya asks worriedly as she reaches up only to have her hand smacked by Klepto.
"Don't you touch anything..." Klepto warns before sighing and smiling slightly. "Your dad would be proud of you, you know."
"I'll take your word for it," Lya chuckles before turning to Toxic who is looking out the window at the gathering crowd in the parking lot. "How's it look out there?"
"Pretty normal so far... no sign of the Lobos that I can see," answers Toxic.
"You'd think I'd be happy at that, but..." Lya mutters.
"You can't help but feel like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop," Klepto finishes with a knowing look as she places her hands on Lya's shoulders. "Remember why we're doing this... it's to help those people out there. If the shit hits the fan, that's why you've got us."
Lya nods and smiles. "Couldn't do it without you guys." She picks up her cell phone and sends quick texts to Alex, Hitoshi and Evie:
"The show's getting ready to start... where are you guys?"
Evie's phone tweeps at her and she picks it up to see Lya's message.
Across the street from the Dive, near Sun-o-Rama. Looking for higher ground, right now. Might be good to have a better view of the crowd.
Sun-o-Rama is a little tanning / nail salon. At this hour, the place is dark and barred gates have been pulled down across the windows and doors. But, you can look in and see the empty chairs and lines of nail polish, all awaiting customers on the morrow.
Alex glanced down at his smartphone, tapped out a quick reply. Over by the collage with some of the newsies.
"So, you're dating punk rock musicians now, Alex?" asked Megan Whittaker.
"Well, I was interested in this one reporter, but she's engaged to some tech startup guy," Alex winked.
"Seriously, Alex. Even most police officers don't get shot at twice in one week. Maybe it's time to take a vacation."
"Says the woman who sticks microphones in the faces of corrupt politicians and mob bosses," Alex said.
"Fair enough. What's the deal with this place?" Megan asked, motioning for her photographer to start recording.
"Eviction notices were served after close of business on a Friday. Residents were told to pack up and be out by noon tomorrow," Alex told her. "That's not how it works. Someone bought up the property and wants to redevelop it? Fine. Folks living here get thirty days to find a new place to live. The concert is to call attention to that, and to raise some money to help tenants relocate."
"Do you know who's responsible?"
"If it's a legitimate order, it'll be in public records," Alex told her. "Talk to Max Bayer over at the City Planning Commission."
"I will."
Hotoshi pulls up to the Concert in his custom mustang. Parking, he opens the door and slides out of the seat and after straightening his blood red tie against his black suit jacket and shirt, he walks over to open the door for Mika Hanamura and helps her out.
"I'm glad we took the mustang instead of the Limo like mom suggested. If we had the press would have been on us immediately. At least this way we might make it backstage."
His phone buzzes and he looks at it then quickly texts a reply.
"I just pulled up."
Sliding his phone back inside his jacket he grabs his cane and they quickly make their way through the crowd toward the entrance to the back of the stage.
"Ok, the gang's all here then," Lya tells the others as she checks the replies on her phone.
"Time to get this show started!" Toxic cheers as she grabs her guitar.
Lya takes a swig from her flask before taking a deep breath and smiling at the others. "One way or the other, we're going to give them a night they'll never forget. Let's rock!"
The others cheer as Lya opens the door to the bar and heads to the back entrance of the stage...
Its several songs in when the anticipated disruption occurs.
A tricked-out truck rolls slowly down the street, the thrum of subwoofers pumping out Salsa music. There's a half-dozen gang members in the truck bed. And the truck stops opposite the outdoor stage. The boom of the truck's stereo grows louder ...
Evie had located another apartment building across the street from The Dive and climbed the fire escape. From the top of the building, she watches.
I'm Batman, she thinks to herself in an amused, gravelly internal voice.
For a while, she simply sits and listens to the music, her eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of trouble. She has her phone in her hand and the gang on speed-dial, ready to call down when she sees anything unusual.
When the Lobos roll in in their truck, radio blaring, she simply shakes her head. Stupid jerks, she thinks. Large portions of the people down there are either personally affected by the eviction or are fans of The Furies. They probably aren't going to take kindly to anyone trying to disrupt their fundraising efforts. Evie shakes her head and waits, wondering when someone is going to try and flip the truck.
However, Evie doubles her watchfulness, now alert for anything less obvious. The Lobos are expendable goons, sent in to stir the pot and cause trouble. It could well be that they are nothing more than a distraction to cover something else...
Orithia's eyes narrow as she watches the truck pull up and she nudges Lya as they're in-between songs. Lya grips the microphone a little tighter as she nods to the others on stage before speaking out to the crowd.
"It's amazing to see so many of you out there in the crowd tonight! I really want to thank everyone for showing up, because tonight isn't about the music... it's about the people who struggle on a daily basis to work and survive in this town. Companies think they can just walk all over us in the name of progress... but I say they're wrong... because when we come together as one we can't be ignored..."
Phoebe's bass kicks into a low driving beat as Lya continues...
"When we come together as one we can't be defeated...because we are all we have tonight!"
The rest of the band kicks in as they break into song:
Whoa whoa ohh we are all we have tonight
Whoa whoa ohh we are all we have tonight
Whoa whoa ohh we are all we have tonight
The ones you can't control
Have only one another to depend upon
Displaced from society outcast we are
We have nothing to live up to
WE ARE ALL WE HAVE!
"Hey, glad you could stop by!" Alex smiles broadly, calling out to the truck's driver and the gang members that are riding in the back. He holds out one of the coffee cans being used to collect donations. "Folks - hard-working people just like you - are getting evicted so a developer can build some new condominiums."
"What's it to you, pendejo?" comes the answer. "You're that puta cabronfrom the diner."
"Oh, that's right. You're the mental midget who wanted to pull a knife on me in front of a police officer," Alex said. "I've faced Mudjehadeen with AK-47s. You? You're a joke."
"You're gonna get yours, mano," the gang member snarled.
"Standing right here, junior."
Another gang member's hand darts into his jacket pocket. Alex tenses, but the gang member pulls out a five-dollar bill. "Julio, shut the fuck up. And you, lawyer-man, here, put this in your collection basket."
"Appreciate it," Alex says.
There's some disagreement between the gang members, with Julio glaring at Alex, and several of the others taking pains to look innocuous. They turn their stereo down and watch the show, though they are clearly ogling Lya and the Furies.
But there are no further shows of aggression on their part.
It's ironic, and perhaps fortunate, that Evie is watching from the vantage of a rooftop. She hears a muffled whouf and then sees a plume of smoke tinged with flame appear behind the building ...
"Aw, crap..." without even thinking, Evie dials 911. "This is Detective Cartwright with LVPD. I'd like to report a fire. It just happened. Behind the apartment buildings by The Dive." She quickly gives the emergency crew an address and description of what she sees.
Her lips press together as she continues, "There's a fundraising concert going on in front of The Dive, right now. Lots of people and news crews down here. It's going to be a mess trying to get to anything from the main drag. I'm going to go see what's what, if I can. I'll call back in a few."
Knowing that Lya is busy on stage and probably doesn't have her phone on her, much less on, Evie shoots a brief text to Hitoshi and Alex. Fire behind the apartments. Have called 911. Going to check it out.
She runs towards the fire escape and begins to pelt down it, taking the steps two and three at a time. She knows that fires like that spread and grow quickly. If there's anything she can do to help, she has to move now.
Alex catches a whiff of the smoke, sees the black fume rising from behind the building, flames darting towards the sky. Whatever the source, it won't be long before the fire spreads and does more than scorch a wall or a dumpster.
It's a bit too convenient that the Lobos truck has bottlenecked traffic, with cars from both directions caught in a nasty tangle, but there's nothing that they can be called out upon.
Several of the news crews notices the smoke and flames as well, and the move away from the stage and crowd draws attention to the fire. A wave of nudges and hey-look-at-that ensues ...
Evie hits the ground running, making a beeline for her car. Though she has to plow through people, eliciting startled or angry cries from some, she doesn't let that stop her. Reaching her car, she pops the trunk and pulls out the fire extinguisher she keeps for roadside emergencies. (She's seen car fires along the road during her span as an officer.)
She knows that there's not much she'll be able to do but maybe she can help delay spread long enough for the fire department to get here. Evie grimaces at the paltry tool in her hand, knowing that it will amount to spitting on a bonfire. But, she doesn't have anything else available. And, she's not sure that she would be able to open a fire hydrant without the proper tools.
As she runs towards the fire, she keeps an eye out for any faucets with hoses along the way.
The crowd isn't panicking, at least not yet, but there is genuine concern from tenants who are not only out on the street with the clothes they have on their backs, but are perhaps watching everything else of material value go up in smoke.
Alex realizes there's nothing he can do by babysitting the Lobos, other than corroborate their alibi. He hands the donation can to The Dive's owner and sees Evie making her way towards the alleyway and the thickening smoke.
There's the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. Someone put a match to a broken-down car and a nearby dumpster. After rolling the dumpster into the adjacent parking space, so the building would catch. The whole of the carport is involved, cross beams starting to collapse, and a churning sea of black smoke ...
Hitoshi frowns then takes off toward the back of the apartment complex, whipping off his suit jacket as he does so. Reaching the back, he pulls out the envelopes containing signed checks and puts them deep into his back pocket before he dunks the jacket into a muddy, slimy bucket of water left over from god only know how many rains, and wraps it around his hands for protection before throwing his whole weight hands first against the dumpster in an effort to push it out of the way.
"Alex, can you get the car?!"
He yells as he feels the heat against his face and through the wet cloth around his hands and arms.
"Push it into the Middle of the Alley away from the buildings!"
He feels the dumpster move, inch by inch it rolls out from under the carport.
Alex pulls his t-shirt up across his mouth and nose, and drapes his jacket over his hands for a minimum of protection. It's not a question of pushing the car, but getting close enough to begin with.
"Evie, save some of that for me," he says, looking at the fire extinguisher. And then he charges into the flames.
The heat is more than sufficient to burn on contact. His jacket will be a write-off for sure, less protection than a kitchen pot-holder in a blast furnace, but enough to get a purchase on the burning vehicle. Between already-slagged tires and the car's inherent weight, Alex isn't sure he can do much. It's not at all like push-starting a car in neutral ...
... but his hands slam into the front edge of the car's hood. There's the sound of tearing metal, and the realization that the minivan isn't as heavy as he'd thought. Alex puts his shoulders into it and begins edging the car back out of its space.
Move, you bastard, he thinks to himself. Just another yard.
He feels the drag increase, and distantly realizes the car's rear axle had been up on blocks. The vehicle lurches and scrapes on the pavement. Ignoring the searing heat, Alex gives a scream of frustration and redoubles his efforts ...
... and the car slides the last few feet out of the carport, hard enough to smash into the cinderblock wall behind it. Tossing his jacket aside, Alex runs out into the open, slapping at spots where embers have burned through his clothes.
"Evie!" he yells.
Evie, standing ready from the moment the burning vehicle was pushed clear, hits Alex with a burst from her fire extinguisher, mindful to start at his feet and work her way up.
"Wow!" someone exclaims, and you can see someone - a young girl from a neighboring complex - peering over the wall and recording the whole thing with her smartphone ...
"Hey let's organize some help here," Lya announces over the mic to the crowd. "I know there's at least two more fire extinguishers as well as buckets and big sinks to fill them in the bar. Klepto, Orithia, grab the fire extinguishers. Toxic, Phoebe, start filling up the buckets."
She turns to the people starting to panic in the crowd and whispers a prayer to her father as she turns off the mic and addresses them. "We can make this right if we take our fate in our own hands and work together as one. Those of you who parked on the street you're going to need to move your vehicles for the emergency crews to get through; this goes especially for news vans." She points towards the bar back door. "If we can get a bucket brigade or two lined up we'll use the water from the bar and get this thing out in no time, people. Just stay focused and we'll show the world how strong we are when it tries to take us down!"
The wave of panic rippling through the audience breaks upon Lya's words. There are nods of agreement, and a sudden bustle of activity as a can-do spirit quickly spreads through the crowd. A bucket brigade forms in short order, tenants, fans, and even one reporter. The line reaches the carport just as Hitoshi and Alex wrangle the flaming dumpster and car into the open.
"Focus on the carport!" Evie calls out. "Aim for the base of the flames!"
The bucket brigade delivers the water as requested, and it helps clear some of the smoke as well as knock down the worst of the flames. Fire extinguishers from the bar, and from emergency boxes along the walkways are brought into play against the car and dumpster.
Fire crews and police units arrive fifteen minutes later, their more powerful hoses making quick work of the fire. The chief is clear that the efforts of the crowd, and of Hitoshi and Alex moving the car and dumpster clear of the carport, made the difference.
Hitoshi walks over to Alex and claps him on the back.
"Man, you look like I feel. Extra crispy." He shakes out his Suit jacket and looks at it singed and ruined.
"Damn, that ain't coming out in the wash." Then he sees the girl with the phone.
"Uh oh. this needs to be headed off at the past." Slinging what's left of his suit jacket over his right shoulder he walks over to the girl and smiles.
"So what did ya get on that thing? Anything before the Heroics?"
"You mean you and Captain America over there?" the girl asks. "Damn, that was better than the movies. I didn't see how it started, if that's what you're asking. Sent my kid brother to call 911, figured I could sell this to the news people."
Hitoshi smiles again and pulls his checkbook out of his back pocket along with a pen. "I'm Hitoshi Ryder, and I'm the new CEO of the Westview grand. How much do you want for the footage?" He opens the checkbook and clicks the pen for emphasis. "Three digits? Four digits?"
Evie heaves a sigh of relief, glad to see that everything has worked out. Certainly, the building is worse for the wear and Hitoshi and Alex are a bit crispier than usual but things could've gone much, much worse. Thank goodness Lya was able to motivate the crowd, keeping them collected, focused and not a panicky mob.
At this point, it looks like everyone's attention is focused elsewhere - upon the two heroes, the efforts of the crowd and the firefighters, Lya and the rest of the band as they continue to rally those around them.
The detective quietly slips away, moving back across the street to the fire escape, once more. She climbs and takes up her place on the roof, watching. The fire might be all that Lyman was willing to pull, this evening, or it might not...
In this particular case, paranoia isn't exactly unwarranted.
She shoots a quick text to the crew, Back on watch, just in case.
"Pleased to meetcha, Hitoshi-Ryder-new-CEO-of-the-Westview-Grand. My cousin does this all the time," the girl says. "News guys pay $500, but it's not exclusive. He sells to KTNV, runs down the street and sells the same stuff to KXNT. That's not what you're talking about, is it?"
Hitoshi starts scribbling on the check.
"How's three thousand sound to make sure it NEVER reaches anyone. I and My friend don't need that kind of publicity, and I am willing to pay good money to make sure we don't get it. Three thousand, no cloud, no longer on your phone, you were not even back here. In fact, I believe you were at the concert down the street watching the Furies from the front row."
"Serious? You don't want me saying anything, either, I guess," the girl says. "Deal, Mr. Ryder."
She takes the check from you, then calls up the video and taps the trash-can icon. An 'Are You Sure?' dialogue box pops up, and she faces the phone towards Hitoshi.
"Press 'OK' and it's gone."
Meanwhile, Alex makes his way back to the front of the building. His face is covered in soot and streaked with sweat. His clothes are stained with fire retardant.
"You look like shit, Alex," Toxic laughs. "Grab a t-shirt from the table."
Alex nods, pausing only to fill a bucket and dump it over his head. He whips off his singed shirt and wipes the worst of the smoke and grime from his face, tossing it aside. He dons the black t-shirt bearing the logos of the band and The Dive.
"Drink some water," advises one of the firefighters who is also returning from the back. "Gutsy move, man, you guys pushing that stuff out of the carport. Next time, though, leave it for the firefighters. Maybe go over to the paramedics and get some oxygen."
"I'm fine," Alex says at first. But a glance over to where the EMTs are standing gives him a glimpse of a familiar face. He coughs, and adds, "Maybe you're right. Thanks."
Good idea this feels like a distraction Lya texts back to the others. Hope everyone is OK.
She slips her phone back into her toga and gathers the Furies back on stage now that the fire has been taken care of. "I've just got to say that you guys are awesome," Lya announces to the crowd over the mic. "Tonight you guys are the stars who refuse to stop shining... and this song is for you. Feel free to sing along, because I think we all know the words..."
We'll be singing
When we're winning
We'll be singing
Lya raises her hand into the air and she and the Furies jump in time as the song continues...
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down
Hitoshi smiles. "It would be considered a personal favor if all you saw was the concert, and by the time you got back here, the firefighters had it all taken care of thanks to the help of the crowd."
He hits the "Ok" button then raises an eyebrow.
"And you are honest that it's not on the cloud or as a Google backup?"
"You dissing my honesty?" the girl asks as she pockets her phone. "How'd you like it if I asked you if this check was good? Video's gone, gone." She reaches around and swipes to the settings pane. "See? I don't have cloud anything enabled."
Alex approaches the blonde paramedic he'd seen the night before.
"Hey. We gotta stop meeting like this," he smiles.
"Alex," is all she says. "You're not injured, are you? And Hitoshi?"
"A little singed, and I got a lungful of smoke, but otherwise okay," Alex told her.
"Sit down," she says. She slips an oxygen mask over his face and opens the valve. "Just breathe normally. A few minutes will help clear things out."
"Mmmph," Alex replies through the mask.
The paramedic takes his vitals and checks his papillary response as he takes in the oxygen. The mild nausea he'd felt from the fumes clears up, and the mask comes off after ten minutes.
"So ... dinner," Alex smiles. "I'm serious. Unless that's a conflict of interest kind of thing."
"It's not," she says. "I am neither your bodyguard or savior, Son of Tyr. I had no idea who you were until I came for the others."
"Please, call me Alex."
"All right. Alex. When the enemy named you that day, it ... broke the rules. You should not have been able to see me, or your friends," she told him. "We are fate bound; to what end, I do not know."
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes," she smiles. "Tomorrow? Sunday. I'm off duty. At least, as far as being an EMT goes."
"Okay. Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere is fine."
"Soul Food Diner?" Alex asked. Maggie would fuss over them, and Rick would doubtless add something special to their meal.
"I'll meet you there at six," she says. "And, because you're about to ask, you can call me Valeria. Val."
Hitoshi chuckles. "Ok, you have me there." He hands back the phone.
"Thanks for the save. Now, I have to get back to helping save this event."
With that said he heads back to the concert itself, passing by Alex as he does so.
"Come on old man, you'd get more crap from cigarettes than you will from what you just did."
"Been in a flaming wreck before," Alex says. "No fun. Gonna find some water to splash on my face, wash this crap off. That girl have anything useful, or just us doing the powers-far-beyond-those-of-mortal-men gig?"
Evie watches the crowd below, for a second, smiling as Lya leads them in a Chumbawumba song. However, she decides to make a round along the top of her building, looking down into the alleyways below and across the other rooftops. She knows that there's still a crap ton of places that she can't see from here, but...still...that's no excuse for not being as thorough as she can.
Evie can see firefighters doing a walk-around of the property. Although she cannot see it, she hears radio traffic relating the discovery of accelerants and other indications that the fire was deliberately set. It's disturbing, as it shows the enemy doesn't really care about collateral damage - there are over twenty other tenants in the complex, ranging from single mothers to elderly shut-ins living off their Social Security benefits.
"We'll have to check the security cameras," a firefighter says.
You hope that it's not the usual neglected system built on a woefully-obsolete computer ...
"What the hell?" someone exclaims upon seeing the stage and instruments, along with fire engines, an ambulance, and several police cruisers. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Benefit concert to help the folks being evicted," another person chimes in.
"Evicted? By who?"
"Fucking landlord, I guess. Sold out to a developer," comes the answer. "Everybody got eviction notices."
"What eviction notices?" demands the newcomer. He shouts and waves to The Dive's owner. "Cyndi! What's this about eviction notices?"
"Bunch of process servers and private security showed up yesterday evening, posted the notices, told me to get out by noon today, put locks on the apartments if nobody was home," she says. "That wasn't you?"
"I just flew in from Hawaii, was on vacation for two weeks," the owner says. "Whatever this is, I had nothing to do with it! And what's with the fire engines?"
"Sir, are you the owner of the building?" asks a firefighter.
"Yes, goddamnit!"
"Someone started a fire in the carport out back," the firefighter says. "There's some minor structural damage, and the one unit directly above where the fire was will probably have to be vacated until repairs are made. But if it wasn't for everyone here, it would have been much worse."
Evie's rage sits at a slow simmer. It's one thing to try and take out any one of the scions. They are what they are and, apparently, this sort of thing comes with the territory. But, such disregard for innocent lives...
She sighs and runs a hand across her forehead, smudging more soot across her flesh. Honestly, she's not surprised. Her anger quickly dissipates as she turns the situation over in her mind, focusing on the problem rather than her feelings. Of course, they don't care about the tenants. After all, if things go their way, no one will be left alive. Everyone will meet the same, unpleasant fate. So, these people are meaningless to Lyman and his ilk. They are merely pawns, tools. obstacles...
When she hears the chatter referring to a security camera, she stops in her circuit and bites her lip. One the one hand, it could have evidence of who started this. On the other, it could also have caught Alex and Hitoshi in the act...if it even works. Who knows with these old systems? And, Hitoshi seemed pretty intent on keeping their actions on the down low.
The building has security cameras she texts the gang. I don't know how old or reliable they are, but they could've caught any action that took place in the alley.
There, she thinks. If anyone follows this text trail, that's vague enough that no one will blink an eye. Not a warning. Just informative.
"He shoots. He scores!" Val's partner murmurs as Alex moves away from the ambulance. "You're not the first one to try picking her up."
"We just felt like we had something in common," Alex shrugged. Which was true, but not in the sense most people would think.
"So, what do you do other than hang around mosh pits and arsons?"
"I'm a lawyer."
"Figures."
Tweep. Alex checks his smartphone, though, it, too, is smeared with soot and grime, despite having been on his belt throughout. He sees Evie's message and takes its meaning immediately. Sooner or later, someone was going to start adding things up.
What was it the young girl had called him? Captain America? Even if that actor was a damned sight more photogenic than he.
Hitoshi sighs. "Nope, just us. I took care of it. Three thousand can get damn near anything deleted."
His phone beeps and he looks at it.
"Well, almost anything. Seems this place has cameras about. Who would have thought. My bet is they have either been messed with or are old enough that the images will be grainy and out of focus."
"A smartphone, that's probably new enough to capture a decent picture. Your average security camera probably freaked out with flames that bright," Alex said. "Well, I hope so, at least. I guess we'll see when it makes the news."
"It's going to get out sooner or later. A news photographer I know knows I got shot with pre-frag rounds the other night," he adds.
"Thank you all for coming tonight and showing the good that we're all capable of when we realize we're all in this together," Lya announces over the mic after their last song ends.
"I thank you, the Furies thank you, and so do the people who lost a home but gained a little bit of hope. Thank you and good night!"
The rest of the Furies join Lya around the mic and cheer, "You guys rock! Don't give up the fight!" before they all wave to the cheering audience and proceed to hop off the back of the stage.
"Well when it happens, it happens. We shall deal with it then." Hitoshi says grimacing. He smiles as the girls jump off the back of the stage, reaching into his back pocket for the banker checks, and walks up to Lya.
"Once again, you and the girls are amazing." He still smells like smoke, and his white suit is singed and burned. He holds out the checks to Lya.
"The board heard about it and some of them wanted to pitch in as well. My check is in there with the rest. It should help these people get back on their feet."
He coughs a bit then smiles slightly.
"Oh, remind me to beat the ever loving shit out of whoever did this, and don't let me stop until they have to drink through a straw."
"Seeing as I'm the one pushing cars around, you hold 'em, I'll hit 'em. Should be interesting," Alex winks.
"We just remind people that we can all be heroes," Lya replies with a grin as she takes the checks and tucks them into her toga with her phone.
"You guys, on the other hand, seemed to really take our songs to heart," she jokes as she rubs some soot off of Hitoshi's cheek. "I'm glad you're not hurt. This money will be a great help to those people... thank you.""
"Not bad, Alex... not bad at all," Klepto adds with a smile as she claps Alex on the back.
"Have you guys seen Evie yet? I know she was playing scout up on the roof... haven't heard from her since before the song started though. Did she find something?"
At this point, another quick text appears on everyone's phone from Evie.
So far, I don't see anything else. I'm going to stay up here until the crowd filters out, though. Ping me if you need me and have plans.
Hitoshi shrugs nonchalantly. "Somebody had to keep the place from burning down."
He looks at his suit. "That bastard caused me to ruin a brand new suit though. I also seem to have lost my date, and by date, I mean my personal assistant. " He says looking around for Mika.
"She's over by the collage," Alex says. "Kind of took over when you and I went to investigate the fire."
Mika puts in a timely appearance as the news crews begin to flock about, looking for a comment about Hitoshi's heroics. "Mr. Ryder did what any concerned citizen would do," she says. "But that isn't why he's here. He is here to call attention to the plight of the tenants in this complex, who were given eviction notices in an improper manner. If we want Las Vegas to prosper, we must care about what happens to all of its residents."
"Megan Whittaker, KLAS," says one reporter. "The building owner says he didn't file those eviction notices."
"Which doesn't change the fact that the residents were inconvenienced, and some locked out of their homes overnight, or told that they would have to close their business," Mika points out.
"Who do you think is behind it?"
"That isn't my place to say," Mika smiles. "Thank you for covering the story."
From her vantage point, Evie finds herself wondering if this is something what it's like for Heimdall, standing upon the Bifrost, keeping a watchful eye on the other worlds from Asgard.
It is then that she realizes she's not alone.
For a moment, she wonders if one of the firefighters, or another officer has made their way to the roof, seeking a similar vantage; she is relieved to glimpse the blue serge of a police uniform ...
... except the jacket is of a style set aside decades before she joined the force, the name tag a slim bar of gold plate instead of the etched plastic used in the present day.
A name tag that reads, 'T. CARDINELLI.'
He gives Evie a colleague-to-colleague nod and joins her in her vigil.
Evie's heart leaps into her mouth. The rational part of her brain is doing some impressive gymnastics, trying to fight the initial urge to sprint far, far away because dead people don't just wander up to say 'hi.' Ghosts don't exist! She must be hallucinating from lack of sleep or...or...
Oh, get over it, Evie, she thinks. You haven't been awake long enough to reach that point. You know the gods exist. You know an afterlife exists. Therefore, spirits exist.
She returns Thomas' nod, looking at him carefully. She knows that he is a ghost and that knowledge alone sends all sorts of little creeps and tingles along her spine. However, he's not scary. Not at all! He simply looks like a fellow cop. There's no wailing, no rattling chains, nothing that says "I'm gonna eat your soul."
Still, she can't stop her hands from shaking slightly...
Evie takes a deep breath, steadying herself. She places her hands on the brick wall surrounding the top of the building to stop them from trembling.
"Hello, Thomas," she says in what she hopes is a calm voice. "What brings you up here, this evening...err...morning? Shouldn't you be in Valhalla?"
"I thought the same," Thomas says, frowning, "although there wasn't anything particularly glorious about being clobbered by a troll and buried alive. So I guess I have some ... unfinished business to attend to."
He takes a deep breath as if savoring the night air.
"I appreciate your looking in on my family, by the way."
"Holy shit," Evie breathes softly. "You were buried alive? I thought that blow to the head had killed you. I mean, even if you are like Alex and could heal, I figured that would've been instant death."
What a horrible way to die, Evie feels nothing but sympathy for the soul before her. And, she must admit, knowing this...a different fear touches her heart, as well. Thomas' death now illuminates just exactly how cruel their enemies are.
"Of course," Evie replies. "If there's anything else I can do for you, for your family, just let me know." Her initial reaction to Thomas is fading. He seems so very...normal. Still dead, but normal.
She reaches up and rubs her hand across her face, undoubtedly smearing more sweat and soot across her skin, "Hopefully, if we can stop whatever Lyman has planned, we can send you off to Valhalla where you belong."
"What can you tell me about who and what you were fighting? I'm pretty positive that it's the same thing we are dealing with," she says. "I was planning on looking into where Armand Roget's money went after his death. Alex brought up the idea that he might've been a scion and, therefore, isn't actually dead. In that case, if I follow the money..."
"No air, no food. Thankfully, that didn't last long," Thomas said. "As for our friend Armand Roget, he's got a new name. He used to come down to the basement and gloat. He's calling himself Jason Lyman, I think."
"Their plan was to get a human under their sponsorship elected to public office. Go all the way to the U.S. Senate," Thomas says. "Would have worked, too ... except for the Red Scare. Suddenly, people were a little too worried about secret cabals and being beholden to 'outside forces.'
"They tried it again in the 1960's, but America wound up in Vietnam. I almost think Dad is fucking with them a little, using wars and civil unrest to set their plans on end."
"Lyman. We've met him," Evie frowns. "I'm positive that he's the one that orchestrated setting this building on fire. I don't know what he's trying to accomplish by doing it, though. All it amounts to, really, is a temper tantrum."
"Oh, you're not going to join me? Well, fine. I guess I'll just break all your toys, then," she shakes her head. "I don't think he gets it. By messing with us, with the people that we love and care about...it's not going to stop us. It's only going to piss us off and make it so that we never stop."
"In fact, I don't understand any of this. It doesn't make sense. He's deliberately drawing attention, provoking us...if he wanted to undermine everything and put himself in a position of power, he would do well to be quiet. Let us go about our lives thinking nothing is amiss," Evie muses aloud.
She pauses, her brow furrowing, "Maybe he wants to provoke us. But, why? Maybe so that he can lead us in the wrong direction...like luring a guard dog with a big, ol' tasty steak. But, what is he really doing, then?"
"So, I still need to follow the money. That will probably lead to more answers," she taps her lip in thought. "But, why did Roget want to have a puppet back then? What did he want to accomplish? Was it just for personal gain or something else?"
"America was at the height of its power. The superpower," Thomas muses. "Admittedly, Joe McCarthy was a bit of a nutjob, but the right voice, or someone with the right adviser, could take the Cold War and turn it into World War III. Mankind would find itself in the middle of Ragnarok, and not have a clue how it happened."
"As for 'messing with us,' that's the honeymoon," he laughs. "They're trying to figure out which way we'll jump, who's important in our lives, and how much leverage that gives them. If they'd even looked cross-eyed at my sister, for example, I'd have tossed them off of Hoover Dam. Trust me, when they're ready, they'll come at you head-on.
"That's what did me in. I spent months digging up names, and came up with a list. You've seen it. Got too close, I guess."
"So, you think he's trying the same play a few decades later? It would make sense. Why mess with a good plan, especially when you wait long enough between attempts? Most folks who would remember have already passed, I would wager," she sighs, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Ever since 9-11, we've had the whole "war on terrorists" bullcrap going on. It would be easy to use a politician to further feed that fear and start another war. Hell, we've been spiraling towards a Big Brother situation for awhile, now. Paranoia has set in on many levels in the political realm. All it would really take would be another 9-11 and...BAM!"
Her lips press together in a grim line, one that she's sure Cardinelli has seen on many occasion if he's been trailing her all this time, "So, are...uhh...are you going to be hanging around? I'd like to be able to talk to the rest of the gang, see what they have to say. See if they have any questions they'd like to ask you. Knowing what you know could well give us the edge that we need. And, I don't trust myself to think of everything."
She smiles and shrugs, "I'm an officer. I live and think as one. It may well be that the others will come up with an angle that I wouldn't consider. It's the good thing about being on a team."
"The others probably won't be able to see me," Thomas tells you. "It all depends on where their gifts lie. But, sure."
Hitoshi makes a slicing motion against his throat at the mention of heroics and grimaces. Other than that he just watches as Mika handles the situation, just glad that the reporters haven't seen him yet.
"So Alex, my thinking is that If the Concert is over, we all best vanish like the wind before we become stuck answering a whole bunch of questions by Nosy reporters looking to put their own spin on things to make us look bad. They are always looking for a flaw to show to the world."
"The only flaw I'm worried about is someone figuring out the bad guys were using cop-killer rounds," Alex says. "Megan's photographer knows, but he's ex-combat camera and will keep a lid on it for now. Sooner or later, someone's going to figure it out."
Evie nods to Thomas, "Yeah, I'm prepared to play medium, in this case. But, I don't know what all the others can do, either. Heck, I'm not sure that they know. I know I don't know. I'm just sort of stumbling into this stuff as I go."
She moves to the fire escape and begins the descent back to the concrete below, "Thank goodness the first ghost I run into is you. I'll admit that I was pretty freaked out to see you but...you're okay. You're normal. No...weird...freaky...ghostly...things. I don't know that I would've held together so well had someone more..." Here, she pauses and waves her hands in a sort of vague gesture meant to encompass more than her words..."_bad_ shown up."
"Congratulations, Thomas! You are a perfect starter ghost!" she glances over her shoulder, and gives him a grin.
Evie reaches the ground and looks about, taking a moment to spot the others. Once she sees them, she begins moving in their direction.
"I'm somewhat new to the ghost thing myself," Thomas tells you. "I'd have thought I would look something like I did at the time of my death, but, then, that's not how I think of myself. I suppose it would be possible, for those who endured significant pain or agony, that it could shape their appearance.
"Or maybe it's as simple like the difference between frowning and smiling. I don't look scary to you because you're another police officer."
Hitoshi and Alex are standing by an ambulance, but neither of them appears to be injured. The blonde paramedic you saw at the club is packing up her gear, but she does an odd double-take as she looks from you and Thomas, and then, towards Alex.
Lya makes her way over to you, while the Furies are busy breaking down their gear.
"Evie! Glad you could rejoin us!" Lya says as she walks up to the cop. "Did you see anything interesting with your eagle eye view? This night just keeps getting crazier and crazier... turns out the owner of the building had nothing to do with the evictions and didn't even know about it!"
Evie shakes her head at this news and utters a soft, "Oi!" She's not even Jewish, but it seems like the most appropriate response to this situation. "I'm not surprised. Lyman is a bastard and this was just his way of poking us to see what we do."
"Actually, uhhh...yeah. Yup. I definitely have some interesting news. But, we should probably head somewhere where there are fewer folks before I start sharing," she says. Evie shoves her hands into her pockets and rolls her head, trying to relax her neck and shoulders a bit.
"Oh, and I don't think I need to say this but...the firefighters found evidence that it was arson. So, there will be a formal investigation into who did this. The building also has security cameras, so depending on how old and reliable the equipment is, we could possibly have video evidence of the act."
"There were a lot of news cameras around too... who knows if they might have caught something. I doubt Lyman does his own dirty work though... so it may be like looking for a needle in a haystack, without knowing what a needle looks like," she replies with a sigh before smiling.
"On the plus side, it looks like the concert went well for what we intended. Thanks to Hitoshi's fund raising and the help of the community at large it looks like we'll at least be able to provide all the outed people a first month's rent for a new place. Goodness knows I wouldn't want to stay here after dealing with all this crap."
She looks around the crowd and sees Cyndi talking with one of the reporters still here after taking care of the fire. "I've got to make sure she gets these checks from Hitoshi, and hopefully we can steer the media attention away from him and Alex and back to the people where it belongs. Be back in a few!"
"Arson? That figures," Alex says, still scrubbing at his hair and frowning as bits of char and goo come away on his fingers. "He knows who we all are, now. We can probably expect more of the same."
"Where to, then?" he asks, looking up. He coughs slightly and does a similar double-take, looking from you and Thomas' ghost to the paramedic.
"Evie, you got a little smudge of ash under your eye," he says, pointing to his own eye with a forefinger. A subtle cue to indicate he can see Thomas, perhaps.
"Oh, yeah," Evie grins and grabs the edge of her sleeve, raising it to wipe at the supposed smudge. Had she not seen his double take and his eyes focus beyond her shoulder, she may have missed the hint. However, as she lowers the sleeve, she looks directly at Alex and winks her eye. "At this point, I think we are all mostly soot. I'm surprised that I have any clean spots on me, at all."
"Hmmm...how about some breakfast? There's a little joint not too far from here that is open 24-7. I wager it's empty at this hour. Plus, I'm betting most the people here will head home or back to work when they are done."
"Works for me. Should I muss my hair some more, go with the punk look?" he grins.
"Well I know for one thing, I need to go take a shower and change clothes. Thousand dollars, up in smoke thanks to the Lobos. Until I do those two things, I'm not meeting anyone out anywhere. Actually I have a counter proposal. Let's all meet back at my place. We can order a Late pizza, and have a beer or two while we talk."
Hitoshi says throwing his partially burnt suit jacket over his shoulder.
"I'm running out of clothes to change in to," Alex frowns. "What kind of pie do you like, thin crust, thick crust?"
"Sounds good to me," Evie says. "Personally, I like thin crust but I'm not picky. The only thing I ask is no mushrooms. Bleh! They're like little slime pockets once they are cooked."
"Ooo... I'll bring the beer!" Lya calls out as she rejoins the others with a laugh. "I think after what our 'heroes' went through you're all deserving of some of my 'special reserve.'" She looks over at Alex sporting one of their t-shirts from the concert and winks. "That's a good look on you, Alex... care to be our booth bunny at the next concert?"
"Sure. Unless Hitoshi needs another bouncer at the Westview ..." Alex grins. "So, a short break, and pizza with friends. What time, Hitoshi?"
"Give it an hour, if you're all still conscious," Hitoshi says.
"Alright, then. See you back at Hitoshi's in an hour," Evie waves to the others and makes her way back to the old Camry. She glances over her shoulder to see what Thomas will do. It would make the most sense for him to follow Hitoshi since they'll all be going back to his place. But, Thomas may enjoy having someone to talk to and follow herself or Alex...
At any rate, she gets into her car and makes her way home to shower and change into comfortable, clean clothing. Since she has Saturday off, she'll just throw on some jeans and a T-shirt before heading back out.
"Sounds like a plan, guys... that will give us time to finish packing up and I'll meet you there."