The doors to Central City Hall exploded.
Clark was immediately in front of her, blocking whatever glass or debris was flying their way. Screams ricocheted throughout the large room and people started to run everywhere. Women tripped over long dresses, the band hurriedly left the small stage in the corner, and several men pulled out guns and police badges from inside their suit jackets.
What kind of idiots would attack an event with the entire CCPD already there?
When things seemed slightly stable, she poked her head out from around Clark. She saw commotion going on at the entrance to the building, and what looked like blue lasers flying out from the crowd.
"What the hell is that?" she shouted over the screaming, turning to Barry. Apparently, since he was now Flash, this was his city.
Barry responded with something she couldn't make out. She furrowed her brows.
Devin leaned into her ear. "He said it's Captain Cold!"
"Who?"
"Down!" Clark suddenly yelled, shoving all three of them out of the way. A wave of cold blasted where they had once stood. She pushed herself off the floor, heart racing, to make sure everyone was okay. Devin stared at her with wide eyes.
She noticed there were only three of them now. "Where's Barry?"
Suddenly the iconic red speedster was standing in front of them, eyes filled with worry but a smirk on his face. "Hey, Cap! Crashing the party? Super not cool, dude."
A man appeared from the crowd. He had on dark sunglasses with a massive blue parka, and a large, silver gun in his hand. He snarled. "Oh, shut up."
The policemen in the room now formed a line between the crowd and the villain, guns raised. If it couldn't get any worse, a large figure dropped from the skylight on the roof, glass shattering all over the floor. Clark was back in front of Meredith and Devin.
The room seemed to get even colder, and suddenly Devin was dragging Meredith to her feet. He pulled her around the bar and down the staff hall, barely missing another blue blast. Meredith was slightly impressed with Devin's quick thinking. She was too stunned to remember that there was a back exit to the ballroom.
As they ran down the hall, they saw a man headed in the same direction as them.
"Bruce!" Devin called.
Bruce turned around, angry and brows set with determination. His features slightly settled into feigned shock as he saw them.
"Where are the boys?" Meredith asked as they briefly slowed down.
"They're fine," Bruce said, not taking his eyes off of the entrance to the ballroom. "They went out the front."
"And where are you going?" Devin sounded accusational, like they weren't all in impending doom. Meredith stared at him incredulously. He was seriously asking that now?
Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Making sure no one comes in the back."
Devin crossed his arms. "A huh. And... how, exactly, are you planning to fend off supervillains, Kid?"
Bruce didn't answer as the door at the end of the hallway opened. Alarms started blaring as the emergency exit was unlocked, and a man dressed in red and black, with a silver mask, stood in the doorway. One of his eyes was red, and he had multiple weapons strapped to his body.
Meredith noticed Bruce's fists immediately ball up. She prayed he wouldn't do anything dumb against... whoever the other man was. She had a great, great dislike for Bruce, but she didn't want him dead, either.
"Meredith Elias!" The man spread his arms in a greeting. There was a gun in his hand. Her heart momentarily froze. "Just the woman I was looking for!"
He held the gun up to them. "You're gonna need to come with me."
She found herself speaking, slowly opening up her silver clutch behind her back. "And why would I do that?"
"You're not the one with the gun here, beautiful. You're not in any position to be asking that."
She slightly chuckled. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it?"
The man was suddenly flying back, the door, and most of the wall around the frame going with him. Meredith stood there, a small silver device in hand, breathing heavily.
"What the fuck was that?" Devin turned to her with massive eyes.
There was a pause.
"What, you don't carry a sonic resonance emitter with you?"
Bruce stared at her with an indescribable look on his face. Meredith shook her head, snapping her clutch shut and walking through the blown-out wall.
"You call that an SRE?" Devin called from behind her. "An SRE is for vibrational frequencies. That was not just a vibrational frequency!"
She stepped carefully around the rubble, taking in the dark downtown street of Central City. It was in utter chaos. Firetrucks and ambulances wailed down the block, hordes of people ran in every direction, and explosions rang from inside the Hall.
"So it's a slightly modified SRE," Meredith spoke as Devin caught up to her. "Big deal."
She finally came to a halt, glancing back at the unconscious man lying in the rubble. He seemed to be fairly knocked out, so she assumed he wouldn't be waking up any time soon. "Who's that?"
She turned to Bruce, who finally made his way through the pile of exploded concrete. He shrugged.
"I think his name's Deadshot," Devin answered. "I've seen him on the news before. Why's he here for you?"
Meredith's breath was still slightly unsteady. "How am I supposed to know? I wasn't in any position to ask questions, remember?"
The sound of another explosion was heard. Superman was flying out of the side of City Hall, carrying two figures in his hands. He dropped them to the ground with an unconscious thud. Two large trucks, both labeled "BELLE REVE" on the sides, sped down the street, stopping at the figures. Men dressed in black body armor jumped out from the vehicles, snapping what looked like collars onto the two criminals. Superman exchanged a few words with the officers.
Flash was in front of her with panicked eyes, blocking her view. "Hey, sorry about that. Are you two okay?"
"We're fine. I—"
Meredith was interrupted by Superman landing next to her. "Is everyone alright? I heard something going on in the back, but I was a little distracted with Mister Freeze."
He glanced towards the rubble and noticed Deadshot's body. His brow raised. "Who did that?"
"Meredith," Devin replied.
"What?"
"Everyone shut up," Meredith glared at the men. "Does anyone know what's going on?"
"Deadshot said he was here for Meredith." Devin crossed his arms. Superman still seemed skeptical as he walked over, picking up the unconscious body with ease.
Flash furrowed his brows. "That doesn't make any sense. What's Deadshot doing in Central City?"
"Maybe Cold and Freeze were distractions so Deadshot could grab Meredith?" Superman suggested as he passed them, dragging the criminal over to the blockade of Belle Reve vehicles.
"Doesn't seem right." Flash shook his head. "I've read a lot of case reports on Deadshot— he usually works alone. And besides, he's a merc. He was probably hired by someone."
"So you're saying that they were two separate attacks?" she asked.
He nodded. Meredith suddenly noticed a fraction of movement next to her. She tilted her head ever so slightly, finding Bruce slinking away from the group.
"Wayne, where the hell are you going?"
The man froze. Both Devin and Barry turned in surprise, apparently having not noticed Bruce's attempted disappearance.
Bruce looked at her with a blank face. "Home."
"Home?" she repeated. "How are you going to get home in this?"
She gestured to the street in front of them which was quickly filling up with emergency vehicles and news crews. Suddenly, another figure dropped down from somewhere, landing next to Barry. Meredith eyed him as he stood to his full height. He had a mop of black hair with a mask covering his eyes, and a blue symbol splayed across his suit.
"And who might you be?" Meredith asked.
He flashed her a charming grin, tilting his head. He struck her as younger than the other heroes in the group. He reached forward and grabbed her hand, and she had to stop herself from reacting.
"Name's Nightwing." He kissed the top of her hand before dropping it. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Elias. You're even more beautiful in person than you are on the news."
She thought for a moment.
"You're one of the Robins."
The man groaned, his hands falling to his sides. "I'm never escaping that, am I?"
Clark now rejoined the group. "I think Cold and Freeze were a distraction, but not for Deadshot. There's a new artifact Cyborg was telling me about, one he helped excavate at an ancient Incan site—"
"The Rose Stone," Meredith finished. "I'm supposed to be attending its opening event at the Gotham Museum next week."
"Right," Clark said. "I just overheard a few officers talking about it. I think it's supposed to be passing through Central City today— they're using private security to transport it, but since the CCPD Fundraiser is tonight, police response would've been slow if there was going to be a robbery."
Barry nodded from next to her. "Okay, great, so we'll just go handle whoever's trying to take it and—"
"Hang on," Nightwing interrupted, holding his hand up to his ear. Meredith assumed he was talking to someone over a comm. "Yeah... right... Firefly? A bomb? What do you mean there's a bomb? A huh... how do you know— shit. The nuclear plant? Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can, just stay on his trail. Nightwing out."
Nightwing looked at the group. "Red Robin says that Firefly set some sort of bomb at the CC Nuclear Planet. Apparently, if he doesn't get the Rose Stone he's blowing up the city."
So now not only was someone out to kill her, but the Rose Stone was being hijacked by a group of cold-themed criminals, and this Firefly character was going to blow up the city if he didn't get his hands on it first. Meredith almost sighed. Her job was getting increasingly strange.
Meredith took a step forward, squaring her jaw. She had never coordinated a team of superheroes before, but she ran a billion-dollar company with a thousand moving parts every day, so how hard could it be?
"Okay. Here's the— Wayne, stop trying to run away! What's wrong with you? Are you actively looking to get killed?"
Bruce stopped once again, turning around and seeming slightly angry. "I'm looking to get the hell out of this city before we all get blown up."
"Then you can come with me and take care of the media," she grabbed his arm and tugged him in front of her. He begrudgingly moved, but not as much as she would've liked. "So sit here for one second and stop moving like a petulant child while we figure out how to save everyone from impending doom."
Nightwing suddenly made a noise that sounded like a stifled laugh. She looked at him, and the whites of his mask widened. "Sorry, sorry. Not funny."
"I'll go after the Rose Stone—" Barry rushed.
Meredith put a hand on his arm. "No, doesn't make sense. You're a scientist, go with Superman and handle the bomb. Nightwing, go with the rest of the Robins and take care of the Stone, get it into Gotham if you can—"
"Oh, c'mon, I'm not one of the Robins!"
"—Wayne, Devin, you're both coming with me. Everyone, try to limit collateral damage as much as possible so it can look like I'm somewhat doing my job. And can someone get in contact with Batman?"
"Sure," Clark said as he started hovering above the ground. "I'll, uh, see if he's available."
He was gone in a boom of speed, and Barry chuckled. "One time we actually need the guy and he isn't here. Ironic, huh?"
There was another burst of air and the speedster was gone. From next to her, Nightwing was pulling what looked like a gun with a metal hook from his belt. He aimed it upwards, and a thin rope shot out of it.
"Thanks for the directive, Ms. Elias." He grinned, gently taking her hand and kissing it again. "Your reputation truly does proceed you. Hopefully, we'll get to talk again soon, maybe over less dire circumstances."
She scowled as he turned to Bruce, and his grin widened. "Stay safe, Mr. Wayne. Try not to get yourself into too much trouble— it would be a shame if the face of Gotham got damaged."
With that, he shot up into the sky and disappeared into the dark.
When she turned back to the two men, Bruce was already storming off down the sidewalk.
"Wayne!" she called, having to almost jog to catch up to him. Maybe it was just his long strides, but when had he gotten so fast? Devin was right behind her as she grabbed Bruce's wrist. He turned around, now visibly mad.
"What." The bite in his voice was harsh and cold, eyes flickering dangerously. It was hardly the first time in her life she'd ever seen Bruce mad, especially at her, but nowadays he usually only displayed passive playboy irritation. It was a little shocking.
"Where are you trying to go?"
"I need to leave."
"The streets are going to be backed up for miles, there's no way you're getting out. Let's just handle the media—"
"Meredith," Devin interrupted. She looked over to her brother, whose eyes didn't leave Bruce's face. "Let him go."
She was now slightly confused. She figured Devin would've been on the side of keeping Bruce safe— apart from maybe their mother, who was a nurse with a bleeding heart (whose heart unfortunately still bled profusely for Bruce, even though she would never admit it), Devin was the only member of her family who really gave a shit about the Prince of Gotham. "What? Why?"
"Just let him. I'll come with you and speak to the press."
"I—" she was interrupted by the sound of clambering news reporters getting louder, a large crowd forming at steps of Central City Hall. She sighed. "Fine. Whatever. If you die, don't say I didn't warn you."
There was no response as Bruce was stalking down the street once again, disappearing into the horde of oncoming pedestrians. She gave a questioning look to Devin, who just waved her off as he walked over towards the front of city hall. She began to follow him, but couldn't help the way her head momentarily turned back around in the direction Bruce had gone.
Hopefully, she wasn't going to have to start preparing a speech to speak at that asshole's funeral. Again.
* * *
They had just addressed the news reporters, who were honestly more shocked that the eldest Elias child was back on the East Coast than the fact that city hall was partially in ruins. She'd give it to her brother— even though he hated anything to do with the company, the press, or their family name, he was good at playing it up for the media when he had to— maybe even better than her. She felt a little like the dumb, younger sister again, standing back as she watched Devin give experienced smiles and charming one-liners to the crowd.
He finally stepped out of the circle of people, ignoring strobes of camera flashes and the constant shouting of their names as he led her away. He moved swiftly around desperate women and hungry gossip-column writers with a certain nonchalant grace that she had yet to master— in a way, Devin was everything that Bruce tried, and failed, to be.
She internally chuckled. Bruce was lucky that her brother had no desire for their lifestyle, or else he would have some serious competition.
The police finally began to form a barricade of officers, separating them from the onslaught of the media. Devin's charming smile fell into an unusual look of disdain as he turned to her.
"I hate doing that. I don't know how you willingly sign up for that every day."
The midnight wind picked up, ripping against her skin. Much to her chagrin, Devin immediately had his suit jacket off and around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes but didn't decline the gesture. "I sign up for the business, the greedy information vultures are just an unfortunate bonus."
He snorted at the description. He then jolted, apparently receiving a notification on his phone. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced down. "Looks like mom and dad just boarded their flight back from Aruba. They wanna have dinner tomorrow night, mom says you need to come."
"Tell her thanks but no thanks. I'll talk to her later if I find the time."
He typed the response, and a moment later he smirked. "Dad says that he's going to call the directors from your Kord Industries meeting tomorrow and tell them to cancel if you don't."
She narrowed her eyes. "He doesn't even have the jurisdiction to do that— the company's in my name now. How does he know I have a meeting with them?"
Meredith already knew the answer. She had a powerful name, but Gregory Elias was an original Gotham big business owner, and regardless of if he ran the company or not, no one ever said no to their father.
"C'mon, Mare. When's the next time we're all gonna be able to eat dinner together again?"
"Probably Christmas."
"Yeah, and that's only if you don't ditch out on most of it like you did last year."
"I had a three billion dollar proposal presentation the next day."
"I'm telling them you're coming."
"Whatever."
He stood there and tapped on his phone, and she sighed. Her secretary, Janette, wasn't going to be happy to find out that she was going to have to reschedule Meredith's call tomorrow night for the third time this week.
There was a sudden burst of air, which made her grip the sides of Devin's jacket to keep it from falling off. Standing in front of them, illuminated by red and blue lights from the emergency vehicles, was Flash.
"Hey, thanks for the help with the media," he said, sounding briefly out of breath. "Supes got rid of the bomb, I just put Firefly back in jail, Batman and the Robins are taking care of the Stone which is now on its way to Gotham again. There's a little bit of damage to the roof of the nuclear plant and obviously to city hall but nothing major—"
"I already called in construction crews." Meredith waved her hand. "Elias Incorporated will reimburse it so the bill doesn't fall on Central City's taxpayers."
"Any word on the Deadshot situation?" Devin asked. "We still don't know why he was after Meredith."
Barry shook his head. "Nah, but give Bats, like, two to three business hours and he should have whoever hired Deadshot behind bars."
Devin chuckled. They fell silent as the echo of a man's voice was being amplified down the block, sounding like he was giving orders.
"I should go get things sorted out with the police commish," Barry said. "Dev, let's catch up next time you're in town. Meredith, I'll see you at the meeting Wednesday?"
She nodded.
"Alright, Flash out." He gave them a crooked grin and a two-finger salute, and then the spot in front of them was empty. She patted her hair down from the sudden rush of air created by the speedster.
There was a moment of quiet, and then Devin barked out a laugh.
"Your job is so weird."
* * *
Hi everyone! I just finished editing another two chapters, so I think I'll post both of them now. Thank you for all of the support on this book! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far :) Thanks for 2.5k!
xo Alexa