Location: San Francisco, California, world of Earth
A few moments earlier, Alex was looking out of the window over the city, replaying the conversation with Vivian. Does she have a secret twin? But none of that showed up in Julian's investigative reports. She was an only child…
Alex's thoughts were disrupted by a total blackout of his office. He looked at the lobby and noticed it was also completely dark. He looked back out at the city and the lights all seemed to be on as they normally would be—except for a small radius of street lights around the GIG building.
But then he had a sudden thought.
Vivian took the elevator down. Is she stuck in a dark elevator or the dark garage? He tried to call her phone, but only heard: "The subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable."
Alex grabbed his coat and keys before pulling his cellphone out of a metallic bag in his desk drawer. He covered the distance between his office and the door to the stairwell swiftly using what little ambient light was filtering in. While he noticed a faint burnt-wire-smell and the phone he had just recently charged only at 10% remaining power, he was able to turn on the flashlight function long enough to find the stairwell and begin his descent. Alex was hopeful she had enough time to have exited the elevator and entered the parking garage. For efficiency, he decided to check the garage first and then each floor elevator door heading back up if she wasn't in the garage.
At the bottom of the entire zig-zag of the stairs, Alex opened the door to the garage, his phone flashlight oscillating. He spotted Vivian's car still in a parking spot and what looked like a figure in the driver's seat. "Vivian?" he called out. "Are you still here?" He then heard the car door open and he aimed the beam low enough to not blind her but still able to see her in the glow.
"Are you okay? It looks like we had a localized blackout."
Vivian responded, "Yes, but… my car battery seems to be dead."
"That's not a problem. I drove myself today. I can give you a lift." Before he finished his offer, he was already pushing the car unlock button on his key fob. But nothing was happening. "Just give me a moment." He walked over to his car and hit the button again, but nothing happened again. Thinking the battery in the fob might need to be replaced, Alex used the manual key entry and opened his car door. But no light came on his car. Undeterred, he got into the driver's seat and tried to start the car… and nothing happened.
He got out of his car and closed the door. He walked over to Vivian and announced, "Somehow, my battery is also dead." He looked at his own phone which seemed to be working as usual. "Maybe you should call that friend of yours to pick you up while I wait for a tow service to jump my car."
Vivian shook her phone with the screen facing Alex. "My phone also seems to be out of power."
"What in the world…? Well, I think I have just enough power left to text Jae to come and pick us up. I'd feel better if she accompanied you until you were home safe. You're still at Ben's, right?"
Vivian felt like he was testing her, but she knew the answer. "Didn't anyone tell you that Ben had a small kitchen fire?"
"Oh, right," Alex said with a hint of hesitation.
"We were staying at an apartment that his firm keeps, but were told they needed it for a client." It was really a good thing Vivian caught up on what happened while she was in Aethelgard from Ben.
"You don't have a place of your own? You said you were staying as a guest with your friend because yours was too far away?" Alex said, testing again.
"I do, but someone broke in and made a big mess while I was on rotation. And then Ben went into his overprotective mode. And then I got sick… it's been… a lot." Vivian said, half-chuckling in disbelief toward the end of her explanation based on Ally's exploits while in Vivian's body.
"Well, while we're waiting for Jae, why don't we go to the cafe instead of staying in this dark place? And maybe you could catch me up," Alex suggested.
Vivian hesitated, feeling like he would continue to test her. While at the same time, it gave her an opportunity to prove that she was also the previous Vivian he interacted with when she was, in fact, Ally. Vivian nodded as she reclaimed her confidence. "Sounds perfect."
Alex and Vivian crossed the street and walked a few blocks into the cafe where Alex and Ally (pretending to be Vivian) met shortly after the previous switch. Vivian recognized it as the building where Ben's firm was located, but she never noticed how close it was to GIG before.
"Pick out a table, and I'll get our drinks." He started to walk away then turned back and asked, "Did you want the scones like you had last time?" Alex asked knowing that the woman who looked like her had a lemon tart.
Vivian bit on her lower lip. Another test. Crap. "You know what? I'm not really hungry. Just the drink is fine."
"Got it," Alex responded before turning to go to the order counter.
Vivian exhaled in relief for the short reprieve. She thought back to their journey across the street, leaving the completely dark GIG building and the dead streetlights surrounding the parking garage. The building, the streetlights, the cars' batteries, her phone… Could I have absorbed all of that energy to use my void magic for just that short period of time? Vivian was deep in thought when Alex returned with two cups, setting one in front of Vivian.
Alex put his coat over the back of his seat before sitting and then leaned on the table as he let his coffee cool a little. He watched Vivian, who took the coffee without hesitation, despite the tea that she insisted on the last time. "So, Vivian? I've been meaning to ask. Who was that woman pretending to be you?"
"I don't…." Vivian began to say, but Alex interrupted.
"I'm not an idiot, and you know I have an eye for detail. She was a completely different person from you—from speech patterns to habits to mannerisms." He purposefully paused before he continued. "I thought maybe it was a secret twin, but you don't have any siblings," Alex finished, waiting for an earnest response.
Vivian's initial internal reaction: Crap. Crap. Crappity Crap.
"That's just…" She was going to deny it. But maybe this is a blessing in disguise. "You do have an eye for detail, Alex. I guess I'm not surprised that you weren't fooled. That woman is like a sister to me. But maybe doppelgänger would be more accurate. Or even 'decoy.'" Vivian explained.
"Are things so bad that you need a decoy?"
"After my apartment was broken into and everything tossed without anything valuable being stolen, Ben insisted I take some additional safety measures." Forgive me, Ben, for using your name in deflection. I'll make it up to you. "He was picking her up when you ran into her. Sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't sure who I should trust."
Alex tensed. "They were looking for something? And you had to take such extreme measures?"
"Yes. Actually, before you showed up in the parking garage, two men with metal bats threatened me saying that I needed to stop the arson investigation."
"What?! You're just mentioning this now?" Alex seemed taken aback and alarmed.
"It was just a verbal threat, and I handled it. They won't be back," Vivian said, a hint at pride on her lips. "I only regret that I didn't find out who sent them before they ran off."
"That's it. I'm assigning Jae to you directly."
Vivian waved her hands, "Not necessary, Alex. It's not the first time (It was.), and I'm sure it won't be the last." (Probably true.)
"I'm going to add some security measures to your building, at least," Alex declared.
Vivian nonchalantly retorted, "You are welcome to ask the building owner for permission, provided the upgrades benefit all the tenants. I'm sure they would appreciate the extra measures if you secure approval."
"Not a problem. I own the building," Alex said.
"You what, now?" Crap on a stick.
"No need to be alarmed, Vivian. It was an acquisition already in the works before I even knew who you were," Alex assured her… while not really assuring her.
Alex's phone buzzed and he looked at the screen. "Jae texted she's about 15 minutes out if you can…" As Alex paused, a familiar face entered the cafe, looked around, and then headed for Alex and Vivian's table. "Amazing… he's like your personal knight in shining armor, that one," Alex commented with a smirk.