Episode 34 Blackout (part 3/3) (Patreon)

Angela Lopez

She thought this year’s last hurrah was the messy business with Alex Montel. It looked like 2018 was not done, and it decided to release one more event, one that truly caught her off guard. Her former boot was a what now?

Jack was a prince. A real prince of Royal blood, one that can trace his lineage for several hundred years, whose ancestors played key parts in the world’s most pivotal moments that led to what it is today.

Damn. And now Jack wasn’t answering. She didn’t know why she started calling him as soon as she saw his picture plastered on the TV. This was big, real big. Nothing attracted more attention than politics, and it looked like Jack was being used by both sides.

He was a hero, some say he was a symbol of oppression. Pundits can’t seem to decide how to label Jack. Was he a patriot? An activist? Several agencies were digging through his financials with a fine-tooth comb, revealing the extent of his donations. Her cousin Camille was pissed, and complained to her that her phone hadn’t stopped ringing since the news of Jack’s past was revealed nationwide.

If there was one thing the public loved more than a celebrity scandal, it was a political scandal, and Jack was smack in the middle of it. He even checked all the boxes. He was a celebrity, a decorated police officer, an orphan past and now a royal lineage. The media was blowing it up, and her rookie was blowing up magnitudes more than when he saved Taylor Swift from kidnapping. His name was now being spoken by nearly everyone in the city.

 Her phone rang, and he hoped it was Jack, but it turned out it was someone equally famous.

“Hi, Taylor.” She held a sign for Wesley to lower the volume on the TV so that she could hear the pop star clearly. It isn’t every day a celebrity of her caliber calls her after all.

“Angela, thank God.” Taylor seemed breathless. “Have you managed to talk to Jack?”

“Unfortunately, no.” She answered. “His phone just keeps on ringing. Zoe’s too. They’re not answering at the moment.”

“I see. I tried calling him as well.” The pop star shared. “Anyway, if you manage to talk to him, tell him I can send one of my Jets to fly him back if he wants. I know how difficult it must be for him right now.”

Jets? As in plural? She focused back on the topic. “That’s very generous, Taylor. I’ll be sure to tell them.”

 “It just finished maintenance in Baltimore anyway.” Taylor continued speaking. “Just tell Jack to contact me if he needs it.”

“Will do.”

“Can’t wait for our prince to come back home! Thanks, Angela!” Taylor giggled and ended the call.

That was the royal factor. Even a global celebrity couldn’t help but feel amazed by Jack newly revealed history. She was worried for her rookie and wondered how he was coping with all this national attention. She remembered the captain was there and relaxed a bit. With those two together, she was confident they would be able to overcome any issues. She sent a text message relaying Taylor’s offer, hoping that Jack would finally get around to checking his phone.

She focused back on the TV since Wesley increased the volume once more and started switching channels. Nearly every news network was talking about Jack, even the BBC. They were trying to trace his connection with the sitting Windsors and his mother. The picture showed a beautiful woman, and she had no trouble believing a prince would run away with her and elope. She could see that he shared the exact shade of hair, along with those beautiful eyes.

“This changes things.” Wesley observed. “Jack’s publicly acknowledged familial connection by the King himself will open new opportunities for him.”

“How so?” She asked.

“It’s the only thing old family crap cared for, along with those trust fund babies.” Wesley answered. “Legacy.”

“Aren’t you a trust fund baby yourself?” She gave her boyfriend a look.

“Really?”

“Sorry.” She could see how serious Wes was, judging by his demeanor. Wesley came from old money, but was not at the level of the Kennedys or the Rockefellers in terms of wealth and influence. They still had generational wealth, though, and she felt that her comment was quite accurate. “What was the last part? Legacy?”

“Not just that, being a Royal changes things. People will literally throw money at you so that you can be at their parties. Of course, they use the more polite term, and call it a charitable donation for some generic cause.”

“And the older and more relevant your past is, the more attractive they are to the people that care about that.”

“And that means the majority of the people.” She noted.

“And his family is practically connected to almost all the royal families in Europe on both sides.” Wesley explained. “His actions will be closely scrutinized from now on.”

Robin Scherbatsky

 The day sucked.

She was enjoying her job and had just settled in the city, and now, Corporate reassigned her to their Baltimore branch to cover for their reporter who had just given birth.  It was a temporary one-month gig, and she had to settle for it since she really didn’t have any other choice. It was unfair, their ratings were slowly climbing up, viewership had increased, and she worked hard for that. Instead of enjoying her success, they exiled her to this sleepy city with nothing to do except to cover the occasional political scandal or the latest extramarital affair from one of the senators or congressmen.

Things were much more exciting in New York City. She missed the city, and she missed her friends. She heard Ted was seeing someone now thanks to Lily, and she realized how easy it was for him to get over their relationship.

Her camera crew was having lunch somewhere, and they didn’t even bother to invite her, so she decided to have lunch at a local diner. If there was one thing she could like about Baltimore, it was their crab cakes.

The diner was half full and all of the cozy booths were occupied, but she spotted an empty table near the corner and headed there. She gave a quick glance at her fellow diners while she waited for the waitress to bring her menu.

Thoughts of crab cakes left her head when she spotted a handsome man sitting across from her. He was sitting alone, and she was immediately captivated by his appearance. Tall, broad-shouldered, and damn, those cheeks and chin. Wow, this Baltimore assignment was starting to look up. She fixed her hair and checked her reflection with her pocket mirror to make sure her teeth were clean and her lipstick was still perfect. She needed to make a good first impression.

She was about to approach him when another woman arrived from the restroom and sat beside him. It was then that she noticed the two plates, two coffee cups, and the rings on their fingers. She moved back, disappointed. And there she thought she would finally find the right guy after breaking up with Ted, but this one was taken too.

Why were all the good ones taken? The woman was pretty, a bit older than her, but she knew the guy was younger. He still had that youthful look and presence about him, but why did his face look so familiar? Was he an actor? A model perhaps?

“What will you have, dear?” A waitress approached her table with a menu.

“A crab cake platter, please, with orange juice.” She replied.

“Coming right up.”

Still bitter about finding a guy and seeing he was already taken, she fished out her phone from her pocket and started scrolling through the news. It looked like the story with that L.A. cop, Jack Routh was still going strong. This time, they were focusing on his accomplishments in his service to the city of Los Angeles. School shootings, stopping rampaging cars, the man's record was impressive, and he did it all on his rookie year as a cop.

It was crazy. The news broke out this morning, and it was still a hot topic, and it was already noon. She once more admired the photos of him in Hawaii, and she slowly realized why the man for earlier looked so familiar. It was him! Jack Routh!

She was starting to panic, and she realized she needed to do something, fast. She could not let this opportunity get away from her. What would be her approach? Just barge right in and hold a recorder to his face? No. That was rude, and she wasn’t brought up that way by her father. No, she was a Canadian, and they were a polite people except for hockey season. She took a deep breath and stood up, and headed to their table. Here we go.

“Hi.” She carefully adjusted her voice so that she wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m Robin Scherbatsky, a reporter from Metro News 1 in New York. I know it’s a bit rude of me, but could I bother you for an interview after you’re done eating?”

She watched as the couple exchanged looks and communicated in a way only people in love do with their eyes, like with Lily and Marshall. She felt a bit of jealousy seeing that, reminding her of how alone she was right now.

“Why don’t you join us?” The woman invited her. “We can talk more casually over breakfast.”

“Of course. Thank you.” She felt elated. Her approach worked!

There was a lot of space on the booth, and the waitress arrived with her order and didn’t even comment on her switching tables.

She allowed the couple to eat first, and she started on her own food, realizing how hungry she was at that moment.

“So where’s your crew?” Jack Routh asked her once she had finished one of the two crab cakes.

“I’ve just been reassigned here from New York to cover for another reporter.” She explained. “Haven’t gotten close to them yet.”

“I think I saw you on TV before when I was in New York.” Routh shared. “It was late, around one am, and you were interviewing that author.”

“Oh.” Shit. That was the time she kept saying but, um. “It’s complicated.”

“It was entertaining.” He smiled. At that moment, she was struck at how he looked even more gorgeous up close. It took her a moment to compose herself and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“I was making a point to my friend.” She explained. “They made fun of me for saying but, um, and turned it into a drinking game whenever I said it.”

“So you decided to teach them a lesson instead.” Jack Routh laughed. His pretty wife also smiled and gave her an approving nod.

“So, can we start with the interview?” She asked once they finished their food and paid the bill. “And do you mind if I record it with my phone?”

“Sure.” Routh shrugged. “I never participated in an official one, so this will be my first.”

“Really?” She was amazed at her luck. She would be the first one to interview him?

“But maybe we can find a better location?”  His wife suggested.

She had to agree with that. They would certainly attract unwanted attention and decided to head to a nearby park. She noticed how relaxed and down-to-earth the two were and how easy it was to talk to them. She realized they weren’t putting up an act, they were just being themselves. It was a refreshing change from what she was used to.

The setup was simple, and they sat under a tree. Routh took off his coat and spread it on the ground, allowing him to sit on the grass with his wife. Luckily, she had her bag with her that contained an emergency shirt, and used it as her own blanket.

She set up her camera to start recording with Routh in the middle, his wife sitting close to him, while she sat a bit further away. It was like they were having a picnic.

“We’re recording.” She announced. “Good afternoon, I’m Robin Scherbatscky of Metro News One. Today, we have as our guest, Jack Routh, and his wife, Zoe. First question, Jack, why did you agree to the interview?”

“You were polite and considerate.” Routh answered. “You even waited for us to finish our meal.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. The interview was off to a great start. “What are you doing here on the other side of the country?”

“We were visiting my wife’s family.” Routh wrapped a hand around Zoe’s waist, and the brunette leaned closer to her husband, showing how affectionate they were to the world.

“Were you aware of your secret lineage before the news broke out?” She asked.

“No.”  Routh answered. “I just learned about it when the news broke out on TV.”

“We were surprised like you were.” Zoe spoke this time. “It made my family reunion more… interesting.”

“So how do we address you now?”

“Just Jack, or Officer Routh, when I’m on duty. I’m not part of the Dutch Royal family, and so the titles and honorifics do not apply to me, I just share their blood.” She realized that the man was natural in front of the camera. Charming and eloquent, she barely had to work at all and cover for him.

“So what are your plans moving forward?”

“The same.” Jack replied. “I do my job, serve the city, and protect the public.”

She hated to do this, but she had to ask the tough questions too. “Doesn’t it complicate things for you working in such a dangerous job? And what about your legal identity? Some may argue that your true name is Jacques, not Jack.”

“I got lost in the system.” He replied. “But to me, my current name and identity are my legal ones, and I’m going to keep using them. And about my work as a police officer and the dangers I face, I can say the same things as other professions. We still do it because we love our work.”

“Last question.” She turned to two of them. “What will you do if your family contacts you and wants to meet you?”

“I’ll receive them with courtesy and respect. They are my relatives.” He replied.  

“And that’s it for my interview with Jack and Zoe Routh. I’m Robin Scheratsky, Metro News One.”

She stood up and headed to her phone, and stopped the recording.

“That was perfect, thank you for allowing me to do this interview.” She told the couple.

“You’re welcome.” Jack looked satisfied.

“That was an excellent interview actually,” Zoe added. “For your first-ever media interview, that was as good as it can get.”

She quickly sent the file to her station manager in New York. She couldn’t wait to have it shown on air.

With her Camera crew still not present, she decided to stick around the couple and learned they were just trying to wait for their flight back to L.A.

“You should visit L.A.” Jack suggested. “With the upcoming Olympics, there’s plenty of job opportunities in the area.”

She never thought about that. West Coast. California. Sunshine and Hollywood. “I’ll consider it.”

“A friend let us use her private jet to fly straight back.” Jack revealed when she asked how they would avoid the press.

“I really owe Taylor one.”

Whoa. He meant Taylor Swift. She bid farewell to the couple as they left their hotel, having formed a positive impression on them since hanging out with them for the past couple of hours. Before their hotel car left the driveway, her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and realized it was her station manager in New York.

“Did you get it?” She asked.

“Of course I did! Head to TV now! It’s being shown on national!” National? Her eyes widened in shock. Her face would be shown and not just in New York City and the surrounding suburbs, but the entire country.

“How did you do it?” Her station manager asked, and she noticed that his voice was still breathless from excitement. "Don't you know how difficult it is to even track that guy?"

“I got lucky.” She started messaging her group chat, she wanted them to see this life-changing moment for her. With that done, she rushed back inside the hotel since she remembered seeing a TV there playing football games behind the bar.

She arrived at the bar just as the footage switched. A banner was being displayed at the bottom with the words BREAKING NEWS. People inside the bar turned to the TV, and conversation slowed to a trickle as they focused on America’s hottest story at the moment. A moment later, the footage she shot earlier with her phone started playing out, and her smile grew bigger.

She had made it.

John Nolan

Night shifts. Before, he hated it, but now he was slowly adjusting to it, and all it took was a supportive wife. He and Grace had timed it in a way that their shifts were nearly similar, and he would pick her up in the hospital and sleep for the day.

They would both then switch back to a day shift, and somehow, they were making it work.

Right now, he was at the scene of a horrific car crash. A man was being tended to by an EMT while he took photos of the scene. A blackout had happened, causing the traffic lights to turn off, and that resulted in numerous vehicular accidents like this one.

Movement from his periphery caught his attention, and he realized one of the onlookers had managed to move past the police line.

“Hey! You!” He called out to the smaller man holding up a cheap camcorder. “Get back there before I charge you with obstruction!”

“I’m Lou Bloom, Video Production News.” The man had the gall to stick his camera right up to his face.

He moved the camera aside and gave a stern warning to the man. “Final warning, move back behind the tape or I’ll have to arrest you.”

“Of course, Officer.” The man merely smiled and slowly backed up and turned his camera toward the injured driver. What the hell was wrong with that guy?

He kept an eye on him as he waited for reinforcements to properly secure the scene. As he feared, the man started inching towards the injured driver, who the EMTs were in the process of transporting to the ambulance.

“Move it.” He shoved the man to the side as he was in the way of the EMTs.

“I’m a lawfully abiding citizen, Officer. I was standing behind the tape.” Lou Bloom proclaimed. “Can you tell me if this is a DUI?”

“I’m not at liberty to speak at this moment.” The captain had warned him about reporters like that, able to twist their statements to suit their narratives.

Bloom merely smiled and headed back to his beat-up car, and even gave him a friendly wave as he left and followed the ambulance. Didn’t Bloom realize that was not appropriate at this moment? A man was fighting for his life, and his injuries were horrific. Does he even have a shred of sympathy and compassion?

He media was fucked up. All they could cover these days were violent crimes and horrible accidents. The more horrific it was, the better ratings they received. He had stopped watching late-night news since the trend among TV stations started.

His shift was nearly over, and he headed back to his car. He checked his phone and realized his group chat with Jack and Lucy was suddenly active. Jack had just messaged them, asking if they wanted to hang out after their shifts.

Hell yes. He needed a beer, badly, after what he had just seen. He was sure Grace would come too, the woman was intrigued by all this royal business and always watched the British Royal Family if there was something important happening, like a wedding or other elaborate ceremonies.

He had to admit the household cavalry looked amazing with their silver helmets, polished boots, sabers, and black steeds, but other than that, he really didn’t put too much thought into a single family across the Atlantic.

He was looking forward to hearing about Jack’s latest adventure during his leave, and maybe he could even tease him by calling him Jacques. He had to make sure he was out of arm’s reach before he started calling him that, though.