The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 323: The Big Action]

Early in the morning, Erica woke up and realized she was alone. She quickly got ready, called out for her boyfriend, and received a response from upstairs.

The wind howled as Hawke stood on the rooftop, using binoculars to scan the northern horizon.

"What's going on?" Erica asked as she approached him.

Hawke handed her the binoculars. "In Malibu, Santa Monica, and the Hollywood Hills, there are serious wildfires erupting at dawn, and the flames are spreading toward residential areas."

Erica lifted the binoculars and saw smoke billowing in the distance, turning the sky gray. The north wind carried a charred smell into Santa Monica.

Just then, Hawke's phone vibrated, and he stepped aside to answer it.

...

It was Campos. "Boss, the fires are everywhere to the north."

"They're already on the front lines, capturing exclusive footage. I'm compiling everything right now and will send it out to Twitter ASAP."

"Make sure they stay safe out there," Hawke replied, glancing at his watch. "I'll send someone to meet you."

...

He hung up and called Caroline. "Is the little sheep up yet?"

Caroline played along, bleating, "Baa~"

Hawke quickly said, "There's a fire in Los Angeles, and those from Butterfly have caught a lot of exclusive footage and photos. Get to the company right away."

Caroline, still not finished with breakfast, grabbed her briefcase and rushed out. "I'm on my way."

...

Hawke hung up and looked at Erica. "You're not on crowd control, are you?"

Erica lowered the binoculars. "Keeping order is the job of police officers. Don't worry, I'm not heading into the fire."

She sneezed twice and added, "Looks like this fire has finally ignited."

...

Hawke's phone rang again; it was Brian calling this time.

"Let's meet," Brian said.

"Same place," Hawke replied, disconnecting the call. He turned to Erica. "I have to go."

They descended the stairs together. Erica knew he was going north and urged, "Don't get too close to the fire."

Hawke nodded and stepped outside where Edward brought the car around.

To navigate the mountains, Edward drove a Mercedes G-Class.

Hawke opened the door but paused to look up at the sky, extending his palm to catch falling ash carried by the wind from the north.

"Take me to Beverly Hills," he instructed Edward as they got in.

...

Edward began driving, saying, "Boss, last night I followed Carlos and Garcia to the north side of Santa Monica. The fire is spreading rapidly."

With a rainfall of only 16.9 millimeters for the past six months and intense heat, the dry branches and leaves had gone uncleaned, making the slow burn a rarity.

Hawke knew too well how infrastructure and public services had declined in America since the early '90s when the Red Giant Bear had collapsed.

"How bad is it over there?" Hawke asked.

Edward replied quickly, "My friend Michael has already returned to Compton. Many people there are watching the fire closely. It's almost instinctive for them to act as soon as the media reports things are out of control. They could rush out of Compton at any moment."

That rush out of Compton was entirely different from anything Hawke had experienced.

Edward continued, "There's a concentration of homeless individuals in Hollywood, many of whom are restless."

Hawke stated, "The fire has just begun; it's not chaotic enough yet."

As they entered Century City, the wind roared between the skyscrapers.

...

Inside the Beverly Business Club's meeting room, Hawke met with Brian.

"I got solid intel," Brian started. "The female firefighters that the fire department hired had nearly no impact during the early morning fires. And the water pressure in the fire hydrants was critically low."

He chuckled. "Under normal circumstances, even with high winds, the situation shouldn't get out of control, but as it stands, it's rampant. Fires have erupted in two neighborhoods on the edge of Sherman Oaks, and three more below the Hollywood Hills, with Malibu being even worse off."

Hawke remarked, "All of our preparations have taken effect." Then he asked, "What's the situation with Antonio?"

"Antonio went to Asia. Busan is a sister city with Los Angeles, and he's attending an international art festival there. He's going to need time to return," Brian speculated. "Wildfires happen every year in Los Angeles, so I doubt he's taking it too seriously."

...

A text alert rang out, and Brian looked at his phone. "Susan just got confirmed news that Antonio instructed the fire department to highlight the strength of female firefighters as a demonstration of democracy and freedom..."

Hawke understood immediately. "Antonio hasn't grasped the gravity of the situation. Perhaps the fire department misled him, turning this disaster into a political stunt."

Brian replied, "The newly appointed fire chief, Karen Crowley, seems more like a social activist. From what Susan gathered, Karen reported to Antonio that the fire is totally under control."

Hawke insisted, "We need to act quickly."

"Let the flames purify everything!" Brian muttered, leaving the meeting room.

...

Once outside, Hawke first went to the office with Edward, who had received videos and images from Campos and snagged content taken by Susan.

Most were exclusives.

After careful selection, Hawke kept the footage focused on the female firefighters and the lack of water in the fire hydrants, releasing only the reports reflecting the fire's intensity.

The number of affected individuals wasn't significant enough yet, and public pressure was inadequate. Hawke needed the fire to grow further, especially since many celebrities lived in those northern neighborhoods. The real attention would come when their houses burned down.

...

Meanwhile, in Sherman Oaks, Tobey Maguire, who had drunk heavily the night before, was still waking up late into the morning.

Massaging his throbbing head, he picked up his phone, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and stood by the balcony window to look outside.

The toothbrush clattered to the floor.

Tobey froze as he stared ahead. Was that firelight and smoke? What was happening?

He rushed back to rinsing his mouth, and hurriedly stepped outside with his phone.

Faintly, he heard the sound of a loudspeaker broadcasting.

"Residents, evacuate immediately! The fire is coming!"

Exiting his villa, without the air conditioning, Tobey was hit by the acrid smell of smoke.

The wind was fierce, carrying hot embers with it.

Coughing from the smoke, his phone rang, and he quickly answered.

On the other end, Leonardo called out, "I just saw the news! The fire is close to your house. Are you still at home?"

"I was drunk last night and just woke up. I didn't think it would reach me," Tobey replied.

Leonardo, much clearer-headed, shouted, "Two communities in Malibu have already burned to ashes. You need to get out now!"

Tobey hesitated. "But my belongings..."

"Forget about that! Those can be replaced. You can't just throw away your life!" Leonardo nearly shouted. "Get in your car and come to me. Leave everything else!"

Tobey was encouraged by Leonardo's words and didn't head back inside but dashed to the garage, jumping into a Porsche Cayenne before speeding out of his home.

...

Outside on the street, aside from two cars from the community, no one else was around.

Flames had engulfed parts of the houses to the east and north of the neighborhood.

With the roaring of the wind, the fire spread faster than he could imagine.

Tobey parked at a plaza on the outskirts of the street, where crowds of residents gathered.

He spotted TV star Sarah Jessica Parker, America's sweetheart Jennifer Aniston, Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, last year's Best Actress Halle Berry, and renowned producer David Heyman, among others.

Nearby, several reporters were setting up cameras to capture the unfolding chaos.

Yet despite the presence of fire trucks and dozens of firefighters, nobody was fighting the fire.

Tobey approached David Heyman, confused. "Why isn't anyone putting out the fire?"

David glared at a middle-aged woman in uniform. "Do you really expect a female chief to put out a fire?"

Tobey looked closely and noticed many of the firefighters were indeed women.

"Oh my God!" Sarah Jessica Parker exclaimed in distress.

The crowd gathered, and to their horror, under public scrutiny, this Hollywood actress's mansion was consumed by flames.

Standing there, Spider-Man could only watch as the fire raced toward him, engulfing his house and turning the whole villa into a torch.

In that moment, Tobey recalled what the real estate agent had once told him: that specially treated wooden houses were the safest against fires.

How could he have been so foolish to believe that?

...

As Tobey's home burned, Garcia turned the camera to capture Tobey's helpless expression before shifting to the flaming mansion.

"Spider-Man witnesses a ten-million-dollar mansion go up in flames, powerless to act!"

That headline would certainly grab attention.

...

Seeing the destruction of their homes, residents' rage spiked, and many confronted the fire department and community council, blaming them for inaction.

Then came the shocking news: the fire hydrants that should have immense pressure were completely dry!

Tobey's mansion, worth ten million dollars, held valuables and decorations worth millions more. He screamed at the female chief, "The fire burns right in front of you, and you are doing nothing!"

The newly appointed fire chief, Karen Crowley, though inexperienced at battling blazes, excelled at social activism.

She retorted, "Who says we're doing nothing?"

Women must win, she thought. They must earn the credit.

So, she resolved to set in motion a big action.

*****

/Sayonara816.