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| Page Ten |
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They fell back against something smooth, and cool.. "The pole! Ben, we've got to climb up." "I can't.. I'm too....*cough* ...weak.." "Come on, you've got to try..!" "Wait.. Jeremy,.. the bell.." Ben exclaimed, his cataract cloudy eyes getting wider. "What? You're not making any sense, Ben, just climb.. Pleas-se..." the boy sobbed pulling on Old Ben's arm where he lay against the fire pole. "No, listen to me, boy. I know what I'm talking about..*choke* Get on my shoulders.." "What?!" "Just do it. I'm going to lift you up and you are going to ring the bell.. Just pull the string. L.A. will hear us. Remember, I repaired the network.." Jeremy cried out as the old man shoved him up the pole. Inch by inch, the boy's fingers got closer to the satin rope. Then ...they... reached and Jeremy found that he had just enough strength to pull it down . SMASH!! A ball of fire landed against the wall in the pole space above his head, incinerating the bell's rope instantly. "No, you don't! I like to see my burns through to completion if you don't mind." challenged Torch. Screaming, Jeremy patted out the flames in both his and Ben's hair as they both tumbled back down to the stoney floor. Scrambling, Jeremy knelt by his friend's ear. "It's ok, it's ok, Ben, I put it out.. Get up.. Get up!.. I thought of something else.. You've got to make it to my dad's office. Get to the red door..It leads into the yard.. *gasp* Go, Ben, they'll find you...!" "A fireman never leaves his v----" But Old Ben started coughing violently in the heavy smoke. "Just go! Back the way we came. I'll try to draw him off!" Jeremy scrambled away from Ben and then back up the scalding brass pole. Half way up, he swung over to the flaming, disintegrating stairwell and up into the bunkloft at the top without a second glance back. When Ben got his wind back, he opened his eyes. He found that Jeremy was no longer at his side. "Jeremy!" he called out. "Jeremy!" Seconds later, the flames crawled too close for him to continue to look for the boy and Old Ben was forced to drag himself into the office despite what he wished. Once, there, to his horror, he found that Jeremy's plan for quick escape, would never hold any water. Torch had bolted the outer door with chains and padlocks.....from the inside. Hot, breathless and scorched, the exhausted ex-firefighter began to pound frantically on the door but Old Ben soon blacked out onto the floor and his body rolled limply against the metal of the barricaded door. -------------------------------------------- At L.A. headquarters, Sam Lanier saw a light go on that he hadn't seen in seven years. ::What th? It's old station nine.:: He thought. ::That's an in-house emergency signal coming from the mainpole's bell box..: His mind flashed back to the night of the earthquake when a fire captain by the name of Conners had rung the very same bell ....for the last time. By their own volition, his fingers toggled the tone call of the station nearest that area. --------------------------------------------------- |
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##Station 51. Truck 127, Batallion 14. Automated Fire Call. 2049 East 223rd Street. Cross street, Wilmington Ave. 2049 East 223rd Street. Cross street, Wilmington Ave. Time out : 18:26.## (Get where this is? :) ) "That's d*mned peculiar.." Cap exclaimed, recognizing the location. "Say Lopez, isn't that the firehouse that came down in the quake of--" "Sure is, Cap.." "Let's go.." Victoria rose in her seat. "Oh, no. Not there." "What's wrong, Vic? This is probably just a milk run. Sometimes the wires beneath the old buildings in that neighborhood, get cross connected and the random power surges do some pretty strange things." Stoker told her. "No, no no. You don't understand. That's where Jeremy Conners' father died. Tonight is the seventh anniversary of his death.." Mike Stoker whirled towards Victoria as the guys rolled out top speed in the engine and squad. ------------------------------------------------ Jeremy remembered leaving behind the fire and the heat. He only had focus enough, to find Torch. Rats ran frantically across the floor of the second story bunkhouse and in many places, the floor was rotting and unsafe. But Jeremy knew where the solid timbers were and he leaped across to them nimbly. He didn't speak, knowing that any noise from him could be lethal. Torch's personality always digressed far beyond sanity while he was attending a burn. Soon, Jeremy reached the place he wanted. Bunk Ten, his father's. The mattress was gone, but the coils were still half woven into the bedframe. The boy quietly paced three floor boards at its foot, avoiding the fourth and leaped the rest of the way to the bed. Determined, Jeremy got up on the rusty bed springs and started jumping up and down, cheering at the top of his lungs. Soon, Torch's voice filtered through the dark. "Why are you jumping for joy, kid? Don't you know that I'm going to finish y--" "Yayyy! He's dead and I did it.." said Jeremy, fiercely, bouncing closer until he was at the foot of the bed nearest Torch. The whole time, Jeremy never ceased jumping. "What?" Torch blinked, shifting a lit fire bottle into his other hand. Jeremy felt his breath rattle thinly in his chest as he made his dry lips move. "That old man. I burned him. Burned him good..." he hissed, dropping to his hands and knees, to laugh openly. That halted Torch, cold. His face fell from murderous intent to one of confusion... Then Torch's toothless face split into a wide grin that came slowly and he said. "Well, all right. Didn't know you had it in you, Red." and he blew out the fire bomb in his grip. Jeremy watched the rebel walk closer across the squeaking fungus ridden boards, nearer and nearer to bed number ten. "Well, this changes everything, Red. Welcome to the gang. You passed my test. Put it there, man..." Torch said, taking another step forward towards Jeremy on the bedsprings. The boy looked up and saw a leather glove approaching, offering a hand shake to him just inches away from his face. SNAP!! The fourth floor board snapped and gave way, dropping Torch into the heart of the blazing inferno roaring through the main garage below. The flames' fury cut off any possible sound he could have made while falling, instantly. |
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Jeremy's face suddenly twisted and his eyes watered with hot tears, completely blinding him. He felt a moan form in his throat, but the boy who was Jeremy Conners no longer cared about communicating. Somewhere deep inside he was deathly afraid that he no longer had the will to try and make it back down to Old Ben in the Cap's office. Heart and mind in pain, Jeremy collapsed on the wired bedframe, begging his memory to offer up the familiar image of his father, Captain Conners, before it was too late. "Dad, " he sighed.. "..get me out of here....." Jeremy shivered and then his head began to sink lower and lower from the dwindling supply of breathable air. The angry fire that had killed Torch, the gang leader, rose through the hole in the floor, rearing up over the bed frame where Jeremy Conners had suddenly fallen very still. ----------------------------------------------- "Marco, Charlie, Roy, John, string two inch and a halfs and cover the west side. And be careful. Looks like another gang related torch job. There's a Harley in front." Cap shouted. Then he lifted his HT.##L.A. we have a fully involved brick and wood two story structure. Advise the power company to kill the electricity to our one block area.## "Really?" Gage said as he hurried by. Cap grinned. "Yeah, saw a spark on the power pole over there. Looks like some half wit's jury rigged a line into the old firehouse itself. Gage spread the word. I want everyone in full SCBA." "Right, Cap." Hank Stanley saw the mess the blaze had already made of the old gallant fire station. Already the main tower was crumbling to pieces in a rain of ash and sparks. Again his HT met his mouth, ##Truck 127, cover the south side. Protect that direct exposure. Battalion Fourteen. Cover the cross street drive and set up your command post there.## Hank heard the hail of 10-4's reply back to his orders. Then he saw a very quiet Chet standing in front of the pumper panel off Old Red. "Well, pal. Here's your chance to shine.. Think you remember everything?" Chet was watching the fire with a fascinated horror. "I sure do. Mike didn't let me sleep last night at all 'cause he was quizzing me so hard. " "All right, then. Have at it. Look sharp for problem spots. Oh, and for look for any arsonists, too. They usually panic and bail out in the worst possible place for it." |
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Chet nodded numbly. Then he turned back to his chemical dials and water guages. "Man, this is humbling.. " he said to himself. "I literally have the lives of the hose team crew in my hands.." "Yeah, well don't let that get to your head, Chet.." Roy grinned, jogging by with the K-12. The blond haired fireman already had on his air bottle. "Believe me, I have a healthy respect for Stoker's position from here on out." Roy chuckled. Then he shouted. "Cap!" "Yeah..." "Johnny and I are going in through that red door right there. Looks like the fire hasn't broken through to that room yet.." Cap eyeballed the door Roy was pointing to. "Sounds like a plan.. Good spot to start gutting the building. Have at it." he nodded. Roy waved at Johnny to follow him up with Marco on a covering hose and he put on his mask. "This looks good.." he mumbled as he set the blade into the door about waist high. He cut around the horizontal bar, creating a football sized hole in under a minute. Then he reached inside and tried to lift the door's latch from the interior. It didn't budge. Grunting, he took off his glove and tried again, feeling around for the reason why his cutting didn't work. He shifted around to use his other hand when he was shocked to find a smear of red on his skin.. ::That's blood..:: He pulled off his mask and peered through the window. "Hey, is anybody in there?!" He looked down and saw Old Ben lying on the ground. He had bloodied his hands trying to claw his way to air. "Marco, Johnny! On the double. We've a victim in here!!" Marco dropped the hose and came pelting with the haligan.. |
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-------------------------------------------- Victoria took full advantage of Mike's status as a firefighter to get under the fire lines nearest the scene. She pulled up her green Matador on a safe part of the street and quickly led Stoker to his captain's side. Barking, Boot also jumped out of the car's open window and ran with them. Mike Stoker immediately told Victoria to leave Boot with Hank and to wait by the car for news of Jeremy. "But.." "It's too dangerous. You don't know how to keep safe this close to a fire." "Boot can show me h--" "No he can't. He'll be working, watching the guys in case they run into trouble. He's also on alert for any potential victims shouting from the windows. " "But Jeremy's still in there!" she wailed. "Hey, now. We don't know that for a fact." Mike said firmly. Just then, Boot bounded across the burning boards and hissing water puddles left over from Truck 127's water shield, making a beeline for Roy's hacked open door. "They've found someone!!" Victoria shouted. Mike had the good sense to keep his grip tight on her shoulders because soon after, she fought him. "It's my father, Mike! Oh my G*d!" "Stay put, Vic. They'll be bringing him here." Sure enough, Johnny and Roy ran with Old Ben, arm-draped between them, towards the rescue squad. "They're coming!" Vic said. Mike shouted. "Cap!!.. Roy and Johnny got a man out of there.." Cap left his place by the engine and grabbed the medical gear and 02 tank from the squad's hold. Gage looked up as he carefully lowered Old Ben to the ground. "Thanks, Cap. We can take it from here." "Keep me posted.." And Hank disappeared into the darkness. Vic tore away from Mike and hurried to Ben's side. "How is he? Oh, please.." she sobbed, afraid to touch him. "He's gonna be fine. Looks like all he needs is some 02." Roy said. Old Ben started to moan as the fresh air outside revived him. "Get...Jer--" "What?" Johnny asked Ben. "Now just lie still." he ordered. But Ben wouldn't. He still seemed to be struggling to talk. Gage bent close to make out Ben's words. "Just keeping breathing in this oxygen..It'll help ya focus. Now.. what is it that's so important to tell us?" Ben fought Gage's hands, shoving the mask aside with bloody fingers. "Get him out.. Up....pole.." he gasped. |
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"Ok, ok, ok.. Just lie back down and take it easy... Cap!!" Johnny hollered. "We've got another victim in there.. This man says he's on the second floor." "I'm on it.." And Hank waved two from Truck 127's crew to gear up for an exploratory. Just then the whole front of the firehouse came tumbling down towards the row of water spraying firetrucks and Victoria. A loose stone struck her and she went down. "Victoria??" Roy shouted. Johnny and Roy rushed over to check her out as fast as they could. Chet could only watch hopelessly. "What happened?" Mike demanded. "Wall collapse. Victoria took a brick to the side of her head." Roy said. "She ok?" "We don't know yet.." |
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