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FULL MOON BLUES |
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| PAGE THREE |
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********************************* From: "Clairissa Fox" <Canaryyello@hotmail.com> Date: Wed Oct 16, 2002 12:38 pm Subject: Big Troubles.. "Hey I see a foot!" Marco said, thick with laryngitis. "Where?" Mike said, shining his torch where Marco had pointed. He saw Lopez digging in a pile of cardboard, and they all converged on the spot, flinging away water soggy debris when, another moan filled the air, this time, from another direction. Cap was sharp. "Hey gang, fan out." Meanwhile, Marco had located his foot, it was an old boot, rank with stale beer. "Oops not here.." he said. The fog from the harbor began to spill into the alleyway, mingling with the smoke from the extinguished dumpster. Roy began to call out. "Hey mister! Can you hear me? L.A. County Fire Department. Keep talkin! We're trying to find you...." Another cry, this time legible.. "Over here.. Help me.. I--." Cap gestured to the left this time. "Hang on, I got my men searching for you right now. Keep making noise!" then he confided to Roy, "That's danged odd. How can someone that injured be in three places at the same time?" "Don't know, Cap.." Chet thrashed around with an old board, moving aside boxes, and bottles and half spilled steel trash cans, right down to the pavement when-- "Ahhhh...Stop!" Kelly froze. "Guys, over here. He just reacted to what I was doing! But I can't see anything in this fog!" Johnny, Roy, Mike, Marco, Cap, and Chet all ran to that area of the alley which seemed thick with rot, and refuge under their gloves. The stench was only made worse from the water the broken hose had sprayed all over. The headlights of the squad were uselessly muffled in the mist and Gage moved instinctively near Roy to have a reference point. |
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All their flashlights hit the back wall and the damp brick work there under another fire escape. Gage erupted. "I can't believe we didn't find him!" and he whirled around. Cap said, "All right, everybody. Back the way we came." Just then, came the sound of a very familiar starter, and a motor of a truck roared to life. The ghostly headlights of the squad wavered. Gage noticed it right away. "Hey! Hey!!" Gage yelled, running and leaping over crates and boxes. "Cap!! Someone's making off with the squad!!" "What?!" came Hank's voice. "The squad.. It's just been stolen!!" All heads raised just in time to see the two beams of lights from the squad flip around in a high tailed spin as it made its get away. Cap raised his HT. "L.A. Respond a police unit to our location. A carjacker has just made off with our rescue truck.." ##Ten Four, 51. Advising L.A.P.D to your incident.## "I don't believe this..!" Johnny exclaimed. "Who would do something like that? We're on a victim search here..." Marco suddenly gathered to the others with an old speaker rigged to a battery operated recorder in his hand. "How about a bunch of pranksters?" And his glove hit the play button. Trailing moans, just like the ones they had heard following the dumpster's explosion and the same cry Chet had heard, issued out of it. "Oh, man.. we've been set up by drug addicts. Thought the address seemed familiar.." Gage groaned. "Isn't this the same neighborhood where the San Pedro gang hangs out?" Roy stood leaning against an old hat rack. "Yep.. They must be after the pharmaceutical box." he said with a sigh. "That tears it.." Cap said. "When the police get here, let THEM search for more of these planted recorders. I'm not wasting another minute on this.." he roared. "Why me? Why US!!" he said, marching away back towards the engine. His voice came floating back towards the gang. "John, next time you have the brilliant idea of using the headlamps. Close your door next time huh pal?" Gage's face fell as he wiped off a trail of water running down his plastered hair left over from the wild hose. "Right.." |
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Chet said, "I wonder if they'll trash the squad.." "Oh, Chet..." John said sarcastically moving over to Stoker to help them put the hoses, the good and the bad one, away. A minute later, Vince and Martins pulled up, reds flashing. The burly officers ran out with their guns drawn into the air until they spied the bedraggled, soaked firefighters all lined up along the running board of the pumper. Once glance of the recorder and wires Cap tossed him and the way Gage was rubbing his face in frustration and weariness told him the immediate urgency was over. Vince waved his junior man to holster his weapon and did the same. "Everyone all right?" he asked setting his hands onto his hips. "We're fine. Anyone birdeye the squad yet?" Hank asked. Vince shook his head. "Looks like he or she made a clean getaway. And it'll take a while to locate it too. The seafog's rolled in for the night.." "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll try to go for a joyride.." Chet said, wringing out his drenched overcoat around the rear hand bars of the pumper. "Not likely.." Gage commented. "Listen, ah, Vince. Can you give us a ride to the station house? It's cold out here.. "Yeah.." "Go on, fellas. " Hank said. "We'll meet you back there. No doubt Vince has a stack of paperwork for us to fill out for the police report.." Roy and Johnny both grabbed blankets out of the engine's stokes cab to use as towels and a way to keep the squadcar's seats dry for the trip back. "Looks like a full moon.." Vince said as Roy, Johnny piled in the back of his car. They waited for the engine to back away from the dirty alleyway. It headed off, silent reds turning off, leaving behind two more police cars which had arrived to begin setting up the crime scene. Gage heard over his walkie talkie. "LA. This is engine 51. Mark Squad 51 out of service until further notice." |
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##10-4, 51..## Johnny's head banged into the window frame as Vince drove them home, and he said closing his eyes. "Oh, man. If I had known this was going to happen, I'd have never made that phone call earlier Roy.." "You had no way of knowing.. Just a bad run. That's all." "Chalk up another bad one in about four days of bad. I'm beat.." "We all are.." Roy said scratching his nose. "Just that time of year I guess." Vince spoke up from where he was driving. "I know what you mean. The PD's been getting odd calls and pranks all week. Must be a conspiracy going on out there or something. But rest assured. The San Pedro gang's got h#ll to pay for this latest stunt of theirs. Grand theft auto is ten to twenty. No bail in this county for any with prior felonies." "It is? Good.." Gage said closing his eyes again, his arms crossed together for warmth. Roy had already taken off his sodden trenchcoat and had laid it on the floor behind the wire partition separating him and Vince. Then he too, nestled back and uncontrollably nodded off. Vince drove a little more gently the rest of the way to the firehouse and Martins turned down their radio's volume a few notches. -------------------------------------------------- |
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FULL MOON BLUES |
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Click Rescue Squad to Goto Page Four :) |
