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************************************************************ From: "wone3" <jwilds@prodigy.net> Date: Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:38 pm Subject: Joe's Visit Meanwhile across town, and oblivious to all of the excitement that had gone on that day, Joe Early was enjoying his day off. He was spending it mostly out of the house and therefore he missed Chet's urgent phone call. He had the boring, home maintenance chores to do, like paying the bills and mailing the checks and weeding and mowing touch ups; but he also had some fun things to do, too. He had stopped off at the bookstore to get a book from his favorite author that he knew had just come out and he was coveting. Instead of just running in for it, he spent like two hours exploring the store and looking at other books and he bought a few more besides the one he was looking for. He also stopped off at his favorite liquor store and had gotten several bottles of wine, including a few of Dixie's favorites. He was planning on stopping by her place on the way home to give her a bottle of it as a thank you for a few things she'd done for him in the past few weeks. He was just about finished with his errands. So he headed for his next-to-last stop, at Dixie's place. He left his last stop next, to be the grocery store, because he wasn't sure how long he'd be staying at Dixie's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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He arrived shortly in her parking lot and stopped his car. He grabbed the small bag that held the single bottle of wine and the box of tickets that he'd promised Chet that he'd deliver, and Joe walked to her front door. He knocked on the door pretty loudly the first time, not announcing himself. He was surprised when Dixie hadn't heard him. He tried a second and after a few minutes, later, a third time. And each time, Dixie didn't answer the door. Joe tried the door one more time and still, he didn't get an answer. Joe grew a bit concerned, since he knew that it was her day off, too, and he that knew she'd planned on doing nothing but relaxing at her place. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inside, Dixie was shivering, though her forehead, if it were touched, felt like it was burning up, under the covers of her bed. She thought she'd heard the door but she chose to ignore it, knowing that none of her friends would be showing up after the warning she'd passed onto Kel Brackett. She heard the second knock and opened her eyes. Her nasty headache was still with her, and as she started to sit up, a massive wave of nausea hit her. She managed to get to the bathroom and vomited for a few seconds as it turned into dry heaves. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She hadn't felt like it. That had come up earlier. She heard the door the third time and cleaned up in a hurry. She was going to yell at either Johnny and Roy or Kel for coming over even after she'd stated her demands to Kel. She started to open the door, wincing a bit from the pain that was still with her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Long ago, Dixie had entrusted Joe and Kelly Brackett with a spare key to her front door to be used in case of need only situations. Joe was still digging for it, just as Dixie angrily opened the door. Joe said, "Hi Dix. Sorry to surprise you like this. Did you just get up?" as he took in her appearance. He noticed her sunken, dark, but glassed over eyes, her pale ashen skin that looked like it had a wet sheen to it and the red nose of being sick. :: She must have caught something quickly:: he thought. He knew she hadn't looked like this yesterday during work. Noting the surprise in Joe's face, she reasoned that he was here of his own free will, and not because he was asked by two busy body paramedics and one mule headed doctor. Dixie let her guard down significantly, but not completely, as she answered him. "Hi Joe, this is a surprise to see you. What's up?" Joe answered, "I stopped by to drop a few things off. Chet asked me to drop this box of tickets for the fireman's annual picnic. He told me that you were doing them a favor by selling them. I also wanted to drop off a thank you gift for the things that you helped me out doing the past couple of weeks." he said as he held up the bag. "Are you feeling OK? I won't stay long since you look like you are absolutely miserable." He'd seen her hiding a bit of a wince as she'd opened the door but he didn't feel entirely right about pressing the issue with her. While Kel Brackett was the type to play hardnosed with Dixie, Joe treated her with 'kid gloves' and respected her to have some knowledge as to when she needed medical attention. Dixie answered him, "Thank you for dropping the tickets off. I did promise the guys that I'd help them out. Also, thank you for the gift. You didn't need to do it, Joe. I was very happy helping you out. Also you are right, I feel miserable from this flu bug. I have been sleeping for a bit, and I probably should go back and catch a bit more sleep. Otherwise, I AM fine and I just wish to be left alone." She said that last bit, with a touch of defensiveness, as she knew Joe would want to examine her further if he felt any doubts. Joe took his cue from Dixie. He knew that while he wasn't happy with what he saw, he shouldn't press the issue with her. He told Dixie that he'd see her later. He also asked her, if the symptoms got worse or didn't dissipate soon, to please call one of her friends, either Kel, Roy or Johnny if she didn't feel she could drive in to the hospital, or himself. Dixie reassured him that if that was the case, she'd make the call. And she stressed that she didn't feel like it was needed right now. Joe then took his leave as Dixie gently shut the door. She headed for her bathroom as the nausea returned. As soon as it dissipated, she grabbed two more aspirin, hoping they'd stay down and rid her of her headache, and headed back for her bed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joe decided not to stop at the store right away, instead he headed straight home to place a call to Kel and see if he knew what was going on with Dixie. He had Kel paged and waited somewhat impatiently as Kel got on the line. "What's up Joe?" Kel asked. Joe answered him, "Have you talked to Dixie recently today?" Kel told him that he had especially after a call the crew from station 51 had been on. Kel then went through the details of the day including Dixie's "nosedive" into the pool, the deal he had made with her, and his conversations with Johnny and Roy about what they saw. Joe said, " You might want to rethink it. She looks like h*ll. I bet she's worse than when Johnny saw her last. Someone needs to push her to get medical attention though she won't do it unless she feels like she needs to." Joe then went into detail about everything he observed. He told Kel about how she looked and the wince that she tried to hide from him as she opened the door. |
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Kel said, "You know how she is when she's in that stubborn, no- nonsense mood. We aren't going to get her to change her mind. We need to think about this and figure a way to get her to realize that she needs help worse than she thinks right now." They both stayed on the phone for a few minutes thinking, but soon Kel was getting called for a case. They agreed to continue thinking on their own and to call each other once they had a potential plan. Then they both hung up. |
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************************************************************************ From : Sam Iam <lafddispatcher@yahoo.com> Sent : Tuesday, October 19, 2004 10:56 PM Subject : [EmergencyTheaterLive] The Domino Effect Cap stepped out of Engine 51's cab even before it rolled to a halt. The two fire department vehicles were flanking the massive back turn of the roller coaster's structure next to the towering white bulk of the ride's main wooden track. They had followed an amusement utilities department vehicle to get there. ##L.A., Station 51's on scene. ## Stoker said into the engine's radio mic. ## Station 51. Time out. 15:22. ## L.A. replied. ##Truck 99, break out your rappelling gear. Looks like we're gonna need it.## Hank Stanley requested on his hand held. All the gang bunched together in between the squad and engine and looked up. The Colossus's rails were silent, and two of its six red and yellow roller coaster trains hung eerily suspended and stationary, on the tops of the two highest hills. It seemed glaringly unnatural in the middle of all the normal crowd noises and amusement park cacaphony. Cap pulled off his working gloves. "Looks like that's our target up here. The nearest one's people are waving us down. Marco, go find the ride operator. Tell him to make sure the emergency stop is fully activated. And tell him I wanna track walker, double checking the manual braking bandit arms on both of these coasters, ASAP. Radio if you learn any medical details." "Right, Cap." and Lopez jogged off towards the ride's primary colored, circus themed entrance. Hank turned, "Ok, the rest of you. Johnny, Roy, head on up. Best way you can. I'm sure there's an open gate around here somewhere." DeSoto was studying something intently. "Cap, I think I spotted her. She's in the front right side car. She's not moving at all." Hank shielded his eyes from the mid afternoon sun's rays and peered in the direction Roy was pointing. "Man, they're really high up there. Climbing's gonna take way too long, guys." "What other choice do we have?" Roy asked, tightening his chin strap and putting on a life belt. |
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Johnny Gage spun a circle in place, looking at their surroundings. He stopped suddenly with a jerk of discovery. "Cap, what about using that Sky Ride? Those gondolas are running right by the trapped train we need to get to." Hank turned and considered the viability and safety of Johnny's suggestion. Then he nodded, "You know the Park Director isn't gonna like having two rides shut down at the same time." Gage sniffed, "He'll live with it." he said dryly. "That he will." said Cap. He lifted his HT. "Marco, we need the Sky Ride's operator over here pronto. I don't care how you do it. But find him. We're commandeering a gondola for a rope launch and tandem rig over to the roller coaster." ##That might take a few minutes, Cap. ## "That's good enough 'cause the alternative is us taking twenty minutes going it on foot." Johnny Gage already had the stokes out and he and Roy were loading it up with gear. He didn't stop looking up at the unconscious woman six stories over their heads. One of her arms was dangling over the side of the coaster car and he thought he could see it swaying slowly back and forth. "She's still breathing. Her arm's moving and there's no wind." Roy and Cap nodded. "Let's hope so. Our delay's already been too long." Hank said with conviction. The Sky Ride address system suddenly gave an announcement via its music speakers about the rescue operation to come that would require a halt in all the gondolas. No one complained. And all heads that were already turned towards the fire departments' flashing trucks nodded encouragingly without any protest. A shrill whistle got their attention. Cap and the others not gathering up rope coils and pulleys cast about for the source of the sound. "Hey, firemen! Up here!" It was the Sky Ride operator. He had a white painted gondola halted on the roof of a nearby shed. "I got this one set for ya. No people!" the gray haired Swedish accented park worker shouted. "Mister, we'll be right up there." Cap said through the bullhorn. "How much weight can one gondola carry?" |
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"Your whole g*dd*mned fire truck if it had to. And I'm not talking about the little flashing red one. This ride is top quality Swiss craftsmanship. She's not from some cheap American made, one of a kind, assembly line." Hank and the others grinned. "No insult intended, sir. Just looking out for safety measures!" Cap gestured. Chet Kelly got a small house ladder from the side of the Ward and jogged it over to the small shed under the eucalyptus trees. Roy and Johnny got into the gondola with the operator and took the rope gun launcher and plenty of rope inside with them before they moved off on the restarted ride. "You help her young fellas! She looks bad.." said a granny from a nearby red gondola as it passed the white one the two paramedics were in. "We will ma'am." Roy said, tipping his helmet. "As fast as we can." Then the two gondolas separated too far for hearing or talking. Gage and Roy kept their eyes rivetted on the woman as the Sky Ride operator took them up higher and higher towards the roller coaster track's far turn hill, the one the unlucky train was on. Roy finally got a closer view. "Yep. She's breathin. But something's not right beyond her being passed out. She's awfully flushed for the temperature out here today. It's not that hot." "Oh, yeah?" Gage said, ducking his helmet down to see around the roof's edge of the gondola. "What do you think the problem is, Roy?" "I don't know. When we get closer, we can ask the other riders." "Good idea." Johnny said, putting on his lifebelt. |
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Right then, there was a snap when the emergency trackwalk worker, on a loop two hundred yards farther up the ride, leaned in on the second coaster train while telling its passengers what the hold up was. He fell onto his face when the coaster suddenly jerked into motion because of a downward slope and gravity. The worker went running desperately, trying to catch up to the slowly speeding up train to flick a brake switch and bring it to a halt again. But the coaster was too fast. "Roy! We've got a runaway!" Gage said, pointing, his voice growing tense and rising into a higher register. "I don't think that track walker's gonna make it to the next junction in time to throw the brake before it gets away from him!" The Swede gave his control bar a kick and all the Sky gondolas jerked and picked up speed. Gage gritted his teeth, helpless. He watched, as the horrified passengers on the out of control line of cars, suddenly discovered, that they were barrelling down on the other stalled coaster. They started to scream in panic. "We can do it ourselves if we get over there!" Johnny shouted. "We're not gonna make it in time!" Roy shouted. "We're rising too slowly!" |
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******************************************************* Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 04:34:24 -0700 (PDT) From: "Jeff Seltun" <finiterider@yahoo.com> Subject: Outside Aid.. A zooming roar filled their ears, making Roy and Johnny wince and duck. A raucous voice filled their HTs full volume. ## Chopper 19, HT 51. Halt your cable ride. Pilot is soft touching onto the tracks. We have a ride operator on board!## The Swede peeked over the edge of the fireman's gondola, still covering his ears. "Holy mother of.. Vat is dat?!" Gage grinned from ear to ear. "That... is a Firehawk H-60! You better do as the man says." he told the frightened sky ride operator."You ok?" he asked, setting a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Ya. Are dos tings always so loud?" he chirped, bringing the gondolas to a gentle stop. He was still gripping his chest. "Yep." Roy said, smiling huge. Then he turned to Johnny. "I wonder who brainstormed up the chopper idea? That's gonna make all the difference in the world." "And I wonder if those braking things can stop a train going full tilt?" Gage asked. "We're gonna find out." Roy replied, watching the yellow, black and white Firehawk gingerly maneuver itself sideways towards the crest of the hilled rails near the coaster train holding the distressed woman. The Los Angeles County craft barely got one rung on a strut on top of a maintenance hut jutting out from the coaster course, when the sliding side door opened. A young man wearing a white cloth visor in a maroon, navy and white polo leaped out of the hovering helicopter into a crouch. He put his head between his knees and waited for the powerful bird to pull away. Then he got up and ran to a ladder that led to the main track below. All the while the youngish man kept his eye on the second train bearing down on them. He didn't go to a brake along the rails, he went to a special one on a platform sheltered by a hut at the top of a bend just before a steep dip and fall of the rails. He quickly powered up a console and ansted until all lights were green. Then he grabbed a long ratchet arm controlling rod attached to wires beneath the track and threw it backwards like a bandit's as soon as the train passed by a lighted yellow beacon. |
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All the firemen watched the runaway lurch, jerking the riders heads forward as the emergency brakes below the wheels of their train bit down on the steel rails. Sharp sparks flew from the coaster's underside as all the pads on the cars strained to stop the train. But it was still coming fast, full of kinetic energy left over from a large hill it had gone down. The coaster man threw the bandit controller back one more time. Again, the sparks beneath the flying train arched out in a noisy squeal of metal on metal. The riders heads jolted even harder despite the bracing of many locked arms on the padded bars in front of them. A chorus of frightened cries burst out from the coaster's people at the second jerk. Then the roller cars hit an uphill and reverse inertia began to work. The sparks trails shooting out lessened as the train started to finally slow down below sixty miles an hour. One hundred yards, ninety yards, eighty.... The distance gap between the two coasters was still narrowing dangerously. "Come on,...come on... " mumbled Johnny through gritting teeth. "Come to a stop..." The swede next to him got into the moment and shouted, too. "Put some muscle into it, Ivan, or I'm not worth the time and energy I put into trainin ya!" Roy looked away from the dramatic spectacle despite of himself, "Who's Ivan?" "He is!" declared the Sky Ride operator at the brave teenager braking the runaway. "My first born son. If anyone gets hurt up there, it'll just tear him apart. He's got the best safety record of all of them. His riders have gotten nothing worse than a bruise or two for trying to stand up on all the dropoffs. Ivan! Do you hear me?!" he roared. The young man seemed to. He opened terrified eyes below a sweat beaded forehead and glanced at his father's gondola very quickly. Then he threw his whole body onto the brake. The runaway protested, screeching chalkboard sounds as it went by the teenager at nearly forty miles an hour. |
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Twenty. Ten. Seven yards. Six... "no....." grunted the teenager through slitted eyes. "You're still too fast..." he said, leaning on the control bar. His back was nearly level onto the track and his arms knotted and shook with the effort. "Slow down!" Five yards. Four. Then... bang! An emergency crash stop flew up from the track in between the two roller coasters as the runaway finally reached a critical twenty miles an hour. The train slammed into the short barrier in a sudden stop three feet before it collided with the unconscious woman's train. So did the riders, into their shoulder bars. The force knocked some of them out and their heads hung limply in between the padded bars and a few hands fell limp. "Good boy, Ivan!" shouted the Swede across the sixty feet of air separating them. "You did it." Roy and Johnny winced in sympathy, immediately assessing them visually. "Ouch.." DeSoto. "That had to hurt." "Yeah, but they didn't pancake. Count your blessings, partner. Getting the wind knocked out of ya is better than dying. Okay, sir. Let's go! Let's go!" Johnny urged. "You don have to tell me twice.." said the Swede and once again the Sky Ride gondolas began their ascent to Colossus. Roy lifted his HT. "HT 51, to Chopper 19. It worked. Thanks for your assistance." ##Anytime, 51. We're touching down in the north parking lot for your injured to come. Standing by, running hot.## "10-4, Chopper 19. 51 out." DeSoto said, breathing heavily. The firemen's white gondola reached its highest point and Roy and Johnny got to work. They shouted instructions over to Ivan to protect himself while they fired the head of the rope launcher over to the coaster platform and how and what to tie off the heavier corded rope onto. Thankfully, Ivan was a farmhand and got a handle quickly on the knot tying directions. |
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"You go first." Roy said. "I'll string the stokes between us." "All right." said Johnny. Beyond them, Ivan quickly got to his feet again after locking down the electrical emergency braking panel and he ran out to the trains with a fire extinguisher just in case friction had set any wood aflame. Gage attached his belt hook and feed line to the aerial Ivan had tied off after testing it thoroughly. The Swede threw open the gondola's door. "Be careful, fireman. That's six stories to fall if you aren't." "Believe me, I'm well aware of that. My partner and I work in places as high as this all the time." And with that, Johnny stepped off into air, letting go of the warm metal of the sky gondola. |
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