"Little bird little bird, oh how I'm so jealous of you little bird," the woman gazed up at the sky while enjoying an apple atop the rooftop.
"Jackie! Yo Jackie! I know you're up there!" a voice called up the side of the building.
Jackie groaned and peered over the edge. "What?"
"What do you mean 'what'! Break's over! Put your jacket back on, we've got work to do!"
Jackie glanced at her Military Police jacket before peering over the edge again.
"I can't hear you Roy. You've gotta come up here if you want to speak to me!" and with that she went back to gazing up at the sky and its late afternoon hues. She completely disregarded the noises along the side of the building until she spotted a leg hooking over. "Ah Roy, what brings you up here?" she grinned.
"That's Squad Leader to you," Roy tried to regain his breath while crawling to where she was seated. "Damn how do you get up here so easily?"
"I love to climb," Jackie shrugged.
"But must you climb everything?"
"It's quieter where people can't reach me. Plus, I have a better view of everything."
"I suppose I can't argue with you there," he took in the view. "But you can't stay up here forever, we've got work to do. The last thing we need is the Captain on our asses."
Jackie scoffed, "She's been on my ass ever since I got transferred here to Shiganshina, so really, what would be new?"
"Well maybe if you'd learn to control that damn smartass mouth of yours many things could and would be avoided," Roy gently tugged at her ear.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she shrugged him off, finishing up her apple before reaching for her jacket and sword. "We've got work to do."
Jackie yawned into her hand after hours of doing mostly nothing. It was the Military Police so it wasn't like anyone did anything but still.
"Working the charts today Jackie?" a merchant greeted with a smile as he stopped his cart for routine inspection at the gate.
"Mr. Newell," Jackie waved as she hopped down from the crates she was sitting on. "As you can see," she held up the clipboard with a grin.
"I thought you were on tax collection?"
"Last minute change of plans. Annoying but I've got no say," she shrugged. "I'm just a soldier who does what she's told to do."
"But even then…" Mr. Newell gave her a sly grin.
Jackie smirked with a finger to her lips. "Shh, you're gonna get me in trouble."
"Aha, sorry sorry," Mr. Newell returned the smirk as Jackie and the rest of her squad performed their inspection. He patiently waited off to the side as the soldiers quickly did their work, it was all routine after all. But there was one thing he couldn't help but notice… "Where's Roy?"
"He was dragged off not too long ago for some business that needed to be taken care of. Whatever that is," Jackie answered as she approached for Mr. Newell to sign the form.
"Could it have something to do with that rising smoke from within the district?"
Jackie's eyes narrowed. That was something she'd been keeping her eyes on. Normally when there was a controlled trash burning, a memo would be sent out as to not cause alarm among the soldiers. But as far as Jackie and her fellow squad members were concerned, they had yet to receive any memo. Either this was an illegal trash burning, or something was actually on fire.
"H-Hey, that smoke cloud is getting bigger, don't you think?" one of the squad members pointed up at the cloud nervously.
"Look it's Roy!" someone pointed out as said man ran towards his squad.
"Roy you alright? You're out of breath," another offered him water.
"Western quadrant…" Gulp. "… of Sector 6…" Gulp. "…a fire has broken out."
"What?! How?" were among the questions the squad members were throwing at their officer.
"Gah," Roy wiped his chin of any water. "We don't know yet. All we know is that the fire is relatively small but it's spreading. Adame, Ulman, you're coming with me. Per orders of Captain Bernhart, incoming commercial traffic is to be redirected to MP HQ for inspection. The streets might get crowded and the last thing we need are people in a panic because they can't move. Everyone understand?"
"Yes sir!" they all saluted and took up their roles.
"Jackie, I want you up on the rooftops. Get a better view for evacuating the area," Roy ordered.
"Don't slip and fall Adame. That's the last thing we would need in this situation," Ulman grinned.
"Up yours Ulman," Jackie smirked as she split from the men to scale the nearest building.
She had a clear view of everything as she approached the smoke. The growing blaze wasn't that off from the canal so she was certain some pumps were being employed. She could also see many squads closing off the area and aiding in precautionary evacuation efforts.
Judging by the way the fire was growing, she was certain the building was beyond saving. An entire side was up in flames. They would have to mind the other buildings as they allowed this one to burn to the ground.
"Adame! Evacuations?" Ulman called up to her.
"Y-Yeah!" Jackie snapped out of her thought. "The area's already been closed off! Just need to move the people!" she called down to him.
He nodded as he assisted in evacuating the people all the while keeping everyone calm and under control despite the fact that there was a growing blaze right behind them.
Jackie scurried down to aid as well.
They went building to building, floor to floor, room to room, to make sure everyone got out safely.
By the time Jackie and Ulman finished with their area, Captain Bernhart had showed up and took command as the reports of the completed evacuations came in. All that was left was the blaze.
"And how's fire control coming along?" she questioned one of her officers.
"Area control is going well but the building itself will be lost."
"I see," she nodded.
"Ulman," Jackie nudged his side with her elbow. "Where's Roy? I don't see him."
"I… uhmm…" Ulman looked around, "Don't know."
Jackie was beginning to get a bad feeling.
It only got worse at the sound of glass shattering…. The fire was beginning to blow out the windows…
Without even realizing, she slowly made her way over to the building. Some of the soldiers looked panicked.
"What's going on?" she questioned one that had ash smudges on his face.
"It's Roy! We ran back in because a child was left behind but the windows shattering caused a backdraft and we got separated! He was near a staircase so I thought he had made it out before me but no one has seen him and we can't go back in through the front!"
"And the child?!"
"I had him. He's safe- Hey! Where're you going!" he called out as Jackie ran off.
Ulman looked around for any signs of Jackie or Roy as the captain shouted orders to those in the vicinity.
"H-Hey! Is that…" someone pointed up at the figure atop a building.
"What is she doing…"
"Don't tell me…"
"Captain it's Adame!"
"JACKIE!" Ulman called out as he tried to push through the soldiers but it was too late. She had drawn her sword and broken into a sprint.
She sprinted along the rooftops before taking a giant leap into the blaze. With a slash of her sword, she shattered a third story window and rolled into a hallway. She sprung back up but only succeeded in making herself dizzy.
"ADAME!"
"Shit, need to find Roy," she coughed and squinted. She had to work fast. With the smoke and heat, it was hot and suffocating, not to mention blinding. She stayed as close to the floor as possible, tolerating the heat, and using her jacket sleeve as best a filter as she could.
She kicked down door after door until by some miracle she found him on her fourth try.
"Roy!" she ran over to him.
He was trapped under a bookshelf.
This area was in slight better condition but it only took a second for that to change.
"J-Jackie," he struggled to raise his arm.
"Shh-shhh, I'll get you out!" her eyes scanned the shelf, looking for the best way to free him.
"N-No," he coughed. "Jackie," he pointed to the bed in the corner.
"W-What?" she looked at him then the bed. He continued to point at the mass on it so she went over to inspect and gasped at what she found. "Oh my god."
"Get her out first," Roy coughed.
There was no room for hesitation. Jackie threw her jacket off and covered the terrified child.
"It's going to be okay, I'm getting you out now," she assured as she tried to figure a way out. She couldn't use the stairs and she couldn't use the way she had come from. She needed to make a new way. That's when she realized that this window was still intact.
90 seconds.
That's all the time she would have.
She took as deep a breath she could muster and firmly gripped her sword.
"Watch your head Roy!" she warned as she shattered the window. The sudden draft blew her back but she bounced right up and went to the child.
"ADAME!"
"JACKIE!"
"ARE YOU THERE!"
"OVER HERE!"
Carrying the little girl, she peered over the window despite the flowing draft and felt the biggest relief as a life net had been set out.
"SHE'S GOT A KID!"
"WE'RE READY!"
"You're going to be alright," Jackie held the little girl close to her. "I'm going to drop you but the soldiers down there are going to catch you, okay?"
Feeling the little nudge against her shoulder, she took that as her cue and dropped the little girl out the window.
"JACKIE, WE GOT HER!"
"SHE'S SAFE!"
"Thank god," Jackie sighed before turning her attention back to Roy.
There was no way around it, she was going to have to try and lift the shelf.
Gripping it as best she could, she used all her might to try to lift it while Roy struggled to wiggle himself free.
"Hurry it's getting hotter!"
"This. Is. Fucking. HEAVY!" she gritted.
"You idiot why'd you come back in the first place!"
"Because I… didn't want… to be… the one… to tell your hot wife… her dumbass husband… died… trying to be a HERO!" she raised it more. "I know they'd make ME do it!"
"You idiot," he couldn't help the small smile as he struggled to free himself. "Almost there!" he encouraged as he freed one leg then finally the other. With all the adrenaline coursing he tried to stand but fell back down in pain.
"Roy!"
"I'm fine I'm fine! Just some sudden pain that got me by surprise! C'mon!"
Ulman watched in anticipation as the windows from the third floor were beginning to blow out. The fire was spreading to where Jackie was and there was nothing he could do except wait for her and Roy to come out.
"THERE!"
"SHE'S GOT ROY!"
"JUMP DOWN!"
Roy looked as though he could barely hook his legs over the window. Jackie was helping him sit on the sill. Confusion washed over him as she disappeared from sight. Next thing he knew, Roy was in the air with Jackie's arms around his waist.
…Did she just… did she just tackle him out the window?
Unorthodox but effective.
"WE GOT THEM!" the soldiers called out as they quickly moved them away from the burning building.
They finally set them down a few blocks away.
"Clear out!" Captain Bernhart ordered as a crowd of soldiers had gathered around the two.
"Let them breathe!" Ulman pushed through. "Roy, Jackie, you alright?"
Despite their persistent coughing they nodded.
"Ah! Here!" he and another soldier offered them their canteens.
"Thanks-" Jackie shifted to sit up when her face suddenly made contact with the net covered ground followed by a stinging, burning pain in her hands and arms.
"Hey you alright?!" Ulman helped her sit up.
Jackie looked at her hands held out in front of her. "My hands are burnt... They just gave out and I didn't realize."
"I can't even imagine the amount of adrenaline coursing through you for you to pull off what you just did," he helped her sip from the canteen as a cart finally arrived to take them to go get treated.
"Ulman, I don't even know what I just did," she gave him a look as she and Roy were transported for treatment. "Later," she waved at him.
"Hey Jackie," Roy looked at her. "Can I tell my wife I saved you?"
Jackie smirked. "Sure."
"You're the best," he gave her a pat on the shoulder, happy to be alive.
A/N: first attempt at writing! please let us know what you think! very much appreciated!