Mia was thrilled to be showing her Grandmother around San Francisco, especially since she agreed to accompany her in the Mustang. They shared a wonderful afternoon at the amusement park and spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the city. Mia and her Grandmother enjoyed getting to know one another away from the trappings of the Consulate.
But, all good things must come to an end, and eventually Mia steered the car, her "baby" back up the hill toward the Consulate. She thought she had it, she really did. Her grandmother's encouragement only went so far, as Mia lost control and began sliding backward, breaking off the emergency brake in the process. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as it became clear that a collision was imminent with a trolley car.
The crash nearly demolished the forty-year old vehicle under the steel of the trolley. Calls to 911 began pouring in and emergency vehicles were dispatched without delay. Volunteers rushed to the aid of the Mustang's occupants, badly injured and nearly unconscious, pinned inside the car almost totally underneath the trolley.
The paramedics extracted Mia first, getting her onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. With the sirens wailing she received emergency medical care all the way to the hospital. Getting Clarisse out of the car was much more complex, her injuries were severe and they were afraid moving her might be fatal, but the loss of blood was making time very precious.
The Consulate security office received the call within 10 minutes of the accident. A panicked Shades picked up the phone, hesitating only moments before he decided to dial Charlotte's number first, rather than Joe's.