EPISODE 4.1 – Girl On Roof.

Disclaimer – I don't own the Rescue Series, but miss it dearly since it left TV. This is set after the last episode, 3.22 (Two Fires). I'm intending this as what would have happened in Season 4.

This has previously appeared on this site, and was removed after some issues with other members. Any of these issues arise again, and the work will be promptly removed.

MissShawnaAlice xx.

Chapter One-

Rescue Station:

"Alright team, we've had a callout to Drummoyne area. Some sort of an explosion at a university has left some students injured, several missing, and one on the roof, who refuses to get down. Dean, Chase, Lachie in one Patrol, Jordan and Heidi in the other." The team nodded at Vince Marchello, and disappeared down the stairway to the patrols, with their unit leader. Vince ran his hands through his greying hair, and wished he could be out there with the rest of his team.

"Vince, I need you to check over these log sheets for me." He walked into Michelle's glass-walled office, and took the papers off her. He rubbed his chest sub-consciously as he read through the teams logbooks. Michelle looked up from her laptop and opened her mouth to speak, but was distracted when Vince's radio crackled to life.

"Rescue Portable One to Rescue Base. Vince, we're here."

Drummoyne:

"Heidi. Can you assess the injured students on the ground? Lachie, help Heidi. Chase, Jordan, find me a list of everyone here on campus, and work out who's missing." The teams split up. Dean wished he had Lara here. It had been several months after Lara left, and they had scrambled to find a replacement, but to no avail. So the gap Lara had left behind stayed empty, and Dean still hoped every-day that she would come back to Rescue. So far, no luck.

"Rescue Base to Rescue Portable One, what's the sit-rep Dean?"

"Just waiting for Lachie and Heidi to get back to me, I'll have details for you in a few minutes."

"Could you use another pair of hands down there?"

"Probably Vince, but I don't see anyone volunteering." The press came over to Dean and started pushing microphones into his face, shouting questions at him.

"Excuse me sir, can you tell me the cause of the explosion? How many people are injured? Are they going to sue whoever did this?" As the questions came on thick and fast, Dean waved them away.

"If you're volunteering Vince, that'd be great. Can you bring Michelle down to run some interference with the media? They're breathing down our necks here."

"Copy that Dean. Michelle and I will be down there in five minutes. See you there." Chase and Jordan came back accompanied by a gentleman, who was clutching a list in his hands.

"Jordan, go help Lachie and Heidi. Chase, with me." The man handed Dean the list. Chase peered over his shoulder at the list of names.

"This is James McAndrews, he's the director here. He's done a check on all students, and four are missing. A dancer, Alayna Matthews, a drama student, Jesse Davis and two graphic design students, Bree Anderson and Jack Harris."

"Who's the one on the roof?"

"How did she get up there?" Chase sounded astonished as he looked around for the fire ladder. Nothing around us suggested how she got up there.

"That is… Alice Walker. She's an music student."

"Right, thank you." Vince pulled up behind Chase and Dean, and jumped out of the truck, Michelle hot on his heels.

"They're over in the student centre Michelle. Go do some PR work for us, so we can do our jobs." Michelle had an evil glint in her eye as she went to take on the network media teams that had arrived.

"Thank you sir. If you could join the rest of the students in the student centre, we'll take it from here." He walked slowly off to the centre. Vince looked at Dean.

"Who do we deal with first?"

"We've got to get the girl off the roof, and treat her. We can look for the missing students after that." Vince nodded.

"I'm gonna go help Heidi and Lachie with triage."

"Go Chase, we'll be fine." Chase sprinted away.

"Have you got the blue-prints of the school Vince?"

"Yep, they're in the truck. Printed them fresh off this morning." Vince reached in and pulled out the rather large map of the university. Dean pointed on the map to a roof-access point, near what used to be the schools theatre.

"I think she got up that way, although, it's now been demolished, thanks to whatever happened here. We'll have to set up ropes and climb up."
"Sounds fine by me mate. Let's get her down so we can look for these other kids." Vince went to the back of Dean's Patrol, and started pulling out the harnesses and ropes so they could set up. He felt a tingling numbness in his arms as he lifted out the equipment, but dismissed it as sheer adrenaline and excitement of being able to help the team. Dean set up the ropes as ambulances started to pour through the gates of the school, to take the injured to RPA hospital. Vince directed them around where they were setting up, and then turned his attention back on Dean. Heidi, Chase, Lachie and Jordon joined them around the side of the building. The girl, Alice, sat on the roof, knees tugged to her chest, hands unclenching and clenching periodically. Heidi pulled Dean aside.

"She might be in shock Dean. I think two of us should go up, just in case." Dean nodded, and set up another harness on the lines.

"You ready Vince?"

"Yep. Let's get her down." Vince took Heidi's safety line, and Chase took Dean's as the pair climbed up the wall to the roof. Dean made it up first, and stretched out a hand for Heidi. He hoisted her onto the roof.

"Rescue Portable one to Rescue Portable Six. Vince, we're up safely, assessing the situation now."

"Copy that. Give me a sit-rep when you can." Vince rubbed his temples as he felt a pounding headache take over, and the tightness in his chest hadn't really subsided since this morning in Michelle's office. His arms were still numb and tingling, but he now put that down to be a little unfit. He glanced back up to the roof where Dean and Heidi were, struggling to stay focussed.

"Alice? Alice Walker?"

"Alice? Alice Walker?" Heidi looked over at Dean.

"Did she just repeat what I said back to me?" She whispered. He nodded.

"Are you ok Alice?" Called Dean.

"No."

"Can you tell me what's wrong Alice?" Silence.

"You can go over Dean. I'll stay here. Take the extra harness with you." He nodded, and walked cautiously over the roof to where Alice was sitting. She shuffled away slightly, looking uncomfortable. Her arm and the side of her face were covered in thick, painful burns. He sat next to her, and tried to look at her face.

"Alice. I need to put this harness on you so we can get you down, ok?" Alice refused to look at his face, and showed no signs of having heard him. He put his hand under her chin and lifted it up. Bad move on Deans part. She screamed at him, bit his hand, and crawled away from him.

"Rescue Portable Six to Rescue Portable One. What's going on up there Deano?"

"Rescue Portable One to Rescue Portable Six. She bit me Vince, and she's retreated further away." Dean could hear sniggers from down below where the boys were watching.

"Alice? Alice, what are you doing up there?" Two young girls came running from the building opposite to the one Dean and Heidi were on.

"Alice?"

"Do you know Alice?" Jordon spoke to the two girls.

"Yes. My name's Kate Nichols and this is Laura Parker. What's going on?"

"We were told Alice was on the roof, but no-one was really sure why. We're just trying to get her down, which is proving a little difficult." Laura and Kate shared a look.

"What?" Jordon asked.

"Did you try to touch her?" Laura questioned.

"What do you mean?" Jordon looked bewildered by the query.

"Did one of your team members try to touch her?"

"Possibly, hang on a second. Rescue Portable Three to Rescue Portable One."

"What Jordon?"

"Did you try and touch the girl?"

"What do you mean?"

"Physical contact Dean. Did you touch her anywhere?"

"I put my hand under her chin to make her look at me. That was it. Why?"

"Just wait a second until I find out why. Over." Jordon directed his attention back to the girls.

"Someone touched her, didn't they?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, just under the chin, to make her look at him. What's that got to do with anything?" Laura sighed at him.

"She's autistic. She doesn't like to be touched."

"So then how are we going to get her down?"

"I don't know Mr. Smartypants, but your guy needs to stop going after her on the roof. She has no concept of fear, and won't realise the danger she's in. Get one of us up there, we can talk her down." Jordon looked at Kate, and then Laura, doubtful.

"Which one of you will go up?"

"Kate can. She's a little better with heights than I am." Laura had visibly paled at the thought of going up on the roof.

"Ok then. Vince! Have we got an extra harness there?"

"We do Jordon, why?"

"Send Kate here up to the roof. She can talk Alice down better than we can." Vince looked uncomfortable at the idea, but harnessed her up anyway.

"Rescue Portable Three to Rescue Portable One. Dean, you have to stop chasing Alice across the roof. Come back to the edge so you can give Kate a hand up."

"Rescue Portable One to Rescue Portable Three. Jordon, who's Kate?"

"A friend of Alice's and your only hope of getting Alice off the roof."

"Ok, meet you at the edge then." Lachie harnessed up Kate, checking and double-checking to make sure it was done up securely. He gave the thumbs up to Jordon, who began hoisting her up the side of the building. Dean's head popped over the side, and he reached out a hand to take Kate's outstretched one. He pulled her up.

"My name's Dean. I assume you're Kate?" She nodded.

"Where is she?"

"Over there, close to the edge."

"Do you have the harness?" Dean pulled it over to her.

"Does it go on the same way my one did?" Dean nodded.

"What do you have to do once she's hooked into it?"

"My brother Lachie will hoist her down. Let me know when you're ready for that."

"Ok. When she gets down, Laura will help her get unharnessed. She might freak out otherwise, and she's already pretty out of it." Dean nodded. It felt weird to be given orders rather than giving them himself. Kate crawled across the roof, being careful where she placed her hands and foot so as not to fall. Dean and Heidi waited with bated breath as Kate got nearer to Alice.

"Hi Alice. What are you doing up here?"

"I don't know Kate." Alice continued rocking on the spot, clenching her hands.

"Well, why don't we get down?" Alice nodded at Kate.

"Let me put this harness on for you, and then we can get you down. Is that ok?" Alice nodded again at Kate, and allowed her to secure the harness around her.

"Amazing. She's showing us up at all our jobs." Dean muttered to Heidi.

"Be grateful Dean. At least she didn't bite you twice." Heidi giggled. Kate called over to Dean.

"Dean? We're secured." He nodded at her, and leant over the edge.

"Ok Lachie, she's coming towards you now. Keep her steady." Lachie nodded at Dean. He gave the thumbs up to Kate, who walked Alice over to the edge of the roof, speaking soothingly and quietly to her the whole time. She went over the edge quietly, and Laura met her at the bottom. Two ambulance officers met Alice and Laura, and guided her gently away so they could assess her burns and any other injuries. Jordon got Kate down, and after a few minutes of fighting with the harness, released her. She went over to the student centre where Laura and Kate were.

"Alright Chasie. I'm coming down."

"Yeah, righto then." Chase belayed his brother down the side of the building easily. Dean unhooked himself and called up to Heidi.

"Alright Heidi, your turn."

"Ok! Are you ready Vince?" Heidi called down.

"Yeah Heidi-ho." He sounded breathless. Dean and Lachie glanced at him.

"Alright. Here I come." Heidi lowered herself over the edge. Vince groaned and let go of the rope, reaching for his chest, and Heidi fell, cartwheeling down the side of the building. Vince stumbled to the wall and slumped to the ground. Heidi's legs hit the metal handrail hard, and the force flipped her around, until her head made contact with the concrete path with a sickening crack. The team split in two: Dean and Lachie headed straight for Vince, and Jordan and Chase attended to the unconscious Heidi. Michelle came running around the corner to see her team in distress.

"Dean, what's going on?" He waved her away.

"Vince. Speak to me Vince, come on." Vince just gasped for air, clutching his chest.

"Michelle, call us a few ambulances. We're going to need them." Michelle nodded, and dialled triple zero.

"Vince, we're going to give you some oxygen, and hook you up to a monitor, ok?" Vince nodded, still trying to get some decent air. Lachie placed an oxygen mask over Vince's face, whilst Dean put a monitor on him. Vince drooped forward.

"Stay with me Vince." He pulled himself up again, but failed to stay upright. He fell to the side, limp. Dean swore.

"Michelle, how far away is that ambulance?"

"Two minutes, maybe more Dean." Dean began ripping open Vince's shirt, and pushed him down into a horizontal position.

"Lachie, grab the defibrillator. He's gone into cardiac arrest!" Dean started chest compressions, hoping that his unit co-ordinator wouldn't die on him now.

"Come on Vince! Don't die on me now."