Graveyard Shift
London Underground – rush hour, was definitely not a place to be. People squashed onto the platform, some standing precariously close to the yellow danger line, others barely able to squeeze on to the platform itself. A rush of air and a rumbling echoed in the tunnel to signify a train was on its way. Adam lugged his kit bag to one side out of the way of a smartly dressed young business man who was shoving his way to the front of the platform, without bothering to apologise to the people he tried to squeeze passed.
Of all the days for his car to break
down, it would be the one where he was sent on stand by to Lewisham, of
all places. The Jubilee line was packed with people trying to get out to
the grand office blocks in Canary Wharf. They all piled onto the train
as soon as it pulled up and the platform doors opened. He sighed, he knew
he was never going to make it, not with the kit he was carrying. He waited
for the next train.
At Blackwall, the ALP was off the run. It had a fault somewhere, which White Watch had discovered the previous evening, and had gone to the workshops for repair. Sally had gone off to Greenwich to do her Crew Commanders development course, Hi-Ho was busy compiling a shopping list in the mess, and Geoff Pearce hid himself away in his office looking over some baby photos. Hyper decided he had no one to talk to, they had all gone off and left him.
Recall was chatting to Elaine just outside the station, hoping that neither Pearce or Coleman caught them as he was supposed to be working. George Green was fiddling with something under the bonnet of the pump ladder. John Coleman was wandering around the station, somewhere, trying to find something to occupy himself with. He had already spied on Geoff mulling over his pictures, but decided not to say anything. He was too soft, he knew.
Hyper decided to clean some BA cylinders,
he was that bored. This was slowly turning into the Graveyard Shift…
Adam had eventually found his way to Lewisham. DO Griggs was there, as he usually was. He demanded an explanation as to why it had taken Adam over an hour to get to the station.
"I had to get the tube sir."
"Really?"
Griggs didn't like anyone associated with Blackwall, it was like a pin in his foot. Adam wasn't too sure what Blackwall had done to offend Griggs, but decided it must have been something pretty major.
Adam found the rest of the Watch in the mess, fortunately they were much more welcoming than the DO!
He was just getting to know them when they got a shout.
"Fire, London Arena…" the guy in the Watch Room explained waving the print out.
"Let's get to it," the Watch Commander geared up his Watch.
They jumped into the waiting appliances.
Sally had found that giving the orders could be a bit of a challenge. Men didn't like to be bossed around by a woman, but that was tough. They would just have to get used to it. The world was changing, the sooner they realised that the better. She remembered what Hyper had told her before she left for the course.
"Don't let them give you any shit."
His words echoed in her mind.
In the mess, the conversation ranged from sex to fit women, and porn. Occasionally cars and motorbikes were thrown in. But porn was the hot topic of the day, fat birds and birds with big tits… Jail bait one of the lads had been eyeing up recently…
Sally decided she would rather be back at Blackwall. She had friends there, she had already earned their respect. That had been hard enough, now she found herself back at square one. She began to wonder why she had started this promotion thing in the first place.
"Fire, London Arena…" was the first shout of the day.
It sounded like it would probably
be the only one.
Lewisham's crew arrived at the large arena complex. There was no sign of fire, the Watch Commander ordered a through check of the area while he went off to find some arena staff who might be able to shed some light on things.
Adam found himself paired with Jenny, the only girl in the crew. He decided she was quite fit as well and wondered why he had never come across her before.
"I just transferred here," she explained.
"Oh, where were you before?"
"Kent. I was part time," she checked a few rubbish bins on the open land around the main arena site.
"What made you go full time then?" he enquired further.
"It was more exciting than working in a bank!"
"I dunno," he grinned. "I'm sure that had its moments!"
She looked at him sceptically, wondering if he was just taking the mick. "It was as exciting as watching a dog take a crap."
He grinned again.
He looked back towards the arena complex to where the Greenwich crew had now arrived. Sally was with them and seemed to be getting a bit of a hard time.
"We should get a team to check the area over there…" Sally was suggesting to the Watch Commander, pointing to an area not far from Adam and Jenny.
"Why?" the Watch Commander was enquiring.
"I thought…"
"You can do that then," he cut her off and continued to assign his crews.
"Are they giving you a hard time?" Adam asked as Sally approached them.
"It's nothing I can't handle," she brushed it off.
"What, that lot?" Jenny had joined them. "Bunch of sexist bastards."
"They're just blokes," Sally replied.
"They're just perverts," Jenny corrected her. "Specially their Watch Commander!"
"How come you know all about it?" Sally asked.
"Yeah," Adam joined in.
Jenny shrugged. "I just do. Aren't we supposed to be looking for a fire?" she hastily changed the subject and headed off in the direction of the DLR station.
Adam looked at Sally, who shrugged.
They followed Jenny.
Hyper was waiting in the Watch Room, willing a call to come through. He was surprised when the printer started buzzing.
"Fire, London Arena," he announced to the rest of the Watch.
They left Blackwall to join in the
action.
"What's going on over here?" the Greenwich Watch Commander had joined Sally, Adam and Jenny.
"We were just checking the area…" Sally started.
"There is no sign of fire inside…" the Watch Commander cut her off again. "Looks like it may have been a mickey…" he paused slightly on noticing Jenny. "But we're still checking," he continued hurriedly.
"Yeah, I bet you are!" Jenny muttered.
"Sir?" Sally thought she had found something when she stumbled on a small plastic carrier bag.
He looked over. "This is no time to start rubbish collecting, Fields."
"I think…"
"Is that what they teach you to do these days?!"
"Why do you have to give everyone such a hard time?" Jenny cut in.
"Why don't you just mind your own business."
"I would do, but you make it everyone else's!"
"You're out of line Firefighter Porter…"
"Sorry, Watch Commander Davis!" she decided to check out the contents of the carrier bag, which Sally was still holding.
"I think you can leave this to us," Davis wasn't happy at discussing his private liaisons with Sally and Adam.
"But sir…" Sally tried to object.
Davis glared at her. They decided to back off.
"Why do you always have to make things difficult?" Davis was demanding.
"Me?" Jenny replied. "You're the one who can't keep his trousers on!"
"How dare you discuss our private life on the fire ground…"
"Why not? You discuss it in the mess!"
"Just leave that will you?" he tried to stop her from looking inside the sealed carrier bag.
He snatched it out of her hands.
Adam and Sally were still watching them.
"Do you suppose…?" Adam started.
"Yeah, I suppose!" Sally immediately knew what he was going to say.
They rushed over to where Davis and Jenny were still arguing about their fling, which was very obviously over.
"I won't leave anything," Jenny was arguing back. "And I still want that blood test."
"Don't start that again. I can't be held responsible for you being a slag!"
She went for him, he tried to defend
himself and dropped the carrier bag. Adam and Sally reached them just in
time to grab Jenny. The ground shook at the explosion rang out.
London's Burning – Graveyard Shift © Karen Moody 10/04/02