It was a scene taken out of any war zone but this was downtown Los Angeles. Red lights flashed eerily through the early morning sunrise. Every so often there would be a crash, mangled metal falling to the ground. There was no more panicked screams just a shattering silence; one of the most magnificent hotels in the city of angels blown apart. The garbage truck that had disturbed the bomb was unrecognisable.
The crew of station 51 had been called out in the early hours of the morning to a seven alarm call. Everyone searched through the wreckage for survivors. The three city employees, just everyday hard working family men, were dead. Their remains lay on the pavement under tarps where they fell.
Station 51 Paramedics, Roy De Soto and Johnny Gage, searched despairingly through the wreckage hoping that no innocent civilian was walking by as the truck lifted the explosive trash bin. Johnny's eyes were drawn to the covered bodies. He felt sick to his stomach, 'How could this happen in such a beautiful city?' he asked himself. He had made the gruesome discovery of the first victim; his hands had been blown off, his face unidentifiable. It was something he hoped to never see again in his lifetime but when he made the second discovery he lost everything.
Roy kept a close eye on Johnny, the discoveries would have shocked any man but Johnny through sheer determination went on searching alongside his fellow firemen, his brothers. Everyone was on edge; Bomb squad had given the area the all clear but somehow that didn't seem to put anyone at ease.
This was not a war torn city; the hotel itself was not near any political or financial buildings. Everyone was asking 'Why?' The search seemed to go on for hours but was necessary to ensure there were no more victims and that there was no risk of a fire breaking out. Station 51 was relieved around lunchtime. The defeated men walked to their vehicles and drove away. As the distance grew between them the guilt of leaving strangled the men's souls. There was no closure to the call because they hadn't been allowed to see it to the end but physically they were exhausted and needed to rest and their bodies needed food, although some of the men would find it hard to stomach anything.
Squad 51 drove back in silence. Roy glanced at Johnny who was staring out his window looking at nothing. He could only imagine what was flashing through his partner's mind. "Drink that water Junior. You're dehydrated."
Johnny looked at the bottle he was holding having only taken a sip from it. "Drink Johnny!" Johnny nodded mechanically to his partner and drunk half the bottle. Roy nodded satisfied with his partner's response. "When we get back I want you to have first shower and then some hot coffee."
Johnny nodded and continued to stare out the window. Roy knew they would talk later, as they always did but for now Johnny needed to get over the initial shock; they all did. Roy knew he could count on Chet to help having been in the army like himself. Dixie was another possibility if he thought anyone wasn't coping; for the time being him and Chet would handle it. Time and talking things through were important as today several men, including his partner had lost their innocence to the bombing of a city; terrorism.