LONDON'S BURNING
Brick Wall
"I don't think this is going to work…"
"Why not?" he questioned.
"It's just… you know…" she tried to find the words to express her feelings.
"No, I don't…"
"I'm not ready to have a relationship. After everything that's gone on…"
"So that's it?"
"No, we can still be mates…"
"Oh," he sounded disappointed. "Don't go," he could see she was ready to leave.
They were in his bedroom. It was early morning, she was anxious to get away.
"I have to. I'm just not ready for this."
"Sal?" he tried to call after her, but she had left the room.
He decided not to go after her.
"Morning, Sal!" Hyper greeted her as she arrived for work at Blackwall Fire Station that evening.
"Yeah," she mumbled without any enthusiasm.
"What's up?" Hyper pressed as they walked into the station together. "And where were you last night?" he asked, jokingly.
"You're not my dad Rob! Just keep your nose out!" she snapped and left him stood in the appliance bay, surprised by her outburst.
Adam strolled in next.
"Evening," Hyper greeted him.
"Is it?"
"Not you as well, what's up with everyone tonight!"
"I dunno, mate," Adam replied. "Had a bit of trouble at home that's all."
"What, has Elaine run off with another man?"
"I wish it was that simple! It's my dad," Adam confided. "He's being released."
"Oh…" Hyper paused. "Oh right."
He was sure that was not a good thing. Adam was inclined to agree.
"When?" Hyper asked.
"I don't know and I don't really care."
"He is your father…"
"Yeah, he was, he gave up that right a long time ago."
Hyper sighed. This was going to be a really exciting shift.
At role call, Hyper looked over the miserable faces of Blue Watch. Now, why, when he was happy, for the first time in ages, did everyone else have to be so miserable! He couldn't figure it out.
Sally hadn't spoken to anyone, the only words she had actually said were "fine" and "shut up" when anyone asked her how she was. She had something weighing on her mind, he knew. He wondered if he would ever be privileged to the information.
Adam was having some family issues with his father being released from prison sometime soon. Hyper understood how much heartache there was in a family, apparently he had caused quite a bit for his own family back in Ireland. They weren't ready to accept him for what he was, being strict Irish Catholics.
George Green wasn't happy with the return of Chris Hammond who had been posted to Fire Investigation. There was some mistrust between them, which would probably never be resolved. Recall was concerned about his son Ben who had recently joined the Fire Brigade. He reckoned he knew exactly what he should be worried about having been there himself!
Hi-Ho had recently split with his current love interest, whoever she was. He didn't like to discuss his private life with the Watch, usually because they ended up taking the mick out of him! Geoff Pearce was never happy, well except when anyone started talking to him about his daughter Eve. His face would always light up at the mention of her name, but then it was a task and half trying to get him to shut up again!
Maybe a good working job would lift the mood…
Hyper decided to try one last ditch attempt at cheering everyone up.
"Why does every girl I like have to dump me?" Hi-Ho was moaning as Blue Watch carried out their various equipment checks.
"That's life," Hyper replied. "You just have to get on with it."
"And what would you know?" Hi-Ho retorted.
"Everyone was a virgin once!"
"It's got nothing to do with that! I don't know why I bother telling you guys anything, all you do is take the piss!" Hi-Ho stormed off.
Hyper shrugged then moved on to Recall who was locked in a daydream.
"Anything I can help with?" Hyper offered.
"No…" Recall replied. "I was just thinking…"
"You want to be careful of that!" Hyper attempted another joke.
"Yeah…" Recall wasn't listening to him.
Hyper sighed and decided to try George.
"How's things?"
"Don't ask," George replied, not wanted to go into any details about his tangled private life.
"I'm sure everything will blow over."
"I don't want it to blow over. I want it to blow away!"
Hyper shook his head. He was lost for ideas on Adam and Sally, but decided to try and talk to Adam anyway.
"Adam?"
Adam was busy polishing the hubcaps on the ALP, which were already gleaming. Anything to take his mind off his complicated home life.
"What?" Adam didn't look up.
"You can't just ignore things and hope they will go away," Hyper tried to offer some words of wisdom.
"Just go away Rob, I'm busy."
"Yeah fine," Hyper muttered, he left Adam. "I suppose you're just going to bite my head off as well," he approached Sally. "I mean, go on, everyone else has!"
"Sal?" Adam had joined them.
She didn't reply.
"You need to check the ALP…"
"Yes I do know Adam!"
"I was just saying…"
"Well don't," she cut him off.
Hyper felt like finding a nice brick wall, to bang his head against. He decided it was best not to say anything at all, that way, maybe he might finish the Watch in once piece!
Sally had been made a temporary Crew Commander. Hyper had suggested it to Geoff and Coleman, hoping it might lift her spirits. It had worked, for about three weeks! Now she was back to being depressed. He didn't know why as she refused to talk to him about it.
She was in charge of the ALP, Adam was driving. Neither of them seemed too keen on the arrangement. Hyper wondered why. But then decided they both had issues to deal with in their personal lives. He wondered if their problems were beginning to affect their working relationship. They were certainly affecting his tonight!
In the middle of the night, Blue Watch were awakened by the bells, a shout. Recall had been on duty in the Watch Room, where he grabbed the print out hot off the printer.
"Fire," he yawned. "Factory unit on the industrial estate, both."
Pearce took a print out to verify the address, Sally did the same. Blue Watch clambered into the appliances and pulled out of the station.
They arrived at the factory unit to find no signs of fire. They weren't happy at being dragged away from their beds for a mickey. Pearce wanted them to check the area to be on the safe side.
"Sally, Adam, check that way," Pearce assigned them a direction. "George, Recall…"
Pearce assigned everyone roles. Hyper watched Sally and Adam head off in the direction they had been given.
"I knew it wasn't going to work…" Sally was saying.
"I suppose you need time to think about things," Adam agreed.
"Yeah."
Hyper felt hurt that Sally had chosen to confide in Adam. He wondered what he had done to offend her.
They disappeared from view round the other side of the large factory.
"Geoff," George was running back towards them from the direction of the opposite building, which he and Recall had been checking out.
"We've got a fire," he tried to catch his breath; he pointed in the direction he had just come from. "Been going for a while by the looks of it."
"Right," Pearce started. "Rob, go and find Adam and Sally, tell them to bring the ALP over…"
"Geoff," Hyper left Pearce calling the rest of the crew in.
"I understand that…" Adam was saying to Sally as Hyper approached the corner of the building. "But you do have to learn to trust people again."
"I know, but it's too soon," she replied. "After everything, I just want to be alone."
"Yeah, well you know where I am."
"Thanks Adam."
Hyper frowned. Had he done something in a previous life? Or had he got drunk one night and slagged everyone off and then forgotten all about it?
He decided to make himself known.
"What's going on?" he found them standing together, discussing Sally's love life.
"Nothing!" they both replied.
He had no time to question them as a rumbling noise echoed behind them. The building shook as a ball of flame burst through one of the walls. The three of them were knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion.
"Rob…" Sally tried to see beyond the wall of dust and debris clouding her vision.
Piles of broken bricks scattered the area where the factory wall had been.
"Adam?" she found him lying next to her.
He looked up at her.
"Rob…" he managed to choke.
Hyper had been standing in the exact spot where the explosion had occurred, now there was no sign of him.
"Sally? Adam?" Pearce had run over to them, closely followed by George and Hi-Ho. "George," Pearce turned to him. "Get on to control…"
Pearce continued to boss George around but Sally was more concerned for Hyper. She had been horrible to him, it wasn't his fault. She had wanted to tell him her problems. He always seemed to find a solution. Whether it was a practical solution or just a drink in the Twist, he always had the answer.
"Ambulance ETA ten minutes," George was yelling back.
Ambulance? Who needed an ambulance…?
"Sally?"
She looked up to find Hi-Ho next to her.
"What…"
"Shhush," he told her. "Let me look at that," he was trying to look at something on her head.
She pulled away.
"Where's Rob?"
"Sit down, Sally," Pearce ordered her.
She could no longer see Adam, George however was kneeling down on the ground not far from her.
"Adam…" she tried to go over but was stopped by both Pearce and Hi-Ho.
"Take care of this, Hi-Ho," Pearce ordered.
He had to return to check on the fire.
"Recall," he was yelling. "Get that jet on there again!"
"But Geoff…" Recall tried to object.
"Just do it," Pearce picked up a jet himself in an attempt to control the fire, which had now taken over both factory buildings.
Hi-Ho was checking on Adam. Sally had defied orders and joined them.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
No one would explain things to her. She felt she had to sit down. She sat next to Adam, who started mumbling something.
George had noticed something else a little way off, a fair distance from the factory. He followed the scattered trail of broken bricks until he found something.
"Rob…?" he turned the body over.
Sally looked in his direction. "Oh no…"
Adam tried to look round to see what George had found. "Sh…it…"
They helped each other up and made their way, as quickly as they could, over to where George was now standing up. He tried to hold them back.
"There's nothing you can do…"
Sally dropped to her knees. Adam joined her. Hi-Ho looked on, then went to find Geoff. George stood back.
Sally burst into uncontrollable tears. Adam held her, in the same way he had held her the previous night, wanting to will away all the bad stuff.
Behind them, Blue Watch crowded round as Shadbrook and Charlton crews arrived to deal with the fire, which lit up the skyline.
"Hi-Ho, check on that ambulance," Pearce told him.
Hi-Ho began to back away.
"George, Recall," Pearce continued. "Watch Commander Prentiss needs a hand," he reminded them of the raging fire.
They both turned to leave.
Adam tried to comfort Sally as they both kneeled on the hard ground. Pearce left them to grieve in front of Hyper's lifeless body.