Title: Towers
Author: maestra
Rating: PG
Summary: What if Jarod was in NYC on 9/11/01?
Author's Note: Been working on this fic for over 6 months now, on and off. It's been hard going, perhaps because of the subject matter. I actually started it before I wrote and finished my Dark Angel fic. So, in my heart, when I think of the stories I have written, this one will always be my very first. For any inconsistencies I apologize. My original goal was to post the first chapter on September 11, 2002, but as you may know. The website was down on that day. I hope you enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers apply. I don't own the Pretender, Jarod, Miss Parker, Sydney, Broots, the Centre, the World Trade Center, New York City, or any other entity mentioned in the course of this story. Please note that if I owned the Pretender it would still be on the air!
Dedication: For Ginger, because you were there on 9/11 and cared enough to share.
Chapter 1: "A Hero's Call"
Jarod rolled over and stretched lazily in the king size bed. He had taken the red-eye to New York City late last night, and by the time he had checked into his hotel it was after 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. He was used to doing without sleep when his "work" demanded it, but it was nice to sleep in every once in awhile.
He wondered for a moment what had awakened him, then stiffened as the sounds of sirens passed by his hotel window. He sat up, listening intently to the sounds of the city, hearing the sounds of many sirens, police, ambulance, fire and rescue. He crossed the room to open the curtains to look outside. But from his 6th floor window facing west he could see nothing other than a snippet of blue sky and a nice autumn morning.
Jarod grabbed some clothes from his duffle bag, and headed for the shower. A few minutes later Jarod stepped out of the shower and dried off his dark hair and body with a fluffy white towel. Clad in his black jeans, he walked over to the television and flipped through the cable channels until he found a local news program, to see if he could find out what was going on.
Jarod's plans were to expose corruption in a large company who had many government contracts. A company whose top executives were siphoning off money into secret accounts overseas while the company foundered like a ship with no anchor. He had to be to his interview with the company CEO at 1:00.
Jarod listened as the news anchor reported that an airplane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers, and that they had news crews on the way to cover the incident. Stunned Jarod went to sit down on the foot of the bed, nearly missing it. What would he do now? That is where his interview was supposed to be!
The news crews arrived on the scene, and began filming. On the television, Jarod saw the top of the North Tower on fire and people evacuating both of the towers.
Jarod's heart seemed to stop inside his chest as his mind dealt with the implications of this catastrophe. Could anyone above the impact point make it out alive? Some of those above the impact must have reached the same conclusion, and he watched in horror as they fell to the earth. He was just pulling a black T-shirt over his head when he heard that a second plane had hit the South Tower.
Jarod having been a firefighter before, knew this was where he could make a difference. He tucked the shirt into his jeans and slipped on his shoes. He grabbed his dark duffel bag and piled his things into it. He grabbed his laptop computer and DSA player. With one last glance at the TV as they reported an airplane had crashed into the Pentagon, Jarod flicked off the television tossed the remote on the unmade bed, and strode out of his room towards the elevator. He checked out of the hotel, and walked quickly down the street headed for the nearest firehouse.
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In the sub-levels of the Centre, generally news from the outside world never made much of an impact. Broots sat searching the Internet for any sign of Jarod's location. Sydney hurried into the room, "Mr. Broots, have you heard?"
"Heard what Syd?"
"That 2 hijacked 767 airliners have been flown into the World Trade Center Towers and that a third one has crashed into the Pentagon? Nicholas just called to tell me he was fine. He and his mother were supposed to be in New York City today. Michelle decided to leave there last night, as she wasn't feeling well. The whole city has pretty much been shut down!"
"Wow, Syd, glad they got out in time. What a relief huh, to hear that your son and his mother are safe? I am going to see if I can get any more details by checking out CNN.com or one of the news websites in that area."
"Broots."
"Yeah, Syd?"
"Do you have any idea where Jarod might be?"
"Well, not really Syd. I have a couple leads on a Jarod Andersen, a newspaper reporter investigating the treatment of prisoners in Alabama. But I am waiting for confirmation to come back before taking it to Miss Parker, I e-mailed Jarod's photo to a corrections facility there."
"Let's go get some coffee while you wait for confirmation Broots", Sydney said shaking his head.
He might not know where Jarod was right now, Sydney thought, but he knew his prodigy well enough to know where he would be within the week. He knew Jarod's conscience would lead him to New York City to help in this disaster. Jarod had done a simulation confirming the engineering companies results that an airliner carrying a full load of fuel flying into the World Trade Center could cause irreparable damage. But Sydney wisely kept his thoughts to himself.
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"Thanks Jarod, you're a real godsend. Grab some gear and we will head down to the Towers in a few minutes. I am so glad you decided to move to New York City! You couldn't have came when you were more desperately needed," Joe sighed. Jarod threw his belongings in the locker Joe gave him and grabbed the fire gear he would need to protect himself. The fire trucks were already gone, and Jarod watched as a couple off duty firefighters rushed into the firehouse.
"Jarod, this is Stan and Pete."
" We heard about the Towers and we figured we had better get here ASAP", Pete nodded to acknowledge his introduction to Jarod.
"Great, we were just leaving, can you give us a ride down?" Joe replied.
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Sydney and Broots were just returning from getting coffee when Miss Parker strode into the room.
"Did you hear about the World Trade Center Towers?" she asked.
"Yes, they are on fire," Syd replied.
"Oh, no Syd, it is worse than that." she said in a world weary voice, " The South and North Towers collapsed completely. They showed it on television, it absolutely melted like a candle. They don't know how many people were able to get out alive, or how many thousands of poor souls could be trapped in the rubble."
Mr. Broots looked askance at Miss Parker; this was an uncharacteristically empathetic moment for her. She rarely displayed emotion, at least none other than anger and irritation! Her biting wit she sharpened on him nearly every day. Now, suddenly she was putting herself in someone else's stilettos. (He kind of liked that idea.)
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Jarod and crew were only a few blocks away when the South Tower fell. A gray cloud of dust and ash swept down the street towards them like a malevolent fog. Jarod turned his head and saw people huddling behind cars, dashing into store fronts as the cloud swept over their car and past them.
He was too late; he hung his head in despair. To late! He knew that this could happen. Tears stung his eyes. Yet another sin he must atone for. He had known this was possible that the towers could be damaged by the airplanes and their fuel, and that the likelihood of catastrophic failure was imminent. He had been much younger, of course, but he still remembered the sim.
"Oh God, no!" Pete's voice rang out in the car.
Jarod's heart suddenly seemed to become a leaden weight in his chest. (Well, he thought, maybe it is best if I don't feel. I don't know how else I will get through this.) As moments later the ash and office papers settled to the earth.
"This is as far in as we can go by car, let's go, we still have a job to do." Joe said with a cough. The men nodded and got out of the car, dragging their gear with them.
"Put your masks on", Jarod advised, as he did so. Joe, Pete and Stan quickly followed suit. "We shouldn't inhale this stuff."
"It looks like a war zone." Stan said, his voice flat betraying no emotion. Jarod nodded.
"This way," Joe said, and led them off in the direction the cloud of ash had come from.
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To Be Continued.....