Title: Towers
Author: maestra
Chapter 2: "Among the Rubble"
Night fell at the Centre, but deep in the sublevels that was impossible to tell. You could lose all track of time in the Centre. They had planned the sublevels that way; isolation insured the accuracy of the data. Simulations could go on for days without the participants being aware of the exact passage of time.
He had to get home to his daughter, Broots thought as he hurried into Miss Parker's office. The babysitter was just a teen herself and had called earlier to say that Debbie was afraid. After all the things that had gone on today, Debbie had announced she wouldn't go to sleep until her father was home. She might be a teenager now, but still being a single Dad while working for the Centre was hard. His daughter had no mother to turn to, and she needed him tonight.
"Miss Parker", Broots said, "I just got confirmation that Jarod is in Birmingham, Alabama working as a newspaper reporter. He did a big article on their prison system, which was printed today. Here is a copy I downloaded for you from their website."
He dropped the article on her desk. "But all air traffic has been grounded throughout the country. We can't fly to Birmingham tonight. After that plane crashed in Pennsylvania they grounded everything bigger than a paper airplane."
"Well don't just stand there! Go find out how we can get there! Jarod won't be flying anywhere either moron!" she snapped.
(Hm, she's back, Broots thought.)
"Miss Parker, I have to go home. My daughter needs me. I will work at home for a few hours and let you know what I find out by e-mail. And I will see you tomorrow morning. I am sorry Miss Parker, but Debbie needs me." with his eyes Broots pleads for understanding.
Miss Parker said nothing. So much for the softer side of Miss Parker, Broots sighed as he turned on his heel and left. Miss Parker picked up the article and began to read.
"Jarod where are you?" she whispered to the empty room. She half-wished he would call her on her cell phone in the middle of the night tonight, like he sometimes did. Just so she would know that he was ok. She didn't know why, but she felt this overwhelming sense that Jarod was in danger, and not just from the Centre for a change.
Joe had forced his team to eat and rest. The other three firefighters slept on cots using their arms as pillows. Jarod, however couldn't rest, his mind wouldn't let him. He couldn't relax. So Jarod had sat and watched over the others, and thought about what a difference a few hours could make in your life. Had he been in New York Monday to interview with that CEO, he would have been working in the World Trade Center when the planes hit. They had heard about the hijacked plane that had crashed in a field in Pennsylvania earlier, when more off duty firefighters and EMT's reported to work.
Jarod was amazed that the passengers had apparently attempted to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. (What incredible spirit, he thought.)
As they had pulled survivors and bodies from the rubble Jarod had worked on autopilot. Trying not to think, not to feel, just to do his job. When the second tower came tumbling down, the pain in his heart doubled. He worked like a robot, afraid to think or feel too much.
Another crew came into the building and Jarod watched as volunteers quickly handed them a sandwich and water. Jarod sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall in exhaustion.... A few moments later he too had drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later Joe touched him on the shoulder to wake him, "Get something to eat Jarod, we're going back in a half hour." Jarod nodded. He looked around the room; saw that Stan, Pete and Joe were being given something to eat by volunteers at a table in the opposite corner of the large room. Jarod turned his head away, and again began to think about the things that had transpired in the last couple of days.
"Hi", a soft voice said from his side. Jarod turned to look as one of the volunteers approached him. "Jarod, right? Joe sent me over with something to eat for you," she said with a soft sweet smile. (I don't deserve your smile, Jarod thought.)
"I have a sandwich and a soda here for you Jarod, and a bottle of water, you'll want to keep your strength up." He made no move to take them from her.
"My name is Tara Kelly," she said, throwing him another angelic smile as she sat down beside him on the cot. "Are you OK Jarod?"
Jarod just sighed. She reached over and took his hand in hers. "You know, I can tell you are distressed Jarod, it is written all over your face. But people need you. Joe needs you. Steve and Pete need you. There are many firefighters and police officers missing. I know you are new Jarod. But these guys are relying on you."
"Jarod," she said as she squeezed his hand, "You are going to be OK, you are going to make it through this. You need to eat to keep up your strength though. Please at least try to eat a little."
"Ok," Jarod said without enthusiasm as he looked at her. "Good!" Tara replied as she tossed her shoulder length blonde hair over her shoulder and squeezed his hand one last time before getting up to walk away.
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Miss Parker waltzed into her office early on the morning of September 12th. Today they left for Alabama, to capture Jarod. Since all the plane traffic had been stopped the day before she had decided after reviewing Mr. Broots e-mail to her last night to take a Centre car and drive right through to Birmingham.
As Mr. Broots walked in with a cup of coffee a half hour later she snapped, "Make that cup to go Broots, I want to be on the road within half an hour. We're taking a road trip!"
"Is Sydney coming too?", Mr. Broots asked in reply.
"No," Miss Parker answered testily, "He claims he has a more important project. That he just can't go chasing halfway across the country this week to find his errant boy genius." "But Sam is coming with us," Miss Parker said as she flipped some important papers into her briefcase, "I need some back up I can trust. Hurry up though; I don't want Mr. Lyle to catch wind of our trip. I am not in the mood to have him along for the ride on a 14 hour road trip!"
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Late that evening, in Birmingham Miss Parker, Mr. Broots, and Sam rush into the "Birmingham Bugle" news office of Jarod Andersen. A startled young man looks up from a desk nearby, "Can I help you?"
"We're looking for Jarod Andersen. I'm a very close old friend, and I happened to be in town on business with my colleagues here. I just wanted to congratulate him on the wonderful article he wrote that your paper printed yesterday."
"I am sorry, but Jarod is out of town at the moment."
"Really? Do you know where Jarod went?"
"Well, no ma'am, I don't know for sure."
"Oh, and I so wanted to see him! You just can't imagine how long it has been since I last spoke with him!" Miss Parker sighed sadly.
"Perhaps you would like to leave a message incase he calls in for his messages?"
"Sure," Miss Parker said as she whirled around for the door, then stopped to throw over her shoulder in sugary tones, "Tell him his childhood sweetheart stopped by to say hello."
Miss Parker stalked angrily from the room with Mr. Broots, and Sam, her trusted sweeper, right behind her.
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When Jarod awoke the morning of the 13th, Tara was kneeling on the floor beside his cot. Pete, Stan and Joe were nowhere to be seen.
"Hi Jarod," Tara smiled, "The guys are waiting in the hall for a chance to use the pay phone to call home. Joe and Stan have a wife and kids at home who have probably been worried sick about them. So many of the firemen are missing...and people have been having trouble getting through on the phone lines. Cell phones aren't working well either. Do you have anyone you need to call Jarod?"
"No, no one," Jarod said with a note of sadness not hidden in his voice, as he sat up.
With concern written all over her face, Tara asked, "Well, Jarod, how are you doing? I bet this is more than you expected on your first week in New York City."
"You can say that again," he replied dryly. "I'm alive, I'm uninjured. Other than that, I can't really say how I am doing."
Tara nodded, "It's OK, Jarod. I suspect there are a lot of guys here who are still in shock and just working on automatic pilot. By the way, I stopped at the corner bakery on my way down this morning. Do you like Chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles?"
Jarod smiled for the first time, but the warmth didn't quite reach his sad brown eyes, "Well to be honest, I don't think I have ever met a doughnut I didn't like."
Tara gave a soft laugh in response, as she gave him a small white bag and a carton of milk. "Jarod, you're a man after my own heart," she graced him with another dazzling smile that sparkled in her Caribbean blue eyes. She chuckled at his puzzled expression. "Eat up!" she said, as she rose to her feet, "the guys should be back for you in a few minutes."
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The afternoon of the 13th, Miss Parker, Sam and Broots exited Jarod's furnished rented house on a quiet Birmingham residential street. Though they had practically turned it upside down and inside out, it had revealed no obvious clues to Jarod's current location.
Miss Parker slid her sunglasses down her nose slightly and looked at Broots over the top of them. "Another dead end," she snapped.
"I'm sorry Miss Parker," he replied as the perspiration rolled down his baldhead and face. Sam threw Mr. Broots a sympathetic look, but wisely remained silent as they walked back to the comfort of the air-conditioned town car.
"All right Sam, back to the Centre," Miss Parker practically growled.
"Yes, Miss Parker," He replied as he got into the car to start the long drive home.
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To Be Continued....