Disclaimers: I don't own the F4 characters… weep but I do own Maria, so YAY!

Warning – some bits may be unsuitable for younger readers, it may also be pretty disturbing...

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Chapter 5

The light was dim inside the hotel, the two young heroes walked side by side in silence, being careful to keep away from the walls, and were looking for survivors.

Johnny was beginning to get irritated, the silence was driving him crazy, "Can anyone hear me?" he yelled, nearing the entrance to a middle sized room.

"Shut up!" Maria scolded.

"What? If they can't hear us walking, what the hell are we supposed to do?" he said turning around and sounding annoyed, "Just walk around silently hoping to see a foot poking out?" he asked sarcastically. But Maria wasn't listening, her skin had gone completely pale blue, "What?" he asked staring at her.

Maria rose a shaky arm, and pointed in towards the room. Johnny followed the direction she was gesturing at, and there lying on the floor, buried in rubble, was a man. Johnny ran to him, and felt for a pulse, he looked at Maria and shook his head. But Maria didn't pay any attention, she was staring at the pool of blood on the floor just to the left, there was another body, and another, each with obvious fatal injuries.

In a daze, she walked forward slowly, and gently pulled the curtains off the windows, walking slowly to the body of an old dark skinned woman. A beam had fallen, crushing her torso. Maria closed her eyes and said a little prayer as she laid the curtain over.

Near to her lay a younger woman, her name tag said Katrina, she was the hotel receptionist. She had a head wound, and next to her on the floor was the part of the stone wall that had caused it. Maria picked up the carpet from the floor, and saying a prayer, laid it over her.

Johnny had been watching her inattentively, and began doing the same with the man, placing a long coat over him. He then stood up and walked over to where Maria was standing, picking up her emergency breathing apparatus she had discarded. After he checked to make sure she was wearing her heat gloved, he took her hand and she let him lead her away. She had never seen a dead body before...

He made a radio call to let them know where the bodies were, also letting them know the area was safe, and that they were making their way deeper into the hotel. The two proceeded in silence.

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After walking for a further five minutes, they heard voices. Maria looked at Johnny, "Where are they?" she asked him looking around.

Johnny too looked around, "Sounds like they're coming from over there," he pointed to the left.

Letting go of Johnny's hand, Mara ran to a that was blocked by a fallen beam, "Anyone behind here?" she yelled banging on the door.

"Yes! We can't get out!" came the cries of a young woman.

"Help me with this," Maria told the Human Torch as she grabbed one side of the beam, letting him take the other. On three they lifted and shifted the beam out the way. Still the doors wouldn't budge. "Try kicking it," she instructed.

Johnny took a deep breath, and kicked the door with all the strength he could muster, and the door flew open. They both instantly dashed inside the room.

"Is everyone alright?" Maria asked, looking at about a dozen or more people. She was answered by a wave of nods.

"Can everyone walk alright?" Johnny asked, again the response was nodding. Johnny radioed to say they'd found survivors, and asked for confirmation that it was safe to send them out. As soon as he was given the confirmation, they filed the people out in a line, making sure they kept away from the walls.

Suddenly a woman started screaming, "My baby, my baby!" she was crying.

Maria looked at Johnny, "What does your child look like?" Maria asked the woman, who quickly gave her the description of the twelve year old boy, with black hair and pale skin. "We'll find him," she promised her.

"I want my baby! I won't go anywhere until I know he's safe," she cried.

"We'll keep looking," she assured her, looking at Johnny who nodded. "You wait for us outside, it won't take long," she promised again. "He'll be fine."

The woman looked at her, with tears pouring down her face, and let a middle aged man lead her away. "His name's Tommy," he told the two heroes.

After the two had received confirmation that the survivors were safe, the proceeded in looking for the missing child.

"Nice control back there," Johnny said admiringly.

Maria smiled, "Thanks, you too," she replied.

"Why did that woman take so long to realise her child was missing?" he asked her.

Maria shrugged, "Delayed shock maybe…" she wasn't sure. "It could be any number of things," she explained post traumatic stress, as well as other diagnosis's.

Johnny nodded in silence to everything she said; he didn't understand much of what she was saying. He was just happy to keep her talking to fill the silence. As they were walking they stuck their heads inside rooms to see if they could see anyone, and Johnny called out Tommy's name now and then.

"You still thinking about going back to your studies?" he asked when she was done.

Maria shook her head, "I don't know…" she confessed. "I really want to, it depends… I can't enrol for another couple of months," she explained.

Johnny nodded, and stopped as they came to another blocked door, "Anyone inside here?" he banged on the door. Silence followed, he looked at Maria, she raised her eyebrows, not knowing really what to do.

"Think there's any harm in looking?" he asked.

Maria shrugged, "It was ok the last time," she said.

"Maria? You there?" Ben's voice came through on the radio.

"Dad?" she spoke into it, "You guys alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, honey, we're fine," he told her. "We've found the survivors, they've emerged…" he paused, before continuing in a much sober voice, "We've collected the…"

"Yeah, ok," Maria broke him off, knowing he was going to say 'bodies'.

Johnny looked at Maria, "What about Tommy?" he asked.

"A lady said she had a son missing, his name's Tommy," she told her father down the radio. "Twelve year old with dark hair and pale skin," she explained.

There was a pause before Ben answered, "Ok, keep looking for a little while. But there's gas, as soon as you smell it, get yourselves outta there!" he told them.

Maria nodded naturally, even though her father couldn't see her, "Ok," she replied and looked at Johnny.

"Ready?" she asked, and he nodded. "We're gonna go now, ok dad?" she said down the radio.

"Ok," came the reply, "But no 'Flaming On'!" he said sternly, "We don't need any explosions!" he added.

Johnny laughed and grabbed the radio, "What do you take me for, a 'hot head'?" he asked.

There was a pause, "Well…yeah…" Ben replied. "Now both of you get going!" he replied, then said no more.

"I'll be glad to get out of here!" Johnny said as they walked down the corridor.

"Me too," Maria smiled at him, offering her hand out to him, "So we don't get lost," she added.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven for before?" he asked, a question to which she nodded, and he took her hand.

They continued down the corridor shouting, banging on every door, and checking every room.

Finally, their shouts were answered, "Tommy?" Johnny yelled.

The was a silence, "In here!" came a frightened voice from behind a door a little down the corridor.

As they approached the door, they both smelled gas.

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End of chapter