Chapter Six: What a day it has been
"If your team's not ready to head down that tunnel in five minutes, I'm going in without them."
Special Agent Don Eppes stood on the well lit street outside of Union Station. His badge was on display, as was his holstered sidearm. And with his jacket off and the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled all the way up, he looked the part of an intimidating federal agent. But even more menacing was the intensity radiating from his eyes that had nothing to do with his job. His little brother had been trapped in that metro tunnel for a little more than an hour. His extremely claustrophobic little brother, who should never have gotten on the damn thing in the first place.
"Agent Eppes, you need to wait until we…."
He towered over the tiny woman who served as rescue coordinator for the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's safety and maintenance team.
"Lady, I've been waiting. First I waited for you to get your team here. Then I waited for you to get your team ready. Then I waited while your team decided to get some coffee. Then I waited while we had an aftershock……."
"Agent Eppes, We still have to wait until we can get someone here to evaluate the tunnel. We need confirmation as to the magnitude of the quake and the aftershock and they need to assess the stability of the structure before we can send a rescue team in after the passengers."
"I don't care!"
"Agent Eppes, I understand that one of those passengers is your brother and I know you are concerned, but………."
"Concerned? There are no existing adjectives that can adequately describe what I am right now!"
Agent Megan Reeves rounded the corner and spotted her boss.
"Don? I got here as fast as I could. Have you got him yet?"
"We are waiting….again. It seems my brother's safety is of little priory right now. We wouldn't want to put a well paid, well equipped rescue team at risk."
She turned to the MTA coordinator and introduced herself. "Agent Reeves, FBI. The fact that Charles Eppes is this man's brother is of little consequence right now. He works for the NSA and getting him safely out of that tunnel is a matter of national security."
Don looked at her with his eyes wide and a half a smile on his face. She shrugged her shoulders. Let this woman try to call that bluff….well it wasn't really a bluff. He had worked for the NSA a couple of times.
"Agent Reeves, please. We fully appreciate the importance…….."
Megan interpreted her.
"No, I don't think you do. I'm not asking you to risk the lives of your men. I'm asking you nicely to get out of our way."
The petite woman looked up at the two federal agents looming over her.
"It's not safe for them and it's not safe for you. This is my call agent."
"And if something happens to us, you will not be held responsible."
Megan stood with her hands on her hips and stared at the shorter woman.
Finally, the woman caved to their tactics. "Ok…but for God's sake, wear a helmet."
Don offered the women a brief, insincere smile and broke into a trot as he headed for the front doors of Union Station. Weaving between the numerous emergency vehicles that were parked around the entrance, he slowed down enough to pluck a helmet from the hands of a rescue team member who was loitering on the sidewalk waiting for instructions. Don was about halfway to the entrance when he heard Megan behind him.
"Don. DON!"
He stopped and turned to look at Megan. She was standing near a grouping of red trucks with the letters L.A.F.D. emblazoned on their sides. She caught Don's eye and nodded toward the back of one of the trucks. A uniformed EMT was kneeling next to the wide rear bumper of a fire-truck, where a familiar looking head of curly black hair was bowed in silent contemplation.
With another glance at Megan, Don changed his direction and headed full speed for the truck.
"Charlie?"
The younger Eppes lifted his head and looked slightly mystified by the sudden appearance of his older brother. At the sight of the trail of dried blood that was crusted on Charlie's face, Don narrowed his eyes.
"Hey Buddy. You ok?"
A smile played itself across his younger brother's features, but he didn't immediately respond to the question.
"Charlie?"
Don knelt down next to him and brushed a clump of hair back that had been plastered to his face with drying blood. He winced at the size of the seeping gash on Charlie's left temple.
"God, Charlie. What the hell happened down there?"
"We…..um…the train jumped the rail. I….I just hit my head."
"On what?"
"Oh, a few things I think…but I'm ok."
Don wrinkled his forehead in concern and looked at the EMT for confirmation. "IS HE?"
"He took a pretty nasty knock on the head. Is this man in some sort of trouble?"
For a moment Don was perplexed by the question. Megan thumped his badge that was hanging out of his shirt pocket.
"Not unless being this guys brother qualifies as trouble."
Charlie's eyes shifted to Megan and he smiled.
"Agent Reeves. Why are you here?"
"It's good to see you too Charlie. Looks like you've had a rough night."
Charlie nodded his head slowly. "Yeah."
The EMT stood to walk away. "It looks like he may have a concussion and he may need a few stitches to close that up, but I think he'll live. I'll get the ambulance over here."
Charlie pulled himself quickly to his feet.
"I don't need an ambulance."
The sudden rush of oxygen to his brain made him lightheaded, and as if to refute his own statement, Charlie paled and staggered.
Don grabbed his brother around the shoulders.
"Whoa….Ok…..take it easy there Buddy."
"I'm ok Don. Really….I have a lecture in the morning...I don't……..."
"Hey…...I'm sure the confrence will be rescheduled, Charlie. Everything gets rescheduled after an earthquake around here."
Charlie shook his head at his brother.
"But, I don't need..."
"We'll take you. You don't have to ride in the ambulance."
Don glanced at the EMT, who nodded, raised his hands in mock surrender and walked around the truck, leaving his patient in the hands of the two federal agents.
Holding tightly to his younger brother's arm, Don led him across the parking lot towards the familiar black SUV with government plates.
"They told me the power shut down on those things when there was an earthquake to keep people on the train and off of the tracks. How'd you get out of there?"
For a minute Charlie looked hesitantly at his older brother. Then he let a guilty smirk spread across his face.
"I told you…we derailed. And….they decided I needed to get out of the car……so……um….we….broke the glass in the door. I'm a little claustrophobic you know."
Charlie felt himself smile as he watched his brothers baffled expression at his humorous attitude toward his phobia.
"Why Don? You don't think they'll try to charge me for that do you?"
Don face broke into a wide grin.
"Just let them try."
Megan opened the back door of the truck and Don deposited Charlie in the backseat.
"We?"
Again a hesitant expression clouded the young mans face.
"I didn't see anyone else around. Who was on there with you Charlie?"
"Just a couple of kids. They didn't wait around."
Charlie glanced around the street at the grouping of parked emergency vehicles and scattered men in uniform and he looked up at his brother, quickly changing the subject.
"Hey….how bad was this thing?"
"Not bad Charlie. Just a little quake….maybe a four or a five at the most. Nothing seems to be badly damaged."
"Dad ok?"
"Oh…..OH. Crap. Charlie, I haven't even called him yet. Do you have your phone?"
"Um. No. I…"
Maybe Don doesn't really need to know everything. That would be just the thing. Send Don out hunting a bunch of gun toting teenagers. Everything is fine. You're just minus a backpack, cell phone, …………laptop. Crap.
Charlie expelled a deep sigh.
"I think I lost it. My backpack too."
Don shook his head and tossed his younger brother his cell phone. "Use mine. I'm sure you're the one Dad'll want to talk to right now."
Charlie glanced back up at the entrance to Union Station. With the exception of the flashing lights reflected in the large plate glass windows, everything looked as it always had. But he was pretty damn sure he's never step foot in the place again.
Don turned to look at him. "Megan's going to go pick up Dad. Fasten your seat belt. I'm gonna light 'em up."
"I'm glad I've given you an excuse to run your lights, Don."
Charlie buckled himself in and hit speed dial on Don's phone, as his brother pushed the button to start up the emergency lights that flashed across the front and back of the black SUV.
"Hey, Dad."
"Yeah, I'm with Don."
"We're fine, Dad.Just a little shaken up, that's all."
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Authors Notes: Ok, now don't lay into me for this - but there is only one Chapter left of this one...but there is a part II in the works.
Keep talking to me here! I still wanna, needa, gotta have your opinions and ideas. Final Chapter: Good Morning, Sunshine
