First Responders
8
Sorry it's taken me so long to update, Friends. I have a lot of irons (fics!) in the fire at the moment!
Alex leaned on the railing and looked down onto the floor below where the team was performing drills led by Master Sergeant Drill Instructor Zorel.
"KNEES!" the lieutenant roared. "GET THOSE KNEES UP, ONE-TWO-EIGHT! YOU'RE THE LUCKIEST FIREHOUSE IN NATIONAL CITY. YOU GET TO DO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT PUSHUPS NEXT!"
Alex sniggered as her girlfriend looked up at her and winked. Lane had already sweated completely through her shirt and Brainy looked like he might have a heart attack and keel over at any second.
"JUST KIDDING! GOOD JOB, EVERYONE! HIT THE SHOWERS!"
"And she'll expect them to go and fight a fire after putting them through that," Jonn chuckled as he joined the brunette lieutenant at the railing.
"At least it's nothing more than she expects from herself," Alex replied with a grin as she remembered her girlfriend's shirt. It had also been soaked through.
"How come you weren't down there?" the captain asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I won both our sets of paperwork in a game of rock, paper, scissors."
"Smart," Jonn laughed. "I've taken part in one of Kara's workouts exactly once. I swore to never do it again. It almost killed me." He clapped Alex on the back then. "How are you holding up? It's been quiet the last week or so…" He grimaced. "Touch wood."
"Yeah… but it's weird, right? I mean three separate incidents and then nothing? Radio silence? Has the guy given up?"
Jonn shook his head. "Something tells me that…"
ENGINE ONE-TWENTY-EIGHT, AID CAR ONE-TWENTY-EIGHT. REPORT OF A CAR EJECTING THROUGH THE BARRIER ON THE COASTAL HIGHWAY MILE MARKER EIGHT-FIVE.
Alex and Jonn were already on the ground level, and Alex was getting into her turnouts as sweaty firefighters in various stages of undress ran from the locker room and jumped into their turnouts. Kara was in her underwear, t-shirt half on over her head with one hand and pulling up her uniform pants with the other.
"Caught with your pants down, Lieutenant Zorel?" Alex called as she pushed her feet into her bunker boots.
"Something like that," the blonde called back, laughing.
The dark-haired lieutenant took pity on her and went to help, yanking her girlfriend's t-shirt down and pants up in a fluid motion. "Whoops, camel toe," she teased as the blonde hopped a little.
"You just wait," Kara threatened laughingly.
"So scared!" Alex shot back with a grin.
Moments later they were all in the engine and heading for the scene. J'Onn leaned forward and spoke to his team. "We have no information from the scene as of yet," he said. "Except that the car went through the barrier and over the edge of the cliff. It seems to be suspended somehow but it could be extremely unstable. I need two volunteers to rope down."
Every hand shot up and the captain smiled. "Schott, Brainy, you're up. No offense, Lane, but we might need some brawn down there."
"Yes, Sir," the petite woman replied. "I'm better as the brains anyway."
"Hey!" Winn exclaimed indignantly and they all laughed.
Kara could feel the anticipation and excitement rolling off her team. They loved nothing more than a good rescue.
"Lane, Vas, you're on the ropes and winches. I'm going to coordinate with the other units on the scene so, Zorel, you're field commander. Danvers, Mores, hoses if necessary and then do whatever needs to be done."
"Yes, Sir!"
It took ten minutes to get to the scene and, as Brainy pulled the engine onto the shoulder as close to the barrier as he could, the team was already hopping out of the big vehicle and going to look over the edge.
"Oh, shit," Alex murmured. "That's really not good."
The all paused a moment to take in the scene. When the car had run off the road, it had hit a power pole and taken the lines down and over the cliff with it. The cables were wrapped around the rear wheels and, while temporarily keeping the car and its occupants from falling to certain death, the sparking and arcing told the one-two-eight that the lines were still live.
Captain Jones shook his head. "I'm going to call the power company and get those lines powered off."
Alex hopped over the crushed section of barrier then and grasped wrists with Vasquez as she leaned sideways over the cliff edge to get a better look. "It's pretty sheer. There's no way to climb down safely. We're definitely going to need the winches."
"On it," Lane said and, when the brunette lieutenant was safely back on the inside of the barrier, Vas joined the petite firefighter to get the gear set up. Schott and Brainy were already stripping out of their turnouts and getting into harnesses and ropes. Kara carefully double checked each knot, buckle and carabiner for the two men, then stepped back to let them connect to a winch. Alex double checked that the winch's base was secure and nodded to Kara.
But then the blonde lieutenant sniffed the air. "Anyone else smell burning? I don't remember smelling that when we first got here."
She went to the cliff edge to look at the car. "Crap," she said. "Something is definitely smoking down there. "Mores, Danvers, we're gonna need foam."
"Yes, Ma'am," the two firefighters replied and went to the engine to grab a cannister of foam and a short hose.
"Querl, Winn," Kara said, "When you get down there, first action is to spray the car with foam. The current running through those cables is causing heat to build up and it's close enough to the gas tank to worry me." She looked at Jonn then. "Sir, any traction on getting those lines powered down? It's getting critical."
He held up a hand and nodded. "Five more minutes, Lieutenant."
Schott and Brainy were on the other side of the barrier now, walking backward and over the side of the cliff edge as the winch lowered them slowly. After a few moments though, Alex heard Winn shouting and lay down on her stomach to look over the edge.
"NO!" the man was yelling. "DON'T MOVE! WE'RE COMING TO GET YOU OUT! DON'T MOVE!"
She gasped as she realized the one of the rear car doors had opened, and someone was leaning out, coughing as they tried to suck in air.
"DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" Alex yelled down. "THE CAR IS ELECTRIFIED!"
But it was too late, and the occupant began to jerk uncontrollably as a surge of electricity moved through her. She toppled sideways out of her seat but, through some miracle, Brainy managed to catch her around the waist with one arm, hanging on desperately until Winn managed to get a hold on her too and strap her to his teammate's harness.
"Fuck me," Alex muttered, heart in her mouth. She looked over her shoulder. "Lucy! Pull Brainy's line up double time. He has a victim who's just been electrocuted strapped to him."
Kara was there then. "Alex, get harnessed. Winn's going to need help while Querl's on his way up. Next action is to secure the car in place."
"Yes, Ma'am," the brunette replied and three minutes later, Kara was checking her harness.
"I know I don't have to tell you to be careful," the blonde said softly, making sure everything was tight and secure. "But..." She let her eyes meet Alex's. "Please be careful?"
"I will. I promise," Alex replied just as softly. Then smiled and stepped away. "On it, Boss."
Just then, Winn's voice came through the radio. "Zorel, Schott. Power's off, foam has been deployed to the rear of the car and Dox is almost to the top of the cliff. Have someone standing by. I'm going to try to secure the vehicle now."
"Acknowledged," Kara replied. "Danvers is on her way down to help you. We're also going to winch down the basket. How many other occupants do we have?"
"Two," Winn said. "Female, thirties. Conscious with a forehead lac. Male approximately ten years old. Conscious and lucid. No visible injuries except for minor bruising. The victim Brainy has, is a teenaged female. Unconscious but breathing after electrocution. Minor burns at electrical entry and exit points."
"Great job, Guys," Kara praised. "Vas and Johnson are standing by to receive the first victim."
At the edge of the cliff, Alex was already stepping back to be lowered down. Brainy was being pulled up onto the clifftop by the paramedics, who gently took the teenager and unclipped her before lying her down on a gurney. She was conscious now and crying, and Vas stroked her hair gently, murmuring to her that she was going to be alright.
"What a day," Alex said as she came even with Winn. The man was leaning under the car, securing the chassis with a cable that was connected to a separate winch back up on the clifftop.
"You got THAT right," Schott replied. "Check on the folks in the car for me, wouldja? I haven't had much of a chance to talk to them."
"Sure," Alex swung away and grabbed the car, leaning in to talk to the occupants. "Hi, I'm Alex and I'm a firefighter. My colleague, Winn, is securing the car with a big, safe cable and then we're going to help you guys back up onto solid land, ok?" She smiled gently and the driver nodded in relief.
"This has been a scary day," the woman said shakily. "Do you know how my daughter is doing?"
Alex smiled again. "She'd regained consciousness when Dox got her to the top of the cliff. Vasquez and Johnson are taking care of her and will bring her to the E.R."
"Dox?" The boy spoke up. "That's a funny name."
The brunette chuckled softly. "You know what's funnier?" she asked. "He's really smart so we call him Brainy."
"He saved my sister," the little boy went on.
"He did," Alex nodded. "That's what firefighters do."
Just then, Winn's grinning face appeared. "Car's all secure, Boss," he said. "How about we get everyone out of here, huh?"
"That would be really great," the mother replied. "I'm not feeling so hot."
Alex and Winn exchanged a look. "Ok!" the lieutenant said. Then she looked at the little boy. "Hold on just one minute, ok, Buddy?" she keyed her mic. "Zorel, Danvers"
"Go for Zorel."
"Lieutenant, Winn's going to bring the mom up in the basket. She's not feeling great, and I'm worried about that head laceration." Her eyes met Schott's and he nodded his agreement. "I'm going to carry our little champ up. Wind chill has him a touch hypothermic so have some warming blankets ready."
"Acknowledged," Kara replied. "Give the word when the mom is secure. I'll have Winn and the basket winched up."
"Alex," Winn said softly, his eyes moving to the woman. She was slumped forward now, and the lieutenant realized she was unconscious.
"Double time," Alex nodded. "Alright, Buddy." She held out her hand to the boy. "I want you to come as close to me as you can, while Winn takes care of your mom, ok?"
Just then, Dox appeared again and he smiled at the boy. "Hello again. Permit me to assist my colleague, Winn, with bringing your mother to safety. I shall return."
The little boy leaned close to Alex. "He talks funny," he whispered.
The lieutenant nodded seriously. "I know," she whispered back. Then she helped him get into a small harness and clipped it to her own rig. She double and then triple-checked the carabiners and then keyed her mic. "Danvers, ready to come up with the bravest kid in the world." Then she hugged him close. "Hold on to me, Bud, ok?"
"Winching," Lane's voice replied.
Alex felt the gentle tug on her harness and hugged the boy even closer as they began to rise toward the top of the cliff. Brainy waved to them and then went back to helping Winn wrestle the unconscious mother into the basket.
At the top, Kara was waiting, and she took Alex and her charge into her arms, helping them to stand and ease around the crushed barrier before disconnecting them from each other. The aid car had already left for the hospital, so another ambulance crew took the little boy away to look him over. Alex ruffled his hair and grinned as he left, wrapped up in a foil blanket.
"Good job," Kara said. "Brainy and Winn are about to bring the mother up. This family may just get out of this in one piece."
"They were lucky it worked out. If the car had started burning..." Alex shivered. "I don't want to think about what could have happened."
"Me neither," Kara agreed but then she frowned as she took her girlfriend's hand to examine her palm. "You're bleeding."
"It's nothing a Band Aid won't fix," the brunette replied. "A gust of wind caught us, and I bumped into the cliff face."
"You were protecting the kid, right?" the blonde smiled.
Alex shrugged. "Just reacted in the moment." She paused and tilted her head. "I know this is not the right time for this conversation but... you do want kids, right?"
Kara blinked. "Yeah..." She looked down for a moment. "I've always wanted kids but... I... um... I can't get pregnant... I..." She stopped and took a breath, looking upset.
Alex's face gentled. "Let's talk about this later, ok?"
"Yeah," Kara breathed as she looked away and watched the team get the mother out of the basket and into an ambulance.
Alex squeezed her hand gently and then cleared her throat. "What's next, Boss?"
"Well," the blonde replied. "I guess we have to get the car back up here. Can't leave it hanging around."
The brunette lieutenant grinned. "Ooohhh... please let me go down there again! Look! I still have my harness on and everything!"
Kara rolled her eyes affectionately. "Ok, ok, you twisted my arm but take Lane with you. She's chomping at the bit to get into a harness. In and out, ok? Get a couple more cables on the car, then we'll winch the whole thing back up."
"You got it," Alex nodded and then jogged away.
Kara took a moment to breathe, and her hand moved to her abdomen reflexively as she was overwhelmed with memories. But she forced them back and straightened her shoulders. There would be time to think about that stuff and talk to Alex about it later.
Xx
Kara had been quiet the rest of the shift back at the station and Alex was keeping an eye on her. They worked on their incident reports in their shared office and Alex had cracked a joke or two that made her girlfriend smile, but something was off, and the brunette knew it.
"Hey," she said as she got up and moved across the room to sit on the edge of Kara's desk. "I feel like I upset you asking about kids earlier. I'm sorry."
Kara set her pen down and leaned on her forearms, blue eyes lifting. "You didn't upset me," she replied. "It's just... the situation is upsetting in general."
"We don't have to talk about it now unless you want to. I just wanted to make sure you were ok," Alex replied gently.
The blonde got up and slowly paced across the room, shoving her hands in her pockets. "It's one of those things," she said slowly. "Where you feel like you should be over it..." She shrugged.
"But you never really are?" Alex replied.
"Right," Kara agreed. "Honestly, I don't think about it a lot anymore but when it hits me. It's like I'm back there again. I think... maybe the subject blindsided me a little earlier. I'd like to sit down with you and talk over a bottle of wine."
The brunette nodded. "I'd really like that. I..."
A knock on the door interrupted them and Mores stuck her head inside. "Guys," she said seriously. "You need to come with me right now."
The lieutenants nodded and followed her down to the vehicle bay. "What's going on, Megan?" Kara asked.
The team were all standing at the back of the room, staring at a duffel bag sitting on the floor. Alex swallowed as she looked at the contents. "Call it in," she said. "Tell them we have an incendiary device on a countdown timer and that we have eleven minutes before it goes off."
"That's not enough time," Kara said as she crouched and looked at the bag. She looked at Megan then. "What happened?"
"Dox and I were restocking and inspecting the engine," the woman replied, voice shaking. "The bag was shoved into the compartment behind the toolbox."
"Do we have any idea how long it's been there?" Alex asked.
"I used the toolbox this morning. That bag wasn't there," Schott said. "Someone put it there in the last six hours."
"Ten minutes," Alex said. "Options."
"Evacuate," Schott said. "Let the bomb squad take over."
I don't think we have enough time for them to get here," Kara said.
"Contain," Dox replied. "Carry the bag to a dumpster, put something heavy on the lid and let it go off."
Kara nodded. "Good. Any other suggestions?"
"Drive it away," Alex said. "We don't know how powerful it is. Trying to contain it might get people killed."
"Drive it where?" Mores asked. "Alex, we only have nine minutes. We won't get far enough away."
"Agreed," Alex said. "Let's try to contain it, as Brainy suggested."
"Agreed," Kara added. She carefully picked up the bag, carried it toward the rear of the vehicle bay and out into the alley behind.
Winn was already at the dumpster, and he opened the lid, wincing at the garbage aroma. Dox came up behind her. "Obviously, throwing it in is not the best course of action," he said solemnly as he set a short step ladder up for her. "Please lower the bag carefully into the dumpster, Lieutenant."
"Got it," Kara chuckled. "Seven minutes, Folks!"
"Fuck," Alex said softly. "You know who this was meant for, don't you?"
"Let's worry about that later," the blonde replied. She'd already gone there in her head, and it was causing her hands to shake. She climbed the steps of the ladder and leaned into the dumpster to set the bag down. It was a metal monstrosity of a container, and she was glad, knowing it'd give more protection than a plastic dumpster would. "Alright, done."
Kara hopped down off the ladder and grabbed it to carry it away. Alex closed the dumpster lid and helped Mores and Lane lift a weight bench and all their weights from the gym on top of it. "Ok," she said. "Everyone out onto the street."
"What the hell is going on here?" Captain Jones said as he stepped out into the alley. "Why are you all..."
Kara grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her. "Bomb in the dumpster. Gotta go."
Jonn's eyes widened. "Oh shit."
"Yep! MOVE IT, ONE-TWO-EIGHT!" the blonde yelled. They all ran back into the station, through the vehicle bay, and out onto the street, Johnson hitting the control panel to close the big rolling doors behind him. Then the firefighters began ushering pedestrians back, shoving them where necessary and instructing them to cross the street and run away.
"ONE MINUTE!" Alex yelled as they all found spots, crouching behind cars on the opposite side of the street to the station. They heard sirens in the distance, and she shook her head. "If Mores and Dox hadn't found the bag..."
Kara nodded. "It was placed strategically in the engine. If it had gone off at the cliff it probably would have killed us. Same if we'd been in the vehicle or if it had gone off in the station. It..."
Just then there was a huge boom and the ground underneath their feet vibrated as people around them screamed and ran. From behind the station, a plume of smoke rose but there was no visible debris.
Jonn stood and started to walk toward the building. "Stay here," he said, holding his hand out. Then he crossed the street and went inside the station to hit the button to open the rolling doors. To everyone's surprise, there was no smoke inside. In fact, there was no damage visible from where they were waiting.
"Did it work?" Kara asked quietly. "Holy shit. I think it worked."
Jonn appeared again and beckoned to them, so the firefighters jogged across the street and into the building. There was no damage, so they followed him out into the alley. The air was full of smoke and the smoldering dumpster was misshapen, its lid blown clear off, but its form was mostly intact. Alex shook her head as she spotted a circular weight embedded in the brick of the building, but it was with a mixture of relief and credulity that she looked at Brainy, then slapped him hard on the back. "It worked. Dude. You are a genius!"
Dox chuckled. "Live, die. Fifty-fifty chance, Lieutenant."
But the brunette froze when a masked figure suddenly strode out of the smoky air toward her with purpose. "You just won't fucking die, will you?" the figure rasped, raising a gun and pointing it at her. Their finger tightened on the trigger, knuckle whitening, and Alex swallowed hard.
"Alex!" Kara exclaimed as she started to move, throwing herself at her girlfriend as shots were fired, their volume jarring in the tight space of the alley. She carried them both to the ground and they rolled, hitting the dumpster with twin oofs.
Alex was back on her feet a split second later, peering into the smokey air, but she shooter was gone. "FUCK!" she yelled. "SERIOUSLY?!" Then she turned. "Kara, are you..."
The blonde was still lying on the ground, her hand clamped over her shoulder as a pool of blood slowly formed underneath her. She was pale and shaking. "Wow, who'd have thought that getting shot would hurt so much."
"Kara..." Alex whispered. "No." She went to her girlfriend, dropping to her knees next to her to stroke her face. "Kara…"
"It's ok," the blonde murmured. "It's a through and through."
Vas was there then, her medical bag already open, and she pulled out two heavy gauze pads to press them to the front and back of Kara's shoulder. "I've got you," she said. "Johnson is getting the gurney and Mores is already starting up the aid car."
Alex took her girlfriend's blood-covered hand and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She couldn't speak but her eyes met Kara's and they spoke volumes. "Hey," the blonde murmured groggily as Vasquez looped an oxygen mask over her face and started the flow. "I love you," she said. "And we're having those kids. I promise."
Tears were trickling down the brunette's face as she nodded. "I love you too," she whispered, wiping at them. "And I can't wait."
Xx
Alex was in shock. Jonn new it and he stayed with her in the waiting room while Kara was in surgery to repair her damaged shoulder blade.
"I shouldn't have let her do that," the brunette was muttering as she paced back and forth. "She shouldn't have saved me like that. She could've been killed. She could be dead right now. I could've lost her." She stopped walking, tears spilling down her cheeks. Then she started walking again. "I can't lose her. I can't. I just can't. I can't."
"Hey," Jonn gently grasped her shoulders, holding her firmly. "Look at me." Brown eyes slowly lifted, and Alex's bottom lip quivered. "She's going to be ok."
He nodded and the brunette nodded along with him. "Ok… ok…" She blew out a long breath. "Ok."
The big man led her to a chair and sat them down with his arm around her. "What do you remember, Alex?" he asked.
"I… I remember… black clothes, a black mask, a rasping voice…" Alex paused then as her mouth dropped open. "Slim build, not very tall. Jonn… I think the shooter was a woman."
The captain nodded. "That's what I think too." He got up then and took out his phone. "I need to call Williams and tell him what happened. I think he's looking for a male suspect now."
Alex nodded. "I'm just thinking back to the library fire. I didn't register it at the time because I was on the floor but, when Kara wrestled with the person in the fire suit, I think she was taller than them."
"If we're looking for a woman," Jonn said slowly. "This could put a new slant on the investigation. I've also realized that you don't have to be a firefighter to get access to shifts and schedules. This person could be a cop or a 9-1-1 dispatcher for all we know."
The brunette groaned and leaned on her thighs, suddenly feeling very queasy. "Who the hell is this woman?" she said. "And why does she think I let her son die?"
Jonn shook his head. "I don't know, Honey. I don't know."
