"On my count 3…...2….1…...Go" Hondo said as he and Chris repelled from the chopper to the roof top. Unclipping their ropes and readying themselves she followed Hondo to the door as they attempted to make their way to Street and the Observation Deck where Sgt Jones was.
Once inside Chris headed for the stairwell to get to Street, Hondo navigated through the corridor to meet Tan and Logan with several members of 50 David. He asked Logan to go find Chris and help her get Street up here. He hurried off, headed for the stairwell.
"Chris is back?" Tan said to Hondo, Hondo nodded with a smile. Tan smiled too.
"28 David to 24 David" Logan called, "On my way to you". He found the nearest stairwell and descended as quickly as he could. Chris was 2 flights down ahead of him, waiting at the stairwell door.
"Roger that..." she answered as she looked up and saw him rounding the corner,
"Let's go" she said tapping his arm. They entered the hallway and searched carefully as they approached the bank of elevators.
"Street should be between this floor and the floor below" she said, "We gotta get these doors open"
Logan grabbed the pneumatic door opener from his vest, Chris nodded approvingly as he held it up. He set one side against the inside of the doors and the other inside the lip where the doors met. Turning it on it slowly made a gap big enough in the doors for Chris to slide her crowbar inside and with Logan's help they jimmied and wiggled the doors wide open.
"STREET?" Chris called into the darkness. "Can you hear me?" …. the silence she heard back was deafening and it was killing her. Her heart was physically aching in her chest, her breathing and pulse were rapid. Her mind raced in an instant. Had he climbed out of the elevator and slipped or fallen into the shaft below? Was he still ok? Why wasn't he answering her?
"STREET" Chris called again into the darkness, the fear and concern for him that she felt was evident in her voice. Then as her eyes began to adjust, she saw the movement of his tac light. "STREET?" she shouted again… fear and anxiousness still in her voice. She grabbed her light and began shinning it out there in the dark.
"Chris" she heard him call from below, "I… ah…." she heard a thud as he dropped his light,
"STREET" she again called as her heart raced and she held her breath. 'Did he just fall?' she thought… "STREET"
"I'm okay" he answered. "I dropped the light…can you secure this rope to something up there?" She shone her light down and saw him. He was around 5 metres below them. The elevator had obviously stopped further down than they thought. Relief swept over her at the sight of him okay, standing on the roof of the elevator with the rope coiled on his arm.
"Sending down a rope for you to secure that too" Logan called out. Chris shone her light so that Street could see it. She watched him secure his rope to Logan's and then the other end to the roof of elevator. God she was glad he was ok. Her heartbeat was still elevated, and she was consciously trying to centre herself again. Logan moved to secure the end of the rope he was holding to a railing nearby.
"Ready?" Street called, Logan gave Chris the thumbs up,
"Let us get some tension on it Street" she called as Logan tightened the rope which raised the makeshift rope ladder he had made. It swayed precariously between the roof of the elevator and the opening that Chris was in. Chris stayed near the open doors, watching him and talking to him whilst Logan backed up near the railing and secured himself to the rope to help take Streets weight.
"Ok, hey Street have you secured a safety rope to your climbing harness?" Chris called, she was very aware of the 65 storey drop below him.
"Onto it" he answered. Street fastened a safety rope from his harness to the rope ladder, "ready?"
"Be careful" she called as Street began climbing.
Back on the Observation Deck level Hondo had volunteered to go in unarmed to talk to Sgt Jones, he had secured the safety of half of the school students and 3 of their teachers who were directly with Sgt Jones. 50 David, Luca and Deacon began ushering them out. The other half of the school group and the remaining teachers had been locked in a learning centre with staff from the building.
Hondo continued to attempt to build a rapport with Sgt Jones. He talked to him about the marines, his own experiences both whilst serving as well as the difficulties adjusting to life when back in the real world. Progress came when Hondo explained some of the hurdles he faced as a returning veteran.
Chris held her breath every time Street reached up and climbed a bit further up the rope ladder. Seeing him down there, dangling over that vast black whole with only a safety rope made her heart race and lungs seem to stop working. He only had around 3 metres to go now until she would be able to reach him.
"Go slow" she said to him, "Almost there". He glanced at her and he was close enough that she could see the fear in his eyes. She knew she needed to focus him and keep him moving.
"Come on Street" she encouraged. "I can almost reach you…... you're almost there"
He continued to climb slowly. Every time he moved the rope swayed and shook under his weight. Street reached out with an arm for Chris's hand. As he came within an inch of her finger tips the power to the building was suddenly restored and the elevator that he had been in and had the ropes secured to it, began to move. The rope he was climbing began to sway uncontrollably and suddenly the elevator began to move upwards slowly towards him.
"STREET" Chris cried out as he was thrown off the rope he had been climbing and the safety rope he had attached to his harness caught him as he fell,
"Ohhhhh…..." she heard him grunt loudly as he caught himself and dangled in the shaft.
Dangling precariously in the shaft with an elevator on the move up to him he knew he needed to move out of the way. He glanced around, he saw a maintenance ladder a few yards from where he hung. If he could get a swing up, he could reach it and stay there as the elevator passed him by.
He began moving his body to swing the rope. Two big swings and he was beginning to get close. He looked below him and saw the elevator was almost on him. He took one more big swing, but the dangling slack in the rope became caught in the elevators gears. It began to pull him back towards the elevator. Chris saw it catch, she grabbed the rope trying in vain to pull him up from where she was.
"STREET" Chris yelled. Logan sensing something was wrong, unhooked himself and ran closer to the opening. They both watched in horror as the elevators gears dragged his rope towards it. Street managed to grab his knife from his vest and slice through the tangled rope to free himself. This caused the other rope around his waist to swing him uncontrollably towards the power cables that ran down the shaft. Chris and Logan could do nothing but watch as Street was swung at speed into the live cables.
The sound was gut wrenching. The wires sparked and crackled as Streets body collided with them. Logan and Chris saw him shake violently and go limp.
"STREET" Chris voice echoed into the darkness of the huge empty shaft. "Get him up here" She screamed at Logan. They both began pulling the rope steadily bringing his limp body closer.
When he was with arms reach, she grabbed his lifeless arms and dragged him towards the opening.
"Oh Street" she yelled as Logan helped her drag him inside the hallway, removing the ropes, harnesses and his vest. He was unresponsive, not breathing and had no pulse.
Without hesitation Chris flew into CPR. "Come on… come on Street…. Don't you die on me…..." she screamed,
"28 David to command…. Officer down…. Electrocution… be advised code 3… I repeat officer down…..." Logan called in to radio, "Luca, Deacon… Street was flung into live wires in the shaft when power was restored. I need EMT's now. CPR in progress"
Cortez's voice jumped in "All units be advised I need all intersections between downtown, 633 West 5th Street and Angels of Mercy cleared… code 3... officer down …I repeat code 3… I need an RA at location" she said sternly moving as quickly as she could from the bus to the building, "Tan and Luca…. Status"
Tan and Luca had begun sprinting back up the stairs. They had managed to move the children and teachers that had Hondo rescued to a safe floor.
"Hostages in a secure room on the 62nd floor, we are on our way to Street, 2 floors out" Deacon called back.
Chris was pumping his chest at counting out loud. "26…... 27….28….29…30" before moving back to give him two quick breaths of mouth to mouth.
"come on Street!" she cried. "come on…, come back to me" Logan then joined her…
"1… 2…3…...4…5…..." he said out loud counting his compressions on Street chest. Chris felt like the world around her was a complete blur, but her mind was focused on Street.
"Come on Street" she squeezed his hand as Logan continued with compressions "25… 26…...27…28…"
Chris readied herself to give two more breathes. Deacon and Luca flew out of the stair well and joined her at Streets side. They watched her give the two breaths before Luca took over compression from Logan.
"1…2…3…4…...5…...6…...7…...8…...9…10…." Luca shouted out loud.
'Oh my god' she said to herself looking at him lying lifeless, clammy and unresponsive on the floor. Then her inner voice took over. 'Come on Chris… suck it up… he needs you on your game now…. Not freaking out!'
"50 David to 30 David on my way to you with the defib" Rockers voice filled their ears.
Chris's breathing was rapid, her heart raced in her chest and her hands shook. She couldn't lose him now. They were just getting to place where this might actually work out ok for them both. She knew they still needed to sort stuff out, but the way he made her feel was undeniable. She had tried for a long time to hide it, supress it and pretend she could ignore it but lately… ever since that drunken kiss…. She knew she needed him, needed him in a more profound way than just a friend and team mate.
As Luca approached 30 compressions, she again gave him two breaths. Deacon gave Chris a knowing and caring smile before jumping in to take over compressions. As he began to count out loud, Rocker swung the door open and slid to Street's side. He unpacked the defibrillator and secured the pads to Streets chest.
Hitting the power button, the robotic voice instructed them to "Stand clear ….do not touch the patient…... analysing rhythm"
They all took their hands off Street and held their breath whilst the machine looked for a shockable rhythm.
"Shock advised… Preparing shock…. Stand clear…Do not touch the patient... Shocking in 3…2…...1"
Streets body jolted as a shock was delivered. "Shock delivered" …. "It is now safe to touch the patient"
Chris's hand flew to his wrist to check for a pulse. Her eyes wide and attentive she looked up at the others. "I've got a pulse…It's faint but it's there" she said with excitement and relief in her voice.
She lowered her cheek to his face and placed her hand on his chest. She was checking to see if he was breathing, she could feel a faint movement of his chest and continued to be crouched at his side. Talking to him and holding his hand. "Street…... we got you…. I'm here…... can you hear me?"