They were halfway through their shepherd's pies when the bells went down. They were used to it though – plenty of meals had been unfinished for the sake of others over the years. Maggie would clear them up while they were gone.
As the rest of the Blue Watch darted out of the mess and made their way down the poles, Station Officer Tate immediately abandoned the mound of paperwork before him, making his way briskly down the stairs and meeting up with them in the appliance room.
Hallam darted into the watch room, grabbing the Telex slip from its machine, doing a double take as he read its contents.
"It's King's Cross tube station, Guv! Backup for an escalator fire!"
"That's bloody miles away!" Kevin exclaimed as they all scrambled to get into their gear.
Tate took the paper from him, taking a second to scan through the information himself. Right at that moment, he wished nothing more than for experienced firefighter John Hallam to be wrong for once in his life. He wasn't. Tate could feel the familiar feeling of dread bubble up deep within him.
"George, Vaseline, Josie, Kevin, Hallam - take the pump. Malcolm, Charisma, Bayleaf, Tony, Sicknote and I will take the pump ladder."
With the orders given, they all clambered into their respective appliances. The vehicles sped out into the labyrinth of the city streets, the two-tone sirens piercing the evening air.
In the pump, it was Josie who broke the silence, her voice raised to carry over the din of the engine and the sirens.
"Must be pretty bad if we're giving backup. We're not even in the tube station's range."
"The Telex mentioned it being a temporary special risk. There's been escalator fires in other stations before, but they've all been contained without it becoming an issue."
Hallam stopped himself before he could say any more, focusing on the road and the pump ladder in front of them. He was getting a bad feeling about this shout, but as Sub Officer, he wasn't going to let the team down by being unprofessional and getting them worked up about it.
Meanwhile, in the pump ladder, the air was tense. Bayleaf's hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than usual as he navigated the busy London streets. Nobody was speaking, but they were all doing the same thing. Bracing themselves for what was to come - the calm before the storm. There was no time for mentally preparing themselves when they were at the site - people's lives were at stake.
It seemed like an age before they began to near King's Cross. Fortunately, the traffic was accommodating to the fire engines, granting them safe passage and a quicker journey for Blue Watch than normal for a shout of this distance.
Tony caught a glimpse of a LED light from a nearby pharmacy sign illuminating the time as they began to slow down – quarter past eight in the evening.
However, when they did begin to catch sight of the station, Bayleaf let out a single word, unaware that he uttered it aloud.
"Shit."
It was controlled chaos.
He parked up the pump ladder at the nearest free spot, the pump parking behind it. They were lucky that they could even get a spot with the sheer number of vehicles surrounding the station.
There were what seemed to be a countless number of fire engines, several Fire Rescue Units and a couple of Command Support Units. Various members of the police had cornered off the area around the station, were making sure that inquisitive members of the public weren't carelessly coming to harm, and aiding survivors to safety. Paramedics were trying their best to assist the wounded and a legion of ambulances were coming and going from the site.
Blue Watch jumped out of their vehicles and awaited instructions as Tate rushed to the nearest Command Support Unit, giving a curt nod to the Incident Commander as he stepped inside the vehicle.
"Blue Watch from Blackwall, ready to assist, sir."
He was back to the rest of the Watch in the space of a minute, but to them, it felt like forever.
"Right. Apparently, a small fire on the Piccadilly Line escalator going up toward the ticket hall was reported at half seven – the firefighters first at the scene thought it could be contained, but survivors are coming out now saying about a massive explosion soon after."
He gestured to the subway stairway at street level, which had now been swallowed in thick dark smoke.
"That's our way in and out. Get your BAs on. We'll go in groups. George, Sicknote, Tony, Malcolm and Kevin – hoses. Hallam, Charisma, Bayleaf, Josie and Vaseline – rescue and recovery."
He caught his breath, taking a moment to look them all dead in the eye.
"Don't you dare be heroes – when you feel like you need a break, take a break! Plus, if you lot aren't back at street level in a suitable time, I'll bloody well go in there and drag you up myself! Now get at it!"
With that, they got to work, donning their breathing apparatus and rolling out the hoses, ready to take their place beside their fellow members of the London Fire Brigade. However, one sight plagued their minds as they made their way to the subway.
They had no other option but to pass a group of firefighters who had undoubtedly previously been below ground. Some were leaning against lampposts and traffic signs; some were slumped against nearby buildings and others were sitting on the damp ground. They were all trying desperately to regain their breath, their soot-covered features highlighting their dazed and haunted expressions.
They looked like they had just been through hell and back.