"Magowan. You two ok in there?"
"Yeah chief. Just a little shake right." She laughed through the radio.
"Yeah just a little one." he commented back shaking his head. His two best guys. Always finding a joke in a fire somewhere. "Look there's a lady in there by the name of Piper. Find her and get out. This place is getting hot and we can always expect a few more tremors."
"Got it." Can the deep voice again before it cut off.
"Ok buddy. We got a victim in here somewhere by the name of Piper. Spread out and find her."
"Her? Hey maybe if I save her I can get a date or something."
"Ok you know, only you could think of getting a date from a fire victim. Isn't it usually the other way around? Save the damsel and she goes for the hunky fireman?"
"Yeah well it's the 90's. Times change." he smiled as he made his way to the back of the bar as his friend laughed and went the other way.
Making his way through the debris he tried each door with caution. Checking for heat on each one before he opened it. He pushed each door checking quickly yet carefully for any sign of someone in them. Calling out Pipers name he would move on to the next one.
Getting to the next door he placed his hand on the door. Finding it cool he tried the handle only to have his body stop as the door stood fast closed.
"Magowan get over here." He yelled out as she continued to try and push the door.
"WHAT!"
"I got a stuck door!" he yelled back as he watched his partner walking towards him, through the light smoke. A walk that soon turned into a light run as he wound his away through the debris in the club.
"What's going on?'
"I can't get this door open. Its like something is blocking it from the other side."
"Well remember those practice days. The fun we would had in the old houses?" Magowan looked at his partner with a child like sparkle
"Oh yeah." He said as she pulled his axe out from his belt. "This was always the best part of the job." He said as he brought the axe down to the door, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Prue sat at on the back of the fire truck waiting for any news on Piper. Though as she thought of her one sister, her thoughts also turned to Phoebe. The not knowing what was happening with either one of her sisters tore not only at her heart, but at her very soul.
She watched as more firemen ran to and from burning buildings. Risking there lives to save the lives and livelihoods of people that they didn't even know, it was then she turned around to the sound of a voice calling her name.
"Prue?"
"Sally? What are you doing here?"
"What you think I was going to let one of my best friends run into a fire to be a hero?"
"I'm sorry, I had to get to Piper."
"So what's going on?"
"I don't know. There were two firemen in P3 when the second quake hit, but we haven't heard anything yet." Prue explained as she looked back at the fires down the street, praying that Piper was ok.
"She's fine Prue. You have to hang on to that." She said as she sat down and placed her arm over Prues shoulder. She knew her friend was worried about both her sisters and right then she would give her as much support she could. "Hey you forgot this in the police car." Sally said handing Prue her camera.
"Thanks Sally." Prue responded with no emotion. She wanted her sisters, not her camera. But as she sat there and watched more firemen run towards the fires she held up the camera and snapped a shot. Then another and then another. She soon was snapping photos of everyone. People in the crowd just watching as the men ran back and forth not even seeing the crowd around them, risking thier lives to help save the innocents. In each frame she captured the heart of a city that had been once again rocked by Mothers Natures cruelty.
She captured the heart of each fireman as they crouched down to get to the heart of the fire. Down to its very soul as it raged before them, licking out at their jackets as the heat intensified. She could see the colours in each frame as she snapped the lens open and shut with each click of the shutter.
"Holy smoke partner." Magowan shouted through his breathing apparatus as they finally broke through the door and entered the room.
Stepping over the fallen shelf their flashlights panned the room quickly and efficiently.
"Jones. Over here?" Magowan rushed over to the body on the floor. "Could be our girl." He said as he picked her up and quickly exited the smoke filled room and out into the main dance area of P3 where the smoke had not yet traveled. But he knew it would not be long before it did travel that far, as they made their way to the front stairs and to the fresh air.
Getting far enough from the smoky room he quickly started CPR to get the air back into her lungs. Getting a few quick little coughs he placed his breathing mask over her face to give her clean oxygen to breathe.
Picking her back up they walked up the stairs, though just before reaching the top their biggest fear happened, as the earth beneath them once again shock sending all three to the ground. But from years of training Magowan quickly placed his body over Pipers to protect her from any fallen debris.
Prue had just finished off another roll of film when she first felt it. As she quickly grabbed the back of the fire truck she was next too, she fell into its bumper. Sitting down hard she waited for the ground to stop as she hung on to the grab bar tighter then she thought possible.
As the ground stopped shaking for the third time that day she felt her heart panic. Piper, she had to get to Piper. The voice in her mind screamed out as she quickly stood up and ran towards P3. Yet once again she felt the grasp of strong arms around her.
"Prue let them do their job." He said as she tried to escape his grasp. She knew the voice but she couldn't stop herself.
"I have to get to her.
"They'll get her out. Those two are the best the department has. If anyone can get her out its them."
"Jones you ok?"
"Yeah you?"
"Nothing broken I think, but this beam on my back is pissing me off."
"Yeah well no more then your last girlfriend. I thought I was suppose to be the hero here and save the girl." Jones said as he pulled the beam from his partners back.
"Well you still can." Magowan said as he rolled himself off of Piper.
The first thing Jones saw was the blood. He couldn't tell if it was Pipers or his partners but whose ever it was there was a lot of it.
"Oh shit man what happened?"
"I'm not really sure. But I have this pain in my side that hurts like a son of a bitch."
Jones looked down and could see the gash in his partners side. One of the lighting fixture bar had fallen on to him and put a pretty good gauge in his side. But he knew it wasn't big enough to cause that much blood to be on the floor. It was then he realized what had happened as he looked over at Piper.
Grabbing his radio, "We got a man down and as well as a victim. Send the medics in her stat." Jones yelled through his radio
"Ok man hang on we'll get you outta her."
"Get to play the hero after all don't you Jones."
"Yeah and I will accept my prize. But I don't know I think the bracelet that say Leo on it doesn't give me much chance."
"Well maybe she has a sister."
"Now you're thinking partner." Jones said, as he tended the best he could to Pipers wound.
Prue heard the words come over the radio as she stayed in the grip of the paramedic that had helped her. Words that tore through her. Her sister. Piper was hurt and there was nothing she could do to help her.
She watched helplessly as the paramedics quickly threw on their fire gear and prepared to go inside the building.
He had released his grip on her but she stood steadfast to her ground. Praying that Piper would be ok.
She looked up for a second as she watched again the complete strangers enter the burning street fires to get to P3 and to once again put their lives on the line for those they didn't know. Why? Neither she nor anyone would ever know. Was it a little boy's dream? Was it adrenaline? Or was it because they truly cared about every person, man, woman or child? It was an unanswered question that no one could possibly know unless they were one of the unsung heroes.