I know that there are things wrong with this chapter... it is in desperate need of proof reading, but I just wanted to post this. I have had some family issues and have completely disreguarded my stories for too long. Hopefully I am back for a while and I will fix this chapter later. BTW I may be reaching out for a Beta Reader soon as I am finding I need it more and more so if anyone is interested...

Thanks again!

Chapter 7

Tom Hanson struggled to his feet as he stepped out of his car clutching his ribs tightly beneath his right arm. His mother had begged him not to follow after Doug Penhall when he had sprinted out of the hospital.

--

"Tom be reasonable… you have a couple of cracked ribs and a bad concussion. You can not go to that school. Call Adam and let him take care of this."

"Mom stop! That is my best friend and yes that's Dennis Booker but I am not leaving them to get the same thing or worse done to them. Besides the next time it could be a kid…I don't even want to think about that one. I'm taking this bastard down if it's the last thing I do."

"Tommy please…" Margaret Hanson struggled to hold her tears in as he watched Tom stand up and take his car keys from her frail hands.

"I love you mom… call Fuller for me. Tell him it's Trumble… we got him. Booker and Penhall are on the scene."

Tom leaned over and kissed his mother's cheek and walked slowly away from her.

--

Tom watched as students ran from the classrooms and bells continued to clang signaling a fire somewhere in the school. Smoke billowed out of several windows through out the school building. Hanson surveyed the scene noting students wringing water from their clothing indicating the sprinkler system had kicked in. They pointed and cried as they were in various stages of shock and dismay.

Tom surveyed the scene and noted Dennis and Doug were not where they should be in an emergency situation. Booker's car was empty.

"Crap…" Tom muttered to himself as he made his way to an unguarded door.

"McQuaid!" The booming voice caused Tom to jump as he just entered the building. "Where do you thing you're going… boy?" Roger Sullivan asked as he grasped Tom's right arm in his powerful left hand.

Tom had his maximum load with Mr. Sullivan as he shoved his badge forcefully into the teachers face.

"This is what I'm doing here sir… now let me go… my partners are missing." Hanson hissed.

Roger Sullivan let his eyes wonder over the young officer's badge and stepped back in disbelief. This young man who had gone out of his way to make his life a living hell for the last few months was a police officer? What the hell was he doing his school?

"You're a cop?" Sullivan blurted out the obvious.

"Yeah and I gotta go." Hanson and Sullivan were both wringing wet by the time Sullivan had regained his composure.

"I'll help you." Sullivan responded curtly.

"No… I can do this myself." Hanson shook his head.

"Like hell… have you seen yourself lately? You can barely stand on your own two feet. If the other two are in half as bad of shape that you are in they won't be able to make it on their own." Sullivan stepped towards the officer. "I am fifth generation Marine Corps and I am not taking no for an answer."

Hanson licked his lips and squinted his eyes as he looked up at the water continuing to drench them. He wanted to walk back out the door and get out from under the liquid rapidly cooling his battered and bruised body.

"Okay…" Hanson wasn't going to win either. He nodded his head as he clutched at his ribs and nearly doubled over from dizziness.

"You gonna make it boy?" Sullivan asked grasping Hanson's shoulders until the unstable officer found his footing again.

"Yeah…" Hanson swallowed and then looked up at Mr. Sullivan whose eyes glinted with the appearance of a warrior. "Let's go." Hanson straightened back up and began to walk swiftly down the smoky water logged corridor.

--

"Penhall… Doug… wake up…" Dennis choked as he tugged desperately at the metal cuffs securing him to the rapidly warming pipe above him. His wrists were starting to burn where the foam padding around the pipes had ripped leaving the searing steam pipes exposed. Dennis let a hiss of air through his teeth as his wrist came in contact with the blistering heat.

"Oh GOD… Doug… come on."

The fire was still dancing around them as sprinklers were trying to kick on in the boiler room. Brown rusty colored sludge drained over top of the men and then it soon ran clear as the dirty pipes were now clear of rust. Booker shook as the frigid water rained over him. His ever reddening wrists were burning even more as the cool liquid caused steam to rise as it made contact with the exposed scorching pipes.

"Ohhh…" Doug was starting to stir as the flames started to falter from the water which squelched its air supply. The only problem now was the smoke he and Penhall were now sucking in.

"That's it Doug… you gotta get up… come on…"

Dennis began to cough hard as Doug struggled to regain consciousness. Each spasm brought about the ripping feeling in his beaten abdomen and ribs. His head began to swim again as his legs buckled. He was brought back to life quickly as his left wrist hit the exposed metal pipe.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

--

Hanson stopped in his tracks as he heard what sounded like a cry of pain.

"What?" Sullivan asked as he stopped behind him.

"Do you hear that? Hanson asked as the water continued to rain down on them.

"Doug… please… come on…"

"It's Dennis…" Hanson through the door to the nearest classroom open

The two men quickly peaked around the corner and could only see empty desks and water. The voice of Dennis Booker pleading with Doug Penhall between choking coughs could be heard beyond the sound of indoor rain.

"Where…"

"The heating ducts…" Sullivan pointed at the large metal grate on the wall.

The officer and the teacher scrambled over to the large metal grating covering the wall. They could clearly hear Booker through gasping breaths trying to coax Dennis.

"Doug…" Booker coughed harder still. His voice was beginning to crack. "Doug… the smoke… hurts… please..."

"Where are they, Sullivan?" Hanson asked running his fingers through his soaked hair.

"Boiler room… come on." Sullivan helped Hanson to his feet and the two moved swiftly down the stairs.

--

Booker's eyes were full of tears and his lungs burned from the overpowering smoke. The water had slowed the flames but they were starting to rise again. The heat was starting to take over again. The water in the boiler room was beginning to slow down it was becoming a trickle.

Surely the Metro Fire Department was gonna find them. They had to.

Booker hissed through his teeth as the pipe burned and blistered his wrists again. He was trying to stay up on his tip toe's to prevent his exposed skin from burning on the steam pipe. The only problem with this was the cramps he was getting in his calves. His whole body was trembling. His head was pounding mercilessly. He could feel the blood still running down the side of his head as his eyes felt like they would not stay open much longer. He was drained.

"Doug… please…" His voice cracked as he pleaded with his partner who was trying to awaken but he just couldn't bring himself around.

Dennis gritted his teeth as he struggled to stay up on his tiptoes. He tried to take a deep breath but began to choke on the smoke as it flooded his senses again. He could feel the world swimming around him again. He legs couldn't support much longer. He was gonna pass out and there was nothing he could do to help himself. This was it… he and Doug Penhall were gonna be taken out by a high school principle and his janitorial lackey.

Dennis's chin sagged heavily to his chest as he began to succumb to the smoke, the concussion, the loss of blood, the searing heat. His eyes fluttered and closed as his knees buckled and he submitted to the pain unconsciously.

--

Roger Sullivan tugged on the boiler room door and with some effort was able to get it to open. He instantly pulled Hanson back as the smoke poured relentlessly out of the room.

"Let me go." Hanson pulled away from the older man and charged into the smoldering room.

Sullivan took a breath and pulled off his water soaked dress shirt and covered his mouth and nose with it to prevent too much smoke inhalation. He tugged at his t-shirt collar and charged in behind the young officer.

"Tommy…" He could make out the hellish flames leaping all around. He could hear Tom Hanson talking soothingly to someone. He followed the voice and crashed into Tom and someone else.

"Good… take care of Dennis… get him down. I gotta find Doug."

"Dennis… Adams?" Sullivan looked at the figure whose arms were chained above his head. His eyes were closed and he was moaning softly. "He's a cop too?"

"Yeah… his name's Booker and Doug… his name is Penhall. He's not my brother."

Roger reached up and felt the hand cuffs around Booker's wrists and then his hand came in contact with the painfully hot metal steam pipe.

"SHIT!"

"What?" Hanson bellowed back as he and the bigger officer made their way towards the two.

"He's chained to a steam pipe and I just burned myself… he's probably burned pretty badly. Do you have a key to these?" Sullivan asked loudly holding Dennis up as best he could. The officer's head was still slick with crimson blood.

Penhall staggered forward holding tightly to his own chest.

"I'll help." Penhall and Hanson held as tightly as they could to Booker while Sullivan unchained one wrist and then swiftly leaned over. The two other officers allowed Dennis to fold over Sullivan's shoulder.

"Let's get out of here." Sullivan shouted as he straightened up. Penhall wrapped his arm around Hanson's shoulder and the two men leaned heavily on each other walking out as swiftly as possible.

--

As they entered the hallway the smoke started to thin out again and the water began to rain heavily on them again. Penhall looked up towards the ceiling, squinting his eyes and allowing the liquid to run over his grimy soot and blood covered face.

"They blocked off the water to the boiler room." Penhall noted as his teeth began to chatter from the frigid liquid.

Penhall and Hanson both gritted their teeth as they pushed forward up the stairs. They were followed by Sullivan as he panted while carrying the unconscious Dennis Booker on his shoulder.

Fire hoses cris-crossed the hallways as the officers and teacher made their way through to the front of the school. They were soaked and starting to falter. Hanson and Penhall were both stumbling heavily trying to make their way out the door. Sullivan was panting loudly as he carried the muscular officer. Penhall and Hanson watched the door as it neared them. Fire fighters shouted loudly at them as Sullivan felt as if his chest was going to explode. The world began to grow dark and he soon couldn't hear anything as he dropped heavily to his knees. Booker rolled off of his shoulder and fell heavily onto the floor. Penhall and Hanson turned when they heard the noise behind them.

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