Chet discovered the damage early in the morning when he went out to put something in his car before the end of the shift. At first he thought Johnny had just let the air out of his tires in a rather lame attempt at a practical joke, but closer examination revealed that the tires on everyone's car had been slashed. He charged back into the station, yelling as he ran.

"Guys! Guys! All the tires on our cars have been slashed!"

Everyone crowded out the door to survey the damage. Anger quickly replaced shock as the men viewed the malicious act. "Don't touch anything," warned Cap. "I'll call the police." The other four formed a tight circle in the parking lot, talking over each other as they discussed the nasty turn of events. Johnny stood silently, a little apart from the rest, trying not to think.

"Fat lot of good that's going to do."

"Would you look at that! I just bought new tires!"

"Think it's related to all the false alarms?"

"This is getting a little too close to home. They had to have known we were gone last night."

A few minutes later a black and white rolled up. The officer inspected the damage and then began taking statements from the firefighters. He was just finishing up by the time B-shift started to arrive. Upon being informed what had happened, the new arrivals vociferously added their opinions regarding the cowardly crime.

Shortly after the eight o'clock hour, Cap instructed his men to get cleaned up and wait for Detectives Marc Chantiny and Seth MacIntyre, the investigating officers assigned to their false alarm case, to arrive.

The detectives arrived to find both crews in the kitchen, drinking coffee, still discussing the slashed tires, the possible motive, and the string of false alarms A-shift had been experiencing. Cap shook hands with both of the detectives. "Want a cup of coffee?"

"Don't mind if I do," responded Detective Chantiny as he pulled around a chair that one of the other firefighters vacated, and straddled it, facing the men gathered in the kitchen. "Thanks," he said to Cap, accepting the coffee mug. Detective MacIntyre took his cup and leaned against the kitchen counter.

Detective Chantiny took a sip and grinned. "You boys sure make strong coffee." Looking around, he began to speak. "I'm sure you have put two and two together and are thinking that this might be related to the false alarms. It may be true, although it could also be a coincidence. The act of slashing the tires is a shift in the modus operandi. It's a lot more up close and personal..."

Just then the tones sounded. "Station 51. Traffic accident with injuries. Corner of East Carson and Almeda Blvd. East Carson and Almeda Blvd. Time out 8:25."

The men of B-shift hurriedly put down their coffee cups and headed out to the engine bay. Captain Smith finished writing down the address and said over his shoulder to Captain Stanley, "Keep us informed," as he exited the kitchen.

Those who were standing took seats at the table, pushing the abandoned mugs aside. Detective Chantiny continued, "We're dealing with a lot of unknowns, here. Is there anything you can think of that you haven't already told us? Doesn't matter what it is, or how insignificant you think it might be. Anything?"

Chantiny noticed that five of the men looked at each other, shaking their heads, while the sixth just stared into space.

"Well, if you think of anything at all, be sure to call." He handed each one of them his card. "Now, this thing with the tires may or may not be related. It could have just been some punks who saw an opportunity and took it. On the other hand, it could be the same perps who are calling in all the false alarms. Be that as it may, I want to caution you to stay more alert. Pay attention to your surroundings and to people and things that seem out of place. They may be watching you here at the station."

As the men began to file out of the station, Detective Chantiny moved to block Johnny's exit. "Mind if we talk with you for a minute, Gage?"

As Detective MacIntyre approached from where he was standing near the sink, Johnny looked back and forth between the two men, and then shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Sure."

"Have a seat." Detective Chantiny gestured back toward the table.

"Uh, is this going to take long?" Johnny remained standing in the same spot.

"That depends on what you can tell us. You look like a man with some interesting ideas about what's going on."

Johnny shook his head tightly. "No. No more than anyone else."

Detective Chantiny stared silently at Johnny, until the paramedic broke eye contact. "You sure about that?" asked the detective.

Exhaling in annoyance, Johnny replied, "Yes, I'm sure."

"Somebody's going to get hurt one of these times, Gage." Detective MacIntyre drew the paramedic's attention to him with this statement, noting the spark of anger in Johnny's eyes and the muscle twitching in his jaw.

When it became apparent that Johnny would say nothing more, Detective Chantiny curtly added, "If you think of anything, you be sure to call us."

"Are we done now?"

"Yeah. You can go." The two detectives watched the paramedic leave the room.

"He knows something," Detective Chantiny commented.

"Yeah, I think so, too. Something's got him running scared."

"I think we'd better put a tail on him."

"Call for you, Gage," Marco hollered across the engine bay to the dorm where Johnny was working.

"Okay!" He yanked the sheet off the bed, dropped it on the floor and crossed over to the station phone.

"Hello, skinny boy," the voice on the other end sneered.

Johnny's mouth dropped open. He blanched, and then reddened as the blood rushed to his face. "You've got a helluva lot of nerve calling here!"

"More than you, skinny boy. You've got no balls. Remember how I fucked you? Remember how I made you moan and shiver?"

"You go to hell!" He yanked the phone from the socket and hurled it against the opposite wall, past a very startled Marco, where it smashed into pieces.

Cap heard the crash, and came running in. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, taking in the scene of Marco standing in astonishment with his mouth open and a red-faced, trembling Gage.

"Johnny got a phone call," Marco offered somewhat helpfully, pointing to the now ruined phone.

"Lose a fight with Midori, Gage?" Chet had just arrived, seen the smashed phone and heard Marco's comment.

Ignoring Chet, Cap said, "Gage, pick that up, then come to my office."

Johnny appeared in Cap's doorway, face expressionless. Cap motioned him inside. "Shut the door," he said unnecessarily, as Johnny was already pulling it shut behind him. "Sit down." The paramedic complied. Cap leaned back in his seat and regarded the man sitting warily before him. "You want to tell me what the hell that was about?"

"Uh, no. It's kind of personal."

Cap appeared mildly taken aback by this response. He almost pursued it, but something in Johnny's face stopped him. Deciding to cut the paramedic some slack, he said, "This thing has us all a little on edge."

Johnny nodded.

"If you ever want to talk…"

"Thank you."

Cap drummed his fingers on the desk, unable to think of anything else to say. "You have to replace the phone."

"Yes, I know."

"Dismissed."

Cap steepled his long fingers before him, elbows on the desk. He tapped his lips with the tips as he thought for a moment. He couldn't help but notice a return of some of the bizarre behavior Johnny exhibited after he had been mugged last April, such as the anger, the jumpiness, the lack of appetite, and the inability to sleep. He would ask Roy's opinion before taking action.

Later in the day, Cap pulled Roy aside. "What's going on with John? Is he having a relapse or something?"

Roy thought for a moment. "Yeah, something like that. When any stressful situation arises he can re-experience symptoms from the original trauma, even though it's not related. It's like he becomes a victim all over again."