Elisa was so tired, her arms felt like rubber, but she couldn't stop. She had taken a short water break a few hours ago, and tried once more to call the castle.
Call her parents.
Call anyone.
Her stupid phone wasn't working, and any payphone within a mile was either out of order or had a line of people already there trying to call friends and families of their own.
A few people had survived the towers falling, and there was hope for more. That hope was keeping everyone there, pushing themselves to their limits. She was part of a bucket relay team, passing buckets full of ash and debris down the line, and tossing the empty ones back forward. As the buckets were moving, sometimes sharp bits of items would stick out, and Elisa's arms were covered in small scratches from the passing items. There were still patches of fire burning, and some of the rescuers were coming away singed. Elisa barely felt the nicks, cuts, bruises or burns anymore, however.
She was so tired, but she had to keep moving. There were people who could still be trapped in the rubble. Occasionally, demands for quiet were made from people at the front of the lines. Silence would descend, and she prayed for a voice. A call for help. Some sign that there were people alive, and all of this was not the useless endeavor it was beginning to feel like.
It was during one of the quiet times, just before building seven came down, that someone grabbed her and pulled her from the line. She was escorted to a first aid station to get patched up.
She had been forced to stop two more times.
Her long-sleeved shirt had started out the day as black. After the towers fell, it was lightened to a very light grey. Then the dusty arms were being turned red from the blood of all of the small cuts. As of ten minutes ago, her sleeves had been cut jaggedly off at the mid-bicep line to allow the medical staff on site access to her injuries.
She cursed having left her coat with her communicator in the pizza parlor. She had no way to contact the castle. Hell, she was having trouble getting a message through to her station to let them know that she was alright. There was so much police chatter on the radios, that even trying to get information out was impossible.
Elisa was working her tail off, but she was still trying to keep an eye out for anyone she recognized. Unfortunately, there were so many people there at the Trade Center that it was almost impossible to pick out one face over another. She still had hope that she would run into someone that she could recognize who would be able to get a message through to Captain Chavez.
Maria would know who to contact. She had a separate file under lock and key for her with all of the information on how to directly contact the castle and the clan. She also had a communicator to call the clan in case of an emergency.
She was sitting on a stretcher, staring at the small screen of the useless cell phone. At least someone had thought to lock the back of the stretcher up, so that it was more like a recliner than a bed. She was honestly not sure if she would be able to move again if she were to lay down. She had managed precious little sleep over the last few days, and was running on empty.
She was waiting to be re-bandaged up and cleared to go back to work, when a familiar voice reached her.
"Ah. There you are, detective."
Elisa sighed, closed her eyes in a kind of relief and leaned her head back against the stretcher back. "Xanatos, I don't think I have ever been so happy to hear your voice." She opened her eyes wearily, and looked at the former criminal turned sort-of friend. It wasn't that she distrusted him, per se… but she was afraid to trust him 100% yet either.
Right now, however, she could have kissed him.
"Please, do not get sentimental on me, detective," He said, walking towards her. "I'm not sure I would know what to do."
Elisa frowned, noticing for the first time what he was wearing. The red and black metal robotic suit had been styled to mimic Goliath's size and strength. "Why are you in your powered armor?"
"One of the perks to having this on, is that it lets me handle things that I couldn't without it. Hot, cold, heavy," He shrugged. "and it requires about half as much physical effort, so I can work longer without tiring out. I may be of some use here to help."
"You ever think of using your powers for good, patenting that suit and selling it to people who could use it for good? Like rescue teams?"
"It crossed my mind," Xanatos said with a smile. "I already have the patent, and I am working on making a less lethal form of the suit for just that purpose."
"Less lethal?" Elisa asked.
"Well, we can't have this version," He gestured to his own suit, "Falling into the hands of the wrong people."
"Well, welcome to The Pile" Elisa said, exhaustion dragging at her since she had been forced into sitting for so long. If she remained in motion, it hadn't been so bad. Now, however… "The volunteer co-ordinator is over there somewhere." She said, pointing in a vague direction where crews were hurrying to set up tents and signs.
"Before I forget, I brought something for you," He said, holding an armor covered hand out to her.
Elisa reached out and almost cried when she felt the familiar shape of a communicator in his armor covered hand. She took it gratefully, and looked at Xanatos' face. "Thank you," She said.
"Don't thank me," he insisted. "You can do me a favor, however."
"What?" Elisa said.
"Talk to your husband," Xanatos insisted. He stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Goliath was moved to the castle as soon as we were able to get him there. The clan is understandably upset, and chomping at the bit to get down here. I have held them off so far, but it is only a matter of time before they will want to get down here to try and help."
"I know," Elisa said. "I'm surprised they agreed to hold off."
"They did not want to," He said. "It took some convincing. Goliath, however, would not stay behind without knowing that you are all right. He's up there," He nodded towards the surrounding buildings. "Somewhere. Waiting impatiently for me to find you and give you that communicator."
Elisa put her earpiece in. Gingerly, she moved her hands to her pockets and pulled out her telephone to use as a prop. She had learned from previous experiences that the illusion helped. She didn't want it to look like she was a crazy person talking to herself.
"Hey, Guys. Are you there?" She asked.
"Elisa!" came a chorus of voices. She was happy to hear from them, but she hadn't heard the one voice she most wanted to hear at that moment. "Big Guy? Are you there?"
There was a pause, and Elisa held her breath.
"Elisa, I am here." Goliath's voice a deep rumble that made her heart leap. He was alive. Safe.
"Oh, thank god," She said softly, her voice breaking, and she was terrified that she was going to start crying.
She had seen it more than once that day. Grown men, the toughest that she knew, finally reaching their breaking point. Once they started letting their grief show, some of them couldn't stop. They either became so angry they were barely functional or began crying and so hysterical they had to be sedated. Some seemed to retreat into themselves, becoming numb to everyone and everything around them. Elisa was honestly unsure which group she would fall in with at the moment, but was afraid to find out.
"I am so happy to hear you, Goliath. To hear all of you," She added for any extra ears that may be listening. "Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone is fine," Goliath answered. "Are you alright, Elisa? What is wrong with your arms?"
Elisa looked around. He was close. Close enough to see that her arms had bloody bandages on them. Elisa saw the EMT walking towards her with a small, paper wrapped sterile kit with him.
"I'm fine, Big Guy." She hurried to assure him. "We've been busy searching through rubble and there are a lot of little things in there to catch your skin on. I just have a few little cuts, that's all."
"Little cuts, hell," Terry, the Medical Technician muttered.
"What?" Elisa asked, still holding the phone to her ear in case she had to talk to the clan.
"You have at least one major one that is going to require stitches," He said. "Probably two or three."
Elisa groaned. "Please, tell me you're joking."
"I'm not joking," Terry said. "Not today. And not when this is going to be no party for you, either."
"What is going on?" Goliath demanded. "What is he talking about?"
"Hold on, Big Guy," Elisa said, absentmindedly. "Define "no party", Terry"
Goliath was silent on the other end. They all were. Elisa could almost see them all holding their collective breaths.
Terry started unrolling the paper, exposing a sterile kit needed to give stitches. "We don't have a lot of painkillers, saving the few that we have for those who have major injuries. We are completely out of the good numbing stuff, as well. We sent someone on a run for more, but they haven't made it back yet. I can offer you lidocaine as a topical, but it won't be completely painless."
Elisa sent him a withering look. "You have got to be kidding me. If you think you are going to be sewing me together with no kind of painkiller, you are out of your freaking mind."
Terry sent her an answering look. "I can either do it here, or you can go to the hospital. Either way, you are done for the night. Look," Terry said warily. "You look like you haven't slept in days, and you have managed to tear open a healing stitched wound from an injury that looks like you got earlier this week. I know that you have been here most of the day, because I have been here most of the day and have patched up most of the people here at least once." He pointed a finger at her, "That includes you, by the way. Go to the hospital. Get the good painkillers, a tetanus shot and antibiotics." Terry rolled the kit back up, putting it with the other instruments that would need sterilizing later. "Then you go home. Spend some time with your family. Hug your kids. Get some sleep."
"But," Elisa started.
Terry cut her off. "I'm not even going to give you the option. You need stitches on the gash in your left arm, and I am officially telling you to go to the hospital. We have more people than we actually need here, and more are coming all the time. There are even off duty military people volunteering and coming in. Go. Get sewn up and get some rest. Let your family know that you aren't one of the missing people."
Goliath's voice broke in. "If you can get to a nearby alley, I can take you back to the castle. Dr. James can help you, and you can be safe with all of us."
Elisa closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Alright. You win. I'll go."
"Detective," Terry said softly. "you have been here all day, and took part in finding a few people, including all those firefighters and policemen in that stairwell." He helped her to her feet, wrapped her arms in gauze bandages to offer her wounds protection from further contamination. "You have gone above and beyond when anyone would have asked of you today. Please, go home and be with your loved ones."
"Only if you promise to do the same."
"As soon as I possibly can," Terry promised. "Do you have a way to get to a hospital? I would send you to Belleville Hospital, but they're swamped because they are closest one here to send the injured to. If you are able to go farther in, Manhattan General, Mount Sinai or Columbia University Medical Center will be able to get you in and out the fastest."
"I have a ride." Elisa assured him. "And thank you."
Terry gave her a wave, and headed on to the next patient.
"Where can I meet you, Goliath?" Elisa asked, tiredly.
"I can see you now, Elisa," Goliath said, softly. "Turn left down the next alley, and I will meet you there."
Elisa began walking North, picking her way through the ankle deep piles of dust and debris. The windows and walls of the buildings around the work site was already covered in missing posters. At the first alley, she turned to her left and walked as far to the center as she could expecting Goliath to already be there.
Instead, she was greeted with the soft "whoosh" of his wings cutting through the air. Elisa tucked her arms to her chest to protect them just in time for Goliath to gather her up and soar into the air with her.
Up into the sky they went, soaring with the wind currents as Goliath turned them towards the castle atop the Aerie building.
"Elisa," Goliath said, quietly. "Are you alright?"
"I am as alright as I can be," Elisa said, quietly.
Goliath growled a little in his throat, the only sign he gave that he had heard her. Elisa felt the rumble under her cheek, where it lay against his chest, and found comfort in the familiarity of it all. How many times had they flown together through the skies, working her regular patrol routes and simply enjoying being with each other?
Feeling helpless to help Elisa, to help the city that he had taken under his protection, he held his love closely and let the wind carry them to the castle.