Johnny forced himself to stand up, his arm wrapped protectively around his aching chest. Moving carefully and slowly he approached the massive opening the floor. The hole was caused by the fire weakening the supports beneath, allowing any weight above to break through with little warning.

Slipping his mask away from his face Johnny coughed a few times through the billowing smoke as he called out for his partner. "Roy?! Roy, can you hear me?"

There was no reply from the gaping hole in the floor.

Kneeling down Johnny struggled to peer into the the hole through the smoke. "Roy? Roy, where are you?"

There was still no reply.

Johnny put his mask back on over his face and took in a few breaths of needed air. The protective shielding of his face mask was smudged with smoke and ash, making it even more difficult for the seasoned paramedic to see. Wiping away the obstruction on the mask Johnny was able to look down into the smoky opening without any discomfort to his eyes.

Finally able to get a good look through the hole to the floor below Johnny caught a glimpse of something that made his heart sink. At the bottom of the hole, laying on his back, was Roy DeSoto.

"Roy!" Johnny called out again, the protective mask muffling his voice. "Roy, can you hear me?! Roy!"

Roy didn't move. He was unconscious, laying on top of a mass of broken support beams and covered in ash.

"Roy, if you can hear me don't move! I'm going to get to you!"

Johnny stood up slowly again, trying to keep himself from exacerbating his injured chest. Grabbing his H.T. from his belt Johnny walked down the hallway to the stairwell at the end. Clicking on his H.T. he tried to make contact with anyone who might be listening. "Squad 51; requesting assistance on the eight floor. Possible Code-I." He waited for a response but didn't receive any confirmation. "Repeat: Squad 51; requesting assistance on the eight floor. Possible Code-I." Just as before the only answer from the radio was static. "Damn thing, must've been broken in the blast..."

Clipping the H.T. back onto his belt Johnny found his way to the door leading to the stairwell. Ungloving his hand Johnny pressed it against the door and didn't feel any heat radiating from the other side. Slipping the glove back on he pushed open the door and was greeted with a massive cloud of black smoke that wisped up from the stairs and onto the ninth floor.

Stepping onto the darkened stairs Johnny used his hand to guide him along the wall as he carefully walked through the many splintered off remains of the hotel's support beams from the ceiling above. The steps of the stairs were beginning to warp from the incredible heat produced fire still burning somewhere in the building. Ash and embers swirled in the air like an ethereal storm from Hell itself. The smell of burned wood, plaster, plastic and ozone nearly overwhelmed Johnny as he made the long, eerie journey down the stairs to the eighth floor.

"Roy?" Johnny continued to call for his partner, hoping that Roy would somehow be able to hear him. "Roy, I'm almost there!"

Finding the door that lead from the stairwell to the eighth floor Johnny ungloved his hand once again to check the door. It was cool. As he tried to pull the door open he felt the indescribable urge to run. Using pure adrenaline he pulled the door open and practically dove through the opening just as the floor above caved in and collapsed into the stairwell behind him.

"Aw man, we need to get out of here!" Johnny commented as he awkwardly pushed himself up from the ground, almost regretting his dive for safety. The hard impact on the ground made the pain in his chest flare up with an intense pain. "Roy?" Johnny stood up and leaned against the wall as he scanned the floor, trying to get his bearings. "Roy?"

Down the hallway, opposite from where Johnny had entered, he caught a glimpse of light glowing through the hole in the ceiling. The hole that Roy had fallen through. "Roy!"

Moving cautiously, minding his surroundings and listening for any sign of possible further collapse, Johnny trekked over to where his partner was still laying, unconscious. Johnny took off his glove for the third time, slipping it into his pocket, and pressed his fingers against Roy's neck. There was a pulse but his breathing was labored.

"Roy?" Johnny slipped off Roy's mask and patted his face to try and get a response. "Roy, open your eyes. Come on, open your eyes!"

Roy didn't budge.

"Okay, take it easy. I'll get us both out of here. Then you HAVE to open your eyes, deal?" Johnny continued talking to Roy, hoping that his voice would be enough to keep Roy alive.

Using his hands Johnny checked Roy's neck for any sign of injury, but miraculously despite the fall, Roy's neck wasn't damaged. Neither was his spine. He had a large gash on his forehead above his left eye. The gash extended down the length of his face near his jaw, covering his face and neck in blood. Johnny checked Roy's arms and found that his right shoulder had been dislocated during the fall. Fortunately Roy managed to avoid any other obvious breaks or fractures to his legs.

"Come on Roy," Johnny encouraged as he carefully bent down to put Roy over his shoulder. "let's move."

It was difficult and painful but Johnny managed to lift his downed partner up from the smoldering ground and over his shoulders.

Returning to the stairwell from whence he came Johnny prepared to make the long walk down the eight floors to the exit of the hotel.

...to be continued...