"LOOK OUT!" Sapphire grabbed Gerald as he nearly fell through the flooring into a pit of fire.
Gerald was wide-eyed for a moment. "Thanks." He gulped.
"Now you know why we check whether this flooring is stable."
Creaking wood and metal were then heard. Star Sapphire looked up as she noticed where it was coming from.
"GUYS! LOOK OUT!" She pushed them out of the way with her lantern ring as the metal and wood collapsed onto her.
"SAPPHIRE!" Gerald and Nadine yelled.
Meanwhile
Swoops screeched as he flew around the tower.
"Any sign of Curly, Swoops?"
Swoops had a small little vest that didn't bother him. It allowed him to communicate with Ariel and the others as it also had built-in features like the 'man down' signal.
Swoops screeched as he briefly stopped and checked around the North side.
"I was afraid you'd say that. No sign of him so far. We can't let him escape again! Spinelli, anything inside?"
"Negative. Just a bunch of debris and unstable shit." Spinelli replied as small rocks fell from the ceiling.
She then flinched as several big rocks on fire fell.
Swoops soared close to the tower but was also careful not to get too close. Swoops then screeched.
"Still nothing?" Swoops screeched again. "Ugh. Keep looking. He'll slip up eventually." Ariel told swoops. He screeched once more. "Alright, sourpuss." She chuckled.
While all that was happening, the present day slowly faded away as Arnold's memories would soon come back…
It has been two weeks since the arrival of a new enemy leading an army. They haven't shown their faces since the Hexion Industrial plant incident, which was a failure.
The QR Helicopter was just about ready for its first flight. With Ariel helping out, it was done much faster.
Arnold and Ariel were down in the lair. Arnold was trying to predict the Militia's next move, while Ariel admired the helicopter. She saw Arnold at the main monitors, and saw it as a chance…
"Hey, Arnold!" Ariel came up to him. "Hey, Ariel! What's up?"
"Actually, nothing. Listen, I just want to thank you for having me on this team. It's a lot different than my old firefighting job but I really love this."
Arnold only smiled. "It's a pleasure having you on this team."
"And I also want to thank you for that helicopter. It really looks precious."
"Oh, you think so? I had it in mind for a while and I decided to make it a reality before your arrival. And since I figured you're one of the best aircraft pilots, it's for you." Arnold smiled. Ariel shined a smile. "And that's precisely why I want to thank you."
Ariel soon wrapped her arms around Arnold's neck and started to slowly kiss him. Arnold went wide-eyed as he knew Rhonda would kill him if she saw them like this.
Ariel leaned all her body weight onto Arnold, causing the two to fall backward. Ariel soon started to kiss his cheek as she smeared slight lipgloss. Ariel soon stopped as she winked.
"Uh, Ariel? As much as I appreciate… whatever's going on here… you do realize I'm married, right?" Arnold blushed furiously. "I know. But I really wanted to thank and quite frankly, this was the only proper way I could thank you." Ariel soon got up and helped Arnold up.
"Well, I'm glad you like your new copter. I'll see you around?"
"Like always." Ariel smirked. Arnold only smirked as he went in for a quick friendly kiss on her cheek. Ariel blushed as she touched the spot he kissed her on.
Arnold soon went upstairs and he found Rhonda laying in bed, scrolling on her phone.
"Hey there, my sweet." Arnold hopped in bed with her. "Why hey there, my honeybun." Rhonda giggled.
"What you up to?"
"Eh, nothing really. I'm just more or less bored."
Arnold then smirked. "I think I can change that." Arnold then leaned over and gave a small kiss on her neck. Rhonda blushed as she then giggled. "You trying to fool around a little?" She smirked. "I think you should've gotten the hint"
Rhonda only giggled as she tickled his chin. "Just gimme a second." Rhonda reached over to her drawer and pulled out a stick of lipgloss. She applied it as she looked at Arnold in the eye. He was blushing as he gave a goofy smile.
"Alright, sweetie. Tell me, how do I look?"
"Priceless. You know why? 'Cause, you're all mine." Arnold rubbed his cheek against her cheek. The two then French kissed briefly. "Now tell me another thing."
"Anything for you, my dear."
"How does my lipgloss feel?" She smirked. Arnold only smirked as well. Rhonda then kissed Arnold on the cheek as she left a bit of lipgloss stained on his cheek.
"Enough teasing already! Let's get down to business." Arnold said as he held her chin. "Just warming you up." She kept smirking.
Arnold soon got on top of her and the two started to passionately kiss.
As the two would continue to kiss, eventually they stripped their clothes off each other after Rhonda felt Arnold getting hard.
Rhonda let Arnold do most of the 'work' as she let him suck on her breasts. Eventually, she then let him stick his cock in her smooth round ass. They felt extremely passionate about each other and it had also been a while since the two had sex.
An Hour Later
Arnold had just cummed inside of her as Rhonda licked whatever was left on the tip.
Arnold and Rhonda soon snuggled up as Arnold held her in his arms.
"I love you, sweetie." Rhonda giggled as she laid her head on his chest. "I love you more, my Princess." Arnold then stroked her hair. "I love you with all my heart. My darling Princess." Arnold kissed Rhonda's forehead, and she then giggled.
The Next Day
It was around midday, and Rhonda would soon awake as she felt her breasts rather weird.
"Huh?" She then saw it was Arnold who was playfully sucking on her nipples. "Arnold!"
Arnold only gave a nervous smile. Rhonda was about to yell at him, but she couldn't stay mad at him for long. "Oh, sweetheart! I know you didn't mean to scare me like that. You horndog!" Rhonda brought Arnold's face close to her.
"How about a quick kiss?" Arnold asked. "A quick kiss, and I'll let you finish. After all, I think my girls need a massage after an amazing night last night." She winked.
The two tongue-kissed for a few seconds as saliva dripped down from their mouths.
Arnold then kissed Rhonda's nose before he got back to sucking on her breasts. Rhonda moaned as she clenched his hair.
About twenty minutes would pass as Arnold would either tease her or passionately suck and lick her breasts.
Rhonda would love it every time Arnold played with her breasts, it was as if he knew exactly how to please her. Arnold soon stopped as her breasts were mostly covered by his drool.
The two then tongue kissed and nuzzled their noses together after.
"I love you, my darling Princess." Arnold stroked her hair. Rhonda only giggled as she snuggled up with Arnold.
"Hey, Rhonda."
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"I'm still in the mood for a little more fun." Arnold smirked as his hand reached down at her pussy. "Ouu, you're feeling awfully romantic as of late." She giggled.
Arnold only smirked as he kissed her cheek. He then stuck two fingers inside her vagina. Rhonda then moaned.
Rhonda only thought it would be fair if the two had one more round. She reached down to grab his penis. Arnold looked down as she started stroking it.
"Another round?"
"And I thought I was feeling passionate." Arnold smirked.
Arnold then got on top of her as his hardening cock touched her pussy. "Stick it in me already! I want more!" Rhonda pleaded as she cupped Arnold's face. The two tongue-kissed as saliva was dripping down from their mouths.
Arnold's cock slipped in as he began thrusting while they kissed.
Forty Minutes Later
Instead of cumming inside her, Rhonda wanted it in her throat. Arnold's sperm shot down her throat as she felt more than pleased.
The two snuggled up again. Arnold looked at what time it was. They basically wasted an hour having sex.
"Uh, Rhonda?"
"Yes, my honeybun?"
"Not that I wanna ruin the mood but… we practically wasted an hour having sex."
"And?"
"Well, I just wanted to point that out."
"It doesn't matter. As long as we had our fun, nothing else matters." She slowly kissed his cheek.
Arnold only smiled as he laid his head against hers. "A flower for my Princess?" Arnold reached over and grabbed a flower from their vase. Rhonda giggled as she took the rose. "Why thanks, you lovable little honeybun of mine." She playfully pinched his cheek.
Arnold smiled as he held her in his arms.
Hours Later
"Swoops, get away from that! You're not allowed to eat that, I already took a bite out of it!" Ariel told Swoops as he tried to grab a donut from the donut box
Swoops looked at her and then looked back at the donut. He then tried to get it with his beak. "Swoops!" Ariel chuckled as she kept trying to get him away from the donut box.
"Ariel, how is there an eagle in here?" Arnold asked as he came in with Rhonda, hand in hand.
"Mm? Oh, he's not a random eagle! He's my pet eagle."
"Pet? I thought it was illegal to own a bald eagle." Rhonda said. "Care to explain where he came from?" Arnold asked as the two sat down.
"Of course! Arnold, Rhonda. Meet my longtime pal, Swoops! He's an eagle I rescued a long time ago. I saw him injured while I was on a vacation, and since I'm an eagle expert, I decided to take him in. He looked to be about six months old, I have no idea what could've happened to his momma. But all I know is that I took him in, and soon gave him a home once I legally adopted him. It was a whole process but it was worth it."
"So you're a veterinarian, technically?" Rhonda asked as she looked at Swoops, who was still struggling at getting a donut. "It was a dream of mine as a little girl. I trained to be a veterinarian for a while. I also trained as a paramedic for emergency response."
"Ariel, you're a woman of many talents." Arnold complimented. "Aw, thanks, Arnold!" Ariel blushed as she smiled. "Hey! What about me?" Rhonda looked at Arnold. "Oh, Rhonda! You're also filled with many talents! Ever since we were kids you always had such talent!" Arnold kissed her cheek.
Ariel smiled as she looked back at Swoops, who had a fork in his beak as he poked the donut box. "Not so fast, young man." Ariel grabbed the donut from the box and then ate it. Swoops screeched as he flapped his wings as if to show frustration. Ariel smirked. Arnold and Rhonda were laughing at the sight.
"Hey, Ariel. I can't help but notice your bracelets. And let me tell you right now, girl to girl." Rhonda then swiveled Arnold's head away. He only rolled his eyes. "Those bracelets look absolutely drop-dead GORGEOUS! Where'd you get them? A special someone?"
"Why do I feel like I heard that sometime before?" Arnold asked after Rhonda said drop-dead.
"Actually… I'm single. I got these from my family." She rubbed the back of her head. Rhonda then smacked Arnold on the back. "Learn from them, dummy!"
"Don't tell me you lost that diamond necklace I gave you for your birthday." Arnold chuckled. Rhonda blushed as she remembered it was in her drawer. Ariel and Arnold smirked at her while she blushed.
Ariel then looked over, only to see that Swoops was gone. "Swoops?"
The three then found Swoops sitting on top of a door, he was basically chilling as he had a piece of bread with his talons.
"That's one smart bird." Arnold chuckled while Ariel was laughing. Swoops squawked as he ate a piece of the bread.
"You silly bird!" Ariel laughed. Swoops squawked again as the three were just laughing.
Ariel's laugh soon faded as she looked away. Arnold noticed as he soon went up to her.
"Ariel, is something wrong?"
She sighed as she crossed her arms. "I'm fine, really. I'm just… remembering my times at the firehouse."
"Good or bad?"
"Both… but mostly the bad."
"How so?" The two sat down. "I loved my job there, don't get me wrong, I love being with you guys, it's just… I remember the risks we ran there. And even here we run those risks, and much worse…" Ariel then sniffled. "I remember losing an old fire captain before, lost many partners to fires, and experiencing many things like that. And now that I'm here, I can't help but think if that's the same stuff I'll experience here. I know I'm obviously not your girlfriend or even less your wife, but what will happen when you're not here? You have a daughter and wife who still need you. Our jobs are extremely dangerous and that's something I put at the back of my head, yet it still disturbs me."
Arnold sighed. "I have that fear myself. Every time either I send someone out on a mission or we're all out on a mission, I always fear one of us might not come back. I know this city is in good hands if I'm gone, but my wife and daughter aren't. And that is something I fear every day, yet I still put it at the back of my head 'cause I'm not letting fear control me. Do I fear something will happen to me? More or less. Do I KNOW it'll happen to me? Yes. All I can do is protect myself and hope I always come home to my family alive. And come back to my friends like you." Arnold smiled at Ariel. "But you know, if your time's up, your time's up. All I can hope for is that my time doesn't come fast… I have plenty to live for!" Arnold looked up at the roof as a tear slipped from his face.
Ariel only had a small smile. "While nobody can guarantee we'll live, we make the most of every day we live, right?"
"Yup." Arnold then shedded a small smile at Ariel. "Thanks for listening to me. I really needed to get that off my chest." She hugged Arnold. Arnold hugged Ariel back. "Just remember, we're always stronger working together, we all have each other's backs here." Ariel only nodded as she smiled.
Fast Forward a Couple Days Later
"What do we have?" Phoebe started.
"We have a minor hotel fire. Unfortunately, we have several trapped victims. Most are out of reach for first responders and they can't get to them regardless of what they do." Impulse informed. "Shouldn't require most of us." Spinelli said.
"Alright. Star, Spinelli, Gerald, and Ariel. All with me. Looks like the QR Helicopter makes a debut for the first time here in Hillwood. Let's go!" Arnold directed.
They were already suited up as they all went towards the Hyperjet. Sapphire could already fly so she decided to meet them there.
Minutes Later
Ladder Forty-Nine and Engine Thirty-Three were approaching the high-rise hotel as a crowd of people looked up at the hotel.
A couple of ladder trucks reached their max height as they couldn't do anything else.
Several fires raged from windows as there were two people by the edges of the hotel. One was holding on for dear life while another was sticking next to a window, hoping it wouldn't burst with fire. More victims were trapped inside.
"Engine Fifteen to Truck Twelve…" A voice over the firefighter radio started.
Impulse was auto-piloting the Hyperjet while Gerald and Spinelli were ground level with the firefighting crew. Sapphire was in the sky, examining the hotel.
"Ready?"
"Ready!" Ariel replied to Arnold as she started the helicopter's engine. Impulse opened a Hyperjet's roofing to let the QR Helicopter exit.
The Hyperjet backed away a little as the Helicopter approached.
"OH, GOD!" One of the victims yelled.
"Ariel! We have two civilians trapped there! I need you to get close enough so I can get the one who's hanging!" Sirens blared in the background as ambulances and police cars showed up.
"But what about the other guy?" Radio chatter was going through between firefighter members.
"Once I get this guy off the ledge, I'm going back down. Gerald, how's it looking on your guys' end?"
"We're just about ready. Spinelli scanned over the building, so we should be able to get to the victims faster!" Gerald replied. "Great." Arnold then looked at Ariel. He only nodded.
Ariel put it on auto-pilot for a moment as Arnold got the necessary gear ready. She helped put the harness on him as he had his gloves off.
Sirens kept blaring in the background
"You cool with this?" Ariel asked as Arnold put his gloves back on. "Yeah." He nodded. Ariel got a winch from the helicopter for extra security.
"Isn't it crazy how the fire department trusts us more than the police?" Rhonda asked Nadine and Phoebe. "Come to think of it… it is rather weird." Phoebe replied.
"Alright, there you are…." Ariel then hooked the winch onto the harness. "You're cinched." She tugged on it to see if it was fully secured. "Nice and easy. This isn't a race, we don't want anything going wrong." Arnold reminded.
"Alright. You're ready." Ariel told Arnold as she got back in the pilot's seat.
"Ready!" Arnold gave a thumbs-up as Ariel looked back. "Lowering winch now." Ariel hovered close to the building as she activated the winch.
"This way!" Spinelli guided several firemen toward an unconscious man in the halls. "We'll take it from here. Get the others towards the next floor!" Gerald said as he picked up the man with another firefighter. She only nodded as they soon went towards the stairs.
"Truck Forty-Nine to Command, standby. We're bringing out an unconscious man to you now." The firefighter said over the radio. "Copy that, Forty-Nine. We'll have medics on standby."
"WOAH!" A firefighter fell through a weak piece of stairs as he held onto the stairs. "I got you!" Spinelli tugged on his uniform as she got him back up. "C'mon!"
"Stay there! Stay right there!" Arnold told the hanging victim. "Just a little more, Ariel!"
"Copy that." She replied as she lowered the winch more.
"Stop! Stop!" Arnold told Ariel. "Alright, you're coming with me." Arnold held the victim by the waist. "Alright, you're in safe hands. Ariel, bring us up!"
"Do we shoot them down, ma'am?"
"Are you stupid?! We can't risk getting this building more destroyed than it already is! There are people inside, moron!" Commissioner Goodell scolded an officer. "We can't bring them in now! We'll have to wait until we next meet…"
"For a police commissioner, she's awfully numbskull."Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Agreed." Rhonda and Nadine replied.
"We'll get you to ground level soon. Just wait here." Arnold left the victim inside the chopper. "Ariel, I'm going back down!"
"You got it, Chief!" Ariel lightly smirked.
"Yeah, Bob. We're on the scene in Chopper Seven." An on-site news chopper was close but was backed away due to the QR Helicopter being there.
Spinelli kicked the door down after she felt it whether it was hot or not. "We'll take care of the person here. There's one more person two floors above us!" A firefighter said. "You got it! Follow me, guys!" Spinelli led the three others.
*Minor Radio chatter*
"We got a burning hotel downtown, on Tolbert Street. A lot of flames, a lot of smoke." The news chopper reported.
"Wait 'till I'm set! Wait 'till I'm set!" Arnold told the victim. "Stop! Stop the winch!" He told Ariel.
"Just wait! Just wait!" Arnold kept telling the victim. The middle-aged man was terrified for his life as he kept holding onto the window.
"Your eyes start to burn, and the heat from the flames…" The news chopper kept reporting.
Sapphire was looking over the situation as she noticed something off about the flaming smoke. "That shouldn't be going… Oh no!" She saw the smoke traveling slowly to the front hole of the QR Helicopter.
"Ariel! Get Arnold out of there! Smoke is starting to travel towards the engine!"
An alarm was going off in the chopper as Ariel just now saw the smoke. "Arnold! I have to pull up! Smoke is getting into the engine!"
"JUS- AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Arnold was about to reply before the victim surprisingly jumped onto him.
"Oh! There they go!" The news chopper exclaimed. The entire crowd on the streets gasped in fear. Many looked away.
The winch mechanism started to fail as Ariel barely had control of it. She shut down the winch mechanism immediately as she was fighting for control of the helicopter. The chopper swerved back and forth a little.
"CALM DOWN OR YOU'LL KILL US! YOU NEARLY GOT US LIKE MORNING PANCAKES! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL DROP YOU!" Arnold yelled as the victim was clinging onto him.
Spinelli and the firefighters got the final victim out as they were headed to Arnold's location.
"He's about two floors above! He isn't at a window level though. Ariel, get the chopper lowered if you can! We're coming up to get Arnold and the final victim!"
Ariel kept fighting for control. "I'll try! But I'll need to get the engine cleared!" She then saw Star Sapphire. "Sapphire! Help me get the engine cleared!"
"Not a problem!" She flew over to the East side of the helicopter and hovered near it. "On my signal, rev the engine as hard as you can and get that smoke cleared! I'll get the smoke away from you but I don't know for how long!"
"One… Two…" Sapphire formed a fan with her lantern ring. "Three! NOW!" The fan blew a gust of wind hard enough to blow the smoke back from the engine. Ariel revved the engine as hard as she could as she finally regained full control of it. The blades were fully functional as they kept the chopper in the air.
"Just hold off on the thanks, we have one more priority!" Star Sapphire mentioned. "Alright, Arnold! This here will soon be your stop!" Ariel said as she lowered the helicopter a little.
Arnold just managed to get close to the window. "I'm gonna have to kick it down! Just hang on to me! Just hang on! Stay calm, please! Stay calm!" Arnold told the man. "Ok! Ok! I'm sorry!" The man replied.
Arnold pushed himself off the window as he tried kicking through. The first attempt was no good.
"We're almost there, Arnold!" Spinelli said over the earpiece.
Arnold kicked the window again, barely cracking it. "Just one more…!"
Arnold pushed himself and the victim off the window and soon kicked it one final time.
CRASH
Arnold crashed through the window as he got his right foot inside.
"Oh, He shattered the glass! They're inside now!" The news reporter said.
Spinelli and three firefighters came into the room where the glass was shattered.
"Let go now! Let go now! We got you!" The firefighters told the man as they got Arnold and the middle-aged man inside. "Cut some slack on the rope, Ariel! If you can, that is." Spinelli radioed.
"Copy!" Ariel replied as she lightly lowered the helicopter.
"We'll see if we can get a name of the rescuer." The reporter continued.
"That's it! There we are!" Spinelli said as she helped Arnold to his feet. He took deep breaths as he felt exhausted.
Spinelli unhooked the winch from the harness. "We're all clear down here, Ariel! Get that bird outta here!"
"No argument here! I'll bring the civilian to ground level and get out!" Ariel replied as she immediately took the helicopter away from the building. The AC deformed from Sapphire's ring as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mission accomplished." Impulse told the team back at the lair. "Woo Hoo! Great job, team!" Phoebe congratulated them over the earpiece. Nadine high-fived Phoebe while Rhonda only stood there, rather emotionless.
"You alright, Arnold?" Spinelli asked as Arnold had his hands on his knees. "Yeah… Just need a minute."
"Y'know, even though this isn't our usual work mostly, it always feels good to do stuff like this. We probably don't save lives by fighting crime, but we save lives by risking our own and rescuing them. " Spinelli smiled. Arnold then smiled. "You're right on that, Spin." The two dapped each other up and put an arm over each other.
The firefighters on street level all got word that every victim was safe. They all cheered for a minute. "Alright, gentlemen! Let's get this fire out!" The Battalion Chief said.
"We did it, team. Let's head home now." Star Sapphire told the others as she smiled.
"Aw, yeah!"
"Thank goodness!"
"I'm so tired!"
"Hey, Arnold. You got a minor tear on your shoulder." Spinelli told Arnold. He only looked at it as he looked back at her. Both their suits were smoldered from all the flames and smoke. "Ah, I can get it fixed. Now let's head home." He then smiled. Spinelli smiled as well.
I know what some of you are thinking "why not just have Sapphire rescue those victims?" Well, it would've been a short and boring chapter, so where's the fun in that? I thought I'd make it a little more entertaining.