I may have lied about one chapter today ;). And it may seem like I'm going off-topic of this story, but trust me, I'm not.
It was around two hours after the fire, Engine 17 and Truck 46 were already at the hospital to see whether Tim was alright.
At the Hospital
All the Vigilantes found Adcox in the hallway, taking a drink from a cup of water.
"How's Tim?" Shadow asked. "He's alive." Adcox replied with a blank, dead, and deep tone. He took a sip after.
The Vigilantes soon saw both Truck company members, all anxious.
"Is he gonna make it?" Trickshot asked. "They're not saying." Grindle replied. "He's over there." He then pointed.
Some of them went to check, and Pengelly came out with his turnout gear. A nurse came out. "I'm sorry but you can't come in now." She closed the curtains as the Doctor was intubating Tim. He was bandaged all over his face and arms.
Arnold soon saw Ariel sitting alone, mostly distressed.
"Y'know, when you think about it, none of us should have been in that building." Nightingale said. The others nodded
"You okay, Ariel?" Arnold asked as he sat next to her. "Well, I honestly saw some worse things in my time as an EMT Firefighter. But this hurts since you and I know there's a damn arsonist on the loose and look! Tim is fighting for his life now!" Ariel buried her face into her hands. Arnold put a hand on her shoulder. "Just breathe in, and take a deep breath. Let it all out… You're alright, Ariel. Just breathe." She cried a little as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You're alright, Ariel, you're alright. I'm here now." Arnold rubbed Ariel's shoulder.
"Don't tell me of the chance I was taking! YOU WERE COSTING ME TIME!"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR THE BACKUP?!"
"DON'T TELL ME I WAS WRONG!"
"YOU WERE WRONG!"
Adcox and Stephen were arguing about whether he should've waited for another Engine company or not. Adcox soon left after yelling at him. Stephen was infuriated.
"Part of your investigation, isn't it?" Stephen asked his brother, unamused. "You had to do it, didn't you?" Brian started. "Had to be myth man again, taking another fire barehanded instead of looking out for your probie?!"
"He needs space here, guys!" The nurse told the two as Stephen went to check on Tim.
"I HAD THAT FUCK! HE JUST DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME."
"HE'S A CANDIDATE, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD HIM UP THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE." Bull started walking away. "YOU BURNED HIM, STEPHEN!"
"FUCK YOU!" Stephen angrily replied as he kept walking away. "DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME-" Stephen turned around and punched his brother.
Nobody said a word. Brian only glared. Stephen noticed what he did, but didn't break the silence.
Brian charged at his brother, picking him up where he hit his head on the exit sign, took him outside, and drove him into the ground. The two started punching each other as the others came to separate them.
"Come on!"
"Aye man, relax!"
Brian was slammed against a wall, and Stephen was also slammed against a wall. "You're just making things worse! Relax!" Pengelly told Stephen. His cheeks jittered in anger as he stared down Brian. Brian got free and just decided to walk out.
Arnold then huddled up his entire team. "Think it's best for all of us to head back to Hillwood… What do y'all say?" He whispered.
"Agreed."
"I think it's best."
"Yeah, I'm ready to head home."
They were all in agreement.
"Alright, you guys. Let's head back home."
Hours Later in Hillwood
Everyone was back home, and they were all mostly in their bedrooms.
"Ugh… Not how I quite expected this day to turn out… Hope Tim will pull through." Rhonda started. She then looked at Arnold, who had a sad look on his face. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "You okay, Arnold?"
He only sighed. "Well… there's not really much I can tell you. I just feel sorry for that Engine company. I really can't say anything. I'm tired, it's been a long few days and…" Arnold sighed. "I just want to get some rest…." Arnold held his head. "I understand you… I've been feeling tired for a while now. Good night, sweetheart." Rhonda kissed him on the cheek as she soon snuggled up with him. She held onto his waist so he'd feel comfortable.
The Next Day
It was mid-day, and pretty much everyone was asleep as it was a few long days they've been through.
Arnold soon woke up from the sun rays through the window. He then turned to see his wife, sound asleep. He could only smile as he stroked her hair.
He only sat there as he took in the morning atmosphere. Arnold looked at Rhonda once more and smiled. As the bright and sunny atmosphere faded into a dark world, with raging flames, and a rescue mission being led, it all faded away into a dark present day…
Present Day…
"Spinelli I… I want to thank you for saving me and Olivia… I don't think I would've done it alone…" Rhonda started as they climbed the stairs. "Hey, it's no problem. No one gets left behind." Spinelli replied with a small smile.
CRASH
"WOAH! LOOK OUT!"
Spinelli pointed her flashlights up as she saw bunches of rocks and structure pieces falling. "Careful with those flashlights. It's a good thing these breathing apparatus' are compatible with these suits.
"Mom! Spinelli! Look!" Olivia noticed something strange on the sixth floor. "Oh no… We have to check them, NOW!"
They immediately rushed over to some unconscious bodies. "This one barely has a pulse!" Spinelli shouted. "This one's pulse is weak!" Olivia replied.
"We can't keep runnin' in and out, we HAVE to find Curly before anything happens and before anyone dies!" Rhonda started as she looked all around. Many unconscious victims were there. "Looks like we found a whole handful of victims…" She got on her radio. "Ariel, you read?"
"I read you. What's happening?"
"Send in a couple of rescue units! We have unconscious victims! Time in here is seriously unknown and they may have severe smoke inhalation! We're on the sixth floor."
"I'm shutting down several exterior operations, I'm sending in people now!" She then looked at the Chief. "I'm headed in there." The Chief started. "I know you'll do good out here on command." The Chief ran off.
"Engine Fifteen, Ladder Fourteen, and Engine Five, I'm assigning you all for a rescue. Sixth floor."
A pink lighting from underneath the debris grew more and more…
"EUGH!" Sapphire finally got herself free from the fallen debris. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" Nadine breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good to be back, but we have to hurry! We don't know how Arnold is doing!"
Arnold's PASS device alarm went off again as he laid unconscious. He was soon awakened by it.
"Eugh…!" Arnold grunted as he slowly rolled over and sat up.
"Get two lines over there. GO!"
"Copy that!"
Stella and Phoebe were looking over the blueprints of the lair and trying to determine how they could help Arnold.
"With the hole he's in, there's really no way out unless he has enough strength to climb his way out… Now, I'm not certain whether you would want that or…"
"We have no other option, Phoebe." Stella said, sternly. "Arnold, come in."
"Eugh…!" Arnold reached for the radio that was kept hidden in his pocket. "I… I read you, Mom…"
"Arnold, listen, the only way out of that hole is… climbing your way out. We can't wait for anyone to get there to pull you out. Arnold, please, it's our best bet toward getting you out! Do you have enough strength?"
"I'll… I'll need a minute… I'll climb outta here… It's our only shot."
"Arnold… Be careful, please!" Stella then shifted her attention toward the others. "Team one, status!"
"Chief, we had a minor setback with debris but we're headed towards the lair entrance!" Nadine replied. "I don't care what's going on! You three better pick up the pace!" Stella wasn't having it.
Arnold looked around to see what he could use to grip onto the wall. After he searched through the debris, he finally found a smaller sword that was hidden.
He looked over to see Helga still knocked out and wedged under the QR Jet's broken and burned wing.
Arnold soon stuck the sword into the wall as he began climbing. One step at a time, he slowly started climbing his way out. He would soon start coughing as the smoke was getting in his face, but that wasn't stopping him.
CRASH!
An Explosion on the twenty-fifth floor went off and collapsed the entire floor. And also knocked out the stairs leading there, blocking off the path.
"This feels worse than that recycling plant fire we faced back then…" Spinelli mentioned as they looked around.
"I don't think they'll be able to strike out a fifth alarm, huh?" Olivia soon asked. "Don't think so. With the few departments left in the city, it directs them all here." Rhonda replied.
"What the fuck are we even doing searchin' like idiots already?! We're finding nothin' inside and we're being cooked like we're inside ovens with these masks on!" Spinelli soon snapped. Rhonda sighed as she kept looking around with her flashlight following. "I feel like she may be right. Instead of finding that damned son of a bitch, we're more or less risking our own lives for nothing!"
Structural pieces fell from the tower and fell straight to the extinguished car fire. The flaming debris reignited the fire. A fiery explosion went off as the flames were reignited.
Firefighters backed away as the flames raged from it.
"Get more lines over there, now! Fifteen, what's your status?" Ariel soon went on her radio. "We're in the stairwell and we're heading towards the victims!"
"Copy!" Ariel soon looked up and saw the fires from the twenty-fifth floor weren't stopping. It profusely kept raging out. "I'm afraid a fifth alarm will have to come sooner or later…" Ariel stared at the raging fire. The fire reflected off her usual bright sparkling eyes. She then looked off into the distance. She was worried sick about Arnold. "I should be there helping out… But I have to stay here at command…"
Ariel gulped as she shifted her attention back to the tower.
"Ladder Sixteen, report."
Stella was seated on the bumper of the UFRT, extremely stressed as she couldn't imagine life without her son.
"Everything alright, Chief?" Phoebe walked up. Stella sighed. "No… I can't take a single second of a relaxed breath knowing my son is in there! Not just that… I'm seriously starting to worry…"
"Stella… we'll get Arnold out. We will."
"Everything alright…?" A voice approached. "Ah, Montgomery. Great to see you. How are some of the firefighters? They alright?"
"Yeah. Listen, Chief, I came here to offer my help and go in there and help the others out. I'm not just a primary EMT, you know. I was recruited by Arnold, and he also saved my life the night of the skyscraper fire. I want to return the favor and save him with the others."
Stella thought for a moment. "Alright. Since you're not busy right now… I'm assigning you to Team One. Surprised you're just now talking to us." Stella lightly smirked. "Oh, ha ha…" Montgomery rolled his eyes. "If anything, Chief, I'll need another pair of hands. Can Warren tag along?"
Stella went on her radio. "Kliff, I'm assigning you and Montgomery to Team One. Gear up."
"Copy that, Chief! Heading over there now!"
"Alright, hurry." Stella told Travis. He immediately ran to the truck and grab his gear.
Warren and Montgomery were all set with their equipment and ran towards the inferno.
"Team One, I've assigned two extra units to your team. Good luck." Stella said over her radio. She took a deep sigh.
"Miles, talk to me." Stella saw him approach. "Fire is so far being contained but we're doing our best to keep it from burning to the ground, especially with our people inside."
"I'd rather sacrifice myself than let Arnold see this as his last day…" Stella had a tear slip down her face. "In the few times we came back to help them, it's all been tragedy! Just take a look at the Fire Captain from Station Twenty! Sacrificing HIS LIFE to let not only his team see another day, but letting my own team see and breathe another day…"
"Stella, we promise, this won't be his final night." Phoebe consoled her.
As all that was taking place, Arnold's memories would soon come back to him as he coughed from the smoke and rock dust while climbing.
Back In Chicago
Arnold and Rhonda were with the investigator to see who or what was causing the fires.
I haven't noticed until the other day where I practically wrote off the militia in the present day lol. And yes, I added Travis and Warren into this story, only I changed Warren's name to Kliff... Anyways, hope you've enjoyed it so far!