Fire from the roof exploded near the side ladder.
Gerald was running down the stairs from the side of the building. He was soon caught off guard by an explosion that blasted him through a window and into an elevator shaft filled with water.
SPLASH
He ended up losing one of his handguns in the elevator shaft.
Gerald soon gasped for air. "SOMEBODY! I'M IN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT! HELP ME!" He yelled.
Flaming pieces of wood fell into the water, just missing Gerald.
"SOMEBODY! HELP!" Gerald yelled once more.
BOOM
WHOOSH
A wooden piece of structure then fell and struck a gas pipe. Sparks flew and immediately ignited the gas in the pipe.
KA-BOOM
The shutoff switch was right next to it. Fire poured from the gas pipe as the water rose in the shaft.
Gerald had no choice but to dive underwater once the gas immediately ignited. Fire was pouring from the pipe and just above the water. Gerald soon kept himself afloat, with the fire just above him.
"HELP! SOMEBODY!"
A fireboat was outside as it shot its water cannons at the fire. The UFRT water cannons were also activated and shooting at full force at the building.
More flaming pieces of wood came falling into the water as the water kept rising to the fire.
Then, someone was seen chopping down the wood that blocked the way of the elevator shaft. It was Stephen with Shadow.
The fire raged as the water in the elevator shaft kept rising slowly.
"TRICKSHOT!" Stephen yelled. "STEPHEN! SHADOW! I'M BURNIN' UP IN HERE!" Gerald yelled as Stephen kept chopping down the wood.
Arnold soon saw the shutoff switch. "I'm going for it!" Shadow jumped from the ledge and hit the switch. Stephen jumped behind him as well.
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
Stephen would lose his firefighting helmet in the water.
"YOU TWO ALRIGHT?" Gerald asked as he kept himself afloat. "YEAH! YOU ALRIGHT?" Stephen replied.
"YEAH!"
"Come on! We gotta get out of here, this whole place is going up!" Stephen soon said as they finally managed to get themselves out of the water.
Outside, more than fifteen water cannons and hoses were being shot at the fire. The QR Helicopter's fire retardant system, three cannons from a fire boat, two from the UFRT being operated by Montgomery, and the rest were from the Tillers, Ladder trucks, and Engine units.
A canister caught fire and blew up. It shot up to a big metal pipe that came crashing down.
BOOM
KA-BOOM
"LOOK OUT! Come on! This way!" Stephen guided Shadow and Trickshot through the factory.
Loud creaking metal was heard. They covered themselves as wood fell near them. A huge metal pipe fell, blocking off the way they came from.
CRASH
BOOM!
Fire spreaded quickly and ignited the canisters quick. The canisters either exploded or launched at the ceiling. Multiple canisters exploded all at once. Fire and smoke poured from them. Sparks flew all over the place as flames were pouring from exploding canisters.
KA-BOOM!
CRASH!
KA-BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH!
The three were all running through a fire field as canisters kept exploding all around. Metal also came crashing down as fire poured from the exploding canisters.
CRASH!
BOOM!
KA-BOOM!
CRASH!
The three were all running through a field of fire practically as the canisters kept exploding.
The three soon got to a safe place and away from the field of fire.
"Wait a minute, Shadow." Stephen started as Shadow soon stopped.
A mysterious figure came out with an axe. Arnold got smashed with the axe to his neck and fell to the floor. He was knocked out immediately. Adcox hit him.
"JESUS!… AUGH!" Stephen put his axe in front and shoved John away. Adcox's helmet was knocked off. Stephen looked at the unconscious Shadow as a canister fell. And so did Trickshot. They soon looked at Adcox, who was infuriated. Gerald immediately drew his only handgun left and held it sideways, pointed at Adcox.
Adcox stood his ground as he had his axe in hand. He gave an infuriated look as the fire spreaded across the factory. Stephen held his ground with Trickshot as he had his axe as well. A vibrant orange light was briefly seen as explosions kept going off.
BOOM!
Stephen and Trickshot made John back up slowly, step by step. But John kept glaring evilly at them and stood his ground. Stephen and Gerald took slow steps toward Adcox as he backed up to a walkway, above the flaming mess of the factory.
Metal came crashing from the explosions. Fire raged and crackled as canisters kept exploding, with several launching into the air and hitting the ceiling.
BOOM!
WHOOSH!
A fireball shot up and flashed over behind Adcox.
CRASH!
BOOM!
CRASH!
Metal fell from the ceiling and collapsed onto a walkway. A canister exploded like a missile to the left of them and hit the ceiling within seconds, with sparks flying everywhere.
KA-BOOM!
CRASH!
Stephen and Trickshot had smoke stains on their faces and suits, as the fire crackled all around. Fire was also pouring from underneath the walkway they were on.
CRASH
BOOM
They kept staring off, waiting for a strike, but John's evil look went away into regret and sadness. Stephen then noticed it and slowly lowered his axe. Adcox trembled briefly.
"I just couldn't let it go, Bull…"
CRASH
"Yeah…" Stephen quietly said and lightly nodded. Gerald noticed the regret and sadness.
"I'm sorry… For everything… Trickshot, I… I'm sorry…" Adcox was brought to tears and lowered his axe. Gerald lowered his handgun. Arnold was picking himself up from the floor behind them.
Adcox was in tears. He dropped his axe as it echoed through the factory. He fell to his knees, and buried his face into his gloves, accepting defeat. His sadness wouldn't last long.
Fire spreaded to an oil spill where multiple canisters were leaking oil, brewing trouble.
BOOM!
CRASH!
KA-BOOM!
CRASH!
"AH!" Gerald and Stephen fell beside Adcox as a canister exploded and launched right on the walkway they were on.
The walkway was hit again with flying canisters, soon making it break.
"WOAH!" Arnold hung on to the walkway floor, while the walkway where Gerald, Stephen, and John were on was also hit.
The metal holding up the walkway creaked loudly as it bent fast.
"AAAH!" Adcox fell off the walkway, but Stephen grabbed him. He would also fall off the walkway but was held up.
"D'EUGH! I GOT YA!" Gerald grabbed Stephen's arm as he held John. The two were knocked off. John was first knocked off, but Stephen grabbed him but nearly fell if it wasn't for Gerald.
A flaming canister rolled off the broken walkway where Arnold was hanging.
The canister hit more canisters and ignited them. Another canister shot up like a missile.
KA-BOOM
"D'AAH!"
The canister shot up at the broken walkway and knocked Gerald off, who was on the ledge and above a raging firepit. Gerald was now clinging onto the broken walkway, with Stephen, who was holding John.
Shadow kept trying to get himself off the broken walkway he was clinging onto.
Fire shot up and lit Adcox on fire. The flame reached up to Stephen's boots.
"AAAAHHH! AH! AAAHH!"
Metal clanged around the place, the fire spreaded across the ground, and multiple explosions kept going off.
The three were now hanging above a raging fire pit. Gerald grunted as he held onto the walkway.
Gerald grunted again as he was hanging on for dear life. A flaming mess was seen below as falling metal clanged down below. He tried pulling himself up to try to hang on a little longer. All three of them were dangling.
Stephen's cheeks jittered as he held onto John. He then looked down at Adcox. Stephen gave a brief exhale.
"LET ME GO, BULL." Adcox pleaded to Stephen as he let go of his arm. "You go… We go…!" Stephen's cheeks jittered as he kept holding on. Adcox only had a saddened look on his face.
"If you go…. We all go…!" Gerald grunted as he felt his arm aching while metal creaked. His grip kept loosening.
Arnold soon managed to climb off the broken walkway and to safety, despite canisters being engulfed right behind him.
"TRICKSHOT! STEPHEN!" Shadow yelled.
Gerald looked up at Arnold as he felt his grip weakening, his arm starting to give way.
Gerald's grip soon gave way, dropping three lives as well. Gerald would let go of the walkway as he couldn't keep hanging on anymore.
"NOOOOOO!" Arnold reached down, wanting to grasp Gerald's arm.
Gerald, Stephen, and Adcox all dropped to certain doom.
Stephen would fall and get slashed by a metal ladder as he slammed against the walkway. Adcox was also slashed by the ladder, but he fell to his doom, and would ultimately accept his fate.
John was slashed by the ladder and had also broken it, and fell to the fire pit and hit his back hard against the few remaining canisters. John Adcox was killed instantly on impact. His body then rag-dolled into the pit of fire as his body would be left to burn.
Gerald fell to the same walkway with Stephen, but slashed his shoulder against broken metal from a walkway. He would end up slamming his back hard on the walkway. Gerald would only crawl to Stephen as he felt extremely weakened.
Arnold jumped onto the broken walkway they were on. He almost fell but climbed his way onto it. He then used a pole to slide down to Stephen and Gerald.
Canisters in the background were seen engulfed in flames.
"Stephen! Don't move!"
"What?" Stephen was now semi-confused about where he was, he then grunted. Arnold looked over Stephen and checked for injuries. He then saw a part of his turnout coat ripped, with blood around the area.
"Don't move, dammit!"
"What?"
"Just lie down."
CRASH
"N'dah shit…" Stephen saw his injury as Arnold looked over it. The left regional abdominal area was cut open severely, revealing his insides.
"Warren! Travis! Get the PRT ready! I have someone down!"
Warren and Montgomery heard through their radios. They were currently with the UFRT.
"C'mon!" The two hurried over to the PRT.
Arnold then checked on Gerald. His suit was also ripped but his shoulder cut wasn't too deep but was open where blood was coming out.
Arnold saw the points where both their injuries came from. The bloody metal ladder which also had a bit of Stephen's coat and blood. The bloody pipe which had Gerald's torn bit of suit.
Arnold then saw Pengelly and Nightingale with one line, and Spinelli with another line.
"PENGELLY! SPINELLI! UP HERE!" Arnold yelled.
"DID YOU HEAR SOMEBODY? STEPHEN!" Pengelly yelled as a metal pipe crashed down.
"PENGELLY!"
"WHERE THEY AT?" Nightingale also yelled.
"GUYS! UP HERE!"
"OVER THERE! I GOT THEM OVER THERE!" Pengelly pointed. "YOU TWO, GET UP THERE AND HELP THEM, WE HAVE SOMEONE BLEEDING OUT SO WE CAN'T WASTE A SECOND!" Spinelli told the two.
"We're gonna get you guys out! Hang on, don't move!" Arnold told the two. Stephen was lying on his back and on the metal he got injured from. Gerald was also lying down, holding his shoulder.
The fire was now a raging inferno as flames kept pouring, flaring up, and spreading everywhere.
Metal crashed down onto a walkway.
CRASH!
BOOM!
KA-BOOM!
Pengelly and Nightingale were hit by the explosion and lost their hose, getting knocked back as well.
"PEN- PENGELLY, I LOST THE LINE!" Pengelly and Nightingale immediately took cover as the fire was surrounding them.
Spinelli couldn't go get it as it was flailing around with water still shooting from it.
Arnold saw the chaos unfolding, he was wide-eyed. Stephen grunted to his side as he saw what was happening. Gerald also saw as he held his shoulder. Chaos was going on inside the factory.
BOOM
CRASH
Fire flared up behind them. The factory fire was worsening, canisters igniting every minute and exploding, metal crashing down, and fire pouring and flaring up everywhere.
"I'm going for the hose." Gerald nodded, and Stephen also nodded. He was starting to get confused, looking around and grunting in pain, bleeding out slowly. Arnold patted Stephen's knee before going.
CLANG
CLANG
Arnold slid down the same pole down. He then looked at the flailing hose and the raging fire behind it.
Fire and smoke poured, the worst fire anyone would see. Almost like a fire beast was being formed in the flames. Fire poured all the way up to the ceiling, like a live being. Like a fire monster.
BOOM!
WHOOSH!
CLANG
Arnold didn't say a word but looked sternly at the raging flames. His hand repulsor formed and prepared an experimental missile, a special missile designed to extinguish a fire, making it run out of oxygen and put itself out.
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
WHOOSH
CLANG
Arnold shot the missile and the fire was immediately extinguished, running out of oxygen.
"Shadow!" Stephen grunted.
Arnold immediately ran for the hose and grabbed it. He then paired up with Spinelli. Fire poured right in his face as it nearly caught him.
Stephen was now lying on his side when he saw Shadow grab the hose, feeling relieved.
"GOOO! GET THEM OUT OF HERE! GO!" Arnold shouted to Nightingale and Pengelly. "GO! GO GET THEM!" Spinelli added.
"ALRIGHT, COME ON!" Pengelly shouted to Nightingale.
The two struggled to reach the stairs as the water got in their faces. They soon got to the staircase and raced up the staircase as fire got in their way.
Flames snuck up from the ground and near Arnold. "AAAHH!" Shadow extinguished spreading flames from the ground that nearly reached his boots.
Shadow then started hitting flames pouring from canisters and flaring up on the walls.
"HAHA! I haven't felt THIS ALIVE!" Arnold told Spinelli. "This is what I'm talkin' about! LET'S HIT THIS BITCH!" She replied while spraying broken canisters on fire.
The two started spraying water everywhere. Arnold sprayed low while Spinelli sprayed up high. Despite their efforts, fire kept spreading across the factory, igniting more canisters and the raging flames.
Shadow then looked up and aimed his line up at the stairs.
Arnold extinguished the fire blocking Nightingale and Pengelly's way. Nightingale then threw a broken canister off as they kept going.
"COME ON!" Pengelly yelled as water kept spraying their way.
KA-BOOM!
CRASH!
WHOOSH!
BOOM!
CRASH!
A big fireball flared up underneath and to the right where Stephen and Trickshot were lying.
Metal kept falling from the ceiling and more explosions kept going off which ignited the fire even more.
KA-BOOM!
WHOOSH!
Large canisters ignited and fell off shelves and collapsed onto one another. More canisters came crashing down.
"Am I glad to have one of my partners back or what!" Arnold said as he stood near Spinelli, their backs facing each other as they fought the fire. "And it's great to see you're alongside me once more!" Spinelli started as she reached for her radio. "Guys, I have everyone accounted for, and we're heading out soon!"
The fire was flaring up, crackling, and pouring from almost every direction.
CRASH
The fire was now reaching up and crackling near the walkway the others were on.
Pengelly and Nightingale soon reached Stephen and Trickshot, who were both lying down. Pengelly kneeled and put his breathing mask on Stephen, and Nightingale had his mask on Gerald. The two took deep breaths of air from those masks as they didn't have their breathing apparatus'.
Arnold and Spinelli extinguished the exit and fought off the fires they could hit.
"To your right!" Arnold pointed out. Spinelli extinguished the flaring fire on her right. "Thanks!"
Flames crackled and poured around everyone.
Stephen gave an exhale after getting oxygen.
"Look at 'em… Those are my friends goddammit…!" Stephen was proud to call Shadow and his team his friends.
He looked over and saw them courageously doing his everyday job. Fighting the fire. The fire was pouring and surrounding them, but they were fighting it off.
CRASH!
WHOOSH
Nightingale had his arms, and Pengelly carried Stephen's legs. Gerald was able to walk on his own.
"WE GOT 'EM, SHADOW!" Pengelly yelled from the upper walkway.
"Guys, we're heading out!" Arnold went on his radio.
"D'AUGH!!!" Stephen was in agony when Pengelly and Nightingale picked him up and carried him. They all started heading for the stairs.
Outside
The ambiance outside was chaos. Firefighters rushing over the place, medics treating several of them, all soaked and wet from water from within the hoses or the water cannons. Siren lights from every truck there reflected all over the area, shining brighter than the street lights. An Engine unit was seen near the entrance of the factory, both its tail lights flashing.
Firemen were rushing inside.
Members of Seventeen and Forty-Six surrounded Stephen along with several medics.
"Ok, let's go!"
"Move it!"
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Warren and Montgomery were ready with the PRT and had the stretcher right outside the truck.
Stephen was soon laid on the stretcher as multiple firefighters had carried him over. Brian ran over once he got off one of the Engine units.
"Hang on!"
Everyone kept shouting and talking over one another.
"Dammit, c'mon!"
"C'mon! Let's move him!"
"C'mon! Get him in there!"
"Let's go dammit! C'mon!"
"Hang on!"
"Up with him!"
"Hurry! He's losing blood dammit!"
"Up with him, c'mon!"
"C'mon! Hurry!"
"How is he?! Is he ok?! Damnit c'mon! Let's move him!"
"Let's move him! C'mon, dammit! Let's go! Let's go!"
"Twenty, Forty, clear." Loud inaudible radio chatter was heard in the background as well. (Awfully loud too).
They opened his coat and took off his equipment as they started to treat him immediately, applying pressure to the open wound where he was bleeding.
Meanwhile, with Aid Car 62, Trickshot was getting treated for his open shoulder injury. Firemen and several Vigilantes were surrounding the rear of the truck.
"How is he? C'mon!"
Everyone kept shouting over each other.
"C'mon! Let's go!"
"Up with him already!"
"C'mon! Let's move him dammit!"
"Twenty, clear. Fifteen…" Loud inaudible radio chatter kept going from the background.
"Alright let's move him!"
"C'mon hurry!"
Several firefighters came over as the stretcher was being placed inside.
"Let's go! C'mon! Up, now!"
The stretcher was soon inside the PRT. Travis and Warren soon got inside with another medic and shut the doors. Sirens were then heard as Aid Car Sixty-Two started to drive off to the hospital. It had to drive off slowly as the entire area was surrounded with firemen and fire trucks everywhere. Trickshot was in that ambulance along with Shadow.
More loud radio chatter kept going amidst the siren and chaos.
"Will they make it?" Several of them asked as they stared at PRT and at the ambulance driving off. The PRT's siren lights were on but not the siren itself. Every Fire Engine and Ladder siren light shined brighter than the streetlights as the area was partly foggy. They all soon started to walk off.
Kliff was intubating Stephen as he had lost consciousness. Travis started an IV and hooked him up to the cardiac monitor.
They saw what they were dealing with. His abdominal area was cut open and possibly infected.
"He's lost a lot of blood, and his blood pressure is dropping! Get a blood bag!"
"This is NOT how it ends for you, Lieutenant!" Warren was determined to keep Stephen alive.
Minutes Later
Stephen had lost an alarming amount of blood, and his life was in the balance.
"C'mon…!" Warren and Travis were working fast to save Stephen. "We can't work on him properly with the amount of blood he's losing!" Travis said. "We're gonna have to get this moving! Matt, get this unit moving to the nearest hospital!" The paramedic immediately got out and went to the front.
"I'm not letting this first operation here be it's last!"
The cardiac monitor went off. His blood pressure kept dropping, and so did his heart rate.
The monitor started to slow down as his heart rate went slower and slower until… It was flatlined. Stephen McCaffery flatlined. Sirens started blaring outside as the PRT started to drive off.
"Don't you die on us!" Travis started CPR. Warren used the bag valve mask as the flatline continued.
Meanwhile…
"C'mon. C'mon man, help us out."
"I don't wanna…" Gerald was getting confused as he kept bleeding out. He soon saw Arnold by his side.
"Shadow… Is that you?…"
"It's me, man. It's me." Arnold saw Gerald's right arm shivering, and his hand trembling as he had lost blood.
Gerald grunted in pain. His hand couldn't stop trembling. He gulped after.
He then chuckled. "I- I beat it. . . The fire never got me…" Trickshot's arm kept trembling.
"B.P. 80 over 60!"
"You're gonna be alright! Hang in there!"
Gerald grunted as his shoulder injury was making him agonize. Gerald could only think back to one thing, and that was his brother Jamie O, and the way he passed. He was thinking he might be seeing him.
"Who's your brother, Arnold?…" Gerald looked over. Arnold gulped. "You are, Trickshot…" Tears were slowly building up.
Gerald then raised his arm. Arnold gripped his hand. "That's my brother, goddammit…" Gerald tried to grip his hand despite his shoulder injury.
They soon let go.
"Tired of hearing the siren… Tired… Tur- Turn the si- siren off, Ar… Turn the siren off…" Gerald muttered as he agonized in pain.
"You're gonna be alright. You hear me, goddammit!" Arnold started. "Hang in there! You're gonna make it! Let's go! Move this thing! C'mon!" Arnold looked at Gerald, who was agonizing. "You're not dying on me now! You hear me?…" Arnold had a tear slip down from his face. "You hang in there, Trickshot! We're almost there!"
The cardiac monitor was starting to rise.
"It's not your time now… You still have a whole lot left ahead of you… We all need you…"
Gerald winced as he clenched his teeth. His heart rate was spiking.
"Lidocaine! Now!" One paramedic shouted.
After six minutes of CPR and defibrillator resuscitation, Lieutenant Stephen McCaffery would pass away from his injuries. They were five minutes out from the nearest hospital.
"C'mon! You're gonna make it!" Travis and Kliff did everything they could, but couldn't save Stephen.
Kliff soon faced away as he took off his bloodied uniform. Travis also took off his gloves and started tearing up.
The flatline stopped, Warren had disconnected the monitor. Stephen McCaffery would be pronounced dead.
Kliff then covered Stephen's lifeless body, which was now a corpse. The PRT's first operation was an unsavable life. Stephen's injuries were too severe for him to be saved.
"Matt, turn the siren off… We lost him…" Travis radioed up front. Matt hesitated, but he painfully turned off both the siren lights and the siren itself.
Gerald managed to reach the hospital with Arnold. His heart rate had spiked but was controlled. He would be rushed into emergency surgery. The two didn't know they had lost a friend on the way there.
Arnold stood outside with the ambulances, lights reflecting off his face as tears built up in his eyes. The lights would reflect in his tears as well.
"Travis, Kliff, status." Arnold radioed.
"Shadow… We're so sorry…" Kliff replied. Arnold couldn't hold back his tears. "Stephen…"
"Prepare to ring those freakin' bells…" Travis said in a depressing tone as he had a hand on his face. Kliff only let the tears roll down his face, but didn't cry. He felt like a failure, but Stephen's injuries were too severe for him to be saved.
Arnold knew it was only right to salute Stephen for his service. And he also knew he had to bring in Swayzak for his crimes. Arnold soon had the tears rolling down his face but wiped them away as he walked into the hospital.
All the Vigilantes were aware of Stephen's death through their radios. They didn't even say a word to each other. They were all devastated. Even with few interactions and problems along the way, Stephen was a great friend to them.
I wanna apologize if I offend anyone with the G word in this chapter since I know people of religion might find it offensive so I apologize in advance...