Roy pulled up to the location and shut off the squad, the engine not far behind. As he and Johnny were climbing down, he spotted a man in what looked like a security guard uniform talking to Cap.

Cap soon met them at the squad, the security guard not far behind. "Seems we've got some kids that tried to set fire to the building. Guard thinks they're still inside."

The security guard shook his head. "Crazy. Call themselves some kind of liberation group. Don't know what they think they're liberating in a condemned building."

"How many are we looking for?" Johnny asked.

"I saw at least three of them," the security guard told them. "They all scattered when I chased after them."

"You're sure they're in the building?" Cap asked.

"Positive," the security guard nodded firmly. "There's no way they could have gotten out without me seeing them."

Cap frowned before turning toward Roy and Johnny. "We'll make sure the fire's knocked down before you go in. Shouldn't take long."

Soon enough the small fire was out, and Roy and Johnny made their way into the building. "No wonder it's condemned," Johnny commented. "Damn thing looks like it's about to fall down."

"Hope it waits until we get everyone out of here," Roy responded.

Johnny scoffed quietly as they started to sweep the building, making their way through the rickety structure. "Hello?" Johnny called out. "Fire department!"

Roy thought he heard something and touched Johnny's shoulder. "Fire department!"

"Up here!" The voice rang out loudly from above.

They both looked up before looking at each other. "Now listen, you stay put, all right?" Johnny called back. "We'll be right there."

Roy assessed the path to climb up to where the victims were, and he didn't like what he saw. Any way they went at it was bound to be a dangerous operation.

"I don't like it," Johnny commented, echoing Roy's thoughts. "Not much holding that upper floor together."

"You're not kidding," Roy answered.

"I'll start up there," Johnny pointed to what was once a set of stairs. "Once I get across, we should be able to have Chet and Marco set up a ladder, and we can get them down that way."

"You be careful," Roy told him. "Don't make me have to rescue you, too."

Johnny's only response was his usual crooked grin. "You just radio for the ladder, okay?"

Roy lifted the antenna on the handy-talkie. "Squad Fifty-One to Engine Fifty-One, do you read?"

"Engine Fifty-One," Cap answered crisply.

"Engine Fifty-One, we need a ladder set up on the west side, second story," Roy told him. "Gage is gonna help those kids out that window."

"Ten-four, Squad Fifty-One."

Roy lowered the antenna and started to make his way up the same path as Johnny, feeling every step as carefully as he could. He could spot Johnny with his hands up, talking to a young man.

"Take it easy," Johnny told him as Roy approached. "We're gonna get you outta here. You've just gotta trust me, okay?"

"I ain't goin' with you!" The young man was visibly shaking, holding something in his hand like a baseball bat. "You ain't takin' me alive, got it?"

Johnny didn't move, just kept holding his hands up. "I'm not a cop. I'm not gonna hurt you. But we've gotta get you out of this building. It's not safe."

"Screw you, man," the young man spat out, his grip tightening on his makeshift weapon.

"Johnny, back up," Roy called out.

"Yeah, back up," the young man laughed. "That little fire we set? That's nothing compared to what we've got set to go off."

Roy quickly pulled up the antenna on the handy-talkie. "Engine Fifty-One, this is Squad Fifty-One."

"Engine Fifty-One."

"Cap, we have potential explosive material in the building," Roy told him.

There was brief silence before Cap responded. "Ten-four, we'll let the officers know."

Roy lowered the antenna again just in time to hear Johnny trying to talk down the young man. "Listen, there's a ladder. Just take that ladder down and we'll get you outta here."

"I said, I ain't goin'!" the young man replied angrily, swinging the makeshift bat at Johnny.

Fortunately, Johnny's reflexes kicked in, and he ducked, the bat missing him and banging against the plaster wall.

"We need to get out of here," Roy told him.

"I know, I know," Johnny answered sharply.

The young man stepped toward Johnny again, holding his weapon overhead and yelling something Roy couldn't quite make out. Suddenly he brought it down, bouncing off of Johnny's helmet and flying out of his hands as he lost his grip.

He started to dart past Johnny, but Johnny grabbed him and took him down with a hard thump that reverberated through the already shaky remains of the floor. Even though Johnny had a tight hold on him, he was struggling to get loose.

"Johnny, let go!" Roy shouted. "Let's get the hell out of here before this whole thing goes!"

Just as Johnny let him go, the young man dashed past Roy and disappeared. Johnny pushed himself to his feet with a huff. "Christ. Crazy kid."

Suddenly the floor started to shift under them. "Did you feel that, Roy?"

"Yeah, I did," Roy answered carefully. "Better hurry up."

"Right."

They started toward the window, the vibrations only increasing along with the bad feeling that was building up in the pit of Roy's stomach. He had to set that aside. Right now all that mattered was getting out before whatever explosive had been set went off.

Almost as soon as the thought went through his head, there was a rumble and a quiet explosion that reverberated through the building. In the next moment, a section of floor gave way.

The section where Johnny had been.

"Squad Fifty-One!" Cap's voice barked out of the handy-talkie. "This is Engine Fifty-One, do you read?"

Roy fumbled with the antenna. "Squad Fifty-One. We've got a Code I. Repeat, we have a Code I. Gage fell through to the first floor."

There was a long silence before Cap responded. "Ten-four, Squad Fifty-One. Sending additional assistance."

"Ten-four, Engine Fifty-One."

Roy pushed the antenna down and started to make his way down to Johnny. "Johnny?"

There was no immediate response, no surprise given the circumstances. Roy had a terrible thought. If he found Johnny dead—

No, he wasn't going to think about that right now. Johnny had gone through countless incidents and had always managed to bounce back. There was little reason to think this would be any exception.

By the time he reached Johnny, Chet and Marco were already there, removing debris as best they could. Roy knelt down next to Johnny, relieved to find a pulse, weak and thready as it was. His breathing was labored, but he was still alive.

Roy went on automatic pilot, directing the scene as Cap and Mike brought the biophone and other equipment Roy needed, and Roy got all his usual readings, doing his best not to think about who he was working on. Right now, Johnny was just another patient, and Roy had to treat him as such.

"Rampart base, this is Squad Fifty-One, do you read?"

"This is Rampart base, go ahead, Fifty-One," Brackett's voice replied.

"Rampart we have—we have a Code I, male, age twenty-seven, about one hundred fifty pounds. Victim fell through the floor of an industrial building after an explosion."

Roy rattled off the vitals. "We don't know the extent of injuries yet, as victim is still being extricated."

"Keep us updated, Fifty-One."

"Ten-four, Rampart," Roy set down the receiver and returned to Johnny. "How are you holding up?"

Johnny managed a slight smile, though he was obviously in pain. "Could be better."

Roy placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder. "We're working on getting you out. Just hang tight, okay?"

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere," Johnny managed to answer.

At least he still had his sense of humor. Roy was somewhat comforted by that. He turned his attention to Chet and Marco, who were steadily working to remove debris. Suddenly, Chet stopped, his face losing all expression. "Think we've got a problem."

"What's going on?" Johnny mumbled.

"It's okay, Johnny," Roy quickly assured him, even as he had to quell his own sense of panic. "Chet, don't move anything else. I'm gonna call Rampart."

Roy returned to the biophone. "Rampart, this is Squad Fifty-One, do you read?"

"Go ahead, Fifty-One."

Roy swallowed hard. "Rampart, Code I is trapped and we believe it's too dangerous to attempt further extrication. Victim is still conscious and alert."

There was a long silence on the other end of the biophone. "Fifty-One, start an IV of lactated Ringer's and await further instructions."

"Copy, Rampart."

Roy couldn't help thinking back to the construction worker, the one who had all but begged Roy to get on with it. He'd been able to avoid having to perform a field amputation that time, but what if—

No, he wouldn't worry about that, not yet. There was time to get Johnny out, somehow. There had to be. He couldn't bear to think otherwise.

"Roy?" Johnny's voice was faint. "What's happening?"

Roy kneeled down beside Johnny. "Well, I'm gonna have to cut this coat off you so I can start an IV."

Realization flickered across Johnny's face. "You can't get me out."

"We're working on it," he assured Johnny as he started cutting through his turnout coat. "Just a little trickier than we thought. You sure like to make things complicated."

"Roy, don't." The serious tone in Johnny's voice gave Roy pause. Of course, Johnny knew he was in danger. He was no fool.

Roy managed to get the IV started before responding to Johnny. "The way you're trapped, it's made it a little more dangerous to get you out."

Johnny nodded slightly. "Just do what you need to do."

"It won't come to that," Roy tried to assure him.

"You don't know that," Johnny seemed unnaturally calm. "Just do what you need to do."

I don't know if I can, Roy thought. He gave Johnny what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "You let us worry about that. Just hang on."

"Don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No, I suppose not."

He returned to the biophone, listening as Cap discussed possible options with Chet and Marco, sending them both to retrieve equipment from the engine. Cap kneeled down by Johnny for a moment before approaching Roy. "We're going to do our best to get him out of there before we consider more drastic measures."

And there was that sick feeling again. "Well, that IV should buy us some time."

Cap grasped Roy's shoulder firmly before leaving him at the biophone. Roy hoped like hell he wasn't just engaging in wishful thinking. The alternative wasn't one Roy was ready to consider just yet.

# # #

Johnny knew he was in deep trouble. The way Roy kept reassuring him, the way Cap kept checking in on him, the way Chet and Marco murmured among themselves as they worked to figure out how they were going to extricate him.

There was no panic, no raised voices. Just everyone busying themselves around him. Oddly, he wasn't in a ton of pain, and he should have been. Maybe he was just numb from the shock of the fall. Had he felt something before hitting the floor? He couldn't remember.

It was hard to miss the worried expression on Roy's face as he continued to check on him, adjusting the IV drip and continuing to check in with Rampart. They had been here before with the construction worker, Johnny remembered that now. That had been early in their partnership, back when Rampart barely trusted them to put a Band-Aid on a victim, never mind perform field surgery.

Fortunately, Roy hadn't needed to do the amputation. Johnny couldn't help the sick feeling in his stomach at the thought of what if. No, he had to push that thought aside. These guys would get him out, he'd be laid up for a while, and before he knew it he'd be right back at the station, everyone ribbing him for the incident. We damn near had to cut your leg off to get you out of there, remember?

God he'd never live this one down.

If he survived.

No, he'd survive. Whether he'd survive intact would be a different story.

He found himself fading in and out, struggling to stay awake. Now he could pinpoint different areas of pain. The pain seemed to bounce around to different areas of his body, never staying in one place for long, but one area he couldn't feel anything was his right leg. If he couldn't feel anything there, not even pain…Christ, he must have done a real number there.

"Johnny?' Roy's voice penetrated the fog that was slowly overtaking him. "You still with me?"

"Still here," Johnny managed to get out. "How're they doing?"

"It's slow going," Roy told him. "They're trying not to hurt you any more than they have to."

"Can't feel anything," Johnny replied.

Roy's brows wrinkled in concern. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Johnny insisted. "I keep telling you, just do what you need to do."

Roy looked so pained that Johnny wanted to tell him it was okay, that he'd be okay, that he wouldn't hold this decision against Roy, but he couldn't get the words out. He could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness, so he settled for simply reaching for Roy's hand and squeezing it as tightly as he could.

He felt Roy squeeze back in response before releasing his hand. "I'm gonna get some new vitals on you and report in to Rampart, let them make the call."

It sounded to Johnny as if Roy was putting off the decision, but he didn't have the energy to argue with him. Instead, he kept his mind on the situation at hand, trying to imagine what he would do in Roy's place.

"Hold on, hold on!" Cap barked. "Marco, back off. We move that piece and the whole thing's gonna go."

Johnny swallowed hard, trying not to panic. He was in good hands, he knew that. This crew was one of the best. They wouldn't let him down.

"Johnny?" Cap's voice was tinged with concern. "How you doing, pal?"

"You tell me," Johnny managed to get out. It was all he could do to hold it together. But he wasn't going to lose it, not in front of his captain. He'd keep up that brave front as long as he could.

He could hear Roy rattle off his vitals to Rampart. Bad numbers, he knew that. Roy was going to have to make a decision, and fast.

"Cap?" Chet called out. "I think I found a better angle."

Cap gently grasped Johnny's shoulder before returning to talk to Chet and Marco, and soon Johnny could sense a swarm of activity. It was taking everything he had not to pass out, but if he could stay somewhat alert, he knew he'd be able to let the crew know when it hurt too much.

If he was able to feel the pain.

"Mike, grab me another bag of Ringer's, would ya?" Roy asked.

"What'd Rampart say?" Johnny asked.

Concern flashed across Roy's face, quickly replaced by a mask of professionalism. "They're getting hold of Early, just in case."

Johnny swallowed the bile he could feel rising in his throat. He'd suspected it was bad, but he had hoped it wouldn't be that bad. "What, Brackett doesn't trust you?"

"Funny," Roy scoffed, though Johnny could hear the tension in his voice. "You just let us worry about it, okay? Maybe we'll get lucky, and he'll have made the trip out here for nothing."

Johnny could sense some movement and could hear voices from where he was trapped. Suddenly a surge of pain went through his leg, and he instinctually grabbed Roy's wrist, unable to stop the strangled sound that came out of him.

"Hold on!" Roy yelled, tearing himself out of Johnny's grip. "Take it easy. If you move that too fast, I'm not gonna be able to contain the blood loss."

Crush injury, Johnny thought. Move too fast and the patient could bleed out.

He felt another hand take his, and he turned his head to see Mike sitting next to him, his expression even more serious than normal. Johnny managed to gather himself and curved his fingers around Mike's. "Sorry you got stuck babysitting me."

"It's okay," Mike answered quietly. "I don't mind. Figure this is how I can be most useful."

Johnny couldn't help smiling a little despite the intense pain. "Left you holding the bag."

Even Mike cracked a smile at that, though he didn't say anything more. He glanced down at the other end, where the rest of the crew was working more slowly at Roy's direction.

"That's it, nice and easy now," Roy was telling them in that calm voice. "And…we're clear. Get that backboard under him and let's get him out of here."

Johnny breathed a sigh of relief. He could rest now. Everything was going to be okay.

He could feel himself being gently shifted, the backboard sliding under him as someone strapped him down and he was lifted off the floor. All the voices were running together now, though he could make out Roy's voice above them all, and Johnny chose to stay focused on that. He'd be able to get some idea of his condition based on that. It seemed logical, anyway.

"Rampart, this is Squad Fifty-One," Roy's voice had that note of urgency Johnny was so familiar with. "Code I has been extricated and we're in the ambulance now. ETA seven minutes, vitals to follow."

Johnny felt the blood pressure cuff tighten around his arm, the cool metal of the head of the stethoscope against his skin, followed by Roy's hand resting lightly on his chest. He reported the numbers back to Rampart, pulse was higher, but blood pressure was holding steady thanks to the steady stream of fluids that were going into his arm. "Bleeding is under control for now, unable to check for a femoral pulse at this time."

He couldn't hear the answer from Rampart. Just as well, he didn't need to hear it, only Roy so that he could follow instructions. Not that anything Roy could do would make much difference now, not when they were so close to Rampart.

The ambulance stopped and the doors flung open. Another flurry of activity as Johnny was set down and rolled inside to a waiting room. More familiar voices, Dixie, Brackett, and was that Sharon? He couldn't tell. It didn't matter. He was in good hands.

The transfer from the gurney to the bed was almost as smooth as it could have been under the circumstances, and he could feel Roy take his hand. "They've got it from here. I'll be waiting."

Johnny managed to squeeze back, wanting to tell him to stay, though he knew Roy had done all he could, and that it was up to the Rampart emergency crew now. Everything was becoming a blur, all the voices becoming indistinct, and Johnny could feel himself fading even as he fought hard against it.

Bright lights flashed in his eyes, hands probed and prodded his body, and he was doing his best to answer questions, even as those questions started to make less and less sense. God, he just wanted to sleep. Everything was starting to throb. Well, almost everything.

He reached out to grab someone, anyone, and managed to grab someone by the wrist. "Hey."

"Johnny?" Brackett's voice was full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I can't feel…" Johnny waved vaguely in the direction of his right leg.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure," Johnny insisted. "Hurt when…you know, they first got me out. Nothing now."

"Understood," Brackett answered. "Don't worry, we're checking everything out. You just relax as best you can."

Easy for you to say, Johnny thought. It wasn't Brackett's life and career on the line. And what were they doing, anyway? What was taking so damn long?

"Okay, Johnny, we're taking you up to surgery," Brackett finally told him. "Get some rest."

Surgery for what? Johnny wondered. He couldn't help but feel a little sick at the thought. Why wouldn't anyone tell him what was going on? The thought kept running through his head until someone put a mask over his face and told him to count backwards from ten.

Ten, nine…