Chances
By
Johnny Gage was leaning forward, his arms crossed over his chest. He was holding his upper right arm; cradling it close to his body. The dark haired man’s face and uniform were covered with dirt and soot, smelling strongly of smoke. Johnny sighed, his left shoulder was throbbing, he was pretty sure it had been popped out of its socket.
“How you doing Johnny?”
Roy was sitting beside his partner, leaning back in his chair. He was pressing his hand to his left side, every breath he took causing that whole area to twinge and pull.
Johnny turned his head, looking at his partner. “Terrible, you?”
“The same.” Roy sighed, shaking his head. “Course, we’re lucky, the ones that were actually inside that building are worse off then we are.”
Roy was right; the waiting area of Rampart Emergency was littered with smoke scented, blackened, injured firemen. There were over a dozen firemen from three fire stations that had been involved in the Long Beach blaze; four of them from Station 33 had been killed.
Kelly Brackett sighed as he came out of the exam room. He wiped his hand down his face as he walked over to the counter. Dixie McCall was behind it, she had a list of the injured fireman in her hands.
“So who’s next Dix?”
The head nurse looked down at her list. “Johnny and Roy and next.” She motioned to where they were sitting.
Kel took the clipboard from her and looked at it. “What’s the problem?”
“Johnny has a dislocated shoulder, Roy has possible broken ribs, he’s complaining of side pain.”
The dark haired doctor nodded. “All right, can you call Joe Early to come down and lend a hand?”
Dixie raised an eyebrow, a small smile on her face. “He’s on his way down now Kel.”
“I owe you one Dix, thanks.”
Kel gave the nurse his most charming smile as he gave her back the clipboard and crossed the room to the corner where the two paramedics were sitting.
Johnny and Roy were taken to exam room 3; Roy was immediately taken to x-ray to get some photos of his side. Johnny hopped up on the table, his legs dangling. His shoulder was really beginning to hurt him and he closed his eyes briefly against the pain.
Kelly saw the way the fireman was holding his arm. “Take off your shirt Johnny, so I can get a look at that shoulder.”
“It’s dislocated Doc, I have no doubts about that.” Johnny unbuttoned his shirt, hissing through his teeth as he opened the ends and slid it down his arms. His t-shirt was next and he groaned as he accidentally jerked his injured shoulder while pulling it over his head.
Dr. Brackett got out a vial and a syringe from the glass medicine cabinet. He filled the syringe with anesthetic, listening to the pained noises coming from the fireman. “Hang on Johnny; I’ve got the local right here.” He stood in front of the injured man seeing how his arm was hanging at an odd angle. The doctor set the syringe and an alcohol pad down. “I’m going to take a look at your shoulder.”
Johnny nodded and turned his head away. “Go ahead Doc but I’m telling you it’s dislocated.”
“I can see that, I just want to see how bad.” Kel rubbed his hands together, slightly warming them as he began to probe his patient’s shoulder.
The dark haired man flinched, gritting his teeth. “Man that hurts.”
Kel stopped what he was doing. “It’s mild Johnny, you’ll just have to baby it for the next couple of weeks, shouldn’t affect your job any.”
The fireman sighed out of relief both from what the doctor said and the fact he had stopped messing with his shoulder. “That’s good, I didn’t think it would.”
Dr. Brackett picked up the alcohol pad and tore it open, rubbing it all around the top of Johnny’s shoulder. “Is Min coming?” He set the pad down and picked up the syringe, taking to cover off the needle and tapping it to make sure it was free of air bubbles.
“Dix gave her a call for me, she should be here soon.”
“Good, I better step on it then. “ Kelly placed his hand on Johnny’s shoulder and injected the local anesthetic into it.
Min’s mind was racing as she parked her Mustang. She ran through the double doors, gasping when she saw all the injured fireman. The men were covered in black soot, sitting silently waiting for their turn. The young woman could tell something had gone terribly wrong; all of the men had solemn looks painted on their faces. She spotted Dixie and walked over to the counter.
“Dixie, what happened?”
The head nurse sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Fire out in Long Beach, destroyed a building and killed four firemen from Station 33.”
Min closed her eyes briefly. “Oh no.”
Dixie reached out and touched the young woman’s shoulder. “Johnny’s in Room 3.”
“Thanks.” She gave Dixie’s hand a pat as she turned and walked around the corner.
A loud popping sound welcomed Min as she opened the door to the exam room. She saw her shirtless husband with his left arm straight out. Kel had a hold of it and was moving it down and up, checking his shoulder mobility.
The young woman breathed a sigh of relief to see that her husband was in one piece. “Johnny?”
Kel turned around and smiled. “Hi Min, don’t worry he’s fine.”
“Min.” Johnny was glad to see his wife; he got down from the table and walked over to her. He put his right arm around her and hugged her. He closed his eyes as he did so.
Min held her husband to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” He pulled back and looked at her, his face growing sad. “We lost four firemen today though.”
The young woman nodded as she touched her husband’s face. “I know, I heard, I’m sorry Honey.” Her hand traced down his cheek. “What happened?”
Johnny sighed as he sat back down on the table. “This building down in Long Beach was burning.” The fireman shook his head slowly. “I’ve never seen anything like it Min, not ever.”
Min stood in front of her husband and took his hand. “It was bad?”
“It was unimaginable.” Johnny’s dark eyes grew wide as his mind ventured back to the fire. “The whole building was burning and the heat was so bad, it slapped you in the face! The two others stations were there trying to get some kind of control over it. We got out the hoses and started spraying it down too but it didn’t do any good! We were only there a few minutes when it just exploded! Like a thousand pounds of dynamite was in it. The blast was so strong everyone around it just got thrown back! I don’t even know how far I flew; I landed on my arm and felt my shoulder pop out.”
Min shook her head; the image her husband painted was terrifying. “And Roy?”
“He might have a busted rib, he hit a wall.” Johnny wiped his hand across his eyes. “Those four guys that went inside, they probably didn’t even know what hit them.”
Dr. Brackett cleared this throat. “I’m going to go see how Roy is, excuse me.”
The doctor left and Min hugged her husband once again. “It could have been worse Johnny.”
Johnny sighed, resting his head on his wife’s shoulder. “I know, I don’t know what caused the fire but it was bad. Just like those two fires last month in Santa Rose and Santa Monica, except that we lost four good guys.”
Min nodded, stroking her husband’s hair, she could tell that the death of his coworkers had really upset him. She knew there wasn’t much she could say so she decided to say nothing and simply hold her husband.
The couple was still locked in their embrace when Dr. Brackett returned. He cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Johnny lifted his head from his wife’s shoulder.
“How’s my partner?”
Kel smiled, nodding his head. “He’s fine Johnny, nothing broken. He’s just got some bruising.”
Johnny breathed a huge sigh of relief, wiping his hand down his face. “Oh good, I’m glad.”
“So was he, JoAnne just took him home.”
Min turned around, facing the doctor. “Can we go too?”
Dr. Brackett nodded. “Yeah go ahead, just get some rest Johnny and be careful with that shoulder. It’s going to be sore for a few days. Just take some aspirin.”
Johnny got down from the table, picking up his shirts. “I’ve got the next two days off Doc, I plan to.” He carefully put his uniform shirt over his shoulders.
Min reached down and took her husband’s hand. “Don’t worry Dr. Brackett; I’ll make sure he takes care of himself.”
The dark haired doctor nodded. “Yes I’m sure you will, see you later.”
“Bye.” Min put her arm across her husband’s waist as they left the exam room.
“Come on Gill you can do better than that!”
MacGyver and Gillian were in a corner of the room standing on either side of the newest addition to the Assistant Director of Operations office, an air hockey table. The smooth surface was a bright shade of electric blue; it had lights on it and the roar of a crowd every time a new game had begun. It was a casual day; the couple decked out in shorts and their white Phoenix Foundation t-shirts.
Gillian had put her hair in a pony tail, a slight frown on her face. “I wasn’t born on ice like you were Mac, I’m doing my best!”
Mac bent down and retrieved a blue puck. “Just remember what I showed you, you’re a demon on the ice.”
“We aren’t on ice, its different playing hockey on this table than in the rink.”
“Not that much.” He bent down, holding the plastic puck over the table. “Ready?”
Gillian widened her stance; she had her white mallet with the green felt bottom in her hand as she leaned over the table. “Ready!”
“Go!”
Mac dropped the blue puck; Gillian managed to grab it slapping her goalie mallet against it, trying to knock it into the slot on her husband’s side of the table. The loud clacking noise of the mallets went back and forth for several minutes until finally the young woman was able to slap it into the slot.
“Yes! All right!” She set her mallet down, arms raised above her head. “Score! Score! Score!”
The lights on the table flashed, the sound of the roaring crowd coming over the speakers.
MacGyver sighed, crossing her arms over his chest. He was watching his wife parading around. “You got one goal Gill; you didn’t win the whole game.”
Gillian put her arms down. “Well not yet.”
Her husband looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Oh I see, my aren’t we confident! One goal and suddenly you’re Pat LaFontaine!” He flipped his white goalie mallet in his hand, seeing the confidence in his wife’s grin. “Care to make a wager?”
“Sure, what do you have in mind?”
Mac smiled, his lips drawn back in a sinister grin. “Well, if I win, you have to buy me that pool table you’ve been promising to get me for the back porch.”
Gill raised an eyebrow. “That’s mighty high stakes for an air hockey game.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But I’ll do you one better, if I win, we get a pool.”
The blond man hissed through his teeth. “Now that’s a high wager!”
His wife nodded. “Yes it is, I’ll go one higher up on you since all you want is a pool table. If you win I’ll not only get the pool table, I’ll throw in that fancy table hockey game you wanted.”
MacGyver’s dark eyes grew wide, he licked his lips. “The big one with the real glass and the electronic scoreboard?”
Gillian gave a nod. “That’s the one; so what do you say?”
“You’re on!” Mac reached into the bottom of the table and pulled out the puck. “And just to make it fair, best two out of three.”
“Okay, let’s do it!”
Mac had the blue puck, he dropped it in the center and the game began.
Pete had been trying to get a hold of his Assistant Director for the past half hour. Every time he dialed the phone was busy and the intercom was turned off. He had had enough; he left his office and walked next door. Before his hand closed around the knob he heard the loud clacking sound and muffled talking. Pete opened the door and walked in.
“MacGyver?”
Mac whipped his head around towards the sound of his name. The split second that his eyes weren’t on the game Gillian slapped her puck into the slot. “Yes! I win!”
Mac turned back towards the table, his mouth open. “Oh no! Oh no no no no!” He bent over the table, thumping his head against the smooth surface.
Pete walked into the office, creasing his brow. “Hi, did I come at a bad time?”
Gillian ran up to him and kissed his cheek. “You’re timing is perfect! Thank you!”
“Yeah perfect for you, lousy for me.” Mac lifted his head and turned around to look at his friend. “You just cost me my pool table and my table hockey game.”
“How did I do that?”
Gillian slung her arm around Pete’s shoulder. “We were tied at one game a piece, we were into sudden death and you distracting my husband allowed me to score.”
MacGyver got up from the table; he threw himself face down on his couch. “I don’t think it’s fair! The game should be declared a draw due to outside interference!”
Gillian sighed as she moved over to the couch and sat down on her husband’s behind. “So what’s up Pete? I mean you didn’t come in here to just help me win my bet.”
Pete sat down in the leather chair next to the couch. “I just got off the phone with the Mayor of LA.”
MacGyver lifted his head; he saw the serious look on his friend’s face. “The Mayor? What about?”
“Did you hear about the fire yesterday in Long Beach that killed four firemen?”
Gillian nodded. “Yeah we saw the pictures on the news and heard a lot of firemen got hurt.”
The Director of Operations nodded. “It was devastating and the LAFD and the Governor of California want answers. There have been three fires in the LA area over the past three months; one in Santa Rose, one in Santa Barbara and now this one, a lot of firemen have been hurt but this is the first time there have been deaths. They’ve asked us to look into the cause of this fire and if it’s related to the other two.”
MacGyver shifted onto his side, sending his wife onto the floor, right on her butt.
“Ow!” The young woman got up, rubbing her behind. “Thanks a lot Mac!”
“That’s what you get for using me as a chair.” He grinned at her before turning his attention to Pete. “So you’re here to ask me to lend a hand, right?”
Pete shook his head. “No not lend a hand, head the research team. You’re experience with this kind of work with arson and your chemistry degree more than qualifies you. You also have ties to a fire station, the LAFD and 51 made you an official firemen.” He looked at his friend. “So what do you say? Will you do it?”
Mac sighed, those were very good reasons. “All right, I’ll do it.”
The stout man in the navy blue suit sighed. “Great! I’ll give the Governor and the Mayor a call and let them know it’s a go.”
The bright green grass of RestLawn Cemetery was packed with people. The large crowd divided into the family and friends of the four dead firemen and the press. The center section had four silver coffins lined up in a row, there were flags draped over each one. The four caskets were surrounded by every member of the LAFD and some firemen from the surrounding areas. All of the men were in their dress uniforms, dark blue jackets and pants; the hats on their heads were white with a dark brim. All of the faces of the bereaved men were pensive as they looked at the coffins. Among them were the members of 51, the 6 men had black arm bands and a black stripe across their silver badges. Johnny and Roy stood side by side, like their fellow firemen; the two men’s heads were lowered.
Min was sitting in the last row; she had on a simple short sleeved black dress, her long hair left down. She was holding Evan to her chest. The little baby in a blue bodysuit was holding his keys, chewing on them. His dark eyes looking with curiosity at everyone, the electronic equipment from the press seemed to hold the most fascination for him. The young woman sighed, wishing this terrible ordeal was already over with; the past couple of days had been very hard. She was listening to the priest talk about how bravely the four men had met their deaths and would not be forgotten.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder, causing her to gasp. She turned around and saw that it was MacGyver and Gillian. The couple was dressed in black; the biggest surprise was the black suit her normally casual friend was in. She stood up and walked around her chair, hugging both of them.
“Hi, what are you two doing here?”
Mac put his hands in his pockets. “Paying our respects.”
Gillian nodded; she had on hand around her husband’s arm. “How’s Johnny?”
Min sighed, shaking her head. “He’s been quiet, has been ever since that fire.”
“I can understand that, it was pretty bad.” Mac stretched out his arms towards Evan.
The young mother handed her son to him. “I thought he was upset about the deaths but it’s more than that.”
Gillian looked over at Johnny, studying his face for a minute or two. She could feel what Min had been talking about. “Fear…”
Min turned around, glancing at her husband briefly. “You’re right Gill; he’s been a fireman for a long time. He’s seen a lot of fires but none of them have ever frightened him before.” She sighed heavily. “Not like this.”
Mac was holding Evan, playing with his little fingers. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”
“No, I’ve been waiting for him to come to me.”
Gillian reached out and touched her friend’s arm. “Talk to him Min, he’ll feel better once he gets it off his chest.”
The priest was done, and the four flags had been neatly folded. They were presented to each one of the grieving wives. Min sighed; trying not to let emotion get the best of her, her heart went out to each one of those women. They all looked so devastated, their pale, tear stained faces were maps of grief and pain.
“Can I have Evan back?” Her voice sounding a little harsher than she meant it to.
Mac and Gillian locked eyes briefly; they could tell what was going through the mind of the fireman’s wife. “Of course.”
Min took her son back, holding the little boy to her chest, closing her eyes as she did so.
MacGyver stood beside Min, putting his arm across her shoulder and gently drawing her to him. Min leaned her head against her friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Mac I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“It’s all right Min, something like this affects everyone.”
Gillian reached out and touched Min’s dark hair gently. “It’s only natural to be upset; after all you are married to a fireman.” She gave the young woman a small smile.
“Those poor women, I feel so bad for them.”
Mac rubbed his friend’s shoulder, trying to give her comfort. Gillian nodded; she too knew what it was like to be married to a man that had a dangerous job. “I know so do I.” She raised her eyes to look at her husband. “I only hope they got to kiss them goodbye before they left that morning.”
Min sighed, wiping her face. “I always tell Johnny I love him and kiss him before he leaves.”
Gillian focused her attention back to her friend. “So do I because you never know.”
The crowd of firemen began to disperse after each man paid their respects and gave their most heartfelt condolences to the widows. Johnny took his cap off, running his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he went to find his wife. He spotted her with MacGyver and Gillian.
Min heard someone call her out her name; she turned around, her sad face brightening when she saw her husband. She walked up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. Johnny closed his eyes as he held his wife.
MacGyver was holding Evan again; he smiled when he saw his friend. “Hey Johnny.”
Johnny opened his eyes. “Hi, I didn’t expect to see you two here.”
“They came to pay their respects Johnny.” Min let go of her husband and cleared her throat.
Gillian smiled at the paramedic. “Hey Johnny.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek and hugged him.
“Hey Gill, how are you?”
“Good, how about yourself?”
Johnny pulled back from her, sighing. “Well I’ve been better.” He held out his arms and Mac passed Evan to him. The fireman’s face looking less sad as he held his son and giving the little boy a kiss on the cheek; the innocent child in his arms made him feel better.
MacGyver cleared his throat. “Actually Johnny there’s another reason Gill and I are here.”
“Oh yeah? Why else?”
Mac looked around. “I need to talk to you about something.”
Johnny creased his brow. “Something bad?”
The blond man moved his head a little from side to side. “Well no but it’s important.”
Min looked at her husband briefly. “What about?”
MacGyver sighed. “It’s about the fire.”
Johnny nodded, swallowing hard. “All right, let’s go back home. We can have a little something to eat and talk.”
The two couples returned to the Gage house. As soon as the front door was closed MacGyver took off his black blazer. The next thing to come off was his black tie; he pulled his white shirt out of the waistband of his pants. He looked up, suddenly realizing that his strip tease had gotten the attention of everyone including the baby. His dark eyes widened briefly as he cleared his throat.
“Excuse me; I really don’t like suits, is it okay if I get more comfortable?”
Gillian raised an eyebrow. “A little late to be asking Mac, exactly how far down were you going to strip?”
Mac narrowed his eyes a little at his wife. “I was just going to take off my shirt.”
The young woman grinned. “Sure! Go ahead!”
Her husband sighed heavily. “Gill… you watched me get dressed for the funeral, what did I put on underneath this white shirt?” He gave his chest a pat.
Gillian thought about it for a moment. “A tank top.”
“Thank you!” MacGyver was waiting for permission to go on.
Min had Evan in her arms; she walked into the center of the living room and set him down to play on the carpet. “Go ahead Mac, Johnny is the same way about suits and his dress uniform. It would be cruel to make you stay in it any longer than you have to.”
Johnny took his blazer off. “Yes I do feel the same way, I can’t stand them.” He looked at his friend. “But unlike someone I prefer to do my stripping in the privacy of my bedroom.”
Mac grinned at him as he started unbuttoning his white dress shirt. “Yeah but what fun is that?”
Gillian shook her head as she followed Min into the kitchen. “I’ll give you a hand with lunch Min while those two nut bars change.”
The lunch consisted of grilled chicken Caesar salad, the four adults sat around Min and Johnny’s large dining room table eating. Johnny had changed into a banana yellow t-shirt and black shorts. He wiped his mouth with a napkin before turning his attention to the man sitting beside him.
“Okay Mac, now that we’ve all unwound a bit and are enjoying a delicious lunch that our wives made, what did you need to talk to me about?”
MacGyver was in mid chew, he politely waited until he was done before answering the paramedic’s question. He had a sip of his ice tea and cleared his throat. “I wanted to talk to you about the Long Beach fire, what can you tell me about it?”
Johnny sighed, shaking his head. He leaned back in his chair. “By the time we got there the whole building was totally consumed, every single piece of it was covered with fire.”
Mac turned in his seat towards him. “Was there anything unusual about the fire?”
“It was so hot, the minute I got out of the truck I was covered with sweat.” The fireman seemed to be lost in his thoughts; he was watching the building burn all over again in his mind.
Gillian could see that he was swept up in the memory of it. She reached across the table and touched Johnny’s arm. “Johnny?”
He jumped, blinking a few times as he came back to reality. “Sorry, I guess I sort of phased out there for a second.”
Min smiled as she got up and stood behind her husband. She rubbed his shoulders. “It’s okay.” Her attention turned to Mac. “Why do you want to know about the fire?”
MacGyver had another sip of his tea, he set the glass down. “The Phoenix Foundation has been asked to look into the fire. The Governor of California is interested because of the four men that died and the fact that this is the third fire in three months. They want to know if its arson or what exactly is causing it. Pete asked me to lead the investigation team. That’s why I was asking Johnny about it, he saw it first hand.”
Johnny reached back and one of the hands on his shoulders and squeezed it. “There was one thing about that fire that was unusual. In fact, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Mac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Okay, what?”
Johnny looked at is friend, his face deadly serious. “The other stations were soaking the building down with the hoses but it didn’t do any good… it was like…” He shook his head. “No, never mind.”
MacGyver shook his head. “Whatever it is or how nuts it sounds Johnny, I have to know. Any little bit you can tell me about this killer blaze is going to help me find what caused it.”
The fireman sighed heavily, giving his wife’s hand another firm squeeze. “The water only seemed to make it worse.”
It was now 10 o’clock in the Gage house and Min and Johnny were in bed. Min was in her lavender nightgown, she was looking up at the ceiling; she was trying to decide whether or not to talk to her husband. She glanced over at him; Johnny had his back turned towards his wife, the covers down around the edge of the bed. He was completely uncovered, in nothing more than a pair of red cotton shorts.
The young woman sighed; Johnny never slept facing the other way. Min decided it was time they had a talk. She curled up next to him kissing his shoulder, rubbing it gently.
“Johnny? You asleep?”
Johnny opened his eyes; he knew why his wife was asking. It was clear she had something on her mind. “No.”
Min nodded, clearing her throat. “I think we need to talk.”
Johnny rolled over, facing her. “About what?”
“What Mac wanted to know about today.”
The fireman flopped back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He wiped his hands down his face. “Min you already heard me talk about the fire.”
“I heard you talk about it yeah, but you didn’t mention how it made you feel.”
Johnny turned his head, looking at his wife. “What do you mean?”
Min swallowed hard. “You didn’t mention that fact that is scared the hell out of you.”
“It didn’t.” Johnny looked at her; he climbed off of the bed and started to leave the room.
His wife got up fast, grabbing his arm before he could. “Yes it did! It scared you to death didn’t it?”
“Min…I don’t want to talk about this.”
Johnny had his back turned to his wife. The young woman wasn’t going to take that, she had a hold of his upper arm and turned him around to face her.
“It’s all right to admit it Johnny. That fire was unbelievable. You had every right in the world to be afraid.”
“No I don’t!” Johnny’s dark eyes were swimming with fear as they locked onto his wife’s face. “I can’t be afraid Min! My job is based on me having the guts to go barreling head first into a burning building. I can’t let something like fear stop me!” He sat down on the edge of the bed; he leaned forward covering his face with both of his hands.
Min sat down beside her husband, placing her hand in the center of his back. “Johnny…Honey you’re a human being, you’re not some guy in a cape. It’s only natural for you to be afraid.”
“I never have been before.” His voice barely audible through the hands covering her face.
“And I bet you weren’t the only one, every fireman out there was probably scared to death.”
Min leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder. “You’re afraid this will affect your ability to fight fires now, right?”
Johnny finally uncovered his face. “A little, yeah.”
“Well I don’t, even though you were afraid you still would have gone into that building.”
The fireman nodded, turning his head towards his wife. “Yeah, I would have.”
Min gave her husband a smile. “Well there you go, fear or not Johnny you still would have done your job.”
Johnny grinned as he shifted on the bed, facing his wife. He grabbed her arms and pulled her into his lap, hugging her to his bare chest.
Min laid her head against his chest, sighing. “You’re one of the bravest guys I know Johnny.”
“Wilson, Barnett, Carlson and Taylor were brave too. They ran straight into that burning building without a moment’s hesitation.”
His wife raised her head, staring into his face. “Do you think it was…fast for them?”
Johnny gave his wife a slight nod of his head. “The explosion was unbelievable; it shook the ground under our feet. It sent all of us near the building flying like we were leaves instead of men.”
Min squeezed her eyes against the image and hugged her husband tightly. “I hope Mac and his team can find out what caused that fire so no one else has to get handed a folded flag.”
Johnny kissed his wife’s head, closing her eyes. “Me too, but if anyone can find out what happened, its Mac.”
MacGyver was sitting in the kitchen. The dining room table piled high with chemistry books. It was late and he was going over the books carefully, his mind replaying the description Johnny gave of the fire. He was on his fifth book when a pair of gentle hands touched his shoulders, causing him to jump.
Gillian
leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
Mac sighed, touching one of his wife’s hands. “Just looking at some things.”
“Can’t it wait until morning?” She leaned down, resting her chin on his left shoulder.
“Not really, we have to go look at the remains of that building in the morning. I want to be prepared.” He picked up another book and flipped through it.
Gillian let go of her husband and sat down in the empty chair beside him. She was looking at him, noting the seriousness of his face. “So what’s bugging you?”
Mac glimpsed at his wife, shaking his head. “You always can tell can’t you?”
The young woman shrugged. “My first clue is the fact it’s after midnight and you’re not in bed with me.”
Her husband sighed, wiping his hands down his face. “All right, something is bugging me.”
“What?” Gillian leaned back, playing with the ends of her blue pajama tank top.
“Something that Johnny said about the fire. He said that the water seemed to make the fire worse, like it was feeding off of the hydrogen and oxygen.”
Gillian nodded. “Right, that’s what he said.” She looked at all of the books scattered all over the table. “So you’re trying to find a chemical that does that?”
Mac picked up another book. “There are lots of them like that I was just trying to narrow it down.”
“You’ll get more clues when we see that building.” She got up, standing behind him once again. “Why don’t you put your book down and come to bed?” She leaned over and started kissing the side of his neck. “I can take your mind off of the chemical puzzle.”
MacGyver reached over his shoulder, touching her head. “Oh I just bet you can.”
Gillian smiled as she stood up; she took his hand and tugged it. “Come on.”
“You know, you are a terrible distraction?” Mac allowed his wife to pull him to his feet. “If we had met in college or high school I never would have got any homework done.”
“But you would have gotten something worth more than a few A’s.”
“A whole lot more fun too.”
Gillian caught sight of her husband’s bed attire and she started to laugh. “Wearing my present huh?”
Mac smiled. “What can I say? It’s true.”
The boxer shorts he had on were black, there was a large tiger going across both of his legs. The tiger was in mid stride, there was writing on the thick waistband that read LOVE BEAST.
Gillian nodded as she led her husband down the hall towards their bedroom. “And right now Mr. MacGyver you’re going to prove it.”
At seven the next morning, MacGyver, Gillian and half a dozen men met up in Long Beach. The warehouse district where the fire had been was located right near the ocean. It was an older section of the city that had once been a shipping harbor for fishing boats and cargo ships. The rotting remains of piers and docks were still sticking up out of the water.
The team arrived in a convoy of three white vans, the bright blue logo of the Phoenix Foundation plastered on the sides. The sliding doors opened and the team emerged from them; each one dressed in a white radiation suit with helmet for protection. The area they were in had been roped off by the police and the LAFD. A whole city block had been sectioned off so the team could work at their leisure and in privacy.
The warehouse building had been burned down to its foundation, the explosion had scattered a very small amount of debris. There was nothing but thick black dust and a few bricks left on the concrete foundation.
MacGyver touched a button on his belt, turning on the headset pressed to his cheek. He stepped out onto the foundation, crouching down to take a closer look at the slab.
“Gill?”
His wife stepped out of a white van, adjusting her suit. She breathed in the strong salty air as she looked across the water, watching it rolling in towards the shore. She was trying to calm her nerves as she put her helmet over her head and put the headset microphone to her cheek. “Yeah Mac I’m here.” She had a clipboard in her hand.
“Write this down.” Mac moved aside some of the dust with his gloved hands, there were some deep scorch marks in the concrete. They were a strange maroon color. “Scorching evident, odd coloring of burn marks.”
Gillian nodded as she wrote it down. “Okay, got it. We’re going to take some of the bricks and this dust with us right?”
Mac straightened up. “Yeah, Merced and the others are gathering samples of the debris.” He walked around a little, moving some of the bricks aside. There was absolutely nothing left of the building to give a clue as to what had once been stored there. “This is unbelievable, everything just disintegrated.” Mac picked up a brick and looked it over; he gave it a slight squeeze and it crumbled in his hands.
Gillian was looking around, swallowing hard. She could see flashes of the fire and feel the fear in the air. She watched as the four firemen ran into the building. She was breathing hard, the events of that deadly day playing like some horrible movie in her mind. A hand tapped her shoulder and she gasped, nearly falling as she whipped around and saw the inquisitive face of her husband.
“Are
you okay?” Mac could see how pale his wife seemed to get all of a sudden.
The young woman nodded. “Yeah…”
“Bad vibes?”
“Yeah.” Gillian sighed as she looked around, wishing she could take off her helmet. It suddenly felt very stuffy.
Mac touched her arm, turning her to face him. “Tell me what you feel; any tiny clue might be helpful.”
The young woman licked her lips. “I have to take off my helmet, get a better feel of the air.”
“All right.”
Gillian handed him her clipboard, she grabbed the helmet and lifted it off; sighing when the rush of air cooled her sweaty face. The air was perfumed with the heavy smell of burnt wood and charcoal. She swallowed hard as she walked off of the platform, MacGyver quietly in tow. She turned around and faced the foundation, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
A wave of feelings hit her; nearly knocking her down, the only thing that kept her from falling was her wide stance. She gasped as she stared at the foundation, seeing the old warehouse completely consumed.
Mac was watching his wife; her face was stunned and shiny with sweat. He walked up to her, standing directly in front of her, blocking her view of the concrete slab.
“Gill?” He was looking directly into her eyes. “Gill?” He took off his gloves and tucked them into his pocket. Her face was burning hot, as his fingers stroked it. He tapped her cheek gently. “Come on back.”
Gillian was covered with sweat, her radiation suit sticking to her. The power and terror of that day had her locked with in. She watched everything as it unfolded, happening the exact same way Johnny had described it. She was fighting to come back, her husband’s voice calling out to her in the distance.
MacGyver was beginning to get scared; he took off his helmet, dropping it on the ground. He put his hands on his wife’s shoulders, and shook them. “Gillian! Wake up! Come on, wake up!”
The voice of her husband was getting louder as she stepped inside the building. The fire was everywhere, everything was burning. She looked around; there were blue metal barrels all over the room, all of them covered in fire. The heat was becoming too much, the fire consumed room began to shift. She felt herself start to sink to the ground.
Mac saw his wife’s eyes roll back; he grabbed her around the waist just as she began to fall. He crouched down, laying her over his left shoulder. He stood up and carried her over to where the vans were parked. The sliding door was pulled back and the unconscious young woman was carefully laid down inside of it. Mac climbed in beside her, looking down at her. He turned her face towards him. “Gill?”
Gillian slowly opened her eyes, seeing the relief on her husband’s face. MacGyver sighed, leaning down to touch her forehead with his. “Are you okay?”
The young woman nodded slowly. “Yeah, but now I know what a toasted marshmallow feels like.”
“What did you see?” Mac helped her sit up, keeping a hand across her shoulders.
Gillian sighed, wiping her face. “Everything, I even went inside the building. There were blue barrels all over the place.”
“Where they marked? Was there any kind of label on them?”
“Yeah, they were.” Gillian closed her eyes, picturing the wide white labels she had seen on the barrels. “Tet..tetrolo, something.”
The blond man’s eyes widened, he recognized the name of the chemical. “Are you sure that’s what the barrels said?”
Gillian opened her eyes. “I can’t be sure Mac, I thought so but it was so smoky and crazy...” She shook her head. “I can’t be sure.”
Mac touched her face gently. “Don’t worry about it, the tests we run will tell us if what you saw was right or not.” He sighed, stroking her cheek; he hoped that his wife has been wrong about what she had seen.
The stationhouse was quiet, it had been an uneventful morning and the six members of Station 51 were gathered around the kitchen table. Johnny and Roy were sitting across from Mike and Marco, Chet and Captain Stanley each taking an end of the table. They were all enjoying their coffee in an awkward silence, not one man there wanting to express any thoughts or feelings. The unexpected and sudden deaths of their four colleagues still weighing heavily on each one of them; the question of which one of them could be next hung in the air like a cloud.
Roy had a sip of his coffee; he set his cup down and cleared his throat. This got the attention of the rest of the firemen.
“I spoke to Marilyn last night.”
Chet leaned forward, his elbows against the wooden table. “What did she say?”
Roy sighed, shaking his head slowly. “She told me that she’s pregnant.”
A murmur of horror and disbelief echoed through the room. Johnny sat back in his chair, rubbing his hands down his face. “Oh man that’s rough.”
His partner nodded, a solemn look on his face. “I know.”
Marilyn was one of the brand new widows, she and her husband Daniel had only been married for a little over a year. Daniel had just been sharing the news about his impending fatherhood with the rest of his fellow firemen at the LAFD Picnic the weekend before. Now he was gone and his widow and unborn child were going to have to make it on their own.
“So what is she going to do?”
Roy glanced at Chet. “She’s going back to Georgia as soon as the insurance money comes through. She has family in Georgia that is going to help her.”
Johnny nodded, his thoughts returning to the conversation he had with his wife the night before. He was looking down at the table. “You know, Min and I had a talk last night.”
“About what Johnny?” Chet asked, watching the dark haired fireman.
“Wilson, Taylor, Barnett and Carlson.”
“What did you two talk about?”
Johnny lifted his head high. “About how scared I was that day.”
No one spoke for what seemed like an eternity, finally Chet sighed heavily. “Yeah so was I.”
Now the focus of the room shifted to the dark curly haired fireman. He cleared his throat, hesitating for a moment before going on. “I really was, we’ve dealt with all kinds of fire but nothing like that.”
“Yeah I know, the fire was …it was like it was alive.” Marco sputtered the words out like they were just aching to burst out of his throat. The air in the room seemed to get lighter as the truth came out; Johnny had inadvertently opened a flood gate.
Mike nodded. “I know, and did you see what color it was? It was sort of yellow, it smelled weird too.”
“I didn’t notice that.” Johnny was telling the truth, he hadn’t noticed that the fire was a strange color and odor to it. It was one of those tiny details that got lost in the sea of fear he had been in that day.
Captain Stanley picked up his coffee mug. “Yeah I heard they called in a special team to look into it. Chief Forrester said that it was the Governor that requested this team to investigate.”
Chet creased his brow. “Who Cap? Who did they get?”
“I don’t know Chet, Chief Forrester wouldn’t tell me.”
Johnny turned and looked at Roy; he was so tempted to tell that he knew exactly who the team was.
Roy saw the conflict in his partner’s eyes. “You okay Johnny?”
“Yeah I’m okay.”
“You sure? You look like you got something on your mind.”
“I do.” Johnny turned and faced five pairs of eyes. “I know who the team is.”
Chet’s eyes widened. “You do? Well who is it?”
“And how is it that you know this when the chief wouldn’t even tell me?” Captain Stanley asked, an eyebrow rising slightly in the air.
Johnny cleared his throat, he decided to go ahead and spill his guts. The rest of the station was bound to find out as soon as MacGyver showed up. “The team looking into the fire is from the Phoenix Foundation, MacGyver is leading it.”
Hank titled his head back. “Oh so that’s how you know. He told you right?”
“Right Cap, he did. He’s going to come here to talk to us about his findings when he and the team are done.”
“Why to us?”
Roy looked across the table at Mike. “We made him a member of this station remember? And the LAFD made him a fireman; technically he’s one of us.”
Chet sighed. “Oh that’s right we did, but I honestly never thought he’d use it.”
“Well he is going to use it, especially if another one of these fires breaks out.”
Roy turned in his chair. “No offense to Mac Johnny but he’s not trained, isn’t it dangerous to send an untrained man along with us?”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah it is, that’s why Chief Forrester and the Mayor are going to give him a crash course in Fire Fighting 101 as soon as his investigation is over.”
Chet scoffed. “Johnny that’s ridiculous! He can’t learn what he needs to be of use to us in a few hours or a few days! It takes months to train a fireman.”
“He’s not going to be a fully fledged fireman Chet, but he’s going to learn enough to lend a hand, and he’s going to be the only one that’s going to know how to fight these fires.”
Captain Stanley folded his hands on the table. He could see that this news was not setting well with his men. “Look guys I know this sounds a little flaky, I know it does but what choice do we have? It’s all a matter of choice really. Do you all want to learn a new way to fight a fire with a rookie or do you want to be put in a box like Taylor, Wilson, Carlson and Barnett?”
“As crazy as this does sound Cap, I do know that I want to live. I’ve got a wife and two kids that want me to see them grow up.”
Hank turned to Roy, a small smile coming to his lips. “I’ve got a wife that wants me to hang around a little longer too Roy.”
“I want to see Evan grow up.” Johnny whispered as if he wasn’t talking to anyone but himself. “That fire scared me bad; we were almost powerless against it. We need help and MacGyver is the one that can give it to us.”
The other three men all nodded their heads, despite the uncertainty of this plan, they all wanted to live.
The firemen weren’t the only ones finally getting some issues off of their chests. The firemen’s wives were as well. It was getting close to the end of August and it was time once again for the Firemen’s Wives Club to have their meeting. This time it was Min’s turn to have the meeting at her house; she had spent all morning getting it ready. The coffee table served as the buffet table, there was a wide variety of finger food trays covering it.
Min sat in the chair beside the far end of the couch, holding Evan in her lap. The baby boy in white was behaving well, sitting quietly on his mother’s lap; a stuffed tiger cub in his little hands. Because of recent events, everyone was dressed in black.
Cassandra Forrester was an older woman with light brown hair that was piled neatly on the top of her head in a bun. She was the wife of the Chief of the LAFD and with this distinction came the privilege of being the president of the FWC. She had a small plate on her lap, filled with a few sandwiches and carrot sticks. She set the plate down on the edge of the table and stood up.
“Ladies?”
There were only about a half dozen women at the meeting this time, no one was really up to being there. Cassandra could understand why, she didn’t want to be there either but there was business that had to be discussed. She could see the lack of interest painted on her fellow wives’ faces, she sighed heavily.
“Ladies I know that none of your hearts is really in this.” Cassandra touched a hand to her chest. “Believe me, mine isn’t either but the reason we’re here today is an important one.”
Min and JoAnne were sitting beside one another. She looked up at the President. “It’s okay Cass; we all know why we’re here.” The young woman swallowed hard. “It’s about the Bereavement Fund.”
The older woman nodded. “That’s right Min; we need to discuss who’s going to get it since we have four widows instead of just one.”
JoAnne sighed, shaking her head. She was treasurer of the FWC. “The fund is designed to lend a hand Cassandra, it’s not meant to be fought over.” She looked around the room. “I move it be divided equally among the four widows and we add another thousand dollars to it.”
Min nodded. “I second the motion Cassandra.”
The President nodded. “All in favor?”
There were six hands that slowly rose in the air, Cassandra smiled. “Motion carried, all four of our dear bereaved sisters will get the money.”
The older woman sat back down on the couch with a satisfied sigh. She felt better now that the FWC had done something to help the terrible situation. She picked her plate back up and continued eating.
JoAnne was watching her, shaking her head. “How can she possibly eat at a time like this?”
Min looked down at Evan, the baby was fast asleep. She carefully turned him over and lifted him to lay with his head on her shoulder. She rubbed his small back gently. “I know, of all people she should feel worse than we do. After all, her husband is in charge of all of our husbands. It was probably his order that cost those four men their lives.”
The blond woman sighed, setting her half empty plate down on the coffee table. “I know that ever since this happened I’ve been thinking about what if that had been Roy in that building when it blew?” She crossed her legs, wiping her hand across her eyes. “It just plays over and over again in my mind.” JoAnne turned to look at Min. “Has that been happening to you?”
Min nodded gently. “Johnny and I had a long talk the night of the funeral.”
“About what?”
Evan stirred and Min shushed him gently, rocking him a little as she lowered her voice. “How he felt, I could tell that the fire had really shaken him up.”
JoAnne leaned back against the couch. “Roy and I haven’t talked about it. I figured that if he had something on his mind he would tell me about it. He and I have always been very open with each other.”
“So have Johnny and I but I had to pry it out of him, he wouldn’t admit it.”
“And he finally did?”
Min nodded, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We both talked about our fears JoAnne and you know something? It helped a lot to get it out in the open. Maybe you should talk to Roy about it. Johnny told me that his reaction to the fire had made him doubt himself as a fireman.”
JoAnne’s blue eyes widened, her mouth dropped open like a trap door. “Are you saying that my husband could have a confidence problem now?”
Min reached out and gently touched JoAnne’s hand. “I’m saying talk to him, he might not seem bothered by what happened but you never know. We all know how men can hide things.”
The blond woman sighed as she gave Min’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll do that then, if anything he needs to at least talk about the fire and the death of his friends.”
Min gave her friend a smile. “Yeah he does and you’ll both feel better. It did for me and Johnny and I know it’ll help you two as well.”
Gillian had taken a nice long hot shower, after spending a good part of the morning out in Long Beach she needed to clean up. She felt as if the black dust had permeated straight through to her bones. MacGyver had dropped her off at home while he and the rest of the team headed for the Phoenix Foundation’s huge underground lab.
It was now getting to be dusk and she was expecting her husband to come home any minute now. She had slipped into a purple sports bra and the matching boxer shorts, her hair French braided down her back.
The timer on the oven went off and the young woman grabbed a pair of silver oven mitts. She opened the oven and pulled out a pan that contained 4 small broiled steaks topped with mushrooms.
“Should be done by now.” Gillian said to herself as she set the pan on top of the stove and closed the oven. There was a large pot on the far right burner. She lifted the lid, a small cloud of steam rising towards her face as she did so. The pot was filled with homemade mashed potatoes, one of her husband’s favorite dishes.
Gillian heard the sound of the automatic garage door sliding up and a large smile bloomed on her face.
The side door opened and her husband walked in, a weary look on his face. Mac saw her and smiled. “Hey.”
“Hey Baby.” Gillian took her oven mitts off and set them down on the counter, she walked up to her husband hugging him around his neck. “How did it go?”
MacGyver sighed, burying his head in his wife’s shoulder. After the long day Gillian felt wonderful in his arms, so warm and comforting. “Okay, it was very long and very tiring and I feel like I’ve got that black dust all over me.”
“So did I after Long Beach.” She pulled back and touched his face. “Why don’t you go take a shower? You’ll feel better.” She saw he had a silver coffee can in his hands. “What’s that?”
“Some of that dust. I thought I’d do a little experimenting on my own.”
Gillian took it from him and set it down on the counter. “Later, right now why don’t you go clean up and then we can eat.”
Mac nodded, a small smile coming to his lips. “Can I have a kiss first?”
His wife smiled, putting hers around his neck. “I’ll think about it.” She moved her head a little from side to side. “Okay, I’ve thought about it.”
“And the answer is?”
The young woman looked at her husband seriously. “Nope, sorry.”
“Okay.” MacGyver let go of his wife and started to walk down the hall.
Gillian put her hands on her hips. “Mac!” She walked after him.
A slight smirk appeared on MacGyver’s lips as he tossed his black windbreaker on the bed and closed the bathroom door. He closed the door a fraction of a second before his wife could follow him.
“Mac!” She tried the doorknob, only to find that it was locked. “Mac, open the door!” She jiggled the door knob.
“No way! You said I couldn’t kiss you!”
“And you took me seriously?” Gillian knocked on the door. “Come on! Open up! We’ve been together forever you should be able to tell by now when I’m teasing you!”
The bathroom door opened and Mac stuck his head out. “And so should you.” He gave her a grin.
Gillian’s mouth dropped open. “Oh you are so dead!” She pushed the door opened and threw her arms around his neck. She started kissing him hard, kicking the door shut behind her.
MacGyver was outside, only light in the big backyard coming from the flood lights on the porch. He had on a bright red flame retardant suit on over his white t-shirt and red shorts. Gillian was standing on the porch; she had been instructed to stay far back.
Mac had a special glass bottle filled with his own blend of chemicals tucked into his pocket. He had put a metal cookie sheet out on top of the grass. He crouched down and opened the coffee can, pouring some of the black powder onto the flat piece of metal.
Gillian was watching him; on the ground beside her was a fire extinguisher. “Be careful Mac.”
“Oh believe me, I will.” He had on flame retardant gloves and a covering for his head that looked like a bandana. Mac turned towards her. “Just keep your distance, okay?”
“I will.”
MacGyver took the bottle and stepped back a little as he opened the cap. “If this reacts like I think it will, I’ll know what caused those fires.”
Gillian swallowed hard. “What is that stuff?”
Mac licked his lips and pressed them together. “Oh, my own recipe… a little of this and that.” He leaned over and poured it into the cookie sheet.
The liquid and powder swirled together, turning an odd shade of bright white. MacGyver was watching it, his eyes wide. “That’s it! That’s what it’s supposed to do!”
Gillian craned her neck, trying to see the cookie sheet. “What’s it doing?”
“It’s turning white! Do you know what this means?” The blond man in the red suit was getting excited; he had a wide smile on his face as he moved closer to it. “Come check it out Gill, its okay!” He waved her over. “Don’t worry its safe.”
His wife was a little wary as she slowly made her way over to her husband. MacGyver crouched down to pick up the metal sheet. He curled his fingers around it and began to lift it in the air. The jarring of the sheet and the motion of the air caused the mixture to sizzle. Mac creased his brow as he heard it.
“What the…?”
The powder suddenly burst into flame, a streak of fire shooting out hitting MacGyver in the chest. He dropped the flat piece of metal and threw himself to the ground, his hands covering his face.
“Mac!” Gillian screamed as she ran back over to the porch and grabbed the fire extinguisher. She pulled the pin and squirted the yellow powder on her husband. The fire was engulfing him; the chemical was not putting her husband out.
The young woman was panicking as he watched her fireball of a husband rolling around on the ground. She thought of another extinguisher and dropped the one in her hands; it hit the ground with a thud. She ran through the kitchen straight into the garage and grabbed the one screwed to the wall.
Gillian ran back outside and pulled the pin. She aimed the black horn at her husband and pressed the trigger. A poof of white steam came hissing out. She covered her husband thoroughly with it. In a matter of seconds the fire was out.
Gillian was breathing hard; her heart was thumping madly in her chest as she ran over to the lounging form on the grass.
“Mac?”
MacGyver had his hands over his face; trying to shield it from the intense heat he could feel engulfing his suit. The heat was suddenly gone and he heard his wife’s shaking voice call his name. His whole body was trembling as he slowly lowered his hands.
“Out?” Was the only word that he could get to come out of his tight throat.
Gillian nodded, she was on her knees. She too was a quiver of nerves as she helped him sit up. His face was slightly smudged.
Mac took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he looked down at the suit. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
A sound that was a mixture of fear, anger and relief squeaked out of Gillian’s throat as she grabbed her husband by the front of his suit and pulled him to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck; the seriousness of the situation was not unknown to her. She closed her eyes as a wave of pent up breath came out of her mouth in a series of hitching sobs. She was too upset to even speak.
MacGyver held his wife to him; he took off his gloves and dropped them to the ground. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was rubbing her back, hearing the way she was breathing he knew she was crying.
Gillian took a deep breath and let it out slowly, she was beginning to calm down. “Are… are you …okay? Did it… burn you?”
“No, I’m okay. That’s why I wore this suit.” He too took a deep breath; despite the suit the unexpected reaction had frightened him as well.
The shaking couple finally let go of one another. Mac saw the tears on his wife’s face and wiped them away. “You know that was fast thinking on your part. This suit might have broken down and I could have ended up a big toasted marshmallow if you hadn’t remembered the CO2 extinguisher in the garage.”
Gillian sighed as she helped her husband take off his coat. “I didn’t even think… I just ran!”
Mac got to his feet; the cookie sheet was beside him, turning upside down on the grass. He picked it up and flipped it over. The metal had deep maroon scorch marks all over it.
“So what does this mean?” Gillian was now standing beside her husband, looking at the odd colored burns.
MacGyver shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure, but what I do know is that the chemical in those barrels was two things mixed together that was triggered by something else.” He sighed. “I think. I may have to do one more test to know for sure. But the real question is what is the other chemical? We know for sure the one is tetrolozine, but the other one is still a mystery. I think it was the other one that caused the black powder to burst into flame and those weird maroon scorch marks.”
Mac looked at his wife, a small smile coming to his lips. “But the good news is that thanks to you we may now know how to put it out.”
Gillian swallowed hard. “Another test?”
“Don’t worry, this time I won’t get near it and we’ll get the other CO2 fire extinguisher out of the garage before we do it.”
Another cookie sheet had been taken out of the kitchen and placed in the grass. Mac poured some more of the black dust into the center of it. He was once again decked out in his red flame retardant suit. He had with him a small squirt bottle filled with water and a few wooden matches in his hands.
Gillian had two CO2 fire extinguishers, one on either side of her. She was standing about ten feet away; a bright yellow flame retardant coat was around her.
Mac licked his lips and pressed them together as he dragged his thumbnail across the three matches. The bright spark of flame flaring briefly as the sulfur ignited. He turned around and looked at his wife.
“Ready?”
Gillian picked up one of the fire extinguishers and held it in her hands. “Ready!”
MacGyver leaned over the cookie sheet and opened his fingers dropping the matches into the powder. There was a bright flash of fire as the black powder and the flame met each other.
“Whoa!” Mac turned away from the fire, backing up a few steps as he did so.
Gillian was also surprised at the sudden burst of flame. “Wow!” She was staring at the bright flames. “Mac…look at the color.”
MacGyver took a few more steps away from the burning cookie sheet. “That’s weird, the flames are yellow.”
“And why does it smell like that?” Gillian was holding her nose; the odor was a sour combination of rotten eggs and sauerkraut.
“I know, stinks doesn’t it?” The blond man wrinkled his nose at the rather pungent smell. He suddenly remembered his spray bottle. He took it out of his pocket and turned the nozzle on it to STREAM. “Get ready Gill I’m going to try the water.”
“I’m ready Mac, just be careful.”
Mac stepped out, leaning on his right foot as he aimed the nozzle and sprayed the water over the fire. The water droplets rained down and me the flames, causing them to flare up. This raised both of MacGyver’s eyebrows as he moved a tiny bit closer and sprayed the water again.
The fire flared up, the neon yellow flames seemed to be almost reaching up towards the spray bottle as if needing to feed off of what was inside of it.
“Oh man, this is amazing.” MacGyver got an idea, he opened the spray bottle. He poured the water over both of his hands. He crouched down and reached into the fire.
Gillian gasped. “Mac what are you doing?” Her dark eyes were wide; her husband had just stuck both of his hands into the fire.
Her husband only smiled as he pulled his hands out and showed them to her. They were burning; both of his hands were covered with yellow flames. “Check it out!”
The young woman still had the fire extinguisher in her hands as she walked across the yard to stand close to her husband. She was looking at the fire crawling over his hands. “Why isn’t it burning you?”
“The fire is feeding off the hydrogen and oxygen.” He held his hands out. “But the water is starting to dry so can you please put my hands out?”
Gillian aimed the horn and pressed the handle, the white cloud covering her husband’s hands, smutting out the fire. Mac looked down at his hands; there wasn’t a mark on them.
“So what have we learned?” Gillian put out the other fire and set the extinguisher down. “Did this second experiment help at all?”
MacGyver nodded as he rubbed his hands together, his skin was hot from the fire. “Yeah actually we have. The second test showed that the chemicals more than likely spontaneously combusted.”
A puzzled look moved across Gillian’s face. “Spontaneously combusted? How? From what?”
“I’d say improper storage conditions, heat and humidity. I’ll giver Merced a call and see if his experiments reached the same conclusion.” Mac sighed. “I’ll tell you one thing though, Johnny was right; the chemicals from the fire are why the water didn’t do any good. As he said the water only made the fire bigger.”
Gillian nodded, taking off her yellow coat. “So why did the building explode?”
“The explosion was from the tetrolozine; it reached a certain temperature and blew up. The fire did it because it was burning hotter from all the water they used.” Mac reached down and picked up the extinguisher.
“So what’s the second chemical than mixed in with the tetrolozine?”
The blond man sighed as he took off his coat and the bandana that was around his head. “It’s a brand new kid on the chemical block. I’ve only read about this stuff, I wasn’t sure I’d run across any of it, especially here.”
Gillian creased her brow. “What’s so special about it?”
MacGyver put his arm around her as they walked back towards the house. “It’s an alternative to fossil fuel the boys at the Energy Department have been working on. Unfortunately though; as you saw earlier, it’s extremely deadly when it gets mixed with something else. Those four firemen never stood a chance, the fire broke out, and it was all over.”
The alarm went off at 5 00, Johnny stretched as he rolled over and slapped it off. It was still dark outside and he sighed heavily as he curled up next to his wife. Min was on her side and he draped an arm over her waist.
“Do you have to get up?” Min smiled as she reached over her shoulder, touching her husband’s dark head.
“You know I have to; there is going to be sick and injured people that are going to need my help today.” Johnny nuzzled her neck, kissing her cheek.
“But I need you too.” She lifted his arm and turned over to face him. There was a slight pout to her lips.
“Aww come on now, don’t do that.” Johnny kissed her lips gently. “Don’t make that face! You look like Evan when he wants his tiger cub.”
Her pout disappeared, replaced by a small seductive smile. “You know… it’s only a little after 5. You don’t have to get up and take a shower for a whole hour.”
The fireman nodded. “Right.” He raised an eyebrow. “So what should we do for a whole hour?”
Min shrugged as she rolled onto her back, pulling her husband on top of her. “Well we can talk, have breakfast.”
“Yeah we could do that.”
The young woman smiled as her hands ran up his face and into his dark hair. Her fingers moved through the dark strands slowly and down his bare back. “Or maybe I have another idea.”
Johnny gave his wife a crooked grin. “I was hoping you would.”
Min lifted her head, pressing her mouth to her husband’s gently. She broke the kiss sighing as she leaned back against her pillow. “What do you think of that idea?”
Her husband thought it over a minute or two. “I like it, it sure beats talking or breakfast.”
“Yes it does.”
Johnny kissed his wife again. He kicked the blankets off the bed with his legs and rolled onto his back, taking his wife with him.
Min sat up, her legs sliding up along his body to straddle her husband’s waist. She looked down at him, her dark eyes reflecting love as she touched the ends of her lavender nightgown and pulled it over her head.
The young woman leaned over and started gently kissing her husband.
Min smiled and sighed heavily, listening to the shower water turn off. She kicked off the sheet and sat up, stretching as she did so.
“What a wonderful way to start off the morning…”She said to herself as she got out of the bed and picked up her nightgown from the floor and slipped it back on. She knocked on the bathroom door. “Johnny? I’m going to make some coffee; you want a cup before you go?”
The door opened and Johnny poked his head out. His face was wet, his dark hair sticking up all over his head. He leaned forward and kissed her, a strong whiff of soap and shampoo emanating out from the open door. “Yes please, a small cup. I’ll get more once I get to the station.”
“Okay.” Min smiled, giving her husband another kiss as she left the bedroom.
The young woman hummed as she put a couple of scoops of coffee into the coffee maker. She picked up her blue teapot, filling it with water. She set it on the stove and turned on the burner. Min decided to have a nice cup of hot tea. She had just taken a dark blue mug out of the drain board and had gotten her glass jar of tea bags out of the pantry when there was a knock on the front door.
The young woman gasped; her heart racing as she glanced at her watch. The time was 6 05 and she wondered who in the world would be knocking at such an early hour.
She walked through the living room, grabbing a red jacket out from the closet and slipping it on as she leaned close to the door. “Who is it?”
“Min? It’s me Mac!”
Min creased her brow; her dark eyes stunned as she unlocked the door and opened it. “Mac its 6 am! Why aren’t you home in bed?”
The answer was obvious; the tall blond man was dressed in a fireman uniform. The light blue shirt and the navy pants were a perfect fit. He had on his badge and his name tag on the right and left side of his chest. He smiled at her when he saw her look him up and down. “So what do you think? Do I look like your husband?”
Min stepped back, opening the door all the way. “Yes and no.”
Mac walked into the house. “Why no?”
“You’re lighter skinned and blond.” She closed the door behind him. “Care for a cup of tea or coffee?”
“Sure, tea sounds good.” He followed the oddly dressed woman through the living room and the French doors to the kitchen.
Min got out another mug of the drain board and added tea bags to both of them. “So how goes the investigation?”
MacGyver picked up one of the dining room chairs and moved it to the side of the counter. He sat down, folding his hands on top of the counter. “Good, it’s pretty much done. Which is another reason why I’m going in which Johnny today, I want to talk to 51 first before the other fire stations show up for the demonstration.”
“What demonstration?” Johnny was tucking his blue shirt in, surprised to see his friend. “Good morning MacGyver.”
The blond man smiled widely. “Good Morning fellow Fireman!”
The teapot began to whistle and Min quickly turned it off before the loud noise woke the baby. She poured the hot water into the two cups and set the kettle back onto the stove. Min got another mug from the cupboard and poured her husband a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker. “Here you go Honey.”
“You’re awfully cheerful Mac.” Johnny took the coffee from his wife. “Thanks Min.”
Min added a spoonful of honey to both mugs and slid one over to her friend. “Your tea.”
“Thank you Min.” Mac took the spoon she offered him and fished his teabag out. “I’m sorry I just dropped in without a warning.”
“Don’t worry about it, we were awake.” The fireman smiled at his wife, the young woman’s face turning a slight shade of pink.
MacGyver raised an eyebrow. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” He brought the cup to his lips and had a sip of his tea.
Johnny shook his head. “No, if you had come earlier…”
Min nearly choked on her tea. She coughed hard widening her eyes briefly at her husband. “Johnny!”
The dark haired man grinned, winking at his wife as he sipped his coffee.
MacGyver laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it Min, we’re all old married people here.”
“That still doesn’t mean my husband can discuss our sex life with you!”
Mac shrugged his shoulders. “Isn’t that what friends are for?”
Min shook her head. “Your wife maybe but not you.”
“Fair enough, if it’ll make you feel better, my wife and I also woke up to a little game of horizontal Twister this morning.”
The dark haired woman nodded her head. “You’re right, I do feel better.”
Johnny finished his coffee and set his mug down as he checked his watch. “Well its 6 30 Mac we better go.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you about the demonstration on the way to the stationhouse.”
“Which vehicle do you we take, mine or yours?”
MacGyver smiled. “You haven’t ridden in the Corvette yet have you?”
Johnny shook his head a mischievous grin coming to his lips. “Let’s take it then.”
Min walked the two men to the door; Johnny got out his dark blue jacket from the closet and slipped it on. He gave his wife a hug and a kiss. “Bye Min see you after 6.”
“Bye, you two place nice with the other firemen.”
Mac nodded his head. “Sure, no problem.” He gave the young woman a wink as he and Johnny opened the front door and walked out into the cool morning air.
The Los Angeles Fire Department Headquarters had been well informed by Chief Forrester of the demonstration that was to take place at Station 51. The dispatcher had been told that if any emergency arose to contact all of the station captains there. There was one captain from every fire station in LA standing in the driveway of the red brick firehouse.
MacGyver was standing in the yard, near the flag pole along with his wife. The red headed woman had on her husband’s bright red flame retardant suit. The only other person there that was also decked out in a bright red flame retardant suit was a light brown haired man with blue eyes named Dr. Christopher Merced; he had also been conducting experiments at the Phoenix Foundation Lab. Next to the three people was a card table that contained a small glass box that was wired to a control panel.
MacGyver smiled at all of the men, the 6 members of station 51 were standing right in the front of the small crowd. “Good Morning Gentlemen, my name is MacGyver. As you may or may not have heard, my team and I are from the Phoenix Foundation. We were sanctioned by the Governor of California and the Mayor of Los Angeles to investigate the three fires that have been in this area. I’d like to introduce my two assistants that will be