When Hell Breaks Loose

by Tangee, Pat, Katy, Goober, Sheryl, KC, Alice, Robin, Cameron, Susie, Teresa, & Starbuck.

Chapter Two

The strange little man sat in his small room working on his latest device. This was to be the best one yet. He placed the device on the table, leaned back in his chair, and inspected it closely, thinking of his childhood and what pushed him in this direction.

~*~

Sister Patricia held him by the ear, she led him to the closet and tossed him inside.

"Please don't, Sister! I'll be good," he cried. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again. It wasn't my fault."

"You should have thought about that before, young man! We do not abide fighting!" She shut the door, leaving him in a dark prison. I didn't do it; Tommy started it! I was minding my own business when they approached me. He replayed the incident in his mind.

"Whatcha doing, firebug?" A bigger kid named Leone pushed him. Tommy always had his 'body guard' where ever he went. "I saw you lightin' those ants with that magnifyin' glass."

"Leave me alone, Tommy..."

"Why don't you go run and tell your mommy and daddy…Oh, I know… 'cause you ain't got no mommy or daddy, do you firebug? They were 'fraid you'd burn down their house… No one likes firebugs." The actions and emotions came flooding in making his heart race, and his body sweat. He rubbed his fist as he remembered the feel of Tommy's jaw as he shattered it. He began beating on the boy unmercifully. Even Leone the bodyguard couldn't pull him off. Tommy's face began to bleed, and the blood began to ooze from his nose. It felt so good to pound away his problems. The tears of anger rolled down his cheeks and the cursing poured out of his mouth, until he felt adult hands under his armpits, pulling him straight up into the air. All he saw was red until he turned to face Sister Patricia. That's when she dragged him off to the closet. After that day, no one ever dared call him firebug, at least to his face.

He had finally tracked Tommy down. The man was married, had a small child, a dog, and worked as a gym teacher, in of all places, St. Patrick's elementary school. Living the American Dream. He grinned to himself; too bad Tommy's dream will be "going up in smoke."

"What do you think of the firebug, now, Tommy?" He grinned to himself. He only hoped that Tommy found himself trapped in the flames, and his last thoughts were of the firebug.

~*~

A strange little man walked into St. Patrick's elementary school, stopping at the office. "I'm here to fix an electrical problem," he cheerfully told the secretary.

"Electrical problem?" questioned the secretary. "I don't know anything about an electrical problem. Hold on a second while I ask Judy, maybe she knows." She walked into an adjacent office and came back a few moments later to find the man gone. "Hum, where did you go?" she commented to herself, stepping around the desk, and out into the hallway. After she had looked down both ways, she shook her head, "strange." She went back into her office and began where she had left off on her paperwork.

~*~

The strange little man walked into the cafeteria and opened his large tool chest. He pulled out the item he had worked so hard to perfect. He reached for his roll of electrical tape and carefully secured his "package" underneath the table. The timer was set for 11:45am. "Just in time for dessert," he whispered. Then he neatly closed his toolbox and headed for the exit. The secretary looked up from her paperwork when she heard footsteps in the hallway. She went to the door and saw the 'electrician' hurrying past.

"Excuse me...Sir!" the secretary called. When he heard the secretary's voice he turned and ran out of the front door. She quickly went to notify the principal.

~*~

Captain Stanley stood shoulder to shoulder with his men battling the inferno. Mike and Marco both looked exhausted, the heat and lack of rest taking its toll. Steady progress had been made since they arrived and it looked as if the fire might actually be under control. The children's center was a total loss, but more importantly, no lives were lost.

Chief McConnike tapped Captain Stanley on the back, motioning him to follow. Once they were away from the ruins of the building, the Chief turned and addressed Hank. "This is under control Hank. We've had a report of a suspicious activity over at St. Patrick's elementary school. The police have asked for our help, so grab your men, and go see what you can do. It could be a false alarm. If all is clear, you and your crew can go home."

"Thanks Chief," Hank replied, "it's been a long one," he finished, shaking the Chief's hand. He headed over to get Mike and Marco. They would swing by the school, and then go by Rampart to find out about John and Roy. Chet should still be around there somewhere and could fill them in.

~*~

"Your poor partner," Joanne sighed as she sat at Roy's bedside, absently stroking his hand. "I swear, that man must have an bulls' eye tattooed on his butt," Chris snickered at his mom's reference to Johnny's butt. She gave him a stern look and continued with her train of thought, "or a 'kick me' sign on his back." Jen cuddled with Roy while Chris sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at her watch. "He should be coming out of surgery pretty soon." Jennifer looked up at Roy.

"Do you have a tattoo on your butt, Daddy?" Roy giggled and hugged his daughter.

"No, honey. I don't have a tattoo on my butt." He glanced at Joanne, who hid her smile behind her hand. "Mommy was just talking about your Uncle Johnny getting hurt."

"Oh," said the little girl. She snuggled closer to her father.

"I'm really sorry this ruined your birthday, Chris." Roy patted his arm. Chris shrugged.

"That's okay, Dad." He sighed. "It wouldn't be the same without you or Uncle Johnny." He sighed again. Roy looked at Joanne.

"Were you able to reach everybody?" Joanne nodded.

"I reached all the parents, and left messages where I could with the guys. I assume they're still working. Everybody sent their well wishes." Dixie walked into the room holding something behind her back.

"I heard that it's someone's birthday." She approached the bed; Chris looked up.

"Its mine," he said hopefully.

"I thought so," Dixie pulled a gaily wrapped package from behind her back and handed it to Chris. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Miss McCall!" Chris' face lit up as he took the package. He tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a race car. "Wow! This is neat! Thanks!"

"Thanks, Dix," said Roy gratefully. "I feel so bad we had to postpone your party." He touched his son's blonde head. He paused for a minute. "Any news about Johnny?" he asked.

Dixie smiled.

"He came through surgery with flying colors. He'll be in a cast, and won't be able to walk for a few weeks, but he'll be okay. There was some internal bleeding, one of his rib fractures lacerated a blood vessel, and they took care of it. He'll be pretty sore for a while, but he should be back to normal in a few weeks."

"And that would be…" Roy snickered and Dixie shook her head.

"Did you see his tattoo?" asked Jennifer. Dixie furrowed her eyebrows.

"What tattoo, Honey?" She shot a curious glance at Roy and Joanne.

"Mommy said Uncle Johnny had a bull's eye tattooed on his butt," Jennifer said innocently.

"Oh," Dixie bit her lip to suppress her laughter. "I'll have to ask Dr. Brackett, but I don't remember seeing it when he came in."

"Can I see him?" asked Joanne. "He doesn't really have anybody, and I'd like him to see a friendly face when he wakes up."

"I'll take you on up," smiled Dixie, "he should be in his room by now." Joanne followed Dixie into the hallway.

"That was really sweet of you to give Chris that car. He hasn't said much, but I know he's really disappointed about his birthday ending up like this."

"You know, Joanne," Dixie stopped in front of the elevator. "We can always have a small party here. The cafeteria makes small cakes for some of the kids who don't have family, or their families are from out of town. I'll call them and order one."

"Great! I'll go home and get a few of Chris' presents, and pick up some ice cream on the way back." Joanne smiled at Dixie. "You're a lifesaver. I have a feeling this will be a birthday Chris will remember for a long time." Dixie smiled.

"Let's go see Uncle Johnny's tattoo," Dixie grinned evilly.

~*~

"Oh, and Hank, go ahead and take 51. The men will be here for some time, they were one of the first responders, bring her back when you've checked out the school," McConnike said.

"Will do, Chief," Hank replied. He waved Marco and Mike over.

"Whatcha' need, Cap?" Marco asked.

"The Chief wants us to check out St. Patrick's."

"The elementary school?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, with all the unusual activity around kids lately they don't want to take any chances."

"We taking separate cars?" Marco asked.

"No, the Chief said to take 51 and bring her back. He said he thought it was a false alarm."

"Better safe than sorry, Dad always said," Mike commented. The two others smiled understanding.

~*~

As Mike pulled the big rig up outside the school building, they saw all the children standing away from the building. There were several uniformed policeman standing at the doorway. A man in a suit stepped up to Captain Stanley.

"I'm Lt. Stanley Hanks of the LA county Police department." He took Hank's hand and shook it firmly.

"Captain Hank Stanley, LA County Fire department. What have we got Lt.?" They began walking towards the entrance to the school.

"It's a suspicious package, I've got my bomb squad people on the way. They should be here shortly."

"Where is it located?" Hank asked.

"The cafeteria. The timer is set for 11:45."

"That would have been right in the middle of lunch period for these kids," Hank said, looking at his watch.

"It's a good thing they have a nosy secretary. If she hadn't questioned what he was doing they wouldn't have found it until to late." They stepped to the doorway of the cafeteria.

"Do you know exactly where it's located?" Hank asked.

"Right under that table over..."

~*~

Marco and Mike were standing outside the building talking with the officers when an explosion knocked them off of their feet. Glass sprayed around them. Doors flew off of the hinges. Fire poured from the cafeteria windows. There was mass pandemonium as each man realized what had happened. Marco glanced over at the children, they were all laying on the ground crying. The teachers were trying to console and keep them under control. He stood and helped an officer up.

"You okay?" He asked him.

"Yeah, you?" Marco nodded and looked at Mike, who was helping another officer off of the ground. He over heard an officer speaking into a shoulder mic. He heard the words massive and explosion, when the Lt. that had gone in with Cap stumbled out of the building; bleeding from some sever cuts about his face and arms. Marco watched the door for his Captain, but he didn't come out. Several men that were closer to the Lt. ran over and caught him before he fell to the ground. Marco walked over to him,

"Where's Captain Stanley?" the only thing the Lt. could do was point at the building. Mike headed for the engine. Marco went to the hose bed and pulled an inch and a half. Mike picked up the handset and began talking.

"Dispatch, this is engine 51. We have a code I at St. Patrick's elementary school. There has been a massive explosion and our Captain was inside. We need a full alarm."

"Engine 51, 10-4." Mike heard the tones sound through the speaker. He went to his gages and began setting them for full pressure. He watched Marco connect the hose to the hydrant, and then run back to pick up the nozzle. Marco headed for the front door. Mike waited for Marco's signal to charge the hose then ran up behind him to take the pressure off of his arms. Several officers had gone to check on the children. Two men had moved the Lt. to a safer distance and were trying to stop the bleeding as best they could. Marco's mind raced.

"Cap, where are you?" he said to no one in particular.

~*~

Dixie quietly opened the door to Johnny's room and the two concerned women entered. As they approached the bed, Johnny groggily opened his eyes and looked at them.

"How are you feeling?" Dixie whispered. Johnny groaned.

"I've had better days. What happened?" Dixie told him,

"You were hurt in a fire. You broke your ankle, and had to have surgery. But you're doing great." Johnny groaned again, then looked at Joanne.

"What are you doing here?"

"Roy has a concussion," Joanne answered. "He's down the hall for a night." Johnny sighed.

"Oh man, Chris's birthday..."

"We've got that taken care of," Dixie informed him. "We're getting him a cake, and we're going to have a little party here. Now, you better rest." Joanne turned on the TV.

"Maybe this can keep you company," she turned on a soap opera.

"Anything but a soap!" Johnny moaned. A news bulletin came on the TV. All three grew quiet as they watched the breaking news on the bombing at a St. Patrick's elementary school. Johnny spotted Marco and Mike in the background, and the anchor stated that a captain was missing. "Oh God," John moaned. Dixie quickly rushed to his side.

"Lie still. I'll try to find out what's going on. Stay with him, Joanne." Joanne nodded, stepped over by his bed, and placed a caring hand on his shoulder.

~*~

Mike minutely adjusted one of the gauges. He sighed, and tried to make out St. Patrick's through the thick smoke. Being on the scene before the explosion occurred hadn't helped much, the fire raged on, despite their best efforts. Mike looked at the ground when he thought of his Captain, lost somewhere in that blaze.

The eerie sound of shrill laughter caused him to look up. Through the smoke, a figure approached him. "I showed them!" the deranged voice stated, obviously belonging to someone who thought he was alone. The wind caused the smoke to shift. A face that Mike would never forget became visible as it stared back at the startled engineer. Mike and the man stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Before he could shout for help, the man ran away through the smoke.

Mike kept his eye on the man hoping to follow were he was going. He bumped into Officer Vince Howard.

"I think that's him," Stoker said, pointing at a man disappearing into the crowd.

"Are you sure?" Vince asked, as he keyed his mike.

"He said, I showed them," Stoker repeated. Vince spoke into his radio and started running after the suspect. A noise from the radio caught his attention.

"We found him!" Mike heard. "We're on our way out." The voice sounded like Bellingham. Mike could make out two forms coming out of the thick smoke. One form had his Captain draped over his shoulder in the firemen's carry. Mike followed the two men and watched as they lay his Captain down on the grass.

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Bellingham replied.

"Where was he?"

"He was beneath a table in the cafeteria," replied Craig Brice as he removed his SCBA.

"Yeah," Bellingham told him. "If he hadn't been under there, he would've bought it." Bellingham grabbed the squad's trauma box and biophone while another crewman retrieved the rest of their equipment. Hank moaned and shook his head from side to side as Brice put an oxygen mask on his face.

~*~

Vince, after chasing the suspect for four blocks, headed back to what was quickly becoming a pile of ash. The school was very old and the fire consumed it at a rapid pace, leaving nothing. The smoke burned Vince's eyes, and making him cough. Mike, hearing someone cough, looked away from his captain to see Vince approaching.

"Did you get him?" he stepped over beside the officer.

"No Mike, afraid he got away," Vince said. "Did you get a good look at him?" he opened his note pad, prepared to record Mike's description.

"I think I'll have nightmares about him for some time. He was really spooky, demented," he began, then continued to give the police officer a detailed description of the arsonist.

~*~

Dixie approached the base station, Dr. Brackett held up his hand. He stared intently at the radio, listening patiently as Squad 16 finished reporting the vitals and condition of the latest injured fireman. He visibly relaxed and gave Dixie a reassuring smile.

"Squad 16, 10 liters of O2, IV D5W, continue to monitor vitals and transport as soon as possible," Dr. Brackett advised.

"10-4 Rampart, 10 liters of O2, IV D5W, continue to monitor vitals and transport as soon as possible," Brice confirmed, ending the communication. Dr. Brackett turned.

"That was Squad 16, they're bringing Hank Stanley in," he said leaning against the counter.

"That's a relief. Joanne and I stepped in to see Johnny, who is awake by the way, and we turned on the television for him and…." Dixie began to explain.

"And he saw the news report," Dr. Brackett finished. "I saw it in the lounge. You can tell them both that their captain is going to be fine. Of course, he will be spending the night tonight."

"Thanks Kel," Dixie smiled and headed toward the elevator. Her smile began to fade; something wasn't right. She had an eerie chill run up and down her spine. Sensing someone behind her, she turned, but no one was there. She glanced up and down the hall. The doors of the elevator opened and she rechecked, seeing no one, she stepped into the elevator. Then, as the doors closed, she heard…a shrill laugh…

~*~

The man joined the crowd of commuters at the bus terminal, looking over his shoulder every few minutes. He was sure he had lost that cop, but better safe than sorry. He turned his jacket collar up and attempted to blend in. Slowly, he made his way towards the bus lockers. As he walked, he thought about his fire. The explosion had been beautiful, but he was angry that they had warned those little brats. That hadn't been part of the plan. And that fireman had gotten a good look at him. That's all that he needed, another fireman ruining things for him. He thought back to his first fire.

~*~

He was twelve, and he had had enough of this orphanage. He sat in the damp basement, striking match after match... He started holding the flames to the old desks and books that they stored down there... Finally, something caught. At first, he panicked… trying to put it out, but fanning it spread the flames... he found himself admiring the beauty of the flames… the power of fire was so… interesting. He watched it for a few minutes, and then snuck out… hiding in the woods...

The firefighters had come, with their big red engines and their water filled hoses. They had put out his love. They tried to put out his life, but that would never happen. They saved those old decrepit nuns, and one of the firemen had found his hiding place. After that, they placed him in a hospital. He never though any place could be worse than the orphanage...but it was...

He brought himself back to the present moment. Taking a small key from his pocket, he inserted it in a locker in the bus terminal. He opened the locker and pulled out a duffel bag, hugging it closely to his chest. This was going to be the best ever. Guarding his bag carefully, he boarded a bus... the bus that would take him to his next targeted site. He sat carefully, watching for his stop.

Finally, he saw his destination quickly approaching. He waited for the bus to come to a complete stop before standing to his feet. As he felt his feet touch the pavement he looked up at the immense building that stood before him. A grin spread across his face and he could feel a giggle starting in his stomach. This felt so good. They will finally be getting exactly what they deserve. He clutched the duffel bag closer to his chest and walked up the sidewalk to the front doors. He glanced up one last time to read the large sign. Rampart General Hospital. The giggle started and it wouldn't stop.

~*~

"Johnny, relax. Dixie will be right back," Joanne told him patting his hand. He lay back, berating himself for being stuck in the hospital bed. He should be out there. The door swung open and Dixie entered smiling.

"I have good news, Johnny. They found Captain Stanley and Dr. Brackett thinks he'll be fine. He should be here anytime." Johnny visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

"I better go tell Roy," said Joanne. "We'll swing by and see you later, okay Johnny?" She smiled and left the room.

~*~

The room seemed like it was full. They had moved Chris' little birthday party up to Johnny's room. Chris thought it might cheer him up. Jennifer climbed up onto Johnny's bed and snuggled in close to his chest. She looked up into his brown eyes. He could tell she was dying to ask him a question, because he could see it in her eyes.

A drawing of a man was on the screen and the anchor gave a description of the arsonist.

"Why do people do stuff like that?" Chris asked, directing his question to no one in particular.

"There are just some people that are sick," Chet said.

"I was the one who gave them the description," Stoker commented. "He had the weirdest laugh. Gave me the chills."

"Excuse me a minute," Dixie tapped Stoker on the elbow. She gestured for him to follow her into the hallway.

"What is it, Miss McCall?"

"When I was coming upstairs earlier I heard someone laugh."

"And…."

"It sent chills down my spine. It was weird, very eerie. It sounded like this." Dixie imitated the laugh to the best of her ability. A chill went down Mike's spine.

"Whoa, you're really good. That sounded just like him. Dix, we'd better contact security and the police. If he planted something here, it could be..." Dixie nodded.

"a real disaster," she finished his sentence. She hurried down the hallway towards the nurses' station and the nearest phone. Mike went back into Johnny's room.

~*~

"Hey, Joe, does Dixie want that thing from the boiler room?" The voices were getting too close. He had to hurry.

"What thing is that, Jim?" He began to shake. They're going to find it and I won't get my revenge! The men were standing right in front of him now, talking about something stupid no doubt.

"I think she said that it was over there by the gages." Jim said. Joe walked over to where Jim indicated.

"Yeah, here it is, she said Johnny would get a kick out of it."

"Johnny?"

"You know, that fireman/paramedic that's always in here for one thing or another."

"Oh, Gage. Right, he would get a kick out of it. Can I go with you when you give it to him?"

"I'm running it up right now."

"Let's go!" The two men left. The evil little man breathed a sigh of relief. He took another deep breath and stepped out from his hiding place. Quickly glancing both ways, he stepped over to his 'pet'. He caressed the bomb gently. He suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Soon, we'll show them how big we are and no one will be able to stop us." He flipped the little toggle switch that started the timer. He leaned down and gave it a quick kiss. "Do your duty, baby. I know that you can take care of things for me!" He quickly moved out of the area.

~*~

Mike opened the door to Johnny's room. The pain medication must be working. He was struggling to stay awake. How was he to get them out of here without panicking them?

"It's getting late. Joanne, you probably want to get the kids home."

"You're right," Joanne said, glancing at her watch. "We'll take Roy back and then get going."

"I'll take Roy back!" Mike said.

"That's sweet, Mike, but the kids won't be happy if they don't get to say goodnight to their daddy." Roy frowned; Mike was acting strange. This was uncharacteristic.

"Are you late for something Mike? What's going on?" Roy asked. Mike answered to quickly.

"Nothing!" said Stoker. "But I'm sure you are anxious for Joanne to get the kids home before it gets any darker." Joanne laughed. Everyone looked at him suspiciously. "You know, with the bomber and all." He looked down at his feet. He knew that answer was not going to pass.

"Mike, I'm a big girl. I don't have a curfew, and I don't think I have to worry about running into the bomber." Roy looked at Mike, noticing sweat on the brow of the usually unflappable Stoker.

"Are you okay, Mike?" A loud boom rocked the hospital.

~*~

Marco stood to the side of the exam room, trying to stay out of Dr. Brackett's way, but not wanting to leave until he knew his captain was going to be okay. Chris' party was up in Johnny's room. Hank Stanley groaned as Dr. Brackett probed the bump on the back of his head.

"Sorry Hank," Dr. Brackett apologized. "Fortunately, your head appears to be as hard as your crew."

"Yeah," piped in Marco. He stopped, realizing his blunder too late.

"We were going to come see them," Hank said, trying to rise from the table; a wave of dizziness sent the room spinning around him. Dr. Brackett placed a reassuring hand on Hank's shoulder, gently pushing him back on the table.

"Johnny and Roy are going to be fine," he explained. "Roy is going to spend the night with us, but he will be going home in the morning. Johnny's injuries were somewhat more serious, but there is no reason to believe he won't make a full recovery."

"What about the school…were all the kids out?" He turned to look at Marco.

"Yes, all the kids were out. We couldn't save the school, but we did prevent the fire from spreading," Marco reassured him.

"Relax Hank," Dr. Brackett advised, giving his shoulder a squeeze before stepping away from the table. "You're going to be fine, but you'll be joining us for the night. You should be able to go home in the morning. I'm going to go get the orderlies to take you up to your room."

He stepped into the hallway and was knocked off of his feet by a man running for the door. Dr. Morton, having seen Dr. Brackett step into the path of a man obviously in a very big hurry, rushed over to give him a hand up. They looked down the hall at the retreating figure, the hair on their necks standing on end at the sound of the shrill laughter… and then a large explosion rocked the hospital.

~*~

"What the hell was that?" Roy shouted, getting up from his wheelchair and turning towards the door. He shot an alarming glance at Mike Stoker, as the lights dimmed and went out. Stoker ran to the door of the hospital room. The emergency lighting had not come on and it was too dark to see anything. He stepped back into the room. He turned and saw Roy hugging his family.

"It's okay, everything will be okay," Joanne murmured softly to the children. Chet had gone over to the window, pulling the curtains open. He leaned as close to the ledge as possible hoping to see something, anything down on the street.

The children were relatively calm as they clung to their parents. The only one oblivious to the explosion was Johnny, who was sleeping soundly in his bed, thanks to the medication he'd been given earlier.

"We better get him into the wheel chair," Mike suggested. "We need to get out of here."

~*~

Marco went to lean against the wall, when the explosion occurred, stumbling almost hitting his face. Hank's eyes filled with fear as he remembered the sound that still reverberated around in his head.

"We've got to get out of here!" Hank stood, falling to his knees, as a wave of dizziness over took him. Marco ran over and helped him up. Throwing Hank's arm over his shoulder, the two men rushed out into the hallway. Doctors and nurses were trying to calm patients and visitors alike, ushering them out of the emergency room doors. Marco and Hank went with the flow and stepped out into the late afternoon sun.

~*~

Mike wheeled a drugged Johnny down the hallway, while Roy brought up the rear with his family. Roy stumbled and Joanne quickly grabbed him.

"You okay, honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, only dizzy. Probably the medicine." He rubbed his forehead, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Jen began to cry, gripping her dad's leg and Chris held tightly to his mother. She patted his shoulder. Another explosion rocked the hospital, this one louder, longer, and stronger than the last. Jen screamed, stopped, and held tightly to Roy's leg. In his weakened condition it caused him to stumble and fall, taking Joanne down with him.

"Chet!" Joanne was able to call. Chet turned around and watched as his friends fell to the ground. He quickly ran back to help pick Roy and Joanne up. Mike had stopped to wait. All ambulatory patients were leaving their rooms; questions flying around the hallway like frightened birds. Everyone began, what seemed like, a long journey to the exits. Joanne held tightly to her family. God, help us stay alive, she silently prayed.

~*~

"Cap, I've got your H.T!" said Marco, as he pulled Hank's H.T. from the pocket of his turnout coat. Pushing the send button, he spoke quickly. "LA dispatch this is Engine 51, do you copy?"

"Go ahead, Engine 51," Sam's calm voice spoke back.

"LA we are at Rampart General, and there have been several explosions. We need assistance."

"Rampart has already contacted us, 51."

"10-4 LA. Engine 51 out." Marco helped Hank sit on the running board of the engine, and then he proceeded to get out his SCBA gear.

"Where's Stoker and Kelly?" Hank asked.

"They went up to see Johnny and Roy," replied Marco.

"Help me up, Pal." Marco helped Hank to stand, and Hank turned towards the gages. "I was an engineer. I think I can remember how to run the pumps, if I need to. Pull a two and a half and we'll wait until the Chief gets here to do anything."

"Right, Cap," replied Marco. He hustled away, pulling several lengths of hose behind him.

~*~

"We're gonna have to take the stairs," said Stoker as the motley group stood up. He looked at Johnny dozing in the wheelchair. "I'll grab him." Mike lifted John over his shoulder and headed into the stairwell, with the others trailing close behind. Chet led the way down the stairwell to the Emergency department, where they met Doctor Brackett.

"Take them outside," ordered Brackett. "We've got a staging area set up in the parking lot." Chief McConnike walked up to the rag-tag group, his intention to speak with the head of the emergency room.

"Kelly, Stoker, we'll need you two at the rig as soon as you help them to the triage area." Both men nodded. "Do you know where the explosion originated, Doctor Brackett? "

"I'm not sure," Brackett said. "It felt like it was down under our feet. Check with some of the other departments. The maintenance crew maybe able to help you."

"Will do," McConnikee told him, dodging people on his way down the hall.

"You doing okay, Mike?" Chet asked, as they entered the emergency department.

"Yeah, the cast makes Johnny a little heavier than the last couple of times," the engineer smiled.

"You doing okay, Roy?" the Irishman turned towards the paramedic.

"My head is spinning like a top, other than that I seem to be okay." Chet could see that Joanne and the children were only frightened and not injured. She held tightly to the children's hands as they hurried towards the emergency department exit.

~*~

The Chief saw two men in blue carrying a strange item. He stepped over to them.

"Do you men know where the explosion started?" They looked at his badge then up into his eyes.

"It sounded like it came from the boiler room."

"Then that's as good a place to start as any, thanks men."

~*~

When the group finally got outside, they were quickly ushered over to an area of the parking lot that had been designated as a triage. A nurse directed them to a gurney and Chet helped Mike lay Johnny onto it. Roy sat down on the ground. His head was spinning and pounding and he wasn't being picky about the seating arrangements. Joanne and the children sat down next to him, fascinated as well as horrified at the scene around them.

Both Chet and Mike looked around at the horrifying scene unfolding in front of them. Wounded people were being carried or dragged, a few were walking by themselves. People were crying and moaning. Black smoke billowed from Rampart General Hospital. A familiar face captured Mike's attention. Mike stood transfixed, staring intently at the man. Even Chet's inane babbling didn't disturb him.

"A fire engine just doesn't drive itself away," Chet muttered, turning away from Mike in search of the big red vehicle. "Well, I'll be Mike, looks like you have some competition," he said, spying the engine across the way, their injured Captain manning the gauges. "The guy nearly gets blown to smithereens and he's out manning the gages. C'mon, we better get over there and give them a hand," Chet said.

Mike took a tentative step forward, then another, careful not to draw the man's attention. He'd only shortened the distance between them a few feet when a secondary explosion shook the ground, sending glass flying. Jennifer DeSoto, frightened by the explosion, jumped up from the ground and ran between the two men before anyone could stop her.

"Jennifer," Joanne screamed, causing the man to turn in Mike's direction. Seeing Mike, the man grinned evilly, and reached out, grabbed the little girl, tucking her securely under his arm. With a last shrill laugh, he turned and ran back into the burning hospital. Mike could hear Joanne screaming and saw Roy struggling to get up. Chris couldn't believe his eyes. A crazy man had just grabbed his little sister and ran back into a burning building. Mike yelled at Joanne,

"Make sure he stay's put!" Joanne looked at her husband, as Chet placed his hands on

"Whoa, pal. Mike will get her," Chet told the frightened paramedic. They watched Stoker as he followed the man into the hospital.

"But Chet, that's my little girl! She needs me!" he tried to brush Chet's hands away.

"I know Roy, but Joanne and Chris need you right now," Chet said. "Trust Mike," was all that Chet had to say. Suddenly, he became aware of the loud sobs escaping his wife and the fear emblazoned across his son's face. He pulled her down to him. Chris stepped over to Roy's free side and sat down on the curb. He wrapped his arms around his son and the three sat sobbing.

Chet ran toward the hospital entrance. He had only gone a few yards, when suddenly, his feet flew out from under him, and he found himself flat on his back. Momentarily stunned, the wind knocked out of him, he slowly sat up, hoping there hadn't been another explosion.

"What the hell is this?" He groaned, picking up the strange looking object that he had tripped over. He tossed the object aside, mentally reminding himself to inspect it later, it sure looked like something Gage would be interested in. Quickly rising to his feet, he continued into the building.

~*~

The man ran with the little girl in his arms. He'd show them. Take away his baby and he'll take away theirs. Mike entered the Emergency doors at Rampart. Chet almost ran Mike over in his haste to catch up with the engineer. The smoke was thick. The flames had not reached this portion of the hospital. They saw the man, Jennifer dangling like a rag doll from his arm, open the stairwell door and disappear. They ran to the door, flinging it open, looking up and down the stairwell they could see that he was gone.

"I'll head down," Chet nodded.

"I'll take the next floor," Mike nodded. Mike ran up to the next landing. He opened the door and started doing a room by room search. As he entered room 314, he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He started to turn, but something struck his head, and everything went black...

~*~

The man stared down at Mike, throwing the fire extinguisher into the corner. "Put out your fire, hero," he cackled. He turned, opened the door to the bathroom, and pulled out the sobbing child. She looked up at him. His heart leapt into his throat.

"Sarah?" he whispered. He knelt before the terrified child, softly stroking her hair. "Sarah! They told me you were dead." He began to sob, hugging the distraught and terrified child. He leaned back. "It's okay, Sarah. I've found you now. Mommy and Daddy are gone, but I'm going to protect you. I'll take good care of you, and no one will ever take you away from me again." She looked up at the crazed man. He's bad. She pulled her small leg back and kicked him as hard as she could. Her mouth opened and she clamped down with her teeth until she heard him scream.

"Sarah!" he yelled as he released his hold on her.

"I'm not Sarah, I'm Jennifer!" She screamed at him, pulling open the door and running into the smoke filled hallway. It was becoming very thick and it was getting more difficult to see. It began to burn her eyes and throat. The coughing began and she couldn't stop. The tears ran down her face. She placed her hand on the railing and began running down the hallway; towards what she hoped would be the stairway. Daddy had always told her to never use an elevator in a building that was on fire. She stopped a moment to catch her breath, which the smoke was not going to let her do. She was grabbed from behind.

"Jennifer! Sweetheart, are you okay?" She recognized Chet's voice and held tightly to his neck.

"The bad man hit Mr. Stoker," she sobbed, rubbing her eyes and trying to take a deep breath.

"Where honey?" Chet asked.

"In that room," she hiccuped, pointing down the hall. Chet picked her up.

"Let's get you back to your mommy and daddy, then we can help Mr. Stoker." He opened the door to the stairwell, and made his way to the Emergency Department. He felt the tickle of Jennifer's breath where she had her face buried against his neck.

~*~

McConnikee's radio crackled to life with a message. He held the H.T. up to his mouth and replied, "McConnikee."

"Chief, this is Hollis from 127. It looks like the fire has spread to the second floor." McConnikee's face reflected the worry he felt about this tense situation as he responded,

"Okay. I'm sending some reinforcements. How many crews do you need?"

"Negative, Chief.... We've got oxygen being stored up here. We're trying to keep it cool for as long as possible, but I think it's going to flash." It was going from bad to worse.

"Approximately how many canisters are up there?" He asked.

"It's hard to tell, but at least twenty." responded Hollis.

"127, how long do we have?" McConnikee's mind wrestled with the question, should he pull his men, or should he keep them up there and save the patients who were still inside?

"The fire is moving this way, Chief, probably no more than 5 minutes. These things aren't gonna stay cool much longer, I think we're fighting a losing…" McConnikee only heard static. He switched the channel on his H.T., pushed the button in and announced,

"All personnel, evacuate now! I repeat, all personnel evacuate the hospital now."

~*~

Vince hurried toward the stairwell, and ascended the stairs two at a time, making it to the third floor landing in short order. He paused, pulling his gun from the safety of it's holster before cautiously reaching for the door. Without warning the door slammed open and a figure loomed in the doorway. Vine's immediate reaction was to raise the gun and point it directly at the man's head.

"Ah mi dios," cried the man, raising his arms above his head, "It's me, Marco!" Vince, recognizing the voice, quickly lowered the gun, and pushed Marco behind him as he peered through into the hallway.

"Did you see anyone up here?"

"No, this floor is evacuated…we need to get out of here too. The chief has ordered all personnel out," replied Marco, beginning to cough from the smoke.

"How much time?" Vince stepped through the door, and scanned the hallway.

"Not long… there are several canisters of O2 that are gonna go at any minute." Marco followed him into the hallway.

"You get out," ordered Vince. Marco didn't hesitate. He followed closely behind Vince. They quickly, but silently approached a room, listening intently for any sound that would indicate that anyone would be in there.

~*~

In all the confusion, the man had grabbed the downed fireman's turnout coat and headed for the stairs. He had to find the firefighter who had taken Sarah. And then he would pay. They would all pay. He wouldn't lose Sarah again.

~*~

Chet and Jen hurried down the fire escape, Chet never loosening his grip on the girl. He heard a noise on the landing above. He looked up and could see the edge of a turnout coat.

"Is that you, Marco?" he questioned. Suddenly, the man he thought was Marco launched himself at Chet. Startled, Chet pushed Jennifer towards the wall. She screamed as the man flung himself on top of Chet. Both men fell down an entire flight of the metal staircase. She cowered in the corner, terrified. She watched as Chet landed at the bottom of the steps, with the man on top. Neither of them moved. She started slowly down the steps. She stepped over to Chet and bent down to touch his face.

"Chet?" She pushed his face, and began to cry. She knew in her heart that he was dead. "Chet?" She pushed his cheek again. She screamed in terror when she felt a large hand on her ankle. She stomped with everything she had on the hand that was grabbing her ankle.

"Owe! Jen! Stop! It's me, Chet!" Chet rolled the man off of him, rubbing his smashed hand. Jennifer covered her mouth with her hands, staring in disbelief at the firefighter.

"You're dead," she stated. He began poking himself.

"That's news to me," Chet responded with a smile. "I feel alive, what do you think?" She smiled at him. "I'm okay sweetheart," he said, in a calming tone. Then he added with a wink, "Except, I think...for this broken hand." He waved the hand that she had stepped on. "We better get out of here." He got to his feet and picked her up into his arms. They hurried down the rest of the stairway.

~*~

Roy DeSoto had managed to protest his way to the door of the hospital. Although, he was still feeling weak and dizzy, there was no way he was leaving his baby in that building. As he was about enter the hospital, Chet pushed the door open.

"Daddy!" Jennifer shouted and jumped into his arms. Chet let out a sigh of relief and smiled briefly, before turning and heading back through the hospital door.

"Chet what are you doing?" Roy called out, still holding tightly to Jennifer.

"Mike..." he answered, gesturing into the building. Roy nodded his head in understanding, and watched as Chet hurried back into the building. After all, Mike did go back in after his daughter. Roy had only carried Jennifer a few steps before a police officer rushed up to him.

"Get away from the building, it's gonna go!" the officer ordered, as he grabbed him by the shoulder. Roy went pale, and held Jennifer closer. He moved along with the other man.

"There's still people in there!"

"McConnikee has ordered everyone out," the officer told him. He led Roy back to the triage area and split off in a different direction.

"Jennifer!" Joanne grabbed her daughter from her husband's arms. She wrapped her arms around her, and held her tightly. Roy enfolded his two favorite girls' in the world into his arms, feeling Joannes' tears on his chest. The sound of breaking glass caught Roy's attention.

"Keep an eye on her!" Roy said to his wife, then disappeared.

~*~

Vince peered around the corner into the hospital room and seeing nothing, cautiously entered. Marco hovered in the doorway. Vince slipped his gun back into its holster, but hearing a muffled noise coming from the bathroom, quickly removed it again. He signaled Marco to stay back and stealthily made his way to the bathroom door. He paused before the door and listened, then quickly booted the door open, gun ready. Stoker, alone in the room, was struggling to get up off the floor.

"Marco, help me," Vince said, holstering his gun and kneeling beside the fallen firefighter. Marco was at Mike's other side, grasping his arm and pulling him to his feet.

"Jennifer…" Mike groaned, the room swirling around him, threatening to send him to his knees. If not for the firm grasp Vince and Marco had around his waist, he was certain he'd have given in to the temptation to rest his aching head against the cool tile on the bathroom floor for just a few more minutes.

"She's fine," Marco assured him, worriedly glancing at his watch. "We have to get out of here fast." Moving as quickly as they could through the thickening smoke toward the exit, the men were surprised to see Chet emerging from the stairwell.

"Go back, go back," he yelled, pushing Vince, Marco, and Mike back in the direction they had just come from. "Get to a window, there's no time…she's gonna flash." Chet shouted, running back into room and grabbing a chair to hurl through the window, praying that someone would see them on the ledge.

~*~

McConnikee's H.T. crackled to life, "Chief! This is Hollis! We need some help! She's gonna go!"

"Ladder 6, get that aerial up to the second floor and evacuate those men NOW!" McConnikee ordered. Ladder 6 maneuvered over to where three crewmen were coming out of a window on the second floor. The sudden appearance of a chair flying out of a third floor window drew McConnikee's attention. He watched four more men made their way onto the third floor ledge. It appeared to be three firemen, and a police officer. From his post by the truck, Stanley also noticed the ruckus on the ledge. Instantly, he recognized the men as his own crew.

~*~

The four men stood on the ledge, looking down on the chaos below. It was obvious no one saw them. Vince looked a little green, but he held on to Mike just the same.

"How do you guys do this for a living?" He had to scream to be heard over the noise emanating from the engines below and the fire behind. Chet clung to the wall behind him with one hand. He slowly inched along the platform to give the others more room. Everyone could feel the heat coming through the concrete wall. Mike was undoubtedly groaning. Marco groaned himself - this was neither the time nor the place for the engineer to come back to his senses! Marco held the engineer's face in his hand, while the others held onto him.

"Mike, you have to hold still," Marco admonished, when the whole building shook with another explosion.

~*~

Everyone on the ground shielded their faces from the flying debris. McConnikee looked up. He struggled to see the men on the ledge through the dense smoke. Hank ran up beside his Chief and watched as the smoke began to clear. They could definitely see something was still on the ledge. The forms began to take shape as their eyes focused on the scene three stories up. A smile spread over McConnikee's face as Stanley mouth dropped open. All the men were still holding on, with some injuries from flying debris.

"Ladder 6, we have men on the third floor, let's get them down here," McConnikee ordered.

"10-4 Chief," came the instant response.

~*~

The men on the ledge hugged the wall as tightly as they could. The explosion rocked the building causing their hearts to stop, and their lives to flash before their eyes. Chet slowly opened his eyes and saw black smoke rolling around him. It stung his eyes and his lungs as he breathed the acrid smoke. He began coughing, and he could hear the others coughing on either side of him. Determining where everyone was, was difficult. Between coughs Chet called out...

"Vince?"

"Yeah, I’m okay."

"Mike?"

"I'm okay."

"Marco?" There was no answer. "Marco?" Chet leaned forward to try to see were he was. "Mike, do you see Marco?"

"I don't know. I see something like a body on the edge of the ledge, but with this smoke, I'm not sure that's what it is." Mike answered between coughs. The smoke began to clear and Chet did see a body lying tantalizingly close to the edge. He could see blood on Marco's black hair. He crawled over to where Marco lay and felt his neck. "He's got a strong pulse." Chet looked at Mike, then at Vince, "We have to get him down from here."

Vince pointed at the oncoming ladder.

"Your wish is my command!" As the ladder truck swung closer to the building.

~*~

Johnny returned slowly to consciousness, aware of aches and pains. Something didn't seem right! This was the coldest hospital room he could remember having. Man, was it drafty. He opened his eyes and stared at the, clouds? Where did the ceiling go? He slowly looked around. What was he doing outside? He tried to sit up, big mistake. His groaning finally got the attention of Dixie and she rushed over, gently pushing him down.

"Easy, Johnny," said Dixie. "Relax. Everything's okay."

"What happened?" Johnny asked, groggily.

"The arsonist struck again," Dixie said with an edge to her voice. "We had to evacuate." She checked his bandages and put a blanket over him.

"Do you need me to do anything, Dix?" he asked, wanting to help.

"No, now you listen to me John Gage, as long is you are in my care, you will lie back and do exactly as I say," Dixie admonished, placing Johnny's wayward arm and settling under it under the blanket. "Now stay put."

~*~

Hank couldn’t believe his eyes. "You?" The man turned to leave and Hank grabbed his arm. The man cackled as he threw a punch at Hank. Hank dodged the punch, but lost his grip on Mike's turnout coat. The man took off running towards the triage area, and all the patients. Hank spotted a police officer and pointed to the arsonist. "Officer, that’s him. He's wearing one of my men’s turnout coat!"

~*~

Roy rejoined his family. Mike and Chet hovered nearby, as Dr. Morton examined the cut on the back of Marco's head. Mike heard Marco moan as Morton palpated the wound. He cautiously felt the back of his own head, relieved to find a small lump.

"Um, Roy?"

"What is it, Mike?"

"Is it me, or is it a full moon?" He snorted and pointed to Roy's backside. Roy turned around and quickly grabbed the flapping ends of his hospital gown. His face crimson, he looked at the engineer.

"Thanks, Mike," he responded somberly. Jim Hamill from Ladder 6 strolled by at that moment.

"Hey, Roy...nice buns!" he joked.

"Whatever, Jim," Roy said as he tried desperately to cover his hinder parts. "These stupid gowns aren’t made for grown men."

"Show's over, huh ‘big’ guy?" Jim laughed. Roy threw him a look that could kill. Hearing Captain Stanley's yell, all eyes turned in his direction to see a fireman running towards them with an officer chasing him.

"Sarah, where are you? We have to leave!" yelled the arsonist as he approached. Jennifer quickly hid behind Roy, who stood in front of his family as he watched the man enter the triage area. Johnny, sensing urgency in his captain’s yell, managed to stand to his feet. He swayed directly into the man's path sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Johnny, look out!" yelled Roy. The officer quickly subdued the arsonist, handcuffing him, and rolling him onto his back. Captain Stanley joined Roy, Mike, and Chet. They stood looking down at the man in disbelief.

"You fellas know this guy?" the officer asked.

"This is Adam Spencer. He was, for the want of a better word, 'fired' from the department. It's a long story." Hank replied, watching the officer haul the arsonist to his feet.

"You'll pay for this Hank, you and your men." Spencer hissed vehemently.

"You make me sick," Hank told him. "They were kids, man. What’s your problem? Get him out of here." Roy knelt down, and took Johnny’s arm to help him up. Johnny let out a scream, causing everyone to jump. Roy looked down at the arm that he had grabbed.

"Broken wrist, and a dislocated elbow," Roy responded. Morton shook his head, sighing.

"You'll be feeling much better after this." Morton smiled, while he administered the required quantity of morphine directly into the IV line.

"I can't believe this," Johnny whispered.

"Neither can I," said Chet. The arsonist became very agitated.

"Shut-up! Get away from me! Let me go, I have to get Sarah!" the man cried loudly as he squirmed to get away. Vince used his most calming voice to hush his prisoner,

"Sir, why don't you settle down and we will help you find Sarah." Then, he motioned for one of the officers to come and take him away. Suddenly, the arsonist jerked away from Vince and ran a few steps forward. Two more police officers quickly raced up and grabbed him. They hauled the prisoner away to a waiting patrol car. The arsonist's voice cried out as the men struggled to put him in the back seat,

"You can't stop me! I won't rest until I get you for what you did to Sarah." Vince turned to Stanley,

"So, you know this guy?" Stanley took a deep breath and began,

"His name is Tom Wheeler. He used to work in the department as a fireman/paramedic."

"Yeah, he thought he was the World's Greatest Paramedic," added Marco. "He used to be in paper all the time." Johnny shook his head in disbelief;

"I never really liked that guy much anyway. I don't think his partner did either. But what on earth do you think happened to make him flip out like that?" Roy thought for moment,

"You know Kirk was right, when he called him a 'Publicity Freak'. Maybe Wheeler couldn't handle being out of the spotlight." Vince agreed,

"Yeah, these guys just love the attention whether it's positive or negative." Then he pointed over to the television and news reporters and added, "he's certainly the center of attention now." Despite the situation and his throbbing headache, Stoker had to smile.

"At least it takes the attention off your behind, Roy." Johnny looked over at his partner and noticed his peculiar attire for the first time.

"What did I miss?" Johnny asked. Vince looked confused.

"Wait. Did you say that guy was Adam Sponsor or Tom Wheeler?"

"He's both." Stanley explained, "He suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. That's part of the reason he lost his job. Tom Wheeler was obnoxious, but one hell of a paramedic, Adam Spencer, well, I'm afraid he's the Mr. Hyde of the duo."

"It's a sad case actually. See Tom Wheeler grew up in a privileged home. His folks have money, stature... but this other personality... I understand he's convinced he grew up in an orphanage run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. Anyway, most of the details are sketchy."

"Wow," Vince said.

"Guess his old man will be sending him back to that private hospital," Chet said.

"Well this time, I hope they help him," added Marco.

"Speaking of help," cried John. "How am I gonna get by with a broken arm?"

"He barely gets by when it isn’t broken," snorted Chet.

"Well, Junior," said Roy, "I think Chet has an extra bedroom."

"Oh no!" yelled Chet and John together. The others laughed.

"You can stay with us, John!" Joanne declared. "At least until you can manage." Roy sighed.

"Why do I think it's gonna be a long recovery?"

~*~

The next day found Johnny trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable as he listened to the guys detail the events leading up to his latest hospital stay.

"Man, unbelievable. That lunatic almost killed all of us! Not to mention nearly blowing up half of LA County!" Marco squirmed in the bed next to Johnny, trying not to scratch the stitches in the back of his head.

"Consider yourself lucky, Johnny, you slept through most of it while the rest of us saved half of LA County."

"Yeah, well Marco, when the chips were down, who steps in and saves the day? Huh?" Johnny bragged.

"You know, it could have been much worse," Roy commented. The silence that settled over the room was broken by a knock on the door. Dixie, carrying something under her arm, entered the room surveying the melancholy group.

"Well, well, well," Dixie began, "how are my favorite firemen doing?"

"Just counting our blessings Ms. McCall," Captain Stanley responded. Spying the object Dixie was holding, Johnny's curiosity got the better of him.

"What do you have there, Dix?"

"Well, this is something I had stashed in the boiler room for you, Johnny. I thought you might like to have it," Dixie answered, placing the object on Johnny's lap.

"Hey," Chet piped in. "I've seen that…"

"Well you can't have it Chet, Dixie brought it for me," Johnny interrupted, eyeing the object. "It's…it's…well, it's really interesting Dix. Where did you say you got it?" he questioned, searching for a clue to identify it.

"I saw it at this little hole in the wall shop in Pasadena a couple weekends ago and thought you might like it," Dixie began, only to be paged to the ER. "Sorry guys, duty calls."

The room became silent again after Dixie's departure. Everyone stared at the object, each waiting for the other to offer an explanation.

"Well…?" Captain Stanley demanded, all eyes intently staring at Johnny.

"You know Cap, what this is…it's simple…" Johnny stammered. Roy picked up the object, examining it from all angles.

"You don't know what it is, do you?"

"Now, Roy…what it is…it's…well it's quite unique…" he looked at the expectant faces surrounding him. "It's…well…actually," he hesitated, looking at each of his friends faces. "I really have no idea what it is." Mike touched the item.

"You know, I think my dad had this thing once in his workshop."

"Yeah? How did he use it?" Johnny asked.

"I don’t know, I just remember seeing it once in there," Mike shrugged his shoulders.

"My Uncle Luis used to have one," Marco offered. "I think he used to use it on his dog, Spike."

"How?" Johnny asked.

"I just remember seeing it around Spikes’ dog house."

"Was Spike a Bull dog, like in the cartoons?" Chet inquired.

"No, Spike was a Chihuahua."

"A Chihuahua named Spike?" Chet asked.

"Uncle Luis liked that name," Marco explained. Captain Stanley stepped back, folding his arms, watching his men discussing the strange object. He realized that he had been very fortunate. He could have lost the best paramedic team LA County ever had. He could have lost the best men that LA County had to offer. He didn’t and he really was a blessed captain. He smiled heavenward; listening intently as the conversation continued.

THE END

"When Hell Breaks Loose" ©2000 by the respective authors. "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Ltd. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

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