“This is E415. We need rehab. Take us off rotation.”
“Out of rotation?” Carver asked over the radio.
“Have Dispatch take us out of rotation. That is an order, Carver.” Vanessa didn’t move her eyes off Aiden’s. His blue eyes were flat and blank.
“Copy,” Carver answered. There was silence for a few seconds. “Dispatch confirms Engine 15 is out of rotation. Two other firehouses have arrived on scene.”
“Roger, E415 out.” Vanessa clicked her radio off. She nodded at Theo and Kevin to let Aiden go. “We’ll deal with this later. Return to evac site.”
Aiden didn’t speak. He replaced his SCBA and stalked out of the pod. The other three shared a look and followed him.
They made it back to the front entrance to find Yates in charge of the evac. Vanessa informed her of the demises in Pod 1. Yates took the census form and went back to work.
They rejoined with Carver, who had been left without a ride. The Chief had direct control over the snowplows, and Katz in Medic 15 had gone with a member of Rescue Alpha. Saying nothing about the state of Aiden, Vanessa elected to take Carver with them.
Mopping up and overhaul was taken over by the new fire trucks and a battalion chief who had finally arrived. Vanessa strapped herself into the front seat, taking Aiden’s place, while he sat in the back.
Kevin took the wheel, and Vanessa keyed on to what she assumed to be the Command Channel. “This is E115, we are off rotation and returning to firehouse 15.” She changed her designation to the officer’s riding position.
“This is Incident Command at Firehouse 15.” The radio unexpectedly answered her in Erin’s voice. Vanessa was then instructed to change to alternative channel which was neither TAC-1 or TAC-2, but one of the other twelve possible digital frequencies.
“Switching over.” Vanessa punched a few buttons. “This is Lieutenant Knight on Engine 15.”
“Please confirm your position and staffing,” Erin requested.
“We are leaving Briar Hill and heading westbound on Mayfield. I have a team of five, myself, Jones, Carver, Jefferson, and Clarke.”
“You were on Medic 15 last. Where is Medic 15?”
“Katz took Medic 15 off with Rescue Alpha. I do not have a current location,” Vanessa said. “Paramedic Yates will have that information.”
Chief Baker’s voice came through the radio, “Is Ladder 15 at the incident?”
“Ladder 15?” Vanessa swiveled her head back to the parking lot. “Not that I saw.”
“What was your last communication with them?” He sounded urgent.
“Nothing since the MVA with you and Hudgens. Jones?” Vanessa asked Kevin since he had been driving the engine at the time and may have had different communications. He shook his head. “No, we have had no contact with them after they left for the freeway MVA.”
“Thank you, Knight. Report immediately to 15.”
A sense of dread settled in Vanessa. That communication was irregular. The implication was that Ladder 15 was missing.
Chapter 30
Luna felt cold and squished. She shifted around, trying to figure out where she was. Something white was in front of her face, and her right arm hurt a lot.
Craning her neck upward, she saw the black interior of a rig, but the windows were an oddly shadowed white. She was strapped in, and her left arm was free.
She’d been driving… somewhere.
Strangely, the cab was silent. She didn’t hear any other cars or the thrum of machinery.
She figured it out. The white thing in front of her was an air bag. They’d assisted with an accident on Route 480, and she had been driving away in the Ladder.
Fumbling around, she found her trauma shears in the door compartment. They were blunt, but they could cut through a penny. She opened them with difficulty, fit them around the edge of the air bag, and closed them.
The bag deflated, and Luna took stock of her situation. It wasn’t good. Her instrument panels were dark except for a few emergency lights. They cast enough light to throw everything into shadowy relief. Captain Williams was strapped into the passenger side as the commanding officer. He was slumped forward, motionless, against the wreckage of the dashboard.
