“Report,” I bark.
“Nice to see you, too, Hammond.”
“Fuck around and find out, Barratt. My crew’s in there.”
“Not anymore, it just blew past 450 Fahrenheit.”
Holy Christ.
“Owens, Sanderson, report.”
Heids is in front of me, pulling her helmet off. “Tennison and Davies were on the roof venting when it collapsed, Cap.”
I haul on a SCBA mask.
“Don’t even think about it, Hammond.” Barratt moves toward me.
“How many minutes?” I snap out.
“Two minutes, max. You got two minutes before their equipment fails.” Barratt relents.
I start the timer on my watch and take off running for the mouth of the building.
“Northeast quarter, third or fourth floor we think, Cap!” Owens yells. I lift my axe in acknowledgment.
I burst through the double doors, and the heat is almost too much.
I make a left turn and take the internal stairs to the second floor. The smoke is bad, visibility almost zero.
“Tennison, report.” I snap out on the radio.
Only static answers me.
Dammit, London.
I search every room, calling out. Radioing her and Davies every ten seconds.
Silence and the fire breathing down on me are my only response.
I stop dead and listen.
The beep of a PASS device echoes through the hallway faintly.
Got you.
I head for the sound.
Glad that I can hear it. Terrified at what it means.
Firefighter down.
The sound splits as I move closer, two sounds growing louder. I’m heading in the right direction.
The sound is coming from behind a classroom door. I test the handle before opening it?—
It doesn’t budge.
Fucking no.
