23-Apr-2004
Title: Inferno's Touch - Chapter 24
Author: Ravynfyre
Archive: GW Addiction
Category: yaoi, AU, occasional humor, action, drama
Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+6
Standard Disclaimer: All parts of Gundam Wing are Not Mine. It's all
Theirs. *sigh* Too bad, but otherwise, I guess I'd never get anything
done *happy hentai thought*. Anyway, not makin' any money offa this so dun
sue me. You'd only get some college debt, a few dogs, and a pair of
fuzzy bunny slippers anyway. Ya know... blood. Turnip. Do the math.
Rating: PG
Warning: Cliffhanger.
Spoiler: None.
Notes: All terms will be explained at the end of each chapter. If I
miss something, please let me know and I'll be happy to explain.
Feedback: Yes, please. All comments welcome.
"Man, what a nice change from last shift," Duo sighed happily as he carefully dried the last of the dinner dishes that Heero had just washed. "Engine Nine's illegal pie theft maneuver notwithstanding."
Noin shook her head, nursing a mug of coffee as she watched the guys all tidy their kitchen up. "I wish I could have seen your face. You know, Control already knows about that. When we checked in this morning on our way back here, they were asking us to give them an update when we arrived."
"Control will just have to bake their own pies and worry about them. I'm not sharing with them," Duo declared. "Though if you and Wu bring us this kind of luck when you visit, you're welcome back any time. It's been quiet as a church mouse since you guys came back."
Quatre winced as he took the last dish from Duo and stowed it back in the cupboard. "Well, it used to be quiet. Now that you've jinxed us all, we'll be running all night," he sighed, not entirely in jest.
Heero hid a small smirk as his Captain smacked Duo lightly in the back of the head, thanking him sarcastically.
"I'd forgotten how superstitious firefighters were," Heero commented quietly, drying his hands on the towel Duo still held.
"Don't tell me that you've already forgotten last shift, Heero. As I recall, you had to drive the blithering idiot home so he wouldn't end up being a rather spectacular motor vehicle accident, himself," Wufei replied, a teasing glint in his dark eyes giving away his amusement despite the deadpan voice.
"I just didn't want to see the car mangled," the Japanese firefighter replied in the same tone of voice. "It may only be a Camaro, but it deserves better after surviving Duo all this time."
Duo refused to rise to the bait; the expected indignant outburst never came. Instead, Duo simply opened up the oven and fished out the pie that Engine Nine had returned to them, smelling it dramatically.
"That's okay," he replied mildly, "You're outta the kitchen. No pie for you. Trowa? Noin? Can I interest you in some pie? You-"
The discordant squeal of the General Alarm tones interrupted him, followed quickly by several glares and a chorus of groans.
"General Alarm. We have a General Alarm in section 10. 1784 North Marybelle Lane, we have a report of a commercial garage on fire with flames showing. All units are 10-08 [1]. General Alarm in section 10"
As silence settled over the kitchen once more, six pairs of eyes turned to stare warningly at Duo.
"You got lucky, braid boy," Noin warned. "If that had been in 8's territory, I think Captain Zechs here would have been looking for a new driver, after he got done murdering you. I do not," she continued, emphasizing the last word with a shake of her finger, "want to have to listen to his boyfriend bitching at me for the rest of the night because they got a kick-your-ass fire after you jinxed them, and now he won't get sex when they get home tomorrow. Understood?"
Surprised at Noin's unexpected vehemence, Duo could only nod, totally missing the embarrassed look that Zechs and Wufei exchanged. Noin, however, did not.
"And you two," she continued, turning on the pair, "It's pretty damn obvious that even your Rookie is in on the joke, joined the club, or whatever you want to call it, so I think you can quit beating around the bush. He knows, I know, they all know. Quit looking guilty and just..." her voice trailed off for a moment, and she lost a bit of her bluster. "Just be happy."
Silence once again filled the kitchen, this time tense with discomfort and wary surprise rather than anticipation. Unexpectedly, it was Heero who broke the quiet.
"Should I call Sally, or do you just need a quick tension relief fuck?" he said, a curious little quirk of his lips turning the jibe into a private joke, shared only between friends.
"How... How do you know about-" Noin stammered.
"I know things. Like the fact that you need to get laid before all this raging testosterone drowns you in a seething mass of sexual tension," Heero shot back with a snort. He tipped his chin down, staring at her from under his lashes with a combination of challenge and the same sort of wry amusement that siblings might share at the expense of their parents. "Or I've got a stash of M&Ms in my locker if a chocolate fix will do the trick for now."
That shook Noin out of her shocked paralysis. She advanced on him, hands fisted at her hips, and eyes alight with a savage look that any Rookie who had screwed up Arson evidence at a scene would find far too familiar. Only long familiarity with Noin and her expressions allowed Wufei and Zechs to spot the telltale signs of amusement that proved that she was only joking. "They'd better be Plain, Rookie, because about the only thing I want to do with nuts right now is crush them."
"Yes, mam," Heero replied, expression unchanged, but voice warm.
Noin sighed explosively, shaking her head as she ran her hand through her bangs. "I oughta kick your ass you arrogant, conceited, sexist, egotistical little pri-"
The familiar shrill tone of a General Alarm cut her off short.
"General Alarm. We have a General Alarm in section 11A. Across the street from 3108 South Wyndale Road, caller states that she can see flames coming from a Highway Department maintenance shed. Battalion 1, Truck 1, Engine 1, Engine 4, Engine 5, Engine 10, Medic 1, and Medic 3 are all 10-07 [2]. All other units are 10-08 [1]."
"Holy shit. Been a while since we've had this much fire activity going on at the same time at different points in the city," Duo murmured. "I got a bad feeling about this, Captain."
"You aren't the only one," Wufei replied, sharing a look with Noin. "Call in Otto. I have the feeling that we're going to need him tonight."
Noin nodded sharply and reached for her cel phone, even as Wufei was dialing his own. Engine 8 and Medic Six's crews quickly tidied the kitchen, expecting the speaker to pop once again any second. As if choreographed, Noin and Wufei ended their calls at nearly the same moment.
"Otto's already on his way in. He's headed to the garage to pick up the other Investigation van."
"Good. I'll take South Wyndale, you take North Marybelle," Wufei replied, gathering up his jacket. "We'll stop past the garage for the third van."
Noin nodded briskly and caught up her own jacket on her way to the back exit. Turning at the door, she shot Heero a mock-glare. "You still owe me chocolate, Rookie." Without waiting for a reply, she swept out the door leaving Wufei to follow.
A dark-eyed glance passed over the two crews, lingering briefly on Zechs. "Remember, gentlemen... There is a madman out there trying to kill firemen, who may or may not be out to prove a point to the world. Don't get dead."
A chorus of quietly murmured assents answered him, and with a final private look for Zechs, Wufei slipped out the door as well. Outside, the van rumbled to life and roared off recklessly.
"What worries me the most is that it wasn't Noin driving," Zechs murmured, watching the vehicle vanish.
Duo looked up sharply, frowning as he replied, "He really is worr-"
The half-expected tones cut the braided driver off short. "General Alarm. We have a General Alarm in section 8A. 2894 West Haversburg Boulevard, caller stated that the east side of the structure was fully involved. Units available for this alarm are Engine 8, Engine 12, Engine 7, Engine 3, Medic 4, Medic 6, and Truck 2. All other units are 10-07 [2]. General Alarm, section 8A."
"'East side'?" Quatre called on the way to his rig, his brow furrowed as he tried to mentally place the address.
"I know that place. 2894 West Haversburg is that old warehouse complex out by the shopping district." Duo called as his Captain and firefighter jumped into their gear.
A look of comprehension dawned on Quatre's face as the door to Medic 6's bay finally clacked all the way open. Engine 8's door was only a fraction of a second slower, giving Zechs and Heero a chance to hop in and slam their doors shut before Duo started pulling forward out of the bay. As soon as the Engine cleared the bay door, Medic 6 was following close behind, two diesel motors screaming into the evening gloaming as the rigs hit the street.
Looking to the north, Heero could make out the faint haze of thick smoke far off near the edge of the city. Craning his neck around, he checked to the south where a similar sight greeted him. As if unwilling, he slowly swung his gaze to the west. A much nearer, much larger column of smoke rose from the crimson vestiges of the sunset, almost as if the sun itself had set the world on fire. A strange sort of dread settled into the pit of his stomach like a thick iron ball. Ingrained habit guided his hands as they cinched down the various buckles and straps of his air pack.
Zechs' deep voice broke into Heero's thoughts as his Captain replied to Control when they advised him that an Arson Investigator was already en route to the scene. A detached part of Heero's attention commented silently that even Control seemed to be infected with the subdued air that had settled over Engine 8's normally boisterous crew.
Save for the occasional warning abut a rough corner or a quick maneuver, Duo remained silent throughout the drive, not even indulging in his normal complaints about inconsiderate drivers who refused to yield to emergency vehicles. The quiet grated on Heero's nerves.
Hard on the heels of that thought, Heero suddenly understood how much he had changed in the few short weeks since joining the crew of Engine 8. More than his performance in the shower that morning with Duo, more than the odd thoughts and desires that would flit across his brain at unpredictable moments, more even than his unexpected outburst at J in the hospital, this sudden hatred of silence, particularly Duo's silence, spoke volumes about how deeply this life had rooted itself into Heero. How deeply Heero had allowed it to become rooted within him.
The vague unease that had filled him since the second General had toned out was suddenly replaced by a fierce determination. No matter the cost, Heero would see this tender new self within him protected and nourished. He would see them all protected.
He turned in his seat, attention called by his Captain's hissed exclamation. Still several blocks ahead of them, sheets of kicking gold and crimson danced up into the darkening sky.
"Nothing that evil should be so beautiful," Zechs murmured, echoing a thought that had just entered Heero's mind as well.
Duo grunted an agreement as he swung the big rig around yet another car that had suddenly realized that it was being tailed by what should have been a pretty obvious firetruck, what with all the lights and sirens blazing. Behind them, Medic 6 blasted its air horn in frustration as they passed the car, and further back, Truck 2 and Engine 12 repeated the motion.
"Engine 8 is on scene," Zechs spoke clearly into the radio, "Three story warehouse structure, east side is fully involved with no exposures at this time. Engine 8 is passing Incident Command [3] to Engine 12."
Engine 8 slid to a stop along the edge of the building that was covered in flame, the three occupants pouring out even as the air brakes were charging to set. As Heero grabbed the big 2 1/2 inch hose, he heard the rig's engine shudder and shift, transmission sliding into pump gear with a hitch like a teacher clearing her throat.
Zechs appeared at Heero's side, taking half the bundle of hose and heading towards the building, letting hose fall from his shoulder loop by loop as he jogged swiftly away. Taking off at a right angle, Heero laid out the rest of the bundle, kicking out a kink as he jogged over to join his Captain.
Behind them, Duo charged the hose, watching in satisfaction as the canvas bucked and rolled, thrashing like a pinned dragon as it flushed full of water. As the wave of harnessed water caught up with the two firefighters at the nozzle, he saw Heero collapse forward into Zechs, compensating for the explosion of water that erupted from the tip. They both staggered for a moment, but only that, before directing the water stream at the worst of the fire. Checking his gauges, Duo adjusted the pressure, feathering the throttle to give Zechs and Heero the most water for the least backpressure.
Beside him, Truck 2 was already putting up the aerial ladder, while Engine 12's crew busily laid a feeder line from the hydrant to Engine 8. Setting the pressure relief gauge, Duo turned his attention to hooking up the hose that 12 had brought him before the water in 8's tank ran out, leaving his Captain and firefighter high and dry. Behind Truck 2, Engine 7 slid to a halt and started laying in to a different hydrant.
By the time Truck 2 had its ladder fully deployed, Engine 7 had hooked in to the hydrant and was helping hook another hose from their rig to Truck 2. Long before that, and with more than 200 gallons to spare, Duo had gotten the feeder from 12 hooked up, and their firefighter had opened the hydrant, ensuring that Engine 8 had a continuing supply of water.
At the direction of Engine 12's Captain, the second feeder line from Engine 7 to Truck 2 was cracked open, and another water leviathan erupted to life, bucking and fighting against the pavement like an anaconda. With a screaming hiss that was loud enough to be heard over the roar of the flames, the huge deluge gun at the tip of Truck 2's ladder burst open in a shower of water. The Truck's driver made a few quick adjustments on the controls, and the gentle rain focused into a tight lance of water, spearing deep into the heart of the inferno from above.
Another firefighter materialized beside Duo, bouncing impatiently as he pointed towards the hose bed and shouted to be heard over the din of diesel engines, streaming water, roaring flames, and exploding steam. With a nod, Duo helped the firefighter, who he absently noted was from Engine 3, pull down the 250 foot section of 1 3/4 inch hose. Another firefighter from Engine 3 ghosted out of the chaos to take Duo's share of the bundle, and the two firefighters dashed off to stretch out the hose. Once the hose was laid out, the firefighters turned and signaled Duo.
With practiced ease, the braided driver quickly opened the valve to that hose with one hand, while throttling the engine up with his other hand. Before the pressure had a chance to fluctuate in the 2 1/2 inch hose, Duo was already gating that valve back, preventing his Captain and Heero from being overwhelmed by the sudden increase in pressure when the big diesel engine's RPMs went up. Duo cursed to himself under his breath when he saw Heero glance back towards him. Must not have been quite smooth enough if Heero noticed. Duo vowed to practice the technique more when they got back to quarters.
All around him, other hoses sprang to life from other rigs. Duo peered around and saw that three hydrants had been tapped for this fire. Making sure that all his gauges were giving him the correct readings, Duo stepped back and hopped up onto the feeder hose. It remained firm under his boots, holding his weight as easily as if it were concrete and steel rather than rubber and canvas. Had it yielded under his weight, that would have meant that they had tapped too many hydrants on the same water system in the area, and the fire trucks were drawing more water faster than the area could supply. There would be no way to guarantee that the water supply would hold out for the whole fire under such demands. Someone in City Planning must have done the smart thing and put in all industrial sized water mains in this area. Duo spared half a moment to send up a silent thanks to that foresightful individual. Then he returned his hawk-eyed attention to his crew and the gauges of his precious Engine 8.
A few short minutes later, a man who was peering intently towards the dying structure slipped up beside him. Duo glanced over the Investigator's uniform, noting the hastily donned state and the man's disheveled hair. Otto turned and nodded cordially at him, leaning in to be heard over the wailing engine.
"That Zechs?" he yelled, pointing towards the nozzle of the 2 1/2 inch hose.
Duo nodded sharply, glancing back towards the pump panel and the gauges, making small adjustments now and then. Wiping the sweat dripping from his brow off, Duo motioned to the Investigator.
"Hey, watch the panel for a sec. I wanna put on my bunkers - it's gettin' hot!" he yelled over the rumble of the pump and engine.
Otto nodded and stepped up the pump panel, examining the various gauges while Duo jogged to the rear of the rig where his gear was stowed.
He could almost smell the acrid tang of the smoke. Like a connoisseur savoring a rare vintage, Treize inhaled deeply and rolled the imagined flavor/scent across the back of his throat, categorizing it, dissecting it, memorizing it.
Of course, the air handling units of the penthouse were too efficient for any of the beloved odor to reach him, however Treize could feel his creature calling out to him, defying the very laws of physics itself. He truly could taste it, deep in his soul, if not on his palette.
Though many blocks away, Treize could quite clearly see the chaos his beautiful creature was wreaking, They scurried about like ants down there, those pitiful firemen. Une had done a fine job in giving his siren a voice. It boded well for the quality of the coup de gras.
Long, aristocratic fingers stroked lovingly over the thin plastic and steel remote in his hand. Though the casing had warmed in his heated grasp, the buttons were still cool to the touch. It would not do to rush this masterpiece simply because of an overeager shiver, now would it? He could feel it, pulsing in his hand, giving his creature a heartbeat that rose and fell in time with his own. Or was it his own heartbeat that rose and fell in cadence with the creature's?
They were one.
This terrible drama, this magnificent beauty, the righteous rage spiraling up into the night and the faint tremors tingling along his spine, tantalizing him and tormenting him all at once. The heart of a Phoenix, myth no longer, beat within his breast. Though they may seek to slay it, though they might strike at it with their lances and swords, those pathetic little fighters, not honorable enough, not strong enough to be called warriors even, would never slay his beautiful Phoenix.
Though the survivors of the battle may well someday earn the title of warrior. Then perhaps they would be able to return righteousness to this hellish, misguided world. All it would require was tempering.
By fire.
As Duo, now dressed in bunker pants and helmet with coat slung over his shoulder, jogged back to resume his place at the pump panel, Otto stepped away to relinquish his place. The Investigator's gaze swung across the entire scene, taking in the angle of the ladder, the number and placement of all the hoses, the grim determination on the faces that he could see, the fog building up in the masks of the faces that he couldn't see. His attention paused, lingering over Zechs and Heero standing so near the fiery throat of the blaze. With very little trouble, one could tune out the rest of the scene, focusing on those two until all one saw was two small men backlit by flame, like the last Knights of some lost Crusade standing against the barbarian horde. It was so typically Zechs that Otto couldn't help but smile to himself. That spirited young boy standing up against his father so very many years ago had never truly grown up, yet had matured beyond all expectation and hope.
A sudden finger of dread slid down Otto's spine, chilling him and stealing his breath away. Like a tone too high to be heard, or a silent whisper from St. Florian's [4] own lips, Otto could feel a desperate danger deep in his bones. A danger, which from the looks of the other firefighters, only he could feel. He had to warn them. He had to get him out of there.
Spinning towards Duo, he grabbed his arm and leaned in to shout, "Get them out of there! Call them back! You've got to cut their water supply! Now!"
Duo gaped at the man, not believing what he was hearing. "Are you NUTS?"
"No! Now! Get him back here! Do it! Cut their water! Get them back!"
Duo shook the Investigator off, eyeing him as if he'd suddenly turned into an alien. The man was insane. Cut their water supply? In this conflagration? That'd be murder, plain and simple.
Seeing that Duo was clearly not going to cooperate, Otto let go of the Driver and turned towards the fire. A moment later, he was sprinting towards the pair at the end of the 2 1/2 inch hose, the heat blasting at him through his thin uniform. Behind him Duo shouted, calling to Otto, even calling towards the Captain from Engine 12 who was supposed to be in charge of the scene. No one heard him over the chaotic din of the scene.
Zechs jumped as a man clad in nothing more than a regular duty uniform appeared beside him, despite the searing heat of the fire. Already, a thick sheen of sweat coated Otto's features, and it wasn't the dancing glare of the flames that tinted the Investigator's skin pink, but rather the first stages of burn that was already damaging Otto's hands and face.
Otto? Was that really Otto with that look of wrath and fear on his face? It took Zechs a moment to really reconcile the familiar image of his old friend with the visage of this man before him, as the Otto he knew had never looked so fierce and grim before.
"-NOW!" Otto shouted, leaning closer so that Zechs could understand him through the mask and the noise, "YOU HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!"
He reached out, flinching as his fingers closed around the hot cloth of Zechs' bunker gear to grab the Captain's arm. Otto saw Heero reach for him, trying to bat him out of the way, motioning him back towards the dubious safety of the rigs, but he dodged out of the way and grabbed Zechs' arm again. Pulling, he urged the other man to retreat, shouting warnings until his voice grew raw.
Duo saw his Captain start to shut down the hose, could read the confusion in ever fiber of Zechs' being. Even from the distance, Duo could tell that his Captain did not want to retreat, did not want to back away from the fire, but needed to get Otto to safety. Without bunker gear, the Investigator was literally roasting himself alive standing so close to the blaze.
Duo watched as Heero started to shift his weight as not to topple into his Captain when the hose shut down. A sudden lance of ice-cold terror raced through Duo from the base of his brain to his balls, and every hair on his neck stood on end.
That's when the whole world lit up into a nova of fury and rage. The last thing Duo saw before darkness descended was Otto's silhouette against the maelstrom, still urging Zechs to retreat.
End Part 24
Notes:
[1] 10-08 - this is "10 Code" speak, or short hand radio speak, for
"available". It means that the units sated are not already busy on a run
and can come to the run being announced.
[2] 10-07 - this is "10 Code" speak, or short hand radio speak, for "busy". It means that the units stated are already committed to a call, and are not available to respond to the run being announced.
[3] Incident Command - at every large emergency event, such as a structure fire, someone has to be in charge. It is this person, The Incident Commander, who is responsible for directing who goes where, who is doing what, and making sure that folks go where they are supposed to go and don't stray off to play Lone Gunman. Usually that duty falls to the Battalion Chief, however if there are several incidents occurring at the same time, a Batt Chief may not be available, and a Captain may assume this duty. In this case, the first rig in has the option to either assume the command, or pass it to the second rig in, and proceed with rescue or firefighting operations.
[4] St. Florian - Patron Saint of Firefighters
RavynFyre