October 26th, my fourth day on the job, and I was still reeling from the shock. Carter, of all people, had set the firehouse kitchen ablaze. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone - a firefighter starting a fire. The news had spread like wildfire, no pun intended, and the media had a field day.
As I waited for the inevitable call to action, I busied myself with the equipment. The hoses - 1 ¾, 2 ½, 3’’, and 4’’ - were neatly folded, nozzles within easy reach. The 3 or 4 inch supply hoses were also readily accessible, ready to be hooked up to a hydrant or another engine company at a moment’s notice.
Lieutenant Valkyrie approached me, “Hey probie, your record says you’re a firearms enthusiast.”
I nodded, “That’s right. I’ve even fired historical weapons like the Chicago Typewriter. I use the Chicken wing stance, elbow sticking out, just like the G.I’s in the old photos. Nowadays, the Power point Stance is more common, with the dominant hand bowed out and the gunstock high next to the cheek. The non-dominant hand rests on the weapon’s forehand or lower handguard. It’s a stress reliever for me.”
Valkyrie seemed intrigued, “Well, we’ve got something new for you. We’ve got Squad Companies in several cities, each equipped with a Firefighter Shotgun. It’s designed for fire suppression and rescue operations, using water vapor cartridges. It has a capacity of 15 shots before reloading. It’s ideal for both close and narrow areas like cramped spaces, narrow hallways, and stairwells, as well as wide areas like open plazas, warehouses, and large rooms. I don’t trust Carter with it, and I want someone with experience using a weapon to test it.”
With that, she handed me the box. I loaded the water vapor cartridges, essentially filling it up with water, and set a trashcan on fire for a test run. The recoil knocked me off my feet, but the fire was out in one shot. Reading the manual, I discovered it had two modes - personal protection and range. The range mode produced a narrow angle cone blast, while the personal protection mode produced a wide angle cone. Both modes were designed to put out fires in a wider area and faster than a normal attack line. However, the Firefighting Shotgun had a flaw - it needed to be charged for two to four seconds before firing. This meant a firefighter couldn’t just fire it without assessing the situation first, to prevent injuring a civilian, victim, or fellow firefighter. It was a powerful tool, but one that required careful handling.
Fully suited up in my turnout gear, I prepared for the next test. I set another trashcan on fire, the flames dancing and crackling, a stark contrast to the cool, calm determination I felt. I positioned myself strategically, digging my heels into the ground, bracing for the impending force. Any firefighter could attest to the raw power of a high-pressure hose stream. If you weren’t prepared, it could knock you off your feet, leaving you scrambling to regain your footing amidst the chaos. But I was ready. I had the Firefighting Shotgun in my hands, and I was ready to face the challenge head-on.
I then used the Firefighting Shotgun which is called that because it more or less acts like a shotgun but instead of shotgun shells it’s water vapor and meant to put out fires somewhat quicker but I was able not to be knocked down this time. I then removed the water and put my turnout gear back on Squad 525 and put the Fire Fighting Shotgun onto the apparatus but since I’m the only one qualified to use it because of my extensive firearms training and extensive firearms training because Pengelle, Schmit, Steven even though he’s off duty due to his leg injuries, Lieutenant Valkyrie, even Carter only have basic military firearms training but I don’t trust Carter making a sandwich or stretching an attack or supply line.
But I definitely won’t trust him to use an $12000 piece of equipment meant to fight fires faster that supposed to be somewhat superior to an attack line because of hoses getting knotted up or getting stuck on things because with the Firefighting Shotgun is supposed to be held like an attack line nozzle or an firearm like a shotgun. But the manual says that it’s actual name is actually Cascade Combater fitting how since the central boxy state/borough/country of Cascade of 246.75 miles wide and 324 miles long and is home to the Little Bird capital the city of Chocolate named for the nearby Cocoa fields but the manual even says that it was originally going to be called “Chocolate Combater” but that ain’t catchy and won’t be fitting for the fire department not adding it was developed and researched by the Little Bird Cascade PyroShield Technologies.
Soon a woman came in with a duffle bag.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
She replied, “Are you Lieutenant Valkyrie?”
“No I’m not,” I replied, “Second floor third door on the right.”
To me it looks like we’re getting another female candidate, something that’ll make Carter blow his lid but I think that Lt Valkyrie had something to do with that as well.
“Who are you?” I asked the woman when I remet her when going upstairs
She replied, “Name Oijia. Yes, that's Native Little Birden from the Falconese tribe. But no doubt you met my ex husband”
“Carter?” I asked just jumping the gun.
Oijia replied, “Yup. Oh how at first he was all picture perfect until I got a normal job then he all went off that his money was his. But my money was his but when I told him that my money was mine not his and he didn’t like it but I told him that if my money was his then his money was mine but nope. But I’m sure they told you not to let him cook.”
“Yeah they told me not to let Carter cook because he set the firehouse kitchen and dining room on fire,” I said, “Name Mackenzie but you can call me Macaroni.”
Oijia replied, “Macaroni?”
“Because one of my favorite foods is Macaroni and Cheese or the shells in Lasagna,” I said. “So what did you do before coming over here?”
Oijia replied, “Used to be a prosecutor who took insurance frauders to court and also took people to court who would steal cars and resell them with fake papers. Okay here on Little Bird you can buy a used car from the previous owner or a dealership but who buys the car can modify said car and at a later date they can resell the car because that’s it’s selling from owner to buyee with the original pink slips. But I've dealt with people who take said cars and just resell them with fraudulent pinkslips where it would’ve been impossible if they made ownership papers. I got bored and joined to prove my ex wrong.”
Soon the fire bell went off.
***
Mid-Rise office building.
“Mac and Oijia West Wing Second Floor,” ordered Lt Valkyrie.
I grabbed the Cascade Combater while Oijia gotten an 1 ½ high rise pack hose.
“This mid rise has a center staircase in the center so pay attention to airflow,” said Lieutenant Valkyrie,
Oijia replied, “Why do we have to pay attention to the air flow?”
“Fire is in a constant hunt for oxygen and for the Ventilation teams they have to cut vent points away from entry points because if not then the fire is going to come where we enter which is the entrance point. So if we enter without a vent to drive the fire away from our entrance point so we don’t enter and get fried. The same thing with an backdraft but a backdraft is where a fire uses up all of its oxygen but a backdraft is the abrupt burning of superheated gasses in a fire caused when oxygen rapidly enters a hot, oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed space is opened or broken. Backdrafts are typically seen as a blast of smoke and/or flame out of an opening of a building.”
***
Second Floor, West Wing in a room that has some boxes.
“Hey a standpipe,” I said.
Oijia went over and hooked up the high rise pack hose but I took it with one hand and stretched it around and told her to charge it where she came and got it. We moved into a hallway to fight the fire where we opened another door and opened a big work area with desks and computers.
Oijia turned on the hose and started to spray at the fire while I used the Cascade Combater where the first blast was so powerful that the table a few feet away from us everything got knocked off of it breaking the computers and keyboards because of how powerful the blast was. But I did station myself up against a wall but it gave me a powerful pleasure of joy and happiness of how powerful and strong it is.
“You alright?” asked Oijia.
I replied, “Just gotten a fantastic arousal.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Fifth Floor East Wing
There was a cracking sound and we heard Lieutenant Valkyrie over the radio say “Pay attention to the ceiling, it looks weak!”
I kept one reason why I came back and that I was missing the old world and was suffering from Old World Blues which I was longing for the glories of the past and this place is it. But soon something fell trapping Oijia but I soon was able to free her but Oijia insisted she would walk it off.
“So what do you think of Carter?” asked Oijia.
I replied, “He is the type my dad warned me about when I was first working getting my first paycheck. My dad warned me by saying ‘People you think are your friends will happily sell you out or abandon you if you get in the way of something they want. You'll only find out who your real friends are when you're down.’ and the moment Carter said about Lt Valkyrie not vetting me and what not I knew right away that he’s one of the people that my dad warned me about.”
I then talked about how when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s I talked about how I liked Glam metal/hair metal fell out of fashion in the early 1990s before I switched to listen to classic rock, rock and roll and country music.
“Yeah, what do you expect in this city,” said Oijia. “Everyone in the city is corrupt: The police, the unions, even the church. Like it says in the book. We’re both blessed and cursed.”
I replied, “What fuckin’ book?”
I opened a door where we entered another office area but saw Cater come into the same office space. We decided to leave so we wouldn’t have to hear something from him that would cause us to punch him or wanting me to summersault him into the inferno because I knew that our uniforms don’t protect us from fire but it protected us from heat because after some time fire will burn through our turnout gear.
We moved like a well oiled team without Carter. While we’re a team we exclude Carter from the team while Carter does the same with women because he doesn’t view us and Lt Valkyrie as equals but he treats us as inferiors and believes we shouldn’t do this job. He just focuses on the cons of women firefighters than the pros like us fitting into areas that a male cannot.
I know the type that Carter is. Even if we do something that everyone else would give us praise for, he'll still treat us like shit but I’ve made my peace. When I first met him I did not care how he felt about me that even if I saved his life he wouldn’t thank me but just insult me but I already proved myself to everyone else in this company.
Oijia and I went outside to swap out our near empty oxygen tanks for full ones from the Air Mask Service but as we were putting our air bottles onto our backs where we got to see my girlfriend’s company arriving. The officer door swung opened as 141 apparatus was slowing down but unlike the company I’m on my girlfriend her company is more of an well oiled machine where before we went back in we saw Avalanche and Dynamite just grab the high rise attack lines and head right in, their chauffeur-engineer already hooking up a supply line to an hydrant and everyone else grabbing axes or pike poles and going right in.
____________________________________________________________________________
The Eighth Floor, the pinnacle of corporate power, loomed before us—an expanse of polished marble and hushed secrets. As a firefighter, my boots echoed off the pristine tiles, a stark contrast to the chaos that awaited. My education in ancient philosophy seemed an unlikely companion in this modern inferno, but life has a way of weaving disparate threads into a tapestry of survival.
The offices and conference rooms sprawled like a maze, each door a potential escape or entrapment. Oijia, my partner, and I moved with purpose, our senses attuned to the subtlest shifts—the creak of a hinge, the flicker of emergency lights. The doors to the conference rooms were jammed, stubborn sentinels guarding their secrets. But I was never one to yield to obstacles.
I kicked the glass panels, shattering the illusion of invulnerability. The walls, paradoxically, were transparent—a cruel joke played by architects who valued aesthetics over practicality. Privacy blinds hung limply, their strings frayed. Luck, it seemed, had abandoned us; the blinds were raised, exposing our movements to unseen eyes.
Oijia hesitated, firehose in hand. Glass shards threatened its integrity, yet she clung to it like a lifeline. We were trained to trust that hose—the pulsing artery connecting us to life beyond the smoke. If our vision failed, we could trace its path, hand over hand, back to safety. But now, the glass walls mocked our reliance on the tangible.
In the heart of the executive floor, disaster unfurled. A chandelier, once a symbol of opulence, plummeted—a fiery comet. Flames danced across woolen carpets, hungry tongues licking at our boots. The air thickened with heat and panic.
“Death Pyre!” I shouted, my voice swallowed by the roar. I glimpsed a figure on the other side, a silhouette framed by infernal glow. Oijia turned, her eyes questioning.
“A what?” she asked, her grip on the hose unyielding.
“A pyre,” I replied, my mind bridging epochs. “Ancient Greeks understood it well—a vessel for transformation. A body, placed upon or beneath the wood, consumed by fire. Funeral rites or executions—the boundary blurred. And here, in this modern crucible, we face our own pyre. Sacrifices made for survival.”
Oijia nodded, her resolve unwavering. We stepped forward, into the blaze. The glass walls trembled, revealing both vulnerability and strength. Philosophy met firefighting—a union forged in chaos, tempered by courage.
As flames danced, I wondered, Would our sacrifice be remembered? Or would we become mere embers, lost in the annals of time?
Oijia backed away and fought the fire from range where I had to be at medium range to use the Cascade Combater to combat it but this was a lot more tougher than a small fire but fires that I’ve fought using the Cascade Combater went out in one blast from both close and mid range. This fire is not but I kinda wonder if it had to do with the fact that the chandelier is metal so Class D but the Candle wax in my guess would be a mix of Class A and B.
I then grabbed my walkie talkie and said into it, “Squad 525-7 to Squad 141-2 come in over.”
Lusty replied, “Squad 141-2 here, what do you need, Squad 525-7?”
“Got a massive chancelier fire up here on the 8th floor. What's y’all 10-20?” I said.
Lusty replied, “Seventh floor. That what that sound was? Thought it was a minor earthquake. I’ll send Avalanche and Dynamite up to your 10-20.”
“10-4 Over and out,” I replied, “Yes I know what Over and Out means. ‘Over’ means, "I'm finished talking, respond," while ‘out’ indicates the transmission is over with no response necessary.”
When the Cascade Combater would run out of water to shoot I would have Oijia fill it up and rinse and repeat until Avalanche and Dynamite came with their 1 ½ and 2 ¾ inch high rise attack lines and they came to assist us into fighting the fire and the chandelier fire.
It took a lot longer than we could imagine but before we could put it out my girlfriend Lusty came and she just said “Unbelievable” because this was the first time she ever saw a chandelier on fire with a near inextinguishable blaze. Even when hitting it from all sides but a few minutes after my girlfriend showed up, Lieutenant Valkyrie showed up. She scratched the back of her head in confusion because she never seen a unquenchable fire but she went over to a wall and bused open a fire extinguisher case and grabbed an ABC fire extinguisher and joined in on the group but it was a lot harder than we imagined but after a few more minutes we were able to put it out.
I went over to the person and got him up. I put my left arm around him and walked out with him.
____________________________________________________________________________
After the fire outside while packing up our gear we all saw Carter walk with a painful limp.
“You alright Carter?” asked Pengelle.
Carter replied in pain, “Far from it.”
“What happened?” asked Pengelle.
Carter replied, “Her gal pal kicked me in the balls.”
Me and Oijia started to giggle from it.
____________________________________________________________________________
Twenty-one minutes ago,
(Lieutenant Claire “Lusty” Johnson POV)
I strode into the expansive workshop room, the clatter of computers. I was busy assisting Avalanche in maneuvering the unwieldy high-rise 2 ¼ hose into position. However, the tranquility of the moment was shattered by Carter's unwelcome intrusion.
"I have both rank and seniority," I asserted firmly, meeting Carter's gaze head-on. "In this scenario, it's me who calls the shots. We may not belong to the same company, but that doesn't give you the right to dictate my actions."
Carter's retort was laden with misplaced confidence. "Eight years on the job make me more experienced than you," he boasted, his tone dripping with arrogance.
A surge of indignation coursed through me. "Fourteen years of dedication have earned me the title of Lieutenant," I shot back, my voice unwavering in its resolve. The tension in the room crackled, a storm brewing on the horizon.
As Carter advanced, his voice raised in a crescendo of confrontation, I knew it was time to take a stand. With a swift, calculated movement, my steel-toed boot connected with its target, sending Carter reeling in agony. The room fell into a stunned silence, punctuated only by Carter's pained groans.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Hovering over him, I delivered my final salvo, my words laced with defiance. "Never underestimate a woman molded by adversity," I declared, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
_______________________________________________________________________
After the fire
(Mackenzie “Macaroni” Waterson POV)
“That’s what happens when you mess with a woman who grew up with the expectation of either defending and standing your ground or being a doormat and like her momma and pa my gal pal is extremely powerful and comes from a neighborhood that is full of tomboys and women who can defend themselves from any threat. Hell, I believe she’ll become the Princess of Hell in the afterlife. Oh go after her then her entire neighborhood will kick your ass so hard that you’ll be regretting it and don’t even bother hiding behind the cops because her old neighbors don’t care.”
We packed up our gear and headed back to quarters with other companies doing the salvage and overhaul.
“It’s nice to see that the city actually did what they were forced to do by opening up 136, 137 and 138 and established another Squad Co 541,” I said.
Pengelle replied, “Yeah they finally got off their asses and made new companies so a lot of floaters can actually work and still have people in the floater pool. But the city is still divided up into two battalions since pre-1850s of when the city only needed said battalions instead of just you know just create more battalion chiefs and Safety Battalions don’t count because they just make sure large operations go with safety and hope no one gets hurt and give advice to either the 18th or 19th Battalion. But the city just redrew the battalion’s response area.”
“Yeah, they should have more, especially since Empire is an Economic hotspot, Tourist hotspot, and industrial hotspot." I said
____________________________________________________________________________
Back at the Firehouse.
Pengelle showed me a map of every single city across Little Bird of how many battalions there were and I was taken aback from what I said because the Fire Department maps has with Battalions:
Battalions:
City of Chocolate:
1st Battalion- Stellara District (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th, Rescue 1, Squad 140)
2nd Battalion- Aurora Heights (10th, 11th, 12th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th, Rescue 2, Squad 142)
3rd Battalion- Embergate (27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 34th, Rescue 3, Squad 143)
4th Battalion- Serenity Springs (35th, 36th, 37th, 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, Rescue 4)
5th Battalion- Neon Nexus (42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th, 48th, 49th, Rescue 5, Squad 146)
7th Battalion- Harborview Haven (50th, 51st, 52nd, 54th, 55th, 57th, 58th, Rescue 6)
8th Battalion- Whispering Pines (60th, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 67th, 75th, Rescue 7)
9th Battalion- Silvershade Square (76th, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 83rd, 84th, Rescue 8)
10th Battalion- Crystal Cascade (86th, 89th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, 101st, Rescue 9)
11th Battalion- Elysian Echoes (102nd, 103rd, 104th, 105th, 106th, 107th, 108th, Rescue 10)
12th Battalion Mystic Meadows (109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th, 115th, 117th, Rescue 11)
14th Battalion-Sunset Ridge (118th, 119th, 120th, 121st, 122nd, 123rd, 124th, Rescue 12)
Fort Suction:
15th- Lakeview (125th, 127th, 128th, 129th, 130th, 131st, 132nd, Rescue 14, Squad 250)
17th- Downtown (133rd, 134th, 135th, 142nd, 143rd, 144th, 145th, Rescue 15, Squad 251)
20th- Harbor (147th, 148th, 149th, 150th, 151st, 152nd 153rd, Rescue 16, Squad 253)
21st- Greenwood (154th, 155th, 156th, 157th, 158th, 159th, 160th, Rescue 26, Squad 259)
22nd- Uptown (161st, 162nd, 163rd, 164th, 165th, 167th, 168th, Rescue 27)
23rd- Airport (AARF 1, AARF 2, AARF 3)
Fort Flurry:
24th- Downtown (169th, 170th, 171st, 172nd, 173rd, 174th, 175th, Rescue 19)
27th- Uptown (177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, Rescue 20)
28th- Southtown (183rd, 184th, 185th, 187th, 189th, 190th, Rescue 21)
29th- Flurry (191st, 192nd, 193rd, 194th, 195th, 196th, 197th, Rescue 22)
30th- Liberty (198th, 198th, 199th, 200th, 201st, 202nd, 203rd, Rescue 23)
Fort Bluejay:
31st- Blueberry Ridge (204th, 205th, 206th, 207th, 208th, 209th, 210th, Rescue 24, Squad 230)
32nd- Downtown (211th, 212th, 213th, 214th, 215th, 217th, 218th, Rescue 25)
33rd- Strawberry (219th, 220th, 221st, 222nd, 223rd, 224th, 225th, Rescue 27, Squad 233)
34th- Idlewood (227th, 228th, 229th, 230th, 231th, 232th, 233rd, Rescue 28)
35th- Eastridge (234th, 235th, 237th, 238th, 239th, 240th, Rescue 29, Squad 243)
Las Adventure:
37th- Poker District (236th, 186th, 241st, 242nd, 243rd, 244th, 245th, Rescue 30, Squad 201)
38th- Blackjack District (246th, 247th, 248th, 249th, 250th, 251st, Rescue 31, Squad 204)
39th- Roulette District (252nd, 253rd, 254th, 255th, 256th, 257th, 258th, Rescue 32, Squad 216)
40th- Ace District (259th, 260th, 261st, 262nd, 263rd, 264th, 265th, Rescue 33)
41st- Jackpot District (266th, 267th, 268th, 269th, 270th, 271st, 272nd, Rescue 34)
Empire:
18th Battalion- Southern half of the city (14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 68, 69, 71, Rescue 17, Rescue 53, Squad 525, Squad 541, 136th, 137th)
19th Battalion- Northern half of the city (23rd, 33rd, 52nd, 59th, Rescue 18, Foam Engine 32, HAZMAT 33, 138th)
25th Battalion- The ports (15th, HAZMAT 32, Foam Engine 33)
Fort Carson:
42nd- Glenn Park (273rd, 274th, 275th, 276th, 277th, 278th, 279th, Rescue 35, Squad 220)
43rd- Aurora (280th, 281st, 282nd, 283rd, 284th, 285th, 287th, Rescue 36, Squad 225)
44th- Downtown (289th, 290th, 291st, 292nd, 293rd, 294th, 295th, Rescue 37, 227)
45th- Doherty (296th, 297th, 298th, 299th, 300th, 301st, Rescue 38)
Not adding that unlike Empire the other cities each district has seven houses per district where the city of Empire I don’t even know where to begin of how different and whatnot because every other city that ain’t Empire has its houses per district and each district is a battalion unlike Empire which keeps its chart like that since the 1850s without adding new battalions to alleviate the 18th and 19th Battalions because from time to time there’s been emergencies that require a battalion chief and one would respond and the other would respond to another emergency but once the three go to those three emergencies and if a fourth one needs a battalion chief then said emergency would need to wait until one of the three is available.
We then saw Carter sit down on the tailboard where he just put an icepack where his nuts are but he had it coming. He messed with Lusty who doesn’t take shit from anyone and she’ll fight back when need be. But I think Lieutenant Valkyrie didn't care that my girlfriend harmed one of her teammates. I think that she knew that Carter had it coming with his sexist remarks being a sexist prick but got what it’s worth.
We then heard him say, “First my ex-wife joins the company and then I get kicked!”
I then went into the kitchen and I started to make lunch where I just made both T-Bone and Ribeye steak but when Pengelle told me that he likes his steak medium rare I looked at him whenever I would go to a family barbecue or my dad would host it whenever I asked if someone likes their steak anything else besides well done well everyone in my family always say “We ask them firmly but fairly to leave” but I never made a medium rare steak before but I just threw his onto the grill half way through ours were well-done.
“What you thinking about Mac?” asked Oijia.
I replied, “How my girlfriend's first day was different, how her first call was different from mine.”
“How so?” she replied.
I replied, “My girlfriend’s first call was to a construction worker pinned but her company was canceled due to Rescue 18 becoming available so Squad 141 was canceled and told to return back to Quarters. But was called to a hardware store or as Lusty puts it ‘In one day had every single city company and every single volunteer company in the city there’ but they needed a lot of manpower for a few missing members during a routine fire in the basement of the hardware store.”
I soon made sure all of the steaks were done and made homemade Mac and Cheese to go alongside with it.
After lunch we decided to do a firefighter down drill with me being a downed firefighter in the basement of the firehouse with Pengelle and Oijia supposed to be the members of the RIT Rescue but to make it more believable in a smoke filled environment the lights in the basement were shut off. They were told they have to rely on their sense of touch to simulate dense smoke that their flashlights cannot cut through the dense smoke.
But the three of us all got dressed up fully dressed up in our turnout gear but I just lied down on my torso but had my head turned and I laid still for twenty seconds but I didn’t stay still until the lights went out. I hate how loud the PASS alarm that went off but I know why it was loud through,
After what felt like two almost three minutes went by was when I was shaken but I played into my role of being unconvinced real well but heard Pengelle just radio into his walkie talkie “Mayday mayday firefighter down” and hear Lt Valkyrie just say “Get’em out of there.”
I was picked up with one grabbing my back and the other getting my legs and carrying me like that and brought me back into the apparatus bay. When I was told to stop acting when I got up I banged my head on the tailgate of our Rescue Engine.
“Thanks Carter,” I said sarcastically.
Carter replied, “You’re welcome.”
____________________________________________________________________________
The Next Day
Back at my apartment.
I laid down on my couch. I’m exhausted and I just dropped my bag.
“Is my baby girl tired?” asked my dad.
I replied, “In others terms yes.”
“How was work?” he asked.
I replied, “Exhausting but the icing on the cake is that my sexist coworker got knocked around by my girlfriend. Well he tried to assert seniority even though he has eight years on the job while my girlfriend has fourteen years on the job. To knock him down a couple of pegs she took her steel toed boot and knocked him down a few pegs.”
“I can feel that pain,” my dad said.
I replied, “Shouldn’t you be back in the States?”
“I would but…” my dad said.
I replied, “What happened? Did mom come back and take the house from you?”
“Heaven forbid that happens,” my dad said. “Honestly, what's that syndrome?”
I replied, “Empty nest syndrome. Just find another woman to be with and find someone who is loyal and not a narcissistic drug addict who took advantage of you. Find someone who you’ll love and can support each other. Like me and my girlfriend for example we’re both loyal, and have clear communications even though no relationship is perfect even if we have disagreements but we’re in a happy relationship where we are honest with each other and we’re both affectionate and appreciative of each other.
"We make an effort to work through any problems we have, we see each other for who we are and don’t see each other for each other potential, we always do not have to have an identical view of the world, but we do is sharing opinions on important global topics, we communicate with honestly and logically and we stay vigilant because people change. You say that you like women who are handy like me who can repair and fix things themselves like mechanics so find someone who you’ll want to be with. And how since who were with ‘mom’ for twenty three years so you know what to look out for.”
“Ah I should but don’t know,” my dad said, “Also when you and your girlfriend get married don’t forget to send me an invite or an RSVP. Since you’re my only child and it would be a once and done deal not adding that you and your girlfriend have something unique and I want to see you happy. From my point of view I see a relationship that me and your mother could’ve had but didn’t but honestly I don’t know if I can move on to find another lover after being stuck in 23 years of a loveless marriage.”
I replied, “It wasn’t completely loveless.”
“Yeah that’s true because we loved each other with our father-daughter bond,” my dad said. “Can I get you something?”
I replied, “Whiskey.”
My dad soon came over with a bottle of whiskey in hand and a shot glass in hand.
“I meant the bottle not the shot glass,” I said before snatching the bottle out of my dad’s hand and put the bottle into my mouth.
My dad replied, “I haven’t seen anyone chug whiskey like that since my nephew Stephan’s wedding back in 1973. I really think your girlfriend loves her work.”
“Yes. Yes she does,” I confirmed.
My dad replied, “I mean when I was in Downtown yesterday I saw her company. I saw her open the door of her company for her to get out but without hearing her mutter a word saw her company get what they needed and go.”
“That or she could’ve told them what they needed while en route but Lusty she has her company do drills a lot not adding the other day when I visited her firehouse I heard her tell a firefighter who has fear of heights I heard her say ‘Look up not straight down because looking down changes your perspective of the ground.’ Of course that’s from when I was suspended for a crime I didn’t commit. So some time I would just go to her firehouse and spend time there where last time I was there she was demonstrating a backdraft of safely opening a door by hiding behind a wall and opened said door with an ten foot long pike pole.
"To me my girlfriend should’ve become a pinup model. Even though she’s 30 she looks like she’s 8-11 years younger due to her physical fitness and maintaining a healthy diet and other stuff to keep herself looking young. But Lusty has her crew do drills a lot ranging from fire attack to HAZMAT drills, to firefighter down drills, to firefighter down in a HAZMAT area to vertical rescue drills, Search and Rescue including RIT Rescue drills, Ventilation, High-Rise, Vehicle extrication, Forcible Entry drills, and compartmental drills. So far I’ve only done the Compartmental drill.”
My father looked at me, his eyes filled with curiosity, and asked, “Alrighty cool. But why do you guys break windows?”
I took a deep breath, preparing to explain the intricacies of our job. “Dad, we don’t just go in and start breaking things. We break windows to create an outlet for the heat and smoke. The intense heat can quickly drain our strength, making our job even more challenging. That’s why we have specialized ventilation teams.
"They cut vents in the roof, allowing the heat and smoke to escape from our entry point. My girlfriend and Dave always say there’s no sweeter sound than the roar of a rescue saw. It’s a signal, a promise that the smoke and heat will soon have somewhere else to go. With an open vent, the heat, fire, and smoke are drawn away from our entry point, ensuring it doesn’t come rushing at us when we make entry.”
My dad nodded, taking in the information. “You plan on going over to one of those big boxy ones?”
“You mean a Rescue Squad?” I clarified.
“Sure, why not,” he replied with a shrug.
I smiled, thinking about the future. “Yeah, once I get some seniority under my belt and more expertise, around 2013-14, I plan to apply to Special Operations and go to Rescue school. It’ll be a roll of the dice which of the city’s three Heavy Rescue Squads - 17, 18, or 53 - I’ll join. I’ll have to be retrained and requalified twice a year. According to Captain Linda Richter-Waterson and Captain Constintine Richter, it’s usually at the beginning of the year, around mid to late January to early February, and then again around mid to late September to early October.”
“But I understand why they have to go through this rigorous process. Their apparatus are nicknamed ‘Toolboxes on wheels’ because they’re tasked with responding to and dealing with specialized fire and rescue incidents that are beyond the scope and duties of a standard engine company or ladder company. They carry a wide variety of specialized tools and equipment to aid in operations at technical rescue situations, such as rope rescues, building collapse rescues, confined space rescues, trench/excavation rescues, machinery and vehicle extrication/rescues, water rescues, and a variety of other technical rescue situations.”
“They respond to all structure fires within their response area, which is divided up into the Northern Half and Southern half of the city. Rescue 17 responds to any emergency in the Southern half, Rescue 18 responds to any emergency in the Northern half, and Rescue 53 can respond to either. But if Rescue 17 is ou
t in an emergency, Rescue 18 will take over their response area, and vice versa.” I concluded, hoping I had given my father a better understanding of what we do.
My dad then turned on the TV so we could watch TV together like we used to and it was a national television talk show in which I really don’t care for talk shows. I'm more of an action show.
After I chugged the bottle I told my dad I was going to go and visit my girlfriend but he tagged along wanting to remeet my lovely girlfriend.
____________________________________________________________________________
At Lusty’s penthouse we got out of the elevator and climbed one flight of stairs. We went to her penthouse and I knocked on the door and my girlfriend let us in.
“Kinda wish I gotten a phone call or I would’ve cleaned up my kitchen table,” said Lusty.
I replied, “What’s going on?”
“Paperwork aka forms to sign,” Lusty said, “Lily wants to join softball, Rose wants to enroll in ballet. Margaret is enrolling into Scouting aka Girl scouts, Mabel is joining soccer, Bella is enrolling in arts and crafts, Chloe is enrolling in the chess club, and Charlotte wants to do golf but how since that’s high school so she’s enrolling in the drama club because Charlotte says that she either wants to be a professional golfer or a performer when she’s older. Already suffered from a hand cramp from signing the paperwork and almost spilled coffee all over the paperwork too.”
I replied, “Ah okay then. Remember years back from your hospital business?”
Lusty still remembers when she got discharged from the hospital years back. When Lusty asked if her brain and head would heal, she was told that her head would heal, but brain cells don’t regenerate, so her brain won’t heal. Lusty even asked if she could go to work. She was told that she could, but it would be idealistic and better if she found a safer job. But she hasn’t.
Lusty then went back over to the table and went to sign the forms.
“If you want coffee there’s some in the pot,” Lusty says
I saw my dad go over to the coffee pot to get a cup of coffee.
“Wanna go see a horror movie in theaters later?” Lusty asked.
I replied, “I like horror movies but I’m not fazed by them anymore because the cliches in horror movies have been done too many times, overused and become too predictable.”
“Yet twelve years ago when you saw that horror movie that kills people in their dreams gave you nightmares,” my dad said. “Or when you saw that horror movie series about a tall guy with a hockey mask with a machete killing people. Remember July and August back in 1997 when you were thirteen?”
I gave my dad a glare that says that he shouldn’t have said it. But I sat next to my girlfriend.
“Heartbreaking as it is,” Lusty said, “But I’ve told them that my work would interfere with their activities so I’ll try to show up when I can but I’ll have to miss a majority of their games or plays or whatnot. But I told them that other family members will show up in my place even though it wouldn’t be like me being there. I did tell them that how my work would have me interfere with my family life but I promised that their extensive family will show up in my abstinence”
____________________________________________________________________________
28th of October
“Welcome to sunny Empire,” I muttered to myself, stepping out of my car into the rain. It wasn’t a downpour, but it wasn’t a drizzle either. It was somewhere in-between, a steady rhythm of drops that seemed to echo my own internal turmoil. The thunder cracked overhead, a stark reminder of the storm that was brewing both outside and within me.
I made my way into the kitchen. “What’s the situation?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Lt Valkyrie looked up, her face grim. “Strip mall fire last night. Started when the thunderstorm hit. Some are speculating it was caused by a lightning strike. But there’s something else - they found the number 198445 spray-painted on a brick wall. Probably just a coincidence, some street gang tagging random numbers.”
A chill ran down my spine. “198445… that’s my serial number,” I said, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. “But yeah, it’s probably just a coincidence. Unless Carter did it and marked my serial number… then he’s going to have a serious problem.”
Valkyrie sighed, “Can you drop the tough girl act for once?”
I turned to the rest of the team. “Have any of you ever been vulnerable?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Oijia was the only one who responded. “I was… for years.”
The room fell silent. I took a deep breath, “So, have any of you had to stay home with a mother who prioritized drugs over family? Ever gone to bed hungry because your dad had to work overtime and couldn’t make dinner? Ever had your toys taken away because your mother sold them to fuel her addiction?”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke, the words bringing back memories I had tried so hard to forget. I left the kitchen quickly, seeking the privacy I needed to let my tears fall. The wounds of my past had been reopened, the pain as fresh as the day it was inflicted. The woman I was supposed to call ‘mother’ had never cared for me. My aunts, grand aunts, older female cousins, and older nieces had been more of a mother to me than she ever was. And that… that was a sentence I never thought I’d have to say.
I stay secluded in private for an hour ignoring my social needs wanting to be left alone and not be around someone. But when I got better or something like that I decided to ask Lieutenant Valkyrie if I could run a quick errand but told her that I would have my radio on so if they get a call then she’ll meet them at the scene so she allowed it.
I put on my bunker gear trousers/w suspenders but I put my shoes in my car with the rest of my turnout gear but my destination was two blocks away anyway.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rescue Company 17 quarters.
“Hey Captain, you got one minute?” I asked.
Linda replied, “Sure. What do you want Macaroni?”
“Is there a way for me to come over to the rescue squad?” I asked.
Linda replied, “Well you can apply anytime but they want people with experience. Like for example all of us are trained in both blackwater and deepwater diving but it’ll be better for you to do a year so you can earn your trade. No really starts here where all of us here are experienced. Or as I told your girlfriend, the first members of this company were experienced in their trade of electrician, bricklaying, metal work, and other construction trades.”
Lina then pulled a magazine out of her desk and put a sticky note on it and wrote a number down.
“Call Captain O’Hara and tell him I want you in his next class,” Linda said, “But also take note that there’s a chance and I mean a 50/50 chance you’ll be rejected and would have to retake said classes to try and become a member of the rescue company. Tell me what kind of diving we do?”
I picked up a pen and began to jot down my thoughts on a crisp piece of paper.
“Open water,” I wrote, “it’s the unrestricted expanse of water that reaches directly up to the surface, kissing the atmosphere.”
Next, I penned down, “Blue-water diving. It’s an adventure into the heart of the ocean, where the sea bed is a mystery, hidden from sight and beyond the reach of divers.”
I continued, “Then there’s Black-water diving, a thrilling plunge into the open ocean at night, where the darkness envelops you.”
I moved on to describe more challenging environments. “Penetration diving,” I noted, “is when you dive under a physical barrier, cutting off a direct vertical ascent to the surface.”
I wrote about Cave diving, the exploration of water-filled caves, and Cavern diving, where you stay within sight of the cave’s exit, bathed in natural light.
I detailed structures like Culverts, designed to channel water past obstacles, and Intakes, openings that admit fluid into a space or machine. I mentioned Penstocks, which control water flow to turbines or sewerage systems.
I described the Overhang, a rocky feature protruding from a cliff, open on one side but obstructed overhead, deep enough for a diver to be under it. I explained Restrictions, spaces that challenge divers with their limited size, sometimes even requiring equipment removal for passage.
Swim-through – Short underwater tunnel with adequate clearance and obvious exit – Arch, or short, clear tunnel that has sufficient space to allow a diver to swim through and where the light of the opening at the far end is visible through the hole.
I ended with Sewerage, the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff using sewers.
Just then, Linda shared her experience, “I’ve been ice rescue diving once. The ice was so sharp, it cut through my dive suit. And this was up in the mountains.” Her words added a chilling reality to my notes.
I responded, “I would have thought that up in the mountains, the mountain patrol or avalanche specialists would have people trained for ice water rescue.”
Linda explained, “They do, but the guy who usually does it was on his honeymoon, and the other guy was in the hospital. They didn’t have anyone to replace them, so they had to call the fire department. But Rescue Co 18 was busy, and Rescue Co 53 was still on the drawing board, not to be finalized until December of 2008 after the city hall increased the city’s fire department budget to accommodate more classes for the Special Operations Command. Despite being a Captain, I went in.”
She continued, “It’s interesting that back in the 1860s, the Little Bird government divided the country into five Commonwealths. Most people just call them States, Boroughs, Counties because even official maps aren’t set in stone. Some maps refer to the five as either States, Boroughs, Counties, or Commonwealths.”
I replied, “That reminds me of a few games I’ve played. They’re set in a post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic world, decades after a global nuclear war between the United States and China. In 1969, the US Government restructured the US into thirteen Commonwealths, creating another layer of bureaucracy between the federal and state governments.”
Linda simply said, “Okay then, right.”
I concluded, “Thanks, Capt. See you around.”
I then left but as I got back into my car and put the key into my car’s ignition. Over the radio I had on me went off reporting a structure collapse but instead of taking my car I just went back inside and asked Linda if I could tag along in which she just told me to hop aboard because they’re going to the same place as the company I’m on.
I just sat on the seat behind Linda.
“First building collapse?” I asked.
Linda replied, “Fourteenth.”
To me that was a lot.
“Primarily gas leaks that go unchecked and when someone ignites a lighter to light a cigarette or cigar then boom,” Linda said, “Some residential buildings don’t install proper alarms to warn the owners of buildings until it’s either too late or days go by and when there’s no one there then they’ll call the cops for a welfare check. And when said cops smell the gas then they call for the utility company for a gas leak which also calls out a fire department company to be on standby also to do a quick search if the gas is in the Lower Flammability Limit because if it’s Higher where it’s too rich to burn we avoid doing searches because air leaking in can bring the mixture into combustibility range. But besides that I’ve been through other building collapses from weather decay.”
I replied, “All okay then thanks for telling me.”
After a couple of minutes we got there. We started to move the rubble into another pile to search for survivors but after a few minutes we heard Oijia shout “I got someone!” I then saw Pengelle and Carter went over to Oijia’s location to help her.
***
Back at the firehouse
Carter cornered me, his voice echoing with a tone of superiority. His words, laced with sexism and misogyny, were a stark contrast to the values I held dear as a Waterson. We Watersons have three simple rules: respect for authority and experience, loyalty to friends, and a stern warning for enemies. Carter, however, seemed oblivious to the old Italian proverb, “Quando il gioco è finito, il re e il pedone vanno nella stessa scatola” - when the game is over, the king and pawn go into the same box. He saw himself as a king and me as a mere pawn, but in this firehouse, we were equals.
His attitude wore me down, and before I knew it, I had him in a headlock, his knees buckling under him.
“I can end it right here, right now,” I warned, my voice steady. He struggled, his desperate kicks against the rescue engine drawing the attention of the entire crew. I could see a glint of satisfaction in Oijia’s eyes as she watched her ex-husband gasp for air, but it took the combined strength of Lieutenant Valkyrie, Schmit, Pengelle, and Oijia to pry my arm away from Carter’s neck.
Minutes later, in Lieutenant Valkyrie's office, she reminded me, “You know you cannot attack someone because they have a different mindset than you. This is going on your record of assault.”
“Because I stood up to a sexist, misogynistic jerk who had it coming?” I retorted.
“Well, until your mindset is correct, you’re suspended until further notice,” she said, her voice stern. “And see the department therapist for the next two months until the therapist determines that you’re cleared to return for duty.”
“I’ll find an unbiased third-party therapist,” I shot back. “Someone who won’t use my words against me. And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let them know how you run your firehouse, defending a sexist while punishing those who stand up to them. I’m sure that will send quite a message.”
Lieutenant Valkyrie extended her hand, expecting my badge. I unclipped it from my uniform, but before I handed it over, I let my frustration spill.
“Many of my ancestors who sacrificed their lives in the World Wars would be turning in their graves knowing that people like you and Carter are allowed to roam free,” I retorted, my voice laced with bitterness. “You both have your opinions, but they align more with the ideologies of the Central Powers or the Axis than with those who fought against tyranny. Their sacrifices seem in vain.”
Before Lieutenant Valkyrie could respond, I placed my badge in her outstretched hand and made my way to the locker room.
“What’s going on with you?” she asked, her voice echoing in the empty room.
I responded, echoing the words of my great-grandfather, a veteran of both World Wars and the Korean War, “Meine Ehre heißt Treue, Eliten der Heer - My honor is loyalty, elites of the army. My loyalty isn’t with this army anymore. If you were hoping for it, that train has long since departed.”
With that, I closed my locker, grabbed my duffle bag, and left. Lieutenant Valkyrie tried to say something, but I tuned her out, focusing on returning to Rescue Squad 17 to retrieve my car.
Twenty-two minutes later, I was back in my apartment, my phone in hand. I decided to text my father back in the States, explaining my suspension and the mandated therapy sessions. I expressed my concerns about the department therapist, fearing they would be biased and use my words against me. I told him about my plan to find a third-party therapist, someone unbiased who would listen to my grievances about Carter without judgment.
I also informed Lieutenant Valkyrie of my decision, making it clear that I would rather speak to a therapist who wouldn’t twist my words. I voiced my concerns about Carter’s behavior, but I knew they would likely be dismissed. Despite this, I decided to document everything, creating a paper trail of complaints about Carter. I knew they might try to contradict my claims, but I was prepared to fight.
My apartment lights flickered and soon there were sounds of explosions so I went over to my window and saw fire but soon my apartment lights went out.