Chapter 10

a little street justice

Chad and Nikki emerged from the crowd, steaming cups of coffee in their

hand. Danny took in the aroma and was kicking himself for turning down

Nikki’s offer.

"So stud, you got a foursome in mind?" she asked.

"Huh?" Danny replied, a quick sexual fantasy flashing through the sewers

of his mind.

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 Nikki read his expression like a billboard.

"Grow up!" she snapped, punching him in the arm. "Is there a guy alive

whose brain is above his waistband? I meant who do you want on your team

asshole!"

Danny regrouped.

"Well, Chad and I are joined at the hip. Your dad’s laid up so Willie

doesn’t have a dance partner, and...I don’t know Chad...you want to let a girl

in the club?"

Chad looked skyward rubbing the stubble on his chin.

"She ain’t gonna bitch if we, like, spit and scratch ourselves is she?

Danny looked at Nikki, awaiting an answer.

"I won’t bitch as long as you don’t mind me changing my tampon in the

back of the wagon." she grinned.

"Too much information!" they both shouted in unison dancing around

with grimaces on their faces.

"Okay, okay. You’re in!" Danny winced. "Just don’t say the ‘T’ word

again!"

"Wimps." she muttered under her breath.

The trio waded into the crowd, looking for the fourth Musketeer. They

found Willie in the makeshift triage area, kneeling at Chester’s side. They all

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took a knee along side him.

"How’s the melon old man?" Danny asked,

Chester thumped on his head.

"I think it’s just about ripe...punk kid!"

"The reason we’re here daddy," Nikki interrupted, "is that we want to

steal your partner for our team...if Willie wants to join us."

Chester and Willie looked at each other. Chester patted him on the leg.

"Go on Willie. I’ll be okay here. It’d be nice to know that there’s at least

one good head in the group besides my little girl. Anyway, she needs a

chaperone!"

Willie shook his head and laughed his infectious laugh.

"Take it easy Chet. I don’t want you thinking too much. Stay off that

brain for at least a week. Oh yes...take two nurses and call me in the

morning."

The two shook hands and the team, now complete, headed for their

vehicle.

Before they left they had to sign the roster sheet letting the brass know

who was in their group. If crews got separated they needed some kind of

accountability. They were also issued their vehicle keys and unit

designations.

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 "Okay, I’ve got the keys to car two sixteen. It’s one of the older Caprices

so at least there’ll be more leg room in the back for you two." Danny said,

pointing to Chad and Nikki.

"Why do we have to ride in the back?" Chad whined.

"Let’s see...I’m six foot four, and what are you Willie?"

"Six six." he said, stretching to his full height.

"So there you have it." Danny said smugly. "Shrimps in the back."

They went to the corner of the garage to retrieve their riot shields.

"Can you carry mine for me Danny," Chad whined again. "It’s too big!"

"Yuk, yuk!" he replied. "Let’s get this show on the road."

The four of them walked to the car and loaded their shields in the trunk.

Danny and Willie climbed into the front seats and Chad and Nikki wedged

themselves into the back. Even as large as the old Caprices were, the

prisoner shield took up a lot of knee room. The comfort of criminals was of

no concern to any of them, but sitting side saddle, nuts to butts in this

sardine can made Chad and Nikki feel a little sorry for the scumbags.... a

little, not a lot.

The cars and wagons filed out one by one. Two sixteen was in the middle

of the pack so they had to wait their turn. Danny turned to the back seat.

"Anybody have to go to the bathroom?"

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 The cruiser pulled onto the street and into what had become a world of

uncertainty. Here in the heart of the business district things seemed

relatively calm. But out toward the neighborhoods you could see the orange

glow of fires. Sirens were everywhere.

The radio spat out an unending stream of noise. General broadcasts of

structure fires, looting, shots fired, people down. Even with the Department

fully mobilized there weren’t enough crews to answer the calls.

"Just for your information," Willie said, "We’ve been given the unit

designation of Team three thirty two. That’s what we’ll answer to until the

Cavalry shows up. I sure as hell hope their horses are fast!"

"I think it’s total bullshit that we only get one portable radio per team."

Nikki said.

"All the better reason not to get separated then. The Department doesn’t

prepare for all four shifts coming in at the same time." Danny replied.

"It’s just bullshit, that’s all." she said, not satisfied with his reasoning.

The city had been running the Department at a bare minimum for so long

that everybody got used to it. Now it was coming back to bite them in the

ass.

Team three thirty two hit on and tested their mobile radio along with their

solitary portable. They immediately got a call on large scale looting taking

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place at Lunsford Towncenter Plaza. There would be no time for coffee

stops tonight.

As they drove farther from the business district into the neighborhoods,

the world became more and more surreal. People sat on their porches with

rifles and shotguns. On a normal night this activity alone would have caused

a flurry of calls to 9-1-1. Tonight people were protecting their castles. If

someone wanted their Playstation, they’d better be prepared to pay for it

with their life!

Very few windows remained intact. The smell of burning buildings hung

heavy in the air. Cars sat at the curb with their doors open, wires hanging

from the dashboards where stereos used to be. You could tell the fresh

victims because their dome lights were still shining brightly while others

glowed a dull yellow orange, their batteries almost dead.

Team three thirty two was approaching the Plaza now. Dark figures darted

across streets and in between houses carrying televisions, stereos and

blenders. The more ambitious ones carried couches.

Chad chambered a CS grenade and had Danny lower his window for him.

He aimed carefully for a looter on the front end of a leather sofa, its price tag

still dangling in the wind. FOOMP! The round went flying, hitting the looter

square in the chest. His legs crumpled beneath him and the couch fell square

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across his legs. Both criminals puked and gagged as the noxious cloud

engulfed them. The free one ran away leaving his partner in crime struggling

beneath the weight of the sofa. Chad wondered what hurt more, the fire in

his lungs, the couch crushing his legs or the welt on his chest from the

grenade.

"Hurry roll up the window!" he said as the cruiser rolled on.

"Helluva shot man." Willie said. "But don’t go thinkin’ that you’re gonna

have all the fun! Gimmie that thing."

Chad handed Willie the launcher and five grenades.

"There’s four left in the magazine." he said. "Make sure you re-load it

when you’re done."

"No problemo." Willie said rolling down his window. "Roll up next to

those shops over there."

Danny drove along the curb of the strip mall with Willie’s side of the car

facing the shattered picture windows.

FOOMP, FOOMP, FOOMP, FOOMP!

One by one the grenades flew into the storefronts, each a direct hit. Chad

and Nikki looked out the back window and saw dozens of choking, hacking

looters falling through the windows, stumbling over each other gasping for

air.

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 Willie grabbed the PA mike and yelled, "Yippe-ki-yay motherfuckers!

Any nigger I see with a TV in his hands is gonna have more to worry about

than a little smoke! Tell ‘em Willie says so!"

He dropped the mike and laughed his ass off as he reloaded the launcher.

"Okay, what happens now?" asked Chad. "The smoke clears and they’ll

be back in fifteen minutes. We can’t guard this one plaza all night."

"Shit man, we do what we can." Willie replied. "It’s only stuff baby, it’s

all insured. We keep ourselves in one piece and dispense a little street justice

in the mean time."

"Seems kinda futile to me." Chad mumbled.

"You didn’t think so when you was shootin’ that motherfucker in the

chest. Relax and drop the world Mr. Atlas!" Willie said, handing Chad back

the grenade launcher.

Danny picked up the mike.

"Team three thirty two, we’re complete at the Plaza and back in service."

The dispatcher responded, "Three thirty two in service. Team three thirty

two, assist Engine Company three at a residential structure fire, twenty three

seventeen Champion Street, The Kingman Arms Apartments. Crowds at that

location are assaulting firemen. Three thirty two that will be code three."

Danny hit the lights and sirens and they sped away from the smoke and

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the looters.

When they hit Champion Street the night lit up like midday. The Kingman

Arms was belching flames and fire crews tried desperately to douse the fire.

Groups of gangbangers threw rocks and bottles. A few firefighters went

down and the vultures swarmed them, kicking and punching. Team three

thirty two jumped from their car, batons in hand and ready to go to work.

Danny and Chad lit in to the closest group. They decided not to mess

around with hitting soft tissue and muscle, and went right for the head.

Batons came down making a sharp pop as they hit. Danny’s first suspect

went down with one hit. The second took three. Chad dispensed his with a

single swing, adding two more to the groin for good measure. He and Danny

helped the smoke eater to his feet.

"You alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, thanks guys." he said appreciatively. "Fortunately my helmet and

turnout gear took the brunt."

Just then they heard a gunshot from around the corner of the building.

Danny and Chad stopped breathing, not knowing exactly what to do. They

stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. A second volley rang

out and slingshot them back to reality. They raced to the corner, and then

quickly ducked their heads out from behind cover to see what was

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happening.

There stood Willie, gun in hand, frozen in a two-point stance. A few yards

ahead lay a black youth sprawled on the sidewalk next to a prone fireman.

Two other juveniles fled into the smoke and darkness. Nikki stood in

disbelief, her gun hanging limp at her side.

"What the hell happened?" Chad shouted as he and Danny ran up to them.

Willie started to stammer.

"That one there, he...he...he had an axe and...and was hitting that fireman

down on the ground. He wouldn't drop the axe w-w-when I told him

to...so...so I shot him."

Chad went to check the bodies on the sidewalk. He put on his rubber

gloves and felt for a pulse. Neck...wrist...nothing.

"I think they’re both dead Danny."

Willie lowered his gun and looked to the ground.

"God damn it, I shot him! I never shot nobody before. I never even shot at

anybody before! But I had to...he was trying to kill that man!"

"No Willie you’re wrong." Nikki said. "He did kill that man! You did

what you had to do...what any of us would have done. It was a good

shooting!"

Willie walked over to a house, rested his back against the wall and slid to

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the wet ground.

"Yipee-ki-yay motherfuckers." he whispered.

He didn’t feel so gung ho now.

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