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Okay, here's the deal. I'll tell you a story, you tell me one. Fair?
Who's doing this?
Your first question should be who isn't. It isn't a spark, Brian. Not enough damage. And an insurance pro? Where's the profit margin?
Then who
No no, your turn. Tell me a story.
I don't have a story.
Sure you do.
Famous story even. Straight burn. Just an engine and truck first on scene. What did you feel, Brian, when you first got there?
What?
You gotta tell a story too, Brian. It's fair. C'mon, don't think too hard
I... I thought it was great. I loved it. It was nothing to these guys... medium deal.
Right. Light smoke, low roll. Couple'a civilians hollering medium deal. So young fireman Adcox and Captain McCaffrey, they head up stairs, get out on the fire escape McCaffrey does the ballsy jump across... what were you feeling, Brian? C'mon, you promised. Be honest. Okay... Guard!
I wanted to be him. Right then I wanted to be him more than anything...
Very good, Brian. About your report here. The way to a torch's heart is through his tools. That's how you know him. It's the way he talks to the fire. And to you if you listen.
The outlets.
That's a probie answer. You're smarter than that, Brian.
Trychticholorate.
Good. So our two heroes, Adcox and McCaffrey, they go back inside. Only there's another fire in there nobody sees. And it took your dad, didn't it Brian? Did you see him burn?
Who the fuck is doing this?
After it took your dad... the fire... did it look at you Brian? Did it talk to you?...
Oh Jesus Christ...
Not such a far walk after all, is it, Brian?
Brian.
Jennifer.
You're back.
You look great.
Thanks for calling.
Uh... I've been sorta keeping a low profile... the academy... I graduated today.
Huh.
So... I see you're still in the neighborhood.
Not quite. Just visiting. I live in Lincoln Park now.
Yeah? What have you been up to?
I work for city hall.
Really? No kidding.
What, you think I just dried up and blew away when you left? The world does turn once in awhile Brian, even without your permission.
Well, if nothing else, it's nice to know we can still be friends.
I don't want to be your friend, Brian.
With grenadine, right?
When I was twenty.
Oooh, very sophisticated. Having fun?
Look, I'm not the same girl who had nothing better to do than wrap her legs around you on a Saturday night. This isn't about fun. I'm working here.
Carrying Swayzak's notebook?
Let me tell you something. Martin Swayzak is going to be this town's next mayor.
Yeah. Swayzak. Humanity's last hope. How can you work for that guy?
Why do you think Marty came here tonight? Because he cares about your department. You don't know how hard he works. You don't know about his programs helping West Side
All I know is that his programs are getting firemen hurt.
Bullshit. Marty's plan is only about efficiency. I've got two cousins on the job, you think I'd work for him if I didn't believe in it?
What was that? Oh man, you have picked up a few moves since John Paul II Boulevard.
Yeah, well I like to think I'm just a little past hanging out on JP II watching the Irish pick fights and Litwalks barf in the planters.
I seem to remember some pretty good nights on JP II.
Boy, took you all of thirty seconds to blow that.
C'mon Jennifer, he's just another NorthSide jagoff with a mouth.
Brian, do you always have to be so stupid? Think about your future for once.
So now you suddenly care about my future?
Look, I didn't mean to take a piece out of you back there, I just thought you'd call when you came back. You didn't and... Don't blow it just because of this garbage between us.
Hey, sorry if I made you look bad in front of your boss. But I'm not gonna be a poster boy for him, I'm trying to do something here. There's five hundred smoke eaters in this room that do that stuff for real every day. Tell Swayzak to talk to one of them.
I've been thinking about what you said the other night... If the offer's still on the table, I'd like to talk about it.
...Okay. I'll arrange things with your assignment captain. Marty's a good man, Brian.
Yeah...
Arson.
Straightest answer your department's given me all week.
Hey.
How's it going?
Boss and I are up to about three words an hour.
Green committed to a thousand. There's another fundraising party tonight. Marty'd really like you to come.
I don't know, I'm kinda swamped here.
I could use a date.
Yeah? Well, maybe I can fit it in...
Hi.
Hey... So are you dating your boss or what?
If you weren't at least the 300th person to ask me that, I'd probably be pissed. Boy, you sure know it's a man's world sometimes...
Sorry. Are you dating anyone?
You think that's really any of your business?
Well, you did invite me here.
Marty did. But I wanted you to come to.
Okay.
Boy, Rimgale's as slow as a snail, isn't he?
No, he's more of a dinosaur. Guy's not a dummy, though. He's juggling alot of balls on this one.
Yeah, but it doesn't take Albert Einstein just to figure out if these guys were killed by accidents or not.
Jesus, give him a break. There isn't enough proof yet to go public. Sure, we found some chemical shit we think somebody dumped in the plugs to torch 'em, and we've maybe figured out why backdrafts, but you can't rush this stuff. Not 'till it's locked.
But Rimgale's probably going to come around to arson.
In a dinosaur kinda way, yeah.
Thanks for the invite.
Got anything to drink in there?
Oh, there might be something stashed away for emergencies.
This is one of the oldest fire stations in the city. Lotta tradition locked up in here. What do you think?
Homey.
See that trap door up there? That used to lead to the hay loft when they had horsedrawn engines. It was pretty different then... but kinda the same, y'know?
Do you miss it? You seem like you do.
When I came back, I knew more than anything else that I wanted to be a fireman.
Then why did you quit?
I wanted to be a good one.
Well, our specimen here is your basic standard issue piece of primary suppression equipment. This area is the pumping panel, which controls the rate of liquid insertion into the hose.
Uh huh.
Brian. What's wrong?
You told Swayzak about our arson lead. It's all over the fucking news.
I didn't know it was a secret. There aren't supposed to be secrets between the city and its investigators
Bullshit! You knew what I told you wasn't ready for the papers
Will you please keep your voice down, there's people
You could have scared the son of a bitch off. We may never bust him now. All for a couple's political points.