everything's on fire

[krasnaya_vdova]

who: Everyone!
what: The residential building is on fire
when: ~2am, August 23rd
where: The Residential building
warnings: Fire, destruction of property, injury, general warnings for crisis situations



It's a reasonably quiet night, pleasantly dry with a slight breeze. Almost nice, for those that enjoy the hours after midnight long before dawn starts to creep on the horizon. Right until it isn't, when the air changes, and there's the scent of heat that promises smoke. In most places it starts with a flash of blue light that arcs from floor to floor as energy pulses through the building, and there's a crack of sound that follows. The power dies for a moment, and if you're one of the unlucky ones, the light that follows is a literal spark in the dark, burning to life in bright orange-red, yielding heat and smoke and trouble. The energy surge doesn't just hit the lights, but sparked flames that burst to life, and they catch quickly, spreading.

The worst of it starts on the ninth floor, where the smoke and the beginning of heat starts moments before the surge. The fire spreads faster there, people starting to startle awake and realize what's happening as the flames crackle. Eventually there's an announcement on the Network, both alerting people to what's happening and trying to organize both those that are willing to help and those that need it.

Some areas are untouched, while others are ravaged badly, reduced to ashes and crumbling ceilings, so watch your step. There's chaos, but through it there's people doing what they can to help each other, and the official fire services show up to help control the blaze. After that, it's just a matter of repairing the damage that's been done, rebuilding and putting things back together, seeing what's been lost and what was saved.

Even later, people start putting the pieces together, and there's the official investigation into what might have caused a fire like that in the first place.


[ooc: As promised, the residential building is on fire! OOC plotting post is here if anyone wants to work out some last minute plans before diving in. Plotting post also includes the relevant details. Elsewise, just top level and mingle. Try not to get burned too badly. :) Good luck!]

Comments

[rightly]

A gust of air pushes in as the doors are thrown open, and Steve nearly stumbles to the side at the sudden rush of clean, cool air that goes into his lungs, making his head so light it spins a little on his shoulders. He lets out a gasp, feeling himself shake to the core, but his body keeps moving nonetheless, walking past other groups of people, some injured and others rushing in to help other people out.

He's only vaguely aware of some medics making their way over to him, and he relinquishes his hold on the man, taking a relieved breath when he sees he's being looked after. He closes his eyes then, and with an exhale tension bleeds from him like a broken dam. His balance falters and he falls sideways, the weight of his body threatening to slam against the closest solid presence, whether it's the floor, a tree or Natasha herself.

[unmakeme]

Natasha is right there, ready to grab him. The two medics have the man they saved from the building, and Natasha waves them on. She's got this. "Come on. We're safe now, Steve."

She slings his arm over her shoulders and props him up. He'll be all right. "You're going to be fine." She waits to see if he can muster the strength to walk on his own, over to the line of emergency workers with blankets and oxygen tanks and plenty of folding chairs to assess conditions before figuring out where to send people. If he can't, she's fully prepared to sling him across her back and carry him there. She feels just as responsible for him as she did for Bill. Bill has been handed off, and he's the medics' responsibility now. Steve is not. He's still hers.

[rightly]

His balance comes and goes, but he never quite loses consciousness completely. He's just taken by light dizzy spells that have him stumbling slightly, but the next moment he manages to regain his footing, and it's in that state that he follows (partly follows, partly leans on) Natasha as she guides him to one of the folding chairs.

He takes a seat without much protest, letting one of the medics check his throat for any burns, then takes the oxygen mask when it's handed to him. Inhaling from it somehow makes him even dizzier, and he lowers it a moment after, looking up at Natasha. "I'm sorry. This all just... brings back memories," he trails off, looking down and giving the mask another try. "Bad memories."

[unmakeme]

The medics try to look over Natasha, as well, but she waves each of them off. It's her insistence that Steve is in worse shape, that he needs the attention first. Even though she doesn't plan to take the attention at all.

"I don't think many people would have good memories of a burning building." She takes the mask from him, puts it over her own mouth and nose and breathes while she adjusts the levels. It gives her a little boost, and it lets her pretend that it's just making it easier for him. What she hands back to him is a more manageable O2 mix. It shouldn't make him as dizzy. "Try that. Better?"

[rightly]

He's not exactly in a state to insist she let the medics look her over, as he's currently more focused on regaining his balance and breath. He only looks up properly when she takes the mask from him, studying her for a moment, then giving the mask a try once she hands it back.

He nods when realizing the mix helps better like this. His heart starts to slow down, and his head's not spinning quite as wildly. The cool night air also helps. "You should let them look you over," he suggests gently, lowering the mask for a moment. "You won't help anyone if you collapse when you go back in there."

[unmakeme]

"I'm fine. I know where my limitations are." Which, all right, not entirely true. Even if it were true, knowing where they are and paying them heed are also two different things. She can't stop, though. If she stops, she's going to fall apart.

She needs to go back in. "You're going to be fine here. They'll take good care of you."

[rightly]

Steve raises an eyebrow, not entirely convinced by her words, but in no fit state to argue. He just nods instead, which comes out more like a dismissive shake of his head than anything else, taking another breath or two from the mask as she gets ready to go back in.

"Natasha," he reaches out, catching her arm before she goes. He's only just met her, granted, but still the sentiment is true when he looks up at her and asks. "Please, be careful." If only because he wouldn't want to see any names added to the list of casualties. Or a list of casualties to begin with.

[unmakeme]

She smiles back at him, and it's weak, but it's there. She closes her hand over his, just for a moment. "I'm tough to kill. A fire isn't going to be what takes me out. I got this." She says it not only for him, maybe not for him at all. She says it because she needs to hear it, she needs to believe it. She needs it more than almost anything else in her life right now.