The Runners: Chapter 28
Chapter 28
“This is UE911! What’s your emergency?”
“There was a loud—, loud explosion…, I mean while we were eating din..!” A hysterical man was yelling into his cell phone on the other end of UE911. With the caller breathing uncontrollably hard into the phone, the operator had a tough time hearing him clearly. However, the UE911 emergency responder’s unit had already detected an unusual heat signature on their surveillance system and had already dispatched an emergency birdie unit to investigate.
“Sir, my name is Tamie at Chicago UE911. Please, take a deep breath!” Tamie attempted to calm the wildly excited person on the other line.
“Are you OK, sir? Are you OK?” Hearing nothing on the other line, Tamie urged for a reply.
“Yes, I am OK, Tamie, just some minor scratches!”
“OK. Good. Now, you said there was an explosion. Are you currently calling from near 75th Street in Naperville?” Tamie already knew the exact location of the caller and where the explosion had occurred. But, following the UE911 procedure, she needed to assess the mental state of the man on the other line.
“Yes…, I am,” now, somewhat calm and legible, the man confirmed the location which was pinpointed by the UE911 system.
“What is your name, sir?”
“My name is Glover…, Greg Glover.”
“Mr. Glover, I need you to remain calm. Because the explosion had damaged the restaurant’s surveillance system, we cannot get a good view inside. We have just dispatched our birdie to the location. It will reach the restaurant shortly. Now, can you tell me if anyone is hurt?” When Tamie had asked this question, something had triggered in the man and he began to sob quietly.
“Oh! God…, Oh, God…, my…, my…, wife! I cannot find her…” “Daddy…, daddy, where is Mommy? In the background, Tamie heard a child’s voice, perhaps, not older than seven, asking for her mom’s where about.
“She will be alright, sweetie! We will find mommy.” The father, seemingly turning his attention to his child, spoke softly.
Tamie could hear the girls sobbing. So, she patiently waited for the caller to come back to her. She also knew that the caller would not be very helpful much longer as the birdies would soon arrive and scour the areas in and out of the restaurant to provide accurate assessment of the situation.
“Dispatching air and ground units to Naperville, ETA 7:30 PM or in 5 minutes,” a computer simulated voice system was actively alerting the UE911 control room. Then, several 3-D display systems came on line. One system showed a distant view of the restaurant and the surrounding areas which were relayed by a satellite. In another system, a 3D view of the restaurant from the altitude of approximately a couple hundred ft above the ground and closing in, at near 80 miles per hour, came on as the birdies relayed the views in their approach to the building from the air.
There does not appear to be any visible smoke on the outside due to the fire from the building. The heat signatures that came through the walls of the restaurant indicated that the temperature inside the restaurant seemed to be cooling down, possibly alluding to heavy moisture content lowering the temperatures.
“Based on the analysis from this distance, the building’s structures are intact. No apparent danger of collapsing.” Another computer generated voice came on and informed everyone in the room.
“That’s good! We still need to get everyone out of the restaurant as a precautionary measure ASAP!” The commander in the control room instructed his people.
“Sir, are you inside the building? If so, please exit the building!” Tamie instructed Greg.
“I am out of the building along with my girls. But, there are still many people who are trapped inside. We need help! My wife needs help! Please help us!” Quickly, wrapping up his girls in his arms and calming them down at the same time, Greg came back on the line with Tamie as he pleaded for help. He was concerned for everyone in the building. However, he could only focus on his wife’s well being at this time. As Greg was speaking, some people piled out of the front door and passed by him, some colliding with him as they tried to move further away from the building in haste.
Tamie could still hear the girls sobbing although quieter than before. Suddenly, Tamie received a visual of the man that she has been talking to. He was in his early forty’s, well dressed and obviously distraught. He was holding his daughters in his arms whispering comforting words in their ears.
“Girls, mommy will be OK. I promise. Help is here and they will bring mommy out safely!” he said as he wiped tears from both his girls’ cheeks. Tamie was able to hear the man’s soothing words towards his girls. Soon, the children appeared to hold their postures in assured manner.
At this moment, three of the UE911 air units zoomed past Greg and entered the building. “Greg, can you take the girls further away from the building? Help has arrived and we’ll take care of it!” With that Tamie switched her focus to the 3D display of the building’s interior and Greg disconnected the phone then moved away from the building to the curve, past the bridge.
There by the curb, the ambulances and other emergency vehicles were there and respondent teams were busily setting up a field command center for search and rescue operation. There were flashing lights all around the building and a couple of giant spot lights zooming on to the restaurant, making the area as bright as day.
One of the birdies stayed in the main dining hall. It was hovering near the top of the ceiling. Tamie and the rest of the central command personnel could not get a good visual of the area at the beginning. ‘Zing, click, click, Zing’, the birdie began its heat signature scanning program. A red light flashed out in all directions in spherical shape, instantaneously lighting up the room and scanning the spacious dining hall. Reconstructing what it had captured into 3D images, it transferred the visuals, which soon began arriving at the central command. There were people still chaotically moving about in great disorder, all of them trying to head to the door way. Those that were stronger and whole were deserting the weak and injured as Tamie observed the horrible scene.
Debris from various building materials was all over the floor. At the far end corner of the restaurant, a man laid flat on his back with a large chandelier set on top of him. It appeared the chandelier had detached from the ceiling, striking him when it fell to the ground. He had his skull crushed open and appeared to have bled profusely, leading to instantaneous death. Pieces of glass and ceiling parts were scattered all over and around him, which displayed the obvious destructive power of the explosions.
The central command team also saw the main chandelier hanging by a single wire that fed power to it, swinging back and forth. Above the chandelier were pieces of wood that hung from the ceiling which was about to fall off from its hinges from the roof trusts. Restaurant patrons were seen running all over the place. There did not appear to be any one person or persons who were coordinating the patrons’ evacuation to safety. Without any orderly process, it was sheer madness.
Smoke was still rising as the birdie scanned and found number of patrons who laid flat with near fatal wounds. Around the center, to the left of the main traffic path of the restaurant, the birdie detected warm body of a woman who appeared to be fighting to breathe. Vital indications came onto the screen. It was a woman in her late 30s. Since her iris cannot be read, the birdie attempted to read the embedded RFID in her forehead. It read ‘Mrs. Sharon Glover’, the wife of the man that Tamie was talking to. Mrs. Glover was unconscious, but had definitive heart beats. The vitals came back with ’40 heartbeats/min, 96.3F body temperature, and blood pressure of 70/100. Her blood pressure was low. She had lost a lot of blood when she was trampled upon by other patrons after one of the bigger pieces of the main chandelier struck her right shoulder, which had ultimately drove her to the floor. Seeing her, Tamie spoke through the birdie’s loud speaker system.
“This is UE911 responder, Tamie O’Reilly!” her introduction has caught the attention of everyone who was scrambling to find the exit as hush came over inside the hall.
“I will be guiding you to your safety! Please follow the light and exit the building in orderly fashion. Please, be careful of any injured who are not able to move. Do not attempt to assist them! Leave them in their place as rescue crews will enter the building shortly. Thank you for your cooperation!”
As her announcement ended, bright and wide beam of white light illuminated at the bottom of the birdie and shone towards the main door. Then, two more sets of lights came on and shone brightly to the left and right sides of the dining hall. Able to see clearly now, the diners, who were moving chaotically, appeared to find their calm and become orderly. One by one, they came to the center of the light and moved towards the door as if they were marching to a single beat. All the while, they saw Mrs. Glover lying on the floor. But, as instructed no one came to her assistance.
As the building was slowly emptied with the help of the birdie, a team of rescuers came into the main dining room. They brought in a hover-gurney. Attached at the base of the gurney were three clamps that were used to lift patients without furthering their physical injuries.
“Over there!” One of the female responders that came in first pointed towards Sharon. Then, the team swiftly approached the injured woman with the levitating bed.
Sharon turned to the crew that was approaching her. She was able to see them in the form of blurred silhouettes. Then, as quickly as she took a peek at the crew, she fell into unconsciousness.
“Quickly!” the lead rescuer ordered with utmost urgency. Patiently, Tamie and her team were viewing all of these exchanges while they coordinated the rescue efforts from the central command.