The scene was chaos — fire engines, Hazmat units, and a barricade of flashing lights against a horizon bruised by dark smoke. The air reeked of burnt plastic and melted metal. It made her nose twitch.
“Celina was already inside when the first wave hit,” Tim said, reading the report. “She went in after a maintenance worker who didn’t clock out.”
“Of course she did,” Alice muttered, scanning the rubble like it was a chessboard. “She’d walk through hell if she believed someone needed her.”
Tim shot her a glance. “Remind you of someone?”
“A little,” she admitted. “Except I don’t talk to ghosts.”
Tim smirked. “Yet.”
---
8:35 AM – Triage Tent
Celina sat on a cot, soot-streaked and still in partial uniform, IV in one arm and a stubborn expression on her face.
Alice entered, taking in the mess of energy around her — the tangled wires, the smell of scorched polyester, the quiet aura of something off.
Celina looked up. “You’re... Detective Wonderland.”
Alice blinked. “That’s new.”
Celina tilted her head. “You’re weird. I like weird.”
Alice pulled up a chair, smirking. “Then we’ll get along just fine.”
The young officer paused. “I saw something in there. Before the explosion.”
Alice leaned in. “Tell me.”
“There was a symbol — painted on the wall behind the breaker box. Not graffiti. More like... an offering.”
Alice stiffened. “Describe it.”
Celina sketched it in the soot on the tray table — a simple spiral surrounded by dots. Alice felt a chill trace down her spine.
“I’ve seen that before,” she murmured. “Years ago, in New York. Arson cases. Cold and covered up.”
Celina nodded slowly. “It wasn’t just a fire. It was a warning.”
---
9:50 AM – Back at the Scene
Donning Hazmat suits, Alice and Celina were granted temporary clearance to re-enter the safe zone — Tim watching warily from outside.
“You’re sure you’re good?” Alice asked, adjusting Celina’s helmet.
“I feel better with you here,” Celina said honestly. “Your brain moves sideways. Like mine.”
Alice grinned. “I’ve been called worse.”
The two moved through the wreckage, following trails that others might’ve missed — threads of instinct and gut feelings.
Celina stopped by a collapsed shelf. “Right here.”
Alice crouched, clearing away charred insulation. Her hand landed on something metallic and cold.
A flash drive.
She pocketed it carefully. “Good nose.”
Celina gave a small shrug. “It’s not just a feeling. It’s... something in the air. Like the place wants to be heard.”
Alice looked at her, really looked. “You ever feel like you’re walking through two realities at once?”
“All the time.”
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Rabbit Hearts & Bulletproof Vests || Tim Bradford??
FanfictionAlice Hartwell never wanted to be a hero - just someone who could run toward the chaos and still feel the world's poetry through it. But when she joins the LAPD as a rookie and is paired with the infamously hard-edged Tim Bradford, she finds herself...
Through Smoke and Fire
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