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All you need to do is Stop, Drop and Roll. The phrase she learned in grade school kept repeating through Kate’s mind
as she dressed hurriedly. At least she’d be dressed, that is, if she were lucky enough to make it out alive.
She grabbed her cell phone and looked at her watch. 1:30 am. Tony might still be out; God she hoped he was nowhere near
here! Gibbs was probably asleep. Tony first then, Kate decided, and dialed his number.
Tony was just about asleep when his cell phone rang. “DiNozzo,” he answered, thickly.
“Tony? It’s Kate. Did I wake you?” Kate tried to keep the anxious note out of her voice, but she wasn’t
sure she was altogether successful.
“Kate? What’s up? Do we have a case?” Tony snapped awake quickly, a habit he’d honed. He’d pay
later for the lack of sleep, but something told him he needed to be awake now.
“No case, but something’s happened. I called you first because I thought you’d still be awake. There’s
been some kind of explosion or something in my area of town. It’s been a few minutes, but the power’s out here
and I’m stuck in my apartment.”
Tony was up and moving even as Kate was talking. He flipped on the television and found he didn’t need to change channels.
The report of the downed Lear Jet was in lurid detail and probably on any channel he cared to pick. As he listened to Kate
he survey the details behind the reporter. There seemed to be way too many buildings damaged and on fire for his comfort.
“Kate, what do you mean you’re stuck in your apartment?”
With a deep breath and determination not to give in to fear she responded. “I’m reasonably certain that my building
is on fire. There’s fire outside my bedroom window, and when I went to open my bedroom door it was warm to the touch.
The knob wasn’t hot yet, but I didn’t want to be stupid either. I’ve already blocked off the bottom of the
door with a blanket so no smoke can get in. But I have no way of finding out what’s going on with no electricity. Stupid
of me really not to have a battery operated radio, but there you have it.” She shut up suddenly, realizing she was rambling.
Stunned, for a minute Tony didn’t know what to say. “Ohhhh-kay. Let me get this straight. You’re stuck in
a burning building and you’re calling me for a news update?”
“DiNozzo!” Kate’s thin hold on her shredded nerves snapped. “I am calling you because I have no freakin’
idea what’s going on outside my apartment and I’d like to know if there’s any hope in the world that fire rescue
teams are getting through or if I’m going to have to figure out how in the hell to rescue myself from hell!
“Geez, Kate! Quit yelling. Okay, I have the news on and they’re talking about the plane crash right now, but
I don’t have too much information yet. From what I can see, there are no fire rescue teams, but I don’t even know
where the reporter is in relation to your building, so I’m no help right now. Did you even try 911?”
"I didn’t even know a plane had crashed, for Pete’s sake! I don’t know how big the damage area is, or where
my building is in it. And I’m...” Kate’s voice became very small, “scared. So just help me here. Please?”
Scared? Kate doesn’t get scared, Tony thought. Kate gets angry or feisty or even mean and nasty. Scared is bad. “Okay,
listen, right now most of the news is about the crash not about rescue. But Gibbs and Ducky can probably call in a handful
favors and find out what’s going on. But I don’t want you to hang up here. How’s the battery on your cell?”
“Great, I had it charging earlier, so it was fully charged before I called you.”
“Good. I’ll stay on this line with you and I’m going over to the land line and call Gibbs. Okay.”
“Sure. I’d have called him earlier, but I figured you’d still be out and I didn’t want to wake anyone
if I didn’t have to.”
“Thoughtful Kate,” Tony chuckled. “Rather than wake the man with no social life, you figure you’ll interrupt
my date.”
“Hey, at least I put some thought into... Whoa! Wonder what that was?”
Tony was now juggling two phones “Yeah Boss, one sec. What what was? Kate, you okay? Yeah, Gibbs it’s important.
Kate’s building is on fire and she’s trapped. Kate?”
“Some really strange noises coming from above. I’m on the third floor and there is a fourth, but something up there
doesn’t sound good.” Kate hoped her colleagues could help and soon. The whole situation was becoming very eerie
with the fire glow outside and the noises from the building. She was grateful for the connection to another human her cell
phone provided.
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