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ci5hq2019-04-27 12:06 pm
byslantedlight.livejournal.com) wrote in ci5hq2019-04-27 12:06 pm
Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish - Chapter Five
At last!Cover art by
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firlefanzineChapter Five
Chapter Five
There has been a bomb explosion, and like the other emergency services, Bodie and Doyle, now working together as a team, responded. On arrival, however, Doyle remained by the car, too scared to go any further, while Bodie ran straight into the cloud of smoke to help.
Eventually Doyle screws up his courage and joins Bodie, who is assessing what seems to be a detonator. Doyle recognises it as a specific Irish terrorist group, and Bodie immediately knows who he's talking about. They realise that there's a second device nearby, ready to go off when the emergency services have arrived. They find it, and Doyle uses his penknife to cut the wires - a mad guess between red or blue, because it could be either - and saves the situation.
Even as they're laughing in relief, however, one of the first bomb's victims staggers into them and collapses. They're badly burned and blinded, and asking for Richard. Bodie recoils but Doyle pretends to be Richard as comfort as the man dies in his arms.
The next thing Doyle knows is that he's sitting on a wall outside a church with Bodie, though he can't remember getting there. Bodie is rubbing his back, then "tangles... fingers into his hair, carressing" and explains that the first time in such a situation is the worst, and he'll be okay. Doyle points out that he doesn't ever want to be "okay" with this situation, and begins to feel guilty about not having been able to stop it. He knows London so well, he should have seen some sign. Bodie rejects this - "Jesus Christ, Doyle. You'll sink both of us."
Doyle realises he's been in shock, recovers, and just as he's getting up spots a priest helping the victims. He's not impressed - "Oh great... God's here." Bodie's puzzled by this, and Doyle realises that the priest is giving first aid, not the last rites. As he watches the priest, however, and then hears his voice, Doyle realises that he's familiar. ""Gabriel. Gabe!" and begins to walk into the crowd."
So - what did you think?
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It is absolutely nonprofessional. It's a very critical situation, and every helping hand is needed - and this CI5 man walks away to follow some ghost from his past...
"...but he has just seen someone who's absolutely tied up with a major trauma in his life. I don't think it's a conscious decision on Doyle's part at all,... "
Oh, come on! Even worse! He's not some butcher or school teacher, or whatever. If he can't handle his past - at such moments -, he's in the wrong job!
And I'd like to see Cowley's reaction if he knew! ;-)
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Okay, so you're saying unprofessional (an assessment of the situation) - "stupid" is just a person insult with an ambiguous basis!
I still disagree though - it's not as if Doyle's been slacking (if we ignore the un-Doyle-like behaviour of not running straight in like Bodie did). The reason they're sitting on the wall in the first place is that they worked out who planted the bomb, worked out that there was a second bomb, found it, defused it with seconds to spare, and were just recovering from that when a victim so badly burned that he's blind and his nerves are no longer working, literally falls onto them. Doyle offers what comfort he can, but the man still dies in his arms. I think any professional, no matter how experienced, would be excused for taking whatever kind of break they need in order to keep their sanity. Professionals and the emergency services are trained and experienced, but they're also still people.
And as I said before, there's a limit at this stage to how much they can personally do. Yes, they can jump in and help triage any victims who haven't been given attention yet, but to be honest I'm surprised that Gabe is finding bodies out in the open like that to deal with, because as Doyle notes at the start of the chapter, the emergency services were already there when Bodie and Doyle arrived - "no need for Bodie to run straight in". So there'd be police and other CI5 agents and first responders already on the scene, plus ambulances and medics, plus apparently unhurt passers-by like Gabe. If there was no need for Bodie to run right in as soon as they got there, then twenty or so minutes later there are going to be even more people there to help, and even less need for the lads to wade in. So I reckon they're due a breather, myself!
I reckon Cowley would have recalled them once they'd found the second bomb - and sent them off to chase down Christy McMahon... *g*
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I think I know that song!
Stupid Cupid you're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
no subject
But not bad! :-)
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I hope you can see it too.
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