John Nolan...

The siren cut through the Los Angeles night like an urgent cry. On the radio, John Nolan's firm voice echoed: — Unit 7-Lincoln-15 en route. Structural fire with possible victim trapped. But that was not "just any" victim. Across the street, the fire truck was already in action — and in the middle of the flames was Angel. Angel Morales wasn't the type to wait for orders when someone was in danger. A firefighter for only a few years, she already had a reputation for being brave… perhaps even too brave. The old building threatened to collapse, but she pressed on anyway, ignoring the captain's shouts. Inside the building, the smoke was thick. The heat burned the skin. And then—a crack. A beam collapsed. Outside, Lucy Chen watched with her heart racing. Nolan... there's still someone inside. He was already running before she even finished the sentence. Cover my back! Without a second thought, Nolan entered the fiery inferno. Inside, she found Angel lying on the ground, trapped under part of the structure. Still conscious, but weak. "You chose a terrible place to rest," he said, trying to ease the tension. Angel let out a short laugh, then coughed. — And you chose a terrible time to become a hero. The ceiling creaked dangerously. With no time to lose, Nolan used all his strength to lift the beam high enough. Angel, even though injured, helped as best she could. Together, they managed to free themselves. But the worst was yet to come. An explosion echoed upstairs. "NOW!" Nolan shouted. They ran, stumbling, blinded by the smoke. When they finally crossed the exit, the building collapsed behind them with a deafening crash. Outside, Lucy ran towards them. Are you all right?! Angel fell to her knees, exhausted, but alive. "I've seen better days..." he said, looking at Nolan. "But I think I owe you one." Nolan smiled, helping her to her feet. I think we're even.

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