<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/b/b8/Firefighter3.jpg)</div><br/><br/><strong>Meredith Peebles<br/>Pier - aboard the moored MV <em>Daylight 3</em><br/>Firefighting Drills</strong><br/><br/>"Hey, Princess, something more important than this briefing?"<br/><br/>Meredith's head snapped around from where she'd been watching a girl run a game for some of the late season tourists and locals alike.  The girl was pretty in a wild sort of way and Meredith wondered what it was like working the crowd for money instead of having a real job.   Was it more fun?<br/><br/>Meredith found the Engineer glaring at her.  He bore a livid white scar across the bottom of his jaw where his mask had failed and hot gases, fueled by the air supply from the mask, had flared and burned a reminder into his skin that their profession was inherently dangerous.  "Sorry, Critter."<br/><br/>Critter, his real name was Critz, glared a moment longer.  They all had nicknames.  There was Ox, because he was big, and Critter, and Hollywood the pretty boy who wanted to be an actor and all the others.  Only the Lieutenant didn't have one, or at least they didn't use one when talking to or about him.  Meredith's was Princess.<br/><br/>It wasn't respectful or kind.  Everyone in the house had made it clear they thought she didn't belong in their male dominated world.  Driving a bus - an ambulance - sure.  But not slinging hose or swinging an axe.<br/><br/>Critz jerked his head towards a hose pack.  "Like I said, Princess, you run the short end of the main line to the Storz on the pier supply, then hump that hose pack up and onto the superstructure while Hollywood runs the long end of the main line up the gangway.  Sex it up," that meant connecting the male and female ends, "and run your ass below decks and set up a fog nozzle.  We'll use it to advance and find out where the devil is.  Got it?"<br/><br/>"Yeah," she said sounding confident.<br/><br/>"All right.  We only got one go at this.  Mr. Constantine said we could use her tonight for training, but he's got to get her over to the main yard to fuel and load tomorrow.  Let's get in, kill it, everyone comes out," Critter commanded and gave them a moment to seal up their bunker gear before starting the drill.<br/><br/>The hose was a heavy, dead weight that was already beginning to take its toll by the time Meredith got across the gangway.  She was strong for a woman, but no amount of training could gift her the sheer muscle bulk of a man, even a skinny boy like Hollywood.  That was one of the main complaints her fellow firefighters had.  How could she be counted on to haul her fair share of gear, or carry one of them or a civilian out of a building?  Meredith ignored the strain, ignored the sweat already beginning under her heavy coat despite the cool evening, and pressed on.<br/><br/>"Princess!  Heavy smoke below," Critz called out as she passed him headed towards the hatch belowdecks.  His hand on her chest held Meredith up and he yanked off her mask, swapped the hose to another one, and pushed it back in her hands.<br/><br/>The face of it had been completely painted black.  She would be blind.<br/><br/>"Have fun with your shins tomorrow," he said and grinned.<br/><br/>"Go blow a goat," Meredith muttered and put the mask on.  The world went dark, just like it would be if the fire had completely filled the ship's interior with smoke.  As predicted, it wasn't ten feet before her shins smacked into something in the passageway.<br/><br/>It was going to be a long, painful exercise.