~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The command tent was open-sided, so naturally it couldn't completely block the dust that seemed to seep through every crack.
Still, it provided enough shelter to prevent those inside from being engulfed head-on by the massive cloud.
The mayor's staff, however, weren't nearly as fortunate.
Some tried to run but couldn't outrun the dust.
Some wanted to run but lacked the courage to abandon their posts.
Others simply stood there in a daze and inhaled an entire lungful of debris.
By the time the dust began to settle, nearly everyone was crouched on the ground with their heads covered.
Those who found shelter hid beneath it.
Those who couldn't had clustered together in small groups.
Without exception, everyone was covered in gray dust.
Coughing echoed from every direction.
Fortunately, there weren't many cries for help.
---
After witnessing the collapse firsthand, nobody questioned Henry anymore.
Nor did anyone question the withdrawal order.
Even New York City's mayor, covered head to toe in dust, approached Henry and shook his hand.
"Good work, young man."
The disheveled Rudy Giuliani then turned toward the police commissioner, who looked scarcely better than he did.
"George."
The mayor's voice became serious.
"I'm leaving the police officers and firefighters here under your command.
"I trust you can carry out the greatest possible rescue effort while keeping them alive."
"I'll do my best, Mr. Mayor."
"Good."
Giuliani nodded.
"I'll coordinate the other agencies and support operations.
"Front-line command is yours.
"If you need anything, report it immediately.
"I'll provide whatever assistance I can."
"Understood, Mr. Mayor."
And just like that, what almost felt like a battlefield commission became official.
The dust-covered mayor and his entourage departed in a hurry.
Not because Giuliani was fleeing the front lines.
Rather, he knew this disaster would generate countless problems requiring attention elsewhere.
As for directing the scene itself, he entrusted that responsibility to the police commissioner he had appointed.
Based on what he had seen so far, George Stacy had earned that trust.
---
After the mayor left, both firefighters and police officers became noticeably quieter.
Gone was the earlier uproar about charging back into the towers to save lives.
The truth was simple:
Everyone was frightened now.
If they hadn't withdrawn in time...
If they had still been inside...
What would have happened to them?
The thought alone made their legs feel weak.
No matter how brave they were, that didn't mean they were fearless.
Yet there were still civilians trapped inside.
That reality rekindled their courage and turned their attention toward the newly appointed incident commander.
George Stacy felt the weight of every gaze.
His sense of duty surged.
He opened his mouth to speak—
And promptly realized he had no idea what to say next.
His mind was a complete mess.
The biggest problem was obvious:
The South Tower had collapsed.
The North Tower was still standing.
No one knew whether it would suffer the same fate.
George turned toward the person who had predicted the first collapse.
"Henry."
"Do you think the North Tower will collapse too?"
Henry answered without hesitation.
"The two buildings share the same design.
"They suffered the same type of damage.
"There is no reason to expect a different outcome."
He looked directly at George.
"So don't focus on sending people inside to save more lives.
"Focus on getting everyone still inside out as quickly as possible."
George nodded slowly.
"Then what do you suggest we do next?"
Ordinarily, he would never ask such a question from a civilian.
But Henry had correctly predicted the collapse.
As a responsible commander, George felt obligated to learn whether additional dangers might exist before making further decisions.
---
Henry immediately noticed that everyone's attention had shifted from George to him.
The sudden focus felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Still, this was George Stacy—a respected elder who had helped him more than once.
Ignoring the question wasn't an option.
Henry began speaking.
"Since the North Tower is likely to collapse in the near future, the principle remains the same:
"No deep-entry rescue operations."
Then he started listing locations.
"I recommend evacuating the surrounding buildings as well.
"World Trade Center Building 7.
"The Deutsche Bank Building.
"The Marriott Hotel.
"The Verizon Building.
"The U.S. Customs House.
"The Hilton.
"The New York Telephone Building.
"St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
"And any other nearby structures."
He continued.
"As for rescue operations around the collapsed South Tower, begin from the southern side, away from the North Tower, and advance gradually."
"The reason is simple.
"When a skyscraper collapses, debris is thrown outward."
"If rescue teams operate too close to the North Tower and it comes down, they may not have enough time to avoid falling concrete and steel."
Henry then pointed toward the dust cloud lingering in the air.
"And another thing.
"The dust likely contains asbestos, lead, mercury, and other toxic materials."
"Everyone should use respirators or medical masks whenever possible."
"If you don't have one, at least cover your mouth and nose with thick cloth."
"Unless you want respiratory diseases later."
He turned back toward George.
"You're going to need as many protective supplies as possible."
Then another issue occurred to him.
"I just checked.
"Cell phone service is basically dead.
"How many of you still have functioning radios?"
That question instantly triggered dozens of simultaneous answers.
The entire command area exploded into noise.
Everyone started talking at once.
The scene resembled a marketplace more than a disaster response center.
Police commanders and fire officials alike felt headaches coming on.
Organizing the information and establishing an effective command structure would take time.
George was just about to shout for silence and begin assigning tasks.
---
Before he could, Henry snapped.
"EVERYBODY QUIET!"
The shout echoed across the area.
He wasn't using superhuman lung capacity.
He wasn't trying to rupture anyone's eardrums.
But the Kryptonian's natural voice was powerful enough.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Having spent so much time talking without breathing properly, Henry finally took two reluctant breaths through the cloth covering his face.
The air tasted awful.
Then he pointed toward a nearby officer.
"Sergeant Lorenzo from Precinct Seven."
The officer blinked.
"Take the four officers with you.
"Proceed to the Deutsche Bank Building.
"Issue evacuation orders and assist the occupants."
Without pausing, Henry pointed elsewhere.
"Sergeant Wilson.
"Take two officers and extend the perimeter to the intersection of Park Place and Church Street.
"Direct survivors outward only.
"Volunteers are to assemble at the designated gathering points."
And then he kept going.
One assignment after another.
Henry rapidly identified personnel, units, and jurisdictions.
He organized them according to their original teams and assigned reasonable manpower levels to specific evacuation and rescue duties.
Everything followed the principles he had already outlined.
Every team maintained at least one functioning radio.
Every deployment remained within communication range.
His speech was astonishingly fast.
Yet every word remained crystal clear.
Even experienced rap artists might have struggled to match his delivery.
By the time he finished assigning everyone present, he looked around and asked:
"Anyone still unclear about what they're supposed to be doing?"
For a moment, silence filled the command post.
Then, somewhat awkwardly—
George Stacy raised his hand.
Several members of his staff followed.
A number of senior police officers did the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~