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Judging from his performance, George Stacy truly lived up to his background as a former soldier who had become a police officer.
He treated everyone like fresh recruits.
One radio after another crackled to life, and he personally chewed out each recipient in turn. The reprimands hardly stopped.
Some officers and firefighters who had only recently entered the Twin Towers—and had not gone very far before receiving the withdrawal order—soon arrived at the NYPD field command post.
They surrounded the command staff and openly questioned the order that had forced them to leave.
Of course, George Stacy wasn't merely pulling police officers and firefighters out of the World Trade Center.
He also ordered police helicopters to circle both towers from the outside while broadcasting evacuation instructions through loudspeakers.
The message emphasized that the withdrawal order was mandatory.
Particular attention was paid to personnel whose radios had malfunctioned or who had no radios at all.
They were instructed to escort anyone they encountered out of the buildings rather than continue deeper into the towers.
The evacuation routes had been designed according to fire safety regulations long before the disaster.
The building's own security personnel knew those routes better than anyone.
Police officers and firefighters were not there to replace them.
Their primary role inside the towers was rescue.
Especially since the fires were located high above the ground, many responders would need to climb dozens of flights of stairs.
That was difficult even for trained firefighters.
Every minute spent delaying their ascent reduced the chances of saving lives, which was why so many of them were anxious to continue.
George Stacy had one of his aides explain the reasoning behind the withdrawal order.
The explanation was essentially the same one Henry had given.
Most of the responders remained unconvinced.
They believed their duty was to stay in the towers and continue rescuing people until the very last moment.
Among those most dissatisfied was Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer of the New York Fire Department, who had established a temporary command center in the lobby of the World Trade Center.
He strongly resented what he viewed as the police department overstepping its authority, even though his rank was technically lower than both the assistant fire chief and the police commissioner.
---
Fortunately, the withdrawal order had been issued very early.
And everyone who received the radio message passed it along to anyone they encountered.
As a result, many firefighters who had entered the towers independently—without first checking in at the command center—were evacuated much earlier than they otherwise would have been.
Even those whose radios failed or who had no radios at all were reached through word of mouth.
Once outside and able to assess the situation, most of these firefighters shared the same reaction:
They wanted to go back in.
Their rescue operations had been interrupted, and they intended to continue them.
However, another group—mostly police officers who believed the towers genuinely might collapse—blocked their path.
The two sides quickly reached a standoff.
---
The commotion soon attracted another major figure.
The current Mayor of New York City:
Rudy Giuliani.
A former federal prosecutor who had built his reputation by taking down numerous high-profile crime syndicates, Giuliani had leveraged that fame into a political career.
He had served as mayor since 1994.
This was the final year of his term.
When the planes struck the World Trade Center, the man whom critics often described as stubborn, arrogant, and ambitious had not hidden from his responsibilities.
Instead, he arrived at the scene almost immediately.
Seeing the center of the disturbance, he recognized the man being surrounded.
The police commissioner he himself had appointed.
Giuliani pushed through the crowd.
"George, what's going on?"
He looked around at the gathered firefighters.
"Why are all these men standing here instead of rescuing people?"
---
Faced with the mayor who had promoted him, George Stacy naturally couldn't address him the same way he addressed his subordinates.
He explained carefully.
"Mr. Mayor, I've received what I believe is a reasonable technical assessment.
"The assessment indicates that the Twin Towers may collapse.
"That's why I ordered rescue personnel to withdraw.
"Once we can confirm the buildings are safe, they'll go back in."
To his credit, Giuliani wasn't a clueless politician nor the type who avoided responsibility.
And with no reporters present to perform for, he approached the matter seriously.
"George, explain this collapse risk to me.
"Who told you this?
"And does anyone here know whether such a danger actually exists?"
The second question was directed toward his staff.
George accepted responsibility personally and repeated Henry's explanation.
The reasoning wasn't especially technical.
In fact, the fact that George could explain it himself revealed that he genuinely believed it.
Afterward, he motioned Henry over.
"This is Henry Brown."
George gestured toward him.
"He's the one who believes the Twin Towers are at risk of collapse.
"He is the former CEO of Stark Pictures in Hollywood and a researcher in digital film technology.
"A top-tier technical specialist."
George tactfully omitted the fact that Henry lacked both formal academic credentials and any professional background in structural engineering.
Instead, he tried to bolster Henry's credibility through achievements in other fields.
Unfortunately, those accomplishments had little relevance here.
They failed to convince anyone.
---
Mayor Giuliani regarded the long-haired, bearded young man with obvious skepticism.
To many observers, Henry looked more like a hippie than an expert.
The firefighters who had been forced out were even less impressed.
Now that they knew who had sparked the controversy, many wanted to argue with him directly.
One young member of the mayor's staff finally lost patience.
"So let me get this straight."
He pointed accusingly at Henry.
"A movie guy can delay rescue operations based on some ridiculous theory?
"What do you think this is?
"A disaster film?"
---
The words had barely left his mouth.
9:59 a.m.
A deep rumble echoed across Lower Manhattan.
The South Tower of the World Trade Center began making a terrifying sound.
The black smoke pouring from the building abruptly turned gray.
Then the gray clouds started bursting outward floor by floor, cascading downward through the structure.
Everyone's attention snapped toward the tower.
And then they saw it.
Exactly as George Stacy had described.
Exactly as Henry had warned.
The enormous mass above the impact zone began crushing the floors below it one layer at a time.
Concrete exploded outward.
Debris cascaded through the air.
Dust billowed in all directions.
The collapse accelerated.
Faster.
Faster.
Until the skyscraper that had once dominated the skyline vanished completely within a monstrous wall of dust.
---
Panic immediately followed.
The expanding cloud of debris swept through the streets, and many New Yorkers who had previously been watching with detached curiosity suddenly broke into frantic flight.
People ran in every direction.
Henry, meanwhile, calmly pulled out a cloth and tied it over his mouth and nose before the dust reached him.
It wasn't as effective as a proper respirator, but it was better than nothing.
In truth, the Kryptonian was relying almost entirely on his own physiology.
He simply held his breath and avoided inhaling the toxic debris.
The firefighters reacted with far greater experience.
Some donned protective masks.
Others raised the collars of their turnout gear to shield their faces.
The police were far less prepared.
Some crouched down and covered their heads.
Others simply ran away from the approaching cloud.
---
Mayor Giuliani turned out to be unexpectedly brave.
Unlike many civilians, he didn't panic and flee.
Instead, Police Commissioner George Stacy grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the nearby command tent.
The two men took shelter there as the enormous dust cloud engulfed the area.
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