Poem: "In Untried Emergencies"
Sep. 26th, 2021 12:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from siliconshaman and lone_cat plus conversations with dialecticdreamer. It also fills the Reluctant help / comfort" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It immediately follows "At Certain Crucial Moments" so read that first or this won't make much sense. It is followed by the story "Responding to Emergencies" by dialecticdreamer and my poem "The Native Metal of a Man."
Warning: This poem contains intense topics and the aftermath of canon-atypical violence. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes interrupted travel plans, damage and chaos caused by a disintegration beam, lights and sirens, fear for other people's safety in a disaster scene, a restaurant fire in the distance, crowd surge, panic, Shiv's in media res telephone style, dust and smoke, a severely damaged building, evidence of superpowered mayhem, shakiness, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward. This is part of an ongoing arc, so skipping it would leave a gap.
"In Untried Emergencies"
[Monday, May 18, 2015]
The first sign of trouble was
the traffic going haywire
as the bus rolled down
South 10th Street.
Shiv meant to get off at
the sign for 10th & Dodge SE,
because from that stop it was
only two blocks to walk down to
the Downtown Coffee Company
where he was supposed to meet
Boss White and Buttons soon.
The traffic got worse and worse,
though, and the noise outside
didn't sound normal anymore.
It made Shiv's skin crawl.
Suddenly the bus driver
slammed on the brakes.
"Sorry, folks, but this trip ends
at 10th & Capitol Avenue NW
now," said the driver. "I'm going
to break route to turn along Capitol
in hopes of escaping the chaos. You
can stay or get off here. Either way,
you'll get a refund from the Metro."
Shiv dashed toward the front.
"You sure you want to get off
here, kid?" said the driver.
"It doesn't look very good."
"I'm going to meet my boss at
the Downtown Coffee Company,
I have to find him," Shiv said,
thumping down the steps.
Behind him he heard
the only other person
getting off explain to
the driver that she lived
at Greenhouse Apartments.
Outside, it was worse; the air
was so full of dust that Shiv
could actually taste it.
He could hear sirens
coming from the southwest
and see flashing lights ahead.
The Freeman Family Hospital
wasn't far at all, and they had
a whole big fleet of ambulances,
which looked to be pretty necessary.
All that chaos was right smack on top of
where he was supposed to meet Boss White.
"Shit shit shit," he chanted, breaking into
a run. People were streaming north as
he tried to fight his way further south.
Shiv used his elbows to open a path.
He could smell smoke now, and yeah,
there was a dark column of it rising
from somewhere ahead of him, though
he couldn't see what was burning.
Another surge of people nearly knocked
him down, and he really started to panic.
Fortunately Shiv's feet got him out of
the way without actually requiring
any guidance from his brain.
By the time he slowed down
enough to put two thoughts
together, he was in a parklet
just beyond a brick building
which had a little brick shelter
with a picnic table hidden in it.
Shiv leaned against the wall
and panted for breath.
His fingers shook
as he made a call.
"Rosie -- Rosie,
help, I dunno what
to do!" Shiv bleated.
"Are you somewhere
safe?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, sorta, I'm in
a parklet," said Shiv.
"Okay, let's focus on
calm first," said Rosie.
"Remember how we
used to sit back-to-back?"
"Yeah, but you're not
here," Shiv protested.
"Can you find something
to lean against?" Rosie said.
"Uh huh, there's a wall,"
Shiv said. "I'm against that."
"That's good," said Rosie.
"Lean against the wall and
think about leaning on me.
Take some deep breaths.
Your breathing is rough."
"I was running," Shiv said.
"Bus stopped early, and, and --"
"Just breathe," said Rosie. "We
can worry about the rest later."
Shiv pressed his back harder
against the wall, and tried
to remember how Rosie
felt leaning against him.
Focusing on his breath
helped a little bit, too.
It felt good that he had
someone who could
actually handle this shit.
He hadn't even really been
thinking, just his panicked brain
had turned to the first person
he'd met who was unflappable
and willing to put up with him.
"All right, you sound better now,"
said Rosie. "Can you tell me
what has you so rattled today?"
"The city's going nuts," Shiv said.
"I was supposed meet Boss White,
but I can't get any closer to there."
"That does sound worrisome,"
Rosie said. "Look around. Can
you see a source of the problem?"
"Not much," Shiv said. "There's
a lot of dust in the air, and then
the smoke started up, but I can't
see where the fire is. That's
not all of the trouble, either."
"Do you hear fire trucks on
the way there?" Rosie said.
"Yeah, there's ambulances
and stuff too," Shiv said. "It's
not far from Freeman's hospital."
"That's good," said Rosie.
"What else can you see?"
Shiv leaned out to look around
again, now that there were
fewer people in the way.
What he saw made him
freeze in place. "Shit. Fuck.
Part of a building is missing!"
"Broken, like the material failed
and it fell off?" Rosie said.
"No, sliced clean, like razor cut,"
Shiv said, staring at it. "Wait, it's
more like an ice cream scoop,
there's a curve to the edge."
The silhouette stood out
starkly against the blue sky,
sharp and wrong-looking.
There weren't a lot of
things that could do that.
"Cape fight," he whispered.
"It looks like a cape fight here,
and not the usual kind with
best enemies having a bit of
slap-and-tickle in the street."
"Can you tell if it's active,
or it's over?" Rosie asked.
Shiv leaned out a bit farther,
He couldn't see much past
the broken building or the fire,
but he could see a little into
the Gene Leahy Mall.
Nothing looked like it
was making fresh trouble.
"I think it's over," he said.
"I don't see anything high up
where the building's damaged.
But I'm not cut out for this.
I'm just a street punk, it's
way over my pay grade!"
"It is by presence of mind
in untried emergencies that
the native metal of man
is tested," Rosie said.
"Okay, okay, I know you
got unreasonable faith in
me and all," Shiv muttered.
"But holy shit, Rosie, what
the fuck do I do now?"
"Do you have a plan
for emergencies or
not?" Rosie asked.
"Uh, yeah, we all do,"
Shiv said. "Boss White
set it up proper for us.
Fuck, I forgot all about it,
he'll be pissed with me."
"You called someone who
could talk you down, and it
worked," said Rosie. "Do
you remember the plan,
or have it written down?"
"Yeah, it's in my phone,"
Shiv said. "I'm supposed
to call Boss White in case
of a cape fight, and there's
other stuff too. But he hasn't
called me, and we were
supposed to meet up ..."
"He may be busy, or
just lost his phone in
the fracas," said Rosie.
"Do you feel calm enough
now to follow your plan?"
"Yeah, I better get on
that now," Shiv said.
"Good idea," said Rosie.
"If you have time later, I'd
like to know if everyone
gets home safely."
"I'll try," Shiv said.
"Thanks, Rosie."
"Any time," Rosie said.
"I'm glad I could help."
Shiv hung up, then
tried to call Boss White.
No answer, though.
He tried Dymin next,
but the line was busy.
That was no surprise.
Finally Shiv got through
to Lieutenant Brown, gave
him a summary of events,
and told him to take over
until things got sorted out.
That was part of the plan
for everyone; you tried
different folks until you
could connect and make
sure someone was in charge.
Shiv looked at his phone,
working through the steps.
He'd gotten them out of order,
but that didn't really matter;
he could still check now.
Are you injured?
He wasn't injured, so
that was a good thing.
Can you figure out
what the problem is?
Shiv wasn't certain of
the problem, but he had
had a strong suspicion.
Is it a cape fight or
otherwise super-related?
If this was a cape fight,
then it might have problems
that ordinary people -- even
the official ones -- weren't
really equipped to handle.
This was in no way Shiv's
standard responsibility, but
some of the shit around it
might be, like dealing with
sharp things or making sure
pickpockets didn't swarm
like ants at a damn picnic.
He didn't work on people,
though, and didn't want to.
Was he even in shape for
handling anything today?
Shiv held out a hand. It was
still vibrating, but not as much
as before he talked to Rosie.
Maybe he should stay put
for a little while longer.
The shitshow down
the street wasn't going
anywhere, that's for sure.
Shiv was reluctant to help,
but not altogether unwilling.
It was his city too, damn it, and
he didn't want it falling apart.
He looked at the next item on
the list -- Is this something
that the Finns could fix?
Well, nothing was going
to fix that clusterfuck in
a hurry, but they could help.
Yeah. Definitely. Now that
he'd thought of it, he really
wanted competent people
to come deal with this.
Boss White had given
everyone in the gang
some training on how
to handle emergencies,
but Shiv was in no way
prepared for this much.
Tolli and Simon, though --
they were soldiers. They'd
probably seen a city torn up
and catching on fire before.
Also if the fight wasn't as over
as Shiv thought it was, they could
certainly take care of that too.
He didn't think that a nutjob
being able to slice a building
would stop Tolli and Simon from
putting someone on the ground.
Or possibly in the ground.
Simon sure had handled
Boss Batir earlier, without
even breaking a sweat.
This time, Shiv's hands
were steady as he
made the call.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so the location and content notes will appear separately. I have added some additional response notes.
siliconshaman and lone_cat plus conversations with dialecticdreamer. It also fills the Reluctant help / comfort" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It immediately follows "At Certain Crucial Moments" so read that first or this won't make much sense. It is followed by the story "Responding to Emergencies" by dialecticdreamer and my poem "The Native Metal of a Man."Warning: This poem contains intense topics and the aftermath of canon-atypical violence. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes interrupted travel plans, damage and chaos caused by a disintegration beam, lights and sirens, fear for other people's safety in a disaster scene, a restaurant fire in the distance, crowd surge, panic, Shiv's in media res telephone style, dust and smoke, a severely damaged building, evidence of superpowered mayhem, shakiness, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward. This is part of an ongoing arc, so skipping it would leave a gap.
"In Untried Emergencies"
[Monday, May 18, 2015]
The first sign of trouble was
the traffic going haywire
as the bus rolled down
South 10th Street.
Shiv meant to get off at
the sign for 10th & Dodge SE,
because from that stop it was
only two blocks to walk down to
the Downtown Coffee Company
where he was supposed to meet
Boss White and Buttons soon.
The traffic got worse and worse,
though, and the noise outside
didn't sound normal anymore.
It made Shiv's skin crawl.
Suddenly the bus driver
slammed on the brakes.
"Sorry, folks, but this trip ends
at 10th & Capitol Avenue NW
now," said the driver. "I'm going
to break route to turn along Capitol
in hopes of escaping the chaos. You
can stay or get off here. Either way,
you'll get a refund from the Metro."
Shiv dashed toward the front.
"You sure you want to get off
here, kid?" said the driver.
"It doesn't look very good."
"I'm going to meet my boss at
the Downtown Coffee Company,
I have to find him," Shiv said,
thumping down the steps.
Behind him he heard
the only other person
getting off explain to
the driver that she lived
at Greenhouse Apartments.
Outside, it was worse; the air
was so full of dust that Shiv
could actually taste it.
He could hear sirens
coming from the southwest
and see flashing lights ahead.
The Freeman Family Hospital
wasn't far at all, and they had
a whole big fleet of ambulances,
which looked to be pretty necessary.
All that chaos was right smack on top of
where he was supposed to meet Boss White.
"Shit shit shit," he chanted, breaking into
a run. People were streaming north as
he tried to fight his way further south.
Shiv used his elbows to open a path.
He could smell smoke now, and yeah,
there was a dark column of it rising
from somewhere ahead of him, though
he couldn't see what was burning.
Another surge of people nearly knocked
him down, and he really started to panic.
Fortunately Shiv's feet got him out of
the way without actually requiring
any guidance from his brain.
By the time he slowed down
enough to put two thoughts
together, he was in a parklet
just beyond a brick building
which had a little brick shelter
with a picnic table hidden in it.
Shiv leaned against the wall
and panted for breath.
His fingers shook
as he made a call.
"Rosie -- Rosie,
help, I dunno what
to do!" Shiv bleated.
"Are you somewhere
safe?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, sorta, I'm in
a parklet," said Shiv.
"Okay, let's focus on
calm first," said Rosie.
"Remember how we
used to sit back-to-back?"
"Yeah, but you're not
here," Shiv protested.
"Can you find something
to lean against?" Rosie said.
"Uh huh, there's a wall,"
Shiv said. "I'm against that."
"That's good," said Rosie.
"Lean against the wall and
think about leaning on me.
Take some deep breaths.
Your breathing is rough."
"I was running," Shiv said.
"Bus stopped early, and, and --"
"Just breathe," said Rosie. "We
can worry about the rest later."
Shiv pressed his back harder
against the wall, and tried
to remember how Rosie
felt leaning against him.
Focusing on his breath
helped a little bit, too.
It felt good that he had
someone who could
actually handle this shit.
He hadn't even really been
thinking, just his panicked brain
had turned to the first person
he'd met who was unflappable
and willing to put up with him.
"All right, you sound better now,"
said Rosie. "Can you tell me
what has you so rattled today?"
"The city's going nuts," Shiv said.
"I was supposed meet Boss White,
but I can't get any closer to there."
"That does sound worrisome,"
Rosie said. "Look around. Can
you see a source of the problem?"
"Not much," Shiv said. "There's
a lot of dust in the air, and then
the smoke started up, but I can't
see where the fire is. That's
not all of the trouble, either."
"Do you hear fire trucks on
the way there?" Rosie said.
"Yeah, there's ambulances
and stuff too," Shiv said. "It's
not far from Freeman's hospital."
"That's good," said Rosie.
"What else can you see?"
Shiv leaned out to look around
again, now that there were
fewer people in the way.
What he saw made him
freeze in place. "Shit. Fuck.
Part of a building is missing!"
"Broken, like the material failed
and it fell off?" Rosie said.
"No, sliced clean, like razor cut,"
Shiv said, staring at it. "Wait, it's
more like an ice cream scoop,
there's a curve to the edge."
The silhouette stood out
starkly against the blue sky,
sharp and wrong-looking.
There weren't a lot of
things that could do that.
"Cape fight," he whispered.
"It looks like a cape fight here,
and not the usual kind with
best enemies having a bit of
slap-and-tickle in the street."
"Can you tell if it's active,
or it's over?" Rosie asked.
Shiv leaned out a bit farther,
He couldn't see much past
the broken building or the fire,
but he could see a little into
the Gene Leahy Mall.
Nothing looked like it
was making fresh trouble.
"I think it's over," he said.
"I don't see anything high up
where the building's damaged.
But I'm not cut out for this.
I'm just a street punk, it's
way over my pay grade!"
"It is by presence of mind
in untried emergencies that
the native metal of man
is tested," Rosie said.
"Okay, okay, I know you
got unreasonable faith in
me and all," Shiv muttered.
"But holy shit, Rosie, what
the fuck do I do now?"
"Do you have a plan
for emergencies or
not?" Rosie asked.
"Uh, yeah, we all do,"
Shiv said. "Boss White
set it up proper for us.
Fuck, I forgot all about it,
he'll be pissed with me."
"You called someone who
could talk you down, and it
worked," said Rosie. "Do
you remember the plan,
or have it written down?"
"Yeah, it's in my phone,"
Shiv said. "I'm supposed
to call Boss White in case
of a cape fight, and there's
other stuff too. But he hasn't
called me, and we were
supposed to meet up ..."
"He may be busy, or
just lost his phone in
the fracas," said Rosie.
"Do you feel calm enough
now to follow your plan?"
"Yeah, I better get on
that now," Shiv said.
"Good idea," said Rosie.
"If you have time later, I'd
like to know if everyone
gets home safely."
"I'll try," Shiv said.
"Thanks, Rosie."
"Any time," Rosie said.
"I'm glad I could help."
Shiv hung up, then
tried to call Boss White.
No answer, though.
He tried Dymin next,
but the line was busy.
That was no surprise.
Finally Shiv got through
to Lieutenant Brown, gave
him a summary of events,
and told him to take over
until things got sorted out.
That was part of the plan
for everyone; you tried
different folks until you
could connect and make
sure someone was in charge.
Shiv looked at his phone,
working through the steps.
He'd gotten them out of order,
but that didn't really matter;
he could still check now.
Are you injured?
He wasn't injured, so
that was a good thing.
Can you figure out
what the problem is?
Shiv wasn't certain of
the problem, but he had
had a strong suspicion.
Is it a cape fight or
otherwise super-related?
If this was a cape fight,
then it might have problems
that ordinary people -- even
the official ones -- weren't
really equipped to handle.
This was in no way Shiv's
standard responsibility, but
some of the shit around it
might be, like dealing with
sharp things or making sure
pickpockets didn't swarm
like ants at a damn picnic.
He didn't work on people,
though, and didn't want to.
Was he even in shape for
handling anything today?
Shiv held out a hand. It was
still vibrating, but not as much
as before he talked to Rosie.
Maybe he should stay put
for a little while longer.
The shitshow down
the street wasn't going
anywhere, that's for sure.
Shiv was reluctant to help,
but not altogether unwilling.
It was his city too, damn it, and
he didn't want it falling apart.
He looked at the next item on
the list -- Is this something
that the Finns could fix?
Well, nothing was going
to fix that clusterfuck in
a hurry, but they could help.
Yeah. Definitely. Now that
he'd thought of it, he really
wanted competent people
to come deal with this.
Boss White had given
everyone in the gang
some training on how
to handle emergencies,
but Shiv was in no way
prepared for this much.
Tolli and Simon, though --
they were soldiers. They'd
probably seen a city torn up
and catching on fire before.
Also if the fight wasn't as over
as Shiv thought it was, they could
certainly take care of that too.
He didn't think that a nutjob
being able to slice a building
would stop Tolli and Simon from
putting someone on the ground.
Or possibly in the ground.
Simon sure had handled
Boss Batir earlier, without
even breaking a sweat.
This time, Shiv's hands
were steady as he
made the call.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so the location and content notes will appear separately. I have added some additional response notes.
Re: Finns
Date: 2021-09-27 10:11 am (UTC)