Scorpio's Lot (102 page)

An enormous cloud of smoke and
dust instantly filled the surrounding area. Covert Road had been transferred
into a blanket of dense fog and an eerie silence immediately followed the
explosion. From across the road, Maxim’s Coffee Lounge had caught the brunt of
the shock-wave, blasting the front windows and sending every conceivable object
hurdling towards its rear wall.

Not content with Maxim’s alone,
the horrendous power of the shock-wave slammed against the face of the
neighbouring businesses like the force of a speeding locomotive. Buildings
shook, and a street light pole torpedoed through the front office of an office
block.

On Covert Road, flying glass and
bricks filled the street, their deadly missiles randomly selecting any nearby
target. Dust and light debris remained suspended in the air for a number of
minutes. The immediate area had suddenly been transformed into some horror from
hell.

The sound of crying began to
replace the initial silence. The violent energy from the blast had finally
expended, with dust and debris now beginning to settle. The scene could only be
described as subdued chaos. Shock would shortly make way for hysteria, for the
aftermath had left a picture of severe injury, death and destruction.

A man totally covered in thick
dust and blood emerged from a nearby building. So bloodied was his body, it
seemed impossible the man was still standing. Limping forward with what
appeared to be a broken jaw and glass embedded deeply in one thigh, he was
impossible to identify. He simply gazed around at the horrific scene. Human
flesh, bones, teeth and building debris were scattered across the pavement and
splattered against windows, walls, cars and various signage. Dumbstruck at the
magnitude of the impact, the man was traumatised at the sight of two mutilated
bodies lying face down on the roadway.

A young girl playing hopscotch
was literally hurled through the air, her body incurring the full impact of
Broadbent’s exploding front brick wall. Her tiny and fragile frame was quickly
punished by the flying debris. She landed heavily on the Covert Road bitumen,
leaving only a mangled torso as her only means of identification. A further two
people coming from opposite directions slowly materialised as they stepped
forth through the remaining dust. They stopped and stood motionless in the
middle of the mayhem, and like their predecessor, stared in disbelief at the
horrors that were way beyond human comprehension.

Broadbent’s appeared to be ninety
percent gutted. Very little of the structure remained standing. In the most
remote parts of the warehouse, portions of walls and roofing were still intact,
where possibly some survivors may have sheltered from the onslaught of collapse
and flying debris. Not immune from the devastation, the blast had also
inflicted considerable damage to both the neighbouring tyre and furniture store
outlets. Situated directly opposite, Maxim’s and two further premises all
incurred varying degrees of structural damage, the most noticeable being
cracked walls to all three frontages. A number of vehicles parked along Covert
Road were destroyed beyond recognition. Debris laid everywhere in accumulative
piles and the search for survivors would soon become a priority.

Suddenly the air was filled with
the shrilling noise of approaching sirens. The three distinct sounds of
ambulance, fire and police were about to converge on this horrific aftermath.
From the top end of Bridge Street two ambulances could be seen, their speed
rapidly decreasing on reaching the outer perimeters of the affected area.
Crawling forward, the vehicles progressed to the closest possible vantage point
to ensure survivors would be taken to hospital from a convenient distance.

The initial reaction from
paramedics was predictably one of shock, despite their experience in attending
life-threatening situations. But this was different and totally alien to any
previous medical rescue they had encountered. Although surrounded by this
horrendous aftermath, the paramedics instantaneously swung into action. A
selection of medical supplies and four stretchers were retrieved from the
ambulances and placed in the middle of the roadway. An immediate assessment of
visible survivors and fatalities followed.

Amidst the abundance of flying
debris and dust that had settled in Covert Road, four unrecognisable and
partially decapitated male bodies could be seen lying on the bitumen in a
deplorable state. The soiled and bloodied clothing suggested their trades to be
service technicians and painters. Whimpering and screams could be heard coming
from the adjoining buildings, but until the fire brigade gave their clearance
for entry, attendance to street survivors would remain priority. A cry for help
could be heard coming from beneath a pile of rubble, diagonally across from
where a warehouse roller door once operated. In their desperate attempt to
reach the voice, one of the medics accidentally stepped on a severed hand
belonging to what appeared to be an adult male. Ignoring the gross and
unsightly consequence, the paramedics frantically commenced clearing the debris
to free the troubled person.

On reaching the outstretched arm
of a young woman still half-buried amongst building deposits, the sound of a
fire engine braked to a stop having approached from the Pitt Street end. Like
their paramedic colleagues, the firefighters immediately put into practice
their well-drilled procedures. Finally freed amidst the pile of rubble, the
young woman was bleeding profusely and trembling with sheer terror. Although
unable to make sense of her distorted speech, the firefighters gained the
impression that she wanted to find someone. She was in urgent need of hospital
treatment.

Initially bypassing the extreme
devastation to Broadbent’s, the firemen proceeded toward the adjoining and
adjacent buildings. Their first decision was to give the paramedics clearance
to attend the trauma coming from these premises. The interior of Maxim’s had
incurred the full brutal force of the shockwave. Two young women who were
previously sitting toward the front of the coffee lounge had been subjected to
the full impact of exploding glass. One lay face down and motionless on the
floor, her head impaled by a large piece of windowpane. Her friend, showered by
smaller glass fragments, sat beside her crying in uncontrollable distress.

Four elderly men who had been
thrown unmercifully against the back wall appeared to have life-threatening
injuries. Their bowling whites had turned blood red and they were smothered in
layers of building dust. Others simply lay dazed or wandered around the room
groaning in pain. It was a deplorable sight for the firefighters to witness
prior to the medics intervening. The structural inspection of Maxim’s was
declared sound despite the notable zigzag cracks which had formed on the front
brickwork. Similarly, the remaining affected premises to the south of the
roadway were given the all clear.

To the warehouse side of Covert
Road the buildings weren’t so fortunate. Firefighters attending to this row
immediately established an exclusion zone around the weakened structures of
Broadbent’s adjoining premises - Stamford Tyres and Henderson’s Furniture.
Stamford’s, in particular, was noticeably affected because it shared an
abutting wall. Both premises were on fire, possibly brought about by either
exposed gas or electricity lines. Without warning, a section of wall collapsed
to the rear end of Stamford’s. The weakened structure fell in slow motion, as
if defying the laws of gravity. The sound of isolated voices could then be
heard above the general noise of the mayhem.

So severely affected were these
two neighbouring establishments, the firefighters called on the use of thermal
imaging cameras to assess the whereabouts of the heat source. Given these
dangerous circumstances, the use of infrared would greatly assist to enable an
effective and rapid response. Knowing the location of the most dangerous and
hottest part of the fire would determine the appropriate safe passage to be
taken, in addition to avoiding structural damage that otherwise could go
undetected. Ceilings and floors had become dangerously weakened, not only from
the explosive blast but also from the introduction of fire damage. People were
trapped and it had become a priority for the firefighters to clear a passageway
for the medics to quickly attend to these survivors.

Next door a further two
firefighters were assessing Broadbent’s. It was no more than a pile of rubble,
except for two remote areas which remained partially intact. A couple of small,
isolated, smouldering fires appeared to present no immediate threat. Four
bodies lay crushed beneath the massive weight of fallen debris. Death would
have been instant, thought one of the firefighters as he looked down on the
unfortunate people. A fifth person, barely recognisable, showed signs of life
by slowly moving an arm when approached.

The young firefighter called for
the medics but his decision to seek immediate assistance was a mistake. A
further danger and life-threatening situation confronted those who ventured
onto the Broadbent’s premises. During the collapse of the building the neutral
line to supply power had been severed. As a result of the warehouse lacking
adequate earth, all the electrical circuits began to overheat and start a
series of spot fires. Exposed cable now lay in wait for the unsuspecting
person. The firefighter mistakenly believed that the smoldering effect had been
started by the dynamite blast. He desperately went in search of the medics who
were attending the injured from a neighbouring site.

In the meantime a crowd of
onlookers had gathered at both ends of Covert Road. The police had immediately
sealed the area, allowing only essential services to pass their boundary lines.
People watched in stunned disbelief, some overtaken with emotion in their fear
that a family member or friend was caught up in the turmoil.

With clearance finally granted to
the east side of Covert, the paramedics and police proceeded to carry out their
respective duties. The medics, understandably, were given priority to
immediately assess the general condition of survivors.

Within the furniture store two
people lay trapped beneath some collapsed roofing. The delicate process of
removing debris without causing further injury had commenced. The two who lay
in wait appeared to be badly shaken, but following a brief prognosis they were
considered to have only minor cuts and abrasions. They were the luckier ones
amidst this act of butchery.

A small fire had been doused
before it took hold of the combustible material that lay in abundance
throughout the store. The overall condition of Henderson’s looked decisively
vulnerable, particularly the remaining sidewall facing Broadbent’s, which
looked as if it might collapse at any time. The central area of the furniture
store had caved in, bringing down a sizeable section of roof. The rear wall had
inherited a large gaping hole, which undoubtedly would raise concerns about the
structural strength of the building. The medics were well aware that a quick
rescue and retreat was mandatory.

The scene awaiting the paramedics
at Stamford Tyres provided a much different type of challenge. Here was a
building that incurred considerably more damage. The sidewall attached to
Broadbent’s had been totally blown out, causing more than sixty percent of the
roof to collapse. Additionally, half the rear wall had disintegrated,
contributing to the pile of debris that had accumulated throughout the
premises. Spot fires had been extinguished and the place resembled a mixture of
disaster and confusion.

Most of the Stamford employees
had been caught in the collapse, with fate still hanging in the balance. Three
people were pinned under the collapsing roof, one appearing to show no sign of
life. A fourth person, who had possibly freed himself from the debris, was
attempting to move away the rubble to reach his fellow workers. Covered in dust
and bleeding profusely from the head, he had a noticeable tear in his eye from
the abnormity of the ordeal. The medics set about freeing his colleagues, with
stretchers placed in line to take the casualties to the waiting ambulances. One
person was pronounced dead.

Having been alerted to a possible
sole survivor on the Broadbent site, Forbes and three of his men followed the
paramedics over the demolished battleground. He was also aware that those
responsible for this carnage could detonate a secondary explosion. It was a
method tried and proven by numerous extremists to kill both the police and
emergency workers. Caution was paramount.

On reaching the corpses, three
bodies were immediately identified as being Neville Bradbury and two of his
staff. An unknown fourth victim wore a courier top. The bodies were crushed and
covered in thick dust. Ironically a coffee mug lay unaffected beside one of the
bodies.

Given the unlikelihood of finding
anyone alive, one of the medics was astounded to detect movement, ever so
slight, to his right beneath a pile of collapsed roofing. Within three metres
of the survivor a soft groaning noise could be heard. The medics commenced the
careful removal of rubble and revealed a man with horrific and multiple
injuries. The left arm appeared fractured, and there was the possibility of a
broken pelvis. To add further complications, the right leg was crushed as a
result of incurring the impact of the collapsed roof. The man grimaced with
pain as the debris was removed from his soiled body.