"Hey Holtzmann, me and Abby are heading to the shop. Do you want anything?" Patty shouted up the stairs.
Holtzmann appeared out of her lab, looking down at her friend. "Could you get me some skittels and ice cream?" She asked smiling.
"Sure. " Patty said as she walked out the door, joining Abby outside.
Holtzmann returned to her lab, shutting the door behind her. Dancing over to her desk, she turned her radio up and got back to work.
Erin, smiled as she heard the radio echo down from above. She tapped her pen along to the tune, thinking of Holtzmann's crazy dancing.
Erin then shook her head hard and got back to work. Jillian was such a distraction and she didn't even know it. She needed to figure out the speed of the proton rays in proportion to their efficiency. The team needed this solving so that the guns can get altered to be easier to use. So Erin, returned to scribbling away, trying to ignore the echoes from above.
Eventually, Erin did return to tapping along to the tune. Her equations no where near to done and herself bored. She sighed, getting out her chair. Erin, made her way to the kitchen, hunting through the cupboards for a cup. A glass of lemonade is what she needed. Something sugary and sweet to keep her going.
Holtzmann, meanwhile was upstairs, tinkering. Her screwdriver in one hand the blowtorch in the other. She tightened the two remaining screws, then stood up. Switching the screwdriver and blow torch hands, then took aim. Press and fire. The flame melted the metal, exactly how she wanted it. But then something began to smell.
Holtzmann switched off the blow torch instantly and furrowed her eyebrows together. She place both the screwdriver and blowtorch down, a safe distance away, then turned back to her work. She sniffed the air, trying to identify the smell.
What could be emitting such a smell? She looked at her cooling lump of metal on her desk and frowned.
As an engineer she should have know the danger, as a scientist she shouldn't have done what she had done.
Now it was too late. Holtzmann didn't have long, but she had to make the building safe for her friends.
Quickly, she searched about the room. Pulling the machine out of the cardboard box, brining it to her table. Placing it over the metal lump. Clicking the buttons on top and the vacuum, began to form. Then Holtzmann opened the lab room windows wide.
She then, went back to her desk, two minutes left she estimated. Holtzmann found her note pad and pen and wrote the necessary note. Then, with one swift turn she faced the stereo, switching song and turning it up loud. Rhythm of the Night for her final last dance.
Erin, sipped the last of her drink, placing the cup down on the side. She looked up at the clock, Abby and Patty should be back soon. She smiled, as she heard Holtzmann's favourite song. Surprisingly being played louder than usual. Erin was curious and climbed the firehouse stairs. Already picturing Holtzmann's crazy dancing moves.
Then she reached the door, the stereo loud. She glanced inside, the song now well into the second chorus. Erin's smile faded as her eyes didn't come to land on Jillian. She opened the door, noticing the windows open. She gulped. "Holtzmann?" She whispered, worried. The music just drowned out her voice. She stepped inside the room and looked around, no sight of Holtzmann. She then made her way around the engineer's table. Holtzmann laid there. On the floor.
"Holtzmann!" She said much louder, this time over the sound of the stereo. No movement. Erin fell to her knees, hands shoving against Holtzmann's back.
No response. Erin's eyes filled with tears. "Jillian!" She shouted, shaking the engineer. Nothing,
Erin wept, her body shaking.
Minutes went buy and slowly, she stopped shaking Holtzmann and instead hugged her.
Erin didn't hear the firehouse door open or her friend's loud steps up the stairs. But she did hear Abby's voice, "We brought Holtzmann's skittles and icecre-" She stopped short as she entered the room. Patty turned down the stereo.
Abby joined Erin's side, hugging both her friends.
"What happened?" Abby asked.
"I-" Erin began, taking in a deep breath then continued,"I don't know." Erin's voice broke, more tears escaping her eyes.
Patty found the note, reading it. Tears, falling down her cheeks.
"Gas." Was all Patty said, as she handed the note to Abby.
"She knew she was-" Abby didn't finish her sentence, as she passed the note to Erin. Abby herself crying.
Erin's fingers trembled as she read the note.
"I-" Erin breathed.
"Shhh," Abby soothed Erin, sniffling away her own tears, "You don't have to say it." Abby finished.
"But I do." Erin cried, she wanted to calm down so she could say what Jillian deserved.
"I-I l-ooove you Jillian Holtzzzmann." She cried, words broken by her sobs.
"Holtzy knew." Patty said, through her silent tears.
Yes, Holtzmann did know.
Holtzmann did know she was dying.
Holtzmann did know her love was returned.
But most of all:
Holtzmann did know this was not the end.
Authors Notes
Thanks for the request @lollymc88
