Work Text:
Social Media
The LAFD’s PR Department may not have been as large as the others but they still commanded respect for their hard work. That is when they did good. Currently the married couple that were supposed to be monitoring a heavy asset to their department had been given time off as they were on their anniversary cruise. And their boss felt that there was no need to look over the shoulder of that good asset. As he had never let them down.
So, it all came as a surprise when the two came back to a ton of hate spun messages about the LAFD coming from the followers of the asset about the LAFD refusing to allow the asset to return to work he had re-qualified for three times across the board. And in fact, had all but severed him from his job unfairly for getting blown up by a terrorist who had been aiming for others. And had caught him instead.
This coming, not just from the most vocal of the asset’s followers, but across the platform. And spread to the online news agencies. One of whom was soon going to be posting an episode on the whole mess and was an actual investigative reporter.
SHIT! What the fuck was admin and the asset’s captain doing now!
They called an emergency session to their bosses, who freaked out big time and called their department bosses, who call the Chief’s office. And was put off and was told he was making mountains as the asset’s captain wouldn’t lie about the asset being ready to head back to work.
And actually, HUNG UP ON THEM!
They called legal and got the same from the head of the department even though his PA was also freaking out about it when she heard. And the Union flat out blew them off and told them that the asset was fond of lying to cover his ass. Just witness his own actions with Wells.
PR as a whole, weren’t dummies and had recorded each conversation as they knew things came back on them with regularity. So, when it all blew up with the reporter’s online report that lasted a week of one-hour episodes each on the department as a whole. And the asset’s station and shift in particular. They were prepared. Especially when slots of it hit the actual news and went national. Then international. And they blasted the upper management’s recorded words back at them.
Same with the news agencies showing the asset saying he was looking to go to work elsewhere as a firefighter as he had been effectively fired for getting blown up by the home-grown terrorist.
And mentioned, online, to his followers that were picked up by the news agencies, that he had interviews from across the nation that would actually allow him to work at his full capacity. Something he had not been allowed to do at his old station. And under his captain.
The Old Guard was now panicking as even their own mail, both physical and online, was filled with hate over what they allowed to happen to the asset. And everyone was demanding SOMEONE do something about. But the asset just told them that he had been effectively fired and so, didn’t have to listen to them anymore. And HE HUNG UP ON THEM and how rude that was. Especially when he posted the recorded phone calls to his account with the openings stating flat out on both ends that all calls might be recorded and by continuing that they allowed those recordings to be used. Just damned admin all the more.
Same with his posting all the recordings, verbal phone calls and visual from his apartment cameras, of his station’s toxic spewing of hate over getting their captain in trouble. And then their own troubles when those were also posted. And security heightened when threats were made by one of them.
This led to the man’s arrest when he tried to follow through in person. Which led to the asset making sure the person was remanded to a facility to get care and take over the care of his kid. Till that person got out and proved he could do it.
Epilogue:
Buck took on a job at a county fire station to stay near the traumatized Chris. Working mostly SAR. Eddie ended up working dispatch for the fire department after getting out of the hospital for his C-PTSD. And was now under constant therapy or he would lose his son to Buck.
Eddie’s parents were served with notice to appear before the federal courts in LA for attempted kidnapping across state lines, adult alienation, and child abuse. They were not expected to win in the LA courts. And Buck had sued his sister for her actions in his own healthcare during his time with LAFD and the bombing aftermath. She, too, was now serving time for her actions in trying to actively cripple her brother to gain access to his trust fund as her ex-husband had spent all of hers.
Buck’s old captain, Nash was fired for lying one too many times to his bosses and then lost his new family when he refused to climb out of the bottle he fell back into. And disappeared to the lost humans of LA. While the rest of the shift he used to work with had to undergo heavy therapy for everything they had gone through. Many of them were forced to go only part time as they did so, till they retired for health reasons or passed their therapist and returned to duty.
In the end, the old guard got a much need lesson on when to listen to the worries of every department under them. As it took decades to repair the damage done to their reputation as a whole for their blowing things off as fluff and nonsense.
Fini
9/19/2025
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9/20/2025