Considerate, respectful of others’ views. There were plenty of words he’d come up with to describe her. And yet he was still grappling with a very real sense of knowing nothing about her, a sense she was holding back something of herself. She was definitely more reserved than the rest, and several times he’d sensed she’d started to let her guard down but the next time they’d met the barriers would be up again. She seemed almost wary of him. Who knew why that was? But he had a feeling that if he could discover her secret it would be worth the effort.

Sarah came quietly to his side, the group now complete. What would she do if she knew he was interested? Most women made their attraction to him quite obvious, yet Sarah seemed immune to him. The thrill of the unknown coursed through him. Combined with the challenges of today, the feeling of being on the brink of uncharted territory was heady stuff.

Suppressing a secret half-grin, he crouched to pick up the whiteboard at his feet, straightening as the leading fire appliance pulled up and the firefighters emerged from the cabin, wearing full protective gear, ready to deal with this emergency. His team. The knowledge sent yet another rush of excitement flooding through his veins.

He glanced at the whiteboard on which he’d written the duties and responsibilities of the first responders so each task could be checked off and comments added as the observing team thought of them.

The police and paramedics arrived hot on the heels of the fire department. Ned turned to Lucas and Angie, the police and ambulance liaison officers, who were standing on his right, and angled his whiteboard so everyone could see the list as he read out the next item and they each concentrated on checking off their team’s roles. Conversation had stopped when the fire crews had appeared, their white-suited bulk intimidating even to this group of experts.

‘Isolate the incident and secure perimeter,’ said Ned, quoting from the whiteboard the procedure he knew by heart.

‘Easier said than done,’ Lucas commented. ‘Now I can actually see it, it’s almost impossible for my people to secure the area.’ The injured commuters were actors, hired for the day to play specific roles—walking wounded, unconscious, seriously injured, unharmed and dead—and they were all giving award-winning performances.

‘Securing the area was always going to be a challenge,’ Ned replied. ‘An open arena like this is the hardest to contain. That’s what makes it the perfect test scenario. And as for the actors, it’s probably a career highlight for most of them. No surprise they’re playing it to the hilt but they seem to be following directions.’

‘I imagine that’s proving hard,’ said Sarah, and Ned

found himself giving her his full attention, much more so than to Lucas, ‘for those actors told to be mortally wounded and lie still. Can you imagine lying motionless while everyone around you is getting their big break, running amok, covered in fake blood and screaming?’

Ned laughed. ‘You think we might have real need for the medicos when the bad blood spills? Hope you’re ready for action.’ She had no idea how much he hoped she was ready for some action.

He turned his attention back to the racecourse, adjusting his earpiece to listen in on the fire department’s frequency. Each of the exercise-writing team observing had an earpiece to listen to their own team’s conversations without interfering with each other. The others in the group peeled off nearby to discuss and watch, leaving Ned pleased with how things had worked out: he had Sarah to himself, for the next little while at least.

‘Ned, I’ve never seen a simulation like this and I’ll never get to see this stage if there’s a real situation,’ Sarah said. ‘Medicos wouldn’t be on the scene yet. Can you explain what everyone’s doing, if it won’t interrupt your assessment?’

Things were getting better and better. Now she was seeking out his time, thinking it might be an inconvenience when it was nothing but a pleasure.

‘Sure. And as for finding it hard to make sense of it down there, remember none of us has organised something on this scale before. This is a first for Adelaide and it’s a lot easier to follow on paper. I was part of simulations in my CBR training in Canada last year but never from this angle. I was in the thick of the action. Today is just as much about giving this team…’ he indicated their group ‘…training in overall management as it is about getting the specialists down there ready…’ he nodded at the racecourse ‘…if there’s ever such an event.’ Ned located his IC as he spoke. ‘You see Tony down there?’ He pointed to where a man was standing about ten feet east of the bus. ‘He’s the acting incident controller. He’s doing my job today. First, he’s trying to establish control, making sure everyone is doing what he’s asked them to or knows their role. He’s got to know what’s going on at all times. He’ll get the “warm zone” set up around him, sealing off the bus and the terminal. You’d deal with him once you arrived at the scene, as you know.’

She nodded, totally absorbed in the scene below them and his descriptions. If he moved just a few inches to his right, they’d be touching. The thought was delicious.

‘Triage happens inside the “warm zone” before victims are moved through into the “cold zone” for treatment, evacuation or assembly,’ she quoted from the procedure they knew so well, presumably oblivious to the effect she was having on him. ‘How do you think the police are managing with making sure people don’t leave the scene?’

‘I won’t trespass on Lucas’s turf by commenting, but I can tell you the bomb squad is getting warm on their search for other explosive devices.’ He touched her arm to show her where he was looking.

‘So there are more out there.’ She flicked him a sideways glance, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. ‘Not just the two we’ve already seen?’

‘Let’s see what they find.’ Ned grinned. ‘The whole point of this exercise is to test everyone’s skills—may as well go the whole hog.’

She laughed. ‘Somehow I think going for broke comes naturally to you,’ she said before turning away again quickly, like she’d said too much and unintentionally strayed into personal territory. ‘And the firemen going into the betting ring, what are they doing?’ Her change of topic was swift but he stored the information away with relish: he had to have been on her mind for her to make a personal comment about him.

‘They’ll be taking readings to check for any radioactive signals. They’ll also check for flammable gases and check oxygen levels. The site is pretty open so that shouldn’t be a problem but we don’t want people leaving the scene if there’s been any contamination.’

Sarah held her hand up to her ear as information came through her earpiece. ‘The call’s gone out for more medical support. Let’s see how long it takes the hospital team to get here.’

‘How long do you reckon?’

‘Fifteen minutes from either the city or down south.’

‘Though they’re expecting this callout, so in a real event you’d have to add on an extra ten minutes to give them time to get ready to go.’

‘So the paramedics will do their thing for about half an hour before we’d even get here?’

‘That’s it, but in a situation like this there’ll still be plenty of work for your team.’

People were starting to gather at the assembly point now. Victims who were mobile were being directed to the police officers who would take statements in case anyone had any pertinent information. They would also keep a list of names to help with enquiries. Those people who were hurt but didn’t need treatment on site would be transported to the nearest hospitals but only once it had been determined if there was any contamination. It was imperative the site be contained until that was confirmed or ruled out. Ned noticed a line of ambulances coming onto the racecourse, arriving in an almost constant stream now, closely followed by the media.