Based on Season Five & Six...
The first responders race into action when a series of ransomware attacks target computer systems, air traffic control towers and hospitals. Then a massive city-wide blackout causes havoc in L.A. Meanwhile, Maddie's pos...
The members of the 118 arrive on the scene after a truck crashes until a high school homecoming parade. Meanwhile, Buck tries to help Ashleigh in the aftermath of her kidnapping, but Buck can't help noticing the tension Ashleigh has for Athena. May is intimidated by returning call center legend and Ashleigh gives a devastated Chimney advice regarding Maddie.
Chimney was at home watching a video Maddie recorded...
Maddie: "I love you. I love both of you. And I'm really sorry."
He rewinded the video back a little, and someone knocked on his door.
"Chim, come on. Chim, I know you're home... I can hear you." Ashleigh says.
Ashleigh then opened the door and stepped in, finding Chimney watching the video.
"Chimney? Chimney?" She asked.
"What is it, Ash?"
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to figure out what happened to Maddie."
"Nothing happened to her, Chim. She just left." She said.
"That's it? She just left. And that makes sense to you?"
"Listen, Buck said sometimes Maddie, uh... she likes to put distance between herself and her problems." She tells him.
"So what's the problem in this instance... is it me or is it her daughter?"
"You know what her problem is 'cause she told you. She... she felt like Jee wasn't safe with her right now." She says.
"Here, let me show you something."
She signed, and he turned the laptop towards her, pressing play.
Maddie: "I'm not in any danger, and no one is making me do this."
"Did you see that? Did you see that, right there?"
"See what?" She asked, staring at him, clearly confused.
"She shakes her head as she's looking right into the camera. It's like she's telling me to believe the opposite of what she's saying, almost like... like there's someone making her do it. That sounds crazy, doesn't it?"
"No." She muttered, staring up at him.
"It does, and I know it does. But I just... I just need to know. I just... I need to make sure there's no one out there trying to hurt her."
"No. No. Chimney, Chimney, no one wants to hurt Maddie." She said.
"Doug did."
"Doug is dead." She mumbled.
"Is he, though?"
"Yeah, trust me, I know. I'm the one that killed him." She murmured.
"The day after Maddie disappeared, she withdrew $20,000 out of a settlement account from a bank in Oxnard. Doesn't it sound like maybe somebody's trying to coerce her?"
"No." She said.
"That money came from Doug's estate. You know he would have considered it his."
"Do you really believe anything you're saying right now?" She asked.
"I really don't want to hate her, Ash. I don't want to believe that she would do this to us, to me, to Jee-Yun."
"Just got to give her time. She's gonna come home." She says.
"How do you know that?"
"'Cause I know Maddie." She said.
"Yeah, well, I did, too. Now I'm not so sure, which is why I have to keep going back to this. This is the only thing that she left me with."
Jee began crying.
"Not the only thing." She tells him.
"Jee, I'm coming."
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The next morning, Buck was sitting in a waiting room while Ashleigh was inside a room...
The door opened, and he looked up, seeing Ashleigh coming out of the room.
She sat down on the chair, typing on her phone.
"Okay. Has she said anything about what happened yet?" He asked, stepping inside the room.
"We're still building a rapport. How's she been at home?"
"Uh, it's hard to tell. Uh, she hasn't opened up there, either. She's barely spoken to Athena." He said.
"She still hasn't been back to the house yet?"
"No. After the... kidnapping, she wanted to stay at home. Athena has invited her a bunch of times, but... it's understandable. Like you said, these things take time."
"In general, yes, but in this case, I would encourage Ashleigh to visit the house she was kidnapped from sooner rather than later."
"Even if she doesn't want to be there?" He asked, frowning softly.
"Allowing her to stay away is telling her that you agree the house is scary. The man who took her is scary, and that man is gone. It's important to signal to her that the world she's always known is still safe."
"How do I do that? Bring her back to the house?" He asked.
"Make it as normal as possible. If Ashleigh picks up on your or anyone's anxiety, then she'll be more anxious, too."
"Well, I'll think about it and speak it over with the home owners." He tells her.
Later, Josh, May, and Linda walked onto the dispatch floor...
"Can you believe it? The prodigal daughter has returned." Josh says.
"She's back? Really? I thought that was just a rumour." Linda said.
"She walked in those doors and immediately took over a priority one." Josh tells them.
May stepped forward, staring at the woman they were talking about.
"Uh, that's not Maddie." Said May.
"Claudette Collins. She used to work here years ago until she was poached by Valley, but I lured her back. Home invasion robbery. The homeowner and his grandson managed to hide, but it sounds like Granddad's having a heart attack." Josh tells them.
They all stood around Claudette's computer while she talked the grandson into doing compressions.
Claudette: "Lonnie, are you still there?"
Lonnie: "I'm here."
Claudette: "Paramedics, tell me your grandpa's heartbeat is back. You did real good. Yeah, you did real good."
Lonnie: "Thank you."
Claudette: "That's all right, honey. You're welcome."
Claudette then oiled out the earpiece, and the dispatchers began whooping and clapping their hands.
"All right, a little... a little oxygen, please. Come on. Come on. Social distance, please." Said Claudette.
"Wow. That was really something." May says.
"Just doing my job." Claudette said.
"Guess they put you right back to work. Didn't even give you time to put on your uniform." May tells her.
"Oh." Claudette muttered, laughing shortly.
"Claudette doesn't wear a polo." Josh said.
"Oh. She doesn't?" Asked May.
"No." Claudette says.
"Does it look like I'm FaceTiming with these people?" Claudette and Josh asked.
Josh and Claudette laughed.
"Seriously, though, I couldn't look this corny and do what I do." Claudette muttered.
May stared down at her top.
"I'm just talking about the shirts, so no offence." Claudette murmured, sitting down at another computer.
"Hi, Claudette." Linda said.
"Linda Bates? I did not expect to see you. I had ten bucks you'd wash out in six months."
