In fact, twenty-three years earlier, when McCormick was first starting work in the trade center, his dad had implored him to find a job elsewhere. Chief McCormick believed that the towers were among the most dangerous buildings in the city. The son regarded his warning as alarmist. Now the father was dead, and the son was trying to avoid looking at the floor numbers, averting his eyes as he moved at shuffle speed, praying that when he looked up he would discover progress. God, he whispered, please let me get to the 25th floor. Then: God, please let me get to the 20th floor.
