As the final installment of the Chicago crossover event unfolds, the intensity of the rescue operation and investigation reaches its peak. The survivors are finally being pulled from the collapsed tunnel, with firefighters and paramedics working tirelessly to ensure their safety. Ruzek, despite his exhaustion and injuries, spots the stolen hard drive among the debris and rushes back just in time to recover it. The stolen pension funds, valued at $250 million, are now back in CPD’s hands, but the city’s corruption and negligence remain an open wound.
Amidst the relief of the rescue, Voight receives urgent information that leads to the identification of the final missing offender. The shocking truth emerges when it is revealed that Bates, a longtime CPD officer and former colleague of Trudy’s, was the insider in the heist and the man who shot her in the back. Voight confronts him, demanding an explanation for his betrayal. Bates, weary and resigned, admits that he was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma, the same disease that Margaret Simshaw blamed on the city. Watching how the system failed her, he believed it would fail him too. Fueled by resentment and desperation, he rationalized his role in the heist, convinced that the stolen money was rightfully his. His justification, however, falls flat in the face of Voight’s unwavering response. A vow to serve and protect is not about what one deserves, it is about standing by the people of the city, no matter the cost. Bates is taken into custody, knowing there is no redemption for what he has done.
As the last of the survivors make their way out of the tunnel, Kidd ensures that Jacob, the young boy she treated during the crisis, is properly evaluated. She wants confirmation that she made the right medical decision in stabilizing him before he is transported to Med. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Trudy is conscious and recovering, though not without her usual defiance. When Dr. Archer informs her that she will need at least a week in the hospital followed by months of physical therapy, she scoffs, already preparing to demand second opinions. Despite her gruffness, those around her are simply grateful that she made it through.
For Ellie, the young girl caught in the middle of her mother’s criminal actions, the emotional toll is far from over. She struggles to reconcile the woman who raised her with the one who nearly cost lives in an act of desperation. She clings to the hope that her mother had good intentions, but the reality of Margaret’s choices weighs heavily. A doctor, seeing the turmoil within her, reminds her of something powerful resilience. While many people spend their lives searching for strength, Ellie was born with it. That strength, more than anything, will be what carries her forward.
As the dust settles and the night quiets, the weight of what happened lingers among the first responders. The hard drive is secured, but Voight refuses to release it to the city’s legal team just yet, knowing full well that the truth about what happened, the blocked cancer treatments, the stolen retirement funds, and the corruption that led to it all will soon become public knowledge. The city will have to answer for its failings, and justice, in some form, will be served.
In the final moments of the night, Kidd and Severide take a rare moment of stillness, acknowledging that this brief calm will not last. Their work is never truly done, and the weight of what they have seen will remain with them. As they exchange a quiet nod of respect, there is no need for words. They did their jobs, they saved lives, and they upheld the vow they swore to protect the people of Chicago. Though tomorrow will bring new battles, for now, the city is safe.
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