Jeff sighed as he watched Thunderbird four leave the island using the
Emergency System; Thunderbird two had been damaged during landing and was
in repair. He knew that travelling for ten solid was going to be tough on
Gordon. Jeff went back inside to sit at his desk. Virgil and Alan were
already sitting in chairs waiting for Gordon to radio in with his
positions. Five pictures of men in almost identical uniform were next to
each other on a wall. The one on the far right began to flash. Jeff pressed
a button.
"Go ahead John." Said Jeff.
"I've been checking the rate water has been flooding the submarine. It will
be half flooded in eight hours time unless another leak springs. That
should give Gordon least five hours to do the rescue. There are over twenty
people on board and only two people can fit in the hatch at one time. The
ship waiting to collect them is two miles away due to the dangerous rocks
there. The estimated time to finish the operation is four hours leaving one
to spare."
"Thanks John." Said Jeff. "Keep an eye on the situation and radio if
there's any change." Jeff turned off the radio link.
"Well that's good news." Said Scott. "It's a shame that there was no where
for Thunderbird one to land. I would have loved to be part of the action."
"What action." Asked Alan. "Only Gordon has something to do and nearly 24
hours in a submarine, I couldn't do it."
"Yeah well, hopefully the rescue will go well," said Virgil. "Its a shame
that Thunderbird two's left wheel collapsed during landing."
"I still can't believe that both you and Alan didn't get hurt." Said Scott
grinning. "Thunderbird two comes down perfectly on the airstrip and the
left back wheel refuses to come out. Lucky Gordon had the idea of turning
on the fire equipment or you would have crashed into the house."
Jeff grinned and checked the map of the area where the accident had taken
place.
Down in Thunderbird Four Gordon was making his way quickly across the ocean
bed. A fleet of large navy ships where sailing along the surface above him
and he didn't want the submarine to appear on radar. In the back of the
submarine there was some scupper diving equipment, a map, a first aid kit,
a life raft, a flare gun, harpoon and a small lunch box. Gordon had been
underwater for nearly seven hours. Gordon sailed twenty miles ahead of the
fleet and surfaced to check his position noticing a large rock he found
that he was 300 miles away from the sunken submarine. The rest of the trip
would take about three hours.
Back on Tracy Island Jeff was waiting for Gordon to radio in. Scott and
Virgil had go to bed and Alan was sitting with Jeff also waiting for Gordon
to radio in. The picture on the far left began to flash.
"Go a head Gordon." Said Jeff.
"I've made it to the danger area. I'm halfway back to the ship with the
first lot of people. There are 40 all together on board, but ten of them
are using breathing equipment. It will take about ten minutes to rescue two
people so. It should take about 150 mins to get everyone off the sub."
Gordon reported surfacing and opening the hatch.
"Good, how full is the submarine?" asked Jeff.
"Just half full. They managed to block the hole." Said Gordon. "Hang on the
Navy's lowing some diving equipment."
"How many tanks?" asked Jeff
"Five." Answered Gordon. "That's all they can spare. They need the rest if
the ship sinks."
Gordon opened the hatch and let another two people into the hatch.
"The rescue looks like it's well underway. Call me when your just taking
the last two people to the ship." Said Jeff
"O.K. Dad." Said Gordon, "I'll be done around dawn, so just go to bed."
"I'll do that. Goodnight Gordon." Said Alan grinning
"Night Alan."
Gordon turned off the radio and turned around to pick up the next two
people. Two people to got into the hatch. By the time the sun was rising,
Gordon was finishing his last trip back to the ship with the last two
people. Gordon turned the radio link on.
"Morning Gordon." Said Jeff. "Finished?"
"Yeah." Said Gordon. "I'm heading back now but I am debating whether to
anchor Thunderbird four and take five. The currents changed and it'll take
me at least 14 hours to get home."
"I'd come home if i was you. Sleeping in a chair is bad for your back."
Said Jeff.
"Tell yourself that, coz I don't think you've left that chair in the last
24 hours." Said Gordon.
"Point taken. Anyway come home. Penny's here and she's dying to go down in
Thunderbird four. She wants to know if you'll take her down."
"I'll take her down. As long as I can get at least three hours sleep before
hand. Where is she now?"
"Alan's showing her inside Thunderbird 3." Answered Jeff.
"Uh Oh." Said Gordon checking his radar."
"What?" asked Jeff.
"There's at least ten sharks following Thunderbird Four. I would fire
topeados at them but there's a ship above me and I don't think it's happy
with me down here." Answered Gordon.
"Why? What's it doing." Asked Jeff
"I think it's going to fire at me. Hang on. Never mind it's doing it
already." Gordon jammed the submarine into top speed and made his way
quickly across the seabed. The ship followed him firing wildly, the shots
coming closer each time.
"Gordon? Can you see what the ship is called? I'll radio the captain."
Said Jeff
"The U.S.N Victory." Said Gordon.
"Right O.K I'll radio Washington." Jeff turned the radio off and radioed
Washington. Whilst he was doing this Gordon dodged a few more before
hearing a load blast, he noticed he had lost his right turbo booster. This
meant that Gordon couldn't move his machine as fast as he usually could.
The ship fired three more times, two of them hitting Thunderbird Four
violently on the hull and left propeller. Then it stopped. As the smoke
cleared Gordon stood up to inspect the damage. The left propeller was
almost falling off and the hull had a large dent in it. The controls were
sparking and a wisp of smoke could be seen rising from the left-hand side.
Gordon sat down and groaned. Thunderbird four was unlikely to make it back
to the island in the next 30 hours because the main engine had also
sustained damage. The radio crackled into life.
"Hi Gordon. The U.S.N have stopped firing and are sorry about what they
did. Is there any damage?"
"The right turbo booster, the left propeller, the main engine has taken a
fair amount of damage and the control system is sparking and smoking." Said
Gordon. "But I think its still sea worthy."
"How long do you think it will take to get home?" asked Jeff.
"At least 30 hours dependent on how the back up engine copes with the
strain." Answered Gordon. "I think I'll make it."
"Right you'd better get moving. If you get into any trouble call. I'll have
Virgil and Alan come out in the Wave Dancer to pick you up."
Jeff turned the radio off.
"Right, now lets see, the U.S.N knows who I am so they're going to ignore
me. The right turbo booster is not working and my left propeller is also no
working. That means i keep basically normal balance for the journey. The
hull has caved in, but it's fixable. The computer panel control is working
at the moment and the back up engine is full power. Hang on, there's water
on the floor. Crap, the turbo booster fell right off and left a hole. Dad's
really going to be annoyed with this." Gordon turned on the radio.
"Go ahead Gordon."
"I've had another look at the damage, Thunderbird Four has sprung a leak.
The right turbo booster fell of and the left one won't be powerful enough
to get Thunderbird Four to the surface, the hatch is damaged." Explained
Gordon.
"Right you have no choice but to get out Thunderbird four and swim to the
surface. Alan and Virgil are leaving in the Wave Dancer now. They should be
there in ten hours, I hope you can tread water for that long." Said Jeff.
"I'll use the raft. Hopefully one thing in here doesn't spring a leak."
Said Gordon, grabbing his diving equipment. "See you in whatever hours."
The radio was turned off and Gordon fired the harpoon at the window and
swam up to the surface with the aid of diving equipment. He opened the raft
when he reached the top. It opened and he climbed into it.
"Right now I guess I have to wait for the Alan to turn up in the Wave
Dancer." Said Gordon to his self.
It started to rain.
"I don't believe this, of all the luck." Said Gordon in disgust, " great,
if this ends up as Pneumonia I will not be happy."
Alan and Virgil sat together in the engine room of the Wave Dancer.
"Oh Gordon's going to be in a foul mood when we pick him up." Said Virgil,
turning on the tracking device.
"Well wouldn't you if you had to spend about 24 hours traveling to and
performing a rescue followed by getting attacked by U.S.N ships, who people
were on the underwater station then, finding out your submarine is sinking
and you have to sit in a life boat for ten hours waiting in the rain for
his brothers to pick him up." Said Alan "Hey look, there he is." Alan
pointed out the window to a lone figure sitting in a rubber yellow life
raft.
They sailed over to him,
"Hey Gordon, you're looking a bit damp." Said Alan grinning.
"Where's the wreck?" asked Virgil.
"Down there somewhere." Said Gordon, the current moved the raft, but if you
give me the pulley ropes I'll go down an tie them to Thunderbird Four. I
don't know, maybe I'll find my lunch as well." Gordon grabbed his air tank;
the pulley ropes and swam down towards Thunderbird Four. Ten minutes later
three tugs on the rope told them it was tethered and they could start
bringing it up. They pulled it out of the water and moved it into the
ship's small shed area. A minute later Gordon surfaced and climbed into the
ship.
"Well, nice weather isn't it?" asked Gordon. Sneezing.
"Positively wonderful." Answered Alan, "there's dry clothes in the left
hand room."
"Thanks." Gordon said heading inside.
"Dad, it's me Virgil, we've found Gordon and he and Thunderbird Four are
aboard the Wave Dancer. Gordon's gone to change into dry clothes."
"How is he?" asked Jeff.
"He's got a cold, but apart from that he seems fine." Said Virgil. "He's
being sarcastic so i guess that means some thing good."
"What about Thunderbird Four?" asked Jeff
"It'll needed about two weeks work to it. It's in bad shape. I find it
amazing that Gordon got out alive. The whole hull caved in and the hatch is
seriously damaged."
"The hull caved in? Gordon didn't tell me that." Said Jeff in shock.
Gordon walked into the driver's room.
"Hi dad!" he said.
"Gordon why didn't you tell me the hull had caved in?" asked Jeff.
"The fact that the main engine was out of action seemed more important."
Said Gordon sneezing."
"I'm guessing you've got a cold." Said Jeff.
"Yeah." Answered Gordon. "Well at least this is one rescue I won't forget
in a hurry."
"Also the hatch was damaged how did you get out?" asked Jeff.
"Fired a harpoon at the front window." Said Gordon.
"So the window needs replacing?" asked Jeff.
"Yep." Answered Gordon yawning.
"Tell you what, you go to bed. You sound awful." Said Jeff
"Yeah, I'll do that." Said Gordon. "See you later." Gordon headed to the
cabin
"I'm going to put the kettle on. You want anything Virgil?" asked Alan.
""Coffee would be nice." Said Virgil "Is there anything else you'd like us
to do?"
"Just come home." Said Jeff.
Twenty hours later the Wave Dancer had returned to the island and Gordon
and Alan were busy banging the hull back into its proper shape.
"You sure you're O.K?" asked Alan.
"I'm fine." Said Gordon, climbing in the submarine through the broken
window to take the rest of the stuff out. "It's just a cold."
Jeff and Penny walked over to them.
"Yuck, what a mess." Said Penny.
" Who Gordon or Thunderbird Four?" asked Alan, taking the left propeller
off the back of the submarine.
"Both." Said Jeff.
"Thanks for the compliment." Said Gordon, throwing the first aid kit out.
"Yuck."
"What?" asked Alan.
"Ever wondered what a cheese sandwich, three days old and soggy looks like,
especially when it's been kept in helium?" asked Gordon.
"No why." Asked Alan.
"Take a look in the paper bag." Said Gordon throwing it out the submarine.
"That looks tasty." Said Alan sarcastically.
"The thing is 30 hours ago i was planning to eat that." Said Gordon. But
know i think i created a meal sicker the Lug's food."
"Nope that would be impossible." Said Alan. "Is there anything else in
there?"
"Diving stuff but it's in the hatch." Said Gordon climbing out.
"In that case we get to use a crowbar." Said Alan
"No I get to use a crowbar, last time you used one you nearly took my hand
with it." Said Gordon heading over to a toolbox.
"That was a accident." Said Alan.
"Tell that to Mark," said Gordon, "He wasn't happy when his back seat got a
new color."
Gordon jabbed the crowbar into the hatch and pushed down hard on it. The
hatch opened and the crowbar went flying.
"Heads up." Said Gordon.
Alan caught it and dumped it back in the box.
"O.K maybe there's a bit more then diving equipment in there." Said Gordon,
"This will require a mop and bucket."
"Why?" asked Penny looking in.
"I'm going to need to get a sign, 'no smoking' also one that says 'no
loitering', as there is half a fish in here." Answered Gordon pulling the
diving equipment out and putting it in a locker on the other side of the
room.
Alan climbed in the hatch with a mop.
"Well if we're fixing this we might as well clean it out." Grinned Alan
"Yep, It also needs another coat of paint, but that's not that important."
Said Gordon, "Or at least a wash."
"The thing that bugs me is that Submarine has been on loads of under water
missions and it still gets dirty." Said Alan
"The only reason why it's dirty is because of that under water oil tank,
that needed patching up. I had to go pretty near." Said Gordon
"Hey what day is it?" asked Alan suddenly
"Thursday. Why?" asked Jeff
"Wasn't yesterday the day when I switch with John up in Thunderbird 5?"
asked Alan
"Yeah, It was, go get ready and I'll help Gordon fix the sub." Said Jeff
"Yuck!" said Gordon.
"What?" asked Alan
"I think I've found Brains experiment." Answered Gordon
"Yeah what's yuck about that?" asked Alan heading for Thunderbird three's
bay
"He was seeing how long it take for an apple to rot in compressed air."
Answered Gordon "Luckily it's in a bag."
"Throw it out back." Said Jeff grinning
A few seconds later a black apple in a see through plastic bag went
bouncing along the floor.
"What else is in there?" asked Penny
"That I have yet to discover. So far an apple, half a fish, a sandwich. A
couple of fag ends, diving equipment and a pair of spare flippers."
Answered Gordon. "I think, and hope that's it."
"So planning to do anymore work, sleep or food?" asked Jeff
"More work, it shouldn't take much more then three hours to sort out the
propeller." Said Gordon.
"And after that?" asked Penny
"My mind isn't thinking that far a head." Answered Gordon
"See you later, I'm going to see Alan off." Jeff left Thunderbird four's
bay.
"You sure you'll be O.K?" asked Penny
"I'll be fine. It's not as bad as Virgil made out. About three days work
and it'll be ready to take the underwater pressures again." Said Gordon.
"And you can see the wet wonders of the deep."
"Thanks." Said Penny walking off.
Four hours later, The left propeller was back on and Gordon had turned his
sights on the Turbo booster. Thunderbird three's retro boosters could be
heard slowing down as the massive orange rocket landed in the launch bay.
The engines were turned off and it was quiet.
Gordon put his spanner back in the tool case and stood up. He yawned.
Jeff and John came round into the bay.
"How's it looking?" asked Jeff
"The controls still need work, but I'm not doing that tonight." Answered
Gordon "I'm going for a shower."
"See you later." Said John
Gordon left the room.
John climbed into the sub
"Are you going to have a look at the controls?" asked Jeff
"Yeah." Answered John pulling open a small hatch.
"How does it look?"
"Could be worse. It won't take much work." Said John "Won't take more then
five hours."
"Can you do it? Underwater accidents are on the rise." Said Jeff
"Yeah, no problem. Give me strong coffee, and a bag of nachos and I'll do
it tonight." Said John
"Are you sure?" asked Jeff.
"As always." Answered John, pulling wire cutters and a screwdriver out of
the toolbox.
"Well see you in a few hours." Jeff left the room.
John set to work. An hour later, he had cleared all the damaged wires and
rusted bits of metal. He started replacing everything he had to take out.
An hour later, Jeff's mother came down into the hanger with coffee and a
sandwich.
"How is things doing?" she asked
"Fine, in another three hours, maybe four it'll be fixed." Answered John
looking up.
"Are you going to fix it tonight?"
"Yeah, I'm not tired." Answered John. "You lose your nerve for day and
night up in the satellite."
"It must be scary when you lose contact with earth, I mean when that
asteroid shower, Jeff was up all night trying to contact you."
"I was up all night trying to contact earth. An asteroid hit the main
satellite dish and bent it. I had to straighten it. When the signal was
fully clear for us, that's why I wasn't picking up, I was outside."
"So how long are you on earth for?"
"Four weeks." Answered John. "Then I spend eight up there again."
"Do you mind being up there? Jeff never asks you that."
"It's fine. Gordon is well known for sneaking into the living room around
three in the morning to turn the radio link on." Said John "He keeps me up
to date with what's, happening on earth."
"You and Gordon get on well don't you?"
"Well he seems to share the same view on life as me, and he has the same
sense of humor." Answered John
"Virgil, Scott and Alan don't seem to be as close as you two."
"That's because they're all different. Alan's a race car driver, Virgil's a
painter and Scott is... Well I still have to work out what Scott is." Said
John.
"What do you and Gordon have in common. Gordon's takes part in every water
sport under the sun whilst you are more into dance and gym."
"That's our differences. Gordon and I will try anything once; we both play
ice hockey, basketball, baseball, and other team sports. He taught me how
to water ski, I taught him how to pilot a plane." Said John.
"Well I'm off to bed. Don't stay up to late." Jeff's mum headed to bed
"Night Grandma." Said John returning to the control panel.
By sunrise John was packing away the tools he had been using. He ate the
rest of the sandwich and then headed back up stairs for a shower. Ten
minutes later, he settled down to get a bit of sleep. Around nine a clock,
John was woken up by Gordon, who was heading to the kitchen for some
coffee.
"Make me a cup please." Said John walking into the kitchen
"How do you want it?" asked Gordon
"Your style." Answered John
"O.K." answered Gordon making two cups. Two minutes later they were
drinking their coffee. Jeff and his mother walked in.
"Morning Grandma. Morning Dad." Said Gordon
"I thought you would be still in bed." Said Jeff. "What time did you finish
John?"
"Around sunrise." Answered John. "Gordon, how do you make your coffee. You
have to chew it."
"You wanted my style." Answered Gordon. "That is coffee."
"What, Coffee for the people who want be upside down bouncing off the
ceiling?" asked John sarcastically
"When you're on a ship, you want strong coffee. Especially if your cabin
mates were all thirty years older then you, snored loudly and talked about
their gardens." Answered Gordon grinning. "It is one of the various 'keep
from going mad at sea' techniques."
"Thought you'd need knock out pills." Said John.
"I did think about drugging their drinks." Said Gordon "or suicide."
"Murder." Said John. "Would be more sensible."
"Suicide is throwing your self over board in shark infested waters. Murder
is harder."
An hour later, the emergency signal was beeping. Jeff and Gordon headed to
the living room
Followed by John.
"Dad, a boat is trapped in some rocks, It's a small gap, Thunderbird four
will be able to reach them." Said Alan
"John, is Thunderbird Four O.K for action?" asked Jeff
"Yes, apart from the need of a wash, she's ready for action." Said John.
"Right Gordon go get ready. I'll wake Virgil. John, get the Condor XL6
ready for take off, you can airlift them to safety in that." Said Jeff
John and Gordon ran off to the hangers, and fifteen minutes later,
Thunderbird two and the Condor were ready for take off.
"You're getting a lot of action Gordon." Said Virgil as he took off. John
was taxiing along the other runway and was getting ready to follow Virgil.
"It's definitely giving a new meaning to the quote. 'Water, Water
everywhere and not a drop to drink." Grinned Gordon. "Still, it's not that
bad. I rather be doing a lot of underwater missions then spending three
months at a time up in Thunderbird 5"
"John doesn't seem to mind." Said Virgil. "If he does he's keeping very
quiet about it."
"John never complains though." Said Gordon, "He just a quiet person."
"He's also modest. Remember when he got his letter from Harvard, about
being excepted. Dad didn't find out until he found it on John's desk the
week after." Grinned Virgil. "If that had been me I would have been going
mad."
"Thunderbird Two from Condor." Said John.
"Hey John, where are you?" asked Virgil
"Right behind you." Answered John. "The rocks we're looking for is around
the Great Barrier Reef. Gordon you've done a dive there haven't you?"
"Yeah, the rocks are pretty dangerous. Also the gaps are small. I don't
think Thunderbird Four will be able to reach the people." Answered Gordon.
"Right that leave a problem. Unless you scuba dive. The people on board
have the equipment, but they need lights to see where they're going.
Scott's on board the Condor." Said John
"Right. That leaves a big problem. John you've done diving before haven't
you?" asked Gordon
"Yeah." Answered John
"In the locker, there is a wet suit, and breathing equipment. Go put it on
and get ready to scuba dive." Said Gordon. "One of us will get to them."
"I hope so. That boat could spring a leak at any moment. People's lives are
in danger." Said John. Heading to the locker. Five minutes later, they were
circling over the danger zone. Gordon and John jumped out of the aircrafts
and started swimming towards the ship. They found a hole in the rocks.
"That's a small gap. We may not get though." Said John swimming towards it.
He swam though no problem, and Gordon followed.
"Well we both got through." Said John swimming towards the ship. He
surfaced, looked around and located the ship.
"It's over on the left. See the rudder?" asked John swimming in the
direction
"Yeah, right behind you." Answered Gordon following. In a few minutes they
had reached the boat and, climbed abroad.
"Hi." Said Gordon, pulling his gas mask off.
"Who are you?" asked a brown haired man.
"We're from International Rescue. We are here to rescue you from this
ship." Said John pulling his mask off.
"We didn't call you." Said a little boy smiling. "How did you know we were
down here? We called the coast guard. They said they'd try and get a ship
out to us or a plane."
"We, have our ways." Answered Gordon. "Have you got any diving gear?"
"Yeas. Should we put it on?" asked a blonde haired lady walking onto the
deck.
"Yes, if you wouldn't mind." Answered John. "Diving is the only way out."
"How did you make that conclusion?" asked Gordon
"Well if there was another way, we would of air lifted them out." Answered
John. "And I wouldn't be grateful that I skipped breakfast this morning."
"You are weird." Said Gordon jumping back into the water.
"Watch out for the coral reef." Said John sighing. "If you carry on going
on about the beauty of it and the damage people do to it."
"I didn't hit it." Answered Gordon grinning, treading water.
"And you call me weird." John said diving into the water, followed by the
family.
Under the water, Gordon signaled for the family to follow him, then for
John to follow the end. All went well till they reached the, small gap.
"I can't get though." Said the man.
"John, give him a shove." Said Gordon.
"O.K." answered John giving him a push. "No good, he's stuck."
"Well, try something else then." Said the lady. "These are only one hour
tanks."
"Um, Gordon, there's a shark back here." Said John. "And I think he's
hungry.
"Shark!" yelled the man, suddenly shooting though the hole. John started
laughing.
"John, you are a cruel person. But, I got to hand it to you. That was a
pretty good idea. I've never seen anyone move so fast in my life." Said
Gordon.
They carried on swimming until they saw some green under the water; John
surfaced, followed by Gordon and the family.
"Hey, you guys made it." Said Scott lowing down a rope, the family climbed
up it.
"Was there a doubt?" asked John, following them.
"Have some faith in us." Said Gordon quickly climbing up the rope.
"Faith in you? The only Guys I know who find, jumping of a bridge with only
a crash helmet and a elasticized string fun." Said Scott. "Are you mad?"
"Yep." Answered John
"Where to?" Scott asked the family
"Naples. America." Answered the man
"Naples? Isn't that in Italy?" asked Scott
"Yeah, but in Florida there's another one. Great place to do some dives."
Said Gordon.
"Anywhere, where there's water is a great place to do dives according to
you." Said Scott
"Scott, call yourself a pilot? You're going the wrong way." Said John,
"You're heading for Italy."
"Oh yeah." Said Scott, turning the plane around
John grabbed the radio.
"Condor to Thunderbird two. Pick up successful, taking family to Naples
America, should be back at base in three hours."
"O.K see you there." Said Virgil
Three hours later, Scott, John and Gordon returned to the island. John and
Gordon headed off for showers and half an hour later, were sitting in the
living room playing chess.
"Check." Said John moving a piece into position
Gordon moved his king out of danger.
"Checkmate." Said John moving his queen. "Play again?"
"I think we should play something more interesting." Said Gordon "Poker?"
"Nah, to boring." Answered John
"So what ya wanna do?" asked Gordon.
"Go outside and play one on one basket ball?" asked Gordon,
"Sure, but remember, never tangle with the master." Said John
"Master? Master of what?" asked Gordon
"Martial Arts." Answered John, tripping Gordon
Gordon quickly jumped back onto his feet and, skillfully threw John over
his shoulder; John landed neatly on his feet. Jeff walked in.
"What's happening?" he asked, watching Gordon get back to his feet. "
"Nothing." Answered John, tripping Gordon again.
"Are you boys fighting?" he asked
"No, we're practicing Martial Arts." Answered John, tripping Gordon again.
"Fine I give, you are the master." Said Gordon climbing back to his feet.
"Maybe we should, take it outside. More space and sand."
"Sure." Answered John
"Can I watch?" asked Jeff
"Yeah, if you want." Said Gordon, "John, remember, no shoes."
"I never wear shoes." Said John, "Besides, i'm going to change."
"Into what?" asked Gordon
John gave Gordon a look at walked off.
"Oh that." Said Gordon
"What?" asked Jeff
"John has a team uniform, I have one to, if we perform a fight in front of
our elders, we have to show honor." Said Gordon heading to his room, five
minutes later John and Gordon were standing five metres apart on the beach,
Gordon was wearing a green karate suit that had a Tiger on the back whilst,
John was wearing a black one with a Dragon on the back. They bowed to each
other, then got ready to fight. John managed to pin Gordon to the ground,
but he quickly recovered giving John a side kick onto the side. John
tripped Gordon before getting out the way, as Gordon leaped back to his
feet. John gave three quick sharp kicks to Gordon's left side before
tripping him again. Brains and Penny cam outside to see what was happening.
Gordon was busy throwing John.
"What are they doing?" asked Brains
"Martial Arts. I think John has the upper hand." Answered Jeff, as John
threw Gordon and pinned him again. Once again Gordon recovered quickly and
delivered a kick to John's neck. John struck back by tripping Gordon again
and pinning him.
"Alright I give, I don't want to be here all night." Said Gordon. "Besides.
You pinned me three times, according to the rules we follow, you won."
They both bowed to each other and headed over to Jeff.
"That is Martial Arts. I think John was doing a mixture of Karate and
Judo." Said Gordon
"What is it meant for?" asked Jeff
"It's a Olympic sport, and it's used for self defense. If some idiot tries
to nick my wallet, he's not getting very far with it." Said John.
"Could you teach me the basics?" asked Jeff.
"Sure, when?" asked Gordon brushing some sand out of his hair.
"After lunch." Answered Jeff. "Do I need any special equipment?"
"Just a T-shirt and bare feet." Said John.
After lunch Jeff walked into the gym. He noticed John was on the trampoline
and Gordon was running on the treadmill.
"How much energy do you have?" Jeff asked
"Loads." Answered Gordon. "Oi. John you, wanna go a bit higher, you might
hit the roof."
"I'm O.K.," said John doing a mid air forward roll.
"You sure, you're going pretty high." Said Gordon
"So?" asked John
"Do you want to stop?" asked Gordon.
"Yeah, sure." Said John, he did a pike, seat drop then stopped."
Gordon and John showed Jeff the basics of Judo.
"SO all I have to do is that if someone tries to mug me?" he asked
"Yep." Answered John.
"Where do you learn to do that, the trampoline?"
"School." Answered John. "In GYM."
"Let's see some more than." Said Jeff.
John climbed on the trampoline, he started bouncing. Jeff's mother walked
in.
"What is happing?" she asked
"John's trying to give himself concussion." Grinned Gordon. "And create a
sky light."
"What?" she asked, looking at John who had performed a seat drop.
After a few minutes John stopped.
"Right, I think that's enough." Said John climbing off.
"Scott was right. You are mad." Said Jeff
"Dead proud to. I am." Said John grinning.
The alarm went off.
"Again?" asked John. "It's like national disaster day."
The emergency turned out to be a plane that had smashed into a disused oil
plant. All the passengers were alive, but the army couldn't get to them.
"Right Scott, away you go." Said Jeff. "Virgil, you take John and Gordon
and pod one. If we're lucky the mole will be able to tunnel underground to
them. If not, make sure the rescue trucks are on board."
They all headed down to their hangers.
"The third rescue in forty eight hours." Commented John. "Is it me, or are
people getting more careless?"
"Not a clue." Said Gordon as he sat down in a seat and put a seat belt on.
Virgil came into the hanger. He had changed into his uniform, which was
almost identical to his brothers, but the ring around the bottom of the
hat, the sash and belt and the top of his boots were yellow, whilst
Gordon's were orange and John's were purple.
"Here we go again." Said Virgil grinning. "According to Alan, the mole
won't be able to get in, and the rescue trucks will only be able to get so
far. There is no fire yet, but one could start. There are two harnesses,
jetpacks, a medical kit and two laser guns in the back of the pod. Scott is
going to land close to Thunderbird two so he can keep an eye on both. I'm
going to drive the rescue trucks as close as I can. You guys will have to
go in and find those people. There was only thirty on board."
"O.K." said John.
After half an hour they arrived at the oil plant. John and Gordon had
grabbed everything they needed and were both walking towards the door. It
was swinging open. They both went inside and started searching. After five
minutes they found a few dozen people standing by the ruins of a Fire
Flash, 747.
"It's International Rescue Dad!" said a five-year-old boy in wonder.
"Mummy look. It's those Thunderbird people." Said another.
"HI." Said John. "We're from International Rescue and we're here to get you
nice people out of here. Is anyone injured?"
"I think my husband has sprained his wrist." Said a plump fifty-year-old
woman.
Gordon grabbed the medical kit and bandaged the old man's wrist up.
"Right back the way we came?" asked Gordon.
"Yep." Answered John. "Why look for another?"
Gordon took the lead and led the people down a corridor. John shone his
torch around the chamber, before he followed to check for others. He
noticed smoke rising from the tail end of the plane, it was near the atomic
generators, and on the floor was a large patch of oil.
"Gordon!" he yelled. "The tail has caught on fire!" he turned to run and
slipped on the patch of oil. He leapt to his feet, and started heading
towards the corridor, limping badly.
Everyone started running. Towards the door. The smoke was slowly getting
more and more.
"Keep running, we're almost there." Said Gordon. Everyone dashed into an
open field towards the rescue trucks. Ten people got in each and all three
drove towards a waiting bus three hundred yards away.
John was still inside. He had injured his ankle and was finding it hard to
walk. Virgil had returned with a rescue truck.
"Where's John?" he asked.
"I think he's still inside." Answered Gordon.
"It's going to blow any second. You can see the smoke." Said Virgil. "Get
in. There is no sense if all of us getting killed. We pledged to give our
lives for those in danger."
Gordon took on quick glance at the door and climbed into the truck. They
waited another minute before turning around.
As they drove off the load explosion of the plant could be heard.
Inside a few minutes before John could see the light from outside ahead of
him. The pain in his ankle was getting worse. He could now smell the smoke
as it was beginning to get thicker.
"It should of exploded by now." He thought, he carried on walking towards
the light. He was only ten metres away when the explosion happened. The
sudden blast knocked him against one of the walls, and the ceiling came
down.
Gordon and Virgil had watched with horror.
"What are we going to tell dad?" asked Virgil.
"Nothing yet." Said Gordon. "Turn around, I bet that John's not dead."
Virgil turned the truck around and a few seconds later, he and Gordon were
looking through the ruins.
"Any luck?" asked Gordon a few minutes later.
"Not yet." Answered Virgil moving a large sheet of metal. "Hang on. Gordon!
I've found him. He doesn't look to good, but he's breathing."
Gordon balanced across the ruins.
"We'd better get him back to base." Gordon said.
"Dad not going to be best pleased." Said Virgil helping Gordon to pick John
up.
"Alan won't be to chuffed either." Said Gordon.
A few minutes later they were on their way back to base. Scott arrived
twenty minutes before hand.
"Dad. John got hurt pretty bad." Scott said walking back into the living
room.
"What happened?" asked Jeff.
"While Gordon and John were leading the people out, John hung back to check
they hadn't missed anyone. He saw the tail was on fire, gave the warning,
and everyone belted." He explained. "I think he slipped on some oil, or
tripped over."
"Is he O.K?" asked Jeff's mother.
"I think so, he'll live." Answered Scott. "But he's looks a mess."
They could hear Thunderbird two landing on the runway and the trees as they
slotted back into position. Jeff got to his feet and walked towards the
door leading into the hanger. He was just in time to see Gordon make the
five metres drop to the floor from Thunderbird two.
"Where's John?" asked Jeff.
"He's in the pod, he's breathing but he's unconscious." Gordon answered.
"We think he busted a couple of ribs and ripped the muscle in his right
ankle."
Virgil appeared from inside the pod.
"Gordon, can't you wait for me to lower the pod?" he asked.
"Nope." Answered Gordon. "Besides, I'm always doing stupid things."
"Oh Yeah. Never thought about that." Answered Virgil as he walked across
the room and found a stretcher. "Hi dad."
"Is he O.K?" asked Jeff.
"Should be, but he's not going to be able to go back on a mission for
awhile. Hopefully he'll be ready to be stationed aboard Thunderbird five in
three weeks." Said Virgil. "He's still unconscious and his right leg's in a
bit of a mess."
Three weeks went by fast; John was back on his feet but using crutches to
get around. It was the third day after he had gone back up and Gordon was
sitting in the living room talking to him over the videophone around
midnight. His Grandma caught him but hid in a corner listening to them.
"Man, I get buried alive, and shoved back on this Stinking satellite." Said John. "Here's sick leave. Gordon, don't get hurt." "Wasn't planning to, and it's not in my agenda yet. How's your leg?" said Gordon. "This isn't like you, you never complain "Still hurts." Answered John, "But there we are. Well I've taken up a new hobby. I need something to do. I think this place needs some gold fish." "You are to cheerful." Said Gordon. "Anything interesting happening up their?" "Um, no, a asteroid came past." Answered John. "Bout it really, nothing happens up here." "So you board I guess?" asked Gordon "Gordon, only the concept of using the microwave puts meaning to my life." Answered John "And it's touch and go with that. I am so board. Suicide sounds like fun." "Nah, you can only do it once." Grinned Gordon. "You could bring up a deck of cards and play solitaire." "Still I got to spend four weeks on earth for once, and I bust my leg on the second day." Said John "Never walk around metal floors with crutches. It's dangerous. I've fallen over twice." "You spent 3 weeks and 5 days down here." Said Gordon. "That's a new record." "One week I was unconscious for, the other two I was in a wheel chair." Answered John. "The furthest dad would let me to the kitchen and back. And someone still had to make sure I didn't do anything stupid." Jeff's mum thought that it would be better to show herself up. "Hi, I was just going to phone you, John." She said. "Hey more people to talk to. Great. I swear this is what's keeping me from making a sock puppet and talking to it." Said John. "Good." Said Gordon. "Glad you're not mad." "The thing is I've made one out of a glove, two plastic plugs and a old ball of string." Grinned John "It's hidden in a shoebox under my bed." "So you are mad?" asked Gordon "Of course." Answered John. "So you're depressed?" asked Gordon "Yeah!" said John. "I'm listening to millions of different radio signals, I have a thumping head ache, my leg in killing me, and oh yeah, the hot water systems had broken. Alan forgot to deliver the extra supplies when he went up, and this really puts the cherry on the cake, a radio block has jammed on the Spice Channel. Tomorrow I am going to fix the hot water system and try and un jam the radio signal. When you radio tomorrow, and I don't pick up, I've either gone insane, fallen over or committed suicide." "Oh poor you, now Johnny boy, suicide is not a smart thing." Said Gordon grinning "Yeah, he was worried about that when he got home. He told you dad, but he said that there'd be enough for you." Said Jeff's Mother "There is enough, if I skip lunch." Said John. "So that's what I'm doing. Right, I'm going to go to bed. See you next time I phone." "See ya later." Said Gordon grinning. "Remember death ain't an option." "Yeah, what ever." Answered John hitting the off switch. "Right, I'm going to bed." Yawned Gordon heading for his room. "Night Grandma." "Night Gordon." Answered Jeff's mother heading to her room. Early morning, Gordon was swimming laps in the pool. "Morning Gordon." Said Jeff walking to a deck chair. "Morning Dad." Answered Gordon swimming over to the ladder. "How long have you've been out here?" asked Jeff "About an hour. I couldn't sleep." Answered Gordon "I heard you and John talking last night." Said Jeff. "Is he really that fed up of being up there?" "I don't think so, just think he's a bit annoyed about his ankle, and the fact that he's walking, well limping around a slippery metal floor." Answered Gordon. "He's also a bit peeved about the supplies fiasco." "Did he say if he had enough?" asked Jeff. "He said that he'll be fine as long as he doesn't have lunch." Answered Gordon. "Alan said he'd eaten all the meat." Said Jeff "John won't mind about that, he's a veggie." Answered Gordon "Any other problems?" asked Jeff. "I've known for ages that you two exchange words around three in the morning. I actually listen to you guys. You both have really good senses of humor. John's gives a sarcastic question on the stupidest things and you chip a totally stupid answer for the problem, and it's always got something to do with what has happened over the past day." "We do it because it's better to laugh at your problems then to complain." Answered Gordon "Besides we both beleive sarcasm is the best way to be humorous." "Yeah, anyway I was wondering if you'd take Penny down in Thunderbird Four. She's never been further under sea then three feet." "Yeah, sure." Said Gordon. "I'll go get changed and meet you guys down there in thirty minutes." Gordon headed up to his room and later headed down to the hanger. He piloted Thunderbird Four out of it's pod and along to the ramp system. After making sure every thing was fully working he took the time to return the oxygen tanks and his wet suit to the back of the craft. After five minutes he was still waiting for Penelope and Jeff to come down. A few minutes later they appeared. Lady Penelope was carrying a camera. "All ready for launch?" asked Jeff "Yeah, I checked it over and made sure it was fully working. All it needs is a fresh coat of paint and a wash and it'll be fine." Grinned Gordon "Good, how far are you planning to go down?" asked Jeff "Depends. Different depths have different sea life. Yesterday there was a family of Water Mambas swimming around. I think they've built a nest under the jetty." Said Gordon. "Sounds interesting." Commented Jeff "Tell you what, after Penny's been down will you take me down, so I can find out what you enjoy about being beneath the waves and under the sea." "Sure." Answered Gordon. Lady Penelope climbed into the sub and sat down in a spare fold down seat by a window. Gordon turned the engine on and the submarine suddenly jolted and moved forward along the launch ramp. A few minutes later they had submerged into the waters. A shoal of fish swam by quickly; they were a mixture of colours green, red, yellow and orange. "Wow, their really beautiful. Is every down here that pretty?" asked Penelope taking a picture. "Pretty much, unless you have a run in with a shark, or whale." "What do they do?" asked Penelope "Well a whale can swallow you whole and a shark, if you give it half the chance, can kill you, or at least bite your leg off. Couple of years ago a group of them took a shot at my boat, ran off with the rudder and left me stranded in the middle of the Arctic Ocean for two weeks." Grinned Gordon. "Which boat were you aboard. I know you have two." "The Wave Dancer, I was rebuilding the Ocean Spray's hull." Answered Gordon "What did you do whilst you were stranded?" asked Penelope. "Well, by the fifth day I was out of supplies, so fished for food, and sent some flares up, sent out emergency calls, waited and got very cold." Answered Gordon. "I was in a right mood when a naval ship went by, luckily they knew me and gave me a tow back to the Naval base, a new rudder and a box of food." They went deeper and came across a group of dolphins. All of them were Grey apart from one, which was pure white. A few hours later they surfaced. "Wow, that was so great." Said Penelope. "Gordon, dad has some business to sort out, he wants you to return Thunderbird Four to the pod." came Alan's voice over the radio. "He's a bit steamed up that he's been trying to get through to Thunderbird Five, the signal is clear but John's not answering." "I bet that John slipped on the metal floor. He was complaining about that last night." Answered Gordon "Why would he slip?" asked Penelope. "He's not that clumsy." "Penelope's right." Said Scott. "The guy is on crutches and has a ripped muscle in his right leg. I think we can allow him to fall over. Rubber on metal does cause problems." Said Gordon. Turn the signal on at this end. The camera will automatically turn on, and scan the station. "Maybe he's taking a shower." "He could of got out." Said Alan "Maybe he had soap on his head." Said Gordon sarcastically. "Never mind, Dad did what you suggested and you're right, John has fallen over." Said Scott. "And?" asked Penelope. "He can't move his leg." Said Scott. "It's not broken but we think the rip's got worse." "So what's happening?" asked Gordon. "Brains, Alan and Virgil are going up in Thunderbird Three. They're going to see how bad it is. If he can still get about in crutches he's gonna stay up there, if he can't Alan's going to take over." Said Scott. After five minutes Thunderbird Four was back in its pod and Gordon and Penelope had returned to the living room. "How bad do they think it is?" asked Penelope" "I think he'll be O.K. Brains will arrive up their in a few minutes." Answered Jeff At that moment the radio system went off. "Hi Dad, it's Alan we're on board. We've just had a look at the leg and it's not to good. Do you know that cut on his leg? There was metal inside it and It's stuck in his muscle. It's going to require an operation to get out. John's a bit peeved about it, but other then that he'll be O.K. we're going to bring him back down to earth then move him over to a hospital in New York." "Good, will he be able to walk across to Thunderbird three?" asked Jeff "No problem. He using his crutches and is fine, he's in a lot of pain, but it's nothing he can't handle." Answered Alan. "Thunderbird three is leaving now." "Good." Answered Jeff, Jeff's mother walked in. "I've been trying to find Alan, but I can't find him anywhere." She said "That's because he's up in Thunderbird Five, John slipped on the floor, there's a bit of metal stuck in his muscle and he can't move his leg." Said Jeff. "Brains is going to bring him back down to earth." "Oh, Good." Said his mother. "I'm glad, I told you it was a good idea for a professional to have a look at the wound." "Well he's going to be taken to New York Hospital." Answered Jeff. "In the mean time, International Rescue is down a space craft pilot so Gordon, are you prepared to do space missions with Scott?" "Yeah, sure." Answered Gordon. "Great." Answered Jeff A few hours later Thunderbird Three could be heard landing in the launch pad, a few minutes later, Brains appeared followed by John who was leaning on his crutches and cursing under his breath. "So I'm guessing it hurts?" asked Gordon "No, this is exactly what I wanted to happen." Said John sarcastically. A few hours later John had been taken to the New York Hospital and had gone into the operating theatre. "He should be out in a few hours." Said Jeff to Penelope. "They're angry that we didn't bring him here after the accident happened. We said he slipped on a patch of oil and fell into a pile of scrap metal it the workshop." "So, it isn't that bad then?" asked Penelope sitting down next to him "They think not, they said that he'd have to keep off his leg for a few weeks, and shouldn't put it on the floor." Said Jeff. "Alan will have to do a two week stint then, I'll send John back up." A few hours later John was lying in a bed in the recovery room. He was still under the anaesthetic. "They said he'll wake up in a few hours." Said Jeff to Penelope. "That's not all they said." Answered his mother. "They said he's been lucky that he hasn't had to lose his ankle. If that bit of metal had been in there much longer it could have done serious damage." "Well, it hasn't." answered Jeff. "It's not my fault him fell over." "I know it wasn't but it was your idea to have him sent back up there, after being unconscious for a week, I think you can make a decision that he is pretty badly hurt. A year ago, after Virgil got injured, you were worried about him and he was only unconscious for three hours. He also didn't have an injury like that and you didn't put him back on a mission for nearly two months" Answered his mother. "I'm going to get coffee." Said Penelope. "Who wants one?" "Yes, please." Answered Jeff. "I'll come to." They both left the room. A few hours later they still hadn't returned. John was beginning to wake up. Jeff's mother had fallen asleep in the armchair near the bed. John groaned, shook his head to clear it and looked around. "Whoa, freaky." He said. When he noticed his leg was in traction. "That's gonna cane later." "Huh." Said Jeff's mother waking up and looking around. "Oh hello John, feeling any better?" "Sort of, my leg doesn't hurt so I guess that's a good sign. Where's dad." "Having a never ending coffee. He's been gone for a few hours now. I'm going to find a doctor, they told us to tell one that you're awake." She left the room. "As Gordon would put it, he's drowned in his coffee." John sighed and lay back down. A few minutes later his grandmother came back in followed by a doctor. "I have good news for you." He said. "The injury isn't as bad as first thought. After a week you should be fine." "Great. That means I can go to Glastonbury and Liken Park." Said John. "You enjoy sleeping in a tent for a week?" asked the doctor. "Last year my brother and I pitched our tent in the mosh pit." Answered John. "The atmosphere is great." "I know that. Well have fun." Answered the doctor "People talk about the Glastonbury experience. What is it?" "Walking across sixteen muddy fields, in the pouring rain to go to the loo at midnight, dodging round tents, stepping over drunks and falling over guy ropes and tent pegs." Grinned John. "Great fun that is." "Without a torch?" asked the doctor. "Oh, Yeah." Answered John. "Gordon, my brother got covered in mud one night. Thought the swamp monster had come in the tent for a sleep." "And what did you do?" asked the doctor. "Nothing." Answered John. "Just told him to keep on his side of the tent, and watch out for Gordon when he got back I think that was the second last night, and that we may of had a few to many." "What about showers?" asked the doctor. "Beer is expensive there." "It rains twice, you stand outside your tent for a fifteen minutes." Said John, "get wet and annoy tent mates, but you get yourself booked into a one star bed and breakfast afterwards and go for a shower, and about beer, you bring you own." "I wanted to go, but I couldn't get the leave." Said the doctor. "I couldn't get the leave two years ago, but managed last year." Said John. "Two years ago, my brother went with his best mate. They got caught in a middle of a riot when Daphne and Celeste were on stage." "I heard about that, they had cans and bottles thrown at them." Said the doctor. "Gordon was kinder. He lobed a sandwich at them." "What type?" asked the doctor. "Silly question I know." "Cheese and Chocolate spread I think." Said John. "Gordon's one of those people who'll eat anything." "Is he in the Navy?" asked the doctor. "Yeah." Answered John. "How did you guess?" "Those Navy blokes will eat anything." Said the doctor. "Not that, that surprises me, The state of the food they get." "I thought that was the way Gordon was." Said Jeff's mother. "Nah, it's being in the Navy that does it to you." Said the doctor grinning. "The food they get, I haven't eaten any of it, but I have treated some cases of food poisoning from them."
Back at base Gordon and Tin Tin were playing a game of tennis, when Virgil came out. "Guess what?" he asked. "Someone needs rescuing." Said Gordon. "No, but a nuclear sub has crashed into the bottom of the Arctic and need someone to come and attach pulley lines to it." Said Virgil. "It's 900 miles north of the island." "Nobodies in danger, it's not our job." Said Gordon volleying a ball. "Marine life is" said Virgil grinning. "Right, I'll go get changed." Said Gordon. He headed off the hanger. A few minutes later he was waiting for the all clear sign from Scott to head off. "Gordon, you're all clear to go and do your stuff." Came Scott's voice over the radio. "Great." Said Gordon. "Well see you later." The yellow and red submarine glided down the launch system and plunged into the water gracefully. It submerged and according to the radar system in the living room was heading south for ten miles to get away from the island so it would be impossible to guess the sub came from the nearby island. After 9 hours on navigating the seabed, Gordon caught sight of the downed sub. It was smaller then he expected, and had been carrying less atomic reactors as he thought it would of. He guided the sub into to the surface, and after exchanging a few words with the Naval Captain took the pulley ropes down to the nuclear sub. A few minutes later it was connected and being brought to the surface. Gordon watched as it disappeared and surfaced to see if any more help was required. None was as he turned Thunderbird four around and headed back for base. Nine hours later he arrived back at the base. It was midnight, and everyone had gone to bed. Gordon, thinking that was seriously giving the cheek, returned his Thunderbird to its pod, refueled the tank, replaced the oxygen in the main tanks and gave it a spray down with water. An hour later he headed for bed. The next morning he yawned and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Scott and Alan were already in there. "Didn't hear you return." Said Scott looking up. "That's coz you were flat out." Answered Gordon pouring milk onto his Cornflakes. "How can you eat that?" asked Alan. "Easily." Answered Gordon. "So are you going for a swim?" asked Scott. "Yeah." Answered Gordon. "Or I'll clean The Wave Dancer." "You mean swab the deck?" asked Scott grinning. "Yep." Answered Gordon "So you basicilly want to get wet." Said Alan "Exactly." Answered Gordon. "Care to be a bit more vocal?" asked Scott "No." answered Gordon. "If it only requires a one word answer, why use more." "I don't like Sarcasm in the morning." Said Brains grinning. "Anyone know how John is?"
"Man, I get buried alive, and shoved back on this Stinking satellite." Said John. "Here's sick leave. Gordon, don't get hurt." "Wasn't planning to, and it's not in my agenda yet. How's your leg?" said Gordon. "This isn't like you, you never complain "Still hurts." Answered John, "But there we are. Well I've taken up a new hobby. I need something to do. I think this place needs some gold fish." "You are to cheerful." Said Gordon. "Anything interesting happening up their?" "Um, no, a asteroid came past." Answered John. "Bout it really, nothing happens up here." "So you board I guess?" asked Gordon "Gordon, only the concept of using the microwave puts meaning to my life." Answered John "And it's touch and go with that. I am so board. Suicide sounds like fun." "Nah, you can only do it once." Grinned Gordon. "You could bring up a deck of cards and play solitaire." "Still I got to spend four weeks on earth for once, and I bust my leg on the second day." Said John "Never walk around metal floors with crutches. It's dangerous. I've fallen over twice." "You spent 3 weeks and 5 days down here." Said Gordon. "That's a new record." "One week I was unconscious for, the other two I was in a wheel chair." Answered John. "The furthest dad would let me to the kitchen and back. And someone still had to make sure I didn't do anything stupid." Jeff's mum thought that it would be better to show herself up. "Hi, I was just going to phone you, John." She said. "Hey more people to talk to. Great. I swear this is what's keeping me from making a sock puppet and talking to it." Said John. "Good." Said Gordon. "Glad you're not mad." "The thing is I've made one out of a glove, two plastic plugs and a old ball of string." Grinned John "It's hidden in a shoebox under my bed." "So you are mad?" asked Gordon "Of course." Answered John. "So you're depressed?" asked Gordon "Yeah!" said John. "I'm listening to millions of different radio signals, I have a thumping head ache, my leg in killing me, and oh yeah, the hot water systems had broken. Alan forgot to deliver the extra supplies when he went up, and this really puts the cherry on the cake, a radio block has jammed on the Spice Channel. Tomorrow I am going to fix the hot water system and try and un jam the radio signal. When you radio tomorrow, and I don't pick up, I've either gone insane, fallen over or committed suicide." "Oh poor you, now Johnny boy, suicide is not a smart thing." Said Gordon grinning "Yeah, he was worried about that when he got home. He told you dad, but he said that there'd be enough for you." Said Jeff's Mother "There is enough, if I skip lunch." Said John. "So that's what I'm doing. Right, I'm going to go to bed. See you next time I phone." "See ya later." Said Gordon grinning. "Remember death ain't an option." "Yeah, what ever." Answered John hitting the off switch. "Right, I'm going to bed." Yawned Gordon heading for his room. "Night Grandma." "Night Gordon." Answered Jeff's mother heading to her room. Early morning, Gordon was swimming laps in the pool. "Morning Gordon." Said Jeff walking to a deck chair. "Morning Dad." Answered Gordon swimming over to the ladder. "How long have you've been out here?" asked Jeff "About an hour. I couldn't sleep." Answered Gordon "I heard you and John talking last night." Said Jeff. "Is he really that fed up of being up there?" "I don't think so, just think he's a bit annoyed about his ankle, and the fact that he's walking, well limping around a slippery metal floor." Answered Gordon. "He's also a bit peeved about the supplies fiasco." "Did he say if he had enough?" asked Jeff. "He said that he'll be fine as long as he doesn't have lunch." Answered Gordon. "Alan said he'd eaten all the meat." Said Jeff "John won't mind about that, he's a veggie." Answered Gordon "Any other problems?" asked Jeff. "I've known for ages that you two exchange words around three in the morning. I actually listen to you guys. You both have really good senses of humor. John's gives a sarcastic question on the stupidest things and you chip a totally stupid answer for the problem, and it's always got something to do with what has happened over the past day." "We do it because it's better to laugh at your problems then to complain." Answered Gordon "Besides we both beleive sarcasm is the best way to be humorous." "Yeah, anyway I was wondering if you'd take Penny down in Thunderbird Four. She's never been further under sea then three feet." "Yeah, sure." Said Gordon. "I'll go get changed and meet you guys down there in thirty minutes." Gordon headed up to his room and later headed down to the hanger. He piloted Thunderbird Four out of it's pod and along to the ramp system. After making sure every thing was fully working he took the time to return the oxygen tanks and his wet suit to the back of the craft. After five minutes he was still waiting for Penelope and Jeff to come down. A few minutes later they appeared. Lady Penelope was carrying a camera. "All ready for launch?" asked Jeff "Yeah, I checked it over and made sure it was fully working. All it needs is a fresh coat of paint and a wash and it'll be fine." Grinned Gordon "Good, how far are you planning to go down?" asked Jeff "Depends. Different depths have different sea life. Yesterday there was a family of Water Mambas swimming around. I think they've built a nest under the jetty." Said Gordon. "Sounds interesting." Commented Jeff "Tell you what, after Penny's been down will you take me down, so I can find out what you enjoy about being beneath the waves and under the sea." "Sure." Answered Gordon. Lady Penelope climbed into the sub and sat down in a spare fold down seat by a window. Gordon turned the engine on and the submarine suddenly jolted and moved forward along the launch ramp. A few minutes later they had submerged into the waters. A shoal of fish swam by quickly; they were a mixture of colours green, red, yellow and orange. "Wow, their really beautiful. Is every down here that pretty?" asked Penelope taking a picture. "Pretty much, unless you have a run in with a shark, or whale." "What do they do?" asked Penelope "Well a whale can swallow you whole and a shark, if you give it half the chance, can kill you, or at least bite your leg off. Couple of years ago a group of them took a shot at my boat, ran off with the rudder and left me stranded in the middle of the Arctic Ocean for two weeks." Grinned Gordon. "Which boat were you aboard. I know you have two." "The Wave Dancer, I was rebuilding the Ocean Spray's hull." Answered Gordon "What did you do whilst you were stranded?" asked Penelope. "Well, by the fifth day I was out of supplies, so fished for food, and sent some flares up, sent out emergency calls, waited and got very cold." Answered Gordon. "I was in a right mood when a naval ship went by, luckily they knew me and gave me a tow back to the Naval base, a new rudder and a box of food." They went deeper and came across a group of dolphins. All of them were Grey apart from one, which was pure white. A few hours later they surfaced. "Wow, that was so great." Said Penelope. "Gordon, dad has some business to sort out, he wants you to return Thunderbird Four to the pod." came Alan's voice over the radio. "He's a bit steamed up that he's been trying to get through to Thunderbird Five, the signal is clear but John's not answering." "I bet that John slipped on the metal floor. He was complaining about that last night." Answered Gordon "Why would he slip?" asked Penelope. "He's not that clumsy." "Penelope's right." Said Scott. "The guy is on crutches and has a ripped muscle in his right leg. I think we can allow him to fall over. Rubber on metal does cause problems." Said Gordon. Turn the signal on at this end. The camera will automatically turn on, and scan the station. "Maybe he's taking a shower." "He could of got out." Said Alan "Maybe he had soap on his head." Said Gordon sarcastically. "Never mind, Dad did what you suggested and you're right, John has fallen over." Said Scott. "And?" asked Penelope. "He can't move his leg." Said Scott. "It's not broken but we think the rip's got worse." "So what's happening?" asked Gordon. "Brains, Alan and Virgil are going up in Thunderbird Three. They're going to see how bad it is. If he can still get about in crutches he's gonna stay up there, if he can't Alan's going to take over." Said Scott. After five minutes Thunderbird Four was back in its pod and Gordon and Penelope had returned to the living room. "How bad do they think it is?" asked Penelope" "I think he'll be O.K. Brains will arrive up their in a few minutes." Answered Jeff At that moment the radio system went off. "Hi Dad, it's Alan we're on board. We've just had a look at the leg and it's not to good. Do you know that cut on his leg? There was metal inside it and It's stuck in his muscle. It's going to require an operation to get out. John's a bit peeved about it, but other then that he'll be O.K. we're going to bring him back down to earth then move him over to a hospital in New York." "Good, will he be able to walk across to Thunderbird three?" asked Jeff "No problem. He using his crutches and is fine, he's in a lot of pain, but it's nothing he can't handle." Answered Alan. "Thunderbird three is leaving now." "Good." Answered Jeff, Jeff's mother walked in. "I've been trying to find Alan, but I can't find him anywhere." She said "That's because he's up in Thunderbird Five, John slipped on the floor, there's a bit of metal stuck in his muscle and he can't move his leg." Said Jeff. "Brains is going to bring him back down to earth." "Oh, Good." Said his mother. "I'm glad, I told you it was a good idea for a professional to have a look at the wound." "Well he's going to be taken to New York Hospital." Answered Jeff. "In the mean time, International Rescue is down a space craft pilot so Gordon, are you prepared to do space missions with Scott?" "Yeah, sure." Answered Gordon. "Great." Answered Jeff A few hours later Thunderbird Three could be heard landing in the launch pad, a few minutes later, Brains appeared followed by John who was leaning on his crutches and cursing under his breath. "So I'm guessing it hurts?" asked Gordon "No, this is exactly what I wanted to happen." Said John sarcastically. A few hours later John had been taken to the New York Hospital and had gone into the operating theatre. "He should be out in a few hours." Said Jeff to Penelope. "They're angry that we didn't bring him here after the accident happened. We said he slipped on a patch of oil and fell into a pile of scrap metal it the workshop." "So, it isn't that bad then?" asked Penelope sitting down next to him "They think not, they said that he'd have to keep off his leg for a few weeks, and shouldn't put it on the floor." Said Jeff. "Alan will have to do a two week stint then, I'll send John back up." A few hours later John was lying in a bed in the recovery room. He was still under the anaesthetic. "They said he'll wake up in a few hours." Said Jeff to Penelope. "That's not all they said." Answered his mother. "They said he's been lucky that he hasn't had to lose his ankle. If that bit of metal had been in there much longer it could have done serious damage." "Well, it hasn't." answered Jeff. "It's not my fault him fell over." "I know it wasn't but it was your idea to have him sent back up there, after being unconscious for a week, I think you can make a decision that he is pretty badly hurt. A year ago, after Virgil got injured, you were worried about him and he was only unconscious for three hours. He also didn't have an injury like that and you didn't put him back on a mission for nearly two months" Answered his mother. "I'm going to get coffee." Said Penelope. "Who wants one?" "Yes, please." Answered Jeff. "I'll come to." They both left the room. A few hours later they still hadn't returned. John was beginning to wake up. Jeff's mother had fallen asleep in the armchair near the bed. John groaned, shook his head to clear it and looked around. "Whoa, freaky." He said. When he noticed his leg was in traction. "That's gonna cane later." "Huh." Said Jeff's mother waking up and looking around. "Oh hello John, feeling any better?" "Sort of, my leg doesn't hurt so I guess that's a good sign. Where's dad." "Having a never ending coffee. He's been gone for a few hours now. I'm going to find a doctor, they told us to tell one that you're awake." She left the room. "As Gordon would put it, he's drowned in his coffee." John sighed and lay back down. A few minutes later his grandmother came back in followed by a doctor. "I have good news for you." He said. "The injury isn't as bad as first thought. After a week you should be fine." "Great. That means I can go to Glastonbury and Liken Park." Said John. "You enjoy sleeping in a tent for a week?" asked the doctor. "Last year my brother and I pitched our tent in the mosh pit." Answered John. "The atmosphere is great." "I know that. Well have fun." Answered the doctor "People talk about the Glastonbury experience. What is it?" "Walking across sixteen muddy fields, in the pouring rain to go to the loo at midnight, dodging round tents, stepping over drunks and falling over guy ropes and tent pegs." Grinned John. "Great fun that is." "Without a torch?" asked the doctor. "Oh, Yeah." Answered John. "Gordon, my brother got covered in mud one night. Thought the swamp monster had come in the tent for a sleep." "And what did you do?" asked the doctor. "Nothing." Answered John. "Just told him to keep on his side of the tent, and watch out for Gordon when he got back I think that was the second last night, and that we may of had a few to many." "What about showers?" asked the doctor. "Beer is expensive there." "It rains twice, you stand outside your tent for a fifteen minutes." Said John, "get wet and annoy tent mates, but you get yourself booked into a one star bed and breakfast afterwards and go for a shower, and about beer, you bring you own." "I wanted to go, but I couldn't get the leave." Said the doctor. "I couldn't get the leave two years ago, but managed last year." Said John. "Two years ago, my brother went with his best mate. They got caught in a middle of a riot when Daphne and Celeste were on stage." "I heard about that, they had cans and bottles thrown at them." Said the doctor. "Gordon was kinder. He lobed a sandwich at them." "What type?" asked the doctor. "Silly question I know." "Cheese and Chocolate spread I think." Said John. "Gordon's one of those people who'll eat anything." "Is he in the Navy?" asked the doctor. "Yeah." Answered John. "How did you guess?" "Those Navy blokes will eat anything." Said the doctor. "Not that, that surprises me, The state of the food they get." "I thought that was the way Gordon was." Said Jeff's mother. "Nah, it's being in the Navy that does it to you." Said the doctor grinning. "The food they get, I haven't eaten any of it, but I have treated some cases of food poisoning from them."
Back at base Gordon and Tin Tin were playing a game of tennis, when Virgil came out. "Guess what?" he asked. "Someone needs rescuing." Said Gordon. "No, but a nuclear sub has crashed into the bottom of the Arctic and need someone to come and attach pulley lines to it." Said Virgil. "It's 900 miles north of the island." "Nobodies in danger, it's not our job." Said Gordon volleying a ball. "Marine life is" said Virgil grinning. "Right, I'll go get changed." Said Gordon. He headed off the hanger. A few minutes later he was waiting for the all clear sign from Scott to head off. "Gordon, you're all clear to go and do your stuff." Came Scott's voice over the radio. "Great." Said Gordon. "Well see you later." The yellow and red submarine glided down the launch system and plunged into the water gracefully. It submerged and according to the radar system in the living room was heading south for ten miles to get away from the island so it would be impossible to guess the sub came from the nearby island. After 9 hours on navigating the seabed, Gordon caught sight of the downed sub. It was smaller then he expected, and had been carrying less atomic reactors as he thought it would of. He guided the sub into to the surface, and after exchanging a few words with the Naval Captain took the pulley ropes down to the nuclear sub. A few minutes later it was connected and being brought to the surface. Gordon watched as it disappeared and surfaced to see if any more help was required. None was as he turned Thunderbird four around and headed back for base. Nine hours later he arrived back at the base. It was midnight, and everyone had gone to bed. Gordon, thinking that was seriously giving the cheek, returned his Thunderbird to its pod, refueled the tank, replaced the oxygen in the main tanks and gave it a spray down with water. An hour later he headed for bed. The next morning he yawned and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Scott and Alan were already in there. "Didn't hear you return." Said Scott looking up. "That's coz you were flat out." Answered Gordon pouring milk onto his Cornflakes. "How can you eat that?" asked Alan. "Easily." Answered Gordon. "So are you going for a swim?" asked Scott. "Yeah." Answered Gordon. "Or I'll clean The Wave Dancer." "You mean swab the deck?" asked Scott grinning. "Yep." Answered Gordon "So you basicilly want to get wet." Said Alan "Exactly." Answered Gordon. "Care to be a bit more vocal?" asked Scott "No." answered Gordon. "If it only requires a one word answer, why use more." "I don't like Sarcasm in the morning." Said Brains grinning. "Anyone know how John is?"