Uzumaki Fenix Studios
And
Athena's Owl Beta Studios
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News Transcripts
PRESENT:
[Insert dramatic theme music]
A Thunderbirds fanfiction of epic proportions:
Announcer Guy: A field trip gone horribly wrong traps young fourteen-year-old Alan Tracy inside of the top floors of the South Twin Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001.
Journey from the heart as we witness what happened that fateful day and what it was like to be trapped inside, to be outside knowing that a loved one is still trapped.
Join me now as we go deep inside the story of:
WORLD TRADE CENTER
[Sad theme music begins]
May God bless the many souls who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on airline flights 11, 175, 77, and 93. The courage and sacrifice shown by the FDNY firefighters, the NYC Police, and other NYC EMS will never be forgotten.
History will always remember 9/11/2001
September 11 News . com
Alright, I'll also have actual news transcripts from on what happened that day and it will be in bold, Italized and Underlined. Some of the transcripts have been edited out so the story flows better…Just to let you know… for a full copy of that transcript, go to http:// transcripts . cnn . com /TRANSCRIPTS /0109 /11/ bn.01 . html just take out the spaces.
Another site I borrowed transcripts from was ABC. Com
Now, I may add my own transcripts, and they will be italicized.
Another side note. You know like, in some movies, there is a short, quick scene, then a flash, then another scene, a flash, and another…you get it? If you see –FLASH- that's what that is. If this note confuses the h*ll out of you, sorry.
Yet another side note. I may not get where the fires were located, and how much damage was given to the floors directly underneath the plane in the South Tower, but that is my bad. After all, it could actually be true, what happened in this story… If you have no idea what I just said, well…you'll figure it out…eventually… lol
I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS! I WAS IN THIRD GRADE WHEN IT HAPPENED!
Athena's Owl once again graciously Beta'd this story.
I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you enjoy this 9-11 story with all your heart…And please review.
Now, on with the story
September 11, 2001
"It's a beautiful morning in Manhattan. The sun is shining and there is little fog. Those who work in skyscrapers will have a beautiful view of the sunrise…"
7:40 a.m.
Lobby of the South Twin Tower of the World Trade Center
Anne McCarthy stifled a yawn as she glanced at her watch. 7:40 a.m. 'They'll be here within ten minutes... God, I hate children,' she thought as she quickly made sure she looked perfect by observing her reflection in a pocket mirror. She wore a knee-length navy blue skit and jacket, neat and pressed. Her blond hair was tied up in a tight bun, her eyes piercing and sharp and she wore light, fairly natural makeup, with a contrasting dark lipstick that was delicately painted onto her tightly clenched lips. Her shoes, which added an extra two and a half inches to her height, were black.
After making sure there wasn't a strand of hair out of place, Anne put the mirror back into the purse beneath her desk and looked at the door to the courtyard impatiently.
A group of ten students from Wharton's Academy for Boys from Massachusetts were visiting the Twin Towers today. They were to be split into two groups so that five students would be visiting the South Tower while the other five would be visiting the North Tower. They were all sophomores in the age range of fourteen and fifteen with the bizarre exception of one thirteen-year-old. Both groups had been selected at random.
Anne glanced back down at the list she held in her hand and read it again.
"Josh Matthews, Eric Santee, Bobby Jones, Issac Lawson, and Alan Tracy," she whispered quietly to herself.
7:50 a.m.
Courtyard between North and South Tower
Fourteen-year-old Alan Tracy craned his neck to look straight up at the giant towers he stood between. Dressed in his Wharton Academy uniform, he looked rather distinguished, even with his messy blond hair.
"Isn't it a-am-amazing, A-Alan?" his best friend, thirteen-year-old Fermat Hackenbacker, stuttered. Alan looked down at him.
"Yeah. Yeah, it is, Fermat."
"Did you know that the-"
"You start listing facts about the towers again, and I will strangle you."
Fermat closed his mouth. He had looked up, and essentially memorized, every fact he could find about the Trade Centers, and Alan, being his closest friend, had been the one he had repeated them to. Multiple times.
"Alright students! Split up into your pre-assigned groups!" Mr. Swan, a red-haired, plump man, called to the students. Though there were only ten of them, the volume of talking was such that he was not heard. He repeated himself in a louder voice; then again at a near shout. Finally a shrill whistle pierced the courtyard and immediately the students' attention was focused on him. Removing his index and middle fingers from his mouth, he glared at them.
"Thank you. As I was saying, while your attention was so very occupied with other more important matters, I'm sure, please split into your pre-assigned groups." With only a little hesitation, the ten teenagers split into the two groups.
"Alright," Mr. Maus, a bald, body-builder began, "let's make sure you're all in your right groups. No swapping, remember. Group one is Fermat Hackenbacker, Ray Pilot, Edward Bellingham, Roy Fink, and Alex Riley. You will be visiting the North Tower with," he flipped the page and quickly scanned the information, "Katie McCarthy and myself. Now, group two is Josh Matthews, Eric Santee, Bobby Jones, Issac Lawson, and Alan Tracy. You will be visiting the South Tower with Mr. Swan and Anne McCarthy." He looked up from his clipboard. "Group one, follow me."
Fermat and the other four boys followed the man. Fermat quickly turned around and mouthed, "See ya later, Alan!" before hurrying after his group.
"Great! We've got Thunderterd Tracy!" a voice behind Alan said.
Alan turned and glared at Josh Matthews. Josh was a lean fifteen-year-old teenager with a big attitude and an even bigger ego. He had brown hair with thin blond streaks and honey-brown eyes. He took every opportunity available to make Alan's life miserable.
"And we, unfortunately, have Diaper Boy Matthews," Alan retorted. The other boys snickered as Josh's face turned red.
Josh started toward Alan, but stopped when Mr. Swan put his arm between them. "Enough," the teacher growled.
"He started it," Alan said, somewhat petulantly with his arms crossed.
"And I'm going to finish it." Josh lunged at him. Alan deftly stepped sideways, forcing Josh to land on his hands and knees.
"Geez, Josh. I never figured you for ballet lessons. Do you take them every year?" Alan asked innocently, amusement dancing in his blue eyes.
Josh, however, did not share in his amusement, no matter how much the other boys were laughing. "You little-"
"One more word from either of you and you'll be taken back to the hotel," Mr. Swan said as he held back an angry Josh. "Now, let's get going, shall we? We have a tour to get to."
7:58 a.m.
United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 56 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The Boeing 767 is hijacked after takeoff and diverted to New York.
7:59 a.m.
American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 81 passengers, two pilots, and nine flight attendants. This Boeing 767 is also hijacked and diverted to New York.
8:00 a.m.
Lobby of the North Tower
Fermat sighed. He was upset that Alan wasn't in his group and that he wouldn't see his friend all day. But the disappointment of not having his friend in his group was nothing compared to the excitement he felt at finally being able to experience the towers after all his weeks of research. He looked up at their guide.
"Alright," Ms. Katie McCarthy began. She looked very much like her almost identical sister that was a year older, Anne, who was conducting the tour in the South Tower. She wore a red skit, jacket, and white high heeled shoes. "We're going to begin our tour with the lower levels then work our way up. My sister is going to start her tour at the top of the building and work her way down. Eventually we will both finish and meet up outside after you get your surprise. Ours is at the top of the North building while theirs is at the bottom of the South." She smiled sweetly. "Form a single file line and let's begin."
8:40 a.m.
South Tower, 77th Floor
Alan yawned. When they had walked into the lobby of the South Tower, Anne McCarthy and her icy, fake smile met them. She ordered them to line up and get into an elevator which took them up to the top level of the tower and were now on the 77th floor.
Anne was now speaking of the history of the tower in a dull monologue-like tone and Alan soon found himself daydreaming.
8:45 a.m.
Down on the Streets a few blocks away from the World Trade Centers
Men working on a water main, and arguing with firefighters over the water main, hear the sound of a plane flying low overhead. CNN cameraman records them. He follows the sound of the plane and turns toward the Trade Centers. All of the sudden, a burst of smoke escapes the North Tower.
"Holy shit!" someone exclaims as the North Tower explodes. The cameraman immediately focuses in on the explosion as "Holy shit" is repeated. A column of smoke rises from the tower. "Holy shit" is once more repeated. [Live video footage]
North Tower, 10th Floor
Fermat was enjoying himself. He found Katie's speech about the building's history exciting and fascinating, even though he already knew most, if not all, of it.
"Does anyone know how many people work on a single floor?" Katie asked.
Fermat raised his hand immediately. She called on him and he was about to answer when a loud roar filled the air, followed by a loud explosion that sent a massive shock wave down to the ground and up again.
Fermat stumbled and fell backward, banging his head against a desk. For a few brief moments, his mind was confused as to what had just occurred, but didn't have much time to think about it before falling into darkness.
South Tower, 77th Floor
"Holy SHIT!" Josh screamed, pointing out the window, as the upper levels of the North Tower exploded in a giant fireball. Smoke billowed from a gaping hole in the side of the building. 'Oh my God,' Alan thought. 'Fermat!'
While everyone crowded around the window for a better look, Alan backed away, raising his left arm and touching the sides of his watch. He then glanced down at it as the screen changed.
"What the- Alan? Why'd you send the panic signal, Sprout? What's wrong?" John Tracy asked, his face appearing on the watch screen. Alan simple took off his watch and faced it toward the scene of destruction. Hearing John's gasp of horror, he turned the watch back to his face and put it back on.
"John, I-I…I th-think we n-need h-help…" Alan stuttered in shock.
8:50 a.m.
Tracy Island
Jeff Tracy sighed as he sat on a lounge chair next to the pool after his morning jog. Gordon was swimming in the pool, Scott was reading a book next to Jeff, and Virgil was playing his piano in the lounge. Well, he was. That is, until Gordon got up and put on a CD, which blasted the annoying, yet catchy, tune of Ice Cream and Cake from the speakers. Scott, who absolutely hated that song, got up, threw his younger brother into the pool, and turned off the music.
Jeff smiled, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the peace would be shattered and they would be sent off on another rescue. Tracy Island, no matter how beautiful, could never be called calm.
Sure enough, five seconds later to be exact, the klaxon sounded, sending everyone running for the office. Gordon grabbed a towel along the way as Hiram "Brains" Hackenbacker –Fermat's father- joined them.
"Activating Command and Control," a cool feminine voice said as Brains placed his hand on the hidden keypad. The office began to turn, the desk sliding into the floor as another desk, with high tech keyboards, rose out on the opposite side; the seaview window was covered up by a long panel; and the large picture on the wall disappeared, being replaced by seven portraits, one for each Tracy and each with a different background color. This was the infamous Command and Control Center of International Rescue.
John's face immediately appeared, replacing his portrait. His eyes were filled with fear even though his expression was one of forced calmness.
"John, what's wrong?" Jeff asked. "Where are we needed?"
"Southern Manhattan. Specifically, the World Trade Centers." John's voice was neutral as he spoke.
Gordon smacked his forehead. "What did the Sprout do this time?"
"Gordon?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the hell up and turn on the TV to CNN. Then you'll see what happened, and it wasn't Alan's fault." John turned back to his father and said, "Dad, we've got a major catastrophe on our hands."
Everyone's eyes widened as Scott, who was nearest to the TV, turned it on. Instantly voices fed out of the speakers.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened. But clearly, something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island Manhattan.
That is, once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: We could see these pictures. It's obviously something devastating that has happened. And again, there are unconfirmed reports that a plane has crashed into one of the towers there. We are efforting more information on the subject as it becomes available to you.
LIN: Right now we've got Sean Murtagh -- he is a CNN producer -- on the telephone.
Sean, what can you tell us what about you know?
SEAN MURTAGH, CNN PRODUCER: This is Sean Murtagh. I just was standing with the vice president of finance for CNN.
CELLINI: Shaun, we're on the air right now. What you can tell us about the situation?
MURTAGH: Hello?
CELLINI: Yes, Sean, you are on the air right now. Go ahead. What you can tell us?
MURTAGH: I just witnessed a plane that appeared to be cruising at slightly lower-than-normal altitude over New York City, and it appears to have crashed into -- I don't know which tower it is -- but it hit directly in the middle of one of the World Trade Center towers.
LIN: Sean, what kind of plane was it? Was it a small plane, a jet?
MURTAGH: It was a jet. It looked like a two-engine jet, maybe a 737.
LIN: You are talking about a large passenger commercial jet.
MURTAGH: A large passenger commercial jet.
LIN: Where were you when you saw this?
MURTAGH: I am on the 21st floor of 5 Penn Plaza.
LIN: Did it appear that the plane was having any difficulty flying?
MURTAGH: Yes, it did. It was teetering back and forth, wingtip to wingtip, and it looks like it crashed into, probably, 20 stories from the top of the World Trade Center, maybe the 80th to 85th floor. There is smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center.
LIN: Sean, what happened next? Does it appear to you that the plane is still inside the World Trade Center?
MURTAGH: From my angle -- I'm viewing south towards the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. It looks like it has embedded in the building. I can't see, from my vantage point whether it has come out the other side.
CELLINI: Sean, what about on the ground or any debris that has hit down there?
MURTAGH: My vantage point is too far from the World Trade Center to make any determination of that.
LIN: Did you see any smoke, any flames coming out of engines of that plane?
MURTAGH: No, I did not. The plane just was coming in low, and the wingtips tilted back and forth, and it flattened out. It looks like it hit at a slight angle into the World Trade Center. I can see flames coming out of the side of the building, and smoke continues to billow.
CELLINI: Generally, is that a trafficked area in New York for aircraft?
MURTAGH: It is not a normal flight pattern. I'm a frequent traveler between Atlanta and New York for business, and it is not a normal flight pattern to come directly over Manhattan. Usually, they come up either over the Hudson River, heading north, and pass alongside, beyond Manhattan, or if they are taking off from LaGuardia, they usually take off over Shea Stadium and gain altitude around the island of Manhattan. It is rare you have a jet crossing directly over the island of Manhattan.
LIN: For our viewers who are just tuning in right now, you are looking at live picture of the World Trade Center tower, where, according to eyewitness Sean Murtagh -- he is the vice president of finance and eyewitness to what he describes as a twin-engine plane -- or possibly a 737 passenger jet -- flying into the World Trade Center. It appears to be still embedded inside the building.
LIN: ... eyewitness here to a loud sonic boom, she described, as she was sitting inside her apartment, and she looked up and saw the side of the World Trade Center exploded into flames and black smoke.
We are going to join another one of our New York affiliates, WABC for their live coverage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... plane overhead, and then all of a sudden -- I thought it sounded kind of loud, and then I looked up and all of a sudden it smashed right dead into the center of the World Trade Center. A big flash of flame, fire coming out from all over, then all the bricks -- it's a huge hole right now. It almost Looks like the plane probably went through. I'm not sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winston (ph), can you see -- are you on the north side there where the plane made contact?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, when you say a huge hole, one of our earliest witnesses, Libby Clark (ph), said not much of the plane came down off the building, much of it went...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it went totally into the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's in the building, from what you can see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, can you see if there is a lot of debris downstairs, Winston?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it looks like it's inverted. With the impact everything went inside the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that came out was a little bit of the outside awning. But I'd say the huge -- the hole is -- let me just get a better look right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say the whole takes about -- It looks like six, seven floors were taken out.
And there's more explosions right now -- hold on -- people are running, hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should hold on just a moment. We've got an explosion inside...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building's exploding right now. You've got people running up the street.
Hold on, I'll tell you what's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, just put Winston on pause there for just a moment...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, the whole building exploded some more, the whole top part. The building's still intact, people are running up the street. Am I still connected?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winston, this would support probably what Libby and you both said that perhaps the fuselage was in the building, that would cause a second explosion such as that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's what just happened then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would -- certainly...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are running up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are getting word that perhaps...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, hold on, there some people here -- everybody's panicking.
This all took place within ten minutes as the shocked Tracy's mouths hung open. Unbeknownst to them, it was now 9:00 a.m.
"Yes, Alan. I'm patching you through- Sorry, but they were watching what happened. Dude! Calm down! You're patched through!" John's voice, which sounded relieved, drifted over from his portrait.
The other's looked over at the portraits as Alan's was replaced with a live feed. His eyes were filled with a fear that spoke volumes and horrified the others. At once, the island residents started shouting at him.
"Alan!"
"Are you alright?!"
After about a minute of this, Alan finally told them to shut the hell up.
"Yeah, I'm alright…mostly… I'm in the South Tower on the 77th floor…but…" Alan closed his eyes.
"Alan?" Brains asked, speaking for the first time. "Where's Fermat?"
Tears fell from the youngest Tracy's eyes. "He…He was…He was in the North Tower…"
Brains eyes went wide as he collapsed onto the chair. The room fell into a stunned silence that was suddenly broken by the roar of plane engines.
"Oh God. Oh crap. Oh friggin shit!" Alan screamed as he looked away from the video screen. He visibly blanched as he continued to stare off screen.
"Alan! What's going on?!" Jeff asked, his voice rising a bit.
His raised voice brought Alan's attention back to the watch. Alan's eyes were full of tears as he whispered quickly, "I'm sorry about being a pain in the ass, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you guys. I love you."
"Alan, what the hell-" Gordon began, but never got to finish as roaring sound got louder as he talked making Alan's voice almost inaudible. The sound of screaming metal came next along with the deafening blast of an explosion before the screen turned black.
"ALAN!"
On the TV, Scott had turned up the volume to find someone screaming on the live broadcast. "Holy shit! Did you see that?! Another plane has just crashed into the South Tower! Oh my God!" Another voice screamed in the background, "This is terrorism! It has to be!" Images of a second plane hitting the South Tower appeared on the screen.
Jeff, feeling his knees go weak, grabbed for the desk, not believing what he had just seen and heard. Gordon had stumbled backward into Scott, nearly knocking him over, while Virgil just stood still, blinking in shock at the television. Tin-tin, who had just come in along with her parents at Alan's last transmission, began to sob and buried her face in her mother's chest. Onaha and Kyrano quickly wrapped their arms around their daughter, both of them shaking.
Minutes later, no one knew for sure how many minutes had collapsed exactly –it seemed like years to them-, John, who had been staring in shock at his family and at his own TV on the station, quietly spoke. "Dad…Dad, you need to launch the Thunderbirds. There are so many people trapped in the-"
"D-Dad?"
Eyes widened around the room as the familiar voice of Alan Tracy was heard. Eyes turned toward his portrait. The portrait was still dark, mainly from smoke, but Alan's voice was clearly heard over the speakers.
"Alan?" Jeff whispered, his eyes filling with hope that his youngest boy may have survived the attack.
They noticed the image on the screen was moving ever so slightly until Alan's bloody face came into view. Blood covered the left side of his face as he spoke. "Dad? Can y-you he-hear me?"
Several deep sighs of relief were heard from around the room. "Alan, are you alright?" Jeff asked.
"Why, yes. I am perfectly alright… I only had a friggin desk dropped on me! I'm still under the damn thing! I managed to protect the watch, though I have no idea how I managed that…" Alan's voice sounded stronger now than it had before. "I also think I fell through a couple floors… Word of advice. Don't ever try it. Not fun."
Gordon snickered despite the bad situation. He stopped, however, when Alan continued.
"Daddy? I wanna go home…" Alan's voice sounded child-like and scared. It was completely different from what they were used to and frightened them more than the plane crashing into the building did. Not much, but a little more than that.
It was those words that made Jeff Tracy want to reach out and touch his son before giving him the biggest hug he could manage. "I know, Allie. I know," he said quietly, but loud enough to be heard.
"Alan, we are going to get you out and bring you home," Scott said, covering up the fear he felt for his brother.
"Dead or alive, right?"
"Don't talk like that, Sprout! We'll get you out!" Gordon exclaimed.
"But will it be alive?"
The others glanced at each other. "Sprout, don't you dare think that. We'll get you out," John said over his link.
"Yeah, I know…But I could probably help if I could move…" Alan's voice was laced with pain. Virgil noticed immediately that Alan was having trouble breathing, and probably not just from the smoke, and that his eyes were filled with pain. 'Why didn't I notice this before?!' he thought frantically.
"Alan?" Virgil asked.
"Y-yeah?"
"Answer me honestly. How badly hurt are you?"
The others looked at Alan in shock as if they were just seeing how much pain was in his eyes and voice. Jeff's heart beat faster as he waited for Alan's reply.
Alan voice sounded weaker when he finally answered with a shaky voice. "I…I don't know… The only part of me that is free…right now is my head…and my left arm…I…I can't m…ov…e an…y…th…" Alan's voice started to fade away as his eyes started drooping and his head slowly fell forward. In the background they heard people screaming, swearing, crying, and calling out for help. But before the island inhabitants could scream at Alan to wake up, a sudden explosion filled the air and the screen went blank once more.
Jeff wasted no time. "Thunderbirds are go!"
Well, there's part 1! Part 2 will be up soon… Please review! [and don't just say UPDATE the entire time! Lol. Jk]
