Thunderbirds Are Go!

The Stories Between.

Disclaimer: A collection of my early one shots set in the TAG world. All are strictly non canon.

Back To Basics (Part One)

Rochester, England.

Rochester Castle had been a proud landmark for centuries. It stood proudly on the banks of The River Medway as thousand of tourists flocked to tour the Twelfth Century keep and it's surrounding gardens. Virgil and Alan stood there in the comfortable Spring temperatures, gazing up at the Castle's towers. Virgil had bought Alan with him to help him finish a paper on British castles. Alan had been given the paper by a personal tutor, but it was also a hidden interest of Virgil's. As a musician and a painter, he always believed that Historical landmarks were a type of art form. They stood there admiring the view across the river while they waited for the crowds to die down. He was enjoying the time away from the base. His little brother, however, had a different opinion.

"Virgil, this is boring!" Alan moaned as his brother dragged him around the well-kept gardens of Rochester castle. "Can't we just go for ice cream already?

Virgil looked back at him and huffed. "Look if you had just paid attention to that history paper, you wouldn't be here with me right now."

"Since when did you care about British history anyway?" Alan replied, trying to be clever.

Virgil folded his arms. "Since when I promised your private tutor that you would pass that paper. Look I know it's not your thing, Alan and it doesn't make sense with your studies for Space travel, but it's a part of the curriculum now."

"I thought my Mathematics and Communication skills were the only important ones?" Alan moaned. "I don't see Scott or Gordon doing this."

"Gordon would so bring you here... only he'd do it to impress Lady Penelope," Virgil said. "He thinks that if he does anything British, it would melt her heart."

Alan chuckled. "He'll do anything just go to dinner with her."

The crowds finally began to disperse. Virgil decided it was time to do what they came here to do. Tour the castle itself. Alan continued to moan in the most childish manner. Virgil grabbed his arm and pulled him up the concrete steps towards the ticket office. It didn't take long for them to enter the castle's courtyard. Virgil stood there, mesmerised. He always wanted to visit a castle up close when it didn't involve a rescue mission.

"Are you taking this in bro?" Virgil asked. "Isn't it amazing? Alan?"

Alan stared down at the floor. Virgil couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. He took a lot of time convincing Scott to bring Alan here, the least he could do we show a bit of interest. He shrugged it off and led him up the stairs towards the fist floor. When they arrived, they grabbed the support rails. A ground shook beneath them causing the furniture to rattle around. The Tracy brothers peered over the railing to see that the courtyard was no longer there. It had caved in on itself. All they could see was a plume of dust. Distant screams could be heard amongst the sound of falling rocks and debris. Virgil's jaw dropped. It could have been them. Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky. Springing into action stations, they quickly hurried back down to the ground floor. They skidded to a halt and observed the now gaping hole that enveloped half of the courtyard. Alan ran outside to get help, while Virgil attempted to call out to the trapped people. His stomach tensed up as he processed the multiple frightened voices that begged for help. He didn't know what to do. They didn't bring Thunderbird Two or any of their equipment with them. For that moment, Virgil felt completely helpless.

Alan raced outside into the gardens and reached for his communicator which he left in their rented car. He switched it on and Scott's image flickered on its projector. Scott instantly reacted to the dire expression on his little brother's face.

"Scott, we have an emergency! We need Thunderbird One with medical gear immediately!" He yelled.

Scott couldn't keep up with Alan's frantic words. "Whoa, Alan calm down. Come on deep breaths. What's happened?"

"The courtyard at the castle has crumbled away," Alan explained as he tried to recount the incident in his mind. "Virgil's back there trying to figure out what we can do to help, but I doubt we can do anything without our rescue pod."

Scott frowned for a second. "We'll need to find a way of sending Thunderbird Two out to you, but she'll only launch with Virgil's voice code."

Virgil approached Alan, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. Scott's eyes bypassed Alan and fixed on his brother.

"We've got no choice. There are three people trapped down there in a crater full of rubble." Virgil informed them. "They could die if we don't get them out soon. We need to work fast."

"But what about Thunderbird Two?" Alan asked.

"She'll arrive too late, bro. We're going to have to get them out of there the old fashioned way."

Alan raised an eyebrow. "And what is the old fashioned way, exactly?"

"We need a rope and a mobile crane to attach it too. I saw one down in the town centre when we arrived. I think we can assemble it in the courtyard."

Scott acknowledged his idea. "Good thinking. Get to work on it. Gordon and I will prep Thunderbird One for launching. We'll get there as fast as we can."

The pair agreed and switched off the transmission. Virgil gently steered Alan towards the town centre as they hurried out of the gardens. Fortunately, the local authorities had heard the commotion and had already cordoned off the area. Alan's curiosity kicked in. How did his brother know what to do so quickly?

"So tell me, what do you call this little "idea" of yours?" He asked him.

Virgil looked at him with a confident smile. "I call it, "The Grandpa Tracy Protocol."

"Oh... What's this got to do with Grandpa?"

Virgil paused as he remembered a story that Grandma had once told him when they explored the old London Underground. He always admired the stories she would tell about his their grandfather and always took what he stood for into consideration.

"Once this is over, remind me to tell you sometime." He simply replied.

They approached the chief of police and immediately identified themselves. The chief had tried calling outside help but didn't want to call International Rescue in case things did turn for the worse. Virgil successfully masked his disapproval of the chief's explanation and got straight to the point.

"I'm sorry gentlemen, I know you're only trying to help but this area has become unsafe. We need you to leave immediately."

"Look, officer, we can help. We've... worked with International Rescue and I can assure you that we are certified rescuers." Virgil explained in a vain attempt to persuade the man.

"Look if I had a pound for every time someone said that they knew International Rescue, I would be living in a mansion. The fact is Mr Tracy, you have no proof. Look if it makes you both happy, I'll give them a call."

"I wouldn't worry. We've already done that." Alan interjected.

"You've what!?" The chief reacted. "You have no right involving yourself in official matters!?"

Virgil huffed. They were running out of time.

"Sir, there are people trapped down there that are waiting for a rescue. International Rescue might not be able to help in time but we can! Now, what is it going to be?"

The chief paused for a moment. "Alright, Mr Tracy. I'm listening."

After a few short moments that felt like an eternity, Virgil was able to convince the local police that they could pull off the rescue. Alan didn't know how he did it but his brother was able to acquire the mobile crane winch without revealing that they were from International Rescue. As they made their way toward the small, sturdy construction vehicle, Virgil had to know why the disaster happened. He had a nagging suspicion that he needed to address. He stopped and turned to face the chief officer.

"Sir, has this happened before?"

The chief officer gave him a puzzled look. "Not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?"

"I feel that the staff should have checked the area over before they opened the grounds to the public, but if this has never happened before then I guess I can't blame them. It isn't important anyway."

The officer rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, we have had a long spell of stormy weather. It's possible that the amount of rainfall has weakened the ground. It maybe stone but it's old stone that's become eroded over the years."

"That makes sense." Virgil nodded as he climbed into the crane. "We'll go into it that much later. Right now I need some help getting this thing into the castle grounds."

"We've cleared the way for you and we have a small transport elevator rigged up and ready. It should lift you up onto the grounds."

"Thanks." Virgil nodded as he gestured Alan to climb aboard the crane.

He pulled back the lever and steered the crane slowly up the short incline towards the castle. They eventually crawled along the garden paths towards the small elevator that awaited them. The sound of screams reverberated within the walls. Virgil reminded Alan that they were going to get them out alive and well. He was determined to show his little brother that they could use the same techniques that their grandfather used. He only hoped that the trapped survivors could hold out for that long.