DISCLAIMER: Thunderbirds belong to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Anything related to Thunderbirds Are Go belong to ITV Studios. I'm just playing in their respective sandboxes and will give them back when I'm done.
Author's Note: This is my first ever story in this genre, so I'm kinda nervous about posting this. And if the boys are somewhat or really ooc, please be nice when pointing it out. Thank you. Also, when I picture the Tracys, I picture Jeff, Scott and Alan as they are in the live-action movie while everyone else looks as they do in the Thunderbirds Are Go tv show. And they're all decked out in the blue uniforms too.
On The Edge:
Chapter One:
Scott finally surfaced with a gasp and immediately coughed the lingering water out of his lungs. Although Gordon the family fish had them beat, all of the brothers were strong swimmers but that had been like going through the washing machine from hell. Finally managing to gain control over his breathing, Scott looked around and realized the sudden current had driven him into what looked like an office but without any furniture. He was surrounded by heavy, partially collapsed walls on two sides and heavy plexiglass on the others. What should have been the office entrance was a mass of building material all the way to the ceiling that the current had wedged in place. Wading over, he tried to pull a few pieces loose and quickly realized the only way to clear the mess was for someone to get leverage from the other side.
Alan! Scott initially panicked then calmed as he realized his littlest brother, who had been with him in the building, wasn't currently anywhere in here with him but also didn't seem to be anywhere in the immediate surroundings either or as far as he could see through the glass. He hoped that Alan had managed to get to safety or at least higher up.
The water was still rushing in at a rather alarming rate and had already reached chest high on him. He half-swam over to one of the plexiglass walls and tried banging on it before wincing as a sharp ache in his left side made itself known. First things first then. Taking a deep breath, he gently probed along his side and winced again as his ribs protested. Probably hit the doorframe on the way in, he thought dryly. His suit must have absorbed most of the impact because he was pretty sure nothing was broken, but he was going to be sore tomorrow. And all sorts of colors once the bruises all showed up.
Now forced to push off the floor and float to keep his head above the surface despite his height, Scott eyed the still rising water warily. Well, he'd be feeling all this tomorrow if he didn't drown first.
Alan spluttered to the surface and grabbed hold of the doorway into the stairwell as the current pushed him past it. Pulling himself through, he climbed a few steps till most of his body was no longer submerged then paused before realizing the water level was still rising. He froze as the building shifted ominously again then slowly relaxed as no walls suddenly exploded inward or the floor didn't drop away like last time. But the doorway back into the level he and Scott had been searching suddenly dropped a bit lower as the building's foundation was further compromised. His eyes widened. Scott! Where was he? A sick feeling began to take root in his stomach even as he clammored back down the stairs into waist deep water and looked out into the quickly flooding level. "Scott!" he called but couldn't hear any possible response over the shifting of the building and the sound of the rushing water.
John's voice suddenly bursting clearly from his wrist-comm nearly sent him a foot into the air, water be damned. "-e! Three! Please respond! Thunderbird Five calling One and Three!" Whatever had been disrupting communications was obviously gone now that the building was practically on its last leg.
"John!" Alan was so relieved to hear his second oldest brother's voice that he forgot to use the new codenames. John either didn't notice or didn't currently care. "Alan! Thank god! We've been trying to raise either of you for the past ten minutes. Trackers are on the fritz due to the conditions but Gordon is clear and he and Virgil are on their way to your location." That explained why it was John on the line and not Virgil who was supposed to be manning Mobile Control for this mission on orders from their father. "John, I'm in the stairwell just above the 26th floor, the water is still rising and I don't know where Scott is." "You don't know? What happened?" "I'm pretty sure some of the levels damaged by the initial earthquake gave out under the force of the water. The building dropped a good few floors and we were seperated when one of the walls burst inward."
Alan braced himself as the building continued shifting and the doorframe dropped again. "Okay, Alan. Stay put till Virgil and Gordon get there and I'll try to locate Scott." Alan frowned, now only half listening. The doorframe was going to be completely submerged if it dropped again and he would be cut off from any way back onto that floor. Of course, Scott might actually be relatively okay but Alan still couldn't shake the feeling that his oldest brother was in big trouble. "John," he brought his comm back up, "tell the others where we are. I'm going back in to find Scott." "Al-"" Whatever John was going to say was cut off as Alan ducked under the doorframe just before it dropped under the water level entirely.
TBC...
Post Authors Note: I'm sure most of you know what movie was the inspiration for this chapter. As soon as I watched it, I only saw Scott and Alan going though the same predicament. I'll hopefully have the next chapter out soon where it'll explain how they got into this situation in the first place. So technincally before the events of this one.
Please R&R!
