Hey guys. So, I've got another story now in mind. Hope you all enjoy it.
Disclaimer: All rights are reserved. OCs belong to me
"Radio communication"
...Change of place
The sky was black with smoke, small areas of flame still hanging onto existence. The heat was almost suffocating, but at least the fire had been brought under control. Karol sighed, thankful for the Heat resistant suits Brains had designed. She climbed down from the Mole, assisting the last rescuee to the ground and helping them over to the waiting medical crews. Behind her, she heard the drilling machine's engine start up again as Virgil drove it back to the Pod.
"That's the last of them," she said. The paramedic in charge nodded and thanked her, taking the man over to one of the ambulances for treatment.
It had been a long, difficult rescue. Faulty wiring had caused a fire in a multistorey apartment building in London. Many of the residents had been evacuated, but a group of six had become trapped in the basement levels of the building when the fire spread to the stairwells, leaving them with nowhere to go, except through the fire. And, to cap it all, the fire damage caused the building to collapse on top of them. It was a miracle that no one had been killed.
Casting a careful gaze over the surrounding area, she checked for any signs of people they may have missed. Nodding, she turned her attention to the fire crews tackling the last of the fire as she contacted Mobile Control.
"Karol to Mobile Control."
"Go ahead Karol."
"That's all of them, Scott."
"That's great, Kit. Virg is just getting the equipment away. Make your way back and we'll head for home." Karol sighed with relief.
"FAB, Scott. I can hear the shower calling for me." Karol turned away from the devastation and made her way back to Two, pulling off her head gear and wiping her face with a soot covered glove. She grimaced as she pulled her hand away, just remembering about the state of the protective clothing.
"Oh great. Well done, Karol." She groaned quietly, shaking her head in self-admonishment. She caught sight of a grinning Scott. She could only imagine what she looked like now. She glared at Field Commander, raising a threatening finger.
"Don't. Say. A word." He held his hands up in surrender.
"Wasn't going to say a thing."
"Uh-huh. Sure you weren't." He laughed.
"You did good out there Kitten. I'm proud of you. Both of you. It wasn't an easy one."
"Are they ever?"
"Well, we have had easier ones."
"Oh yeah? Name one." Scott opened his mouth to respond, before snapping it shut again.
"My point exactly," Karol stated with a grin, hand on hip.
"Yeah, well. Don't get cocky, kid." Her response was a look of incredulity.
"Ok, that is the last time you watch Star Wars before we come out on a mission." Scott saluted her and laughed as he went back to packing up. Karol shook her head.
"Need a hand with anything?"
"Could you pack the radio control away for me? That'd be a great help."
"Sure thing." She wiped her already grimy gloves on her soot covered suit and made to pick up the handhelds.
"Er, you can take the cover-alls off, you know." She stopped, folding her arms.
"Do you want my help or not?" Scott's eyes glimmered with well hidden mirth.
"Not if you're going to get muck all over the controls as well as your face." Karol stuck her tongue out at him before turning to go back to TB2. She didn't get very far when a voice stopped them.
"Excuse me?" Scott and Karol turned to see a member of one of the fire units approaching them. They shared a questioning glance. Karol answered the approaching man.
"Hey there. Is everything alright?" He cleared his throat and straightened a little. Karol would have laughed, almost expecting him to salute her. Scott stood next to her expectantly waiting for a report.
"I just wanted to say, on behalf of the rest of the crews and the civilians, thanks for your help today. We couldn't have done it without you and your amazing machines." The two IR operatives relaxed somewhat. They'd been expecting him to say that someone was missing.
"Oh, well, you're welcome. Happy to be of assistance."
"It's all in a days work."
"Be that as it may, we're all incredibly grateful for your assistance." Scott nodded and got back to packing up, a sure signal that the conversation was over. Karol smiled and nodded her head to the firefighter, who had yet to go anywhere. He seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at her. Karol frowned and waited for him to say something, taking the time to commit his appearance to memory.
He was a few feet taller than herself, with a strong build she guessed he had developed with the job he did. His dark brown hair was matted to his forehead with sweat caused by the heat of the fire, and seemed to have been messed up by the helmet he was now carrying. It was his eyes, however, that caught her attention. A bright, mirth-filled green that seemed to sparkle with well hidden mischief. He almost reminded her of Gordon. He seemed to snap back to reality and notice her gaze, smiling a little in embarrassment.
"Can we help you in some way?"
Scott looked back up to see the man still standing there, looking at his sister. He felt the sudden urge to physically move the man along, though decided against it. Karol could handle herself, and he would step in if he needed to. For now, he kept a close distance.
"Umm, no, I don't..Well…" The woman looked a little peeved, indigo eyes begin to shine with irritation.
'Wow, she's not too bad to look at. Her eyes are gorgeous.' he thought to himself. The man smiled impishly,
"How 'bout you and me meet up when all this is over? Go for a drink somewhere?" Karol scoffed, hands returning to her hips.
"A bit presumptuous, aren't you?"
"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying. Name's Graham, by the way. Graham Trevanian." She considered giving him her name, then decided against it.
"Nice to know, now please move along. We still have a lot of work to do. And so do you by the look of things." His smile faded somewhat at the brush off, before shrugging.
"Yeah, I suppose I'd better go help 'em out. Though, I didn't get an answer…" Scott stood up at that, blue eyes steely and stern.
"I think my colleague made herself quite clear. Now, get back to your job and leave us to ours." Graham stepped away a little, holding his hands up.
"Hey, I didn't mean any offence. Sorry. Well, thanks again." He nodded his head and scarpered. Scott looked to his silently simmering sister.
"You ok?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just have half a mind to have a word with his chief about the unprofessional behaviour of one of his crew. Though, I think I won't." She smiled at her brother before stretching. The radio crackled to life.
"Thunderbird 2 to Mobile Control."
"Go ahead, Thunderbird 2."
"I'm all set and ready to launch, Scott. Tell Karol to get a move on or she's walking home." Karol stifled a laugh. Virgil was beginning to get impatient, as he always did when he was tired and aching for home.
"She's on her way, Virg." He put down the transmitter. "Ok, Karol. You'd better get going." She grinned.
"FAB."
Once on board, Karol sighed as she sat down on one of the few seats in the cockpit of the giant Carrier. Virgil cast a look over his shoulder at his older sister.
"Took you long enough."
"Oh shush. I was helping Scott and we got accosted by one of the firemen."
"Yes, I noticed. What did he say to offend you?"
"He didn't, really."
"Come on, Kitten. You were practically steaming." Karol cocked an eyebrow, watching her younger brother as he brought the great green beast of a plane to life, guiding her skyward.
"You saw, didn't you?"
"How could I not? I had the best vantage point." She hummed in agreement.
"Yeah well."
"So? What did he say to you? I thought Scott was going to lay him out at one point."
"Oh, he just asked me if I wanted to go for a drink. And he wouldn't leave. Seriously, I nearly called his superior over to give him a lecture on teaching his crew about unprofessional conduct." Virgil glanced over his shoulder, beginning to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, Kit. Only you could take offence to being asked out on a date." Karol 'hmphed', folding her arms.
"That's not the point and you know it. The fact is that it was hardly the right place or time for it. I hate unprofessionalism." Virgil shook his head, continuing to chuckle. Karol exhaled, shifting in her seat, becoming more heated the more Virgil quietly chuckled. She stood abruptly.
"I'm going to change." With that, she all but stormed to the lockers. Virgil, glanced back over his shoulder, still smiling. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the skies.
Karol knew she wouldn't hear the end of it. The moment the others got wind of the firefighter's failed attempts to woo her, she was exposed to the teasing that came with having younger brothers like Gordon and Alan. Every time she tried to change the subject, they somehow managed to get it back on course.
"Oh, come on boys! Drop it already! I'm embarrassed enough as it is!" This just caused more laughter for the younger two.
Jeff hadn't been best pleased about it, commenting on how unprofessional the man was, along with some choice words Karol never hoped to hear come from her father. Maybe she was just shocked that the words mirrored how she felt.
...
In London, Graham Trevanian stepped out of his car and entered his own apartment. It had been an eventful day, and he was exhausted. He was off duty for the next couple of days, something he was grateful for. Collapsing on the sofa, he groaned in relief, kicking off his shoes and resting his feet on the coffee table. Resting his head back against the sofa, he closed his eyes and thought over the events of the day, wandering through the mental landscape until he came to her. His eyes opened and he leaned forward with a groan, hiding his face in his hands.
"What the hell was I thinking? Seriously, Gray, way to make a great first impression. She probably thinks you're some kind of arrogant, unprofessional jerk now." He sighed, standing from the sofa and making his way through to the bathroom. He stripped off and dumped his clothes in the laundry hamper, turning on the shower as he did. Stepping in, he groaned as the hot water caressed his tired and aching muscles, releasing their tension. He pushed his hair back and faced the water, eyes closed and looking the picture of relaxation. He blindly reached for his soap and scrubbed himself down, as if trying to wash off the memory of the day. He grumbled to himself as the image of her annoyed indigo eyes flashed to the forefront of his mind. She had beautiful eyes. The kind of eyes you could lose yourself in. The kind that would show you everything and yet give nothing away, which was fitting in some respects. After all, International Rescue were a well known organisation, and yet no one knew anything about them. He didn't even know her name. He sighed, shutting off the water and stepping out to towel himself dry.
"Ah well, it's not like I'm ever gonna see her again." For some reason, that thought didn't bring him any comfort.
And that's chapter 1. Thanks for reading!