Weekend Reunion, a thunderbirds fanfic

This was written for the Tracy Island Writers' Forum 2010 Fic Swap Challenge.

Thunderbirds and the Tracy family are the creation of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and the rights to the show belong to Granada Television.

Thanks go to my beta readers for their invaluable help.

WEEKEND REUNION

Scott is attending a reunion weekend with a group of old friends from Yale (who of course don't know he's I.R.), in a remote and exclusive resort. Disaster strikes, his wrist-com is damaged (or lost), and he has to use all his rescue expertise to get everyone there out alive – while trying not to let his old friends figure out what he's really doing for a living these days..

Flying high above the Pacific Ocean in the private jet, Scott Tracy eagerly looked forward to spending some time with five friends he'd met during his time at Yale. He'd only kept in contact with one of them, Darren Mitchell, after they had all left and gone their separate ways. Now Darren had traced the others to suggest that they all got together for a weekend reunion.

Choosing where to go had been a difficult decision. Scott had asked his brothers for suggestions and Gordon recommended that they should try Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Some friends in the WASP had been there and told him how much they enjoyed it.

Scott's friends liked that idea and now Scott was on his way to Rogue Valley Airport in Medford where he was to meet up with them. As he flew, Scott thought about the men he was meeting again and how they had got on since he'd last seen them.

Darren, he knew about of course. Like himself he'd been interested in engineering and become a chief designer for Ford in Detroit. Jason Warner and Tom Jackson had been law students. Darren had told him that they had gone down that route with their careers. Mike Chisholm and Dave Curtis had studied geology and jumped at the chance to go to Crater Lake to see the rock formations there as well as take part in the activities that they had all enjoyed when they were at Yale.

Scott thought about the things they had done together back then. Whenever a break in studies allowed, they used to go fishing or sailing. Dave loved to go hiking and many a weekend was spent with one or two or all of them going off somewhere with him and exploring some wilderness trail. They'd had a lot of fun together and Scott was quite looking forward to meeting up with them again. 'I wonder if they have changed much and I can still recognise them,' he thought to himself.

The Pacific Coast of the U.S.A. soon loomed into view and Scott concentrated on his course to Oregon. He'd made good time and it wasn't long before he approached

the airport at Medford and landed.

His weekend bags in one hand and fishing gear in the other, Scott made his way into the airport building to have a cup of coffee and a snack before meeting his friends who were due to arrive soon.

Mike Chisholm was due to arrive first from Denver. Then Darren would follow shortly after from Detroit.

Scott watched as the arrival gates suddenly became busy with crowds coming through on the mid-morning Friday flight for any sign of Mike. He was glad his father had given him this time off from International Rescue and he was eager to see his friends again.

Scott studied the throng of faces to look for the familiar features of Mike Chisholm, and was taken by surprise when Mike rushed forward to greet his old friend.

"Hiya, Scott, how ya doing buddy?" Mike asked as he shook Scott's hand. "You haven't changed a bit."

"I'm great, Mike, but what's with the beard? I didn't recognise you in the crowd," Scott replied.

"I thought I'd try a new look and it saves time shaving," Mike answered grinning. "We can catch up on things while I wait for my stuff."

"I've arranged for the rented cars to get us there and they look big enough for us and all our gear," Scott told him. Then he asked "Do you want a cup of coffee? I've just had something to eat and drink."

"I had something on the plane, but I'll have a cup of coffee from the machine over there." Mike indicated to a vending machine against a nearby wall. "That'll do me for now."

Mike got his coffee and waited for his luggage while he and Scott talked about old times and what they were doing now. Mike had become a teacher and Scott told him that he worked for his father's business in Tracy Enterprises after leaving the air force.

Darren Mitchell and Dave Curtis arrived next on the same flight. It was easier for Dave to get a connecting flight so the two arranged to travel together. They were greeted enthusiastically by Scott and Mike when they came through the arrivals gate.

Dave had always reminded Scott of his brother John as, like him, he was blond and built like an athlete. Dave had taken up a career in geological science and, also, like John, was an avid reader.

"Just Tom and Jason to wait for now and they are both flying in together too," Darren announced after the greetings were over. "Tom lives in New Jersey so it was easy for him to join Jason in New York to get here."

They didn't have to wait long for the final two members of their reunion party to arrive. As soon as the greetings were over and all baggage collected, Scott suggested they all go to the cafeteria to get a meal before setting off to drive up to Crater Lake.

"Same old Scott," Jason said as he gave his friend a friendly light punch in the stomach. "Always on the look out for food first. Nothing ever changes."

"Well I don't mind if we do," Tom said. "I never had time for a good breakfast before I left, and the meal on the plane wasn't filling. So I'm hungry."

"Scott's right," Darren told them. "It's quite a drive up to Crater Lake and by the time we get there and check in we won't have time for a good meal."

"Okay, let's go," Scott told them. "The cafeteria looked like it had some good food on the menu."

As they ate lunch they began to talk about their various careers. "Seems like all that studying paid off," Jason said.

"Scott's been the most adventurous out of all of us though and still is," Darren remarked. "No boring daily routine schedule for him or buying airline tickets either; he even has his own jet to fly here."

"I'm impressed. I suppose it helped having an adventurous father," Tom said. "Him being in the air force and then an astronaut, you can't get more adventurous than that."

"Didn't you like the idea of going into space after being in the Air Force?" Mike asked Scott. "Why did you leave it after you were doing so well?"

This is what Scott had been anticipating they would ask him. "No, space isn't my scene. My father was branching out in his business interests and needed help with them so I do that now. It keeps me busy and I get to see the world."

"Well right now the only bit of the world I want to see is Crater Lake," Dave Curtis said after finishing the rest his meal. "Those hiking trails look good and they're calling out to me."

"We'll have to take a photo of Scott at the top of Mount Scott," Mike laughed. "I bet that's why he was so enthusiastic to come here, to see his own mountain."

"It did cross my mind," Scott answered with a smile. "I never knew it was there until I looked the place up, and then it sort of clinched it."

"Yeah I bet," Mike replied with a smile as he rose from the table. "Next time you'll be dragging us all off to Scott Lake State Park in Kansas and saying you never knew it was there either. How come all these parks have your name stamped on them somehow?

"Tell you what, Mike" Tom said joining in with the fun. "We'll find a park with a connection to your name and go there instead.

"If we can find one," Scott laughed as he rose from his seat. "Come on, let's go before it gets any later. We've got to get all our stuff in the cars then pick up some food supplies in Rim Village once we get up there."

"Crater Lake, here we come," Mike said as he stood up and gathered his things together.

"Are you driving, Scott?" Darren asked as they reached the rented cars parked outside.

"I guess so, it still needs an expert to drive it, even if you did design it. Tom's driving the other one," Scott replied with a grin as he took the keys from his pocket and began to unlock the vehicle. "Besides, it's rented in my name."

"Don't forget I was always better at fishing than you though," Darren retorted back as he shoved his and Dave's things in the back behind Scott's fishing gear and bags. "So if I'm still as good we won't starve."

"Should make me all the more determined to catch something then," Scott laughed as he got into the car and turned on the ignition when everybody was ready to begin the journey.

They checked in and collected their cabin keys from the site office then went to pick up some food supplies from the store at the park entrance at Rim Village. Scott and his friends had opted for the more basic accommodation in the wilderness area of Cloudcap Overlook instead of staying at the main hotel on the site. Only five small cabins had been built there and it was near to the only access road to the lake for sailing and fishing at Cleetwood Cove.

"Okay, that's done with," Scott said as the last of the food and drink were squeezed into the already overcrowded luggage areas in the cars. "I say we go for a cup of coffee in the café here before setting off round the Rim Road to our cabin and that's a good few miles."

"Yeah, I agree with that," Mike said. "It was a long drive up here to begin with."

"The hardest thing is to decide what to do first," Dave said as they sat in the café. They had been given information pamphlets showing the amenities on arrival and had been studying them while they drank their coffee.

"The weather looks good for the weekend too," Tom added. "I checked the forecast for that."

"Once we get to our cabin and unload our things we could try doing the Cleetwood trail," Dave suggested hoping they agreed. "It says here that it's only just over two miles long and takes around two hours to complete."

The others rolled their eyes and laughed at Dave's enthusiasm. "Okay, we might just do that as long as you let us get some fishing done tomorrow," Mike told him.

"Deal," Dave replied looking quite happy with that plan. "I guess we can keep the hike up Mount Scott for later."

"That lake sure is an awesome shade of blue, just like it says in the brochures," Jason remarked.

"Yeah it sure is blue," Darren agreed as they all looked out of the window towards the view of the lake. "It's hard to describe it in words."

Scott thought the blue reminded him of International Rescue's uniform, but couldn't tell his friends that of course. He also thought 'Virgil would love to see that scene and paint it if he comes here. Gordon and Alan would just love that lake for sailing and swimming. There's an astronomy observatory on Wizard Island in the lake too, I noticed. John would certainly like to do some star gazing there too. They'll

definitely have to come here and see it for themselves, there's something for all of them to enjoy.'

They finished their coffee and began the drive around the Rim Road and eventually arrived at their cabin. The neighbouring cabins appeared to be unoccupied.

"Well this is it, guys, home for the weekend," Mike said as they began unpacking their food and drink supplies.

"Looks like we're really going to rough it here," Tom said looking around the room. "Good thing we've got plans to be out most of the time."

"It's what we wanted though," Darren smiled. "No communication with the outside world, cell phones switched off., no television, radio or newspapers to interrupt us. A perfect weekend retreat from civilisation."

Later, as arranged, Dave took them all for the short hike around the Cleetwood Trail to explore the area.

"We'll save ourselves for hiking up Mount Scott on Sunday," Darren told Dave as they set off. "And don't get us lost because we'll be too tired to wander around this place after dark."

"We won't. I'm an expert, remember," Dave laughed as he turned around to face them with a wave. "I've bought my trusty compass and Tom here has the map. We should be back in a couple of hours."

The late afternoon sun was shining down and reflecting on the water, making it look more like gold than blue. On their right the summit of Mount Scott, the highest point in the park, loomed high above them.

"Are you really going to drag us all up there too?" Jason asked with an anxious expression. "It looks a strenuous climb."

"It'll be a cinch," Dave laughed. "Besides, Scott here wants to go up there and the views will be fantastic from the top."

They continued walking around the lakeside admiring the views and talking amongst themselves. There were people in Cleetwood Cove swimming and jumping into the water from the rocks near the lake's edge.

Time passed by very quickly and soon they arrived back at the cabin after the two mile trip feeling quite tired after the days events. It was late so they ate some light snacks for supper before they turned in for the night. Plans to go sailing, swimming and fishing had been made for tomorrow after having met some of the National Park Staff down at Cleetwood Cove to arrange to do these things.

III

Saturday morning came around far too quickly for some of the still tired company. Scott, always an early riser, and Jason were up first. They got some breakfast going for all of them then woke the others up to come and get it.

"I thought it best if we drive down to Cleetwood Cove to save time," Scott told them. as they sat down to eat their breakfast. "We can stash our fishing gear in the cars while we go for a sail around the lake and spend the rest of the time fishing when we get back."

"Good idea," Tom agreed as he took a mouthful of scrambled egg.

"Sounds nice and relaxing after all the travelling we did yesterday to get here. Then Dave dragged us off on that hike last night," Mike agreed.

"Trouble with you guys is you're just not fit," Dave told them. "I could do all these hiking trails in one day and not complain about it."

"Just don't expect us all to accompany you," Tom told him. "I want to go fishing."

After they finished eating Darren got the map of the park and spread it out on the table while Tom and Dave cleared the dishes away and washed them up.

"Here's what we can do," He told them. "As Scott said, we can drive down to Cleetwood Cove, catch the 10'o'clock sailing and see the points of interest around the area. Then when the boat gets to Rim Village we can stop off for lunch and then get the next boat back to Cleetwood Cove."

"Sounds good to me," Scott said. "I don't like the idea of going fishing on an empty stomach."

"You've just finished eating now," Tom told him. "Quit worrying about food all the time, Scott."

"He can't help himself," Darren laughed. "He has a phobia about starvation."

The warm sun shone down from a cloudless blue sky as they boarded the small sailing boat to begin a guided tour of the lake. Other visitors joined them on the cruise; amongst them was a husband and wife with their two children, and an elderly couple who appeared to be the parents of either the husband or the wife.

All went well and they enjoyed taking in the wonderful scenery and having places of interest pointed out to them by the tour guide. Scott made sure he wore a fairly large cap and a pair of sunglasses while out and about since Mike mentioned taking photographs. He didn't want to put a damper on his friend's enthusiasm, but he knew he couldn't take the risk of his identity being exposed and putting his connection to International Rescue at risk.

They eventually reached Rim Village where the boat pulled up at the jetty to let them out. Scott followed behind the elderly man who, after the rest of his family had climbed out safely, attempted to follow them. Suddenly he slipped and fell against the side of the boat. Scott managed to catch him from falling in time, pulling him back into the safety of the boat.

Unfortunately the man's hand had caught Scott's wrist in the struggle and loosened the catch on his wrist-com sending it deep into the waters of the lake.

"Dad, are you okay?!" his daughter asked as she rushed over to where her father had almost fallen.

"Yeah, I'm safe thanks to this young feller here," her father answered. "Stop worrying. I'll be okay in a minute or two."

The tour guide came over to the scene and led the older man back on to the boat to sit down and recover from his fall.

"Thank you, are you okay?" the tour guide asked Scott. "You got a bit of a bump on your arm just then."

"I'm fine," Scott smiled though secretly annoyed that his wrist-com was lost. "I've had worse than that before and lived."

"I want to thank you too, son," the elderly man said. "I'm grateful to you."

"You're welcome," Scott told him. He didn't want to get involved any more and

went to leave the boat saying, "Enjoy the rest of your day here."

"I want to thank you too," the man's daughter said to Scott before he left.

"I'm pleased he's okay," Scott told her as he looked at the man now getting a hug from his wife after his ordeal.

Scott and his friends eventually managed to leave the boat and make their way to Rim Village.

"So we have a hero in our midst," Dave laughed as they walked away from the jetty.

"That sure was a quick reaction you gave to save him," Tom added. "We're all impressed the way you stopped him falling into the water."

Scott didn't want to dwell on the matter any further. "It was nothing special, guys. Any one of you would have done the same thing. The whole thing has cost me my watch. It fell into the lake but I didn't want to tell them that."

"Gee, that's too bad," Jason sympathised. "Was it very expensive?"

"More unique than expensive," Scott answered knowing now he was cut off from contacting his family. "I dare say it can be replaced eventually. Let's just enjoy the rest of our day now like we planned and forget it."

After spending more time exploring and taking photographs the six pals went into the gift shop before going for some lunch.

"There's some souvenir watches in here, Scott, if you want one," Tom said guiding Scott over to some on display. "Some have views of the lake on the dial."

"I think I'll buy one of those for now," Scott answered. "My wrist feels naked without my watch and I need to keep track of the time."

They spent the rest of the day sailing back over the lake, having a few more places of interest pointed out to them on the return route. They even managed to catch a few fish between them later as they sat relaxing on the lakeside in the evening after they had fun swimming and diving beneath the clear blue waters of the lake.

As they were fishing Scott sat thinking about his wrist-com lying at the bottom of the lake. 'Such a nuisance, I hope I don't run into a situation when I need to call home. I bet Gordon could find it with Thunderbird Four easily enough, if he had a reason to come here.'

He was interrupted in his thoughts by Darren speaking. "It's getting late now and we can have these fish for supper if we get back now," he told them.

"Okay, then we can have an early night to prepare ourselves for Mount Scott tomorrow," Dave replied.

"Boy, he never gives up, does he?" Jason laughed and thumped Dave between his shoulders.

"Let's get the gear packed up then," Darren said as he rose to his feet and stretched his legs. "This rock isn't the most comfortable of seats anyway."

Scott looked down at his new replacement watch. "Hey this looks good," he said with surprise. "The scene on the dial has changed to the moon rising over the lake."

"Great, so you know when it is day and night now," Jason laughed.

"Yeah but I still wish I had my old watch," Scott answered sadly. "I miss it."

As planned, they had breakfast the next morning and got ready to climb the fifteen hundred foot trail to the top of Mount Scott. The early morning sun shone through the window of the cabin and promised another nice warm day.

"Do we have to carry so many things in our backpack?" Jason asked as he frowned at his heavy load. "It's going to be a long hike up there and carrying all of this stuff makes it even harder."

"We need food and plenty of water to drink," Darren replied. "If we're going to get hot we'll get thirsty too. We've got all day, no need to rush it you know."

"Yeah, I know that," Jason answered. "It's just all the other stuff we've got."

"It says in the hiking guide pamphlet that we have to be ready for sudden weather changes and be prepared with waterproof coats and other stuff in case of an emergency," Scott told him.

"The weather forecast looked good for the whole weekend when I checked," Tom added. "The sun's shining now and there's not a cloud in the sky."

"I still say it's better not to take any risks," Scott told them. "That way we can't say we haven't been warned by the park authorities."

"I agree with Scott," Dave said. "I've hiked around enough places to know what can happen. Come on, let's get going and, as Darren said, we've plenty of time to stop and rest if we need to. I want to see some of those lava tubes around Grotto Bay on the way there."

Jason conceded defeat and they all set off to begin the hike. Some people were just moving into one of the nearby cabins to stay and they stopped to say hello as they passed them.

"Great place to come to," Darren told them. "Lots to do and see, we are off on a five mile hike now up Scott Mountain."

"Enjoy yourselves then," one of their new temporary neighbours said as they gave them a cheery wave. "I know we're going to."

They began walking in the direction of Grotto Bay. They had passed that the day before while driving on the Rim Road to Cleetwood Cove but had not had the time to study the volcanic rocks then. Now Dave and Mike wanted to see the remains of what had once been a huge volcano and the lava that had once flowed from it.

"Just imagine all of this scenery, the lake, the rocks, and stuff all formed from a volcano blowing its head off thousands of years ago," Darren said as they all stood looking at the impressive cliff formations. Mike and Dave were some way away from them and seemed to be studying every detail of the place and taking lots of photographs. They longed to take a few samples away from the place but it was against the rules of the park.

"Good thing it did then or we may have been somewhere else now for our weekend," Jason replied.

"Yeah like Scott Lake Park in Kansas," Tom laughed. "What do you say, Scott?"

"I say we should get a move on if we want to climb up that mountain," Scott replied. His entire home was built around the remains of an extinct volcano so what he was seeing was nothing new to him. The others didn't know that of course, all they knew was Scott lived on a private island owned by his father. He'd been happy enough to let Dave and Mike indulge in their hobby which was also connected to their careers but after an hour or so, Scott was becoming restless and was longing to move on.

"Okay, I'll haul Mike and Dave back in," Darren said. "They must have seen all they want to see by now."

They grouped together again and began the trail leading to Mount Scott. The lake was behind them now and trees, grass and flowers became part of the wonderful scenery. Rocks and canyons formed by ancient glaciers were close by. They stopped to eat at a conveniently placed picnic table near a small stream that flowed down towards a deep ravine in the distance.

Fortified by food and water they resumed the trail. Dave and Darren took the lead, striding with confidence up the steep slopes. Scott and Mike followed behind them as they were both more agile than Tom and Jason who lagged behind a lot. Not being experienced hikers, they said they wanted to stop to take photographs but those in the lead knew it was an excuse to have a rest. The hike was getting more and more strenuous as they headed for the summit but, as they had been told, the views once they reached there were outstanding.

"Come on, Scott, we must have a photo of you up here on your mountain. You've hardly been on any of the photos," Dave said to him.

"I'm just the not the type that likes my photo taken," Scott replied pulling his cap a little more forward over his forehead and pushing his sunglasses further up his nose. "But I guess I can manage this one."

They took his photograph and some more of the group together then sat down to relax for a while, admire the views and take a few more photographs. The lake and the Rim Road looked so very far down from where they were sitting.

"You do realise we have to walk all the way down and back to our cabin right over there?" Tom pointed to the speck in the distance that was their temporary home.

"That'll be even more fun," Dave added with a smile.

They sat talking and ate and drank some more of the food and water they'd brought with them. "I don't think we should hang around here too much longer," Scott suddenly said. "Take a look at those clouds forming over there; it looks like a storm is brewing!"

"They never said anything about storms on the forecast!" Tom said with surprise.

They all turned to look in the direction Scott was pointing. The blue sky in the west had been transformed into a dark mass of storm clouds heading in their direction.

"Let's go," Dave told them as he jumped to his feet. "I don't want us all to be up here when that breaks."

"Get your Hi-Vis rain coats on real quick," Scott told them. "They said this sort of thing could happen and it has."

Hurrying down the mountain trail was just as hard as the slow climb up. Some of the paths were very steep and had deep crevices on either side. All the while the storm clouds got closer. The air became damp with the first hint of the rain that would soon be falling.

They'd managed about two miles down when the storm broke. The rain was making the trail slippery and difficult, while above them thunder and lightning crashed.

"We're going to have to take it more slowly," Dave shouted above the noise of the storm.

"Yes, it's too dangerous to rush it," Scott agreed yelling back. "Make sure we stay on the trail. It's getting hard to follow."

They were almost at the foot of the mountain where the trail sloped steeply and circled back towards the lake and Rim Road.

Suddenly the ground beneath them all gave way in a small landslide causing them to lose their footing and sent them hurtling down the side of the slope into one of the crevices where they landed about twenty feet below onto a wide ledge above a canyon.

Covered in mud and bleeding from scratches and cuts they'd all received from the sharp rocks as they fell, Scott was the first one to speak.

"Is everybody okay?" he asked as he scanned his eyes over his companions. His foot hurt enough to tell him his ankle was badly sprained or even broken.

Most of them had suffered some sort of injuries, some worse than others but at least all were conscious. Fortunately the thick layer of mud and grass falling from the trail above had cushioned their fall and had prevented worse injuries. Scott looked up at the cliff face from which they had fallen and realised they were trapped.

The ledge was wide enough and appeared strong enough to support them all. Now they had to be somehow rescued. Contacting somebody was going to be virtually impossible in this storm. Scott silently cursed the fact that his wrist-com had been lost. He could have used it now to call home and get his brothers out here. Knowing he had an alternative method and reaching into his pocket it was the time to use it.

"What we going to do now?" Darren asked, echoing everybody else's thoughts. "Nobody's going to know we're here."

"I've got some rope in my bag that I keep for emergencies," Dave said. "I don't know if that will be any use."

Scott replied, "I don't see how it can be, Dave. We would need to something strong enough up there to haul us up."

"I've been trying to make a call on my cell phone but I can't get a signal here," Mike told them.

"I'm going to try walking along this ledge and see if there is some sort of trail leading back up there," Tom stated as he got to his feet even though he was in some pain.

"Take it easy, Tom," Dave told his friend. "Don't take any more risks."

"I won't go too far along. We have to try something," Tom answered as his eyes scanned the way ahead.

"We've still got some food and water in our bags and some thermal waterproof blankets," Dave told them. "We're due to check out tomorrow morning, so somebody will miss us. They may realise we could be in trouble and come looking for us."

"Those people who moved into the cabin near us may realise something is wrong and we did tell them where we were going," Jason added.

Scott replied quietly, "With any luck then we may get rescued soon then."

Up in Thunderbird Five, Alan Tracy had been monitoring some radio broadcasts between emergency services in Austria. They were discussing a problem with a monorail train in one of the tunnels in the Alps. It seemed as if they were getting the situation under control and International Rescue would not be needed after all.

Alan was about to call his father and tell him this when he noticed a loud beeping noise coming from Scott's emergency edible transmitter.

"That's odd," he said out loud. "I wonder what's happened to Scott."

Alan immediately opened the video screen and contacted his father.

"Go ahead, Alan," Jeff Tracy responded in the usual routine manner. "How's that situation going in Austria?"

"Looks like we won't be needed there after all, Dad," Alan replied. "We've got another problem to deal with though. Scott's sending a signal from his edible transmitter. He must be in some sort of trouble. I can't get any reply from his wrist-com."

"Scott!" Jeff exclaimed jumping to his feet. "He must be to use that. Something must have happened to his wrist-com. I'll get John out on Thunderbird One now. Get a fix on the co-ordinates and give them to him as soon as he is airborne."

"Will do, Dad," Alan replied. "Scott doesn't appear to be moving so I can get a fix on him now."

Jeff Tracy pressed the klaxon button that summoned John, Virgil and Gordon into the lounge to see what the latest emergency was.

"Okay, boys, it's Scott needing our help," Jeff told them. "He's just used his edible transmitter. Get out there quick, John, with Thunderbird One, Alan's getting the co-ordinates for you. Virgil, Gordon, get going with Thunderbird Two.

"What about emergency equipment, Dad?" Gordon asked as John left to board Thunderbird One. "Which pod do we take?"

"I don't know, son," Jeff answered with a worried expression. "I don't know what the situation is, just get there."

"Okay, Dad," Virgil replied. "Hopefully we'll manage with what we've got in Thunderbird Two."

"There's a lake up where they are so it may be a good idea to take Pod Four in case Thunderbird Four is needed," Gordon suggested to them.

"Good idea, Gordon," Virgil agreed as he went to towards the painting on the wall that would swing up and launch him down into Thunderbird Two's cockpit.

Before he left, Virgil turned to his father and said to re-assure him, "Don't worry, Dad, we'll find him."

It had been a while since John had flown Thunderbird One on a rescue and knowing he was doing that now to find Scott of all people gave him a weird feeling. He hoped he could get there on time and find his brother and wondered what sort of trouble he was in. Thunderbird One blasted up from the now open pool and soared high into the sky above. John got the co-ordinates from Alan and steered a course for Oregon. He was worried about Scott. He didn't know what circumstances he was in for him to use his edible transmitter to summon help and couldn't help thinking. 'Was he trapped somewhere? Was he badly injured? Or both?'

In Thunderbird Two, Virgil and Gordon were both discussing the same thing. "We've left in good time of him swallowing his transmitter to get to him, wherever he is," Virgil said.

"I hope so," Gordon replied quietly. "Alan says he is still in the same place so it ought to be easy to locate him."

VII

"It'll be getting dark soon," Mike remarked despondently. "Then nobody will be able to see us even if there was anybody else around to search."

"At least it's stopped raining," Dave replied. "That's some consolation."

"Not to me," Darren replied. "I'm getting dripped on from a rock above where I'm sitting." He scowled up at the offensive rock in question and shuffled further along towards where Scott was.

"Let's face it, guys," Tom said angrily, "We've been here around two or three hours now and I can't see how we can get back up there without help. We're trapped on this stinking ledge and might never get off it."

"Don't give up hope, Tom," Scott said to try and calm his worried friend. "Remember what Jason said. Those people that we met in the cabin near us might miss us."

"I ache all over," Jason told them. "I don't know if it's with the fall or the walking we did or both."

They sat silently for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts of homes and family. Scott was wondering how his family reacted to the knowledge that he had swallowed his edible transmitter and hoped his brothers were on their way now to find out why.

Suddenly Dave exclaimed "Listen, I can hear something, it sounds like a plane coming!"

Scott heard the sound he'd been waiting for and it was like music to his ears. The sound of Thunderbird One's engines getting closer to them.

"It's a plane alright!" Scott also exclaimed. "Listen we have to attract the pilot's attention. Tom you can move better than the rest of us. Wave your Hi-Vis jacket. The rest of us get our flashlights out of our bags, turn them on and wave them."

They did that as Thunderbird One got closer. Scott could see her now and knew John would be trying to locate him and his friends.

"This isn't just any old plane!" Mike exclaimed as they all looked upwards. "It's International Rescue!"

"So somebody did miss us after all and sent out for them," Tom replied.

They watched as John slowly manoeuvred Thunderbird One down closer to them amongst the steep cliffs.

"I hope that pilot manages to avoid the rocks on the cliff face," Darren said. "If he damages that plane we would still be in trouble."

"He'd better not," Scott answered looking up anxiously. "He'll be the one in trouble

if he does."

"Don't worry," Darren told them. "Those guys are the best pilots in the business so I've heard."

As soon as John saw Scott and the others he called Virgil and linked the call up so his father could also hear it on Tracy Island.

"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two and Base," he began. "I've located Scott and his friends. They are on a rock ledge on the edge of a canyon. From what I can see there has been a landslide and they have fallen down there. They don't appear to be seriously hurt."

"Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird One," Virgil replied. "So from what you say, we just need the elevator cage to get them up?"

"Affirmative," John answered as he lowered Thunderbird One further down. "I think the sides of the canyon are too narrow for Thunderbird Two to get too far down."

"I should be there in eighteen and a quarter minutes," Virgil answered looking at his speed gauge. "Remember Scott's friends won't know about him and us."

"I know and from what I can see of Scott right now he's probably more worried in case I damage his 'bird more than anything else," John replied. "I'm going to tell them now that you're on your way."

"FAB", Virgil replied and ended the call.

John slid the window open on Thunderbird One and switched on the loud hailer.

"You men down there," John called to them. "Wait a few minutes and you'll soon be off that ledge. Thunderbird Two is on its way so keep calm. Are any of you injured?"

"Some of us have a few minor injuries," Darren yelled back up to John. "Thanks for coming,"

"You're welcome," John replied as he slid the window closed.

"See, all that worrying," Scott told them. "I had a feeling we would be found eventually."

"I didn't expect it to be by International Rescue though," Dave said. His smile showed the relief he was now feeling. "Boy, this has turned out to be a weekend to remember for ever."

The wait for Thunderbird Two to arrive was soon over and Scott couldn't help but be both relieved and amused at the amazement on the faces of his friends when they saw the huge rescue plane loom into view.

"I'd love to take a photograph of those rescue craft," Dave said looking upwards with admiration.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Scott replied. "I've heard they don't like photographs taken of them at rescue sites and the last thing we want to do now is antagonise them when we are about to be rescued."

"Guess you're right, Scott," Dave replied. "We've been darn lucky to get them here for us."

VIII

Virgil steered over close to where John was hovering below in Thunderbird One.

"I can see Scott!" Gordon exclaimed with relief as he stood up to get a better view from the window. "There he is down there with those other guys on that ledge."

"Okay, Gordon, I can't get down any further than this because of those rocks so we're going to operate from here." Virgil told his brother. "Go down in the cage and bring them up two at a time and see what injuries they've got and if they need taking to the hospital."

"FAB," Gordon replied enthusiastically jumping up to do as Virgil told him.

When the elevator cage reached the ledge, Gordon got out to see which men were the most hurt.

"Jason's got a badly cut leg and some bruises on his back," Dave told him. "Tom's

got a lot of scratches and bruises and one of his knees is badly swollen. My wrist hurts but I don't think it's broken and as you can see I've got a lot scratches and bruises too."

"What about you three?" Gordon asked as he made his way over to where they were sitting.

"We've got scratches and bruises like the others," Darren answered. "I think I may have a busted rib and one of my legs is badly cut. As you can see Mike has a bad cut on his head and some cuts on his arms. Scott thinks he may have broken his ankle."

"He does?" Gordon asked looking long and hard at his mud and blood encrusted brother who so far had said nothing at all. "We'll give you some first aid when we get up to Thunderbird Two. Then get you to the hospital for further treatment."

"I might have just sprained it," Scott protested. "I don't think there will be any need for us to go the hospital if you just patch us up. We aren't hurt that bad."

"Yeah we have all our gear here in our cabin and two rented cars," Darren told Gordon. "We were due to leave here tomorrow and go home anyway. We have flights booked at the airport. "

"And I've got a jet parked too at Medford Airport," Scott told Gordon to remind him of that fact. "If I have to go the hospital it means one of my family have to come out here to collect me and fly me home. Darren can drive an Adventurer back to Medford and Tom should be able to drive the other one if he is okay."

"Well let's get you all up there first and then decide," Gordon told them as he walked back along the ledge towards the waiting elevator cage. "Okay, you two first," he said to Jason and Tom."

Gordon helped Jason up and into the cage and Tom limped in behind them. Gordon contacted Virgil on the intercom and he brought the cage back up to Thunderbird Two.

"Hey, that young guy's good at his job isn't he?" Dave said after the cage had gone up to Thunderbird Two. "I'm quite impressed at the way he's handling things."

"Yes, he is," Scott agreed feeling quite proud of his younger brother and the way he gave no sign that he knew Scott at all. "He's been well trained."

Mike and Dave were the next two to go up into Thunderbird Two and seemed to look forward to the experience as Gordon helped them into the elevator cage.

Finally it was Darren and Scott's turn to go up. Gordon helped Darren into the cage then went back to get Scott. They were now alone on the ledge for the first time since Thunderbird Two got there. Gordon helped Scott up onto his good foot and gave him a brief hug before supporting his elder brother along the ledge into the cage.

"What happened to your wrist-com?" he whispered to Scott as they moved towards the cage. "We've all been worried about what happened to you."

"It's a long story but I lost it in the lake," Scott told him as he gladly clung on to Gordon for support. "I had no other choice to use the edible transmitter. As you can see, we had no other means of getting help to us."

After all of the men had been rescued and taken in to the sick bay in Thunderbird Two, Virgil and John landed in a wilderness area outside the National Park boundary.

while Gordon applied first aid to the injured men. They all seemed in better spirits after their ordeal. Gordon had given them painkillers to make them comfortable; now Jason, Tom and Mike were already fast asleep.

"You know, Scott, you should apply to be a pilot in this outfit too," Dave said to him while Gordon tended his wounds. "You'd be good at that."

"He's good at rescuing people too," Darren added. "That old guy and his family thought so anyway."

"I told you that was no big deal," Scott protested. "All I did was keep him from falling into the lake when he fell. Anybody could have done that."

"Sorry, but International Rescue are not recruiting anybody else right now," Gordon told them as he smiled at Scott. "Even if he did rescue somebody. We'll keep him in mind though."

They were interrupted by Virgil and John coming into the sick bay.

"How are they?" John asked as his eyes glanced over the men. Darren and Dave were becoming drowsy now too with the painkillers. "Do they need taking to the hospital?"

"Not too bad, considering how far they fell," Gordon replied. "I've cleaned them up and bandaged the ones with the worst injuries." Indicating Scott, he added, "This one's hurt his ankle. I was about to take a look at it."

"We'll need to cut that hiking boot off first," Virgil replied looking down at Scott with a serious expression and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "I bet they were quite an expensive pair of boots too."

"They were," Scott replied sadly and sighed, "But I guess you guys know what you're doing. I'm just happy to be here."

"Yeah, we do," John told him with a smile. "And we're happy for you to be here too. Now let's take a look at that foot."

Scott's ankle was not broken but it was badly sprained. After it was treated with an ice pack and strapped up Scott felt a lot more comfortable. He was given some painkillers too and drifted off to sleep.

"Did you find out why Scott didn't use his wrist-com?" Virgil asked Gordon as he and John stepped out of the sick bay to talk in private even if the injured men were asleep.

"He said he lost it in the lake." Gordon replied. "Good thing he had his edible transmitter on him or we might never have found any of them." Then he asked "What do we do now? Scott and one of the others said that they don't want to go to the hospital because they have their stuff in their cabin and rented vehicles parked outside. Scott flew here in his jet too and left it at the airport in Medford. They were due to go home tomorrow anyway."

"I think we should have a cup of coffee," John answered Gordon's question. Then he added. "I've got an idea and I'll run it past Dad to see what he thinks. He's waiting for a new report anyway now he knows we've got them all aboard safely."

John left them to go up to the cockpit of Thunderbird Two so he could talk to his father from the radio in there. Gordon went to make the three of them a cup of coffee while he did that.

A few minutes later John came back and spoke to Virgil and Gordon. "Okay, here's the plan. As nobody is seriously hurt we stay here overnight and rest, it's late now anyway and those guys are all asleep. Tomorrow we'll see if there is one of them well enough to drive a car back to Medford and Gordon can drive the other one. We'll get their stuff from the cabin and packed into the cars they've rented. While they are doing that, Virgil will take the rest of them to the hospital in Medford to get checked over just to be on the safe side. Then we all meet up at the airport. As a favour for Scott, Dad wants you to take his friends home, Virgil. Gordon can fly the jet back home with Scott."

"Sounds okay to me," Virgil agreed as he took a sip of his coffee. "Scott told me when he planned this trip, that his friend Darren designed those cars and they can almost drive themselves, so it should be easily enough to get one with the least injuries to do that."

The next morning, John and Virgil discussed the plans with the injured men about getting them back to their homes. They had woken up from a good sleep following the previous day's events, still feeling sore but happy to be off that ledge.

Tom seemed well enough to drive one car back to Medford. The injuries the others had sustained still caused pain and discomfort. So it was agreed to let them stay where they were until Virgil took them to the hospital in Thunderbird Two. As Gordon was to drive the other car, he had changed out of his International Rescue uniform for the journey so as not to attract any unwanted attention.

"So where's this cabin?" Virgil asked Tom. "Then you can get your things packed up and we can get going."

"Just head off in the direction of the lake," Tom told him. "I don't know where we are now but we were east of that when you found us. There's some cabins on the Rim Road on the east side of the lake. You can't miss the lake, it's big enough and

our cabin's the one with two red Adventurers parked outside.

"I don't think you'll be able to land there though," Scott advised. "There won't be enough room for this craft between the lake and the cliff walls. It might be best to lower Tom and your colleague down in that cage again."

"Good thinking," Virgil replied. "We'll do that, then leave for Medford and wait for them to arrive."

"I'll just take off from here," John said. "I'll see you at the airport."

Scott reached inside his bag that he'd taken with him the previous day and took out some paperwork and the keys for the car he'd rented and the cabin.

"You'll need these," he said to Gordon. "Mind how you drive that expensive car please and don't get a speeding ticket. It's rented in my name so get it back to the airport in one piece."

Gordon looked at the paperwork for the car rental and grinned "Aw relax, I'm not Al-. it says here that the name of the driver is 'Mr. Tracy.' Looks like somebody was sloppy with filling out the details on the form, they've missed out your first name."

Have you got the keys for the other car?" Virgil quickly asked Tom after seeing Scott's icy glare following Gordon's near slip up. "If you have I think we should get going."

Virgil found the site of the cabin easily enough and flew Thunderbird Two above it while Gordon and Tom got into the elevator cage and were lowered down. The people who had rented the cabin next to the one rented by Scott and his friends were nowhere to be seen but their car was still parked outside. As soon as both men were down, Virgil brought the cage back up and quickly flew away in the direction of Medford.

It didn't take Tom and Gordon long to pack up the things in the cabin and put them into the cars. They threw out the trash and were satisfied that they had left the cabin in an orderly fashion. Tom locked the door and said to Gordon, "Just need to check out at the park entrance now."

"Okay, I'll just wait for you and admire the view," Gordon replied. "Is your knee still up to you driving okay?"

"I'll be okay," Tom replied. "It still hurts like crazy even with the support bandage but these cars are easy to drive and I won't have much walking to do."

Gordon followed Tom as they drove around the Rim Road back to the park entrance. He couldn't help seeing the lake and all of the attractions it held for him. 'I wouldn't mind coming back here when I get some leave,' he thought. 'Maybe Alan or one of the others will come back with me.'

Gordon and Tom met up with John at the airport and now all they had to do was wait for Virgil to get back from the hospital. The airport manager was pleased that International Rescue had asked permission to land their craft on one of the runways. Gordon and Tom were given VIP treatment while they waited. That suited John as sitting in a private room drinking coffee kept him out of the glare of the public.

There was a knock on the door and a young woman came into the room. "I've been asked to tell you that your colleague has landed and is waiting for you," she told John.

"Thanks, we'll be right out," John replied as he took a last swig of his coffee and got up to leave, with Tom following him. Gordon went to get the luggage cart full of fishing gear and bags to take over to where Thunderbird Two was parked.

"What did the hospital say about them?" John asked Virgil when they got back to Thunderbird Two.

"Same as we did, nothing too serious," Virgil replied. "Only that one with a sprained wrist has got a slight fracture in his thumb too that we missed. They can all go home and see their own doctors and rest up for a few days. They'll be fine after that."

"I've put Scott in a wheelchair so it will be easy to get him over to the jet."

"Okay let's get them home," John replied.

Before leaving, Scott and the others, apart from Tom, had to sort out their belongings that Gordon had hastily collected up in the cabin and thrown into any bag.

"Well, how was I supposed to know whose stuff went into each bag, I was in a hurry," Gordon said after Scott complained about it.

"Yeah, don't be hard on him, Scott, you should be grateful to him and the other two guys for all they've done for us," Darren told Scott. "I certainly am,"

"I'm grateful alright," Scott smiled at his three brothers. "More than you'll ever know."

"Me too," Tom agreed. "I thought we'd be stuck on that ledge forever."

"I guess we're all grateful," Dave added.

"Yeah, thanks from all of us," Mike told Virgil, John and Gordon.

"Aw, gee we never got a chance to thank whoever it was that sent out for you guys to rescue us," Jason suddenly said.

"Don't worry about it," Virgil said. "I'll contact the person myself and relay your thanks."

Gordon said goodbye to Scott's friends and left to prime up the jet. Virgil and John said goodbye to them too, then left the sick bay. They wanted to let Scott say goodbye to his friends in private and left him to it.

"I guess we say goodbye now," Scott said after his brothers had gone. "It's been great seeing you all again and in spite of what happened yesterday I've enjoyed the weekend. We'll have to meet up again sometime."

"I'm all for that," Dave said happily. "When I get home I'll check out the hiking trails around Scott Lake Park in Kansas."

"He's off again already," Mike laughed. "Just make sure they are nice easy ones with no deep ravines around them."

"I will," Dave smiled.

"Okay I'd better go now, that young guy will be waiting in my jet to take me home," Scott said as he shook each friend by the hand. "Goodbye, look after yourselves and keep in contact with me."

"We will," Darren told him.

"How's that young guy going to get back if we're going home in this?" Jason asked.

"I expect the guy that flies this one will go and meet up with him after he takes us home," Mike replied.

"Yeah probably," Scott replied as he gave a hand signal for John to come in for him.

"Bye everybody," he waved as they left.

John pushed Scott over in the wheelchair to where Gordon and Virgil were waiting beside the jet. His luggage bags had been carefully hidden on Thunderbird Two out of sight of the passengers aboard.

"Before I get in the jet, John, I just want to say that was pretty good flying you did in

that canyon," Scott said to him.

"Thanks Scott," John beamed at receiving the praise he'd been given. "I knew you had enough to worry about without me damaging your 'bird too."

"Well you take her back safe now, don't forget to level off and not shoot up into space as if you are in Three," Scott said seriously.

"I won't, now let's get you up into that jet," John replied as Virgil and Gordon came to help.

"At least I got to see some of Crater Lake Park," Virgil said. "I would like to come back here again sometime."

"Me too. I can do some diving and may find Scott's lost wrist-com," Gordon added. "That lake looks terrific to swim in."

Scott thought for a moment then said, "It was a lot of fun. Maybe I could come back here with one of you."

"Hey why should you have all the fun again? Gordon and I can take a trip here," Virgil answered. "We're both due for some leave too."

"Hey, what about me?" John asked with a frown. "Don't I get a chance to come here too? You know I can't go with Alan at the same time. Maybe it will best if you come with Alan, Virgil, and I go with Gordon."

"Sorry, John, I didn't think you were that interested in coming," Virgil replied. "Alan might not want to come."

"Yeah, well I am," John replied indignantly too. "Alan won't want to miss out on a trip either I bet."

"Well Scott has solved the problem about us getting here." Virgil said with a wry grin when Scott was comfortably seated in the jet. "With his ankle being sprained he can do a stint in Thunderbird Five. Alan goes with you, John, and I go with Gordon, next time we get some leave."

Scott sighed, too tired and sore to get involved with any more arguments, he said, "Maybe a nice rest on Thunderbird Five would suit me fine. Just take me home, Gordon, I've had enough of Crater Lake for the present."

The end.