Hello everyone and Merry Christmas. Thankyou to all the lovely reviews posted on my last story they were very encouraging. I just thought id finish up the year with a nice christmas story. As always reviews are welcome, and have a fantastic Christmas!
Alan Tracy was 3 years old when he first displayed an interest in space, from the moment he saw the odyssey 12 launch into space he knew he wanted to be an astronaut. His 10 year old brother John was only too happy to encourage Alan's new found interest and would often take him star gazing on clear summer nights.
Alan's love of the stars grew as he got older, nurtured and expanded by Johns knowledge of space. Eventually the time came when his father approached him with the idea of International Rescue. Alan was honoured by the fact that his family trusted him enough to be able to take part in the wonderful organisation.
His father asked him if he would pilot one of the birds when he was older because of course training and his studies came first, his father made sure of that. Alan readily agreed on one condition, his ship was to be able to travel into space. His father leaned back in his aged leather chair studying his son for a moment before a smiled stretched across his face,
"Of course Alan, you will be piloting our rocket, Thunderbird 3"
Alan was ecstatic to say the least, his father stressed the point of training and studying to him but he wasn't paying attention. Instead pictures of the stars played through his mind; each day was to be an adventure full of adrenaline and excitement.
His training started that fall, with John overseeing his progress Alan knew he was learning fast. Soon after his 14th birthday the day came to fly thunderbird 3 for the first time. It would no longer just be thunderbird 3, no after this flight it would be his thunderbird.
Alan started flicking switches warming up the engines with John mirroring his actions as co-pilot. All his training had come down to this moment, now was his time to shine like the stars he loved so much.
The launch went smoothly; he moved the controls with practiced precision, John's watchful eyes checking his movements. The mission was to dock his 'bird with Johns thunderbird 5 for a supply run, everything was going according to plan with thunderbird 5 coming into his line of sight.
Although the landing wasn't too graceful he had at least landed. Alan cast John a nervous glance but John merely shrugged and said "Rule number 3 of the Astronauts Code, any landing you can walk away from is a good one" This eased Alan's doubts about his performance, but then again John had always had a calming effect on him.
John instructed Alan to wait in the cock pit whilst he prepared 'five for pressurisation, and so Alan waited. He was thinking about the journey home when a small alarm went off on the dash board. Flicking a few switches he determined that one of the power relays to the engine had turned, meaning that engine had lost all sense of navigation.
Years of training had taught him that the consequences of a non-navigational engine could be dire if not corrected. Alan debated within himself, the job was a small one, all he had to do was flick the relay back and they would be able to navigate back to earth but then again John had said to stay right here until he returned. Maybe he could hail John on his watch? Ask him for instructions. Alan had raised his watch to his mouth when he realised some of John's last words
"Alan the pressurisation project will take my full attention I need to turn my comms off so I can focus ok? Will you be alright for a few minutes?"
Alan had dismissed his worry saying he would be fine, If he could fly a rocket then a few minutes alone would be a piece of cake. Alan was now regretting his carefree nature about the loss of contact. His face morphed into a determined frown and he nodded to himself. If John could do this and much worse daily, then surely he could handle a little solo spacewalk, I mean it is only 10 metres or so, right?
With his mind made up Alan donned his helmet and prepared his cable, rule number 2 he thought to himself, never leave the ship without a cable harness.He was just about to open the air lock when a though struck him, what if John came back and panicked about a missing Alan?
As a last minute decision Alan flicked on the exterior cameras, focusing them on the area he was working on, this way John would know where he was. Who knows, John might even be proud of his initiative, after all his family always said he should do more to help out.
Opening the air lock, Alan pushed off the deck out into the cold expanse of space. He took a moment just to take it all in, the magnitude of it all, it was simply awe-inspiring. Spinning around to face his 'bird, Alan attached his safety cable to one of the many metal anchors that covered the ship. Making sure the cable was secure he pushed off towards the relay at the back of the rocket.
He quickly reached the relay and opened the hatch however the relay was worse than he thought. Instead of flicking a switch he now needed to replace the whole unit! Just his luck he thought sourly.
He reached inside his utility belt and pulled out a spanner and set to work removing the broken unit. When the last bolt finally gave way he let go of the spanner and set to work replacing the faulty unit. He was almost finished all that was left now was to screw the whole thing back in place with the spanner.
Feeling around for the spanner he discovered he no longer knew where it was. He thought back to earlier, trying to remember where he had put it when suddenly it hit him.
How could he have been so stupid? Letting go of the spanner in space! That was a rookie mistake and he wasn't a rookie, he had months of training after all.
Twisting around, he searched for even a glimpse of the shiny object but to no avail. He was just about to give up when a little way off in the distance he spotted the object, innocently spinning around in space a little way off.
Once again he found himself in a debate, should he go after the spanner and break rule number 7always say with the ship or should he leave the spanner and tell John about his error in the hopes he could fix it? No Alan Tracy had always had his brothers to fall back on when he was younger, now he was part of International Rescue he refused to allow himself that luxury. He didn't need John, the spanner wasn't even that far away anyways besides his safety rope would stretch that far, he was sure of it.
A look of determination crossed his face again as he propelled himself off the hull of his 'bird. The first thing he noticed was that the spanner was a lot further away that he had first thought, the second thing he noticed was that he was unable to stop himself from propelling forward. Unlike John, Alan lacked the equipment necessary for long EVA trips in space.
Eventually he reached the end of his 50m rope, while it had stopped his advance into space he now found he had a new problem, he had no way of propelling back to the ship and he was running out of air. He checked his suit for anything that might help but he found nothing that would shoot him back in the right direction.
A sense of fear and panic swept over him and he started to hyperventilate. He curled into a ball and tried to think rational, it was all he could do to stop himself from ripping off his helmet to escape this nightmare. He floated there shock setting in, he was going to die, here, cold, lost, alone. His passion for the stars was going to be the death of him and yet his stubborn nature wouldn't accept that as his last thought, instead his family crossed his mind.
They would be devastated by the news, would they even find his body? John didn't know where he was and the cameras didn't have enough range to reach him. Alan could imagine how it would look, himself propelling off the side of thunderbird 3 like he was abandoning it. Like he was abandoning his family, his responsibilities, abandoning his life.
They had to understand, he wasn't abandoning them, he never would, it was just because his pride got in the way of his own safety. His eyes were drifting shut, he tried to stop them but the lack of oxygen was making his brain fuzzy. His smiled a loopy smile, in some way this was what he wanted, at least he had had the chance to fly a rocket and see the stars. His smile faded, he only wished he could have seen his family one more time. Gradually his eyes closed and he felt his lungs exhale their last breath, his last breath.
He awoke with a start, coughing and spluttering as the sweet cool relief of oxygen flooded his nose. As soon as the coughing subsided he realised someone else was with him, rubbing circles on his back and muttering words of encouragement.
"That's it Allie, calm down you're ok now. Just breathe"
Just breathe? He wasn't even sure how he was breathing at the moment, wasn't he just suffocating? And now he is breathing again? Couldn't the universe just make up its mind already?
He glanced around sluggishly looking for the source of comfort, he soon found Johns face appear over him. John looked scared, Alan could actually see the fear and relief in his sibling's eyes, but that couldn't be right, John never showed fear, relief maybe but never fear. What was John so afraid of?
Alan felt an over whelming need to comfort his older sibling but he couldn't do that lying down so he made a move to sit up, his lungs protesting as he did so.
"Whoa Allie nice and easy ok?"
Now Alan was scared, John never used nicknames, he just didn't. Alan was still a bit out of it from lack of oxygen but he attempted to talk anyway.
"What...ha...happened?"
John looked at him in surprise but whatever he was thinking he kept it silent.
"Well all I know is that once I had finished the pressurisation process, I went back to thunderbird 3 to find you, but you weren't there. I went to scan for you on the monitors but there was an exterior camera feed playing, I saw you pushing off thunderbird 3 into space..."
John stumbled slightly here but he took a calming breath and continued on.
"I went outside to see what you were doing but I couldn't find you, but then something caught my eye and I saw you floating out in space, a good 50m away from 'three. By the time I reached you, you were unconscious so I brought you back here. You were out a good 7 minutes Alan, I was worried"
So that's what had happened Alan wondered. He didn't really remember any of it just bits and pieces. Alan was so lost in thought that he didn't notice John calling his name.
"Allie...Alan...Alan...ALAN!"
Alan was startled out of his thoughts,
"Johnny what's wrong?"
"Alan I was calling your name for ages didn't you hear me?"
Alan shook his head.
"Well anyways I'm taking you back to Tracy Island, you're not well. Oxygen deprivation can be serious and I want Brains and Virgil to run some tests"
Alan merely nodded and allowed John to direct him towards a chair. John strapped Alan in and wrapped him in a blanket for which Alan was grateful for, after all space was cold.
They detached from thunderbird 5 and John plotted a course for home before leaning back and watching Alan. Alan was struggling to stay awake; he didn't want to sleep not yet. John took this as an opportunity and spoke softly as not to startle Alan.
"Alan do you remember, on the first day of training I told you what rule number one was in the Astronauts Guide to Survival?"
Alan looked up at him with tired bloodshot eyes
"Um stay alive?" John chuckled
"Well yes I suppose that is a good rule but it's not the one I'm referring to"
Alan looked slightly disappointed but John continued.
"The number on rule that you must never forget is to never do anything alone. I'm serious Alan, what happened today could have been avoided, I'm not blaming you but next time just ask me to come with you, ok?"
"Ok Johnny, can I sleep now?" John chuckled slightly but remained serious.
"Hang on sprout before you sleep you got to promise me, promise me you won't do anything by yourself again?"
Alan looked John strait in the eye and could immediately tell he was serious.
"Astronauts Honour Johnny, I will never go alone again"
John nodded satisfied that he had made his point. He turned back to the controls and without looking at Alan said
"Good, you can get some sleep now sprout"
But Alan was already gone off to the land of dreams, satisfied with the knowledge that he was not alone, John was here and John would protect him no matter what.
2 years later
"Thunderbird 3 hanger to Tracy Island, clear for take-off?"
"Clear, Alan remind me again why it was so important you took thunderbird 3 up to meet John?"
"Argh Scott I already told you, weren't you listening?"
"I was listening but you glossed over a few details"
"Like?"
"Like the fact that you could have taken the space elevator" Alan rolled his eyes at Scott's hologram.
"Not everything would have fit in the space elevator, it's too small"
"That's another detail you glossed over, what's in all the boxes?"
Scott saw a sheepish look cross Alan's face, he also saw Alan rub a hand behind his neck, just one of his many nervous give a ways.
"Alan, what's in the boxes?" Alan could tell Scott was only half serious but he thought it better to play on the safe side.
"Well...you see...it's like this..."
"Alan get to the point"
Scott was definitely running out of patience now.
"Um ok, well I can't tell you what's in the boxes unless you know the story behind them"
"Then tell me the story"
"It's a long one"
"I've got time"
"Well I don't"
"Summarise then"
"Scott" Allan whined in his best whinny voice,
"Alan" Scott answered as equally whinny.
"Please Scott just don't ask, for Johnny's sake"
Scott sighed a heavy sigh, it was clear to him that Alan wasn't budging on this one. Still years of looking after younger brothers had taught him to always have a last line of defence.
"Give me one good reason why I should let you go, especially this close to Christmas?"
Alan smiled if Scott was using the 'give me one good reason' line then he must be close to cracking. Alan carefully thought of his reply as not to arouse too much suspicion,
"Let's just say it's an honour among astronauts kind of thing"
"Uh huh, you space men, I'll never understand. Very well your clear for take-off, but Alan I want you back here the second a call comes in" "FAB Scott thunderbird 3 out"
John Tracy knew every sound that his precious bird made, from the whirring sound of the processors to the hiss of the oxygen tanks stirring. Every little sound could be accounted down to a specific system.
This is why John found it odd that he could hear the docking clamps locking, especially when there was no reason for them to be locking. He moved from the command centre to the gravity ring with practiced ease, what he saw shocked him. Thunderbird three was docked, but that couldn't be right, thunderbird three wasn't due for another week and even so why had no one informed him of the change in plans?
John ran through the gravity ring as fast as he could, straight towards the airlock. He impatiently waited for the pressurisation process to finish and release the brother that had come to see him.
The airlock opened with a familiar whir and who should emerge but Alan himself. John really shouldn't have been surprised after all, Alan had the most experience with thunderbird 3 and he was the only other qualified astronaut in the family but John was still intrigued.
Why had Alan come? Was something wrong back home? Was someone hurt? No surely they would have called. Then again what possible reason could Alan have for being here? And why hadn't he called to at least tell John his ETA? And what was he holding under his arm?
Alan was standing there grinning like a Cheshire cat; it had been too long since he had seen John, way too long.
"John! How are you? How's space?"
"Um it's fine, I'm fine…wait what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others eating Christmas Eve dinner?"
"Well I was but then I remembered something a wise old astronaut told me a long time ago"
"Oh yeah and what might that be?"
"Never do anything alone, especially Christmas, so I brought some stuff up with me. We are gonna have our own Christmas Eve dinner and the tomorrow I'm taking you home and the whole family's gonna spend Christmas together"
Alan looked so excited and sincere, it made Johns heart swell with love.
"Alan are you sure about this? Did Scott clear it?"
"Johnny, Johnny, Johnny you worry too much, its fine I've got it all sorted out"
"Then why don't I believe you? And don't call me Johnny, you've been hanging out with Gordon too much"
"Would I lie to you?"
"Yes"
"I'll take care of it John, Astronauts Honour"
"Yeah where have I heard that before?" John said sarcastically.
Alan mock saluted John to which John simply rolled his eyes. Alan certainly had a flare for the dramatics but he always meant well. John smiled; maybe this Christmas wasn't going to be so boring after all.