"Thunderbird 5 to Base."
Jeff frowned at the unfamiliar voice over the radio, but after a second realised it was Alan. He'd been up there less than a day, and already he sounded like a professional.
"Go ahead Alan." Jeff turned on the viewer and found both his sons staring at him seriously, but it was Alan that was in the command chair.
"We've received a mayday signal from a cruise liner in the mid-Pacific; coordinates are being transferred to your systems now. A Cruise Liner has been hit by a Rogue Wave. The captain estimated it to be approximately 27 meters high; it's swamped the ship and they are having trouble pumping the water out. The ship is listing port-side and he has reported that all passengers and crew are accounted for and have been issued life jackets and they are preparing to evacuate the ship. They currently have clear-skies but the swell is high to very high; Captain is reporting additional waves of approximately 9 to 14 meters. We are reading no further vessels in the area, nor have we received any distress signals from other vessels. No serious injuries have been reported from this vessel."
"How many aboard?" Jeff asked, already activating the alert to summon his other sons.
"About 900, dad. It's one of the Southwark fleet; Last year we had another ship hit by a Rogue wave, remember? The Mary Elizabeth?" At his father's nod, John continued; "I think this is the same Captain. When he activated the Mayday, he used my first name."
"Check." Jeff ordered quickly as he cut off communications and gestured to his sons to make their way to their vehicles. "Large Cruise Ship hit by a freak wave; approximately 900 on board; ship is listing port-side and lower decks are swamped. Virgil, we need Pod 4."
Up in Thunderbird 5, Alan's fingers danced over the keys, quickly re-establishing contact with the stricken ship while John watched over him. "Mary Rose, this is International Rescue. What is your current condition?"
"Same as five minutes ago, son." The Captain felt the ship list slightly further port-side and gritted his teeth. "I'd say we've got about another half hour before she goes over completely. I've given the order to evacuate the passengers and non-essential crew and the Escape Pods are being launched now. Senior Crew and I will stay as long as possible and keep you updated before we evac; copy?"
"Copy Mary Rose. One last question; were you on board the Mary Elizabeth last year?"
The captain smiled thinly and nodded sharply. "Aye, sir. Me and most of the Senior Crew. Does that make a difference?"
"It's a help; you remember what I told you the last time?" John murmured into his microphone and the Captain started to laugh.
"Point taken. We'll take the emergency radio with us; you can still reach us on it?"
"Affirmative, sir. Now the second the last of the passengers and crew are off the ship you get off it; understood?"
"Understood. I remember what you shouted at me last time; don't be a hero."
Alan and John smiled at his resigned tone, and John covered his microphone. "Last time I had to shout at him for five minutes solid to get him to abandon ship. There's no point being a hero if the only person left to save is you."
"So, shouting is allowed?"
"If they are being idiots, then yes. Even if it's a president. I had to shout at the President of Bolivia about two years ago to get him to give me the coordinates of an underground bunker."
Alan nodded, filing the information away for further use, and between them, they orchestrated the pick-up of the life-pods, coordinating rescue efforts between the American and Japanese Coast-Guard. Aboard Thunderbird 2, the last Pod was taken out of the ocean and its passengers carefully removed from the cramped area.
"Commander, one of the men wishes to speak with you." Gordon murmured over the radio, and Jeff frowned, handing over the controls to Virgil to bring the rescue vehicle to Hawaii where most of the survivors were being taken. Sliding down the ladder into the main hanger bay, helmet firmly in place, Jeff came face to face with the Captain and Senior Officers and found his hand being pumped up and down by the grey haired and grey-faced Captain.
"Thank your men for me, please. I didn't get this chance last year, but I'm taking it now. We would have been to hell in a hand basket if it weren't for your men and you. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Jeff smiled and patted the man's hand gently. "It's our pleasure, Captain. I'm just glad we could be there to help."
"And tell those two on the radio that they were great...and tell that John fellow that I'm sorry about the cursing last time. It's not every Captain that has his ship go down on him like that, and my behaviour was inexcusable." Behind him, his second in command rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling of the vehicle, remembering well the scene on board the bridge of the Mary Elizabeth as the bow began to point up towards the sky, and he and one of the Engineers had to practically drag the Captain to the escape pod.
"Like I said, it's our pleasure. We'll be in Hawaii in approximately thirty minutes and you can disembark then."
XXXxxxXXX
Once Thunderbird 2 was safely docked in her hanger and the debriefing finished, Alan took off the earpiece with a sigh, rubbing at his ear. "Well, that's a little more tiring than I thought it would be." He murmured, stretching awkwardly. John rubbed his shoulders, easing out the tension.
"You did really well, Sprout." He smiled, and walked over to the kitchenette, pouring them both a cup of coffee. He was actually surprised at how well Alan had done. After a quick run-through of the systems, the older of the two blondes had taken a back seat for the whole operation, only correcting Alan on one or two things as he completed his first check of the systems and radio frequencies. After that, he'd not had to open his mouth. He'd taken a quick trip to the bathroom, and when he came back, he found Alan answering a call, sounding every bit the professional as he took down details and asked for clarification on the passenger number and the coordinates, checking them against the computers indication for source of origin to make sure it wasn't a hoax.
They settled down for a few hours relaxing reading, and John kept sneaking a look at his brother, watching him stare out at the stars with a look of wonder on his face. Finally seeing his brother yawn widely, even after finishing a full mug of Kyrano's special blend coffee, John plucked the earpiece out of his ear and half-lifted him out of his seat. "Go to bed, Al. I'll switch everything onto standby..."
"I'll do it." Alan piped up quickly, taking the headset back. "You tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'm here to learn, Johnnie, not be treated like a kid visiting his brother's apartment for the first time."
"I don't think there's much for you to learn." John murmured softly to himself as Alan began to complete the shut-down. He watched carefully as Alan turned everything on to night mode and grabbed his sleeping bag, rolling it out in a corner of the room. As the station was only meant to support one man, there was only one bed, and though it was a large single, both of them would definitely not fit. John was slightly surprised that Alan would automatically assume he was sleeping on the floor, but obviously the teenager had more things on his mind than sleeping in a bed. He'd picked a spot in front of the AC Units beside the large window so he could see the stars. Shaking his head, John turned off the lights and closed the door to his bedroom, vowing that they would alternate places each night.
A few minutes later, a soft chirping came from the vid-screen beside his bed, and he turned it on to find his dad's face staring at him. "Well?"
"Dad, he handled that call all by himself. I was in the Head when it came in, and by the time I got there he'd already made sure it wasn't a hoax and had the coordinates, state of the ship and passenger number. He was as cool as a cucumber...mostly. The usual first-call nerves, but he did just fine."
"Do you think he'll be able-"
"More able than Gordon, dad. I think he's like you; he's got space dust in his veins. I don't know how long he'll be able to stand up here, though. Maybe longer than Virgil, but maybe not as long as me. We'll have to fit it around his tolerances. Probably still have the others in rotation-"
"I had already intended that, John. As you both so eloquently pointed out to me in the past few weeks, you were losing touch with each other; and that's the last thing I want to happen. You won't always be on opposing shifts, and we'll make sure that you both have down-time together. It will more than likely be you for three weeks, then perhaps Virgil for one, Gordon for one, Scott for one, and then Alan for three, handing over to you again."
John nodded slowly. "Sounds good, dad...though can I make a suggestion?"
Jeff sipped at his coffee, a frown returning to his face. "What?"
"I think it might be best if you swap Gordon and Virgil?...Gordon's more likely to prank Scott than Virgil, and it's doubtful that Alan will prank me. Nobody wants a saran-wrapped station again. "
Jeff sighed, knowing John was right, and made a notation on the pad in front of him. "We'll see how the next few weeks go before we make any decisions about the future. Alan has two years of school left before we can even think about him becoming a full time member of IR, let alone college."
"He's been looking at long distance courses so he can do some of it up here." John mused softly, and Jeff sighed.
"I just don't want him to suffer because of my dream-"
"Our dream, dad. Not just yours. Sure, you thought it up, but the second you said it, we all wanted in. Even Alan. Some kids want to be scientists all their lives, from the moment some idea sparks in their heads that they want to make the world a better place. Some kids want to be doctors, some kids want to be firemen or farmers. Some kids want to be politicians. Alan wants to be part of an organisation that can turn out at a moment's notice to rescue 900 people from a sinking ship. Or help a small kid stuck halfway down a cliff. It's not for glory; if it were, then I'd worry. We're putting ourselves on the line, when nobody knows our names or faces. Ok, maybe some of it is to make you proud, but I think by now, after two months of daily phone calls from pretty much all of us, he knows we're proud of him no matter what."
Jeff sighed again, nodding slowly as he stirred his coffee. "I know, John, I'd just hate for him to miss an opportunity to do something he loves because he's up there, or stuck on some godforsaken mission..."
"We all knew what we were signing up for, Dad. Still do. And Alan's seen first-hand what goes on here. And I hope you've let him know-"
"He knows he can get out any time he wants, even if it's just for a short break. I don't want any of you burning out. Which is why..." Jeff set down the coffee mug and picked up a folder, holding up a brochure to him; "You are both going to Maui when you get down from there...eventually. Brains doesn't think the engine re-fit on Thunderbird 3 will take any longer than a week, but we can't be sure."
John nodded sharply, understanding the implications; be careful with your supplies. "Understood, sir. Any idea what happened?"
"Space debris somehow managed to puncture the plates on the engine housing. Caused a ricochet effect that took out some of the parts. Brains, Scott and Virgil are still at it."
"And Gordon?" John wondered why the red-head wasn't working on the engines, and Jeff sighed again, his mood changing.
"Well, only so many people can work in the space, and Brains is already helping them."
"And?" John pressed, instinctivly knowing there was more.
"And he may have had a muscle spasm in his back earlier. He said it was nothing, but I'd rather not take the chance. He's doing a few laps in the pool to ease it out and if it gets any worse I'll send him stateside for a check-up. I don't want to chance him messing up his back again."
John echoed his fathers sigh and nodded. "Keep me posted, dad. Alan too. I'll let him know in the morning."
"John-"
"Dad." John murmured warningly. "He's not an adult, but he's not a kid either. He'd kill you if you didn't tell him. The only thing worse than knowing is finding out after the fact and realising that your entire family were keeping something from you. Remember how well that went with the Hydrofoil crash? You decided not to tell him about the accident until you knew how Gordon was after the surgery...and it turned out he'd been watching the whole thing on the TV? And because we all had our cell phones turned off in the hospital he couldn't get through to us? And then the idiot reporters said that there were no survivors and he collapsed? Remember?"
Jeff nodded, suitably chastised. "I remember. And I will keep you both posted. It's probably only happened because he was in a cramped space for so long. I'm sure he will be fine."
"As am I, but I'm still telling Alan first thing in the morning, so you'll have to keep us informed, otherwise we'll both be worrying. Got it?"
"Got it." Jeff grinned sheepishly, and the screen winked off.
Rolling his eyes, John climbed under the sheets and turned a few times beneath the covers before reaching for the light. There was a few odd thumps before he hit the switch, and he frowned, listening hard for anything strange. Shaking his head, he dismissed it as his hearing playing tricks on him and hit the switch. The light strip flickered but didn't turn off, making him frown. Throwing back the covers, he stuck his feet back into his slippers and stood up, staring at the flickering with a worried look on his face. As he reached out to touch the switch again, the light surged bright enough to make him shield his eyes before the station rocked violently, throwing him to the floor as the light above him shattered.
