The Cutter Orion
So this chapter is a bit later than I had originally promised, but yesterday was hectic and today isn't looking much better, but I pulled some strings and sacrificed some things. I also added another 1000 words and turned this 3 chapter story into a 4 chapter story as a peace offering. So here it is!
The Plan
"I see them!" Virgil called. John was practically jumping around in his seat. Scott had managed to set up Mobile Control on a slightly elevated part of the tiny island that was practically flooded by the storm. Virgil had been scanning the new last known coordinates of the Cutter for some time now. John's hands patched him into a live feed from one of the cameras on Thunderbird 2's nose. He displayed the feed onto the main screen in the space station.
The Coast Guard Cutter Orion was being thrown around in the waves like a toy in a bathtub. She was listing precariously to her port side. A wave lifted the ship into the air and John could see a nasty gash in the port side of her hull. The wave dropped her back into the raging water. She all but disappeared into the dark ocean. She was floating too deep in the water; some of her compartments were definitely flooded.
She was heavily damaged and obviously dead in the water. There were no lights on the ship, only the light glow of an emergency light from the bridge. Her ballast tanks did not seem to be doing much to compensate for the list; the pumps must also be down. If she had carried a helicopter, it had been torn from her deck. Her main mast had been torn from her deck; it seemed that the mast had somehow taken the starboard lifeboat with it when it went down. The gash in the Orion's port side originated around where the port lifeboat should have been. John found himself once again in awe of the destruction Mother Nature could inflict.
There was a low rumble over the speakers and John quickly grabbed for the volume before Two's horn could build to the pitch that would have surely blown Five's speakers. The 200 decibel horn, that would have ruptured the eardrums of those standing to close, was just audible through the howling of the wind. Enough to signal the crew that help had arrived.
Moments after the last of the horn's pitch was carried away by the wind, a bright flare was lit on the deck. The flame illuminated the scene in an eerie red glow as the figures wearing orange life-jackets spilled out of the doomed vessel.
"I count nine crew members on deck!" Alan shouted. John winced.
"Alan, you need not shout." John called. "Your comms are attached to your throat. They pick up the vibrations from your voice box allowing for a clear-"
"Good to know, thanks for the lecture Space Face." Alan cut him off. John rolled his eyes and occupied another camera on Two's belly. He rotated the lens to take in the image of his youngest brother standing on the slightly lowered platform under Two's big, green hulk.
"Virgil," Scott called. "I think we should skip right to plan B. Those gusts will never allow for the rescue platform to be lowered."
John glanced at his instruments. The weather station on Thunderbird 2 measured a wind speed of 60 knots. The Beaufort scale flashed a bright red eleven at him with a red square framing a black square.
"F.A.B. Scott," Virgil answered.
"We need to secure a direct line of communication with the crew." Scott added. "It will be hard enough to convince these men and women to abandon ship, doing it without audio communication will be all but impossible."
The comms fell silent as everyone contemplated as to how they were going to talk to the crew waiting upon their rescue. The Orion's radio tower was gone; their receiver still seemed to work, but they had no way of emitting anything more than the short breaks in static that they used to send the S.O.S. with Morse code. Not even John with his quick deciphering skills would manage the conversation with Morse code that they needed to have with the crew.
"What about the air cannon on Two?"
"Gordon?" Scott asked.
"We can place a two way radio in the spout of Two's air cannon and launch it at the deck?" Gordon stated.
"In this wind?" Virgil scoffed.
"That may just be crazy enough to work." John interjected. "But I suggest we use one of Two's water cannons. I think the water might offer more protection than the air bubble."
We can take one of the two way radios and tie grappling hooks onto it, if it lands on the deck the hooks may just hook onto something!" Alan said, sounding far too excited.
There was a pause.
"Alright then," Scott said. "It's worth a try. Alan, do your grappling hook thing. Virgil, use the Aldis lamp to signal the crew to clear the deck. Gordon, ready Four, we will drop you as soon as we made contact. John, if this somehow works, you will be doing the talking."
The F.A.B. rang out like a chorus and the members of International Rescue jumped into action.
The comms were silent as Virgil took aim. Everyone held their breath as the column of water shot out from Two, carrying the waterproof two way radio wrapped with a bright yellow rope. The column crashed into the deck and the water disappeared in the downpour of rain. The bright yellow parcel skidded across the deck and even the storm held its breath for a moment.
A crew member sprang from under the shelter one of the walkways on deck gave and sprinted after the yellow thing. The parcel slipped overboard and the crewman dove for it. He disappeared under the starboard railing.
"No!" John shouted. The comms squealed painfully in his ear as his brother too expressed their shock and dismay of losing one of the crew that had been so close to being rescued.
"What have I done?" Gordon whispered to himself. But the comms picked up his voice box's vibration and played the red head's apprehension to his brothers.
"It's not your fault Gords." Scott interjected.
I skimped a bit on the editing, so excuse any mistakes. Next chapter will be uploaded tomorrow morning (or in about 12 hours from now depending on which side of the world you find yourself at!)
CreapyCreature