Birds of Plague
Chapter Four – Divided We Fall
Railroad Shelter
Brazil
I stared at the woman in black, watching her slam the long pole of the rod onto the dusty ground. I felt my hands turn into fists, shaking from the pent up emotions I felt for the woman stood opposite me. I could see the logo on her chest and it made me feel sick to my stomach, a hand holding the world.
"Well looks like most of the rats scurried away but one.. hello Smith! One of the big rats himself!" The woman called, the lights on her helmet filled the tunnel making it hard for me to see her features hidden behind the visor.
"All dressed up and no where to go? Or are you afraid this rat bites?" I snapped my reply, wanting to grab the rod in the man's arm and stuff it into his face.
The woman laughed, it was once music to my ears but now it was dark and bitter as a low hum filled the air, the white dusty air turned blue. "Well well.. the rat has some bite!" She taunted, buying time for her team.
I frowned and shook my head, "Oh so that's how it is? If you can't catch us, you blow us up! And you use to save the world, you Thunderbirds disgust me!" I said, glancing around from the corner of my vision for a way to get away from the blast.
A growl came along the radio inside the helmet, "What do you know Smith? Nothing! You're a plague infested rat and we will treat you as one!" The woman shouted and I could sense the hate for what I had become in the body language and words from the International Rescue member.
The hum grew louder, "So blowing us up? Clearing the infection? You're just increasing the rebellion's cause!" I said, pulling up my scarf to cover my face.
"Our best way to destroy vermin like you!" The woman yelled over the growing hum, grabbing a rope before disappearing up from the hole he had made. "Die!" She screamed as the light grew brighter in the tunnel.
I shook my head and turned to run from the tunnel's intersection, slamming my hand down on a panel to bring down a set of thick blast doors that had been installed.
The panels slammed down, the force of the explosion was caught by the metallic doors but buckled from the pressure of the attack.
I groaned and slowly sat up, my ears ringing from the explosion as the dust settled and the lights overhead flickered. I punched the floor several times, "Damn it!" I cursed and slowly got up, knowing what they had just used to try and blow up the underground.
A radio broadcast crackled to life from behind the damaged blast doors, "You have gotten lucky there, keep those rats! We'll be back! The Thunderbirds will get you eventually!"
I leaned against the wall, holding my hand close to my chest before coughing from the dust in the air, falling from the cracks and the lights above my head before cursing in every language I had picked up over the years.
"Smith! Smithy! Are you here?" A voice called, I coughed and slowly sat up a little more.
"H-here! I'm here! I.. I'm OK!" I called before coughing, I opened my eyes seeing torch beams bouncing as the rescue team ran towards where I had slammed the blast doors down.
I knew they were looking for survivors, or those that fell behind in the evacuation. I slowly stood up, holding my injured hand close to my chest.
I coughed from the dust as a young woman separated from the group, my eyes watering from trying to clear my vision of the dust in the air. A small smile grew on my face as I recognised the woman running towards me, but at the same time a sense of fear grew deep inside of me.
Her messy brown hair tied back, hidden beneath a hard helmet with a pair of goggle hanging loosely around her neck while her torch shone brightly from her chest pocket of her body armour. I coughed as I tried to speak.
"Evac the area! Let's close this off and pass the message to the rest of the underground! Then we can talk once everyone is clear" She told the rescue team before turning to face me, "And get you patched up"
I nodded, "Sounds great Cath.. no tracer on me, didn't get a chance.." I replied, my voice croaking from my coughing of the dust while held my hand close to my chest.
"A Thunderbird.. great.." Cath or Catherine, leader of the Underground community based under the United States.
I nodded as I followed her back towards where everyone had evacuated to, "It was.. and looked like a elite member.." I croaked and sighed, remembering the man in black.
'Trying to kill me again..' I thought sadly as I saw the Underground community sorting out supplies and setting up temporary tents until a full evacuation plan could be established.
Loud music blared out of the speakers set up on some scaffolding nearby, fighting against the noise filling the hanger.
A black haired man walked over and turned the music off, his ears ringing. "OK guys.. let's stop! We can't do anything else until the rest of the parts arrive" Scott announced to his brothers, he saw them gathered at the board with the new plans for the Thunderbirds.
Virgil sighed and sat down, rubbing his hands with a cloth while John joined him. They were both worn out after moving the hanger around to make room for the new craft, using Thunderbird Two to retrieve the new parts for the plans.
Gordon growled and shook his head, "How the hell can you be so calm Scott? This is Thunderbird One! The flagship of International Rescue!" He snapped at his eldest brother.
Virgil sighed, "Here we go again.." He muttered to his blonde haired brother.
John nodded, throwing a cloth into the bucket of nuts and bolts by his feet. "Gordo, you've seen the plans.. they're all being changed, I don't like it either but it's to try and help the world.."
"Help the world? Help the world John? How is creating these monstrosities that are going to bring death, help the world?" Gordon snapped, spinning to face his brother ignoring the dark circles on his pale brother.
Scott rested a hand on Gordon's brother, "We're doing this in memory of Alan and Tin-Tin, to help families with the same suffering that we faced.."
Gordon shrugged his brother's hand off, throwing the wrench in the bucket near John. "Alan wouldn't want this! None of this!" He snapped and ran off out of the hanger.
"Gordon! Get back here!" Scott yelled, angry at his brother for the outburst and for nearly hitting John with the wrench, the bucket had been knocked over by the force of the throw.
John sighed and got up, undoing the zip of his overalls. "Scott.. leave him.. I'll talk to him later" He said and helped Virgil up off the floor before tying the sleeves around his waist.
Scott ran a hand through his hair, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine.. I'll drop it, for now.. let's hit the showers! We're done here" He said, leaving the hanger.
John rubbed his eyes, "This is getting harder every day Virg.." He muttered.
Virgil sighed, resting a hand on John's shoulder. "I know.. but we'll just take every day as it comes.. " He said softly. "Come on, before Scott catches up to Gordon"
John gave a small smile and followed his brother, studying his peacekeeping brother's back as they climbed up to the lift back to the villa above ground.
"What's wrong Virgil?" He asked, as they stopped waiting for the lift to come back down after Scott.
Virgil sighed and walked over to the walkway, looking down at the craft hidden by the plastic sheeting or by various scaffolding. "Are we doing the right thing Johnny?" He asked softly, leaning on the hand rails.
John sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I.. I don't know.." He muttered.
"Hundreds.. thousands of people are dying out there every day while we're here.. doing this, recreating International Rescue.. to help those families but.." Virgil sighed and shook his head.
"But with the plans and the talks with the World Council, it sounds like we're actually going out to help run the evacuation zones.. separating families.. their friends, loved ones.. all because of a infection they haven't found a cure yet for.." John finished for his brother and sighed. "I know.. I don't like it either.. I rather stick to what we know.."
The lift arrived and they rode up in silence, "Just being out there.. right now as we are.. we're not ready.. Virgil, the world out there scares me, and I don't know how to face that any more.." John muttered as the lift arrived and Scott waited for his brothers.
"John.. I'm sorry for what happened down there, and out in our last visit to the mainland.. " Scott muttered rubbing the back of his neck.
John shook his head, "I-I don't want to talk about it Scott.. let me go for a shower.." He muttered, pushing by his brother and went off to his room.
Scott watched his brother go, sighing. "Going to have a go at me too?" He asked Virgil, he leaned against the wall rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Just upsetting our brothers instead of offering them comfort that they need.."
Virgil took a deep breath, trying to push down his temper. "You have to think Scott, what is going through their heads and hearts! How much we are changing what we have known for years, what we trained for.. all of that is gone now!" He replied, undoing his overalls and tied the sleeves around his waist.
Scott sighed, "I know.. I know it's hard Virgil! But we're doing it for everyone.. for Tin-Tin.. for Alan.." He said softly.
Virgil laughed, "For our family? Destroying other families is helping us remember our family? It's chaos out there Scott! Families are being torn to shreds! All those kids, I hear John screaming from nightmares every night because of that rescue! Seeing all of those kids, so badly scared for the rest of their lives!" He snapped,
"Being in quarantine to make sure he wasn't infected when the suit failed to protect him.. that scared him so much! And Gordon, he cries himself to sleep! How can you say that you're not shaken up by all of this?" He demanded from his eldest brother. "I had to be in quarantine too from all of those kids trying to get back to their families, shook John up.. it scared me.. thinking I could be one of those in those cells.. watching as that infection.."
Scott walked over and held his closest brother in a tight hug, "Stop.. just stop OK... I-I'm hanging on.. but if anything happened to any of you.. I don't know how I would cope.." He muttered, "How I would live with myself if I lost you.. Gordon and John.. you're all that I got left.." he whispered.
Hours passed and night fell over Tracy Island, everyone had retired to their own rooms. Exhaustion and depression wrapped around the family members like blankets as they tried to grab a few precious hours of sleep.
Sounds of sleep filled the villa, showing those who could sleep were in a deep sleep while in the kitchen, one lone light shone showing not everything was peaceful in the night.
Soft footsteps walked around the villa, heading to the kitchen. The young man blinked in seeing the small steady light from a kitchen lamp on the counter, before seeing his red head brother.
"Beer in the fridge.. pick one up for me bro.." Gordon muttered, sat on the bench leaning over the counter staring into the bottle.
John sighed and shook his head, grabbing two beers before opening them. "How many have you had?" He asked softly, joining his brother.
Gordon shook his head, "Does it matter? We're grounded.. but just to answer.. just this one, been here a hour and not even drank half of the bottle.." He muttered, sliding off the bench before walking over to the doors leading out to the sun deck.
He sat down and looked over the pool at the distant ocean.
John sighed and put the beers down before sitting down himself, he picked up a bottle and took a drink with a shudder. "Haven't drank in so long, feels weird drinking again.." He said softly before looking at the view.
The star filled sky use to bring comfort to the astronaut, like the view of the pool and the distant ocean brought comfort to the aquanaut.
"Still upset from earlier?" The astronaut asked, trailing his fingers along the label of the beer bottle. "I..if it helps, I'm still mad at how much Thunderbirds Three and Five are going to be changed.. I actually found and burnt the original plans.." He muttered feeling Gordon glance at him.
John nodded, "I did.. not proud of it, as I knew Brains had backups.. but just couldn't stop myself.. not with how precious Thunderbird Five is to me.."
Gordon sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, "On that rescue.. when I saw those families, those kids.. all of that chaos.." He muttered, shivering at the memory. "Seeing how badly scratched you and Virgil were.. even though the suits Brains designed were suppose to stop that.. it.. it scared me Johnny.." He muttered.
"I thought I was going to loose you both.. to be left alone with Scott... I'm worrying about him, if it wasn't for Virgil.. I feel that Scott would not be Scott any more.."
John sighed, "I've heard Virgil trying to keep Scott together, Dad is trying too.. but Dad, he has doubts in what we're actually doing now that the crafts are coming together.." He muttered before playing with the peeling label coming off the bottle.
Gordon rubbed his eyes, "Johnny.. I.. I can't do it any more... I've got to tell someone before I do it.." He muttered, his eyes sparkling with tears threatening to spill over.
John glanced at his brother, he sighed and nodded. "Me too little brother.." He muttered sadly.
Silence filled the air between the two brothers, their beers abandoned at their sides.
The wind moved through the surrounding tropical flora, bringing the many scents around the young men reminding them of their once paradise.
A deep breath came from the men.
"I'm leaving the island!" They said together, looking into each other's eyes seeing the signs of tears forming in the thoughts that engulfed them as the island continued its nightlife around them.
To be continued…