The usual disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds but I do love writing about it! Gerry and Silvia Anderson are the creators and what a show! This is still very much a working progress so please note the updates will be slower than my usual fare. This can be read as a stand alone or beside my other fics as always reviews are very welcome. Happy reading!
Chapter one
Gordon stood; arms extended on the top railing of the balcony surveying the aquamarine cobalt hues of the ocean in the distance. He glanced downwards where the pool water was still lapping from Scott's recent launch. To the left Thunderbird 2's thrusters burst into life with a roar as she pushed off into the air. He exhaled loudly in frustration, cupping his chin in one hand. Scott, Virgil and Alan were yet again on another mission, he was starting to think he might as well be in space like John for all the action he saw. At least John was actively assisting rescues even from afar, Gordon was just sat around being waited on by Kyrano and Tin-tin. It was his own personal purgatory. For an ex-forces officer, it was hell on earth even if it was dressed up as a tropical paradise.
Scott recorded his altitude and checked the weather variables on route, pushing the yokes forward to adjust his height and wing flaps to compensate for the conditions. His father had briefed him prior to taking off, with this info he had a rough idea on how to proceed but he would need to confirm his preliminary findings at the danger zone first, before implementing the plan. He was heading to Toronto where a vicious fire had broken out thirty rises high. Usually, the fire service could handle these situations easily enough but this was the loft, the tallest building in the western world. No one had considered the implications of the fire service not being able to reach one hundred and twenty stories high. Or for the fire doors malfunctioning so they had closed on every floor, not just trapping the fire to the evacuated affected floors. It had quickly become apparent it was a job for international rescue.
"Base to Thunderbird one." Jeff's authoritative tone caused Gordon to look up as he moved his bishop to F5 sweeping up Tin's knight as he did so. She was too focused on Mr Tracy to notice. Gordon continued to debate his next move, one ear on the conversation as he did so. "Thunderbird one receiving you. Go ahead base." Gordon stilled; his mind made up.
"What's the situation Scott?" Jeff frowned; he could see Scott on the monitor but being onsite, Scott couldn't see his father to maintain secrecy.
"There's a fire that's broken out on the thirtieth floor, the cause unknown. Those below were evacuated easily enough, the foam sprinklers were activated but the fire was too severe to be contained. The fire doors sealed those floors off but there appears to have been a malfunction and now all the fire doors have locked on each floor right up to the hundred and twentieth. We have civilians trapped on every floor from thirty to one hundred and twenty, fire crews have managed to rescue those up to the fiftieth floor but don't have the equipment to get high enough to reach the remaining floors. The fire has now reached the forty-eighth floor and is increasing every twenty odd minutes. If it wasn't for those doors... well I hate to think about the fatality rate."
"Sounds pretty dire, can Thunderbird two evacuate from the roof?"
"Yeah, but only those from the top floor, Alan is doing that now. The fire service is going to put me and Virgil in on the fiftieth floor where we will use the oxhydnite cutter to bust through those fire doors. Alan has airlifted some firefighters to the top floor where they have accessed the building via the roof exit, they will be cutting through from there and we will meet in the middle." Scott finished pulling on his gloves.
"Sounds like a major incident, get John to keep me posted and let us know when you are out of that building."
"F.A.B" The screen went blank. Jeff returned to the papers on his desk.
"Oh, Mr Tracy it sounds terribly risky, I do hope the boys will be alright." Tin-tin's pretty features were fraught with worry.
"It certainly is but there are people depending on them to get out alive. They know the score."
Tin-tin nodded mutely returning to the game at hand. Gordon's foot tapped impatiently against the floor. Tin-tin froze in shock as she surveyed the board."My knight!" Tin-tin's heavily lidded eyes locked on Gordon's wolfish smile. Chess was one of the few ways he got to utilise his strategic skills these days. It kept him sharp but nothing like active service had. He could see the game would be short lived but knew Tin-tin would push for another round, she wanted him to mentor her so she could hold her own against the other avid chess players in the household. He settled in for what was sure to be a long afternoon.
Thousands of miles above in the Earth's Exosphere, Thunderbird five sat patiently in orbit. The black expanse of the neighbouring cosmos the only thing to be seen for thousands of leagues, the blue green orb that was Earth revolved on her axis below. John turned away from the window, mic poised ready to support the guys on the ground. He adjusted the fader on the desk which allowed him to tune out the surrounding radio chatter to focus solely on the task in hand. Right now, Scott and Virgil were working on their fifth door, the only sound was their breathing as they concentrated on the task in hand but John could hear a low rumble in the background. The fire was still accelerating towards them. He frowned as he tuned in to the chief fire officer's radio. "It's no use sir, we've got twenty trucks going but we're running out of hydrants and the additional tanks are still being replenished down at the lake. The firebreak we created on the fortieth story has just been breached. We can keep most of it at bay for now but the smoke has compromised the air."
"How long do the people have on the floors above?"
"Estimated forty minutes till it reaches the fiftieth sixth floor where they are currently cutting through although they only have twenty minutes before smoke inhalation becomes critical."
"As soon as those trucks are back, get them on the west and east sides, I want this fire contained in thirty." Ordered the chief.
"Yes sir."
John heard the chief call through and immediately transferred him to Scott. "Scott, I have the chief on the line with an update, patching him through."
"F.A.B, can you check in with Alan and find out how many floors he's evacuated?"
"Sure."
John called up a weary looking Alan at the controls of Thunderbird two, his cheek smeared with soot. Blue eyes were focused away from John's steady gaze as Alan cleared the roof. "Hey Alan; Scott and Virgil are on the fifty-sixth floor with a head count of eighty for evacuation when they can get up to you eventually. How many floors have you evacuated currently?"
Alan lips moved as he silently counted before responding "Eight floors, just dropping these guys off before I'm heading back. Soon I will have to evac from the air which will be a lot slower."
John frowned before he checked his communications. "Ah! The foundations are weakening from the fire. Damn!"
"You can say that again, so not only do we have the fire to contend with but we need to get these people out before the building is reduced to rubble. From what I've heard the foundations are now severely compromised."
"Okay. I'll feedback to Scott maybe he'll have a plan of action given the situation."
"F.A.B standing by for additional instructions as and when." Alan wiped a hand across his brow.
"Hang in there Alan, you're doing great." Alan's weary smile blinkered out as the call terminated.
Seven hours had passed and twilight had descended on the island. The weather was calm with a beautiful full moon which made the island glow like a pearl on the seabed. Gordon tossed and turned, dragging the sheet tighter around his chest before giving up in a huff and stripping it off again. He sat up and twisted around to the edge of the bed, taking time to stretch and feeling his back reset in the process. He grabbed his watch off the bedside table, it was three am which meant it was six am in Toronto. His brothers were still out there, they must be shattered. He should have argued with his dad more, they definitely could have done with all of them on this one.
He grabbed his red robe, shucking it over his shoulders before heading to the kitchen. He didn't bother with the lights, his actions guided by knowledge of the layout and the moonlight that played through the windows. He padded about and grabbed a plain mug before shoving it under the coffee maker. He headed over to the fridge peering at what might be left. He wasn't sure if he was hungry, as he shut the door he almost jumped out of his skin as someone materialised out of the gloom.
"Oh, Sorry Gordon, I didn't mean to startle you." Tin-tin slipped the tray she was holding onto the counter, it catching on her green silk robe.
He grinned. "It's alright, that's what happens when you learn to sneak around from the best." He relaxed against the counter, scooping up his coffee for a sip as he did so.
"Indeed, you only have yourself to blame." She smiled coyly as she decanted the contents of the tray. "To this day no one can work out how I materialise at the post plane before anyone else."
"Yep, definitely handy when you're trying to hide your shopping addiction."
"I don't know what you mean Gordon Tracy." Gordon snorted into his coffee. Tin's ever-changing wardrobe told another story. He was pretty sure she was trying to outdo Penelope, not that Tin-tin would ever admit it – that and wanting to impress Alan. He rolled his eyes.
She put her hands on her hips. "I do not have a shopping addiction." She repeated firmly but her eyes sparkled.
"Fine, fine…. Why are you up anyway?" Gordon changed the subject to save her exhausting herself in her denial.
"Father always stays up to assist your father if the boys are out all night but I convinced him to go to bed, he's not as young as he once was."
Gordon nodded in acknowledgement. "I take it dad is still in the lounge?"
"Yes, he's asleep at the desk. I managed to get his glasses off so he won't have an imprint like last time."
"Any news on how they are getting on?"
Tin-tin pushed herself onto a stool opposite him. "The good news is they managed to eventually contain and extinguish the fire. The bad news is the building is now unstable from the fire burning through the foundations. Poor Scott looked exhausted, apparently according to Virgil he has a nasty burn to his hand where his glove got pulled off under some debris when rescuing a child but he refuses to retire until the jobs done. They have just twenty floors left now but the building is leaning more and more each hour. They're now deploying the Jet Air Transporter but having a hard time trying to convince people to willingly jump from a hundred storeys high."
"Gee sounds pretty bad, let's hope they get home soon." He set his empty coffee cup in the washer.
Tin-tin chewed her lip, tracing a line across the counter. He looked up from shutting the door. "Hey don't worry about them, they'll be home soon."
"I know, it never gets any easier though does it? I just hope Scott's injury is as simple as he thinks it is, you know what he's like and poor Alan looked exhausted."
"Scott's been burned one time too many, you think he would have learned to stay away from flames by now but grandma always used to say he had asbestos hands when he used to try and lift the apple pies from under her nose." Tin-tin laughed. "And Alan? That kid gets up time after time like some powered up pac-man. Trust me; the number of times I've fought him over the years and I still haven't been able to get him to back down…..." They both chuckled.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alright?"
"Yes, I feel much better thank you, you always know how to lighten the mood." She stifled a yawn.
"Right, I think it's time you were off to bed!"
"But what about Mr Tracy!"
"What about him? He's my father - I'll go and wait on him although, contrary to popular belief, he does know how to look after himself you know. Kyrano's too kind to him."
"If you're sure?"
"Trust me; I wouldn't offer otherwise. Now begone!" He finished in his best Gandalf impression with a wink.
"Okay, thank you." She planted a light kiss on his cheek and smiled.
He smiled to himself, the scent of lotus and saffron lingered on his collar long after he'd gone to check on his father.