Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story; they belong to
Thunderbirds and its related companies. I am not making any profit from
the use of these characters in this story.
Note: This is my first (and probably my last if no one likes it) Thunderbirds fanfiction, so please be kind in reviews.
Title: Trapped
Alan Tracy was awake and had just finished settling into Thunderbird Five for the next few weeks. He had unpacked the clothes and personal belongings he had brought, tidied his small room, and was looking for something else to keep himself occupied. He decided to turn on the radio, just quietly, whilst there was nothing else to do. Being in space, he could pick up various radio stations.
"In other news, police in England are still searching for the killer of four. Yesterday, a lady was shot and left for dead as she walked through a park in southern England, but she survived the attack, and gave a detailed description of the murderer."
As Alan changed the station, he remembered how there had been a discussion as to whether they should get involved and look for this man, but they decided against it, because their organisation had the equipment to help when people were in immediate danger, but they could not prevent deaths when they did not know who was causing them.
Alan was still reminiscing when there came the familiar beep-beeping from the heart of the Thunderbird.
"Hello? Hello?! Please, someone, you gotta help me!" The voice of a frantic man burst to life.
"This is International Rescue," Alan voiced calmly. "Where are you and what is the problem?"
"I'm in South-West England, and a group of us were out in the countryside."
Back on Tracy Island, the residents were partway through their breakfast. Scott, Virgil and Gordon were sharing stories with their brother, John, whom had arrived late the previous night from the Space Station. Their father, Jeff Tracy, listened nonchalantly as he drank his coffee and read the morning newspaper.
"So," Gordon explained, "I had to swim all the way back and pick up the last guy, since Thunderbird Four was back in the Pod," Gordon explained. "There would have been no time to get her out again."
"Plus, a 200-metre distance wasn't worth getting Thunderbird Four out again," Scoot added dryly.
"Hey, you're ruining my story," Gordon complained. John just grinned. It was great to be back on Earth with his bickering brothers again. Although he loved to watch the stars from his Space Station, where it was quiet, it was nice to have a change.
"This was the flood in Italy, right?" John asked aside to Virgil whilst the other two brothers continued to quarrel.
"Yep," he replied. "It's still raining over there, but at least they've got some better flood defences in action now."
John looked at towards his father, who was still reading the newspaper in depth. On the front he saw a large photograph, but before he could read the article attached, his father lowered the newspaper.
"Boys," Jeff began in a warning tone. "Quieten down, please." As he finished saying this, the alert for a rescue call sounded. He replaced the cup in the saucer and hurried into the living room.
"Go ahead, Alan," Jeff said. The other brothers had assembled in the room as the youngest Tracy boy's image was shown on the screen.
"We've got an emergency, father. A group of tourists were looking around some caves in Southwest England. It was raining hard outside, and it caused a cave-in. A few managed to get out and call for help, but there are six down there apparently."
"Okay, Scott, start off now. Alan will fill you in with the rest when you're on your way. Virgil, you can take John along. Pod Six," he added as the three brothers departed.
Jeff, Gordon and Tin-Tin stood on the balcony to watch the massive Thunderbirds take off.
Once the craft were airborne, Alan began to fill in the details. "Can you see where the accident took place?"
"Yeah, near Exeter," Scott said.
"Okay. There are six people trapped in the cave, and the water is rising."
"Maybe we should have taken Gordon along," Scott muttered. He had not realised that Thunderbird Two could hear his every word. John pretended not to hear the comment, but it made him feel useless when he went out to rescues.
Virgil too heard the comment and decided to subtly say something, to indicate that to Scott. "If we can drill a hole big enough we can let the water level drop whilst someone else gets inside the cave to get everyone out."
Scott winced slightly as he realised. But, since he was on a rescue, he thought no more about it, for the time being.
"Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird One," Virgil called some minutes later. "My ETA is two minutes. What's the situation?"
"We have set up a communications link with the people trapped in the cave. The water is coming in steadily, and rising at about half an inch a minute at the moment. In the cave are four male adults, one female, and one female child."
"All right, I can see the danger zone now. Coming in to land." Virgil landed the great craft with ease, and began to communicate with both Scott and Brains, who was at base.
"What's the plan?"
"You get the Mole ready, Virg. John, you and I can get the people out of the cave once he's made the hole." As the two brothers got ready, Scott asked Brains, "Have you seen the blueprints, Brains? Where is the best place to dig?"
"We.well, Scott, it would where the rock is thinnest," Brains replied. "Does Virgil have a copy of the blueprints?"
"Yes, he does," Scott replied. "How about a grid reference, to show us where?"
"Yes, erm, G7," Brains told him. "V.Virgil, are you able to get the Mole to that position?"
"Sure," Virgil replied, studying the blueprints. "Thanks, Brains." Virgil began to move the Mole to the specified area, and started to dig.
John had made his way down to the communications system, where Scott was controlling the rescue.
Before anything else happened, Scott made sure that he briefed the people trapped inside the cave. "There is a hole being drilled in part of the cave, so that the water can escape from it. I want you all to make sure that you are not in the water, as the current will sweep you out with it."
A voice crackled over the communicator. "Mole to Mobile-Control," Virgil began. "I've finished."
"All right, John," Scott said as he turned to him. "Follow me." The two walked over to where Virgil had drilled the hole, to see if it was safe to get in that way. The water had flooded from the cave, and there was now only a mere trickle. Scott was glad that he had placed the Mobile-Control behind it.
They found that the slope was easy enough to climb, and began to assess the situation inside. Scott escorted four unhurt tourists out, and John remained inside with a man and a young girl, who appeared to have injuries.
Meanwhile, outside, Virgil was just getting out of Thunderbird Two, where he had replaced the Mole, to hear panicked cries coming from the Mobile- Control base.
"Scott! John! Virgil! Anyone!!"
Virgil hurried over to the communicator to hear Brains' alarmed voice. "Hey, Brains, Virgil here. What's the problem?"
"I've ju.just studied more prints of the c.cave. Have you drilled through y.yet?"
"Yes."
"Did you think it was ve.very easy?"
"Yes, but."
"L.listen, the part where you drilled was deteriorating, because it was holding a lot of rock above it. Once that foundation p.piece is gone, the other will collapse, and c.cause another cave-in!"
"How long before that happens? Scott and John have gone in there already!"
"I d.don't know, because I can't see how damaged the foundations are," Brains told him.
"Hey, Scott's coming this way, with four of the tourists." Virgil left the Mobile-Control and ran over to him. "Scott, Brains just called in. He said that since we took the foundations of the cave away, or something like that, that it could cause another cave in. Where's John?"
"He's still in there, with two tourists. Quick, we've got to get them out!"
As soon as the words had escaped his lips, they turned around to see a shuddering sight. As the cloud of dust cleared, they could see that rocks had broken and tumbled, sealing the cave shut.
Once the dust had cleared, John looked up. When he heard the deafening noise, he had jumped on top of both the man and child, to protect them from falling rocks. The cave was now darker, with only faint cracks of light than seeped through the small holes in the rocks.
His first concern was for the safety of the other two people in the cave. The girl was fine, except for the ankle injury that she had picked up previous to the cave-in. When John went to check the other person, the tourist moved back.
"Don't want you checking me," the man sneered.
"I'm here to help you," John said. This time he took a real look at the man. Where had he seen that face before?
"Don't patronise me," the man growled. It was then that John realised who the menacing man was. It was the trophy killer, the one that had probed one of the biggest manhunts in British history.
John stepped back, signalling for the young girl to do the same. He then crouched down beside her and asked, "What's your name?"
"Catherine," she replied.
"Catherine, see that man there? He's a bad man, and if he comes near you, run away, okay?"
The young girl nodded, and shielded herself behind John. The man began, "You seem to know who I am." John nodded. "I wasn't on that stupid tour. I planned on hiding out in this cave for a day or so. Then they come along, and the place collapsed, and the rest is history. But," he continued. "Now that you've both seen me, I will have to make sure that you keep your lips sealed. Forever." He pulled a gun out from his jacket, and John felt the hand that clung to his uniform grip harder.
"That's the situation, Father," Scott reported gravely. He knew that his father would not like to hear it, but he had no choice. He was in charge of the mission, he was the oldest, and it was his responsibility.
"Wh.what happened to the communicator inside the cave?" Brains asked.
"It's still in there, but it won't work," Scott answered. "Any amount of things could have happened to it, but most likely a rock fell on it."
"Scott, your top priority is to get into that cave and get everyone out. There is no way of knowing who is hurt and how badly, but you must assume that you are working against the clock."
"Virgil is working on that now," Scott replied. "He's not going back in the Mole, since it could cause another rock shower. He's looking to see if there are any openings between the rocks that fell."
"Report back to me with ANYTHING, anything at all," Jeff replied. He did not like the fact that the rescue had gone wrong, although it was really no one's fault, but his son's life was in danger. Scott could still see the frowning face, even after he had turned the communicator off.
He hurried over to where Virgil was searching, and joined him.
Inside the cave, John winced when he saw the gun. "Let her go," he pleaded daringly. "She won't recognise you. She doesn't know your name. She probably won't remember even half of this."
"No, she probably won't, but I am not about to take my chances," the murderer told him. "Throw down your weapons," he commanded.
John considered the odds of him being able to get his gun out and shooting the man before he, already armed, did the same to him. The odds were low, so he relented. He threw his gun on the floor, wishing for it to be the other way around.
"Good," the man replied, picking it up.
"I won't let you harm her," John said, standing fully in front of the girl. He hoped that he was buying time so that his brothers could get in and rescue them.
"You'll have to get past me first, right?" the man mocked. "If that's the way you want it." he quickly aimed the gun and fired.
As the two brothers scaled the rocks, they heard a sharp noise. "Hey, was that a gunshot?" Virgil asked.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Scott exclaimed as they continued to look for an opening. It was vital, now more than ever.
John saw the shot coming and reacted well, diving to the floor. He scampered forward and tried to wrestle the gun off of the man, earning him a punch in his face and a kick to his chest. As much as John was athletic, this man had the upper hand. "Stay down," he ordered the girl, who had no intention of getting up anyway.
He got back up and lunged at the man, who fired blindly. The bullet grazed his shoulder, and John sunk to the floor for a moment. He dared not think about what would have happened if it had gone any lower.
He struggled to get back up, but received another sharp kick in his ribs for his effort. Winded, he had to lay for a moment, to get his energy back. But, in those vital seconds, the man took his gun, aimed, and took one more innocent life away. John just stared in stunned horror. Then, he crawled over to the girl, in the hope that she was still alive. When he felt for a pulse, he felt nothing.
He stared up at the gunman, sheer rage in his eyes. Wordlessly, he got to his feet and grabbed the gun from his hand. Surprised, the murderer was not ready for this and could not keep a grip on the weapon. John threw the gun as far away as he could, and it landed near the edge of the cave, where a deep pool of water had formed over time.
Infuriated, the gunman leapt towards John, and a brawl was in full swing. John, the weaker of the combatants, came off worse. The man had kicked him in the ribs and head too many times, and had left him for dead, which is what both men thought. The attacker went further into the cave, looking for a way out, and hoped that he was never seen again.
"Scott, over here!" Virgil called to his brother as soon as he had found and entrance big enough to get through. As his brother joined him he crawled through and turned on his torch. The sight he saw made him curse and hurry down the ridge of rocks into the deep cavern.
"What is it?" Scott asked when he heard Virgil was through the other side. When he saw, his heart jumped up into his mouth. He hurried to where Virgil had crouched beside the two bodies.
"Are they.?" Scott could not dare to say it.
"The girl," Virgil shook his head sadly, and Scott knew what this meant. "John's alive, but you wouldn't know it, from looking." It was true. His uniform was torn in numerous places, revealing more blood and bruises than his brothers wanted to see. A large amount of blood had left the top of his left shoulder, in particular.
"How are we going to do this?"
"Especially with all those people outside," Scott added. He decided that Virgil should stay there, whilst Scott would disperse everyone outside, except for the parents of the young girl.
Once Scott had performed this act, he came back with two stretchers. The girl's distraught father had come to take his daughter out of the cave, as he understood that if the two International Rescue men did this, they would have no one to look after the third member. Finally, they took John out of the cave and set him on a bed in the back of Thunderbird Two. Whilst Virgil made sure that he was comfortable, Scott made the call to his father.
"What news?" Jeff asked instantly.
"We got into the cave," Scott began. "We found a young girl and John in there. There's more to this than we thought, father. Someone in that cave had a gun." He heard his father wince, and both Tin-Tin and their Grandma cry out. "The young girl was killed. John was shot, but only grazed. He's alive, but has been badly beaten." The look on his oldest son's face told Jeff that it would not be pretty when they got home.
"All right, Scott. Back to base," the father replied wearily.
"FAB," Scott replied. He packed up the Mobile-Control unit and returned to Thunderbird Two, to check on his brother.
"How is he?"
"I've done my best to clean the wounds, and I've patched his shoulder up," Virgil replied quietly. Scott understood that it must have been a gruelling task.
"It's back to base," Scott told him, just as quietly. He returned to Thunderbird One and both brothers started their aircraft for home.
Jeff could hear the roar of Thunderbird One's engine for a couple of miles away. This signalled that Thunderbird Two would be back soon, so he started for the hanger. Gordon followed him, but was stopped. "No, son," he told him gently but firmly. "This is something I fear you will not want to see."
Gordon was ready to protest, but thought better of it. He sat back in the living room, and began to glance through a magazine, with his thoughts on anything but what he was reading.
Jeff met Scott as he left his ship. "How are you, son?" He asked.
"I'm okay," Scott replied. He went from the hanger into the living room, where Gordon looked up, expectantly. Scott stopped short, not really wanting to explain it all to his younger brother.
Thunderbird Two appeared in the hanger some minutes later. Once it had stopped, Jeff walked aboard and greeted Virgil. His son led him into the room where John was still unconscious. Jeff gasped at the sight of his injured son. The blood had seeped through the bandaging on his shoulder, as had the other cuts. The bruises and swellings were beginning to colour and enlarged since the journey. It was a cruel and harsh sight for a father to have to see.
Scott had returned after talking to Gordon to help move John to the sickbay. Once there, he and Virgil left while Tin-Tin tended to his wounded. Jeff sat by his side throughout, not taking his eyes off of John.
"He will be all right, Mr Tracy," Tin-Tin assured him once he had finished. Jeff just nodded, but did not move from his place at his bedside.
Soon after, Jeff assembled the other brothers into the living room. They thought that the debrief was going to involve the father reprimanding them for the result of the rescue. But, they were proved wrong.
"I don't know what happened in that cave, and only your brother can tell us that," Jeff explained. "I can only guess what happened. Whatever happened, it was none of your faults," he continued, speaking more to Scott and Virgil. "Do not blame yourselves."
The boys nodded. Virgil, who was exhausted, only half absorbed the words before he retired for the night. Gordon, who had not been on the rescue mission, said nothing and continued to lose against Brains in a game of Chess. Scott was most troubled, and both he and his father knew it.
Later the next day, John awoke to find both his father and older brother sitting at his bedside. He hurt in every part of his body. His head, shoulder, ribs, but mostly his heart. He tried to forget what he had seen, but each time he closed his eyes, he saw the memory. He physically shuddered.
When he had opened his eyes, he smiled weakly. "Hi," he murmured.
"Welcome back, son," Jeff began gently. "How do you feel?"
"Not bad," he said. "A bit bruised in places."
"Many places," Scott muttered, receiving a sharp look from his father.
"How. How did I get here?" John asked, as if he'd just then realised.
"Scott and Virgil found a way in," Jeff informed him. His son nodded before he continued. "Son, we need to know what happened in that cave."
John looked panic-stricken at the thought that he would have to relive the entire experience. He didn't want to, he just wanted to forget.
"John?" his father prompted, still waiting for an answer.
"Who shot you, John?" Scott asked, more tensely. John turned away in his bed, grimacing as he felt the pain of movement. Jeff took Scott outside of the room.
"Scott, don't put pressure on him," Jeff rebuked. "Give him some time. Whatever happened in there was obviously something he does not want to talk about at the moment."
Scott sighed. He was impatient, and always wanted to get things done and out of the way. He would have to be patient and wait until his brother was ready to open up before he found out anything.
Even Jeff was becoming worried when John had said nothing for two days. Not just nothing about what happened in the cave, but nothing at all. He was recovering well physically, but he seemed to be mentally and emotionally drained, as Scott described it.
"What can we do, Father?" Virgil asked. He had become increasingly worried for his big brother, and also frustrated at the fact that he could do very little to help it.
Jeff, too, had become frustrated. He had considered calling in professional help from the mainland, but that would put them in a very difficult situation regarding the secrecy of the outfit.
"We've given him two days, and still nothing," Scott reminded him. He had become very irritable since the incident. He still blamed himself for what had happened, and it was even more testing not knowing what had actually happened. And, most importantly, he was scared. He had never seen John act so irrationally, as he was usually the most levelheaded of the brothers. It had to have been something big to shake him up so much, and Scott could not bear to imagine what it could be. Whatever it was, it was serious.
"We wait until he's return to 100% physical fitness before we do anything," Jeff said, putting his proverbial foot down.
Each of the family tried their best to try and get John to open up. Tin- Tin and Grandma had brought in some special muffins that they had made, and that none of the other brothers would know about, but John never made a move for the tempting food.
His father had seen how John refused to eat, and how thin he was getting. He was recovering, and had been out of bed a few times, but he was lacking in the energy to do anything.
"Son, you've got to eat," Jeff pleaded. He had offered him all his favourite foods, and even promised that he would not need to wash up afterwards, but still no reply.
Virgil had been in and had painted on a canvas. He had used a scene that he could see outside John's window, a sunset shining upon the sea. He showed it to John, and said, "This is what you're missing outside." He paused. "I could paint a picture of you, and then you'll know what everyone else is missing."
Scott came to visit the next morning. He had brought a stack of pancakes, in the hope that John would eat. He set them on the bedside cabinet, and began to talk. "Morning," he greeted. "Feeling better today?" A blank reply. "John, I want to apologise. For a lot of things," he added. "The first thing was what I said when we were on our way to that rescue. I know you heard it, and it is something I regret. How could I ever doubt you?"
Scott paused before he continued. "Next, I want to apologise for the way that rescue went. If I'd have organised things a better, none of this would have happened, and you'd be okay. The third thing I want to say sorry for is the way I've been acting since, since it happened. I know you've heard, don't try to deny it," Scott chuckled slightly as he said this. "I kept pressuring you, and I'm sorry. I can be so selfish sometimes. I wanted to know what happened, for my own sake, and I didn't think about what you were going through." He got up and was about to leave the room when he turned back. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Gordon got up in the dead of night to see John. He did not want anyone to know that he had done so, because he felt that he was not allowed to see his brother. He had been almost totally shut out from the happenings, but that did not stop him seeing what was going on. "John," he began. And then he couldn't go on anymore. He just broke down and cried. He folded his arms on the bed and shook it with his sobs. The last time that he had cried was when his mother had died. It had been the same then. He was shut out from everything then. They thought that he and Alan were too young to understand. Alan was, in truth, but Gordon was not. He understood that his mother was gone and was never coming back. He cried silently in his room, no one except for John knowing. John came in and made him feel better. Now, with John not talking, he was totally alone.
John recognised those sobs. They triggered the memory of him walking into Virgil and Gordon's room to find the latter curled up on his bed, crying into his pillow. John had gathered the youngster up in his arms and rocked him for hours until he fell asleep. Why was he hearing that same sobbing again?
John tilted his head to the side to see the syrupy-coloured hair of Gordon as he sobbed on the bed. Why was Gordon crying? John, for the first time in days, forgot his troubles, and sat up in the bed. He rubbed Gordon's back soothingly, before he stopped when Gordon lifted his head up.
"What's up, Gordon?" John asked, his voice hoarse from not talking for days. On getting no answer, he questioned again. "Why are you crying?"
Gordon was speechless. He really did not know how to act. After days of nothing, John had finally said something. "You were. when you. I was." He could not get the sentences together.
"Talk to me, Gordon," John persisted.
A wicked grin crossed the younger brother's face. "Only if you talk to me first."
John was caught out. He lay back down on the bed, and for a second Gordon thought that he would go back to how he had been for the past few days. Instead, he was ready to talk.
"Who shot you?" Gordon decided that if he was going to find out any information, he would find it out better in little pieces, rather than just generally asked what happened in the cave, as other members of his family had done.
John swallowed. This is an easy question to answer, he thought to himself. Simple. Just one answer needed, he told himself. "The murderer, the one they were looking for in England," John replied in two short breaths.
Gordon nodded. Now he was getting somewhere. "How did he get in the cave?"
This was another easy question. The guy himself had told him. "He was staying in it a while. So people wouldn't find him."
Gordon wondered whether he should get his father or not. He decided that after doing this well on his own, he would keep to the strategy. The change might upset John. "Why did he shoot you?"
Now it was getting difficult. "He, he didn't want me or her telling anyone, who he was, when we got out of the cave." John was going in full flow now, without prompting. "I tried to fight him to get the gun off of him, but dammit he was stronger than me. He shot me, and then winded me." John was breathing harder and faster now. "I tried to stop him, I really tried. I was winded, and he shot her. He shot that girl and I couldn't stop it." John was now crying. He finished by whispering, "I failed International Rescue."
Gordon listened, unable to comprehend how much suffering John had seen in that cave, and how he had kept it to himself for so long. It must have been eating him up. He took his brother in his arms and rocked him soothingly, like he had been rocked on the day his mother died.
Unseen by the two brothers, Jeff stood in the doorway of the room. He had seen and heard the entire conversation, and was proud of both of his sons that day. He was proud of Gordon for being able to get John to open up, through his own grief no less. He was proud of John for what he did on that rescue, even though he and the girl suffered for it.
"You did International Rescue proud," he said quietly as he left the room.
The End
Note: This is my first (and probably my last if no one likes it) Thunderbirds fanfiction, so please be kind in reviews.
Title: Trapped
Alan Tracy was awake and had just finished settling into Thunderbird Five for the next few weeks. He had unpacked the clothes and personal belongings he had brought, tidied his small room, and was looking for something else to keep himself occupied. He decided to turn on the radio, just quietly, whilst there was nothing else to do. Being in space, he could pick up various radio stations.
"In other news, police in England are still searching for the killer of four. Yesterday, a lady was shot and left for dead as she walked through a park in southern England, but she survived the attack, and gave a detailed description of the murderer."
As Alan changed the station, he remembered how there had been a discussion as to whether they should get involved and look for this man, but they decided against it, because their organisation had the equipment to help when people were in immediate danger, but they could not prevent deaths when they did not know who was causing them.
Alan was still reminiscing when there came the familiar beep-beeping from the heart of the Thunderbird.
"Hello? Hello?! Please, someone, you gotta help me!" The voice of a frantic man burst to life.
"This is International Rescue," Alan voiced calmly. "Where are you and what is the problem?"
"I'm in South-West England, and a group of us were out in the countryside."
Back on Tracy Island, the residents were partway through their breakfast. Scott, Virgil and Gordon were sharing stories with their brother, John, whom had arrived late the previous night from the Space Station. Their father, Jeff Tracy, listened nonchalantly as he drank his coffee and read the morning newspaper.
"So," Gordon explained, "I had to swim all the way back and pick up the last guy, since Thunderbird Four was back in the Pod," Gordon explained. "There would have been no time to get her out again."
"Plus, a 200-metre distance wasn't worth getting Thunderbird Four out again," Scoot added dryly.
"Hey, you're ruining my story," Gordon complained. John just grinned. It was great to be back on Earth with his bickering brothers again. Although he loved to watch the stars from his Space Station, where it was quiet, it was nice to have a change.
"This was the flood in Italy, right?" John asked aside to Virgil whilst the other two brothers continued to quarrel.
"Yep," he replied. "It's still raining over there, but at least they've got some better flood defences in action now."
John looked at towards his father, who was still reading the newspaper in depth. On the front he saw a large photograph, but before he could read the article attached, his father lowered the newspaper.
"Boys," Jeff began in a warning tone. "Quieten down, please." As he finished saying this, the alert for a rescue call sounded. He replaced the cup in the saucer and hurried into the living room.
"Go ahead, Alan," Jeff said. The other brothers had assembled in the room as the youngest Tracy boy's image was shown on the screen.
"We've got an emergency, father. A group of tourists were looking around some caves in Southwest England. It was raining hard outside, and it caused a cave-in. A few managed to get out and call for help, but there are six down there apparently."
"Okay, Scott, start off now. Alan will fill you in with the rest when you're on your way. Virgil, you can take John along. Pod Six," he added as the three brothers departed.
Jeff, Gordon and Tin-Tin stood on the balcony to watch the massive Thunderbirds take off.
Once the craft were airborne, Alan began to fill in the details. "Can you see where the accident took place?"
"Yeah, near Exeter," Scott said.
"Okay. There are six people trapped in the cave, and the water is rising."
"Maybe we should have taken Gordon along," Scott muttered. He had not realised that Thunderbird Two could hear his every word. John pretended not to hear the comment, but it made him feel useless when he went out to rescues.
Virgil too heard the comment and decided to subtly say something, to indicate that to Scott. "If we can drill a hole big enough we can let the water level drop whilst someone else gets inside the cave to get everyone out."
Scott winced slightly as he realised. But, since he was on a rescue, he thought no more about it, for the time being.
"Thunderbird Two to Thunderbird One," Virgil called some minutes later. "My ETA is two minutes. What's the situation?"
"We have set up a communications link with the people trapped in the cave. The water is coming in steadily, and rising at about half an inch a minute at the moment. In the cave are four male adults, one female, and one female child."
"All right, I can see the danger zone now. Coming in to land." Virgil landed the great craft with ease, and began to communicate with both Scott and Brains, who was at base.
"What's the plan?"
"You get the Mole ready, Virg. John, you and I can get the people out of the cave once he's made the hole." As the two brothers got ready, Scott asked Brains, "Have you seen the blueprints, Brains? Where is the best place to dig?"
"We.well, Scott, it would where the rock is thinnest," Brains replied. "Does Virgil have a copy of the blueprints?"
"Yes, he does," Scott replied. "How about a grid reference, to show us where?"
"Yes, erm, G7," Brains told him. "V.Virgil, are you able to get the Mole to that position?"
"Sure," Virgil replied, studying the blueprints. "Thanks, Brains." Virgil began to move the Mole to the specified area, and started to dig.
John had made his way down to the communications system, where Scott was controlling the rescue.
Before anything else happened, Scott made sure that he briefed the people trapped inside the cave. "There is a hole being drilled in part of the cave, so that the water can escape from it. I want you all to make sure that you are not in the water, as the current will sweep you out with it."
A voice crackled over the communicator. "Mole to Mobile-Control," Virgil began. "I've finished."
"All right, John," Scott said as he turned to him. "Follow me." The two walked over to where Virgil had drilled the hole, to see if it was safe to get in that way. The water had flooded from the cave, and there was now only a mere trickle. Scott was glad that he had placed the Mobile-Control behind it.
They found that the slope was easy enough to climb, and began to assess the situation inside. Scott escorted four unhurt tourists out, and John remained inside with a man and a young girl, who appeared to have injuries.
Meanwhile, outside, Virgil was just getting out of Thunderbird Two, where he had replaced the Mole, to hear panicked cries coming from the Mobile- Control base.
"Scott! John! Virgil! Anyone!!"
Virgil hurried over to the communicator to hear Brains' alarmed voice. "Hey, Brains, Virgil here. What's the problem?"
"I've ju.just studied more prints of the c.cave. Have you drilled through y.yet?"
"Yes."
"Did you think it was ve.very easy?"
"Yes, but."
"L.listen, the part where you drilled was deteriorating, because it was holding a lot of rock above it. Once that foundation p.piece is gone, the other will collapse, and c.cause another cave-in!"
"How long before that happens? Scott and John have gone in there already!"
"I d.don't know, because I can't see how damaged the foundations are," Brains told him.
"Hey, Scott's coming this way, with four of the tourists." Virgil left the Mobile-Control and ran over to him. "Scott, Brains just called in. He said that since we took the foundations of the cave away, or something like that, that it could cause another cave in. Where's John?"
"He's still in there, with two tourists. Quick, we've got to get them out!"
As soon as the words had escaped his lips, they turned around to see a shuddering sight. As the cloud of dust cleared, they could see that rocks had broken and tumbled, sealing the cave shut.
Once the dust had cleared, John looked up. When he heard the deafening noise, he had jumped on top of both the man and child, to protect them from falling rocks. The cave was now darker, with only faint cracks of light than seeped through the small holes in the rocks.
His first concern was for the safety of the other two people in the cave. The girl was fine, except for the ankle injury that she had picked up previous to the cave-in. When John went to check the other person, the tourist moved back.
"Don't want you checking me," the man sneered.
"I'm here to help you," John said. This time he took a real look at the man. Where had he seen that face before?
"Don't patronise me," the man growled. It was then that John realised who the menacing man was. It was the trophy killer, the one that had probed one of the biggest manhunts in British history.
John stepped back, signalling for the young girl to do the same. He then crouched down beside her and asked, "What's your name?"
"Catherine," she replied.
"Catherine, see that man there? He's a bad man, and if he comes near you, run away, okay?"
The young girl nodded, and shielded herself behind John. The man began, "You seem to know who I am." John nodded. "I wasn't on that stupid tour. I planned on hiding out in this cave for a day or so. Then they come along, and the place collapsed, and the rest is history. But," he continued. "Now that you've both seen me, I will have to make sure that you keep your lips sealed. Forever." He pulled a gun out from his jacket, and John felt the hand that clung to his uniform grip harder.
"That's the situation, Father," Scott reported gravely. He knew that his father would not like to hear it, but he had no choice. He was in charge of the mission, he was the oldest, and it was his responsibility.
"Wh.what happened to the communicator inside the cave?" Brains asked.
"It's still in there, but it won't work," Scott answered. "Any amount of things could have happened to it, but most likely a rock fell on it."
"Scott, your top priority is to get into that cave and get everyone out. There is no way of knowing who is hurt and how badly, but you must assume that you are working against the clock."
"Virgil is working on that now," Scott replied. "He's not going back in the Mole, since it could cause another rock shower. He's looking to see if there are any openings between the rocks that fell."
"Report back to me with ANYTHING, anything at all," Jeff replied. He did not like the fact that the rescue had gone wrong, although it was really no one's fault, but his son's life was in danger. Scott could still see the frowning face, even after he had turned the communicator off.
He hurried over to where Virgil was searching, and joined him.
Inside the cave, John winced when he saw the gun. "Let her go," he pleaded daringly. "She won't recognise you. She doesn't know your name. She probably won't remember even half of this."
"No, she probably won't, but I am not about to take my chances," the murderer told him. "Throw down your weapons," he commanded.
John considered the odds of him being able to get his gun out and shooting the man before he, already armed, did the same to him. The odds were low, so he relented. He threw his gun on the floor, wishing for it to be the other way around.
"Good," the man replied, picking it up.
"I won't let you harm her," John said, standing fully in front of the girl. He hoped that he was buying time so that his brothers could get in and rescue them.
"You'll have to get past me first, right?" the man mocked. "If that's the way you want it." he quickly aimed the gun and fired.
As the two brothers scaled the rocks, they heard a sharp noise. "Hey, was that a gunshot?" Virgil asked.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Scott exclaimed as they continued to look for an opening. It was vital, now more than ever.
John saw the shot coming and reacted well, diving to the floor. He scampered forward and tried to wrestle the gun off of the man, earning him a punch in his face and a kick to his chest. As much as John was athletic, this man had the upper hand. "Stay down," he ordered the girl, who had no intention of getting up anyway.
He got back up and lunged at the man, who fired blindly. The bullet grazed his shoulder, and John sunk to the floor for a moment. He dared not think about what would have happened if it had gone any lower.
He struggled to get back up, but received another sharp kick in his ribs for his effort. Winded, he had to lay for a moment, to get his energy back. But, in those vital seconds, the man took his gun, aimed, and took one more innocent life away. John just stared in stunned horror. Then, he crawled over to the girl, in the hope that she was still alive. When he felt for a pulse, he felt nothing.
He stared up at the gunman, sheer rage in his eyes. Wordlessly, he got to his feet and grabbed the gun from his hand. Surprised, the murderer was not ready for this and could not keep a grip on the weapon. John threw the gun as far away as he could, and it landed near the edge of the cave, where a deep pool of water had formed over time.
Infuriated, the gunman leapt towards John, and a brawl was in full swing. John, the weaker of the combatants, came off worse. The man had kicked him in the ribs and head too many times, and had left him for dead, which is what both men thought. The attacker went further into the cave, looking for a way out, and hoped that he was never seen again.
"Scott, over here!" Virgil called to his brother as soon as he had found and entrance big enough to get through. As his brother joined him he crawled through and turned on his torch. The sight he saw made him curse and hurry down the ridge of rocks into the deep cavern.
"What is it?" Scott asked when he heard Virgil was through the other side. When he saw, his heart jumped up into his mouth. He hurried to where Virgil had crouched beside the two bodies.
"Are they.?" Scott could not dare to say it.
"The girl," Virgil shook his head sadly, and Scott knew what this meant. "John's alive, but you wouldn't know it, from looking." It was true. His uniform was torn in numerous places, revealing more blood and bruises than his brothers wanted to see. A large amount of blood had left the top of his left shoulder, in particular.
"How are we going to do this?"
"Especially with all those people outside," Scott added. He decided that Virgil should stay there, whilst Scott would disperse everyone outside, except for the parents of the young girl.
Once Scott had performed this act, he came back with two stretchers. The girl's distraught father had come to take his daughter out of the cave, as he understood that if the two International Rescue men did this, they would have no one to look after the third member. Finally, they took John out of the cave and set him on a bed in the back of Thunderbird Two. Whilst Virgil made sure that he was comfortable, Scott made the call to his father.
"What news?" Jeff asked instantly.
"We got into the cave," Scott began. "We found a young girl and John in there. There's more to this than we thought, father. Someone in that cave had a gun." He heard his father wince, and both Tin-Tin and their Grandma cry out. "The young girl was killed. John was shot, but only grazed. He's alive, but has been badly beaten." The look on his oldest son's face told Jeff that it would not be pretty when they got home.
"All right, Scott. Back to base," the father replied wearily.
"FAB," Scott replied. He packed up the Mobile-Control unit and returned to Thunderbird Two, to check on his brother.
"How is he?"
"I've done my best to clean the wounds, and I've patched his shoulder up," Virgil replied quietly. Scott understood that it must have been a gruelling task.
"It's back to base," Scott told him, just as quietly. He returned to Thunderbird One and both brothers started their aircraft for home.
Jeff could hear the roar of Thunderbird One's engine for a couple of miles away. This signalled that Thunderbird Two would be back soon, so he started for the hanger. Gordon followed him, but was stopped. "No, son," he told him gently but firmly. "This is something I fear you will not want to see."
Gordon was ready to protest, but thought better of it. He sat back in the living room, and began to glance through a magazine, with his thoughts on anything but what he was reading.
Jeff met Scott as he left his ship. "How are you, son?" He asked.
"I'm okay," Scott replied. He went from the hanger into the living room, where Gordon looked up, expectantly. Scott stopped short, not really wanting to explain it all to his younger brother.
Thunderbird Two appeared in the hanger some minutes later. Once it had stopped, Jeff walked aboard and greeted Virgil. His son led him into the room where John was still unconscious. Jeff gasped at the sight of his injured son. The blood had seeped through the bandaging on his shoulder, as had the other cuts. The bruises and swellings were beginning to colour and enlarged since the journey. It was a cruel and harsh sight for a father to have to see.
Scott had returned after talking to Gordon to help move John to the sickbay. Once there, he and Virgil left while Tin-Tin tended to his wounded. Jeff sat by his side throughout, not taking his eyes off of John.
"He will be all right, Mr Tracy," Tin-Tin assured him once he had finished. Jeff just nodded, but did not move from his place at his bedside.
Soon after, Jeff assembled the other brothers into the living room. They thought that the debrief was going to involve the father reprimanding them for the result of the rescue. But, they were proved wrong.
"I don't know what happened in that cave, and only your brother can tell us that," Jeff explained. "I can only guess what happened. Whatever happened, it was none of your faults," he continued, speaking more to Scott and Virgil. "Do not blame yourselves."
The boys nodded. Virgil, who was exhausted, only half absorbed the words before he retired for the night. Gordon, who had not been on the rescue mission, said nothing and continued to lose against Brains in a game of Chess. Scott was most troubled, and both he and his father knew it.
Later the next day, John awoke to find both his father and older brother sitting at his bedside. He hurt in every part of his body. His head, shoulder, ribs, but mostly his heart. He tried to forget what he had seen, but each time he closed his eyes, he saw the memory. He physically shuddered.
When he had opened his eyes, he smiled weakly. "Hi," he murmured.
"Welcome back, son," Jeff began gently. "How do you feel?"
"Not bad," he said. "A bit bruised in places."
"Many places," Scott muttered, receiving a sharp look from his father.
"How. How did I get here?" John asked, as if he'd just then realised.
"Scott and Virgil found a way in," Jeff informed him. His son nodded before he continued. "Son, we need to know what happened in that cave."
John looked panic-stricken at the thought that he would have to relive the entire experience. He didn't want to, he just wanted to forget.
"John?" his father prompted, still waiting for an answer.
"Who shot you, John?" Scott asked, more tensely. John turned away in his bed, grimacing as he felt the pain of movement. Jeff took Scott outside of the room.
"Scott, don't put pressure on him," Jeff rebuked. "Give him some time. Whatever happened in there was obviously something he does not want to talk about at the moment."
Scott sighed. He was impatient, and always wanted to get things done and out of the way. He would have to be patient and wait until his brother was ready to open up before he found out anything.
Even Jeff was becoming worried when John had said nothing for two days. Not just nothing about what happened in the cave, but nothing at all. He was recovering well physically, but he seemed to be mentally and emotionally drained, as Scott described it.
"What can we do, Father?" Virgil asked. He had become increasingly worried for his big brother, and also frustrated at the fact that he could do very little to help it.
Jeff, too, had become frustrated. He had considered calling in professional help from the mainland, but that would put them in a very difficult situation regarding the secrecy of the outfit.
"We've given him two days, and still nothing," Scott reminded him. He had become very irritable since the incident. He still blamed himself for what had happened, and it was even more testing not knowing what had actually happened. And, most importantly, he was scared. He had never seen John act so irrationally, as he was usually the most levelheaded of the brothers. It had to have been something big to shake him up so much, and Scott could not bear to imagine what it could be. Whatever it was, it was serious.
"We wait until he's return to 100% physical fitness before we do anything," Jeff said, putting his proverbial foot down.
Each of the family tried their best to try and get John to open up. Tin- Tin and Grandma had brought in some special muffins that they had made, and that none of the other brothers would know about, but John never made a move for the tempting food.
His father had seen how John refused to eat, and how thin he was getting. He was recovering, and had been out of bed a few times, but he was lacking in the energy to do anything.
"Son, you've got to eat," Jeff pleaded. He had offered him all his favourite foods, and even promised that he would not need to wash up afterwards, but still no reply.
Virgil had been in and had painted on a canvas. He had used a scene that he could see outside John's window, a sunset shining upon the sea. He showed it to John, and said, "This is what you're missing outside." He paused. "I could paint a picture of you, and then you'll know what everyone else is missing."
Scott came to visit the next morning. He had brought a stack of pancakes, in the hope that John would eat. He set them on the bedside cabinet, and began to talk. "Morning," he greeted. "Feeling better today?" A blank reply. "John, I want to apologise. For a lot of things," he added. "The first thing was what I said when we were on our way to that rescue. I know you heard it, and it is something I regret. How could I ever doubt you?"
Scott paused before he continued. "Next, I want to apologise for the way that rescue went. If I'd have organised things a better, none of this would have happened, and you'd be okay. The third thing I want to say sorry for is the way I've been acting since, since it happened. I know you've heard, don't try to deny it," Scott chuckled slightly as he said this. "I kept pressuring you, and I'm sorry. I can be so selfish sometimes. I wanted to know what happened, for my own sake, and I didn't think about what you were going through." He got up and was about to leave the room when he turned back. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Gordon got up in the dead of night to see John. He did not want anyone to know that he had done so, because he felt that he was not allowed to see his brother. He had been almost totally shut out from the happenings, but that did not stop him seeing what was going on. "John," he began. And then he couldn't go on anymore. He just broke down and cried. He folded his arms on the bed and shook it with his sobs. The last time that he had cried was when his mother had died. It had been the same then. He was shut out from everything then. They thought that he and Alan were too young to understand. Alan was, in truth, but Gordon was not. He understood that his mother was gone and was never coming back. He cried silently in his room, no one except for John knowing. John came in and made him feel better. Now, with John not talking, he was totally alone.
John recognised those sobs. They triggered the memory of him walking into Virgil and Gordon's room to find the latter curled up on his bed, crying into his pillow. John had gathered the youngster up in his arms and rocked him for hours until he fell asleep. Why was he hearing that same sobbing again?
John tilted his head to the side to see the syrupy-coloured hair of Gordon as he sobbed on the bed. Why was Gordon crying? John, for the first time in days, forgot his troubles, and sat up in the bed. He rubbed Gordon's back soothingly, before he stopped when Gordon lifted his head up.
"What's up, Gordon?" John asked, his voice hoarse from not talking for days. On getting no answer, he questioned again. "Why are you crying?"
Gordon was speechless. He really did not know how to act. After days of nothing, John had finally said something. "You were. when you. I was." He could not get the sentences together.
"Talk to me, Gordon," John persisted.
A wicked grin crossed the younger brother's face. "Only if you talk to me first."
John was caught out. He lay back down on the bed, and for a second Gordon thought that he would go back to how he had been for the past few days. Instead, he was ready to talk.
"Who shot you?" Gordon decided that if he was going to find out any information, he would find it out better in little pieces, rather than just generally asked what happened in the cave, as other members of his family had done.
John swallowed. This is an easy question to answer, he thought to himself. Simple. Just one answer needed, he told himself. "The murderer, the one they were looking for in England," John replied in two short breaths.
Gordon nodded. Now he was getting somewhere. "How did he get in the cave?"
This was another easy question. The guy himself had told him. "He was staying in it a while. So people wouldn't find him."
Gordon wondered whether he should get his father or not. He decided that after doing this well on his own, he would keep to the strategy. The change might upset John. "Why did he shoot you?"
Now it was getting difficult. "He, he didn't want me or her telling anyone, who he was, when we got out of the cave." John was going in full flow now, without prompting. "I tried to fight him to get the gun off of him, but dammit he was stronger than me. He shot me, and then winded me." John was breathing harder and faster now. "I tried to stop him, I really tried. I was winded, and he shot her. He shot that girl and I couldn't stop it." John was now crying. He finished by whispering, "I failed International Rescue."
Gordon listened, unable to comprehend how much suffering John had seen in that cave, and how he had kept it to himself for so long. It must have been eating him up. He took his brother in his arms and rocked him soothingly, like he had been rocked on the day his mother died.
Unseen by the two brothers, Jeff stood in the doorway of the room. He had seen and heard the entire conversation, and was proud of both of his sons that day. He was proud of Gordon for being able to get John to open up, through his own grief no less. He was proud of John for what he did on that rescue, even though he and the girl suffered for it.
"You did International Rescue proud," he said quietly as he left the room.
The End