Chapter 4 *FM RADIO*
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"You are still listening to radio 12FM. As night falls I can see the glow from the fire in the industrial estate. Police reports say that at least 5 buildings are alight. The good news is that the17 employees of 'Merton and Co' who were trapped in the fire are free, unfortunately two members of International Rescue are still trapped in the building. Another of their organisation is trying to get them out now.
In other news a five year old girl has gone missing in the same area. Cassie Mountain has brown braids, is wearing a pink dress and probably carrying a teddy bear. Any sightings please call the police immediately..."
_____________________________________________________________________________
It was a leap of faith.
The cage jarred to a halt under the sudden combined weight of both men. Virgil surprised by his brothers sudden arrival reached up and switched the machine into retreat. Through the hole in the window he had cut minutes earlier a jet of flame leapt out. The heat was clearly felt through their protective clothing. He turned to his two brothers. "Nice of you to drop in"
The 'Squirt' trundled back to the waiting pod of Thunderbird Two, three satellites hovering above it. Fire appliances rushed in to extinguish the fire in what was left of Merton & Co.
Tin-Tin believing that their job was over was about to shut down Mobile Control when she glanced for one last time at the screen. The picture had changed to include some of the old warehouses.
"That's strange" she mused as here eye caught sight of a familiar dot on the screen "I thought they had cleared everyone out of those buildings."
She called the Fire Chief over. "There's someone in that warehouse over there," she pointed out.
He squinted through the smoke to see which she meant. "Can't be, my men checked in there before. Who would be fool enough to walk into a wooden building that close to a fire."
Tin-Tin indicated the dot on her screen. "Well, our instruments are saying someone's there..."
The Fire Chief sighed. "I guess you know your business. I'll send someone over to check it out." He beckoned to some of his men.
More voices. More noise. What was happening. The trolls were back to get her and they sounded mean. Where could she hide. Finding an empty drum Cassie climbed inside. A beam of light swept past her. Voices echoed through out the room.
"We've already searched here!"
"The Boss says International Rescue reckon there's someone in here."
"Who'd want to be in here. It's dark and smelly..."
A light rested on the label of one of the drums. "And dangerous. I'll bet this place doesn't have a licence to house this stuff. Most of it's explosive. If the fire gets here we won't be able to put it out for a week."
"Any sign of anyone."
"Nah. Let's get out of here. I want to see International Rescue's faces when we tell them their equipment isn't working."
"Don't knock 'em. I wouldn't have wanted to rescue that lot from Merton & Co..." The voices merged with the surrounding noises.
Cassie waited until she was sure the trolls had gone, then she climbed out of the barrel and looked around.
The door was open! She could see daylight! She ran towards the door...
The International Rescue team was clustered around Mobile Control. Scott was seated, frowning at the control panel.
"I don't understand it, we've never had any problems before. What do you think Brains?"
Brain took off his glasses and scratched the bridge of his nose. "W-with any device there is always a c-chance of failure. I ran the diagnostic check just before this mission and e-everything seemed a-o-ok. How did it handle, T-Tin-Tin?"
Tin-Tin smiled reassuringly. "Like a dream." She said.
The Fire Chief shuffled his feet embarrassedly. "We searched the entire building twice and didn't find a soul. Are you sure it couldn't have been an animal of some description."
"The s-satellite is tuned into the heart rate, temperature, b-breathing rate and pheromones of humans, as well as..."
Scott interrupted him. "What my friend is trying to say, is that it is highly unlikely."
"Look" Gordon pointed at the screen. "It's moving."
The dot was making its' way towards the door.
The Fire Chief scratched his head in bewilderment. "Well I'll be..."
With out knowing why Virgil grasped his hood firmly, took out a fire blanket and checked his pockets that he had a spare hood and oxygen cylinder.
The fire behind the building grew in size. Sparks flew in all directions.
A radio nearby crackled into life. "We can't hold her..."
A flash of flame and a silhouette appeared at the door. Virgil didn't have time to think. He raced over to where he had seen the silhouette. In the same motion he wrapped a fire blanket around the figure and pushed it away from the inferno. An explosion from within the building picked them up and threw them sprawling on the ground. He instinctively used his own body to protect the other's as a shower of debris fell on top on them.
All he could hear was the roar of the fire and a strange wailing sound.
All he could see was fire and black smoke
All he could feel was the heat from the fire and the weight of the debris pressing down on them.
Then miraculously the fire seemed to lift and he found he was in an air pocket surrounded by a wall of fire. A sheet of flame roared just feet above his head.
He became aware of a voice yelling in his ears.
"Virgil, can you hear me, Virgil come in please."
He cleared his throat, dry from the smoke and sudden exertion. "It's okay Scott, I'm alright."
Scott breathed a sigh of relief, and spoke into the microphone again. "That's great. What about the other person?"
The other person? Virgil pulled a spare hood and oxygen cylinder from his pocket, lifted the fire blanket and looked at the tiny figure beside him.
"It's a girl!"
"A what?"
As he pulled the hood over the frightened girls head and attached the oxygen cylinder with difficulty, Virgil explained.
"A girl. She can't be more than five or six."
The Fire Chief started. "Hold on. I heard a report of a missing child. Didn't take much notice because of all this..." he waved his arms indicating the surrounding confusion. "The police will know more."
Scott spoke again into the microphone. "See if you can find out who she is."
Virgil had already thought of that and he waited till she had finished coughing before he asked her the question.
"Cassie Marie Mountain" was the reply.
The Police Chief had arrived just in time to hear the announcement. "That's her." He nodded. "Her parents are worried sick. Seems she heard them arguing and ran away."
Scott needed to find more details. "What's the situation, Virg." He asked "All we can see is the fire."
Virgil paused to analyse the situation. "We're in a fire pocket. I can't see any more than that. I don't know where the exit is. We're lying on the ground. My leg is on hers and there's debris on top of that." He pulled at his leg experimentally. "I could probably get free, but I don't have the leverage to free her too. If I get my leg out, the full weight of the debris will be on her." He described their predicament in one short sentence. "We're stuck!"
Upon hearing the doorbell Mitch ran down the hall. He shuddered when he saw the policeman standing there and heard Teresa, behind him, gasp.
"Mr & Mrs Mountain?" Mitch nodded dumbly. "I have some news about your daughter. If you will come with me, I will explain in the car."
Cassie started to cry. "Where's Everest" she whimpered.
Virgil felt a surge of alarm. Surely there wasn't someone else in there.
"Who's Everest" he inquired tentatively.
"My teddy bear."
Virgil became aware of something soft lying partly beneath him. He pulled it out and Everest's button eyes stared back at him, still shiny despite the soot and grime that coated him. He felt in a pocket and managed to pull out a hood and two fire blankets. He pulled the hood over the bears head until the button eyes stared at him through the visor. Everest's feet were still poking out the bottom of the hood so he wrapped one of the blankets around the furry legs. Trussed up like a Sunday roast, the fire wouldn't be able to burn him. He gave Everest to Cassie and the little girl pulled her toy under the blanket and held him close.
Virgil then took the remaining fire blanket and laid it over the little form lying beside him. Taking care not to put too much weight on her tiny body he carefully tucked the blanket around her, ensuring there were no gaps for the heat or fire to sneak through. The hood had fitted over her shoulders, and half way down her arms. "Probably just as well, if she panics she won't be able to wave her arms about." He tucked the blanket around her neck to ensure a good seal.
"Keep her talking, keep her calm". Out loud he said "Cassie, why have you called him Everest?"
Cassie looked at him, her face tiny in the great window of the hood. "'Cos I was a baby when I got him, and Daddy said he was a big Mountain, 'cos that's our name, so Mummy called him Everest, 'cos he was bigger than me." She started to cry again. "I want Mummy and Daddy."
Virgil tried to soothe her. "I know honey. I've got some friends who are trying to get us out so you can see your Mummy and Daddy." He didn't add that he wouldn't mind seeing his 'Daddy' at that moment.
"So that's the situation, Dad" Scott was reporting back to base. "Brains is trying to come up with the best way to get them out. There's too much debris about to use the 'Fire-Fly', we'd risk dragging it onto Virg. and Cassie. He had thought of using 5SFJ but as well as freezing everything, it removes all the oxygen in the surrounding area and we can't take the chance that it will starve Virgil and Cassie of oxygen as well."
Jeff Tracy was well aware of the drawbacks of 5SFJ. It was the reason why he'd been so 'het up' earlier in the day. "You're in charge Scott. Don't take any unnecessary risks. Just remember that there is a frightened little girl in there as well as your brother."
Scott gave a wry smile. "Don't worry Dad, Cassie's parents have just arrived, and they won't let us forget. I'll report back shortly. Out." He turned to the frightened couple standing behind him. "Mr & Mrs Mountain? We're doing all we can to save your daughter."
"All" didn't seem to be much to Mitch and Teresa. There appeared to be no activity going on, just an earnest young man trying to reassure them, and another group in a huddle off to one side.
"H-how is she." Mitch found it a struggle to articulate the words clearly.
Scott smiled back reassuringly. "She seems fine. I won't say that she is safe, because she isn't, but one of our top operatives is with her, and he'd risk his life to save hers."
"And I'm as worried as you are" he thought to himself. "That operative is my brother!" He turned back to the microphone. "Virgil, can you hear me."
"Loud and clear."
"Tell Cassie her parents are here, and they're looking forward to seeing her."
Teresa grabbed his shoulder "And tell her there's a big bowl of chocolate ice cream waiting for her when she gets home."
Virgil relayed the message and was rewarded with a smile. "Is chocolate ice cream your favourite?" he asked.
"Mmn yes, with lots and lots of choclit chips and choclit sauce."
Virgil gasped in mock astonishment "My you'd get sick on that lot."
Cassie frowned. "I wish I had some ice cream now." She said crossly. "I'm hot."
"Me too" said Virgil as he felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of his face. "That ice cream sounds mighty good now."
Cassie examined the strange figure beside her. He was in a silver suit with blue and yellow trim and certainly had a funny hat on. He seemed nice enough and magically knew that she liked chocolate ice cream. "Are you a pixie?" she asked.
Virgil was surprised by the question. "Am I a what?" he repeated.
Cassie explained "Pixies wear silver clothes and they are nice people, who help others, and they like ice cream, and they can fly, and they live in a different place where no one else can visit." She paused to take a breath. The flames flickered, orange in her visor.
Put like that Virgil agreed with her. "I guess you could call me a pixie. But you can call me Virgil."
Only able to hear Virgil's side of the conversation, Scott turned to Gordon who was now standing beside him. "D'you think he's okay." He asked worriedly.
Mitch laughed tightly. "Cassie is mad keen on pixie's and fairies and the such like. My guess is your friend is trying to cheer her up. She'll be over the moon if she thinks she's found a real pixie."
The one sided conversation continued over the speaker. "Of course I'm not the only pixie. I have a lot of pixie friends who are trying to help you."
Scott frowned. "If Alan hears that we've been called pixie's, we'll never hear the end of it. He won't stop laughing for days."
"We'll just have to remind him that he's a pixie too." Gordon told him. "C'mon 'Pixie Scott' we'd like your okay of this plan."
Scott laughed and followed him over to the others. Tin-Tin took his place at Mobile Control.
"T-the way I see it..." Brains formulated his plan as quickly and clearly as he was able, "...w-we are going to have to put the fire out around them before we can see them, l-let alone rescue them. Virgil's satellite w-will give us an idea of w-where they are but until we get in there w-we won't know what equipment we will need to carry them out. The girl may be more badly hurt than we think and that debris could be blocking a-all exits."
Scott was getting impatient. "Okay, so what do we do?"
"Y-you take Thunderbird Two and hover over the danger zone. We'll r-redirect the Dicetyline from the storage tanks to the vertical extinguishers. By directing a measure of Dicetyline over the area, w-we might be able to put the fire out. G-Gordon and I can then drive in, in the 'Squirt', and pull them out."
Scott thought it over quickly. "Sounds feasible, and I can't think of a better alternative. Gordon you tell Tin-Tin to alert Dad what we're up to and I'll go get Thunderbird Two ready." He started to hurry back towards where the great green transporter squatted in the car park.
Twelve drums sat in the warehouse, an image of a fire and the word "EXPLOSIVE" stencilled on their sides. Fingers of fire played around the drums, caressing them one moment, holding back the next. The temperature around the drums grew. The paint blistered, and still the temperature rose.
The explosion caught everyone by surprise. People dived for cover as the ground shook. The noise was heard blocks away. Dogs starting howling. Burning lumps of timber were fired outwards like missiles. A nearby stand of bush started burning when a spark landed in it. The Fire Brigade converged on it quickly and had the fire out within seconds. There was general confusion as ambulance services rushed to the aid of those who had not been able to avoid the debris.
A charred bit of metal fell out of the sky, landed in front of Mobile Control and rolled dejectedly on the ground, spinning like a top until it came to rest. It looked like no more than a burned plate. Gordon walked over to it, donning his protective gloves as he did so. He picked the plate up. He could feel the heat from the object reflecting on his face. Although badly charred he was still able to make out the characters "S-2" and the badge of International Rescue. He turned to the others.
"It's Virgil's Satellite" he said glumly.
Scott had turned back when he'd heard the explosion. "That means we can't communicate with him, and we can't pinpoint their exact position."
"It might mean more than that!" Gordon pointed out morosely.
But Scott wouldn't listen to such talk. "We can't think like that. Chances are they're all right, it just means that we can't reassure them."
Brains had an idea. "I c-could reconfigure one of the other satellites to Virgil's f-frequency. But it would take some time."
"Great." said Scott "You make a start with that and I'll continue on with our plan." He yelled over to Tin-Tin as he headed back towards Thunderbird Two. "I'll radio as soon as I'm airborne."
Jeff Tracy felt a cold grip take hold of his heart as Tin-Tin relayed the news back to base. She was trying to smile bravely but Jeff could tell that she was feeling as scared and helpless as he was.
"Scott's in Thunderbird Two now, Mr Tracy, and Gordon's standing by in the 'Squirt'. Brains is going to go in with him, but at the moment he's trying to reconfigure Alan's satellite."
"That's great, Tin-Tin. Just keep me informed. And keep positive. Virgil's not a quitter, he'll be alright."
As Tin-Tin's face disappeared from the screen Jeff turned to his mother, who was standing beside him. "Oh, Jeff, what if something's happened to him."
He gathered his mothers hands in his. "Nothings happened to him" he told her firmly. "We must believe that. We know he was alright before, so all that may have happened is the satellite was destroyed by the explosion. It may not have got near them."
"It's the waiting I can't stand." Alan stated. "It's not being able to do anything to help them. Just waiting for some news."
"It's all we can do now." Jeff accepted a cup of coffee from Kyrano. "Keep calm and wait."
Alan thought for a moment and then turned to his father. "Dad. If it's all right with you I wont take Thunderbird Three to relieve John until after this is over. At least if I stay here I can think that I can help in some way."
Jeff digested his son's words and then nodded his agreement. There was nothing that anyone on the island could do, but he could understand Alan's sentiments. They could only wait. And hope.
Hi everyone
I hope you're enjoying this story. Unfortunately (well not really) I'm off on three weeks holiday, and my computer is off to the shop to get some repairs (I hope), so I won't be able to update the next chapter for a while.
Still, in the meantime, there's some great stories on this site to go on with.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone.
Purupuss.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"You are still listening to radio 12FM. As night falls I can see the glow from the fire in the industrial estate. Police reports say that at least 5 buildings are alight. The good news is that the17 employees of 'Merton and Co' who were trapped in the fire are free, unfortunately two members of International Rescue are still trapped in the building. Another of their organisation is trying to get them out now.
In other news a five year old girl has gone missing in the same area. Cassie Mountain has brown braids, is wearing a pink dress and probably carrying a teddy bear. Any sightings please call the police immediately..."
_____________________________________________________________________________
It was a leap of faith.
The cage jarred to a halt under the sudden combined weight of both men. Virgil surprised by his brothers sudden arrival reached up and switched the machine into retreat. Through the hole in the window he had cut minutes earlier a jet of flame leapt out. The heat was clearly felt through their protective clothing. He turned to his two brothers. "Nice of you to drop in"
The 'Squirt' trundled back to the waiting pod of Thunderbird Two, three satellites hovering above it. Fire appliances rushed in to extinguish the fire in what was left of Merton & Co.
Tin-Tin believing that their job was over was about to shut down Mobile Control when she glanced for one last time at the screen. The picture had changed to include some of the old warehouses.
"That's strange" she mused as here eye caught sight of a familiar dot on the screen "I thought they had cleared everyone out of those buildings."
She called the Fire Chief over. "There's someone in that warehouse over there," she pointed out.
He squinted through the smoke to see which she meant. "Can't be, my men checked in there before. Who would be fool enough to walk into a wooden building that close to a fire."
Tin-Tin indicated the dot on her screen. "Well, our instruments are saying someone's there..."
The Fire Chief sighed. "I guess you know your business. I'll send someone over to check it out." He beckoned to some of his men.
More voices. More noise. What was happening. The trolls were back to get her and they sounded mean. Where could she hide. Finding an empty drum Cassie climbed inside. A beam of light swept past her. Voices echoed through out the room.
"We've already searched here!"
"The Boss says International Rescue reckon there's someone in here."
"Who'd want to be in here. It's dark and smelly..."
A light rested on the label of one of the drums. "And dangerous. I'll bet this place doesn't have a licence to house this stuff. Most of it's explosive. If the fire gets here we won't be able to put it out for a week."
"Any sign of anyone."
"Nah. Let's get out of here. I want to see International Rescue's faces when we tell them their equipment isn't working."
"Don't knock 'em. I wouldn't have wanted to rescue that lot from Merton & Co..." The voices merged with the surrounding noises.
Cassie waited until she was sure the trolls had gone, then she climbed out of the barrel and looked around.
The door was open! She could see daylight! She ran towards the door...
The International Rescue team was clustered around Mobile Control. Scott was seated, frowning at the control panel.
"I don't understand it, we've never had any problems before. What do you think Brains?"
Brain took off his glasses and scratched the bridge of his nose. "W-with any device there is always a c-chance of failure. I ran the diagnostic check just before this mission and e-everything seemed a-o-ok. How did it handle, T-Tin-Tin?"
Tin-Tin smiled reassuringly. "Like a dream." She said.
The Fire Chief shuffled his feet embarrassedly. "We searched the entire building twice and didn't find a soul. Are you sure it couldn't have been an animal of some description."
"The s-satellite is tuned into the heart rate, temperature, b-breathing rate and pheromones of humans, as well as..."
Scott interrupted him. "What my friend is trying to say, is that it is highly unlikely."
"Look" Gordon pointed at the screen. "It's moving."
The dot was making its' way towards the door.
The Fire Chief scratched his head in bewilderment. "Well I'll be..."
With out knowing why Virgil grasped his hood firmly, took out a fire blanket and checked his pockets that he had a spare hood and oxygen cylinder.
The fire behind the building grew in size. Sparks flew in all directions.
A radio nearby crackled into life. "We can't hold her..."
A flash of flame and a silhouette appeared at the door. Virgil didn't have time to think. He raced over to where he had seen the silhouette. In the same motion he wrapped a fire blanket around the figure and pushed it away from the inferno. An explosion from within the building picked them up and threw them sprawling on the ground. He instinctively used his own body to protect the other's as a shower of debris fell on top on them.
All he could hear was the roar of the fire and a strange wailing sound.
All he could see was fire and black smoke
All he could feel was the heat from the fire and the weight of the debris pressing down on them.
Then miraculously the fire seemed to lift and he found he was in an air pocket surrounded by a wall of fire. A sheet of flame roared just feet above his head.
He became aware of a voice yelling in his ears.
"Virgil, can you hear me, Virgil come in please."
He cleared his throat, dry from the smoke and sudden exertion. "It's okay Scott, I'm alright."
Scott breathed a sigh of relief, and spoke into the microphone again. "That's great. What about the other person?"
The other person? Virgil pulled a spare hood and oxygen cylinder from his pocket, lifted the fire blanket and looked at the tiny figure beside him.
"It's a girl!"
"A what?"
As he pulled the hood over the frightened girls head and attached the oxygen cylinder with difficulty, Virgil explained.
"A girl. She can't be more than five or six."
The Fire Chief started. "Hold on. I heard a report of a missing child. Didn't take much notice because of all this..." he waved his arms indicating the surrounding confusion. "The police will know more."
Scott spoke again into the microphone. "See if you can find out who she is."
Virgil had already thought of that and he waited till she had finished coughing before he asked her the question.
"Cassie Marie Mountain" was the reply.
The Police Chief had arrived just in time to hear the announcement. "That's her." He nodded. "Her parents are worried sick. Seems she heard them arguing and ran away."
Scott needed to find more details. "What's the situation, Virg." He asked "All we can see is the fire."
Virgil paused to analyse the situation. "We're in a fire pocket. I can't see any more than that. I don't know where the exit is. We're lying on the ground. My leg is on hers and there's debris on top of that." He pulled at his leg experimentally. "I could probably get free, but I don't have the leverage to free her too. If I get my leg out, the full weight of the debris will be on her." He described their predicament in one short sentence. "We're stuck!"
Upon hearing the doorbell Mitch ran down the hall. He shuddered when he saw the policeman standing there and heard Teresa, behind him, gasp.
"Mr & Mrs Mountain?" Mitch nodded dumbly. "I have some news about your daughter. If you will come with me, I will explain in the car."
Cassie started to cry. "Where's Everest" she whimpered.
Virgil felt a surge of alarm. Surely there wasn't someone else in there.
"Who's Everest" he inquired tentatively.
"My teddy bear."
Virgil became aware of something soft lying partly beneath him. He pulled it out and Everest's button eyes stared back at him, still shiny despite the soot and grime that coated him. He felt in a pocket and managed to pull out a hood and two fire blankets. He pulled the hood over the bears head until the button eyes stared at him through the visor. Everest's feet were still poking out the bottom of the hood so he wrapped one of the blankets around the furry legs. Trussed up like a Sunday roast, the fire wouldn't be able to burn him. He gave Everest to Cassie and the little girl pulled her toy under the blanket and held him close.
Virgil then took the remaining fire blanket and laid it over the little form lying beside him. Taking care not to put too much weight on her tiny body he carefully tucked the blanket around her, ensuring there were no gaps for the heat or fire to sneak through. The hood had fitted over her shoulders, and half way down her arms. "Probably just as well, if she panics she won't be able to wave her arms about." He tucked the blanket around her neck to ensure a good seal.
"Keep her talking, keep her calm". Out loud he said "Cassie, why have you called him Everest?"
Cassie looked at him, her face tiny in the great window of the hood. "'Cos I was a baby when I got him, and Daddy said he was a big Mountain, 'cos that's our name, so Mummy called him Everest, 'cos he was bigger than me." She started to cry again. "I want Mummy and Daddy."
Virgil tried to soothe her. "I know honey. I've got some friends who are trying to get us out so you can see your Mummy and Daddy." He didn't add that he wouldn't mind seeing his 'Daddy' at that moment.
"So that's the situation, Dad" Scott was reporting back to base. "Brains is trying to come up with the best way to get them out. There's too much debris about to use the 'Fire-Fly', we'd risk dragging it onto Virg. and Cassie. He had thought of using 5SFJ but as well as freezing everything, it removes all the oxygen in the surrounding area and we can't take the chance that it will starve Virgil and Cassie of oxygen as well."
Jeff Tracy was well aware of the drawbacks of 5SFJ. It was the reason why he'd been so 'het up' earlier in the day. "You're in charge Scott. Don't take any unnecessary risks. Just remember that there is a frightened little girl in there as well as your brother."
Scott gave a wry smile. "Don't worry Dad, Cassie's parents have just arrived, and they won't let us forget. I'll report back shortly. Out." He turned to the frightened couple standing behind him. "Mr & Mrs Mountain? We're doing all we can to save your daughter."
"All" didn't seem to be much to Mitch and Teresa. There appeared to be no activity going on, just an earnest young man trying to reassure them, and another group in a huddle off to one side.
"H-how is she." Mitch found it a struggle to articulate the words clearly.
Scott smiled back reassuringly. "She seems fine. I won't say that she is safe, because she isn't, but one of our top operatives is with her, and he'd risk his life to save hers."
"And I'm as worried as you are" he thought to himself. "That operative is my brother!" He turned back to the microphone. "Virgil, can you hear me."
"Loud and clear."
"Tell Cassie her parents are here, and they're looking forward to seeing her."
Teresa grabbed his shoulder "And tell her there's a big bowl of chocolate ice cream waiting for her when she gets home."
Virgil relayed the message and was rewarded with a smile. "Is chocolate ice cream your favourite?" he asked.
"Mmn yes, with lots and lots of choclit chips and choclit sauce."
Virgil gasped in mock astonishment "My you'd get sick on that lot."
Cassie frowned. "I wish I had some ice cream now." She said crossly. "I'm hot."
"Me too" said Virgil as he felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of his face. "That ice cream sounds mighty good now."
Cassie examined the strange figure beside her. He was in a silver suit with blue and yellow trim and certainly had a funny hat on. He seemed nice enough and magically knew that she liked chocolate ice cream. "Are you a pixie?" she asked.
Virgil was surprised by the question. "Am I a what?" he repeated.
Cassie explained "Pixies wear silver clothes and they are nice people, who help others, and they like ice cream, and they can fly, and they live in a different place where no one else can visit." She paused to take a breath. The flames flickered, orange in her visor.
Put like that Virgil agreed with her. "I guess you could call me a pixie. But you can call me Virgil."
Only able to hear Virgil's side of the conversation, Scott turned to Gordon who was now standing beside him. "D'you think he's okay." He asked worriedly.
Mitch laughed tightly. "Cassie is mad keen on pixie's and fairies and the such like. My guess is your friend is trying to cheer her up. She'll be over the moon if she thinks she's found a real pixie."
The one sided conversation continued over the speaker. "Of course I'm not the only pixie. I have a lot of pixie friends who are trying to help you."
Scott frowned. "If Alan hears that we've been called pixie's, we'll never hear the end of it. He won't stop laughing for days."
"We'll just have to remind him that he's a pixie too." Gordon told him. "C'mon 'Pixie Scott' we'd like your okay of this plan."
Scott laughed and followed him over to the others. Tin-Tin took his place at Mobile Control.
"T-the way I see it..." Brains formulated his plan as quickly and clearly as he was able, "...w-we are going to have to put the fire out around them before we can see them, l-let alone rescue them. Virgil's satellite w-will give us an idea of w-where they are but until we get in there w-we won't know what equipment we will need to carry them out. The girl may be more badly hurt than we think and that debris could be blocking a-all exits."
Scott was getting impatient. "Okay, so what do we do?"
"Y-you take Thunderbird Two and hover over the danger zone. We'll r-redirect the Dicetyline from the storage tanks to the vertical extinguishers. By directing a measure of Dicetyline over the area, w-we might be able to put the fire out. G-Gordon and I can then drive in, in the 'Squirt', and pull them out."
Scott thought it over quickly. "Sounds feasible, and I can't think of a better alternative. Gordon you tell Tin-Tin to alert Dad what we're up to and I'll go get Thunderbird Two ready." He started to hurry back towards where the great green transporter squatted in the car park.
Twelve drums sat in the warehouse, an image of a fire and the word "EXPLOSIVE" stencilled on their sides. Fingers of fire played around the drums, caressing them one moment, holding back the next. The temperature around the drums grew. The paint blistered, and still the temperature rose.
The explosion caught everyone by surprise. People dived for cover as the ground shook. The noise was heard blocks away. Dogs starting howling. Burning lumps of timber were fired outwards like missiles. A nearby stand of bush started burning when a spark landed in it. The Fire Brigade converged on it quickly and had the fire out within seconds. There was general confusion as ambulance services rushed to the aid of those who had not been able to avoid the debris.
A charred bit of metal fell out of the sky, landed in front of Mobile Control and rolled dejectedly on the ground, spinning like a top until it came to rest. It looked like no more than a burned plate. Gordon walked over to it, donning his protective gloves as he did so. He picked the plate up. He could feel the heat from the object reflecting on his face. Although badly charred he was still able to make out the characters "S-2" and the badge of International Rescue. He turned to the others.
"It's Virgil's Satellite" he said glumly.
Scott had turned back when he'd heard the explosion. "That means we can't communicate with him, and we can't pinpoint their exact position."
"It might mean more than that!" Gordon pointed out morosely.
But Scott wouldn't listen to such talk. "We can't think like that. Chances are they're all right, it just means that we can't reassure them."
Brains had an idea. "I c-could reconfigure one of the other satellites to Virgil's f-frequency. But it would take some time."
"Great." said Scott "You make a start with that and I'll continue on with our plan." He yelled over to Tin-Tin as he headed back towards Thunderbird Two. "I'll radio as soon as I'm airborne."
Jeff Tracy felt a cold grip take hold of his heart as Tin-Tin relayed the news back to base. She was trying to smile bravely but Jeff could tell that she was feeling as scared and helpless as he was.
"Scott's in Thunderbird Two now, Mr Tracy, and Gordon's standing by in the 'Squirt'. Brains is going to go in with him, but at the moment he's trying to reconfigure Alan's satellite."
"That's great, Tin-Tin. Just keep me informed. And keep positive. Virgil's not a quitter, he'll be alright."
As Tin-Tin's face disappeared from the screen Jeff turned to his mother, who was standing beside him. "Oh, Jeff, what if something's happened to him."
He gathered his mothers hands in his. "Nothings happened to him" he told her firmly. "We must believe that. We know he was alright before, so all that may have happened is the satellite was destroyed by the explosion. It may not have got near them."
"It's the waiting I can't stand." Alan stated. "It's not being able to do anything to help them. Just waiting for some news."
"It's all we can do now." Jeff accepted a cup of coffee from Kyrano. "Keep calm and wait."
Alan thought for a moment and then turned to his father. "Dad. If it's all right with you I wont take Thunderbird Three to relieve John until after this is over. At least if I stay here I can think that I can help in some way."
Jeff digested his son's words and then nodded his agreement. There was nothing that anyone on the island could do, but he could understand Alan's sentiments. They could only wait. And hope.
Hi everyone
I hope you're enjoying this story. Unfortunately (well not really) I'm off on three weeks holiday, and my computer is off to the shop to get some repairs (I hope), so I won't be able to update the next chapter for a while.
Still, in the meantime, there's some great stories on this site to go on with.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone.
Purupuss.