Gordon cleared away the debris he had shifted from the sub, using the
claws. He knew that he couldn't remove much more or the pressure may become
too much for the crew trapped in the sub. He could see them through the
window of the sub. Some were conscious, some weren't, he counted just 4 in
the sub. When he had cleared enough debris to get into the sub, he banked
TB4 on the sea bed, and got out his diving equipment.
He wasn't pleased but he knew he'd have to radio for back-up, he couldn't carry the unconscious victims out without wasting time. He would have to get help. 'TB4 to mobile contol' he radioed.
He was surprised but relieved to hear Alan's voice , 'Go ahead Gordo'
'Alan?' he asked, 'never mind, I don't have time for this. I need one of you guys down here, two of the victims are unconcsious and I don't have time to carry them and get the others to safety.'
'Well' Alan answered 'Scott and Virg have had to fly some of the crew from the rig to land, so I'll have to come.'
Gordon wasn't happy about that. He didn't mollycoddle Alan, but he was still his little brother and he would have preferred to have one of his older brothers with him. At least he wouldn't have to feel responsible then.
Apparantly someone else shared his feelings as Scott's voice broke in.
'Uh no you don't Alan' he spoke, 'Just wait for Virgil and I to get back'.
'But Scott' Alan shouted, 'Gordon needs help now, we can't let these people die just cos you'd prefer to go down.'
Scott sounded very desperate, 'Gordo?' he asked his brother.
'He's right' Gordon replied, 'we can't waste any time.'
'Fine' Scott conceded, 'but I really don't like both of you guys down there, as soon as I get back I'm coming down there to join you.'
'And me' came Virgil's voice
'No guys,' Gordon stressed, 'we need you on the surface. We can handle it can't we Alan?'
'You bet we can' Alan's replied with conviction.
Scott and Virgil began to protest, but then realised their younger brothers were right.
'Just be as fast as you can' Virgil worried
'And as careful as you can' Scott agreed, his voice sounding very concerned.
'Yes mom' Gordon and Alan chimed together, and then laughed as they realized they'd said the same thing.
'Alright Alan, I'll send TB4 up on auto-pilot,' Gordon announced. 'See you in a minute'
'FAB' Alan shot back happily.
Gordon thought he sounded a little too happy. Pulling on his flippers and his gas mask, he opened the hatch and swam towards the trapped sub. Watching he saw TB4 head up to pick up Alan. The water was icy cold, and alarmingly black due to the oil. Gordon reached the sub and a face filled with relief hauled open the hatch. This is why I love my job Gordon thought to himself. The buzz of knowing you'd saved someone's life. He immediatley felt the pressure in the sub, and was surprised to see that only two of the crew had passed out. Gordon had been in a compression situation out on the Adriatic Sea once. Nothing could prepare you for the heat, and the struggle for air. He decided to give some of his oxygen to the conscious men.
'Thankyou' one of the men stammered as Gordon placed the mask over his face.
'We'll have you out of here faster than you can say ' Bob's your uncle' he said reassuringly to the crew.
'Bob's not our uncle' came a voice from the hatch.
Turning Gordon smiled to see his younger brother .
'He's dad's second cousin'.
Virgil couldn't drop off the rig- workers quickly enough. He wanted to get back to the danger-zone and his brothers as soon as he could. He decided to radio Scott.
'Scott, where are you?' he asked
'About 15 minutes from the danger zone'. Scott's voice answered tersely
'WHAT?' Virgil shouted, 'how did you get back so quickly?'
'I tend to break speed records if I'm worried enough' Scott answered.
'Yeah' Virgil replied shaking his head in disbelief, 'but I've been flying top speed and it's gonna take me 20 minutes and I set off before you.'
Scott ignored his brother's comment, 'I'm worried about them, Virg' he whispered quietly.
Virgil nodded his head silently, 'me too, but we've got to trust them, they'll get them people out'.
'It's not those people I'm worried about.'
Virgil knew exactly what his brother was feeling, 'I know' he admitted, 'I know'.
'I'm going to radio base' Scott said switching back onto auto-pilot again. Virgil admired the way Scott could conceal his emotions and become big brother one minute, and professional the next. He certainly couldn't do it.
'YOU LEFT THOSE TWO ON THEIR OWN!'
Scott winced as his father's voice boomed from the transmittor, he was only glad he didn't have the video com on, he didn't want to face him right now.
'Dad, what else could we do?' he asked in desperation.
Jeff seemed to calm down a little, but he still sounded angry. 'What you should have DONE Scott, was to have Alan fly TB1 or 2 and then you or Virgil could have gone to help Gordon.'
'We didn't know about the situation till we were in the air dad, and we were too far out to fly back.' Scott said reasonably.
Jeff calmed himself down. 'Fine', he answered, 'we can't change anything now, just get back there as soon as possible.'
'I'm going as fast as I can' Scott responded truthfully.
Jeff's voice took on a more resigned tone. 'I don't like it Scott, Gordon is more than capable in TB4 but I don't know how her engine's will cope with in this much oil, and Alan isn't the swimmer that Gordon is. Not to mention that neither of them have the experience that you and Virgil have...'
'I KNOW DAD!' Scott interrupted with a yell, 'I feel bad enough as it is ok?'
'Oh Scott' Jeff soothed, 'it's not your fault, all you boys face dangers every mission. It's just I hate to think of those two, coping alone. But you shouldn't blame yourself, we can't protect them 100 % of the time can we?'
Jeff disconnected. And Scott played his words over and over in his head, 'we can't protect them 100% of the time, can we?' He wished they could. He'd been able to protect them after their mother's death when they were just 5 and 3. Scott had thrown himself into raising all four of his brothers and without noticing had healed himself from the grief of his mother's death. He'd been 12, but taking care of the others had given him a distraction. And he'd grown to love each and every one of his brothers without reservation.
He loved Virgil's quiet, even temper and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve,
he loved John's fierce loyalty and his inner strength,
he loved the way Gordon always made everyone laugh, and his abilty to put anyone and anything before himself
and he loved Alan's naivete and reckless bravery .
Virgil was always the peace-maker, usually between the hot-tempered John and the 'I love to wind everybody up' Gordon.
John had been of all the Tracy boys, the closest to their mother, they had shared a dreamy nature, which the others hadn't, and Scott was surprised by how bravely John handled her death. He was constantly, even now, surprised by his middle brother.
Gordon was a terror as a child, constantly playing jokes and getting the better of his older brothers, but he had been loved by everyone who met him. He had such character, and was so funny that no one could fail to love him. His thoughtfulness was one of his best qualities, and Scott knew that that was why Gordon and his father constantly butted heads. Gordon loved to speak his mind, and so did Jeff. They were too alike.
Alan was the baby, and unfortunatley for him, he was always going to be that to his brothers, but his bravery was something that both worried Scott and made him proud. He'd first noticed it when he was 17 and at school. There'd been a fight and Scott had been horrified to see his youngest brother, just 9 at the time wrestling with some 15 year old in Virgil's year. However Alan had held his own and beaten the 15 year old , apparently he'd said something about the Tracys having no mother.
10 minutes to danger zone. Scott smiled as he remembered back to that day...........
'Alan' Scott scolded his brother, 'you don't go fighting bigger boys'.
Alan pouted and stuck out his bottom lip, 'but he said, our mother was dead, and that she must have done something bad to die so young'.
Virgil , ever the peace-maker shook his head at Alan, 'but you could have just ignored him'.
John had eyes filled with fury, 'well done Alan' he said in a tone not to be argued with , 'I'd say the loser got of lightly'.
'Johnny.' Scott began.
But the 14 year old would hear nothing of it, 'no Scott, no-one is going to tarnish mom's memory'.
Gordon had picked up on the vibe and his thoughtful nature came out, he put his arm around John. 'It's alright Johnny' he murmered, 'we know mum did nothing wrong'.
Scott had marvelled at how the 11 year old had such a sweet nature. He had been proud of all his brothers that day......
Scott sighed as he sped towards the danger-zone, 'come on baby' he coaxed the machine , 'we have to get there soon'.
John took in a shaky breath, he had heard the intercom conversations. He knew the dangers that faced his two younger brothers and he felt physically sick. He hated feeling useless, he wanted to break something, or someone, but he knew that wasn't an option. Intuition and 25 years of experience had John thinking that Scott must be blaming himself for letting Alan and Gordon go down alone. To reassure himself he decided to contact Gordon.
'TB5 to TB4 do you read me you guys?'
Static..
'TB4 to TB5 guys.. Come in'
Nothing..
John knew they must be out of the craft, but that didn't reassure him. His mind began to wander and he thought back to a time just after his mother had died...........
John was sobbing and sobbing on his bed, he felt like the most miserable 8 year old in the world. His mother had just died, and he didn't feel like living anymore. He missed his mum terribly and he couldn't seem to get himself out of the deep depression he had fallen into. Sleep was not an option anymore. Sobbing in the darkness he heard a voice.
'Johnny, can I climb in with you?'
John struggled to stop his sobs and moved aside to led Gordon climb into his bed.
'Johnny why are you crying?'
John knew Gordo was to young to understand but he tried to explain as best he could. 'I'm sad because mummy died, Gordo' he explained, 'and I'm sad cos I won't see her again.'
Gordon nodded but didn't seem to understand. 'Mummy loved you Johnny' he said 'she loved you this much' stretching apart his little arms as wide as he could he mirrored what his mother used to say. 'I love you to the moon and back'.
John smiled tearfully and hugged Gordon closer, he still had parts of his mother in all of his brothers and he could find comfort in that..............
Well John had been to the moon and back, literally and he still felt he loved his mother and all of his family more than that. 'I won't let anything happen to them mom' he promised her silently. 'I love them to the end of the universe and back.
He wasn't pleased but he knew he'd have to radio for back-up, he couldn't carry the unconscious victims out without wasting time. He would have to get help. 'TB4 to mobile contol' he radioed.
He was surprised but relieved to hear Alan's voice , 'Go ahead Gordo'
'Alan?' he asked, 'never mind, I don't have time for this. I need one of you guys down here, two of the victims are unconcsious and I don't have time to carry them and get the others to safety.'
'Well' Alan answered 'Scott and Virg have had to fly some of the crew from the rig to land, so I'll have to come.'
Gordon wasn't happy about that. He didn't mollycoddle Alan, but he was still his little brother and he would have preferred to have one of his older brothers with him. At least he wouldn't have to feel responsible then.
Apparantly someone else shared his feelings as Scott's voice broke in.
'Uh no you don't Alan' he spoke, 'Just wait for Virgil and I to get back'.
'But Scott' Alan shouted, 'Gordon needs help now, we can't let these people die just cos you'd prefer to go down.'
Scott sounded very desperate, 'Gordo?' he asked his brother.
'He's right' Gordon replied, 'we can't waste any time.'
'Fine' Scott conceded, 'but I really don't like both of you guys down there, as soon as I get back I'm coming down there to join you.'
'And me' came Virgil's voice
'No guys,' Gordon stressed, 'we need you on the surface. We can handle it can't we Alan?'
'You bet we can' Alan's replied with conviction.
Scott and Virgil began to protest, but then realised their younger brothers were right.
'Just be as fast as you can' Virgil worried
'And as careful as you can' Scott agreed, his voice sounding very concerned.
'Yes mom' Gordon and Alan chimed together, and then laughed as they realized they'd said the same thing.
'Alright Alan, I'll send TB4 up on auto-pilot,' Gordon announced. 'See you in a minute'
'FAB' Alan shot back happily.
Gordon thought he sounded a little too happy. Pulling on his flippers and his gas mask, he opened the hatch and swam towards the trapped sub. Watching he saw TB4 head up to pick up Alan. The water was icy cold, and alarmingly black due to the oil. Gordon reached the sub and a face filled with relief hauled open the hatch. This is why I love my job Gordon thought to himself. The buzz of knowing you'd saved someone's life. He immediatley felt the pressure in the sub, and was surprised to see that only two of the crew had passed out. Gordon had been in a compression situation out on the Adriatic Sea once. Nothing could prepare you for the heat, and the struggle for air. He decided to give some of his oxygen to the conscious men.
'Thankyou' one of the men stammered as Gordon placed the mask over his face.
'We'll have you out of here faster than you can say ' Bob's your uncle' he said reassuringly to the crew.
'Bob's not our uncle' came a voice from the hatch.
Turning Gordon smiled to see his younger brother .
'He's dad's second cousin'.
Virgil couldn't drop off the rig- workers quickly enough. He wanted to get back to the danger-zone and his brothers as soon as he could. He decided to radio Scott.
'Scott, where are you?' he asked
'About 15 minutes from the danger zone'. Scott's voice answered tersely
'WHAT?' Virgil shouted, 'how did you get back so quickly?'
'I tend to break speed records if I'm worried enough' Scott answered.
'Yeah' Virgil replied shaking his head in disbelief, 'but I've been flying top speed and it's gonna take me 20 minutes and I set off before you.'
Scott ignored his brother's comment, 'I'm worried about them, Virg' he whispered quietly.
Virgil nodded his head silently, 'me too, but we've got to trust them, they'll get them people out'.
'It's not those people I'm worried about.'
Virgil knew exactly what his brother was feeling, 'I know' he admitted, 'I know'.
'I'm going to radio base' Scott said switching back onto auto-pilot again. Virgil admired the way Scott could conceal his emotions and become big brother one minute, and professional the next. He certainly couldn't do it.
'YOU LEFT THOSE TWO ON THEIR OWN!'
Scott winced as his father's voice boomed from the transmittor, he was only glad he didn't have the video com on, he didn't want to face him right now.
'Dad, what else could we do?' he asked in desperation.
Jeff seemed to calm down a little, but he still sounded angry. 'What you should have DONE Scott, was to have Alan fly TB1 or 2 and then you or Virgil could have gone to help Gordon.'
'We didn't know about the situation till we were in the air dad, and we were too far out to fly back.' Scott said reasonably.
Jeff calmed himself down. 'Fine', he answered, 'we can't change anything now, just get back there as soon as possible.'
'I'm going as fast as I can' Scott responded truthfully.
Jeff's voice took on a more resigned tone. 'I don't like it Scott, Gordon is more than capable in TB4 but I don't know how her engine's will cope with in this much oil, and Alan isn't the swimmer that Gordon is. Not to mention that neither of them have the experience that you and Virgil have...'
'I KNOW DAD!' Scott interrupted with a yell, 'I feel bad enough as it is ok?'
'Oh Scott' Jeff soothed, 'it's not your fault, all you boys face dangers every mission. It's just I hate to think of those two, coping alone. But you shouldn't blame yourself, we can't protect them 100 % of the time can we?'
Jeff disconnected. And Scott played his words over and over in his head, 'we can't protect them 100% of the time, can we?' He wished they could. He'd been able to protect them after their mother's death when they were just 5 and 3. Scott had thrown himself into raising all four of his brothers and without noticing had healed himself from the grief of his mother's death. He'd been 12, but taking care of the others had given him a distraction. And he'd grown to love each and every one of his brothers without reservation.
He loved Virgil's quiet, even temper and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve,
he loved John's fierce loyalty and his inner strength,
he loved the way Gordon always made everyone laugh, and his abilty to put anyone and anything before himself
and he loved Alan's naivete and reckless bravery .
Virgil was always the peace-maker, usually between the hot-tempered John and the 'I love to wind everybody up' Gordon.
John had been of all the Tracy boys, the closest to their mother, they had shared a dreamy nature, which the others hadn't, and Scott was surprised by how bravely John handled her death. He was constantly, even now, surprised by his middle brother.
Gordon was a terror as a child, constantly playing jokes and getting the better of his older brothers, but he had been loved by everyone who met him. He had such character, and was so funny that no one could fail to love him. His thoughtfulness was one of his best qualities, and Scott knew that that was why Gordon and his father constantly butted heads. Gordon loved to speak his mind, and so did Jeff. They were too alike.
Alan was the baby, and unfortunatley for him, he was always going to be that to his brothers, but his bravery was something that both worried Scott and made him proud. He'd first noticed it when he was 17 and at school. There'd been a fight and Scott had been horrified to see his youngest brother, just 9 at the time wrestling with some 15 year old in Virgil's year. However Alan had held his own and beaten the 15 year old , apparently he'd said something about the Tracys having no mother.
10 minutes to danger zone. Scott smiled as he remembered back to that day...........
'Alan' Scott scolded his brother, 'you don't go fighting bigger boys'.
Alan pouted and stuck out his bottom lip, 'but he said, our mother was dead, and that she must have done something bad to die so young'.
Virgil , ever the peace-maker shook his head at Alan, 'but you could have just ignored him'.
John had eyes filled with fury, 'well done Alan' he said in a tone not to be argued with , 'I'd say the loser got of lightly'.
'Johnny.' Scott began.
But the 14 year old would hear nothing of it, 'no Scott, no-one is going to tarnish mom's memory'.
Gordon had picked up on the vibe and his thoughtful nature came out, he put his arm around John. 'It's alright Johnny' he murmered, 'we know mum did nothing wrong'.
Scott had marvelled at how the 11 year old had such a sweet nature. He had been proud of all his brothers that day......
Scott sighed as he sped towards the danger-zone, 'come on baby' he coaxed the machine , 'we have to get there soon'.
John took in a shaky breath, he had heard the intercom conversations. He knew the dangers that faced his two younger brothers and he felt physically sick. He hated feeling useless, he wanted to break something, or someone, but he knew that wasn't an option. Intuition and 25 years of experience had John thinking that Scott must be blaming himself for letting Alan and Gordon go down alone. To reassure himself he decided to contact Gordon.
'TB5 to TB4 do you read me you guys?'
Static..
'TB4 to TB5 guys.. Come in'
Nothing..
John knew they must be out of the craft, but that didn't reassure him. His mind began to wander and he thought back to a time just after his mother had died...........
John was sobbing and sobbing on his bed, he felt like the most miserable 8 year old in the world. His mother had just died, and he didn't feel like living anymore. He missed his mum terribly and he couldn't seem to get himself out of the deep depression he had fallen into. Sleep was not an option anymore. Sobbing in the darkness he heard a voice.
'Johnny, can I climb in with you?'
John struggled to stop his sobs and moved aside to led Gordon climb into his bed.
'Johnny why are you crying?'
John knew Gordo was to young to understand but he tried to explain as best he could. 'I'm sad because mummy died, Gordo' he explained, 'and I'm sad cos I won't see her again.'
Gordon nodded but didn't seem to understand. 'Mummy loved you Johnny' he said 'she loved you this much' stretching apart his little arms as wide as he could he mirrored what his mother used to say. 'I love you to the moon and back'.
John smiled tearfully and hugged Gordon closer, he still had parts of his mother in all of his brothers and he could find comfort in that..............
Well John had been to the moon and back, literally and he still felt he loved his mother and all of his family more than that. 'I won't let anything happen to them mom' he promised her silently. 'I love them to the end of the universe and back.