John stood, his eyes widening in terror as he listened to the horror
unfolding on earth.
'VIRG THE RIG'S SLIPPING!' Scott was yelling.
There was a horrible groaning sound in the background. That John could only assume was the rig collapsing.
'VIRG, GET BACK!' Scott's voice was filled with fear, and John gripped TB5's desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
'Gordon, Alan!' came Virgil's voice and John exhaled with relief hearing that Virgil had obviously 'gotten back'. However his relief lasted for all of two seconds when he heard Virgil's next comment. 'Fire in the hole'.
'Oh God!' John thought to himself, 'the water must be alight!' Frantic, he reached for the radio, but heard Scott's voice before he could speak, 'THE RIG'S EXPLODED' he screamed, 'MOVE!' John's hand froze on the radio. His heart felt like it was going to burst right out of his chest. 'Move' he silently willed his brothers, 'get out of the way!'
His heart almost stopped when he heard Alan's voice, 'WHAT?' he said, in a frightened voice and then the radio in TB4 cut out.
John stood, in shock, the radios were silent, all he could hear was Scott and Virgil's ragged breathing.
'The rig's gone down' John said quietly to himself, 'and it's taken my brothers with it.'
Jeff Tracy sat at his desk, listening to the developing situation. It sounded like real trouble. He was panicked but keeping his composure. It wasn't until his sons started yelling, and he heard the groaning of the rig that his palms began to sweat, and he felt sick. 'Come on boys' he murmered, 'come on!' When he heard Scott's voice yelling that the rig was going over, and Virgil screaming at his youngest to get themselves out, he felt violently ill. When the airwaves became silent. Jeff raced from his desk, past a scared looking Kyrano and a crying Tin-Tin, and promptly threw up in the bathroom sink. 'Oh God Lucille' he whimpered, 'What have I done, what have I done?'
Scott's breaths were coming short and rapid as he struggled to return his breathing to normal. 'They'll be ok.' He told himself, 'they'll be fine!' But as he took another look at the flaming ocean, he felt less and less sure. 'Please God, save my little brothers!' he silently begged, 'you've got to save them.'
Virgil too, could do nothing but stare at the water. If the situation wasn't so appalling he would have admired the view. It wasn't every day that the sea was on fire. For miles around the water was alight with orange flames, flickering in the rising sun. But all he could think of was his brother's trapped beneath the surface. Dead or injured probably.
Shakily he reached for the transmittor, it seemed like years had passed since the remains of the rig had gone under, but Virgil knew it couldn't have been more than a minute.
Clasping his hands tightly around the reciever, he was about to speak when he heard John's anguished voice burst out.
'GORDON? ALAN?'
Virgil waited,his breath caught in his throat for a response. There was nothing but static.
'GORDON, ALAN' Now Scott's voice, ' ARE YOU TWO ALRIGHT?'
Again nothing....
'GORDO!' Virgil found his voice, though it didn't sound like his own, it was shaky and high-pitched, 'ALAN! Please tell us you're ok.'
Again only the crackling of static answered him.
There was just deathly silence. Virgil liked nothing more than silence, as he had far too little of it coming from a large family, but now he'd give his right arm to hear a noise, a whimper, a movement... anything.
A loud sob, broke into his thoughts and his heart leapt wildly into his chest, but then it plummeted again like a rock as he recognized John's voice.
'They're dead aren't they?' he was gasping quietly, 'They're dead!'
Then Scott's voice, struggling for composure, 'NO JOHNNY!' he said, his own voice shaking, 'we can't think that way!'
'Then why aren't they answering?' Virgil heard himself ask.
'Well, the communicators could be damaged, their watches could be smashed, they could just be knocked out, there could be any number of reasons.' Scott replied, but it seemed to Virgil that he was trying to reassure himself just as much as his brothers.
'You can't just sit around!' John was saying his voice breaking, 'you've got to do something! I can't do anything up here and it's killing me. But you can!'
'What Johnny?' Virgil asked his voice rising, 'What can we do?'
John's voice was very quiet, 'Think of something' he answered, 'just think of something.'
Scott tried to think, he really tried, but there was no way they could get into the water until the fire was out, it was just too hot. He understood John's feelings of helplessness,
'We're just going to have to try and put the fire out as soon as possible'. He told his anguished brothers. 'Then we can get in there and do something!'
'That's not soon enough' cried Virgil's voice, filled with desperation.
'I know Virg' Scott replied, 'but it's the only way we can help them'.
Even as he said the words Scott took another look at the flaming ocean, 'how could anyone survive in that?' he asked himself, and then his defensive façade slipped and he broke down sobbing, with his head in his hands.
On the sea-bed all was silent too, the rig's debris was scattered all over the sea-bed, and the darkness of the depths was alight with the orange of the flames. Where she lay covered in debris TB4 was wedged between rocks, her sides were hideously twisted and she was upside down. No sound emerged from within her. Less than a mile away, the sub was in a worse state. It was pinned beneath layer upon layer of twisted metal, the sides and the roof had completley imploded, and again no sound emerged. Inside the craft blood pooled on the cold metal floor, the person it came from made no sound, they would never make a sound again. The water remained eerily silent and all that moved was the carcasses of hundreds of dead fish. The flames lit up the sea-bed casting a magnificent glow over both crafts, but nobody in either craft could see it.
ARGGGHHHHH. I hear you, you want to know what's happened to our Tracy twosome, don't worry all will be revealed in Chapter 9, but I can't guarantee you'll like it. There's a lot more to come yet, and the trouble's only just beginning............
WILL SCOTT AND VIRGIL PUT THE FIRE OUT? WILL JOHN GET TO DO ANYTHING? WHAT DOES JEFF FEEL GUILTY FOR? WILL GORDON AND ALAN SURVIVE?
FIND OUT IN CHAPTER 9 OF 'THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRACYS', 'UNDER THE SEA'.
Please review guys, I appreciate all of it, criticisms included.
There was a horrible groaning sound in the background. That John could only assume was the rig collapsing.
'VIRG, GET BACK!' Scott's voice was filled with fear, and John gripped TB5's desk so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
'Gordon, Alan!' came Virgil's voice and John exhaled with relief hearing that Virgil had obviously 'gotten back'. However his relief lasted for all of two seconds when he heard Virgil's next comment. 'Fire in the hole'.
'Oh God!' John thought to himself, 'the water must be alight!' Frantic, he reached for the radio, but heard Scott's voice before he could speak, 'THE RIG'S EXPLODED' he screamed, 'MOVE!' John's hand froze on the radio. His heart felt like it was going to burst right out of his chest. 'Move' he silently willed his brothers, 'get out of the way!'
His heart almost stopped when he heard Alan's voice, 'WHAT?' he said, in a frightened voice and then the radio in TB4 cut out.
John stood, in shock, the radios were silent, all he could hear was Scott and Virgil's ragged breathing.
'The rig's gone down' John said quietly to himself, 'and it's taken my brothers with it.'
Jeff Tracy sat at his desk, listening to the developing situation. It sounded like real trouble. He was panicked but keeping his composure. It wasn't until his sons started yelling, and he heard the groaning of the rig that his palms began to sweat, and he felt sick. 'Come on boys' he murmered, 'come on!' When he heard Scott's voice yelling that the rig was going over, and Virgil screaming at his youngest to get themselves out, he felt violently ill. When the airwaves became silent. Jeff raced from his desk, past a scared looking Kyrano and a crying Tin-Tin, and promptly threw up in the bathroom sink. 'Oh God Lucille' he whimpered, 'What have I done, what have I done?'
Scott's breaths were coming short and rapid as he struggled to return his breathing to normal. 'They'll be ok.' He told himself, 'they'll be fine!' But as he took another look at the flaming ocean, he felt less and less sure. 'Please God, save my little brothers!' he silently begged, 'you've got to save them.'
Virgil too, could do nothing but stare at the water. If the situation wasn't so appalling he would have admired the view. It wasn't every day that the sea was on fire. For miles around the water was alight with orange flames, flickering in the rising sun. But all he could think of was his brother's trapped beneath the surface. Dead or injured probably.
Shakily he reached for the transmittor, it seemed like years had passed since the remains of the rig had gone under, but Virgil knew it couldn't have been more than a minute.
Clasping his hands tightly around the reciever, he was about to speak when he heard John's anguished voice burst out.
'GORDON? ALAN?'
Virgil waited,his breath caught in his throat for a response. There was nothing but static.
'GORDON, ALAN' Now Scott's voice, ' ARE YOU TWO ALRIGHT?'
Again nothing....
'GORDO!' Virgil found his voice, though it didn't sound like his own, it was shaky and high-pitched, 'ALAN! Please tell us you're ok.'
Again only the crackling of static answered him.
There was just deathly silence. Virgil liked nothing more than silence, as he had far too little of it coming from a large family, but now he'd give his right arm to hear a noise, a whimper, a movement... anything.
A loud sob, broke into his thoughts and his heart leapt wildly into his chest, but then it plummeted again like a rock as he recognized John's voice.
'They're dead aren't they?' he was gasping quietly, 'They're dead!'
Then Scott's voice, struggling for composure, 'NO JOHNNY!' he said, his own voice shaking, 'we can't think that way!'
'Then why aren't they answering?' Virgil heard himself ask.
'Well, the communicators could be damaged, their watches could be smashed, they could just be knocked out, there could be any number of reasons.' Scott replied, but it seemed to Virgil that he was trying to reassure himself just as much as his brothers.
'You can't just sit around!' John was saying his voice breaking, 'you've got to do something! I can't do anything up here and it's killing me. But you can!'
'What Johnny?' Virgil asked his voice rising, 'What can we do?'
John's voice was very quiet, 'Think of something' he answered, 'just think of something.'
Scott tried to think, he really tried, but there was no way they could get into the water until the fire was out, it was just too hot. He understood John's feelings of helplessness,
'We're just going to have to try and put the fire out as soon as possible'. He told his anguished brothers. 'Then we can get in there and do something!'
'That's not soon enough' cried Virgil's voice, filled with desperation.
'I know Virg' Scott replied, 'but it's the only way we can help them'.
Even as he said the words Scott took another look at the flaming ocean, 'how could anyone survive in that?' he asked himself, and then his defensive façade slipped and he broke down sobbing, with his head in his hands.
On the sea-bed all was silent too, the rig's debris was scattered all over the sea-bed, and the darkness of the depths was alight with the orange of the flames. Where she lay covered in debris TB4 was wedged between rocks, her sides were hideously twisted and she was upside down. No sound emerged from within her. Less than a mile away, the sub was in a worse state. It was pinned beneath layer upon layer of twisted metal, the sides and the roof had completley imploded, and again no sound emerged. Inside the craft blood pooled on the cold metal floor, the person it came from made no sound, they would never make a sound again. The water remained eerily silent and all that moved was the carcasses of hundreds of dead fish. The flames lit up the sea-bed casting a magnificent glow over both crafts, but nobody in either craft could see it.
ARGGGHHHHH. I hear you, you want to know what's happened to our Tracy twosome, don't worry all will be revealed in Chapter 9, but I can't guarantee you'll like it. There's a lot more to come yet, and the trouble's only just beginning............
WILL SCOTT AND VIRGIL PUT THE FIRE OUT? WILL JOHN GET TO DO ANYTHING? WHAT DOES JEFF FEEL GUILTY FOR? WILL GORDON AND ALAN SURVIVE?
FIND OUT IN CHAPTER 9 OF 'THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRACYS', 'UNDER THE SEA'.
Please review guys, I appreciate all of it, criticisms included.