St Elmo's Fire
I'd only just recovered from the shock of seeing the 'Golden Empress' sink when there was a flash and Thunderbird Two started to shudder. What was really alarming was the eerie blue glow that pulsed momentarily outside the windows.
"Saint Elmo's Fire." Gordon explained quietly. "We've been hit by lighting."
Even as he was saying it I became aware that Virgil was speaking calmly. Not to us but to my fellow passengers down in the hold. "Attention everyone. I would like to apologise for the difficulties we are currently experiencing. We've been struck by lightning, but have suffered no major damage. We are climbing to above the storm where our flight should be smoother. Our apologies for any inconvenience." He switched off.
From my vantage point I could see Virgil struggling with the controls. The plane was still shuddering violently.
"What's wrong Virg.?" Gordon asked quietly.
"Slight tail damage." Virgil replied shortly.
Gordon looked at me and must have seen the fear in my face. "Don't worry." he said lightly, though I could see a sheen of sweat on his top lip. He leant closer confidentially. "He's the best pilot in the business. Only don't tell him I said so." He grinned.
"Don't worry, I heard." Came a voice from the front.
"You're not meant to be eavesdropping." Gordon rejoined. "You should be concentrating on getting us there in one piece."
Virgil must have taken the advice to heart, as there was no reply.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two. What's the situation Virgil?"
"Been hit by lightning. Tail damage. Minor." Concentration reduced Virgil's sentences down to the barest details.
"Can you still fly her safely?"
"F.A.B. Scott." Obviously safety, not security was foremost in Virgil's mind at the moment. "Bad vibration. But should be fine."
"Okay, Virgil. What's your plan of action?"
"Get above storm cell. Wind's causing the problem." As if wanting to underline Virgil's statement a lightning bolt flashed past the windows.
"Fine Virgil. I'll let base know." 'Scott' signed off.
For a while no one spoke. I closed my eyes and gripped the edge of my seat tightly.
I heard a noise and dared to open one eye. Gordon had brought a weather satellite picture up on screen. The display was filled with incomprehensible numbers and symbols. He looked and me and I opened the other eye. "Oh, you're awake." He feigned surprise. "I thought all this rocking had put you to sleep."
"Hardly" I said tightly.
"You won't have to put up with it much longer." He continued. "We're nearly above the storm."
Even as he spoke the rain started easing off and Thunderbird Two's shuddering started to reduce in intensity.
We emerged into a deep blue sky.
"We must be quite high up" I remarked.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two."
"Thunderbird Two receiving."
"I have visual on you. I'll get a photo of your tail section and send it through."
"Thanks, ah, Thunderbird One." I could hear caution in Virgil's voice.
"Don't worry about security now, Virgil." Gordon piped up. "You've already told Chris Scott's name."
"I have?" Virgil sounded surprised. "When?"
"Don't worry about it." Gordon told him.
A printer started chattering and Virgil turned his attention to his muttering something that sounded like "So much for security." Gordon grinned and gave me a wink.
Thunderbird Two had steadied enough that Gordon felt confident in undoing his safety harness and walking over to the pilots seat. I did not share his confidence and continued clinging to my seat.
The two men examined the photo closely and held a conference with Scott. I could hear snatches of conversation, but tried not to listen.
Eventually they came to a decision. Virgil re-opened the intercom to the passenger hold and medical bay. "Attention everyone. Thank you for your patience. We will now proceed to a nearby island to affect some repairs. When they are completed we will proceed to Anderson City where you will be met by a representative of the Gold Star Line..."
Gordon had resumed his seat beside me. "Scott's arranged it." He told me. "We decided that it would be safer to do the repairs now, although we'd probably be okay if we headed straight for Anderson City. - Now we sit back and wait for the complaints." On cue a quarrelsome voice came over the intercom. "Here we go." Gordon rolled his eyes. "There's always one."
"Young man," the voice - male - well to do - and nasal - was saying. "I refuse to be cooped up in this tin can..."
"Virgil's not going to like Two being called a 'tin can'" Gordon whispered.
"... for much longer. Our daughter will be most distressed. My wife certainly is. I demand that we be taken to Anderson City immediately!"
The man paused and Virgil had a chance to reply. If he was annoyed there was no sound of it in his voice. He was cool, calm and rational. "I'm sorry for all this inconvenience, but as I said, your next of kin, as listed on your boarding forms, will have been notified.
"Currently if we were to make our way directly to Anderson City, we will have to pass through the storm again. I promise you, this way you will have a much more comfortable trip."
"And what about our things left on the ship. We should have retrieved them." This was a female voice.
"I'm sorry that was not practicable." Virgil told her. "International Rescue's interest was in saving your lives. You will have to take it up with the Gold Star Line if there is any chance of retrieving your belongings." He muted the intercom. "Boy! Some people are never satisfied." Finally there was exasperation in his voice.
"Why didn't you just tell her the ship had sunk?" I asked.
He looked around the seat at me and grinned. For the first time I had a clear look at his face: brown eyes, tanned skin and a slightly older appearance than Gordon. "If I told them their precious belongings were at the bottom of the ocean they would have insisted that we send Thunderbird Four down to retrieve them. That kind of argument only upsets the rest of the passengers. He turned the intercom volume up.
There was a question from the Captain. "Some of the passengers were wondering if it would be in order to alight and stretch their legs while the repairs are undertaken."
"That would be quite in order." Virgil confirmed. "Only please, no photographs of our craft or personnel."
I'd only just recovered from the shock of seeing the 'Golden Empress' sink when there was a flash and Thunderbird Two started to shudder. What was really alarming was the eerie blue glow that pulsed momentarily outside the windows.
"Saint Elmo's Fire." Gordon explained quietly. "We've been hit by lighting."
Even as he was saying it I became aware that Virgil was speaking calmly. Not to us but to my fellow passengers down in the hold. "Attention everyone. I would like to apologise for the difficulties we are currently experiencing. We've been struck by lightning, but have suffered no major damage. We are climbing to above the storm where our flight should be smoother. Our apologies for any inconvenience." He switched off.
From my vantage point I could see Virgil struggling with the controls. The plane was still shuddering violently.
"What's wrong Virg.?" Gordon asked quietly.
"Slight tail damage." Virgil replied shortly.
Gordon looked at me and must have seen the fear in my face. "Don't worry." he said lightly, though I could see a sheen of sweat on his top lip. He leant closer confidentially. "He's the best pilot in the business. Only don't tell him I said so." He grinned.
"Don't worry, I heard." Came a voice from the front.
"You're not meant to be eavesdropping." Gordon rejoined. "You should be concentrating on getting us there in one piece."
Virgil must have taken the advice to heart, as there was no reply.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two. What's the situation Virgil?"
"Been hit by lightning. Tail damage. Minor." Concentration reduced Virgil's sentences down to the barest details.
"Can you still fly her safely?"
"F.A.B. Scott." Obviously safety, not security was foremost in Virgil's mind at the moment. "Bad vibration. But should be fine."
"Okay, Virgil. What's your plan of action?"
"Get above storm cell. Wind's causing the problem." As if wanting to underline Virgil's statement a lightning bolt flashed past the windows.
"Fine Virgil. I'll let base know." 'Scott' signed off.
For a while no one spoke. I closed my eyes and gripped the edge of my seat tightly.
I heard a noise and dared to open one eye. Gordon had brought a weather satellite picture up on screen. The display was filled with incomprehensible numbers and symbols. He looked and me and I opened the other eye. "Oh, you're awake." He feigned surprise. "I thought all this rocking had put you to sleep."
"Hardly" I said tightly.
"You won't have to put up with it much longer." He continued. "We're nearly above the storm."
Even as he spoke the rain started easing off and Thunderbird Two's shuddering started to reduce in intensity.
We emerged into a deep blue sky.
"We must be quite high up" I remarked.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two."
"Thunderbird Two receiving."
"I have visual on you. I'll get a photo of your tail section and send it through."
"Thanks, ah, Thunderbird One." I could hear caution in Virgil's voice.
"Don't worry about security now, Virgil." Gordon piped up. "You've already told Chris Scott's name."
"I have?" Virgil sounded surprised. "When?"
"Don't worry about it." Gordon told him.
A printer started chattering and Virgil turned his attention to his muttering something that sounded like "So much for security." Gordon grinned and gave me a wink.
Thunderbird Two had steadied enough that Gordon felt confident in undoing his safety harness and walking over to the pilots seat. I did not share his confidence and continued clinging to my seat.
The two men examined the photo closely and held a conference with Scott. I could hear snatches of conversation, but tried not to listen.
Eventually they came to a decision. Virgil re-opened the intercom to the passenger hold and medical bay. "Attention everyone. Thank you for your patience. We will now proceed to a nearby island to affect some repairs. When they are completed we will proceed to Anderson City where you will be met by a representative of the Gold Star Line..."
Gordon had resumed his seat beside me. "Scott's arranged it." He told me. "We decided that it would be safer to do the repairs now, although we'd probably be okay if we headed straight for Anderson City. - Now we sit back and wait for the complaints." On cue a quarrelsome voice came over the intercom. "Here we go." Gordon rolled his eyes. "There's always one."
"Young man," the voice - male - well to do - and nasal - was saying. "I refuse to be cooped up in this tin can..."
"Virgil's not going to like Two being called a 'tin can'" Gordon whispered.
"... for much longer. Our daughter will be most distressed. My wife certainly is. I demand that we be taken to Anderson City immediately!"
The man paused and Virgil had a chance to reply. If he was annoyed there was no sound of it in his voice. He was cool, calm and rational. "I'm sorry for all this inconvenience, but as I said, your next of kin, as listed on your boarding forms, will have been notified.
"Currently if we were to make our way directly to Anderson City, we will have to pass through the storm again. I promise you, this way you will have a much more comfortable trip."
"And what about our things left on the ship. We should have retrieved them." This was a female voice.
"I'm sorry that was not practicable." Virgil told her. "International Rescue's interest was in saving your lives. You will have to take it up with the Gold Star Line if there is any chance of retrieving your belongings." He muted the intercom. "Boy! Some people are never satisfied." Finally there was exasperation in his voice.
"Why didn't you just tell her the ship had sunk?" I asked.
He looked around the seat at me and grinned. For the first time I had a clear look at his face: brown eyes, tanned skin and a slightly older appearance than Gordon. "If I told them their precious belongings were at the bottom of the ocean they would have insisted that we send Thunderbird Four down to retrieve them. That kind of argument only upsets the rest of the passengers. He turned the intercom volume up.
There was a question from the Captain. "Some of the passengers were wondering if it would be in order to alight and stretch their legs while the repairs are undertaken."
"That would be quite in order." Virgil confirmed. "Only please, no photographs of our craft or personnel."