Participation II - Three.
1 = first name
5 = country
After hurriedly packing, and taking the time to safely store some of my more precious and fragile items, I found myself with Alan and Trixie at the airport.
Alan left us, while he went to do the necessary bits and pieces required, before we were able to leave in the Tracy jet.
"Do you think we'll be safe?" I asked Trixie. "You've seen what he's done to my house."
"Don't worry about it." She reassured me. "Jeff wouldn't let him near the plane if he wasn't sure that he could pilot it safely."
Alan came back, whistling quietly to himself. "Ready?" he asked.
"Ready and waiting." I replied.
"I'll take Trixie's bag." He offered. "Do you mind bringing your own, 1?"
"Not a problem." I didn't think I'd be staying for long, and doubted that I'd need my winter woollies, so I'd packed light. I picked up my bag and followed Alan and Trixie across the concourse.
Alan was a gentleman, assisting Trixie into the plane, showing us to our seats, and making sure that our safety harnesses were done up correctly. "Can I get you anything, before we take off?" he asked anxiously. I had a feeling he was trying to make amends for the damage he'd done to my home.
"No I'm fine thanks, Alan. How about you, Trixie?"
"I'm fine too. Come on Alan, quit stalling, I'm dying to see your place."
With a grin Alan climbed into the pilots seat.
We'd gone through all the formalities and had cleared 5's airspace, when Alan started making conversation.
"So 1. How are you enjoying being an agent of International Rescue?" he said over his shoulder.
"At the moment it's fine. I haven't had to do anything except learn a few new skills. That first aid course you guys put me through was a real eye opener."
"I hear you passed with flying colours."
I felt embarrassed. "I did quite well, yes."
"I haven't heard - has International Rescue required your services at all?" he asked.
"No. Things have been pretty quiet. Trixie and I thought that we heard someone plotting against you when we were in the park the other day, but it was just some children playing."
We were quiet for a while.
"Is everyone at home at the moment?" I eventually asked, looking for something to say.
"You mean apart from Brains, Gordon, Tin-Tin, me and John up in Thunderbird Five? Yes. Virgil and Scott had some work to do on their respective Thunderbirds. Dad's just got back from a meeting in New York. He took Grandma along with him to do some shopping. Kyrano's garden's at a crucial stage and he didn't want to leave it. Normally Gordon and I wouldn't both be off the island at once, but Brains needed the help. Not that I was much help." He finished bitterly.
Suddenly I felt sorry for him.
"You know, I haven't met Virgil or John yet." Trixie said.
"I know Virgil," he'd rescued me from that madman when I'd been kidnapped. I was looking forward to seeing him again. "But I've only spoken to John over the radio."
"He's the quiet one, always stargazing." Alan informed us. "That's why he's suited to being cooped up in Thunderbird Five."
Alan didn't strike me as being quiet. "So why is it that you are the one replacing him?"
He shrugged. "I'm an astronaut."
"And a racing car driver!" Trixie exclaimed. "You must love going fast."
"Nothing like it." His face held a devilish grin. "The speed, the danger." He checked the radar. "How'd you two feel like a bit of aerobatics?"
"Ohhh, yes!" Trixie enthused.
Me - I was not so enthusiastic.
"Right. Is everything secured? You're both strapped in tight?"
We assured him that we were.
"Here we go." He turned the yoke to the right and the jet rolled over till we were flying upside down. We stayed like this for a moment and then we were climbing up towards the heavens.
"Wheeee." Trixie yelled.
We spun about the vertical and reversed our direction into a dive.
I'd had enough. "Uh, Alan." I started checking the back of the seats closest to me.
"Yes 1?"
"Do you have any, you know, ...air sick bags..."
He looked horrified. "Sorry 1." He steadied the plane and handed me a bag. "I got carried away." I tried breathing deeply to ease my tortured stomach.
Trixie looked mildly disappointed that her fun had ended.
"Are you okay 1?" Alan asked.
I was still feeling green about the gills. "I'll live."
"Ah, you won't mention this to Dad will you?" He was looking like a guilty schoolboy now.
"As long as you promise not to do that again, while I'm on board."
"I promise!" he said with evident relief.
The rest of the flight was a sedate affair. Trixie dozed off to sleep, snoring gently.
"1?" Alan whispered.
"Yes Alan?" I said equally quietly.
"If you'd like to come up here into the co-pilots seat, I'll show you one of the reasons flying's so great."
Mystified I undid my safety harness and made my way into the cockpit.
The scene ahead took my breath away.
We were above the clouds and the sun was low in the sky. But what caught the eye and the imagination was the array of colours scattered out from that fiery ball. Reds, oranges, yellows, even purples were displayed out before us, an artist's palette of unimaginable beauty.
"Wow!" was all I could say.
Alan grinned. "Amazing isn't it. No matter how many times I see this, I always get a kick out of it. You just don't see views like this from the land, or from space either for that matter."
"But the view from space must be something else again." I said. "It's something that I've always wanted to do... to see the Earth as so few people have seen it..."
"I get a kick from that too. I'm up in Thunderbird Three, heading back from a rescue on the moon, or near the sun, and I look at Planet Earth and wonder how anyone can even consider desecrating it, when the rest of space is so inhospitable. From out there Earth seems so small. Just a blue-green marble on a black table top. And yet that's my home. The place that can produce scenes like this..."
I looked back out over the multi-hued clouds, drinking in the sight. Trying to etch it forever into my memory.
Finally the colours disappeared. I heard Trixie stir and made my way back into the cabin.
"Have I missed anything?" she asked sleepily.
I couldn't disappoint her. "Alan and I were talking about what it's like to be out in space."
Trixie pulled a face. "That's something I've never wanted to do. Call me silly, but the idea of actually being out in space, where there's no air, frightens me."
I was surprised. Trixie was always keen to try anything.
Eventually a dot appeared on the horizon.
"There it is!" Alan said. "Tracy Island."
Trixie strained to get her first glimpse. "It seems so small. However do you find it in this big ocean?"
"Oh, we don't always. Sometimes we miss it..." Alan teased her.
It was with great relief, and more than a little excitement that we finally touched done on the volcanic isle. Both Trixie and I were peering out the windows, taking in the vistas of this tropical paradise that was to be our home for the next few days.
Jeff Tracy was there to meet us. "Welcome to International Rescue's base." He greeted us. "Did you have a good trip?" He'd noticed the securely sealed bag I held in my hand.
I saw Alan stiffen slightly as he unloaded our cases, but I'd thought about how I'd answer this question without implicating him. "Could have been better Jeff. I guess I'm not the best traveller, but I've got no complaints about Alan's piloting abilities." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alan relax.
Obviously Jeff hadn't been the father of his sons for all those years without learning about their traits, and I guessed that he'd seen Alan's reaction to his question when he said... "You mean he took you on a bit of a roller coaster ride."
I couldn't lie. "Only a small one. And I never felt in any danger."
"And I loved it!" Trixie said. "So don't you tell that young man off!"
Jeff chuckled benignly. "Okay, I won't." He took my bags, leaving Alan with Trixie's. "Come on, I'll show you to the house. We're still getting your rooms ready."
1 = first name
5 = country
After hurriedly packing, and taking the time to safely store some of my more precious and fragile items, I found myself with Alan and Trixie at the airport.
Alan left us, while he went to do the necessary bits and pieces required, before we were able to leave in the Tracy jet.
"Do you think we'll be safe?" I asked Trixie. "You've seen what he's done to my house."
"Don't worry about it." She reassured me. "Jeff wouldn't let him near the plane if he wasn't sure that he could pilot it safely."
Alan came back, whistling quietly to himself. "Ready?" he asked.
"Ready and waiting." I replied.
"I'll take Trixie's bag." He offered. "Do you mind bringing your own, 1?"
"Not a problem." I didn't think I'd be staying for long, and doubted that I'd need my winter woollies, so I'd packed light. I picked up my bag and followed Alan and Trixie across the concourse.
Alan was a gentleman, assisting Trixie into the plane, showing us to our seats, and making sure that our safety harnesses were done up correctly. "Can I get you anything, before we take off?" he asked anxiously. I had a feeling he was trying to make amends for the damage he'd done to my home.
"No I'm fine thanks, Alan. How about you, Trixie?"
"I'm fine too. Come on Alan, quit stalling, I'm dying to see your place."
With a grin Alan climbed into the pilots seat.
We'd gone through all the formalities and had cleared 5's airspace, when Alan started making conversation.
"So 1. How are you enjoying being an agent of International Rescue?" he said over his shoulder.
"At the moment it's fine. I haven't had to do anything except learn a few new skills. That first aid course you guys put me through was a real eye opener."
"I hear you passed with flying colours."
I felt embarrassed. "I did quite well, yes."
"I haven't heard - has International Rescue required your services at all?" he asked.
"No. Things have been pretty quiet. Trixie and I thought that we heard someone plotting against you when we were in the park the other day, but it was just some children playing."
We were quiet for a while.
"Is everyone at home at the moment?" I eventually asked, looking for something to say.
"You mean apart from Brains, Gordon, Tin-Tin, me and John up in Thunderbird Five? Yes. Virgil and Scott had some work to do on their respective Thunderbirds. Dad's just got back from a meeting in New York. He took Grandma along with him to do some shopping. Kyrano's garden's at a crucial stage and he didn't want to leave it. Normally Gordon and I wouldn't both be off the island at once, but Brains needed the help. Not that I was much help." He finished bitterly.
Suddenly I felt sorry for him.
"You know, I haven't met Virgil or John yet." Trixie said.
"I know Virgil," he'd rescued me from that madman when I'd been kidnapped. I was looking forward to seeing him again. "But I've only spoken to John over the radio."
"He's the quiet one, always stargazing." Alan informed us. "That's why he's suited to being cooped up in Thunderbird Five."
Alan didn't strike me as being quiet. "So why is it that you are the one replacing him?"
He shrugged. "I'm an astronaut."
"And a racing car driver!" Trixie exclaimed. "You must love going fast."
"Nothing like it." His face held a devilish grin. "The speed, the danger." He checked the radar. "How'd you two feel like a bit of aerobatics?"
"Ohhh, yes!" Trixie enthused.
Me - I was not so enthusiastic.
"Right. Is everything secured? You're both strapped in tight?"
We assured him that we were.
"Here we go." He turned the yoke to the right and the jet rolled over till we were flying upside down. We stayed like this for a moment and then we were climbing up towards the heavens.
"Wheeee." Trixie yelled.
We spun about the vertical and reversed our direction into a dive.
I'd had enough. "Uh, Alan." I started checking the back of the seats closest to me.
"Yes 1?"
"Do you have any, you know, ...air sick bags..."
He looked horrified. "Sorry 1." He steadied the plane and handed me a bag. "I got carried away." I tried breathing deeply to ease my tortured stomach.
Trixie looked mildly disappointed that her fun had ended.
"Are you okay 1?" Alan asked.
I was still feeling green about the gills. "I'll live."
"Ah, you won't mention this to Dad will you?" He was looking like a guilty schoolboy now.
"As long as you promise not to do that again, while I'm on board."
"I promise!" he said with evident relief.
The rest of the flight was a sedate affair. Trixie dozed off to sleep, snoring gently.
"1?" Alan whispered.
"Yes Alan?" I said equally quietly.
"If you'd like to come up here into the co-pilots seat, I'll show you one of the reasons flying's so great."
Mystified I undid my safety harness and made my way into the cockpit.
The scene ahead took my breath away.
We were above the clouds and the sun was low in the sky. But what caught the eye and the imagination was the array of colours scattered out from that fiery ball. Reds, oranges, yellows, even purples were displayed out before us, an artist's palette of unimaginable beauty.
"Wow!" was all I could say.
Alan grinned. "Amazing isn't it. No matter how many times I see this, I always get a kick out of it. You just don't see views like this from the land, or from space either for that matter."
"But the view from space must be something else again." I said. "It's something that I've always wanted to do... to see the Earth as so few people have seen it..."
"I get a kick from that too. I'm up in Thunderbird Three, heading back from a rescue on the moon, or near the sun, and I look at Planet Earth and wonder how anyone can even consider desecrating it, when the rest of space is so inhospitable. From out there Earth seems so small. Just a blue-green marble on a black table top. And yet that's my home. The place that can produce scenes like this..."
I looked back out over the multi-hued clouds, drinking in the sight. Trying to etch it forever into my memory.
Finally the colours disappeared. I heard Trixie stir and made my way back into the cabin.
"Have I missed anything?" she asked sleepily.
I couldn't disappoint her. "Alan and I were talking about what it's like to be out in space."
Trixie pulled a face. "That's something I've never wanted to do. Call me silly, but the idea of actually being out in space, where there's no air, frightens me."
I was surprised. Trixie was always keen to try anything.
Eventually a dot appeared on the horizon.
"There it is!" Alan said. "Tracy Island."
Trixie strained to get her first glimpse. "It seems so small. However do you find it in this big ocean?"
"Oh, we don't always. Sometimes we miss it..." Alan teased her.
It was with great relief, and more than a little excitement that we finally touched done on the volcanic isle. Both Trixie and I were peering out the windows, taking in the vistas of this tropical paradise that was to be our home for the next few days.
Jeff Tracy was there to meet us. "Welcome to International Rescue's base." He greeted us. "Did you have a good trip?" He'd noticed the securely sealed bag I held in my hand.
I saw Alan stiffen slightly as he unloaded our cases, but I'd thought about how I'd answer this question without implicating him. "Could have been better Jeff. I guess I'm not the best traveller, but I've got no complaints about Alan's piloting abilities." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alan relax.
Obviously Jeff hadn't been the father of his sons for all those years without learning about their traits, and I guessed that he'd seen Alan's reaction to his question when he said... "You mean he took you on a bit of a roller coaster ride."
I couldn't lie. "Only a small one. And I never felt in any danger."
"And I loved it!" Trixie said. "So don't you tell that young man off!"
Jeff chuckled benignly. "Okay, I won't." He took my bags, leaving Alan with Trixie's. "Come on, I'll show you to the house. We're still getting your rooms ready."
