Participation II - Sixteen.
1 = first name
Through my closed eyelids I sensed that the light from the sun was suddenly blocked off. I opened my eyes.
Jeff Tracy was standing before me. "Come with me." He ordered. I hesitated and he grabbed me by the arm and, ignoring my protests, dragged me off the deckchair and back up the steps to the villa.
As I hobbled along, trying to keep up with him, I looked about wildly trying to find someone to help me, someone to explain what was going on, someone to tell me what was going to happen.
The house appeared to be deserted.
We stopped momentarily outside the door to Brains laboratory. I hadn't been inside and it was with some trepidation that I watched Jeff key in the access code and the door slide back.
I only had enough time to realise that this room was deserted also, before I was once again dragged against my wishes. We made our way around work benches, Bunsen Burners, test tubes and other scientific paraphernalia.
We stopped outside another door. Jeff released his grip on me and I stood there, shivering quietly as he keyed in the access code, placed his hand on a palm reader and said into a microphone, "Elimination!"
It was the only thing he'd said since he'd first grabbed me.
The door slid open. Behind it another slid upwards. Behind that a third swung inwards to allow us access.
Wherever we were going, it was well protected.
Once again I was grabbed by the arm and pulled against my will. We entered a long dark hallway. I became aware that the hall was sloping downwards.
We reached some steps. Without stopping or checking to see that I was alright, Jeff ploughed onwards and downwards. We were going underground.
As the stairwell twisted and turned it grew darker and colder. I put my hands on the stone wall to steady myself and my fingers came away coated in slime.
I didn't like this place.
I was frightened.
We reached the bottom and Jeff threw me forward. I landed on the cold stone floor and lay there gasping slightly.
A light came on. So bright, that at first I was blinded. I put my hand to my eyes to protect them. As they adjusted to the light I lowered my hand and looked around.
I was in a room.
A white room.
The was only one item of furniture present in this room. It was a chair with a devilish array of wires and straps.
A sound from the other side of the room made me turn.
The five Tracy boys were standing with their backs to the wall. Gordon, Alan, John, Virgil and Scott. They all had their hands behind their backs. They all looked uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable.
Jeff Tracy stepped into my line of vision. He said nothing but made a gesture.
I let out a startled cry as two pair of hands grabbed me by the arms and dragged me backwards towards the chair. "What's going on?" I asked Kyrano and Tin-Tin.
They smiled at me as they tied the straps that would hold my arms, feet, torso and head immobile.
"Tin-Tin." I pleaded again. "What's going on?"
She said nothing, but stood back to allow Brains to pick up a metal band, linked to an array of multicoloured wires. This he placed on my head. I winced as he started turning small screws that dug into my skin.
"B-Brains?" I stuttered.
"Quiet 1." He ordered.
When he'd finished he stood back with a satisfied expression. "We're ready Mr Tracy."
"Thank you Brains." Jeff Tracy smiled at the young scientist, but there was no mirth in his face. "Mother!"
Mrs Tracy stepped forward and handed her son a gun.
I swallowed again. This wasn't looking good.
But, to my surprise, Jeff suddenly turned his back on me. In one fluid motion he raised the gun and fired!
Gordon slumped to the floor. There was no sign of injury, but I knew he would never move again. His brothers looked at his still body in horror and then back at their father in fear.
"That..." said Jeff as he swapped the gun with a larger one handed to him by his mother.
The next round caused Alan to drop like a stone.
"...is what..." Jeff was exchanging guns again. This one was larger. With a bit more of an effort he levelled it at John and pulled the trigger. John spun around before hitting the floor. I could then see that his hands were tied behind his back.
"...I do..." the next gun was a bazooka. The force of the projectile knocked Virgil off his feet and into the wall behind. He slid to the ground and didn't move.
I couldn't look away. The straps held my head firm.
"..to Failures!" The next gun was a monster. He pointed it at Scott. Even from my vantage point I could see that the eldest son was shaking.
"Father..." He protested.
Whatever he was going to say was obliterated in a shower of iron, wood and plaster as the gun took out not only him but also much of the surrounding wall and ceiling.
Iron I-beams reigned down upon the five youngest members of the Tracy clan.
Ignoring this carnage Jeff handed the gun back to his mother, who carried it with surprising ease and propped it up against the wall.
Then he turned back to me.
I waited for what was to come next.
He pointed out his arm and another chair slid into view. A chair similar to the one I was currently incarcerated in. Seated in it was Trixie Trickey. Unlike me she was not bound to the chair, but she showed no inclination to move. She stared out into the middle distance with no recognition of her surroundings or her own predicament.
Jeff Tracy waved his hand in front of her face and nothing registered on those ninety-four year old features.
"Now it is your turn, 1." he said mocking me. "Do you still want to be part of International Rescue, 1?"
Brains stepped forward with a hypodermic needle and rested his hand on my arm in preparation for the injection. I became aware that there was a hole in my sleeve, ready for the needle.
Jeff was still taunting me. "Well 1? 1?"
His voice changed. It softened and sounded younger. "1. 1... Wake up 1."
With a jolt I opened my eyes. Gordon had his hand on my arm. "Pleasant dreams?" he asked with a grin.
"Not particularly." I noticed that the shadows had lengthened considerably. I'd obviously slept for a long time.
"I've come to tell you it's dinner time. And to see if you would like a hand."
I felt stiff all over. "I'd love one thanks." I swung my feet to the ground so that I was sitting up and then hesitated. "Am I still welcome at the table?"
"You mean Dad? Even if you aren't, you're still a guest at our house and Grandma would make sure that he minded his manners..."
I tried to be independent as I made my way back up the stairs, but decided that I hated using the cane. "Guess it's the wrong size for me."
"Here. Take my arm."
Dinner was very tense. Trixie didn't join us. Mrs Tracy said that she'd felt tired after the day's events and had decided to retire early.
No one said anything much. At one point Gordon tried to ease the atmosphere by telling a joke. If we'd been eating pancakes it couldn't have fallen flatter.
After dinner I too excused myself. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The idea of sleep wasn't particularly enticing, but it was either a case of lie down or fall down.
As I lay back on the soft bed I reviewed the days events and wondered what tomorrow would bring...
1 = first name
Through my closed eyelids I sensed that the light from the sun was suddenly blocked off. I opened my eyes.
Jeff Tracy was standing before me. "Come with me." He ordered. I hesitated and he grabbed me by the arm and, ignoring my protests, dragged me off the deckchair and back up the steps to the villa.
As I hobbled along, trying to keep up with him, I looked about wildly trying to find someone to help me, someone to explain what was going on, someone to tell me what was going to happen.
The house appeared to be deserted.
We stopped momentarily outside the door to Brains laboratory. I hadn't been inside and it was with some trepidation that I watched Jeff key in the access code and the door slide back.
I only had enough time to realise that this room was deserted also, before I was once again dragged against my wishes. We made our way around work benches, Bunsen Burners, test tubes and other scientific paraphernalia.
We stopped outside another door. Jeff released his grip on me and I stood there, shivering quietly as he keyed in the access code, placed his hand on a palm reader and said into a microphone, "Elimination!"
It was the only thing he'd said since he'd first grabbed me.
The door slid open. Behind it another slid upwards. Behind that a third swung inwards to allow us access.
Wherever we were going, it was well protected.
Once again I was grabbed by the arm and pulled against my will. We entered a long dark hallway. I became aware that the hall was sloping downwards.
We reached some steps. Without stopping or checking to see that I was alright, Jeff ploughed onwards and downwards. We were going underground.
As the stairwell twisted and turned it grew darker and colder. I put my hands on the stone wall to steady myself and my fingers came away coated in slime.
I didn't like this place.
I was frightened.
We reached the bottom and Jeff threw me forward. I landed on the cold stone floor and lay there gasping slightly.
A light came on. So bright, that at first I was blinded. I put my hand to my eyes to protect them. As they adjusted to the light I lowered my hand and looked around.
I was in a room.
A white room.
The was only one item of furniture present in this room. It was a chair with a devilish array of wires and straps.
A sound from the other side of the room made me turn.
The five Tracy boys were standing with their backs to the wall. Gordon, Alan, John, Virgil and Scott. They all had their hands behind their backs. They all looked uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable.
Jeff Tracy stepped into my line of vision. He said nothing but made a gesture.
I let out a startled cry as two pair of hands grabbed me by the arms and dragged me backwards towards the chair. "What's going on?" I asked Kyrano and Tin-Tin.
They smiled at me as they tied the straps that would hold my arms, feet, torso and head immobile.
"Tin-Tin." I pleaded again. "What's going on?"
She said nothing, but stood back to allow Brains to pick up a metal band, linked to an array of multicoloured wires. This he placed on my head. I winced as he started turning small screws that dug into my skin.
"B-Brains?" I stuttered.
"Quiet 1." He ordered.
When he'd finished he stood back with a satisfied expression. "We're ready Mr Tracy."
"Thank you Brains." Jeff Tracy smiled at the young scientist, but there was no mirth in his face. "Mother!"
Mrs Tracy stepped forward and handed her son a gun.
I swallowed again. This wasn't looking good.
But, to my surprise, Jeff suddenly turned his back on me. In one fluid motion he raised the gun and fired!
Gordon slumped to the floor. There was no sign of injury, but I knew he would never move again. His brothers looked at his still body in horror and then back at their father in fear.
"That..." said Jeff as he swapped the gun with a larger one handed to him by his mother.
The next round caused Alan to drop like a stone.
"...is what..." Jeff was exchanging guns again. This one was larger. With a bit more of an effort he levelled it at John and pulled the trigger. John spun around before hitting the floor. I could then see that his hands were tied behind his back.
"...I do..." the next gun was a bazooka. The force of the projectile knocked Virgil off his feet and into the wall behind. He slid to the ground and didn't move.
I couldn't look away. The straps held my head firm.
"..to Failures!" The next gun was a monster. He pointed it at Scott. Even from my vantage point I could see that the eldest son was shaking.
"Father..." He protested.
Whatever he was going to say was obliterated in a shower of iron, wood and plaster as the gun took out not only him but also much of the surrounding wall and ceiling.
Iron I-beams reigned down upon the five youngest members of the Tracy clan.
Ignoring this carnage Jeff handed the gun back to his mother, who carried it with surprising ease and propped it up against the wall.
Then he turned back to me.
I waited for what was to come next.
He pointed out his arm and another chair slid into view. A chair similar to the one I was currently incarcerated in. Seated in it was Trixie Trickey. Unlike me she was not bound to the chair, but she showed no inclination to move. She stared out into the middle distance with no recognition of her surroundings or her own predicament.
Jeff Tracy waved his hand in front of her face and nothing registered on those ninety-four year old features.
"Now it is your turn, 1." he said mocking me. "Do you still want to be part of International Rescue, 1?"
Brains stepped forward with a hypodermic needle and rested his hand on my arm in preparation for the injection. I became aware that there was a hole in my sleeve, ready for the needle.
Jeff was still taunting me. "Well 1? 1?"
His voice changed. It softened and sounded younger. "1. 1... Wake up 1."
With a jolt I opened my eyes. Gordon had his hand on my arm. "Pleasant dreams?" he asked with a grin.
"Not particularly." I noticed that the shadows had lengthened considerably. I'd obviously slept for a long time.
"I've come to tell you it's dinner time. And to see if you would like a hand."
I felt stiff all over. "I'd love one thanks." I swung my feet to the ground so that I was sitting up and then hesitated. "Am I still welcome at the table?"
"You mean Dad? Even if you aren't, you're still a guest at our house and Grandma would make sure that he minded his manners..."
I tried to be independent as I made my way back up the stairs, but decided that I hated using the cane. "Guess it's the wrong size for me."
"Here. Take my arm."
Dinner was very tense. Trixie didn't join us. Mrs Tracy said that she'd felt tired after the day's events and had decided to retire early.
No one said anything much. At one point Gordon tried to ease the atmosphere by telling a joke. If we'd been eating pancakes it couldn't have fallen flatter.
After dinner I too excused myself. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The idea of sleep wasn't particularly enticing, but it was either a case of lie down or fall down.
As I lay back on the soft bed I reviewed the days events and wondered what tomorrow would bring...
