Five
John took a deep breath before establishing a connection with home. His father's visage came on screen. John saw Jeff frown as he took in his son's pale features.
"What's wrong John?"
"The good news is that the scientists have managed to escape safely, without our help."
Jeff knew how this particular game worked. "And the bad news?" He glanced over to the doorway as Alan, Tin-Tin and Gordon walked in. On a sofa behind him he heard his mother put down her knitting. The tapping sounds of a computer keyboard stopped as Brains looked up from where he was working.
"The second of the generators has exploded. Scott was caught by the blast." John heard exclamations from others in the room, but concentrated on his father.
"Is he badly hurt?"
"It was a bit hard to tell. Virgil was fixing him up when I made contact. Virgil'd say one thing and then sign something different. I think he was trying to keep the worst from Scott."
Jeff became aware that Brains was at his side. "C-Can you describe the n-nature of the injuries, John?"
Feeling sick, John relayed back, almost word for word what Virgil had said and signed. "There's two other things too, Brains. Scott made the comment that he thinks he's blind and as Virgil was taking off his communicator I got a good look at Scott's face..."
"A-And..."
"It didn't look to healthy. If you need it, later I can send pictures..."
"Th-Thanks, John. I'll let you know."
"Can you tell us anything else, John?" Jeff asked.
"Only that Virgil's using one hoverbike to get them back to The Mole. He said he'd take Thunderbird One home, drop Scott off and pick up Alan to retrieve Thunderbird Two. I'll keep you appraised of any developments."
"Good John. Keep in contact with Virgil. I want to know immediately there's any deterioration in Scott's condition or if they run into any problems."
"F-A-B Dad." John's portrait resumed its usual position.
Jeff closed his eyes for an instant to try to make some sense of what he'd just learnt. When he opened them again his family and friends were looking at them. He hadn't even heard Kyrano enter the room, but the look on his friends face told him that he knew what had happened.
"Will he be alright Brains?" Gordon was the first to find his voice.
"I-I don't know Gordon. W-without making a physical assessment, th-there is no way of telling. S-Scott may be suffering from a t-temporary retinal blindness or..."
"Or it may be something more permanent." Jeff finished the statement for the young scientist. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime we want everything ready for when they reach home. Brains and Tin-Tin you can get the infirmary ready. Alan, do you want to put in some time on Thunderbird One's simulator?"
Alan readily agreed, more out of a desire to do something constructive, than out of a need to refresh himself on the sensitive controls of International Rescue's rocket plane.
Everyone scattered. Brains and Tin-Tin in the direction of the sick-bay, Alan for the simulator room, Kyrano to put the kettle on and Grandma Tracy headed off to do, whatever she did whenever there was a crisis.
Jeff thought he was alone in the lounge until he heard Gordon's sigh. "What can I do Dad?"
Jeff felt empathy for his son. At this moment he too was at a loss to what he could do to help. He could only think of one suggestion. "Go and keep an eye on Alan."
"Okay." Gordon said unenthusiastically before turning and, head down, wandering slowly out of the room.
***
The rumbling roar died away and silence overtook them. Virgil sat up and wiped the dust out of his eyes. "Scott! Are you okay?"
Still lying facedown on the floor Scott nodded and succeeded in banging his forehead again. The burst of pain caused him to inhale suddenly. He began choking on a lungful of dust. He sat up, coughing uncontrollably on the irritant.
"Take it easy." Virgil supported his brother as he fought to gain his breath. "Calm down and take deep breaths."
"What - happened?" Scott eventually managed to gasp out.
"I'd say that was generator number three."
"Which means that number four is likely to go at any time."
"I think that would be a good supposition." Still supporting Scott with one hand Virgil managed to open the storage compartment in the hoverbike and withdraw a water bottle. "Here," he pressed it into Scott's hand, "have a drink."
He looked at the hoverbike. It was covered in a thick coating of dust. Experimentally he tried to start it. It gave a sick whirr and stalled.
"Filter's blocked?" Scott suggested.
"I'd say so. It'll only take a moment to clean out." Virgil flicked the appropriate switch. The blast of compressed air sent the filter flying out of the hoverbike and across the room, crashing into the opposing wall, before ending up on the floor.
"What was that?" Scott asked in alarm.
Virgil picked up the filter. What had started out as a bad day was turning worse. "Would you believe that something Brains invented hasn't worked?"
"No."
"Well in that case I won't tell you that the filters been blown out of its fitting and has broken into three."
"Thanks for not telling me." Scott said dryly. "Can you fix it?"
"I'll give it a go." Virgil set to work with International Rescue's version of duct tape.
***
"Calling International Rescue. Calling International Rescue. This is Regnad Corp." A now familiar voice accosted John up in Thunderbird Five.
"Go ahead."
"Thought you'd want to know that the third generator has blown. It's the one that controls the water pump. Without that in operation the river level's going to start rising. There's no sign of your men yet. Are they alright?"
John's blood ran cold. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll check them out and get back to you."
"Thanks. I hope they're okay..."
"Yeah, so do I." John muttered to himself as he reactivated the link to Virgil's watch.
"Aw John." Virgil muttered through a mouthful of duct tape. "Your timing's terrible." Both his hands were full with tape and bits of filter. He stuck the tape that he'd been holding in his mouth, to the back of his hand, knowing that he'd regret it later when it came time to remove it. But at the moment it was the cleanest surface he had available. Gingerly holding the filter together he walked over to Scott and knelt down in front of him. "My hands are full. Can you get my watch off my wrist and talk to John?"
"Sure." Scott managed the task with relative ease, freeing Virgil up to complete his repair work.
John was surprised to see Scott's bandaged face and not Virgil's staring at him. "Scott! Where's Virgil!"
"Doing some running repairs at the moment. Have you heard the third generator's exploded?"
"Yeah. It's the one connected to the water pump. That's why I called. What's happened?"
Scott explained about the filter. "Virgil's trying to fix it now." There was a stifled yelp of pain from Virgil as he ripped the tape off his exposed skin. "At least that's what I think he's doing."
Carefully Virgil managed to squeeze the battered filter back into position, before fixing it in place with more duct tape. "Okay that should do us. Fingers crossed." He pushed the start button. The hoverbike gave a cough and started idling.
"Nice one Virg." Scott congratulated his brother. "Looks like we're on our way again John."
"Good. Keep in touch. The rivers probably starting rising. The sooner you guys get out of there the better."
"Our sentiments exactly." Virgil agreed taking the watch back off Scott. "But it may not be that easy. The last explosion was down the corridor where we were going to go. Who knows what obstructions we'll find."
"Well, we'll only find out by getting going." Scott handed his water bottle back to Virgil and managed to stand unaided.
"We'll keep you posted John." Virgil finished the transmission and took a swig from his own water bottle before replacing the two of them in the compartment. He then assisted Scott back on to the hoverbike. "It's not perfect and we'll have to take it slowly, but it'll be easier than walking." He got into the driver's seat and set the motor into operation. "Well one things that's changed." He said over his shoulder. "The hallway's not so clean now. There's dust and dirt everywhere. Not to mention smoke."
"Smoke!" Scott was concerned.
"Not a lot. I'd say the ventilation system is still operational and is drawing the smoke away from us."
Once again they set off, this time hopefully to safety.
***
John kept his promise and quickly appraised the man from Regnad Corp.
"You do realise that if the turbines aren't working they'll act as a dam!" The man said. "The water'll have no where to go! Your colleagues had better hope that they can get out quickly."
***
Scott's head was down. He was trying to maintain his bearings, feel the vibrations of the motor of the hoverbike, keep an ear open for any sounds of danger from behind them, smell any change in the amount of smoke in the air. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that he had no idea what was going on.
He felt the hoverbike come to a stop and laid a hand on Virgil's shoulder. "Have we reached The Mole already? That didn't take long."
"We haven't reached The Mole." Virgil said quietly. "The corridor's blocked."
"Blocked!"
"That last explosion brought down half the walls and a good part of the ceiling."
"Can we get through?" Not being in control was starting to get on Scott's nerves.
Virgil slid off his seat. "Not on the hoverbike. It doesn't have the power anymore. We're going to have to walk from here on. Think you can make it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
"Better let John know." Scott stood up unsteadily on the uneven surface that was once pristine floor.
This latest bit of news felt like a blow to John. "Please tell me you're kidding, Virg."
"I wish. We're at least a kilometre from The Mole."
"I was just talking to the guy from Regnad. He reminded me that there's a chance that the river could dam now that the turbines have stopped."
"Terrific. Any other good news John?" Virgil asked without much trace of sarcasm.
"The Tigers are behind at half time."
Normally the news that their favourite team was losing would have had Scott and Virgil moaning. This time however the triviality of it all caused them both to burst out laughing. "Thanks John. Nothing like hearing about other people's problems to get your own into perspective. I'll report in, in ten minutes." Virgil signed off.
"I'm glad he's there." Scott said. "He's good value is our John."
Virgil silently agreed as he surveyed the devastation ahead of them. Then he started digging into the hoverbikes storage compartment loading what he thought they'd need into a pack. This he swung onto his back. "You ready?"
"I guess so." Scott took Virgil's arm.
John took a deep breath before establishing a connection with home. His father's visage came on screen. John saw Jeff frown as he took in his son's pale features.
"What's wrong John?"
"The good news is that the scientists have managed to escape safely, without our help."
Jeff knew how this particular game worked. "And the bad news?" He glanced over to the doorway as Alan, Tin-Tin and Gordon walked in. On a sofa behind him he heard his mother put down her knitting. The tapping sounds of a computer keyboard stopped as Brains looked up from where he was working.
"The second of the generators has exploded. Scott was caught by the blast." John heard exclamations from others in the room, but concentrated on his father.
"Is he badly hurt?"
"It was a bit hard to tell. Virgil was fixing him up when I made contact. Virgil'd say one thing and then sign something different. I think he was trying to keep the worst from Scott."
Jeff became aware that Brains was at his side. "C-Can you describe the n-nature of the injuries, John?"
Feeling sick, John relayed back, almost word for word what Virgil had said and signed. "There's two other things too, Brains. Scott made the comment that he thinks he's blind and as Virgil was taking off his communicator I got a good look at Scott's face..."
"A-And..."
"It didn't look to healthy. If you need it, later I can send pictures..."
"Th-Thanks, John. I'll let you know."
"Can you tell us anything else, John?" Jeff asked.
"Only that Virgil's using one hoverbike to get them back to The Mole. He said he'd take Thunderbird One home, drop Scott off and pick up Alan to retrieve Thunderbird Two. I'll keep you appraised of any developments."
"Good John. Keep in contact with Virgil. I want to know immediately there's any deterioration in Scott's condition or if they run into any problems."
"F-A-B Dad." John's portrait resumed its usual position.
Jeff closed his eyes for an instant to try to make some sense of what he'd just learnt. When he opened them again his family and friends were looking at them. He hadn't even heard Kyrano enter the room, but the look on his friends face told him that he knew what had happened.
"Will he be alright Brains?" Gordon was the first to find his voice.
"I-I don't know Gordon. W-without making a physical assessment, th-there is no way of telling. S-Scott may be suffering from a t-temporary retinal blindness or..."
"Or it may be something more permanent." Jeff finished the statement for the young scientist. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime we want everything ready for when they reach home. Brains and Tin-Tin you can get the infirmary ready. Alan, do you want to put in some time on Thunderbird One's simulator?"
Alan readily agreed, more out of a desire to do something constructive, than out of a need to refresh himself on the sensitive controls of International Rescue's rocket plane.
Everyone scattered. Brains and Tin-Tin in the direction of the sick-bay, Alan for the simulator room, Kyrano to put the kettle on and Grandma Tracy headed off to do, whatever she did whenever there was a crisis.
Jeff thought he was alone in the lounge until he heard Gordon's sigh. "What can I do Dad?"
Jeff felt empathy for his son. At this moment he too was at a loss to what he could do to help. He could only think of one suggestion. "Go and keep an eye on Alan."
"Okay." Gordon said unenthusiastically before turning and, head down, wandering slowly out of the room.
***
The rumbling roar died away and silence overtook them. Virgil sat up and wiped the dust out of his eyes. "Scott! Are you okay?"
Still lying facedown on the floor Scott nodded and succeeded in banging his forehead again. The burst of pain caused him to inhale suddenly. He began choking on a lungful of dust. He sat up, coughing uncontrollably on the irritant.
"Take it easy." Virgil supported his brother as he fought to gain his breath. "Calm down and take deep breaths."
"What - happened?" Scott eventually managed to gasp out.
"I'd say that was generator number three."
"Which means that number four is likely to go at any time."
"I think that would be a good supposition." Still supporting Scott with one hand Virgil managed to open the storage compartment in the hoverbike and withdraw a water bottle. "Here," he pressed it into Scott's hand, "have a drink."
He looked at the hoverbike. It was covered in a thick coating of dust. Experimentally he tried to start it. It gave a sick whirr and stalled.
"Filter's blocked?" Scott suggested.
"I'd say so. It'll only take a moment to clean out." Virgil flicked the appropriate switch. The blast of compressed air sent the filter flying out of the hoverbike and across the room, crashing into the opposing wall, before ending up on the floor.
"What was that?" Scott asked in alarm.
Virgil picked up the filter. What had started out as a bad day was turning worse. "Would you believe that something Brains invented hasn't worked?"
"No."
"Well in that case I won't tell you that the filters been blown out of its fitting and has broken into three."
"Thanks for not telling me." Scott said dryly. "Can you fix it?"
"I'll give it a go." Virgil set to work with International Rescue's version of duct tape.
***
"Calling International Rescue. Calling International Rescue. This is Regnad Corp." A now familiar voice accosted John up in Thunderbird Five.
"Go ahead."
"Thought you'd want to know that the third generator has blown. It's the one that controls the water pump. Without that in operation the river level's going to start rising. There's no sign of your men yet. Are they alright?"
John's blood ran cold. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll check them out and get back to you."
"Thanks. I hope they're okay..."
"Yeah, so do I." John muttered to himself as he reactivated the link to Virgil's watch.
"Aw John." Virgil muttered through a mouthful of duct tape. "Your timing's terrible." Both his hands were full with tape and bits of filter. He stuck the tape that he'd been holding in his mouth, to the back of his hand, knowing that he'd regret it later when it came time to remove it. But at the moment it was the cleanest surface he had available. Gingerly holding the filter together he walked over to Scott and knelt down in front of him. "My hands are full. Can you get my watch off my wrist and talk to John?"
"Sure." Scott managed the task with relative ease, freeing Virgil up to complete his repair work.
John was surprised to see Scott's bandaged face and not Virgil's staring at him. "Scott! Where's Virgil!"
"Doing some running repairs at the moment. Have you heard the third generator's exploded?"
"Yeah. It's the one connected to the water pump. That's why I called. What's happened?"
Scott explained about the filter. "Virgil's trying to fix it now." There was a stifled yelp of pain from Virgil as he ripped the tape off his exposed skin. "At least that's what I think he's doing."
Carefully Virgil managed to squeeze the battered filter back into position, before fixing it in place with more duct tape. "Okay that should do us. Fingers crossed." He pushed the start button. The hoverbike gave a cough and started idling.
"Nice one Virg." Scott congratulated his brother. "Looks like we're on our way again John."
"Good. Keep in touch. The rivers probably starting rising. The sooner you guys get out of there the better."
"Our sentiments exactly." Virgil agreed taking the watch back off Scott. "But it may not be that easy. The last explosion was down the corridor where we were going to go. Who knows what obstructions we'll find."
"Well, we'll only find out by getting going." Scott handed his water bottle back to Virgil and managed to stand unaided.
"We'll keep you posted John." Virgil finished the transmission and took a swig from his own water bottle before replacing the two of them in the compartment. He then assisted Scott back on to the hoverbike. "It's not perfect and we'll have to take it slowly, but it'll be easier than walking." He got into the driver's seat and set the motor into operation. "Well one things that's changed." He said over his shoulder. "The hallway's not so clean now. There's dust and dirt everywhere. Not to mention smoke."
"Smoke!" Scott was concerned.
"Not a lot. I'd say the ventilation system is still operational and is drawing the smoke away from us."
Once again they set off, this time hopefully to safety.
***
John kept his promise and quickly appraised the man from Regnad Corp.
"You do realise that if the turbines aren't working they'll act as a dam!" The man said. "The water'll have no where to go! Your colleagues had better hope that they can get out quickly."
***
Scott's head was down. He was trying to maintain his bearings, feel the vibrations of the motor of the hoverbike, keep an ear open for any sounds of danger from behind them, smell any change in the amount of smoke in the air. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that he had no idea what was going on.
He felt the hoverbike come to a stop and laid a hand on Virgil's shoulder. "Have we reached The Mole already? That didn't take long."
"We haven't reached The Mole." Virgil said quietly. "The corridor's blocked."
"Blocked!"
"That last explosion brought down half the walls and a good part of the ceiling."
"Can we get through?" Not being in control was starting to get on Scott's nerves.
Virgil slid off his seat. "Not on the hoverbike. It doesn't have the power anymore. We're going to have to walk from here on. Think you can make it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
"Better let John know." Scott stood up unsteadily on the uneven surface that was once pristine floor.
This latest bit of news felt like a blow to John. "Please tell me you're kidding, Virg."
"I wish. We're at least a kilometre from The Mole."
"I was just talking to the guy from Regnad. He reminded me that there's a chance that the river could dam now that the turbines have stopped."
"Terrific. Any other good news John?" Virgil asked without much trace of sarcasm.
"The Tigers are behind at half time."
Normally the news that their favourite team was losing would have had Scott and Virgil moaning. This time however the triviality of it all caused them both to burst out laughing. "Thanks John. Nothing like hearing about other people's problems to get your own into perspective. I'll report in, in ten minutes." Virgil signed off.
"I'm glad he's there." Scott said. "He's good value is our John."
Virgil silently agreed as he surveyed the devastation ahead of them. Then he started digging into the hoverbikes storage compartment loading what he thought they'd need into a pack. This he swung onto his back. "You ready?"
"I guess so." Scott took Virgil's arm.