Fourteen
The hot sun was shining over Tracy Island as Thunderbird Two came into view. Jeff Tracy was standing on the balcony watching the small dot on the horizon grow. As it neared the island he reopened communication with Thunderbird Five.
"John, before you land I want you to hover at 100 feet over the runway, until I give you the green light. I want to get everyone into the bunkers first, just in case anything should go wrong."
"F.A.B. Father. Approaching runway now. Switching to hover mode."
In actual fact Brains and Jeff were the only two not currently waiting in the bunker. "Okay, Brains. Get going."
"W-What about you, M-Mr Tracy?"
"I'm staying here, to keep an eye on things."
"If I may say so, S-Sir, that is not necessary. J-John is not on board Thunderbird Two. He cannot be harmed. You w-would only be endangering your own life. You can control the e-emergency systems just as easily from the bunker."
Jeff still appeared reluctant to move. "I know that Brains, but..."
"Please Sir. Come with me!"
"Hey! What's going on up there?" Gordon asked over the in-house intercom. "It's getting warm down here. Either you both get down here, or we're coming out."
"Okay Gordon. We're on our way." Jeff told him, before following Brains to the safety of the bunker.
***
The landing had gone smoothly. They'd run a diagnostics check on Thunderbird Two and had discovered no damage.
"Great bit of flying, John." Gordon congratulated him.
"Virgil had better watch out. He might have some competition."
"No thanks Alan. This is going to be my only attempt at long distance piloting." Chuckling to himself John ended the transmission. He then realised that Thunderbird Five was rather chilly and that his clammy uniform was sticking to him unpleasantly. Before heading back to his quarters to get changed he glanced at the monitor that still showed the view from Virgil's watch. His blood ran cold.
"Thunderbird Five to Base."
Jeff was overseeing the inspection and loading of Thunderbird Two. At a beeping sound coming from his back pocket he pulled out his wallet. He turned to a photo of John. "Go ahead."
John looked agitated. "I'm getting a different picture from Virgil's telecom."
"Which is?"
"It looks like it's underwater!"
***
Virgil heaved himself over the top of the ladder and would have gladly lain on the floor recuperating if it hadn't been for Scott following close behind. He reached out and grabbed his brothers shirt. "Nearly there, Scott. Climb two more rungs. That's it. Your knee's level with the floor. Swing round. Made it!"
"Where's a wall?" Scott gasped. "I want to get well away from the hole."
"Back up." Virgil said. "A little bit more..."
Scott found the wall and rested with his back pressed against it. "You sure that wasn't closer to 300 feet? It sure seemed like it."
"It was actually closer to 50." Virgil said. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Are you?"
"I'll live." was the cryptic reply.
"So where do we go from here."
"Stay put. I'll have a look around."
Virgil stood. The room spun alarmingly and he leant against the wall for support.
"I don't hear you moving."
"Just getting my bearings." The room stopped spinning and swayed gently. Virgil resolved to keep his good hand braced against the wall as he moved around.
He made his way towards a steel door set into the steel wall. It was locked. No amount of pushing could open it. Virgil swore quietly.
"I heard that."
"So, tell Father." Virgil challenged. "I think I've got a good excuse." he looked up. In the ceiling was a grill, bolted to the wall eight feet above his head. A single bulb burned behind its protective cage. The walls leading up to the grill were smooth; there was no chance of any hand grips here. Above the grill the ventilation shaft continued onwards and upwards.
With a feeling of dread he got to his knees crawled back to the hole through which they'd just come. Way down below he could see water racing down the corridor dragging bits of debris along with it. Even if they could negotiate the ladder back down again, there was no way they'd be able to remain upright in that raging torrent.
His good arm, spent after the long climb, collapsed and he landed heavily on his broken arm. He groaned in pain.
"Virgil!?" Scott's anxious voice penetrated the fog that seemed to settle on his brain. "Virgil! Are you alright?"
Virgil dragged himself to his knees and managed to 'walk' the short distance between the ladder and Scott. "No. I'm not alright!"
"Your arm..."
The room was starting to go hazy. Scott's voice was disappearing into the distance. Virgil lay down on the floor so that his feet were rested on the wall, giving the blood a chance to rush back to his head. "I'm sorry Scott." He said despondently.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"Sorry for failing you. For failing our family."
"Virgil. It's not your fault. None of this is. We all know the risks, and occasionally we get caught. You can't blame..." Scott reached out blindly to lay a comforting hand on his brother. What he felt brought him up short. "Virgil! Your hand. Can you feel it?"
"No." Virgil sounded as if he was past caring.
"It's cold!" Scott felt his way up the hand until he reached the wrist. "I can't get a pulse! Perhaps the splint is too tight, I'm going to loosen it." He found the valve and released the air that was cushioning the break. Once again his fingers found the point where the radial artery should have been pounding in his brothers arm. There was nothing. The hand remained lifeless. Once again he felt his way up to the site of the fracture. He heard Virgil inhale sharply as he reached the break. The bone was clearly out of alignment and was probably blocking the vital blood supply to the hand.
Scott was really worried now. He hadn't given up hope that they would be rescued, but knew that if Virgil didn't receive medical help soon then without it's life-giving blood supply, the arm would die anyway. "I'm sorry Virg. I know this isn't standard first aid but..." Before Virgil was able to say anything, Scott pulled on the injured limb. He heard Virgil moan and felt his body go limp.
It took some force, but somehow Scott managed to get the bones back into alignment, before re-inflating the splint. That task completed he sat back a moment to try and get his pounding heart back down to something resembling normalcy. He knew what he'd just done had been risky and the odds of success were remote, but the thought of doing nothing didn't bear contemplation. Either it had worked, or he'd just killed the arm himself. He was almost frightened at the thought of trying to locate the pulse again, but steeled himself and reached out to where he thought it would be.
At first his fingers came into contact with the cold floor, then moving them forward he touched the material of Virgil's sleeve. Hesitantly Scott moved his hand down the arm until it came in contact with bare skin. It was warm. Breathing a little easier Scott found the junction of the wrist and hand at the base of the thumb. He was more than a little relieved to feel the pulsating rhythm that signified that the life-giving blood was getting past the fracture site.
"You're gonna be okay, Virg." He breathed, then checked himself. "Virgil? Can you hear me?"
The only sounds he could hear were that of his brother's shallow breathing and the never-ending flow of water crawling inexorably up towards the ventilation shaft. "Virgil?" he said again and reached out, finding first a shoulder and then Virgil's face. He could feel that the right side of the face was relatively unscathed, but that the left was a mess of cuts and grazes. "Virgil! You're hurt!" As he explored Virgil's temple he pulled away sharply. His fingers were wet and he knew it was blood. "Oh Virgil - why didn't you tell me?"
Scott felt alone. He was blind, trapped, facing almost certain death and unable to help his younger brother who was possibly in need of urgent medical care. For the first time in his life Scott Tracy knew the taste of fear and fought against the unfamiliar feeling of panic that threatened to engulf him.
'Keep calm' he told himself. 'You've gotta keep calm. For Virgil's sake.'
"C'mon Virgil! Speak to me! Please! - Please say something! -
"Virgil!"
The name came out as a yell.
The hot sun was shining over Tracy Island as Thunderbird Two came into view. Jeff Tracy was standing on the balcony watching the small dot on the horizon grow. As it neared the island he reopened communication with Thunderbird Five.
"John, before you land I want you to hover at 100 feet over the runway, until I give you the green light. I want to get everyone into the bunkers first, just in case anything should go wrong."
"F.A.B. Father. Approaching runway now. Switching to hover mode."
In actual fact Brains and Jeff were the only two not currently waiting in the bunker. "Okay, Brains. Get going."
"W-What about you, M-Mr Tracy?"
"I'm staying here, to keep an eye on things."
"If I may say so, S-Sir, that is not necessary. J-John is not on board Thunderbird Two. He cannot be harmed. You w-would only be endangering your own life. You can control the e-emergency systems just as easily from the bunker."
Jeff still appeared reluctant to move. "I know that Brains, but..."
"Please Sir. Come with me!"
"Hey! What's going on up there?" Gordon asked over the in-house intercom. "It's getting warm down here. Either you both get down here, or we're coming out."
"Okay Gordon. We're on our way." Jeff told him, before following Brains to the safety of the bunker.
***
The landing had gone smoothly. They'd run a diagnostics check on Thunderbird Two and had discovered no damage.
"Great bit of flying, John." Gordon congratulated him.
"Virgil had better watch out. He might have some competition."
"No thanks Alan. This is going to be my only attempt at long distance piloting." Chuckling to himself John ended the transmission. He then realised that Thunderbird Five was rather chilly and that his clammy uniform was sticking to him unpleasantly. Before heading back to his quarters to get changed he glanced at the monitor that still showed the view from Virgil's watch. His blood ran cold.
"Thunderbird Five to Base."
Jeff was overseeing the inspection and loading of Thunderbird Two. At a beeping sound coming from his back pocket he pulled out his wallet. He turned to a photo of John. "Go ahead."
John looked agitated. "I'm getting a different picture from Virgil's telecom."
"Which is?"
"It looks like it's underwater!"
***
Virgil heaved himself over the top of the ladder and would have gladly lain on the floor recuperating if it hadn't been for Scott following close behind. He reached out and grabbed his brothers shirt. "Nearly there, Scott. Climb two more rungs. That's it. Your knee's level with the floor. Swing round. Made it!"
"Where's a wall?" Scott gasped. "I want to get well away from the hole."
"Back up." Virgil said. "A little bit more..."
Scott found the wall and rested with his back pressed against it. "You sure that wasn't closer to 300 feet? It sure seemed like it."
"It was actually closer to 50." Virgil said. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Are you?"
"I'll live." was the cryptic reply.
"So where do we go from here."
"Stay put. I'll have a look around."
Virgil stood. The room spun alarmingly and he leant against the wall for support.
"I don't hear you moving."
"Just getting my bearings." The room stopped spinning and swayed gently. Virgil resolved to keep his good hand braced against the wall as he moved around.
He made his way towards a steel door set into the steel wall. It was locked. No amount of pushing could open it. Virgil swore quietly.
"I heard that."
"So, tell Father." Virgil challenged. "I think I've got a good excuse." he looked up. In the ceiling was a grill, bolted to the wall eight feet above his head. A single bulb burned behind its protective cage. The walls leading up to the grill were smooth; there was no chance of any hand grips here. Above the grill the ventilation shaft continued onwards and upwards.
With a feeling of dread he got to his knees crawled back to the hole through which they'd just come. Way down below he could see water racing down the corridor dragging bits of debris along with it. Even if they could negotiate the ladder back down again, there was no way they'd be able to remain upright in that raging torrent.
His good arm, spent after the long climb, collapsed and he landed heavily on his broken arm. He groaned in pain.
"Virgil!?" Scott's anxious voice penetrated the fog that seemed to settle on his brain. "Virgil! Are you alright?"
Virgil dragged himself to his knees and managed to 'walk' the short distance between the ladder and Scott. "No. I'm not alright!"
"Your arm..."
The room was starting to go hazy. Scott's voice was disappearing into the distance. Virgil lay down on the floor so that his feet were rested on the wall, giving the blood a chance to rush back to his head. "I'm sorry Scott." He said despondently.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"Sorry for failing you. For failing our family."
"Virgil. It's not your fault. None of this is. We all know the risks, and occasionally we get caught. You can't blame..." Scott reached out blindly to lay a comforting hand on his brother. What he felt brought him up short. "Virgil! Your hand. Can you feel it?"
"No." Virgil sounded as if he was past caring.
"It's cold!" Scott felt his way up the hand until he reached the wrist. "I can't get a pulse! Perhaps the splint is too tight, I'm going to loosen it." He found the valve and released the air that was cushioning the break. Once again his fingers found the point where the radial artery should have been pounding in his brothers arm. There was nothing. The hand remained lifeless. Once again he felt his way up to the site of the fracture. He heard Virgil inhale sharply as he reached the break. The bone was clearly out of alignment and was probably blocking the vital blood supply to the hand.
Scott was really worried now. He hadn't given up hope that they would be rescued, but knew that if Virgil didn't receive medical help soon then without it's life-giving blood supply, the arm would die anyway. "I'm sorry Virg. I know this isn't standard first aid but..." Before Virgil was able to say anything, Scott pulled on the injured limb. He heard Virgil moan and felt his body go limp.
It took some force, but somehow Scott managed to get the bones back into alignment, before re-inflating the splint. That task completed he sat back a moment to try and get his pounding heart back down to something resembling normalcy. He knew what he'd just done had been risky and the odds of success were remote, but the thought of doing nothing didn't bear contemplation. Either it had worked, or he'd just killed the arm himself. He was almost frightened at the thought of trying to locate the pulse again, but steeled himself and reached out to where he thought it would be.
At first his fingers came into contact with the cold floor, then moving them forward he touched the material of Virgil's sleeve. Hesitantly Scott moved his hand down the arm until it came in contact with bare skin. It was warm. Breathing a little easier Scott found the junction of the wrist and hand at the base of the thumb. He was more than a little relieved to feel the pulsating rhythm that signified that the life-giving blood was getting past the fracture site.
"You're gonna be okay, Virg." He breathed, then checked himself. "Virgil? Can you hear me?"
The only sounds he could hear were that of his brother's shallow breathing and the never-ending flow of water crawling inexorably up towards the ventilation shaft. "Virgil?" he said again and reached out, finding first a shoulder and then Virgil's face. He could feel that the right side of the face was relatively unscathed, but that the left was a mess of cuts and grazes. "Virgil! You're hurt!" As he explored Virgil's temple he pulled away sharply. His fingers were wet and he knew it was blood. "Oh Virgil - why didn't you tell me?"
Scott felt alone. He was blind, trapped, facing almost certain death and unable to help his younger brother who was possibly in need of urgent medical care. For the first time in his life Scott Tracy knew the taste of fear and fought against the unfamiliar feeling of panic that threatened to engulf him.
'Keep calm' he told himself. 'You've gotta keep calm. For Virgil's sake.'
"C'mon Virgil! Speak to me! Please! - Please say something! -
"Virgil!"
The name came out as a yell.