Nineteen
Gordon sat on the seat, his head down. Water from his diving suit dripped on the floor of The Mole, but he paid it no heed. He shivered. It had been so cold out there. His diving suit had provided some protection, but he realised, although they were made to guard against colder climates, regular International Rescue uniforms would have been almost useless. As he pulled the blanket tighter about his shoulders, he felt The Mole start it's backward path and reflected on the last few hours of torture that he and his family had been through.
He looked over at Alan operating The Mole's controls. His younger brothers back was rigid, a sure sign that he was trying to keep his emotions in check. He knew how close it had been.
The first thing Gordon had seen when he'd entered the water were Scott's boots taped together. It had given him hope that they were in the right place.
Then the cold of that water had made him think that maybe they were too late.
He'd pulled first Scott's and then Virgil's lifeless bodies out of the frigid waters. He'd only had enough time to note that they were both blue, so blue that it was difficult to see where their uniform ended and skin began, before they'd been taken by Brains and Tin-Tin. Much of those uniforms were discarded on the floor now, blue and yellow sashes peeking out pathetically, water oozing out and running down towards the nose of the tunnelling machine.
Cold. They were so cold.
He remembered the moment's elation he'd felt when he'd first seen then. And then he'd touched his brothers.
And they'd been so cold.
His musing's were interrupted by Tin-Tin pushing a steaming hot drink into his hands. "There," she said kindly, "that'll make you feel better."
"Thanks Tin-Tin." He mumbled.
"You're freezing!" she said in concern. "Go get into something warm and dry. The last thing your family needs now is for you to catch pneumonia."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said sombrely. He gulped down a fair share of his drink and handed her the mug. "I can't believe how close we were."
"It's over, Gordon. Go and get changed."
"Okay Honey. Thanks." He climbed against the gradient to the rear of The Mole before stopping to watch Brains bending over the two inert bodies, blankets concealing much of their forms. "They were so cold."
Brains looked at him, noting that that young redhead was shivering uncontrollably. "Y-You are too. Go g-get warm." He said kindly. "We'll need you to fly th-Thunderbird Two." He began to unwrap the sodden bandages that covered the upper part of Scott's face.
Gordon decided that there were some things that he didn't have the strength to face at the moment. He walked through into the storage bay and changed back into his uniform. When he emerged Scott's face was covered over.
There was no sign of life.
Straining against the downward slope of the floor he made his way back down to Alan. "How's it going?"
Alan didn't look at him. "We're nearly at the surface."
"Have you called home?"
"Tried. Something's happened to the radio. John knows we've got them. That's all." Alan's sentences were clipped short, keeping his emotions inside him.
"Hang in there Alan. We'll call home as soon as we get back to Thunderbird Two. Let them know how things are."
***
John Tracy sat at his communications console onboard Thunderbird Five. He bit his thumbnail nervously. Found! They'd been found! Scott and Virgil had been found! But how were they? Alive? Dead? Could he call base with such little information? Should he? What had happened to the radio? Had something even worse happened?
He gave up on his deliberations and opened up the link with home. "Thunderbird Five to Base."
His father's face appeared on the screen almost instantly. It was grey and lined with worry. "John! Any news?"
"They've found them both." John began with and saw his father's face begin to relax. Then it tightened again.
"How are they?"
"I don't know Dad. I've lost contact with The Mole."
"You've lost..." Jeff lost the feeling to his legs and sat down heavily. "Why?"
"I don't know." John said helplessly. "Could be any number of things."
Jeff issued the order he'd issued many times today. "Keep trying son." As John's portrait reverted back to its normal form Jeff placed his elbows on his desk and pressed his face into his hands. Could today get any worse? Had it?
***
The Mole was back on it's trolley and heading back towards the gaping maw of Thunderbird Two's pod. It passed from the warmth of this sun into the chill of the shadows. As it tilted sharply to climb the ramp into the pod a groan was heard from the rear of the vehicle...
Gordon sat on the seat, his head down. Water from his diving suit dripped on the floor of The Mole, but he paid it no heed. He shivered. It had been so cold out there. His diving suit had provided some protection, but he realised, although they were made to guard against colder climates, regular International Rescue uniforms would have been almost useless. As he pulled the blanket tighter about his shoulders, he felt The Mole start it's backward path and reflected on the last few hours of torture that he and his family had been through.
He looked over at Alan operating The Mole's controls. His younger brothers back was rigid, a sure sign that he was trying to keep his emotions in check. He knew how close it had been.
The first thing Gordon had seen when he'd entered the water were Scott's boots taped together. It had given him hope that they were in the right place.
Then the cold of that water had made him think that maybe they were too late.
He'd pulled first Scott's and then Virgil's lifeless bodies out of the frigid waters. He'd only had enough time to note that they were both blue, so blue that it was difficult to see where their uniform ended and skin began, before they'd been taken by Brains and Tin-Tin. Much of those uniforms were discarded on the floor now, blue and yellow sashes peeking out pathetically, water oozing out and running down towards the nose of the tunnelling machine.
Cold. They were so cold.
He remembered the moment's elation he'd felt when he'd first seen then. And then he'd touched his brothers.
And they'd been so cold.
His musing's were interrupted by Tin-Tin pushing a steaming hot drink into his hands. "There," she said kindly, "that'll make you feel better."
"Thanks Tin-Tin." He mumbled.
"You're freezing!" she said in concern. "Go get into something warm and dry. The last thing your family needs now is for you to catch pneumonia."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said sombrely. He gulped down a fair share of his drink and handed her the mug. "I can't believe how close we were."
"It's over, Gordon. Go and get changed."
"Okay Honey. Thanks." He climbed against the gradient to the rear of The Mole before stopping to watch Brains bending over the two inert bodies, blankets concealing much of their forms. "They were so cold."
Brains looked at him, noting that that young redhead was shivering uncontrollably. "Y-You are too. Go g-get warm." He said kindly. "We'll need you to fly th-Thunderbird Two." He began to unwrap the sodden bandages that covered the upper part of Scott's face.
Gordon decided that there were some things that he didn't have the strength to face at the moment. He walked through into the storage bay and changed back into his uniform. When he emerged Scott's face was covered over.
There was no sign of life.
Straining against the downward slope of the floor he made his way back down to Alan. "How's it going?"
Alan didn't look at him. "We're nearly at the surface."
"Have you called home?"
"Tried. Something's happened to the radio. John knows we've got them. That's all." Alan's sentences were clipped short, keeping his emotions inside him.
"Hang in there Alan. We'll call home as soon as we get back to Thunderbird Two. Let them know how things are."
***
John Tracy sat at his communications console onboard Thunderbird Five. He bit his thumbnail nervously. Found! They'd been found! Scott and Virgil had been found! But how were they? Alive? Dead? Could he call base with such little information? Should he? What had happened to the radio? Had something even worse happened?
He gave up on his deliberations and opened up the link with home. "Thunderbird Five to Base."
His father's face appeared on the screen almost instantly. It was grey and lined with worry. "John! Any news?"
"They've found them both." John began with and saw his father's face begin to relax. Then it tightened again.
"How are they?"
"I don't know Dad. I've lost contact with The Mole."
"You've lost..." Jeff lost the feeling to his legs and sat down heavily. "Why?"
"I don't know." John said helplessly. "Could be any number of things."
Jeff issued the order he'd issued many times today. "Keep trying son." As John's portrait reverted back to its normal form Jeff placed his elbows on his desk and pressed his face into his hands. Could today get any worse? Had it?
***
The Mole was back on it's trolley and heading back towards the gaping maw of Thunderbird Two's pod. It passed from the warmth of this sun into the chill of the shadows. As it tilted sharply to climb the ramp into the pod a groan was heard from the rear of the vehicle...