Sixty Seven - BF
Scott found himself counting down his steps as he got closer to the exit.
'twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.'
"We are going the right way aren't we Scott?"
"We must be, Gordon. Virgil would tell us if we weren't." 'Twenty, twenty one, twenty two.' He tried to stop his incessant counting.
A brief blip warned him that his oxygen levels were down to seven and a half minutes.
"How far Virgil?" he asked urgently.
"Maybe five metres. I've told Alan to make sure he's suited up and has a spare oxygen cylinder for you. You've only got to say the word and he'll be in there."
Once again Scott silently thanked his lucky stars that Virgil was there.
"How much oxygen have you got left?"
"Enough."
"Scott!" Virgil sounded stern. "We're on two-way here. Tell me! How much oxygen have you got left?"
"About seven minutes."
"Seven minutes! I'm sending Alan in now!"
"No Virgil! Don't! I'm having enough trouble worrying about Gordon. I couldn't deal with Alan freaking out as well."
"He doesn't have far to go..."
"I'm wasting oxygen discussing this with you. If we're not out by the five minute mark I'll tell you and you can send him in then. Till then don't worry him!"
Virgil was unconvinced. "Okay..." He turned his attention to the chronometer on Thunderbird Two's control panel and started counting down the seconds. 'Twenty two, twenty one, twenty, nineteen...'
He jumped when a warning buzzer sounded from the speakers. He'd left the link between himself and Scott open. It was the five-minute warning. He slammed the switch that connected him to Mobile Control. "Alan. Get in there! Scott's only got five minutes of oxygen left!"
Alan sprung to his feet and started sprinting to where he knew the doorway, still hidden behind the writhing clouds of black smoke, should be.
He couldn't find it.
"Virgil!" he yelled. "How do I get in?"
"You're right there, Alan. It's right in front of you!"
"I can't feel it. I'm sure Gordon left the door open."
"What can you feel?"
"Debris. That last explosion must have brought the wall down!" Alan had slowed down his frantic searching and was feeling the wall more systematically. "I've found a hole."
"How big?"
"I can fit my arm through it."
"And an oxygen cylinder too?"
"I think so."
'Thank heavens for small mercies.' Virgil thought. "Scott. You're right at the exit now."
"Good." Scott acknowledged.
"The exit's blocked."
"Not good!" Scott felt a surge of alarm.
"Alan's found a small hole. He can put an oxygen cylinder through it. Can you find his arm?"
"Gordon! We're putting down Percy." Scott instructed.
"What's wrong?" They'd kept Gordon out of the loop to stop him from worrying.
"Sorry Gordon. The exit's blocked." Scott said. 'Don't panic Gordon' he thought.
"What? Do the guys know?"
"Alan's outside. He's found a small hole."
"How small?"
"Gordon! I'm just about out of oxygen. Alan can get a cylinder through the hole, but I need your help to find it. Can you help me?"
Gordon felt his way along the edge of the stretcher until he reached the end. He reached out and felt Scott's shoulder. "Tell me where to look."
"Move to your left and feel around there. Alan? How high is the hole?"
"Um. About my waist level."
"Gordon. You're level with Alan." Virgil told him.
Gordon felt the wall and found a hand sticking through. "Nice to meet you."
Alan withdrew his hand and replaced it with the spare cylinder. "Have you got it?"
"Got it!" Gordon felt his way along to where he thought Scott was.
"I'm coming in to land." Virgil announced. "I'll get some gear out to break through that wall."
Gordon found Scott. He pressed the cylinder into his brother's hand. "Can you manage this?"
"Yep." Scott was feeling light-headed, so he moved quickly. He'd already got the spent cylinder ready for removal. He quickly detached it and dropped it to the ground. Then he readied the fresh cylinder.
His gloved fingers lost their grip on the oxygen supply. "I've dropped it!"
"What!?" Instantly Gordon was on his hands and knees feeling about. He found a cylinder. It was too light to be full. He tucked it into a pocket and continued his frantic search.
Scott braced himself against the wall. It was getting hot in this suit. His mouth was dry. It was also becoming hard to remain focused. He became aware that it was becoming more difficult to breathe.
His legs gave out and he slid to the ground. 'Come on Gordon!'
His thoughts were echoed by Alan's voice. "Come on Gordon!"
"I've found it!" Keeping a firm grip on the cylinder Gordon felt about blindly and came in contact with a knee. He traced it up Scott's leg until he found his torso. "Hang in there brother!" He found the oxygen supply line and managed to attach the life-giving cylinder. "Scott. I've done it! Are you okay?"
Scott was too busy getting a lung full of fresh oxygen to answer. He managed to squeeze Gordon's arm in recognition of what had been achieved.
"Gordon!" Virgil yelled. "How is he?"
"I think he's okay." Gordon replied.
"Yeah. I'm okay." Scott gasped. "Just getting my breath back. Thanks Gordo'."
***
Outside their brothers were setting up the rescue equipment. Alan readied a laser while Virgil positioned a giant fan. "I don't know if this is going to work..." he said as he switched it on.
Miraculously the breeze from the fan cleared the smoke away from where the door used to be. Now with full visibility it took only a matter of minutes for Alan and Virgil to cut through the debris. They rushed inside.
Alan found Gordon. "Go on. Get out of here. We'll take care of things."
But Gordon was determined to finish what he'd started. "I'm okay. Let's get this guy out of here." He headed to his end of Percy's stretcher. "Are you ready, Alan?"
Alan had positioned himself at Scott's end. "I'm ready. Lift."
Virgil reached Scott's side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Scott got to his feet. "I wouldn't mind being guided out of here though."
Virgil could see that everything else was under control. "Hang on, I want to get a couple of samples of the debris for analysis. We've got to find out what was jamming our scanners." He picked up some lumps of material for Brains and then returned to Scott. "Take my arm. Where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the sick bay?"
"No. I don't need to do that. You can help me to Mobile Control."
***
Alan and Gordon took Percy to the gate of the security cordon, passed him over to the care of the local Paramedics and watched as he was carried away to a waiting ambulance. Then they turned to head back to Mobile Control.
Alan was surprised when Gordon grabbed his arm.
"My legs have just turned to jelly. I think I'll sit down for a bit."
Alan aided him to the ground. "Are you okay? Do you want a Paramedic to look at you?" he asked in concern.
"No. I'll be okay. I just need a moment to regain my composure." He lay down.
"Can I do anything, get you anything?" Alan crouched beside his brother.
Gordon shook his head. "I just want to enjoy a little light for a minute or so. It was so dark in there. Unbelievably dark." He turned his head so that he could see Scott sitting at Mobile Control. "I don't know how he's coped this past year. Goodness only knows how he managed to get through Regnad. I think I would have gone mad."
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"
"No. I'm fine thanks Alan." Gordon said quietly.
"Okay. I'll be over at Mobile Control if you want me."
"Thanks."
Scott was talking to his father when Alan reached him. "Hang on. Here's Alan. I'll ask him."
"Ask him what?"
"How's Gordon?"
"Pretty shaken up. He's having a lie down. His legs gave out on him. He says he's fine though. Where's Virgil?"
"Brains wants to know what it was that caused the sensors to fail." His father told him. "Virgil's running some tests on the smoke and anything else he can find."
"Good. We don't want our equipment failing again."
"I think Gordon would agree with you." Scott stood. "I'll have a word with him. Where is he, Alan? In the sick bay?"
"No. He's just over there."
Gordon was still lying on the ground when Scott reached him. "How're you feeling Gordo'?"
"I'm shaking like a leaf Scott! I never want to go through an experience like that again. I don't know how you've survived the past year. I would have gone mad by now."
"A year ago and I would have... I did say the same thing. But you learn to cope. Think about it Gordon, I'd say that I would go crazy if I was stuck in a wheelchair for months, with every chance of never being able to walk again. But you did it. After your hovercraft accident you had to live like that and you coped. You came to accept it didn't you."
"I see what you mean. But I don't know that I did accept it, I fought to be able to walk again."
"But if you'd failed, you would have coped wouldn't you."
"Well... yes I guess I would have. I would have had to."
"It's been the same for me."
"How come you're so strong and I'm such a wimp?"
Scott crouched down so that he didn't have to talk so loud. "Two things Gordon. One - you're not a wimp. You got in there unaided and helped me get Percy out to safety. And two. You didn't see me at my worst, and believe me, my worst was worse than you just were."
"You?"
"Me. Look this isn't the place to discuss this. What say I travel back with you guys in Thunderbird Two and I'll tell you about it?"
"I'd like that."
"Okay. Do you feel up to giving us a hand, starting with helping me back to Mobile Control? I'm a bit lost in strange surroundings without my cane."
"Yeah, I'll help. If I can get my legs going in the same direction!"
Scott laughed as he assisted his brother to his feet. They started to walk back to Mobile Control.
"Gordon. I wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there. You were literally a lifesaver."
"It was my fault you ran out of oxygen. It was the least I could do."
***
"What! You're actually volunteering to ride in Thunderbird Two when you could be in Thunderbird One!" Alan was amazed. "You're going to let me fly her solo?"
"Make the most of it kid. After tomorrow you're not going to get a look in. I want my 'bird back!"
"I'll leave the keys on your pillow for when you wake up."
Virgil emerged from Thunderbird Two and made his way over to Mobile Control. "Mind if I have a word with base?" he asked Alan who was still seated at the console. "I've got the results from the tests of the residue on Thunderbird Two." He looked at his sooty black plane and made a face. "I've got a heck of a clean up job when we get home."
Alan slid out of his seat. "Help yourself."
"Mobile Control to Thunderbird Five. Come in John."
"Hi Virgil. Have you got the test results?"
"Yes. Can you put me through to Brains?"
Brains bespectacled face appeared on the monitor. "W-What have you found out, V-Virgil?"
"Plenty of carbon and not much else. Thunderbird Two is covered in charcoal! The spectrograph isn't reading anything dangerous so I think we'll be safe flying her home. What do you reckon?"
"I c-concur Virgil. But please make sure you have an unc-contaminated sample for my analysis. If there is anything th-that is capable of bl-blocking our signals I want to know wh-what it is."
"Don't we all Brains. Don't we all." Virgil agreed. "I've already got a sample stashed away for you. Tell Father we'll be leaving shortly."
"F-A-B."
As Brains' face disappeared from the monitor Virgil turned away from Mobile Control. "Well Gordon. How're you feeling now?"
"Not so shaky." Gordon admitted. "We've got a passenger for the homeward flight."
"We have?"
"I told Gordon I'd travel with you guys and we could discuss what happened." Scott told him. "You don't mind?"
"Of course not." Virgil smiled. "I've had enough watery tales for one day, and that's all Gordon will want to talk about with me."
***
Scott found himself counting down his steps as he got closer to the exit.
'twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.'
"We are going the right way aren't we Scott?"
"We must be, Gordon. Virgil would tell us if we weren't." 'Twenty, twenty one, twenty two.' He tried to stop his incessant counting.
A brief blip warned him that his oxygen levels were down to seven and a half minutes.
"How far Virgil?" he asked urgently.
"Maybe five metres. I've told Alan to make sure he's suited up and has a spare oxygen cylinder for you. You've only got to say the word and he'll be in there."
Once again Scott silently thanked his lucky stars that Virgil was there.
"How much oxygen have you got left?"
"Enough."
"Scott!" Virgil sounded stern. "We're on two-way here. Tell me! How much oxygen have you got left?"
"About seven minutes."
"Seven minutes! I'm sending Alan in now!"
"No Virgil! Don't! I'm having enough trouble worrying about Gordon. I couldn't deal with Alan freaking out as well."
"He doesn't have far to go..."
"I'm wasting oxygen discussing this with you. If we're not out by the five minute mark I'll tell you and you can send him in then. Till then don't worry him!"
Virgil was unconvinced. "Okay..." He turned his attention to the chronometer on Thunderbird Two's control panel and started counting down the seconds. 'Twenty two, twenty one, twenty, nineteen...'
He jumped when a warning buzzer sounded from the speakers. He'd left the link between himself and Scott open. It was the five-minute warning. He slammed the switch that connected him to Mobile Control. "Alan. Get in there! Scott's only got five minutes of oxygen left!"
Alan sprung to his feet and started sprinting to where he knew the doorway, still hidden behind the writhing clouds of black smoke, should be.
He couldn't find it.
"Virgil!" he yelled. "How do I get in?"
"You're right there, Alan. It's right in front of you!"
"I can't feel it. I'm sure Gordon left the door open."
"What can you feel?"
"Debris. That last explosion must have brought the wall down!" Alan had slowed down his frantic searching and was feeling the wall more systematically. "I've found a hole."
"How big?"
"I can fit my arm through it."
"And an oxygen cylinder too?"
"I think so."
'Thank heavens for small mercies.' Virgil thought. "Scott. You're right at the exit now."
"Good." Scott acknowledged.
"The exit's blocked."
"Not good!" Scott felt a surge of alarm.
"Alan's found a small hole. He can put an oxygen cylinder through it. Can you find his arm?"
"Gordon! We're putting down Percy." Scott instructed.
"What's wrong?" They'd kept Gordon out of the loop to stop him from worrying.
"Sorry Gordon. The exit's blocked." Scott said. 'Don't panic Gordon' he thought.
"What? Do the guys know?"
"Alan's outside. He's found a small hole."
"How small?"
"Gordon! I'm just about out of oxygen. Alan can get a cylinder through the hole, but I need your help to find it. Can you help me?"
Gordon felt his way along the edge of the stretcher until he reached the end. He reached out and felt Scott's shoulder. "Tell me where to look."
"Move to your left and feel around there. Alan? How high is the hole?"
"Um. About my waist level."
"Gordon. You're level with Alan." Virgil told him.
Gordon felt the wall and found a hand sticking through. "Nice to meet you."
Alan withdrew his hand and replaced it with the spare cylinder. "Have you got it?"
"Got it!" Gordon felt his way along to where he thought Scott was.
"I'm coming in to land." Virgil announced. "I'll get some gear out to break through that wall."
Gordon found Scott. He pressed the cylinder into his brother's hand. "Can you manage this?"
"Yep." Scott was feeling light-headed, so he moved quickly. He'd already got the spent cylinder ready for removal. He quickly detached it and dropped it to the ground. Then he readied the fresh cylinder.
His gloved fingers lost their grip on the oxygen supply. "I've dropped it!"
"What!?" Instantly Gordon was on his hands and knees feeling about. He found a cylinder. It was too light to be full. He tucked it into a pocket and continued his frantic search.
Scott braced himself against the wall. It was getting hot in this suit. His mouth was dry. It was also becoming hard to remain focused. He became aware that it was becoming more difficult to breathe.
His legs gave out and he slid to the ground. 'Come on Gordon!'
His thoughts were echoed by Alan's voice. "Come on Gordon!"
"I've found it!" Keeping a firm grip on the cylinder Gordon felt about blindly and came in contact with a knee. He traced it up Scott's leg until he found his torso. "Hang in there brother!" He found the oxygen supply line and managed to attach the life-giving cylinder. "Scott. I've done it! Are you okay?"
Scott was too busy getting a lung full of fresh oxygen to answer. He managed to squeeze Gordon's arm in recognition of what had been achieved.
"Gordon!" Virgil yelled. "How is he?"
"I think he's okay." Gordon replied.
"Yeah. I'm okay." Scott gasped. "Just getting my breath back. Thanks Gordo'."
***
Outside their brothers were setting up the rescue equipment. Alan readied a laser while Virgil positioned a giant fan. "I don't know if this is going to work..." he said as he switched it on.
Miraculously the breeze from the fan cleared the smoke away from where the door used to be. Now with full visibility it took only a matter of minutes for Alan and Virgil to cut through the debris. They rushed inside.
Alan found Gordon. "Go on. Get out of here. We'll take care of things."
But Gordon was determined to finish what he'd started. "I'm okay. Let's get this guy out of here." He headed to his end of Percy's stretcher. "Are you ready, Alan?"
Alan had positioned himself at Scott's end. "I'm ready. Lift."
Virgil reached Scott's side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Scott got to his feet. "I wouldn't mind being guided out of here though."
Virgil could see that everything else was under control. "Hang on, I want to get a couple of samples of the debris for analysis. We've got to find out what was jamming our scanners." He picked up some lumps of material for Brains and then returned to Scott. "Take my arm. Where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the sick bay?"
"No. I don't need to do that. You can help me to Mobile Control."
***
Alan and Gordon took Percy to the gate of the security cordon, passed him over to the care of the local Paramedics and watched as he was carried away to a waiting ambulance. Then they turned to head back to Mobile Control.
Alan was surprised when Gordon grabbed his arm.
"My legs have just turned to jelly. I think I'll sit down for a bit."
Alan aided him to the ground. "Are you okay? Do you want a Paramedic to look at you?" he asked in concern.
"No. I'll be okay. I just need a moment to regain my composure." He lay down.
"Can I do anything, get you anything?" Alan crouched beside his brother.
Gordon shook his head. "I just want to enjoy a little light for a minute or so. It was so dark in there. Unbelievably dark." He turned his head so that he could see Scott sitting at Mobile Control. "I don't know how he's coped this past year. Goodness only knows how he managed to get through Regnad. I think I would have gone mad."
"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"
"No. I'm fine thanks Alan." Gordon said quietly.
"Okay. I'll be over at Mobile Control if you want me."
"Thanks."
Scott was talking to his father when Alan reached him. "Hang on. Here's Alan. I'll ask him."
"Ask him what?"
"How's Gordon?"
"Pretty shaken up. He's having a lie down. His legs gave out on him. He says he's fine though. Where's Virgil?"
"Brains wants to know what it was that caused the sensors to fail." His father told him. "Virgil's running some tests on the smoke and anything else he can find."
"Good. We don't want our equipment failing again."
"I think Gordon would agree with you." Scott stood. "I'll have a word with him. Where is he, Alan? In the sick bay?"
"No. He's just over there."
Gordon was still lying on the ground when Scott reached him. "How're you feeling Gordo'?"
"I'm shaking like a leaf Scott! I never want to go through an experience like that again. I don't know how you've survived the past year. I would have gone mad by now."
"A year ago and I would have... I did say the same thing. But you learn to cope. Think about it Gordon, I'd say that I would go crazy if I was stuck in a wheelchair for months, with every chance of never being able to walk again. But you did it. After your hovercraft accident you had to live like that and you coped. You came to accept it didn't you."
"I see what you mean. But I don't know that I did accept it, I fought to be able to walk again."
"But if you'd failed, you would have coped wouldn't you."
"Well... yes I guess I would have. I would have had to."
"It's been the same for me."
"How come you're so strong and I'm such a wimp?"
Scott crouched down so that he didn't have to talk so loud. "Two things Gordon. One - you're not a wimp. You got in there unaided and helped me get Percy out to safety. And two. You didn't see me at my worst, and believe me, my worst was worse than you just were."
"You?"
"Me. Look this isn't the place to discuss this. What say I travel back with you guys in Thunderbird Two and I'll tell you about it?"
"I'd like that."
"Okay. Do you feel up to giving us a hand, starting with helping me back to Mobile Control? I'm a bit lost in strange surroundings without my cane."
"Yeah, I'll help. If I can get my legs going in the same direction!"
Scott laughed as he assisted his brother to his feet. They started to walk back to Mobile Control.
"Gordon. I wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there. You were literally a lifesaver."
"It was my fault you ran out of oxygen. It was the least I could do."
***
"What! You're actually volunteering to ride in Thunderbird Two when you could be in Thunderbird One!" Alan was amazed. "You're going to let me fly her solo?"
"Make the most of it kid. After tomorrow you're not going to get a look in. I want my 'bird back!"
"I'll leave the keys on your pillow for when you wake up."
Virgil emerged from Thunderbird Two and made his way over to Mobile Control. "Mind if I have a word with base?" he asked Alan who was still seated at the console. "I've got the results from the tests of the residue on Thunderbird Two." He looked at his sooty black plane and made a face. "I've got a heck of a clean up job when we get home."
Alan slid out of his seat. "Help yourself."
"Mobile Control to Thunderbird Five. Come in John."
"Hi Virgil. Have you got the test results?"
"Yes. Can you put me through to Brains?"
Brains bespectacled face appeared on the monitor. "W-What have you found out, V-Virgil?"
"Plenty of carbon and not much else. Thunderbird Two is covered in charcoal! The spectrograph isn't reading anything dangerous so I think we'll be safe flying her home. What do you reckon?"
"I c-concur Virgil. But please make sure you have an unc-contaminated sample for my analysis. If there is anything th-that is capable of bl-blocking our signals I want to know wh-what it is."
"Don't we all Brains. Don't we all." Virgil agreed. "I've already got a sample stashed away for you. Tell Father we'll be leaving shortly."
"F-A-B."
As Brains' face disappeared from the monitor Virgil turned away from Mobile Control. "Well Gordon. How're you feeling now?"
"Not so shaky." Gordon admitted. "We've got a passenger for the homeward flight."
"We have?"
"I told Gordon I'd travel with you guys and we could discuss what happened." Scott told him. "You don't mind?"
"Of course not." Virgil smiled. "I've had enough watery tales for one day, and that's all Gordon will want to talk about with me."
***