Eighty - BF
They were on their feet and running to the assistance of their friend who was more like a sister to them.
Scott fell several times as his eyes misjudged the unevenness of the rocks he was traversing.
Virgil was the first to arrive. "Tin-Tin!" he yelled as he scanned the boiling waters for some sign of her.
Frustratingly the only reply he could hear was the irritating sound of the tinnitus.
Scott scrambled to his side, breathing heavily, his arms bleeding from several grazes he'd received. "Can you see her?"
"Can you hear her?" Virgil asked urgently, not hearing his brother's question.
"No. Yes!" Scott was just able to hear a yell from inside a cave that was frothing with white water. "She's in there!"
"What?" Virgil asked.
Scott cursed his forgetfulness. In there. He pointed into the cave.
Virgil paled. "Tide's coming in. She'll never be able to swim out of there alone."
Scott did what he did best, he took control. Help me down there. I'll go in and help her. You go and alert the others and get a P.F.D.
"Are you crazy! You could be killed."
So could T-T if I don't try. She could be hurt after that fall.
"Okay." Virgil said reluctantly. "Be careful." He helped Scott into the water, telling him where it was safe to put his feet. "Okay?"
Scott gave him the thumbs up signal. Go!
"See you."
It was a battle against the wash of the pounding waves.
Scott knew this particular cave, they'd often used it for training purposes. It was long and dark and curved away to the right. As the darkness increased his hard won skills of the past year started to take over.
***
Virgil didn't have far to go. Scattered around the base of the island were what Brains had termed "Survivor Stations". Each of these stations contained a personal floatation device or P.F.D. The theory was that should any sailors be shipwrecked on Tracy Island they would be able to remove the P.F.D. and use it to assist any others to make it to dry land. The removal of the P.F.D. would set off an alarm at Tracy Villa alerting the residents to the presence and location of the survivors.
It was a quicker way of alerting the entire family than using their watches.
Virgil was only half a minute away from the nearest Survivor Station. He ripped the P.F.D. free and headed back to the cave. His feet lost traction on the slimy rock and he fell. He quickly regained his footing and managed to get back to the mouth of the cave without further mishap. Having nothing else available he tethered himself to the P.F.D. and threw it out into the middle of the channel leading into the cave. The current swept it into the dark maw of the rock face.
***
Back in Tracy Villa, the distinctive alarm of a Survivor Station had rung out when the P.F.D. was removed. Gordon grabbed his wetsuit and oxygen tanks, Alan checked the locker that contained hover bikes and a large inflatable dinghy that had it's own hover transportation, and Brains retrieved the medical equipment. They made their way to the assembly area - the lounge. Grandma and Kyrano assembled blankets and started boiling up water for hot drinks.
Jeff was scanning the map of Tracy Island. A light showed him clearly where the alarm had been activated. He looked at the assembled group. "Where's Tin-Tin, Scott and Virgil?"
No one knew.
"Right. Let's get down there!"
***
The salt water was stinging his grazes. He was being pushed by the waves against the hard rocks. But still Scott continued doggedly on. "Tin-Tin!" He yelled. "Where are you?"
"I'm here." Her voice sounded tiny and afraid in the booming cavern.
"Hang on, Honey. I'm coming."
Tin-Tin was a strong swimmer, but even so she didn't have the strength to battle against the incoming waves. The water was pushing her against the rocks, whose jagged edges, although had been smoothed somewhat by millennia of wave action, were still rough and abrasive through the thin cotton of her dress. "Hurry, Scott!"
"Where are you? Keep talking."
"I-I'm here."
She was closer now and Scott reached out. Her arm felt cold. He moved closer. A wave pushed them together. He heard her give an involuntary grunt as she was sandwiched between him and the unyielding rocks. "Sorry, Honey."
A wave washed over the pair of them. They coughed and spluttered away the water.
Scott felt above her head. "I think there's a ledge along here." He found it and eased her along so she was under it, then he grasped her by the waist. "Next wave that comes in, jump." He instructed. "I'll help you get to that ledge, you can sit there out of the water... Get ready... Go!"
She jumped and found herself pushed upwards, partly by the force of the water and partly by his strong arms. "Made it!" she gasped. "What about you?"
"I'm okay." He fought against another wave. The tide was definitely rising. He estimated that they would have half an hour at the most before the cave would be under water.
They heard a voice above the roar of the water. "Scott! The P.F.D.'s coming in."
"Thanks, Virgil." Scott yelled in reply. "What am I doing? He can't hear me." He muttered to himself before he began to listen intently. The P.F.D. had a little homing signal on it, and he was hopeful that he'd be able to hear it.
His ears picked up a beeping sound and he edged towards it, managing to snare it. Then he made his way back to where Tin-Tin was seated. When he'd left her the water was just covering her feet, now it was up to her knees. "Put this around you."
"What about you?"
"I'll be all right. Just get out of here."
She wrapped the P.F.D. about her. "I'm ready."
He felt it to make sure it was secure, then he gave three tugs on the attached rope.
***
Virgil felt the tugs. "I hope that means what I think it does." He muttered and wrapping the rope around his left wrist for extra support, started pulling.
***
Tin-Tin jumped off her ledge and started battling against the surging breakers. The current pushed her against the rocks lining the cave and she used all her strength to push herself along the wall. Wave after wave broke over her, and she tried to time her breathing so that she wouldn't get a lung full of water.
***
Virgil continued pulling. The rope was starting to bite into his wrist and hands, but he merely kept on pulling, muscles taut against the strain. "Come on Tin-Tin."
A wave broke over the rocks he was standing on and washed his feet out from under him. He fell heavily but maintained his grip.
***
Tin-Tin felt the rope suddenly go slack and was swept backwards against the rock, before the rope tightened again.
***
Virgil decided that it would be easier to remain seated. He braced his feet against another rock and continued pulling. The cold wind was making his ears hurt. His arms were aching and his legs were now taking up most of the strain, but he refused to give in. He wrapped the rope around his hands again and continued fighting against the pounding current.
***
It was starting to get lighter. Through the water that continuously clouded her vision Tin-Tin was sure she could see daylight. Wearily she pushed herself around a boulder and found herself in the mouth of the cave. It seemed to give her extra strength. She pushed on.
***
The sight of Tin-Tin also gave Virgil a new burst of energy. He gave an extra strong pull.
Together it was enough that she made it to the rocks at his feet. She clung on with all her might as Virgil clambered down to her before dragging her to safety.
He was surprised when another pair of hands took her from him. Alan was assisting her back to the hoverbikes.
Where's Scott? Gordon asked.
"In there!"
Where?
"I don't know." Virgil started to say, but Gordon had already turned back to Tin-Tin.
"Where is he in the cave?"
"Against the back wall. Hurry Gordon the water's up to his chest!"
***
The water was by now up to Scott's neck. He tried jumping in time with the waves to keep his head above water, but was rapidly losing strength due to the exertion and cold. He knew there was no way he could fight his way out alone. He kept listening out hopefully for the sound of the P.F.D. "Come on Virgil..., or someone..."
***
Jeff took Virgil by the shoulders and assisted him away from the tides edge. He found a rock that could double as a seat and sat his son down on it.
Virgil looked past his father. "He's in there somewhere!"
Jeff started unravelling the rope from Virgil's hands, noting the friction burns and cuts. "Gordon will save him, Virgil." He patted him on a wet shoulder reassuringly, reasoning that the action made more sense than mere words.
***
Gordon was swimming under the waves. Under the water the current was strong but he wasn't having to battle the breakers. A bright torch lit up much of what was ahead of him.
***
Back on land Alan placed a survival blanket around Tin-Tin's shoulders. She was shivering from shock and the cold wind that had blown up. The back of her dress was torn and bloodied from the scratches and grazes she'd received on the unforgiving rocks. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Come on, Honey. Your father's over here with Grandma. They'll look after you."
"No, Alan. I'm not leaving until Scott's out of there. He saved my life!"
"I'm not letting you get hypothermia..."
"I'm fine!" She insisted.
"Now you are! But I'm not taking any chances. They'll let us know if there's any news. Now come on!" he said sternly.
Meekly she let him assist her to the two older people waiting anxiously by the hoverbikes.
"My Daughter! Are you all right?!"
"I am fine, Father."
"She needs to get out of those wet clothes." Alan stated. "Her back's a mess."
"Now we'll take care of Tin-Tin." Grandma told him. "You go back and see what you can do to help."
"But Grandma...!"
"Go!"
He started hurrying back feeling that he'd been banished as much to protect Tin-Tin's modesty as anything else. There wasn't a lot he could do back at the cave at the moment.
***
Scott watched a light move towards him underwater. He'd climbed onto the smallest lip of rock to try to give himself more breathing space. "Gordon!" he shouted through the splashing water. "I'm here!"
Gordon's light found a pair of legs. He stood up.
"Ow!" Scott held up a hand to protect his sensitive eyes from the glaring light and slipped off the ledge.
Gordon caught him. "Put this on!" He handed his brother a breathing mask and small oxygen bottle. "Can you swim out?"
"I might need a little help. This cold sucks the strength right out of you."
"Okay, stick with me."
***
Outside everyone waited breathlessly. The mouth of the cave was by now almost completely submerged.
Jeff had left Virgil and was now standing beside Alan and Brains waiting for some sign that his other sons were going to make it out of that boiling cauldron of water.
Virgil's legs didn't have the strength to enable him to join them. His eyes moved quickly from the mouth of the cave, to his family's faces and back again... trying to get some information that he was unable to hear. His hands, wrists and ears were stinging in the cold air but he ignored the pain. Then he saw Brains say something into a portable radio and Alan point towards the cave. He forced himself to his feet and wobbled over to the group.
"That's good, Gordon." Brains said. "We can see your light. How is he?"
"Tired." Gordon informed him. "I don't know of any injuries."
Virgil tapped Alan on the shoulder. "What did he say?" he asked impatiently.
At that moment two heads appeared from under the surface. They moved around into an eddy where the force of the water wasn't strong enough to dash them on the rocks. Brains, Jeff and Alan moved forward to help them out of the water.
Virgil stayed where he was. He didn't have the strength to move any further, let alone help.
As Gordon helped push Scott out of the water, Jeff grabbed one arm and Alan the other.
"Tin-Tin! How is she?" Scott asked after he'd removed the breathing apparatus.
"She's fine." Jeff said quickly. "How are you?"
"Wet and cold."
Brains gave him a survival blanket.
Scott looked over to where Virgil was standing and gave him the thumbs up signal.
Virgil managed one in return. Then he looked down at his bloodied and blistered hands. For the first time he realised that they were stinging. He looked back up. The rest of the group were heading back to where the hoverbikes were waiting, laughing and talking amongst themselves. His Grandmother was walking towards them carrying a flask of hot liquid for Scott and Gordon. She was smiling and saying something to the group. Kyrano and Tin-Tin were heading back to the villa.
Suddenly Virgil felt alone and isolated from the rest of his family. He decided to make his own slow way back to the villa.
He was well into his walk along the beach when sand spraying against his leg made him aware that a hoverbike had come up beside him.
It was Alan. How come you're walking?
Virgil shrugged. "I felt like it. Work out the kinks."
Thanks for helping Tin-Tin back there.
"Not a problem. How is she?"
A little battered and bruised, but she'll be fine. She'll be sore tomorrow. By looks of you and Scott she won't be the only one.
"I'm glad she's okay."
You and Scott are quite a team.
"I guess so."
Just as well. The number of times you both get into trouble. Alan was pleased to see a small smile on Virgil's face.
"You're a fine one to be talking about getting into trouble."
Usually that's Gordon's fault. Alan noticed Virgil's hands. They look pretty painful.
"They're okay."
You look all done in, and you're wet. Did you get any water in your ears?
"No."
Good. Come on. That storm's about ready to hit and we can't have you getting hypothermia. Hop on the back and I'll take you home.
They were on their feet and running to the assistance of their friend who was more like a sister to them.
Scott fell several times as his eyes misjudged the unevenness of the rocks he was traversing.
Virgil was the first to arrive. "Tin-Tin!" he yelled as he scanned the boiling waters for some sign of her.
Frustratingly the only reply he could hear was the irritating sound of the tinnitus.
Scott scrambled to his side, breathing heavily, his arms bleeding from several grazes he'd received. "Can you see her?"
"Can you hear her?" Virgil asked urgently, not hearing his brother's question.
"No. Yes!" Scott was just able to hear a yell from inside a cave that was frothing with white water. "She's in there!"
"What?" Virgil asked.
Scott cursed his forgetfulness. In there. He pointed into the cave.
Virgil paled. "Tide's coming in. She'll never be able to swim out of there alone."
Scott did what he did best, he took control. Help me down there. I'll go in and help her. You go and alert the others and get a P.F.D.
"Are you crazy! You could be killed."
So could T-T if I don't try. She could be hurt after that fall.
"Okay." Virgil said reluctantly. "Be careful." He helped Scott into the water, telling him where it was safe to put his feet. "Okay?"
Scott gave him the thumbs up signal. Go!
"See you."
It was a battle against the wash of the pounding waves.
Scott knew this particular cave, they'd often used it for training purposes. It was long and dark and curved away to the right. As the darkness increased his hard won skills of the past year started to take over.
***
Virgil didn't have far to go. Scattered around the base of the island were what Brains had termed "Survivor Stations". Each of these stations contained a personal floatation device or P.F.D. The theory was that should any sailors be shipwrecked on Tracy Island they would be able to remove the P.F.D. and use it to assist any others to make it to dry land. The removal of the P.F.D. would set off an alarm at Tracy Villa alerting the residents to the presence and location of the survivors.
It was a quicker way of alerting the entire family than using their watches.
Virgil was only half a minute away from the nearest Survivor Station. He ripped the P.F.D. free and headed back to the cave. His feet lost traction on the slimy rock and he fell. He quickly regained his footing and managed to get back to the mouth of the cave without further mishap. Having nothing else available he tethered himself to the P.F.D. and threw it out into the middle of the channel leading into the cave. The current swept it into the dark maw of the rock face.
***
Back in Tracy Villa, the distinctive alarm of a Survivor Station had rung out when the P.F.D. was removed. Gordon grabbed his wetsuit and oxygen tanks, Alan checked the locker that contained hover bikes and a large inflatable dinghy that had it's own hover transportation, and Brains retrieved the medical equipment. They made their way to the assembly area - the lounge. Grandma and Kyrano assembled blankets and started boiling up water for hot drinks.
Jeff was scanning the map of Tracy Island. A light showed him clearly where the alarm had been activated. He looked at the assembled group. "Where's Tin-Tin, Scott and Virgil?"
No one knew.
"Right. Let's get down there!"
***
The salt water was stinging his grazes. He was being pushed by the waves against the hard rocks. But still Scott continued doggedly on. "Tin-Tin!" He yelled. "Where are you?"
"I'm here." Her voice sounded tiny and afraid in the booming cavern.
"Hang on, Honey. I'm coming."
Tin-Tin was a strong swimmer, but even so she didn't have the strength to battle against the incoming waves. The water was pushing her against the rocks, whose jagged edges, although had been smoothed somewhat by millennia of wave action, were still rough and abrasive through the thin cotton of her dress. "Hurry, Scott!"
"Where are you? Keep talking."
"I-I'm here."
She was closer now and Scott reached out. Her arm felt cold. He moved closer. A wave pushed them together. He heard her give an involuntary grunt as she was sandwiched between him and the unyielding rocks. "Sorry, Honey."
A wave washed over the pair of them. They coughed and spluttered away the water.
Scott felt above her head. "I think there's a ledge along here." He found it and eased her along so she was under it, then he grasped her by the waist. "Next wave that comes in, jump." He instructed. "I'll help you get to that ledge, you can sit there out of the water... Get ready... Go!"
She jumped and found herself pushed upwards, partly by the force of the water and partly by his strong arms. "Made it!" she gasped. "What about you?"
"I'm okay." He fought against another wave. The tide was definitely rising. He estimated that they would have half an hour at the most before the cave would be under water.
They heard a voice above the roar of the water. "Scott! The P.F.D.'s coming in."
"Thanks, Virgil." Scott yelled in reply. "What am I doing? He can't hear me." He muttered to himself before he began to listen intently. The P.F.D. had a little homing signal on it, and he was hopeful that he'd be able to hear it.
His ears picked up a beeping sound and he edged towards it, managing to snare it. Then he made his way back to where Tin-Tin was seated. When he'd left her the water was just covering her feet, now it was up to her knees. "Put this around you."
"What about you?"
"I'll be all right. Just get out of here."
She wrapped the P.F.D. about her. "I'm ready."
He felt it to make sure it was secure, then he gave three tugs on the attached rope.
***
Virgil felt the tugs. "I hope that means what I think it does." He muttered and wrapping the rope around his left wrist for extra support, started pulling.
***
Tin-Tin jumped off her ledge and started battling against the surging breakers. The current pushed her against the rocks lining the cave and she used all her strength to push herself along the wall. Wave after wave broke over her, and she tried to time her breathing so that she wouldn't get a lung full of water.
***
Virgil continued pulling. The rope was starting to bite into his wrist and hands, but he merely kept on pulling, muscles taut against the strain. "Come on Tin-Tin."
A wave broke over the rocks he was standing on and washed his feet out from under him. He fell heavily but maintained his grip.
***
Tin-Tin felt the rope suddenly go slack and was swept backwards against the rock, before the rope tightened again.
***
Virgil decided that it would be easier to remain seated. He braced his feet against another rock and continued pulling. The cold wind was making his ears hurt. His arms were aching and his legs were now taking up most of the strain, but he refused to give in. He wrapped the rope around his hands again and continued fighting against the pounding current.
***
It was starting to get lighter. Through the water that continuously clouded her vision Tin-Tin was sure she could see daylight. Wearily she pushed herself around a boulder and found herself in the mouth of the cave. It seemed to give her extra strength. She pushed on.
***
The sight of Tin-Tin also gave Virgil a new burst of energy. He gave an extra strong pull.
Together it was enough that she made it to the rocks at his feet. She clung on with all her might as Virgil clambered down to her before dragging her to safety.
He was surprised when another pair of hands took her from him. Alan was assisting her back to the hoverbikes.
Where's Scott? Gordon asked.
"In there!"
Where?
"I don't know." Virgil started to say, but Gordon had already turned back to Tin-Tin.
"Where is he in the cave?"
"Against the back wall. Hurry Gordon the water's up to his chest!"
***
The water was by now up to Scott's neck. He tried jumping in time with the waves to keep his head above water, but was rapidly losing strength due to the exertion and cold. He knew there was no way he could fight his way out alone. He kept listening out hopefully for the sound of the P.F.D. "Come on Virgil..., or someone..."
***
Jeff took Virgil by the shoulders and assisted him away from the tides edge. He found a rock that could double as a seat and sat his son down on it.
Virgil looked past his father. "He's in there somewhere!"
Jeff started unravelling the rope from Virgil's hands, noting the friction burns and cuts. "Gordon will save him, Virgil." He patted him on a wet shoulder reassuringly, reasoning that the action made more sense than mere words.
***
Gordon was swimming under the waves. Under the water the current was strong but he wasn't having to battle the breakers. A bright torch lit up much of what was ahead of him.
***
Back on land Alan placed a survival blanket around Tin-Tin's shoulders. She was shivering from shock and the cold wind that had blown up. The back of her dress was torn and bloodied from the scratches and grazes she'd received on the unforgiving rocks. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Come on, Honey. Your father's over here with Grandma. They'll look after you."
"No, Alan. I'm not leaving until Scott's out of there. He saved my life!"
"I'm not letting you get hypothermia..."
"I'm fine!" She insisted.
"Now you are! But I'm not taking any chances. They'll let us know if there's any news. Now come on!" he said sternly.
Meekly she let him assist her to the two older people waiting anxiously by the hoverbikes.
"My Daughter! Are you all right?!"
"I am fine, Father."
"She needs to get out of those wet clothes." Alan stated. "Her back's a mess."
"Now we'll take care of Tin-Tin." Grandma told him. "You go back and see what you can do to help."
"But Grandma...!"
"Go!"
He started hurrying back feeling that he'd been banished as much to protect Tin-Tin's modesty as anything else. There wasn't a lot he could do back at the cave at the moment.
***
Scott watched a light move towards him underwater. He'd climbed onto the smallest lip of rock to try to give himself more breathing space. "Gordon!" he shouted through the splashing water. "I'm here!"
Gordon's light found a pair of legs. He stood up.
"Ow!" Scott held up a hand to protect his sensitive eyes from the glaring light and slipped off the ledge.
Gordon caught him. "Put this on!" He handed his brother a breathing mask and small oxygen bottle. "Can you swim out?"
"I might need a little help. This cold sucks the strength right out of you."
"Okay, stick with me."
***
Outside everyone waited breathlessly. The mouth of the cave was by now almost completely submerged.
Jeff had left Virgil and was now standing beside Alan and Brains waiting for some sign that his other sons were going to make it out of that boiling cauldron of water.
Virgil's legs didn't have the strength to enable him to join them. His eyes moved quickly from the mouth of the cave, to his family's faces and back again... trying to get some information that he was unable to hear. His hands, wrists and ears were stinging in the cold air but he ignored the pain. Then he saw Brains say something into a portable radio and Alan point towards the cave. He forced himself to his feet and wobbled over to the group.
"That's good, Gordon." Brains said. "We can see your light. How is he?"
"Tired." Gordon informed him. "I don't know of any injuries."
Virgil tapped Alan on the shoulder. "What did he say?" he asked impatiently.
At that moment two heads appeared from under the surface. They moved around into an eddy where the force of the water wasn't strong enough to dash them on the rocks. Brains, Jeff and Alan moved forward to help them out of the water.
Virgil stayed where he was. He didn't have the strength to move any further, let alone help.
As Gordon helped push Scott out of the water, Jeff grabbed one arm and Alan the other.
"Tin-Tin! How is she?" Scott asked after he'd removed the breathing apparatus.
"She's fine." Jeff said quickly. "How are you?"
"Wet and cold."
Brains gave him a survival blanket.
Scott looked over to where Virgil was standing and gave him the thumbs up signal.
Virgil managed one in return. Then he looked down at his bloodied and blistered hands. For the first time he realised that they were stinging. He looked back up. The rest of the group were heading back to where the hoverbikes were waiting, laughing and talking amongst themselves. His Grandmother was walking towards them carrying a flask of hot liquid for Scott and Gordon. She was smiling and saying something to the group. Kyrano and Tin-Tin were heading back to the villa.
Suddenly Virgil felt alone and isolated from the rest of his family. He decided to make his own slow way back to the villa.
He was well into his walk along the beach when sand spraying against his leg made him aware that a hoverbike had come up beside him.
It was Alan. How come you're walking?
Virgil shrugged. "I felt like it. Work out the kinks."
Thanks for helping Tin-Tin back there.
"Not a problem. How is she?"
A little battered and bruised, but she'll be fine. She'll be sore tomorrow. By looks of you and Scott she won't be the only one.
"I'm glad she's okay."
You and Scott are quite a team.
"I guess so."
Just as well. The number of times you both get into trouble. Alan was pleased to see a small smile on Virgil's face.
"You're a fine one to be talking about getting into trouble."
Usually that's Gordon's fault. Alan noticed Virgil's hands. They look pretty painful.
"They're okay."
You look all done in, and you're wet. Did you get any water in your ears?
"No."
Good. Come on. That storm's about ready to hit and we can't have you getting hypothermia. Hop on the back and I'll take you home.