Ninety Six - BF
It was a glorious day.
The sky was blue.
The odd fluffy cloud sauntered past the window.
Scott Tracy pushed the lever forward and felt the forces build up beneath him.
He checked the gauges.
All normal.
He pushed the lever a fraction further forward.
There was a slight swaying motion.
Thunderbird One lifted up off the ground.
He smiled to himself. "Just like riding a bike. You never forget."
Thunderbird One gained height.
He ran his eyes over the instruments again.
All normal.
He swung Thunderbird One around so that he could see the scene he was departing. From this vantage point he could make out the extent of the devastation.
It had been a big earthquake. About 7.5 on the Richter scale. High-rise buildings had been toppled. He cruised low over the landscape, double checking that International Rescue would not be required elsewhere.
He was just about to depart the scene when his instruments started blaring a warning.
At the same moment the ground was rocked by a massive aftershock.
The shockwaves were felt by Thunderbird One. The rocket plane shuddered violently. Scott fought the controls to keep his craft on an even keel.
"What the..." he tried to gain height, but Thunderbird One wasn't responding to his commands.
She began to tip to port.
"Come on!" He urged as a warning light told him that he'd lost communication with the port wing. He had no way of knowing if it was extended or had swung back into Thunderbird One's fuselage. It may have even detached itself from the craft.
Thinking quickly, he deduced that, whatever the problem, the port wing couldn't be fully extended, and flicked the switch that would retract the starboard one.
He felt the juddering increase as the wing retracted into its housing.
By now he was completely inverted, his body straining against his safety harness as he struggled to retain his grip on the controls.
A building flashed by the cockpit windows.
The ground sped past 'above' him.
Gently he applied more power to the aft jets and prayed that they would at least allow him to gain more altitude.
A proximity alarm alerted him to the fact that he was getting dangerously close to a stand of skyscrapers directly ahead.
He mentally crossed his fingers and pushed forward on the controls.
Thunderbird One responded by screaming skywards.
When he reached 10,000 feet he eased off and managed to reorient the craft so that she was hovering horizontally, but he wasn't having to fight against gravity.
He took a breath to try to get his racing heart back down to something resembling normalcy and the opened his radio communication.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five."
His brother responded. "Thunderbird Five. Go ahead Scott. Thunderbird Two reports you've got a problem."
"The port wing computer's not responding, Alan. The wing's either locked in the home position, or I've lost it altogether."
"Thunderbird Two reported that your port wing's retracted. How's she handling?"
"It was a bit hairy for a moment there, but she's fine at the moment. I think I can get her home safely."
"Are you sure you don't want to land and check her out?"
"Negative. Controls are responding A-OK. Better to get back to base where Brains can have a proper look at her."
"F-A-B. I'll alert Thunderbird Two to act as escort. If you need to ditch in the ocean they'll be on hand to pick you up."
"Thanks, Alan."
"Keep in contact and let me know if there's any change."
"Will do."
"Just make sure you get that 'bird home safely. Thunderbird Five out."
Although he didn't have too far to travel, it still seemed to be an age to Scott. Eventually he saw the familiar peak of Tracy Island.
"Thunderbird One to Base."
"Base to Thunderbird One. Any problems, Scott?"
"Negative Father. Thunderbird One's handling well at speed. She's a bit unsteady at lower cruising speeds."
"How are you planning on landing her?"
"Without the wings I don't have the stability to bring her down horizontally. I'll have to bring her in vertically. If I could slot her through the pool into her hanger it would make repairs easier."
"Do you think she's responsive enough to attempt that?"
"So far I've had no problems. I think we'll be okay."
"All right son. I've got Thunderbird Two standing by to effect a rescue if need be. Everyone else has gone to the bunkers."
"That's reassuring."
"Just standard procedure." Jeff reminded him. "Keep this channel open. Let us know the first sign of trouble."
"F-A-B."
With infinite care Scott rotated his plane till she was in position above the open swimming pool. He gave his instrument panel one last check. "Right. I'm coming in now."
"F-A-B." His father intoned. "Good Luck."
"Thanks." Scott pulled back on the lever that started Thunderbird One's decent. She started dropping lower, getting closer and closer to her objective.
The altimeter read out his height. 200 feet, 100, 50, 25, 10, five, four, three, two, one, zero, minus one, minus two, minus five, -10, -25, -50, -100, -200 feet.
"Touchdown!" Scott exclaimed. He felt the clamps click home onto Thunderbird One's aft jet unit. They began the ride back up to the loading bay. He unclipped his safety harness.
"Well done, Scott." Jeff stated. "Excellent flying."
"Thanks."
"How would you feel about having a go with the real thing?"
"What!" Scott vaulted out of the simulator and ran into the control room, skidding to a stop in front of his father. "Are you serious?!"
"Well, Brains says your sight's good enough, and anyone who can handle Thunderbird One through the scenario we just put you through deserves the opportunity."
It was like watching his son on Christmas morning all over again as Scott's face lit up. "You're not teasing me are you?"
"Of course not. Go get ready... that's if you really want to..." Jeff had barely finished saying 'get ready' before Scott was out the door. He turned to Alan. "I guess he wants to."
Alan grinned and shut down the Thunderbird Five simulator.
***
"What's all the excitement about? Is there a rescue?" Virgil asked Gordon.
They were in the hallway and everyone was heading at speed in the direction of the lounge.
"Scott's going to fly Thunderbird One!"
"What! Really! That's great!" Virgil face brightened at the thought. "Solo?"
"No. Alan'll go as backup. But Scott'll have the control."
"He'll be that excited he'll probably take off without Thunderbird One." Virgil commented.
"We're all going to watch the launch from the lounge." Gordon watched his brother closely. "Are you coming?"
The smile slipped from Virgil's face. "No. It'll be too crowded. I'll watch from my window."
"Mind if I join you?"
The smile returned. "Sure!"
***
Scott's heart was pounding nearly as hard as it had been when the simulator had first alerted him to problems with 'Thunderbird One'. "Come on Alan. Get in here!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Alan grumbled lightly. "I had to shut down the simulator computer. Someone neglected to shut down the Thunderbird One console."
"Oops. Sorry." Scott apologised. "I'll make it up to you later. Have you got your safety harness on?"
"I can't get this buckle..."
"Alan!" Scott complained as he turned and saw his youngest sibling firmly strapped in, arms relaxed behind his head.
"Okay. I'm ready."
"I can see that." Scott set Thunderbird One on her downward slide into her launching bay.
***
Gordon looked at his watch. "They must be in the launch bay by now."
Virgil placed his palms on the window. "If you rest your hands on the glass you can feel the sound waves from the jets." Gordon followed suit. "There! He's started them."
Gordon felt and heard the roar of the jets simultaneously.
***
Despite his excitement, Scott tried to remember the protocol. "Thunderbird One. Requesting permission to launch."
"Thunderbird One. Permission granted."
"Ready Alan?"
"I've been ready for the last five minutes!"
Scott took a deep breath and pulled back on the controls. He felt the jets explode into life. He felt the forces on his body as gravity forced him back into his seat. He'd experienced this sensation many times over this past year, but this was the first time in that year that he'd been in control.
The thought sent a thrill through his body.
***
"Go Scott!" Virgil cheered as the red nose cone appeared through the swimming pool.
"Let 'er rip, brother." Gordon exclaimed. "Let's see what you can do!" He glanced back at Virgil noting the ecstatic expression on his older brother's face. Virgil flashed him a thumbs up signal, which Gordon returned.
***
"There he goes!" Jeff said. "Straight as an arrow!"
"Alan's going to be in for a rough ride." Tin-Tin stated.
"H-He'll love every minute." Brains smiled.
"I hope they'll be careful." Grandma Tracy added a grandmotherly warning note.
***
They reached 100,000 feet before they levelled off.
"I thought maybe you were planning on popping in to see John." Alan quipped.
"Nope. Next time. Switching to horizontal flight." Scott skilfully rotated Thunderbird One so that she was coasting parallel to the earth's surface. "How about a quick trip to the States."
"What are you planning to do when you get there?"
"Turn around and come back again."
"Exciting." Alan said dully. "You're the pilot."
"Yes I am! Accelerating to 15,000 miles per hour..."
***
An hour later and Jeff was sitting at his desk sipping a cup of coffee when Scott's portrait came to life. "Go ahead, Scott."
Scott's face was all smiles. "Thunderbird One. Requesting permission to land."
"Thunderbird One. You are granted permission."
***
"That!" Scott exclaimed when they got back into the lounge. "Was absolutely brilliant!"
"That." Alan echoed. "Was absolutely boring."
"What did you do?" Tin-Tin asked.
"15,000 miles per hour at 100,000 feet!" Scott was still in high spirits. "Brilliant!"
"In a straight line. No spins, no barrel rolls, nothing!" Alan stated. "Boring!"
"I'm saving something for next time." Scott protested. "Actually I thought I'd play it safe. But can I have another go tomorrow?" he looked at his father hopefully.
"I don't know, Scott..." Jeff said thoughtfully. "You know International Rescue's policy on joy rides in the Thunderbirds."
"It's a training flight!"
"Oh, well. If you put it that way." Jeff grinned suddenly. "I'm pulling your leg. Of course you can. I want you to get as comfortable with your 'bird as you ever were."
"Fantastic!" Scott practically floated from the lounge.
Alan sighed. "I guess this means I'm relegated to being a bit player again. Or worse... having to be a passenger in Thunderbird Two. It's going to be like riding in a snail after spending all that time in Thunderbird One!"
Gordon grinned. "Don't let Virgil hear you say that." Then he stopped, embarrassed. "Why'd I say that?"
"What does he think of Scott flying again?" Alan asked.
"He was thrilled for him. We were high-fiveing each other as you were disappearing into the stratosphere. How was Scott?"
"Like a little kid. Anyone would think he'd never flown her before. It was like all his Christmases and birthday's rolled into one. He'll never get to sleep tonight."
It was a glorious day.
The sky was blue.
The odd fluffy cloud sauntered past the window.
Scott Tracy pushed the lever forward and felt the forces build up beneath him.
He checked the gauges.
All normal.
He pushed the lever a fraction further forward.
There was a slight swaying motion.
Thunderbird One lifted up off the ground.
He smiled to himself. "Just like riding a bike. You never forget."
Thunderbird One gained height.
He ran his eyes over the instruments again.
All normal.
He swung Thunderbird One around so that he could see the scene he was departing. From this vantage point he could make out the extent of the devastation.
It had been a big earthquake. About 7.5 on the Richter scale. High-rise buildings had been toppled. He cruised low over the landscape, double checking that International Rescue would not be required elsewhere.
He was just about to depart the scene when his instruments started blaring a warning.
At the same moment the ground was rocked by a massive aftershock.
The shockwaves were felt by Thunderbird One. The rocket plane shuddered violently. Scott fought the controls to keep his craft on an even keel.
"What the..." he tried to gain height, but Thunderbird One wasn't responding to his commands.
She began to tip to port.
"Come on!" He urged as a warning light told him that he'd lost communication with the port wing. He had no way of knowing if it was extended or had swung back into Thunderbird One's fuselage. It may have even detached itself from the craft.
Thinking quickly, he deduced that, whatever the problem, the port wing couldn't be fully extended, and flicked the switch that would retract the starboard one.
He felt the juddering increase as the wing retracted into its housing.
By now he was completely inverted, his body straining against his safety harness as he struggled to retain his grip on the controls.
A building flashed by the cockpit windows.
The ground sped past 'above' him.
Gently he applied more power to the aft jets and prayed that they would at least allow him to gain more altitude.
A proximity alarm alerted him to the fact that he was getting dangerously close to a stand of skyscrapers directly ahead.
He mentally crossed his fingers and pushed forward on the controls.
Thunderbird One responded by screaming skywards.
When he reached 10,000 feet he eased off and managed to reorient the craft so that she was hovering horizontally, but he wasn't having to fight against gravity.
He took a breath to try to get his racing heart back down to something resembling normalcy and the opened his radio communication.
"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five."
His brother responded. "Thunderbird Five. Go ahead Scott. Thunderbird Two reports you've got a problem."
"The port wing computer's not responding, Alan. The wing's either locked in the home position, or I've lost it altogether."
"Thunderbird Two reported that your port wing's retracted. How's she handling?"
"It was a bit hairy for a moment there, but she's fine at the moment. I think I can get her home safely."
"Are you sure you don't want to land and check her out?"
"Negative. Controls are responding A-OK. Better to get back to base where Brains can have a proper look at her."
"F-A-B. I'll alert Thunderbird Two to act as escort. If you need to ditch in the ocean they'll be on hand to pick you up."
"Thanks, Alan."
"Keep in contact and let me know if there's any change."
"Will do."
"Just make sure you get that 'bird home safely. Thunderbird Five out."
Although he didn't have too far to travel, it still seemed to be an age to Scott. Eventually he saw the familiar peak of Tracy Island.
"Thunderbird One to Base."
"Base to Thunderbird One. Any problems, Scott?"
"Negative Father. Thunderbird One's handling well at speed. She's a bit unsteady at lower cruising speeds."
"How are you planning on landing her?"
"Without the wings I don't have the stability to bring her down horizontally. I'll have to bring her in vertically. If I could slot her through the pool into her hanger it would make repairs easier."
"Do you think she's responsive enough to attempt that?"
"So far I've had no problems. I think we'll be okay."
"All right son. I've got Thunderbird Two standing by to effect a rescue if need be. Everyone else has gone to the bunkers."
"That's reassuring."
"Just standard procedure." Jeff reminded him. "Keep this channel open. Let us know the first sign of trouble."
"F-A-B."
With infinite care Scott rotated his plane till she was in position above the open swimming pool. He gave his instrument panel one last check. "Right. I'm coming in now."
"F-A-B." His father intoned. "Good Luck."
"Thanks." Scott pulled back on the lever that started Thunderbird One's decent. She started dropping lower, getting closer and closer to her objective.
The altimeter read out his height. 200 feet, 100, 50, 25, 10, five, four, three, two, one, zero, minus one, minus two, minus five, -10, -25, -50, -100, -200 feet.
"Touchdown!" Scott exclaimed. He felt the clamps click home onto Thunderbird One's aft jet unit. They began the ride back up to the loading bay. He unclipped his safety harness.
"Well done, Scott." Jeff stated. "Excellent flying."
"Thanks."
"How would you feel about having a go with the real thing?"
"What!" Scott vaulted out of the simulator and ran into the control room, skidding to a stop in front of his father. "Are you serious?!"
"Well, Brains says your sight's good enough, and anyone who can handle Thunderbird One through the scenario we just put you through deserves the opportunity."
It was like watching his son on Christmas morning all over again as Scott's face lit up. "You're not teasing me are you?"
"Of course not. Go get ready... that's if you really want to..." Jeff had barely finished saying 'get ready' before Scott was out the door. He turned to Alan. "I guess he wants to."
Alan grinned and shut down the Thunderbird Five simulator.
***
"What's all the excitement about? Is there a rescue?" Virgil asked Gordon.
They were in the hallway and everyone was heading at speed in the direction of the lounge.
"Scott's going to fly Thunderbird One!"
"What! Really! That's great!" Virgil face brightened at the thought. "Solo?"
"No. Alan'll go as backup. But Scott'll have the control."
"He'll be that excited he'll probably take off without Thunderbird One." Virgil commented.
"We're all going to watch the launch from the lounge." Gordon watched his brother closely. "Are you coming?"
The smile slipped from Virgil's face. "No. It'll be too crowded. I'll watch from my window."
"Mind if I join you?"
The smile returned. "Sure!"
***
Scott's heart was pounding nearly as hard as it had been when the simulator had first alerted him to problems with 'Thunderbird One'. "Come on Alan. Get in here!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Alan grumbled lightly. "I had to shut down the simulator computer. Someone neglected to shut down the Thunderbird One console."
"Oops. Sorry." Scott apologised. "I'll make it up to you later. Have you got your safety harness on?"
"I can't get this buckle..."
"Alan!" Scott complained as he turned and saw his youngest sibling firmly strapped in, arms relaxed behind his head.
"Okay. I'm ready."
"I can see that." Scott set Thunderbird One on her downward slide into her launching bay.
***
Gordon looked at his watch. "They must be in the launch bay by now."
Virgil placed his palms on the window. "If you rest your hands on the glass you can feel the sound waves from the jets." Gordon followed suit. "There! He's started them."
Gordon felt and heard the roar of the jets simultaneously.
***
Despite his excitement, Scott tried to remember the protocol. "Thunderbird One. Requesting permission to launch."
"Thunderbird One. Permission granted."
"Ready Alan?"
"I've been ready for the last five minutes!"
Scott took a deep breath and pulled back on the controls. He felt the jets explode into life. He felt the forces on his body as gravity forced him back into his seat. He'd experienced this sensation many times over this past year, but this was the first time in that year that he'd been in control.
The thought sent a thrill through his body.
***
"Go Scott!" Virgil cheered as the red nose cone appeared through the swimming pool.
"Let 'er rip, brother." Gordon exclaimed. "Let's see what you can do!" He glanced back at Virgil noting the ecstatic expression on his older brother's face. Virgil flashed him a thumbs up signal, which Gordon returned.
***
"There he goes!" Jeff said. "Straight as an arrow!"
"Alan's going to be in for a rough ride." Tin-Tin stated.
"H-He'll love every minute." Brains smiled.
"I hope they'll be careful." Grandma Tracy added a grandmotherly warning note.
***
They reached 100,000 feet before they levelled off.
"I thought maybe you were planning on popping in to see John." Alan quipped.
"Nope. Next time. Switching to horizontal flight." Scott skilfully rotated Thunderbird One so that she was coasting parallel to the earth's surface. "How about a quick trip to the States."
"What are you planning to do when you get there?"
"Turn around and come back again."
"Exciting." Alan said dully. "You're the pilot."
"Yes I am! Accelerating to 15,000 miles per hour..."
***
An hour later and Jeff was sitting at his desk sipping a cup of coffee when Scott's portrait came to life. "Go ahead, Scott."
Scott's face was all smiles. "Thunderbird One. Requesting permission to land."
"Thunderbird One. You are granted permission."
***
"That!" Scott exclaimed when they got back into the lounge. "Was absolutely brilliant!"
"That." Alan echoed. "Was absolutely boring."
"What did you do?" Tin-Tin asked.
"15,000 miles per hour at 100,000 feet!" Scott was still in high spirits. "Brilliant!"
"In a straight line. No spins, no barrel rolls, nothing!" Alan stated. "Boring!"
"I'm saving something for next time." Scott protested. "Actually I thought I'd play it safe. But can I have another go tomorrow?" he looked at his father hopefully.
"I don't know, Scott..." Jeff said thoughtfully. "You know International Rescue's policy on joy rides in the Thunderbirds."
"It's a training flight!"
"Oh, well. If you put it that way." Jeff grinned suddenly. "I'm pulling your leg. Of course you can. I want you to get as comfortable with your 'bird as you ever were."
"Fantastic!" Scott practically floated from the lounge.
Alan sighed. "I guess this means I'm relegated to being a bit player again. Or worse... having to be a passenger in Thunderbird Two. It's going to be like riding in a snail after spending all that time in Thunderbird One!"
Gordon grinned. "Don't let Virgil hear you say that." Then he stopped, embarrassed. "Why'd I say that?"
"What does he think of Scott flying again?" Alan asked.
"He was thrilled for him. We were high-fiveing each other as you were disappearing into the stratosphere. How was Scott?"
"Like a little kid. Anyone would think he'd never flown her before. It was like all his Christmases and birthday's rolled into one. He'll never get to sleep tonight."