The ultimate sacrifice- Chapter 9
That feeling, that sensation that makes all the little things in life feel irrelevant, hits you as an intense, stomach-churning emotion, and leaves you empty, completely empty. You can feel your blood running through your veins and the continuous thumping of your heart, your body is numb but your brain is working on overdrive. All the Tracy brothers had felt it many times in their job as IR members, and in other more distressing times of loss. Virgil had now felt he had experienced it enough to break the emotion down, it was made of three parts. Fear, sorrow, and the worst one, helplessness. Virgil considered the matter more as he flew his advanced craft up to the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere. Fear could be conquered, sorrow could be eased, but helplessness would always be with you and never forgotten. Being powerless to stop the deaths of his brothers was the worst emotion of all. That's why Virgil would travel to the ends of the Earth to save them, and now he literally was.
"Gordo, you with me?" Virgil shouted back to his younger brother from the pilot seat of TB 2, tryingto distract himself from the tears beginning to emerge.
"Sure, Virg.." Virgil had never heard Gordon's voice so flat, so negative.
"How long now?" Gordon asked as he pulled his head up from its position in his hands.
"ETA 35 minutes." Virgil looked in a disapproving way at the controls in front of him, he had cut off all the possible by pushing TB2 to her limits, but it still might not be enough.
"WHAT? That leaves ten minutes for a rescue. Is that enough time?" Gordon pulled himself up straight and stared in horror at his older brother.
"It's going to have to be," Virgil snapped.
"This is International Rescue calling Radio station 589, come in, please." John fought to keep a level voice and avoid causing a panic to the people on the station.
"This is Satellite station 589 to International Rescue. What's going on, is something wrong?" A young-sounding man answered the call.
"I need your full assistance, station 589, there isn't much time."
"Sure, we'll help if we can, what's wrong?" Relief that the men were willing to help filled John's mind.
"Is it possible for your station to be moved to a different orbit?" John got straight to the point.
"Yes, it's possible alright, but it will take 6 hours to power up the engines and plot a suitable course." The man could hear the deep breath and negative vibes in the IR man's voice.
"Okay 589, this is the truth, Thunderbird 3, our space craft, is on a collision course with your station, in less than 45 minutes. We are sending a rescue craft to try and move your station to avoid the collision." John tried just saying the words and not thinking about it.
"I'm sorry, International Rescue, that's not possible. If you touch us even slightly, we will be knocked out of orbit and crash into the Earth, and we won't have enough power for re-entry. That's not a possible option." The older of the two DJ's spoke calmly into the microphone.
"Thank you station 589, give me a minute and I will get back to you." John signed off and informed all other members of IR of the information what he had gotten from the satellite.
"It looks like we have only one option. We get the people out of the satellite and then push that out of orbit, or destroy it, and then rescue Scott and Alan." Gordon said the only option for saving everyone, but it was full of miscalculation and uncertainties.
"In ten minutes, Gordy? That isn't possible!" Alan pointed out breathlessly as he leaned over to see the watch face on Scott's arm.
"What's our other choice?" Virgil questioned to anyone.
Tin Tin nearly tearfully looked at Brains, and Brains looked at Jeff, and Jeff stated at John.
"No, that's our plan A." Alan said as he looked at Scott, sensing his next words would prove a heated discussion.
"Little one, if you have a plan B, I would love to hear it?" Virgil said sarcastically and hopefully. Was it Alan's turn to show his brothers, and more importantly his father, that he wasn't just a little kid and knew what he was doing?
"Dad, we need a backup plan. What if Virgil and Gordon don't get the people out from the satellite in time? Not only will we and the people on the satellite be blown to the moon and back, but so will TB 2 in the explosion." Alan ignored Virgil and directed his view to his father.
"Carry on, son." Jeff spoke softly, emotion clearly shown in his voice at the thought of only John being alive if the worst should happen.
Alan took a deep breath. "We have to consider code TB3 D."
"What are you on, Alan? There is no code TB 3 D." Scott plainly put breathing heavily in the cold air on to his baby brother's face. Unfortunately, unknown to Scott, there was.
John's face fell back into his hands, he knew what Alan had said. Tin Tin and Brains took a similar action to John and also knew what he had meant, but Jeff looked like hell had hit him. The code he had most dreaded wanting to call, the arguments this code had caused, the fear of the possibility of having do use it hit him hard.
Scott, Virgil, and Gordon knew nothing of this code due to the force of disagreements over the original idea. Jeff had done what he thought was right. Thunderbird 3, and only Thunderbird 3 had a self-destruct code, activated by his password and either John's or Alan's. They were changed regularly and stored on TB 5. Scott wouldn't even consider blowing his family members up and that why he wasn't told of its existence. It was a risk not telling him and Virgil and Gordon, but a necessary one . If anything would happen and a rescue not be possible in the depths of space, it was the final possibility. Still, it made Jeff deeply consider the action of installing it.
"Yes, there is," Jeff said plainly.
"Here's what we're going to do, Virgil, stay your course and get those people out of there, then destroy the station before TB3 hits her. John, get the codes for Alan and I will go get mine," Jeff had to switch to command mode, as he wasn't sure he could give the orders otherwise.
"Hold on, what is this code?" Scott snapped, annoyed at being cut out of the loop.
Alan stared at the blue eyes of the brother sitting next to him, they were both getting very weak but the thought of Scott not knowing something had sparked him up.
"It's a code to activate the self-destruction of Thunderbird 3." Alan informed Virgil, Scott, and Gordon and expecting the reply.
"What the hell are you saying, Alan?" Virgil yelled with Gordon suddenly standing behind him for support.
"It's an option, okay?" Alan said quietly. John had said nothing.
"No, it's not!" The yell was heard in Alan's ear, as he leaned over and cut communications with base, John, and TB2 from Scott's watch.
"What are you doing now?" Scott protested at the ending of the call.
"Just listen to someone else for once, Scott, please? If there isn't enough time to get those three people out of the satellite, are we just going to let them die, and possibly our brothers, too? Think about it, Scott, we could cause the death of five people if we crash into that station. What choice have we got?" Alan seemed to have such courage and strength in his voice despite the freezing temperature and toxic atmosphere.
"I can't believe Dad did this without telling me!" Scott stood shakily.
"Forget that, it's done, but this is our decision." Alan's hand held Scott's shoulder.
"Alone, I wouldn't question putting myself before others, but I can't do it. I'm not going to let you die, Alan." Scott turned to face his brother and put his hand on his youngest brother's face with a look of sadness in his eyes.
"I wasn't that old when you were born, but when you started to grow up I took so much responsibility for you. I love you, you're more than a brother to me. I feel like a parent to you, Al." Scott's words were heartfelt and gripped Alan's heart so much. He had looked up to all his brothers, but Scott was right, he was like a Dad to him and he could see why it was difficult for him now.
"Scott, I love you, too, and you're right, I have seen you as a Dad sort of, but they have to come before our lives." Alan hugged his brother, trying desperately to avoid the sleepy feeling coming over him. Forcing himself to stay awake was essential.
"Yes, you're right." Scott hugged Alan tightly and then switched back on his communicator.
"John, get those codes on standby." John registered the words but couldn't believe they were being said. He would have to give out the codes for his brothers' deaths, and he didn't know if he could do it.
"FAB," was all he managed, as his father returned with slightly puffy eyes to sit at his desk.
One pair of moist hazel eyes gazed at the timer in Thunderbird Two. ETA to danger zone five minutes. A pair of cerulean eyes gazed at his watch in Thunderbird Three. Collision time, fifteen minutes. The thought passed though his mind that they would be unconscious by then anyway.