Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, they belong to Gerry Anderson and Carlton Television.
AN: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it is much appreciated!
Chapter 2
Gordon sat frozen in shock. Time seemed to stand still as his brother crumpled to the floor. He could only look on in horror, he couldn't move or turn away, and his body refused to obey his commands. Suddenly he found himself in full control of his body "JOHN! JOHN! Oh God please no. JOHN! WAKE UP JOHN, PLEASE!" he screamed at the screen, but his brother lay unresponsive.
As fast as he could, Gordon hit the alarm button. The wail of the alarm shattered the peaceful calm of the house and within minutes, Jeff had arrived on the scene, looking none to pleased at his wake up call. "Gordon, this had better not be one of your practical jokes" he growled. Pausing to take in Gordon's appearance, he grew concerned "Gordon, what is it? Are you ok?" Gordon was beyond words by then and could only point to the vid-screen in response. Jeff's eyes grew large and his face went slack as he saw the sight that greeted him. "Oh God, John!" Jeff's legs buckled from under him and he sank to the floor. By now the sounds of thundering footsteps announced the arrival of the rest of the Tracy family.
"Dad, what is it?" Scott demanded. At the sound of Scott's voice Jeff seemed to regain his self-control and got to his feet. He was in control and thinking clearly "Right, Scott. Johns collapsed…" At this, all faces immediately turned towards the vid-screen and a gasp of horror went round the room as they saw the terrible sight. Virgil immediately walked over to Gordon and placed a hand on his shoulder. Alan set about trying to comfort Grandma, who had burst into sobs, whilst trying to control his own tears. "…I want you to immediately launch Thunderbird 3 to go get him." Continued Jeff, "As Alan's still not fully recovered take Virgil as your co-pilot. You might need other help so take Tin-Tin with you…" "Dad, please let me go" interrupted Gordon quietly.
This was met with stunned silence. Everyone knew how much Gordon hated the emptiness of space, him and John were complete opposites in that respect, although they were so similar in others. The fact that Gordon was offering to do this showed the others how worried he was. Jeff, knowing the depth of the bond that existed between Gordon and John, didn't even stop to question his request, just nodded and carried on speaking "Ok, Gordon will go as well. Make sure you have all the medical equipment, you can't….you can't be sure of his true condition until you get up there." The catch in Jeff's voice was the only sign of the emotion he was feeling. He took a deep breath and took hold of his emotions. His voice was steady when he said "Prepare for lift-off".
Scott, Virgil and Gordon walked over to the sofa and sat down, preparing to get ready to go to Thunderbird 3. "Go as fast as you can Scott…Please bring my boy home safe" They were Jeff's final words as the sofa went out of sight. The journey to Thunderbird 3 seemed to take years, at least to Gordon, as did the preparation for blast off. Finally they were ready. Gordon gripped the sides of his seat as Thunderbird 3 blasted out of its hangar and into space, he felt completely useless. It was a 3-hour journey to Thunderbird 5, and in that time anything could happen, John could even be de…he stopped that thought before he could complete it. All he could do was sit back and wait.