4
Up in Thunderbird Five, surrounded by flashing lights and beeping alarm signals, John Tracy stood for a long moment, perfectly still. Ashen as Peter Ride, he felt his insides tighten into an icy knot. There was an iron band around his chest, suddenly, and a white-hot blankness in his mind. Then the spell broke.
Fast as a whip-crack, John hit the emergency comm button, shouting,
"Gordon, Alan: home, now! We have a Code 36, repeat, Code 36!"A further slap to the comm button reached Dr. Hackenbacker, who for once neither twitched, fidgeted, nor stammered.
"Brains," John began urgently, "you saw? Get through to Father! I don't care how! You designed the system, find a way! I've alerted Alan and Gordon. I'll fill them in, then call Penelope... Brains, we've got to get Scott and Virgil out of there safely, whatever the fallout."
The engineer nodded seriously. "Understood, John. We'll make it happen."
Gordon had completed yet another full lap; his fifteenth, maybe. He'd lost count. The rotten wrist comm had started vibrating again about halfway through his last lap, but he couldn't stop in mid-lane to answer it, even if he'd wanted to.
Reaching the end of the lane, he seized the pool's edge and hoisted himself clear of the water in one smooth, graceful move. He'd a cramp developing in his left calf muscle, so after removing his goggles and toweling off a bit, Gordon decided to walk about, pacing through the vast, domed swimming complex to stretch his knotted muscles. His wrist comm buzzed again, and this time, Gordon answered it. John's face appeared at once, as pale and drawn as though he were bleeding to death. A breezy greeting died on Gordon's lips as John began, in a tense, expressionless monotone, to tell him what had happened."
"...So we need you back here, Gordon, without delay."
"Right. Okay. Call Alan, tell him t' make ready. I'll be out there t' pick him up in an hour or two." Then, "You'll let me know, won't you? If... when you find out... anythin' more? Right, then. Thanks, John. I'm on my way."
The wrist comm cut off again just as someone grabbed his shoulder. Royce Fellows, a tall, bald, black kid with two world records and a sunny personality, gave him a little shake, saying,
"Oy! Gordon! Didn't y' hear the announcement? 400 meter relay in the east pool, five minutes. C'mon!"
"Huh?" Gordon focused on his teammate with real difficulty. "Royce? Look, I can't. I've got t' go. Family emergency. Tell coach... something. I don't care what. I'll be back in, um... I'll try to... Just, never mind! I gotta go!"
And with that, Gordon turned and sped for the locker room, leaving Royce, and the swim team, behind.