Thunderbirds and the Tracy family are the creation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. I don't own the rights, somebody else does.
Grateful thanks to my two Beta readers, Quiller and Lynn for their help and wonderful advice.
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THE INVITATION
Chapter One
"Now are you sure you have everything you need, Mother?" Jeff Tracy asked as the family stood in the lounge in the villa on Tracy Island.
"I hope so, Jeff," she replied, looking around at her pile of luggage that was to be transported down to the hangar and into the hold of the jet that was to fly her and John to Sydney. From there they would board the Fireflash to London to take up the invitation to stay at the mansion of Lady Penelope.
"Good, I think John is just about ready to leave. He's already taken his bags down and put them in the jet," Jeff said. Then he added "Gordon, take these bags down will you please? We'll be down in a few minutes."
"Sure thing, Dad," Gordon answered. "You'll love it at Penelope's, Grandma," he added. "Scott's going to miss your cooking though."
"As long as you enjoy yourself, Grandma, I guess I can just about manage until you get back," Scott told her.
"Well you needn't starve because I've left plenty of pies in the freezer," she answered. "Oh dear, I hope her house is not too big and I end up getting lost inside."
"Don't worry, Mrs Tracy, I'm sure you won't and John will look after you, too. I'll look after everybody here so you relax and get waited on for a change," Tin Tin reassured her.
"It's been a while since John had a vacation and the rest will do him good." Jeff said. "That is if he ever gets himself back here ready to go. Where on earth has he gotten to?"
Right on cue John entered the lounge. "Jet's ready and prepped, Virgil," he told his brother. Virgil had volunteered to pilot their grandmother and John to Sydney. "Ready to go now, Grandma?" John asked. "Where's your luggage?"
"Gordon's taken it down," Virgil told him.
A few minutes later Ruth Tracy was on board the jet sitting beside her blonde haired grandson. Virgil checked the instrument panels in front of him in the pilot's seat, while the rest of the residents of Tracy Island gathered on the airstrip to see them off. Jeff was ready to give Virgil air clearance.
"All set, Grandma?" Virgil asked as he turned and smiled at her. "Hold on to your hat, we're about to take off."
The jet soared high into the early morning sky. The eldest member of the Tracy clan looked out of the window to the sight of a beautiful red sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. She felt a little excited now as she thought of staying in one of England's stately homes and was pleased at long last that she was able to take up Lady Penelope's invitation to visit her.
The journey to Sydney was quick and uneventful. After they landed at the airport Virgil helped John get the luggage out of the hold and it was taken on board the huge Fireflash plane.
"Oh my, that plane looks so big," Ruth Tracy said as she caught sight of the Fireflash for the first time. "Are you sure it's safe to fly in?"
Virgil and John exchanged knowing glances. "Grandma I think I can safely say that you'll be flying in one of the safest planes ever built. The number of safety checks it's had along with the tightest security codes make it that way," Virgil reassured her.
"Come on, Grandma, we should check in now," John told her as he took her by the arm to lead her in the direction of the airport lounge.
"I'd better not go in with you," Virgil told them. "I'm not sure who the crew is and I don't want to be seen in case I'm recognized." He took his grandmother in his arms and hugged her before giving her a kiss on her cheek.
"Enjoy yourself, Grandma, and keep John out of trouble," he told her.
"I will, darling," she replied before returning a kiss to him. "Now don't forget to do that shopping while you're here. Kyrano is waiting for some of the things on that list."
"I'll go as soon as you leave," Virgil said, then exchanged a brief hug with John and wished him goodbye. He returned to the jet to do the necessary checks needed before flying home again. He would have liked to be in the city for a short stay but with John away there wouldn't be enough cover should an emergency call come in. Still it was a bit of a break for him just to look around the stores before getting the items on the shopping list.
Once on board the ultra-supersonic airliner, Ruth finally began to relax a little and enjoy the comfort and luxury in the spacious compartment that first class travel brought. She sat sipping her favourite cognac, then put down the magazine she had been reading and looked at her grandson sitting opposite her. John was engrossed in an astronomy magazine, until he became aware that he was being watched.
"You okay, Grandma?" John asked. He was a little worried in case the journey may prove to be a little tiring for the old lady and he felt responsible for her wellbeing.
"I'm fine, sweetie," she replied. "Just wondering what your grandfather would have made of all this." She indicated to the plane's interior and added, "And me, too, flying off to the other side of the world after never ever setting foot outside of Kansas for most of my life. That is until your Daddy started reaching for the stars instead of doing what we all expected him to do, to be a wheat farmer and keep his feet firmly on the ground. Then suddenly I'm in Texas, Florida, New York and finally the South Pacific, following him around to wherever his dreams took him. Now to England, with not many places left to see at this rate."
"I can think of somewhere for you to go next, Grandma," John laughed. Then he said in a low voice, "After traveling around the world, how about flying above it and paying me a visit once or twice when I'm on duty. Then you can say you have achieved just about everything."
"I'll bear that in mind young man. Now how long will it be before we get to London?" she asked before taking another sip of her drink again.
"We'll be there before you know it. We have two stops on the way, San Francisco and New York, and then you can really enjoy yourself seeing London," John told her, and added, "If I know Penny, she'll have got lots of things lined up for you. While you're doing that, I can go to Cheshire County and call on a friend who works there as a lecturer in astronomy at Jodrell Bank."
"Oh, you hadn't mentioned that you were doing that, John!" His grandmother answered with a surprised expression. "Who is he?"
"His name's Steve Sanders and we met when we were both at Harvard. We've kept in touch ever since even though we followed different career paths after leaving. He thinks I'm working for Tracy Aerospace and writing and lecturing on astronomy in my spare time," John told her.
She smiled and thought how much John deserved to have this little break and meet his friend again Being up in that satellite alone for six months of the year was an abnormal existence for anybody and she had told Jeff this time and time again, but still she had to suffer losing two of her precious grandsons to that fate. "In that case, you go and see your friend, darling. I'll be fine with Penny taking care of me."
To pass the remainder of the journey a movie was shown on a big screen in the lounge of the plane for anybody who wanted to watch it. For those that didn't they could go into another compartment. John and his grandmother opted to stay, but before long John became bored with watching it and returned to his astronomy magazine, wryly observing that his equally bored traveling companion had nodded off to sleep.
Soon the journey ended and the plane landed safely at London Airport in the early summer afternoon. John helped his grandmother down the steps of the plane and they went into the lounge where Lady Penelope was waiting to greet them.
"John, dear, it is so nice to see you again," she gave him a hug. "I hope you had a pleasant journey."
"I did but it was a bit lonesome with Grandma asleep best part of it," John laughed and waited for a denial or an excuse from his grandmother.
"I was not asleep young man, I was just resting my eyes from the sun," Ruth stated. "We're nearer to it then when we're up in the air."
Lady Penelope turned to Ruth, and hugged her as well. "Welcome to England, Mrs Tracy, I am so pleased you decided to come here."
Fortunately the route to Foxleyheath was on the same side of London, as the airport. So Parker was able to drive down the leafy suburbs and into the Sussex countryside without too much delay from traffic holdups. Within half an hour they were approaching the entrance gates to the Foxleyheath Estate and the magnificent home of Lady Penelope.
"I'd better let Dad know we got here safely," John said.
"Wait until later, John," Lady Penelope reminded him. "They will still be in bed. Get
settled in first and then we'll dine. By the time we are finished with dinner, your father and the rest of the family should be up and about to go for breakfast."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about time difference. That Fireflash sure is a fast plane to travel in," John remarked and turned and smiled at his grandmother. "I wonder who's helping Kyrano make breakfast. I bet they'll miss you."
Scott sat looking at the breakfast that had just been placed in front of him. Virgil was eating his with the same enthusiasm as he always did until he noticed Scott's sudden apparent lack of appetite. "Feeling okay, Scott?" he asked.
"I feel fine. Whose idea was it to put Gordon on breakfast duty?" his elder brother asked.
Gordon came over with a tray of pancakes and put them on the table. "What's the matter, Scott, don't you trust my cooking or something?" he asked with a smile.
"Oh I trust your cooking, it's the ingredients that worry me," Scott replied. "I haven't forgotten that fried egg joke you pulled that time."
"Now as if I would do that to you, again, and besides Grandma made me promise not to mess around in the kitchen while she was away," Gordon told him. "Seeing as I'm usually up first, I thought I'd volunteer. There's something else I've got to consider, too."
"What's that?" Scott asked.
"Your age, a man needs plenty of good nourishment inside him when he's getting on a bit." Gordon laughed and darted quickly away from the table as Scott made a grab for him.
Jeff came into the kitchen at that point and interrupted the action. "Well boys, John has just called in to say that they've gotten there okay. They had a good trip and have arrived at Penny's and just had dinner, so now we can relax."
"That's terrific, Dad," Gordon told him as he handed his father his breakfast and then got his own. I bet Grandma is really enjoying herself now."
"I just hope she learns to relax and take it easy," Jeff said. "She's never been used to being waited on. I just hope she keeps away from the kitchen and doesn't upset the staff there."
"Don't worry about it, Dad," Scott told him, as he began to cautiously eat his breakfast. "Penny will keep her busy."
"Well I hope so. It's just the idea of your grandmother and Penny's cook, Lil, trying to impress each other with their own ideas about cooking that bothers me." Jeff continued with his concern. "Remember the rivalry between Kyrano and Parker when they first met here?"
"I remember having to buy a lot of replacement glasses on a trip to the mainland," Virgil laughed. "Don't worry, Dad, I'm sure it won't be as bad as that."
"I hope so, son," Jeff replied. "I had a quiet word with John about it and asked him to try and keep her out of there."
Lady Penelope and her guests had moved from the dining room to the grand drawing room for the remainder of the evening. "I thought we'd stay here and have a little talk," she told them. "I usually use the lounge in the east wing but I have put you in the bedroom above here, Mrs Tracy, so it's not so far for you to walk. I expect you will be feeling tired after the journey."
"Thank you, dear, but I hope someone comes and gets me in the morning. This house is so big and I don't know my around it."
"Don't worry, Grandma," John told her. "I'll come and get you and we can both go down for breakfast together. You'll soon find your way around."
"Well I hope so, John, if you are going off to see your friend and leaving me here," she replied looking around her anxiously.
Lady Penelope was surprised at this new piece of information. "You're leaving us, John? When?"
"I plan to go up to Jodrell Bank to see a friend who works there. I'll stay here for a couple of days and then go on the monorail and stay overnight with him. He's invited me to his home to meet his family. I've haven't seen him since we left Harvard so I thought it would be a good opportunity," John replied.
"It certainly will be, dear. I'll take your grandmother up to London and we can stay overnight, too. Tomorrow though, I'll give you a tour of the house and the estate, Mrs Tracy." Lady Penelope got up and pulled a tasseled cord beside the white marble fireplace. "Now I'll call Parker and we can all have some after-dinner drinks served while we continue our little conversation."
Parker was sitting watching an exciting football match in his room when the bell summoning him upstairs rang. "Typical," he muttered under his breath. "Just h'as they score the first goal, h'I 'ave to go h'up, H'I s'pose they want drinks now."
A few minutes later Parker appeared at the door. "You rang, M'Lady?"
"Yes, Parker, you may serve drinks now. What would you like, Mrs Tracy, and you, John?"
After the drinks were served Parker asked, "Will you require h'any more, M'Lady? Shall h'I leave the decanters 'ere for you to 'elp yourselves?"
"Yes, thank you, Parker, we may have another glass each before we retire. You may leave us now."
"Very well, M'Lady," Parker bowed and slowly left the room. After closing the door he dashed back down the stairs to return to the football game and saw to his dismay that he'd missed another two goals being scored.
DAY ONE
The next morning Ruth Tracy woke up to a lovely sunny morning. She had slept much better than she thought she would in strange surroundings and put it down to the journey the previous day and two cognacs before going to bed last evening. She rose and put on her robe, then looked out of the window. The view was indeed spectacular with magnificent well kept gardens that stretched out before her just bursting with colour from the variety of summer flowers now out in full bloom. After showering in the en-suite bathroom, she dressed and tidied her bed, and then waited for John to call for her as he had promised.
She looked around the room while she waited. There were various paintings of landscapes on the walls and a portrait of a lady in what appeared to be Victorian clothes above the fireplace. Curiosity got the better of her and she went to read the name at the bottom of the portrait. "Lady Ann Kerr-Doulton," she said out loud. "I wonder why these fancy people have to have two last names. Perhaps I should call myself, Ruth Peterson-Tracy, though that just doesn't sound right to me."
Just then a knock at the door heralded her blonde haired guide who would escort her back to the dining room for breakfast. She was determined to mark the route with her own eyes this morning.
"Good morning, Grandma," John said as he gave her a little kiss on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, darling, and if you show me the way to the dining room I'll be able to find my own way there tomorrow," she replied giving him a little hug.
"Okay, Grandma, let's go," John took her arm and led her through corridors lined with paintings and down a thickly carpeted staircase until the dining room was reached.
"Good morning, Mrs Tracy, I trust you slept well?" her hostess enquired of her.
"Yes, thank you," Ruth replied
"Good. Come and sit down both of you and have breakfast. Then we can go on our tour of the house and as it is such a lovely day, I'll take you around the estate, there is so much to see. I'm sure you will love the Home Farm and Deer Park. John can drive the Land Rover and that will give Parker some free time to catch up on his other duties. The cleaning staff is due in today and he will have to supervise them."
After breakfast, Lady Penelope showed Ruth around the house as promised. John opted to stay in the library and enjoy sampling some of the books and magazines on offer while they did so. John had always been considered the bookworm of the family and seeing so many titles and subjects, it was an opportunity too good to miss.
They finished off the tour in the North Reception room. "Now we can sit down and have some morning coffee, before we go out on to the estate," Lady Penelope told her elderly guest. "I'll call Parker and tell him to ask John to join us. I expect he's still in the library where we left him."
"If I know John, he will be," his grandmother replied. "That boy has had his nose in a book from the moment he learned how to turn a page over. His brothers would be playing all around him when they were all small, but he'd only join in with their games when he felt like it."
She glanced at the painting above the fireplace. It showed a landscape of high snow clad mountains and tall fir trees and in the centre was a lake. Lady Penelope caught her glance and smiled. "Do you like that one? Dear Virgil painted it from memory after a rescue in Switzerland. I saw it after he finished painting it and begged him to let me buy it from him but he would not hear of me paying for it, he was just happy to let me have it in my home."
"He's just so talented," Ruth answered still looking at the painting. Her eyes were drawn to the signature of VT in flourishing letters in the bottom left corner. "Art and music, just like his mother. He could make a living for himself in that direction if he was not involved in doing what he does now. "You have a lovely home here Penelope but don't you get a little lonesome in this big place?"
"Well to tell you the truth, I am rarely in here like this." Lady Penelope replied. "I have a full social diary and my, er other work, to keep me busy. I have put some of it aside though for now to welcome you here."
John entered the room followed by Parker with a trolley laden with a coffee pot and small china cups, cream and sugar. There was also a selection of biscuits to choose from. Ruth eyed the coffee cups and couldn't believe the size of them. 'Like drinking from a doll's play set,' she thought to herself. 'One sip and its finished. My Grant would have laughed if he'd been given such a tiny cup to drink from.'
"Will there be h'anything h'else, M'lady?" Parker asked after he finished placing the trolley in position for serving.
"You can bring the Land Rover down for us please, Parker, so we can go out after we have finished our coffee. John will be driving. Tell Cook we shall be back for lunch at 2 o'clock."
"Very well, Madam," Parker replied as he left the room leaving the three occupants to enjoy their refreshments while he went over to the garage.
"Well this is certainly not like the farm we had in Kansas," Ruth remarked later as she stood looking over the field full of grazing cattle. "We concentrated on wheat. There were a few chickens and geese we kept to feed the family but that was the limit for livestock."
"This is a mixed farm, so we keep cattle, pigs and fowl and grow a small variety of crops. I don't keep sheep here though, that is reserved for my Australian home at Bonga Bonga. I have good tenant farmers to run the place here," Lady Penelope told both her and John. "I'm afraid these estates are so expensive to run these days and it is a good source of income, that and opening the house and grounds to the public for two days a week in the summer season. FAB 3 brings in a little extra when I race her and she wins."
"Do you keep her here?" John asked. "I'd like to see her."
"No she's stabled at Newbury where her trainer works. I keep two other horses here though to ride and they keep each other company. They are up in the stable block, you can see them later," she answered. "I enjoy riding, it's such good exercise."
"I used to love that," Ruth said with a far away look on her face. "Long before I was married my father kept some on his farm for us. My horse was called Katy and I loved her, such a friendly animal. I used to ride her along side my sister on her horse, Polly, we'd be gone for hours after we finished our chores at the weekend."
John stood looking at his grandmother wide eyed with amazement and tried to imagine her riding a horse. This was a new revelation to him. This wonderful, practical and down to earth person who had helped raise him and his brothers after the death of their mother had never seemed the type to be a horse rider and never mentioned it as far as he knew.
His grandmother caught his quizzical glance and raised one eyebrow before saying to him, "What you staring at me like that for young man? I'll have you know I wasn't born old you know. I wanted to keep horses after I married your grandfather but there was never enough money or time, what with trying to help him run the place and looking after a small boy who could find one hundred and one ways to get into all kinds of mischief when my back was turned, so the years just flew by."
"Dad got into mischief?" John asked with a huge smile on his face at this new revelation. "What did he do?"
"Now you just forget I said that," his grandmother replied knowing full well that her four other grandsons would be quickly informed of what she had just revealed as soon as John returned home to the island.
Lady Penelope quickly changed the subject for two reasons, the first being to protect Jeff from his mother's inadvertent slip and the other to save some time. "Come on let's go to the Deer Park. That's another area I have opened up to the public and I have had to add a few frills to it such as a picnic area and children's playground as well as a small cafeteria.
John led them back to the Land Rover as they began the next stage of the tour of the estate.
The day was still quite warm but a breeze had sprung up as they began to drive along the road through the centre of the park. "There have been red deer here since Norman times," Lady Penelope explained. Then thinking she should explain further just what 'Norman' times were she added. "That would be around the 11th century. The house stands on the site of an old Norman-built castle and the first owners brought the red deer here and our deer are descended from them. We keep them for venison, too, not that I like to have too many killed for that purpose. We usually just take a few each year to keep the numbers down. We try to keep around a hundred. I have a deer keeper who tends to their needs as they are not like ordinary cattle. Slow down a little, John, so your grandmother can have a good look at them."
They watched as a group of deer walked around a clump of trees and selected a fresh area to graze, totally ignoring the stares of the visitors who were admiring them so.
They drove on further into the park where more deer could be seen. "Ah here is my deer keeper now," Lady Penelope said as another Land Rover came from the opposite direction and stopped. "I think he wants to have a few words with me. Stop here please, John."
John stopped the vehicle and helped Lady Penelope out. She went over to speak to her employee so John decided to walk around the front to take some photographs of the deer as they waited. He saw a magnificent stag standing alone near a tree and caught that on camera; he then spotted some females with young fawns and took some pictures of those, too. He looked around and Lady Penelope was still deep in conversation with the deer keeper. His grandmother shouted from the open window of the Land Rover. "There's a lovely deer standing over there, John, can you take its picture?
John turned around to confront a huge female that he hadn't noticed before. After taking a photograph of her, the animal suddenly decided that she didn't much care for the invasion of her privacy and duly ran towards him to scare him away. "It's okay, girl, don't be scared," he told the deer thinking he had frightened it. "I won't hurt you."
The animal looked far from scared however and had every intention of removing John from her presence as it suddenly charged and began running towards him with head bowed down and ready to strike with it. John was caught between the deer and the safety of the Land Rover and did the only thing he thought he could possibly do, sought refuge in a nearby tree as quickly as could. He scrambled up the nearest one, thinking how grateful he was that the tree was easy to climb and that Scott had taught him how to climb a tree years ago when they were still kids.
John waited for a while for the deer to lose interest in him and began grazing on some nice long grass. Slowly, John climbed down from the tree intending to make a quick run to the Land Rover. He wasn't quick enough though and the deer spotted him and charged at him again. John barely made it back up the tree, thankful that it was only his shoe that had been bitten by the creature.
This time the deer was not going to give up on John as it circled the tree and kept looking up at her prey with a menacing look in her eyes, stamping one front hoof on the ground as she did so. John yelled for help from his precarious sanctuary among the leaves at the top of his voice, attracting the attention of Lady Penelope and the deer keeper who had not seen what had happened. Both turned around to see where the commotion was coming from.
"Oh no, John's met Ruby!" Lady Penelope exclaimed, "I should have warned him, I completely forgot about her."
Ruth Tracy looked on with horror from the safety of the Land Rover. Never had she felt so powerless to go to the aid of one of her family. She was just relieved that John was safe for now and hoped that the deer keeper and Lady Penelope could do something to help.
"Do something, Hargreaves!" Lady Penelope shouted to the man beside her. John may fall out of that tree any minute and get hurt."
"You go back into the car, Madam," he told her. Your movement might distract her for a few seconds. I'll get her away from there."
'Ruby' had no intention of being distracted from her quarry and continued to stand her ground and gaze up into the tree at John. "Why aren't you like other deer?" John growled at the creature, "You're supposed to be scared of humans."
Hargreaves took a starting pistol from his car and fired it twice. The noise was loud enough to make John jump in shock and he quickly seized the branch again to prevent himself from falling. He was pleased though because the sound had sent his would be attacker running away in fear along with several other deer.
The deer keeper went over to the tree and helped John down, "It's safe now, son, go and get in the car," he told him. "Boy, she's a mean one, she's the matriarch of the herd."
John wasted no time and did just that after thanking his rescuer. "Are you alright, John, dear?" Lady Penelope enquired. "If you like I'll drive now while you recover from that little shock."
"No thanks, Penny, I'm fine and not getting out of this seat until we are safely away from here," he answered, gripping the steering wheel tightly to emphasize that he had no intention of moving.
"I thought deer were pretty stupid creatures," Ruth remarked. "All the ones I met were and used to run away from people."
"They all are here, except Ruby," Lady Penelope explained. "When the park is open to the public we have to make sure she is locked up. I'm so sorry, John, I should have made sure she was today, too."
"It's okay, she didn't get me," he replied as he started the engine of the Land Rover. "Should we be getting back now it is almost 2'o'clock?"
"Yes, John, lunch will be ready and I'm sure we could all do with a cup of tea after that little ordeal," Lady Penelope answered. "Then your grandmother and I will relax in the gardens afterwards and you can join us if you like, unless there is something else you would rather do?" .
John turned the Land Rover around to go back the way they had come. He was secretly relieved none of his brothers had witnessed that little predicament he'd just been in, especially Gordon and Alan. He'd never be able to live it down if they had.
Unknown to John though. Gordon, along with Scott, Virgil and Brains were presently involved in another rescue operation in Toronto. A gas explosion had caused a ten storey building to catch fire and partly collapse and some of the residents were still trapped inside because the elevator and staircase had been put out of action. The fire escape had also collapsed with the force of the blast. Virgil was desperately trying to keep the severely damaged wall from collapsing any further with the use of the Domo while Scott and Gordon were using the Mobile Crane to get as many people out from the upper floors as possible. The authorities feared that another explosion could occur and it was a race against time.
The first five floors had been the worst affected and had been checked first for survivors, the injured ones being removed and sent to hospital. Unfortunately there were some fatalities where the explosion had caused the most of the damage to the building.
Scott waited anxiously as Gordon worked high above him. The next four floors had been checked and cleared and he was working on the top floor now. Fortunately at this time of day a lot of the apartments were empty due to their residents being at work and this had saved some time, but all of them had to be checked anyway.
Gordon and the local firefighters were doing this and sending any residents they found towards the turntable ladders the Fire Department were using and when they were full Gordon was getting others aboard the Mobile Crane with him.
Virgil's voice coming through the radio of the Mobile Crane interrupted Scott from his thoughts. "How much longer will they be, Scott?" he asked with urgency in his voice. "I don't think I can hold this wall up much longer."
"They're about finished now, Virg," he answered. "Hang on and I'll check with Gordon."
"Mobile Crane to Gordon." Scott began his message. "Report in please on situation."
Gordon answered from his portable radio. He sounded out of breath from running through the building. "Gordon here, we've just finished loading up the turntables," he gasped. "I'm taking the rest out now to our platform to load them on. I've got a sick kid here and his mother, and two other women with babies."
"Well hurry it along, Gordon, you've go to get them out fast," his elder bother replied, "There's not much time left."
"Okay, Scott, I'll let you know when we're all aboard and you can bring us down," Gordon answered. He switched off the radio connection and quickly swooped up the sick child who was aged about six, from his mother's arms and into his, urging the women to follow him to the escape window where the safety platform was positioned ready for their escape.
Once they were all safely aboard. Gordon pressed the button on the console to let Scott know they were ready to be lowered down. Heaving a sigh of relief, Scott operated the controls and the arm of the crane began it's descent to earth.
The small boy, wrapped in a blanket in Gordon's arms lay gazing up at his rescuer. "What's wrong with him?" Gordon asked his mother.
"Just a stomach upset, the doctor said it was nothing serious," his mother replied. "He came home from school with it two days ago."
"How do you feel now, Jason?" she asked her son. "This nice man from International Rescue saved us. You can tell all of your friends that when you see them again."
"I don't know where we're going to go now," one of the other rescued women said. "This place is a mess, but we're just so lucky to be alive and that's all that counts."
"They'll find somewhere for us to go I suppose," Jason's mother replied, "You're right though. We are better off than those who lived further down."
They were almost down from the building when another huge explosion erupted from the building's basement. The blast caused the platform to rock slightly. Gordon was thrown back to the metal safety fence and the little boy began to cry. The Domo could not hold the already damaged wall any longer and the building began to collapse.
"It's okay, Jason, we're nearly down now," Gordon said to the boy to reassure him while trying to ignore the pain in his own back that the impact had given him.
Fire was beginning to engulf the rest of the building now. Scott told Virgil to get away with the Domo and then swung the platform away from the building and drove the Mobile Crane away as quickly as he could once the platform was down.
Once in a safe spot, the rescue authorities quickly took the women out of the Mobile Crane along with their babies. Gordon stepped out with Jason in his arms to hand him over, too, when the boy began to vomit all over his rescuer's chest.
"I'm so sorry," his mother said to Gordon as she took her son from him. "He's been doing so well today and had something to eat this morning. It must be all this trouble that has upset him. Thank you so much for what you did for us."
"That goes for both of us, too," Another of the rescued women said as she held her baby tightly in her arms before being led off to an evacuation point.
One of the rescue workers came forward and gave Gordon a cloth to clean himself up with. "It's all part of the service," he grinned as he wiped himself as best he could before rejoining Scott in the cabin of the Mobile Crane.
Scott eyed him suspiciously as he climbed back in and sat down. Then his nose began to twitch. "You okay?" he asked his red-haired brother.
"Oh yeah, I'm just fine," Gordon answered beginning to yawn, "I got dragged out of my bed to come here, run a marathon race through ten floors of an apartment block, ride up and down like a yo-yo on the crane getting people out and then a kid throws up all over me. Things couldn't be better."
"Now tell me the truth," Scott said, "I saw what the kid did. I meant when that blast caught the platform on the way down. You were holding your back when you were talking to those people and when you were walking back over here."
Gordon sat silent for a moment he knew he could never hide anything for long from his eldest brother. "I'm okay, Scott, relax will ya? I just banged against the rail, it's nothing. I'm tired so can we just go home now?"
The three brothers all met up in the pod of Thunderbird Two. Virgil had already put the Domo back in place and was brewing up some coffee. Brains was busy putting the Mobile Control unit back in Thunderbird One when Scott and Gordon drove in with the Mobile Crane. As soon as Scott turned off the engine Gordon got out and went to the washroom to remove his soiled and smelly uniform top and changed back into his tee shirt and pants before joining the others for a cup of coffee.
"Boy that was a close one," Virgil said as they began to talk about the rescue. "I didn't think the Domo would last that long holding that wall up."
"That second blast finally finished it," Scott said, "Which reminds me." He got up and went over to Gordon who was resigned to what was to come next. "I told you it's nothing, Scott," he told his brother who was intent on checking him over.
"Let me be the judge of that and we'll say no more about it then," Scott replied as he lifted Gordon's tee shirt up and looked at his back. There were signs of a bruise forming and Scott told him so.
"I'll be fine after I get some sleep," Gordon told him and then he added with a grin, "Tell you what, Scott, how worried are you about it?
"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott asked cautiously. When Gordon had that expression on his face, Scott was wary.
"Well I mean if you're really concerned big brother I could fly Thunderbird One back and get home a lot quicker than Virgil's flying Avocado here and be tucked up in bed and asleep by the time you both get home."
"No chance of that, kiddo, and I think you'd better apologise to Virgil or he won't take you back at all after insulting his 'bird like that," Scott told him.
"Yeah, you better do that right now," Virgil said as he approached his younger brother with a threatening look on his face.
"Okay, okay. I'm too tired to argue. Sorry, Virg. Just get us home as fast as you can huh?" Gordon admitted defeat and sat down and began to drink his coffee.
Virgil sat down and sighed. "Just think, there's John having a nice relaxing time at Penny's place this very minute while we do all the work. We should have sent Gordon with Grandma. Then we'd have had some peace.
"Yeah, living it up in a stately home, getting waited on hand and foot," Gordon agreed, "I wouldn't have minded swapping with him."
After lunch, John decided to go back into the library while his grandmother and Lady Penelope relaxed in the garden outside. He wanted to make a phone call to Steve Sanders to confirm the details about meeting with him the next day. That done, he began to read a very old book that had caught his eye earlier about the exploration of space. He laughed to himself as he turned the pages and read some of the theories that the author believed at the time but had long since been discounted. He sat down on the plush light brown sofa and continued to read a bit more, when his ears were alerted to a very faint scratching noise from under the floor to his right.
"Mice," he said out loud to himself. "Or even rats. I suppose even these big places get them the same as anywhere else. I'll have a quiet word with Parker. There's no sense in upsetting Penny, after what Virgil told me how she feels about them."
He listened for a while longer and the noise seemed to stop so he continued reading for a while, still amused with the old theories the book was presenting.
Ruth was enjoying relaxing in the afternoon sunshine with Lady Penelope in the Rose Garden. "You know, Penny dear, you have shown me most of the rooms in your home except the kitchen. I'd like to see that and meet your cook. Being one who enjoys cooking myself, I'd like to see it sometime."
"Now, Mrs Tracy, you're here to relax and forget about all that for a while," Lady Penelope told her. "Jeff insisted that you do. He knows how hard you work doing a lot of cooking for the family, even with Kyrano's help."
"Well that son of mine talks a lot of nonsense at times, I'm sorry to say," she replied. "He hasn't a clue how a woman's mind works when it comes to her favourite hobbies. No, dear, I really would like to see it."
"Well if you really insist, we can go now," Lady Penelope answered, "I expect Lily is busy planning dinner for tonight."
Lil placed a mug of tea on the bare wooden kitchen table in front of Parker who was sitting with his feet up on a kitchen stool reading a newspaper. "Ta, Lil, just what h'I need h'arfter making sure those cleaners got their work done proper h'and didn't smash h'anything while they were h'at it," he said.
"Never mind them," she said. "You still 'aven't told me abaht that old American girl we've got 'ere. I've met the boy before so I knows 'im."
"She's 'is granny," Parker replied. "Does most h'of the cooking for 'em all, she does. You want to watch it, Lil, she might be h'arfter your job," he added with a laugh.
"Does she now?" Lil replied, "You could 'ave told me and I would 'ave left 'er to it while I 'ad an 'oliday, could do with that, I could. Anyway I can't sit talking to you all day, I've got a meal to prepare. I 'ope she likes my cooking."
"Well I h'aint 'eard h'any complaints so far," he told her. "Tell you what, Lil, while you're cooking h'all that fancy muck for 'em, make me h'a nice plate of h'egg an chips, that's what h'I fancy."
"Oh yer do, do yer?" Lil replied. "Well that's easy enough to do once I've got their meal prepared."
John's ears pricked up as the sound of scratching began again; this time it seemed louder and a lot closer than before. Thinking he could catch Parker and have a word with him in private before Lady Penelope and his grandmother came back in, he got up and rang the bell that would summon the butler to the room.
"That's funny, h'I thought they was h'all h'outside," Parker said to Lil. "One h'of 'em must be in the libray. S'pose h'I'd better go and see what they want."
Parker was surprised to see John lying on his stomach on the floor of the library when he entered the room. "What's 'appened, sir, 'ave you 'ad h'an h'accident?" he asked with concern in his voice as he hurried over to where John was lying.
"No, Parker, sshh, can you hear scratching noises like mice or something?" John whispered to him.
Both men listened in silence for a few seconds, the scratching lasted for a few more minutes then suddenly ceased.
"Looks like we may 'ave mice again. H'I'll 'ave to go h'and get the traps h'out," Parker said. "Good job you told me, 'er Ladyship's got h'a fear h'of them."
"Yes I know," John replied. "That's why I wanted to get you on your own to tell you."
After Parker had left, John got up and sat on the sofa again. He listened, but all seemed silent now. The only sounds coming from the hall outside were from where his grandmother and Lady Penelope were, having re-entered the house from the terrace at the back, and going off to another room somewhere.
Parker came back into the room armed with some baited mouse traps he'd hidden in a bag in case Lady Penelope saw them.
"I haven't heard any more noises," John said. "Do you get much trouble with mice here?"
"Not much," Parker answered as he carefully lifted the traps out of the bag and began to place them behind the book shelves. "Get h'a lot h'of field mice down by the stables though h'and some come up 'ere."
Lady Penelope and Ruth entered the kitchen where Lil was busy cutting up water melon slices for the first course of the evening meal.
"Hello, Lily, I've brought a visitor to meet you and see your kitchen," her employer told her. "This is Mrs Tracy, a dear friend of mine and you remember meeting her son and grandsons on the different occasions they have stayed here."
"Pleased to meet you, M'am," Lil said giving a slight curtsey to Ruth.
"My goodness, this is a nice big kitchen to work in, bigger than ours," Ruth said as she looked around her. "I wouldn't mind doing some baking in here. Do you do a lot of baking?" she asked Lil.
"Only if Her Ladyship requests it," Lil answered still slicing the water melon. "She goes through the menus with me of a Monday, so's I knows what to make for the week."
"What a good idea. I'll have to try that when I get home, but then my lot don't care what they eat as long as its food, especially Scott," Grandma answered. "Well before I go, I must give you my recipe for apple pie, so when any of the boys come over here they can enjoy that."
"Yes, M'am, I'm sure they will," Lil answered, giving the remains of the water melon a vicious stab with the knife as she cut off the final slices.
"Now come along, Mrs Tracy, and let Lily get on with her work. It will soon be time for afternoon tea and we can have that in the lounge," Lady Penelope told her guest. "We can see if John has finished in the library and wants to join us."
They met John and Parker just coming out of the library. "Ah, Parker, there you are," Lady Penelope said. "We are just going into the lounge. You may serve afternoon tea in there now please."
"Very good, M'Lady," Parker replied and went towards the kitchen to arrange the task in hand.
Parker found Lil banging a few roasting tins together as she prepared the evening meal. "Put the kettle h'on, Lil, will yer? While h'I get the tea trolley set up for em," he asked her.
"Could do with some more staff 'round 'ere if you arsk me," she replied as she went to the sink to fill the kettle. "'Specially when she's entertaining, 'an that old girl only go's an tells me she'll give me 'er recipe for 'er apple pie. 'Ave you ever 'ad cause to complain about my apple pies?" Lil added as she banged the kettle down in her temper. "I mean anybody can make apple pie if they got any sense."
Parker laughed and said, "Ne'er mind, Lil, they're h'only 'ere for h'a week h'or so, h'an they're going h'out for the next coupla o' days, so you'll 'ave a bit of peace then.
Meanwhile in the lounge, Lady Penelope was busy discussing plans for the next day with her guests. "So we will leave here after breakfast tomorrow and see John off on the monorail to Cheshire. Then we will have a nice day in London, just the two of us, Mrs Tracy. Is there anything you would particularly care to see?"
"I'd like to see Buckingham Palace and some of the stores. Tin Tin tells me there are some really good stores in London," Ruth answered.
"Good, that's all settled then," Lady Penelope said. "And here's Parker now with our tea. I'll get him to make us some reservations at my usual hotel, so don't forget to pack an overnight case, then we can sit back and relax."
John sat back and relaxed then, by thinking of how glad he was not to be joining two women going around the stores of London. He was looking forward to seeing Steve again and seeing the Jodrell Bank observatory where he worked. They would have such a lot to talk about. What a pity he couldn't tell Steve that he spent most of his time in space now.
If only he'd known what the coming days had in store though, he would have wished he'd stayed right where he was in Lady Penelope's home.
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