Title: Heartbeat
Summary: Sometimes the simplest thing can be the most reassuring.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Thunderbirds.
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It was a long day for International Rescue. Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan were in Wallingford, Connecticut at the site of a warehouse complex leveled by an explosion, due to a bad gas line. Gordon had been taken out early on, having strained his back while helping victims out of the rubble. He was lying on one of the medical beds aboard Thunderbird Two, out cold under the effects of Tylenol-3s. Once Virgil had seen that his younger brother was taken care of, he went back out to find Scott and Alan. He found both easily enough since they were at Mobile Control.
"How is he?" Scott asked when Virgil arrived.
"Out for the count," Virgil answered, shaking his head.
"Bad?" Alan asked.
"He won't exactly be up and around anytime soon."
Scott sighed. "John and Dad are taking over Control by remote. The three of us will finish this up."
Virgil nodded. The three then went the work. By the time Scott heard that there was only one group of people left unaccounted for, the three had been working for more than five hours. The three sweaty, dirty, tired and sore brothers regrouped at Mobile Control to go over the plan to get the last of the people out from the rubble.
"The last group is at the far end of the complex. We can't use the heavy machinery since the area is a little unstable and we aren't exactly sure where the people are. The rubble there is large enough where we should be able to crawl through to find them. Once they're found, we'll discuss extraction options," Scott said.
"FAB," Virgil and Alan replied.
The three quickly made their way to the end of the complex. Scott stayed outside since Virgil and Alan were smaller. The two brothers slowly made their way in, weaving through debris and rubble. Alan was the one to find the people, and was able to lead them out without any assistance. Once Alan was outside, Scott verified that everyone was accounted for. Scott radioed that information to Virgil, who confirmed and started making his way out.
It turned out that the area was more than just a little unstable. While Virgil was still inside, the debris settled violently. He was knocked around, and his communicator was smashed when his right arm was pinned underneath a piece of roofing material.
Outside, Scott was seeing that the last group was taken care of while Alan waited for Virgil to emerge. It was then that he heard a horrific sound. The debris had settled, materials crashing to the ground. Alan obeyed his first instinct, he called for his brother repeatedly. Scott, having heard the debris settle and Alan's yelling, ran over to his youngest brother's side.
"He hasn't come out yet!" Alan anxiously told Scott.
Scott frantically called for Virgil and got no response. His next move was to call Thunderbird Five to ask for John's assistance.
"Nothing, Scott," John reported with an upset sigh. "I'm not picking up his GPS or radio signal at all."
"Could it just be interference?" Scott asked.
"Negative, I checked for that. If his communicator was damaged enough, then I wouldn't pick up on anything."
"Thanks, John," Scott sighed.
"I'll keep looking, just in case."
"FAB."
On the outside, Scott and Alan worked to devise a plan with John's and their father's input. On the inside, Virgil looked around after getting his head cleared. He'd been hit by falling debris. He sighed in frustration when he saw that his arm was pinned. He tried lifting the material up, but he didn't have good leverage for it and it was too heavy. He began twisting and pulling slowly. He stopped when he realized getting his arm free wouldn't be without plenty of pain, and mostly likely a little more damage. He used his free arm to remove the top part of his uniform, and although it was dirty, he stuck part of the sleeve in his mouth. He knew that getting his arm out would be painful, and he wanted to muffle any sounds that might make the debris around him move again. Once he was set, he began pulling and twisting again. The broken bone in his arm ground against the nearby nerves while his skin was getting lacerated. And he was grateful for the sleeve. After a little while, his arm was free.
He settled on the ground and checked over his arm. He'd already felt the broken bone. And he saw several cuts that would require stitching. He first took off his broken communicator and shoved it in his pants' pocket. He then wrapped the top part of his uniform around his arm the best he could. Then he started to slowly make his way out.
He didn't get far when the rubble shifted again. This time, more materials were sent Earthward. Virgil managed to throw himself into a corner that was still somewhat intact. He curled up on his side, covering his head with his good arm and his back pressed against the wall. He felt things falling on him and wondered if this would be his end.
When the second settling occurred, everyone could visibly see the rubble settling down. The two brothers on the outside were now thinking that they would be searching for their brother's body. And some of the commenting and whispering around them didn't fill them with hope either.
"There's no way anyone could've survived that," they heard one man say.
"I hope there's no one in there," a woman commented.
"One of their people is," a man said, correcting the woman.
"Oh no…" she breathed with dread.
Alan only stood at the debris' edge, staring out. Scott stood next to him, one hand holding onto Alan's arm, the other raised so that he could communicate with their father for further instructions. Once he had his instructions, Scott sent Alan back to Two to get some supplies.
Inside, Virgil didn't move for a little while, even after everything was still again. Then he slowly uncurled, unburied himself from the rubble and looked around. He knew he was limited on time since the rubble had already settled twice. But since it had settled, there were fewer and smaller places to crawl through. He managed, though hindered even more by his broken arm and the few other scrapes and bruises he'd picked up. He reached the end only to find it blocked. He could see sunlight seeping through the cracks, but he couldn't get out. He found an opening large enough for him to get a hand through, and it was large enough for him to see. He looked and found Scott standing in the distance.
"Scott!" he yelled, but his older brother didn't move. "Scott!"
He repeated several times, but saw it was doing no good. Scott was just too far away. And Scott's head was down, and it appeared to Virgil that he was talking to someone. Scott soon looked up, and he appeared to be scanning the debris. So Virgil, keeping his injured arm against his abdomen, stuck his uninjured one through the opening and waved his arm around.
"Please see me, big brother," Virgil kept saying to himself.
He stopped after a minute and pulled his arm back in. Scott hadn't seen him.