Universal Rescue
Aaron T Izzard
Blazing Danger
Jeff sat at his Desk looking at paperwork from one of a number of engineering firms he´d been looking at to acquire new parts and components for the International rescue fleet. As he was finalizing the latest document, one of the five portraits of his sons began to beep the eyes of Scott´s painting flashed in sync with the beeping. Jeff reached over to his left, pressing a concealed button, the brass ashtray on his desk flipped up to reveal a hidden microphone.
"Go ahead Scott" he said.
The image of Scott in his duty uniform was replaces with a beep as the live video feed inside Thunderbird 1, Scott was sat in the pilot seat of the Rocket plane as he turned to the camera.
"I just arrived at the Danger zone, the good news is that it´s not as bad as first appeared but the fire marshal told me several men in the main complex are unaccounted for" Scott reported.
"Okay Scott you´d better let Virgil and Gordon know what to expect" he advised.
High above the Pacific coast of the United States, Virgil and his passengers were making their way to the danger zone aboard IRs transport ship Thunderbird 2. Virgil and Gordon where donned in their duty uniforms, Steven was sat in one of the passenger seats swinging his legs back and forth.
"So your dad, married an alien freedom fighter, and now you have her powers and fight monsters?" asked Gordon a little perplexed at the whole story Steven had conveyed to them on the way to the Danger zone.
"Pretty much" Steven said shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, I'd say it´s far fetched, but after what I've seen Virg´, I don´t know what to think" said Gordon.
"We can discuss this back at base, in the meantime we´ve got a job to do" Said Virgil.
Presently Scott´s voice came over the radio.
"Come in Thunderbird 2, this is Thunderbird 1" Came Scott's voice
"Receiving you Thunderbird 1, what´s that Sit Rep?" Asked Virgil.
"It´s bad Virg', but not as bad as first appeared, the local fire department have managed to contain the fire, the problem is the reactor is right at the heart of the fire, and there are me in the main building attempting to shut it down, first priority should be evacuating those researchers, then tackle the shutdown of the reactor" Scott reported.
"F.A.B Scott, so what´s the action?" asked Virgil.
"You and me will enter the reactor room and attempt to shutdown the reactor and evacuate the building, Gordon, you´re job will be to spray down the reactor dome and keep it from over heating and buy us time to shut down the reactor." Scott said.
"F.A.B" Virgil and Gordon replied.
Steven looked a little confused, he turned to Gordon and raised his had to ask a question, Gordon smile and him and said.
"What´s on your mind kiddo?" asked Gordon.
"Um…what dose F.A.B mean? You guys say it a lot" Asked Steven.
"Oh it a communications phrase, it stands for Fully Acknowledged and Briefed, we use it to tell some one we´re talking to over the radio that we got the massaged loud and clear" explained Gordon.
"Wow, that´s so cool, you guys have like, a secret code, that´s awesome, well not as awesome and the submarine or this really cool ship." Said Steven.
Gordon gave a light chuckle, and Virgil rolled his eyes and gave a light smile, that both admired the kids raw energy and excitement.
It didn´t take long for the colossal transport ship, traveling at over two thousand miles per hour, to reach it´s destination. From the viewing windows of the cabin, the three occupants could see the tower of smoke rising up out of the large complex.
"Thunderbird one from Thunderbird 2, approaching Danger Zone, any place for me to come down close to the fire?" Asked Virgil.
"F.A.B Virgil, but it´s risky, there´s a fuel dump with a large car park within the exclusion zone, but there´s a chance the fire could spread to it if there´s an accident." Scott reported.
"We have to chance it, cutting down on the journey time for our Fire Fighters could mean the difference between success and the total destruction of the place, I'm coming down now, better head over there and wait for us to land." Said Virgil.
"F.A.B" replied Scott.
Virgil turned to his two passengers.
"Better buckle up fellas, Loosing height now" with one hand on the wheel and his left hand on a white leaver on his left.
Thunderbird 2 banked and began to slowly descend to the facility below.
Scott had arrived at the fuel depot aboard his hover bike, and donned in a distinctive white fire suit, boots and gloves, and a blue hood with clear visor. He sat in the seat of his Hover Bike, as he caught sight of the green ship above, waving up as it began it´s vertical decent. With the thunderous blast of it´s landing motors, Thunderbird two made a gentle landing in the depot car park.
Inside.
"Okay Gordon Get the Fire fighter´s ready, I'll get the protective suits." Said Virgil.
"On it" said Gordon already disappearing through hatch in the back of the cabin.
Virgil walked in front of Steven and kneeled down in front of him.
"Okay Steven, now I'm going to ask you to stay put, it´s to dangerous for you out there" said Virgil.
Steven huffed a sigh.
"You have a very important job, guarding Thunderbird 2, incase someone tries to sneak aboard" Virgil smiled.
Steven´s eyes where alight with stars, as he jumped up onto his seat.
"F.A.B Mr. Virgil sir, I'll do my best," he said grinning confidently.
Virgil grinned two.
"Come on, I'll show you how to lower the pod" Said Virgil cupping he boy´s back as they both left the cabin.
As Scott came to the back of Thunderbird 2, the massive transporter began to rise up on four, brass colored, telescoping legs. As the front and rear doors of the pod cleared the hull, the rear hatch proceeded to lower down to the asphalt. Then with a roar of powerful engines, Fire Fighter One rolled out of the Pod and onto the tarmac.
The might looking red fire appliance, rolled along side Scott, Gordon´s voice came over Scott´s headset radio.
"Someone call a taxi?" Gordon asked.
"Right on time" Scot answered.
Scott then proceeded to climb aboard the vehicle, meanwhile back inside the pod of Thunderbird 2.
"You sure you got it written down there?" Asked Virgil as he adjusted the straps of his fire suits equipment.
"Yep, it´s all good you´re clear to go" Steven grinned widely at him.
"Thanks" Virgil smiled as he donned the pale blue hood.
He then climbed aboard the second fire fighter and it too rolled out of the pod to join the other one.
From inside the cab of Fire Fighter one, Scott walked up beside Gordon and picked up a radio mike.
"Okay fellas let´s go," said Scott into a radio mike.
And so, the cavalcade rolled onwards towards the heart of the disaster, Virgil looked in the rearview mirror of his Fire Fighter to see Thunderbird 2 settling back down onto it´s pod.
As Virgil and Scott entered the main reactor building they found the reactor personel, donned in their blue radiation suits.
"Boy are we glad to see you fellas, we've been trying to get the reactor back under contol to shut it down, with out much sucsess i'm afraid" Said one of the researchers.
"Name's Meddings, cheif controler, we can keep the reactor under control for the moment but not for long, we can't get in to handle the contol rods, because we're needed in here to keep the reactor for over loading" said Meddings.
"Don't worry, we have a man out side in a fire appliance spraying the reactor dome, that should help keep her cool and stable long enough for us to shut it down" Explained Scott.
"Sounds good, we'll be able monitor you from here, the rod control room is through that air lock over there" said Meddings pointing to the large re enforced door.
"Okey, let's go virgil" Siad Scott.
"Right" afermed Virgil as the two of them entered into the airlock.
The control rods all lined the far wall, at least 13 rods each at least, each stood ten feet long and were coloured in ulternating bands or red and yellow, above each rod was a squear plack with the number and two lights one red and one green, at the mmoment they where all flashing red.
Meddings voice now came over the speakier system.
"You'll hhave to incert the rods in the right order, or we could cause the reactor to race away" warned Meddins.
"Having any Flash backs Virgil?" Asked Scott.
"Sahara Station all over again" Said Virgil.
"Okay, Start with Number Eight" Instructed Meddins.
Virgil walked up to the rod and gently grabbing the handle, he slowly pushed the rod forwards, with each lengh of band that disapeared into the wall there was a resounding 'Ker-chunk' after pushing six feet of the rod into the wall, the light runed green.
"One down twelve to got" Said Virgil.
"The next two have to be done symaltaniusly, number five and number eleven" said Meddings.
Virgil took rod number five and Scott number eleven, and the two of them together began to push the rods into possition.
Gordon continued to spray down the reactor dome with the water from the Fire Fighter's jets, he watched as the gauge for the water tanks became more and more empty, slowly the little black needle entered into the red zone of the gauge.
"Guys, i hope you're almost done in there, i'm about to run dry, i might have to use the other Fire Fighter's supply" Said Gordon over the radio.
"We've still got several rods to go yet gordon, use the other Fire Fighter's supply" Scott replied.
"F.A.B" replied Gordon.
Leaving his Fire Fighter's hooses running, he exited his vehicle and climbed down onto the concreate ground. The fires around the area still raged, smoke so thick it almost blocked out the sun, plunging the whole area into twilight, what light there was, was being brovided by raging inferno they were sittting in currently. He rushed across the ground to Fire Fighter 2, he climbed the side ladder, opened the hatch and enterd; Taking his possition in the sear of the vehicle and started it, the engine of the vehicle roared to life as he rolled it forwards and manuvered it into possition.
Just as Gordon possitioned Fire Fighter 2 redy to start spraying, Fire Fighter 1's hosses ran dry, Gordon waisted now time, he turned to his right and grabbed onto two red leavers pulling on both of them. This operated the Fire Fighter's telescoping ladder/arm, the arm/ladder ended in a large red, squear shaped turret, that mounted a double barral fire hoose. The ladder/arm raised and exteded forwards towards the dome, Gordon then pulled back on a white leaver, this swung the arm/ladder over to the left, directly over the reactor dome. Pushing forward on a black leaver activated the double barraled water cannon, twin jets of high presure water started washing over the reactor dome.
Steven found himself looking out from the viewing windows of Thunderbird 2's cabin, out at the smoke and flames in the near distance.
"I hope Gordon and the others are okay" he said aloud.
He spied the radio mike he'd seen Virgil use to contact someone called Scott, he lifted it up from the mike holder and saw the small button on the side.
"Hello, anyone there?" he asked.
But did not get a responce, he looked at the consol he'd got the mike from and found a black dile, with little back ettched notches each with a number, the dile was currently set to channel three. Steven reached for the dile and turned it clockwise to channel four, and tried the radio again.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Steven asked again.
The was a moments silence, then a voice awnsered.
"Steven?, That you? What's wrong kiddo?" Asked Gordon.
"Um... I... I just want to you if you guys... um... Need any help?"
Steven rubbed his arm nerviously as theer was now a pregnant pause.
"Nah relax Steven, We'll be finnished up soon, no worries" Gordon said reassuringly.
Steven smiled and sat back into one of TB2s passenger seats, still holding the radio mike.
"So um...How's everything with you?" steven asked.
Gordon chuckled.
"Okay for the most part, Scot and Virg' are in the reactor room right now, they should be finnished soon" said Gordon.
Steven nodded, though he didn't know what a reactor was, somthing that... reacts with things, it must have been important and very complicated if Virgil and his Bother both were needed to bring it under control.
Steven was about to ask another question before he felt TB2 being rocked by an explosion, the vibrations shaking Thunderbird 2, as steven became alert, he could see a dark cloud of debris being thrown into the air.
"Steven? What was that?" aske Gordon sounding worried.
"Somthing just blew up, off in the distance, where the fire is" Steven explained.
Presently several large bits of flaming debris came crashing down, steven heard several objects striking the hull of Thunderbird 2, Steven was shaking with fear and more debris came raining down.
As he began to calm himself, he looked and saw what apeared to be a flaming barrel, come crashing down right into the fuel depot. After impact Flams instantly sprung up, creeping across the fuel depot, the crapt passed the pumps, setting alight fuel hooses that lay spralled across the vehicle bays.
"Gordon, somthing on fire just fell into the gas station and there now a big fire and it's getting bigger!" Steven said a little worried.
Gordon was now much more worried flaming debris had hit the fuel depot and set it a blaze.
"Steven Say calm i'll get beck to you in a second, just stay calm" Instructed Gordon.
"Okay..." Steven said unsure.
As steven waited with bated breath for Gordon to come back over the radio, there was an almighty explosion, the shockwave knocking Steven off his feet and to the floor.
Out side the research center, Scott Virgil and the others were working on getting the personel evacuated, now that the reactor was safly shut down, Virgil and Scott were escorting the Personel out of the control building.
"Scott, Virgil, Steven's in trouble" Said Gordon Over the suit's headsets.
"What's wrong?" Asked Virgil.
"Flaming debris is raining down on Thunderbird 2, the fuel depot has caught fire and it could go up at any moment" Gordon Explained.
"Right; Virgil You and Gordon head back to Thunderbird 2, i'll get the reactor personel to saftey in one of the FireFighters" Said Scott.
"F.A.B" replied Virgil and Gordon.
Once out side, Virgil boarded Gordon's Firefighter, while Scott and Professor Meddings along with the rest of the personel boarded the other FireFighter. After they'd boarded their rescepctive vehicles, the Two parties departed, Scott headed for the evacuation area, whil Gordon and Virgil headed back to Thunderbird 2.
Both of them worrying about what state would they find Steven and the Rescue ship in, Neither of them daring to emagine the state both the boy and the ship would be in, as the rounded the final bend and entered into the open space of the car park, they both looked on in shock.
Gordon only just managing to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, as the both looked on in a mixture of shock and dis-belief, Virgil quickly regained his composure and assesed the situation. He picked up the radio mike from beside Gordon.
"Scott from Virgil, How long are you gonna be Scott?" Asked Vergil, keeping perfectly calm and racional.
"I'm Dropping Meddings and his personel now" Awnsered Scott.
"OKay, see if you can get your FireFighter refilled and get back here as soon as you can, we're gonna need your help with this one" Virgil Explaned.
"F.A.B, E.T.A thirty minutes" Replied Scott.
"Okay gordon, hood on and let's go" Said Virgil.
Together donning their suits potective hoods, along with equipment tool belts, then exeted the FireFighter, stepping out into the open Car Park, then advanced towards Thunderbird two...
The whole left side of the craft engulfed in flames.