Well here it is. Chapter 4 a little later than I had planned on the upload. As always Thunderbirds belongs to it's creators but Lucia and Ellie are mine
"Scott, Scott come in! Is Gordon okay?" Virgil grimaced as he leant forwards in a panic when communications from Gordon and Scott fell silent. All Lucia could do was watch his panic as she worked to maintain Thunderbird 2 aloft and balance the strain on the plane the last cable was attached to. There was no real words for her to say and she fought to keep herself in work mode. The last thing she wanted to do was think on the reason why she had been given a leave from work. Actually she was pretty sure if she did think on it, that she would go crazy. She could feel the relief not only in herself but from Virgil too when Scott's voice came over the coms again. It had certainly felt like the longest wait before getting any news to see if Gordon and Ellie were okay.
"Virgil, the moment Thunderbird 4 is clear of the plane get Lucia to release the remaining clamp and get out of there. Gordon says there's a bomb aboard that will blow us sky high if it detonates close to the surface. John is calculating the safest distance for us as we speak." They were alive at least, that much Lucia had gathered from Scott's com, "FAB,Scott" came Virgil's less than relieved reply. He didn't like the fact his brother had dodged the question about Gordon, even more concerning was the knowledge of the bomb. "Lucia, just keep 2 steady. I can release the clamp, you need to be ready to move her as quickly as we can to get Thunderbird 4 before the plane blows." With the pain meds having kicked in he could at least reach the clamp release with his good hand and Lucia found herself giving him that small task. There wasn't much point in causing an issue over it, not when they needed to be focused on getting everyone out of there safely. That was their top priority after all. The silence of waiting was briefly broken by Scott radioing in the minimum safe distance that John had calculated, without their long range communications everything was taking that extra step if it was outside the range that Thunderbird 1 and 4 were from them.
"We're clear of the wreckage, release the clamps." It was Ellie's voice that came over the coms to let them know that Thunderbird 4 was clear, for Lucia it was a sigh of relief to hear the voice of her new found friend again. A glance over at Virgil as he released the clamps told her that he was still worrying over Gordon. "This is Thunderbird 2, we're on route to pick up Thunderbird 4. I suggest you clear out to a safe distance Thunderbird 1" there was a strain in Virgil's voice as he radioed Scott, while Lucia piloted 2 over to the position of pod 4 and Thunderbird 4. "FAB Thunderbird 2, get out of there soon as you have 4." came Scott's reply, though there was a waver in his voice that betrayed his concern. "FAB" came Virgil's short reply as he turned his attention back to Lucia. They were nearing the pod, brief radio contact confirmed Ellie and Gordon had made it into the pod safe and sound. Now it was all up to Lucia to get them up and home safe, not to say there wasn't any pressure but she really only had one shot at this. Beside her Virgil walked Lucia through the targeting controls as she maneuvered Thunderbird 2 over the pod. Thankfully without Auto pilot, the ability to hover without holding onto the controls was still intact and Lucia was able to concentrate on getting a lock onto the pod. She let out a long breath when the clamps found their mark and they began to bring in the pod. There was no real accurate time on when the bomb would explode and Lucia could only hope she had enough time to get the pod docked before it did. The moment the pod was engaged there was a rumble from beneath them, on instinct Lucia steered away the moment she was clear to do so. A jet of high pressure water and debris shot up in one massive explosion near where they had been only moments earlier, it was only now at this moment that Lucia found herself relaxing.
They were alive, they had made it. Okay so she had never even dreamed she would end up flying one of the Thunderbirds but here she was. A quick radio contact with Scott and it had been decided they would head for New Zealand as of where the plane had crashed it was the closest airport. Scott would radio ahead and meet them there with a medical crew to asses take the passengers from there. "Sorry I can't make it up there Virge" came Gordon's apology over the coms, there was a strange mix of relief and concern on Virgil's face at hearing his little brother's voice. "It's alright little brother, just rest up. We'll be home soon." It was about all he could say, as much as he wanted to go down and see him. The mere thought of moving any more than he already had was pain inducing. After that silence reigned over the cabin, aside from Scott radioing them when they were close enough to let them know which part of the airport was clear for them to land at. The next they spoke was when Virgil ran her through the landing sequence. Even then her words were few and far between as she acknowledged his instructions, setting Thunderbird 2 down for a gentle landing near Thunderbird 1. The moment it was clear Lucia pushed back on the seat and stood up, placing a hand on Virgil's head to stop him from moving. "I'll see that everyone gets out and check on Gordon, just rest. Don't want to worry everyone you rescued. I'll be back soon." Lucia reassured as she made her way to the hull where the passengers had been kept after they rescued them. Now this was something she could do, this was familiar and safe to her. This was something part of her usual job, handing over patients was her specialty.
By the time she had everyone gathered and had finished passing them off to the paramedics individually herself, Lucia found herself staring up at the tall figure whom judging by his uniform and the fact he had come from Thunderbird 1 was Scott. "Virgil's in the cockpit, I'm just about to check on Gordon and Ellie." she could have kicked herself for being so blunt as she spoke before he could say anything. "Come to the cockpit and let me know how Gordon is after you've checked on him." As much as he wanted to see his little brother, Scott got the distinct feeling it was best to go check on Virgil and make sure his younger brother wasn't trying to do something stupid in his need to be useful. Lucia merely nodded in reply and the pair of them silently split ways once they were inside Thunderbird 2. Making her way into the pod, Lucia found herself engulfed within a very wet hug the moment she opened the rear hatch of Thunderbird 4. "I'm so glad you're alive." the voice squeaked from her shoulder and Lucia found herself hugging her new found friend back. "That should be my line." Lucia whispered back gruffly in her ear before they came apart. "How is he?" Lucia asked as they made their way to Gordon's side where he greeted them with an ear to ear grin. "Ah we meet again, am I getting the good stuff too?" he couldn't help it, joking was his way of coping with everything. As much as his brothers hated it at times, it was joking around that got him through after his accident.
Laughter was the best medicine he would always say and indeed it did make Lucia laugh, "It depends on how much pain you're in" she said with a chuckle. "He hit his back when the water rushed in after the third clamp pulled part of the plane off, said he couldn't feel anything so I followed spinal protocol the moment I got him in here." Ellie interjected quickly filling Lucia in and the dark look and sudden loss of Gordon's characteristic smile didn't go unmissed by either girl at the mention of not being able to feel anything. "You did really well Ellie, you did really well." Lucia found herself patting Ellie on the shoulder before she moved to Gordon's side, "Well this might be a bit uncomfortable but I want you to tell me when it hurts" slowly she checked the stability of his spine, "Ow, ow ow...ow" Gordon yelped when she hit the middle of his back. Well there she could feel some swelling coming up, finishing up with the rest of his spine she pulled her hand back. "Can't feel your legs?" she queried and watched as he lifted his arms and hands to indicate towards where he couldn't feel down from, "I can't feel anything". There was a raised eyebrow and shake of her head from Lucia, "Well your arms look okay, just keep them down for the moment." she couldn't help but smile when the realisation that he could feel and move his arms hit his face. "YES! I can feel my arms and man that hurts.." the happiness was short lived as he realised he still couldn't feel his legs, "but I still can't feel my legs." came the dejected addition as his arms dropped back down.
"Well you do have some nasty swelling on your back, for now I can give you something for that and the pain. I don't think you've broken anything but we won't know for sure until you get further testing. So keep your chin up." Lucia said with a smile as she opened up the kit she bought down with her from cockpit and found what she needed. All Ellie could do was stand and watch Lucia work, she had done her part and now they were landed perhaps it was best she departed the flight now too. "Don't leave yet Ellie, I still need you to watch him for me. His brother's in no condition to fly them home." In her mind Lucia had already decided what the next logical step would be and she would feel much better if Ellie stayed down here. She had at least enough training for this. "Guess you're stuck with me a while longer." Ellie joked to Gordon with a smile, "You aren't the only thing stuck to me… ouch" Lucia had chosen the moment he was distracted to stick him with the needle. There was a snicker from both women, "Sorry, perfect timing and all." came Lucia's apology before she began to pack everything away. "Well, I have to let Virgil and Scott know how you're doing, you know where to reach me if you need me" Lucia said with a wink. She had a feeling the pair would be listening in on the conversation in the cockpit via the comms anyway. "Can see why she got everyone out so calmly… She's very thorough." there was a snort of laughter from Ellie at Gordon's comment once Lucia had left and was out of earshot.
"You missed seeing her when she first boarded the plane, practically had a panic attack before we had even taken off. The crash ended up being the best thing for her, not that any of us wanted to crash." Ellie replied with a laugh as she sat next to Gordon again, "Not a fan of flying then I take it." Gordon queried and Ellie shook her head. "Control thing, she's only comfortable when she's flying or someone she knows is." There was a snort from Gordon, "Sounds like someone else I know." he knew exactly which brother that was and it gave him an odd sense of amusement to know they were stuck together in the cockpit.
Lucia made her way back to the cockpit, she could only hope Gordon's injuries turned out as she assumed they would. It meant at least one of them would be off work for less time than the other. She knew how important their work was, none of them could afford to be away from it for long. She also knew how important public image was and knowing how injured they were would not bode well in the public view. Entering the cockpit, she found Virgil and Scott discussing how to get themselves home. "How is he? How's Gordon?" It was the first question out of their mouths when the Lucia appeared in the cockpit on the platform, "He can't feel his legs and has some heavy swelling and bruising on his back…." Lucia watched as both men's faces paled, as if they were reliving some horrid dream. "Is he okay? Will he walk?" It was Virgil who asked the questions before Scott could. "Without further testing I can't give a definite answer, neither is it my expertise but from his symptoms there is a good chance he will" Lucia replied as she slid past Scott into the co-pilot's seat. She had seen enough spinal injuries to tell the difference between those with good or poor prognosis, part of their training was all in identifying the differences but even then it didn't always end up correct. She could feel the relief from the brothers though at the little sliver of hope she had given them.
"Well shall we head home?" She knew this question wouldn't garner a particularly good response, "I would prefer to fly home and bring someone back to fly them home." came Scott's immediate reply, the hard wall he put up would be hard to pass. It wasn't like she wanted to know where they lived and she certainly wasn't a spy but to her she had a duty to see those she had attended safe. She couldn't hand over that responsibility so easy. "Virgil's in no condition to monitor Gordon in his condition and it's already been proven I can fly this bird." Lucia shot back, both were facts she knew he couldn't ignore. "Fine, I'll fly 2 back and auto pilot 1 home. You can keep an eye on Gordon." Scott shot back, he really didn't take well to anyone challenging authority and Virgil wasn't in the condition to intervene.
"You need to maintain confidentiality right? Delaying the trip home could compromise that. We've stayed long enough now that people are bound to begin to get you don't pilot Thunderbird 1 home people will figure out something is wrong. Lucia got us here safely enough and I'm fine with looking after Gordon until you make it home." It was Ellie's voice that came over the coms and Lucia let out a sigh of relief. She could see Scott trying to come up with a counter argument against it. "Ellie is right, and confidentiality is part of our jobs. The passengers are none the wiser, they might have seen Virgil take the hit but as far as they know he's still capable of flying, they know nothing of Gordon's injuries and think I'm just helping out due to my line of work. I would take advantage of that." Okay so she has spun a little white lie to the passengers, but she had thought it best they didn't know the extent of their rescuers injuries. She didn't want anyone panicking after all. Scott's mouth moved like a guppy, those girls really had thought of everything he marveled for a moment. "Alright then, I'll fly ahead and radio home of the situation. Bring them home safe Lucia" Lucia felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to find Scott giving her his reluctant approval. "FAB, Thunderbird 1" she couldn't help but reply with a wink and a salute to top it off. "Alrighty then, take care" came Scott's reply as his hand moved from her shoulder to ruffle her hair before he made his way out to return to Thunderbird 1.
"I'm impressed. Usually he's much harder to convince" It was Virgil who spoke up from where he was leaning back into the pilot's seat, "Is you pain alright?" Lucia found herself asking wanting to dodge the last comment, "Yeah, I'll be fine until we get home. Don't want to addle my thoughts too much in case you need further navigation." Of course he wasn't going to let on that talking and breathing hurt but at least the pain meds were keeping it in check more so than before. Scott checked in with them one more time before he took off, as Lucia did the preflight check and started Thunderbird 2 up again. She was far more used to it this time around and in no time they had clearance and were up and off. The talk between all of them over the coms, was constantly flowing though Virgil had gone quiet. Lucia could only assume it was because talking had begun to hurt too much. At last Tracy Island was in sight, though it appeared they had been pre warned for a rocky landing, there was a chuckle from Lucia as she steered Thunderbird 2 in and maneuvered her down on to the runway. She was getting good at this now. She steered the great bird where Virgil directed her and before she knew it they were safely ensconced within the island and she was shutting down the engines and lifting 2 up to gain clearer access to Ellie and Gordon. She had done it. She had bought them home.
Well, what did you think? Tracy Island next chapter, I wonder what will happen to the girls now. ;)