Still disclaiming - Still don't own

Chapter 4 - You Can't Save Everybody

Halfway around the world from the woods of western Massachusetts, the Thunderbirds had almost completely finished evacuating the village of Akaroa. Scott was running the operation, getting frequent updates from Thunderbird Five. Most of the coast had been evacuated by civilian authorities. Kate and Gordon had been guiding survivors to Thunderbird Two, Virgil having already made four runs to a safe zone to drop off refugees.

"Kate? Gordon?" Scott called to the duo.

"Yeah, Scott?" Gordon replied.

"You two got everyone yet?" Scott asked.

"I'm not sure Scott," Kate answered. "The last group of people we led to Thunderbird 2 said that they thought one guy was still in his house. But no one has seen him. He may have left with the first group that the New Zealand military evacuated before the last quake. I got directions to the house. I just want to check."

"Hurry up guys," Virgil added. "John says the wave is due here within twenty minutes, maybe less. We need to get out of here."

Kate and Gordon looked at each other, nodding. "OK," said Gordon "Just give us another five, Virgil."

"Scott, get Mobile Control loaded and get Thunderbird One in the air." Kate called in.

"Keep an eye on the wave for us. Virgil, have everything ready to go when we call. Make sure everyone is set in case you have to take off quick."

Scott longed to argue with Kate. He wanted to tell her to grab his little brother and get her butt back to the 'Birds. But he had heard a lot of what Kate had said. Sure, Kate had only been a Thunderbird for about the same amount of time she had been his wife. Logically though, he knew she was capable and resourceful. Hadn't she proven that when she had helped rescue Alan? And Gordon didn't suffer fools, no Tracy did. Gordon was following Kate's lead and Virgil had quickly acknowledged Kate's instructions. Kate knew what she was doing, Scott repeated in his head. Now if only he could convince his heart.

Gordon grinned over at Kate. "Wow. No arguments from Scott. Guess you won the fight today." Kate glared at Gordon. "Hey, you were kind of loud." Then Gordon frowned. "Damn. That means Tin-Tin wins." At Kate's puzzled look, the second youngest Tracy decided discretion was the better part of valor and began to run in the direction of the sole remaining resident of Akaroa. Kate decided she would get some answers later and began to jog after Gordon.

Together, the two rounded a corner and came to an old, decrepit home. Heck, a strong wind looked like it would take out this place; forget the massive force of a tsunami. "Hello?" Kate called out. "Is anyone here?"

Gordon prepared to join Kate in calling out when a shotgun blast ripped through the air. Dropping to the ground, Kate had instinctively reached for her sidearm, forgetting for a moment that she was no longer a federal agent. "Sir?" Gordon called out. "We're International Rescue. We are here to take you to safety. We are not a threat. Please, come out and we will take you to a safe place."

"I am in a safe place." The old man called out through the window. "This house has stood for more than a hundred years. My Granddaddy built her to last. I was born here. My two kids was born here. My boy died here, just like my missus. This house is all I got left. The village council, they say it's an eyesore. This is all just a plot to get me to leave my home so you can tear it down. They want me to go to an old folk's home near my girl's in Christchurch. Ain't going." With that, the man fired another shot over their heads.

Kate took off her helmet, ignoring Gordon's "Kate are you nuts?" and took another step towards the old man. "Please sir. We're telling the truth. A tsunami is coming. This whole village will be wiped out. I doubt anything will be standing when it's done, that includes your house."

"Sir," Gordon called, following Kate's lead and removing his helmet. "If you don't come with us, you'll die."

The old man stepped out on the porch, and looked at the two Thunderbirds sadly. "Youngins, you just don't get it. My girl and I never got along. I barely ever saw her kids. My missus and my boy were my life. They are still here as long as I stay here. Make me leave here, I'll just die a little later and without what matters most." He watched the two young people, and then smiled softly. "You two are awful young. Got any family?"

The two Tracys looked at each other and Gordon made a decision. "Yes, sir. I have a Dad, some brothers and my teammate here has parents, brothers and a husband. We love our families and we understand how horrible it would be to lose them. But we also know they would want us to live even if they died."

The man smiled again, and then began to turn away. In a voice so low, they could barely hear it, he replied, "But you are young. You still have the courage to start over. It's a skill you'll lose with age. Treasure your family youngins. Go home and tell them how much you love them. Do it for an old man." He began to shut the door.

"Sir…" Kate began, only for the man to turn around rapidly, his speed belying his age. The man let out a blast of his shot gun and grazed Kate's left leg. "Great," she muttered, "matching leg wounds." Gordon moved over to support Kate. The wound was not as bad as the one she had received in her right leg rescuing Alan but damn it, once more, it hurt!

"Get that little girl outta here," the old man called from behind the now closed door. "I ain't going. But you go home to your families. And remember what I told you. Make sure you tell 'em how much you love 'em."

Gordon looked at Kate, and then leaned down to grab both of their helmets from where the two had dropped them at the last shotgun blast. First helping Kate on with hers, he put his own on to hear Scott talking on the helmet mike.

"Kate, Gordon, can you two hear me? Answer me now!" Scott was in full field commander mode by his tone.

"We read you Scott. What's up?" Gordon responded.

"Get to Thunderbird Two now! The wave will be there within minutes."

As quickly as they could manage with Kate's leg, the two remaining Thunderbirds made their way back to Two. Hobbling, for it couldn't be called running, they were horrified to see the ocean begin to pull back. It was like watching the most severe form of low tide imaginable. But where as high and low tide fell hours apart, the Tracys knew they only had minutes to get aboard.

Virgil was hovering above the village center, the rescue platform still on the ground. Gordon pushed Kate in as he heard a loud roaring sound. Turning he saw all the displaced water once more filling the bay. Yelling into his mike at Virgil, Gordon was as close to panicking as he had been in a long time. "Brother, you better get us up now!" The platform receded at a faster than recommended speed. The hatch had not even shut completely when Virgil lifted his ship into the air. Kate limped over to an observation point. Where once a quaint village had sat on a peninsula in New Zealand, was now a churning mass of brown water, pieces of what had been peoples lives, their homes and their businesses, floating in a grim tribute to the power of nature. And somewhere down there, an old man was home.

Kate removed her helmet once more after her brother-in-law led her to a sickbay bed, and had pulled a curtain around it. A cursorily exam assured him that her wound was minor. But as she began to cry, Gordon knew Kate had learned the lesson that not even the Thunderbirds could save everyone.

A/N – Will get back to Alan in a minute. Just felt right ending it here. And I corrected the spelling of the village. It is Akaroa.