"Whoa..."
Never before had Gordon seen a fire so huge. Flames had spread across a clear square acre and were leaping towards the morning sun. They had, for all intents and purposes, gone back in time - for Ghana was twelve hours behind Tracy Island. It's Christmas Eve morning again, Gordon thought. Weird.
"Okay, guys," Virgil said as he circled around to find a landing spot. "Scott has pinpointed the location of the trapped workers. They're in a collapsed building near the centre of the fire. Matthew, you'll take the Firefly in. Gordon, you'll man the dicetyline cannons on Two once I lift off again."
"F.A.B.," Matthew said.
He disappeared, heading for the pod.
Within minutes, Virgil had set down and the Firefly was trundling down the ramp.
"This is some blaze," Matthew's voice came over the comm.
"The Firefly can take it," Virgil said. "Her Cahelium shield will hold out. You'll need to clear a path through the debris and flames so you can get the victims out. Scott will direct you from above. I'll take off again so Gordon can give you air support."
"Understood."
As soon as the Firefly had cleared the pod, Virgil retracted it and lifted off again. Gordon looked out the cockpit window as Matthew disappeared into the flames. Good luck, he thought.
~oOo~
As the evening wore on, the crowd in the lounge began to dissipate. Penelope and Parker retired to the Round House first, soon followed by Amelia and Georgie. Tin-Tin took the children, and eventually it was just Jeff, John, Alan and Elijah who remained.
It was strange to see Alan manning the comms. from his father's desk, but Brains' new system seemed to be working well. I don't fully trust it, though, John said. It takes too much human intuition out of the job. The system won't pick up everything. Jeff seemed a little out of place, not quite sure where to sit or stand now that he was evicted from his usual seat.
John and Elijah busied themselves at the chess table, though it as clear that Elijah's mind was far from the game.
"He'll be fine," John said.
Elijah nodded, though the muscles of his jaw still clenched.
"I know. It's his speciality, too, but..." he replied.
"But you can't help but worry," John finished.
Elijah nodded.
"I know exactly how it feels," John said with a sigh. "I've spent hours up above wondering if all my brothers are going to get home safe," John said. He gave Elijah what he hoped was a comforting smile. "It does get easier - at least a little."
Absent-mindedly moving one of his pieces into a dangerous position, Elijah nodded again.
"I know. It's not as bad now as it was a few months ago. But I always worry about him." He let out a rueful laugh. "Sometimes I even worry when he has to use a dinner knife."
At that moment, Matthew's voice rang out across the lounge.
"Okay, I'm nearly in," he said. "Gordon, could you focus on my location and try to douse those flames from above? I'm just about to deploy the nitro-glycerine capsules and -"
John jammed his fingers to his ears as a deafening boom resounded over the comm.
"Firefly," Alan said, his every muscle tensing. "Come in please."
Static. Elijah leapt to his feet; John was hot on his heels.
"Thunderbird Two, what's happening down there?" Alan asked.
"I'm not sure," Virgil responded. "There was some kind of explosion. There's too much smoke to get a clear view, but Firefly is not responding. I'm going to overfly the area so Gordon can douse the flames."
"Keep us informed, Thunderbird Two," Jeff said.
"Matthew," Elijah said, his voice tight. "Matthew, answer me!"
Nothing.
~oOo~
Gordon scored another direct hit on one of the blazes. The flames dampened, the smoke began to change to steam and dust. Gradually, the air cleared enough to see the damage. Gordon drew in a sharp breath.
"Virg, you seeing this?" he asked.
"Unless my eyes are deceiving me, that's the Firefly on its side."
"They're not," Gordon said. "It is."
Sure enough, the vehicle was stricken, blown off its tracks and now lying prone on the scorched earth. Despite efforts to douse the fire, the blaze was still raging around the small area they had managed to clear. The heat down there must be terrific, Gordon thought.
"We need a plan B." Scott's voice was terse as he spoke. "Those people are still trapped down there."
"If we can get those people out, and if they can all squeeze into the Firefly, I can lift them out with the electromagnetic grabs." Virgil said.
"Yeah," Gordon said, "but how do we get them safely out of the rubble and into the Firefly?"
Before anyone could answer, a low groan sounded on the comm.
"Matthew, is that you?" Gordon asked.
"Aye, it is..." Matthew responded. "I was knocked out there and I think my arm is broken. But I'm fine."
Gordon felt relief wash over him. That's an International Rescue definition of 'fine' if ever I heard one.
"Matthew, we still need to get those people out," Scott said. "As I'm sure you've noticed, Firefly is on her side. Virgil can lift you out but you need to get everyone into the vehicle first. Can you do that?"
Matthew groaned again but followed it with a chuckle.
"No problemo," he said.
"Good man," Scott replied. "Virg, get ready with those grabs. Gordon, keep your eye on those flames and intervene where necessary."
There was a chorus of acknowledgement and Gordon watched as Matthew forced open the Firefly's hatch. When he stumbled out, his right arm was hanging awkwardly, his elbow pointing in the wrong direction. Ouch.
Already, a figure was emerging from the rubble of the ruined control building. At least they don't need to be dug out, Gordon thought. In total, three men emerged. Matthew ushered them through the heat and smoke to the Firefly. It'll be a tight fit but they should manage it.
"Okay, Thunderbird Two," Matthew said. "We're all here and getting to know each other very well. This man, for example, has a lovely and sharp elbow. Let's go!"
"F.A.B."
Gordon heard the wish and clunk as the grabs were deployed and after a few moments, they had locked on and a Firefly was in the air, dangling on her side but being lifted clear of the danger.
"Great work, guys," Scott said. "Local emergency and relief crews are on scene to start dealing with the rest of the fire. Once we've delivered the rescued personnel, we are good to go."
"Could you tell my brother that I'll be needing his assistance when we get back?" Matthew asked.
Elijah's voice sounded over the comm.
"I heard you," he said. "We'll be having words later."
"On second thought," Matthew said, "just dump me in the ocean on the way home. That'll be easier!"
~oOo~
Christmas morning dawned on Tracy Island just as the Thunderbird craft were returning to base. A bleary eyed Elijah was waiting with his medical bag and a wheelchair on stand-by. Only he and John remained. Even Jeff had retired at the news the team were on the way home, something he would rarely have done before. Age is wearing in him, John thought. That and all the responsibility.
By the time the crew appeared in the lounge, Matthew was ashen-faced and being held up by Gordon. John winced; he looked dreadful. Elijah rushed forward with the chair and Gordon lowered he stricken man into it.
"He's been trying to go to sleep," Gordon admonished, though his tone was light. "And he's made a damn mess of Two's medical bay because he didn't tell Uncle Gordon he was going to barf! Isn't that right?"
Matthew groaned in response.
"Wouldn't be like him," Elijah said. Then his tone softened. "Let's get you taken care of."
Gordon hung back as the twins headed for the sick room. John went to follow them but stopped when he saw his brother lingering behind.
"I'm going to go help Virg clean up," Gordon said. His face twisted with disgust. "It's gross."
"I'm sure," John replied.
"He did good, though," Gordon said. "A real pro."
There was something in his brother's eyes that made John look a little more closely.
"If I didn't know better, I would say you had a bit of a crush."
Gordon shrugged his shoulders.
"It's bromance, brother dear," he said as he headed back to Thunderbird a Two. Then he stopped and turned back. "Hey, John," he said.
"Yeah?"
"Merry Christmas," he said.
"Merry Christmas, Gords," John replied.
Gordon held up his arms.
"I'd hug you but I think Matt threw up on me." He checked. "Yup."
John laughed, grimacing a little as he did. Gordon gave him a salute before he disappeared.
Despite his exhaustion, John made his way down to the sick room to offer Elijah a hand. When he arrived, the man was helping his twin onto one of the beds.
"Matthew," he said. "How are you feeling?"
It took the man several seconds to respond.
"Lousy," he said.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Again, there was a pause.
"I remember an explosion... I must have hit my head. But I... The next thing I remember is being on Two." His eyes widened and he tried to stand. "Are those people okay? Did we get them out?"
John came to his side and laid a hand on his good arm.
"Yes, Matthew," he said. "The mission was a success. No fatalities."
The man nodded but then winced.
"Ouch," he said. "What's wrong -" he winced again, "- with my arm?"
Elijah was surveying the damage and shook his head.
"I don't need an x-ray to tell that it's broken," he said. "I'm worried about how much damage there is. I want to scan the arm to see what we're dealing with. If it's simple, I can deal with it here. But if not, it might be a Christmas Day trip to the hospital."
Matthew gave his brother a wobbly smile.
"Merry Christmas," he said.
Elijah shook his head and, despite the weight of worry, leaned in to plant a brief kiss on his twin's forehead.
"Eejit," he breathed. "Merry Christmas."
~oOo~
Within the hour, Elijah had tucked his brother into one of the sick room beds and flopped down onto the other. Exhaustion seeped from his every pore and John sat beside him. Straight away, Elijah leaned into him.
"He'll be fine," John said.
"I know," Elijah replied. "He's a pain in the arse, but a resilient one."
John chuckled.
"He sounds like Gordon."
Wrapping his arm around John's waist, Elijah sighed. "I'm glad he's okay."
"Well, the job is finally done," John said. "It's time to get some rest."
"Mmm..." The other man mumbled into John's shoulder. "Sounds good."
John placed an arm over Elijah's and gave him a squeeze.
"Merry Christmas, Eli," he said.
"Merry Christmas, Johnny."