The Ransom (Part 23)
By Jenny Taylor
In Thunderbird 4...
Gordon sat in his little yellow submarine, waiting for the signal so they can start on the next phase of the rescue plan crafted by a long-lost friend whom, when he and Alan were younger, was their 'second' mom even if she was a few months older than Virgil. She helped them through those dreadful days after they lost their mom. Helped was an understatement in most of the boys minds, she saved them.
And now, even though she's been restricted by something beyond their understanding, she's still looking out for them. Suddenly, a voice belonging to his intermediate older brother broke his thoughts with the awaited signal.
"5 minutes until you reach the Danger Zone, guys." John informed his brothers. Gordon automatically did his release checks and waited for his module to deploy. He didn't have to wait long until he felt the module dropping from a height and then a second later, a loud splash indicating that he's landed on the ocean's surface.
The module door then opens, flooding the interior with natural light and then the launch ramp tilts and extends into the ocean. Gordon fires up Thunderbird 4's thrusters which pushes itself off the ramp and into the ocean blue.
"Thunderbird 4 is Go!" Came the calling cry from the aquanaut of the family as he levels off and activates his sonar.
"F.A.B. Thunderbird 4," John replied quietly. "I'm uploading the co-ordinations to the Hood's ship, at top speed you'll be underneath them approximately 5 minutes." He informed his intermediate younger brother.
"F.A.B. John. How's Scott doing?" Gordon asked quietly, not daring to raise his voice above a whisper.
"He's trying his best to stall the Hood, but I don't know how long that will last."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I just hope that we can get to Virgil in time."
"Me too little brother, me too." And with that John signed off, leaving Gordon alone to focus on the next step in rescuing his music-loving elder brother, by riding in Thunderbird 4 as fast as it can and then wait for Virgil to fall into the depths of the ocean blue.
On the Hood's Ship…
The world's most wanted and evil mastermind villain, The Hood, is getting a bit impatient and feeling uneasy. His gut feeling is telling him that something is wrong. He's been listening to Scott's begging for more time because of 'back-to-back' 'rescues' and Alan's pleading and begging his eldest brother to save their brother.
The 'rescue' that the Tracys are going to seamed to be going on felt like a distraction. He takes his chance to speak to his henchman, while the two brothers are 'distracting' each other.
"Keep an eye out for the Thunderbirds, I have a feeling that this so-called 'rescue' is an attempt for them to rescue their precious brother. IF either them or the dreaded GDF is within radar range, let me know IMMEDIATELY! AND, be prepared to go to Plan B, I don't want this Tracy slip through my fingers before his time." He ordered his henchman, his voice is low, quiet and menacing.
"On it boss." The henchman replied and went off to alert the others. The Hood turns back to the holograms of the two brothers, they seemed to have noticed that the Hood had spoken to his henchman and are clearly worried.
"You Tracys are up to something!" The villain sneered at them, accusingly.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked angrily.
"You're trying to rescue your brother aren't you?" The Hood raised his voice in anger. Scott was taken aback in anger while Alan sat, open mouthed in shock and fear. These reactions from the brothers gave the evil criminal the ammunition he needed.
"Well that's not going to happen!" He shouted at the hologram, before turning to the henchmen on the platform below, holding the now weak, fragile, bound and frightened Virgil, who is now shivering in fear and dread as he now realises what's going to happen.
"PUSH HIM OVERBOARD!" Came the awaited cry from the villain. Virgil found himself being pushed over the edge by the flanking henchmen and free falling into the ocean blue. He can just about hear his brothers crying his name out in shock, fear and heartache as he falls further away from the villain's ship.
Virgil felt like he was falling forever, but it only took seconds until he landed into the watery surface of the Pacific Ocean, hard. The landing had really hurt him, not just because he felt like he had landed into a watery version of a concrete pavement and knocked the air out of him, but also the sudden coldness of the watery surface he's landed in.
His lungs are burning from lack of oxygen, he struggles as he tries to get to the surface, but with his feet and hands bound it's not easy. So he stopped struggling and lets the freezing ocean water lifts him up to the surface to breathe, not realising that the commotion that he created has brought the interest of a certain creature of the seas straight towards him.
In Thunderbird 4…
Gordon is pushing Thunderbird 4 as fast as he could ever since he heard his brothers on Thunderbird 2 screaming for Virgil on the intercom. He's only just a minute away from the scene. Just one measly minute. Come on Gordon you can do this and save Virg. He thought to himself. Just hang on Virgil, I'm coming.
In Thunderbird 2…
"What are we going to do Scott? The Hood's dumped Virgil into the ocean!" Alan wailed.
"We stick to the plan and hope Gordon is close enough to rescue him." Scott answered, full of confidence and determination. "Colonel Casey, Kayo?"
"We'll be arriving at the Hood's location within 3 minutes." The commander-in-chief of the Global Defence Force and family friend of the Tracys, Colonel Catherine Casey replied in her usual commanding manner as she is on-board on one of the 5 GDF hover-planes heading towards the Danger Zone.
"I've got the Hood's ship in sight, approaching now." The Head of International Rescue's Security, Tanusha Kyrano, also known as Kayo announced.
"Be careful Kayo," Scott warned her, being couscous. "We want to know what's happening to Virgil AND to see if he's still alive. And if he is, the Hood may do something drastic that may finish Virgil off." Scott's voice trailed off upon mentioning the villain and his brother.
"F.A.B." Kayo replied.