IT had been several months since the ordeal at Christmas that had left Parker badly injured by the Rock Snakes. He felt much better and felt he was more than ready to take up his duties behind the wheel of FAB1 once more. That was without Fiona Campbell, his assigned carer by the doctors, who even after all these months, still would not sign him off as being fully fit. This angered Parker to no end, and he wasn't the only one.
For several weeks, Penelope, Lord Patrick and Lady Patricia had done everything they could think of to try and make Fiona realise that Parker was fully recovered, and yet she would not give in. In the end, Patrick called Parker's doctors and asked if they could come over and give him a check-over to make Fiona see that all was good. Unfortunately, he didn't get the answer he wanted.
"I'm very sorry, your Lordship, but it's out of our hands now," said Dr Bruce. "Ms Campbell is the only one who can sign him off."
"This is ridiculous!" fumed Patrick. "It's been over eight months since she arrived and there's nothing wrong with him!"
The Doctor shrugged. "We did our bit to save his life. Now Miss Campbell needs to do hers," he said. "Forgive me, your Lordship, but I have an operation to take part in. Goodbye for now."
Patrick angrily banged a fist on the table as the hologram image of Dr Bruce disappeared from the projector. "DamNATION!" he roared.
"Careful, dear!" said Lady Patricia. "That table's-"
"Oh, to HELL WITH THE DAMN TABLE, PATRICIA!" bellowed Patrick, storming back and forth around the room. "This has gone on for too long."
Penelope then walked in. She looked worried. "I heard you shout, Father. What's the matter?"
Patrick gave a defeated sigh. "Even the doctor can't take the control of Parker's well-being away from Miss Campbell," he fumed.
"What? That's absurd!" protested Penelope.
"Yes, it is, darling," agreed Patricia. "But where doctors are concerned, orders are orders."
The three Creighton-Wards really didn't know what to do. Little did they realise that a rather downcast Parker had been hiding outside the room, listening. He'd heard everything.
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
"Thunderbirds Are Go!"
"SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST"
PENELOPE went to find Parker to tell him the bad news. She found him outside in the garden around the side of the mansion. "Hello, Parker."
"Oh…'ello, m'lady."
Penelope could tell by the sound of Parker's voice that he already knew what she was going to say. "You were eavesdropping on Father's conversation with Dr Bruce, weren't you?"
Parker nodded gloomily. "I'm sorry h'about that, m'lady."
"Don't be," said Penelope. "We're just as fed up with this as you are."
"Fed up with what, Lady Penelope?" It was Fiona, who had appeared out from behind a nearby bush.
Penelope had held her tongue for long enough. "Miss Campbell, why have you not cleared Parker?"
"Because he's not fit for the duties you need him to, that's why!" Fiona said. "Haven't I said that to you already?"
"It's been eight months. EIGHT MONTHS!" Penelope raised her voice. "HE IS PERFECTLY FINE!"
"DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME!" Fiona raised her own.
"ALL RIGHT, ENOUGH!" Patrick and Patricia had just come out of the mansion in time to witness the heated argument begin. "You both take a step back from each other."
The two young women did so, fixing each other with an icy glare each.
"Come, Penelope," said Patricia, ushering her daughter away from Fiona. "Parker?"
"Coming, m'lady," said Parker and he headed off with them.
Fiona tried to follow, but Patrick blocked her way. "A word please, Miss Campbell?"
"Are you just gonna let your daughter treat me like that, your Lordship?" Fiona asked angrily. "I do not like being spoken to like that!"
"I apologise for her remarks and rest assured I will have some stern words with her," Patrick said. This wasn't exactly true, but he wasn't going to say that. "However, Penelope does raise a valid point. Why haven't you cleared Parker fit by now? I've never known anyone take this long to recover."
"My orders were not to clear him for duty until he is properly rested," said Fiona. "And that includes monitoring even after recovery."
"I don't recall you mentioning this before?" said Patrick with a frown.
"Didn't I?" Fiona asked. "Forgive me then. I must have forgotten that. With respect, your Lordship. So long as Mr Parker keeps trying to do his duties for you and your daughter, he's not recovering. He needs rest. And lots of it."
"He's hardly going to manage that whilst he's here," said Patrick.
"Exactly," said Fiona. "Which is exactly why I am intending to take him away from here so that he can relax."
Patrick's frown increased. "Take him where?" he asked.
"To a place of relaxation," said Fiona. "As a child my family and I visited Scotland on many occasions. That includes Orkney. It's remote and out of the way. He'd have plenty of relaxation there."
Patrick was unconvinced. "I think that would drive him more crazy than rest," he said. "Wouldn't somewhere like the Caribbean or Mediterranean be more suitable?"
"No, it is Orkney," said Fiona. "And besides, I've already made the arrangements. I was going to come and talk to you about it right away," she added hastily.
Patrick's frown grew stronger still. "Why didn't you ask this before you made the arrangements, Fiona?" he asked, sounding rather cross.
"Given how your daughter has been acting, I was certain that she'd protest," said Fiona. "But if you let me take him for two weeks, I can guarantee he'll be fully recovered following rest and relaxation. And then I can be out of here."
Patrick turned his head slightly. Something felt off, but he also felt that there was no other option. "Very well, Miss Campbell," he said. "But believe me…Parker's not gonna like this."
"The H'ORKNEYS?!" Parker exclaimed after Patrick.
"Father, you can't be serious?!" added Penelope.
"I'm sorry, Pen, but what other option do we have?" Patrick asked. "Fiona has said that two weeks of rest and relaxation is what Parker needs for her to finally sign him off. She made that a promise."
"With h'all due respect, m'lord," Parker said. "I 'ave been to those islands before. They're h'anything but tranquil. They're cold, wet and windy. I'll catch me death if I go back there."
"I don't want this any more than you do, Parker," said Patrick sympathetically. "But if we're to put all of this behind us and get back to the life we had before, we have to do this. I'm sorry."
Parker hung his head and relented. He was more than willing to argue with Fiona, but not with the man who'd given him a second chance at life. "Very well, m'lord," he said. "But I will do h'it for you. Not for 'er."
Patrick gave him a warm smile and patted him on the arms. "Now there's a good man," he said. "You'll be back before you know it."
Parker managed a smile back. But it was only a small one.
As Patrick left the room and headed for his study, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Without even needing to turn around he could guess who it was. "Penny-"
"Father, why have you agreed to this?!" Penelope said angrily. "Parker won't last a day out there!"
"What do you suggest then?" Patrick asked, annoyed.
"I could take him to Tracy Island," said Penelope. "He'll be much more comfortable. There's a beach, a pool, fresh air, good company. He'd do much better there than-"
Patrick held up his hand to stop her. "I get where you're coming from, and if I could, I would by all means have you and he go out there," he said. "But you know Miss Campbell wouldn't be able to go and how could she assess-"
"HE DOESN'T NEED ASSESSING!" Penelope shouted, taking Patrick by surprise. "HE'S FINE! WHY CAN NOBODY SEE THIS?!"
Patricia suddenly appeared. "Penelope-"
"STAY OUT THIS, MOTHER!" Penelope thundered before turning back to her father. "I'M NOT GOING TO LET THIS HAPPEN, FATHER!"
Patrick almost raised his voice back in anger, but he stopped himself. Instead, he gave his daughter a look he'd not done for many years. One that he never thought he'd have to again. "Penelope…I never thought I'd have to say this, but…GO TO YOUR ROOM!" he bellowed and pointed towards the stairs.
Now it was Penelope's turn to be taken by surprise. So was Patricia. "FINE!" she snapped loudly and stormed off, kicking a door fully open as she went.
Patricia had her hand over her as she came over to her husband. They watched the furious and upset Penelope disappear from view. "I've never seen her act like this before," she said.
Patrick, who was already regretting his words, nodded sadly in agreement.
In order to get to the Orkneys, Parker and Fiona were to take a small commercial aeroplane from Birmingham Airport. It was a small, white aircraft with two engines, one on each wing. It only had a two-man crew who were both in the cockpit. It had no cabin attendants so Parker and Fiona needed to get what they needed before they took off.
After an hour of flying the plane had crossed the border from England into Scotland. As Fiona looked out of the window, she could see the magnificent Highlands and the mountains that made it what it was. Large open moorland and numerous lochs were also clear to see. "So beautiful, isn't it?" she said to Parker. She looked over. Parker was just sitting in a big sulk, looking at his lap and twiddling his thumbs, not paying any attention to the views from the windows. "Aren't you going to enjoy the view?" she asked.
"H'I 'ave seen the Scottish 'ighlands before, Miss," Parker answered. "And they look no different from the last time."
Fiona sighed in frustration and got out of her seat to go and talk to the pilots. She knocked on the open doorway. "I'm so sorry to interrupt," she said. "How long before we are crossing the ocean?"
"In about twenty minutes," answered the pilot.
"Thank you," said Fiona.
"Enjoying the view?" asked the co-pilot.
"Yes, indeed," replied Fiona. "It's beautiful." She started to head back to her seat, looking at the time on her watch as she did so.
Parker was finally looking out of the window, but he clearly wasn't enjoying it as much as she was.
"You see?" said Fiona as she sat back in her seat. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"I've seen better," Parker retorted. "So much better."
Fiona sighed again and picked up a book she'd brought with her to read, checking her watch again as she did so.
Parker looked over at her. He eyed the book: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix. He found it ironic that they were flying over the country where the fictitious castle known as Hogwarts was supposed to be. However, he did not feel the need to make the comment so he looked back out of the window. And it was at that moment that something caught his attention. There was something else flying out there. But what was it? It wasn't a bird, that was for sure. It looked like another plane. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Turned out he wasn't. There was an old fighter plane flying along towards them. Then it turned and started to fly parallel with their course. Parker identified the type of plane at once. "Well, swipe me!"
Fiona looked up. "What?" she asked. She turned her head and almost dropped the book in surprise when she saw the other aircraft flying alongside. "What on earth? Is that a Spitfire?"
"No, Miss Fiona," answered Parker. "It's h'a 'awker 'urricane. The shape h'of it isn't right for a Spitfire."
Fiona looked at him. "Wow. You know your planes?"
Parker nodded. He then gave a wave to the pilot of the Hurricane who he could just make out inside the cockpit. The pilot nodded and waved back. Fiona did as well. It was then that they both noticed how close the Hurricane seemed to be getting to them.
"Should he be flying this close to us?" Fiona asked.
Before Parker could answer, they heard the angry voice of the co-pilot from the cockpit. "Charlie-Oscar-5 to Hurricane on my starboard side. You are flying too close to us! Change your course immediately!"
No response came from the Hurricane's pilot. However he did give another wave then the aircraft banked sharply away to the right, looping around and disappearing from view.
"Stupid idiot!" fumed the co-pilot. "What the hell was he playing at?"
"Search me," replied the pilot. "But at least he's gone now." He then turned and called over his shoulder. "Sorry about that! We'll be passing over Loch Lomond soon. You won't want to miss that."
Parker and Fiona looked at each. "We certainly wouldn't," Fiona replied.
And for the first time since they'd met, the two managed a small laugh between the two of them. It seemed as though they'd finally agreed on something.
TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA!
The aircraft shuddered as the sound of bullets whizzing past the windows and hitting the starboard side of the aircraft could be heard. Instinctively, like he'd done many times with Penelope and his Army comrades before that, Parker grabbed Fiona and pulled her down to the floor of the cabin as something whizzed past the windows.
"OH, MY GOD! WHAT WAS THAT?!" cried Fiona in alarm.
"Stay down!" Parker ordered and hurried towards the cockpit to see what had happened. He and the pilots could now see the culprit. It was the Hurricane, now flying ahead of them. Then it began to bank around to the left.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!" exclaimed the co-pilot.
The Hurricane continued to bank around until its front was facing them.
"HE'S COMING IN AGAIN!" shouted the pilot. "HANG ON!" He pulled backwards on the control stick.
The aircraft began to climb rapidly, causing Parker to fall backwards and slide along the carpet of the cabin floor until he was saved by Fiona grabbing his arm. "I've got you!" she said.
"GET UNDER SOMETHING!" the pilot yelled back at them as he took more evasive action.
Parker and Fiona had to grab onto whatever they could to try and keep themselves from being thrown about.
"MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!" the co-pilot said urgently into the radio. "THIS IS FLIGHT CHARLIE-OSCAR-5 OUT OF BIRMINGHAM FOR ORKNEY. WE ARE BEING ATTACKED BY A SPITFIRE!"
"HURRICANE!"
"WHAT?!"
"IT'S A HURRICANE, SAM!"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT IT IS, MARK! IT'S BLOODY SHOOTING AT US!"
As quick as the pilot's reactions were, they weren't as good as that of the Hurricane. Despite its age, it was a lot more manoeuvrable than the twin-engine passenger plane was. Within seconds, the pilot, who had a malicious smirk on his face, had gotten into position and began shooting once again.
TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA!
Bullets ripped through the fuselage and smashed the cockpit windows, killing both pilots instantly. As the Hurricane zoomed past, the passenger plane's nose began to drop down. With nobody flying it, it was now entering a crash dive towards one of the mountains.
Parker and Fiona could hear the alarms blaring in the cockpit and as Parker looked through the open doorway, he could see the limp arm of the pilot hanging down from the side. The sick feeling in his stomach tightened as he allowed himself to slide down the cabin towards the cockpit.
"PARKER?!" cried Fiona, trying to grab him but missing.
Parker reached the cockpit. He looked at both pilots. They were both clearly dead which sickened him even more. He couldn't see where the Hurricane had gone but what he could see was the mountain in front of them getting closer every second. He knew he had to do something. Whilst there was nothing he could do for the pilots, there was still Fiona aboard, and despite him not having liked her, he knew he had to do something to try and save her. "Sorry, sir," he said, unfastening the seatbelt from the co-pilot and hauling his limp body out of the seat before lowering him quickly but respectfully onto the floor.
Fiona had been making her way down using the comfortable seats to hold on to. She gasped in horror and clamped her hand over her mouth when she saw the deceased co-pilot lying on the floor. She looked up, wide-eyed as Parker clambered into the seat where the co-pilot had been.
TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA!
The Hurricane had come in for another attack. This time strafing the starboard wing in an attempt to take out the engine. It didn't quite succeed but some of the bullets smashed the windows of the cabin. Fiona screamed and threw herself to the ground, holding on to the base of a seat for dear life as the decompression tried to pull her up and out.
Parker was now in the seat. He didn't bother strapping in but grabbed the controls. He turned it hard to the left. The aircraft was sluggish to respond but slowly did so. He looked back out of the side window at the wing. The engine was still going but he could just make out the bullet damage on it. He levelled out and tried to fly low around the mountain, hoping to lose their attacker.
Fiona suddenly appeared in the cockpit. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she cried.
"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?!" Parker shouted back. "'ANG ON!" He pulled a sharp right over a forest as the Hurricane came in for another run at them this time from directly behind.
TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA-TACKA!
The aircraft shook violently again as it was riddled with more bullets.
"WATCH OUT!" yelled Parker as Fiona threw herself to the floor and covered her head.
More alarms sounded and Parker noticed that the fuel warning icon was flashing.
"Blast!" cursed Parker. "That blighter 'as ruptured the fuel tanks!"
The aircraft was becoming less responsive now. It was starting to lose altitude more and more now as the Hurricane banked round for yet another attack whilst its pilot's sinister smirk had now become a vicious grin instead.
Fiona had picked herself up again. Her eyes widened in terror and she grabbed Parker's arm. "IT'S COMING RIGHT AT US!" she screamed.
Parker gritted his teeth and pulled back on the joystick as he saw the flashes of the Hurricane's guns begin to flash. "You wanna get nuts, Mister? Let's…get…NUTS!"
The engines of the plane screamed like a wounded animal as it began to climb up, heading straight for the oncoming Hurricane which was now blazing all guns at them.
Fiona shrieked and ducked down again as bullets ripped through the aircraft.
The Hurricane pilot's grin was spread right across his face. But then it swiftly vanished when he suddenly realised that his target was now charging straight at him. With a gasp of panic, he took his hand off the trigger and pulled the joystick sharply to the left to avoid a collision. But in doing so, he'd given Parker the very opportunity he'd wanted.
Seeing the Hurricane turn sharply to pass on the starboard side, Parker yanked his control stick over to the left, lifting up the wounded plane's wing and catching the underside of the Hurricane's. The impact caused the Hurricane to begin spinning around like a Windmill caught in an actual hurricane.
"WoooOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the pilot cried out in alarm as he battled desperately to regain control of his vintage aircraft. But by the time he did, he realised too late what was directly in front of him. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!"
The Hurricane slammed into the mountainside at over three-hundred miles per hour, exploding in a fireball that totally obliterated it.
Parker brought their aircraft around and he and Fiona gazed out of the shattered window at the plume of black smoke rising from the spot where the Hurricane had crashed. Fiona was in complete shock by what she'd just seen. She looked at Parker and took several attempts before she could actually say what it was that she wanted to. "H-H-H…How did you do that?!" she exclaimed.
Parker looked at her. "H'I'll tell you 'ow, Miss Fiona. I'm Aloysius Parker - driver, butler and bodyguard of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward. And I'm NOT to be underestimated!"
Fiona was left speechless. But that didn't last long when the aircraft lurched suddenly. More alarms sounded and even more warning lights were flashing. "What's happening?!"
Parker checked. "Oh, no…" he groaned. "The engines are shutting down."
They were. The fuel leaks caused by the Hurricane's bullets had caused the tanks to become empty. Now they were just a glider as they began to drop down towards the wooded valley in front of them.
"Oh, my God!" Fiona cried out, scared for her life. "What if there's nowhere to land?!"
Parker looked around. Crash-landing in trees would mean certain death for them both. There were no open areas that he could see. But then he noticed something on the far side of the woods. Something that gave him a glimmer of hope. "I'm gonna try to put 'er down h'on the water!" he said to Fiona. "Put on a life-jacket!"
Fiona did so without hesitation, finding one from inside the emergency cupboard just outside the cockpit. She struggled to get it on due to her terror, but she managed it.
"Now, strap in!" said Parker. "This could get rough."
Fiona found a seat and strapped herself in, gripping the arms of the chair and trembling as she waited for the end to come.
The plane dropped lower and lower, getting dangerously close to the tops of the trees. Parker kept the stick pulled back in a vain attempt to try and keep it as level as possible. Every second brought the plane down one foot lower until it was moments away from hitting the treetops. But by a miracle, they managed it. The plane cleared the trees and dropped down towards the surface of the loch.
"BRACE FOR H'IMPACT!" Parker yelled.
Fiona shut her eyes tightly and gripped the seat even harder.
With a hard jolt the aircraft hit the surface of the water, skimming it like a pebble a couple of times before coming to a sudden stop, right in the middle of the loch.
Parker clambered out of the seat and went to check on Fiona. "Are you h'okay?" he asked.
Fiona nodded. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I think so!" she stammered. "Is it over?"
Then they felt the plane start to tilt backwards. Looking towards the tail-section, they could see that water was entering the cabin through the bullet holes made by the Hurricane.
"Not yet," said Parker. "Come on!" He grabbed hold of a nearby door handle and forced it open. He then checked the cupboard where Fiona had gotten the life-jacket and found an inflatable raft. He held it out of the door and pulled a rip-cord that caused it to inflate. He dropped it down onto the water and used the string to hold it in place. "Get in, quick!"
Fiona quickly jumped from the cabin into the raft with Parker following. "You haven't got a life-jacket!" Fiona suddenly realised.
"Don't need one," Parker replied as he grabbed one of the raft's paddles and began to move them away as quickly as he could from the sinking aircraft.
As they headed away, they looked back towards the aircraft which was now entering its final plunge. The tail section had already disappeared from view. The wings were just starting to go leaving only the cockpit section above the water.
Fiona then suddenly realised something. "Oh, my God, the pilots!" she gasped. "They're still in there!"
Parker gave her a solemn look. "I'm h'afraid there's nothing we could do for them," he said. He then looked back along with Fiona in silence as they watched the aircraft disappear completely leaving only some frothing water at the spot where it had been.
Without another word, they headed for the shore, not having the slightest idea where they actually were.