THE silence was horrible. Nobody could think of anything to say. Dr Merritt collapsed to the floor and began to weep and refused to let anyone try to comfort her.
John and Brains exchanged solemn looks with one another whilst Alan could feel his blood boiling with rage.
"Alan, you'd better c-come back to Thunderbird 5," Brains said at last.
"Oh, don't worry, Brains," Alan responded darkly, giving John a hard glare. "I already am…"
John shifted uncomfortably as Alan's hologram disappeared. "Blew it, didn't I, Brains?' he said.
"N-No, John. I wouldn't agree," replied Brains. "We would have l-lost Alan and Thunderbird 3 as well as Professor Kwak at the angle they were going at. I'd have d-done the same thing."
That didn't make John feel any better. "I don't think Alan sees it that way," he said. "I'm just going to have to be truthful with him." He said no more as Thunderbird 3 came in to dock with Thunderbird 5.
Alan burst into the control room, his face almost as red as Thunderbird 3 and burning with rage. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Alan bellowed at his brother, shoving him against the wall.
"Woah, Alan, easy!" Brains cut in.
"STAY OUT OF THIS, BRAINS!" thundered Alan before turning his attention back to John. "WHY DID YOU TAKE CONTROL OF MY SHIP!"
"To save your life!" John snapped.
"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO NEEDED SAVING!" roared Alan.
"You wouldn't have made it at the angle you were going at," John said, trying not to lose his own temper. "Thunderbird 3 would have burned up!"
"BULLSH-" Alan began but was cut off by something he never expected.
"I'M NOT LOSING A BROTHER BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY!" John suddenly bellowed, having just lost the patience he'd been trying to keep in.
Alan was stunned into silence.
John's face fell. He sniffled and tears began to form in his eyes. "I can't lose you, Alan," he said.
Alan no longer knew how to feel. He was stunned to see John of all people get teary. "I, er, er…" But he couldn't think of anything to say. Then he began to feel guilty. "I'm…sorry…" he said and pulled John into a hug with John gratefully accepted.
Brains respectively turned away to give the two brothers some privacy.
Just then, Scott called in. "Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 1. We're approaching danger zone."
"S-Scott?" said Brains. "Oh, y-yes! The incident in C-Chicago! R-Recieved and understood."
Scott gave a curious look at Alan and John who'd just separated from their hug in the hope that Scott hadn't seen them. "Am I…interrupting?" he asked.
John and Alan tried to hide the embarrassment of the situation. "Er, no, Scott. Everything's fine," said John hastily.
"Yeah, bro-hugs, you know?" added Alan with an awkward laugh.
"Riiiiiiight…" Scott answered, unsure what to think. "Whatever's going on stays with you. I just wanted to report that we're almost there."
John pulled himself together. "F-A-B, Thunderbird 1." He brought up a scan of the disaster zone. "The ground is looking unstable from what I can tell, but you'll be able to get a better look at it."
"F-A-B."
Thunderbird 1 descended from within the clouds onto the scene of the construction site incident in Chicago. Scott surveyed the scene from above. "Looks pretty bad, Thunderbird 5," he reported. "The Fire Department is tackling the flames but I can see people trapped in the middle of the site."
"Can you get to them?" John asked.
"The ones on the surface, yes," said Scott. "But it looks like there's one trapped under the rubble."
"Then we definitely need some heavy-lifting," said John. "Virgil, sounds like you're gonna be busy."
"F-A-B," said Virgil. "I'm five minutes out, Thunderbird 1."
"Okay, Virgil," said Scott. "I think I recognise those Fire Trucks. Must be the guys I helped before."
"A guy called Chief Boden called it in, Thunderbird 1," said John.
"Yeah, that's them," said Scott. "He said he'd always call us if needed. I'm gonna land on the road and go over to them."
Once Thunderbird 1 was on the ground, Scott exited his craft and ran over to the danger zone. Sure enough he found Chief Boden barking orders to his men who were busy fighting the fires." "CASEY! STOP THAT FIRE FROM SPREADING!"
"WE'RE TRYING, CHIEF!" Lieutenant Casey bellowed back.
"CHIEF BODEN!"
Boden turned to see Scott hurrying towards him. "Tracy!" he said with relief. "Good to see you, my boy."
"Need us again I see?" said Scott.
"Rescue squad's getting most of the construction workers out, but there are some beyond the flames who we can't reach," said Boden.
"I saw them from above," said Scott. "I can get two of them. There's a third under the rubble. My brother is coming and he'll be able to get to him."
"Good one," said Boden. "Go do your thing."
Scott nodded and he used his jetpack to jump over the flames.
Close by were EMTs Dawson and Brett who watched Scott disappear over the tops of the flames. "Ooo my," remarked Dawson. "What a cutie."
Scott landed on the opposite side of the flames and found one of the construction workers trapped under a small Cement Mixer. "HELP ME!" the man cried.
"I got you, buddy!" Scott said as he heaved the Mixer off. He then ran a quick scan of the man's legs. "Nasty gash you have there, but nothing's broken," he said. "I'll get you to an Ambulance."
"Where's Dale?" asked the man.
Scott looked around and saw a female worker lying nearby under a small pile of rubble. He couldn't see anyone else. "Don't worry, we'll find him," he promised as he picked the man up off the floor.
"I think he's down there!" said the man, pointing to a large crack in the ground.
Must be, Scott thought to himself. "Like I said, we'll find him. Now let's get you out of here." He held the man in his arms and used his jetpack to rise up over the wall of flames to where the Ambulances were waiting. He placed him on a stretcher outside one of them. "Minor leg injury but otherwise he's okay," he told the EMTs.
"We got him," said an EMT as he and his partner took the worker inside the Ambulance.
A loud rumble announced the arrival of Thunderbird 2 on the scene. Virgil looked around at the scene of carnage and bit his lip. "Scott, there's nowhere for me to land," he said. "I'll have to leave Thunderbird 2 hovering overhead and come down on the cable."
"Understood, Virgil," answered Scott. "I'll meet you on the site."
"F-A-B."
Virgil brought Thunderbird 2 into position above the site. He suited up with his Jaws of Life and then lowered himself down on the cable from under the nose. He landed on the ground just as Scott arrived to help the female worker. "Hey there. Can you hear me?" Scott said to her.
The woman coughed. "Errr, hi?" she said, somewhat confused. "W-What's happening?"
"There's been an accident but you're gonna be okay," Scott said. "Just need to get this rubble off of you." He signalled to Virgil who moved in with the Jaws. "Stay still," Scott told her.
Virgil clamped onto the piece of rubble and with a great effort, lifted it up so Scott could carefully pull her out after doing another scan of her body.
"No injuries," Scott said to her. "You're very lucky."
The woman looked around. "What the hell happened here?" she asked, scared.
"They can tell you later," said Scott. "First I need to get you to safety. Thanks, Virgil."
"Don't mention it," replied Virgil. "Where's the other guy?"
"I'm gonna presume down there," said Scott, nodding towards the large crack in the ground.
Virgil used the heads-up display inside his helmet. Sure enough, there was indeed a life-sign down there. "I see him," he said. "Get her out of here. I'll tend to him."
"F-A-B," said Scott. "Be careful."
Virgil nodded and made his way towards the crack.
At that same moment, Boden had noticed a new danger. The flames were getting dangerously close to some gas tanks stored beside a construction lorry. "CRUZ! OTIS! DOUSE THOSE TANKS! HURRY!"
Two of the Fire-Fighters turned their hose away from the flames and began spraying against the canisters. Unfortunately, they'd been spotted too late as the tanks suddenly exploded, shaking the ground and throwing everyone off their feet, including Scott and Virgil, who were caught in the shockwave. "YAAARGH!".
From his position on Thunderbird 5, John the whole thing happen. "Scott?! Virgil?! Can you read me? Come in! Come IN! SCOTT! VIRGIL! ANSWER ME!"
Virgil groaned and lifted himself up. "I'm here, John." He looked around and saw Scott and the construction worker lying on the ground. "SCOTT!" He jumped up and hurried over to check on his brother. "Scott, are you okay?!"
Scott let out a moan and began to move. "Owwwwww. I think so," he said. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure," Virgil replied. "Must have been a gas tank that someone failed to see."
"Several actually," John said. "I think the FD realised too late. They tried to cool them down but they blew up almost immediately."
Scott checked on the construction worker. "She hit her head when I dropped her," he said, cursing to himself. "I have to get her to safety."
"Go," Virgil urged. "Leave the guy underground to me."
Scott picked himself and the construction worker up and then fired up his jetpack to take them up over the flames once more.
When he landed he was greeted by several concerned people including Boden, Dawson and Brett, the latter two were to take the injured worker off of him.
"My God, Tracy! Are you okay?" Boden asked.
"Fine, Chief," Scott answered. "Here, take her," he said to the EMTs as he placed the woman on the stretcher.
"We got her!" said Dawson as the two set to work.
"What about your brother?" Boden asked.
"He's fine," Scott replied. "He's going down to find the last worker."
One of the workers who wasn't hurt hurried over. "Have you found Dale yet?" he asked.
"My brother's going to get him now," Scott told him. "Excuse me. I'd better see if he needs help."
"You're right," Brett whispered to Dawson. "He is kind of cute."
Virgil had now reached the crack and peered inside. "HELLO?!" he called down. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
"H-HELP?!" a hoarse voice cried from the darkness.
Virgil turned on his shoulder-mounted light and shone it down into the crack. Then he caught sight of the missing worker. It was a man who looked to be in his mid to late fifties with grey hair, and was stuck under a lot of rubble. "DON'T MOVE!" Virgil called. "I'M COMING DOWN!"
"CAREFUL!" the man shouted back. "THE WHOLE PLACE IS UNSTABLE!"
"Yeah…kind of noticed," Virgil muttered to himself as he made his way down. It was quite tricky to navigate his way. The Jaws of Life were starting to impede his movements rather than help. He soon arrived at the trapped worker, once he'd carefully moved some piece of debris. "What's your name, sir?"
"Dale," the worker replied.
"Hi, Dale. I'm Virgil. I'm gonna get you out. Gee, that's a nasty cut on your temple."
Dale chuckled. "I knew this was gonna be a bad day," he said. "Told my wife this morning. I said that I had a premonition. She told me to stop being stupid." He chuckled again before suddenly starting to cough heavily.
"Woah, woah, easy there," said Virgil. "Try to stay still and quiet. I need to check how extensive your injuries are before I move you." He looked closely at the rubble around Dale. One large slab of concrete covered both his legs. One boot was visible but was twisted in a way that it shouldn't have been. Another lay right across Dale's chest. "What pain do you feel?"
"Can't breathe. Can't move," Dale replied weakly.
"Okay, I'm just gonna move these pieces off of you," Virgil said. "You might feel some pain but I'll try to be careful."
Dale nodded. "Do it," he urged.
Virgil reached out and carefully took hold of the piece over Dale's chest. He gently lifted it and moved it off of him. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. Dale's grey T-shirt was mostly stained a dark red above his stomach area. He then used the head's up display in his helmet and saw something else. "Oh, hell…" he said quietly. "That's not good. Can you move your legs?" Virgil asked as he prepared to move the pieces of concrete.
"No," Dale replied. "I haven't actually felt them for half an hour or so."
Virgil began to lift it.
"AAAAAAAHHH!" Dale yelled. "STOP! STOP!"
Virgil stopped. "Woah, are you okay?"
Dale gasped for breath. "S-Sorry," he said. "That was more painful than I thought it would be. Ouch…my chest is killing me!"
Virgil tried to think of what to do next. "I need to get this off of you so I can see the full extent of your injuries. I understand it's painful but-"
Dale suddenly reached out and grabbed one of Virgil's robotic arms. "I need a favor," he said. "No lies, please. Be straight with me."
Virgil quickly realised what he meant. "Fair enough," he said. "I believe you're bleeding on the inside. The foot is the least of your problems."
What colour was left in Dale's face seemed to leave him and he turned almost as grey as the concrete around him. "I…feared as much," he said before coughing a little.
"VIRGIL?!"
"Who's that?"
Virgil looked up towards the entrance of the hole. "It's my brother," he said. "One sec. SCOTT!"
"HOW'S HE LOOKING?!" Scott called down.
"NOT GOOD!" Virgil called back. "HIS LEG'S BUSTED AND HE'S BLEEDING INTERNALLY!"
"Damn…" Scott answered. "DO YOU NEED ME TO COME DOWN!" The ground suddenly shifted and Scott almost fell in. "WOAH!"
"WOAH!" shouted Virgil, throwing himself over the top of Dale to protect him from falling debris.
"VIRGIL!" Scott shouted once it had settled. "ARE YOU OKAY?!"
"YEAH!" Virgil shouted back. "WE'RE OKAY! BUT I THINK THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION ABOUT COMING DOWN HERE!"
"YEAH!" yelled Scott. "I'LL STAY UP HERE! IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, JUST SAY SO!"
"F-A-B!" Virgil then turned his attention back to Dale. "Sorry about that," he said. "You good?"
"As can be," Dale replied.
"Well, don't worry," said Virgil. "I'm gonna get you back to your wife as quickly as I can."
Dale managed a small smile. "Yeah, sure."
Virgil looked at the rubble trapping Dale's leg. Even with his Jaws it would take a lot of work and risk to move it without injuring him further. He turned on his radio. "Scott?"
"Here!"
"Use radios then we don't have to shout."
"Good idea. What do you need?"
"I don't think I can free his leg without causing more damage," Virgil said. "Can you get a trauma surgeon?"
"The fires are coming under control. I'll go speak to the Chief!" Scott said and he hurried off.
Dale looked at Virgil. "What can a trauma surgeon do that you can't?" he asked anxiously.
Virgil looked at him. "Take off your foot," he said.
Dale went pale again.
John, Alan and Brains had been listening in on the whole situation. "It's not sounding good, is it?" asked Alan.
"Indeed it's n-not, Alan," agreed Brains. "I d-don't want to be a p-pessimist, but I have this bad feeling in my gut."
"Come on, Brains," said John. "We've pulled off miracles on more than one occasion. I'm sure Virgil can do it again for us."
Brains didn't look convinced. "B-Believe me, John. I want a m-miracle as much as you do," said Brains. "But m-may I remind you of your father's saying - 'We can't save everyone'."
"But we can try," Alan cut in. "Relax, Brains. Virgil will save the day. Just wait and see."
Scott found Boden and the EMTs by the Ambulance.
"How's he doing?" Boden asked.
"Not good I'm afraid," answered Scott. "My brother's asked for a trauma surgeon. How long before one can get here?"
Boden looked at Dawson and Brett.
"You got this?" Dawson asked Brett, regarding the patient they had.
"Yeah, I got this," said Brett.
Dawson nodded and grabbed her radio. "I'll get you one," she said to Scott before speaking into the radio. "Ambulance 61 to control."
Scott looked around the scene of carnage. The fires were coming under control at last. "Is everyone else accounted for?" he asked Boden.
"Yes," Boden replied. "Only your brother and Mr Abbott are left."
Dawson then returned. "One's on the way," she said.
"How long?"
"Fifteen minutes."
Scott gritted his teeth. "That's gonna be cutting it close," he said. He pressed his radio. "Virgil, the trauma surgeon is on the way. But they're gonna be at least fifteen minutes. Can you hang in down there?"
"I can," Virgil replied. "Not sure about Dale though."
"I'll manage," Dale said bravely.
"Okay, Scott. We'll manage," Virgil said. He then began to examine the concrete just in case there was another way to free Dale from it.
Dale looked at Virgil. "What did you say your name was?" he asked.
"Virgil."
"Virgil? Wow. That's not a name you come across very often."
"Come to think of it, me neither," Virgil chuckled. "Dad named me and my brothers after the Mercury astronauts."
Dale grinned. "Of course. Your dad is Jeff Tracy, right?"
"That's right, yes."
"You married?"
Virgil blinked, slightly surprised by the question. "No."
"You have someone?"
"Yes."
Dale gave a warm smile. "Don't wait too long," he said.
Virgil nodded, although he couldn't find any words to say in response.
"My wife's name is Georgie," Dale went on. "Her dad wanted a boy but kept getting girls." He gave a laugh.
Virgil gave a small chuckle too. "Yeah, one of my Dad's old friends had something similar," he said. "He opened a barber shop as soon as his wife became pregnant. He called it Harris & Sons. He ended up having five daughters."
The two men began laughing until Dale suddenly coughed heavily, spitting blood out of his mouth.
"Woah, it's alright. Easy. Easy," said Virgil, settling the trapped man back down.
Scott then appeared above with Dawson who he'd brought over with him. "Virgil? I've brought some help for you."
"Hey, Virgil? My name's Gabby Dawson. I've brought some stuff to ease Mr Abbot's pain until the surgeon arrives. I'm passing it down."
Virgil got himself out of the Jaws and reached up to take the syringe off the lead that Dawson had lowered. "Thanks! I got it!"
"Virgil?"
"Yeah, Dale?"
"We ain't got time for a surgeon," Dale said, colour was draining by the second. "You're gonna have to do it."
Now it was Virgil who lost a little colour.
"Take off the foot," pleaded Dale. "Get me out of here. Get me home…please."
Virgil wasn't at all comfortable with this. He wasn't a surgeon and didn't know the first thing about performing an amputation. Instead he called up to Scott and Dawson. "TELL THAT SURGEON TO HURRY THE HELL UP!"
But before either could answer, the ground shifted again. The concrete underneath Dawson gave way. "WAAAAAHHH!" she screamed, almost falling head-first into the hole but Scott managed to grab her by the legs.
"WOAH! I GOT YOU!" Scott shouted. "HANG ON!"
Dawson looked at him upside down with wide eyes.
Scott quickly realised he was going to need some assistance. Luckily, the subsidence had caught the attention of Boden who'd come round from behind the collapsed wall with Lieutenants Severide and Casey. "TRACY!" Boden shouted. "WHAT'S UP?!"
"A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE?!" Scott shouted.
"Help him!" Boden ordered.
Severide and Casey rushed forwards. They helped to stabilise Scott and together the three of them managed to pull Dawson up out of the hole.
"Are you guys okay?" Severide asked.
"Yeah, I think so," panted Scott. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," said Casey. "What about you, Gabby?"
Dawson was shaking but unhurt. "Yeah…I'm okay," she said.
Severide looked at the concrete around them. "This whole place is unstable," he said. "We need to pull back."
Scott cautiously moved over to the new edge of the hole. "VIRGIL!" he shouted. "YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THERE!"
"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM!" Virgil shouted back.
Dale had begun to finally realise the awful truth. "He's right," he said to Virgil. "Go…"
But Virgil remained stubborn. "I'm not leaving you when there's still a chance to save you," he said sternly. "I promised to get you out and that's what I'm-"
Dale suddenly grabbed his arm and held it tight. "Didn't we agree…no lies?" he asked.
Virgil was stumped into silence. He needed to come up with a way to keep Dale distracted until the surgeon arrived. "Tell me about Georgie."
Dale broke a smile. "Well…I married above my head," he said. "Been playing catch-up ever since."
"Do you have any children?"
Dale shook his head. "No. We tried, but…" He found he couldn't finish the sentence. He began to cough hard again and a bit more blood came out of his mouth.
"Damn it!" said Virgil. "Scott, where the hell is that surgeon?!"
"They're almost here," Scott answered. "Hang in there."
"I'll go bring them over," Dawson said, heading off with Casey whilst Boden and Severide stayed near Scott, keeping their eyes open for any further cracks in the concrete.
Dale looked around at his surroundings. It was dark. Huge chunks of concrete lay broken and scattered all around him. The pain he felt in his chest and legs was getting worse and with every breath, he felt himself getting weaker. He then looked at Virgil who was trying to move some of the smaller pieces of concrete away with his own hands rather than the Jaws. "Virgil?"
"Yeah?"
Dale looked at him, his eyes weary and tired-looking. "You got a phone?"
