THE Freighter was burning almost from stem to stern. The middle and rear sections were completely engulfed in smoke and flames. And yet, it didn't seem to have slowed down let alone had a change in course. For once, none of the Tracy brothers could think of what to do. With the island just visible on the horizon, it seemed all hope had failed. There wasn't long left before the timers reached zero and the ship would explode.
With his heart in his mouth, Scott radioed Tracy Island. "Thunderbird 1 to base. We've drawn a blank, Dad. There's no time left!"
As predicted, Jeff was none too pleased about the sound of defeat in his son's voice. "You're giving up too easily, Scott," he said. "There's always a way!"
Scott was about to have a go at Jeff out of frustration, but Brains spoke instead. "P-Pardon me, Mr Tracy. I think I m-may have an idea."
"Go on?" said Jeff, answering everyone's question.
"Perhaps we could t-tow the vessel away from the island?"
"Explain, Brains, and fast," said Scott. "How do we do it?"
"Q-Quite simple," said Brains. "Thunderbird 2, attach your m-magnetic cables to the bow of the freighter."
"And use Thunderbird 2's engines to pull the ship around like a tugboat?" said Virgil. "Got it, Brains! Anything's worth a try."
"Shouldn't we have done that from the beginning?" Gordon asked.
"Gordon, now's not the time to be pedantic," Scott said.
Gordon scoffed, but stayed quiet.
Virgil brought Thunderbird 2 low over the stricken ship. He opened the hatch underneath the module and fired two magnetic cables down onto the bow. "Got it!" he said.
But then one of the cables came loose. "Virgil, they're slipping!" Scott warned.
Virgil released the other cable and tried again. "I'll increase the magnetic field this time," he said. He locked on and fired the grapples again. This time they held.
"Well done, Thunderbird 2," said Scott.
"Don't congratulate me yet, Thunderbird 1," Virgil said. "We still need to change its course. Brains, which way should I turn it?"
"Turn it to s-starboard, Virgil," said Brains. "If you can get it on a heading of zero-nine-zero degrees, that will not only take it away from G-Griffon Island but it'll also be back on course for the detonation zone."
"How long do we have?" asked Gordon.
"Around forty minutes," said Jeff. "John's already warned the authorities of Griffon Island. They're taking people down into old nuclear shelters as a precaution."
"Glad they kept them there then," said Scott. "Okay, Virgil. It's up to you now."
Virgil turned Thunderbird 2 to the right and pushed the throttle to maximum. The engines roared and Thunderbird 2 tugged forwards on the cables. He could feel his craft straining, almost as bad as it had done when he'd tried to lift the Crablogger in the Anasta Forest. He clenched his teeth and grunted loudly.
Scott and Gordon watched anxiously. "Er, Scott. I don't think this is working," Gordon remarked.
"I think you're right," agreed Scott. "What's wrong, Thunderbird 2? You're not moving it!"
"I'm at…maximum thrust!" came Virgil's strained reply. "She's not pulling!"
Jeff turned to the young engineer in front of him. "What now, Brains?"
"We n-need more power," said Brains, thinking hard. Then it came to him. "If Scott attaches Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2 and Gordon uses Thunderbird 4 to p-push, that may do the trick."
Jeff nodded. "Scott, Gordon, use your ships to help Thunderbird 2. Scott, attach to Thunderbird 2. Gordon, go round the other side of the ship and push!"
"F-A-B!" said the two brothers, quickly moving their ships into position.
Thunderbird 1 came in above Thunderbird 2. Scott opened the underside hatch and fired its own grapple cable onto the top of the module. Gordon dived Thunderbird 4 underneath the keel of the freighter before resurfacing on the opposite side. He then did almost a hand-brake turn with his craft before moving it as quickly as possible back to the port-side of the bow.
"I'm in position," Gordon said.
"Full power," said Scott. "NOW!"
The engines of all three Thunderbirds roared. Virgil could feel Thunderbird 1 pulling him as he tried to pull the freighter. Gordon too could hear the engines whining of Thunderbird 4 as it pushed with everything it had against the hull of the ship.
Jeff and Brains watched holographic data readings from the three ships. "Engine levels are g-getting dangerously high," said Brains. "Especially for Th-Thunderbirds 2 and 4. I'm worried they might b-burn out."
"They'll hold, Brains," said Jeff. "They've got to!"
It didn't take long for Gordon to notice a problem. The fire seemed to be spreading along the top and sides of the ship towards the bow. He noticed white hot pieces of metal breaking away from the hull and into the water. "Hey, guys! The hull of the freighter appears to be melting! Won't that set off the cargo?"
"It's okay, G-Gordon," said Brains. "The containers are f-fireproof. Keep pushing, although be mindful of your engines temperature."
"Yeah…I kind of noticed that, Brains!" said Gordon.
"Same with Thunderbird 2!" added Virgil.
"Keep at it, guys!" encouraged John who was observing from Thunderbird 5. "It's working! She's starting to change course."
The next ten minutes were tense and critical. None of the brothers dared to speak and Jeff, John and Brains refused to interrupt them. Inch by inch, the freighter turned away from Griffon Island so that it was now heading away from it rather than towards it.
"We've done it!" said Scott, triumphantly.
"We've got to get clear still," said Virgil. "We have less than thirty minutes now."
Suddenly there came a small explosion on the top of the bow of the freighter right above where Thunderbird 4 had been pushing. As Gordon began to back his craft away, a molten mass of steel quivered and then hurtled down right on top of it.
"AAARGH!" Gordon cried as a blinding white hot piece landed right on the cockpit window.
Scott, Virgil, John, Jeff and Brains all felt their hearts skip a beat and Grandma, who'd just entered the lounge with a tray of coffee, dropped it in horror at the sound of Gordon's scream.
Scott instantly detached his grapple cable from Thunderbird 2 and swiftly moved Thunderbird 1 round to see what had happened. He gasped in shock at the sight of the burning metal covering the front of the much smaller yellow craft. "Gordon!"
"Scott, she's burning up!" cried Gordon, terror in his voice.
"DIVE, GORDON!" Jeff bellowed. "IT'S YOUR ONLY CHANCE!"
Gordon didn't waste a second, flooding the ballast tanks and Thunderbird 4 disappeared beneath the waves, leaving a great cloud of boiling steam as the water began to cool the metal which had already begun to melt into the hull. Luckily for Gordon, the piece that had landed on the glass came away with no major damage.
"Get as d-deep as you can, Gordon, and s-stay with her," said Brains.
"How does she look, son?" asked Jeff.
Gordon, calming himself down, peered out. "The bow is damaged, but I can control her," he said. "I'll get as far away from the blast area as I can."
"Okay, Gordon," said Scott. "We need to do the same. "John, how's the freighter's course looking?"
"It's looking fine," John answered. "You can let go and leave her on her way."
"F-A-B," said Scott. "Did you hear that, Virgil?"
"I heard. Releasing grapples." Virgil flicked the switch. But the grapples didn't detach. "What the? They're not detaching! Scott, can you see what's wrong?"
Scott moved Thunderbird 1 for a closer look. He could indeed see the problem. "Ah, crap…Virgil, the grapples have melted into the hull of the ship! You'll have to release the cables."
"F-A-B!" Virgil released the cables from within the module and they fell harmlessly away into the water on opposite sides of the burning ship. "I'm free!"
"Gain altitude and let's get the hell out of here!" said Scott. "We only have five minutes left!"
The two Thunderbirds pulled up and climbed furiously away from the freighter which seemed to disappear under the thick blanket of smoke. Higher and higher they climbed until they reached their maximum safe altitude. They then headed South like Gordon had with Thunderbird 4 so they could be as high and as far away from the blast as possible.
Eight minutes to go. Six minutes. The tension was building. Even though they were putting distance, the brothers were certainly feeling uneasy. Four minutes. Had they really been able to get the ship clear of the island? Two minutes. They'd know soon enough. One minute. Thirty seconds. Ten seconds.
BOOM!
Looking through rear-view cameras, Scott and Virgil saw the normal blue sky with white clouds turn bright white as the atomic explosion took place. A huge mushroom cloud rose high into the sky but the shockwave did not reach them. They were well out of the blast range.
"Phew…" gasped Virgil. "That was close."
"Too close," agreed Scott. He then contacted Thunderbird 4. "Gordon, you there?"
"I'm here, Scott."
"Thank God," breathed Scott. "Shockwave not get you?"
"Negative. I got clear in time," said Gordon. "Although I suspect you two are a lot further ahead of me. I don't suppose Thunderbird 2 can come back and get me, please? I could take her back to the island but with the damage she's sustained, it could take a while."
"Surface and I'll come and get you, Thunderbird 4," said Virgil as he turned Thunderbird 2 around.
Jeff then came on. "Thunderbird 1, might I suggest you do a radiation check of the area and make sure that Griffon Island isn't affected?"
Scott nodded. "F-A-B," he said and turned Thunderbird 1 around as well.
Virgil soon found Thunderbird 4 and with some careful manoeuvring, managed to get the small yellow sub back inside Module 4. Once the module had been lifted back inside the main body, he put the craft onto autopilot to head back to Tracy Island before making his way into the module to see the damage for himself. He couldn't help but wince at the sight of it. "Sheesh…that's bad."
"You're telling me," said Gordon who was standing by the prow of the sub. It looked like some ice-cream that had been left out in the sun with some pieces of the freighter's hull melted in with it. "I'm done for, aren't I?"
Virgil gave him a look. "This isn't your fault, Gordon. My grapples got fused with the ship as well. I had to let go of the cables."
Gordon pulled out his weapon and handed it to Virgil. Then he stood up straight like he'd been put up against a wall. "Kill me."
Virgil stared. "What?"
"I said, 'Kill me'," Gordon said.
Virgil couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Have you gone crazy?" he asked.
"Virgil, please!" Gordon pleaded. "Brains is gonna kill me for this anyway! Put me out of my misery. I'm begging you!"
Virgil couldn't think of anything to say. He stared down at Gordon's weapon in his right hand.
"KILL ME!" Gordon screamed in desperation.
"NO!" Virgil bellowed back, throwing the weapon across the module as far from Gordon as he could. He then grabbed Gordon by the arms and shook him hard. "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" he roared. "GET BACK TO THE COCKPIT! NOW!"
Gordon's lip quivered. He couldn't ever remember Virgil losing his temper like that before. Without a word, he moved towards the steps, his whole body shaking as he went. Virgil followed him, still struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Scott checked on the area close to where the freighter had exploded. The radiation level was higher than it had been the first time round, but he hadn't gotten there quite immediately afterwards so this was to be expected. He was more concerned about Griffon Island so went to check there. He put on his orange hazard suit and landed on the beach before stepping outside to use a Geiger counter. To his relief, all levels were green. "Radiation hazard is negative on Griffon Island, Dad," he said. "And the current wind direction won't bring anything towards it either."
"Good news, Scott," said Jeff. "Any sign of the occupants?"
Scott looked around. "No, but I can't imagine they're too happy about this."
"No I expect they're not," said Jeff. "I can imagine the governor is going to have a few choice words for the World President. I wouldn't be surprised if this operation gets cancelled because of it. Come back to base, Scott."
"F-A-B."
Scott returned to Tracy Island and went to the lounge for a debriefing along with Virgil and Gordon. Safe to say both he and Jeff were somewhat shocked when Virgil told them about Gordon's request.
"Gordon…I understand you're upset about your ships getting damaged, but to ask your own brother to do such a thing? That is beyond absurd!" Jeff snapped.
"I know," Gordon said meekly. "It's just…I wish Brains could understand that I don't do this on purpose."
Jeff's eyes narrowed. He turned to Virgil and Scott. "Did Brains ever get like this whilst I was lost?" he asked.
"Not often, but sometimes," said Scott. "Never if it was Thunderbirds 1, 2 or 3. But I'm sure he's given Kayo a hard time for damaging Thunderbird Shadow once or twice and then at me because of some Pods that got destroyed."
Jeff frowned. "He has no right to do that," he said. "These are machines. They can be replaced. Sure, I get you boys get attached to your ships, but even you must realise the element of risk whenever you take them out?"
The three brothers nodded.
"I've always known Brains to be so calm and care-free," said Jeff. "I can't begin to imagine him getting like this."
"But it's nearly always me, Dad," said Gordon gloomily. "Thunderbird 4 is always the one that gets knocked about, damaged…or destroyed."
"FAB1 got destroyed by The Black Phantom," Virgil said.
"That was once, Virgil," Gordon pouted. "My old Thunderbird 4 got destroyed TWICE for Christ's sake! It's still where we left it."
"Okay, Gordon, calm down," said Jeff. "I need to talk with Admiral Jellicoe and the World President. You go down and see Brains and discuss Thunderbird 4. If he does say anything he shouldn't, refer him to me. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Dad," the three brothers said.
Gordon was extremely reluctant to go through with this but some gentle urging from Virgil made him move whilst Scott went on ahead.
Scott approached the repair shop ahead of his brothers. As he drew closer, he felt sure he could hear Brains muttering angrily. He walked in to see Brains standing with MAX in front of both Thunderbird 4s, which in itself was an odd sight. Scott didn't think he'd ever seen both of them next to one another. But the sight was quickly forgotten about when he heard what Brains was saying.
"Oh, that's okay, Mr Tracy…I JUST LOVE HAVING TO REBUILD MY CREATIONS!" He then kicked the damaged prow of the second Thunderbird 4. "OWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried, hopping up and down in pain. He then stopped suddenly when he saw Scott staring at him. "Ah, er, ooh, er, S-S-Scott! I, er, d-d-didn't hear you c-come in!"
Scott gave him a look. "Would it have made any difference if you had?" he asked.
Brains went pale, realising Scott must have seen and heard what he'd said. He gulped even harder as both Gordon and Virgil appeared but unlike Scott, they hadn't heard him.
Brains quickly pulled himself together whilst trying not to show the pain he was in from kicking the prow of Thunderbird 4-B.
"Geeeeez," Scott said when he saw the damage. "That's gonna take some time to repair, isn't it, Brains?"
"Y-Y-Yes, I'm afraid so, Scott," answered Brains. "This one's gonna be out of action for quite s-some time."
"How long?" asked Virgil.
"Honestly…I have n-no idea," said Brains. "But the p-parts for the other Thunderbird 4 should be arriving tomorrow according to Mr Tracy. I should have that one back in a f-few days."
Scott looked closely at the melted Thunderbird 4. "Brains, I'd say this needs more than repairs," he said. "This one may need a full rebuild?"
"Or another n-new one entirely, Scott," said Brains. "I fear the d-damage to this Thunderbird 4 is beyond anything I can do. I think we might have to scrap this one and start again."
Gordon felt like his heart was going to explode. The Thunderbird 4 that had gone up against the Tigershark had been the one to replace the previous module-based Thunderbird 4 that the Chaos Crew had destroyed. But the one damaged in today's mission was the one that lived in the cave…and had been around for a lot longer. Since the very start of International Rescue to be exact. Although it hadn't seen as much use, the thought of it getting removed for good to be replaced by another made him distraught. He felt like his heart was going to break. He turned and began to walk away.
Scott and Brains didn't notice, but Virgil did. "Gordon? Where are you going?" he asked.
"To pack," Gordon answered.
Brains and Scott turned suddenly and looked in his direction. "What did you say, Gordon?" asked Scott.
"I'm gonna go pack my things," Gordon said.
Virgil, Brains and Scott exchanged confused looks. "Pack your things?" Scott repeated. "Gordon…what the hell are you on about?"
Gordon stopped by the steps leading out of the cavern. He turned back to face them. They were shocked to see tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, guys. I can't do this anymore. I'm quitting!"
