"Kat! Almost done?"
The blonde-haired Tracy huffed at what felt like the millionth call of her name since she'd started the upgrades. She lifted an eyebrow and pushed off the hull of Thunderbird 1, turning herself upside down in her harness so she could stare down at her older brother, reattaching her tools to her belt to allow her to cross her arms. Scott let out a chuckle, scratching the back of his head.
"I take it that means no." Kathryn chuckled and shook her head flipping herself back around, so she was the right way up, plucking her multitool back up from the belt.
"More you ask, slower I'll go!" She teased back, pulling down her goggles as she welded back up the panel that she'd been working on, "Brains, you can start the scan now."
"Perfect, thank you Kathryn!" The engineer called up, getting himself set up with Max to begin running the next series of tests. Kathryn turned her gaze to Scott, pushing herself off as she lowered herself, so she was at the next test point.
"You could help ya know." She reminded him, lifting her goggles to perch on her head before flipping the tool in her hand, wedging part under the panel to prise open the box and fiddle with the instruments inside, "This is your ship."
"I'm field commanding." Scott offered after a brief pause, making Kathryn glance down once more.
"You're meddling." She countered, before smirking, "And who says I'm not listening in?" She gestured to her watch, where Scott could now see a hologram of Alan, making him chuckle, "So get up here Field commander and get wiring."
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Scott smirked, shaking his head at her as he went to find his grappling hook.
Kathryn rolled her eyes but didn't allow the smile to drop from her face as she got back to work, replacing a few components before replacing the lid and zipping to the next one. She knew Scott's reluctance only came because he knew she'd be watching everything he touched and be on him the instant he did anything wrong. In her defence, it was purely out of care, these ships carried her and her family into the face of danger and she needed to ensure everything was safe. It was part of her job, making Brains creations come to life, helping make them the best they could be.
"Thunderbird 1, report please." The sound of Johns call broke her out her thoughts, she lifted her wrist, the holographic image of her youngest brother disappearing to instead focus on her red headed brother.
"Hey John." Kathryn smiled in greeting, only for her blue eyes to drift across to Scott who'd appeared back, shooting a grapple and pulling himself up next to her.
"Bad news John. This retrofit is going to take a lot longer than expected." Scott offered as he paused beside Kathryn, glancing at their space station monitor, "Maybe you could come down here and give me a hand."
"You a hand?" Kathryn called with mock outrage, pushing Scott away with her free hand and out of the frame so John couldn't see him, trying to cover her amusement as she heard Scott let out a call of her name, "Ignore him, he's only just stopped being 'Field Commander' and come up to help!" John chuckled and shook his head at her, "So yeah, we're still looking at a few hours."
"Thanks for the update, Kat." He offered before hanging up on her, the image instantly flickering to the tracker on Thunderbird 3.
Sighing, Kathryn dropped her wrist, pulling the lid off the panel in front of her before zipping down to the ground. Scott instantly took her place, swapping out the relays for the new ones. Setting the cover down, Kathryn stretched out her limbs which were now aching with the amount of time she'd been in the air. Humming, she glanced up at the ship, debating her next move before sighing, knowing it was probably for the best if she took a moment to have a break, before she started really hurting. Kathryn unhooked her harness from her grapple, stretching out her limbs once again and groaning, her hands feeling a tad numb with her having been messing with Thunderbird 1 for what felt like a lifetime now. She heard Scott sigh and glanced up, a hint of pity in her gaze, knowing exactly what the problem was.
"We'll be in the air soon." She called up, earning a look from her older brother, she shrugged and offered a smile, trying to offer a smidge of comfort, "I'm feeling the same way, Scott."
To his credit, Scott allowed himself to smile back, a look of understanding passing between the two eldest. Kathryn glanced back at her cable, wondering if she should just hook herself back up and deal with the pain when MAX zoomed over and gestured for her to move back. The blonde-haired Tracy hummed but did as she was asked, eyeing the bot curiously as she made room for whatever Brains had created.
"Not to worry you two. With my new mobile engineering lab, I should have you back in the air in no time." Kathryn let out a low whistle, admiring the new addition to the workshop as Scott hopped down to stand beside her, "Now, let's have a look at that hatch deployment actuator." Brains explained as he got himself seated in a simulator like chair, bringing up a robotic arm. The two watched in as he straightened it out, accidentally striking MAX, sending him flying across the hangar. Scott and Kathryn winced at the sound of the impact, "Oops, sorry MAX!"
"This what you were working on last week?" Kathryn hummed, her eyes running over every surface as she took it in, more than happy to allow Brains to take over for a while, especially given her head was also beginning to hurt.
"It was indeed." Brains nodded, using the arm to replace panels she'd taken off. Kathryn nodded her head, watching the arm work, making mental notes for potential areas of improvement.
"Huh! Very impressive! I'll have to have a look later." She continued to watch on, before sighing and rubbing her head, "You ok with continuing? I could use a small break." Brains nodded his head.
"But, of course!"
Kathryn offered a smile of thanks before she nudged Scott, who'd been staring at the arm as it worked, gesturing towards the staircase that would lead up to the house. He shook his head, crossing his arms as he continued to watch Brains work, obviously feeling the upgrades may go faster and he'd be back in the air quicker if he watched. Kathryn shrugged and walked up the stairs, yawning as she arrived up in the main lounge. Seeing the room free of brothers, she flopped down on the couch, uncaring of how she landed. She let out a sigh of relief, the pillows seeming to morph around her to hug her aching bones.
It had been a long week, a lot of maintenance between rescues combining with upgrades and it had led to a lot of sleepless nights. The addition of a new secret ship that she'd had to work on had not helped her workload, but she couldn't blame anyone but herself, she had volunteered to help build it. Admittedly Kathryn had hoped it would be a quick exercise, but the new Thunderbird seemed to want to be just as finicky as the rest of them, requiring just as much attention much to her annoyance. The resident Tracy engineer was just grateful Thunderbirds 2 to 5 had been behaving and passed every maintenance inspection to allow her a little breathing room.
A small breath escaped the only Tracy sister as she continued to lay across the couch, her eyes almost automatically falling closed, her brain just wanting to switch off now that she was out of the hangars. Kathryn debated getting up before sleep could settle in but stopped herself, letting out a small huff as she decided to allow herself a small moment to let the peace and quiet of the lounge to wash over her, knowing it would likely be the best way to push away her oncoming headache and that it wouldn't likely last long.
"This is Thunderbird 2, on final approach to Tracy Island." Virgil's comm broke through, shattering the silence. Kathryn lifted her right hand and rubbed her eyes, letting out a light huff of laughter at the irony. Her hand fell away as she glanced over at Virgil's portrait.
"FAB Thunderbird 2, you're clear to land." She replied, not blaming her brother in any way for disturbing her, knowing his call was purely out of care since her and Brains had been working down in the hangars so much recently that her brothers had taken to being extra cautious. The image of Virgil quickly disappeared as the display flickered to statistics, indicating Thunderbird 2 had begun its landing sequence. Happy with the indication that Virgil was going through the usual motions, Kathryn allowed her eyes to drift closed once more, a deep breath escaping her as she once again began the process to relax.
"Hey Kat… you look beat." Gordon called loudly as he came in the room, plonking down on the chair closest to her head. Pursing her lips to hold back her sigh, Kathryn opened her eyes and glanced up at him.
"Wow, thanks Gordo." She offered with a hint of sarcasm, letting out a light yawn, "I've been working late the past few nights, combined with the rescues… just can't wait for Thunderbird 1 to be complete then I can head to bed, well… if there aren't any more rescues!" Gordon nodded his head as he listened before paling at the sound of shouting from the kitchen downstairs, Kathyrn glancing back at Gordon, a concerned frown over her face, "Hey… where's Grandma?"
"She was heading to the kitchen… I thought it was for some water."
"Oh no." Kathryn uttered, paling at the thought of Grandma Tracy touching the kitchen. The elder sister pushed herself up and glanced around the room, "I can't face another meal, she made me cookies a few nights ago after you all went to bed…"
"And you survived?" Gordon breathed, his face slightly green at the thought.
"I hid most of them in my tool kit…" Kathryn admitted quietly, pushing herself up and moving towards their dads' desk, sliding under it, Gordon following after her, "I couldn't even cut them with my multitool."
"Seriously?" Gordon whispered back, before blanching, "Reminds me of that mystery meatloaf…" Kathryn grimaced.
"I'm so glad we got a call out that night." She admitted, before shutting her mouth at the sound of their grandma shouting. She held a finger up to her mouth to gesture to Gordon to keep his mouth closed. The two blondes sat huddled for a moment, listening intently for any sound that could be interpreted as their Grandmother looking for victims, only to jump when the chair was pulled away from the desk.
"Gordon? Kat?" Virgil questioned, before crouching down beside the pair.
"Hey, Virgil!" Gordon greeted as Kathryn lifted her hand in a half wave, pushing herself up slightly to glance towards the kitchen, ensuring the coast was clear.
"Squish in before she gets up here!" She ordered her younger brothers, pulling her legs in closer to make space for her bulkier brother, herself and Gordon being on the leaner side.
"How long have you been under here?" Virgil asked, kneeling down beside the desk and glancing between the pair who shared a look and a half shrug.
"From the second we sensed Grandma was looking for test subjects." Gordon answered for the two of them, before screwing up his face, "I'm still recovering from the last family dinner." Kathryn screwed up her face at the reminder as Virgil blanched. There was a moments silence as the three got situated, before Virgil glanced up, a rush of nostalgia hitting him.
"Dad's desk. I guess in a way, he's still looking out for us." Virgil offered, glancing over at his siblings. Kathryn looked down at the reminder of their father, pulling her legs in closer and humming lightly in agreement under her breath. Gordon cast Virgil an annoyed look and nudged him lightly, making the bulkier Tracy wince.
"Hey, you three, get out from under there and taste this." Grandma cut in before either brother could open their mouths. Kathryn winced, lifting her gaze, and offering a half smile of defeat to her brothers. Gordon allowed himself a chuckle, glancing from Kathryn to Virgil.
"He always did take her side." The two older siblings chuckled lightly before sliding out from under the table, Kathryn taking the lead as she smiled over at her Grandma.
"Sorry Grandma, we were just… checking the wiring." She offered as an excuse, smiling innocently. Gordon copied his older sister as Virgil rolled his eyes at the pair, earning a nudge from Kathryn this time.
"Mhmm." The older Tracy hummed, clearly unamused as she came over with a tray of freshly prepared food. Seeing high chances of all three of them about to become test subjects, Kathyrn took a step forward, mentally preparing to take one from the team but before she could open her mouth to offer, the holo-table bleeped to life.
"Saved by the bell." Kathryn breathed, shaking her head before hopping down to the table, Gordon, and Virgil hot on her heel as she pressed the button to allow the message through. Scott joined the three a brief moment later.
"International Rescue. I'm detecting a sea quake off the Minerva Reef." John reported to the group.
"What can you report, Thunderbird 5?" Scott questioned, glancing at Kathryn who glanced back at him, shaking her head lightly at his unasked question.
"I'm getting a mayday from an underwater research station near the epicentre." John explained to the group, bringing up a map with the location of the quake and the research station, explaining more details as he went. Tuning them out, Kathryn pulled up her wrist quickly scanning through the checklist left for Thunderbird 1, "International Rescue, can you respond?"
"We're on our way." Virgil replied to John, tagging Gordon on the shoulder as the pair went over to their respective entrances that would take them to the hangars. Kathryn offered a smile to the two as she dropped her wrist, the image flickering away.
"You guys will have to handle this one without me. Thunderbird 1 is still grounded." Scott reminded the pair, sitting down on the couch with a light huff of frustration, one that Kathryn could completely understand. She lifted her hand up, pulling down her goggles.
"We'll do our best Scott, we'll do our best." Virgil called over his shoulder to the two a hint of smugness that his bird was still in working order.
"Sorry Grandma, gotta go." Gordon added, smiling mischievously at his sister who rolled her eyes and gestured for him to shoo, before turning and making her way back down to her workshop, a new sense of urgency filling her as she quickly moved to return to the base of Thunderbird 1.
Upon entering the hangar, Kathryn took a moment to pause, her eyes dancing over the ship, flickering over every remaining patch point that required work, mentally ticking off tasks in her head and pushing off ones that could afford to wait. She knew her work was vital but having some of her family out on the field without her or Scott made her more determined to get the upgrades completed as soon as possible. Shaking her head she moved closer, lifting her wrist once more to ensure any communication was getting played out loud as she worked, wanting to be kept in the loop in case her input would be required. Once she was happy that she would be able to chime in as and when required, Kathryn picked up her multitool, hooked her harness onto the line, and grabbed the next set of relays before climbing up the side of Thunderbird 1 to the next panel.
"It's a Poseidon-class submersible with a crew of three. They report no injuries but are taking on water. Access to the escape hatch is blocked." John reported.
"I'll try to stabilise the station from above and Gordon can help get them out." Virgil suggested.
"FAB Virgil." Came the quick reply from Gordon.
Kathryn hummed to herself, tuning out the background chatter as her brothers sorted themselves out. Making quick work of the relay exchange, she quickly shut up her first panel, glancing down just as Brains arrived back, a holopad in his hand. The resident genius glanced up at his fellow engineer, unsurprised to see her back down at Thunderbird 1. Without a word, Kathryn zipped down to the ground, detaching herself to pick up the new contactors before coming over to stand beside Brains.
"Once these contactors are in, you can begin the diagnostic scan, and I'll update the CPU." She suggested, tilting her head to the man who started nodding.
"I'll begin setting up the system so it's ready to begin once you've replaced the contactors." He agreed, tapping on the holopad as he began setting up the scan.
Kathryn smiled, before jogging over and swinging onto her line, quickly attaching it and pulling herself up to the very top of the bird, pulling out her multitool and entering the panel. Absently she glanced to her wrist, noting Virgil and Gordon were now on approach to the location of the station.
"Stand by for launch, Thunderbird 4." Virgil called to Gordon.
"Systems check complete, docking clamp released. We are go for module deployment." Gordon reported, Kathryn working on quickly swapping out contactors as she listened, "We are go for launch… Balance control active. Levelling off. I've got sonar lock. Five minutes out."
"Alright, make it quick Thunderbird 4. I'll get started on stabilising it from above." Virgil replied, Kathryn nodding along with the rescue, nearly able to visualise the scene with how used to rescues she'd gotten over the years.
"This is International Rescue, is everybody alright?" Kathryn felt a smile grace her features at the sound of Virgil's comforting tone, he had always been the most empathetic out of the Tracy siblings.
"For the moment, yes. Our escape submersible has malfunctioned, and we're taking on water." The doctor who Kathryn presumed was running the research lab responded, sounding surprisingly calm. Before she could think more on it, her attention was forced from the conversation by the familiar sting on the multitool catching her finger, she hissed, pulling her hand back and sticking the small cut in her mouth. Kathryn pulled it out a few seconds later, waving it in the air, only to pause and frown in confusion as her wrist beeped, humming she answered the direct call.
"Hey Kat, Thunderbird 5, have a look at my sensors, will you? I'm picking something up, and so is my famous Gordon Tracy squid-sense." Kathryn tilted her head at the figure of her younger brother, attaching her multitool to her belt and using her now free hand to alter the hologram to Thunderbird 4's sensors.
"Your focus needs to be on that research station, Thunderbird 4, not your squid sense." John countered, not amused by the lack of focus from his younger brother.
"Uh, John, I'm detecting a YT-88 transponder beacon." Kathryn's eyes widened, her grip on the contactor loosening in her shock, the component falling sharply down to the ground, only to be caught by MAX.
"Really?" John called, all four brothers upstairs sharing a look at the frozen picture of their sister.
"That's the same kind dad had on his ship!" Scott nodded.
"I know this is important Gordon, but can it wait until after we deal with the station?" Virgil commented, glancing at Scott who nodded and pushed himself up off the couch, preparing to go talk to Kathryn.
"No!" Kathryn called, snapping out of her shock, and quickly zooming down her line, needing to get upstairs. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she scrambled to detach the line, all but throwing it and the multitool to MAX to continue where she'd been.
"Kat." John sighed, understanding her urgency but really not liking the idea of holding up a rescue.
"We can't wait." Kathryn called, sprinting up the stairs as she lifted her goggles from her vision, racing to get to the living room, "What if…"
"If it gets buried by another quake?" Gordon finished, seeing his sister running out of breath, "Kat makes a good point. The signal's coming from inside a fault trench." Scott hummed in debate, glancing to the side as Kathryn appeared in the lounge, looking a touch paler than she had when she'd left to head downstairs. Seeing her light pleading look, he nodded his head.
"Gordon should check it out, just to be sure." Scott relented, earning a light sigh of relief from Kat as she moved to take a seat beside her older brother.
"Thank you." She muttered as she tried to get her breath back, leaning against Scott who wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She offered a light smile before averting her attention to the display from Gordon's scanners, her eyes racing over the data.
"I'm inside. The signal's getting stronger!" Gordon reported, "I've got a visual on something. I'm going in for a closer look." Kathryn held her breath, her eyes closing in hope, "Negative, it's not dad's."
The news felt like a punch in the gut to Kathryn, who screwed her eyes further shut in response, trying to hold back any tears that would even think of escaping. She let out a shaky breath, bitter disappointment flooding her. She felt Scott squeeze her shoulder in silent support but still didn't open her eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment and potential pain of her siblings at the reminder of their father's accident.
"Sorry Gordon. Now let's get back to work. I'm having a little trouble grabbing a hold of the station." Virgil cut in, sensing his sister about to get trapped in her head and knowing she'd want a distraction.
"Not so fast, Virgil. Whatever it is I'm looking at, it shouldn't be here. Uh oh. John, it's a seaquake!" Kathryn's eyes flashed open at the panic in her younger brother's voice.
She and Scott shared a look as John took control of the situation, moving the map and images as he tried to get in contact with Gordon who had disappeared from their visual as soon as the quake had started. After a few moments, Kathryn jumped to her feet, coming over to the hologram as she pulled up her wrist, working in tandem with John, trying her best to get back in contact with Gordon, or even just get an updated location for Thunderbird 4.
"Scott, Thunderbird 4 is not responding and Thunderbird 2 is having trouble latching onto the station. We may have a situation." John surmised, Kathryn glanced over her shoulder at her older brother, waiting for his decision.
"FAB, Thunderbird 5. Kat, Thunderbird 1 needs to launch ready or not." Kathryn nodded her head, quickly swiping her hologram to Thunderbird 1, quickly glancing over the last few items that had been on the to-do list.
"Only the diagnostic scan and tests to do." Kathryn muttered, lifting her gaze to Scott, "I would've preferred we do them first, but we don't have much of a choice." She sighed, switching it to communicate with the hanger, "Brains, we're taking 1 out for a test drive."
"Scott, Kat, these modifications haven't been fully tested." Brains countered lightly, waving his holopad.
"I can't think of a better time than now." Scott countered, tilting his head in silent question to Kat who nodded her head, "I'd suggest clearing out, that hangar is about to get toasty."
Kathryn smirked at her brother's light humour as she moved to her portrait, tapping a button on the corner of the frame that indicated for the panel to slide up, revealing a lift. She stepped onto the pad, turning around as it began to descend, her light blue flight suit with purple accents. She changed as the chute went down, the lining in her suit lightly glowing a purple hue as she descended into the hanger of Thunderbird 1. She lightly adjusted the integrated harness, and tightened her hair bobble as she walked along the extending ramp into the compartment of Thunderbird one, where her rear seat was located. Taking her seat, she tightened her belt before pulling up her holographic display to begin searching for Gordon once more, unperturbed by the feel of the bird moving along to its launch position.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Thunderbirds are go!" The sound of the engines kicking off followed by the familiar lurch of her stomach as Thunderbird 1 took off out the hangar caused a light smile to grace Kathryn's face. The thrill never having dulled, even after the countless rescues she'd been apart of over the years.
"MIDAS system active. Shifting to horizontal flight." Scott called over the comms as he manoeuvred, there was a brief pause before he was back, "She flies great, Brains! Turbo jets engaged. Thunderbird 5, let us know the second you make contact with Gordon."
"FAB." John replied, before the comm chatter died down.
The silence that followed the drop in conversation was most unwelcome for the only Tracy sister, the lack of distraction causing many worrying thoughts to cross her mind. Doing her best to push it back, Kathryn dropped her wrist and sighed, tilting her head back, just hoping her stupid mistake hadn't landed her younger brother in trouble. She was trying her best not to panic or worry but it was easier said than done, especially with the lack of response from Gordon. Trying to keep her mind occupied, Kathryn pulled up her map, grateful that the upgrades to Thunderbird 1 meant that their arrival on the scene wasn't going to be too much longer.
Kathryn's body felt the G's decrease as Scott slowed the ship. Without any communication, the two eldest siblings quickly got to work. Scott purposely swung in low along the top of the water, opening the bay hatch as Kathryn unbuckled herself, quickly moving and diving out into the open ocean, as soon as Kathryn was clear, Scott had swung the ship around to joint Virgil.
"Thunderbird 1, welcome to the party." Virgil greeted, opening up a screen to monitor Kathryn who was now swimming over to Module 4. "I'm having a hard time grabbing on."
"Let me give it a try." Scott offered, one of his screens also monitoring their sister who was beginning to pull herself onto the ramp. There was a brief pause as he focused on trying to find a hit point, instantly shooting the cable as soon as he got a green circle, "Yes! All right!"
"Do you have to make it look so easy?" Virgil huffed jokingly as Scott pulled back, giving the research station a hint more stability.
"Heh, Lucky shot." Scott shrugged with a smirk before glancing over at his sister's screen, seeing her inside module 4, "How's it looking Kat?"
"I ran a quick diagnostic of Thunderbird 4, its control systems look relatively undamaged, but I can't say about the state of physical components. I'm sending Gordo another wakeup call, in the meantime I'll try and upgrade the pod, it wouldn't be perfect but if I can get closer, I can maybe try and hack our own systems and remotely control Thunderbird 4." Kathryn sighed, "Needless to say, that's going in my next batch of updates," a smirk crossed her face, "Like the improved version of the magnetic grab currently on Thunderbird 1."
"Now that makes more sense." Virgil called teasingly to Scott who rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah."
"International Rescue, we're having another sea quake. We've just lost half the legs!" Dr. Meddings radioed up, cutting in on the sibling banter. At the call to help, all three once again began focusing on the rescue.
"Increasing thrust to compensate." Scott acknowledged, pulling back to try and hold up the station, wincing as he felt the resistance from the cable and Thunderbird 1, "You need to get a grab on this thing fast, Thunderbird 2, or I'm going under." Kathryn moved to the door of module 4, the systems working in the background as she glanced up at Thunderbirds 1 and 2, 1 having lowered a considerable amount, dangerously close to the ocean. A light sigh of relief escaping as the cables eventually shot out from 2.
"Okay, I got it!" Virgil called, both ships rising to a safer distance above the water, "As long as we keep it stable, it should hold out long enough for Gordon to do the evac."
"FAB. I just hope John or Kat can get in contact with him soon." At Scott's statement, Kathryn glanced back at the screen she had running behind her, another round of worry for her younger brother filling her. The blonde slid back over to the screen, preparing to build a pod when a light beeping indicating a call broke through. Gordon's face lit up the screen, a huge sigh of relief passing through all the siblings at the sight of their brother.
"You're a sight for sore eyes." John offered for the group.
"Yeah, I got knocked out for a minute. I'm okay now. Thunderbird 4 is another story." Gordon relayed to the group. Kathryn bit back the groan that nearly escaped her mouth, knowing it was damage of her own doing and instead focused on the current problem.
"Get Thunderbird 4 to send me a report and I'll see what I can do to get you moving!" Gordon nodded his head, moving to flick a few switches to communicate with Module 4.
"So much for your world-famous squid-sense." John offered in means of conversation as the report was sent and Kathryn got to work. Gordon ignored the light jibe, continuing to work on the hunch he'd had before he'd been knocked out.
"Do me a favour John. Run a seismic analysis of the last two quakes and tell me where the epicentre was." He requested, ignoring the questioning look from Kathryn.
"Okay, stand by." John shrugged, moving and getting Thunderbird 5 to scan the area, "Woah! The epicentre's exactly your location!"
"That can't be a coincidence." Gordon muttered glancing at Kathryn who tilted her head, a calculating look over her face.
"Is this so important you'd risk a mission failure?" John questioned, purposefully ignoring Kathryn's curious gaze.
"You think this machine is somehow causing the earthquake?" Kathryn questioned her younger brother, humming in thought, "That would be a serious bit of kit."
"Now find a way out." John cut in, knowing the pair of blondes could get easily distracted, "They need you at the station." Gordon glanced at Kathryn, seeing her pursing her lips as she looked away in thought, a look he knew meant she wanted something but wasn't willing to argue to get it.
"Not until I get what I came for." Gordon argued, quickly disappearing out of Thunderbird 4 before anyone could open their mouth. John let out a sigh and glanced at Kathryn who smiled but shook her head at her younger brother.
"I'll get Thunderbird 4 back up and running, you monitor Squid-boy." Kathryn offered John, who nodded his head and disappeared from her view.
With renewed focus, the only Tracy sister got to work scanning over the report and quickly sending quick fixes that would allow the submersible Thunderbird to become mobile enough to exit the cave and complete the rescue. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would do. Kathryn was certainly not looking forward to her return, now having to not only complete the tests on Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird S but also repair and test out Thunderbird 4. Her much-needed sleep schedule would be ruined for yet another week.
"I need to find a way out of this cave." Gordon called suddenly, appearing back on his sister's screen. The blonde glanced up, reading over her quick fixes before glancing back at her younger brother.
"Sent you some quick fixes to get you going."
"Thanks sis, arming demolition missile." Gordon called back cheerfully before blasting the away debris that had been created by the quakes, allowing him to exit the trench, "International Rescue, Thunderbird 4 is en route. Brains, I'm gonna need you to take this thing apart as soon as we get back to the island."
"FAB, Gordon, I'll be standing by." Brains nodded before disappearing from view. Kathryn packed away her remote station, moving to grab a grapple and attach it onto the back of her harness. She gave it a tug to ensure it was secure before walking out to stand on the edge of Module 4.
"Okay folks, I'm almost there." Gordon called to the group.
"I'm standing by to receive the crew." Kathryn nodded, glancing back over her shoulder to double check the first aid kit was available.
"Good news Thunderbird 4." Virgil commented, Kathryn glancing up and wincing as the two ships in the air started to descend lower towards the ocean, "Make it quick, I'm not sure how much longer we can hold on."
"International Rescue, the control room is flooding. Just get us out of here!" Dr Meddings warned the group. Kathryn glanced at Thunderbird 2, her lips pursing as she tried to think of a way to help keep the ship the air.
"Virgil, bypass relay 37B, should give you a bit more power."
"FAB Kat."
"All right, here's the plan. I'm cutting my way in from underneath. I'll evac the crew in dry tubes to Kat. Thunderbird 5, have the crew prepare for immediate evacuation. Everyone cool?" Gordon relayed.
"FAB." Scott nodded.
"Works for me." Virgil agreed.
"Ready when you are!" Kat offered kneeling down on the edge of the ramp, ready to help out the first crew member.
"Okay then, here we go." Gordon breathed as he began to cut his way into the lab. After completing the hole, he exited Thunderbird 4 and made his way over to the station, "Okay, I'm inside. Making my way to the crew compartment. I'm inside the control room. All hands accounted for."
"Good news Thunderbird 4. But hurry, we're hanging on by a thread here." Virgil replied, Kathryn once again glancing up, but unable to offer any other advice or suggestions without risking a failure.
"Kathryn," Gordon's call of her name grabbed her attention, redirecting her gaze to the water, "First dry tube is away."
"FAB." Kathryn nodded, her gaze flicking over the blue waves, narrowing in on the yellow-coloured tube as it surfaced, "First tube spotted. I'm heading to retrieve." She didn't wait for a response, diving off the platform and swimming out to the dry tube.
Kathryn arrived on the scene quickly, offering a reassuring smile to the female researcher as she half climbed on the tube to attach the cable then used her wrist controller to winch the back in. Once to crew member was safely on the module and deemed ok, Kathryn disconnected the cable and reattached it to her harness, heading out to the next dry tube. She quickly repeated the process, ensuring the man was ok as he exited his tube before she once again reattached the cable to herself. A light sigh escaped Kathryn as she moved to perch on the ramp once again, shaking out her arms as she prepared to dive in once again. As if sensing her energy lowering, Gordon hopped on comms.
"One more to go Kat. I'm going back in."
"Ready and waiting!" Kathryn called back, her head once more focused on the rescue rather than her own fatigue. Her eyes drifted over the waves, searching for any sign of the last dry tube.
"The lab is shifting." Gordon warned, "It's gonna flip any second. Argh!" Gordon's microphone went dead but before Kathryn could react to that, her attention was taken by a huge amount of water spray, combining with hot air from Thunderbird 1 that had begun to cover her, her hands lifted automatically as she backed up the ramp.
"Scott, you need to gain more height." Kathryn called over the radio, backing the scientists behind her further into Module 4, "The exhaust from Thunderbird 1 is forcing water into module 4." Her gaze flickered to Thunderbird 2 who was also getting dangerously low.
"The lab's too heavy. It's pulling us both under!" Scott huffed, trying to swing away from the module, and maintain what little distance he had from the water and Thunderbird 2.
"Thunderbird 4, can you read me? Gordon, do you read me! Gordon?" Virgil radioed, his voice filling with more worry as their younger brother continued to not respond. There was a tense pause, Kathryn leaping back to her control panel to begin trying to contact Thunderbird 4, when thankfully Gordon popped back up on the screen.
"FAB, Thunderbird 2. My radio's damaged, but we're alright. Release the cables." Gordon explained, the siblings all once again letting out a breath of relief, "Thunderbird 2, stand by by for retrieval."
"FAB, Thunderbird 4." Virgil responded, sticking Thunderbird 2 to autopilot before moving towards the exit, clamping a line down to module 4.
Kat offered a wave to her brother as he zipped down. Virgil clapping her lightly on the shoulder as he arrived, tossing her a towel which earned a smile, the Tracy sister quickly using it to wipe down her suit and pat dry her hair. Virgil took over the command station just as Thunderbird 4 resurfaced, programming the winch as Kat moved over to the scientists, directing them out the way to ensure they remained safe. As soon as Thunderbird 4 was safely stowed, Kathryn moved back over to Virgil, both siblings staring at the hatch of the submersible, both smiling at the sight of the last crew member and their brother.
"Nice job, bro." Virgil offered, giving the blond a pat on the back as Kathryn gave him a hug. Gordon chuckled, hugging his sister back before pulling away to focus on the crew, both of the elder siblings watching on with pride as Gordon checked them over.
"We'll get them settled," Kathryn offered, glancing at her darker haired brother, "You get us back in the air."
"FAB." Virgil nodded, nudging his sister lightly before activating his remote controller for Thunderbird 2. Kathryn shook her head with a smile, moving over to join Gordon and help get the crew settled in for their journey to the mainland.
It didn't take long for Virgil to get the module locked back in place in the belly of Thunderbird 2, the process now down to a fine art with the amount of sea rescues they'd done. Once everything was locked in place, and the crew they had just rescued were safe and secure, Virgil, Kathryn and Gordon entered the cockpit, Kathryn surprising Gordon by taking the seat furthest from the controls, allowing him to sit next to Virgil. He glanced back at his sister who buckled herself in before pulling her legs up, resting her head on her knees and closing her eyes.
"See you back at the ranch, Thunderbird 1." Virgil offered their eldest brother who'd continued to hang around, wanting to ensure everything had gone smoothly.
"FAB." Scott called back, turning his bird around before blasting off into the distance. Virgil rolled his eyes at the flashy goodbye but said nothing, getting his own bird spun around for drop off at the nearest hospital.
There was a long silence between the three siblings aboard Thunderbird 2, the eldest resting curled up in a chair, the middle piloting as the youngest continued to glance between the window and his sister. Kathryn let out a breath, able to feel Gordon's stare but really not sure what he was so concerned about, she'd slept on many a mission home, however something was clearly bothering him, so she peaked an eye open, smirking as Gordon immediately swivelled around like he hadn't been staring.
"Can I help you squid boy?" Kathryn hummed, stretching out her limbs before crossing her right leg over her left.
"Nope." The answer came out far too quick making Kathryn chuckle.
"Come on Gordo, what do you want?" She smiled, lifting her hands above her head as she stared at her younger brother who seemed to debate his words before sighing.
"Thunderbird 4…" He paused, glancing at Kathryn who tilted her head in confusion, waiting for him to continue, "It needs repairs…." Again, Kathryn waited for him to continue but nothing further came. After a moment, she chuckled and shrugged.
"I know, it'll be top of my to do list." She offered, before frowning seeing Gordon still looking unhappy, and realising what the issue was, "Don't worry about it, it's not the first time, damage comes with the territory, and it was partially my fault asking you to check it out anyway." She shrugged, closing her eyes once more, "I can sleep next week."
"I could help," Virgil offered, Kathryn's eyes snapping open at the offer.
"No!" She cut in, earning a huff from her brother, "Last time you helped you fried three of Thunderbird 3's CPUs."
"That was years ago."
"And I'm still not over the trauma." Kathryn teased, before settling back into her chair, "Plus last I checked you two had some of Grandmas foods to try out. Cause if I'm fixing your ships, least you can do is take the fall." Gordon and Virgil grimaced making Kathryn laugh, "Now, let me at least get some sleep before I'm pulling an all nighter."
The two brothers chuckled but did as their sister requested, both moving their focus to the panels in front of them as they got ready to dispatch their current passengers to the hospital. Kathryn smiled lightly, settling back on her chair as she allowed her brain to finally shut down, her breathing evening out as she finally was allowed to rest.
The flight back to Tracy Island went surprisingly smoothly, Kathryn waking up just as Virgil had begun the landing procedures. It didn't take long for Thunderbird 2 to be safely stowed in her hangar, Kathryn standing and stretching her limbs out as soon as the bird was locked in place. She offered a smile to her brothers before exiting, the two following after her, frowning as they watched her head down instead of up.
"Where are you going?" Virgil called, as Kathryn swung over the handrail, landing on her feet and heading to a control panel that would open up the modules. She glanced up at them as module 4 sprung open.
"Just running a quick scan on 4 then doing a few quick repairs. Anything bigger than I can't do alone will have to wait." She offered as an explanation, "Gordo, do you want to take the sea junk upstairs to Brains?"
"Oh yeah, good idea." The blonde brother chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he came down to grab the item that had cause all the havoc on the mission. Kathryn rolled her eyes playfully as she climbed into the hatch of Thunderbird 4, grabbing the device and throwing it over to her brother who paused, "You coming to help work out what it is?" Kathryn smiled.
"Give me a few to fix a few basic components and remove the bypass on the relay in Thunderbird 2 and I'll be there." She promised, earning a nod from Gordon who quickly moved up the stairs to catch up with Virgil who was very keen to get out his flight suit.
The light closing of the door that led upstairs was the first indication to Kathryn she was now alone. The silence that followed was the second. The quietness seemed to fill the hangar, settling around her in such a way that made her shoulders sag. She ran a hand over Thunderbird 4, grateful for her dads safety conscious designs, unable to help but fear if her upgrades were the reason the ships were now coming home from mission requiring so many repairs, that perhaps her upgrades had not been as effective or were in fact worsening the ships. The doubts that filled her since the accident continued to swirl as she moved to a workstation, pulling out a handful of tools and replacement parts.
Kathryn worked diligently, replacing parts quickly and efficiently before moving onto the next. Quick turn around had become her specialty, an important skill in the rescue business. The longest part of her repairs usually came at the testing stage, wanting to ensure all the new sensors and components registered with the computer. It was rare that anything went wrong, but she refused to not do the tests, she couldn't bare to think of the guilt that would flood her if she took a shortcut, and someone got hurt.
"Kat?" The call of her nickname had her jump, her eyes flickering instantly to her wrist where an image of John was now floating, "You alright? Don't normally manage to catch you off guard?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She dismissed, shaking her head before sliding down the side of Thunderbird 4, moving to the control panel to set the tests up, "What you need?"
"We could use your opinion upstairs." John explained eyeing his sister who nodded, "You sure you're ok?" Kathryn offered her younger brother a half smile.
"Yeah, I'm just a little tired." She shrugged, "I'll be upstairs in 2 minutes, meet you up there."
Kathryn jogged over to the stairs, pulling off her flight suit as she climbed, knowing Grandma Tracy wouldn't likely be happy with the smell of seaweed and engine oil that was likely coming off her suit. She flung her suit over the railing before the doorway and set her boots and gloves beside it, reminding herself to pick it up later and stick it in the special laundromat created by Brains for their suits.
"I'm here, what did I miss?" Kathryn called, as she pushed the door open, tugging her trainers on as she hopped in the door. Alan and Gordon chuckled at her appearance making her roll her eyes, "Shut it or you pair can clean the hangars once I'm done." Their laughter quickly disappeared, both looking away from her and back at the lump of metal on the table. Kathryn smirked, coming down the stairs as she glanced over it.
"Well, what do you think Kat?" Gordon offered, having already heard from Alan and Brains.
"It's rather make do and mend, isn't it?" She hummed, before looking over her shoulder at Brains, who had pulled out a holopad, "I presume you're running an analysis?" The man nodded, she stood back up straight and glanced at her brothers shrugging, "We can't really do much more with it without pulling it apart a little." Scott opened his mouth, preparing to give her permission when John's portrait sprung to life, a hologram of him appearing before them.
"International Rescue, I'm picking up seismic activity like I've never seen before. multiple earthquakes all under sea. Epicentres are equal distance apart, and they're going off in sequence."
"Earthquakes typically don't work like that. This is highly unusual." Brains chimed in, earning a nod of agreement from Kathryn.
"I'm telling you, it's because someone is causing them all on purpose - with these things." Gordon added in, gesturing to his find from under the ocean. Kathryn glanced back at the device, her lips pursing as her mind raced to locate any other possible solution other than sabotage.
"Why would someone want to cause an earthquake? It's 2060. That's not the kind of world we live in." Virgil argued lightly, seeing Kathryn and Alan pulling a similar face and know they were about to jump on the bandwagon. Kathryn lifted a hand to scratch the back of her head, seeing Virgil's point but unable to find any other solutions. It wasn't a second later that Lady Penelope's hologram appeared, directing all attention back to the table.
"I'm afraid it might be, Virgil. It was made with off the shelf components, according to my h'expert." She explained as she walked.
"H'expert?" Scott questioned, unsure who exactly Lady P would be referring to. Parker appeared beside the woman, waving lightly in greeting.
"That would be me, sir. Quite a brisk trade for these bits on the black market, so I'm told." He offered, Kathryn crossing her arms and smirking in amusement.
"In that case, they should be easy to track." Brains called over.
"Precisely, Brains. I already have. We're at the address where much of the equipment was shipped." Kathryn moved to take a seat beside Scott, her amusement quickly dying down as they all watched Lady P and Parker making their way through the building. "This is rather alarming. There's a note here, addressed to International Rescue. It says: press me, and all your questions will be answered." Lady P read out.
"I say we press the button and deal with the consequences." Scott called out immediately, earning a look from Kathryn.
"Scott, we can't just jump in."
"I smell a trap." Alan agreed with his older sister, earning a nod from their grandmother.
"I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole."
"I want answers." Scott sighed, glancing around at his siblings. Kathryn sighed in return, rubbing a hand over her face as she tried to think it through.
"I'm telling you, trap!" The youngest repeated earning a nod from Kathryn, who turned to look at Scott.
"We need to be careful Scott." She muttered, glancing over her younger brothers before focusing on her only elder, fear for all of them bubbling under the surface. The two stared each other down, arguing silently, a skill learnt from years of trying to keep their younger brothers from hearing their arguments. John cast a look over to Kayo, sensing the stalemate between the two oldest and knowing neither would back down if they thought they were doing the right thing.
"Kayo, what do you think?" The two eldest twisted their gaze over to the designated head of security, both keen to see what she'd have to say. At the sudden attention, Kayo chuckled slightly nervously.
"It definitely looks dodgy." She offered before shrugging, a hint of apology as she made eye contact with Kathryn, "But, what's the worst that can happen?"
"My thoughts exactly." Parker called back over the comms, smashing his hand down on the button before anyone could get a word in to stop him, Lady P letting out a shout of surprise. Kathryn got to her feet, arms crossed as their holographic display seemed to flicker to static.
"John?" She called, worry evident in her tone as her brother disappeared from view.
"Global airwaves are being taken over." Kathryn let out a breath at his voice, moving to the table as she pulled up her wrist, frowning as her own hologram faded to static, "I'm running a trace, but it looks like the source is being masked." Kathryn dropped her wrist, Scott coming to stand beside her as the two started at the dark shape that took over their hologram.
"Now that I have your attention, you have by now felt the earthquakes in the Southern Ocean. Those were only the beginning. There will be more, many more, and they'll be increasing in magnitude until my very reasonable terms are met. If not, every city along the ring of fire will be brought to its knees, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it, including International Rescue. If you put your trust into them, you will regret it." Kathryn paled as the voice spoke, the vague threat and clear hatred of International Rescue throwing up multiple red flags. Scott reached out and touched her shoulder, offering a squeeze of comfort as she continued to stare up at the figure.
"Only one person has that much contempt for International Rescue." Virgil sighed, glancing at Kathryn who averted her gaze to the floor, her hands bawling into fists.
"That was him, wasn't it?" Alan questioned, both him and Gordon looking over their sister with concern. Scott nodded his head, offering another squeeze on the shoulder for Kathryn before turning to look over the group.
"The same person responsible for dad's crash. That was the Hood. He's back."