Inspiring Heroes

Virgil Tracy peered down the hole. It was dark and deep, but that didn't bother him. It was the width that worried him. Or, rather, the lack of it. Just the thought of going into that small space was enough to make him shudder. Fortunately, he wouldn't be going down it. Since they had an extra hand to spare, he was allowed to delegate this unpleasant task to a lesser minion. That is to say, Gordon.

"Virge, can you pass me that rope?"

Virgil obliged, handing his brother the thin-but-strong blue rope, and watched as his brother tied it securely to the safety harness he was wearing. He held up a large square of material with metal clasps on each corner. "You'll need this?"

Gordon wrinkled his nose. "A bib?"

Virgil clicked his fingers. "Damn, that's what I forgot to give you. No, it's a second harness for the kid when you take her back up. You attach it to your harness like so…" Virgil fastened the sling to Gordon's harness and stepped back. "Got everything?"

"I think so."

"Flashlight?"

"Check."

"First-aid kit?"

"Check."

"Dry-nites?"

Gordon glared. Virgil grinned and backed away to where Scott sat at the mobile control.

"Gordon, I want you to stay in contact with us at all times on your way down. If it helps, just keep the mike switched on."

"F.A.B. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Get a move on!"

Gordon rolled his eyes and made his way to the hole. It had been formed during an earthquake not too long ago, and a young girl had reportedly fallen down it. No one would have known she was down there if Virgil hadn't heard her screaming from the bottom whilst walking past. So now Gordon was being sent down to retrieve her, because Virgil was claustrophobic and Scott had to "stay on the surface to direct proceedings," which, in Gordon's opinion, meant he was getting too old for this sort of thing.

They'd managed to lower a knotted rope down the hole, but the girl hadn't been able to climb back up. Gordon began to clutch to this, all the while trusting that Virgil and Scott were making sure his line held.

It grew dark quickly as he made his way down the hole. He switched on his flashlight, but it was attached to his belt and only pointed downwards. After five minutes or so, Scott started moaning in his ear.

"Gordon? Come in."

"Here, Scott."

"I told you to keep contact at all times."

"Sorry."

"So you should be. I-"

"Hang on a sec. I think I heard someone. Hello?" His voice echoed up and down the hole.

"Hello? Who's there?" The voice was definitely a girl's, and she sounded upset. Understandable, really.

"Hello, this is International Rescue. Are you Andrea?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Andrea, just hold on, I'm coming down to get you. Is there much space where you are?"

There was a pause. "I can't tell. It's too dark."

"Are you hurt at all?"

"My leg's really sore whenever I move it."

"Don't move it, then. Anything else?"

"Not really. I've got lots of bumps, though."

"I can imagine. Can you see a light above you?"

"Yes. It's really bright now."

"How high above you, do you think?"

"Err… really really close."

Gordon found out just how close when his feet found level ground shortly after. He turned slowly around and reached for his flashlight. The beam fell on a small girl with long, dark hair in ponytails. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears, and her leg stuck out oddly. Gordon deduced quickly that it was broken. He swung the beam round where they were. It appeared to be a partially collapsed tunnel, probably shaken up during the earthquake. He didn't really want to go along it, so he'd just have to carry her back up.

"Scott, I'm at the bottom. I think her leg's broken, if you want to make arrangements up there. We're in some sort of tunnel, but it's all collapsed, and I don't know where it goes. I'm going to splint her leg, then I'll carry her back up."

"F.A.B. See you when you return."

Gordon knelt down beside Andrea. She sniffled quietly.

"I'm going to look at your leg, and I'm going to put a splint on it so you won't move it too much, okay?" Gordon had learnt long ago that being gentle was a good idea when rescuing kids. Andrea nodded, and Gordon got to work. "Tell me about yourself, Andrea. You have any brothers or sisters?"

The little girl nodded. "I have a little sister who's one."

Gordon grinned. "I don't have any sisters. Just four brothers, three of whom are older than me."

"My auntie has six boys. She says they're a nightmare sometimes."

Gordon chuckled. "It's the youngest you have to watch out for. They get away with murder and they know it." He heard a soft chuckle in his ear. "Of course," he went on, "he's useful when it comes to playing pranks on our older brothers. They'd gang up on us, otherwise." That stopped the chuckles. "Do you have any pets?"

"I've got a dog called Oscar. He's a Labrador."

"Oh, they're great dogs. My dad's got Koi, which are a type of fish, and my little brother has an alligator."

"An alligator?" Gordon laughed at the little girl's expression.

"His girlfriend gave it to him for his birthday. He called her Laika. Personally, I think she's rather cool, but not everyone thinks the same, especially my dad; he's worried she'll eat his Koi." This got the girl laughing, and Gordon silently applauded himself. He carried on splinting Andrea's leg, all the time asking her questions about herself to take her mind off everything. Scott was murmuring in his ear, telling him that an ambulance was on its way. Eventually, Gordon was finished, and he picked her up.

"Okay, Andrea, I'm going to put you in this sling here, and carry you back up. I'm not sure how strong it is, so I want you to hold tight just in case." The girl nodded, yawning a little.

"Hold on, there, I need you to stay awake!" said Gordon, fastening her into the sling. Her leg stuck out awkwardly, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Okay, Scott, I'm on my way up."

"F.A.B, Gordon. Try and keep her awake. I'm not sure how strong that sling is, either." In the background, Gordon was sure he heard Virgil grumbling something about no one believing him.

Gordon began to heave himself up, relying on his harness and his grip on the rope. "What's your favourite subject at school, Andrea?"

"Science. We get to make things turn different colours and we're allowed to make a mess with water and things."

"Yeah, I liked Science when I was a kid. Just wait until you get onto the stuff in High School: you get to make explosions!" He smiled at the wide-eyed expression on her face. "'Course, my favourite subject was actually P.E, but only when we got to go swimming. My brothers keep saying I'm part fish."

"I do gymnastics," said Andrea. "I like doing art, too."

"You'd like my older brother, then. He's a real good artist. He paints just about everything, when he's not playing the piano."

"I play the flute," said Andrea, "but I'm not very good."

"No one is, at first. My brother would say, "Keep practising, you'll get there.""

"That's what my teacher says, too," said Andrea a little sadly. She was quiet for a moment, and Gordon was worried she'd fallen asleep, when she spoke up again.

"How did you get to become a Thunderbird?"

This took Gordon by surprise. How was he supposed to answer that? Oh, my dad set up the whole thing, so he decided to get me and my brothers to become the pilots? Not likely.

"The man who set it up met me. I used to work in WASP, you see, so he thought my experience would help. I was only too happy to accept."

"What about the others?"

"They all had different areas of expertise, all of which made them useful. The boss-man had heard about them, so he made arrangements to meet them." The lie rolled surprisingly easily off Gordon's tongue. He could hear Scott's approval in his ear.

"How could I be a Thunderbird?"

Gordon almost lost his grip of the rope, and they dropped a little before the harness's emergency stopping system kicked in. He listened desperately for some advice from Scott, but none was coming. He guessed Scott had been as surprised as he was.

"I don't know," said Gordon slowly. "Are you sure that's what you want to be? You're only, what?"

"Eight years old?"

"Yeah, that. You might change your mind before then." Andrea shook her head.

"I really want to help people, but I don't think I'd like being a doctor or a police officer or a fire fighter. I want to join International Rescue. You're all so great. I hear about you saving people on the news and stuff, and you've helped people learn to be nicer to each other." She laughed softly at Gordon's stunned expression.

"It's not all glory," he warned. "Sometimes we just don't get there in time. You can't save everyone."

"I know. But surely it's all the more worthwhile when you do save someone?"

"Yes… but, like I said, you're young. You might change your mind. I did several times when I was a kid."

"But what if I don't?"

Gordon didn't know what to say. Sure, he knew that International Rescue had inspired a lot of people, but he hadn't realised just how much it had done for the younger generation. Up above, Scott seemed to have overcome his shock.

"Well, if she wants to, she wants to. Tell her we'll speak to her about it once she's above ground." Gordon repeated this to Andrea, who nodded and held a little tighter. They were near the top now, and Virgil was son dragging them over the edge. Instantly, paramedics were swarming over the pair of them. Gordon batted them away.

"I'm absolutely fine, check Andrea, I think she's got a broken leg." The paramedics carried her gently away. Scott and Virgil stood beside him.

"She seems like a great kid," said Gordon. "What do you think? Should we invite her to join if she still wants to?"

Scott nodded. "I called dad, and he's happy to employ her if she still wants to when she's old enough. Come on." He led the way over to the ambulance.

Andrea was sat on the narrow bed with a hysterical woman who Virgil said was her mother, and a paramedic seeing to her leg. The three climbed in with some difficulty and squatted down in front of her.

"Gordon here tells me you want to join International Rescue," said Scott. Andrea nodded.

"Oh, she's been like that for ages," said her mother dismissively.

"Nevertheless," said Virgil. "We'd still like to give her the opportunity if she so wishes. We're perfectly aware that we'll have to recruit new people one day."

"Exactly," agreed Scott. "Now, Andrea, before I tell you, you must promise to keep this a secret."

"I promise," the little girl nodded.

"Now, we understand that, when you're old enough, you might not want to join us anymore. That's perfectly fine, we'll understand. But if you do, this is what you have to do: Do you know how to contact us?"

"Just send out a radio message?" Scott nodded.

"You do that, and the operator who receives it will ask you what's going on. The first thing you must tell him is your name. What is your full name, by the way?"

"Andrea Castles."

"That's what you tell him. Then you'll need to tell him about this rescue, and that we gave you these instructions. He should then, if he does his job right, patch you through to our Headquarters to speak to the man in charge. Got that?" She nodded. "He'll ask you the same questions, and then he'll arrange to send a contact to meet you somewhere, ok? Then we'll see about getting you a job with us." Andrea smiled and flung her arms round his neck, then did the same to Gordon and Virgil.

"Thankyou," she said. "And thankyou for rescuing me."

TB

Twenty years later…

"Calling International Rescue. Come in, please."

Alan groaned. It was the middle of the night on Tracy Island, and so it was for him too. He rolled out of bed and hurried to the control console.

"This is International Rescue receiving your call. Go ahead."

"My name is Andrea Castles. I… I was rescued twenty years ago by you, and they gave me instructions to contact you."

Alan frowned for a moment. The name did sound familiar. Andrea Castles…

"Were you the girl who fell down the hole after an earthquake?"

"Yes."

Of course! "You still wish to join International Rescue?"

"Absolutely."

"Hang on a sec, I'm gonna patch you through to the Headquarters." Alan pressed various buttons and waited for a moment. Eventually, a grumpy voice floated through the speakers, accompanied by the face of a grumpy-looking Scott. Jeff, the Kyranos, Brains and the boys appeared behind him, along with some of their newer, younger recruits; the boys were all in their forties now, after all.

"Yes, Alan?"

"Scott, I've got great news! Remember that rescue you did twenty years ago?"

"Which one, Alan, I did hundreds," said Scott tiredly.

"The one with Andrea Castles."

"Andrea Castles? The girl who fell down the hole?"

"The very same. She still wants to join us."

All of a sudden, Scott was wide-awake. Jeff elbowed him a little roughly out of the way.

"Hello, son. Can you patch her through to us?"

"Sure." Alan pressed more buttons and then said, "Go ahead, father."

"Andrea? Can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"How old are you, now?"

"I was twenty-eight last week."

"And what qualifications do you have?"

"I've done a lot of first-aid training, and studied journalism at my local college whilst training with the coast-guards." Jeff nodded though she couldn't see him, while Tin-Tin took notes.

"Quite an interesting mix. Anything else?"

"I was a Girl Guide for quite a while, and I did my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award."

"Well, that sounds great, Andrea. I'm going to send Gordon to meet you. Where abouts are you?"

"I'm currently staying in a small town in the north of Scotland, Thurso."

"Gordon will meet you there. Can you suggest anywhere in particular?"

"I think the precinct would be the best place."

"Okay, Andrea. Thankyou."

"Thankyou."

TB

Though he wouldn't admit it, Gordon was nervous. Would he recognise her? Would she recognise him? Gordon had been dismayed to discover a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a streak of grey through his red hair.

"Gordon?" said a voice behind him. He spun round. A young woman with dark, plaited hair was sat on the benches outside a shop called M & Co. She smiled and beckoned him over.

"Andrea?"

"The very same. Do you want to get a coffee?"

"Yeah, okay." He followed her across the road to a busy-looking café. She ordered two coffees and led him to a small partially closed-off room with some low sofas. She led him to the one closest to the window.

"So, what exactly happens now?"

Gordon leaned forward. "I tell you the sort of things expected of you and what line of work the boss-man has offered."

"Do you always call him boss-man?"

"Only when we can't reveal his name," replied Gordon. "First of all, you must agree to keep everything a secret. That said, we allow some flexibility with this rule. You may tell you close family, and we often tell people our first names. You'll get the idea as you go along.

"Secondly, you must be aware that we have strict rules and discipline. I imagine they're pretty similar to those you have to obey with the coast guards.

"Third: as you may have discovered already in your work, it is not possible to save everyone. You must be aware of this to be in this line of work." Andrea nodded.

"Now, you have good experience in the rescue side of things, so, naturally, we want you to work on the field. However, I've been told to ask you if you do any journalism? You did say you did the course."

"Yes, I've written a few articles."

"Then you have a knack for getting information?"

"If you want to call it that," replied Andrea with a grin.

"Good. Not all of International Rescue is about rescuing people, you see. We also have undercover agents who do a little bit of snooping around. We may call on those skills from time to time.

"Finally, we want you to know that this is not a life-time commitment. If you wish to leave us, you are free to do so." Andrea nodded.

Their coffees arrived, and they drank them in silence.

"You don't have any questions?" asked Gordon as he got up to leave.

"Yes, but I'll wait. But there is one thing…"

"Yes?"

"How will I get to your Headquarters?"

Gordon smiled. "Virgil's coming in a week to collect you. See you then."

TB

A couple of years later…

She was hot, tired, sweaty, and dirty, but the adrenaline was still coursing through her. Her uniform would need a wash, and so would she, but the children were safe now. Andrea breathed a sigh of relief and began to load the equipment back into Thunderbird 2. Suddenly, she felt a tugging on her sleeve. She looked down to see a little boy with red hair and a cheeky, soot stained face. She recognised him as one of the kids she'd saved earlier.

"Excuse me, but how could I get to be a Thunderbird?"

She smiled, then glanced over to where Gordon was dragging the mobile control unit back to Thunderbird 1. She squatted down.

"If you still want to join when you're old enough, this is what you have to do…"

TB

please note, the bit about virgil being claustrophobic is from Prinzessin's story Phobia. i think i may have borrowed alan's alligator's name from somewhere as well, but i can't remember where. sorry! and thanks to quiller to pointing out that the koi bit comes from Madfriend's Something Fishy, i'd forgotten to mention that! but i have now.

reviews, always, are apprecaited.