Chapter 9: Back on the Starting Block
They should have been tired, exhausted even. However, as Thunderbird 3 eased itself back into its silo, it's occupants were wound up and excited. It had been a long busy week aboard Thunderbird 5. Her systems had been checked and double checked. Scans ran and rerun to make sure everything was functioning. Virgil had been all over the station checking her mechanical components and running a constant conversation with Brains back on Earth. Of all of the birds, this was the one they would depend on the most.
Gordon was tired—the decent in Three, while not as bad as the ascent, had still taken a lot out of him. He was excited though. He was starting to feel that old confidence in himself again. He knew he would make it though whatever was thrown at him—it would be a struggle for sure, but he knew nothing was going to stop him.
He was sitting on one of the couches, playing a video game with Alan, when there was a beep and John's torso appeared above them. "Hey, John. Just couldn't stand not seeing me huh?" Gordon was smiling, but it faded when John ignored him.
"Dad, I have Colonel Casey on the line. She says it's urgent."
"Patch her through." Their father was behind his desk, like always, going through e-mails and other bits of communications.
"Colonel Tracy." The woman that appeared on the table was standing straight, her hands behind her back. Her dark hair in a tight bun at the base of her neck and her eyes on their father. Gordon knew the woman, she was an old friend of their father's, and had visited him several times while he had been in the hospital. But he had never seen her in uniform or looking so serious.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm retired. Stop calling me Colonel." His father chuckled a little, but it died down when she maintained her stern expression. "What's going on?"
"I need a little help. I know your organization does not go active for another day, but there is a situation in China that could use some of the miracles you promised."
"I would be happy to help, but our permits don't allow us to operate till tomorrow. Should we try to do a rescue today, we could be grounded."
"The higher-ups are aware of this and are processing the necessary—"
"Dad." John's hologram was back, floating just behind Colonel Casey. "I just received a message saying that our permits have been activated early."
"Good to know they can act fast when necessary." Their father couldn't seem to help smiling a little. "Very well, then. John, are you aware of this situation the GDF are having troubles with?"
"Yes, I've been monitoring it closely. I was going to mention it, but the GDF were on the scene so I was trusting that they would handle it."
"We have been trying, but—" Colonel Casey was looking back at their father again and just gave the slightest of shrugs. "There was a mud slide in a remote village. The area has been pummeled with rain for days until finally the mountain could not take anymore."
"The GDF should have the necessary machines to deal with a mudslide." Their father was leaning forward, his head in a hand as his thumb stroked his cheek as he thought.
"Normally our equipment is satisfactory for the job, but in this situation it is only making things worse."
"I've brought up the details here." John and Colonel Casey's holograms were pushed off to the side as a large map of the area popped up. "The ground is saturated with water and extremely unstable. It looks like the equipment they've tried to send up has only caused more mud to fall, and more people to be trapped."
"I see. Our pods could possibly make it up a bit easier, and Two would be above them to evacuate those they find."
Gordon was already on his feet. "Dad, Alan and I can man the pods so Scott can manage things from the bottom."
"Agreed." His father reached for a button on his desk. "Scott, Virgil. You're needed in the lounge."
It took only a minute for their two older brothers to show up, another quick minute for their father to explain the situation, and then they were off. Gordon was jealous of his brother's exits for their gear-ups. Virgil disappeared behind a portrait of a rocket, and Scott behind the wall. Alan shared one with their father, but only when he was going to Three. Since they would both be riding with Virgil they were together in the elevator that would take them to the locker room. They changed into their uniforms quickly, Alan still pulling on his boots as he followed Gordon from the room and down a small set of stairs into Two's hanger.
Virgil had already loaded up one of the modules, the platform lowered, and waiting for them. Gordon slung his yellow utility sash over his head as the elevator jerked into motion, fastening it at the waist and adjusting it as they reached the cockpit.
"Took you two long enough." Virgil smirked as he initiated the launch sequence.
"Tell Dad to get my gear-up tube done and then I'll be waiting on you." Gordon shot back as he sat down in the co-pilots seat. Alan was behind Virgil as the big plane started it's taxi.
"You two nervous?"
Gordon looked back at Alan who was smiling from ear to ear. "Yeah. A little. But excited too."
"I'll admit, I'm a little nervous too."
"Really? I wonder if Scott is?"
"Oh he's freaking out. Running through every scenario in his head right now. John's trying to talk him down." Virgil's smile widened as he tapped at the receiver in his ear.
"Don't worry. Once he arrives on the scene he'll have it all under control." Gordon's smile faded a little. A bit of doubt was creeping it's way into his own mind. Would he be able to do it? Yes, yes he would. He was well trained, responsible, and damn good at what he did.
That thought took him a little off guard. When was the last time he had thought that? Not just thought it, but believed it. Like anything else was just a stupid idea not to even bother with. It had been a long time. A year, at least. But the fears, the anxiety of the past month—no the past year—seemed like a shadow at the moment. Something that was there, behind him, but not really affecting him anymore. It was if a switch had been flipped in his brain, and all those thoughts had been turned off, or at least muted. Minimized by some machine Brains had invented. No longer something he was willing to worry over. Not something he cared to think about at all.
"Gordon?"
Gordon jumped a little, and looked over to Virgil. "Yea?"
"You okay?"
"Fine. Great even." Gordon smiled. This was how smiles worked, they weren't supposed to be hard or forced, they were just supposed to happen.
Virgil opened his mouth, possibly to argue, but shut it. "Good. What about you squirt?"
"I… I don't know." Alan wasn't bouncing in his seat like he had been a moment ago. He was wringing his hands in his lap avoiding the eyes of both his brothers. "I mean, you guys have tons of experience. What about me? This is my first job. I've got a lot to live up to."
"And you'll do just fine." Virgil laughed. "Just remember—both of you—if you start to second guess yourself just start talking. Talk out your thoughts. We'll let you know if you're wrong. Trust me, we'll be more than happy to."
"Talk it out, right." Alan smiled a little again.
"We'll be fine. If I'm saying it, it's gotta be true. Right?" Gordon was still smiling. He couldn't believe how excited he was or how confident he was feeling.
"We're in approach, best get down to the pods and get them ready."
Gordon nodded, and followed Alan over to the lift. "Deep breath, lil bro. Anything happens to you and I'll be there to help. Something happens to me and you'll be right there, right?"
"Right." Alan nodded and they were on their way.
Gordon was sitting in the pod, the air silent around him as they waited for Virgil to drop the module. He took the moment to think. Not like he had been in the past mouth—that pointless running of his mind that he couldn't control. This was the type of thinking that actually helped him. The type of thinking he did before a mission in WASP. The type of thinking he did before a race at the Olympics. He hadn't been able to think like this for a year and he missed it.
With his mind blank, he looked into himself. He wasn't at his best, he knew that. But he was still in good enough shape to do what he needed to do. He had Brains' machines to help, and his brothers to back him up. There was no reason he couldn't complete the mission with ease.
"Gordon."
Gordon snapped his eyes open and looked over at Alan who was giving him the thumbs. But it wasn't Alan that had said his name. The voice was over the comms, it was Scott. The front of the module was lowering.
"Gordon?" Scott again, worry lined his tone.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"How you doing?"
"Just fine. What's the plan?"
Scott's voice was hesitant. "Gordon."
"Scott. I'm fine. Really. I'm ready. Give it to me."
"Right." His tone had firmed, turned into the commanding voice of his position. "You're going to go up the north side of the mountain. They think there are five families up that way that need help."
Gordon could see Alan straighten up as his comms were opened up as well.
"Alan, you have the south side. There are three families over there."
"What about the middle?" The door to the module was open, and Gordon shot out of it, passing onlookers and his brother as he made his way up the mountain.
"As far as we can tell all the homes in the middle got pushed down. I'm going to help them move mud and save those we can."
"F.A.B." Gordon allowed a small smile, but it was gone quickly, it was time to be serious. The pod sped up through the mud with out a single issue. He could see the tops of the houses, people clinging to them waiting for help.
"Virgil, I have victims on the north side waiting for rescue."
"I'm on my way."
Gordon stopped his pod and jumped out onto the nearest roof. "Hey, John, could do with some translations about now."
"I'm on it." John's voice echoed out of the pod as he explained what was going to happen to the people who were shying away as Thunderbird 2 appeared above them.
Gordon frowned a little. He wasn't sure exactly what John had told them, wasn't sure if they realized they were there to help. But once they had been on more missions the sight of that big green machine would be a sign of hope, he was sure.
The rescue platform was lowered and soon Gordon helped each of the families into the seats, talking to them soothingly even though they probably had no idea what he was saying. It took multiple trips but they were all eventually safe in the belly of Virgil's bird.
Gordon jumped back into his pod and strapped in. "John, do you have any other life signs in this area?"
"Yes, there are four just east of your current location. They're weak though. You need to hurry."
"F.A.B." Gordon put the pod in gear and took off.
There was no sign of any other houses. It had all been covered with the mud from the land slide. He made it to the location and started digging.
"Gordon, be careful, a wrong move could send the mud going again."
"I know, John. Just let me know if you see movement." Gordon was concentrating on the hole he was digging, he could see the thatch from the roof. Now, he just had to make his way inside. He used the arms of the pod to open up a hole. "I found the hut, I'm going in."
"Gordon, wait. The land is unstable, you need to get out of there."
"If I leave now, they won't stand a chance. Get Virgil here and we'll get them out."
"Gordon, I'm not joking, I'm seeing movement just up from your location."
"Then get Virgil here, now!"
"Gordon!" It was Virgil on the line now. "Look out!"
Gordon was half out of the pod when he turned to look up, a wave of mud tumbling his way. He couldn't just leave them. With a hole in their roof they would be buried alive. He shut himself back in the pod and positioned it over the hole he had made, anchoring it as best he could—he was not going to let them die.
"Gordon!" Virgil.
"Gordon!" Alan.
"Damnit, Gordon, respond!" Scott.
"John, do you have life signs?" His father.
"Yeah, five life signs."
"If he is in the p-pod he should be o-okay." Brains.
Gordon could hear the voices. Yet, he wasn't sure he was awake.
"I'm on my way over." Alan.
"Be careful, the land is still unstable." John.
"I'm right above him." Virgil.
His head hurt. He must have hit it when the mud hit him. He'll have to remember to wear his helmet next time. His hand was to his head, he could feel some wetness—blood probably. He opened his eyes, it was dark, and the lights on the controls were bright.
"I'm here. Mostly."
"Gordon!" It was all of them. He could hear the relief in their voices and he couldn't help but smile. "Hit my head, but I'm alright."
"Alan is trying to get to you. You shouldn't be too deep."
"Am I still on top of the house?"
"Yes, they're still alive, but—"
Gordon cut his father off. "They are the priority. I can hear Alan above me. I'll access the secondary hatch in the pod and we can transfer the family through the pod to Two. That way we won't have to move too much more mud."
"Gordon, we need to get you out of there first." He could hear the low growl in Virgil's voice.
"I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine. We need to get these people out now."
"I agree with Gordon." The background chatter stopped at their father's voice. "Alan, move just enough mud to clear the main hatch for the pod. Gordon get to work."
"F.A.B." Gordon slid his seat back, uncovering the round secondary hatch in the pod. It slid open, but he was only half way over the hole he had created. That didn't phase him though, it was thatch, expanding the hole wasn't going to be too hard.
He was down in the hut in no time. The four family members huddled in the corner. It was dark, and cold and the only light was from the controls back in the pod. "This is Pod A. I'm in the hut with the family. How close is Alan to uncovering the pod?"
"I'm letting in some light right now."
The sunlight was weak as he filtered into the dark hut, but that light seemed to animate the small family.
"We'll have to bring them up one at a time." A shadow blocked the light as Two hovered above them.
"F.A.B. I'm waiting for the harness." He could feel a small puff of fresh air as the hatch was opened on the pod. He watched as a darker shadow slowly grew bigger. It as an odd shape though, and gordon frowned, his head thumping even harder as the shape made its's way down to him.
"Knock, knock."
"Alan, what are you doing?"
"Helping."
"Last thing we need is both of us getting stuck down here."
"Don't worry. We won't." Alan smiled as he helped one of the kids into the harness.
Slowly one by one, the four members of the family were lifted to safety until Gordon and Alan were the last.
"Oldest first." Alan held the harness out to Gordon.
"No, youngest first."
"Injured first." Alan countered pointing to Gordon's head.
"Dang it."
"You heard your brother." His father's voice was light over the coms. The stress of the rescue gone.
Gordon rolled his eyes as he was lifted up from the depths of mud, Alan right behind him.
Gordon was sitting in the locker room. His uniform still on, caked with dried mud. It hadn't been a hard rescue, but he was feeling the stress of it even now, safe back on the island.
"You did good out there."
Gordon looked up and Virgil was standing behind him. He was clean and wearing his normal plaid shirt. "Have to admit, I was worried for a sec, though."
"Yeah, I could year you." Gordon smirked up at his brother and moved over so he could sit down.
"Did you have any issues?" Virgil was watching him. Trying not to stare but obviously worried.
"Honestly, no. I didn't. Well, other than hitting my head and blacking out." Gordon laughed.
"Honestly?" Virgil was frowning at him.
"Really. I'm telling the truth. I don't remember anything, just hearing you guys yelling at me."
"Why didn't you back off when we told you to?"
"Because we were there to rescue those people. If I had backed off the hut would have flooded with mud and they would have died. We were there to rescue people, no matter what it takes. That's what I did." Gordon had taken in a deep breath puffing out his chest. "Plus, Brains makes things to last. I was fine in the pod, no matter how much mud covered me."
"That's probably true, and I'm proud of you. You were a professional out there."
"Thanks. Doesn't mean I'm out of the water though. The true test will be my first solo mission in Four."
"We'll be with you. No matter where you are."
"Yeah, no that is getting a little creepy." Gordon couldn't help but laugh. If anything, going out and helping people helped him to remember who he was. All the stress from the past month seemed like it was so long ago. Not forgotten, and he knew this wasn't the end of it. It would take time to fully heal, but he was ready to deal with it now. Here, with his father and his brothers.
It was dark in the room, pitch black—but then it had been designed for that purpose. There was a holo screen in the front that took up the entire wall and two rows of seats. The front two middle seats were occupied by the two youngest Tracys—a large tub of popcorn between them.
They were in the middle of their movie marathon—well, part two of their marathon as least. Actually, part three. A rescue had interrupted them in the middle of the Lion King, six hours later they were back and watching more of the old Disney classics. They had wanted to stay up all night and finish watching every one of the movies ever made to date, but their father had stopped them.
'What if there was a rescue and you two where half asleep? Unacceptable. Bed, now.'
They understood, agreed with him even. So they had went to bed. Now, it was part three of their marathon and they were in the middle of Wall-E, one of Gordon's favorites—that little robot never gave up either.
"Gordon, there you are." John's torso popped up in place of the movie looking down at his two brothers. "There's a rescue, you're needed."
"Aw, come on, John. This is the best part! Wall-E is just about to use the fire extinguisher to fly around space." Gordon threw some popcorn at John's torso in protest, but then popped up an idea in his head. "Hey, you should try it one day. Drop the elevator and I'll sneak some extinguishers on board."
"Um, no." John's face was dead pan. "Gordon, we have a rescue. Hurry it up."
"Am I needed to?" Alan was half way out of his seat already.
"Sorry, not this time."
"Man, I hardly ever get to go."
"Sorry, Alan! Don't finish the movie without me!" Gordon was already out the door hurrying to the lounge.
His father was sitting at his desk, John's bust floating above the table when Gordon reached the lounge. "About time. Virgil is already on his way down to Two."
"I'll beat him there! Time me!" Gordon was past his father's desk in an instant and up the stairs to the balcony above the lounge.
This was probably one of the biggest secrets on the island, brand new as well. On the balcony, just above the fireplace was Gordon's gear-up entrance. It was a small hole that opened at the push of a button on his father's desk. He grabbed a bar above the hole and pulled his feet up throwing himself down the tube. It circled around Virgil's entrance and split off about half way down—one way would take him to a watery ending and direct access to Four should he leave direct from the island. The other to the entrance to Two's hanger so he could hitch a ride with Virgil.
He landed in Two's hanger just as the big green machine finished lowering itself on Four's module. He jogged over to the waiting lift as he pulled on his sash and air tanks, fastening his regulator to his shoulder as he did. He was adjusting the equipment as the lift jerked to a stop and he looked up and smiled at his brother.
"Hey, ho, bro! How's it going?"
"A little faster once you sit down and buckle up." Virgil smiled as Gordon sat down next to him and finished his preflight procedure. They taxied out and within moments they were flying high in the sky.
"So, Johnny cakes, what's up?"
"Don't call me that." John was before them, his torso floating above the dashboard. He took a moment to answer, watching Gordon carefully. "We have a situation in the Atlantic. Scott is almost there now."
"Well, quit dragging your feet and tell us." Gordon was relaxed, ready for whatever John could throw at him.
"A WASP hydrofoil has crashed and is actively sinking."
Gordon froze. The smile on his face vanished, his mind blank. How could it happen again? It could't happen again, he wouldn't let it! "Punch it, Virgil."
"I'm already going as fast as I can."
"Hold on, Scott's just arriving." John disappeared leaving Gordon and Virgil alone for a moment.
"You okay?" Virgil glanced over at Gordon, not quite frowning, but nearing it.
"It's been eight-hundred and eighty-eight days." Gordon took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Almost two and a half years. It hadn't been an easy time, but he had done it.
WASP had never released the details about the crash, but had stated that they had fixed the issue. From the looks of it though, Gordon wasn't entirely sure he believed them.
"I've got some bad news." John was back, his face showing every bit of annoyance that Gordon was suddenly feeling himself. "WASP has asked us to stay out of it."
"What?" Gordon was half out of his seat, his face in John's.
"Scott is arguing with the officer on site, and Dad is making some calls." John shrugged. "It's all we can do. We won't go into a site unwelcome."
"We can't just leave them!"
"Gordon, settle down." Virgil still had both hands on the yoke, but was glaring out of the corner of his eye. "We'll do what we can—"
Gordon wasn't listening, he was already leaning forward and calling their father. "Dad. You're not going to make us stand by are you?"
"My hands are tied, Gordon." His father was leaning on his hands a strained expression on his face. "The airspace above the wreck is restricted we're not allowed in."
"The airspace you say." Gordon narrowed his eyes and looked over at Virgil.
"Gordon, you're scheming."
"That I am."
"Gordon, whatever you're thinking, stop. We can't have a member of IR going rogue."
"Dad, if we let them do this on their own, it'll just be a repeat of my accident! They aren't even trying to save the people left onboard!"
"He's right, Dad, from what I can see, the ship is completely submerged and I'm still reading life signs. But it doesn't look like they've sent any divers or have done anything to stop the ship from doing down ay farther." Scott was there, his hologram next to his father's.
"John, any update?"
"Nothing good I'm afraid." John joined the holograms that floated on the dash of Thunderbird 2. "Rescue operations are on hold. Their trying to decide if it's worth the risk to send divers down."
"Dad!" Gordon was on his feet, his hands clenched next to him. "We can't just sit here and let those people die!"
His father was silent, but sighed. "Whatever it is you're planning, Gordon. I cannot know."
Gordon was already on the elevator when his father's torso disappeared.
"We aren't going to be able to help you." Virgil glanced back, his eyebrows drawn together.
"I'll be fine. Just release me when I say so."
"And what do I tell them when they see us release the module?"
"Just tell them that I'm going hang out so that I'm ready if they need me or something." Gordon was already well on his way as he yelled back at Virgil. He got into the module and threw himself into the cockpit as fast as he could. "Thunderbird 4 is ready for module deployment."
"Gordon, if this goes bad—" Virgil was there, floating before him.
"If this goes bad, then come in and save me. Simple as that." Gordon wasn't going to take it anymore. He wasn't going to let WASP repeat what they had done to him.
Virgil looked like he wanted to say something else, to argue, but he just pinched his lips and nodded. "Right. Releasing module."
Gordon held his breath as the moment of weightlessness hit him. It was over in an instant and the module's flap lowered. He rose the deployment ramp and Thunderbird 4 slid into the water.
He wasn't too far from the ship, he could see the huge shadow as it slowly drifted down into the depths of the sea. He zoomed right up to it, getting under the ship and seeing if he could lift it with Four alone.
Unfortunately the ship was too big. If Virgil could get there he could attach a line to it and haul it up, but that was an impossibility at the moment.
"John, can you tell me where the people are inside, and if it's flooded already?"
"Can't tell where the flooding is, but the life signs are right in the middle of the ship. Looks like there are about a half dozen still onboard."
"They've all gathered in one spot then?"
"Looks like it."
"Good." Gordon made his way over, latched onto the ship with one of his arms, and tried to hail the people in side. "Attention, this is International Rescue. We are here to get you to safety. Can you hear me?"
"Yes!" It was a chorus of replies and Gordon let out the breath of air he was holding.
"Is the compartment you're in filled with water, and if not do you have air?"
"It just now started to fill with water, it's not quite to our ankles yet. We have some air, but we're having to share it. Not sure how long it will last."
"Damn." Gordon hissed the word out between his teeth. He was going to have to cut his way into the ship, but there was no way of maintaining the air bubble once he cut into it. "Would you be able to hold your breath if I were to cut my way in?"
"A few of us, sure, but we have some newbies that are already starting to panic."
"Right. Alright. Here is the plan. I'll cut my way to your compartment. Once there, I'm going to cut a small hole—just big enough to slip some rebreathers in to you. I'll seal the hole up and give you some time to get everyone together, once you let me know you're ready I'll cut a bigger hole and we can all get out to my sub."
"I think that sounds doable." The voice that as talking to him was hesitant, but was trying to sound brave. They were all scared, he could tell.
Gordon grabbed a dozen rebreathers—they were packed small enough he could put them all in a small bag on his side—and headed out.
The ship was sinking fast and he took a quick glance up, but found no attempt at a rescue from those above him. He slipped on his welding suit and went to work. The outer haul opened up to a fully flooded corridor, but the walls of the ship had already started to buckle. It wasn't made for the pressure of the depths, he would have to hurry to get them out of there before the whole thing decided to implode on itself.
"John, they've changed the layout of the ship. Can you give me directions to the compartment the people are in?"
"I'm on it." John's voice was as always level and steady, the thing they all needed, rescuer and victim alike.
Gordon looked one way and then another, not sure which way to go. He decided to go left. John was taking a bit too long, usually he'd have the information in moments, but WASP was horrible about keeping everything a secret. Gordon continued down the corridor and found a set of stairs. He figured he was possibly on the middle deck, but he wasn't sure if he needed to go down or up, or even if he needed to stay on the same level.
"John, talk to me."
"I'm here, Gordon. I'm having trouble. That hydrofoil is one of their new ones, I'm not able to get access."
"So I'm on my own then."
"I'm still here and I've got my scans."
"Help me then. Do I need to go up or down?"
"Down. Probably only one level though."
"Probably? You got to do better than that."
"I'm rewriting the code for the scanner as we speak."
"That's my Johnny boy."
"Gordon." John whined a little at Gordon's nick-names.
"Now you know how I feel." It was Virgil, sticking his nose in. "You need to hurry it up. We're starting to get more slack about being here."
"I'll be out as soon as I find them." He was at the bottom of the stairs, and heading down the corridor before him.
"You're getting close. I've refined the scans and they're below you."
"Not good news, John."
"Sorry, Gordon."
"No time to go back though, I'll have to get to them from here." Gordon stopped and pushed open a nearby door. It was a control room, lined with computers around the perimeter but empty in the middle. It was perfect. He swam down to the floor and knocked. He knew they may not be able to reach the ceiling. He knocked again and was quiet. It took too long, was he really above them? Where John's scans accurate? Of course they were, this was John, John was perfection and if it wasn't he made it so it was.
Another slow minute passed and finally a soft knock on the floor below him. He pulled out his cutting torch and went to work. He was only making a small hole, just big enough to send the extra rebreathers through, then he would cover it up and let the pressure of the water seal it. He had the bag next to the hole, as soon as the metal popped free he would would cover it with the piece of metal he had found floating in the room.
It didn't take long, the water started rushing into the room and he threw the bag in and then laid the metal sheet over it, sealing it. He waited patiently, but he could feel the pressure changing, had to get them out as soon as possible. It seemed to take them forever, but finally there was another knock on the floor below him.
Gordon took the piece of metal off the floor and let the water rush in, it would be an easier cut with the water already there. It took him several minutes, but finally the final cut was there, and the hole opened up. He was met with six bodies, all moving and happy to see him. They wore the rebreathers—which were just makeshift helmets tied around their heads. They had basic communications ability, but the range was very limited.
"Everyone doing okay?"
"Yeah, thanks, buddy." The first guy he saw reached out for his hand. "We'd be goners if it hadn't been for you."
"Hey, I know you!" It was someone from the back of the group, and the others moved over so he could move to the front of the group. "You're Gordon Tracy."
"That's me!" Gordon smiled at him, but then looked closer. "Do I know you?"
"Not personally." The man was more of a boy, still had a baby face to him. "I think you knew my sister though."
"Ah, it's quite possible." Gordon was on tough ground, was this a sister he had flirted with and did not appreciate his attentions, or was this a sister he had dated a few times but got bored with. "We can catch up once we're out of here."
"Yeah, I think we all would appreciate that." The cadet smiled.
"Alright, everyone through the hole and out the door, to your right, up the stairs and then to your left. There is a hole in the side of the ship and my little yellow sup is holding on nearby." Gordon rattled off the instructions as he waved the last of the crew past him. He ducked into the hole to make sure there weren't any left and then followed after them.
The metal around him was staring to creak and whine even louder as he made his way to the stairs. The crew had just made it to the stairs and seemed to be waiting on him. He was just about to wave them on when the ship took a tumble knocking them all about.
"Keep going! The airlock is open and waiting on you." Gordon pushed the crew closest to him forward urging them to keep going. The sounds of the metal was getting more and more prominent, and it was starting to scare even Gordon.
"Gordon, how's it going?"
"I've got the crew out, John, and we're heading back to Four."
"You better hurry, I'm not sure how much longer the ship is going to last."
"You don't have to tell m—"
The wall was there again. It had been almost a year since he had last seen it. A blissful wall free year. It was there though, rivets and all. He thought he was over it, thought it was gone for good, but there it was. Gordon wanted to cry, wanted to curl up in a ball and just cry. He couldn't move though, could barely breath.
He knew he wasn't in that hydrofoil. He was in a different one and damn it, it wasn't going to happen again. He tried to take a deep breath, tried to stop himself from hyperventilating. It wasn't working, so he held his breath. Held it for a moment, then a second, and finally he had control again. The wall was still there though and Gordon closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see it anymore.
It was still there, burned into his eyelids. He screamed, frustrated. He didn't know what to do. How to get himself out of the situation.
"Listen, Gordon, I'm not a therapist but I want to help." It was Virgil's low calm voice. When had he said this? "If you are ever confused, frustrated, or just don't know what to do. Talk to me. Even if I'm not there, talk to me."
"What good would it be to talk to you if you're not there?"
"Because even if I can't year you, and you can't hear me. I'm here, and here." Virgil was pointing to his chest, and his head. "Whether you want me there or not."
They were floating, up on Five, just days before their first mission.
"What if my brain shuts down, what if I'm the cause of a failed rescue?"
"Just talk. Whatever is going on in your mind, talk it out." Virgil was keeping his distance, but Gordon could tell that he wanted to pull him into a hug. He wasn't too much different from Scott—hugs were therapy in their minds.
"I'm not sure that would work." Gordon pushed himself down to the floor, watching the Earth below them.
"How do you know?"
"I just don't see the point in it."
Virgil just sighed and pushed him down so that he was on the same level as Gordon. "The point is that you're not alone. Never. You have four brothers, a father, a grandmother, and two friends that care about you and want to help. You've done nothing for the past month but push us all away. Hell, I doubt you've even talked to Kayo or Brains."
"I can't let Kayo see me like this, and I made a fool of myself in front of Brains."
"Kayo has seen you." Virgil cracked a bit of a smile. "You really haven't been hiding it all that well."
Gordon groaned. Talking to his brothers was hard enough, how was he supposed to talk to Kayo?
"Hey, that doesn't mean you have to. You don't have to tell anyone. It's your choice."
Gordon wasn't looking at his brother, had his knees pulled up and his head on them still looking down at the world below.
"As for Brains."
Gordon felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up a little. Virgil was just smiling at him, holding out one of their tablets.
"He's been dieing to show you this."
"What is it?" Gordon took the tablet and looked at the schematic displayed. "Is this…"
"New equipment for you, using your ideas. Two tanks on your back, half the size of the current ones. They're small enough that he was able to mount them directly on your utility sash." Virgil was next to him, his face bright with excitement at the new gear. "Your regulator will be attached to your uniform, and be able to snap into your helmet or used directly." He was leaning over and zooming in, pointing out the details as he did. "He loved your idea for putting the sensors and the scrubbers in the hose. Said he would have never thought to do that himself."
"But, he's a genius." Gordon was staring at the schematics blankly. "How could I have an idea better than—than this!" He waved at the station around them.
"Because he's a jack of all trades."
"And a master of all."
Virgil laughed. "Not quite. He has issues sometimes concentrating on one thing. He'll be working on one problem and that will lead to a solution to a different problem elsewhere. He didn't make the birds one at a time, but kind of all at the same time." He took the tablet from Gordon and started flipping through it and brought up his old equipment. "When he was working on your stuff, he was lost. He did research and tried to improve upon it as best as he could, but he really didn't know much about underwater stuff. He had no idea that filter you showed him was as good as it was because it wasn't used outside of marine equipment."
"But four is amazing!"
"Yeah, and it was made more like a space craft than a submarine. He had to do some new stuff to make it withstand the pressure, but—" Virgil just shrugged.
Gordon took the tablet back and flipped back to the new equipment. "I'm still not sure I'm going to be able to do this."
"I know. And doubt is a hard thing to push away."
"How would you know?"
"I have an older brother who is the best pilot on the planet, another one who has regular arguments with scholars in the fields of coding, physics, and space—I swear he just needs to write a few books and they'd stop bugging him. Then I have this awesome little brother who, at the age of sixteen, broke—no, smashed an olympic record that had been untouched for fifty-one years. On top of that I have another little brother who is so smart he doesn't even know where to concentrate his efforts. Hell, he could be another Brains if he would just study a bit more." Virgil looked back over at Gordon and shrugged. "I'm just the middle brother. A plain old mechanical engineer."
Gordon couldn't help but let his mouth drop open. Did he just—did he actually think—was he insane? Gordon jumped to his feet forgetting they were in zero-g and about banged his head into the ceiling. "Are you crazy! You helped build these machines and you think you're just a plain old engineer? Jeez, Virgil, I knew you were dim, but come on. Not only did you graduate top in your class, you are almost on par with Brains when it comes to engineering. Not only that, but you are also a concert pianist and an artist! You've sold art at showings even, and don't think I didn't know about that concert you turned down while I was in the hospital."
The smile of Virgil's lips was small, hesitant and he refused to look up at Gordon as he pushed himself away from the floor. "I sold one painting, and the concert was just a showcase of local talent in Kansas."
"Still more than some people. And you would have sold more and played more if you hadn't held back and went to collage."
"Gordon, this isn't about me."
"Yes it is, it's about both of us." Gordon pushed himself toward Virgil and poked him in the chest. "Do you realize what we're doing? We're both doubting ourselves when in actuality we're both pretty awesome."
"That we are."
Gordon watched as Virgil's smile widened and then couldn't help but laugh as he was pulled into one of Virgil's famous bear hugs.
"Remember though, talk to me. I'll always be there to listen."
Gordon nodded his head and buried it a little in Virgil's chest.
Gordon was cold—he could use one of Virgil's bear hugs about now. He opened his eyes and a wall was in front of him. It was gray like his memory but no rivets. It wasn't the same wall, but a wall none the less. "Virgil? Can you hear me?"
"I'm right here, Gordon."
"You said you would be."
"I don't break promises."
"What happened?"
"The ship hit the seabed, rocky portion to boot. Are you still inside?"
"Yeah, stuck, I think."
"Are you okay?"
Gordon took a moment to check. He could feel his feet—a bit of anxiety released with that realization. He could feel all of his limbs, and he could breath, he wasn't pinned, but he was stuck. "I'm okay, I think. I can wiggle around, but it's a tight squeeze and I can't get a good hold on anything to pull myself with."
"Alright, just hold on, someone is coming in to get you."
"Who?" Gordon stopped moving and looked up as if he'd be able to see his brother by doing so.
"One of the crew members has volunteered to go back in."
"Are they crazy?"
"About as crazy as you. Plus he said something about you not dying like this. That it can't happen. Did you know one of them?"
"One of them knows me, but I don't know how."
"Well he looks up to you, should be getting close to you by now."
Gordon looked up as a light flashed across what was left of the corridor. "Hey, over here!"
"Thank goodness. The guy above said you were still alive but you didn't answer him for a long time. We were all getting worried." He was decked out in some of the extra gear that was stored in his bird, a cutting torch on his shoulder.
"Don't. Even if I didn't make it, they could have brought Four back up remotely." Gordon was smiling at the young man, curiosity burning in him as to why he knew him.
"No, it wasn't that. It was you. You survived the last hydrofoil crash. It wouldn't be right for you not to survive this one." His smile faded as he looked around Gordon to take in his situation.
"What are they teaching you at WASP now? For all I know, I could have been the cause of it."
"No, you weren't." There was determination in his eyes at that and Gordon couldn't help but quiet down and listen. "There was something that got caught in one of the rudders that caused cascading errors throughout the ship."
"How do you—"
"It was one of the first things I looked up when I joined." He pulled the cutting torch up next to him, his target chosen. "My sister was on the bridge with you when it happened."
"Your—Cindy?"
"Yeah, she was an awesome big sis."
"Look, I'm sorry. There wasn't—"
"Hey, I don't blame you. I'm sure you were both doing all you could to keep it from happening." He had started up the torch and was slowly cutting through one of the supports that had trapped Gordon.
"It still may be my fault. She was just about to cut the engines—the emergency breaks, let us slow down on our own, but I had her wait a second. I wanted to try something, but—"
The metal broke away and he held his hand out to Gordon. "You saved six people, then."
Gordon took his hand and was able to pull himself out of the tight space. He still had the young man's hand, but was looking at him, searching, trying to find the lie in the statement.
"The engine was overheating. Had she hit the breaks the whole ship would have exploded. Then, no one would have survived."
Gordon was still staring, he knew he had to be lying. There was no way a cadet would have access to that knowledge. The creak of the ship around them brought Gordon out of his own mind. "We need to talk, but first let's get out of here."
He nodded and led the way. They made their way safely out to Four and boarded the sub. Once Gordon was sure his passengers were safe and secure he took off for the surface, docking with the module.
They were on their way to land—WASP officials were not happy with what Gordon had done, and were apparently arguing with their father about his actions. Gordon had other things on his mind. Five of the trapped crew members were in the med bay taking care of their own minor injuries. Gordon had brought the young man who had helped him to the cockpit to get answers from him.
Gordon sat down with a groan which received sharp look from Virgil, but Gordon held up his hand and motioned for the young man to sit down. "How do you know what happened on the hydrofoil? The accident report was sealed."
"One of the captains knew who I was. He knew Cindy was my sister."
"Wait, Cindy? The girl you were flirt—"
"One in the same." Gordon glared at Virgil. "Go on."
"He caught me trying to hack into the system. Instead of punishing me, he accessed the file and let me read it." He was sitting behind Virgil, wringing his hands. "I read it probably a dozen times or more. I tried to memorize as much as I could. It was good to know it was nothing she had done, that she hadn't caused the crash. That was when I found out about you. I mean, I knew someone else was on the bridge as well, but didn't have a name."
"So the crash wasn't caused by anyone on the bridge?" Virgil was staring straight forward, and Gordon could see his hands tighten on the yoke.
"No. It was an accident."
Gordon let out the breath he had been holding, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a bit. He could see Virgil's shoulders slacken a little as well. "Did you join WASP just to find the report?"
"It was part of the reason, but I also wanted to continue my sister's dream. She wanted to help people, to do good in the world. Now, though, I'm not sure I trust WASP."
"I know how that feels." Gordon rolled his eyes.
"We're approaching WASP base and they are begrudgingly letting us land. I hope they don't take what we did out on you." Virgil flashed a smile back at the young man.
"Yeah, knowing them they could get all mad at you for letting yourselves be rescued against orders." Gordon laughed and was glad when the kid laughed right back.
They were all back on the island, sitting in the lounge, and looking at their father. Gordon was tense. He wasn't sure what his punishment would be for defying orders, wasn't sure what his father had to deal with because of his own actions, but he was sure that it had been stressful—he could see it still on his father's face.
"Gordon."
Gordon jumped a little at his name, but took in a deep breath and stood up to face his father. It had been his decision and he would take the consequences that came with it. "Yes, sir."
"You went silent for ten minutes during the rescue. Explain."
That wasn't the question he had been expecting, but took in a breath and answered anyways. "When the ship crashed on the sea bed I became trapped. That trigged memories from my accident. I couldn't move from fear, and had trouble breathing."
"I cannot afford for this to happen if it is poss—"
"I know." Gordon took in a deep breath. Interrupting his father was never a good idea, but he just nodded his head, allowing him to continue. Gordon quickly looked over at Virgil and then Scott, each brother nodded at him in encouragement. "Just talk. That was what Virgil told me to do. That's what I did. Had I not started to talk, I don't think I would have come out of it. I just started talking to Virgil, telling him what was going on and I was able to bring myself back to the situation at hand. I can't guarantee that it won't ever happen again, but as long as I just talk, and allow Virgil, or Alan, or Scott, or even John to ground me, I think it will be okay."
"I imagine it had a lot to do with this particular situation." Virgil was at his shoulder, always there to back him up.
"Yeah, I was a bit nervous going into the rescue as well, but I couldn't just let them die."
"I think you and Virgil have found a good solution to your issue, but if it ever gets worse again, you have to promise to let me know, let all of us know."
"I don't think that will be an issue, but if it is, I will let you know."
"I'm glad to hear it." His father smiled at him and pushed himself away from the desk. "How bout dinner, I'm starving."
Gordon blinked, his shoulders still tense. "Aren't I going to be punished? I went against orders."
"You did exactly what I would have done. You save the crew, and yes, WASP is a little peeved at us, but they're not pressing charges so, you got off this time." His father smiled as he passed him heading for the stairs.
Gordon could feel his muscles relax and slumped a little. He could sense Virgil still standing behind him, and didn't resist when he pulled him into a hug.
"You had me worried for a bit."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. You were awesome out there." He let go and went to follow their father down to the kitchen.
"Gordon." Scott was still standing by their father's desk but took the few steps down into the sitting area putting a hand on Gordon's shoulder. "We wouldn't have been able to save them if you hadn't been there."
"I'm sure Virgil or Alan—"
"No. You were meant to be part of this organization, and this is proof of that." Scott pulled him into a quick tight hug. "If your mind ever wants you to think differently, let me know. I'll kick it back in gear."
"Right. Thanks." Gordon couldn't help but smile a little as his brother let him go and headed downstairs as well.
"Gordon."
Gordon jumped, he hadn't realized that John was still floating behind him. "You too?"
"Is that bad?"
"Nah." Gordon shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the floor.
"Don't be ashamed, you were a professional out there. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks." Gordon looked up and smiled at John who gave him a little salute before disappearing.
"Gordon?"
"You too squirt? You weren't even on the rescue." Gordon turned to where Alan was still sitting, his knees drawn up to his chest.
"We really are doing dangerous work, aren't we?"
"Yeah, but I'm not ready to make friends with death just yet. We'll save thousands—no millions of people before any one of us leaves." Gordon reached over and ruffled Alan's hair. "Come on, let's get something to eat."
They both stood and started toward the stairs that headed into the kitchen, but where stopped by the rest of their family making their way back to the top.
"Alright, John, bring up the information." Their father was at his desk again, a map displayed over the table.
"The earthquake was a 7.0, and while many of the taller buildings seem to have withstood the tremor there are many buildings that are over a hundred years old that did not." John was hovering next to the map, updating the imagery as the information became available.
"Have you made offers for help yet?" Scott was once again by their father's desk, his arms crossed.
"Yes, but they think they can handle it at the mom—whoa, that's not good." John's eyes widened as he read the new information.
"What is it?" Gordon and Alan had walked back down to the couches to sit and listen.
"There is a twenty-five meter tsunami heading straight for the coast along Chiba prefecture. I'm getting requests from several local authorities asking for assistance. They don't think they'll be able to evacuate everyone in time."
Their father stood up and clapped his hands together. "Alright boys! Everyone head out. Thunderbirds are go!"