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Trial By Fire Part One
0 reviewsAfter participating in a rescue at a US research base John begin's experiencing strange and amazing side effects.
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Chapter Twelve: Trial By Fire Part One
Thunderbird Five
A Few Minutes Earlier
Alan Tracy jumped a mile when the communications panel on the wall of Thunderbird Five's kitchen/dining area bleeped indicating an emergency signal was being received. Typical, he thought, just when I'm sitting down to have my lunch the alarm goes off.
With a sigh he stood up the table leaving behind the salad that he had just made himself before heading for the control room at a run.
It took him only moments to reach Thunderbird Five's control room and move over to the communications station as a desperate voice came over the radio.
"Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue, please respond," a half-panicked male voice said. "International Rescue if you hear me please respond." Alan took a second to compose himself properly then he picked up the small microphone with one hand and pressed the button that opened the channel.
"This is International Rescue space station receiving your signal," he said into the microphone.
"Oh thank god I thought I would never get through," the man's voice replied immediately sounding calmer but not by much. "My name is Jonathan Fraiser I'm the managing director of Transcontinental Chemicals plant outside Sydney, Australia. We are in desperate need of your assistance."
"How can we help," Alan asked.
"There has been an explosion here at the plant. Several workers are trapped on one of the main buildings by fire and debris. The fire is spreading rapidly and its heading right for the main storage tanks if it reaches them this whole place will go up."
"What do you manufacture," Alan asked knowing it was important that they knew what they could be dealing with as they tried to save the trapped workers and put out the fire.
"It's a refinery and processing plant. We refine both alsterene and extract deuterium from sea water."
Alan flinched hearing that on there own alsterene and deuterium were volatile materials and both were highly flammable, especially deuterium since it was after all an isotope of hydrogen. If either alsterene or deuterium exploded on there own they would produce a hell of a big bang, together they would go off with the same explosive force as a tactical nuclear weapon, or in other words with enough force to wipe a large part of Sydney off the face of the Earth.
"Situation understood," Alan said at last.
"Can you help us," Fraiser asked.
"We will certainly try," Alan replied. "Stand by to hear from us on this channel."
"Understood International Rescue. Standing by."
Alan pressed the control that put Mr Fraiser on hold then opened a channel to Tracy Island and sent the emergency signal. When he was not answered immediately Alan frowned, that wasn't like his family, normally there was at least one person in the main sitting room to answer a call. He couldn't help but wonder if the sudden absence had something to do with John and the nanite things inside him. Alan pressed the button again sending a second signal to Tracy Island. He pressed a side button that set the signal to auto-repeat it would continue to sound until someone answered him.
Finally the call was answered and his father's face appeared on the communications screen, his father looking slightly out of breath, clearly having run to the main room.
"Go ahead Alan," his father's voice said.
***
Main Sitting Room
Tracy Island, A Few Moments Earlier
Jeff Tracy hurried over to his desk gasping slightly from the run to the main sitting room from the gym. At the back of his mind he was conscious though that a run like that once would not have bothered him. Need to spend more time in the gym Jefferson, he told himself, you're getting out of shape.
Getting his breath back as much as he could he pressed the button to answer the call and Alan's portrait vanished to be replaced by a live video transmission.
"Go ahead Alan," Jeff said, quietly hoping like his sons that this emergency was going to be something minor but having the strangest feeling that in this instance he was going to be wrong.
"Father I've just received a distress call from the manager of the Transcontinental Chemicals plant outside Sydney, Australia," Alan replied. Listening in Scott, Virgil, Gordon and John winced slightly. A rescue at a big industrial facility like a chemical plant was always tricky to say the least. "There has been an explosion and people are trapped in one of the main buildings by debris and fire. From the managing directors voice it sounds like the whole place is an inferno, and there is another problem. The fire is heading for the main chemical storage tanks at the centre of the plant. The plant is a refinery and processing facility for deuterium and alsterene." Ouch, Jeff thought.
"Oh my god," Virgil said. "If the fire reaches those tanks..." Virgil didn't need to finish as they all knew what would happen if the fire reached those tanks, that the resultant explosion would be like a small nuke going off.
After a moment of horrified silence Jeff spoke up.
"Alan tell them that we are on our way," he said at last. "Scott away you go."
"Yes father," Scott and Alan replied in unison. Alan disappeared from his screen replaced by the image of his portrait while Scott moved over to the wall lights that concealed the entrance to Thunderbird One's silo. Grasping the wall lights with both hands he held on tight as the mechanism engaged and the wall swivelled around and the main room disappeared from his view to be replaced by the sight of Thunderbird One standing a few feat in front of him.
Scott smiled softly and stepped forward onto the lift platform that would take him across to the side of his beloved Thunderbird.
***
John watched Scott leave then he turned to look at his father just as Jeff spoke to Virgil.
"Virgil away you go you will need pod five," Jeff said. "Take Gordon with you."
"Yes father," Virgil replied.
"Sure dad," Gordon added.
John watched as Virgil started to move over to the rocket that hid the chute to Thunderbird Two while Gordon started to leave the room for the passenger lift. Thinking about the situation John realised that there best chance of stopping the fire and rescuing the trapped workers would be if he went as well. Then there would be the maximum number of crew on Thunderbird Two and that would mean more hands available so more machines could be operated at once.
"Father," John said before Virgil could reach the rocket portrait or Gordon could completely leave the room. Both paused in their movement to hear what John was going to say though they both had a very good idea what he was going to say.
"Yes John," Jeff asked looking at John in curiosity wondering what John was going to say.
"I should go as well," John replied inwardly bracing himself to be told that he couldn't go.
Jeff looked at John intently considering what to do, he could tell that John really wanted to on this mission and he could see the merit of John going on the rescue. Under any other circumstances he wouldn't hesitate to send John on the rescue. But in the aftermath of the rescue at that military research base in Nevada things were not normal for John. Until John was fully capable of controlling the abilities that his accidental infusion with nanites had given him he didn't really want to risk sending him out in the field. Yet he could also see what John could see. An additional pair of hands in the danger zone could make all the differences between saving the trapped workers and stopping the fire and the plant blowing up and destroying half of Sydney in the process.
John waited patiently for his father's decision mentally crossing his fingers hoping his father would let him go. He could understand why his father would not want him to go and the truth be told he was a bit nervous about going on a rescue now that his body had abilities that he still did not completely know or understand.
Standing nearby Virgil and Gordon also waited for Jeff to make his decision. After a few more moments of silence, broken only by a distant humming of powerful motors as the swimming pool that hid the top of Thunderbird One's silo was being pulled back, Jeff finally looked straight at John.
"All right John you can go," he said at last. "But be careful and stop immediately if you start feeling tired." John sighed in relief and smiled.
"I'll be careful dad thanks," John replied already deciding that on the way to the passenger lift to Thunderbird Two he would quickly nip into the storeroom for the kitchen and grab some protein bars, just to ensure that the nanites in him didn't run out of energy midway through the rescue which would be inconvenient to say the least.
Still smiling John started to leave the room even as sounding extremely loud to his enhanced hearing the roar of rocket engines could be heard as Thunderbird One blasted off. Gordon matched his pace and together the two of them left the room.
Virgil watched them leave then headed for the rocket portrait. Leaning against it he waited for a moment then the portrait pivoted and Virgil slid on his back off the portrait onto the transport sled that would take him down his own personal thrill ride to Thunderbird Two.
***
A Short Time Later
Dressed in his uniform Virgil turned his head at the sound of the passenger lift arriving in Thunderbird Two. Looking at it he saw both Gordon and John in the lift, both in full uniform, though John also was holding what looked to be a protein bar.
"You two ready," Virgil asked them.
"As ready as well ever be," Gordon replied as himself and John moved to the passenger seats and sat down.
"Let's get going Virgil," John added. Virgil smiled and then turned back to his controls and pressed the commands that started the complex launch sequence for Thunderbird Two.
From the passenger seat he was sat in John kept his eyes focused on the front windows as the view outside started to change as first Thunderbird Two began to lower to embrace the selected pod. After a moment movement stopped and John watched as Virgil's experienced hands danced over the controls.
In the distance his enhanced hearing picked up a series of dull thuds as locking clamps engaged making the pod an integral part of Thunderbird Two's hull. Then slowly Thunderbird Two began moving again, this time moving forward.
John leaned back in his seat and undid the wrapping on his protein bar before taking a bite. He hoped that the protein bar on top of the large breakfast that they'd all eaten an hour ago would keep the nanites inside him operational for the duration of mission. As daylight began to appear ahead John sighed to himself and put all thoughts of the nanites that were now such a fundamental part of him from his mind. Instead he started thinking about the mission they were on and wondering what they might have to do to stop the fire at the refinery and save the trapped workers.
Enhanced
Chapter Twelve: Trial By Fire Part One
Thunderbird Five
A Few Minutes Earlier
Alan Tracy jumped a mile when the communications panel on the wall of Thunderbird Five's kitchen/dining area bleeped indicating an emergency signal was being received. Typical, he thought, just when I'm sitting down to have my lunch the alarm goes off.
With a sigh he stood up the table leaving behind the salad that he had just made himself before heading for the control room at a run.
It took him only moments to reach Thunderbird Five's control room and move over to the communications station as a desperate voice came over the radio.
"Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue, please respond," a half-panicked male voice said. "International Rescue if you hear me please respond." Alan took a second to compose himself properly then he picked up the small microphone with one hand and pressed the button that opened the channel.
"This is International Rescue space station receiving your signal," he said into the microphone.
"Oh thank god I thought I would never get through," the man's voice replied immediately sounding calmer but not by much. "My name is Jonathan Fraiser I'm the managing director of Transcontinental Chemicals plant outside Sydney, Australia. We are in desperate need of your assistance."
"How can we help," Alan asked.
"There has been an explosion here at the plant. Several workers are trapped on one of the main buildings by fire and debris. The fire is spreading rapidly and its heading right for the main storage tanks if it reaches them this whole place will go up."
"What do you manufacture," Alan asked knowing it was important that they knew what they could be dealing with as they tried to save the trapped workers and put out the fire.
"It's a refinery and processing plant. We refine both alsterene and extract deuterium from sea water."
Alan flinched hearing that on there own alsterene and deuterium were volatile materials and both were highly flammable, especially deuterium since it was after all an isotope of hydrogen. If either alsterene or deuterium exploded on there own they would produce a hell of a big bang, together they would go off with the same explosive force as a tactical nuclear weapon, or in other words with enough force to wipe a large part of Sydney off the face of the Earth.
"Situation understood," Alan said at last.
"Can you help us," Fraiser asked.
"We will certainly try," Alan replied. "Stand by to hear from us on this channel."
"Understood International Rescue. Standing by."
Alan pressed the control that put Mr Fraiser on hold then opened a channel to Tracy Island and sent the emergency signal. When he was not answered immediately Alan frowned, that wasn't like his family, normally there was at least one person in the main sitting room to answer a call. He couldn't help but wonder if the sudden absence had something to do with John and the nanite things inside him. Alan pressed the button again sending a second signal to Tracy Island. He pressed a side button that set the signal to auto-repeat it would continue to sound until someone answered him.
Finally the call was answered and his father's face appeared on the communications screen, his father looking slightly out of breath, clearly having run to the main room.
"Go ahead Alan," his father's voice said.
***
Main Sitting Room
Tracy Island, A Few Moments Earlier
Jeff Tracy hurried over to his desk gasping slightly from the run to the main sitting room from the gym. At the back of his mind he was conscious though that a run like that once would not have bothered him. Need to spend more time in the gym Jefferson, he told himself, you're getting out of shape.
Getting his breath back as much as he could he pressed the button to answer the call and Alan's portrait vanished to be replaced by a live video transmission.
"Go ahead Alan," Jeff said, quietly hoping like his sons that this emergency was going to be something minor but having the strangest feeling that in this instance he was going to be wrong.
"Father I've just received a distress call from the manager of the Transcontinental Chemicals plant outside Sydney, Australia," Alan replied. Listening in Scott, Virgil, Gordon and John winced slightly. A rescue at a big industrial facility like a chemical plant was always tricky to say the least. "There has been an explosion and people are trapped in one of the main buildings by debris and fire. From the managing directors voice it sounds like the whole place is an inferno, and there is another problem. The fire is heading for the main chemical storage tanks at the centre of the plant. The plant is a refinery and processing facility for deuterium and alsterene." Ouch, Jeff thought.
"Oh my god," Virgil said. "If the fire reaches those tanks..." Virgil didn't need to finish as they all knew what would happen if the fire reached those tanks, that the resultant explosion would be like a small nuke going off.
After a moment of horrified silence Jeff spoke up.
"Alan tell them that we are on our way," he said at last. "Scott away you go."
"Yes father," Scott and Alan replied in unison. Alan disappeared from his screen replaced by the image of his portrait while Scott moved over to the wall lights that concealed the entrance to Thunderbird One's silo. Grasping the wall lights with both hands he held on tight as the mechanism engaged and the wall swivelled around and the main room disappeared from his view to be replaced by the sight of Thunderbird One standing a few feat in front of him.
Scott smiled softly and stepped forward onto the lift platform that would take him across to the side of his beloved Thunderbird.
***
John watched Scott leave then he turned to look at his father just as Jeff spoke to Virgil.
"Virgil away you go you will need pod five," Jeff said. "Take Gordon with you."
"Yes father," Virgil replied.
"Sure dad," Gordon added.
John watched as Virgil started to move over to the rocket that hid the chute to Thunderbird Two while Gordon started to leave the room for the passenger lift. Thinking about the situation John realised that there best chance of stopping the fire and rescuing the trapped workers would be if he went as well. Then there would be the maximum number of crew on Thunderbird Two and that would mean more hands available so more machines could be operated at once.
"Father," John said before Virgil could reach the rocket portrait or Gordon could completely leave the room. Both paused in their movement to hear what John was going to say though they both had a very good idea what he was going to say.
"Yes John," Jeff asked looking at John in curiosity wondering what John was going to say.
"I should go as well," John replied inwardly bracing himself to be told that he couldn't go.
Jeff looked at John intently considering what to do, he could tell that John really wanted to on this mission and he could see the merit of John going on the rescue. Under any other circumstances he wouldn't hesitate to send John on the rescue. But in the aftermath of the rescue at that military research base in Nevada things were not normal for John. Until John was fully capable of controlling the abilities that his accidental infusion with nanites had given him he didn't really want to risk sending him out in the field. Yet he could also see what John could see. An additional pair of hands in the danger zone could make all the differences between saving the trapped workers and stopping the fire and the plant blowing up and destroying half of Sydney in the process.
John waited patiently for his father's decision mentally crossing his fingers hoping his father would let him go. He could understand why his father would not want him to go and the truth be told he was a bit nervous about going on a rescue now that his body had abilities that he still did not completely know or understand.
Standing nearby Virgil and Gordon also waited for Jeff to make his decision. After a few more moments of silence, broken only by a distant humming of powerful motors as the swimming pool that hid the top of Thunderbird One's silo was being pulled back, Jeff finally looked straight at John.
"All right John you can go," he said at last. "But be careful and stop immediately if you start feeling tired." John sighed in relief and smiled.
"I'll be careful dad thanks," John replied already deciding that on the way to the passenger lift to Thunderbird Two he would quickly nip into the storeroom for the kitchen and grab some protein bars, just to ensure that the nanites in him didn't run out of energy midway through the rescue which would be inconvenient to say the least.
Still smiling John started to leave the room even as sounding extremely loud to his enhanced hearing the roar of rocket engines could be heard as Thunderbird One blasted off. Gordon matched his pace and together the two of them left the room.
Virgil watched them leave then headed for the rocket portrait. Leaning against it he waited for a moment then the portrait pivoted and Virgil slid on his back off the portrait onto the transport sled that would take him down his own personal thrill ride to Thunderbird Two.
***
A Short Time Later
Dressed in his uniform Virgil turned his head at the sound of the passenger lift arriving in Thunderbird Two. Looking at it he saw both Gordon and John in the lift, both in full uniform, though John also was holding what looked to be a protein bar.
"You two ready," Virgil asked them.
"As ready as well ever be," Gordon replied as himself and John moved to the passenger seats and sat down.
"Let's get going Virgil," John added. Virgil smiled and then turned back to his controls and pressed the commands that started the complex launch sequence for Thunderbird Two.
From the passenger seat he was sat in John kept his eyes focused on the front windows as the view outside started to change as first Thunderbird Two began to lower to embrace the selected pod. After a moment movement stopped and John watched as Virgil's experienced hands danced over the controls.
In the distance his enhanced hearing picked up a series of dull thuds as locking clamps engaged making the pod an integral part of Thunderbird Two's hull. Then slowly Thunderbird Two began moving again, this time moving forward.
John leaned back in his seat and undid the wrapping on his protein bar before taking a bite. He hoped that the protein bar on top of the large breakfast that they'd all eaten an hour ago would keep the nanites inside him operational for the duration of mission. As daylight began to appear ahead John sighed to himself and put all thoughts of the nanites that were now such a fundamental part of him from his mind. Instead he started thinking about the mission they were on and wondering what they might have to do to stop the fire at the refinery and save the trapped workers.
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