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Chapter Nineteen: Eruption Part One

Mount Baker Base Camp

One Hour Later

Doctor Kyle Norman's head jerked up to look in the direction of Mount Baker as the three thousand two hundred and eighty five metre tall volcano emitted another ominous rumbling sound. Even with the unaided eye he could see that the amount of smoke being emitted from the summit crater was getting thicker and darker. I hope International Rescue gets here soon, he thought eyeing Mount Baker nervously. We don't have long before that beast really starts to blow its stack.

Abruptly a rumbling noise filled the air and the ground beneath his feet began trembling. Harmonic tremor, he thought a millisecond before the ground lurched and knocked him off his feet to hit the ground hard. From all around he heard the screams shouts of his field unit as the tremor knocked them off there feet as well. Amidst the rumbling of the tremor and the shouts a harsh snapped, cracking sound could be heard, and one of his team emitted a scream that faded after a second, to be followed by a thud and a pained yelp.

Finally the tremor subsided and Kyle picked himself up off the ground and looked around for the other five members of his field unit. The tremor had caused a huge crack to open up in the ground, almost completely slicing their base camp in half. A number of trees had been toppled by the quake, and one of the trailers had fallen into the gash in the ground and was lying on its side. He could see four of his team sprawled around the place, picking themselves up off the ground where they had been thrown like toys by the tremor. But he couldn't see the fifth member, the geoscience student Marcus Haliwell who was on a year's internship with them.

"Marcus where are you," he called out. "Marcus?"

A pained groan came within the wide deep gash in the ground. Kyle's head jerked around to look at the gash.

"Marcus?" he called out again hesitant this time. Please don't tell me that Marcus has fallen down into the ditch, he thought.

"Help me," Marcus answered his voice faint and thick with pain but coming from the direction of the gash.

"Marcus," Kyle said in alarm moving forwards hearing all around the rest of his team rushing forwards as well. Kyle reached the edge of the great rip in the ground and peered down into the fissure that the earthquake had opened.

"Where is he I can't see him," he said looking with increasing alarm.

"I can he's pinned," Jessica Henson called from a short distance to his left. Kyle immediately headed over to her and followed her gaze and winced at what he was.

Sure enough there was Marcus. He was lying at the base of the fissure, he had obviously been thrown down there during the tremor, and the fallen trailer had him pinned from halfway down his thighs. Marcus looked up at them his handsome, youthful features contorted in pain and mortal terror.

"Help me," Marcus said.


"We will," Kyle replied, "we'll get you out of there." Somehow, he thought to himself wondering how on Earth they were going to get Marcus out of his predicament before Mount Baker erupted.

Abruptly a new sound, an artificial sound, caught his attention, the sound of jet engines of somekind. Kyle looked up to see what to his eyes had to be the most beautiful sight in the world. A incredibly sleek, silver, red and blue rocket-like aircraft had appeared seemingly from nowhere. There here, he thought in pure relief knowing that all of them including Marcus would soon be safe, International Rescue are here.

***

Thunderbird One

John carefully studied the scene before and below him with the aide of Thunderbird One's powerful sensors. Things did not look good, the amount of smoke coming from Mount Bakers crater was increasing in thickness and getting hotter as the molten rock in the volcanoes throat rose ever closer to the surface. The amounts of sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and other volcanic gasses in the smoke were also increasing. Though he was no vulcanologist John knew that was not a good sign, Mount Baker was definitely going to erupt, and erupt soon.

Another thing that the sensors were recording was worrying him as well. The glacier around the top of the mountain was warming up, the sensors showed clear increases in temperature, and the biggest increase in temperature was on the flank that fed into the Fraiser valley. History showed what happened when erupting magma met glacial ice, a flood of biblical proportions and volcanic mudflows that destroyed everything in their path. There were a number of towns and cities in the Fraiser valley, though thankfully the government in a well-rehearsed plan was currently evacuating them. I just hope they get everyone out in time, John thought, when this beast erupts it will melt the glacier and send a massive mudflow down that valley.

After a moment John sighed and turned the sensors down on the valley below him and the USGS field camp. A concerned frown appeared on his face as the ground scan revealed that the camp had been almost completely sliced in half by one of the harmonic tremors that now frequently shaking the area as Mount Baker awoke from its sleep. The trailers had been sent sprawling one lying on its side in the crack in the ground that according to his sensors was nearly three metres deep. A cluster of life signs was around the edge of the gash and another seemed to be down inside it, someone had fallen down in it. Obviously that person couldn't get out even though three metres was not that far to climb out. I better get down there and check it out, John thought, but first I need to find out how much time were likely to have.

"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five," he said into the radio. Immediately his communications screen lit up with a real time image of his youngest brother and fellow astronaut.

"Go ahead John," Alan replied immediately.

"Have you been able to establish that link with the USGS seismology centre?" John asked.

"I have and I've been monitoring the readings from the sensors around Mount Baker from here," Alan answered. "One of the seismologists told me what to look for in the readings it doesn't look good."

"How much time do we have?"

"I can't be sure as you know volcanoes are notoriously unpredictable but we the harmonic tremors are swarming and getting more and more frequent. We're also picking up what the seismologist termed long period tremors, they appear to show that the magma pressure inside Mount Baker is increasing exponentially."

"Do you have any idea how long we have?" John asked not liking what Alan was telling him at all, increasing harmonic tremors and increasing pressure confirmed that a massive amount of molten rock was moving under Mount Baker, getting ever closer to the surface.

"I've run the data through the stations computer, the model indicates that the eruption could come anytime in the next five hours," Alan replied. "I can't be anymore precise than that John sorry."

"It's alright," John answered. "Keep an eye on it for me will you."

"I will," Alan acknowledged. "I will give you as much warning as I can before the eruption begins."

"F-A-B, Alan. I'll head in to land now."

"F-A-B, John. Good luck."

"Thanks Alan. We're definitely going to need it on this one." Alan nodded and vanished from the communications screen as he cut the transmission from his end. John sighed and turned his attention to the complex procedure of landing Thunderbird One.

***

Mount Baker Base Camp

Kyle watched as finally after a few minutes of just hovering there in the air, the haze sunlight getting through the clouds and smoke rising from the mountain glimmering off its hull, the Thunderbird began to move again. As he watched the machine descended with a roaring of VTOL jets, even that motion seemed to be incredibly graceful. In moments she landed and the VTOL jets shut down.

For a moment nothing more happened then a small slot opened in the side of the machine and a ladder deployed, a moment before a hatch in the side opened. A tall blond haired man in the familiar, globally recognised, blue uniform of International Rescue appeared in the hatchway, before climbing down out of his aircraft.

Kyle walked up to meet him as the handsome young man who he guessed to be in his mid-twenties turned to look at him.

"Thank goodness you're here," Kyle said in greeting. "I'm Doctor Kyle Norman we are in desperate need of you're help."

"My name is John," John responded. "Before I get my equipment out of Thunderbird One will you give me a quick rundown on the situation." Kyle nodded.

"As you can see the most recent tremor opened a fissure in the ground right across the camp," Kyle explained. "One of my team Marcus - he's on a years internship with us - was thrown into the gash during the quake. One of the trailers fell in as well has him pinned from midway down his thighs. I have no idea how we're going to get him out of there, from the amount of smoke coming out of the crater we don't have much time before Mount Baker erupts."

"I am aware of that," John replied. "One of my colleagues is monitoring the data feeds from the sensors around the mountain, he'll be keeping me updated. Thunderbird Two is on its way here now with heavy rescue gear, as soon as they arrive we'll see what we can do. In the meantime would you mind giving me a hand with my equipment."

"No problem," Kyle answered with a smile. "No, no problem at all. How long until Thunderbird Two gets here?"

"Only about ten minutes. Doctor worry Doctor Norman we'll get all of you out of here before the volcano blows its stack."

"I hope you're right John." So do I, John thought.

***

Thunderbird Two

Ten Minutes Later

Virgil grimaced as he guided Thunderbird Two in towards the landing co-ordinates in the clearing where the field camp was located. The amount of smoke coming out of the crater of Mount Baker had him worried. Very worried. He was no expert but he could tell that there time was short.

"That doesn't look good Virg," Gordon commented from the passenger seats behind him, but still easily able to see out of the front windshields. "I hope we can get these people out in time before that beast really wakes up. I hate rescues where a volcano is involved."

"You and me both Gordon," Virgil replied as he brought Thunderbird Two into a stationary hover over a clear area of the field camp below them, on the opposite side of the gash in the ground to Thunderbird One. "Took me two months to get all the ash out of here after the last time and fix all the little dents in the fuselage from where we got pelted with rocks."

"Yeah I remember. Scott, Brains and you were in a right foul mood for days after that rescue," Gordon answered as Virgil deployed the wheels and engaged the VTOL jets lowering Thunderbird Two out of the sky with a rumbling of power that was more felt than heard in here.

"You're the same when Thunderbird Four gets damaged or dirty in a rescue," Virgil reminded him.

"True. We're all very possessive and protective of our 'Birds." Gordon grinned and nodded just as a shudder momentarily went through the deck beneath them as Thunderbird Two landed.

Virgil cut the VTOL jets and secured Thunderbird Two's systems as much as he dared. He didn't completely secure as he normally would since he didn't know how much time they had before the eruption. If Mount Baker really started to erupt violently then they would have to get out of here really fast every second would count. Thankfully there was no danger of anyone stealing Thunderbird Two even if they did get onto the control deck, the handgrips on the steering wheel were equipped with sensors keyed to the DNA signature of authorised operators. No one other than one of the Tracy family would be able to get a Thunderbird to respond to them.

"Right were down," Virgil said standing up. "Let's get over to Mobile Control and see what plan John has come up with."

"F-A-B," Gordon replied standing up himself. "I hope it's not as crazy as some of the plans that Scott has been known to come up with." Virgil laughed.

"Knowing John it won't be. Come on," Virgil answered heading out of the control deck. Gordon smiled and followed. I hope whatever plan John's come up with is going to be easy to execute, he thought, because I honestly don't think that Mount Baker is going to give us a lot of time. Enhanced

Enhanced

Chapter Nineteen: Eruption Part One

Mount Baker Base Camp

One Hour Later

Doctor Kyle Norman's head jerked up to look in the direction of Mount Baker as the three thousand two hundred and eighty five metre tall volcano emitted another ominous rumbling sound. Even with the unaided eye he could see that the amount of smoke being emitted from the summit crater was getting thicker and darker. I hope International Rescue gets here soon, he thought eyeing Mount Baker nervously. We don't have long before that beast really starts to blow its stack.

Abruptly a rumbling noise filled the air and the ground beneath his feet began trembling. Harmonic tremor, he thought a millisecond before the ground lurched and knocked him off his feet to hit the ground hard. From all around he heard the screams shouts of his field unit as the tremor knocked them off there feet as well. Amidst the rumbling of the tremor and the shouts a harsh snapped, cracking sound could be heard, and one of his team emitted a scream that faded after a second, to be followed by a thud and a pained yelp.

Finally the tremor subsided and Kyle picked himself up off the ground and looked around for the other five members of his field unit. The tremor had caused a huge crack to open up in the ground, almost completely slicing their base camp in half. A number of trees had been toppled by the quake, and one of the trailers had fallen into the gash in the ground and was lying on its side. He could see four of his team sprawled around the place, picking themselves up off the ground where they had been thrown like toys by the tremor. But he couldn't see the fifth member, the geoscience student Marcus Haliwell who was on a year's internship with them.

"Marcus where are you," he called out. "Marcus?"

A pained groan came within the wide deep gash in the ground. Kyle's head jerked around to look at the gash.

"Marcus?" he called out again hesitant this time. Please don't tell me that Marcus has fallen down into the ditch, he thought.

"Help me," Marcus answered his voice faint and thick with pain but coming from the direction of the gash.

"Marcus," Kyle said in alarm moving forwards hearing all around the rest of his team rushing forwards as well. Kyle reached the edge of the great rip in the ground and peered down into the fissure that the earthquake had opened.

"Where is he I can't see him," he said looking with increasing alarm.

"I can he's pinned," Jessica Henson called from a short distance to his left. Kyle immediately headed over to her and followed her gaze and winced at what he was.

Sure enough there was Marcus. He was lying at the base of the fissure, he had obviously been thrown down there during the tremor, and the fallen trailer had him pinned from halfway down his thighs. Marcus looked up at them his handsome, youthful features contorted in pain and mortal terror.

"Help me," Marcus said.


"We will," Kyle replied, "we'll get you out of there." Somehow, he thought to himself wondering how on Earth they were going to get Marcus out of his predicament before Mount Baker erupted.

Abruptly a new sound, an artificial sound, caught his attention, the sound of jet engines of somekind. Kyle looked up to see what to his eyes had to be the most beautiful sight in the world. A incredibly sleek, silver, red and blue rocket-like aircraft had appeared seemingly from nowhere. There here, he thought in pure relief knowing that all of them including Marcus would soon be safe, International Rescue are here.

***

Thunderbird One

John carefully studied the scene before and below him with the aide of Thunderbird One's powerful sensors. Things did not look good, the amount of smoke coming from Mount Bakers crater was increasing in thickness and getting hotter as the molten rock in the volcanoes throat rose ever closer to the surface. The amounts of sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and other volcanic gasses in the smoke were also increasing. Though he was no vulcanologist John knew that was not a good sign, Mount Baker was definitely going to erupt, and erupt soon.

Another thing that the sensors were recording was worrying him as well. The glacier around the top of the mountain was warming up, the sensors showed clear increases in temperature, and the biggest increase in temperature was on the flank that fed into the Fraiser valley. History showed what happened when erupting magma met glacial ice, a flood of biblical proportions and volcanic mudflows that destroyed everything in their path. There were a number of towns and cities in the Fraiser valley, though thankfully the government in a well-rehearsed plan was currently evacuating them. I just hope they get everyone out in time, John thought, when this beast erupts it will melt the glacier and send a massive mudflow down that valley.

After a moment John sighed and turned the sensors down on the valley below him and the USGS field camp. A concerned frown appeared on his face as the ground scan revealed that the camp had been almost completely sliced in half by one of the harmonic tremors that now frequently shaking the area as Mount Baker awoke from its sleep. The trailers had been sent sprawling one lying on its side in the crack in the ground that according to his sensors was nearly three metres deep. A cluster of life signs was around the edge of the gash and another seemed to be down inside it, someone had fallen down in it. Obviously that person couldn't get out even though three metres was not that far to climb out. I better get down there and check it out, John thought, but first I need to find out how much time were likely to have.

"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Five," he said into the radio. Immediately his communications screen lit up with a real time image of his youngest brother and fellow astronaut.

"Go ahead John," Alan replied immediately.

"Have you been able to establish that link with the USGS seismology centre?" John asked.

"I have and I've been monitoring the readings from the sensors around Mount Baker from here," Alan answered. "One of the seismologists told me what to look for in the readings it doesn't look good."

"How much time do we have?"

"I can't be sure as you know volcanoes are notoriously unpredictable but we the harmonic tremors are swarming and getting more and more frequent. We're also picking up what the seismologist termed long period tremors, they appear to show that the magma pressure inside Mount Baker is increasing exponentially."

"Do you have any idea how long we have?" John asked not liking what Alan was telling him at all, increasing harmonic tremors and increasing pressure confirmed that a massive amount of molten rock was moving under Mount Baker, getting ever closer to the surface.

"I've run the data through the stations computer, the model indicates that the eruption could come anytime in the next five hours," Alan replied. "I can't be anymore precise than that John sorry."

"It's alright," John answered. "Keep an eye on it for me will you."

"I will," Alan acknowledged. "I will give you as much warning as I can before the eruption begins."

"F-A-B, Alan. I'll head in to land now."

"F-A-B, John. Good luck."

"Thanks Alan. We're definitely going to need it on this one." Alan nodded and vanished from the communications screen as he cut the transmission from his end. John sighed and turned his attention to the complex procedure of landing Thunderbird One.

***

Mount Baker Base Camp

Kyle watched as finally after a few minutes of just hovering there in the air, the haze sunlight getting through the clouds and smoke rising from the mountain glimmering off its hull, the Thunderbird began to move again. As he watched the machine descended with a roaring of VTOL jets, even that motion seemed to be incredibly graceful. In moments she landed and the VTOL jets shut down.

For a moment nothing more happened then a small slot opened in the side of the machine and a ladder deployed, a moment before a hatch in the side opened. A tall blond haired man in the familiar, globally recognised, blue uniform of International Rescue appeared in the hatchway, before climbing down out of his aircraft.

Kyle walked up to meet him as the handsome young man who he guessed to be in his mid-twenties turned to look at him.

"Thank goodness you're here," Kyle said in greeting. "I'm Doctor Kyle Norman we are in desperate need of you're help."

"My name is John," John responded. "Before I get my equipment out of Thunderbird One will you give me a quick rundown on the situation." Kyle nodded.

"As you can see the most recent tremor opened a fissure in the ground right across the camp," Kyle explained. "One of my team Marcus - he's on a years internship with us - was thrown into the gash during the quake. One of the trailers fell in as well has him pinned from midway down his thighs. I have no idea how we're going to get him out of there, from the amount of smoke coming out of the crater we don't have much time before Mount Baker erupts."

"I am aware of that," John replied. "One of my colleagues is monitoring the data feeds from the sensors around the mountain, he'll be keeping me updated. Thunderbird Two is on its way here now with heavy rescue gear, as soon as they arrive we'll see what we can do. In the meantime would you mind giving me a hand with my equipment."

"No problem," Kyle answered with a smile. "No, no problem at all. How long until Thunderbird Two gets here?"

"Only about ten minutes. Doctor worry Doctor Norman we'll get all of you out of here before the volcano blows its stack."

"I hope you're right John." So do I, John thought.

***

Thunderbird Two

Ten Minutes Later

Virgil grimaced as he guided Thunderbird Two in towards the landing co-ordinates in the clearing where the field camp was located. The amount of smoke coming out of the crater of Mount Baker had him worried. Very worried. He was no expert but he could tell that there time was short.

"That doesn't look good Virg," Gordon commented from the passenger seats behind him, but still easily able to see out of the front windshields. "I hope we can get these people out in time before that beast really wakes up. I hate rescues where a volcano is involved."

"You and me both Gordon," Virgil replied as he brought Thunderbird Two into a stationary hover over a clear area of the field camp below them, on the opposite side of the gash in the ground to Thunderbird One. "Took me two months to get all the ash out of here after the last time and fix all the little dents in the fuselage from where we got pelted with rocks."

"Yeah I remember. Scott, Brains and you were in a right foul mood for days after that rescue," Gordon answered as Virgil deployed the wheels and engaged the VTOL jets lowering Thunderbird Two out of the sky with a rumbling of power that was more felt than heard in here.

"You're the same when Thunderbird Four gets damaged or dirty in a rescue," Virgil reminded him.

"True. We're all very possessive and protective of our 'Birds." Gordon grinned and nodded just as a shudder momentarily went through the deck beneath them as Thunderbird Two landed.

Virgil cut the VTOL jets and secured Thunderbird Two's systems as much as he dared. He didn't completely secure as he normally would since he didn't know how much time they had before the eruption. If Mount Baker really started to erupt violently then they would have to get out of here really fast every second would count. Thankfully there was no danger of anyone stealing Thunderbird Two even if they did get onto the control deck, the handgrips on the steering wheel were equipped with sensors keyed to the DNA signature of authorised operators. No one other than one of the Tracy family would be able to get a Thunderbird to respond to them.

"Right were down," Virgil said standing up. "Let's get over to Mobile Control and see what plan John has come up with."

"F-A-B," Gordon replied standing up himself. "I hope it's not as crazy as some of the plans that Scott has been known to come up with." Virgil laughed.

"Knowing John it won't be. Come on," Virgil answered heading out of the control deck. Gordon smiled and followed. I hope whatever plan John's come up with is going to be easy to execute, he thought, because I honestly don't think that Mount Baker is going to give us a lot of time.