#otis akers

[skymaiden32]

Mystery of the Eagle

AO3 link here

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @katblu42 @liseylou @amistrio @uniwolfcorn (Please ask if you would like to be updated when I update or write new stories)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

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“Hello?” Alan called into the expanse of darkness that engulfed the inside of the ship. So far, he’d had no luck. The only explanation he could think of for why he hadn’t found anyone was that they’d all been rendered unconscious somehow, and were all in the same place. His money was on the cockpit, so that’s where he was headed. 

In the low light level, Alan could barely make out the door to the cockpit, barely hanging onto the frame on a singular hinge. He grimaced. That didn’t exactly give him high hopes. Taking a deep breath, the astronaut swung the door open, only to be met with…

…Nothing. The crew wasn’t here. Nerves rising, Alan rose his watch communicator up to his face. “Alan to base…” He did his best to keep the tremor out of his voice. “We have a problem…”

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Gordon roamed the empty streets of Marineville, unable to sleep a wink. Being away from his family for this long was starting to make him nervous. The tiniest movement or sound had him paranoid. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way. He knew he was safe on WASP grounds, but he couldn’t quite shake this feeling.

Regardless of how he felt right now, he had to admit he’d enjoyed the conference, and it had been good to catch up with some old friends of his. He’d even run into Tara Summers, and they’d spent practically the entire event glued to each others sides. Honestly, he’d forgotten just how much he’d missed her, even though she’d been an IR agent for quite some time now. It was good to have someone to talk to about International Rescue, when he’d had to hide it from everyone else in the hall.

He jumped when he felt someone give him a light tap on the shoulder, whirling around in a fighting stance. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was. Speak of the devil… “Tara?” He asked. “What are you doing up this late?” He guided her to a nearby bench in front of one of the city’s fields. In the darkness, you could just about make out the Control Tower behind them.

“Couldn’t sleep…” Tara smiled sadly and shrugged, sitting down next to the aquanaut. “You?”

Gordon sighed. “Same.” He admitted. “Everything back home is so crazy right now. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until I know they’re okay.” Tara hummed in response. “What’s eating at you?”

His friend sighed, burying her hands in her thick coat pockets. Only now did Gordon notice how chilly it had gotten. “Honestly, I’m thinking about Otis…”

Gordon froze. Otis Akers had been on Tara’s crew for quite some time, until he’d sabotaged a diving bell and betrayed her, and International Rescue’s, trust. Further investigation proved to them that the sailor had been on the Hood’s payroll, and wanted revenge against the rescue outfit for failing to save his sister on a particularly messy rescue. “Oh. Him…” Gordon did his best to forget about Akers, but it was obvious that his former captain couldn’t.

“I’m just wondering…” Tara started, tone melancholy. “Could I have done something?” Gordon raised an eyebrow, urging her to continue. “Could I have found out more? Stopped him from joining the Hood and almost killing that crew?” She huffed. “The more I think about it, the more I feel I could’ve done something, but…”

“No…” Gordon sighed. “He made his own choices, and there’s nothing you could’ve done to change his mind.”

“I know.” His friend admitted, hanging her head.

“You know what else it means?”

Tara looked at him inquisitively. “What?”

Before she could react, she was wrapped up in a tight hug. “It wasn’t your fault.” 

“Then it wasn’t yours or your families either…” She replied, squeezing back just as hard. They stayed like that for a good few minutes, just basking in the others company. At least, they were until Tara’s grip tightened urgently. Quick as a flash, Gordon was on high alert, looking in the same direction Tara was.

“What is it?” He asked anxiously.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, her body also tensed and ready for a possible fight. “I just saw someone run across the field, towards the Tower…” She pointed in the direction of Marineville’s main building. Gordon squinted, and frowned.

“I don’t see anything.” He hummed, turning to her. “Are you positive?” It wasn’t that he didn’t doubt her word, of course he trusted her. But it didn’t hurt to make sure…

“I’m positive.” She confirmed.

“In that case, we should let security know about this.” Gordon started in the direction of the small security building, before Tara stopped him. 

“I’ll go…” She held up her hand when he tried to protest, effectively silencing him. “You’ve got enough on your plate right now.” She rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. “Not to mention an early flight…”

“But-”

“Besides, I was the one who saw them. I’m the best choice to let the top brass know.” 

“Fine.” Finally, Gordon gave in, huffing as he did so. “But you better be careful, you hear?”

Tara laughed sharply. “You kidding me? You know I can handle myself, Gordon Cooper Tracy.”

------

Jeff had been anxiously waiting for a message from his youngest son from the second Virgil had told him about the current situation, but now that Alan had actually given them an update, he was even more anxious about this whole thing. Not to mention that Gordon was due home any moment now, and they hadn’t heard from him.

The patriarch sighed, stopping his pacing once he caught a glimpse of his mother’s stern glare, and sat down at his desk. He looked out towards the balcony, where Scott and Virgil stood side by side, likely discussing what was going to happen. When they’d left the room, Jeff could plainly see the worry in both their expressions, and it made his heart ache. The circumstances of the plane crash Alan was currently investigating made everyone suspicious, and the lack of crew aboard was worrying.

Even more concerning was the information Scott had to offer. The Eagle had been designed and built by an engineer in his old division in the Air Force, and he’s been one of the pilots of it’s original crew. The moment Alan had mentioned the name, Jeff’s eldest son had practically frozen up. 

Once Scott had managed to snap out of whatever thoughts he’d been having, he’d revealed why he’d had such a negative reaction. The Eagle was one of the USAF’s best transport vessels, second only to Thunderbird Two in terms of raw power. The design, and the ship itself, was highly coveted by criminals and other govenrnments all over the world. That information had made Jeff’s breath hitch. If the Hood knew, or was behind this…

The patriarch had immediately ordered his youngest back to Thunderbird One, and between him, Scott and Virgil, they’d managed to get Alan to agree. That had been the last time they’d heard from him.

Ahead of him, someone cleared their throat, breaking him out of his trance. “Hmm?” He looked up at his boys, who were both looking at him with determined looks on their faces. Jeff frowned. “What’s going on, boys?”

“We’ve been talking about it, and…” Virgil started, glancing over at his brother, clearly a little unsure. Jeff frowned. His usually calm and collected son was acting weird, and he wanted to know why, but that would have to be a conversation for another time.

“We have a theory.” Scott finished for him, noticing his discomfort. “About what the Hood’s plan might be.” 

“Go on…” Jeff rested his elbows on the desk and looked over his interlocked hands at his boys, eager for an answer, no matter how hypothetical it might be. “I’m listening.”

They exchanged a look, Scott nodding and gesturing for Virgil to tell their father. The younger of the two took a deep breath in, and blurted out their idea. “We think the Hood’s trying to build his own Thunderbird fleet…”

[kemetic-dreams]

Otis Frank Boykin (August 29, 1920 – March 26, 1982) was an American inventor and engineer. His inventions include electrical resistors used in computing, missile guidance, and pacemakers.

Otis Boykin was born on August 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. His father, Walter B. Boykin, was a carpenter, and later became a preacher. His mother, Sarah, was a maid, who died of heart failure when Otis was a year old. This inspired him to help improve the pacemaker. Boykin attended Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, where he was the valedictorian, graduating in 1938. He attended Fisk University on a scholarship, worked as a laboratory assistant at the university's nearby aerospace laboratory, and left in 1941.

Boykin patented as many as 26 devices. He is best known for inventing multiple different electronic control devices in guided missiles, IBM computers, and in the pacemaker. One of his early inventions was an improved wire resistor, which had reduced inductance and reactance, due to the physical arrangement of the wire.

Other notable inventions include a variable resistor used in guided missiles. His most famous invention was likely a control unit for the artificial cardiac pacem aker. The device essentially uses electrical impulses to maintain a regular heartbeat. Among his other inventions is a burglar-proof cash register.

[news4usonline]

RB Xavier Jones looking to prove his value to Rams

RB Xavier Jones looking to prove his value to Rams

IRVINE (News4usonline) – Second-year running back Xavier Jones believes this is the right time for him to show off his skills. That’s because the backfield for the Los Angeles Rams has become jumbled with a boatload of runners trying to distinguish themselves on the football field. With Cam Akers lost to the season due to injury, Jones, along with Darrell Henderson Jr., Jake Funk, Otis Anderson,…

[skymaiden32]

Secrets In L.A.

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @janetm74 @thundergeek59 (Please ask if you would like to be alerted when I update or write new stories)

May's calendar story.

The London to Los Angeles flight on Fireflash touches down at dusk. What was originally a regularly scheduled commercial flight became a VIP exclusive when Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward purchases every last seat on board. Her party, even more mysteriously, is made up of only herself, her right hand man, and a Sir Jeremy Hodge. But what business do they have that requires absolute secrecy? (One-shot)

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*phew!* 2000+ words with which I finally catch up with all the months I lost XD

This is a one-shot, although I hope the extra length makes up for that. This is intended to be a direct sequel/interquel to my previous story in the series, Dangerous Waters, tying up all the little loose ends, so I recommend reading that before this, or you may not know what's going on... I hope you enjoy! :3

Chapter 1

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward put her faithful teapot aside, ruminating on what Virgil had just told her. She hummed, pushing herself up out of her chair before reaching to pull on the rope on the other side her sitting room. A bell rang as she did so. Her companion, who had previously been content reading his newspaper, looked up from it, alert.

“A mission then?” Sir Jeremy Hodge grinned slyly, always up for a bit of action.

“I’m very much afraid so, Sir Jeremy.” Both spoke with the accent of the British aristocracy, both clipped and stoic, but held a concealed excitement for their craft. “And I would be thrilled to have your assistance in this case.”

Jeremy smiled at her. “The pleasure is all mine, m’lady.” Penelope nodded as the double doors of the sitting room swung open, revealing the Creighton-Ward manservant, and ex-con by the name of Aloysius Parker. His accent was by no means upper class, but it also screamed of a British heritage, thoroughly Cockney and trained to speak with respect to his employer. 

“You rang, m’lady?”

“Yes Parker. Get the Rolls Royce, and arrange phone calls to Air Terrainean and London Airport. We have a mission, and Sir Jeremy will accompany us.

“Very good, m’lady. Will you require h’any assistance with your bags?” The Lady shook her head. 

“Thank you, Parker. But that won’t be necessary. This will be a short trip, so any bags I may take, I can handle myself.” Parker bowed before leaving to make the necessary arrangements, and they were soon trundling in FAB 1, the faithful Rolls Royce, to London Airport. They had a flight to catch…

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Captain Hansen stared at how many passengers were in the cabin. Then at how many seats were booked. Then back at the cabin. He scratched his head, puzzled by the whole thing. Why, the whole plane had been fully booked. Yet here they were, five minutes before take-off, and there were only three passengers on board. He exchanged looks with Bob Thorne, his co-pilot, who also had a similar reaction to the passenger situation.

The transmission from London Airport Control reminded the Captain and his co-pilot to focus on the task at hand. They had a plane to fly. “Four minutes to take off.” Bob hummed in his seat as he completed final checks on his side of the cockpit. Hansen did the same before turning his head to his friend. 

“So, what do you think is going on back there?” 

Bob shook his head. “I haven’t the foggiest. But I do recognise two of them. Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and Sir Jeremy Hodge. The third is dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform; maybe he works for one of them…”

Hansen hummed, thoughtful. “They would certainly have the money to buy all the seats; make sure no-one was on the plane but them, us, and the cabin crew.”

Bob frowned. “What reason could they possibly have to need a whole plane pretty much to themselves?”

Behind him, Captain Hansen heard the cabin supervisor give the passengers the safety demonstrations. The green light to head to the runway flashed in front of them, and the two of them guided the plane towards the long strip of concrete. “I don’t know. But I suppose it’s not our concern for now. We have a job to do, and that’s flying this plane to LAX.”

Bob nodded, frowning as his grip tightened on the wheel. Soon, Fireflash soared above the clouds, cruising at it’s top speed of Mach 6. At this rate, they would touch down at LAX in just over an hour.

------

Penelope frowned. “We have an hour to decipher who the counter-agent on the East Zephyr may be, so let’s get to it. It will not be an easy task, which is why the more people who can help us, the better.” Her two male companions nodded, looking at the list of information on the four suspects in the case.

Parker looked curiously at his employer. “Just ‘ow did you gather all this h’information so quickly, m’lady?” The noblewoman grinned.

“Now, Parker, you should know by now to allow a lady a few secrets, but I did acquire the information through a dear friend with connections to the WASPs, however tenuous those connections are.” She pointed at the first candidate. “Artem Zhuk. The lowest ranking in the ship’s hierarchy, and the last person to check the line before the dive.”

Jeremy hummed. “He has the means…”

Parker continued the thought. “But does ‘e ‘ave a motive?”

“He does not.” Penny answered. “He hasn’t met any IR agents before, but his family were saved from the wreckage of the last major earthquake in Ukraine by International Rescue. Why would he attempt to lure the organisation that saved his loved ones into what may very well be a trap? It doesn’t make sense…”

Jeremy huffed. “Neither does the next suspect, Peter Meddings. He’s never met any of International Rescue before, nor has he or his family been saved by them, but he has always spoken highly of them.”

Penelope took a puff of her cigarette. “He may be lying.” Parker shook his head.

“I’m h’afraid not m’lady. ‘e ‘as been a WASP for years before this, h’and they require regular lie detector tests to h’ensure they h’are fit for service. H’according to your source, h’one h’of the questions h’is their h’opinion h’on h’other h’organisations such h’as Spectrum and H’International Rescue.”

Sir Jeremy continued. “His opinion is the same every time. He agrees these fellow organisations dedicated to the protection of humankind be protected. Not only that, but he was on Gordon’s bathyscape crew.”

“So it isn’t him either…” Penelope sighed, looking at the remaining files. “That leaves two people. Otis Akers, and Tara Summers.”

Jeremy frowned. “Both of whom know the identities of International Rescue.” Parker shared his employer’s gaze.

“People they trust…”

The Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, London Agent and Head of International Rescue’s agent network, looked sadly at the choice between the two allies. For perhaps the first time since she became a secret agent, she felt completely hopeless. “Whatever shall we do to detangle this whole mess?”

------

Captain Hansen frowned as he stood some ways away from the trio, having heard the last few sentences of the conversation. He knew he really shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the second he’d heard the words International Rescue, he couldn’t exactly walk away. Twice, the organisation had saved his life, along with the people in his care. He had always made a private promise to return the favour one day. Maybe that was a debt he could never repay, but helping the supposed agents in front of him was a start. He discreetly approached before clearing his throat. “If I may, m’lady, I believe I could give you an answer to your problem…”

Lady Penelope looked up quickly, frowning at the intrusion. “And who are you?”

Hansen frowned. “My name is Captain Hansen, the pilot of this aircraft. I also piloted the Fireflash’s maiden flight, when it was sabotaged by that bomb in the landing. It was their very first rescue, if I recall.” Penelope looked curious, as did her companions, but he knew he had to say everything he could to convenience them he was on their side. “International Rescue saved my life not just that day, but also when we were attempting to figure out why the Fireflash fleet kept crashing at precisely the same location into the ocean last year.”

Penelope nodded, smiling. “Yes, I remember both those incidents. I also remember your name.” She grinned at him, gesturing for him to sit with them. He did so, glad he had their trust. “The pilot of Thunderbird 1 has spoken highly of you, Captain Hansen.”

Hansen smiled. “And I speak highly of him, Lady Penelope. He and the rest of the Thunderbirds pilots are brave men.” He laid his hand over his chest as a show of sincerity. “Your secrets as agents of International Rescue are safe with me, I assure you.”

“I expected nothing less of you, Captain.” Penelope hummed. “So, what can you tell us about these two people?”

Hansen carefully studied the files that the noblewoman turned secret agent handed him, humming as he recognised the names. “The names are familiar to me. Otis Akers was an old family friend shortly before he left for WASP. He had a sister who we were also close to.” He paused. “Tara Summers was also a dear friend of mine. We met through Otis, as a matter of fact. She trained with me to become a pilot for Air Terrainean before changing her career path and joining the aquanauts instead. I’m still in contact with both. They’re both officially out of WASP ranks, but still work for them on occasion.” He sighed. “I can hardly believe one of them would betray International Rescue, but between them, I have a suspicion.”

Lady Penelope motioned for him to continue. “Go on.”

“Summers has led a fairly regular life, even in WASP. No tragedy or threat until the incident a few months ago. She has no major qualms about International Rescue.” He let the information sink in. For both them, and himself. “There is a key piece of information missing from this file,” He held up Otis’s folder. “Akers’ sister is… no longer with us.” The three agents in front of him froze up. “She passed away in a landslide last year. A landslide that International Rescue attended…”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “He has a motive for hating International Rescue then…”

“They failed to pull ‘er h’out h’alive…” It clicked for Parker as well. 

Penelope sighed, standing. Captain Hansen did the same. The agent laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling sympathetically. “Thank you, Captain. I know this was not an easy thing to tell us, but we appreciate your honesty in this matter.”

Hansen folded his arms, saddened beyond belief. “You think you know a guy…” He shook his head, banishing his tears before they even truly appeared. “I… better get back to the cockpit. We’re landing in 20 minutes.” He smiled sadly. “I suggest you prepare for landing, m’lady, sirs.” 

He turned to leave, before Sir Jeremy’s voice called out to him. “Wait!” He spun back to the trio. “Would you like to come with us to apprehend Akers at the L.A. docks? We wouldn’t have been able to work this out without you…”

Hansen sighed. “That’s very nice of you, and I would quite like to see Scott again, but I unfortunately have another flight after this, so I can’t leave after post-flight checks.” He smiled. “Besides, I don’t think I could handle facing Otis right now…”

Penelope nodded. “That’s fair enough Captain, but please, allow me to get in contact with you when we both return to London. I believe we have more to discuss…”

The Captain nodded, returning to the cockpit. Bob just stared at him. “Where have you been? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Just talking to the passengers. Nothing to worry about.” It would take a while before he recovered from the betrayal of his friend, but for now, he could put those feelings aside. Bob hummed, knowing there was more to it, but didn’t press him. They flew in silence before Hansen’s eyes widened in realisation. “Wait. She never got my number… How can she get in contact with me?!”

Bob just looked more and more concerned by the minute.

------

“So… it’s true then?” Gordon asked, pure betrayal in his tone. “Otis did all this?”

Scott nodded, just as saddened as he flew Thunderbird 1 with an expert hand. They saw no reason to stick around once they had arrived in L.A. and Otis Akers was arrested by Lady Penelope, revealing his true colours by sending several curses at the IR operatives as he was dragged to Thunderbird 2 to be transported to the nearest secret agency with a mountain of evidence, much to Tara’s shock. They would remain in contact with the Captain. Gordon, having had enough trauma for one day, had decided to skip the trip to L.A.’s FBI branch by flying with Scott straight home. Virgil had been extremely understanding. 

“Apparently, they heard it from Captain Hansen, who was the pilot of their Fireflash, that Otis had a solid motive for it. His sister died on one of our rescues…”

Gordon was dumbfounded. “But why? Why endanger innocent lives when he could’ve just confronted us about it?”

Scott sighed. “I’m not sure, Gords. But I’ve got a feeling there’s more to this than we originally anticipated. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot…” His eyes narrowed. If whoever was behind this even tried to hurt his family, they’d be meeting his fist…

Gordon grinned after a while despite what had happened. A grin that was audible in his voice. It made his older brother perk up just that little bit as well. “You think Virgil will be okay with Akers on board Thunderbird 2? He might try something…”

Scott chanced a look back at his water-loving brother. “With Lady Penelope to protect him? No way is anything gonna happen to him.”

The two brothers laughed for a while at the thought, their chuckles eventually dying down. Gordon spoke up again after a while. “Are you okay? With what happened to Ryan?” His brother froze in his seat. “Scooter?”

“Not really.” He admitted. “But I will be. I could ask you the same thing, what with the anniversary coming up and all…”

Gordon cleared his throat. He had gotten an answer from Scott. Now he had to give his own. “I’ll be honest, I’ve almost had a few panic attacks today…”

“Gords…”

“But I’ll be fine, Scotty. Whatever we have to go through…”

Scott finished for him, Tracy Island appearing in front of them as they got closer to home. “We’ll get through together…”

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

The Thunderbirds Calendar for 2022 has a lot of stories you can expand on, one for each month. This one is January's.

Famed explorer Edworth Harte’s yacht gets caught in a cyclone, sending him crashing through heavy waves. Scott tries to locate Harte using Thunderbird 1’s powerful searchlight to pierce the inky black night before the yacht capsizes.

Original series.

Tagging: @thundergeek59 (Don't be afraid if you want to ask to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Captain Tara Summers grumbled as she took a quick glance over the sensitive instruments on her bridge. Her first mate, Otis Akers, a usually happy silver-haired fellow, also had a very serious look on his face. The yacht was bobbing up and down on increasingly ferocious waves; a clear sign of an incoming storm. The blonde-haired Captain turned to her right-hand man, calm despite the fear behind her eyes. She spoke with a heavy Irish accent and was proud of it.

“Otis, take the helm.” She stepped back from the steering wheel, allowing the first-mate to take her spot. “I’d better go and tell Mr Harte know that we’ve got some rough weather on the way.”

Otis hummed, stroking his beard as he did so. He too had a heavy accent, although he hailed from Wales. “He won’t be too happy about that.” He returned his full attention to keeping the ship steady in the harsh waves. “He wants to get to Auckland before tomorrow afternoon.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Well, he’s gonna have to wait a little longer, then. It’s cyclone season and we can’t be too careful.” She walked out the bridge. “I know exploring the Auckland Rainforests means a lot to him, but he’s a big boy. He can handle being a bit late.”

She made her way down to the main deck, where her employer stood over the side of the rail, watching a pod of orcas a few meters away to port. Mr Edworth Harte was an explorer, an extremely skilled one at that. The Canadian was one of the best in the world and was famed for taking risks. Captain Summers prayed to whatever higher power might be out there that this was a risk he wouldn’t take, but she and Otis knew him too well to truly believe that.

“Magnificent! They never cease to amaze me…”

“Mr Harte!” She interrupted, eager to get this over with. He spun around, a big grin on his face.

“Ah, Captain! Come out to see the orcas too?” The woman shook her head.

“No, I’m afraid not, sir. We’ve just received a weather report from Lima. There’s a storm coming…” He raised an eyebrow.

“And? What do you want me to do about it?”

She cleared her throat. It was now or never. “We need to dock somewhere. Anywhere, really. At the moment, they doubt anything serious will happen, but it’s cyclone season, so it could take a turn for the worst if we aren’t careful.”

The man looked thoughtful for a minute, weighing up his options. He was eager to get to their destination, of course. There had been a new cave discovered in the Auckland Rainforests that he wanted to look at for himself. It was very true that he took risks. But that was only when it was only his life. He was uncomfortable with risking the life of his crew, especially if Captain Summers seemed so troubled about it. He may make a living off of this sort of thing, but she knew the sea much better than he did…

“Alright, Captain. You know I trust your judgement.” He frowned. “But where on Earth are we going to dock? The closest port is Auckland isn’t it?”

“It is.” The Captain hummed. “There’s an archipelago about 30 klicks to the east. One of the islands may be inhabited and even if it isn’t, it’s better for the yacht to be in shallow water, which the islands would provide.” Her boss nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Better radio around, we should be in range for any inhabitants to hear us.”

Tara nodded, and then made her way back to the bridge, hoping that the islands were inhabited.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, about 30 klicks east from the yacht of the famous explorer and his crew, Jeff Tracy was just finishing his fifth cup of coffee of the day, stressed beyond belief. His sons had just gotten home from a hurricane rescue in Florida, and he was eager to hear the mission report from them. He always got a little worried about what could have happened to them that he wasn’t there to see, or they kept hidden from both himself and Scott, who outside of his regular duties as the eldest, was International Rescue’s Field Commander.

Sure enough, just as the thought of Scott crossed his mind, he appeared, Virgil and Alan close behind him. The three of them had been soaked when they hobbled inside, much to their Grandmother’s chagrin, and sort of huddled together until they had been dismissed from the lounge, their very worried father wanting them to warm up as soon as possible. They certainly looked warm now; Alan had even dragged in his comforter, which was pretty much ignored. Virgil had two cups of hot chocolate in hand, discreetly trying to give one to his immediate older brother, which Scott gladly took in the hand that was devoid of any papers.

Gordon looked up from his game of chess with Brains to watch the debrief, a big grin on his face. Brains sat straighter, also paying attention to the group of men in front of them. Jeff nodded to Scott, urging him to start.

“Hurricane Zelda made landfall on Wednesday, as a category 5 and was recognised even in its early stages of being one of the strongest since Arthur ten years ago. Thankfully, the majority of inhabitants were able to evacuate in time, but others were not so lucky…” He paused to cough before continuing. “Initial rescue efforts saved upwards of 200 people, but they needed a few extra hands to get to the most difficult spots, which is where IR came in.” He coughed again, more violent this time. Jeff frowned, concern skyrocketing. Gordon had a matching look on his face, and looked ready to stand up to assist at any given moment. Virgil and Alan moved a bit closer, but he brushed them off. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. Jeff was doubtful, but hesitantly let him continue. Thankfully, there were only a couple more points. “Final toll is 14 deaths, and the number of injuries, no matter how severe, are in the three hundreds.” He broke into another coughing fit, and this time Virgil was quick enough to move him to the couch. “Seriously, Virgil. I’m fine.”

Virgil smiled, deceptively sweet. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He gently felt Scott’s forehead. “No, not fine. You’ve got a fever. To bed with you.” Scott looked about ready to argue. “Me and Al can finish the report.” That seemed to placate him, but only slightly. He nodded to Gordon, who was helping their brother to his feet.

The aquanaut steered an increasingly delirious Scott in the direction of his room. “Come on, Scooter.” Jeff stared worriedly after them, then looked at an equally concerned Virgil, who was happy to explain.

The second son sounded tired all of a sudden. “There was a particularly bad cold circulating around the Danger Zone, and the cold and heavy rain certainly didn’t help matters. Chances are that’s what he’s got.” Jeff hummed and turned his attention to his youngest son, who was wrapped tightly in his comforter and looked almost as pale as Scott did just before he left the room, although the patriarch suspected it was just the shock.

“Alright boys, I think we’ll hold it there. I want both of you to rest for a bit; you might have picked it up as well. Let me know if you have.” The two boys nodded and left the room. Flashing across the room alerted the father to another conversation to have with one of his children.

Jeff sighed as he opened up the link with John, his middle child, up on the organisation’s satellite some 22,400 miles above them. “Go ahead, John.”

“Update from Florida, Father. They’ve cleared all the debris. There was no one else to get to. Everyone’s been accounted for.” Jeff nodded, but his mind remained elsewhere.

“Good. Thanks, John.” Out of the corner of his eye, Jeff noticed John giving him a sideways look.

“Are you alright, Dad?”

Jeff smiled gently at the blond on the screen. The image itself was close enough for him to touch, but his son wasn’t. “I’m just fine. It’s your brothers I’m worried about. Scott’s picked something up from the Danger Zone, and Virgil and Alan looked a bit peaky as well.” John’s face got paler as his father continued.

“Are they okay?”

“They’ll be just fine, my little star.” It was an old nickname, but it did its job, and the space monitor visibly relaxed.

“Okay, Dad. Let me know if anything happens.” With that, he signed off, leaving the father of five to slump in his chair. Brains hummed in the background, clearly having something to say. Jeff stood to attention.

“Brains?” The scientist looked at him seriously.

“T-There’s a weather w-warning out, Mr T-Tracy. I-I suggest we p-prepare for a c-cyclone.” Jeff sighed. No rest for the wicked.

“Alright, send an alert out to the rest of the household, and activate severe storm protocols. Make sure nothing floods.” He would’ve said something else, but the comm behind him started flashing, an Irish voice cutting through the sound of the increasingly violent waves.

“This is the Oarfish requesting permission to dock. Repeat, Oarfish requesting permission to dock.” Jeff turned to Brains.

“T-The closest p-port is Auckland, M-Mr Tracy. I-If we turn t-them down, they’ll n-never get there b-b-before the storm hits.” The older man nodded in agreement.

“Brains, activate Operation Cover-Up!” As the genius did so, Jeff opened up the comms to speak with who the patriarch assumed was the Captain. “This is Jeff Tracy. May I ask who you are?”

There was a stunned silence on the bridge of the ship. “T-The Jeff Tracy? Of Tracy Industries?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

The Captain seemed to snap out of it. “Sorry. Tara Summers, Captain of the Oarfish. I have my first-mate Otis Akers with me at the helm. The yacht belongs to an Edworth Harte, who is also on board.” Jeff’s eyes widened, recognising the name.

“The explorer?”

“Yes, sir. We’re requesting a place to dock until the storm passes.” She explained. “We’re about 15 klicks from your approximated position.”

The patriarch hummed, before making a decision. “You have permission to dock. We don’t get many visitors.” He smiled at that. “And I’m sure my mother will be thrilled to have some extra company.” The Captain chuckled on the other end. Jeff frowned. “Although I must warn all of you. My eldest son returned from Florida a few hours ago, managed to get out before the hurricane hit, and he’s picked up some sort of bug.”

Summers grinned on the other end of the line. “I’m sure we can live with that. Is he alright?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Captain.” Jeff picked up a map of the surrounding islands. “We’re on the largest island. The dock is on the south side. I’ll meet you there with one of my sons.”

“Thank you, Mr Tracy. We look forward to meeting you.” The call disconnected, leaving the stunned Jeff with nothing left to do but stand and go to find Gordon. This would be interesting…

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 (Don't hesitate to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Dinner had been rather uneventful, and by morning, the worst of the storm appeared to have passed. Much to the Captain’s immense regret, Mr Harte wanted to depart immediately. Jeff had tried, along with Gordon, to persuade the stubborn man to stay for at least a couple of days to make certain that nothing else would happen, but the explorer was resolute in his decision to leave. And leave they did.

A few hours after daybreak, Alan watched with his immediate older brother as the yacht disappeared over the horizon. The youngest brother hummed thoughtfully. “It’s probably for the best, Gords. We might be needed on-call soon, and it’s not like we could’ve distracted them as TinTin did with Colonel Casey.”

Gordon sighed, already missing the company of Captain Summers. He had enjoyed talking to someone who truly understood the sea for once. “I know, Al. But there’s a real danger that they’ll get caught out there in another storm, maybe even a cyclone. The only other port out there is Auckland.”

“Which… is where they’re going right?” Gordon nodded. “Then they’ll be fine.”

“I hope so…”

Alan frowned. “That’s not all you’re worried about is it?” Gordon remained silent, but he didn’t have to say anything for Alan to understand. The youngest Tracy wrapped his ginger-haired brother into a sideways hug. “You were here last night for me. Now I’m gonna be here for you whether you like it or not. Scott’s as stubborn as Tracy’s come, and that’s really stubborn. He’ll be fine. Heck, he is fine. And he wouldn’t want us fussing over him, so don’t you dare.”

Gordon smiled, chuckling as he ruffled his kid brother’s hair, and returned the hug. “When did you get so wise?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a family trait…”

------

Virgil rolled his eyes in fondness as Scott tried, and failed, to get out of bed. For what must’ve been the twentieth time that day. Brains also looked a little exasperated but had a smile on his face.

The eldest Tracy groaned as he sat up, already sick of this. The fatigue in his voice was evident. “You guys know I hate all the fuss. I’m fine.” Virgil raised an eyebrow.

“Says the man who just fell out of bed because his legs aren’t working properly.” The pilot glanced back. “And before you ask, you can get out the second you’re back on your own two feet. But you’ll have to take it easy for a few days.”

Scott scoffed. “You know I don’t do ‘easy’.”

“Yep.” Brains answered.

Virgil’s voice followed. “Ain’t that the truth?” He sighed. “Just… me and Brains have to go and get lunch. Could you please just stay put while we’re gone? We’ll bring you back yours.” His voice raised an octave, and he shifted to a sing-song voice. “Grandma made pie…”

Scott sighed, seemingly giving up. “Fine.” He squinted at the two engineers. “But just because Grandma’s pie is involved.”

------

Tara hadn’t left her post behind the wheel since they got back on board, and already, the cracks were starting to show. Her eye twitched as she held back the stress that leaked through her usually tough exterior. Otis, as observant as ever, looked up from what he was doing on the other side of the bridge to look the Captain in the eyes. “We’ll get there safe. You’ll see.”

Tara looked back at the older man, a little subdued. She smiled sadly. “I hope so.”

Just at that moment, their employer opened the door to the cabin and strode in. Edworth hummed. “Maybe we shouldn’t have left too early.” Tara turned on him, gaze steely and stern.

“You’re darn right, we shouldn’t have! But it’s too late to turn back now, we’ve just gone over the halfway point. We’re closer to Auckland than the island.” Otis reached to put a calming hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off, trying to control her breathing. “I need to go and calm down in the fresh air.” She turned to head for the door. “Otis, the bridge is yours. Stay on course.”

The door slammed, and the two men frowned worryingly at each other. Otis made for the wheel, doing his best to keep the Oarfish straight. He could tell Harte was making for the door. “Best not go out there right now. Tara’s been my Captain now for a few years, I know her. She needs to work this out on her own.”

------

John frowned as he watched the weather patterns directly below him. It looked like there was a cyclone forming pretty close to Tracy Island; about a quarter of the way from the island to New Zealand. The Space Monitor cursed, realising that Edworth Harte’s yacht would likely be caught up in it as well. The blackness of night was sweeping across the globe and would soon engulf where his family was.

He made his way over to the comms unit, already grasping his receiver firmly, and punching in the code he knew would let him contact his father.

On the planet below, the family was winding down for dinner, and Jeff, a workaholic as always, was still at his desk for some Tracy Industries work. The flashing from his middle son’s portrait had him drop it immediately, opening up the link. The cigarette tray opened with a flourish, revealing his own receiver. “Go ahead, John.”

John looked a little pale, causing Jeff to frown. Were all of his sons coming down with something? “There’s a cyclone forming nearby your location, Father. Better engage storm defences again.” Jeff nodded in agreement.

“We will John. Thank you.” Just as he was about to switch off communications, the blond interrupted.

“That’s not the worst of it, Father. Edworth Harte and his crew are still on their way to Auckland. They’ll be caught in it.” Across the room, Gordon and Alan gasped.

Gordon spoke up, near panic in his voice. “They’re likely just about halfway there at this point. They’ll be stuck out there no matter what they do now…”

Just as the aquanaut said it, the wind began to pick up, and the glass shook and trembled against the strain.

------

On the deck of the Oarfish, Tara frowned at the wind, noticing it was picking up. This wasn’t good. She should’ve pushed Harte to stay on the island just that bit harder. The Tracy family had storm defences in place; they would’ve been safe there. But no, they just had to leave as soon as the immediate storm had passed by. She leaned against the safety railing, wondering what she should do to keep them all safe. She was the Captain, and a good one at that. She didn’t spend five years under a taskmaster like Commander Shore for no reason, after all. The wind howled, getting stronger.

She should get back into the cabin, where it was safer, but she just couldn’t bring herself to move; she was still angry with her employer.

“Tara!” Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The Captain was so shocked, she lost her footing, and that combined with a strong gust of wind threw her over the edge of the yacht. She plummeted into the icy cold waters below and after a few minutes, bobbed to the surface. The blonde spluttered as she fought the chill and the current, determined to keep her eyes on Harte and her first-mate.

Otis, who had weighed anchor the second he had heard the warning of an imminent cyclone, threw the life ring over the side, breathing a sigh of relief when Tara grasped it firmly, ready to be pulled about.

Before the two men on board could rescue the woman, however, the rain that had steadily increased began to soak them to the bone, and the wind became galeforce almost instantly. The crew of the Oarfish barely managed to pull Tara out of the water before they stumbled into the cabin. The sky blackened, and they all glanced at each other. How were they going to get out of this one?

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Here we go, the last chapter! ^^ Hope you enjoy!

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @dragonoffantasyandreality (Don't be afraid to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

A month had come and gone, and Edworth Harte was finally ready to go home after taking a long hard look at that cave. By his side were the crew he arrived with, now his lifelong friends. He hadn’t been too close to them before this whole mess; they were just his employees. But turns out, when you suffer trauma with a group of people, you’ll stick to each other. He’s always wondered why the team that had rescued him and his friends were so close, even before the cyclone. He’d seen how close Thunderbird 2 stuck protectively to Thunderbird 1. It could’ve just been because of the pilot’s cold, but Edworth saw the almost familial protectiveness that he sometimes felt from his own family. He supposed that spending so much time saving lives in devastating disasters could weave members of a team together in ways other organisations didn’t have.

And speaking of families, he was going to meet up with the Tracy family again, who had offered to fly him and his crew back to Canada. This time, they would meet Scott face-to-face, who had recovered from his bug, and John as well, who had returned after staying on the mainland for work.

The trio stepped out of the hotel, greeted by the two brothers, who waved them over to the red sports car they had on standby. John got into the driver’s seat, quickly banishing Scott to the passenger side. Edworth could hear Tara stifle a giggle, and he almost laughed as well. Maybe Scott wasn’t quite as well as his family wanted him to be yet, but he could see from the older brother’s expression that he wasn’t going to let John pilot the jet to Canada.

He cleared his throat as the engine started up and the car made its way to the airport. “So, how are things back home? Everyone okay?”

Scott looked back at the trio behind him. “They’re doing alright, thanks. They all send their regards, and Grandma’s already inviting you guys back over.”

“That’s nice of her.” Otis piped up.

John nodded in agreement. “She likes to entertain.” The blond smirked, pointing at Scott. “Do you guys wanna know what this idiot did while he was sick?” Scott shook his head frantically.

“You don’t wanna know, trust me.”

He was resolutely ignored by his brother. “He left the sickbay for some ‘fresh air’ and ended up getting caught in another storm. He also would not stop smotherhenning us when we should have been the ones doing that.” John ducked Scott’s swipe. “Ended up being set back by a few weeks.”

Tara gasped. “The bug was bad enough that he was in bed for weeks?”

John nodded. “Yep. Virgil still isn’t sure he should be flying today.” Scott scoffed.

“I feel just fine. I’ll get you to Canada no problem.” He slid his sunglasses on, and they continued on their way.

------

The jet landed on the Canadian runway with a grace that Tara thought would make even the most experienced pilots jealous, and the second they had taxied into a private hangar, the Tracy brothers jumped out, gesturing for the other three that it was okay to join them below.

Edworth grinned at Scott. “That was some very good flying.”

“Why, thank you. Please tell that to my dad and Virgil. I really wanna go out on a regular basis again.”

John tutted. “Not happening for a while.”

Scott frowned at his brother. “John!” He turned his attention back to the trio. “Well, it was great to finally meet you guys. Hope you guys have a safe trip back home.”

Edworth grinned, shaking the hands of the two Tracy men, and noticed his friends were doing the same. “Thank you. We wish you and your family the best, too.” A car horn blared throughout the hangar, and they all turned to see the driver waving at them. “There’s our ride. It was great to finally meet you.”

John smiled. “It was nice to meet you too.” The trio bundled into the car, and drove off, waving to the brothers until they were out of sight. Scott and John made their way back to the plane. “I’m flying back home!”

Scott just looked at him in mock offence. “Why do you get to fly?”

John jumped into the cockpit, pulling his brother up and laughing. “You know why.”

———

“Hey, didn’t you think Scott looked familiar?”

Edworth nearly spit out his drink at Otis’s question. “What makes you say that?”

Otis scratched his head. “I don’t know, I can’t put my finger on it. But it’s almost like I’ve seen him before. Like we all have, in fact.”

Tara shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. “His father’s a very influential man. You probably remember him from a news report or something…”

Otis hummed. “Maybe.”

Edworth cleared his throat. “Well, let’s forget it for now,” he pulled the car up in front of his house in Vancouver; Tara and Otis would sleep over the night and then go their own way the following morning. “It’s been a long few weeks, and it’s good to be home.”

———

“It’s good to be home!” John led the way to the family villa, carefully avoiding a snake that had gotten loose from Alan’s collection. Scott stooped down to pick the python up, rolling his eyes. That pygmy alligator that Tin-Tin had gotten the youngest brother for his birthday had awakened something in Alan, and his collection had soon expanded to include a variety of snakes, lizards and frogs, reflecting his passion. Their father had been less than enthused with this development, as the patriarch had herpetophobia, but they mostly stayed in Alan’s room. It didn’t stop Alan and Gordon from teasing both Jeff and John, who didn’t have a fear so much as an aversion to snakes, or so the middle Tracy claimed.

“It sure is.” The snake inquisitively smelled the air around the two brothers. The door to the lounge swung open, and John was greeted by a very panicked Alan.

“Help! I can’t find Petunia!”

“Petunia?”

“One of my snakes.” Scott rounded the corner.

“This snake?” Alan’s eyes lit up. He gently took the snake from his older brother and grinned, rushing out of the room to return her to her enclosure.

“Thanks, Scott!”

Scott yelled after Alan. “Remember, your shift in 5 starts today!”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Alan yelled back. The two brothers behind him chuckled. The next member of the family to greet them was Virgil, frowning in concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Really? Right out of the gate? No, ‘Oh, hi, Scott and John! Hope you guys had a nice trip!’?” Scott deadpanned, but pulled his immediate younger brother into a hug. John stifled a laugh in the background. “Yes, we’re fine.”

Almost as soon as the two older brothers finished their hug, the trio were blindsided by a blur of ginger hair. Alan was also soon to join, having just finished checking on his reptiles. The rest of the household watched as Scott got the stuffing squeezed out of him in the middle of the huddle.

“Guys? Can’t breathe!”

Virgil grinned. “But you love it!” Scott just melted into the hug, laughing breathlessly.

“I do…”

Jeff’s hearty chuckle drifted over to his sons. “Okay, boys. Let him breathe.” As they did so, the father of five turned to his youngest. “Alan, you ready to go now?”

Alan nodded, getting comfortable on the couch. “Sure, Father. My bag’s already in 3.”

Jeff gestured for Scott to join Alan on the spaceship. “In that case, Thunderbirds are go!”

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @dragonoffantasyandreality (Don't be afraid to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Thunderbirds 1 and 2 had already launched, and were at the Danger Zone within mere minutes. Thunderbird 2 was carrying Thunderbird 4, Gordon already set up to drop. Virgil made sure to keep eyes on Thunderbird 1, not wanting Scott out of his sight for even a second. The scout craft was hovering calmly in the galeforce winds and rain, and Virgil allowed himself a smile as the searchlight clicked on, TB1 swooping expertly to look for the stricken men and woman.

Gordon suddenly gasped, and the sound echoed through the comms of both craft. Virgil was quick to answer him. “What’s wrong, Gords?”

“I just realised. They’ve met us. They’ll know who we are.”

On the other end of the line, Virgil could vaguely make out Scott swearing at the news. He could practically hear the cogs turn in his big brother’s head as he tried to think of a solution. All the while, Thunderbird 1 continued its sweep across the rough waves.

His head foggy and his piloting relying almost purely on muscle memory, Scott tried his utmost to find a solution to their little problem without revealing who they were, but nothing seemed to come. What was worse, time was running out to find the endangered crew, and he needed to find an answer before they tried to pull off the rescue. A few more moments of searching later, and his tired brain finally landed on something that could work.

“Okay, guys. They’ve met both of you, but I’ve been in the sickbay the whole time. They haven’t met me.”

Gordon, sensing where his brother was going with this, spoke up. “Are you seriously suggesting that they take a ride in Thunderbird 1 to Auckland, Scott?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting, Gords.” Scott inwardly sighed. “I know there’s a few holes in the plan, the pictures in the lounge exist, after all, and Dad shows them to every new person who visits the island.” He smiled knowingly. “But I do have a mask. I can wear that and say that I’m sick.” His grin widened. “Which I am.”

As Gordon made his way back up to the main cockpit, clearly not seeing an issue with that plan, Virgil voiced his own concerns. “Just one problem. Dad wanted you to stay close to Thunderbird 2. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Scott chuckled. “Who said you had to? You can always play escort, you know. Plus, I’ll keep it nice and slow for you if you want.”

Virgil laughed. “You better.” He looked back at Gordon, who shrugged. He returned his attention to the rocket plane nearby, which was still flitting about the surface of the water. “You know, it’s weird. Thunderbird 2 has never escorted Thunderbird 1; it’s always been the other way around. Even when you got shot down in that desert, that plane of yours got home just fine once Brains fixed her up.”

Scott’s voice took on a faux serious tone. “Don’t get too used to it, Green Machine. I’ll be right as rain again soon, and you’ll miss your time window.” The three brothers all chuckled at that.

A few more minutes of searching later, and a flash of white could be seen in the bright searchlight. Virgil breathed out a shaky sigh as Thunderbird 1 moved forward until it was directly above the Oarfish, searchlight still illuminating the ships hull as it swayed from side to side. He wondered what things were like down there.

———

Edworth struggled not to throw up as the yacht lurched up and down the rough waters. His two companions, for all their experience on the high seas, looked as green as he felt. Otis stuck close to the radio, clinging to the microphone like it was a lifeline, waiting for an update from International Rescue. Any update at all. Tara had a death grip on the wheel, doing her best to keep the Oarfish afloat.

But the storm was getting worse and worse. And the waves kept pushing and pulling so much that Edworth was surprised they hadn’t capsized already. He yelled above the noise. “Any news, yet?”

Otis yelled back shakily. “Afraid not. I’m starting to think they’ve given up or something. Even International Rescue would have trouble with these winds.”

Tara had her own opinion on the matter. “Give up before they even begin? Does that sound like the International Rescue we know? If anyone can get to us, they can…”

As she finished, a crackling voice came from the direction of the speakers. “This is Thunderbird 1 to the Oarfish. Come in please.”

Tara gave them both a look that said, ‘What did I tell you?’, before giving the all clear for Otis to answer the call.

“This is the Oarfish. Receiving you loud and clear, Thunderbird 1. Man, are we glad to hear you guys.” The pilot cleared his throat before giving them any instructions.

“I’ve got visual on you now. Hopefully, that yacht will hold on for what needs to be done.” He paused momentarily before continuing. “I’m going to lower down a line for you to grab onto and pull you into the ship. You’ll go one at a time, but first, I’m gonna need to ask you to go outside.”

The three people trapped on the vessel didn’t hesitate, immediately heading out, battling against the fury of Mother Nature as she threw hit after hit at them. The line lowered toward the deck of the ship, and Otis’s crewmates nodded towards him for the man to take the first spot. He seemed a little hesitant, but firmly grasped onto the handhold grips as he stood on the small platform at the end, just large enough for his feet to fit on.

As Otis was pulled up, Edworth made a gesture for Tara to take the next spot. The Captain shook her head. “Absolutely not.” It was yelled above a flurry of rain, wind, and the occasional thunder crack. He yelled back, equally as determined.

“Please, Captain. It’s my fault we got into this mess in the first place. Go up next.” Again, Tara refused.

“Mr Harte, this is my command. I can’t just leave when there’s someone else on it. A Captain always goes down with the ship.” She sighed, gaze clouding. “WASP taught me that a long time ago.”

Edworth grabbed her shoulders. “But you aren’t in WASP anymore! You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I’ve already lived mine.” He tried to hold back his tears, but he doubted it mattered anyway, with rain drizzling down his face constantly. “Please, just let me do this for you.”

As Tara looked at him in shock, the platform returned, and the yacht creaked dangerously, bringing the both of them back to the task at hand. Tara looked him in the eyes as she boarded the platform. “That doesn’t mean I still don’t value those rules. They’ve made me who I am, and I have WASP to thank for it.” She felt herself being lifted up. “You better get on board the ship okay, because you owe me big time for this.”

The explorer chuckled as she disappeared, before the yacht jerked again. This time, it was too much for the small ship to handle, and Edworth Harte felt himself fall backwards into the crashing waves far below.

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 (Don't hesitate to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

The lounge was a cacophony of noise at this point, Jeff had long since given up trying to calm down the situation and just buried his head in his hands, trying to soothe the coming migraine. His mother stood next to him, rubbing calming circles on his shoulders. Gordon and Virgil were all for going out to rescue them, but Alan still seemed a little hesitant. Brains was on the side of the two older siblings. John had a very similar expression to his father, although in his case it was more to do with the fact he was trying to pick everything apart.

“Why don’t you want to rescue them, Alan? They’re our friends.” Gordon frowned. “Or they could be someday, at the very least.”

Alan snarled. “It’s not that I don’t want to rescue them, Gordon. We just might not be able to.”

Virgil tilted his head, confused. “What do you mean? There’s not a single Thunderbird that we need that’s down for the count right now.”

The youngest brother sighed in disbelief. “It’s not what we’re missing, it’s who we’re missing. We need Thunderbird 1’s searchlight and Scott’s still sick.”

John piped up from the portrait on the other side of the room. “Then use Thunderbird 2’s searchlight.”

The younger blond frowned at the screen in front of him. “It wouldn’t work Johnny.”

“A-Alan does make a v-valid point. T-Thunderbird 1 is Intern-national Rescue’s scout c-craft. I-it was designed f-for this light l-level.  Thunderbird 2’s s-searchlight alone isn’t powerful e-enough.” Brains broke in, making the problem a lot clearer to everyone.

Virgil hummed. “Why don’t you pilot 1 then, Al? You’ve done it before.”

Alan slumped into the nearby chair. “Not in a cyclone. And the sims aren’t like the real thing. Scott’s the only one who can pilot Thunderbird 1 in these conditions and we both know it, Virg!”

Thunderbird 2’s pilot sat down next to his brother. “But…”

“That’s enough, Virgil.” The voice was strong, if a little gritty, and the family turned to see Scott in the doorway. He frowned in determination. “I’m going.”

Everyone around him gasped, and looked about ready to turn the arguing toward him, but he held up a hand, quickly silencing them. He looked his immediate younger brother in the eye. “Virgil, you said I could go out again when I was back on my own two feet. Well,” he gestured to himself, “I’m standing.”

Virgil spluttered. “I meant after a few more days, not immediately after, Scott!”

“You could’ve just said that. I’ve made up my mind, I’m going.” He looked at his father for clearance, who raised an eyebrow. Jeff conceded however, not seeing any other options. Or a way to get his eldest son to back down.

“Okay. Fine. A few conditions, though.” Scott nodded. “Stay close to Thunderbird 2 at all times, don’t step foot out of that plane…”

“Danger Zone’s over the ocean, Dad. I’ll stay in 1.” Jeff frowned.

“I’m not finished.” Jeff cleared his throat. “The second you get back, I wanna see you back in bed, you hear me?”

Scott smiled in understanding. “You got it, Dad.”

Jeff smiled back. “Alright then boys. Off to those machines of yours. Thunderbirds are go!”

“Calling International Rescue. Calling International Rescue! Come in please!” Otis tried to get through. He turned to his friends in despair. “They’re not answering, Captain.”

Tara shivered under the blanket, but she was still able to meet her first-mate’s eyes. “Keep trying, Otis. The ‘Eye in the Sky’ never lets a call go unanswered, or so I’m told…” Otis nodded, and kept trying to raise the outfit. Edworth looked between his two crew members, guilt etched into his expression. He should’ve seen this coming; he may not be a sailor like them, but he’d been out on the rolling waves long enough to know how dangerous his decision to leave was. And now, they were paying the price for it. He spun to Tara.

“What about the lifeboat?” Tara shook her head, now warm enough to shed the blanket and go to help Otis.

“It’s better we stay in the yacht, sir. The storm would tear us apart in there.”

“Calling International Rescue! This is the Oarfish. We need help!”

22,400 kilometres above them, Thunderbird 5 heard the call. John was quick to answer. “Oarfish from International Rescue. Receiving you strength four. Go ahead.”

Otis struggled to get the words out, but he did. “We were on our way to Auckland Port when we got stuck in a cyclone.”

“How far out from Auckland are you?” A loud metallic snapping noise was heard on the other end of the line, and John froze. That could only mean one thing.

“Our anchor just broke! We have nothing to weigh us down now. She’s a maverick!”

“Calm down. International Rescue is on the way. Again, how far from New Zealand are you?”

Otis took a deep breath, fighting the growing sea sickness. “Around 500 kilometres off the east coast.”

“Okay. Sit tight. They’re coming for you.”

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 (Don't hesitate to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Edworth grinned as he shook the hand of the equally famous Jeff Tracy and his son, Gordon. “It’s a pleasure to meet you guys.”

Gordon grinned back at the explorer. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr Harte. Welcome to our humble home! Sorry about the mess.” He finished as they made their way up the cliff face to the main house. The Captain answered him as their three companions made their way up to the house.

“Oh no, we don’t mind.” She looked thoughtful, then seemed to place the ginger-haired man. “Say, aren’t you a naval man yourself?” Gordon’s grin widened.

“Sure am! Olympics, then WASP. I’m an Oceanographer now.” He looked out at the waves. “Such a beautiful mistress, but powerful. And dangerous.” Summers nodded.

“I agree. You’ve gotta know what you’re doing out there. WASP, huh? Marineville, right?” Gordon nodded, astonished.

“How’d you know?”

The blonde shrugged. “I was stationed there during my own time in the force. We have this… look.”

Gordon laughed. “That’s one way of putting it.” They were nearly at the balcony. “Commander Shore certainly knew how to run a tight ship, no pun intended.”

The Captain laughed, before looking a bit more sombre. “How’s your brother doing?”

“A bit forward, aren’t we?” She blushed at that.

“Sorry. I have a habit of blurting things out. Your father told us so we’d know there was a chance of getting sick on the island.” Summers apologised.

“Ah.” Gordon smiled again, sadder this time. “He should be fine. Virgil and Brains are taking care of him in the sickbay, and I trust them with my life. We all would.” At her questioning look, he explained. “Virgil is the second-eldest. He’s got a medic’s certificate. Brains, that’s not his real name, but he’s a brilliant engineer. He helps on the design side of things and fixes literally everything. He also helps Virgil in the sickbay.”

Tara let out a breath. “Don’t you guys have a family doctor or something?” They walked into the lounge, where Alan was watching the darkening clouds out the window. The ginger prankster greeted him.

“Heya, Sprout.” At the acknowledgement, Alan simply buried his head into his immediate brother’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“Worried.” It was muffled but clear, and Gordon rubbed calming circles into Alan’s back as he hugged his little brother close.

“We all are, Sprout.” He smiled at the blond. “He’ll be fine. Why don’t you go ask Grandma when dinner is? I’m sure these folks are starving.”

The Captain watched the exchange and grinned as Alan began the trek to the kitchen, the rain beginning to pound on the window. That was adorable and just showed how close this family was. Gordon cleared his throat, answering her question.

“We do have a family doctor, but he only does house calls, and since we live on a remote island, we don’t really ask him to come round unless it’s something serious.” He smiled as he looked out the window. “He does know though. He has to know these things, so it doesn’t come out of nowhere.”

“I see.”

Jeff cleared his throat, drawing the two’s attention. “Captain, Mr Harte would like a word.” She nodded, walking over to her employer. The father turned his attention to his sea-loving offspring. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Gords.”

Gordon sighed. “I know, Dad. I’ll be careful. I just haven’t had someone to talk to about my stuff since WASP.”

“Alright then. I’m just saying.” He walked to his desk, where the three visitors were standing. “Be careful, son.”

[skymaiden32]

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @dragonoffantasyandreality (Don't be afraid to ask if you want to be added)

We're almost there! One more chapter after this. XD

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Tara held back a scream as she saw Edworth disappear beneath the murky water. Scott swore under his mask. He refused to give up however, refused to give in as he searched the area where the man had fallen into the raging sea.

Gordon muttered into his ear. “He won’t be afloat in those waves for long, Scott, if he still is.” The ginger-haired Tracy on the other line groaned. “I estimate you’ve got two minutes max to find him and pull him out.”

Scott nodded, although he knew his brother didn’t see him, already sweeping the searchlight around the Danger Zone again. “Got it, Squid.” The childhood nickname turned operative code name wasn’t often used, but seeing as Gordon was familiar with the trio they were saving, it seemed appropriate, as there was no way Scott could get away with using his real name. It may not be too obvious, but he knew the explorers might put two and two together.

“Good luck, Blue.” Scott allowed himself to smile at Gordon’s use of his own code name, and the line cut off.

His full focus on the task at hand, and fighting the dizziness that was threatening to pull him out of the sky, he finally managed to locate Edworth. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled the tired explorer out of the water and onto the warm interior of Thunderbird 1.

Scott smiled, watching from his seat as the shivering Harte was ambushed by his crew, Tara wrapping him up in a shock blanket, just as he had done for her mere hours before.

Soon enough, they were headed for Auckland, and Thunderbird 2 stuck faithfully to her silver sister the whole way.

------

Gordon thanked whatever greater power was out there that the cyclone had not yet reached New Zealand; it meant the Thunderbirds were out of the immediate Danger Zone fairly quickly. They all knew, however, that it would not be too long before the cyclone made landfall here.

Edworth Harte had made it to Auckland in good time thanks to the quick flight in the powerful rocket ship, albeit without a ship to get back home, which he was going to ask a newfound friend about later. He and his crew already had reservations at a nearby hotel further inland, where they would be well sheltered from the cyclone that had almost killed them once already. They were unwilling to go through that again, which was understandable.

As promised, Scott hadn’t even thought about leaving his ship. From the sound of it, he hadn’t even left his chair. Gordon gritted his teeth as Thunderbird 1 lifted off from the ground to join the much larger green lady in the sky. From Virgil’s tense look in front of him, he could tell they were thinking the same thing. Piloting through a cyclone, with the added pressure of a rescue, might have been providing Scott with enough adrenaline to get to Auckland, but getting home was another story altogether, especially as they would have to go around the cyclone to limit the strain on their ships, adding to the amount of time they would be in the air.

On the ground, people were waving goodbye enthusiastically to them as they turned in the direction of home. Virgil grumbled a little.

“If the idiot ends up crashing, I’m gonna kill him…” Gordon couldn’t help nodding in agreement.

“I’ll help you to hide the body.” Virgil guffawed, easing the tension that had built up during the rescue, and indeed, throughout the whole week.

Another voice cut through on the radio. “You guys know I can hear you, right?”

------

Ahead of them, Thunderbird 1 shuddered slightly in the air. Virgil’s response was immediate.

“Scott? You okay?” The two in the faithful green transport held their breath as they waited for their brother’s response. When no such thing came, Virgil repeated his question. “Scott?”

Thankfully, he replied. “I’m fine.” Gordon heard his heavy breathing on the other end of the line, and his voice sounded raspy. “Just a little tired…”

Virgil hummed. “You sound it. We’re almost home.” Thunderbird 2’s pilot felt a hand on his shoulder, Gordon’s hand, and felt his own hand move off the controls and up to hold his brothers in a consolidating and grounding gesture. “Think you can hold out just five more minutes? I’ll call Dad.” Scott huffed in amusement.

“FAB.” The call fizzled out, and Virgil lifted his hand from Gordon’s and clicked open the line to base.

“Base from Thunderbird 2.”

His father’s image appeared in front of him. “Go ahead, Virgil. How’s Scott holding out?”

Virgil hummed. “Not got much left in him, but we’ll be home soon. Are we clear to approach the island?”

Jeff nodded to someone offscreen, likely Brains. “You’re both clear for landing. I’ve already told Scott that he’s to wait inside Thunderbird 1 until you can get to him. I’m not exactly comfortable with him making his way across the gantry in that condition, and there’s no one I trust more than you.”

“Alright, banking for final approach.”

“We see you on radar now.”

Thunderbird 2 landed on the runway much the same as it always did, and as it slid into the hangar, the closing motion of the cliffs familiar to them in a way they desperately needed, Virgil and Gordon exited the ship faster than they ever had before, and were soon in the lounge. Gordon plopped himself down next to Alan, who quickly moved into the hug the aquanaut offered, while Jeff hurried Virgil towards Thunderbird 1’s hangar.

Virgil quickly but carefully made his way across the gantry to the rocket plane. The door to the cabin slid open, and the medic breathed a sigh of relief. Scott was alright, although currently passed out, and Virgil rolled his eyes as he lifted his older brother out of the chair and back in the direction of the sickbay. “Scott, you idiot…”

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Ooooohhhhh... This getting really interesting :333

Perils of an Explorer

The Thunderbirds Calendar for 2022 has a lot of stories you can expand on, one for each month. This one is January's.

Famed explorer Edworth Harte’s yacht gets caught in a cyclone, sending him crashing through heavy waves. Scott tries to locate Harte using Thunderbird 1’s powerful searchlight to pierce the inky black night before the yacht capsizes.

Original series.

Tagging: @thundergeek59 (Don't be afraid if you want to ask to be added)

Chapter 1

Captain Tara Summers grumbled as she took a quick glance over the sensitive instruments on her bridge. Her first mate, Otis Akers, a usually happy silver-haired fellow, also had a very serious look on his face. The yacht was bobbing up and down on increasingly ferocious waves; a clear sign of an incoming storm. The blonde-haired Captain turned to her right-hand man, calm despite the fear behind her eyes. She spoke with a heavy Irish accent and was proud of it.

“Otis, take the helm.” She stepped back from the steering wheel, allowing the first-mate to take her spot. “I’d better go and tell Mr Harte know that we’ve got some rough weather on the way.”

Otis hummed, stroking his beard as he did so. He too had a heavy accent, although he hailed from Wales. “He won’t be too happy about that.” He returned his full attention to keeping the ship steady in the harsh waves. “He wants to get to Auckland before tomorrow afternoon.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Well, he’s gonna have to wait a little longer, then. It’s cyclone season and we can’t be too careful.” She walked out the bridge. “I know exploring the Auckland Rainforests means a lot to him, but he’s a big boy. He can handle being a bit late.”

She made her way down to the main deck, where her employer stood over the side of the rail, watching a pod of orcas a few meters away to port. Mr Edworth Harte was an explorer, an extremely skilled one at that. The Canadian was one of the best in the world and was famed for taking risks. Captain Summers prayed to whatever higher power might be out there that this was a risk he wouldn’t take, but she and Otis knew him too well to truly believe that.

“Magnificent! They never cease to amaze me…”

“Mr Harte!” She interrupted, eager to get this over with. He spun around, a big grin on his face.

“Ah, Captain! Come out to see the orcas too?” The woman shook her head.

“No, I’m afraid not, sir. We’ve just received a weather report from Lima. There’s a storm coming…” He raised an eyebrow.

“And? What do you want me to do about it?”

She cleared her throat. It was now or never. “We need to dock somewhere. Anywhere, really. At the moment, they doubt anything serious will happen, but it’s cyclone season, so it could take a turn for the worst if we aren’t careful.”

The man looked thoughtful for a minute, weighing up his options. He was eager to get to their destination, of course. There had been a new cave discovered in the Auckland Rainforests that he wanted to look at for himself. It was very true that he took risks. But that was only when it was only his life. He was uncomfortable with risking the life of his crew, especially if Captain Summers seemed so troubled about it. He may make a living off of this sort of thing, but she knew the sea much better than he did…

“Alright, Captain. You know I trust your judgement.” He frowned. “But where on Earth are we going to dock? The closest port is Auckland isn’t it?”

“It is.” The Captain hummed. “There’s an archipelago about 30 klicks to the east. One of the islands may be inhabited and even if it isn’t, it’s better for the yacht to be in shallow water, which the islands would provide.” Her boss nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Better radio around, we should be in range for any inhabitants to hear us.”

Tara nodded, and then made her way back to the bridge, hoping that the islands were inhabited.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, about 30 klicks east from the yacht of the famous explorer and his crew, Jeff Tracy was just finishing his fifth cup of coffee of the day, stressed beyond belief. His sons had just gotten home from a hurricane rescue in Florida, and he was eager to hear the mission report from them. He always got a little worried about what could have happened to them that he wasn’t there to see, or they kept hidden from both himself and Scott, who outside of his regular duties as the eldest, was International Rescue’s Field Commander.

Sure enough, just as the thought of Scott crossed his mind, he appeared, Virgil and Alan close behind him. The three of them had been soaked when they hobbled inside, much to their Grandmother’s chagrin, and sort of huddled together until they had been dismissed from the lounge, their very worried father wanting them to warm up as soon as possible. They certainly looked warm now; Alan had even dragged in his comforter, which was pretty much ignored. Virgil had two cups of hot chocolate in hand, discreetly trying to give one to his immediate older brother, which Scott gladly took in the hand that was devoid of any papers.

Gordon looked up from his game of chess with Brains to watch the debrief, a big grin on his face. Brains sat straighter, also paying attention to the group of men in front of them. Jeff nodded to Scott, urging him to start.

“Hurricane Zelda made landfall on Wednesday, as a category 5 and was recognised even in its early stages of being one of the strongest since Arthur ten years ago. Thankfully, the majority of inhabitants were able to evacuate in time, but others were not so lucky…” He paused to cough before continuing. “Initial rescue efforts saved upwards of 200 people, but they needed a few extra hands to get to the most difficult spots, which is where IR came in.” He coughed again, more violent this time. Jeff frowned, concern skyrocketing. Gordon had a matching look on his face, and looked ready to stand up to assist at any given moment. Virgil and Alan moved a bit closer, but he brushed them off. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. Jeff was doubtful, but hesitantly let him continue. Thankfully, there were only a couple more points. “Final toll is 14 deaths, and the number of injuries, no matter how severe, are in the three hundreds.” He broke into another coughing fit, and this time Virgil was quick enough to move him to the couch. “Seriously, Virgil. I’m fine.”

Virgil smiled, deceptively sweet. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He gently felt Scott’s forehead. “No, not fine. You’ve got a fever. To bed with you.” Scott looked about ready to argue. “Me and Al can finish the report.” That seemed to placate him, but only slightly. He nodded to Gordon, who was helping their brother to his feet.

The aquanaut steered an increasingly delirious Scott in the direction of his room. “Come on, Scooter.” Jeff stared worriedly after them, then looked at an equally concerned Virgil, who was happy to explain.

The second son sounded tired all of a sudden. “There was a particularly bad cold circulating around the Danger Zone, and the cold and heavy rain certainly didn’t help matters. Chances are that’s what he’s got.” Jeff hummed and turned his attention to his youngest son, who was wrapped tightly in his comforter and looked almost as pale as Scott did just before he left the room, although the patriarch suspected it was just the shock.

“Alright boys, I think we’ll hold it there. I want both of you to rest for a bit; you might have picked it up as well. Let me know if you have.” The two boys nodded and left the room. Flashing across the room alerted the father to another conversation to have with one of his children.

Jeff sighed as he opened up the link with John, his middle child, up on the organisation’s satellite some 22,400 miles above them. “Go ahead, John.”

“Update from Florida, Father. They’ve cleared all the debris. There was no one else to get to. Everyone’s been accounted for.” Jeff nodded, but his mind remained elsewhere.

“Good. Thanks, John.” Out of the corner of his eye, Jeff noticed John giving him a sideways look.

“Are you alright, Dad?”

Jeff smiled gently at the blond on the screen. The image itself was close enough for him to touch, but his son wasn’t. “I’m just fine. It’s your brothers I’m worried about. Scott’s picked something up from the Danger Zone, and Virgil and Alan looked a bit peaky as well.” John’s face got paler as his father continued.

“Are they okay?”

“They’ll be just fine, my little star.” It was an old nickname, but it did its job, and the space monitor visibly relaxed.

“Okay, Dad. Let me know if anything happens.” With that, he signed off, leaving the father of five to slump in his chair. Brains hummed in the background, clearly having something to say. Jeff stood to attention.

“Brains?” The scientist looked at him seriously.

“T-There’s a weather w-warning out, Mr T-Tracy. I-I suggest we p-prepare for a c-cyclone.” Jeff sighed. No rest for the wicked.

“Alright, send an alert out to the rest of the household, and activate severe storm protocols. Make sure nothing floods.” He would’ve said something else, but the comm behind him started flashing, an Irish voice cutting through the sound of the increasingly violent waves.

“This is the Oarfish requesting permission to dock. Repeat, Oarfish requesting permission to dock.” Jeff turned to Brains.

“T-The closest p-port is Auckland, M-Mr Tracy. I-If we turn t-them down, they’ll n-never get there b-b-before the storm hits.” The older man nodded in agreement.

“Brains, activate Operation Cover-Up!” As the genius did so, Jeff opened up the comms to speak with who the patriarch assumed was the Captain. “This is Jeff Tracy. May I ask who you are?”

There was a stunned silence on the bridge of the ship. “T-The Jeff Tracy? Of Tracy Industries?”

“Yes. Who are you?”

The Captain seemed to snap out of it. “Sorry. Tara Summers, Captain of the Oarfish. I have my first-mate Otis Akers with me at the helm. The yacht belongs to an Edworth Harte, who is also on board.” Jeff’s eyes widened, recognising the name.

“The explorer?”

“Yes, sir. We’re requesting a place to dock until the storm passes.” She explained. “We’re about 15 klicks from your approximated position.”

The patriarch hummed, before making a decision. “You have permission to dock. We don’t get many visitors.” He smiled at that. “And I’m sure my mother will be thrilled to have some extra company.” The Captain chuckled on the other end. Jeff frowned. “Although I must warn all of you. My eldest son returned from Florida a few hours ago, managed to get out before the hurricane hit, and he’s picked up some sort of bug.”

Summers grinned on the other end of the line. “I’m sure we can live with that. Is he alright?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Captain.” Jeff picked up a map of the surrounding islands. “We’re on the largest island. The dock is on the south side. I’ll meet you there with one of my sons.”

“Thank you, Mr Tracy. We look forward to meeting you.” The call disconnected, leaving the stunned Jeff with nothing left to do but stand and go to find Gordon. This would be interesting…

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Ooooooooh... This is getting interesting! :3

Secrets In L.A.

Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @janetm74 @thundergeek59 (Please ask if you would like to be alerted when I update or write new stories)

May's calendar story.

The London to Los Angeles flight on Fireflash touches down at dusk. What was originally a regularly scheduled commercial flight became a VIP exclusive when Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward purchases every last seat on board. Her party, even more mysteriously, is made up of only herself, her right hand man, and a Sir Jeremy Hodge. But what business do they have that requires absolute secrecy? (One-shot)

------

*phew!* 2000+ words with which I finally catch up with all the months I lost XD

This is a one-shot, although I hope the extra length makes up for that. This is intended to be a direct sequel/interquel to my previous story in the series, Dangerous Waters, tying up all the little loose ends, so I recommend reading that before this, or you may not know what's going on... I hope you enjoy! :3

Chapter 1

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward put her faithful teapot aside, ruminating on what Virgil had just told her. She hummed, pushing herself up out of her chair before reaching to pull on the rope on the other side her sitting room. A bell rang as she did so. Her companion, who had previously been content reading his newspaper, looked up from it, alert.

“A mission then?” Sir Jeremy Hodge grinned slyly, always up for a bit of action.

“I’m very much afraid so, Sir Jeremy.” Both spoke with the accent of the British aristocracy, both clipped and stoic, but held a concealed excitement for their craft. “And I would be thrilled to have your assistance in this case.”

Jeremy smiled at her. “The pleasure is all mine, m’lady.” Penelope nodded as the double doors of the sitting room swung open, revealing the Creighton-Ward manservant, and ex-con by the name of Aloysius Parker. His accent was by no means upper class, but it also screamed of a British heritage, thoroughly Cockney and trained to speak with respect to his employer. 

“You rang, m’lady?”

“Yes Parker. Get the Rolls Royce, and arrange phone calls to Air Terrainean and London Airport. We have a mission, and Sir Jeremy will accompany us.

“Very good, m’lady. Will you require h’any assistance with your bags?” The Lady shook her head. 

“Thank you, Parker. But that won’t be necessary. This will be a short trip, so any bags I may take, I can handle myself.” Parker bowed before leaving to make the necessary arrangements, and they were soon trundling in FAB 1, the faithful Rolls Royce, to London Airport. They had a flight to catch…

------

Captain Hansen stared at how many passengers were in the cabin. Then at how many seats were booked. Then back at the cabin. He scratched his head, puzzled by the whole thing. Why, the whole plane had been fully booked. Yet here they were, five minutes before take-off, and there were only three passengers on board. He exchanged looks with Bob Thorne, his co-pilot, who also had a similar reaction to the passenger situation.

The transmission from London Airport Control reminded the Captain and his co-pilot to focus on the task at hand. They had a plane to fly. “Four minutes to take off.” Bob hummed in his seat as he completed final checks on his side of the cockpit. Hansen did the same before turning his head to his friend. 

“So, what do you think is going on back there?” 

Bob shook his head. “I haven’t the foggiest. But I do recognise two of them. Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and Sir Jeremy Hodge. The third is dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform; maybe he works for one of them…”

Hansen hummed, thoughtful. “They would certainly have the money to buy all the seats; make sure no-one was on the plane but them, us, and the cabin crew.”

Bob frowned. “What reason could they possibly have to need a whole plane pretty much to themselves?”

Behind him, Captain Hansen heard the cabin supervisor give the passengers the safety demonstrations. The green light to head to the runway flashed in front of them, and the two of them guided the plane towards the long strip of concrete. “I don’t know. But I suppose it’s not our concern for now. We have a job to do, and that’s flying this plane to LAX.”

Bob nodded, frowning as his grip tightened on the wheel. Soon, Fireflash soared above the clouds, cruising at it’s top speed of Mach 6. At this rate, they would touch down at LAX in just over an hour.

------

Penelope frowned. “We have an hour to decipher who the counter-agent on the East Zephyr may be, so let’s get to it. It will not be an easy task, which is why the more people who can help us, the better.” Her two male companions nodded, looking at the list of information on the four suspects in the case.

Parker looked curiously at his employer. “Just ‘ow did you gather all this h’information so quickly, m’lady?” The noblewoman grinned.

“Now, Parker, you should know by now to allow a lady a few secrets, but I did acquire the information through a dear friend with connections to the WASPs, however tenuous those connections are.” She pointed at the first candidate. “Artem Zhuk. The lowest ranking in the ship’s hierarchy, and the last person to check the line before the dive.”

Jeremy hummed. “He has the means…”

Parker continued the thought. “But does ‘e ‘ave a motive?”

“He does not.” Penny answered. “He hasn’t met any IR agents before, but his family were saved from the wreckage of the last major earthquake in Ukraine by International Rescue. Why would he attempt to lure the organisation that saved his loved ones into what may very well be a trap? It doesn’t make sense…”

Jeremy huffed. “Neither does the next suspect, Peter Meddings. He’s never met any of International Rescue before, nor has he or his family been saved by them, but he has always spoken highly of them.”

Penelope took a puff of her cigarette. “He may be lying.” Parker shook his head.

“I’m h’afraid not m’lady. ‘e ‘as been a WASP for years before this, h’and they require regular lie detector tests to h’ensure they h’are fit for service. H’according to your source, h’one h’of the questions h’is their h’opinion h’on h’other h’organisations such h’as Spectrum and H’International Rescue.”

Sir Jeremy continued. “His opinion is the same every time. He agrees these fellow organisations dedicated to the protection of humankind be protected. Not only that, but he was on Gordon’s bathyscape crew.”

“So it isn’t him either…” Penelope sighed, looking at the remaining files. “That leaves two people. Otis Akers, and Tara Summers.”

Jeremy frowned. “Both of whom know the identities of International Rescue.” Parker shared his employer’s gaze.

“People they trust…”

The Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, London Agent and Head of International Rescue’s agent network, looked sadly at the choice between the two allies. For perhaps the first time since she became a secret agent, she felt completely hopeless. “Whatever shall we do to detangle this whole mess?”

------

Captain Hansen frowned as he stood some ways away from the trio, having heard the last few sentences of the conversation. He knew he really shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the second he’d heard the words International Rescue, he couldn’t exactly walk away. Twice, the organisation had saved his life, along with the people in his care. He had always made a private promise to return the favour one day. Maybe that was a debt he could never repay, but helping the supposed agents in front of him was a start. He discreetly approached before clearing his throat. “If I may, m’lady, I believe I could give you an answer to your problem…”

Lady Penelope looked up quickly, frowning at the intrusion. “And who are you?”

Hansen frowned. “My name is Captain Hansen, the pilot of this aircraft. I also piloted the Fireflash’s maiden flight, when it was sabotaged by that bomb in the landing. It was their very first rescue, if I recall.” Penelope looked curious, as did her companions, but he knew he had to say everything he could to convenience them he was on their side. “International Rescue saved my life not just that day, but also when we were attempting to figure out why the Fireflash fleet kept crashing at precisely the same location into the ocean last year.”

Penelope nodded, smiling. “Yes, I remember both those incidents. I also remember your name.” She grinned at him, gesturing for him to sit with them. He did so, glad he had their trust. “The pilot of Thunderbird 1 has spoken highly of you, Captain Hansen.”

Hansen smiled. “And I speak highly of him, Lady Penelope. He and the rest of the Thunderbirds pilots are brave men.” He laid his hand over his chest as a show of sincerity. “Your secrets as agents of International Rescue are safe with me, I assure you.”

“I expected nothing less of you, Captain.” Penelope hummed. “So, what can you tell us about these two people?”

Hansen carefully studied the files that the noblewoman turned secret agent handed him, humming as he recognised the names. “The names are familiar to me. Otis Akers was an old family friend shortly before he left for WASP. He had a sister who we were also close to.” He paused. “Tara Summers was also a dear friend of mine. We met through Otis, as a matter of fact. She trained with me to become a pilot for Air Terrainean before changing her career path and joining the aquanauts instead. I’m still in contact with both. They’re both officially out of WASP ranks, but still work for them on occasion.” He sighed. “I can hardly believe one of them would betray International Rescue, but between them, I have a suspicion.”

Lady Penelope motioned for him to continue. “Go on.”

“Summers has led a fairly regular life, even in WASP. No tragedy or threat until the incident a few months ago. She has no major qualms about International Rescue.” He let the information sink in. For both them, and himself. “There is a key piece of information missing from this file,” He held up Otis’s folder. “Akers’ sister is… no longer with us.” The three agents in front of him froze up. “She passed away in a landslide last year. A landslide that International Rescue attended…”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “He has a motive for hating International Rescue then…”

“They failed to pull ‘er h’out h’alive…” It clicked for Parker as well. 

Penelope sighed, standing. Captain Hansen did the same. The agent laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling sympathetically. “Thank you, Captain. I know this was not an easy thing to tell us, but we appreciate your honesty in this matter.”

Hansen folded his arms, saddened beyond belief. “You think you know a guy…” He shook his head, banishing his tears before they even truly appeared. “I… better get back to the cockpit. We’re landing in 20 minutes.” He smiled sadly. “I suggest you prepare for landing, m’lady, sirs.” 

He turned to leave, before Sir Jeremy’s voice called out to him. “Wait!” He spun back to the trio. “Would you like to come with us to apprehend Akers at the L.A. docks? We wouldn’t have been able to work this out without you…”

Hansen sighed. “That’s very nice of you, and I would quite like to see Scott again, but I unfortunately have another flight after this, so I can’t leave after post-flight checks.” He smiled. “Besides, I don’t think I could handle facing Otis right now…”

Penelope nodded. “That’s fair enough Captain, but please, allow me to get in contact with you when we both return to London. I believe we have more to discuss…”

The Captain nodded, returning to the cockpit. Bob just stared at him. “Where have you been? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Just talking to the passengers. Nothing to worry about.” It would take a while before he recovered from the betrayal of his friend, but for now, he could put those feelings aside. Bob hummed, knowing there was more to it, but didn’t press him. They flew in silence before Hansen’s eyes widened in realisation. “Wait. She never got my number… How can she get in contact with me?!”

Bob just looked more and more concerned by the minute.

------

“So… it’s true then?” Gordon asked, pure betrayal in his tone. “Otis did all this?”

Scott nodded, just as saddened as he flew Thunderbird 1 with an expert hand. They saw no reason to stick around once they had arrived in L.A. and Otis Akers was arrested by Lady Penelope, revealing his true colours by sending several curses at the IR operatives as he was dragged to Thunderbird 2 to be transported to the nearest secret agency with a mountain of evidence, much to Tara’s shock. They would remain in contact with the Captain. Gordon, having had enough trauma for one day, had decided to skip the trip to L.A.’s FBI branch by flying with Scott straight home. Virgil had been extremely understanding. 

“Apparently, they heard it from Captain Hansen, who was the pilot of their Fireflash, that Otis had a solid motive for it. His sister died on one of our rescues…”

Gordon was dumbfounded. “But why? Why endanger innocent lives when he could’ve just confronted us about it?”

Scott sighed. “I’m not sure, Gords. But I’ve got a feeling there’s more to this than we originally anticipated. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot…” His eyes narrowed. If whoever was behind this even tried to hurt his family, they’d be meeting his fist…

Gordon grinned after a while despite what had happened. A grin that was audible in his voice. It made his older brother perk up just that little bit as well. “You think Virgil will be okay with Akers on board Thunderbird 2? He might try something…”

Scott chanced a look back at his water-loving brother. “With Lady Penelope to protect him? No way is anything gonna happen to him.”

The two brothers laughed for a while at the thought, their chuckles eventually dying down. Gordon spoke up again after a while. “Are you okay? With what happened to Ryan?” His brother froze in his seat. “Scooter?”

“Not really.” He admitted. “But I will be. I could ask you the same thing, what with the anniversary coming up and all…”

Gordon cleared his throat. He had gotten an answer from Scott. Now he had to give his own. “I’ll be honest, I’ve almost had a few panic attacks today…”

“Gords…”

“But I’ll be fine, Scotty. Whatever we have to go through…”

Scott finished for him, Tracy Island appearing in front of them as they got closer to home. “We’ll get through together…”

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Ooooooohhhh boy! Trouble is brewing!

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 (Don't hesitate to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Dinner had been rather uneventful, and by morning, the worst of the storm appeared to have passed. Much to the Captain’s immense regret, Mr Harte wanted to depart immediately. Jeff had tried, along with Gordon, to persuade the stubborn man to stay for at least a couple of days to make certain that nothing else would happen, but the explorer was resolute in his decision to leave. And leave they did.

A few hours after daybreak, Alan watched with his immediate older brother as the yacht disappeared over the horizon. The youngest brother hummed thoughtfully. “It’s probably for the best, Gords. We might be needed on-call soon, and it’s not like we could’ve distracted them as TinTin did with Colonel Casey.”

Gordon sighed, already missing the company of Captain Summers. He had enjoyed talking to someone who truly understood the sea for once. “I know, Al. But there’s a real danger that they’ll get caught out there in another storm, maybe even a cyclone. The only other port out there is Auckland.”

“Which… is where they’re going right?” Gordon nodded. “Then they’ll be fine.”

“I hope so…”

Alan frowned. “That’s not all you’re worried about is it?” Gordon remained silent, but he didn’t have to say anything for Alan to understand. The youngest Tracy wrapped his ginger-haired brother into a sideways hug. “You were here last night for me. Now I’m gonna be here for you whether you like it or not. Scott’s as stubborn as Tracy’s come, and that’s really stubborn. He’ll be fine. Heck, he is fine. And he wouldn’t want us fussing over him, so don’t you dare.”

Gordon smiled, chuckling as he ruffled his kid brother’s hair, and returned the hug. “When did you get so wise?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s a family trait…”

------

Virgil rolled his eyes in fondness as Scott tried, and failed, to get out of bed. For what must’ve been the twentieth time that day. Brains also looked a little exasperated but had a smile on his face.

The eldest Tracy groaned as he sat up, already sick of this. The fatigue in his voice was evident. “You guys know I hate all the fuss. I’m fine.” Virgil raised an eyebrow.

“Says the man who just fell out of bed because his legs aren’t working properly.” The pilot glanced back. “And before you ask, you can get out the second you’re back on your own two feet. But you’ll have to take it easy for a few days.”

Scott scoffed. “You know I don’t do ‘easy’.”

“Yep.” Brains answered.

Virgil’s voice followed. “Ain’t that the truth?” He sighed. “Just… me and Brains have to go and get lunch. Could you please just stay put while we’re gone? We’ll bring you back yours.” His voice raised an octave, and he shifted to a sing-song voice. “Grandma made pie…”

Scott sighed, seemingly giving up. “Fine.” He squinted at the two engineers. “But just because Grandma’s pie is involved.”

------

Tara hadn’t left her post behind the wheel since they got back on board, and already, the cracks were starting to show. Her eye twitched as she held back the stress that leaked through her usually tough exterior. Otis, as observant as ever, looked up from what he was doing on the other side of the bridge to look the Captain in the eyes. “We’ll get there safe. You’ll see.”

Tara looked back at the older man, a little subdued. She smiled sadly. “I hope so.”

Just at that moment, their employer opened the door to the cabin and strode in. Edworth hummed. “Maybe we shouldn’t have left too early.” Tara turned on him, gaze steely and stern.

“You’re darn right, we shouldn’t have! But it’s too late to turn back now, we’ve just gone over the halfway point. We’re closer to Auckland than the island.” Otis reached to put a calming hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off, trying to control her breathing. “I need to go and calm down in the fresh air.” She turned to head for the door. “Otis, the bridge is yours. Stay on course.”

The door slammed, and the two men frowned worryingly at each other. Otis made for the wheel, doing his best to keep the Oarfish straight. He could tell Harte was making for the door. “Best not go out there right now. Tara’s been my Captain now for a few years, I know her. She needs to work this out on her own.”

------

John frowned as he watched the weather patterns directly below him. It looked like there was a cyclone forming pretty close to Tracy Island; about a quarter of the way from the island to New Zealand. The Space Monitor cursed, realising that Edworth Harte’s yacht would likely be caught up in it as well. The blackness of night was sweeping across the globe and would soon engulf where his family was.

He made his way over to the comms unit, already grasping his receiver firmly, and punching in the code he knew would let him contact his father.

On the planet below, the family was winding down for dinner, and Jeff, a workaholic as always, was still at his desk for some Tracy Industries work. The flashing from his middle son’s portrait had him drop it immediately, opening up the link. The cigarette tray opened with a flourish, revealing his own receiver. “Go ahead, John.”

John looked a little pale, causing Jeff to frown. Were all of his sons coming down with something? “There’s a cyclone forming nearby your location, Father. Better engage storm defences again.” Jeff nodded in agreement.

“We will John. Thank you.” Just as he was about to switch off communications, the blond interrupted.

“That’s not the worst of it, Father. Edworth Harte and his crew are still on their way to Auckland. They’ll be caught in it.” Across the room, Gordon and Alan gasped.

Gordon spoke up, near panic in his voice. “They’re likely just about halfway there at this point. They’ll be stuck out there no matter what they do now…”

Just as the aquanaut said it, the wind began to pick up, and the glass shook and trembled against the strain.

------

On the deck of the Oarfish, Tara frowned at the wind, noticing it was picking up. This wasn’t good. She should’ve pushed Harte to stay on the island just that bit harder. The Tracy family had storm defences in place; they would’ve been safe there. But no, they just had to leave as soon as the immediate storm had passed by. She leaned against the safety railing, wondering what she should do to keep them all safe. She was the Captain, and a good one at that. She didn’t spend five years under a taskmaster like Commander Shore for no reason, after all. The wind howled, getting stronger.

She should get back into the cabin, where it was safer, but she just couldn’t bring herself to move; she was still angry with her employer.

“Tara!” Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The Captain was so shocked, she lost her footing, and that combined with a strong gust of wind threw her over the edge of the yacht. She plummeted into the icy cold waters below and after a few minutes, bobbed to the surface. The blonde spluttered as she fought the chill and the current, determined to keep her eyes on Harte and her first-mate.

Otis, who had weighed anchor the second he had heard the warning of an imminent cyclone, threw the life ring over the side, breathing a sigh of relief when Tara grasped it firmly, ready to be pulled about.

Before the two men on board could rescue the woman, however, the rain that had steadily increased began to soak them to the bone, and the wind became galeforce almost instantly. The crew of the Oarfish barely managed to pull Tara out of the water before they stumbled into the cabin. The sky blackened, and they all glanced at each other. How were they going to get out of this one?

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

Awwww. Gordon time! X3💛

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 (Don't hesitate to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Edworth grinned as he shook the hand of the equally famous Jeff Tracy and his son, Gordon. “It’s a pleasure to meet you guys.”

Gordon grinned back at the explorer. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr Harte. Welcome to our humble home! Sorry about the mess.” He finished as they made their way up the cliff face to the main house. The Captain answered him as their three companions made their way up to the house.

“Oh no, we don’t mind.” She looked thoughtful, then seemed to place the ginger-haired man. “Say, aren’t you a naval man yourself?” Gordon’s grin widened.

“Sure am! Olympics, then WASP. I’m an Oceanographer now.” He looked out at the waves. “Such a beautiful mistress, but powerful. And dangerous.” Summers nodded.

“I agree. You’ve gotta know what you’re doing out there. WASP, huh? Marineville, right?” Gordon nodded, astonished.

“How’d you know?”

The blonde shrugged. “I was stationed there during my own time in the force. We have this… look.”

Gordon laughed. “That’s one way of putting it.” They were nearly at the balcony. “Commander Shore certainly knew how to run a tight ship, no pun intended.”

The Captain laughed, before looking a bit more sombre. “How’s your brother doing?”

“A bit forward, aren’t we?” She blushed at that.

“Sorry. I have a habit of blurting things out. Your father told us so we’d know there was a chance of getting sick on the island.” Summers apologised.

“Ah.” Gordon smiled again, sadder this time. “He should be fine. Virgil and Brains are taking care of him in the sickbay, and I trust them with my life. We all would.” At her questioning look, he explained. “Virgil is the second-eldest. He’s got a medic’s certificate. Brains, that’s not his real name, but he’s a brilliant engineer. He helps on the design side of things and fixes literally everything. He also helps Virgil in the sickbay.”

Tara let out a breath. “Don’t you guys have a family doctor or something?” They walked into the lounge, where Alan was watching the darkening clouds out the window. The ginger prankster greeted him.

“Heya, Sprout.” At the acknowledgement, Alan simply buried his head into his immediate brother’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“Worried.” It was muffled but clear, and Gordon rubbed calming circles into Alan’s back as he hugged his little brother close.

“We all are, Sprout.” He smiled at the blond. “He’ll be fine. Why don’t you go ask Grandma when dinner is? I’m sure these folks are starving.”

The Captain watched the exchange and grinned as Alan began the trek to the kitchen, the rain beginning to pound on the window. That was adorable and just showed how close this family was. Gordon cleared his throat, answering her question.

“We do have a family doctor, but he only does house calls, and since we live on a remote island, we don’t really ask him to come round unless it’s something serious.” He smiled as he looked out the window. “He does know though. He has to know these things, so it doesn’t come out of nowhere.”

“I see.”

Jeff cleared his throat, drawing the two’s attention. “Captain, Mr Harte would like a word.” She nodded, walking over to her employer. The father turned his attention to his sea-loving offspring. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Gords.”

Gordon sighed. “I know, Dad. I’ll be careful. I just haven’t had someone to talk to about my stuff since WASP.”

“Alright then. I’m just saying.” He walked to his desk, where the three visitors were standing. “Be careful, son.”

[dragonoffantasyandreality]

*Bouncing excitingly* This is getting interesting! X3

Perils of an Explorer

Tag list: @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @dragonoffantasyandreality (Don't be afraid to ask if you want to be added)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Thunderbirds 1 and 2 had already launched, and were at the Danger Zone within mere minutes. Thunderbird 2 was carrying Thunderbird 4, Gordon already set up to drop. Virgil made sure to keep eyes on Thunderbird 1, not wanting Scott out of his sight for even a second. The scout craft was hovering calmly in the galeforce winds and rain, and Virgil allowed himself a smile as the searchlight clicked on, TB1 swooping expertly to look for the stricken men and woman.

Gordon suddenly gasped, and the sound echoed through the comms of both craft. Virgil was quick to answer him. “What’s wrong, Gords?”

“I just realised. They’ve met us. They’ll know who we are.”

On the other end of the line, Virgil could vaguely make out Scott swearing at the news. He could practically hear the cogs turn in his big brother’s head as he tried to think of a solution. All the while, Thunderbird 1 continued its sweep across the rough waves.

His head foggy and his piloting relying almost purely on muscle memory, Scott tried his utmost to find a solution to their little problem without revealing who they were, but nothing seemed to come. What was worse, time was running out to find the endangered crew, and he needed to find an answer before they tried to pull off the rescue. A few more moments of searching later, and his tired brain finally landed on something that could work.

“Okay, guys. They’ve met both of you, but I’ve been in the sickbay the whole time. They haven’t met me.”

Gordon, sensing where his brother was going with this, spoke up. “Are you seriously suggesting that they take a ride in Thunderbird 1 to Auckland, Scott?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting, Gords.” Scott inwardly sighed. “I know there’s a few holes in the plan, the pictures in the lounge exist, after all, and Dad shows them to every new person who visits the island.” He smiled knowingly. “But I do have a mask. I can wear that and say that I’m sick.” His grin widened. “Which I am.”

As Gordon made his way back up to the main cockpit, clearly not seeing an issue with that plan, Virgil voiced his own concerns. “Just one problem. Dad wanted you to stay close to Thunderbird 2. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Scott chuckled. “Who said you had to? You can always play escort, you know. Plus, I’ll keep it nice and slow for you if you want.”

Virgil laughed. “You better.” He looked back at Gordon, who shrugged. He returned his attention to the rocket plane nearby, which was still flitting about the surface of the water. “You know, it’s weird. Thunderbird 2 has never escorted Thunderbird 1; it’s always been the other way around. Even when you got shot down in that desert, that plane of yours got home just fine once Brains fixed her up.”

Scott’s voice took on a faux serious tone. “Don’t get too used to it, Green Machine. I’ll be right as rain again soon, and you’ll miss your time window.” The three brothers all chuckled at that.

A few more minutes of searching later, and a flash of white could be seen in the bright searchlight. Virgil breathed out a shaky sigh as Thunderbird 1 moved forward until it was directly above the Oarfish, searchlight still illuminating the ships hull as it swayed from side to side. He wondered what things were like down there.

———

Edworth struggled not to throw up as the yacht lurched up and down the rough waters. His two companions, for all their experience on the high seas, looked as green as he felt. Otis stuck close to the radio, clinging to the microphone like it was a lifeline, waiting for an update from International Rescue. Any update at all. Tara had a death grip on the wheel, doing her best to keep the Oarfish afloat.

But the storm was getting worse and worse. And the waves kept pushing and pulling so much that Edworth was surprised they hadn’t capsized already. He yelled above the noise. “Any news, yet?”

Otis yelled back shakily. “Afraid not. I’m starting to think they’ve given up or something. Even International Rescue would have trouble with these winds.”

Tara had her own opinion on the matter. “Give up before they even begin? Does that sound like the International Rescue we know? If anyone can get to us, they can…”

As she finished, a crackling voice came from the direction of the speakers. “This is Thunderbird 1 to the Oarfish. Come in please.”

Tara gave them both a look that said, ‘What did I tell you?’, before giving the all clear for Otis to answer the call.

“This is the Oarfish. Receiving you loud and clear, Thunderbird 1. Man, are we glad to hear you guys.” The pilot cleared his throat before giving them any instructions.

“I’ve got visual on you now. Hopefully, that yacht will hold on for what needs to be done.” He paused momentarily before continuing. “I’m going to lower down a line for you to grab onto and pull you into the ship. You’ll go one at a time, but first, I’m gonna need to ask you to go outside.”

The three people trapped on the vessel didn’t hesitate, immediately heading out, battling against the fury of Mother Nature as she threw hit after hit at them. The line lowered toward the deck of the ship, and Otis’s crewmates nodded towards him for the man to take the first spot. He seemed a little hesitant, but firmly grasped onto the handhold grips as he stood on the small platform at the end, just large enough for his feet to fit on.

As Otis was pulled up, Edworth made a gesture for Tara to take the next spot. The Captain shook her head. “Absolutely not.” It was yelled above a flurry of rain, wind, and the occasional thunder crack. He yelled back, equally as determined.

“Please, Captain. It’s my fault we got into this mess in the first place. Go up next.” Again, Tara refused.

“Mr Harte, this is my command. I can’t just leave when there’s someone else on it. A Captain always goes down with the ship.” She sighed, gaze clouding. “WASP taught me that a long time ago.”

Edworth grabbed her shoulders. “But you aren’t in WASP anymore! You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. I’ve already lived mine.” He tried to hold back his tears, but he doubted it mattered anyway, with rain drizzling down his face constantly. “Please, just let me do this for you.”

As Tara looked at him in shock, the platform returned, and the yacht creaked dangerously, bringing the both of them back to the task at hand. Tara looked him in the eyes as she boarded the platform. “That doesn’t mean I still don’t value those rules. They’ve made me who I am, and I have WASP to thank for it.” She felt herself being lifted up. “You better get on board the ship okay, because you owe me big time for this.”

The explorer chuckled as she disappeared, before the yacht jerked again. This time, it was too much for the small ship to handle, and Edworth Harte felt himself fall backwards into the crashing waves far below.