Home » The Archives » Chapter 9 » Regrouping and Recouperation
| Re: Regrouping and Recouperation [message #202 is a reply to message #201] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 14:51   |
artisticrainey
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Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
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Thursday, August 9, 2068, 4:30 p.m., Thunderbird Five (same time and date on Tracy Island)
The flight up in Thunderbird Three was smooth. It helped John to put his last meeting with Kat aside to focus on piloting and making plans for the remainder of his stay. Alan, as co-pilot, wanted to talk about the new inhabitants of the household.
"You should see them, John! They are so tiny, and when I went to look at them, two or three of them actually hissed at me! They've got the sharpest little claws, too. Next time I visit, I'm wearing that leather jacket you guys brought back."
John rolled his eyes. "I know all about their claws... and their teeth!" He held out his hand, which still showed the marks of his struggle with the kitten. "I was there when we picked them up, remember?" Shaking his head, he added, "As far the leather coat is concerned, it's not as much protection as you'd think. Just ask Virgil." After a pause, he asked, "Did Grandma tell you about the little guys getting first pick?"
"Yeah, yeah," Alan said, waving a hand. Then he turned thoughtful. "Hey, John? How do you think a cat would do in space? Y'know, like on Thunderbird Five?"
John laughed. "Wouldn't want to change the litter box in micro gravity!"
But as they approached Five, it became evident that something wasn't quite right. Brains, when he spoke to them, sounded distracted, and there was a lag between requests for various docking protocols and their implementation. So instead of beginning the unloading procedures right away as usual, the Tracy brothers went looking for the chief engineer.
"Brains?" John poked his head out of the lift that connected the lower level of the station with the upper level. He glanced at Alan, who shrugged.
They found him in the monitor room, staring at a computer screen. "Brains?" John said again. "Are you okay?"
There was a pause, then Brains looked up and did a double take, startled. "Oh, ah, I didn't know you were there, John. Hi, Alan." He gestured at the screen. "Take a look at this, will you?"
The footage of the tornado picking up Thunderbird Seven played once again on the screen, this time in slow motion. Brains zoomed in on the image, showing a blurry close up on the vortex where an occasional glimpse of the ambulance could be seen. "See! There!" Brains froze the frame. "That's when the two sections separated. I'm trying to find out what happened and why they separated." He shook his head. "I did something wrong in the design of this vehicle and I need to correct it so this doesn't happen ever again!"
John and Alan glanced at each other, concerned at the anguished tone in their friend's voice. "Brains," Alan said, very matter-of-fact, "you're not going to get your answers here. You need to get down to base and talk with Nikki, Dom and Mom. Take a look at the black box, too." He punched a few keys, and the screen went to the standby mode, with the IR logo plastered across it. "Now, give us a hand. The faster we get Three unloaded, the faster you and I get back to base and you can pursue this."
Brains blinked owlishly at Alan, then sighed. "You're right, of course." He stood and stretched. "I'll come help." Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "Sorry that I was so distracted, but I can't stop thinking that I did something wrong here."
"Personally, I doubt it. No one can think of every possible scenario, not even you, Brains," John told him. "But you'll get more pieces of the puzzle down on Earth than you'll find here. Now, come on."
"F-A-B," replied the weary scientist as he followed the brothers down to the lower level.
Post by Tikatu On 12/11/2006
  
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