International Rescue: The Next Phase


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1883 is a reply to message #1882] Sat, 28 July 2012 18:22 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Tikatu is currently offline  Tikatu
Messages: 813
Registered: April 2012
Location: South Carolina
Karma:
Field Commander
Ubiquitous one
Sunday, March 25, 6:45 p.m., Tracy Island

The rescue crew had arrived back and were preparing to depart. Dianne and Nikki gathered up all their medical instruments and carried them off to the autoclave in the sick room. The rest of the crew were looking forward to showers and a good hot meal, but before they could head upstairs, Virgil reminded them that the job wasn't quite done yet.

"Come on, everyone," Virgil called as the pod door opened. "Let's get the pod vehicles out of here while we're still filthy. Then we can go upstairs, get cleaned, and debrief over dinner!"

His suggestion was met with groans, but everyone realized that he was right, and began making their way over to the pod vehicles. Virgil himself took the Mole and revved it up, easing it out of the pod and steering it to its berth among the other equipment.

Kat chose to put in an appearance just then. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Kat?" Brains called. "Can you start up the DOMO? I'll be there in just a moment."

"Sure, Bo... I mean, Brains," Kat said eagerly. She was happy to have something constructive to do in the aftermath of the rescue.

Hurrying over to the DOMO, she opened the driver's side door... and let out a blood-curdling scream, slamming the door shut with a bang!

"Kat?!" Gordon cried, coming at a run. "What's the matter?"

Brains hurried over too, adjusting his glasses as he came.

"Ugly, ugly, ugly!" Kat kept repeating, shaking her head. Gordon gave her a little shake, and she looked up at him. "There... there's something in there! Something black and ugly and... it tried to attack!"

Gordon frowned. He moved Kat away from the DOMO, handing her off to Brains, then slowly opened the door.

"Yikes!" he shouted, slamming the door shut just as Kat had.

"What is it?" Brains asked. He pushed his way around Kat.

"I don't know, Brains, but whatever it is, it's really ugly!" Gordon said, shaking his head. He jumped down from the machine.

"Let me take a look," Brains said. He climbed up to the ledge above the caterpillar tractors, and peered in through the windshield. "I don't see... aagh!"

"What did you see?" Kat asked, recovering from her original fright.

"I don't really know," Brains said. "I got the impression of lots of legs...." He shook his head. "Whatever it is, I don't think I want to get any closer."

"So, what do we do?" Kat asked. "If you big strong men won't even open the door, we'll never get the thing out."

Brains and Gordon exchanged glances. "There's only one person on this island equipped to handle such a situation," Brains said.

"Who is that?" Kat asked.

"Alex," Gordon answered. "I'd better get him down here."

Fifteen minutes later, Alex Tracy arrived, butterfly net and bug collection box in hand. He had his science PDA sticking out of one pocket, and his jeans tucked into a pair of hiking boots. On his head, he wore a beekeeper's hat and veil, and on his hands he wore a pair of rubber gauntlets.

"So, where is it?" he asked, as he climbed up into the pod. By this time, there was a little crowd clustered around the DOMO. Virgil had taken the Mobile Crane out and parked it in its spot, then he had returned. He had looked inside the DOMO's cab but hadn't seen anything. Elise looked at the little group and snickered, but when she was offered the opportunity to look for herself, declined.

"No way are you going to get me to look in there," she said, shaking her head. "I don't need giant spiders or snakes in my dreams, thank you very much."

"It's in the DOMO's cab," Gordon said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. He gave his little brother a boost up to the side of the DOMO. Alex peered through the windshield, using one hand as a blinder.

"I don't see... wait! There is something. I'd better go in on the other side." He climbed over the front of the machine, using the DOMO's arms as supports.

The little group's attention was captured by the arrival of Scott and Christopher. Scott make his way over to Virgil.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"There's a critter in the DOMO," Virgil replied.

"Ah, that explains Alex. What is it?"

"Don't know yet," Virgil replied. "He hasn't caught it yet. But he says there's something in there."

"I don't know what the world's coming to," Scott said, loud enough so brothers could hear. "Sending a boy in to do a man's job...." The sally hit its mark; Gordon in particular went red to the tips of his ears.

"You go in and get it then," Gordon groused.

By this time, Alex had climbed into the cab, and was carefully searching for the critter. "Does anybody have a flashlight?" he asked.

"There should be one in the box under the seat," Brains said. He made his way over to the other side of the DOMO and was peering into the cab.

"Got it." The boy waved the flashlight around, then was heard to exclaim, "Oh, cool!"

"What is it, Bud?" Scott asked.

Oblivious to his brother's question, Alex pulled out his PDA. "Hmm. Yes... no... not that... this is closer..."

Brains shook his head and smiled as he listened to his star student do his research.

"Okay. That's it. Scott?" Alex called.

"What, Bud?"

"I'm going to need a bigger box if I'm going to keep this."

"Uh, Bud? I think you'd be better off getting rid of it," Scott said, backing away. "Mom and Dad probably wouldn't appreciate a new pet."

Alex consulted his PDA again. "You're probably right. It is venomous, though it probably couldn't kill a human...."

"Venomous?!" Kat squeaked, her eyes big.

"Yeah. Here, let me show you," Alex said. He swiped his net once. "Drat! It got away. Wait. I've got it cornered." The net swiped down again. "Got 'im!"

Everyone backed away as Alex climbed out of the DOMO, his fingers pinching something under the net. Something that looked long, black, and leggy. He pulled back the net over his arm, keeping a good grip on the creature.

"Ewww! How disgusting!" Kat cried. "What is it?"

"A giant centipede... Scolopendra gigantea," Alex said proudly. The creature was about a foot long, with a body made up of many black, armored segments, each segment having a pair of jointed legs. Two long, curved antennae protruded from what seemed to be its head, and three long protruding finger-like appendages decorated the "tail" of the thing. "Native to northern and western South America, Jamaica, and Trinidad."

"Ugh!" Gordon said. "That's one ugly bug."

"How are you going to kill it, Bud?" Scott asked, backing away as Alex sat on the edge of the DOMO.

"Probably have to use some kind of gas," Alex said, his voice sad. "Can someone help me down? I don't want to jump and possibly drop 'im...."

"Here, Bud," Virgil came up with a hinged box from which he had removed a portable laser cutter. "Put... him... in this." Virgil put the box near where the boy sat and backed off.

"Bunch of chickens," Alex muttered as he carefully placed his find inside the box, and slammed the lid shut. The combined sigh of relief was audible once the latch was fastened.

Scott reached up and helped Alex jump down. Brains took down the box and handed it to the intrepid bug hunter. "Take this to the lab now. Then wash up and join the rest of us at dinner," he instructed his pupil.

"Okay." Alex took the box, slung his butterfly net over his shoulder, pulled back the beekeeper's veil, and strolled off, whistling.

"That's one smart, brave little bloke," Christopher said. He looked around. "Makes the rest of you look like...."

"Don't say it," Gordon put a hand up. "Let's get this machine back where it belongs. Brains, would you do the honors?"

"I just hope that the centipede didn't bring along a friend," Brains muttered as he climbed up into the DOMO.

Post by Tikatu on 11/01/2005

Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!

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