Home » The Archives » Chapter 7 » Trouble Under the Hood
| Re: Trouble Under the Hood [message #1820 is a reply to message #1819] |
Sat, 28 July 2012 14:30   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
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TB Pilot
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From: TracyFan4Ever Sent: 1/16/2006 6:52 PM
***Wednesday, June 27, Tracy Island, 10:45 a.m. (Tuesday, June 26, 5:45 p.m. in Opp, Alabama)***
Callie was in the Thunderbird Three simulator. Working on her final practice in properly landing the red rocket, she landed it back in the silo flawlessly.
Alan smiled as he watched the monitors from outside. "That's it, Callie. You've made it as our third taxi driver." He couldn't help but chuckle.
She unbuckled her safety belt and nodded with a smile. When the door opened, she saw Alan standing next to it. "That had to be the best landing I've ever done."
"It sure was, Callie. I'm happy to say you've almost completed training on Thunderbird Three. Now all you have to do is fly it on your own."
Stepping out from the simulator, she shook Alan's hand. "Thanks so much, Alan. You and John have been great teachers for me here and at the space station. Now, according to Mr. Tracy, I should start training on Thunderbird Two in the next couple of weeks, right?"
He nodded. "Mm-hmm. We've got several people training on Two, but don't worry about that at the moment. The important thing is you've just about got it here."
"Good." She looked at the clock and started staring at it.
"Callie? Callie? You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm trying to determine what time it is back home in Opp."
Alan was curious. "What's on your mind?"
"I'm going to call my family on my satellite phone. I've been so busy with training and missions I haven't had a moment to think about how my family's doing, and I wouldn't be surprised if they've been worried about me."
"I understand," said Alan. "You have a close-knit family. It must be hard when you're so far from your home."
With a nod, she added, "Yeah. I'm gonna wait until about 11 to call. It'll be 6 p.m. yesterday by the time they're done with dinner."
"Okay. Oh, listen, sometime this afternoon I need your help with restocking Thunderbird Three, since I'm heading back there next week."
Callie said, "I'll do better than that. I'll meet you there at 1:00. Sound all right to you?"
"Yeah. I'll see you at 1."
They parted ways for the remainder of the morning.
Same day, 11 a.m.
In her apartment, Callie picked up her satellite telephone and dialed her home in Opp, Alabama. "I hope they're okay," she said to herself. "I'll be glad to hear their voices."
Tuesday, June 26; 6 p.m. in Opp, Alabama
In the dining room of their family home, the Spencer family enjoyed another scrumptious meal made the matriarch of the family.
"How's the steak and baked potatoes?" asked Lorraine.
Richard smiled. "As good as ever, hun."
Brian and Joseph both responded with their thumbs up.
She was bringing her own meal to the table when she heard the telephone ring. "It had better not be another telemarketer." She set the plate down and walked to answer the phone. "Hello, Spencer residence."
"Hi, Mom," said Callie on the other end.
"Callie, is that you?"
The three men suddenly stopped eating when they heard Lorraine.
Tears began to fall from Callie's eyes. "Yeah, Mom, it's me."
Lorraine looked at her family. "Callie's on the phone!"
"Put it on vidphone!" yelled Brian. "Put it on video!"
"Hold on, son! Take it easy." She spoke into the phone. "I'll put you on the video."
When she did so, Callie dried her eyes and said, "Hi, guys."
Richard smiled. "Sweetie, it's so good to hear from you! How's your job going at Tracy Industries?"
Knowing she had to be careful about what to say, she simply said, "It's going great, Dad. The people here have been so helpful in training me, and I've already done my first solo job, working with some people in India." Oh, if you only knew what I was really doing in India.
"Cool, sis!" said Joseph excitedly. "Man, Mr. Tracy doesn't waste time getting new associates going, does he?"
"No way, Joe. He saw my hard work and dedication and sent me to the plant in New Delhi, India."
"That's awesome," said Brian. "We heard there was a monorail derailment in India a couple of weeks ago. I sure hope you weren't there."
"Relax, Bri. I was still in New Delhi when I received word about that derailment."
Richard breathed a sigh of relief. "Am I glad to hear it, honey."
"Trust me, if there were any perilous situations where I was, Mr. Tracy would've told me to leave for safety reasons. He's not a man who would leave anyone in danger."
"Now I see why he's a good man," said Lorraine. "He really cares about people."
Richard said, "Oh, Callie, there's something I've got to tell you. We seem to have made a discovery at the steel mill."
"Really?"
"Yeah. About a week ago an employee at the mill accidentally spread the wrong material over raw steel. When the supervisor wanted to yell at him, Joe stopped him because he noticed a strange reaction, as if the two materials melded together into a stronger form of steel."
"Wow," Callie said in awe. "The only question is whether this discovery can be made into something useful."
"Right," Joe added. "We'll have to test this consistently to see if we can duplicate the process. In addition, we have to look at cost efficiency."
"That's okay, bro. It's better to test it and make sure it works out before making a big announcement."
Brian said, "Hey, we can keep you up-to-date with the e-mails. We just don't want to flood your inbox with false hopes, if you know what I mean."
She nodded. "Sure, no problem." Changing the subject, she said, "You know, sending e-mails isn't so bad, but I love the sounds of your voices more. It's nice to hear them again."
"Same here, sweetie," said Lorraine. "We hope you can drop by for a visit soon. We really miss you around here."
"I know, Mom. I miss all of you, too. It's been just under five months since I started at TI, but I hope to come by for Thanksgiving or Christmas." One dreadful thought did cross her mind. [i]I just pray I never have to come as part of an IR mission. I don't know if I could handle it[/i[. "I just wanted to call you to let you all know I'm doing all right."
Richard smiled. "We're all glad you're doing all right, hon. Keep working hard and you'll make it to the top one day."
"I hope not too soon."
Lorraine laughed. "Hey, don't worry. You've got plenty of time." Looking at the clock, she was slightly concerned. "Honey, it's just after 1 p.m. over there in Hawaii. Are you sure it's okay to be calling right now?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm on lunch break for another 30 minutes." She giggled internally. "The work I have to do when I get back will be a bit strenuous, so I'd better go ahead and hang up for now."
"Okay, you take care of yourself, and we'll be waiting to hear from you again, by vidphone or by e-mail."
"Same here," Callie said with a smile. "I'll talk to you all later."
"Bye," they all said on the other end.
"Bye," Callie said just before she disconnected the line. She looked out the window and smiled. "Even if I am so far from home, at least I know I've still got my family." Looking at the clock again, she said, "Time for a little lunch before helping Alan restock Three." She left for the kitchen to fix herself a good lunch.
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
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