Home » The Archives » Chapter 7 » Trouble Under the Hood
| Re: Trouble Under the Hood [message #1946 is a reply to message #1945] |
Sat, 28 July 2012 20:48   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
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TB Pilot
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From: TracyFan4Ever Sent: 6/19/2006 2:31 PM
After receiving her instructions from Scott, Callie contacted Dianne. "Ursa to Doc, I just wanted to check in with you. I'm investigating the wing now."
"F-A-B, Ursa," said Dianne. "Watch yourself. Doc out."
Walking around the other wing, Callie checked for any signs of the fuel. She could already smell the odor from the fumes. "Yuck! How acrid could that get? Then again, this is experimental fuel, not a bed of roses." Taking out the chromograph, she watched for any readings to appear. When the device started lighting up, she said, "Ah, there's something here. At least I know the fuel's more evident." She walked to the side of the wing with the tank and saw a steady trickle falling from the tank. "Finally, I can get all the components of this stuff."
The Hood kept a close eye on her. Excellent. She has become absorbed in her work. I will wait until she has finished collecting her information, and then I will get what I want from her.
She knelt down and placed the chromograph under the hole where the liquid came from. "This is an interesting combination," she said to herself. "I wonder how they were able to mix in the alsterene safely, though? That's never been safe in a fuel mixture up until now." Her watch chimed, telling her it was time to check in with Dianne. "Ursa to Doc. I've got the components of the experimental fuel. It consists of ethanol EA-85, hydrogen, vegetable oil, and alsterene."
Dianne was surprised by one part of the mixture. "Alsterene?" From what I remember reading the logs, that's the chemical which mixed with the OD-60 and caused problems for the two Ocean Pioneer ships a couple of years ago. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"Yes, Doc, I'm positive." She then moved the chromograph onto the ground. "I'm detecting increases of hydrogen and alsterene in the ground, and I see the ground already changing from green to black."
"Is there any way to reverse the effect?"
"Unfortunately, no. Because this is a new mixture, there really isn't anything we can do to neutralize it, at least not right away." Putting away her chromograph in her belt, she took out a couple of test tubes. "I'll gather some liquid and soil samples to give to Einstein. Maybe he can come up with some answers when we get back."
"F-A-B, Ursa."
As a cloud covered the sun, the Hood smiled with wickedness. Now is the time. He started walking toward Callie, his steps silent.
Another chill going down her back because of her snake encounter earlier, she mustered her inner strength and gathered four samples. "There we go. Brains will get two liquid samples and two soil samples. I know he'd be interested in knowing how they got the alsterene into the mixture safely. We also need to see if we can neutralize it if it poses a fire hazard in during a rescue."
As she put the four test tubes into her belt, she felt her hair stand on end. There's something behind me... please, not another snake! She quickly stood up and turned around. "Hey, who are you?" she asked when she saw a man standing in front of her.
She was about to contact Dianne when the Hood's eyes started glowing with an eerie yellow light. "You will look into my eyes, my dear."
***
"Stupid vines!" Dominic had gotten the hoverbike tangled only a couple of times in the dense jungle vines, but it was enough to slow him down temporarily upon returning to Thunderbird Seven.
He was still muttering under his breath as he entered the medical cabin, and Dianne raised an eyebrow. "Vines. I hate vines," he said.
"It's not so much the vines as the snakes you need to worry about," Dianne said, before glancing back down at her comm watch, her mouth set in a straight line. "Hmm."
"What's up?" Dom asked.
"Callie was supposed to check in a few minutes ago. She hasn't been late so far."
"I'll go look for her," Virgil commented, trying to get up from the biobed.
"You stay right there, mistah," Dianne said, pinning him with a glare. "Ah'm not gonna tell you again." She turned her eyes on Dom. "Go and have a look foah her, Dak. Ah jus' don't like the ideah of her bein' on her own an' not respondin'."
"F-A-B, Doc," Dom said. As he started walking out, though, he realized, "Wait a minute, we don't have Thunderbird Five to help us determine where she is. Indy couldn't get the sub-dermal transmitter signal to us, even if he wanted."
Virgil nodded. "And with no Mobile Control this time, I'll have to give you directions to the wing she's checking... since one of the tree branches near it did get my leg."
Dom chuckled lightly, but listened carefully as Virgil gave him directions to the wing, and hopefully Callie.
***
Unable to resist his hypnotic gaze, Callie's arms simply went limp as she stood in an entranced state, staring into his eyes.
"You cannot resist me. I want the names of your fellow members of International Rescue."
The more Callie tried to resist, the more powerful his glow became. "I...I...Big Mac, Doc, Dak, MGM, Angel, Frankie, Quasar--"
"No, foolish girl!" he said angrily. "I want real names, not ridiculous code names! In fact, I want you to tell me your real name first."
She tried to keep quiet, but the Hood's eyes became even brighter. "Do not resist me! Your will is weak compared to my powers!"
Riding the hoverbike, Dominic was following Virgil's directions to the wing Callie was investigating, but so far hadn't come across her. This is weird, he thought. I've got a bad feeling...
Eventually, when he passed a clump of dense foliage, she came into view. Instead of relief, however, a surge of panic mixed with rage set his heart pumping. There was a man in front of her, and there was something about his physical appearance that sounded a mental alarm. A cruel face, bald, bushy eyebrows... When Dominic saw his eyes glowing yellow, the penny dropped. That must be the Hood! It snapped him out of his momentary stupor, and he suddenly jumped off the hoverbike.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he screamed, jumping over some half-covered vines.
The man's eyes suddenly lost their glow as they swung away from Callie, and for a moment Dom thought he was going to turn them on him. However, as the nurse got closer, the man seemed to lose face, and instead bolted into the jungle.
Dominic kept running, and was gaining ground, before he stopped short and turned to look backwards. I can't leave Callie like this...and what if he - the Hood? - has accomplices? As he looked forward again, the man disappeared into the dense foliage, and Dom sprinted back to Callie. "Ursa! Are you okay?"
She still stood limp, and she didn't seem to acknowledge Dom's presence. "Maverick... Doc... Indy... Big Mac... I... I... oh, my God, I..."
"Ursa, snap out of it. Ursa? Callie? Can you hear me?"
"Sc-Sc-Maverick... K-K... MGM... no... no..."
Dominic grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Callie, can you hear me?"
He shook her again, and her eyes focused on his face for a moment. "Dak? Oh, my God... that... that..."
Her eyes slipped out of focus again, and Dom caught her as she slumped forward. "Doc from Dak."
"Go ahead, Dak. Did you find her?"
"Yes. I'm coming back with her now. Get some smelling salts ready. I'll explain everything when I get back."
"F-A-B." Dianne's voice sounded tight.
Dominic tried to rouse Callie again, but to no avail. He lifted her into his arms and headed back to the hoverbike, thinking, I wonder if that was the Hood himself I just saw...
***
"Set her down heah," Dianne said, motioning to the ground just outside the cockpit.
Dominic did as so, and Dianne immediately started waving the smelling salts in front of Callie's face.
"What happened?" Virgil asked from the cockpit door.
Dianne gave him a quick disapproving look, but kept her concentration on Callie as she began to come around, coughing.
Dominic glanced up at Virgil with wide eyes, the gravity of the situation suddenly weighing on him as his adrenaline subsided. "Callie was attacked, and I'm fairly certain, from what we were told, that it was that Hood guy. His eyes were glowing; he was asking for names."
"Names? Did she give him any?" Virgil asked.
"Not as far as I know. I don't think so. When I found her she was saying code names." Dom looked down at Callie as she became more aware of her surroundings, still coughing, and frowned. At least I hope she didn't give any names...
"What... what happened?" she asked, before her face fell as memory returned.
Dom was about to open his mouth, when something long came shooting from above them and landed on Callie's shoulder. It took them all a moment to realize what it was, and suddenly Dianne, Dom and Virgil reeled backwards, as Callie screamed.
"SNAKE! Get it off me, GET IT OFF ME!" She quickly jumped up and swatted away the creature out of panic.
Adrenaline surged again, and Dominic delivered a swift kick to the creature, sending it flying once more.
She retreated up the steps into the cockpit and hid behind Virgil. "I hate snakes! I hate them!"
"Shhh, it's all right, Callie, it's all right. It's gone now. You're okay." He gave her a comforting hug and rubbed her back to help relax her nerves.
She continued breathing heavily as she looked around at her teammates. "Guys, tell me, please... what happened? I only remember those creepy glowing eyes."
******By TracyFan4Ever and ArtisticRainey.******
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
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