Tracy's don't Quit
This is for @soniabigcheese and @followthepaintbrush . There were so many amazing choices (I may have written another 400 words on accident for a different picture), but this picture just kind of grabbed on to me, and kept dragging me back until I agreed to write it. I hope I was able to do justice to it. You can find the link here. And the story below the cut.
Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. It's where your interests connect you with your
They were nearly 72 hours into the worst disaster they had experienced in the history of the Thunderbirds and all of them were running on copious amounts of caffeine and severely lacking amounts of sleep. Scott and John were functioning passably well, both used to sleepless nights and short naps snatched when they could get them. Virgil had passed a healthy amount of coffee about two days ago, and was currently on his fifth cup in as many hours. While they all knew he was leading up to a horrible crash as soon as he stopped, not even Scott was brave enough to try to take it away. The youngest two were gulping down energy drinks whenever possible, which Scott had taken to confiscating when he spotted them. But not even big brother could be everywhere at once, and they had managed to sneak quite a few past his watchful eyes.
Even still, all of them were flagging. They were lucky that John had been down from orbit and was already adjusted to gravity before he was called out, because they needed everyone. EOS was overseeing the operation from orbit, rerouting other emergency calls to their local authorities, and helping to coordinate the hundreds of people on site. Every disaster agency in the world had sent people, the emergency uniting people in a way they rarely ever were. Grandma was in one of the many medical tents set up at a safe distance, helping to patch up as many as she could along with doctors from every corner of the world. Even Brains had left the island, joining some of the brightest minds in the world to help figure out a solution. And Kayo was off trying to find the cause.
But even with all the help, it wasn’t enough. They were rapidly losing the fight, being pushed back gradually with every hour that passed. If they didn’t come up with a solution soon, there would be no way to stop it. The earthquake had been relatively minor, initially, and confined to a fairly small area. If it had stopped, there would have been no need for International Rescue. But four days of a continuous earthquake, combined with the heavy rains the region had been experiencing, had led to a massive sinkhole, which was growing by the hour. Alan had been tasked with flying Thunderbird Two, using the equipment on board to help stabilize the sides of the massive hole. It was only delaying the inevitable, but they had to do what they could, holding out until they could find a solution. Scott and Gordon had been in and out of pods, racing through the woods around the site, clearing out every home they found. John and Virgil were focused on the town, going door to door to ensure every house was empty. Most of the town was damaged from the earthquake, so they were climbing in and out of broken buildings, pulling people from the wreckage and loading them onto the rescue planes on the edge of town.
Fighting to save people during an active earthquake was taking its toll. Scott had been in a building when a particularly strong tremor hit, (with his helmet off, of course) and a piece of ceiling had fallen on him. He had an impressive black eye, and probably a concussion, although he had managed to avoid Virgil’s sharp eyes and continued to work. Gordon had been climbing on the outside of the same building, trying to find an easier way to get to the people in the attic, and managed to catch himself when the ceiling fell in, but wrenched his back and shoulder. Nothing was broken, thankfully, but that didn’t necessarily mean it hurt any less. Alan was far past the usual limits for their flight hours. Virgil had raw spots where his exo-suit attached to his body, and had taken to shoving rags in the gaps of the harness for extra padding. John had slipped when a particularly strong tremor had hit, and landed on a falling beam, severely bruising or possibly even breaking his ribs.But there was nothing to be done. The people counting on them couldn’t afford for them to stop, so none of them did, ignoring their own problems to focus on the bigger picture.
A rare moment of downtime had all five of them were together near the medical tents. The rescue teams had just arrived from bringing back their latest batch of rescuees, and were attempting to grab some food as quickly as possible. The constant work had worn them all down, and they were beyond exhausted.
The five of them were seated in a circle, gulping down bowls of hot stew someone had prepared. Scott was careful to keep his black eye facing away from Virgil, hoping to put off the inevitable lecture for as long as possible, and was letting John lean against his back to help take pressure off of his space brother’s aching ribs. Gordon was up and down, sitting and grabbing a few bites before jumping back up to pace, knowing that if he fully stopped moving, he wouldn’t be able to get back up. Virgil had taken the opportunity to remove the exo-suit, and was enjoying the freedom of movement without its restrictions. Alan sat down to eat, but jumped up to his feet as soon as he was done, bending and stretching to work the tension out of his back.
“We’re losing too much ground.” Scott said finally, refusing to look up from his bowl. “I don’t know how much more we can do. If they can’t come up with a solution soon, it’s going to be too late. The town is already destroyed, and if we lose much more land, this whole area is going to be uninhabitable. I know we don’t give up, but I don’t know what else to do. We’re all far past our normal limits. If it were any other time, we would all be grounded right now. We’ve gotten most of the people out. What else is there to do?”
They all stared at him. It was so unlike their eldest brother to give up, that they didn’t even know what to say. He was right. There wasn’t much more they could do. Almost everyone was evacuated, and they were all exhausted. Why were they even still fighting?
“No!” Gordon exclaimed. “We can’t give up. Yes, we’ve gotten most of the people out, but there’s still more people out there. We can’t give up until it’s done. We won’t give up until it’s done. Because that’s not who we are. We’re not quitters. We don’t stop in the middle of a rescue. We don’t stop until it’s done. If we give up now, who even are we? No one will ever trust us again. No one will call us for rescue in their emergencies. Can you imagine the headlines? ‘International Rescue gives up the fight’ and ‘World emergency teams fight disaster without International Rescue.’ We will lose any credence we have. People will die, not just here, but in emergencies around the world because they no longer believe in International Rescue. We cannot stop now.”
Gordon pushed himself to his feet, stepping into the center of the circle. “Come on, guys. We’ve got this.” He stuck his uninjured hand out into the middle. “We’re International Rescue.”
Surprisingly, John was the next to join him, other hand wrapped around his aching ribs. “He’s right. People are counting on International Rescue. We can’t let them down. And we’re not just International Rescue. We’re Tracy’s.”
Virgil’s hand came down next. “Tracy’s don’t quit.”
Alan straightened up and joined them. “No we don’t. We can do this.”
The four of them looked at Scott. He rolled his eyes at them, then winced at the pain the action caused. If they weren’t so desperate, Virgil would have sent him to the medical tents as soon as he spotted his eye. As it was, as soon as this was over, Scott knew he would be hearing about it. Pushing himself heavily to his feet, he glared at his brothers. “What would I do without you guys?” He added his hand to the pile. “You’re right. We’re needed here. And we’ll stay until we’re not. Thunderbirds are Go.”
Virgil began to buckle himself back into his exo-suit, Alan already headed back to the cockpit of Thunderbird Two. Scott and Gordon climbed back behind the controls of their pods, John climbing in behind Scott and Virgil on top of Gordon’s. “I didn’t know we were a taxi service!” Gordon joked, firing up the engines and driving back into the fight.
“No one told you? We just finished the name change. We’re no longer International Rescue. We are now International Taxi Service.”
Gordon snorted at his space brother’s rare joke. “Then what are we still doing here, Scott? Let’s get these passengers to their destination!”
Just as they were arriving back at the front, their comms sparked to life. “Scott! Scott! I’ve got it. We have a s-s-solution. But I n-need to get it there as soon as possible.”
“Alan.” Scott ordered.
“Already on it.” In the distance, they could hear the powerful engines of Thunderbird Two cut off, and a moment later, One rose into the sky, quickly disappearing into the clouds. “Hold the line while I’m gone. We’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Energized by the promise of a solution, the rest of the brothers pushed onward. Dropping their passengers at the town, Scott and Gordon turned back into the woods. Virgil and John headed into the town, proceeding down the last street they had not yet checked. Most of the houses were flattened, with no one possibly still inside, but the last two on the street were still mostly standing. Virgil stopped at the first house, the doorway blocked by broken beams and chunks of rubble. “I’ve got this one. You head to the next one and make sure it’s clear.”
“F.A.B” John replied, ducking through the doorway. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. He called out, squinting to make out what he could. “Hello? Is anyone here?” No one answered, but something told him to keep looking. “Hello?” The ceiling creaked, which he would have attributed to the earthquakes except for the fact that at the moment, the ground was blessedly still. The staircase was surprisingly still intact, and he clambered over the debris covering the steps. Once upstairs, he peered into doorways, looking for the source of the noise. The final door opened to what was clearly a little girl’s room, the pink bedspread covered in dust and the frames from the walls shattered on the ground. “Hello?” A small whimper from the far side of the bed answered him. He stepped over, boots crunching on glass, to find a little girl tucked into the corner, clutching a stuffed dog to her chest.
“Virgil, I’ve got someone. Little girl, around 5 years old. Minor lacerations, but appears otherwise unharmed. We’ll meet you outside so you can check her out.” John scooped the girl up into his arms as Virgil’s “F.A.B.” echoed from his comm. “Hi, sweetheart. What’s your name?”
“Emily.” She whispered, curling up into his chest.
“Hi Emily. My name is John. We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” Holding her carefully, John headed back out of the building. Halfway down the stairs, another tremor hit the building, and the floorboards collapsed underneath them. As they fell, he twisted his body to take the brunt of the impact, but the collision took its toll on his already injured ribs. If they weren’t broken before, they certainly are now, he reflected, just as everything faded to black.
He awoke again a few seconds later, hearing Virgil’s frantic voice through the comms. “John? John, answer me!”
“I’m here.” He groaned. “We’re a little banged up, but we’re doing alright. Any chance you’re coming to get us?”
“I’m on my way. Stay put until I get there.”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on moving.” As Virgil disappeared, he turned to the girl in his arms, who was beginning to tremble. “Hey Emily, are you doing okay?”
She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. The stuffed dog in her arms was clutched even tighter than before.
“It’s okay. My brother will be here in just a minute, and then we can get out of here. Does that sound better?” She nodded shakily. “I like your dog. What’s his name?”
“Puppy.” She whispered.
“Puppy. That’s a great name! He seems like a very nice dog. May I pet him?” She solemnly held the dog out, and John gently pet the soft fluff, smoothing out his coat, brushing debris from the fibers. “He is a very nice dog! He must be very special.”
He managed to push himself up slightly, easing the pain of breathing with broken ribs, and she settled herself on his lap. “He is very special. My daddy got him for me, before he left for his trip. He said to keep him to remind me that he was coming home soon. I have lots of stuffies, but Puppy is my favorite.”
“That is special. Tell me about your other stuffies.”
She prattled on happily until Virgil poked his head around the wall of debris next to them. At the sight of the unfamiliar man, she clung tightly to John. He barely held back a groan, not wanting to scare her further, but he couldn’t hide the wince from his brother’s sharp eyes. “It’s okay Emily. This is my brother Virgil. He’s going to help us get out of here.” At the reassurance, she turned back to face Virgil, loosening her hold slightly, but not letting go. “I’m going to need you to go with him for just a minute. I can’t get up when you’re sitting on me. You’re much too big!”
She giggled, reaching for Virgil. He took her carefully, reaching out his other hand to pull his brother to his feet. As soon as John was standing, she reached for him again. “No sweetheart, you’re going to stay with me.” Virgil protested, hoping to keep his brother from any more injuries today. Her lip quivered, and her eyes began to fill with tears.
“It’s okay, Virgil. I’ll take her.” She clambered happily into his arms. Virgil tried to protest, but one look from his brother stopped him. He appeared to have grown attached already, even in the short time they had been together. “I need you to hold very still for me though, Emily. If you wiggle too much, I might drop you. You’re too big to hold if you’re wiggly!”
She giggled again, curling her arms around John’s neck. “I’m not that big. I’m only five.”
“You’re only five?” John gasped, feigning shock. “I though you were at least eight. Are you sure you’re not eight?”
She shook her head at him, holding tightly as they began to walk back towards the rescue planes. Each step was slow and painful, but he refused to let her see. She was counting on him. Virgil walked next to them, obviously chafing at not being allowed to help. “Why don’t you go check the next street, Virgil? I’ll be there in a moment.”
“There aren’t any-“
He was cut off by their comms crackling to life. “Guys, I’ve got something.”
“Kayo! It’s good to hear from you. Please tell me you found the source?” Scott answered the comm instantly, sounding a little out of breath.
“Yes. I think I found the device causing all the problems. It will take me a minute to disable it, but as soon as I can, we should be good.”
“That’s good to hear. Alan, how far are you?”
“Three minutes out, Scott. We should be there by the time the device is shut down. We already uploaded the formula for Brains’ solution to Thunderbird Two, so it should be ready when we get there. Give us five minutes, and we’ll be ready.”
“F.A.B.” Scott replied. “John and Virgil, how’s the town looking?”
“It’s empty.” Virgil replied. “We’re getting the last person out now. How’s it looking on your end?”
“Pretty clear. If we’re so close to shutting this down, I don’t think we need to search any more. We’ve got the danger zone clear.”
“Think we could get a pick-up then? We’d both love to avoid the rescue planes if possible. They’re a little crowded. And I’d like to get back fast enough to fly Two.”
Alan’s protest came over the line, but he was ignored by his brothers. “You got it. We’ll be right there.”
John settled himself on a chunk of rubble to wait for their brothers, Virgil using the time to shrug off his exo-suit and fold it as small as he could. They could strap it to the outside of the pod, and he could ride inside. He rolled his shoulders, grateful to be rid of the extra weight. Scott and Gordon pulled up in a cloud of dust, and Virgil quickly loaded up the exo-suit before holding Emily while John climbed into the pod behind Scott. He passed her back as soon as his brother was settled, and clambered to sit behind Gordon.
“Who is this?” Scott asked.
“This is Emily. I found her in the last house we searched, alone.”
Emily curled up into his arms, hiding her face from Scott.
“Well, Emily. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Scott, and you must be a very brave girl.” At his words, she peeked out slightly, smiling. The pods spun off through the forest, following the track they had cleared on their first trip.
“The device is deactivated.” Kayo’s voice announced from their comms.
“Yay!” “Alright!” “Well done!” The cheers echoed as they arrived back at the medical tents, Thunderbird One touching down at the same time. Everyone piled out of their vehicles, hurrying over to Thunderbird Two. As the platform raised them into the cockpit, Virgil hurried over to his seat. “Alan, you’re way over your flight hours, but you’re the only one still fit to fly, so you can copilot.” Alan rushed over the copilot’s seat, just barely beating Scott, who clearly wasn’t listening.
Brains was already in the capsule, configuring the chemical formulas for Two’s fire suppression system to adapt to his new formula. Gordon was down with him, his greater experience on Two helping to calm the nervous engineer. John had secured himself in one of the passenger seats, Emily still wrapped in his arms. There wasn’t time to find her parents, and John was not going to miss out on finally ending this fight.
“Virgil, I can copilot.” Scott protested. “Alan’s flown too much today. He needs a break.”
“No way am I letting you copilot my ‘bird with your concussion. Sit down, Scott, and don’t even try to argue with me on this. You know I’m right.”
Scott wisely sat down and shut up.
The powerful VTOL engines of Two lifted them into the air, and they were off towards the sinkhole. Virgil flipped a switch, and the fire-suppression nozzles swung into place under the belly of the plane. “Alright, Brains. Let’s see if your solution works.” They flew slowly, covering the walls of the hole in a layer of foam, which grew and hardened almost instantly upon hitting the surface.
“It’s working!” Alan cheered. The combination of the stabilizing solution and the lack of earthquakes was having the desired effect. The growth of the hole was finally stopped. As soon as the walls were fully coated, Virgil turned Two around and landed her back near the medical tents. They all piled out of the Thunderbird, relief mounting at the end of their task.
“Come on, Emily.” John said, lifting her up onto his shoulders. “We have somewhere we need to be.” The two of them headed towards the temporary shelters that had been erected. It didn’t take long before a woman came running out from the crowd. “Emily!” She cried. John swung the girl down from his shoulders, and her mother gathered her up into her arms. Not one to stick around for thanks, John disappeared as soon as they were distracted, and by the time they looked up, was safely out of sight.
He rejoined his brothers and grandmother, who were standing gathered around the base of the Thunderbird. “Let’s get home.” Scott said. “The local authorities can handle it from here. We’re all well past our limits. As soon as we get home, I’m issuing mandatory down time for all of us for at least a week. Longer for some of you.” He looked pointedly at John and Gordon.
“No complaints here.” John replied, getting a “Same,” from his aquanaut brother. They all climbed back into Thunderbird Two, quickly settling back into their seats. Virgil took the pilot’s seat. Alan tried to claim his place as copilot again, but was ordered back. “Grandma is going to be my copilot on the way back. You’re too tired to fly, kiddo.” Alan pouted as he settled into one of the passenger seats, but fell asleep almost instantly. “We can remote pilot One back. None of you are setting foot out of this cockpit. John, can you handle it?”
“F.A.B.”
Scott tried to pull up the controls to his Thunderbird on his arm display, no matter what Virgil said, but found his system unresponsive.
“I’ve already locked you out, Scott. You have a concussion. You’re not flying anything, not even remotely.”
Scott glared at his younger brother, but the action made his head pound and he had to admit that his brothers might be right. He settled back into his seat, shutting his eyes as Two lifted into the air. It had been a very long rescue, but they were finally done. He let himself relax, letting the quiet conversation from Virgil and Grandma wash over him. The blue glow as John sent One rocketing ahead of them filled the cabin, and the quiet snores from Alan lulled him to sleep.
