SUMMARY: A bioweapon has released containment, the GDF scramble to shut down the world. International Rescue included.
A/N: Blackbirds is here and live! Enjoy the first chapter which takes direct inspiration from the episode Chain of Command. For reference, this is exactly where in the show this fic begins.. things just take.. a very very different turn..
Heat clung to every atom of existence as the sun hung in the awful position that depicted afternoon. Summer in Australia was no joke, and the sweat had accumulated to the point that Scott could slick back his hair and it would stay stuck, even with the lack of hair gel he had time to put on in the morning before he was off to rescue. His body felt like a giant oven, and with another swig of electrolyte, Scott stared ahead at the disaster zone. The collapsed skyscraper looked relatively small from where Scott sat within the concrete jungle, somehow peaceful even if lives had been stolen. A deep sadness hung over the city, or, some sort of sorrowful gloom that seemed to brew within Scottâs stomach. Perhaps, it was due to the amount of loss he had seen today, or the fact his stomach was simply empty.Â
He slowly climbed back into his silver-grey âbird after he bid his farewells to the rescue teams that still would work tirelessly into the evening. As the holographic display slowly flickered into life, Scott transferred his grips to control the dart-shaped craft. A sonic boom and pilot and ship would be back to Tracy island in mere moments. The unsettled churn in his stomach didnât seem to cease, not for post-flight checks and neither for his shower. Scott appeared from his bathroom with a clean set of clothes and a tired smile.
âScott!â A chorus of 3 voices woke the older brother just a tad more as he walked out to the sunken lounge.
âYou want to watch a movie?â Alan grinned, âweâre trying to get John down but he refuses.â
âSure, Iâm down. What movie?â Scott settled into his usual position beside Virgil, his younger brother looped an arm around his shoulders and a sigh released tension he didnât even know he carried.Â
âStar Wars,â Alan grinned. Made nearly over 100 years ago, Alan sure liked the old movies and it wasnât something Scott would say no to. Who was he kidding, heâd probably fall asleep before theyâd even been introduced to Luke.Â
âIs this just another attempt to get me down?â John asked, clearly a little apprehensive of one of his favourite pieces of old fictional media being shown when he wasnât down.
âWell, youâll miss out!â Alan sighed dramatically.
Virgilâs fingers drummed a steady pattern onto Scottâs shoulder with his fingers, a cheek stuck out in thought as John and Alan bickered about something, Scott was slightly too tired to care. Though, Virgil held a tight expression.
âWhatâs wrong?â Scott whispered, his voice lost amongst the two astronauts. If he listened enough he could tell it was something about watching the movies via release date or chronological order.Â
âSomething feels⌠I donât know, off?â Virgil shrugged, worry danced within brown eyes.
âI feel it too,â Scott mumbled, a tired nod.
âItâs okay, itâs probably nothing,â Virgil mentioned, his thumb rubbed over Scottâs shoulder, âyou sleep. Iâll keep an eye on this lot.â
âThanks,â Scott mumbled, though he didnât plan to sleep. Well, as his father would say, sometimes things just never go to plan.
-*-
Scott was awoken by a jab in the ribs and some horrible klaxon which sounded nothing of what they were usually woken by for a rescue. His eyes blinked as he watched the holographic TV turn from something about Anakin Skywalker to a bright blue screen that made Scott wish he was still asleep. âThis is an emergency GDF broadcast, please do not turn your device off.â
He sat straighter at this, eyebrows buried themselves into each-other and what Gordon dubbed his âbrother linesâ deepened upon his expression. âWhat's going on?â
âDonât know,â Gordon crossed his arms, âthey better hurry we got to the good part.â
âThis is not a drill. This is an emergency GDF broadcast. A bioweapon has escaped GDF labs containment. This has the potential to destroy lives. Spreadable like a virus, this bioweapon has the ability to cause people to go mad. Currently, extreme measures are being put in place to ensure your utmost safety. The weapon is drawn to light and sound, especially at night when there is not a lot of it around. Please refrain from light and sound after 6pm until the GDF are able to get this back within containment.â The message was mechanical, the deep unsettled feeling in Scottâs gut returned as it repeated a couple of times, before it finally shut off.
âDid you get that John?â Scott had stood up, when? He didnât know. His heart drummed in his ears and his body screamed at him that something was wrong. The GDF had not warned International Rescue on anything about this, it felt weird. Perhaps even untouched with reality. His hand balled into a fist and found it sweaty again, despite the much cooler environment of the villa with the aircon on.
âAffirmative, Tracy Island. I have tried to contact Colonel Casey now, but that doesnât sound good.â
âWhat, is this like, turning people into zombies or something? Why such a big deal?â Gordon frowned.
âI thought the GDF went against biological warfare. It would be too devestating. Dad told them not too ages ago when the question was raised,â Scott ran a hand through his hair.Â
Colonel Caseyâs holographic projection flickered onto life in the lounge, âColonel Casey!â
âJohn I really donât have the time-,â Casey began.
âI know, it must be hectic but what is going on? A bioweapon?â John pressed, his face neutral but Scott knew enough about John to see the wariness of his younger brother.
âYes, a bioweapon has been released from containment. Itâs.. bad, people go crazy when vulnerable to it, itâs like a virus that takes control of the brain, and slowly eats away at it. People become feral⌠itâs a big deal. I advise you to listen to the requirements weâve put in place,â Colonel Casey said all too quickly.
âWeâre in the middle of nowhere, on an island. Surely the light and sound rule doesnât apply to us? We still have a rescue organisation to run,â Scott countered.
âYes, and you can still do that, but we wish you to not do a rescue anywhere past 6pm for the timezone the rescue is in, you must understand this is very dangerous, Scott.âÂ
âI understand, but people still need our help.â
âAnd you can help them, but please keep the lights out. While we donât mind obviously, you are in the middle of nowhere and one of our closest allies, but we have automated GDF fliers who will strike down places with light past 6pm local time.â
Scottâs eyes narrowed, âbut canât you just make an exception-â
âLook Scott I have so much on my hands I will have no time, so the answer is no,â Colonel Casey shot back as the holographic projection flickered out.
âWell that's not creepy at all,â Alan mumbled.
âSomething feels off about it,â John admitted, âbut let's not stir up anything. Letâs just listen to them.â
âFor now, yes. But there are people out there that could need our help,â Scott frowned, âwe donât get to choose if we risk our lives to some virus, we have to help.â
âWe do have a choice though,â John mumbled.
âDad would have wanted us to continue on!â Scott took another step forward to his younger brother's hologram.
âYes, but we need to see the strength of this thing before we actually act, Scott.â
âF.A.B,â Scott finally resigned, he took a step back in defeat.
âSpeaking of, we have a situation that may be brewing. A GDF bridge to a secret facility is currently under immense stress and is falling apart. A GDF soldier is stuck in the armoured van, and is in a fine balance before he falls.â
âAlright, Virgil, Gordon, Alan, youâre in Two. Weâll need the pods to stabilize that bridge. Iâll double time it to your location and get the soldier safe,â Scott ran towards his launch chute, a chorus of F.A.Bâs ran throughout the villa, âthunderbirds are go!â
-*-
The roar of engines felt reassuring against the pressure that clasped tightly over Scottâs head and the tight clench of his hands to Oneâs controls to gain a tad of reality. The broken bridge finally showed up underneath his feet, barely intact, the soldier hung off the side of the truck. It was now that Scott realised it was raining. The sky suffocated from the thick fog; rain berated the bridge like it personally wished it to fall. âThunderbird Two, stabilise that bridge, Alan, Gordon, in the pods. Iâm going after that worker.â Scott let his âbird hover in the air with her VTOLâs as he got the harness for the soldier and jet-packed himself down.Â
The weather was on full display now, fat droplets obscured the vision upon Scottâs helmet, as he fitted the harness on the rescuee, the bridge gave an awful groan from underneath them. Before the bridge could give away from Virgilâs grasp, Scott managed to clear him and the soldier before the bridge toppled to the ground.
âEeesh, the GDF are not having a good day,â Gordon commented that Scott was very lucky the soldier he had rescued didnât hear. Silence felt like it wrapped around his neck and pulled it in a tight grasp, the sense of oncoming dread he had felt all day returned as Thunderbird One landed on the side of the bridge and let the worker go.Â
The hackles on Scottâs neck rose as Colonel Casey walked towards him with a look of utter disgust. âIâm sorry about your bridge,â Scott gave a weak smile.
âInternational Rescue,â Caseyâs mouth twitched, âI told you not to respond to rescueâs beyond 6pm local time.â
The rain repetitively threw fists at the ground, thunder rumbled in the background as if it too sensed the tension.
âIt wasnât 6pm when we got here,â Scott countered.
âThat shipment was highly classified,â Casey beared her teeth.
âWe were not aware of that, it was declared a rescue. John asked if we could help and the worker said yes.â
âInternational Rescue canât continue in these times. Youâve clearly already pushed boundaries, Scott,â the Colonelâs gaze was like daggers. Though the rain couldnât get to the pair under the cover of the nose of his Thunderbird, Scott felt a shiver electrify his spine.
âWhat? Youâre grounding us?âÂ
âYes. You work at the will of the GDF and I feel that boundary has never been set for you boys. Your father would agree with me when I say this, Scott. This bioweapon is way too dangerous, we arenât sure what itâs fully capable of, but its mortality rate is,â Casey wrinkled her nose and put her palms out in a motion that said âdonât know.â
âPermanently?â Scott took a stride forward.
âNo, not permanently, but until further notice. Now get back to the island and shut the lights off so that the GDF doesnât lose our best ally,â Caseyâs smile was sweet as she patted Scott on the shoulder, âlisten you donât want to hear it as much as I donât. This is for your safety. Your little brother's safety.â
âFine,â Scott bit back his snarl, âF.A.B Colonel.â
âGood, now go home,â she waved and Scott felt a sink in his gut. He slowly clambered into Thunderbird One and punched it home.
-*-
âTheyâve shut us down?â Virgil blinked in uttermost disbelief.
âI guess the question now is,â Scott said as he looked at all of his brothers which included John whoâd come down for the news, âdo we want International Rescue to continue?â
The lack of light over the island felt odd, unnatural. There was always a dull holographic glow from something that required a rescue, a brother up and about or even a family movie. Far away from civilisation, light pollution was non-existent, the room was barely visible, darkness coated them in a thick cloth.
âWhat if theyâre right, weâll just stop for a bit then start up again?â Alan asked, a slight tremble in his voice as he clung to Virgilâs arm.
âWhile I think theyâre right, when have we ever cared for our lives when it comes to helping others?â Gordon tilted his head.
âWe havenât,â John agreed, âbut Iâm with Alan, this may be dangerous, we need to see how it goes.â
âInternational Rescue hasnât backed down from a fight, we need more information on this bioweapon which Kayo and Lady P are investigating but I think we should continue. We canât back down now, not when the world needs us,â Scott gave a shrug.
âI think we continue, imagine all the scared terrified people,â Virgil whispered.Â
âWe continue then,â John whispered as if he didnât believe what he said himself.
Okay so new (not so new) drawing drop⌠I kinda forgot I ever did this so wowoweiwa itâs finally getting out! Pure trial and error for an entireâŚ. 9 hours!
I finally drew my boys! First time Neil and Rigel appear here I suppose.
(Left to right) Sirius, Neil, Rigel.
Rigel made some cruel joke about Neil or something
Sirius just wants a break.. in the morning it was Jeff and Jay and now its these idiots.
Woop Woop yet another drawing drop! Itâs been awhileâŚ. Iâve been caught up with evil sentient rocket ships yet againâŚ. Still getting used to digital art escpecially with drawing my creatures but hey weâre getting somewhere!
SUMM: Scott's crashed in an unknown country with unknown intensions.
WARNINGS: Mild gore descriptions.
A/N: This is the type of fic that I am unsure if it will ever be continued but here's to hope that more chapters will be uploaded if its hyped enough. Carezteah is a made up country đ. Enjoy!
The roar of engines and electronics screamed their protest as the rocket plane was slowly brought back from hypersonic speeds, the pilot's hands remained steady upon the controls, eyes trained to the holographic displays of the outside in-front of him. The air traffic today en route back to Tracy island required him at a slower airspeed- as for some reasons his communications in regards to the airspace he currently inhabited had gone unanswered- and he wasnât about to go and spear into another aircraft. Subtle changes with Thunderbird Oneâs controls happened automatically, the pilot most as ease within his large beast of a craft.
With a glance thrown beneath him, the rolls of bare hills and the border of forest flickered under his feet. A slow smile pulled at the edges of his mouth. Although a controversial country currently- Carezteah was still a thing of beauty- not that he had personally gone much. They had their own air centered search and rescue so usually the major disasters were already taken care of from their own team of first responders.
A large thud snapped Scottâs attention back to earth as the cockpit started to flash red with the holographic warnings of all kinds that blared against his ears. âThunderbird Five this is Thunderbird One, Iâm hit,â Scott tilted Oneâs nose cone up as far as he could as her hull shuttered again with another hit, âIâm being shot out of the sky!â
âThunderbird One this is Thunderbird Five, youâre being shot down?â
âNo, Iâm just taking a nice lil nose dive towards the countryside, yes John, Iâm being shot down!â Scott engaged the VTOLâs in an attempt to resurrect the ship.
âOkay, can you pull her nose up? Iâm going to contact Tracy Island,â Johnâs worried tone bit through the comms and Scott physically felt the chill, or perhaps, that was because the ground looked awfully closer than before.
âYes, but weâre still heading directly towards the ground andââ Scottâs voice cut out as Thunderbird Oneâs nose perfectly husked away when it came into contact with the ground, a fiery inferno ignited her wires as she crumpled into the earth. Her pilot that she desperately tried to keep safe, threw hard against the back of his seat upon impact, which let his head roll sideways as it hung from his body.
The only sound that was heard against the hungry crackle of fire that now consumed the large silver bird, was the hiss of static from the comms line.
-âď¸-
Dusk had fallen over the sky that gave it a purple-yellow tone, the first constellations started to show within the sky, the darker it would get the more life would appear- stories written into the cosmos displayed for the human eye in a glimmer of beauty. It would have been peaceful if it wasnât for the deafening roar of the helicopterâs blades as she gripped the handle and dangled her legs over the edge. âWhat are we flying into boss?â Her soldier and resident best field medic on the team crouched beside Saarcâs spot to observe the world.
âCrash of an aircraft recently identified as Thunderbird One. Our job is a matter of security as THF canât get out here, and CSARC doesnât want to get their hands bloody, specially if this man is dead in there,â Saarc stood herself up as the helicopter cleared the last hill and revealed the Thunderbird which lay nestled in a paddock. Her silver hull on fire as smoke covered the night sky Saarc had admired only moments before. Scram jets were completely beaten inwards which was clear it had taken a hit from some sort of anti-aircraft missile. Overall, the looks of this crash wasnât good, and she highly doubted the pilot, if alive, was in any state to get himself out.
âIs not the CSARCâs whole job rescue?â Atlas questioned with a squint of his eyes at the crash as the helicopter slowly touched down.
âThe government's job is to protect us. They are yet to do so,â Saarc bit back as she jumped from the chopper, gun strapped around her chest as she strode towards the crash. She looked like an injured bird, slightly rolled to the side so that the underneath of her was exposed, wing dislocated from her actual hull, the sight of such a plane that should ignite someone with hope, instead dread was the only emotion to describe seeing such a beast crippled. Saarc adjusted her helmet, thankful for the oxygen supplied from it so that she didnât have to feel the burn of smoke within her lungs.
âThe moment I come in contact with the pilot I need Olsen with the med kit and Willson to alert the forces,â Saarc barked as she pried open the pilot's window- oddly placed underneath his feet. As the glass shattered, air sucked into the cockpit as if the window was the only thing to keep the seal, and the fire glowed just that bit brighter. Enough to make Saarc feel more than a little worried. Rescue and recovery wasnât unusual for the special ops team in which had had to pull a lot of other teams from their demise in combat. Though, it was rare for something like this to be what they were tasked with.
In Saarcâs brutally honest opinion, they shouldnât be the ones doing this. This was a breach of policy and the CSARC or the GDF even should actually do their job. Though, job description or not, a complaint to higher authorities wouldnât save this manâs life.
If he still had one to live.
He sat perfectly still within his pilotâs seat. Hair slicked back with such a sick amount of hair gel that Saarc for one moment considered a fire hazard. A cut ran from his temple to his ear and weeped blood that ash stuck to and dusted his blood over. Saarc pushed the shoulder restraints upwards with a clunk and caught the pilot before he fell from the chair. With a brief glance, his chest still rose and fell, and that was good enough as she scooped him into her arms. âGet ready, I've got him,â Saarc barked briefly into comms, stoic tone sure to make those outside scramble just the tiniest bit faster.
As she burst out of the bird she felt the heat that felt like it melted her bones into her uniform. The air didnât clear up once she came clear of the crash site either, smoke now gave a haze that painted visors grey and made the forest line merely meters away unrecognisable. Saarc hauled the weight sheâd thrown over her shoulder down to the gurney which awaited for its patient. Her eyes drifted back to his ship when it groaned, consumed by the fire and crumpled more into itself. Though, for a moment, it was like the ship itself yearned for the pilot taken from it.
-âď¸-
Eyes flickered open to be met with unadorned walls and the potent smell of sanitiser. It didnât take longer than a second for Scott to figure out he was within some form of infirmary or medical centre. He sat himself up and took stock of his situation. His uniform had been removed, it was carefully placed over the end of the bed he inhabited, however the baldric was nowhere to be seen. He was dressed in a hospital looking gown, a bandage wrapped around his arm in which he could assume was cut open. A wince and the headache he sported indicated the potential of a concussion. Scott slowly dragged himself to his feet, a hand gripped the side of the bed for support as he glanced around the room.
âWondered when youâd be awake,â the female voice rattled Scott as he snapped his gaze to the woman. Dark brown eyes stared with intensity at him, a neck gator pulled over her mouth and nose which made her deep eyes pop. Black hair sat neatly down upon her shoulders with feathers that were entwined into her hair; the glimmer in her eyes told him she was amused.
âWho are you,â Scott said cautiously, his eyes trained to the doorways, military brain kicked itself into gear and tensed Scottâs muscles; ready to run.
âHawk,â the woman answered in full honesty that Scott didnât know whether to believe her or not, âyourself?â
âIâd assume youâd already know about me,â Scott hissed as he fought the woozy feeling that rattled his brain.
âWhile I would love, all Iâve got is⌠You pilot Thunderbird One,â she shuffled within her chair. Her accent was thick and hard to understand, though one could best describe it as honey and baritone, but spartanness hung off every syllable. Scott blinked a couple of times to register.
Scott glanced around, as he didnât wish to answer the question just yet to the strange woman that while didnât give off a bad vibe about her, she was guarded, and foreign. The whole place was foreign. âWhere am I?â
âCarezteah, Solver. Youâre currently at military base in Solver, infirmary,â Hawk tilted her head backwards towards the wall.
âThat makes sense,â Scott mumbled, jumbled memories slowly worked through his brain. The crash checked out, and Solver would have been the closest town to where he had crashed, âwhy the military infirmary?â
âIt was a misjudge of an anti-aircraft missile that put you here, and youâre needed to answer a couple of questions. Donât worry, Tracy, they donât bite.â The lack of visibility for Hawkâs mouth made it hard to understand.
âSo you know my name,â Scott probed.
âDoesnât particularly take a genius to know that Tracy pilot the Thunderbird. Do I know what brother you are? No,â Hawk gave a shrug.
âScott,â he extended a hand, finally under the impression there was at least some trust that could be had. If they looked into it hard enough they would find him anyways, there was no point to hide his identity.Â
âNice to meet,â Hawk shook his hand firmly, âget in your uniform, it is patched. Call me back in, we see you to your home after these questions.â
Like that, Hawk disappeared behind the door. Scott sat there for a moment as he watched after her, disconcerted by the entire situation, and the underlying feeling that the woman who called herself âHawkâ, was not entirely true about her name.
'Jeff used to take me to just to fly and touch the stars, as if my wingtips held the expanse of the universe. Now- I take myself and sometimes- only sometimes- I hear his voice on the wind.' - Bird
Well this art piece came into my head when doing another idea with Bird so I had to drop everything to make it. You guys getting a lot of Bird content recently.. every other project I've abandoned halfway it just hasn't felt right..
Mustn't have done my daily TB-01 drawings enough to keep the art skills..
Whats she supposed to do as a submarine?
Anyways lil context: TB-01 is rated for space, sea and in-atmosphere operations.. but uh.. the sea ain't her thing.
Anyways her blueprint which I'm also showing off is below the cut.
Water is overrated anywaysâŚ. All anyone will ever need is speed (YAYAYAYA I LOVE THIS IVE LAUGHED A BIT TOO MUCH AT IT) cough.. anyways, must have been the wind