“Thunderbird Five, I need more information.”
“I’m sorry, Commander, I don’t have any. Too much electrical interference.”
Jeff cursed under his breath. He knew John was doing his best, but there had been so many lives lost today.
Lee wasn’t happy. All the data they had pointed to a structural fault in the mall that caused the collapse. It left Jeff grateful that his engineering son wasn’t here for the incident. Virgil reminded him of Lucy when he went off the deep end – rare but a force of nature.
But today Virgil was with Gordon for a very important moment in his little brother’s swimming career.
Jeff was disappointed that he wasn’t there for Gordon, but responsibilities were responsibilities.
“Commander?” His eldest son was covered in dust. Jeff noted the dark smears on his arms but didn’t have the time to acknowledge what they meant.
The fire in Scott’s eyes was enough.
Jeff let out a sigh. “John can’t get more detail, so we are going in almost blind.” A breath and he stared at the remaining pile of crumpled masonry. “We’ll have Two lift off that piece of roof and go from there.”
“Two is not going to be happy.”
“Yeah, well, none of us are happy. “
“FAB.”
A glance as his son started issuing commands to the team. Jeff allowed himself the briefest flash of pride. Scott had become a mainstay of International Rescue and Jeff was ever so proud.
The roar of a Thunderbird shifting overhead and Two appeared, her VTOL reflecting Lee’s mood, no doubt. His partner-in-crime had been a great help the last couple of years, filling in to help with IR when he was available. Jeff envisioned that one day perhaps all his family could be involved, so it was great to have his brother-in-law on the job.
After all IR was to be his sister’s legacy.
Lucy was never far from Jeff’s thoughts, particularly today.
She would have been so angry.
Jeff had to settle for being her vengeance.
The clunk of all four of Two’s grapples as they clamped onto the broken roof. A roar of energised VTOL and the roof lifted ever so slowly.
Slowly not because Two wasn’t capable of lifting it easily, but slow and carefully in an attempt to protect the lives possibly below it.
And they were rewarded. As the weak and wintery southern Californian sun flickered onto the newly exposed rubble, there were voices, both terrified and relieved.
Jeff signalled to Kyrano and Scott and all three of them moved to evac the rescuees.
Thirteen in total. Five didn’t make it.
They dug deeper with Two pulling off smaller and smaller pieces of rubble. Jeff found himself wishing for some kind of mechanism to lift the rocks himself. A pod wasn’t practical in this space and it hampered their progress.
The weak sun headed towards the horizon.
Virgil checked it with the good news that Gordon had won and had another trophy for his collection.
Jeff gritted his teeth as he hauled out yet another poor soul who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Scott found someone to save and for some critical moments there was activity to keep that life going. Jeff’s heart clenched as he shifted more rubble.
The night crawled over the sky and powerful lamps were set up.
It was far too many hours later when they called it. Jeff was exhausted. They were all exhausted.
He gave the order to pack up and retreat. It was always a dreaded order, but they had scoured the site and there were no signs of life left. John had managed to penetrate the majority of the electrical disturbance, which had been a relief…
“Commander?”
Jeff blinked. John sounded worried. “Thunderbird Five?”
“I’m getting a fragmentary lifesign signal. Unconfirmed.” A pause and the sound of his son pushing buttons. “I can’t clear it up. I’m sending coordinates.”
Jeff’s wristcomm flickered into life, a map of the site with the location flashing. It was in the remains of what used to be an ice cream palour. His heart dropped. “FAB, Thunderbird Five.”
He jogged over, steeling himself for what he might find. The shadows were hard and sharp, sketching out the remains of what had been a cheerful, family place. Innocuous everyday objects discarded in a disaster zone always forced him to face the horror of their existence. A statement made of the tragedy by the tragedy and the sight of the remains of ice cream tubs, tables, chairs and even broken cones in the dark dust stabbed him where it hurt.
But there were no signs of life.
He shifted rubble and moved the tables. A counter and a gaily painted menu revealed nothing of their patrons or owners.
It was all eerily silent.
Until someone whimpered.
“Can you hear me? This is International Rescue. We are here to help. Please respond.”
A pause.
No answer.
So, he repeated himself in Spanish.
The silence was ominous.
But then there was another whimper. Followed by a whine.
Jeff moved, throwing broken fixtures out of his way, narrowing in on the sound.
It wasn’t until he picked up yet another upturned ice cream tub that he realised his rescuee wasn’t human.
Curled up fearfully in the dirt was a tiny little puppy, barely recognisable, drenched in melted ice confection.
A pair of wide dark eyes looked up at Jeff in fear.
Jeff didn’t hesitate. A life was a life and he was the son of farmers as well as adventurers.
“Hey, there, little one.” He held out a gloved hand for the puppy to sniff. “I won’t hurt you.” Tone was everything.
The puppy stared at him a moment as if considering, whimpered, and tentatively sniffed at his finger.
A pitiful whine broke Jeff’s heart.
Ever so carefully, he gently picked up the puppy. When the dog didn’t protest, he stood slowly, bringing the little creature to his chest.
It shivered in the cold.
Its eyes never left Jeff’s.
He crooned nonsense words and he hurried over towards Thunderbird Two.
Lee met him halfway, all the questions on his face. Jeff shushed him with a look.
Up Two’s ramp and he found the supplies and the quiet he needed.
Gently placing the trembling puppy on a hastily gathered emergency blanket. It whined in fear.
Jeff yanked off his helmet and the smell of damp earth, broken rock and burning electronics made it up his nose, but a stronger, sweeter smell fought it all off.
The little puppy smelled of pink sherbet and childhood memories.
It whimpered again, and as Scott strode past with Lee in prep for lift off, Jeff picked up Sherbet and clutched the little dog to his chest again.
If Jeff rode home with Lee instead of with Scott on One, which was his usual choice, it was his right as Commander to not have to explain himself.
There would be questions and inquiries as to the puppy’s owner, but there was something in the little dog’s eyes that just entranced Jeff. As if it was some cosmic meant to be.
“Got yourself another kid there, Tracy?” The smirk on Lee’s face as they approached Tracy Island was fond and irritating.
Jeff glared at him. But if he was honest with himself, maybe Lee was right?
He brushed a finger over its tiny furry forehead.
It was still staring at him.
Quiet. “I’m here to help.”
He ignored Lee’s snort, as the puppy finally curled up and relaxed in his hands, promptly falling asleep.
-o-o-o-
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