#can only add a little bit to the frankly overwhelming flood of gorgeous writings and creative artwork here

[galentaliel]

earth&sky week offering

;) better late than never (explanation here) 

This was meant for Day 4, Scene Unseen... slotted in between scenes in “Clean Sweep”

Mrs. Lexi Baker took a quiet moment’s opportunity to return to her teacup. The day had been ragged so far with sudden and urgent calls for maintenance crews and fast-response repairs for the newly installed filter system upgrades hovering high in the skies over New York City and Mumbai.

Mmmphh… she settled down a bit in her chair and loosened her tie a little. Crowded days like this, she felt somehow stuck in the sky, up at level 040 where most of the Oxy-Baker Horizon Scrubber system lived. Lexi sighed — even though she lived for her life’s work, up there…oh, to come down to earth, figuratively, for a break now and then. There seemed to be a looming threat of further equipment trouble, maybe even in the air over her own home city of London, but it was only a faint rumor at this point, so she tried to get a few minute’s peace in her grounded and quiet, low-lighted and comfortable office. Tousling blondish-gray wisps out of her eyes, she relaxed…

For only a moment. “…(beeeeep)…” An audio signal icon appeared on her panel. “Hello Mrs. Baker? Please excuse my intrusion into your communications but this is International Rescue calling regarding a life-threatening emergency involving your Horizon Scrubber system…”

The crisp-clear voice edged with a small hint of panic was one she didn’t recognize at all. How…?

“Y-yes, International Rescue — please go on.” He barely left time for her to reply, continuing…

“Oh — thank you, Mrs. Baker. We’re responding to a call from your maintenance crew, who were cleaning system scrubber No.114, one of your older models. The crew experienced a malfunction in the turbine controls and their pod got sucked into the scrubber, damaging its engines and trapping them nearby or upon the leaking toxic waste tank. I just got through speaking with the operator responsible for that scrubber and… Well I am sorry to say, m’am, he was far less than helpful.”

The voice cracked a little bit… but resumed quickly:

“I think there’s a chance he might have even contributed to the accident because… The pod crew said he refused to help them with the controls — then when I spoke with him, he only said the controls weren’t working from his end either, and that he ordered a new maintenance pod to go up in three hours, per company procedure.”

And for a second time, the voice cracked and Lexi thought she heard exasperated sighs come across with the words. She was now straight-backed in her seat again, tapping nervously as she listened to IR audio.

“What is your name, please?”

“Yes, this is John Tracy of International Rescue — forgive me, but my haste is warranted, Mrs. Baker — your airborne crew is in danger and your ground crew is not only not cooperating, he’s making it much worse for them.

“Erm…”

“Again, sorry Mrs. Baker, I neglected formalities, there, but I guess I’m accustomed to much more smoothly coordinated Earth-and-sky operations… and your guy on the ground here, he’s just… a piece of work.”

Oxy-Baker’s company head fumbled with her panels for a few seconds, trying to get a screen to come up so she could talk face-to-face. In barely a minute’s conversation, this sole speaker had effectively conveyed more to her about a situation and its nuances than any of her staff, or her family for that matter, in years…

“I confess it also helps that I work with, coordinate everything with, my brothers — family — but it does seem that a company should have a family spirit as well, so this guy threw me… got me a bit angry because it’s just not the best attitude for safety’s sake…?”

Love, you couldn’t be more right… Lexi was now even more interested to see who she was talking with. She got the right combination and a shadow flit across her desk — now it was a little more personal. A very young but clean-cut and bright-appearing face smiled at her with some worry fringing the eyes and mouth… “Hello John of IR. What can I do to help? We want to do anything we can — please ignore the ground controller, I’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you. Apparently he holds a digi-key we need to stop the runaway turbine, so we can safely extract the crew with our rescue vehicles — Thunderbirds One and Two, who are rushing to the location now. Your ground man told me I was not allowed to use it… he even said I couldn’t speak with you.”

At that last phrase, John Tracy peered at Mrs. Baker with a cast in his eyes that presented facts of the matter, both sheepishly and knowingly offered. Here was both righteous anger and simple human courtesy, personified.

She smiled back and her eyes narrowed. “Appreciate your tact in not mentioning his ID, Mr. Tracy, but when I find out which operator this is I’ll fire him — the good news is, he was wrong about you. You’re obviously well able to speak with me.”

She added quickly, “John, thank your own air and ground units for me,” sputtering a bit, “and they of course most definitely have my permission to use the key. Though I’m not sure how fast my security team…”

“Yes,” John nodded, grateful enthusiasm sparking from hologrammed eyes, “and there’s no need — I’ll alert our ground people in the London area immediately and they will be able to deal with him initially, believe me. Your pod crew, Dolly and Ezra, gave me his operator number so we can go straight to the trouble source for the key. Then we’ll handle things from there in the sky.”

“Please, again, tell your brothers for me, the rest of this company so much appreciates your lightning-quick help and astonishing resourcefulness.” How to express with two seconds to do so, the overwhelming rush of thanks from knowing both Thunderbirds One and Two were headed straight towards her ailing crew…

“Yes…I’ll tell them.” His face softened even more and Lexi saw new light in his eyes — a swift return to determination and confidence. “John Tracy out.”

 …Extraordinary, she mused on the fading face. Now that’s a safety crew, on a series of amazingly tight ships. It takes one to know one, Lexi smiled — and squinted again as she decided to take care of a certain operator personally, soon as IR was done with him. Suddenly angry that her ground man had given that John Tracy even a moment’s annoyance… and possibly endangered his brother-Tracy’s as well. Oh, lord. So. Now to deal with… 114? …She clicked around the database. Ohh — Fred. Yes. Oh dear, yes, so many past complaints piled up against him already.

Standing up, straightening her tie and smoothing out her polka-dot blouse, she headed for her office door while summoning security on her phone. Time to give this one the boot. And — maybe it’s also time to boot the old sky-scrubbers, once and for all.

#thunderbirds are go #earth&sky2021 #offered up with hope it will entertain in the usual normal wonderful thunderbirds way #which would be my only misgiving if it didn't #i love and adore all your beautiful work here #can only add a little bit to the frankly overwhelming flood of gorgeous writings and creative artwork here #you and IR are all why I'm still here #thank you all #thnx esp nutty & flyboyT for original inspo but you both are so far beyond I can't even #you (and all here) are just wonderful