“Do you think they’ll stop soon?” asked Gordon, throwing a ball into the air and catching it. “Seems like all they’ve done since the Mechanic got here is argue.”
“Scott’s worried,” replied Virgil, his eyes tracking the ball as he lounged. “He doesn’t know who to trust anymore now that we have confirmation there’s a spy in the GDF. And this is important.”
“It’s important to all of us, not just Scott,” said Kayo, folding her arms across her chest. “He seems to think the rest of us don’t understand what he’s going through.”
“Well, do we?” asked Gordon. “I mean don’t get me wrong, this is about rescuing Dad, but I don’t know we can say we know exactly what’s been going through his head.”
“He’s got some hope now,” said Virgil quietly. “He’s having to deal with a lot of mixed emotions that he couldn’t before.”
“He still doesn’t have to take it out on the Mechanic,” grumbled Kayo. “He’s not even grateful for the risk he’s taking being here.”
A beep interrupted their conversation and the blue glow of John’s hologram shone bright in the centre of the room.
“International Rescue, we have a situation.”
“Finally,” said Gordon, springing up from his chair. “What’s going on, John?”
“An entomologist called Dr Furnier has been studying arachnids in the Amazon rainforest. He was set to spend three months out there, but the canopy platform where he’s made his base has partially collapsed and he’s trapped sixty feet in the air. The rainforest is too dense for any of our ships, so if you need to get on the ground you’ll want to configure some–”
“Pods. F.A.B. John,” finished Virgil, already moving to his station. “Gordon, Kayo, suit up, I’ll meet you in Thunderbird Two.”
“And not a moment too soon,” muttered Gordon to Kayo under his breath, as the shouting from below ticked up another notch.
***
Virgil and Kayo belayed down into the rainforest canopy at the coordinates John had forwarded to them before signing off to assist Alan on a rescue of his own. Virgil grimaced as the platform came into view, some of the branches it had been strapped to had snapped, leaving the sole occupant dangling at a 30° angle. He had managed to attach a safety line to two trees, which were bending alarmingly in the breeze, and had clipped his belt around the wire as he braced himself against the platform.
“Dr Furnier? We’re International Rescue, here to assist,” he called to the man. “Are you hurt in any way?”
“Just my nerves,” Furnier replied with a weak smile. “This wasn’t the nicest wake-up call this morning.”
“Well, keep on staying calm and we’ll have you out of there in no time.” Virgil said, then tapped on his comm. “Kayo, can you talk to him, make sure he doesn’t start going into shock? His adrenaline is probably about to crash now that we’re here. Keep her steady Gords, we’ll try to attach the platform to Thunderbird Two so we can lift it safely up. If you can get those V-Ti cables down to me, I’ll attach them.”
“F.A.B.,” they chorused together. Virgil nodded in approval as the two moved quickly and efficiently.
“So, what were you studying Dr Furnier?” asked Kayo.
“Bird-eating spiders,” the man said, his face lighting up at the question. “Oh, they’re not dangerous,” he hurriedly explained. “Not unless you’re a bird anyway. But people always seem to be frightened of the bigger ones.”
“It’s probably the hairy legs,” said Kayo with a wicked grin.
“You’re not scared of spiders, are you?” Furnier asked anxiously.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “What else can you tell me about them?”
He beamed at her, and Virgil chuckled as he blocked their conversation out, the thick cables swinging his way. He quickly set to work.
Attaching the cables proved to be no trouble at all. The platform had small, metal loops at each of its sides so that a thick rope could be threaded through and tied securely around the nearby trees. With two of the sides already unattached it was a simple matter to hook the cables through and stabilise the platform. They all heaved a sigh of relief as the platform righted itself and the creaking and groaning of the trees died away as the cables instead bore its weight.
“Right, Gordon? Pull us up,” called Virgil into his comm.
“No can do Virg,” came his brother’s tense reply.
“What? Why not?”
“The canopy is too thick,” said Kayo, her eyes widening with realisation. “There’s no safe way to navigate through it.”
“Bingo,” came Gordon’s cheery voice. “How much cable do we have Virgil?”
“Four hundred feet,” he said immediately.
“Plenty then,” said Gordon. There was a short silence before his voice crackled through the comm once more. “Tell you what, I’ll lower you to the forest floor and pick you up in the Dragonfly. Sound good?”
“F.A.B. Gordon,” said Virgil. “Pull my line up, I’m on the platform now.”
The dense cover of trees masked the sound of mechanical whirring Virgil was familiar with, and so he sat back and let the sounds of the rainforest wash over him. Kayo’s low voice still hummed in the background, but mostly he took in the call of birds as they flew overhead, the chirping of insects breaking the silence. Virgil could feel his body relaxing as they continued to descend, the light slowly giving way to the shadows of the understory. It had been weeks, months even, since he’d gotten time to immerse himself in the natural world he loved and he relished this moment of peace.
He could feel a slight itch on his left hand as he pushed aside a giant leaf the size of his torso, trying to prevent it from getting in his eyes. Idly, he scratched at it through the thick material, as he swung his legs around to listen in on Kayo and Furnier’s conversation.
A sudden, searing pain blossomed in his hand and he gasped in shock.
“Virgil?” asked Kayo, frowning as she looked over at him.
The pain was spreading quickly, radiating white-hot within his skin and it was all Virgil could do to stay upright. Distantly, he could hear Kayo barking into her comm, could feel the sudden jolt as the platform abruptly came to a stop.
“Virgil,” Kayo said sharply. “Virgil!”
“’M here,” he said. Her hand was cool on his face and he focused on the sensation, trying to bring awareness back to his body. Her eyes were wide beneath her creased forehead and he tried to reassure her, mumbling slurred words of comfort that fell out of his mouth with jumbled syllables and cut-off endings.
“Where did the pain start?” asked Furnier, his voice now low and assured as he knelt with a first aid kit open beside him.
Virgil shrugged his left shoulder and tried to wave his left hand at them. He hissed as the action intensified the pain, but Furnier got the message and began to strip the glove away from his arm. He was wearing gloves of his own, Virgil absently noted and then gasped as his throbbing hand was exposed to the warm, humid air around them. Furnier inhaled sharply as the slightly squashed arachnid made its appearance.
“Not good news, I take it?” said Kayo in a low voice.
“That’s a Brazilian wandering spider,” said Furnier in horror. “A banana spider.”
“A what?” asked Virgil, stifling a hysterical laugh. “I’ve been bitten by a banana?”
“No,” said Furnier, sorrowfully. “It’s the most venomous spider in the world. And I’m afraid I can see my antivenom directly below us. It must have fallen with my other gear this morning.”
Virgil looked over the edge of the platform, pushing back the wave of nausea that erupted in his stomach at the sight. The light level was so low, he was surprised Furnier could see anything, but then he fumbled at his shoulder and threw his light cannon on. A vial glinted in the sudden illumination, shards of glass surrounding it and contents soaked into the forest floor.
“Well, that sucks,” he said with a gasp, hauling himself backwards. Kayo guided him to the platform floor, laying him down carefully. The effort needed for even simple movements was increasing rapidly, and he panted with exertion as Kayo gently wiped the sweat out of his eyes. “Sorry to ruin everyone’s day, but what now?”
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