THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO:
DON'T LEAVE THESE IN ORBIT
WRITTEN BY ZARIUS
(Contains Spoilers For "Signals Part Two")
Kayo's eyes lit up as Alan enthusiastically punched the air upon the big announcement that Brains would be developing a new Zero X to go after his dad.
He was alive; he was out there dancing across the brightest stars, with only his wits and courage fortifying him.
All those years spent in the ocean of space, Alan wondered what it must be like for Jeff, how close had he come to death's door while out there? Was he even teetering on the very edge of sanity and reason? How much would he have changed?
Kayo could read Alan well, she could tell his thoughts were already slipping from enthusiastic positivity to anxious projection, anticipating the best of outcomes but also fearing the worst, and it was causing him much restlessness.
Kayo knew Alan needed something to ground him, he had way too much excitement lately, and while she admired how professionally he had handled the recent events of the day, recovering Thunderbird 3 from the maniacal Chaos Crew member Havoc, he had to have been visibly shaken too; it was a roller coaster of emotion.
She had already tried to give him something earthly to zero in on back when they were breaking back into Thunderbird 3, as she clung warmly to his back, not necessarily because she had to, but more because she wanted to, something cosy to wrap herself around and remind her that home was here, and not in the belly of a beast.
She had made note of the fact he'd left his keys in Thunderbird 3. She knowingly exaggerated too, just to annoy him in a healthy manner, and force him to state that he'd only lost them there on two occasions.
The moment of levity was enough to please Kayo, and keep Alan focused; make an extraordinary mission with much at stake part of a regular session for the team, and team was the emphasis, that's what they were. A team, a family.
And this family had exceeded all of her expectations today.
She could barely contained her own excitement, her thoughts turned to her own father very briefly, and how elated he'd be to know Jeff was out there, he'd want to tag along, be as vital a component to the inevitable rescue mission, but at his advanced age, Kayo wondered just how risky that would be.
She couldn't process that part of the future just yet; her mind was on the present and of the exuberant mind at work in front of her now, jumping from all range of emotions as it tried to process just what this mission meant to him.
She knew whatever state they would find Jeff in, the boys would have to be much more rational, more collected.
They needed to be, above all else, balanced and professional.
So she came up with a means of reminding Alan of just how organised and prepared he'd have to be.
Not just to deal with Jeff, but to also directly deal with other demands of life.
She walked over to him, grabbed his right hand, and placed a key ring in it, the key ring contained, among locks for Thunderbird 3, another couple of items, keys to two bedrooms. One was Alan's' and the other...well...
"Don't leave these in orbit spaceman" she said, and kissed him on the cheek.