Hello again!

Here is the promised second installment of my ABC's Tracys Series. (Try saying THAT five times fast.) Yes, that does mean I plan to write one for each of the boys (maybe Kayo) and will probably have them all linked somehow. (I actually wasn't planning on that part, but I had this finished before I wrote the epilogue in the last one and figure that one could flow into the other ... well, you'll see what I mean.)

This story is dedicated to nhsweetcherry who wrote "You Can Run, But You Can't Hide" which was the inspiration for all of this. :)

A big thanks to my beta, 1monster2, for doing an over the phone edit with me so it would be ready this morning.

DISCLAIMER: This story is for entertainment only. I do not own the Thunderbirds, their equipment, and will not be able to assist in any way if you try these stunts at home.

Prologue

Virgil sighed as he looked over his growing list of medical supplies he needed to restock … which was just about everything. For living on an island with a population of eight, they went through things surprisingly fast. He was going to need to order two more cases of bandages, three cases of gauze, and about 600 band-aids. That should get them through the winter, at least. On top of that he was down to two arm slings, three leg braces, two knee braces, two wrist braces, and one set of crutches. That wouldn't be so bad, if he hadn't started with five of each. How his brothers managed to break a brace was beyond him– wait …

"Brains, did you move any of my supplies?"

"Not since before you started inventory," the scientist replied, somewhat distracted by his own count of spare parts. "Why?"

"I could have sworn …"

He didn't bother to finish his sentence as he wasn't about to get his answer in their store room. Heading back to the infirmary, he checked his first set of numbers to be sure. That confirmed it; he was missing a knee brace.

"Now why would that be," he murmured to himself, already having a good idea what the answer was.

Leaving his clipboard behind, Virgil casually made his way up to the main part of the house to see what his brothers were up to. He found them all in the den reading.

First symptom.

Outside of family meetings, it was rare to find his brothers all in one place without a life threatening reason - not to mention stationary. One or two of them could probably slide under the radar, especially if they had just come back from a rescue. However, there were no call-outs this morning, hence why he had time for a full inventory. No, one of them had taken his knee brace and the rest seemed to be covering for them. Well, he could play this game as well as they could.

"Hey," he greeted, sounding as nonchalant as possible. "Quiet day."

He was greeted with a low muttering of agreement, but only Scott actually looked up. Not enough to say it wasn't him, and the other two wouldn't look up for anything short of a call-out or a bomb threat … maybe Grandma's cooking, but that reaction would fall pretty close to bomb threat. Time to try a new tactic: process of elimination.

"Hey Alan, aren't you supposed to take some supplies up to John?"

"Uh … yeah, but … um … later."

Second symptom.

Alan would be eager to test out his new suit, but something was holding him back. Maybe the thought of how painful it would be to move from the couch to his chute? It could be him. Then again, Gordon shot him a look, so the kid might just be covering for someone else. Virgil gave the aquanaut a subtle once over, watching for any signs of pain and discomfort. There was nothing obvious, but he still had to test him.

"Oh, Gordon. Brains was looking for you. He has those new parts for Thunderbird Four."

"Great," he answered, completely calm. "I'll take care of it this afternoon."

Third Symptom.

Gordon had been waiting for those part - very impatiently - for weeks and now he was planning to stay on the couch for a few hours? It could be him or, like with Alan, he could be covering for another brother. Maybe Scott? Their fearless leader did look pretty fearless at the moment, but that might just be a front. Fortunately, there was one thing Virgil could do that would guarantee that the one responsible for the theft would reveal themselves.

"Uh-oh," he said, making his voice lower for effected. "It looks like Grandma is trying to make turnovers again. If you need me, I'll be in Thunderbird Two."

He walked out of the room, stopping only when he was out of sight so he could peer around the corner. Sure enough, the panic was starting to spread. Gordon leaped up from the couch – not him – and Alan turned to look towards the door – maybe him. Scott set aside his book and motioned to Gordon, who was quick to help him to his feet.

Gotcha!

A commendable effort, and he had to admire the teamwork involved, but the charade was over. Virgil came back around the corner, thoroughly enjoying the looks of surprise and guilt that came his way as he moved to stand next to his oldest brother.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or should I guess?"

"I slipped by the pool," Scott admitted. "It's really not that bad."

"Sit."

With a sigh of resignation, he did as he was told. Gordon let go once Scott was settled and started to make his way to the door, Alan close behind. Nice try, but no dice.

"Hold," Virgil barked, freezing them both in their tracks. "Which one of you broke into my inventory?"

"Us?" Alan practically squeaked, quickly clearing his throat with a cough.

"Why would you think we did anything?" Gordon added, with about half his usual confidence.

"Yeah," the younger teen added, with a much stronger voice. "Scott's the one that's hurt!"

Virgil studied the two for a moment, before turning back to his sulking patient. At least his brother had been telling the truth when he said it wasn't bad, and even had the right idea for treatment. Still, he needed to know these kinds of things, especially during inventory.

"Put an ice pack on it for about twenty minutes and try to stay off your feet," he instructed, before turning around. "As for you two, next time you need a brace, ask me before you take it. And Gordon, if you have to get something and I'm not around, don't send Alan; you know he never reads labels."

He let them wonder how he knew what happened while he folded up the brace and tucked it under his arm, ordering Scott to stay, before heading back to the storeroom to get the right size - not to mention wonder at the fact that Alan thought Scott worn the same size knee brace as Kayo. It only took a few minutes and by the time he got back John's hologram had joined them.

"You told him, didn't you?" Alan accused.

"I don't even know what you're talking about," the astronaut insisted. "I've been monitoring a tropical storm for the last hour to see when and where it would hit land."

"Did you figure it out?" Scott asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah, but it looks like it's gonna miss the populated areas."

"Good to know," Virgil said, circling the room to reach his oldest brother. "Hey, John."

"Hey- what happened to Scott."

"He got caught trying to hide a minor sprain from me," Virgil answered with a smirk. "Of course he had help."

"So did you!" Alan shot back. "How else could you have known I took the knee brace?"

Virgil chuckled, but said nothing. Let them wonder; maybe it would make them think twice next time. This time, however, everything worked out. Scott would be able to run a marathon in just a few days and his two little brothers knew that it took more than innocent looks to get something past him. Though they weren't the only one curious …

"Seriously, how did you know?" Scott asked quietly.

"It wasn't hard really, not with the amount of practice you all give me in trying to hide injuries."

"What?" Alan scoffed.

"Please," Gordon rolled his eyes.

"We don't hide things that much," John mumbled.

Virgil gave each of his brothers a look before shaking his head and finishing his application of the brace.

"Guys, I could give you an alphabetical list …"

There we have it!

I now need challenge words to help me come up with ways (stupid and more serious) that Virgil's siblings can hurt themselves and try to hide it.

I look forward to your feedback, comments, and suggestions. :)