Title: Space Junk

Author: Madilayn

Rating: K+ for language

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go

Characters / Pairings:

Disclaimer: Thunderbirds are Go is based on Thunderbirds created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and the Weta Workshop/Pukeko Pictures & ITV 2015 series. I make no profit from my use of characters and situations

Summary: Why exactly is Alan and Thunderbird 3 fixing satellites and catching space junk?

Author Notes: I have to admit that I have always been a proponent of the Tracy brothers being older than the series has wanted them to be. So for the purposes of all my fics, I tend to place Scott at around 32, John at 30, Virgil at 29, Gordon at 25 and Alan at 22. That way they actually have had enough life to get experience needed

For once, it seemed, nobody in the world was doing anything particularly stupid, which did leave the five Tracy brothers seemingly with time on their hands.

Grandma Tracy had long known what happened when her boys got bored, and set about finding ways to channel their energies.

Or at least she tried to.

After two weeks of Alan and Gordon's combined practical jokes, everybody was glad when it was time for John to swap with Alan for a week back on Earth. The family had always noticed that John seemed best able to squash Gordon's more outrageous ideas.

Scott found himself learning more about the family's businesses, discovering that even though there were people actually running the day to day business, there were still decisions that needed to be made by the business owner – the Tracy family.

After three days of reading reports and trying to work out balance sheets, Scott Tracy was desperately searching the news services for news of a disaster. Any disaster. Even a small one.

One day, however, something in a report caught his eye. "Grandma?" he called and was surprised by her almost immediate response. "What do you know about this?" He pointed at the paragraph in the report.

"Oh that," she said. "Well, where do you think International Rescue gets its operating revenue from?"

"Well, I supposed it came from the business profits."

"Some, yes. But no business could make the sort of profits needed to run IR, dear."

"So that's why Dad used to make sure we could salvage stuff?"

"Yes. In fact, I've always been thinking that there is a lot of money to be made in certain forms of salvage. And that International Rescue could do that salvage without compromising our main mission."

"Space junk," John said from where he was stretched out reading. "It's pretty hazardous in near earth orbit. Trust me – every day that we don't get a call involving a rescue because of the space junk, is a day that brings a disaster closer."

"So there could be something in this? IR clearing the junk and selling it? Or being paid to clear it?"

"I don't particularly care who does it, as long as it gets done," John said. "But, it could give Alan something more to do. He's good, but when it comes to EVA and actually having to use a lot of the equipment on Three, he could be better."

"We could all be better, John."

"True, but in Alan's case, he's younger by a bit than us. And never really had anything outside of school in experience – including the Space Program. He's an incredibly good instinctual pilot. Better than any of us, but he really lacks experience. He's cocky, because he's never really had to fail."

"Alan?" Virgil wandered in with a cup of coffee.

"How did you guess?"

"Who else. Gordon's accident made him lose that same attitude, but nothing's happened to Alan yet."

"I'd really rather it didn't," Grandma Tracy said. "But he has calmed down a lot since Jeff went missing."

"We all have, Grandma. But Alan needs something to keep him engaged. Three is needed – she's a great ship, but we don't utilise her enough in rescues to keep Alan at the top of his game." John frowned. "I've seen what happens to good astronauts who are cocky and disengage. It's not pretty. If they don't get killed on a mission, they go completely off the rails in other ways. I don't want Alan to go that way."

"So what were you thinking of?" Virgil was curious. Alan was sometimes a problem to all three of the older Tracy boys, albeit in different ways. He hadn't realised that John had worried so much about their youngest brother though.

"This," said Scott sliding the report to Virgil and pointing at the paragraph. Virgil read it and pursed his lips in a silent whistle.

"That's some proposal," he said. "I'd be interested in finding more about it."

"It's probably here somewhere. Or just ask for it."

"I will. Brains will love it as well. I wonder…"

"Virgil – later. About Alan and Thunderbird Three. John mentioned space junk – how much there is and how dangerous it is. And how Alan could be utilised to clear it – and International Rescue could be paid to clear it."

"I suppose it would work. Three has magnetic grapples, but I'm sure Brains could come up with something better to grab junk." Virgil's eyes were half closed has he ran the problem through his mind. It was something that Scott and John had seen many times and they had learned to just sit back and wait.

"OK – to do this we'd need to have something on Thunderbird Three capable of getting more than one piece at a time. Too clumsy and takes too long to grab one piece and deal with it. Shouldn't be a problem. And then we need somewhere to put it. Some holding pen or something. It can then be collected by Tracy Salvage." His eyes opened. "Well, let's keep it all in the family!" He said in response to the surprised looks.

"That should work," Grandma said approvingly.

"Just one question – how does International Rescue bill for our services?"

Grandma grinned a grin more commonly seen on her youngest grandson. "You don't think I spend all my days cooking and doing housework, do you? Leave all that to me – just tell me when and how long it takes, and I will take care of the financial side of International Rescue."

Scott exchanged glances with his brothers. "I've got a brilliant idea, Grandma. How about you forget about cooking all together and look after the business side of things."

" But I love cooking for you all! Anyway, you have to know about these things, even if I do look after them now. I won't be around forever you know." She smiled at them all. "Now, how about some nice burritos for lunch? It won't take me a minute to whip them up! John – you've gotten so thin! You need feeding up!"

"Grandma, I have a better idea. How about you spend some quality time with John on this idea, and I'll look after lunch." Virgil came across and kissed her on the cheek. "You're always saying you don't get to spend enough time with him."

Grandma beamed at him as he left the room. "How thoughtful." She turned to the other two. "And what a load of bull he spins."

She settled herself on a chair in the sun and closed her eyes. "You two keep working. Let me know when lunch arrives.