Racing Lightning
Chapter Two
by T.F. Kit
"Well, hello there folks, what an amazing run at Fairway Slop today."
Bright blue eyes lifted from the paper before him to look at the television.
"The driving was spectacular. Especially the new comer to Turbo Racing Alan Tracy." A film of a driver lifting himself out of his red car then taking off his helmet to reveal fluffy blond hair and a thousand watt smile played for a moment.
"Well aren't you handsome." Tin Tin said as she sat down next to Alan, brushing her long dark hair out. Alan smiled but kept his focus on in front of him.
"This Tracy has made quite a name for himself in the European Rally circuit but this was only his second Turbo style race. I am seeing more and more of his sister in his style of driving, aggressive but graceful."
"Yeah Jim.."
Alan picked up the remote and changed the channel. Tin Tin watched him and let only a slight amount of concern show on her face. She knew Celesta was an incredibly touchy subject. Alan continued to flip through channels.
"Greatest deal ever.." *click* "..if you act now." *click* "Look at what this does.." *click*
"You know Alan this la.. la la late at ni ni ni night, most of wa wa wa whats on is infomercials" A gangly young man with a mop of dark tossled hair and thick dark rimed glasses walked in working on a small hand held computer. He came in and sat down on the couch.
Alan still flipped through the channels searing until he came upon a news broad cast.
"Now what you have here is a piece of a machine that creates a reality totally of the mind. I don't believe that is possible." The anchorman said.
"Actually I was inspired by a philosophical debate on solipsism."
Alan however was reading the scrolling words on the bottom of the screen.
A large earthquake has trapped sixty people in an underground hotel in Thailand... International Rescue has just come on the scene.
"So you partially sedate the subject and the machine.."
*click* Alan was again scrolling through the channels searching for any information on what was going on with the Thunderbirds, with his brothers.
Tin Tin continued to observe Alan. What lay out on the table in front of him was the track schematics for their next race. Nothing too overly technical but enough that he could get a reasonable feel for it before he had a chance to run it. Notes from interviews with other racers about the track but what he was focused on was International Rescue.
She looked over then to Fermat the younger boy had shot up in the last couple of years. Both he and Alan had been working with International Rescue in different capacities. Alan with his brothers piloting rescuing, Fermat with his father Hiram "Brains" Hackenbraker designing repairing and working with the Thunderbird machines.
She had been working with information and communications, only occasionally working in the field. Tin Tin gave a small sigh. Alan was here to race, that is what he and his father had planed for him to do, to ensure that he really wanted to work the family 'business'.
Finally she spoke. "So from the information we have it is the center run weave through the spike hills jumps that are going to be the toughest. Most of the drivers say that you want to be in the middle of the pack better grip on the launching." Her voice brought Alan back to the moment, to why he had argued to come here in the first place.
"Wa... right middle of the pack.. the only one that disagrees... kinda with that.." His hands shuffled through the papers and pulled out a faded newspaper article. "... is Racer X." At that name Fermat looked up from what he was doing. "Let me see.. here it is... 'if you want to play it safe sure stay in the middle of the pack but if you want to run with the big boys push right at the beginning of those jumps Punch it through to the lead while everyone else is slowing down you are leaving them in the dust." Alan had taken on an imitative voice as he spoke.
"He is kinda scary." Fermat said.
"Yeah but he is really cool." Alan responded with a big grin. "Him and Speed Racer... would I ever like to meet them."
Fermat shook his head. "Not me.. Ra rra rra Racer X the harbinger of Boom, no thank you. He is al al al almost as sc sssc ssca sscca frightening as your dad is when your dad is angry." Fermat was again working on his portable computer.
"Note.." Tin Tin said. "..he said almost." She grinned.
"Note.." Alan said. ".. he also said when my dad is angry not when Racer X is angry."
"Exactly!" Fermat exclaimed. "Now I was plotting out a bit of the next race and I think you should be able to place for the Grand Prix if you rank in the top four for the next six races."
Alan looked at the schematics and notes and nodded. The Grand Prix was the be all end all in the Racing scene. Everyone from Rally Racers, to Trick Racers, to Turbo Racer wanted in. Alan had never raced enough in one season to place. Between schooling and rescues he had a fairly full plate. This season he had already run two Europeans and now two Tubos, with a total of ten races he could be able to place. To place higher in the standings and ensure his place in the Grand Prix, he would have to run more than that
This was the hard part for Alan, he loved racing he loved the speed the control the thrill he got from competing, but to really compete would me giving up a lot of other things. Time with his family, his friends, and International Rescue.
Alan knew why he was here, in fact he was the one who was pushing for it. When he was at home working with IR part of his mind was always on racing. When he would have to drop a race because it coincided with his time up in Thunderbird Five or he couldn't make the start in time because a rescue went too long, or when he couldn't place because he hadn't raced enough.
He had found resistance from his dad when the time came to ask about pursuing this. In fact it actually had become an intense discussion, almost yelling. If Scott hadn't stepped in to help cool of the situation if would have ended badly.
****
"Dad?" Alan tentatively poked his head into his father's office.
The elder Tracy looked up and smiled. "Alan what can I do for you son?"
Alan looked at the folder in his hands before straightening up and stepping into the room. "I have something I would like to discuss with you." He said.
Jeff's brow furrowed slightly and said. "Okay have a seat."
Alan walked in and sat down. "I was thinking about the next year and what I wanted to do."
"So you have decided about college." Jeff nodded. "Good for you. Which one are you going to?"
Alan took a deep breath and said. "I want to run the race circuit this year and place in the Grand Prix." He watched the subtle emotions run the gambit through his fathers eyes before Jeff spoke again in a controlled and measured tone. "Alan when I said think about the next year and what you wanted to do I meant college. It would prepare you for anything you wanted to do." Jeff leveled a very concerned gaze at Alan. "Racing is..."
"Something I love to do and have been doing for sometime.." He took another breath preparing for the potential onslaught afterwards. "..even before you knew and before you say 'I knew before you told me.' I was racing before that. Though I am no where near as good on a motorcycle as I am in a car, I have done both and am good at it."
Jeff's hands clenched into fists on the desk before he brought them back to his chair. "You need a sponsor, a crew, a manager, there are plenty of things you are not prepared to for this." Jeff said, trying to reason with Alan.
For his part Alan then placed the folder on his father's desk. "Actually I have been planing it and talking to several people for a while. Planing and figuring out how to make it work."
He watched as Jeff took the folder and looked over what was inside. "Tin Tin and Fermat have agreed to come along with with and Tin Tin is willing to work as a manager for me, she is kinda good at that stuff. Then the sponsor... well..." Alan looked as Jeff reached the page that said what his words weren't.
"Tracy Industries." Jeff finished the thought. "I know our engineering department has been looking for a driver to test some of the products we produce but I don't know if this is the right time for you." His jaw clenched as he set the folder down."The amount of races you would need to compete in and the level at which these driver race... Alan I am going to have to say no."
"Why?" Alan couldn't believe the level at which his father was speaking.
"I don't believe you have enough experience to go a full season racing." He grasped his hands together and scrutinized Alan's reactions.
"How am I going to get experience if I don't race?" Alan asked.
"You can do some racing before you start college then on the breaks..."
"Dad." Alan interrupted. "It was never between racing and going to college. Hell, I barely passed high school. I could do math only when I applied it to things I understood and liked and even then the only reason I made it through was Fermat and Tin Tin. Why would I continue to torcher myself with more school."
Jeff's mouth became a thin line. He knew what the alternative was, International Rescue. The other boys hadn't really grown up with it like Alan had. The four boys before him had passions outside of IR, had found their way into work with the Thunderbirds after a bit of their own lives but Alan had basically grown up with it. He was five when Jeff had moved them all to the island.
Then Jeff had spent many a night like a man possessed creating International Rescue to save lives so that people would not have to live with the tragedy that he had to live with. Now he was looking at his youngest child, who loved being a Thunderbird say he might want something else.
Why racing? Jeff's interior thoughts intruded.
Because he is really good dad. Another voice filtered in, one he did not want to hear from at that moment. He shoved it away as he spoke. "There are other options, there are schools, camps.."
"Dad, I've beaten most of the instructors in actual races." Alan was beginning to get exasperated, he stood up and started to move, his voice rising. "The opportunity for me and one that would ensure I am doing what I really want to do."
"And I am saying I don't think it is beneficial to offer you sponsor ship." His voice was also beginning to elevate in volume.
"Fine I can find a sponsor if you don't want to do it, which your company does. I have my car..."
"Your car?" At this Jeff stood up. "Your car, did you buy that car... did you put the time and effort into building it. I believe I got..."
"Don't you dare do that... I worked hard to make that a good race car..." Alan stopped dead in his tracks and looked at his father, "... just because I used the means around me to make it happen doesn't make it any less my car. But if that is the way you feel..."
Jeff opened his mouth to begin a rebuttal but was halted by Scott entering the room.
"Dad... Alan... Stop." The tension held in place as he walked up, concern blazing in his eyes. "Just cool off both of you before you say something you will regret."
Jeff almost shot something his eldest son's way but Scott had defiantly grown into his own strength with his time in the military and now field leader of the Thunderbirds.
"No dad, cool off." His tone was that of command, and Alan was impressed at his father's restraint. "Alan go find a place to blow off some steam while I talk to dad."
"But Scott..." Alan started with a slight wine and was immediately cut off.
"Alan go." Scott said with authority pointing to the door and Alan huffed, stalking out burning with anger and frustration.
Scott was going to get dad's side first and take it. Alan thought. That is so not fair.
He went directly to his work room, or as his brothers had dubbed it Alan's garage. Alan loved cars, love motorbikes, loved about anything with an engine and he was not only good at driving them but good at building what he drove. He had two engines for T180s in there, in various stages of assembly He also had a partially put together motorbike. There were engine and frame parts strew across one side of the room. Next to that area was another bike one that was fully assembled painted a bright red with flames shooting along its sides. It was the one he normally used to ride around the island, the one dad only kinda knew about.
Fortunately Alan knew better then to drive when he was this pissed off, so he slammed his radio on and let the music crank as he went to work on the unfinished bike.
'I want to take his eyes out... just for looking at you... yes I do. I want to take his hands off... just for touching you... yes I do. And I want to rip his heart out...'
****
Alan stretched and rubbed his eyes before looking to Tin Tin on the couch. She was leaned back her eyes closed and hair spilling over the cushions in a dark cascade. She looks gorgeous there. He thought. She was his rock kept him out of so much trouble he couldn't keep track.
A small smile pulled at his mouth as he looked at her before he registered a snorting sound on his other side. Looking that way he saw Fermat sprawled in a chair mouth hanging open hands still holding his portable computer. The snorting sounds were emanating from him. At that sight Alan let the grin brake across his face. He sighed before looking back to the papers in front of him.
Know your opponents know yourself. Isn't that what Scott would say. Alan let his mind float back to the 'discussion' and outcome.
****
'Here comes the next contestant... Is that your hand on my girlfriend? Is that your hand?... I wish you'd do it again... I'll watch you leave here..'
"Alan!" Scott's voice cut through the music and Alan's no longer rambling thoughts.
'...There goes the next contestant.'
"Scott!" Alan jumped up and quickly turned down the music as he faced his older brother. "Sorry I just needed..."
"I know Alan." Scott came into the work shop.
Alan always admired and envied his big brother for many different reasons.
He was as tall as their father and very similar in walk, talk, and presence. His look also emulated their dad, but Scott always felt more relaxed, but he supposed that fathers were suppose to be hard on their sons.
"You needed to blow off steam." Scott spoke up as he continued forward. "I am just glad you didn't go and try and do it on the working bike."
Alan shuffled his feet looking down. He had noticed Scott's eyes were showing very little emotion at the moment and that made him nervous. "I just want to make sure I am in the right place. That I am doing the right thing for me, for everyone. I want to make sure that I belong with the Thunderbids." Alan brought his eyes up to attempt a steady strong assured look.
"I understand that Alan and dad, on a certain level understands that too. And for the record, you will always belong to the Thunderbirds. You are our brother and our friend. We can trust you, we do trust you. Dad does also, it is just harder for him to say so." Scott took a breath before letting the smile spread across his face. "So instead he just does like he is now by working on putting together a crew to move the car to the races you want to run and is talking to Brains and Kayno about Fermat and Tin Tin."
Alan's face lit up before he gave whooping yell and flung himself at Scott for a tackling hugging wrestle. Scott laughed and returned the affection before he spoke again. "Only one thing Alan, you need to be careful. This was not an easy decision for dad to let you do this and support you with it." Scott held Alan by the shoulders. "Just be aware."
Alan nodded acknowledging the seriousness of that statement. Neither one of them staying how much Celesta's death had hurt dad. It was not the crushing blow like with their mother, but he had not spoken much about her death, and that alone was indication of how it had hurt him.
****
Alan brought himself out of his thoughts and looked up again at Tin Tin. He stood then moving over to her and carefully lifted her up, carrying her to her bed. Fortunately she had not made her bed this morning and he was able to set her down prepared to tuck her under the sheets.
He sighed as he realized she had a grip on his shirt. "You are not making this easy." He said softly.
"I know." She returned with eyes closed and a light smile.
