PART TWO
"Scott? You can dock now, but better suit up before you board. We don't know what Braman has done to the station." John called his eldest brother.
"FAB. Can one of you come here and check me?"
"Sending Alan right away."
John turned to his youngest brother. "What do you think?"
"Well, all the airlocks are secure. He hasn't messed with the environmental settings, but I don't know how much oxygen we lost," answered Alan, hitting his helmet with one gloved hand.
"I'll check that. Can you help Scott with his suit?" said John, a small smile around his lips.
"Yeah, I'll go." Alan turned away to leave the central control room.
"Alan?"
"Yes, John?"
John just stood looking at Alan and then hit his own helmet.
Alan frowned, "Why are you hitting your helmet?" he asked.
"I don't know," said John, "but I saw you do it and I wanted to know why you did it."
Bewildered Alan watched his brother and started to hit himself again, "Oh!"
"Yes?" John prompted.
Alan laughed sheepishly. "I think I wanted to scratch my head."
"Ah."
They spent the rest of the morning checking everything out. And after that, John made some lunch, while Scott and Alan collected the bits and pieces that had been Braman.
Scott downed his coffee. "OK, in a week's time, we'll need to replenish the oxygen supply. But for now, everything is ship-shape. See you, Alan. Coming, John?"
John looked at his feet. "You know, Alan, I really wouldn't mind staying here, if you want to go back."
Hastily Alan said, "No John, it's a nice offer, but you left all your things back home. No, no, I'll stay here."
"I've got everything I need here," protested John. "Think how glad Tin-Tin would be."
"John, no, you've made plans, no, I insist, I stay."
Surprised, Scott watched his brothers. "Guys, what is this?"
John guffawed and pointed to the crate Scott was sitting on.
"You're sitting on it."
"It got a bit dented," Alan said in a small voice. "Do you think Brains will notice?"
"It is rather noticeable," said Scott.
"Well, maybe, if he's absorbed in another project." Alan grabbed desperately at straws.
"No, Alan. Brains will want to find out how Braman got through this period," Scott answered him.
John shook his head. "Now, why do I have the feeling that this isn't what he's expecting?"
"I think I got a bit carried away." Alan hunched down in his chair.
John sighed and stood up. "Come on, Scott, let's bear the brunt of somebody's wrath for our little brother once again."
Alan's face lit up. "Ah, thanks, guys."
He walked them to the airlock and watched his brothers leave for earth.
"Phew, in a month, Brains'll have forgotten it," he thought happily.
--
The silence in Thunderbird Three was broken only once.
"Remember the last words Braman spoke?" Scott asked.
"His dying words, so to speak?" John was in stitches.
"Music will calm." Scott was shaking with laughter.
"Brother Virgil to the rescue!"
--
The couch annex elevator delivered John and Scott to the lounge, where Virgil greeted them.
Arching an eyebrow, Virgil said, "You certainly took your time. What happened?"
"Ah, well, we had a nerve-racking morning," Scott told him.
"Not me," howled John, nearly wetting himself. "I'm very calm."
Virgil nodded at the crate. "What's in that crate?"
"Braman," Scott said curtly.
"As in the remains of," sniggered John.
"Virgil, where is everybody?" Scott asked.
Virgil counted on his fingers. "Dad's gone to New York to visit Mr. Dandridge, Brains is in his den, Alan is in the space station, you two are sitting here on the couch, Kyrano and Gordon are doing this month's supply buying, Grandma and Tin-Tin are shopping for a new dishwasher, and I'm your friendly, resident washer of dishes until they get back here with it." He waved a dishcloth.
"Virg, do you have any soothing music?" asked Scott.
"Some light, cheery Mozart?" added John.
"Why yes, but..."
"Can you play something? Loud? So that Brains can hear it?" Scott urged.
"Why yes, but..."
"That would be an enormous help," John said. "You see, we've got to tell Brains something."
"Something bad, something Alan did. We'll tell you later."
Shaking his head in bemusement Virgil put down the dishcloth on the table and went over to the piano.
"Some soothing, light, cheery, loud Mozart!" he said. "This had better be good, guys, I've got dirty dishes from here to Tokyo in the kitchen."
Scott and John carried the crate to Brains' den.
"We've brought Braman back, Brains," Scott said cheerfully.
"He's done good," added John, equally cheerfully.
"Only he's gotten into some, um, disarray."
"Don't know what happened, Brains. Looks like a wrench fell on him."
"I was in Thunderbird Three all the time," Scott said.
"And I was in the airlock," John said.
They opened the crate for Brains to see. Brains closed his eyes and stood there frozen for a moment. Then he took a deep breath.
"Of all the mad, crazy, foolish, dumb, stupid, insane, moronic, mentally defective, backward, imbecilic, brainless, idiotic, feeble-minded, weak-brained, dull, dense, thick-headed, raving, dotty, bungling, half-baked, clumsy, lunatic, miserable, wretched, rotten, ridiculous, dabbling, vile, demented ..."
He fell silent, looking wildly around him and then grabbing something from his workbench. "I'll give you a wrench!"
Scott and John ran.
"What happened to his stammer?" panted John.
"The words I've learned today!" gasped Scott.
The End