I don't own the thunderbirds or any of the recognisable characters from the series. Anyone you don't is mine all mine.

These Are The Times

Chapter 1

Schools in For Autumn.

Where has the summer gone? A question I often ask myself sitting here on the dull couch with a bottle of beer in one hand and the blaring screen of my laptop in front of me, my other hand running fingers through my hair in frustration. We've barely been back a week already I've got essays to write, books to read and money to earn. And we've all slipped back into our own routines. John has gone back to his crazy neurotic self rattling about the apartment on his latest caffeine high. Alyssa has her alternating good and bad days with depression. Erin is in her irrepressible good mood that makes her near insufferable. And me? Well I'm back to my all nighter essay marathons in the company of cheap beer. But I've been top of the class two years straight so I must be doing something right.

The next morning I'm rudely awoken (I must have dozed off on the sofa) by the sound of the kettle boiling water, the TV transmitting some irrelevant information on weapons of mass destruction. Either that or Spidermans on and the sound of movement from two different sources. I sit up awkwardly my muscles stiff and in awkward places from crashing out on the sofa. Alyssa is standing guard by the kettle waiting to pour a mug of double strength choco mint in her red dragon polyester pyjamas. Erin pottering about in search for the spread to put on her toast. I can hear John emerging from stasis giving a massive yawn before joining Alyssa's vigil at the kettle.

"Morning all" I stretch, give a yawn not unlike Johns and haul myself off the sofa just in time for the kettle to boil. Alyssa explodes into action grabbing the handle before John and expertly filling her mug to the brim before stirring it clockwise several times. By now John had filled his mug and is preparing the rest of his breakfast. As is tradition Alyssa only drinks coffee for breakfast. Having successfully located the spread Erin is now pouring herself some coffee.

"Morning Tyler" Alyssa's calm greeting as she sat down nursing the boiling hot mug

"Morning Lazy bones" Erin it seems is already in happy mode

"It's too early in the morning to be happy" Alyssa grumbles gripping the mug like a lifeline

"Its too early in the cosmic scheme of things for her to be happy" John observes from the safe distance of the breakfast bar "Morning Tyler" He belatedly adds

I nod in understanding at the last statement and pour myself a mug before the water gets too cold. God knows what we would do without the kettle or coffee. I busy myself with getting down the cereal and fetching the milk. John has decided to sit on one of the breakfast bar stools and eat his toast slice. By our schedule Alyssa is on a bad day and his sort of offhand comments may be appreciated by the lovely brit but it will by no means save him, if he sits next to her from being used as a footstool, something which makes him very uncomfortable. She doesn't do that with me or Erin though. With Erin she has a tendency to get very irritable with her almost epidemically infectious good moods. Erin retaliates by being even happier. With me she'll lean on my shoulder. I don't mind but I think Johns a little jealous. There's been chemistry deeper than platonic friendship between those two. John though is too much of a gentleman and Alyssa won't act on her feelings. I think though the two of them suspect something between me and Erin. I guess I do really like her with her incessant cheeriness and sparkling wit the complete opposite of Alyssa with her degrading remarks and pessimistic viewpoint which she calls realism.

The mysteries of women huh? A deeper one is how two polar opposites such as Erin and Alyssa generally get along.

I take a seat at the breakfast bar with John. I, like the rest of my roomies are paying half attention to the animation on the television the other half directed towards ourselves. Within moments we've all sunk into stupors distracted by our own personal problems. It may be Saturday but we've all got our school work and our jobs to do. It's only seven thirty though. I used to consider this hour as ungodly as Satan and four am but having to hold down a job and go to university forced me to change my perspective. I can now run on six hours sleep then do an eight hour shift at the quick-stop-mart. The main incentive is discount on alcohol for one thing. But then again all our jobs have an ulterior motive. Alyssa's job at the bookstore is obvious. John works in a record store so we can indulge in up-to-date and back catalogue music. Erin holds down a position at the Ice cream and coffee parlour so we get nearly out of date ice cream and discount coffee in all sorts of neat flavours. Of course the University coffee bar sees lots of business and Alyssa seems to have a secret source that brings in cheap jars in cool flavours, choco mint being one of them.

I spoon myself the cereal quickly and efficiently barely pausing to enjoy the crackling on my tongue. Alyssa is still nursing her mug, Erin nibbling her toast and Johns taking occasional thoughtful bites out of his. The silence endures into a standoff building up to a dash for the bathrooms, we being lucky enough to have two small ones. Half an hour quickly passes. Alyssa had finished her mug ten minuets prior, the rest of us not of practised enough tongue to drink it at seventeen minuets after pouring. We've all set our mugs down and finished our respective breakfasts. I can visualise the tumbleweed rolling by all of us poised daring for each other to move. Alyssa is soon bored and boldly throws herself off the sofa from curled up to standing then to moving in less than a blink. Realising we're all losing the rest of us begin a mad dash. Alyssa's minor head start has given her the advantage and she dives into one of the bathrooms before any of us can stop her.

With our options halved we all pile in the direction of the other one nearly tripping over each others limbs. John's the first to go down. Erin and myself falling on top of him. I recover quickly nearly taking a clump of Johns blond locks with me. In seconds I'm on my feet only to go down again with one of Erin's pink nailed hands gripping my leg. John capitalising on my second fall and Erin's grip is up and away and out of reach before either of us recover. He's in he's locked and he's come second. Us losers face the prospect of waiting and participating in another mad dash when one of them exits.

You know what. I wouldn't change this for the world.