JEFF

Dear Diary

As I mentioned in my last entry, the day I met Professor Hiram K. Hackenbacker was the day my life changed for the better. Better known to us all as Brains of course, his incredible mind has come up with some truly staggering innovations. Some of the simpler ideas have been brought to fruition through Tracy Industries, and Brains has received the full credit on the market as the inventor. He also gets every penny he is entitled to for every sale. I used to wonder how he managed to get so much work done, does he not ever just relax?

After working with the man for so long, I have come to realise that for Brains, being a brilliant and innovative inventor is a permanent state of being. Brains at rest is Brains at his most creative. When I tried to insist he go off on holiday somewhere to relax, he became stressed and unhappy. I learned quite early on to give him complete artistic freedom, give him the run of the island, and a plane of his own so that he can come and go from the island as he wishes without asking permission. The ecstatic beam of pleasure I received from him was more than equaled by the standard of his work thereafter.

Without Brains there would be no International Rescue. I am just so glad I saw the potential in him when he first came into my office at Tracy Industries all those years ago; stammering, terrified and clutching at his briefcase as though it were a shield, tripping over the mat and breaking my mother's vase, sending water and chrysanthemums all over the Persian rug.

I still smile even now when I remember his mortification. He looked as though he felt as if he had ruined his chances of being hired before he had even opened his mouth. I think the fact that I chuckled aloud at the time made him more nervous rather than less so. I recall that rather than tell him to `sit down and relax', which generally tends to have the opposite affect on people for some reason, I simply told him I was very happy he had made the time to visit me in person and asked him to tell me about his work, his focus, his aims and his work ethic…everything he felt I ought to know. And I listened carefully to him without interrupting.

I was so impressed. The stammering I hardly noticed even when he was nervous to tell you the truth, but I did notice that the more relaxed he became, the less he stammered. Talking about the work he loved, he was passionate. When I told him that I was looking for a man who would be willing to work on a personal project for me that would benefit the whole world, but that he would never be able to take personal credit for the inventions, I watched his eyes carefully. Instead of being dismayed at the thought of working incognito, he seemed excited at the potential challenge involved. He was eager to sign a secrecy agreement so that he could learn the full details of what I had in mind.

I knew then that I had found the man I was looking for.

And here we are. The Island is perfect for our needs, everything is concealed underground. The equipment is all prepared and ready, the Thunderbirds and my sons in particular are all ready to begin operations tomorrow morning.

Eventually, I am hoping that all of us will be involved, but at the moment, our Allie is too young. He is already desperate to join us, but he needs at least to have his childhood out before he jumps in ready to risk his life. So, I'll lay out here what I have planned, and what I hope will happen one day…although who knows what the future holds for any of us?

Thunderbird One, our first responder…Scott.

Thunderbird Two, the big, green giant is the workhorse of the fleet. Virgil, eventually. A perfect match there. He is ready to fly her, but until he has more flight experience, I will be his co-pilot.

Thunderbird Three…well, eventually I think Alan would be perfect. His head is in the stars almost as much as John, only John has his heart set on the space station, so Alan will have Three when he is old enough to begin training. For the time being, Gordon and I can share piloting duties of Three.

I say Gordon for Three to begin with, because our Olympic gold medallist is an expert on marine biology, and an ex-WASP officer at that. So, he will be our aquanaut, and will pilot Thunderbird Four. It is very unlikely that we will ever need both Three and Four at the same time.

That of course, leaves Thunderbird Five, our space station. John claimed it for his own as soon as he heard about it. Space has always been his first love. I will have to keep a close eye on him though, because I can foresee a time coming if I let it, where he will be spending his whole life up there and forget that his actual home is down here with his family.

Brains will man control here on the island whilst we're away, and I will act as team leader in the field. Once the boys all have more experience, and as soon as he feels ready to accept the responsibility, Scott will be team leader in the field, and my role will then be split between control from base and helping out in the field when extra hands are needed.

How long will that take? Of course, Alan is growing up all the time, and as soon as he is ready, he will take his natural place in the team. He has always tended to try and run long before he can walk…no matter what he is doing. That is something I am going to have to watch and try and control.

Believe me diary, I did have to think long and hard before deciding to do all of this, and even harder to involve my sons.

Our motto is "At all costs", which now I am faced with the first day of operations, it is coming to me what a damned arrogant motto that really is. A humane one certainly, but it amounts to an order to give ones' life for a rescue if need be.

Suddenly, I seem to have butterflies in my stomach. I lost my wife when Alan was born, and I have no wish to lose any of my sons.

I guess it is too late to change my mind…right?

Jeff Tracy

ADDITIONAL

Hello again diary. Just wanted to add that after the above entry, Scott and Virgil came into my office to say goodnight, and they were all excited. I mentioned to them my fears involving them getting hurt, and I said something like I perhaps might have been wrong to involve them in my personal dream.

Well, I just wanted to tell you that they both tore me off a strip for even suggesting leaving them out of such a wonderful plan. They all do know their jobs. They have all trained and studied so hard to be ready for this, and they are now even more eager than before to prove to me that everything will go well.

Well, as we have just started saying around here…

"Thunderbirds Are go!"

Jeff Tracy