CHAPTER 3

Working with the jets went amazingly well, Alan thought. Even Virgil was able to maneuver around the interior of the shuttle. Although everybody had their share of bumps and bruises from hitting the walls at speed, they hadn't had to break out the first aid kit. He allowed himself to hope that the worst was over.

At dinner, Alan was pleased to see that Virgil ate heartily. Alan finished his own lasagna quickly and found three sets of eyes studying him closely. "What?" Alan demanded. "Do I look funny or something?"

"Well, aside from that, one word," Gordon said. "Brownies."

"Cough them up," Virgil added. "And I have to admit, you do look funny in free fall, doesn't he?" he said conversationally, turning to Scott.

"Yeah," said Scott. "Your hair sort of fuzzes out into a blonde afro, actually, if you really want to know. But that's beside the point. Get out the brownies. And the pie, too."

John gave Alan a long look. "Al, have you been holding out on me?"

"And what will you do to me if I don't?" Alan asked challengingly. "I move better in free-fall than any of you."

"Ah," said Gordon. "But you have to sleep some time. And free fall leaves so many possibilities," he said, eyes gleaming. "Besides, your hair really does look funny. You should be grateful that you have loving brothers who will tell you the terrible truth."

"Oh, all right," Alan said, trying to smooth down his hair. Afro? His hair curled naturally. They were just jealous or something. He floated over to his duffle bag and pulled out two plastic boxes. "Here you go, you vultures."

To Alan's dismay, the pie got scarfed first. There weren't even crumbs left.

Seeing the pout on Alan's face, John was unsympathetic. "What do you expect? You're the bratty little brother!" was his response. "Did you think you could buy respect and a sense of power with brownies? With this bunch?"

Alan had to admit that maybe John was right but still had managed to palm a couple of brownies for himself before he gave the rest of the box to the horde of locusts...um...his brothers. And he did NOT look funny in free fall.

To everyone's quiet relief, Virgil didn't seem to have a recurrence of his space-sickness and each brother maneuvered himself safely into his sleep-sack and strapped himself in. Alan was especially pleased because, since this was the second night, it was John's turn to take first watch. He sleepily watched John do a last check of the tell-tales in the main cabin before closing the door to the cockpit, then settled himself comfortably in for the night.

Alan awoke, hearing a loud BANG and the hissing noise that makes every astronaut terrified. Before he was entirely awake, Alan was out of the sleep-sack, grabbing a flashlight and trying to insert himself into his space suit as fast as possible, then planned to follow the current of air as it whistled out of the room.

The cockpit door flew open and John hurried in with his flashlight, his hair whipping around in the breeze as he dove toward the suit locker. "Get into your suits!" he shouted to his brothers. "It's a micro-meteor strike that's holed us. We have to find the leak and patch it!"

Alan was in his suit first, with John close behind. While the rest of their brothers were struggling into the suits, Alan followed John to the source of the violent wind and found John uncovering a small box-shaped device, then flipping a switch. Immediately the wind stopped.

"Have you got it patched, John?" Scott, fully suited, propelled himself over to John.

John grinned and pulled his helmet off, then unstuck the box from the wall and handed it to Scott. " One minute, twenty five seconds, Scott. You guys have to do better."

Scott eyed the device in his hand and pulled his helmet off, letting it float away while Gordon and Virgil, also suited up, floated over. "Why, you sneaky bastard! Did Brains make this for you?" said Scott, admiration fighting with irritation in his voice. "You were just waiting to pull this on us!" he handed the box back to Virgil and an awed Gordon.

"That was a good one!" Gordon said in a voice tinged with hero-worship. "You really had us going."

"That was the intent," John replied. "Even Alan didn't know I was planning this, but you have to be prepared for emergencies out here. Got you into your suits, the fastest time yet." He paused and gave them a serious look. "But not fast enough. You need more practice."

"Yeah, but can we sleep first?" asked Virgil pleadingly. "And..uh..can I have another shot? I think I might need a barf bag."

Alan and Scott exchanged glances while John dug out the Thoramin and an air-sickness bag for Virgil. Twenty minutes, a shot and one air-sickness bag later, Virgil perked up again in time for them to go back to bed. Alan stayed up for his turn on watch, but pulled John aside. He nodded his head toward Virgil, settling in his sleep-sack again. "Well?"

John looked thoughtful. "Let's see how he does on EVA. Straight space-sickness we can treat with drugs. I'm not ready to ship him home yet."

Alan nodded, but he had the feeling that Virgil's troubles weren't over. He'd known a few people who, although otherwise qualified and willing, were just unable to adjust to space. He was beginning to wonder if his brother was one of them.

DAY 3

Virgil looked queasy again at breakfast and John silently gave him the anti-nausea shot. Breakfast was quick and tense. Although they had all trained underwater in space suits, only Alan and John had actually experienced hard vacuum. They were only too aware of the dangers; underwater, you could just swim away from danger. This was real. Finally, the moment came.

"Okay, everybody, suit up. When we EVA, I'll take Virgil and Gordon. Alan, you go with Scott," John and Alan moved over to the suit locker and began to hand out suits. "One other thing you should notice is that each suit has different markings so you can tell who you're with. For the moment, we've got markings to match our sash colors. Alan, yours isn't marked because the suit is white anyway. Scott, you have blue. Virgil has yellow, I've got lilac and Gordon has orange, or he will once I finish putting tape on his new suit…Okay, got it," John said after he'd applied emergency orange tape onto Gordon's suit.

Before lining up in the airlock, Alan and John carefully checked each suit for leaks, then gave each brother a thumbs up.

"You don't think he's still mad about the brownies, do you?" Gordon muttered to Virgil after Alan checked his suit.

Virgil cracked a smile. "You'll find out soon."

They lined up in the airlock in the order John designated. Alan and Scott went first.

Alan stepped forward first, latching his and Scott's safety tethers to the rings set into the shuttle's skin. "Are you ready?" he radioed his brother.

"I'm ready," said Scott.

"Okay, let's try some real free fall," Alan said and pushed off from the airlock door into space. Scott quickly followed and was soon floating at the end of his tether.

"All right, John, the rest of the mob can come out now," Alan said.

Next in the doorway was John, carefully latching his safety tether as well as Gordon and Virgil's. "Okay, Gordon, you go first. Push yourself out there. Then Virgil, you follow. I'll be right behind you."

Gordon went sailing gracefully out of the airlock, the sound of his whooping ringing through their communicators. "Wow! This is great!"

John cringed a bit. "Gordon, keep the volume down, wouldja? These things don't have much of a volume control."

Gordon waved a hand. "Sorry!"

"Okay, Virgil, now your turn," John said to Virgil, patting him on the shoulder. Virgil hesitated a moment, then pushed off into space, floating until he jerked to the end of his tether and floated there.

"Okay, let's take a roll call here," John called out. "Alan?"

"Yo!" Alan raised a hand.

"Scott, how are you doing amid all this glorious majesty?"

"Very impressed. It's beautiful out here," Scott replied.

"Gordon, how about you, ya philistine?"

"Ah..I've seen better on a coral reef!" Gordon shot back.

"Says the land-shark...Okay, how 'bout you, Virg?" John called out.

They heard nothing.

"Virgil? Are you receiving me?" John asked as Alan activated his jets and began to move toward Virgil.

Still no answer. Alan drew up to Virgil and peered into his helmet, then lifted a hand and made a circular motion. John bent and gathered Virgil's safety line and began to haul him in. Alan rode back with Virgil to the doorway.

In the meantime, Scott was working his suit jets with less luck, trying to get over to the doorway. "Dammit...stupid jets...John! What's wrong with him? Is it the suit?"

Both Alan and John seemed to be conferring among themselves. Finally, John nodded and Alan unhooked his own safety tether and Virgil's, then took Virgil back inside the shuttle and shut the door behind him. John, still tethered, remained in the doorway.

"Pull yourselves in," John said tiredly over the communicator. "We're going back inside for a moment. Alan's taking Virgil home and we need to be inside when the rocket takes off."

They all piled into the airlock as quickly as possible. Virgil was huddled over by the wall with Alan giving him another shot of Thoramin. Scott glanced up at John. "What happened?"

John sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "He threw up in his space suit, even though he was on a full dose of Thoramin. This stuff is the strongest med on the market for space sickness. He needs to go home. Unless Brains can come up with something better, I'd say Virgil is grounded."

Scott nodded slowly. "I can see that. Sorry, Virg, but it looks like you're just not made for outer space."

"Not done yet!" Virgil answered angrily. "Damned stomach keeps letting me down. When I get home, I'll talk to Brains about it and I'll be back." He floated there with arms wrapped tightly around his chest and glared at his brothers.

"That'll be up to Dad," said Scott firmly. "In any case, let's pack your duffle and get you home."

"I'll pilot the rocket," said Alan. "I wish we had Thunderbird Three up and running, then we could travel in comfort."

"Well, the rent-a-rocket will have to do for now," said Scott with a half-smile. "Come on, Virg, let's go strap you in."