I thought I was done with this story, but apparently I wasn't. It just needed a little something to finish this off as John needed a conversation with Virgil.
There was nothing Virgil liked more than tinkering under the hood of Thunderbird 2. There were somethings he liked as much, but nothing more. It was soothing to review all the systems and circuits, tweak some relays, brush up the emergency protocols. Brains could do this of course, but each pilot made it a matter of pride that they could do any maintenance or emergency repairs necessary. He had taken to doing a bit more work on his machine than usual, so if anyone was ever looking for him the hangers were a sure bet.
And so it was no surprise when he heard John call out "Virgil, are you about?"
"Up here." He yelled back, extracting himself from the panel he was buried head deep in. He had heard Thunderbird One arrive back just a few minutes – he looked at his watch. Shit, that was nearly two hours ago! He must have lost track of time again. Scott had taken John to the mainland for a final check up and he had wanted to find out how it had gone.
He reattached the panel cover just as John reached him.
"Hey" he said in greeting "How was your appointment? I got a bit side tracked." He gestured uselessly, sure John would understand.
With a grin that showed he did John leant causally against a control console. "It went great, clean bill of health, no complications present and none expected."
"Glad to hear it!" Virgil clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Does that mean you will be going upstairs again soon?"
"I'll need to have that discussion with Scott." John gave an eye roll - at the thought of another 'discussion' no doubt. "But I'll be up there in the next couple of days."
"Well as much as I'm gonna miss you having around it will be good to have you back as our eye in the sky. Not that you're not doing a great job down here of course..."
"But it's different to having the whole of Thunderbird Five at my fingertips." John finished for him in agreement.
Virgil knew that there was something else. As good as this news was it wasn't really unexpected, so not worthy of John seeking him out down here - it could have waited till dinner. People outside the family might think that John was a bit of a loner, someone who enjoyed their own company too much to mind the social isolation that came with manning a cutting edge communication satellite. Oh, he didn't mind his own company, that was true, but that wasn't the reason that John had been chosen for that particular position any more than it was his experience in space or his frankly amazing ability to multitask.
The reason that John was space monitor was because he was a master at communication. Not just the technical side: signals and soundwaves and frequencies and data. It was the human communication that John excelled at: he could give instruction to governments, liaise with aid agencies or comfort a child in distress all with equal ease.
So Virgil knew there was a reason that John had chosen to have this conversation in the middle of Thunderbird Two away from the bustle of the main house, and Virgil could wait patiently until John was ready to explain it. He started to put his tools neatly away but it didn't take long, voice now serious.
"Thank you. I haven't said that yet I don't think. And it was important to me to say it before I went back up."
Virgil gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to elaborate.
"It was you who got me down here. If you hadn't be there, guided me step by step, I don't think I would have made it into the space elevator. I don't think... I think that day might have ended differently." John was meeting Virgil's eyes with a piercing gaze, sincerity rolling off him.
"Ah, come on now John, don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?" Virgil gave a soft snort, breaking eye contact to secure the tool box in the cupboard where it belonged, so he knew where to find it in an emergency. An emergency like one of his brothers needing urgent medical treatment. It was more than the need to help strangers that caused him to keep his machine in more than top condition in the last few weeks. "Anyone of the others who picked up would have done the same."
"I'm not being dramatic. I don't know what would have happened if you had all been out on a rescue when I called." Virgil gave a shiver at that. Those few minutes had been some of Virgil's worst – hearing John in so much pain, being unable to do anything to fix it. He had trying to put out of his mind how close a call that had really been, and had been working on contingencies for similar scenarios in the future.
"I just wanted to say, I'm glad you picked up, and thank you for saving my life." Virgil couldn't take any more and with a swift turn grabbed John into a tight hug, feeling John return it.
"You daft bugger." He muttered into the astronaut's shoulder. Why was he not surprised that John felt the need for a heartfelt and private thankyou for that? For something that should be taken for granted. "You're welcome." Virgil drew back so he could go see John's face, and John could see the finger he was now wagging at him. "The first one is free, but then I start charging."
John gave a laugh at that and drew his brother out of the hanger and towards the house. "I got it, don't worry. Ready for dinner? We'll be just in time."
"Sure, what we having?" Virgil noticed his hunger for the first time in hours: hard work and a reminder of John's near death experience could do that.
"Pizza. It doesn't take long to cook a pizza remember." John grinned as he called the elevator to take them back in to the light and space of their home.
Virgil was aghast. "That's what you took from that conversation? And here I was thinking Alan was the one who was food obsessed.."
"He just hasn't learnt to hide it as well."
Virgil could see the truth in that. And as they joined the rest of the family he also knew another truth – it wasn't just Virgil who had saved John's life that day. His family had come together before and they would again.
