SHATTERED 9
By Crystalquirt
Thunderbirds Are Go! Fanfiction
I don't own anyone or anything.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
In his room, Virgil cried for a short time and then opened his tablet to work on his journal but found he couldn't concentrate on the screen.In his moment of shock at what his family said, Virgil began to remember what had happened. It was like a dream, still, like he was watching someone else do what they all said.
He began to remember everything, but it was like he was watching someone else.
He remembered the fear and sadness on Gordon's and Alan's faces.
He remembered how much Scott suffered in the forest fire.
Remembering how angry he was at Brandon and the terrible things he said to him, caused Virgil's tears to fall again.
He was exhausted and finally fell asleep.
Grandma Tracy said goodnight to Lady Penelope and Parker and they headed back to London in FAB1 with Dr. Early. After watching the Pink Limousine launch, Grandma Tracy went to check on her boys before she went to bed. There wasn't much of the night left for sleep. She found Alan had cried himself to sleep still sitting in the hallway at Virgil's door.
"Alan, sweetheart, wake up, come to your own bedroom," she said, gently shaking his shoulder.
Alan opened up his eyes, and looked up at her. His eyes were red from exhaustion and crying. "What about Virgil?"
"He will be okay, he's a Tracy - Your brother is just having a little trouble handling so many sad events all in a row."
"He's so upset. I heard him crying. I've never heard any of my older brothers cry, except Gordon that one time," Alan said as he started getting up.
"Believe me," Grandma Tracy said, leading Alan to his room, "They all have cried many times. When Jeff disappeared it was hard on all of us. And there have been other times too. Like when you and Kayo were heading for the sun with no way back - I'm sure I saw John and even Scott shed tears of relief when you miraculously changed your path back toward Earth. Virgil is so strong, and never wants to bother anyone or show his feelings, that we didn't see this coming soon enough to head it off. I'm sorry for that." Grandma Tracy said.
While she spoke, Grandma Tracy guided Alan to take off his spacesuit, all the way down to his shorts. She motioned for him to sleep on his bed for a change, instead of the floor.
Alan, not wanting to worry his grandmother, or just too tired to argue, climbed into the long unused bed. She tucked the covers in around Alan's neck and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Alan - Things will get better, you'll see."
"Goodnight Grandma," said Alan, yawning. Within moments, he was asleep again.
Grandma Tracy then peeked inside Virgil's lit up bedroom and he was sleeping fitfully. She turned the lights off in his room and watched him for a little while in the dim light from the hallway. He seemed to calm down so she closed his door and went to her room.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
The Tracy household started moving again late in the morning. The first sign of life was John getting on the space elevator, greeting EOS and ascending to Thunderbird 5.
"How is Virgil, John?" EOS asked.
"Not good. I just don't know how we will be able to help him. At the very least, he will need a long time off-duty for therapy and to recover," he said, briefly combing a hand through his hair in worry.
"Too bad John, I wish I could just remotely reboot his processors or something."
"I wish you could too, EOS."
The AI, not used to John's agreeing with her more binary diagnosis, gave her version of a pep talk. "I'm sure you will be able to help him. You helped me understand how things really are when I was confused with your kindness and trust."
"FAB, EOS." John agreed.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Gordon came up to the Control Room wearing two hospital gowns, one frontwards and one backwards. He was walking unsteadily, using an upside down broom as a walking stick.
Coming into the room soon after him, Grandma Tracy saw him hanging onto the broom and leaning against the piano. She said, tsking lightly, "Something tells me that Brains has not given you the okay to be out of bed, Gordon."
"Not officially, but Brains went to sleep. I couldn't stand not knowing how Virgil is doing."
"He hasn't come out of his room yet. When I checked on him he wasn't sleeping well. If he wants to sleep all day, I think we should let him. He was talking in his sleep, and turning over frequently," she said, walking over to her unsteady grandson and offered her arm. "Here, come over and sit down."
Gordon blushed as his Grandma helped him down the steps to sit on a sofa. On her way into the room, Kayo noticed the commotion and said, smiling, "It is a little sad to see a strong young man, helped to his seat by his grandmother."
"Now don't tease him Kayo, you know how sensitive he can be," Grandma Tracy scolded sweetly.
"Hey - I am not sensitive!" Gordon began to argue when the console lit up with John's handsome figure looking at the family.
"Hey guys, when Virgil gets up, can you tell him to use the space elevator and come see me? I'm sending it down now."
"FAB," Kayo answered. "Should I tell him why?"
"Sure, I want him to help me inside Thunderbird 5. Tell him there will be no space walking. I know how much he hates that."
"Is that all?" Kayo asked.
"Mostly I want to talk to him. Brains and I talked about it last night, and called his psychiatrist friend and we thought it might be beneficial if I spoke to Virgil alone."
"FAB, John ... if you think being alone with him is a good idea," she said, uncertain. "You know how he got when we said he needed help.
"At least he got a rather sudden introduction by 'no bedside manner' Brains last night. He's got to realize that he has a problem and had a night to think about what we said. So I think now is a good time," John explained.
"I'll let him know as soon as he comes out of his room. I can come along too, just in case he lashes out," Kayo agreed.
"Not necessary Kayo. I'm sure that if he wants to fight I'll have a big advantage in Zero G." That much was certain, and both knew it. Virgil in space was about as bad as John on Earth the first two days coming home.
"Very true - I'll tell him." Kayo said.
"FAB, and thanks," John said sadly.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Alan woke up first but again waited at Virgil's door for him. He didn't knock, not wanting to bother him.
"Hey Alan!" Virgil greeted him when he came out. He looked and acted a lot more like himself, dressed in his usual flannel shirt and pants.
Smiling, he tousled his little brother's hair on his way down the hall to the Control Room. Virgil greeted Grandma Tracy when he went through the Command Center. He didn't acknowledge or even look at Gordon even though Gordon said, "Hi Virg."
Before either Gordon or Alan could correct Virgil, he walked on through grabbed a bagel from the kitchen and started to leave.
Jogging to keep up with her grandson, Grandma Tracy asked, "Wait Virgil, where are you going?"
"I'm going out to check Thunderbird 2's systems, since her little accident last night."
As quietly as Thunderbird Shadow, Kayo appeared in front of him and said, "You can't Virgil - John wants you to join him on Thunderbird 5."
"Maybe later - I won't be able to concentrate on anything else until Thunderbird 2 is in top shape."
Virgil took Kayo's shoulders in his big hands and gently moved her out of the way. He left without looking back.
Alan said quickly, "I'll go see if I can help him."
"No Alan, it would be better if you weren't alone with him right now." Kayo warned. "I'll get Brains to go check on him with me as soon as he's available."
"Fine," Alan grumbled. He just couldn't stand the thought of Virgil being alone, and he wanted to see what he was doing.
Kayo called, "Base to Thunderbird 5. John come in," she sighed.
"Kayo - Is there something wrong? How can I help?"
"We're fine so far, but Virgil said he can't come see you until he works on his ship."
John frowned, but pondered the comment. "I see. Maybe some alone time on his Thunderbird will help him think, but keep an eye on him."
"I'll do my best. Brains asked me to help him change the bandages on the backs of Scott's legs. You know how, um . . . intense that can be."
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Alan, still wearing his street clothes like Virgil, sneaked to the launch bay and boarded Thunderbird 2."Hey Alan, did you come to help?" Virgil said cheerily when Alan made a noise and he looked up.
"Sure, if you need it," he said hesitantly. When Virgil nodded, Alan grinned. "What can I do?"
"That last of the four fusion components needs to be cleaned and put back in the port - aft VTOL Thruster. I cleaned the inside and reassembled the casing - so if you could get the crud off of the contacts and shine it up pretty, that would be a big help."
"That I can do," Alan said and took a clean white cloth from a tool box and picked up the component to work on.
After a few minutes, Alan was cleaning the chamber with the cloth while he talked with Virgil about his 'Bird."I really need to get under and inside the ion inducer compartment and clean it out too. There must be a short someplace. My big green gal was not sounding just right last night," he said, not realizing the sound was the fizzling of the console after he shot it.
"Okay, call out if you need something and I'll hand it to you." Alan said.
"All I think I'll need is my ion wrench, but I'll let you know."
Virgil sat down close to the open compartment and laid back inside, then to reach the back he had to scoot some more. With his torso up to his belt inside the hull he was tracing down a short.
Alan heard him say, "Crud!"
Then there was a loud bang when he punched the panel after he pinched his hand between his ion wrench and the edge of a small compartment."Aahh!" Virgil cried grabbing his hand, then his head.
"Virgil, are you okay in there?" Alan asked, bending over to look inside the component he was still cleaning.
Virgil couldn't answer, he was having his own problems. He didn't hear exactly what Alan said, but after hearing his young brother's concerned voice, suddenly he saw tons of rock and dirt above him, threatening to crush and suffocate him.
Faces of unknown children appeared before his eyes, begging for him to save them, and he couldn't move.
There were flames and Scott lying in the middle of them and Virgil strained to reach him, but couldn't.
It felt like the small space he was in was closing in on him even more tightly as he saw Gordon's bloody face in the bank begging 'The Hood' himself to not hurt him anymore.
"Aaaagrrr!" Virgil again growled, this time in anger and fear as he began pulling himself out of the compartment.
Trying to get into a particularly tight spot on the fusion component with the rag, Alan walked over and stood by Virgil as he came out. "Want some help in there?" he asked.
"Aaaah! No!" Virgil cried as he pulled his head out. He looked up at Alan, confused and frightened, "YOU! How did you get in here?"
The teen looked at him, puzzled. "What? I'm cleaning this thing so you can put it back in the VTOL thruster." Alan answered innocently with big blinking eyes.
"No! You're here to stop me - to take Tracy Island! I won't let you! I'll make you pay!"
"Take Tracy..." said Alan, but he didn't get to finish his comment.
Still sitting on the floor, Virgil hooked his foot around the back of Alan's leg, forcing Alan to drop the cloth and fusion component as he landed on his butt.
"Ow-Virgil! It's me - Alan."
"Oh yeah, sure... 'Alan.' Try to get me to believe you, then when I turn around, you chloroform me!" growled Virgil, keeping an eye on the teen in front of him.
"Chloroform ... No bro! What makes you think I would ever try, or think of such a stupid thing?" said Alan, shocked at Virgil's behavior. He started backing away from his brother, hoping this would convince him he was truly harmless. "That towel has soap and water - at most."
"Liar! I won't let you drug and kidnap me like you did my brothers, Hood!" said Virgil, as the two neared a wall. "You will take me to where you have Gordon's and Scott's bodies after you killed them."
"Virgil! I'm not the Hood! I'm Alan! Come with me, I'll show you where Scott and Gordon are! They are not dead!" Alan sat on Thunderbird Two's deck trying to lean back from Virgil with his hand held weakly out to his brother.
Virgil noticed that Alan was still looking at the small towel, that he thought was chloroformed, and wasn't convinced. "No! You can't fool me!"
Alan rolled away and got up, heading for the hatch to get help.
"I won't let you loose on Tracy Island!" Virgil yelled. He grabbed Alan by the back of his shirt, and yanked him back. He threw him into the compartments where he'd just been working.
Alan's back struck an open clasp on a compartment door, cutting through both of his shirts and the skin across his back, also his head hit the metal. "Oh," he cried and started to go to his knees, the cut on his back burning. But Virgil grabbed him and pulled him back up, his fist raised to put who he thought was The Hood out of commission.
"Virgil No! Please!" Alan cried and tried to twist out of Virgil's hand to get to the controls to call for help, but when he tried to turn away, Virgil punched him hard in the side, under his ribs, lifting him off of his feet for an instant. He lost his right shoe when he landed. Alan gasped for air and his hand went to his side.
"Virgil?" was all Alan had time to say before he viciously backhanded his little brother, tearing the neck out of his shirts and spinning him almost out of his clothes before Virgil let go.
Alan landed hard, face down and unconscious on the floor. The hole in his shirts and a bloody cut on his back visible.
Virgil glared triumphantly at 'The Hood' whom he'd just put down. With one strong hand he pulled on Alan's shoulder rolling him onto his back. Virgil then roughly checked the senseless teenager to be sure he was not faking.Satisfied with his findings, he nodded in victory. "I won't let you take anymore of us! Gordon and Scott are dead because of you, Hood," he said. "I have to get you away from Tracy Island to protect the others!"
Even with Alan unconscious, Virgil roughly turned Alan back onto his stomach and pulled his hands behind his back. He tied them with electric cord from his nearby toolbox. Then he pulled 'The Hood's' other shoe off and threw it aside before he tied his feet together.
Satisfied that 'The Hood' wasn't going anywhere, he turned his Thunderbird around in the hangar before rolling it out to launch.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Brains heard the engine roar to life and the whine of Thunderbird Two's turbines, but he thought someone, probably Alan was just turning it around after Virgil left it nose-in. In the middle of changing Scott's burn dressing and debriding a very deeply burned place he didn't take the time to think much about it. Scott was in such great pain, that hurrying, Brains quickly forgot about hearing Thunderbird 2 start when Scott groaned and cried out loudly.
Gordon came over and held Scott's hand. "I'm okay," Scott mumbled with his head turned away and his eyes squeezed shut. Gordon squeezed his hand and gave him a sympathetic smile. He wished Scott was strong enough to be sedated through this process, but Dr. Early and Brains said it would be another week before they could consider it.
Once he launched and his 'Bird was flying over the ocean toward London, Virgil turned on the autopilot and went back to see his 'prisoner'.
"That's odd - when did the Hood grow hair?" he frowned and reached down to turn 'the Hood' over onto his back and looked into his face. He saw blond hair, and Alan's face.
"No way Hood! I'm not falling for it! You're not Alan - you can't be!" Virgil said as he backed away. Looking back, he came back over and felt all around 'The Hood's' neck for the halo device he used to disguise himself.
Not finding anything, he cried, "It is Alan! Oh no-no-no-no!" he cried as he pulled Alan up onto his thighs so he could reach behind his back and cut the cords around his wrists. Alan arms fell limply apart.
"Oh, no - what have I done? Alan!"
Virgil shook Alan like he would wake up from sleep. Alan did not stir. "And there is no one else here except me! My family was right, I broke John's hand pushing him in anger! Scott died in the fire because of me! I beat Gordon to death! I can't believe it - but how else could I remember if I didn't do these things! And now . . . and now . . . I've killed ALAN!"
Sitting on the floor, and shaking all over, Virgil pulled Alan into his arms and rocked with him, saying softly, "No-no-no, I'm so sorry - I never meant to kill you Alan - I wouldn't even have just killed the Hood! I can't go on like this!"
He paused, and realized his last comment made the most sense in a long time.
The pilot then looked down at his brother, combing a hand through his blond locks. "Don't worry, Alan, I'll make sure that John finds you and puts your body with Scott's and Gordon's." Virgil said softly, almost whispering as he stood up. He carried Alan across his arms into the pod container. It held Firefly and Mole interchangeable pods.
Virgil laid Alan on the ground to open the Mole's canopy.
Had Virgil checked for Alan's vital signs he would have found them. Alan wasn't dead but Virgil was beyond reason - crippled with grief.
He carefully picked Alan up again and slid him down in the Mole being careful to place his hands in his lap in a way that looked comfortable. He strapped him in as though he was sending him out on a mission. Once secure, he kissed the top of Alan's head.
"Goodbye Alan. I'm so sorry..." Tears streaming down his face, made it hard for him to see to walk, and after he stepped down, he had to stop and wipe his eyes.
With determination, Virgil went back to the cockpit and closed the hatch. He walked unsteadily to the controls and sat in his pilot's seat.
Virgil took a deep breath, and took out his tablet. "I just have to add coordinates where they can find Alan's - body!" he said, then buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Dad! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I've done these things - but here is proof! Alan's dead and I killed him."
"I swear I don't know how I thought he could ever be The Hood!" Virgil kept wiping his eyes while he typed into his tablet. He wrote what happened to Alan, and where they could pick up the pod and his body.
The pilot then wrote the last sentence of the letter. "I know Brains will build another Thunderbird 2. Maybe bigger stronger and faster, because this one won't be coming back," he simply apologized to everyone by name and told them goodbye. But he waited to send it.
Virgil stopped his Thunderbird where it hovered over the ocean. The three VTOL thrusters that were operating strained a little without the fourth, but Virgil kept his 'Bird straight.
He was in a spot where there was no land visible in any direction.
Virgil then looked at the console, tears in his eyes for a different reason. "One last time, I'm releasing the pod. I can never express how sorry I am, Gordon, Alan, and Scott," he said, and gave a faint grin. "John's hand will heal. That's one positive thing. John, Kayo and I couldn't operate International Rescue alone anyway - and now after killing my brothers - I'd just be going to prison."
The Pod Container dropped into the ocean as though it had Thunderbird 4 on board. Virgil watched it splash down on his screens, and then backed off so he could see the container floating in the waves with only his eyes.
"I wish more than anything that you were in there, Gordon. I wish you were on your way to another deep sea adventure where we are able to save people - not take their lives like I have."
He put his hands to his temples, pained from emotion. It was time. "Aaaagnn!" Virgil let out a cry of anguish. "My brothers, please forgive me - and those left on Tracy Island please understand, I'm doing this to protect all of you. I can't go on with there being a risk of my hurting any more of you."
Virgil pushed Thunderbird 2 as fast as she'd go, heading for the Himalayas.
"A huge mountain in remote, rough country seems like the best place to end this and disappear where even Thunderbird 5's sensors can't find me. There, it would be all but destroyed by the crash with all the explosives I carry on my ship and covered in many feet of snow all year round."
Finishing his letter to the surviving members of International Rescue, Virgil pushed 'Send,' on his table and his letter went to everyone at once.
Thunderbird 5 received the correspondence immediately.
John realized what Virgil was saying after reading only a few words and he panicked. "EOS! Virgil is in trouble! Bring the elevator back up for me!"
"Of course John." EOS answered.
His hand and two fingers on his injured hand flew over the keyboards, every sensor he had searching for Thunderbird 2.
When his Space Elevator docked, John ran for it and brought his same screens up in the elevator to continue the search on the way down.
"Wait John!" EOS cried.
"What is it? I have to hurry!"
"I know you want to go home to be with your family, but won't you need Thunderbird 5's more powerful scanners and communications to find Thunderbird 2?" she said, using her practicality to an advantage. She did not want 'human error' - John's emotions - to result in them from making a bigger mistake.
The astronaut also followed the reasoning and nodded. "You're right EOS," John growled and moved his screens back to Thunderbird 5. He used his suit jets inside his station to move back to the command module as quickly as possible in Zero Gravity.
"Thunderbird 5 to Tracy Island!" he called.
"We hear you John," Brains answered.
"I'll be using Five's power to help get control of Thunderbird 2."
"FAB John." Scott said. "We're reading Virgil's letter now."
On Tracy Island, Brains was reading the rest of Virgil's note out loud to Gordon and Scott.
Hearing one part, Gordon tried to jump out of bed but paused when a wave of dizziness washed over him.
"Whoa G-Gordon! W-Where do you think you are going?" Brains said steadying then helping the aquanaut back onto his bed.
"I have to take Thunderbird 4 out and find that pod container - I'll launch from the island. Virgil said Alan is inside it!"
"Gordon, he said Alan's body is inside. He said he killed him!" Brains said sadly.
The aquanaut narrowed his eyes. "He ALSO SAID that Scott and I are dead and we're not - what if Alan is hurt out there?" he countered.
"Virgil just couldn't have killed him. He couldn't no matter how messed up his mind is right now! Alan's just got to be out cold worst - we've got to all be alive.""Exactly! None of us have . . . died!" Scott said. "But how can we convince him before he crashes Thunderbird 2?"
"That's the t-trouble though. Virgil thinks he killed you, Scott, and Gordon even though he was sitting right here in the same room with you," said Brains. "Now he said he's killed Alan and will crash his plane to take his own life. I'm afraid our little family meeting wasn't as beneficial for Virgil as we'd hoped."
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]Virgil's face was wet with tears as he mumbled again those things that he put in his letter.
"I've killed them all - I have to leave before something happens to John, Grandma Tracy, Kayo and Brains," he reasoned in his decision. "Maybe they will be able to recruit new pilots to keep dad's dream alive after I'm gone. I'm sure Brains will build an even bigger and stronger Thunderbird 2."
Images again flashed through his mind of pushing John in the hospital waiting room, the imagined faces of the children that might have been in the cave explosion. Alan's face again was among them.
He suddenly, clearly remembered punching Gordon - more than once, and throwing him into a wall. He shook his head trying to rid his mind of the memory.
Even the dead man he found on the sailboat flashed in his mind. He said out loud, "I couldn't save him either - he drown!"
John's hologram appeared before him over the controls. "The man on the sailboat didn't drown, Virgil. He died of electrocution when he went below his flooding deck. There were exposed wires. Colonel Casey verified it with GDF medical after the autopsy and the engineers who inspected the boat after they salvaged it." he explained.
The pilot looked at his older brother, stunned. "How did you get through? I disabled communications," Virgil stammered. He then shook his head. "You won't talk me out of this!"
"Let me try," said John, but Virgil uses his hand to turn off the hologram. The Himalayas mountain range appeared in the distance though the clouds and Virgil smiled.
Brains pulled up holo images of Thunderbird 2 on John's temporary monitoring station by Scott's bed. "I think I can track where he's piloting T-Thunderbird Two," said the engineer.
Scott and Gordon leaned in, trying to see. After a few moments, they found the location.
"Thunderbird 5 he's heading right for those mountains!" Scott shouted harshly, then fought a cough as he watched the icon marking Thunderbird Two heading toward the Himalayas. He took a gasp of air and continued, slightly breathless. "John! Use GAMMA Protocol."
"FAB Scott," John said quickly as he moved his fingers about on his screen to slave the controls to his computer.
Thunderbird 2 started to turn back to where it was under John's commands of the vehicle.
Inside, Virgil was surprised and angry when the wheel shifted in another direction. He tried to turn the steering wheel to the mountains and crash, but no avail. "Oh no you don't John - please don't stop me," he growled as he tried punching in his personal code to break the override.
In his space station, John muttered darkly at the attempt. "Not this time Virg," he said, inserting a virus to stop the override and prevent a new code being used. "Scott, he's trying to take back the ship."
The counter code worked, and Virgil slammed his fists into the computer. "I'm sorry bro, but I want to be with Scott, Gordon and Alan, and Dad." he pleaded, and again tried another way to hack into system.
Seeing the steering wheel move on its own, he decided to instead jerk it violently to the right, hopefully to throw John away from the controls on Five.
John caught on to the trickery again. "Darn it," he said as his hand jerked in the virtual controls. Fortunately, he was able to keep hold of them, but he realized this time, while he still had the larger control of the vehicle, Virgil was becoming more successful.
John quickly ripped the splint from his broken hand thinking it would help.
"He's still trying to override my control of Thunderbird 2 -" he said, then yelped when a jolt of the gears shifting hit his healing hand. "Ow! - and making it a bit more personal."
"What on earth is wrong with you Virgil... ? Stop! Come back, we love you," Gordon pleaded. Hearing static, he fought back tears. "Virgil, do you hear me?"
The pilot shook his head. "Yes, I hear you, but you're a ghost! I killed you and then locked your body in that vault," he said.
Gordon shook his head in disbelief. "You only knocked me out, bro. Parker got me out of the vault - safely," he said, but only heard static.
"Virgil! I'm alive too!" yelled Scott.
"Not only that - you just think that Alan died, but we don't know. Kayo is flying Shadow out to the pod container to find him. You thought Scott died in that forest fire, now you ..." said Gordon, pressing his hand to his head as a wave of vertigo hit him.
"Virgil, STOP trying to take control back of Thunderbird 2's systems!" John yelled as he tried to wrest the wheel from Virgil's grasp.
"You stop! I can't take it anymore!" Virgil answered.
Gordon shook his head. "Scott, why is he doing this? Why does he think we're all dead?!"
"I don't know Gordon, but we've got to do something . . ." said Scott.
"Yeah - he's delirious. I mean, he's really out of it," said Gordon.
Scott looked sharply at his brother in understanding. "You're right Gordon, if only..." agreeing, but his mind processed the man's comment again. "Out of it..."
Gordon looked at his brother funny at the parroting of his comment, but Scott bolted upright. Wincing a little after he did it. There was a possibility. "John, use Gamma protocol's Omicron Contingency," said Scott.
John knew that code, and winced in memory. "You sure Scott? That hasn't been used since Dad..." he said, trailing off when he saw Scott's no nonsense glare at the corner of his screen.
"Yes! I'm sure - Use it - but be sure you keep control of that 'Bird!"
"FAB, Scott." John acknowledged. He brought up an image of Thunderbird 2 and moved some icons around, before he pushed a button on his console. "Code sent."
There was a faint hissing sound from several tiny holes in Thunderbird 2's cockpit and cabin area. Had there been a Pod container in place, the odorless, colorless gas would have begun to fill that space too.
"Is it working, John?" Scott asked urgently. He was painfully sitting on the edge of his bed.
"All lights are green - we just have to wait for the gas to take effect."
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Inside Thunderbird 2, Virgil heard the faint hiss and stopped to listen. He remembered that Brains had concocted a knock out gas and installed a delivery system on all of the Thunderbirds in case they were ever incapacitated or the plane was hijacked. It would knock out everyone on board and John could simply take over the control and bring her home, or deliver whoever is on board to the GDF if necessary.They had never had to use it, and made a silent pact to not use it on each other. Unfortunately, Virgil gave them no choice - they had to use it in order to save him from himself.
"Oh no you don't - no 'Goodnight Virgil,' guys," said Virgil as he tried to search for a rebreather under his seat.
As he searched, he heard a chirp of the holocom, Virgil looked up, and saw it was again lit.
Before John could say anything, he spoke. "Dad ... you're here to meet me," he said, staring at John's blue-lit image, his search forgotten as he focused on his initial suicidal run.
"Virgil, wha-" said John, confused only to see Scott's holographic image stop his response.
The second oldest switched communication to Tracy Island, but kept audio on the Thunderbird. "Did you just hear that?" he said, shocked.
"Yes. Let him think you're Dad - try to talk like him, it'll distract Virgil," Scott said. "We can't let him find that backup gas mask under the seat."
John looked down at himself, then back, confused. "FAB, but I look nothing ..."
"John, I have changed your image in Thunderbird Two to look like Jeff Tracy the moment Virgil Tracy became confused," chirped EOS.
"So seeing is believing here?..." said John, quirking a suspicious eyebrow.
"Affirmative, but not hearing this discussion," she responded kindly. Seeing his reaction, she remembered her creator's long lecture about tampering with holographs, then continued. "Forgive me - this was only to add to the illusion."
John nodded quickly, deciding this time he'd allow the trickery. "FAB," he said as he fought the controls again. "Hopefully it works before he gets too suspicious." All they could do now was pray the contingency worked faster than when it was tested so John could stop his brother's suicide run.
Inside Thunderbird 2, Virgil still tried get full control of his Thunderbird. During his brother's discussion, he had at least succeeded in again turning the vehicle to the mountains.
"Dad, you still there?" he said, hoping he hadn't imagined the voice. He looked up at the communications console and smiled.
The image of their missing father looked at the pilot in love and sympathy. EOS was matching John's visual reactions to coincide with the hologram - at least ones that would not belie the ruse at hand.
"Yes, Virgil, it's me," said John trying to not choke up. "Please stop messing with the ship's controls and visit with me. It's been a long time since we've seen each other."
The younger man did what he was told, to John's relief, and leaned forward to chat.
"Dad - it's so good to hear your voice again. I've missed you so much," said Virgil, paying no more attention to the faint hissing sounds coming from the vents.
"I've missed you too, son. It's time to go home," said John, hoping the "home" was Tracy Island and not what Virgil currently thought.
"Home, finally headed home," Virgil sighed in relief, happy that he'd finally save his family from himself. "Goodbye John, Grandma, Kayo and Brains. I'm sorry I had to leave you, but I need to see my brothers again and apologize. I will be all right."
"You will be Virgil, you will," said John quietly, trying to hide the pain he was at the same time ensuring his brother was rendered unconscious.
"Dad, you'll give me a big hug when I get to heaven right?" said Virgil.
The childlike voice coming from Virgil was gut wrenching, but John kept his composure. He eyed the monitors to keep an eye on Thunderbird Two and Virgil. The contingency was definitely working.
John however didn't skip a beat.
"Of course - I've missed those hugs so much, not to mention your painting and piano playing," he said. "We'll get to do all that and more real soon."Unaware of what really happening, Virgil instead looked up at the skyline full of mountains. He smiled briefly, thankful his pain would end shortly.
The grin turned into a frown when they seemed to waver and shine with yellowish sparkles. "What's... huh?" he said groggily, rubbing his eyes.
As the sparkles started to grow into a smattering of dark spots in front of his eyes, Virgil then remembered what his brothers were trying. "Gamma... Omicron...?" he said in disgust and betrayal. "They... promised..."
John, noticing Virgil reach to push the controls downward, shook his head. "No son - don't. You're still headed toward the mountain," said astronaut, lying slightly only to keep his brother putting the vehicle into terminal velocity. It was already teetering on the edge. It's a last ditch effort Virgil - they waited too long."
Seeing his immediate younger brother quiet down but still fight to stay conscious, then continued. "Just let go - all you'll do is fall asleep, then when you wake up you'll see your brothers and me," John said, basing his tone from on a memory of his father keeping him calm before a surgery long ago.
Surprisingly, Virgil agreed and sat back, doing what his 'father' asked.
He felt he needed to send one final message though. "Sorry... John... you tried, don't feel bad," he said, feeling himself start to go limp in his chair.
Seeing the mountains grow in front of the window, he smiled faintly at one final blessing. "Thanks... at least I won't feel t..."
He didn't finish his thought as darkness descended.
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
Kayo landed her Thunderbird on top of the abandoned pod container. Attaching a cable to the roof, she swung down on it to the door controls. She keyed in the code on an emergency access panel and the door dropped down making a splash.
The Firefly was closest and she looked around it and then inside. She continued to look around and spotted the top of Alan's blond head in the Mole's cockpit. The canopy had been left open.
"Alan!" she cried when she saw him. She ran to the Mole and jumped up on the side, calling, "Alan! Can you hear me?"
Alan didn't stir or open his eyes. So she used her helmet scanners to take his vitals. Relief washed over her face when she saw the data stream across her helmet screen.
"John, Alan's alive!" Kayo yelled urgently into her comm. "I'm sending his vitals to Brains now!"
[Thunderbirds Are Go! ]
They all heard the news. Grandma Tracy collapsed onto the nearest sofa in the control room. Gordon fell back on his pillow, his legs hanging off the bed.
"That's great news, Kayo - can you bring him home?"
"Yes, of course - it'll be a tight fit in Shadow, but there's no way I'm leaving him out here."
Scott said, "That's a relief but Virgil is still in trouble."
He saw the big green turtle that was Thunderbird 2 in the distance and gasped in horror as it made its descent. "John... please tell me you can get control of Thunderbird Two!" he said nervously as he climbed out of the bed.
Grandma Tracy stood back up and reactivated the view screens.
Gritting his teeth, Scott went to sit by Gordon, but when he nearly fell, his leg muscles not working well with his burn injuries. Gordon caught him and pulled him over to his bed. "Scott," he whispered.
Scott said, "I know . . . I wanted to comfort you but my legs are not cooperating."
"We'll comfort each other." Gordon said. They all prayed it hadn't been too late for John to regain complete control of Thunderbird 2.
In Thunderbird 5, John was frantically keying in the final codes as he talked to Virgil, and within moments again had remote control of the vehicle. He grabbed the virtual handles of the vehicle and gritting his teeth, pulled back sharply to lift it up.
To all of the Tracy's relief - be it on the island, in the middle of the ocean or in space, the vehicle's nose pulled up sharply and leveled off two miles from its mountain target. John then put it in a hover, wiping his eyes where sweat had dripped into them. EOS moved her camera over to John, lights lit up in concern, but John waved her off. "I'm fine EOS," he said.
Scott with his arm across Gordon's shoulders let out an exhale of relief and both fell back across the foot of Gordon's hospital bed. Brains leaned on Scott's bed and rubbed his eyes, under his glasses. Grandma Tracy sat back down heavily on the sofa in Control.
After only a moment, Scott painfully sat up again and looked up at John, starting to ask a question. The attempt made him cough - not just from his injuries - and instead gave an inquiring, and concerned,
glance.
Looking at Scott's face on his holo screen, John knew the look too well, and its underlying question.
Steeling himself, he took quick look at the medical monitor next to him. "Virgil's unconscious - I have control of Thunderbird 2." he said as though this was an everyday rescue, though his aqua eyes clearly showed relief.
The sighs from the other brothers, Brains and Grandmother also filled the air.
To Be Continued . . .
