Chapter 10: Defense
'Good morning America! This is Morning Highlights and I am your host Gloria Anderson!' She was beaming at the camera, her dark brown hair was teased up on top of her head and her fake gray eyes were sparkling. She wore a bright yellow dress with eyeshadow to match and was almost bouncing in her seat. 'As you know we have been following any and all there is to know about the Tracy family this past week. Ever since the disastrous meeting at Tracy Industries, the rumors have just been getting more and more exciting.
'However today, we found out something quite juicy to excite all of you out there!' She turned in her chair to face a new camera as a picture of Gordon appeared on the screen behind her. 'Gordon Tracy. The Olympian who had been involved in a tragic accident while a member of WASP is not only still struggling with said injury, but it seems that some evidence has come to light that he has been addicted to oxycodone ever since. For those unaware of this drug, it is a pain medication that is highly addictive. It has been used for many years, though the use of the drug has been strictly monitored because of its habit forming nature. These laws trying to curb the use of this drug recreationally has not stopped those like Gordon Tracy from continuing to abuse it.
'It is also possible that he has not been battling this addiction alone, but that he could also be sharing his drugs with his younger brother, which could be why he looked in poor health as well.' She turned to yet another camera as a picture of the three eldest popped on the screen behind her. 'Add to this the partying activities and possible alcohol addiction of the three eldest and it is a wonder why the other members of the board of directors are defending the brothers to such a degree. Is there something else that they are hiding? Some dark secret about the Tracy family and their continued connections with Tracy Industries? I will keep you all up to date as any and all information comes my way!'
Mrs. Moore turned off the TV and set the remote down with a heavy hand. She sighed and stood, making her way out the french doors that led to the patio and down the path to the small pool.
The three brothers had spent the entirety of the week down there helping and encouraging Gordon in his attempts to overcome his fear. However, they had not progressed very far. It took three days to get him to step down onto the first step of the pool, his feet in only three inches of water. As far as she knew, they hadn't gotten any farther.
When she walked through the gate that surrounded the pool Alan was on the side of the pool, his feet dangling over the edge. Virgil was waist deep, standing at the foot of the stairs talking to Gordon. Gordon was still on the edge of the pool, his feet on the top step. He was slowly lowering his foot to the next step, sending water father up his leg, but shuddered and pulled it out again.
"That was good." Virgil smiled at his brother. "That was farther."
"No it wasn't." Gordon stood and stepped out of the water. "I keep telling myself that it's not going to happen, that I'm not going to drown, but the feeling of the water as it slowly creeps up my leg—" He shuddered at the thought.
"Maybe you should try standing up this time."
"No!" Gordon took a few steps farther away. "I about fell in last time."
Virgil sighed and fell back into the water, floating on his back. It would take time. He wasn't expecting Gordon to just jump in and be okay, but it was still painful to watch him struggling with something that had always come so naturally to him before.
None of them had seen him struggle the last time—with his back injury. That had been done by a trainer and a therapist, they would only hear of the results, and then the final surprise when he dove in by himself. Virgil really had no clue how long he had worked on it that time, wasn't sure if he was doing good, or if he should be going faster.
"It's about time for breakfast." Mrs. Moore grabbed a nearby towel and held it out for Gordon who was walking toward her, making sure there was a good ten feet between him and the pool.
Alan nudged Virgil with his foot and Virgil popped up and pulled himself out of the pool splattering Alan with water. "Any new news?"
"Nothing you want to hear." Mrs. Moore glanced behind her at Gordon who was already heading back to the house.
"They're not… not Gordon? But him and Alan were the poor innocents out of all of us." Virgil grabbed a nearby towel and ran it roughly through his hair.
"Not anymore, I'm afraid. Oxycodone."
"Damn."
"What's that?" Alan was wiping his feet off and stood, placing the towel in the used hamper near the gate.
"Drugs." Mrs. Moore watched him solemnly. "They're saying that Gordon is an abuser and is sharing them with you."
"Oh." A shadow passed over Alan's face. "We have the next meeting in two days. What are we going to do?"
"I don't know. The board is behind you, you know that. Anytime they are asked about you lot they do nothing but say good things. But Carson has been pushing for the presidents and other upper management to fight against us."
"I still don't see why we can't get a doctor to say that we're clean." Alan frowned as he followed the two back to the house and breakfast.
"Nobody would believe it. They would think that we paid the doctor off." Mrs. Moore explained again.
"But what if we got a newspaper or hospital to sponsor it. They could do full physicals on us and open the records to the public."
"Do you realize what all they would find if we did that?" Virgil smiled a bit looking back at his brother. "Signs of a broken arm, broken ribs, a scar across your abdomen, electrocution—your heart still stutters occasionally—and that is just from the one accident on Thunderbird 5. You also had a broken leg when you jumped from Thunderbird 2 onto the yacht when we had to rescue that family during the storm—without safety equipment. Still mad at you for that one, you know."
"Well, kids break things—"
"When kids have five broken bones in the space of five years, they start to think that they're being abused. It would only cause more trouble." Virgil just shook his head.
"Alright, but what else can we do?"
"You could always announce the truth." Mrs. Moore was holding the door to the breakfast nook open, Gordon was already there eating his plate of eggs and bacon.
"We may just have to." Virgil sat down and leaned his face into his hands.
"Virgil." John's hologram popped up from the comm in the center of the table. "You have an assignment."
"Assignment? But IR is on hiatus."
"It's not a rescue, well, not like that. Scott and I've been talking and thought it would be good for one of us to go on one of the talk shows and try and defend ourselves."
"And you want me to do it?" Virgil gapped at him his eyes wide. "Do you remember the last time I tried to talk in public?"
"You were fifteen, Virgil."
"And it never happened again." Virgil crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"Well, we still can't trust Scott. Brains' contraption worked for a whole five minutes and then about blew up on his head. Nor, can either of us leave the island until Tracy 1 is fixed. I'm not even sure how we're going to get you three back at the moment. Anyways, You're the most level headed one of us, you would be the best."
"Not sure I've been very level headed as of late." Virgil frowned. "Normally I would volunteer Gordon, but I'm not sure he would be up to it."
"He's usually high on my list as well."
"I am here, you know." Gordon frowned as he poked at John's holographic back with his fork.
"Oh, I didn't see you back there." John flipped the camera so he was facing the land bound sea lover. "How are you doing?"
"Horrible." Gordon stuffed his face with more bacon and then stood to take his plate to the kitchen, ignoring the butler who was holding out his hand.
"He's doing good, I think." Virgil took the plate from one of the kitchen helpers and poked at the eggs on it. "What exactly do you want me to say?"
"The truth." Alan was stuffing his face with a piece of bread he had piled bacon onto. "Well, just that we're not alcoholics and drug addicts. That truth."
"I've already got it set up. You'll be on American News Daily."
"That is a big show."
"We're big news right now."
"I think this is a good idea." Mrs. Moore nodded as she thanked the kitchen aid who laid her small breakfast before her. "You have all been quiet and that allows the rumors to run amok. At least have it out there that you deny the major things."
"Can I come with you?" Alan asked as he wiped the plate with the last of his bread.
"I'm not sure that is a good thing." Virgil was hesitant as he lifted his first forkful of egg to his mouth.
"I don't know. As long as he's in a good mood, it would at least go against the claims of drug abuse." John shrugged. "Plus, if you freeze up again, he could take over and save things."
"Yeah, I'll just jump in and help out, but I'll leave the big stuff to you!" Alan smiled brightly, hoping it would encourage Virgil to say yes.
"Alright. I assume this is happening tomorrow?"
"You need to be a the studio in Times Square at five in the morning."
"F.A.B." Virgil grumbled as he chewed on his eggs.
He couldn't quite get the memory of him at fifteen out of his head. Standing on the stage, his speech just on the tip of his tongue, the lights blinding him, and everyone just staring back at him. He could remember the whispers coming from the audience, the sound of the floor squeaking under his oversized feet. His heart pounding in his chest, and his breaths slow and shallow. He could remember the sudden darkness as he blacked out.
Luckily he didn't remember what happened after. How they had to drag him off the stage, how his family had run up the steps and ducked behind the curtain. The next thing he remembered was waking up, propped up against a far wall with his father leaning over him, his brothers behind him looking worried. All Virgil could remember feeling was embarrassed and angry at himself.
He could only hope that this time, with Alan with him, and just cameras in front of him he would be able to pull it off.
Virgil and Alan arrived at the studio at five o'clock sharp. They were surprised to see Alan, but welcomed him and ushered them straight to the hair and make-up stations. The show had already started by the time they had reached the chairs in front of the mirrors but their segment was not to go on until seven o'clock.
The men and women bustled around them, combing their hair, spraying it with horrible smelling stuff that made Virgil choke. They started applying something wet and creamy to his face and he had to be told multiple times not to frown. Virgil took a few opportunities to look at Alan in the mirror only to find he was sitting patiently smiling and chatting with the stylists that were taking care of him.
It took an hour for them to get the boys ready and then they were ushered into a small room that had some coffee and muffins, as well as a comfortable couch and a TV with the news show playing on it.
"I look fake." Virgil was staring into a small mirror on one end of the room poking at his face.
"Be careful. If you mess up their makeup they'll tie you down and do it again." Alan was at the table stuffing muffins into his face, trying at least one of every kind that was there.
"How do you know so much about all this?"
"Do you remember how many shows I was on after I won that racing championship when I was seventeen?" Alan bit into a greenish looking muffin and smiled at its taste. "Mind you they weren't huge shows like this, but I was on about ten different sporting and racing shows. It was big news that someone my age had won."
Virgil had remembered him wining the race, but he had been too busy with his finals and resumes and other projects required of him to graduate from school to have watched any of the shows Alan would have been on. He sighed and made his way over to the table grabbing a cup of coffee and a muffin for himself before flopping down on the couch to watch the news.
They were pulled from the room fifteen minutes before they were to go on air. Their make up was touched up, their clothes straightened. The hosts all came over and chatted with them a bit. Talking about the weather and where they were staying, if they were enjoying New York while they were there. It was polite small talk, not touching on the issues that would be discussed later. Virgil did his best to smile, but Alan was the one that led the conversations.
Finally they cut to commercial and Virgil and Alan were led over to a white sectional sofa and sat down. There were no less than five cameras in front of them, and several dozen people mingling around them. The hosts were all sitting on stools behind a table on the stage to the right of them chatting. After a minute one of them pulled away from the group, a woman in a sleek red dress and high heels. She moved very much like Penelope and sat down gracefully on the couch facing them. She smiled and told them to just answer naturally and everything would be fine.
Virgil wasn't so sure of this anymore. His heart was racing, palms were sweating and he could feel the heat from the lights above. He'd take dangling off a rescue line in the middle of a canyon trying to get a stupid hiker who had slid off the path any day to this.
Alan was next to him, bopping along to some music that was playing in the background completely unaware of the stress Virgil was feeling.
"Alright, we're back on in 5…4…3…2…" The man making the announcement held up the last finger as one of the cameras in front of them turned on.
"Welcome back. We have some very special guests with us today. Virgil and Alan Tracy. Let's see, you are the third and fifth brothers is that correct?" She was smiling at them leaning forward friendly like.
"Ye…" Virgil had to clear his throat when his voice suddenly failed him. "Yes."
"There have been quite a few rumors flying around since the last board meeting at Tracy Industries. Many people are saying that you and your brothers are not fit to be on the board."
"They are just rumors." Virgil's voice and posture were stiff. He was rubbing his hands along his pants and was looking everywhere for the answer, avoiding the host's eyes.
The host paused for a moment, taking in her nervous guest and changed gears in hopes of calming him down. "My notes say that you are the only one in the family with some artistic talent. Do you draw, paint? Or is it music that you do?"
"Oh." Virgil was taken off guard by this question, and couldn't help but smile at a topic he was in love with. "Both actually. I like to sketch and paint. I play the piano mostly, but also dabble with the guitar, violin, and saxophone as well."
"That is quite a variety of instruments. Do you write music as well?"
"I have a few pieces that I'm working on. Not something I'd make public though." Virgil couldn't help but blush a little at this admission.
"That's a shame. I think many people were expecting to see you in public more with your artistic skills. Why is it that you went into seclusion with your father?"
"Security more than anything. We may be sons of a billionaire, but we weren't raised like that. We all went to public schools in Kansas, rode the bus and took part in normal stuff. However as we started to go out into the world we were being harassed and bothered. Dad offered us a home on the island and we all accepted the offer."
"Doesn't it get boring on the island? Just you and your brothers?"
"No, not at all."
"Yeah, the island is super exciting!" Alan finally spoke up. He had been bouncing a little in his seat the entire time, trying to let Virgil do the talking like he had promised.
"What do you do on the island all the time?" She turned her attention to Alan to give Virgil some room to breath a little.
"Oh, what isn't there to do?" Alan beamed at the woman, "Scuba diving, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, we have this awesome yacht that we'll take out to sea for a few days at a time and swim in the ocean and just relax. On the island itself we climb and hike and even go camping. There are like a dozen beaches where we can hang out and build sand castles and do pretty much anything we want."
"That does sound quite exciting, but doesn't it ever get boring?"
"Nah. It's not like we do that stuff everyday. Sometimes we just hang around the house watching TV or playing games and stuff. We all have our own interests so that takes up time as well. Like for me, I've been slowly importing car parts. Hoping to build my own car and get back into racing."
"I see, so Virgil, you spend your free time painting and playing music. What about your other brothers?"
"Ah, well Scott loves planes and is always working on one or another, often out flying most days." Virgil smiled. These weren't lies, but they were also things that they didn't get to do often because of their real work. "John is a night owl, always up at night sleeping in the daytime, looking at the stars and doing some research. He's gotten permission at times to see imagery from some of NASA's deep space satellites to continue the research he was doing while in NASA. Alan sometimes helps, he's got a bit of a love of space as well." Virgil looked over and Alan blushed a little. "Gordon—" Virgil cut off quickly, suddenly very aware of Gordon's issues at the moment.
"Gordon is always in the water." Alan picked up the conversation easily, taking the attention away from Virgil's frown. "Whether it's the pool swimming laps or diving and exploring the underwater caves around the island. He also has this cool mini-sub and does research underwater for weeks at a time. He's like my closest brother so it gets kind of boring when he's not around."
"It sounds like you keep your days busy." The host smiled as she took the two in before her. "What about girls? Are their any ladies in your lives? You know you are some of the most eligible bachelors in the world at the moment."
"Nah. I mean, we're just not that interested at the moment. Of course that doesn't mean that we don't make our way to the mainland at times and go to parties and clubs and stuff. I know Scott and Virgil have met up with some girls during some of those visits." Alan nudged Virgil in the ribs and he blushed a bit frowning at Alan. "And after Gordon won his gold metal, man he was going out with people left and right. But we all kind of believe that when the time comes the right girl or guy will come along. Just like our mom did with our dad. He wasn't looking for a date that night, she was just there and they started talking and well, that was that."
"I see." She settled back on the couch a little, looking off to the side at one of the many people giving her cues. She needed to get back on topic. "Now, I must ask you about the meeting last week. The video of you five walking into your headquarters has been played over and over again. You have to admit that you don't look that great. What is your… reasoning behind your conditions at that time."
Virgil sighed. He and John worked on these excuses all day yesterday and Virgil could only hope that he was able to deliver them properly. "Like Alan said, we don't get to the mainland often and the opportunity to have a small party was something we took advantage of."
"So your conditions were because of alcohol?" She prompted leaning forward again.
"Partially. Me and Scott at least. John had a couple of drinks, but he's really not the drinker. Like I said, he's a night owl, so for him it was like having to get up at three in the morning for a meeting. He was just half asleep."
"What about Gordon. He looked quiet ill that day. Alan as well, though I'm glad to see that he's looking much better." She smiled over at Alan who returned it.
"Well, there is a down side to living on an island. We aren't near any emergency services should something happen. I went and got my license as an advanced medic because of this. I can set bones, read minor x-rays—though I do send them off to experts on occasion—stitch wounds, put in IVs, and give basic medications. So that if there are any injuries there is someone there to help." Virgil sighed and shook his head. "Gordon had a bit of an accident a few weeks ago. He was in his mini-sub a few miles from the island when he encountered a giant squid. It knocked his sub around a bit, causing him to injure his back a little. He was able to get back to the island and I took some x-rays, luckily he hadn't broken anything just strained some muscles.
"Ever since his hydrofoil accident he's been weary of pain meds. I was able to convince him to take some muscle relaxants, but he refused anything else. Being in pain is a miserable thing. He wouldn't eat right and I had to put him on an IV to keep him from getting even more sick."
"And what about Alan?"
"Well, like he said, him and Gordon are quiet close. When Gordon goes down, Alan tends to go with him. I hadn't realized that he wasn't eating till I noticed he was getting a bit skinnier than normal."
"Yeah, he was totally pissed." Alan laughed and then covered his mouth, thinking he had said something he shouldn't have.
"You're fine, Alan." The host smiled. "I take it you're feeling better now then?"
"Yeah, Gordon had had a muscle spasm the night before the meeting and wouldn't take anything so we were up all night and he was in a bit of pain during the meeting."
"Rumor said it was a panic attack?"
"Yeah, his back was starting to spasm a little, he couldn't move and couldn't breath. Plus with all the people in the room, it was just too much. I only realized it because he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I got him out of the room as fast as I could so we could help him."
"I see. Is he doing better then?"
"Yeah, he thought about coming with us, but Virgil wouldn't let him. Said he needed to rest a bit more." Alan smiled a little.
"Just looking out for his little brother, I'm sure." She smiled at the two. "Now the rumors of the Oxycodone?"
"No, absolutely not." Virgil shook his head. "I mean, yeah, when he first broke his back—when he had the accident. Sure he was on the stuff. He had broken his back in multiple place. He is lucky to be walking right now. But he never liked the stuff, said it made him feel weird. So he did whatever he could to not take it. When I offer him pain meds, it's usually extra strength Tylenol. And even that I have a hard time getting him to take."
"And Alan?"
"What? Him? No! Good grief. He's the baby—"
"Virgil!" Alan blushed as he crossed his arms with a huff.
"If anything were to happen to him—or he did something stupid—all four of us would be on his butt about it." Virgil smiled a little looking over at him. "Our father raised us right. Do we have a little fun at times, yes. But we're not crazy playboys or anything like that."
Virgil smiled and looked straight at the camera. "If you want to know the truth about us, look up scholarly articles in Astrophysics with the name John Tracy. He's got a couple dozen. Or you could look up similar articles in Oceanography and Marine Biology by Gordon Tracy. I think he's catching up to John with his numbers. Scott still sometimes does odd jobs for the Air Force as a civilian consultant. Like Alan said, he's trying to build his own car, I help him out on occasion, and maybe in a couple of years he'll be back on the race track winning championships again. As for me, I've been a civilian consultant with the Air Force, Navy, Army, and the GDF at times. I keep up on recent engineering advances even if I'm not active with any one company. And if anyone is interested, I do sometimes do commission artwork. Just shoot me a line."
"Well, I must say that you have convinced me that the rumors are just that, rumors. You young men seem to have your lives well under control. I hope we can help smash any issues that may be coming up inside of Tracy Industries as well. It was lovely meeting you and I hope everything turns out well in the end."
"So do we." Virgil smiled and took her hand shaking it.
"We'll be back after this commercial break with some music from the Screaming Doves and their new album." The light on the camera in front of them turned off and a band off on the far side of the room started to play an upbeat rhythm. The host leaned forward and laid a hand on Virgil's leg making him jump a little. "I truly do hope everything turns out for you boys. This is exactly what your father was trying to protect you from, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." Virgil sighed letting his shoulders slump a little, the stress easing off.
"But you've got to learn how to take care of yourselves, and personally, I think you did a fine job of it." She smiled again before standing and returning to the other hosts.
Virgil and Alan were led off the stage and back to the make-up booths were their fake faces were wiped away and they were cleaned up. Once that was done they were thanked for their time and taken to the exit where their car was waiting on them. Alan hopped into the drivers seat and took off, while Virgil just leaned back and closed his eyes letting himself fully relax. They didn't spend any time in the city but made their way back to Mrs. Moore's home and the safety it provided.
The butler took them straight to the kitchen where Gordon was waiting with three bowls of ice-cream.
"What's this?" Virgil asked as Alan sat down on one of the stools pulled up to the counter and started to dig in.
"An apology?" Gordon shrugged. "I've been a bit of a pain as of late. Plus I know how hard it was for you to do that interview. You did good."
"You have nothing to apologize for." Virgil took his seat and let the first bite melt in his mouth. "And I am glad that was the only interview I had to do. How did you two do it with microphones and cameras in your face all at once?"
Gordon took the last seat and was slowly eating his own bowl. "Just smile and nod. Answer the questions you want to, otherwise, walk away."
"Harder to walk away when you're still stuck in your car though." Alan was digging for the brownie that was hidden at the bottom of the bowl. "But otherwise the same. If you don't like the question, just don't answer it. There's no law requiring you to."
"Did you tell your brothers of our accomplishment, Gordon?" Mrs. Moore was leaning in the doorway watching the brothers devour their treat.
Virgil and Alan stopped in mid-bite and looked over at Gordon.
"It's not that big of a deal. I just got down to the next step." He lowered his head and quickly ate a few more bites. Virgil slapped him on the back, making him choke on a piece of the brownie.
"That is excellent news!" Virgil beamed at his brother. "That is something to celebrate!"
"Before you get too high on sugar, I have an interesting bit of news as well." Mrs. Moore walked over and sat down at the small table the staff used and looked up at the young men before her. Alan had already finished his ice cream and was licking the bowl. When he looked over at her there was a ring of white around his face. She couldn't help but laugh. "Alan, wipe your face. I can't do this seriously with you looking like that."
Alan took the offered cloth from the cook and wiped the ice cream off. "What's up, Mrs. Moore?"
"Well, Mr. Christensen just called. He's willing to call off the board meeting."
"What? Why?" Virgil had all but forgotten about the brownie he had been saving for last and let the spoon clatter into the bowl as he turned to face the woman.
"He put forth a condition." She kept her words simple and clear, it was a difficult situation to begin with and it wasn't getting any easier. "He wants you brothers, all five of you, to join him on his yacht tomorrow night. There he will present you with a new version of the proposal that will hopefully satisfy you as well as apologize for what he had said at his press conference last week."
"This smells fishy." Gordon frowned. "And I know fish."
"You don't need to know fish to know how smelly this offer is." Virgil turned to finally eat his brownie only to find it gown. He looked over at Alan who was stuffing the last of it in his mouth.
"What? I thought you were done."
"I was on the line with Scott and John when you came home. They don't like the sound of it either. Plus the fact that Scott can't leave the island. The GDF have officially quarantine him."
"Then there really is no issue. We can't accept the offer. The meeting will go on as scheduled." Virgil smiled as he accepted another brownie from the cook and another small scoop of ice cream.