Chapter 11

The phone on the desk blared into life and Jeff grabbed at it, nearly knocking the device to the floor in his hurry to answer. It had been hours since he dispatched Scott to Marineville and the wait for news had been agonising. Every minute that Gordon was missing left him more chilled. Thoughts of food and drink had been far from his mind, consumed by the worry that something sinister may have happened or that somehow Gordon had moved on and was again missing. His final whispered promise to Lucille to keep their children safe had been echoing around his head and haunting him.

"Scott?" He tried to maintain some composure but there was still a slight waver to his tone.

"Plane's just taken off Dad. Gordon will be landing at Long Beach in a little under two hours. Flight code AT2784"

"I'll head over to meet him. Goodbye Scott." He shut the call off abruptly as emotion threatened to overwhelm him.

For Jeff the call brought a flood of relief but this was quickly replaced by a wave of anger now that Gordon's safety had been confirmed. His son's idiocy and selfishness had caused untold worry, while the deception he had employed in this whole enterprise meant a complete loss of trust. Meetings had been rearranged, potentially annoying valuable business partners and Wilbur's internship offer had also expired. Yet again Gordon had thrown a curveball and hang the consequences for everyone else.

Of all his sons Gordon brought him more stress and worry than the others combined. If any of his children was going to discredit the Tracy name it was Gordon. The worst school reports; Gordon. The only one ever suspended; Gordon. He had hoped that the boy would soon start showing some maturity but this latest example of recklessness proved that he still had a lot of growing up to do.

Two hours. Time enough to get some food and then have the car take him to the airport. He didn't think Gordon would disappear again but then he had never anticipated Gordon falsifying documents and attempting to join WASP. No, tonight he was taking no chances; when that flight landed he would be there ready and waiting.

xoxoxox

Scott pocketed his phone and turned away from the panoramic viewing windows that looked out over the runway. He had called his father the second the wheels left the ground and now, just a few short moments later, the plane was already a distant speck whisking his brother back to Los Angeles. The late summer sun was low in the sky by the time he reached his car, his day off was nearly over and he knew that by the time he made it back to base there would be no time for anything except bed.

The last few hours had been...enlightening. He couldn't remember the last time he had spent so long alone with Gordon. It had been seven years since he had lived at home and his visits had generally coincided with holidays and celebrations, times when Gordon had let his hair down and been like the ten year old kid he used to live with. He had been fully prepared to go along with his father's assertion that Gordon was both immature and selfish and needed a harsh dose of reality.

The Gordon he sat with today, waiting for the flight south to be called, wasn't like that. The very last time he had seen Gordon his brother had been trying to eat an entire pint tub of ice cream topped with two bags of M&Ms. But then the last time he had seen Gordon had been the day after his gold medal win, a day of celebration and blowing off steam after years of hard training. Irreverent goofballs don't tend to go on to be world record holders.

His brother had earned that medal through dedication, determination and the sort of steely resolve he had just witnessed in the young man who had sat opposite him in the airport cafe, sipping on a mineral water, the dirt of the Marineville obstacle course still smudging his clothes. This Gordon wasn't a child. This Gordon had earnt the respect of the WASP assessors and displayed skills and talents that his own family had never recognised. That Gordon could be considered officer material by anyone had come as a shock but in just the short time he had spent with his brother he could begin to see what they meant.

His anger, which had dissipated while waiting with Gordon for the flight to board, returned as his father ended the call. To be dismissed without even a thank you for what he had done was more than a little cutting but then Jeff had always had this unwavering belief that his sons should all do exactly as they were told. Today he had been just a lackey directed to do his father's bidding without any consideration to his own needs. Of course he had done it though, trekked across the state at a moments notice, it was for family after all but another precious day off was gone without any acknowledgement of the sacrifice from his father. Underneath the anger he realised that part of him was actually a little jealous of Gordon. He was sure his brother would pay a heavy price for this escapade but he was the only one who had dared to break the mould. His own route through university and into the Air Force had been heavily directed and while it was a path he had happily followed he reflected that he had never really been given a choice in the matter.

His thoughts turned, as they frequently did, to the idiotic plan that had been presented to the eldest three as though it were a done deal; the rescue organisation manned by a pilot, a former astronaut and two students expected to train up to whatever tasks were thrown at them. He couldn't see Virgil ever disobeying their father and John would do anything if it meant he could live among the stars. The more he thought about it, the less he wanted to give up the life he was making for himself in the Air Force no matter how noble the cause. Today had shown that he would be forever moved about like a pawn with no thought given to his own needs and he couldn't face going back to live under the unyielding control of his father. He resolved to take a leaf out of Gordon's book and live his own life; his father could find a different pilot for his madcap scheme.

xoxoxox

As Gordon entered the arrivals hall at Long Beach Airport he was not surprised to see the familiar form of his father waiting by the barriers, flanked by his security detail. Standing ramrod straight and staring at the gate Jeff made an imposing sight but Gordon was too tired to be intimidated, he had been up since dawn and put through his paces and now all he wanted was his bed. He held his father's gaze as he walked across the polished tiles then followed to the waiting car looking for all the world like a condemned prisoner.

The journey across town had been completed in silence despite the soundproof privacy screen being lifted, shutting off the occupants in the passenger cabin from those riding up front. Father and son sat stiffly in the back, the tension palpable and the atmosphere uncomfortable. Even their initial greeting had been limited to a mere nod of acknowledgement at the airport. It was only once the sanctuary of the apartment had been gained and the study door shut behind Jeff with a subtle click far too quiet for the mood did the first words finally get spoken.

"Sit down Gordon." Jeff indicated the chair opposite him as he took up his habitual place behind the desk.

"No thank you."

"I said sit down. Do you really want to faint in front of me just to prove a point? You look awful" The measured tone took on a note of exasperation at the continued defiance.

"I'm fine." His legs buckled beneath him all the same and he sat down heavily in the chair. Thinking back he hadn't eaten since being presented with the fairly unappetising lunch rations as Marineville, he had been too angry to accept anything more than water from Scott at the airport.

"You are anything but 'fine'. People who are fine do not forge documents and run off to join the navy."

"WASP." Gordon corrected him.

"Which is still currently under the wider jurisdiction of the World Navy. However, the who doesn't really matter. What is important here is that you lied, you deceived and you disappeared without a thought or care to those around you. Even Alan knows better than to head off without permission. When will you grow up and stop behaving like such a child?"

"You're the one who has been on at me to do something with my life. You're the one that keeps telling me to choose a career path and think of my future. Well that's what I was doing. I'd be out of your way and you wouldn't have to bother about me any more."

"You're too young for WASP."

"I'm not. I wasn't the only 17 year old at selection."

"They probably had permission. Which is another thing, don't ever forge my signature again."

Gordon snorted "You'd best start paying attention to Alan then."

"And what is that supposed to mean."

"I've been signing his school permission forms for years. I got fed up of seeing him get upset or getting into trouble. You were always too busy, you'd get to it later. Well later was too late one too many times. So now he doesn't bother you with them any more, he can do the field trips, the maths olympiads and the science fairs and just show you certificates later. Or at least stick them to the refrigerator in the hope you notice them seeing as you're barely here. Do you even care about us or are we just an inconvenience until we do something that can be shown off to your cronies? Another trophy you can wave to show how great the Tracys are?"

"How dare you question me, of course I care about you all. I do what I need to do."

"Yeah, and I've done what I needed to do. You have been more than happy to leave me to look after Alan night after night yet you still can't see that I'm not a child any more"

"I will not be spoken to like this Gordon." The calm facade Jeff had tried to maintain cracked in the face of Gordon's insolence. Anger flashed to the surface. "You are a child and for as long as you live under my roof you will follow my rules. From now on there will be no more competitions; you may continue to swim for exercise but I will not fund your fantasy career. I will be calling your coach in the morning and removing you from the squad. You will spend the rest of your time applying for college places. Any offers will be vetted by me seeing as you have proved that your judgement is not to be trusted. Now go and get yourself cleaned up and go to bed, it's late."

The chair scraped back across the floor as Gordon stood up with a jolt.

"And the great Jeff Tracy has spoken. This is why I never told you about WASP, you never listen. All you care about is your perfect reputation propped up by your model children. It doesn't matter what we want as long as it reflects well on you."

Gordon stalked back to his room, not stopping to hear his father's reply. He had left it less than 48 hours previously, full of hopes and plans for the future and now he was effectively a prisoner in his own home. He threw himself onto the bed and punched the pillows in an attempt to let out some of his frustrations.

At Marineville he had felt more comfortable than he had done for ages, there was something about the place that just felt right. Even the loss of competitive swimming was eclipsed by the thought that his chances with WASP had been ruined. Yet again his father had given the painful reminder as to who was ultimately in control of his life. Anger gave way to hopelessness and exhaustion and he drifted off to sleep still fully clothed, silent tears mixed with Marineville mud leaving their tracks across his pillow.