Chapter 89.

The promise of a McDonalds breakfast did little to brighten Alan's mood.

Virgil had tried to ring him twice, but had been ignored both times. A subsequent text message disclosed that there was a box of chicken McNuggets, a triple cheeseburger and a chocolate McFlurry waiting for him in Scott and John's room…if he wanted them.

Alan's request for room service had been declined. Apparently, he and Scott were to settle their differences over the three figure breakfast Gordon had footed the bill for.

'Not gunna happen.'

Alan was in no mood to talk to his eldest brother. He was still processing the previous night's antics and had no desire to open up a fresh conversation with Scott over the finer details of responsible drinking. Plus, his head still hurt.

'No way. Absolutely not.'

Gordon could (and would) vacuum up his unclaimed food. It was a sad sacrifice to have to make, but Alan didn't want to have to look at any of his brother's stupid faces. He knew the eldest three would instantly team up and berate him for his poor handling of…well, everything, and Gordon would probably be too busy stuffing his face to offer any meaningful support...

After briefly mourning the loss of his chicken McNuggets, the youngest Tracy suddenly remembered the hot tub in his grandma's Penthouse Suite. It was no substitute for a triple cheeseburger, but would go some way towards mitigating the discomfort caused by a sleepless night and a breakfast-less morning.

Upon creaking the Penthouse door open, Alan was surprised to see his grandma sat in a chair by the window, her attention occupied by a couple of shadows dancing across the wall. The Tracy matriarch was swaddled inside a fluffy purple dressing gown and smiled warmly as her youngest grandson entered the room.

"Hello, dear," Sally crooned, readjusting her glasses, "You were gone a while. Did you have a nice walk?"

Alan grunted and flounced towards the bathroom, "It was fine."

"Good," Sally smiled, her tone showcasing that this wasn't her first drama rodeo, "Gordon rang and said that there's an apple pie and a doughnut with your name on. Why don't you go over and lay claim to them? Kayo's threatened to gobble them herself otherwise."

The bathroom door handle nearly came off in Alan's hand. He didn't need reminding of Thunderbird Shadow's pilot and her stupid crush on his stupid brother, "Tell her she can have them. Scott will not doubt appreciate the curves that follow."

Sally frowned and moved to intercept her youngest grandson before he could slam the door closed, "Hold your space horses, young man. We need to have a talk about this unhealthy attitude you've developed. You may be able to get away with behaviour like this with Scott and Virgil, but I'm having none of it. Wipe that frown off your face and come and sit down. If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to your grandma, and you'll listen good."

Alan gulped and did as instructed. It was in situations like these that he saw how and why his brothers were so darn well-mannered. Lucy and Jeff had left Scott, Virgil and John with solid foundations, but it had been Sally who'd stepped in and finished off most of the brickwork. The slightest traces of rudeness, disrespect and egotism had been stamped out of the eldest brothers within weeks of her moving in with them, and she'd continued to keep a sharp eye on their behaviour even as they'd transitioned into adulthood.

Gordon was an amalgamation of Lucy and Sally with a dollop of Virgil on the side. Scott had been too busy with baby Alan to focus much of his attention on his third brother, so Virgil had stepped up instead. The bond between aquanaut and engineer went far deeper than the former's reliance on the latter for lifts.

Alan was a slightly different story. After the loss of the Zero-X, he'd switched his parental attachment from Jeff to Scott, and had spent most of his formative years mimicking his eldest brother. While Sally knew her presence had had a significant impact on him, she knew deep down that her youngest grandson was a product of Scott, not her.

Unfortunately, being a product of Scott meant that Alan had a slightly different relationship with manners than his brothers. While Sally walloped the eldest three if they so much as coughed without covering their mouths, Scott had spoilt Alan and hadn't been as firm with him as he should have be. Sadly, Virgil and John took their cues from their brother, and were equally guilty of indulging Alan in lieu of disciplining him. The result: a Tracy who was well versed in the art of sulking and who, despite being sweet and kind most of the time, was quick to whine if he things didn't go his way.

Like now, for instance.

Scott was still in bad shape (according to a brief text from John, at least), and Sally was determined to protect her eldest grandson. He was under enough pressure without Alan gnawing at his ankles.

"Park your butt there," Sally instructed, pointing at a chair that was opposite the one she'd previously been sat in, "Sit down and be quiet. I know you're overtired and hungry, but what I'm about to say is important. I need you to listen."

Alan nodded like a kid who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Sally stared out the window for a few seconds before clearing her throat and fixing Alan with an unreadable gaze, "Answer me honestly, kid; where do you see yourself in ten years' time?"

Two baby blues widened in confusion, "Ten years? Ah man, I barely know what I'll be doing in ten minutes, grandma!"

"What do you want to get out of life?" the Tracy matriarch probed, "What are your dreams?"

Alan paused for a minute to consider his options. He wasn't a particularly deep thinker, but had drawn up a couple of imaginary what-if scenarios over the years. He knew some of his brother's ambitions and had based most of his loosely off of theirs. Virgil wanted to travel the world (recreationally), John wanted to become a published name, and Gordon wanted a family of his own (human or animal). Abusing his position as the youngest, Alan had taken the bits and pieces that appealed most to him from each plan and cobbled together his own; do some travelling, contribute to the scientific community, and have a family.

Much to Alan's surprise, his grandmother didn't react positively to his admission. In fact, she didn't react at all. If anything, she looked rather…sad.

"Do you know why Scott dances around Kayo like a ferret in a minefield?" Sally asked, "Do you know the real reason why he's never asked her out?"

Under normal conditions, Alan would have responded with something waspish about Scott playing cat-and-mouse with the teenage ego of his youngest brother. Sadly, conditions were anything but normal, and in the interest of self-preservation, he swallowed his cockiness and shook his head.

Sally sighed and laced her fingers together, "Your dad was the one who came up with the idea for International Rescue. He had the money to get things up and running quicker on his own than if he partnered with an existing organisation. In just three years he managed to purchase and renovate one of New Zealand's outlying islands, design and finance the creation of five, or six if you count the TV-21, highly specialised vehicles, and, with the assistance of Captain Taylor, launch International Rescue onto the world stage. The time commitment of such a huge project kept him away from home for most of your brothers early lives. It drove your mom insane, but she was supportive of his dream and managed to get along with the five of you on her own. Then we lost her."

Alan bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

"Naturally, your dad couldn't just abandon the empire he'd worked so hard to build," Sally continued, "International Rescue had allied itself with the GDF at this point and keeping pace with the growing number of rescues became a near impossible task for a team of two. Your dad was into his sixth week of being away from home when he thwarted The Hood's attempt to steal the Zero-X. In that time he missed Scott's birthday, Virgil's appendectomy, John taking his exams, Gordon's voice breaking and you starting middle school. We all regret not being able to share those moments with him, but Scott took his accident particularly to heart. He's always harboured a quiet grudge against your dad for putting you in the position of having to grow up parentless."

A beat of silence passed. Alan could sense what was coming.

Sally peered over the rim of her glasses and leant in a bit closer, "You're bitter because Scott treats you, in your own words, like a child, but you're probably the closest he's ever going to get to having one. Do you think he's the kind of person who could knowingly put a son or daughter of his own through what you had to go through? The uncertainty? The not knowing if a certain mission will be the last? Being on call twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year? International Rescue isn't a job, Alan, it's a life choice, and like all life choices, sacrifices have to be made. Scott, Virgil and John were already in the picture when International Rescue was started, so your dad walked into it as a parent, but that's not the case for Scott. Being the leader of the world's most elite rescue organisation comes at a price, and that price is having to choose between family and the professional duty we have to protect people from harm. Scott's opted for professional duty in order to safeguard your future, but it's come at the expense of his own. Four happily ever afters in exchange for one is a good deal in his head, but I think you'll agree that it isn't."

Alan closed his eyes, guilt crashing over him like a bucket of frigid water.

"He's reluctant to get involved with Kayo because he knows things between them could never progress beyond a certain point," Sally finished, lifting her glasses to dab at her eyes, "And he treats you like a child because, quite frankly Alan, you're as close to a son as he's probably ever going to get. You, Gordon, John and Virgil have your whole lives ahead of you. Scott surrendered that luxury the moment the Zero-X exploded."

Guilt turned into contrition when Alan factored Scott's age into the equation. The eldest Tracy had only just turned thirty, yet already he'd been denied the prospect of a happy and fulfilling life outside of the work they did.

Every soul was worth saving, and International Rescue was (and had been) the difference between tragedy and salvation for countless people. Alan wouldn't wish losing a family member on his worst enemy, and was determined to remain in active service as both an astronaut and emergency responder for as long as possible.

Despite his noble intentions, deep down the youngest Tracy knew that the Hood wasn't the sole culprit behind the heartache that drove him, however.

Professional duty had also killed his dad.

Alan had grown up watching Scott kick himself over his self-perceived failure to save their one remaining parent. Needless to say, the youngest Tracy had no intention of allowing history to repeat itself when professional duty next came knocking.

He'd already lost one dad, and Thunderbird Three be damned if he was going to lose another.