Stood at just above six foot one, Duke planted himself in front of Jeff Tracy's desk. The knowing smirk plastered over his face. A stalemate had ensued, Jeff's desire to find out what happened with John, Alan and Christina had Duke refusing to say a word. Duke took friendships seriously and Chris had turned into a best friend crossed with a little sister over the years. Despite being in Jeff Tracy's employ, Duke wasn't about to shatter a trust built between his best friend. Duke knew better and Christina was family to him.
"You gotta do better than that Jeff." Duke said with a wide grin, "I thought you were good at this stuff, working out puzzles."
Jeff grumbled as his fingers tapped against the desk. For the hours John, Alan and Christina had been on their flight to the Helix event while Jeff had tried to interrogate Duke. The man was the last of four people on the Island that knew what happened and he was keeping secrets. His wife would have the toughest nut signing within minutes but Jeff lacked patience for that, he wanted answers and he wanted them now.
"Look, I just want to know what went on. It's my Island, my firm, my sons." Jeff stated, a less than pleased look causing frown lines over his face.
"It's my friend, my job and if I'm honest... my life." Duke returned with a firm shake of his head.
"Your life?" Jeff questioned. "I won't kill you Duke; I just want to know what's going on."
"Just to check, we're talking about CIA Agent Christina Luca right?" Duke asked while Jeff nodded seriously, "Yeah, it's my life on the line."
"I won't tell a soul." Jeff stated.
"You wouldn't have to tell her, she'd see it in your face, your eyes, they way you talk and move." Duke said with a knowing smirk, "You don't have to tell her much for her to know a story."
The silence that enveloped the room let the conversation between John and Christina be heard, Jeff caught something about a secretary and the tones of an unfamiliar voice who explained they would keep John company. Interrogating Duke was getting him nowhere and it seemed Christina was out of John's sight, at least from what Jeff heard.
"Then explain what's going on up there?" Jeff asked Duke who sat in one of the chairs adjacent to his desk and looked puzzled. "Really, that's all you've got?"
"Jeff, you hired me for security and you're asking me what's happening at thirty two thousand feet? You know I'm here, not there?" Duke asked just to make sure Jeff hadn't gone stir crazy.
"I know, I know. It's just this last year, there's been a lot going on and I'm just looking out for family. John isn't the outgoing kind, Christina is still healing and Alan, the kid is as difficult as ever." Jeff admitted.
He often wondered if he screwed up with Alan, Tracy Aerospace had taken off and out of the five sons he had, Alan came off worst in the time he'd spent with him. All his sons were accomplished in their fields, John took after him with a fascination in space, Scott had always been a leader, Virgil the engineer and Gordon loved the ocean. Where Alan managed to fit into things evaded him, he seemed happier to tear the family to pieces than to look to his future.
Jeff was lost in thought, his office chair gently moving in a semi circle when his eyes noticed Duke sat a little straighter and focused on the speaker sat on his desk. Jeff stopped and paid more attention to the voices, the pilot was unconscious and John was on his way to the cockpit. Jeff heard John explain the panels were overloading, no his son wasn't alone in that plane. A flick of a switch and the klaxon sounded through the house, Scott was predictably the first into his office.
"Dad, what have we got?" Scott asked as he stood ready to go.
"The Helix plane is in trouble." Jeff replied as he handed base control over to Duke. "We need to be careful here, Christina is on that plane and she doesn't know about... the Thunderbirds."
"John hasn't told her yet?" Virgil scoffed with a grumble. "So guess we're in full helmets, voice masker and what, don't act like ourselves?"
"We take every precaution and yes, we'll just refer to each of us by the Thunderbird, Virgil, Gordon and I will be in Two, Scott you're One and Duke, you're base. Should be simple enough." Jeff stated with a steady breath. "Let's not waste time."
"This is John to Tracy Island." John said remembering what his father said about his tux. Communications were open for the event. "Dad we're going to need some help here. Even with the reboot, we're looking at ten thousand feet or less clearance to the water. We're nowhere near land."
"FAB John, we're already in the air. ETA ten minutes." Jeff replied as Thunderbird Two cut through the sky away from Tracy Island.
Thunderbird One was already just a vapour trail to follow while Virgil readied the Thunderbird Two pod to accommodate the passengers. The passenger list was relayed and Virgil placed seats throughout the pod.
"John what's going on?" Jeff asked watching the sky.
"Still picking up speed, we're losing systems faster than I can catch up. Chris is in the cargo bay to do the reboot." John explained, "Alan's here with me fighting this plane but, we're going to need help."
"It'll be alright son, just give it a minute or two. Have Chris start the sequence to reboot but don't press that last button. Wait until we're there." Jeff said firmly as his eyes took in the screens on Thunderbird Two with information about the new plane.
Back on the plane and Alan glanced toward John who seemed to be equally focused and flustered. It was just another rescue but this time it was the Tracy's that needed the rescue. It was just another Tracy event and as fun as it was to see John struggling for once, Alan found it wasn't as much fun as he hoped.
"Hey, want me to go see if she's okay?" Alan asked just as Penny spoke up.
"You will need to find a grey panel on the right hand side; it should be half way along the cargo bay from the stairs." Penny spoke into her communicator.
"Chris, you okay?" John called out.
"Just fly the plane John, I've got this." Came the testy reply.
Christina could feel the heat build up in the cargo bay; it was mostly an empty space other than three large steel containers placed in the middle of the floor. Each one was strapped down but she thought little of them, her eyes were more interested in the grey boxes on the wall. All eight of them, which narrowed down nothing for her at all.
"Okay, we've got eight grey wall boxes Lady P, eight and they're all keypad entry." Chris explained. "I guess it's too much to ask that you have the password up there?"
Penny smiled while Alan pulled out paper from the clipboard shoved beside the co pilot's seat. Flight manifest, no, flight plan, no, they were way off that now Alan thought before he flipped the pages, lunch orders, no, it really wasn't the time. It was just the standard stuff and nothing that screamed password.
"Got nothing here, John what've you got?" Alan asked with a quick glance toward his brother who held the flight stick with knuckles that turned a shade of white Alan hadn't seen before.
"It is okay boys, she's got this." Penny said.
The sound of crunching, banging and a few choice words came over the communications. John couldn't hide the nervous chuckle, it sounded as if Chris had taken a sledge hammer to the problem. John didn't doubt if she had one she might have but he'd rather have been there with her.
"I see why women wear these now... kinda handy in a tough spot." Chris muttered. "Nice choice Penny."
"Wear what?" Alan asked.
"Stilettos, they're good for breaking things." Chris explained with a laugh as she bashed the heel of her stiletto against the keypad.
After a few well placed blows, the grey box sprang open to reveal several different colour lights, switches and wires. It reminded her of what the local telephone exchanged looked like, a mass of nothing that made sense unless you were trained for it or had the manual handy. One she didn't have and the other, her training didn't extend toward high tech planes.
Chris heard John's voice, it was a comfort to hear but she couldn't deny the fact she was scared. Nothing about this was in her comfort zone, she didn't know what she was doing, there wasn't a file she'd read that prepared her for this possibility. Her brain wasn't one hundred percent and the only reason she knew as much. She realised the coffee exchange was likely when the pilot was poisoned too late. She'd watched it with her own eyes and never questioned it.
"Chris are you there, you need to follow what we're saying." John asked.
The silence seemed to hang in the air for a moment, John felt like his heart was in his throat and he couldn't see any sign of a Thunderbird on the horizon. Penny had placed her compact mirror on the controls in front of him and he knew without cutting Chris off, he couldn't ask for the update from his father. The last thing he wanted to explain, was the family business.
"Chris..." John called out.
"I'm here, just had a little trouble with the last box." Her voice rang out as Alan watched his brother's shoulders tense. "Trust me, I've got this."
She didn't know how much John wanted those list five words to be true.
"Trust her John." Alan stated.
When John looked over at Alan the kid didn't seem worried, if anything he seemed to take it in his stride. It felt like John's worst fear, the one thing he'd been worried about the whole time. What if something happened to Chris? What if... It was the thoughts had run through his head a million times and this just proved his point.
"I need you to do exactly what I tell you, so go to that first box and..."
"John, just wait a second."
"Chris we don't have many left right now, just listen to me." John replied.
"I know we don't, that's why I need to tell you something." Chris said, her voice almost breaking. She was glad for the first time that he couldn't see her in that moment.
Her hands shook as she pressed them against the warm side of the plane, it was almost too hot to touch but the slight pain seemed to focus her mind.
"The answer to that question. Just in case I can't tell you later." Chris said, "It's a damn sure yes. It was the moment you asked."
For the first time since John had sat in the pilot's seat, Alan swore he could see the start of a smile. Penny just about squealed from her seat as Alan shot her a puzzled glance, no, he probably didn't want to know what was going on.
"You couldn't have told me sooner?" John asked, "Why'd you make me wait?"
"You wanted me to think about it, so I did and it's a yes." Chris replied with a small laugh. "But the bigger issue, I need to know what to do here."
"John?" Alan questioned.
"Right... okay so here we go. Follow the pattern exactly." John explained.
Was it wrong to be looking at a catastrophe and feel like he was on cloud nine? John had his answer and he couldn't explain the feeling he had. John started to tell her the sequence of switches, buttons and wires. All but the last one as he cut off the communication with Chris for a moment.
"Dad, how far out are you?" John asked when he saw the glint of sunlight on the horizon.
"Thunderbird One should be there with you now." Jeff replied, "Two is two minutes out."
"Okay we're holding on the last switch, let me know when you want us to drop. We've got about a thousand feet clearance before we need to go." John said.
"Johnny, what was the yes for?" Scott asked with a laugh, "You didn't tell her about your eighties hair brush hit collection did you?"
"Scott now isn't the time." John replied testily, "Just let me know when to start the descent."
"Dad is about... sorry Thunderbird Two is sixty seconds out. You can start the drop now and we'll evacuate with the time left. It'll be close but not too close." Scott explained.
John flicked the communicator back on for Christina as he told her the last button in the sequence. No sooner had John spoken, his father's voice boomed over the speakers.
"Don't... stop..." Jeff bellowed as he watched the plane start to drop from Thunderbird Two's windshield.
John and Alan were busy fighting the descent as much as they could and a few seconds later they levelled out, much closer to the water below.
"Thunderbird Two... what is it?"John called out through gritted teeth as he held tightly onto the flight controls.
"Scott get onto that cargo bay door, we'll handle the evacuation." Jeff told them.
"Dad..." John almost pleaded. "Chris... you there still?"
Christina lay sprawled out on the cargo bay floor; the sudden loss of altitude caused her to hit the top of the cargo bay roof before she was slammed back onto the floor. For a few moments all she could do was groan in pain and gasp for air.
"Chris... answer me!" John almost screamed.
All John could hear was static, his heart sank as he listened to his father announce the lock between Thunderbird Two and the plane was stable. John could feel the plane trembling as he fought the controls alongside Alan while he watched several dials turn dark and snap back to zero.
"We're losing control, you've got to hurry." John announced though from the voice he heard commanding the passengers. Hurrying was happening.
"John we need to leave." Penny stated as Alan looked toward his brother.
"I'm not leaving without him." Alan stated. "You go, we'll stay."
It took John a moment to stare at the compact mirror that didn't hold any letter anymore. It was just a compact mirror as he realised the communication had been lost.
"No Alan, you go with Penny, help her with the pilot and act... like a passenger." John said with a half hearted laugh. "I'll stay here for as long as I can to keep the plane steady. Tell Virgil and Gordon to come get me when all the passengers are clear."
John focused on the different shades of blue in front of him as he held the controls steady and flicked the switch to open the cockpit door. The sound of organised chaos met his ears, worried passengers calling out for their family and colleagues while his brothers issued orders as if it was a walk in the park.
"Go, both of you." John stated firmly, "Now."
Penny reached for Alan's hand to support the weight of the pilot between them and struggled out into a fray of passengers and Thunderbirds.
"You think she's okay?" Alan asked quietly, his eyes focused on the line of passengers they joined it. He could see Gordon directing people toward Virgil who got them into the pod of Thunderbird Two.
"I'd like to think so." Penny replied.
It was all she could give the young Tracy, there were never any assurances and had this been a CIA mission then all bets were off. Penny was grateful for the Thunderbird intervention but she still worried about her friend in the cargo bay. The line slowly drew to a close as Penny nodded swiftly toward the cockpit and Gordon.
"John is at the controls, you need to bring him here." Penny explained.
"On it." Gordon stated.
Gordon set off at a run through the rows of seats toward the open door of the cockpit. He saw John sat there, completely still and focused. It could almost be another Tracy rescue until Gordon saw John's ashen face.
"Hey, we've got to go." Gordon blurted, he expected his brother to get up and follow him but when Gordon took a step to head back John was still sat there.
"Tell me the truth, does Scott have Chris?" John asked defiantly.
"John... we need to go, Scott's working the problem. He'll get her." Gordon explained. "We need to go."
"Not without her." John stated firmly.
"Don't make me drag you John."
"Then don't make me leave without her."
Gordon mumbled something about being stubborn when he heard his father in his ear. Gordon closed the cockpit door and handed over his communicator to John.
"We have her. She's aboard Thunderbird One." Jeff stated.
"Dad... you sure?" John asked, visibly relieved.
"I'm sure, go with Gordon." Jeff replied.
Gordon took back his communicator as he watched John unbuckle himself from the seat and followed the route back to Thunderbird Two. John could see Penny and Alan sat there, their faces still worried much like the passengers but it didn't make sense. The Thunderbirds were known to them, this was a home away from home which could only mean one thing.
"How bad is it?" John asked reaching out for Gordon as his brother pushed him into a seat in the pod.
Gordon didn't need to know why, he didn't need to know how bad or what his father had said. John was aboard Thunderbird Two and his father's instructions had been to tie John to the seat. While John seemed to be catching up, Gordon managed to strap his brother in and contain his hands not a second too soon.
"Where is she?" John called out and struggled against the straps and belts, his eyes searched for his brothers but they didn't look at him.
John could see his father sat at the controls of Thunderbird Two with his back to him. He wanted to scream dad but he knew better, it didn't stop him from wanting to badly rip himself from the seat but Gordon had managed to tie him to it better than he'd thought. John struggled against the seat as Thunderbird Two swung away from the Helix Plane, it was dangerously close to the water with Thunderbird One was still attached. John could see Scott was strapped to the jet pack working on the cargo bay door.
Before John left the cockpit, they were under six thousand feet and now, maybe five. His father had lied to him and Scott didn't seem to be making headway at all. John stopped his struggling, he could see the eyes of other passengers on him but it didn't stop his chest from heaving. The feeling that he wanted to be sick or the deep crushing feeling in his chest that he was about to lose the one thing he'd just got back.
Chris was still sprawled out on the cargo bay floor when she finally came around, her ribs hurt, her head hurt but beyond that everything was still attached to her body. The sound of voices in her ears, they disappeared only to be replaced with silence. In a less than lady like and more Scooby Doo fashion, Chris pushed herself onto her feet. The metal boxes in the middle of the bay were getting hotter and hotter, the sound of someone on the outside of the plane made its way to her ears. She really had lost it she thought to herself, other than superman, it wasn't like there was anyone else to help.
There was the mysterious International Rescue but she guessed they would be saving a city from a tsunami by now. Chris thought about a parachute but there wasn't one there, the speed of the plane, if she jumped out the water would be like hitting concrete. John was still up there with Alan and Penny so leaving wasn't happening. Chris dragged herself up the stairs but the door was locked, the metal stairs were too hot to stand on without her stilettos and the last option she had was to head back down to the cargo bay.
Sit and wait. Christina slid down the wall of the cargo bay staring at the metal boxes in the middle of the bay. She'd survived Smiley to what; go out in a plane crash. There had to be some irony in that, she had a fiancé or at least she had said yes to marry John and now that wasn't looking too good either. Chris wanted to cry but it wouldn't solve anything, she was stuck with no way out that she could see.
"John... can you hear me." Chris asked speaking into the lapel of her suit jacket before she giggled. It was crazy to talk to it, she knew she had done but she had no idea how it worked as a phone or radio. "Guess not."
Soon enough the wall became too hot to lean against, the heat was stifling as she sat there trying to work a problem that from her view was unworkable. Chris reached for her phone and tried to call Bill; if she could say goodbye then maybe it would be easier to accept her fate. She would have made the call if she had a signal and she angrily shoved her phone into her suit jacket pocket. Just what she needed, no signal, it just about told her to give up when she saw a red light moving along the cargo bay door.
For a second she thought it was her mind until she felt the sudden rush of air being pushed from her lungs. There was blinding sunlight and a figure, it registered briefly in the seconds she had before Christina was pulled from the plane. With nothing to grab onto the air pressure did the rest until she slammed into the figure hanging there in mid air. The figure had arms which held her tightly but it made no sense, she was floating in midair watching as the plane impacted the water. Before she could say anything she was flying through the air, holding onto a human she didn't know could fly.
Her breath caught in her chest that hurt anyway without flying. Her brain seemed to catch up on itself again as she registered being sat into a strange sort of seat in a cockpit that wasn't the one in pieces over the ocean right now.
"John, Alan, Penny... did they make it out?" She blurted as she started to struggle against the flight suit clad figure that seemed to know what he was doing more than she did.
Scott went about trying to figure out what to do; he hadn't planned on the rescue of that specific one person let alone having them in Thunderbird One. He also didn't think she would fight his efforts to strap her into the seat.
"Everyone made it safely out." Scott stated in a low voice, he didn't need to make the vocal adjustment as his helmet did that but it never hurt try.
"Are you sure?" Chris asked feeling the panic set in and the tears sting her face.
"Very sure. They're over there; we try not to leave people behind." Scott said as he pointed toward Thunderbird Two hovering nearby.
Scott watched as Chris let out a pain filled sigh. He could see her shaking in the seat and for a moment, he wanted to take off his helmet just so she had a friendly face to see. Instead all he could do was turn his back and focus on the rest of the job, land safely and push her out into the chaos once they did.
"T..thank you." Chris spluttered appreciatively. What did you say to the man who saved your life that you'd never see again? Thank you seemed so useless and ungrateful but what could she do.
For a second Scott thought Chris might recognise him, stupid when he was in a flight suit, helmet and aboard a Thunderbird she didn't know belonged to the Tracy family. Scott watched Chris sit there still shaking and gave her a nod.
"It's what we do." He told her with a smile, though he knew she'd never see it. "Just take a breath and we'll get you onto the ground soon enough."
Scott wanted to reach out and hug her, how his brother managed to keep quiet about the family business for so long. He had no clue; it was tough not to just blurt it out to her right then in a hope that it might make her feel better. With one last look toward her, Scott busied himself with the controls of Thunderbird one.
"Oh Jeff's going to kill me for this." She muttered wiping at her tears, "He could have invested, the planes in pieces, the people are..."
Chris caught herself for a second, she watched Scott sit at the controls and chuckle. What was amusing about this? Jeff gave her the responsibility of looking after the three people who were on another Thunderbird, she was in serious trouble. Not that this guy would know that but she did.
"It's not funny, I completely failed and they could have died." Christine mumbled before she pulled the phone from her pocket. "Finally, I've got signal."
Scott whipped around in his seat; she wasn't taking pictures or recording this was she? No she couldn't, it wasn't what happened in a Thunderbird and was she nuts? Jeff would kill them both if she did something like that.
"Hey, no filming in here." Scott said firmly.
"Not filming, I'm calling someone to explain that everyone's safe." Chris said as she dialled Scott's number.
If he had caught the news he might have seen the problem or worse been told the plane had crashed Christina thought? In her head if she could tell him they were fine and could use a lift home, it was the right thing to do.
Scott never gave it a second thought until his phone lit up on the control panel. It was the look Chris gave him, the flicker of recognition, that was there and gone as she hung up her phone call. Scott watched his phone buzz with the tell tale noise of a missed call but he wasn't going to answer it nor was he going to do much about it. He really couldn't.
"Guess he's still busy with Tiffany." Chris said before she settled back into the seat and tried to calm down. "You've got the same ringtone as a guy I know."
Chris had that nagging feeling, the feeling she missed something but given how many times lately she'd done just that, it wasn't anything new. It just ate at her as she sat there for the silent journey back to the runway they had taken off from hours earlier. Scott could have cursed himself for leaving his phone out like that, instead of the conversation he thought was imminent, Chris sat quietly. Even when he helped her down onto the tarmac and she thanked him again for what he'd done, he thought his goose was cooked but the glimmer of recognition he'd seen in her face earlier was completely gone.
Scott pointed out the line of passengers heading out of the Thunderbird Two pod and told her to head over that way. He heard her thank him again and again before he replied in his usual fashion. All in a day's work, no bother at all, it was what they did. Scott turned to head back to Thunderbird One when he felt a pair of eyes on him, the hair on the back of his neck stood up a little as he glanced back over his shoulder to see Chris watching him. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head when he heard Alan's voice above the crowd. It seemed to break her gaze which Scott appreciated.
"Chris... Chris!" Alan called out.
Chris turned to see Alan stood with Penny searching the crowd, she ran over as best she could manage in stilettos. The run hurt more than she'd bargained for and she couldn't help but wince when Alan wrapped his arms around her.
"You okay?" Alan asked.
"All fine, just a little banged up but nothing that sleep won't fix." She explained, or a bottle of whisky but she didn't have one handy. "You two okay? Where's John?"
"Yeah fine, you know us and John, he was looking for you. He tried to fight the crowd but..." Alan looked around; he struggled to see his brother through the faces of other passengers.
"Why is he fighting a crowd?" Chris asked only to see Alan laugh.
"Duh, he wants to know you're safe. They didn't tell us much on board." Alan said with a knowing smirk.
"I'm fine, completely. I tried to call Scott but he didn't answer. I'll try again just so he knows not to panic." Christina explained only to see Alan and Penny glance at each other. "Speaking of, the guy there on Thunderbird One who rescued me. He's got the same ring tone as Scott. Funny huh."
Alan stopped chuckling at that point, their goose was cooked he was sure of it but Christina didn't seem to put two and two together. She just left it and Penny could only agree how funny it was, remarking that Scott should change his because it was obviously popular. Christina tried to look through the crowd to find John but she couldn't see him anywhere.
John had broken free of the passengers and taken a run toward Thunderbird One and Scott. He knew better than to yell at Scott from across the tarmac but it didn't stop him calling out for the guy in the suit.
"Where is she?" John called toward Scott who was three quarters of the way back into the pilot seat of Thunderbird One. "You cut it too close out there."
"She went to find Alan, headed that way." Scott said pointing across to where a group of people were wondering around. "And I did my job, we'll talk later. Not here."
"Dad lied to me, you cut it fine. She could have died!" John almost yelled as he shook with anger.
Scott couldn't believe what John was saying or what he was doing. Keep it under the radar was starting to look like a sibling's feud on the tarmac, thankfully Scott knew he had his helmet to disguise his face but John didn't seem to think about that much.
"Dad did what was right and she didn't die. She's safe, walking around and you're the idiot so just go find her and act like a scared billionaire's kid that just survived a plane crash." Scott snapped before he tapped his forearm and Thunderbird One started to ready itself for takeoff.
John stepped back, turning on his heels before he headed back over to the thinning crowd. The crushing feeling in his chest hadn't subsided much until his eyes saw her face. In that brief second, just to see she was alive and well took a weight off his shoulders. His walk turned into a run as he saw Christina looking in the wrong direction. Alan even stepped back with Penny when they saw him approach the group.
"Christina." John said softly.
He didn't wait for a reply when he took her into his arms and held her tightly against him. It didn't matter what anyone thought, what anyone saw because he had the woman he loved in his arms. John tightened his hold on her only to hear the pained groan escape her lips.
"What is it?" John asked letting her go carefully before he ran his hands over her side.
"Nothing, just a little sore." Chris turned with that happy smile plastered onto her features.
"Chris." John fussed seeing her wave him off.
Christina never usually took to a public display of affection, a peck on the cheek, holding hands was fine but anything more and she was the type to roll her eyes and inwardly grimace at those who ate each other's faces. Her rule went out of the window the moment John started to fuss over her. Her hands gently cupped his face as she kissed him, that heart melting, tingling sort of kiss that said all it needed to. She felt John's arms wrap around her again, even Alan's commentary on how gross it was and for them to get a room. Chris didn't care, John was safe, right there and the group of four had survived which given what she didn't know yet, it shouldn't have been so surprising to her.
"So much for the secretary angle." Alan muttered.
Christina flushed a deep shade of red and pulled away from John who caught her around her waist.
"John...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. Secretaries don't kiss their boss or shouldn't do." She said with an embarrassed smile.
"I'll make an exception this time." John said hearing Penny and Alan chuckle. "So what do you think about the Thunderbirds then? How was your trip?"
"My trip, a bit dramatic but I can't fault the execution or the lift back to land. Those guys know what they're doing, plus they managed to get you all out. How was the green Thunderbird?" Chris asked curiously.
"You mean Thunderbird Two?" Alan said with a smirk, "It was great; we got seats, landing could use work, a little shaky here and there but not too bad. Like you said, we're all alive."
Penny could hear her ear erupt with Gordon and Virgil explaining the facts of landing and it was a near perfect journey. She shook her head and flipped her hair over her shoulder only to see Scott Tracy running toward them looking worried.
"You all okay? I just heard over the radio." Scott said pretending to gasp for air, "Sorry I couldn't get to my phone... I was otherwise engaged."
"Better late than never." John said with tone that earned him an elbow to his ribs from Christina.
"It's okay, we're all good. I just called to make sure you knew we were okay so you wouldn't worry." Chris said as she grinned, "Oh the Thunderbird who gave me a lift has the same ringtone as you. Penny thinks you should change it because it's too popular."
Scott stood still at the mention of the ringtone, he'd told his father about it and tried to make light but yes, it would be changed and now Scott had a new policy. Phones to be placed in a lock box out of sight when working.
"At least I have good taste, I mean if it's the same as that guy, must be good." Scott said with a smirk. "How about we get you all home and you can tell dad how he isn't going to invest in this company."
"Christina and I need to talk to law enforcement but you boys go on ahead and we'll catch up." Penny stated before linking arms with Chris as they moved toward the ever growing crowd of lights and sirens.
John watched the two women walk away before he turned to his brothers.
"Think she knows?" John asked.
"She would say if she did... I think." Scott replied. "There was a moment I thought she realised but she went sort of blank."
"She doesn't have a clue." Alan added, "When are you going to tell her John?"
John took a breath and sighed, he knew he had to at some point. First he needed to tell his father they were engaged, tell Bill and Cookie and see if he made it out alive from that. The Thunderbirds, it was a whole other conversation John wasn't ready to talk about yet. He wanted to, he really did but it wasn't a casual oh by the way conversation. John honestly didn't know how to start that talk or where to begin, the 'yeah my brother saved you from the plane' was better left for when things were calmer. At least until they were back on the Island away from prying eyes.