Gordon had represented the USA in the swimming during the London twenty-twelve Olympics. There, he had met Pippa, a UK ten-meter platform diver. Their first date had been shortly after the Olympic Closing Ceremony. They had officially began dating a month or so later.
Gordon had decided it was time for Pippa to visit Tracy Island. To find out the Family Secret.
x-x
Jeff smiled as a young woman with black hair entered the airport lounge and practically sprinted to Gordon, who caught her by the waist, spinning with her as he kissed her.
"You must be Mr Tracy" she said, approaching Jeff once Gordon had put her down again. "Pippa Walker."
"Please, call me Jeff" he replied with a smile, shaking hands with Pippa. "It's lovely to meet you."
The flight back had been uneventful. Upon landing, they had been met in the hangar by Scott, John, and Alan. Virgil was up on Five. Having introduced Pippa to his brothers, they made their way to the kitchen, where their housekeeper Onaha had prepared drinks and a light snack, her daughter Tin-Tin had been helping her. John's fiancée Lou was resting in the sitting room, baby Tyler asleep in a bassinet in the corner. Kyrano, Onaha's husband and their groundskeeper, had been sent to fetch the other residents of the Island; Brains and his son Fermat, from the workshop.
x-x
"Gordon? I'll be heading out to drop Brains and Fermat off and pick Virgil up in twenty minutes" Jeff said as they finished breakfast a couple of days later. Gordon nodded as he drank a mouthful of coffee. He then led Pippa to the Roundhouse, where Thunderbird Three would emerge from its silo.
"My family has a secret" he told her as they entered the building. "It cannot get out, no matter what may happen between us. We would all be at risk if it did." Pippa gave her word never to speak of what she was about to see. An alarm sounded and the three sections of the building sealed, then began to separate.
"What's going on?" Pippa asked.
"Just watch" Gordon smiled, indicating she should look out the window, and Thunderbird Three took off. "We are International Rescue. That is Thunderbird Three, which is going to Thunderbird Five, a space station orbiting above us. John is the one usually up there. He loves the stars."
"Is Lou a member too?" Pippa asked.
"She is" he replied. "She had one tour on Five where she was being trained by John to operate it before she became pregnant. She's done a lot of time in Command and Control. It's her choice to do so. If this works out, and you come to live here, you won't have to be involved in any part of International Rescue unless you want to be." He had also explained why his dad had created International Rescue. Why they did what they did.
x-x
Pippa was walking across the beach. Gordon had given her time to think things through. It made sense to her, that Jeff would do what he could to stop what had happened to him, the losing of his wife in a stupid accident, happening to others. She understood why his sons had joined him. She decided she would do what she could to help.