"You don't think. . ."
"I don't know what to think, Tin-Tin. Whatever Eddie heard could put us in danger," Scott said after dinner that night.
As Jeff had been examining the radio earlier that day, Grandma had come in to tell everyone dinner was ready. She was just in time and the strange things Eddie had picked up on his radio were forgotten while they enjoyed the marvelous food Kyrano and Grandma had come up with for supper.
Afterwards, Tin-Tin had dashed to her room and Alan had gone down to the pool for a swim with Gordon. Scott had followed Tin-Tin and they presently sat on her bed talking about the predicament staring them straight in the face. They could hear the faint strains of Virgil's piano music from the living room.
"Where do you suppose Eddie has gotten up to?" Tin-Tin wondered.
"I don't know that either. I bet dad's keeping him occupied though, and if we're lucky, he'll have forgotten about his radio."
"I doubt it."
"How come?"
"Eddie was never one to forget anything," Tin-Tin's cheeks reddened slightly but Scott pretended not to notice.
A knock on the door startled him out of his reply and he stood to answer it, pulling it open once he reached it. Eddie stood on the other side, looking freshly cleaned in pleated black trousers and a crisp white shirt. He had a single flower in his hands, which Scott recognized as one of Grandma's tulips.
Scott stepped back so Tin-Tin could see who was at the door and then looked over his shoulder, trying to decide whether he should leave them alone. Deciding it was best not to meddle in their business, Scott excused himself and left the room.
He walked into the lounge where Virgil was still playing the piano and Alan was reading one of his favourite car racing magazines, his hair still damp from his swim. As he was about to choose a book from the bookshelf to occupy himself, Grandma bustled in, a look of distress on her face.
"What's up, Grandma?" Alan forgot his magazine for a moment and peered up at his grandmother.
"Oh, oh! Someone ate my blueberry transmitter!" She cried dramatically. "It was on the counter before dessert and now it's gone!"
"Not again," Scott sighed, remembering the last time someone had eaten a transmitter. He had been glad it wasn't him, he hated the taste of that awful dissolvent Brains had created.
"Who was it?" Virgil asked.
"I haven't any idea! Did you eat it, Virgil?"
"Me? No, all I had was that apple pie after my supper. I know what a transmitter looks like, Grandma. I wouldn't have eaten it unless it was in my food."
"Turn on the tracking device, Scott." Alan instructed, seeing as his oldest brother was closest to the desk.
Scott did as Alan said and the screen flashed before them, showing a rough map of the Tracy home. A little red dot showed up in the square marked as Tin-Tin's room and the boys looked at each other.
"Tin-Tin ate it?" Alan wondered.
Scott shook his head in dismay. "Not Tin-Tin. . ."
"Eddie." Virgil finished, having seen the other man head down that hallway just before Scott emerged from it.
"Why is Eddie in Tin-Tin's room?"
"Will you just shut up about your jealousy for one moment, Alan?" Scott barked. Noticing the hurt look on Alan's face, he instantly felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. All I meant was that we now have to find a way to get Eddie to eat the dissolver or else we could have a serious problem on our hands."
"How are we going to go about doing that?" Virgil wondered.
"What if we told him it was like. . .some kind of miracle juice or something?"
"Alan, would you believe that?"
"Well, no, but Eddie has a peanut for a brain."
Scott fought off the urge to smile. "What if we put it in something and had him drink it?"
"Like what?"
"Maybe we could make a milkshake. Everyone loves milkshakes right?" Virgil suggested.
"Good idea, Virg. First we have to make sure it really was Eddie. Call Tin- Tin, Alan."
"How come I have to do it?" Scott glared at his brother and Alan immediately caved. "Fine, fine, I'll do it." He took a deep breath. "Tin- Tin!"
She stuck her head out of her room and yelled, "Yes?" back down the hall.
"Can you come here for a second please?"
"Sure!" Tin-Tin came up to them, looking relieved at the excuse to leave Eddie for a while. "What is it?"
Scott was studying the screen. The tiny dot hadn't moved. "Well, Tin-Tin didn't do it."
"Do what?" She asked.
"Eat the transmitter. We have to find a way to get Eddie to take the dissolver. Virg, can you go make a shake?"
"Yes, boss." Virgil rolled his eyes and stood up from the piano, stretching cramped muscles, before going into the kitchen. Sometimes Scott's bossy attitude got the slightest bit annoying.
"You can go back to your room now, Tin-Tin."
"Do I have to?" She said, her reluctance obvious.
Alan saw the opportunity and jumped up from the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll go with you."
She smiled at him, glad that she wouldn't have to be alone with Eddie any longer. The two walked slowly back down the hall, not in any hurry, and Scott turned off the tracking device.
A loud crashing noise and then something that sounded like a choked bang made his head snap up. "Virgil?"
"Where's Kyrano?" His brother yelled from the kitchen.
"Out in the garden, why?" Scott called back.
Virgil came back into the living room, covered in something that looked like milky ice cream. He had a sheepish expression on his face. "I forgot that I haven't made a milkshake since I was twelve."
Scott laughed at the sight of the pilot covered in what would have been a milkshake, had the top of the blender not come flying off when he started it. He followed Virgil into the kitchen to clean up the mess, and then tried to make a replacement shake for Eddie.
Ten minutes and two more tries later, the boys had managed to create a frothy chocolate milkshake, perfect for hiding transmitter dissolver in. Scott got some from the medicine cabinet in their father's bathroom and dumped in a generous helping after separating their creation into three large cups.
"Why three?" Virgil asked when he saw what Scott was doing.
"Wouldn't it look suspicious if Eddie was the only one getting a milkshake? The pink cup is doctored with the dissolver and the two blue ones aren't - they're for Alan and Tin-Tin."
"Oh, I see." Virgil grabbed the two blue cups and left the pink one for Scott.
Scott banged on Tin-Tin's door and a stressed out form of the young woman opened it. She looked at the cups cautiously, wondering what was going on.
Scott was prepared for this. He slipped a small piece of paper into her hand, one that he had written on while the blender was on and then pushed past her to give one of the mugs of milkshake to Eddie. He accepted it graciously and took a large sip, making a face as he swallowed. He tried to hide it with a smile.
"Thanks, Scott. What is in this exactly?"
He stalled, acting as if he didn't remember the ingredients. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tin-Tin and Alan reading his note while Virgil gave them their glasses. Tin-Tin looked up at Scott and winked, then stuffed the note in her pocket before sitting back down on the bed. Scott returned his full attention to Eddie. "Well, I think there's ice cream, and vanilla and. . ."
Tin-Tin cut him off. "It's wonderful." She took an enthusiastic sip for emphasis. "Thanks, boys."
Eddie looked at Tin-Tin as if she had just sprouted another head. He didn't know that his version of the shake included a type of medicine he would never come in contact with again, and the Tracy brothers didn't plan on telling him. It tasted horrible, but he made the effort to drink as much as he could without grimacing, not wanting to appear ungrateful.
A smug-looking Alan echoed Tin-Tin's praise and hid his grin in the depths of his tall glass. Virgil and Scott left them and went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up after their 'cooking' episode.
++++++++
Sorry for the delay in chapters, everybody. :) I'll try to concentrate as much on this fic as I am on Torn. This one will definitely be much more of an adventure than that one!
Angelina
"I don't know what to think, Tin-Tin. Whatever Eddie heard could put us in danger," Scott said after dinner that night.
As Jeff had been examining the radio earlier that day, Grandma had come in to tell everyone dinner was ready. She was just in time and the strange things Eddie had picked up on his radio were forgotten while they enjoyed the marvelous food Kyrano and Grandma had come up with for supper.
Afterwards, Tin-Tin had dashed to her room and Alan had gone down to the pool for a swim with Gordon. Scott had followed Tin-Tin and they presently sat on her bed talking about the predicament staring them straight in the face. They could hear the faint strains of Virgil's piano music from the living room.
"Where do you suppose Eddie has gotten up to?" Tin-Tin wondered.
"I don't know that either. I bet dad's keeping him occupied though, and if we're lucky, he'll have forgotten about his radio."
"I doubt it."
"How come?"
"Eddie was never one to forget anything," Tin-Tin's cheeks reddened slightly but Scott pretended not to notice.
A knock on the door startled him out of his reply and he stood to answer it, pulling it open once he reached it. Eddie stood on the other side, looking freshly cleaned in pleated black trousers and a crisp white shirt. He had a single flower in his hands, which Scott recognized as one of Grandma's tulips.
Scott stepped back so Tin-Tin could see who was at the door and then looked over his shoulder, trying to decide whether he should leave them alone. Deciding it was best not to meddle in their business, Scott excused himself and left the room.
He walked into the lounge where Virgil was still playing the piano and Alan was reading one of his favourite car racing magazines, his hair still damp from his swim. As he was about to choose a book from the bookshelf to occupy himself, Grandma bustled in, a look of distress on her face.
"What's up, Grandma?" Alan forgot his magazine for a moment and peered up at his grandmother.
"Oh, oh! Someone ate my blueberry transmitter!" She cried dramatically. "It was on the counter before dessert and now it's gone!"
"Not again," Scott sighed, remembering the last time someone had eaten a transmitter. He had been glad it wasn't him, he hated the taste of that awful dissolvent Brains had created.
"Who was it?" Virgil asked.
"I haven't any idea! Did you eat it, Virgil?"
"Me? No, all I had was that apple pie after my supper. I know what a transmitter looks like, Grandma. I wouldn't have eaten it unless it was in my food."
"Turn on the tracking device, Scott." Alan instructed, seeing as his oldest brother was closest to the desk.
Scott did as Alan said and the screen flashed before them, showing a rough map of the Tracy home. A little red dot showed up in the square marked as Tin-Tin's room and the boys looked at each other.
"Tin-Tin ate it?" Alan wondered.
Scott shook his head in dismay. "Not Tin-Tin. . ."
"Eddie." Virgil finished, having seen the other man head down that hallway just before Scott emerged from it.
"Why is Eddie in Tin-Tin's room?"
"Will you just shut up about your jealousy for one moment, Alan?" Scott barked. Noticing the hurt look on Alan's face, he instantly felt bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. All I meant was that we now have to find a way to get Eddie to eat the dissolver or else we could have a serious problem on our hands."
"How are we going to go about doing that?" Virgil wondered.
"What if we told him it was like. . .some kind of miracle juice or something?"
"Alan, would you believe that?"
"Well, no, but Eddie has a peanut for a brain."
Scott fought off the urge to smile. "What if we put it in something and had him drink it?"
"Like what?"
"Maybe we could make a milkshake. Everyone loves milkshakes right?" Virgil suggested.
"Good idea, Virg. First we have to make sure it really was Eddie. Call Tin- Tin, Alan."
"How come I have to do it?" Scott glared at his brother and Alan immediately caved. "Fine, fine, I'll do it." He took a deep breath. "Tin- Tin!"
She stuck her head out of her room and yelled, "Yes?" back down the hall.
"Can you come here for a second please?"
"Sure!" Tin-Tin came up to them, looking relieved at the excuse to leave Eddie for a while. "What is it?"
Scott was studying the screen. The tiny dot hadn't moved. "Well, Tin-Tin didn't do it."
"Do what?" She asked.
"Eat the transmitter. We have to find a way to get Eddie to take the dissolver. Virg, can you go make a shake?"
"Yes, boss." Virgil rolled his eyes and stood up from the piano, stretching cramped muscles, before going into the kitchen. Sometimes Scott's bossy attitude got the slightest bit annoying.
"You can go back to your room now, Tin-Tin."
"Do I have to?" She said, her reluctance obvious.
Alan saw the opportunity and jumped up from the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll go with you."
She smiled at him, glad that she wouldn't have to be alone with Eddie any longer. The two walked slowly back down the hall, not in any hurry, and Scott turned off the tracking device.
A loud crashing noise and then something that sounded like a choked bang made his head snap up. "Virgil?"
"Where's Kyrano?" His brother yelled from the kitchen.
"Out in the garden, why?" Scott called back.
Virgil came back into the living room, covered in something that looked like milky ice cream. He had a sheepish expression on his face. "I forgot that I haven't made a milkshake since I was twelve."
Scott laughed at the sight of the pilot covered in what would have been a milkshake, had the top of the blender not come flying off when he started it. He followed Virgil into the kitchen to clean up the mess, and then tried to make a replacement shake for Eddie.
Ten minutes and two more tries later, the boys had managed to create a frothy chocolate milkshake, perfect for hiding transmitter dissolver in. Scott got some from the medicine cabinet in their father's bathroom and dumped in a generous helping after separating their creation into three large cups.
"Why three?" Virgil asked when he saw what Scott was doing.
"Wouldn't it look suspicious if Eddie was the only one getting a milkshake? The pink cup is doctored with the dissolver and the two blue ones aren't - they're for Alan and Tin-Tin."
"Oh, I see." Virgil grabbed the two blue cups and left the pink one for Scott.
Scott banged on Tin-Tin's door and a stressed out form of the young woman opened it. She looked at the cups cautiously, wondering what was going on.
Scott was prepared for this. He slipped a small piece of paper into her hand, one that he had written on while the blender was on and then pushed past her to give one of the mugs of milkshake to Eddie. He accepted it graciously and took a large sip, making a face as he swallowed. He tried to hide it with a smile.
"Thanks, Scott. What is in this exactly?"
He stalled, acting as if he didn't remember the ingredients. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tin-Tin and Alan reading his note while Virgil gave them their glasses. Tin-Tin looked up at Scott and winked, then stuffed the note in her pocket before sitting back down on the bed. Scott returned his full attention to Eddie. "Well, I think there's ice cream, and vanilla and. . ."
Tin-Tin cut him off. "It's wonderful." She took an enthusiastic sip for emphasis. "Thanks, boys."
Eddie looked at Tin-Tin as if she had just sprouted another head. He didn't know that his version of the shake included a type of medicine he would never come in contact with again, and the Tracy brothers didn't plan on telling him. It tasted horrible, but he made the effort to drink as much as he could without grimacing, not wanting to appear ungrateful.
A smug-looking Alan echoed Tin-Tin's praise and hid his grin in the depths of his tall glass. Virgil and Scott left them and went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up after their 'cooking' episode.
++++++++
Sorry for the delay in chapters, everybody. :) I'll try to concentrate as much on this fic as I am on Torn. This one will definitely be much more of an adventure than that one!
Angelina