Chapter 21 Bananas?
Deep in the bowels of Tracy Island a plot was being hatched.
"C'mon Scott. Virgil has been more than impossible lately." Gordon griped. He smelled strongly of pine disinfectant which had been his latest attempt to cleanse Thunderbird 4 of the smell of vomit. It was a tad bit better than the rose scented bath soap he'd borrowed from Tin Tin- much to the lady's disapproval.
"He's just upset." Scott said lamely.
"Th-the real question is wh-what he is upset about." Brains added.
"Everything!" Alan's eyes rolled. "He complains about everything. I don't dare say anything around him anymore."
"M-merely a s-symptom of a b-bigger complaint." Brains pointed out.
"Did you get him to talk?" Gordon looked at his older brother who looked uncharacteristically upset.
"No. He got real quiet on me, and I mean real quiet. I haven't seen him so bad since..." He eyed his little brothers who looked confused. "You guys probably don't remember, but when Mom died..." His face was bleak.
"I remember some things." Gordon whispered.
"Sometimes I wish." Alan began and had to endure a hug from his oldest brother "Ah Scott cut it out I'm not a baby any more." He then had to endure an affectionate, but vigorous dutch rub on the head.
Scott brought the matter back into focus. "What really happened on that island?" He asked Brains pointedly. The two men had been debriefed thoroughly, but something was not being said.
"I only h-have a th-theory." Brains said quietly. "B-but...." He paused and looked at his attentive audience.
"Well for Pete's sake tell us!" Gordon prompted. "Before I do something drastic."
"Not that." Scott said hastily, Gordon's drastics were often disastrous.
"V-virgil is in l-love with M-marie Ryker."
"Dang!" Alan said.
"Or at least I th-think so." Brains pushed his glasses up nervously. "I d-don't have much scientific experience in l-love."
"No one does. "Scott said thoughtfully. "So, how does Miss Ryker feel about Virgil?"
"She likes him a lot." Gordon said firmly.
"Ah the voice of the expert." Scott teased. Gordon changed girl friends like people changed socks.
"So, how do we get them back together?" Alan asked.
"She's never met Alan..." Gordon said with a gleam in his eye.
Scott's brow furrowed. It was always dangerous to go along with Gordon and his schemes, but this was desperate times calling for desperate measures. "What have you got in mind?"
"The Banana Boy scam." Gordon said triumphantly.
Scott groaned. "Not that."
"It worked before." Gordon said rubbing his hands together in glee and inspecting his younger brother like a bowl of fruit.
"Yeah, but Annabelle what's-her-name had the intelligence of a squirrel."
"Wait. What does this involve?" Alan asked suspiciously.
"Everyone eats bananas, right?" Gordon began. " You dress up in the banana boy suit, tell Marie that she has been observed at her local store buying bananas and that she has won a vacation to a fancy hotel complete with meal and a hot date with Mr.Banana! You deliver Marie, Scott delivers Virgil and voila!"
"Banana Boy suit?" Alan began suspiciously.
"Just how am I to get mister sweetness and light to a hotel?" Scott growled.
"C'mon guys! This is for Virgil...and the rest of us." Gordon jumped in. The three brothers would have gone on for hours arguing the fact if Brains hadn't stepped in.
"T-terrible idea. I have a b-better one."
"Thank God!" Scott and Alan chorused together.
Deep in the bowels of Tracy Island a plot was being hatched.
"C'mon Scott. Virgil has been more than impossible lately." Gordon griped. He smelled strongly of pine disinfectant which had been his latest attempt to cleanse Thunderbird 4 of the smell of vomit. It was a tad bit better than the rose scented bath soap he'd borrowed from Tin Tin- much to the lady's disapproval.
"He's just upset." Scott said lamely.
"Th-the real question is wh-what he is upset about." Brains added.
"Everything!" Alan's eyes rolled. "He complains about everything. I don't dare say anything around him anymore."
"M-merely a s-symptom of a b-bigger complaint." Brains pointed out.
"Did you get him to talk?" Gordon looked at his older brother who looked uncharacteristically upset.
"No. He got real quiet on me, and I mean real quiet. I haven't seen him so bad since..." He eyed his little brothers who looked confused. "You guys probably don't remember, but when Mom died..." His face was bleak.
"I remember some things." Gordon whispered.
"Sometimes I wish." Alan began and had to endure a hug from his oldest brother "Ah Scott cut it out I'm not a baby any more." He then had to endure an affectionate, but vigorous dutch rub on the head.
Scott brought the matter back into focus. "What really happened on that island?" He asked Brains pointedly. The two men had been debriefed thoroughly, but something was not being said.
"I only h-have a th-theory." Brains said quietly. "B-but...." He paused and looked at his attentive audience.
"Well for Pete's sake tell us!" Gordon prompted. "Before I do something drastic."
"Not that." Scott said hastily, Gordon's drastics were often disastrous.
"V-virgil is in l-love with M-marie Ryker."
"Dang!" Alan said.
"Or at least I th-think so." Brains pushed his glasses up nervously. "I d-don't have much scientific experience in l-love."
"No one does. "Scott said thoughtfully. "So, how does Miss Ryker feel about Virgil?"
"She likes him a lot." Gordon said firmly.
"Ah the voice of the expert." Scott teased. Gordon changed girl friends like people changed socks.
"So, how do we get them back together?" Alan asked.
"She's never met Alan..." Gordon said with a gleam in his eye.
Scott's brow furrowed. It was always dangerous to go along with Gordon and his schemes, but this was desperate times calling for desperate measures. "What have you got in mind?"
"The Banana Boy scam." Gordon said triumphantly.
Scott groaned. "Not that."
"It worked before." Gordon said rubbing his hands together in glee and inspecting his younger brother like a bowl of fruit.
"Yeah, but Annabelle what's-her-name had the intelligence of a squirrel."
"Wait. What does this involve?" Alan asked suspiciously.
"Everyone eats bananas, right?" Gordon began. " You dress up in the banana boy suit, tell Marie that she has been observed at her local store buying bananas and that she has won a vacation to a fancy hotel complete with meal and a hot date with Mr.Banana! You deliver Marie, Scott delivers Virgil and voila!"
"Banana Boy suit?" Alan began suspiciously.
"Just how am I to get mister sweetness and light to a hotel?" Scott growled.
"C'mon guys! This is for Virgil...and the rest of us." Gordon jumped in. The three brothers would have gone on for hours arguing the fact if Brains hadn't stepped in.
"T-terrible idea. I have a b-better one."
"Thank God!" Scott and Alan chorused together.