Participation II - Two.
1 = first name
I opened the door to my home, hoping that I would be returning to it in better condition than when I left. I timidly stepped inside.
This first room looked thankfully unharmed.
Breathing a sigh of relief I walked through to the next room. Trixie followed closely at my heels.
This room was a mess, but intact. Wires and bits of electronics were strewn everywhere. Brains was seated in the middle of what looked to be an untidy, multicoloured birds nest. He looked up and blinked at us owlishly. "Oh, 1. You're b-back. H-Hello T-Trixie."
"Hello Brains dear. How are you?"
"F-Fine t-thank you," he frowned. "And you?"
"Box of birds, Brains. Box of birds." Trixie alliterated.
"H-How's things g-going, Brains." I discovered that nerves had given me a stutter to rival his.
Fortunately he didn't seem to notice even though his frown deepened. "T-This is t-taking longer than it should."
"Anything I can help with?" Trixie volunteered cheerfully.
"N-No thank you T-Trixie." He replied quite seriously. "I-I have enough 'Help'."
He said 'help' as if it deserved a capital H.
There was a crash from the direction of my bedroom.
Playing French Elastics with the electronic wires I ran to my most private sanctum. "Oh ***..." I fought to stop myself saying what I was thinking.
Gordon and Tin-Tin were in there, hands on hips, looking upwards, ignoring the pile of wood, plaster and dust that covered my newly made bed and freshly vacuumed carpet.
I followed their gaze and noticed a large hole in my ceiling. As I watched a blue overalled leg withdrew from the hole to be replaced by a grimy face topped with tousled hair, which should have been blond, but was instead grey with dust.
"This ceiling's none to firm..." Alan said before noticing me. "Oh... Hi 1..." he added sheepishly.
"Alan!" I said in exasperation. "What have you done?"
"Sorry 1. My foot slipped."
"But my bed... my room... my ceiling..."
Tin-Tin must have realised that I was beginning to feel quite agitated about the whole business. "Come on 1. Let's go have a cup of coffee. We'll leave the boys to clean up."
"Why me?" Gordon asked petulantly. "It wasn't me who didn't watch where I was going."
"Please Gordon." Alan pleaded. "I'm not going to be able to do it by myself."
"I-I'm going to call Mr Tracy." Brains said curtly and strode off down my hallway.
I was in a bit of a daze and left Tin-Tin to find the necessaries for the cuppa in my kitchen, while Trixie did her bit to 'comfort' me. "So 1. How come you have the privilege of being the guinea pig with this new equipment?"
"My house has got the newest wiring, since I'm the newest agent." At that moment I was wishing that I'd never heard of International Rescue. "Brains thought it would be easiest to modify."
"Lucky you." She said dryly.
Tin-Tin forced a cup into my hands. "Drink this," she ordered gently. "You'll feel better."
"Thanks." I took a sip and pulled back quickly. "It's a bit hot!"
"Sorry. Shall I..."
"No it's fine Tin-Tin. I'll leave it for a bit."
"Alan!" I heard Brains yell from the direction of the videphone. "Your F-Father wants a word with you."
Tin-Tin grimaced. "Brains isn't very happy with Alan at the moment." She confided in us.
"He's not the only one." I said.
She misunderstood my meaning. "Yes. Mr Tracy will be annoyed that too."
We strained to listen to Jeff Tracy's conversation with his youngest son. We couldn't hear it clearly, but got the idea that Alan was to come home. Now!
"But Dad!" Gordon was complaining. "That means I've got to clean up the mess. And it wasn't my fault!"
"I'm sorry, Gordon." I could hear Jeff apologising. "I'm sure Alan will make it up to you... somehow."
I knew of Gordon's reputation as a practical joker, and could already see the wheels of revenge turning over in his mind. I wouldn't want to be in Alan's shoes.
"Alan, you can take Thunderbird Three and relieve John from Thunderbird Five, as soon as you get back."
"But Dad!" It was Alan's turn to protest. "I'm not due to replace him for another day..."
Gordon looked disappointed, I assumed because it meant that his revenge would have to wait.
"Alan!" Jeff wasn't about to argue with his son. "Put 1 on the line will you."
"Yes sir." A chastened Alan mumbled and looked over to me. "1."
I put my cup on the table and went over to the 'phone. On the monitor I saw the patriarch of the Tracy family. "Hello Jeff."
"Hello 1. I'm really sorry about the damage. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's repaired so it's as good as new."
"Thank you Jeff. But in the meantime where am I going to stay? My bedroom has a hole in it!"
"I could pay to have you put up in a hotel, but those places are so impersonal. How would you like to stay with us for a few days?"
I was dumbstruck. I was going to stay on Tracy Island? The base of International Rescue? "Oh Jeff! That sounds great!" I hoped I didn't sound too enthusiastic, but in reality I felt like a kid who'd been given an early Christmas present.
"Good that's settled. Start packing, Alan will be leaving in one hour."
"Um, Jeff?" Trixie slid up beside me so that she could see her employer on the videphone. "Could I come too?"
"I don't know Trix..."
"Brains, Tin-Tin and Gordon can install the new equipment in my home while they're here." She said quickly. "It would make more sense than having them come back again at a later date."
"Weeeell." Jeff appeared to deliberate. "Are you sure you trust them? You've seen what's happened to 1's place."
"Jeff - I'd let Alan do the whole job by himself if it meant I had the opportunity to visit International Rescue's base." Alan looked hurt. "I'm only kidding dear." She gave him a grandmotherly kiss on the cheek.
"Okay Trixie. You can come too. Can you be ready in an hour?"
"Of course I can."
"Okay you two, see you soon." Jeff signed off.
Trixie clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, wonderful."
"What should we take?" I asked.
"It's a tropical island." Trixie said. "I'm off home to pack my bikini." She was out the door in a flash.
I saw looks of anguish pass between Alan and Gordon as they conjured up an image of the eighty-four-year-old in her bathing suit. Then Alan brightened. "Hey things aren't all bad. I'll be on Thunderbird Five!"
"Don't be mean." Tin-Tin scolded him. "She was only joking."
"You sure?" Gordon asked.
"Of course." Tin-Tin said confidently.
I knew Trixie. I wasn't so confident.
1 = first name
I opened the door to my home, hoping that I would be returning to it in better condition than when I left. I timidly stepped inside.
This first room looked thankfully unharmed.
Breathing a sigh of relief I walked through to the next room. Trixie followed closely at my heels.
This room was a mess, but intact. Wires and bits of electronics were strewn everywhere. Brains was seated in the middle of what looked to be an untidy, multicoloured birds nest. He looked up and blinked at us owlishly. "Oh, 1. You're b-back. H-Hello T-Trixie."
"Hello Brains dear. How are you?"
"F-Fine t-thank you," he frowned. "And you?"
"Box of birds, Brains. Box of birds." Trixie alliterated.
"H-How's things g-going, Brains." I discovered that nerves had given me a stutter to rival his.
Fortunately he didn't seem to notice even though his frown deepened. "T-This is t-taking longer than it should."
"Anything I can help with?" Trixie volunteered cheerfully.
"N-No thank you T-Trixie." He replied quite seriously. "I-I have enough 'Help'."
He said 'help' as if it deserved a capital H.
There was a crash from the direction of my bedroom.
Playing French Elastics with the electronic wires I ran to my most private sanctum. "Oh ***..." I fought to stop myself saying what I was thinking.
Gordon and Tin-Tin were in there, hands on hips, looking upwards, ignoring the pile of wood, plaster and dust that covered my newly made bed and freshly vacuumed carpet.
I followed their gaze and noticed a large hole in my ceiling. As I watched a blue overalled leg withdrew from the hole to be replaced by a grimy face topped with tousled hair, which should have been blond, but was instead grey with dust.
"This ceiling's none to firm..." Alan said before noticing me. "Oh... Hi 1..." he added sheepishly.
"Alan!" I said in exasperation. "What have you done?"
"Sorry 1. My foot slipped."
"But my bed... my room... my ceiling..."
Tin-Tin must have realised that I was beginning to feel quite agitated about the whole business. "Come on 1. Let's go have a cup of coffee. We'll leave the boys to clean up."
"Why me?" Gordon asked petulantly. "It wasn't me who didn't watch where I was going."
"Please Gordon." Alan pleaded. "I'm not going to be able to do it by myself."
"I-I'm going to call Mr Tracy." Brains said curtly and strode off down my hallway.
I was in a bit of a daze and left Tin-Tin to find the necessaries for the cuppa in my kitchen, while Trixie did her bit to 'comfort' me. "So 1. How come you have the privilege of being the guinea pig with this new equipment?"
"My house has got the newest wiring, since I'm the newest agent." At that moment I was wishing that I'd never heard of International Rescue. "Brains thought it would be easiest to modify."
"Lucky you." She said dryly.
Tin-Tin forced a cup into my hands. "Drink this," she ordered gently. "You'll feel better."
"Thanks." I took a sip and pulled back quickly. "It's a bit hot!"
"Sorry. Shall I..."
"No it's fine Tin-Tin. I'll leave it for a bit."
"Alan!" I heard Brains yell from the direction of the videphone. "Your F-Father wants a word with you."
Tin-Tin grimaced. "Brains isn't very happy with Alan at the moment." She confided in us.
"He's not the only one." I said.
She misunderstood my meaning. "Yes. Mr Tracy will be annoyed that too."
We strained to listen to Jeff Tracy's conversation with his youngest son. We couldn't hear it clearly, but got the idea that Alan was to come home. Now!
"But Dad!" Gordon was complaining. "That means I've got to clean up the mess. And it wasn't my fault!"
"I'm sorry, Gordon." I could hear Jeff apologising. "I'm sure Alan will make it up to you... somehow."
I knew of Gordon's reputation as a practical joker, and could already see the wheels of revenge turning over in his mind. I wouldn't want to be in Alan's shoes.
"Alan, you can take Thunderbird Three and relieve John from Thunderbird Five, as soon as you get back."
"But Dad!" It was Alan's turn to protest. "I'm not due to replace him for another day..."
Gordon looked disappointed, I assumed because it meant that his revenge would have to wait.
"Alan!" Jeff wasn't about to argue with his son. "Put 1 on the line will you."
"Yes sir." A chastened Alan mumbled and looked over to me. "1."
I put my cup on the table and went over to the 'phone. On the monitor I saw the patriarch of the Tracy family. "Hello Jeff."
"Hello 1. I'm really sorry about the damage. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's repaired so it's as good as new."
"Thank you Jeff. But in the meantime where am I going to stay? My bedroom has a hole in it!"
"I could pay to have you put up in a hotel, but those places are so impersonal. How would you like to stay with us for a few days?"
I was dumbstruck. I was going to stay on Tracy Island? The base of International Rescue? "Oh Jeff! That sounds great!" I hoped I didn't sound too enthusiastic, but in reality I felt like a kid who'd been given an early Christmas present.
"Good that's settled. Start packing, Alan will be leaving in one hour."
"Um, Jeff?" Trixie slid up beside me so that she could see her employer on the videphone. "Could I come too?"
"I don't know Trix..."
"Brains, Tin-Tin and Gordon can install the new equipment in my home while they're here." She said quickly. "It would make more sense than having them come back again at a later date."
"Weeeell." Jeff appeared to deliberate. "Are you sure you trust them? You've seen what's happened to 1's place."
"Jeff - I'd let Alan do the whole job by himself if it meant I had the opportunity to visit International Rescue's base." Alan looked hurt. "I'm only kidding dear." She gave him a grandmotherly kiss on the cheek.
"Okay Trixie. You can come too. Can you be ready in an hour?"
"Of course I can."
"Okay you two, see you soon." Jeff signed off.
Trixie clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, wonderful."
"What should we take?" I asked.
"It's a tropical island." Trixie said. "I'm off home to pack my bikini." She was out the door in a flash.
I saw looks of anguish pass between Alan and Gordon as they conjured up an image of the eighty-four-year-old in her bathing suit. Then Alan brightened. "Hey things aren't all bad. I'll be on Thunderbird Five!"
"Don't be mean." Tin-Tin scolded him. "She was only joking."
"You sure?" Gordon asked.
"Of course." Tin-Tin said confidently.
I knew Trixie. I wasn't so confident.
