Forty Seven - BF
"Ah, Brains! There you are!" Virgil wandered into the lab.
Brains had his head buried in a box that housed some sensitive equipment. "Virgil." He acknowledged, his voice muffled by the box.
"I was wondering." Virgil began. "Would it be possible to modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?"
Brains raised his head so that only his spectacle-framed eyes were visible above the lid. He blinked at Virgil owlishly. "Pardon?"
Virgil tried again. "Would it be possible to modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?"
"M-Modify Mobile Control? What does M-Mr Tracy say about this?"
"What does Mr Tracy say about what?" Jeff Tracy said genially as he walked into the lab and dropped some papers on a bench. "There's our notes on the space rescue pods."
"Ah, th-thank you." Brains looked at Virgil and didn't answer the question.
This piqued Jeff's curiosity. "Well?"
"I just asked Brains..." Virgil started hesitantly.
"Yes." Jeff prompted.
"If he could modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?" Virgil repeated for the third time.
Jeff frowned. "Are you serious?"
Virgil nodded.
"Why?" his father asked.
"I think Scott could still be of use on rescues..."
But Jeff was shaking his head. "No. Out of the question."
"But why, Father?"
"He'd be in the middle of the danger zone. It'd be too dangerous, both for Scott and anyone about him."
"I'm not talking about him being on the front line. There's no reason why he can't continue being the Rescue Co-ordinator from Mobile Control."
"What does Scott think about this?"
"I haven't mentioned it to him."
"Then don't! The idea's absurd."
"Why?"
"The Rescue Co-ordinator needs to be able to access all the information available to him. And that means being able to see it!"
"Not all the information comes in visual form. A lot is from what we tell him over the radio. Then there's optical character recognition and voice recognition software that could convert any information he's given into something he can use. And I don't see why all information received couldn't be transmitted to Thunderbird Five. It would give John something to do other than listen to us. He could be a back up..."
"How on earth did you get such a harebrained idea?" Jeff asked.
"I was the Rescue Co-ordinator on the last rescue, remember. All I did most of the time was cool my heels and listen in to what Alan and Gordon were up to. They were underground so I couldn't see what was happening. I had to rely on their reports and what information was being fed to Mobile Control..."
"I'm not going to listen to any more of this." Jeff snapped.
Virgil determined that he was not going to lose his cool. "Please hear me out. Surely Brains could set up Mobile Control so that all information is displayed in tactile and audio form."
"Virgil..." Jeff protested.
Virgil continued on gamely. "The way things are at the moment, we've only got three operatives able to carry out rescues and if one has to remain at Mobile Control..."
"There's always Brains and Tin-Tin."
"Capable, but their talents are better used elsewhere. As I was saying, if one has to remain at Mobile Control and someone's injured or on leave we're seriously understaffed. If Scott's on Mobile Control that would free up the rest of us up to carry out the rescue."
"How do you expect Scott to get out there? He can't fly Thunderbird One and he can't travel in Thunderbird Two. The whole point of One was to get things organised before you arrived."
"Someone else, lets say Alan or John, would pilot Thunderbird One, help Scott set up Mobile Control and be on hand to help when Thunderbird Two arrives."
"Brains!" Jeff appealed to the engineer, who'd tried to keep out of the family argument by doodling ideas on some draft paper. "You can see the idea's ludicrous can't you."
Brains looked up. "O-On the contrary M-Mr Tracy. I-I think the idea has some merit."
"Then you can modify Mobile Control?" Virgil asked.
Brains nodded. "I've already been w-working with Scott on some of the suggestions you've made." He noted their surprised expressions and added quickly. "N-Not for International Rescue's benefit, j-just for day-to-day use. B-But they could be m-modified certainly."
"Great!" Virgil smiled. "What do you think Father?"
"No! Absolutely not! I'm not exposing International Rescue to ridicule."
Virgil stood there with his mouth hanging open. "Is that what's worrying you? That we'll lose credibility just because the rescue is co-ordinated by someone who's blind."
Jeff's already deep frown got even deeper. "People have to be able to trust us. How can they if they are dealing with someone who can't see them, can't see what's going on?"
Virgil folded his arms firmly, trying to keep his temper in check. "You know what that is don't you. It's discrimination. You're discriminating against your own son."
"No I'm trying to protect him and the organisation."
"I think Scott can look out for himself. As for International Rescue, I thought we were bigger than that."
"While Scott can't see..." Jeff started.
It was too much for Virgil. "For Pete's sake! Can't anyone in this household say the word. He's blind! It's not that big a word and it's something we've all got to get used to."
"Virgil!" Jeff anger was obvious.
"Did Alan tell you why he was late getting to your meeting tonight?" Virgil asked.
"He got stuck in the electronics room when the door fused." Jeff said wondering what this had to do with anything.
"Right!" Virgil noted that Alan had obviously omitted a few facts when giving the explanation to his father. "And who got him out?"
"You and Scott."
"Right! Me AND Scott. Scott was first there. He ascertained what was wrong and what was needed. By the time I got there Scott had it all worked out. He told me to get the... necessary equipment and found some of it himself. He couldn't see the problem, but he solved it. I believe he can still be our Rescue Co-ordinator and operate Mobile Control!" Virgil decided that there wasn't any use in pushing the point any further. If his father wasn't prepared to accept the idea then he'd have to leave it, for now anyway.
Jeff thought for a moment. "What do the other's think?" he said finally.
"I don't know. I haven't discussed it with them. I wanted to see if Mobile Control could be modified first"
"We'll have to check. If they're uncomfortable with the idea it'll never work."
Virgil stared at his father. "You're prepared to give it a go?"
"If Scott's got 100 percent support. If he hasn't it just won't work. And there's something else I think you haven't thought of Virgil?"
"What's that?"
"What if Scott doesn't want to do it?"
***
Half an hour later Jeff called a meeting in the lounge. Brains was keeping Scott out of the way by agreeing to discuss the plans for some aids he'd come up with.
"Hi John." Alan greeted his older brother, who was joining them via his portrait.
"Hi kiddo. Watcha done wrong this time?"
"Nothing!" Alan protested.
"Yeah sure." Even from this distance John enjoyed giving his kid brothers a hard time.
"What's up Dad?" Gordon flopped onto a seat and propped his feet up on the coffee table. His Grandmother quickly swatted them down again.
"I've called you together because I want to sound you out on a few things." Jeff began cautiously. "How would you feel about Scott taking over Mobile Control again?"
"What! No way!" Alan exclaimed. But it was an exclamation of disbelief rather than dismay.
"But how?" John said.
"You mean out there... while we're on a rescue?" Gordon asked.
Jeff nodded. "Brains thinks he can modify Mobile Control so that Scott can use it."
"What does Scott think?" Alan asked.
"He doesn't know." Jeff admitted. "I wanted to see how you feel about it first."
"It's a risk isn't it?" Gordon said.
"A calculated one. Obviously he'd have to be fully trained up again. We'd have to be sure that he was totally confident that he could do the job. We were thinking of routing all the information to Thunderbird Five so that John could keep an eye on things."
"But is it safe Jeff?" his mother wanted to know.
"No. But then it never was. And Mobile Control is safer than doing the rescue itself."
"But Mobile Control has to be first on the scene..." Alan started.
"The thought was that you, or John, and Scott would fly to the danger zone in Thunderbird One and you could help him set up." Jeff sat back. "I'd like to know you're thoughts. Do you think it could work? Gordon?"
"I-I don't know. It sounds great but..." he shrugged.
Jeff left him "John?"
"It would give me more to do, which would be good." John said. "I think between the two of us we could handle it."
"Alan?"
"It'd be great to have Scott ordering us about again..." Alan turned to Virgil who was standing off to one side, arms folded, watching proceedings. "But what about you Virg.? You haven't said anything."
"It was Virgil's idea." Jeff informed them.
"You just want to get control of Thunderbird Two again!" Gordon accused. "But I think it's worth a shot Dad. See how Scott goes in simulated situations and then make the decision."
Virgil smiled. Just as he'd thought, all his brothers had welcomed the idea.
"Ah, Brains! There you are!" Virgil wandered into the lab.
Brains had his head buried in a box that housed some sensitive equipment. "Virgil." He acknowledged, his voice muffled by the box.
"I was wondering." Virgil began. "Would it be possible to modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?"
Brains raised his head so that only his spectacle-framed eyes were visible above the lid. He blinked at Virgil owlishly. "Pardon?"
Virgil tried again. "Would it be possible to modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?"
"M-Modify Mobile Control? What does M-Mr Tracy say about this?"
"What does Mr Tracy say about what?" Jeff Tracy said genially as he walked into the lab and dropped some papers on a bench. "There's our notes on the space rescue pods."
"Ah, th-thank you." Brains looked at Virgil and didn't answer the question.
This piqued Jeff's curiosity. "Well?"
"I just asked Brains..." Virgil started hesitantly.
"Yes." Jeff prompted.
"If he could modify Mobile Control so that Scott could use it?" Virgil repeated for the third time.
Jeff frowned. "Are you serious?"
Virgil nodded.
"Why?" his father asked.
"I think Scott could still be of use on rescues..."
But Jeff was shaking his head. "No. Out of the question."
"But why, Father?"
"He'd be in the middle of the danger zone. It'd be too dangerous, both for Scott and anyone about him."
"I'm not talking about him being on the front line. There's no reason why he can't continue being the Rescue Co-ordinator from Mobile Control."
"What does Scott think about this?"
"I haven't mentioned it to him."
"Then don't! The idea's absurd."
"Why?"
"The Rescue Co-ordinator needs to be able to access all the information available to him. And that means being able to see it!"
"Not all the information comes in visual form. A lot is from what we tell him over the radio. Then there's optical character recognition and voice recognition software that could convert any information he's given into something he can use. And I don't see why all information received couldn't be transmitted to Thunderbird Five. It would give John something to do other than listen to us. He could be a back up..."
"How on earth did you get such a harebrained idea?" Jeff asked.
"I was the Rescue Co-ordinator on the last rescue, remember. All I did most of the time was cool my heels and listen in to what Alan and Gordon were up to. They were underground so I couldn't see what was happening. I had to rely on their reports and what information was being fed to Mobile Control..."
"I'm not going to listen to any more of this." Jeff snapped.
Virgil determined that he was not going to lose his cool. "Please hear me out. Surely Brains could set up Mobile Control so that all information is displayed in tactile and audio form."
"Virgil..." Jeff protested.
Virgil continued on gamely. "The way things are at the moment, we've only got three operatives able to carry out rescues and if one has to remain at Mobile Control..."
"There's always Brains and Tin-Tin."
"Capable, but their talents are better used elsewhere. As I was saying, if one has to remain at Mobile Control and someone's injured or on leave we're seriously understaffed. If Scott's on Mobile Control that would free up the rest of us up to carry out the rescue."
"How do you expect Scott to get out there? He can't fly Thunderbird One and he can't travel in Thunderbird Two. The whole point of One was to get things organised before you arrived."
"Someone else, lets say Alan or John, would pilot Thunderbird One, help Scott set up Mobile Control and be on hand to help when Thunderbird Two arrives."
"Brains!" Jeff appealed to the engineer, who'd tried to keep out of the family argument by doodling ideas on some draft paper. "You can see the idea's ludicrous can't you."
Brains looked up. "O-On the contrary M-Mr Tracy. I-I think the idea has some merit."
"Then you can modify Mobile Control?" Virgil asked.
Brains nodded. "I've already been w-working with Scott on some of the suggestions you've made." He noted their surprised expressions and added quickly. "N-Not for International Rescue's benefit, j-just for day-to-day use. B-But they could be m-modified certainly."
"Great!" Virgil smiled. "What do you think Father?"
"No! Absolutely not! I'm not exposing International Rescue to ridicule."
Virgil stood there with his mouth hanging open. "Is that what's worrying you? That we'll lose credibility just because the rescue is co-ordinated by someone who's blind."
Jeff's already deep frown got even deeper. "People have to be able to trust us. How can they if they are dealing with someone who can't see them, can't see what's going on?"
Virgil folded his arms firmly, trying to keep his temper in check. "You know what that is don't you. It's discrimination. You're discriminating against your own son."
"No I'm trying to protect him and the organisation."
"I think Scott can look out for himself. As for International Rescue, I thought we were bigger than that."
"While Scott can't see..." Jeff started.
It was too much for Virgil. "For Pete's sake! Can't anyone in this household say the word. He's blind! It's not that big a word and it's something we've all got to get used to."
"Virgil!" Jeff anger was obvious.
"Did Alan tell you why he was late getting to your meeting tonight?" Virgil asked.
"He got stuck in the electronics room when the door fused." Jeff said wondering what this had to do with anything.
"Right!" Virgil noted that Alan had obviously omitted a few facts when giving the explanation to his father. "And who got him out?"
"You and Scott."
"Right! Me AND Scott. Scott was first there. He ascertained what was wrong and what was needed. By the time I got there Scott had it all worked out. He told me to get the... necessary equipment and found some of it himself. He couldn't see the problem, but he solved it. I believe he can still be our Rescue Co-ordinator and operate Mobile Control!" Virgil decided that there wasn't any use in pushing the point any further. If his father wasn't prepared to accept the idea then he'd have to leave it, for now anyway.
Jeff thought for a moment. "What do the other's think?" he said finally.
"I don't know. I haven't discussed it with them. I wanted to see if Mobile Control could be modified first"
"We'll have to check. If they're uncomfortable with the idea it'll never work."
Virgil stared at his father. "You're prepared to give it a go?"
"If Scott's got 100 percent support. If he hasn't it just won't work. And there's something else I think you haven't thought of Virgil?"
"What's that?"
"What if Scott doesn't want to do it?"
***
Half an hour later Jeff called a meeting in the lounge. Brains was keeping Scott out of the way by agreeing to discuss the plans for some aids he'd come up with.
"Hi John." Alan greeted his older brother, who was joining them via his portrait.
"Hi kiddo. Watcha done wrong this time?"
"Nothing!" Alan protested.
"Yeah sure." Even from this distance John enjoyed giving his kid brothers a hard time.
"What's up Dad?" Gordon flopped onto a seat and propped his feet up on the coffee table. His Grandmother quickly swatted them down again.
"I've called you together because I want to sound you out on a few things." Jeff began cautiously. "How would you feel about Scott taking over Mobile Control again?"
"What! No way!" Alan exclaimed. But it was an exclamation of disbelief rather than dismay.
"But how?" John said.
"You mean out there... while we're on a rescue?" Gordon asked.
Jeff nodded. "Brains thinks he can modify Mobile Control so that Scott can use it."
"What does Scott think?" Alan asked.
"He doesn't know." Jeff admitted. "I wanted to see how you feel about it first."
"It's a risk isn't it?" Gordon said.
"A calculated one. Obviously he'd have to be fully trained up again. We'd have to be sure that he was totally confident that he could do the job. We were thinking of routing all the information to Thunderbird Five so that John could keep an eye on things."
"But is it safe Jeff?" his mother wanted to know.
"No. But then it never was. And Mobile Control is safer than doing the rescue itself."
"But Mobile Control has to be first on the scene..." Alan started.
"The thought was that you, or John, and Scott would fly to the danger zone in Thunderbird One and you could help him set up." Jeff sat back. "I'd like to know you're thoughts. Do you think it could work? Gordon?"
"I-I don't know. It sounds great but..." he shrugged.
Jeff left him "John?"
"It would give me more to do, which would be good." John said. "I think between the two of us we could handle it."
"Alan?"
"It'd be great to have Scott ordering us about again..." Alan turned to Virgil who was standing off to one side, arms folded, watching proceedings. "But what about you Virg.? You haven't said anything."
"It was Virgil's idea." Jeff informed them.
"You just want to get control of Thunderbird Two again!" Gordon accused. "But I think it's worth a shot Dad. See how Scott goes in simulated situations and then make the decision."
Virgil smiled. Just as he'd thought, all his brothers had welcomed the idea.