Fifty Nine - BF
"What are you guys up to?" Scott asked as he wandered into the simulator control room.
He heard Gordon jump and smiled at the reaction. Now that the family had come to accept Scott's condition and regard it as just a normal part of life, Gordon had decided that it would be fun to try to sneak up on Scott. Which he tried, again, and again, and again. What he hadn't reckoned on was Scott's hearing becoming more acute. The result being that Scott heard Gordon every time. What had started out as a simple practical joke had become, for Gordon, one of his life's ambitions. But what really irked him was that Scott managed to sneak up on him so often, usually without trying.
"Oh, ah, Scott." he stammered. "We're just trying something out."
"Really what?"
"Tell him Alan."
Alan glared at his redheaded brother. "Thanks." He said sarcastically. "Um. We were just trying to see if we could do what you did."
"What I did?" Scott said in surprise. "What was that?"
"Um, land Thunderbird One without being able to see."
"Oh." Scott hesitated a moment. "And can you?"
"No!" Gordon said. "We've all had a go blindfolded. We've tried to replicate the conditions you were under and we can't do it."
At that moment the door to the simulator opened and Virgil jumped out in a huff. "I don't know how he... Scott!"
"What happened Virgil. Did you crash Thunderbird One?" Scott asked wryly.
"Yes, but not that time."
"You succeeded?"
"No. I was trying it in Thunderbird Two."
"But surely you made it in Thunderbird Two?" Scott asked.
"Don't worry Virgil." Gordon said with a laugh. "We'll give you a good funeral. Shame there wasn't enough left for a decent burial. We'll just scoop what was left of you and Two up together and drop you in the hole."
"I don't get it." Virgil said. "I could understand me not being able to land Thunderbird One, I'm not so tuned in to her. But Thunderbird Two..."
"I thought you were supposed to working with Brains on that equipment." Scott said. "Not crashing all of International Rescue's aircraft."
"Brains doesn't need any help at the moment. He's going to page me as soon as he needs me. I thought to relax I'd get in a bit of practise on Thunderbird One, and then these two came up with this harebrained idea."
"Let me have a go." Scott suggested.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd want to got through that again." Gordon noted.
"I wouldn't in real life, but maybe there's something missing from the simulation. I might be able to pick up on it."
"Okay, Scott." Alan agreed. "Same conditions as last time?"
"Same conditions as last time." Scott stated firmly.
"In you go Alan" Gordon grinned. "You can lie there like a dummy. I'll get the VSM."
"Except that!" Scott said even more firmly. "Who's got the blindfold?"
Alan and Gordon burst out laughing as Virgil absentmindedly held it out to him.
***
Scott sat in the simulators seat. As he ran his hands over the controls re-familiarising himself, the memories returned as to the circumstances he'd been under last time he'd tried this.
"Ready Scott?" Gordon asked through the intercom.
"F-A-B."
"Okay, you've hovering over the runway. Do you want me to be Dad?"
"Only after Virgil told him to shut up."
"You did what?" Alan's astonished voice was heard in the background.
"I did not!" Virgil said. "I merely suggested that you'd cope better if he restricted what he was saying."
"Just as well you did, or my landing might have been as good as yours. Okay fellas. What's my height?"
They'd replicated the conditions as closely as they'd been able. Gordon read out Scott's 'height' off the ground.
The three observers watched as the simulator mimicked the forces and movements of Thunderbird One.
The ground was getting closer. Scott was sweating nearly as much as he had been the other day. Something was missing. He lowered 'Thunderbird One' a bit more.
An explosion sounded, nearly startling him out of the pilot's chair. He was glad he couldn't see the fireworks that he knew would have been displayed on the simulator screen.
"Nice one Scott." Alan said dryly. "I'm glad I'm not with you this time!"
"It's not the same." Scott protested.
"Yeah. Sure."
"Honestly. There weren't the vibrations and change in sounds when the VTOL rockets went off against the ground and the hull. That's how I knew we were close. It's why none of you managed to land."
Virgil sounded relieved. "I knew there had to be a reason."
"Yeah. The reason is that even blind Scott's a better pilot than you." Gordon teased.
Scott smiled as Virgil snapped an indignant reply. It was good to be alive. And if Professor Bunsen could reinstate his eyesight it would be even better.
"What are you guys up to?" Scott asked as he wandered into the simulator control room.
He heard Gordon jump and smiled at the reaction. Now that the family had come to accept Scott's condition and regard it as just a normal part of life, Gordon had decided that it would be fun to try to sneak up on Scott. Which he tried, again, and again, and again. What he hadn't reckoned on was Scott's hearing becoming more acute. The result being that Scott heard Gordon every time. What had started out as a simple practical joke had become, for Gordon, one of his life's ambitions. But what really irked him was that Scott managed to sneak up on him so often, usually without trying.
"Oh, ah, Scott." he stammered. "We're just trying something out."
"Really what?"
"Tell him Alan."
Alan glared at his redheaded brother. "Thanks." He said sarcastically. "Um. We were just trying to see if we could do what you did."
"What I did?" Scott said in surprise. "What was that?"
"Um, land Thunderbird One without being able to see."
"Oh." Scott hesitated a moment. "And can you?"
"No!" Gordon said. "We've all had a go blindfolded. We've tried to replicate the conditions you were under and we can't do it."
At that moment the door to the simulator opened and Virgil jumped out in a huff. "I don't know how he... Scott!"
"What happened Virgil. Did you crash Thunderbird One?" Scott asked wryly.
"Yes, but not that time."
"You succeeded?"
"No. I was trying it in Thunderbird Two."
"But surely you made it in Thunderbird Two?" Scott asked.
"Don't worry Virgil." Gordon said with a laugh. "We'll give you a good funeral. Shame there wasn't enough left for a decent burial. We'll just scoop what was left of you and Two up together and drop you in the hole."
"I don't get it." Virgil said. "I could understand me not being able to land Thunderbird One, I'm not so tuned in to her. But Thunderbird Two..."
"I thought you were supposed to working with Brains on that equipment." Scott said. "Not crashing all of International Rescue's aircraft."
"Brains doesn't need any help at the moment. He's going to page me as soon as he needs me. I thought to relax I'd get in a bit of practise on Thunderbird One, and then these two came up with this harebrained idea."
"Let me have a go." Scott suggested.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd want to got through that again." Gordon noted.
"I wouldn't in real life, but maybe there's something missing from the simulation. I might be able to pick up on it."
"Okay, Scott." Alan agreed. "Same conditions as last time?"
"Same conditions as last time." Scott stated firmly.
"In you go Alan" Gordon grinned. "You can lie there like a dummy. I'll get the VSM."
"Except that!" Scott said even more firmly. "Who's got the blindfold?"
Alan and Gordon burst out laughing as Virgil absentmindedly held it out to him.
***
Scott sat in the simulators seat. As he ran his hands over the controls re-familiarising himself, the memories returned as to the circumstances he'd been under last time he'd tried this.
"Ready Scott?" Gordon asked through the intercom.
"F-A-B."
"Okay, you've hovering over the runway. Do you want me to be Dad?"
"Only after Virgil told him to shut up."
"You did what?" Alan's astonished voice was heard in the background.
"I did not!" Virgil said. "I merely suggested that you'd cope better if he restricted what he was saying."
"Just as well you did, or my landing might have been as good as yours. Okay fellas. What's my height?"
They'd replicated the conditions as closely as they'd been able. Gordon read out Scott's 'height' off the ground.
The three observers watched as the simulator mimicked the forces and movements of Thunderbird One.
The ground was getting closer. Scott was sweating nearly as much as he had been the other day. Something was missing. He lowered 'Thunderbird One' a bit more.
An explosion sounded, nearly startling him out of the pilot's chair. He was glad he couldn't see the fireworks that he knew would have been displayed on the simulator screen.
"Nice one Scott." Alan said dryly. "I'm glad I'm not with you this time!"
"It's not the same." Scott protested.
"Yeah. Sure."
"Honestly. There weren't the vibrations and change in sounds when the VTOL rockets went off against the ground and the hull. That's how I knew we were close. It's why none of you managed to land."
Virgil sounded relieved. "I knew there had to be a reason."
"Yeah. The reason is that even blind Scott's a better pilot than you." Gordon teased.
Scott smiled as Virgil snapped an indignant reply. It was good to be alive. And if Professor Bunsen could reinstate his eyesight it would be even better.