Sixty Nine - BF
Professor Bunsen, Jeff and Alan were standing on the balcony watching Thunderbird Two's return.
"What an amazing plane." The Professor commented above the roar of the horizontal jets. "So much power."
"Too much power." Alan commented. Thunderbird Two swung around so that her nose was pointing away from the cliff house. The VTOL rockets burst into life. Thunderbird Two briefly rose higher. "He's using way too much power."
Jeff had a worried look on his face. "Something's wrong. Virgil hasn't radioed in requesting clearance to land."
"Perhaps he's not piloting it." Professor Bunsen suggested.
Jeff shook his head. "Gordon knows the protocol. Surely they're not letting Scott fly her."
Alan shook his head. "Thunderbird Two? While Virgil's on board? There's not a chance."
Despite their concerns the actual landing was perfect. Thunderbird Two began to taxi back into the cliff.
"I'm going down there." Jeff stated. "Something's not right."
"I'm coming too." Alan offered.
Bunny Bunsen tagged along out of interest.
***
"Virgil." Scott was saying. "Can we talk about this?"
"Gordon!" Virgil stood and glared at his younger brother. "Get him off my plane now."
"But Virgil." Gordon protested. "Do you want a hand cleaning Thunderbird..."
"Now!" Virgil thundered.
"Come on Scott." Gordon said quietly. "Take my arm." He activated the switch that sent the passenger lift down to them.
When it arrived it was occupied. "What's wrong boys?" Jeff asked.
"All I want to do is get my 'bird ready for her next flight!" Virgil snapped. "Can't I be left alone to do that?"
To Jeff and Alan's eyes Gordon was looking a little pale. "What if I help you Virgil." He offered. "Dad and Alan can take Scott back up."
"Just so long as he goes!"
"Virgil please. Let's talk about this." Scott begged. "You know I'm sorry."
"What's going on?" Jeff tried to get some answers.
"Oh for Pete's sake." Virgil had reached the end of his tether. "I'm outta here. I just hope that International Rescue isn't going to be needed for the next few hours 'cause Thunderbird Two's not going to be ready!" He sat back down in his pilot's seat and began the backwards ride out of the cockpit, feeling all the time that it was a vaguely ridiculous way to storm out of a room.
They watched the panel in the ceiling of the cockpit close after him.
"Amazing" Professor Bunsen breathed.
Scott sank down onto a passenger seat. "He hates me. I can't believe it. He said he hates me!" Then he stood up. "I'm going to have to talk to him."
Gordon caught his arm. "I'm sorry Scott. I wish I hadn't brought it up."
"It's not your fault." Scott said grimly. "The blame rests firmly with me. I should have done something months ago. I guess I'm blind in more ways than one." Ignoring the others he got into the passenger elevator and sent it travelling back up to the lounge.
"Gordon." Jeff tried again patiently. "What's going on?"
Gordon explained what he knew, including repeating word for word Scott's statement that Virgil had quoted. "I've never known Virgil to be like this before. One minute he was laughing and talking with us, and the next... it was like he was a totally different person. Dad! Did you know about this?"
"I didn't know the full story. Virgil only gave me the 'highlights'. He didn't tell me the comment about your mother blaming him. That's ridiculous of course." Jeff ran his hand over his eyes. "He seemed okay about it later on, so I left it. I shouldn't have. This is partly my fault. I think perhaps it'd be better if I talked to Virgil. The mood he's in he's not going to want to listen to Scott." He called the passenger elevator back down.
"I'll take care of Thunderbird Two." Gordon offered. "I'd also like to take Virgil's place on Thunderbird Three in the morning, if that's okay. I couldn't have coped this afternoon if it hadn't been for him talking to me. I at least owe him that."
Jeff gave him a slight smile. "I'd appreciate that son. I'm sure Virgil will too." He stepped into the lift.
"Wait for me." Bunny Bunsen was watching events unfold with obvious fascination. He stepped into the lift beside Jeff. "This is fascinating! The interactive dynamics of a patriarchal masculine familial entity in turmoil."
"What did he just say?" Alan asked Gordon as the lift rose up out of sight.
"I don't know, but I feel like a bug under a microscope." Gordon replied as he walked over to Thunderbird Two's console. He was surprised to find that despite Virgil's outburst he'd started the diagnostic's programme as well as the exterior cleaning one. "There's nothing we can do here at the moment. I think I'll go get changed and then come back down."
"You were joking weren't you?" Alan asked as they rode the lift back up to the lounge. "Scott didn't really say that, did he?"
"He didn't deny it."
They arrived in the lounge.
The only ones present were Brains, who looked alarmed, and the Professor, who looked miffed that he'd been told not to follow Jeff.
"Wh-What happened?" Brains asked. "B-Bunny said Scott and Virgil were arguing."
"Well Virgil was... pretty annoyed with Scott." Gordon said, trying to play it down while the Professor was present.
"He must have b-been." Brains said. "He 'murdered' a piece of m-music."
"He WHAT!?" Alan said. "Virgil! 'Murder' some music! Classical or jazz?"
"C-Classical."
"Ouch!" Gordon winced. "Then he's not annoyed, he's furious!"
"What do you mean 'murdered' the music?" The Professor asked.
"Virgil reckons that if you turn off a piece of music, before the last note is finished, you've 'murdered' it." Alan explained. "He doesn't worry quite so much with jazz..."
"You can never tell the difference in my opinion anyway." Gordon interrupted.
"...But classical pieces are sacrosanct. I snuck into his room once and turned off his stereo when he had some Rachmaninoff, or something, playing, and he literally threw me back into the hall. The bruises lasted a week!"
"Oh." The Professor said agreeably. "Well that makes sense."
***
Professor Bunsen, Jeff and Alan were standing on the balcony watching Thunderbird Two's return.
"What an amazing plane." The Professor commented above the roar of the horizontal jets. "So much power."
"Too much power." Alan commented. Thunderbird Two swung around so that her nose was pointing away from the cliff house. The VTOL rockets burst into life. Thunderbird Two briefly rose higher. "He's using way too much power."
Jeff had a worried look on his face. "Something's wrong. Virgil hasn't radioed in requesting clearance to land."
"Perhaps he's not piloting it." Professor Bunsen suggested.
Jeff shook his head. "Gordon knows the protocol. Surely they're not letting Scott fly her."
Alan shook his head. "Thunderbird Two? While Virgil's on board? There's not a chance."
Despite their concerns the actual landing was perfect. Thunderbird Two began to taxi back into the cliff.
"I'm going down there." Jeff stated. "Something's not right."
"I'm coming too." Alan offered.
Bunny Bunsen tagged along out of interest.
***
"Virgil." Scott was saying. "Can we talk about this?"
"Gordon!" Virgil stood and glared at his younger brother. "Get him off my plane now."
"But Virgil." Gordon protested. "Do you want a hand cleaning Thunderbird..."
"Now!" Virgil thundered.
"Come on Scott." Gordon said quietly. "Take my arm." He activated the switch that sent the passenger lift down to them.
When it arrived it was occupied. "What's wrong boys?" Jeff asked.
"All I want to do is get my 'bird ready for her next flight!" Virgil snapped. "Can't I be left alone to do that?"
To Jeff and Alan's eyes Gordon was looking a little pale. "What if I help you Virgil." He offered. "Dad and Alan can take Scott back up."
"Just so long as he goes!"
"Virgil please. Let's talk about this." Scott begged. "You know I'm sorry."
"What's going on?" Jeff tried to get some answers.
"Oh for Pete's sake." Virgil had reached the end of his tether. "I'm outta here. I just hope that International Rescue isn't going to be needed for the next few hours 'cause Thunderbird Two's not going to be ready!" He sat back down in his pilot's seat and began the backwards ride out of the cockpit, feeling all the time that it was a vaguely ridiculous way to storm out of a room.
They watched the panel in the ceiling of the cockpit close after him.
"Amazing" Professor Bunsen breathed.
Scott sank down onto a passenger seat. "He hates me. I can't believe it. He said he hates me!" Then he stood up. "I'm going to have to talk to him."
Gordon caught his arm. "I'm sorry Scott. I wish I hadn't brought it up."
"It's not your fault." Scott said grimly. "The blame rests firmly with me. I should have done something months ago. I guess I'm blind in more ways than one." Ignoring the others he got into the passenger elevator and sent it travelling back up to the lounge.
"Gordon." Jeff tried again patiently. "What's going on?"
Gordon explained what he knew, including repeating word for word Scott's statement that Virgil had quoted. "I've never known Virgil to be like this before. One minute he was laughing and talking with us, and the next... it was like he was a totally different person. Dad! Did you know about this?"
"I didn't know the full story. Virgil only gave me the 'highlights'. He didn't tell me the comment about your mother blaming him. That's ridiculous of course." Jeff ran his hand over his eyes. "He seemed okay about it later on, so I left it. I shouldn't have. This is partly my fault. I think perhaps it'd be better if I talked to Virgil. The mood he's in he's not going to want to listen to Scott." He called the passenger elevator back down.
"I'll take care of Thunderbird Two." Gordon offered. "I'd also like to take Virgil's place on Thunderbird Three in the morning, if that's okay. I couldn't have coped this afternoon if it hadn't been for him talking to me. I at least owe him that."
Jeff gave him a slight smile. "I'd appreciate that son. I'm sure Virgil will too." He stepped into the lift.
"Wait for me." Bunny Bunsen was watching events unfold with obvious fascination. He stepped into the lift beside Jeff. "This is fascinating! The interactive dynamics of a patriarchal masculine familial entity in turmoil."
"What did he just say?" Alan asked Gordon as the lift rose up out of sight.
"I don't know, but I feel like a bug under a microscope." Gordon replied as he walked over to Thunderbird Two's console. He was surprised to find that despite Virgil's outburst he'd started the diagnostic's programme as well as the exterior cleaning one. "There's nothing we can do here at the moment. I think I'll go get changed and then come back down."
"You were joking weren't you?" Alan asked as they rode the lift back up to the lounge. "Scott didn't really say that, did he?"
"He didn't deny it."
They arrived in the lounge.
The only ones present were Brains, who looked alarmed, and the Professor, who looked miffed that he'd been told not to follow Jeff.
"Wh-What happened?" Brains asked. "B-Bunny said Scott and Virgil were arguing."
"Well Virgil was... pretty annoyed with Scott." Gordon said, trying to play it down while the Professor was present.
"He must have b-been." Brains said. "He 'murdered' a piece of m-music."
"He WHAT!?" Alan said. "Virgil! 'Murder' some music! Classical or jazz?"
"C-Classical."
"Ouch!" Gordon winced. "Then he's not annoyed, he's furious!"
"What do you mean 'murdered' the music?" The Professor asked.
"Virgil reckons that if you turn off a piece of music, before the last note is finished, you've 'murdered' it." Alan explained. "He doesn't worry quite so much with jazz..."
"You can never tell the difference in my opinion anyway." Gordon interrupted.
"...But classical pieces are sacrosanct. I snuck into his room once and turned off his stereo when he had some Rachmaninoff, or something, playing, and he literally threw me back into the hall. The bruises lasted a week!"
"Oh." The Professor said agreeably. "Well that makes sense."
***