Eighty One - BF
It was dinnertime that same evening. Everyone was hungry. They sat down and eyed up the food that had been placed on the table waiting for the last members of the group to arrive.
"How's Tin-Tin, Kyrano?" Alan asked before taking a sip of his drink.
"She is feeling tired, Mister Alan." Kyrano informed him gravely. "She will eat in bed and then sleep."
Scott rotated his sore shoulders and rubbed at the bandages that protected his grazed arm. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Isn't Virgil joining us this evening too?"
The rest of the group looked at each other.
"Did anyone think to tell him dinner was ready?" Scott asked.
"I rang the dinner bell as usual." Grandma said defensively.
"That's a fat load of good to him." Scott said.
"Scott! Don't talk to your Grandmother like that." Jeff reproached him.
"Well! What do you expect?" Scott huffed. "He was telling me today how frustrating he's finding this, how we all tend to forget that he can't hear. He feels lonely..."
"Lonely?" Gordon exclaimed.
"Yes! Lonely!"
"Is that why he was walking back home this afternoon?" Alan asked.
Scott sighed. "This is ridiculous. Brains, you thought of modifying Mobile Control so that I could carry on with International Rescue. You should be able to come up with something to help him communicate with us on a day to day level."
"It wasn't m-my idea to m-modify Mobile Control.' Brains informed him.
"It wasn't your idea?" This was news to Scott "Then whose was it?"
"V-Virgil's."
"Virgil?"
The rest of the family were nodding.
"He convinced us that it would work." Jeff told him. He received a reproachful look from his mother and took a drink from his cup to hide his feelings of guilt.
Scott threw his napkin onto the table. "I'm going to get him."
***
Scott found Virgil working in his studio. The easel was positioned so that he could paint the scene outside his window.
The scene of the approaching storm.
"Hi." Virgil said when he saw Scott.
Dinner's ready.
"Is it?" Virgil added a dab of paint and then put down his palette and brush.
Thank you.
"For what?"
For having faith in me. Scott said emotionally.
"Well you're a stronger swimmer than I am, and I couldn't hear Tin-Tin to find her..."
No, I don't mean today.
Virgil looked at him questioningly. "I know what the words are you just said, but I don't understand."
I just found out it was your idea to modify Mobile Control.
"Oh, that." Virgil said dismissively. "That was logical."
No one else thought of it.
"They would have eventually. They were still finding out what you were capable of. I already knew."
I don't know about that. I've got the feeling Father wasn't too keen.
Virgil gave a little smile. "He was dead against it initially. But the others were all for it, so he decided to give you a chance. Just as well you proved us right!"
Thank you. Scott said again.
"Well I said you could do something with International Rescue. I suddenly realised what that was." Virgil noticed that the rain had started to pelt down on his window. "Looks like it's going to be a big storm."
Yes.
There was a flash of light.
Virgil didn't see him make the sign. He continued to stare outside. "This is good. I can pretend the tinnitus is actually the rain beating down on my window."
V... Scott wanted to try and talk.
Virgil placed his hand on the window pane. "I can feel it vibrating. Was that thunder?" He finally looked at Scott.
Yes. V...
There was another flash of lightening.
Scott turned away, his eyes blinded by the sudden light.
Virgil began to count. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, te... There's more thunder!" He felt the vibrations through the glass. "The centre of the storm is only two miles away. Isn't this great!"
More lightening.
Scott closed his eyes. The lightning's hurting my eyes. I'm going back to have dinner. Are you coming?
"No. I'm not hungry. I want to paint this storm."
With those hands?
"They're okay. I can paint right handed."
Are you sure about dinner?
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you in the morning."
Night. Another bolt of lightning forced Scott from the room.
Virgil sighed. He didn't feel fine. He felt terrible. He was stiff and sore and his hands hurt. The tinnitus was louder than it had ever been and he felt vaguely queasy. On top of all that he was feeling slightly giddy and he could feel the beginnings of a headache. He picked up the palette and painted in a lightening bolt and some rain. Then he put down the painting implements again.
A flash of lightning drew his attention back to the window. He didn't have time to start counting before he felt the vibrations through the windowpane.
The storm was here.
He stared outside. The Pacific Ocean was now obliterated by the driving rain. He could feel the force of it beating against the window and was just able see the palm trees lashing wildly in the wind.
He pressed his forehead against the window feeling the cool glass against his skin.
A single tear ran down his cheek.
It was dinnertime that same evening. Everyone was hungry. They sat down and eyed up the food that had been placed on the table waiting for the last members of the group to arrive.
"How's Tin-Tin, Kyrano?" Alan asked before taking a sip of his drink.
"She is feeling tired, Mister Alan." Kyrano informed him gravely. "She will eat in bed and then sleep."
Scott rotated his sore shoulders and rubbed at the bandages that protected his grazed arm. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Isn't Virgil joining us this evening too?"
The rest of the group looked at each other.
"Did anyone think to tell him dinner was ready?" Scott asked.
"I rang the dinner bell as usual." Grandma said defensively.
"That's a fat load of good to him." Scott said.
"Scott! Don't talk to your Grandmother like that." Jeff reproached him.
"Well! What do you expect?" Scott huffed. "He was telling me today how frustrating he's finding this, how we all tend to forget that he can't hear. He feels lonely..."
"Lonely?" Gordon exclaimed.
"Yes! Lonely!"
"Is that why he was walking back home this afternoon?" Alan asked.
Scott sighed. "This is ridiculous. Brains, you thought of modifying Mobile Control so that I could carry on with International Rescue. You should be able to come up with something to help him communicate with us on a day to day level."
"It wasn't m-my idea to m-modify Mobile Control.' Brains informed him.
"It wasn't your idea?" This was news to Scott "Then whose was it?"
"V-Virgil's."
"Virgil?"
The rest of the family were nodding.
"He convinced us that it would work." Jeff told him. He received a reproachful look from his mother and took a drink from his cup to hide his feelings of guilt.
Scott threw his napkin onto the table. "I'm going to get him."
***
Scott found Virgil working in his studio. The easel was positioned so that he could paint the scene outside his window.
The scene of the approaching storm.
"Hi." Virgil said when he saw Scott.
Dinner's ready.
"Is it?" Virgil added a dab of paint and then put down his palette and brush.
Thank you.
"For what?"
For having faith in me. Scott said emotionally.
"Well you're a stronger swimmer than I am, and I couldn't hear Tin-Tin to find her..."
No, I don't mean today.
Virgil looked at him questioningly. "I know what the words are you just said, but I don't understand."
I just found out it was your idea to modify Mobile Control.
"Oh, that." Virgil said dismissively. "That was logical."
No one else thought of it.
"They would have eventually. They were still finding out what you were capable of. I already knew."
I don't know about that. I've got the feeling Father wasn't too keen.
Virgil gave a little smile. "He was dead against it initially. But the others were all for it, so he decided to give you a chance. Just as well you proved us right!"
Thank you. Scott said again.
"Well I said you could do something with International Rescue. I suddenly realised what that was." Virgil noticed that the rain had started to pelt down on his window. "Looks like it's going to be a big storm."
Yes.
There was a flash of light.
Virgil didn't see him make the sign. He continued to stare outside. "This is good. I can pretend the tinnitus is actually the rain beating down on my window."
V... Scott wanted to try and talk.
Virgil placed his hand on the window pane. "I can feel it vibrating. Was that thunder?" He finally looked at Scott.
Yes. V...
There was another flash of lightening.
Scott turned away, his eyes blinded by the sudden light.
Virgil began to count. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, te... There's more thunder!" He felt the vibrations through the glass. "The centre of the storm is only two miles away. Isn't this great!"
More lightening.
Scott closed his eyes. The lightning's hurting my eyes. I'm going back to have dinner. Are you coming?
"No. I'm not hungry. I want to paint this storm."
With those hands?
"They're okay. I can paint right handed."
Are you sure about dinner?
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you in the morning."
Night. Another bolt of lightning forced Scott from the room.
Virgil sighed. He didn't feel fine. He felt terrible. He was stiff and sore and his hands hurt. The tinnitus was louder than it had ever been and he felt vaguely queasy. On top of all that he was feeling slightly giddy and he could feel the beginnings of a headache. He picked up the palette and painted in a lightening bolt and some rain. Then he put down the painting implements again.
A flash of lightning drew his attention back to the window. He didn't have time to start counting before he felt the vibrations through the windowpane.
The storm was here.
He stared outside. The Pacific Ocean was now obliterated by the driving rain. He could feel the force of it beating against the window and was just able see the palm trees lashing wildly in the wind.
He pressed his forehead against the window feeling the cool glass against his skin.
A single tear ran down his cheek.