One Hundred and Six - BF
Scott and Virgil were sitting on the patio looking out over the setting sun, listening to the waves on the beach. They were waiting for the time for the meeting to arrive.
"It's been ages since we've both been able to enjoy this." Scott said.
"Mmmn"
Scott looked at Virgil. "Penny for your thoughts."
"Huh? What's that about Penny?"
Scott gave a mock sigh. "I don't know. You've finally got your hearing back and you're not even listening to me!"
"Sorry. I've been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
"There's five of us Tracy boys..."
"Have you only just worked that out?" Despite the impending meeting Scott was in a genial mood.
"... And five senses, right."
"Right." Scott wondered where all this was heading.
"And you'd lost your sight, and I'd lost my hearing..."
"Yes..."
"So who's next?" Virgil asked seriously.
"What?"
"Three brothers. Three senses. Who's next?"
At that moment Gordon came out to join them. He was holding his arm gingerly.
"What have you done to yourself?" Scott asked.
"I was watching a fascinating TV show on the Great Barrier Reef." Gordon said as he rubbed his arm carefully. "I got so caught up in it that I didn't realise that I was laying on my arm. It's gone numb! I can't feel a thing!"
Scott and Virgil smiled at each other.
"Three down, two to go." Virgil said.
"What?" Gordon asked
"Congratulations Gordon, you've just become a member of an exclusive club." Scott told him.
"What?" Gordon asked again and then grimaced. "It's not numb now. I'm getting a case of pins and needles that you wouldn't believe." He moved and then bit his lip against the pain. "What's this club?"
"The Senseless Tracy club." Virgil told him.
"Huh."
"Don't worry about it Gordon. Just stand there and ache." Scott levered himself out of the chair. "Come on. Time we prepared ourselves for this meeting."
They wandered into the lounge
"How the heck can you lose your sense of taste or smell...?" Virgil asked no one in particular.
There was a sneeze behind them.
"Gesundheit." They heard Gordon say.
"Remind me to dank dat kid brudder of ours." John moaned. "We were only togeder den minutes when I came 'ome and 'e gives me a stweaming code." He blew his nose.
"Remind me to thank him too." Gordon said screwing up his nose. "You stink!"
"Id's Gwandma's code remedy."
"Guaranteed to cure any cold." She said cheerfully as he felt her grandson's forehead. "At least you don't have a fever."
"He still stinks." Gordon said obstinately.
"I'mb dot worried about dat." John said with a faint air of triumph. "I can'd smell id."
Once again Scott and Virgil smiled at each other "Four brothers down. One to go!" Virgil was starting to enjoy this game.
The chairs were drawn up in a semi-circle around Jeff's desk. They chose their seats at one end of the semi-circle. Gordon, moving cautiously, chose a seat beside them and then loudly insisted that John sit as far away from him as possible.
"Come here, Darling." Grandma Tracy patted the seat beside her. "You can sit next to me."
"Danks Grandma. Ad least someone still loves me."
Tin-Tin came in "Pooh! What's that smell?"
"John!" his three brothers chorused.
She sat next to Gordon.
Kyrano sat next to his daughter.
Brains drew the short straw and ended up sitting next to Grandma Tracy.
Alan came in. "I'm not well," he moaned. "I shouldn't be at this meeting."
"Rubbish!" his Grandmother informed him. "Your cold's almost gone."
"Only almost," Alan was in a black mood.
"For Pete's sake, Alan. It's only a cold. Anyone would think you were at deaths door." Scott scolded him.
"I think I am," he said mournfully. "Where am I sitting?"
"Next to John!" Gordon informed him. "The smell of his liniment will help your cold."
Alan screwed up his nose in distaste. "Thanks."
"How come you're both on Earth? If you ask me, anyone who gets a cold should be banished to Thunderbird Five." Gordon stated firmly. "Somewhere where the rest of us aren't affected by the stench of that liniment!"
Jeff Tracy was the last to arrive. "Mother! Couldn't you have fixed him up after dinner? I'm not going to feel like eating with that smell." He opened some windows even more.
"Who's going back up to Thunderbird Five after the meeting?" Grandma asked. "Neither of those two should fly in their condition."
"We'll worry about who's going to Thunderbird Five after the meeting." Jeff informed him.
Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Brains and Tin-Tin looked at each other uneasily.
Alan sneezed.
"Gesundheit." Everyone said.
Everyone except John. "Serve you righd."
"Charming!" Alan griped. "I get no sympathy. I still can't taste anything," he continued to moan. "That's what I hate about colds. I lose my sense of taste for too long..."
Virgil started to laugh.
Everyone stared at him.
"Sorry." He tried to keep a straight face.
It didn't work.
He started laughing again.
"Virgil." Scott scolded him. "Behave." He gave a snort and sneezed himself.
"There!" Virgil said triumphantly. "You just did it!"
"Did what?" Scott asked in amazement.
"That snort-sneeze-laugh thing. I told you you did that!" Virgil was still laughing.
"I didn't!"
Gordon was smiling, as was the rest of the family. "Yes you did. You think this is funny!"
"Well... maybe..." Scott made the mistake of looking at Virgil.
They both cracked up.
"Boys. Settle down." Jeff said.
It didn't work. In fact they laughed harder.
"Whad id fuddy?" John asked.
"You mean apart from the way you're talking." Virgil managed to gasp out. "Five down. Five members of the 'Senseless..."
"Don't say it!" Scott pleaded between laughs.
"You two are a worry!" Tin-Tin stated.
"Better than a fl..."
"Don't say it!" Tears of laughter were running down Virgil's face.
"I wish you guys would let us into the joke." Gordon frowned at them.
By now neither of them could speak.
"Boys! I want to get started on this meeting!" Jeff said sternly. "If you don't behave I'll separate you. One of you can sit next to John!"
"Danks!" John said indignantly. "Dow I'm a punishment!" He stood up. "I'mb goin' to wash id off!"
"Don't you dare!" His grandmother scolded him.
Scott and Virgil leant on each other for support, still laughing hysterically.
"John sit down!" Jeff ordered. "And you two stop laughing!"
Scott struggled to get himself under control. "Sorry." He said wiping the tears out of his eyes. "It's been a long year. And not always one where I've felt like laughing."
"You've no idea how good it is to hear laughter." Virgil added. "Even my own. I'm sorry," he cleared his throat, "I'm okay now."
Brains sighed. "At th-this rate, it'll be Christmas before we even g-get started."
"Christmas." Scott said wistfully. "I'll be able to see the lights this year. I really missed that..."
"Hear the Carols..." Virgil added.
"See my family unwrap their presents..."
"Quiet!" Jeff ordered, frowning at the pair of them.
"Sorry." Scott said. "We got carried away."
"We'll shut up." Virgil offered.
"Good!" Jeff said. "Because I want to discuss a serious matter. I want to discuss the future of International Rescue..."
Scott and Virgil were sitting on the patio looking out over the setting sun, listening to the waves on the beach. They were waiting for the time for the meeting to arrive.
"It's been ages since we've both been able to enjoy this." Scott said.
"Mmmn"
Scott looked at Virgil. "Penny for your thoughts."
"Huh? What's that about Penny?"
Scott gave a mock sigh. "I don't know. You've finally got your hearing back and you're not even listening to me!"
"Sorry. I've been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
"There's five of us Tracy boys..."
"Have you only just worked that out?" Despite the impending meeting Scott was in a genial mood.
"... And five senses, right."
"Right." Scott wondered where all this was heading.
"And you'd lost your sight, and I'd lost my hearing..."
"Yes..."
"So who's next?" Virgil asked seriously.
"What?"
"Three brothers. Three senses. Who's next?"
At that moment Gordon came out to join them. He was holding his arm gingerly.
"What have you done to yourself?" Scott asked.
"I was watching a fascinating TV show on the Great Barrier Reef." Gordon said as he rubbed his arm carefully. "I got so caught up in it that I didn't realise that I was laying on my arm. It's gone numb! I can't feel a thing!"
Scott and Virgil smiled at each other.
"Three down, two to go." Virgil said.
"What?" Gordon asked
"Congratulations Gordon, you've just become a member of an exclusive club." Scott told him.
"What?" Gordon asked again and then grimaced. "It's not numb now. I'm getting a case of pins and needles that you wouldn't believe." He moved and then bit his lip against the pain. "What's this club?"
"The Senseless Tracy club." Virgil told him.
"Huh."
"Don't worry about it Gordon. Just stand there and ache." Scott levered himself out of the chair. "Come on. Time we prepared ourselves for this meeting."
They wandered into the lounge
"How the heck can you lose your sense of taste or smell...?" Virgil asked no one in particular.
There was a sneeze behind them.
"Gesundheit." They heard Gordon say.
"Remind me to dank dat kid brudder of ours." John moaned. "We were only togeder den minutes when I came 'ome and 'e gives me a stweaming code." He blew his nose.
"Remind me to thank him too." Gordon said screwing up his nose. "You stink!"
"Id's Gwandma's code remedy."
"Guaranteed to cure any cold." She said cheerfully as he felt her grandson's forehead. "At least you don't have a fever."
"He still stinks." Gordon said obstinately.
"I'mb dot worried about dat." John said with a faint air of triumph. "I can'd smell id."
Once again Scott and Virgil smiled at each other "Four brothers down. One to go!" Virgil was starting to enjoy this game.
The chairs were drawn up in a semi-circle around Jeff's desk. They chose their seats at one end of the semi-circle. Gordon, moving cautiously, chose a seat beside them and then loudly insisted that John sit as far away from him as possible.
"Come here, Darling." Grandma Tracy patted the seat beside her. "You can sit next to me."
"Danks Grandma. Ad least someone still loves me."
Tin-Tin came in "Pooh! What's that smell?"
"John!" his three brothers chorused.
She sat next to Gordon.
Kyrano sat next to his daughter.
Brains drew the short straw and ended up sitting next to Grandma Tracy.
Alan came in. "I'm not well," he moaned. "I shouldn't be at this meeting."
"Rubbish!" his Grandmother informed him. "Your cold's almost gone."
"Only almost," Alan was in a black mood.
"For Pete's sake, Alan. It's only a cold. Anyone would think you were at deaths door." Scott scolded him.
"I think I am," he said mournfully. "Where am I sitting?"
"Next to John!" Gordon informed him. "The smell of his liniment will help your cold."
Alan screwed up his nose in distaste. "Thanks."
"How come you're both on Earth? If you ask me, anyone who gets a cold should be banished to Thunderbird Five." Gordon stated firmly. "Somewhere where the rest of us aren't affected by the stench of that liniment!"
Jeff Tracy was the last to arrive. "Mother! Couldn't you have fixed him up after dinner? I'm not going to feel like eating with that smell." He opened some windows even more.
"Who's going back up to Thunderbird Five after the meeting?" Grandma asked. "Neither of those two should fly in their condition."
"We'll worry about who's going to Thunderbird Five after the meeting." Jeff informed him.
Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Brains and Tin-Tin looked at each other uneasily.
Alan sneezed.
"Gesundheit." Everyone said.
Everyone except John. "Serve you righd."
"Charming!" Alan griped. "I get no sympathy. I still can't taste anything," he continued to moan. "That's what I hate about colds. I lose my sense of taste for too long..."
Virgil started to laugh.
Everyone stared at him.
"Sorry." He tried to keep a straight face.
It didn't work.
He started laughing again.
"Virgil." Scott scolded him. "Behave." He gave a snort and sneezed himself.
"There!" Virgil said triumphantly. "You just did it!"
"Did what?" Scott asked in amazement.
"That snort-sneeze-laugh thing. I told you you did that!" Virgil was still laughing.
"I didn't!"
Gordon was smiling, as was the rest of the family. "Yes you did. You think this is funny!"
"Well... maybe..." Scott made the mistake of looking at Virgil.
They both cracked up.
"Boys. Settle down." Jeff said.
It didn't work. In fact they laughed harder.
"Whad id fuddy?" John asked.
"You mean apart from the way you're talking." Virgil managed to gasp out. "Five down. Five members of the 'Senseless..."
"Don't say it!" Scott pleaded between laughs.
"You two are a worry!" Tin-Tin stated.
"Better than a fl..."
"Don't say it!" Tears of laughter were running down Virgil's face.
"I wish you guys would let us into the joke." Gordon frowned at them.
By now neither of them could speak.
"Boys! I want to get started on this meeting!" Jeff said sternly. "If you don't behave I'll separate you. One of you can sit next to John!"
"Danks!" John said indignantly. "Dow I'm a punishment!" He stood up. "I'mb goin' to wash id off!"
"Don't you dare!" His grandmother scolded him.
Scott and Virgil leant on each other for support, still laughing hysterically.
"John sit down!" Jeff ordered. "And you two stop laughing!"
Scott struggled to get himself under control. "Sorry." He said wiping the tears out of his eyes. "It's been a long year. And not always one where I've felt like laughing."
"You've no idea how good it is to hear laughter." Virgil added. "Even my own. I'm sorry," he cleared his throat, "I'm okay now."
Brains sighed. "At th-this rate, it'll be Christmas before we even g-get started."
"Christmas." Scott said wistfully. "I'll be able to see the lights this year. I really missed that..."
"Hear the Carols..." Virgil added.
"See my family unwrap their presents..."
"Quiet!" Jeff ordered, frowning at the pair of them.
"Sorry." Scott said. "We got carried away."
"We'll shut up." Virgil offered.
"Good!" Jeff said. "Because I want to discuss a serious matter. I want to discuss the future of International Rescue..."