Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds in any way shape or form – I'm merely borrowing them from Gerry Anderson and Carlton Enterprises, and will return them (relatively) unharmed when I'm done!
Chapter Seven – Is There Something I Should Know?
I know you're watching me every minute of the day, yeah
I've seen the signs and the looks and the pictures
They give your game away, yeah…
Gordon sauntered through the house, having dried and dressed from his dip in the pool. One of the perks of being on a tropical island were the warm evenings – despite it only being early June he'd finished his swim well past 7pm. He ran a hand through his still-damp hair and entered the lounge, ready to offer a cheery 'hello' to its occupants – but didn't when he caught sight of his brothers.
John was lying across the couch with a battered copy of 'Lord Of The Rings' in his hands – the trilogy was a firm favourite with all and had been thumbed through many times. Virgil was on the floor, humming distractedly as he shuffled through the scattered papers surrounding him, marking on them in odd places with a pencil. Gordon recognised it as sheet music – his brother's musical muse had obviously prodded him into starting a new piece. It looked a peaceful enough scene, but the tension was obvious in their expressions.
"Okay" Gordon said slowly "What happened?"
Virgil didn't look up "Whatever you do, don't bug Dad. He'd not in a good mood"
"Why?" the copper-head settled himself in a chair, having first glanced at his fathers desk which Jeff had vacated moments before.
"Alan called"
Gordon frowned "So?"
Realising Virgil wasn't going to elaborate, John sighed and put down Tolkien's work.
"What's today's date?"
"The 6th"
"And what will it be in two weeks time?"
Gordon did the math, and solved the problem. "Tin-Tin's birthday. Alan asked to come back early, didn't he?"
John snorted "If he'd 'asked' maybe the result would've been different. But in his usual style it sounded like an order instead of a request, and when Dad said 'no' he moaned"
"Like hell" Virgil added.
"And Dad went nuclear?"
Nods of assent from his siblings.
"If he'd waited instead of whinging I'd have offered to go up to the station earlier and it wouldn't have been a problem. But between his bleating and Dad getting riled I couldn't get a word in edgeways"
Virgil stopped adding notes to answer scornfully "Yeah, and how many times do you bail him out? He can't keep doing this – it's not fair on you"
John shrugged "I don't mind – it's not that big a deal. He just handled it wrong"
"No kidding. And mentioning Scott was a bad move"
"Don't tell me – Alan brought up Scott's date"
"Yep" Virgil was now chewing the end of the pencil "And predictably, Dad went mad. Said it wasn't fair to compare – Scott never takes time off but Alan's always looking for an excuse to shirk his stints in T5. Told him to lay off and if he asked again Dad would have him on satellite duty for an extra fortnight"
"Ouch. So where's Dad now?"
"The range"
"Oh boy"
Jeff only resorted to shooting things when he was really angry.
John nodded "I'd say we're at Defcon 3"
"More like Defcon 2" Virgil muttered "So like I said, don't go upsetting Dad"
"No fear" Gordon shuddered theatrically, then checked the time. "Speaking of Scott, shouldn't he be back by now?"
"Remember there's a time difference between us and England"
"That's my point – they're six hours ahead. That makes it almost 2am over there. What could they be doing?"
He got incredulous looks from both directions.
"I didn't mean that!" Gordon added hastily.
John chuckled "Should hope so. It's a first date"
"You didn't see him talking to her at Penny's. For all we know…" Virgil let his words hang.
"Scott? Nah, he wouldn't"
"Hey, you never know. It's been a while – and she's cute"
Gordon shook his head "Uh-uh. I reckon the furthest he'll get is smooching"
John looked sceptical "You think he'll kiss her? He was pretty nervy when I spoke to him"
"I still say he won't be back 'til much later" Virgil laughed.
Gordon grinned "Wanna bet?"
Scott glanced at his watch as he left the island hanger – not quite 8:30pm. He'd left London at around 1am English time, having made sure AJ had got back home okay.
He smiled, thinking about the evening – but the grin faded as he headed into the main villa – no way would his family not give him an inquisition over what had happened. Unsurprisingly, his brothers were gathered in the lounge with Tin-Tin.
"Hi all"
"Hey bro!" Came Gordon's enthusiastic reply, obliterating Virgil's muttered 'damn!' from his area of the floor. Scott braced himself as Tin-Tin and John looked up from their respective literature, and Virgil from his sea of music.
"So – how'd it go?"
"Pretty good"
"Pretty good?' Virgil echoed.
"Oh alright – it was fantastic" the grin was wide.
"Good. Did you follow my advice?"
"Worked like a charm – you're hired, John. Thanks, it really helped"
"No problem"
"And?" Gordon prompted, having shifted to face his eldest brother, chin resting on the back of the chair.
"And what?"
"What did you guys do?"
"Talked, ate, walked…"
"Any action?"
Tin-Tin threw Gordon a stern look as Virgil groaned "Subtle Gord – real subtle"
Scott rolled his eyes "Don't you have anything better to do than imagine what goes on in my love-life?"
"Aha – so you have one then! That means first base – at least!"
"Gordon!"
"Sorry bro', but I gotta know. Please?"
Scott sighed, resigning himself to the inevitable. "We kissed – that's all. Are you happy now?"
"Very" Gordon held out hands in John and Gordon's directions. "You heard the man – now pay up!"
It was then that Scott noticed all three of his siblings had wallets at their sides.
"You were betting on me!?!"
"Yeah – last time I ever gamble. Thanks pal" Virgil grumbled, counting out bills.
"What do you mean, gambling?"
At the sound of their father's voice, all three froze.
"Er…"
"I'll ask again" Jeff's tone was dangerous from the doorway..
"Dad, it's not…"
"What's going on?" Grandma had appeared.
"They were betting! Betting on Scott's date! This really takes the cake – first Alan, now you three…"
"Jeff!"
His tirade was interrupted
"Leave it"
"Mother…"
"I said, leave it. I will deal with the boys, just go and cool down"
Seeing he was beaten, Jeff left – frustrated at not being able to vent his displeasure.
"Now first of all – Scott, did you have a good time?"
"I did thanks, Grandma"
"I'm glad" Satisfied, she turned to her other three grandchildren, aware that Jeff that was still in earshot.
"What are you boys playing at? Gambling on your own brother – I ask you, is that how you were raised? Utterly disgraceful"
"Grandma!" Virgil was outraged. John and Gordon were wearing similar expressions.
"Uh – I think I'll leave you guys to it and…go someplace else" Scott saw his chance for escape and took it, making for the hall.
Craning her head to make certain her son had indeed left, Josie called after Scott.
"Oh I forgot to ask! Did you have a goodnight kiss?"
"Grandma! What is it with you people – yes, we did!"
"And I expect you instigated that, didn't you?"
Gordon threw a horrified look at his brothers.
"If you really wanna know – she did. AJ kissed me, so there you go. Jeez!" Throwing his hands up in despair, Scott disappeared before anymore embarrassing questions could be asked.
Josephine Tracy cast her eyes over the three chastised men in front of her.
"Well I hope you learned you lesson. Gambling is wrong" A look of glee crossed her features and she held out her hand expectantly to Gordon, who muttered something about psychic grandmothers and handed over his winnings, Tin-Tin laughing hard at the looks of defeat on all three brothers faces.
"And that you should never underestimate your Grandma – betting on Scott indeed!" She winked as she tucked the money in her skirt pocket "I knew his girl would make the first move"
Several hours later in another part of the world, AJ woke up to a dismal London in drizzling rain – and late.
Her date with Scott hadn't ended until almost 1am – he'd insisted on escorting her home, (still not trusting the Tube) completing her view about him being the perfect gentlemen. And, like a perfect gentlemen, he never mentioned going with her up to the apartment (though he did steal a few more kisses before they parted for the night).
She couldn't dwell too much on the night before as she had a hasty shower, threw on clean jeans and a shirt, fed Bruce and headed out the door.
Good thing it only takes 20 minutes and two jumps via the Tube to get to work, as she arrived at Vauxhall Cross station. A few minutes of light jogging got her to the required building, one keycard and retinal scan later and she was in – with three minutes to spare.
AJ landed in her seat, checked the clock and with a sigh of relief leant her head against the desk. These early mornings are gonna kill me
A large foam cup of coffee magically appeared to her left. AJ lifted her eyes to see familiar blond spikes and a cheery grin.
"Mornin' AJ – coffee?"
"Eric, you are an angel" AJ sniffed the cup appreciatively "Any way you can inject this directly into my veins?"
Eric laughed, hopped over to AJ's right and perched on the edge of the desk. Eric was one of her few close friends – in their occupation buddies outside of work weren't much of an option. Eric Reese was the youngest member of their little group – but his formidable language skills more than made up for it.
"So – how did last night go?"
"Great – really great"
"Really?" Eric swung his legs merrily "You get a kiss?"
"Several"
"Nice one! 'Bout time you met a nice guy – apart from me, that is"
He got a light punch on the shoulder.
"You go girl" they were joined by a petite Japanese woman. "Scott – right?"
"Hi Sakura – yes, his name's Scott."
Sakura Murphy eyed AJ's paler-than-usual features, rummaged in a vast shoulder bag and produced several cereal bars and an apple.
"Did you have breakfast this morning?"
"That obvious, huh?
"Eat"
AJ dutifully followed instructions. Eric grinned and snaffled a strawberry flavoured snack from the pile.
"What?" in answer to Sakura's glare "I'm hungry too!"
"Pig" Sakura shook her head, but let it ride. At 36 and happily married to an accountant with three children she took it upon herself to look out for the well-being of her close knit circle. "Anyone know what today's agenda holds?"
Eric shrugged "The usual. I'm on surveillance with Hari this morning – so it's the van of doom and Mars Bars for us. Boss left a pile of business papers for you Sakura – s'on your desk"
"Japanese?"
"What else? And as for our loved-up girl here…" he got an amused look "…it's back to hacking that Russian system again."
"Damn. Didn't they read my last report – those emails had nothing in them but porno and references to the Moscow State Circus! Nothing remotely worth us investigating"
"Mmm…Russian porn" Eric closed his eyes to enhance the imaginings.
"Perv"
"Hey, one of us has to be. Speaking of – anyone seen Hari yet? We've got T-minus eleven minutes before we gotta be on the road – and I still need to stock up on food"
AJ wordlessly pushed the rest of the cereal bars in his direction, taking a bite out of the apple.
"Aw – thanks mate" she received a kiss on the cheek for her trouble as Eric bounced away.
"That boy's energy"
"I know. Don't envy Hari much – trapped in a van for the day with hyper Eric? No thanks" AJ grimaced
"And this before the Mars Bars"
"Don't go there"
"So tell me about this new hunk of yours"
"Sakura!"
"Come on – you're dying to spill, admit it"
AJ caved, and told her about the previous night. Sakura was impressed.
"I had the idea all American billionaires would be either sleazy or complete weirdo's"
"Scott's not a billionaire – his father is"
"And that makes a real difference" came the sarcastic reply "Apples never fall far from the tree. But all the same, I'm glad he's a nice guy. No offence AJ, but you've dated some real scum in the past"
"Seconded" came a voice from behind.
"Hari!"
Startled, both women turned sharply to greet the remaining member of their crowd, Hari Kishore. At 6'5 the well-built Indian man with his strikingly handsome features looked like he'd just walked off a movie set – until his opened his mouth, and the strong Liverpudlian accent ruined all allusions.
"You know Eric's looking for you, right?"
Hari nodded "Yeah, I do. But I wanted to say 'mornin' and give you a heads up, AJ. Boss is looking for ya"
"That sounds ominous"
"Doesn't it just – I'd better head off and see why I'm wanted. Cheers, Hari"
"Eh, no problem"
For all her cheerfulness, AJ was secretly concerned. The department heads very rarely pulled in any of the lowly language experts – it was 'real' agents in the field that had that dubious privilege. Straightening her shirt, and wishing fervently she'd worn something other than jeans to work AJ rapped smartly on the office door, determined not to show she was worried.
"Enter"
AJ did so, her eyes flicking round the plush office before resting on the man sitting behind the desk.
"Ah, Anderton. I wanted a word"
AJ suppressed a grimace. Their boss, a balding squat man in his early fifties referred to all by their surnames, something that rankled the staff immensely. Marcus Low was at least fair – he treated all his subordinates like he'd found them on the soles of his shoes.
"Some concern was raised over your recent behaviour"
"Sir?"
"Last night"
AJ mentally cursed. She knew what this was about. If she'd followed standard procedure and ensured that her date had met all requirements this wouldn't be happening, and they wouldn't have been watched, but not being high in the organisation 'food-chain' she hadn't bothered, assuming it wouldn't be noticed. Fat chance.
"You were lucky. This new…'friend' of yours checks out, otherwise we'd be having an entirely different conversation. As it is, this is going no further than this office, and I expect it to stay that way"
The 'thankyou' AJ uttered was a strained one.
"Forgive me being blunt sir, but I didn't think there'd be a problem. I'm not officially working in the field and – "
"And therein lies the problem. No, officially, you're not. But you still act as an agent and your services extend beyond translation in this building – or did I imagine your trip to France?"
"No sir"
"My point exactly. You may not be out there working for us all the time, but we still require you to travel elsewhere with sensitive material – and being that you do so under the occasional assumed name makes you an agent in the eyes of the organisation. Which in turn means that any…liaisons you may wish to pursue must be done with our approval"
"And do I have that approval, sir?" the sarcasm was evident, but Marcus chose to ignore it.
"You were lucky this time. Scott Tracy has not been perceived as a threat in any way, shape or form, and therefore you are free to continue your relationship with him. But be warned, this must not happen again. Ensure that you take the proper checks in future – do I make myself clear?"
Resisting the urge to add 'crystal', AJ answered with a simple 'yes, sir'.
Sakura caught the brunt of AJ's displeasure as the annoyed women stalked past her desk.
"What happened?"
AJ explained. Colourfully.
"What bloody right do they have to go spying on me? How sodding ironic is that? British Intelligence, my ar-"
"AJ" Sakura broke in "Calm down, love. It's standard procedure – you know that"
AJ exhaled loudly "I know. But it still sucks"
"One date with an American and you're already starting to sound like one"
"So long as I can keep Scott out of this. Last thing I want is for him to be dragged into the whole 'secret identity' trip"
"Who says working for MI6 is dull?" Sakura quipped
"Yeah. Remind again why I do this job?"
"The money?"
"I knew there was something else besides the frequent flyer miles I'm racking up"