Disclaimer: Thunderbirds are not mine. They belong to Gerry Anderson & Co.
All characters will be safely returned.
Author's Note: Oh, Wow. Thanks for the lovely reviews, guys! What a lovely bunch you are! And a note to our newcomer, Loren – welcome, and thanks for your lovely review! Thanks again, everyone!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Than What Meets The Eye
Chapter 2
So how HAD he gotten himself into this mess?
Alan stared upwards, mulling it over in his mind. It had been the Tuesday the previous week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry, Alan. I'm afraid this time I can't let you take Tin-Tin to the mainland. Brains needs her to help him with developing some new machinery down in the lab."
Jeff Tracy looked at the scowling face of his youngest son and groaned inwardly as he realized Alan was in one of THOSE moods.
"I'm sorry," Jeff repeated, feeling Alan shoot daggers at him from those angry blue eyes. "This time Alan, I'm afraid I have to say no."
Alan stormed out crossly, stamping his feet viciously, as if it would help his case.
Jeff rested his head on one hand and sighed. That boy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josie Tracy backed quietly away from the door of the kitchen as Alan thumped in, pretending she hadn't heard the row that had just taken place. Out of the corner of her eye she watched her youngest grandson as he sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of juice in his hand.
Josie cleared her throat before starting.
"You were making enough noise thumping around the house like that, young man." Josie didn't stop working as she spoke.
"Sorry, Grandma," Alan said truthfully, "It's just I'm not in the greatest mood at the moment."
"Really? I never would have guessed." Josie replied, sarcasm in her voice. "Is this all about your father not letting you take young Tin-Tin to the mainland?"
Alan nodded and Josie sighed.
"Alan, your father hasn't been half as strict with the two of you as he once was. You only took her to the mainland last –"
Josie was interrupted mid-speech by the sound of Thunderbird Five's alert call.
The youngest Tracy son drained what was left of the juice.
"Well, Grandma, that sounds like a rescue." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before dashing out of the kitchen with a face that still resembled that of someone who'd been sucking lemons.
Josie shook her head.
What could one do with a boy like that?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Right boys, let's get going. John's called in that there's been a rockslide near the Maricopa mountains in Arizona. Apparently a group of men are trapped in an air pocket under the rubble. Scott, off you go. Virgil, you'll need the Mole and the digging equipment."
"F.A.B father."
"Alan?"
"Mmm?"
"You go with Virgil in Thunderbird Two."
"Mmm."
Jeff ignored the fact that his youngest son was talking non-verbally and let him go on his way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One, what is your ETA at danger zone?"
"Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Two. ETA is seven minutes. How's it looking, Scott?"
"Well it was one hell of a rockslide."
Virgil was surprised at Scott's short reply, but simply answered, "F.A.B." before continuing his journey.
As he flew over the danger zone, Virgil raised his eyebrows. Scott had been right, it HAD been one hell of a rockslide.
Virgil released the pod and headed for the Mole, glad to leave the uncomfortable atmosphere behind. Alan had barely uttered two words to him through the whole journey, and he knew it sure wasn't to do with the fact that he was worried about the rescue.
"Alan, you'll be in charge of Mobile Control, OK?" Virgil said to his youngest brother through his wrist-com.
"F.A.B, Virgil."
Forgetting his sibling, Virgil headed off in the Mole.
Sulkily, Alan set up Mobile Control and stood, bored, behind it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is International Rescue. Can you hear me. Are you OK?"
"International Rescue, thank God. We're not in the greatest shape, I'm sorry to say."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"I'm sorry. Our friend Robert was hit in the rockslide. He was badly hurt. I'm afraid he's dead."
Scott swallowed. This was happening too often lately.
"How about the rest of you?"
"We're all fine. How long now? The area above our heads is starting to cave in."
"We're on our way to get you right this minute."
"Thank you, International Rescue."
Virgil watched his older brother carefully as he ended the call. He noted the look on his brother's face and guessed what had happened.
"Scott?"
He shook his head in response and looked at Virgil.
"One of the men has died."
Virgil nodded in understanding.
"Let's get who's left out then, shall we?" he said gently.
Scott nodded in response.
*****
The sun beat down on his blonde head. He wiped his brow with one hand before resuming his vigil at Mobile Control. Nervously, he glanced around. For a while now, he'd had a feeling someone was watching him. Someone not too far off...
Alan brushed off the thoughts and tried to focus. The sound of quick, rapid footsteps behind him made him whirl round anxiously.
The same plain view greeted him.
Shaking his head, he turned back...only to feel a sudden pain shoot through his head, and to be swamped in darkness...
******
They had pulled the men from their prison and all that was left was to recover Robert's body.
Scott had taken on the job, despite Virgil's protests.
He pulled out the man into the light of day. Lying him out on a stretcher, Scott went to give a silent apology to the man for not getting to him in time. As he looked at Robert's face, Scott gave a gasp.
No. It couldn't be...could it?
*******
Virgil picked up his communicator and began his transmission.
"Calling Mobile Control. Come in, Alan."
The sound of a faint breeze was all that greeted him.
"Alan? Come in, please."
There was no reply.
"Scott..." Virgil went to consult his older brother, and found him next to Robert's body. "Do you know where..."
Virgil's speech was halted mid-sentence as he saw the face.
He knew that face.
"Scott. Is it..."
Scott nodded solemnly in response.
"Oh God. We've gotta tell Dad."
************
He looked from an unconscious Alan to the pretty auburn – haired woman next to him. He smirked as he stood over Alan's motionless body.
"Hmm. International Rescue. You've fooled me too many times in the past." The Hood knelt by the two unmoving figures on the floor. "But, this time, I think I have got the better of you."
He pushed a strand of the woman's hair out of her eyes.
"For I don't just have a member of International Rescue. I've got someone else. Someone," The Hood spoke to the unconscious Alan, "that your eldest brother holds dear to his heart."
The Hood tilted Megan's chin towards him.
"And you and I both know he'll pay for her safety."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Note: A little note for any new readers who did not read Fate – Megan was Scott's physiotherapist and friend (ahem!). Don't forget to review...(you've probably noticed me, the pest, is back...)
Author's Note: Oh, Wow. Thanks for the lovely reviews, guys! What a lovely bunch you are! And a note to our newcomer, Loren – welcome, and thanks for your lovely review! Thanks again, everyone!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Than What Meets The Eye
Chapter 2
So how HAD he gotten himself into this mess?
Alan stared upwards, mulling it over in his mind. It had been the Tuesday the previous week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry, Alan. I'm afraid this time I can't let you take Tin-Tin to the mainland. Brains needs her to help him with developing some new machinery down in the lab."
Jeff Tracy looked at the scowling face of his youngest son and groaned inwardly as he realized Alan was in one of THOSE moods.
"I'm sorry," Jeff repeated, feeling Alan shoot daggers at him from those angry blue eyes. "This time Alan, I'm afraid I have to say no."
Alan stormed out crossly, stamping his feet viciously, as if it would help his case.
Jeff rested his head on one hand and sighed. That boy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Josie Tracy backed quietly away from the door of the kitchen as Alan thumped in, pretending she hadn't heard the row that had just taken place. Out of the corner of her eye she watched her youngest grandson as he sat down at the kitchen table with a glass of juice in his hand.
Josie cleared her throat before starting.
"You were making enough noise thumping around the house like that, young man." Josie didn't stop working as she spoke.
"Sorry, Grandma," Alan said truthfully, "It's just I'm not in the greatest mood at the moment."
"Really? I never would have guessed." Josie replied, sarcasm in her voice. "Is this all about your father not letting you take young Tin-Tin to the mainland?"
Alan nodded and Josie sighed.
"Alan, your father hasn't been half as strict with the two of you as he once was. You only took her to the mainland last –"
Josie was interrupted mid-speech by the sound of Thunderbird Five's alert call.
The youngest Tracy son drained what was left of the juice.
"Well, Grandma, that sounds like a rescue." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before dashing out of the kitchen with a face that still resembled that of someone who'd been sucking lemons.
Josie shook her head.
What could one do with a boy like that?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Right boys, let's get going. John's called in that there's been a rockslide near the Maricopa mountains in Arizona. Apparently a group of men are trapped in an air pocket under the rubble. Scott, off you go. Virgil, you'll need the Mole and the digging equipment."
"F.A.B father."
"Alan?"
"Mmm?"
"You go with Virgil in Thunderbird Two."
"Mmm."
Jeff ignored the fact that his youngest son was talking non-verbally and let him go on his way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird One, what is your ETA at danger zone?"
"Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Two. ETA is seven minutes. How's it looking, Scott?"
"Well it was one hell of a rockslide."
Virgil was surprised at Scott's short reply, but simply answered, "F.A.B." before continuing his journey.
As he flew over the danger zone, Virgil raised his eyebrows. Scott had been right, it HAD been one hell of a rockslide.
Virgil released the pod and headed for the Mole, glad to leave the uncomfortable atmosphere behind. Alan had barely uttered two words to him through the whole journey, and he knew it sure wasn't to do with the fact that he was worried about the rescue.
"Alan, you'll be in charge of Mobile Control, OK?" Virgil said to his youngest brother through his wrist-com.
"F.A.B, Virgil."
Forgetting his sibling, Virgil headed off in the Mole.
Sulkily, Alan set up Mobile Control and stood, bored, behind it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is International Rescue. Can you hear me. Are you OK?"
"International Rescue, thank God. We're not in the greatest shape, I'm sorry to say."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"I'm sorry. Our friend Robert was hit in the rockslide. He was badly hurt. I'm afraid he's dead."
Scott swallowed. This was happening too often lately.
"How about the rest of you?"
"We're all fine. How long now? The area above our heads is starting to cave in."
"We're on our way to get you right this minute."
"Thank you, International Rescue."
Virgil watched his older brother carefully as he ended the call. He noted the look on his brother's face and guessed what had happened.
"Scott?"
He shook his head in response and looked at Virgil.
"One of the men has died."
Virgil nodded in understanding.
"Let's get who's left out then, shall we?" he said gently.
Scott nodded in response.
*****
The sun beat down on his blonde head. He wiped his brow with one hand before resuming his vigil at Mobile Control. Nervously, he glanced around. For a while now, he'd had a feeling someone was watching him. Someone not too far off...
Alan brushed off the thoughts and tried to focus. The sound of quick, rapid footsteps behind him made him whirl round anxiously.
The same plain view greeted him.
Shaking his head, he turned back...only to feel a sudden pain shoot through his head, and to be swamped in darkness...
******
They had pulled the men from their prison and all that was left was to recover Robert's body.
Scott had taken on the job, despite Virgil's protests.
He pulled out the man into the light of day. Lying him out on a stretcher, Scott went to give a silent apology to the man for not getting to him in time. As he looked at Robert's face, Scott gave a gasp.
No. It couldn't be...could it?
*******
Virgil picked up his communicator and began his transmission.
"Calling Mobile Control. Come in, Alan."
The sound of a faint breeze was all that greeted him.
"Alan? Come in, please."
There was no reply.
"Scott..." Virgil went to consult his older brother, and found him next to Robert's body. "Do you know where..."
Virgil's speech was halted mid-sentence as he saw the face.
He knew that face.
"Scott. Is it..."
Scott nodded solemnly in response.
"Oh God. We've gotta tell Dad."
************
He looked from an unconscious Alan to the pretty auburn – haired woman next to him. He smirked as he stood over Alan's motionless body.
"Hmm. International Rescue. You've fooled me too many times in the past." The Hood knelt by the two unmoving figures on the floor. "But, this time, I think I have got the better of you."
He pushed a strand of the woman's hair out of her eyes.
"For I don't just have a member of International Rescue. I've got someone else. Someone," The Hood spoke to the unconscious Alan, "that your eldest brother holds dear to his heart."
The Hood tilted Megan's chin towards him.
"And you and I both know he'll pay for her safety."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Note: A little note for any new readers who did not read Fate – Megan was Scott's physiotherapist and friend (ahem!). Don't forget to review...(you've probably noticed me, the pest, is back...)