Chapter 9
"So Virgil says over the radio. 'We got something better than instruments. We got a duck."
Scott laughed.
"I said we gotta a DOG. Specially trained search and rescue dog. Not duck." Virgil tried to look serious, but spoiled it with a snicker. "Though in that weather a duck would have been useful."
The post rescue unwinding was swinging along nicely. After several hours of scraping mud off themselves and equipment and a lively but rewarding debriefing with Marie everyone was settled in the lounge with hot drinks.
"That dog was something else though." John said admiringly. "Ugliest dog I've ever seen, but it was sure quick and smart.
"I tell you father, it was amazing. The dog went over that mudslide with the rescue rope almost without getting a paw muddy." Scott enthused. "It would have taken us ten minutes to get a line over otherwise. And then it would have been too late."
"Maybe we should think about having a dog for rescues." John said slowly.
"We haven't had a dog since we were kids." Virgil said slightly wistfully. "But," He continued on a slightly drier note. "If I see that dog lift a leg one more time on my ship its going to taking a one way trip to the pound at the end of my boot."
"What kind of dog was it? Your dog, I mean." Marie asked.
"Cocker spaniel." Jeff added. "A very lovable dog."
"Got run over." Scott said dryly. "Dumb dog."
"Dzenita says that it took two years to train Handy." John said quietly, changing the subject. The spaniel had been Scott's dog.
"Who are Handy and Dzenita?" Gordon asked.
John rubbed the side of his nose and stared out the window, a sure sign of him avoiding the issue.
His family knew enough by now to wait out the silence and that John would cough up the information eventually.
"Handy's the dog, Dzenita is his owner and trainer. He's pretty smart."
"Is she pretty?" Marie asked.
John shrugged. "Hard to tell under all the mud we were plastered with. She was nice."
"I saw you talking to her after the rescue. Were you asking about the dog?" Virgil asked.
"Yeah. And I asked her out for a date." John smiled slightly. His family couldn't have been more astounded than if he had cocked a leg on Thunderbird 2 himself.
Scott beat his father's comments of outrage by a few milliseconds.
"John!" His brother protested putting his cup of hot cocoa on the end table with a bang. "Security..."
"Son. I don't think...!" Jeff added in his sternest voice.
"That's the beauty of it Father. She already knows I'm with International Rescue, she doesn't know who I am otherwise." He paused, "I said I'd take her out." he finished with a quiet firmness that meant he wasn't going to be budged. "And I will."
"Oh good for you honey." Grandma enthused. "You be sure and take her somewhere nice. Wear a tie."
"I don't like this John." Jeff grumped. "The risk to security for International rescue is not to be taken lightly. I can't stop you men from your romances." Jeff eyed his second oldest son who pulled his wife a fraction tighter to him.
"Darn right you can't!" Marie added brightly.
"No more risky than John Tracy dating someone." John rubbed the side of his nose again. "Like I said, she's a nice person." He added a little defensively. "I meet more nice people as a member of International Rescue than I do as a son of billionaire Jeff Tracy."
"What she going to call you? Hey you?" Gordon said with a bitter snarl that almost went unnoticed.
"They gave us nicknames." John said quietly. "Didn't you know that?"
"Huh? What's that about?" Virgil had been nuzzling his wife's ear and whispering promises, but came up for air and a question.
"I've heard the gossip too! Seems our rescue colleagues have given us nicknames." Scott grinned, "I'm Ace."
A silence fell on the company.
"Drop the other shoe Scott. Tell us our names." Virgil finally prodded.
"Oh, you aren't interested. Is there anything on the vid tonight?" Scott yawned widely.
A barrage of pillows and one cookie was thrown at him.
"Okay, okay. Virgil is Deuce." Scott took a bite of the cookie after picking off a piece of fluff.
Virgil put up two fingers in a victory sign. "Yeah, Deuce!" He cheered.
"John is...I'm sorry but there must be a lot of women involved with this one...Apollo."
"Cool. I like that. God of the sun." John beamed.
"Alan is Jack. Jack of Hearts."
"Oh Tin Tin will love that." Marie muttered.
"And Gordon. Well a fitting name for our redhead. He's Joker."
"Gee thanks. Who thinks up these names? Teenagers?" Gordon growled.
"They could have called you 'Flash'." Jeff chuckled remembering that his son used to be called that by his friends.
"Only Em called me Flash." Gordon muttered.
"So Virgil says over the radio. 'We got something better than instruments. We got a duck."
Scott laughed.
"I said we gotta a DOG. Specially trained search and rescue dog. Not duck." Virgil tried to look serious, but spoiled it with a snicker. "Though in that weather a duck would have been useful."
The post rescue unwinding was swinging along nicely. After several hours of scraping mud off themselves and equipment and a lively but rewarding debriefing with Marie everyone was settled in the lounge with hot drinks.
"That dog was something else though." John said admiringly. "Ugliest dog I've ever seen, but it was sure quick and smart.
"I tell you father, it was amazing. The dog went over that mudslide with the rescue rope almost without getting a paw muddy." Scott enthused. "It would have taken us ten minutes to get a line over otherwise. And then it would have been too late."
"Maybe we should think about having a dog for rescues." John said slowly.
"We haven't had a dog since we were kids." Virgil said slightly wistfully. "But," He continued on a slightly drier note. "If I see that dog lift a leg one more time on my ship its going to taking a one way trip to the pound at the end of my boot."
"What kind of dog was it? Your dog, I mean." Marie asked.
"Cocker spaniel." Jeff added. "A very lovable dog."
"Got run over." Scott said dryly. "Dumb dog."
"Dzenita says that it took two years to train Handy." John said quietly, changing the subject. The spaniel had been Scott's dog.
"Who are Handy and Dzenita?" Gordon asked.
John rubbed the side of his nose and stared out the window, a sure sign of him avoiding the issue.
His family knew enough by now to wait out the silence and that John would cough up the information eventually.
"Handy's the dog, Dzenita is his owner and trainer. He's pretty smart."
"Is she pretty?" Marie asked.
John shrugged. "Hard to tell under all the mud we were plastered with. She was nice."
"I saw you talking to her after the rescue. Were you asking about the dog?" Virgil asked.
"Yeah. And I asked her out for a date." John smiled slightly. His family couldn't have been more astounded than if he had cocked a leg on Thunderbird 2 himself.
Scott beat his father's comments of outrage by a few milliseconds.
"John!" His brother protested putting his cup of hot cocoa on the end table with a bang. "Security..."
"Son. I don't think...!" Jeff added in his sternest voice.
"That's the beauty of it Father. She already knows I'm with International Rescue, she doesn't know who I am otherwise." He paused, "I said I'd take her out." he finished with a quiet firmness that meant he wasn't going to be budged. "And I will."
"Oh good for you honey." Grandma enthused. "You be sure and take her somewhere nice. Wear a tie."
"I don't like this John." Jeff grumped. "The risk to security for International rescue is not to be taken lightly. I can't stop you men from your romances." Jeff eyed his second oldest son who pulled his wife a fraction tighter to him.
"Darn right you can't!" Marie added brightly.
"No more risky than John Tracy dating someone." John rubbed the side of his nose again. "Like I said, she's a nice person." He added a little defensively. "I meet more nice people as a member of International Rescue than I do as a son of billionaire Jeff Tracy."
"What she going to call you? Hey you?" Gordon said with a bitter snarl that almost went unnoticed.
"They gave us nicknames." John said quietly. "Didn't you know that?"
"Huh? What's that about?" Virgil had been nuzzling his wife's ear and whispering promises, but came up for air and a question.
"I've heard the gossip too! Seems our rescue colleagues have given us nicknames." Scott grinned, "I'm Ace."
A silence fell on the company.
"Drop the other shoe Scott. Tell us our names." Virgil finally prodded.
"Oh, you aren't interested. Is there anything on the vid tonight?" Scott yawned widely.
A barrage of pillows and one cookie was thrown at him.
"Okay, okay. Virgil is Deuce." Scott took a bite of the cookie after picking off a piece of fluff.
Virgil put up two fingers in a victory sign. "Yeah, Deuce!" He cheered.
"John is...I'm sorry but there must be a lot of women involved with this one...Apollo."
"Cool. I like that. God of the sun." John beamed.
"Alan is Jack. Jack of Hearts."
"Oh Tin Tin will love that." Marie muttered.
"And Gordon. Well a fitting name for our redhead. He's Joker."
"Gee thanks. Who thinks up these names? Teenagers?" Gordon growled.
"They could have called you 'Flash'." Jeff chuckled remembering that his son used to be called that by his friends.
"Only Em called me Flash." Gordon muttered.