Devlinn Reiko-sama - glad you liked the update and that you don't think Alan being afraid of John is a little to farfetched. I was wondering if people would go along with that or not. Thanks for the review.
bograt - glad to hear you're enjoying the story. Is this soon enough for you?
AngelMouse 5 - again I'm glad to see people can see where I'm coming from with my portrayal of the John/Alan relationship. I'm glad you liked the second chapter as I wasn't too sure about it. Its one of those tranisition chapters that needs to be in there to move the story to the next point but your not really sure how to write it if you know what I mean. This next chapter was much easier to write.
Lauren - I think the T-bird muse is back (at least for this story as I still don't know what to do about the other one). Hope you keep reading and reviewing. The reviews inspire me.
Iadc- I'm glad I caught your attention. I have to say I do kind of like Alan in the movie but John, even though he was kind of overlooked, was hands down my favorite. The one I didn't like is Scott. He seemed to perfect which I'm kind of fixing in my own way. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Marblez - well I got Alan to the station. Alan and John interaction will be coming up in the fourth chapter.
Arashi no Baka - thanks for the review. It means a lot to me. Please keep reading and reviewing.
Opal girl - thanks for the review. Again I'm glad people are accepting the John/Alan relationship I created.
andrewjameswilliams - you're the only one that commented about the Tin-tin/Alan conversation which actually surprised me. I'm glad at least I know someone liked that part.
A/N: To everyone, thanks for the reviews and consider this chapter my gift to you for being such wonderful reviewers. To anyone who celebrates Christamas - Merry Christmas.
Alan's POV:
I woke up the next morning in a good mood because I was in my own room. I was at home. Not at some boarding school miles away from my family. However, then I remembered where it was I was going this morning and the good mood faded.
I thought I was going to be spending the week at home but instead I was going to be sent away again. Sent to spend a week with John, in outer space. I might as well still be at Wilson Academy. I knew my classmates better than I did John anyway.
I heard a knock on my door and then Virgil's voice.
"Alan, Dad says to get down to the breakfast table. He wants to leave soon."
"I'll be right down," I called back throwing the blankets back and swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
I knew there was no point in stalling. Dad had sent Virgil this time but the next time it would be him and he wouldn't be knocking on the door neither. Instead, he would just be coming into the room and telling me to get a move on.
I went to my closet and pulled out some clothes to change into. I quickly through them on, grabbed my backpack from the desk and the duffel bag Tin-tin had helped me pack the night before and headed downstairs.
I dropped my bags by the wall at the bottom of the stairs and headed into the kitchen. The rest of my family was already there.
"There's the convicted felon now," Scott said as I walked into the kitchen. I ignored the comment and walked over to where Onaha was standing at the stove preparing a plate for me. I took it from her as Gordon joined in on the teasing.
"Yeah, he must have done something really bad this time to get sentenced to a week on Thunderbird 5. That's doing hard time."
"He probably snuck a girl into the school and was making out with her in the headmaster's office," Virgil said in a fake whisper to Scott and Gordon. The three of them laughed although no one else in the room did.
Before I could make any remarks though my father spoke up.
"That's enough," he told my three brothers firmly. "John's due to come down when Alan comes back from school after finals, and I want to get him familiar with Thunderbird 5 as soon as possible," Jeff told them. Alan was glad his father hadn't told him the real reason. I knew all they would do was tease him.
"Why not just wait until the personnel transfer, Dad," Scott said getting serious. "I'm going up next. I could show Alan around Thunderbird 5."
"I don't think so," Jeff said. "If you remember I let you try to train Virgil and the first time he was up there alone everything went wrong and John had to go back up and get things straightened out."
It was my turn to laugh. I saw Scott and Virgil looked down at the table. I sat down at the table but refrained from sending an insulting remark in my brother's direction. The other three had just been scolded for teasing him and I knew it wouldn't go over well with my father. Somehow it was enough to know that even Mr. Perfect over there could make mistakes.
"No, I definitely want John showing Alan Thunderbird 5. He knows that station better than any of us," my Dad said which told me that whether it was this week or some other time I would've been spending time on the space station with John. I was glad I hadn't brought that subject up with my Dad.
My father and brothers started talking about IR business then. Usually I enjoyed listening to them talk. It made me feel like a part of everything in a way. This morning though I tuned them out. It didn't matter. In a few hours I would be in space completely out of the loop again anyways.
I finished eating breakfast and took my plate over to the sink.
"You ready to go Alan?" my father asked as I rinsed the plate off. I just nodded. I wasn't really but I knew I never would be. I'd almost rather go back to school than be going up to Thunderbird 5. "Then let's go," he said standing up from the table.
I followed him out of kitchen, picking my two bags up from the floor where I had left him. Gordon stood up from the table and followed us out. I guess that meant he was coming with us, which made sense as he was the primary pilot for Thunderbird 3. Although it could be done, even Dad didn't often try to fly Thunderbird 3 solo. I should've figured Gordon would be tagging along.
When we got to the Thunderbird 3 silo Dad had a surprised for me. He had a flight suit waiting for me. I almost smiled. I had been waiting for years to have a IR uniform of my own. Under any other circumstances I would have been elated. Instead Scott's comment, "there's the convicted felon now", came to mind and the uniform almost seemed like a prison uniform. Maybe this really was a prison sentence. With the exception of John, I knew all my brothers hated when it was there turn to man the space station.
"You know, I'm not sure who to feel more sorry for," Gordon said as he climbed into the pilot's seat of Thunderbird 3, "you or John."
"Shut up Gordon," I snapped as I climbed into one of the other seats. I had been inside Thunderbird 3 before but this was the first time I would actually be in it when it went into space. As for Thunderbird 5, all I had ever scene of it was schematics and computer images of it.
"You two cool it," I heard my Dad said as he came into cockpit and took the co-pilot's seat. "If you can't be civil to one another then don't talk to one another."
"Yes sir," Gordon said. "Sorry Alan," Gordon said apologizing even though Dad hadn't told him to. When he was away from Virgil and Scott I almost liked Gordon. However, I wasn't about to go apologizing myself. I was still mad at the whole situation and Gordon was a part of it.
I just didn't say anything.
In fact, I didn't say a whole word the entire way up to Thunderbird 5. I just sat there in the seat staring out through the viewport trying to ignore the slight nauseous feeling I had. I just hoped I didn't throw-up. That would just be one more thing my brothers could tease me about and they had plenty of ammunition.
"There she is," I heard my father say. I knew he was making the comment for me even without him saying my name.
I looked from the side window and out the front viewport. I felt my breath catch. Thunderbird 5 was impressive. I never realized just how big the space station really was. I refrained from saying anything, not wanting to show even a mild interest in what was going on. Still, I kept my eyes locked on the station as we approached it. How many kids my age could say they had been in space, let alone actually set foot on a space station? Unfortunately, with the exception of Fermat and Tin-tin there would be nobody I could share this experience with.
I listened to my father and Gordon as the commenced with docking procedures. I hadn't thought about what it would be like to dock Thunderbird 3 with Thunderbird 5, but as I saw the concentration and precision with which Gordon completed the maneuver it suddenly dawned on me how important it was that everything thing go the way it was suppose to. A small miscalculation could be disastrous for either our craft or the space station itself.
"Yeah, keep Alan away from the ships. He's a hazzard."
Those had been Scott's words when I had come home from spring break. Maybe he had a point. I did have a tendency to mess things up and I was starting to see that with the Thunderbirds there wasn't much room for mistakes.
"Docking complete," Gordon said from his seat.
"Gordon, why don't you stay here," my father told him as the two of us moved to get out of our seats. "I just want to talk to John for a few minutes and then we'll head home."
"Okay Dad," Gordon replied. "Have fun, Alan," Gordon told me. I didn't miss the sarcastic edge to his voice. The one that told me he was clearly glad it was me having to stay up here and not him.
I got out of my seat and made my way to the hold where my bags were stored. I grabbed them quickly and exited the rocket. As I stepped from the docking tunnel onto Thunderbird 5 I was again overwhelmed by the size of the place. The corridors were wide which made it seem like it was enormous. Suddenly the nauseous feeling got worse. Maybe it wasn't from the space flight like I had first thought. Maybe the nauseous feeling was being caused by something else.
"Dad is this really necessary?" I asked him. "Let me go back to the island. I promise I'll concentrate on my school work. We can wait until summer vacation to start my training," I told him.
My father gave me a disbelieving look. To tell you the truth I couldn't even believe I had just said that. I had yearned for the past three years to be able to start training and now that it was about to begin I was scared. I was looking for a way out.
"Alan what's wrong?" my father asked me. I looked up at him. I didn't see the normal look in his face that he wore when looking at me. There was no scolding look, or look of dissapointment There was only concern.
"I don't want to do this," I admitted to him.
"Being part of the team is going to mean taking your turn up here Alan. John shoulders the biggest part of the responsibility but even he needs a break from time to time."
"I know that and that isn't what I meant," I said. I could see the questioning look in my Dad's eyes and I knew I had to explain what I meant to him. I had started this conversation and there was no backing out now. "It's just that when it came to train up here I was hoping you would do it yourself," I told him.
"John knows Thunderbird 5 the best. He's the best one to train you."
"But its like being here with a complete stranger," I said. I was going to say more but then I saw John coming down the corridor. I couldn't help but wonder if he had heard that last comment.
"He's your brother, Alan," my Dad replied not yet noticing John's approach.
Had my brother heard me call him a stranger? Suddenly the nauseous feeling became overwhelming. I knew I was going to be sick soon. As my father and brother hugged I recalled the schematics of Thunderbird 5 I had studied back at home, I dropped my bags on the floor and headed for the bathroom.