Thunderbirds & (A Town Called) Eureka

Warnings for Canon MCD references

Major General Jefferson Tracy sighed heavily. It had been a long three days in Washington, advising the Joint Chief of Staff on the potential threat posed by the current situation in Bereznik.

He was tired and he was missing his children, but it was too late to be travelling home now. It would be at least a five-hour flight and he would be better off with a clear head. So he headed back to the hotel, ordered some food and called home instead, hoping to see the boys, but knowing they should all be in bed by now.

As the vidcomm rang, he pulled the picture out of his wallet. The last picture of them all before he had lost both his wife and his father in the avalanche that had nearly taken his eldest and youngest too. Jeff shuddered at the memory, kissed his wife and put the picture away as his Mom appeared.

'How is everything, Ma?' Sally smiled at her son. He'd done so well for himself and she was so very proud of him. Big shot in the air force, with connections to the GDF, to NASA and his own company to boot, still he made sure to spend as much time as possible at home.

'Everything is fine, Jeff. Alan and Gordon went off without a hitch, Scott was a little more difficult. His leg is playing him up here. The cold isn't good for him anymore.' Jeff sighed.

Scott had almost lost his leg, it had been so badly damaged in the accident. Now he walked with a very pronounced limp, and both the cold and the damp caused him a lot of pain. It had dashed his dreams of following in his father's footsteps and joining the Air Force, and he was struggling to come to terms, at only ten, with the fact that his dreams would never be fulfilled.

'Are you coming home tomorrow?' Sally asked. Three days was a long time for a five- and eight-year-old, and although she hadn't said anything, there had been tears from the youngest two that Scott had done his best to help her with. They needed their father, the loss of their mother, while over a year ago now, was still fresh.

'Yeah, Ma. I'll be flying out first thing. I have received an offer that I don't think I can refuse, one that will be so very good for the boys, for all of us if you're willing to come. I can't talk about it tonight, but when I get home.'

Sally nodded. Something that would be good for all of them sounded exactly what they needed. They spent about an hour chatting about the boys, about the farm and any other news from home, before Jeff retired for the night, nursing a hot chocolate and thinking over the other meeting he had had today.

His old friend, Colonel Val Casey, had first approached him with an opportunity just before Lucy had died. She'd been deliberately vague, it being top secret and all that, but the offer to up sticks and move to Oregon had not been appealing at the time. Scott was doing well in school, already a year ahead, and there was talk of sending him to high school at 10 instead of the usual 14. Plus, there were his parents to think about. He knew his Ma and Pa would never hold him back, but they were a priority for him since his two brothers had died and he was now their only child.

Then Lucy and his Pa had died just before Scott's ninth and all his plans had been put on hold. Scott didn't move up a year. Instead, he spent most of the year in and out of hospitals as the best surgeons battled first to save his leg, then to give him as much movement as possible. Jeff would have given up every penny he had to give his son his mobility back, but after the fourth operation in twelve months, Scott had tearfully refused any more.

It had taken the year for Jeff to come back to himself too. Having a higher command role in the USAF had meant that they had offered him a lot of time off, but he needed the work and had buried himself, leaving his sons to fend for themselves with just the babysitters he could arrange. Once his Ma had caught the last one pushing Scott over, she had promptly let out the farm and moved in. It had made a world of difference to them all.

Jeff pulled out the document again. Oregon was going to be a whole different state on the other side of the country. But there would be better opportunities for them all there. He lay back on the bed and contemplated what this move could mean. He still had only scant information. Where they were going was top secret, after all, but he had high hopes.

Val had shared as much as she could with her best friend. This job as exactly what Jeff needed. He was a genius when it came to problem-shooting, and with his own company designing and producing engine fuels and jets, he would fit right in there. She hoped that Scott, too, would be able to find a niche there that he would take to. Gordon and Alan were young enough that a move would just be one great big adventure, and she had not been surprised when Jeff said he'd only move if Ruth – no, Val needed to remember to call her Sally from now on – if Sally agreed to come with them. With Sally's medical expertise she was sure to fit right in.

He folded the paperwork away and packed ready for leaving tomorrow. And as he slept he dreamed about what a town called Eureka would be like.