Gordon stood outside the door to Virgil's bedroom. He ran his hand through his still damp hair and then hastily dried it on his trouser leg. He shifted the sketchpad from one hand to the other, before passing it back again. He raised a hand to knock on the door before dropping it back to his side.
He rotated his shoulders, steeled himself and knocked forcefully on the door. He heard a voice from within. "It's open."
Gordon hesitated a moment before sliding the door back.
Virgil was sitting on the window seat; knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He was looking out over the Pacific Ocean.
"Um… Hi," Gordon said lamely.
"Hi," Virgil said quietly without diverting his gaze from the scene outside.
"I… um… I've brought you your sketchpad."
"Thanks."
"Tin-Tin found it."
"Oh."
"I would have brought it back earlier, but I thought I should have a shower first. Didn't want to leave your room smelling like a smoked chicken had been in here," Gordon gave an awkward chuckle.
Virgil didn't acknowledge the weak attempt at humour.
"Ah… C-Can I come in?" Gordon asked clumsily.
"It's your house."
"It's your room."
Virgil was silent.
"I… I'll leave the pad on your desk shall I?" Gordon did so. He watched as one of Virgil's hands clenched tighter around the material of his trouser leg.
"I… uh… I looked at the picture. It's good."
"Thanks."
Gordon decided that it was time to treat the situation has he would any swimming race. He dove in decisively. "Look. I'm sorry for what I said. I know it sounded terrible, but I didn't say it because I meant it. I said it because I had to tell someone, or I thought I'd go crazy. I thought that it was a good opportunity because no one would overhear me. Scott would shout at me and that would be the end of it…Obviously I was wrong..." He paused in case Virgil wanted to comment.
Virgil didn't.
Gordon steeled himself for another lap. "I didn't want to hurt you and I still don't. You've got enough problems; you don't need me adding to them. And, if it's any consolation, Scott looked as if he was ready to hit me so hard I wouldn't know what day it was…" Virgil flinched and Gordon suddenly realised why. He grimaced. "I'm sorry. That was a tactless thing to say… I can be tactless sometimes. Especially when I'm tired. I say things without thinking. Though sometimes when I do think, things aren't necessarily much better... as you heard today…"
Virgil was still regarding the scenery, but the grip on his trouser leg had lessened.
Gordon hoped he was on the home stretch. "I'm honoured that you trust me enough to let me help you and I don't want to betray that trust. No one's really ever really trusted me in that way before. Not in the caring brother role… Not even Alan… I've always been the second youngest brother - the joker - the one who gets into trouble and drags others in with me." Gordon prodded the carpet with his toe. "I guess I'm not used to looking after one of my brothers. That's always been Scott's job, or John's… or yours…" Gordon sighed. "I'm sorry, Virgil. Please forgive me… I want us to be friends as well as brothers." He held out his hand hopefully.
It took Virgil a moment to look round. He regarded Gordon's outstretched hand. "You really don't want me dead?"
"No!" Gordon shook his head frantically. "Definitely not. Not ever. Not for a thousand, million, trillion years. I want you to get better. I want things to be as they were. I want you to be as you were… That's all. Please forgive me…" He stopped gabbling, feeling that he was making even more of a fool of himself.
"You mean that?"
"Yes!" Gordon nodded emphatically. "Most definitely yes!"
He was more than a little relieved when Virgil gave a small smile and shook his hand.
That morning was Alan's last on Earth for a month. Going back to Thunderbird Five was never a totally appealing prospect, but this month, in Alan's opinion, the thought of leaving was even worse. He finished packing and tried to decide what else he needed to do before he left. He decided that he was packed and ready, so instead of heading back to his room he made his way to Tin-Tin's.
She was in her sewing room tacking together a new outfit. "Are you leaving already, Alan?" She stood to give him a goodbye hug. He gave her an embrace that melted into a warm kiss that left her surprised and tantalised.
When he released her she looked at him closely. "Alan? What was that for?"
"So you don't forget me."
"And why would I be likely to forget you?"
"Virgil."
"Virgil?"
Alan nodded.
She frowned at him in confusion.
"Has he done… or said… anything?" Alan asked hesitantly.
"Such as?"
"Has he… insinuated that he would… like to get to know you better?"
"Anything? He asked if he could draw me…"
"He what!"
"He said he was sick of drawing inanimate objects and wanted to try a real person." She giggled. "He became all shy. He said he'd like to start with someone pretty. It was rather sweet really."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I was busy. I had a lot of work to do for Brains."
"Good girl."
"It was the truth."
"Well make sure Brains keeps you busy until I get back."
"Oh, Alan. What are you on about? Virgil's a sweetheart, he wouldn't try anything."
"Before, he wouldn't. But I don't know about now. No one knows exactly what he's like… not even Virgil."
"Alan, you're being silly. He's lost his memory not his personality. There's no way Virgil would try anything unseemly. He just wanted a little drawing practice."
Alan grunted.
She caressed his cheek. "Look. I think you're overreacting, but I promise that I won't let him, or any other man 'try anything'. If he does I'll go straight to my father… or yours."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "Thank you."
"But I don't know why you won't trust your own brother."
"Because, at the moment, I don't think that he believes that he is my brother."
She bit her lip.
"You think I'm being silly again."
"No, Alan," she said quietly. "This time I agree with you. I think he does doubt what we've told him."
"So you see why I'm worried about you?"
"Yes," she nodded. "But I can't believe that Virgil, whoever he thinks he is, would try anything. It would go against his nature."
Three Tracy men assembled in the lounge ready for departure to Thunderbird Five. Alan's bags had already been loaded via the equipment lift. Jeff smiled at Virgil. "You look excited."
"I am. Thunderbird Two was a buzz at the speed she went. I can't wait to see what it feels like in Thunderbird Three."
"Well just do whatever Scott or Alan tell you, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
Scott sat on one end of the couch. "You've got to sit on here to board."
Obediently Virgil took his place at the other end.
It was Alan's turn to sit down. "Move over," he instructed Scott, his frown telling his brother not to disobey. Scott looked at him quizzically and reluctantly shifted so he was now seated in the middle of the couch next to Virgil.
"See you later, Gordon," Virgil said brightly.
"Later, Virgil," Gordon grinned. "Make sure our oldest and youngest brethren behave themselves."
"Have a good trip boys," Jeff said and pressed the button that sent them downwards deep into International Rescue's complex.
Virgil looked about him as the couch made its way along the conveyor system that ran along the track to Thunderbird Three, trying to take everything in… Suddenly the ceiling lifted away, revealing International Rescue's rocket ship. Virgil stared upwards in awe. "How big…?"
Scott waited for his youngest brother to answer, but Alan remained silent. "87 metres," he eventually said.
"Bigger than Thunderbird Two, then."
"That's right," Scott confirmed.
The couch came to a halt under Thunderbird Three. Virgil went to stand and was pulled back down into a sitting position by Scott. He looked at the other man in confusion; confusion that changed to surprise when the couch started rising up into the air. Virgil looked upwards again and had the feeling that he was going to be swallowed by the behemoth that was Thunderbird Three.
The couch had no sooner reached its destination than Alan was on his feet. "Prepare for launch," he said perfunctorily and stepped into the lift that took him to the flight deck. Scott and Virgil watched his scowl slide upwards.
"What's with him?" Virgil asked.
"I don't know," Scott replied. "You'd better sit in that seat over there. I'll help you strap in."
Virgil found himself gripping tightly at the restraints that held him firmly in his seat. He didn't know if he were more nervous or excited. A flight into space seemed so impossible, and yet here he was about to undertake this journey. He felt the jets beneath him build up power and then explode into life. He felt the force of gravity against his body and the mighty rocket was forced skywards.
He felt a sense of relief that they hadn't been blown to smithereens.
He was pleased when Scott told him to release his safety belt. Together they journeyed upwards in the lift. Virgil was that excited that he barely realised that Scott was trying, unsuccessfully, to keep a reasonable distance between the pair of them.
The doors slid open to reveal Thunderbird Three's flight deck. Alan was sitting at the controls. He hadn't lost his scowl.
Scott pointed at a monitor. "Go take a look outside."
Virgil was more than happy to accede to his suggestion. "How fast are we going, Alan?"
Alan studied his control panel intently.
"Alan," Scott nudged him. "Virgil asked you a question."
"Did he?" Alan replied uninterestedly.
Scott frowned at him. "He asked you how fast Thunderbird Three was travelling."
"Oh… Fast, really fast," Alan replied.
Scott gave Virgil an apologetic shrug.
"So… What does everything do?" Virgil asked Alan.
"Lots of complicated stuff. You wouldn't understand… Not now."
"Alan," Scott said in a quiet, but threatening voice.
Alan ignored him.
Virgil's earlier feelings of excitement had dissipated quickly. Someone or something had obviously upset Alan, and Virgil had an uneasy feeling that it was him, though he had no idea how or why. "Is something wrong, Alan?"
"Apart from you having amnesia?"
"Alan!" Scott said more forcefully.
"No, nothing's wrong. And it had better stay that way."
Scott was getting angry. "Alan! What's got…?"
"Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird Three."
"This is Thunderbird Three. Go ahead, John," Alan said quickly.
"Hiya, Alan I've got you on my trackers. You got any passengers this time?"
"Yep. Virgil's on board."
"I'll bet you're enjoying showing him around Thunderbird Three. I'm dying to show him Thunderbird Five." John was in a cheerful mood. It sounded out of place in the harsh atmosphere that was currently pervading the control room. "Did you bring lunch?"
"Grandma's packed a full picnic."
"Great! I'm getting sick of my cooking," John chattered on obliviously. "Can I have a word with Virgil?"
Alan motioned for Virgil to come round so that he could see John on the video screen. "Hi, John."
"Hi there, Virgil. Glad you're able to visit this time. Enjoying the flight?"
Enjoying wasn't an adjective Virgil would use at the moment. "Um. The launch was exciting."
John laughed. "I'll bet. I've done it often enough that it's all rather ho hum to me now. So… which do you prefer? Thunderbird Three or Thunderbird Two?"
"Thunderbird Two," Virgil replied without thinking. "I know Thunderbird Three's faster, but you get more of a sensation of speed in Thunderbird Two."
Alan's frown deepened.
"Glad to hear it," John noted. "I would have been worried if you'd preferred the red rocket. I would have thought that something was seriously wrong, instead of only very."
Scott found himself nodding in agreement.
Virgil actually laughed.
"I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your flight. Won't be long and I'll be able to show you what a REAL Thunderbird is like."
Alan snorted.
Virgil stood back and gave Thunderbird Three's pilot plenty of space to fly his rocket.
Docking was uneventful. When he was sure that all procedures had been followed and everything was locked together securely, Scott opened the access way between Thunderbird's Three and Five. "Go on, Virgil. We'll…"
John appeared in the doorframe. "Hi, guys!"
He received a flat chorus of "Hi, John," in return.
"Why don't you take Virgil on his tour," Scott suggested. "I'll help Alan transfer his gear over."
"Sounds good to me," John grinned. "Come on, Pal." Virgil eagerly followed him out of Thunderbird Three.
Scott waited until he was sure that they'd both entered Thunderbird Five. Then he turned back to Alan. "Right! What's your problem with Virgil?"
"I don't have a problem. It's Virgil who has the problem."
"You were ignoring him."
"Yeah, well. You'd know all about that, Scott."
"Alan…!"
"It's like Gordon said this morning. You've barely spent 10 minutes with him."
"Maybe… But I don't ignore him. And I'm certainly not rude to him."
"You don't go out of your way to be friendly either."
"This isn't about me. Something's got into you. What?"
Alan was in a stubborn frame of mind. "Unlike Gordon, I know when to keep my mouth shut."
Scott shook his head disapprovingly. "Maybe it's just as well you're going to be out of the way for a month. Give you a chance to cool that hot head of yours down."
"Yeah. And I'm sure there's some people who'd love to have me out of the way."
Scott looked at him. "Who?"
Alan face turned red. "Are we going to move the supplies? Or am I expected to starve for the next month."
"Alan. I want to know what's going on!"
"And I've got work to do. I think you said something about helping me…?"
"How was the flight?" John asked shrewdly.
"It was… interesting," Virgil replied.
"Something happened didn't it?"
"Like what?" Virgil feigned ignorance. It was a facial expression he'd had plenty of experience with over the last month.
"I know Alan and Scott. Alan had his 'spat the dummy' expression on, and Scott was too quick getting rid of us. I know you too. You were uncomfortable with the situation. So what happened?"
"I don't know. I've obviously done something that Alan didn't like. The problem is I don't know what." Virgil's brow creased in thought. "It can't be the amnesia causing it, can it? I haven't had any short-term memory loss up till now."
"I'd doubt it. Knowing Alan, he's probably realised that he's forgotten his shorts, and he's looking for someone else to blame. You're the easiest target."
"Why me?"
John shrugged. "He probably thinks you're less likely to argue. He's probably told himself that he was so excited about taking you for a ride in Thunderbird Three, that he forgot them."
Virgil seemed satisfied with the answer.
John wasn't. What he'd just said was a total load of hogwash and he knew it. He'd have a quiet word with Scott on the way home. In the meantime… "Let the tour commence!" he spread his arms in greeting. "This is the nerve centre of International Rescue."
"Wow!" Virgil goggled at all the equipment and lights and dials. "How do you keep track of what does what?"
"Practice," John told him. "It's helps that I did a lot of the design work and construction with Brains. It was quite a challenge. Working out how to intercept every radio signal on the planet and then filter out those that contain mindless drivel… Which is most of them."
"But not everyone speaks English. How do you cope with that?"
"The computer interprets most languages. I'm handy with a few. There's not too many people I can't hold a conversation with."
"You make it sound as though you like interacting with people and yet you're stuck up here for a month at a time," Virgil noted.
"Being able to and wanting to are two different things," John told him. "It's a useful skill to have, but I'm just as happy alone with a good book or a telescope." He led the way to the small library. "Most of the books in here are in digital form. If we had every issue we hold here housed in the traditional way, Thunderbird Five would be bigger than the moon! And not very easy to hide from Earth." He picked up a hardback book, and caressed it lovingly. "Mind you, there's nothing like the pleasure of turning paper pages for making the reading experience complete." He carefully placed the book back in its place. "How's your reading progressing?"
"Slowly," Virgil said sourly. "I can tell you the letters of the alphabet, but I'm not having a lot of luck sticking them together to form words. I do recognise our names though.
"Really?" John indicated a section of titles. "See if you recognise any of those." He indicated a wall of well-thumbed tomes.
Virgil looked at him curiously and then did as he was asked. He traced his finger along the spines, trying to piece together the letter combinations. John found himself wishing that he hadn't made the suggestion as he watched his previously fluent brother struggle with the words.
At last Virgil came upon something recognisable. "That one says John Tracy! So does this one. And this…" he looked back at John. "Is that you?"
"That's me," John said.
"Mind if I look?"
"Go ahead."
Virgil carefully removed one of John's books from its shelf. He opened it and found John's picture smiling back at him. "It really is you. What's it about?"
"Astronomy. That one's about the quasar I found."
"The Tracy… Q.u.a.s.a.r," Virgil read out.
"Quasar. That's it. I discovered it so they named it after me."
Virgil stared at him. "That's amazing."
John chuckled. "Not really. You can pay to name a star after yourself nowadays."
"But you discovered a quasar…"
"Well you get a good view from up here. No atmospheric disturbance. Here," John took the book from Virgil's hands, "I'll show you another thing I found." He turned to the appropriate page. "That's a star I discovered. I called it Lucille after our mother."
"That's a nice idea," Virgil approved.
"I'd like to think that she'd appreciate it." A faraway look came into John's eyes. "I look for it sometimes, with my telescope, and it gives me a feeling that she's nearby."
"You still miss her," Virgil noted.
"Yeah, I do," John admitted. "We all do. She was an important part of our lives."
Virgil felt a familiar sense of emptiness. Here was a vital part of his history, yet he had next to no knowledge about it.
As if he sensed Virgil's change in mood, John deliberately perked up again. "Come on. I haven't shown you everywhere yet." He led the way out of the library and showed Virgil the sleeping quarters. Next stop was the observatory. John checked a telescope. "I've got it set up on Lucille. Take a look."
Virgil squinted through the eyepiece at the small bead of light. He found the idea of someone focusing on a star for company sad. "Don't you get lonely up here?"
"Sometimes. Though you guys usually keep in contact with me at least once a day. It makes it bearable. I've been getting lots of calls from Gordon." John looked at Virgil. "How is he?"
"Tired," Virgil admitted, "and it's my fault."
"Not really," John told him.
"Well I'm certainly the cause…" Virgil bit his lip. "Has anyone told you about what happened this morning?"
"No. No one has… They've obviously decided to keep it quiet… But I know."
"You know? How?"
"Like I said, this place picks up almost every radio signal in the world. And the ones from home are the clearest. Which you guys have a tendency to forget. Honestly I could blackmail each and every one of you… Anyway, when I realised it was some kind of emergency I listened in. Then… when I realised what Gordon was saying afterwards…" John shrugged. "I felt like a rabbit in the headlights. I knew something private was happening and yet I had to carry on listening to find out what was going to happen. How did everyone react afterwards?"
"There was only Alan, Tin-Tin, Brains, your… 'Father' and me listening."
"I'll bet you weren't happy."
"I don't think anyone was…" Virgil didn't feel like elaborating.
John understood. "The thing is, being up here I've developed a pretty good ear for hearing the nuances in people's voices. I hear what they are saying better than I can read their faces. I was feeling sympathy for Gordon a long time before Scott did. And I could hear that Scott wasn't far short of doing something drastic to Gordon. I was horrified at what Gordon was thinking, but I could hear that he was too. How's things between you?"
"He apologised," Virgil admitted.
"And?"
"And… I forgave him. I've got amnesia; I'm not blind. I can see how I'm affecting him. I can see how I'm affecting everyone."
"Yeah… well… I guess it's not something you learn to deal with in a hurry," John said awkwardly.
"Tell me about it," Virgil agreed.
"How about between you and Scott?" John asked.
Virgil shrugged. "No different," he said cryptically.
John decided they both needed cheering up. "Come on," he said brightly. "Enough doom and gloom. Time for lunch!"
The four of them ate in relative silence. When they'd finished Scott started packing up. "Time we headed home. Have you shown Virgil everything, John?"
"Nearly."
"Okay," Scott smiled. "You finish off and Alan and I can clean up."
Alan's almost permanent scowl deepened.
"Let me show you our latest project." John led the way into another room and over to a computer station. "It's simulation software. Initially it was for training purposes, but I'm adding in various communication strategies so that we can use it for real rescues. For instance…" he tapped a few keys, "let's pretend that there's a volcano erupting somewhere… For want of a better place we'll make it Ruapehu in the North Island of New Zealand. It's erupted before and there's every chance it'll erupt again. There isn't a large population centre nearby, but it does have a couple of ski fields on its flanks and it has wiped out bridges in the past with disastrous results."
Virgil watched with interest.
"Okay," John continued on. "Here's Ruapehu." A picture came up on screen.
"Is that a photo?" Virgil asked.
"No. It's a computer graphic. Realistic isn't it." The mountain rotated 360 degrees. "We're able to tap into satellites and bring up real time information, which gets fed into the computer. The instant the lake in the crater starts to rise we'll know about it. This simulation will predict where the crater wall will break and where the resulting lahar will flow. Let's bring in Thunderbird One…" a few taps of the keys and the rocket plane came soaring into view. "Now, supposing Scott lands here, and pops out to go for a stroll…" a little figure jumped out of Thunderbird One and wandered off screen.
Virgil felt that uneasy feeling return.
"I'm up here thinking, 'That's a stupid place to land, Scott'. So I run the simulation and…"
Ruapehu's crater wall disintegrated. A wall of mud, water and debris raced down from the summit. Virgil watched in grim fascination as it neared Thunderbird One, knocked its landing legs out from under it, and washed it away.
"Scott would not be pleased," John said with a trace of satisfaction as the little representation of his brother came back on screen and jumped about angrily. "That was Gordon's contribution," he explained.
"But… it all looked real," Virgil was staring at the computer screen.
That's what makes it so helpful," John told him. "Of course in real life there's no way Scott would do anything as foolhardy as that, but it adds a bit of interest. We can use it for tsunami, earthquakes, forest fires… We're still learning what we can use it for really."
"Fascinating," Virgil couldn't take his eyes off the images on screen. His mind was filled with troubled thoughts and ideas.
John didn't notice. "We've called it the 'Virtual International Rescue Geophysical Imitation Laboratory', or 'Virgil 2' for short." At Virgil's subsequent expression he gave a wry grin. "You didn't think much of the name it the first time you heard it either. It was Scott's idea and he was so pleased that he'd come up with something abstractly creative that none of us had the heart to tell him it was rubbish. You did say to me later that we should call it 'Scott's Creativity's Over The Top' or 'Scott 2'..." John's grin broadened. "I liked that suggestion but we've kept the slightly more logical name... Any questions?"
Virgil shook his head.
"Okay… I'd better go get my stuff," John said. "Dad doesn't like us being away from home for too long. Could cause problems if there's a call out. Do you want to wait here?"
Virgil nodded. He wanted time alone to think. He watched John walk out of the room and then turned back to the computer. 'Virgil 2'? Then what… or who exactly was 'Virgil 1'…?
He'd moved away from the computer and was gazing out the window at the millions of stars when he heard footsteps. He turned expecting to see John…
It was Alan.
Virgil gave him an uncertain smile. "All ready for your stay?" he asked politely.
"Yep," Alan replied bluntly.
"I'm just admiring the view," Virgil said unnecessarily. "You don't realise how many stars there are while you're on Earth, do you?"
Alan glared at him.
"No," Virgil replied quietly on his behalf. "What's wrong, Alan?"
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. And it had better stay that way."
"I'll agree to that," Virgil gave what he hoped was a winning smile.
"John and Scott are waiting for you, through there," Alan indicated a door.
"Oh. Thanks. See you in a month," Virgil said lamely. "Thanks for bringing me with you this time." He began walking towards the door.
"One thing before you go, Virgil!"
John and Scott were cooling their heels in the main communications room.
"What's going on, Scott?" John asked.
Scott was frowning at the door he was expecting Virgil to walk through. "What?" he asked absently.
"Between Virgil and Alan?"
"Oh… I don't know. The kid wouldn't tell me. I'd hazard a guess that he thinks that Virgil's moving in on his territory."
"You mean Tin-Tin?"
"Yeah. I mean Tin-Tin."
"Is he right to be worried?"
"Worried? About Virgil and Tin-Tin? Nah," Scott said dismissively. "She spends a lot of time tutoring him with his reading, but that's all. If Alan helped out more he'd see that."
"Are you helping out more?"
Scott looked embarrassed. "No."
"Then maybe you're missing something that Alan's seen."
"Come on, John. Can you see it? Virgil and Tin-Tin?" Scott laughed.
"No. But I haven't been home for a month. Things could change in that time. Gordon could start wishing that Virgil had died."
Scott started.
"I'm letting you know that I know," John informed him.
"How did you find out? Did Virgil tell you?"
John laughed. "Are you forgetting where you are, Scott?" He indicated Thunderbird Five's control room. "I overheard."
"Oh," Scott grinned sheepishly. "Were you as surprised as I was?"
"Probably more so. As I said, I haven't been home for a month."
Virgil turned back to Alan and was surprised to see thinly disguised anger on the younger man's face. "Yes?"
"Keep away from Tin-Tin," Alan's voice was low and threatening.
"Why?" Virgil asked, bewildered by the tone of the order.
"She's somewhat gullible. And she trusts you. Don't abuse that trust."
"How? What do you mean, Alan?"
"Do you still want to draw her?"
"Well… yes I'd like to. She has nice features…"
"Don't you dare go near her," Alan snarled.
"What? Why?" By now Virgil was thoroughly confused.
"If I see a single line on a page that looks like her, if I hear that you've so much as touched a hair on her head, you'll wish it wasn't only your memory that you're missing!"
"Alan? Why would I want to touch her?"
"Gordon told me how you had your eye on her."
"Gordon did what?" Virgil was startled. He forgot about Alan's concerns over Tin-Tin. Now he had a more personal issue. "But I've never said I was attracted to her. Why would he say I was?"
"You'd better ask him. That's if he's not hiding from you again."
"Gordon was hiding from me?"
"Yes. He needed time away from you."
"He needed…"
"He's sick of you. He was fed up with having you tail after him all the time. He needed a break."
A soft "Oh" escaped Virgil's lips.
"He told me how you said she was pretty."
"Why did he do that?"
"He's my friend," this was said in such a way that it was implied that Virgil wasn't. "He was looking out for me. We've always looked out for each other."
"He'd rather spend time with you?"
"Probably. Right now he'd rather spend time in his bed, asleep. You're making him sick, Virgil. In more ways than one."
"But I only…"
"Virgil?" John was calling him from beyond the door.
Virgil looked round. "I'm here," he said with some relief.
John poked his head in through the door. "Good," he said with a smile that vanished when he saw their expressions. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Alan said. "Virgil was just saying goodbye."
"Uh, yeah," eager to avoid further confrontation, Virgil agreed. "See you, Alan."
"Yes," Alan agreed. "I'll be seeing you."
John heard the warning in his brother's voice. "Ah, Virgil? Why don't you go through to Thunderbird Three? I've got a couple of points I should run through with Alan before I leave."
"Okay…" Virgil was glad to escape.
John watched him leave. Then he rounded on his other brother. "What's going on, Alan?"
"Nothing. I'm minding my own business."
"Where Virgil's concerned, it's everyone's business until he gets his memory back. Were you threatening him?"
"Just warning him about some dangerous things he's got to watch out for."
John folded his arms. "Such as?"
"Such as… not making Dad mad by being late back."
"He'll understand this time. Don't fob me off, Alan. What were you saying to him?"
"To look after Gordon and let him get some sleep."
John shook his head. "Not good enough, Kiddo."
"Don't call me that!" Alan snapped. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Then stop behaving like a spoilt brat! Don't you trust Tin-Tin?"
"Leave her out of this!" Alan bristled.
"You can't tell me she's not at the root of it all."
"It's not her fault! It's… It's his!" Alan indicated the door that Virgil had exited.
John grew visibly angry. "Do you think Virgil chose to get amnesia?"
"He's choosing to prey on Tin-Tin. She's too naive!"
"I think she's wise enough to look after herself. And I don't think Virgil would choose to 'prey' on anyone!"
"You don't know what he's like now, John!"
"From what I've seen and heard, he hasn't changed that much." John stared down his brother. "And let me give you a bit of free advice, Alan. If you want to remain in Tin-Tin's good books, you'll grow up enough to let her do what she wants without having to worry about how you're going to react. Think about it! You've got a month!"
Scott looked at his watch. "What's taking him so long?" he muttered irritably. "Father'll kill us if we're too late."
"John said he had a couple points he had to talk to Alan about," Virgil said quietly.
"Yes, and I think I know what they were," Scott agreed. "But it shouldn't take this long." He looked at his brother. Virgil was looking miserable. "Cheer up. It may never happen."
"It already has," Virgil said. "It happened a month ago." He sighed. "Would you mind if I travelled alone? I've got a bit of a headache."
"Do you want something for it?" Scott asked in concern.
Virgil shook his head. "No, thanks."
"Take the elevator down to the lounge," Scott suggested. "You won't be disturbed there."
"Thank you." Virgil took him up on his suggestion.
John entered Thunderbird Three. "Where's Virgil?"
"In the lounge. He said he had a headache."
"I'll bet. And the headache's name is Alan Tracy. He wouldn't admit it, but I think he's threatened Virgil over Tin-Tin."
"He what!" Scott started to head back into Thunderbird Five. "I'll kill him!"
"Whoa!" John grabbed him by the arm. "If you do that, Dad will be angry because we'd be late and we'd have to leave Thunderbird Five unattended. Not to mention the fact that I'll probably be the one who'll have to clean up the mess." He released his grip. "I've already told him to grow up. We'll give him a month to cool down. If he hasn't by then… then you can kill him. Only leave a piece for me."
Scott gave him a grim smile. "You're on…!"