By Mapu
NOTES:
Thunderbirds belongs to Carlton, Gerry Anderson Productions and people who are not me. What a great show!
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Alan couldn't help it. Since the first moment he'd realised that he truly loved her his heart skipped a beat, he lost track of whatever had been in his thoughts and he could feel a self-conscious flush of red pulse through to his normally pale face any time Tin-Tin came close. He hated how vulnerable his fair features made him feel but despite the embarrassment he couldn't help but to return Tin-Tin's soft smile. Not even the fact he currently sat in an extremely advanced prototype racing car about to head out onto the track for a high speed test drive could give him the same intense thrill that a simple smile had done.
Tin-Tin helped him adjust the position of the pit communications and telemetry connector cable mounted to the side of his helmet so that it wouldn't snag or tug against anything and annoy him while he drove.
"Is that all right?" she asked making the final adjustments and securing the unit in place.
Alan turned his head from side to side testing it. "Yeah, it's good."
Alan gave her a confident smile and started the engine, enjoying the deep resonant sound and the pulsing rhythmic vibration that was a palpable indicator of how much power was waiting for him to unleash. Alan checked his instruments to be sure everything was working as expected. He looked up to find Tin-Tin studying her data pad.
The data pad and its contents was the real reason they were at the track. Brains had found he needed to secure several high-end performance engine components for his latest addition to International Rescue's assets. He and Tin-Tin were tasked with securing the items Brains had listed and they were using his racing career as a cover for the supplies mission.
There was little doubt that if necessary Brains would be able to produce the parts to equal precision but it would take time. Valuable time that their engineer and resident genius could better spend working on his inventions. Besides, this way Alan would also end up with a new racing car and a few hours of track time. It wasn't often he had a chance to mix business with fun and intended to make the most of the opportunity.
The concentration on Tin-Tin's face caused a thin crease to appear between her brows as she organised her priorities. Supplying an outfit like international rescue with the technology and parts it needed to function was a mammoth task of organization and precise attention to detail. Add that complexity to the need for secrecy and simple resupply trips took on all the intricacy of a fully-fledged rescue mission. Alan waited until Tin-Tin finished and looked at him.
"All set?" he asked her.
Tin-Tin nodded. "I'll need about an hour and forty minutes."
Alan grinned at the prospect of putting the car through its paces for that long. "No problem, just signal my watch when you need me to come in."
"All right. Please be careful, Alan."
Alan nodded. "I will. You take care too."
While he would be on the track testing the performance of the engine and providing a highly visual diversion, Tin-Tin had the real mission of securing a consignment of the items on her list from the hopefully very distracted pit-crew. It would be a tricky job for Tin-Tin to get what they needed without raising suspicion.
Alan revved the engine to clear any carbonisation and then let the motor idle for a few moments, allowing it to warm up. Tin-Tin turned away to begin her part of the mission and Alan watched her leave. For a moment all thoughts of racing were put aside until she vanished from his view, then he moved the car out onto the track. He waited until another track user was well clear before accelerating in pursuit. This is fun, he thought, but he felt a momentary pang of regret that he couldn't share it with Tin-Tin.
Alan could still recall with startling clarity the exact moment when he recognized that he was falling in love with Tin-Tin as more than just a friend. Not that Tin-Tin was hard to love. Incredibly intelligent, stunningly beautiful, graceful, kind, and thoughtful, Alan had never met a woman quite like her. She even smelled great, a sweet spicy scent that was wholly hers. Alan felt sure he'd be able to recognise that scent anywhere at anytime with little or no effort, but so far he'd only sensed it when in Tin-Tin's presence.
Love had come unexpectedly, hand in hand with jealousy. They had been working on a supply mission very much like this one, except that time Tin-Tin had been the diversion, posing as a freelance interviewer for a prestigious engineering periodical, while he had secured the much needed stocks. It had worked wonderfully and Tin-Tin had produced such an in-depth and detailed article that the magazine had actually picked up the story and published it, but for Alan the whole event had been a trying ordeal. The design engineer who was the subject of the interview had become very attracted to his interviewer, even asking Tin-Tin out on a date.
Alan had been incensed when he'd found out and had fallen into an extremely dark mood. It had caused problems and a huge fight between them that had lasted for days after their return, overshadowing the success of the mission. Alan knew that a great deal, if not all of the problems they'd had were his fault but it had taken him a while to figure out what had caused it. Alan caught up to the slightly slower car on the track ahead and taking an inside line executed a perfect pass through the apex of the corner, ending up several car-lengths ahead of the other driver. Alan wished everything in his life came as easily as racing.
As a Tracy and a racing champion Alan never had any lack of attractive offers from many of the various women he'd met. Fortunately he'd seen the calculation and estimation in their eyes that he could recognise from some of his older brothers more spectacular and disastrous romances. He had no desire to follow suit and for the most part had refused them. Unlike Scott, Alan Tracy did not have a reputation as a billionaire playboy. What was the point of being the younger sibling if you couldn't learn from the elder's missteps?
His current problem was a little different. He was in love with the perfect woman but had no way to tell her. Alan pushed the accelerator down a little more, testing the car hard. The tires gripped the track and held traction, barely drifting at all as the vehicle swooped through the steeply banked curve. He'd been testing for almost two hours and felt very comfortable in the car. The machine performed far better than his expectations and he let himself enjoy the excitement of the moment. The thrill passed and his thoughts returned to Tin-Tin. It was plainly obvious what a woman like Tin-Tin had to offer him but what did he really have to give her?
He had money and the Tracy name, two things that he knew didn't interest Tin-Tin in the slightest, but apart from that he really had nothing to offer someone like her. Because of the secrecy, his job offered no glory or reward, only the strong possibility of a short life ending in sudden death. What kind of incentive was that? Although he'd always thought Tin-Tin looked absolutely amazing in black, Alan would do almost anything to spare her the kind of pain that mourning his loss would bring. Every time he looked into her eyes he knew without doubt that if she asked it of him he would even give up International Rescue, but he also knew she would never ask. Tin-Tin was just as dedicated to the ideals that powered International Rescue as he was and a great deal more valuable to the organisation than he could hope to be.
Her engineering skills were second only to Brains' and she had a confidence and ability communicating with people that was nearly as good as John's. Even those in the grip of near panic responded to her, a skill Alan had never mastered. Alan had never seen Tin-Tin loose her temper or display any impatience with anyone but him.
The thought gave him pause and he realised it was true. He was the only one who Tin-Tin seemed to get cross with, and she did it often. Virgil, who teased her mercilessly at times, never stirred her temper. In fact the teasing actually appeared to amuse her.
The more he thought about Virgil and Tin-Tin the more he could see how much they liked each other. Alan thought about what that could imply and his heart ached. Could it be that Tin-Tin didn't feel about him the way he felt about her? Could she even prefer someone else, maybe Virgil, to him? The idea had some credibility and it hurt.
Virgil had everything. He was even-tempered, reliable, confident and incredibly talented with his music and art, all things women were said to look for in a man. Alan had none of that. It would be no surprise at all if Tin-Tin were attracted to his older brother in his stead.
Though Alan loved Virgil dearly, if it came to it he knew he would fight for Tin-Tin's love. If she really wanted Virgil over him, she would have to tell him that to his face and Alan would do everything he could to make the decision hard for her.
So preoccupied by his disturbing thoughts Alan almost missed the small scatter of debris and slippery oil slick on the track that had been dropped by one of the other cars. He reacted instinctually with a speed honed through countless rescues and hours of track practise. Pulling the car up high on the track, as close to the guard-rail as possible, Alan managed to avoid most of the spill.
The inside tires caught the very edge of the spill and at the speeds he was travelling the spin he felt the car slide into was unavoidable. The car slipped from his control slewing wide to the right. The back of the car spun around throwing him hard against his safety restraints. His shoulder slammed against the doorframe with brutal force and he felt a flash of pain. Alan initially fought the slide but the vehicle had too much momentum to force the correction. Turning the wheel into the spin Alan let the car go through an entire revolution, his foot clear of both the brake and accelerator, then at precisely the right moment he dropped the gear and slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, turning the wheel against the spin. He prayed that enough of the oil had already been burnt off by the spin. If not his actions were going to make his situation much worse.
For a moment it seemed like it wasn't going to work and Alan prepared himself for a violent crash into the fast approaching racing barricade, then the car began to respond.
The tires squealed in protest to the punishing treatment Alan gave them and the air filled with the pungent grey-blue smoke of burnt rubber. After a few wild twists and fish-tails he once again had the car under his control.
"Alan! Alan, are you all right?" Tin-Tin's alarmed voice came through his helmet communication system. Tin-Tin was obviously in the pit area and had seen his near disaster.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Tell the crew to warn the other drivers there's oil on the track coming out of turn four."
He heard her pass on his warning then she was back speaking to him. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, sounding much calmer than she had.
"I'm fine. I'm bringing her in. I think I've damaged the tires."
He could feel a definite difference in the way the car handled. It was likely the tires had worn unevenly in a patch as the car had slid. It would be unsafe to drive at high speeds on them anymore. Tin-Tin had obviously finished her mission so it was time to come in anyway.
He pulled the car up into the pit with a satisfied sigh. He'd really enjoyed the chance to exercise his racing skills.
Tin-Tin stood a short distance away watching him with her arms crossed over her chest. Alan pulled himself from the car and unzipped the top half of his racing suit, pulling it away from his body and letting it dangle from his waist. With the crew chief he examined the badly worn areas on the tires. He'd been right to come in; he doubted the rear-right tire would have made it more than a few laps. He took his copy of the race telemetry for later study and thanked the crew before joining Tin-Tin.
Tin-Tin didn't look happy. Alan tried a smile which she didn't return. A thin, delicate finger stabbed into his chest. "You promised you would be careful, Alan Tracy!"
Alan frowned confused. "I was careful."
"Careful? That was careful? You won't be happy until you get yourself killed doing something idiotic."
"Idiotic? I was racing a car! I'm a race car driver, it's what I do." Alan rubbed at the fast forming sore spot on his shoulder where he'd hit the side of the safety cage. Tin-Tin's eye caught the action and before he could move she'd closed the space between them and was gently pulling away the sleeve of his fire resistant undershirt.
"Oh, Alan, you're not all right." Tin-Tin murmured in a soft tone as she examined the deepening bruise, her cool fingers lightly brushing over the damaged area.
"It's all right, it doesn't hurt," Alan assured her, feeling a little confused by her sudden change of mood.
"Let me take you home. I'll fly."
She took him by the hand and led him away. Alan shook his head in confusion. A moment ago she'd been angry with him again, now she seemed protective and caring. Alan greatly preferred the second mood. When she looked at him and treated him this way it gave him hope that he, not Virgil, had a chance with her affections.
"Okay. My arm really is a little sore," he said, playing on his injury a little to keep her in the preferred mood.
It worked. Tin-Tin slipped her arm around his waist to give him support as they walked. With the dazzling sensation of her touch and the heady scent of her body in such close proximity, the pain from his injury was barely noticeable.
Alan felt his face flush red and smiled.
Finita.