Chapter 2

"So where are you going then?" John Tracy asked his eldest brother from the monitor in Thunderbird five.

"Well me and kiddo discussed it a bit, and we decided we wanted to go somewhere in Asia." Replied Scott.

"Asia? Why there?"

"It was Alan's idea really, he's never been there before. And for some strange reason he wants to visit the Great Wall of China."

The third eldest Tracy brother laughed. "Knowing Alan he probably wants to get a car and race along it! So have you packed everything?"

"Yes I've packed everything."

"Socks?"

"Yep."

"Sun cream?"

"Yep."

"Alan repellent?"

"Of course! That has its own holdall."

"So it should. You never know when you're gonna need it. Clean shirts?"

"Yes, I have clean shirts."

"Toothpaste?"

"JOHN!" Scott was starting to get annoyed. "I have everything, ok?"

"Actually you haven't got everything," came a voice from behind Scott.

Scott spun round. "Virgil! Where did you come from?"

The second eldest raised an eyebrow. "Scott, I think your old enough to know about the birds and the bees." He grinned. "But if you want I'll explain it to you again. You see when a Man and a Woman love each other very much, they-"

"VIRG. NO!" Scott shuddered, closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously from side to side, trying to get rid of the graphic mental picture that was forming in his mind. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

His brother laughed. "Yeah I know. I came from the kitchen."

"I take it Grandma isn't in there then?" The question came from John.

"No she's not in there, but I'll tell you what is, Strawberry sundaes!" He turned to Scott. "You should have one, that way you won't have to beg for some!"

Scott scowled angrily, and put his hands on his hips. "You've been speaking to Alan, haven't you?"

"Of course."

John spoke up. "What's this about Scott, and begging, and strawberry sundaes?"

Virgil explained to John, what Alan had told him, about Scott literally begging on his knees, for some of Alan's sundae.

John laughed so hard he clasped his sides, to prevent a stitch from descending upon him. "Scott Tracy when it comes to food, you are priceless! I can't believe you cherish your stomach, more than your pride!"

"I don't!" Scott protested. "Besides, how do you know he's telling the truth?"

"Three things bro. 1) You'll do anything for food. 2) There's scuff marks on the knees of your trousers, and 3) This is Alan we are talking about. He's the biggest prankster after Gordon!"

"Yeah, well he gonna pay for it! One way or the other, he's gonna pay! Nobody makes Scott Carpenter Tracy beg on his knees, that's for sure!"

Both of his brothers burst into hysterics. "Ooh! Listen to Mr 'I will have my revenge!' Virgil commented.

"Shut up Virg. You were saying I'd forgotten something?"

"Oh yeah, I'll just go and get them for you." With that Virgil went back into the kitchen. A few seconds later he was back, carrying a tiny box which he placed in his brother's hand.

Scott studied it carefully. The box was blue and white, with a name on it that would have given Scott a severe headache, if he tried to announce it. "What are these?"

"Stress pills." Replied Virgil simply. From the monitor John chuckled.

"Stress pills? What the hell am I gonna want stress pills for?"

"Trust him Scott" smiled John. "If you're taking Alan on vacation with you, your gonna need them!"

Scott began to walk out of the room.

"Hey where are you going?"

"To take some of these. I need them right now!"

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"So are you ready to go?" Gordon asked his youngest brother.

"Of course! I've been ready ages." Alan replied.

"Are you going in the jet or the Thunderbird?"

"Dad wants us to go in the jet. you know, just in case Thunderbird ones needed."

"yeah I know. So where are you going?"

Alan scratched his head thoughtfully, and smiled. "Somewhere in Asia I think. China maybe."

"Cool. Why China?"

"Never been there before. Thought it might be a good experience." He grinned. "Besides, I think the Great Wall of China might make a good race track!"

His auburn haired brother laughed. "I would love to see the look on Father's face, when he gets a call from the Emperor of China, informing him that one of his sons has been caught drag racing along one of their most precious and ancient monuments!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't hear the end of it! He'll probably stick me in Thunderbird five for the rest of my life or something!"

"He would have creamed you for sure!"

Suddenly, and with no warning, Alan burst out laughing. In fact it was so sudden that it made Gordon jump a bit. "Christ AL! I wouldn't have thought getting creamed by Dad, was a laughing matter."

"No, no, it's not that." Alan wiped tears away from his eyes. "But when you said 'creamed' it reminded me, of something Scott did earlier. It was so funny!"

"What? What did he do?" Gordon Tracy was all ears. If Scott did something funny, then it had to be good. Scott didn't usually do extremely humorous things. He was the serious one. And he had to be. After all, he was International Rescue's field commander.

Alan explained about what had happened earlier with the sundae.

In no time at all Gordon too, burst into hysterics. "Are you telling me, that you actually made Scott Tracy beg on his knees for something?"

"Yep."

"Wow kiddo, you must have a death wish! Scott isn't going to forget that in a hurry, I should know! Remember the cake incident?"

"Oh boy, do I!"

About a week ago, Grandma Tracy had baked a cake, and had left it on the side board, strictly informing the brothers that nobody was to touch it.

Gordon however, while in his 'I feel like pranking somebody moment', decided to rig the cake with an ingenious contraption that involved very thin wires, and a catapult system.

The idea of Gordon's invention was that if anyone touched the cake, as he knew they eventually would, knowing his brothers, it would interrupt the wiring system, and ultimately catapult the cake into the persons face.

As Gordon had guessed, it was Scott who set off Gordon's contraption, after he had decided to drag his finger along the icing, breaking the wiring system.

The brothers had never laughed so hard when Scott came angrily into the lounge, his face covered in icing and jam.

Scott of course knew whose prank it was straight away, and went for the fourth eldest Tracy at once.

If hadn't been for the fact that Grandma Tracy had decided to walk in., Scott would have probably throttled Gordon there and then. As it was however, he never got a chance…

"SCOTT CARPENTER TRACY, IS THAT MY CAKE ALL OVER YOUR FACE!" For such a small person, the Tracy boys Grandmother sure had a loud voice.

Scott looked down at his feet. "Yes Grandma, but-"

"Scott I told you not to touch it!" Her voice had quietened down, but the brothers could tell that she was still pretty angry.

"Sorry Grandma."

"You will be. First of all I want you to clean up that mess in the kitchen. And when I say clean, I mean clean. That means soapy water, mop and bucket, you got me?"

"But Grandma, it was Gordon fault! He made the-"

"Trap," Gordon interrupted. "It was a trap Grandma. I knew one of these lot would try to nick some of it, so I made a catapult system."

"Oh? And how did this catapult system work Gordy?"

Everyone listened as Gordon explained the basic principal of his invention.

When he had finished, Grandma Tracy turned to Scott. "Is that true Scott? Did you touch my cake?"

Scott couldn't deny it. "Yes Grandma, but I only wanted a little taste, honestly!"

"I don't care how big a taste you wanted Scott Tracy, I told you not to touch it! Now off to the kitchen with you!"

Scott Tracy stormed towards the kitchen, but not before whispering to his auburn haired brother: "You are so dead! You just wait, I'll gonna get you back for this!"

And Gordon knew that his brother would, he just didn't when . He would have to wait.

And he had waited. For a week. But so far there had not been any revenge from Scott's angle. At least not yet anyway.

"You have a good time," said Gordon after Alan had finished rambling on about the cake incident. "And if Scott mentions my name and 'revenge' in the same sentence, give me a call, ok?"

"Ok." Alan gave his brother a hug. "See you when I get back."

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"Ok son, you have clearance for take off." Jeff announced into the radio.

"FAB Father." Came his eldest sons reply. Scott turned to Alan. "You ready kiddo?"

"Of course!"

"Well hear we go then." Scott took the controls and guided the jet down the run way.

From the balcony, Virgil and Gordon watched as their brothers, and the jet, disappeared into the sky.

"There goes a brave man," Gordon commented

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Scott, taking Alan on vacation. Brave decision don't you think?"

Virgil laughed. "Oh yeah, very brave! Taking Alan on vacation is usually a fate worse than death! But I think Scott will be able to handle it."

"Will you miss him?"

"Who Scott? yeah I suppose. You gonna miss Alan?"

"What the brat? The kiddo? Yeah I'm gonna miss him. Heaven knows why though."

"I know why. You now don't have anyone to plan pranks with."

"I have you. Do you want to help me paint polka dots on Thunderbird one?"

Virgil thought,(for about five seconds!) "Yeah ok."

Great! I'll get the paints, you get the brushes, I'll meet you in Thunderbird one's hangar in five minutes."

"FAB."

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"Are we there yet?"

"For the last time, NO Alan, we are NOT nearly there!"

Alan groaned. "Well how long will it be til we get there?"

"A few hours. I want to fly over the Himalayas, and check out Mount Everest."

"Why?"

"I want to see if it's as magnificent, as people say it is."

"Oh," Alan's eyes drifted shut. "Well wake me up when we get there, I wouldn't mind seeing it as well."

"Fine"

The red jet cruised across the sparkling ocean, it's reflection trailing along the blue waves. It was hard to imagine that in just a few hours time, they would be entering the cold temperature of the Himalayas, from the tropical temperatures they were now flying in.

Scott listened to his brother's light snoring and smiled. His brother was ok. For a brat. But sometimes he could be so annoying, conniving too. The sundae thing was a good example of this.

"I must make sure I get him back for that." Scott reminded himself, for perhaps the third time since they had left the island.

The time passed quickly, and soon the jet was flying over the Himalayas, the rocky peaks reaching towards the sky.

Scott was just about to wake his brother, when suddenly there was a loud explosion from beneath the jet. The force of it rocked the plane.

Alan's eyes flew open. "What the hell was that!"

"I don't know! There's something on the ground beneath us, I can't tell what it is, but its firing missiles at us!"

A second explosion threw Alan. His face collided with the control panel, and he uttered a cry of pain as he felt his nose fracture. Blood began to pour out of his nostrils. It ran his chin, soaking the white shirt he was wearing.

"Alan are you-."

He got no further, for suddenly there was a third explosion, this one striking the base of the craft. The jet began a fast decent towards the mountainside, of Mount Everest.

"Scott do something!"

"I'm trying!"

And he was. The eldest Tracy pulled on the controls desperately, trying to even the plane out, as he had been trained to do in the airforce.

But it was too late. Far too late. Suddenly there was a fourth explosion, as the jet made a terrible and fiery impact, with the tallest mountain in the world.