DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Thunderbirds, and do not intend to make any profit from this story. It is for entertainment purposes only. Go find money someplace else, I'm poor right now.

Conspirators Unite
January 2016

"You want to do what?" Jeff Tracy couldn't believe how many times his sons were managing to wrangle that phrase from his lips. First it had been John, wanting to get his pilot's license. Then it had been Virgil, who had declared only a week earlier that he wanted to take a practical mechanics course once he finished up school.

And now it was Scott.

"Quit the air force."

"No."

"I already have." The eldest Tracy boy grinned slightly and shrugged. "Before Christmas. It's why I've had such a long break here. I dropped a note asking for a discharge, packed up my stuff, and left. I can deal with the rest through correspondence."

"Scott!"

"Listen Dad," Scott sighed, holding up his hands in defence. "You can't do this on your own. You and James will be at it forever. You need an extra person to get this project going. Besides, who's going to fly the reconnaissance craft?"

Jeff shrugged glumly, not willing to admit to Scott that he was right. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Yeah you have." The tone of Scott's voice was steady. "I know you have, Dad. You think things through better than that. Besides, why did you bother to even tell me at the end of the summer? Guilty conscience?"

"All right!" Giving in, Jeff sighed and banged his hand down on the workbench. A box of tools rattled about, and the welding kit that he had been using nearly tumbled off the edge. "I was going to ask you later. But not now."

Scott's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why not? It makes perfect sense to."

"I don't want you to throw your life away until absolutely necessary," the elder Tracy replied, his own eyes squinting. "And even then, it's still most definitely your decision."

Huffing, Scott folded his arms across his chest and gave his father a knowing look. "Well, you've given me the choice. And guess what?" A small grin curved his lips. "I like the idea. I like it way more than anything the air force can offer. I don't think it's a waste of time, and I don't think that I'll be throwing my life away."

"Scott."

"Besides," he continued, a tiny edge of cockiness coming to his voice, "who do you want flying beside you? Someone you can trust, right?"

Jeff closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh. "Scott."

"Dad, this is my choice. You're not forcing me into anything." Reaching out a hand to push the welder back onto the bench, Scott looked up and gazed out at the wide expanse that lay before him. "Look at this place. It's amazing. But it's not finished."

"The contractors could only do so much. I didn't want to arouse suspicion. They think it's just a hanger for the plane, or maybe for some secret work stuff. That's what I told them."

An amused snort escaped Scott's lips. "A turbo-prop hanger? They can't even imagine what's in here." He absently picked up a power-screwdriver and banged it against his palm. "With my help you should be able to finish this place up in about a year's time. I've made up my mind, Dad. You're stuck with me until further notice. At least this way you won't have to involve everyone else. We can tell them when everything is set, and no sooner."

Succumbing to the reality that he would not be able to convince Scott otherwise, Jeff nodded his head in acceptance. "I guess that I can't change your mind, Scott. You're as stubborn as your old man."

"It's your stubbornness that made this, Dad." Scott stretched out his hand, taking in the entire bay. "You've worked on this for years with only James to help you. Look how far you've come!"

Scott's point hit Jeff smack in the face. "You've definitely got that right, son." He glanced around at the almost finished cavern, then slowly let his gaze settle on a set of large blast doors to the right of the workbench. "How about it?"

Scott's eyes followed his father's, coming to rest on the entrance to the turbo scram hanger. "She'll be faster than anything out there. A real technological achievement."

"Think you can handle her if I give her to you?" It was a rhetorical question, for Jeff knew his son's skill and passion for fast aircraft.

There was no doubt in Scott's voice when he answered. "Oh yeah." A twinkle flashed across his eyes. "Oh yeah."

A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I couldn't really bundle it with anything else, yet I couldn't cut it out because it explains some stuff. And thanks to my beta reader, Ariel D (whom I keep forgetting to thank), for reading these chapters over. You're doing a great job of keeping me flying on course. ;)

Reviews! Thank you so much, to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I'm glad it went over well. I'll try and keep this short, so that the author note is not longer then the actual chappie . . .

Marblez – Can't wait to read the revised edition. Re-writing can be a pain in the butt, no joke. :) First mission? A little while yet, but hopefully you'll keep reading until then.
mcj – Thank you. :D I keep running into that every chapter I write – they should talk more with each other than they do.
moonlightbear – Yay, a new reader! Hello new reader. ;) I can't remember why at this point, but I deliberately chose not to use the avalanche in this story. Racks brain Aw, it ran away. Anyway, thanks so much for adding me to your list. Hopefully I won't disappoint.
ladc – Glad Fermat struck you as being a bit more likeable. I have to admit, I found chapters 11 and 12 hard to write – I had to skip ahead and write a nice chapter with John before I could finish them. ;)
Arashi no Baka – Thank you so much! :D You don't have to give up anything – I love your writing a great deal. I've just started writing the chapter with the accident. It's proving interesting . . . I was honestly considering whether or not any of the boys should be made gay in the story, but I decided against it because it just didn't work with the way that I saw them. :) Would have made for some awfully spicy chapters, though. ;)
Assena – That's what I was aiming for – I'm glad that I delivered. :) Hopefully you won't cry too hard. I'm having to change around some things to make the story fit in with the movie as well as the show, but I think it'll work out pretty well.
Devlinn Reiko-sama – Thanks! Hope you like this one too.
Ariel D – I couldn't resist putting in the line about the swim trunks hanging from the back of the plane. ;)
andrewjameswilliams – Don't worry about it. :) Let's see . . . Chapter Sixteen is when the boys find out. I'm such a tease . . .
zeilfanaat – Flaunt is a wonderful word, and you're using it correctly so don't worry. ;) Yep, that's the only episode where he actually goes on a rescue. Poor guy, daddy didn't love him. ;)
miz greenleaf – Thanks! Sorry about taking so long to update. My homework is trying to eat me.

Tune in next time for "Test", otherwise known as John goes to a job interview . . .
FAB!