Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds Are Go.
AN: Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it. Thank you to islandsandstars and LMC25 for your reviews :)
"What's it like to be here?" Penelope asks John, looking around the at open fields and beyond.
John gives a nostalgic half-smile. "A little strange, but still home, I suppose."
Penelope smiles and nudges his shoulder with hers playfully, seeming happy at the response.
"What about you?" John asks, tilting his head at her.
Penelope gives a small half-shrug. "It's nice to be included in the family," she begins, smiling at John's disbelieving look at any implication otherwise, "but it's also nice to know that your pseudo-family treated you well."
"Of course," John's smile is warm as he looks at his brothers, at a safe distance away. "They're good people, Penelope."
"I know," Penelope says, smiling.
"Remember when dad first brought John home?" Virgil's smile is soft as he nudges his brother. "We didn't know whatto think."
Scott snorts. "I remember mom letting dad sleep outside the house for a month."
Grandma sighs. "That Jeff. Always getting into trouble wherever he went," her sigh is exasperated but fond. "He didn't even know if John was his, but he went along with it anyways."
"Wait, really?" Alan pipes up, eyes wide. He turns to his older brother.
John's smile is slightly wistful. "Yeah…dad didn't really know, but my…" he waves a hand, as if trying to find a suitable word, "mother died, so he took me in."
"No blood test?" Parker offers.
"Nah," and this is Grandma. "By the time we got our wits around us to actually do tests, he was practically family. We didn't really see the need."
Virgil grins. "By that, she means he was the only one who could get Allie to stop crying."
"Wait, really?" Alan demands again, staring at his brother.
"You were a good baby, Allie, but you were loud," Scott grins. "Gordon tried to sell you. And when he couldn't, he tried to paysomeone to take you away."
"Luckily, his teacher had more common sense than that," John grins.
"What?!" Alan gawks, glaring at Gordon. "Gordo, how could you do that to me?"
"Easily and without remorse," Gordon says.
"I guess you've got John to thank then, for allowing you to stay in the family," Kayo laughs.
"Where would we be without John?" Gordon raises his soda can mockingly, shooting his brother a good-natured grin.
"Probably two doctorates short," Scott grins. Laughs sound around the cosy living room.
"A whole lot sadder," Grandma smiles warmly. John shoots her a shy smile as he ducks his head.
"It's remarkable," Penelope comments softly. "You take someone in based on someone else's word, and completely make him your brother. I don't know if anyone else would have been able to do that."
Matching grins from the five brothers.
Virgil slings an arm over John's shoulders and shrugs. "John's our brother. That's all there is to it."
John grins. "Just like Kayo is our sister," he raises his cup at the head of covert ops. She flushes at the sudden attention, but accepts the acknowledgement with a smile.
Penelope and John exchange a glance as everyone else cheers for the young woman. They exchange a short nod – John raises his can slightly higher and inclines his head at her, a gesture she responds to with a sparkle in her eye and a barely hidden smile – then rejoin the playful conversation with little fanfare.
"John?" Penelope frowns. "What's wrong? Is it the Mechanic again?"
John shakes his head. "I think I've figured out what he's planning." His eyes are wide and spooked, and it is this that jerks Penelope fully awake.
"What?"
"Project Sentinel."
"What?" Penelope repeats. The confusion is quickly dashed as realisation colours her face. She shakes her head, clasping a hand to her mouth. "No. Even the Hood thought it was too risky."
"If the Mechanic is as under the Hood's control as we think, and unwillingly at that, then it's more than likely he'd think it was worth it. But that's not the worst part."
Penelope urges him to continue. John is incredibly pale, especially in the moonlight that sneaks in through the thick curtains.
"I think the Hood, or his allies in the GDF, are attempting an adapted version of Project Sentinel."
"No," Penelope shakes her head. "They can't."
"They can, and they will," John lowers his voice. "I was looking through the schematics that they took from the Hood's hideout. Many of them are fragmented, but if you know what you're looking for, it's easy to see. The pieces that make up Sentinel had been accessed by anonymous GDF users too many times in the last few times to be a coincidence. They tried to scrub out evidence, but EOS found their digital trace."
Penelope buries her head in her hands. "It would be so much easier if we had Jeff Tracy's intel right about now."
"I know," John says. "But we don't have a choice. I need you and Parker scanning through allthe channels. We might need to inform the Bureau if it gets too far."
"I thought the purpose of placing you with the Tracys was to avoidinforming the Bureau," Penelope hisses. "You know as well as I do that the news will somehow leak to the GDF's covert department."
"I know," John repeats. "But the Bureau has resources that we don't. We thought we could do this, but if they are planning to recreate Project Sentinel at the same time as the Mechanic, we have to get help."
"Could we tell International Rescue?" Penelope suggests, even though she knows it's a dead end.
John shakes his head regretfully. "You know as well as I do that they will be in more danger if they knew. Kayo, especially, wouldn't let it go."
"I know," Penelope sighs. "Alright, I'll let Parker know to keep his eye out for anything."