I woke up with this scene in my head this morning and this fic is the result. It appears to be little more than a mood piece and it rambles, not really going anywhere, but it is an answer to Scott's FabFiveFeb challenge with the prompt "What do you mean?"
As with most of my fics at the moment - SPOILERS FOR 3.25 & 3.26.
Thank you to scribbles97 for the cheering on and the readthrough. And apologies to onereyofstarlight I kinda built on your turf :D Hope I got all my references right :D
Don't expect too much and I hope you enjoy it.
-o-o-o-
Scott straightened his tie. The soft blue silk had a calm sheen to it. Virgil, ever the colour coordinator, had given it to him last birthday and basically demanded he wear it with this suit.
Who was Scott to disagree with a practising artist? A tie was a tie, but he had to admit the blue did something to highlight his eyes. He understood that much.
Shoulders straight, he found himself brushing non-existent lint off his lapels.
Pulling his hand away, he had to admit he was nervous and the soft grey fabric was little more than a shield between him and the world.
He was standing in his room in their house in Parnell, Auckland. Through the window of his bedroom the volcanic island of Rangitoto sat in a still and grey early morning sea.
A cruise ship was entering Waitemata Harbour, the floating hotel, a slow-moving behemoth.
It echoed how he felt stuck here.
But he was a Tracy and there were necessary things that had to be done. He turned toward the door and grabbed his wallet and keys. He had left Commander Tracy in the hands of Virgil for a couple of days. His younger brother's thoughts on that were, as always, dutiful but reluctant. One of these days Virgil would realise just how good a commander he actually was and stop fretting every time Scott left the Island for a few days.
Gordon's eyes had sparkled.
Scott snorted to himself. The aquanaut was as much Virgil's second as Virgil was Scott's. Gordon would have his brother's back.
Even while hoisting Virgil's underwear up the flagpole.
The smile that crept onto his face at the thought of his brothers did a lot to straighten out his thoughts.
Today was necessary, but there was always tomorrow to look forward to.
He sighed and strode into the corridor and down the stairs. "Dad, you ready?"
He found his father in the living room. The man's back was ramrod straight, his dark grey suit sharp and professional.
The pink tie was an…interesting accent.
Grey eyes caught his staring at the silk wrapped around his collar. "Alan gave it to me."
Scott frowned and took a step closer. "Are those…flamingos?"
"Yes, they were your mother's favourite." The tie was a solid candy pink, but embossed in stitches in the material were small flamingos. Elegant rather than gaudy.
His dad was still tense as bowstring, which was understandable considering what they were doing today. "You look great, Dad."
The shift in his father's stance was subtle, but the release of tension was enough. "Thank you." His eyes appraised Scott. "You've made a good choice yourself."
Scott shrugged. "Virgil knows how to bully."
His dad snorted. "You, too, huh?"
"Yeah." It was said with fondness. But onto business. "Ready?"
"Lead the way."
The car was out the front waiting as the two men strode out the front door, Scott grabbing his briefcase as they left.
It was a short drive into the CBD and one of the reasons why they had purchased the house in Parnell many years ago. Some would say it was indulgent. Scott considered it necessary for appearances.
After all, if he was going to make the board travel all the way out here, he had to have the presence to make it happen.
A couple of years after his father's disappearance Scott had moved Tracy Industries HQ to Auckland. His reasoning was clear. Aotearoa was International Rescue's closest neighbour. The economic landscape worked to their business advantage and IR had an arrangement with the government that allowed fast deployment of the Thunderbirds if necessary.
And it was a simple power move. Making the rest of the world come to them spoke of confidence and strength.
His father had stared at him when he told him of the financial situation Tracy Industries was currently in. Those grey eyes had widened.
"We're worth how much?"
Scott shifted where he stood. "It was a family effort, Dad."
And it truly had been. While Scott acted as President, John had flexed his genius and played the stockmarket in his spare time. Both Brains and Virgil patented some core new technologies, Gordon expanded their ecological interests and Alan, still in high school, had helped to launch their high-tech simulator experiences.
Scott didn't mention the merchandise. He avoided the merchandise.
But it all came together and where Tracy Industries was worth billions when his father disappeared, after an initial stumble and drop, it had recovered once the world realised that Scott Tracy was no pushover and was now greater than it had ever been. More diverse, more powerful, just more.
Scott had sat his father down and gone through the portfolio.
"We're in aquaculture?"
"Gordon's coup. He funded a small time ecologically safe project enough to get it off the ground. Now we are the major supplier of several marine crops for both food and medicinal purposes."
His Dad frowned.
"It's strength in diversity, Dad. The sum of all supports the all."
Those eyes pinned him. "I taught you that line."
Scott's lips curled. "I know."
And now the day had come where the current President had to re-introduce the former President to the board.
The buildings slipped by as the car darted through the city. The day was grey without being cold, but it was far from the tropics he was used to. People walked the streets, traffic lights passed them by. An ambulance tore through going in the opposite direction and Scott found himself stretching to peer out the back window to see where it was going, automatically running locations through his head, his hand halfway to his lapel to call Thunderbird Five before he stopped himself.
But nothing was said in the back of the car. His father was quiet and gazed out the opposite window. Scott knew this must be hard for him, but it had to be done.
"Are you sure, Dad?" They had discussed it late one evening out on the balcony.
"I'm sure, son. It is time."
"You don't have to do it now, you can wait longer if you need it."
"Do you have reservations?" His voice was quiet.
"No! I'm just worried you're hurrying it, that's all."
Still quiet. "No." His father looked out towards the horizon. "It's time."
But still as the car pulled up in front of the tower of glass that served as their headquarters, Scott had to admit to himself, he had his reservations.
His father had had so many challenges to face on his return. His health was the worst. The long-term damage from years in space was unavoidable. The lack of a healthy diet was almost as bad. There were months of painful rehabilitation with sorely needed respite on Five. John had been his father's constant companion. Gordon had stepped in as his coach.
The day Scott found Gordon in tears in his bedroom would always be engraved in his memory. His little brother had just simply overflowed. The skin and bone of their father, his pain, the scars, it had all managed to chip away even Gordon's strength. Scott ended up holding the man as he cried on his shoulder.
Scott's eyes were far from dry.
Virgil found them there sometime later and from that point on things had changed.
International Rescue took second place for a while after that.
They still went out, but sometimes they just had to defer. Dad needed them.
Of course, their father knew nothing of the sort. The brothers fed him the information they needed to. Scott didn't keep him in the dark, but he didn't need to know what he didn't need to know. The brothers had been managing IR for a long time. They did what they had to do.
Scott kept Tracy Industries and IR moving, John stayed with their father while Eos acted in his place, Virgil, Gordon and Alan divided their time between Dad and International Rescue.
Grandma moved to Auckland to look after her son.
It was a challenging year.
But Dad was back on Earth and despite the pain, they still rejoiced.
The driver opened his door and Scott was forced by propriety to climb out of the car.
His father followed.
Scott watched him look up and up.
And up.
The building was truly an architectural triumph. The tallest structure in Auckland, it was an elegant sculpture spun from ribbons of glass and greenery. It said success and it shouted it to all who saw it. Iconic and a tourist attraction it was known the world over as Tracy Tower.
"Spared no expense."
"No, we didn't."
"Impressive."
"That's the idea." But eyes were staring in their direction. His father's presence today had been kept quiet, but with the media in everyone's back pocket, it wouldn't take long for the world to realise that Jeff Tracy was making his inaugural visit to Tracy Tower. "C'mon, Dad. They'll be waiting for us."
"For you."
"Yeah, well, the moment they see you, I'll just be part of the furniture." He shot a small smile at his father.
The smile was reflected in those grey eyes. "Then lead on."
The doors opened for them and they strode through into the grand foyer. Scott surreptitiously watched his father as he encountered the sheer opulence of the massive entrance. When Scott had first seen the plans for the building, his eyes had nearly fallen out of his head. It was over-the-top and just screamed 'rich and we want to show it' that he had stormed into the architects and given them a piece of his mind.
Fortunately, Virgil and Gordon had been with him at the time and reined him in because the lead architect had looked at him calmly before pulling up a hologram of the plans and going through each key point Scott had neglected to read.
The three rescues the day and night before might have had something to do with it.
The building was an ecological masterpiece. All the art served a purpose. It had no carbon footprint. Under the glass were solar cells that generated enough electricity to power the building itself, plus half the CBD beside it. Woven into the structure were gardens that served as havens for the workers in the building and for the wildlife around it. Aotearoa was the land of birds and the Tower supported as many as was practical.
Gordon had literally been bouncing at the time.
But the foyer was what Virgil had fallen in love with. At its centre stood a holographic sculpture generating image and music from the movement around it. Where people bustled past, the artwork collected the movement and interpreted it as light and sound.
A play of colours and piano notes danced around the room. Strategically placed glass reflected and bounced it further.
"Virgil?"
Scott snorted. "You could say that. Once he saw the designs, I couldn't keep him away from them. They are considerably different from what was originally conceived." He shrugged. "I like to think he improved it." He couldn't help but smile at the memory of his usually calm brother gesticulating enthusiastically while outlining concepts and possibilities.
Scott waved at the sculpture and, even a dozen or so metres away, it waved back and sung a soft chime.
"You boys have definitely made your mark."
A slight frown and he turned to his father. "We only built on your work, Dad. None of this was possible without you."
His father straightened. "It is quite an achievement."
A shrug. "It's useful. It does what it needs to do." He turned to reception and showed his ID. The young man smiled and ducked his head slightly. "Welcome, Mr Tracy." Scott grinned at the security officer.
His father held out his ID, newly minted and shiny.
Scott hid a smile as the young security guard's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Mister Tracy?!" There weren't enough capital letters in the English language to appropriately punctuate those two words.
"Yes, son, that's my name. And yours is?"
"Uh, Cameron, sir."
"Nice to meet you, Cameron. Have you worked here long?
"Uh, just over eighteen months, sir."
"Are you enjoying the work?"
"Yes, sir. Scott, er, Mr Tracy has been very kind."
Scott couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, well, you've done an excellent job, Cameron."
"Thank you, sir. The board are waiting in the Observatory."
"FAB."
Cameron's grin was worth the small breach in protocol.
His father raised an eyebrow at Scott as they walked towards the elevator. "There's a story there, isn't there?"
"Yep. Had to pull Cameron out of Shackleton Nuclear Facility."
His father stopped him in his tracks. "You went in there? That place is quarantined."
Scott shrugged. "We do what we have to do. Cameron survived because of us. It is a success story, Dad."
Those eyes held his a moment longer. "I'd be interested in seeing the reports."
"They are available whenever you want to see them, Dad. I've told you that." In fact, it had worried Scott that his father hadn't jumped into the mission reports almost immediately. It as if he was reluctant to look into what he had missed.
It was understandable, but it was a concern nonetheless.
The elevator arrived as they approached and another security guard waved them in.
It didn't take very long to get to the top of the building and the doors opened into the light an airy space that was the Observatory.
This was Virgil's ode to John.
The engineer and artist had seen the plans for the rooftop space and immediately made suggestions. Scott wasn't sure if you could stargaze in the middle of the city, but Virgil and the architects certainly did their best to make it appear as if you could.
The massive function area consisted of a glass enclosure that was the apex or the building. At night, lights shone on the glass in perfect constellations for the southern hemisphere. Even Scott was impressed.
During the day, the glass mosaicked shadows on the floor tiles that created those same constellations in lines.
Virgil hadn't been the designer, but he had poked the team until they came up with this. To be honest, it was Scott's favourite place for a board meeting.
It kept him close to the sky.
Gardens wove around the centre of the structure and when the meetings broke, there was plenty of fresh air and greenery to breathe in.
Today it was as grey as the ocean in the distance. Rangitoto Island defied the grey with its green volcanic cone.
The cruise ship had made dock.
Scott straightened his shoulders and stepped out of the elevator.
Immediately, every eye in the room turned and targeted him.
A moment later, every single eye slipped off him and landed on his father as he stepped out behind him.
"Mister Tracy!"
The name fell from the lips of Janine, Scott's secretary who was there ready to take minutes.
"Well, are you just going to stand there or come in and take a seat?"
Scott couldn't help but smile. "Captain Taylor." A nod of greeting. "How was your trip from Mars?"
"Oh, Albert was excellent as always."
Scott snorted as behind the astronaut, Alan, dressed neatly in a suit, rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Virgil, dressed in a grey almost as dark as his hair, emerged from the crowd, his eyes bright. "Hey, Dad, Scott." He held out his hand to his father. "Welcome to Tracy Industries, Mister Tracy." And yes, there was an amused smirk on his brother's face.
Their Dad took Virgil's hand, puzzlement on his face. "Virgil, what are you doing here? I thought you had command?"
The engineer tilted his head a little. "Well, sir, this is a full board meeting. Two is not far away, we can move fast enough. I can guarantee it." There it was, the leader that was his younger brother even if the man didn't see it himself.
"But at the moment, all of us are required to be here." A flash of red hair and John stepped up from behind them. His suit a deep blue grey paired with his signature turquoise tie.
"What do you mean?"
Gordon appeared beside John, his smart pinstripe suit looking almost alien on the aquanaut…until you looked closer and realised there were purple octopuses on his tie and he was wearing sandals.
Scott rolled his eyes. He gave up. Gordon was never going to conform. It made him want to throttle him for it and yet love him even more.
"Jeff, dear." A slim hand slipped around Gordon's arm and Lady Penelope, all blonde and pink perfection, smiled up at his father. "You have to realise that your sons are all on the Tracy Industries board. Along with myself and Captain Taylor, of course.
His father spun to stare at Scott.
He just shrugged. "It's a family business, Dad."
Alan stepped forward. "Aunt Val sends her apologies. She is caught up in the States."
His Dad was still staring at him. "But what about all those board member portfolios you shared with me?"
Scott tilted his head just a little. "They are board members, Dad. But so are we. We don't have the luxury of be available for all meetings, but we do what we can. The quorum manage and keep us apprised."
Lips thinned. "So why didn't you tell me?"
Scott let out a breath. "Dad, if you knew we were all on the board, would it have affected your decision?"
Those eyes held his, but Scott could see the concern behind the grey. He knew this had been a very hard decision for his father and had wanted to support him in any way possible. It had been John who suggested they keep the family out of the equation, to hopefully put less stress on their father.
Mister Tracy frowned. "I guess we will never know."
Scott didn't smile, but he let a little hope flare at that statement. "Shall we call the meeting to order?"
A single nod from his father. Scott waved his brothers to their seats at the broad conference table to one side of the room. The non-family members of the board only had eyes for the elder Tracy.
Virgil slipped in next to Scott. Whispered. "FAB?" How's Dad?
Equally quiet. "FAB." Okay, but the same. They had both been worried that this was too soon, but Their father was as stubborn as the rest of them and wanted to do it now.
Virgil sat to his right as he always did, John to his left. Gordon slid over one with Alan and their father sat next to Virgil.
Scott didn't sit down, but stood standing at the head of the table, a good twenty people staring at him…when they weren't darting glances at his father.
A bird landed on the glass far above, its feet clattering against the surface.
"Thank you all for your attendance today for this special meeting of the Tracy Industries International Board." He drew in a breath. "As the first item of business, I would like to announce my resignation as President."
Several members gasped out loud. Janine let out a high-pitched squeak. A 'no' was whispered from the back of the room. Scott held up a hand and a respectful silence fell. "I don't do this lightly and it is not for personal reasons, but for the betterment of Tracy Industries." He straightened his shoulders. "I move to nominate my father, Jeff Tracy, to return to his rightful position as President of this company. Do I have a second?"
Six hands shot into the air.
The rest of the room sat in stunned silence.
"It will be noted that the motion was passed and that the board will vote, pending any additional nominations as per the constitution."
The silence was profound.
The bird on the roof chattered to itself.
Scott caught his father's eye and smiled.
-o-o-o-
FIN.