Main Title: Between the Rescues
Chapter Title: Laika on Leash
Chapter Number: 2
Summary: A collection of short, hopefully humorous stories that take a look at what the characters get up to during those long off-duty hours on Tracy Island.
Author: Brosle-Cub
Disclaimer: Thunderbirds does not belong to me; is that fair? No it is not!
Regarding this chapter - I know it's not canon, Alan naming his alligator Laika, but it's not impossible, and I thought it sounded quite appropriate. And yes, I'm revisiting a former fanfiction joke here - I hope you enjoy.
Laika on Leash
Scott Tracy was content. He had a drink. He had a book. He had even dug a ready-made chocolate ice-cream out of the fridge. He was sitting in a lounge, sunglasses on, ready to soak up some of the wonderful warmth after a morning down in the laboratories with Virgil and Brains, working over some modifications for Thunderbirds 1 and 2.
An itch in his eyes prompted Scott to sit up, take the sunglasses off and rub at the aching area. When his vision had cleared, he looked around briefly and then paused when he saw what was coming his way.
"Hey, Virgil," he nudged his brother, who was dozing in the lounge next to him. Virgil roused and sat up, yawning.
"W-what's wrong, Scott?"
Scott gestured over to the right; Virgil, following his line of vision, stared and then started.
"Gordon, what are you doing?"
The redheaded Tracy brother glanced in his direction as he approached. "Just taking the alligator for a walk, Virg." He watched as his two eldest siblings stared at each other warily, before Scott thrust his cone into Virgil's hands and stood up, looking extremely businesslike.
"Okay, Gordon. Whatever you're doing, whatever you're planning, why don't you just put it on hold, alright? We're both exhausted from a tedious morning."
Gordon blinked. "What makes you think I'm planning anything? All I'm doing is taking Laika for a stroll."
Oblivious to the fact that Virgil was licking his melting cone behind him, Scott glanced down at the female pygmy alligator, secure on a thick black leather leash that was attached to her neck and belly, and then back up at Gordon.
"Since when did we start taking Laika for a stroll?"
The aquanaut raised an eyebrow. "Since last night, when I took over desk duty for a while whilst Dad went to get something to eat and I called Alan only to receive demands that I take Her Royal Scaliness here to see more of the island. He wants to make sure she's settled in - remember she's only been here a couple of weeks."
"What if she snaps the leash with her teeth?"
"She won't, there's flexible metal inside the leather; this little baby isn't going anywhere."
"Well, that's something. Just keep an eye on her." Scott turned back to his lounge. "Virgil - hey, Virgil, give me back my cone!"
"Don't blame me; I'm a mere human, defenceless against temptation." Virgil reluctantly handed the chocolate treat back as Gordon picked up Laika somewhat gingerly and moved away from the two pilots to where Brains was sitting, staring intently at a chessboard.
"Hey, Brains."
The scientist looked up. "Oh! Er, h-h-hi, er, G-Gordon. I-I've been h-hoping to, er, t-t-talk with you."
"Gordon?"
The redhead glanced around to see John, currently indulging in a little bit of pool-time fun, eyeing his younger brother's reptile companion somewhat nervously from the water. Gordon sighed again and put the alligator down.
"You're safe Johnny, I won't let the eeeny-weeny tiny pygmy alligator go for you."
"Don't mock me." John had never been the hugest fan of underwater creatures, and Alan's new pet didn't exactly help to put his fears at rest. It was just how he felt, he had reasoned with himself many a time. Everyone needed to be scared of something, right?
Gordon shook his head at the man who, as a boy, he'd always thought had not been afraid of anything. Of course, that had all changed when he was seven-years-old and the newts he had gathered and smuggled into the house had broken loose. Sitting down opposite Brains, he watched as the bespectacled man checkmated himself, before turning his attention to his friend.
"R-right, er, Gordon. I want you t-t-to l-look at, er, some blueprints that I, that I, er, drew up with Mr T-Tracy."
"Go on, Brains."
"Okay," was his stuttered reply. "I - I've, er, been thinking that, f-following what happened on the, er, the Ambro R-River - "
"You mean the giant alligators?" Gordon couldn't help glancing across at John, currently doing laps in the pool as he said this.
"Um, y-yeah. B-basically, we're considering m-maybe putting, er, some kind of special animal t-tranquiliser on the nose of Th-thunderbird Four."
Gordon nodded thoughtfully. "Could be a good idea. It would allow me to put any obstructing underwater creatures out of action, just for a while - "
"Gordon - "
"Not now, Scott," the redhead threw over his shoulder, before continuing in his conversation with Brains. "Like I said, I would be less distracted and troubled under the water if you could - "
"Gordon - "
"Wait, will you, Scott! - could put one of those babies on my Thunderbird, Brains."
Brains nodded eagerly. "Th-that's what I, er, thought, G-Gordon. Y-your father was telling me that he, er, he doesn't want to have t-to cause any u-unecessary animalistic m-massacres."
Behind them, Scott and Virgil were getting desperate to grab their brother's attention and Virgil quickly decided to try and succeed where Scott had failed.
"Gordon, could you just -"
Gordon, caught up with Brains' latest and greatest idea, sighed and again threw his reply over his shoulder. "Look, I'll be there in a moment, just give me a second here, will ya?"
"But - "
"In a moment! Sorry, Brains - er, yeah, I don't particularly want to cause any animal bloodshed, especially to my fellow underwater creatures." The redhead gave Brains a grin. "But I'd say go ahead with it. It sounds a great idea."
"Gordon, will you please - !"
"G-good." Brains smiled, pleased that his plan was approved of. "H-hopefully, it can, er, become a-a more st-standard part of, ah, the, er, equipment."
"And give rise to the fact that International Rescue is an extremely moral organisation!" Gordon rubbed his hands together jubilantly.
"GORDON!" This time, Scott and Virgil shouted together, their heads swivelling around to look at John in the pool. Startled by the shouts, Gordon looked down at his hands, saw that Laika's leash was no longer attached to them and swore so badly that Brains thanked the heavens that Grandma Tracy wasn't around just then. Then pandemonium broke out.
"Where is she? Where is she?"
"We don't know, Gordon, she raced off. Calm - "
"Why didn't you tell me what was happening?"
"We tried!" Virgil glared at him. "But you wouldn't listen! You were so caught up in listening to Brains that you didn't notice your grip loosening on the leash."
"Don't blame me, I'm a mere human!" Gordon barked at him before putting his head in his hands, doing his best to think. "Right, look around. We've gotta find her!"
"Er, f-fellas," said Brains' hesitant voice behind them, "I, er, I-I think I kn-know where she, er, she is."
As Gordon spun around to look at him anxiously, Brains pointed into the crystal clear pool water. Staring into its depths, Gordon felt a surge of relief when he saw Laika, having the time of her life, her small bulk swimming around underneath the surface…
… Relief that turned to horror when he saw John swimming in her direction, oblivious to what had joined him in the water.
"Oh, no," Gordon murmured and he started to take his shirt off, but no sooner was it over his head than a sound reached his ears which told him John had been made aware of Laika's presence.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
It never failed, Jeff concluded, sitting at his desk, watching the scene in front of him. Having spent a good part of the day sipping coffee and pouring over reports that were based around the Thunderbird craft and therefore important to International Rescue, he had not had much time to relax. So when he had begun to sense that he had almost completed his work, he switched from coffee to good cold lemonade, and his mother had brought him a plate of cookies from the kitchen. Now that the last report had been filed, Jeff had been looking forward to some peace and quiet in the privacy of his own lounge. Of course, that was before chaos had broken out, and it would have to involve his sons.
It definitely never fails, he thought resignedly, as he took in the messy huddle of his four boys, noticing in particular how Gordon was at the front, John was at the back, and Scott and Virgil were in the middle, arms outstretched between the two of them. Add a lot of shouting and the odd swear-word, and Jeff knew for sure something had happened out at the pool, and he knew it had happened at the pool because John had his towel wrapped around his waist.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," he called out, to little effect. "I said enough!"
The authority in his voice stopped the Tracy brothers in their tracks and Scott took advantage of the sudden silence to push John's hands away from the direction of Gordon's throat.
Jeff took a deep breath before speaking. "OK, now, what's happened, boys? Virgil, could you tell me?"
"Yes, father," the artist said quickly. "Basically, Gordon took Laika for a walk, she escaped from him and got into the pool."
"While I was in it!" John cried, looking and sounding absolutely beside himself. Jeff raised a hand.
"Calm down, John. Now, did the alligator do anything to you?"
"Just take a look for yourself!" John sharply unwrapped the towel around his waist, and Jeff was able to deduce, from the lack of swimming-trunks and the knowledge that this particular son did not skinny-dip, what had happened in the water.
"I see. OK John, don't worry. As long as you didn't get hurt - it's only a pair of swimming-trunks."
"No, but my pride has been severely dented!" Now slightly calmer, John ran both hands through his damp hair and let out a breath of air. "I never, ever want to go through that again."
"John, she's just a small pygmy alligator," Jeff said in reasonable tones. "Nothing to be afraid of."
"That's what I told him," Gordon piped up, rather daringly in the circumstances. Jeff turned to him, determined to keep the peace because he knew for a fact that even John could severely lose his temper.
"Gordon, what's happened to the alligator?"
Gordon blinked back at his father. "What do you mean what's happened to Laika?"
"I mean - you put her back in her enclosure, didn't you?"
Four pairs of heads whipped around to look at one another, then Gordon's hands flew to his mouth as realisation hit him hard and fast.
"No - she's still in the pool!" Cursing, he raced back out of the lounge as Jeff's hand slapped his forehead in exasperation.
"Ah."
John shook his head. "I don't mean to whinge, but if he doesn't catch that thing…"
The Tracy patriarch cut across him. "He will if he wants any dessert tonight - Grandma doesn't exactly relish the idea of her on the loose anymore than you do. Now you go and get changed into some clothes, John."
Nope, it never fails, he decided yet again, watching his blonde son leave the room, No matter when you get the chance to relax, something always crops up.
And if Alan has that alligator, by the looks of things that's going to happen a lot more around here…
Fin.