I just love writing this family. Enjoy!
There was a rumble of thunder in the distance.
Alan watched from the veranda as the dark mass of cloud hovering over the horizon slowly headed in the direction of the island. He let out a small sigh and closed his eyes as a muted flurry of wind rustled his blonde locks. The youngest Tracy opened an eye when he felt a presence next to him.
"Uh oh, look's like there's a storm coming."
"What gave that away?" Alan replied lazily, spotting a flash from afar.
John chuckled and draped his arms over the railing, following his brother's gaze. They were soon joined on the balcony by the silent mermaid, who seemed curious about the sky.
"Are you okay, Marina?"
Marina pointed at the storm clouds.
"Oh, that's a storm. You ever seen a storm before?" John asked.
Marina thought for a few moments before tipping her hand from side to side.
"Does that mean you don't know?" Alan inquired.
"Unless it means she's unsure?" John theorized, "Oh, it could mean she has and she hasn't?"
"What do you mean by that?" Alan turned to his brother.
"Well, since she lives underwater, she's probably felt the effects of a storm but not necessarily seen one in person, right?"
"I guess that makes sense." Alan said, "Is he right, Marina?"
Marina nodded. She wiggled her hands in a floating motion to signify waves.
"Pretty rough down there in a storm, huh?" Alan questioned, getting a nod back in response. "Gosh, that would be pretty terrifying. It's bad enough being on the surface when there's a storm. Can't imagine it being any fun underwater."
Marina nodded but smiled regardless. It was definitely a wild experience when there was a storm above the sea. Most of the time she was deep underwater so couldn't feel any effect, but in a particularly powerful storm, it could get pretty dark and ominous when the sand was upturned, especially with the rain beating down and the flashes of lightning going at it.
She moved her gaze from the storm to the blue sky above their heads, then back to the storm. It was fascinating for her to see how the weather worked above the sea. It was still sunny and humid over the island but in the distance the clouds were gathering and she could see them moving for herself.
She hadn't really had the chance to watch the weather in Marineville as the town was heavily built-up and she's never really had the space to do that like here. From the villa balcony she could see for miles and miles and there was such a clear gap between the sea and sky that it made everything seem so much more pleasing to look at.
A beeping noise broke the calm ambience. Alan and John hurried back inside the lounge and Marina followed behind, taking a seat next to Troy and Phones on the couch. She watched as Jeff addressed one of the portaits on the wall which appeared to be a moving image of a young man wearing blue glasses.
"W-We've had a distress call come in from Australia, Mr Tracy."
"Ah, as we expected. I've been continuing to monitor the news since your last report."
"T-The forest fire in Wooroloo has now g-gotten out of control. There are several families trapped in the local c-community centre which is now u-unaccessible to firefighters due to the s-severity of the flames."
"We'll be needing the Firefly then. Thanks, Brains. Let us know if there are any further developments."
"Y-Yes Mr Tracy."
The Tracy partriarch turned away from the portrait and faced Scott. "Okay Scott, take off for Wooroloo."
Scott nodded and headed for his lamps. "Yes father."
Troy, Phones and Marina watched the eldest Tracy in eager anticipation, wondering what was going to happen. Their interest grew as the wall behind Scott suddenly span around and the pilot disappeared out of sight.
"What a set up." Phones murmured. Troy and Marina nodded.
"Virgil, you're up next. Take Pod 3 and the dicetylene extinguishers."
"FAB. Good thing I loaded them into the Pod earlier." Virgil made his way over to the rocket portrait and stood with his back to it, looking at Troy, Phones and Marina's gaping mouths. "See you on the other side." he winked, before the wall behind him flipped him into the air and consumed him.
"And just like that, they're on their way into Thunderbirds 1 and 2." Gordon grinned, feeling proud he was able to show off his family's legacy to an old friend.
"Wowzers!" Phones exclaimed, "You sure do run an efficient organization, Mr Tracy."
Jeff smiled and made his way over to the veranda. "Thunderbird 1 is due to take off in two minutes. You'll be able to watch both the launches from here."
Troy, Phones and Marina followed Jeff onto the balcony and watched as the pool slowly slid back.
"Do you see that, Phones?"
"I sure do, skipper. Amazing."
After a further minute and a half, the Stingray crew could hear the powerful rocket's ignition and they braced themselves as Thunderbird 1 shot out of the opening left by the pool. It quickly ascended to around 2,500 feet before rotating and changing course towards Australia, then continuing to climb and accelerate.
"Imagine if Marineville possessed rockets that were able to move as fast as Thunderbird 1, Troy! Titan wouldn't know what'd hit him!"
"Too true, too true."
The villa once again started to vibrate.
"Here comes Thunderbird 2, I suspect." Troy glanced at the scenic sight before him and sure enough, the colossal green airship rounded the island and also changed direction.
"That airship sure is a beaut." Phones whistled.
Jeff smiled proudly as he watched the retreating Thunderbird craft piloted by his eldest and middle sons. In the back of his mind there was a small presence of fear which often lurked when his sons were off on a mission, but he knew in his heart they'd both be fine.
They were Tracy's, after all.