A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! Night shifts are the work of the devil. Thank you so much for the reviews! It'd be tumbleweed central over here without them!
Responsibilities
Part Three
"ALAN!"
Scott looked on in horror as the dust began to clear. His world narrowed to the sight of the mangled remains of the factory and the sound of Tin-Tin's harsh, strangled breathing. For one endless moment he could do nothing but gape at the scene unfolding before him, powerless to do anything but wonder where everything had gone so wrong.
The thud of his heart in his chest was almost deafening, and he could barely hear the demanding tones of his father over his com link. Scott took a deep breath and ignored his father's calls, instead trying to raise his youngest brother.
"Alan? Alan do you copy? Alan come in." Scott waited, nerves twitching. All he heard was the crackle of the radio link. "Damn it!" he cursed. He was about to try to contact Gordon when he heard Tin-Tin sobbing beside him.
"Tin-Tin?" He reached out his hand to grip her shoulder, but before he could touch her she sprang forward with an incoherent cry. He watched in disbelief as she hurtled full tilt towards the remains of the factory. It was a moment before he could gather his senses enough to give chase.
"TIN-TIN STOP!" Scott charged after her again, all too aware that he still had not contacted his father, or even established whether Gordon and the factory workers had been safe from the aftershock. And Alan…
He shook the thought aside and focused on his most pressing problem; a hysterical, apparently suicidal Tin-Tin Kyrano.
"Tin-Tin wait! You'll get yourself killed!" He forced himself faster and finally managed to wrap a hand around her upper arm and halt her progress. She fought against him, screaming Alan's name in a frenzied struggle.
Scott hardened himself, forcibly turned Tin-Tin to face him and shook her hard. "Tin-Tin," he barked. "Enough! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Alan," she rasped, choking down another sob. "Alan! Let me go Scott!"
"No, what on earth do you think you can do? You can't just burst in there! It's suicide. Gordon will get him. We don't even know if he's hurt!" Scott looked at Tin-Tin, trying to comprehend what could have come over her. He knew Tin-Tin and Alan were close, but she was being completely irrational!
"But Scott,"
"But nothing! Get back to Thunderbird 1 with me where it's safe. We need to contact father and Gordon."
Scott steered Tin-Tin back towards mobile control. She kept stumbling over her own feet as she strained to look behind them, back towards the wreckage which may have just entombed her fiancé . She was trembling so hard Scott literally had to hold her up.
Scott gently lowered Tin-Tin to the ground, watching her in steadily growing alarm as she stared at something far away that only she could see. She had depleted dramatically before his eyes. He judged by her almost catatonic state that she wouldn't try to rush into danger again, and so turned his attention back to the mobile control console.
"Thunderbird 1 to Tracy Island, come in Father." Scott winced as his father's face appeared on the vid screen. Boy, did he look mad.
"Scott, where have you been? Why did you abandon your post?"
"I'm sorry Father, I had a problem here I needed to deal with. There was an aftershock…" Scott stopped short in his explanation when Jeff waved an impatient hand at him.
"Gordon contacted Thunderbird 5 when he couldn't raise you. John filled me in on the situation. Gordon's going in to find Alan, he'll let you know if he needs assistance. I'm sure I don't need to impress the importance of staying at mobile control to you at this point, Scott." Jeff raised a questioning and decidedly hostile eyebrow at his eldest son.
"Yes, sir." Scott replied, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. His father's ire was something he usually witnessed being aimed at either Gordon or Alan. He hadn't seen the irritation and disapproval on Jeff Tracy's face aimed at him since he was in the eighth grade. Scott gulped.
"We will discuss this incident further on your return to base."
And with that, Jeff Tracy cut him off.
Gordon Tracy double-checked the oxygen flow to his protective helmet as he made his way up into what was once the main structure of the factory. As he entered through what was the emergency exit to the basement, which was mercifully still standing, and peered into the darkness.
"Alan?"
Gordon made his way tentatively forward, sweeping the area with his flashlight. He could see the collapsed girders and supports as he delicately wove around the rubble. Occasionally he could hear the ominous rumble of the factory settling around him. Gordon felt his pulse roar in his ears as he imagined possibly finding his little brother in here, trapped, bleeding, or worse…
Gordon shook himself back to reality and called again.
"Al?"
As the seconds passed Gordon felt panic begin to descend. He jumped and his head jerked to his right as he heard something crash in the distance. He took a step forwards to investigate when he heard a hoarse voice calling his name.
"Gordon? Hey Gordy, over here!"
"Alan?" Gordon peered into the darkness. Suddenly a familiar blue uniform and a mop of dust coated blond curls stepped into the bright beam of light cast by his flashlight. Gordon felt a physical weight literally lift from his shoulders. He breathed deeply and felt a wave of dizziness pass over him. He realised then he'd been holding his breath.
"Alan! Thank goodness! Are you ok? Where's your helmet?" Gordon made his way carefully forward to assist his brother, who was supporting a pained looking factory worker to limp forward.
"The aftershock caused a support beam to fall forward, it glanced off my helmet. My head's ok, apart from a killer headache, but the helmet and my com link are toast. My flashlight's history too. Did I have you worried?"
Gordon shook his head at the smile on his baby brother's face. Alan could try the patience of saints. He seemed completely unconcerned that at that precise moment most of his family probably thought he was dead. Yet there he was grinning from ear to ear. However Gordon could not resist giving Alan's shoulder a relieved squeeze as he passed him to support the factory worker on the other side of the victim.
"Gordon to mobile control. I've found Alan, he's ok. We're on our way out."
Gordon looked quizzically over his shoulder at the scene unfolding behind him. He had been piloting Thunderbird 2, rather begrudgingly, due to Alan's knock on the head. Now that he had Virgil's 'bird safely in the air, if not a little bumpily, he was relaxed enough to engage the autopilot. Mentally patting himself on the back he had found himself turning to see how his brother was doing. He was shocked to see Tin-Tin sitting beside him, having cleaned and dressed the small laceration on Alan's temple, holding his hand gently.
Gordon's eyebrows had shot up to his hair line at this. Although he knew that Alan and Tin-Tin were more that 'just good friends' as they always protested, this was a new development. Gordon had seen the pair when they thought they were alone; holding hands, embracing, sneaking the odd kiss here and there. But being so obvious about their attachment, that was an entirely new occurrence.
Being the two youngest Tracy's, and very near in age, Alan and Gordon had always been close. Particularly with three such 'perfect' older brothers. The youngsters of the Tracy clan had often found that the best way to get attention was to play a prank or make a mess. Gordon was close to Tin-Tin too, and often joined her and Alan on their trips out exploring the island, showing them new spots to go diving that he had discovered. Alan had confided in his partner in crime that he was confused about the course his feelings were taking for their long time friend.
Even now, as they neared Tracy Island and Gordon prepared himself to land Thunderbird 2, which to him had never felt so big, they sat quietly together. Alan rested his head on Tin-Tin's shoulder, his eyes closed and a serene smile on his face. Tin-Tin rested her head on Alan's, one arm planted firmly around his shoulders and whispering words Gordon couldn't quite make out. Neither of them had said a word to him the entire journey home. Gordon shook his head and grinned. Boy was Alan in for some teasing tonight!
Focusing his thoughts on some more important matters, Gordon obtained landing permission from Brains and engaged the landing jets, lowering the hulking 250 foot long freighter and setting her down with only the lightest of bumps. Gordon knew that Virgil had probably arrived home from his trip to the mainland by now, and he could just imagine the grimace on his big brother's face as he had watched him land.
Turning back to Alan and Tin-Tin, who had finally disengaged themselves from each others arms, they made their way out through the hanger towards the lift that would take them up to the lounge for debriefing. Gordon had half expected Virgil to waiting in the hanger, all ready to inspect his 'bird inside and out with a magnifying glass and a fine tooth comb.
But then Gordon remembered that Virgil had probably got himself a first class seat for the chewing out Scott was going to get from their father. Although the wrath of Jeff Tracy was an experience none of the brothers would wish upon each other, the tirades their father usually came out with were almost always directed at himself or Alan. Strike that, always directed at himself or Alan. The prospect of Scott receiving such treatment was morbidly fascinating, and he felt an inexplicable need to witness it first hand.
Gordon thought over the personalities of his brothers. Virgil was far too serious to get into such strife. He was a thoughtful, sensitive soul, and so mature that doing something irresponsible would simply never occur to him. John was just to darn clever to get into trouble. His superior intelligence allowed him to think a situation through to its various conclusions in the blink of an eye, and so he always acted for the best. He and Alan however tended to think, come to the first viable conclusion, and act.
Then there was Scott. Scott Tracy, the eldest, the second father, field commander of International Rescue. Although being possessed of a passionate and headstrong disposition like his youngest brothers, Scott had such a need to own responsibility for everyone and everything that he simply never acted irresponsibly. He was just too damned professional, so much so that it irritated the heck out of Gordon. Plus helping his father raise four younger brothers after their mother's death had instilled such a protective instinct in him that he always maintained a level head in order to keep a watchful eye on his younger siblings.
The doors to the lift opened and the trio emerged into the Tracy lounge. The only people in the room were Scott, who stood by their father's desk with shoulders tensed and face strained, and, as Gordon predicted, Virgil. He was looking anxiously at the older pilot. As they entered the room Gordon noticed Scott look uncomfortably at Tin-Tin, who returned his gaze for a moment before turning her eyes to the floor.
Alan flopped down onto the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. In the harsh artificial lighting in the room he looked pale and exhausted. Gordon knew that Alan had been up since before dawn. In fact, Alan hadn't been sleeping at all well for a while now. Virgil had also noticed how drawn Alan looked and had come over to look him over more closely.
Before Gordon had a chance to comment Jeff Tracy entered the room. Gordon suddenly felt incredibly sorry for his older brother. Jeff was angry. The terrifying kind of angry where he stays incredibly calm and quiet before the explosion. The kind of angry where you know he is completely furious, not just losing his temper on impulse.
"Explain." Jeff Tracy aimed a pointed glare at his oldest son. "Explain why you abandoned your post after a potentially fatal situation and endangered the lives of both your brothers and the civilians who had entrusted their lives to this organization."
"I'm sorry Father, but I had a situation I needed to deal with." Scott replied.
"Would you care to elaborate, Scott?"
Scott looked uncomfortably at Tin-Tin as he tried to settle on a way to explain what happened to his father. He opened his mouth to reply when Tin-Tin cut him off.
"I'm sorry, Mr Tracy. It was my fault. I thought Alan was hurt and I tried to go and find him."
Tin-Tin was looking firmly at the floor. Alan had stood and was looking at her in concern.
"Is this true, Scott?" Jeff looked at his son who paused for a moment, then nodded ruefully. Jeff stared aghast at his scientific assistant.
"Let me get this straight, Tin-Tin. You tried to charge into the danger zone, with no safety equipment, no back up, without permission from your commanding officer, and clearly in a state of distress?"
"Yes Mr. Tracy. I…"
"Not another word!" Jeff thundered. "I trusted you on this mission Tin-Tin. I expressly forbade you from going anywhere near the danger zone. And what's worse, you distracted Scott from his duties when he was needed the most! I understand that you must have been scared but what you did endangered everyone's lives, your own included. I have never heard of such reckless stupidity…"
"Don't speak to her like that!"
Alan had heard enough. The tears pooling behind Tin-Tin's eyelashes were enough to make him see red. He stepped towards his father, fists clenched at his sides, unconsciously forming a barrier between Tin-Tin and his father.
"I beg your pardon, Alan?
"I said leave her alone. Can't you see how upset she is? Don't speak to her like that!"
The others in the room watched wide eyed as Alan advanced on his father. Alan had inherited his hot temper directly from Jeff, but whereas years of Air Force training had taught the older Tracy to control his aggression, Alan was a powder keg waiting to explode. The infamous quarrels between Jeff and his youngest son had become few and far between as Alan had matured and Jeff had learned that his son wasn't the reckless youth that he'd once thought him to be. But right now, Jeff Tracy was holding a lighted match to Alan's rapidly shortening fuse.
"Alan, Tin-Tin is my employee. I shall speak to her however I see fit, particularly when her actions endanger the lives of others. I really do not see what right you have to involve yourself in this!" Jeff squared up to his son, despite the fact that Alan had outstripped him in the height department before he'd finished college.
"What right? In spite of the fact that you're going completely over the top, as usual, I'll tell you what right I have to interfere! She," Alan pointed wildly at Tin-Tin, "is going to be my wife, and I will not allow you to speak to her like that!"
Jeff took a step back from Alan, looking at him in confusion and something akin to disbelief. His gaze travelled from Alan to Tin-Tin, and then back to rest on his son again. He took in Alan's appearance; chest heaving, nostrils flaring and icy blue eyes flashing dangerously. In that moment he had absolutely no doubt that his son was serious. Alan was an absolute mess.
It only made Jeff more determined that he and Tin-Tin were acting totally irresponsibly.
"Absolutely not. I forbid it. I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life." Jeff walked around his desk and sat down, completely ignoring his youngest son who looked about ready to spontaneously combust.
"Forbid it? How dare you! Who are you to forbid us to do anything?" Alan seethed.
Jeff met his youngest son's eyes and saw genuine anger and pain reflected there. He wished there was away he could make this easier for him to understand, but Alan's behaviour made a reasonable discussion impossible.
"Alan, Tin-Tin's behaviour out on the rescue and your attitude now to my disciplining her are proof enough that you can't be trusted to act rationally on rescues. I cannot have this organisation jeopardised by the selfish actions of individuals. My answer is no."
"Well you know what, I don't remember asking for your permission! We're adults, whether you like it or not, and we can do whatever we like!" Alan stalked away from his father and grasped Tin-Tin's hand and pulled her towards the door. As he was about to leave he turned back to face his father.
"You know what, Dad? If you were never going to allow us to become involved with anyone so that you could protect your precious International Rescue, then you had no damn right to ask us all to be a part of this dream of yours. Because it's your dream, Dad, not mine."
With that he stormed out of the room, dragging a terrified Tin-Tin behind him.
TBC