Codename Genesis
Chapter One
The sun rose over the horizon, shinning its light as it moved along its slow path across the blue sky. Burning the clouds that had formed overnight, lighting up the tropical jungle. The plants, trees and the wildlife sung or turned their leaves to lap up the morning light while on the other side of the island, shadows were chased away from the housing complex that covered a part of the island.
Inside, two people walked around quietly as they worked on the morning chores before the tropical temperatures became too high while they worked on breakfast for their close friends. They fell into a silent and easy practice, that had always been a part of them before they moved to Tracy Island with their daughter.
Amongst the jungle, on one of the many paths feeding through the island, running past hidden caves or past waterfalls, ran a lone young man as he set a easy jogging pace along the outer paths of the island trying to wake himself up from another troubled dream.
"Morning Virgil, morning Gordon" Jeff muttered to two of his sons on his way past to get some coffee from the kitchen.
"Morning Dad" They muttered, each waking up in their own way. It had been a long few days, most of it fetching parts for rebuilding Thunderbird Two from various drop off points or just assembled the main frame of the hull ready for the new parts to be added.
"Anyone seen Alan or John?" Jeff asked as he settled down at the table, retrieving the paper and unfolded it.
"Alan was in the shower when I passed, and not sure of John... might be out jogging" Virgil replied as he fetched his part of the paper, opening it up and started to read through anything that caught his eye.
"Do you think he slept last night?" Gordon asked stirring more sweeter into his coffee, looking into the dark depths.
"I'm not sure Gordon, it seems that he hardly sleeps any more yet it looks like he doesn't tire" Jeff replied with a soft sigh, sorting through the papers until he found the part he wanted.
John breathed heavily as he completed his third lap around the island, feeling his vest sticking to his back from his jogging around the island.
He sighed as he stopped, resting his hands on his knees closing his eyes as memories flashed behind the closed lids.
"W-why" John croaked and looked around to find his way back to the complex, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to fight an oncoming headache.
He had only about two hours of sleep that night, having tried to wear himself out by helping Virgil down in the hanger most of the day then in the games room with Gordon and Alan. He had gone down to the gym and found Jeff there, surprising him by joining in with the workout but he still couldn't settle down in his old bed.
John had stared up at the ceiling he had grown up to seeing, the star graphs covering the space above his bed while all around him screamed his old life. The life he had shed tears for many times since the incident at Newbay, he wished to return to this life but now that he had but without Scott... it felt hollow, incomplete.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he walked back towards the complex wondering how his family would be around him today... it had hurt them all to say how the John they knew and loved had died at Newbay. But in a way he was still him, just changed from the experiences he had had or the things that he had seen with Scott, what they had learnt of the pharmaceutical company BioTech.
Maybe I'll get back in time for a late breakfast John thought to himself with a small laugh, wondering when he had lost his sanity, but then thought of what he had been through. What he had seen along with Scott, was enough to cause anyone to loose their sanity or worse.
Jeff sighed as he settled down in his office for another long day of going through the thousand emails on his computer, or the designs and reports that were sent by the post jet every morning.
He thought about the reports that he had his sons do, going over what they had learned or saw when they were in Redwood Falls but now with John back... Is John really back? He thought to himself, stopping his thoughts and leaned back in the chair looking at the portraits on the wall then the family photos on the desk.
"Dad?" A voice spoke breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Hm" Jeff replied and looked over at finding his youngest son. "Yes Alan?" He asked turning to go back to his work.
"Do you think that we'll see Scott again?" Alan asked as he sat down on the couch near his father's desk.
Jeff sighed and let the pencil drop back on to his desk, "I'm sure we will Alan, I know that John won't rest until he's found some clue to finding Scott... you saw how they were together at Redwood Falls" He replied rising up from his chair and walked over to sit next to his son.
"I know Dad but I'm afraid that John isn't our brother... it's like what he said, that he died at Newbay" Alan muttered looking down at his feet, taping the heels of his trainers together. "He has changed, I know that since starting school and the rescue organisation that I haven't seen much of John but we were always emailing each other" He added and sighed.
"I have my doubts son but I believe that John is still there, just people change after traumatic experiences such as ones that he has been through... just think about it Alan, all that has happened to him" Jeff replied putting a hand on his son's shoulder.
"From when Thunderbird Five was attacked, giving him nightmares for weeks then that rescue that changed all of us... then the untold stories that he is hiding except in his nightmares that now wakes him at night" He continued, remembering hearing John cry out one afternoon while the others were down at the beach, catching his second born son having a afternoon nap but soon disturbed by a nightmare.
Alan nodded, "He's trying Dad, so I guess I should just really get him to talk to me too... like we use to" He replied and smiled. "Thanks Dad, I should let you get back to work... Gordon's thinking about going scuba-diving today"
"Take care out there, I got plenty to do here today as you can see" Jeff said with a smile rising up off the couch looking at his desk with a soft groan, "No matter how tempting it is to join you boys" He added.
Alan grinned as he got up from the couch, "Well Dad, I'll see you later" He replied and practically ran out of the office.
Virgil groaned as he stretched, looking up at seeing the focused concentration on John's face. "Johnny! How about we take five? We've been at this since breakfast" He called getting his brother's attention, cleaning up and shutting off his own tools.
John shut his off and looked down at Virgil, "Sure Virg, at least we're half way there to repairing the hull... just the hydraulics and a few other things inside right?" He asked, moving his tools away before jumping down to Virgil's side.
Virgil retrieved a bottle of water and held it out for John to take, "That's right, I've taken most of the patch jobs that I did apart without risking futhur damage to her but it is going to take another week or so to get her back to flying standard" He replied getting his own bottle and took a long drink from it.
John nodded looking at Thunderbird Two, seeing the mess of cables, scrap metal, panels that were only temporarily fixed ready to be welded on. "Well together we'll get there Virgil, have you gone over every inch of her since coming back here?" He asked before taking a sip of water from his own bottle.
"Of course, both Brains and myself did... what is it?" Virgil asked, seeing that there was something bothering his brother. Even though John had changed since they rescued him from Redwood Falls, of course he would have changed after all that Virgil had seen, but he was still his brother.
John shrugged and did his bottle up, breaking the staring match between him and something near the big Thunderbird.
"It's probably nothing, just thought..." He muttered,using the scaffolding to swing down to the ground floor and started to pace around the green plane.
Virgil watched him from his seat on the scaffolding, a little surprised about how good his brother's gymnastic skills had became. He remembered before their mother died that John would be a part of the school's gymnastic team but gave it up shortly after their mother's death, Virgil guessed that John didn't have the time any longer not with helping raise his brothers.
Sighing softly, he watched John continue to walk around Thunderbird Two and wondered what his brother was thinking as he continued to walk around occasionally touching parts of the ship before eventually climbing back up to sit beside him.
"Better?" Virgil asked after a while.
John shrugged, "Might be a bit tired, something that happened to us once with our Jeep... I miss that car" He said with a small sad smile before laughing a little and started the tale that came with the memories that caused him to laugh.
Virgil smiled when he heard John laugh, a proper normal laugh and listened to his brother's tale. He knew that as long as John could talk to him then things would be fine, eventually.