A/N: Thanks you everyone for your great reviews, and thank you for convincing me to write and upload the story behind John's scar, I think that's now my favourite out of all my stories, and it was extremely fun to write, so much so I stayed up until 3am just to finish it in one go! I must be mad.
Enough of that, that was last weekend! Here's your treat for this one, another instalment of this story. Enjoy!
Balek out!
Usual disclaimer - Not mine; Andersons.
Drumming out a tattoo on the side of mobile control, Jeff watched the blinking red dot on his screen, indicating Thunderbird 4's position, which was finally on it's last journey out, just as he had been doing so anxiously for the past four hours. Outside the mouth of the cave where he had set up, his boys sorted out the miners who had already been brought out from their underground prison, Virgil helping the paramedics with those who needed medical attention, whilst Alan helped guide away those who did not.
His eyes once again travelled over the seismometer next to the screen. He had been watching that nearly as closely as the progress of the red dot, and for good reason. The landscape was still incredibly unstable, and the mine was in danger of collapsing further, subsequently trapping both Scott and the last two remaining miners.
A loud beeping made him jump and he looked back at the screen. It was indicating a incoming call from base. What could it be that Brains wanted? He flicked the switch to connect him through, not daring to think about the many reasons as to why the scientist would be calling, most of them relating to his two remaining boys back at base.
"Brains. How can I help you?" He said, relaxing as he saw his friend did not seem unduly stressed; a good sign.
"I-I-I have good n-news, Mr Tracy. I'm happy to s-say that John is awake."
Alan had been passing the cave just at that very moment and scurried in, having picked up on the end of the conversation. "Wait, John's awake?"
"Y-yes, indeed he is Alan." Brains beamed through the screen.
Alan whooped with joy. "YES! Oh, where's Virgil got to?" He looked around him and then ran off, yelling his brother's name with glee as he pelted towards him.
As he disappeared into the torn-up landscape, Jeff turned back, one question on his lips.
"How is he?"
"W-well, I've run a few more tests now he's awake, a-and, um, considering what he's been through, he's relatively unscathed. A few weeks R&R and h-he should be back to full health and m-mobilty."
"Oh good." Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, just as Alan came running back, closely tailed by Virgil. They skidded to a halt, their boots throwing up lumps of dirt, which showered back down on mobile control.
"Brains! Is it true?" Virgil gasped, his face red from his mad dash back to the cave.
"Yes Virgil. H-he's alert, talking and thrashing Gordon on some game called Mortal Kombat..."
"YES!" The medic grabbed Alan and spun him around. "Good old Johnny! It was about time Gordon got a taste of his own medicine. Although... Tell him to be careful though Brains. Gordon may try to sedate him again if he gets beaten too many times..."
"I'll, um, m-make sure that he's a-aware of that." Brains noted with amusement. "Oh, and, er, how's the situation over there?" He asked, realising that he should probably give the two in the infirmary some advance warning as to when their family would be returning.
"Well..." Jeff sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Scott's picked up the last two and is on his way back through the tunnel, and we plan to take up as soon as we've loaded up Four, take into return flight time... I'd say a few hours at most."
"Oh e-excellent. I shall make sure everything is r-ready for your return by then."
"Thanks Brains. Oh, and thanks too for telling us about John."
"You a-are welcome, Mr Tracy. Base out." Brains replied, before leaning over and cutting the link, his job done. Back in the cave, Jeff spun around in his chair, looking up at his two sons standing behind him. Jumping out of his chair, he pulled them both into a bear hug and together they danced around on the spot for joy.
"We should probably tell Scott." Virgil said, pulling himself away.
"Oh, he's busy. Tell him after." Alan said, still enveloped in his father's arms, not yet willing to let go, not that Jeff minded, it was rare that he ever had such tender moments with his children.
"We have to tell him." Jeff muttered, resting his chin on the blond mop under it. "He's already going to be upset he didn't find out at the same time as us."
Admitting to his father's logic, Alan reluctantly let go, allowing Jeff to sit back down. Spinning his chair back around, he connected himself through to Scott's earpiece.
"How's it going down there Scott?" He asked into the microphone, barely keeping the excitement out of his voice.
"Same as it was 10 minutes ago when you last called." His Field Commander's voice crackled through the speakers. "The last two are still on board and this tunnel has got no less cramped and twisty..."
"Well, we've got some good news for you Scott." Jeff said. Behind him Virgil and Alan exchanged a grin. It was about time they all had good news after the events of the last few days.
"Oh yeah?" The questioning voice came back to them. "And what would that be?"
"You know that certain brother of yours who is known for his excellent timing? Well, he's gone and done it again."
Nothing but faintly crackling static could be heard for a few seconds, until Scott's confused voice spoke out again. "...Wait, wait, wait. You don't mean to say..."
"That Sleeping Beauty has emerged from their eternal slumber?" Jeff asked, smiling at the nickname that John seemed to have been dubbed with in the last few days. "That's exactly what I'm saying."
"Typical." Scott chuckled. "The one time that none of us are there. I would almost say he did that on purpose... How is he?"
"All considering, not too bad by the sounds of it. He's alert and talking."
"And kicking ass!" Alan interrupted. "Well, Gordon's at least."
"Good. The kid deserves it."
As the other three talked over the comms, Alan wandered around the cave in which he was standing. A deep river flowed through the cavern, disappearing into the bedrock into a tunnel, and it was down there that Scott had taken Thunderbird 4. Not far away from where Mobile Control had been set up, a large stalactite hung down from the ceiling. Curious, Alan wandered over to it. It was wet and slimy, yet he was fascinated by it. Lifting his hand, he traced his fingers through the green film. He always found it amazing that something so big could grow simply from dripping water. And it was because of him running his hand down the stalactite that he felt something, something amiss. Frowning, he stopped and held his hand in place, trying to feel it again. Surely he wasn't imagining things. Yes, there it was again. A faint tremble, like a fluttering muscle against his palm. But yet, rocks didn't have muscles.
"Guys..." He said quietly, not wanting to alarm anyone. It could just be a false alarm. They didn't hear him, they were too busy laughing and joking. But then through the rock came another, this time strong enough to be felt through the floor, and enough to stop everyone in mid-conversation.
"What was that...?" Virgil asked hesitantly, as Alan scurried back over to them, not wanting to be on his own if anything happened.
Then another, even stronger, rumble reverberated through the cave, just as the seismometer starting beeping. Snapping his head around, Jeff's heart skipped a beat as he saw what it was showing. The mine was collapsing further, right over the part of the tunnel in which Scott was currently in.
He jumped to his feet and gestured to his two sons by his side. "Boys! Out! NOW!" They nodded and ran out of the cave entrance, leaving him inside as another quake hit. "Scott! Get out of there! It's right above you!" He ducked as a stalactite fell from the ceiling and smashed on the floor near by. He ran towards the entrance, getting there just as all hell broke loose.
"Scott!" He yelled into his earpiece, his heart in his throat as he and his two sons watched in horror as the ground in front of them started to bend and fold in on itself..
"Not now!" Scott's strained voice came into their earpieces as he battled to get the sub through the narrow and twisted tunnel. But then, above him all hell broke loose. The ground buckled completely and fell in on itself. "Whoa!" The link went dead as a deafening roar went up, making everyone hold their ears. Dust and dirt kicked up, forming a impenetrable smog. Virgil grabbed out for Alan, and in turn the two of them were grabbed by their father, who shielded them both as the world around them ripped itself apart. In the middle, Alan held onto his brother's uniform for dear life, his eyes clamped shut, preparing himself He thought of Scott, trapped below in the freezing water, he thought of John and Gordon, left behind at home, never knowing quite exactly what had happened. He thought of Tin Tin, currently off exploring the deep jungles of Borneo with her father. Sweet, beautiful Tin Tin. He would never get the chance to tell her now, would he? Never tell her how he truly felt. Focusing on her smiling face, he took a deep breath, bracing himself for the drop that he knew would come any second. Any moment now the ground would be ripped from beneath them and then all there would be was a long drop, and then that would be it. Over. In Wales, of all places! Not that he had anything against Wales, but he had envisioned his end to be more peaceful. Maybe on a sunny beach surrounded by beautiful women, not in the damp, surrounded by mud and far from home. But, at least he wasn't alone, at least he had his father and one brother with him, and it was to this small comfort that he clung, waiting for the inevitable end.
Then, as sudden as it started, it was over. The ground grew still and slowly the dust settled, revealing a completely changed scene around them. Slowly, Jeff unwrapped himself from protecting his sons and slowly stood up, the two young men following suit. The landscape around them was criss-crossed with scars and pits, but the most evident new feature was a large muddy crevasse running almost the full length of where they knew the underground river had run. Sharing a look of horror as they processed what they were seeing, both Jeff and Virgil activated their earpieces at the same time, desperately hoping to get through to the same person. The one person neither could imagine losing.
"SCOTT!" Virgil yelled, turning pale as nothing but static hissed through all three of their earpieces.
"Scott!" Jeff gripped Virgil's shoulder, whether to hold himself up, or his son, he wasn't sure. "SCOTT!"
Alan sunk back down to the muddy ground, his legs giving way. No. No, not again. Not now. Almost losing John was bad enough, but he was alive and well back home. Losing the two people they had been called upon to rescue would be bad enough. But Scott? Scott was the indestructible Tracy, there was nothing that could stop him, nothing that he would let stop him. He couldn't be gone, he was their field commander and older brother. Without him, none of them would know what to do.
"Scott Carpenter Tracy, for the love of God, answer me!" Jeff insisted, his voice cracking as he held back tears. "Scott, please!"
"All right, all right, all right! I'm still here. We all are." The voice they were all hoping for finally crackled through, and they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Virgil, his legs deciding to no longer hold him up, sat down on the floor with a thump, leaning against Alan for support.
"Scott!" Jeff exclaimed. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I think so. Nothing quite like a bit of wild rapid surfing to get the blood flowing! That was one tidal wave. Somehow I managed to ride it out. Oh, but I may have dinged something, there was a hell of a lot of scraping going on back there..."
"Where are you?" Jeff looked around him. He was certain that the underground tunnel had almost completely collapsed, how had Scott done it?
"Oh, I think I'm near the cave. The wave must have washed me almost all the way out. Shall I meet you in there?"
"Certainly Scott." Jeff replied, a small smile on his face. There was a reason they called Scott indestructible, and, just like John and his timing, he had somehow done it once again. "See you in a minute."
"Sure." Scott cut the link and Jeff let out an explosive breath. He had thought that there was nothing more that life could throw at him after the past few days, but it would seem he had be proved wrong. He looked down at the two sitting back-to-back by his feet. "You two, please don't continue this trend. It's bad enough coping with three of you getting into mischief in about as many days. I don't think I could cope with all five..."
"While we would love to say we won't..." Alan said, getting back onto his feet and offering a hand to his brother.
"...We're not going to promise anything." Virgil finished as he took the hand.
"Wonderful..." Jeff replied sarcastically. "You guys really are trying to kill me off. Maybe just, try not to, huh?"
The two boys glanced at each other. "Ok, we'll try." They nodded in agreement.
"Good enough for me." Jeff sighed. He wrapped an arm around each son. "Come on, let's go get your brother."
They walked over the torn-up landscape back to the cave from which they had escaped earlier. When they reached it, they were surprised to find that the entrance was relatively clear, and while large boulders were scattered all around the interior, they could still see the entrance to the river.
"Huh. Fancy that." Alan breathed, impressed with the fact that the structure had held up better than anything outside.
"Yeah." Virgil agreed. "Hey look, your favourite stalactite is still there."
"Awesome. And look, Mobile Control's still in one piece too."
"Well, that'll save a bit of work anyhow."
They scrambled over the rocks littering the ground until they reached the river. After a few moments a bow wave upstream and they looked towards the underground entrance, searching for a distinctive flash of yellow.
"There!" Alan shouted, pointing towards the submerged sub. It broke the surface a second later, sending out waves of water in all directions.
Once it's engines had shut down, they got their first good look at it, and all soon saw that Scott had indeed 'dinged' it.
"Ah." Jeff said simply.
"Gords isn't going to like that." Alan muttered. Virgil just grunted, not quite believing what he was looking at. The large vertical tail fin of Thunderbird 4 was, quite simply, no longer there, having been sheared clean off by striking the rock surface of the tunnel.
Next to them the airlock hissed open and the last two miners stepped out, now slightly shaken from the unexpected roller-coaster, closely followed by Scott, who was surprised when he wasn't mobbed straight away. Instead everyone was looking away from him.
"What are you all looking at?" He asked, moving around so he could get a better look. He soon got it. "Oopsie. I'm dead aren't I?"
"Most likely." Virgil agreed quietly. He turned and grabbed his big brother in a hug, glad that everyone escaped unscathed. Or rather, almost unscathed. Pulling back and getting a good look, he could clearly see could tell that it wasn't just the tail fin that had got bashed. Jeff too noticed and dug around in his pockets until he found what he was looking for.
"What?" Scott asked, still bewildered by the fact no-one was bombarding him with questions. Alan seemed more interested in the damage to the sub and his father was just standing there, smirking slightly and holding out what looked like a handkerchief to him.
Raising an eyebrow, Virgil dropped his gaze slightly to his brother's nose. Confused, Scott brought up his hand and nabbed a finger against his nostrils, his eyes widening when it came back bloody. "Oh." He took the offered hanky from his father and pinched his nostrils shut. "Musta been when I whacked against the controls."
Virgil rolled his eyes. "What are we going to do with you?"
"God knows."
The sound of running behind them made them all turn as a man in full fire-fighting kit ran into the cave.
"Ah, Dave!" Virgil said, recognising the leader of the rescue team that had been assisting them. "It is Dave, wasn't it?"
"Er, yes sir." The man replied. "We just came to make sure you were all ok after that tremor. Especially your colleague in the sub."
"I think so." Virgil turned to his brother. "Scott, you ok?"
"Oh yeah, fine." Scott waved away the concern, checking the bleeding from his nose. "Your two boys are ok too. Slightly shaken up, but with a nice cup of tea they should be ok."
"Very well sir. We shall leave you to it" Dave beckoned to the two miners to follow him. "I hope repairs won't take too long." He said, pointing towards the damaged tail fin.
"I hope so too."
With a nod, the three made their way out of the cave, leaving the Tracys on their own. Moving away, Scott took a closer look at the damage to Four.
"How is it Al?" He asked his baby brother, hoping that it wasn't anything too serious.
"Well, you've certainly done a good job of it, but it's nothing that can't be fixed."
"Oh good." Scott let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Gordon wouldn't need to find out about this. "Can you fix it?"
"Yeah, should be no problem. If I work through the night she'll be back in service tomorrow. I'll need a replacement tail though..." Alan said. "Unless you fancy fishing for the old one?" He grinned, nodding his head towards the river disappearing into the rock.
"Er, not particularly." Scott grimaced. He didn't want to go back in there. He faced his father. "Any ideas where we can get a new one on the way home?"
"Hmm, I believe there's that metalworking place not far from London. They may be able to make one at short notice."
"Oh yeah. The one near Lady P." Virgil cut in. "That's a good idea. We can stop off at hers and get Numpty here cleaned up at the same time." He playfully whacked Scott on the arm.
"The one next door to that classic car showroom?" Alan asked.
"Yeah, that's it." Virgil nodded. He glanced at his the other two people in the cave. Curious, their father had yet to launch into his smother hen mode. Maybe they needed a moment. "Come on Al. Let's go pack up and give Parker a shout, tell him he's about to have two Birds land in the gardens."
"Yeah, ok."
"Plus, I need to use the bathroom..."
"Seriously, AGAIN?"
As they scrambled out into the light, the two older Tracy's stood opposite each other, neither saying anything.
"Scott, are you sure you're ok?" Jeff was the first to break the silence, finally asking the question that everyone had expected him to say.
"Oh yeah, I'm good." Scott insisted. "Sore nose, but that's about it. Look, Dad... I'm... I'm sorry." He scuffed the floor with his boot, not wanting to make eye contact. "Just... sorry."
"Oh Scott. It wasn't your fault." Jeff soothed, gently gripping his son's arm. "There's nothing to worry about. You're not to blame for this."
"But, with John, and then Gordon, the last thing you needed was me almost getting myself killed as well!"
"Scott! Stop it!" Jeff gripped his son's other arm as well as best he could, as Scott was still holding the handkerchief to his nose. "There is no point focusing on what could have been. You escaped. Four can be fixed. That is all that matters. Now, give your stressed-out father a hug. He needs it."
All to happy to oblige, Scott allowed himself to be swept up into a heartfelt hug. To be honest, they both needed it. Whilst Alan had thought of Tin Tin when all hell broke loose, Scott had instead thought of his family. Of his brothers, who, while they annoyed him, he loved with all his heart and most of all, his father. They had been through so much together, yes, they had had their arguments, and yes, they both agreed that Jeff should have been there more as his boys were growing up, but yet together they still stood, not just as father and son, but also as commanders of the best organisation in the world.
"Dad?" Scott mumbled into his father's shoulder.
"Mmm?"
"We don't have to tell Gords do we?"
"As long as we can source a new one on the way home, and we can keep him away, no, no we don't have to tell him."
"Oh, good."
They stood there, entwined, both revelling in each other's warmth for a while longer, before reluctantly breaking contact.
"Come on, standing around here isn't going to achieve anything." Jeff patted Scott on the back. "How's the nose?"
Scott dabbed a clean part of the fabric against his nose. "Eh, slowing down. Should stop soon enough."
"Come on then. Let's get going."
"How exactly are we going to get Four out?" Scott asked. It had been difficult enough to get the sub in the river in the first place, and that was using the tracks from the pod, but with the debris littered around, getting it out again would prove almost impossible.
"Well, we'll have to carry it out. There's a few burly firemen floating around, I'm sure we could convince Dave to lend us a few."
"Right..."
"Come on."
With an encouraging pat, Jeff mirrored the actions of his two younger sons a minute earlier, guiding Scott out into the light outside. Getting his first look at the damage above ground, Scott gasped. He had already guessed that the scene above ground wouldn't be pretty, but the sheer scale of the damage took his breath away.
"How... How the hell did I get out of that?" He sputtered. He should be in that crevasse; he should be dead.
"Who knows, Scott." Jeff shrugged, still not quite believing that his son was standing next to him. "Maybe someone is watching over you..."
"Yeah." Scott admitted. If he really did have a guardian angel, he knew there was only one person it could be. "Yeah, she must be. She must be..."
Pausing the movie, Gordon shifted position until he was sitting more upright on the bed. Putting down his glass, John frowned as they both watched the two aircraft pass by the vast infirmary window.
"They're late..." The blond noted, glancing at the clock on the wall opposite. "They should have been back an hour ago."
"Wonder what delayed them." Gordon mused, popping a handful of wasabi peanuts into his mouth. Beside him, John groaned.
"If you're going to eat those now, at least let me have a few..." He said, his stomach grumbling as he reached out for the bag in Gordon's hand.
"Ah, you heard what Brains said." The Aquanaut snatched the peanuts away. "Your jaw is still healing, so that means soft foods and protein drinks for at least the next week."
"Great... These things are worse than ration packs." John moaned, picking up his glass and swirling the pink liquid around the bottom.
"Oh quit complaining." Gordon said, scrunching another mouthful as the whole villa began to rumble, indicating that the two Thunderbirds were descending back into their silos. "Now, guessing that they'll probably skip the de-brief, I reckon we've got a few more minutes. Fancy getting a bit of sympathy by looking a bit more, you know, ill?"
"A week of these, and I think I might just be." John muttered, sipping his drink and grimacing. "You'd think something this colourful would at least taste a bit more palatable..."
"Oh, they're not that bad. I kinda like them."
"There must be something wrong with your taste buds, Gords. Too many wasabi nuts. Now give." He tried in vain to reach the bag his brother was holding just out of reach, cursing inwardly at the many restrictive tubes and wires he was hooked up to, not to mention the fact that any movement still hurt despite the morphine.
"No. Rules are rules." Gordon grinned. He tipped the rest of the contents into his mouth. "There, all gone."
"You look like a hamster."
The red-head smiled sweetly, his cheeks bulging as he munched the peanuts.
John rolled his eyes. "If you hadn't just saved my life I would so kill you right now."
Gordon swallowed. "I'll take that as a compliment." He cocked his head to one side, picking up the faint sound of approaching footsteps. "Ah. Right on cue, the warriors return, and it sounds like they've decided to skip most of the post-flight checks as well."
"Tisk tisk."
"Shocking."
The footsteps got louder and louder until the door of the infirmary slid open, and the other four members of the family walked through the opening, smiles lighting up their faces as they laid eyes on one particular person sitting up in bed.
"John!" Alan exclaimed happily, pushing past and rushing to his bedside, Scott right behind.
"Hey Sprout!" John grinned. "Good to see you too!" He pulled his baby brother into a one armed hug, and raised a finger to his forehead in mock salute to Scott. "Sir."
"Hey John. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, you know, sore, battered and bruised, the usual."
As Scott and John chatted, Gordon shifted to sit on the edge of the bed and slowly struggled to stand. Alan scooted around and helped him up, for which he was immeasurably grateful. Leaning on the younger blond, he went to stand by his father.
"So, how did it go?" He asked once he reached the end of the bed.
"Good." Jeff said simply. "Very good."
Gordon frowned. Something was up.
"Good?" He looked towards Virgil, who immediately glanced at his father before smiling sweetly at the red-head.
"Yeah, good." Virgil nodded. "Simple job really. We set up in a cave, then Scott went in and got the miners out. Not much more to say really."
"Ok..." Gordon looked at Alan for confirmation. Yes, he decided, they were hiding something. The question was, what?
As he tried to puzzle out what was going on, someone sneezed from the direction of the bed.
"Ew. Scott. That's gross."
Hearing John's disgusted voice, they all turned to see what the problem was.
"Nice..." Alan said sarcastically, while Virgil shook his head in despair,.
"What is that?" Gordon asked, keeping a safe distance from whatever it was. In Scott's hand, having vacated his nostrils, was now sitting a large gooey blood clot, evidence of his earlier nose bleed.
"Oh, Scott, go and get yourself cleaned up." Jeff tutted, pointing his son towards the bathroom on the other side of the infirmary. Nodding, Scott scurried over there, slamming the door behind him.
"Was that a blood clot?" Gordon asked incredulously. "How...?"
Once again he didn't miss the brief glance between everyone. Why did he get the feeling this situation had something to do with his Thunderbird?
"Erm, well." Alan said, thinking quickly. "He slipped and fell into a stalactite, gave himself a nose bleed."
"He fell? Into a stalactite?"
"Oh yeah, you should have seen it." Virgil added. "Dad warned him that the floor was slippery, but you know Scott, he doesn't listen."
"Ok..."
At that moment, Scott emerged from the bathroom and Gordon turned to face him.
"What are you like?" He asked cheekily. "Did you enjoy your close encounter with that stalactite?"
"Huh?" Scott frowned slightly. He looked past Gordon to Virgil, who was gesturing wildly to go along with it. Of course, Gordon would have wanted to know how he'd managed to get a nose bleed. "Oh, yeah." He smiled sheepishly. "It came out better than I did. Honestly, I'm so stupid."
Gordon relaxed slightly. Maybe he was just being paranoid about them hiding things from him. "You idiot."
Beside them, Alan clapped his hands together, eager to get going. "Well, if nobody needs me, I'll be down in my workshop."
"Ooh, what are you working on?" John asked from the bed. He was always amazed how skilled Alan was in restoring even the most beat-up of vehicles.
"Triumph Herald. 1969. It's beautiful."
"Wow, that's old. Same year as the first moon landing. I look forward to seeing it finished."
Grinning, Alan sneakily winked at Scott when Gordon wasn't looking. He glanced at his father, who inclined his head slightly, indicating that everything he needed had been transferred to his workshop from Two.
"See you at dinner!" He turned and walked out of the infirmary. As soon as the door slid shut, something clicked in Gordon's head and once again he frowned.
"Hang on! Since when did he have a Herald?" He had only been down in Alan's workshop a few days ago, and he had been sure there had been no Herald in there then.
"Since about three hours ago." Virgil admitted. "He saw it while we were out on the rescue, and fell in love with it. Bought it then and there and it came back in the pod."
"So that's why you were late!" Now everything was starting to make sense. "And there I was thinking something terrible had happened."
"Oh, you worry too much Gords." Scott said, ruffling his brother's hair. "It went fine. I will say though, how do you cope sitting like that for hours? I'm all cramped up!" He stretched out his back a bit.
"You get used to it."
"Hmm, still, not the most comfortable of things."
"Ah, you should try being dropped in the pod sometime." Gordon pointed out. "If you're sore, do you fancy coming with me up to the hot tub for a bit? That'll sort you out."
"Yeah, I'd like that." Scott nodded, glad that he had inadvertently managed to find a way to keep his brother away from his sub. "You ok walking?" He offered out an arm.
"Yeah, just expect a few stops on the way."
With Gordon leaning on Scott, the two slowly made their way out of the infirmary. As they stepped into the corridor, Scott did a thumbs-up behind him before the door slid shut behind them.
At seeing the silent signal, both Jeff and Virgil let out a sigh of relief. They hadn't quite known exactly how they were going to divert Gordon away from the damage to his Bird, but at least with him under Scott's wing, they had delayed him finding out for a little while.
"Hey." John's voice from the bed caught their attention. "Did Scott really slip over and give himself a nose bleed?"
Smiling, Jeff sat in his usual chair; Virgil sat on the edge of John's bed. "Well, he gave himself a nose bleed, that's for sure, just not in the way that we told Gordon."
"Really?" John's face lit up, his suspicion confirmed. He could see himself managing something like that, he was the clumsy one of the family after all, but hadn't been too convinced that Scott could do the same. "So, what did happen?"
Jeff lowered his voice, leaning in closer. "He head-butted the controls when the mine collapsed above him."
"JESUS CHRIST! The mine collapsed?" John exclaimed, earning an abrupt 'Shush!' from his remaining brother, they didn't want Gordon hearing. "God, is he ok?"
"Seems to be." Virgil shrugged. "Four's a bit bashed up though. Tail fin got sliced off."
"Ouch. No wonder he's taken Gords to the hot tub. I'd do everything in my power to keep him away if it were me. I'm guessing that Alan isn't working on a car then?"
"Er, no." Jeff said. "We had to stop off at that place near Lady P and buy a new tail. Thankfully she keeps a copy of the blueprints in her safe so we had the measurements to hand."
"Let's just hope we can keep him away until Alan's finished." Virgil added. "He's already said he'll be working through the night."
"Wow. That kid has determination that's for sure. Better make sure there's plenty of energy drinks in the fridge for him tomorrow."
"Don't worry, we'll sort something out. Now, enough about our exploits. It's time for a check-up Johnny-boy!"
"Aw. Must we?"
"Well, you have just been out of it for the past two days, not to mention the near-drowning and fever, so I'm afraid you don't have much choice son." Jeff said as Virgil rooted around in the bed-side table for his kit
"At this rate, I'm going to be poked and prodded into oblivion..." John grumbled.
"Ah stop moaning." Virgil countered back. "Right, neuro check first, then we'll check to see how your bruising is looking. Now, look at me and follow my finger..."