The next twenty-four hours passed in agony. It had been a long time since he'd last suffered a migraine and he'd almost forgotten just how badly everything hurt. Time passed unnoticed; he was unaware of anything except pain.
Penelope must have granted permission for him to stay in Parker's old quarters where he wouldn't be disturbed and all sound from the rest of the house was relatively muted, although he couldn't recall that conversation. Even the tiniest of movements hurt. He alternated between shivering and sweating through bedsheets, unable to regulate his temperature as he hid from any hint of light.
It lifted slowly as it always did. He was left with a nauseous ache reminiscent of a bad hangover. Virgil encouraged him to drink some water before he crashed for another few hours. When he next woke, the room was bathed in the dove grey glow of pre-dawn. The light no longer seared his eyes to make him flinch; neither did the soft rustle of the blanket against his ear as he rolled over.
His senses were mostly offline, staggering back to awareness as if awaking from hibernation. He sought rudimentary details; identified the thin grain of cotton sheets under his fingertips; felt the sharpened chill of night air against his bare arms; tasted the bitter residue of medication; listened for the distant murmur of voices, a sound that had nearly made him sick hours earlier.
He palmed his eyes, blinking to draw the room into focus. There was still a hint of Parker's aftershave in the pillow, blended with Penelope's rationed shampoo, and he wondered how often she had slept in here to draw comfort from the familiar smells. He stifled a yawn behind his wrist, wincing slightly as the leftover headache throbbed in protest. Getting up still wasn't on the cards.
There was a slight dip in the mattress, betraying another's presence on the edge of the bed. He tilted his head, expecting to spy a brother, taken aback to see Marisa. She wasn't an unwelcome sight by any means but he was suddenly incredibly conscious that he was a Grade A mess.
Not that she hadn't seen him in worse states but you know. Things were different these days. There was… whatever the unspoken thing was between them.
Marisa was in loose-fitting clothes designed for softness: the same dark sweatpants that she usually slept in and an oversized hoodie that had been faded by cumulative washes. It looked oddly familiar; it took a minute for Scott to realise that he'd been wearing it himself a few days earlier.
For an instant, he was bizarrely grateful for the migraine hangover as it saved him from saying something dumb such as you look good in my clothes. Seriously, he needed to be put in solitary confinement until his verbal filter recovered.
"Hi."
His voice came out as a humiliating croak but Marisa's smile melted into something impossibly fond.
"Hey," she murmured. "I can leave if you still feel bad. Virgil said it was okay for me to be here but just say the word and I'll go."
Scott made a mental note to confront his brother about that later.
"You're okay." His hands seemed clumsy and uncooperative so he settled for brushing his knuckles against her knee. "Stay."
Marisa shuffled to sit against the headrest. Scott's vision was still too sensitive to risk reaching for a holoprojector to check the time but he suspected it had to be some hour that would be considered evil even by his standards. Either Marisa had been woken by nightmares or she'd been worried about him; all evidence pointed to the latter. He turned his face against the pillow to hide his smile.
"I wanted to be there," Marisa explained in a rush as if the words had been haunting her. "We didn't hear from you and I thought… But I had to consider Jasmin and Theo. They had to be my top priority. If the rescue had gone wrong- I couldn't leave them without a guardian. And I know you of all people will understand but I wanted to clarify anyway. I did want to go after you, but I couldn't."
Scott swallowed, trying to sound vaguely more human. "I know."
"I was worried about you."
"Sorry."
Her voice turned gently chiding. "It wasn't your fault."
"Hmm."
He closed his eyes as the ache around his temples increased again. He'd done nothing but lie in bed in misery for the past twenty-four hours yet he felt as drained as if he'd just finished a major rescue. He longed for a drink, mouth as dry as a sandbox, but the idea of sitting up to reach for the glass seemed monumentally exhausting. He focussed on his breathing for a minute; the reassurance offered by Mari's presence; the weight of the blanket tangled around his legs.
"Hey." Marisa's fingertips skimmed his upper back, settling on his shoulder. Her hand was warm through his t-shirt and he repressed a shiver. "Water will help."
He made some incoherent mumble of protest.
She bit back a laugh, coaxing him to prop himself up on an elbow long enough to take the cup from her. His grip was still shaky; he curled his fingers around the glass to hide the tremors. She didn't mention it, just set the cup back on the bedside table without a word. He collapsed onto the bed in a move that he'd probably have found embarrassing had he felt well enough to care.
"Does it still hurt?" Marisa asked quietly.
He waved a hand. "Sorta."
"Can I try something?"
"Sure."
She took a deep breath. "C'mere."
Scott stared at her. His eyes were probably comically wide.
"What?"
"Relax, Tracy. I won't bite."
"You sure 'bout that, Falcone?"
Marisa shot him a fondly exasperated look. "Just… come here."
Moving took energy that he still lacked. He ended up hyperaware of their proximity as he rested his head in her lap and sprawled across the rest of the sheets. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes, willing himself not to fall back asleep, a battle which he looked set to lose. Her thumbs soothed the tension as she drew them across his forehead, chasing away pain with warmth and open affection.
"Is this helping?"
Scott blinked up at her. "I- Yes. How? Are you magic?"
"Actually, my mom used to do this for me when I got anxious before exams, but sure, let's say I'm magic. I like that better."
He snagged one of the hoodie drawstrings and tugged it with a lazy smile.
"You're wearing my hoodie."
Marisa flushed. "Jazz stole mine. It was cold last night. Why, do you want it back?"
"Nah," he mumbled, closing his eyes again. "You look good in it."
His mind caught up with his mouth a moment later. Oh Christ, shut up, idiot. He desperately needed a working verbal filter. Or maybe to just not speak again. That was another option.
"Are the others okay?" he asked instead.
"They're alright. Worried about you, but that's nothing new."
"Tell them to stop."
"I don't think they'd listen."
"But I hate it when people worry about me."
Marisa's nails lightly scratched his scalp and his brain decided to vacate the building. Just floated away into the ether. No more thoughts ever. Thinking was too much work anyway.
"Sorry honey, but that's always a side effect of having people who care about you."
"No."
"Yes."
"Ugh."
"Scott." Her voice was light with silent laughter. "Go back to sleep."
"You stayin'?"
"Of course."
Sometimes, Scott really missed the Sanctuary. It wasn't just the domesticity – nights shared between houses, belongings strewn across both properties so that they were less two separate places and more of a single Falcone-Tracy household – but the little luxuries such as privacy.
He hugged his bundle of clean clothes and a dry towel to his chest and shifted from one foot to the other, shooting a tight smile as an unfamiliar woman sidled past him with raised eyebrows. The bathroom door remained firmly closed. Frustration took over as he kicked it harder than intended. It flung open in a cloud of steam and a cheerful greeting that Scott ignored, claiming the room for himself as soon as the previous occupant stepped over the threshold.
Even Isaiah's generator upgrades couldn't guarantee hot water after so many people had already used the shower. Scott leant his head against the tiles and questioned whether it was worth the cold. He lifted the collar of his shirt and took a cautious whiff. Yeah, okay. Freezing shower time.
Delightful. Had he mentioned how much he missed the Sanctuary? Because he really, really missed the Sanctuary. Which reminded him, he owed Finn a call, but that could wait until after breakfast: he had to suffer through an icy shower first.
Cold showers in summer were one thing but it was only February and the British winter was relentless. He pulled on a hoodie over a long-sleeved thermal but he was still shivering when he made it downstairs to the mess hall.
Virgil took one look at him and shoved their chairs together, throwing an arm around him. He was a shock of warmth and Scott melted against his side before he'd even realised what he was doing.
A bulk of heat settled against his other side as Gordon materialised. He had a mauled slice of toast dangling from his teeth, crumbs clinging to his shirt as he reached for a butterknife.
Jasmin stared at him. "Wow."
"What?"
"You're a mess."
"Go take a look in a mirror, sunshine." Gordon wedged the knife into a jam jar, dropping his toast onto a saucer because they'd run out of plates. "Shove over, Scotty."
"Get your own chair," Scott protested, but shuffled closer to Virgil with a resigned sigh.
Gordon crowded into his space, lifting his feet up to sit cross-legged. One of his knees dug into Scott's leg. He twisted to prop an elbow on Scott's shoulder, levelling him with a brilliant smile to rival the sun.
Across the table, Alan let out an undignified snort and hastily tried to cover it up with a screech of his fork through his plateful of scrambled eggs. Theo patted him on the back with a fond look.
"So," Gordon declared, then waited expectantly.
"So?" Scott echoed after a moment. Over a week had passed since the London mission yet his brain still seemed foggy at times; he knew it was a result of sleep deprivation and stress but it irritated him. "Gordon, I'm not a mind reader. What's up?"
"Aren't you?" Gordon took a contemplative munch of toast. "Seems like a skill issue. You should work on that."
Scott tipped his head onto Virgil's shoulder with a groan. "Make him go away."
"Gordon," Virgil chided, clearly trying not to laugh. "Just tell him."
"Oh, but this is so much fun."
Scott lifted his head. "Tell me what?"
Gordon gave an ominous cackle.
"Oh my god."
Alan's tone was exasperated but his eyes were bright with amusement. He aimed a light kick at Gordon's shins, but his brother's legs were tucked up on his chair safely out of reach.
"You're more annoying than usual today. C'mon, I wanna know too. What's the big secret? Is it about who stole Ellis's last bag of trail mix? Because Theo and I don't know anything about that. We've been working on our project all week which is an airtight alibi, y'know?"
Jasmin's grin became a smirk. "Project, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
"Huh?" Alan asked at the same time as Theo reached around him to whack Jasmin's back.
She smacked his hand away. Marisa cuffed them both around the head as she strolled by on her way to the kitchen. They fell into sulky silence, shooting glares at one another. Alan just looked confused.
"Okay," Gordon piped up, dragging out the word until all attention returned to him. He flattened his hands against the table and announced grandly, "So. Penny and I talked."
There was a brief silence.
"And?" Scott prompted.
"And… what? That's it."
"Oh, come on." Alan flung up his hands. "I thought you were gonna say that you finally got together or something big. But you just talked? That's not news."
"Uh, it is massive news thank you very much." Gordon propped his chin in one palm with a dreamy, lovesick expression that had Jasmin fake gagging. "We clarified some stuff. Sorta… you know, cleared the air. And it was just…" His shoulders slumped. "I've missed her. A lot."
Scott exchanged a glance with Virgil.
"Yeah squid," he agreed softly, reaching over to place a hand on Gordon's back. "We know. I'm glad you talked things out."
"It's not… not like that."
"Yet?" Virgil ventured.
Gordon ducked his head with another sunshine smile.
"Yet. There's too much going on right now and Pen's still got some things to work through, but I can wait. Like, it's Penelope. I'd wait a lifetime if she asked me to."
"Sucker," Jasmin coughed.
Alan elbowed her.
Scott pushed his chair back, snatching up his final slice of toast before Virgil could start nagging him about healthy eating habits. His brother's attention was mostly focussed on Alan about that these days, but that didn't mean he wasn't also keeping an eye on Scott's calorie intake.
Gordon craned his neck to peer up at him. "Where're you going?"
"To drag John out of that comms hub before he misses breakfast entirely." Scott waved to Ellis as she began a hunt for an empty seat. "Hey, Els. Over here." He tousled Gordon's hair on his way past, chuckling as his brother batted him away. "Really though, Gordy. I'm happy for you."
"Yeah, yeah," Gordon grumbled, although his smile didn't dim. "Get outta here, sap."
The hallways were filling up with people as Scott picked his way through the breakfast crowds and upstairs to the comms hub.
John had spent much of the week holed up in there, sometimes with Isaiah lending another perspective and Tycho on call to offer advice whenever the time zones allowed it. Frustration seemed to seep from the noise-cancelling panels on the walls; progress was slow and even seemed to run in reverse at times.
Today, it instantly felt different. Scott sensed it as soon as he put a hand on the door. He could hear John's voice, muted to an indistinguishable murmur by the panels. He knocked once then let himself in, nudging the door shut with his heel.
Several things struck him at once: the avatar above the holoprojector, John's tearful smile, the way his brother seemed to be more alive than he'd seen him in over a year.
Scott braced himself against the wall, unable to find his voice until at last he managed to whisper, "EOS?"
The avatar pulsed a cheerful yellow.
"Hello, Scott Tracy," announced a familiar voice, brimming with joy. "It's good to see you again."
Scott gripped the back of John's chair. "Holy shit."
"I know," John gasped out, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. His grin was electric.
"Holy shit."
"I know!"
Once upon a time, EOS's laugh had filled Scott with terror. Now, he was overwhelmed with so much emotion that he didn't know what to do with it: relief and delight and oh-so-many questions.
"Are you okay?" he asked impulsively, unable to help himself.
He could still recall the grief in John's voice from all those months ago on the yacht, halfway across Lake Superior, lamenting the idea of EOS being lost and alone. It had yanked at his heartstrings then and did so even more now that he had her avatar in front of him.
EOS seemed taken aback by the question.
"I haven't been alone. I've had Grandma Tracy. She calls me from Mars twice daily. At first it was to ask me if I'd heard anything, but then I became her link to you. She says I remind her of John. We're… friends."
Scott sank onto the arm of John's chair. "They're okay? They're all… safe?"
"Yes."
"Jesus. I don't know what to… EOS, I have never been so happy to hear your voice."
A hint of dry humour crept into EOS's tone as she replied, "That's funny. I've never been so relieved to hear yours either."
The signal remained too weak to reach further than Thunderbird Five. Even their link to EOS became degraded at points although mercifully never broke down entirely; not that this prevented John from stressing whenever static interrupted the channel. Scott guessed it was a little like how he had grown more scared of losing Penny and Kayo once he'd found them – being reconnected with EOS had made John more fearful of being split apart from her again.
EOS acted as their messenger, enabling them to indirectly speak with Mars. There was much debate about what to say until she finally grew irritated and sent a simple hello on their behalf.
"Hello?" Kayo drove her elbow into John's ribs. "Hello? That's the kind of bullshit you would pull. She gets it from you."
John pressed two fingers to the base of EOS's avatar, hopelessly fond as he agreed. "Yeah, she does."
EOS's lights blurred from pale blue to a gentle lilac. "They say see you soon."
"Wait, wait, wait." Gordon bolted upright from where he'd been lolling on his back beside Finch, half-draped across the beanbag that Alan had dragged into the room. "They'll see us soon? As in they're coming here?"
A hush settled across the room.
"Would you like me to reply?" EOS inquired after a lengthy pause.
Scott still couldn't comprehend that they'd made contact at all, let alone consider the possibility of seeing the rest of their family again. A fearful, wounded part of his soul had accepted the idea that they'd been lost forever and now he was forced to confront that grief whilst daring to believe in a happy ending.
It was overwhelming; he leant heavily against the wall, overcome by a rush of relief so strong that it left him dizzy. At his side, Virgil stared at the holoprojector as though he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Movement caught his attention; Alan had grabbed Gordon's arm to assure himself that it wasn't just a dream. Gordon flipped his hand to wrap his fingers around Alan's wrist, tightening his grip until Alan finally took a breath.
"Oh my god," Penelope whispered. Kayo said nothing but pressed their shoulders together in silent support, unable to find the words.
Scott cleared his throat. "Hey, EOS? Tell them FAB."
Over a hundred million miles away, Aloysius Parker's door flew open and slammed into the wall with a thud that rattled the picture frame hidden behind a large potted plant on his windowsill. He threw himself to his feet in an instant, heartrate slowing when he recognised his visitor and the bespectacled figure behind her.
Armed with a holoprojector with EOS's avatar spinning above it and wearing an expression full of enough determination to strike fear into the rotten heart of any zombie, Sally Tracy planted her hands on her hips and declared,
"Parker? Let's go get our kids."
Halfway through February, grey clouds had given way to icy sunlight. The sky was that particular shade of crystal blue which looked as cold as it felt. But it produced some incredible sunrises that saw the artists of the family voluntarily waking up early just to see the colours. Even the renewed hope of a reunion at some point in the next week hadn't coaxed Virgil to pick up a pencil again but he sat out on the backstep with Alan and drank in the sight of brilliant gold and cheerful orange.
Scott propped himself against the doorjamb, partly to appreciate the sunrise but mostly to watch over his brothers. Virgil still hadn't gotten any better at confiding in people throughout the apocalypse and the perpetual sadness which had clung to him since Two's loss could still be seen in the right lighting – the murky blue of pre-dawn; the gentle lilac of dust; that thick purple found just after midnight – but he seemed more peaceful and Scott took that as a win.
"Hey."
Theo had a stack of sketchbooks under his arm and a red watercolour pencil stuck behind his ear. He'd clearly just rolled out of bed - hair a mess of wild curls and the crease of a pillowcase still fading from his cheek - but his smile was brighter than the sunrise.
"Hey," Scott replied, unable to deny the wave of fondness that welled up in his chest.
Apparently he was collecting extra siblings like Pokémon cards; he'd caught himself tucking a blanket around Jasmin's shoulders and kissing her forehead when she'd fallen asleep in the sunroom a few nights ago.
"Sketching time?"
"Uh huh." Theo lifted the sketchpads to reveal a metal tin of chalk pastels. "Penny found these for me, but I figured Virgil could try them out first. Just to, uh, you know, make sure they're good quality. Stuff like that."
"This is Alan's scheme to get Virg painting again, isn't it?"
Theo's smile became a proper grin. "Maybe."
Scott glanced back at the two figures on the step, silhouetted against the rising sun. Alan was sat against Virgil's side, using him as a backrest, knees to drawn up to serve as a prop for his sketchpad. He had a pencil clenched between his teeth, another hooked through his beltloop, and a third in use, sweeping curved lines across the paper to draw what looked like sun-inspired wings.
Virgil seemed lost in his own little world but occasionally looked over at what his youngest brother was creating, fondly bemused by the mythical creature on the page. Personally, Scott was just glad to see Alan drawing for the fun of it – it had been a long time since he'd seen the kid sketch dragons rather than despairing images of the infected.
"Oh, shi- shoot." Theo hastily corrected himself at the last minute, a reflex leftover from his parents' influence that still hadn't faded and most likely never would. "I nearly forgot – Kayo said to tell you to go find her when you've got a spare minute."
Scott turned away from the doorway. "Did she say why?"
"Nope." Theo stuffed a handful of dog treats from Sherbet's old tin into his pocket for when Finch inevitably made an appearance. "Just that it's something you guys talked about before?"
Thunderbird One.
Scott tousled Theo's hair as he stepped past, unable to help himself. "Thanks for the message, bud."
Theo clawed stray curls out of his eyes and tried to glare. "Scotty, why? Just why?"
"Because I can." Scott couldn't help but laugh at the kid's offended expression. "Have fun drawing."
The rota placed Kayo outside, fending for her life as she entered the dangerous realm of creatures that were the closest living relatives of the tyrannosaurus rex. In other words, she was in the chicken coop, collecting eggs and ensuring that the feathered demons had been fed.
On an entirely unrelated note, Scott was absolutely not still hung up about the fact that one of the hens had pecked a hole in his jeans and proceeded to chase him, squawking and flapping until he threatened to wring its scrawny neck and was then forcibly ejected from the coop by an irate Kayo.
He heard the chickens before he actually saw them. Their excited clucking echoed across the lawn, funnelled by the empty air as a few specks of cloud drifted into view above the hills. Melting frost leaked through his sneakers as he headed across the lawn and he mentally cursed himself for not wearing his usual boots.
As ever, Kayo sensed his presence before he had chance to speak. She seemed to have eyes in the back of her head; she was partway through climbing into the coop, peripheral vision blocked by the cluster of warm feathers as a curious hen pecked at the hood of her jacket, yet still knew he was there.
She signalled for him to wait a minute, so he propped himself against the side of the coop, revelling in the rising sun. It was peaceful for all of ten seconds, then the same hen from all those weeks ago stuck its beak through the mesh and attacked his shoelace.
He yanked his foot away with a startled hiss. The hen cocked its head. Beady yellow eyes seemed to gleam. He glared, daring it to try anything else. It clucked at him then sauntered away, satisfied that it had had the last word.
Scott flipped it off because he was a very mature, sensible person like that.
Kayo cleared her throat.
"What?" he asked defensively.
She arched a brow. "It's a chicken, Scott."
"It's a menace."
"So is Gordon, but we keep him around."
"It was looking at me in a weird way." Scott gestured at the hen. "Look at it. It's clearly evil. I think we should cook it."
"Touch that bird and find out where it gets you. Go on, I dare you."
For some reason, Kayo had taken a shine to the damn thing. Scott gave it a final glare and moved on to the more pressing subject at hand. He propped his arms on top of the coop as Kayo began tossing kitchen scraps into the pen.
"Theo said you wanted to talk?"
"I did," Kayo confirmed with a hint of dry sarcasm, "But then you threatened my chickens." She crooked a finger to smooth a hen's feathers. "Now I'm deliberating whether or not to leave you in suspense."
"Oh, come on. Don't do this to me." He dropped his chin to his crossed forearms with a groan. "Kay. Kayo. You know this is gonna bug me all day."
"Um, obviously? That's the point."
"What do you want me to do?"
Kayo went very still. When she turned to face him, her expression was forcibly neutral.
"I'd like you to apologise to the chickens."
"You what?"
"Go on. Apologise."
"This is ridiculous."
He crouched down, eyeing the hens dubiously.
"Sorry for threatening to cook you. In my defence, you're definitely evil. But I'm sorry. I went too far." He straightened up again and shot his sister an exasperated stare. "Happy now?"
Kayo grinned. "I cannot believe you actually apologised."
"You asked me to!"
"Apologised to a dumb bird."
"Are you kidding me right now?"
"Like an idiot. Seriously, it's concerning how easily you fell for that."
"Oh, I'm done. I'm outta here. I'm leaving."
"I take it you don't want to talk about retrieving Thunderbird One then?"
"…I'm listening."
Scott leant heavily against the side of the coop, hooking his fingers through the bars as he watched Kayo scatter feed amongst the birds. They had no hang ups about clambering over one another, wings beating senselessly and beaks plucking at one another's feathers to retrieve the tiniest scraps. The sun was hot against his back, burning away the thin mist which still shrouded the hills in lilac.
"EOS said the ranch is in bad shape," he reported hesitantly. The sky seemed vaster than ever and he could feel it calling to him, an unreachable longing tucked away between his heart and his lungs. "I don't know how easy accessing the hangar is gonna be."
Kayo slid down to sit amongst the chickens. One of the hens settled in her lap with a pleased warble as she began to preen its glossy feathers.
"That's not the biggest problem," she replied, tipping her head back to glimpse him. Her eyes seemed more gold than usual in the young light. "We still haven't figured out how to refuel One. Shadow can carry supplies but we've first got to find somewhere willing to lend us that much fuel."
Scott drummed a hand against the mesh. The sunlight flashed off the button on his cuff; he was in the same coat that he'd worn on the drive from the Sanctuary to the safe zone airfield: navy blue, waterproof, deep pockets and a layer of insulating fluff. The idea slowly dawned on him, lazily like a bumblebee tottering from one flower to the next.
Kayo read the realisation off his face. "You've got a plan."
"Maybe."
He glanced up at the sky again. It was still the depths of the night in Canada but he was fairly confident that at least one of his friends would be awake.
"I've got to make a call first but if it works out… How'd you feel about swinging by the Sanctuary?"
Kayo's smile held a hint of mischief. "Just say the word and I'll be ready to fly."
Nearly two months earlier it had taken many gruelling hours to cross the Atlantic. Thunderbird Shadow crossed the distance in what seemed like a heartbeat in comparison. It didn't matter how much effort Scott wasted on trying to convince Kayo – and then forsaking his pride to downright beg her – she refused to give up the controls, so he was relegated to the backseat.
In his defence, he tried to remain quiet but that was a challenge when he was so close to having One at his fingertips again – her controls were phantoms under his touch, disappearing when he went to close his hands around them – and so the occasional comment slipped out.
Kayo swiftly put a stop to it, banking right so sharply that he smacked his elbow against the glass, cutting off his remark with a pained hiss instead. Her smirk was countered by the steely warning in her eyes and he wisely remained silent for the rest of the flight.
There was plenty to keep him occupied; leafing through EOS's scans of the ranch; replying to messages from various safe zones; checking that he'd actually put on his knee support tightly enough after reading Virgil's reminder; even messaging Marisa when Kayo seemed sufficiently distracted by turbulence to not pay attention to what he was doing.
But it was difficult to focus on anything other than the task at hand. In under twelve hours, he could be in One's cockpit. The thought was unfathomable; one of those dreams that he'd thought were safe to hope in because they were unattainable from the start and so there was no fear of crushing disappointment.
Missing One was so familiar that he couldn't tell it apart from any of the other constant aches and bruises. It had been so long since he'd last set eyes on his girl; he'd shoved aside all thoughts of her and now that he tentatively reached for that mental box, it hurt.
What state would One be in?
Would she be flight worthy at all?
Had the hangar stayed strong or had it given into the hungry jaws of the radiation storm?
Was it filled with the remains of the infected? Had their rotten fingers marred hopeful silver with claw marks and desperation?
And – a fearful little voice in his head piped up – would he even be able to fly her like before? Would it be different? A disconnect?
But mostly he was just so damn excited.
Kayo reached back and thumped his arm, successfully snapping him into the present.
"Look alive, we're on final approach."
The time between December and February really wasn't very long at all yet the Sanctuary seemed to have developed in leaps and bounds. All the work that Scott had put into nurturing those relationships and collaboration between safe zones had clearly paid off.
He was surprised by the pang of nostalgia that hit him as Kayo circled overhead, providing an overview of the place that he had called home for several months. A not-so-insignificant part of him missed it still.
Kayo set Shadow down on the helipad. The ice had been cleared but a feeble scattering of snow had collected since, evaporating into hisses of steam under the force of the Thunderbird's VTOLs. A familiar figure was propped against the wall to watch them land, throwing up an arm to shield his eyes from the engines. Two more friendly faces observed from a safe distance; Lou shoved open the door to step out onto the helipad as soon as Shadow powered down, hotly pursued by Tycho.
Finn pushed himself away from the wall, hastily attempting to coax his hair into something more presentable but the VTOLs had driven it into a mess that only a proper brush could fix. It gave him a roguish, unpolished diamond sort of charm; Scott couldn't help but grin as he slid from the cockpit and drew him into a warm hug.
"Hey, Finn."
"Hi, Scotty." Finn briefly withdrew to hold him at an arm's length for a minute. His smile grew wider, an approving glint in his eyes. "Lookin' good. What have they been feeding you? Hot damn."
"You know, I suddenly can't remember why I missed you."
"Aw, you missed me? Careful baby, you'll make me blush."
Kayo's grin promised an entire world of teasing in the not-so-distant future. "Finn Wolvin, I presume?"
Finn clapped a hand to Scott's bicep and stepped past him to greet Kayo.
"The one and only. You must be the infamous Miss Kyrano." He dialled up the charm, reaching to take her hand. "I've gotta say, you're-"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence."
"Right ma'am, sorry ma'am."
Finn's tone might have been light-hearted but there was a hint of genuine fear in his eyes that had Scott wanting to laugh. Kayo casually withdrew a blade, polished it against her flight suit, then slid it back into its holster again, just to really drive the intimidation factor up a notch. Her lips twitched with the effort to repress a smirk; she took far too much satisfaction from successfully scaring the absolute crap outta people for it to be healthy but Scott found it hilarious every time.
Lou had no such qualms, smacking a hand against her hip as she let loose an uproarious laugh.
"That's right, hon, you tell him." She stuck out a hand, still chuckling. "I'm Lou. It's great to meet you, Kayo. Now I can finally put a face to the name."
Finn shot her a betrayed look. "Uh, hello? I'm your superior officer. Where's the respect?"
"In the trash along with your pride," Lou retorted, as quick as a whip.
Tycho ignored the pair, moving to shake Scott's hand, hesitating before going for a proper hug. He seemed sharper than before, but then again his workload had increased – developing better technology across a coalition of safe zones – and Scott knew from Brains and John that geniuses tended to forsake eating and pretty much every human need in the name of progress when they got stuck into a project.
He kept a hand on Tycho's shoulder as he withdrew from the hug, studying the new lines on the guy's face and darker smears beneath his eyes before deciding that while Tycho was undoubtedly stretching himself too thin, he was still safe.
Lou held open her arms. "Scott."
"Hey, Lou." He was surprised by the strength of her grip. She held him tightly, tucking his face into her shoulder in an unexpected motherly gesture that startled him. "How have you been? How's Corey?"
"Driving me up the wall as ever, but he's a good kid at heart." Lou tugged away to study him, reaching up to pat his cheek. "You look tired."
"Thanks," he deadpanned.
"You'd better be looking after yourself, sonny. You've got a lot of people who care about you, me included."
"Lou, I'm fine."
"Hmm. And the others?"
"They're okay."
"Those kids of yours still tiptoeing around each other?"
"Alan and Theo? Yeah. Oblivious as hell."
Lou raised a brow. "You're one to talk."
"Oh, I like her," Kayo called, perched on the railing that ran around the rim of the helipad. "She calls you out on all your bullshit, Scott. It's great. By all means, Lou, continue."
She appeared to have reached a tentative sort of truce with Finn, who stood at her side, hands stuffed into his pockets at an angle which highlighted the new muscle mass he'd put on around his shoulders. He'd gotten a lot more hands-on with missions lately; Scott was relieved to see that the heavy bruising his friend had sported on their last call had already faded to dabs of pale yellow.
Now that the supply lines between the Sanctuary and nearest three safe zones were running smoothly and defended by Tycho's upgraded drone technology, there was theoretically less reason for Finn to venture into the field, but Scott suspected that the guy had developed a taste for it.
In another life, he imagined that Finn would have been a possible candidate for IR. In this universe, he just hoped that their recent bout of good luck would hold out. Things had been going suspiciously well as of late and the idea of burying a friend lurked at the back of his mind as a constant threat.
The fuel reserves were stored in a newly constructed unit by the eastern wall, situated close to Tycho's workshop and a stretch of empty space that had been cordoned off by little red flags, marking what was set to become a larger helipad. It wasn't a long walk by any means but they took one of the GDF vehicles to save time.
Kayo sat in the open rear section, watching houses spin by. Short winter days meant that the sun was already sinking low and the walls struck large shadows across the world. The outermost buildings were already in darkness; windows glowed gold and streetlamps were beginning to flicker into life.
The enticing smells of cooked rations filled the air alongside the laughter of children freed from school for the day. They passed a cluster of kids kicking a soccer ball around; Scott recognised the bright blue coat of little AJ from Joanna's survival group. Several children were still wearing the bracelets from Gordon's arts-and-crafts day all those weeks ago. He made a mental note to tell his brother about that, thumbing his own TB1 themed bracelet through the thick cuff of his jacket.
The Creighton-Ward Survival Camp was a wonder but something about the Sanctuary felt more like home. Maybe it was precisely because it wasn't home – Scott still found it jarring to walk the manor's familiar corridors when everything had changed so drastically. It was easier to accept reality here; easier to contemplate failure too.
At Penny's place, every day was a slap in the face by responsibility – he couldn't walk into the mess hall without seeing haggard faces behind forced smiles: all those people who needed him to save the world for them. But at the Sanctuary, the idea of forging a new life seemed possible even if he couldn't fix anything. The hope felt fiercer although maybe that was just his imagination.
Finn clambered through the seats to roll into the truck bed beside Scott. Kayo glanced up briefly, but soon returned her gaze to the passing sights as she tilted her head imperceptibly to eavesdrop. Scott stretched out his legs to knock his heel against her knee.
She shot him an innocent look as if she weren't listening into what was about to be a private conversation. He raised his brows but let the matter slide. If Finn cared about confidentiality, he'd have pulled Scott into his office back at the GDF hub; this was clearly going to be an informal chat.
"So." Finn fell into place at his side, huddling closer than was technically necessary although Scott couldn't find it in his heart to push him away. "Thunderbird One, huh?"
"That's the idea," Scott confirmed, letting Finn drape an arm around his shoulders. The guy seemed to thrive off physical contact as much as Gordon did. "Provided she's still airworthy."
"She will be."
Scott cast him a sideways glance. "You sound pretty confident."
"I've got a good feeling about it."
Finn tipped his head back against the window, studying the peach-stained sky with a hint of longing.
"I've got a good feeling about all of this, actually. It seems to be coming together, falling into place, you know? Safe zones are collaborating, we've secured transatlantic comms, Ellis is making progress on a vaccine and now you might be restarting International Rescue. There's a lot of hope going around and it's all thanks to you, Scott. You should be proud of yourself."
"It was a team effort."
"Yeah, a team effort that started with you."
Scott studied the thin line of gold where the setting sun reflected along the top of the wall, transforming cold metal into something warm and protective. Stray birds floated on clear swells as hotter air migrated northwards; spring really wasn't so far away after all.
"You still don't do well with compliments, do you?" Finn's smile was brimming with fond amusement. "You should work on that."
Kayo gave up the pretence of ignoring them. "Good luck, Wolvin. We've been trying to improve his self-worth for years but he's too much of a stubborn idiot to listen."
"Thanks, Kay," Scott drawled, nudging her knee again. "You have such a way with words."
"But am I wrong? You're stubborn and you're an idiot, ergo stubborn idiot."
For lack of evidence in his defence, Scott settled for glaring at her. She reached over to smack his leg with a loud laugh.
He turned to Finn with a melodramatic sigh. "Sisters are overrated."
"And brothers are a pain in the ass," Kayo shot back.
"You're so nice to me. Really do wonders for my self-esteem."
"Thanks, I try."
"All you do is insult me."
"I know. It's brilliant."
"You're such a-"
"Careful Scooter, remember who's flying you to get One back."
"…a fantastic pilot, the absolute light of life-"
Kayo shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Okay, now you're overdoing it."
"-my favourite shadowling… Am I forgiven yet? Can I stop?"
"Please do."
Finn let out a loud laugh and maybe Scott had spent too much time around him, sharing a tiny office at the GDF hub during his time at the Sanctuary, but he swore that there was a distinct note of sadness in the sound. He couldn't see any trace of grief in Finn's face and his eyes were still bright with good humour, but there was something about the slant of his shoulders that betrayed him.
The truck jolted to a halt. Kayo vaulted over the side and landed lightly beside an impressed Tycho, swiftly followed by Finn who jogged to take the lead. Scott hung back for a moment, concern pressing persistently at the back of his mind until he acknowledged it.
"Is he alright?"
Lou slammed the door shut and moved to stand beside him, following his gaze to Finn.
"He's okay. Truth be told, he misses you. All of you, I mean, but especially you. He plays the part well enough but the responsibility weighs on him more than he lets on. You understood that in a way that Tycho and I will never be able to. I think…"
Her voice softened to a whispered confession.
"I think he secretly hoped that you'd come back once you found Kayo and Penelope. Don't get me wrong, he understands why you didn't – we all do – but you know what a tricky thing hope can be."
Scott studied his friends; Kayo's smack to Finn's bicep; Tycho's chuckles as he observed their antics; the gentle, soothing quality of lilac light where dusk had tucked the sun into bed. There was a bench covered in ribbons for the lost to his right and a tree heavy with evergreen leaves to his left with a little gravel garden between the two: a newly constructed memorial area.
"I did consider it," he admitted, stealing a glance at Lou. "But it wasn't practical and… there was a lot going on."
Lou's hand brushed his elbow in silent support. "How is he?"
"Alan's… I don't want to say he's better because it's a long process. Hell, I'm still figuring my own shit out too. But things are easier for him now, I think. I don't know. He seems brighter. He's eating again which was one of my biggest concerns, so that's a good sign. He's been teaching people first aid skills and having that positive impact has helped him a lot."
"I'm glad."
"You and me both." He leant against the side of the truck. "Has Finn heard anything from his family?"
"Only about his brother."
"Is he…?"
"He didn't make it."
Scott curled his hands into fists, struck by a fierce longing to check on his own brothers. He found the TB1 bracelet and tugged at it absently, forcing himself to exhale. He'd come too close to losing them over the past few months; he still felt sick whenever he remembered discovering that Gordon had been bitten. And then more recently, being separated from Virgil in the museum.
He pushed himself away from the truck, unable to repress a shiver at the thoughts. Up ahead, Finn beckoned him closer. Kayo had already vanished inside the storage unit with Tycho, but her voice echoed in the night-heavy air as she discussed transportation techniques.
Finn cast him a curious look. "What's up, sunshine? I've told you before – frowns are such a waste of a pretty face."
"Finn? Drop the act for a second."
Scott drew him into a proper hug, the sort he usually used to comfort people. It took a few moments for Finn to relax into the hold, but then he dropped his head to Scott's shoulder. His hands tightened in the back of Scott's coat, curling shaky fingers into the fabric. It was the closest that Scott had ever seen him come to properly letting his guard down.
"I'm sorry."
Finn drew an unsteady breath. "You don't have to-"
"I'm sorry, bud."
"Don't Big Brother me, asshole. It's weird."
"Finn."
"I miss him. I miss all of them. But you're… You're gonna save the rest. Everybody else who's still alive out there? They need International Rescue. So, I'm going to help you in any way I can and you're going to be the hero that my kid brother needed and never had."
Scott kept a hand on Finn's shoulder, searching his expression. "If you need me, call. I'll be there."
"No call left unanswered, huh?" Finn swiped his knuckles across overly bright eyes. "C'mon, sugar." His voice was forcibly steady but its determined quality was genuine. "Let's get your wings back."
The working partnerships between safe zones came in far more useful than Scott could ever have hoped. Drone images and EOS's observations were great but lived experience offered details that would otherwise have gone amiss, such as rotter behaviour, volatile weather conditions that could change in the blink of an eye, bandit ambushes and so on. Finn projected the data onto the large screen at the GDF hub while Kayo studied the information on a tablet for closer examination.
"Scott," EOS informed him through his earpiece – borrowed from Parker's old equipment and modified by John and Virgil for wider range – in a tone that was too amused to be petulant but wasn't that far off either. "I don't like EDEN."
"Um, okay?"
"They are not awake."
"That sounds ominous."
"They're not like me but they have the potential to be. Their sentience is limited. It's… irritating. I offered to wake them up but they refused."
Oh, boy.
"Hey, Finn?" Scott leant back in his chair, attempting to appear casual. "EDEN aren't a true AI, are they?"
"No."
"Would it be another world-ending event if they became one?"
Finn lowered a handful of holograms to frown at him. "…If you don't tell me, I can't worry about it. Plausible deniability and all that fun stuff."
Scott eyed EDEN's avatar with a healthy dose of trepidation.
"EOS, we've got bigger fish to fry right now. Let's get my Thunderbird back and then you can discuss ethics with John."
EOS gave an indignant huff. "So much wasted potential."
"EOS."
"I'm focussing. Honestly, you're so impatient."
Sometimes it was incredibly obvious that she was John's code.
The data wasn't encouraging. Scott had seen the satellite images for himself that morning but they were made hazy by dust clouds and while previous footage hadn't been much clearer, it had been enough to show that the ranch was in bad shape. He was trying not to consider that in too much depth; he'd known when he'd closed the door behind him last year that it would probably be the final time he'd see the place in one piece. Even so, it hurt to see it in such a dilapidated state.
Radiation levels were exceptionally high. Exposure for longer than ten minutes would cause damage that not even decontamination packs could cure. Thunderbird Shadow's shielding would protect them in flight but at some point he would have to leave the cockpit to retrieve One and those minutes were critical.
Once he reached his Thunderbird, he'd be safe again but even if it went smoothly – and since when did any of their plans not hit any snags? – he would still be cutting it close. No one was happy about it. Lou dragged one of the GDF radiation suits out of storage but it was old and had seen a lot of wear; the shielding in it wouldn't last long.
"It'll buy me enough time to get to One without getting fried," Scott tried to assure Kayo, who had the suit draped across her lap to give her a closer look at the lining. "It doesn't have to be ideal."
Kayo didn't glance up from her inspection. "Scott, I have serious questions about your understanding of radiation. You treat it like it's a minor inconvenience. Did you ever pay attention in physics class?"
"I'm a pilot. Obviously I paid attention in physics."
"To the entire curriculum or just when forces were discussed?"
"Just give me back that suit."
Kayo held it out for him to take. "I still don't like this plan."
"You never like my plans."
"Yeah, that should tell you something."
"That you're paranoid? Yep, figured that out a long time ago- Ow." He rubbed his bicep where she had hit him. "What the fuck, Kayo? That actually hurt."
"Don't call me paranoid." She sprang out of her chair and marched along the corridor towards the helipad. "Also, you're a hypocrite."
"I'm not going to deny it."
"Good."
"Okay."
"Great."
"Glad we cleared that up."
Kayo turned her head to hide a smile. "Dumbass."
The conversation came to an abrupt halt as they reached the helipad. It was bathed in artificial lights; warm-white and blue, blinking red and a scatter of green. Thunderbird Shadow seemed to blend with the night sky, her wingtips indistinguishable until Scott stepped to the right and glimpsed the reflection of lights off the aileron.
They wouldn't be leaving for the ranch 'til sunrise but it never hurt to be prepared. Kayo swung herself into the cockpit to plot their course while Scott ran another system check on the radiation shielding and stashed the suit ready for the morning. A few bruised clouds threatened to block out the moon but the sky was mostly clear. He propped an arm against the open canopy, craning his neck to glimpse the stars directly overhead before picking out Mars from the constellations.
"I still can't believe it," Kayo murmured, following his gaze. She was folded into her pilot's seat, one knee drawn up to balance her arms on top. Her hair was loose again, tousled by the light breeze so that she seemed younger than usual. "They're really coming home."
Scott exhaled in a rush. It was still cold enough that his breath fogged, hot against his hands as he propped his chin on his folded arms, draped over the canopy as if he could gain a suntan from the moonlight. It took a moment to register Kayo's words, lost in his own thoughts.
"I'm still processing the fact we found you and Penny," he admitted. "I can't even begin to imagine seeing Grandma, Brains and Parker again. It's just… a lot happening all at once."
"A lot of good things happening all at once."
There was a slight edge to Kayo's voice. She returned her gaze to Shadow's controls – still in darkness as the Thunderbird was powered down – to hide her expression.
"Exactly." Scott stared at the rusty star until Mars blurred out of focus. He pushed his knuckles against his eyes with a stifled yawn. "It puts me on edge. So many good things… what's waiting around the corner for us?"
"Whatever it is, we can handle it." Kayo stood up, prodding his ribs when he didn't immediately turn away from the view. "Hey. You need to sleep."
"Sleep is for the weak."
"Sleep is also for idiots who need to be on top form tomorrow so they can successfully rescue their Thunderbird without crashing her."
"Your faith in me is so inspiring."
"Oh, I know." Kayo wrapped a hand around his arm and tugged. "C'mon. Don't make me carry you."
All the satellite images could not have prepared Scott for the sheer destruction that he was met with the following morning. Apocalypse wreckage evoked strange pangs of grief even in unfamiliar places, but to see the building which had played such a prominent role in his childhood in ruins was more painful than he'd anticipated.
It was difficult to see the details from the air but somehow every horrific image that his imagination had conjured in dreams was right there in front of him; brutalised bones of a house; bleached by sun and radiation, stark against the ash and sand just as he had seen in last night's stuttered nightmares.
He lost track of reality for a moment, caught up in overlapping memories and the realisation that Mom's place was gone. Just like that. And sure, he'd tried to prepare himself but it still hurt.
The sky was turbulent – a thick rim of dark storm clouds was rolling in from a south-westerly direction, complete with jagged lightning and the distant threat of thunder – but Kayo stuck Shadow on temporary autopilot regardless.
She twisted in her seat, reaching through the gap to catch his wrist. Her grip was overly tight, thumb pressing against his racing pulse until he dragged himself back into the present and forced himself to face reality.
Kayo's eyes were fierce as she sought his gaze. "Focus."
It wasn't quite an order – there was too much gentle understanding in her tone for that – but possessed enough sharpness to knock him out of the spiral. He exhaled in a rush. The rim of the canopy was digging a bruise into his forearm and the pain registered as a dull afterthought. Shadow climbed to avoid a new swell and the ranch's bones vanished from view.
Kayo had yet to return her attention to the controls. "Ready?"
"Take us down," Scott ground out.
The ranch might have been wrecked beyond belief but Thunderbird One still waited for him below ground, ready to emerge from the rubble like a phoenix. He shoved grief aside, squashing it into a mental box – he might not have juggled Tracy Industries, International Rescue and a personal life for nearly a year-and-a-half of the apocalypse but he could still compartmentalise like a pro.
The next flyby assessed the rotter situation. The radiation was attacking their bodies but without the parasite's hivemind to draw them away from danger, they remained clustered around the remains of the ranch. It seemed impossible that the scent of healthy humans could still cling to the bricks and mortar; perhaps the creatures had stuck around for lack of any intelligence to coax them elsewhere.
Whatever the reason, there were too many of them. They crawled and writhed amongst the rubble; from above, the debris looked to be alive with maggots. Radiation had significantly weakened them but the desire to feed kept them moving even as the skin hung from their bones like dirty dishrags, limp and lifeless and so desperately sad that Scott was tempted to put them out of their misery.
Maybe Kayo had a point when she claimed that he treated radiation too lightly; the sight of the irradiated infected was enough to strike terror into anybody.
He cast a glance over the Geiger counter and repressed a wince. There was no room for error here; they weren't just playing with minutes between life and death but seconds; mistakes were not only fatal but potentially catastrophic. Too many survivors had put their hope in him and he could not and would not let them down. He needed Thunderbird One and people needed him; they both had to make it back. No other option was acceptable.
"The entrance to the hangar is still buried," he observed, crowding into Kayo's personal space to peer at the readouts over her shoulder. "Can you shift that rebar with a grapple?"
"FAB."
Weather conditions were growing worse. More dark clouds had amassed upon the horizon, spilling over one another in a lake of inky black. Lightning sparked across the land. Shadow trembled but held steady, VTOLs whining as Kayo eased the aircraft skywards to pull the rebar free.
Several infected reared up. Their jaws gaped, arms flailing for the Thunderbird.
Scott eyed the distance between the rotters and the hangar door.
"Anything you can do about them?"
Kayo cracked her knuckles. "I have a few ideas."
"Such as?"
"They're attracted to noise. I'll blare something through Shadow's speakers, draw them away long enough for you to get inside the hangar. There's no telling how long that trick will last though, so don't hang around."
Scott summoned a radiation count from the holoprojector on his wrist. "Don't hang around? Dammit, there go my plans for a tanning session."
"Hilarious."
He clapped a hand to her shoulder. "Relax, I've got this."
"You'd better." She reached for the VTOLs controls. "Stand by for drop."
Thunderbird Shadow had several playlists preloaded. Kayo could also have contacted EOS for another option. She could even have chosen to play the frequency originally proven to disrupt the hivemind to see if it would still have any effect. Instead, she hit shuffle on an old rock playlist and proceeded to blast Highway to Hell by AC/DC at full volume across the desert.
Scott wished that he could say he was surprised but he really wasn't. He had to focus on not dying as he made the jump from Shadow, rolled with the impact and sprang to his feet, keeping low behind the rubble as the infected blundered after the music, then reached for his radio.
"Really?"
Kayo's laugh rang over the comm. "It seemed appropriate."
A low rumble of thunder shook dust from the skeletal walls around him as he ventured into the heart of the rubble. Memories spun out in triple-quick time like damaged video reels whenever he recognised something; John's old room; smudged paint along a baseboard leftover from a childhood day spent building aircraft models with Jeff; floorboards scuffed by dust that had once seen the sandy soles of bare feet as a young Gordon and Virgil raced each other to the kitchen.
His Geiger counter bleeped at him, an urgent high-pitched warning. He ducked low as he bolted from the final outcrop of wall to the battered entrance. A cloud of ash flew into the air as he tore the hatch open and he was thankful for the helmet that had come with the GDF suit. He slipped inside and yanked it shut against the furious sky.
It took several seconds for his vision to adjust. For a moment, he was entirely disorientated, alone in the darkness with no sense of space or direction. The flashlight built into his suit was too tiny to have much range, fading out after a feeble metre or two. He remained in a crouch, one hand braced against the floor, focussing on his breathing and each sense as his sight slowly returned.
"I'm inside."
"Good," Kayo replied instantly. "Now get to One before your insides get cremated."
Scott shook his head, recalling an instant later that she couldn't see him.
"You know," he began sarcastically, "Pep talks really aren't your forte."
"Are you in Thunderbird One?"
"I'm working on it."
"Then stop cracking jokes and focus."
"Yessir."
"Scott, I swear…"
He finally found the light switch, fumbling about the wall until he felt the raised edges of the panel under his palm. The house itself might have been destroyed but the hangar ran on a separate grid, one which was linked to a solar array on the other side of the ranch and so far had survived the severe storms. The space lit up in a sharp glow that left him squinting, biting back a startled curse.
"Scott? You good?"
The liquified remains of an infected had pooled at the workbench less than a metre from his left boot. He jolted away from it and smacked his elbow against the wall. How the hell the creature had gotten inside was a mystery and raised worrying questions about how many others may be lurking within the shadows.
"Just peachy."
The rotters that had broken into the hangar had wrecked it. Tools littered the floor. Ash smothered every surface; a glance up revealed a gaping hole in a far corner of the roof. Bone shards crunched underfoot. Cobwebs cloaked an old drone. The holoprojector that they had crowded around last year remained untouched; there was something vaguely haunted about the sight.
He ventured into the centre of the hangar and came to an abrupt halt. The tiny flashlight on his suit reflected off smooth metal, smiling back at him like a star.
Thunderbird One.
Just as he had left her.
Waiting patiently for his return.
She'd been trapped in the darkness for all this time, unable to even glimpse the sky when her sole purpose was to fly and to help and to be the hope that people needed to see in the world.
"Check your radiation count," Kayo's voice sounded sharply in his ear and he jolted out of the revere, although couldn't bring himself to lift his hand away from his Thunderbird's hull.
Silver paintwork gleamed under his gloves. He knew every inch of her better than the back of his own hand. He found the tiny dent that no one else was aware of; a mishap that he'd intended to fix for two months pre-Z-Day but had never gotten around to attending. Now, he was struck by a wave of fondness; damage left by compassion wasn't a flaw but a reminder of human empathy.
He stole a glance down at his counter and winced. "Copy that, Shadow. Entering One now."
It was as if he'd stepped back in time. One's cockpit glowed gently around him, welcoming him home as best she could. He blinked, the dark grey of his GDF radiation suit momentarily replaced by hopeful blues; the weight of a gun against his hip swapped for a grapple launcher; sunshine and palm trees above ground as opposed to sand and storm clouds.
His counter began to drop as soon as the hatch sealed behind him. He stepped closer hesitantly as though One were a mirage that could shatter around him at any second. It was surreal; he was walking through a dream again. He rested a hand on the top of his pilot's seat and gripped it tightly. The controls called to him. He moved to stand in front of the chair, took a deep breath, and sat down. Nothing happened. The mirage didn't fade. He ran his hands over the controls and grinned.
"Hey, Shadow? I'm in."
"How's she look?"
"Externally? Not a scratch. But I'm about to run a system check so let's hope there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for us. How are our friends on the surface?"
"Not a fan of I'm So Sorry, apparently."
"Huh?"
"I got bored of AC/DC so I switched to Imagine Dragons but the rotters were less interested."
"Try playing them something from this decade then."
"Hell no, modern music is terrible. Have you ever hit shuffle on Alan's or Gordon's playlists? There's a reason why Virgil and I never give either of them DJ privileges."
"That's… a fair point." Holograms glowed green as he ran down the checklists. "So, I won't have any unwanted company dropping in to say hi when I open the bay doors?"
"You're still in the clear for now but I can't guarantee how much longer that'll last."
"Noted. Okay, all systems show green. Where's that fuel?"
"Open the doors, I'll drop it off."
It had been going too smoothly. Scott should have known that they'd hit a snag sooner or later. At first, he thought that it was a connection issue or perhaps a damaged sensor but then he scanned the bay doors from the safety of One's cockpit and the issue revealed itself in glaring red holos.
"Shit."
"That sounds positive," Kayo quipped.
"There's debris jamming the mechanism. I'll have to cut it free manually."
The comm link went suspiciously silent. Kayo's tension was palpable even over the radio, a strained twist to her voice when she spoke again as if there were more words hidden behind her warning.
"Your suit can't stand up to more exposure. You've got thirty seconds, max, before radiation starts to leak in. That's not enough time."
"Have you got a better plan?"
"Scott. Listen to me for once in your damn life. If you step out of Thunderbird One, that level of radiation exposure will kill you. You can't pull a miracle out of thin air for this one. You will die. End of story. Stay put, we'll figure something else out."
"Actually… I might have another idea."
As a general rule – not that it was applicable anymore but hey – the Thunderbirds were kept in a clean and tidy order. There were some exceptions – Thunderbird Four was a lost cause and Three got understandably messy after a deep-space mission left her occupants living in cramped conditions for over twenty-four hours – but typically miscellaneous cargo got stuffed out of sight in lockers. The contents varied depending on both the Thunderbird and the pilot but one item was a necessity; there was always a spare uniform.
Uniforms which had in-built radiation shielding.
What followed was an awkward half-dance half-wriggle into a flight suit that was distinctly baggier than the last time he'd worn it. Technically, the suit didn't fit him anymore but he was in better shape than he had been in months and so could just about get away with it. It was a temporary measure anyway; he only needed it to buy him a few more minutes of radiation exposure.
He activated the holoprojector for a face-to-face call with Kayo; trying to read the nuances in her voice over a radio link was proving more challenging than he'd have liked. Her eyes widened slightly before she hastily covered up the brief flash of shock with cool professionalism.
"What?" A note of self-consciousness crept into his voice. "The seal isn't great but it should hold up long enough to shield me from the worst of the radiation."
"Yeah. Yes." Kayo spared a second to glance at a readout from Shadow's controls, then allowed herself a smile. There was a warm light akin to pride in her eyes. "It's been a while since I've seen you in IR blues, that's all."
"It feels weird."
"But it looks right."
She didn't give him chance to dwell on that.
"Get the doors open."
"FAB."
It had been over a year since he'd last worn his uniform yet muscle memory had him reaching for grapples and grabbing a laser cutter as if less than a day had passed. He reached the debris in under two minutes, looping an arm around a protruding beam to steady himself as he activated the laser.
It was a lot easier to clamber between rafters when he had a safety line, he reflected, recalling the adrenaline rush that had accompanied his wild leaps between rooftop walkways at the museum, how mere inches had separated him from certain death.
"Opening bay doors."
"Copy that. Stand by for fuel drop."
Refuelling went smoothly. Scott kept an eye on the pressure gauge, fully aware that he was pushing all dials into the red but unwilling to hang around long enough to refuel at a safer speed. Kayo's voice had grown strained with warning as the infected began to pick up on the scent of a healthy human – a far more attractive option than the thunder of music from Shadow's speakers.
As soon as the marker hit half-full, he disconnected the line and hastily retreated to One's cockpit.
"Shadow, you'd better clear out. I'm about to join you."
"FAB One, see you in the sky."
Sunlight streamed through the open exit; weak and fogged by dust; grey and gloomy under the watchful glare of storm clouds. But clear skies waited above that low ceiling, as vividly blue as the uniform that kept catching his eye.
Controls thrummed under his fingertips as the engines rumbled into life, a low thunder that purred throughout the aircraft. He ghosted a hand over his baldric; silver fabric mimicked the metallic gleam of One's paintwork as the Thunderbird saw the sky for the first time in over a year.
All lights showed green.
Don't think, just fly.
Thunderbird One soared into the sky without hesitation. She shot through the tiny gap in the clouds - precision and speed and skill – and accelerated higher. Horizontal flight accompanied a sonic boom as she shattered the sound barrier, slicing ribbons through endless blue to fray the uppermost clouds.
Red, silver and blue flashed in a series of exhilarating aerial acrobatics, pushing to the limits and flirting with death's coattails as adrenaline made danger seem like an old friend.
"Looking good, Thunderbird One." Kayo's smile was audible before Scott even glanced down at her hologram. "But maybe quit showing off and save some fuel for the return flight."
"Let me have this."
"Uh huh. How's she feel?"
"Flies like a dream."
Scott didn't bother to hold back a laugh as he swooped low for an unnecessarily close flyby, flipping Kayo a salute as the sunlight winked off Shadow's canopy. One seemed to sense his next moves before he'd even consciously thought of them; instinctive flying; partners; one entity. Flying the GDF jet had been fun and the commercial airliner had been different but Thunderbird One was alive.
"Hey Thunderbird Shadow…"
"Oh, I hate that tone."
"What tone?"
"That one."
"I don't have a tone."
"You absolutely do. What dumb idea have you come up with this time?"
"…Race you back to Penny's place!"
He accelerated before Kayo even had chance to reply. Her outraged shouts echoed over the comm link. She'd probably make his life hell when she caught up with him, especially given that he was openly laughing at her, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
The sky was open. Thunderbird One was his. And somewhere amongst the stars, the rest of his family were finding their way back to him.
EOS's avatar flickered into life above his controls. "Welcome back, Thunderbird One."
