Warning: I don't own Thunderbirds (2004) and this story contains strong language.
March 13th 2058 - 16:00 NZDT
It is a peaceful morning on Tracy Island, the sun is just beginning to rise and the birds are chirping. The air is cool and refreshing as the autumn breeze drifts up the mountainous landscape that covers the island. Below, the calm ocean waves can be heard as they roll over the white sandy beaches. However, on this seemingly quiet morning, the youngest Tracy brother, Alan, is anything but calm and patient.
The previous day had been his 14th birthday and he had some news from his father, Colonel Jeff Tracy, that he is bringing someone home from London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Alan had immediately volunteered to go with him, always eager to jump into action and prove himself. Part of this is due to him being the youngest of the five Tracy brothers, and is often left feeling like he has something to prove. His impatience often got him into trouble, and at this stage he never seems to learn from his mistakes.
As Alan sits on the porch of the island villa, he cannot help but tap his foot impatiently. He has been waiting for what felt like hours for his father to arrive back with this person. Seeing as his father, had personally left the night before meant that this person must be either very important or significant to him.
Alan is filled with excitement and curiosity, wondering who it could be and what they could possibly want. As he gets back up to head inside, he hears the familiar sound of Tracy 1 approaching. A smile spreads across his face as he recognized the sound of small private aircraft. He quickly gets up and runs towards the runway, eager to see who was arriving.
As Alan approaches the runway, his com link starts beeping. Alan breaks his run and answers the call and a hologram of John appears in front of him, via his wrist communicator.
"Morning, Alan," John smiles, "You'll never guess who this person is."
This confuses Alan as his hardly knows anyone outside his family due to his place of residence. "Who?" he asks.
"Well you may remember Kyrano, dad's best friend, he unfortunately passed away a couple of days ago and no one can look after his daughter and in his will he asked dad to become her guardian," John explains.
Alan is left in shock. If he has heard this right, his crush, and long time childhood best friend, is coming to live on Tracy Island with them. "Hang on a second. Let me get this straight, Kayo is coming to live with us," Alan questions in slight shock as he sees John's hologram nod he mutters, "Holy shit!"
John's hologram disappears and once again Alan is by himself. He stands for a few moments to collect his thoughts before he breaks through the trees and walks onto the runway just as the aircraft's door opens. In a second, Alan feels his heart leap into his throat at the sight of a young girl stepping out of Tracy 1, walking down the stairs and onto the tarmac.
She has long dark hair and is wearing a turquoise crop top and some brown cargo shorts. Alan recognizes her immediately, and he can't help but feel intrigued by her as it is the first time he has seen her in months. As she walks towards him, Jeff steps out after her and walks over to his youngest son to greet him.
"Alan, it's good to see you,' Jeff says with a somber tone.
Alan gives his father a slight nod of the head in acknowledgment but his gaze is solely focused on the teenage girl in front of him. Kayo.
Her eyes remain focused on the floor as she turns and starts to get her luggage out of the small jet and into a pile on the floor next to her. Jeff helps her get everything off the plane before giving Scott, who is sitting in the copilot seat, a nod to take Tracy 1 into the hanger.
"Hey, Alan," Kayo smiles sadly, before turning to face Jeff, "Thank you for the lift here."
"It was my pleasure Kayo," Jeff nods before walking off towards the villa.
Kayo slowly turns back and finally looks up at Alan, who can see the pain in her eyes. He feels a strong urge to comfort her and closes the gap between them and gives her a bear hug. This causes Kayo to sigh in content and closes her eyes as she returns the embrace, resting her chin on Alan's shoulder.
"So, stupid question," Alan starts as they release each other once again, "But are you okay?"
Kayo gives him a weak smile. "Yes, I'm just a little overwhelmed," she replies, "Everything's just happened so fast and already I'm here on Tracy Island which will now be my permanent residence."
"Well, would you like me to show you around the island so you know where everything is?" Alan asks.
"Sure," Kayo responds as a small smirk develops on her face, "Quite a long winded way of asking if I would like a tour."
Alan chuckles nervously before reaching over to the bags that are on the floor next to Kayo. "Here let me help you with those."
"Thank you," Kayo smiles.
The pair soon make their way through the tropical island, and Alan can't help but feel a sense of pride. Unlike his brothers, he had grown up on this island, which meant that it held an extra special place in his heart.
Once they reach the main villa, he shows Kayo to her room allowing them to drop off her bags before walking back out and around the rest of the building. Kayo is amazed by the advanced technology and gadgets that fill the villa, and Alan is happy to explain how each one works and the International Rescue protocols.
On that note, they head to the hangars, where the famous Thunderbirds are parked. Alan shows Kayo each one of the vehicles, including Thunderbird 1, the sleek and fast rocket ship that Scott pilots, and Thunderbird 4, the yellow submarine piloted by his brother, Gordon. Kayo is fascinated by the state-of-the-art equipment and cannot believe that they are able to fly these incredible machines.
Alan gets a little impatience, and he skips showing her Thunderbird 2 and instead quickly leads Kayo to what he thinks is the most exciting part of the island – the Thunderbird 3 launch tube. As they approach the towering rocket, Kayo's eyes widen in amazement.
"This is where my father launch's Thunderbird 3," Alan explains proudly, "It's the fastest rocket in the world."
Kayo is left impressed by all the amazing craft that International Rescue use on a day-to-day basis in order to save thousands of lives a year. She walks around the viewing platforms that circle around the launch tube.
"Hopefully I'll get to fly her one day," Alan sighs as they exit the hanger.
"Give it a few years," Kayo chuckles.
They make their way back to the main villa, and Alan shows off some of the lower floors, such as where the kitchen is located. He also takes her to the area behind the stairs where there is a games room and a gym.
"This will be perfect for my martial arts practice," Kayo muses as she walks around the gym, noting a clear area in the corner with a load of mats.
"I'm glad it's to your standard," Alan jokes causing Kayo to roll her eyes.
Finally they head down to the pool and take their shoes and socks off before dipping their toes into the water. When Kayo first arrived on the island, she didn't know what to expect. While she and Alan had been childhood friends, when International Rescue was set up in 2049, resulting in Alan being shipped off to boarding school, they hadn't seen much of each other. This had upset Kayo as she missed her best friend. Her life luckily remained peaceful until a few weeks ago when her father unexpectedly passed away. He was the last close family that Kayo had left and if it hadn't been for Jeff Tracy swooping in and offering her a home, she'd feared where she might've ended up.
The pair sit in relative peace until Alan hears some quiet sniffing coming from next to him and notices Kayo whipping away some stray tears. Alan frowns slightly and brings Kayo into a side hug.
"Thanks Alan," Kayo says after a few moments, "You've been such a good friend to me over all these years. I couldn't ask for someone better than you, as you're the only one who has ever properly been there constantly for me other than my father."
"I'm glad I could help," Alan responds.
"He's coming for me," Kayo mumbles so quietly that Alan almost misses it. He is left a little confused at this but doesn't question it all that matters to him was to look after Kayo to the best of his ability.
"It's alright Kayo," Alan states, "We'll look after you and no one has ever found the island only my family and your dad knew where it is."
They sit there for a few more minutes, deep in thought, as they listen to the sound of the waves crashing against the coastline below. Alan knew that things are going to be a lot different now Kayo would be living with them on the island.
"What do you think the future holds for us?" Kayo questions, a hint of worry in her voice.
Alan thinks for a second not really sure how to answer the question. The way Kayo had asked it indicated to him that there are levels to what she is asking so picks his words carefully. "Well, we never know what the next day will bring," he begins, "Sure, you can plan your whole life ahead of you right now but within the hour that could all change."
"I guess," Kayo sighs, accepting the answer she received.
"I know I want to pilot Thunderbird 3 but my dad doesn't want me being apart of International Rescue right now," Alan adds.
"That's because you're 14, Alan," Kayo chuckles, "I'm sure your father just wants you to enjoy being a kid for as long as he can."
Inside the villa, Jeff listens in on the conversation as the two teenagers talk to each other in hushed voices. He watches as Kayo, a girl he sees as the daughter he never had, become the most relaxed he's seen her since her father's death. A small smile creeps on his face and a sense of praise envelopes him as he sees his youngest son act with the upmost mature clearly sensing the delicate state that Kayo is in.
They had both been through so much together, and it's clear that despite being separated from each other for so long, they had formed a strong bond together. Jeff is happy to see this, as he knew that they both need someone to lean on and confide in.
As he continues to watch them, he can't help but think back to when he had first met Kayo. She had been the niece of one of his closest friends that had helped him create International Rescue from the ground up. He quickly became aquatinted with her father and offered him a job as well working for Tracy Industries in Malaysia, which he accepted. After a few months, he introduced them to his family.
Alan and Kayo had a rocky start to their friendship. Alan had been wary of her, not knowing who she was and way his father seemed to treat her like he had another child. But as they got to know each other more, they slowly started to trust each other and had become good friends. Jeff had watched as their friendship had grown, and he couldn't be happier for them.
"Hopefully," Jeff thinks, "This will be the beginning of a new life for her."