#The Man From TB5

[flyboytracy]

[lenle-g]

unhinged observation - we all know their colours don't match the traditional ones, but I've never noticed before that on the portraits they put Jeff in red and Virgil in green, but then they swap them over when we actually see them. In fact, //pause while Len goes to look// when they're in TB3, they're all wearing red - like all the space-rated suits, specifically are red. //Goes to check again// and Gordon and Virg are in green with TB2 in the opening rescue to match Jeff as well.

Does that mean, in 2004 verse, they wear whichever colour matches the 'bird they're currently flying because other than them needing 5 suits each... that's pretty cool can't lie good for them

ignoring the fact they look the same, I can be like ??? well yellow must be wetsuits, red is space rated?? Green is ?? tougher maybe, blue is for however many G's TB1 hits a body with when they're going crazy speeds, orange is a spacesuit for living in space etc etc

[shinygoku]

Re: TAG Ep Poll: I think EOS was a very good and interesting character adding building ep but it’s also so far from the norm and not really on brand and would have no right to win at all. How it got this far is pretty perplexing as so many actually amazing eps fell by the wayside which have a better character and action balance.

[thunderbirds-showdown]

Which Thunderbirds Are Go episode is better?

Vote on which episode you think is better. Episode synopses below the cut.

Long Haul: Conrad, a young traffic controller makes a slight error, which ends in catastrophe aboard the orbiting Spacehub transit terminal. Alan launches Thunderbird 3 and is able to buy Conrad time, but in the end, the only way to save Conrad is to modify Thunderbird 2 for space transport to replace a vital component of the Spacehub.

Slingshot: A large solar flare causes a malfunction at a mining operation on an asteroid, sending it careening towards the sun and endangering its only crewman, Ned Tedford. Alan and Kayo deploy Thunderbird 3, but another solar flare knocks out their sensors and communications. Although they land in the mine, using the asteroid (now too close to the Sun) as a shield, they soon have to find a way to alter the asteroid's trajectory so that it slingshots around the Sun instead of crashing into it - which is further complicated by the discovery that Thunderbird 3's low fuel supply from the second flare, could make it impossible to return to Earth.

The Man from TB5: Lady Penelope brings John as her guest to a charity event while Gordon and Alan take watch aboard Thunderbird 5. John is out of his element in the large social setting, but his obscurity pays off when The Hood crashes the party.

[darkestwolfx]

TAG Transcripts | Masterpost

So, I'm making a start on organising all of my previous content and I'm starting with Transcripts!

And the reason I'm starting with these is because when I came back and was able to look at messages etc (as opposed to the late night reading I made fanfics) there were a lot asking about these with quite a few questions - so firstly, Q & A;

Where can the transcripts be found? They can now be found on this masterpost, but also back on my 2016 post!

Are all the episodes available? Series 1 is complete, Series 2 is mostly complete, Series 3 is unstarted

Will I finish them? Yes, if there is this level of interest of course I will, but episodes can take a while to transcribe so it may not be a quick process!

Do I make a profit? No. This is something I started doing as a fan, for fans as someone who's previously found issues with subtitles not appearing or being incorrect.

Can I download a copy? Yes, from my mediafire links in word or PDF format

Why can't the documents be edited, copy & pasted? The documents are password protected, yes, because a lot of work goes into them and if they're going to be re-distributed I would appreciate the credit or an update of where they're being shared, so no they cannot be directly copied and pasted

Feel free to reblog and share though, Thunderfam, as these were made for you to enjoy!

And before there are questions as to where the link can be found on this masterpost, let's put that here!

Above is the link for the TAG transcripts (I have TOS completed but will post this separately).

What can be found here at the moment:

Series 1

in Word & PDF format

25 files per folder

All episodes completed - Ring of Fire is in one combined set

Series 2

in Word & PDF format

Available episodes - 17; Earthbreaker (1) City Under the Sea (4) Colony (5) Up from the Depths I (6) - will be added shortly (amending pieces) Up from the Depths II (7) Volcano (14) Power Play (15) Bolt from the Blue (16) Attack of the Reptiles (17) Grandma Tourismo (18) Clean Sweap (19) The Man from TB5 (20) Home on the Ranch (21) Long Haul (22) Rigged for Disaster (23) Inferno (24) Hyerspeed (25) Brains vs Brawn (26)

I will aim to finish the episodes outstanding here and then start on Series 3, but this will be amongst all my other work but I will do my best to get there!

Okay, I think this is the part of the post where you can cheer for joy :)

[gumnut-logic]

Because it is that time of the year again, I just can't help myself :D

-o-o-o-

Looking back, it really could have happened to any of them. Hell, now it had happened once, it was even more likely it could happen to any of the rest of them, but of course it had to be Virgil and, of course, it had to happen a week before Christmas.

Fortunately, not only Gordon and Alan, but also John was aboard Thunderbird Two when her pilot folded in half with a groan. The great green behemoth responded to his touch and for a second there, the whole ship tipped sideways.

Alan lost his hard-earned sandwich, and Gordon, who had been half asleep in the co-pilot’s chair, despite the coffee he had consumed not five minutes ago, received an adrenalin spike that was well used in the next half an hour or so.

It had been a hard week. Australia was on fire. Every year the drought dried continent suffered and every year International Rescue did all it could to help. Brains had even designed some specialised equipment, deployed through Tracy Industries to help dampen the eucalypt fuel load, but the change of climate over the last hundred odd years had done its damage and the ecosystem suffered for it.

It was painful to watch.

And tiring to fight.

John had taken to coming down not only for Christmas, but for the fires. He had developed a communications network, tied into TB5, to help coordinate the fire services of the country and pin point the hot spots. At the end of the last outbreak, Gordon had been gobsmacked to find his usually reclusive brother sprawled in a chair beside the Australian Fire Defense Network chief, beer in hand, swapping stories.

It had helped that the chief was the middle of five himself and a communications specialist pushed into management. There was much commiseration.

But none of the past really foretold this little hiccup.

Later when Gordon referred to said incident as a ‘hiccup’, Virgil’s eyebrows had frowned so much, they’d physically climbed off his head and slapped Gordon around his.

Or it could have been Virgil’s hand. Gordon was too busy ducking to really identify the body parts his brother was using.

So, with three brothers aboard, Virgil had plenty of back up.

Gordon was fully awake and stabilising Two before he had even had a chance to draw in a breath. They were halfway across the Tasman Sea, finally on the way home for a well-deserved break.

“Virgil?” John was out of his seat and moving towards the pilot.

“Uh, I’m okay.” The man straightened, still in his silver firefighting suit, minus the helmet. A quick look in his brother’s direction and Gordon could see it was all a lie. Even through the soot on Virgil’s face, his brother’s complexion was pale, almost green. “Just a stitch.”

“Doesn’t look like one from here, bro.” Gordon frowned as John gently nudged Virgil back in his seat. The pilot closed his eyes and lay back, his shoulders dropping just a little. John reached over to the console and flicked a couple of switches. Virgil’s vitals sprang up in all their holographic glory.

Even Gordon could see something was seriously wrong. “You have a fever. What the hell, Virg?”

His brother stared at his stats and frowned. “Just thought I was hot.”

No surprise considering the conditions they were working in.

John sighed. “Your suit has active refrigeration, Virgil, you know that. You should be the coolest of all of us.”

If it had been a different situation, Gordon would have then started a ‘discussion’ on who exactly was the coolest or the hottest of the brothers. As it was, another groan from his engineer brother killed all conversation other than medical concern.

“What is it?” John disengaged Virgil’s seat from the dash, pulling it back and giving him access to his older brother.

“My side.” Virgil’s eyes were squeezed shut.

His lower right side.

Five minutes later and Gordon was beelining Two to the nearest hospital, which turned out to be Auckland near the northern tip of New Zealand.

Less than an hour later, Virgil had his very angry appendix removed.

Of all things.

For the past three days, it had been a mixture of firefly pod and fire exo-suit. His brother had been tossing about massive hoses, shifting huge amounts of timber, excavating firebreaks and water bombing from Two.

Apparently, all while suffering from appendicitis.

When Scott arrived on scene, he was a walking facepalm.

When Virgil woke up, it was all kind words for the first hour or so while he recovered from the anaesthetic, but after that, the tongue lashing Scott delivered was enough to strip the paint off the walls of Virgil’s hospital room.

Grandma ended up dragging the man from the room.

Everyone was quiet after that.

No one liked it when Scott got scared.

Least of all Scott.

But even Gordon had to agree that his eldest brother had a point. Appendicitis wasn’t something that didn’t come with symptoms. Virgil admitted that he had noted some pain, but he had been busy. There had been more important things.

Scott’s response to that was only suitable for mature audiences.

Gordon couldn’t help but agree after having to watch his brother writhe in pain on one of his own hover stretchers while they had been on approach to Auckland.

But it had happened when it had happened and everyone was safe, Virgil included. There were much worse scenarios available considering their occupations and the entire family was grateful it had turned out best it could.

Scott was still livid, though, likely because the man was exhausted. They were all exhausted.

Grandma eyed all of them in turn, cornering each of them in their hotel rooms. It didn’t take her more than half a day to conclude that International Rescue needed a well-earned break. Virgil’s illness made a great excuse and her meeting with Scott was short, sharp and to the point.

The Commander of International Rescue contacted the GDF not long after, advising their aunt that their organisation would not be available for the next week. Eos was tasked with redirecting emergency calls after Grandma grabbed John by the scruff of his neck and with an equally sharp word in his ear, grounded the spaceman beside his brothers.

Virgil received a few glares, but the tired man just rolled over awkwardly and went back to sleep. Apparently, he agreed with Grandma.

Always did, the big Grandma softie.

Except perhaps with her cooking, but that led Virgil to being the biggest victim in that department because despite his incapacity to lie, he would do anything for the woman.

Virgil was released from the hospital a day after his surgery and they helped him back to their hotel rooms and set him up with the holoprojector and an appropriate stash of snacks and engineering journals. Kayo even bought him a sketchbook and an array of art materials.

For two days, the brothers hung out with him or darted out to the shops for convenience’s sake. Copious amounts of takeout were consumed, a treat they were often denied on the Island. But ultimately five usually very active men got very bored very quickly.

They couldn’t go home, because Virgil wasn’t allowed to fly. His operation excluded air travel for at least seven days, which meant, to add insult to injury, they would be stuck on the mainland for Christmas Day.

Their first Christmas off in who knew how many years, and they couldn’t even share it at home.

John distracted himself by linking in with Eos and helping out with emergency calls...until Grandma discovered him and rounded on both him and Eos with the ire Scott had managed to inherit.

Both father and daughter behaved after that, Eos a little stunned at the power of the eldest Tracy.

Alan dove into his computer games and hermitized. Gordon could only swim so much, so resorted to pranking Alan, which ended up in the brawl of the century and half the penthouse draped in toilet paper.

Scott turned to Tracy Industries and began phone calls that lasted hours. Virgil sent Gordon to chase him down.

Scott quite frankly ignored him, which led to Virgil hauling himself off the couch and doing the chasing himself.

That led to a screaming match that ended with both men pale when Virgil twisted angrily and groaned as he pulled at his stitches.

The atmosphere plummeted after that and the whole penthouse floor deteriorated into a sullen gloom.

It was shaping up to be an ass of a Christmas.

Until Gordon had an idea.

-o-o-o-

We'll be Home For Christmas

[astranite]

WIP Wednesday!

Never done one of these (mostly because I never actually thought of it in time for a Wednesday), but they’ve always looked fun. And when am I not going to take the chance to ramble about my own writing? I love hearing what people think about it.

My biggest and most favourite headcanon is that John is autistic. 

So this is very based off of that. And the fact that I am autistic and want to read and write about autistic characters!

It’s set after The Man From TB5 episode, because I just watched it twice in a row (yes back to back, I’d been having A Day), because I love it. So much John!

And I wanted to write John just unwinding after it, because parties are Exhausting, but then it kinda grew a bit from there. (Because Characters keep having Feelings and I am evidently incapable of writing just fluff because it always morphs into some kind of hurt/comfort something.) And John does not know that he is autistic yet. (I’d hope by 2060 we’d be a lot better at figuring this out and actually supporting people, but this was how the fic was going.)

@amistrio​ I started replying to you but then I started writing fic!

Bits of Amistrio and my discussion because we both have this headcanon if you want to hear more Here. 

I’ve been poking about this a bunch today because I’m excited. Even to the point of typing on my phone on the bus. I’ve got most of the parts I want to include down, but I just need to get them in a coherent order. So here’s the first bit!

Enjoy Thunderfam! *waves in particular to the neurodivergent ones*

-----

((Set after ‘The Man From TB5′ episode.))

John flopped down in the passenger seat of Thunderbird One with all the gracelessness of not expecting gravity to be there. He tipped his head back to lean on the head rest, closing his eyes against the everything.

Scott’s voice came from the front of the ship. “So, how was it?”

John cracked his eyes back open

“No fatalities,” he reported, “The mission was a success in spite of the structural damage.”

“I meant the party, but good to hear,” Scott replied.

Oh. He had thought— well, Scott could have been more specific. (Or John could be less literal, that would help.)

The party.

Because that’s what it had been. Instead of the small charity auction he was expecting, there had been a massive gathering of people: all talking, drinking, socialising. His idea of a worst nightmare.

“It’s me, Scott. How do you think it went?” John said flatly.

Scott made a sympathetic noise.  “You did seem pretty eager to get out of there.”

Under the light teasing, his brother knew that this type of Situation was not John’s forte.

He’d hauled John up into Thunderbird One when it became clear John would rather climb the grapple cable than be put down on the platform, full of jostling clamouring people wanting to crowd around him to congratulate their rescuer now the danger was over.

John’s heart was still racing. Whether it was more from the adrenaline in his bloodstream after his fall from the sky or the idea of nearly being back amongst all of that again, it was impossible for him to tell.

He took a deep breath.

Thunderbird One’s jets roared, the noise from the engines thrumming through the cahelium. John shifted in his seat. The sound scraped against his ears and vibrated through his body, setting him on edge. He could feel it in his teeth.

John took another deep breath.

---

[laurenfoxmakesthings]

Hi, fans of Thunderbirds Are Go. A while back I tried out the show by watching the episode 'Ghost Ship', but it didn't really get me into it. Recently, I tried again with the episode 'The Man From TB5' (I got more intrigued by Anderson stuff thanks to behind the scenes and I figured I could check out the shows I'd be into by going backwards, with Thunderbirds 2015 first). I was way more lured in thanks to that one.

So I was wondering if you could please offer me high quality episode recommendations. I'd just rather go in knowing which are the best to you rather than go in blind.

[tos1701voy74656tmnt2012-cc]

TAG MBTI

Since I got into MBTI a few months ago, I've been trying to type every single person I know - real or imaginary. There are quite a few people out there like me who like typing TV characters, but there have been very few sources out there that talk about the MBTI of the 2015 Thunderbirds Are Go series. So I thought I'd discuss my thoughts on a few more controversial (main) characters on TAG. Keep in mind that these are just my thoughts, and may not be 100% aligned with the theories. This is all in good fun.

Disclaimer: as Gordon and Alan's types are quite straightforward and widely accepted, I will not be discussing them.

Most commonly accepted types:

Scott: ENTJ/ESTP

Virgil: ISFP

John: INTP

Gordon: ESFP

Alan: ISFJ

The Hood: INTJ

Not confirmed:

Kayo: ISTP/INTJ

Starting off with Scotty. People (myself included) call him the Commander, ie. ENTJ according to the 16 Personalities website. I've done the test myself on his behalf (self-righteous me haha) and the results are quite conclusive: ENTJ. This is quite accurate, given his decisive demeanour in the field which corresponds with dominant Te. That's why I think ESTJ wouldn't be too far off either.

As for ESTP, they're known to be very spontaneous (and frankly, crazy...no offence intended!) The main reason people get this idea is because of certain episodes (High Strung) that suggest Scott was something of a 'thrill junkie' as a younger person. However, the episode also suggests he is not proud of his past and is not like that anymore (or at least tries not to be). So my conclusion is that he has grown into his role as head of IR, which requires an ENTJ personality, while suppressing the extraverted sensing which is dominant in an ESTP.

Next up, Virgil. Virg's known to be the family artist, and ISFPs are the stereotypical artists. In that sense, ISFP is pretty correct - but Virgil doesn't exactly strike me as (and I'm making a big generalisation here) a crybaby. So what are the alternatives? First, I'd agree he's mostly an introvert, though he sometimes does give off a more E energy. Next, I'd say that he could he either intuitive or sensing, and he seems like the kind of guy to come up with a plan at the scene. So I'd go so far as to say he could be an INTP. Conclusion: ISFP/INTP.

Now with Johnny, most people can agree that he's INTP. I once read somewhere that he's INFP, however, which I thought was interesting - INFPs have the stereotype of being ignored all the time, which relates to John's situation of being the guy stuck on the lonely space station and the middle child. But it doesn't feel as if he has dominant Fi, so I agree with the opinion that he's INTP. INTPs are stereotypically nerdy, and although John isn't a complete dork, he is shown to be afraid of crowds (and in general, people!) particularly in episodes such as The Man From TB5. So INTP is fair.

Kayo is an interesting case. I have found literally zero consensus on the net on Kayo's MBTI, so I have just gone ahead and typed her as ISTP/INTJ.

Kayo is, how shall we say it, very cool. Even aloof, like an ISTP, the typical lone wolf or cool guy. ISTPs also tend to have good street smarts, being very versatile quick learners. That is what makes them good candidates for being spies, or in Kayo's case, covert ops. She's formidable because of her skills, quick thinking and determination in protecting her ideals (her insisting that IR get involved in the 'bad guy catching business') - dominant Ti.

Some people also think she's an INTJ for obvious reasons. In Legacy, she reveals she has all sorts of contingency plans for Tracy Island, and even her uncle, the great mastermind, fell into her trap. That sort of scheming is very INTJ. It's probably an influence of her having the Hood as her uncle.

You could argue that Kayo is completely INTJ, and I'd say that's possible as well. The reason I've put ISTP is that some of the things she does are a bit too physical and real-world, things that typical INTJs would die from. Of course, she could be an Fi and Se developed INTJ. It depends on how you look at it.

Now finally...our favourite villain, Hoodie Guy. INTJ, the mastermind. No one can deny that the Hood is the ultimate criminal mastermind, with his scheming plots and evil smirk (!) However, there are some qualities he has that aren't exactly INTJ, which is why I'd argue that he's an INTJ/ENTJ hybrid.

First, he's very impatient. We see this in a lot of episodes, and in Signals Part 2 he even admits he was short-sighted (and therefore impatient) to have tried to commandeer a Thunderbird. That's quite unlike an INTJ, who must be patient in waiting for their plots to unfold over time. The Hood is almost too rash to be an INTJ.

Secondly, INTJs are known for being cold and calculated, and although the Hood is that, he's also very personal. And by personal I mean he gets very hung up on personal vendettas, namely the one against Jeff Tracy. INTJs don't usually put the focus on people - unless the person is merely an obstacle in the way of them getting what they want. They do not act on impulse - dominant Ni ensures that. ENTJs, however, can be 'personal'. They have vendettas, and they will use dominant Te to act even if it's not exactly wise.

Finally, he's too famous. INTJs do not thrust themselves into the spotlight as the Hood did even in the first episode - that is way too not subtle for INTJs, who work from the shadows and get what they want without anyone being the wiser. ENTJs, on the other hand, are known and feared by the world. Sound familiar?

Of course, the many cliffhangers we get informing us the Hood has gotten exactly what he planned tells us he's still an INTJ - but not entirely. Things like personality typing are never black and white, and no one is completely 100% one type or another.

[tracybirds]

the sun is coming back and my personal life is still stressful but not for much longer, I can see the horizon!!!!! and with the equinox bingo board, since one of the challenges is work on a WIP that seems like a good next step bc at least the story is already sorted :)

I have five long term WIPs and thus... a poll!

AO3 Links / Summaries:

Where Parallel Lines Meet: A fight between John and Alan is followed by an interstellar storm with unexpected consequences. - aka the deaged fic

Taken By The Light: The Jedi take an interest in young John and Lucy and Jeff must make an awful decision - aka the Star Wars fic

Paper Dreams: John receives a prestigious invite and he’s not sure how to respond. - aka the Mars fic

Being Known: AU for "The Man From TB5" - What if the Hood had recognised John? - aka the kidnapped fic

Earthbound: Following an accident, Alan notices that John could use a break. - aka the road trip fic

[flyboytracy]

[uniwolfcorn]

Hi! For Squiddo's ask game, could I request number 13 please? "What is something annoying/out of character that your fave has done in canon?" Any continuity you like.

Thankyou in advance!

Thank you for another lovely ask and no problem!💕💕💕

Honestly, I'm hot and ready to tear into how that monstrosity of TB 2004 did to my baby boi Alan.

But I think it's more or less obvious how, and I kinda want to flex out with something different rather than rant about TB 2004 for the millionth time XD

This might be a detour from the show, but I didn't like how Brains was acting in Thunderbird 6. I could see him getting frustrated once in a while, but smashing a model for TB6 kinda hurt to see, not gonna lie. Brains is an adorable sweet nugget. I understand the movie wanted to show kids that even scientists/adults get frustrated, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

I wasn't a fan of how Jefferson acted in the first parts of the movie either. Why the hell would he want a Thunderbird 6 when he doesn't even know what kind of vehicle he wants? Why would Jefferson even consider a TB6 if he knew that it'll create suspicion about where a TB5 is? Jefferson was strict and had some faults in the show, but I never imagine him to be this stupid and incompetent. His character also felt a bit too harsh in rejecting Brains' ideas.

Also, Jefferson getting angry at Alan in TAG (the movie) didn't sit well with me either. My memory of it is sorta shotty because it was mostly a yawn-fest I distracted myself with the whole time, but Alan is 19/20 years old my guy. I'm pretty damn sure Alan can leave and go wherever the fuck he wants and they would be fine. Why don't you stay at the base if it was for security reasons, Jefferson? You're a military man. You can roundhouse Hood just fine XD

Jefferson yelling at Scott in Atlantic Inferno wasn't a great moment for him as well. But I mostly chalked it up to stress. Trust me Jefferson, I know the feeling way too well :')

And that's all I can think of. It kinda takes a lot for my favorite characters to do something in canon that would bother me (we don't talk about 2004). This was another fun ask to write! Hope you're doing well Alex🥰🧡💛❤️💚💙

[thunderbirds-showdown]

Which Thunderbirds Are Go episode is better?

Vote on which episode you think is better. Episode synopses below the cut.

Icarus: While the members of International Rescue attend a prestigious global airshow, a test pilot unveils an ultra-fast superjet.

Breakdown: While everyone is organising a surprise birthday party for Virgil, John directs his brother in Thunderbird 2 to a glacial ice shelf to investigate a 'breakdown' emergency call. Virgil quickly discovers that the lone figure he finds on arrival is part of a larger expedition trapped in a cavern beneath the ice. The expedition's leader, a scientist seeking a rare bacterium he desperately needs to cure his daughter of a serious disease, refuses to leave as the glacier begins to crumble, leaving Virgil no choice but to assist before time runs out.

The Man from TB5: Lady Penelope brings John as her guest to a charity event while Gordon and Alan take watch aboard Thunderbird 5. John is out of his element in the large social setting, but his obscurity pays off when The Hood crashes the party.

[thundergirl007]

So now that I'm Back TM on my Thunderbirds bullshit and rewatching TAG, I am reminded that whilst we did get some delicious content that I very much enjoyed, there's still a few things that I wish we could have gotten:

An episode where the Hood actually managed to capture a Thunderbird. As in, the ship. Probably shot it down/sent a fake distress call as a trap. Bonus points if it also:

Resulted in one of the boys being captured and used in like a prisoner swap scenario. Could have been fun in S3 with the mechanic (as much as I think Scott was quite a dick to him, I also Get It, but it would have made some serious drama there).

Yes ik we got the man from TB5 but I mean where one of The Boys TM is locked up in some cage in the Hood's domain, yk?

More of the boys swapping machines.

More of the boys being INJURED and out of action. Yes we got Gordon, but I want more of them bedridden for one reason or another.

One of the 'birds being shot down/having a Havoc Induced mechanical failure, the radio give out and the coordinates be incorrect (a la Operation Crash Dive). Force the pilot in question to have to find a way to survive/get a distress signal out to IR.

I know that TAG is a kids show but I would have appreciated a bit of like, political intrigue. What I mean by that is introduce us to a world leader or two. Tbh this one is mainly me crossing over Thunderbirds with my own original story (involving a country have it's government overthrown in a military coup and the crown Princess on the run).

I love what we got and miss checking in every Sunday morning when I got it with my season pass on iTunes

I guess my only solution is to write one of these stories lmao

[cg29]

2 screenshots of the day - featuring the wonderful John Tracy in ‘The Man From TB5’

🧡 @willow-salix @hedwigstalons @mae-the-4th @the-lady-razorsharp @galentaliel @kattenjager1 @dreamycloud @eos-in-orbit @psychoticalienjackie @tb5-heavenward 🧡

[gumnut-logic]

Because it is that time of the year again...

-o-o-o-

Looking back, it really could have happened to any of them. Hell, now it had happened once, it was even more likely it could happen to any of the rest of them, but of course it had to be Virgil and, of course, it had to happen a week before Christmas.

Fortunately, not only Gordon and Alan, but also John was aboard Thunderbird Two when her pilot folded in half with a groan. The great green behemoth responded to his touch and for a second there, the whole ship tipped sideways.

Alan lost his hard-earned sandwich, and Gordon, who had been half asleep in the co-pilot’s chair, despite the coffee he had consumed not five minutes ago, received an adrenalin spike that was well used in the next half an hour or so.

It had been a hard week. Australia was on fire. Every year the drought dried continent suffered and every year International Rescue did all it could to help. Brains had even designed some specialised equipment, deployed through Tracy Industries to help dampen the eucalypt fuel load, but the change of climate over the last hundred odd years had done its damage and the ecosystem suffered for it.

It was painful to watch.

And tiring to fight.

John had taken to coming down not only for Christmas, but for the fires. He had developed a communications network, tied into TB5, to help coordinate the fire services of the country and pin point the hot spots. At the end of the last outbreak, Gordon had been gobsmacked to find his usually reclusive brother sprawled in a chair beside the Australian Fire Defense Network chief, beer in hand, swapping stories.

It had helped that the chief was the middle of five himself and a communications specialist pushed into management. There was much commiseration.

But none of the past really foretold this little hiccup.

Later when Gordon referred to said incident as a ‘hiccup’, Virgil’s eyebrows had frowned so much, they’d physically climbed off his head and slapped Gordon around his.

Or it could have been Virgil’s hand. Gordon was too busy ducking to really identity the body parts his brother was using.

So, with three brothers aboard, Virgil had plenty of back up.

Gordon was fully awake and stabilising Two before he had even had a chance to draw in a breath. They were halfway across the Tasman Sea, finally on the way home for a well-deserved break.

“Virgil?” John was out of his seat and moving towards the pilot.

“Uh, I’m okay.” The man straightened, still in his silver firefighting suit, minus the helmet. A quick look in his brother’s direction and Gordon could see it was all a lie. Even through the soot on Virgil’s face, his brother’s complexion was pale, almost green. “Just a stitch.”

“Doesn’t look like one from here, bro.” Gordon frowned as John gently nudged Virgil back in his seat. The pilot closed his eyes and lay back, his shoulders dropping just a little. John reached over to the console and flicked a couple of switches. Virgil’s vitals sprang up in all their holographic glory.

Even Gordon could see something was seriously wrong. “You have a fever. What the hell, Virg?”

His brother stared at his stats and frowned. “Just thought I was hot.”

No surprise considering the conditions they were working in.

John sighed. “Your suit has active refrigeration, Virgil, you know that. You should be the coolest of all of us.”

If it had been a different situation, Gordon would have then started a ‘discussion’ on who exactly was the coolest or the hottest of the brothers. As it was, another groan from his engineer brother killed all conversation other than medical concern.

“What is it?” John disengaged Virgil’s seat from the dash, pulling it back and giving him access to his older brother.

“My side.” Virgil’s eyes were squeezed shut.

His lower right side.

Five minutes later and Gordon was beelining Two to the nearest hospital, which turned out to be Auckland near the northern tip of New Zealand.

Less than an hour later, Virgil had his very angry appendix removed.

Of all things.

For the past three days, it had been a mixture of firefly pod and fire exo-suit. His brother had been tossing about massive hoses, shifting huge amounts of timber, excavating firebreaks and water bombing from Two.

Apparently, all while suffering from appendicitis.

When Scott arrived on scene, he was a walking facepalm.

When Virgil woke up, it was all kind words for the first hour or so while he recovered from the anaesthetic, but after that, the tongue lashing Scott delivered was enough to strip the paint off the walls of Virgil’s hospital room.

Grandma ended up dragging the man from the room.

Everyone was quiet after that.

No one liked it when Scott got scared.

Least of all Scott.

But even Gordon had to agree that his eldest brother had a point. Appendicitis wasn’t something that didn’t come with symptoms. Virgil admitted that he had noted some pain, but he had been busy. There had been more important things.

Scott’s response to that was only suitable for mature audiences.

Gordon couldn’t help but agree after having to watch his brother writhe in pain on one of his own hover stretchers while they had been on approach to Auckland.

But it had happened when it had happened and everyone was safe, Virgil included. There were much worse scenarios available considering their occupations and the entire family was grateful it had turned out best it could.

Scott was still livid, though, likely because the man was exhausted. They were all exhausted.

Grandma eyed all of them in turn, cornering each of them in their hotel rooms. It didn’t take her more than half a day to conclude that International Rescue needed a well-earned break. Virgil’s illness made a great excuse and her meeting with Scott was short, sharp and to the point.

The Commander of International Rescue contacted the GDF not long after, advising their aunt that their organisation would not be available for the next week. Eos was tasked with redirecting emergency calls after Grandma grabbed John by the scruff of his neck and with an equally sharp word in his ear, grounded the spaceman beside his brothers.

Virgil received a few glares, but the tired man just rolled over awkwardly and went back to sleep. Apparently, he agreed with Grandma.

Always did, the big Grandma softie.

Except perhaps with her cooking, but that led Virgil to being the biggest victim in that department because despite his incapacity to lie, he would do anything for the woman.

Virgil was released from the hospital a day after his surgery and they helped him back to their hotel rooms and set him up with the holoprojector and an appropriate stash of snacks and engineering journals. Kayo even bought him a sketchbook and an array of art materials.

For two days, the brothers hung out with him or darted out to the shops for convenience’s sake. Copious amounts of takeout were consumed, a treat they were often denied on the Island. But ultimately five usually very active men got very bored very quickly.

They couldn’t go home, because Virgil wasn’t allowed to fly. His operation excluded air travel for at least seven days, which meant, to add insult to injury, they would be stuck on the mainland for Christmas Day.

Their first Christmas off in who knew how many years, and they couldn’t even share it at home.

John distracted himself by linking in with Eos and helping out with emergency calls...until Grandma discovered him and rounded on both him and Eos with the ire Scott had managed to inherit.

Both father and daughter behaved after that, Eos a little stunned at the power of the eldest Tracy.

Alan dove into his computer games and hermitized. Gordon could only swim so much, so resorted to pranking Alan, which ended up in the brawl of the century and half the penthouse draped in toilet paper.

Scott turned to Tracy Industries and began phone calls that lasted hours. Virgil sent Gordon to chase him down.

Scott quite frankly ignored him, which led to Virgil hauling himself off the couch and doing the chasing himself.

That led to a screaming match that ended with both men pale when Virgil twisted angrily and groaned as he pulled at his stitches.

The atmosphere plummeted after that and the whole penthouse floor deteriorated into a sullen gloom.

It was shaping up to be an ass of a Christmas.

Until Gordon had an idea.

-o-o-o-

We’ll Be Home For Christmas