#virgil tracy x lady penelope

[hebuiltfive]

Hokay! For the prompt generator game, TOS Virgil and Penelope, romantic.

Thanks for doing this!

Hey! Thank you for the request, @tikatu! Sorry it's taken me so long to get to it! I fought with a few ideas before landing on something relatively simple. Hope you like it!

The prompt was: Forehead touching, forehead kissing. Hopefully I'll get it up on AO3 later, for those that prefer to read on the archive instead!

Time Waits For No-One

The soft scent of peonies awoke him from his slumber. Stirring slowly, Virgil pulled the lithe body closer to him. He was met with a sleepy grumble and he let out a gruff chuckle in response.

Penelope stretched, releasing a jaw-clicking yawn as she did so. She did not move, however, opting to instead bury her head further into the crook of Virgil’s neck. It was obvious she did not want him to move just yet. That was absolutely fine with him; he had no desire to leave the comfort of her bed yet either.

Though they both had important items on their respective agendas today, neither of them wished to rush and break the spell. Birdsong rang through from the open window and the morning sun cast warm rays through Penelope’s coral curtains. Reality could wait a little while longer.

It had been three months since the Anderbad tunnel. Three months since Virgil had nearly had to bare witness to losing the woman he held close to his chest this morning. The thought alone, even with her curled up safe beside him, was enough to turn his stomach. If one good thing had come out of that situation it was that it had woken him up to his feelings.

Virgil glanced down at Penelope. She still had her eyes closed. Her breathing was the only thing that indicated that she was very much awake. He lifted a hand to sweep a strand of golden hair from her face.

One of her eyes peeked open to sleepy blue.

Virgil simply grinned. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Penelope lazily rolled her eyes. “Are we going to be stuck in this cycle again this morning?”

“You missed out the ‘good’ part of ‘morning’.” Virgil frowned, executing his puppy-dog eyes that worked so well on his brothers.

Penelope’s chuckled was infectious and, for one blissful moment, there was nothing but the entangled sound of their laughter mingling.

The knock on her door, followed by Parker’s intentional coughing from the other side, led Penelope to sigh. The magic was broken and, reservedly, she began to peel back her side of the covers.

Virgil immediately pulled them back up.

“The sun has risen.” She claimed, fighting off the smile that threatened to break through.

“The sun can wait.”

“Virgil, darling, time waits for no-one.”

“I know that.” He nodded with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Before Penelope could say another word, however, Virgil yanked the covers further up and over the both of them in a flash.

“It means we have to make the most of every second.”

“Virgil!” Penelope half-heartedly whined. “This is not what I meant, you know it!”

Despite her protests, Penelope did not fight to get out from under the covers again so quickly. They lay there, gazing at each other for a while.

Then, as though she snapped back to reality, Penelope went to move again.

“Wait!” Virgil wrapped his arms around her and held her fast. He then unleashed a flurry of kisses, pressing his lips across her forehead, down her cheeks, before landing one on her lips. Satisfied, he grinned. “Okay, now you may go, but only if you really must.” He deployed that same little pout one last time, to no avail.

“I really must.” Penelope insisted, returning one of his kisses to his own forehead. “As do you. You have that call with your father later, remember? I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

Virgil grumbled and watched as Penelope gracefully rolled herself out of bed. How he was going to tell his father about his new relationship with her, Virgil did not yet know. He’d think of something, but he’d have to think of something fast. Time, as Penelope had stated, waited for no-one and the seconds were ticking down, whether Virgil wanted them to or not.

[feet010]

Write x reader fanfic for Scott Tracy or else.😠

GIFS/PICS AREN'T MINE

[tagsecretsanta]

From @sailing-on-a-puddle

From @sailing-on-a-puddle to @coco9728

I'd been thinking about doing this crossover fic for a while, so when my first prompt was ‘Combine Thunderbirds with one of your favorite movies, tv shows or books’ I wanted to do this one! It stands by itself but it's possible there will be a further plot. 

I did start writing this before these two took over the entire BBC in the UK :D Thank you for the inspiration to write this and festive greetings! 

“The guests are h’arriving, milady.”

“Thank you, Parker.”

Lady Penelope turned to Virgil, who was laying on his side engaged in a very animated conversation with Sherbet. Admittedly there were no words from Sherbet's side, but both she and Virgil seemed capable of filling in the gaps and Sherbet's face was always expressive.

“Should we go and greet our guests for the inventor roadshow Virgil?” 

“Oh yes” Virgil replied, getting up off the floor. “I'm so excited about this. A showcase of inventions in your garden! Have you seen some of the inventions?”

“Yes I have. Has one caught your eye in particular?”

“Quite a few” Virgil swiped through various profiles emerging from a holoprojector. “They're so impressive. This guy in particular. He invented a knitting machine that takes the wool directly from the sheep, amongst other things. Oh they've missed his last name though. What a shame.”

Parker looked at the profile. “Ah no, I've heard of him. He just calls himself Wallace. Nobody knows his last name. And he’s never seen without his dog.”

As if on cue, Sherbet ran up to Lady Penelope and was scooped up in her arms. “Oh and apparently he had a version of your launch chute in his house” she added.

Virgil looked confused. “How does he know about my launch chute? And why would he copy mine? Alan gets comfy seats!”

“I'm don't know, but we'd better go else we'll be late.” 

Virgil followed Penelope outside into the garden where the roadshow was taking place. She was immediately accosted by a very pompous looking man who made at least one syllable in each word far too long. “Oh Peneeeeeeeeelope daaaaaaaarling”. 

Virgil decided he didn't really want to talk to Mr Syllable, and instead headed off towards the table occupied by Mr Wallace. 

He found Mr Wallace with screwdriver in hand working on his latest invention. His dog was sitting behind him, and Virgil could have sworn he was reading the newspaper, or holopaper, on the holoprojector.

“Mr Wallace, I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm Virgil Tracy.” Virgil held out his hand for a handshake.

“Pleased to meet you Mr Tracy. Call me Wallace. And this is my dog Gromit. Gromit lad, Mr Tracy is from International Rescue.”

“Virgil, please.”

Gromit looked up from his holopaper. He looked at Virgil, and Virgil felt he acknowledged him with a friendly nod. 

“Terrible business about this Hood villain, isn't it?” Wallace said, pointing to the front page headline on the holopaper. The headline read “Hood continues to lie low”.

Virgil gave a slight shudder. He didn't need reminding that the GDF had only managed to keep the Hood in prison a matter of weeks after his family had captured him aboard the Zero-X space rocket. He'd escaped but then nobody had seen him since. Kayo suspected he'd gone underground.

It was obviously a slow news day as clearly nobody had any better idea where he was than the previous week. 

“I know” Virgil replied, then quickly changing the subject, “I'd like to talk to you about your inventions though. You built a motorbike and sidecar where the sidecar turns into a plane?” 

“Oh yes. Yes, I enjoy inventing” said Wallace. Virgil was still trying to place his accent. He found Wallace very friendly and willing to talk. 

Virgil soon lost himself in conversation about inventions. He was as careful as ever not to reveal the secrets of International Rescue. He didn't even know absolutely everything about the Thunderbirds himself, preferring the mechanical elements to some of the computer technology Brains had created. 

Wallace, however, was clearly working by himself, though more than once Virgil was sure he said Gromit had solved something. He seemed particularly proud of an invention that enabled enough gravity to eat cheese and crackers in space.

Virgil thought the application of this technology might extend beyond cheese and crackers, but he was intrigued how Wallace had been to space to test this. Wallace responded that he had his own rocket that he and Gromit had built in his basement to sample the cheese on the moon.

Virgil decided that, however Wallace had tested this in space, he wasn't wanting to tell him else he wouldn't have made up such a bizarre story. He knew his own family assembled a rocket amongst other craft, but Wallace claimed to have built one from scratch in his basement. Even they had used some pre-assembled sections.

“Virgil? Virgil? Sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Bertie?” Lady Penelope was suddenly standing next to him, looking slightly alarmed but still putting her usual polish over the panic. “I thought he'd followed you when we came out to the garden.”

“Don't worry, your Ladyship” Wallace interjected. “Gromit will find … Gromit?” Wallace suddenly realised that Gromit had disappeared too.

He whistled for Gromit but he didn't return. “Oh dear. Oh dear. Groooooooommmmmmiiiiiiiiitttt? You don't think it could be the Hood do you?” 

“Mr Wallace,” Lady Penelope replied, still sounding calm even if slightly exasperated. “I’m sure there are many more reasonable explanations than a master criminal trying to steal our dogs.”

Wallace did not seem very convinced, and started shaking his hands at shoulder level as if waving in panic. 

“We will search the grounds until we find them. Both of them” Penelope declared.

“I don't think you'll have to” replied Virgil, pointing up at the sky. 

FAB1 had appeared, hovering overhead. It did several circles, some with colourful smoke blazing out the back, and some elaborate loop-the-loops before landing on a patch of grass at the edge of the exhibition area near Wallace's stand.

There in FAB1 were Gromit, Sherbet and a very worried looking Parker, somehow on the back seat.

“Bertie!” Penelope ran over to Bertie and went to scoop him up as she had done earlier, but Bertie seemed quite happy having a dialogue with Gromit expressed with eyes, movement of paws and the occasional bark. “Parker, what were you doing? You had me worried!”

“Well milady, I came to FAB1's garage for some peace and quiet and found these two with a book called H’electronics for Dogs, wiring the car to go for a drive. I thought I'd better go with them, you know, in case something went wrong.”

Lady Penelope looked at Parker incredulously. “I don't know where to start with what's wrong with that Parker. A book called Electronics for Dogs? Stealing FAB1 by hotwiring? It's 2064, not 1964! Come along Bertie” Penelope said. Sherbet gave a long look at Gromit and then followed Penelope towards the house. 

Parker was left looking very sorry for himself. “That dog always gets a better deal than me” he said, walking away hunched. 

Everybody seemed to miss the thumbs up Gromit had given Sherbet. Gromit then headed back towards Wallace.

Virgil didn’t miss that FAB1 had clearly had some electronic modifications underneath her dashboard. He’d always known Sherbet was bright, and from everything he'd seen Gromit was brighter than most of the people he'd met.

“Well Gromit, been on quite the adventure there haven’t you?” Wallace declared from behind Virgil. “Wonder if we can build something like that? Maybe not pink though.”

Virgil pretented he hadn't heard the idea. He felt Wallace and Gromit might be capable of building great technology, and he didn't think they had any malicious intent, but he hadn't seen any evidence of a Kayo in his corner to secure the inventions.

“Maybe green?” Wallace continued. “It'd look good in green I think.”

Virgil couldn’t help himself. “I’d better go Wallace, but it would look great in green.”

END

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Where We Left Off

Oh look... after two years I've fixed that big old cliff hanger that I left lying around!

Thank you to those that have missed me and welcomed me back into the fandom after being absent for so long, the biggest of hugs to all of you... I hope I don't end up leaving you all on another cliff hanger!

For those that I haven't met yet, Hi!

I was here in the TAG fandom right at the very beginning and somewhere around the time the series finished I thought it'd be fun to imagine an AU in which Lucy was alive and well... this monstrosity of a fic is the outcome of that.

Looks like I was pretty rubbish at posting the last few chapters on here so check Ao3 for the fic in its entirety.

For those that don't want to re-read the entirety of what's already there... have a little recap under the cut.

Beware, there be spoilers ahead!

So... where were we?

Part One of this fic was basically about losing Jeff. That's right folks we hit off from the day the Zero-X blows up and Jeff vanishes.

This leaves Lucy, her brother Lee, and Val Casey as the main leads of International Rescue as we know it.

In this universe Lucy demanded that IR could not be run by their family alone and spearheaded what we call the IR academny, from where Scott is about to graduate. Kayo and Penelope are also about to graduate, but in a much quieter private ceremony for our two espoinage specialists. Both of these ladies have their fathers present and playing a big part in both International Rescue and Tracy Industries.

As for the rest of the family, John is working for NASA and about to shoot off into space. Virgil and Gordon are about to join the IR academy (which momma bear Lucy is absolutely having mixed feelings about). And Alan is being the kid that he should rightfully be at such a young age.

Part Two sees us skip forward four years.

We start to see a little more of IR as we know it here, though Virgil and Gordon are very much still learning, and Alan is barely getting away with being allowed to play on the simulators.

Lucy is afraid because of whisperings of Gaat (The Hood) returning and what this might mean for the safety of her family and IR as a world-wide organisation.

What nobody expects is that new camera angle from the Zero-X, leading to the suggestion that Jeff could still be alive.

Gaat tricks Lucy into thinking he has a new ship capable of the same flight, it's aboard this ship where she meets an engineer known as Michael and promises to free him from Gaat's grip. They then discover that Gaat has found his way onto the Island and is threatening the whole family (think Legacy).

Then the ship goes boom.

Part 3 starts out with the aftermath of Lucy being on a ship that exploded. She's in a coma and all of her boys are a little bit lost as to what to do now.

Scott takes over the business and the running of their IR team with John leaving Nasa to take his rightful place aboard TB5. Lee does an excellent vanishing act when it's decided to return Lucy to the island, and we haven't heard from him since.

We also discover that Lucy and Hugh Creighton-Ward might have been more than just friends at some point in the last four years.

Part 4 Lucy wakes up! Then promptly wonders what her place is in the family now that Scott and Hugh have taken so much of her role on for her. Their main concern is seeing her get stronger before they consider letting her take over some of the reins again.

Scott is quite happy to go on regular business meetings as it gives him an excuse to meet up with Tia, his off-island security that may also be turning into something more.

Speaking of which, Virgil and Kayo are also up to something and have a hilariously cute moment in telling Lucy as much.

Alan is also up to something, being the baby of the family and far too young to actually join the academy yet, he's trying hard to find a way to be involved in IR.

More importantly though, thanks to Eos, we find that Jeff is alive!

Part 5 is the most recent part posted... honestly? If you're not going to re-read the whole thing I'd at least read from here as a refresher.

Scott finally talks to people about his hopes and fears, but then his entire world comes crashing down around him is the most summary I can really say without spoiling what happens next. Val starts to question Lucy if they've done the right thing bringing the boys into IR, and Lucy starts to question her own relationships.

But Jeff is alive and there's a whole lot of figuring out how to get him home.

So... that's the fic in summary so far. Honestly, if you have the time and energy please please re-read the whole thing to refresh your memory. I did just that the other week and it opened my eyes as to how much there is that I left myself open to fix so you might find some interesting threads if you look hard enough!

[kaijuboarcreations]

Into the Andersonverse: A full timeline of events for the confirmed continuity of Gerry Anderson Supermarionation shows (Fireball XL5 to Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)

(Disclaimer*: i actually opted to follow Thunderbirds are Go canon for ages *don't ask me why it's a process plus the actual ages and birth order for the boys is heavily debated in both the og series and are go so don't at me* Also yes I took a few creative liberties to fill in some blanks they are marked by ** so you know what isn't canon, and yes it doesn't always make sense *aka how Venus is a war orphan if the war ended before she was born* but you can't blame me for that, that's just how it was written)

Anyways yall better love me for this it took me three days to make

1988: Sally "Grandma" Tracy is born (maiden name unknown)

2012: Professor Mathew Matic is born in Britain -Aloysius "Nosey" Parker is born - Jeff Tracy is born in Kansas to Grant and Sally Tracy**

2015: Commander Sam Shore (real name Samuel Arthur)is born in Kansas

2017: Charles Grey (Colonel White) is born in England

2028: European Atomic War and Mass Riots in France

2029: Conrad Turner (Captain Black) is born in Manchester, England

2030: Steve Zodiac is born on Mars -Sam Shore leaves home to join the navy

2031: Edward Wilkie (Dr Fawn) is born in Yalumba, Australia

2033: Professor Matic graduates with 22 degrees in astrophysics, robotic, and astronomy, and becomes a navigator for Zero-X interplanetary missions -Sam Shore is given command of a World Security Service submarine -Bradley Holden (Captain Gray) is born in Chicago

2034: Sam Shore befriends Admiral Jack Denver -Patrick Donaghue (Captain Magenta) is born in Dublin Bay, Ireland -The European Atomic War ends (the war left Venus and Conrad Turner orphaned)

2035: Venus is born in Paris -George Lee "Phones" Sheridan is born in South Carolina -Adam Svenson (Captain Blue) is born in Boston -Richard Fraiser (Captain Ochre) is born in Detroit

2036: Paul Metcalfe (Captain Scarlet) is born in Hampshire, England

2037: Jeff Tracy becomes a Colonel for the US Air Force and later transfers to the Space Agency -Patrick Donaghue and his parents immigrate to the US, living in poverty in Manhattan

2038: Troy Tempest is born in New York City -Jeff Tracy marries Lucielle** -Charles Grey graduates from the University of East Angila -Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is born to Sir Hugh and Lady Amelia**

2040: War damage fixed -Sam Shore marries Elaine MacDonald -Scott Tracy is born**

-"Brains" is born -The Southeast Asia revolts -Juliette Pontoin (Destiny Angel) is born in Paris

2041: Atlanta Shore is born from Elaine and Sam in California -Seymour Griffiths (Lieutenant Green) is born in Trinidad

2042: John Tracy is born** -The Iceland Dispute -The Panama-Ithsmus rebellion begins -Karen Wainwright (Symphony Angel) is born in Cedar Rapids -Chan Kwan (Harmony Angel) is born in Tokyo

2043: The Panama-Ithsmus rebellion ends -Magnolia Jones (Melody Angel) is born in Atlanta -Dianne Simms (Rhapsody Angel) is born in London

2044: Virgil Tracy is born**

2045: Professor Matic takes the role as a professor for Universe University -Conrad Turner joins the British Air Force

2046: Marina is born -Gordon Tracy is born** -Charles Grey moves up to the rank of 'Captain' -The British Civil War begins (during which Conrad Turner is badly wounded)

2047: Steve Zodiac joints WSP Academy -Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano/Tintin Kyrano is born** -Britain joins the World Government -Charles Grey becomes Admiral while commanding the World Navy Destroyer fleet -Conrad Turner joins the World Air Force

2048: Charles Grey joins the Universal Secret Service and marries his field partner Elizabeth Sonmers -Edward Wilkie starts medical school in Brisbane

2049: the British sector of the USS is reorganized by Charles Grey

2050: Professor Matic designs and builds the world's first Nutomic Hyperdrive Motor and is given an honorary position as Major while heading the XL project -Alan Tracy is born** -Charles Grey is promoted to the head of the USS British sector

2051: Steve Zodiac becomes an astronaut and sub-lieutenant at Space City -Prototypes of the XL project are debuted including XL1 Alpha -Adam Svenson receives a full ride scholarship to Harvard University at age 16

2052: the Anti-Bereznik Riots (of which Patrick Donaghue was involved where he was later arrested and imprisoned for 90 days)

2053: Steve Zodiac befriends space explorer Jim Ireland who sets off on a 10 year voyage -Seymour Griffiths loses his parents in an air disaster

2054: Richard Fraiser joins the World Government Police Corps after being rejected from university and the Air Force -Bradley Holden graduates from the World Navy Academy in San Diego immediately enlisting in the World Navy submarine service

2055: Steve is promoted to captain and is assigned to co-pilot Fireball XL5 -Conrad Turner joins the World Space Patrol and mans Fireball XL3 -Adam Svenson joins the World Aeronautic Society as a test pilot -Patrick Donaghue finishes his studies and graduates from Yale University with degrees in physics, electrical engineering, and technology and he takes a job as a computer programmer for a firm in Brooklyn but soon quit for a life of crime -Edward Wilkie graduates from Brisbane with degrees in medicine and biology and joins the Australian sector of the World Medical Organization as assistant medical controler. Later that same year he is promoted to health controller of the Scandinavian sector.

2056: Venus joins the World Space Patrol -Colonel Grange suffers a mental breakdown while piloting Fireball XL5 leaving Steve to bring them to safety -Marina's mother dies -Troy Tempest joins the World Navy Academy in San Diego -Lucielle Tracy passes away

2057: All Fireball XL ships are outfitted with the Nutomic Hyperdrive Motor -Paul Metcalfe graduates from Winchester University with degrees in History, Technology, and Mathematics -Adam Svenson is promoted to active field agent for WAS -Patrick Donaghue becomes a kingpin for organized crime in New York due to his leadership over several gangs and hacking abilities -Edward Wilkie revolutionizes the WMO's medical technology through robots which places him in the position of Administrator for Advancements in Medicine and Medical Science -Juliette Pontoin attends University in Rome

2058: Elaine Shore suffers a heart attack and passes away -Phones takes on work as a mercenary -Karen Wainwright attends Yale University at age 16

-Lady Penelope becomes chief operative of the Federal Agents Beareu where she meets Jeff Tracy (wait...... F.A.B..... so that's what that stands for....)

2059: Paul Metcalf begins study at West Point Military University in New York -Richard Fraiser transfers to Chicago and takes on one of the toughest crime syndicates in the country

2060: An attack on his vessel causes Sam Shore to lose use of his legs. He and Atlanta move to Marineville to command the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (which is newly established)

-Gordon Tracy interns with WASP** -Troy Tempest is captured on a failed mission and is rescued by Phones who he convinces to join the navy -Troy Tempest arrives at WASP Marineville -Juliette Pontoin joins the World Army Air Force and is transferred to the Intelligence Corps where she hones her skills as a pilot, leads the Woman's Fighter Squadron

2061: Magnolia Jones joins the World Army Airforce at age 18

-Gordon Tracy suffers an accident while working with a high speed hydrofoil**

2062: the start of the events of Fireball XL5 -Jeff Tracy establishes International Rescue -Seymour Griffiths graduates University in Kingston Jamaica with degrees in telecommunications, technology, and music and joins WASP as a junior hydrophone operator (his brothers followed but were killed in an accident which Seymour transferred as a telecommunications operator at Marineville) -Bradley Holden joins WASP as the Lieutenant commander security chief and takes the role of piloting Stingray in her prototype years -Karen Wainwright becomes a full fledged field agent for Universal Secret Service after several years of training -Magnolia Jones becomes lost while taking the XKF 115 aircraft on a test flight and loses contact with control -Chan Kwan graduates University and is determined to fly solo around the world

2063: Venus earns a degree in Space Psychology -Steve Zodiac is awarded Astronaut of the Year -Paul Metcalfe graduates from West Point and joins the World Air Force -Juliette Pontoin leaves WAAF to start her own pilot contracting firm -Magnolia Jones returns after being lost for almost a year after rebuilding her craft from the wreckage. She shortly leaves to focus on flying and setting up a freelance air taxi service -Dianne Simms meets Lady Penelope and is offered a position in the FAB to train as an agent

2064: Bradley Holden receives a severe back injury taking him out of the line to duty and landing him a desk job at Marineville -Troy Tempest becomes captain of Stingray and takes on Phones as his co-pilot -Chan Kwan attempts her voyage around the world but stops to answer a distress call to rescue a group of men from a burning tanker ship in the Pacific. Six months later she tries again and succeeds

2065: the events of Thunderbirds begins -the Spectrum Organization is established and Charles Grey turns down the position of Supreme Commander of the USS to take on his role as "Colonel White" for Spectrum under the Spectrum Selection Committee -Seymour Griffiths joins Spectrum under the codename "Lieutenant Green" -Conrad Turner joins Spectrum under the codename "Captain Black" and quickly climbs the ranks as Spectrum's top agent -Paul Metcalfe joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Scarlet" (thanks to recommendation from Conrad) -Adam Svenson joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Blue" -Patrick Donaghue is pardoned for his crimes and is offered a position as an agent of Spectrum under the code name "Captain Magenta" -Dr Edward Wilkie is approached by Spectrum to become the Supreme Medical Commander of Cloudbase and given the codename "Doctor Fawn" -Juliette Pontoin is approached to join Spectrum's squadron of fighter pilots and is given the codename "Destiny Angel" -Magnolia Jones is selected by Spectrum as a fighter pilot and is given the codename "Melody Angel" -Lady Penelope quits her role in the FAB to focus on her work with International Rescue. The FAB dissolves soon after. -Dianne Simms is forced to leave the FAB and becomes a chief security officer for the Euro-Charter Airline company -Chan Kwan's father dies and she takes over the family air taxi company 2066: Richard Fraiser fakes assassination and joins Spectrum under the code name "Captain Ochre" -Bradley Holden clears a health check under Spectrum and is recruited as an agent under the codename "Captain Gray"

-Karen Wainwright quits her work with the USS to become a pilot full time. Shortly after she passes her exam to join Spectrum and joins the Angel squadron under the codename "Symphony Angel" -Dianne Simms is approached by Spectrum to join the Angel squadron and is given the codename "Rhapsody Angel"

-Chan Kwan is approached by the Spectrum Selection Committee to become an Angel pilot, in which she is accepted and given the codename "Harmony Angel"

2068: the events of Thunderbirds end and the events of Captain Scarlet begin (the Mysterons declare war on Earth after the Zero X Mars expedition comes across their settlement and attacks)

[neuroticphysiologist]

Last Sunday, I wore all pink. I looked like Lady Penelope (except the hair. I'm not blonde) when I sat down and looked at my new calendar. Kinda like talking to the Tracy brothers about recent missions.

Yes, it's actually Tomorrow x Together. I did write a Thunderbirds fic related to TXT once. I also had the TXT as Tracy brothers in my mind and I'll post it now.

TXT AS TRACY BROTHERS

1. Yeonjun as Scott Tracy

Yeonjun is the oldest but he's not the leader. He's a singer, dancer, rapper, and a model. When I thought of this concept, I immediately said that Yeonjun would fit as Scott.

2. Soobin as John Tracy

Soobin's the leader of the group and he's an introvert. I love how he grew when he became a host in Music Bank. He made many friends and he's a good and memorable host along with his MC partner Arin. Actually, John's more of an introvert.

3. Beomgyu as Gordon Tracy

...or Virgil Tracy

This is where I took a long time to choose for Beomgyu. When it comes to age, he would be Virgil. He can play musical instruments, has a deep voice like Virgil's, and he's also a healer. In terms of personality, he's also Gordon.

4. Taehyun as Virgil Tracy

...or Gordon Tracy

One of the things that Taehyun fits as Virgil is that he's strong. He's left handed and Virgil's an ambidextrous. And since he's younger than Beomgyu, he can also be Gordon.

5. Hueningkai as Alan Tracy

Of course I had to put the youngest as Alan, more likely TAG Alan. Kai is not like the TOS and the 2004 version, so I specified it. He enjoys playing games. Both are my favorites (Kai was my bias, but I still love him) and I was able to witness their growth in their careers.

Okay, that's it for my rambles. Stream Sugar Rush Ride.

[fey-changeling]

Signals: Part 2

Spoilers

Sorry

I absolutely love their relationship. And Penny on a rescue like this.

There hasn't been enough John so far. Or EOS.

Season 1 throwback.

Not saying anything...

Stuff I thought would 100% not be waterproof but actually is. 2 underwater is epic.

Ah accurate sibling relationships.

We're going to REBUILD ZERO X!!!!!

Which means...

THESE GUYS ARE STILL A POSSIBILITY!

[tsarisfanfiction]

Long Way From Home: Chapter 14

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Friendship Characters: Scott, Tracy Family

Forgot to post this last night, whoops, but in my defence I am absolutely drowning under uni work at the moment, so I’m quite surprised I even had the energy to proof read and post tonight...

<<<Chapter 13

The table was already piled high with steaming food when they entered the room, but Scott’s attention was more taken by the man sat at the head. Not-Dad caught his eye and gestured to the seat at his right.  Scott hadn’t planned to sit near the man if he could help it, but it appeared the patriarch had other ideas.

Swallowing down his reluctance, he crossed the floor, greeting Mrs Tracy, who was attempting to set the table even as Tin-Tin tried to persuade her gently to take her own seat, and took the offered chair.

Steely grey eyes swept up and down his outfit, and Not-Dad’s mouth settled into a thin line, but much to Scott’s relief he didn’t comment.  Not directly, at least.

“I see you had a successful trip,” he said.  Scott shrugged.

“Fashion here’s different,” he said, glancing over as the rest of the family took their seats, Other-Virgil slipping in before Other-Kyrano finished bringing the food over to the table.  “As you’ve no doubt noticed.”

“That I have,” Not-Dad agreed.  “At least no-one outside of this organisation will be seeing you, so now you have your own clothes I suppose you can dress as you wish.”  He still sounded somewhat dubious about it, but Scott would take what he could get.

“Those were my thoughts, too, Father,” Other-Scott joined in, from where he was sat a little way down the table between Other-Virgil and Mrs Tracy. “He might as well be comfortable while he’s here.”

“Indeed,” Not-Dad said.  “I have informed some trusted friends of your predicament in the hopes of increasing our chances of getting you home, and locating anyone else who may have come through. I am sure their names will be familiar to you; as I recall, you mentioned a ‘Lady P’ earlier?”

Had he?  Scott didn’t remember everything that he’d said to the man, but that seemed likely enough. He nodded.

“I assume that refers to our London agent, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward,” Not-Dad continued.  “She has been made aware and intends to visit in the near future.”

Scott felt a flash of frustration that things were being organised over his head – or behind his back, maybe – but buried it deep with the reminder that here, he wasn’t Commander.  He wasn’t anything, except someone in need of rescuing, and this man next to him was the man in charge of the organisation trying to get him home.

“Yeah, we have a Lady Penelope,” he confirmed.  “And Parker?”

“A fine butler,” Not-Dad agreed.

Scott nodded awkwardly, a little unsure at the way Not-Dad’s first description for him was ‘butler’.  It wasn’t inaccurate, but to him, Parker was so much more than just Lady Penelope’s butler, and he wasn’t sure if that was a relationship that had carried over.

Lady Penelope and Parker had been invaluable after the Zero-X, after all.

Scott cut that train of thought off out of habit before it could spiral too far.  The last thing he needed to do was start crying about Dad while sat next to his doppelgänger in another universe.

He was saved from any further awkward conversation by Other-Kyrano announcing that the dinner was ready and inviting them to help themselves.

“Thank you, Kyrano,” Not-Dad said, before picking up a platter of carved meat and offering it to Scott.  For his part, Scott was looking at the large, homemade spread and trying not to drool at the prospect of edible food.

“Thanks,” he said, helping himself to a few slices.  That appeared to be the cue for everyone else to tuck in, and Scott found himself part of a full dining table for the first time in a long time.  Other-John was absent, of course, no doubt squirrelled away on Thunderbird Five eating rehydrated food, and it was obvious that this Tracy family, too, had lost their mom, but with the Kyranos and even Other-Brains apparently resurfacing when he hadn’t been looking, not to mention Not-Dad, it felt like the sort of meal Scott hadn’t been able to have in eight years, and had thought he’d never have again.

He took a large bite of the food to stop his rising emotions overflowing. Other-Alan, sitting opposite him, shot him an unimpressed look but thankfully seemed too busy listening to Tin-Tin next to him to comment.

“Magnificent as always, Kyrano,” Not-Dad announced after a few moments, which seemed to be the cue for the rest of the family to interject with their own praise.  Scott was more than happy to join in, which got several pairs of eyes on him, seeming like they were gauging how genuine he was.  Only Tin-Tin had a knowing, and slightly sad, smile on her face.

“Say,” Other-Alan cut in, “how does this compare to what you normally eat? Our Kyrano’s the better cook, isn’t he?”

It was a loaded question, and Scott narrowed his eyes at him.

“Alan, that’s enough of that,” Not-Dad said.  “There’s to be no comparison of which universe is ‘better’, you hear me?”

“Yes, Father,” Other-Alan frowned.  “But I can’t be the only one that wants to know what he really thinks of the food.”

“Alan!” Other-Scott added in, but Scott shrugged.

“It’s the best homemade meal I’ve had in years,” he said honestly, nodding at Other-Kyrano, who seemed flustered at the praise.  “None of us can cook half as well back home.”

“Not even your Kyrano?” Other-Alan pressed, despite the sharp snap of his name from Not-Dad.

“Alan,” Tin-Tin interjected gently, putting a hand on his arm.  He ignored her, too, and light blue eyes pinned Scott where he sat.

Scott took another mouthful of the mouth-wateringly good food and swallowed it before answering.

“Kyrano hasn’t lived with us for years,” he said simply.  “It’s just the four of us – five when John’s down – with Grandma, Brains and Kayo – she’s our Tin-Tin – on the island.”

There was silence, and he took the chance to help himself to more of the food on the central platters.  It really was good, and if he was eating, he could at least pretend he wasn’t the focus of several varyingly sympathetic looks.

“Where did he go, if you don’t mind my asking, sir?”  It was Other-Kyrano who asked, and Scott tried not to react to being called sir.

He shrugged again.  “None of us know,” he admitted between mouthfuls.  “He retired and vanished.  Kayo tries to get in contact with him every now and then, but as far as I know she’s never been successful.”

Scott could feel the elephant in the room, the question on all their tongues even though none of them – not even the otherwise abrasive Other-Alan – wanted to be the one to say it.  He sighed and speared a section of meat with his fork, knowing that the question wouldn’t go away until he addressed it.

“Yes,” he said, “it was just after we lost Dad.”  He shoved the fork into his mouth and chewed aggressively on the meat, staring down at his plate rather than facing anyone at the table. A hand landed on his right shoulder, presumably belonging to Other-Gordon, who was sat immediately next to him, but no-one said anything in response.

After a moment, Not-Dad cleared his throat.  “Brains, how are you doing with the research?” he asked.

“O-oh!”  The scientist jumped, clearly not expecting to be addressed, and Scott sent him a mental apology for being the reason he was suddenly the centre of attention even though he was impatient for updates on that front, too.  “I, uh, have gathered a-all the data I, uh, can detect from, uh, Thunderbird One’s hangar w-where Scott, uh, appeared,” Other-Brains said, putting his cutlery down as he spoke.  “There appears to be a-an, uh, anomaly of some sort in the, uh, atmospheric r-readings but I, uh, haven’t b-been able to, uh, isolate the c-cause yet.”

“But wouldn’t the cause be the collision that brought him through?” Other-Virgil asked.

“T-that would be the, uh, logical assumption,” Other-Brains agreed, “but, I’d, uh, like some m-more data before I, uh, conclude that for, uh, certain.”

Scott was caught with a mouth full of vegetables when bespectacled eyes found him from the other end of the table, where Other-Brains was sitting between Tin-Tin and Other-Kyrano.  “I, uh, would like to run some, uh, samples from you to, uh, isolate the a-anomaly from your, uh, home u-universe,” the scientist continued.

Scott swallowed the food.  “Whatever you need,” he agreed eagerly.  Maybe a little desperately.  “Just say when you want them.”

“I’ll, uh, let you know,” Other-Brains promised.  It wasn’t ideally the answer Scott was looking for – a definitive time would have been nice – but it was something and he nodded in acknowledgement.

That seemed to be the cue for the hubbub of conversation to start up again. Scott stayed out of it, content to eat and listen, and at the head of the table, Not-Dad seemed likewise content to listen to what his sons were saying as they started talking about what seemed to be normal, everyday things.  Scott had the context for none of it and was unsurprisingly completely at a loss as to what any of them were talking about.

Tin-Tin and Mrs Tracy seemed to be holding a conversation about fashion and something that sounded like Pennylon, which Scott assumed was a brand or something, while the brothers engaged in some apparently long-standing banter, although he definitely heard billiards and bet in the hubbub.

Nothing was said about International Rescue, and Scott wondered if that was because he was there, even though he’d sat in on one of their debriefs, or if this family also had a ban on talking business over meals.  It was probably the latter.

“Gordon,” Not-Dad said suddenly, cutting into the conversation.  “What’s this about a bet I hear?”

The son in question grinned, and further down the table, Other-Scott rolled his eyes.

“It’s not a real one, Father,” Other-Gordon said.  “But with Scott here wanting clothes that our Scott wouldn’t normally buy, we had to come up with a reason for his sudden change in taste.”

“So he claimed I bet he couldn’t beat the whole family at billiards,” Other-Scott added.  “A bet that I apparently lost, with those clothes as my forfeit.”

Not-Dad chuckled, startling Scott, who hadn’t heard anything except stern patriarch from the man since he’d first met him.  Suddenly he seemed a lot more like Dad, and a lump formed in his throat.  Scott hurried to put another mouthful of food in his mouth to have a reason for his need to swallow.

“He did, did he?” the older man said.  “How many times have you played him so far today?”

“I stopped counting after twelve,” Other-Scott said.

“I see,” Not-Dad mused.  “And how many times has he won?”  Even Scott could tell he knew what the answer was going to be before it was uttered, but Other-Scott said it anyway.

“Not even once.”

“Maybe we should play chess after dinner instead,” Other-Gordon suggested. His brother laughed.

“But chess wasn’t the bet, was it, Gordon?”

“I think you’ve made your point,” the ginger sulked.

“I’m glad you think so,” Other-Scott said sunnily.  “Maybe that’ll teach you to make outlandish claims.”

“I didn’t see you making any suggestions to the contrary,” Other-Gordon pointed out.  Sat between them, Other-Virgil’s head was swivelling like an umpire at a tennis match. Conversation across the rest of the table had died down, leaving the two of them the only ones talking.

Two brothers sniping at each other was familiar, and Scott buried himself in the delicious food to try and distract himself from the fact that at home, it would be his brothers sniping at each other, and he might even be involved himself.

No-one seemed to notice his retreat from the conversation, or at least had the manners not to comment on it if they did, and he kept quiet for the rest of the main course.

Dessert passed in much the same manner, with Grandma presenting a gigantic chocolate gateau piled high with fresh strawberries and cream.  The entire table fell upon it with gusto, Scott very much included.  The ones he picked up from Paris, while the best of professional baking, just weren’t the same as homemade.

“So,” Not-Dad said, once the plates were all licked clean and Other-Kyrano and Mrs Tracy were bustling around in the kitchen, having cleared the crockery.  Tin-Tin had also got up to help them, but none of the others had moved, so Scott took the cue to stay where he was.  “What do you boys have planned for the evening?”

“I’ll be continuing with drawing Scott’s brothers,” Other-Virgil said.

“Drawing his brothers?” Not-Dad asked, and he nodded.

“They don’t look identical to us,” Other-Gordon chipped in, “so Virgil’s working with Scott to get portraits together for our reference.”

“I see,” Not-Dad said, and Scott found himself being regarded by the man again. “I’d like to see those once they’re completed.”

“Yes, Father,” Other-Virgil agreed.

“He won’t let any of us see them yet,” Other-Gordon complained.

“I told you,” the artist said, yet again.  “Once they’re coloured, and not one moment before.”

A steaming cup of coffee appeared in front of Scott, and he glanced up to see Tin-Tin smiling at him.  Not wanting to interrupt the conversation now going on between Not-Dad and his sons about the portraits Other-Virgil was working on, he nodded at her in thanks.

Similar cups were finding their way in front of everyone at the table, and Scott assumed a post-meal coffee was part of the routine here.  Once everyone was served, Tin-Tin, Other-Kyrano and Mrs Tracy returned to the table with their own drinks and a platter of home-baked cookies.

Tasting the coffee, Scott was pleased to discover Tin-Tin had clearly remembered how he liked it from earlier.  The proffered cookies were just as delicious as the cake had been, and by the time they’d finished drinking and eating, Scott was feeling pleasantly full.

He was going to have to make sure he went for his morning run, especially if this was always how they ate here.

“Are you ready to carry on with the portraits?” Other-Virgil asked him after all the cups on the table had been drained dry and the hubbub of conversation had faded away, and he made his way to his feet.

“Sure,” he answered.  “Lead the way.”

Other-Virgil’s room was full of frosted glass panels, or so it seemed as Scott followed him inside.  Books, on what appeared to be a variety of subjects from art techniques and historic artists to music to what Scott assumed were engineering manuals, lined alcoves in the wall opposite the bed.  They were familiar in topic, if not in the particular titles, to the sorts of things he was used to finding in his Virgil’s room.

“Why don’t you pull up a chair?” Other-Virgil invited, nodding at a wooden chair sitting innocuously in the corner as he perched himself on his bed. The sketchbook from earlier had had the respective pages neatly torn out, and Scott caught a glimpse of John’s sketch taped to a large board.  Various colouring pencils surrounded the artist where he sat, and Scott obediently retrieved the chair in question to put it down next to the bed so he could see what Other-Virgil was doing.

“What do you want to start with?” he asked, looking at the greyscale picture of his brother and trying to imagine it coloured in.  As John was the last brother he’d seen – albeit holographically – before ending up in the wrong universe, it was almost painfully easy to bring him to mind.

“Well, we might as well start with the skin,” Other-Virgil said.  “Darker or paler than you?”

That was a good reference point to start with, Scott figured.  “Paler,” he replied.  “Quite a bit paler.  He’s ginger and lives in space most of the time, so he doesn’t get much sun.”

Other-Virgil hummed thoughtfully, fingers dancing over a selection of pencils but not actually selecting one to start.  “Do you remember our John well enough to know which one’s darker or paler?” he asked.

“I can’t say I was paying much attention to that,” Scott admitted, wracking his brain to remember how pale Other-John had been.  “Mine’s maybe a little paler?”

Other-Virgil nodded and finally selected a pencil.  “Say,” he began as he started lightly colouring.  “When you say he’s in space most of the time – don’t you fellas have a rotation for Thunderbird Five?”

“A rotation?”  Scott tried to imagine telling John he had to share his ‘bird with someone else on a regular basis – someone who wasn’t EOS – and failed miserably.  John would probably lock down Thunderbird Five and refuse entry to anyone if Scott so much as breathed a notion about sharing space monitor duty regularly.  “No, John’s up there most of the year.  He’s happiest there, so it works out.”

“But aren’t there health detriments to staying in space for so long?” Other-Virgil asked, and Scott winced.

“A few,” he admitted, “but we’ve done what we can with our technology to minimise them, and it’s not unusual for John to come down for a few days if we’re quiet.  We can route the calls straight to Tracy Island if necessary, although the signal isn’t as good and we’re more liable to miss things.”  He frowned thoughtfully.  “You guys have a rotation?”

Other-Virgil nodded as he set down the pencil he was using and selected another one.  Scott peered at the canvas; John’s sketch did look remarkably pale, but the pencil Other-Virgil had selected seemed slightly darker so maybe he planned to layer it up. “John and Alan switch every month, or near enough,” he explained.  Scott recalled Other-Alan’s surprising agreement to Other-John’s declaration that he wanted telemetry – it made a lot more sense now.  “But John tends to do slightly longer spells than Alan, and very rarely Scott takes a turn if one of them can’t.”

Scott couldn’t imagine sitting up in Thunderbird Five for an entire month, on space monitor duty.  He’d done short spells of a couple of days, and that was more than enough for him.

“How does this look so far?” Other-Virgil asked after a few more moments, putting his pencil down and turning the board until Scott could look at it properly.  “Too pale?”

Scott peered at it again, but without the vibrant hair or piercing eyes, judging the skin colour was a lot harder than he’d expected it to be.

“Maybe a little?” he offered, a bit uncertainly.

“How about we move on to his hair for now?” Other-Virgil suggested.  “You say he’s ginger?”

Scott nodded.  “Very striking,” he confirmed.  “Brighter than your Gordon’s.”

Other-Virgil selected a pencil and made some firm strokes across the curl above John’s forehead.  “Like this?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Scott confirmed, watching the almost orange pencil continue to follow the sweep of John’s hair.  Other-Virgil nodded in acknowledgement, and settled in to keep colouring the hair.  He didn’t seem to have any difficulty with the colour; Scott didn’t have to make any corrections, only a couple of confirmations when asked, during the entire process.

Then it was time for his eyes, and this particular little brother of his had never had the easiest eyes to describe, not helped by the fact that Scott saw them through a blue-tinted hologram far more frequently than he actually saw them in person.

“Blue turquoise or green turquoise?” Other-Virgil asked after his initial attempt, and Scott hesitated.  They always looked almost blue in the hologram, but then the hologram itself was blue, so…

“Green?” he hedged.  “Maybe?”

Other-Virgil seemed slightly amused at his inability to remember the exact colour, if the uptick to his lips was any indication, but dutifully selected a few pencils in the blue-green area, as best Scott could tell, and started adding in flecks to the irises.

Seeing his brother come to life from the paper as Other-Virgil added more and more detail with the pencils brought that lump back in his throat, which Scott swallowed around in the hopes of pushing it down before Other-Virgil looked up and noticed.

No such luck, apparently, as brown eyes glanced up at him and gained a sympathetically concerned look.

“Are you okay?” Other-Virgil asked, setting the pencil and board down and twisting to look at him properly.

“I’m fine,” Scott insisted, but he could tell Other-Virgil wasn’t convinced in the slightest.

“You know,” he said gently, “we don’t have to do this all now.”

It was very reminiscent of Other-Gordon’s attitude during their shopping trip, and Scott slouched back on the chair.

“You need to know who you’re looking out for,” he pointed out.  “We’ve already established I can’t describe them well enough, so this is the only way we’ve got.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Other-Virgil allowed, “but that doesn’t mean you have to push yourself so hard.”

“They’re my brothers,” Scott snapped back, harsher than he intended. “If they’re somehow here-”

“I understand,” Other-Virgil interjected.  Startled at the interruption, Scott’s mouth clicked shut. “Gordon’s right; you’re just like our Scott, and we know how overprotective over us he gets.”  A hand landed on his shoulder, and those deep brown eyes searched his.  For what, Scott wasn’t sure.  “If your brothers are somehow here, we will find them.  John’s already listening out, and I’m sure your brothers are smart enough to get themselves somewhere where they can be easily found by the right people.  What we’re doing will help, I agree, but if they’re here, it’s not what will find them.”

Scott grit his jaw.

“I have to do something,” he said.  A measure of desperation bled through into his voice.

“Look after yourself,” Other-Virgil told him, not unkindly. “That’s what your brothers will want.” Scott looked up at him, startled, and Other-Virgil held his gaze steadily.  “I’m sure that, if you’re like Scott, I must be like your brother, too,” he continued.  “Look after yourself.  Let us help you.”

His hair was different, but his eyes were just the same.

Other-Gordon had said the same thing.  Scott wondered if he was in for a similar speech from all of them at one point or another.

“I have to do this,” he said, leaning forwards and gesturing at the still-uncoloured sketches of his three youngest brothers.  “I have to.”

Other-Virgil surveyed him for a moment, but must have seen something in his face, because he nodded and pulled his hand back.

“I understand,” he said.  “So, would you say we’re done with your John?”  He picked up the coloured picture and showed it to Scott.

It was definitely John.  The sketch had caught his likeness perfectly, but with the addition of the colours, it was really him.

“Yeah,” he said, around that lump that seemed determined to appear in his throat at any reminder of his brothers.  “That’s him.”

Other-Virgil took a moment to look at the finished drawing, and Scott wondered what he was thinking.  Whatever thoughts were running through his head, though, he didn’t say them and after a moment set the image aside.  It was Virgil’s sketch that he prepped next.

It had to be weird, Scott thought as they started the same process again, for the brown-haired man to know he was colouring in a version of himself from another universe – that hopefully, if Scott really was the only one to have fallen through, he would never meet.  Still, Other-Virgil seemed well enough up to the challenge, even if he raised an eyebrow upon Scott’s confirmation that yes, Virgil’s hair was black and not just a very dark brown.

The eyes, at least, were slightly easier.  Unlike with Other-John and John, where the former he’d only seen through various sized screens and hadn’t been able to get any real gauge on the exact shade of his eyes, Other-Virgil – as well as Other-Gordon and Other-Alan – had the exact same eyes as Scott’s own brothers.

Other-Virgil, entirely understandably in Scott’s opinion, spent several minutes studying the finished drawing once Scott proclaimed it accurate, but just as with John’s portrait, kept his opinions to himself.

It was dark outside Other-Virgil’s bedroom window by the time all of the sketches were coloured.  Instinctively, Scott looked at his wrist for the time, only to be stymied by the analogue dial he’d yet to get anyone to explain to him.

“It’s getting late,” Other-Virgil commented, seemingly only just noticing how dark it was even though he’d turned the lights on about halfway through colouring Alan’s.  “Should we show the fellas now or in the morning?”

“Might as well do it now, if they’re still up,” Scott shrugged.  “What is the time, anyway?”

“Aren’t you wearing Scott’s watch?” Other-Virgil asked, and Scott sighed.

“Yeah, but I can’t read it,” he admitted.  “We haven’t used this system in half a century back home.”

“Do you want me to talk you through it now?” Other-Virgil offered, setting the drawings aside and leaning forwards.  “It shouldn’t be too complicated for you, I shouldn’t think.”

Scott glanced down at the dial, taunting him with numbers and spokes he couldn’t quite decipher.  “That would help,” he admitted, extending his wrist.  “So, what am I looking at here?”

Other-Virgil shuffled closer and caught his forearm to steady it.  “Well, each point on the edge of the face are the hours, with twelve at the top, followed by one on the immediate right,” he said, pointing at the points in question.  Scott nodded.  “The shorter hand is the hour hand, and it points at the hour.  If it’s pointing between numbers, like it is right now” – it was between the nine and the ten markers – “the hour is the one it’s passed. That makes it nine, here.”  Scott nodded again.

“The other hands,” he started, assuming all of the long thin spokes coming from the centre had the same term.  “Minutes and seconds?”

“That’s correct,” Other-Virgil confirmed.  “The wider, slower, hand is the minutes.  Each hour point is five minutes apart for the minute hand, starting from the top of the dial.”

Scott did a quick count.  The minute hand was lurking down by the seven hour point, so that meant, “it’s nine thirty-five?”

“That’s right,” Other-Virgil told him.  “But we normally say twenty-five to ten.  Once it’s past the half hour, we say ‘to’ the hour, rather than ‘past’ the hour.”

That was unnecessarily complicated, in Scott’s opinion.  “I’ll try to remember that,” he said out loud, watching the third, slender, hand move around.  That was presumably the second hand.  “Seconds are counted the same way as minutes?”

“They are, yes,” he was told, Other-Virgil looking quite pleased.  “I didn’t think you’d have any trouble with it. Say, what do you fellas use?”  He let go of Scott’s wrist.

“Numbers,” Scott shrugged, letting his hand fall back into his lap. “Computers update the time every second or minute, depending on the clock, so we just have to read out the numbers.”

“Computers do that?” Other-Virgil asked.  Scott found himself surprisingly relieved that the other man seemed to at least know what a computer was.  “That sounds very complicated for something as simple as keeping time.”

Scott shrugged.  “It’s simple enough for us to use,” he said.

“Well, I suppose it’s what you’re used to,” Other-Virgil commented.  “The other fellas should still be up, so we can show them the portraits of your brothers now.”  Scott watched him gather up the four drawings and made his own way to his feet, putting the chair back in the corner where it had been earlier.

Chapter 15>>>

[vicky82gargoylesfan]

My Thoughts on The Long Reach Part 1

Oh My God!!! Wow!!! that episode was amazing and it's only part 1. The visuals/animation, the score were just breathtaking. It was so intense and had some emotional moments

I'm glad this is a 2 part episode and not aired in one go, because it makes it feel longer.

Spoilers

Well done Alan for graduating high school (I guess he’s age between 16 - 18) but the feels when he said it's not important. his main focus was to help find his Dad. I just love that moment between him and Kayo, saying he was nervous and Kayo saying everything will be alright.

Finally EOS gets a mention, so John didn't kick her out then.

Love the slo mo walk, and laughed when it was Max that had the music on.

LOL Alan "I always wanted to be a real astronaut” Scott “You are a real astronaut” Alan “oh yeah”

So Kayo was going to go with them but due to the threat from the Chaos Crew she stayed behind to stop them. She got back to island fast though. I wonder if there is a underground tunnel between the launchpad and Tracy Island.

LOL at Gordon asking if there was a movie on this flight and Alan looked at him like “Are you serious”

Lol at Parker going down Scott's Launch Tube. I wonder if anyone else went down the stairs or went down other Launch tubes

When TB5 joined Zero XL and John says assembly complete but then Gordon says "lets hope they stay that way" Are they foreshadowing something bad is going to happen to one of the Thunderbirds. is one or two of them not going to make it back to earth.

Loved Grandma's Speech to her Grandson's and even though we already heard it in the trailer, it was still emotional.

Loved the countdown moment when it cuts to the brothers.

Awww!!! poor Grandma, she looks so sad and probably fears losing her Grandsons.

Wow!!! that was a very fast trip, loved seeing there reactions in that hyperspeed moment and then when they stopped, that trip looked like it affected John and Virgil more than the others did.

So Fuse possible redemption is still continuing, he clearly didn't want Havok attacking Lady Penelope and Parker.

Damn, The Hood is hiding on Zero X and Max hasn't detected him.

WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! John is finally in Thunderbird 2.

Damn!!!! i'm worried about Brains, he's alone on Zero XL and doesn't know the Hood is there.

Amazing to see TB1, TB2 and TB3 flying together in space.

I always wondered what TB4 was going to be used for.

I loved that moment when TB4 couldn't get any closer, so Alan went straight down there, he's so determined  to find his Dad.

Loved the Drawing of Tracy Island, so Virgil got his artistic skills from his Father.

Damn my heart!!! loved the bro feels in this moment. Alan was starting to get a little upset that Jeff wasn't in the Zero X and then Scott telling him that they will find him.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Jeff is here!!!!!! and he saved Scott from falling. Love Scott’s reaction when he realised it was his Dad.

I can't wait for next week but it's going to be emotional and i'm not going to be ready for that.

[its-lovelyhappycollection]

thunderbirds: endgame

@godsliltippy here’s the full story

so the ages for this story are: (before the snap); Scott: 28, Virgil: 26, Kayo: 23, John: 22, Gordon 20, Alan 18

after the snap: Scott: 28, Virgil: 26 Kayo: 23, John: 22, Gordon: 25, Alan: 23

                                                       ...

"Scott, there's few people trapped under some debris approximately 20 feet left from your location"

"FAB John," Scott said and walked in the direction, it was a relatively simple rescue, there had been an attack in New York and International rescue had gone and rescue survivors, Scott along with Alan were on one side and Virgil with Gordon one the other, and with John motoring them in space and with no danger of aftershocks or flooding...what could go wrong?

"Hey, John? how many more people are trapped?" Alan asked his space-bound brother, he was currently attending to a woman that had broken her leg and had just finished bandaging it up

"Scott's rescuing the last lot now," John said and Alan turned towards to where his brother was lifting a piece of wood, allowing the trapped people to climb out, suddenly Alan yet out a yell as he watched Scott's arm turn to dust, hearing a scream from behind him, he turned and saw that the same thing was happening to other people, he quickly turned back to Scott's direction, only to find him gone.

"John, what's going on?!"

"ALAN! JOHN'S MISSING!" EOS's voice greeted him instead of John's calming voice and Alan instantly panicked

"EOS, came down, what happened?"

ff.net

A03

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Gordon was helping out Virgil free some people that were trapped in a cafe, Gordon was currently digging through the debris with a pod while chatting to Virgil, suddenly he had reached the trapped victims and had cut communications so he could concentrate, once he had loaded them into the pod he made his way out, luckily no one was injured. Just before he reached the surface he heard a cry behind him, he looked about and saw that several people were turning to dust and completely disappeared, he focused on getting to the surface before comforting the victims the best he could.

"Hey Virgil, something weird just happened" he spoke into his sash, but got no response, he tried again, panic beginning to sink in "Virgil? Virgil? can you hear me? Scott? John? Alan?"

"Gordon?"

"Alan, thank god. some of the victims just turned into dust"

"Gordon listen to me, the same thing happened to Scott and John"

"what?! and I can't get a hold of Virgil, that means..."

"I'm coming towards you" Alan cut off communications and Gordon waited for his little brother to come, he didn't have to wait long as he saw the familiar red and blue coming towards him and tackling him to the ground, clinging onto him. similar to when they were kids and Alan had a nightmare, he would cling on to to the closest brother, and at the moment that brother was Gordon." what do you think happened?" Alan asked pulling away

"I'm not sure, let's head back to the island for now. think you can fly one?" Gordon said and Alan nodded

"but Scott said..."

"Alan, at the moment we don't have a choice, I'll load up the pod and follow you back in two"

"but what if you disappear?" Gordon pulled his brother in for another hug "Allie, if I was to disappear, I would have done so already" Gordon did his best to comfort his brother, but to be honest, he was also comforting himself.

"alright" Alan nodded and made his way back to one while Gordon climbed back in the pod and loaded it in, he was just doing the pre-flight checks when he heard one's engines roar past him, he then took off and contacted EOS, to meet them in the lounge as he knew the AI was more than capable of doing that.

Meanwhile, Alan tried to focus on flying one, but he couldn't. It felt weird flying one, sure he had done it before, but only with Scott's permission, he landed one back in its hanger and made his way to the lounge, expecting everyone to be there, but to his surprise, he only found Brains and MAX.

"Brains? where is everyone?" Alan asked with fear, he knew but he wanted to confirm it

"oh, A-Alan, w-well we were l-listening on your rescue w-when suddenly K-Kayo's arm s-started to d-disappear, soon more o-of her disappeared a-along with Grandma T-Tracy" Brains said, adjusting his glasses, next to him MAX beeped sadly

Alan sighed "oh man, the same thing happened to Scott, Virgil, and John!"

"o-oh my" Brains stuttered and Gordon entered the room, still clad in his uniform he took one look around the lounge and turned towards Alan

"the same thing happened to Grandma and Kayo?" Alan nodded and Gordon collapsed on the couch, pinching his nose "how the hell did this happen?"

"Think it was the Hood?" Alan asked and joined his brother

"I'm afraid not Alan" E0S's voice joined them, "I just found this video, I think you should watch it" she brought up a video where a man with a beard wearing dark blue clothes appeared.

"Hey, it's Captain America!" Alan exclaimed as they watched the video

"Hi everyone, most of you know me as Captain America, and by now I'm sure you've noticed that some people have turned to dust and there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. Today, the avengers fought against an alien named Thanos, who wanted to wipe out half of existence, thinking that the universe would be more peaceful..."

"half of existence?! is he crazy" Gordon whispered

"...the Avengers, fought their hardest and we thought we won because we destroyed the mind stone that was inside Vision's head, but he used the time stone to go back in time and grab it, thus allowing him to have all 6 stones; mind, soul, time, reality, power and space. combined these 6 stones allowed Thanos to wipe out half of existence, we have all lost people and we will honor them for now, for we must stick together and the Avengers will find Thanos. That's a promise"

The lounge was silent after watching the video, even MAX was silent until EOS broke it "I am currently receiving dozens of distress calls, people saying that their friends and family have disappeared"

"dismiss them EOS, there's nothing we can do," Gordon said leaning back, suddenly Penelope's portrait started to beep and her hologram appeared

"Gordon, Alan, nice to see you," she said in what appeared to be relief

"What can we help you with Lady P?"

"well, I'm afraid it's rather distressing but..."

"...Parker disappeared? we know, Scott, Virgil, John, Kayo, and Grandma have also disappeared" Alan cut her off and she frowned

"it's rather distressing, isn't it? I was wondering if sherbet and I could stay with you? at least until the avengers find Thanos and get everyone back"

"of course, I'll pick you up in a pod!" Gordon said and ran down to the hangers as Penelope hang up. Later once Penelope had arrived and Gordon and Alan had freshened up, they gathered in the lounge to discuss their next plan.

"so, what do we do now?" Alan wondered

"We keep dad's dream alive, we continue international rescue!" Gordon declared, he had given this a lot of thought on his way to Penelope's house, now that he was the oldest Tracy he knew that he was now in charge of international rescue

"with just the two of us?"

"I have a few people in mind that could help" Penelope offered with sherbet in her arms

"that would be a great help, but let's take a break, to recover" Gordon suggested and the others nodded and Gordon went to his dad's desk and contacted Col. Casey, but to their surprise, a man with a brown beard and who appeared to be in his late 30's answered instead

"Hello? this is Lieutenant Johnson, who is this?"

"This is Gordon of international rescue. where's Col. Casey ?"

"nice to meet you International rescue, unfortunately, Col. Casey disappeared along with a few hundred GDF soldiers"

"oh, do you know who else is missing?"

"No, we are currently organizing a census so we can get an idea of who's gone, how about you?"

"there's about 4 of us here, Lady Penelope, Brains our engineer, and Alan Tracy"

"I see, anyway what are your plans?"

"we're continuing international rescue, it's what our dad would have wanted," Alan said, looking down and Lit. Johnson looked at him with sympathy

"just the two of you?"

"no, I have a few people in mind that would be perfect for the job," Penelope said, and Lit. Johnson nodded

"we were wondering if you could use the rescue drone to handle any rescues while we get our crew sorted," Gordon said and Lit. Johnson looked thoughtful

"I'll see what I can do, but yes. I think we can do that" with that he signed off and Gordon looked at Alan and smiled

"well, I guess that's a start"

*5 YEARS LATER*

It had been 5 years since the 'snap' happened and people had slowly started to move on with their lives but never forgetting those that were lost. International Rescue had changed a lot since then. Captain Ridley O'Brannon had taken over residence in thunderbird 5 since she was the only other person EOS could tolerate, meanwhile Penelope had found two other people to pilot Thunderbird 1 &2 their names were Shawn Porter and Blake Adams; both were exceptional pilots and had great instincts in the air and worked well together too, they had both know each other since grade school and had joined the Airforce together and had both lost their families in the 'Snap' and decided they wanted to help people. They had them have a go in the simulators to see which bird they would pilot, Shawn, piloted Thunderbird one, and Blake piloted Thunderbird 2, and together all 5 of them made a great team. She had also invited her niece Sophie to be their covert-ops and pilot Shadow.

But the biggest change was that their father Jeff Tracy had returned, apparently, the rocket he was saving 'the Zero-X' had shot him into space, and while Captain Marvel had flown off to save the Avengers that were stuck in space, she made managed to find their father in the Oort cloud and brought him home. Over the past 5 years, Alan had managed to graduate high school and had gotten a degree in Astrophysics and had grown significantly taller and the 23-year-old had matured a lot and was now currently engaged to Sophie and were currently deciding on the date.

Meanwhile, Gordon had gotten a degree in Hydrology along his degree in Oceanography and the 25-year-old was now one of the world's experts about water, both on land and the sea. While he had not grown in height he had grown in muscle, with Virgil no longer around he decided to become stronger so when his brothers returned he had some sort of advantage over them. But the biggest change was that he and Penelope decided to get married 3 years ago, they had a small wedding with only the island's residents and a few close friends where Jeff officiated and Alan was his best man, Sherbet was the ring bearer and both Shawn and Blake were there as they were now family. They had a daughter two years later, a beautiful baby girl that they named 'Michelle Lucy Tracy' where she had her mother's long wavy blond here, but had her father's mischievous amber eyes and everyone on the island adored her and Penelope was currently pregnant with their son.

One day, everyone was relaxing while Brains was fixing Thunderbird 2's engines after a Bush fire rescue and even Ridley decided to joined them, wanting to spend some time on the island and was currently having an arm wrestle with Shawn while Alan stared at Scott's portrait, it was a smaller version of the larger one as they had to replace them with new portraits, as it turned out; Blake was a fantastic painter, not as good as Virgil but he had the talent, he had painted new portraits of him, Shawn, Sophie and Ridley to replace Scott, Virgil, Kayo and John's. He was reluctant but Jeff, Gordon, and Alan had encouraged it as it symbolized their place in the team and the family. Blake came in from his morning run when he suddenly yelled in surprise, everyone turned and saw that Kayo was currently sitting on his back with his pins pinned behind him and Grandma Tracy standing over him.

"Kayo?" Alan choaked out, both women turned and did a double-take

"Alan? is that you?" Kayo whispered

"yeah"

"what are you doing here? aren't you meant to be on a rescue?"

"well, you see-"

"can you get off me please?" Blake demanded and Kayo blinked down at him as if she forgot he was there

"Kayo, get off him. you can trust him"

"How can you be sure?"

"Kayo, trust us" Alan pleaded and Kayo reluctantly got off Blake who then joined them on the couch

"Hello?" everyone gasped silently when they heard Scott's vice and his hologram appeared, he looked exactly the same when he disappeared "Tracy island? Thunderbird 5? can anyone hear me?"

"we-we read you Scott," Gordon said, his voice shaking from his spot on the floor where he was playing with Michelle, giving Penelope a break so she could take a nap

"Gordon?" Virgil asked, his hologram also appearing "where are you guys? weren't we in the middle of a rescue?"

"it's a long story," Alan said and both brother's turned in his direction

"Alan?"

"What happened with your voice?"

"we'll explain later, is John with you?" Alan asked but he was suddenly cut off by John"s hologram appearing

"Gordon, what have you done with my bird?" John demanded and Alan understood his confusion, over the past 5 years both brains and Ridley had found a way to modify Thunderbird 5 so it could pick up distress calls easier and show more detail when scanning underground, so they had built a new one and left the old one still orbiting space where it could be used if something went wrong with the new Thunderbird 5.

"John come down in the space elevator, Scott, Virgil hang tight. Alan will pick you up" Gordon said and cut off the transmission before they could ask any more questions, Alan shot off towards thunderbird one's launch tube and soon took off, he then turned towards black and Shawn "I hope you understand why I told Alan to go"

"It's fine, it because we would have made them suspicious, we get it" Shawn reassured him

"hey, if my family's, that could mean..." immediately realization dawned upon their faces and they took out their phones and called their families, going into the kitchen for some privacy, Kayo, and Grandma who was still suspicious of them followed; meanwhile, Gordon turned on the news to see if any others had come back

"...and today, the Avengers fought bravely against Thanos and managed to bring everyone who disappeared back during the snap, however, Tony Stark aka Iron Man made a great sacrifice so that we could have a peaceful future, many close friends are wishing him off if you would like to pay tribute go to this website..." Gordon turned the news off and contacted Col. Johnson, he had been a huge help over the past 5 years and had been promoted to Col. last year

"Gordon Tracy, I was waiting to hear from you" the man greeted him

"Good to see you too, I'm guessing you heard the news?"

"oh yeah, it's amazing now that everyone is back, your father's on his way back right now, in fact, he practically left the meeting even though it was only halfway through! unfortunately, this is my last day in this office, now that Col. Casey is back I'm going back to my base in Europe, but the good news is that I'm now second in command of the GDF!"

"congrats! you deserve it!" Gordon cheered

"thanks, call you another time" with that he signed off and Gordon sighed, Michelle waved a block in front of his face and he smiled and picked her up.

"Gordon?" Penelope's voice snapped I'm out of his thoughts, he turned around to see his beautiful wife with her huge tummy along with Sophie, according to Brains the baby was due to come any day now and they were both very excited "what's going on?"

"my brothers are back" was all he could say before Penelope enveloped him in a hug, suddenly her compactor chimed and Parker appeared when she opened it

"there you are m'lady, I was wondering where you were" Parker said, his blue eyes staring into hers

"I'm on Tracy island parker, come here immediately" she ordered him nicely

"right away m'lady" Parker said before signing off, soon they heard the roar of one's engines and both Shawn and Blake re-entered the room, looking very happy with Kayo and Grandma following but their eyes widened when they saw Penelope

"Penelope...are you..."

"Hey, you two" Gordon greeted the two males that just sat down "so are your families..."

"they"re back," Shawn said, still smiling

"you know, if you want to take a break to see your families again, you can," Gordon told them

"thanks, we will. but we'll wait until the introductions are over" Blake told him

"what about after?" Shawn asked "I mean, we only took over temporarily"

"depends, do you want to stay?" Penelope asked them, Grandma and Kayo stayed silent, still confused at what was going on

"maybe, we both really enjoyed being part of International Rescue, but we also want to get back into the airforce."

"well whatever you choose, just remember, you will always have a place in International Rescue" Gordon told them and they smiled in response, soon Alan along with Scott, Virgil, John, and Brains emerged who was still gaping at him as he was about the same height as Scott, they turned and did a double-take when they saw Gordon with Michelle and Penelope

"uhh, Gordon, who is that?" Virgil asked pointing at Michelle, Gordon stood up and walked towards them

"Michelle, this is your uncle Scott, uncle Virgil, and uncle John. say hi" Gordon used his hand and made Michelle wave at them while she giggled happily.

"you-you-we-we-uh-uh" Scott made random words, unable to get them out at which the two Tracy's laughed, suddenly Parker emerged and also started at Alan and Gordon.

"well, now that everyone is here. Let's talk" Gordon said and made his way to the couch followed by Alan and Brains, the remaining four looked at each other before dashing after them. Once everyone was settled, questions started to fly through the air

"what's going on?"

"Who are these people?"

"how do you know them?"

"this that your daughter Gordon?"

"ENOUGH!" Gordon yelled ceasing all questions and the lounge became silent once more, he then turned towards his two older and now one younger brother "what's the last thing you guys remember?"

"I remember us in New York, helping people who were trapped because of some attack, and then the world going black and waking up in the same spot but everything was fixed," Scott said, leaning one hand on his knee

"Scott, that was 5 years ago," Alan said quietly

"What?!" Virgil exclaimed

"it's true"

"you're playing a trick on us, aren't you?" Kayo accused

"look around you" Gordon said and the others looked around the room and noticed that the portraits had changed and Gordon and Alan both looked older than they remembered, they sighed in defeat

"ok, what happened for the past 5 years?" Scott asked

"well, after you disappeared, Penelope contacted Shawn and Blake and offered them a place on the team" both of them waved from where they were sitting on the couch "and they fitted perfectly into the role, I took over International Rescue and directed most of the missions and they went pretty well. We haven't heard from the Hood which means that he probably disappeared which means he's back (yay), the GDF got a temporary boss who did a fantastic job, Penelope and I got married, we had Michelle and have another one on the way..."

"Woah, Woah Woah, back up. So if what your saying is true, that means you're 25 now right?" John asked and Gordon nodded, he then turned towards Alan "that means you're now 23?" Alan also nodded "aaaarrrrggghhh! that means I'm the youngest now!" John moaned and Alan and Gordon laughed at their now youngest brother

"HA! I finally get to be an older brother!" Alan cheered while John wept and Scott and Virgil looked at them with disbelief

"what do you mean John?" Scott asked his sobbing brother

"well, since we weren't around for the past 5 years and ended up where we were before we disappeared looking exactly the same, it means we didn't age!"

"wait, that means...I'm younger than Gordon?!" Kayo said in disbelief, and everyone laughed at her reaction

"boys" a voice called out and they all stopped, staring at the stairs, meanwhile Gordon and Alan smirked

"we're up here dad!" Gordon called, and Jeff appeared looking rather amused at his other sons' reactions, meanwhile, they continued to stare at him, no even blinking. Scott was the first to move, he shakily stood up and walked towards the man who stood there patiently, he reached out a hand as if to test if he was really there and then wrapped his arms around his dad, tears falling down his face, he was soon joined by Virgil, John, Kayo and Grandma.

"How is this possible?" Virgil asked once they sat down again

"well, as it turns out that the Zero-x didn't explode, instead it shot dad into space" Alan explained while Gordon took Penelope to the infirmary because the baby was restless and Brains followed them, "but Captain Marvel found him while searching for the other Avengers and brought him here"

"Wow," John said in amazement, suddenly they heard Gordon shouting "the baby"s here!" they all ran towards the infirmary where Penelope was holding a crying baby wrapped in a cloth from what they could tell he had blonde hair but his mother's sapphire blue eyes.

"dad, meet your new grandson, Anderson Jefferson Tracy" Gordon introduced them to the newest member of the Tracy clan and they awwed at how adorable he was, at this point, Blake and Shawn decided to leave.

"uhh, Gordon, we would like to leave now. see our families" Shawn said and Gordon nodded

"ok, thanks for all your help for the past 5 years"

"no problem, is it really alright if we come back?" Blake asked

"of course," Jeff said, "you'll always have a place on this team" they nodded their thanks and Parker offered to drive them home in FAB1, once they left the remaining Tracy's decided what to do next.

"so, what now?" alan wondered

"we continue what we do best Allie, save people," Gordon said as it was obvious

"I know, but Scott, Virgil, Kayo, and John have been missing for 5 years and technology has improved a lot since then"

"oh yeah, that reminds me. who changed 5?" John demanded

"that would be me" Ridley raised her hand and John stared at her "EOS gave me permission once she heard about the new upgrades Brains had, we've built a new Thunderbird 5 and the old one or the first one is used as a backup in case anything goes wrong with the first one. They've really helped us in rescues as we get more detail when scanning underground"

"oh" was all John could say before EOS's avatar appeared

"John, I'm very glad to see that you're back," EOS's voice said

"EOS? how did you get here?"

"easy, she simply moved her main process here so she can help both here and up in Thunderbird 5, she's also much more social now" Alan explained

"oh"

"Hey, how about we go see your birds? Brains has upgraded them over the past few years" Gordon suggested

"ok, sure" Scott agreed and followed Alan to the silos while Gordon, Jeff and Grandma stayed behind, Alan was currently holding hands with Sophie which his brothers' immediately noticed "hey Alan, is that your girlfriend?"

"no, this is my fiancee, Sophie. She's Penelope's niece" Alan responded with a smug look while his brothers' stared at him with wide mouths

"so wait, if Penelope married Gordon, does that mean she's now Penelope Tracy?" Virgil asked as they went down the elevator

"Nah, she decided on a hyphen, so she's now 'Penelope Creighton-ward Tracy" they finally arrived at the silos and walked towards the thunderbirds, although they had already seen Thunderbird 1 they were too busy focusing on how alan changed that they didn't pay too much attention to any changes. Thunderbird 1 was now much sleeker and had engines that could reach up to Mach 20. Thunderbird 2 hadn't changed much but was now a bit less bulky and could now carry loads up to 80 tonnes, Thunderbird shadow was now thinner and her engines were much more silent. The brothers' stared at their birds while Alan brought up the design for the new Thunderbird 5 which had the same design as the old one but had much more powerful cameras and was shorter than the last.

"wow" was all they could say and Alan got a kick at their expression "come on, let's head up back. You can reunite with your birds later" they followed him back to the lounge where the others were waiting

"so, what you think of your birds?"Gordon asked holding his newborn son in his arms while grandma was holding Michelle

"they're amazing," Virgil said as they gathered around their father's desk

"I just finished talking to Col. Casey, she's agreed to put out the rescue bots until you four get caught up with technology," Jeff told them

"Are you sure? I mean we can get back out there, we may have been gone for 5 years but it only feels like a minute" Scott protested

"relax Scott, brains fixed up the bots so that they're much more efficient now, but there's only so much technology can do," Gordon told him

"he's right, besides don't you want more time with your old man?" Jeff asked teasingly

"well, yeah. but I mean..." Scott rubbed the back of his head

"Scott" John cut in "it may not be the worst idea to have a break, I mean we've been gone for five years and Gordon and Alan have changed a lot since then"

"John's right" Virgil added, "besides, when was the last time we had some family time?"

Scott eventually nodded and smiled "alright, what should we do first?"

                                                 ...

I'm ending this here because I don't really know how to continue this, plus I think it ends happily here unless you have an idea then go ahead and add to it. also, this is the most I've ever I've only ever written more than 2k per chapter and this is my first time writing 4k in just one shot. yay!

And if you're wondering why I decided to have a second thunderbird 5 well because I thought that since I decided this takes place in season 3 and season 1 takes place in 2060 or around there, and each season is 3 years and all that crap, so I figured that technology in 2060 or 2070 would have improved a lot and it would be too complicated to put these new upgrades in Thunderbird 5 while it was operational so thus why there is a second Thunderbird 5.

[sparkwithinme]

Oho~! SO Film Review Online has the lowdown for Venom up! 

Season 3 Episode 23 “Venom”

Production Number 2/2131/0075/001

Story Teaser: When a rare spider bites a scientist, Scott must locate the anti-venom carrier drone in a dense rainforest.

Cast

Tom Furnier… Tom Haywood Higgins… Peter Davison Scott & Alan Tracy… Rasmus Hardiker Virgil Tracy… David Menkin Kayo… Angel Coulby Professor Moffat And Medic… Teresa Gallagher Lady Penelope… Rosamund Pike Parker… David Graham Havoc… Aimee-Ffion Edwards Brains… Kayvan Novak The Mechanic… Chris Jarman

Production Credits

Writer… Dan Berlinka Director... Ben Milsom (Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa YES! The ep with Peter Davison \o\ /o/ \o/)

Further spoilers and rambling continuing here... Description from the guest list they posted at the start of part C... “Peter Davison voices Higgins, a long-time employee of Brains’ close friend Professor Moffatt, who is one in a number of suspects to have potentially stolen a precious fuel required by International Rescue.” Interesting. :D Does seem like could be another ep like Buried Treasure appears to have some elements relating to the Zero-X things. ^^ And after this, think there’d be one more ep that’ll have Tanya Moodie the fire chief and fires... so the clips from the trailer we saw with Scott and forest fire... which is I’m sure the ep. we’ll be seeing the Crablogger in. :D

[vegetacide]

Cloak and Dagger

Veg●notable: Okay, I had a little fun with this and took a few liberties with one of the boys… It worked for I wanted but I am not sure how it will be received... ::ducks behind a Tracy so she doesn’t get hit with anything...::

Also I am kinda being a pantser with this chapter.. I have a general idea of where I want it to go but I didn’t suss it out like I have in other chapters so please excuse if the pacing if off. I kinda let the Boys tell me where they wanted to go and what sort of interactions they wanted to have….and they may have gone a bit off course..

As per the norm.. All errors and such are my own.

Read, review, like, reblog.. Whatever the platform, it is very, very much appreciated and it all acts as my motivational fuel.

Previous Chapters

Intro  | One  |  Two 

Chapter 3: Games 

Enjoy!

o0o

Scott drummed his fingers along the careworn surface of his father’s desk, his gaze lost to the middle distance as he thought over the information that had just been brought to him. Not that there was much, which was the problem in and of itself.

Kayo and Lady Penelope had had very little to tell him. After Fuse’s botched attempt at the old, disused power plant to obtain nuclear material he’d just up and disappeared. Their security expert and London agent had been traipsing around the globe trying to track down leads for weeks now but there was no sign of the Chaos member, his sister or for that matter the Hood… anywhere..at all.

For the Hood on his own, it wasn’t that unusual. The criminal would go quiet for a spell and not resurface for months. Now that he was with the Crew, that was an entirely different story.

Normal some tidbit of information would crop up of a sighting in some far corner of the world, or a rumour of some heist or another would drift about on the dark web. Either Lady P would poke at it to figure out if it was worth further effort or Kayo would get a call from the GDF to check with some contacts but everything had gone silent. There was nothing, no where.

Scott looked up at the muted holo-cast. A variation of the same headline scrolled along under the chrome anchors’ desk and something in the pit of his stomach tightened. This eerie feeling of foreboding had been dogging him since the plant and he just knew this wasn’t going to end well.

Picking up an old school stylus that for some reason his father had kept even with the advent of modern computer interfaces, Scott examined its length. His father had owned it for as long as he could remember. He’d once asked Jeff why he insisted on keeping it and his father had smiled in that way he did and had said that ‘somethings were just worth keeping.’ He hadn’t elaborated in any other way or given any other hint to his reasoning after that. It left Scott scratching his head in confusion.

Even now all these years later he still didn’t understand though as he looked at the smooth finish and felt the weight of it between his fingers, he could understand its appeal. It provided something tangible to hold on to, tactile.

In his case not only physically but it also provided him with a psychologically connection to the man they all missed so much. A man he truly wished was with them right now.

Maybe the great Jeff Tracy would be able to wrap his head around all this, come out with a master plan so at the end of the day the world was a better, safer place. Scott certainly didn’t think he had the chops to do it himself. Self doubt was a bitch especially when there was no supporting hand to guide you.

His father was going to come home, Scott knew that for sure. WIth Brains basically locked away working on the zero-x engine it was only a matter of time. Scott just hoped that when they got their father back…. Why was he even thinking about this? Setting the stylus back down, he rubbed at the back of his head in hopes of dispelling the direction of his thoughts. This was not helping.

Snagging his forgotten cup of coffee, he took a swig and grimaced. Cold and it was the good stuff from Virgil’s hidden stash behind the lima bean in the pantry. Eyeballing the drink with its thin layer of cream film on top, he sighed and tossed the rest back. It was too much effort to haul his ass downstairs for a fresh cup, besides his brother would kick his butt if he were to find out he knew of the existence of the rich, smoky ground beans and had wasted it. Better to just suck it up and deal with the cold brew then risk the engineer’s wrath.

“Thunderbird 5 to base.”

“Hey John,” Scott greeted with the raise of his now empty coffee mug. “What’s up?”

“Just letting you know Grandma is on approach. Will be there in t-minus 5”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

John nodded in return and they sat in silence for a moment. By the controlled look on John’s face Scott could tell that the monitor was working up to say something more. Leaning back in his chair, he cocked a foot over one knee and steepled his fingers as his brother processed whatever it was that was on his mind.

Scott didn’t want to push but time was ticking. “Johnny….?” He knew the use of his brother’s childhood nickname would get the ball rolling.

John’s eyes narrowed in annoyance at the moniker but the redhead let it slide. “How’s it going down there?”

Scott dropped his hands, pushed up to his feet and walked the short distance to the sunken seating area. “As well as can be expected.” Taking the steps down he parked on his usually couch with a heavy sigh. Sinking into the cushions with a slouch and tossing an arm up and over the back.

“That sounds...” John paused as he searched for the appropriate word, “to steal a phrase from Alan.. craptastic.”

One shoulder went up in a shrug and Scott dragged in a deep breathe. “Ya, well. Shitty situation but you know how these things go. Time and space and all that.”

“Time and space?” A smirk settled on John’s face. “This coming from you. Eos mark down the time and date. Scott is being reasonable”

“Time and date noted, John.” Came the young voice of the A.I. “I have also taken the liberty of recording this interaction for posterity in the likelihood that you want to revisit the momentous occasion.”

John chuckled as the light ring came into the view field of the camera. The array of little lights flashing in what Scott could only conclude as amusement at his cost. The A.I was learning and learning fast and Scott didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Hardy har.” A dry sound, accompanied by an eye roll. “Am I really that bad?”

The stare and awestruck look he received by way of answer should have been enough.”Aw, come on…”

“If smother hen was in the dictionary, Scott. You would be the picture beside it.” It was said rather frankly and that irked Scott into yet another eyeroll. “Matter of fact, it might actually already be in Urban Dictionary..”

“Okay. Okay..I get it. Enough already.” Scott’s boredom and disdain at the direction of the conversation wasn’t hard to miss. “I can’t help it. I worry about all of you.”

John took pity on his elder brother, the smile leaving his face. “I know you do, Scott. Especially when it’s Virgil.”

Scott sagged further into the couch.

“We all need to fall apart every now and again. The same applies to Virgil.” John spoke, his voice carrying across the distance. “As much as we rely on him to be the family rock, even a rock wears down over time when enough stress is applied.”

“Ya, I know. You’re right.” Scott leaned forward, his elbows coming to rest on his knees as he looked at the floor. “I just wish…” He didn’t finish his train of thought.

“Scott, he’ll be fine. Just give him the room to breath and in a day or two he will be right as rain again. He needs to stew this over a bit.” John shifted his gaze away from the cam, his projected hand skimming over something off screen.

“Well from what Brain’s has told me, Virgil has him doing system checks on all the wash-bays. Maybe an answer will be there for him.”

“You talked to Brain?”

“Yes, just before calling you. He wanted me to look at some computations. Double check his math and he didn’t want to bother Virgil with it” Floating about the space station some 22,000 kilomitres above them, John glaced backup a moment. “Why? Haven’t you talked to him?”

Scott sat up a bit straighter, sheepishly ashamed that the yelling the night before had sent the mousy genus into hiding in the bowels of the island. “Not since we got back..”

“Oh,” John failed to hide the nonplussed expression that flashed across the screen. “Glad I was off world last night than..:”

“Jay, you’re always off world”

John couldn’t say anything to counter that and Scott knew it. The star obsessed Tracy rarely made landfall and Scott tried to think back on how long it had been since the astronaut had been forced to submit to some down time.

“Scott, you’re getting that look in your eyes again.”

“What look?”

“The ‘I need to smother’ look that comes with the forehead wrinkles of the elderly.. Don’t you dare set your sights on me. I am needed up here with full access to all of 5’s systems and you know it.”

Scott put his hands up in surrender, not wanting to have another sibling forcibly shutting him out. “Message received and watched the old person jokes. They are laugh lines not stress.. The hair though, that’s all from you guys.”

John looked off camera again and his expression changed from brotherly bemusement to curious. “Aunt Val is reaching out. I’ll patch her though.”

Scott cursed under his breath and ignored the admonishing glare from space. Seemed he hadn’t sworn as quietly as he thought, good thing Gran….

“Scott Bartholomew Carpenter Tracy!”

Scott flinched at the sudden loud bark of reproach directed his way as his Grandmother marched into the room, fire and brimstone in her wake. “You were not raised in a barn, young man.” Crap, his diminutive elder was not impressed, especially if she broke out the little known and seldom used ‘Bartholomew.’

He was the only brother out of the five to be graced with the additionally middle name, gifted to him as the first born from his great, great Grandfather. A Tribute to a war vet that his father had been blessed with as well and one that made Scott shudder every time he heard it.

“Well technically… “John piped up earning him a warning glare from Scott.

“Gee John, thanks for the warning.. “ Scott grumbled with little enthusiasm and dripping with sarcastic annoyance.

“I did,” John blinked.

Scott contemplated several ways to seek revenge over the tirade of the fierce and feisty Sally Tracy and most of them involved airlocks and a module full of moldy bagels.

John did his level best to hide his smile at the misfortune of the eldest. “I told you she was on approach and you know she has the ears of a bat, Scooter.”

Scott glared at the space nut but all he got in return was a very large grin before the monitor disappeared and the 3D rendition of his Godmother materialized.

“Colonel Casey” Scott acknowledges, his Grandmother patted his knee in greeting and settled down on the couch beside him, the vexed look still sparking in her cerulean gaze.

“Valerie,” His Grandma piped up. “You’re a sight for sore eyes”

“Scott. Sally.” A crisp, formal acknowledgement. Definitely a business call.

The tone made Scott straighten his spine, posture ramrodding as his years of military training kicked in. Pushing to his feet, the Commander of International Rescue took up the forefront of his mind. The dilemma of the current Tracy drama brushed aside as the call to arms; so to speak, was issued by his honorary Aunt’s projected persona.

“What can I do for you, Colonel Casey?”

“Orders come down the pipe, Scott. General Abner informed me this afternoon that World Council has declared Kazakhstan a no fly zone. All personnel, both combative and civilian are on evac orders effective immediately. As of 23:00, anything in or outbound found crossing restrictive airspace will be termed hostile and dealt with accordingly.”

“And as our liaison..?” Scott asked, bracing for the answer that he feared.

“I’ve been advised to inform you that the restriction extends to International Rescue as well. Under no circumstance is International; Rescue to enter that airspace. Any action will be seen as an act of aggression against the WC and those perpetrating said act are to be shot down.”

“Noted.”

“Scott, you need to abide by this ruling. This is from way up the food chain. There will be nothing I can do to help you if these orders are disregarded. “ Casey stressed. “You will be on your own.I’ve also been instructed that anyone aiding and abetting is to be brought in and prosecuted under the full force of the law.”

Meaning, the whole family would be under threat and the whole might of the GDF would be pointed in their direction. Even though they claimed no allegiance to any known entity, International Rescue and by turn the Tracy’s would be marked as traitors “I understand Colonel.”

Essentially the country has been walled off and Scott wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He just hoped that there would be no call out for iR in the vicinity of the damned country but he knew from experience hopes and wishes were very seldom taken into consideration.

-o-o-

Some 6,500km away, tucked under a remote mountain village on the furthest edge of Kazakhstan a display monitor beeped to life with the flow of garish, green text. Servos hummed, fans ticked on and a smile crept across the harshly angled face with amber eyes.

Piece by piece plans that had taken months to arrange were finally starting to come together. Money had passed hands, people had been bought, information exchanged and like pawns on a chessboard, the players were shifting into their places.

Looking at the board, the queen slipped into place and unbeknownst to all but one, the king now sat vulnerable. The end was in sight.

Let the games begin.

TBC

[feet010]

I'm truly disappointed there are no x readers of this show, there is so many characters and so much potential 💔

IT'S A GREAT SHOW, please. If you're interested in looking for something new, CONSIDER Thunderbirds are going. The characters are cutie patooties and, overall, just some lovable characters !

Also Scott is hot 🤷‍♀️

[tagsecretsanta]

From @Eirabach

to @cookidoughlilac

Secret Santa does not own this work, full credit to the author above!

And the soul felt its worth…

[Pen & Ink exchanging gifts by the fire + blink and you miss it Grandma/Kip]

A lone string of Christmas lights throw their soft light across the dash as Virgil turns Two over the North Sea, the cabin silent but for the muted roar of the engines, the earlier humming of carols forgotten as the night had fallen and the sea had risen. Two feels more like a cathedral in the quiet, anyway.

The fairy lights are probably illegal, Gordon wouldn’t know. Something to do with running lights and landing lights and all the other things he nods along to but never recalls. He leaves the legalities of Two’s flight plans to Virgil, the details to John, the refueling to Brains, the directions to Scott. He’d even left the fairy lights to Alan, this year. Virgil doesn't turn them off at least.

The tinsel on the yoke was him, but it’s crushed under Virgil’s grip now. White knuckles flashing red, blue, green. Glitter and gold peeking through the dirt. Gordon looks away, out into the night, ignores the flicker of his own reflection, the shapes behind him. 

“Gordon --” In the reflection he sees Virgil’s eyes cut over to him, still a little too wide, a little too wet. He’d heard him, before. Muttering childhood prayers Gordon barely recalls, his head low over the sheets, his shoulders shaking. Gordon doesn’t shake. Gordon doesn’t blink. Virgil’s eyes narrow, and the tinsel crunches as he shifts his grip, turns his body. Gordon doesn’t move.

“It -- it isn’t your fault, you know.”

That’s worth a scoff at least, because Gordon knows that. He’s not an idiot and he’s not a martyr. There are only so many things he can do and the seas had been so high and the water so cold -- he knows. It’s not his first rodeo.

It’s Christmas Eve though.

It’s Christmas Eve, and somewhere, somewhere god only knows how many thousands of miles away, Scott’s hanging stockings with holes darned up and clementines stuffed in the toes and Brains is formulating gravy equations and Alan’s out on the hillside, waiting for them all to come home.

Not everyone comes home. Gordon’s known that almost as long as he’s known his own name.

It ought to get easier.

It doesn’t.

Somewhere beyond Two’s nose lie the bright lights of the GDF facility. White fluorescence to match Virgil’s knuckles, the sheets in the cargo hold. Nothing soft about them, just all blaring harshness, honest in their ugliness. 

You don't get to have this.

They don’t get to have this.

Two isn’t a subtle craft, she leaves the medical crew trembling, windswept and silent as she settles, their mouths moving but their words drowned by the VTOL. Their words are hopeless anyway, and by far the least of all the things that have drowned tonight. They pull the shrouded losses out, one, two, three, roll them onto stretchers and bow their heads as they wheel them away. The base commander is talking -- Two is silent now, waiting -- but the roaring in Gordon’s ears hasn’t stopped, hasn’t dimmed, just swallows up platitudes until his stomach roils with them. 

Virgil drops a hand to his shoulder, big and heavy and warm, and he juts his chin out just a little further. Tenses his muscles until his jaw aches.

“-- everything that you could,” the base commander says, and he’s looking at Gordon. Looking at Gordon with bloodshot eyes ringed in black, and Gordon -- Gordon knows that he’s lying. Virgil’s fingers tighten. Virgil knows too. 

They turn their backs on the too bright runway and retreat to the soft glow of the cockpit. Gordon flicks at the take off switches without really seeing them, the action ingrained in his fingertips. Beside him he hears Virgil sigh -- long-suffering, meaningful, Virgil -- and bites the inside of his cheek until he tastes blood.

“Okay,” Virgil says, “okay. Setting eight niner.”

Gordon’s hand stills over the Nav switch.

“That’s not --”

“My ship, my route. Eight niner.”

“Where are you taking me?” 

“Gordon --”

“Don’t, okay? Just --” He takes a steadying breath, tries out a smile. Fails to meet Virgil’s eyes. “It’s Christmas.”

Christmas, with all its tradition, its expectations. Alan and Scott and John down on Earth for a whole 48 hours. Grandma's cooking and the caterers Kayo never admits to booking. Hand knitted stockings and rustling golden paper and smiling. Because Dad's back, and it's Christmas and it's perfect, isn't it?

He's going to have to do so much smiling. It’s expected. Required. Needed.

Gordon doesn’t feel especially capable of being what anyone needs right now.

Virgil stares at him a beat too long. He does that, too often and to all of them, but Gordon’s always been the least able to brush him off. Grandma says he’s as transparent as the ocean he loves, bright and blue and honest, his very heart on display for anyone who so much as glances at him, his storms as grey and as frightening, his veins polluted by the ugly things they pull up from his depths.

And Virgil knows that, too.

“Yeah,” he says. “Call it a Christmas present.”

---

Penelope holds the bowl of her teacup in both hands, her nose close enough to the edge that she can feel the last wisps of heat rising from the dregs. It’s a bitter night. Further north than here she knows there’s a storm raging the likes of which will be sure to make the Christmas Day bulletins, and she presses her fingertips a little harder into the porcelain. 

The fire’s still burning as brightly as it ever has, at least. Parker had been careful to build it back up for her before she’d sent him to his regular spot at the Lamb and Flag -- it’s almost midnight and you know they won’t shut before you arrive, Parker. Parker had scoffed at her, eyes rolling, but he’d made sure to bring down the old crystal sherry glass and leave a mince pie beside her cooling teapot. Old traditions long since grown out of, but still -- still.

It’s a terrible night to be out in a storm.

Bertie huffs in his sleep, and she curls her bare toes under his belly. There’s a childishness to the way she still spends her Christmas Eves tucked up on the hearthside rug, antique crystal glinting in the firelight, dog drool seeping into Turkish silk. A certainty and a peace in it that she loves, still, even if the thrum of childhood anticipation has dimmed, and really -- there’s nowhere else she would rather be. Really.

It’s just --

Well.

Perhaps just for one night of the year, she ought to embrace being lonely. And she does. She enjoys it, even. The solitude and the softness of this one, magical night. It’s just this year -- this one year --

He’d asked. Coy and quiet in that way he only ever is with her, dark eyes focussed on his toes scuffing through the sand, and the yes, of course and the where else would I be had been right on the very tip of her tongue, and then Alan had come hooting past them, bodyboard under his arm and father on his heels and --

And Christmas is a time for family, after all. 

Later, too late, John had let slip that Grandma had her own guest arriving and Scott had huffed that I’ve already made you a stocking Lady P, seriously, but she’d already seen his light shutter at the shake of her head. Already disappointed him enough.

Maybe the loneliness feels a little less like peace this year.

Maybe that’s her own fault.

The flames stutter as the wind outside picks up and she takes that as a sign that it’s time for bed. Her knees are a little stiffer than they ought to be -- too many hours on her feet in six inch heels followed by too long sitting on the thin rug -- and she sways slightly as she reaches to put the teacup down. Exhaustion, probably, though just like the loneliness there’s no real reason for it. She was invited. She was. She has no one to blame tonight but herself.

“Honestly, Penelope,” she huffs as Bertie rolls himself closer to the hearth. “Do get a grip.”

The wind howls again, agreement and encouragement in one, and she turns to draw the curtains. Outside, the sky is cold. Starless, but for four patches of whitehot flame.

Green.

Green?

She slips sideways on the edge of the rug as she bolts for the door, her hands shamefully unsteady as she fumbles with the deadbolts. Her comm’s where she left it, still and silent on the occasional table, but Virgil’’s here, and Virgil must have a reason and it’s Christmas --

She flings the door open, pulls her dressing gown tighter around her at the blast of frigid air as Two settles across the driveway and east lawn. She looks well enough -- solid and dependable as ever -- and Penelope can see the gentle, reassuring flicker of Christmas lights through her windscreen. 

Not that sort of visit, then. Not tonight.

The backdraft dies away, the engines winding down, but Two still sits, silent, as though waiting. For her, she assumes. Unless Parker has plans he’d failed to announce. She steps out into the night, her toes curling against the chill of the stone steps, and turns her face up toward the embarkation hatch.

There’s a clanging from within, something metallic and a heavy scuffling sort of sound, and then the hatch begins to lower and her heart finally settles from somewhere in the vicinity of her throat to drop back into the space where it belongs.

“Merry Christmas, Lady P!” Virgil calls, waving brightly with the arm that isn’t wrapped around his younger brother’s shoulders, and she laughs, letting it ring out, musical and genuine through the night air.

“Virgil! Are you moonlighting as Old Saint Nick this year?”

“Something like that,” he says, cheerfully enough, but as they reach the ground she can see that his grip on Gordon is ever so slightly too tight, his smile just a little too strained. “Even brought my best elf along for the ride.”

“Oh, I know that can’t possibly be true,” she teases, even as her eyes roam over Gordon’s downcast face, the grime in his hair, the salt trails on his cheeks. “Elves are helpful, biddable little creatures are they not?”

“Depends on the legend,” says Virgil wryly, and then he’s releasing Gordon and stepping back onto the platform, rising back up even as Penelope gapes and Gordon stares unseeingly at his feet. “Call me when you need me, ok?”

---

Gordon isn’t entirely sure if Virgil’s speaking to him or Penelope, not sure if it matters either way, because he’s disappearing back into the bowels of Two and it might be too dark to see his expression as the VTOL roars back to life, but Gordon hasn’t had Virgil as his wingman all his life not to know he’s a smug bastard when it suits him.

Beside him Penny rolls up onto her toes, once, twice, then claps her hands together.

“So, do you think he’ll be parking Two behind the Lamb and Flag for a glass of Advocaat while he waits, or -- “

“You’re not wearing any shoes.” He blinks, but no, he’s not going mad. Her bare toes are still twitching at the edge of his vision, shell pink nails against pale skin, and he’s struck by the memory of the sailor’s feet, bare and blue and so so cold no matter what he did, no matter how hard he --

“Gordon?” Penelope isn’t blue, she’s pink and gold and flushed by the cold. The tip of her nose and the apples of her cheeks and he doesn’t even realise he’s doing it until it’s too late, until he’s burying his face into the warm skin of her neck, leaving salty, filthy handprints on the silk of her nightgown. “Oh, Gordon.”

“It’s -- it’s nothing, all right?” He turns to steer her back into the house, tries to ignore the set of her shoulders under his hands, the way she looks at him as though -- as though she knows. “Come on, come on, you’re gonna freeze out here in that get up. It’s nice, by the way. Very nice.” He holds her out at arms length and waggles his eyebrows.  “Expecting company were you?”

Penelope narrows her eyes. “I was expecting to go to bed.”

“I mean, that can be arranged, right?” He wrinkles his nose, looking up briefly -- considering. “I wonder how many Advocaats Virgil can drink and still be legal to fly?”

“Gordon, do you think I’m a complete fool?” she scoffs, spinning on her heel to face him as they reach the warmth of the parlour fire. He hadn’t even known where he was going, and isn’t that just always the way with her? “What happened.”

He shrugs, a last half hearted denial, and Penelope drops to sit cross legged on the rug, her right hand coming to rest on Bertie’s side.

“All right,” she says. “If you don’t want to tell me.”

“I don’t,” he agrees.

She quirks an eyebrow.

“Ugh, fine.” Gordon collapses next to her in an exhausted, grubby heap. “It was a shitshow tonight.”

“Well, that’s only to be expected.”

Gordon gapes. “Uh, thanks? Jesus, Penny.”

“That isn’t what I --” She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I only mean that it’s Christmas Eve, isn’t it? Everything seems so much more tonight. Good and bad.”

“This was -- this was pretty bad.”

“Pretty bad?”

“The worst.”

Penny reaches over, entwines the fingers of her left hand with his right, and squeezes.

“I’m sorry, darling.”

Gordon hums a miserable little noise, and turns their hands over so that he can lift her knuckles to his mouth and drop a kiss against the thin skin.

“Do you know what the worst bit was?” He feels more than sees the shake of Penny’s head. “Those guys tonight, they should have been going home to their family, and they can’t. And I can, but -- why me, you know? I’ve got my brothers and Grandma and Dad and you and I can’t -- I can’t figure out why me and not them.”

Penny scooches closer until their knees knock together and she can lean in to press her forehead against his. She smells like cinnamon and clove and woodsmoke and he basks in her warmth for a long moment before pulling back.

“Penny --”

“No.” His eyes snap to hers, then. Big and blue and fierce in that way that he’s always been helpless around. “I refuse. I don’t accept that you are somehow less worthy -- Gordon Tracy, you’re the most worthy man I know and I’m sorry, I am, I’m terribly desperately sorry for the families of those poor men, but if you’re telling me that I ought to lose you instead -- then I refuse. Outright.” She sniffs, all old money and utter certainty. “There’s not a soul on this planet I’d exchange for you. You know that.” Gordon blinks at her, and a little crease appears between her eyebrows. “You -- you do know that, don’t you?”

“You didn’t want to come for Christmas.” He practically breathes it, hadn’t even known the words were there before they were already dropping from his mouth, and he immediately wishes he could cram them all back in because that’s -- that’s a declaration, a thing, a dream come goddamn true and all he can do is complain? Penelope’s expression twists guiltily and Gordon decides to just go drown himself in the ornamental pond and be done with it.

“I thought -- I wanted you to have a family Christmas, your father --”

But his mouth’s running away from him again and baby Jesus come save him from himself because, “-- but you’re my family, Pen. I wanted you.”

He isn’t entirely sure what sort of reaction he expects to get to a declaration like that, hadn’t been expecting to make it at all to be honest, but Penny launching herself into his lap, elbows flying -- he’s really not sure if he should be glad or frightened. He’s definitely winded. “Oof.”

She laughs, a little wild, the way she hardly ever laughs around anyone else, and digs her really very bony elbow into his solar plexus. “Don’t be rude!”

“Really?” He grins despite himself as she settles her weight meaningfully against him, one hearth-warm hand coming up to caress his cheek. “Is this my present? I didn’t even bring you one.”

“Yes.” She smiles, soft and sweet and just for him. Something inside him, something that froze out in the North Sea, melts between his ribs. It aches, a little. He loves it a lot. “Yes, you did.”

“Oh.” Penny shifts her weight once more. With uh -- feeling. “Oh.”

She quirks an eyebrow at him, her robe dropping open slightly as she leans forward, “Oh?”

Gordon swallows, his throat clicking. “Virgil will be -- he’ll be okay, right?”

“I’m sure Parker will keep him company.” Her hand is already at his zipper and that sort of sounds like a threat to his brother’s safety but -- hey. Priorities.

He shrugs. Smiles. Lets himself forget for a night. This one night, at least.

“Well then. A very Happy Christmas to Virgil. And uh -- to me.”

“Gordon?”

“Mmm?”

“Shut up.”

---

They don’t mention Virgil again, not until the fire has long since burned out. It’s a draught from the newly opened door that wakes her, reaching out for them with chilly fingers where they lie curled around each other on the too-small chaise. Penelope blinks blearily up at the dark figures in the doorway -- blue-green and grey against the pallor of the oncoming dawn.

“Merry Christmas,” one of them says, whiskey rough and exhausted, and she shifts her gaze down to where Gordon lies, still grubby and pale but peaceful and so beautiful in sleep, and smiles.

“Merry Christmas indeed.”

[rent-day-blues]

Rent Day Blues

4

[previous]

Gordon entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him before leaning back against the wall. He pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath. Then another, forcing himself to keep them even and slow.

Now wasn't the time for this.

God, but he was tired.

No doubt Scott was in the waiting room, wearing a hole in the floor from his pacing. John and Virgil were probably there, or maybe one of them had stayed home with Grandma. The waiting room wasn't the ideal pace for her to be resting, especially with how bad the pain had been recently.

He wanted nothing more to just sink down to the floor, but he knew he had to let his brothers know how it had gone. How incredibly lucky their dumbass little brother was. He pushed himself off the wall and turned on the sink, splashing his face with cold water. Then he dried his face and left the bathroom before he gave into the urge to yell.

Scott and John weren't hard to find; Scott was still in uniform, and the two of them were both so stupidly tall it would have been impossible for Gordon to miss them. He didn't see Virgil anywhere.

Scott spotted him first and immediately headed towards him, pulling John after him. Scott looked like he'd aged twenty years since the last time Gordon had seen him. John's face was carefully neutral, but the tightness around his eyes told Gordon that he, too, was reaching his breaking point.

"How is he?"Scott asked before he'd even fully reached Gordon.

"He's out of surgery," Gordon said. He held his hands up to stop them from speaking. "There were clear signs of internal bleeding, they needed to open him up to stop it. He has a few broken ribs and there's been some associated damage to his liver. They're going to keep an eye on it, but for the moment it's under control."

"And?"John prompted.

"From what it looks like, he hit the door pretty hard and dislocated his left shoulder," Gordon said. "He's got a pretty nasty bruise from his seatbelt, he probably has whiplash. They were talking about taking x-rays of his collar bone. He has a concussion, but...it could have been a lot worse. He had a helmet on. The visor broke and left a nasty cut above his eye, but the helmet probably saved his life."

Definitely saved his life. From the looks on their faces, Scott and John knew that as well as Gordon did. He quickly added, "He woke up on the way here. He was disoriented, but he was responsive and he recognized me. I don't think he remembered what happened."

"I'd rather he didn't remember," Scott said. His expression darkened. "After I get out of him who put him in that car."

"Did your rookie find anything?" Gordon asked.

"She's still looking," Scott said, running a hand through his hair. "Can we see Alan?"

"Not yet," Gordon said. "They have to do a CT scan, and more x-rays. It'll be soon, I think. Grandma and Virgil at home?"

Scott and John glanced at each other, and Gordon felt his stomach sink. "What?"

"Grandma's with Penny," John said. Gordon narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Virgil?"he asked.

"We don't know," John admitted. "He was out looking for Alan. He's not answering his phone."

"Oh," Gordon said, keeping his voice steady through sheer force of will. He really wanted to yell. Virgil didn't usually disappear like this. Virgil always answered the phone. Always. He was somewhat neurotic about it. Something was wrong.

All three of them jumped as Scott's phone started ringing. Scott snatched it up, looking at the caller ID before he sighed.

"Kayo."

Gordon tried not to feel disappointed as Scott answered the call. He stepped away from them.

"You should sit down," John said, and it took Gordon a second to realize he was talking to him.

"Huh?"

"You look like you're about to fall over," John said. "You should sit down."

"I'm still on call," Gordon said.

"No, you're not," John said. "You're officially off the clock as of an hour ago. I called. One of the guys dropped your stuff off about twenty minutes ago. Here," he pushed Gordon's phone into his hand. "Someone needs to call Penny and Grandma and tell them what happened."

"Wait, they don't know?" Gordon said, his eyes widening.

"Gordon, I didn't even know what had actually happened until I got here," John said. "All Scott told me over the phone was, 'Alan's hurt bad, come to the hospital'. "

Gordon grimaced. "Ah. Grandma's going to kill you, you do realize that, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Her phone sits on top of the quilt, spread over Ruth Tracy's lap, and Penny's just lost her third hand of canasta. John had said, before he'd left, that he'd given his grandmother a pill for the pain she was in, but whatever it was seems only to have sharpened the woman's card sense, because Penelope's been beaten soundly each time.

She wonders, as she peers at her cards, if Gordon's brothers ask the obvious question of just where the pain meds come from. They must know better than to ask. Or they must not want to know. Scott would have to look so far the other way he'd probably just about snap his neck.

Penny had rumbled him the first time he'd come over to spend the night. They'd been out a few times before that, the sort of airy, unserious sorts of dates that could be afforded by a waitress and a paramedic. A movie, though what they could agree upon was nothing either of them were especially interested in. Coffee, once, though it had been in the same coffeeshop where Penny spends her workday, and so there'd been the awkward reality of all her co-workers grinning at her the whole way through. A picnic in the park, a walk along the river, and the sort of conversation that had been the clincher, because neither of them had talked around their problems. There'd been an intensity to the honest exchange of circumstances that had only served to pull them that much closer.

It had been after that particular conversation that she'd suggested that maybe the last flight of stairs up to his place might not be worth the trouble, and that maybe he ought to come in. There'd been a certain absence of ambiguity about her motives, and she was hardly too proud to admit that this was more or less what she'd been after in the first place. He'd gone to shower and she'd gone to sit on the bed in her room, where he'd left his bag.

And, well. If he hadn't wanted to get caught at it, then he probably shouldn't have left a full bottle of painkillers sitting so near to the top of his duffel bag. She'd only been curious to find out if he habitually carried condoms, or whether there was going to be a mad and embarrassing dash to the drug store down the street.

If he hadn't caught her, catching him, she wonders sometimes if she would have left it alone. If she would have been desperate and lonely enough to look the other way, to draw the wrong conclusion entirely about Gordon Tracy, and the reasons he managed to stay so cheerful and buoyant and sunshiney, despite his job and despite his circumstances. Instead she'd looked up at the sound of an awkward cough from her bedroom doorway, with a pill bottle clasped in her hand and an expression of surprise.

And if he hadn't been naked but for the towel around his waist and grinning at her sheepishly, Penny might have been afraid to have been caught by him.

But instead he'd just crossed the room and sat down on the bed, and had reached over to take the little bottle out of her hand and stash it back in his bag. "You don't have to believe me," he'd told her, and she'd done her damnedest to meet his eyes instead of being distracted by the curve of his torso, the way his towel sat just below his hips— "I've got about a million problems, Pen, and if the fact that I'm the worst kinda drug-stealing, cowardly, hypocritical bastard is one of 'em, then at least being a drug addict isn't. I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb."

"For your grandmother?" she'd asked softly. She'd swallowed and hoped that she knew what the answer would be.

He'd nodded and sighed. "Yeah. Umm. John, once in a while, he gets the most wicked migraines, poor bastard. If, uh. If we get to be a thing—and I'm not saying...I'm not saying we are...unless you wanna be, but you know, that's just whatever, because that's a whole other thing—anyway. You should come meet her sometime. Either way, even if we don't keep doing...uh. This. You should still meet my grandma. She's a hell of a lady. You'd like each other."

It was what he'd said next, and the way he'd said it, more than anything, that had made her believe him. I've never known anybody, more than my gran, who deserved just a little less pain.

And he'd been right. Even if she hadn't gone on to lean over and kiss him and run her hands through his still damp hair—when she'd gone on to meet Ruth Tracy, she'd seen the sort of beautiful, strong old soul that could raise five boys into the kind of adults her grandsons were, and still have a smile and a gleam in her eye from the confines of her sickbed.

So now Penelope sat on the end of Ruth's bed, with cards spread out between them, and her phone on the bedspread. When it rings, before she can reach for it, a surprisingly quick hand reached out and caught her wrist. "My dear," Ruth started, and her eyes were sharp and bright when Penny looked up to meet them, "I'm always happy to see you. And I'm glad that you're here now. But if that's one of my boys, you're going to make them tell me just what the hell is going on, or by god, Penelope, I'll stump out of here myself and get on a bus."

She looks down at her phone, but the custom ringtone's already given him away, because the bright and cheerful tones of Walking on Sunshine have filled the room. This is probably a question best put to Gordon, anyway, though in her heart she dreads the answer. "...Yes, ma'am."

Technically, Kayo's shift ended an hour ago, so the fact that she was in plain clothes wasn't, technically, against regs. And Tracy had told her to follow her nose, and he was her TO, so technically this was an authorized operation.

Technically. Kayo was comfortable with technically.

Out of uniform, in skinny jeans and an old band shirt she'd found at the back of her closet, her leather jacket over the top covering her service weapon tucked away in its holster, she could still just pass as one of them. She knew the language of the street, even if these weren't the streets she learned it on. Regardless of the city, the basics were the same.

Kayo smiled at the kid they called Shifty as she passed, letting him get a good look at her. There was always a kid called Shifty, and he always knew the score. She knew from the gossip in the breakroom that this town's Shifty hung out by the gas station on Third, at the point where strip mall shops turned into small workshops and storehouses, the street running down to where the bigger warehouses were located.

Shifty was taller than her, but the kind of skinny you only got when meals were few and far between. Kayo went into the gas station, came out a moment later with a fist-full of brightly coloured packages, jerky and twinkies, the kind of things that kept, and could be crammed in a hoodie pocket. “Hey, Shifty,” she called out, tossing over one of the packages as her price of entry into this conversation. “What's the deal with that crash tonight?”

A brief conversation and the rest of her snacks later, and Kayo was walking confidently down towards the warehouses. Half the street lights in this area were out, knocked out or just never replaced, and Kayo hooked her hands in her belt loops, flexed and ready to reach for her gun.

The word on the street was fear. Shifty had counseled she lie low, that 'The Boss,' whoever that was, was on the warpath, pissed that the big race had quite literally gone sideways into a ditch.

That there was a Boss calling the shots worried her. This wasn't just a bunch of kids in hot cars, blowing off steam and hormones late at night, dangerous but innocent.

This was organized. That meant there was an organizer, and a reason.

Kayo slowed, ears pricking. She could just make out the faintest susurrations of voices, the tone implying a debate was in full flow. There was light, just visible under the transom of the human sized door set into the larger, hangar-style sliders.

Every other warehouse was dark, felt empty. Kayo circled her target, looking for another way in. She found it out the back, a broken window badly covered with a sheet of pressboard. A moment's work, and she was climbing inside.

Inside was a large workshop, mostly empty but for a few cars up on roller racks so that mechanics could get at the underbelly. The arrangement of the room suggested to her that this space normally was crammed with vehicles.

This was where the race started.

Kayo flicked open her jacket, ready to draw, as she crept closer to the light pooling out onto the concrete from a little shack made of flimsy plywood and pressboard, built against the far wall.

The voices were clearer here, and Kayo listened, getting a bead on the argument.

One voice was trying to persuade the other...to do what, she wasn't sure. The debate had descended into pleas and bargaining. She crept up to the window that looked out over the workshop and peered inside. Half-turned towards her, a small skinny figure in glasses was glancing between monitors propped up on a makeshift desk.

The figure with his back to her was bigger, taller, stronger. Kayo's lips pursed, judging her odds of taking him in a fight. In a confined space, a gun was more a liability than a threat, but big guys fell hard if you had the leverage.

And there was a tyre iron, propped up on the wall beside her.

Kayo smiled in the dark, tucked her badge into the waist of her jeans so her shield showed, hefted her weapon and stepped into makeshift office.

“Police! Hands in the...Virgil?”

Virgil already had his hands half-up, an automatic reaction. Even so, the other figure was faster, hands almost stretching for the sky. “Kayo?” Virgil asked, blinking hard.

She lowered her weapon. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Virgil shrugged. “Same as you, I suspect.” He turned back towards the other figure, still with his hands in the air, his eyes darting between them behind his thick-rimmed glasses. “Officer Kyrano, let me introduce you to Brains.” Virgil sighed, sounding tired. “I think he knows what's going on.”

Technically, she didn't have enough evidence for probable cause, not enough of the pieces to make an arrest. But, she wondered, did Brains know that. She tapped her nails against her badge, an idle, casual gesture that caught and held his attention. “I think it would be in Mr Brains' best interests if he started talking.” She let the tyre iron drag on the concrete floor as she took a step forward, saw Brains' eyes widen.

Technically, this type of interrogation wasn't illegal.

Technically.

[to be continued]

[shirubie]

The Measure of a Man by Phoenix_Sparrow is a very good fic about this concept, with slightly different superpowers. It hasn’t been updated in a while but I highly recommand it.

What about Lady Penelope and Parker? I can see Lady Penelope as a kind of telepath, or simply being able to tell when someone is lying. As for Parker, well he’s pretty agile for someone his age. Or I’d give him X-ray vision, that’s how he’s so good at safe cracking.

Brains? if his super engineering skills aren’t enough to be considered superhuman, I’d make him a technopath, being able to control machines and computers with his mind

Super Powers

Currently watching Disneys Hercules (and trying to ignore the massive amount of inaccuracies) and thought of our Tracy brothers.

Not sure if this has been broached before but I've devised a list of each Tracy brother and their 'super power'

Scott: Speed

John: Fast thinker/problem solver (before EOS)

Virgil: Super strength/healing powers

Gordon: Amphibious

Alan: still growing but I'm leaning towards quick reflexes

Kayo: turns invisible