Fiction Post

Virgil and John had needed to get back to their own lives. College was over for the semester and exams completed and John had to leave to go into quarantine for his next stint on the WSS. Scott had insisted they both go, that he would be fine and that they could talk frequently.

They still left reluctantly, Virgil flying them out and using the time to discuss strategy in regard to their big brother. All plans were pie in the sky, though, as they had no real way of knowing how it was going. Their Dad had promised to keep them informed but he wasn’t the most reliable when under stress.

And this was stressful. This was very stressful.

This was where Gordon and Alan had an opportunity to return all the love and care that their brother had shown them. They took their job seriously.

Very seriously. Scott found that he didn’t get a moment alone.

He found it hard at first. There were nightmares where he woke up screaming to find his Dad was always there. And during the day one or other of his youngest brothers were with him, with Dad or Grandma hovering in the background.

Before…before Scott would have found it all too smothering but now, once he got used to the idea, he found it strengthening.

On bad days they were around but not near him. Sometimes hearing them messing around in the kitchen or watching an old Disney movie was enough to snap him out of whatever spiral he was going through.

The day he made it outside the farmhouse to watch Gordon swim in the pool out the back was a milestone that felt like an age in coming, but breathing the warm summer air and did something to him.

It lifted his heart and for the first time Scott felt like he actually had a chance of soaring again.

It was a turning point.

From that time on it was difficult to keep Scott inside. He spent mornings outside wandering the farmland and afternoons he’d spend time with Gordon and Alan. They’d walk to the wood and along the stream. The two boys would make sure that they were slow enough that Scott, still needing extensive physio for his injuries and using a cane to walk with, could keep up easily.

The fresh air and the daily exercise had Scott’s doctors making hopeful noises.

Eventually his daily walks expanded to outside their home. It was difficult at first – sudden noises still made him jump, he was nervous of people, even of people he’d known since they’d moved here.

But the townsfolk were kind people with long memories of how much Grant and Lucille Tracy had meant to them and with their help when he was out and about Scott began to progress even better.

Eight months to the day Scott had been brought home Gordon won gold in the Olympics and Scott was there in person to see it thanks to ear plugs and some light sedation that didn’t stop him celebrating along with his brothers.

The celebrations lasted more than one night…

But from the moment they arrived home Gordon switched from being Olympic obsessed to becoming a WASP. He’d have another seven months before his sixteenth birthday, the day he’d officially be old enough to join with his Father’s permission.

Jeff had listened to Gordon’s impassioned discussion on why WASP was a better fit than staying on at school and going to college. The service would ensure he finished his high school diploma and then went on to work on a degree of his choice.

So Gordon split his remaining time between helping Scott any way he could and prepping for his upcoming bootcamp prep day. Scott was a great help, and in going over his own experiences in the USAF it helped him to come to terms with his own trauma.

Scott had never been prouder when he saw Gordon descend the stairs in full WASP uniform, ready to leave for boot camp. He’d not donned the uniform since being rescued but that time was fast approaching – Scott needed to return to base and report in. There was talk of trials at the Hague, which he was frankly sick to his stomach about. His Dad had said not to worry about it but…how could he not?

All that was pushed out of his mind as his brother gave him the crispest salute, which he solemnly returned before pulling him into a tight, lingering hug. He whispered around the lump into Gordon’s ear.

‘I am so, so proud of you.’ ‘Thank you. For everything, Scott.’ ‘You’re welcome.’ ‘I mean it, Scott. For always being there for me, for fighting my corner. For never leaving me.’

Scott pulled him closer and rested his cheek on Gordon’s cap for a moment, careful not to distort the headwear.

And then it was time for Gordon to leave.

Time passed.

Gordon graduated from NUB (non-useful body) to Dolphin quickly, acing the Officer school and coming top of his class, just as Scott had.

His progress within the service was meteoric. As Gordon rose in the ranks Scott’s own progress was unfortunately nowhere near his brothers. Not that Scott was worried about that..

They both had news for their family.

Scott had been back to McConnell Air Force for almost a month. He was under assessment pending a review of his combat status. So far he was…managing. His flying was good but there were concerns regarding his behaviour while on the ground. Noises still startled him and he was withdrawn from the rest of his squad, preferring his own association.

When nothing improved by the end of the assessment period, when Scott was still refusing to see the mental health team, the brass reluctantly came to the same conclusion.

Meanwhile, Gordon’s went from strength to strength. So much so that they offered him a highly coveted role in the testing of new equipment while the kinks were being worked out of the latest sub for the fleet, Stingray.

The family had already began moving to the island, but this reunion was going to be the last one in Kansas. So Jeff had fired up the grill, Virgil had prepped the meat and Kayo and Sally had prepped salad sides. John, unfortunately was up in space, but he’d sent a message to both his brothers and a promise to be home in a couple of months if either of them were going to be around.

Scott flew into Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita first but Gordon wasn’t too far behind and the two took their family’s “hopper” plane home, the little runaround that had been their Mom’s until her death and that Dad had kept for when his boys needed to get home.

They were met on the farm runway by Alan, who hopped around them with the energy only a 11-year-old could have and talking so fast they couldn’t have got a word in even if they wanted to.

The meal was a great success and as evening turned to night and Scott carried Alan to bed, talk turned to how their respective careers were going.

Gordon was full of excitement but he knew that he couldn’t say what was going on, so he kept his news full of training exploits and downtime pranks. His enthusiasm and happiness was infectious though, and if anyone noticed Scott staying silent well, no one said anything. This was Gordon’s moment and his eldest brother was content to let him shine bright.

It didn’t fool Virgil or Jeff of course, and with a pointed look to their father Virgil eventually hauled the Squid off to bed.

They stayed on the porch, Jeff only disappearing to grab a bottle of whisky and two glasses. He poured them both a generous dose and they settled to watch the sky and Jeff waited for his son to open up.

It took another hour and two more glasses of scotch before Scott sighed and sat forwards, rolling the glass between his hands.

‘They’ll discharging me, Dad. Honourable discharge on medical grounds. They were very…nice about it.’ ‘Scotty…’ ‘What am I going to do, Dad? No one wants a washed-up pilot.’ ‘I do.’ ‘Dad…’ ‘I’m serious, Son. You know we’ve been talking about International Rescue?’ ‘Yeah. I remember.’ ‘Virgil and I along with Brains – you remember Brains?’ ‘I do.’ ‘Well, we are well on the way to making this a reality.’ ‘I thought that wouldn’t be happening for years yet.’ ‘I know! But Brains is really a genius and coupled with Virgil’s know-how and John’s computer skills, we’re looking at being up and running in only a couple more years.’

Jeff rested a hand on Scott’s arm and smiled at him.

‘We’re going to need a test pilot quite quickly. And I want that to be you, Scott. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather have, even if we weren’t going to be secret.’

Scott blushed but smiled.

The rest of the night was spent discussing the rescue ships until Jeff yawned and Scott insisted they both go to bed.

Alan was ecstatic when Scott told them he was home for good so when Gordon left the blow was softened somewhat. The youngest was due to leave soon himself. He’d agreed to be boarded at Whartons Academy, a school in Massachusetts, one that would challenge him rather than the boring school he was currently attending. Alan had been gutted at not being allowed to stay home on the island but there was a little part of him that was excited to be out from his brothers’ shadows.

The next two months involved Scott helping move the rest of what they were taking to the island and talking to the rest of his brothers.

And then Gordon called home. While he couldn’t tell them what exactly he would be doing he could at least let them know roughly how long he’d be out of contact, and he managed to talk to everyone except John, whose return home had been delayed a couple of weeks.

They fully moved to the island a week later.

Jeff sat back and surveyed the ocean beyond the window. A sense of peace enveloped him and he sighed contentedly. Which meant he was a little annoyed when the phone rang. He was half-tempted to ignore it but suddenly a cold sensation washed over him and he couldn’t answer it quickly enough.

‘Jeff Tracy.’ ‘Jeff, it’s Sam. Sam Shore.’ ‘Sam? What’s wrong?’ ‘It’s Gordon.’

He hit the untested klaxon and his boys came running. Ten minutes later they were flying as fast as Tracy One could go for Marineville.

They practically stormed the hospital. Thankfully Atlanta was there to meet them and take them through the layers of bureaucracy and to the room Gordon would be released to once his surgery would be over. He’d already been in for hours but they were still at it…

Atlanta kept them plied with decent coffee and easy-to-eat food and stayed with them throughout the rest of that day and the following night.

Eventually a very tired doctor appeared in the room. Everyone sat up, Alan firmly between Scott and Jeff and holding their hands tightly. Jeff gave his hand a squeeze before getting up to greet the doctor and Virgil immediately took his place and Alan’s hand.

‘Doctor. What news?’ ‘Gordon is one tough cookie, Mr Tracy. He’s pulled through more than 14 hours of surgery but I have to warn you he’s nowhere near out of the woods yet. The next 24 hours will be touch and go…if he survives that it will still be an uphill battle.’ ‘Understood.’ ‘Mr Tracy, if you’ll come with me there’s paperwork for you to go through.’

Jeff looked at his boys and his Ma, who had been brought over during the night. Sally nodded and stood and the two left with the doctor.

The three eldest knew what the doctor had left unsaid. They were going to discuss Gordon’s injuries in more detail, something that they were very careful that Alan didn’t have to hear the details.

Speaking of Alan, he may have been eleven but right now he felt more like five, when their Mom had died and everyone was acting just like they were now. That same fear was welling up in him now and he resorted to the only thing he knew would help.

Alan practically crawled into Scott’s lap, buried his head into his big brother’s chest and burst into tears.

Scott’s arms immediately tightened around him and both John and Virgil added theirs so that Alan was enclosed in a brother sandwich. They stayed that way until their father came back.

Jeff couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at how his boys rallied around each other, and he smiled at them when they noticed him.

‘Boys, your Grandma has gone to book a hotel. You’re all going to go there, get something to eat and grab some sleep. Wait!’

He paused as his older boys al began talking at once and waited for them to quieten down. Jeff chose to address Scott, knowing that the others would follow his lead.

‘Scott, we’re here for the long run and to be there for Gordon when he wakes up we need to be at our best. This is going to be a long, long road.’ ‘Dad…that means you too.’ ‘I know, Son. The hospital will only allow one person at a time to stay with Gordon until he’s fully conscious so we’ll create a rota. Alan? You can visit with any one of us but not on your own as you need to be over 16, ok?’ ‘Yes.’

Jeff’s phone rang and he turned and spoke quietly into it. It was a short call and he sighed before turning back to his boys.

‘Grandma has found a hotel. You all go ahead and Scott, six hours’ time you can relieve me. Now I know, I know how hard this on us all. Sleep is not going to be easy but you need to try, ok? You need to try.’

There was a chorus of ‘okay’ and, after hugging him tightly, Jeff watched them leave. Scott hung back for a moment and Jeff pulled him in for a hug before briefly giving him a rundown of Gordon’s injuries. He hugged his boy tightly as tears threatened until Scott had pulled himself together to leave.

It set the pattern for the next six months.

The doctors kept Gordon in a medically induced coma for close to three weeks until the swelling on his brain reduced and they took the opportunity to do some of the numerous operations he needed.

Alan had gone with his Dad that first time but hadn’t stayed, bursting into tears at the sight of all the tubes and wires. They had prepared for that, and Scott, waiting outside, scooped him up and took him outside.

It was John who was sitting with Gordon when he first began to show signs of waking up but full awakening didn’t happen for another three days.

Scott was there when a frightened noise grabbed his attention and he leaned over for Gordon to see him while hitting the alarm. The doctors worked around him until it came time to remove the tube but in an unusual move they let Scott stay once Gordon had become visibly more upset when he’d been asked to leave.

It still took a little while for Gordon to be able to talk, but after a cup of ice chips he could at least whisper.

‘Wha…ha’p’n?’ ‘You were in an accident.’ ‘Th-the ‘foil?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Tell me.’

He really didn’t want to, but Gordon was more like himself than Scott would have liked, so, leaning over so Gordon didn’t have to worry about moving his head, gently told his brother everything.

Gordon cried the entire time and Scott paused often, wiping his tears and holding his lesser damaged hand.

Eventually Gordon calmed down. He looked at his brother with eyes scared but trusting.

‘I’m scared, Scotty. I – I can’t move. My team are dead. My…my life is over.’ ‘Hey! Hey, don’t talk like that. There’s still much healing you need to do. Nothing about your future is certain. You hear me?’ ‘Ye-yeah. Scott?’ ‘Yes, Fishie?’ ‘Stay? Please? Don’t leave me?’ ‘I’ll be right here the whole time. I’ll never leave you, Gordon. Never. Not now, not later, not ever.’

Recovery was going to be a bitch but Gordon knew if Scott could do it then he would be able to too.

Yuck.

There’s laughter, light and teasing. Anakin opened an eye to find Padmé leaning over him, a soft smile on her lips.

When did he lie down?

‘You were dizzy.’

Oh, apparently Padmé’s a Jedi now…She laughs again and Anakin realises he’s just speaking his thoughts aloud.

‘Still…still am. Can we pull over?’ ‘It’s a boat, not a speeder.’ ‘So…no?’

Padmé laughs again before kneeling.

‘Never thought you could have motion sickness.’ ‘I – I don’t.’ ‘Wanna hand up?’ ‘No…too dizzy to stand. Besides…’

He reaches up and pulls her down until their noses are practically touching.

‘Lil? Luv, are you h’ok?’ ‘I’m fine, Nosey.’ ‘You’re not. Let me…’ ‘You can’t cook!’ ‘That h’ain’t…that h’ain’t wot I was gonna say.’

Carefully Parker took Lil’s good arm and gently led her to sit at the large kitchen table, and made her a cuppa.

‘Let me take care of you this time, Lil.’

He nudged her gently. She smiled.

‘You direct an’ I’ll cook.’

When Penny came down there was no difference in her breakfast. If she noticed that Parker was more tired than usual she didn’t say anything. Once she’d finished, though, she gave Parker a pause and a look.

‘And how is Lilian?’ ‘She’s good, m’Lady.’ ‘Hire her granddaughter and tell Lilian to take the next six weeks off.’ ‘Very good, m’Lady.’ ‘And Parker - take two weeks off yourself.’ ‘Thank you, m’Lady.’

‘Colonel?’ ‘He…cough…here.’

A cloud of dust and debris rose into the air as White moved, punctuated with more coughs, and then his boss is kneeling over him.

‘That doesn’t look good.’ ‘It isn’t.’

They both looked at the obviously dislocated elbow. There was a groan and with another cloud of dust Lieutenant Green joined them. He took one look at the Doctor’s arm and turned almost the same shade as his Colour Code.

‘I should…sorry. I’m up-to-date on mandatory first aid training, and I’m pretty sure this one needs medical attention.’ ‘Usually from me.’

They both look at the elbow again. Then at each other.

‘You need to reduce it.’ ‘But…’ ‘Listen very carefully. I’m going to talk you through it.’ ‘Edward…’ ‘I trust you, Charles. I’m going to scream and you have to keep going.’ ‘SIG.’

Wilkie was clear in his instructions and Charles careful in following them while Griffiths held the arm steady, even when the promised scream was practically in his ear.

Suddenly the door was blown open and Scarlet and Blue stood in the doorway.

Jeff drove home on autopilot, abandoned the car haphazardly in the driveway and locked himself in his study.

And he opened the whisky.

Scott stopped at the sight of the car. Alan, sitting on his shoulders, protested the sudden stop by tugging on his hair, but Scott ignored him and rushed inside, depositing the toddler in the playpen in the kitchen.

A gut wrenching howl had Scott running for the study and he banged on the door. When his dad didn’t answer Scott fetched the spare key and opened the door.

Jeff was sitting on the floor, the room in disarray and he was crying.

Scott immediately folded him into a hug, holding him tightly.

‘I’m sorry. I’m no good for any of you.’ ‘You don’t have to be okay right now, Dad. You’re grieving.’ ‘But…’ ‘It’s okay. I’ve got them. I’ve got you.’

And Jeff cried himself to sleep in his son’s arms.

~~~~~

‘You don’t have to be okay right now, Son.’

Scott looked blankly at him. Jeff so wanted to fold his son into a hug, just as his boy had done for him all those years ago, but he couldn’t…

It was a miracle Scott had been found alive at all.

Jeff had grieved his death. And then celebrated Scott’s rescue.

But the man in the bed was a Scott Jeff did not know, and a part of him grieved anew at the horrors his beautiful boy had been put through.

A door banged somewhere and Scott violently flinched. It triggered…something…and Scott began to scream, tearing at his bandages and IVs.

Jeff froze, then Scott was on him and he was being backed into the corner. The blows didn’t hurt but Jeff was worried Scott would reinjure himself. He kept speaking softly, trying to reach him.

The same could not be said of the nurses that rushed in. They grabbed Scott. He became more aggressive until he was restrained and a sedative administered.

Jeff held him carefully as the meds worked.

She watched her husband while trying not to be too obvious about it.

Nate put up with her hovering. He’d waited years for this - just him, her and no regrets - but he knew it wasn’t going to last.

He just didn’t get to keep the people that made him happy. Ironic that it was him that was leaving this time.

They’d not long been back from another hospital stay. Prognosis…well, they’d had a good run, hadn’t they?

“I thought you were getting better.” “I was, I did...For you.”

Truth was…the team had made him better. The job had made him better. Sophie had made him better.

And it had been enough. For a long time it had been enough.

The anger had receded but the damage…the damage had been done.

This was his second heart attack. They’d changed their diet and lifestyle as much as possible after the first, added exercise and even joined the high-end gym but still…

This heart attack had been worse than the first. And the damage done this time…

He stumbled and Scott was there, holding his elbow, a concerned look on his face.

‘Are you alright Al? Do you need a break?’ ‘Nah, I’m good for a little longer.’ ‘You sure? There’s no shame in stopping before we’d planned.’ ‘I’m good, Scott. Honest.’

Scott clapped him on the shoulder and carried on walking and with a sigh Alan pulled his backpack up and set off after him. He stumbled a little but had just managed to catch himself when a sharp pain shot through his ankle.

His gasp had Scott turning back around. Alan was bent over, holding his ankle but as he glanced up he saw the look of horror appear on Scott’s face.

‘Sc-Scotty?’ ‘Stay still, Alan.’

Alan immediately stilled, for it was the Commander who had spoken. He watched as Scott slowly moved around him and slowly crouched down before backing away. But Alan was already distracted by the rapidly growing pain.

‘Scott? Aren’t you and Alan hiking…’ ‘Alan’s been bitten by a Mojave Rattlesnake. I need course of action and immediate treatment.’ ‘You need to lie Alan down, remove any tight clothing and keep him as calm as possible.’ ‘Thank you, EOS.’ ‘Two is launching now and I have called the local emergency services. They will get to you first. Can you wash the wound with plain water?’ ‘On it. Should I bandage it afterwards?’ ‘Only if you have a loose wrap bandage, not a compression bandage.’ ‘I do.’ ‘Scott, I have Phoenix emergency services online for you.’ ‘Thanks John, EOS. Please stay on the line.’ ‘FAB.’ ‘Hello, this is Scott.’ ‘The Medical Helicopter has been scrambled. Can you give me any stats on the victim?’

Scott looked at Alan. He was pale and sweating, biting his lip in an effort to control the pain. As Scott watched he shuddered once. And then again. He rapidly fired the stats

‘S-S-Sco…’ ‘Alan?’ ‘S-S-Sco…’

Scott swore softly and manoeuvred Alan so that he was propped against his chest with his leg raised on a pile of rocks. He was twitching occasionally, trying to talk but not getting a complete word out. Scott felt helpless as Alan spasmed against him.

‘John, how much longer for the helo? Alan’s dropping fast.’ ‘The helo’s on its way, ETA another 20 minutes.’ ‘And Two?’ ‘Virgil’s redlining her but he’s still a couple hours out.’ ‘Ok. Ok. What can I do to help?’ ‘You’re doing it. Keep Alan as calm as you can. That’s literally all you can. The calmer he is the less the venom is going to pump around his body. How is the wound?’ ‘He’s bled through the bandage I applied.’ ‘The venom is coagulopathic, can you wrap another bandage around it?’ ‘No, I only brought the tiny kit.’ ‘Ok. Ok. Just…concentrate on keeping him calm.’ ‘FAB.’

Scott started rocking Alan gently and began humming their Mom’s favourite lullaby. Alan was too young to remember the tune but his brothers had made sure Alan hadn’t missed out, using it quite ruthlessly to comfort the youngster.

He felt his brother relax against him and continued humming. And then Scott paused and looked to the sky.

The whomp-whomp of an approaching helicopter was a welcome noise and he relaxed.

Of course that’s when Alan stopped breathing.

Scott shifted Alan to the ground quickly and began CPR as the helo settled down to land. He was aware of the two medics who jumped down and set up around Alan, but he ignored them until they were ready and all but pushed him aside.

He paced around them, practically pulling his hair out as he couldn’t do anything more than watch. John was a comforting voice in his ear but there was only so much he could do.

The AED had to be fired three times before the medics were happy that Alan was safe to move and they rolled him onto a gurney and loaded him into the copter. Scott made to climb up but one of the medics stopped him, shut the door and Scott stepped back as they took off.

‘Scott?’ ‘Ah…yes, John?’ ‘The quads will be with you in an hour.’ ‘An hour? Two will be here a little after that.’ ‘What are you thinking, big brother?’ ‘I can jog towards them, cut that time down or I can send them back in case anyone else is injured and wait for Virgil.’ ‘Your call.’ ‘Send the rescue team back. They’ll not get me there any quicker than Two.’ ‘FAB, I’ll let them know.’ ‘Tell Virgil I’m heading back so he’ll know I’m on the move.’ ‘Will do, Scott.’

Scott snatched up Alan’s backpack and the detritus they had caused and set off at a gentle jog back the way he’d come. He knew that John would track him and inform Virgil accordingly.

While he was jogging John kept him informed of Alan’s status. They’d got him breathing and had already began the IV infusion of antivenom. So far Alan hadn’t had an allergic reaction and Scott found immediate relief from that particular news.

John also played a news item regarding the specific air ambulance company that had flown Alan out, how they had always been at the forefront of carrying antivenom on their helos and had not only saved lives but also cut down the hospital stay of their patients.

As Scott relaxed he sped up, and as a consequence once Two finally landed they were much closer to Phoenix and subsequently Banner University Medical Centre. By the time they’d landed Alan had been installed in the ICU and hooked up to all kinds of monitoring systems and IVs.

He was asleep when they arrived, for which Virgil was very thankful for when he had the opportunity to actually regard Scott, who had immediately sat in the chair nearest the bed and taken gentle hold of Alan’s hand.

The guilt was already piling up on the man. His shoulders were hunched right up to his ears – in fact his whole body was curled into himself – and Virgil stifled a sigh.

It was so like his brother to crush himself under the guilt of what happened. As if everything was his fault.

Virgil’s hand on his shoulder had Scott startle even though he knew his brother was here. He gave a squeeze and expected Scott to relax but he didn’t, impossibly he tensed even more, so Virgil did the only thing left open to him – he pulled Scott back against him in the tightest bear hug he could from his position.

At first Scott tensed again before relaxing and then melting into the hug. Virgil didn’t release his hold until Scott let go of the breath he’d been holding and patted his arm. Only then did he let go and pull up the second chair in the room and sit down.

They’d not been there long when the doctor came. He looked over Alan’s stats and checked the two IVs. Alan was currently on his second dose of antivenom and would potentially have to have several more over the coming hours depending on how well he was responding, and the second IV contained saline and morphine to help him with the pain.

The doctor shook hands with both of them and proceeded to run down what had been done and what was going to be done for Alan.

‘Alan received the full initial dose of Anavip onboard the air ambulance and did not have a reaction. He was also treated with some antihistamines and a shot of Dilaudid. Thankfully he responded quickly to the CPR and didn’t need any further invention. Mojave Rattlesnake venom can cause a lot of issues not only with clotting but with tissue damage to the affected area. Whoever applied the first aid did a great job and it hopefully limited any permanent damage.’ ‘Permanent damage?’ ‘Alan’s young and very fit, and he was treated very promptly so we’re not expecting any complications. What we’re doing in the immediate is managing the pain – rattler bites are one of most painful – and keeping a close eye on Alan’s blood in regards to his clotting and blood pressure, and on the swelling around the wound.’ ‘How long are you planning on keeping him in?’ ‘Ideally three-seven days in case he needs further antivenom.’ ‘Is that likely?’ ‘Unfortunately no one can predict how a patient reacts to a bite. Now, that’s a lot to digest and Alan will be awake soon so you’ll need some time to discuss things. We’ll be doing regular blood draws but unless there’s an issue we’ll stay out of your hair for as long as we can.’ ‘Thank you, Doctor.’

He shook hands with Scott and Virgil, and left, and they settled down for the wait – both for Alan to wake up and for the rest of the family to arrive.

They didn’t have too long to wait.

Alan stirred and Scott sat forward immediately, laser-focused on his brother’s face. He didn’t stir even when the door opened and Kayo slipped into the room. She hugged Virgil and leant against Scott before kissing Alan’s forehead as his eyes fluttered open.

‘Kay?’ ‘Hey Alan. You good?’ ‘Yeah.’

She grinned at him, ruffled his hair and stepped back so Scott could talk to him. She paused by Virgil and murmured that she was going to fix security before slipping out as quietly as she’d arrived.

Within the next couple of hours the rest of the family arrived and Alan fell asleep and woke up twice. This last time, though, he was more aware of what was going on, and stretched his hand out to Scott, who took it and held it tightly.

John booked the nearest hotel and for the next four days they took it in turns to sit with Alan and Scott, who only moved when Alan insisted he sleep. But they were all together when Alan was given the all-clear – with one proviso.

Since it had been less than 48 hours since his last shot of antivenom the doctor had advised no flying to reduce the continued risk of clots and swelling.

Alan huffed and pouted but Scott lit up. He winked at Virgil and John, who immediately understood what he wanted, and John slipped out to order what his brothers needed while Virgil and Gordon tried to cheer a glum Alan.

It didn’t take John long, and on his return he handed Scott a set of keys. Alan frowned and waited for an explanation while, with a not-too-subtle nudge the rest of the family said goodbye and left the two brothers alone.

There was a slightly uncomfortable pause before Scott once again leaned forward, passing Alan the keys. He watched the frown deepen as he regarded the keys for a moment before speaking.

‘Sprout? I am so, so sorry.’ ‘Sorry? What for?’ ‘You got bitten. That’s on me.’ ‘No – what? How the…Scotty!’ ‘Um…Alan?’ ‘This is not your fault. I should have been looking where I was going. How many times did you tell me to watch where I was going?’ ‘Yeah, but I should have taken you on a shorter trip. I knew walking wasn’t your favourite pastime.’ ‘Stop it. I wanted to share this with you. Get over here.’

Gladly Scott sat on the bed and folded Alan into a gentle hug.

‘So…how are we getting home?’ ‘Well, since you can’t fly for a few more days, how about a drive?’ ‘A drive?’ ‘Let’s go home to the ranch. John’s hired us a car and we can take our time.’ ‘That sounds sweet! What’s the car?’ ‘What do you want it to be?’

Alan thought for a moment. He’d wanted to do a road trip for a long time, but he hadn’t really given any thought to the car itself. But then a memory surfaced.

‘Wait – do you have a Mustang?’ ‘Nope. Try again.’

He frowned again and thought hard, causing Scott to laugh. Scott helped him to stand and they made their slow way outside while Alan continued asking questions.

‘A Corvette?’ ‘Nope.’ ‘A…Thunderbird?’ ‘Better.’ ‘What’s better than a T-Bird?’

They made their way outside to see the car waiting, bright blue with darker blue and silver highlights. Alan turned to his brother with his eyes alight and astonishment clear on his face.

His stomach gurgled and Jeff bolted…

He didn’t have time for this! He had a meeting…he wasn’t going to make it… Jeff hit his comm as he ran.

‘Dad?’ ‘John. I have a…problem.’ ‘What kind of problem?’

Jeff didn’t reply but the sound of vomiting said everything.

Bruce and Alfred have filled the Manor with balloons. (Alfred has made his favourite cake.)

Finally the hospital agree to release him. (A moment longer and Bruce would have acted…)

The drive home is silent. (But not awkward, thank goodness.)

He helps Dick up the stairs. (And holds him a touch longer than necessary.)

‘Welcome home, Master Dick.’ (It’s so good you’ve returned.)

‘Thank you, Alfred! I’m so glad to be home!’ (Does he mean it???)

Dick looks at Bruce. (Bruce tried hard not to look at the cast…)

(Does he blame me?) (Will he ever forgive me?)

‘You scared me so badly…’ (Why had he said that?)

Dick grins at him. Impishly. (Bruce lives for that smile.)

‘Don’t worry, Bruce. I promise I won’t try and swing from the chandelier again!’ (Bruce doesn’t tell him he’s spent all week reinforcing them all.)

He ruffles Dick’s hair and pretends not to see the flash of delight on the boy’s face. (He sees it!)

Even Gordon had been a little put out by Penny’s insistence but she stuck to her guns and now Scott and Penny were on a train travelling through Europe on a train with various security services in attendance and quite a target.

A target for all kinds of terrorist organisations and for her uncle.

If her Uncle got his hands on Scott…

She paused at the desk and jabbed at the comm button. Again.

‘Anything, John?’ ‘Not in the 90 seconds since you last asked.’

Kayo sighed and resumed pacing faster.

~

In the carriage set aside for Penny she and Scott were deep in conversation about the variety of delegates present.

‘So we have Spectrum, WASP and the GDF represented.’ ‘Yes. There were a few people there I didn’t recognise but I noticed you did.’ ‘I did, Scott. From several intelligence agencies as a matter of fact.’ ‘Anyone we need to take a closer look at?’ ‘There’s only one person I have no knowledge of. I’ve already put some feelers out on Captain Foster. I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something odd about her.’ ‘Fair enough. Are we going to ask John to look into her?’ ‘Parker is looking, if he doesn’t turn up anything then we’ll ask John. Now, have you seen who Colonel Gray and Commander Shore have brought with them?’ ‘Yes. I know Atlanta, obviously, but I don’t know the Colour Captain with Charles.’ ‘Two. Two Colour Captains, if I’m not mistaken. One with the Colonel and one in the background.’ ‘Makes sense. I didn’t see anyone else from WASP I know but Unc…Sam Shore will probably have someone else here. In fact, almost everyone seems to have two escorts.’

Penny nodded. They had been over everything in depth. It was time to retire for the night and start again in the morning. They’d agreed to talk to John in the morning before breakfast.

With a hug and forehead kiss Scott left Penny for his own bunk.

~

‘Well, Dad, what do your sea legs say?’

Shore laughed. He always appreciated his daughter’s wicked sense of humour, and Atlanta wielded that power ruthlessly whenever he needed it.

‘This is an odd assortment of people our World President has invited onto this train.’ ‘I agree.’ ‘I’m sure that you’ve seen our mutual friends?’ ‘I have. Haven’t had the chance to talk to either of them yet but I intend to talk to Scott before we leave.’ ‘Good. We should have him and his brothers over once this is done.’ ‘I’d like that, Dad.’

Sam grinned impishly.

‘I’ll make sure Troy isn’t anywhere around…’

It was Atlanta’s turn to laugh. She kissed her father goodnight.

~

Weston sighed.

Seeing Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward had thrown him. FAB and WIN had a fractious relationship. Ostentatiously they operated in the same circles but they didn’t work well together.

President Younger had thought about folding both agencies into the GDF but had been persuaded that keeping the peacekeeping force separate from the intelligence forces would be better. It hadn’t stopped him from snapping up certain officers from all agencies into the new one he set up, creating lasting animosity from all agencies towards Spectrum.

Sam himself was a little…jealous. He’d have loved to have been asked to move to Spectrum but he had not been selected. Unlike everyone else Weston had not brought a co-worker with him. He hadn’t felt the need to and his boss hadn’t offered.

Now he knew why.

He wasn’t really here to represent WIN. He was here to support the Lady. She’d once been head of FAB at a very young age. Not many knew that but he did. WIN did.

So he read through his notes and put them away and went to bed.

If Lady Penelope wanted to share intel with him she knew where he was.

~

Val Casey pinched her nose to try and ease the growing tension headache.

Rigby had given her a concise report of all the delegates and Foster had agreed with everything he’d said but, while there was no one untoward on the train, she worried.

There was so much that could go wrong…

Eventually she called it a night and sent Rigby and Foster to their own sleeping quarters before rereading all the notes and finally settling down for the night.

Something was going to go wrong. She could feel it.

~

Rigby went straight to sleep in the top bunk but Foster lay back, hands under her head. She grinned and waited for her bunkmate’s snoring to even out before soundlessly getting up.

This was going to be…lucrative.

~

Captains Ochre and Blue had delivered their reports and Charles had dismissed them for the night. Or should he say early morning…

It was closer to two in the morning and Charles was feeling restless. They had been told that they had the run of the main carriages but not the personal ones – which was fair enough and a rule Charles was thankful for – so he made his way through to the dining car. There was tea and coffee available in their quarters but Charles was craving something different, sweeter.

Something to help him sleep. He shouldn’t really be going where he was without letting his Captains know, but for some reason Charles needed to be there.

When he entered the dining car he wasn’t really surprised to see someone else already sitting at the bar nursing exactly what he was after. He sat down beside the man.

‘Uncle Charlie.’ ‘Scooter.’ ‘Ha. I forgot you used to call me that.’ ‘I think it’s about time you called me Charles, Scott. You have more than earned the right.’ ‘I’d like that, Charles. Thank you.’ ‘What can I get you, Sir?’ ‘I’ll have a hot chocolate too, please.’

The waiter placed a tall glass of hot chocolate on the counter and discreetly withdrew.

The two men didn’t say anything for a moment, just took a sip and put their glasses down in unison.

And turned when a third person entered the carriage.

Captain Foster cursed the presence of Colonel White and Scott Tracy – trust those two to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were spoiling her plans! But she couldn’t very well carry on now – they would be suspicious if she did. So she nodded to them, asked the waiter for a bottle of sparkling water and returned the way she had come. There would be plenty of time to do what she had planned…

Scott frowned as the Captain left and opened his mouth to say something when the train started shaking more than a top-of-the-range train should do…

But before he could hit his comm to call John the lights went out and they were both thrown to the floor.

~

‘John!’ ‘EOS?’ ‘There has been an earthquake.’

John’s fingers flew as he pulled up the data, paling when he saw what…or rather where this was happening. He hit the emergency klaxon and was gratified as always when his brothers and sister were ready and waiting in seconds.

‘Guys, we have a situation.’ ‘What is it, John?’ ‘Earthquake in Switzerland. The Alps to be exact.’ ‘The Alps…’ ‘Yes. The train that Scott is on is in the epicentre of the quake. EOS is trying to raise him but by my calculations they would be in the Gotthard Base Tunnel and that alone would create communication difficulties without the earthquake.’ ‘How large is it?’ ‘As earthquakes go it isn’t the biggest but it has combined with extra snowfall after a wet summer…Alan, you have One.’ ‘FAB. We’re on our way, John. Keep trying to get through to Scott. Thunderbirds are go.’

It took One less than an hour to get to the epicentre. It was an hour too long.

Alan circled the area, taking aerial images for Five and Two, and he had a lump in his throat the entire time.

Where the mountainside should be, where the Gotthard tunnel ran through…was just a pile of debris and snow.