International Rescue: The Next Phase


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1985 is a reply to message #1984] Sat, 28 July 2012 22:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Wednesday 28 March. 3.30pm. Tracy Island.

Jeff Tracy, back at his desk, heard an unusual sound floating up through the hallway leading to the villa's lounge. Soft, somewhat out-of-tune singing, light claps, and the sound of cutesy laughter all came together into a sound that brought back memories, happy memories of when his sons were all young.

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands," clap-clap. "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands," clap-clap. "If you're happy and you know it and you really want to show it, if you're happy and you know it clap your hands," clap-clap. "Yay! Well done Josh."

Jeff chuckled a little at the sound, and looked up to see Dominic walking in with Joshua in his arm, giving his son a light kiss on the forehead. As soon as they entered, the child began to wriggle, wanting to be set down.

"Alright then," Dominic said, and settled the child onto his small feet, before giving a small wave across the room to Jeff. "Good afternoon," he said, walking after his son, keeping one eye on the exuberant toddler.

"Good afternoon, Dominic," Jeff said. He grinned as he watched the father and son explore the room. "They're a handful at that age, aren't they?" He asked.

Dominic glanced up and gave him a wry grin.

"Don't I know it! He's been a handful since the moment he was born, but I would never give him up." He caught the child in his arms from behind and began to tickle him. "Aren't you? Aren't you?"

Jeff joined in the laughter, and Dominic scooped Joshua up and carried him across to the desk.

"May I?" Jeff asked, holding his hands out for the child.

"Who could I trust more than a father of five?" Dominic said, and handed Joshua over.

He wasn't a fussy toddler, used to being handled by many different people. It seemed to Dominic that as long as he felt at ease, he was happy to be held by just about anyone.

"My, you're a big boy, aren't you?" Jeff said, as the child scrutinised this only-just-familiar man. "What age is he?" Jeff asked Dominic.

"Two years and three months," Dom said, shaking his head. "I can't believe it. He's almost been alive as long as I've been living in America." By the look on Jeff's face, he sensed the oncoming question. "I moved to Kansas in January 2065, so I've been living here, what, three years and two months?" He nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Joshua began to wriggle once more, and attempted to slip off
Jeff's knee. He managed it, and Dominic shook his head -- internally sighing with relief that Joshua hadn't aggravated Jeff's injury.

"Oh, by the way," he said as he watched his son glance with wide eyes at the panels behind Jeff's desk, "I've decided on a codename."

"Excellent," Jeff said, reaching for the all-familiar PDA, "what is it?"

"Dak," Dom said. "It's a nickname my half-brother used for me. It's an abbreviation of all my names: Dominic Aidan Kelly."

Jeff added the codename to the list, and smiled.

"Thanks, Dominic," he said.

"No problem."


Post by ArtisticRainey on 17/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1987 is a reply to message #1985] Sat, 28 July 2012 22:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Wednesday, March 28th 10:00 p.m. The Villa, Tracy Island.

Elise stood in the shower and let the hot water cascade over her. Every muscle in her ached from hours of training. First in the simulator, then in the gym, where Virgil and Scott were not kind to the poor pitiful pilot trainees, namely herself and Christopher.

Since leaving the service, she had realized she had not been as physically fit as she had thought. Once or twice she'd thought about opening her mouth to tell the Tracy brothers what she thought of their training methods, but one look from Scott, and she decided against it.

Damn him! He knows me too well!

She rolled her neck and let the hot water work the stiffness out of her. As she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair, she started to think about where she would have her implant put and what code name she would use.

After a few minutes of coming up with silly ones, and laughing to herself, she thought back to what her high school friends had called her. One or two of them had discovered her middle name, back when having middle names discovered was not a cool thing, and had teased her about it. Her full name was Elise Francesca Collins, and they had shortened it to "Frankie" which annoyed Elise beyond description. Thinking back now, she laughed and thanked the girls for their teasing.

Drying herself off and climbing into her P.J. bottoms and old Air Force t-shirt, she sat on the bed, grabbed a notepad and wrote down, "Elise - code name: Frankie." Folding the paper in half, she laid it on the nightstand, ready to give to Mr. Tracy in the morning. It was getting late and she decided not to watch T.V. Instead she switched off the light, and lay down, thinking about her own apartment and wondering when her stuff would arrive. It had been a long day and she hoped she would fall into a deep, peaceful slumber.


Post by FrankieCTB22 on 18/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1991 is a reply to message #1987] Sat, 28 July 2012 22:32 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Thursday, March 29th 1:05 a.m. Tracy Island.

Virgil had been tinkering with the same two keys for over an hour and no matter how 'in tune' they sounded to an outside ear, Virgil just knew they weren't right and he would not stop until they were. It was a little after 1:00 a.m. and the villa was quiet. Virgil was taking his turn on night watch and so far it had been a long restful evening.

After his family had retired to their beds, he'd checked in with John in the space station, and they'd chatted about nothing in particular. It looked like no one was going to be needing IR's help this night. So Virgil had got up from the command center, also known as his father's desk, and gone to his piano. While softly playing a melody he'd written, he had noticed that two keys hadn't quite sounded right, and so he'd started to tinker with them.

Not too far down the hall from the lounge, a restless Elise tossed and turned. A peaceful slumber was eluding her, and she'd been drifting in and out of sleep for what seemed like hours.

Each time she relaxed into sleep, haunting images and emotions of fear and pain and panic would seep into her being and rob her of any peace. The images ebbed and flowed into her memory. It all seemed so real, yet it wasn't, was it? It couldn't be. The water wasn't real, so why did she feel cold?

"Elise! Elise sweetie, hold on! Mommy's here baby, I'm coming!"

Her mother's voice calling to her, softly at first, became clearer and Elise could see her trying to clamber towards her. The waves were rougher, washing over them as the boat heaved and tossed under them.

"Mom! Help me, Mom I'm scared!" Elise was screaming as she clung tightly to the side of the upturned boat.

She desperately tried to keep her head above water and kept spitting out mouthfuls of the salty sea. She could hear her father somewhere on the other side of the boat shouting to her and her mother.

"Daddy! Daddy, please get me, I can't hold on. I can't reach mommy!"

"Elise, hold on! Hold on for daddy, I'm coming to get you and mom!"

Sudden surges of water tossed her up and then dragged her down beneath the surface. Gulping and gasping, she spluttered her way back to the surface, immediately screaming for her parents. Her father was just mere feet away, holding out his hand.

"Elise, grab my hand baby, grab my hand!"

Why was he getting farther away? Why didn't come back?

Elise struggled to reach him, all the while thinking, I don't want to die! I don't want to die I can't hold on, I'm falling.......
The water had turned to snow and she was still alive, barely. "Daddy?" she called, hearing no one.

She turned and saw, not her father, but another familiar face. The face of Jeff Tracy. He was still, ashen, and covered in blood.

"NO! No, you can't be dead, you can't be!" Elise found herself screaming out loud.

First her parents, now Mr. Tracy. Why? Why are they all dying?

Virgil's fingers immediately stilled when he heard the scream. He cocked his head, not sure if in fact it had been a scream that he'd heard. He was trying to think who it could be, when he heard another one. Whoever it was, they were terrified and then he realized that Elise was still in the villa. Her living quarters weren't ready yet, and she was in the guest room closest to the lounge.

He ran to her room and opened her door. She was obviously in the throes of a nightmare; the covers were all strewn every which way, and Elise was clutching them for dear life.

Virgil knew he had to approach her gently and wake her so as not to scare her more. He sat on the edge of her bed and reached out to hold her hand.

"Elise? Elise can you hear me?" he said softly, but she didn't respond.

He leaned over slightly so that he could hold both her hands with his. "Elise, wake up honey, wake up," he called a little louder.

Suddenly both of her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. Her hair clung to her damp skin, and she grabbed a hold of his shirt with both hands in a vise-like grip.

"You have to help him! You can't let him die! He can't be dead! I tried to fly... the chopper... I couldn't hold on... the boat... I couldn't hold on! Please... the boat... oh God, help him!"
Virgil looked into her eyes and knew she wasn't looking at him, she was looking through him.

"Elise, sshhh...its okay. It's me, it's Virgil. You're okay. Elise...calm down...shhh."

He repeated the words a few times, and each time she seemed to calm until she started to breathe slower and come around.

Elise heard the soothing voice through the dark void she'd been in. Ever so slowly she began to wake up. Her bed, the room, it was here. She was safe now. No more water, no more snow and no more death. She looked around gingerly and then realized someone had gently taken hold of her upper arms. She gazed up into soft, caring brown eyes.

"Virgil?"

"Yep. In the flesh." He smiled, hoping to relieve some of her anxiety.

Suddenly Elise knew what had just happened. She lessened her grip on his shirt and started mumbling apologies. He laughed softly.

"You don't have to say sorry, its okay. I understand. I've had bad dreams too."

Although calmer, Elise was still very emotionally upset and started to cry as she stuttered "It was so... so... all so real."
He drew her close and gently rubbed her back, as if to sooth away all her demons.

It was a while later that she felt calm enough to try and go back to sleep. She hadn't wanted to talk about the nightmare, and Virgil hadn't pushed her to. He figured it was too personal and that she'd tell him if she wanted to. He just wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I can stay until you fall asleep if you like?" offered Virgil.

"Thanks, I'd like that," she replied softly.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"I am kind of thirsty. Would you mind?"

"Not at all! I know just thing to help you sleep."

Before she could ask what it was, Virgil was gone. He came back a short while later with a mug of hot chocolate.

"Kyrano's secret recipe," he told her as he handed her the mug.

"Hmmm... it's good. Thanks."

She sipped carefully, relaxing more with each sip. It didn't take long for Elise to feel the effects of the drink and she started to drift off to sleep. Virgil positioned himself in the chair opposite her bed, telling her he'd stay until she was asleep. She sleepily smiled her thanks and closed her eyes.

Virgil slouched down til he was comfy, stretched out his legs, crossed his ankles, folded his arms and relaxed. He only planned on staying a few minutes and then he needed to get back to the desk. He tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes, and that's exactly how his brother Scott found them the next morning.

Scott had always been a light sleeper and was usually the first up. This morning he'd walked into the lounge and saw that Virgil was MIA. Knowing that their father might possibly blow his stack once he found out that the desk was not manned, Scott went searching for his brother, silently fuming to himself.

"Hey Virgil! Wake up!" Scott shook Virgil's shoulder and his sleepy brother opened his eyes.

"Scott? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking YOU that! Why aren't you at the desk?"

Virgil suddenly became fully awake. "Damn! What time is it?"

"Early, Dad's not up yet." Scott glanced over at a sleeping Elise and then back at his brother. "What's going on Virgil?"
Virgil explained the whole situation to Scott. "So, I gave her some of Kyrano's famous hot chocolate and she was out like a light."

"You mean you put whiskey in the chocolate?"

Virgil smiled "Yep!"

They left Elise sleeping and headed towards the lounge, talking softly. Virgil told Scott about the nightmare.

"Do you think it's related to the accident with Dad?" Virgil asked.

Scott looked thoughtful for a moment. "Could be I suppose. She might have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. We're going to need to keep an eye on her during training. If anything seems to bother her, I think we need to tell Dianne about it."

"Don't worry Scott, I'll watch for any signs that something maybe wrong."

"Wrong? This early in the morning?" They both turned their heads as Tin-Tin walked in.

"Oh, it's nothing Tin-Tin, just trying to figure out why these two piano keys just keep sounding wrong."

"I'm sure you'll figure out the problem, Virgil," she sweetly replied as she rolled her eyes and grabbed a magazine before heading for the kitchen.


Post by FrankieCTB2 on 18/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1995 is a reply to message #1991] Sat, 28 July 2012 22:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Industries NYC; Wednesday, March 28; 11 AM (4 AM March 29 on Tracy Island)

Lena walked into the building, followed by a younger woman and two teenagers, who were obviously her relatives, all carrying smallish bags. They were followed by the chauffeur, who had the larger bags on a cart. The teenagers were chatting enthusiastically about being in a limo and flying in a private jet.

She went up to the desk and showed her badge to the guard, who welcomed her back, then signed in her daughter and grandchildren. They were given temporary badges and she said to them, "Now, don't lose dem. Security is very tight here, so you'll need dese to come and go." She looked hard at the kids. "I'm counting on you to make sure you always have dese on you. Okay?"

They said simultaneously, "Okay, Nyanya." Kevin stood at attention and gave her a snappy salute. She grinned at him, then turned to her daughter.

"We'll go up and, while you and de kids are settling in, I'll go and meet de I&M staff members here." She turned back to the guard. "De housekeeper is expecting us, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. Aline is her name, and she was notified last evening. I'll call and alert her that you're on the way up."

They took the rest of their luggage from the chauffeur, who promised to return the next morning at 10 AM to take Lena's family wherever they wanted to go. The guard escorted them to the elevator that would take them up to the penthouse, then went back to the desk and placed the call.

Aline was waiting for them when the elevator doors opened. With a smile, she said, "Welcome, Mrs. Matumbo and family. I am Aline, ze housekeeper. Your rooms are ready for you, and I weel have lunch ready once you are settled in."

"Tank you, Aline. Dis is my daughter, Joy, and her twins, Naomi and Kevin. " She winked at the housekeeper. "I tink you can tell which is which." (Both she and Aline chuckled when they heard the teens protest, "Nyanya!") "I am just stopping in to see which room I'll be in, den I'm going to meet de I&M people. I'll unpack when I return."

"Zat ees fine, madame. I weel take good care of your daughter and grandchildren and weel have some refreshments for you when you return." Aline showed them which rooms they would be using, and Lena put her suitcase and bag in hers, then left.

She took the elevator back down to the lobby, then went to the one that would take her to the floor of the I&M department. Upon arrival, she first checked the supervisor's office. It was unlocked and not in use. She left her briefcase on the desk, then decided to check on the employees. When she walked into the area assigned to them, it was quiet. She toured the area, and found everyone at their desks, working. No one was on the phone, so she asked half of them to join her in the supervisor's office for a brief meeting.

When they were all inside, she closed the door and said, "I am Mrs. Lena Matumbo, head of de I&M department at de Washington D.C. branch." She hesitated and looked a bit sheepish. "I guess you could say dat I am indirectly and partly responsible for Mr. Peterson being let go." She paused, shock registering on her face, when everyone broke into applause.

One of the men, noticing the look, said, "Mrs. Matumbo, you did us a great favor. We are able to do more, more quickly and efficiently, now that he's gone. He was constantly poking his nose in, trying to tell us what he presumed to be a better way to do things. Even though he had no idea of how to do our job, he acted like he did."

"He'd interrupt us in the middle of tasks, breaking our concentration and throwing our rhythm completely off," added a pretty blonde with short curly hair, whose badge said her name was Gail. "It's been a nightmare, working for him."

The others nodded. The first man, whose badge identified him as Tony, continued, "I think you'll find all of us are in agreement - including the others you didn't bring in - that he was a pompous ass who knew less than half of what he tried to have us believe he knew. We and Tracy Industries are far better off without him."

"I'm sorry to hear dat," Lena replied. "He must have had some ability once, to get to de position he had. I can't imagine someone totally unqualified being hired, especially by Tracy Industries. Well, no matter. He's gone. However," she continued, noticing the expectant look on all their faces, "I'm not here to replace him. I'm here to evaluate you all and see if a replacement should come from de ranks. And I want to hear your opinions on dat."

There was a stunned silence. "You mean you're not just going to bring someone in from who-knows-where to head up the department?" said Gail.

Lena grinned. "Some not-know-it-all to tell you what to do, simply because dey have supervisory experience? No. Tracy Industries learns from de mistakes of otters, as well as deir own. Dey want de next supervisor in dis office to know de job. Now, a question. When Mr. Peterson was away on vacation, which one of you subbed for him?

"None of us did. It was as if he didn't trust any of us, and always had another supervisor on this floor watch out for us. He would only come over once, to tell us that he'd been assigned to hold down the fort and we knew where his office was if we needed him. That would be the last we'd see of him," Tony replied.

"So you wouldn't have any idea who you've worked wit, dat you could accept as your supervisor?"

There was a negative to that question from all of those present. "We take care of each other." "I can think of two or three people who could easily be our supervisor." "I'd work under Steve or Marcie anytime." "There'd be no problem choosing Peterson's successor from among us." "I'd love it if our next supervisor was one of us."

Lena was impressed. "I'm pleased to hear you all say dat." She moved around the desk and opened her briefcase, taking out the files. She went through them and pulled two. "I heard one of you mention Steve and Marcie. Dat would be Steven McNally and Marcy Jacobs, right?"

The group assented. "They are the most helpful, and knowledgeable among us. They both get along with the rest of us just fine. And, if I remember correctly," Gail said, "they have seniority, too."

Lena noticed that a woman, standing quietly off to one side, looked stunned. She judged the woman, who was somewhat short and had shoulder length auburn hair, to be in her mid to late thirties. Their eyes met and she said, "I presume you are Marcy Jacobs."

The younger woman nodded, and replied, "I am, but I never expected that anything like this could happen to me."

Lena smiled at her. "Well, you certainly are in de running, but

I have more investigating to do before I make my recommendations. Now, I will be here for de rest of de week, watching how you do tings and how you work togetter. Who knows, maybe I'll learn someting I can take back to my group in D.C.; you never know." Everyone laughed, and she continued, "So I'll try to be as unobtrusive as possible, but don't expect me to tell you anyting about whom I will recommend. I will say dis: you should find out who your new supervisor is some time next week. Now I want you to get back to work, and let me give de otters de same news."

They all left, chatting with each other, followed by Lena, who went to the rest of the staff and brought them into the office.
She was pleased to find they reacted to her statements the same way as the first group, and that Steve seemed to be as stunned as Marcie was. She realized that the difficulty would not be in finding a qualified person, but in choosing one over the other.

She let them go back to their desks, then walked around the area, listening to them handle the calls that came in for assistance. She asked one of them for the name of the supervisor who backed up Mr. Peterson, and went to see him. Her interview with him was cordial, but gave her no information to help her make her decision.

She had one more thing she wanted to do before she left. She went to the office and turned on the computer. She sent an email to Steve and Marcie, asking them one question: if the other was selected for the position, would he or she still be able to continue to work in the department?

Finally she decided she'd learn no more that day and after telling the I&M staff she'd see them the next day, left and headed up to the penthouse to hear, she was sure, more enthusiastic comments from her grandchildren, this time about their living quarters.


Post by Hobbeth on 18/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1997 is a reply to message #1995] Sat, 28 July 2012 22:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Thursday, March 29, 2068, 9:30 a.m., Tracy Island

"Hey, Scott," Virgil said as he entered the control room of the simulator. "Preparing for your flight instruction students?"

"Yeah," Scott said, not looking up as he tapped out the simulator program. Checking the monitor, he saw the holographic cockpit of Thunderbird Two fade from view, to be replaced with the cockpit of Tin-Tin's Ladybird. "I hope they do better today. Especially Kat."

Virgil leaned on the doorway and watched him work for a moment, then asked, "Have you picked out your codename yet?"

Scott let out a long huff. He turned to look at Virgil. "No, I haven't. Have you?"

Virgil shook his head. "Nope. I can't think of one that fits.
I've even looked at musicians and painters and none seem to strike me as... me."

"I know what you mean," Scott said. "Most of the ones I think of sound conceited." His eyebrow rose and the edges of his mouth quirked upward as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, why don't we each choose one for the other?"

Virgil's face took on a look of disbelief and consternation. "Pardon me?" he asked.

"Yeah! You let me choose yours and I'll let you choose mine." Scott glanced at Virgil's face and rolled his eyes. "C'mon. You and I trust each other with our lives every day. Surely we can trust each other with code names."

"Ooookay. I'll bite. Who goes first?" Virgil asked.

"Both of us. I'll write my choice for you down, and you write your choice for me and then we'll call Dad and tell him what we're doing," Scott explained. "The catch is, we have to stick to whatever the other chooses for at least a month."

Virgil sighed. "Okay, I'm game. Let's do it." He took out his PDA, and stylus.

The two brothers regarded each other for several long minutes, then Scott entered a name in his PDA. Virgil did the same a moment later.

"Okay," Scott said. He took a deep breath. "Let's call Dad." He lifted his telecomm watch. "Scott to Dad."

Jeff's image, with his office as background, came up immediately. "This is Jeff. What do you need, Scott?"

"Uh, Dad. Virgil and I have chosen our code names... well, actually, we've chosen each other's. We reserve the right to change them after a month if we really despise them."

Jeff frowned. "Where did you come up with this scheme?"

Virgil came and looked at the screen over Scott's shoulder. "It was Scott's idea, not mine! But I'm going along with it."

"Okay, son," Jeff sighed. "I'm ready."

"All right, Dad," Scott said, taking another deep breath. "Virgil's code name is... Van Gogh."

"Van Gogh?" Virgil protested, slapping Scott's shoulder with the back of his hand. "Where'd you get that one?"

"Van Gogh... Virgil Grissom... both painters, both VG," Scott said with a grin.

Virgil rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I reserve the right to change that, Dad."

"I heard Scott the first time, Virgil," Jeff said, wearily. "Now, what have you chosen for Scott?"

"For Scott? Uh... Maverick."

"Maverick? Where the hell did that come from?" Scott asked, turning to his brother in disbelief.

"From that old movie, Top Gun. The lead pilot was called Maverick," Virgil explained.

"Dad, I have the right...." Scott began.

Jeff cut him off. "Yes, yes, you can change it later. But for now, Virgil is Van Gogh and Scott is Maverick. Who knows? Maybe in a month you'll be so used to them that you'll keep them. Is that all?"

"Yes, Dad," Scott said. "That's all."

"Then, Jeff out." The screen went dark.

"Maverick?" Scott asked, looking askance at Virgil.

"Not as bad as Van Gogh!" Virgil replied sarcastically. He turned and left the room, Scott shaking his head as he left, and both of them thinking, Last time I let you choose a code name for me!


Post by Tikatu on 19/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #1999 is a reply to message #1997] Sat, 28 July 2012 23:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Thursday, March 29, 2068, 5:30 p.m., Tracy Island

Lady Penelope stretched out on her favorite chaise lounger by the pool, a wide sun hat on her head and the latest style of swimwear on her trim form. She had the latest fashion magazine to read through her designer sunglasses. Dianne was stretched out next to her, lying down so that her back was exposed, head pillowed on her arms as she let the sun continue its work in bronzing her bare shoulders. Tin-Tin came down the steps, wearing an aqua tankini that emphasized her lovely tan. She took the lounger on the other side of Penelope, and as she smoothed a combination of sunscreen and tanning lotion over her arms, read from a paper that she propped up on a folded leg. She chuckled, drawing the attention of both older women.

"Hello, Tin-Tin," Penelope said, glancing over at the engineer. "How has your day been?"

"Oh, hello, Lady Penelope. My day was a bit frustrating. One of the plants that is putting together the uniform jackets using my new material has been complaining about not being able to cut through the stuff. I've told them more than once that they need to use lasers, which they are equipped for," Tin-Tin explained. "But this email just brightened up my day considerably."

"Email?" Dianne asked sleepily. "Some hot missive from a secret admirer?"

Tin-Tin laughed. "Hardly hot, and definitely not secret. It's a note from that man I met in Kabul, Giles Tallman. He's quite the comedian when he wants to be. Very witty and charming."

"Hmm. I've not heard about this mysterious Mr. Tallman," Penelope said.

"We have," Dianne commented. "From Tin-Tin and from Em, both of whom have decidedly different opinions of the fella."

"I don't know why Grandma Tracy took such a dislike to him, I really don't," Tin-Tin said frowning. "He was very charming and polite whenever we met."

"May I?" Penelope asked, holding out her hand for the email.

Tin-Tin thought for a moment, then handed it over. "Certainly. There's nothing in there to embarrass me."

Penelope scanned the email, then went back to read it more thoroughly. "I see. You are correct; he is quite the wit." She handed it back. "Do you mind if I investigate this Mr. Tallman? For security purposes?"

Tin-Tin sighed. "I suppose not. We've started to get so much more security conscious that an investigation into each new person who comes in contact with us should be done." She looked across at Dianne. "I'm sure that whoever wants to date Cherie will be given the third degree!"

"Yep," Dianne replied. "The third degree, truth serum, lie-detector tests and they don't go on a date without either Jeff, Mother, Em, or me going along, carrying a shotgun."

The three women laughed. Dianne spoke again. "Speaking of security, have each of you chosen a code name?"

"I have. Mine is Sweet, since that's what my name means in Malay," Tin-Tin answered.

Penelope hesitated for a moment. "You know, I don't know if it is fitting for me to have a code name. After all, the other agents all have numbers. Jeff has never given me a number; I'm not quite sure why not."

"I think it's because you're more than just an agent, Penny. You're a friend. You should choose a code name and give it to Jeff. Let him decide whether or not he wants you to have a number or a name," Dianne suggested.

"An excellent idea," Penelope said. She thought briefly, then said, "I think that I would like to be called Pink Lady."

Both Tin-Tin and Dianne chuckled, and Dianne said, "Why am I not surprised?"


Post by Tikatu on 21/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2000 is a reply to message #1999] Sun, 29 July 2012 00:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Saturday March 31st, 10:15am, Tracy Island.

"Elise!" called Christopher from the balcony of the lounge.
She was down by the pool area talking to Nikki and turned looking upwards to seek the source of the yell.

"What?" she answered, shading her eyes and looking at Christopher.

"Mail Cargo plane just landed. I think your stuff is here!"
From his vantage point Christopher had watched the plane approach and taxi up to the end of the runway. Immediately the crew was out and unloading boxes of varying sizes. Elise grinned.

"Thanks!" she shouted and headed off towards the direction of the plane.

As she approached the busy crew and rapidly growing piles of boxes, she noticed Christopher had come down to help.

"Yep! These are yours, girl! Straight from the States!" He smiled as he lifted a box.

"Great! I've been waiting for these! I never thought I'd be saying that I actually missed all of my 'stuff'."

Christopher chuckled as he continued unloading some of the boxes. Besides Elise's things, there were also some medical supply boxes, boxes addressed to Brains and various other boxes of household supplies and replacement parts for various machines. Elise watched as the crew finished and headed back to the plane.

The pilot walked over to them "Who gets to sign today?" he asked, holding out an electronic scanner and digital pen.

"I will," offered Christopher taking the scanner and signing.

"Thanks, mate!" replied the pilot in a clear Australian accent.

"No problem, see you around."

As the plane departed, Christopher noticed Brains coming towards them from the hangar with the antigravity float.

"Perfect timing!" said Christopher.

"I thought you could use this for the boxes."

"Thanks Brains," Elise answered.

"When you are finished, may I have it back for the other boxes?"

"Sure Brains, I'll make sure it gets back to you," Christopher assured the young scientist.

With that sorted out, Christopher offered to help Elise transport her boxes to her new apartment. She had been assigned a remaining one bedroom next to Callie, and after being told yesterday that it was finally ready, Elise had been impatient to get in and get settled. Now that her stuff had arrived, she could really make herself at home. She'd moved around a lot in the Air Force, but still liked to have her own personal things around her to make her feel more 'homey'.

It took the better part of an hour to get the boxes up to the Cliff House apartment and they were both exhausted by the time the last box was brought up.

"Thanks for all your help, Chris. You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" asked Elise, handing him a cool drink.

"Not at all, luv," he answered.

She smiled at his loose use of the word 'luv'. Must be a British thing, she thought.

"So how's that little kitten of yours doing?"

"Asterix? Oh he's fine. Finally found his comfort zone and the kitchen!"

They both chuckled as they sat down on her sofa and talked about the flight training they'd be doing and about flying in general until Christopher announced he had to get going.

"Brains is probably wondering where I got to!" he told her.

After he'd gone, Elise started opening her boxes and pulling out her things, stopping occasionally to reflect on a past memory that some item had triggered. As she carefully put things away she realized how 'grounded' her stuff made her feel. All these things were 'her'; who she was, who she is now, and maybe who she could be. She walked into the bedroom and placed the framed photograph of herself and her parents on her bedside table. It was the last family photo that had been taken. Running her fingers gently around the frame she whispered to her mother and father, "I love you both." And then she continued going through her boxes.


Post by FrankieCTB2 on 23/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2001 is a reply to message #2000] Sun, 29 July 2012 00:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Industries New York City; Friday, March 30th; 4 PM (9 AM March 31st on T.I.)

Lena was in the penthouse, working on her laptop (another perk, courtesy of Jeff Tracy). She was trying to figure out whom she should recommend. She muttered to herself, "Dis is a tough one. Bote are equally qualified, dey have de same amount of seniority, dey are bote well liked by deir peers. I suppose I could recommend bote and let Mr. Tracy make de decision, but I don't tink dat's what he expects me to do." She'd been at it for over an hour, when Aline walked into the study.

"Excuse me, madame. Zere is a call for you. Someone named Marcie Jacobs."

"Tank you, Aline." Lena reached over and picked up the phone. "Dis is Lena. Marcie?"

"Lena, I need to talk to you, privately. But not over the phone. Could we meet somewhere?"

"Hold on, please, Marcie." Lena put a hand over the mouthpiece and called to the housekeeper, who was about to shut the door. "Aline, does Mr. Tracy ever have employees up here?"

The door reopened and she moved back into the room. "He has done so on occasion. You want to have one come here?"

"She says she needs to talk to me privately. So it's eiter here or at de cafe down de street."

"Here ees fine, madame. But sometimes zee employees are intimidated by zis place."

Lena smiled. "I know how dey must feel. Well, I'll suggest it to her, and see what she says." She turned back to the phone. "Marcy, would you like to come up here, or go down de street to de cafe?"

"Up to the penthouse? Oh, I couldn't. Let's go to the cafe. I'll meet you in the lobby. Fifteen minutes?"

Lena grinned at Aline, mouthing the words 'the cafe' to her.

Aline grinned back, and left the room. "Fifteen minutes is fine. I'll see you downstairs."

"Oh, and Lena, please don't send your recommendation until we've talked. That's what I need to talk to you about."

Lena was surprised, but said, "I'm not ready to send it yet. So don't worry about it. I'll see you soon."

Fifteen minutes later, the two women walked out of the building and down the street. They arrived at the cafe, found a booth and ordered tea. After they were served, Lena said, "Okay, Marcie, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Lena, I don't know, obviously, who you decided to choose, but I want to ask you to recommend Steve."

Lena was shocked. "Why? Don't you want de job?"

Marcie looked down at her cup. "Not really." She looked up at the older woman. "I like being out there with the rest of the group, not isolated in an office. I like being right there to help when I'm needed. Steve is more of a take charge kind of guy and I think he'd do better than I would in the job.

"And then, there's the meetings I'd have to go to. Mr. Peterson seemed to have to go to at least three every week. I'm really not a 'go to meetings' person. I've been to a few, and am very uncomfortable in them. Steve shines in that area. He'd listen to our ideas and take them to the meetings, or whomever he needs to, if he believes they're good ones. And he'd get those ideas approved."

Lena sat back, regarding Marcie. "Well, you certainly have surprised me, but I appreciate your candor. I have an idea. You know dat new upgrades mean everyone who would use dem would have to be trained. Would you be interested in doing dat kind of ting whenever necessary?"

"Interested? You bet I would! I love learning new things about computers and passing what I find out on to others."

Lena smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, Mr. Tracy didn't say anyting about dat, but I'm going to put dat in my report, too. I must say you have made my decision much easier. You bote are qualified for de position. And den I found out dat you bote started working for Tracy Industries on de same day. So who could I objectively choose?"

"I'm happy to have been of help," Marcie replied, grinning. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to the office. It's almost quitting time, and I have a few things to take care of before I go. Thanks, Lena for hearing me out."

"Tank you for helping me decide. And don't be surprised if you hear from someone in de future about training. And de tea is on me." Lena paid the bill, and the two women left the cafe and headed back to the Tracy Industries building, well satisfied with the result of their meeting.


Post by Hobbeth on 23/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2002 is a reply to message #2001] Sun, 29 July 2012 00:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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***Saturday, March 31, 2068; around 11 a.m. aboard Thunderbird Five***

Callie had marked her calendar for each day she had worked in the International Rescue space station. When she checked off this date, she realized she and John would return to Earth very soon. She started to consider what she wanted to do when she was back on solid ground but mentally shook herself and turned back to her task at hand. She was so busy checking files she failed to notice John walking up behind her.

"Hi, Callie," he said with a smile.

The sudden noise made her jump. "Oh...John, you startled me."

"Sorry, Callie, but I just wanted to remind you to start packing your things. Remember, we're going home in two days."

"I know. I've gotten so used to the instruments and panels around here it won't be easy to make the transition to the noise back on Earth."

"Once you get the hang of it, it'll be a lot easier. Besides, you'll have to deal with the noise of the Thunderbird Three simulator when we do get home."

"That's right. I have to get the controls down if I want to fly Thunderbird Three safely. I'll start putting my things together after lunch, unless you need me for something."

"No, that'll be fine, Cal--I mean, Ursa. Need any help here?"

She shook her head. "Things are going fine right now. I've flagged five transmissions, but none of them have required IR being called in as of yet."

"Good. Keep track of those transmissions, and hope things stay quiet between now and Monday."

Callie became curious. "John, has there ever been an emergency situation during the changeover?"

John rubbed his chin trying to recollect. "Actually, no. We've been awfully lucky there. I guess if something like that were to happen, it would really depend on how long the situation's occurring. If it's just started while we're changing over, the relief will take the call. If it's deep into the rescue, the person on duty will get a little overtime work."

She nodded. "That makes sense. Well, I'm gonna get back to tracking these messages and then pack after lunch."

"Okay, I'll leave you to it. And Callie, you're doing a great job up here. You've been a tremendous help to the team."

She blushed. "Thanks, John. That really means a lot to me, coming from someone who's been up here on-and-off for over three years."

He replied, "What's really great is that with you being part of the rotation to Thunderbird Five, I can start joining in on rescues on Earth more often."

"Yes, you can." Her voice sounded distant.

"Callie, are you all right?"

She snapped herself back to reality. "Oh. Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll see you later." John left the control room to attend to various other duties around the station.

******Around 12:45 p.m., after eating lunch******

Callie placed her clothing into her suitcase. Her mind, though, was far from thinking about the clothes. I need to make sure I know all the procedures. I'm doing well for myself, but perhaps I can ask John if I can download the procedures to my computer back on the island. I'll feel better remembering the procedures exactly when it is my turn up here.

She could hardly believe she would go home in less than two days. "It's been a ride up here," she said to herself, smiling. "And in a couple of months, I'll have to take care of everything on Thunderbird Five by myself. I just hope I can live up to the expectations."

She looked at the photo of herself and her family outside their home. "I wish I could tell them what I was really doing. I love you, guys. Hopefully I'll get to see you sometime before I take on the individual duties up here."

After placing the photo in the suitcase, she closed it and was done packing her personal belongings. She next went to the closet and made sure of the clothes she wanted to leave behind.

She opted on three pairs of old jeans and four t-shirts. "That'll be fine. I can use these when I'm not in my uniform. I can't wait to wear it when I get home!"

Completing that task, she left her quarters to find John. "John, I need to make a request."

"Sure, Callie, what is it?"

"Would there be a problem if I downloaded the procedures? I want to review what I've learned here on my computer back home."

John said, "From the island, you should be able to access Thunderbird Five's computers from yours. But, if you want to have it on your laptop when you're away from the island, a download shouldn't be a problem."

It took only a short amount of time to download the information from the hard drive into a data cube. She returned to her quarters to place the cube in a smaller part of the suitcase. "That's it. Now I've got everything I need that's going planetside. It'll be great to be back on Earth, soaking up some sunshine." She suddenly gasped. "Oh, man, the national championship game's on Monday night, and it'll be Tuesday afternoon on the island when I see it. I can relax and watch the game."

Callie left her quarters in a happy mood, as she looked forward to being back on Tracy Island.


Post by TracyFan4Ever on 24/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2031 is a reply to message #2002] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island; Saturday, March 31st; 11 AM

Jeff opened his Tracy Industries emailbox and spotted one from Lena. Eager to get that task over and done with, he opened it first. He opened it, smiling at some points, raising an eyebrow occasionally, and thoughtful near the end. That part said:

I also attended a few of the meetings Mr. Peterson was required to be present at during his employment in this department. I felt it would help me determine who had the personality to do well in these meetings. They were informative, but I found that a couple of the supervisors there had an attitude of superiority that I later found out was only due to their seniority.

I later spoke to their boss about this, since one of the women present seemed to be adversely affected by it, and he told me that their attitude was slowly being changed by a program he and a few other second level management employees had initiated six months ago. He also said he would talk to the woman and assure her that their attitude isn't directed at her specifically. He also told me that you knew about it and approved of it. I wanted to let you know that, after hearing about it, it is a good program, one of the best I've ever seen. Have you thought about having someone try it out in your other locations? From what I hear, it might be needed in a few places.

Please don't think me presumptuous, but I had an idea when chatting with Marcie Jacobs, whom I was also considering. She would make a good trainer for future upgrades and new computer programs that would be incorporated into your company's systems.

I took the liberty of asking her if she would be interested in doing such a thing, and she enthusiastically agreed. I know that at present, you have two or three people traveling from state to state doing the training, but I'd like to suggest that you have someone from each office learn it, then train the relevant employees at their own locations. I believe it would save time and money, and the training would take effect better, when shown by someone the people know.

Lena


Jeff sat back and considered her suggestions. I never considered that Jerry's program could be used at other locations. I'll have to check with management in the other locations. And her suggestion about future training is a good one. He chuckled to himself. Save money? I wonder if she realized what she was writing there. Well, I'd better let her know she can tell Steve McNally he has the job. He started to type a reply to her email, then another thought occurred to him. He sat back to contemplate it for a few minutes, then smiled, nodded, and continued his reply.


[i]Post by Hobbeth on 24/01/2005[


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2032 is a reply to message #2031] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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"Saturday,  March 31, 2068, 2 p.m., Tracy Island

Now, you get up there and lie still," Dianne commanded.

Jeff grinned as he sat on the edge of the bed, then turned his body to lie down on his back.

Dianne took one look at his grinning face and shook her head. She came closer and stood by the bed. Jeff took advantage of the situation and reached out to squeeze part of her behind.

She smacked his hand and went back to looking at his medical chart. "This is serious, mister!" she chided. "I've got to get a good scan of your foot for the doctors back in New York. If they like what they see, then I can take that cast off and you can start physical therapy."

"I've got a different kind of therapy in mind," Jeff said, raising an eyebrow and letting his eyes rove over her.

"So I understand," Dianne retorted. "Jeff, just let me get this done. Then we can talk about what you've got on your mind."

"Only talk?" Jeff asked.

"Well... maybe do something about it, too," Dianne replied. "Now, please lie still. I'm going to use the scanner wrap to do this. It will give me a better picture."

She took out a wide black band of flexible, woven vinyl with Velcro patches here and there. Wrapping it around his foot right over the cast, she then plugged the ends of the band into ports in the side of the scanner bed. Then she stepped back to a computer station in the room. A few keystrokes and the deep scanning began.

The whole process took around 30 minutes. Dianne manipulated the image several times, trying to get the right angle to see the affected parts of Jeff's foot. She sighed.

"I know that sigh," Jeff said from the bed. "What's wrong, love?"

"I don't know if they'll consider you healed enough or not,"

Dianne replied. "There are a couple of spots that look iffy to me, but then, I'm not an orthopod. They might think that those places are just fine." She sighed again. "I'll get this uploaded and sent out to Mt. Sinai right away."

She saved the scan and sent the file to her hard drive, from which she would email the file to the hospital half a world away. Then she shut down the scanner and extricated Jeff's foot from it, helping him sit up.

"So, lady, what are we going to do about what's on my mind?" Jeff asked, putting his arms around her as he sat on the edge of the tall diagnostic and surgical bed.

Dianne took in a deep breath and let it out. "I really need to send this off, Jeff. And after what I saw on the scan, I'm not in the mood. Can we do something later?"

Jeff nodded. "Sure. Whenever you're ready, love. I can see that the scan results have you concerned. You get this taken care of." He slid off the table, landing on one foot, his arms still around her. She laid her head on his shoulder briefly, then turned her face up to him. He wove the fingers of one hand through her brown and silver waves as he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. One, two more, and he reluctantly let her go. She handed him his crutches.

"I'll see you later, dear heart," he said as he left the surgical room and headed out of the infirmary altogether.

"Later, love," Dianne echoed. She sighed once more, then put away her equipment and went into her office to send the scan to the appropriate people.


Post by Tikatu on 24/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2033 is a reply to message #2032] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:16 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island, Saturday, March 31

Cherie wandered into the kitchen to see what her grandmother was doing.

"Hello, Cherie, love. Do you want to help?" Emily asked.

"As a matter of fact, Grandma, I ... well .... we, that is Tyler and Alex and me, we were thinking that we would like to help prepare a special meal for when Callie and John return."

"That's a very good idea! What did you have in mind?"

"Well, John will be easy; he likes steak, corn on the cob, and of course your apple pie. Callie likes okra." Here Cherie hesitated. "I know what it is, but it may be kind of difficult to get it here, and I haven't a clue how you use it."

"Mm, okra," Emily thought for a moment. "I wonder? Well, honey, you leave that to me. Tell Tyler and Alex that they can both help, but I don't want any fooling around."

"Thanks, Grandma!" Cherie left to find her brothers.

"Okay," Cherie told her siblings with a serious face. "Grandma says you can help, but this is serious. No fooling around."

"Aw, Cherie!" Tyler looked at his sister. "We won't fool around, honest! We really want to make this a special homecoming."

"Okay, then. This will be the menu." Cherie outlined what she and Emily had talked about.

"Okra! Yuck, I hate it," Alex said, making a face.

"Well, Callie likes it," Cherie retorted, "and we are cooking for her homecoming."

Meanwhile Emily had been talking to Kyrano.

"Okra is not a problem, Mrs. Tracy, I have some okra in the freezer and I know one or two recipes to make with it."

That afternoon, Cherie and her brothers were standing in the kitchen with Emily and Kyrano.

"Now you three, for dinner when Callie and John return, there will be steak, baked potato, corn on the cob, chicken gumbo and a special vegetarian dish for Dominic and Kat, followed by apple pie a la mode," Emily explained. "So on the day that they return, I want you three here nice and early, so that everything can be prepared on time."

All three nodded their heads.

"I can't wait to see John and Callie's faces when we tell them that we have prepared their meal," Tyler said.

Later that evening, Cherie approached Virgil. "Virgil?" Cherie asked her older brother. "Could you help me? I want to do something special for when Callie returns."

"Sure, Cherie, what have you in mind?"

Cherie whispered, and Virgil nodded. "But keep it a secret.," she added.

Virgil followed her and her brothers into her bedroom. For the next half an hour all four were painting, until Cherie held it up.

Welcome home John and Callie

The banner was safely hidden away, and the three giggling children headed back into the lounge.

"What are you three up to?" Gordon asked.

"It's a surprise," was all that Cherie would tell him.


Post by Tawnyangel22 on 24/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2034 is a reply to message #2033] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:18 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Sunday, April 1, 2068, 8:00 a.m., Tracy Island

Dianne stirred; her body, accustomed to the rhythm of the weekday routine, waking her enough to look at the clock and groan. She rolled over, spooning herself to a still sleeping Jeff, pressing herself to his back and throwing an arm over his waist. Her movement and touch roused her husband, and he turned back toward her with a sleepy, "Huh?"

"Do you know what day this is?" she asked quietly.

"N-No," he answered groggily. "What?"

"It's April first."

Now it was Jeff's turn to groan. "Ugh. Can we just skip this day and go on to the second?"

"Wish we could, love," Dianne murmured. "I wonder what Gordon's got in store for us today?"

Jeff finished rolling over, the casted ankle still unwieldy. "Whatever it is, he'd better wait until we all wake up."

Dianne sighed as Jeff's hand began to smooth over her side. "He's got a greater scope and a bigger audience to work with this year," she said. "We'd best warn the new recruits."

"Mm hmm," he responded as he drew her close, planting a hot kiss on her lips.

She smiled. "I guess the warning can wait a little while," she said breathily as Jeff took his kisses elsewhere on her body.

"Right," he said, a word that turned into a small moan as Dianne began to reply with kisses and touches of her own.

**********************

Down the hall, Gordon lay on his bed, hands pillowed behind his head, thinking.

I'm not prepared for playing pranks today, he admitted. So, what do I do? Can't play jokes on people without the proper preparation. And people are expecting me to... hey! Wait a minute! That's perfect! People are expecting me to play pranks on them. What if I went around looking like I was up to something? It would make people nervous and they'd be looking over their shoulders all day long! Yeah! That's it! My April Fool's day prank will be... not to prank!

Smiling, he got up and changed from his bedtime gear of shorts and a t-shirt and pulled out his swim trunks. He whistled jauntily as he left for his morning swim and run.


Post by Tikatu on 25/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2035 is a reply to message #2034] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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After waking up early for a morning jog, Nikki decided to sit by the pool to get her breath back. She didn't notice Gordon in the swimming pool until she sat down. She waited until he surfaced before she spoke.

"Good morning."

"Morning," Gordon replied. "Enjoying the view?"

"Ah, I've seen better," Nikki joked. "How's the water?"

"Perfect as always. You gonna join?" Gordon swam to the edge of the pool and rested his arms on the concrete.

"I might later. I just want to relax for now." Nikki rubbed her bare arm. A while back, a slight bruise used to live there, from the time they all went out for Alan's birthday and he held onto her arm, while trying to get her to leave Jake to go back home. A slight smile played on Nikki's lips as she thought about Jake. She seemed to go off into her own little dream land before closing her eyes.

xxxx

Alan stretched and walked out onto the balcony. He saw his brother doing his morning laps and noticed Nikki soon join him.

Uh oh, he thought. I should warn her about Gordon's April 1st traditions.

xxxx

Gordon grinned at the fact that Nikki seemed to forget she was talking to him. He looked across when he saw his brother approaching. "Morning bro."

"Hey Gordo. So what have you got planned for today? I know you have something up your sleeve."

"Hello, sleeveless."

"You know what I mean."

"I have no idea." Gordon smirked. He lowered his hand into the pool and threw a handful of water towards Nikki. "Time to wake up."

Nikki jumped. "Hey!" For the first time, she noticed the presence of the fifth Tracy brother. "Morning, Alan. When did you get here?"

Gordon laughed. "What were you day dreaming about?"

"Nothing major. Just thinking about the time we went out for Alan's birthday. I wish we could do something like that again. It was fun."

"You spent most of the night with some guy." Alan folded his arms. "What was his name? James? Josh?"

"It was Jake. And I didn't spend most of the night with him." Nikki narrowed her eyes slightly. "I wish I did," she mumbled afterwards. She raised her voice again. "Anyway, it's not like you didn't have a good time with some of the women there. I heard you got quite a few phone numbers."

"Yes I did," Alan gloated. "Those girls were like putty in my hands once they realised I was the famous Alan Tracy."

Don't go there, Alan, Gordon thought inwardly as he winced slightly.

Nikki rolled her eyes at his comment. "Putty in your hands?"

"Yeah. Because of who I am, they'll do anything to get my attention."

"I can't believe you just said that." Nikki stood up to go to her room.

"What's up? Jealous?" Alan asked.

"Oh please. Like I'd be jealous, especially when that's your attitude towards women. Thinking they would bow down to your every need because you have a famous name." Nikki walked away.

Alan turned back to his brother. "What just happened there?"

"Now you remember I'm still here?" Gordon shook his head. "You've still got a lot to learn about women."


Post by Nikki-browneyes1 on 25/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2036 is a reply to message #2035] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Sunday 01 April. 9.00am. Tracy Island.

The quiet clank of the washer-dryer, working its magic on some dirty clothes, and the light tapping of a well-worn high-top sneaker on the hard floor were the only sounds in the cliff house laundry room. Dominic leant back against another of the machines, his arms folded and head down, hair falling across his face. The relative quiet and the rhythmic sounds of the tapping and the machine were helping to lull him into a daze, and he didn't fight it. Perhaps it was what he needed.

So it was the first of April once again. He remembered the excitement of practical jokes in his youth, hanging out with his friends and trying to catch each other out in the most unique way possible. Now, however, that enthusiasm had gone, for a particularly poignant reason. It had become a sombre day, on which the twenty-seven year old felt like he was seventy-seven. Sometimes he wished it would just go away.

Quiet was something he now always sought on this day, and he had been particularly glad when Kyrano, on seeing his dampened spirits in sharp contrast to the exuberance of the child he was trailing after, had kindly taken Joshua off his hands, promising the little blond a lesson in cookery. Of course, the two-year-old had no idea what Kyrano had said, but he was happy enough to go off with the wizened, intriguing man, and Dominic had taken the time to get some of his mound of washing done, and to think for a little while.

He was caught off-guard, however, by a soft 'hello', and he jumped sharply, letting out an embarrassingly un-manly squeak. He felt a flush creep into his face as Nikki placed a basket of her own washing on one of the counters, and he gave her a wan smile and a quiet 'hello' back.

The young woman began to sort out her laundry, and she glanced over him, concerned. He seemed to have visibly deflated, with his shoulders slumped and his arms tucked in. Something was up.

"Are you okay, Dom?" She asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm all right."

"You look very down-in-the-dumps for a guy who's 'all right'," Nikki said with a slight grin. Men. If they weren't saying too much -- Alan sprang to mind -- they weren't saying enough.

"It's nothin'. I'm fine, honest." He tried to smile, but it didn't quite come out right. It felt wrong, bent out of shape, as if he had been out of practice for a while, even though he hadn't.

"Come on, Dom. We're friends, right? Friends help each other, right? Tell me."

They had indeed become fast friends, and Dominic sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides, fingers drumming lightly on the machine behind him. He took in the compassion evident in the woman, his friend, before him, and he caved. He always seemed to, when it came to anyone who showed even a little bit of concern.

"It's the sixth anniversary of my mother's death, today," he said quietly.

Nikki had perhaps not been expecting such a revelation, but she took it in her stride if she hadn't, and her face softened into compassion.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dom."

He waved it off, and shook his head. It really wasn't that big of a deal; at least, not as big as it had been before.

"It's okay. I'm just a bit down right now. I'll bounce back in a few hours, I expect. It's just hard sometimes when I think about it." He sighed as memories floated back in of her last few years of illness. "She was only forty-nine. She died of lung cancer."

"I'm sorry," Nikki said again.

She didn't seem to know what else to say, and there wasn't much. He had been in her position many times before, so he knew how tough it was.

His washer-dryer stopped clanking, sounding the end of the cycle, and he gave her a small smile before beginning to cross the room to unload the clothing. He stopped as Nikki called him, and he found himself enveloped in a swift, comforting hug. Nikki grinned as she went back to her own washing, and he smiled back.

"Thanks, Nik," he said, "I think I needed that."

He transferred the clothing into his laundry basket and nodded his goodbye, heading up to his apartment to do some ironing. It seemed, now, that some of the gloom had lifted, and he felt considerably lighter as he ascended in the lift. The smile playing on his lips felt natural, now, and the memories that came back were much, much happier.


Post by ArtisticRainey on 26/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2037 is a reply to message #2036] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island and Christchurch, New Zealand, Sunday April 1st 2068

Christopher joined Mrs Tracy, Cherie, Alex and Tyler in the lounge.

"Thank you for offering to fly us to Christchurch," Emily said, smiling at Christopher.

"That's quite okay, Mrs. Tracy. To be honest, I have an ulterior motive. I'm doing some shopping for Kyrano."

Emily raised her eyebrows, "You are?"

Christopher was just about to explain, when he noticed Cherie and her brothers watching them. "I'll explain later," was all that he would say.

Taxiing along the runway at Christchurch, Christopher smoothly brought the plane to a halt. The small group went through arrivals. Once outside, Christopher hailed a taxi and they were soon heading for the centre of Christchurch and the shops.

"Grandma?" Alex looked at Emily. "Please may we have an ice cream before we start shopping?"

Emily hesitated, then said, "I guess it won't hurt or spoil your dinner. There's an ice cream parlour across the road. Let's do this now and get it over with."

As the children hurried on ahead of them, Grandma hung back to pace Christopher. "Now, Christopher, what's this secret shopping trip all about?"

Christopher shuffled his feet. "Well, Mrs Tracy, I want to prepare a special meal for Tin-Tin. I asked Kyrano what were her favourite foods, and he has given me a list, and will show me how to prepare the meal."

Emily gave him a thoughtful look. Christopher, thinking he sensed disapproval, said hastily, "Do you think she would like that?"

Emily smiled and nodded. "Oh, I'm sure she will, but I wasn't thinking of Tin-Tin. I was thinking of Alan."

"Alan!" Christopher looked startled. "But they finished a long time ago."

"True, but I think he is still protective of her. He wouldn't want to see her hurt." She paused. "In fact, all my grandsons are rather protective of her. They see her as a little sister sometimes."

"Mrs. Tracy, I like Tin-Tin. I want to get to know her better. I would never hurt her."

"Hm. Yes. See to it that you don't, Christopher." She smiled at him, and the trepidation he felt melted away. "I hope your meal is a success. Now, I have to appease these wild Apaches with some ice cream. See you back here in, say, two hours?"

"Okay, will meet you then." Christopher hurried away.

Emily watched him go. Well, he is a nice young man, and Tin-Tin needs a nice young man in her life. He certainly would be better for her than that Mr. Tallman we met in Afghanistan.

As she entered the ice cream parlour, Emily glimpsed a tall young man sitting in the far corner, accompanied by a tall blonde woman. She gasped.

"What's the matter, Grandma?" Tyler asked.

"Nothing... nothing, dear. I just saw someone who reminded me of someone else." The gentleman in question had looked so much like Mr Tallman that he had given Emily quite a start. He was one person that she never wanted to meet again.

Having finished their ice cream, they left the shop and headed towards the store to start buying their groceries. Soon their shopping cart was loaded with what they needed for John and Callie's homecoming dinner.

Christopher went round a cornucopia of shops, buying ingredients for the meal. He bought fish, vegetables, and a number of spices and sauces. Kyrano had given him permission to use his kitchen equipment, as long as he washed up afterwards of course.

Finally, he purchased supplies for Asterix as well. Paying for the goods, he headed back to the meeting place, but not before buying a huge bunch of flowers.

"Perfect," he chuckled to himself as he saw the others waiting for him.

"Who're the flowers for?" Tyler wanted to know.

"I bet they're for Callie, to welcome her home," Alex grinned. Christopher coloured slightly.

"Now, you two," Emily said, frowning at Alex and Tyler. "That's none of your business." She winked at Christopher, who smiled at her in return.


Post by Tawnyangel22 (with copious recent edits by Tikatu) on 26/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2038 is a reply to message #2037] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:41 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Saturday, March 31; Tracy Penthouse, NYC; 9 PM (2 PM April 1 on Tracy Island)

Lena tiredly turned on her laptop to check on her email. Her daughter and grandchildren hadn't let her touch a computer from the time she got back to the penthouse the previous afternoon until now. They'd said that work time was over and she had to spend the weekend doing things with them. Laughing, she'd thrown her hands up and agreed, saying, "Okay, okay. When de tree of you gang up on me like dis, I know better dan to argue. What did you all want to do?"

She found out very quickly. That night they'd gone to a show and a late dinner, then the next day, they went sightseeing. They took in two museums, a boat trip around Manhattan Island, plus a visit to Rockefeller Center and the Statue of Liberty. By the time they returned to the penthouse, she was exhausted. The next day, they told her, they would all slow down and just go to one more museum, Lincoln Center, then lunch and a matinée. She chuckled, shook her head and headed to her room for a much-needed nap before dinner.

After they ate, the twins went to the computer to write reports of what they'd seen and done (part of the homework assigned to them by their mother). The two women sat and chatted for an hour. Then Lena went to her room to bathe and sleep. But first, she wanted to check her computer mailboxes.

There were several emails, both in her personal and her Tracy Industries boxes. She immediately noticed the one from Jeff but - certain that whatever it said, she would forget about the others if she opened it right away - checked the rest of the messages first. They were easily dealt with, and it wasn't long before there was only one message left. She opened it and read it.

Lena,

I reread the file on Steven McNally after receiving your recommendation, and completely agree that he should get the job. Would you please tell him Monday morning? He can move into his new office immediately afterward.

Your recommendation about the "attitude adjustment" program is a good one. I have asked Jerry, the creator, to see where the need for it is the greatest and formulate a plan for implementing it in those locations. I appreciate your heads up on this.

About your "presumptuousness"; you acted properly and it was a timely suggestion. I did have three people traveling and training, but one has left, due to being diagnosed with an inoperable malignant tumor (you'd think that, by now, they'd have found a way to deal with that sort of thing), and another is on maternity leave. I like the idea of having someone (or two) from each I&M department meet in one location to be trained on a new program or an upgrade, then returning to train the others in their location. Well done, Lena.

This brings me to an offer I'd like to make you. I've had it in the back of my mind for a while now to create the position of I&M coordinator. I would like to offer it to you, in addition to your job as I&M supervisor in DC. It would mean traveling at least once a month, to visit one of the other offices, but you would be gone for only a few days at a time. Would you be interested? Take your time and think about it, then let me know your decision.

Jeff Tracy


Lena sat back, stunned. What have you gotten yourself into, woman? More challenges, plus a chance to travel, which you always said you wanted to do. But I don't know . . .

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Joy peeked in. "Mom, I just wanted to see if you were all right. I know we exhausted you; I'm pretty tired out my . . . What's the matter?"

"I got an email from Mr. Tracy. He not only agrees wit my recommendation, he wants me to be de coordinator of all de I&M offices in de states. Dis would involve traveling to a different city each mont for face-to-face meetings wit de people dere."

"Really? That's wonderful, Mom. How many cities does he have branches in, anyway?"

"I don't know, Joy. Let me see; dere's dis one and de one in DC, den Los Angeles, Honolulu . . ."

"Hawaii?" Both women turned to see Naomi at the door. "Wow, Nyanya, that would be great! Are you going to take the job?"

"It would mean a lot more responsibility, Naomi, and I would have less time to be wit my family. I wonder if I would be up to it."

"Of course you would, Mom," Joy exclaimed. "You're in excellent health and more energetic than most people twenty years younger. Plus, you know how much you like challenges. I think you should take it."

"Me too, Nyanya. Especially if you could take family members along on some of those trips."

Lena laughed. "Now, I'm not so sure about dat, young lady. I don't intend to abuse de privileges given me. But I need to tink about dis offer some more, and consult wit your uncle. I want him to have a say, too." She sighed and saved Jeff's message, then shut down her computer. "And right now, I'm going to bade and have a good night's sleep. So you two shoo. I'll see you tomorrow." She grinned at them.

"Okay, Nyanya. Oh, wait until Kevin hears about this!" Naomi immediately disappeared.

Joy laughed. "Anytime you want something broadcast, just tell Naomi." She gave her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I agree you should think about it when you're not so tired, and talk to the rest of the family, but I really believe you should take the job. It isn't like you'd be gone for weeks at a time, and I suspect you'll be able to schedule the trips so they won't conflict with anything going on in your family's life. But I'm keeping you from your bath and bed. Sleep well, Mom."

"Tank you, Joy. You, too." Joy left the room, closing the door behind her, and Lena turned and headed into the bathroom, wondering what was next in store for her.


Post by Hobbeth on 27/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2040 is a reply to message #2038] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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1st April 6pm

Christopher walked into the kitchen, looking around and trying not to look suspicious. Kyrano was there preparing food for the evening meal.

"Mission accomplished, Kyrano!" Christopher smiled as he held up the bag of produce. "And I'm keeping Asterix happy for the next few weeks."

(Flashback)

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Shurrup!" Christopher mumbled as he pressed the button on top of his alarm clock. He opened his eyes slowly to see Asterix looking at him reproachfully, before the little cat started to clean himself.

"Off you get," Christopher said as he turfed Asterix off the bed. "Your Dad has got a lot to do today."

Yawning and scratching himself, Christopher trudged to the bathroom and took a shower. The hot water massaged his joints as he went through the tasks for the day. After drying himself off, he trudged to the kitchen and chuckled to himself as Asterix began winding himself around his master's feet, purring and meowing.

"I love you too." Christopher smiled as he opened the cupboard to get the cat food. He couldn't find anything.

"Asterix," he said as he looked down at the expectant face of his pet. "I've run out of cat food"

Asterix looked up at him and tilted his head. "Rrrroow!" he expressed impatiently.

"I know!" Christopher kept looking in the cupboard. "You are eating it too quickly."

Christopher walked over to the fridge and opened it, taking out a dish of chopped up chicken. The 'emergency supplies' he called it. After unwrapping the dish, he placed it on the floor, but not before shaking some of the dried food on the top. Asterix started eating straight away.

"Take it easy, lad," Christopher said. "This has to last you until I go shopping later today." Thankfully, Mr Tracy had said that he could fly the elder Mrs Tracy and the children to Christchurch. It would give him an opportunity to get the ingredients he wanted.

Shaking his head, Christopher wandered out of the apartment, and after a short walk he found himself in the spot where Kyrano had told him where the flowers he wanted were situated.

He selected some lovely flowers. "She'll love these," Christopher muttered to himself, then he went back to his flat where he put the flowers in a preservation gel and wrapped them in some nice paper before writing a cryptic message card without his signature.

Going back to the lift, he went down to the monorail terminal. Getting inside the car, he pressed the button that took him to the Villa.

The monorail doors slid open and Christopher walked out along the corridor to the main Villa complex.

As he counted on, nobody was awake yet, so he headed to the dining room. Pausing for a moment, he placed the bouquet on the table there, in Tin-Tin's normal place. Then with a small smile to himself, he walked away.

(End of Flashback)

"So did Tin-Tin like the flowers?" Christopher asked eagerly.

"My daughter was surprised and tried to discover who had sent them," Kyrano's eyes sparkled. He looked around his kitchen.

"All is prepared Mr Jordan," he said. "Good luck with your endeavours."

"Thank you, Kyrano." Christopher smiled.

The old man left the kitchen. Christopher saw Cherie setting the table. Walking nonchalantly into the dining room he said to the girl, "Don't worry, Cherie. I haven't forgotten my promise." Christopher had asked Cherie the evening before to help him keep people out of the kitchen as he worked on the special meal, promising her a chocolate mousse all her own as a reward for her diligence.

Cherie just smiled as Christopher headed back into the kitchen to begin his work.


Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 on 28/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2042 is a reply to message #2040] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Sunday, April 1, 2068, 6:58, The boat pen, Tracy Island.

Tin-Tin looked around nervously. The cryptic note she had gotten with the beautiful tropical bouquet at breakfast said she was invited to dinner and she should wait for her escort in the boat pen at seven.

"Gordon, if this is one of your practical jokes, I'm going to wring your neck," she muttered as she waited in the natural cavern, the only sound that of the water lapping up against the concrete slips where the boats were anchored. She didn't know quite what to wear, so she chose a light sundress, not too fancy and not too casual, and had put her dark hair back in a matching headband. She hugged herself, checked her watch, and waited.

Christopher walked carefully up to the boat pen, and peered inside. He stifled a gasp when he saw Tin-tin standing there. "You look gorgeous," he whispered to himself as he walked in and coughed a little, then said aloud, "Hello, Tin-Tin."

"Christopher!" Tin-Tin cried. "You startled me!" She smiled shyly. "Were you the one who left those lovely flowers for me this morning?"

"Yes." Christopher blushed. "That was me. I hope you liked them." He moved closer, smelling her scent. "You look lovely tonight."

"Oh, thank you. You're so sweet. And the flowers are lovely," she told him, regarding him carefully. "I put them in a vase in my room." She smiled again, a bit more warmly. "You said something about dinner?"

"It's waiting for us at my place." Christopher smiled. "All cooked with my own fair hands. I hope you are hungry."

"I am!" she said. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I had to learn in RAF." Christopher held out the crook of his arm. "And I will say that I'm not too bad at it." He smiled again. "Shall we go?"

"Lead on, sir." Tin-Tin's smile was now almost coquettish as she took Christopher's arm and he led her to the monorail car.

As he sat in the monorail car with Tin-Tin, Christopher felt a mixture of elation and pure unadulterated nerves. He talked to her about various things, anything to keep the flow going. The monorail car stopped and the doors opened. "After you," Christopher said as he held out his hand.

"Thank you," she said, slipping one foot out gracefully. The other foot, however, didn't follow quite as smoothly. Her sandal's heel got caught in the small gap between the monorail and the terminal's platform. Not only did her heel break off, but she pitched forward. Christopher tried to catch her, but she fell to her hands and knees, scraping one knee on the concrete.

Christopher helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry!" he said, a look for terror on his face. "Are you okay? Can I look at that knee for you?"

Tin-Tin sighed. "It's okay. I'm just a bit clumsy today. If I can wash it off when we get to your apartment, and maybe put some ice on it, it will be all right."

Christopher picked up the heel, and helped Tin-Tin to his apartment. He bade her to sit then he went to the kitchen to get a clean cloth, some warm water, and some ice. He cleaned the scrape then placed an ice pack on the knee. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"That sounds lovely," she replied, smiling, then wincing as she put the ice on her knee.

Pouring two glasses, he sat next to her and passed a glass over. "I've cooked something very Oriental in feel," he said. "Then for pudding I've made chocolate mousse."

"Oooh, chocolate mousse! My favorite!" Tin-Tin gushed. Then she gave Christopher a sideways look and a knowing smile. "Have you been talking to Father?"

"Well," Christopher said, giving her a deadpan stare. "I did ask him a few questions about what you liked, and he was right about one thing."

"And what was that?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"Not much gets past you." Christopher smiled then sipped from his glass. His nervousness was subsiding. "Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes. I'm famished," Tin-Tin declared.

Christopher offered her his hand, and helped her off his sofa, giving her support as she limped out to the balcony. Pulling the chair out, he helped Tin-Tin sit down. He poured another glass of wine before heading to the kitchen, where he was keeping the food warm. He brought out the plates and dishes and placed them on the table. "Voila!" he said as he removed the covers to reveal a sumptuous meal.

"Oh, Christopher! Everything looks so delicious!" Tin-Tin cried. "All my favorites!"

He picked up the chopsticks and looked at them with a degree of trepidation. "There is only one thing I'm not good at, and that is using chopsticks." Unwrapping them, he tried with little success to pick up some fish from the main dish.

"Oh, let me show you how," Tin-Tin said, taking the chopstick in her left hand. "See, you hold this one like you would a pencil, and you slide the other inside the fold of your thumb and forefinger." She demonstrated. "Then you use the upper stick for actually gripping, and the lower for support." She picked up a small chunk of fish, and brought it up easily, slipping it between her lips and chewing. "See? It's not hard. It just takes a bit of practice."

"You make it look so easy," Christopher said as he manipulated his chopsticks again. Finally he managed to pick up a piece a fish, his tongue sticking out of one side of his mouth with concentration.

Tin-Tin watched him surreptitiously, thinking how cute he looked with that tongue sticking out, just like a little boy who was trying to do something hard. She ate another bite, carefully lifting it with her chopsticks.

"I like living here," Christopher said, after finishing his food. "It's very calm and very nice and I have something to keep me going. And I'm happy to have met you."

Tin-Tin looked down at her plate. "I'm happy to have met you, too, Christopher. I remember when we first met and how interested you were in the Ladybird and how we sang those strange songs...."

Christopher was about to say something when a familiar 'Miaow' came from the kitchen. Asterix ran out onto the balcony, then leapt onto the table. "I wondered where you had got to," Christopher said as he stroked his pet's head. "Sorry, old boy, but I'm rather busy right now."

"Oh, he's so cute," Tin-Tin said, reaching out to pet the kitten. Asterix growled deep in his throat, and with a snarl, swiped a paw out, raking four parallel scratches down Tin-Tin's hand. "Ow!" she shrieked, pulling her hand away and pressing her napkin to it.

"Asterix!" Christopher shouted as he rushed around to where Tin-Tin was sitting "You bad cat! Go to bed, go on!" Asterix leapt at Tin-Tin, hissing loudly. His hackles were raised. He knocked the glass of wine over, the red liquid splashing over her dress. Asterix hissed again before he started to make choking noises.
Tin-Tin pulled back in terror as Asterix hacked and hacked and suddenly produced... a hairball. Right in the middle of the table.

"Oh, disgusting!" Tin-Tin cried, pulling back even further. The back legs of her chair caught on the balcony tiles, and despite Christopher's efforts to catch her, she and the chair fell over backwards.

Christopher helped Tin-Tin up. "I'm so so sorry! He isn't like this normally." Giving Asterix a look of venom, he decided to serve the pudding indoors. "I'll get some cleaning solution for your dress." Helping her indoors, Christopher cleared the table while Asterix sat there cleaning himself. "I'll speak to you in the morning you bad cat!"

Christopher took out the pudding, all swirled and chocolaty in a clear crystal bowl. Tin-Tin took one look at it and shook her head. It reminded her vividly of the hairball.

"I'm sorry, Christopher, but I... I don't feel well. I think I should go back to the Villa."

"Okay," Christopher sighed. "Would you like me to escort you back?"

"N-No, that's not necessary. I can make it back myself," she said, limping toward the front door and the lift. He sighed again, and called the elevator for her.

After Tin-Tin left, Christopher turned back into his flat, feeling very miserable. His evening ruined by a jealous cat!

Asterix was sitting on the sofa, looking very pleased with himself. "You ruined my carefully planned evening, you did!" the frustrated man said angrily before picking up the bowl of mousse from the tray. Shaking his head, he plunged the spoon in and began to eat.


Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 and Tikatu on 29/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!

[Updated on: Sun, 29 July 2012 11:46]

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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2044 is a reply to message #2042] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Sunday, April 1, 2068, 7:35 p.m., Tracy Island

Tin-Tin sat in the monorail car on the way back to the Villa, wiping away tears. The evening had started out so promising, but had turned from bad to worse when Asterix had put in an appearance. "I don't think that cat likes me," Tin-Tin murmured, stifling a sob. Her back ached from falling onto the balcony floor and her knee throbbed from her earlier fall. I think I might need some help getting to my quarters. And maybe Dianne should have a look at the knee. It is rather swollen.

With a sigh, she activated her wrist communicator. "Tin-Tin to Dianne."

Dianne, who was out by the pool watching her children swim, was surprised to hear from Tin-Tin. She was more surprised to see how downcast the usually bubbly young woman was. "Dianne here. What can I do for you, Tin-Tin?"

"I've, uh, had a couple of falls, and I think I'd like you to look at my knee. It's rather swollen."

"Where are you?" Dianne asked, getting up and crossing over to Jeff, who sat closer to the water, his cast wrapped in plastic, throwing a beach ball to his children and catching it.

"I'm in the monorail and just coming into the main terminal," Tin-Tin replied. "Can you meet me here?"

"Sure thing, hun. Be there in a tick. Dianne out." She leaned over and told Jeff where she was going. He nodded, and then turned back to his game.

Tin-Tin waited in the monorail car for Dianne to arrive. She colored when she saw that Dianne had brought along a wheelchair. The doctor left the chair out in the terminal and entered the car, bringing along her mobile scanner.

"Where did you hurt yourself?" Dianne asked as she scanned Tin-Tin's knee.

"My knee, mostly. And my back," Tin-Tin answered.

"How did it happen?"

Tin-Tin sighed heavily, and told Dianne all about the ruined meal.

"Let me see your hand," Dianne said. "Hmm. Looks like he got you but good. We'll have to put some antiseptic on that and a bit of skin glue. Keep the scarring to a minimum." Dianne gave Tin-Tin a sympathetic smile. "One day, you'll look back and laugh at this," she told her disconsolate patient.

"Maybe," Tin-Tin replied doubtfully. Dianne helped her to her feet and into the wheelchair for transport.

An hour later, Tin-Tin was back in her quarters, sitting on her sofa, pillows behind her back as she sat against the arm and propped her leg on the length of the couch. She was in her most comfortable pair of drawstring pants and a t-shirt, a combination she would never let anyone see outside of her suite.

Her back was only bruised; she would have to wait for it to heal. The knee had been sprained, and Tin-Tin had been given an anti-inflammatory injection, some pain medication, and a pair of crutches, and was told to stay off of it and alternate ice and heat for the next few hours. The scratches had been cleaned and a light coating of skin adhesive was sprayed on, then Dianne used the laser at a low setting to set the glue. Already the scratches could barely be seen.

She had her laptop on her lap and was sipping from a glass of ice water when she noticed she had some email. Clicking on her inbox, she smiled, and proceeded to open up and chuckle at the latest missive from Giles Tallman.


Post by Tikatu on 29/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2045 is a reply to message #2044] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Sunday, April 1, 2068, 10:45 p.m. Tracy Island.

"Y'know something, Dianne?" Jeff asked as he pulled a pair of pajama pants, cut open on one side to accommodate his cast.

"What, dear?" Dianne answered as she slid a silky chemise over her head.

"I do believe that Gordon did not play a prank all day," Jeff said.

Dianne turned around, her face thoughtful. Then her eyebrows went up in surprise. "I think you're right. He made everyone nervous by staring at them, or approaching them with a hand behind the back or something. And I know that the boys were all checking their shampoo bottles and other things very diligently today. But there hasn't been one report of a prank. Not one."

Jeff chuckled. "The joke's on us, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that Gordon's prank this year was not to play a joke at all, but make us think all day that he was going to."

Dianne chuckled, too. "Very subtle. And I don't think anyone else will figure it out. No one but the man who knows Gordon better than anyone." She crawled across the bed on her knees and put her arms around Jeff's neck from the back, letting her arms hang down on his chest. He turned back to look at her, and, with some effort, they managed a sweet kiss.


Post by Tikatu on 30/01/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2048 is a reply to message #2045] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Thunderbird Five: 1:45pm Monday April 2nd, 2068

"Hey Callie, are you packed yet?" John called to his teammate. They had both finished their shift on Thunderbird Five and were waiting for their ride home.

"Just one more thing, John." She had placed her last shirt into her suitcase and closed it. I can't wait to wear that new uniform.

"That's good, because Scott will be here soon and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Callie poked her head around the corner, looking at John. "Hey, I'm ready to go. All we have to do is wait for our ride to arrive."

"Did you get a response to that e-mail?" John asked.

"Yeah, I did. Joe said he and the family had to brace themselves a week ago because of a tornado outbreak. Fortunately, Opp was pretty much spared from damage."

"That's good to hear," John replied. Callie watched as John checked over the monitors, making sure they were working properly. He was about to say more to her when the radio crackled to life.

"Thunderbird Three to Thunderbird Five. Do you copy?"

Callie looked at John. After he nodded, she went to the microphone and spoke. "Thunderbird Three, this is Thunderbird Five, reading you strength five."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Five. Initiating docking sequence." Scott completed the docking sequence in about two minutes, and soon he and Alan were on board Thunderbird Five.

"Hi, guys," said Alan. "Callie, how did things go up here?"

"I'm getting the hang of it. I just hope when it's time for me to go solo up here, I can live up to the expectations."

"Don't worry about it, Callie. You can do it. You've already shown us you're capable," Scott said.

"Scott's right," Alan replied. "You've proven yourself several times over."

Callie smiled at the guys. "Thanks, you guys. That means a lot."

"So," Scott said, a smile on his face. "Who's ready to go home?"

"Hey, you don't have to ask me twice," John answered. "I've been ready for quite a while."

Callie looked around the station one last time. "I'm gonna miss this place."

Alan looked at her in surprise. "Callie, you'll be back up here next month, all by yourself."

"I know. But that doesn't mean I still can't miss the place," Callie said jokingly.

"After you've been up here a month, the island will be a welcome sight," John replied, looking at her.

Scott cleared his throat to get their attention. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to be off. Father doesn't like it when we take too long dropping off the relief."

"Wait a minute, Scott!" Alan shouted. "What about the supplies, the food?" Alan was so wound up he didn't see his brother laughing behind his hand.

Callie, however, knew it was a lot more serious. "He's right. We need to get the supplies unloaded first. Shall we, gentlemen?"

With an extra pair of hands to help, it didn't take long for the supplies to be offloaded. After a little more small talk, Thunderbird Three departed for home. The ride in Thunderbird Three was surprisingly smooth. Of course, the only disadvantage was no windows, meaning no one could see outside. Scott and John were at the pilot seats while Callie sat behind them.

She looked at the plasma screen and saw the bright stars. It's nice, but it doesn't feel the same as seeing them from a window.

In the co-pilot's seat, Scott watched John as he piloted Thunderbird Three home. "Does it feel good to be back in a Thunderbird that actually moves?"

Callie was a little transfixed to the screen and had to snap back to reality. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's nice to be going home." Scott grinned, nudging John in the arm.

John chuckled, "Yes, it does. Believe it or not, I actually like feeling the vibrations of the ship and hearing the engines. It's a welcome change from the beeps and electronic hum of the consoles aboard Five."

Callie looked up from the plasma screen. "You know what sounds I'm looking forward to?" When Scott and John didn't answer, she continued, "I'm looking forward to the sounds of the birds."


Post by MagicMaster8 and TracyFan4Ever on 30/01/2005


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[Updated on: Sun, 29 July 2012 11:55]

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Monday, April 2, 2068, 4:30 p.m., Tracy Island

Gordon sauntered up to the kitchen, hoping to snag a cold beer from the fridge. He entered the room and stopped in his tracks. The normally neat, clean, and empty kitchen was full of activity, and frankly, looked like a tornado had hit it.

Grandma was supervising (or trying to supervise) three determined young people, all covered with flour and grease splatters from the wide variety of foods that they had been trying to prepare.

"Gordon!" Cherie rushed towards her brother and practically manhandled him out of the kitchen. "Go away! We are working on surprise. It's a secret."

Gordon looked surprised. "Gee, Cherie, I only wanted a beer."

"Well, you'll just have to wait a little longer. Maybe Brandon or somebody could offer you one." And with that she firmly shut the kitchen door.

"Come back here and roll out this pie dough," Grandma called. "We've got a lot of pies to make to feed all the crew."

"Grandma, can't I roll out the dough?" Tyler asked plaintively. "I'm tired of peeling apples."

"You're not quite heavy enough, Tyler love," Emily said as she watched her youngest grandson push another Rome Beauty onto the prongs of the mechanical peeler. He sighed, and began to crank the old fashioned machine, watching as the blade scraped along the twirling apple, neatly removing the skin. When the apple was peeled, he handed it to Alex, who was busy trying to slice the apples up to a bakeable thickness.

"Try not to get those slices of apple too big," Grandma said. "And be careful with that knife!"

"Aw, Grandma, it's so hard to get thin slices," Alex groaned.

"Alex, Tyler, please try. We don't have much time to make this meal." Cherie called from where she was busy rolling out the dough. She had flour on her nose, and in her hair where she had unconsciously touched it. Emily went over to the cupboards and began to bring out several pie dishes, of all sizes.

"Do we have to fill all those?" Tyler looked amazed.

"Of course we have to," Cherie replied. "We are a much bigger family now."

"At least we've shucked all the corn," Alex said. He shook his head. "I never thought we'd finish that job!"

"The potatoes are all ready for baking, too. They'll go in after the pies, right, Grandma?" Cherie asked.

"Right, Cherry dear," Emily replied as she put a layer of pie crust in the first of the plates. Using a large spoon, she scooped seasoned and sugared apple slices from a big bowl into the lower crust, then added some dots of butter and fitted the upper crust to the fruit, molding the edges to seal in the apples. "How is the chicken gumbo coming along, Kyrano?" she asked.

Kyrano turned from what he was doing. "I have just diced the vegetables, including the okra, and am about to dice the chicken. Tyler, could you pass me the tomato puree, the garlic, and the chopped tomatoes?" Tyler did as he was bidden, and watched as Kyrano added these ingredients to the pot. "I will add the chicken stock and begin to simmer it. It should be ready about the same time. It needs to be simmered very gently for a long time."

Cherie looked at her Grandma. "Are we going to grill the steak?"

"Yes." Grandma hesitated. "But I really think that one of your older brothers or Dad should cook that."

"But Grandma." Tyler looked across from where he was trying to clear up. "We want to do everything ourselves."

Emily looked at the three young children. "Well, maybe Tyler can supervise the adults cooking the steak."

"Man," Alex complained. "I never thought it would take so long to cook this meal! This is worse than one of Uncle Brains' experiments!"

Emily smiled. "Why, Alex! Didn't you know that cooking is a science? It's all about chemical reactions."

Kyrano turned with a smile. "Mrs. Tracy, I am of the opinion that cooking is an art."

"Science or art, it sure takes a lot of effort!" Cherie complained. "I don't know that I want to do this again anytime soon!"

"Cherry, you know we will," Alex said with a sigh.

"When?" Tyler wanted to know.

"Mom's birthday."


Post by Tawnyangel22 and Tikatu on 30/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2052 is a reply to message #2050] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island Monday April 2nd, 2068 5:30pm

Callie watched as John piloted the craft with skill and expertise and it wasn't long before they were on approach to the island. Scott activated the radio, contacting the villa.

"Thunderbird Three to base. We are on final approach; requesting permission to land."

At his desk, Jeff heard John's voice. "F-A-B, Thunderbird Three. You are clear to land. Welcome home, everyone."

John turned to Callie. "C'mon over here. You'll need to learn this, too. Putting Thunderbird Three to bed can be a tricky business," John called.

"Yeah. Not only do you have to descend through the Round House and the silo opening, you've got to put the nacelles down on the blast ducts just so," Scott added. "You watch while John does it for now, and later you'll get some simulator training on handling Three."

"Good. If I want to do this right, I've got to start somewhere." She watched very closely what they were doing, asking questions and making mental notes. Man, this is more complex than I imagined. I'm going to have to train hard if I want to fly Thunderbird Three.

After securing Thunderbird Three in her silo, John announced, "We better get going. We have to report to Father before we do anything else." The three sat on the sofa in the lower part of the ship, which descended from the space vehicle. It fit securely in the open railway car and moved swiftly towards the lift to the lounge.

As the sofa ascended to its final destination, John asked Callie, "So, how did you like your assignment on Thunderbird Five?"

"It was interesting, to say the least. Being able to hear transmissions from around the world was probably the most stimulating aspect."

"That's good," John replied. "Given time you'll be able to distinguish the emergency calls from the general chatter in your sleep."

In the lounge, Jeff and the others waited with anticipation for the couch to complete its journey.

"All right, everybody, they're on their way up," Jeff said with a grin. "When they arrive, they'll be facing me. I want you to come up from behind and surprise them, especially Callie."

"No problem, Dad. Wait till Callie gets a load of this!" Gordon signaled everyone else to join him in the study next door.

They had just made it into the study when the couch appeared in the lounge. The three occupants stood up, facing Jeff. "Hello, John. Welcome back, Callie. How was your first tour of duty aboard Thunderbird Five?"

Callie cleared her throat. "Well, sir, I have to admit this was more exciting than any stay at the ISS. My biggest challenge was being the translator in two major rescues." She continued talking to Jeff, telling him about her experiences and the impressions she had during her shift. She was so caught up in her conversation that she didn't hear the others enter the room.

Gordon peeked into the lounge and gave the thumbs up. He ducked down low, scooting quickly behind the sofa, followed closely by Nikki and Kat. John noticed the motion out of the corner of his eye and glanced over at Scott. His older brother gave an almost imperceptible nod, and together, they closed in on Callie, using their bodies to block her peripheral vision. Brandon and Cherry then scurried in, hiding behind two of the lounge's chairs. The rest of the welcoming committee waited within the door to the study for the right moment to jump out. Jeff saw it all and found it hard to keep a straight face.

Callie looked at Jeff with a puzzled air. "Sir, is everything all right?"

Jeff replied, "Everything's just fine, Callie. I'm proud of you on your first trip to the space station." He couldn't hold the chuckle much longer.

Suddenly, there was a shout of "WELCOME HOME!"

Callie jumped up in surprise, nearly falling backwards on the sofa. She turned around and noticed everyone before finally catching her breath. "Oh, man..." Getting over her embarrassment, she looked at her teammates. "What is going on here?" Turning to Scott and her teacher, she asked with a hint of accusation in her voice, "You two knew about this, didn't you?"

Scott smiled. "Yes, Callie, we did. We normally don't make a big deal about coming to and from the space station, but since it was your first time there, we wanted to give you a party when we came back. It's all about you today, Callie."

Tyler came flying into the room. Running over to John, he jumped on his back and hugged him around the neck.

"Hi, John! I missed you!" he shouted.

"I missed you, too, Spud!" John replied with a laugh. His attention to Tyler was diverted by Kat, who sidled up to him with a smile.

"Hello, John. Welcome back."

"Thanks, Kat. It's good to be back." John turned his head as far as he could to see the face of Tyler, who clung to his back, arms still around his neck. "Even if I end up with monkeys on my back!"

"Hey! I'm not a monkey!" Tyler exclaimed.

"Could have fooled me!" John riposted.

"Uh... John? I was wondering...." Kat said, her eyes bright and her cheeks pink. "I was wondering if we could go stargazing this evening."

"That sounds good, Kat. I haven't forgotten my promise."

"Hey!" Tyler said, looking crossly at Kat. "I want to play pinball with you! You always play pinball when you come home!"

"I know, Ty, but...." John tried to explain.

"Those dumb stars will be there all night," Tyler reminded his brother, pouting. "But I've got a bedtime!"

John shook his head. He turned to Kat. "Do you mind waiting for a little later this evening? I really should spend some time with my family. And pinball with Tyler is a bit of a homecoming tradition."

"Oh, no, I don't mind waiting," Kat said.

"Thanks for understanding," John said with a smile. He turned to Tyler. "Okay, you ornery pirate, you've got me until bedtime."

John excused himself and left with Tyler. Callie mingled with her teammates, telling them what it was like on Thunderbird Five. When the noise got to her, she went out to the balcony. Nikki followed, worrying that something was wrong.[/font]

Post by MagicMaster8 and TracyFan4Ever on 31/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2055 is a reply to message #2052] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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7:00pm Monday April 2nd, 2068

Callie stood on the balcony, watching the sunset. She was so transfixed she didn't notice Nikki approaching.

"Callie? Callie? Earth to Callie."

Callie gasped and finally saw her. "Oh, Nikki, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there."

"Are you okay, Callie? You looked a little distant when I saw you."

Callie smiled slightly. "I'm okay. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"I think there's something more to it. Can you tell me please?"

Callie looked at Nikki briefly before turning back to gaze at the stars. "To be honest, Nikki, I'm scared."

"Why? What's there to be afraid of?"

Callie answered, "What if I goof up when I'm on my own? What if I give the wrong info that could cost someone his or her life?"

Nikki was taken aback. This was a side of Callie she hadn't seen. "Callie, you shan't fail. We all believe in you. Mr. Tracy believes in you. All you have to do is believe in yourself." She continued, "Think about this: when you worked at the International Space Station, did you not have to give vital information to people back on Earth?"

"Yes, of course."

"And were you frightened when you had to give that information?"

"No, I wasn't. I was completely focused."

"If you were able to do it there, then you should have no trouble in Thunderbird Five. All you need is faith in yourself."

Callie thought about what Nikki had told her and knew she was right. Relaying information from Thunderbird Five would be no different from what she had done before. "Thanks, Nikki. I guess I needed... I don't know."

"Reassurances?"

"I guess that's what I wanted." Callie pointed in the direction of the door. "We'd better go back before we're missed." As the two women headed back to the party, Callie noticed the bruises on Nikki's right hand.

"Good grief! What happened to you? Did you get injured when picking up the earthquake debris?"

"Not exactly." Nikki shrugged. "Someone didn't want to leave a collapsing building because he wanted to see the ice dancing finals so badly. Gordon and I tried sedating him, but he didn't want to cooperate. When the man and I got into a struggle, I had no choice but to punch the bloke."

Callie's eyes grew wide. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. I just hope I never have to do anything like that again. That bloody hurt."

"I hope it won't affect the way you do your job," Callie joked.

"I don't think it will. Come along, let's enjoy dinner with the rest of the group, shall we?" The two women went back into the lounge to continue their good times with the others.


Post by MagicMaster8 and TracyFan4Ever on 31/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2057 is a reply to message #2055] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:08 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Monday, April 2, 2068, 7:15 p.m., Tracy Island

"C'mon everybody!" Cherie called to the mingling mass of people still in the lounge. "The food is getting cold!"

"Yeah!" Alex added. "This is going to be the best meal ever! All in honor of Callie!"

"In honor of me? Wow!" Callie said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "What makes this meal so special, besides the occasion."

"We cooked it!" Cherie and Alex said in unison.

There was a sudden hush in the lounge as everyone glanced at each other.

"You cooked it?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. We did. Me and Cherie and Tyler. We wanted to do something special for Callie," Alex said stoutly.

"All by yourselves?" Virgil asked.

"Well, we had some help from Grandma and Mr. Kyrano, but we did all the hard work," Alex replied.

"Like what kind of hard work?" Elise asked with a grin.

"Shucking corn, rolling out pie dough...." Cherie began.

"Wrapping up potatoes, peeling and slicing apples..." Alex added.

"An' washing up afterwards!" cried Tyler from where he and John were coming back into the lounge. His sudden appearance made everyone laugh.

"Well, we'd best go down and eat then," Christopher said with a grin.

"C'mon, John! C'mon, Callie!" Tyler said, grasping one hand of each adult and pulling. "Come have dinner!"

Callie and John looked at each other and laughed, then John scooped Tyler up under one arm and carried him, protesting, out of the lounge and down to the dining room.


Post by Tikatu on 01/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2058 is a reply to message #2057] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island 2nd April, night time, 2068

Kat went into the small kitchen of her apartment and made herself a snack. She had finished her meal and had returned to the balcony with a fresh glass of orange juice, for a last glimpse of the sea, now under a darkening sky when suddenly the door chimed. Kat rose from her seat, hoping it would be John. On opening the door, she was delighted to see John standing there.

"Hi, nice to see you," she said. "Won't you come in, and have a drink? I can offer you fruit juice or I do have some lemonade."

"Orange juice, please," said John, as he stepped inside the apartment.

Kat filled a glass and handed it to John. Taking their glasses, they went onto the balcony.

"How did your game of pinball go?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Oh, I lost. Guess he has been practicing hard, and I'm kind of out of practice."

"You'll have to have a pinball table set up in Thunderbird Five." Kat laughed. "Though I imagine it would be hard playing without opponents."

They both laughed at this. "Yes, I guess. I mean, playing pinball alone means you have to play against yourself. I'd rather have someone else as an opponent. More fun that way."

"If you like, I will play a few games with you, just to give you the practice. I can't play to save my life."

"I might just take you up on that," John answered. "Now, haven't we something planned for tonight?"

Kat smiled and nodded "I was just relaxing, enjoying the sunset. It made the sea look like molten gold. And now look at all those stars."

"Right, then it's time to show you the stars through my telescope."

"But shouldn't you be resting? You have had a busy day, so far. We can look at the stars tomorrow night," Kat asked

"No; on the way back, Scott shared piloting Thunderbird 3, so I was able to rest a bit on the way home. The only exhausting time was trying to beat Tyler." They both laughed and continued chatting for a while, enjoying their drinks.

When they had finished their drinks John said "Come on, let's head for the roof."

They left the apartment and returned to the villa and the lounge. Virgil was in the lounge, playing the piano. He grinned as they wandered through and out towards John's bedroom.

"Where are you two going?" he asked.

"I'm showing Kat the stars," John replied, as he and Kat headed for the roof.

Once on the roof, John proudly showed Kat his telescope. It was a 5 in-aperture reflective telescope on an equatorial mount. The eyepiece was mounted on the side of the telescope.

"Look to the south. Can you see that cluster of four bright stars?"

"Oh, yes," said Kat standing on tiptoe trying to reach the eyepiece.

John laughed. "Come on, Tiny, let's find you a box to stand on. There, is that better?"

"Much better, thanks," Kat replied, now looking comfortably into the eyepiece.

"Those are known as the Southern Cross."

John continued to point out the constellations of Sagittarius, Scorpius, and others that Kat had never heard of. Turning to face the North, he pointed out Ursa Major, Virgo, Leo and Drago

"Which one is Gemini?" Kat asked. "That's my star sign."

"See those two bright stars, which appear to be one above the other? They are Pollux and Castor, the heavenly twins."

"When is your birthday, John?" Kat asked.

"October 8th," he replied.

"Then you are Libra. When is that visible?"

"Libra is not very clear until spring," John replied. "Do you know all the star signs?"

"Oh, yes, I like to study what the stars have to tell me about my life. It is probably utter nonsense, but also quite harmless," she replied enthusiastically. "There was an old Gypsy living in my village where I was brought up. She claimed she could tell a person's fortune in the tea leaves. She was always telling me that I could probably do the same, born under Gemini." She chuckled. "My mother was very sceptical; she forbade me to see the old fortuneteller. I often wondered what happened to her. I think she was probably harmless, just an old country woman, although some of her predictions did come true," Kat added. "She told me that I would work with vehicles for a well known firm and that I would marry...." Here she stopped and blushed. She looked at her watch in horror. "Look at the time! I shall have to go; I am supposed to be starting early tomorrow. Brains wants to continue showing me how to maintain the auxiliary vehicles."

John smiled. "It was really very nice having this chat with you and showing you the stars. We must do it again sometime."

"Yes," Kat agreed. "It's almost spring, so I won't have to wait long to see Libra."

John laughed and said, "Kat, this is our autumn. But I'm sure that we will be on the roof again long before spring."

Kat felt mortified. She was thankful that it was a dark night and he couldn't see her face. She glanced at him and smiled shyly. "Whatever must you think of me? I was trying to sound so knowledgeable. I must seem so foolish."

"No you're not foolish. It's a common mistake. You're not the first to think like that, and you certainly won't be the last," John continued. They returned to the monorail and John bade her goodnight before Kat made her way back to her apartment. Once inside, Kat realised that she wanted to be more than a good friend to John. She hoped he felt the same.


Post by Tawnyangel22 on 02/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2059 is a reply to message #2058] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Industries NYC offices; Monday, April 2nd, 8 AM (1 AM April 3rd on Tracy Island)

When the I&M employees arrived, Lena was waiting for them. Those who arrived first, clamored to know who had been chosen, but she just grinned and told them they would have to wait, for she was only going to say it one time. Finally they were all there, and they stood around her.

She told them, "I will be leaving in a few hours, and wanted to say goodbye. I told you last week dat you would know who your new supervisor would be early dis week. Well, I tink dis is about as early as we can make it." She grinned as she turned to Steven. "Don't botter to start your computer, young man. Just clean out your desk and move your tings to de supervisor's office. Congratulations, you have been promoted."

The group broke into applause and there were whistles and exclamations of "Congratulations", "Way to go, Steven", and "All right!" Lena joined in the applause and when it died down, told the stunned man that an email had been prepared and would be sent to all the departments in the complex as soon as he accepted.

"As soon as . . . Of course! I accept! Thank you, Lena!"

"Don't tank me. You earned de position. Now I suggest you start moving your tings and I'll be back in an hour to bring you up to date on what you need to know concerning meetings, schedules and such." She shook his hand and winking, added, "I'm sure you'll be capable of keeping dese rascals in line and productive."

Amid the laughter and protests, she left the area and returned to the penthouse to send the email and finish packing. When she returned, Steven was already set up and ready to assume his duties. She went over his weekly and monthly meeting schedule, then answered the few questions he had. When she finally said goodbye and left, she felt certain that the department was in capable hands, and there would be nothing to worry about on that score.

-----------------------------------------------

BWI Airport in Maryland; 1:30 PM (6:30 AM April 3 on T.I.)

When Lena, Joy and the twins arrived at the terminal, Matthew was there to meet them. He hugged his sister and the kids, then his mother. "How was the trip? Were you able to accomplish all you wanted to?"

"Oh yes. De kids did a lot of sightseeing while I took care of tings at Tracy Industries. Den we all went sightseeing and to de teater over de weekend."

"Guess what, Uncle Matt," Naomi interrupted excitedly. "Mr. Tracy has asked Nyanya to be I&M Coordinator for all the US offices. She'll get to travel to Hawaii!"

By this time, they were at the baggage collection area. Joy looked at her mother and smiled. "Like I said, anytime you want something broadcast . . ."

Lena chuckled as Matthew turned to her. "Mother, is that true?"

"Yes. Apparently he had been tinking about creating de post for a while. I'd still supervise de DC office, but would go to one of de otter branches each mont for a few days. It wouldn't be a set schedule, so I could plan my trips around de family events. But I haven't accepted, yet. I wanted to get your input."

"Do you think you could handle the job?"

"Of course she could, Matthew. What kind of question is that?" Joy exclaimed indignantly.

"I know you think she could handle anything, Joy," he replied. "I want to hear it from her, though."

Lena looked at him lovingly. "I may not be what dey used to call a 'spring chicken', but I can still get around quite well. Tank you for your concern, but I'm up to de job. De question is do I want to do it. It'll take me away from my family each mont. I won't be available to you all as much as I have been."

"Mom, you've raised us to handle our own lives, and although we'll always need you, we can get along without you for a few days, from time to time," he replied. The others agreed with him. "If that's the only thing that has been keeping you from accepting, don't let it. You go for it, with our blessing."

"Nyanya, you'll make sure you're around for our birthdays, won't you," Kevin asked.

"Of course I will. Like I said, I'll be able to schedule my trips when I want to go, so I can make sure I'm here when you do need me to be."

"Well then, take the job. Hey, Naomi! Here come our bags!" The twins hurried to the carousel and each grabbed one piece of luggage. Soon the other bags were collected and they made their way to Matthew's van.

An hour later, Lena was home again. She went inside to unpack, relax and inform Jeff of her decision - in that order.


Post by Hobbeth on 03/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2060 is a reply to message #2059] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tuesday 03 April. 10.55am. Tracy Island.

Uh huh, uh huh. Check, check, check-check... I see there was an over-shipment of tongue depressors at some stage, heh-heh. Houl' on a sec: that's funny...oh, wait, never mind. Eejit. Right, w' need more of these sterile dressings. Ugh, they're Pharmacore. I hate them. Oh well, it's not my prerogative, and they do the job... Dum-dum-da-dee-dum -- oh great. There's that bloody song in my head again. Just get on with it, man. Yuck, more Pharmacore. Bloody selfish -- oh, leave it, Kelly! Boy, you really can...ugh, forget it. Hum-hum. Well, that's me. Now for the final tally... Ugh, curse my lack of mathematical skill. Where's that calculator... Ah! Here we go... C'est fini.

The small calculator was snapped closed and placed in the breast pocket of the crisp white, blue-trimmed tunic -- Dominic still chose to wear it while working, even if he did not need to. It was a comfort, in a way. He tapped the door of the storage compartment he had been taking inventory of lightly, and the hydraulic levers wheezed as it slowly shut -- a handy design that meant less closing and more attending -- and he glanced about the cleaned and prepped sickroom. It was becoming ever more familiar to him; he definitely did not regret taking up this job. Of course, 'it' did not just refer to the clean room around him. 'It' was, well, everything.

He ran a hand through his lengthening hair -- he knew he should probably get it cut, but in all honestly could not be bothered -- and straightened his glasses, before glancing around the room one more time. Satisfied that his work was completed for the afternoon, he saved his inventory into the electronic logbook, ready for inspection by Doctor Tracy, and wandered out of the sickroom, tapping his lip with one long, squat-nailed finger.

The plan for the afternoon was one that had been brewing in his mind for some time: the apartment. It was big, he would give it that; much more spacious than anything he would ever have been able to afford on his own. But it had to be said: the place was bland. It would be fair to say that it was as bland as his old physics teacher's bobbled, dreary cardigans, and that was something Dominic Kelly could not abide. Where was the 'oomph', the vivacity, the life? The walls were a strange not-quite-white colour, and the furniture was all very pleasant and functional.

But who cared about pleasant and functional? Who gave a flying monkey's banjo? What Dominic Kelly wanted was colour and texture; he wanted a happy environment for his young son. And that was exactly what he planned to create.

Truthfully, he loved the Tracys for leaving the apartment bland. What could be better than to be handed a blank canvas to decorate as you so pleased? He had two bedrooms, a huge living room/kitchen, and a bath and a half to play with: he was one happy man. He was one very happy man. Plans had begun to form as he had scrutinized the rooms; a smile flitted across his face as he thought about them. He had spent many hours decorating in his youth, in the various houses he had lived in over the years.

There had been a lot of houses; it came from being the son of a woman whose only wish was to keep moving, to keep changing. His mother's good eye for colour had passed on to him, and although Dominic couldn't even draw a straight line with a ruler, he was good at decorating, and he enjoyed it.

His introspective reverie was broken as a familiar, "Hey, Dom!" reached him as he walked through the lounge. Gordon was glancing over from his perch in one of the comfy soft chairs, a magazine clutched in his hands.

"Gordon," Dominic said amiably, changing his trajectory to walk towards the redhead.

"I know the look of a man planning something, and it's plain on your face. What's up?" Gordon asked.

Dominic smiled and tapped the side of his nose.

"Ooh, the plans indeed, Mister Gordon." He stopped for a moment. "Want in on it? It's nothing very interesting, but it had the potential to be fun."

At the word 'fun', Gordon was up in a shot, the magazine falling to the ground.

"I'm there!" he said with a grin.

***

"Decorating? Decorating? I thought you said 'fun'!"

"It will be fun," said Dominic, whose voice was emanating from the larger of the two bedrooms of the apartment.

Gordon was waiting in the main lounge area of the frankly boring apartment, his arms crossed, as Dominic changed out of his work tunic. He shook his head and sighed. Hooray, work. What was the man on about, 'fun'? He was obviously insane. Said madman walked in from the bedroom rubbing his hands together and grinning.

"So, will you help me?"

If it weren't for the fact that he had a reputation as a really nice guy, Gordon would have said no. But he found he couldn't, and reluctantly agreed. Dominic clapped him on the back; it was a surprisingly strong thump, Gordon thought, considering how skinny the other man was.

"Now," said Dominic, "want to come and be Uncle Gordon for a while with me?"

That was something Gordon didn't need to think twice about.

"I'm there," he said, smiling.


Post by ArtisticRainey on 03/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2061 is a reply to message #2060] Sun, 29 July 2012 12:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tuesday 3rd April 11am Tracy Island.

Christopher shook his head. After the happiness of the meal to celebrate John and Callie's homecoming, the high had gone. Mainly due to the close proximity of Tin-Tin.

He paced the room.. The sight and the smell of her drove him mad. It was bad enough that he had to sit so close to her, even worse that he got the impression that their evening together did not happen.

She sat there, laughing and joking in the way that he found so attractive.

"Face it mate", he muttered to himself as he spooned the contents of a cat food tin into Asterix's dish, "she is out of your league"

Asterix looked up at his Master, then he looked in his dish. Christopher shook the crunchy food into the dish as well. "Sorry, matey; I'm not with it today".

"Rrrowww!", Asterix looked up at his Master again, then started eating.

Looking around, Christopher decided that he couldn't stay in his flat for a moment longer. So after a change of clothes, making some sandwiches and putting some bottles of beer in a cooling box, he called the lift.

"I need to get out of here", he said to no-one on particular as he stepped into the lift.

-------------------------

Asterix awoke from a nice dream to find his tummy rumbling. He trotted over to his dish, only to find that it was empty.

"Miaowww?", he looked around the flat, sniffing at all the places where his Master usually went to.

He couldn't find him. Asterix started to feel frightened and scared. He looked around again, but his Master still didn't appear with soothing words and a dish of food.

Mrroooowwww!", Asterix began howling very loudly at the top of his voice, his "Master please come home!" voice.


Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 on 04/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2070 is a reply to message #2061] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island, April 3rd, midday

Brandon walked in to the gym. Working on the treadmill was a rather breathless, red-in-the-face Kat. He grinned to himself, as he headed for the rowing machine.

Kat slowed the machine to a walk to cool down. One more minute and that will have been five minutes, she thought, gasping. Heavens! I must be unfit. She stopped the machine and got off, heading to where her towel and bottle of water were. Taking a large gulp of water, she suddenly saw Brandon working on the rowing machine. She continued to do some cooling down exercises, then slinging the towel across her shoulders, she headed towards Brandon.

"Have you been working hard?" Brandon spoke between strokes.

"No, not really. I just did some cycling and then some running. Gosh, am I unfit," she admitted. "Brandon, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure, ask away," Brandon replied, slowing down his rowing so that he could talk to her more comfortably.

"I was thinking that I would like to learn to scuba dive, and wondered if there was any chance that you could give me lessons?"

"That wouldn't be a problem," Brandon answered. "I'm giving Dominic another lesson tomorrow morning, and then I'll be giving Nikki her first lesson. Why don't you come along and watch Dom's lesson, then you can join in with Nikki."

Kat grinned. "Wow, thanks Brandon! That would be great." She was just about to leave when she turned back. "Brandon?" she called. "Christopher flew Mrs. Tracy and her grandchildren to Christchurch to get some groceries. Do you think that they would allow any of us to go shopping?"

"Don't know, but I don't see why not," Brandon answered. "Is there something special that you want?"

"Well, I would like some more shampoo and toothpaste and some other personal things," Kat replied.

"Well, maybe we could approach Mr. Tracy or Dr. Tracy. They must have to go and buy produce and other commodities."

"Yes, I definitely would like to go shopping some time," Kat answered. "Right now, however, I am going for a long shower. Bye, Brandon."

"Bye, Kat," Brandon called back as he started rowing fast.


Post by Tawnyangel22 on 04/01/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2071 is a reply to message #2070] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Wednesday, April 3, 2068, 3:30 p.m., Tracy Island

Jeff hobbled into the infirmary, where Nikki was preparing a laser cutter. His eyes widened in surprise and pleasure.

"Am I getting this thing off today?" he asked her.

"I'm not at liberty to say, Mr. Tracy," she replied with a grin. "You'd better ask the doctor."

He grinned back at her and made his way to Dianne's office, situated between the infirmary section, where the beds were, and the treatment/surgery area, where the main scanner and surgical bed resided. He poked his head in through the open door.

"Hey, what's up, Doc?" he quipped.

Dianne glared at him good-humoredly. "That's Gordon's line," she remarked. She sighed and turned her computer screen so he could see it as he entered.

"I have the new instructions from Mt. Sinai," Dianne said. "They tell me to remove the cast and put you on an air splint. Physical therapy is to begin and you can have some limited walking without the splint, and with weight on the foot, building up in ten minute increments daily. You're to use the crutches for another week, then a cane. Then they want to see you in two weeks. I've set up a date for Monday, April 16."

"Well, that's good news!" Jeff said happily. "Can I swim or do other activities?"

"Oh, swimming is a given, in fact, they want you to do laps daily, increasing in number every other day," Dianne explained, looking at the screen. "And some light weight training can begin as well." She looked at him pointedly. "Supervised weight training to make sure it's light."

"You know me too well, love," Jeff said with a grin.

"Yes, well...," Dianne answered. "Let's get this over with." She got up from her desk and let him precede her into the treatment area. Nikki was already there, cutter prepared.

"Trousers and shirt off," Dianne said, indicating the screen in the corner. Jeff sighed, but hobbled behind the screen, where Dianne joined him to help him with the pants and to give him a hospital gown. When he was finished changing, he came out on the crutches. Nikki helped Jeff up onto the scanner bed, where he sat, propping himself up on his hands. Both women put on laser welding goggles and caps to protect their hair.

"Lie back, Jeff," Dianne said with authority. "Lie back and close your eyes."

Jeff did as she bid him. The laser's glow lit the room even more than the overhead lights did and Jeff knew it even through his closed eyes. There was soft conversation between the two women as they worked, and a sudden heat on his ankle as the cast was carefully cut away. At last, the cutting was done, and his foot felt a chill as it was exposed to the air after so long in the cast. The laser was turned off, and Dianne said, "All done."

Jeff propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at his wrinkled, rather skinny, right leg. Nikki brought out an emesis bowl filled with warm, soapy water and gave it a sponge bath, while Dianne dictated notes. Once the ankle was washed and patted dry, Nikki brought an air splint out. Without comment, she and Dianne fastened it around his ankle with wide Velcro straps.

"I'm going to give you a cane next week," Dianne said. "In between times you can use the crutches and put weight on the ankle gradually." She pointed a finger at him. "You know I'll be watching. You're to wear shoes or sandals at all times."

Jeff gave her a sly look. "At all times?"

Dianne blushed and rolled her eyes. Nikki grinned at the two of them.

"Ah'm not gonna comment on that, suh," Dianne replied. "Let's just git yoah pants back on so you don't scare Nikki."

Jeff colored this time, and Dianne chuckled. Nikki shook her head and said, "Nothing I haven't seen before, I'm sure."

Jeff ducked behind the screen and began the process of putting his pants and shirt back on. It felt good to be able to do it completely by himself. He stood, and taking the crutches, came out from behind the screen.

"I'm going upstairs to find my other shoe, love. I'll see you in a bit."

"Right," Dianne said distractedly as she and Nikki began to clean and disinfect the equipment they had used. Jeff smiled at them, and sighed with contentment. He watched her for a moment, then went off to complete his mission, thinking all the while of what he might do that evening with his new-found freedom.


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2072 is a reply to message #2071] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tracy Island, Tuesday, April 3rd 5:30 p.m.

Sitting in the cockpit of Thunderbird Two, Elise thumbed through the flight manual for at least the twentieth time, taking notes and fiddling with this and that. The simulator had been overwhelming enough, but this machine was something else completely!

She sighed, shutting the manual and looking out of the window despondently. She was a good pilot; she knew that, but to fly this gigantic contraption? Who was she kidding?

"I'm never going to get this right," she said to herself as she slumped back in the pilot's seat.

"Get what?" came a voice from the doorway of the cabin.

Elise turned abruptly to see Virgil casually leaning against the door frame, arms folded.

"This!" Elise replied, waving her arms to indicate her surroundings.

Virgil smiled and walked over to her, positioning himself with his back against the control panel and leaning on it.

"You will," he stated, and then asked, "Just how long have you been up here?"

She smiled slightly. "I dunno. A while, I guess. I got curious, wanted to see the whole enchilada, and get the feel of it, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." He returned her smile with one of his own.

Elise stared out of the window once more. "I'm a chopper pilot, Virgil, small aircraft. What on Earth gave your father the idea I could fly something this big?"

She turned towards him again, only this time she didn't smile.

Virgil thought for a moment before answering her. He could see she was struggling with the idea of being in control of 'Two and lacked the confidence he knew she had buried down inside her somewhere.

"Well, for one, Dad trusts you with his life. He knows your skill and devotion to flying. Scott knows it, too. They've both seen what you can do and what more you can be capable of."

She wasn't impressed. "Yeah, right. Your dad has seen my capable skills fly him straight into the side of a mountain!"

Virgil had to chuckle at her blunt way of describing the chopper accident.

"It's not funny!" she said, noticing his laugh.

"I know. It's just the way you put it, that's all. Look, Elise, you'll do fine. Once you get a feel for her in the air, she's a baby! All she takes is soft hands and some gentle coaxing now and again, and she'll give you everything she has."

Elise listened to Virgil talk about the craft, fascinated by the way he talked about it. Now it was her turn to chuckle.

"What?" He looked at her, not sure why she was chuckling when a moment ago she was quite annoyed.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just not sure if you were talking about some girlfriend, or your Thunderbird! Or are they one and the same?"

"Funny!" came the droll reply.

Elise gave in. "Joking aside, I understood what you were talking about. I only hope you're right."

"I am, you'll see."

Elise noted the same cocky self-assured attitude in Virgil that she'd seen in Gordon. Must be genetic, she mused. They stayed in the cockpit for a while, Virgil answering questions Elise had and demonstrating various controls and procedures.

"It's getting late." Virgil said, glancing at his watch.

"Yeah, and I'm getting hungry." Elise closed the manual and got ready to leave.

Virgil walked ahead of her towards the door. Elise suddenly remembered she had yet to thank him for his help the other night when she'd had the nightmare. She was a little embarrassed and not sure where to start, so blurted out his name almost urgently.

"Virgil! Wait...um..." He turned back to her, but didn't say anything.

"I ... um... well, this is kinda embarrassing... but I wanted to thank you for being there the other night when I had a nightmare."

There! I've done it!

Virgil walked back to her and spoke softly. "It's okay. There's no need to feel embarrassed. I'm glad you're all right."

She looked up at him. "Guess I'd had a lot on my mind and didn't sleep as well as I'd hoped I would. Anyway, thanks, Virgil." She smiled sheepishly.

He squeezed her arm gently and replied "Anytime. Now let's go eat." Smiling, he turned to lead the way and she dutifully followed.


Post by FrankieCTB2 on 07/02/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2073 is a reply to message #2072] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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3rd April 5.37pm. A secluded cove. Tracy Island

Christopher lay back on his towel and sighed. The feelings of earlier had vanished from his mind.

He had enjoyed a lovely afternoon. In fact he hadn't worried about anything in particular. The sandwiches and beer had seen to that.

After his lunch, he had had a nice sleep in which he dreamt about a girl he used to fancy at school. Strange really, but he wanted to forget the meal as quickly as possible.

So as he pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes, he smiled as he went back to his dream.


Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 on 07/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2074 is a reply to message #2073] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Tuesday, April 3, 2068, 7:30 p.m., Tracy Island

Brandon unlocked the balcony doors to his apartment. He had taken the stairs up from the first floor as he liked the exercise it gave him. Often he would get off the monorail on the patio level, walk through the common area on his side of the apartment building, then take the stairs from the patio to the third floor, where he resided.

As he unlocked the door, he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his attention to it. It was Asterix, pacing back and forth inside Christopher's living room before the balcony door. When the cat saw that he had Brandon's attention, he stretched his form up toward the door knob as high and as long as he could. Brandon could see the cat's mouth open in a silent "Meow".

Brandon frowned. I didn't see Christopher at the Villa for dinner. Wonder where he got to?

Voices below him caused Brandon to look over the rail to the balcony below. Kat and Nikki were sitting on Nikki's portion of the balcony, talking and giggling.

"Hey, Nikki, Kat?" Brandon called. "Have you seen Christopher lately? Asterix is going crazy up here."

Both women shook their heads. "No, we haven't seen him this evening," Nikki said. "Which is odd considering how crazy he is for Tin-Tin."

"Yes, he's almost always at every meal in at the Villa," Kat added. "And it's not like him to leave poor Asterix to his own devices."

The doors to Dominic's apartment opened, releasing the smell of fresh paint. He sauntered out and greeted the two young women.

"Hey, Dom?" Brandon called. "Have you seen Chris today?"

Dom shook his head. "No, I haven't. Why? Is he missing?"

"It appears so. Asterix is going crazy up here. I'd go in and see what the matter was, but the doors are locked."

"Try his wrist communicator," Dom suggested.

Brandon smacked his forehead, much to the amusement of the second floor denizens. "Why didn't I think of that before? Thanks, Dom."

As Brandon tried to call Christopher, Nikki asked Dom, "Are you going to Scott's party tomorrow?"

"Actually, I am," Dom answered with at grin. "I could not pass up the opportunity to be covered with paint. Mrs. Tracy said she'd watch Joshua while the festivities were going on."

"I've never played paintball before," Kat said, smiling. "Have either of you?"

"My brother played a couple of times," Nikki said. "He told me it was great fun. Though it was difficult to get the paint out of his clothes."

"I've played it once, a long time ago. Let me give you this advice, Kat. Wear your very grubbiest clothes and make sure everything is covered," Dom said.

"I shall," Kat promised. She looked up at the balcony above their heads. "I wonder if Brandon has had any luck contacting Christopher?"


Post by Tikatu on 08/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2075 is a reply to message #2074] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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3rd April 9pm Tracy Island

Kyrano padded up to the front door of Christopher's flat, holding his passkey. Brandon was waiting outside the door. The yowling had stopped; maybe Asterix was very tired now.

"I hope he's all right," Brandon said.

"I am sure that Mister Asterix will be fine," Kyrano said as he opened the door and went inside. Switching on the lights, he walked into the kitchen where he saw that Asterix was sleeping in his furry bed.

"Yes, I see that the bowl is nearly empty. Only a few pieces of kibble remain. I shall give Asterix some canned food and leave him to sleep." Kyrano wrinkled his nose. "I will also remind Mr. Jordan to keep the litter box clean."

Brandon stroked Asterix's head. The cat opened one eye, yawned, and began to purr. He stood to stretch, then turned around twice and settled down again to nap.

"Good to see you're okay, little buddy," Brandon murmured.

xxxx

Christopher yawned and blinked as he opened his eyes. The darkness was nearly upon him, his stomach was rumbling, so he decided to head back home.

Picking up his bag, he noticed that all the beer had been drunk. So, that is the cause of my light-headedness. Pulling himself to his feet, he walked unsteadily back to his flat. Going inside he switched on the lights, which hurt his eyes.

"Asterix!" he called out. "Come on, mate!"

Nothing. Not even a mew.

He looked around his flat. He found his cat curled up in his cat bed. The bowl was half-full of cat food, both canned and kibble. "Hm. I didn't do that. I wonder..."

A folded piece of paper, carefully tented on the kitchen table, caught his eye. He opened it, finding it hard to focus on the neat lettering.

It read, "Mr. Jordan,

Your neighbors expressed concern over your cat's well being because he was meowing incessantly and you could not be found. I entered your apartment to find your cat was unharmed and asleep. I have given him some canned food, and left him, but in the future, please see to it that he is amply supplied with food and water before you leave for an extended period of time. Perhaps a feeding station would be a wise precaution seeing as you will often be gone for hours with rescue duties.

I also must remind you to keep the litter box clean. The odor in your apartment is unpleasant.

Thank you,
Tuan Kyrano"


Christopher groaned. "Looks like I owe Kyrano my apologies." He glanced over at the litter box. "Now that he mentioned it... I'd best set about clearing that lot out. I just hope my stomach is up to it!"


Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 (with copious recent edits by Tikatu) on 10/02/2005


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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2076 is a reply to message #2075] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Wednesday, April 4, 2068, 8:30 a.m., one of Jeff Tracy's minor atolls.

Thunderbird Two set down in a clearing not far from the beach. It was Scott's birthday, and he had invited everyone on the island to come celebrate with a massive game of paintball. Everyone who was invited said they'd come, with the exceptions of Kyrano, who was preparing a barbecue feast for their return, Parker, who was setting up tables and such for the meal, and Emily, who was helping Kyrano and watching over Joshua. The large number of people going made it necessary to bring the largest transport they had, and that was Thunderbird Two.

Christopher shielded his eyes as he left the darker confines of the pod. His antics of the previous day had left him with a hangover, and had earned him a thorough dressing down about responsible pet care from the sharpest tongue west of Kansas, Emily Tracy, in addition to Kyrano's more gentle, written remonstrances. His humble apologies that morning did a lot to assuage Emily's anger and mollify Kyrano's expectations. He rubbed his head and hoped that the game wouldn't take too long; he really wanted to have a nice lie down in his air conditioned apartment and a dozen or so aspirin to heal the pounding between his ears.

"Daaaad?" Tyler whined as he tried to keep pace with Jeff, who was taking advantage of his freedom and going without the crutches for a bit. Dianne had insisted he bring them, but at that point he was putting weight on his foot and actually walking.

"Tyler, I'll say it again. You are not old enough to play paintball yet," Jeff said sternly. "So stop whining about it, please!" His voice softened. "Think about it, Ty. Today, you and I can have some time together, just the two of us. That doesn't happen very often, you know."

Tyler thought this over. "Just you and me?"

"Just us, Ty. No big brothers, no big sister," Jeff told him, warming to the subject. "We can swim together or build a sand castle...."

"Sand castle? A really, really big sand castle?" Tyler asked.

Jeff laughed. "As big as you like."

Tyler looked thoughtful again, then he brightened. "Okay, Dad. You've got a deal. But... can I play paintball next year?"

"We'll see," Jeff said.

Dianne and Penelope carried folding chaise lounges and went to find a shady place near the beach where they could sit and wait for the warriors to come down. Cherie followed with a first aid kit, and Nikki brought up an antigravity stretcher. Dianne was the designated medic for the event, and the players who were "killed" during the battle were to meet down at the beach. Gordon and Virgil brought down a cooler of drinks for everyone to enjoy as they were dropped from the game.

"Remember, everyone, if you're seriously hurt, you are to call me on your telecomms," Dianne instructed. "I will come to you, and play will be suspended until we can get you down here and into Thunderbird Two's sickbay. Does everyone understand?"

The group murmured their understanding, and then a grinning Scott stepped forward.


Post by FrankieCTB2 and Tikatu on 10/02/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!

[Updated on: Sun, 29 July 2012 13:54]

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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2077 is a reply to message #2076] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Wednesday, April 4. 2068, 9 a.m., one of Jeff Tracy's minor atolls.

"Okay, folks!" Scott said with a grin. "Since I'm the honored guest for this shindig, I get to pick the captains of the teams!" He, like everyone else, was dressed in the grubbiest of his grubby clothes, and was holding his weapon of choice: a paintball gun.

"Just get on with it, Scott," Tin-Tin remarked. "I'd like to get this over with before the mosquitoes get too bad and the day gets too hot."

"Just for that, Tin-Tin, we'll make sure you're a special target," Scott replied with a grin.

Tin-Tin groaned. Christopher stepped in. "Who are the team captains, Scott?"

Scott surveyed the group of people standing around him. He made his choices carefully. "Gordon, you're up!"

The red-head grinned. "All Right!" he said as he stepped forward and high-fived his brother.

Scott glanced around once more and chose his last team captain. "Alex, You da man!" Scott grinned.

The chosen one whooped and jumped for joy much to the surprise of the others. Alex ran up to stand next to Gordon and then high-fived his older brothers. Alex had a grin on his face to rival the Cheshire Cat! Oh yes! Here was one happy young man who was going to enjoy every minute of this!

"Okay guys, now we get to pick our team members," Scott announced. The three captains looked at the small gathering like lions looking for their lunch!

"Okay, I guess I pick first," Scott said, a cocky grin on his face. He circled the group of would-be warriors, looking them up and down. "Elise! You're with me!"

"Who goes next?" Alex asked.

"I do," Gordon said. "I'm bigger!"

"Well, whoop-de-doo!" Alex taunted. "You maybe bigger, but I'm smarter!" The crowd went "Oooh!" at the boy's cockiness.

Gordon glared at his younger brother. "Okay, grasshopper. Let's settle this mano a mano."

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Alex cried.

"Guys! We'll be here all day! Just pick a person!" groaned Cherie. rolling her eyes upward and sighing.

Alex glared back at Gordon and retorted, "Fine! I pick Virgil!"

The smile on Alex's face rubbed salt into Gordon's now wounded ego. "Your turn!" Alex gleefully announced as chuckles from the warriors could be heard.

"Christopher! You're with me," Gordon said, not once taking his eyes off Alex.

Scott looked at his two feuding captains and shook his head. "There's going to be war between those two out here today!" he whispered to Elise.

"Ain't that what this is all about, sir?" She grinned.

He smacked the top of her baseball cap. "Oh, shut-up Collins!" He grinned.

"Okay, guys. My turn again," Scott said to the group. "I pick John."

"And I piiiiiiick," Alex said, hesitating for a moment, "Kat! I pick Kat!"

John went to stand with Scott, high-fiving both his brother and Elise. Kat moved over to stand with Alex, looking very bewildered.

Gordon looked over the remaining troops and decided he had to pick a girl. "Nikki, come on over here." Nikki grinned and high-fived her teammates.

"All right, back to me," Scott said. He sighed, looking over the remaining people, Dom, Cherie, Brandon, and Callie. "Okay, l'il sister. You're with me." Cherie jogged over to her teammates, giggling and high-fiving them all.

Gordon picked next. "Tin-Tin, come on over girl!"

She rolled her eyes mockingly and went over to his team. "You'll pay for this later if we don't win, Gordon Tracy!"

"You wound me! How can you doubt me?" Gordon asked, dramatically holding one hand over his 'wounded' heart.

"I pick Brandon next!" Alex shouted, the excitement getting to him.

"C'mon Big Bro, you're up next to choose," Virgil chimed in, reminding his brother to 'get on with it'.

"I choose Brains," Scott simply stated. The scientist stepped forward, smiling and John clapped him on the back.

"Okay, let's see... I'll take Dom," Gordon said. That left Callie who happily made her way over to Alex's team.

Down by the beach, Dianne and Lady Penelope sat in the shade, their chaise loungers sitting side by side for ease of conversation. A third chaise lounger sat beside Dianne, but it was empty. Its occupant, Jeff, was down by the shore, helping his youngest son build a monster sand castle.

"I am afraid that paintball is not what comes to my mind when I think of a festive time," Lady Penelope said, sipping her lemonade.

"Me either," Dianne agreed. "Though I am on duty for injuries and first aid. This will be an especially interesting year with all of the new folks and Alex added to the team. It was over much too quickly last year when Alan chose to do it for his birthday."

"The game will take longer then?" Penelope asked.

"It should." Dianne looked at her watch. "I'd say four hours maximum."

"Oh my," Penelope said, surprised. "I had no idea." She sat back and sipped her drink again. "Perhaps I should have brought a book."

Dianne rummaged around in the bag of necessities she had brought along and pulled out two fat romance novels. She offered them to Penelope with a grin. "I came prepared. Take your pick."

"This one looks lovely! Thank you, Dianne, for being so generous." Dianne smiled at the British aristocrat before returning to her drink.

"Just how dangerous is this paintball?" Penelope asked a little while later.

"Enough to cause bumps and bruises, and damage a few egos, but nothing life threatening." Dianne chuckled, remembering how battered the grown Tracy men always complained they were when they returned from these adventures.

Penelope smiled, not quite assured that Dianne was being truthful or playing it down. She supposed she would just have to wait and see for herself.


Post by FrankieCTB2 and Tikatu on 10/02/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2079 is a reply to message #2077] Sun, 29 July 2012 13:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
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Scott and Gordon set out the rules. "Okay. Each team has a flag, and will go out and set up a 'fort' or 'base' and that's where your flag will be kept. The object of the game is to capture the other teams' flags without getting shot," Scott explained. "Last man standing gets all the flags, unless someone has collected them all before everyone else is out. Then person who collected the flags wins."

"If you're shot, you're out for the round," Gordon added. "Anywhere above the neck is off limits, but the rest of the body is fair game. These paintballs do sting, and if you're really hurt, Mom is down on the beach as first aid. And that's where you should go if you get hit anyway."

"Does everyone understand the rules?" Scott asked, handing Alex a stick with a red bandanna on it. He took the blue bandanna and Gordon got a yellow one.

The players murmured their understanding, and then Scott said, "Okay. Let's go! And may my... oh, may the best team win!"

"We intend to!" replied Nikki to Scott's 'almost' slip up.

********

The three teams headed off in different directions to find a fort. Gordon found a suitable spot, and he and his team sat down to strategize.

"We'll hit Scott's fort first, Christopher, since you're not... feeling well, you're the fort defender. "

Christopher wearily agreed. "Right, Guv."

"The rest of us will cover you and each other to and from the fort. If you get hit, use your wrist-comms. Try to stay close, cover your rear ends, and get Scott!" They all laughed and, checking that their weapons were loaded, headed off towards their targets.

********

"How about over here Brandon?" called out Alex.

"Looks good to me. Make sure we can secure the fort if we get backed into it. We want to be able to shoot from all sides," added Brandon. Alex had been grateful for Brandon's help navigating through the brush and dense overgrown areas.

Kat walked along with Callie. "So, have you ever played this before Callie?"

"Years ago, but I don't really remember all the rules, I only remembered feeling like I'd been stung and I was covered in paint!" They both laughed.

"Well, I hope I can manage to shoot this thing!" replied Kat, indicating her weapon.

Virgil gathered his teammates around and discussed a plan.

Although Alex voiced his opinion about being 'gung-ho' for Gordon, it was agreed they should all go for Scott, and take out as many enemy warriors as they could along the way!

"After all, he's my only big brother and it's his birthday!" Virgil grinned. "Then once we've got Scott's flag... we get Gordon!"

"YESSSSS!!" Alex gleamed.

*******

"Okay, people, here's the plan. Cherry, you're on defense. Make sure no one gets near our flag."

"Aww, Scott," the teen huffed. "I hate being defense!"

"Like or lump it, sis," Scott said. "You're a better shot if you're stationary and a smaller target, too. From this position, you can pick our enemies off no problem."

Cherie still frowned, but she said, "Oh, all right."

"Brains, you and John make a feint at Alex's fort. Get a sense of who, what, and where, then double back to help Elise and me take on Gordon."

"Right, Scott," the engineer said. He tapped John on the arm and the two of them went off in the direction that Alex and his team had taken.

"You ready, Collins?" Scott asked.

"Ready, willing, and able, sir!" she answered with a mock salute. They checked their weapons, and headed off together. Elise closely shadowed Scott who walked carefully through the wild shrubbery.

"I see you haven't forgotten the rule," he whispered over his shoulder.

"You're right. I haven't. You taught me it and that's why I'm stuck to you like glue! Never, ever leave your wingman! Works in the air, and it'll work on the ground!"

He grinned. "You got it, Lieutenant! I'm proud of you. Now let's go kick some serious butt. It's my birthday and I want some flags!"


Post by FrankieCTB2 and Tikatu on 10/02/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!

[Updated on: Sun, 29 July 2012 13:58]

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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2080 is a reply to message #2079] Sun, 29 July 2012 14:02 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Tikatu is currently offline  Tikatu
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Alex turned suddenly. "Ssshhh! I think I hear someone coming!"

Virgil and Kat were closest to him and motioned him to move back towards their flag. Brandon came from around the backside of their fort, silently indicating to Virgil his intentions to move around the back of where the noises were coming from.

John held up a hand to stop Brains and they both stood silent in the undergrowth. From here, John could see Kat, the fort and the flag. He knew Virgil would be hidden, but close nonetheless.

Brandon crept along in the undergrowth, taking care not to make any noise. Some of his best friends outside of WASP had been Navy Seals and they had taught him a thing or two. Now he listened carefully as two people whispered and discussed strategy. Brains... and John. Not easy targets, but....

He watched as the two split up to scout out Alex's fort. Brains was closer, so Brandon followed him.

Even though Brains's eyesight wasn't the best, his other senses compensated for it and he was aware of the slight rustling in the underbrush behind him. Whoever it is, they're very good. Maybe I can lure them into a false sense of security. So, Brains crept along, trying to make noise, but not too much, attempting to sound and look like he didn't know what he was doing.

Brandon chuckled internally. Okay, Brains, if that's the way you want to play it.... He waited no longer, but raised his paintgun and fired!

Brains rolled out of the way, but not quickly enough. A large stain of red paint decorated his sleeve. He looked at the stain. "Ow! I can't believe I'm out already!" He lifted up his wrist and called John. "John, this is Brains, I'm hit. You're on your own, I'm afraid."

Damn! John sighed. "Thanks, Brains. Take care, buddy." He moved towards Alex's fort with the stealth of a panther and saw his victim in plain view. Kat! She'll never know what hit her!

She moved about restlessly, wanting to call out to Brandon, but not doing so. Her eyes darted back and forth but didn't see anything. John aimed his gun, carefully lined up his victim in his sights, and pulled the trigger. By the time Kat realized what the 'whooshing' sound was that she heard, the paintball had found its mark.

"OUCH!" Kat grabbed at her thigh where bright blue paint was now all over her leg and dripping downwards. She dropped her weapon and fell to the ground.

"Gotcha!" John said more to himself than Kat. Raising his communicator to his lips, he called Scott. "Scott, Brains is down, but I just knocked out Kat!"

"FAB, John, good shooting."

********

In the meantime, Alex and Virgil were making their way to Scott's fort, Virgil pointing out the way and Alex moving quietly along with him. Suddenly, Alex stopped and pointed, grinning.

"Well, well," Virgil whispered in his brother's ear. "What do we have here?"

What they had was the duo of Tin-Tin and Dom slowly moving along the path as quietly as possible. Alex and Virgil ducked, and Virgil took aim at Dom.

The paintball whizzed by Dom's ear, missing him by a hair or two. He instinctively ducked, pulling down Tin-Tin automatically. "Saints alive! What the hell was that?"

"We're being fired on!" replied Tin-Tin. They both scrambled under the nearest bush and waited.

Across the pathway, a disgruntled Virgil and Alex also remained hidden. "Aw man! I though for sure we'd get him!" moaned Alex.

"Calm down, little bro, we'll get 'em." Virgil, it seemed to Alex, had never-ending patience. Alex would have rather stormed the clearing, all barrels blazing. Instead, he waited with Virgil.

"Can you see who it is?" whispered Dom.

"Not yet, but the color of the paint over there indicates it's from Alex's team," answered Tin-Tin.

"Hmm," Dom said softly. "Perhaps we can get behind them and do a little damage of our own. Tell you what. I'll provide a distraction and you slip around behind them and take them out."

Tin-Tin grinned. "Sounds like a plan." She began to slither through the underbrush as quietly as possible, going around the position where she thought their assailants were. Dom, on the other hand, stuck his head up enough to look around. He knew that his head was safe enough. Then he took a deep breath, and standing up full length, began to lope up the pathway.

Surprisingly, there was no action on the part of his opponents.

It was only when he heard Tin-Tin's cry of, "Aagh!" that he realized the problem. Whoever had been shooting at them had anticipated their movements and taken out Tin-Tin.

Dom sped up from a lope into a full run, hoping to find one of the assailants still close enough to retaliate for Tin-Tin. As he neared the spot where he heard Tin-Tin's cry, he saw Virgil stand up. Without a second thought, Dom raised his gun and fired. He missed! Virgil heard it coming and spun round, getting off a paintball of his own. His shot missed, too!

The standoff continued and at least 3 more paintballs were launched across the clearing, the third one finding its victim. Yellow paint splattered all down the front of Virgil as he went down. Dom laughed triumphantly, and called Gordon on his wrist comm. Virgil swore later he heard Gordon rolling with laughter when Dom told him that his brother was out!


Post by FrankieCTB2 and Tikatu on 10/02/2005


Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!
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