Home » The Archives » Chapter 7 » Trouble Under the Hood
| Re: Trouble Under the Hood [message #1829 is a reply to message #1828] |
Sat, 28 July 2012 14:48   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
Karma:
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TB Pilot
Evil Genius |
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From: Tikatu Sent: 2/6/2006 11:08 AM
Thursday, July 4, 2068, 5:28 a.m., Tracy Island
Gordon slipped out into the hallway and hid in the children's classroom, lying down so he could see through a three-inch crack near the base of the electronic door. His latest prank was set to go off in two minutes, and he wanted to see the family's reaction to it.
It wasn't hard to hack into the complex-wide intercom system. It wasn't used much these days, not since the wrist telecomms had pretty much replaced it, as the ear bud communicators had replaced the telecomms on rescues. But it was still active, and Gordon had found a use for it. The one problem he had was programming it so that it would only broadcast throughout the villa. He had thought about expanding his prank to the Cliff House, but remembered a certain blond toddler and extrapolated how that tyke's father would react to the prank.
Better keep it in the family, he had thought as he programmed his surprise. He had even managed to program a timed upload to Thunderbird Five so that Alan could join in the fun as well.
He had his escape route all planned out, and was dressed for long distance running. I have a feeling that, even in pajamas, Scott at least will be after me, he figured. But it's just too quiet around here without the squirts, and this will stir things up a bit. Not only that, it's appropriate for the day!
He unstrapped his watch, ready to leave it in the schoolroom as he made his escape. He gazed at the face, silently counting down in his head the seconds... five... four... three... two... one... blast off!
Suddenly, from every loudspeaker in the house, and from the communications console of Thunderbird Five, the amplified sound of Sousa's Stars And Stripes Forever march blared forth. Gordon timed how long it took for the first bedroom door to open and for the first of the rudely awakened occupants to show themselves in the hall.
Just as I thought, Gordon smirked to himself, Scott's first to show and in less than two minutes. A record!
The oldest Tracy son stumbled into the hallway, rubbing his eyes, his dark hair askew, his bathrobe open to reveal his airplane-covered boxers and sleeveless t-shirt. He shook his head violently, yawned widely, then began to move, bearlike, down the hallway.
Uh oh! Gordon thought, his eyes widening. Dad's next. Not a good sign.
The Tracy patriarch emerged from the corner bedroom, his own hair mussed, his bathrobe securely closed but showing the salt and pepper of his chest hair in the open V at his neck. He motioned toward Scott, shouting over the deafening march for his eldest to wrap himself up and fasten his robe. Scott obeyed, and the two of them stalked down the hall towards Gordon's room.
Gordon was about to turn and make his escape through the classroom door nearest the stairs when Dianne made her appearance. He grinned to see his stepmother's hair sticking up in spots. She moved to join the two men who were pounding on Gordon's door and Gordon was suddenly blushing when he realized that she was wearing little or nothing under her satiny green dressing gown.
"Time to get out of here," he muttered to himself, closing the door to the school room and heading for the other exit, leaving his watch on Cherie's desk as he did so. He opened the door slowly to make sure the coast was clear, and suddenly pulled it nearly closed again as his grandmother came storming upstairs. Gordon looked out to see her hair in curlers and a thick bathrobe wrapped around her petite frame as she climbed the staircase. Her thick, fuzzy slippers padded by quickly, then Gordon opened the door and nipped across the hall to the study.
Sprinting through the study and into the lounge, then out to the balcony and down the curved staircase, Gordon had gotten a good head start before he heard Scott's voice behind him.
"Gordon Cooper Tracy, you are dead meat!" his elder brother shouted as he pelted down the stairs in hot pursuit.
Gordon legged it for the path to the beach, letting gravity help him pound down the pumice-sand path. He looked back to see his pursuer and found he had two: Brains had left the house via the door nearest the dining room and was actually ahead of Scott. But Gordon knew that neither of them could catch him; they weren't dressed for running in the cold sands of the morning and he had too much of a head start. All he had to do was make his way to his prearranged hidey-hole and no one would find him.
At the base of the path, Scott and Brains stopped. They could just make out Gordon's retreating form in the pre-dawn light, running full tilt down the beach.
"We'll never catch him," Scott said, shaking his head. He lifted one foot to dust it off and dislodge a small stone that had gotten stuck between his toes.
"But we can find him," Brains said between gasps for air. "He's microchipped."
Scott glanced at the engineer, patted him on the shoulder, and grinned. "Sometimes, Brains, you're a genius."
"It's why your father pays me the, uh, big bucks," Brains replied, returning the grin. "Let's get back to the villa. I'm sure I'll be needed to, uh, turn off the music."
"Right." The two men turned and headed back up the steep incline, while Gordon made good his escape... or thought he had.
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
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