#lee taylor

[pookiestheone]

Lee Taylor and Brian Martin

#Vintage Men #Lee Taylor #Brian Martin

[gumnut-logic]

“Thunderbird Five, I need more information.”

“I’m sorry, Commander, I don’t have any. Too much electrical interference.”

Jeff cursed under his breath. He knew John was doing his best, but there had been so many lives lost today.

Lee wasn’t happy. All the data they had pointed to a structural fault in the mall that caused the collapse. It left Jeff grateful that his engineering son wasn’t here for the incident. Virgil reminded him of Lucy when he went off the deep end – rare but a force of nature.

But today Virgil was with Gordon for a very important moment in his little brother’s swimming career.

Jeff was disappointed that he wasn’t there for Gordon, but responsibilities were responsibilities.

“Commander?” His eldest son was covered in dust. Jeff noted the dark smears on his arms but didn’t have the time to acknowledge what they meant.

The fire in Scott’s eyes was enough.

Jeff let out a sigh. “John can’t get more detail, so we are going in almost blind.” A breath and he stared at the remaining pile of crumpled masonry. “We’ll have Two lift off that piece of roof and go from there.”

“Two is not going to be happy.”

“Yeah, well, none of us are happy. “

“FAB.”

A glance as his son started issuing commands to the team. Jeff allowed himself the briefest flash of pride. Scott had become a mainstay of International Rescue and Jeff was ever so proud.

The roar of a Thunderbird shifting overhead and Two appeared, her VTOL reflecting Lee’s mood, no doubt. His partner-in-crime had been a great help the last couple of years, filling in to help with IR when he was available. Jeff envisioned that one day perhaps all his family could be involved, so it was great to have his brother-in-law on the job.

After all IR was to be his sister’s legacy.

Lucy was never far from Jeff’s thoughts, particularly today.

She would have been so angry.

Jeff had to settle for being her vengeance.

The clunk of all four of Two’s grapples as they clamped onto the broken roof. A roar of energised VTOL and the roof lifted ever so slowly.

Slowly not because Two wasn’t capable of lifting it easily, but slow and carefully in an attempt to protect the lives possibly below it.

And they were rewarded. As the weak and wintery southern Californian sun flickered onto the newly exposed rubble, there were voices, both terrified and relieved.

Jeff signalled to Kyrano and Scott and all three of them moved to evac the rescuees.

Thirteen in total. Five didn’t make it.

They dug deeper with Two pulling off smaller and smaller pieces of rubble. Jeff found himself wishing for some kind of mechanism to lift the rocks himself. A pod wasn’t practical in this space and it hampered their progress.

The weak sun headed towards the horizon.

Virgil checked it with the good news that Gordon had won and had another trophy for his collection.

Jeff gritted his teeth as he hauled out yet another poor soul who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Scott found someone to save and for some critical moments there was activity to keep that life going. Jeff’s heart clenched as he shifted more rubble.

The night crawled over the sky and powerful lamps were set up.

It was far too many hours later when they called it. Jeff was exhausted. They were all exhausted.

He gave the order to pack up and retreat. It was always a dreaded order, but they had scoured the site and there were no signs of life left. John had managed to penetrate the majority of the electrical disturbance, which had been a relief…

“Commander?”

Jeff blinked. John sounded worried. “Thunderbird Five?”

“I’m getting a fragmentary lifesign signal. Unconfirmed.” A pause and the sound of his son pushing buttons. “I can’t clear it up. I’m sending coordinates.”

Jeff’s wristcomm flickered into life, a map of the site with the location flashing. It was in the remains of what used to be an ice cream palour. His heart dropped. “FAB, Thunderbird Five.”

He jogged over, steeling himself for what he might find. The shadows were hard and sharp, sketching out the remains of what had been a cheerful, family place. Innocuous everyday objects discarded in a disaster zone always forced him to face the horror of their existence. A statement made of the tragedy by the tragedy and the sight of the remains of ice cream tubs, tables, chairs and even broken cones in the dark dust stabbed him where it hurt.

But there were no signs of life.

He shifted rubble and moved the tables. A counter and a gaily painted menu revealed nothing of their patrons or owners.

It was all eerily silent.

Until someone whimpered.

“Can you hear me? This is International Rescue. We are here to help. Please respond.”

A pause.

No answer.

So, he repeated himself in Spanish.

The silence was ominous.

But then there was another whimper. Followed by a whine.

Jeff moved, throwing broken fixtures out of his way, narrowing in on the sound.

It wasn’t until he picked up yet another upturned ice cream tub that he realised his rescuee wasn’t human.

Curled up fearfully in the dirt was a tiny little puppy, barely recognisable, drenched in melted ice confection.

A pair of wide dark eyes looked up at Jeff in fear.

Jeff didn’t hesitate. A life was a life and he was the son of farmers as well as adventurers.

“Hey, there, little one.” He held out a gloved hand for the puppy to sniff. “I won’t hurt you.” Tone was everything.

The puppy stared at him a moment as if considering, whimpered, and tentatively sniffed at his finger.

A pitiful whine broke Jeff’s heart.

Ever so carefully, he gently picked up the puppy. When the dog didn’t protest, he stood slowly, bringing the little creature to his chest.

It shivered in the cold.

Its eyes never left Jeff’s.

He crooned nonsense words and he hurried over towards Thunderbird Two.

Lee met him halfway, all the questions on his face. Jeff shushed him with a look.

Up Two’s ramp and he found the supplies and the quiet he needed.

Gently placing the trembling puppy on a hastily gathered emergency blanket. It whined in fear.

Jeff yanked off his helmet and the smell of damp earth, broken rock and burning electronics made it up his nose, but a stronger, sweeter smell fought it all off.

The little puppy smelled of pink sherbet and childhood memories.

It whimpered again, and as Scott strode past with Lee in prep for lift off, Jeff picked up Sherbet and clutched the little dog to his chest again.

If Jeff rode home with Lee instead of with Scott on One, which was his usual choice, it was his right as Commander to not have to explain himself.

There would be questions and inquiries as to the puppy’s owner, but there was something in the little dog’s eyes that just entranced Jeff. As if it was some cosmic meant to be.

“Got yourself another kid there, Tracy?” The smirk on Lee’s face as they approached Tracy Island was fond and irritating.

Jeff glared at him. But if he was honest with himself, maybe Lee was right?

He brushed a finger over its tiny furry forehead.

It was still staring at him.

Quiet. “I’m here to help.”

He ignored Lee’s snort, as the puppy finally curled up and relaxed in his hands, promptly falling asleep.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #jeff tracy #lee taylor #john tracy #scott tracy #nuttyfic reblog #sherbet

[pareidoliaonthemove]

Child Care

Jeff snorted. “Okay, so you saved the day, and they took you in like a stray dog. So what do you do?”

“What do I do? I do plenty! I plan out their away missions, oversee maintenance of the complex, sorted out how to defend against solar flares and radiation damage, and …” Lee trailed off, his face reddening.

Jeff raised an eyebrow. “And?” he prompted.

Lee’s drink was apparently the most fascinating thing in the world. He mumbled something softly.

“Uh, Lee?” He looked up. Jeff pointed at his ear. “These don’t work so good anymore. What ya say?”

His face bright red, and unable to look his friend in the face, Lee muttered, “Help look after the kids.”

The was a long silence.

“You … help …” Jeff said slowly, his voice sounding strangled. “… look after … kids?”

“Yeah.”

“Human … kids … not … … goats?”

“Yeah.”

Jeff Tracy laughed.

It started out as a belly laugh, and gradually morphed into near hysterics, as tears rolled down Jeff’s face, and he was forced to double over, clutching his chest and belly as muscles long unaccustomed to this activity protested vehemently.

The sound drew attention, and pretty soon the rest of the island’s occupants were edging closer, alarmedly considering the need for a medical evac, and trying to determine symptoms.

Gradually, the laughter subsided into hiccoughs. And Jeff lay limp on his sun lounger, panting to regain his breath and manage the pain.

Lee sat rigid, staring at the horizon, the picture of dignified bearing of wounded pride.

“Ya finished?” Lee asked gruffly, when his friend finally fell into silence.

“Yep.” A stray giggle betrayed the lie.

“Um … everything all right?” It was Scott who found his voice first.

“All good boys. Lee here was just filling me in on what exactly,” another giggle, “it is he does with the colony on Mars.”

“Oh-kay.” Scott looked back at his family for assistance.

Grandma spoke up. “So what is it you do, then, Lee?”

Lee sighed. “I oversee authorised,” he eyed Virgil and Alan, “expeditions. I help ‘em with the maintenance, sorted out their long term problems with solar flares and the like, and I help look after –” he eyed Jeff “– the kids.”

Jeff snorted a laugh, but with effort managed to restrain himself.

His family was mystified.

All but one.

Grandma smiled widely, “Well, I guess those kids don’t have much in the way of art supplies.”

Jeff gave a strangled howl, before giving into a fresh round of laughter, as Lee leapt to his feet, and pointed an accusing finger at a startled Virgil.

“This is all your fault!”

Virgil stared. “Me! How …?!”

Lee glared back at Jeff, before continuing in a high-pitched sing-song voice, “‘Uncle Lee, can I paint the baby?’” His voice dropped back to its normal, albeit indignant, register. “How the hell was I supposed to know you didn’t mean you wanted to paint a picture of the baby?”

Gordon and Alan glared suspiciously at Virgil, who was looking sheepish even though he clearly didn’t remember the incident referred to, as everyone else joined Jeff in laughing.

Grandma pulled out her phone, and after a minute, pulled up picture. “Here.”

The photograph showed absolute chaos. Lucy was clearly berating a defensive Lee (the buzz cut and moustache had never changed), a smirking Jeff was scolding a distraught, paint-splatted Virgil … and Scott and John were surveying a sleeping new-born baby, whose every inch of exposed skin (and much of his surrounds) were covered in brightly painted spots, stripes, and abstract shapes.

Jeff, still chuckling, heaved himself up from his lounger, and made his way to his middle son, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “There really wasn’t much we could say to you,” he grinned. “After all, you did have permission, and for some reason at no point had your mother and I thought to forbid you from using Gordon as a canvas.”

He turned to Gordon, whose expression now promised many many vengeance pranks in Virgil’s future. “And I don’t know why you’re so upset. You had your first bath after that,” Jeff shook his head. “We’ve been struggling to keep you out of the water ever since.”

Jeff turned back to Lee. “We should have known better than to ask you to watch the boys while we had a nap. You’d have thought we’d have learned after you babysat Scott, for us.”

Scott’s laughter turned to alarm as he eyed his father’s – very sheepish – best friend. “What did he do to me?!”

Notes:

Yeah, so … when babysitting kids, make darn sure you know EXACTLY what it is they’re asking before you give permission.

The standard disclaimers, I do not own Thunderbirds, either the Original Series, the Movies (both Supermarionation and Live Action), or the Thunderbirds Are Go Series. (Although I do own copies on DVD.)

I do not do this for money, but for my own (in)sanity and entertainment.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2015 #fanfiction #my fanfiction #jeff tracy #lee taylor #babysitting

[astranite]

Trick or Treat: The Fic!

Here are all of my tricks and treats from the Thunderfam Trick or Treat in their final form, all together as the whole fic!!!

Lucy takes her kids trick or treating! Shenanigans, cute costumes and too much sugar inbound! Much fluff!! Plus a bonus extra snippet!

----

Lucy pressed a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh. Scott looked so much like Jeff in his dad’s old airforce flight suit, complete with aviator sunnies and troublemaking grin. Apart from how the arms and legs had to be rolled up several times as Scott hadn’t yet hit his growth spurt, and were already coming down as Lucy attempted to pin them in place while the not quite teen bounced with excitement, candy bucket in hand. 

John adjusted his cat ears for the forth time in not as many minutes, fidgeting with the headband, a nervous frown crinkled between his eye brows. Lucy knew her second eldest wasn't much of a fan of noisy crowds of people or spooky surprises, when it came down to it neither was she, but John wanted to go, had picked out his costume of a black and ginger cat and even let a very careful Virgil draw whiskers and a nose on his face with Lucy’s eyeliner. A set of noise cancelling headphones in her bag and the promise that he could stick by Scott the whole time and go home with her if he needed to, had  a small smile once again on John’s lips, as he rocked on his heels in anticipation.

Virgil’s costume had been the easiest out of all of them, in terms of choice. Lucy thought it would be a phase but ever since the local fire engine and crew had come for a demonstration at the primary school several months ago, wanting to be a fire fighter had been all Virgil could talk about. Bundled up in yellow rain jacket far too large to go to Gordon, covered in reflective tape stripes because ‘That’s what the real one’s look like, mummy,’ Tracy spelt out across the back, the red plastic hat jammed on his curls, falling over eyes, Virgil was positively ecstatic. If only they could keep him from trying to practice with the garden hose turned full water pressure on their thankfully very much not on fire house. 

Kyrano’s kid staying with them, Tanusha or as the boys had started called her, Tin Tin, resolutely refused to dress up. Eventually, with much suspicious glancing around, she whispered in Lucy’s ear that she was already dressed up, because she was a spy and didn't need a costume. In the kid way like it was totally obvious and how didn't Lucy already know this, Tin Tin stated, “The only spies that look like spies are dead spies.” Lucy manage to keep a straight face through that rather threatening sentence delivered by a kid with pig tails, missing front teeth, and a expression she likely throught was intimidating with a wrinkled up nose and screwed up eyes, but to Lucy was adorable. 

Gordon had been utterly thrilled when Lucy had said, yes, he could go as both a pirate and a clownfish, if that’s what he wanted. The toddler hadn't taken off the patterned aquarium shirt or pirate hat since this morning, despite several narrow misses with the bath, the full kitchen sink and the garden hose. Orange, black and white paint, hastily applied as Lucy chased a laughing Gordon around the house, plus a rubber duck attached to his shoulder at Gordon’s insistence with some creative duct taping, completed the costume. 

Little Allie had the dubious honour of the astronaut baby costume Jeff and Lee had found online. Speaking of Jeff and Lee, Lucy followed the sound of cursing to the hallway where both astronauts were trying and failing to unfold the double stroller for Alan and an inevitably exhausted Gordy. Lucy instructed while laughing, ‘There’s a catch under there, somewhere,’ while she jiggled Allie on her hip as he tried to chew her hair.

Finally, they were all ready to go. Mini Maverick held hands with a ginger and black cat and a fire fighter, ready to surge ahead towards the streets and sweets being handed out. The undercover spy dodged from shadow to shadow, and Lucy made note to keep an extra eye out so she didn't disappear. A clownfish pirate or pirate clownfish, there was no consensus come to about that, was perched on Lee’s shoulders, the stroller predictably refused. The pint sized astronaut gnawed on a rocket shaped teether, in the pram pushed by full-sized astronaut two, or Jeff ‘We don't need costumes, we’re already famous,’ Tracy. Every year, he and Lee got a kick out of telling sceptical children that they really were the real deal. 

Lucy’s lab coat, her work one because she’d run out of time for a costume for herself, swished around her, covered in definitely artful and not because it had been a day, explosion marks. Well technically, it hadn't been an explosion-explosion, rather a spill and the chemicals were safe, but that was only for her to know and everyone else to worry about. With her mess of unbrushed red curls and ability to spout off physics and astronomy facts at a million miles a Cminute, she made quite the mad scientist, if she did say so herself. Especially as she dashed down the street after her eldest three, because they most definitely still needed supervision, after the sticky toffee, climbing tree, near miss with the emergency room trick of last year!

---Bonus!!!---

Virgil took his brand-shiny-new firefighters uniform from Chief McCready’s hands, grinning face splitting wide. His own uniform, because for the next few weeks he was a proper part of Blue Watch, and a firefighter! 

It had even been modified to incorporate his IR tech and most importantly his green baldric over the top because couldn't imagine feeling properly prepared for rescues without it. 

He tugged the new jacket on right away over his flannel, feeling like a kid on halloween. He gave it a spin, the coat flaring out around him. Heh, if little Virgie could see him now, a proper firefighter.

“Whatcha laughing at, Tracy?” Cass clapped him on the shoulder. 

As soon as Virgil explained what had been his halloween costume for every year of his childhood, he was surrounded by Blue Watch, good naturedly demanding that they had ‘got to see photographic evidence.’

Virgil rolled his eyes, but called up John, the keeper of all the family photos on Five’s massive storage banks.

John obliged, and firefighters crowded around the holos projected from his wrist comm.

“Aww, you were an adorable kid, Tracy!” 

“Cuuute!” 

“You sure did grow up, but I don’t think the expression has changed at all!”

Then a snickering John decided to chime in with the whole practicing fighting fires with the garden house incident, and the consequences to hanging laundry and open windows.

Cass, serious, no nonsense Chief McCready was giggling, tears streaming down her face, hanging onto his shoulder to stay upright. 

Virgil snorted, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing too.He was proud of his achievements to become a firefighter, they were all laughing with him, not at him, they were his team. He threw his arms around them, grinning along.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #lucy tracy #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #kayo kyrano #jeff tracy #lee taylor #thunderfluff #autistic john tracy #(everyone is getting written very neurodivergently) #astrawrite

[hebuiltfive]

Quick WIP Wednesday !!

He gave the rope a test pull, tugging as hard as he could to tighten it as far as the harness would allow. Then, Jeff handed one side of the rope back to Lee.

"Attach that to the wince. If you lose contact with me, do not follow. I don't want another repeat of the New Delhi affair, got it?"

Lee tried to hide his smile. He failed. "Yessir."

Jeff decided against trying to argue with him. He knew his friend too well to know he couldn't take that response as a promise. Lee would follow him to the Gates of Hell itself if he could.

#wip wednesday #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #five fics #jeff tracy #lee taylor #fic: what should have stayed buried

[soniabigcheese]

Knock knock:

Trick or Treat!

Lucy listened for the little giggles, before wiping her hands dry with a towel. She'd been making devilled eggs for a good part of the morning. And the kitchen sink and worktops were piled up.

She really needed to make a start on clearing and cleaning, but her sons were a big distraction.

"Who is it?" She called out in a sing song voice.

The giggles got louder, followed by a shush ...

... and a ...

"Sorry"

She paused, waiting for more noises, but nothing happened. So she opened the door.

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

Stood before her were three of her sons, all in home made costumes, although Gordon's octopus looked a bit ragged and falling apart, but he insisted on wearing it

Scott was nowhere to be seen, he'd decided that he was too 'grown up' to go trick or treating, so it was John being 'big brother' this time. And he took it VERY seriously.

The 'adult' accompanying them, was a rather sheepish looking Lee Taylor, who apologised for letting his nephews stuff themselves silly with candy.

And Virgil had thrown up everywhere, but still insisted on going out. He had tried to clean the kid up, because part of the costume was in a bag, ready to be washed or thrown away.

Whichever came first.

"So ..." Lee demanded, "... which one do you want? A trick or a treat?"

"You mean I have a choice?" She retorted, remembering their childhood where her brother was always pranking everyone.

"YuP!"

He popped the P with great emphasis.

"Okay then ... I'll go for ... TREAT!"

John, Virgil and Gordon all clapped excitedly, before Gordon handed her a half eaten, sticky toffee apple.

"Treat!" He exclaimed.

The weather started to turn, getting cold and chilly, the drizzle turned to rain. So she ushered everyone inside.

And blinked with surprise.

Standing at the sink, was Jeff, his arms elbow deep in soap suds, whilst Scott was drying the dishes and putting them away.

"Thought you'd appreciate this treat," Jeff explained with a wink, "than a sticky apple."

#happy halloween #trick or treat #wee tracys #thunderbirds are go #lucy tracy #lee taylor #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #jeff tracy

[scribbles97]

Left Behind - Where We Left Off

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beware, there be spoilers ahead!

So... where were we?

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

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

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

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

Part Two sees us skip forward four years.

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

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

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

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

Then the ship goes boom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#thunderbirds are go #scott tracy #thunderbirds 2015 #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #john tracy #alan tracy #scribbles writes #jeff tracy #Lucille Tracy #Val Casey #Lee Taylor #Hugh Creighton Ward #Penelope Creighton Ward #Kayo Kyrano #Left Behind #Scribbles writes

[avengedbiologist]

Young Jeff, Casey and Lee anyone???

#they r best friends #change my mind #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #my art #colonel casey #jeff tracy #lee taylor #thunderfam

[selene-tempest]

Just overheard Jeff talking to Lee.

Lee: How yer doin?

Jeff: Aside from the fact that my mind thinks I'm still in my twenties but my body thinks I'm an idiot?

Lee: Yeah, I hear ya.

Jeff: I tweaked my neck by sneezing and I hurt my back while sleeping. The way I'm going I'm one strong fart away from total paralysis.

#jeff tracy #lee taylor #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fandom #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderfunny

[gumnut-logic]

“Another boy?”

Jeff grinned. “Yeah. Another one.” He couldn’t help but stare at the photo that had landed on his screen as a good luck token from Earth.

He did of course, know about Lucille going into labour the night before and it was for that reason he hadn’t had the sleep he probably should have pre-history making Mars landing. But honestly, to get this signal from that little blue planet a good eight months away…his heart swelled…his beautiful baby boy had a shock of red hair that screamed their Irish ancestry down through the hundreds of years since their family had left the old world.

Lucille sat holding him, looking tired but ever so proud. Her dark hair was tied back and the sparkle in her eyes brought a lump into his throat. Her mother, pink hair and all, sat beside his wife holding his two eldest boys on her lap. Scott had his hand on Virgil’s arm as the now second youngest reached over towards his baby brother, a frown of concentration on his face.

“He’s beautiful.”

Jeff startled a little. Berry was breaking regs and leaning over the back of Jeff’s pilot couch, her straps unfastened. The cockpit was pretty snug in the lander, most of the room taken up with safety equipment and interfaces, leaving little for the padded personnel support.

He shot an eyebrow in her direction and she smiled a dare back at him. The astrogeologist wasn’t one for breaking the rules, she just liked to taunt him a little.

Ju, in contrast, was checking her harness was secure a second time. “Creating your own crew, Tracy?” Her auburn eyes smirked at him. “Aiming to replace us?”

He grinned. “Could be.” Dare he mention that his four-year-old eldest could already name all the controls in this cockpit? His grin widened. “But we can’t replace the first person to set foot on Mars, now can we?”

Berry snorted, a little abashed. But it was, after all, her part to play once they made touchdown. The words had been rehearsed, the order of exit decided. For very specific reasons, the first human on Mars was going to be Kate Berrenger.

Berry had worked her ass off to make this mission a reality. Her specialisation onboard was astrogeologist, but honestly it was far more. The woman was talent on legs. It was she who had designed much of the equipment they were deploying on the surface, she who had hunted and gathered the funding, she who had put in the sweat and tears to make this work. And Ju wasn’t far behind. The two of them were quite a powerhouse pair. Jeff considered himself and Lee lucky to have been chosen for this mission. Of course, he’d known Berry for a very long time, worked with her for most of it, but it wasn’t a given that the team that had helped populate the moon would also be the first on Mars.

“Given how many life support pods we’re dragging down there, I bet your boys could drop by in about thirty years or less.”

“You gonna put your money where your mouth is, Berry?” The thought was tantalising. Not to put pressure on any future careers – Lucy would kill him – but he would hope that at least one out of three might follow in his footsteps.

Maybe?

He turned around and opened his mouth, only to be interrupted. “Major Tracy, tell your team to secure. Two minutes to separation.” Sinclair was his usual grumpy, nervous self.

“Roger that, Orbiter Control.”

He glared at Berry and the redhead bit her lip with a smile, green eyes dancing, before sitting back and strapping herself in preparation for the sequence.

She didn’t stop smiling though.

“So watcha gonna name him?” Lee prodded him with his eyebrows from beside Jeff.

A last glance at the photo before he returned to separation prep, fingers tight in his gloves. “Are you going to remember this one?” An eye in the engineer’s direction.

“Sure.”

Running his fingers over the controls, Jeff ran through pre-flight. “Name my eldest.”

Lee grunted, his eyes darting away. “Not important right now.” A flick of a switch. “I’m green across the board.”

“A-ok.” Jeff ran through the last sequence of checks…and ran them again…for luck. “Orbiter Control, we are green for separation.”

“Roger that, Cornerstone. Separation in sixty seconds on my mark.” A breath. “Mark.” Another pause. “Good luck.”

And the countdown began.

Jeff ran his eyes over everything again. The great ship that had journeyed so far from home was preparing to split in half. The lander at the top of the vessel was to pull away from the orbiter and its massive propulsion engines to begin the historic descent to the Martian surface. Eight months in space, so much preparation time and so many sacrifices before that, had all led to this moment.

History in the making.

His eyes combed the readouts watching like a hawk. The computer had control, but computers could only do so much.

Still green across the board.

Quiet, his fingers touched the screen where the photo had been. “John Glenn Tracy.” A breath. “His name is John.”

Displays shifted as the countdown hit zero and machinery grunted. The Cornerstone drifted apart from its propulsion module and floated free far above the red of the Martian surface.

Jeff eyed his instrumentation and sent a prayer to his family back home.

Today was an important day.

-o-o-o-

Lee watched Jeff side-on as he clicked his helmet into place. Taylor was a realist and he knew he wouldn’t be here without the crazy pilot.

It was Jeff’s drive that had gotten them this far. It was like riding a rollercoaster of determination and outright luck. From the Airforce, through space training and their sojourns on Alfie, Lee had tied himself to the man’s coat tails and hadn’t looked back.

God, it had been fun.

Jeff Tracy was a tsunami that crashed through everything and took everyone with him.

And Lee went willingly.

When they had been chosen for this mission it was a dream come true.

The countdown dropped to zero and machinery clunked as the lander separated smoothly from the orbiter. She drifted momentarily before the computer engaged thrusters to push her gently out of orbital alignment.

“We are five by five for atmospheric entry.” The words he uttered were almost rote after so many practise simulations back on Earth.

Atmospheric entry on Mars was considerably different to entry on Earth. Terran atmosphere was more like soup in comparison to the barely-there Martian atmosphere. Still made for a warm entry though, friction was friction after all.

“Trajectory achieved.” Jeff’s voice was confident and firm. As always.

Lee eyed the computer readouts, mentally ticking off procedure as the lander dipped into the outer reaches of the atmosphere and shifted to its entry interface.

Forces wrapped themselves around Lee and his body responded. After so many months of weightlessness, this was going to be a challenge.

“Ready for deceleration burn.”

The landing module sported early entrance stage retro thrusters designed to slow the vehicle to reduce the friction on the spacecraft’s skin. A new innovation that had proven essential in many return trips to the moon in preparation for the creation of a habitable dome on the satellite.

And here they were attempting to do something similar on Mars.

Cornerstone shook as her thrusters engaged exactly on time.

The craft roared.

Lee revelled in it.

“Three minutes to subsonic.”

“I really hate this bit.” It was barely heard above the commotion.

Lee snorted to himself. Ju was an astronaut in every sense, but she had a thing regarding atmospheric entry and the microscopic bits they could be exploded into if something went wrong.

“We are on track, Ju. Not a thing to worry about.” His voice reassurance itself, Jeff could sell the moon cheese if he so felt like it.

“Orbiter to Cornerstone. Tracy, we have a problem.”

Lee blinked. Sinclair’s voice was ominous.

“Orbiter, detail?”

“Cornerstone, weather has kicked up on the landing site. We have a developing dust storm. Looks to be a big one.”

“Orbiter, we are fixed for descent. Please advise severity.” Jeff’s tone was frustrated and Lee couldn’t help but echo it.

Data landed in Lee’s console and while Jeff continued to monitor their descent, Lee examined the situation. “We have a category five dust storm developing over the landing site. Orbiter is right, she looks like she could actually do some damage.”

Mars dust storms were generally all gust and no guts. The air density and pressure forced storms that were dramatic to look at, but generally little more than a windy day on planet Earth. This one, however... “It’s an anomaly.”

Jeff’s eyes darted from his console to Lee’s, grey eyes assessing the data. “Ju, your opinion?” They had to make the decision fast. Altering their trajectory now was possible, but fuel was precious. Any extra used now narrowed their safety margin for later.

The meteorologist’s fingers darted over her board. “Unusual strength, I agree.” Lee glanced in her direction as she frowned. “But Cornerstone should be able to handle it.”

“‘Should’ is not a good enough assumption, Zhang.” Jeff was frowning. The lander’s retros cut out as they reached a safe enough velocity to manoeuvre and Jeff’s hands curled around the yoke.

Lee’s finger darted over his board and brought up the outside cameras.

The red planet stretched out before them, her slightly blue tinted atmosphere contrasting against the rust of her surface.

That surface was churning.

Ju was outraged. “How the hell did that develop in the time it took us to separate from Orbiter? She was as calm as a sleeping baby!”

“I don’t care about then, I need now. Zhang, recommendation!”

The woman grunted. “I say go. If you think you can handle it. It is well within Cornerstone’s specs. Your decision, Major.”

Jeff’s lips thinned, his eyes darting across the readouts. A moment and he hit the comms switch. “Orbiter, we are go for landing. We’ve come this far, might as well go all the way.”

“Tracy, are you sure?”

“Humanity never got anywhere taking it easy.” He glanced at Lee. “Hold onto something.”

Cornerstone began her turn, orientating her nose to the sky so her retros could lower her safely to the Martian surface.

Or in Jeff Tracy terms, ‘spinning so she could park her ass’.

As if reading Lee’s mind, the glint in Jeff’s eyes was something to both be wary of and to celebrate.

Out of the four of them, Jeff was the most reckless, the most daring. But as he was the pilot, it sometimes called for it. Jeff had already saved them from becoming just another crater on Earth’s moon by pulling the most unconventional manoeuvre ever seen on the satellite when a landing thruster misfired on approach. The craft had shot off on a completely unpredicted vector that would have ploughed them into moon dust...if Jeff hadn’t reacted as fast as he did. He flipped the craft with its remaining three thrusters and, shedding the majority of their velocity in an energy dump that had Lee’s stomach on the outside, planted their craft like a sack of potatoes.

They had landed roughly, but they had landed alive and Lee was still amazed his friend had been able to do that.

So, if they were going down in a cloud of red dust, Lee was quite happy to have Jeff at the controls.

Not to say that Lee himself wasn’t handy with a spacecraft. He had his own experience to be proud of. He flew, but his realm was more the mechanical. He was here as back up and maintenance.

For those times the Tracy fix wasn’t quite enough.

A sigh. He eyed the billowing clouds below as they rapidly approached. They were history in the making. Whatever happened here today would be taught in schools for decades to come.

He had faith in Jeff. They would land, Berry would take those first important steps on a new planet, say the rehearsed words, and join Neil Armstrong in the halls of fame.

But first they had to get there.

-o-o-o-

Jeff swallowed as the cloud of dust loomed beneath the lander. Numbers scrolled across his console. The computer should be able to handle most of it. Its programming was solid. Lucy had made sure of it.

The thought of his beautiful wife...little Johnny.

Dust swelled and wrapped around their craft and visibility became...bad.

Cornerstone shuddered.

Mars dust was a bastard of a thing. Ever so fine and carrying a tiny electric charge that on occasion interfered with instruments.

This was one of those occasions.

“We have blackout on three primary sensors.” Damn. Two others flickered, the screen fritzing a moment.

His fingers darted over controls in an attempt to compensate for the data loss.

Lee was muttering beside him and stabbing at his board. “Rerouting to back-ups.”

Their screens flickered and cleared somewhat.

Numbers plummeted.

Beyond the blinding dust the digital readout that marked the surface of the planet approached.

Far too fast.

Retros crucial to start the landing sequence did not fire.

Shit.

It took seconds for him to compensate and move to manual, but that was enough for the craft to fall many more metres so, when he did manually trigger the burn, they were lower than they should be.

Cornerstone roared as he pushed more energy into braking.

“Lee, we need primary thrust or we are so much pancake!” Her four landing thrusters were not slowing them enough. The math in his head was churning out a fatal result and their history-making attempt was fast turning into a shitfest. “I need that power now.”

“You have it.” Short and sharp as Lee’s hands darted over his console.

On Jeff’s board the main thruster icon lit up.

It wasn’t meant to be used this way. The main thruster was for launching. It was far more powerful than they needed to land. But if he didn’t slow Cornerstone, she was going to take on a big red rock and lose.

The computer ran calculations and spat numbers out at him.

“Firing main thruster.” The icon flashed, Cornerstone roared and g-forces wrapped around all of them and squeezed.

No one said anything for the second of burn that slowed their descent ever so rapidly. Everything shook, the ship’s superstructure groaning.

Jeff’s eyes tracked their velocity, counting down as the surface of the planet rushed towards them. Visually they couldn’t see it. Virtually it looked ready to slap them in the face.

But the main thruster compensated, slowing the craft just enough for the landing rockets to do their job.

Jeff killed the big one and concentrated on the landers to take the last of their speed.

Cornerstone slowed. Five hundred metres. Four hundred metres. Three hundred metres. Two hundred metres. One hundred metres. Landing struts deployed. Fifty. Thirty. Twe-

The whole ship slammed to a stop, its structure groaning and tilting for a second before righting itself. Alarms began shrieking, red lights flashing all over his board.

What the hell?!

The readout had them stalled nineteen metres ‘above’ the virtual surface. Virtual was obviously not lining up with actual.

Another metallic groan and the ship tilted slightly again. This time it stayed tilted. No doubt a landing strut had taken the brunt and folded.

One red light screamed at him more than the others.

Beside him, Lee confirmed his fears. “We have a fuel leak.”

Shit!

He was unstrapping himself even as the craft groaned again. Something sparked not far away. Lee was a split second behind, listing the reason for the malfunction. The exterior hull, and the mangled landing strut responsible.

A rupture in the external hull. Hell.

Jeff undocked a diagnostic pad and slapped it on his belt.

Martian gravity made itself known. So many months without its native pull, Jeff’s body protested the sudden movement, but they didn’t have time. Precious fuel was escaping.

He hit the ladder leading out of the cockpit at a run, feet locking around the struts and his hands pushing him down. The whole sensation of gravity, but only a third of Earth’s was baffling. His body caught between expectations and stumbling along the way. Ultimately, he partly fell his way down through the access ports, hands grabbing at the railings barely preventing him from colliding with each deck.

Cornerstone’s fuel tanks were attached to her four landers, with a fifth fueling her main launcher.

It was number three that was the problem.

His boots hit decking and he scrambled for the airlock. Beside him Lee had a toolkit and they both barrelled through the door sealing it behind them.

The pumps cycled and the pressure dropped, their suits shifting with the change, and then the elevator was lowering them to the ground.

As the doors opened, they were faced with a wall of swirling dust.

Jeff did his best to ignore it but it fast became a problem. The maintenance tab in his hand was directing him to climb ladders up the side of the vehicle, but he could barely see the tablet, much less the ladders themselves through the red dust.

“Stick close, Lee. I’d hate to lose you in this.”

“Right behind you, Jeff. Wouldna want to lose you either.”

It was simple, but reassuring nonetheless. Fumbling, he found the landing strut. It was skewed in a way that even in the thick swirling haze, he could see was far from the right angle for correct support.

Hooking a foot into the lowest rung, he snagged his friend and urged him up the ladder ahead. If anyone was going to save their asses in this situation, it was Lee.

If Jeff could land it, chances were Lee could fix it. The man could jimmy two sticks and a rubberband into whatever was needed. Hell, he’d done almost exactly that on the moon at least twice.

This was just another challenge. Jeff had landed them, no matter how roughly. Now Lee would be able to fix it.

Jeff clung to that maxim.

But the question wasn’t about skill, it was more about whether or not they were going to damn well be able to see what they needed to see in order to do what needed doing.

Red obscured everything. The speed it was all flying past spoke to his earth senses of gale force winds, but the pressure on his suit was little more than a windy day.

Not enough to affect the spacecraft.

Mars was obviously educating them early that this was not Earth. Not in any way shape or form.

Their clamber up the strut was partly a blind one, but they made it to the damaged side of the craft. Through a mixture of touch and virtual readout, it became clear that the outer hull had buckled, forcing the inner hull into the fuel tank. Most of it had held, but there was a small microfracture and the pressure differences were bubbling solid state fuel into gas at a rate that, if it didn’t deplete the tank, would likely cause an explosion that would solve all their problems with a history-making finality.

Jeff climbed up beside Lee as he fumbled at his tool kit. The tank was dislodged off its mounts, something they would need to remedy later, but it was still inset from the hull.

Jeff put his body in position to block the main flow of the dust and wind, jamming himself up against the still warm hull of his ship.

A little less dust swirled over the bubbling crack and Lee didn’t hesitate. Before Jeff could blink, gell bondtape landed smoothly over the area, the engineer sealing it with an electronic nudge from a set-wand. The electricity lined molecules up like soldiers and locked them in place bonding them to whatever the tape was adhered to. They had used the same stuff on Alfie two years ago when one of their habitats had tried to make one with the lack of lunar atmosphere.

An extremely simple solution for a very dangerous problem.

His heart, still adrenalin-fueled, refused to believe the danger was over.

As if reading Jeff’s thoughts, Lee smirked at him through the haze. “Never leave home without it.” A sigh as he ran a gloved hand over the seal. “This should hold for the short term. Once we are sure the strut is stabilised, I’ll give it a good going over. Hopefully, we can lose this storm in the process.”

Jeff would have liked to claim it couldn’t blow forever, but both of them knew Mars storms could be unpredictable and last for months if they so chose to.

Lee ran a scanner over the strut’s connection to the launcher. How the hell the engineer could see the readouts, Jeff didn’t know.

For all future excursions to the Red Planet, Jeff was going to recommend helmet based heads-up displays.

“She’s safe for now. A little bent, but she isn’t going to fall over. Hopefully, once we get out some of the heavy lifting equipment we can bend her back into shape if we need to.” Lee stood up. “Hull patching is going to be an ass, though.”

Jeff’s lips thinned and he dropped a hand onto his friend’s shoulder. “One thing at a time. We’ve got this, Lee.”

Lee grunted. “How the hell do you keep spinning the optimism, Jeff?”

A snort. “What? You’d prefer doom and gloom?” He shuffled back towards the ladder. “That’s it, Lee, we’re never leaving this god forsaken rock. Welcome to your new home.” He raised up his hands and as if the gods declared him some kind of Moses for that very moment, the dust clouds parted as if they were a red sea of sand. Sol, so much smaller this far away, poked its weak light through the hazy atmosphere and lit up the bare red rocks of their temporary home. While on one side, the billowing wall of dust storm swirled on its way, on the other red mountains rose up to a weak blue-red sky.

Lee shifted down beside him. “You know, I figured you had an agreement with the gods of physics, but isn’t this a little ridiculous?”

Jeff was too captivated with the view to respond.

Cornerstone was on the plateau they had been simulating for months on end. She stood tall and proud, if a little crooked and pinker than her promo shots.

“We made it.” The words fell from his lips.

Lee clung to the ladder beside him. “Yeah, that we did.”

Sunlight flickered weakly in the atmosphere and a gust of wind dragged more dust across the view.

Jeff shifted. “We better get inside before that mess starts up again. Take advantage of being able to see where we are going.”

Lee didn’t respond immediately, his eyes combing the jagged horizon. “Thanks, Jeff.”

A frown. “For what?”

“Getting us here.”

“It was a group effort, Lee, you know that. Couldn’t have done it without the team. Couldn’t have done it without you. Hell, you just patched a hole that could have blown us up.”

Lee grunted.

“Are you guys going to hang outside all day, or do we have to guess the sitrep?” Berry’s tone was tight.

“Roger, Berrenger. Situation secure. On our way back in.”

It wasn’t until they reached the elevator that he realised exactly what had happened.

And who he was.

By the doors, protected by the shadow of the lowered module was a single footprint that hadn’t been blown away by the wind.

“Aw, hell.”

Lee, as always, stepped up beside him. “Yeah. I guess that makes you the first man to walk on Mars.”

-o-o-o-

Ju was furious. “It was Kate’s right to be the first!”

The vacs in the airlock had sucked everything off their suits to the point Lee was surprised his hair wasn’t standing on end despite the helmet.

As it was, his hackles were somewhere near orbit as they stood in the conference room that doubled as a mess. “And what exactly do you think we were supposed to do? The ship was going to explode.” It was simple to Lee. Sure, he was all for equality, it was a given, but they would’ve been all equally dead if he and Jeff hadn’t done what they did.

“You didn’t give us a chance!”

“I’m the engineer here, Zhang. There wasn’t time! The decision was made and we are alive because of it.”

“Then why weren’t you first, Taylor? Why the hell was Tracy even out there? He’s not the engineer!”

Beside Lee, Jeff straightened. “Standard procedure, Zhang. We work in pairs. If you think I was going to let Lee go out in that on his own, you’ve been serving while wearing a blindfold.”

The short, dark-haired woman stepped up to the Major, her eyes fiery. “It was Kate’s place in history and you stole it!”

Lee flared. “We did what was necessary! This was not a publicity grab, for Christ’s sake! It didn’t even occur to us until we were returning. It was about saving our lives, Zhang. How can you possibly think it was anything else?”

“Because it always is.” She waved a hand at Jeff. “Always the hotshot. Always the first. Always the hero. Do you ever think, Tracy? Do you ever think about those you barrel past?”

Jeff glared down at the meteorologist. “I will not apologise for my achievements, Zhang. This was an honest to god accident.”

“Due to decisions made by you.”

“What the hell, Zhang?!” Lee pushed forward. That was taking it too far.

“We should never have tried to land in that dust storm. We should have waited it out.”

“You said we could take it!”

“But it wasn’t my decision, was it?” Her tone was a positive hiss at Jeff.

“Screw you, Zhang-“

“Taylor!”

“Jeff-“

The man was still the damn tall walking wall when he wanted to be. “Lee, stop.” He glared at Ju. “I will not apologise for my command decisions either, Zhang. What was done, is done.” His stance softened as he turned to Berry.

She had been ominously quiet the entire time.

Jeff sighed. “I’m sorry, Kate.”

The red-haired astrogeologist straightened away from the bulkhead, her arms still folded across her chest. Lee had always liked Berry. She had her head on much straighter than Ju ever did.

Ju was like a terrier with a bone.

The bone variety today was definitely Jeff-flavoured.

But there was only kindness in Berry’s eyes as she looked up at the Major. “This sucks, Jeff, it really does.” She looked down a moment. “But it is what it is and I guess it was what it was meant to be.” A shrug. “I suppose I’ll have to settle for third on Mars. Still pretty momentous, I think.”

“Kate, it doesn’t have to be that way.” Jeff took a step towards her. “It’s not official. It was a stupid repair. We can do the ceremonial step onto the planet anyway. No one has to know.”

Her head tilted to one side. “So, the ship miraculously healed itself?”

“Berry-“

She closed the gap between them, placing a hand on his arm. “Jeff, honestly, it’s not what is important here. You took the first step. We still have plenty of others that need to be taken. My ego can keep.”

Zhang flared again. “Kate, this was for women-“

“Ju, enough. It doesn’t matter! Humans have just landed on Mars, for god’s sake. I would have thought we would be a little less worried about the gender of the person taking the first step and more worried about the fact we did it without blowing up.”

“It was supposed to be you.” Ju wilted in defeat under Berry’s glare.

“Well, it was Jeff, and I think he is no less deserving than any of us.”

Jeff’s voice was quiet. “Are you sure, Kate?” The use of her first name was a rarity for the major, there was a friendship between those two almost as long as the one between Jeff and Lee. Hell, if Jeff hadn’t met Lee’s sister, Lucy, the engineer wondered what might have eventuated in that department.

Not that he had ever had to worry about that. Jeff was a complete sop for Lucy. His sis had the man wrapped around her little finger.

If that made Lee feel just that touch more protective of the crazy pilot, then so be it.

Kate straightened, her shoulders strong. “I’m sure.” Then her lips curled up a little. “Besides, my lines were so much more elegant than ‘Stick close, Lee. I’d hate to lose you in this.’”

Jeff snorted and shrugged. “If I’m going to make history gotta make sure my best friend is with me.”

Zhang made a disgusted sound and stormed out of the room.

Shoulders dropping, Jeff sighed. “Guess I need to work on my phrasing.”

But Lee was too wrapped in the moment, a little too proud and grateful to care. “She’ll live.”

The grunt from Jeff reminded Lee that they still had months to share living quarters with the fiery Ju.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her.” Berry squeezed Jeff’s arm before reaching out to Lee as well. “Thank you, both of you, for getting us down safely. We’re on Mars, guys. Let the party begin.”

The smile in her eyes was honest and ever so heartening.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #jeff tracy #pre-series #younger tracys #the mars mission #lee taylor #nuttyfic reblog

[pareidoliaonthemove]

Lee Taylor's First Time Babysitting

Lucille Tracy was still not convinced. “Jeff, are you sure about this?”

Jeff smiled reassuringly. “Very. We’ve got to leave town for the day – a very long, very boring day – so you can get the next lot of scans for the baby. Mom has her hands full looking after Pa, and your parents couldn’t get away from the Ranch. We can’t take Scott, he’s too young, and, um …”

“Hyperactive?” Lucy raised an eyebrow.

“Excitable,” Jeff decided, “to be spend the day in the hospital with us. Lee was visiting anyway, and he is Scott’s godfather …”

“Who requires every bit as much adult supervision as the two year old we’re asking him to supervise.”

Jeff frowned. “That’s not fair, Luce. Lee …”

She sighed. “I know.” She met his gaze. “It’s only one day, right? And as he keeps reminding us, the Space Agency trusts him with their multi-billion dollar equipment, so we can trust him with Scott?”

Jeff kissed her on the forehead. “Exactly right, on both counts.”

Lee Taylor was miffed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to look after his two-year-old godson, and it wasn’t that he wanted to look after his two-year-old godson – kids had never been his thing; but his best friend’s wife was giving the impression that she didn’t trust Lee with the boy.

For goodness sakes, the Space Agency trusted him with multi-billion dollar it, didn’t they? (Not on your own, they don’t, a traitorous little voice whispered. Lee resolutely ignored it.)

Jeff trusted him with his life, surely his wife could trust him with their son?

Captain Lee Taylor was a fully trained astronaut, with five moon missions, and one Mars landing under his belt. Captain Lee Taylor could handle a two-year-old boy. No problems. Easy peasy, light and breezy!

Captain Lee Taylor was a fully trained astronaut, with five moon missions and one Mars landing under his belt. Captain Lee Taylor was not qualified to deal with a two-year-old boy. I’m an astronaut, get me out of here!

It had started off well enough, wave bye-bye to Jeff and Lucy, watch as the boy climbed the tree in the backyard – “Are you allowed to climb that tree?” “I am if you say I am, Uncle Lee.” (He wasn’t too sure about that decision, he had a feeling Lucy wouldn’t allow it, but the kid was fine.)

A snack, reading a book about airplanes, that morphed into a storytelling session about Jeff flying in his plane, bright blue eyes stared up adoringly as he listened to stories of his Daddy’s adventures. (And, maybe, he shouldn’t have been quite so honest about Jeff’s time in combat? But the kid loved it.)

But it had fallen apart after that. Inspired by the stories, Lee had been roped into an energetic game of ‘fighter pilot’, where Lee was the “boogie” to the boy’s Jeff. Lee had to ‘fly’ and try to avoid the little boy chasing him. At the shrill shriek of “Direct hit!” Lee had to fall down, before he was allowed up to play the part of another “boogie”. After three hours, Lee was exhausted.

And the kid was hungry. So Lee found the (premade? Lee could handle making sandwiches, for heavens sake!) sandwiches in the fringe, and poured juice into a large glass. The biggest he could find, don’t want the boy to get dehydrated. That the large heavy glass tumbler wasn’t suitable for little hands was a retroactive thought, after it smashed on the ground. But that was okay, just a broken glass and spilled juice. No blood, no foul. Lee found another – plastic – tumbler and replenished the boy’s drink, before cleaning up the mess.

Lee had a thought that kids should sleep after eating, need time to let the food settle, right? But he was having none of it, wanting instead to return to playing ‘fighter pilot’. Lee couldn’t face another round of that, so he compromised with some tv time. Managing to find an old kids movie he remembered that should meet the boy’s approval, they both settled on the lounge, as onscreen Dusty Crophopper chased his dream of flying around the world.

Only for Lee to wake abruptly some time later alerted by some weird sixth sense, just in time to catch the boy as he launched off the top of the bookcase – and how the sam hill had he got up there? A frantic examination proved the kid was fine, albeit disappointed by his failure to ‘fly’. So Lee took him out to the tyre swing so he could ‘fly’ there.

It was an unknowable time later, growing dark and Lee’s back and arms were burning with exertion when Jeff and Lucy arrived home, take away Chinese in hand, only to laugh at Lee’s exhaustion, and the kid’s excitement.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as Jeff and Lucy – mainly Lucy – interrogated them on their day. Jeff quietly amused and Lucy exasperated as the story of broken glass came out, and horrified at the ‘bookcase incident’. Lee had been hoping that they could keep that to themselves.

And yes, he had been conned. The tree was strictly off limits.

Lee hoped to make a quiet escape to his guest room, but the kid wasn’t having any of that. Apparently the little monster had decided that since he was spending the day with him, that was the whole day. 24 hours.

Lee wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but somehow he ended up agreeing to sleep on a camp bed in the kids room. The operative word was ‘sleep’, right? The boy would sleep. Lee sure would. Somehow exploring new worlds was less exhausting than babysitting one two-year-old.

Jeff smirked as Lee was dragged up to the kids room, for a round of bedtime stories, and “G’night, Uncle Lee.”

Lee glared as Jeff smirked at him as he checked they were both safely tucked up in bed, before turning off the light.

Lee was going to get his best friend for this.

Small sharp fingers clamped onto his eyelid and pulled, painfully, forcibly, opening his left eye, and startling Lee into wakefulness.

Bright blue eyes peered into Lee’s sole open one. “Is you awake, my Uncle Lee?”

“I am now,” he grumbled, feeling his back complain about the camp bed he had slept – too briefly – on last night.

The little boy clapped happily, before grabbing his upper arm and trying to pull him upright. “Up!”

Lee resisted. “Too early, kid. Go back to bed.”

His best friend’s son bounced – bounced! – onto the bed and then onto his chest, driving all the air from his body. “The sun’s awake, so we’re awake. It’s time to play, so let’s all go Outside today!” He sang gleefully, bouncing in time to the tune.

Lee managed to catch him in the air, and rolling half over, deposited the boy on the floor beside the bed. He stared at the little boy, who was practically vibrating in excitement.

“You like this every day?” Lee demanded.

The boy bounced on his toes. “Yep!”

Lee swore under his breath. No wonder Jeff and Lucy were so darn tired. He eyed the blue-eyed menace in front of him. “Alright,” he muttered. “But we gotta let your Mom and Dad sleep, okay?”

He bounced again. “Okay!”

Lee dragged his protesting body out of the camp bed. Every morning. Darned if he knew why Jeff and Lucy wanted another one after this.

Jeff Tracy woke when the sun managed to find the exact right spot to shine through the gap in the curtains, and hit his face.

He lay still half asleep in bed, and wrestled with the fact that something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

The house was silent, he couldn’t hear anything except Lucy snuffling – not snoring. Never snoring. His wife DID NOTsnore! (He had learned that fact the hard way.) So there was no break in, and Scott …

Scott.

Scott, who hadn’t let his parents sleep past sunrise pretty much since the day he was born. Scott, the solar-activated ball of hyper-energy that should have bounced his parents awake the second the sun’s first rays hit the horizon. Scott, who should have been nyrooom-ing his thundering way up and down the hall and stairs.

The house was silent.

The house was still.

Scott!

Jeff was awake in a flood of adrenaline, launching himself off the bed towards the door, and running towards his son’s room.

The bed was unmade, and Scott was gone.

In a blind panic, Jeff rushed toward the bed, and ended up sprawled across the floor.

He turned, and sagged with relief. He had tripped over a discarded blanket, kicked aside from the bed camp bed that had been made up for Lee after Scott had insisted that ‘Uncle Lee’ have a sleepover with him.

Jeff took a moment to calm his breathing and heartbeat. Lee. Scott waking would have woken Lee; and Lee, knowing how tired he and Lucy were, had taken the boy off to play so they could sleep.

Thank god for Lee.

He had just about regained his composure when Lucy rounded the door. “Jeff?” She was still groggy from sleep, having been woken by his mad dash for the door. “What is it?”

Jeff got up from the floor. “I woke up,” he admitted, sheepishly. “And I panicked when I realised how late it was.”

“Huh?”

Jeff huffed, “Fine. I’m not used to being able to sleep so late. I freaked when I realised Scott hadn’t woken us, and I couldn’t hear him. Scott must have woke Lee first, and Lee took him out to play so we could sleep.”

Lucy stared, still uncomprehending, then shook her head. “Coffee. I need coffee. I can’t logic without coffee.”

Jeff grinned. “I’ll put the kettle on.”

He went downstairs, as Lucy went to take care of ‘the necessities’. And glanced as he filled the kettle, looked out the window.

The backyard was deserted.

Come to that, he couldn’t hear anything from outside, either. Scott wasn’t by nature quiet, and Lee, well, his lack of volume control was yet another side effect of that disastrous training exercise.

Jeff frowned as went to check the front yard. It too was deserted, but Lee’s rental car was missing.

Okay, so Lee had taken Scott somewhere to play so he wouldn’t disturb them. Nothing to worry about. Jeff spent the next ten minutes looking for a note explaining where they had gone.

Nothing.

No note. No car. No Lee. No Scott.

Lucy wandered down the stairs, and was a little put out to find the coffee unmade. She sighed as Jeff explained the situation. “Jeff, did you think to call Lee? You know, let him know the coast is clear to come back?”

Jeff grimaced guiltily, and went to the phone. He dialled from memory, and was rewarded by the sound of an obnoxious ringtone. It was some god-awful pop song that ‘celebrated’ the first manned landing on Mars, and Jeff hated it, so naturally Lee had chosen it as the ringtone for Jeff’s numbers.

Lucy picked up Lee’s phone and rejected the call, silencing the offending ring tone. They both stared at the device. “Trust Lee to forget his phone,” Lucy said, but her voice was worried.

“Yeah, just like him.” Jeff bit his lip. “Luce, I’ll take the car, and go find them. I’ll bring breakfast home, yeah? From the bakery? You give them a call, and tell them I’ll collect it when I’ve found Lee, they might even know where they are.”

“Lee pays,” Lucy said. “Payback for scaring us silly.”

Jeff grinned. “Fine. Lee pays.”

He was halfway down the road when Lucy called. “I’ve placed the order, but they haven’t seen them.”

Jeff grinned. “That just means that Lee hasn’t spoiled Scott’s appetite.” He considered. “I’ll swing past the airfield first, maybe Lee took Scott to see the planes?”

Lucy chuckled nervously. “Sounds about right. You let me know the second you find them.”

“Of course. Though they’ll probably turn up at home before I find them, so make sure you let me know.”

Twenty minutes later Jeff did a slow patrol around the airfield, looking for Lee’s car parked outside the perimeter to watch the student pilots taking off and landing. Nothing. So he went into the complex, and parked outside the hangar where his family stored their aircraft.

Lee had flown in from Houston, where he still lived. Maybe he had taken Scott to look at his plane? Jeff tried not to think about the fact that Lee’s car wasn’t visible.

The hangar was deserted, and the three planes were all safely stowed. So Lee hadn’t taken Scott for a flight.

As Jeff exited the airfield, having carefully checked the interiors of the three planes, just in case, his phone rang, with the generic ringtone. Mouth dry, Jeff answered.

“Jeff, it’s Sheriff Reichs. I’ve just been in The BakeHouse, I understand you’ve misplaced that friend of yours, and your son?”

Jeff grimaced. He should’ve known better. That he’d ‘lost’ Scott would be all over town. He quickly explained the situation, careful to emphasise that he had no concern for Scott’s wellbeing.

Sheriff Reichs chuckled. “Well, I’ll keep an eye out for you, and you make sure you let me know when you find ‘em.” The older man was reassuring. “This’ll make one hell of a good story for the boy’s twenty-first.”

Jeff promised to call him second thing – Lucy remained firmly first in line – and thanked the sheriff for his help. A couple of the smaller playgrounds and parks were on Jeff’s way, and he slowed to drive past, carefully scanning them for signs of his son and friend.

Nothing.

It was only when he got to the large park in the centre of town that he found the first sign of his quarry. Lee’s rental car was parked, haphazardly across two spaces, by the corner that was on the direct route from their house.

Jeff parked more carefully next to his friend’s car, and as he got out the Sheriff’s cruiser pulled into the slot on the other side.

Reichs got out of his car, and eyed Lee’s rental, before turning to Jeff. “Well, I sure hope he parks a space rocket better than he parks a car.”

“There’s a reason the Space Agency insists we’re chauffeured everywhere on their watch.” Jeff almost managed to keep a straight face.

“Is that why they’re talkin’ ‘bout bringin’ back ocean landin’s?”

Jeff laughed.

Reichs chuckled. There was a delighted shriek from deeper in the park. “Higher, Uncle Lee! Higher!”

A broad grin spread across the Sheriff’s face. “Sounds like you’ve found what you’re lookin’ for, Jeff. I’ll not hold you up.”

Jeff thanked him again, backing away towards the shrieks of delight, and as soon as he was able, turned and hurried – not run, he was not running – to the source of the noise.

Just before he broke the treeline that screened the large, well-equipped playground, Jeff forced himself to stop. There, on the high swings – that Scott was most definitely not allowed on – was his son, his best friend pushing the boy ever higher.

He pulled out his phone, and took a minute’s video, before sending it to Lucy.

The response came as a text message: Thank God. Bring them home. I’m hungry.

He snorted and put the phone away, stepping out of the concealing treeline and starting towards the swingset.

“Daddy!” Scott had spotted him, and before anybody could react, the boy launched himself forward off the swing at its zenith. Lee’s strangled yell as the boy fell to the ground. Landed a good six feet from the edge of the swing’s reach…

… and immediately ran towards his father, cannonballing into Jeff with a force that knocked him over, and would have knocked the air out of him, had there been any left in his body.

Jeff grabbed him in a massive hug, as Lee sprinted up to them, spluttering what could have been words.

Scott hugged Jeff back, just as tightly, although for different reasons. “Did you see me, Daddy? I was flying!”

Jeff pulled back a little. “Yeah, I saw you buddy. And it’s a good thing your Mom didn’t. What have you been told about jumping off the swings?”

The little boy deflated. “Don’t.” Blue eyes pleaded. “But I was flying. Just like you. And Uncle Lee.”

Jeff groaned. “Scott Lee Tracy, your Uncle Lee and I have all sorts of safety gear to keep us from getting hurt.”

And just like that, Scott perked up. “Ok, Daddy. I bring my helmet. It’s keeps me from getting hurt.”

Jeff swallowed. He was in real trouble this time. “We’ll ask your Mom,” was all he could say.

Lee fidgeted, “What’re you doing here, Jeff? Luce kick you out?”

Jeff glared at him. “Would it kill you to leave a note?”

Lee winced, guiltily. “You could’a called me. Save the trip.”

Jeff reached into his pocket, and pulled out Lee’s phone. “Didn’t work so well.”

Lee deflated. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“But you got to sleep in, right?”

Jeff sighed. “Yeah. But next time, leave a damn note. It took years off my life.”

Lee winced again. “Lucy’s mad at me, isn’t she?”

“The Sheriff was looking for you both.” Lee paled. “And you’re buying breakfast.”

“Uncle Lee and I had beek-fast!” Scott chirped. “Uncle Lee brought me don’t’s an’ a milkshake.”

Jeff stared at his friend. “Doughnuts and milkshake, for breakfast?!”

Lee went even paler. “Where’d Lucy order from, anyway? You get him home, and I’ll bring breakfast.”

Jeff glared. “You’d better. I am not explaining this to his mother on my own.”

Lee grabbed his phone and ran, yelling over his shoulder, “Message me the address!”

Jeff looked down at Scott, “Come on, kiddo.” He swung the delighted boy onto his shoulders. “We’d better go after him before he gets lost.”

Scott shrieked with delight, and pulling violently on Jeff’s hair, kicked him in the chest with his heels. “Faster, Daddy! Faster!”

Jeff broke into a trot after his best friend. Please, God, let the next one be quieter.

Notes:

Ask, and ye shall receive! (Although not always this quickly!) By popular demand, this is the story of Scott’s first adventure with ‘Uncle Lee’.

@janetm74, @onereyofstarlight, and @womble1, this one’s for you!

The standard disclaimers, I do not own Thunderbirds, either the Original Series, the Movies (both Supermarionation and Live Action), or the Thunderbirds Are Go Series. (Although I do own copies on DVD.)

I do not do this for money, but for my own (in)sanity and entertainment.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds 2015 #fanfiction #my fanfiction #lee taylor #scott tracy #lucille tracy #babysitting

[astranite]

Trick or treat! 🎃🍬

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! *drops extra big candy in your bucket*

(7) Finally, they were all ready to go. Mini Maverick held hands with a ginger and black cat and a fire fighter, ready to surge ahead towards the streets and sweets being handed out. The undercover spy dodged from shadow to shadow, and Lucy made note to keep an extra eye out so she didn't disappear. A clownfish pirate or pirate clownfish, there was no consensus come to about that, was perched on Lee’s shoulders, the stroller predictably refused. The pint sized astronaut gnawed on a rocket shaped teether, in the pram pushed by full-sized astronaut two, or Jeff ‘We don't need costumes, we’re already famous,’ Tracy. Every year, he and Lee got a kick out of telling sceptical children that they really were the real deal.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderfam trick or treat #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #kayo kyrano #lucy tracy #jeff tracy #lee taylor #astrawrite #answernite #wow that be a spooooooky amount of tags

[cloverfella]

I now claim the award for first lee taylor art ever /silly /j

I await my award now /j /j /JOKE

#sages doodles #lee!taylor #lee taylor #hfjone tickles #object show tickles

[aplausosbrasil]

Alguns jovens e talentosos atores das novas gerações do século XXI:

Alice Braga

Érika Januza

Hermila Guedes

Juliana Alves

Valdineia Soriano

Clarissa Kiste

Silvio Guindane

Ícaro Silva

Lee Taylor

Fabrício Boliveira

Jesuíta Barbosa

Wagner Moura

#alice braga #erika januza #hermila guedes #juliana alves #valdineia soriano #clarissa kiste #silvio guindane #icaro silva #lee taylor #fabricio boliveira #jesuita barbosa #wagner moura #cinema #teatro #tv #tv brasileira #cinema brasileiro #teatro brasileiro #arte brasileira #cultura brasileira #novelas #elenco brasileiro #dramaturgia brasileira #atrizes brasileiras #atores brasileiros #nova geração de atores

[tracybirds]

✨My main man in TOS or TAG, the original, the progenitor, the Colonel, Jeff Tracy! Pretty please?

Thank you!! One Jeff Tracy coming up! Sorry it took a bit of time seeing as life did the whole life thing, but I hope you enjoy the outcome! Rolled "What I’m Doing" by Ian McConnell and that threw me a bit because it's not a super Jeff song (it is a very me song though lol) but this lyric pinged something so: “Don’t wanna fail but sure don’t wanna settle”

Lee Taylor visits Tracy Island for the first time with Jeff.

---

“So, what, you get rich, you buy an island, is that how it goes now, Tracy?”

Jeff snorted, eyes on the sky.

“Not exactly, Taylor, but you already know that.”

“But you did buy an island.”

“Just a small one.”

“Oh, well if it’s small then that’s nothing. What’s possessed you to leave LA anyhow? I thought you were finally settling into the city life.”

“That’s a word for it,” muttered Jeff, the edges of his mouth turning down in distaste.

Lee looked over at him sharply.

“Now that, I don’t like the sound of.”

“It’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, what in hell’s name are we doing flying over the South Pacific?”

“Okay, it’s something. I don’t know if I can explain.”

“Your boys are all right though? I remember Sam kicking up a fuss about leaving Kansas.”

“Scott is doing fine. He’s settled.”

“But you’re not.” Lee snapped his fingers. “Mid-life crisis, that’s what this is. Knew the day would come.”

“I’m in my forties.”

“Yeah, and if that’s not midlife then what is?”

“Fifties? Sixties?”

“Pssh, what happened to living fast and dying young.”

“My wife dying happened.”

There was a beat of silence. Their destination appeared on the radar screen and Jeff gripped the controls tightly, deliberately not thinking of anything but banking the plane into her final approach.

“That’s what this is about?”

“No.”

“It is, isn’t it. You think I haven’t been keeping an eye out, you’ve been killing yourself with that company only none of it’s enough.”

“That’s not what this is.”

“Yes, it is. Because you can do all the good you like, fulfil all the plans and dreams you had together and it still won’t bring her–”

“Lee, stop it,” snapped Jeff, spitting the words through his teeth. “Just… can we at least land first?”

Lee pursed his lips together tightly.

“Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting her, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Thank you somuch for that sage advice,” he growled. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

The small landing strip marked the artificial platform built out from the main volcanic feature, extending the island by nearly half a mile and Jeff guided the plane towards it. They were low enough now to make out the villa, for now a skeleton frame clinging to the rocks.

As they watched, the rockface at the end of the runway began to sink, leaving a gaping cave that led into the depths of the volcano.

“Okay, that is pretty nifty,” said Lee, the admiration clear in his voice.

“That’s not the niftiest thing about this place,” said Jeff. “Come on, we’ll go down and see Brains.”

“Brains? That engineer kid you picked up in Paris?”

“That’s the one. He’s just the right man for this job.”

“And he’s working out here all alone? How much are you paying him? What about his family?”

“I d-don’t have a family, Mr Taylor.”

“Aw hell,” said Lee turning around to face him. “This not my day.”

“If you said less, you might not find yourself chewing on that foot of yours so often,” said Jeff drily. “How are you, Brains?”

“Very well, Mr Tracy. You g-got mm..my message then?”

“Are they really ready?”

“Of c-course,” said Brains. “I followed your specifications exactly.”

“I believe my specifications were ‘Do what you think is best, Brains’,” said Jeff, smiling slightly.

“P-precisely. Now would you p-prefer the stairs or the elevator?”

“You put stairs in this thing?”

“I am..mm an engineer, Mr Tracy.”

“Elevator. Stop stalling, Brains, I want to see them.”

“What the hell have you two been cooking up?” Lee demanded.

Jeff clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on through, Taylor, I’ve got a surprise in store for you.”

They stepped into the elevator together, Brains scurrying in after them.

The temperature slowly dropped with every metre, nobody speaking as they descended deeper and deeper into the heart of the volcano.

“Why’d you even bother to make the walls glass?” asked Lee, knocking against them sharply. “Not like there’s anything to see down…”

He gasped and Jeff mirrored him as the dark shaft opened into a cavernous chamber, hewn from the ancient rocks of the island.

“Wow,” breathed Lee, staring up at the roof in admiration as they continued to fall. “Guess there was a good reason, after all.”

Jeff, however, was looking in the opposite direction.

Shining silver that caught the artificial light, deep green that stood solidly below them, a towering rocket that stretched into the heavens.

He could see Brains’ workshop, the bright yellow material stacked beside a metal frame, blueprints tacked to the wall.

“Holy shit!”

Lee spotted what had captured his attention so thoroughly, and leant forward, pressing his forehead against the glass walls.

“Do you l-like them?” asked Brains, the innocent question belying the smug smile that crept across his face.

Jeff clapped him around the shoulders, something akin to awe and wonder beginning to blossom in his chest.

“They’re magnificent, Brains,” he said quietly.

The elevator dinged, a sound too ordinary for the occasion it was marking and they stepped out as one. Jeff didn’t know where to look, his eyes drawn in all directions. Brains took charge, directing them to mechanical marvel after marvel and they followed him like a pair of lost ducklings, only half taking in what he told them.

“Thunderbird One,” he said finally, as they stood beneath her.

She was built for speed, they could see that in an instant, all excess stripped back in favour of pure adrenaline and acceleration. Her nosecone was painted a bright red, perfect for gauging the strain she had undertaken at as glance as the silver metal began to peek through.

“She has a top ss..speed of fi-fifteen thousand miles per hour, and–”

“Fifteen thousand?” interrupted Lee, leaning forward. “That’s impossible. You’d be able to get to the other side of the planet in… in…”

“Less than an hour,” said Jeff with a small grin. “That’s the point. We’d be able to go anywhere, help anyone. No restrictions of time, of money. No having to argue with independent governments or wait for civil defence forces to make a decision on launch. I cleared it all with the GDF, they’re the only ones who have access to the details of what I intend to do here.”

“Which is what exactly? Come on, out with it, Tracy, you brought me here for a reason.”

Jeff glanced over at Brains who nodded and slipped away.

“Lee, when Lucy died it was the worst day of my life,” he began, and stopped as the old ache flared in his chest. He took a steadying breath and Lee reached out, grasping his old friend’s arm in a show of support.

“There was so much we still wanted to do; it was like my entire life had been cut short. What could I possibly do that wouldn’t remind me of her and what we lost?”

“Tracy Industries?”

“Tracy Industries,” he confirmed. “That was my dream, and mine alone. There was nothing of Lucy in that, and it was a mercy when I could barely breathe for the grief.”

He stared up at Thunderbird One, blinking back decade old tears.

“But for all my success, it wasn’t the right thing. Shouldn’t have been the only thing. I’d left Lucy’s dreams in the dirt and that felt like the biggest failure of all.”

He looked over at Lee.

“And what did she want above everything else?”

“To help people,” he replied. “Any way she could.”

“Any way she could,” repeated Jeff. “Well, this is how. I turned Tracy Industries into a philanthropic success, but it’s not enough to just sit in my shining office and order people around. I have skills that were wasting away up there, skills that I could put to use to help people. I can’t settle for mere charity, not when I can do more.”

There was a fierceness to his words that he hardly recognised, a wild spring of life returning to him as he spoke. For the first time, he was certain. This was the right choice. He’d planted the seed for this little venture years ago, decades really. He hadn’t known it at the time, but every dream he’d had, every sacrifice he’d made – it all led to this moment here.

He knew what it meant to have someone answer a call for help. To have hope.

He took a deep breath.

“I’ve started a new organisation. International Rescue. To save those that traditional rescue organisations can’t get to.”

He chanced a glance across at his friend, knowing he saw the same needs in the world as him. Knowing he was growing frustrated at his job which prioritised information over people. Knowing there was no-one else he’d rather have stand by him in this endeavour.

“So, you in?”

“Flying around the world, saving lost souls and morons alike?”

Lee looked up at the towering machines, his face splitting into a wide grin. “Hell yeah, Tracy.”

#jeff tracy #lee taylor #brains #thunderbirds are go #sometimes i fic #oops and now i am sleeeeeping bc this was longer than intended #also had three false starts but we got there :DDD

[avengedbiologist]

There's a lot of time to talk when you're flying to mars.

@thunder-pride

The first men on Mars, it hadn’t felt real. The red planet was beautiful from afar, but even more so close up. Despite this Jeff had other things on his mind, their ship was on autopilot, it was a long journey to Mars and both the men would need to sleep and eat. Jeff sat staring out the window, watching the stars but he could barely even focus on them. The pressure was getting too much, he had to get his thoughts out.

‘Hey Lee?’ Jeff shouted back, Lee had been getting a drink from the back of the ship.

‘What’s up?’ Lee said, as he appeared in the doorway.

He lent on the doorway, watching his partner nervously try to speak.

‘Jeff?’

‘Can we…talk?’

‘I mean there’s no one else to talk to, so hit me’

‘I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, mainly on this mission since I’ve had so much thinking time on this mission and I just need to get it out, I know I’ll tell Lucille about it but I can’t keep it in that long.’

‘You’re worrying me now Jeff.’

‘I think I’m bi.’

‘Oh- Jeez you scared me there pal.’

‘Sorry I just-’

‘Ay don’t be sorry about personal feelings.’

‘I just don’t want it to affect our friendship, or my relationship with Lucille.’

‘I’m fine with it, and Lucille will understand, besides, you’re still gonna be a good dad either way.’

‘Thanks Lee.’

‘Anytime buddy, now let’s get home, you have a son to meet and a wife to hug and I have a new nephew to meet.’

Jeff smiled, he couldn’t wait to be home.

Read on AO3

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderfam #jeff tracy #captain lee taylor #lee taylor #thunderpride #thunderpride 2023