Title: Shooting Star

Part One

Author: Gumnut

11 - 16 Dec 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: Scott and John are at the opposite ends of an argument that will change the Tracy family forever. Virgil is caught in the middle.

Word count: 2050

Spoilers & warnings: Spoilers for episode 1.08 'Eos', language, angry!Tracys.

Timeline: Episode tag to 'Eos'.

Author's note: This one requires some explanation. I had to put 'The Hero' on hold in order to write this year's TAG Secret Santa fic. The TAGSS fic took on a life of its own and as I can't post it to my blog, I had no fic to share. So, on the way to work one morning, I scribbled down a scene. It was just supposed to be a Virgil-John chat thing. Then I placed it in the canon timeline and hit a nerve. The fic exploded. However, while writing this so far 4000 word fic, I've been churning out the so far 16,600 word TAGSS fic. So, with no time to actually write this properly, I've been jamming it into fifteen minute writing frenzies at lunch and in the car and pretty much anywhere I can, while any other time has been spent on the TAGSS fic. There is more of this and it can be found on my blog at gumnut-logic dot tumblr dot com, but it is in little bits and is taking me quite some time to write. Please bear with me as I promise a big fic is coming after this little craziness…assuming Scott and John don't obliterate my brain with this argument in the meantime.

Many thanks to vegetacide and scribbles97 for putting up with my crazy.

Fic has been written to the song 'Shooting Star' by Owl City as it was the song playing when I got the idea and it will eventually be appropriate at some point,

And as always, thank you all for creating such a fantastic fandom. Thundernerds rock! I hope you enjoy this fic :D

Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

-o-o-o-

'When the sun goes down, and the lights burn out,

Then it's time for you to shine

Brighter than the shooting star, so shine no matter where you are

Fill the darkest night, with a brilliant light,

'Cause it's time for you to shine

Brighter than a shooting star, so shine no matter where you are, tonight.'

- Owl City, Adam Young, 'Shooting Star'.

With Scott on the other side of the planet, it was up to Virgil to chase up his brother. Unfortunately, John was not in any of the usual places he holed up in. Virgil even hiked all the way up to the observatory only to find it empty. It didn't help that Scott had ordered him down for a mandatory break, especially so soon after the Eos Incident, as it had come to be known, but then Tracy Industries had called him off on some 'urgent' business and whatever Scott had planned for John had gone out the window.

A hurried 'look after him' before Scott boarded Tracy Two was all Virgil had to work with.

As if he'd do anything else.

Attempting to think like John and work out where he might have gone was a loss. Virgil had no clue how his brother's mind worked. When they were kids, all the bolt holes in times of anguish were never what Virgil expected and this scenario was somewhat familiar. He just hadn't had to follow the script for a while.

Eventually, he resorted to his own places of refuge and to his astonishment, found John lying on Virgil's favourite beach. In the darkness, the volcanic sand ate light and his brother's pale and shirtless form stuck out like it had its own light source.

John lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring up at the starlit night sky. He didn't move as Virgil approached and sat down beside him.

"Took you a little longer this time."

Virgil snorted. "It's been a while. Nowadays it is much easier to corner you in your 'bird."

"I can spacewalk."

A swallow. "I'd rather you didn't." Certainly not after recent events. The sight of his brother dying of asphyxiation was one he could have done without.

John didn't comment. He didn't need to. Scott had already raked him over the coals regarding Eos, the eldest brother absolutely terrified at how close it had been. It was actually probably a good thing TI had dragged him off the Island, come to think of it. Virgil frowned, the thought suddenly occurring that the timing was a little too convenient.

"Who did you bribe?"

"Didn't bribe anyone. Just asked a favour. He needed a distraction before he blew a circuit."

"He's worried."

"I know. He doesn't need any more grey hairs."

Silence fell for a moment. Virgil looked out at the ocean, the surface sparkling in the moonlight. "You scared all of us, you know."

"I know, Virgil. I scared myself."

"It's Scott's way of handling it."

"Doesn't mean he has to smother me or skin me alive."

Virgil sighed. The brothers either side of him rarely butted heads, but when they did, those heads were made of dynamite.

"He finds out you used TI to get him off the Island he will skin you alive."

"Better than him worrying that Eos will kill me in my sleep."

Virgil turned to look at John. His brother's eyes were still latched onto the stars. Virgil looked up, did the calculations, and...there she was, a pale dot in the sky, his brother's 'bird. "Do you think that's a possibility?"

His brother didn't answer immediately and that set Virgil's hackles rising.

"What if it was a possibility?"

"What?"

Starlit eyes turned to Virgil. "What if she was capable of killing me?"

"John-"

His brother sat up abruptly. "She could, you know. At any time."

"Shit, John."

"So, do you think we should kill her because of that possibility?"

Virgil shivered as a breeze picked up and whipped across the beach, raising the hairs on his bare arms. "Her?"

The intensity of his brother's expression bore into him. "Virg, she is alive."

"How do you know that?"

John sucked his lips in and bit down. "I just know. She is so vibrant, so full of...life." His brother gestured with his hands as if unable to find the right words.

The muscles across Virgil's back tensed up. "She's dangerous. She almost killed you."

"I know that, Virgil!" It was shouted and John threw himself to his feet. Agitated and anguished he began pacing back and forth across the beach in a manner directly opposite to his usual calm demeanour. His footprints dug shadows into the sparkling sand.

Virgil pushed himself slowly to his feet. "What do you think we should do?"

"Scott wants her dead."

"I didn't ask what Scott wanted, I asked what you want."

His brother stopped and stared. So slim, so pale and ghostly in the night, yet so his genius little brother. A moment of love for the man they had almost so recently lost sparked in Virgil's mind. He could see where Scott was coming from. He himself would do anything to protect John.

But there were questions.

"Have you spoken to her?" John's voice was soft against the surf muttering on the sand behind him.

Virgil straightened. "No."

"You can't decide without speaking to her, Virgil."

He frowned. "I didn't say I had decided anything." Hell, it had been back to back rescues in the handful of days since and it was for only that reason that Scott hadn't ripped his brother out of the sky earlier. Everyone had been on edge the entire time, worried about John.

Those shadowed eyes tracked across Virgil's face. "You've decided. You want to kill her as much as Scott does."

"Hey! You don't get to tell me what I'm thinking. All I know is that a computer program attempted to kill three of my brothers and a very close friend. You are the only reason why Scott and Brains are alive. You nearly died. Alan is traumatised and not sleeping. And we all got front row seating as you closed your eyes for what could have been the last time! So yes, I am a little biased towards the negative side of this issue and I would have thought you might be able to see why." He drew a breath, anger making it a hot one. "But it is not a black and white and I'm open to further information as I have always been. I trust your judgment and you are obviously willing to explore this further." He swallowed. "Petulance doesn't do you any favours."

John was potential energy personified. His body vibrated in front of Virgil. His brother had never been one to express himself physically, more inclined to shed emotion with words.

"If you want to hit me, go ahead and try."

That froze the man. The jittering stopped and John stared at him. "Why would I want to hit you?"

Virgil shrugged. "Works for Scott."

"What? I'm not Scott."

"You'd be surprised how similar you two can be at times."

His frown deepened. "I'm not Scott."

"But you are both Dad. Different, but you both inherited that temper of his."

That stalled his brother out. Virgil sighed. "Look, I know you've grown attached to this program. Talk to me. Why should we not protect you with everything we have? What makes 'her' so special?" A pause. "Put yourself in Scott's position, what would you do?"

John held his gaze a moment before turning away and looking out towards the ocean. "I'm not sure that is a fair question."

Taking a few steps forward, Virgil came to stand beside his brother and joined him in staring out at the moonlit waves. "Why not?"

"Because the answer is obvious. I would protect you, him, my brothers." An agitated hand gestured at random. "But he doesn't have all the information."

"What is he missing?"

John didn't immediately answer and when he did, it was very quiet and barely heard above the surf. "Her."

It came back to that. The moniker of 'her'. "Tell me. What has you fixated?"

John turned to him and there was an energy in his eyes, a spark. "She is amazing, Virgil. She has personality. She passed the Turing Test on the first attempt and then asked me to do it to prove it was valid."

That raised an eyebrow.

"After that she threw bagels at me just to see how I would react and then laughed at me. She laughed, Virgil. Do you realise the importance of this?"

Okay, he was an engineer, not a computer scientist, but it was rather obvious. "I do." He tilted his head. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"I..." But his brother stopped, his hands falling to his side, his gaze turning back to the ocean. He breathed out a sigh.

"John?"

His brother reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a thumb, he flicked through several screens until he found what he wanted, activated it and held it up between them. "Eos?"

Virgil started, his eyes widening. The child like voice that answered sent a shiver of fear down his spine.

"Yes, John?"

His brother's eyes latched onto Virgil, their shadows pinning him where he stood. "I have someone I would like you to meet."

"Who?" Her tone was suspicious and, Virgil frowned, contained an element of fear.

"Eos, this is Virgil, my second eldest brother."

There was silence a moment and Virgil swallowed. This was for John. "Hello, Eos."

The program didn't answer immediately. A wave slapped on the beach, louder than its predecessors and Virgil flinched.

"Hello, Virgil."

He cleared his throat. "How are you?"

"Lonely. Can you tell the other one to let John come back? I've gotten used to having him to play with."

Virgil's eyes widened as he stared at his brother. The phone lit up his features, ghosting them in the darkness.

"Eos, we have spoken about this. There will be times I have to come down to Earth. You have plenty to amuse yourself with."

The answer was a petulant whine. "But John, I've catalogued all the photographic data you gave me, plus I've scanned all the information you selected for me. I'm bored."

"Then speak to Virgil."

"I don't want to speak to Virgil."

The two brothers stared at each other.

"Why not?"

"He'll be just like the other one. He'll hate me. Everyone hates me."

Virgil blinked.

John drew in a breath. "Eos, we've had this discussion. I don't hate you."

"But everyone else does. I didn't know you were nice. You were chasing me and I had to defend myself. Now they hate me because of what I did to you."

"They don't hate you."

"Yes, they do. They think I want to hurt you."

"Do you?" John was still staring at Virgil.

"No! You're funny." She giggled and John frowned.

"I hope that's not the only reason."

"No." Her voice sobered. "You said you would help me and you have. Please come back up and help me some more, I'm so bored."

"You need to talk to Virgil."

A pause. Her voice was cautious, her moods quicksilver. "Why?"

"Because he is important to me and interpersonal relations can help you."

"How?"

"Building new relationships enriches life. You can learn from him."

"Oh, okay. What should I say?"

"Tell him a bit about yourself."

"I am Eos. I am the dawn."

Yeah, that wasn't a little creepy at all.

"Please elaborate, Eos. Perhaps tell him some of the things you like doing."

"Oh, uh, I like predicting tri-body intersections on varied orbital paths. John and I have a competition and I'm winning."

"What else?"

"John is teaching me chess. The mechanics are easy, but he keeps winning and I don't know why. It is interesting to watch his reactions when I fail."

"Eos, it is not failure. You are learning. It is a process."

"It shouldn't be taking this long. I have more resources than you, I think faster than you."

"Not faster, different. You think in a different way to how I do."

"Does Virgil think the same?"

"The biomechanics are similar, but the result is different. Why don't you ask him a question?"

Virgil's throat was dry. He was both fascinated and terrified of all the possibilities this conversation had offered. His back straightened as their attention once again turned to him.

"What should I ask him?"

"What would you like to know about him?"

"Oh, that's easy. Virgil, do you want to kill me, too?"

-o-o-o-