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dana-chan-the-control-brain · 4 years

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Thoughts on, Invader Zim Quarterly: Holiday Special

WEEEE WISH YOU A MERRY JINGLY WE WISH YOU A MERRY JINGLY!

Ahhhhh It’s out! I’m so excited!

But I always get excited when it has my man Membrane and my man Eric Trueheart involved with the comics.

Also santa.. Tbh, I was excited and nervous about this quarterly.

Excited because it has Membrane santa backstory...

But I was nervous because that it means they might bring back the santa-blob monster from the Holiday special on the TV... and The Christmas special is one of my least favorite IZ episodes... I mean... I rewatch it occasionally, and it’s fun, but I’m just kinda used to IZ having more BITE in it’s satire if you know what I mean? The Christmas Special in the IZ universe doesn’t really say anything about the capitalism of Christmas... it’s not like IZ hasn’t made fun of capitalism before. (that’s the whole show) The Christmas Special in the show just kinda fell flat of my expectations of what an Invader Zim episode should be....

The only thing I respect the Holiday Special for, is that it goes down the “Santa isn’t real” route in a kid’s show and sticks to it. (there’s no “real santa” that shows up and “solves everything”) All of the “Santa’s Helpers” confused the Santa mythos with the Christianity Jesus mythos. (”waiting one day for his return”) Which makes sense, since IZ is like dystopian future Suburbia Hell. I just kinda like that there’s no “real santa” that interfered to “fix everything” and that Zim himself ended up CREATING Santa when he didn’t exist previously. Like I find that kinda cool...

Other then that, I just kinda wanted something else from the Hoilday special then what I got. (It taking priority over scrapped episodes like “the trail” and “Ten minutes to doom” and “mopiness of doom” does not help it’s case in being one of my C-tier episodes...)

So maybe this quarterly will fill the void of what I wanted out of a Holiday special? Well, let’s see.

SPOILERS FOR THE QUARTERLY BELOW THE CUT

Ways to get Dana off-board immediately: Monster Santa is canon.

I always never liked to view the special as canon for ways that it fell flat before.

And I had the excuse of saying that the snowman was an unreliable narrator and I could adapt it down the line in my fic as a different story.

I just didn’t like the idea of Monster-horror-blob santa... Like... Cool design... but he just kinda represents everything I disliked about the special... (including the major inconsistency of when Tak’s ship got fixed...)

But then again.. I need to remember IZ’s lore isn’t as consistent as I think it is sometimes...

Okay, fine. Monster blob santa real... what else you got for me, Holiday special?

FACE HUGGER SANTA! FACE HUGGER SANTA! I AM NOT INTO IT!

WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! NO. DANA HATES THIS!

Okay, kinda into it because this means that ZIM CREATED SANTA in this mythos... I am dying.... wait.. this takes place in the future then...soo...?

haoFhaGHAOhfgg

It was all a dream?!

GOOD.

my heart couldn’t take it if horror-santa was real...

Also... that nightcap and bed... Does this mean we’re going to have an Invader Zim Christmas Carol?!?!?! I know that’s been adapted a schmillion times but I would be so into that....

Also... Flying... hamm...

Good ol’ Zim... Repressing those memories...

Also this being the THIRD ETF reference in a quarterly, It can be very safe to say the Quarterly issues take place after the events of ETF.

Clembrane exists in the Quarterly, Membrane has robot arms, Zim remembers this (kinda) Yeah this is definately ETF verse and it’s here to stay.

Christmas Carol?! I’m down for this... and I can’t help but notice their claws look familiar

OH HOLY HELL I WAS RIGHT! THESE GUYS! I LOVE THESE GUYS?!

Why are you here tho?

I’m a bit lost on why these guys wanta take over the earth, but they’re hilarious so I’m just glad they’re here.

Also... The Christmas Special is Schrodinger's Christmas... did it happen, or was it a dream, or the tales of a lunatic snowman... I guess I’ll never know.

The issue goes on for an IZ Christmas Carol parody (heck yea) and the visions are all hilarious and I’m not gonna spoil them here... but...

Eric.... this is terrifying..........thanks I hate it.

TINY DIB THOUGH! GHAOGHAHGAHAHA

THIS IS GREAT

THE MORE DIB SUFFERS THE MORE I LOVE IT!

“Though I am Dib and sickly father”

I’m dying XDDDDD

Also... What the fuck is Zim’s reaction here...

I find it funny that Zim has put Dib into simulated realities before... (in the show and comics) and in the show, Dib is all powerful and in the comics, Dib is just himself and Zim is his brother..

But seeing a simulated Dib all weak and pathetic and chronically ill BOTHERS ZIM?!?!

That’s... well that’s interesting.

Thought he’d laugh at this honestly, but he seems greatly annoyed...

I CHANGED MY MIND! THIS IS THE BEST THING!

(those who know me know why I’m dying over this)

YES!!!

ZIM DOESN’T LIKE WHEN PEOPLE FEEL BAD FOR HIM OR PITY HIM!

(which confirms like a lot of my hcs and adds spicy kindling to my au much mad respect)

This I find interesting... Zim complepative over his lonely/abandoned grave. It’s like he really doesn’t know how to feel. It’s more of a numbness then a sadness. Or he noticed how empty his life is...

He feels lonely and empty about it... which tracks considering how Zim’s greatest fear in the Trial was to be deleted and never be remembered by anyone.

I don’t know... This panel makes me feel things...

Johnen: Haha. Zim’s not that deep a character.

Eric: Hey for the Christmas special, let’s have Zim parody a Christmas carol and feel lonely staring at his own empty grave when he realizes no one cares about him or misses him.

Johnen: Cool. Do it.

What are you two assholes doing to me, man?! I have feelings!

AND ONCE AGAIN!

Zim hates pity and people feeling bad and sorry for him.

Man this makes me so sad... And it really feels like this issue looked into my brain again, cause I have some plans relating to Zim not wanting sympathy or pity from anyone later down the line (okay I’ll shut up about my au. We’re talking Zim here)

And of course, Zim breaks everything like he usually does. (this time on purpose)

Also nice callback that Zim remembered that Dib said he liked his boots one time in the Poop-wizard issue.

Also, it ends? I guess this quarterly has a few shorter stories this time... which I’m fine with.

Also, Zim should consider Green and Blue like D-list friends at this point and just invite them in for some fundip or something (come on, Zim, it’s Christmas.....)

GASP!?!?!

LITTLE MEMBRANE!!!

AND GRANDPARENTS CONFIRMED!!!

Wait... so his Parents are scientists too? Is that why he always wanted to be a scientist?

But then wait.... If Membrane inherited Membrane Labs from his parents... Why is HIS FACE the brand of the Company?..... There’s so much Membrane-face brand merch in the show. (it decorates his home..)

Like even if they were dead, if his parents founded Membrane labs, I feel they’d still be the face. of the company... (that’s how a lot of corporate faces are these days... they show some old dead guy who made the company as opposed to the son who inherited the Company.... Like everyone knows who Walt Disney/Mickey Mouse is, but unless you pay close attention to that kinda thing, not everyone knows who the current chairman or CEO is in the modern age....)

I just find that a bit odd.

Anyways... I feel people can still do what they want with Membrane’s parents and get away with it. I’m not changing my “his parents were farmers” headcanon. Sorry comic..

BUT I LOVE THEIR DESIGNS.

I love how Membrane looks a lot like his mother, and his father is just BUFF GAZ with a pipe.... Truely legends.

GASP!!!

COLLEGEBRANE COLLEGEBRANE COLLEGEBRANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOOKOUT DIB, THIS IS YOUR FUTURE!

I FUCKING LOVE HOW OILY HE LOOKS.. AND IT ADDS UP CAUSE...

The Membrane Men when they don’t shower or bathe in months.....

Someone help these two.

(thank god Membrane got better at personal hygiene.)

Also Teenbrane STILL has his human arms and not his robo-arms.

This means he loses his arms later in life... YUSH HORRAY FOR HEADCANNONS BEING VALIDATED!

He didn’t lose his arms in a shark accident when he was a KID! It happened WAY LATER!

NICE!

OH MY GOD HE IS BABY!

HE IS SO SHY AND ACKWARD! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

I LOVE HIM!

He is just... all sweat and hiding his work but also very passionate and spiteful.

Like you can see who he grew up to become, and you can also see how a kid like Dib came out of a man like him...

But I love social anxiety awkward early twenties/late teens Membrane... He is a baby!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

MEMBRANE ;w;

Basically, Membrane knows that Santa isn’t real, but he doesn’t want to be mad at his parents so he harbors a grudge on Santa instead... THAT’S SO SWEET I’M CRYING TTmTT

LIKE THAT IS SO SWEET AND I’M CRYING!

(also I love how me and Ceph understand Membrane’s character too well that the gesture he does in the 2nd panel here are reminisant of our fic so many times... Like we have his mannerisms down and I love when the mask slips from Membrane and we get to see a real person... augh soo good)

WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO MAKE MY MAN THIS SAD?! ONLY I CAN MAKE HIM SAD!

MEMBRANE TTMTT

AUUUGHH

Also probably guessing the parents are dead... I’m just laughing at their designs...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Yes you are, Professor Membrane... Don’t let anyone tell you different. (actually, please do) Well, I mean, At least you’re trying and get progressively better.

(also... this probably means everytime Dib has asked his Dad for a dangerous weapon to fight Zim with, Membrane just gives it to him no questions asked and I’m doing a MAJOR concern about this man’s parenting skills... get help please good sir!)

Also, Dib really saved the day again here (like he did in Dib’s big day)

Dib called about destroying santa when Membrane was in one of his lowest points... He hides it really well... Especially from his children..

Ah.. I loved that one.

But I’m a huge Membrane Simp though.

I did find the stuff about Membrane’s parents a little weird... like I said regarding how Membrane’s face is the brand of Membrane labs...

Could be true that they were other scientists and that Membrane founded Membrane labs later... but that seems highly unlikely...

Also... Why does the house look that hug when in the christmas special, it looked kinda like...well... just not that, and kinda more humble from the interior and not some big rocket lab...

So yeah... AMAZING character building for Membrane (which I eat up)

Hilarious Grandparent Designs. But I still prefer @esthyradler ‘s Grandparents. The superior Grandparents.

Anyways... The Quarterly was GREAT!

I kinda find it funny the Zim story is the weaker one of the two again... But I honestly blame the Christmas Horror blob connection and the Christmas Carol parody.

Or maybe my Membrane Bias is clouding my mind here. I do have Zim bias but sometimes Zim can frustrate me. There’s just so many times Zim can do and say the same things you know? Zim is my baby, but sometimes his denial and annoyance with everyone can be very predictable at points. Zim was just way more fun in the last quarterly than this one.

With Membrane it’s more of a blank slate what to do with him cause he ony started really mattering as a character since ETF. Yes, I do love show Membrane, but I admit he wasn’t exactly a character then. More of a presence and excuse for why Dib had access to lab equipment. With Dib’s Dilemma and this Hoilday special, the Quarterly folks seem determined to turn him into a fully realized character with the rest of the cast and I’m extremely excited to hear that!

(Computer issue/backstory WHEN?!)

I don’t really have ratings or systems for these but hope you liked my thoughts.

Merry Christmas everyone.

#Invader Zim #invader zim quarterly #IZ comics #IZ comics Spoilers #danachan's rants #Professor Membrane

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ilovefictionalchonks · 4 years

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Im Up For some Pokemon Weight Gain rp , though i havent seen many ppl who like both things at once. I keep thinking of chonky brock and i just augh i want some. Looking for a feeder

-Rules part 1-

-Pokemon ocs Allowed (Human mostly, can be pokemon (Listed in interests) but can be existing but only over 18 though duh)

-Ok with mixed length replies (i may be busy with rl stuff , sleeping , or rarely not in the mood , ill let you know though!)

-Ok with Almost any ships (I keep thinking of brock ships alot aaaa why me)

- Interests In WG Wise -

Teasing

The person noticing change

-Clothes and pant tears and popping

-Fluff (Cause cuteness overload AAGGH)

-Inmobility

-Lab Like Rp (Weight gain or any others are allowed)

-Joke wise Teasing/Humiliations

-Doctor Appointments etc (I have a au were joy is a human and pokemon doc so i kinda have an idea for that)

-Female Feeders

-Bondage (Forcefeeding??/ Possibly also willing and being tricked)

-Caring Feeder

-A little bit of male feeder (I ship brock and james idk why but i do ,)

-Pokemon Feeders are ok (If you want to be a pokemon i have a scenario in kind for that or i can use my au version of brock, he can shapeshift into certain types of pokemon. Im gonna make ocs soon though, Also dosent have to be romantic interests duh)

-Im somewhat also interested in machine usage in general or lab rp to!!

-Babying (Nothing really gross though cause ew)

-Transformation

-May update when i remember something or have a new interest!

Rules (Requirements?)

-Ok with most ships (noone that judges em or bein smart like)

-Ok bein the feeder (the only pokemon character i like/have an au about is brock cause yes. But ill add more in the future)

-Has discord (Tumblr dms are ok if you dont have it)

-Has paitence (like i sated before)

-Dont mind with litterate etc (sometimes i do most the time im not that great and/or not have the brain power for it hnnng)

I do have a few scenarios i have in mind partially from my au mostly

1. A Has been busy lately running around and caring for pokemon. It seemed to be forever since they had time to relax and play with the pokemon even though here and there A has some time in the day to love and play with them it seems that the pokemon want more attention then others

-----------AU--------------

2.Team Rocket recently discovered that A has some potential of turning into all kinds of pokemon. So they decited that their goal is to capture A and see what they can do in power.

2a.Once capturing A Team rocket decides to interview and or expiriment on them on there abilities. But One member starts to have a connection with A without them knowing and tries to be the one doing the main expiriments or just taking them for themselves!(Cannon Characters Allowed! I just need to know more about em if there ocs)

3. After their first checkup A realizes their doctor is someone they have a crush on(Can be a Brock X Joy) and in love with. So A starts to try to find ways and reasons to go back regularly then normal . But B (the doc or joy) notices after a few visits starts knowing whats going on!

---Dislikes---

Vore

Foot play etc

Breath smelling and grossness like sc*t (must negotiate with me or talk otherwise eww)

If interested reply or dm! And we can talk about it . We dont have to do the scenarios there optional!

Hope to rp with ya soon!!

#weight gain kink #weight gain #wg kink #wg rp #roleplay #pokemon

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gumnut-logic · 5 years

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Big Ass

Fandomversary Fic One - John and Gravity for @redhoodoutlaw91939

Prompts go here

-o-o-o-

“What the hell were you thinking?”

The voice was angry and upset, but it came from so far away, he could hardly hear it.

“You should have just let me fall. It was my own stupid fault.” There was a muffled grunt or growl, he wasn’t sure which, but it broadcast so much despair, it curdled his gut.

Falling? Yes, there was someone falling. Who?

A long drawn out exhausted sigh echoed through his mind. “Please wake up. I really don’t know...I can’t...John, please just wake up.”

Wake up? He could do that, couldn’t he?

Everything was grey and heavy except for that voice. That voice belonged to someone he knew. Someone important.

Another sound. A creak. A door? His mind tried to assemble the connections, the memories that made things what they were. Yes, a door.

Another voice, very soft. “Virg?”

The first voice cleared its throat. “Um, just checking on John before bed.”

A sigh again, but this time from a lighter voice. “It’s four am, Virgil. Have you been here all night?”

There was no answer to that.

“It wasn’t your fault. Just shitty luck. John will recover...we have to believe that.”

Another grunt. Something nudged him. There was touch.

Touch. He could feel.

The grey shifted around him and he drew in a breath.

“You need to go to bed. You’re not doing yourself or him any good doing this.”

“I-“

“Virgil!”

It shook him. The worried anger in that voice, a voice that had been authority for so long.

“What?! What do you want, Scott?! For everything to just keep going like it always has, despite the loss of one of our own?! Can you keep doing this knowing he is lying here and may never wake up? I can’t, okay. I-I have to stop. Just stop! Please, Scott, just let it stop!”

There were tears in that voice. John wanted to reach out and comfort, reassure, be there for...who?

“God, Virg, come here.” Words were muffled and sad. “You’re tired and you’re not thinking straight.

“Sc-“

“You’re going to bed, now.” Yet another sigh. “He is going to be all right. The doctors said he just needs a little more time.”

“Then why hasn’t he woken up?! For god’s sake, why did he have to be the one. If it was anyone else-“

“He will recover, Virgil. You need sleep.”

“I can’t sleep. Not while he’s here.”

“Virgil-“

“He has to wake up, Scott. Or I’ll never forgive myself.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I fell on him! Do you know what that feels like? What it sounds like to hear a bone snap under your own weight. To hear a skull crack against concrete.”

“In fact, I do Virgil. I fell on you last year. Remember the concussion from hell at Easter and all the chocolate that Gordon paraded past you until you actually puked on him?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because I don’t spend most of my life in orbit and my bone density is just a little less fragile.”

“John is going to be fine. You’re exhausted. When did you last sleep?” Silence. “Have you slept since the accident?”

More silence.

“For goodness sake, Virgil! You are still recovering yourself! Give your body half the chance.”

“I’m fine.”

“John looks better than you do!”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Then you’re not fine.”

“I just want him to wake up.”

John pondered that for a moment as only the sound of harsh breathing echoed through the grey. He was being touched again. Spritely little nerve endings firing away happily as they connected with another life force.

“Please wake up.”

Well, he really should do something to stop all the shouting.

“It is kinda hard to sleep with you two yelling at each other.”

“JOHN!”

“Ah! Do you mind? Injured oper’tive here.” Eyes, c’mon eyes, sick of the grey...

A shove and his eyelids cracked and let the room in.

Two brothers.

Two worried brothers.

Both looked rather horrible.

“Y’look horrible.”

A slow blink punctuated by twin snorts.

“How do you feel?” Scott...that was Scott.

“Like I need sleep. G’way.” Force the eyes open again. He stared at his brothers...no, one brother, the dark haired one, augh, where was the information precision he was used to? Virgil! His brother, Virgil. The heavy one. “Y’re heavy.”

“I’m sorry.” It was a desolate sound.

“N’t your fault.” Again with the blink. God, it was slow. “Gravity. Gravity sucks. Without gr’vity you’d only be mass and ev’n your big ass mass flo’ts. Lots. No falling. Only floating. And floating is fun.” He grinned. Yes, that’s what he did. But more important things. “Go sleep. I need sleep. You need sleep. Big ass needs sleep. Y’look like horrible.”

His hand was squeezed and Virgil smiled at him. He was kinda blurry, teary looking. “Go bed, big ass.”

“Oh god.”

“C’mon, Virg, better do what he says.”

He missed his brother’s response as his eye lids drooped again. Maybe he was on some medication.

“You know if Gordon finds out..”

“Shut up, Scott.”

Something touched his leg. “Sleep, Johnny.”

“G’way and I will. Don’t call me Johnny.”

“We’re going.”

But John’s eyes were closed and refused to open anymore. Somewhere a door creaked and then there was blessed silence.

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #John Tracy #Scott Tracy #nuttys fandomversary

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azure-wolf-227 · 5 years

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Rosebird Week 2019: Day 1

Hi, I’m starting this late because of real-life interfering and this one-shot ended up being harder to write than I expected. This resulted in the following one-shots being delayed as well but I’m working to catch up.

Also, these one-shots will be set in the same universe as the RWBY story that I’m planning and will be considered canon with it.

Day 1: First Meeting

Summer is excited (and nervous) about attending Beacon and meets the most beautiful woman ever.

Meanwhile, Raven wouldn’t admit that the clumsy, hooded girl who crashed into her has lovely eyes.

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“Oh my Gods!” Summer Rose glanced out the huge windows excitedly, watching as the airship that she was traveling in approached Beacon Academy, the white-hooded girl’s enthusiasm increasing with each passing second. How could she not be excited? This was the greatest Huntsman Academy in all of Remnant! They only accepted the best of the best, their graduates often going on to become living legends. Heck, even the professors were often legendary Hunters themselves!

A sudden thought struck her. “Oh, my Gods, what if I’m not ready?” the silver-eyed girl frantically whispered to herself as her mind conjured all sorts of nasty scenarios where she ended up either dead or expelled, or worst still, got whoever she would be teamed up with killed or expelled. Unbeknown to Summer, her Aura was reacting to her inner distress, and a small gale blew through the ship. The other future students stared with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and awe as red and white rose petals manifested from the hooded girl’s cloak and swirled around her form on the wind.

Summer was unaware of this as she tried to calm down her anxious thoughts and put her worries to rest with some self-reassurance. ‘It’s fine, everything will be okay. I may haven’t attended a combat school, or any kind of school for that matter and my upbringing wasn’t in any way normal, but my fighting skills were good enough to impress Professor Ozpin into admitting me one year early.’ Her expression turned into one of determination.

‘Besides, Aurore, Ro, Dodger, and Olive also believe in me. I’ve never let them down before and I won’t start doing it now!’

It was then that Summer noticed that all the other passengers had their eyes on her. Wondering what they were all her eyes widened when she noticed the petals fluttering around herself, the accompanying wind now a gentle breeze to match her no longer frantic emotions. Summer blushed a deep red and pulled up her hood to hide her face, her mortification increasing as the majority of those watching recovered from their shock and chuckled, except for one tall, muscular blond guy who gave Summer a look of sympathy. Luckily, her embarrassment didn’t last long as the ship finally docks, and the students can disembark.

Summer makes a quick escape by manipulating the wind to give herself a boost in speed. Unfortunately, since she had her hood up over her head while her eyes were focused on the ground as to not make eye contact, her field of vision was impaired so it was no surprise that she did not see the dark-haired girl right in her path.

The white-hooded girl squeaked as she crashed into someone, who fortunately was skilled enough to not be plowed over, though her face ended up pressed against a pair of soft, firm masses. Before she could try to figure out what these orbs were, Summer felt a hand grasping the back of her cloak and pulling her away, their strength great enough to even lift her off the ground.

“What are you doing?” The female voice was slightly deep, resounding with strength and annoyance.

Looking up, the first thing that Summer saw were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They were the color of a red sunset and seemed to almost glow with their own light, boring into her soul with their piercing gaze. It was another moment before Summer stopped focusing on the eyes to take in the rest of the woman’s appearance. Her face was slightly round with a sharp chin, a cute nose and full lips set in an annoyed frown that matched the look of her eyes; her skin was a light color but not as pale as Summer’s, her long ebony hair tied up in a ponytail, styled in a way that it resembled a raven’s plumage; she was very tall with a muscular but curvaceous body, wide hips and a pair of large breasts (and Summer blushed deeper than before as she quickly realized that was what she had faceplanted); she was wearing a black-and-red outfit with samurai-like armor, a sword hanging from her hip. In short, she was the most beautiful woman that Summer had ever encountered.

“Hey! Are you deaf?”

Summer was jolted out of the spell she was under and realized that she had forgotten that the dark beauty had asked her a question. “Oh, sorry.” She mumbled but that seemed to make the other woman angrier.

“Sorry? You almost knocked me into the ground then just stare at me like an idiot and all you have to say is sorry?”

“Um, well…” Summer wasn’t very good at talking to new people and this girl’s attitude was making her more nervous and she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I really didn’t mean to put my face in your boobs!” ‘Idiot! Why did I say that?’

The tall, dark beauty looked at Summer like she couldn’t believe what has just come out of her mouth. The shock was so great that her grip on the back of Summer’s cloak loosed and the smaller girl was dropped back on the ground, who thankfully didn’t fall on her butt. The dark girl just kept staring at Summer with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

“Geez Rae, we haven’t been here for a day and you already have girls wanting your goods. I’m so jealous!”

The two women turned to look at the voice’s owner, a young man about their age, his hair, eyes and skin tone the same as the taller girl’s. He was wearing a white shirt that was half tucked in his black slacks and a ratty, red cape draped over his shoulders. Summer could see that he was also a sword user, the handle of his blade visible over his shoulder. And while his appearance was similar the dark woman’s, his face was instead set in a playful, teasing smirk.

While Summer looked at him with curiosity, ‘Rae’ appeared to be more exasperated and annoyed than before. “Shut up, Qrow.” She glared at who was obviously her brother though Qrow seemed unaffected by the burning eyes. “Aw, come on, sis.” teased Qrow. “No need to be embarrassed! You’re very good-looking so it’s not strange that people would want a closer look.”

“Qrow, I’m serious! If you don’t shut up, I’ll kill you!” He just chuckled softly with that teasing smirk, not looking worried at his sister’s death threat.

Summer let out a giggle at she watched the siblings interact, remembering how Ro and Dodger liked to tease Dawn all the time. Her giggles caught the twins’ attention, ‘Rae’ switching her glare to Summer while Qrow chose to introduce herself.

“Hey,” he gave a wave. “Name’s Qrow, and I see that you’ve met my big sister, Raven.”

“I’m Summer, nice to meet you both.” ‘Yay, I’m making friends!’ Qrow nodded. “Likewise,” then his smirk widened as he motioned to his still scowling sister. “And Raven feels the same but she’s too shy to say it.”

“Augh!” shouted Raven exasperatedly and stomped away as Qrow and Summer laughed.

----------

‘Stupid Qrow, can’t go one day without getting on my nerves! One day I’ll finally lose my patience and kill him for real.’ Thought Raven as she stood at the back of the crowd waiting for the opening speech. The crowd gave her spot a wide margin, most likely intimidated by the angry energy that Raven was emanating. Good, she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone else today.

As she subtly watched the entrance while she quietly seethed, Raven saw her brother and the hooded girl come in. They exchanged a few parting words before the girl headed for a spot closer to the stage while Qrow looked around for a moment until he spotted Raven and headed towards her. Raven glared as he approached but, as always, it was ineffective. Immunity to Raven’s patented death glare was one of the advantages of being related to her.

“Hey, sis,” His greeting was met with angry silence. “Don’t tell me you’re still angry?” Raven’s glare intensified. “Come on, it was just some teasing! Your girlfriend thought it was funny.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!” That managed to break Raven’s silence. “Just some clumsy girl that bumped into me because she wasn’t paying attention. What is she even doing here? She looks like she’s, I don’t know, twelve or something.”

“Sixteen, actually.”

“Really? She was short for her age then. What else did you to talk about?” By this point, Raven’s anger was momentarily put aside as her curiosity was piqued.

“Mostly about our weapons, girl is a bit of a nerd about them and was interested in Harbinger. She then showed me her own and it was really impressive.” Qrow was himself a weapons enthusiast and crafter, so he clearly was happy about talking with someone with similar interests. “She also told that she got early admittance because she impressed the Headmaster.”

Raven’s eyebrow raised, interested. “Really, what did she do? Defeat a Beringle with her bare hands?”

“Don’t know, she said it was personal but that’s beside the point. If she managed to get into Beacon early then she must have some skills, apparent clumsiness aside.”

“Well, whatever we did to get in early doesn’t concern us or our mission, so don’t get too attached since, if she manages to graduate and become a Huntress, we might one day end up having to kill her.”

Qrow’s smirk faded into a frown as he was reminded of their mission. He hadn’t been happy when the Tribe’s leader told them to become students to learn how to counteract Hunters and make the Tribe stronger. Neither had Raven for that matter despite her harsh personality and love of fighting. She did not like killing people without a good reason, but the Leader’s word was the law on the Tribe so Raven resigned herself to completing the mission.

Qrow scoffed. “Whatever, I’m still going to talk to Sum later and no one from the Tribe is her to keep tabs on us, so what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

“Ugh fine!” Raven said exasperatedly, knowing that she couldn’t stop him anyway. “Do what you want! Just don’t start flirting with her.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. She’s not my type anyway, even though she’s cute.” Qrow’s smirk was back as well as the teasing. “So, you don’t have to worry about me stealing your girlfriend.”

“Qrow!”

But before Raven could try to strangle him, Professor Ozpin cleared his throat to indicate that he was about to give his speech. So, Raven just settled for sending burning glares her brother’s way, but he just answered each of them with a smirk. Finally deciding to just ignore him, Raven focused on Ozpin’s words of ‘encouragement’, though she caught sight of a familiar white cloak near the front.

She found herself blushing as she remembered how the girl crashed into her chest but tried to shove these thoughts into a far corner of her mind as they would only distract her from the mission.

Though she admitted to herself (but to no one else, ESPECIALLY not Qrow), those silver eyes were quite beautiful.

----------

Yeah, I gave Summer Airbending as her Semblance, so I don’t want to hear any complaints! As for the comments about Summer having never gone to school, those are part of the backstory that I gave her for my story and it won’t be revealed until I have it posted. The same goes for the people that Summer mentioned.

Edit: In the part where Summer mentions the people who believe in her, I changed one of the names from 'Dawn' to Aurore (formerly it was Roxie) because I liked it better (and it means 'dawn' anyway).

#rose bird week #summer rose #raven branwen #qrow branwen #summer x raven #day 1 first meeting #alternate universe

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storywars-r · 5 years

Text

3/8 - Breathe

(fukari on deviantart)

Chapter 1 by R

The smog is thick enough that it makes sight difficult, and breathing impossible. People have died, on those streets, for lack of a breathing apparatus. Even with the lights, the bodies would sit for days. Most people preferred to stay indoors, travelling the city through underground transit only.

She preferred walking. She'd cover every inch of skin in clothing, lest the chemicals in the air burn her, and placed the helmet around her. The air was fresh, clean, reinvigorating, and it brought a bit of color to the gloomy city streets.

It was rare to encounter anyone outside, now, save for the dead and the soon to die. Cameras didn't function well, for the smog hid even infrared, and in a way, walking outside in the open air had become the sneakiest way to move through the city.

Chapter 2 by SC Salinas

The underground city was known as "The Hole". Its architecture is much improvised as if it had been constructed without any planning. In its streets, the crowd crawled as if its existence had no meaning. Most of the people who live here are a new generation that knows no place apart from this confinement.

That day was special because she was going to do something new. Tour the edges of the surface city, formerly known as "Yumbo". As she tried to leave The Hole without anyone noticing, she could notice something interesting among the citizens. Nobody noticed the life of the rest except the guards who guarded the safety of the city. As always, she was covered in clothing to minimize the effects of surface contamination. As usual the streets of Yumbo were covered with corpses, left there by guards because at The Hole there was no space for a cemetery.

One hour walking. She began to notice that the amount of smog in the air began to decrease in small amounts. After another two hours walking, she reached her goal: the Yumbo boundaries. To his surprise, the boundaries of the city were marked by a cliff that on its edge was covered with a metal mesh filled with warnings with serious penalties for those who dared to cross it. At that time, she recalled that the guards only existed to punish those who did not comply with the rules. This was the only job they did well, very well. The rest of his trades were routine. They were to solve conflicts between citizens, to monitor, to help, among other functions.

After thinking it over, she decided to return to The Hole. Turning, he began to hear a noise from beyond the wire mesh. Her innate curiosity led her to approach the mesh. Being a few inches from her, she could see that the noise was a cry for help. Being a few inches from the mesh she tried to look to see who asked for help, at this moment the helmet touched the mesh. As a consequence, an alarm was triggered so loud that it seemed as if his ears were bursting. With the purest act of nobility, she climbed and jumped the mesh in order to help those who asked for help so desperately.

Being on the other side, she fell down the cliff causing small scrapes. When she stopped, she could follow that cry of despair. Finding the source of the noise, he realized that it was a young man who seemed about his age. As she tried to help him, she looked up and noticed a flashlight coming from the edge of the cliff that was climbing the net. They were the guards.

Chapter 3 by Potato

She started to turn back. Maybe she could forget about him, come back to Yumbo another da-

She saw the guards approaching, and the boy desperately pleading with his eyes. She acted without thinking.

"Hurry!" she screamed, grabbing the boy's arm and yanking him to his feet. "Run!"

The guards blocked the entrance to the Hole, slowly advancing towards her and the boy. The only way they could escape was to run towards Yumbo.

Panic flooded her, and her hair stuck to her chin. The guards slowly crept towards them.

"What now?!?" The boy yelled.

She pulled his hand and they ran into the fog of Yumbo. The guards did not follow.

After a while of running, they stopped when they made sure that nobody was following them.

"Thanks... for saving my life..." The boy said to her. "What are we gonna do now? We obviously can't go back to the Hole after...all that. We won't be able to survive in Yumbo."

Ignoring his question, she spoke, her heart still pounding. "Who are you?"

"Lawrence" he replied. "You?"

"Christine", she said. But you can call me "Chris".

Chapter 4 by Kara Chin

"What are you talking about? You most definitely don't look like a Christine, you look more like a Karen" he said, mocking in his tone.

"Listen, I don't have time for your stupidity. We should keep moving, we have to ensure those guards aren't following us" she replied, annoyance laced her tone.

Christine hurriedly walked back towards Yumbo, despite Lawrence's warnings of returning. She could hear the pitter patter of Lawrence's feet behind her. As Chris walked further back to Yumbo, the putrid smell of rotting flesh hit her nose.

As the smell of flesh hit her nose, a cool chill went done her arms. Something was off, she thought. The smog was always hot and humid, never was there a time in the smog where there were chills coming down her body.

Lawrence quickly caught up with Chris and pulled her back by the shoulder, alarm in his voice caught her full attention.

"Listen, you should cover that up with something, exposing yourself to the smog here isn't a good idea. You got any spare clothing?" He said, concern in his voice.

"What are you talking about? I'm not exposed, that's the one thing I'm always careful about" Chris quickly looked at herself. Suddenly, the idea dawned on her. The chill she felt, wasn't a mistake. No, it was most certainly a large gash on her forearm.

It must have been helping that boy over the fence, she thought. With her heart pounding, she quickly pulled herself from her thoughts and walked over to the rotting corpses of Yumbo. Ripping a piece of cloth from the body, she quickly covered her skin.

However, a surging pain shocked her arm, as she quickly lifted the piece of cloth from her arm, she had realized it was too late. The smog had already had detrimental effects on her. The skin was an ugly shade of purple and green.

Chapter 5 by Amelie Pond

"Oh no, oh no, no, no!" Christine said under her breath, as she searched her pockets for anything that could possibly save her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lawrence cowering in fear.

Christine stopped for a moment, knowing that there wasn't much that could help her anyway.

"Lawrence, what's wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing. I-i'm fine." he said, hurriedly.

Not very likely, thought Christine.

"Really, tell me. Is it this?" She held up her arm, which was now starting to swell.

Lawrence nodded, shakily.

"It's not that scary," Christine said. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. I'll find a way."

"N-no," Lawrence suddenly said, "you won't." After Christine's silence, he continued. "My m-mother didn't. She... she was the smartest person I had ever met. But... she was too late. All she left with me was... was this." He pulled a small paper out of his pocket, and handed it to her. "I never learned to read," he admitted, "so I don't know what it says."

Christine held the paper with her right hand-- her left, her dominant one, was now too numb to move-- and gasped.

"W-what?" Lawrence asked, urgently.

"It says 'Recipe for the Smog Antidote'."

Chapter 6 by ↤ Raven Beechwood ↦

Christine peered at the smudged handwriting and struggled to make out the rest of the nearly indecipherable letters. Racking her brain for the meanings to the symbols on the page, she pieced together a very basic understanding of what the paper said. It was a list.

"Come on," she said, grabbing Lawrence's arm. "I know where we have to go."

"W-what?" He stuttered, glancing anxiously at her wound.

"Come on!" She exclaimed, yanking him and sending shooting pain through her injured arm. "Augh!"

"Okay, okay, fine. Sorry. But where are we going?" Lawrence cried, following Christine anxiously over the black rocks of the Yumbo.

"We need some sort of powder or something. They mentioned it in school a long time ago. I think - I think you can get it from some sort of rock near here." Christine grimaced.

"So, we don't even know what we're looking for." Lawrence stopped dead and grabbed his wrist back from Christine.

"No, I know what I'm looking for, it's just - it's - ugh! Why do you have to be so difficult?" Christine yelled in exasperation. Her voice echoed multiple times through the tall, rocky stalagmites of Yumbo, and Lawrence flinched.

"I'm - I'm sorry," Lawrence whispered. Tears began welling up in his eyes and he hung his head. Christine felt awful right away, but before she could say anything to apologize, Lawrence turned away and began climbing back the way they came.

"Lawrence, I - "

"Don't bother." He shouted angrily over his shoulder, trying to disguise his tears. "I'm not worth it."

Christine watched him go regretfully, unsure of what to say.

Chapter 7 by ↤ Raven Beechwood ↦

She watched his shadowy figure fade away into the smog. She stood there for a moment, not sure what to do or what to say to make anything better. She opened her mouth and closed it again.

All of a sudden a sharp pain racked her body, and she gritted her teeth against the agony. Briefly taking the piece of fabric off her wound, she glanced at the cut. She could see the veins and tiniest nerves in her skin outlined in purple, and if she looked very close she could see the lines popping out of her skin. She cringed in revulsion.

She looked between the fog where Lawrence just disappeared and the rocks that would cure her wound. Which should she choose? She knew the rocks just behind her would provide her with a powder she could sprinkle on the wound to prevent it from spreading. But Lawrence was heading back into danger. She didn't doubt that the guards, even though they hadn't pursued at first, had sent in a more skilled team to come find them, and she didn't know what would happen in they were caught.

There was no other sound except her own breathing that seemed louder in her helmet. But something made her stop and listen. If she strained her ears, she could barely make out a sound off in the distance.

The clanking of boots. Her pulse spiked. And Lawrence was heading straight to them. She knew that he likely couldn't hear the guards over the racket he was making while running from her. She had to make a choice now. One would either kill her, and but the other would kill Lawrence.

What choice did she have?

Chapter 8 by

Amelie Pond

Christine had decided.

"I didn't have much time left, anyway," she sighed, and started as fast as she could in Lawrence's direction.

She heard someone cry out, and pushed herself even faster. Lawrence did not deserve such a fate. Even if she couldn't save him, Christine decided, she had to apologize.

Her vision was getting foggy, but she could just see her friend's outline, faint in the smog.

There was a person in front of him. A guard. Getting ready to shoot.

"Chris!" Lawrence's voice shouted, but she could barely hear him.

Just barely conscious, Christine flung herself in front of Lawrence, just as the shot rang out.

Christine woke up.

She blinked, her surroundings slowly coming into focus. She was in some kind of shelter, with all kinds of odd equipment laying around. A medic's den, she figured. She felt an aching pain in her left arm... or where her left arm should be. It was gone.

Looking up, Christine saw that there was a young boy about her age, with dark, chocolate brown hair, and tears in his sea-blue eyes.

"Lawrence," Chris rasped, with a weak smile.

The boy looked up, and a gigantic smile appeared on his face.

"Chris! You're alive!" Lawrence jumped up and hugged her, and she returned it with her one arm.

Breaking away, Christine smiled, but it slowly faded as she recalled what had happened. "Why am I here? H-how did I...."

They both knew what she was going to say.

"The bullet missed," Lawrence said. "It hit your infected arm. The guard realized that we weren't dangerous, just some teenagers who got separated in the smog. But, he already pulled the trigger. He offered us shelter as an apology, but had no choice but to cut your arm off."

"On the bright side, I'm still alive," Christine shrugged. Sure, it would be extremely annoying to get used to using her right hand, but at least she was alive.

She was alive.

Lawrence was alive.

They were alive, together.

And that's what mattered.

#sw finished #sw dystopia #sw editors choice

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gumnut-logic · 6 years

Text

Voice of Solace

Title: Voice of Solace Chapter Six of Sotto Voce Author: Gumnut 4 - 7 Sep 2018 Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS Rating: Teen Summary: Sometimes the voices are far too loud to ignore. Word count: 5286 Spoilers & warnings: Spoilers for Season 2, minor character death. Author’s note: Okay I have been staring at this too long, so here have the last chapter of this fic. There will likely be a short epilogue - I think there is a need for Virgil and Scott to have a chat.I really hope this lives up to your expectations, and thank you so much for such a fun ride. Your support has been amazing and motivational and you are all wonderful ::many hugs::

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

It was still raining. The wooden decking had a thin film of water across it, each raindrop splashing on impact, fracturing its reflection of the grey sky. The water soaked into his flannel shirt, sticking it to his skin. It dripped down the side of his face, running sideways across his cheek to drip off the edge of his nose.

He lay there for a moment, limp, all energy expended, nothing left. But Virgil Tracy had been here before, been at the end of everything, but still needing to do more.

So he did.

“Eos?” His voice was little more than a whisper.

She lay crumpled in the rain. Her simple white dress laced with scorch marks and sodden in the downpour. Forcing himself to move, he dragged his body across the boards inch by painstaking inch until his fingers could touch her, until he could see her face, until he could wrap his arms around her.

At first, she didn’t respond and he felt the very last of himself slipping away, but then her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at him.

“I have to go. N-need to repair...” Her eyes closed again and she frowned. “Uncle, come with me?” Her eyes opened as his widened.

“Where?”

“I-I can’t leave you here. Come with me?” And her voice grew stronger. She reached up a hand and touched his face. “Let me save you?”

His heart clenched. “You already have.”

“Then trust me, Virgil. Please come with me.”

He took her hand in his and held her close. “Okay.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

And then his world dissolved into chaos.

-o-o-o-

Scott had his elbows on the bed, Virgil’s hand gripped in both hands and held to his dropped forehead, his eyes closed.

Every muscle was tensed, his body trembling just slightly.

Eos’ tirade had cut off suddenly. She had been relaying situational reports laced with cursing, one moment calm, the next threatening their unseen intruder, then suddenly nothing.

He could hear John wrestling with his tablet, desperate to drag more information from it. “She’s taken program damage.”

Scott looked up and met a pair of worried green eyes. He watched John swallow, his gaze flicking between Virgil’s slack face and his tablet.

There was a gasp from the bed.

Virgil’s eyes were open.

Scott shot to his feet. “Virgil?”

His brother’s brown eyes latched onto him, panic in their depths. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was suddenly distracted by John shooting to his feet on the other side of the bed.

A flash of recognition.

Scott yelped as his brother scuttled sideways off the bed and into his lap. The chair collapsed backwards and he was lucky he didn’t whack his head on the floor. As it was, his brother was heavy and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

There was an incoherent yell of terror and Virgil clambered off him. Scott rolled off the chair, coughing and pushed himself to his knees.

Blocked from the door, Virgil jammed himself into the corner of the room, squeezing himself up as small as he could get, his hands over his head clutching at where the EEG pads had been torn from his hair.

He whimpered.

John stood at the end of the bed, hope and fear warring on his face.

“John?”

“Eos! Are you okay?”

“You must leave the room.” When his brother didn’t immediately respond, she added, “Now. I will explain.”

John looked at Scott, at Virgil, who flinched and tried to crawl into the wall, before nodding once and leaving the room.

Scott edged towards his brother, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder. Virgil flinched looking up, fear and pain on his face. “Sc-t?”

Gently. “C’mere.”

And he found his arms full of shaking brother. Virgil’s forehead dropped to Scott’s shoulder. “I-“ A harshly indrawn breath. “G-d.” A sob. “H-rts.” His whole body shuddered, and he was crying. The heart-breaking sobs of a man forced far beyond his limits.

Scott held him tighter, squeezing his own eyes shut, a tear of his own running down his cheek.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood disguised himself as you.”

“What?”

“The transmission that attempted to compel your brother to betray International Rescue manifested as you. Virgil has been seeing a hallucination of you. It was you who has been coercing him and you who tortured him when he did not obey.”

John’s mouth fell open, his voice stuck in his throat, horror welling.

“I’m sorry, John, but you will need to stay away from Virgil for a while.”

“But-“

“Please listen to me on this. You did not see what I saw. He is so hurt, Father.” A pause. “We almost lost him. He was dying. He had nothing left. I-“

“Eos.”

“I’m sorry, John. I’m not myself. I need to make some repairs.” Another pause. “Please ask the second youngest to attend them. Excuse me.”

And with that, she was gone.

-o-o-o-

Some time had passed, but he didn’t know how much. Everything was confusing. He couldn’t think straight.

He opened his eyes to cloth. Breathing cloth.

God, his head hurt. He groaned and shut his eyes again.

“Virgil?” The quiet enquiry vibrated the shirt against his ear. A name belonged to that voice. A precious name.

“Sc-t?” His voice slurred. There were fingers in his hair. Ow. He fisted his hand in the cloth.

“Speak to me, Virgil.” Quietly demanding.

“Wh-t d you w-nt m t say?” Augh, the words slurred sideways, his tongue felt thick in his mouth. Where was he?

Eos.

He shot up, his eyes open and searching. “E-s!” The world spun and hands grabbed him as he swayed where he sat. A blanket fell to his waist.

“I am here, Virgil.” I am here.

“She’s fine, Virgil. She took some damage during the disconnect, but she is fine.”

There were hands on his shoulders, holding him. He looked up into a pair of bloodshot blue eyes. “Sc-t?” The blue eyes frowned in concern. “’n fl-r?”

The frown deepened. “I’m sorry, Virg, what did you say?”

“’n fl-r?”

Scott’s lips thinned.

“He would like to know why you are on the floor.” Eos’ crisp voice echoed through the room and Virgil looked up. I did say I was here.

“Virgil, did you want to sit in the chair? Or on the bed?” Another voice. A familiar voice. Younger. Brown eyes like his. Laughter. Sitting in a chair.

“G-don.” He smiled. “Fnny.”

Those brown eyes grinned at him. “Why, yes, yes, I am, and proud of it. Did you want a hand up, bro?”

Virgil raised his hand and Gordon grabbed it. With a grunt, he helped him to his feet. The blanket fell to the floor. His younger brother reached out to steady him, before wrapping his arms around him in a hug. “Love you, Virg.”

Virgil returned the embrace, one hand wrapping around the back of his brother’s head. “L-v t.” Where were his words? His head was pounding.

And suddenly dizzy.

“Whoa! Hold it there, bro.” Gordon grabbed him as he teetered and Scott appeared from behind him. “Perhaps bed is a good idea.”

He closed his eyes and the world spun on the inside of his eyelids. Augh. His stomach rolled. “K.”

His brothers helped him into bed and he thankfully lay down. He scrunched his eyes into the pillow and willed the world to stop spinning.

-o-o-o-

John Tracy stared at the vidscreen and wished the Hood a horrible and painfilled death. He could hear the voices in his head that equated to his father, his eldest brother and even Virgil attempting to shout him down. He had never wished ill on anyone, but watching his big brother curl up on that bed in pain, hardly able to speak after all he had been through, the savage inside him wanted revenge.

Scott exited the infirmary and came to stand beside him. He still looked awful.

“We need a doctor.”

“Definitely. But how do we explain the hardware in his head?”

Scott sighed. “I’ll speak to Colonel Casey. Get some confidentiality forms signed. We have no choice.”

“Virgil will not be some someone’s pet science project.”

“No, he won’t.” Scott’s voice was cold.

They were interrupted by Eos. “John?”

“Yes, Eos? How are you feeling?”

“Better. Repairs are underway.”

“Do you need my assistance?”

“Perhaps later. I thought you should know that the ‘hardware’ in Virgil’s head is still growing. We need to halt its growth before we do anything.”

Beside him, Scott paled. “How?”

But John was a step ahead. “The nanites?”

“Yes, I believe a reprogram will give us the results we are looking for. However, I am hesitant to to recommend any attempt at removing the device. In fact, I think we may need the nanites to maintain the structure.”

“What? Why?” Scott was on edge again.

“It is embedded in Virgil’s frontal lobe, where Virgil is. The fact his speech is now affected is proof it is still spreading. He is functional and should heal. I fear that if we attempt to remove it, there will be further damage. Damage he cannot afford.”

“I’ll get a doctor.” And with that Scott stalked out of the room.

“Eos, show me what you have in mind.”

-o-o-o-

Colonel Casey showed no emotion when Scott explained the problem, but she was a hardened military officer and he didn’t expect her to. Her orders were crisp and within hours they had a highly rated neurologist flying out to the island despite the lateness of the hour.

Scott didn’t particularly like the idea of a stranger in their home, but he trusted the Colonel, the forms had been signed and he was desperate.

The doctor had degrees like a pack of cards and was extremely professional. His eyes did widen at the sight of the equipment they had available and his facial expression upon seeing Virgil’s scans was painful to watch.

“Who did this?”

“We call him the Hood.” Scott’s voice was hoarse. “He wants power and money and doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get it.” The latest holographic scan spun slowly in front of them, the spiderweb of circuitry clearly seen wrapped around his brother’s frontal lobe. “He wants our technology, so he tried to use Virgil to get it. He failed.”

“Have you asked the GDF for help? He needs to be arrested.”

Scott looked at him calmly. “Doctor, The GDF have been looking for him for years. He is suspected of killing our father. We caught him once after he invaded our home, so we handed him over to the GDF. He escaped. The GDF had him right on their doorstep yet again and he walked away. The GDF have failed on multiple occasions to nail this guy and look what has happened now!” The doctor backed away, alarm on his face, and Scott realised he was yelling. He swallowed and stepped back. “I’m sorry. It has been a bad few days.” He looked down.

“Understandable.” The doctor cleared his throat and straightened. “I see no way to remove such a structure without damaging your brother further. See here how it has ‘grown’ into his cerebrum? It would be impossible separate it out without damaging the surrounding tissue. It would be like trying to remove a section of his vascular system, too fine, too intergrated.”

Scott’s shoulders slumped. “I suspected as much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

-o-o-o-

Eos had assigned a good portion of her resources to repairs. The sudden removal of the part of herself that had reached into their enemy’s mind had been a shock. Several crucial functions had been corrupted and she had a cascade shutdown barely under control in her primary memory – John would need to assist with that. But she couldn’t leave Virgil. He still wasn’t functioning correctly and she had resources that were needed.

And on top of that, she was still maintaining Thunderbird Five. It didn’t take much processor power to shunt messages around and keep the satellite running, but it was a duty she was required to do. No doubt, if she mentioned it, John would return, but she couldn’t ask him to do that. His worry for Virgil outclassed hers. She could see it on his face.

So, it was for this reason that it was Eos, not John Tracy, who intercepted the report of the death of a man suspected of being the Hood.

He had been shot through the head. Clearly assassinated.

Eos held the message in her processor for more moments than necessary, staring at it. She remembered the sudden shutdown, the abrupt cut of life in that mind.

She had been there.

Information on how it had happened was sketchy, but it was clearly a professional hit. Too accurate, too clean to be anything but.

Examining her own record of the event and scouring the nets for any further information gave her a suspicious picture, particularly in timing. Chewing on an errant circuit, she took a chance and accessed the logs of outgoing communication from Tracy Island.

The second youngest had made a call.

She followed it. Darting through the networks she traced a thin trail of events, calls, exchanges of money and street video.

Coming to the inevitable conclusion, she quickly backtracked, destroying evidence and ghosting diversions as she ran. Records were removed and replaced, numbers changed and data deleted.

Until she was back at Gordon’s vidphone, which she short circuited and destroyed.

He yelped and she smiled.

It was all really just another game.

One she needed to win.

-o-o-o-

Virgil slept for two days straight. They woke him for fluids and observations, but no sooner had his eyes opened than they closed, his mind and body desperate for rest and repair.

During that time John assisted Eos with her own repairs and the two of them built a program to rewrite the nanites directive code. They tested it and tested it and tested it, but time was crucial, so it was with baited breath John handed over the finalised program to Eos to deploy.

John, of course, hadn’t been able to visit his brother and it hurt. He had to be content with the vidscreen and helping out the best way he could.

“Eos, will you need the EEG?”

“No, John, I will interface directly with Virgil via the z-band network.”

“You can do that?”

“Certainly.”

“Does Virgil know?”

“Doubtful.”

“You will tell him.” It was not a suggestion.

“Of course.”

John stared up at the camera, his lips thin. “Go to him.”

“Yes, John.” She went.

-o-o-o-

She hovered watching him sleep, the ever-present frown still on his face.

The Eldest sat beside his bed once again holding Virgil’s hand. He knew she was there and what she was about to do. And she was hesitating.

She had to do this.

But once again she was frightened. Not so much for herself this time, but for Virgil. She had seen what had been done to his mind. This program was designed to help, but what if it didn’t?

“Eos?” The Eldest’s voice was quiet and his head had dropped to his brother’s hand again. “This has to be done.”

“I know.”

She reached out.

And slipped through the interface.

And Virgil was sleeping. It felt so different from her last visit. He was not confined to his refuge, but all around her, alive and resonating despite his somnolent state. He was healing slowly, his networks generating new connections around those that had failed. There was still pain and she shied away from it. There was still broken and she ached to see it. But Virgil was there, the soul she had met and defended but an echo of this vibrant being wrapped in slumber.

She stepped lightly, not wanting to break the sleep he so desperately needed. Keeping to the artificial, she targeted the nanites and seeded the program throughout. It would change them from alien bodies to an extension of Virgil’s biological system, their aim to maintain the circuitry and prevent further damage to his brain.

She watched as thousands of them floating in his blood stream took the commands and acted.

The silvery web of circuitry stopped growing.

And the frown finally slipped from Virgil’s face.

-o-o-o-

“The Hood is dead?” Scott stared at his brother. John, as always, looked much calmer than Scott felt. “How?”

“Shot. Through the head.”

“By who?”

“Unknown, but the GDF suspect a professional hit.”

Scott bit his lip, his reaction caught up amongst relief, rejoicing, his moral code and the regret that he hadn’t the chance to do it himself.

Alan answered for him. “Thank god.” His youngest brother sagged against the lounge.

Gordon stood frozen in the corner, no doubt as stunned as he was at the sudden and anticlimactic end to the man who had haunted their lives for years. Something in his expression drew Scott to his side and he draped an arm around his shoulders. His brother looked up at him, pain in his eyes. “Is it really over?”

“I guess so.”

And he suddenly found himself wrapped in Gordon, his hug so fierce it hurt. A strangled moment, and just as abruptly Scott could breathe again. His brother fled the room.

“What?” John stared after him.

-o-o-o-

On the third day Virgil finally woke. The sight of those sleepy brown eyes lifted Scott’s heart like nothing before it.

“Hey, Virg.”

Virgil blinked ever so slowly. “H-y.”

“How’re you feeling?”

Another blink. “Dn’t n.” He lifted a shaking hand to his head “St-ll hrts.” His fingers felt over his scalp and his eyes widened. “M h-r! Wh y dn t m h-r?” He tried to sit up.

Scott held him down. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It is just a few patches. We didn’t have a choice.”

“P-tch-s!”

He couldn’t help but smirk just a little. “It will grow back, Virg.”

The glare could have fuelled Thunderbird One for an around the world flight.

“Now, I have a doc here, Doctor Emery. He has a few questions. You okay to answer them?”

Virgil frowned at him. “K.”

And so started the first of many neurological exams. Over the next week the doctor gauged his reactions, movements, speech, his ability to read, his memory, the whole range of thought and nerve specific tasks. And once the engineer was steady enough on his feet, he even had Virgil sit at his piano.

The sounds of his brother playing that piano perfectly was one of the most beautiful things Scott had ever heard.

-o-o-o-

A week later and Virgil had been released from the doctor’s immediate care. He was still exhibiting intermittent aphasia, but there were no obstructions to his understanding, just word production. Extremely frustrating, but the doctor had high hopes that it was temporary.

The day was beautiful and Virgil had found himself a spot by the pool and was half asleep on a lounger when the first call for a once again active International Rescue came through. He could hear Eos reporting it to John in the lounge, her voice wafting over the breeze. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes. He was in that pleasant zone of restful doze. His headache was under control thanks to the pills he had taken earlier. The dizziness was pleasantly absent. This was a nice space to be.

“Virgil?” Alan’s voice. “You’re gonna wanna move, bro. Scott’s been called out to a rescue.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Virgil?”

He waved a sleepy hand in his brother’s direction. “Yes, yes, it takes exactly 60 seconds for Thunderbird One to get into launch position. I’ll move then. The pool will let me know.”

Exactly sixty seconds.

He frowned.

Exactly sixty seconds.

Sleeping on a pool lounger.

Night time. Thunderbird One’s hanger. John telling him to adjust…

“No!” Virgil scrambled off the sunbed, desperate to get his feet under him. “No! Sc-tt! Ab-rt! ABORT!”

He ran across the kitchen and flew up the stairs. John was standing behind his father’s desk, eyes wide. “Ab-rt! St-p th l-nch! Sab-tage! Abort!” John stared at him and for just a split second the terror overwhelmed him, maybe it was... No. “Stop! Ab-rt! G-d damnit!” Virgil?

It was like slow motion, the seconds ticking by in Virgil’s head, John reaching to connect his comm to Scott. “Scott, abort launch.”

“What?” His eldest brother’s tone reeked of annoyance.

“Sc-t! Abort!”

“Virgil?” What’s wrong?

“STOP THE DAMN SHIP!!”

“Aborting launch sequence.” A pause. “Returning to dock.”

Virgil spun where he stood and raced over to Scott’s launch chute, grabbing the light fixtures and activating the turnstile.

“Virgil!” He heard John’s footsteps behind him. Please tell me.

He ignored his brother and jumped onto the elevator, a hand gripping his head as he flew down towards TB1’s docking space. His dizziness did not approve of the sudden stop and made its displeasure known. He staggered against the side of the car as he exited, moments away from forcing the doors open himself if they didn’t move.

As he entered the docking bay, TB1 was just returning to her resting spot, an alarmed Scott clearly seen through the cockpit window. Virgil jumped onto the extender platform, willing it to go faster. The cockpit doors opened at his approach. “Virgil? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, leaping the last few metres from the platform into the cockpit. Scott yelped and grabbed at him. “What the hell?!”

“No t-me!”

He stumbled around Scott’s chair, whacking his shin and bashing an elbow. Forcing himself into the space below, he yanked off one of the access hatches, revealing the instrumentation inside. Hurriedly activating the holographic interface, he accessed the ship’s computer core.

Where is it, where is it?

Fuel control. Virgil!

He brought up the fuel management system and reaching into the code, started pulling systems. Shutting the program down from the inside. Disabling it in a way that could not be circumvented no matter what smart-assed code he had put in there. What?!

And to doubly make sure, he reached inside a second access panel and physically ripped out the electrical power to the fuel pump. Scott yelled as sparks exploded in Virgil’s face. What are you doing?!

TB1 whined in complaint, settling on her docking platform. Scott grabbed him from behind and pulled him away from the still sparking panel.

“Virgil, what the hell are you doing to my ship?”

He found himself out of breath, panting as if he had run a marathon. It felt like he had. “J-J-hn, asked m t f-x th fu-l flow c-ntrl.” Frustration. “’xplode. ‘N l-nch.” He was shaking.

“Bro, I am truly sorry, but I don’t understand.”

“Virgil sabotaged Thunderbird One.” Eos’ calm voice issued through Scott’s sash comm. “He said John asked him to fix the fuel flow control. Checking now.” Scott was staring at him in shock. “Confirmed. There is at least one program embedded in the fuel management system. Executable to alter the fuel mix on launch. The result would have destroyed Thunderbird One and most of her hanger. It has been disabled, but I recommend a thorough scan of all ship computer systems and mechanics.”

Scott was still staring when he croaked out, “Yes.” He visibly swallowed.

Virgil’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m s-rry.”

His brother’s grip tightened on his arms a moment, before he found himself wrapped in Scott. “Not your fault,” was muffled into his hair.

Virgil closed his eyes.

-o-o-o-

Brains, of course, was horrified and what followed was the most thorough overhaul of Tracy Island’s systems that had ever been done. The systems check revealed that Virgil had been busy that night. Somehow, he had managed to also sabotage Thunderbird Three, similarly corrupting the fuel lines in a way that would result in an explosion on launch. He had also jimmied her silo, so once she was closed, she stayed closed. And incidentally, the pool would never have warned Virgil of TB1’s launch, because he had jimmied that locked shut as well. Apparently, the Hood had wanted his explosions contained.

Thunderbirds Two and Four were clean, obviously the getaway vehicle and source of all the Hood’s future technologies.

Virgil sat slumped to one side of the couch listening to all the damage he had done. International Rescue was very effectively grounded. He didn’t remember doing most of it, just a few flashes, associations, but that was enough. He had come so close to losing his brother. He screwed his eyes shut.

Virgil, it wasn’t your fault.

“D-sn’t m-k it ny easier.”

It should. You were not responsible and the man who was is now dead. You saved your brother today.

“S d-mned cl-se.” His throat ached.

A hand touched his arm and he jumped. Scott was leaning over him. “You okay?” Worried blue eyes.

“I-“ A sigh. “N-.”

Perhaps you should rest?

“You should rest, Virg.”

He frowned up at his brother. “Wh-t?”

“Rest. You are still recovering and today was rather stressful.” Understatement of the year.

“N-, w-ant t sty here.”

You should go to bed.

“N-!”

Vir-

“No! Im st-yg hr, g-dd-mnit!”

There was a sudden silence in the room and he realised that everyone was staring at him. Scott was pale and frankly looked terrified. Virgil sat up, concerned. “What?”

“Who were you talking to, Virgil?” Gordon was staring at him, concern all over his face.

“Wh-t? Tlking t y.”

“No, you weren’t. We weren’t talking. You were responding to someone else.” Gordon’s voice was very calm, very careful.

“W-s I?”

“He was responding to me.” Eos’ calm voice spoke into the room. “He wasn’t listening to you, so I thought I could help.”

Silence. Then Scott, deadly calm. “How were you speaking to Virgil, Eos?”

She didn’t answer immediately, and then she didn’t have to. Virgil reached a hand to his forehead. “Omigd.”

“You were using that thing?!” Gordon had the same expression on his face that he would have if he had stepped in a pile of manure.

On the far side of the room, as far away from Virgil as he could get, John snapped, “Eos!”

“He didn’t mind.”

“Did you ask? Did you tell him you had access?”

Virgil stared. “Acc-ss?”

“From his expression, I guess the answer is no?”

“I haven’t had the chance.”

“But you had the chance to invade his mind without his permission?”

“I did not invade his mind! I simply spoke to him.”

“Keep out of my brother’s head!” Okay, so Gordon was pissed too.

“I was trying to help.”

“Gordon, she saved his life!” From scolding parent to defending father one moment to the next.

“Virgil has had enough people messing around inside his head. You of all people should know that.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

“SH-T U-UP!” Virgil was on his feet and shaking. “Sh-t up.” Scott, unusually silent, gripped his arm gently, but Virgil shook it off. “B-th f yu leave hr ‘lone! M b-s-ness, nt yours.” And with that he stalked out of the room.

A walk. He needed a walk, to calm and to think. Anywhere but here.

-o-o-o-

“What the hell was that?” Scott rounded on Gordon.

“Virgil doesn’t need anyone messing with his head. It’s messed up enough already.”

“Eos was trying to help. She went about it the wrong way.” He glared at the ceiling. “But her intentions were correct.”

“How do you know that, Scott?” Alan came to stand beside his brother. “She almost killed John the first time they met.”

“That was justified and has been forgiven.” John stood beside Scott.

“Justified?! She was justified in killing you? If I hadn’t made it in time, we would have lost you, John. You didn’t have to find your brother floating dead in space. She did that!”

“If it wasn’t for Eos, Virgil would be dead, Alan! Do you have any idea what she sacrificed to save our brother? She had a cascade failure in her primary memory core. Left alone it would have killed her. As it is, she has lost part of herself.”

“She’s backed up on TB5, John, go find a patch.”

“It’s not the same!” John’s face was red.

“That’s enough.” Scott’s voice was quiet but sharp. “She didn’t have to offer her help with Virgil, but she did. And thank god, because without her, we would have been screwed. She has proven herself time and time again that she is a valuable member of this team and this family. And just like all of us, she is not perfect. She is going to make mistakes, but trust me, she means well. We have Virgil’s life as proof. So, show a little respect.”

“But Scott, she tapped Virgil’s brain-“

“I know, Gordon. There will be discussions, trust me.”

“But-“

“Trust me, Gordon.”

His younger brother glared, but he shut up.

Alan’s expression hadn’t improved. “I’m going to go rip out the mess Virgil put into my ‘bird the last time someone got into his head.” And he walked off.

Scott didn’t know whether to be hurt or to punch the nearest wall. John’s hand on his arm stopped the later, but let the former in. “He’s just worried.”

“So, worry turns him into an ass?”

“Apparently.”

“Hmph.”

-o-o-o-

Virgil ended up on a beach. It wasn’t his favourite beach, that was on the other side of the island, just a random beach with sand, waves and a severe lack of other people.

Thank god.

He plopped himself under a palm tree and lay back in the sand, staring into the blue, blue sky. It had been so long since he was alone. His brothers had been hovering since his collapse and while he appreciated their concern, part of him really just wanted to be left alone.

But then apparently that was no longer possible.

“E-s?”

Yes, Virgil?

He sighed and closed his eyes. “W n-d t tlk.”

Okay. But you shouldn’t need to vocalise for me to understand you. Save those vowel sounds for when they are really needed.

Okay. How are you doing this?

The circuitry in your head is an interface. It allows computer-based systems to speak to your biological system. I’m just accessing that capability to communicate with you. It is quite ingenious really. As long as you are in proximity to the z-band network, and you usually are, I can use it to speak to you.

And what else? He had his suspicions.

A moment and in his mind’s eyes, a familiar young girl in a white dress with red hair appeared. I find it very interesting that you view me in this way.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Please don’t do that, Eos. I’m not…ready.

Okay. The girl vanished.

What about other computer systems? Am I about to find myself saddled with a virus any time soon.

No. Her voice was cold. I will not allow it.

How can you prevent it?

I have my ways, trust me. No-one and nothing gets in.

It was still unnerving to think there was an open access to his very thoughts.

Virgil, John would like to speak with you. Can he approach?

His stomach clenched. Of course.

Feet on sand wandered onto the beach and John sat down at a respectable distance away from his brother.

“’m s-rry, J-hn.”

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Not your fault, Virgil.”

“S-cks.”

“Yes, big time.” A sigh. “But we’ll get through it. We always do.”

Virgil couldn’t help but smile a little. “G-t yr kid n my h-d.”

“You okay?”

“Y-h. Odd, b-t sh-s g-d.”

“Yes, that she is.”

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds fanfic #virgil tracy #scott tracy #eos

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