BROTHERS, THUNDERBIRDS AND STORMS by INIYSA RATED FRC

This story is for the 2007 TIWF Sequel Challenge. The challenge: write a sequel to another author's story with their permission. My story is the sequel to Juud18's short story: Thunder, Headaches and Big Brothers.

Scott lay in the darkness of his bedroom suet staring up towards where he knew the ceiling was. Sleep would not claim him tonight it seemed, way to much had happened. To many had died today, or was it yesterday by now? It had been a bad mission from the start. The call had come in late, the earth quakes kept throwing out aftershock after aftershock, the people who were supposed to be helping were doing more hindering then anything else. Virgil had fallen into a basement while searching the ground level of a two story house for surviving victims. He currently slept in the infirmary with a concussion, and a broken ankle. There would be very little sleep for him tonight either.

The event kept replaying in Scott's mind, he could remember it as if it had only just happened moments ago. He had been talking to John on Thunderbird Five from Mobil Control. They were trying to get a handle on as much of the situation as possible so that they could pinpoint when the next aftershock was going to occur. An open Mic was the only thing keeping his brothers together at this point as they were separated in different portions of the town.

“Virgil to Mobile Control.” Scott paused his conversation with John and turned to Virgil's screen. Even at this point Virgil did not look to good, covered in a gray dust with cuts and scrapes here and there. Scott spared a glance towards Gordon and Alan's monitors. The brief views of them showed them to be in a very similar state.

“Mobil Control here.” Scott stated.

“Do you have the heat sensors back on line yet? Finding the victims would be a lot easier if we knew where to...” And that had been it. Another small aftershock they had been unable to predict in time hit and Virgil had fallen. Scott did not remember leaving Mobil Control in the hands of his father on Tracy Island before he ran for the house Virgil had been exploring. Thankfully Virgil was awake upon reaching him. His watch/communicator was not however.

Gordon had fallen during the same aftershock and had sprained his arm fairly severely. It had been Alan who had gone to him as he was closest and Scott was helping Virgil. In the process however a rather large rock had fallen and slammed into the back of Alan's head. They were all shocked to find that he had not sustained even a slight concussion only a very large egg sized bump, and a killer headache as Alan himself had described it. Scott had received quite a number of bruises and scrapes himself during his impromptu dive into the very basement Virgil had fallen into. In the end unfortunately very few of the people of the small town they were helping were found alive, even with the heat sensor back online.

A flash of lightning brought a quick blue light into Scott's bedroom, lighting up the room as if the lightning were the sun. Scott sat up his mind wondering to another time. A time when they were all much younger. A time when at the first sight of lightning Alan would appear in his room holding his pillow tightly waiting for the inevitable thunder that would follow. Scott looked almost longingly over at the doorway but the door was shut and more then likely locked. He didn't really remember when or why he had began to shut his door, let alone lock it. The task happened without any thought now, and he really did not even truly realize he did it. Without thinking Scott stood up and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it up.

Scott looked down the long hall remembering the last time Alan had come to him during a storm. He was about to turn thirteen and had been caught by Gordon. Gordon thinking the whole thing rather funny had made jokes about it at random moments that only seemed to do more damage then good. But Scott had not stopped it. He himself was twenty three after all, and about to join the Air Force. He was far to old to be holding Alan's hand. But he never had to tell Alan that as by the time the next thunderstorm had come Alan was no where in site.

Scott glanced around and noticed that he was standing in front of Alan's bedroom. The door stood open, the bed empty. Beside Alan's bed was the pack of the pain pills given to him, still unopened. Curious, Scott wondered towards the living room where he found his twenty-five year old brother sitting on the large couch staring out the plain glass windows that made up one of the tall walls to the outdoors. At that moment a driving rain pounded against the giant windows. A very loud long clap of thunder rolled above them and the house seemed to shake in fear. A very slight wince was the only thing that showed that the thunder had bothered Alan at all. Scott silently walked around to the front of the couch and sat down beside his youngest brother. Alan gave him a quick glance before turning back to the storm. They sat in silence for a good fifteen minutes before Alan spoke up.

“Couldn't sleep?” Alan asked quietly, as if not wanting to disturb the storm. Scott looked over at Alan and the large bump on his head. He couldn't help but wince at the sight. Alan didn't notice.

“No, I take it you couldn't sleep either?” Scott whispered loudly. Alan shook his head wincing at the pain it caused.

“No, head hurts to much.” Alan sighed as another thunder boomed above. They both sat in silence for awhile.

“Want to pull a cot out and sleep in my room?” Scott asked, suddenly missing those storms they had spent together, he had always felt like a true brother during those occasions. Alan eyed Scott warily and not just a little confused, he remained silent for awhile before standing up.

“Sure...why not.” Scott felt a lot more surprised and pleased then he thought he would. Alan helped Scott get to his feet before the two quietly headed back to the hallway where all the bedrooms were located. They opened a thin wooden closet door and pulled out a very rarely used folded bed already made and ready for use. They did not have to roll the squeaky bed to far as Scott's room was just a door down. Quickly unfolding it, Alan slipped under the covers and watched as Scott climbed into his own bed right next to his.

“Night Alan.” Scott whispered.

“Night Scott.” Alan smiled before they both closed their eyes falling fast asleep. Standing unnoticed in the open doorway to Scott's bedroom stood a father, who didn't think he would be smiling again so soon; lost in memories of his own.