Whumptober 2021

#22) Green-Eyed Monster- TAG

Prompt #22 They made me do it (obsession). Thunderbirds are Go, S1E23 Chain of Command AU- Col. Janus manages to breach TB2 before the boys can respond. Brothers' backstories from TOS in effect.

"On my own authority I'm arresting all of you and confiscating your ship. Permanently." Col. Janus' cold voice rang through Thunderbird Two's speakers.

Scott squared his shoulders. "And I'm challenging your authority to do so, colonel." His own voice rang with the authority of the commander he was.

Muted cheering came from Alan and Gordon in the back seat but Scott ignored it. A whirring noise came from outside. Scott didn't like the implications of that.

"Scott," Gordon spoke urgently, "as far as I can tell he's not lifting a finger to help those trapped workers."

Realization smacked Scott in the face. "Then this was never about us violating Janus's rules. He's just after Thunderbird Two."

Virgil grit his teeth. "And he's willing to sacrifice those people just to get her."

"Dad taught us to respect authority," Scott's hand clenched into fists, "but Janus is proving to be unfit for authority." He turned and faced his brothers. They all showed the same determined looks. "If saving lives makes us outlaws, so be it. Virgil, defense Protocol Gamma."

Virgil reached toward relays on the ceiling but before he could a high pitched whine rang through the cockpit. Thunderbird Two shuddered and her engines abruptly died. The lights flicked before winking out.

Gordon swore and leapt from his seat. "EMP. John, do you copy?" Not even static.

"Scott by the time I reboot her systems they'll have breached the hull." Virgil ran to a line of panels and started wrenching them off the wall.

"Orders, Scott?"

Sifting through his whirling thoughts, Scott didn't immediately answer Gordon's question. Under no circumstances could they allow Thunderbird Two to fall into Janus's hands, but Scott also had his brothers to think about. Military prison (or worse, his gut leaned toward) would crush Virgil and Alan. No, he could not allow anything to happen to them.

He swept his eyes over his brothers, one working frantically, the other two with eyes fixed on him. A steady pair of brown, and a pinched set of blue ones. "I'll stall them. That should give you enough time to get the ship in the air and for you all to get to the workers."

"Scott-!" Alan cried before cutting himself off.

Scott could feel the disapproval rolling off Virgil but the engineer didn't, or perhaps didn't have time, to argue. Gordon appeared unsurprised, though not particularly happy about Scott's pronouncement.

"Janus isn't going to let up. None of us are going to get out of this if I don't act quickly. And I don't trust him within a mile of any of you." Gordon raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Scott ignored him. "I'll distract them. Virgil, get this 'bird in the air and to the workers. Gordon, try to get John back on comms. Alan, help Virgil."

Alan gave one last piercing look at Scott before hurrying to Virgil's side. Ignoring the discomfort growing in his chest Scott drew himself up and made his way to the hatch.

Gordon followed Scott. "You don't have to do this alone." He spoke in a low voice.

Maybe, maybe not. Still Scott had a very bad feeling about all of this. One that warned his brothers shouldn't be within a hundred miles of.

"I need you here to protect the other two. Especially Alan...." Scott trailed off as a tight band squeezed around his heart. Being active members of iR wasn't for the faint of heart, but Virgil and Alan didn't have the steel that followed military stints.