Thunderbird Five Is Go {John Tracy}

5 - Recruit

5

Alan was flicking at the speed of light through Crystal Ava Summers's profile and qualifications and gushing to an amused John on his comm.

"John, she just graduated from Harvard. Double majored in astronomy and aerospace engineering. Same as you!" he exclaimed.

John merely rolled his eyes, "I've read through all her credentials already. No need to report them back to me again."

"I know but look! She's an astronomy nerd just like you and me, has published an acclaimed book ..." Alan began scrolling furiously again.

"I really don't understand how you got Scott to let you conduct her interview," John smirked.

Alan finally looked up, a grin spreading across his face, "Oh, I just reminded Scott that Virgil and he need to be on duty because International Rescue depends on them to respond quickly when lives on the line. You're in space obviously. Gordon doesn't want to be away from the pool for a day. So that leaves me! And Kayo, but she's helping Brains with some new-fangled addition to Thunderbird Shadow."

"Brilliant. You get to skip trash duty, don't you?" John chuckled, "Yes, I noticed the dates coincided," his smirk grew bigger as Alan's face turned red.

Before Alan could reply however, John was distracted, "Oh shoot, we've got a situation. I've got to alert Scott and Virgil. Have fun with the interview. Comms off."

Alan shrugged and looked down at Scott's directions. "Bring her immediately to Tracy Island if satisfied. IR cannot risk information leaks." He tossed it in the trash and set off in Thunderbird 3.

***

"Alright, here we are. Best of luck with your ... test," Lady Penelope smiled encouragingly at me before FAB1 zoomed off.

Crystal stood there for a second, maintaining a perfect calm, then turned and walked to the doorstep of the facility. The door slid smoothly open for her. Her heart beat wildly, and she desperately hoped she'd worn the right outfit for the situation. This was no ordinary interview, and she'd been told to wear comfortable clothes she favored. Did this mean she would have to overcome a series of physical and mental obstacles? Lady P made it sound easy though. Stop it, she told herself forcefully.

Taking a deep breath, Crystal walked in. "Welcome to International Rescue," a childish female voice sounded. It seemed like a recording, as it came from nowhere, "Please sit down at the chair. You will be asked a few personal questions regarding your background."

It was all basic information that would have substituted a form to fill out. Crystal let out a sigh and ran her hands down her black jeans when the interrogation ended. "Thank you for your cooperation. You will now be interviewed in person by a member of International Rescue."

Crystal couldn't help feel a twinge of apprehension. She was going to be interviewed in person? Why couldn't Lady P have told her that? She would've been ... mentally prepared for this.

Her expressionless face showed no trace of anxiety as she stood, waiting for her interviewer.

***

Alan was watching everything from the cam set up to survey Crystal.

His comm beeped. It was John. "She doing alright?"

Alan rolled his eyes, "It's just basic information. She's speeding through it, and I haven't revealed myself yet. Chill."

"Alright, I'll be watching. Just saying," John winked.

Alan sighed dramatically, "John, that's creepy."

"Well it's not like I don't do it all the time."

"Oh shoot, she's done already," Alan's eyes darted to the door, "I need to go."

"Okay, remember to-"

"Comms off," Alan cut John off, grinning excitedly as he pressed the button that would open the door.

Crystal started almost imperceptibly as he appeared suddenly, but her face showed no change. She stood up immediately, her gray tunic tumbling down to her knees. Alan extended an amicable hand and his most charming grin, "Hello, Miss Summers. I'm Alan."

She smiled back, almost mischievously, "Please call me Crystal. Or Crys, for short. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've been a fan for years."

They sat down at the table and Alan began prompting her on esoteric areas of astronomy and aerospace engineering, as well as her motivations in applying for the job. Once started on her favorite subject, Crystal kept up a constant flow of conversation. Soon, they were discussing their favorite constellations and how frequently they appeared. Then Alan mentioned that they'd landed on Halley's Comet once, and Crystal began to interrogate him.

Finally ... Alan glanced at his watch, "Shoot, we're overtime already. I can tell you on the spot that you're hired. Parker will take you to your apartment so that you can pack. Then I'll be taking you to Tracy Island right away."

"Alright. If I may, why so urgent?" Crystal stood up.

Alan shrugged, "We'd rather have our operations stay secret, so we'd like you to stay on Tracy Island in general and as soon as possible."

"Fair enough. Thank you so much," Crystal couldn't keep a grin off her face.

"Someone's excited to join IR," Alan teased, "Parker's right outside."

***

Crystal took a deep breath, taking one last look at the apartment in which she'd lived for four years. Sure, she was beyond euphoric to join International Rescue, but she felt a bit of sorrow at leaving her long time den. She closed the door and stepped out into the sunshine.

"Thank you, Parker," she said out of habit, as they drove off to where Alan was waiting.

"Oh my gosh," Crystal gasped when she spotted Alan, one arm slung painstakingly across a side of his bird, "You pilot Thunderbird Three."

"Yes, I do," Alan affirmed, "We're off to Tracy Island now."

Along the way, he kept up a constant chatter of conversation. Despite his youthful looks and scorn for high school, Alan was quite knowledgeable in his field. "Scott's the eldest and drives Thunderbird One, obviously. We call him the smother mother because he's always far too protective of us. Virgil's next. He has Thunderbird Two, the big bird. He's actually very musical and artistic despite being the burly one. Then there's John. He's the one you'll be working with most. He manages Thunderbird Five, the communications station up in space. Gordon comes fourth. He's our aquanaut. He was an Olympic swimmer until he injured his back. I'm the youngest with this beauty, Thunderbird Three."

"Why is it that all the numbers are in order except for you and John?" Crystal looked puzzled.

"Because originally John had Thunderbird Three. It's a spaceship. But then we created Thunderbird Five, the communications station, and we need someone up there. We all did shifts, but it was mainly just John and I, alternating. We're the only ones who can stand the solitude of life up there in space. But I get tired of it easily. I like being in the middle of the action. So does John. But being the one who can deal with it best, he stuck himself up there. So we basically traded roles."

"Ah," Crystal relaxed into her seat as Alan narrated some of his pranks in collaboration with Gordon, of course.

Soon, Tracy Island appeared over the horizon.