This is meant to be a very random collection of bits of communication between the guys. Most are funny; some are serious. I hope to add to it over time. Enjoy!

I don't own the Thunderbirds, and I am making no profit from this story.

Scott raised his watch to his mouth. "Gordon, report. What's your status?"

Gordon's cheerful voice crackled over the tiny radio. "Hiya, Scotty! I'm just ducky! You?"

Scott, out of the corner of his eye, saw a nearby police officer smirk, and heard him mutter to his partner, "Guess there's one on every team."

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"Beam me up, Scotty!"

"Say that one more time, Alan," Scott growled, "and I'm going to do something to you with a beam – a wooden beam, that is!"

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"John?"

"Yeah, Virg?"

"Have I ever told you that I love you?"

"Uh, probably. Why?"

"I just thought I ought to say it before it's too late."

"Too late? Virgil? What's going on? Virgil? Virgil!"

"Calm down, Johnny. I'm still here…but I should probably call the others now...before it's too late…"

"Stop saying that! Virgil, your blood pressure's dropping like crazy. What happened? Virgil? Don't do this to me! Virgil, come in! All right, that's it…Scott, come in!"

"What's up, John?"

"Scott, grab a med kit and get moving – Virgil's in trouble! Sending you coordinates now…"

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Gordon pointed Thunderbird Four toward the ocean floor and accelerated to full speed. "Hmm," he murmured, carefully hiding a smirk. "I suddenly have this sinking feeling…"

"What? Why?" Virgil snapped. Then he groaned. "Oh. I get it. Ha, ha, very funny."

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"Hey, Gordon, you got any cash on you?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I found a store that's still open. Want to get some candy and soda for the ride home?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, you two, I heard that!"

"Don't worry, Scott – we'll ride with Virg. Just don't say anything to him, okay?"

"Well…okay. But you know my silence comes at a price."

"Fine, we'll get you a bag of mint M&Ms."

"A full-size bag, right? Not one of those dinky little single-serving sizes."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know. Okay, Al, you do the shopping, and I'll be there with the money in just a minute!"

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"Hey, Scott?"

"Yeah, Virg?"

"How fast do you think you can make it to the cliff on the northwest corner of the island?"

"Depends on the reason."

"Okay, how's this for a reason: I hit a bit of a rockslide while I was climbing. I'm okay, but I somehow ended up all tangled up in my rope, and I think my anchor may be failing."

"Hey, you know, that's a pretty good reason. I'll be there in five minutes!"

"Okay, thanks!"

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"Hey, Virgil?"

"Yeah, John?"

"Can you play me something on the piano?"

Something in John's tone had Virgil immediately setting down the book he was reading. He was at the piano in three steps. "Sure. What do you want to hear?"

"Anything," John sighed.

Virgil's hands hovered over the keys. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearing his mind, trying to think of a tune John would enjoy. Suddenly he grinned – he had the perfect thing.

Without further ado, he launched into Gustav Holst's "The Planets." It was an orchestral suite, but a few months earlier, he'd been delighted to come across a transcription for piano, and had worked hard to learn all seven parts.

John let out a short bark of incredulous laughter as he recognized the intense first notes of "Mars, the Bringer of War."

It was nearly an hour of music, ranging from dark to quirky to serene, as Virgil played through the varied tunes meant to represent Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and finally, Neptune.

As the final notes died away, John let out a long sigh.

"Thanks, Virgil," he said quietly.

"Any time."

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"Knock, knock!"

Angry growl. "Knock, knock yourself!"

"Uh, who's there?"

"Your worst nightmare."

"Your worst nightmare who?"

"Your worst nightmare who is going to drain your pool, kill your bathtub and fence off the ocean if you don't stop telling knock-knock jokes."

"Huh. Well, then. How about a game of 'I Spy?'"

"Hey, I have an idea – how about you swim home! It's only about three hundred miles from here."

Sigh. "Fine, I'll be quiet now." Ten seconds of silence. "Hey, look – is that an eagle? Ha! Got you to look!"

"Okay, that is it – next time, you're riding home with Scott!"