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Monty the Python
2081
It was the end of the school year and fifteen-year-old Kallen Tracy, was excited – this would be the first year that his sister Kesha and himself, would be allowed to shadow their father and uncles on rescue missions for International Rescue, and he couldn’t wait.
But first his cousin’s and siblings had to get back to the Island from their British boarding school, which their departure was being held up by his twin younger brothers - Alex and Aaron, Scott’s son – Shane, and Virgil’s youngest – Kevin. So Kallen had volunteered to chase up his wayward cousin’s and siblings while the others helped Gordon and Parker load up their gear in the trailer of the minibus that would take them back to the Creighton-Ward manor where they would be picked up by Thunderbird 2.
When Kallen found his younger brothers, he found them wrestling with a fish tank, something Kallen wasn’t aware that they kept in their room, which they shared with their cousin’s, “What are you two nimrods doing?” he asked, Alex and Aaron. “You were meant to be packed and downstairs by now… And where did you get the fish tank from?”
Alex and Aaron jumped and would have dropped the fish tank if Kallen didn’t quickly move to help steady it. “H-hey, Bro,” Alex said sheepishly. “How’s it going?”
“How do you think it’s going?” Kallen growled. “Explanation. NOW.”
The twin’s exchanged a nervous look, “Sorry we are running behind, Kal,” Aaron started. “But as you can see, we are having a little bit of trouble with Monty’s tank.”
“Who the heck is Monty?” Kallen snapped. “And where is Shane and Kevin?”
“They are packing up the rest of Monty’s things and are making sure he’s secure,” Alex replied. “They with be down with him and the rest of our gear in a minute.”
Kallen glared at his little brothers and then looked up the hallway, sure enough, there was Shane and Kevin with rest of their luggage. His cousins froze when they saw him standing there with his younger brothers. “Kallen,” Shane said, in a defecting defensive tone. “Get impatient to go home to mommy and daddy, did we?”
Kallen narrowed his eyes at his cousin, “Don’t be a smart ass, Shane,” he growled at him. “You four are the ones running behind. I was the one that volunteered to look for you… Now where is this Monty, so we can drop his stuff off and get this show on the road?”
Shane and Kevin looked at the twins, “You told him?” Shane asked.
“Not everything,” Aaron defended himself and his brother. “He doesn’t know what Monty is.”
Kallen side eyed his brother as Shane facepalmed, “And what,” he growled. “Is Monty?”
“He’s our pet children’s python,” Kevin answered, as the other three glared at him. “What? Don’t glare at me, guys, I told you three that we should have told the others, that we had him.”
Kallen stared at his brothers and cousin’s, they were secretly keeping a pet snake? He took a deep breath and let it out, “Okay you four,” he said tightly. “How long have you had Monty and which one of the adults signed off on you having him?” Kallen knew his uncle Scott, who hated snakes with a passion, would never sign off on any of them having a pet snake and would go ballistic when he found out that they were keeping one.
“Uncle Lee was the one that sighed off on us having the snake, we got him at the beginning of this school year,” Shane muttered. “We wanted a pet, like your dad’s Breaded Dragons and Sophia’s Turtle, but different, at the same time.”
Kallen sighed, his dad took a lot of pride in the care of David, Terri, Bindi and Steve - the children and grandchildren of the two original lizards that were given originally to his uncle Gordon by his idols only for them end up in Alan’s care because Gordon hated lizards… And Sophia and the other girls were very attached to Franklin, their pet turtle. He couldn’t blame the younger boys for wanting a pet themselves… “I get wanting to have a pet, guys,” Kallen grumbled, “But why did you keep it a secret from the rest of us?”
“Because we were afraid that the adults were going to say no, when they found out,” Alex replied.
Kallen sighed, “Which is why you asked Lee to sign off on having him…” he ran his hand though his hair. “Look I can’t guarantee you are going to be able to keep him, but I suggest you four come clean to Uncle Gordon as soon as we get downstairs,” he said as he moved to help his younger brothers with the tank. “Come on, we are holding everyone else up.”
0o0o0
When Gordon saw the fish tank and found out what the boys had been keeping in it, he had a gut busting laugh, before asking to see Monty, “Oh, he’s adorable boys,” he said through his laugher. “I bet Scott’s going to find him adorable too, as soon as John pry’s him off of Thunderbird 5,” Gordon’s tone suddenly went serious. “You should have spoken to us first, boy’s, I am very disappointed that you didn’t.”
“We are sorry sir,” Kevin apologized, for himself and his cousins.
“I know you are kid,” Gordon replied, as he motioned for the everyone to get on the bus. “But I’m not the one that’s going to be the one who decides, if you four can keep him,” he turned to Shane. “And Shay, you know the rules, if one of us is likely to say no, for a legitimate reason, you are not to go behind their back and ask somebody else, since it was your uncle that signed off on this, I am going to assume that you were the one that asked him?”
Shane didn’t even bother to deny it, “Yes,” he said. “I was the one to ask him.”
Scout Tracy who was now standing next to her younger brother, jabbed him with her elbow, “Dad is going to kill you,” she hissed. “He hates snakes, what the hell possessed you to get one?”
“Dad hates Snakes?” Shane asked his sister, his face going pale.
Scout looked at her brother, as she sat down in her seat, “You didn’t know that?” she asked. “I thought everyone knew that.”
When Alex, Aaron and Kevin shook their heads, Kallen took pity on his brothers and cousins, “They didn’t witness the rattlesnake incident,” he pointed out. “And your dad is good at hiding things that could be used against him.”
“Of course, he is,” Gordon cut in. “He grew up with the four of us, didn’t he?”
“Uncle Scott is not going to let us keep Monty, is he?” Aaron muttered.
“I hate lizards, yet your dad still keeps his little monsters,” Gordon pointed out. “And you boys appear to look after Monty well, so if you aren’t allowed to keep him Scott’s phobia will not be reason you don’t – I will go in and bat for you boy’s on that front, but you are going to be punished for going behind our backs understood?”
“F.A.B.” The four boys chanted.
0o0o0
Thunderbird 3 had been called out on a rescue when the Tracy Children returned to the island, so Scott and Alan where not home when Monty was introduced to the rest of the adults.
Piper and Jeff were not impressed with the boy’s exploitation of Lee, and the boys were told to explain the situation and apologize to him.
The boys were also grounded for the summer break, and were given extra cleaning duties, as punishment… But they were allowed to keep Monty.
0o0o0
Dr. Edward Wilkie, Dr. Willow Tracy’s new intern, was walking through the house towards the infirmary, when a high-pitched shriek cut though a house.
Fearing that one of the Tracy’s had hurt themselves, Edward ran to the part of the house where he heard the screaming coming from and found Scott Tracy staring in horror at the tank where the younger Tracy children kept their pet snake, “You okay there, Scott?” he asked.
“What the hell is that?” Scott asked, pointing at the snake.
“That is Monty,” Edward answered. “Apparently, he’s the younger boy’s pet snake. I’m guessing you haven’t been informed yet.”
“When did those boy’s get a snake?” Scott snapped. “Who was the idiot that approved of this?”
Edward shifted uncomfortably, he was new to the island, and was still learning the family dynamics, so he didn’t know how to answer that it was Jeff and Piper that allowed to the boys keep the snake.
Thankfully he didn’t have to, “Talk to Grampa and Aunt Pipe,” the oldest grandson, Kallen answered from behind him, making Edward jump – he hadn’t realized the boy was there. “Apparently they have had him since the beginning of the school year.”
“Since the beginning of the school year,” Scott muttered under his breath. “PIPER!” he shouted as he went to look for his wife, leaving Edward with Kallen and Monty.
“Thanks for the save,” Edward said to Kallen.
“No problem,” Kallen replied, as he looked at Monty. “When Uncle Scott starts getting wound up like that, it’s best to point him towards the people that can solve his problem – that, or find him a shiny to distract him until he calms down.”
Edward nodded, as also he looked down at the snake, “He is a cutie,” he commented.
“Don’t mind snakes, Doc?” Kallen asked.
“I was born in Australia,” Edward replied. “Snakes and spiders are commonplace,” he winked at Kallen. “And most of them are not as harmless as this little guy.”
Kallen laughed and patted the doctor on the shoulder as he walked away.