Work Text:
Can Opener
2064
Jeff Tracy stared at the pieces of the disassembled electric can opener that sat on the kitchen table in front of him – the dratted thing had broken while his mother, with the assistance of Piper Taylor and Willow Ling, was working on the family dinner that she was determined to have later that evening.
Jeff sincerely hoped Piper and Willow were the ones doing most of the actual cooking, his mother was never much of a cook – his father did most of the cooking in the Tracy household when he was growing up, and he had shared the duty with him (and later Lucy), as he became old enough to cook for himself, up until his untimely death in the same avalanche that also claimed the life of his wife.
Scott and Alan were currently on a space rescue, with Brains assisting them, John and Annabelle O’Locklyn were currently up on Thunderbird Five, waiting for Thunderbird Three to pick them up, the space elevator had a malfunction, and Thunderbird Three was called out on a rescue before Brains could look at the problem.
Virgil and Gordon had just arrived back on the island after helping some stuck loggers in the US, and should be up in the main house as soon as they finished Thunderbird Two’s post flight checks.
The rattle of drawers and a frustrated growl came from the Kitchen, “Do we have a manual can opener on this island?” Piper asked, no one in particular. “Because I can’t seem to find one.”
“Isn’t there one in the draw dear?” Sally asked.
“If there is one in the draw,” Piper replied. “I’m not seeing it, Grandma.”
“What are you trying to find?” Virgil asked, as he walked into the kitchen.
“How did the rescue go, son?” Jeff asked, wanting a preliminary report, the kitchen drama could wait a minute.
“The rescue was a success,” Virgil replied. “We managed to free the trapped loggers and get the injured people to medical care.”
“That’s good to hear,” Jeff replied, noticing that Gordon hadn’t followed Virgil into the Kitchen. “Where is your brother?”
A shit eating grin crossed Virgil’s face, “Gordon is going to be a little bit longer,” he replied. “He got skunked during the rescue – he’s currently deodorizing the earth pod he was using, the one I also forced him to ride home in, because I wasn’t going to allow him to track that smell through Two – I didn’t want a repeat of the Polecat incident.”
Jeff cocked an eyebrow at his second son, “Polecat incident?” he asked.
“When Gordon borrowed Thunderbird One, without Scott’s knowledge, to go help Parker find Shebert, who Parker had thought had gone missing,” Virgil snorted at the memory. “All he and Parker found was a polecat in the drain - it turned out Lady P had taken Sherbert with her that day and didn’t inform Parker.”
“And let me guess,” Pipe commented. “He didn’t get the opportunity to clean up before he flew One home.”
“Got it in one,” Virgil replied. “Scott wasn’t impressed, and Gordon probably would not have lived in down for months afterwards if it wasn’t for the fact that the incident happened the day before the Chaos Crew almost sent him to meet Davy Jones while attempting to retrieve Braman.”
Jeff shuddered at the reminder – that between the Hood, his minions and other forces seemingly conspiring against him – that it was a miracle that his boys were able to receive his distress call, let alone mount a rescue to save him.
A rescue that, on more than one occasion, was nearly paid for by the lives of his own children.
“By the way, Dad,” Virgil asked, changing the subject. “What are you working on there?”
“The can opener,” Jeff answered. “It broke and I’m attempting to fix it.”
“And while Dad’s working on that,” Piper growled. “Care to tell me if you know where a standard can opener is?”
Virgil looked at his sister from another mister, “What do you need opened?” he asked.
Willow, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, picked up the can in question and passed it to Virgil, “You know where the can opener is?” she asked.
“Nope,” Virgil replied, as he gently squeezed the can and popped the top off of it, as if it was a tube of Pringles, and passed it to his stunned girlfriend. “I wouldn’t have a clue where it is.”
Jeff stared gape jawed at his son, he knew that Virgil was strong, but he didn’t realise that he could do his Grandfather Grant’s trick of squeezing open tin cans.
He also felt a small prang of jealousy, he had never been able to pull off that particular trick of his father’s – the last time he attempted the trick, was on a camping trip he took with his Father, his four older boys and Piper, a couple of months after Alan had been born.
Piper snorted softy, “Show off,” she said to Virgil in amusement. “It’s probably a good thing that the rest of the guy’s are currently occupied elsewhere, considering the last time I saw you do that, Scott and Gordon dented quite a few cans trying to do it themselves.”
Jeff looked at Piper, “You knew Virgil could do this?” he asked. “When did this happen?”
Piper smiled softy, “It was on a camping trip, not long after Grandma Harry died,” she replied. “And someone remembered that Grandpa Tracy could pop the top off of a can of beans…”
“And naturally we had to try and do it ourselves,” Virgil continued, with a grin on his face. “I was the only one who managed to do it… Alan was too young, John only gave a half-hearted attempt…”
“But Scott and Gordon’s manly pride kicked in,” Piper snickered. “I thought the two of them were going to blow a gasket the way they were squeezing those cans.”
Jeff snorted in amusement, “I’m surprised to hear that Alan didn’t try harder,” he commented.
“Oh, Alan did try his hardest when it came up again, one time when they were training on the ranch,” Sally cut in. “It was also on that particular trip we found out Virgil was capable of splitting logs.”
Piper looked at Sally confused, as Virgil groaned in embarrassment, “I don’t see what so special about that,” she said. “I’ve seen all the guy’s chop wood.”
Sally grinned wickedly, “He wasn’t using an axe in that scenario, Piper,” she replied.
“Then what would he been using?” Willow asked, as she looked down at the can in her hands. “Unless…”
“No way…” Piper’s eye’s widened in shock, as she looked at Virgil. “You can split wood with your bare hands?”
“If I can get a proper grip on it,” Virgil replied nervously. “Yes.”
Jeff slapped his hands down on the table, “Right,” he started. “You ladies haven’t started cooking yet?”
“Er, no,” Piper answered. “We needed that can opened before we started.”
“Good, it can wait then,” Jeff continued, as he stood up. “We are going out to the wood pile, I want to see this for myself.”
0o0o0
A dejected feeling Gordon, with Brains and Max following behind him, finally dragged himself up stairs to the kitchen, after finally getting the skunk smell out of the earth pod and off of himself.
Why is it always me that ends up getting sprayed by the local wildlife, Gordon thought, as he walked into the empty kitchen. “Hey where is everyone?”
Brains, who was looking out of the window across the deck, “They are o-outs-side,” he answered.
Gordon looked in the same direction as Brains, sure enough there was his Father, Grandma, and Piper, walking back to the house, with mixed expressions of awe, amusement and embarrassment.
“Why do I get the impression that you did that on purpose, Grandma?” Piper asked, as the walked back into the room.
“Mother?” Jeff asked.
“I have no idea what you talking about, dear,” Sally replied, with an almost straight face.
“What’s going on?” Gordon asked.
“The electric can opener broke and we couldn’t locate the manual one,” Jeff answered. “So, Virgil treated us to some of his party tricks.”
“He did, did he,” Gordon muttered darkly, as he realised Virgil and Willow were missing. “Speaking of the devil, where are Virgil and Willow, right now?”
“Well after Virgil opened the can, Grandma mentioned that he could do another thing, and Dad wanted a live demonstration,” Piper replied with a wince. “Willow is currently showing Virgil her appreciation.”
Gordon groaned loudly, “What, did she just jump him in front of you guys?” he asked.
“Well, real displays of physical strength is one of her weakness’s,” Piper muttered. “The wood splitting pushed her over the edge.”
Jeff clapped Gordon on the shoulder, “It may not be a good idea to go out there anytime soon, son,” he said in a slightly amused voice.
“Well, since nobody is going to be going outside anytime soon, you can all help make dinner,” Sally declared, as she put an object on the kitchen bench.
The ‘missing’ can opener.