I'm thinking we start on Sunday 4 Feb with a brother each week followed by the bonus round?
Don't know what FAB five Feb is? See last year's prompts below the cut, but basically five brothers with five prompts each, one brother per week for February into March. The five prompts are dialogue, place, object, descriptor and concept. You can create what every you like sparked from those prompts, no deadline, no pressure, just fun.
Nutty
(who, yeah, hasn't worked the prompts out yet, but that is this morning's job :D)
A short bit of a young Virgil and Lucy from what is going to be a fic for Scott’s week of fab five feb and the prompt “Too high”!
- - -
“Virgil, I want you go inside with John and Gordy,” she tried. Less distraction, one less kid she to have to worry about right this second.
“No.” Virgil stood his ground and dug in his heels. “Not until Scotty can come too.”
Contrary to popular belief that mulishly stubborn set to his jaw was all her. There’d be no possibility of getting Virgil to move. So they’d just have to get Scott down.
This one was born from a random, mad, unserious thought. I keep putting Scott into terrible, secret meetings. Oopsies? Maybe one day I'll have him learn his lesson.
This one features Captain Black, only because the crossover potential with Anderson shows is endless and I will forever be crossing them over here and there for the rest of time whenever I get the chance.
Anyway, enough rambling. Here is my contribution to week one of @gumnut-logic's Fab-Five-Feb!
✨ Clandestine Meetings ✨
Scott’s arranged himself a meeting out of desperation, but it will probably be one he comes to regret.
Prompts used: quiet, dimpled, “who, me?”
AO3 link here.
Dimly lit corridors; their cold and uninviting presence sent a chill up his spine.
He never should have come here. This had been an incredibly bad idea and yet… there he was.
Scott tried to ignore the dripping sounds. They came from above and symbolised the nearby river as the source. So far underground he was but the river was still seeping through. How badly built was this place? How hastily had it been constructed?
He blocked any more of those questions from his mind. Being trapped down in those tunnels, Scott had begun to become acquainted with the unfamiliar feeling of claustrophobia. He couldn’t say he was a fan.
Behind him were two guards. When he approached the designated entrance half an hour earlier, he had first deludedly believed it was his signature dimpled smile that had won the men over. Even though the meeting had been arranged prior to his arrival, the suspicious organisation of said meeting had led Scott into expecting some sort of difficulty somewhere along the line. The two guards stationed on the door had seemed the most likely source of said trouble, hence his charm and charisma coming into play.
He didn’t need those skills, he now realised. The guards kept pushing him forward whenever he slowed down, further and further into the unending maze of corridors that continued onwards for miles. There was something suspicious about the men, something off-putting that had Scott automatically revert to the defensive. He had organised this meeting with, what he guessed were, their boss. He had been in control the whole time.
So why did he suddenly feel like he lacked any power?
It would have been easy to get lost in such a vast cavern of underground tunnels. Scott figured that was the point; anyone who was trying to leave in a hurry, who wasn’t supposed to be leaving, would discover that finding the exit was almost impossible before being caught. It wasn’t a comforting thought.
Onwards and onwards they marched in uncomfortable silence and Scott began to feel disorientated. How much longer was it going to take? Candles on the walls did little to illuminate the area. He would have switched on his phone’s torch had the guards not taken it from him before he entered. Had they not crushed it right in front of him… with their bare hands… which, now Scott came to think about, was a little weird…
“Here.”
The guard to his left gripped Scott’s shoulder tightly to halt him going further. Scott bit back a curse from the pain. That’d leave a bruise.
Scott was manoeuvred to enter a room to the right. He hadn’t even noticed this particular corridor had doors. Had the others he’d passed through also had entrances and exits dotted along? The gloomy nature of the tunnel system had him racking his brain to try and remember, not that it mattered now of course.
He stepped into the room, just as dimly lit as the corridor, and the guards followed behind him. The one who still had a grip on him forcefully persuaded Scott to take a seat. He had no choice but to oblige.
“I’m surprised you even showed up, Tracy.” The figure who sat on the other side of the dusty desk was shrouded in shadow, but Scott recognised the voice from the previous calls he’d had with him. “I thought you’d take more caution before entering the unknown.”
“Who, me? Seriously? You clearly haven’t done nearly enough research into some of my youthful activities.” Scott aimed for nonchalant but his voice shook slightly. He cleared his throat. “You mentioned a deal?”
“That I did. For the right price, of course.”
Scott had been expecting something along those lines. Nothing was free in this world, even human decency.
“However much you want, it’s yours.”
The figure stood from his chair and rounded the desk. He wore all black, and Scott wondered whether that was a style choice or whether it was to blend in with the rest of the shadowed room.
“It isn’t money I seek, Tracy.”
“Then what is it?”
The man, now standing beside him, leant back against the desk behind him. In this position, Scott could make out his gaunt features. Did the guy live down here? It looked like he hadn’t seen the sun in years, not to mention the sunken cheeks and haunted eyes.
“I said, what do you want?” Scott asked again when the man gave him no response.
“Your full co-operation.”
“And if I refuse?”
“We do not need your consent to gain co-operation, Tracy, nor do we need to wait for your answer before dealing with your friend. I would choose carefully.”
Scott blinked back his confusion, or was it his anger? He couldn’t tell. “My full co-operation with what?”
“That explanation will come with time. For now, you choose. Life or death.”
The glint of a barrel of a gun shone in the candle light as the man retrieved it from his holster. It looked to be a special issue, one that elite security teams would probably possess. Scott felt himself grow colder as he contemplated what the man was implying.
He wasn’t only threatening his brother’s life.
If Scott didn’t agree to this man’s terms, he also wouldn’t be walking out here alive.
“Fine. I accept. I offer you my full co-operation, just let them go.”
The gauntness of the man’s features seemed even more harrowing when he tried to smile. It was cold and calculating, almost smug. “No.”
“What? That wasn’t the deal we agreed to! You said if I came here—”
“I lied.” He returned to the shadowed side of the desk, holstering his weapon once again.
Scott released an exasperated sigh. “This isn’t— You can’t do that!”
“I think you’ll find that, down here, I can do whatever I want. Now, let’s talk business.”
“I’m not talking anything with you until you let my brother leave here.”
“You are in no position to bargain, Earthman.”
The term had Scott relenting on his demands. It was an odd term to use, one that suggested a possibility of… No.
“Is that supposed to be an insult?”
He could barely make out the man’s — the thing’s — shrug now he was back in the darkness. “If you do not see it as one, I do not care. The fact still remains true and you are trying to stall for time. It is pointless. You will lose.”
“I wasn’t aware we were playing a game.”
“We are not. This is situation is much larger than you could comprehend, Tracy. But, I am getting away from myself. You will listen, and you will listen closely. Only then will I consider releasing this brother of yours.”
I was surprised myself by how quickly I came up with this. But since it's Gordon's birthday on Valentine's (somehow - thank you @squiddo-kiddo for the heads up) I thought I'd write something. So here it is.
EDIT: I forgot to say this earlier: in this fic Gordon is 11, making Alan 9 and the two older brothers in their late teens.
*****
Treasure Island
“Gordo, you sure about this?” asked a worried Alan as his older brother led the way through the cave with a flashlight in hand. It was supposedly one of the brightest you could buy nowadays, and yet the floodlight-like dispersal still failed to fully penetrate the eerie darkness of the cave.
“Don’t be such a baby, Alan. Of course it’s safe. What could possibly go wrong?” Alan’s comment failed to wipe the wide grin off Gordon’s face. His sandals made a quiet splash as he treaded through a puddle with Alan close behind him. The waters below flowed soundlessly through the cavern, appearing murky black even despite the lack of pollution in these parts.
“I don’t know about this,” Alan continued nervously. The diving kit Gordon had made him carry for him sank his left shoulder as they tiptoed as quietly as possible on the seawater-drowned rock.
Dad wouldn’t have approved. Neither would Scott—or either of his other older brothers, come to think of it. But when Gordon had dragged him out of bed early this morning, he hadn’t had much of a choice but to go on a crazy adventure resembling something out of Enid Blyton’s Treasure Island. Dad was sure to be out for most of today, but Scott was sure to be looking for them by now. Not to mention Virg.
“Doesn’t seem like there’s anything here.” Gordon waved the light around, illuminating the dark eroded boulders overhead.
“Then let’s go,” replied Alan, tugging the sleeve of his brother’s T-shirt. He turned around hastily, and a scream nearly deafened Gordon when it reached his ears. Alan was clutching his arm, and he directed the torch to the head of the unidentified figure with a frown.
“Virgil?” He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light before Gordon had the sense to lower it. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just about to ask you the same question. You don’t know it’s safe down here,” said the taller teenager with a stern look. Gordon held his ground, though he was already unsettled by his brother’s bushy eyebrows that were tightly crinkled.
“Come on…trust me, there’s nothing to worry about. But don’t tell Scott,” he added quickly, “or John. Or Dad,” he said with a hushed tone. Virgil ignored his plea, his eyes instead directed to the small kit that Alan was still holding onto.
“Anyway…” Gordon decided to ignore Virgil, taking the diving kit from his little brother. He took out his goggles and rebreather, and put the gear on.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” came Virgil’s muffled exasperated remark. Gordon toed off his sandals, and taking a deep breath, he dived into the icy water.
It was February. Arguably not a great month for swimming in the ocean, but that never posed a challenge for the Squid Kid. The ocean was his playground, the corals his home. Corals. He switched on his headlight, the weak beam piercing through the heavy waters beneath Tracy Island. Everything was as dark as it had been above, until he spotted a familiar structure, colourful, blooming with life.
Corals!
He swam closer still, the small polyps waving in the soft currents. He smiled at the sight. But only a second later he realised what that meant. Corals meant sunlight. And sunlight meant he was no longer underneath the Island.
But he wasn’t ready to go back just yet.
He cruised past the corals, his thoughtful gaze caressing the colourful fingers protruding from the seabed. What a way to spend his birthday—only to have his brothers give him a good scolding when he got back. Not that it mattered, because they wouldn’t have agreed to let him go on a Pendergast exploration trip anyway, even if he asked nicely.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been before he reached the end of the small reef, and decided that it was time to go back. Everyone would be up by now, and probably looking for him as well as Alan.
He made it to the surface to find, just as he had expected, he was now in the middle of nowhere. Tracy Island was but a green dot in the distance, but fortunately he was in a good mood for swimming.
Scott Tracy stood on the cliff, his arms crossed. A sizeable bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, a side effect of the morning run he’d just had, his shirt partially soaked. He should have gone in to get a shower and clean up, but he was waiting for someone. Since Virgil had woken up and decided Gordon had gone on a solo adventure, he knew he was going to greet his maverick little brother personally and give him a good piece of his mind.
Gradually a murky yellow dot appeared in his view, growing larger to become a small boy with a golden mop for hair. Gordon reached the shore below him, greeting him with one of his mischievous, guilty grins. “Hey, Scotty…” He reached up to scratch his wet hair, his eldest brother showing no mercy in his stare. Gordon inched towards him warily, fully aware that this friendly Alsatian was about to turn into a wolf after his blood.
“Gordon, what did we tell you about going around exploring the Island like that?” Scott said simply. Gordon squeezed an awkward smile.
“That it’s dangerous?”
“Yep.” Scott said no more, hoping the boy would understand his meaning. He probably did, but pretended not to. He held the look for a second more before it collapsed into a petulant frown.
“Come on, Scott, none of you would’ve let me go down there anyway! You guys are no fun—and I can’t stand that,” he moaned, raising an eyebrow of his brother’s.
“You know why that is. And it’s not like you found a trough of treasure down there,” Scott said, standing firm. “But since it’s your birthday, I might just let this one slide.” His look softened, and Gordon’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“Really, Scott? That’s amazing!” Gordon sprang towards his brother, where he was greeted with a headlock from Scott that almost strangled the much smaller boy. He looked up with a dubious look to see that big brother was smiling.
Take this bro and one or more of these prompts and write, art, sculpt, create anything. No pressure, no real time limit, just start here and see where it takes you.
When you are ready, post the result and tag it #fabfivefeb and #fabfivefeb2024
If you are not Thunderfam, then you don’t have to play with Scott, just pick your favourite character and grab a prompt or two.
If you are Thunderfam and Scott just isn’t the bro for you, do not worry. As long as his name is in there somewhere, you’ve done it. But remember, part of the writing experience is to branch out and try new things…you never know what another brother might do when you try him on for size :D
In any case, the most important thing is to have fun, share the results and the love.
Take this bro and one or more of these prompts and write, art, sculpt, create anything. No pressure, no real time limit, just start here and see where it takes you.
When you are ready, post the result and tag it #fabfivefeb and #fabfivefeb2024
If you are not Thunderfam, then you don’t have to play with John, just pick your favourite character and grab a prompt or two.
If you are Thunderfam and John just isn’t the bro for you, do not worry. As long as his name is in there somewhere, you’ve done it. But remember, part of the writing experience is to branch out and try new things…you never know what another brother might do when you try him on for size :D
In any case, the most important thing is to have fun, share the results and the love.
