Out Of Place

A routine rescue affects John, Alan and Brains in ways they didn't think was possible. Will they be able to fix it or will they be stranded for good? TAG/TOS crossover, TOS set after Unforgotten but no prior knowledge needed.

Notes:

For LMC25.

Chapter 1: A Situation

Chapter Text

"Guys, we have a situation."

John's blue hologram materialised over the coffee table in the den. Alan sighed and put down the drink he'd just made, realising that as the only Tracy brother on the Island he was going to have to answer this one. Well the only conscious brother anyway, and given how many missions Virgil had been out on recently he wasn't going to go and wake up his big brother just so he could drink a lemonade in peace.

"Hey John, what's up?"

John looked around, clearly a bit disturbed to not find any of his other siblings. "Where is Virgil? And dad?"

"I think Virgil's actually catching up on some sleep during his downtime and dad had that appointment with the doc, remember? One of his routine checkups." John nodded slowly, looking up at screens that Alan couldn't see but he would bet anything that John was verifying what he just said. Their father had been missing for eight long years, only to turn up in the Oort Cloud of all places. He'd been back on Earth for a couple of months now but needed routine rehabilitation to get used to the gravity and atmosphere again.

"Anyhow, you're just left with yours truly." Alan leant back in his seat and gestured to himself. The youngest of the Tracy brothers, he wasn't often the first choice for rescue missions unless the mission involved space. Space was his speciality, a trained astronaut that had racked up numerous hours of zero-G despite being only eighteen. One of the perks of being a part of International Rescue.

"Well I'd need you anyway," John explained. "But I also needed to pick Brains's…well, brain."

Brains, real name Hiram Hackenbacker, was the engineer and scientist who had designed most of International Rescue's cutting edge craft. He was also a consultant for many rescue missions, where his expertise often meant the difference between success and failure.

"Are my ears burning?" An accented voice floated into the den and Brains appeared, followed by his trusty robot MAX. "Did I hear you ask for help?"

"You sure did," John confirmed. "I'm glad you're here, Brains. I've received a distress call from a distant ship, very faint but still there. Apparently they have been hit by something and are stranded, on a collision course with a large asteroid."

"I-I see. I'm n-not quite sure why you n-need my help so far, John."

"That's the thing Brains, apparently whatever struck them has become stuck to their hull and is interfering with their craft. It's also interfering with radio signals so I can't get clearer details. I need to know how we stop it."

John flashed up a broken image of the stricken spaceship. It was a large people transporter, the type used to create and develop the Mars colony.

"What is that doing up there?" Alan wondered out loud, noticing the rocks in the image which looked as though the transporter was in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

"No idea," John replied. "The messages I'm getting from the transporter are very rough, I could barely make out that they needed help. But there is no one else who could get there in time, Global One is undergoing a refit and has no personnel to spare and if a GDF craft launched from Earth they'd never make it."

"Y-you don't have a better picture?" Brains asked, peering through his glasses at the strange attachment on the side of the transporter.

"Sorry Brains, you've got all I have."

"Hm, I see. Well I guess t-there is no time to l-lose, better get going. Y-you'll need to c-come along too I think, John. It will need a couple of pairs of hands."

"Hey, worried I can't handle it?"

"N-not at all, A-Alan, but we will need someone to undo t-the quantum clamps while y-you prise the box casing l-loose."

"OK Brains, I'll get into the exosuit and meet you outside Thunderbird 5." John confirmed, before pausing and looking back at them. “Wait a moment Brains… come along? You're coming too?"

"Oh yes," Brains confirmed as he sat in the second seat that took any co-pilot to Thunderbird 3. "As y-you don't have a better picture I'm g-going to have to come along t-to see it for m-myself. O-otherwise, I won't be able to h-help you disarm it." His words sounded more confident than he looked, a large gulp escaping him as the comfy armchairs sank into the floor and began racing below Tracy Island to reach the Thunderbird 3 launch bay.

Once they were in place, the red rocket took to space with a roar. Brains whimpered slightly whilst gripping the edges of his seat with white knuckled hands, while Alan just grinned at him.

"Aw come on Brains, we've done this loads by now."

"D-doesn't mean I have to l-like it," Brians muttered, screwing his eyes shut.

"If you really don't like it so much, maybe you could have sent MAX instead? Why did you come?"

"T-the box," Brians explained. "I d-don't like it, there w-was nothing about it that should have s-stopped a transporter unless it i-is sending a very strong interfering signal. A-and if it's sending that strong a signal, then it w-will likely interfere with any communications between Thunderbird 3 and Tracy Island. N-no, I had to come in p-person."

"Well ok Brains, just promise me you won't throw up in here again. It was a real pain to clean last time." Alan peered out of the windows towards the orbiting space station Thunderbird 5, which was the main communication hub for International Rescue and the place where John spent most of his time. His older brother was just about visible at the end of the station, wearing his space exosuit. "Hi John, just opening the doors now."

"FAB Alan." The figure flew towards them, passing below the nose of Thunderbird 3 and into the centre of the ship where an airlock had opened ready to receive him. In next to no time, John was in the compartment with them.

"Hey guys. We're headed over to the asteroid belt, EOS should be sending you the coordinates now."

"Yep, they're here. Buckle up, we're heading out." Alan twisted the controls, instinctively turning the rocket and engaging the thrusters.

Brains, having relinquished the co-pilot's seat as soon as John came on board, gulped again and grabbed hold of anything he could as the trio powered towards Mars and beyond.

"I called Scott to let him know we were heading out," John informed Alan, his fingers flicking through the data on the screen as he pulled up everything he had on the stranded transporter. "He's going to stop by to pick dad up on the way home, then they will field the communications while we're out here. Eos is stepping in until they get back to Base."

"EOS? She isn't exactly a people person." Thunderbird 5's resident artificial intelligence was known to be very tetchy with humans, well all except for John. She seemed to have developed a fondness for John as her creator.

"She isn't exactly a person at all," John replied sardonically. "But she'll at least be able to triage the calls until someone else can take them." John continued to flip through data, eventually passing something over to Brains. "This is the latest information we've got, something is still interfering pretty badly with the signals."

"Hmm," Brains looked at the hologram on the tablet he was holding. "I s-still think it's the box itself that must be causing the interference. I've n-never seen anything like it. If we can, I'd like to get it back to the lab to look at it properly."

"If we can get it powered down, that shouldn't be a problem," John replied.

"Guys, we're not that far away now. So, plan of attack. John and I go down to the transporter, John detaches the box thing and I bring it back for Brains, we go home and hey presto."

"I'm a-afraid it won't be quite that easy," Brains told Alan. "There will be some q-quantum clamps that this screwdriver should manage to disrupt, but you're going to need to hold the lid back and scan the inside of the box while John is disengaging the clamps. B-be careful, if you release the clamps too soon it will fly shut." Brians directed the last comment at John, who frowned and nodded as he studied the points Brains had highlighted on the image.

"Then you send the scans to m-me, I tell you how to disengage and we r-remove the box safely from the transporter." Brains finished instructing Alan. "T-then it is hey p-presto and home. Hopefully."

"Yeah, if I'm not crushed like a sardine," Alan grumbled. "Hey, we're nearly here. This is Thunderbird 3 calling Starstreak 36 alpha. Are you receiving me?"

"Come…Thunder….receiving you…"

"The interference is still really bad and you're right, Brains, it is coming from that box." John was using Thunderbird 3's sensors to get a better reading now that they were closer. Alan grimaced.

"Starstreak 36 alpha, this is Thunderbird 3. We're going to try to remove the object that's causing the interference, then you should be able to power yourself out of danger." He shook his head. "They probably haven't heard a word. Come on, let's get this thing off their ship."

Brains was looking at the large asteroid that was headed the way of the transporter, his face pale. "I…yes, that would s-seem a good idea."

John and Alan suited up, ready for the vacuum of space, before entering the airlock. Soon they were floating over to the transporter, using their hands to travel along the side of it until the strange box was reached.

Up close, it was about the size of a person. It was only about half a metre deep, stuck tightly on the ship somehow. The casing was connected to the underside by six large clamps that John started to scan.

"Whoa Brains, are you getting this?" Alan asked, moving around so that the camera in his mask would be able to show Brains the front of it. There were strange designs etched into the surface, and it looked almost as though it had been hewn from a larger sheet of metal and folded into the casing.

"I'm nearly there, Alan," John grunted, prising the quantum clamps apart using the tool Brains had given him but having to hold them apart using sheer strength. The clamps twitched, trying to close again but John held firm. Alan dived into the gap he'd made.

"Brains, I'm in. How do I shut this thing down?"

"Alan…..red….cut…. green…" Brains's voice was faint and almost impossible to decipher through the comms, despite how close he was in Thunderbird 3.

"Dammit," Alan swore. "I can't hear him. I'm going to try to boost the signal John."

"Do it quickly!" John's voice betrayed the effort he was making to hold the casing open.

"Brains, I've boosted the signal to max. You need to repeat your instruction."

"Cut…green wire…engage…"

"Right, green wire. OK." Alan looked at the complex system in front of him, picking out the green wire. With a shrug, he snipped it. For a moment, nothing happened. But then…Alan realised with a sinking feeling that he was looking at a dial. A dial that had started to flash up numbers. Numbers that were now counting down. "John, it's counting down – its some sort of bomb! We need to get out of here!"

Alan flew backwards just as John released the casing with a bang. "Go back to Thunderbird 3," John told him. "I'll try to contact the captain of the transporter, try to get the passengers off."

"FAB," Alan flew away, back to Thunderbird 3. John crawled up the side of the transporter, racing against time.

"Starstreak 36 alpha, do you copy?"

His comms crackled, but then a faint voice came through. "This is Captain Hodges of Starstreak 36 alpha, we can hear you now. What's going on out there?"

"We've tried too remove the box that's causing the interference but we've managed to start some kind of timer, you need to evacuate."

"No can do, the interference is stopping us opening bulkhead doors or ejecting the escape pods. Where is the box located?"

"Fourth bulkhead on starboard side."

"Copy." There was a moment of cracking silence. "All personnel are being advised to travel to front of transporter. It's a tight seal to the area you've described, so provided the blast isn't too big we should be safe. Let's hope that's enough."

"John!" Alan's voice sounded urgent, causing John to stare up at Thunderbird 3. "She's unresponsive, I can't come and pick you up! You need to get back here, now. There's no time!"

John started to fly back towards the space rocket, his exosuit thrusters opting and hissing intermittently as his line veered erratically. He was about halfway back to the relative safety of Thunderbird 3 when a light behind him had him turning around to see what was happening. The casing of the strange box had opened, revealing a bright white light. John had no warning or time to brace as the box flew apart, a pulse wave accompanied by a blinding light hurtling towards him and sending him spinning into space.

Chapter 2: Spinning

Chapter Text

Everything was tumbling around him as John flew through space. He was flailing, trying to find anything that would slow him down and stop the uncontrolled spinning. A wave of nausea rolled over him and he grimaced, fighting back against the swell of motion sickness. Eventually a thought fought its way into his brain and he managed to direct his energy into switching on the exosuit thrusters. Fingers probed across the surface of the suit until…yes, there! The first press didn't do anything so he hit it again. And again. He was eventually rewarded with a splutter from the thrusters before they roared into life and his spin started to slow.

Eventually he stopped spinning completely and he tried to listen to the frantic voice that had been screaming inside his head for the last few moments.

"John! John, are you ok?"

"Hey Alan," John felt pretty disorientated which was reflected in his voice, but at least he was able to answer. "I'm ok, I think. What happened?"

"That thing blew up! Something flew out of it at us, sent you hurtling away and caused Thunderbird 3 to go into a spin. I think the transporter was blown the other way, it's clear of the asteroid now."

"Better find out if they have any injuries," John replied, still sounding a bit groggy. He tried to force himself to look around at the situation. He had to turn around to find the transporter, it seemed unharmed apart from a blackened section of hull. Given the size of the pulse that hit him, John was amazed it wasn't more damaged but assumed that the majority of the force had been directed outwards. It was also a long way away, a good indication of quite how far he had been thrown before he could get back control. He couldn't see Thunderbird 3 at all, but he thought he may have been moved beyond the far side of the large asteroid by the pulse.

He pulled up his scanner on his wrist guards, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that actually the rocket wasn't that far away after all. It was heading his way, skirting around the asteroid to collect him. As it neared, he saw that Alan had already opened the airlock doors for him. John engaged the exosuit thrusters and despite lacking power and spluttering madly they just about got him in safely.

His head was still spinning as he made his way into the cockpit, noticing that Brains had taken his co-pilot position. "How are the people on the transporter?" He asked Alan as he sat down.

"I'm just heading over to find out."

"They should be able to open the doors now, I'll be able to board and-"

"Y-you aren't boarding anything." Brains told him severely, giving him a glare over the top of his glasses that Grandma would be proud of. "You've just been flung across space by a mysterious device, you need to sit there and keep still."

"Brains, I-"

"N-no, John." The engineer shook his head firmly. "Y-you aren't going to change my mind. I-I'm sure Alan is perfectly capable of making sure the crew is ok."

"Fine, fine, you win." John held his hands up in surrender, sitting back into the seat.

"I-I'm glad you think so," Brains replied smugly. "I also feel like I should tell you that I informed Grandma of the incident and she insists you accompany us back to Base for a full check over."

John gaped at him, turning to his little brother in supplication. Alan held up his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me, I'm not contravening Grandma's orders. I like my hide in one piece. Now let's go and have a look at this ship." He took hold of the controls again, nimbly manoeuvring the rocket over to the transporter, dodging the asteroid in the process.

John was tapping away on the holograms on his wrist. "Looks like they're clear of the path of the asteroid, now."

"Yeah," Alan looked at it as they passed and shuddered. "That's one big rock."

"A-Alan," Brain suddenly called, looking straight out of the spaceship. "L-look, part of the device has come away from the transporter." He pointed at a metallic object drifting in the path of the asteroid.

"On it," Alan replied, swiftly diverting their course. He swooped up to the debris and opened the nose cone hatch of Thunderbird 3, snagging it as they flew by. He then darted out of the way just as the asteroid came whistling past.

Brains took a shuddering breath as he released his death grip on the seat. "I didn't meant to go get it!"

"Oh…oops?" Alan grinned sheepishly. "Well we have it now, you'll be able to study it later." He pulled his course back to the transporter. "This is Thunderbird 3 calling Starstreak 36 alpha, are you all alright in there?"

"We can hear you Thunderbird 3, and boy is it good to say that. Yes, all personnel accounted for, some minor injuries but nothing we can't handle now that we can access our medical bay again. Thank you, for whatever it was you did."

"Oh it's no problem," Alan told him, brushing aside the thanks. "Do you mind if we go and collect the thing that caused the interference? We want to take it back and study it in case we ever come across one again."

"Be my guest, International Rescue, you can't take it far enough away for me. And thanks again."

Alan steered Thunderbird 3 up to the strange box, still attached to the hull except for the casing that they'd already picked up. The box was dangling loosely, the pulse seemed to have all but severed it's connection to the ship. Given how much force went into the blast it was astonishing that it was still attached at all.

A quick twist and a kick from Alan was all it took to dislodge it and he managed to stow it into the belly of Thunderbird 3 alongside the retrieved casing.

"Right, time to get this lot home!" Alan told his passengers, turning the spaceship around. The movement caused John's head to spin again and he grasped the seat to keep his balance.

"You ok back there?" Alan asked with concern.

"Just a bit dizzy," John admitted. "Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"It won't be long until we're back," Alan reassured him, setting the coordinates to take them home. "Then you can let Grandma fuss over you for a bit, have some food and head back up."

John settled back into the seat with a sigh. "Do we have any proper food at home?"

Alan shrugged. "Brains has fixed the automatic kitchen module so it should be whipping up dinner as we speak."

"I-indeed, though I'm not sure q-quite why it keeps breaking."

John snorted. "I think you can blame Grandma for that, when she gets the urge to cook for us. I think the module sees what she's doing and breaks in sympathy."

Brains took his glasses off and began to polish one of the lens. "I-I don't think it's quite as s-sentient as all that, John."

John's head hit the back of the seat as he stared up at the ceiling. "Definitely meant as a joke, Brains."

"Anyhow," Alan interrupted, rolling his eyes. "We're nearly there, get ready for re-entry."

The landing was smooth and in next to no time John was being helped down from the passenger compartment while Alan and Brains took the comfy chairs back to the den. John held on tightly as he was lowered by one of the giant mechanical arms that were installed in most of the hangers, feeling slightly woozy again as he was moved back to ground level.

Grandma was waiting for him, tapping her toe impatiently. "Come on, I don't have all day. I promised your father I'd bake a batch of his favourite brownies, seeing as your brothers are insisting on having dinner cooked by that module gadget."

"Oh hi, Grandma." John moved as soon as the dizziness cleared, walking over to where she stood in her trademark purple tracksuit.

"Don't you 'oh hi' me, sonny. Let's see what you've done to yourself by fooling around in space." She pulled out a magnifying glass and started to shine bright lights into his eyes, that John instinctively flinched back from.

"I'd hardly call it fooling around, Grandma." She hmphed in response.

"Well you look ok. I don't suppose I'll be able to persuade you to stay around down here for a couple of days?"

"I'll be fine, Eos will take care of me."

"Hm," his Grandma pulled back and regarded him, her hands on her waist and her head tilted to one side. "We don't bite you know, you should spend more time down here with us. Particularly now your father's back."

"I suppose…" John shifted uncomfortably. The reality was, he was so used to space now that he felt awkward and heavy when he spent too much time on Earth.

"Well you're here for the rest of today, at least. Eos is doing a good job scanning the calls and Jeff's responding to any that need it. You can actually spend some time with your family." She looped her free hand through his arm and marched him up and out of the hanger to the den.

The den was much busier than when John had called into it earlier. Virgil, recovering after back to back missions with some much needed sleep, had finally got up and was sat on one of the sofas engaged in a discussion with the oldest brother Scott. Scott had been on his own mission to rescue a stranded yacht but now was sat on the edge of the coffee table opposite Virgil. Both looked up and waved when John entered. Alan was making his way down from the bedrooms, having managed to squeeze in a quick shower after their rescue. Brains wasn't there, but John expected he'd already taken the device they recovered to the lab to check it out.

His father was sat behind his desk. And wasn't that a joy to see, after eight long years without him John was far to used to seeing Scott's lanky frame sat in his father's chair instead. But to see his dad back where he belonged, that was something special.

"How was your appointment?" He asked, referring to his father's rehabilitation earlier that day.

Jeff Tracy looked up from the paperwork and graced his middle son with a smile. "Hi there John, it's nice to see you in person. It was good thank you, there is still a long way to go but they think I'm making good progress." Even as he said it John could see the tightening of his expression that suggested despite the physio's assurances it still wouldn't be soon enough for Jeff.

"You'll get there, sooner than you know." John reassured, earning a smile in return.

"Thanks son. How are you? Alan said you were hit by a pulse or something."

"It was a bomb, I think." Although John still wasn't sure exactly what it was. "It was obstructing the controls of a transporter that was in the path of an asteroid. I'm ok, a bit shaken up but nothing a decent sleep won't cure." John did feel tired too, the mission had taken more out of him than he had realised.

His Grandma came up the steps from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready," she announced to the room. "Can someone go and tell Brains and Gordon?"

"I'll get them," Virgil offered. "Gordon didn't get back that long ago so I think he's still in the hanger, I'll grab Brains on the way."

"Thanks Virgil," Grandma smiled at him. "Now come on you lot, I know it isn't quite the same as one of my homemade specialities but it'll still taste ok."

"Sure, Grandma," Scott smiled at her, his athletic figure striding across the den easily. Alan jogged to catch up with him, chatting about something that required elaborate hand gestures as they went down the stairs together. John smiled at the sight of him before turning back to his father.

"Coming, dad?"

"Sure thing." Jeff slowly stood, leaning on the desk for support but waving off John's concerned gaze. "The physio is pretty tough and takes it out of me, I usually seize up afterwards. Nothing to worry about, I just can't move that quick."

"I'm not much better tonight," John confessed as they slowly made their way down together. "The rescue took it out of me today, I don't get stuck into that many and I'm not in the same kind of shape the others are."

"Hmm," Jeff studied him, a calculating expression on his face. "I might talk to Brains about getting some resistance machines installed on Thunderbird 5. I know you have gravity, but that alone isn't enough. You need to build proper muscle mass to support your joints and ligaments."

"Might not be a bad idea," John agreed. He'd thought of it himself in the past, but it never was enough of a priority to ask Brains to ditch something else in favour of working on it. But given his dad's experience of the lasting long term effects of being in minimal gravity, maybe John would actually get around to asking about it.

By the time they reached the kitchen table, the rest of the family were there. John slipped into a space between Scott and Alan while Jeff sat at the head of the table. Brains jogged into the room and sat in the empty seat opposite John, Gordon and Virgil on either side of him.

"S-sorry I'm late, I lost track."

"That's OK Brains," Grandma smiled at him. "We know how you are when you get caught up in something. How are you getting on with that thingummy you boys found? Shame it self destructed."

"T-that's the thing." Brains had been about to eat a forkful of pasta, but he paused with it halfway to his mouth. "I don't t-think it did self destruct."

"What do you mean, Brains?" Alan asked, curiosity displacing his hunger momentarily. "We saw the thing detonate when we interfered with it."

"Well," Brians paused dramatically. "I d-don't think it detonated, more that it operated. It seemed to d-do exactly what it was supposed to do. B-but I don't know what that is!"

As he said this, he waved his arms excitedly. The drama of the moment was completely spoilt by the pasta flying off his fork and hitting Gordon in the face. The whole table hushed as they watched the pasta slide down the aquanaut's cheek, leaving a trail of red sauce before it plopped down onto the table with a splat.

"O-oh my…" Brains stuttered. There was a silence while Gordon just looked at the offending carbohydrate with a confused expression, before Jeff let out a huge guffaw. That started the whole table laughing, even Brains joining in with an awkward chuckle.

"Oh Gordon, your face," Jeff chortled a few minutes later, once he'd managed to regain some control. "I haven't laughed like that in…well, about eight years! Thanks Brains, and don't worry about the device – if it's safe in our lab it can't cause any more damage. Mum's checked you all out as well, so I say let's just make sure we know how to deactivate it properly next time in case we find another."

There was a general noise of agreement, although Brains still looked perplexed. The conversation turned to more normal themes, including what the boys planned to do the next day and how they were going to celebrate Christmas this year.

By the end of the meal John was pleasantly full and feeling even more sleepy than before. He wasn't the only one either, Alan was yawning widely and Brains was beginning to space out.

With a groan John stretched and stood up. "Well that was delicious, but I'm beat. I'm going to head back up to Thunderbird 5."

"Are you sure you won't stay here tonight?" His Grandma asked him, slight furrow of concern on her brow.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "And Eos will be the first to tell you if I'm not."

"Well ok then, but you get up to bed young man. You do look beat. In fact," Grandma stopped and surveyed all the faces around her table. "You all do, you should call it an early night."

Jeff smiled, amused. "Well you heard your Grandma. Off to bed."

"And you, son," Grandma told him pointedly. "You're the worst of the lot."

John left, chuckling at his dad's offended expression as he began to argue back. John wasn't going to argue, he was beginning to feel dead on his feet. He was even more out of shape than he realised. He struggled even to stay awake on the short flight up in the space elevator, only Eos peppering him with questions and snippets that she'd heard whilst monitoring communications that day kept him with it.

Even Eos noticed that he was exhausted though, as she chided him into bed as soon as he was back on Thunderbird 5. Gratefully, he accepted her offer to continue to watch communications while he slept. With a groan, he folded down his bunk and stretched out on it.

"Goodnight John," Eos told him fondly, dimming the lights in the bedroom section of the gravity ring.

John yawned widely. "Night Eos. See you in the morning." Pretty much as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

Despite how tired he had been, John found himself woken up far too soon. There was something bright and warm hitting his face, disturbing his slumber. That was odd. Eos was normally very considerate about making sure the station was dark enough for him to sleep properly, she complained that he wasn't getting enough as it was. He tried to burrow back down into the quilt to hide from the light, but it was no good. He was awake now.

And because he was now awake, John knew that something was wrong here. He didn't usually have a quilt, he just used simple sheets as the station was climate controlled and warm enough already. He also slept on a fairly hard bunk, but now he was sleeping on a soft mattress. He opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light hitting his face from where it came through…a skylight? Something was very, very wrong. He slowly sat up, looking at the small bedroom he found himself in. The ceiling was low and slanted, it was obviously in an attic room of some sort. The skylight showed him a bright blue sky outside, small white clouds dotted around the blue.

A movement next to him brought all his attention crashing back into the small bedroom. The bed in particular. A woman had rolled over towards him in the bed, her arm brushing against his thigh which was still thankfully clad in uniform. She had wavy brown hair that was splayed out on the pillow, framing her face. She had particularly striking features, not classically beautiful but not a face you would forget in a hurry. As John watched her, her free hand gently caressed his thigh, causing him to flinch away from her.

"Scott?" She murmured, still half asleep.

"Um…hi." John replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

The speed with which the woman opened her eyes and sat upright was impressive. John had a split second where he looked into her wide, surprised eyes, noticing that they were such a light brown that they were nearly golden. The next moment, a right hook caught him completely by surprise and knocked him backwards off the bed and into darkness.

Chapter 3: The Switch

Chapter Text

Brains was having a strange dream. In it, he was sitting with Moffy- ahem, Professor Moffat – in a small bistro. MAX was acting as the waiter, singing opera to them. He brought over soup but the bowls were empty. Brains tentatively raised his hand to complain and instantly alarms began to blare in the bistro.

He clawed his way out of sleep and away from the noise. Except… the alarms weren't stopping. He sat up, reaching blindly for his trademark blue glasses and putting them on. He opened his eyes and tried to work out what the noise was, it was nothing like the alarms that he'd installed on Tracy Island.

As he looked around, a feeling of panic began to steal over him. Because wherever he was, it was nothing like his room on Tracy Island either.

"Tintin?" A voice next to him asked. Brains turned swiftly to see he was in a double bed rather than his small bunk and that the far side of it was occupied. Occupied by a disheveled head that was reaching for their own pair of trademark blue glasses.

"Oh my." Brains breathed. His counterpart blinked a few times and stared back.

"I…err…ok. W-who are you?"

"I'm Brains. I mean, Hiram Hackenbacker. Brains is my nickname. E-excuse me, but where am I?"

The colour left the face of the other man. "Y-you're called Brains? B-but I'm Brains too…"

"…oh my," Brains breathed again, staring at the man he was now sure was his doppelgänger. There was a difference in race, true, and way of speaking, but Brains was still sure that the person he was looking at was also Brains. He couldn't explain it, the knowledge was deep seated within him.

"Y-you're me." The other Brains was saying, eyes open wide. "F-from another t-timeline, I a-assume."

"I…well, maybe." Brains conceded. The two engineers scrutinised each other for a bit. "I don't know how I came to be here," Brains tried explaining. "I went to bed as usual in my room on Tracy Island and woke up here."

"T-Tracy Island?" His counterpart pushed his glasses back against the bridge of his nose. "D-do you work for, er, I-International Rescue, too?"

"Yes," Brains let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding. "Yes, I do."

"A-and you're now here. D-did you see anybody else?"

"No, the alarms woke me up just before you."

"The a-alarm!" The other Brains leapt upright, hastily grabbing a dressing gown. He paused, conflicted, before throwing a blazer at Brains. "I-I don't have a spare," he explained apologetically.

"T-that's not a problem. You're being very calm about all this."

"Oh no," his head was shaking vigorously. "I can a-assure you, I-I'm panicking inside. B-but there is a r-red alert so everyone w-will be up, we can tell t-them all about it."

"Oh, because they will think I'm a security risk?"

"No," the other Brains paused as his door slid open with a hiss. "B-but because you are here, and yet Tintin is n-not."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alan tried to burrow his head under his pillow to drown out the sound of the alarm. John had really gone overboard this time, setting off an alarm like this instead of just popping in with his hologram. Eventually he conceded defeat and got up, stretching and yawning and blearily walking towards the door. He only half registered that it slid open instead of him having to pull it, still yawning as he stepped into….his bathroom. What? He shook his head. Typical, don't mess up the doors for years and still manage to get it wrong once in a whole. Still, at least John wasn't around to witness it again. One benefit of the alarm is that John wasn't watching over him personally. Probably. It was always pretty hard to tell.

Alan tried again and this time found himself in the hall. He followed it into the lounge, seeing that it was already full.

"Hey John, what's with the alarm instead of that hologram popping thing you usually do? Not that I'm complaining you aren't stalking me, but it's really loud."

Brains leapt up from where he was sat on a small sofa. "Alan, you're here too?"

"Oh hey Brains, what's….whoa." For the first time Alan actually looked around and realised he wasn't in the den. He was in a room full of oriental decorations, bright windows zigzagging out to the sparking sea beyond. There were small items of furniture dotted around but the thing that he really noticed where the portraits on the wall. Portraits of five brothers in International Rescue uniforms, that were definitely not him and his brothers. Plus, everything was so… old fashioned.

"Have I stepped back in time?" He wondered aloud. "Or is this a trippy dream? Maybe Brains did something to that kitchen module and it spiked the pasta?"

"I-I can safely say it is none of the above," Brains replied. "I-I think, in fact, we've slipped sideways."

"Sideways, hm?" This was said by an older man, a man who looked remarkably like Alan's dad. "Like, another dimension."

"E-exactly like a, er, another dimension, Mr T-Tracy." Alan's eyes were on stalks as he looked at the man standing next to Brains. Or, well, Brains 2. Wow, that was creepy. Two of them. Imagine what they could do if they put their minds to it. Alan's mind shuddered away from the concept of total world domination. Then what Brains 2 had said actually registered.

"Wait, wait, wait – you think we're in another dimension? But… how do we get home?"

Brains 2 pushed his glasses back on his head. "And h-how do we get our Alan and Tintin back?"

"We'll get them back, Brains." This was said by a man who was solidly built with brown hair. He was looking sympathetically at Brains 2. Alan was scrambling to work out who it was.

"Wait…if we're in another dimension does that make you…no, wait, let me guess! Virgil?" He was rewarded with a nod and an attempt at a smile, although the worry turned it more into a grimace. Alan turned to the other man in the room, a short and stocky redhead. "Um…"

"Gordon." The man replied with a wave. Alan's jaw hung open.

"No. Freaking. Way. Wait until I tell Gordon his other dimension counterpart is a redhead!"

"He isn't?" The weird red-headed Gordon asked curiously. Alan was about to launch into a description when the older man cleared his throat pointedly. Looking at him, Alan realised that he probably bore more that a passing resemblance to his dad.

"I think we need to work out why John sounded the alarm. Also, has Scott checked in yet?"

"John!" Brains gasped. "He was with us on the ship too!" Everyone turned to face him in confusion, so he elaborated. "If it was the device that caused us to be here then John will have been affected too!"

"You think it was that strange box we found?"

"I-I'm sure of it. With you here as well I can think of no other explanation. John w-was also with us when the pulse struck."

"So John must be here too! In your version of Thunderbird 5! Wait… does John live in your version of Thunderbird 5?"

"He is its main operative," Jeff replied. "Thunderbird 5 this is Base, come in Thunderbird 5."

Alan turned to the series of five portraits. Two he now recognised and he could immediately tell which one Scott was. This Scott bore a remarkable resemblance to his eldest brother. It was the two blonds that stumped him. Both were older than he was, although he wasn't sure which was which. It became obvious though, as with a flicker one of the portraits became a video screen instead.

"Whoa," Alan muttered, moving closer. He could see Brains was doing the same as well. If Brains hadn't said that they'd moved sideways he would have been convinced they'd gone back in time, the technology was so basic.

"Hello father," the blond was saying, crisp and curt tones very different to their John's. "It took you a long time to answer."

"There have been some developments here, John. Can I just say that I'm very pleased to see you safe and sound on Thunderbird 5?"

"I'm not sure where else I'd be, father."

"Well, possibly in a different dimension along with Tintin and Alan. Or at least, this young man seems to think so." Jeff gestured towards Brains, who waved shyly.

"Who…Brains? And… Brains? What's going on, father?"

"I'll explain in a moment, John. First, why did you trigger the emergency alarm?"

The blond in the image straightened, as though to deliver a report to a senior. "I've had a call from Angel, father. She says that Scott has disappeared at some point during the night and that she didn't hear anything. There was also a stranger in her house when she woke up this morning. But the most curious thing is that they seemed to be wearing a sash with an International Rescue logo, but not our International Rescue logo. She sent me a picture." John stopped speaking and instead of a video the frame displayed a picture, of an orange IR sash that Alan recognised all too well.

"That's John's sash!"

"John?" The blond John was back, looking at Alan curiously.

"L-let me see if I can explain," Brains said, looking to Jeff for permission. At his wave, Brains continued. "J-john, Alan and I were on a r-routine mission to support a transporter on its way to the Mars c-colonies. They had a strange box that had a-attached to them and cause interference, it s-stranded them in the path of an asteroid. We tried to remove the box and it emitted a pulse of r-radiation, that I haven't had a chance to analyse yet. We then returned, were passed m-medically fit and retired for the night. B-but we woke up here."

"And Tintin, Alan and Scott are now missing," Jeff summarised grimly. "We assume they went to wherever it was you came from but we can't be sure."

"W-what I don't get is why them?" Brains confessed. "I-I thought, initially, that it was trying to swap with our other selves, that T-tintin," a quick glance to Jeff confirmed the name. "T-that Tintin was unlucky as she was close to, ah, my alternate self. But if John, who was on Thunderbird 5, swapped with Scott then it makes no sense."

"I-I think t-that's where you're wrong," Brains 2 said, nodding to himself. "It, er, it actually makes total sense."

"Go on Brains," urged Jeff as the engineer paused.

"Well, ah, you s-see, about a week ago Alan, Tin and Scott went on that mission t-to the satellite repair shuttle that had malfunctioned a-and was on a collision with the space station, r-remember? T-there was interference there, they didn't know why so they, er, evacuated the crew and blew up the shuttle. B-but Scott and A-Alan said that they thought they had seen a p-pulse of something before the shuttle was d-destroyed. What if it was the same thing?"

"So somehow, your crew c-came into contact with the same strange energy pulse as we did and it tagged them somehow so that after we were hit it locked onto them as possible targets to swap! It must have been scanning any number of different dimensions looking for the right energy signatures to switch!"

Alan was trying to keep up, he really was, but all this talk of different dimensions was beginning to make him dizzy.

"Well that goes some way to explaining it," John was musing as he looked down at a monitor that wasn't in view. "Angel's not going to be happy though."

"Is the other John alright?" Jeff asked seriously. At Gordon's questioning glance he elaborated. "He did come face to face with Angel." Neither Brains not Alan missed John's wince through the video screen.

"I think he'll be ok," the blond started but was interrupted.

"Wait, think?" Alan asked, frowning. "Can't you just ask him and find out? Or let us talk to him?"

This time there was a definite wince. "Well…" The other John started, hedging as he tried to find the right words. "He hasn't regained consciousness yet, but Angel thinks it won't be too long now. She didn't hit him that hard."

Alan took a moment to process what he was saying while Jeff was grumbling quietly to himself. "The sooner Scott decides she's too much hassle, the better. Jaunting off to God knows where all the time, leaving Thunderbird 1 where anyone could find her."

"Hold on a moment, dad." John disappeared momentarily, his video switching to a static portrait. Gordon frowned at his father.

"You know Scott's in this for the long haul, right? He's not just going to get bored with her and come home. Besides, she's helped us out so much in the past."

Jeff looked apologetic for being called out on his inner monologue. "That may be, Gordon, but she's a liability and hardly the type of girl you'd settle down and marry, is she?"

Whatever Gordon was going to say in response was lost as John's portrait started flashing again. "Come in Thunderbird 5," Jeff instructed.

"Angel's been in touch," John started without preamble. "She asks whether you are planning to go and collect the other John, and wants me to remind you that Thunderbird 1 is currently parked in the woods behind her house."

Jeff slumped in his seat. "It's not even two in the morning and this is turning into one hell of a day."

Chapter 4: On The Other Side

Chapter Text

Scott wasn't particularly comfortable. The mattress seemed really hard tonight and no matter how he shifted he couldn't seem to relax his back. That was probably caused in part by the rescue he'd been on earlier, he'd had to leap for Thunderbird 2's grapples as the coach he was on finally tipped off the side of a cliff somewhere in the Italian Alps. His back had wrenched awkwardly when making the movement, just a gentle reminder that he was nearing thirty and not as young as he once was.

He decided not to worry about it too much and roll over to hug his wife instead. He had got in fairly late the night before after the rescue and hadn't wanted to disturb her in her sleep. Not that he actually had any hope of sneaking past Angel, but she let him pretend once in a while. Smiling at the thought, he rolled over to his left. Instead of finding his wife's warm body, he hit something hard. He flinched back away from it, rolled to the right and promptly fell onto the floor with a thud.

Scott opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. In front of him, and much much further away than he was comfortable with, was the Earth.

Scott just stared out at the stars and planet rotating underneath him. From his prone position, lying face first down on the transparent floor, it felt like he was floating adrift in space. But that was impossible, this was impossible. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, but the view didn't change. The stars continued to float past and Scott couldn't deny that he was in space – even if he had no idea how he had got there.

After a few stunned moments, Scott scrambled to his feet. He was only wearing a pair of boxers, meaning that he felt completely unprepared for being in space with no space suit, no layers, nothing. Behind him the bunk snapped upright, stowing itself against the wall seamlessly. Looking at how it blended into the rest of the panels gave him an idea and he began to prod the wall. He managed to unearth a small sink, a trash can and bizarrely something that he thought was a trouser press before he hit the jackpot when a rack of spacesuits popped out. Eyeing up the skin tight blue outfit Scott was sceptical that it would fit but had no option other than to try. It wasn't quite as bad as he feared, a little long in the legs and too tight across the torso but he managed to leave the zip open so that he could still breathe.

Scott held up the orange sash sceptically, unable to work out how to put it on. In the end he decided against it and was about to put it down when the logo struck him. He held it closer and traced over the IR with a fingertip.

"Oh, this isn't good…" he muttered to himself. For the first time Scott noticed there were words on the floor, illuminated by the lights above him. He sprinted to the beginning, jogging around as he read the mirrored letters. He didn't noticed the small camera that had begun to follow him.

With a sinking dread, Scott sank to the floor. He sat there for a long time, processing, before finally stating ruefully, "International Rescue. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

The one thing Scott did not expect was for a voice to reply; a young, girlish voice.

"No you aren't in Kansas. But what are you doing here? You should not be here, you are not John."

"What - ?" Scott leapt to his feet, looking around. "Who's there?"

A camera hovered in front of his face, lights around the rim lighting up in time to the words. "I am Eos. You did not answer my question. Where is John?"

Scott looked around again but had to assume that the voice was coming from the camera. "No, I'm not from around here. I don't know where John is. I assume you mean John Tracy? This is Thunderbird 5?"

"Affirmative. How did you get here? I did not sense you come on board, or John leave."

"I…don't know. I went to bed at home and woke up here. I expect the same thing happened to John in reverse. What year is it?"

"It is the year two thousand and sixty five. Who are you?"

"I'm…Scott. Scott Tracy."

"You are lying, you are not Scott Tracy." The lights began to flash red.

"I'm not lying," Scott insisted. "But I didn't… where I come from, Thunderbird 5 looks very different. And it's twenty sixty eight. Something has happened. Something that shouldn't be possible."

The red lights disappeared although no others took their place. "You are from a different time."

"A completely different place," Scott confirmed. "Either I am still dreaming – which is a possibility although this is like no dream I've ever had – or somehow I've ended up here. And I have no idea how to get home."

"If you go home, then John will return."

"I guess?"

The camera withdrew again, which Scott interpreted was actually the machine thinking. Was it a machine? It sounded almost alive. Maybe it was a person remotely controlling the camera somehow. Should he ask? It felt like it would be rude to ask.

He was taken by surprise when a mechanical arm came out of the casing next to him and pricked his finger with a sharp blade.

"Ouch!"

The arm retreated as quickly as it arrived, leaving him sucking his finger in bewilderment. "What was that?"

"I am verifying your story." The voice, Eos, told him. "Your DNA confirms that you are indeed Scott Tracy, although you are not identical to the other one."

"You just managed to run a DNA test?" Scott was impressed despite himself. "In five seconds flat? That's pretty impressive."

The lights on the camera lit up green. "I am an advanced artificial intelligence." She said by way of explanation.

"Well, now we've cleared up that I am Scott… what next? I can't just stay in space, I don't have any space suits or anything and I can barely squeeze into this one. Plus, I might need Brains's help to get home. Do you guys have a Brains?"

"There is an engineer called Brains. We can call down to the Earth and inform them of your predicament."

"Oh really? Thanks, that would be great."

"It would be best done from within the communication hub. I shall direct you." There was a short pause. "I think I like this version of you. You are very polite."

Scott shrugged as he began to follow the camera that was moving on tracks through the ceiling. "You have been nothing but helpful, why wouldn't I be polite?" He stopped and gaped as Eos disappeared through a hole into the ceiling. "How do I get in there?"

"John usually just jumps."

Scott shook his head, still unable to process quite what had been happening in the last half hour. "Jumps. Of course he does. Well, here goes nothing."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tintin slowly blinked her eyes open, frowning at the unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up quickly, staring around with wide eyes as she realised she wasn't in Brains's room anymore. Except…something about the way that items were scattered around was endearingly familiar. She didn't have long to think about it before someone buzzed into the room excitedly. Well…possibly someone. Maybe something would be more appropriate.

She yelped and climbed further up onto the bed as she looked at the four wheeled robot thing that was now stand stock still, camera facing her. It was whirring and beeping in a distraught manner. She could only assume it was looking for someone, someone who wasn't her. Presumably its creator.

"H-hi," she stuttered. "I'm Tintin. I… don't know where I am, or who you're looking for. Or even what they look like."

The robot's head back up and considered before it wheeled around. Zipping across the room, one of its arms grabbed something from a cupboard and brought it over, holding it out for Tintin to take. She did so gingerly, looking at the digital image of someone standing with their arms around the same robot that was in front of her. Someone that looked so similar and yet so different.

"Brains?" She breathed, staring at the image. The robot happily cheeped and span. "Your creator is Brains?" More happy cheeps. Tintin passed the photo frame back and sat down heavily on the bed. "It's impossible, but somehow…" Tintin looked around at the unfamiliar room. "Am I on Tracy Island?" The robot beeped and spun again.

"I come from a Tracy Island too," Tintin confessed. "But not this one." She reached up and unclasped her necklace, opening the small golden locket and showing the robot the picture inside. The robot camera zoomed in to see the two people, pausing for a moment before letting out a stream of high pitched whistles and beeps. "I have a Brains too," Tintin said sadly, looking at the photograph herself. "We took this photo just after we got engaged. It was so romantic! He took me to the old CERN museum, then we went into Geneva and he proposed in front of the fountain." She clicked the locket shut and put it back around her neck, hastily wiping away a tear. The robot rushed forwards and put its arms around her, resting its head – well, she supposed it was a head – against her in a hug.

"Thank you," Tintin smiled at the robot despite her tears. "I'm sorry, it must seem silly but I'm still a bit shocked. This shouldn't be possible." She sighed again. "Do you have a name?" The robot turned to the side so that she could see the letters on its head. "Max. That's a nice name. I think I probably need to go and find someone who can talk back though." Tintin looked down at her jade green silk nightie. "Um… where can I find some clothes?"

Max spun around and grabbed something form the wall, draping it gently across her lap. Tintin looked down and saw a flannel dressing gown, very similar to the one her Brains usually wore. "Thank you Max," she replied, dropping a kiss onto the top of his head. She then left the room, leaving Max spinning and cheeping excitedly behind her.

Tintin walked through the corridor, hoping to find someone who could help her work out what was going on. Seeing an older lady wearing a purple jumpsuit walking ahead of her, Tintin jogged to catch up.

"Excuse me…"

"Yes? Wait, who are you? Which one of the boys brought you home last night?" The lady's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "I thought they all went off to bed early yesterday, so someone must have snuck out to bring you back."

"Oh no, I –"

"It was Scott, wasn't it? That boy can be incorrigible, goodness knows how many times I've told him. Doesn't normally bring them home though. Say, what's your name again?"

"I'm Tintin, but-"

"Well Tintin, I'm awfully sorry but the boys have been called to some kind of emergency in the den. You'll have to wait to be dropped home. In the meantime, you can come and watch International Rescue at work, if you like."

"International rescue?" Tintin asked faintly, her earlier suspicions confirmed now.

"Well of course dear, didn't you recognise him? Never mind, it's just this way." The lady led the way down the corridor with confident strides, Tintin trotting alongside her to keep up.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Oh I'm the boys' grandma," said with a smile. "You can call me Sally dear. Ah, here we are."

Tintin paused on the edge of a landing overlooking a large room. Out of the window there was a balcony that overlooked the ocean, just like in the Tracy Island she knew. But there was no balcony rail and it was a jagged shape. In front of her was a room with a large desk, a figure sat behind it that looked very familiar and yet not. Three men and a woman sat on sofas around a coffee table in a sunken area. What really grabbed her attention though was the hologram floating in front of a range of five portraits.

"Oh," she gasped, trying to get her head around what she was seeing.

"Isn't it something," Sally agreed. "Come on then, you'll have to face them sometime."

Sally cleared her throat loudly and led Tintin down the stairs. "Aren't one of you young men forgetting something?" She gestured towards Tintin, but none of the men looked up at all.

"What do you mean, John's missing?" One of them said – it had to be Scott. No one else had dimples like that. Sally gasped and hurried down the rest of the stairs, Tintin following more slowly.

The hologram, some form of camera, swivelled to face the Scott person. "I mean, that overnight John disappeared. And there was someone else in his place."

Again Tintin gasped, this time drawing the attention of a blond who looked quizzically at her before turning his attention back to the hologram.

"Who?" Scott had stood up now, his voice raised. "Who is it, and what did they do with John?"

"It is you, Scott Tracy." The camera stated. "I even tested it with a DNA sample."

"Wha?" The blond queried inarticulately, leaning forwards with his arms on his thighs.

"I think we need more information, Eos." Jeff Tracy stood up from behind his desk, although Tintin frowned at how heavily he was leaning on it. The dark haired brother noticed too and immediately went over to support. Probably Virgil, then. It was something Tintin could imagine the gentle man doing.

"How is that possible?" Scott demanded. "He must have done something."

There was a slight pause. "He wishes to speak to you." Eos replied primly. The hologram of the camera disappeared and in its place was a bobbing blue image that Tintin knew very well. He was in a space suit of some description but otherwise looked unharmed. The impact on the other occupants of the room was instantaneous, cries of shock rang out around her as the very familiar face appeared.

"I understand this must come as a shock, but I just woke up here an hour or so ago." The hologram Scott was telling them. "I need to talk to Brains, he'll be able to work out how to send me home."

Tintin cleared her throat. "There may be a problem with that." Everyone in the room turned to her now, confusion written on all of their faces at the stranger in their midst. The hologram, in contrast, suddenly became very animated.

"Tintin! What are you doing here? Did you come to bring me back?" "Who are you?" "What are you doing here?"

Tintin felt overwhelmed, but help came from an unexpected source.

"Be quiet, all of you!" Sally was standing, hands on her hips. "No one can think when you're making that kind of din. One at a time. Just because one of you forgot that you brought home a friend last night doesn't mean you can shout at her."

"I didn't come home with one of them," Tintin was quick to interject. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. I just woke up here." She looked straight at the hologram Scott. "In Brains's room."

The hologram dropped his head into his hands. "Bollocks."

"But who are you?" This came from the woman. Tintin stared at her, finally noticing her features. She had different hair and the facial structure was different but those eyes…

"I'm Tintin. Tintin Kyrano." She saw the woman's eyes widen.

"Impossible!"

"Kayo?" This was the Scott talking. "Are you ok? Is she a threat?"

"I don't… Scott, she's me." The both Scott's eyes widened and Tintin just nodded dazedly. She'd known it was true from the moment that she truly looked at the other woman.

A commotion caused them all to look up to the stairs, where a familiar face was beginning to descend, yawning widely. "You'll never believe it but I woke up on the floor! Must have been that strange curry thing your father cooked us last night Tintin….whoa."

Tintin didn't know who looked more shocked – Alan or the three other brothers in the room. In the face of their shocked faces and how frightened she was, she did the only thing she could. She began laughing hysterically.

Chapter 5: Communication

Chapter Text

Sally had taken pity on Tintin and sat her down on one of the sofas in the sunken section, giving her a glass of water as her hysteria abated. She could hear the strange Alan, who was so much older than their boy, arguing hotly with Scott about something. Sally wasn't really listening, but she did feel a pang of concern about their missing Alan. Funnily enough she wasn't as concerned about John and Brains, they were that much older and she had every confidence they would be able to figure something out to get themselves home.

The other side of the room, Jeff was making his way over with Virgil to help Scott with the irate Alan. The hologram Scott had disappeared, she thought that perhaps Gordon had given directions on how to use the space elevator but she couldn't be sure as she had been helping the poor girl at the time. She could see that Tintin was very shaken, the glass she'd been given was vibrating so much the water was in danger of spilling everywhere. The shouting really wasn't helping matters, it made it difficult to think. Kayo and Gordon were just standing and watching, Kayo impassively with her hands folded and Gordon looking confused.

Sally decided enough was enough. She marched over to the bickering boys and stood between them, hands on her hips.

"Enough! Arguing like this is getting you nowhere, you need to cool your tempers and think about this rationally. We need to come up with a plan. Wherever Brains is, he will be doing the same thing. Now, what's the first thing we should do?"

Alan and Scott looked away from each other sulkily, and Sally was struck by the fact they were a lot closer in age than their Alan was to Scott.

A quiet voice came from behind her. "We need to try to communicate with them."

They all spun around to see the other brunette, the quiet girl who was still clutching a glass of water and wearing what Sally now suspected was Brains's dressing gown. She had got over her hysterics and had a determined expression on her face. "I know that the first thing Brains would do is try to contact you all, so we need to make sure we are reaching out to him as well. If people made it between dimensions then a signal should."

"But how would we do that?" Virgil asked her. "We don't have Brains here to do it, the rest of us wouldn't know where to start."

"You might not," the new voice had them all spinning towards the direction of the hanger, where the other Scott stood after coming down the space elevator. In the flesh the similarities to their Scott was all too obvious, except he was wearing a space suit that didn't fit properly and was barefoot. "But I bet Tintin has some ideas." He looked expectantly at the woman, who was frowning in thought.

"If we are in some form of parallel universe, then the displacement caused by myself, Scott and Alan should have left a kind of…trail, that we could follow. If we could try to modulate the frequency of the communicators from here to tune it to one that could bypass the dimensional drift… although I'm not sure how much I'd need to adjust the amplitude of the Fourier waveform synthesiser to break through the barriers. And it would rely on Brains trying to do the same thing from our universe so that the frequencies could connect."

Sally felt a rush of respect for the girl. Kayo, who was normally unflappable, was seemingly in a state of shock at the scientific language coming out the mouth of her alternate counterpart. The rest of the boys were less subtle, their mouths hanging open in surprise.

"I would need someone to help me build it, I don't have the same construction ability," Tintin was confessing. "Plus I need the receiver that most commonly communicates with whatever communicator Brians would be using."

"Max," Gordon shrugged. "Max usually communicates with Brains."

"But John communicates with us all on a regular basis," Scott seemed to have relaxed slightly since there was now a constructive task he could turn his mind to, though he still pointedly ignored the other Alan. "Surely the comms from Tracy Island to John are the most frequently used?"

Tintin was frowning. "I think I'll talk to Max," she decided. "If your Brains is anything like ours, then he probably will have put any prototype technology into his system first to test it, and we need all the power we can get. Besides," Sally didn't miss the way she cast her eyes to the other Scott as she hesitated over how to say the next words. "I would assume we all switched, one for one. In which case John may not be on Tracy Island with Brains."

Scott frowned at her. "Why wouldn't he be? What's going on? Is John in danger?"

"No!" The other Scott interrupted before he could get into a tirade. "Not in danger, but I wasn't on Tracy Island just before I came here." He looked around, catching Tintin's eye. "I was staying with my… girlfriend."

That caused a few raised eyebrows amongst her grandsons, goodness knows she'd been telling them all to find steady relationships and settle down for a while now. But Sally was most interested in the reaction from the other new arrivals. Tintin also raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips but not saying anything. Alan scoffed, dragging a foot across the floor. He looked like he wanted to say something but a warning glare from the second Scott kept him quiet. Interesting, there was something fishy going on there and Sally could never resist a puzzle.

"Wait…" Gordon stated, his face breaking into a grin. "Does that mean Johnny has woken up next to some random girl in bed?" The delight in his expression was evident, causing Sally to shake her head at him.

Luckily Tintin didn't seem to notice, she was frowning now as she absently stared into space. "I might need some help with the calculations though… it will be very complex."

Their Scott frowned. "It would usually be Brains or John who would be able to help with that. But neither are here."

Sally felt a weight on her shoulder and she turned slightly to realise Jeff had come up beside her. He looked pale, she realised that this was probably taking its toll on someone who hadn't had much of a chance to adjust to being on the Earth again.

She was about to insist that he go and sit down again when the strange Scott spoke.

"Well, could Eos help Tintin?"

"Eos?" Scott started to splutter, while Gordon was gaped again at the newcomer.

"Her name is Eos, isn't it?" The other Scott was looking confused. "I brought her down with me, she was worried about John." He held up a small, flat disk.

Scott was eyeing the disk warily. "I don't know what she's told you, but Eos is dangerous. She only really cares about John. She tried to kill him once, too."

Jeff straightened up at that and Sally sighed. Obviously a nugget of information that John hadn't shared with his father when describing the AI to him. She also heard the older Alan scoff again, "Sounds familiar." She wasn't the only one who heard him either, if the strange Scott's glare was anything to go by.

"Well then she has a lot of motivation to get him back. Here Tin, she's an advanced artificial intelligence – her words, not mine – so she should be someone you can work with given your specialisms. John was her creator apparently… which actually sounds like something John could do if he had the right help." Tintin took the disk warily, jumping when lights swirled around the outside.

"Greetings. Polite Scott has saved me the effort of explaining my existence, for which I am grateful. How can I assist?"

"Oh, hello, I'm Tintin. It's a pleasure to meet you. Um... I need some help calculating the frequency modulator…" Sally tuned out the talk of frequency whatsits and pulse transforming thingummys. She eyed up the Scott that was still stuck in a spacesuit that didn't fit.

"You need some proper clothes," she told him, gaze falling on her Scott. "Scott, you're about the right size. Get the poor boy some actual clothes. This… Alan, too. He can't go around all day in a dressing gown. Talking of…" Sally turned to Tintin, still talking in a language she barely comprehended to Eos.

"I'm on it," Kayo informed her, moving past Sally to take the other girl by the elbow. Kayo gently guided her out of the room, all the while Tintin still talking to Eos rapidly.

"Come on then," Scott sighed, beckoning the other two to follow him. "I'll find you something." He looked critically at Alan. "You're a lot taller than our Alan, he's really still just a kid. John… John should have something that would fit you."

"Are you actually believing this dimension travel thing," Alan turned to his brother, demandingly. "For all we know they could have lulled us here to steal our secrets."

The other Scott sighed, a long suffering sound that Sally was all too familiar with. "Alan, I woke up in space, talking to a camera who happens to be an AI. Yes, I believe in 'this dimension travel thing'."

Alan's eyes narrowed but he seemed to accept his brother's response and the two of them followed Scott up the stairs towards the boys' bedrooms. As soon as they were gone Jeff sighed deeply and sunk into one of the sofas.

"You alright, dad?" Virgil asked with concern.

"Just worried about your brothers and Brains. What a mess." Virgil nodded, while Sally fetched Jeff some water. "It's almost unbelievable, but as that other Scott says, he woke up in space. On our Thunderbird 5. It's the only explanation that even comes close. What I don't get is why those three in particular were chosen to swap."

"Do you think it has anything to do with that rescue yesterday?" Gordon asked, collapsing into a sofa seat himself.

"I checked them all over myself when they got back and there was nothing wrong with them." Sally insisted.

"All I'm saying is that it's quite a coincidence. And if it was something…inter-dimensional, then maybe your scanners wouldn't have been able to pick anything up."

Sally and Jeff both looked at Gordon. "That's very… possible, Gordon."

The blond gave them a cheeky grin. "What can I say, I'm not always just a pretty face."

"Not even," Virgil chipped in as he sat in the seat next to him, earning himself a shove in the arm. "Does sound plausible though, there was some weird pulse thing when it detonated according to Alan. It's in pieces in Brains's lab, isn't it? Maybe we could have a look at it."

"You, son?" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"I could have a look at the engineering side of it," Virgil shrugged. "Maybe ask the other girl…Tintin? If her rambling to Eos is anything to go by she's obviously very smart."

"She's very different to Kayo," Gordon mused. "Not that Kayo isn't smart – she's wicked smart, but she isn't… extra smart, you know?"

Sally shook her head at Gordon's mangling of the language. "While that's true, Kayo has many other skills. I'm not sure Tintin would be able to take on her head of security role."

"I wonder who does," Virgil cradled the mug he was holding. "Would be interesting to find out more about their lives, see how they differ from us. And what their ages are, their Alan is so much older than ours."

"Much as I hate to say it, we probably don't want to pry too much." Jeff stated, leaning back on the sofa cushions. "You don't want to torment yourselves with what the other versions of you could be doing – you aren't the same and you haven't had the same experiences. Although, it might be time for you to actually get girlfriends, or boyfriends if you prefer. The other Scott may have it right."

"Did anyone else notice something odd about the reactions of the rest when Scott talked about his girlfriend?" Virgil asked.

"Yes, but it isn't our place to pry." Sally stood up and stretched. "Well, with so many mouths here I'd better go and make a start on lunch."

Gordon grimaced. "Isn't the kitchen module working now?"

Sally shot Gordon a scathing look. She knew she wasn't a great cook, but at least she tried and the boys could pretend to be enthusiastic. "It may be, young man, but you can't beat good homemade food."

Gordon quailed in the face of her glare, but was saved by John's portrait flashing. With a frown, Virgil looked up at the picture of his brother. "Come in, Thunderbird 5."

A hologram of Eos popped into view. "Eos! Aren't you down here talking to Tintin?" Gordon asked, confused.

The camera turned towards him. "I am an advanced artificial intelligence, I can be in multiple places at the same time. My subroutine can exist both on Thunderbird 5 and on the drive I gifted to polite-Scott."

"Why do you keep calling him polite-Scott?" Virgil asked her.

"Because he has been unwaveringly polite to me. There is a distress call from a tanker in the Antarctic Ocean. It has a hull breach and is taking on water. The crew are not concerned for themselves, but they are transporting a synthetic hormone designed to promote restoration of the Great Barrier Reef that has not yet been fully tested in a laboratory setting. They fear the consequences of it entering the marine ecosystem before testing is complete."

"Oh well, you'll have to fill us in when we get back," Virgil sighed, putting down his coffee. "Come on Gordon, suit up. We're off to fix a ship."

"See ya!" Gordon called, sprinting towards the passenger elevator to Thunderbird 2 as Virgil disappeared upside down through a full length photo that swung around.

Sally shook her head. "Come on, let's get you fixed up with a cup of coffee while we wait for the others," she told her son, taking his arm as he struggled to his feet. "You can help me plan lunch."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tintin looked at the figure-hugging green top and black jeans that Kayo handed her. She wasn't sure it would look anywhere near as good on her as it did on Kayo, she certainly wasn't as toned and athletic even if they did have the same build. It was certainly a long cry from her usual summer dresses or loose fitting overalls.

"Um, thank you," she stuttered. She'd finally been persuaded to put Eos down for a moment in order to be able to change into something more substantial than a silk nightdress and a borrowed dressing gown.

"Don't mention it," Kayo told her, pulling a pair of flat shoes from the back of her cupboard. Tintin pulled on the trousers, just about managing to zip them up in the front. When she looked up, Kayo was watching her curiously.

"Which one?" Kayo asked her, nodding towards her hand. At Tintin's blank expression she elaborated. "The engagement ring. Which one of the brothers is it?"

"Oh!" Tintin looked down at the ring on her left hand. She twisted it with her other hand, smiling at the small ring of diamonds that covered the platinum band. "None of them, actually. I'm engaged to Brains."

Whatever Kayo was expecting as an answer, that wasn't it. "Brains? Really?"

"Oh yes, he proposed when we went to Geneva last year," Tintin pulled on the teal green top, wincing at how form fitting it was but deciding to live with it. "Thank you for the clothes, can you show me to Brains's laboratory?"

"It's this way," Kayo beckoned her out the door and led her down towards the hangers. "If you don't mind me asking… why Brains? Not that Brains isn't great but…"

"...but why not one of the boys?" Tintin smiled at her. "I was close with Alan once, but we realised that we were together more because we were the same age and were expected to be together than because we actually felt that way about each other."

"Alan?" Kayo thought about it. "The Alan that came with you, he's a lot older than our Alan." Tintin nodded at this and they walked in silence for a few moments.

"Do you help Brains in his lab?"

Kayo snorted a laugh. "No! No, there's no way I could keep up with him. I'm the head of security."

"Really?" Tintin paused and looked at her counterpart with wide, astonished eyes. "Mr Tracy lets you?"

Kayo frowned. "He wasn't in a position to say anything about it. Wait, he wouldn't let you?"

"Oh no," Tintin shook her head vehemently. "I've only been on half a dozen missions, at most. Mr Tracy can be a little… old fashioned, sometimes, and he doesn't really like sending me unless there is no other choice. That's why I started helping Brains in the lab, initially. I wanted to be useful, you see? I could help out there, Brains started coaching me and before I knew it he was recommending I go and specialise in advanced robotics engineering and advances in artificial life forms."

"Wow…" Kayo was a little stunned. "Seems like we've lived very different lives. But… didn't your Jeff go missing?"

"Missing? No." Tintin looked confused. "Well, apart from when he crashed in Malaysia and met father and I, no."

"I think you should know… this Jeff was missing for eight years, stuck out in the Oort Cloud. We only got him back six months ago and he's still adjusting to life on Earth and, well, gravity. Scott was running International Rescue all that time instead, which is why Jeff wouldn't have had a say in my role here."

"Oh my," Tintin drew her hand to her mouth in shock. "That's awful! Poor Mr Tracy. Oh and all the boys!"

Kayo started walking again, leading towards the hangers and laboratory. "We're still getting used to him being back, but it was hard for a while. Still, there are some perks." Kayo shot her a smirk. "Want to cone and see my Thunderbird before we go find Max and the lab?"

"You have your own Thunderbird?!" Tintin breathed, astonished.

"Oh yes. Come on, it's this way."

Chapter 6: Reaching Through

Chapter Text

"So I'll just pick up Gordon and head back," Virgil was telling Scott when Sally walked back into the room, his blue form hovering over the coffee table. Jeff was sat behind his desk again having declined Sally's offer of helping with lunch. The other Scott and Alan were huddled together, watching the proceedings while Kayo was stood off to the side. Sally suspected she wanted to keep an eye on the new arrivals.

"Sure thing Thunderbird 2, see you soon," Scott was telling his younger brother before the hologram disappeared.

Alan was looking at the hologram curiously. "Why do you use holograms?"

Scott looked up. "Why wouldn't we? Don't you?"

"No," Alan shook his head. "That kind of tech doesn't exist. But… I'm not sure why it's any better than a video?"

Scott frowned at him. "Because it's three dimensional?"

"But why do you need that when you're just talking to someone?"

"It makes it easier when you are trying to look at problems in three dimensions, Alan." Tintin was coming back in, EOS in her hand and MAX following her. "MAX was showing me the circuitry inside this communication device and when you display as a hologram you can really see how it's connected together." She paused and looked up at the room. "Though I'm not sure there are any particular advantages when talking to a person, unless you like them tinted blue."

Scott spluttered while his alternate counterpart just looked amused. Alan was nodding thoughtfully to what Tintin was saying. "How have you got on with the communicator?" Jeff asked her.

"We've made good progress, Max has been a great help." She beamed at the robot who spun happily at the praise. "Eos also was incredible with the calculations, I've never known anyone to work that quickly. But we are going to need a large amount of power to do it, we will have to run the both Island generators to their maximum and we'll only get a few minutes when the sun is at it's zenith. That will provide the maximum boost via the solar generators. We think that we'll have to make two calls, one to Brains and one to John as they are probably in separate locations." Tintin looked over at where the strange Scott and Alan were stood together. "Also to reassure Angel." Alan frowned but his brother nodded gratefully. "We will be able to repeat the calls when the sun is strong enough on other days as well, if we need to."

"That gives us a couple of hours to work out what we want to say to Brains, Alan and John." Scott stated, consulting his watch. He was interrupted from talking further by the signal of an incoming call. Scott frowned up at the display, he wasn't expecting anyone to call.

Jeff leant forwards at his desk. "Come in Colonel Casey, how can we help."

Val Casey's familiar figure materialised over the coffee table. Scott leaned forwards in his seat while Kayo climbed the stairs from the kitchen to sit across from him.

"Hello Jeff, International Rescue. I regret that I need to inform you that the Hood has escaped our custody."

"What?" "How?" Kayo and Scott were demanding of the hologram. Jeff held out his hand for quiet.

"Go on, Val."

"Our guards were doing their usual morning rounds when they found that he had managed to switch places with another man entirely. This man, who we do not have on our records, was in his cell and there was no sign of the Hood anywhere."

Scott gasped. "Like the others!"

"You have seen this phenomenon before?" Colonel Casey's gaze was piercing.

"We have heard of something similar," Jeff informed her. "We will look into it and see what we can find. Do you have an image of the man that you did find in the cells this morning?"

"Of course Jeff, I'll send it over. We're going to have to release him, we don't have any criminal record for him and all signs indicate that he's just an innocent man who's been dragged into some form of new game by the Hood."

"Thank you for letting us know, though if you want my opinion I think you'd be wise to keep him for as long as you can. He may not be the innocent you think he is."

"I'll do my best Jeff. I have to go, keep me appraised of anything you find?"

"Will do Val." The hologram disappeared.

"Why didn't you tell her about John, Alan and Brains?" Scott asked his father.

"Because I didn't want the GDF to get too involved in this." On seeing Scott's expression, Jeff sighed. "Val is a good friend, but she's not the only person in the GDF. What if someone wants to scrutinise our guests more? Test them, perhaps? I think we need to keep this under wraps until everyone is back where they are supposed to be." He looked down at his desk. "Ah, she's sent the image through. Tell me," he now addressed the other Scott and Alan. "Do you recognise this man at all?"

They both moved over to the desk, Tintin following too. The girl looked shaken Sally thought, but then if the Hood was her uncle in their world too it was understandable.

"It could be the Hood," Alan squinted at the picture. "Very similar facial features, but he didn't have the beard."

"No, it can't be him." The other Scott stated decisively. "But he does look similar. Do you recognise him Tintin?"

"No, not at all." The brunette shook her head emphatically.

"So it looked like the Hood has ended up in our dimension while our Hood or someone else who looks similar came here with us," Alan mused. "We need to tell the others when we call later."

"I'm not sure what they would be able to do," Tintin said, looking back down at the tablet in her hand. "But maybe Penelope will be able to find out something."

"We need to give them that image," the other Scott indicated the man on the screen. "If they can work out who he is, they'll find the Hood from here."

"Is…is he Kayo's uncle here too?" Tintin asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Scott confirmed, standing from the sofa. "You are familiar with him?"

"He kidnapped Scott, Virgil and Mr Tracy once. Plus he controlled my father for years." Tintin shuddered. "We must make sure he can't hurt father again, Scott." She was looking pleadingly at her Scott, who put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

"You know we will, Tintin."

At that moment, Virgil and Gordon returned from their rescue. The room they walked into was solemn and serious.

"Wow, what did we miss?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A couple of hours later, after Virgil and Gordon had been brought up to speed with the morning's events, there was a tense group sitting around watching Tintin and MAX work at the centre of the coffee table.

"So you really think you can contact Brains, John and Al with this thing?" Scott was saying, watching the brunette work.

"I hope so," Tintin replied. "It should work – and if I tell them what I'm doing, next time it will be easier as they can also do the same thing on their side and meet in the middle." She did a final tweak to the comms box and patted MAX on the head. "Ready, MAX?"

The robot trilled a series of beeps and Tintin nodded solemnly. "I hope so too, MAX. Well, here goes nothing."

Sally moved forwards to the edge of the circle of chairs as MAX whirred. He was plugged into something that Tintin said would boost his power supply, but it was obvious how much strain was being put into the effort by the robot. He was shaking as he tried to bring up a flickering image in front of him.

After a few excruciating seconds, it solidified into a blue hologram of Brains.

"MAX!" The inventor called excitedly. "How did you manage this? It's incredible! Talking of incredible, there is someone I have to introduce you to." The hologram Brains waved behind him and then, joining him in the air above their coffee table, was…another Brains. "This is Brains too! Isn't it crazy?" Brains then seemed to realise that MAX wasn't alone as he looked around the room. "Oh, hello everyone."

The second Brains reached forward out of the hologram. "Tintin?"

"I'm here," Tintin stated quietly, moving closer herself.

The other Brains let out a rush of breath. "I…we were, er, very w-worried about you."

"I'm sure Brains," she replied with a soft smile. Sally's eyebrows rose as she watched the girl interact with the engineer and a lot of things fell into place. She wasn't the only one who noticed if the gaping expression on Virgil's face was anything to go by. Scott and Gordon seemed oblivious while Kayo looked serene. Sally suspected the girls had spoken earlier – after all, she would want to find out as much about her counterpart's life as possible whatever Jeff said about it.

"Well, er, Mr Tracy is busy," the other Brains was stammering. Having the two of them sat right next to each other was very confusing. "He is i-in the simulator with A-Alan, teaching him h-how to pilot Thunderbird 3."

Their Brains nodded. "The controls are v-very different, you see, and they need to bring John down from Thunderbird 5. T-there is no space elevator."

"And the three main astronauts are here," the other Scott nodded, deep in thought. "But why do they want John back so badly? He's only halfway through his stint."

"B-because John is t-the only one w-who can, ah, pilot Thunderbird 1," the other Brains said, directing his gaze to his Scott, who sighed.

"And dad doesn't trust leaving it over at Angel's. I guess I should have predicted that. So the second John is still with her?" A nod confirmed it. "Well I need to speak to her anyway, so I guess that's not a bad thing. Are any of the others around?"

"I-I think Gordon is in the p-pool, but, er, Virgil is around somewhere." The other Brains disappeared from the screen, which caused Sally to lean forward slightly. She was interested in seeing Virgil's counterpart too.

"Well, I-I'm very curious as to how you m-managed to contact us, MAX," Brians beamed at his robot friend. But MAX didn't answer him, Tintin did.

"Oh, EOS helped me to calculate the dimensional transmutation which needed to be applied to the frequency in order to modulate it, causing resonance within the schism that was left by the transferral of atomic structures. MAX then helped to rebuild the Gauffian array in order to transmit through the vibrational nodes of the proton shift. I couldn't have done it without their help."

Brains was gaping at her, though a quiet "That's m-my girl," came from his counterpart, who had returned with another face.

Virgil looked so different and yet somehow the same. It was difficult to tell through the hologram, but his hair looked lighter and his features were more rounded. There was a similar gentleness though and Sally could tell that their personalities would be very similar.

"Virgil!" Tintin cried happily, beaming at him. "How are you?"

"Hi Tin, Scott, Al," the hologram waved. "I'm ok Tintin, bit worried about you all. Penny's been going spare since she found out you went missing, I've had to spend half the morning trying to stop her dropping everything to come out here."

"Tell her we're ok Virg?" His older brother asked. "Also, we might want her to find out if anyone in her circles knows who this man is." He gestured towards the image that Colonel Casey had sent through, then frowned. "Can we send it to them Tintin?"

"Oh yes," she replied. "But we're going to have to be quick if you want to contact John too."

"OK, so I think we should arrange to meet tomorrow at this exact time, we can't talk for long as it's taking all the power Tintin can get to maintain the connection."

"O-Ok Scott, I'll…er, we'll see what w-we can do about b-boosting the signal from here so w-we can, ah, speak for longer."

"Thanks Brains. The last thing you need to know is that this world's Hood has seemed to transfer to our dimension just as the other's did."

The hologram Virgil let out a deep sigh. "Did he swap with the Hood from here?"

"That's not possible, Virgil."

"Well, if you say so Scott. We can talk more tomorrow. I'll pass your message on, Tintin. Dad will be pleased we managed to contact you."

"How is Alan?" Their Scott now spoke up, having watched their exchange. The hologram Virgil looked at him and let out a low whistle, for the first time looking at the rest of the room.

"That's uncanny."

Their Brains ignored the comment. "Alan is f-fine, he seems to have adapted well."

"Well good. OK, we'll talk to you tomorrow."

"R.A.D. Scott."

With that, the hologram flickered and disappeared. Tintin crouched down next to MAX. "Are you ok? Can you do that again for John?" The robot was dropping and looked tired, but beeped to confirm anyway.

"R.A.D?" Alan asked. "Gosh, that's weird."

"It's a thing Brains came up with," Gordon told him, walking closer to the other blond. "The rest of us just use F.A.B like we always have, but Brians wanted something different."

"We're ready to go," Tintin announced. "I've just realigned the matrix to hunt for John's communicator. Should I start?"

"Go ahead dear," Sally told her, impatient to see her other grandson now that she'd had reassurances that Brains and Alan were ok.

"OK MAX," Tintin told him, and again MAX strained until a hologram appeared shakily above the coffee table.

"Hey, how did you manage this? I thought Brains was here with us?" John was looking quizzically down at them from where he was in a seated position, something held to his temple.

"John, thank goodness you're ok!" Scott said, not noticing his counterpart's small sigh of relief from behind him. "Kayo's counterpart from the other place came through in place of Brains and she worked with MAX and EOS to do it…somehow."

"EOS?"

"Hello John. I am pleased to see that you are unharmed." Sally jumped, she hadn't seen that Tintin had placed the disk containing the AI on the coffee table.

John winced. "Unharmed might be pushing it." He removed his hand from his temple and there was a collective gasp as they saw the lump forming. He flicked his eyes up at something that they couldn't see before rolling his eyes. "Apparently it's a minor bump."

"It doesn't look minor." Scott's eyes were narrowed. "How did it happen? Who is there with you?"

A second figure came into the view, hologram folding into a seated position next to John. She was a striking woman, wavy hair tied back into a loose ponytail and figure hugging outfit reminding Sally a bit of Kayo. "It is minor," the woman told them without preamble. "I didn't hit him that hard."

"Angel," the exasperated sigh came from the second Scott, causing their Scott to swing around.

The woman, Angel, narrowed her eyes. "I was woken up by a strange man in my bed. I think a bruised ego and a minor bump is actually the best scenario you could have hoped for."

Sally frowned, she had a point but what would the other scenarios be? The other Scott sighed, but there was a half smile on his face. "I guess that's true. Angel, we're going to work on a way to get us back, but you need to know that this dimension's version of the Hood seemed to switch places with someone too. This is the man that took his place here."

Again Scott held up the image for the holograms to see, but this time there was an intake of breath from Angel when she saw it. "I know of him Scott, he's known as the 'Black Phantom'. A very influential, dangerous man. Stay as far away from him as you can."

"If he ended up here, then who orchestrated it? Him or the Hood?"

The woman frowned. "Maybe together? It's almost impossible to conceive of any one person managing to achieve this."

"What would be in it for him? We know the Hood was in jail here, so if he switches place he can be free. But what does this phantom person want?" Scott demanded, fed up of the volleying conversation between his counterpart and this woman.

"I'd assume the technology," she shrugged. "But I can't find out from here."

"Can you find the Hood?" The other Scott asked her. The woman paused, thoughtfully.

"Probably, but I can't do it alone." She turned to John. "How good are you with computers?"

John flicked startled eyes between her and the rest of his family. "I'm… pretty good."

There was a pause while Angel assessed him. "I'm going to assume you're as good as your counterpart is, at least. If we can work together we'll find him." She informed the rest of them confidently.

"He might be going by the name 'Agent Seventy-Nine'," Kayo informed her. Angel nodded in reply.

"Thank you. Scott," she directed her comments now directly to the other Scott, for the first time her face became fractionally more open. "Be very careful, especially if the Black Phantom is involved. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He moved closer to the hologram, starting to reach out a hand before clenching his fist and dropping it down by his side with a rueful shake of his head. "That doesn't rule out much. But in return Angel, do whatever it takes to find him and end this."

Her eyebrows quirked and a smile played on her mouth. "Noted."

"We don't have long left," Tintin told them from where she was monitoring MAX.

"John, we'll try to call at this time each day," Scott told him. "You should try to join Brains and Alan on Tracy Island. You'll be stronger together."

"We'll look after Thunderbird 5 and EOS for you," Virgil added with a smile. Gordon and Kayo just waved. John nodded back to them.

"Stay safe son," Jeff added, giving his middle son a warm smile.

"Thank you. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

There was a crackle and the image disappeared.

The group sat in a deflated silence. Which didn't last long, as a whistle broke through it.

"I hate to be the one to ask, but how on earth did you score a girlfriend like that?" Gordon was facing the other Scott, cheeky grin on his face.

A shake of his head. "It's far too long a story to get into now."

The feed from Thunderbird 5 flashed.

"What is it, EOS?" Jeff asked.

"My sensors have indicated a large explosion in the United Kingdom," the AI informed him crisply. There were gasps of horror around the room, Jeff held up his hand for silence.

"Go on EOS, where was it? Are there any casualties?"

"I believe so, though I don't think it is a task for International Rescue. The GDF will respond quickly."

"How can you be sure?" Scott asked her sceptically, distrust evident in his voice.

"Because the explosion occurred at Parkmoor Scrubs prison. My sensors indicate that it was in the high security wing."

There was a momentary silence. The other Scott was the one to break it. "I think we can assume that the Black Phantom is now probably at large."

Jeff sighed. "Let's just hope that he isn't at all interested in International Rescue."

Chapter 7: Starting to move

Chapter Text

John sat for a moment, watching his communicator on his arm where a moment before he had seen his family. Now it was powered down, lifeless. Despite spending most of his time in space, despite knowing that Brains and Alan were somewhere there with him, he had never felt quite so far away from home.

He'd been awake for a couple of hours now. He had woken up tied to a bed, wrists above his head and legs spread wide. Some of his siblings *cough*Scott* may have found it enjoyable but John had been terrified. Even more so when the brown haired woman came into view, asking him questions about who he was.

He answered truthfully and after a while she had released him, explaining that she'd been in contact with someone who verified his identity. It took another hour for her to actually tell him that she had been in contact with Tracy Island, which wasn't his Tracy Island but was still somehow the base of International Rescue.

John had spent the next hour or so after that in a state of shock, processing what he knew. Calling up Brains had helped, there was no one John would rather be stuck somewhere with. He knew Brains would be working on a way to get them home.

But Brains wasn't here right now. The only other person in this ramshackle cabin was the woman from earlier, who he guessed was called Angel after the call they'd had from his Tracy Island. Putting the pieces together John assumed she was Scott's partner – the way they had spoken to each other was very familiar and for a moment she had looked less guarded when talking to him. The second the conversation was over, she had risen from her seat and stalked back up to the small bedroom.

John looked up at the mezzanine floor that housed the bedroom. He couldn't clearly see what she was doing up there, but he could hear it. Space was quiet. No air meant no sound waves – John was used to hearing nothing but the faint beat of his own heart. Here, it was noisy. Her movements caused noise, the house creaked, he could hear birds and animals outside and the wind whistling around. He could barely think over the din.

Eventually the woman came back down, a bundle in her arms. "Here," she said, throwing the bundle at him. Out of reflex he caught it, seeing that it was a set of clothes wrapped in a blue shirt. "Some of Scott's things," she said by way of explanation. "If we want information, we're going to have to go and get it and you can't be dressed like that. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

John looked down at his International Rescue spacesuit before nodding in agreement. "Where can I change?"

She gestured back up to the bedroom so John climbed up the stairs into the small room he had woken in. Carefully not looking at the bed he stripped out of his spacesuit and placed it aside, patting it regretfully as he did so. He pulled on the clothes Angel had given him, a pair of jeans and a blue shirt. They were a bit short but were good enough. When he came down, he noticed she had also changed clothes and was now wearing a tight leather jacket with dark jeans. It was very similar to something Kayo might wear, but he wasn't sure he'd ever noticed Kayo having curves quite like that. He didn't know where to look. She was carrying a pair of heeled boots but otherwise was just in socks.

"Here," she gestured to the doorway where two pairs of lime green rain boots were waiting for them. Seeing John's face, she sighed. "It's a muddy hike, we'll wear these until we get there."

"Where is there?" John asked, confused. "And why are we going anywhere? I thought you wanted me to find you information?"

"I do," Angel confirmed. "But I don't have any way for you to access it here. Even if I did, I don't want it to be traced back to me. We're going to go on a romantic break."

"A what?" John spluttered.

She rolled her eyes. "Not a real one, but we need a reason to be staying in a small hotel. Here." She pressed something into his hand. "You don't have to do much, just try not to do anything that makes us stand out. We don't want to be memorable."

John stared at the small band she had given him. "A wedding ring?" At her pointed gaze, he sighed and put it on his fourth finger. "Is this strictly necessary?"

"If the Black Phantom is involved then yes."

John studied her as she continued to move around the ground floor of the cabin. "You seem to know a lot about him. Are you MI5 or something?"

Angel huffed in amusement. "Or something. Ready?"

John pulled on the larger pair of rain boots, realising he wasn't going to get any more information out of her. "I guess." The boots were a size too big and really weren't comfortable "I really hope we aren't going far."

The woman shrugged. "Depends on your definition of far. It's about a mile and a half."

John sighed, eyeing up the borrowed boots. "Let's get this over with then."

It was muddy and he could see why Angel had insisted on the boots. They walked down a field and then across a small footbridge before eventually reaching a road. It was then another mile or so down the tarmac. To take his mind off the blisters he was developing, John started talking to her again.

"Not that I don't want to help you out, but why hasn't someone from International Rescue come to collect me yet?"

"From what John – the other one – told me, it's because they want to collect Thunderbird 1 at the same time."

"Thunderbird 1?"

Angel nodded. "It's parked in the woods behind the cottage. Only John can fly it now, so they want to get him down from Thunderbird 5 before they send Virgil out here for you."

"Wouldn't it have made more sense to wait then? It can't take that long to get down, our space elevator does it in eight minutes."

"Space elevator?" John could hear the surprise in her voice. "They don't have anything like that, they have to send Thunderbird 3 up to get him. And the three main pilots of Thunderbird 3 are the ones who have switched places with you and your family."

John thought about it for a bit. "What are they doing instead, then?"

"I think Jeff's going to fly up himself." Angel still kept an emotionless expression as she explained. "But he's out of date on qualifications I think, so he needs a co-pilot. John said they're training your Alan on the simulators so he can do it. It's going to take a little while."

John released his breath in a long whoosh. "So we're going somewhere else to hack into some things while we wait."

"That pretty much sums it up."

"So why are we walking down the road?"

At that, finally Angel showed some emotion. The corner of her mouth turned up in a smirk as she glanced at him sideways. "We're picking up some wheels."

They finally reached a small village, just a few houses spread down the road with a green in the middle. Angel walked up to one of the doors and knocked smartly. An older woman answered it, greying hair tied back messily into a bun.

"I need to borrow Lucille," Angel explained to the woman, who gave Angel a knowing look.

"Hello to you too! You know where she is. This the houseguest?" The woman was looking curiously at John. "The radio went earlier to say that operations were being suspended for a short time due to some unusual circumstances. John filled me in on the rest."

"Um…hi." John said, waving awkwardly.

"My name is Jane, dear. Is he going to need kit?" Jane was talking to Angel again, who nodded.

"Boots and a jacket, if you have them. Oh, and a helmet."

"I do somewhere. You go get Lucille out, I'd grab some of Derek's old things." Jane disappeared again and Angel started walking around the side of the cottage, John jogging slightly to catch up.

"Who is Lucille?"

Angel just smirked again and threw open the doors of an old garage. A click and stuttering lights illuminated the contents. A metallic black motorcycle stood there, something that looked like it was made in the previous century. "Meet Lucille, a Kawasaki Ninja."

John just gulped. "And you want us to…ride, that thing?"

A helmet was thrust in front of him. He looked from it up to the woman holding it with a knowing smile on her face. "This is my late husband's, you look after it son. I've put the boots and jacket by the door." The woman turned to Angel. "I don't want to know what you're getting up to, but stay safe and bring that man of yours home. He promised to fix my guttering."

Angel smiled at that. "He did, didn't he? I'll do my best Jane, thanks for this."

The woman nodded. "Don't you worry about that Mr Tracy either, we'll get him straightened out. You just do what you do best." With that the woman turned and left, tossing a set of keys over her shoulder to Angel who caught them effortlessly.

John just stared at the helmet in his hands, until his elbow was knocked. "Come on," Angel said, her voice muffled by the helmet she was wearing. He swallowed deeply and grabbed the jacket she was holding out, feeling swamped by the leather. The boots were too big again, but they were ok.

He stiffly climbed onto the back of the motorbike behind Angel, feeling clumsy and awkward. Once there, he didn't know where to put his hands and ended up resting them on his knees.

"Comfortable?" Angel asked him, turned her head towards him.

"No," he replied honestly and she just shook her head as she kicked the motorbike into life.

As they roared out of the garage, John immediately forgot about propriety and clung to the woman desperately, arms wrapped around her waist. He shut his eyes and tried to pretend that he wasn't on a motorbike, but it was no good. They roared around country lanes, each corner convincing John that he was going to die, until they pulled up into some form of shopping mall.

Angel took off her helmet. "Come on," she muttered, taking him by the arm and pulling him into the building. Once inside, John realised it was an electronics store. Angel led him straight away over to a section that looked as though it was stocking old fashioned tablets. "Pick what you need, it just needs to be small enough to go into the box on the back of Lucille." She instructed him quietly.

John was baffled by the basic nature of these computers, but eventually found the best one that the store had to offer. Despite the hefty price tag Angel didn't balk and took it straight up to the desk. John also grabbed a few accessories before joining her.

Then they were off on the bike again, but this time they were on much wider, multiple lane roads. It was a lot less harrowing than the country lanes, so much so that John began to get bored. Eventually Angel pulled off and into a village, parking the bike up in the car park of a pub.

"Where are we?" John asked as he tried to massage some feeling back into his fingers.

Angel shrugged slightly before spying an information board. "Sandford, Gloucestershire apparently. This will do for the night. Come on." Leaving the helmets on the bike she led the way into the pub.

Reaching the front desk, she somehow managed to weasel her way under his arm. John blinked but Angel was already talking to the woman.

"Hey, have you got a room for the night?"

"Of course dear," the receptionist's expression was a bit fixed as she saw Angel's free hand wandering across John's abdomen underneath his leather jacket as she curled into his side. John barely breathed and tried not to look as terrified as he felt. "Double bed?"

"Please," Angel replied breathlessly, gazing up at John with wide, expressive eyes. "We so rarely get any time away together…"

"You can have the Harrow suite," the woman sniffed. "Up the stairs, end of the corridor on the left."

"T-thank you," John stammered, trying very hard to ignore the hand that was roaming down his back as he scooped up the keys. The woman huffed again before returning to her crossword.

Angel all but dragged John up the stairs, giggling as she did so. She pulled him into the room, a coy smile on her face, before closing the door behind her. Immediately the smile was gone and she was all business.

"What was that?" He asked her irritatedly, but she ignored him completely.

"This place has reliable internet," she told John crisply. "You'll need to access the Network."

"The Network?"

"Replacement for the dark web," she explained, John nodding in understanding. He knew how to access the dark web, still very much alive and kicking in his dimension – he should be able to find The Network. "We're looking for either the Hood or Agent Seventy-Nine. If you can find anything on the Black Phantom then that's useful too."

John pulled the tablet out of his bag and started typing away on it, it had been a very long time since he'd used a physical keyboard. "So what, we stay here for a few days until we find something?"

"No, we'll need to keep moving. If we stay in any place for too long then someone might realise we're looking for them and come to investigate." Angel looked out of the window onto the dark street below. "I'm going to go and get us some food, I'll be back soon."

John was about to offer to go with her when the closing door told him she had already left. Grumbling to himself, he got back to his task. "Sooner I find the Hood, the sooner I'll be able to get home and she'll be out of my hair."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alan stepped out of the simulator, beaming from ear to ear. "Wow!" He exclaimed to Jeff Tracy, waiting patiently for him outside. "It's so different! I mean, in some ways it's so basic but in others it surpasses everything we have!"

"I'm glad you approve," Jeff smiled as he watched the young man, so like his own Alan a few years ago. "Think you'll be able to get enough hours in to be confident to come up to get John?"

"Sure, I'll need a bit longer as the controls are just so different… maybe if I spend more time tomorrow on it I'll be able to do the assessment thing at the end and we can go the day after?"

"Sounds like a plan, boy," Jeff led him out of the laboratory housing the simulator and back up into the main house, while Alan tried not to be offended about being called boy.

Gordon, hair still dripping water, was waiting in the lounge. "Hey dad, Alan. You'll never guess what happened!"

"Well son, what was it?" Jeff asked as he sat behind his desk.

"Alan's family managed to contact us!" Gordon told them excitedly. "Well, they contacted Brains, Brains and Virgil seeing as you two were in the simulator and I was in the pool."

"What, really?" Alan cried, bouncing. "Can I call them back? Speak to them?"

"Not right now," Virgil came into the room, smiling warmly. "Tintin said something about needing to harness a lot of power to talk, but we've arranged to call at the same time tomorrow."

"That's great news," Jeff injected. "What did they have to say?"

Virgil frowned. "Apparently the Hood from their dimension has disappeared and in his place is a person they don't recognise, they sent an image of him through and John's looking now. They weren't able to stay on the call for long but Tintin, Alan and Scott looked fine. We told them that you were ok," Virgil nodded to Alan. "They were planning to call their John separately I think as he also has one of their communicators."

"Yeah, John would be in his spacesuit." Alan said, buoyed by the fact that somehow his family had managed to be in touch.

"I'm impressed they managed to do that without their Brains to help them out," Jeff mused, pushing some of his paperwork around.

"T-that was all Tintin," Alan looked up to see Brains – not his – enter the room followed by his Brains. This was all very confusing.

"She seems to have a r-remarkable aptitude for c-calculating the waveform f-functions of the continuum drift."

"S-she is very talented, a-and works closely in artificial intelligence development, she m-must have formed a bond with M-MAX, you must, er, tell me more about him."

"Oh of course, well i-it started when I…" the two engineers drifted over to the other side of the room, deep in conversation. Alan shook his head, listening to them was going to give him a headache, he didn't know where one ended and the other began. Instead he tuned back into what Virgil was saying.

"Penny is coming over as soon as she can, she thinks she'll be here sometime before midnight."

Jeff frowned at his son. "That's not necessary."

Virgil sighed. "She seems to think we will be adrift without Tintin here to look after us. I tried to put her off but she insisted, I'm not about to tell her she can't visit."

Gordon coughed in the background, Alan thought he might have heard the word 'whipped' coming out the redhead's mouth.

"Hey, are you talking about Lady P? Is she one of your agents too?"

"Lady Penelope," Jeff stressed, "Is in fact our head agent, as well as being our London based operative."

"Cool, can't wait to meet her. Does she have Sherbert? And Parker?"

"Sher-who?" Virgil asked, bemused. "And she never travels anywhere without Parker."

"Sherbert, the dog. A pug?" Seeing blank faces, Alan shrugged. "Never mind, maybe not."

"Well, there isn't much to do until she arrives then," Jeff stated. "I'll be in my study if anyone wants me."

"Ok dad," "Sure father." The two men watched him leave before turning to Alan.

"So, want to see our games room?" Gordon asked. "Any good at pool?"

Virgil smiled indulgently. "I'm going to be in my room if either of you need me. Alan, if you get hungry I'm sure Grandma will rustle you up something if you want it, I know how hard dad can drive us sometimes. She'll probably be in the kitchen."

Alan felt his mouth go dry and palms become sweaty. "Grandma's….cooking?"

"Apparently she's making an apple pie in your honour," Gordon teased. "Scott is going to be sorry he missed it, you can't beat Grandma's cooking."

"Wait," Alan held up a hand, looking around. "You're saying that Grandma is cooking…and you want to eat it?"

"Of course," Virgil frowned at him in confusion.

"Whoa, now I know I'm in a different dimension!" Alan stated, causing all three to burst into giggles.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was several hours later, after sampling a decent amount of Grandma's cooking that caused Alan to groan appreciably with a full stomach, they were again seated in the lounge when a small plane was spotted approaching the Island.

"That will be Penny now," Jeff stated, starting to rise from his desk.

"I'll go father," Virgil offered, standing instead. He left the room as Gordon started making kissing noises, Virgil throwing his brother a rude hand gesture when he could be sure that Jeff wasn't looking. Jeff was busy sternly glaring at Gordon instead.

"Just because your brother has actually managed to find himself in a stable relationship doesn't mean you should tease him about it. You could take a leaf out of his book."

Gordon stopped making noises, but Alan could have sworn he heard the redhead mutter 'yeah, look how well that's worked for Scott' under his breath. Alan's eyes were almost boggling at this new information – here, Lady Penelope was with Virgil and not Gordon!

He didn't have too long to process it before the door slid open and an elegant blond floated into the room, Virgil following her. "Jeff, darling," she crooned, greeting him with a kiss on each cheek. "How lovely it is to see you again, but you simply must tell me all the latest news! Virgil says you've spoken to Tintin? How is she?"

Alan couldn't help but gape – somehow this woman was exactly like and yet nothing like the Lady Penelope he knew.

"Ah, Penny," Jeff was saying. "You really didn't need to travel all this way, we're getting along quite alright."

"Nonsense," she replied airily. "It was no problem at all, and I would far rather see that you are all safe for myself. Goodness, is this Alan?"

Her large blue eyes had turned to Alan and despite himself he felt the blush crawling up his neck. Sure, he was used to Lady Penelope but this woman was somehow so much…. more. Larger than life in every sense. "H-Hello," he stammered. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you my dear," the breezy aristocratic air disappeared momentarily and Alan caught a glimpse of a truly kind face, regarding him with sympathy. "If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

The blond aristocrat whirled away to face Jeff again. "And the new John?"

"Is apparently with Angel," Jeff informed her. "Once we get our John down from Thunderbird 5 we will be able to go and collect him at the same time as Thunderbird 1."

Lady Penelope lit a cigarette at the end of a long, tapered holder. "Of course. And what is Angel up to?"

Jeff frowned. "What are you getting at, Penny?"

The end of the cigarette waved around, producing a drift of smoke that Alan realised wasn't real when he didn't choke on it. "Only that she is hardly one to sit on her laurels, Jeff."

"I don't see what she would be doing."

"Hmm," Lady Penelope looked around the room, her gaze alighting on the pair of Brains. Brains squared, Alan decided in his mind. "Did you tell me earlier that they were going to call John after they rang you?"

"That's right Pen," Virgil told her, coming to stand close behind her. The soft smile she bestowed on the tall man left Alan in no doubt of where her affections lay.

"Well then, I assume they gave John – and by extension, Angel – the same information they gave you regarding the Hood."

"It's possible," Jeff conceded, steepling his hands in front of her.

Lady Penelope arched one eyebrow at him. "And you think that Angel would just sit around looking after her houseguest? This is the same woman that almost literally moved heaven and earth to find Scott last time he was taken from her."

Alan still wasn't sure of the particular family dynamics here, but even he could tell that this Jeff Tracy was not someone who was lost for words easily. Now though, he resembled a gaping fish as he processed what Lady Penelope was telling him.

"But I don't… why would she? We don't need her to, you can find him!"

"Oh Jeff dear, I am flattered by your faith in my ability." The lady sat down on the small couch, Virgil next to her. "But the reality is that my connections really won't be of much help in this circumstances. I just don't operate in the same…circles, as these kind of criminals. Angel really is the best person for the job, and if the other John is as skilled as our own she has suitable support."

Jeff frowned down at his paperwork. "That may be so, but I have serious concerns about her methods and motives. Still, there isn't much we can do tonight. I'll ask John to keep an eye on her for now." He stood, closing down the discussion. "I'm going to turn in, I'll see you in the morning Penelope, boys." He strode out of the room, still frowning to himself.

The Brains squared left soon after, still muttering to themselves as they left. Only Virgil, Gordon and Lady Penelope were left in the room with Alan now.

"Would you feel more comfortable in a guest room or Alan's room?" Virgil asked the young blond.

"Oh…probably the guest room," Alan replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I know he's me but… it's a bit weird, y'know?"

"I can't imagine quite how strange this all must be for you," Lady Penelope smiled at him gently.

"Oh sure, it's fine. I mean, it's not like we'll be stuck here forever right?" Alan swallowed quickly, fighting the lump in his throat. He cast around, trying to change the subject. "So, who is this Angel person?"

Gordon snorted and leant back in his seat. "That's a good question, Al. She's Scott's girlfriend."

Alan nodded. "Right…and your dad doesn't approve?"

This time it was Virgil that sighed deeply. "No… for some very good reasons." Seeing Penelope and Gordon's expressions, he spread his hands wide placatingly. "I'm not saying dad's right. But you can't deny that she's… different. She makes me very uncomfortable – I try not to be, for Scott's sake, but…"

Lady Penelope squeezed one of his hands with her own. "I do understand, I feel the same. But she'd do anything for Scott, and he for her. They will be together, regardless of what we think."

"And unfortunately for dad, also regardless of what he thinks." Gordon huffed. "I like her, she's very good at getting what we need. The problem with dad is his views of right and wrong are very black and white, there isn't any place for Angel's shades of grey in it."

"You could be on to something there Gordon," Virgil narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. "When did you get so wise?"

"Hey! I have depths! I just choose to hide them!"

"Of course dear," Lady Penelope patted his arm with a fond smile as she stood. "I think it might be time for me to retire as well."

"Let me show you to your room, Al." Gordon stood, stretching. "I just hope that whatever Angel's doing, it works. No matter which dimension he's from, the Hood has messed with International Rescue one time too many."

"I definitely agree with that," Alan told him as he followed the redhead out of the room.

Chapter 8: Settling In

Notes:

Oops! I definitely meant for this to be posted sooner… sorry if you have been waiting for it! Enjoy :)

Chapter Text

Tintin yawned and stretched, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't in her own large bed as she knocked a lamp to the floor. A metal hand reached out to grab it, setting it straight again with a whir.

"Thank you, Max," she murmured as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The robot was hovering, watching her closely as he had the whole of the preceding day. It might have seemed a bit creepy to anyone else, but Tintin was convinced he was just trying to be helpful. Quite why the robot had taken such a shine to her she didn't know, but she suspected it was something to do with their bonding over missing Brains.

Thinking of Brains, she smothered the little sigh the she let out as she felt the pang in her chest at the thought of the distance between them. She believed she would see him again – she had to, otherwise she might actually dwell on the concern she felt. But she still missed him.

A look at the drooping visage of the robot in front of her told her that Max felt the same. She reached forward and rested her hand on his head.

"Don't worry, we'll get them back."

The only sign that Max had heard her was him leaning into her caress, before he spun away and picked up a top that was folded neatly on a chair. He waved it at her as Tintin giggled.

"Is this your way of telling me that we have got a lot to do today? I suppose you're right, best get going. Do you know if anyone here can make a nice cup of tea?"

The robot paused for a moment, before turning and whizzing away. Tintin shook her head fondly at his antics and quickly got dressed in the clothes that she'd borrowed off Kayo the night before.

Yesterday had passed in a blur after Eos's announcement about the decimation of Parkmoor Scrubs. Someone called Colonel Casey (very different to the Colonel Casey that Tintin had taken searching for the Black mamba) had called to tell them all that several of her operatives and prison guards were dead and that the Black Phantom had disappeared along with some people called Fuse and Havoc. That had sent Scott, the Scott from here, into the stratosphere as he barked out orders for Eos and the others.

It was very odd seeing a version of Scott, even if not the one she was so familiar with, taking control like that. Mr Tracy just sat and watched, only interrupting occasionally to suggest slight changes. Not that it did any good, Eos hadn't been able to find anything about either the mysterious Black Phantom or the pair that called themselves Fuse and Havoc. Which were pretty silly names, but then so was Black Phantom. Or Hood.

Tintin didn't doubt that the Black Phantom was dangerous. Anyone that made Angel that wary was someone to be feared, even if she was the only one who seemed to realise it. Well, and her Scott but he had kept very quiet as he just watched everything happening around them. But the others seemed more concerned about Fuse and Havoc, and the missing Hood. He was one person that Tintin wasn't worried about – he was in a different dimension now after all. And a dimension that contained Angel.

Tintin was pulled from her thoughts by Max whirling back into the room, holding a mug aloft proudly. Taking it form him, Tintin realised it was a cup of tea made just how she liked. "Thank you," she told him gratefully, wondering how he knew how to make it just so. The answer to her unspoken question materialised in the doorway.

"Good morning," Kayo greeted her, leaning against the frame. "I have to head out on my daily sweeps and then go over to the mainland for a bit, but I thought I'd check on whether you needed anything before I go?"

"Oh, no thank you," Tintin smiled. "I'm going to head to the lab with Max and see if we can boost the power so we can talk for a bit longer to our families later."

"Sounds good," Kayo pulled a face. "Well, not for me but…"

"I wouldn't be able to do a sweep either." Tintin put the mug down and stood slightly awkwardly. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but your father – is he ok?"

Kayo straightened in the doorway, flicking a piece of invisible lint from her arm. "He is alive, if that's what you're asking. He lives in a care home in the UK, he's not been very well for a long time now. When Jeff disappeared it broke him in many ways."

Tintin nodded. "Thank you for telling me. Father…my father, still lives with us and helps to keep the house. In return he gets to experiment with his plants in the tropical climate." Tintin grinned at Kayo as she followed her out of the room. "He's quite happy with the arrangement."

Kayo snorted. "Getting to play with his plants all day? Yes, I can see that." They stopped outside a door that Tintin recognised as one that would lead to the hanger. "Are you ok from here? I'll head off."

"Oh yes!" Tintin reassured her. "I'm just going to get some food before going to the lab anyway. Max will help me if I get lost."

Kayo turned to the robot, who had followed them out of Brains's room. Seeing her gaze, he chirped happily. "Well ok then, have a good day."

Tintin waved goodbye as she left through the doors, before making her way to the kitchen. Once there she found it empty except for Scott, her Scott, who looked like he'd been trying to work the coffee machine.

"Good morning Tintin," he greeted her with a smile as she sat down. "How are you?"

Tintin shrugged. "About as well as can be expected. You?"

"Other than disappointed this hasn't turned out to be a dream and I'm actually at home in my wife's arms? I'm ok, I guess."

Tintin reached forward across the table and covered his hand with her own, squeezing it gently in sympathy as she accepted another cup of tea from Max, who seemed to have taken it upon himself to be their unofficial waiter.

"Why did you tell them Angel was your girlfriend and not your wife? Surely it doesn't matter if they know the truth?"

Scott sighed, rolling his shoulders slightly to relieve tension. "No I guess it doesn't, but Alan was there too. Plus, it would be a simple thing for them to slip up and let dad know during one of the discussions with home. I don't think either him or I are ready for him to know that."

Tintin frowned at him. "You know he's going to have to know eventually. It's not something you'll be able to hide."

"I'm not planning to just wake up one day and say 'Hey dad, because you didn't approve of Angel we went and eloped with only Tintin and Brains as our witnesses, sorry about that'."

"Well how are you going to tell him?"

Another deep sigh. "I don't know, maybe announce that we're engaged and then plan another wedding? I always wanted a proper one with everyone there so we can celebrate properly. But at the same time, we didn't want to wait until dad finally acknowledges that what is between Angel and I isn't a passing fancy that his disapproval will cure us of."

Tintin looked down at her cup of tea and wrapped her hands around it as if to draw strength from its warmth. "I'm not even sure how much is actually about Angel – I mean, I know that he is wary of her but I think it's more about you."

Scott looked up at her, a frown creasing his forehead. "I'm not sure I follow, Tintin."

"Well, if you think about it Angel has taken you away from home. You spend as many nights there with her now as you do on the island with us. I think your father fears you all going off and leaving him, you've just been the first to do it. That's all tied into Angel and the fact that it's because of her that you're leaving at all. It makes him defensive."

"But he shouldn't be! I'm nearly thirty, I can't be expected to stay at home forever."

"I didn't say it was logical, Scott," Tintin smiled ruefully. "I think he's always been just a little disappointed that I didn't end up with Alan for that very reason – it would keep Alan at home."

"He doesn't give Virgil any grief about Penelope."

"No, but she's practically family anyway."

Scott nodded before draining the rest of his coffee. "Are you hitting the lab again today Tintin? Want company?"

"That would be nice," she smiled as she also stood, collecting the cups to put in the sink. She led the way to the lab, Max and Scott both following her. She laughed at the slightly bemused glances Scott kept sending Max's way, not accustomed to seeing a robot acting like a cross between a butler and a puppy.

When the trio reached the lab they saw that it wasn't empty, Virgil sat turning a piece of metal over in his hands. He greeted them politely as they came in.

"I hope you don't mind if I join you, I wanted to have a look at this. It's the thing that detonated when Brains, John and Alan were helping out the transporter the their day, I thought it might help us find out what's happened to them."

"Of course," Tintin reassured him as she pulled up a stool next to the communicator she was using to talk to her dimension. "It seems quiet today, the others around?"

"I think dad's looking at some paperwork," Virgil replied. "Scott, our Scott obviously, and Gordon have gone out on rescues."

"Gordon gone by himself?" Scott asked, looking around the lab at all the equipment. "Our Gordon almost always goes with Virgil and Thunderbird 2."

"In this case it's a stranded yacht pretty close to here, I wasn't needed for any heavy lifting this time." Virgil smiled ruefully and waved the metal. "Not that I'm doing much, looking at this piece of metal instead."

"Hm," Tintin walked over to look at it. "What strange designs, I haven't seen anything like it. I'll make sure I get some scans that I can send to Brains and Brains when we call later."

Scott moved forward too, looking over Tintin's shoulder. "We didn't get close enough on that mission last week to see if there was anything like this there too, did your Brains get a chance to look at it before he left?"

"I'm not sure," Virgil turned it over in his hands again. "He was looking at it, but I don't think he got a chance to properly. I seem to remember Alan said they picked up the rest of the unit too, but I don't know where it is. I think Brains said something about it not detonating but actually operating correctly at dinner." The tall man looked around the lab, scanning to see if he could see the rest of the unit.

"Max, do you know where Brains put the rest of the strange device they picked off the transporter?" Tintin asked the robot, which proceeded to think for a few minutes before whistling and whirring again.

"Apparently it's in the smaller lab near the base of Thunderbird 3," Tintin explained. Virgil looked at her, mouth agape.

"How on Earth did you understand that? No one but Brains understands Max properly."

"I just…" Tintin frowned in confusion. "Well, I don't know. Wasn't it obvious?"

"Brains is rubbing off on you," Scott smiled at her. "As well he should."

"I can't imagine Brains with a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée," Virgil muttered. "Kayo told me," he explained when Tintin and Scott looked at him. "It's so interesting that you're both in relationships. None of us really are, unless you could the thing that Gordon has going on as one."

"Gordon?" Scott huffed out a laugh. "He's the last of us that I can imagine having a relationship, he's very good at saying he's a one night stand guy. John spends all his time with his head in the stars and Alan is…well, Alan. To be honest, with siblings like them it's amazing that any of us have found partners."

"What about my counterpart?" Virgil asked curiously. Scott hesitated.

"I'm not sure I should tell you that, really."

Virgil laughed and shook his head. "That's ok, I don't need to know. Like I said, none of us are really unless you count Gordon and his 'will they won't they' drama with Penelope."

This time Scott did seem to choke. "Gordon…and Lady Penelope?"

"Yeah I know, took us all by surprise to be honest. I mean, he's idolised her for years of course, we've all known that, but it was a surprise that she actually seems to return his feelings in some way. I'm guessing that isn't the case in your world."

"I…no." Scott said firmly. "But I'm not going to get into details, I think it's enough to say that is one thing that is definitely different." Scott caught Tintin's eye as he said this, she could see the worry in his gaze. No point in telling Virgil that his counterpart was the one in a relationship with Penelope in their dimension.

"It's not long now until we call Brains again," Tintin stated, changing the topic smoothly. Scott shot her a relieved look as she started to pick up her equipment. "It's probably worth calling John first, as if he's still in England it will probably be the middle of the night there."

"Sure," Virgil picked up the piece of metal. "I'll just get this scanned. We need to ask Brains what he did with the rest of it."

Max led the way back into the lounge, where Jeff, Sally and Alan were waiting for them.

"Hey guys, where have you been?" Alan asked, standing up as soon as he saw Tintin. Tintin thought he looked a little uncomfortable and wondered what they had been talking about.

"We've been in the lab," Scott told him, following after Tintin. He looked around the fairly empty room. "Where is everyone else?"

"Scott is at a factory fire in Albania while Gordon is busy towing a yacht into Sydney," Jeff replied smoothly. "I believe Kayo is somewhere on the mainland but she said to go on without her."

Tintin nodded as she set everything up. Max bustled about, passing her items that she was smoothly connecting to the communication device. "I'm ready," she said softly. "John first?"

No one objected as she hit the button that would somehow reach across the dimensions to call John. It took a moment for him to answer, when he finally appeared in the hologram he looked tired.

"Hi," he stated, rubbing his face.

"Hey John, how are you?" Virgil asked softly, taking in his brother's exhausted face. It was strange to see John in the hologram but not in his spacesuit, instead in a rumpled shirt.

"I'm, ah, ok," was the reply, interrupted by a huge yawn. "Sorry," John muttered sheepishly. "I've stayed up waiting for your call and this chair isn't that comfortable." His eyes suddenly squinted and he held his hand up as though to shield against a bright light.

A second figure perched on the arm of the chair. Virgil recognised it as the same woman they'd seen with John before, although this time her hair was rumpled. "He decided to try to sleep in that torture device instead of taking the other side of the bed," she informed them curtly, rolling her eyes as she did so. Virgil raised his eyebrows at the thought of John in bed with Scott's girlfriend. A muffled snort from behind him suggested Scott saw the funny side of it.

"There's only one bed," John added hastily, a note of panic in his voice. "It's not what it looks like!"

"Have you found out anything yet?" Scott asked, moving down into the sunken area to sit next to Virgil on the sofa. The way he moved reminded Virgil so much of his Scott it was uncanny, but there was less rigidity there.

"Not yet," the woman, Angel if Virgil remembered correctly, was saying. "I don't know how much we're going to find out online, I think we may need to try something else. He's covering his tracks well, which makes sense if he's used to more advanced technology."

Jeff leaned forwards from where he was sat at the desk. "Please be careful, both of you. We know the Hood is clever and dangerous. You don't need to do this, Brains will work out a way to get everyone back to where they should be."

Angel leaned forwards from her perch on the arm of John's chair. "I appreciate your concern, but what if Brains can't find a solution? We need to explore every avenue. Besides, this is personal now." The glint in her eye told Virgil she wouldn't be backing down, obviously Jeff sensed it too as he nodded and sat up straight again.

John looked up at the woman sat next to him before adding hesitantly. "I think she's right, even if I'm not sure why we're doing half of what we're doing it's obvious Angel has a plan. We'll be ok."

"Well in that case, we'll leave you to it. We need to talk to Brains and find out how he and Alan are getting on," Jeff stated. "Unless you want more time to talk?" He asked Scott directly.

"No, I think we're good. Stay safe," Scott spoke directly to the woman, who rewarded him with a taut smile.

"We will, same to you."

At Scott's nod Tintin cut the power, leaving John and Angel flickering out of sight. Scott sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Guess we call dad now."

Tintin nodded at him. "I'm ready when you all are," she replied, quickly changing some settings on the communicator.

Jeff steepled his fingers together on his desk. "Well then, I guess it's time to see what Brains has been up to."

Chapter 9: Comparisons

Notes:

Oh I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this! I have no real excuse :S

Chapter Text

Brains frowned at the calculations in front of him, taking hold of his glasses and adjusting them against his nose. Nothing on the page in front of him jumped out, there was nothing to suggest that the frankly impossible feat of four people switching with a different four from another dimension had occurred, or was even plausible. Yet, here he was, in a laboratory that was so much more basic than anything he had at home, without his trusting Max but with his alternate dimension counterpart. Of all the things that had happened to Brains in his life, this was by far the weirdest.

"I just don't get it," the other Brains cried, dropping his pencil onto the desk just a little too hard. "I just d-don't get it. It shouldn't be possible. Yet here you are."

Brains refrained from saying he had just had the exact same thought. It was comforting to be around someone who thought almost exactly the same way he did – comforting and more than a bit disconcerting at the same time. Normally Max was the only one who really listened or understood what he was saying, but now he had someone else that could.

"M-Maybe we should go up to t-the lounge," he suggested, adjusting his glasses again. "I-it must be nearly time for y-your Tintin to call us."

"Y-you're right," the other man started to pull his notes into a pile, tucking the pencil behind his ear while Brains opted for putting it in his breast pocket. "I-I hope she has had more, er, progress than we have." He stopped and frowned. "I, er, just need to get something for Mr T-Tracy. You go up, I-I'll be up s-soon."

"R.A.D.," Brains replied, heading out of the laboratory. The main lab was only a few steps away from the lounge, very conveniently. It didn't give Brains much time to think as he headed towards it, when he liked to do his thinking in transit, usually dictating things to Max who would agree in all the right places. He missed Max, but then probably not as much as the other Brains missed Tintin. He still couldn't quite believe that his counterpart was in a relationship, particularly not with a woman who was so clever and so pretty. Brains silently resolved to himself that when he got back he would actually ring up Moffy and ask her out for dinner – after all, if the other Brains could do it then why couldn't he?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lady Penelope was sat reading a magazine in the lounge when Brains entered. Well, she was pretending to read a magazine anyway. If anyone was looking closely they would have seen that she was actually sending surreptitious glances towards Virgil who was playing on the piano. He'd chosen the piece specifically because he knew she liked it, and as her gaze kept wandering over to him she caught him sending glances back to her more often than not. Every time their eyes locked a faint blush rose to her cheeks and a small smile graced his lips.

Penelope tore her gaze away from Virgil to look over at the Brains from the other dimension who was setting up some form of communication equipment. It was strange, they were a different race from each other and had different accents and yet…there was no mistaking them. They were opposite sides of the same coin.

The communication device began flashing as soon as Brains had connected it up. With a frown he pressed a button on it and suddenly a hologram flew up in front of them all. Penelope could see people projected in front of them including Tintin, Scott and Alan.

"Hello Brains," Tintin greeted. She was by far the closest to the camera, she loomed large compared to the others. "Is my Brains there?"

"H-hi there, T-Tintin," the other Brains stammered. Just one more similarity to the Brains they knew and loved. "Hello Max, Virgil, Mr Tracy, Grandma."

At that Penelope did lean forwards to get a better look. She really wanted to see what Virgil's counterpart looked like. She knew it was probably a bad idea, after all curiosity did kill the cat, but she was very curious about what choices she may have made in another dimension. Was the alternate her as deeply in love with her Virgil as she was? Was the other Virgil as handsome, kind and compassionate as the man she had fallen in love with despite her best intentions?

"Hi Brains," the other Virgil was saying, his holographic form leaning forwards and resting his arms on his knees whilst greeting Brains with a friendly smile. "How are you getting on?"

"As w-well as can be expected," Brains pushed his glasses back up his face. "E-everyone here has been really helpful, and it's great to f-finally have someone that understands what I'm saying. N-not that you don't!" He added hastily. Penelope suppressed a smile as she saw the other Virgil doing the same thing.

"It's alright Brains, we know we can't keep up. Tintin here has been proving how inadequate my own grasp of engineering actually is this morning too."

"Oh, that's not true!" Tintin protested, the other Virgil shaking his head at her.

"She outstrips all of us too," came a voice from behind Penelope, her Virgil had left the piano and was now stood with one hand resting gently against the back of the sofa she was sat on. "When she and Brains get going in their lab, no one else knows what they're talking about."

"What who's talking about?" Penelope turned to see Jeff entering the room, Alan bouncing through in front of him. It was strange to see an Alan that was so young. Something about this Alan was different to the one she knew, perhaps it was the wider age gaps between him and his siblings or maybe the fact that with his father gone for so long he hadn't been mollycoddled in quite the same way that their Alan was. From what she could see, he definitely had the least in common with his counterpart, although Penelope hadn't met the other Gordon yet to compare them.

"Are you talking about Brains squared?" Alan was asking. "Hey guys! How are you?" He turned his attention to the hologram.

"Brains squared?" The other Virgil asked curiously. Her Virgil was obviously trying not to laugh.

"Brains squared seems very apt," Penelope stated, joining the conversation for the first time. Their Brains chose that moment to enter, not even greeting the occupants of the room before travelling over to the other Brains and talking quickly. Everyone across the two rooms watched the scientists interact, before eventually the holographic Jeff spoke up.

"Brains squared does seem to make a lot of sense." Brains chose that moment to realise that the connection was there.

"T-tintin?" He looked around with panicked eyes at the amount of people watching him. The other Brains seemed just as shy, Penelope was reminded again of how similar they were to each other.

"Hello Brains," the girl replied warmly. "Maybe we can have a quick discussion at the end?"

"O-of course," Brains dropped his eyes back. Jeff took that moment to stride up to the hologram.

"Say, they told me about this yesterday but it's a pretty impressive piece of kit. Hello Scott, Alan. How are you?"

"Hi father," Alan replied from where he was standing behind one of the sofas. "We're fine thanks, just waiting to find out how we're going to get home."

Jeff looked over to where the Brainses were conferring. "I'm sure Brains is working on it, it seems very convoluted."

"That reminds me," the other Virgil spoke up again. "We're going to scan the pieces of metal that Brains, Alan and John retrieved from the stranded transporter a couple of days ago. I know Brains was working on it here, we thought that maybe it might be able to help."

"Thank you Virgil, t-that would be a tremendous help," the other Brains answered on behalf of them both.

"What with Brains looking at the device and Angel looking for the Hood, they must be able to find something between them that will help to bring us home," Tintin declared confidently. Penelope nodded to herself, she knew that Angel wouldn't have sat around. Jeff's lips thinned to a line and Penelope thought he may be about to say something he might later regret.

"Well, Tintin darling," she put on her best socialite voice, walking closer to the hologram. "And you are you my dear? You must tell me all about your last couple of days. I'm simply dying to hear about what it's like there."

Tintin started to describe the different Tracy Island, occasionally with interruptions from the other Alan and Virgil. It suitably distracted everyone from the previous discussion, although the look in Jeff's eye told her that he knew what she did. Virgil approached her and squeezed her hand gently in thanks, an act that didn't go unnoticed by the holographic Virgil although he didn't comment.

After a while, Brains took the communicator away to speak to Tintin privately. Virgil squeezed Penelope's hand one more time before telling her softly that he was going to go and tell Gordon about the call. The other Brains and Alan left together, the former gesturing wildly as he tried to explain something to his young friend. That left Penelope standing with Jeff, who had retreated to his desk.

"Don't think I don't know what you did there, Penny."

"Why of course not, Jeff. But it was hardly the time or place for you to complain to Scott about his choice of paramour again."

Jeff frowned down at his notes on his desk, clenching one of his fists. "I just don't understand why he's so taken with her."

"Oh Jeff," Penelope perched on the edge of Jeff's desk elegantly, regarding him with a sympathetic look. "They have a history that goes beyond even what Scott's divulged to us. She has proven herself to him time and again, she doesn't need to prove herself to you as well. Just put your trust in him that he would have chosen wisely."

Jeff sighed. "You make it sound so easy, Penny. But she's blinding him to what's happening – he's leaving us behind, leaving International Rescue behind. He only spends half his time here now, the rest he spends off gallivanting with her somewhere."

"Has he ever let you down on a rescue?" Penelope asked softly. "Have lives ever been lost that could have been saved if he had been based here rather than with her?"

"Well no, but-"

"Then I don't think he is blinded, Jeff. I think he's just growing up and becoming his own man. You were never going to keep them all on the Island here with you forever."

Another deep sigh. "I know, Penny. I guess I just didn't think it would be this soon, that's all."

Chapter 10: The Charade

Chapter Text

John lay rigidly in the bed, trying very hard not to move. He had finally been coaxed out of the chair by Angel, but only after he extracted promises that she wouldn't attack him this time. He had eventually fallen asleep, but it wasn't deep or restful and right now he wasn't sure it had actually done him any good.

The shabby curtains in the window were doing nothing to block the morning light. He pulled an arm up over his eyes but it was no good, he had to get up. He tried to sit up slowly so as to not wake Angel, only realising afterwards that the other side of the bed was as empty as the rest of the hotel room.

For some reason that irritated him, even more so when he realised there was no note saying where she might have gone. Grumpily, he pulled out the computer and resumed his search from the night before. He hadn't had any luck at all tracking the Black Phantom and any mention he'd found of Agent Seventy-Nine was old. Angel had told him to disregard anything more from more than six months ago, so that was no good at all. He wasn't quite sure how she would know, or in fact how she was connected to International Rescue at all. He had assumed she and Scott had some form of professional relationship with benefits, a bit like Kayo had with the GDF Commander…Rigby, John thought his name was. Angel was obviously in the same line of work as Penny, though why this International Rescue needed both of them was still a mystery,

After about half an hour of fruitless searching John sighed and rubbed his eyes again. Deciding that more caffeine was needed if he was going to carry on staring at the screen, he set an automatic search running and went in search of the coffee machine. To his chagrin there was only a small kettle, hunting around he found a small amount of dried coffee in a sachet. He glared at it for a few minutes, he had a better machine than this on Thunderbird 5! Still, the woman at the front desk last night had been more than a little scary, he'd have to make do. With some trepidation he managed to boil the water and brew a cup, tentatively taking a sip.

He shuddered at the taste. Not really fit to drink, but nothing else was available. He drank it as quickly as he could, scalding his mouth on the process, before sitting back down to see if the search had turned anything up. As before, it came back blank. John tapped his index finger against his upper lip and thought about where the information might be hiding.

He was still trying to break through protective layers of cryptography an hour later, when the door opened with a creak and Angel slipped back in. John looked up, intending to rebuke her on just abandoning him, but when he saw her he suddenly lost all power of speech. If he thought she was wearing revealing clothes the night before it was nothing to what she was kitted out in now. Lycra capris clung everywhere and reached just below her knees, while a loose vest top didn't hide the visible sports bra underneath. Her skin was covered in a delicate sheen of sweat and she was breathing heavily, chest heaving on every breath.

"Y-You went…for a run?" He croaked out when his voice finally started working again.

"Yes," Angel grabbed a towel and began to wipe herself down. "I was actually making some arrangements the next village over, but a run was a good excuse for being out by myself when we're meant to be on a romantic getaway."

Trying very hard to keep his eyes on her face, John took in what she said. "Arrangements?"

"I've picked us up a new ride and found someone to take Lucille back to Jane. It's too noticeable for us to take any further." She frowned at the laptop. "Found anything?"

John sighed. "No, although…" he thought for a moment, looking at the mess of coding he was trying to hack into. "Someone has gone to a lot of effort to hide something behind these walls… I don't know yet if it's useful but it could be promising."

"Good," Angel threw the towel into the corner of the bathroom. "Can you pack? I'm going to shower and then we can get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

The brunette paused in the doorway to the bathroom, cool gaze washing over him. John felt a spike of irritation, so far he'd helped her out immensely and yet she didn't bother to even give him the time of day. Eventually she sighed and looked away. "We have been struggling to get information from the Network… I have some contacts who may be able to help. We need to move closer to London though."

John nodded, carefully untangling himself out of the code so that no one would know he had been looking around. "OK, I'll get ready." A smile of approval ghosted across her face as she disappeared into the bathroom – not much but enough for John to feel that she might, finally, be beginning to warm to him.

Angel's 'new ride' turned out to be a very unassuming small car, something John was very relieved about after the ride on the motorbike. Angel slid into the driver's seat, meaning that John could spend the journey using the laptop so as to not waste time. Not that what they were doing was time critical exactly, but John would be relieved to be back safe at home.

They drove for a couple of hours, leaving rural countryside behind and beginning to see more and more settlements as they approached the capital. John was still struggling to crack through the cryptography when Angel eventually pulled up into the car park of a hotel.

He looked up from the computer and pulled a face. The hotel was bland and boring, rows of tiny windows reaching up several stories hiding behind an aging glass frontage. Angel must have seen his expression. "The point is not to stand out," she reminded him curtly. "This hotel will do, this time we are work colleagues looking for adjoining rooms so that we can keep working on a presentation through the evening."

John breathed deeply. Work colleagues, he could handle that. Angel paused as she was about to get out of the car. "Naturally, they are going to think we're having an affair. Play up to that, it's a common reason why people come to these hotels. Still got the ring I gave you?" John looked down at the silver band on his left hand. "Excellent, play with it as we're checking in." John noticed her slipping her own rings off into her pocket, leaving behind noticeable tan lines. The realisation of what that meant hit him like a thunderbolt.

He managed to just about stammer through the check-in, not realising that his nervous air gave even more credence to their cover. The man at the desk handed over a token with a suggestive leer, one that John cast his eyes downwards to avoid. Angel led the way up the stairs and along the corridor, John staring intently at the hideously patterned carpet in the hallway as he followed. He only jerked back into life when they reached a pair of doors next to each other.

"The man at the desk said there would be a connecting door," Angel told him, having noticed that he hadn't been paying attention. "You'll need to go in and open it up so that we can enter each other's room."

John nodded tersely, letting himself into his room with the token he's been given. Luckily, the carpet in here was plain and far less garish than the one in the hallway. There was nothing exciting about the room but it was clean and suitable. He sat on the bed heavily, only remembering to unlock the adjoining door when Angel knocked on it from the other side. She frowned at him as she entered.

"What's up Red?"

"I…what?"

"Red," she shrugged. "Thought it was pretty self explanatory. But what's the problem? You've suddenly got nervous?"

John swallowed. "No, no, just trying to play up to the 'work colleagues but secretly having an affair' thing you asked for." Angel studied him for another minute or two but then let it slide.

"Well ok, are you going to be ok to come out for dinner? I have someone I need to talk to and they'll be at a local restaurant this evening, it's easier if I can slip out for a few minutes over dinner."

"Just let me set another code running," John switched back to thinking about the cyphers on the Network. "I'll need to freshen up too."

"That's no problem, we have some time yet. I'll leave you to it." She turned back to the door into her room, hesitating as she did so. "You sure you're ok now?"

John's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yes, I'll see you in a bit." Angel nodded and disappeared through the door. With a deep sigh, John pulled out the laptop and started to crack the next layer of code.

Chapter 11: Nature vs Nurture

Chapter Text

Scott sat on the edge of the balcony, swinging his legs freely over the end. He could admit that he liked the bigger balcony and free edge, the glass windows and the general modern appearance of this Tracy Villa. Not that he was sure whether they called it that or not. Absently he playing with the leather cord hanging around his neck as he watched small clouds scuttle across the sky, the wedding ring strung from it knocking against the metal claw he'd worn for years now.

Footsteps behind him caused Scott to drop the necklace back underneath his shirt. The borrowed shirt was more creased than he'd like but he's noticed that the other Scott generally wore more casual clothing. Scott only wore casual clothing at Angel's, his father preferred them all to be smart. Since arriving here, Scott had realised how suffocating his father's strict rule actually was. Even though the Jeff from here was present, he was a more passive observer. Though, Scott thought ruefully, that was far more likely to be due to his extended stint in the Oort Cloud than his nature.

The footsteps stopped closely by and a figure dropped down next to him, swinging their legs over the edge and mimicking Scott's position.

"Am I intruding?" Kayo asked, looking sideways at Scott out of the corner of her eyes whilst still facing the Ocean.

"Not really," he turned towards her and smiled. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Anything interesting?"

"Just about how different it is here. How different we all are."

"Hm," Kayo started swinging her legs forwards and backwards. "I still can't get over the fact that in your dimension I'm ridiculously clever and engaged to Brains. Who seems to be very much like our own Brains, with a slightly different accent."

Scott shook his head with a smile. "You and Tintin are obviously very different, that is true. Other differences are more subtle, like between Scott and I."

"You look very similar," Kayo hesitated. "You dress smarter, our Scott is more casual but otherwise you'd be able to pass for each other pretty well. Superficially, at least."

"Only superficially?" Scott faced her with a smirk.

"Well yeah," Kayo lay back, propping herself up on her elbows as she peered into the blue sky. "Scott, our Scott I mean, wears his heart on his sleeve. I think the years he spent leading International Rescue by himself have had a toll on his temper and definitely his hair." Now it was Kayo's turn to grin. "He's got greys, though he'd never forgive me if I pointed it out. You seem far less prone to dramatic outbursts."

Scott snorted and looked down at his hands. "I think my father would disagree with you there. He considers me pretty hot-headed, at times."

"But that's the thing," Kayo brought her gaze down to rest on him. "He is there to tell you when you are being hot-headed, as you put it. Scott didn't have that for years."

"That would make a difference," Scott agreed. "But at the same time, your version of dad is pretty relaxed about it all."

"He's still adjusting," Kayo replied softly. "He was gone for so long, his sons turned from boys into men and the whole world changed. International Rescue came out into the open, Scott ended up running the business and forging close links with the GDF. All the while he was stuck in the Oort Cloud, wondering if today was the day he would die. I think he's so relieved to be given a second chance with the family, with his life, that he's happy to go a long with pretty much anything."

"It makes my wish that dad was a bit more like this Jeff feel a bit childish," Scott admitted. "It's like they are two extremes – dad still hasn't realised that we have actually grown up. Well, maybe apart from Alan although that could just be because he's going to be a perpetual child."

"He is a little sheltered, isn't he?" Alan hadn't been making anyone's life easier – he'd constantly been hassling Tintin to try to find them a way home, or grousing about the things about home that he missed to anyone that would listen. Most of the family had gone out of their way to avoid him, meaning that most of the time Alan spent sulking alone.

"He looks at life with a very clear cut ideal of what it should be, a bit like dad does at times. We're all waiting for him to mature out of it."

Kayo fully lay back on the balcony, folding her arms behind her head as she stared upwards. "You know, there's another way that you are very different from our Scott." Scott turned to her curiously, prompting her to continue. "Our Scott is very expressive. What you see is what you get. You… there is something more closed off about you. I think that, despite everything we've been through with Jeff missing and then the Hood, the Mechanic, the Chaos Crew… something tells me you've been through something too, something that has defined who you are even more."

Scott thought about it. "Maybe you're right. I'm not sure our lives have been that comparable." He didn't say anything else and after a few minutes it was clear he wasn't going to. Kayo decided to change the subject instead.

"So, tell us about Angel? I know most of the others are amazed that you've managed to actually find someone to put up with this lifestyle, goodness knows that our Scott is always telling us he doesn't have time for romance."

Scott looked at her again, his face transformed by the smile he sported. "Well Angel is… unusual, to say the least. She understands the job in a way I wouldn't expect anyone else to."

"How did you meet?"

"That's a long story."

Kayo raised an eyebrow as she propped herself back up on her arms. "It's not like we're short of time."

"Maybe later. I should probably see how Tintin is getting on anyway, see if she's thrown something at Alan yet."

Kayo grimaced. "I know he's your brother, but I wish someone would."

Scott didn't say anything else as he stood and walked back into the villa, although the wink he shot Kayo meant that she knew he wasn't offended by her observation.

Kayo stayed on the balcony for a few more moments, watching the darkening sky as dusk began to encroach in the Pacific. The breeze lifted, swinging the end of her customary ponytail and she realised a storm was coming in. She shivered slightly and decided to head back inside the den.

As she entered through the glass doors she waved at Sally who was about to head down into the kitchen. "Storm's coming," she told her. Sally nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll let Gordon know, he was planning on hitting the pool but probably best to wait now. Good chat?" Kayo coloured slightly as she realised Sally must have seen her talking to Scott.

"Just making conversation," she replied with a shrug.

"Mmhmm," Sally regarded her shrewdly for a moment. "Just remember he isn't here to stay, and has someone waiting for him back home."

"Grandma!" Kayo hissed, feeling scandalised.

Sally simply raised an eyebrow. "He's handsome, all my grandsons are no matter which dimension they come from. This one you don't have a brotherly relationship with, I'm just saying."

"Well don't!" Kayo glared at her. "I'm just trying to find out what is causing the differences, whether it's nature or nurture. There is no way that I could ever be the same as Tintin, yet with Scott I wonder if they are actually the same and it's their experiences that have changed them."

"I'm not sure you'll ever know that answer," Sally told her gently. "But does it matter? Just don't forget that they aren't here to stay. It's unlikely that whatever we do to send them home and get our boys back will ever be able to be repeated."

Kayo let out a deep breath. "I know. Anyway, I should head out on perimeter checks. I'll see you later."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Jeff was actually managing to get through some paperwork when the call from Val Casey came through. For a change he was alone in the lounge, although he wasn't sure where everyone had got to except Scott who was out on a mission to find a missing hiker.

"Hi Val," he answered with a smile, receiving a brief one in return.

"Jeff," the hologram paused for a moment. "I know you've been back a while, but have I ever told you how good it is to see your face again?"

Jeff chuckled, his rich baritone filling the room with sound. "Not often enough Val. How can I help you?"

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call Jeff, though one day I promise I will just call to chat. I thought you should be the first to know that we have had a break in at one of our holding facilities that has left several guards dead."

"Another break in?" Virgil and Gordon had entered the lounge while Val was talking, Virgil was the one who had spoken. "Who escaped this time?"

"It's a what, not who. The holding facility was for compounded equipment pending criminal trials and decommissioning. They took the large purple juggernaut that we've been referring to as the Chaos Cruiser, along with an array of advanced weaponry and a couple of other vehicles. The vehicles aren't a concern, except that they were evidence for several criminal trials. The weapons are alarming but nothing that couldn't be found elsewhere on the black market. My biggest concerns are the Cruiser, and the fact that I've had to ring up a dozen families and tell them that their loved ones won't be coming home."

Gordon swore, loudly, earning himself a whack from Sally who had come up to listen to the message. Jeff looked at his sons, concern in his expression. "You have both dealt with the Hood before now, is this along his lines?"

"I don't know," Virgil frowned. "He has always set up schemes that have completely disregarded human life, but I don't think he's been so direct about taking it."

"Our previous interactions have had casualties, but small scale." Val informed him. "Almost as though they are collateral, this was targeted. These people were taken out simply because they were there."

"Thanks for letting us know, Val." Jeff sighed deeply. "It's concerning, we'll ask Penelope to look into it and keep our eyes open."

"You do that Jeff, whoever this Black Phantom is he's obviously very dangerous." With that the hologram disappeared. Jeff looked up, his eyes tracking from Virgil to Gordon. Virgil sighed deeply.

"This is… we're aren't equipped to deal with murderers."

"No," Jeff agreed. "I think we have to try to stay as far away as possible, but at the same time this man is obviously too dangerous to be running around loose. Scott's girlfriend said he was bad news and it looks like she is right. We'll ask Penny to discretely investigate in case we can find out anything of use to the GDF, but leave it to them."

Gordon had a concerned expression, probably considering the risk. "Should we be involving Penny at all?"

Jeff was spared from answering by Virgil. "You know she'd want to, Gordon. Penelope is sensible, she won't get in deeper than she should."

"I guess," Gordon puffed out a sharp breath of air. "Who wants to tell Kayo she can't go after the bad guy this time?"

"You leave Kayo to me," Jeff stated firmly. "I know I've been gone a long time, but I set up International Rescue and set its direction. Difficult questions about our jurisdiction shouldn't be something that Scott, or any of the rest of you, have to deal with."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kayo, in the meantime, was watching two very excited pilots bouncing around Thunderbird Shadow. She'd been on her way back in from her reconnaissance sweep around the Island and neighbouring Ocean, trying to stay ahead of the storm clipping at her wings all the way, when Tintin had accosted her and asked her to show her craft to Scott and Alan. Kayo suspected it was more to get them out of Tintin's hair than anything else, although the other girl had come with them. She was standing next to Kayo now, watching the boys fondly as they poked around Kayo's precious machine.

"I thought it might be the kind of craft Angel would like, Scott." Tintin called out to the brunette, who flashed her a grin.

"She'd love the bike bit, but would steer clear of the plane. She gets really air sick! Did I tell you she almost threw up in Thunderbird 1 once?"

"No, really?" Tintin moved closer to Scott to continue the discussion, Kayo trying to pretend she wasn't listening to find out as much about the mysterious Angel as possible. Sadly for Kayo, Alan took the opportunity to come and ask her about the specs for Thunderbird Shadow.

She couldn't stay annoyed though, his enthusiasm was infectious. She was busy discussing the cloaking system when the worrying thought slipped through her mind that this Alan was about her own age. Followed by the even more worrying thought that when he wasn't pouting, his smile lit up his face and his blue eyes sparkled as he discussed speed and altitude. Very worrying indeed.

Chapter 12: Rollercoaster

Chapter Text

John sat tapping his fork against the tablecloth, the sound a repetitive irritation that mirrored the annoyance he was feeling. The main course had come and gone. The waiter was hovering, desperate to find out if John was actually going to order dessert or if he was going to settle up. The reality was, John wasn't able to do either. Angel's half eaten plate had long since been cleared away and John was sat staring at an empty chair. His grip against the fork tightened and he forced himself to put it down.

He knew that she had said she needed to have a quick discussion with a friend during dinner, but she'd been gone an incredibly long time now. The waiters all evidently thought he had been abandoned half way through his date and he couldn't contradict them.

Something vibrated in the pocket of the jeans he was wearing. With a frown, John pulled out the comm he had been given earlier to see a message typed in from Angel.

I've got what I need, settle up and I'll meet you out the front.

Settle up, well that was just great. It's not like he had any British currency with him. Or any currency at all, given that he lived in space.

Phone is loaded with credit, just swipe.

Now she tells him. John grit his teeth together to stop himself saying or doing something stupid as he requested the check from the relieved waiter. Why would he think they were using such an outdated method as phone loading of currency? Everything settled in record time, he made his way out of the restaurant whilst trying to ignore the sympathetic glances and whispers of the other customers. The staff took one look at his thunderous expression and wisely kept out of his way.

About five strides away from the door of the restaurant he saw Angel waiting in a small recess, a wooden gate behind her suggesting a back entrance. He considered just walking on, but wasn't entirely sure of how to get back to the hotel without her help. He strode over to her, still silently fuming. She fell into step beside him as they walked down the street.

"You're annoyed."

Way to point out the obvious. "Whatever gave you that impression?"

Angel didn't say anything. For a while they carried on walking, John silently stewing. Eventually, he changed course down a side street and stopped dead. She turned to face him, her expression unconcerned. If anything, this only served to increase his irritation.

"I've never been so embarrassed! You just left me in a restaurant for more than an hour, getting pitying looks from all the staff, unable even to pay my bill and leave! Of course I'm annoyed!"

"I was getting information," Angel told him coolly. "If it's getting too much for you, we can always tell John he needs to come and pick you up."

"That's not fair and you know it." John snapped back. "I've been dumped in a different dimension, knocked unconscious, dragged halfway across the country, been flirted with, had to lie and pretend and then stood up in a restaurant for over an hour! I haven't questioned what you are doing or why, despite the fact that you've given me no reasons or explanation most of the time, and I've been slaving away to try to get you the information that you're after!"

He only realised at the end of his rant that he was now so close to Angel he could see the faint freckles that dusted her nose and the different flecks of gold and brown in her eyes, which were narrowed at him dangerously.

Angel was about to counter but John wasn't quite done with his rant. "To top it all off, I don't even know who you are! Other than someone who is evidently married but still sleeping with my older brother."

"Scott isn't your brother," Angel bit back.

"He may as well be! Look, I honestly don't care what you're getting up to with Scott, but unless you start actually telling me what's going on and what we're doing then I can't help you!"

The stood in tense silence, neither prepared to give an inch. Tension crackled between them for the space of a heartbeat, but then just as John thought something was about to happen Angel stepped away with a sigh.

"You're right," she conceded quietly. "I haven't been fair. I'm sorry, Red." She hugged her arms across her chest and shrugged helplessly. "I just… I need him back."

"Scott?" John clarified, receiving a nod. "It's serious then."

"About as serious as it can be," Angel smiled wryly.

"Does he know you're married?"

Angel arched an eyebrow. "I bloody hope so. Otherwise it was a bit of a pointless exercise."

"Wait…" John held his hand up, brain whirring. "You're married to Scott?" A quick nod and things fell into place in John's mind. "But… no one else mentioned it." He'd been on the communicator to his counterpart and Brains a few times since arriving here.

"They don't know," Angel told him. "We eloped. Well, Brains and Tintin do as they were our witnesses, but no one else."

"Wow…" John took a moment or two to process. "So…what is the plan now?"

"The contact I met up with over dinner, which I am sorry about, suggested that there is something going on with the Asian crime syndicates. But it's all happening a very long way away from the UK… I think, if we really want to pursue this we'll need to get a flight. Probably to Bangkok to start with, though I'm not sure. I'll talk to John about arranging us a flight."

"Are you going to come up with a new cover?" John asked as they began their walk back to the hotel.

"I think so but I'm not sure what yet, if it is Bangkok we'll probably go for tourists. Has your research turned up anything yet?"

"No," a fact which frustrated John. "Though I set something else running before we came out… there is something there, I know there is. If I had Thunderbird 5 and Eos to help I'd have got there by now."

"Eos?" It was testimony to how little Angel and John had actually interacted that he hadn't already told her about Eos.

"An Artificial Intelligence that germinated from some code I wrote. I can't take the credit for her though, she evolved by herself."

"Right." Angel still looked blank, so John gave her a run down of the situation with Eos and how she came to be on Thunderbird 5 with him.

This took them all the way back to the hotel hallway with the garish carpet, where John hesitated briefly before inviting her into his room. Angel waited while John headed straight for the tablet, pulling some details up and sinking into the single chair in the corner of the room by a small round table.

"Any success?" she asked him curiously, seeing him frown in concentration.

"No…but…" John's eyes flickered across the lines of code he could see in front of him. "Wait… give me a sec."

It took far longer that a second, while John's fingers flew across the screen. Angel tired of waiting and made them both tea, setting John's down on the small table while looking for somewhere to sit herself. Deciding not to use John's bed, she sat down on the floor with her legs bent in front of her and her back leaning against the wall.

By the time John finished what he was doing, his tea had gone stone cold. That didn't bother him though as he gazed up with a triumphant grin. "I think I've got something!"

"Really?" Angel scrambled to her feet and peered over his shoulder, her hair falling about her face. With a annoyed grunt she pulled it all to one side, away from John and the tablet.

"Yes, look!" He exclaimed, pointing at some lines dotted around the code. Angel looked at him helplessly and he sighed. "It says something about the dragon on the Pearl River. It's the location of where you can set up assignments for the Phantom."

"That's it then," Angel breathed. "Dragon on the Pearl River…"

John frowned in concentration. "That doesn't ring a bell." He felt the euphoria ebb away. "So it isn't much of a lead."

"No, you're wrong!" Angel's voice was contained excitement. "It can only mean one place. John, we're going to Macau!"

She grinned happily at him, her whole face lighting up with jubilation. John swallowed uncomfortably as for the first time he realised how close she was. Angel turning back to the tablet, scanning the code to see if any other words jumped out at her. John's eyes tracked down the side of her face, her slightly upturned nose and her smile that transformed her face.

The next moment, she had straightened. "John, come in," she said loudly. John jumped before he realised she wasn't addressing him, she was speaking into a watch that he thought must belong to Scott.

"Hi Angel, how's the hunt?" Came the reply from the watch. John couldn't see his counterpart but knew that he would be standing in Thunderbird 5 in his International Rescue uniform.

"We've had a breakthrough," Angel was saying, flashing a smile at John again. "Can you find us seats on a flight to Macau?"

"Macau? Sure, I guess. I'm being picked up soon to return to the Island, but I'll be able to sort something out from there too. Is there anything else you need?" Angel looked over at John thoughtfully.

"We'll need to go shopping and some new identification. I can work on the latter, but if we're going to head to the casinos we're going to have to look like we're prepared to play to be noticed."

A chuckle came across the communicator from the still unseen John. "Don't worry about that, you get to London – I know just the person to help you with the rest."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next afternoon they were in a car on their way to one of the International airports around London, John wasn't sure which. They'd gone into the city in the morning and upgraded their wardrobes, John wasn't sure how Angel was getting the money but he'd been deposited at a tailors on Saville row where he apparently had an appointment while she'd disappeared to find some gowns.

John managed to emerge with a set of suits that fitted so well they almost could have been made for him, but in far less time. They were much more his style than the white monstrosity Penelope had bullied him into wearing to a charity gala once, though admittedly didn't come with any of the bespoke Brains modifications. Hopefully he wouldn't need them this time. Angel had been waiting for him next to a car outside, a new suitcase at her feet holding her own supplies.

The car was no ordinary car, but a pink Rolls Royce driven by a very familiar face. Angel was sitting next to Lady Penelope in the usual seats, while John was using a fold down seat he didn't think existed to face them. The bags had been very carefully placed into the trunk by Parker, who didn't seem phased by the quantity of luggage at all.

John tried to pay attention to what Penelope was saying to him. "We came back to London yesterday as I had an event last night I simply couldn't miss. John's request to us certainly added some interest, I'm almost rather jealous. I'd offer to come with you but I fear you'll have more success without me. I've managed to procure you some new identification and passports, here you are John dear." She held out a small card to John, who took it and turned it over a couple of times.

"Jonathan Frakes," he murmured, looking at the name on the card. The image looked incredibly like a slightly younger version of himself.

"John had fun with a de-ager," Penelope commented on noticing where his attention lay. "Our John, I mean. Goodness, this is all a little confusing isn't it?"

"I've been calling him Red," Angel commented from where she was flicking through her own papers, gesturing at John.

Penelope sniffed a bit at that. "I've persuaded John to book you a first class cabin for your flight, they do small suites on this aircraft. If you are going to be persuading your audience that you are playing for high stakes then you can't travel in economy. You'll have to be the one actually play John dear, these things are still frightfully old fashioned I'm afraid and Angel wouldn't be taken seriously enough."

"What will we be playing?"

"Hopefully nothing," Angel informed him. "If we can flash the cash and get a buy in to one of the big games then that should attract attention. But to get information we may need to play further – big money in Macau used to be on Baccarat but nowadays it's a hybrid game using mahjong tiles called Tei Fuer."

"I've not heard of it," John frowned and pulled out his tablet.

"I'd be surprised if you had, Red. It's something that's almost exclusively played illegally as it doesn't have clearly defined rules. It's usually a front to launder money across international boundaries but has been attracting more and more of the big players. There should be information about how to play online, though you'll need to play close attention to any local rules they throw in."

"You are very informed about the Macau underworld." Penelope stated with an inquisitive glance.

Angel shrugged in reply. "A lot of the wealthy Asian criminals use it as a way of gathering and exchanging information, I've not been there myself but I know enough about how to negotiate it. There are hubs all around the world where the local criminals tend to congregate, all keeping a close eye on each other and trying to find out what they can."

"If it's that much of a suspicious community, how are we going to get in?"

"We're going to play on you being so naïve you don't realise you're in the 'wrong' casino." Angel told him. "You're a rich heir that's only just come into your fortune through the untimely death of your estranged father, and you have a slight gambling habit. You're not bad at it, so you haven't frittered all your money away yet. I'll be the trophy wife."

"Hence the suits and dresses," John noted.

"Exactly!" Another beaming smile that made John feel far too warm. "We need to look the part to even get close to the games. Anyone who is actually close to the Black Phantom will be where the money is, not in the low level games."

"So learn the rules, play well enough to get to the big table then lose spectacularly so that they don't come after us for our winnings." John skimmed through the tablet until he managed to find a comprehensive rule set for Tei Fuer. "While you flirt around and try to catch what you can about the Phantom or Hood."

"It sounds rather dangerous," Penelope frowned at the pair of them. "Are you sure that you can do this? Or that you want to? Brains will surely figure out the strange device and reverse its effects, this might not even be necessary."

"Even if Brains, either of them, does manage to work out how to reverse the device we found, we still need to make sure they can't do it again." John stated, not looking up from his tablet. "In many ways we're lucky we came here and have the ability to communicate between the dimensions and to reverse it. Had it been anyone else, they may not have been able to. This was clearly orchestrated to deliver technological advances to criminals, if that is allowed to continue then both our dimensions will be in serious trouble."

"I agree," Angel nodded firmly. "This is dangerous, but so is inaction. Ideally, we want to be in a position so that when the Brains do manage to reverse the effect and send John and his friends home, the Hood goes with them and we receive the Black Phantom in return. To do that, we need to find him. And John's family will need to apprehend the Black Phantom."

"I understand perfectly," Penelope told them both. "If you need any assistance at all, you know how to contact me. I would come with you but I fear we would be more of a hindrance than a help. I will, however, smooth things over with Jeff as far as I can. You may well need support from International Rescue if you manage to locate the Hood."

"Thank you Penelope," a look of understanding passed between the two women while John continued to work at his tablet.

"Well, it looks like we have arrived," Penelope stated, looking out at the airport terminal. "Good luck, remember it's perfectly reasonable to call for support. I suppose all that remains is to wish you good luck."

"Thanks, Lady Penelope," John replied as he exited the car and watched Parker find someone to take their bags. "I think we might need it."

Chapter 13: Persuasion

Chapter Text

Virgil towelled his hair dry, pulling on clean clothes as quickly as possible. His father would want a debrief and with Scott stuck in another dimension somewhere that job now fell to him. Normally by the time Virgil returned from a rescue Scott would have already given the main report, Virgil just had to add any points Scott may have missed or not been privy to and then disappear. Without Scott there Virgil had to give the whole briefing and his father would be impatient as he had to wait that much longer for it.

But one thing Jeff insisted on was that, where possible, the boys cleaned up before briefing. It was something Alan grouched about every time, although Scott and Virgil were pleased about the chance to pull their thoughts together.

Thinking of his oldest and youngest brothers sent a pang through Virgil. He missed them. Scott's quiet council, Alan's bouncy enthusiasm. The Villa felt emptier without them, even though technically it wasn't. The young Alan brought some of the energy back, but it wasn't quite the same.

Although, having a young Alan around was fun. Virgil had forgotten how endearing Alan had been at that age – all excited and going at a million miles an hour. When their Alan was this age he'd been out on the kart circuit, racing at every opportunity to build up enough points to upgrade his licence. The fact that he managed to do so comfortably whilst still doing all the school work their father demanded was testimony to his talent. The other Alan didn't race at all, when Jeff had asked about it Alan had explained that there was simply too much to do with International Rescue to spend time karting.

That left a bit of a sour taste in Virgil's mouth. Sure, International Rescue was important, but so was growing up normally and having your own interests. That being said, if their positions had been switched Virgil would have been the first to drop everything for International Rescue so really he had no reason to criticise.

Tiredly, Virgil entered the lounge. It was still very early, the rescue call had come in during the night. Only Jeff and John were waiting for him, the latter slumped in his chair as he adjusted to being on terra firma again.

"How did it go, son?"

"Hi father. It went well I think, I rescued all the casualties and managed to divert rescue teams towards other locations." Virgil continued with his debrief of his rescue of a family trapped in a ruined house after an earthquake in central Italy. Luckily the epicentre was in a rural location, but the rescue teams on the ground were spread thin trying to cover the large area. "I really missed Scott's support," Virgil concluded. "Trying to coordinate everything while also doing all the heavy lifting was very difficult."

"Hm," Jeff sat back in his chair, thinking. "Make sure you take John over to get Thunderbird 1 later today, we're really missing it. Then John can go with you and act as First Responder."

"Who will oversee the communications here?" John asked, dragging one hand down his face to try to wake himself up.

"I can, if only while you're out. We're going to have to adapt until Brains can work out how to bring Scott, Alan and Tintin home."

John frowned and looked like he may be about to say something else when all three were distracted by an incoming call. Looking up, Virgil could see that it wasn't any of the brothers, instead Penelope's portrait was flashing. Virgil was confused, Penelope hadn't said she was planning to call. Jeff also frowned up at the portrait even as he leant forwards to answer it, although John straightened in his seat and was suddenly alert. Virgil looked at his older brother suspiciously.

"Hello Penelope, it's lovely to hear from you."

"Good morning Jeff, I'm sorry to call you so terribly early, but I had some news for John and he wasn't in the laboratory."

Virgil's suspicions were correct, Penelope was in cahoots with John about something. His father was also in the dark, if his confusion was anything to go by.

"Why, John's right here Penelope. What's up?"

If Virgil hadn't known his girlfriend so well he wouldn't have recognised her slight hesitation for what it was – a quick check with John that she should speak in front of the rest of them. This just intrigued Virgil more and he sank down on the edge of Jeff's desk to listen.

"Hello Virgil," Penelope greeted him with a soft smile reserved for just him, as he moved into her field of view. "How did the rescue go?"

"I don't think you called us to discuss the latest rescue," Jeff told her, amused.

"Why no, of course. I just wanted to let John know that they've caught their flight and everything went smoothly."

"Thanks, Penny," John said with a smile. "How did it go?"

"I had a tremendous morning acting as a personal shopper," Penelope grinned happily. "The finest couture is such a delight to buy and Angel looks simply beautiful in almost anything."

"Angel?" Jeff asked sharply, eyes flicking between Penelope and John.

"Why yes, John contacted me yesterday and asked if I would help Angel and John to acquire some suitable clothing. Naturally I agreed, it was a pleasure."

"You met the other John?" Virgil asked, interested. "What was he like?"

"I didn't get much chance to talk with him, Angel dropped him at a tailors that I'd set up an appointment for so I only really got a chance to meet him properly on the journey to the airport. He seems very focussed, remarkably like our own John."

"Why were you helping Angel shop? Where is she finding money to spend on high end clothes?" Jeff's frown was still in place. Virgil managed to suppress the eye roll, but only just.

Penelope raised a brow archly. "From what I understand from Parker, in her past life she had quite the reputation. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that she has a small fortune hidden away somewhere."

"As for why, they are chasing up some leads as to where the Hood may be." John supplemented. "They need to go to the Macau casinos to find out more information, so they needed to look the part. Includes first class flight, expensive clothes and big buy ins for the games."

"I think they might have consulted me first." Jeff huffed. "I appreciate John doesn't know how we operate, but Angel should by now."

"To be fair, father, what would you have said?" Virgil asked. "Only a couple of days ago you were telling us that Angel didn't need to do anything, that we could manage it. In the meantime, she's got further than we ever could."

"I did suggest to them both that they didn't need to do this," Penelope added. "That Brains will eventually work out how that device works and be able to restore order. But they argued, very persuasively I must say, that if they don't find the Hood he is likely to deliver advanced technology into criminal hands. Furthermore, he will know how to perform this switch again if he needs to. I don't need to tell you how disastrous that would be. Angel and John know that what they are doing is dangerous, but they are prepared to do it to prevent a worse scenario in future."

"I see." Jeff thought for a while. "I must say, that's a view I didn't expect Angel to take. Maybe I have misjudged her somewhat. But what's certain is that they may very well need our support. John, forget what I said earlier about piloting Thunderbird 1, you're going to be needed to man the communications here. If they do run into trouble you'll have to take Thunderbird 1 out to get them. Virgil, I'll get Gordon coming out with you on any rescues then one of you can coordinate if need be. If he's on standby then he can go wherever he is needed."

"I think that's a splendid idea, Jeff. I already told them that they should call on Parker and myself if required." Penelope stated. "Now I shall leave you to your breakfast. Virgil, will you call me later?"

"I'll be about five minutes, Pen," he told her with a smile.

"Thank you Penelope, we'll talk to you soon." Jeff closed the link to the United Kingdom. "Well, that is a turn up for the books. When were you planning to tell me that Angel had run off with your counterpart, John?"

"I think 'run off' is a bit strong. We know she's the best person to find a criminal, she's proven it before."

"True enough. Keep me posted on what they're up to please boys."

"Sure thing, father." John stood to leave the lounge, Virgil following. When they reached the hall, Virgil stopped his brother before he disappeared into the laboratory where his communication equipment was set up.

"How is Angel, really?"

"It's hard to tell," John replied, thinking hard. "It's clear she's very worried about Scott, but my counterpart is proving capable I think. He seems to be even better than I am at hacking into the Network. It's probably the more advanced communications technology available in his dimension that's given him the edge."

"I'd have to take your word on that," Virgil demurred. "I guess I'd better call Penny, I'll see you later."

"Bye Virgil," with a wave the blond disappeared behind the sliding door. Virgil walked to his room and sat on his bed, facing the ocean out of the windows.

"Calling Lady Penelope," he spoke at his watch, rewarded by a soft smile.

"Hello Virgil darling, how are you? How was the rescue?"

"Hi Pen," he smiled softly at her. "It was fine, although I'll be relieved when Scott's back to help out. I'll deny this if you ever mention it to him, but I've never realised quite how much he does to make my life easier on rescue missions."

"My lips are sealed," she promised.

Virgil looked back at his bedroom door, towards the lounge. "Well done for getting dad to finally cooperate with Angel. How were they really?"

Penelope sighed and adjusted her seat on the sofa in her study. "Angel is… well as unflappable as ever. She obviously is very concerned and upset, but she hides it incredibly well. I suspect it's a bit of a privilege that she showed it to me at all."

"You think she's finally coming around to us?"

"If she is, it's probably undeserved on our part. We haven't exactly been welcoming." Virgil winced at the truth of Penelope's words.

"And the other John?"

"I must admit, the red hair was quite the shock. It's far brighter than Gordon's has ever been. But he seems to be sensible enough and I rather got the impression he would follow Angel anywhere if she asked him to."

"Penelope," Virgil's tone had a note of warning.

"Oh don't worry darling, they are both completely unaware as far as I could tell. I'm just speculating anyway, there may be no truth in it. I must confess that I am terribly relieved your father has decided to support them, they really are heading into the lion's den so to speak"

"Me too, though I think you're the only one that could have persuaded him, Pen."

"However it happened, I'm pleased it has. Now, do tell me about what progress you have made on your new piece? I'm sorry I haven't been there to see it develop."

With a fond smile, Virgil started telling Penelope about the new painting he was doing, a trial of different paint application techniques in the form of a stormy sea. One of the things he loved most about Penelope was her genuine interest in his hobbies. He settled back against his headboard and prepared for a long discussion, through the video link he could see Penelope doing the same. They might be half the world apart but at times like this the distance didn't feel so great.

Chapter 14: On the Approaches

Chapter Text

John made himself comfortable in the private cabin on the airplane. The steward at the airport had apologised profusely, but explained that there had been a mix up and that it wouldn't be possible for them to get a double cabin. John found he didn't mind, he needed a few moments away from Angel to gather his thoughts. Judging by her expression, she felt the same.

If he was going to be honest with himself, he was scared. Dressing up as a rich heir to con experienced criminals into giving away information on their boss's location wasn't something that any of the work with International Rescue so far had prepared him for. What he was about to do was not just out of his comfort zone, it was out of sight of his comfort zone. What was he even doing here, playing spy games with a strange woman?

He shook the negative thoughts away as best he could, sitting up straighter on the chair and reaching for the small suitcase he'd brought with him. A moment later and he had a set of Mahjong tiles sat in front of him on the small table, the rules of Tei Fuer displayed on the tablet and propped up ahead of him. He'd managed to find a set at the airport somehow, having scoured all of the duty free and eventually resorting to demanding it of the steward. To familiarise himself John started to move the tiles, trading and betting as though he was in a game.

A steward knocked on the door to ask if he wanted to join the other first class passengers for dinner, but he instead requested it be brought to the room. He continued to study the rules of the game whilst playing out various moves with the tiles in front of him.

The food came and went, John informing them that he not be disturbed again. He knew that he should probably be trying to get some sleep as it was a night flight and he would regret it tomorrow, but by now he was engrossed and determined to keep going.

Eventually another knock broke his concentration. Thinking it would be a steward again he told them to enter in a curt voice, irritated at having his earlier request ignored. When the door slid open to reveal Angel, dressed immaculately in a floaty blouse and pressed grey linen trousers, the annoyance died as quickly. Aware that he was staring, he cleared his throat.

"Hi."

"Hey Red," she looked at what he was doing. "You haven't slept this whole flight?"

"I wanted to understand the rules properly," he gestured at the table, not wanting to admit it was also a way for him not to focus on the stress of what he was actually about to do.

Angel nodded understandingly. "I doubt it matters much, you'll be able to sleep today and be fresh for this evening. But we're going to be there soon, I was just going to remind you to change outfits."

John looked down at the jeans and shirt he was travelling in. "Sure, give me a minute."

"I'll go back to my cabin," she smiled at him. "We'll be descending soon. I'll see you when we disembark." With that Angel left, leaving John to sigh out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He picked up the suit bag and extracted the first of several suits. On leaving his own cabin, he made his way to the rather spacious restrooms to shower and change.

The John Tracy – or rather, Jonathan Frakes according to his travel documents – who stepped out of the plane looked very different to the one who had boarded. Where before he was nervous, ducking eye contact and holding on tight to his bag now he was gazing around confidently and offering his arm to the pretty woman following him.

"You're doing well," Angel murmured, tucking her hand into his elbow.

"I really hope no one realises how much I'm faking it," John replied, before thanking the steward with a smile and a hefty tip.

"Aren't we all?" Angel replied serenely as John directed where to have his luggage sent. As they were strolling through the corridors towards the concourse there was a shout from behind them and a woman in a smart suit came running up.

"Mr and Mrs Frakes? If you could follow me please, we have transport waiting."

Angel shared a quick glance with John, shrugging slightly to tell him to go along with it.

"Why thank you," John smiled at the woman. "Shall we?"

"We'll have your luggage brought out directly," the woman said as she led them into a corridor that was more opulent that the one they had just been in. "The hotel informed us that you would be arriving and requested that we provide transport for you. We hope you enjoy your stay in Macau." By now they had reached a secluded entrance where a limousine was waiting.

"Thank you very much," Angel told the woman smoothly, passing her a bill discreetly.

"Please, contact us if you have any further requests," with a bow, the woman was gone. The chauffeur was holding open the back door of the stretch car.

With a nod, John entered the car with Angel following close after. As soon as they were moving, she frowned and hit a small button near the door. Immediately a screen blocked away the driver. "This was…unexpected. I really must work with Penelope more often if this is how the other half live."

John was looking around with wide eyes. "Penelope arranged this?"

"I guess so? Are you ok?"

"It's just, it's a lot." He pulled at the collar of his suit nervously. Angel reached up and gently restrained his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You'll stretch it if you do that. You're doing fine, no one that's seen you so far thinks you're anything other than the rich heir you're suggesting you are." She looked out the window at the passing lights of the city. "I imagine it won't be long until we're at the hotel. We'll have quite a lot of time there to rest and prepare ourselves for this evening."

John nodded, not able to bring himself to speak as the nerves reared again.

The hotel rose tall above them as the chauffeur opened the door to the limousine, extending a hand to help Angel to her feet. As John stepped out behind her, he could see the whole façade of the building was covered in flashing lights that made an elaborate display – even at eleven in the morning.

A concierge was there to greet them, primed by the chauffeur. "Mr and Mrs Frakes, it is an honour that you have chosen our hotel. Please, follow me. We have arrange a suite for you in the Mansion."

Quickly checking that the bags were accompanying them, John offered Angel his arm again and followed the concierge through the hotel lobby. They walked past a large casino floor and multiple restaurants, entering a huge central foyer that stretched tall above them. The sides were covered in screens that showed rainforest scenes, and there were large living decorations filled with plants of all kinds.

Angel squeezed John's arm tightly to remind him not to stare too much as they continued to walk across the polished floor. Eventually the concierge led them through a set of double doors that required a key card to access and out into a courtyard. The hotel surrounded them with high walls of glass but overhead they could see the sky. In the centre of this courtyard stood a villa, water features and lush greenery surrounding it like an oasis in the middle of the city.

"Welcome to the Mansion," the concierge informed them, leading them up to the right hand side of it. "We have put you in the fountain suite, please do let us know if anything is not to your liking. We have a team of staff at your disposal. Would you care for refreshments?"

"Some lunch would be nice," Angel said, once it was clear that John wasn't going to say anything.

"Of course, would noon be satisfactory? We have a seven course tasting menu available, or we can provide something simpler if you would prefer."

"I think a light lunch would be acceptable," Angel told him. "Maybe some bread, cheese and fruits? We're very tired after our flight and wish to rest."

"Certainly, madam. Here we are." He opened the door to reveal a light and airy seating area, with windows that overlooked the fountains. John could see balconies outside that were covered in flowers. The whole apartment was decorated like a Mediterranean villa, with pretty floral walls and carved balustrades. "We have a bedroom here, here and here," the concierge showed them the rooms as he was talking. "The bathroom is through there, with the jacuzzi pool. You have a cinema room just through here and your dining area is here. If there is anything else you need, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," John finally spoke to the concierge, slipping him the tip he was waiting for. "We would like to rest now."

"Naturally, sir. I bid you good-day." The concierge slipped out, shutting the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Angel retrieved a device from her bag and set it on the table. She activated it, causing a small whirring noise and a monitor to begin spinning.

"What is that?" John asked curiously.

"This is a cloaking thing," Angel frowned at it. "I don't really know what it does but Penelope gave it to me. I think Brains made it for a her a couple of years ago, it will interfere with any bugs that may be in the room." She shook her head slightly as if to dispel the thoughts. "I'll take this room, I need to think about getting some sleep after food arrives. We probably won't want to leave until about ten this evening so we'll have plenty of time to get a late dinner before heading out. The casino we'll go to is the Red Dragon, it's one of the newer casinos out here. The word in London, admittedly second hand, is that it's the place to be if you're hiring."

"Hiring what?"

Angel gave him a speculative look. "You name it. Arrangers, fixers, acquirers of rare collectibles… this is where anyone who's anyone will come to browse the opportunities."

John felt that something in this conversation was flying above his head. "Right, ok."

He was saved from having to ask what were probably embarrassingly basic questions by a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw four immaculately dressed members of the hotel staff with a small trolley.

"Lunch, sir?" The first man asked, gesturing to the trolley.

"Please," John responded, stepping back to give them access. Very quickly and efficiently the staff unloaded the food to the small dining area. One of them pulled out the chairs and the table and bowed. Feeling awkward, John took one of the seats and was presented with a napkin for his lap. Angel sat opposite him, raising her eyebrows in surprise at the level of service they were receiving. They were offered wine, cheeses and salads to accompany their sandwiches, which were made up fresh out of the multiple possible fillings and bread types the waiters had brought with them.

Once Angel and John were served most of the waiters left, leaving just one who stood discreetly to the side whilst they ate their food. Lunch was conducted in near silence, John feeling far too awkward with someone stood watching his every mouthful to attempt conversation. Looking at Angel, he felt that she was every bit as unnerved as he was by the close attendance. For the first time since they'd met, he felt on an even footing to her and it caused him to smile. He knocked his foot against hers to get her attention and then pulled a face, causing an indelicate snort.

Eventually, the tortuous meal was over and the final waiter had departed with the used plates.

"What type of place did Penelope book for us?" Angel wondered out loud.

John huffed out a short laugh. "It's like nothing I've ever experienced before!"

"Isn't your father a billionaire too?" Angel asked him curiously.

John poured himself a glass of water while he thought up the response. "Well, he was. But then he disappeared for eight years and left us to run both International Rescue and Tracy Industries by ourselves. Scott did well, but pulled back on most of the riskier investments as he just didn't have enough experience at the time to know what he was putting money into. Over time we've done well enough but International Rescue soaks up almost all of the excess, we don't get much for ourselves."

Angel had frozen whilst making herself a cup of tea. "Let's go back a moment. Your father disappeared?"

"We found him again," John reassured her. "About six months ago now. We brought him home. He'd been living in the Oort Cloud, where he'd been stranded when his space rocket was sabotaged."

"The where? And you knew he was there?"

"The Oort Cloud… it's at the very edge of the solar system. We didn't know, we just know he had disappeared, or thought he was dead." John's tone was grim, suggesting that regardless of what he had said to his younger brothers he was in the latter category.

"For eight years… and you just ran International Rescue without him?" Angel whistled quietly. "That's… that's a lot to take on. You must have been young."

John smiled wryly. He stood over at the window to the villa, looking out at the flowers on the balcony and the fountain beyond. Angel came up beside him, almost close enough to touch but not quite. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted her closer or needed her to put more distance between them. The indecision meant that he stayed where he was, resolutely facing forwards. "We were," he said eventually. "Scott had only just turned twenty at the time, newly engaged in his first commission with the Air Force. He had to buy his way out of it and become International Rescue's first operative. For a while it was just him and Brains, then as Virgil finished his engineering degree he joined them. I went straight to astronaut training after school, by the time I finished they had put Thunderbird 5 up into orbit and I became the communications and liaison operative. I studied a university degree in computer science remotely from Thunderbird 5, we were quieter in the first years when we were still trying to keep it a secret."

"You aren't a secret organisation?" John could feel Angel's gaze on him, but didn't turn to her.

"No, it just became too complicated to hide all the time when there are cameras and spacecraft everywhere. I don't think dad really approves, but he's aware that things moved on when he was gone."

"That's a lot of responsibility given how young you all were."

John shrugged away her concern. "We managed it, got used to it and began to enjoy it. Except Scott has always hated the paperwork."

Angel huffed out a laugh. "The Scott I know would hate it too." She disappeared momentarily and returned with two cups of tea. She handed him one, then cupped her fingers around her own and blew on it gently.

"My mother died when I was a child," she said eventually. "Around eight years old, although she had been absent for a couple of years by that time. She didn't quite leave me as big a legacy as International Rescue to carry on, but she left a mission of sorts. I had to grow up very fast."

"What about your father?"

"As far as I am concerned I don't have one." Her voice grew hard. "He threw us out when I was young and indirectly led too my mother's death."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you," she flashed him half a smile. "It's interesting, because although Scott lost his mother when he was young he doesn't really understand what it's like to grow up with no parents at all, how lost and alone you can feel without those ties there. Something tells me you do."

"I always had my brothers," John argued, before thinking a bit more deeply. About the times when his brothers just didn't understand and he wished he had either of his parents to turn to. "But yeah, I think I do."

She smiled at him again, knocking her shoulder against his in a companionable way. "I'm going to get some rest, need to be prepared for tonight. Can you see if you can contact Tintin to tell her that they need to look for the Black Phantom too? We won't be able to receive a call for a while, it would be dangerous if anyone managed to listen in to it somehow."

"I will do. Sleep well, Angel."

"You too," still cradling her tea, she slipped into one of the bedrooms. John looked at his own, untouched tea and poured it quietly down the drain before going into his own room.

It was every bit as opulent as the rest of the apartment. He pulled the latticed shutters closed before taking his communicator out and studying it carefully. He remembered Brains telling him something about being able to transmit messages with it instead of holocalls… he just had to remember how.

Finally, after pressing a lot of buttons it burst into life and a blue glow covered him. No holograms popped out at him though, just a display telling him to leave a message. Deciding that this was probably it, he started talking into it.

"Hi everyone. I'm just sending a message to let you know that Angel and I will be out of contact for a little while. We've followed some trails to where the Hood might be hiding and we're going to try to find what he did to pull us across dimensions. We think that we need to bring him home with us, whenever we work out how to do that, so we also need you to find the Black Phantom and apprehend him so that they can switch when the rest of us do. They are concerned here about advanced weaponry from our dimension falling into the wrong hands and I think I agree, plus there are some things here that I don't think we want in ours either. That's all I have for now, I'll be in touch when it's safe for me to do so. Thanks guys."

John stopped the recording and sent it before hiding the comm away from any prying eyes. Deciding that Angel's plan to sleep was a good one he made himself comfortable in the huge bed, dropping off very quickly after his all-nighter on the plane.

John woke to the sound of his alarm beeping insistently. With a grumble he turned it off, feeling groggy due to his unusual sleep patterns. But he was fairly used to it after years spent on Thunderbird 5, so he shook himself awake and went to get showered.

Dressed up in one of the many suits now hanging in his wardrobe, he left his room to find Angel sitting in the lounge area reading a tattered paperback. She hadn't yet dressed and was instead wearing a pair of loose fitting pyjamas.

"Hi," she smiled up at him. "Feeling better?"

"Much," he replied, noticing how true it was. Perhaps he should have slept on the flight after all.

"I ordered some food," Angel was saying as she gestured to the dining room. "This time I managed to persuade them to leave it and come back later to collect it." She stood up and padded over to it in bare feet. "They've just brought a selection of cold meats and salads, I thought we wouldn't want anything heavy." She looked back and frowned when she saw he hadn't moved at all. "Is anything wrong?"

"No… thanks for sorting out food." John didn't comment on how much more open she now was with him, presumably after their discussion earlier. It was strange seeing her without the guarded expression she seemed to habitually wear, it made her seem younger and brought some softness to her face.

"Ok, great. I'll just grab a plate." She knocked a fork to the floor and bent over to pick it up, muttering to herself. John felt his throat go very dry when her baggy pyjama top lifted up as she did so, he hurriedly tore his gaze away. He moved towards the buffet, grabbing his own plate and beginning to load it with the food available. The hotel had outdone itself again, all manner of delicacies were laid out in front of them. Many looked like local dishes, with some steamed buns and dumplings alongside some form of shrimp soup with noodles.

Through the meal, Angel and John went over their plans for tonight. They would enter the casino, then John would play some of the baccarat tables to try to gain the attention of the staff while Angel headed to the bar and kept her ears open. With any luck, John would be approached about joining one of the Tei Fuer tables in a private room, at which point Angel would join him. The goal tonight wasn't to find out everything, but to start being taken seriously enough to be invited into the big games on future nights.

The meal finished and cleared away by more diligent waiters, Angel disappeared into her room to get ready. John pulled out the Mahjong tiles and began to shift through moves, trying to get to a point where playing was instinctive.

A long time had passed before Angel's door opened up again. John flicked his eyes up to see her, immediately dropping the tiles everywhere as his hand slackened at the sight. She was wearing a long purple dress, a slit up the side almost indecently high up her thigh. The front showed considerable amounts of cleavage as it was split almost to her naval, pinned together across her breasts with the slightest stitching. It looked as though it might fly apart at any moment, presumably the point of the design. She had a delicate gold shawl draped around her shoulders and gold heels that added several inches to her height. Her hair was loose and cascaded around her face, large golden hoop earring peeping out and accentuating her neck. She was also clutching a small purse nervously in front of her.

"Is it ok?" she asked with a worried expression on her face. "It's far more revealing than anything I'd usually wear, but Penelope seemed to think it would be fine."

John shot to his feet, realised he was gaping and shut his jaw with a snap. "You look incredible," he croaked out when his voice finally worked again. "No one is going to be able to forget us after they've seen you."

Angel blew out her breath. "Ready?"

John straightened his suit and offered her his arm. "As I'll ever be."

"Let's go and find us a dragon, then."

Chapter 15: What do we stand for?

Chapter Text

Tintin turned the strange piece of metal over in her hands, still unable to unlock the key to it. She was sure that the etchings meant something – had in fact had a long conversation the day before with both Brains about it – but she couldn't yet work out its significance. It was stubbornly holding onto its secrets, yet she knew those very same secrets would be the key to getting back to where she belonged.

Not that she wasn't having a nice time here. Everyone had been very polite and kind to her, the way they all worked together was a marvel to see and the family dynamic was completely different. It was refreshing to see how much stock they put in Kayo's expertise, particularly when Mr Tracy only sent Tintin on a mission as the absolute last resort. Yes, some things here were eye opening. But she missed home, she missed her Brains, she missed Grandma and her compulsive need to make countless dresses for Tintin, she missed her room, she missed her experiments and she missed normality.

Tintin put the piece of metal down with a huff of exasperation. She wasn't getting anywhere today. She eyed up the comm that she'd rigged up to be able to talk to Brains. At least that was one thing she had done which worked, she didn't feel completely useless. Max, as though sensing the negative direction her thoughts had gone, whirled in with a whistle and brandished a cup of tea.

"Thank you Max," Tintin responded with a smile, he had learnt how to make her the perfect cup of tea. He chirped happily in response. Tintin turned back to the device strewn on the worktop, putting the etched metal casing to one side and focussing on the internal workings.

A series of beeps from Max drew her attention back away from it not long afterwards. "What is it Max?" She asked, before realising that Max wasn't looking at her but at the comm she'd modified. With a frown she went over to inspect it, only realising after a few moments that it was trying to tell her something. "Now, what do we have here?" She murmured, turning to the robot. "Can you work this?"

Beeping happily Max zipped forwards and prodded a small button that Tintin hadn't used so far. Immediately a hazy blue hologram of John appeared – the John from the dimension she was in, she could tell as even in the blue haze his red hair was obvious.

The image flickered and disappeared, the comm returning to a dormant state. "Can I activate it again?" Tintin asked Max, who whistled and gestured to the same button again. "OK great, thanks Max. Can you go and get people to come into the lounge please? I think they are going to need to see this."

A few minutes later, Tintin was setting up the comm in the lounge ready to play it to everyone. Jeff was already there watching her curiously, he'd been at his desk when the brunette had entered and told him she had something he needed to see. The others slowly filtered in, Virgil and Gordon were out on a rescue but everyone else was present.

"So, what do you have for us?" Scott asked, looking with curiously at the girl. Kayo, sat next to the other Alan on one of the largest sofas, rolled her eyes at Scott's impatience.

"I've had a message from John," Tintin explained, pressing the button on the comm and setting the hologram running again.

There was a moment's silence after they finished listening to it while they digested John's news. Tintin's gaze kept flicking to the other Scott, who was sat next to his brother. Jeff thought she must be worried about how he would take the news that he couldn't speak to his girlfriend. He looked a bit tense but not unduly worried.

Eventually the silence was broken by Kayo. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go and find this guy. EOS, do you have anything?"

"Now wait a moment Kayo," It was his Scott that spoke, standing up and holding a hand outstretched in a calming gesture. "We aren't the GDF, our job is a rescue organisation. We can't be expected to find and apprehend criminals, no matter what John has been asking us to do."

Jeff watched, interested in the dynamic between his eldest son and the head of security. The head of security who made an exasperated noise and threw her hands in the air. "We've been through this so many times Scott! Why shouldn't we stop the people who cause life and death situations in the first place? John obviously wants us to, it sounds like that's what he's doing in that other dimension. Their International Rescue must be approving it!"

A snort directed everyone's attention to the other Alan, who reddened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt it's just… not necessarily. Angel could well be acting on her own and dragging your John into it."

"See!" Scott exclaimed before anyone else had a chance to say anything. "Their International Rescue also isn't trying to act as police! It's a rogue agent doing their own thing and dragging John into their mess."

Alan's coughed *agent* wasn't missed by anyone, but Jeff was more interested in the frown on the other's Scott's face. Kayo scoffed and looked away, crossing her arms across her chest.

"That's not particularly true," the other Scott said eventually. "While I'm sure Angel isn't working with International Rescue as such, I would imagine our John is supporting her closely as he often has been over the last few months. Also, whilst we are primarily a rescue organisation we do take preemptive measures sometimes when the situation calls for it."

Alan nodded along. "MI5 man, undercover mine bomb man, Penny's singing thing, monorail thing… quite a few times, actually." He counted them off on his fingers as he listed the different occasions before ending in a shrug. "We get all sorts of requests!"

"So why don't we?" Kayo asked. "I get that we don't want to replace the GDF, but this is a pretty special case given that for some reason we are directly affected."

"It's just not what we do Kayo," Scott sounded tired, as though he had had the same argument before. Which, knowing Kayo as Jeff thought he did, was actually very likely.

"Well maybe it should be," Jeff had enough of being a spectator and decided to weigh into the discussion. "I'm not saying we should make a habit of it," he clarified, trying to hold off the arguments. "Because you are right Scott, we have the GDF for that. But Kayo is also right in that this is a particularly special case. Not only are we affected personally, but from the message John sent it seems as though the continued safety and security of not one but two planets are at risk. If the other International Rescue, whether officially or not, are trying to do their level best to recover the situation in the other dimension then the onus is on us to do the same here."

Scott didn't look happy and Kayo seemed smug. The tension in the room was broken by EOS, who had been listening in from Thunderbird 5.

"I shall begin to scan for this Black Phantom. Can I suggest we also informed the GDF of our purpose in searching for him? They may have information I cannot legally obtain."

"I'll contact Val later," Jeff told her. "Everyone else, go and cool your tempers somewhere. I know you all feel passionately about this, but arguing amongst ourselves isn't going to help us any."

With a grumble, Scott complied. Alan and his oldest brother looked at each other and seemed to communicate quietly before Alan disappeared up to the guest quarters they had been staying in. Tintin was still tinkering with the comm, leaving Kayo and Sally sitting with Jeff and the other Scott.

"I'm going to head over to the mainland," Kayo told them. "I need someone to spar with to get some practice in for when we do find the Black Phantom."

"I'll spar with you," the other Scott offered. He saw all the surprised faces looking at him and grinned sheepishly. "Angel's been teaching me, I'm not brilliant by any means but if you need a partner?"

Kayo looked him over appraisingly. "You'll do, I'll hold off on going then until we've contacted the GDF. Then I can go and bring Rigby up to speed."

"Angel's teaching you how to fight?" Tintin commented, making them all jump as they'd forgotten the quiet girl who was currently crawling out from underneath the coffee table, spanner in hand. "I must get her to teach me more self defence, she's so good at it."

"Do you have a shooting range?" Scott asked Jeff. "I could use getting my eye in as well."

"No," Jeff replied, astonished by the question. "Why would we have a shooting range? We're a rescue organisation."

Scott looked blankly at him. "Carrying a weapon is a standard part of our uniform, I don't often have to use it but it's come in handy at times." He frowned. "Guess I won't be able to get hold of one here then, as none of us were in uniform when we came across."

"You know how to shoot?" Kayo asked him.

"Three operational tours in the US Air Force and seven years total service." Scott replied. "You could say that I know how to shoot."

"Seven years in the Air Force?" Kayo gaped. "I think our Scott only made two before he had to buy his way out of his commission." A gentle cough from Jeff had her looking sheepish as she realised it was yet another reminder to Jeff about what his boys had to give up in his absence. Scott noticed their discomfort and quickly moved the conversation on.

"Gordon's also a great shot and he's the other one who has used his weapon on duty, I think. Or maybe Alan has too… but he's far less accurate if our tests in the range are anything to go by. I'm not even sure whether Virgil still carries his, I think he's only used it to shoot at wires or control panels."

"Change of plan," Kayo told them all. "You're coming with me to the mainland, Scott. We'll get you fitted up with a weapon of some sorts and get your shooting approved by the GDF so it's legal. Can you get onto Colonel Casey soon, Jeff?"

"Will do Kayo, good luck."

Kayo pulled a face. "GDF bureaucracy is a nightmare, but luckily we have inside sources." She frowned at Scott. "I guess I can't take Thunderbird Shadow if you're coming too."

"Take it," Jeff waved a hand at her. "He can get a lift in Thunderbird 1."

"Really?" Scott's expression shifted from thoughtful to excited. "I'd love to see what it can do, and how it differs from my Thunderbird 1."

"I don't see why now," Jeff replied. "You've seen it launch a few times by now and it's hardly worth keeping secrets from you."

"I still haven't been shown around any Thunderbird except for Shadow," Scott pointed out. "Which is incredible, we don't have anything like it. We don't have anyone quite like Kayo either to fly it. But I would love to see the others, particularly 1 and 2." He frowned in thought. "I guess technically I have seen 5 too, given I woke up on it, but I'm not sure that counts."

Jeff chuckled at the reminder. "When you get back from the mainland we'll give you a proper tour, compare notes on how we each operate. Might well be something we can learn from you and you from us."

"I'd like that," Scott smiled at the man who reminded Scott more and more of his own dad the more time he spent with him.

"Come on, I'll go and fetch Scott," Kayo told him. "We need to get going."

"Have a safe trip," Jeff told them, waving the, out of the room before turning to his holophone. Taking a deep breath, he thought about how on Earth he was going to explain everything to Val Casey.

Chapter 16: Enter the Dragon

Chapter Text

John stepped out of the car, turning and offering his hand to Angel who stepped out elegantly behind him. Gone was the nervous expression she had worn in the apartment, she now exuded confidence as she took his proffered arm and walked with him into the casino.

"I forgot to ask what name you are going by," John murmured to her discreetly.

"Catherine," Angel muttered back, her lips barely moving. "Pronounced Cat-er-reen, I'm going to play on my french roots."

John nodded and looked up at the building ahead of them. The Red Dragon Hotel and Casino was a huge structure that dominated the part of Macau they had travelled to. Unlike their hotel, which was very much a vintage classic from the turn of the millennia, The Red Dragon was a brand new superstructure. Bubble lifts swept up and down the exterior, clad in red and shimmering like scales. The towering namesake of the casino rose above them, the movement making it feel as though the dragon was truly alive and watching all those who entered. It was imposing and more than a little off putting, which John supposed was entirely the point. They passed a group of tourists who were giggling and taking photos of themselves with the dragon in the background and walked up the carpeted steps into the grand entrance way.

They were greeted in the entrance by a woman wearing traditional Chinese clothes. "Welcome to the Red Dragon," she greeted them, a very subtle accent to her voice. "How may we serve you today?" She surreptitiously eyed up their clothing and seemed to make the decision that they were worth her time.

There was a moment's silence until John remembered that he would be expected to lead. "Oh, just in town to play the tables," he covered with an easy smile. "I heard someone say the Red Dragon shouldn't be missed. Can you direct me to the baccarat tables?"

"Of course, this way," the woman replied, guiding them through a lavish lobby and deeper into the casino. They walked past rows of noisy slot machines, trilling loudly with lights blaring. Angel gave a contemptuous sniff that John could see that their guide noticed. Eventually she showed them into a large room with six to eight velvet green tables. Like the rest of the casino they had traversed so far, it was decorated in red and gold colours. Just to remind guests that they were in a state of the art casino, all the chairs hovered silently just above the floor and only one human dealer sat at each table – alongside two robots. "Low bets are to the left, higher to the right," their guide informed them. "Would you care for a drink?"

Angel looked around at the elegant waiters who were weaving through the players with trays of drinks and again sniffed haughtily. "I think zat I will go and see what ze bar has to offer," she declared in a french accent. John raised his eyebrows at the transition, luckily not giving the game away as the Angel turned to him quickly. "Choose a table cheri, I will be back soon." A squeeze on his arm for courage and she was gone, sashaying off in her high heels across the casino floor.

John watched her go before turning to the guide who was watching him with an amused face. "My wife is very particular," he commented. "Do you have anywhere I can trade for chips?" The guide inclined her head.

"There is a small room through that door where the exchange is located. Good luck, sir." John nodded at the woman who bowed and left the baccarat room.

He made his way over to the door she had pointed out, looking closely at the games in progress. The low-stakes side of the room was almost rowdy, lots of people cheering and slapping backs when they betted correctly. The high-stakes side, in contrast, was a more serious affair. Heads were bowed and gazes were focussed on the flip of the cards.

John ducked into the exchange room, finding four discretely placed tellers sat within secure booths. Two of them were busy, but John strolled up to the nearest available booth.

"I would like to exchange some US dollars for chips," he informed the man sat behind the booth.

"Of course sir, how much?" The teller asked smoothly.

"Oh, about half a million to begin with, I think," John replied, picking at invisible lint on his arm and pretending not to watch the teller as his eyes widened.

"Do you have proof of credit?" The man stammered eventually.

John tossed him the credit stick that Angel had given him earlier. Whilst the teller was checking it, John took the opportunity to look around the room. He couldn't hear anything from the two occupied booths, suggesting an advanced sound-blocking technology. It didn't block sight though, and while one man concluded his transactions and left quietly the other seemed to be begging the teller for something. The woman in the booth didn't look particularly moved and eventually pressed a button, that John assumed was calling for support. He figured he was correct a moment later when two security guards arrived and escorted the desperate man away.

"Sir," a polite voice said and John turned his attention back to his own teller. "Here you are sir, I'm sorry you had to witness such a scene. Please do not let it affect your enjoyment of our premises this evening."

"Oh not at all," John smiled. "A pleasure doing business with you."

"Of course sir, and if you need anything else do not hesitate to contact myself." The man straightened and smiled genially at John, who took the offered chips and left with a brief nod farewell.

Back on the casino floor John inwardly shuddered at the obsequiousness that occurred wherever money was. It was one of the reasons he really didn't enjoy this type of event. It was different here though as he wasn't having to be himself, but to play a part. He wrapped that knowledge around him and used it to add extra confidence to his gait and his smile.

Perusing the room, John ignored the low-stakes side and decided to go to one of the big money tables. He strolled around the room for a few moments, watching the different games until he eventually decided which table he would like to sit at. Seeing one of the gamblers departing with a sorrowful head shake, John slipped easily onto his vacated seat.

"Lay your bets," the dealer informed the table. "Minimum bet is one hundred US dollars."

"Ten thousand on a tie," John announced, smoothly passing his chips forward to one of the robots, who allocated it accordingly. There was a murmur around the existing players, with more than one shaking their heads.

"I'll match that," a voice at the far end of the table called. John looked up to see a tall man watching him shrewdly. He had an elaborate moustache above wide lips and his accent was difficult to place, with traces of American, Asian and European. "I like a man who isn't afraid of a risk." The stranger tilted his glass towards John in a salute, John nodded back. He could feel his palms beginning to sweat but didn't dare wipe them anywhere in case it gave away how nervous he was. He found himself wishing that Angel would hurry back so he wouldn't be alone.

"Tie!" The dealer called, and John found a stack of chips being pushed in front of him. "Ninety thousand." The dealer told him gravely. John tried not to show his surprise at having won big with his first bet.

"Ten thousand on player," he announced, pushing the chips back towards the robot who obliged. The man sat across the table laughed.

"You'll be my good luck, stranger. What's your name?"

"Jonathan Frakes. And yours?"

"Obadiah Black." The man moved closer around the table. "Seems I owe you one. What brings you to the Red Dragon?"

John desperately tried to think about what cover story he and Angel had concocted, but his mind drew a blank. He was saved from his mounting panic though when Obadiah's eyes were drawn to something behind him, along with most of the other men around the table.

"Now that is a good luck charm," the man muttered, practically salivating. John frowned and turned to see what the commotion was about.

Angel had swept back into the room and was swaying back across the floor, making a bee line for their table. John thought he heard his new acquaintance whistle under his breath and a hot surge of anger coiled in his abdomen.

"That's my wife," he stated coldly, standing up to greet her with a kiss to her cheek. Angel looked momentarily surprised by the gesture but played along, splaying her hand on his chest.

"Jonathan cheri, I 'ave 'ad no end of trouble getting us something suitable to drink. But I eventually found someone that will serve us a proper vintage." She gestured at a waiter who was following with a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

"Please, have my seat." John offered, showing her the way. "I rather think you have interrupted our game."

"Oh I do apologise," Angel was contriteness personified as she gazed around the table.

"Nothing to apologise for," Obadiah stated with a wave, leering at her. John tried to tamp down the anger that was flaring up again. "Not every day we get graced with someone of your…beauty." He took her hand and kissed it, while Angel smiled demurely.

"Why thank you, Monsieur…"

"Obadiah, Obadiah Black."

"Monsieur Black," Angel fluttered her eyelashes at him. "So nice to meet friendly faces in a new city." Obadiah preened while the dealer, fed up of the distraction, played the cards.

"Banker wins," he announced. The robots began allocating back out the chips again.

They played for a while. Eventually John found himself sitting with Angel on his lap, something that made him incredibly uncomfortable. He concentrated on the game to distract himself from the situation and soon found that he was amassing a large quantity of chips through several lucky calls. All the while Angel was charming the players at the table, particularly Obadiah who didn't move from their side all night.

It was late – or was it early? – by the time John finally collected his chips up. Leaving Angel in his seat, he went back to the teller he had seen earlier and deposited his chips. The teller talked to him for a considerable amount of time, so it took a while for him to return to his table and Angel.

As he reached it, he saw that there was now a second man standing and talking with Angel. Obadiah evidently knew him, judging by the sweeping hand gestures and animated conversation. On seeing John, Obadiah waved him over.

"This is the man I was telling you about, Mr Tseng. This is Jonathan Frakes."

"Hi," John greeted the stranger, smiling with more confidence than he felt. "It's a pleasure."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," the newcomer replied, in a tone that set John's teeth on edge. "I've just been introduced to your beautiful wife. I must say, she is exquisite."

Again John felt the surge of anger, but this time for Angel's sake as the man was talking as thought she wasn't there. "I am truly blessed to have met Catherine, she brings luck to my life." He put his arm around her waist and tugged her close against him. Here, he could feel her tension as she tried not to react to the man.

"You were lucky enough at the tables tonight," Obadiah laughed. "Especially with the stakes you were playing!"

"Is that so?" Tseng's voice was calculating. "But baccarat is merely child's play, no real skill involved. How would you like to join us for a more… sophisticated game, tomorrow?"

"I'm interested," John replied. "What constitutes a more sophisticated game?"

"Oh, just a little game we like to play called Tei Fuer. It's simple enough to pick up, I can assure you."

"I'd be honoured to join you," John told him, not relinquishing his hold on Angel.

"Excellent, excellent. We'll start at twenty three hundred tomorrow, tell the staff that you are here to join Mr Tseng's private game and they will show you in. Do bring your delightful wife." Tseng was about to turn away when he frowned at looked closely at John. "You seem familiar, have we met before?"

"I don't think so," John replied cautiously. "This is my first trip to Macau, unless you are a frequent visitor to San Francisco?"

"Hm, how peculiar," Tseng frowned in thought. "Your face really is very familiar. No matter, I must get on. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Mr Frakes. You and your wife. Come, Black." Tseng swept out of the room, Obadiah following obediently.

Following his cue, John led Angel towards the front of the casino. "How peculiar," she murmured so that only he could hear. "There was something off about him."

"I know," John said, carefully steering them clear of a passing cart full of silverware. "I felt it too, there was something about him that didn't feel right."

"But we got the invite," Angel said reassuringly, touching his arm with a smile. "Come on, we can talk more freely back in our apartment."

The ride back was tense and silent as each of them processed the events of the night. Despite being so late there were still a lot of people around in Macau, large groups wandering down the streets and shouting raucously.

Their hotel was still busy, people milling around the large internal lobby and moving in and out of the vast rooms full of slot machines that the hotel offered on its ground floor. It looked as though a show had recently ended as a cluster of well dressed people were milling around the entrance to the auditorium. John and Angel walked as quickly as they could through the crowds, their tall frames and striking features cutting them a clear path through that they were completely unaware of.

They finally reached their apartment. Angel sighed in relief as she slipped off her high heels, revelling in the feel of the plush carpets beneath her feet. John slung his jacket over one of the chairs and collapsed onto a sofa.

"That was exhausting," he stated, running a hand through his hair. Angel murmured in agreement as she fixed herself a cup of tea.

"But we got a Tei Fuer invite," she said as she dropped the teabag into the small bin provided. She also grabbed one of the fresh cookies which had magically appeared while they were out. John took a couple from the offered plate and thinking, not for the first time, that the one thing he really missed out on in space was the food. "I thought it would take more time than that and a lot more money lost. How much did you lose today?"

John looked at her inquisitively. "Weren't you paying attention?"

Angel shook her head. "I was too busy watching the room, you looked all over the game."

"It helped me keep my nerve," John admitted. "And I didn't lose anything, we came back about two hundred thousand dollars richer."

Angel nearly spat out the mouthful of tea she had just taken. "Really? No wonder they were keen to invite you back, they will want to reclaim their money. How on earth did you manage that in a game that's all about sheer dumb luck?"

John shrugged. "Lucky I guess. So you think that man, Tseng, worked for the casino?"

Angel thought for a moment. "Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't really matter if you've got your invite to the Tei Fuer tables. That is where the real business starts."

"There was something about Tseng…" John mused, before yawning widely.

"I'm not sure we'll get it now," Angel replied with a smile. "I am desperate for a shower and you look exhausted. We'll have time tomorrow to puzzle it all out."

John nodded and waved as Angel disappeared into her room, gold heels in hand. Distracted he went into his own room and started to remove the tie he was wearing. He paused, lost in thought, as he recounted the conversations he had heard earlier.

Tseng was convinced that he knew John. But that was impossible, because no one in this dimension knew John and he was different enough from the other John that no one would be confusing them. Impossible, and yet Tseng had been so sure.

No, John thought as he still stared blankly into his mirror, that wasn't quite true. There were three people in this dimension who knew John. Two were sat safely at Tracy Island, but the other…

"Angel," he shouted, barrelling into her room. "Tseng is the Hood!"

He then froze, taking in the sight in front of him. Angel stood, wrapped in only a towel, long hair dripping wet down her back. Somehow, from somewhere on her person and no John didn't want to think about where, she had produced a knife as he'd barged through the door and was holding it out defensively in front of her. The towel only just skimmed the top of her legs and was pinned under the upper arms, held in place by the hand that wasn't wielding a knife. John stood stationary for a moment that stretched like an eternity as he watched droplets of water running down from her hair and disappearing beneath the towel between her breasts. He dragged his eyes up to her face, and the murder in her gaze was enough to snap him out of his stupor.

John spun around, his cheeks flaming the same colour as his hair. "God I'm so sorry, I didn't think… um…" he couldn't seem to formulate words properly.

"That was evident." The ice in her tone was enough to make him cringe. "Ever heard of knocking?" There was a rustle behind him and John screwed his eyes tight shut, trying to will away the image burned into his retina. "You can turn around now." Angel said eventually. John did so, chancing a quick glance to realise she was back in the baggy pyjamas she had been wearing earlier. He then gazed resolutely at a patch of carpet, his cheeks still a flaming red.

"So what were you saying?"

"Tseng," John managed to stammer out eventually. "I think he is the Hood."

There was a slight pause while Angel gathered her thoughts. "Wouldn't you recognise him? And Wouldn't he recognise you? Oh…"

John could almost hear Angel putting it together. "He's never really met me face to face, unlike most of my brothers." John explained. "There was a charity gala once that Penny dragged me to, where he came to rob people, but even then he didn't know who I was and didn't stick around for the part where I helped to save the guests. I'm not sure he'd recognise me easily, I'd just be a familiar face to him."

"And you were… but why wouldn't you recognise him?"

"He uses holograms to change his appearance and his voice. I thought the way he spoke seemed familiar, but it wasn't until we got back that I put it all together."

"And we've been invited to his game tomorrow," the excitement was clear in Angel's voice. "We now need to find out where he is based. He might be here scouting for talent, but if he's using his technological know how from your dimension to create advanced weaponry here then he must have a base somewhere, there isn't the real estate available on Macau for it to be local."

"So we go and play his game," John stated. "Hopefully he won't recognise who I actually am, we'll keep in character and see if we can find out any more information."

"Will you be ok with that? I know that, if you are anything like the John from here, you probably weren't comfortable earlier."

"I don't know how much I'm like him." John replied honestly. "I hate social interactions, but I'm not actually having to be myself which is easier. It's like playing a part." He frowned and looked up at Angel, meeting her eyes for the first time since he burst in on her. "Would you rather have the other John here with you?"

"No," Angel smiled reassuringly. "I don't think he could have done what you've done, I think there is more steel in you than there is in him." She thought for a moment. "I think he has had experiences in the past that have knocked his confidence, he's great at reassuring people down a phone or with his family but he is far happier coordinating than getting involved."

"Does he ever do rescues?"

"From what Scott tells me, not often. Sometimes, when it's Alan's turn to be on the space station."

"See, I get involved in space rescues from thunderbird 5," John explained to her. "So maybe I'm a little more used to being in the field than he is."

"Maybe that's it. Either way, I'm pleased to have you here John. Now, if it's all the same to you, I'm going to rest. Who knows what tomorrow will bring."

"Goodnight Angel," John said softly as he left her room, closing the door behind him. He stood for a moment in the hall, breathing deeply, before mentally giving himself a shake and going back to his own room. Despite being very tired, it took him a while to get to sleep and when he did his dreams were full of laughing faces and playing cards.

Chapter 17: A soiree

Chapter Text

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward suppressed the yawn that wanted to escape while she listened to the Interim Head of the Department of International Affairs drone on and on. Why Tobias had booked him as the after dinner speaker for this event Penelope simply did not know, the man was a terrible bore. If she had to listen to one more anecdote about a botched dinner due to a misunderstanding during a diplomatic trade mission, she was sure she would scream. Or possibly throw the bowl of trifle that she wasn't able to eat yet at him. Although… that would be a criminal waste of trifle. Trifle that she desperately wanted to taste but couldn't because the man just would not finish his tedious speech!

Finally, finally he sat back down to a smattering of lukewarm applause. Penelope sighed in relief as the waiters came out to serve the dessert. The gentleman sitting next to her, a rather delightful acquaintance know as Sir Albert Hodges who had been a close friend of her father, winked and passed her the bowl that a waiter set in front of him.

"Here, Lady Penelope. I rather fear that without sustenance you may allow your enjoyment of that riveting speech to overcome you."

"I think you'll find I can contain myself, Sir Albert," Penelope replied tartly, her smile taking the sting out of her words as she gratefully received the bowl of trifle. She studied it for the moment, marvelling at the layers that were somehow still evident in the bowl. Gently, she slipped her spoon into the bowl, making sure to carefully scoop up a little of each layer for maximum enjoyment. She was just about to savour her first mouthful when her bracelet started vibrating ever so slightly, indicating an emergency call from International Rescue. She contemplated the spoonful for a split second, before regretfully dropping it back into the bowl. She nudged her wine glass ever so slightly, just enough that when Sir Albert inevitably reached for the cream…

"Oh I am so sorry Lady Penelope! How terribly clumsy of me."

"Oh how tiresome," Penelope replied, dabbing ineffectually at the wine spilt onto her dress. "You'll have to excuse me Sir Albert, I must see whether I can get this out somehow."

"Of course Lady Penelope, my sincere apologies again."

She nodded elegantly at him as she rose, making apologies to her other acquaintances at the table. She made her way swiftly out of the banqueting hall, past the odious minister who was trying to catch her attention with a toss of his floppy haired head, and into the elaborate hallway. They were in one of the more opulent venues in London, this one was once a former mansion. The hallway was richly decorated with large paintings hung on the papered wall that towered above her. Gilt furnishings gleamed at her and the marble staircase disappeared to the hall below. It was also lined with staff, useful for Penelope.

"Excuse me," she asked the nearest person, a young woman with close cropped black hair. "Can you direct me to the nearest facility where I can refresh myself? There has been a minor mishap with a glass of wine." Penelope gestured to her ruined dress and the girl's eyes opened wide as she took in the damage.

"Of course ma'am, there is a powder room just this way. Please, follow me."

The powder room turned out to be a long room, mirrors down one side and ornate sofas facing them. At the end were some toilets, although other than checking that there was no one occupying them Penelope didn't venture into them. Instead she sat on one of the sofas and removed her compact from her small bag.

"This is Lady Penelope calling International Rescue. Come in, International Rescue."

The mirror in the compact disappeared to be replaced by a screen showing the face of John Tracy. Unusually, he wasn't in his uniform although Penelope assumed that was because he was on the Island instead of Thunderbird 5. He was instead wearing a dark shirt and waistcoat.

"Hello Penelope," he replied in a friendly manner. "I see you got my message, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Penelope thought about the delicious looking trifle and tried not to sigh too loudly. "Nothing urgent, John dear. To tell you the truth I am at a somewhat boring function listening to a pompous windbag with an overinflated sense of his own importance discussing affairs that, frankly, I would get a more accurate picture of simply by reading this morning's papers."

John raised his eyebrows. "Sounds… fascinating," he drawled.

"About as fascinating as you are imagining." Penelope replied. "But I very much doubt you called to discuss the tedious nature of my evening John, so how can I help you?"

"I've received a message from John and Angel," immediately, John switched to professional mode. Penelope was rather impressed at how quickly he could pull on his working persona. "They have had a successful evening in Macau, so much so that they think they have identified the Hood's identity here. Well, one of them at least. Apparently the Hood from the other dimension is every bit as capable of assuming different identities as this one, but they think that it is worth following up to see if we can dig out anything about it. I've been hunting online and it seems like Mr Tseng, who is the Hood's alter ego here, has been recently exchanging emails with a British politician. Superficially they are discussing trade opportunities between the United Kingdom and whatever nation Tseng is supposed to be representing. Given that Tseng is currently running gaming tables in Macau that are fronting as a money laundering system then it is highly likely there is something more underhand going on here."

"I see," Penelope murmured. "That is concerning, but I'm not sure what proof of the Hood's criminality is going to do to help Angel and John?"

John's gaze flickered downwards, giving the impression that he was consulting his notes. "They've asked us to unearth what we can about possible locations for his base of operations. They think that there is a good chance that he is using his knowledge from the other dimension to create a hi-tech armoury here that he can then auction off to the highest bidder. To do this, he needs to be based somewhere outside of Macau."

"I think I understand." Penelope tapped her lips with one elegant finger in thought. "Do we know the name of this politician?"

"No, they don't use real names in the emails, he is just constantly referred to as 'the right honourable gentleman'."

"Typical," Penelope sighed. "What is his post then?"

"Um… hold on one moment…" There was a shuffling of papers before John triumphantly held up a document. "Here it is! He's the… something to do with the department of international affairs." John squinted at the paper. "Sorry, the print is terrible, the encryption was hard to decode and has left some of it scrambled."

Penelope's heart sank. "Not the Interim Head of the Department of International Affairs?"

John frowned down at the page. "Yes, that looks like it could be it. Why, do you know him?"

"In a manner, I've had to listen to him speak this evening for well over an hour. I can confirm he is not a riveting after dinner speaker, I guess I will now have to find out if he is an equally thrilling conversationalist too."

John winced. "Rather you than me, Penelope."

"Well, I suppose I must get back into the room and start to see what the right honourable gentleman knows."

"Thanks for this Penelope, I'll stay on the communications so if you do find anything you can let me know."

"FAB, speak to you soon." Penelope snapped the compact shut and checked again that she was alone in the powder room. That done, she opened up her small bag again and retrieved a miniature cardboard box, tied with an elegant pink ribbon. On opening the box, there was a tiny scrap of pink fabric folded neatly into it. Penelope pulled the fabric out and it unfolded into an elegant pink dress, which looked as though it was made of a fine chiffon with silk underlay. "Thank goodness for Francois Lemaire and Penelon," Penelope murmured as she quickly got changed. A quick change of hair style to better compliment the new gown and she was prepared to re-enter the function room.

The dining tables had been cleared away in Penelope's absence and now were arranged around the outside of the room. The centre was now acting like a dance floor and there was a small quartet setting up on the stage. People were mingling in groups, networking amongst themselves. Lord Tobias Denton, the host of tonight's soirée that was technically in support of a local animal shelter but which Penelope suspected was more about seeing how many people he could schmooze, materialised at her elbow.

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward! My, you look simply delightful. How are you enjoying yourself this evening?"

"Tobias, darling," Penelope greeted him with an airy kiss on each cheek. "Why it has been simply delightful. You must introduce me to Mr Hanson later, I found his speech earlier fascinating."

"Oh you really think so?" Tobias's boyish face lit up with exuberant pleasure. "Why, I'll introduce you to him now. Say, Hanson my good fellow, do you have a moment? There is someone here I am dying to introduce you to."

Penelope tried to hide her distaste as the politician made his way over. He was an ageing man, with lank, floppy hair and yellow stained teeth.

"Hanson old chap, may I introduce you to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward? She was longing to meet you after your speech earlier."

"The pleasure is all mine," Mr Hanson simpered, taking Penelope's hand and pressing a kiss into it. She hurriedly took it back and resisted wiping it on her gown. "Please, you must call me Graham."

"Only if you call me Penelope, Mr Hanson."

He nodded his response, plucking a glass of champagne from a roving tray and offering her a second. She took it carefully, making sure that she brushed his hand just enough as she did so.

"Y-you are an old friend of Lord Tobias?" The poor man stammered, helpless in the face of Penelope's oozing charm. Penelope arched an eyebrow and simple gave the man one of her looks. "N-not that I meant that you were old!" He tried to recover one he realised what he had said. "I merely meant to imply a long acquaintance."

"I should hope not," Penelope replied, rather tartly. "Lord Tobias and I have known each other for some time, it is true, but I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that we were old friends. Now," Penelope swiftly changed the topic, inwardly cringing for what she was about to do. "I was simply fascinated with your talk earlier on investment in businesses owned abroad, and how you so cleverly pick them to maximise potential returns. I just wondered," she lowered her voice and spoke conspiratorially. "Without telling me too much of course, but I wondered if there were any tips you had on where I could invest a little… pocket money I have managed to acquire."

The man's eyes lit up, but whether because he smelt a profit or because he simply enjoyed the sound of his own voice Penelope wasn't sure. "You liked it, did you? Well I can't give too much away, trade secrets and all," he swiftly manoeuvred them both so that they were artfully positioned away from the main body of the attendees. "But I can tell you that there are some promising enterprises I have been looking into recently. There is an investment in Asia that has recently produced some plans for a very promising range of merchandise, but needs a little financial capital to begin production. The return is all but guaranteed."

"Oh really," Penelope leant forwards, supposedly trying to catch his quiet words whilst ensuring her got a very close look at the cleavage of her dress. "That sounds all very exciting. Please do tell me more."

The minister's tongue quickly wetted his bottom lip, eyes firmly fixed somewhere below Penelope's face. "I couldn't just disclose it my dear Penelope, there are far too many people here. Perhaps we could discuss it further back at my place over a nightcap?"

Penelope tried not to noticeably shudder. "Oh my dear Graham, I'm so sorry but I am unfortunately travelling tonight. But perhaps," she looked around her. "Perhaps we may be able to find a secluded area here to continue our discussion? These old houses often have lots of small chambers, barely used nowadays."

The man's face had initially fallen, but lit up at her suggestion. "Oh of course, I do love an eager woman."

Penelope twisted her grimace into an alluring leer somehow and walked past the minister, trailing one arm along his shoulder. Whilst he followed her out she discreetly tipped a small tablet into her glass of champagne, the bubbles hiding it instantaneously.

She had calculated correctly, there were no staff waiting outside the function room now that the tables had been cleared. Other than the odd waiter carrying more trays of drinks, there wasn't anyone outside in the hallway. Penelope led the way down the hall and into a small room she had noticed on her return from the ladies – a small type of closet that was most likely used to house supplies. It was still big enough for her purposes though, as she placed her glass on a trestle table that stood against the far wall.

"This is… cosy," the right honourable gentleman leered at Penelope as he followed her in, closing the door behind him.

"Quite," she breathed, walking up to him. "Now please do tell me about this… opportunity." One hand rested delicately on his shoulder whilst the other took his glass from him and placed it with her own.

"Well, I've been in contact with a gentleman, I won't tell you his name of course, but he is based out of Malaysia. He has some incredible designs for defence vehicles that he requires funds to develop. Nations around the world will be clamouring for his equipment when he begins production. If I may be so bold, if you allowed me to handle your affairs I would provide you with suitable rewards." He licked his lips again as he concluded.

Penelope reached behind her and picked up the champagne flutes. "Malaysia, how romantic. I have always wished to visit, you know. I do believe, Graham, that this may be the start of a beautiful friendship."

He picked up his glass and grinned, even in the dim light of the room Penelope could see how stained his teeth were. "To a partnership, my dearest Penelope." He nodded towards her and took a deep drought of the champagne. Penelope raised her glass to her lips and pretended to sip with her mouth remaining firmly closed.

A moment later, the minister's eyes glazed over and he slumped backwards, collapsing against the wall next to the door. With some alarm, Penelope ensured she could still get out. Luckily the door opened outwards. Stepping over his prone form, she carefully wiped her lipstick from his glass and placed it next to his hand, switching it with hers so that no one would be able to find the residue of the drug she had dropped in it earlier. Then she opened the door a small crack and checked the coast was clear.

Again, the corridor was empty so she stepped out by herself, returning to the function room and making sure that she spent time mingling so that her brief absence wouldn't be noticed. She managed to get rid of her empty glass with one of the waiters who swung by.

Eventually, it was time to retire. She visited the powder room on the way out, tapping out a quick message to John as she did so. As she exited, she saw a waiter helping a very woozy Graham Hanson out of the small closet. "Come along old man, you can't go to sleep here. Let's call you a taxi and get you home."

Penelope stepped past, exchanging a smile with the apologetic waiter. She tripped down the steps out of the building and towards the distinctive pink Rolls Royce waiting for her on the kerb, Parker standing to attention and opening the door as she arrived. "Did you 'ave a good h'evening, m'lady?"

"It was productive, Parker." Slipping into the back seat of the car she toed off her heels waited for Parker to take the driving seat. He looked at her through the mirror, frowning as he saw her tired expression.

"Ome, m'lady?"

Penelope leant back into the car with a deep sigh and thought longingly of the vast bathtub waiting for her in her house.

"Home, Parker."

Chapter 18: Playing with Fire

Chapter Text

John stretched in bed, trying to remove the crick from the middle of his back. He wasn't quite sure what the time was, though judging by the fact he felt well rested it must be fairly late in the day. He lay there for a moment, thinking over the events of the day before, until his stomach rumbled loudly enough to prompt him to finally get up and find some food.

One look in the mirror and he decided he couldn't leave until he'd tidied himself up. In space John never worried about his appearance much, but something stopped him from just sauntering into the lounge area looking quite as unkempt as he did. Biscuits kept him going while he showered and shaved, removing the downy red fluff he always grew instead of a proper beard. He took his time choosing an outfit, eventually settling for a light shirt unbuttoned at the top with a pair of dark blue jeans and tan brogues - all the while trying to convince himself he was putting in the effort now to save time later.

Eventually he made his way out of the room, pausing in his doorway as he looked into the lounge. Angel was sat on one of the sofas in her baggy pyjamas, legs folded underneath her and hair messily tied in a bun on top of her head. She was looking intently at some kind of paperwork and hadn't yet noticed his entrance. The afternoon sun slanting through the window caused her to be bathed in a gentle glow and for one moment John thought she lived up to her namesake. Then she stirred as she noticed his presence, looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey."

"Hi," John smiled back softly, leaning against his doorway. "Interesting reading?"

Angel pulled a face. "It's a map," she explained. "John, the not-you one, called a little earlier. Apparently Penelope uncovered some information that suggests Malaysia." She looked annoyed with herself. "I should have guessed really, it's where the Hood from here had his base. In a remote location in Borneo."

"You think Borneo again?" John sat next to her, taking the edge of the map that fell limply down from the edge of her seat and pulling it taut across both of their laps.

"I don't know," Angel admitted as she pursed her lips. "It may well be… but what if this Hood didn't have a secret lair there in your dimension? How does the Black Phantom fit into all of this? I just don't know."

John stood again, heading towards the coffee machine. There was a pause while he worked out how to operate it, then with a hiss hot coffee began to pour into one of the small cups.

"It's still promising," he commented, not turning back to her. "We've narrowed the location down from anywhere in the world to one relatively small country. What next – we find it, grab the Hood and then just head home?" He kept his tone light even as his hand closed more tightly around the cup he was holding.

Angel laughed. "You make it sound so simple! But something like that I guess, if anyone can work out how to send you back home it will be Brains. Two of them together would be able to do almost anything."

"And you get Scott back."

"And I get Scott back." She sighed deeply. "I miss him so much. It's not like we haven't spent time apart before, but this time it feels far more distant. I know he is alive and safe, but it's the uncertainty of when or even if we'll get him back that is so hard."

John moved away from the coffee machine to the window by the balcony, looking out over the flowers in the foreground to the fountains below. "Have you ever wondered what might have happened if you and Scott hadn't met?"

Angel looked at him in confusion. "In what way?"

John gestured expansively. "Where you might have been in life, what you might be doing." He paused and took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. "Who you might be with."

Angel considered his words for a moment, head tilted slightly to the side endearingly as she did so. "I can't say I do. Scott and I… we have been through so much both apart and together, somehow finding each other at the end of it. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am. I don't think about the alternative, because it isn't the case." She stood and walked over to him, eyes searching his face. "It is our shared experiences and memories that make us, as much as what genes we are born with. If there was a version of me running around in your dimension, one that had never met Scott and experienced the things we experienced together, then she wouldn't be me. And for her sake, I really hope that is the case." Angel dropped her eyes down. "My life… wasn't easy. If I do exist elsewhere, I hope that she had different choices. Even if that means she never met your Scott."

John scoffed at that. "I can safely say that my Scott has never met anyone quite like you."

"And your brother tells you about everyone he meets?" Angel asked, eyebrow arched.

"He doesn't need to," John smirked at her. "I'm the eye in the sky, remember? There isn't much my brothers can manage to keep from me, and certainly not a girlfriend."

Angel shook her head, mock disapprovingly. "Using your powers to spy on your brothers? I am truly shocked, John Tracy. Tut tut."

At that John did laugh, followed by an embarrassing rumble from his stomach that had him blushing nearly as red as his hair. Angel walked away from the window, bumping his arm in a conspiratorial gesture as she did so.

"I can't get anything else out of the map today. It's nearly three now and we're not due at the Red Dragon until eleven this evening. Let's go and get some food, enjoy the sights of Macau. I saw something I think you'll like!" She disappeared into her room, leaving John by himself momentarily. By the time he had gulped down the rest of his coffee and found a jacket Angel had emerged. Instead of the formal dresses and upmarket suits she had been wearing throughout the trip so far, she now sported a loose, pale yellow skirt and a lightweight grey blouse. It transformed her appearance yet again, this time into something much softer and gentler.

Angel noticed his eyes on her. "Does it look ok?" She asked nervously.

"It's just missing…ah," John pulled out one of the fresh flowers from an arrangement in the hallway of their apartment, some form of large daisy with a sunny yellow centre and delicate white petals that were tinged with pink at the edges. He leant forwards and tucked it behind her ear gently, carefully using it to pin back some of her chestnut hair that she had allowed to fall loose again. "Perfect," he murmured before withdrawing his hand away. Angel reached up with one hand and touched the flower, a slight frown crossing her expression as she used a gilt mirror to check its placement.

"Thank you," she told him.

"You're welcome," came the reply as he held open their apartment door. "After you."

Angel led him out and they walked together through the casino.

"So what did you have in mind?" John asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Street food!" Angel replied happily. "If I have to look at one more consommé or pomme soufflé I'm going to scream. I don't know about you, but I need some real food. Even when I ask them for a simple meal at the hotel it has to consist of seven courses." She led them out of the main door of the hotel but instead of stepping into one of the many taxis lined up there she turned left and headed down the street.

"Do you know where you're going?" John asked sceptically.

"No!" Angel laughed at his concerned face. "That's a bit of a lie, I have a vague idea. I did some research while you were still sleeping and found that the quayside is home to several markets. Seems like a promising place to start."

John was beginning to get alarmed as she led them down rougher and rougher looking streets, away from the clean glitz and glamour of the main casinos. Angel seemed to know where she was going though, confidently following a mental map as she turned first left, then right down the streets.

He was about to suggest that they turn and go back when they suddenly emerged from the city into bright, open air. Water gleamed ahead of them, boats manoeuvring around on the waves. The smell of salt and fish suddenly assaulted all of John's senses and he just breathed it in for a moment. Angel stood with a grin on her face. "Come on," she told him, taking his arm and tugging him along the waterfront towards a shabby looking area. As they got closer John could see it was actually a market – ramshackle tents and temporary buildings that housed a whole array of vendors. Some were selling fresh food, including the fish that added to the aroma, but others sold trinkets, jewellery, bags, clothing and even animals.

Angel continued to tow John along so he didn't get a chance to stop and actually look at any of the wares. Eventually she let go of his arm, by which time they were in the middle of a square of some sort. It wasn't particularly busy, but there were several people still milling around. Their tall figures and unusual colouring garnered John and Angel several curious glances as they stood out from the locals.

Angel made a beeline for a tent that John realised was selling some form of food. She was obviously trying to buy something as she gestured wildly before turning around triumphantly with something in her hand.

"It's a pork chop bun!" She informed him happily, waving it at him "Here!" She handed it over to him and began browsing through the other stalls. John tentatively took a bite and nearly groaned at the delicious, savoury taste. Before he knew it, he had wolfed the lot down and was following Angel to see if she could find something else.

Now she stopped by a stall where a man was ladling something into small porcelain bowls. "Stew?" She asked John, who wrinkled up his nose. With an eye roll she accepted one for herself.

"How do you know what's in it?" John asked suspiciously, looking at the mixture of colours and textures nestled up to a neat mound of rice.

"It's a vegetable stew so I highly doubt it's anything particularly disgusting. How about noodles?"

"Noodles I can do." Angel nodded and a few moments and another expressive discussion later John was cradling a cup full of noodles and chicken in a broth. They perched on a bench in the centre of the square and enjoyed their purchases, watching the people moving around them.

"This was a very good idea," John said after a long, contented silence.

"I'm glad you like it." She finished up the stew, somehow managing to deftly use the chopsticks to grab the last few grains of rice.

"How do you do that?" John asked in wonder – he'd long since had to abandon the chopsticks for the rice spoon he'd pilfered from Angel.

"I learnt at an early age," Angel replied, clicking the sticks in front of her. She looked sideways at John. "I spent a lot of time in Asia in my youth, further west than here but they still occasionally used chopsticks." John was about to ask her more about it when she stood up, gathering her bowl and taking his now empty dish away too. "Come on, I want to browse the market."

They spent an hour or so browsing through the counterfeits and tourist merchandise in the market, enjoying the range of items on display, before they started to walk back to the hotel.

"Thanks for that," John told her as they approached the casino quarter, ever bigger hotels with bright lights surrounding them as they left the hustle of the marketplace behind them. "It was more fun than I expected it to be."

Angel grinned. "That wasn't the main surprise. Come on!" She almost skipped off down the street, leaving John to hurry along behind her.

"There's more?"

"Yes! I saw something earlier I thought you would like and booked us some tickets. Exclusive tickets! And we're just on time." She turned quickly, dragging him with her. John looked up at the hotel they were entering.

"The Royal Grand Hotel?"

"I know, bit of a pretentious name. But that isn't why we're here." She continued leading the way, threading her way through the centre of a slot machine hall. "We need to get to the middle – ah, there it is!"

John was so busy looking around that he nearly collided with her when she stopped. He looked up at the neon sign above his head, stating that the room they were about to enter was the Royal Planetarium.

"Wait…is this what I think it is?"

"Yes!" Angel's enthusiasm was infectious and John felt a grin begin to cross his face as she discussed their entry with the woman on the door. Very soon, they were being ushered inside and shown to the centre of a dark space.

"Ready?" Angel asked him once the usher had gone, a green exit sign the only light in the room.

"Go ahead," John replied. The next second Angel hit a button and the room was flooded with light as a million, million stars sprang into being around them. "Wow," he murmured, admiring the holographic effect that let them feel like they were genuinely in space. It felt like the real thing.

But it was slightly different to the view he was used to from Thunderbird 5 and not just because the part of the planetarium they were stood in was centred on the core of planet Earth.

"There is far less junk around than in my dimension," John commented, wandering around the projection and studying it closely. He huffed in amusement. "Sometimes we have to send up Thunderbird 3 just to clear a path for us so that we can launch without problems. It can interfere with signals too, one of the main reasons why Brains equipped Thunderbird 5 to be mobile." He continued walking around, looking at all the stars closely and marvelling at the sight.

"It's incredible," Angel breathed as she drank it all in. Looking over, John could see that she was still standing in the centre, just looking around her in amazement. A small smile pulled up the corner of her mouth. "I bet you can't wait to get back to Thunderbird 5 so that you can see this all in person again."

John looked over at her and the reply died on his tongue at the expression of almost childlike wonder on her face and the universe reflected in her shining eyes. Her skin glowed in the light of the thousand stars and for a moment he wanted to take her up for real, show her the universe from outside the confines of the planet. Then her gaze turned to him and he remembered that she had asked him a question.

"I really can't," he replied, stating it so convincingly that for a moment even he believed it.

Chapter 19: A touch of Chaos

Chapter Text

Kayo skimmed the waves in Thunderbird Shadow as she approached Tracy Island at the end of her usual patrol. She technically hadn't needed to perform another sweep but had wanted to relieve her frustrations with the lack of progress on tracking the Chaos Crew or the Black Phantom. All three had disappeared from the face of the earth, which was not only impossible but also very annoying. Or at least, she would have said it was impossible before the events of the last couple of weeks. She was the head of security for International Rescue, right now they had agents at risk and she was powerless to help them. A sharp bank to the right and the accompanying rush from the g-force made her feel a little better.

"Tracy Island to Thunderbird Shadow, come in Thunderbird Shadow." Scott's voice requested the connection and for one moment Kayo entertained the childish notion of just ignoring him. After all, the fact it was Scott calling and not John was a reminder of her failure to protect them. She dismissed the thought as soon as it arose, it was hardly Scott's fault that she felt resentment that the normal order hadn't yet been restored. Pressing a button, a blue hologram sprung up in her cockpit showing the man in question.

"Hi Scott, receiving you loud and clear."

"How did you get on over at the GDF base? Did Captain Rigby have anything for us?"

Kayo thought back to her latest visit to the mainland, introducing the other Scott to Captain Rigby had been interesting. Even more so when Scott proceeded to wipe the floor with Rigby on the shooting range. The GDF captain had been able to do nothing other than grant Scott the licence to keep a firearm on him, given that no one in the facility was actually able to outshoot him. Colonel Casey had obviously been involved somewhere, but her working relationship with Rigby had improved exponentially since they first met and she had no intention of messing that up by pointing out to him that he really had no choice but to let Scott carry arms. Even if he really didn't.

"Nothing on the Chaos Crew, all trails have gone cold. But the good news is that they were prepared to grant the other Scott a temporary firearm licence so he can be as prepared as possible for when we do find them."

The hologram frowned and crossed his arms, a gesture Kayo correctly interpreted as annoyance about any International Rescue operative – whether from their dimension or not – carrying a firearm.

"I see. Well, they've made their decision so we'll have to live with it. Shame about the Chaos Crew though, we really need to find where they are hiding out."

"More importantly, we need to find the Black Phantom." Kayo replied. "I'm on my way in now, I'm guessing Virgil won't be much further behind me with his passengers." Virgil had, on Scott's request, gone to collect the other Scott from the GDF base. Alan had asked to go with them to see their Thunderbird 2 in action.

"FAB Kayo, fly safely." Scott's hologram disappeared and Kayo let out a sigh. No longer having a reason to delay her return, she turned Thunderbird Shadow back towards Tracy Island.

On entering the den, she only found Scott waiting for her. "Where is everyone?" She asked curiously, looking around as though expecting to see other members for the family popping up from hiding places.

Scott rolled his eyes, Kayo could almost feel the stress rolling off him in waves. "Gordon went with Virgil to show off Thunderbird 2, they won't be long now. Tintin had some kind of break through with the device thing and dad went down to have a look at it. Grandma is in the kitchen, whipping up something for dinner."

Kayo pulled a face. "Any chance we could get takeout?"

"I heard that, young lady!" The voice floated up the stairs, followed by Grandma carrying a tray of… something. "I made samosas!" She declared happily, waving the tray towards Kayo and Scott. "You should try one." Kayo looked down at the tray in alarm.

"Are they meant to be green?"

"Well of course!" Grandma huffed at her. "That's the brussel sprouts. Can't make samosas without sprouts, you know."

"Really, Grandma? How… interesting…" Kayo began sidling towards the stairs leading to her bedroom. "Unfortunately I've just got in and need to freshen up, I'm sure Scott can have my portion and tell me all about how good it is, can't you Scott?"

Scott just glared at her as she ran away up the stairs, blue eyes promising retribution.

When Kayo had freshened up and returned to the lounge it was much busier than it had been. Thunderbird 2 had returned along with all her passengers. Virgil was talking to both their Scott and the other Scott by the piano, gesturing expansively and if Kayo had to guess they were probably talking machines or some sort. The other Alan was sat on a sofa with Gordon giggling about something, and wasn't that sight so familiar that she almost felt an ache in her chest. Damn, but she missed Alan and his youthful enthusiasm. Just like she missed Brains and his sarcasm and John with his calm patience. The other Alan saw her and twinkled his blue eyes at her, causing her to find something else very interesting. Well, that was a reaction she never felt from the way her Alan looked at her, at least. The man in question had stood up and was now making his way over to her.

"Scott told us all that you didn't have any luck with the GDF?"

"No," Kayo sighed. "They didn't seem to have anything on the Chaos Crew or the Black Phantom. Which might be expected, but Penelope hasn't managed to find anything either and that's really unusual."

Alan sighed before flashing her a smile. "Guess you get to put up with us for a bit longer! We'll sure miss you guys when we do go home, you've been really good to us."

"Well you are practically family," Kayo replied, trying to ignore how closely he was standing.

"Practically, but not quite." God, he was almost purring with a frequency that did something strange to Kayo's insides. Step away Kayo, this is a very bad idea.

Luckily, EOS chose that minute to call in from Thunderbird 5.

"What's up, EOS?" Scott asked, assuming the commander role he had been wearing for so long.

"I have been monitoring all frequencies for any mention of the Black Phantom," the AI replied curtly. "There has been a communication at a remote outpost in Siberia that has been referencing a Ghost. Due to its synonymity with the Phantom I have been intercepting the transmissions."

"Really?" Kayo swept forwards, leaving Alan standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What do they say?"

"I have not yet been able to correctly translate the calls." The AI sounded almost affronted about that. "The outpost appears to be acting as a relay station, there are no life forms that I can detect but it receives calls and it makes calls seemingly by itself. There is no onward transmission."

"That is odd," Scott frowned. "Well keep an eye on it, EOS. If you can translate the calls that would be very useful. It does seem odd, though, why would a random outpost in Siberia be receiving calls to no one?"

"Unless it's doing the same kind of thing Tintin does here, transmitting information across dimensions." Alan spoke up, looking around the room. "It would probably seem as though the calls go to no one to EOS, as she wouldn't be able to see the receiver at the far end."

"Polite Alan could be correct," EOS added. "I cannot track your calls when you speak to John, I can only hear your half of the conversation."

"Now that's a thought…" The other Scott stepped forwards. "So if this station is receiving calls from our dimension – why there? And also, where do the calls go once they leave the station? What do they say?"

"I shall endeavour to find out," EOS told them all. "I will communicate again when I have something further to add." With that, the hologram of the AI vanished.

"Well she was as chatty as ever," Gordon commented, lounging on the sofa.

"I think we need to talk to Penelope," Kayo thought out loud. "She might be able to unearth something about the outpost that could give us a clue about who owns it – and why there."

"Penelope?" Gordon sat bolt upright. "You're calling Penelope?"

Kayo raised an eyebrow. "From the lab," she confirmed. "I want to talk to Tintin first and I think your father is there too."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gordon sprung upright. "Let's head on down." He nearly ran from the room, Kayo following with a fond shake of her head.

Alan watched them go. "That's going to take some getting used to," he thought out loud.

"Gordon and Penelope?" Scott asked, Alan replying with a nod. "It took us a while too. Aren't they together in your dimension?"

Alan looked shocked. "No! Geez, she'd kill him. Or he'd kill her. Just... no. He definitely isn't the right brother for Penelope."

Scott frowned. "So is there one that is better suited? We were all surprised when it turned out that Penelope actually reciprocated Gordon's feelings, but they do seem to work."

"I don't... um..." Alan's eyes scanned around desperately, noticing both his oldest brother and Virgil's shaking heads frantically. "Um...no? But there is... someone else. Yes. Someone else. Penelope is seeing someone else."

Scott looked confused, Virgil relieved. Alan's brother just put his head in his hands. "Well now that we've cleared that up," Virgil started. "Why don't we go and see..."

Whatever Virgil was going to suggest seeing was interrupted by an incoming call from Thunderbird 5.

"EOS?" Scott asked, stepping down into the den. "What's up?"

"I am receiving a distress call from a transport ship in the mid-Atlantic," EOS informed them without preamble. "It has been impacted with some form of projectile and is taking on water, there is a crew of six that are currently at risk."

"OK, sounds like a job for Thunderbird 2," Scott directed, although Virgil was already jogging towards his chute.

"There is more," EOS continued, causing Scott to call for Virgil to wait. "There is a suspicious aircraft that the crew have reported was responsible for their hull breach. I'm sending the images now."

A large, hulking machine with four VTOL engines appeared above the table in the den. "The Chaos Cruiser!" Scott exclaimed. "Virgil, I'll send Gordon with you. You might need backup if the Chaos Crew are there. Do we know anything about what they are doing, EOS?"

"They appear to be taking advantage of the situation to commandeer some of the cargo of the ship," EOS told him. "I am currently attempting to access an inventory, but have had limited success."

"Well there is more than one way to skin a cat," Scott stated. "I'm taking Thunderbird 1 to go and find out what they're up to." He called Gordon to tell him to meet Virgil on Thunderbird 2 before bounding up the steps towards the access lift for Thunderbird 1. He paused before pulling the lights down and looked at the other Scott, still standing with Alan in the lounge.

"Go with Virgil, if the Black Phantom is around we may need more backup. But don't put yourself in danger and don't get involved with the rescue!" With a quick flick of his wrists, Scott was gone.

"FAB," the other Scott murmured, shrugging at Alan. "Guess I'm up after all."

"Well yeah," Alan looked around. "But how are you going to get to Thunderbird 2?"

The siblings looked around the deserted lounge as Scott had to admit his little brother had a very good point.

Chapter 20: Getting burned

Chapter Text

John stepped out of the taxi at the casino entrance, extending a hand to Angel who stepped out elegantly behind him. He then tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow as he led them into the mouth of the Red Dragon.

As the previous evening, John was wearing another of the suits he'd picked up in London, this time in a flattering charcoal grey. Angel was wearing a shimmering golden dress, far less revealing than the previous one but that somehow emphasised her figure even more. John was finding it far easier to concentrate on the task at hand if he didn't spend too long looking at her in it, so he kept his field of view ahead as they again swept up through the main doors into the elaborate Red Dragon casino.

Once inside, they headed straight to one of the first desks with a concierge. "I have an invite to Mr Tseng's private Tei Fuer game," John told the man standing there. His words had an electric effect on the concierge, he turned from attentive to simpering.

"Oh of course sir. May I ask your names?"

"Mr and Mrs Jonathan Frakes," John replied smoothly. He was keeping half an eye on what was happening around them, watching the customers milling around in the entranceway to the casino.

"Of course sir, I can confirm that you are on the guest list. If you would follow me please." The concierge began to lead them through the casino again, in much the same way his colleague had the night before.

"Mr Tseng appears to be making a name for himself," John commented as they walked.

"Mr Tseng only arrived recently," the concierge informed them candidly. "But he came highly recommended by a previous patron of this casino, Mr Rajavani. And he provided the assets too back up his claim."

"Where was he before?" Angel asked curiously, an expression of innocence plastered all over her face.

"I am not sure señora, ah here we are now." They had stopped outside an elaborate pair of gilt doors. "If you will excuse me," the concierge bowed as he left. John looked at Angel's with an arched brow.

"Do we knock?"

Her tiniest nod confirmed it, so John rapped smartly on the door with his knuckles, stepping back as it opened before him.

"Mr Frakes and his delightful wife." Tseng sat in a chair within view of the doorway. "So pleased you could join us, do come in." He stood up and approached them, bowing slightly to John as he approached. John returned the bow, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Tseng's face. "Enchantée madame," he said next, drawing one of Angel's hands to her mouth and kissing it. She coloured and looked up at him bashfully from underneath long eye lashes. "Please do take a seat," Tseng gestured to a large square table where several guests were already waiting. "We are nearly ready to begin."

John took the seat he was shown to, Angel declining a seat at the table but instead perching on his lap. There was obviously a ring of players around the table, with some supporters sitting behind them or milling around the room. John began talking to the player to his left, a stern woman who was dressed in a dark suit and who when questioned told John she was from Japan. Angel squeezed his arm and shook her head minutely to tell him not to push the questioning so he let her be.

Eventually another player entered the room and the heavy doors were shut behind them. Tseng stood up at the head of the table. "It is a pleasure to have you all accompany me this evening. Mr Rajavani has spoken highly of the games he hosted here and I am honoured to be able to continue hosting in his temporary absence."

There was a snort from the woman next to John as he said that, John could understand why. If he hadn't known that it was likely that Tseng was the Hood and presumably had swapped places with Rajavani – probably the Black Phantom – then John would probably have agreed with her suspicions around the fate of Mr Rajavani too.

He listened as Tseng laid out the rules for the game, closely noting any that were different from the version he had been practicing. There were a couple of changes but broadly it was the same. He noticed that Angel was looking around at all the players, trying to get their measure. A slight press against his side drew his attention to one of the players sat next to Tseng himself. The man in question had small, beady eyes, a hooked nose and a sweaty face. He nodded surreptitiously, the man looked like a likely target.

Then John's attention was drawn to the game and the tiles. He was vaguely aware of Angel standing up from his lap and circulating the table, keeping half an eye on her at all times to make sure she didn't need any support, but he needed his wits around him to focus on the game. They had agreed in advance that he couldn't look too competent – he had to maintain an aura of being lucky instead of skilled. This was in case they couldn't get the information they were after tonight and needed another invite for a later date.

The game went on. John soon realised he could easily outplay most of the opponents around the table, but he kept just doing enough to stay in the game. Tseng lorded it over them all with a stately air, occasionally calling for breaks where he walked among his subjects and discussed business. John had managed to stay clear so far as the last thing he needed was for the Hood to work out why he was quite so familiar. He was also well aware of how awkward he could be in conversation, particularly without Angel there to guide him and give him confidence.

Angel was busy talking to the sweaty man she had identified earlier, looking up at him from under her eye lashes in a way that made John's stomach curl. He tried stoically to ignore it, but they were currently on a break from the game and he couldn't use it to distract him. He took a large swig of the glass of wine Angel had procured for him, nearly choking on it when he realised that his lapse in concentration meant that Tseng had slipped into the chair next to him.

"Enjoying yourself, Mr Frakes?"

"Very much so!" John looked ruefully at his pile of chips. "Although I'm not sure my wallet can say the same."

"You seem to have found your luck tonight, after all you are still playing are you not?"

"I guess that is true. I'm not sure what my wife would say though."

Tseng chuckled, a dark noise that immediately set John on edge and he flicked a glance up to Angel to see what she was up to. She was still talking with the man and had her back turned to him.

"Come now Mr Frakes, we both know that she isn't your wife."

John nearly spat out the sip of the drink he was taking. "I'm sorry – what?"

"It's a nice charade you have, I assume you have paid her to masquerade as your wife whilst in Macau? But my sources tell me that not only is she not your wife, she is actually married to the eldest son of the elusive billionaire Jeff Tracy. Which means she does not need your money. She is using you, Mr Frakes, though to what end I am not sure."

John stared into his glass, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. Of course his mind went blank, just when he needed it to come up with something convincing. Luckily for him, the Hood took it as shock regarding his announcement instead of shock that they had been found out.

"Oh I am sorry," he said in a tone that suggested he wasn't sorry at all. "Weren't you aware?" His eyes glittered with malicious glee.

"Excuse me," John murmured, setting his glass down and walking straight over to Angel. He took hold of her elbow and steered her away from the man she was talking to, much to her surprise.

"What's the matter?" She asked, brown eyes wide.

"Tseng – I mean the Hood – he knows."

"About you?"

"No," John turned so that his back was to Tseng, making sure no one could read his lips. "He knows that you married Scott. He asked me if I was aware you were married to the son of a billionaire – he thinks you are using me for information."

"We need to get out of here," Angel murmured. John was impressed that she managed not to glance over at Tseng as she did so. "Make a scene, as though you genuinely weren't aware. Then we'll use it as an excuse to leave."

"I think we've already made the scene," John replied wryly, although he did gesticulate angrily for good measure. "Now what?"

"Now I go, meet me outside." With a quick flick of her wrist, Angel threw the contents of her drink all over John and stormed out of the room. John, caught by surprise, spluttered and coughed.

"I take it that didn't go well," Tseng was suddenly by his elbow, handing him a napkin and looking far too interested.

"No," John replied curtly, channelling his anger towards the Hood into his voice. "It appears my evening is over, please do excuse me."

He quickly left the room, intending to make his way back through the casino.

"Mr Frakes!" The call from behind had him turning to see Tseng holding something out to him. "Your winnings." The man informed him. "I am terribly sorry to have been the bearer of bad news, but I do hope that you managed to make the very most out of your arrangement while it lasted. It would be criminal to pay the money but not sample the goods, so to speak."

John could barely suppress his anger at the the Hood's insinuations, clenching his hand tight around the credit stick he was given. "Thank you," he ground out, his jaw almost aching with how difficult he found it to get the words out. With a nod and other malicious grin Tseng disappeared back into the Tei Fuer room. John spun on his heel and left the casino.

Outside, the door of a waiting taxi swung open to reveal Angel already waiting. They rode back to their hotel in a terse silence. On their walk through the long lobby Angel started murmuring quietly to him. "I called John to let him know we'd been rumbled. He said that help was here, that we need to meet them outside the hotel in fifteen minutes. We need to pack – if he knows who I am he may well know who you are too."

John swore. "We never found out anything about his base."

"Actually," Angel smirked. "The evening wasn't a total waste. I have a probable location in Selangor, to the west of Kuala Lumpur."

"So we grab our bags and go?"

"Yes," she replied as she opened the door to their apartment. "I'm more worried about Tseng coming after us here. But as far as I know he has no way to track us."

John frowned and looked down at the credit stick he was still carrying. "What kind of thing would he need to be able to track us?"

Angel followed his line of vision and her eyes widened. "He gave you that?" At John's confirming nod she dove into her room. "Grab what you need, we have to leave!"

John had already packed most of his things, so he grabbed his case and emerged just as Angel flew out of her room carrying a rucksack. Gone was the elaborate gold dress, now she was wearing some kind of leather catsuit.

As though anticipating, he held open the apartment door and they both breezed through it. The walk back through the hotel was quick, John felt eyes on him the entire way. He breathed a sigh of relief when he tossed the room key at the hotel desk and they emerged into the dark night.

They turned down the street and began walking quickly, passing a large group of men and women chatting and joking on motorcycles. John tensed at the sight but Angel pulled him straight past and down the road.

She led him down another street, one that was much darker and emptier. John was about to voice his concern when Angel froze, listening.

"Down," she hissed, pulling him to the sidewalk as blaster shots rang out above them. They scurried behind some large bins by a back door to one of the hotels.

There they stayed for a moment. John could hear nothing but his own, panicked breaths in the night.

"Do you think they've gone?" He whispered eventually. Angel shook her head minutely.

"We need to make a run for it," she breathed back, scanning around her. "Go back to the bikers. On three…"

On her countdown they sprinted back to the street entrance, a hail of blaster shots following them every step. Once on the wider street they slowed to walk, hurrying along and trying to blend into the crowds. They were fairly successful, Angel's leather outfit wasn't too out of place and John had long since discarded the suit jacket in the warm air and was just wearing a pale shirt with his charcoal grey trousers.

But it wasn't successful enough. As they pushed though the crowds John could see two men running behind them brandishing guns, sending the crowd nearest them scattering. They started to run, dodging past people as quickly as they could but the panic from behind them made their passage tricky.

Just as the men closed in, a pale pink car drew up alongside. The door flew open and Angel dashed past John and straight into it. With a quick turn John followed, finding himself nearly in the lap of Lady Penelope.

"Hello John dear," she welcomed him calmly as he scrabbled into his seat muttering apologies whilst blushing scarlet. "Our John said you might be in a spot of bother."

"Good timing," Angel turned to stare out of the rear of the car. "They're following us."

"Oh how tiresome. Parker, can we do anything about them?"

"H'I don't know, m'lady. There are quite h'a lot of them, you see."

"Let me out," Angel commanded. "I'll take a bike and try to distract some of them."

"Very well," Penelope replied. John noticed that they had circled around and now the group of bikers were parked up in front of them. "Meet us at the Peninsula heliport at oh-four hundred. We have a lift who will be taking us to Malaysia."

"Selangor, near Sepang circuit." Angel instructed. "There is a big industrial area there somewhere, I think that is where they are based." She readied herself as the car slowed, turning to meet John's eyes just once. Then, with a quick nod in his direction, she was off and running towards the bikes.

A black car from behind roared forwards and made a beeline for her, but Angel jumped onto the nearest bike that had its engine running and sped off. Parker followed with the pink Rolls, diving down a side street to run parallel. There were still three bikes and a car following them, but Angel had almost as many pursuers.

"H'I'm going to take some evasive manoeuvres," Parker announced. John fumbled with the seat belt and eventually strapped himself in, knowing what Parker's manoeuvres were likely to be like. Sure enough, a quick twist through an alley that really shouldn't have been wide enough for the large car dispatched one of the bikes, who went straight on and into the front of a store. The rest still followed though, so Parker engaged some of FAB1's other attributes. Nails scattered all over the floor took out the remaining two bikes. The car continued to follow them but with sparks flying from one of the wheels where the tyre had gone and it was running on rims.

"They are rather tenacious," Penelope commented, with as much concern as if she was commenting on the morning paper.

"That they h'are, milady. H'I'm going to 'ave to pull out the big guns." With that, Parker pressed another button on the back of the car and something oily and slick spread across the road. The following car lost all traction and ploughed off the street into the water of the marina they were racing alongside.

"Oh good work, Parker."

"Thank you, milady." Parker slowed marginally and they moved into the next street. Suddenly a motorbike raced by, the rider's long hair blowing in the wind. Several motorbikes then shot by in close pursuit, luckily the distinctive pink Rolls Royce was hidden in darkness down a side street and wasn't seen.

"It's Angel!" John shouted, leaning forwards so much that he was almost level with Parker's head.

"Oi, mind where you're bellowing," Parker told him irritably. "H'I can't rightly just waltz up there, can h'I?"

"Maybe we could follow discreetly and see if she needs any support?" Penelope suggested. Parker grumbled but reversed the Rolls out of the street, onto the quayside road they had been on previously. He then tracked the motorbikes, carefully staying one block away so that they didn't turn their focus onto him.

"There are still too many following her!" John exclaimed, as they began to run out of land. Ahead were some warehouses, the large hotels had now given way to lower buildings as they had reached an area of reclaimed land. John could see any clearly now, the buildings between the two parallel roads had been demolished for rejuvenation and the flying motorbike could clearly be seen with the pursuers close by. On their other side lay inky black water, which meant Angel was becoming trapped with nowhere to go.

"We must help her," Penelope declared. "Parker!"

"Just h'a minute, milady. H'I'm thinking."

But Angel didn't have a minute. To the shock and horror of those watching, one of the blaster shots finally reached the motorbike and sent it spinning to the ground with the back wheel ripped to shreds. The next moment the bike slid sideways into the warehouse and exploded in a huge fireball. John felt as though all the air left his body as his world momentarily shuddered to a halt. He heard someone utter a strangled cry, not realising it was his own voice.

"We need to get out of here," Penelope commanded in a voice barely more than a whisper.

Dutifully Parker began to turn the car around.

"What? No!" John scrambled for the door only to realise that it was locked. "Let me out! I have to go and help her!"

"If we go out there now, they will catch us too." Penelope stated firmly. If John had been thinking clearly he would have seen that she was as white as a sheet. But he was fixated on one thought – the need to get to Angel as soon as possible. Except Penelope's words filtered through to his brain eventually and he stopped struggling, collapsing in his seat as the truth in her statement hit him. Parker duly turned the car around and they left the scene.

They drove away slowly in silence. John could only sit numbly and stare out of the window at the plume of smoke that slowly disappeared into the night.

Chapter 21: Blowing a Fuse

Chapter Text

Scott sat uncomfortably in the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, occasionally pulling at his uniform. It was much heavier and more fitted than the one he usually wore, the clunky sash dug into his shoulder and the boots made his feet feel like they were in a vice. He guessed that he was lucky the other Scott had a spare uniform stashed on Thunderbird 2 at all, but right now he wished he'd been allowed to stay in the jeans and shirt that he'd been wearing earlier.

It was strange being on Thunderbird 2 full stop, standing behind Virgil with Gordon, both of them watching as they decreased altitude and started sweeping across the ocean towards the stricken cargo ship. Scott could see it up ahead now, listing in the waves that were tossing it around like a toy.

Gordon exhaled loudly upon seeing it. "What's your plan, Virgil?"

"Come in Thunderbird 2," The other Scott's hologram appeared above the controls. Or was he the other Scott? This wasn't his dimension after all. Scott shook his head to focus while the other Scott was talking.

"Virgil, there are six crew members in that thing, apparently separated. One set of three are on the forward deck but the second have become trapped in the rear hold. Some of the debris has blocked them in."

"FAB Scott," Virgil replied as he deftly flew the craft around the grasping waves. "I'll let Gordon deal with the ones on the surface and I'll take the exosuit to look for the others. Any sign of the Chaos Crew?"

"Nothing," the holographic Scott grumbled. "I don't like it, I'm going to land on the deck and take a look around."

"Alright, but be careful," Virgil warned his older brother before hanging up. He looked around at his passengers. "I'm going to lower the access hatch," he explained. "I'll leave Thunderbird 2 airborne in case we need to get away quickly but anchor it to the deck. Both of you get out, Scott you look around and see if anything looks unusual. You tap the International Rescue logo on your shoulder to contact us. Gordon, you heard our Scott – the three up front are on you. Bring the passenger lift down to get them."

"Sure, boss," Gordon replied, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. Virgil shook his head in amusement.

"Are you ready? We're nearly here."

"FAB," both Gordon and Scott chorused, Scott standing on the hatch that Gordon pointed out to him. With a deft flick, Virgil fired a harpoon that connected Thunderbird 2 to the deck of the cargo ship. He then joined them on the hatch, but not before grabbing a large green construction that seemed to attach to his utility belt.

"What is that?" Scott asked, incredulity and awe in his voice.

"Oh, this thing?" Virgil smirked. "Just a little thing I like to call the Jaws of Life."

"Does Scott use anything like that?" Scott asked, still eyeing it up with envy.

"Scott do heavy lifting?" Gordon laughed. "Fat chance. I think he has a jet pack somewhere, but that's about it."

"Shame," Scott replied wistfully.

Virgil snickered at him. "Come on, lets go on down." With a touch of a button the hatch started lowering down, acting as a lift to the deck below.

Virgil jumped off it when it was still some height above the deck, the exo-suit taking the brunt of the force. Gordon rolled his eyes again and snorted. "Show off," he muttered to Scott who just smiled back. It was very easy to fall into the familiar banter with this version of his family, it was all very like being at home.

Eventually the lift was close enough to the deck for both Scott and Gordon to hop down. Gordon immediately started running towards the crew still stood on the front deck, whereas Scott started to look around for anything untoward.

An open hatch to the cargo hold made him suspicious, creeping over to the edge he listened closely. Even over the swell of the sea he could hear voices in the hold, he couldn't be sure but it sounded as though it was a man and a woman.

There was a roar as Thunderbird 1 landed on the deck, the far side of the ship he was currently at. His counterpart dropped out of the cockpit and sprinted over.

"Found anything?" He asked, once he reached Scott's location. Scott pointed down into the hold.

"Sounds like a man and a woman down there, not crew as they've been accounted for."

"Havoc and Fuse," the other Scott muttered, eyes narrowing. "I'm going to go down and see what I can find out. You keep an eye up here."

"Wait-" Scott started, but his counterpart had already jumped down. Scott shook his head, he was beginning to understand what his father meant when he said Scott was stubborn. Instead of staying right by the access hatch, he began to walk around the rest of the deck looking for anything suspicious.

He was to the starboard side of the hold hatch when his head collided solidly with something – except there was nothing there. "What on earth?" He muttered, rubbing his temple and looking at the nothing he'd collided with. Except…wait, was that a shimmer? Placing his hands out in front of him, Scott could feel the cold smoothness of metal underneath his fingertips. "Well now," he murmured, tracing the outline of what felt like an engine. An engine mounted on a hinged pivot… "A VTOL," Scott muttered. "Vertical Take-Off and Landing. That's pretty swell, not sure I've seen anything like this before."

He was so caught up with tracing the design of the craft that he was taken by surprise when a voice called out from behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, let me just load this. I don't know what the boss wants all this junk for anyway."

Scott turned to see the back of a man's head emerge from the hatch, bleached blond braids aligned in neat rows against a dark head. The man hadn't seen Scott yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Scott slipped the far side of the VTOL engine and weighed up his options. This craft was obviously using some form of advance shielding to bend light around itself, projecting the image behind it in front of it… maybe he could use this to his advantage. He stretched out fingers behind him and felt another structure like the engine in front. It would need four for stability if it didn't have wings…

Fuse frowned as he thought he heard a sound behind him. He spun around, but there was nothing to see on the deck.

Scott held on tight, praying that his grip would hold out. Not being able to see what he was holding onto was disconcerting, but the tall man had just looked straight through him. That meant his plan was working – stringing himself up between the two port side VTOL engines on this invisible craft, feet braced against one while he held onto the other for dear life, allowing the cloaking on the craft to cover him too. After all, if it was projecting what was behind them to the front it had to do so past both sets of engines. Such a clever piece of technology, he wondered idly whether Brains could be persuaded to come up with something similar for Thunderbird 1.

But great as his plan was, it put a lot of strain through a body that hadn't been sticking to its usual workout regime since landing in this dimension. As the man seemed to idle on the deck, Scott found himself getting more and more fatigued as he held on by his fingertips. His arms were beginning to shake and a bead of sweat was working its way down from his brow. The rolling motion of the ship wasn't helping at all.

Eventually the man disappeared back inside the hold and Scott dropped to the ground with a sigh of relief. He wondered what was taking the other Scott so long down in the hold.

Not being able to do anything about that, he continued his movement around the craft. Eventually he found some form of access hatch at the rear – as soon as he moved past the entrance the ship materialised around him.

"I guess that's the cloaking then," he commented, looking around the inside. The technology was very different to what he was used to, but he really didn't want to give any indication that he'd been in there. Tentatively he pressed the logo on his sash.

"Hello Polite Scott, how can I be of assistance?" Eos asked primly.

"Hello Eos, I wondered if you had any way of tracking something? A device, or similar?"

"I believe Scott keeps them in the fifth compartment from the left on his utility belt for situations where a casualty may be misplaced," Eos replied.

Scott dug around and found a small metal disk. "This is great Eos, do you know how I use it?"

"You affixed the flat side to a smooth surface and then press the centre of the other side. Once activated, I will be able to track it anywhere on the Earth."

Following directions, Scott pressed the disk against the underside of one of the consoles. "Do you get that signal?"

"Loud and clear, Polite Scott."

"Thanks a million, Eos." Scott took one last glance around the inside of the craft, his fingers itching to turn on consoles and see how it flew. But that wouldn't be productive. With a sigh he slipped out of the door, the craft disappearing from his sight again.

Almost as soon as he was out, he heard a shout from behind him. "Hey!" Spinning around, Scott could see the braided man was again climbing out of the hatch, but it wasn't Scott he was shouting at. On the far side of the deck Gordon and Virgil were trying to load the last couple of crew members into Thunderbird 2. "It's International Rescue!" The man bellowed down into the hold. There was a reply that Scott couldn't hear, but then the man raised his right fist and slammed it down on the ground.

As he did so, a shockwave emanated from the glove that knocked Scott off his feet. He could see Gordon and two of the crew members in the distance suffering the same fate. But much more concerning was that fact that the shock wave had also caused a large crack to open up on the deck where the stricken cargo ship could not hold it's integrity any more. A crack that separated Virgil and the last crew member from Gordon and rescue.

The man chuckled and brought his fist up to slam it down again. As he did so Scott acted without hesitating – he drew the blaster out of his holster and fired at the man's arm. Even from his distance he could see the shot was true, the blast ripping through the man's shoulder before decimating the gauntlet encasing his hand. With a strangled cry the man fell back down the hold.

Scott was going to follow suit when a mechanical groan had him looking up. Thunderbird 1 was beginning to slide towards the crack in the hull. Ignoring the fact it wasn't even his own beloved ship, Scott sprinted towards the craft. When he got there he only had moments to act before it fell from the deck and he did so instinctively, leaping into the extending bucket seat and somehow finding the button that pulled it back into the cockpit. It lurched again as Scott stared at the unfamiliar controls, before years of flight training kicked in and the engines spluttered to life when he found the ignition. Grasping the handles, he pulled sharply backwards and the rocket took to the skies with a roar, just as the deck it had been standing on collapsed into the sea.

Gordon was just helping the last of the crew members into the passenger lift when a roar from behind made him realise Thunderbird 1 was taking off. Virgil also looked up with a frown.

"Nice of Scott to let us know he was heading out."

Gordon became distracted by something over Virgil's shoulder. "I'm not sure he did." The blond replied. Virgil turned to look at what Gordon was staring at, flummoxed when he saw his eldest brother running towards them.

"Scott? But what are you doing here?"

Scott was staring up at the sky with something akin to horror on his face. "He stole my thunderbird!"

"Who, Fuse?"" Virgil still looked nonplussed. Scott was so apoplectic he was having trouble getting words out.

"I can't.. but… mine!"

"I think what our esteemed older brother is trying so articulately to tell us," Gordon said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Is that, for some reason, the other Scott has taken Thunderbird 1 and left him stranded here."

"How can he even fly it!" Scott nearly shouted, confusion and bafflement on his face.

Virgil looked at him with an expression of dawning understanding and sympathy. "Come on big bro, looks like you have to ride with us this one time. We'll find out what happened back at the Island, yeah?"

Scott nodded his head dejectedly as he pulled himself into the passenger lift.

"I'm not sure he's ever going to get over this," Gordon stage-whispered to Virgil, who cut him off with a glare.

"How would you feel if it was Thunderbird 4?" He hissed back. "Come on, let's get these people to safety. This thing looks like it could break up at anytime."

Gordon stopped teasing and grabbed hold of the passenger lift, swinging from the outside and saluting Virgil as it rose into the underbelly of Thunderbird 2. Virgil just rolled his eyes at his younger brother's antics before taking the lift back up to the cockpit. He couldn't help but wonder quite why the other Scott had decided to joy ride Thunderbird 1, though.

The whole journey back to the Island, Scott could only stare forlornly out the window of the cockpit and wish he had his own Thunderbird back.

Chapter 22: Accusations

Chapter Text

Scott stared with mounting horror at the fast disappearing cargo ship as Thunderbird 1 soared higher. The enormity of what he'd just done dawned on him. He'd literally just stolen Thunderbird 1 from under the nose of the other Scott. The rightful Scott. He abruptly let go of the controls, lifting his hands up in a placating gesture, but no one was there to see it.

Just to add to his horror, upon letting them go they didn't just remain stationary. The handles started moving as Thunderbird 1 began to slice through the sky.

"Whoa!" Scott cried, grabbing hold but unable to alter course. "Hold on a minute!"

A hologram of EOS appeared in front of him. "Hello Polite Scott, I have taken control of Thunderbird 1 in order to return you safely to base."

"Eos what… hang on, you took control of Thunderbird 1?"

"Affirmative. I was preparing to control it remotely to prevent it from falling into the water when to my surprise you came on board. But now you appear to be unable to fly the craft correctly so I will return you to base."

"Control it remotely?" Scott's voice was getting more high pitched with every statement he made. "You can do that?"

"Normally John does," EOS confirmed. "In his absence I have managed to adjust my subroutines to perform the function myself."

"So I didn't need to save Thunderbird 1."

"Affirmative. But I'm sure your efforts will be viewed as heroic."

Scott gulped. "EOS, if he kills me, can you make sure that my body is returned to my wife?"

The lights flashed around the rim of the camera while EOS paused for a moment. "I assume you mean the rude Scott?" Another pause while she considered. "I calculate there is only a twenty three percent chance of him causing you physical violence. You are unlikely to be killed. Possibly maimed in some way."

"That's not very comforting," Scott told her. "When are we going to get back to Tracy Island?"

"I calculated our estimated time of arrival as twenty six and a half minutes from now, Polite Scott." Scott leant back against the seat, unable to do much more than look out at the skies rushing by.

"Can you… explain to them?" He started, then shook his head. "No, never mind. I should explain, it was my mistake." He idly thought about what Angel would say if she saw him now – she would probably laugh at him. He fingered the well worn claw nestled up to his wedding band around his neck and sighed deeply. He missed her so much it was almost a physical pain, a deep ache in his centre that time only made worse. He consoled himself with the fact it wouldn't be long now until he could see her again.

EOS programmed the landing on Tracy Island, Scott realised that actually there was very little he had to do. The gantry that was extending to meet him was very similar to the one he used to access Thunderbird 1, although there wasn't usually a lift up to the lounge. When he finally spun into the main villa he was greeted by a small audience comprised of Jeff, Sally, Tintin and his brother Alan.

Scott simply stood there for a moment, still wearing the uniform of his counterpart and having flown home in a Thunderbird that wasn't his.

"I've just heard from Scott," Jeff started calmly. "He's rather… put out, that you stole his aircraft."

"Would it help if I said I didn't mean to?" Scott offered, trying to ignore Alan's sniggering and Tintin's amused face.

"It might, though I'm not sure he's in a mood to listen to you. Why did you fly it home?"

Scott sighed wearily and dropped into one of the seats. "I didn't know EOS could control them remotely. While we were out there, one of the chaos crew – well I think it was the chaos crew anyway – had a device that sent out shockwaves. It damaged the integrity of the cargo ship and Thunderbird 1 was at risk. I didn't really stop to think, I just jumped into the seat and activated the thrusters to try to lift it out of danger before it fell into the sea. It was only on the way home that EOS told me it had been completely unnecessary."

"I see," the stern expression on Jeff's face gave way to amusement. "I'm not sure many people have managed to steal one of the fastest craft this world has ever seen by accident, so well done!"

Scott rested his head on the back of the seat and stared up at the ceiling as Alan's sniggers broke into full scale laughter. "Lucky me."

"Oh Scott, these things do happen to you!" Tintin's voice also carried traces of her amusement, but as she obligingly brought Scott a cup of coffee he wasn't going to complain. "It will all be ok, I'm sure the other Scott will forgive you soon. It's very hard to stay cross at oneself."

"I don't know Tintin," Scott replied, sipping the coffee. "I can tell you I'd be pretty annoyed if the situation was reversed."

She hummed in response as she retook her seat and picked up her own drink. A hush fell over the room while they waited on the arrival of Thunderbird 2 and her passengers.

A hush that didn't last for long. The heard the other Scott before they saw him, his voice echoing out around the villa.

"He stole my thunderbird!"

Scott winced and Alan started sniggering again, earning him a punch from Tintin. Sally just pretended she couldn't hear anything while Jeff busied himself with his paperwork.

The tall, striding figure of the other Scott came barrelling into the room. He was wearing his customary jeans and shirt, belatedly Scott realised he was still sitting in the lounge in his, no Scott's, uniform.

"You stole my thunderbird!" The other Scott accused again, waving a finger threateningly at his counterpart. "Who do you think you are, swaggering in here with your girlfriend and your shooting skills and STEALING MY THUNDERBIRD."

Scott raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to! I thought it was going to fall off the deck, then EOS took over and flew it home."

"You stole my thunderbird!" The other Scott was on a roll now, a slightly manic gleam in his eye. Virgil, who had obviously come up from the hanger with his two brothers and therefore was close behind Scott, now came forwards and lowered his brother's arm down.

"Why don't we all settle down a bit," he suggested calmly, but leaving no doubt as to the consequences if he wasn't obeyed.

"He stole my thunderbird," the other Scott now muttered petulantly as he was ushered into a chair.

"Yes, and he explained why," Virgil replied. "It sounds like an honest mistake. I'm sure it's back here safe and sound, right?" The last word was directed pointedly at Scott, who gulped and nodded.

The other Scott frowned. "If there is a single scratch on it…" he left the threat hanging.

"There isn't," he was quickly reassured.

"So what were you both up to on the ship anyway? We didn't see you for the whole rescue." Virgil asked curiously. All eyes, particularly Jeff's, now scanned between the two doppelgängers.

Scott hesitated, waiting to see if the other Scott would take the lead. Sure enough, he stepped forwards and started to brief, the question distracting him from his anger although he still threw the occasional glare at Scott.

"I found Havoc and Fuse in the hold, trying to steal some of the cargo." He started. "I followed the, in to try to find out what they were after, but then they changed positions and I was stuck behind a large container. Eventually, something happened to Fuse and it distracted them both enough that I could get out. I climbed up onto the deck to see my thunderbird being stolen." Another glare at Scott.

"Did you see what they were after?" Jeff asked calmly, having decided to ignore the tension.

At that, the other Scott frowned. "That"s the strangest thing, it seemed to be scrap metal of some kind. Really old stuff, from the turn of the millennia. I have no idea why they might want it."

"What kind of scrap metal?" Tintin asked curiously from her seat in the lowered section.

"Old mobile telephones, the type with the big screens they used to use. Plus some of the large computer things, when you still needed a large physical computer."

Tintin nodded at the response and sat thoughtfully.

"What about you?" Virgil asked Scott, when it was clear that his oldest brother had finished. "You also disappeared for a while before you decided to go joyriding."

"I didn't exactly plan it," Scott replied with a sigh. "Let's see… once Scott disappeared into the hold I ran into a ship, literally. I've got the bump to prove it. It was using some strange cloaking technology that I've never seen the like of before. I eventually found a way in and left one of the trackers EOS told me you always carry." He paused in his narrative as he was unsure of how to explain the next bit, to realise that the whole room were gaping at him. Well, except for Tintin and Alan. Tintin was still obviously thinking hard, whereas Alan just looked confused.

"You planted a tracker on the Chaos Cruiser?" The other Scott asked incredulously. "When we've been trying to do that for a couple of years now, on your first time out with us you just sauntered up and did it?"

"I guess?" Scott wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Anyway," he carried on quickly. "When I left the ship I realised that one of the Chaos Crew, I think they're called, had spotted that Gordon and Virgil were rescuing the crew. He was a man, dark skinned with braids, and he used a large motorised arm thing to send a shockwave through the deck."

"Fuse." Virgil confirmed with a dark face. "That explains the ship beginning to break up! It had me really worried for a moment, I thought it must have been hit by a bad wave. I wasn't sure it was going to survive another."

"We're lucky that Fuse only decided to punch it once then," Gordon said, relieved.

Virgil looked confused. "But why would Fuse only punch it once? That makes no sense. He's not exactly shown restraint before."

"He was planning a second punch," Scott interrupted quietly. "But the ship looked as though it couldn't take it and lives were at risk, so I shot and broke the motorised arm."

"Seriously?" Gordon's mouth was hanging open. "You just shot at him and broke his arm thing? Just like that?"

"Gordon," Virgil warned.

"I mean… that's, like, completely badass!"

"Gordon." Virgil said a bit more firmly this time, managing to distract his brother. Virgil not so subtly nodded in the direction of their Scott, who had crossed his arms and had a face like thunder.

"Sure, big up the guy who shot someone and stole an aircraft!" He flung his arms up into the air. "This is ridiculous. If anyone wants me, I'm going to be in the hanger making sure that MY thunderbird hasn't been damaged in this fiasco." He stormed off, not even taking his chute down as he made sure to slam the hall door.

There was a hushed silence after he left. Scott felt awkward, Virgil and Gordon were slightly embarrassed and the rest just slightly shocked.

"Gallium!" Tintin exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence.

Everyone turned to look at her, causing her to blush and try to shrink into the sofa. "Um, sorry. But I just realised what they were probably after with the scrap."

"Excuse me for being a bit out of the loop, but what is a Gallium exactly?" Sally asked curiously.

"It's an element," Tintin explained. Looking around, she realised it wasn't just their grandma who didn't know – Jeff and Virgil looked like they understood but Scott, Alan and Gordon all just looked confused.

"Say, why would they want this gallium thing Tintin?" Alan asked, forehead crinkled in thought.

"It's a component of gallium arsenide, a semi-conductor." Tintin told him. "The same semi-conductor that a lot of that strange device that brought us here is made of."

"So they obviously need it to make another device," Gordon mused. "But why do they need to raid scrap for it? Can't they just buy some?"

"No," Tintin shook her head emphatically. "That's the thing you see, from about 2030 onwards the worldwide supply of gallium was exhausted. In our dimension, and I think it's the same here based on your technology that I've seen, we've had to adapt and use different materials for semi conductors. But they don't quite have the same properties and doping ability."

"It is the same here," Virgil confirmed. "I'm not sure I've even really seen a gallium arsenide semi conductor."

"But in technology from the turn of the century, there would be a lot of it," Tintin continued. "In very small amounts, but if you had enough scrap and were prepared to pull the very small amounts together…"

"…you'd get enough for a large range of uses!" Jeff concluded. "That's clever deducing."

"It might not be right," Tintin admitted. "There are a lot of other rare elements in old technology too, but gallium seems the most likely target given than gallium arsenide is a crucial component of the device that crosses dimensions."

"Luckily, you've been able to modify the one we already have!" Jeff stated proudly.

"Wait…" Scott interrupted. "Did I understand you right? You have managed to modify it? You can get us home?"

"I think so," Tintin confirmed. "But it will take some working out, we'll need to coordinate exactly with the other dimension and only be able to send one person at a time. Before we can do any of that, we need to find the Black Phantom as well if we want to swap him over with the Hood."

"If you did manage to place a trace on the Chaos Cruiser that might not be as hard as we thought." Virgil said as he walked past Scott, slapping him on the back with enough force to nearly knock him flying. "I'll go and tell our Scott the good news, it might break him out of his mood."

"Rather you than me," Gordon muttered.

Scott looked down at his uniform. "I need to get changed," he told the room at large. "I guess we can check in with EOS later to see if she has a location for us."

Gordon also left to get cleaned up after the rescue, leaving Alan and Tintin sitting with Sally and Jeff.

"I bet you'll be pleased to get home dear," Sally said to Tintin kindly.

"Oh yes!" The girl exclaimed. "Not that I haven't enjoyed staying with you," she added quickly. "It's been lovely and you've all been so kind, but I miss home. Yes, I'll be pleased to get home." Tintin rubbed her ring finger as she did so, twisting the engagement band around. She would be very pleased to get back to Brains.

Chapter 23: Reunited

Chapter Text

It was a sombre party sat in the pink Rolls Royce as they waited for their transport to arrive at the Peninsula helipad. Parker idly drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, lifting them away at the glare he received from Lady Penelope in his rear view mirror. The Lady herself was pale but composed, although her demeanour was incredibly tense. Unlike John, who almost seemed catatonic in his state of shock. Parker didn't know this John, but if anything like their John he probably didn't get out on rescues much and have to deal with things in the flesh, so to speak.

The silence became almost stifling. Parker lifted his fingers to drum again but replaced them back gently at the polite cough behind him.

"'Ere, you know that the cat burglar was known for getting out of h'anything, right?"

"I'm not sure we need false platitudes right now, Parker." Penelope warned with the tiniest tremor in her voice. If Parker hadn't known her for so many years he probably would have missed it.

"I'm just saying milady… h'if h'anyone could survive that, it would be 'er."

"What do you mean? She could be alive?" John spoke for the first time since they'd turned at the other end of the peninsula, a tiny spark of hope entering his voice. Parker opened his mouth to elaborate but the thrum of an engine interrupted him. All three occupants of the car looked up as the green behemoth that was Thunderbird 2 descended towards the helipad.

"Oh good, our lift is here. If you would, Parker."

The bulk of the machine was now lifted to reveal a green pod emblazoned with the number five. The front of it then lowered as a ramp, allowing Parker to drive FAB1 straight up and into position in front of the in built laboratory.

Hustling out of his door in order to open hers, Parker frowned at the sight of Gordon in the pod. "H'I thought 'e might 'ave come down 'imself."

"He's staying up in the cockpit, means we can get out of here faster. The two Brains's are around somewhere too." Gordon looked at the people climbing out of the car. "We're one short. Where's Annie?"

"Gordon, she's gone." The tiniest hitch in Penelope's voice betrayed how upset she really was. Gordon looked around them blankly, settling his eyes on the one he knew must be John.

"What do you mean gone?"

"She was on a motorbike when it crashed," Penelope answered. "We need to go, did you find out anything else about the device?"

"No." John spoke up, shaking his head firmly. "You said we would meet here at four and it's still a few minutes to. We can't leave until four, in case she is on her way."

"John dear," Penelope touched his arm gently but he shrugged it off.

"No, I'm going to wait for her. You go." John resolutely turned back to the open ramp, looking out at the darkness surrounding the brightly lit helipad. Behind him Penelope looked at Gordon helplessly.

"You go on up to the cockpit," Gordon suggested. "I'll wait with John." Penelope nodded and disappeared up the stairs at the back of the pod that would enable her to enter the main part of the ship. Gordon looked over at where John was staring out at the helipad and turned to Parker.

"What are the chances, really?"

Parker shrugged. "H'if h'anyone can get out of that, it would be 'er." He then proceeded to tell Gordon about the motorbike chase in a low voice, while all three waited to see if Angel would arrive.

As the time reached five past four, Gordon shook his head. "We need to get out of here before someone notices us."

"But-" John started.

"No, we need to get to Malaysia before they have the chance to hide their operation there." Gordon walked over to the control panel to the right of the ramp and was about to press the button to raise it when John darted out into the dark.

"What on earth is he doing?" Gordon muttered, peering out of the pod. He couldn't see past the bright lights of the helipad, around it everything was pitch black. But then there was a shuffling noise and John came back into view – supporting a battered Angel. She was limping badly and one arm was slung over John's shoulders, who was walking hunched to try to match her height.

"Blimey!" Parker exclaimed, as he dashed forward to help. He pulled Angel's free arm over his shoulder and between him and John they manoeuvred her into the pod. Parker stepped away as soon as they were inside, the ramp closing behind them.

"H'I'll go and tell 'er ladyship you're ok and tell Master Virgil that 'e needs to 'ave a look at you." He started to head towards the door out of the pod, saying to Angel before he left. "H'I knew if h'anyone could survive that crash it'd be little Miss H'Annie."

Once he had gone John turned to face Angel, letting out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He felt the world rush back into focus around him as he cupped her face with his hand to make sure that she was real and here and okay. The moment he'd caught sight of a flicker of movement the adrenaline had kicked in, causing him to move faster than he'd ever done before to reach her. She was sopping wet and obviously sore, but alive and that was all John cared about in this moment. "I thought you had been caught in the explosion and died." He whispered as his fingers grazed the soft skin of her cheek. "I… I didn't…" he stuttered to a halt as all the emotions he had felt in the last hour caught the words in his throat. The soft touch of her warm, living skin underneath his fingers was almost more than he could bear.

Angel frowned at him, taking his hand in hers and feeling his fingers trembling as she moved it away from her face. "I jumped into the water when the bike went," she explained, stepping back away from him. She dropped his hand and moved to the entrance to the cockpit, where Gordon was still stood waiting for them. John felt her absence immediately.

"Annie," Gordon nodded as she limped up to him, casting his eyes over her contemplatively. "Get Virgil to check you over once we're airborne." She patted his arm as she passed, disappearing from view.

John took several deep breaths to steady himself before following out of the pod, only realising as he moved to the door that Gordon was still watching him with a knowing expression as he blocked the exit.

"Your hair really is a brighter red than mine," he commented idly as John approached. John just raised an eyebrow in return.

"It's very odd to see a red haired Gordon."

"It's even odder to see a red haired John," Gordon shot back with a cheeky grin, suddenly transforming him into the Gordon that John knew. "You know, I don't want you to feel like I'm sticking my nose in or anything." Gordon started as he fell into step next to John on their way to the cockpit. "But Annie and Scott… they're pretty inseparable. Might be worth keeping that in mind."

John stopped walking and turned to face Gordon, a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Seriously?" At John's continued blank expression, Gordon's voice turned from sarcastic to incredulous. "Seriously, seriously? Oh man, you are every bit as clueless as our John. Look, just don't say I didn't warn you." Gordon walked off shaking his head and muttering under his breath. John followed a couple of steps back, mulling over Gordon's words.

The meaning hit him about five strides later and he shuddered to a halt again, his face draining of colour. Through the open doorway to the cockpit ahead he could see the back of Angel's head as she was helped into one of the seats by Penelope. Gordon was looking back through the doorway at him, clearly waiting for him to come in. John didn't have the time to process the revelation he'd just had. Taking a deep breath he entered the room.

Virgil was sat at the controls. There was something just so… Virgil about him that John didn't need to ask for introductions. Angel was sitting on a bench next to Penelope whilst trying to fend off her attentions. Parker also hovered nearby, attentively waiting to see if he could be of any service to either of them. John shakily walked over to the free bench seat and sat down ramrod straight, determinedly not looking at Angel the whole time. Except he couldn't stop his eyes straying over to where the two women were sat.

"Didn't you say Brains was here?" Penelope broke the silence, asking Gordon but it was Virgil who answered.

"I think they are in the sickbay. They've managed to reverse the effects of the dimension device somehow with Tintin's help – so as soon as we can grab the Hood and get confirmation that Scott and Alan have the Black Phantom they can switch it on. If Tintin does the same thing at her end then everyone will hopefully go back to where they are supposed to be." When he finished talking Virgil flipped some switches and there was a shudder as the machine sat down on its pod.

"I bet you'll be relieved to get home," Gordon said to John, a knowing gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face.

"I suppose I will be," John replied, risking a glance at Angel to see that she wasn't really listening. Penelope was prodding at her and Angel had her teeth gritted in pain, head thrown back on the seat. Despite the discomfort she was obviously in John drank in the sight – now that Gordon had alerted him to his feelings he was all too aware of them. As Angel shifted and turned her face towards him he averted his eyes to the floor, a blush staining his cheeks. With a roar they were all distracted by the launch of Thunderbird 2.

The moment they were in the air Virgil flipped a lever and stood up from the seat. "Gordon, take over. Angel, sickbay, now. What kind of damage have you done to yourself this time?"

"It wasn't exactly intentional," she ground out, standing up stiffly. "I took a dive into the water at quite some speed. It was that or be incinerated in the fireball they all saw."

"What gave you away?" Gordon asked. "It sounded as though you were making progress. Did he recognise you?" He directed this to John, who thought about it for a moment.

"I'm not sure… maybe eventually he might have done? But he actually recognised Angel as Scott's wife."

"Wait, what?" Everyone in the cockpit froze in shocked silence, but it was Virgil who asked the question. "Wife?!"

Angel winced, this time not because of her injuries. "Um…surprise?"

John's eyes widened. "Oh no, I'm sorry. I had no idea-"

"And why would you," Angel waved away his apology. "It's ok, it's a complicated story that I didn't want to get into. Suffice to say, their father doesn't exactly approve of me but we've been waiting for each other long enough."

Gordon let out a low whistle. "Dad is gonna be steamed."

Angel shrugged. "Well then we'll deal with it. Ouch!" She hissed as Virgil's probing hit another sore point. The medic stood up.

"Well I think you've cracked a rib again and that collar bone looks suspect. If we drop you at a hospital-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Angel glared at him. "Just give me some tramadol, I can get sorted out when this is all over."

Virgil shook his head disapprovingly but disappeared from the cockpit, coming back in a few moments later with a glass of water and a couple of tablets. "This isn't tramadol, it is a form of codeine. We don't know what we're walking into and we don't need you as high as a kite. Also, for the rest of this flight I'm confining you to that seat."

Angel grumbled but complied, throwing back her head to swallow the tablets. Again John forced his eyes away, but not before Gordon caught him staring.

"Aren't you meant to be flying this thing?" He asked his fellow redhead irritatedly.

Gordon shrugged. "It's on autopilot anyway. I want to hear more about why Annie and Scott thought that getting married secretly was a good idea."

Angel glared at him. "You'll have to take that up with your brother. It was his idea."

"Why do you can her Annie?" John asked curiously.

"Oh, when we first met her she had amnesia," Gordon waved a hand airily, turning to face the front of the aircraft again. "She was going by the name Annie and it kind of stuck, you know?"

"Only for you," Angel muttered. "I have no problem with my actual name."

"Well you're basically our sister now," Gordon told her. "You don't get a choice anymore."

John risked another glance over, smiling at the glare she was giving the back of Gordon's head. But then he looked closer and realised she was shivering.

"Do you have a change of clothes?" he asked her seriously. "You're freezing."

Virgil paused in the middle of his exam and took in Angel's chattering teeth, swearing. "How did you notice when I didn't! Do you have anything?"

"Back of P-P-Penelope's car," Angel replied, her shivering becoming more pronounced. Parker immediately disappeared out of the door to the hangers.

"How is the pain doing now?" Virgil asked her.

"I-ve h-had worse," she told him.

"That isn't particularly reassuring." Virgil looked behind her to where Parker had returned with her hold-all. "I rescind my order for you to stay sitting, go and get changed into something warm and dry. Pen, can you help her?"

"Of course," Penelope stood and helped Angel to her feet. "This way, I believe there is a small sickbay which will serve as a changing room."

"There's some of Brains's bruise paste on a shelf in there somewhere, use it liberally!" Virgil called after them. He then ousted Gordon from the pilot's seat. "It isn't going to take us too long to get there," Virgil commented to those that remained in the cockpit. "Do you know where we are going?" He then asked John. "Penny told me Selangor, but that's quite a large area."

"Near Sepang, I think Angel told us in the car," John added, coming forwards to look at Virgil's dials but frowning when he realised nothing looked remotely like a map. "You don't have digital charts?"

Gordon had been rummaging through a cabinet whilst John and Virgil had spoken. "Don't tell me, you have fancy digital displays that show you anywhere in the world?"

"Actually, I have a three dimensional holographic global display which is fully interactive and that I can orientate in whichever way I want, add data to in various locations and use to coordinate multiple concurrent rescues." John replied, feeling a little smug. At Gordon's incredulous expression John looked a bit sheepish. "I am the space monitor, I do have to coordinate all the rescues."

"Even so, our John would kill for anything half that good." Gordon pulled some charts out. "Plus you coordinate rescues, seriously? I think dad does that."

John froze slightly. "Alan must have told you that our dad was missing for a long time? We adapted without him. Really, we're only just beginning to get used to having him back."

Gordon fell silent at that, working his way through the charts until he found the one he wanted. "Let's see," he muttered as he pulled it out and spread it on the floor. "Sepang… there, south of Kuala Lumpur. Very close to the old international airport."

"It's on the border between Selangor and the next district," John commented, looking closely. "Negeri Sembilan. But Angel said Selangor, so we must be looking to the west of Sepang."

"Call you call up John?" Gordon asked Virgil. "Get him to check satellite feeds in this area? We need to look for recent activity."

Virgil nodded. "Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 5, are you around John?"

The screen in front of him crackled and then solidified into an image. John moved closer, curious to see what his counterpart looked like in this dimension. The blond hair was a shock but otherwise they had similar facial features. "Hi Virgil," the blond John greeted, obviously busy doing something as he was turned away from them, fingers moving quickly over a keyboard not in the view.

"Can you have a look around Sepang in Malaysia for any sign of recent activity?"

"I'm already on it Virgil, you've been on an open channel." The blond flashed a quick grin at the occupants of the cockpit. "Hello John, well done for surviving Angel. Nice to finally meet you." He turned back to his screen and leaned forwards, concentrating. "There are a couple of large sites, one to the west and one to the south of Sepang, that look like they have been suddenly brought online recently." Again his fingers flew over some keys. "Probably the one to the west, I'll send the coordinates now."

Gordon read the coordinates and traced them out on the map, using a pen to highlight the place. "I've got it, Virgil." He showed the chart to the pilot.

"Hmm… I think I'll take us into the airport. It's close by and we don't want to draw anymore attention than necessary."

"Are you staying with Thunderbird 2?" Gordon asked him.

"I think I probably should. I think both the Brains will want to as well." He looked over his shoulder towards John. "Did I mention we had Brains on board? Your Brains, I mean."

"I think someone did," John replied. "It would be nice to see him. Alan is still on Tracy Island?"

"Yes, I think our John's going to bring him in Thunderbird 1 when we reach a point that we're able to make the switch." Virgil pressed a couple of buttons and studied a display. "Brains is in the lab in the pod, Gordon can show you. We've got some clothes for you down there too. I'll talk to our John about getting us permission to land."

John looked down at the rumpled clothes he was wearing, not exactly practical for a break in operation. Gordon gestured for him to follow back into the pod. "I can probably find my own way," John told him, amused at being guided around a Thunderbird.

"We won't be making a move for a bit and I'm curious about what Brains squared have been up to anyway. Your younger brother came up with the name." He added after seeing John's curious look. John rolled his eyes, that sounded exactly like something Alan would come up with.

The pair of redheads made their way down into the lab, opening the door carefully to see both Brains hunched over a workbench conferring quietly. As one, they both looked up when John and Gordon entered, identical expressions on their faces.

"Wow," John muttered, so quietly only Gordon could hear it.

"I know, right?" Gordon replied in the same tone, before speaking more loudly. "Gee Brains, you've been tinkering away down here for the whole flight."

"I, er, I'm just m-making sure that the oscillating frequency field is c-correct, Gordon," the Brains that John didn't know replied. The other one strode up to John excitedly.

"J-John! It's good to see you! Look, I've found an alternate me! Just wait until I t-tell Max, he won't believe it."

"Hi Brains," John replied with a smile. "Looks like you're getting on well."

"Oh I met your counterpart too," Brains told him excitedly. "He's v-very like you, but blond. Which makes n-no genetic sense, now that I think about it."

"I wouldn't worry too much Brains, I'm not sure any of this makes much sense. Apparently you've found a way to send us home?"

"Oh y-yes, well we can't take all the c-credit. Brains's Tintin helped."

"What's a Tintin?"

Gordon laughed behind John. "Never call her a what! Tintin is a who, a force of nature really. She and Brains are getting married next year."

"Really? Wow. I mean, not that I thought you wouldn't get married Brains, it's just…"

Brains decided to put John out of his awkward stuttering. "It's ok, I-I was surprised too. Especially as I think she's t-this dimension's version of K-Kayo."

John's jaw dropped. "You're engaged to Kayo? Seriously?"

Brains took off his glasses and shrugged, a faint blush darkening his skin. "W-well, I'm not. But he is, I guess, although from what he tells me she's pretty different to Kayo. She's b-been looking at the d-device we found to reverse its effects, very successfully."

John whistled. "Smart too, then? Mind you, so is Kayo." He looked over at the other Brains who was talking to Gordon. "It always surprises me how much we have in common we each other, and how many differences there are."

"Yes, a blond John is v-very confusing!" Brains laughed. "Plus, it is very strange having a Mr Tracy that has not b-been away, the dynamic is very different. And my counterpart is younger, I t-think he said he was the same age as Scott."

"How old is Scott?" John asked, trying to sound uninterested and only partly succeeding. "I don't really know much about him. I spoke to him once or twice but then we were moving too much to be able to take calls."

"He's… ah, very similar to our Scott, I think. From what V-Virgil and Gordon say he is more even tempered, but then he hasn't had to face the same responsibility. N-not that he hasn't had any, but it's not the s-same."

John tried to piece together the information he'd been given to draw a picture of Angel's husband, but it was difficult. Some part of him knew that his brain was just trying to find fault. He suddenly realised that he very much hoped never to have to meet the other Scott, to just have him as a shadowy figure without form or substance. That way he would be able to paint him as the villain, whereas if they met face to face John would see him as he now saw Virgil and Gordon – as brothers, albeit distant ones.

Virgil's voice interrupted his thoughts across the tannoy. "Can you all come up so we can discuss our approach?"

They filed into the cockpit. The first thing John noticed was Angel sitting next to Lady Penelope again. She was wearing another leather catsuit, one that made John feel like the cockpit was uncomfortably hot. He made sure he wasn't looking at her as he strode across and sat down on a bench on the opposite side. Once seated he glanced up and caught her eye before they both looked away uncomfortably.

The other John was on a screen in front of the pilots chair, a sleepy Alan standing beside him.

"Hey, John!" Alan called with a wave and a yawn. "Long time no see. You alright out there?"

"Just peachy," John replied calmly, suppressing his inner turmoil. "How is the Island?"

"Ah, well," Alan shrugged. "It's alright, a bit different to home but also kinda the same you know? But there isn't any Cavern Quest or anything here, so I've been having to learn some real old school type games. It's been nice, but I'm ready to go home now."

"And we'll do all we can to get you there." The commanding presence of Jeff Tracy moved behind the brothers. "Now, what is the plan? Ladies, I defer to you for your superior knowledge and experience in this kind of operation."

John now had a legitimate reason to look at Angel and he noticed she seemed surprised by the deference. Penelope did too, but she was faster to cover it. "I think that we first have to establish that this is the correct site, John – not you dear," she smiled at John. "I mean the John on Tracy Island should be able to monitor feeds. If the Hood thinks you have recognised him and escaped in Macau then it is highly likely that he will travel here. Once we are certain, then we need to break in to the site."

"You make breaking in sound like it's child's play," Gordon commented. "If they are using technology from a different dimension there is no knowing what they can do."

"Except we have two experts from that dimension sat right here, and a third back on Tracy Island," Penelope reminded him. "We also have two of the best, how do I say it…"

"You can call us thieves Penelope," Angel told her with a smile. "It's what we are, or rather were, after all."

"Yes, well I'm fairly sure that Angel and Parker can utilise their skills to help us enter the compound. The one party can head to the control room to disable any of the technology and to provide support, the other can ensure that the Hood is captured and any technology that doesn't belong here is destroyed."

"That sounds like a sensible plan Penelope," Jeff praised her. "Do you have anyone in mind for the two parties?"

"I believe the first party must include John, as he will be aware of the technology from his dimension. Both Brains can support from here as well but they should remain backup. I think Angel should go with him. Not only have they been working together in the past, but she will need to tread carefully and that is the most prudent course of action. Do you agree?" Penelope asked Angel directly, who nodded her assent. John felt something inside him both leap for joy and simultaneously plummet when he realised that he was to be paired with Angel again. He focussed back on what Penelope was saying to distract himself.

"Gordon, Parker and myself will try to secure the Hood and to destroy the technology. Virgil will stay with Thunderbird 2, providing support to Brains and providing extraction if required."

Virgil didn't look happy, but he nodded.

"Excellent Penelope. When you manage to secure the Hood and are preparing to transfer across dimensions, John here will fly Alan over to you in Thunderbird 1. All agreed?"

A chorus of "FAB" rang out through the cabin, and they sprang into a flurry of activity. John was presented with his own uniform by a grinning Gordon who explained that they'd detoured by Angel's house to pick it up. John went to put it on, immediately feeling more like himself again, whilst Angel and Gordon huddled in a corner with Parker discussing specifics with plans of the site spread out in front of them. Virgil was talking to his father and Penelope, presumably hammering out the fine detail before they began.

It all felt very final, John realised with a nervous start. This was it, this was them preparing to go home. A part of him missed the peace and tranquility of Thunderbird 5, but at the same time he'd never felt quite so alive. A quick glance and his eyes caught those of the woman who had been no small part of that. He returned her questioning gaze with a nod to show that he was on board with the plan, before mentally preparing himself for all that the day would bring.

Chapter 24: Farewell, Tracy Island

Chapter Text

Tintin carefully packed the small metallic pieces into one of the transport crates, tucking foam in around them that would expand when the crate was sealed to make sure the contents were safe. These gadgets were too precious to be handled roughly. There were four in total, one for each person stranded in this dimension that shouldn't be. She had worked closely with both Brains to design them, knowing that they were doing the same. They would swap back one at a time, with about ten minutes between each swap to recharge the device.

Sealing up the crate, she stepped back. "Would you be able to load this onto Thunderbird 2 for me please Max?"

The robot whirred happily, gripping the crate securely before trundling off towards Thunderbird 2. Tintin could just about make out the edge of the behemoth from the workbench she was using – it was all a lot more open than the Tracy Island she was used to. Instead of small interconnected tunnels this was one large space, meaning that she could see almost all the Thunderbirds from her current position.

Tintin shook her head to get back to work. Up next was the device itself. She gently lifted it into another polycarbonate crate. It had been stripped back and reassembled – it was no longer as pretty as when it arrived in the laboratory but she was confident it would work. Given enough power, it should be able to pull and push people across the dimensional barrier provided they were tagged at a molecular level, hence the gadgets Max was already loading. More expanding foam followed and by the time Max returned she was sealing the second crate.

"Here we go Max, everything we need to send us home and bring your friends home."

Max cheeped, but then his eyes drooped and he gentle trundled over into her back, pressing his head up against her and whistling softly.

"Aww thank you Max, I will miss you too." Tintin gently patted his head. "Come on, lets go and see if the others have any news for us, they were meant to be talking to Mr Tracy… well, my Mr Tracy anyway!" Max chirped again and grabbed the second crate to load it while Tintin started the walk up from the laboratory.

Tintin waited for Max by the exit of the hanger when Kayo joined her after arriving back in Thunderbird Shadow.

"Everything ready?" Kayo asked, watching Max backing out of Thunderbird 2.

"I think so," Tintin replied. "It's an odd feeling, I'm so pleased to be going home but I'm really going to miss you all."

"I know how you feel," Kayo told her. "We want Alan, Brains and John home naturally, but we're going to miss having you guys around. Will we be able to talk to you?"

Tintin thought for a moment. "I don't think so. At the moment our dimensions are connected together because we've passed between them, when everything is put back right that connection just won't be there anymore. It must have been monumentally difficult to set up in the first place – that and incredibly lucky. The chances of this happening at all were just so small."

Kayo scowled. "So the Hood must have been liaising with the Black Phantom, but why did we get sucked into it?"

"I think it must have been accidental. If I had to guess, the devices we both found in space are the ones used to set up the link initially between the dimensions. They probably never intended for them to activate, but when we got too close it did. Again, it's just luck that it happened to us."

"The one place in the world where there was the capability to make any sense of it." Kayo started walking up to the lounge as Max rejoined them. "I see why you think the odds were so small."

"It's almost enough to make me believe in a higher power," Tintin agreed with a smile.

The girls entered the lounge together, to see that most of the family were already there. Grandma and Jeff were notably absent, but that was about it.

"Did you talk to them?" Kayo asked. "How have they got on?"

"We could only speak to Alan and the other version of dad," Gordon answered as he lounged back on his seat, hands clasped behind his head.

"And…?" Kayo prompted when Gordon didn't say anything else.

"They didn't have a lot to say," Virgil replied when he realised Gordon wasn't going to elaborate. "Apparently they think they've found the Hood and that he's somewhere in Malaysia. Thunderbird 2 had just gone to take most of them out, I think they're planning to take Alan at the very end."

"He's not particularly happy about it," Gordon added. "Kept saying he was being treated like a kid."

The other Alan, silent until this point, snorted quietly. "Well he is a kid," he said when the others looked at him. "He's what, eighteen? Finishing my degree was a mandatory requirement of me joining International Rescue, even if I hadn't already been twenty one when it started up."

"Well forgive us for not being happy to let Alan just wait around until one of us deemed him old enough," Scott crossed his arms on his chest and glared at Alan. "Some of us thought he should get a chance to prove himself."

Alan raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not saying he should… but what if he's forced to choose who lives and who dies? It's a lot of responsibility to put on someone so young. Even if that person is me."

"You're thinking of the Sun Probe," the other Scott spoke up, looking at his youngest brother curiously.

Alan nodded. "Well, yes. We didn't know that we'd get out of that alive, in fact we knew there was a good chance that we wouldn't. Even then, we had to choose whether to save ourselves or the crew of the Sun Probe. It's only sheer luck that it wasn't the last decision any of us made."

"We all agreed at the time, Alan." Tintin said quietly, looking down at her hands. The memory of the Sun Probe still scared her – the suffocating heat, the darkness, the realisation that they couldn't fire the reverse thrusters.

"I know," Alan reassured her with a smile. "But we were that much more experienced, I'm not sure I could have made that decision at eighteen."

"Alan's a good kid," Scott interrupted, a frown on his face.

"I'm sure he is, but you just referred to him as a kid. I think my point is made."

"Al, I still refer to you as a kid." The other Scott told him with a smirk, to which Alan rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I was going to say that they don't know what they are walking into with the Hood. If he's anything like the one we met that time then he isn't someone to be taken lightly." Alan shuddered at the memory.

"That we can agree on," Kayo said. "Changing the subject, do we have any further information about where the Black Phantom might be? If it sounds as though the other team are closing in on the Hood we should probably be doing the same."

"Nothing has come through yet from the tracker Scott placed on the Chaos Cruiser." Scott told her, managing not to look too smug. "Eos is still exploring the strange signals she's picked up in Siberia." As soon as Scott finished talking, the communicator from Thunderbird 5 started flashing. Kayo looked at it in bemusement, John would always just pop in. Eos obviously thought it better to call first. Just another reminder that John wasn't actually up there.

"That will be Eos now," Scott stated the obvious. "What do you have for us, Eos? Have you managed to track the signal from the satellite station yet?"

"Negative," the AI replied. "I do believe I am close though. In the meantime, I have some information regarding the tracker that Polite Scott requested I follow."

Scott nearly spat out the mouthful of coffee he'd just taken, glaring at the other Scott he asked Eos to continue.

"It first travelled to a hospital in the United States of America and remained there for a short while. I did not report this as I considered it was likely due to the injury sustained by Fuse during the altercation on the cargo ship. However, recently it moved again and has now reached a new location. It has remained at this new location for a considerable mount of time now, leading me to believe that this is likely to be their base."

"Where is it, Eos?" Virgil asked, leaning forwards in anticipation.

"It is in Patagonia, specifically in the Chilean Andes there. It appears to be the site of a disused radio telescope array."

"Of course!" Tintin exclaimed. "They will be able to use the array to boost their signal, it would be the perfect place to see up a portal to the other dimension."

"You think that's what they are doing?" Virgil asked her. "Setting up a portal to transport things through?"

"I don't think I could say for sure, but it seems likely that this would be designed as a way to transfer technology and weaponry between our dimensions." Tintin told him, her voice serious. "It is a very complex thing to have achieved at all, it would have to provide very large material gains for it to be worthwhile. I'm not sure that a hiding place just to stay out of prison would be sufficient reason to attempt it."

"No, but exploiting both dimension for monetary again would be, and would be something that the Hood would do. Being able to escape the GDF would just be the icing on the cake." Scott stated, leaning forwards with his arms resting on his thighs, hands clasped in front of him. "Making money and destroying International Rescue are pretty much his two goals. I bet he thought he would be able to catch International Rescue off guard in their dimension too. Perhaps we should warn them."

"I'm not sure we need to," Alan was shaking his head. "Not if your John and Alan are there to tell them. Plus, I doubt the Hood has ever come across anyone like Angel before."

"Scott's girlfriend?" Gordon perked up at the potential gossip. "Why would she have anything to do with it?"

Alan didn't reply, just looked warily at the other Scott, who sighed and unfolded his arms from where he had crossed them across his chest.

"She's very capable." He said firmly. "Plus, she can get a little… defensive over me."

Alan snorted. "That's an understatement."

"So kind of like Kayo then," Virgil mused. "Except she gets defensive over all of us." He smiled at her, in that big brotherly way he had with everybody.

The other Scott looked at her and seemed to be assessing her. Kayo wasn't sure she liked the feeling much. "Something like Kayo." He said eventually, folding his arms back over his torso.

"So what now?" Gordon asked as he looked around at them.

"Now, we go and get them." Scott confirmed, his face set in a resolved expression. "We'll call Penelope and let her meet us there. I'll get going in Thunderbird 1, the rest of you can follow in Thunderbird 2. Eos, I need schematics of the radio array and any information you have about where they could be setting up a base. I'll just go and let dad know."

"No need," came a new voice and they all swivelled to see Jeff coming slowly up the stairs from the kitchen, Grandma hovering behind him. "I think I caught the gist of it – you're going to go and find the Black Phantom, stop him and the Hood from transferring weaponry between dimensions and bring my boys home. Is that right?"

Jeff's sons exchanged glances before Scott shrugged. "Pretty much."

Jeff nodded thoughtfully. "Do you have a plan?"

"We need to scope it out with Lady Penelope." Scott told him. "Eos is getting us details and Kayo can scout ahead in stealth mode. We can sort it out on the flight."

"Ok boys, be careful. You don't need me to tell you that these people are dangerous."

"Yes dad," Scott sprinted to his departure point and pulled down on the lights, quickly disappearing from view. Virgil stood up and stretched.

"I'll see you on board," he told the rest of the room as he headed to the picture that swung him upside down and away to Thunderbird 2. Kayo also waved as she headed to Thunderbird Shadow.

That left Gordon standing with the three from the other dimension. Jeff looked at them. "I don't know what's going to happen later, but if you do go home then, well, it's been a privilege to get to know you. I can't speak for your father, but if he is anything like me then I would say that you've probably made him very proud."

"Thank you sir," the other Scott replied on behalf of them all. "We feel the same. The organisation you've built here is incredible and your sons have strength that I'm not sure we do. I'm not sure that we could run International Rescue without dad, yet your sons have done it and done it well."

Jeff nodded at them as he held out his hand for Scott to shake, moving onto Alan and Tintin who gave him a quick, tight hug.

"Now you all take care," Grandma told them, pulling all three in for hugs. "I echo the words of my son, this has been a time I won't forget. I appreciate all you've done to get our boys back."

With a final few words of farewell, the trio followed Gordon into Thunderbird 2's hanger. As the green giant rumbled on the runway, all looked back one last time at this Tracy Island as they prepared to leave it for possibly the last time.

Chapter 25: Breaking and Entering

Chapter Text

John relished being back in his uniform, the familiar feel of it a comfort to him. It probably wasn't the most practical outfit when engaging in covert surveillance but he couldn't bring himself to care too much. It wasn't like he was able to concentrate anyway, lying flat on his stomach next to Angel who wielded an old fashioned pair of binoculars. She was lying so close that one of her elbows, laid out as she supported the binoculars in her hands, was resting gently against his side. Not that there had been any choice, the small bank that was providing them with cover was only just wide enough for them both as it was.

Angel had kept her distance ever since she'd arrived, battered and torn, on the helipad. John had a growing concern that the same events that opened his eyes to his own feelings had also revealed said feelings to her. He was trying to act normal, which was proving anything but easy as he hadn't had time to even start to process everything he was thinking and feeling right now.

A slight shift in Angel's position drew his attention back to the present. "Someone is coming to the main entrance," she whispered, barely speaking in the still morning air. It was still dark, but the first sliver of morning light suffused everything with a steely grey shade as the dawn slowly approached. In this strange half light John could just about make out an all terrain vehicle with a couple of figures sitting stiffly within it. Angel passed him the binoculars and he turned them onto normal vision, away from infrared, to give him a better look at the car's occupants. As soon as he did so, he hissed and passed the binoculars back.

"That's the Hood, he's given up his disguise."

Angel pressed a button on her wrist, a man's watch looking incongruously out of place on her slender arms. "John has confirmed that the Hood has just arrived at the main gate of the facility."

"FAB," the other John replied, his voice quiet. "Looks like we're at the right place then. I'll tell the others." Angel cut the communication, pulling the binoculars to her face once again.

"He's gone through the gates," she murmured to John. "Time to find a way in ourselves."

They'd looked at the plans in some depth while preparing to come out here. Or at least, most of them had. The Brains were busy preparing something that they'd said was essential for making the switch. The site was an old automobile manufacture site that used to also provide high spec engine parts for cars that would race at the nearby circuit. There were several different warehouse like buildings that at one point housed the various factories. There was also a taller office block that provided a clear view of most of the site and was the most likely place to house the site security. This block was built against the huge security fence that now ran around the outside of the whole complex.

"That's what we're aiming for." John told her, looking at the block. "Where is the tunnel that the others are planning to use?" Gordon, Penelope and Parker were planning to attempt an entry through an old drainage tunnel that predated the rest of the site and lay to the far side of the gate they were currently watching over. Apparently the whole area had once been marshland and there were numerous drainage channels and tunnels criss+crossing the whole area to guard against flooding if the water table rose again.

"It's over by the trees in the distance, they'll have quite a long way to go before they manage to get underneath it." Angel gestured towards some trees in the far distance. A long way to travel, but also far enough away that they were less likely to be detected.

"So how are we getting in?"

Angel tapped the binoculars against her chin in thought, before focussing them again on the office block. "I have an idea," she told him. "Stay close and follow my lead."

"That's pretty much all I've been doing for the last few weeks." John replied with a grin, which faded as he met her worried gaze. She looked like she was about to say something to him but thought better of it, instead creeping backwards until she was far enough down the bank they were hiding behind to be able to get to her feet.

With Angel leading, they both crept carefully towards the perimeter of the site. She kept the high ground between them and the walls, hoping for cover against any eyes that might be keeping a lookout. Eventually the bank could hide them no more and they dashed forwards, pressing against the security wall as a camera above them swung in their direction. John could feel his heart beating fast as the camera began to pan around, but eventually it moved away when it couldn't find them.

Now they shimmied along the wall, keeping as close to it as possible so that they wouldn't be detected by the cameras. They were doubling back towards the main gates, but before they got there Angel stopped – right next to where the office block towered over the fence.

"What now?" John asked, looking up at the grey concrete expanse that stretched at least ten metres above them before the first windows started.

Angel frowned and began to run her fingers over the wall next to the block. "I thought I saw something over there – here it is! Can you feel the difference in texture? There used to be a door here."

John passed his hands over the same area and found exactly what she meant. There was a raised bump in the concrete render, which could be traced into a door shape.

"So there it. What are you planning?"

Angel opened the rucksack she had slung on her back, pulling out something wrapped in film. She carefully donned gloves, stretching it out into a long thin tube. "Plastic explosive," she explained to him. She pressed the explosive in a thin line around the edge of the old door and carefully pressed wires into it. She then unrolled the wires and they scooted back along the wall for a good way.

"You carry plastic explosive around in your bag?" John hissed at her. Angel just shrugged.

"You never know when you are going to need it. Now, we need a diversion."

John shook his head and began scanning the area. "There," he pointed away from them. "There's a low flying plane heading to the airport."

"That's good enough," Angel replied, watching it make it's progress. "Ready, on three, two…" John pressed his hands to his ears and Angel did likewise as she pressed the trigger. A muffled bang echoed around and dust kicked up into the air, but the sound was mostly masked by the low flying airplane that by now was pretty much dead overhead.

For several minutes they didn't move, just kept crouching there to see if anyone came to investigate the noise. After a long pause, Angel nodded at John and they both moved back to the settling cloud of dust. As they approached, John could see the cracked render revealed a hole as the internal door hadn't withstood the force of the blast. He shone a torch in, revealing clouds of dust in an otherwise dark space.

"Anyone in there?"

"It looks like it hasn't been used for years." He confirmed, passing the torch around one last time. He then put it back on his belt and started to scramble through the hole.

The broken doorway was sharper than expected, with a jagged metal edge that sliced into his hand as he used it for leverage. "Ouch!"

"What is it?"

"Sharp edges," John replied ruefully, looking at the hole in his gloves. The fabric was flapping uselessly on the palm where the metal had torn a flap free. He ripped the gloves off and stowed them in his belt. He was about to check his palm for damage when he found it taken away from him.

Angel bent over his hand, her own torch checking for injuries. "You've got a bit of a cut but nothing too bad." She told him as she twisted it different ways to check manoeuvrability. John couldn't stop the blush from rising again and he thanked the heavens that it was dark in this room.

"Um, thanks," he said eventually with a slight cough, causing Angel to drop the hand as though it might burn her.

"You should check your grip." She advised, turning her face away. John flexed his hand a couple of times and she nodded, satisfied. They both turned their torches away from the doorway to scan the area.

The room they were in was huge, concrete pillars dotted around to support the floors above. It had evidently been most recently used for storage, judging by the packing crates and containers that lay dotted around. Slowly John walked forwards, swinging the torch in a large arc as he searched for a way out of the basement. Eventually he was rewarded with an old wooden staircase in the distant corner.

"How old is this place if the stairs are made of wood?" Angel asked incredulously. John had to agree, but it was clear that some parts of this office block was actually made up of a much older building. At the top of the wooden platform was a ledge that led to a set of double doors, set high in the wall above them.

"Be careful," he warned as he started climbing the stairs, silently cursing his clumsiness as he tripped up one of the steps and had to grab hold of the handrail to steady himself. This proved not to be a good idea as the action of holding it was the last straw for the rotting rail and with a groan it broke off in his hands, a large chunk falling down to the basement floor with a loud clatter.

Both Angel and John froze on the stairs, hardly daring to breathe as they waited for someone to barge through the doors to find out what the noise was. To their relief, the double doors stayed shut. John cautiously carried on up the stairs, extra careful now not to fall. He was nearly at the top when there was a shriek from behind him as Angel's foot went through a step and her body was pitched over the side with no guard rail. On instinct, John caught her windmilling arm and pulled her upwards. He landed back on the ledge with a thump, Angel on top of him as he cradled her close.

John took a few deep breaths as he continued to hold her tight, unable or unwilling to move. He looked up into her confused brown eyes, some free strands of her hair falling forwards and tickling his neck. He couldn't move, the tension stretching between them, and might have stayed in that position forever if Angel hadn't come to her senses and rolled away, getting to her feet with a groan of pain caused by her damaged ribs. She moved away warily as soon as she could.

"Thanks," she muttered even as she went over to inspect the doors. John took another couple of seconds to get up, trying to regain his equilibrium. By the time he'd reached his feet Angel had already opened the double doors and snuck through. With a sigh John followed, finding himself in a much more modern lobby. Angel was already behind the desk, looking at floors.

"We need the top floor." She whispered, gesturing towards the far end of the lobby where John could see an elevator. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any stairs, but given their recent experiences with stairs maybe that was for the best.

John called the elevator while Angel checked all the camera feeds. "No one has been in here for a while now." She told him as she joined him. "It should be safe for us. We want the thirteenth floor."

John's reply was rendered unnecessary by the arrival of the elevator. They entered and found that it was a very cramped space and they were forced closer together than either of them were truly comfortable with.

It was also incredibly slow.

Angel's patience was obviously wearing thin as she drummed on the side of the elevator, muttering under her breath.

"Are you ok?" John asked, concern for her overcoming the awkwardness.

"I'm fine." She bit out hurriedly. They waited while the elevator climbed another couple of floors.

"I'm married." She stated suddenly, in a low voice that John struggled to hear.

"I know."

"I love my husband."

"I know that too." John sighed. "Look, I don't know what you expect me to say. It's not like I planned all of this. I'm well aware that what I'm feeling is highly appropriate." While he was speaking John was vaguely aware that Angel had paused the elevator and they were currently stationary somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floor.

"I just don't understand." Angel told him in confusion. "How did it even happen?"

"I don't know. I was in the middle before I had realised it had even begun." John shrugged helplessly. "It's not exactly like you can come back from that, you know? But you don't have to be scared, I know that you are never going to reciprocate and I don't expect you to."

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

"Then what is?"

Angel shook her head. "Look, don't worry about it. Can we just agree to try to go back as before?"

"Sure." John turned away from her and faced the front of the elevator again. "What to get this thing moving?"

With a click and a whirl it rose, first past floor eleven, then twelve, until it settled on thirteen.

After an age, the door slowly creaked open. The first thing that John noticed was the blinding light, so bright it dazzled them both momentarily. As his eyes became accustomed to the light, a figure could be seen standing in front of the elevator doors. A tall, bald figure that was all too familiar to John.

"Well now, isn't this all very cosy?"

Chapter 26: The Long Way Around

Chapter Text

Gordon led Lady Penelope and Parker towards the old drainage tunnel that John had located. Their John, not the strange red-headed John that Angel had brought back with her. Not that the other John was particularly strange... but that hair! Not even the same strawberry blond as his own locks, but a vibrant red that almost glowed.

Gordon shook his head slightly in reflection. The other John had somehow decided to fall head over heels for Angel. Well, that was never going to end well. Although it did make him wonder...

He tripped over a length of wire and hit the ground heavily.

"You alright, Mr Gordon?"

"Just swell thanks Parker" He muttered as he climbed to his feet. Luckily the darkness hid his blush – just something else to blame his fair colouring for. Anything even remotely embarrassing and he lit up like a stop light.

Lady Penelope carefully picked her way past him. "Well we can't just be lying around here all day. We need to keep moving if we're going to breach the compound by first light." She took the lead, shining a red torch in front of them to try to remain unobtrusive. Gordon fell into step behind her, Parker at the rear.

The outline of the tunnel could now be seen, a sharp silhouette again the morning sky that was just beginning to fade to a lighter grey. The red beam of Penelope's torch showed that other than the very top of the tunnel the rest of the outlet was very overgrown, dense undergrowth.

"Oh dear," she sighed. "I'm afraid this is going to be a bit of a nuisance."

"Don't worry about it Lady P," Gordon grinned cheekily. "International Rescue comes prepared." Gordon drew out a folded blade from his utility belt and opened it to reveal a long, sharp knife.

"I very much doubt that is standard rescue gear." Penelope stated with a raised eyebrow as Gordon dove into the middle of the thicket.

"It is for me." Came the reply, accompanied by the dull thud of a large branch being struck. "I'm just going to clear away the minimum to get us in, we don't want it to too obvious we came this way." This was accompanied by a choice swearword as the shrubs fought back, their long thorns catching and tearing his uniform. Eventually Gordon re-emerged.

"There is a route through now."

He held back some of the remaining branches so that Penelope and Parker could just about make their way through.

The inside of the tunnel was dark and damp. It smelt distinctly unpleasant, although Gordon just ignored the stench. Penelope was wrinkling her nose in distaste while Parker didn't seem to notice any difference. There was a small amount of old stagnant water in the bottom of the concrete tube and despite being very early in the day there were already several biting insects around. Gordon almost managed to hide his smirk on seeing Penelope's probably expensive shoes getting covered in muck. It was about two metres in diameter so although they could go side by side it was easier to go in single file.

They only followed the tunnel for a couple of metres before they came across a grill that filled the whole width of the tunnel. There was a gate in the centre but as Gordon rattled it he could see that it was locked tight. Luckily, they brought the right person with them.

It only took Parker seconds to unlock the old mechanism, although it had been unused for so long that the hinges had rusted shut. It took both Gordon and Parker together to force it open, eventually the whole gate breaking free and sending both men staggering backwards. Luckily, both kept their feet and out of the murky water. Gordon shone his torch inside the tunnel now that there was little chance of being seen, the blackness stretching ahead of him.

"Everyone ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Penelope told him gravely, before sighing at the state of her shoes. "Parker, remind me that I really must invest in some country boots for this sort of endeavour."

"Yes, milady. You could h'always put a bag over 'em?"

Penelope sniffed. "I rather think it's too late by now. These shoes are consigned to the rubbish tip I'm afraid. Let us keep going, we do have a deadline to meet."

Gordon took that as the cue to start moving, his torch illumination approximately the next ten metres of the tunnel ahead of them. Progress was slow, the stagnant water had caused the bottom of the tunnel to become very slippery and the sides were too steep to offer much grip. After a few attempts, Gordon realised he was never going to keep his boots clean and dry and resigned himself to wading through the water, stirring it up and filling the whole space with its foul odour.

They walked for a long time through the tunnel, Gordon checking every now and then on their progress against the map John had sent to his watch. Despite walking for what felt like hours they were only just coming underneath the base when the tunnel seemed to close up in front of them. Moving closer, it was clear that at some point the tunnel had been boarded up.

Gordon passed his torch around the wooden slats. "What now?"

Parker moved forwards, plucking Gordon's torch off him and scrutinising the wood carefully. "This 'ere 'as been turned into a back h'entrance. May I borrow your knife?"

Gordon handed his trusty blade over to Parker, who prodded several different boards before exclaiming. "'Ere it is!" With a sharp twist he dug into the wood and freed a crudely made door.

"Goodness me, well found Parker. What on earth could this be?" Penelope stepped forwards and up onto a wooden platform. She tested it tentatively with one heel but the boards were sound.

"Would you look at that," Gordon commented as he also stepped up, taking his blade back from Parker as he did so. "I wonder what this was used for?"

"H'if I 'ad to guess, h'I'd say smuggling, Master Gordon." Parker said as he looked around. Beyond the partition was a crude room, the wooden floor supporting a small table, chair and what looked like it might have once been a sleeping bag. "Goods come into the h'airport, come 'ere to be processed then lost like, you see?"

"That makes sense," Gordon replied, taking in the dusty beer bottles lying around, their contents long drunk and discarded. "Well, it should be easier from here if it's boarded."

"Amen to that," Parker replied, taking the lead now with Gordon's torch. In almost no time they reached another dead end, this time with a ladder leading upwards to a trap door. Gordon looked up at the rusty rungs apprehensively.

"Keep the light steady," he instructed Parker before starting to climb. It wasn't a long ladder, passing up through a tube connected to the roof of the tunnel for another couple of metres before ending in the trap door they could see from below. As Gordon got closer he could it was a former service hatch from when the tunnel was a genuine drain, but it must have been modified when the whole system was repurposed into a likely smuggler's tunnel. It took a substantial hit but eventually he managed to free the mechanism and lift the hatch carefully. Seeing that it opened into a darkened room, he dropped the lid open and waved down at the others to follow him up.

Penelope came next and Gordon helped her out before Parker brought up the rear, switching off the torch as he did so. Gordon dropped the hatch back shut as quietly as he could before taking a closer look around.

The room was dusty and obviously disused. Pale morning light streamed through some broken windows, signalling that dawn had broken while they'd been in the tunnel.

"Where do you think we are?" Lady Penelope asked, trying to look out of one of the broken panes.

Gordon spread the map he'd been given out on the floor. "If John was right about the location of the drain then we're along this line somewhere… I'd say here." He put his finger on a building that intersected the line for the tunnel.

"So we're in the corner of the complex. John and Angel are attempting to enter the large office block there," Penelope pointed the other side of the base to the building Gordon had chosen. "Now we need to think logically – where would the most sensible place to have a large arsenal of advanced weaponry?"

"It's got to be here," Gordon pointed to a large warehouse right in the middle of the site. "This used to be the main construction building, they would have any machinery they need there."

"H'I disagree, Master Gordon," Parker interrupted. "H'I think h'it must be 'ere." He pointed to a second large area. "This 'ere was the former storage facilities for completed parts. There's a lot of space h'and loading bays to get it all shipped out like."

"Oh dear, either are perfectly valid options." Penelope frowned at the map. "I think we'll need to ask John to inform Angel and the other John that they should look at the construction building, it's closer to the office block than we are. Meanwhile, we should go and look at the storage facilities."

"As you say, milady." Parker rolled the map away while Gordon crept over to one of the shattered windows.

"It's quiet out there. Almost too quiet."

"We should split up," Penelope decided. "Gordon, you and I will skirt the edge of the compound, around the back of this facility here." She pointed at another building between them and the main storage area. "Parker, track the other way around the building. We don't know if one route may be blocked and we need to cover our bases."

"But milady…"

"I will be fine with Gordon, Parker."

Parker huffed disapprovingly but didn't go against his lady. Gordon came back from the window.

"Looks like we can make a move for it. I sure wish I knew where everyone was, this is odd."

"Maybe this version of the Hood likes to work alone too."

"Even so, John's been finding surreptitious adverts for large amounts of tech. But there just isn't anyone here to build it. I hope that we aren't making a mistake."

"Well, there is only one way to find out." Penelope told him. "Let's go and see what the Hood is up to."

Parker slowly opened the door to the warehouse they were in, having made short work of the lock. After checking that the coast was clear, he disappeared behind an old disposal bin and started making his way to the far side of the next building. Gordon, after one more quick check with Penelope, started heading along the side of the warehouse they had been in, keeping tight against the wall to try to evade any cameras. Not that they could see any cameras other than those guarding the perimeter wall.

"I can see why you think it is too quiet," Penelope murmured as they inched their way along. "There must be some people here, this place looks deserted."

Gordon nodded as they continued to creep along. "It's not just that there isn't anyone we can see, but look Lady Penelope, no one has walked this way for an age. If there were people here someone must have come along here."

"It really is most peculiar."

They continued on their route, keeping close to the building despite not being able to see anyone. As they reached the storage facility Gordon searched for a door, eventually finding a grill that would give a view of the inside. Unfortunately, it was far too high for him to reach.

"Can you see something I can stand on?"

Penelope looked around. "There, Gordon! There seems to be some old packing crates around that corner."

Gordon hurried over, finding wooden crates stacked in a disordered pile. He picked up the top one, groaning under the weight. With some difficulty he got it into position, realising that he would need a second to reach.

"Is it all still clear?" He asked Penelope as he picked up the second crate.

"Yes Gordon. I'm not sure where on earth Parker has got to though." Penelope looked around in some concern as Gordon finally managed to reach the grill when he climbed up the crates. "Can you see anything?"

"Hold on just one minute," Gordon twisted, trying to get a better view. The slats of the grill were close together, meaning that his view was largely obstructed, but he could tell there was a significant amount of activity in the base. There seemed to be rows and rows of gleaming equipment, though he couldn't tell what it was. Something was also flitting around, working on the kit that was there. "I think… there is something in here. Wait a moment – there are people!"

The next second, he jerked backwards in surprise as a shape zoomed straight towards the grill from inside the cavernous storage room. Unfortunately, this caused him to stand on the edge of the wooden crate, tipping it up. Both Gordon and the crate fell heavily to the ground, making a lot of noise.

"Gordon!" Penelope cried, making her way over to him. "My goodness, are you ok?"

"Robots!" Gordon croaked out. "That's why we haven't seen any people. It was all robots!"

A faint whirring noise drew their attention, and they both looked up into the dark visor of a hovering droid, an upside down teardrop in shape. Through the centre of the visor a red light glowed from a rectangular aperture and it hovered at head height. From the point at the bottom the barrel of a gun was pointing straight at them.

"You are trespassing." The robot told them in a mechanical voice.

"Gordon…" Penelope started. Gordon pushed himself up from where he had fallen, standing slightly in front of Penelope.

"Easy there, we just got lost, see?"

"Trespassers will be prosecuted." The robot continued. "You will be taken to the detention centre. Come with me." It turned and started moving away, its gun still firmly pointed at Gordon and Penelope – leaving them little option but to follow.

Chapter 27: Radio Silence

Chapter Text

From his vantage point behind Virgil's shoulder, Scott watched the Andes coming into view below. Grey, forbidding peaks turned white with snow before their tips touched the sky. Already Thunderbird 2 was below the height of the highest peaks, skilfully negotiating the mountainous air currents to stay as low as possible to keep them out of the way of any sensors that may be operating.

"This is Thunderbird Shadow, come in Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2."

Virgil leant forwards and pressed a button, bringing up holograms of both the other Scott and Kayo.

"What is it, Kayo?" The other Scott asked from where he was bringing Thunderbird 1 around on a similar course to Thunderbird 2.

"I've been looking around in stealth mode, Scott. The radio array itself is spread around a vast area, including several different peaks. But there seems to be a building that is the control point for the array in the middle of a large plateau. It has two entrances from what I can see, one from the plateau itself and one near the nearest road pass that seems to take you underneath the array."

"FAB Kayo," the holographic Scott replied. "I'll meet you on the plateau and we can see what is happening with this control tower. Virgil, you and your passengers should try to enter from the pass. Let's see if we can trap this so-called Black Phantom between us."

"FAB Scott." Kayo replied before her hologram disappeared.

"Good luck Scott," Virgil told his brother before also disconnecting the link and instead calling Lady Penelope.

"Hello Virgil, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Penelope. We're about to attempt a two prong approach to the satellite array to try to cut off any escape routes the Black Phantom may have. How are you getting on?"

"Reasonably well, Virgil. I've managed to locate a gentleman who I am reliably informed actually owns the PALMA."

"PALMA?" Alan asked from where he was stood next to Scott. Both of them plus Gordon were arranged standing behind Virgil, Tintin was the only passenger that had taken a seat although Max had also come along for the ride and was tinkering in a far corner.

"The PAtagonian Large Millimeter Array, more commonly known as PALMA." Penelope replied. "Originally built as a good faith collaboration between the Chilean and Argentinian governments but more recently it has been acquired by a Mr Hortenzo, who has wanted to turn it into a luxury resort of some type but has not been able to obtain the relevant permissions."

"It's a bit of a leap from luxury resort to evil lair." Gordon commented.

"I'm fairly certain Mr Hortenzo has no idea that the array is currently occupied. Either way, Parker and I are on our way to make his acquaintance so we will find out soon."

"OK Penelope, keep us informed." Virgil told her. "Good luck."

"You too, Virgil, Gordon and guests." Penelope's hologram smiled at them. "I am afraid we haven't been introduced, more's the pity, but it's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance however briefly."

Penelope's hologram winked away. Scott looked at Alan, who for once wasn't staring longingly at the place Lady Penelope had once been.

"Finally getting over your crush?"

"Oh very funny Scott." Alan rolled his eyes. "Say, isn't that the pass we're looking for?"

"So it is." Virgil pulled back on the engine controls, slowing Thunderbird 2 down. "And there's a sensible place for us to land. Get what you need, we're nearly there."

"Don't forget these devices!" Tintin called out, holding out some of the gadgets that she and Max had so carefully packed earlier. "We each need one, plus we need one for the Black Phantom."

"I'll take the one for him." Gordon offered, putting it carefully in a pocket on his belt. "Are we all ready?"

"I guess so." Scott looked down at his borrowed uniform. After accidentally absconding with Thunderbird 1 last time it had taken a lot of persuasion for the other Scott to lend him a uniform again, but he felt better with it on. It almost felt like an armour. Alan had also borrowed one from Scott as his counterpart was far too short. Tintin was the only one without a uniform, she had declared firmly that she would never fit into anything that Kayo owned and instead was wearing a simple top and trousers, dark in colour and easy to move in.

"Are you sure you want to come in, Tintin?" Alan asked her. His expression was nothing but concern, so she patted his arm.

"I'll be ok, Alan. I've got you all here to look after me. Let's not waste any more time."

Virgil led them off Thunderbird 2 and towards the doorway. It didn't take Max long to override the locking controls, and the door slid open with a hiss. Inside it was dark and forbidding, a roadway continuing under the mountain for an indeterminable distance.

"We're going to need a ride." Gordon said to Virgil, who flicked some controls on his wrist.

"Underground pods coming up. Tintin, Max, you ride with me. The rest go with Gordon."

The sight of the configurable vehicles coming out of the pod caused the three who weren't familiar with them to stand and gape in awe.

"These are… configurable for whichever rescue you do?" Tintin asked excitedly.

"Sure," Virgil told her as he helped her into her seat. "I mean, Brains designed them so we have to know what the options are, but we're able to choose what we need when we get to a rescue location."

"Brains would love this! Can you tell me…" That was all the other three heard as the roof of the pod slid forwards and cut off sound. They could see that Tintin was still talking excitedly though, her hands gesturing emphatically. Scott shook his head with a smile.

"Well gentlemen, shall we?" Gordon asked, gesturing to the second vehicle. Scott and Alan both climbed in although it was tight with all three of them in there. "Here we go," Gordon commented, hitting the throttle and beginning to drive underneath the mountain. "Let's see what this place has in store for us."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kayo jumped out of Thunderbird Shadow, landing cat-like and quiet on her feet. She quickly ran to the side of the radio array control centre, making sure there were no cameras in her way. She sorely missed John's long range reconnaissance but was happy enough with her own scans to tell her there weren't any eyes on her. Either the cameras were very well hidden or else the Black Phantom was so confident that he wouldn't be found that he didn't actually use any. She hoped it was the latter.

A distant roar indicated that Thunderbird 1 had arrived. But it stayed distant, explained by Scott suddenly appearing with his jet pack, spinning through the air at speed.

"Having fun?" Kayo asked sarcastically.

Scott at least looked a little sheepish. "I didn't want to bring Thunderbird 1 too close. She's hovering below the edge of the plateau."

Kayo nodded in agreement before turning to the building. "What do you think, straight in the front entrance?"

Scott shrugged. "Worth a try!"

To Kayo's surprise the door wasn't locked, she and Scott managed to duck in through the opening easily and quietly. Inside was a corridor leading to some stairs, small control rooms leading off it to each side. These were empty and the dust suggested they hadn't been used for a long time so the pair of them headed down the stairs.

One floor down, there was some movement in a room that appeared to house computer servers. These were powered up and were humming quietly, masking the sound of Scott and Kayo's footsteps as they went to see who was down here.

A flash of purple gave it away, but Havoc and Fuse weren't being discrete with their volume either as they loudly debated amongst themselves.

"I'm just saying," Fuse was stating, from where he was sat on an old office chair with one arm cradled to his chest in a sling. "We didn't sign up for this sort of thing, that's all."

"We signed up for chaos, this is gonna make chaos. Why you suddenly got cold feet?" Havoc was buried underneath a computer terminal, connecting various wires. From Kayo's viewpoint as she crouched behind one of the server racks she couldn't see what Havoc was doing and Fuse had her back to her. Their voices carried clearly though.

"Chaos, yeah." Fuse was saying. "But this… this is going beyond chaos, innit? The stuff he's talking about doing, that's gonna hurt people. A lot of people."

"Hence the chaos." Havoc snapped impatiently. "It's gonna wear down International Rescue, keep them off our backs while we do the deals. We're gonna be rich Fuse when we get our share. What did the Hood offer us, hm? A bit of mayhem, sure. But the Phantom has offered us money, good money. We just gotta keep our end of the bargain up."

While Havoc was talking, Kayo could see Scott creeping along the other end of the server rack. He gestured quickly to her, she nodded and dashed across the aisle, coming at Havoc from the opposite end of the rack.

"I don't want money earned like this." Fuse was saying, stubbornly sticking to his topic.

Havoc put down her multi tool and sighed exasperatedly. "It's just for a bit, then the Hood will come and take us over to this other world he's found. We'll have so much advanced tech, we'll practically be gods! Won't that be worth it?"

"But then why didn't he take us the first time? I ain't so sure he's coming back for us."

Havoc swung out from below the terminal and was about to reply, when she stopped and looked around.

"Have you been keeping lookout?"

"What?" Fuse asked, confused.

"Shhh!" Havoc hissed, but it was too late. Kayo barrelled into her, knocking her down and pinning her there. Fuse moved to help her but was stopped by a strong hand grasping his uninjured arm.

"Not so fast," Scott told him. "Where do you think you'll be able to get to?"

"Do something!" Havoc cried, squirming as she tried to get free.

"Uh…" Fuse hesitated, but one look at Scott's stern expression had him cowering back in his seat. Havoc let out a scream of frustration and, finally bucking off Kayo, scrambled to her feet and sprinted from the room.

Kayo started to go after her, but Scott called her back. "We need to understand what's going on." He said, turning to Fuse. "What is this Black Phantom planning?"

Fuse rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand sheepishly. "I…er, that is I… um."

Kayo rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, we heard you say you weren't happy with it. You can help us stop it, but we need to understand what it is that he's planning."

Fuse took another few seconds to think, eyes darting around while he weighed up his options. But two on one and with a bad injury, he didn't really have a choice. He sighed and slumped in his seat.

"He's planning to reprogram the radio array to interfere with communications signals into orbit." Fuse explained. "He's going to cause a black out so that no ships in orbit, including yours, will be able to talk to each other or the Earth. They won't even be able to use their sensors. All systems will be wiped out."

"But that means that there will be no orbital control! No space ships have visual arrays anymore, they rely on sensors or are programmed from Earth. Without that link they'll collide or impact the Earth. Thousands of people would be at risk – could die!" Scott was horrified.

"We have to stop it." Kayo stated firmly.

"Here," Fuse held out something on a key chain. "This is the access key. I don't… I don't want to be a part of this anymore." He cut a sorry figure, sat with his arm in a sling on an old office chair, head hunched over. "But… be careful."

Kayo raised an eyebrow. "You are actually concerned about our safety?"

Fuse raised his gaze to meet hers. "You don't know what he's like. You think the Hood was bad? This guy is another level."

Scott wrapped some rope around Fuse, fastening him to the office chair. "You should be safe enough up here, but I can't risk you getting free and warning them. For all we know, you might have been lying to us."

Fuse didn't even try to argue, he just sighed and held out his good hand for Scott to fasten to the arm of the chair. "Just don't leave me here for too long?"

"We'll try not to," Kayo promised. "It depends on what happens down there though."

With one last pull on the cords, Scott was satisfied. He dropped a comm link in to Fuse's lap. "If something does happen, call for Eos. She'll get in touch with us."

"Eos, right." Seeing that Scott and Kayo were about to leave the server room, he called out after them. "Thanks, for this. And sorry."

Both Kayo and Scott paused, almost identical blank expressions on their faces. But though Kayo turned and walked out without acknowledging Fuse further, Scott gave him a curt nod before following.

Back in the hallway, Kayo stood undecided. "Which way?"

"Down." Scott chose decisively. "Everything points to the main site being underground and that's the way Havoc fled." Kayo couldn't find any flaw in his reasoning and they set off underground.

The whole site just seemed to be endless corridors and stairs as they delved deeper and deeper into the mountain. Logically, Scott knew it made sense as the alternate entranceway was significantly lower down the side of the mountain than the hut on the plateau that he and Kayo had entered, but in the dimly lit identical corridors the descent felt indeterminable.

Eventually they were interrupted by Scott's comms link flashing, Lady Penelope's symbols hovering above his wrist.

"Come in Lady Penelope," Scott instructed. The hologram that appeared flickered in and out, her mouth opening but no sound being received.

"We're too deep." Kayo sighed. "We're going to have to climb again to get better signal."

"You stay here, I'll go and see what Lady Penelope has to say." With an irritated huff, Scott began retracing his steps. About three floors up, he was rewarded by being able to hear Lady Penelope at last.

"Finally Scott! I despaired of ever being able to hear you. I haven't been able to reach Virgil either."

"Yeah, there must be a lot of rock over us now." Scott looked up at the low ceiling, suddenly the weight of the mountain above felt oppressive. "Virgil is entering from the base so he'd be under even more. What do you have for us, Lady Penelope?"

"I've been in touch with Mr Hortenzo, Scott. He's PALMA's current owner and he has been a veritable mine of information. Apparently the main control building, which I suspect is where you currently are, is over thirty floors deep and filled with offices for the researchers who first developed the station. Near the bottom is a large control room from which the radio array and whole facility can be controlled."

"That sounds like it's where we need to go then."

"Indeed. But Mr Hortenzo also has told me about a second site, in case of earthquake or similar disruption, where with the correct credentials we should be able to wrest control away from the main site. Parker and I are going to accompany Mr Hortenzo to this second site to try to shut the whole array down."

"FAB Penelope, good luck." Her hologram flickered out and Scott ran down the stairs to rejoin Kayo. "Penelope's trying to dial in to the array controls from a second site." He summarised.

"Well that would probably put a dent in the Phantom's plans." Kayo noted as they kept descending.

"We just need to make sure we can cause a big enough distraction so that she has time to do it." Scott instructed. "Not that we'll know, we're never going to get a signal down here."

As they came down the next set of stairs they could see that the corridor was beginning to change, with more headroom and better lights.

"What are the chances that we're nearly at the control room?" Scott whispered to Kayo. They started to sidle along the edge of the corridor instead of running down the middle. One more flight of stairs and instead of a corridor they came face to face with a set of sliding doors.

"This is it." Scott whispered, although Kayo pressed a finger to her lips and glared at him. Scott rolled his eyes at her, reaching forwards to press a button to open the doors. To their surprise, the double doors opened with a hiss to show a walkway. Scott tiptoed forwards, waving for Kayo to wait behind. It was her turn to roll her eyes, moving forwards as he did. When he glared at her she simply shrugged back before walking out ahead of him. Over protective big brothers.

They found themselves standing on a walkway over a large room full of electronic equipment. The space, at least three times as deep as the corridors they had been traversing to this point, glowed and hummed with electronic activity as various processors worked hard. Large screens on the opposite side to the wall the walkway ran along were displaying visuals of a mountain scene, but neither Scott nor Kayo could recognise it. They started to creep along the walkway towards metal stairs that ran down to the floor of the control room, carefully trying to avoid being seen by either of the room's two occupants.

Havoc was perched on a table, unusually silent and sullen as she gazed up at the screens. It looked as though she had been told to stay put and sit quietly, totally in contrast to her insubordinate nature. But, despite making sure that they kept one eye on her, she wasn't the concern for Scott and Kayo.

The second figure in the room stood in the centre, hands folded neatly behind his back as he stared up at the screens. He was a tall man, probably as tall as Scott, but also heavy set. The intensity with which he was watching the screens was obvious even from behind.

Kayo and Scott continued to creep down, slowly taking the stairs until they reached the floor of the control room. Scott wasn't really sure what the plan was now, other than to get close enough to find out what the Black Phantom planned.

Either way, it was soon rendered pointless as the Black Phantom turned with a smile.

"Ah, our guests have arrived. Please, do take a seat International Rescue. The show is about to begin."

The man had a large brow, flattened nose and a heavy countenance. His hair was think and dark, similar to Virgil's but in an old fashioned side-swept style. His eyes were malicious and although he smiled at them there was menace behind it.

Havoc looked positively gleeful to see them now, but one look from the Black Phantom glued her to her perch.

"You aren't going to sample my hospitality?" The Phantom asked, gesturing to a pair of seats set up in front of the large screens. "I am afraid I must insist." On saying that, he pulled out a gun and pointed it towards them. Immediately Scott raised his hands.

"Steady on there, you don't need to threaten us with that."

"I might not need to, but I want to." The gun waved them towards the chairs. "Please, or we will miss the action."

Scott and Kayo reluctantly sat down in the chairs. They were solid, hard chairs similar to those that are found in waiting rooms or meeting rooms. They forced the occupant to sit upright, not that it was an issue as both Scott and Kayo were coiled so tightly that they sat ramrod straight on the edge of the seats.

Once they had complied, the Black Phantom turned his back to them and watched the screen again. "Ah, here we are." On the mountain in the view a familiar pink Rolls Royce meandered up the mountain road. Both Scott and Kayo gasped, almost holding their breath as they watched it's slowly progress.

"A friend of mine, Mr Hortenzo, agreed to masquerade as the owner of this little facility here. He knew just enough details to be particularly convincing, I understand. Of course, the back-up site he is currently leading your agent to is pure fabrication."

"What are you planning?" Scott asked, worry and anger fighting for dominance in his tone.

"Why, annihilation, of course. You have been putting a spanner in my plans, International Rescue. I was hoping to distract you with a large scale emergency but instead you turn up here, asking difficult questions and poking your noses into my business."

"Annihilation?!" Kayo gasped, looking at the image of the Rolls Royce. Even from here they could see the passengers in the car, two crammed into the back and one driving.

"He's bluffing." Scott stated firmly. "He can't do anything without risking his own man."

"It will be a shame to lose Mr Hortenzo..." the Black Phantom mused, as though thinking it over. "Ah well, the rewards will be worth it."

He pressed a button on a controller he was holding. For a moment nothing happened, but then in the screen a flashing blur could be seen, just before the mountain in front of them exploded in a mass of dust and debris.

"No!" Cried Scott, leaping out of his seat only to be forced back into it as the shockwave passed through the control centre. Kayo sat with her hands clasped to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. Both watched the screen as the dust slowly settled, but there was no sign of the pink car or Lady Penelope anywhere.

Chapter 28: The Hood

Chapter Text

"Well now, isn't this all very cosy."

Without even realising he was doing it, John stepped sideways in front of Angel with his arms outspread protectively as he glared at the figure in front of them.

"The Hood!"

"What a coincidence, Mr Frakes. Or should I say Mr Tracy?" The Hood sneered at him. "Fancy meeting you here. You shouldn't have bothered." The Hood looked over John's shoulder at Angel, who was assessing him quietly from the back of the lift. "And Mrs Tracy too. Isn't this a pleasant surprise. Do come in."

He narrowed his eyes when they didn't move. "I really must insist. And there is no use trying to operate the lift again, I control it from here." He gestured to a console behind him. Reluctantly, John left the lift and heard Angel doing the same behind him. As they walked into the room she came up alongside.

The top room of the office block was obviously the security room for the site. There were several computer terminals and many monitors that seemed to provide visuals all around the compound. The Hood was stood in the centre of it, facing them but obviously aware of what was going on around him.

"I'm rather impressed you managed to follow me here." The Hood said, speaking to John. "I knew that I recognised you in that casino, but I couldn't place you. But then I began to think that maybe the impossible was simply the improbable, and that perhaps you did somehow manage to follow me here. I see I'm proved right." The Hood gestured at John's International Rescue outfit. Meanwhile, John was still reeling from the concept that the Hood hadn't intentionally sent him, Brains and Alan here.

"You on the other hand…" the Hood now turned to Angel. "You intrigue me. You actually married into the Tracy family. Did you know that they ran International Rescue before you got married? Or was it a nasty shock?"

Angel simply stared at him impassively.

The Hood sighed. "This would be so much more interesting if we could have a civilised conversation. Fine, have it your way. I must say though, that the two of you have kept me vastly entertained on your journey up here." He turned around and gestured to one of the monitors. John moved closer and his eyes widened – it was a photo taken just after he'd caught Angel on the stairway. He was lying on the floor, gazing up at her while she mirrored his expression. Her hair pooling down around her shoulders hid the fact that she was just trying to catch her breath. "Very interesting given that technically you are brother and sister in law." The Hood smirked. "I would hate for your husband to have to see this, hm?"

Angel raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you threatening me?"

"More ensuring your compliance. I have-" he cut off abruptly, tilting his head as though he was listening to something. "I'm afraid I am going to have to leave you for now. Don't try to get out of here, I won't be activating the lift. We still have so much to discuss."

As he finished speaking, his body flickered and disappeared.

"A hologram!" John exclaimed, running forwards and grabbing a small ball from the centre of the floor where the Hood had been standing a moment before. "A very good one. He was never here at all."

"He must be on the site somewhere." Angel narrowed her eyes. "He's been tracking us the whole time, which means that he must have cameras across the whole compound."

"Well let's see what we can do about that." John slid into one of the chairs by a computer terminal, his fingers flying across the keys. Angel perched on the desk next to him, eyes wide at the speed in which John worked. He noticed her gaze and smiled self depreciatingly. "This is pretty basic compared to what I'm used to, but I'm sure it will be ok."

"It's all complex to me, I'm practically a technophobe."

John was so surprised he actually paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. "Really?"

"I grew up in a monastery in the middle of the Himalayas." Angel defended herself, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not like they had anything remotely like computers there."

"There's a story there that I definitely want to hear, but now probably isn't a good time." John resumed typing, even though his breath hitched at her next words.

"I doubt there will be another time." He couldn't be imagining the sadness in her voice, could he?

John exhaled slowly. "Angel…"

"You type, I'll talk." She said, deliberately staring straight ahead to avoid looking him in the eyes. John turned his attention back to his task, but listened to her as he did so. She told him about her early life, living with her parents in the UK. Then her father's abandonment and her mother's flight to the East. About being dropped off in the monastery while her mother went to investigate the large scale poisoning of local villages. Of her mother returning ill after an absence of a couple of years, only to die a few weeks later and leave Angel in the hands of the monks. Of their training, or lack of in some areas. John got the impression there were things that she was omitting, but even so her history was tragic. The fact that she resembled a normal person after all that she had been through was testimony to the strength of her character and he told her as such when she finished her tale.

In response she snorted. "It's sweet of you to refer to me as normal. Most wouldn't."

John looked up at her, still rigidly perching on the desk next to the terminal he was working at. "I retract my statement. You aren't normal, you're extraordinary. Scott is very lucky to have you."

Angel finally met his gaze, full of words unsaid that hung thickly in the air between them. "Thank you."

John looked back at his terminal "I've managed to hack into his controls. I've shut down all the cameras and hologram balls – when we find him now we'll know he is the real one. This isn't the main room, there is a manufacturing facility further into the compound that actually houses the control system for this site. Luckily, I've managed to get this far without being detected." John leant closer, frowning at the screen. "There is some disturbance going on in one of the other warehouses, a big storage building on the other side of the site. That must be what drew him away."

"Could it be Gordon and Penelope?"

"Maybe." John tried to dig further but couldn't find anything. "I can't see what's caused it."

"Anything else you need to do here?"

"No." He leant back in his chair. "I can't find that photograph, it must be behind another firewall. I'm worried that if I crack it, the Hood will notice. He'd then notice everything else I've done."

"I don't care about the photo," Angel said dismissively. "It's hardly like it's incriminating, what is the Hood going to do with it other than use it to unsettle us? But won't he notice the cameras anyway if they all shut down?"

"I've used still images," John explained. "They show a particular moment in time instead of a live feed. If he's not looking too carefully he won't realise they aren't videos anymore."

"Well ok." Angel stood up from her perch. "In that case, lets find a way out of here."

"You mean the elevator might not be the only way down?"

"This is an old building, older than it looks. At some point the modern office block has been built around a much older structure. It wouldn't surprise me if it was built in a time when stairs alongside the lift was mandatory – before the advanced suppressants meant that it no longer became a basic requirement."

John stood up, stretching his neck as sitting in front of a terminal like that was something he didn't do very often. "Wouldn't they have taken out the stairs when they reconfigured?"

"Maybe." Angel began to look around the room. "But that would be a big job, so they might just have left them in situ and boarded them up."

"How would we know?"

"We look for something… unusual." She stood in the middle of the space and looked around. "Anything that seems out of place."

John took a look at the room. The elevator they came up in was in the centre, the only structure in the whole floor. The rest was an old fashioned open office floor plate, old desks and terminals arranged in rows. At the far end was another partition that looked as though it held restrooms, with a small kitchenette to one side.

"There isn't much here to look out of place." John commented, walking a circle around the cube that contained the elevator shaft. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nowhere that a staircase could hide. Except…

"This seems like a pretty big structure for a small elevator."

Angel considered it for a moment. "You're right. No meeting rooms on the far side or anything?"

"Not that I could see."

Angel tapped her index finger against her lips in thought. Then she started to tap the sides of the elevator shaft, listening carefully. John cottoned on immediately copied her on the other side, starting next to the lift and moving around clockwise. He had nearly reached the centre of the back when he suddenly hit something hollow.

"Here!"

Within seconds Angel was there and they were feeling for the edge of the doorway. It was clearly there, underneath some board and the tired wallpaper.

"Stand back," John instructed. He stood back and levelled a kick at the wall. His foot went straight through the plasterboard, and as he drew it back most of the board came with it revealing a dark hole.

"Nice work," Angel looked at him appraisingly. "Not just a pretty face, then."

"Thanks, I think." John replied sarcastically as he pulled more of the plasterboard back to enlarge the opening. A moment later it was wide enough for them to fit through. John peered into the darkness.

A flash of light illuminated the space as Angel pulled a torch out of her small rucksack. The rucksack was the kind that long distance runners use, slim and flat against her back and the same colour black as her outfit. John had forgotten she was wearing one at all. The torch wasn't powerful but it was enough to see the stairs dropping away.

"Well, here goes thirteen floors." Angel stepped into the gap, John following after. She counted quietly as they wound down the lift shaft. It was narrow and had low ceilings, both of them had to stoop.

"I can see why they didn't want to use these." John said dryly.

"Even in an emergency they would be useless." Angel agreed. "Here we are, this must be the ground floor." She shone her torch at a boarded up doorway. "Fancy giving your high kicks an airing again?"

"Very funny." John told her, before planting a boot in the middle of the boards. This time he didn't quite go through it, but the plasterwork did shift under the force. He kicked again and again, the third time pushing enough of the board out for him to put his shoulder to it. Dust flew around them as they tripped out of the stairwell to find themselves in the same lobby they had been in before.

Angel raised an eyebrow at John's dishevelled appearance. "Red, you are looking far less red!" John caught his reflection in one of the internal windows behind the reception desk and winced. His normally immaculate swept hair style was completely obliterated, with dust and dirt turning his hair from vibrant orange to a grey mess. He turned back to Angel to see that her hair, whilst still tied back in the tight ponytail very reminiscent of Kayo's usual style, was also now covered in dirt. Even as he was about to comment on it she leant forwards and brushed the worst of the dirt off. He did likewise but there was no rescuing the quiff.

Angel came up to him and, licking a finger, swept it underneath his right eye across his cheekbone. "That's better." She told him with a smirk. "You looked like you had war paint on you." John just nodded, he didn't trust himself to speak. The feel of her hands, rougher than he expected but so warm, sent a jolt through him similar to an electric shock.

While John caught his breath, Angel had crossed to the main door and peered out of it. "I think we're safe, it's still quiet out there." She stated. "Let's head over to the other manufacturing facility and see what is happening."

They slipped out of the office block, running up to the building that John had identified as the one with the main control system in it. The doors weren't locked inside the compound, which meant that they were able to slip in through the main doors and make their way down the corridor safe in the knowledge that they had disabled all the cameras.

The facility was arranged with a large manufacturing workshop on one side and small offices tucked to the other. John's digging had shown him that the main office actually jutted out above the workshop floor, accessed from a corridor behind it or an open stairwell directly from the workshop. The second was too risky as they had nowhere to hide, but the corridors were quiet.

Or at least, that's what John thought. Just as they were approaching a pair of firedoors in the middle of the ground floor corridor, the doors slid open. John and Angel didn't have a chance to hide before a strange robot was upon them. John froze while it turned its red visor to them, scanning. A gun came out of the bottom of the hovering robot but before it could do anything Angel had grabbed hold of the gun and twisted. While John had frozen Angel moved forwards, so that she was within range of the robot before it could process what it had detected. With one hand firmly gripping the gun she swung around, a shining long bladed knife sliding into a gap in the robot's casing with a crunch. The robot's red visor flickered and died, it dropped to the floor like a stone. With a wrench Angel freed the knife, while John could only stand there gaping.

Tucking the blade back away – although John didn't see where on earth she'd hidden it – Angel waved her hand in front of his face. "Anyone in there? We need to keep going." She continued striding down the corridor while John shook himself and jogged after her.

"Sure. I mean, yes. Where did you learn to do that?"

"The monastery."

"I thought you said they didn't have technology there? How did they teach you to get your knife into a gap like that between the armour plates?"

Angel stopped, scuffing one toe on the ground. "They had rib cages and vertebrae."

John frowned. "But what…? Oh." Realisation dawned. "They taught you how to use a knife against people."

"Among other things."

Angel continued walking, her tone suggesting the conversation was over. John wanted to ask her more about it but wisely kept quiet as they found stairs up to the top level.

As soon as they entered the corridor that offered a view of the workshop floor, they could hear the Hood talking. A significant glance to Angel told John that they were both aware that, without any holograms left functioning, this was the real Hood. Angel slunk forwards, making no noise as she did so. John winced as every one of his footsteps seemed to echo heavily but there was no indication they had been heard.

They managed to creep to the edge of the doors into the main office, which were open. From here they could see the back of the Hood's head, but that wasn't what caused John to gasp quietly – earning himself a sharp elbow in the ribs from Angel.

Stood facing the Hood, but as yet unaware of Angel and John's presence, were Gordon and Lady Penelope.

Chapter 29: Shoot!

Chapter Text

A shocked silence descended on the room. Even Havoc looked stunned as she watched the dust settle around the mountain that was definitely a different shape to the one it had been earlier. Kayo felt numb, all her specialist training deserted her in her horror. She'd seen many scary things during her time with International Rescue, but never such deliberate and wanton destruction.

She could hear a roaring sound in the distance, it took her a while to realise it was the sound of her own blood rushing into her ears. She was dimly aware of Scott lurching forwards, anger giving him extra speed. But she only really began focussing again once she realised that the Black Panther was holding Havoc, a gun held to her head.

"You don't want to do this." Scott said, his charge having been halted when the gun was produced. "Let Havoc go." If Kayo hadn't known him quite so well she wouldn't have detected the tremor in his voice, but whether it was from fear or anger she couldn't tell.

The Black Phantom tilted his head to one side curiously, the hand with the gun staying steady. "Who are you to tell me what I do and do not want to do?" He said, the slight accent he carried becoming clearer the longer they spoke to him.

"Put the gun down." Scott instructed, hands outstretched in a placating gesture. He knew better than to move forwards.

"I don't think I will. This ensures your compliance."

"What do you want from us?"

"I would like you to sit back down." The Phantom looked pointedly at the chair behind Scott, which Kayo now realised had been thrown over backwards when Scott had leapt from it.

"Ok, ok." Scott gingerly picked up the chair and sat back down in it. "Now will you let Havoc go?"

The Black Phantom laughed loudly. "You are so gullible. Why would I shoot her? She has proven particularly useful." He thrust Havoc away from him. She lost her balance and fell onto a table, propping herself up and twisting to face the Phantom.

"Oh, good one boss." She said with a weak chuckle. The hand that wasn't propping up her torso shook as it rested on the desk.

"After all, if I was really going to make a point why would I shoot her when I could shoot your companion?" The Black Phantom asked rhetorically, swinging the gun around. Kayo barely had time to register that the barrel was pointing directly at her when he pulled the trigger.

Something crashed into Kayo from the side, sending her hurtling to the floor. In the disruption Scott dashed from his chair and hid behind a desk. Kayo felt herself roughly pulled behind a second, where she got a chance to see her saviour. Alan's blue eyes shone brightly at her as he sat next to her, backs leant against the cover of the desk they were hiding behind.

"Hi!" He grinned with a smile before a volley of bullets had them ducking as the desk splintered, shards flying over their heads. As soon as the firing stopped, Alan leant around the edge of the desk and returned fire with his own weapon.

"Where did you get that?" Kayo asked him as he ducked behind the cover again.

"The GDF let me have it after I proved I was competent on their range." Alan replied with a cheeky grin. "Scott went ballistic, he hates me carrying weapons. But it's a good job I did!"

Again he leant out to fire, but by now the Black Phantom had hidden behind cover of his own. A noise to Kayo's right alerted her to the fact Alan hadn't come alone. Virgil and Gordon were crouched in the doorway out of the control room while the other Scott was beginning to make his way around the outside, gun firmly in his hand.

The other Scott obviously reached a place he was happy with as he stood behind a pillar and fired. Kayo, slightly rashly, peered around the edge of the desk to see what was happening. The Black Phantom turned to deal with the new threat posed by the other Scott, giving Alan a clear shot. It happened too quickly to see, one moment the Phantom was trading fire with Scott and the second he had gone down with a strangled cry.

The other Scott started forwards, cautiously attempting to reach the Black Phantom but keeping an eye on him just in case he was faking. Eventually he reached the tall man's side, reaching down to check on him.

"He's alive," he confirmed. "But I don't know how long he'll stay that way."

Kayo saw Virgil sending Gordon back down the corridor they had come from. A moment later, Tintin emerged with Max.

"You need to keep him alive!" She cried, having been appraised of the situation on her journey in.

Kayo stared up at the screen, still displaying the demolished mountain. "Penelope." She said loudly, causing Gordon to spin to her.

"What about Penelope?"

Kayo gestured up at the mountain. "She was on the mountain when he sent missiles at it!"

Gordon exchanged a worried look with Virgil. "The shockwave we heard." Virgil surmised. "Take the pod." Gordon shot off like a rocket towards the entrance.

"I'll go with him," Scott announced. "He might need help." Scott cast one last look at Alan, the other Scott and Tintin. "Are you going to be leaving?"

"We need to," Tintin replied. "We have to switch while the Phantom is still alive and once we start there will be about five minutes between each of us."

"Good luck and be careful." Scott told them before haring off after Gordon. Kayo would have gone too but Virgil stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.

"We need someone to take care of the Hood when he gets back."

Kayo didn't like it, but she saw the sense in Virgil's words. Instead she made her way over to Havoc, who was still looking shell-shocked by the turn of events. Kayo clapped some handcuffs on Havoc and pulled her over to a chair by the door and cuffed her to that as well.

"You have some explaining to do to the GDF."

Havoc raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I'm the only one. Who are they?" Havoc nodded towards Tintin, who was reconfiguring one of the terminals with Max's help.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kayo asked. "They are us. It wasn't just himself that the Hood transferred between dimensions."

Havoc's jaw dropped. "But… how?"

Kayo shrugged. "Hell if I know. But apparently other me is far smarter than I could ever be." She indicated Tintin. "She's managed to find a way to get them all home and our family back."

They fell silent, just watching the room. The other Scott and Alan were helping Virgil, who had his medical bag out and was busy tending to the Black Phantom. Tintin and Max were still working with the computers, although Tintin's cry of triumph suggested she'd achieved something.

"Come in Thunderbird 2."

Gordon's image flickered in and out in front of the main screen but eventually stabilised. "You managed to get some communications going?"

"Yes, I boosted the receivers using the technology already in place in the control room" Tintin confirmed. "But I couldn't reach Lady Penelope."

"No, us neither." Scott now appeared in the image. "We're close to the exit of the site and have some communications now."

Tintin frowned as she continued to work. "I'm trying to see if I can use the radio array to help to locate Lady Penelope."

Virgil looked up from where he was attaching an intravenous fluid to the Phantom, Alan holding up the bag rigidly. The irony of Alan working to save the life of the man who he had caused to be injured in the first place wasn't lost on Kayo. "He isn't going to last much longer, Tintin."

"I can't abandon Lady Penelope." The girl replied stubbornly. "We're International Rescue, rescuing people is what we do."

Virgil obviously had no answer to that as he returned his attentions to the dying man.

There was a tense silence for a few moments as they all worked hard at their respective tasks, except Havoc who sat sullenly watching what was going on.

"I've got her!" Tintin exclaimed suddenly. "Or at least, I've got the car. Come in Thunderbird 1, I've found FAB 1."

"Where?" Scott demanded from his customary pilot seat.

"Approximately three miles away from you." Tintin told him as she ran calculations. "Bearing one hundred and thirty degrees. It's on its roof, so only the dark underside is showing in a small gully."

"FAB," Scott disappeared.

"That's strange," Tintin muttered as she continued to run scans.

"What is?" Kayo asked, worried about a further trap.

"It's just… if they were driving on the road and the mountain came down on them, I would have expected the car to be swept away, impacted from above and taking a different route. It looks as though it was above the blast somehow and has been flipped in the air."

"FAB 1 can fly," Kayo told her. "If they saw the danger and tried to get out of the way, then they might have been flying."

"It can fly?" Tintin seemed shocked for a moment. "Well, that would probably explain it. I can't get a good enough view to find out if they are ok though."

There was a tense silence while they waited to hear from Gordon or Scott to find out what had happened to their friends. In the meantime, Tintin continued to do something with the computers, eventually changing a setting that caused every machine in the room to light up and all the overhead lights in the corridors connecting to the control room kick into gear. In the distance Kayo could hear a humming noise start up.

"What was that?"

"I've powered on the full radio array." Tintin explained. "I think I can use it to boost the signal power to the other dimension, send a message through. We need to find out if they are able to do the switch now too." She flicked her eyes over to where Virgil was beginning to stand up away from the Phantom. "It looks as though we might be the ones to dictate the timing."

The hologram crackling into life distracted them all for a moment. Scott appeared, looking worn.

"We've found them. Both Lady Penelope and Parker are alive, they must have tried to get away. The car wasn't crushed by debris, which saved their lives. But they are injured, Gordon is going to take them straight to hospital while I come back to help you. Their Mr Hortenzo, the plant for the Black Phantom, doesn't seem to have been so lucky. We haven't found him yet but according to Parker he panicked and flung himself out of the car when he saw the missiles. With the amount of destruction here I'm not sure how he could possibly have survived."

"OK Scott," Virgil replied, the de-facto leader with none of his brothers present. "Thanks for letting us know, we'll see you in a bit. Tintin is just trying to contact the other dimension now to arrange the switch back."

"FAB Virgil. I'll be on my way as soon as Penelope and Parker are secure in Thunderbird 2." Scott winked out of existence again. The other Scott was now standing behind Tintin.

"How are you getting on?" He asked her.

"Nearly there…" she hit a few more buttons. "And we're connected."

"Thanks Tintin." Scott moved over to an old fashioned microphone and spoke directly into it. "This is Thunderbird 1 calling base, come in base."

For a long moment there was a static crackle. Kayo was just about beginning to think that there wasn't anyone going to answer on the far end, when a faint voice came through.

"This is base. It's good to hear from you, son."

Chapter 30: Good Riddance

Chapter Text

John crouched by the door into the manager's room over the workshop floor. He was aware of Angel pressed against his back with her head above his, also watching what was going on. The Hood appeared to be saying something to Lady Penelope and Gordon, straining closer John tried to catch what it was.

"…most irritating. How many more of you are there going to be crawling over my enterprise here? I will have to send out the drones to hunt you all out."

Angel tapped John's shoulder and mouthed 'drones?' to him. John replied with 'robots', rewarded by a curt nod as they turned their attention back to Lady Penelope and Gordon.

The Hood turned towards one of the windows overseeing the workshop, gesturing at his operation whilst bragging to his audience. Gordon was rolling his eyes when he caught a flash of red hair from the doorway. John's eyes connected with his fellow redhead for a fraction of a second, before Gordon leant sideways and sent something crashing off a small table onto the floor.

"Oops."

"You clumsy fool!" The Hood snarled, approaching him with a raised fist. "That was valuable hardware!"

"This?" Gordon asked innocently, prodding it with his toes since his wrists were secured behind his back. "Looks like junk to me."

"Well that shows what you know." The Hood snarled back. "Now get over there before you cause more damage."

In all the disruption, John had swapped sides of the door which gave him a much better view of the room. Angel was in his previous position – between them they were just waiting for an opportunity to act. But the Hood was still too far away for them to be able to take him by surprise.

By now, Lady Penelope had also realised that they were there, her blue eyes expressive as she tried to convey something to them that John couldn't decipher. The next moment she was demure meekness itself as the Hood turned his attention back to her.

"Don't think you can fool me with that act, Lady Penelope. You forget that I know you. How interesting it was to come here and find out that International Rescue were a secret organisation yet I knew exactly who they were! There was so much I could have done with that information, but you covered your tracks at every opportunity. Besides, your Thunderbird machines in this place are pale imitations compared to the advanced systems I have been able to bring with me. Here I will be rich beyond my wildest dreams and I will not let International Rescue get in my way!"

Maybe the Hood would have ranted more, but at that moment an explosion rocked through the compound. The glass in the windows was blown inwards, covering the Hood, Penelope and Gordon in fine shards. John felt the roaring pressure in his ears and from the way Angel was shaking her head, she must as well.

But Angel recovered her wits quickly and with a bound had leapt on the Hood. She twisted one of his arms up behind him, forcing him onto his knees in the process.

"What are you doing?" he screeched, trying to twist free from her grasp but she was skilled and knew where to apply just enough pressure to render someone immobile. John passed them both and sat down on one of the computers, trying to see what information was held on it.

"Good timing," Gordon commented as he picked himself off the floor, brushing down his trousers. The glass seemed to be forming small balls and not lethal shards, other than the debris making the ground slippery there was no danger from it.

"Oh dear, I do hope Parker is unharmed." Lady Penelope looked out of the shattered windows with an expression of concern. "That explosion was really very large."

Gordon shook his head, though whether at Penelope's statement or to clear his ringing ears it wasn't certain. "Thunderbird 4 to base, come in please."

"This is base, what's up Gordon?"

"We have restrained the Hood father, it's probably a good time to ship Alan and John out here."

"FAB." Jeff's voice disappeared again.

"Oh, so this is going to become a family reunion." The Hood sneered. "How cloying."

No one in the room acknowledged him. John soon confirmed he'd been able to shut down all the robots and instead freed Gordon and Penelope from their restraints. They reused the handcuffs on the Hood, tying his wrists and his ankles together which meant that Angel could let him go without him being able to disappear again.

A short discussion later and Penelope left to find Parker and reunite with Virgil who was bringing Thunderbird 2 to the compound.

The Hood, in his uncomfortable position kneeling on the floor, began to complain loudly. "What exactly is it we are waiting for? Are you hoping I will give up any information if you keep me here?"

Angel ignored him completely, John looked as though he might reply but caught Angel's eye and thought better of it. This left Gordon to inform him of exactly what was going on. "We need to wait until the right time."

"Time for what?" The Hood sneered, but real curiosity lurked in his eyes.

"Time to swap you back," Gordon replied. He was keeping an eye on his watch, waiting for updates. Apparently the Brains were trying to communicate with the other team to arrange a time but hadn't had much success yet.

"You do realise how futile that is? I know how to get here now."

Gordon looked up at him. "The way I understand it, if everyone who doesn't belong goes back to their respective dimensions then the connection is broken and there isn't a link between them anymore. Particularly given that Parker has just blown your toy collection sky high. Even if you were able to re-establish it, it wouldn't be this one."

"And you believed that tripe? Of course I'll find this one again, it has my signal all over it. Plus I'm hardly the only one here." He nodded over to John, who was now watching with interest.

"We're all following you back." John informed him. "You are going to get quite the welcoming committee, I assure you."

"And what's to stop you coming here again?"

John shrugged. "I wouldn't know how. We didn't come here intentionally, a device operated when we tried to remove it from a transport. We assumed it was your work."

The Hood now looked genuinely confused. "A device… wait, my early prototype?! I thought it was securely on its way to the depths of space. It never worked! And yet… it brought you here? Fascinating." The way his eyes gleamed concerned John and he glanced worriedly at Angel. She smiled and shook her head reassuringly. The exchange wasn't unnoticed by the Hood.

"Interesting relationship you've developed with your brother's wife." He stated, insinuation dripping in every tone. John's eyes flashed but before he could say anything in reply Gordon's watch beeped.

"Hey Brains, what's up?"

"H-Hi Gordon, w-we've had a message from T-Tintin. T-They need to s-start transfer in five minutes. I-I've used the c-coordinates that we all are now to p-programme the transfer, so t-those being transported can't move now."

"FAB Brains."

"Hi Gordon," the blond John's voice came over the intercom.

"Oh you've made it with Alan then?"

"Yeah, he's just saying goodbyes now. Listen Gordon, the order we've worked out with Tintin is for The Hood to go first, then Alan, then Brains and the other John last. They will be five minutes apart and need to be holding one of those gadgets at the correct time. Clear?"

"Crystal." John nodded at Gordon to show that he understood too.

"Excellent, I'll be displaying the countdown to the transfer of the Hood on your watch now. Get ready and say goodbyes now."

"FAB John." The dial reverted to a clock, but this one counted down from three and a half minutes.

Gordon stepped over to the Hood and tied the small gadget Brains had given him to his handcuffed hands. He then stood the Hood upright but didn't release his feet. "There, all ready to go." He declared with a grin, patting his cheek insultingly.

The Hood snarled. "I was going to leave International Rescue alone as long as they stayed out of my plans, but now it's personal."

"What would you be able to do? Could you even come back?" John asked curiously.

The Hood glared at him contemptuously. "It wouldn't take a lot to destabilise the whole organisation. You're practically imploding anyway. What with you carrying on with her," gesturing towards Angel. "You thought nobody would notice but you've been making eyes at each other this whole time. It's sickening."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Angel told him dismissively. She turned away from him, further fuelling his anger.

"I know a cheap whore when I see-" His words were cut off when Angel leapt forwards and slapped him dramatically. The Hood wasn't expecting it, his head flung to the side by the force. He would have fallen if Gordon wasn't there to hold him upright. The shorter of the redheads looked curiously at Angel, while the Hood glared. One of her rings had caught his cheek, a bright red line beginning to ooze blood.

"You know nothing about me." Angel told him contemptuously.

"You have tested my patience one last time!" The Hood spat back at her. "I will-"

But what he would do was never to be known as at that moment the gadget in his hands whirred, emitted a bright light and then disappeared – along with the Hood.

Immediately, Angel transformed from a distressed woman back into the collected person John recognised.

"What was that?" He asked curiously.

"Just making sure he can't come back to enact his revenge." Angel replied enigmatically.

John was utterly confused, but Gordon had a knowing expression.

"Let me guess, he's suddenly going to get severely ill?"

"Likely an undetected heart failure." Angel replied.

John's eyes opened wide with surprise as he looked between them.

"Oh that would be a shame, such a nice man too." Gordon said nonchalantly.

"Tragedy." Angel murmured in response.

"Quite a coincidence."

"Possibly."

"Undetectable?"

"Naturally." The two of them shared a quick, conspiratorial glance while John struggled to comprehend what had just passed between them in the verbal volley.

"Wait… are you saying you what? Just poisoned the Hood?"

"I think we were very carefully not saying that." Gordon replied glibly.

"You heard him," Angel said softly. "He was already planning how he was going to come back and take revenge. Even if not this dimension, then what? He knew the technology, we couldn't erase it from his brain."

John slowly nodded. It went against everything that International Rescue stood for but he understood. In many ways, he envied her for being able to make the decision he couldn't. He didn't get long to think about it before there was another flash of bright light and a bloodied figure was deposited in the space the Hood had previously occupied. Gordon heaved a sigh.

"Well I guess this would be the Black Phantom. I didn't realise we were going to get him back with bullets in him. I guess this is my cue to head out, I'll take him back to Virgil and see if there is anything that can be done for him." Gordon looked up at John, pulling him into a quick hug. "You'll do, fellow redhead. It's been fun. Right, bye kids – don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He pulled the Black Phantom into a fireman's lift and carried him out of the room to find his brother in the courtyard outside.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Scott and Alan waited with Virgil for the Hood to return. The other Scott and Kayo had gone to escort Havoc to the GDF and would be waiting outside with Colonel Casey to receive the Hood when he appeared.

"What order do you want to go back in, Scott?" Tintin asked him from her desk. "We need to programme the coordinates now, and when we do we won't be able to move far from our current positions. The Black Phantom must go first, of course."

"Alright Tintin. I think we'll send Alan, then you, then me last."

"I'll just confirm that with Brains." A few minutes passed, while the Black Phantom's breathing became more laboured and Virgil looked ever more worried.

"I've had confirmation they will be ready in five minutes, Scott. We each need to be wearing our transportation devices."

"Ok Tintin," Scott looked over to see that the Black Phantom was already wearing one, courtesy of Virgil. "Is he going to make it?"

"It's touch and go." Virgil replied with a grim expression. "This really doesn't feel right, for all we know the journey could kill him outright."

"If we try to take him to a hospital but he dies anyway then we have to leave one of the others in our dimension." Scott told him. "It's a bag full of bad choices, but this way at least we can all get to where we belong."

"I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand it."

"Thirty seconds." Tintin called from her position. Virgil leant back away from the Black Phantom. "I've passed on how injured he is Virgil, they are standing by with medical supplies."

Virgil blew out a breath, puffing out his cheeks as he did so. "Thanks, Tintin."

"Five seconds, four, three, two, one." The prone form of the Black Phantom disappeared abruptly, taking the intravenous line that Virgil had attached with him.

"Well I guess it's out of our hands now." Virgil replied. "But where's the Hood?"

Tintin frowned at her computer screen, moving some of the holographic code around. "May take a few moments…" she muttered.

When the Hood arrived a minute later, he looked decidedly green. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and a deep scratch on one cheek oozed blood. Alan looked at him in disgust.

"What happened to you?"

The Hood's eyes latched onto Scott. "Your ever so pleasant wife decided to slap me just before I left. She assaulted a captive man!"

Scott raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Alan, though, spoke up immediately.

"Wife?"

That caused Scott to wince. "Later, Alan." He promised. Turning back to the Hood who was assessing him.

"You aren't quite what I expected you to be."

"You mean I'm not like the Scott you know?" Scott smirked slightly. "I'd worked that out for myself, thank you."

"No wonder your wife is getting on so well with the redhead." The Hood sneered now. "John, I believe."

"Time for you to move on," Virgil said, firmly taking his elbow and beginning to lead him away.

"Why would Angel slap him?" Alan asked curiously. The Hood stalled and turned back to peer at him with an ugly smile. Virgil was forced to stop too, he looked at the blond curiously.

"I'm sure he gave plenty of provocation, I wouldn't worry about it."

"No, I don't mean that." Alan replied. "I'm sure she had lots of reasons to want to hit him. But then, why did she choose a silly slap? She could have knocked him clean out in a second."

"Maybe she didn't feel the need to beat up a beaten man." Virgil shrugged. "Come on, the GDF are waiting for you." More forcefully now he led the Hood away.

Alan turned instead to Scott. "When Angel took down our Hood, she scratched him too." He murmured, so quietly that only Scott could hear. Not that Tintin was listening anyway, she was focussing on the machine in front of her and the countdown. "She used a paralytic poison on him. Has she done the same here?"

"I doubt it's just a paralytic." Scott replied in the same tone. "But I'd imagine so."

"Alan, you have a few seconds!" Tintin called loudly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side." Alan said with a wave. "Say bye to Kayo for me." In a flash he was gone. Scott, as per instructions, stayed routed to the spot while they waited for the younger Alan to arrive. In the meantime Virgil came back in.

"Is it that time already?" He shook his head. "The Hood was going really slowly all the way to Scott and Kayo. He almost looked ill, the trip must have been pretty rough. Sorry, but forewarned is forearmed."

Scott winced. "About that..."

The arrival of Alan interrupted what Scott was about to say. "Virgil!" The young blond cried, giving his brother a huge hug. Scott was taken aback by how young he really was. Sure, he had known that Alan was only nineteen and he'd seen him on the calls but in the flesh he looked even younger – all teenage lankiness and out of proportion.

"Hey," Virgil replied with a fond smile, ruffling his youngest brother's hair. "Everything ok?"

"Oh yeah, I've been stuck at the base while the others got to take part in the action." Alan frowned. "Where is everyone?"

"Gordon has gone with Lady Penelope and Parker to a local hospital – I'll explain later. Scott and Kayo are making sure that Havoc and the Hood don't escape the GDF again."

"Oh OK." Alan looked like he was puzzling something over, when Tintin interrupted.

"Scott, I'm heading out in a few moments. Virgil, I've set the timer for Scott on your watch so you'll let him know when it's time."

"Sure thing Tintin." Virgil smiled at the brunette. "Good luck, it's been fun."

"Same to you Virgil," she smiled, before giving Max a tight hug. "Look after your Brains for me, Max. Nice to meet you Alan." She waved at the blond. "I'll see you soon Scott." Then she vanished.

"Is it true that your girlfriend killed the Hood?" Alan blurted out at Scott. Virgil laughed.

"Alan, I've just walked the Hood out of the room. He's not dead!"

"Yet." Scott added quietly, but it was loud enough for Virgil to turn to him confused. "I strongly suspect that Angel has probably done something, but I'm not sure what. It might be innocent."

"The other Gordon was saying she had 'taken care of him'," Alan accused. "The rest seemed to think that meant she killed him."

Scott shrugged. "Then he's probably a dead man walking. I don't know what she will have injected him with, but it's likely something you would never be able to detect."

Virgil gaped. "She injected him? What?"

"The cut," Scott gestured to his own cheek. "Alan is right, she never slaps. And even if she did, she doesn't wear rings. There would be nothing to catch on his cheek, unless she meant it to."

Brains suddenly appeared, staggering and falling over the seat that Tintin had been sitting in. "Oh my," he exclaimed, holding his head and looking around blearily before his eyes fell on Max. "Max! You'll never believe what happened! There was another one of me, Max!" With a wave at Virgil, Brains left the room towards the path to Thunderbird 2, talking excitedly to Max the whole time.

"We need to warn the GDF!" Virgil exclaimed. "He needs treatment, we can't just let him die!"

"You'll never work out what it is in time." Scott argued. "And before you ask, I don't know. I also don't know why she did it, although if I had to guess I'd say it's because she thinks he knows how to connect the dimensions and she's trying to prevent him ever coming across again."

Virgil frowned unhappily. "I understand that, but what can he do from within a GDF cell?"

"Wasn't he in a GDF cell before he transferred this time?" Scott asked knowingly. Virgil fell silent, thinking deeply.

Alan, who had been watching the debate between the two avidly, suddenly spoke up. "Hey, your timer is counting down from thirty seconds Virgil."

Virgil looked at his wrist, then up at Scott. "It's been really interesting getting to know you, I'm glad we've had this chance. Good luck."

"You too," Scott smiled back. "Take care."

Then he felt a strange tugging sensation from the area of the device he was wearing before being whisked away in a swirl of colour and light. The last thing he saw before disappearing from the dimension forever was a harried Scott rushing in and shouting for Virgil.

Chapter 31: Goodbye, John Tracy

Chapter Text

John stood in the manager's office above the workshop floor, looking at the countdown on Angel's wrist. It meant he didn't actually have to look at Angel. There had always been something comforting about time, it was a constant he had always appreciated and when it was really quiet on Thunderbird 5 he usually set one of the computers to tick the seconds away, like the old grandfather clock on the ranch.

Now though, he hated the sight of the numbers on the clock.

Currently set to eight minutes and decreasing, it was counting down the seconds until he would be taken away from Angel. Permanently.

"I'm sorry." Her voice, speaking softly, broke the awkward silence that had built between them. She was leaning against a table that she had brushed free of glass while he was stood by the same computer terminal he had used earlier. There was about three metres between them, but John couldn't move to bridge the gap. He had to stay where he was so that he could go home. The brief consideration of what would happen if he didn't crossed his mind but he brushed it off. He had to go home, that was where he belonged. And Scott belonged here. With his wife.

"What are you sorry for?"

Angel blew out a breath. "Everything, I guess? But specifically, the Hood."

John shook his head. "Don't be. I can't believe I'm saying this but... I get it. He is a threat to you. You did what you thought you had to do to neutralise it."

Angel barked out a short laugh. "Neutralise it. I like that. Good turn of phrase."

John shrugged and they went back to the awkward silence. Except the timer now read six minutes.

"What is Scott like?" John asked suddenly. "Is he... is he a good man? Does he love you?"

Angel tilted her head to one side. "Now you choose to ask?" John was silent in reply, so she thought about it. "Yes, he is. And he does. It sounds trite to say it, but we are very happy together."

"I'm pleased."

Another silence fell, eventually broken by Angel sighing. She stood up from her perch and approached John. "Do you remember in Macau, when you asked me if I ever considered life without Scott?" John nodded in silence.

Angel paused for a moment before continuing. "I said I hadn't, as I wouldn't have been the same person. Which was true, then." She looked up at John, her light brown eyes boring into his vivid ones. "To be truthful, I always assumed that if I didn't have Scott anymore I would never be able to love anyone else; that I would live alone in my little cottage and keep lots of cats instead. I think that might have remained true, if I hadn't met you." She was close now, close enough that John could see the green and yellow flecks in the centre of her irises that made her eyes almost seem golden. She rested one hand lightly on his chest and tapped him once. "In another place and time, this could have worked. The thought terrifies me."

He realised she was going to kiss him as she reached up. She placed a lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth, close enough to his cheek to be considered innocent but full of unrealised potential. Before she dropped back down from tip toes she brought her lips to his ear.

"Goodbye, John Tracy. I wish that you have everything you dream of in life. Thank you for helping me to better understand myself."

She dropped back down and took half a step back, leaving her hand on his chest. John swallowed and tried to speak but couldn't force out the words. His eyes blurred as he looked at her for the last time, so that he could no longer read the dreaded timer.

He still couldn't force any words out, so he caught her hand with his and held it, squeezing tight. She nodded her understanding of the words he couldn't say.

He was still holding her hand when he was whisked away.

Angel felt the lack of pressure in her hand the same moment that his form disappeared. She flexed her fingers a couple of times and sighed, returning to her perch on the edge of the table.

A couple of minutes later, Scott staggered into the spot John had vacated. He turned to face her, his blue eyes lighting up. "Angel!"

She leapt at him, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping her legs around his torso as she captured his mouth with her own. For a few moments they didn't stop for breath, but after a while they detached and she rested her cheek against his.

"Miss me?" He asked cheekily.

"You have no idea." She replied with a sigh. Scott then looked around at the shattered room, still covered with glass and other debris after the explosion.

"What happened here?"

Angel swung her legs down and came to stand next to him, still holding on to his hand. "That is a long story."

Scott squeezed her hand tight and smiled lovingly down at her. "It's probably a good thing that we have time then. Has it been eventful?"

Angel huffed out a laugh. "You have no idea. I have a lot to talk to you about. But first we'd better find your family before they send in a search party."

Scott laughed at her. "Yeah, they probably would. I'm guessing the reason they aren't here is part of that story."

"The smallest part," Angel confirmed. As they left the room together she informed him casually. "By the way, I'm pretty sure our secret marriage isn't a secret anymore."

Chapter 32: Epilogue

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"I expected better, Scott."

Jeff Tracy was sat behind his desk, his firm gaze fixed on his eldest son who was standing alone in the lounge. Scott had been sat with his brothers indulging in their various pastimes when Jeff had walked in and politely but firmly requested that the rest leave to allow him a few moments with his eldest.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry, father. Angel and I wanted to get married but I knew that you would never accept her, at least not yet. We always planned to have a second ceremony later when everyone was more accepting."

"I know I haven't always been the most positive about Angel..."

"You called her a manipulative fortune hunter." Scott's expression was impassive but resolute as he held his father's gaze. Jeff winced.

"Well, that might not have been the best choice of words."

"And you meant it." Scott hammered the point home, a quirk of his eyebrows challenging Jeff to contradict him. Jeff couldn't, of course. He remembered that particular argument all too well. It was the first time he could remember where he had actually had a full on shouting argument with his eldest son, certainly since he was a teenager. Both of them had said things they didn't really mean in the heat of the moment, with the result being that Scott issued an ultimatum regarding his living arrangements. Either Jeff agreed that Scott would operate out of the United Kingdom half the time, or Scott would leave International Rescue completely.

Well, Jeff didn't really have a choice by then. He had thought that Scott might be bluffing, but the fact that the discussion had escalated to this point meant that he couldn't be sure of anything anymore. He'd agreed and had begrudgingly been forced to admit that the arrangement Scott had come up with worked.

"Recent events have... forced me to reconsider my opinion of her."

Scott didn't say anything, but the eyebrow raised higher in an invitation to continue.

"And of my own behaviour."

Well, Scott was definitely curious now. Not that Jeff could blame him, Jeff was hardly one to regularly admit he was wrong. Mostly because he rarely was. But this time, this time he could swallow his pride. He stood up from his desk and walked over to the bar, pouring two glasses of scotch. Scott didn't move, but he accepted the tumbler that Jeff handed him before he sat back on the corner of his desk.

"Every now and then something happens that makes you reassess everything you thought was right. Your eldest son getting married in secret because he doesn't feel that you would accept his choices, despite the fact he is now thirty years of age, is one of them. I'm sorry, Scott."

That definitely surprised Scott, although he still didn't say anything. Jeff felt as though he was being tested by his son and what he said next would be very important to maintaining a good relationship with him.

"I should never have put you in the position where you felt that you had to choose between your duty and happiness. I certainly should not have been so rude about your future wife without even taking the time to get to know her. I am very sorry. I know I can't say it enough, but even old men who should know better can make mistakes."

Finally Scott moved, smiling shyly at his father. "I forgive you, dad. I'm sorry that we haven't really given you the opportunity to get to know Angel better too."

Jeff waved away the apology. "That isn't on you, son. It wouldn't have taken me much to invite her here, even just once. I don't suppose she would like a holiday to the South Pacific?"

Scott grinned then. "I'll suggest it, I'm sure she'll be amenable."

"Ok, that's great. You'd better go and let your brothers know that it's safe to come out now."

Scott turned to walk to the door, pausing before he was close enough to trigger the sliding mechanism. "Thank you, dad. I just have a quick favour to ask?"

"Go on," Jeff replied warily, even though realistically he wasn't going to be denying Scott anything at that moment in time.

"How do you feel about hosting a wedding party? Nothing major, a couple of friends from Oxford and the Air Force, Lady Penelope and Parker, Jane..."

Jeff's face split into a grin. "Your Grandmother will be ecstatic."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

John tried hard not to roll his eyes as the call came through from Tracy Island again. Ever since he'd been back, his brothers were constantly checking up on him and making sure he was ok. Even Alan, who was shipped to the same dimension for goodness sake! John suspected it was because even in that dimension he had been apart from his brother and Brains for nearly the whole time.

"Hi guys, what's up?"

Sure enough, all of his earth-bound brothers were now floating around him holographically. He mentally started to place bets with who made the call this time…

"Hey John, just wanted to see what you were up to."

Oh too easy, Scott.

"Not much since you last called, about two hours ago." John spun the hologram of the world around once again, checking for any emergencies. Still quiet.

"Well if you hadn't run back up to Thunderbird 5 we wouldn't have to call," Gordon informed him. "But as we have called, I have a question for you. You spent most of your time running around in the other dimension with the other Scott's wife – is she as bad-ass as she seemed?"

John had been desperately hoping that no one would ask about Angel. He still hadn't picked through his feelings – hadn't wanted to really draw them out and examine them to see what was there. He had been hoping that if he ignored it all long enough it would eventually go away. But he should have known that his brothers would be curious, even Scott was waiting on tenterhooks for the answer despite pretending not to care. He'd managed to avoid it so far by asking lots of questions about their visitors instead and when hearing about Polite Scott had become too much, he'd run away to Thunderbird 5 and asked Eos not to mention him. Now, John decided to stall instead of answer the question directly.

"Define 'bad-ass', Gordon."

"Well, we all know she kinda poisoned the Hood and whilst that's a terrible thing to do I guess we sort of wish we could have got away with it, but every time we spoke to her she was all cool and aloof and stuff. What was she like to hang around with?"

"The first time she met me, she knocked me unconscious." John replied. "Yes, she was pretty 'bad-ass'. No, I still have no idea how she ended up marrying the other Scott." There, that was a safe answer that didn't actually cause him to think about her. Not the crease in the corner of her eyes when she smiled or the soft touch of her hand in his, the way her hair caught the light or the fact that he finally felt as though he'd found someone who actually understood him.

John felt a strange pressure build up behind his eyes and knew he had to cut the call. "I'm being hailed," he told the others. "I'll let you know if you're needed."

"FAB John," Scott replied before cutting the connection. John dug the heels of his hands into his eyes to try to relieve the pressure, stoutly ignoring the fact that they came away wet.

"Something is troubling you." Eos stated as she zoomed around his head. "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"No Eos," John sighed. "I think that there is nothing you or anyone else can do. I'll be ok. Just… tell them I'm busy if they call in the next couple of hours, please?"

"Affirmative." The robot paused, and when she next spoke it was with a tentative voice. "I completed your search for Angelique Dubois."

John's head whipped up. "Really? Did you find anything?"

"I believe I have found the woman you were looking for. Born Angelique Dubois as an illegitimate daughter to the Earl of Saltram, she then was relocated with her mother Constance Dubois to France as a young child and was schooled there. Trained as a teacher before joining an école primaire, married a civil engineer called Pierre Laurent two years ago. Lives near Bergerac in France."

Eos drew up a picture of the couple on their wedding day. John moved closer, scrutinising the image. The woman looked incredibly like Angel, she could have been her twin sister. But despite the physical resemblance there was something missing, something absent in her gaze and her expression that meant she was not Angel at all. John exhaled and squeezed his eyes shut tight as though to remove the image of the not-Angel. Guess Angel was right about that too.

"Thank you, Eos."

"Would you like me to do anything further with Madame Laurent?"

"No thank you, Eos. Except… can you put her on the primary list?"

"The priority contacts list for emergency support?"

"That's the one, Eos. At least that way… I'm making sure she has a good life. For Angel." John floated back down towards the living compartments of Thunderbird 5. "I'm going to rest for a bit. Can you take over here?"

"Of course, John."

He swung down into the outer ring of Thunderbird 5 and walked around until he found his bunk. Swinging it down, he sat on the edge and peered down through his feet at the stars below. Whenever he had done this before, he had always marvelled at space and thought he had the best view possible. Now he knew there was one better, one where the stars he saw below were mirrored in shining eyes.

He closed his eyes tightly again, allowing a single tear to escape before he brushed it angrily off his cheek. "Enough," he murmured to himself, swinging onto his bunk and staring up at his beloved Thunderbird. "Enough, now."

The lights dimmed and he slowly drifted off to sleep. Eos slowly crept closer, looking down at her creator.

"I'll look after you, John." She whispered, before leaving to act as sentinel on Thunderbird 5 while he slept.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

John was unusually dishevelled, his blond hair not in its normal immaculate condition as he frantically packed his bag ready for another stint on Thunderbird 5 after the launch had been shifted a couple of hours earlier. At his own request, admittedly, but that didn't miraculously mean his bags were ready. Thunderbird 5 had been unmanned for the last week or so, ever since they returned from Malaysia, because the family had just needed some time together. Not that it had stopped Scott from disappearing off to his other home, but the rest of them had just enjoyed each other's company in the same dimension again.

A knock on his door prompted John to call for whoever it was to enter. The door to his room slid open, Gordon stepping through and closing it behind him. The sight of Gordon standing in John's room was rare enough to distract John from his packing.

"What's up, Gordon?"

The redhead didn't say anything for a moment, just watched John packing. "Back up to '5 already?"

"It's been a couple of weeks," John replied, calmly resuming his task. "It's about time I got back up there, it's not the same when I'm trying to cover it from here the whole time."

"Mmmhmm," Gordon walked around the room, picking up one of the trinkets John kept on his chest of drawers and turning it over in his hand. Eventually John shoved the final item of clothes into the small bag.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"Me?" Gordon looked all innocence. "Say, did you hear that dad finally invited Angel to the Island? Scottie's bringing her over later today."

"Really?" John quirked an eyebrow at his brother. "You came to bother me just to tell me that dad has finally seen sense when it comes to Angel?"

"I…no, not really. Shame that you'll miss her though." Gordon set down the piece of rock he was holding with a sigh, ignoring John's wince that it wasn't in quite the right place. "I got talking to your counterpart when we were out capturing the Hood."

John shook his head in bewilderment and started to pack up toiletries he would need in the bathroom. "I know, I was doing the comms remember?" He called back into his bedroom to Gordon.

"Say, did you know he had a thing for Angel?"

There was a clatter as John dropped the toothpaste into the sink. He swore softly as the end fell off, spraying toothpaste everywhere. Cleaning it up, he came back into his bedroom with an armful of things that he dumped into a bag. "Sorry Gordon, you were saying?"

Gordon had a calculating expression on his face, one which always made John wary. "Yep, he didn't need to say it for it to be completely obvious. Except I think Angel was completely oblivious, but that's not the point."

"I'm not sure why you feel the need to gossip to me about this, it's probably something best kept to yourself."

Gordon leaned up again the dresser. "Well I got to thinking… you and he shared basically the same DNA, hair colour notwithstanding, and from what I understand you're pretty similar. Which made me wonder… how many times have you worked with her that dad isn't aware of? You must be pretty close by now, you're always calling her with intel when you are here. I check the logs from Thunderbird 5 and it's the same when you're up there. I thought for a while that you must be talking to Scott but the calls go through even when he's here on Tracy Island."

John stilled, his hands frozen from where he was about to zip up a toiletry bag. "Gordon, are you seriously trying to suggest that just because my counterpart from another dimension, who was clearly very different to me in several ways, felt a particular way that it means I'm secretly in love with our brother's wife?" He asked incredulously, staring at his brother.

"Well when you put it like that…" Gordon rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But are you?"

"I'm late for my flight, haven't finished packing and you're making ridiculous insinuations. Out please, Gordon."

Gordon hesitated for a moment before walking to the doorway. Before activating the sliding door and without turning, he spoke to his brother – so quietly that John had to strain to hear him. "I never said he was in love with her Johnny, you came up with that one all by yourself." He then turned to face John for a final time. "Don't worry, I'll forget this conversation ever happened as soon as I step out this door. But just…if you ever, I dunno, want to talk about it or something?" He looked again at John's blank expression. "I guess that's a no. Have a good trip." That said, Gordon disappeared from the room.

John didn't move for several minutes after he had been left alone, finally straightening and sitting heavily on his bed. He took a deep, steadying breath before zipping up his hold-all and swinging it onto his back as he headed towards the lounge, Thunderbird 3 and the quiet solitude of space.

Notes:

Well here we are - the final chapter! I can't quite believe it's taken me so long to cross post it on here, but I hope you've enjoyed reading it.

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Womble1 on Chapter 2 Thu 15 Jul 2021 12:09PM UTC

I finally caught up. Yay
OK, so I'm all settled in and ready for whatever just hit Johnny boy...... (assuming a certain A - named lady who's previous story I've just finished reading.. Ooooh exciting)

Last Edited Thu 15 Jul 2021 12:59PM UTC

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1. Cantanatova on Chapter 2 Fri 16 Jul 2021 05:45AM UTC
  
  😄 all will (hopefully) be revealed soon!
  
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Womble1 on Chapter 5 Fri 13 Aug 2021 12:28PM UTC

Yay I finally caught up. Can't wait to see where this goes

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1. Cantanatova on Chapter 5 Sat 21 Aug 2021 08:27AM UTC
  
  Thank you! I hope you’ve been enjoying it :)
  
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anon (Guest) on Chapter 24 Thu 16 May 2024 01:21AM UTC

"It's almost enough to make me believe in a higher power," Tintin agreed with a smile.
Ah yes, the higher power of the author.

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1. Cantanatova on Chapter 24 Thu 16 May 2024 05:22PM UTC
  
  Mwahahahahaaa! Can there be a higher power??
  But thank you so much for commenting - it's a real treat to get a new comment on a fic that's been out there for a while!
  
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Cantanatova

Summary:

Notes:

Chapter 1: A Situation

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Chapter 2: Spinning

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Chapter 3: The Switch

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Chapter 4: On The Other Side

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Chapter 5: Communication

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Chapter 6: Reaching Through

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Chapter 7: Starting to move

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Chapter 8: Settling In

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Chapter 9: Comparisons

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Chapter 10: The Charade

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Chapter 11: Nature vs Nurture

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Chapter 12: Rollercoaster

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Chapter 13: Persuasion

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Chapter 14: On the Approaches

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Chapter 15: What do we stand for?

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Chapter 16: Enter the Dragon

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Chapter 17: A soiree

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Chapter 18: Playing with Fire

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Chapter 19: A touch of Chaos

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Chapter 20: Getting burned

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Chapter 21: Blowing a Fuse

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Chapter 22: Accusations

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Chapter 23: Reunited

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Chapter 24: Farewell, Tracy Island

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Chapter 25: Breaking and Entering

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Chapter 26: The Long Way Around

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Chapter 27: Radio Silence

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Chapter 28: The Hood

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Chapter 29: Shoot!

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Chapter 30: Good Riddance

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Chapter 31: Goodbye, John Tracy

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Chapter 32: Epilogue

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Womble1 on Chapter 2 Thu 15 Jul 2021 12:09PM UTC

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Cantanatova on Chapter 2 Fri 16 Jul 2021 05:45AM UTC