Work Text:
Years. It had taken years. But they’d finally done it. They’d caught him. Since the very first rescue, he’d been haunting them. Coming up against them at every turn, always seemingly just one step ahead. And at long last, they’d caught up to him. The Hood was finally in custody.
“Hood,” Scott stepped forward from the line of Tracy’s, watching the arch-criminal very closely in his restraints. “It’s over…”
The Hood simply levelled him with a stare. “I think not…” Scott returned the look. There was no way he had something else up his sleeve. “Do you really think you’re all innocent?” The entire family exchanged puzzled looks. “I believe you’ll want to talk to Kyrano…” The criminal smirked in the man’s direction. Everybody caught the manservant’s flinch.
“W-What…?” Scott muttered, before quickly regaining his nerve. “What are you talking about?”
“I’d do it now, if I were you…” The Hood chuckled darkly. “Or you may get a nasty surprise later…”
Scott spun in Kyrano’s direction, silently begging for the other man to say something. “Kyrano?” The Hood knew who he was. He referred to him by name. And the eldest Tracy brother dreaded to think what that could mean. “What’s he talking about?”
“He…” Kyrano hesitated. “He is not who he says he is…” The older man took a shaky breath. “All will be made clear if you take off his mask…”
“I thought we already did.” Virgil stated, baffled, reflecting the feelings of everybody else in the room barring Kyrano and the Hood himself. He wasn’t wrong. They’d unmasked their arch-enemy just a few minutes ago.
The Hood laughed again, causing everyone’s attention to turn back to him. “Go ahead…” He looked Scott in the eye, almost boring into his very being. “Take it off…”
Scott frowned, looking between Kyrano and his family, before switching back to the Hood. All of a sudden, he had a strange case of deja-vu, remembering the time he’d unmasked this very man before the launch of the second Zero-X. Was the implication what Scott thought it was? That the face in front of them, the one they believed was the Hood’s true face, was just as false as all the others? He supposed there was only one way to find out…
Leaning down, Scott reached out, surprised when he easily pulled the mask off, revealing… “Oh my God.” Scott whispered in shock, dropping the mask in the process. Behind him, he was vaguely aware of the remainder of International Rescue’s speechless expressions.
“Kyrano?” Alan’s voice broke through the uneasy silence, pleading with their father’s closest friend to tell them something, anything, about what was going on. “What’s happening?” Right in front of them, in the Hood’s place, was a face so familiar, yet so different. He looked like Kyrano, under that mask.
“Allow me to introduce myself.” The criminal opened his mouth before Kyrano even had the chance to answer his future son-in-law. “My name is Belah. Your dear friend Kyrano’s brother.” He revealed, putting emphasis on the word ‘brother’. A chorus of gasps spread across the entire group.
“Half-brother.” Kyrano clarified, stepping forward to glare at his family. An uncharacteristic growl came out of his throat. “You gave up your right to call me your brother a long time ago…”
“Come now.” The Hood, now known to the Tracy’s as Belah, spoke. “Let’s be reasonable. We grew up together after all. Once brothers, always brothers…” Belah nodded in the direction of the four young men in front of him, and the fifth just about visible from his screen, watching and listening to everything from the safehaven of Thunderbird 5. “These fine gentlemen know that all too well, after all.”
“The Tracy’s are nothing like you.” Kyrano retorted, eyes narrowing. “They don’t hurt each other like you’ve hurt me!”
“Father?” Tin-Tin’s voice interrupted, Kyrano visibly relaxing when he heard her. “What did he do to you…?”
“Before you answer your daughter, brother,” Belah spoke up again. “You should know that I have done everything for you. As penance for my mistake…”
“I did not want this, Belah.” Kyrano’s face fell at his brothers words. “I did not want you to sell your soul away…”
“And yet I did so anyway, because it is the only way I know how to…” And with that, the criminal was dragged away by Lady Penelope, hopefully never to be seen again. The entirety of International Rescue watched as he disappeared, leaving his fate in Penny’s hands. And that’s when their ire turned towards the Hood’s newly revealed half-brother.
Gordon, because who else, voiced what they were all thinking first. “So…” he forced the words out, even if they were the last things he wanted to believe, “you’ve been working for him all this time?” Please, let it not be true.
“Mr. Gordon, it’s not what it looks-”
“Enough with the act already!” Angry and hurt, Alan stepped forward towards the man. Gordon frowned at his younger brother, holding out an arm to stop his advance. Instead, Alan did something no-one expected. He turned on his girlfriend. “Did you know this whole time?!”
Tin-Tin stammered. “I… um…” She was innocent, of course, but her pause did her no favours in Alan’s eyes.
“How long?” He asked rapidly, before she could string together an answer.
Sensing an argument between his brother and future sister-in-law, Virgil spoke up for the first time since this whole debacle began. “Let’s all try to calm down…” He tried, attempting to live up to his unofficial role as the family peacekeeper. But it wouldn’t be enough…
“We’ll calm down after we ask Dad’s closest friend why he lied to us for years…” Alan all but snarled, betrayal written all over his face as his angry gaze fell on his girlfriend and her father.
Jeff Tracy took a deep breath in and out, trying his best to comprehend the events that had just unfurled around him. Kyrano was just who Alan described him as: his closest and dearest friend. He trusted Kyrano with his life, and now that trust had shattered, when before it seemed as though it wouldn’t even splinter.
“I don’t want to believe this,” Jeff started, gruff voice stopping everyone in their tracks. Even the still fuming Alan backed down and looked in his father’s direction. “But everything makes sense now.” The patriarch turned to Scott, hoping to get his eldest’s opinion on the dots that were connecting in his head. “Do you remember that rescue with the two actors trapped in that cave?” Even though he was mainly addressing Scott, everyone around him nodded. It wasn’t an incident any one of them would forget in a hurry, but he reminded them anyway. “Someone, who we’re certain was the Hood, sabotaged the set so that they’d need to be rescued from that rising water.”
“Yes, I remember.” Scott nodded. “He got footage of Thunderbird 1 that we had to chase him down for. He probably would’ve escaped with the tape if he hadn’t stolen that faulty plane.” He added, grimacing. The whole thing had been the closest anyone had gotten to stealing their secrets. The Hood’s failure was pure chance.
Jeff hummed. “And remind me, did you get an automatic camera alert?”
Scott quickly shook his head. “No, sir.” That had always bugged him. There was no way the alert would’ve just switched off randomly. It had to have been manual. His eyes widened in realisation. Before, he wouldn’t have thought it possible, but now… “Wait, you think it was sabotaged?!”
His father just nodded gravely. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. And unless you did it yourself, which is darn near impossible to think, it had to be someone else on the island. And given what we’ve just uncovered,” He looked sadly at Kyrano, “I think we may have found our culprit.”
Kyrano said nothing in response to defend himself, and Jeff felt his heart break. Was Kyrano’s silence confirmation? Or was it something else?
“Wait.” Tin-Tin spoke, usually calm and soft voice now harsher, as though she herself were piecing things together. “That day, Father came into Thunderbird 1 just a few hours before the rescue call came in, while I was completing checks.” She swallowed nervously. “He said he wasn’t feeling too good so I left him to rest in the pilot’s chair…” Everyone in the room stiffened at the confirmation of their worst fears, and Scott looked at the man who his father called his best friend, not disguising the betrayal he felt.
At long last, Kyrano spoke up to at least try and defend himself. “Mr Scott, I swear, I did nothing to compromise the security of International Rescue or your ship…” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “That I remember at least…”
Scott narrowed his eyes. He sounded so genuine, and yet, he wasn’t sure it was the truth. “That’s easy for you to say, Kyrano.” He sighed. “But the facts don’t lie.” Before he could say anything else, he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder, and heard the voice of his immediate younger brother.
“Wait a sec, Scott.” Virgil said, looking at Kyrano in bewilderment. “What do you mean when you say you don’t remember?”
“Oh, yes, do tell us…” Alan commented sarcastically.
“Alan.” Jeff gave his youngest a warning look, before fixing his gaze on his old friend once more. This could be the key to it all. Just how, he didn’t know, but if there was even the slightest chance he wouldn’t have to throw out his oldest and dearest friend, he’d take it. “Well, Kyrano?”
To Kyrano, it felt as though a million eyes were upon him, even if he knew it was just these few people. He’d never wanted to tell them this; never wanted them to think any less of him. In hindsight though, he should’ve told them. At least that way his darkest secret would’ve come from him instead of the person they all despised. Now, all he could do was explain. He sighed, still not sure he was ready to tell them all of this. But they were all looking expectantly at him, especially Tin-Tin, who just looked so lost. She, of all people, had deserved to know this from the start. His heart sank, realising he’d failed her. He only hoped she’d forgive him, one day…
“Something you must know of my family, and of my…” He hesitated, not wanting to admit the connection himself, “half-brother in particular, is our affinity for the mystic arts. For years, Belah has been able to take control of the minds of others.” He kept his head bowed in shame, but practically felt everyone’s eyebrows shoot up in astonishment. This was the last thing anyone would’ve expected. “He often leaves them with no memories of what happened…” There. He’d admitted it. He knew he was guilty of all the family was accusing him, but it didn’t mean he was aware of all he had done, or that he’d wanted it.
“You expect us to believe that?” Alan’s angry voice was heard again, ignoring all the pleas from his family around him to calm down. “That your brother was controlling you with mind powers?” He scoffed. “Give me a break!”
“Erm…” Gordon cleared his throat, nervously stepping in his sibling’s direction. “I can believe it…”
“Oh come on!”
“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen a bond between brothers like that. We’re pretty in sync.” He gestured between them. “And hasn’t it always been a family joke that Scott and Virgil have some kind of psychic connection?”
Alan glared. “That’s just it, Gordon. It’s a family joke! It’s never been a real thing.” Scott and Virgil exchanged a knowing and somewhat awkward look. They’d always secretly believed it was real. There had always been occasions where they knew exactly what the other was thinking while being miles apart, or were aware the other needed help or was in danger. That was proof enough for them.
“P-Pardon the intrusion…” Brains cleared his throat, startling quite a few people in the room. He’d been quiet this whole time, going over the events again and again, and thinking everything through. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone had forgotten he was there. “But i-it has been proven in s-some cases for family m-members, particularly siblings, to have some k-kind of mind l-link.” He raised an eyebrow. “I-It’s not hard s-scientific fact, A-Alan, but there is p-precedent to believe in it…” Alan grumbled in response, unable to argue with the engineer.
“But it doesn’t explain why he never told us…” Scott mused, rubbing his chin in thought.
“Or how the Hood can get to him from so far away…” Virgil finished his brother’s thought, humming.
Gordon gestured to them. “See?! They’re on exactly the same page! It’s freaky!”
A few moments of silence passed between the members of International Rescue. “You know what?” Alan sighed. “I… I don’t care anymore…”
“Sweetheart-” Tin-Tin tried, reaching out for him, but he pushed her away.
“And I certainly don’t appreciate that my girlfriend probably knew this whole time and never thought of telling me!”
Even when everyone else failed to get through to him, John always could. He hated that he wasn’t there, having been on board Thunderbird 5 for the entirety of the Hood’s attack and the aftermath. But he’d do his best to calm his fellow astronaut and brother. “Listen, I think we should all calm down now and-”
Alan rounded in the direction of John’s portrait. “LOOK! I JUST-” He yelled, before he slumped, exhausted. Guilt washed over his face when he realised that his temper was getting out of control. He wouldn’t let himself lose that control… “I need a moment.” He sighed. “I don’t think I can do this anymore…” He walked past his shocked family members, making for the sanctuary of his room.
“Allie…” Virgil’s voice was quiet, and yet so loud at the same time.
“Just… stop.” He pleaded, not looking at his family, his friends, or his girlfriend and her father. It was all too much. “I need a minute.”
They all watched sadly as he went, but they knew he had to leave. He had to be alone, or he wouldn’t be able to process everything that they’d been told.
“So…” Gordon broke the uncomfortable silence, looking inquisitively at his father. “What now?”
Jeff sighed. “Now, we do our best to deal with this…” He looked at Kyrano, who returned the look guiltily. Jeff had no clue what to do. After all, Kyrano was responsible for a lot. But the fact he’d clearly wanted no part in it… “Better return to your quarters, Kyrano. I’ll talk to you later, but for now, I believe you’d want to talk about it with your daughter.”
Kyrano, to his credit, looked much calmer than he probably felt. “Yes, Mr Tracy. Thank you.” They all watched him go, Tin-Tin trailing behind him. Only when they were sure both father and daughter were out of earshot did they discuss things.
“Well, boys…” Jeff began their impromptu meeting. “Any thoughts on what we should do?”
His remaining sons exchanged looks, a silent conservation passing among the four of them, before they all nodded. Scott stepped forward, ever the face of them all. “We all believe he’s telling the truth, Father.”
“Don’t fire him or anything, please!” John voiced an unspoken fear.
“Yeah!” Gordon agreed. “Give him another chance!”
“We can find a way to stop the Hood getting through to him and taking over his mind, I just know it.” Virgil asserted.
Jeff held up his hands in silence. “I hear you boys. And I agree. Yes, I firmly believe he was the saboteur. But it’s clear to me that he’s never wanted any part of this. And these incidents do always coincide with one of Kyrano’s fits.” He sighed, remembering the last such fit. “He always seems tormented during them, like he’s keeping something at bay. I guess that’s true. Even so, we must find a way to stop the Hood from ever controlling him again.” He finished determined, and nodded to the engineer standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “Brains, can it be done?”
Brains pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I’ll f-find a way, Mr T-Tracy.”
Jeff grinned. “Good. Get on it as soon as you can.” Brains nodded, already thinking about just how he could pull this off. “Now, what to do about Alan…?”
“He’ll cool off soon.” Scott sighed. “Hopefully, he’ll be in the right headspace to see the bigger picture.”
“I hope you’re right, Scott.” Jeff answered. “I hope you’re right…”