A Forum Christmas

by thunderbird5

Writing stories about International Rescue has never been so dangerous until someone blows your home away from home sky high. Written for the 2014 Tracy Island Writers Forum 'Unusual Christmas' challenge.

Thanks to TB's LMC for helping me with this story.

Disclaimer: How I wish the boys were mine. But no, they belong to someone else.

The games room was quiet as Scott and the rest of his brothers stared at the cards in their hands. When a sudden beep interrupted the silence of the room, they all jumped. Turning in the direction of the beep, Virgil opened the link to his space-bound brother. "Hi, John."

Up on Thunderbird Five John could see that they were sitting round the table they used to play various games and by the look of things, not really enthusiastic about it. "I've got something interesting to tell you all. I was just surfing the web looking for something to do when I found it."

Shuffling the cards he was still holding, Gordon asked, "Did you find a treasure map, or something even better?"

The screen where John was looking out at them split into two pictures, with his face on top and the text that he had just typed appearing underneath. Alan frowned. "International Rescue Writers? What's so interesting about them? I mean, we know IR has fans all over the world."

Changing the screen once more, John answered. "I've found out that these people have a villa somewhere in the US that they call the Writers Villa. Apparently it's where they all come together to write stories about us."

Again the screen changed. Looking back up at John after reading the room list, Gordon scratched the back of his head. "Stories? Hey look, they've got one about Thunderbird Five. How do they even know about her?"

As the text screen faded away, Alan looked around at all of his brothers. "Well, maybe they just made a good guess that we've got an eye in the sky?"

Pulling up a satellite image of the Writers Villa, John showed it to them. "Just look at this. Whoever owns this place really takes good care of it."

Setting his cards down on the table, Virgil stood. "I don't think we should make a fuss over them; after all, they're promoting our organization."

John rolled his eyes. "I wasn't suggesting we should make a big deal about it. I just thought I should let you know about their stories so you could have something good to read when things get a bit boring around the island. Some of the stuff they have us doing is kind of fun. Brains is already working on two new pieces of equipment based on their designs."

Scott started packing up the cards, taking Alan's out of his hand to add to the deck. "I wonder how many writers live in that villa? Forty? Fifty?"

Gordon eyed John. "How did you get the location of this place anyway, John?"

"I um…I had to did a bit of hacking." Seeing the horrified looks his brothers were giving him, he grinned. "Just joking, guys. I signed up on their website a few days ago; it's how I was able to see their photos and found out about the villa. Don't worry; they don't know who I am."

"I would certainly hope not," Scott retorted.

Pushing his chair back, Alan got up and stretched. "Why not? Anything's better than another game of Rummy."

Wendy couldn't help but wonder about that writer she had accepted into their group a few days ago. He was a nice person, but there was something different about the guy. She just had a feeling that he was special. Why she felt it, she didn't know. Four more writers had joined the discussion board within the next few days. Again, Wendy got the same feeling. There was something about them, too, but she just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

It was the middle of July when the discussion board writers decided to get together at their actual villa for a much needed holiday. Everyone would arrive within the next twenty-four hours at the airport and from there they all would be traveling by bus to meet at last.

At the Writers Villa the Hood looked down at the piece of paper he had in his hand and then back up at the massive building. For weeks he had tried to find out how these people knew about International Rescue. So far he'd had no luck. It was time to force his way inside and get to the bottom of what these people were about. Should things go awry, he would simply plant the bomb he had in a toolbox held tightly in his right hand. Firmly believing the direct approach was always the best, he went straight for the security gate. Pressing the intercom button, the Hood waited patiently until a face appeared on the intercom's screen. "Good morning. Welcome to the Writers Villa. How may I help you?"

The Hood smiled. "Let me in, woman."

Wendy was sitting at the desk inside her office on the villa's first floor. It was almost the day when the rest of the discussion board members would arrive. She had just finished the grocery list for Kess and sent her off to do some shopping for the villa's members, when the intercom chimed. Wendy saw a bald man with huge bushy eyebrows looking at her. Greeting the guy, she was quite shocked when he said, "Let me in, woman."

Before she could look away, the guy's eyes started glowing. It was as if his eyes had drawn her in, trapping her somehow. She felt her hand move to the button which would unlock the gate and front door. She watched as her fingers pressed the button, letting the bald man inside. Making a mental note to call the police as soon as she had control of her body again, Wendy did not expect the next words that echoed in her mind. "You'll return to your daily tasks as if nothing ever happened."

Wendy felt slightly dizzy all of a sudden and grabbed onto her desk to prevent herself from falling off her chair. Getting up and stretching, she wondered if all the excitement was causing it. Deciding to check the rooms over to make sure that everything was ready for the discussion board members, she left her office, humming a tune as she went.

Down the hall the Hood watched the woman as she went towards the stairs which would take her to the upper levels of the villa. When she was gone he started to look around for anything that would tell him more about the villa. Heading over to the office where the woman had been seated, he started rummaging through the papers on the desk. Not finding anything there, he went straight for the computer. Finally he found a document which held the first names of all International Rescue operatives and some other minor details which he already had.

The Hood found many stories written by the discussion board members which he had already seen on their website. Finding nothing that would explain how they knew so much about the Thunderbirds, he decided to get rid of the whole problem he saw these writers as, by killing the discussion board members. This would ensure that he was the only one after the Thunderbirds. Leaving the office, the Hood started searching for a way to the basement, which he had seen from the outside that it had.

It wasn't long before he found the right door. Making sure that no one was near, he quickly opened it and crept down the stairs. The basement lights came on as he descended. He found himself in a long hallway with doors on either side.

Halfway along, the hallway opened into a large room that looked like a lounge and open-plan kitchen. There, he saw a wooden chest that had a glass lid. It was standing in the middle of the room with a flower vase on it. Inside the vase were some fake Birds of Paradise, which to a normal person would have been beautiful. But to the Hood, it meant nothing other than something that was in his way. Lifting it carefully and then opening the lid, he placed the bomb atop cedar-permeated linens that filled the chest, set it to go off in forty-eight hours, and then closed the lid and replaced the vase just as it had been.

If he couldn't get to the bottom of how this group of people knew so much about that which he coveted, he would see them die. That thought made a wicked grin spread across his face as he ascended the stairs and left the villa undetected.

The next day, after all members had been fetched from the airport in the villa's official bus, they all headed upstairs to unpack and call their families to let them know that they were all safe. Dinner that evening was a fun affair as stories were told of each member's families and what they were planning to do for Christmas that year.

The following day everyone had gotten up early and after some members went swimming and the rest had hit the gym, they all gathered for breakfast. Kess and Albert had outdone themselves. There was plenty to eat and enough coffee to put them on a permanent high for a year.

That evening after nightfall, all the members had just settled themselves in the Writers Villa Lounge on the first floor to start working on a new fan fiction story. As Helen, Albert and Kess started talking about the best way to start the next chapter, they heard a deep rumble, followed by a violent shaking. Thinking it was an earthquake, Wendy yelled, "Take cover!"

The Villa started to shake and to everyone's horror a huge fireball exploded out of the ground, destroying everything in its path. The building gave a loud groan and started collapsing into itself.

They grabbed onto anything and anyone they could hold on to as the floor fell away from under them. With beams, stones and everything else coming down, they tried their best to cover themselves, not knowing what would end up falling on their heads next.

When the horrible sounds of the building collapsing around them finally stopped, Wendy started calling out the names of the villa's members. Some answered as they coughed and sneezed. Others, however, didn't answer her call.

Desperate to find a way out, Wendy tried to sit upright, only to bang her head against a metal pipe. Rubbing her head and straining her ears to hear where everyone was, she asked, "Anyone seen Helen?"

Hearing everyone answer no, she was about to search for the radio which she hoped was still there when she heard a sudden yelp and a scrabbling sound coming from somewhere underneath her. The floor, or what had once been the floor, that she was sitting on shifted and a painful yelp was heard. Scrambling to get off it, Wendy felt relieved when a familiar voice asked, "Who the hell was sitting on me? That really hurt."

Grabbing at where she now knew Helen was sitting, Wendy hugged her close. "Sorry, that was me. I didn't know you were there. Are you okay?"

Patting herself down, Helen replied, "Oh yeah, now that I'm out from under there. That throw pillow really saved my head when we went down."

From somewhere in the darkness, someone quipped, "Unlike some of us who ended up getting a tray of coffee and tea all over themselves, thank you very much."

All business, Wendy started searching for the radio. Not finding it and trying to stay calm, she asked if anyone had seen it.

Feeling around and trying to free themselves from whatever was holding them down, those who were awake started looking for the missing radio. Finally Kess and Albert touched the radio, yelling, "Found it!" as they both pulled it free from under a smashed table and chair. They laughed and passed it on to the next person until it reached Wendy.

Wondering how it had gotten way over to where the door once was, Wendy switched the radio on by touch, hoping that it hadn't been damaged in the fall. Waiting for the radio to switch on she observed, "I can't believe it. We write about them and now we need their help!"

As the display came to life she pressed a button which would enable her to talk. A green light came on and with relief flooding through her she said, "Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue! Please help!"

Moving towards Wendy, able to see a little now thanks to the glow from the radio screen, one of the members asked, "Do you think they'll really come?"

Helen bounced up and down in spite of her headache. "Oh my gosh, are we going to get to meet them? This is going to be so cool."

From somewhere in the middle someone else spoke up. "I know we always hoped we could meet them, but this isn't quite the way I had in mind."

John had just finished reading an International Rescue fan fiction story when the call for help came in. Checking a screen just slightly to the left of the main viewer, John saw that it from somewhere in the US. "This is International Rescue. What is your emergency?"

"We're trapped under our villa and we're unable to get out. There was some kind of explosion."

Pinpointing the caller's location on the map, he asked, "How many people are trapped?"

"We're a group of forty-six…wait, no, only forty-five are here. More than half of us are awake. We haven't tried searching for the rest of us yet."

Making notes, John asked, "Any injuries?"

"We're a bit banged up, but okay. As for those not answering, I don't know."

"I've got you pinpointed in Central California, southeast of Dixon, is that correct?"

"Yes, the Writers Villa estate."

Shocked, John realized that he was talking to one of the writers from the very group he and his brothers had just joined. He remembered that the members of the discussion board had talked about going to the villa for a story-writing fest and instantly felt awful for them. "Help is on the way, Ma'am."

"Call me Wendy, please."

"All right, Wendy it is. I'm John."

Activating the link to Tracy Island, John wondered what kind of explosion had occurred. When Jeff's face appeared on his screen, he grimly said, "Good morning, Father."

"Good morning, John. What's the situation?"

After explaining the rescue situation to his father, John activated the radio link to the Writers Villa again. "Wendy, can you tell me where everyone was when the explosion happened?"

"We were all in the Lounge, which is in the front of the villa on the first floor."

"Is there a basement?"

"Yes. The Lounge was directly over the basement; I think that's where we ended up."

Making a few more notes, John sent them off to Thunderbirds One and Two. "Help will be arriving soon."

"Thank you."

In Thunderbird Two, Alan was reviewing the notes John had sent to them. "Wow, I can't believe it. Guess where we're heading?"

Turning his chair to face Alan, Gordon asked, "The States, right?"

"Yes, but look, it's the Writers Villa. Just think…we're going to actually see the people behind the usernames on their website."

Virgil looked at the information on his screen. "Guys, I think we might have a problem here. How will these people react to us when they see us? What if one of them recognizes us, what then?"

Everyone thought about it for a minute or so before Gordon broke the silence. "They seem normal enough."

Nodding his head John said, "Yeah, but that's from thousands of miles away, not face to face. There will be forty-five of our fans and you know how injured and panicked victims can be."

No one really knew what to say to that. They could only hope that their dedication to saving lives wouldn't wind up being their undoing as a secret organization.

"I guess all we can do," Alan finally said, "is hope for the best."

Scott had listened as his brothers talked. He, too, wondered about the discussion board members. "Guys, I agree this could be problematic, but right now we need to figure out how we're going to get them out. Do you have a map of that villa for us, John?"

"Yes, I'm downloading it to Thunderbirds One and Two right now."

Opening the map on a screen right next to the one where his brothers were, Scott stared at it for a bit. "Well, assuming the ground surrounding the villa's still stable, it looks like we'll be able to get these people out the easy way. There's a big enough yard for us to land and get the Mole down to the basement. I'm just glad the structure's big enough that we can use it."

Seeing his brothers nod their heads in agreement, he looked at his clock on the bottom of the main screen. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

When the grounds finally appeared where the Writers Villa had once stood, Scott couldn't believe what he was seeing. The once beautiful villa was reduced to a mountain of rubble. Scott landed Thunderbird One and got Mobile Control out. He found a spot under a huge oak tree to set it up. That done, he scanned the villa to see where exactly the members were according to heat signatures. "Mobile Control to Thunderbird Two. As far as I can see, everyone is in roughly one area. What's your ETA?"

"ETA now sixteen minutes."

As the link closed, Scott got up and looked around him. He could see that there was a security gate at one end of the property. Not far from it was a huge garage with a bus parked outside its doors. There was a large pool just like the one on Tracy Island, off to the right side of the building. It was still intact, for which Scott was glad. The last thing they needed was its water flooding the surrounding area.

In the basement, people had been searching for their missing friends. Helen found two under a broken table, alive but with bad headaches.

Wendy had found four more behind a wall which had appeared out of nowhere when the villa had fallen into itself. They'd broken a hole through it and were able to talk to everyone else that way.

Somewhere in the darkness two more missing friends had risen up from under a fallen cupboard, scaring some of the others as they spoke behind them, asking what had happened to the villa.

Wendy moved them all over to the hole in the wall. "Now that we've found everyone, I want all of us to stay together. International Rescue's on their way."

Finding themselves a spot to sit, everyone started talking, asking what had happened. Nobody knew, and before they had a chance to give voice to any theories, they felt a vibration through the ground. The sound of something like a jet engine followed. One of the members got up and tried walking in the direction where the sound was coming from, only to be stopped by someone's hand. "Hey, I want to know where it's coming from."

Kess had heard the person coming towards her and had stuck out her hand to stop whoever it was from walking too far. "Something could fall down at any moment and trap or kill you. You heard what Wendy said, didn't you? Stay here. We'll move when they get to us, okay?"

Sighing, the member sat down and started tapping her foot. "I can't hear anything anymore. Maybe it's more of the house coming down again?"

"That's why we have to stay together," Kess replied. "Be ready to duck and cover, just in case."

When Thunderbird Two landed and opened its pod door, Scott waited for his brothers to join him. As Gordon and Alan came down the ramp, Virgil started up the Mole and drove it out of the pod, turning it to face the villa. He then hopped out of the Mole and joined his brothers at Mobile Control.

Looking at the map again, Scott spoke up. "I'll call the discussion board members on their radio and inform them that we'll be drilling down to the basement. We'll be going in one hundred feet out from where the front doors used to be."

"Got it," Virgil stated.

Scott pointed to Thunderbird Two. "Right, Alan, Gordon, you two are going to get a few kits out and ready to go, for anyone in need of immediate care. Virgil, start drilling and once you're down there, let me know what the situation is."

Down under, some of the group were getting restless. It was stuffy and a few people were on the verge of panicking. Albert had been searching for something for some time and when he finally found it, everyone jumped with fright when he yelled, "Ah ha!" He hauled a box out from under a broken counter. "Cookies. Anyone want some?"

Everyone took a cookie or two as the tin was passed around. Kess handed a few through the hole in the wall for those trapped behind it. 'At least the mood has changed a bit,' she thought as she took a cookie for herself.

Another whining engine sound and vibration were felt some time later and everyone started talking, but Wendy shushed them when their radio crackled to life. "This is International Rescue."

"Wendy here."

"This is Scott speaking. Thunderbird Two has arrived with the Mole. We'll be drilling down to you within a minute or two. My scans show everyone's in relatively one spot, correct?"

"Yes, we've gathered near a wall that we broke a hole through. Some of our members are trapped behind it. We've found everyone that was missing."

"Good to hear, that means that we'll be able to get you all out quickly."

Wendy smiled in relief. "Thanks, Scott."

The Mole had begun to inch its way down into the ground when Scott radioed. "Mobile Control to Mole."

"Go ahead, Scott."

"I've spoken to Wendy again. Everyone's accounted for."

Giving a relieved sigh, Virgil silently thanked the heavens for keeping the discussion board members safe. "Great, that means that I just have to go down and pick them all up?"

"Well, maybe not that fast. Some of the members are trapped behind a wall and may need some help getting through it."

Checking the status screen, Virgil answered. "The ground's really soft here. I'm almost to the basement. Getting them out from behind a wall won't be a problem."

"All right, keep me updated."

"FAB."

Down under everyone felt a new vibration, much more strong and constant, and it was coming towards them. Not knowing where the drill bit would be coming through, one of the members panicked. "Did someone tell them exactly where we're at? I don't want my head cut off." Hearing a soft laugh from somewhere behind him, the member turned around angrily. "What are you laughing at?"

It was Helen who answered. "Don't you read your own stories? They know exactly where we are." A loud crack was heard and then a bright light filled the room. Helen grinned. "See?"

Opening the Mole's hatch and putting his hard hat on, Virgil got out and smiled when a group of relieved faces greeted him. "International Rescue at your service. I'm Virgil. Does anyone need medical attention? If so, they'll go up first."

Everyone shook their heads, some wincing after realizing that it wasn't such a good idea. Virgil moved to the hole in the wall. "It won't be hard to make this a bit bigger. Everyone in there okay?"

Hearing a man say yes, Virgil then turned and looked at the group. "Okay, please form groups of fifteen, that's our passenger load. The group nearest the Mole will go first."

It seemed like no one had heard what Virgil said. Every one of the members was in the process of realizing that not only were they seeing the Mole up close and personal, but they were seeing Virgil, a member of International Rescue, in the flesh! Forgetting that they were all in danger, the members started firing questions at him.

"What's it like to be in IR?"

"How many rescues do you guys go on per month?"

"Can you sign this for me?"

Holding up his hands to quiet everyone down, Virgil shook his head. "I know you have a lot of questions, but there's the small matter of your lives being in danger to tend to first, don't you think?"

That got their attention. Some members sheepishly moved over to the Mole while others stayed by the hole in the wall. Helen remained where she was. Looking at the now lonely figure standing in the middle of nowhere, Virgil asked, "How about you standing over there, are you staying or going back up with the first group?"

Helen turned towards Virgil. "Do you hear that?"

Wendy moved toward Virgil. "That's Helen. What did you hear?"

Now wide eyed, Helen stared above her head. "It sounded like a low groan."

Virgil nodded. "It could be the house giving some more. That's why I have to get you all out of here as fast as possible."

Turning to look at the Mole and back at Virgil, Helen started walking over to the rest of the members at the Mole. "There's only fourteen people, so I'll join them. I don't want to die down here."

Quickly checking that the room was as stable as it could be, Virgil followed Helen to the Mole. Once inside, the members all strapped themselves into harnesses attached to rows of seats for the ride back up.

"Here we go," Virgil advised as he put the Mole in reverse. "We'll be out soon."

True to his word, Virgil got the Mole back up quickly and as he opened the hatch and helped everyone out, Gordon and Alan started greeting them. Glancing over to Scott, who was helping to check everyone over, he called out, "Would you mind helping me down under?"

Scott headed his way. "Sure. Gordo and Al can handle everyone."

Local emergency services had arrived and paramedics were working with Gordon and Alan to check the discussion board members over as they exited the Mole.

Back in the basement, after a few more people had been escorted into the Mole, Scott went over to the hole in the wall, where Wendy and Albert were banging away at the bricks trying to make it bigger. "Let me get something to take care of that."

Scott got a box from a locker near the hatch, then closed it. Heading back to the hole in the wall, he placed the box down onto the ground and opened it up.

Finding a portable light, Scott set it up and switched it on as Virgil reversed the Mole back up its hole for the second time. Even as that light disappeared, Scott's filled the room. Turning back to the box, he got a small tube out. As he unscrewed the lid from the tube, he spoke through the hole. "Can you all move back a bit?"

Doing as they were instructed, the discussion board members watched as Scott emptied the tube along the circumference of the hole. Within moments, bricks started dissolving right before their eyes until the hole became big enough for a large man to fit through.

"Just something we got a few weeks ago," Scott explained, noting the looks of wonder on some of the members' faces. "The more you put on whatever you want to get rid of, the more it eats away. It could become dangerous if it ends up in the wrong hands."

Looking down, he pushed on a brick to see if something would happen. When it didn't dissolve under his touch, he removed detritus from the bottom half of the hole and nodded. "It's safe, come on out."

One by one the members started climbing through the hole, looking around at the destruction as they did so. Scott saw something glinting in the light from the portable lamp. It was about fifteen feet away where there were a lot of glass shards and what appeared to be fake flowers scattered on the floor. He moved quickly over the rubble and picked it up, jaw dropping in surprise when he realized what it was. Not wishing to frighten the members any further, he shoved it into his pocket as he headed back to them.

"What'd you find?" Wendy asked.

But Scott didn't have a chance to even make up a reply. "Oh, no," Albert breathed, looking down. There was water coming towards them ever so slowly. Then a very load groan came from the opposite wall, and given the presence of water, the direction the groaning came from and the sudden smell of chlorine, Scott knew immediately what had happened. He lifted his watch to his face. "Virgil, get back here fast. We have a problem."

"FAB."

Ten minutes later, the Mole reappeared once more. When Virgil opened the hatch, they all quickly climbed inside.

Back above ground while the last of the discussion board members were being taken care of by paramedics, Gordon and Alan, Scott went over to Mobile Control and opened a channel. "Scott to John. We got everyone out safely."

"Glad to hear that." John's next words were cut off by a loud BOOM! Everyone's faces whipped around toward the direction of the sound and watched in horror as the pool broke open and water gushed directly into the basement.

Rubbing his hand over his face, Scott looked around the villa's grounds and sighed. A few forum members had burst into tears and others were just staring at the hole where the swimming pool had been. He looked at Virgil as his younger brother joined him. "At least we got them all out before that happened."

" Is everyone okay?" Virgil asked.

Looking at the discussion board members and seeing that his brothers was now trying to comfort them Scott answered, "Yes, they're okay." He moved to Mobile Control and opened a channel to John. "I found this down there in the rubble." He pulled the object he'd picked up out of his pocket and handed it to Virgil in full view of John's face on-screen.

"A detonator?" Virgil whispered incredulously. "Someone planted a bomb?"

"Seems that way. I wonder if it was one of them," he stated, scanning the members to see if anyone seemed to be acting suspiciously. There was nothing obvious he could pinpoint.

"Who would want to blow up a writing retreat?" John asked.

"I'll ask them if they had any enemies. John, see if you can find out whether they had security cameras. Maybe there's something on them that can help."

"Will do, see you later."

"Virgil," Scott said as he powered off the Mobile Control unit, "get to Two's lab and start working on tracing this detonator. Get Brains to help. I want to know where it came from."

Nodding, Virgil closed his hand around the battered detonator and jogged toward his 'bird.

It took Scott about fifteen minutes to secure the Mobile Control unit in the belly of Thunderbird One. He was keenly aware that a few of the discussion board members were watching his every movement with great interest, and actually found it somewhat amusing how close of attention they were paying. When finished at One, he walked over to the group and watched as Virgil backed the Mole into Pod Five. "Who's in charge of the Writers Villa?"

Raising her hand, Wendy answered, "I am, along with a few others."

Scott motioned her to join him out of earshot of the others. "I found a detonator in the basement."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I don't want to scare everyone, so let's keep this on the down-low." Wendy nodded in agreement "Do you have any enemies that would go this far?"

Looking towards the group and back, Wendy answered, "None that I can think of. We're harmless. All we do is write stories about you guys."

"All right. Is there a safe place you can go tonight?"

"Yes, a friend of mine has a villa nearby where we can stay for a few nights."

Scott looked down at his watch as it started to vibrate. "Hang on a sec."

Walking away from Wendy, Scott lifted his watch to his face. "Go ahead, John."

"They had security cameras. I've checked the digital records. Scott…it was the Hood. He was hanging around there for quite some time before entering the villa."

"The Hood?" Scott repeated. "You're kidding."

"Unfortunately, no."

"Why the hell would he want to do this?"

"I wish I knew."

"Keep on it," Scott ordered, eyes moving to Wendy, who was staring intently at him. "We've got to find out what's going on here."

"FAB," John replied, then closed the link.

Scott returned to Wendy. He internally debated whether to tell her about the Hood, but decided against it until they had more information to share. "I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. Hopefully we'll be able to find out who did this and why."

Holding out her hand to Scott, Wendy shook it and smiled. "Thank you for getting us out of there. We appreciate it." She held it a little longer than was strictly necessary. "It's been awesome to meet you guys."

Scott smiled. "Good to meet you, too. It's nice to have people in our corner."

"Isn't everyone in your corner?" Wendy asked.

"You'd be surprised," Scott muttered.

Wendy frowned. "Really?"

"Never mind," Scott said, forcing a smile.

"Wendy?" She turned to find Helen waving her over.

"Sorry, gotta go."

Scott nodded and watched as she trotted over to join Helen. His mind was churning. What could be the reason the Hood would want to do these people in?

Gordon and Alan were standing to one side, talking to several of the discussion board members. Kess was looking at Gordon, trying to burn the memory of seeing him for real into her mind. "You're Gordon, right?"

Seeing him nod his head, she went on. "I know that we can't ask where exactly you guys come from, so I'll ask you this: why do you do it? I mean, risking your life and putting yourselves through hell. Why do you risk your necks for people you don't even know?"

Gordon had thought about this himself many times since they started International Rescue. "Because we want to help in any way we can so that people will have another chance at life."

Virgil joined the group. One of the members who loved to write stories about him asked, "Do you fly Thunderbird Two?"

"Yes, I'm her pilot," Virgil replied.

One of the members asked, "Do you fly Thunderbird Three?"

Alan grinned. "That one's mine. And she's fantastic."

Scott walked into the midst of the rapid-fire question session and was immediately asked, by an overly excited woman, "Do you have more than one Thunderbird, as in two Thunderbird Ones and so on?"

Shaking his head Scott answered, "I can't really tell you that, now can I?"

"Is Thunderbird Five a space station or a satellite, and where in space can you find it?"

"I'm sorry, we can't reveal that information."

Seeing Helen watching him, Scott addressed his next question to her. "Anything you want to know that I can actually answer?"

Shaking her head she replied, "Well, no. Actually, I wanted to ask if there's anything you want to ask us."

"Yeah. When did you all start writing stories about International Rescue?"

"Wendy and some of her friends started writing about you guys when they first heard about you on the news, that Fireflash rescue you did. As time went by, more and more people started joining the discussion board and writing about you. So, this group is almost as old as International Rescue itself, I guess."

Many more questions were asked, with some being answered, before Wendy decided that the members had bothered the men in blue more than enough. Calling them together, amidst lots of protests, she led them to the bus.

"Thanks," she heard a voice say just as she was about to board. She turned to find Virgil standing there holding out his hand. She took it and returned his warm smile. "No," she said. "Thank you. Not just for saving our lives, but for putting up with us."

He chuckled. "Our pleasure. Be safe."

She nodded and boarded the bus. As it pulled away, all the members watched through the windows, getting every last look at both the Thunderbirds and their operators that they could, before the bus turned a corner and they were out of sight.

"Wow," Albert said.

The silence of everyone as they settled properly into their seats, echoed the sentiment.

When the Writers Villa members had all gone over to the bus to move to the villa down the road, Scott looked at his brothers. "Anything I should know about?"

Watching the bus drive away, Gordon smiled. "Well, we know that they're big fans of ours and that they all love writing. Oh, and they ask a lot of questions."

"No kidding, geez," Alan added.

Scott's face grew serious. "Fellas, what blew this place up was a bomb. John reviewed the security camera footage." He shook his head. "It was the Hood."

"What?" Gordon asked. "Why?"

"Because these people like us?" Alan offered.

"I was thinking about that," Virgil said as he surveyed the demolished building. "What if, because they seemed to know so much about us with what they write in their stories, he thought they had some information about our organization that he could use?"

Scott's brow knitted. "You mean maybe he thought they were directly affiliated with us?"

"Could be," Alan said. "But did he intend to kill them? Did he even know they'd be here today?"

"And for that matter, where is he now?" Gordon asked.

"Good questions," Scott acknowledged. "But no answers." He raised his watch to his face. "Scott to John. Anything new?"

"No. At the moment I'm checking the members list on the discussion board to see if there's someone who doesn't belong there. Does anyone of you have a list of names of those who had been at the villa?""

Pulling a piece of paper out of his pants pocket, Gordon looked at it. "I did. Should I read it to you or do you want us to scan it and send it to you?"

"Just read it."

Going down the list as Gordon read the names, John finally stopped him when he came across a name on the site that had been skipped over alphabetically. "I think I've got one here who didn't attend this outing."

"You know," Scott said, snapping his fingers, "Wendy originally said there were forty-six people, then amended it to forty-five. Maybe this is the forty-sixth?"

"Might be." Tapping a few keys and searching for the address which was on the user's profile, John found that it didn't match any address in any country. "Male, age unknown, goes by the handle TheMask."

"How obvious can you get?" Virgil asked.

"No kidding," John replied. "I'll get a fix on his IP address and talk to Penny."

Turning to head back to Thunderbird One, Scott gave a sigh. "It's bad enough with the Hood trying to get his hands on our Thunderbirds but it's even worse when he starts going after people who have nothing to do with us." He shook his head. "Nothing more we can do here. Let's go home."

Virgil and their two younger brothers headed back to Thunderbird Two and got ready to leave. Scott looked once more at the destroyed villa. A slight smile graced his features as an idea began to formulate in his mind.

On the bus, everyone was quiet. It was only now that they all realized what they had lost. Not only their home away from home, but also all the gifts they had brought with them for each other. Seeing their faces fall as they all realized it, Wendy spoke up. "At least we're all still alive thanks to International Rescue. We got to see the boys in action today and they even stuck around to talk to us." She was happy to see this thought replace the more negative ones by the looks on many of their faces. "It will take a few years to rebuild and replace. For now, let's just be happy they answered our call."

From the back of the bus, Helen said, "Guess you're right. We got to see our favourite real-life heroes today. There's something to that."

No one could disagree.

That night as Wendy walked through her friend's villa, she tried to think back to the day before everyone had arrived. Something didn't feel right about that day. It was as if she had forgotten something. Sitting down at a desk in front of a window, she heard a voice seeming to come from inside her own head. "You'll return to your daily tasks as if nothing ever happened."

Sitting up straight, eyes widening, something told her that she had to remember. But after about an hour of trying and failing, she gave up and got into bed.

It was around midnight when she bolted awake. She remembered. Pulling on some slippers and a bathrobe her friend had lent her, she ran out of her room and down the hall. Stopping in the lounge, she switched on a small lamp and headed straight for the radio. "Calling International Rescue."

"This is International Rescue. What is your emergency?"

Sitting down onto the chair next to the radio, she replied, "This is Wendy. I remember. A man with glowing eyes forced me to open the gate and door for him. I was his puppet. He's the one who blew up our villa!"

"Hi, Wendy, it's John. What you're saying confirms what we found on your security recordings."

"What?"

"It was the Hood. He's been after us since our first rescue."

"Wait, you mean, the one who planted the bomb on the Fireflash to lure you there? I remember the tower controller told the London Times that someone was taking photos of Thunderbird One's cockpit, and that he got away."

"We didn't think he had, but obviously he did. He's right there in black and white on your camera footage."

"But why us? Wendy asked. "Why blow up our villa?"

"We're not sure," John replied. "All we can think of is that maybe he thought you had inside info he could get his hands on."

"Unbelievable," Wendy whispered. "How did he get me to open that gate for him?"

"I wish I knew, but stories about him being able to do things like that have been circulating for years."

"Dammit, I feel like this is all my fault."

"We'll do our best to get to the bottom of this, Wendy, I promise. And it's not your fault. It's his."

"Thanks, John. Please let us know if you find out anything more."

"Will do. John out."

A few days had gone by since the Writers Villa rescue and so far nothing had been found on the Hood's whereabouts. The boys had read on a forum post that everyone was back at their homes and doing well.

Not been able to forget the villa or its members, Scott's germ of an idea was now going full-steam ahead. They decided to rebuild the once proud building without the owners knowing. Because these folks had been attacked because of International Rescue, they all, Jeff included, felt it was only right for them to restore the Writers Villa so the group would once again have a home away from home.

They'd just finished solidifying their plans, and as everyone stood from their seats around the long conference table in their meeting room, Alan said, "You know, with the info Penny gathered on each of the members, I saw many of them have interesting occupations."

"What are you getting at, Alan?" Jeff asked.

"I was just thinking, Dad," Alan replied with a mysterious air, "that many of them live in places where our agent population is pretty thin."

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Tin-Tin asked.

"Make them agents?" Kyrano supplied.

"All of them?" Grandma asked.

"Hmm," Jeff said, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "Might not be a bad idea, at that."

It was the beginning of December when Wendy got a personal message on the discussion board from a user named Thunderbird1 asking if she could get all forty-five members to return to the site of their villa. The message also warned her about a member which wasn't telling them the truth about his identity and that he should be removed immediately.

She asked Thunderbird1 who he was and where he'd gotten his information.

Another message arrived shortly thereafter. Do you trust me, Wendy?

Wendy replied, I might if I knew who you were.

What she read next shocked her. It's Scott from International Rescue.

Frowning, she typed a response quickly. How do I know that it's really you?

A moment later Scott replied. Send me a vidphone number and I'll call you.

Wendy did so, hoping she wouldn't have to get the number disconnected because she'd just given it to a kook. Or worse yet, the Hood. She didn't have to wait long for the answer. Her vidphone rang and the moment she answered it, she saw Scott's face on the screen. "It really is you!"

He grinned. "Sure is. Morning, Wendy."

"So why is it you want us all to return to the estate? We haven't even been able to afford to pay someone to clean up the mess, let alone rebuild."

"Well, we have a surprise for you. We want you to make an announcement on the discussion board."

"A surprise?" He nodded. "What do you want me to say?"

Holding up a Christmas card, Scott smiled when Wendy looked at it. "That everyone's invited to an International Rescue Christmas party."

"What about our families? We can't just pack up and leave during the holidays without a good reason."

Picking up another christmas card which had the title Family Christmas written on it, Scott showed it to her. "This is a separate invitation for your family members. We've rented another villa which is big enough for everyone, and close enough to your estate that you won't have to be away from your families for the holiday."

"You're kidding."

Scott laughed. "No. I know it's a lot to ask, but it's really important, Wendy." He gave her a long, meaningful look and then, more quietly said, "Please. Trust me."

"I'll do my best," Wendy said. "But it might not be easy. I'm not sure everyone can afford a second trip this year, especially what with Christmas expenditures."

"We're taking care of that, too," Scott told her. "We're arranging for transportation for each and every member from their nearest local airport."

"Holy crap, you can afford to do that?" she asked.

Chuckling, Scott just nodded.

"Well, I suppose if you can operate machines as big as the Thunderbirds, you must have lots of mon—" Wendy's jaw dropped. She stared at Scott for a moment.

Scott's eyes widened.

"Oh," Wendy said.

"Oh?" Scott repeated.

"Scott…Tracy," she whispered. "I knew you looked familiar! And only billionaires could afford both IR and flying us all over the globe!"

Scott raised his eyebrows. "Really." He leaned forward, keeping hold of her eyes. "I asked earlier if you trusted me."

She nodded.

He leaned back. "Clearly, I trust you. Quid pro quo?"

"Wow," Wendy breathed, leaning back in her chair. "Y-yes, yes, of course! Oh, my God. I won't tell them. I promise I won't."

"Good. Now, I'll email you details about the arrangements so you can put it into your board announcement."

"Okay." A smile slowly spread across her face. "Tracy. I'll be damned."

"If you tell anyone, yes," Scott replied in mock seriousness.

Wendy laughed out loud. "Understood. I'll wait for that email."

He winked at her and severed the line. Mission accomplished. Now on to the finishing touches, and then the big reveal. Scott and his brothers were excited. They couldn't wait to see what the Writers Villa group reacted to what they had done.

On December twenty-fourth, everyone found themselves at the airport again, this time courtesy of chartered jets that had brought all members and all their family members to Central California. Initially, three buses took all the family members to the villa Scott had rented for them down the road about a mile from the Writers Villa, and Albert was there with their bus to take them to the estate. As they finally pulled up to the old gate, the incessant chatter of everyone asking what was going on ceased.

At the front of the bus, Kess and Albert sat with their mouths hanging open. From what they could see through the iron bars, a beautiful villa greeted them, with an ornate fountain on either side of the front door. Reaching through the bus window, Albert pressed the intercom button. A soft chime was heard and then a redheaded man appeared on the screen. "Welcome to the Writers Villa. How may we help you?"

Looking at the man on the screen and then back at Kess, who was still staring at the villa, Albert breathed, "Gordon, is that really you?"

Everyone got up to have a look. Gordon laughed. As the gate opened, he said, "Yes. We'll explain it all when you're safely inside."

Stopping the bus near the two fountains, Albert opened the doors so that everyone could get out, but no one moved. Every window on the villa side of the bus had a face plastered to it in disbelief.

The villa's doors opened and Scott and his brothers walked out. Seeing that everyone was staring at them from the open windows, Gordon gave them a goofy smile. "Do any of you need rescuing from your bus?"

One by one the faces disappeared from the windows and reappeared outside the bus. The members each had a carry-on bag in one hand and the other on the bus to ground themselves.

The brothers all smiled at the discussion board members as they stared up at their new villa. Stepping forward, Scott indicated the new building with a grand, sweeping gesture. "International Rescue at your service."

As soon as Scott said those words, the discussion board members started firing questions at them and whooping with joy.

Watching the members jump and dance around happily, John grinned. When everyone had calmed down enough, they were all led into the new villa by Virgil and John while the rest of the brothers started unloading the bus.

Inside the villa, the members started talking all at once as they looked around them. They were standing in a grand foyer with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from a cathedral ceiling. Hanging on the walls were beautiful pictures of different landscapes, some of which Virgil had painted himself. The furniture was beautiful and appeared to be antique. Tables, chairs and even the doors had landscape-type pictures carved on them by what must have been a master woodsmith. There were even a few small statues and other decorations to look at on shelves or placed expertly around the floor. It all looked like something directly out of a home decorating magazine.

After everyone was taken into the new lounge, they all stared at the couches and chairs, which looked soft and inviting. The room was done mostly in earthy colors, making it warm and inviting. At one end a huge flat screen TV hung on the wall. At the other end was a snack bar. A beautiful coffee table with a glass top was standing in the middle of the floor, upon which was a vase full of flowers – real Birds of Paradise, rather than the fake ones from before.

John handed them each a map of the villa so they wouldn't get lost. There was so much talking, exclaiming and questioning going on that finally Scott had to belt out a two-fingered whistle to get everyone's attention. "Okay, everybody, if you could all please find a spot to sit," he said in his best field commander voice.

Coffee and tea were served along with some snacks, by people none of the group members recognized. The bus had been unloaded by Gordon and Alan, who now joined them in the lounge. As they sat down, John rose from where he'd been seated next to Helen and moved to the middle of the room

"Good afternoon to you all. I'm John and these are my brothers Scott, Gordon, Alan and Virgil." He pointed to each brother as he introduced them. "But you already know that. We've asked you all to return here because we have a couple of surprises for you. As you can see, we decided to rebuild this villa. But what you don't know is that it's because we're all members of your discussion board, too."

Wendy stood. "I knew it," she whispered with a grin, getting a wink from Scott. "Thank you to all of you. You've rebuilt our home within a few months, where it would have taken us years to do so."

Scott smiled sadly. "We're sorry about your original villa." He looked directly at Wendy, who was frowning a little. "As far as we know, the man who did this was after information about us, and when he couldn't find any, he decided to destroy you. We've installed the latest technology to protect your home away from home in the best possible way."

"About you? Why would they think we knew stuff about you?" Kess asked.

"Probably because we seem to know what we're talking about in the stories we write," Wendy interjected quickly, picking up on Scott's silent cues. "It's being investigated. I'm sure they'll figure it all out."

Scott shot her a look of thanks. No reason to get the members so worried that the best-known criminal in the world had been the one to destroy their villa.

Virgil got to his feet as well. "There's one last surprise. Well, actually, it's a question we have for each and every one of you."

The discussion board members looked at each other, then back at Virgil.

Walking over to a table which held a stack of envelopes, Virgil picked a few of them up and looked at his brothers. Gordon and Alan moved to the table and took a few envelopes themselves. Scott and John joined them, and soon they were handing the members an envelope each. "Wait until everyone has one," Scott advised.

"Our real first and last names are on these," Albert observed. "Wow."

John moved back to the middle of the room. "What you have there in your hand is an International Rescue contract."

"Oh, my God," Wendy breathed. "No way!"

John grinned at her. "Yes way. The reason we needed you here without your families, is to ask you if you would like to become International Rescue agents. If you choose to join us, you'll be receiving training and the latest technology to use. If you choose not to join us, we would like to ask you to keep this a secret. Either way, you cannot tell your families. Not your husbands or wives or children. Should that become an inconvenience in the future, you are not required to assist when called on."

One of the discussion board members had gotten up from where she was sitting at the window. "How did you guys find out who we really are?"

John raised an eyebrow. "We're International Rescue."

Everyone laughed.

From somewhere at the back, Kess said, "I've always wanted to join you. I didn't even know you had agents."

"Many," Scott stated. "And now, hopefully, forty-five more."

"This. Is. SO. COOL!" Kess exclaimed.

Gordon laughed. "I think it's time for you all to explore and pick your own rooms." Read the contract at your leisure, ask us any questions you might have, and let us know what you decide to do."

As the rest of the members ran for the stairway, most of them babbling unintelligibly over the new villa, the presence of International Rescue and them being asked to become agents, Wendy approached Scott. "Well," she said, waving the envelope at him.

"Well," he replied with a mischievous grin.

"Thanks for trusting me," she told him in all seriousness. "For trusting all of us."

"Oh, they don't know our last name," he said. "So far, you're the only one who's figured that out."

Wendy took the contract out of the envelope, and held her hand out. Scott pulled a pen from his back pocket and handed it to her. She turned, put the contract on the coffee table, bent forward and signed it. Then she righted herself and handed both the pen and the contract to him.

"You haven't even read it," he said, surprised, as he took them from her hand.

"Don't need to," she replied. "You're the Tracy family." She shook her head and smiled. "The most ethical family in business."

He chuckled. "You read Forbes, huh?"

She laughed, winked and headed toward the stairs to see about finding her own room.

"Success?" Virgil asked as he joined his brother in the center of the room.

"Absolutely," Scott said, handing Virgil the signed contract. "And I'd say it's a fair bet we'll have forty-four more successes by Christmas."

The following morning dawned with beautiful sunny blue skies. It was Christmas Day. All the discussion board members felt happy, happier than they'd ever been before. They had asked questions the previous day after which the whole lot of them had signed and handed in their contracts to the Tracy boys. They weren't just fan fiction writers anymore…they were International Rescue agents now as well. None had ever received a Christmas gift that meant so much.

As they filed downstairs one by one, the new agents were blown away by the amount of food in the massive dining room decorated in shades of sea foam green and ocean blue with small Christmas trees lining the center of the long maple wood table.

After everyone was seated, Albert rang a small bell to get their attention. Standing at the head of the table, Scott smiled. "Welcome to your first day as International Rescue agents. We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas."

The room erupted in cheers.

It had turned out to be a different Christmas for the Tracy sons this year. Instead of spending Christmas on their island, they were spending this joyful day at the Writers Villa where they'd met some wonderful people and gained some more agents for their organization.

The five men smiled at each other as they took their seats at the table with everyone else. Food, laughter, tales of silliness and wonderment that they were all alive, happy and healthy…and all sitting there together having fun with the men they wrote stories about…had the Writers Villa members very nearly giddy with joy. And the day would only get better as their families joined them that evening for a huge party the boys had promised would be fun for everyone from the youngest children to the oldest adults.

It had definitely turned out to be a Merry Christmas for one and all.