Hello, folks!

Yes, after a bit of a dry spell (I think the plot bunnies went into their winter nap a bit early!), I'm back with my latest tag for the truly brilliant Home On The Range.

Seriously, wasn't that a cracking episode?! More great references to the original series, more backstory for the boys and their mom, more heroics from MAX and EOS - and more troubling menace from The Mechanic. Oooooh, we're heading for a humdinger of a finale!

More immediately, I hope you enjoy this latest story, as Scott reflects on The Mechanic's latest attack.

Just a quick mention, too, about the age order I use in my stories. As my lovely reviewers will know, I've always written Virgil as the third brother, with John being second oldest after Scott. This keeps with the preference that I held all through the original series, and which I've also held throughout TAG2015.

I know there was a lot of reaction after Grandma Tourismo on this issue, and everyone has the right to their opinion. But since changing all my stories would cause me an awful lot of work, I respectfully ask that you respect mine here too.

Thank you - and enjoy!

No Place To Hide

Alone on the porch, Scott stared up at the stars above him, as if they somehow held the answers to soothe the chaos in his mind. In a crystal clear night, they were breathtaking. Perfect. Everything that would have inspired their father to reach for them, then forge his name further into still lauded history. To follow in his own hero's footsteps, and tread them not just on the moon, but Mars too.

Not so perfect or inspiring, though, for Scott to find either answers or comfort among them. If anything, his thoughts dipped even further into worry and frustration as he glanced around him.

This was their home. Their sanctuary. And their newest, still thoroughly ruthless enemy had invaded it.

No wonder he still felt the whole world on his shoulders right now. A weight that not even the Terrible Twins' antics, or the relief at Kat Cavanaugh's change of heart, had managed to lift. On a night where he should have celebrated another successful mission, or just headed for the comfort of his bed, he was sitting out here, on his mother's favourite bench - wondering how he could protect the rest of her priceless legacy.

Questions that had bugged him all through dinner still bugged him now. This much needed return to Gran Roca had been far from the restful break they'd all needed. That training session, too, had almost ended in disaster. If not for his brothers, and Kayo, and the bonds of trust between them, he'd have taken another painful dive into those crash mats, and - damn it, how had it happened? How had The Mechanic breached their state of the art defences? And even with Brains' and Kayo's upgrades - could he do it again?

Right on cue, one of his mind-reading, butt-saving brothers appeared at his side. And without even speaking, without the need to acknowledge him, Scott knew who it would be. That thought alone cheered him, enough for him to smile as Virgil settled onto the bench beside him. Through years and years of practice, the family peacemaker was also one hell of a personal counsellor. And if ever he needed his calming presence and reassurance, Scott needed it now.

Against the chill of near midnight air, the warmth of plaid flannel settled around his shoulders. A solid yet infinitely gentle arm drew him closer, and Scott felt himself relax against his brother's side, until his head found its familiar place on Virgil's shoulder. In the safest of hands, he closed his eyes - breathed slowly and deeply, and allowed Scott Tracy, the fearless commander, to become Scott Tracy, the comforted brother.

Beside him, Virgil smiled too - partly in relief that Gordon and Alan had finally stopped squabbling and were now tucked up in bed, but even more so that Scott was settling too. Still not quite ready to talk it out yet, but - well, no rush. With everyone safe, on a now calm and quiet night, he'd wait for as long as his brother needed.

Moments and minutes merged from one to another. Then, at last, came the telltale sigh that would bring their silence to an end.

"Hell of a day, Virg. One hell of a day."

Smiling wryly at these opening words, Virgil let them go. After what they'd all been through, this was no time for the family language monitor to add tuts of disapproval to the weight of its aftermath. Instead he just nodded - keeping his reply as casual as Scott needed it to be.

"Yeah, it's been... interesting."

A 'no kidding' snort was a promising sign. So was its matching expression on Scott's face. But its smile hadn't reached his brother's eyes, so it couldn't reach Virgil's either. All joking aside, this latest attack on such hallowed ground had shaken all of them. So - yes, time for the family counsellor to do what the family counsellor did best.

"And we're okay, Scott. Yes, it has been one hell of a day, but we've all come through it. And you saw those upgrades that Kayo's set up around the whole compound. If The Mechanic comes within an inch of them... well, he'll get the surprise this time. All thanks to his former partner in crime."

That earned him a wry smile, as Scott considered its irony. Ah yes, the jamming bubble that had almost brought their oldest enemy back on terms with their newest. A tool of thieving criminals, changed by Brains' genius to one of priceless protection.

And yet. And yet. No, as he stared out to their furthest perimeters, Scott wished their new defences could bring him more comfort.

Yes, they'd been lucky today. Years of training, and trust, and everything their family values stood for, had won it for them. But still the worst fear of a military commander remained. Their seemingly impregnable stronghold had been breached by the enemy.

Not for the first time either. Even if Kayo had planned for its failure, Tracy Island had still fallen into The Hood's hands. With no such contingency plans to defeat it, the same had just happened at Gran Roca. All of which begged the inevitable question.

"I know, Virg. And yeah, I know we're more secure now than we've ever been before, but... how, Virgil? How the hell did he find us?!"

Virgil was frowning too now, at the same troubling thought. Yes, they'd had this discussion before. As he'd held the whole world to ransom, how had their most dangerous enemy known the location of Tracy Island? Against the expanse of an entire ocean, how had The Hood known its exact co-ordinates?

And today? Against the same vastness of mainland desert, how had The Mechanic found Gran Roca?

Now, as then, there could only be the same answer to the same, unthinkable scenario. Such fiercely guarded information could only come from one source. Their father. Taken from them with such stealth and speed, and hidden from them so perfectly that not even their most advanced resources had found him.

As their eyes met once more, brown mirrored the anguish in blue. Even in captivity, their father would protect his family to his dying breath, so to reveal their most secret locations could only have come through force. For the only other member of the family who'd been trained to resist it, the horrors of its extent just didn't bear thinking about.

Nor could Scott bear to imagine its worst consequence. As his use to his captors ended, so their need to keep their father alive all but ended too.

It was a burden he'd always carried alone. The only thing he could do to spare his family its unthinkable pain, and keep their hope of finding their father alive. But then, he also had Virgil's rallying optimism to keep those darkest of thoughts at bay. It had kept him going through every one of the days that their father had been missing. Backed up with the gentlest of hugs, it would give him the strength to keep going now, and - say what?!

"If he found out from Dad, Scott, then... look, I know you're trying to protect us from what that could involve. You wouldn't be Dad's eldest son if you didn't. And yeah, maybe Gordon and Alan still need that protection, but... look, both John and I are old enough to take our share of that load off your shoulders. You just need to let us. And with our knowledge and know-how between us, there must be some way to find him. Because he's still out here, Scott. Dad's still alive. We'd both know if he wasn't."

In moonlight and shadow, it wasn't easy to read the face that was usually like an open book for him. But then the piercing eyes softened as Scott sighed, resting his forehead against his brother's - another aspect of the bond between them, that showed how much it was appreciated. And not even the weariness in Scott's voice could make Virgil's grin of relief entirely vanish.

"I know, Virg. Just as you'll know how much that means to me, but... it's been so long, Virgil. Nearly two and a half since he went missing, and..."

"...we're still no closer to finding him... yeah, Scott, I know that too," Virgil finished for him, in such a tone that Scott knew another brotherly curveball was about to hit him straight between the eyes. "And you're right. He's been missing far too long."

Yeah, there it was. He'd heard that tone already today, just before they'd 'helped' Gordon take the lead on that climb wall. Reminded again of the chaos that had followed, his prompting reply held as much seriousness as it did curiosity.

"So what are you suggesting?"

Now it was Virgil's turn to brace himself. What he was about to say defied all sense and logic, and he already knew how Scott was going to react. With a deepening chill to the air - yes, it made even better sense for them to head inside now, and talk it through by a warming fire. Fuelled on by his mug of hot chocolate, Virgil took a deep breath, then started to pitch one of the craziest ideas he'd ever had.

"We've always believed The Hood was behind Dad's crash. And if they were working together at that time, there's every chance The Mechanic was in on it too. But we both know things have changed since then. You saw it yourself, when The Hood helped you and those dam workers escape. For whatever reason, they've fallen out, big time. And whatever this Sentinel is, we know it's too dangerous for even him to handle."

From the way Scott was nodding, Virgil knew his brother had already guessed where this suggestion was heading. That he was still listening to him so calmly gave him all the encouragement he needed to finish it.

"Scott, I know we've never been able to trust him. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him - and God knows, the number of times I've wanted to try. But if this Sentinel is such a threat to leave him rattled enough to back out of it, then..."

"...he'd know we're the only organization in the world with the resources to stop it," Scott agreed just as quietly, meeting his brother's eyes with another nod of approval. "And that could give us just enough leverage over him to get Dad back to help us."

In the silence that followed, both knew it would be a massive risk, with no guarantee of success. But as they glanced through the window at a now brilliantly bright moon, so the same thought crossed their minds, and brought a new determination to their nods of agreement. As their father himself had said, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And if it brought their father back to them, then - yes, if the rest of their family agreed to it, it was a risk they'd be willing to take.

And if it failed? Well, they'd just keep searching. They'd search every inch of the planet if they had to, because their father was out there. And against their determination to find him, no place on Earth could hide him forever.