A Tangled Web
By Crystalquirt
Thunderbirds Are Go! Fan Fiction
I don't own anything or anyone.
*** Very special thanks to TigreMalabarista for proofing this story for me as well and making many wonderful suggestions and corrections for me!
Haunted House!
It was as if night and a black hole joined in a union to suck out the light - and life - that touched it. For one young couple, that feeling lingered as they rounded the corner hallway of the old Bransonville Mansion haunted house, one of the most popular haunted houses in London.
Walking down the dark hallway the young man walked into what felt like one strand of spider's web. He wiped off his face and asked his girl, "Do I have a spider on me?"
"I don't see anything, but it's dark in here," said the young woman. Just as she said it she turned to walk and encountered the same sensation, very thin monofilament strands stretched down and across the hallway low enough to get in her face.
"Ooh!" The sensation on her face and neck, made her sure that there was at least one spider on her. "Do you see anything on me?"
"Not really Honey… It's quite dark in -"
They both screamed as something larger but still very light, fell from the ceiling and touched both of them. The black material on the walls and over their heads was covered with thick cobwebs, and those stuck to their hair and clothes, making their senses go even wilder.
"Oh, let's get moving," said the girl as the rushed to the next room. On the floor, walls and ceiling, glowing images of yellow serpents appeared and disappeared before their eyes. The glowing images distracted the people going through the haunted room from the people, all in black who crouched low on the floors. They were all dressed in black, and would gently grab at ankles and tap shoes as people walked through.
The young man was just sure that what was touching him was a whole bunch of snakes and he screamed more loudly than his girlfriend. Though scared herself when one tapped her Achilles' heel, she had to laugh at how high his voice went.
Down another even narrower hallway, the hosts of the haunted house covered the walls in dense black curtains for the holiday festivities. Feeling closed in, the young man was already on the verge of panicking, but to show his girl that he wasn't afraid, he said, "There's nothing really here! Watch this!"
He fumbled along the curtain until he found an edge of the fabric. Then he pulled it back expecting to see a plain wall in the old London house.
"See? Nothing!" He looked at her to see her reaction to his bravery.
But his girlfriend screamed and ran ahead. The man turned and saw what he thought could be a real live vampire with outstretched arms under a flowing cape and long fangs bared. He screamed even higher and ran after his girl.
But he wouldn't find her.
Even after he found his way outside, he didn't see her. He tried calling her cell phone, but his call went straight to voicemail. After the third time he called with the same result, he put his phone in his pocket and took handfuls of his hair into his hands, trying to think. He was beginning to panic then. "Where are you, Honey?" he said, trying to think of what to do next.
The dark-haired girl, barely more than a teenager ran, letting 'Dracula' finish her boyfriend if he wanted to.
After a few twists and turns, she came down a hallway and turned left. The dark hallway with black curtains lining the walls stopped at the end, with another small table and a lit candle sitting in the center.
At least this candle isn't moving, she thought. A door squeaked open and all she could see was darkness beyond. She hesitated, staying close to the wall and trying to peek inside.
Near her head, a hairy arm came from behind the curtain and grabbed her from behind. The hand clamped over her mouth so she couldn't scream. She tried to remove the hand, but a few moments longer, she went completely limp as she was dragged into the dark room.
If someone did hear her muffled cry before she passed out, they paid no attention with everyone else screaming throughout the large historical home.
Gordon's Scare
"Nice of Scott to let me fly Thunderbird One to San Francisco, California so we could visit the United States' most extravagant haunted house, huh, Gordo?" Alan said, proudly sitting in the pilot's seat, looking official and checking his instruments twice as often as he really needed to.
"Yeah Alan, sure, but why this Halloween? You've never expressed interest in haunted houses before." Gordon said, taking the first bite out of his third celery crunch bar.
"Remember that girl I met when we were in San Francisco for that earthquake rescue?"
"No, I don't remember any girl you met," Gordon said amused, then leaned back, thinking." I remember all three girls that I met."
"Her name is Lisa. She has red hair and big blue eyes." said Alan, "She's dreamy." Alan sighed.
His older brother chuckled, "Oh man you got it bad, but what does that have to do with you wanting to travel all this way to a fake haunted house?"
"Because she invited us. She is working it and said she would be the "Girl Trapped Under a Ramp and Being Electrocuted."
"Long title," Gordon said, dropping another wrapper on Thunderbird One's floor. "If she's working, you two won't get to see much of each other."
"It's after she gets off work," said Alan, smartly, then waggled his eyebrows mischeviously. "I bet she can find a friend for you if you want to double date."
"Blind date?!" Gordon spit out Celery Crunch crumbs.
"Yeah - I mean you know girls like strong men to protect them from haunted house scares."
"A blind date on Halloween? What if she's in costume? I would have no idea what I'm 'gettin' under there!" said the aquanaut, shuddering. "It could be a monster, a mummy or worse of all - I know you would think it great fun to dress up a guy as a girl for me! No way I'm going on a blind date on Halloween!"
"Fine, then you better just stay here and clean up the mess you made in Scott's Thunderbird. He really will kill you if he sees what you've done over there." Alan said smugly as he landed the plane.
Gordon, seeing the mess he made, jumped out of the seat and ran after Alan. "Now that you mention it - maybe it would be fun to have a date tonight…"
A Call for Rescue
On Thunderbird Five, John had been reading but slid down and got comfortable for a nap only minutes before a sudden and loud call for help came through.
He sat up when he heard it. "Aw man… just when I was almost asleep," he said as EOS ran on her track to his bedroom area. She projected the holographic representation of a frightened young man.
"Aaaah! My girlfriend is missing - she went into the haunted house at the corner of Mockingbird Lane and Friday Street, in London and never came out!" said the raven-haired man, who looked at first glance not old enough to even be in a haunted house without a guardian.
"It's a haunted house - maybe she's just enjoying herself," John said sleepily, smoothing his bed-head. Not one to take part in the Halloween festivities on Earth he had been perfectly happy reading and taking a nap on the otherwise quiet evening, a few nights before the big night.
The young man shook his head. "No way - She was not enjoying herself! I came out two hours ago! Something happened to her! I know it! That was the freakiest place I've ever been!"
"I understand that you're scared - it is Halloween, but International Rescue responds when no one else can. You should call your local police first." John couldn't help but roll his eyes a little.
"I did - They laughed at me!" the man said, hiccupping.
John was sure he was trying not to cry, but he also had to take into consideration it might have been a prank call.
He gave a sympathetic smile. "Sorry young man, we are - ...hold please," John switched frequencies, "Yes Kayo?"
Kayo's smiling face lit up his room. She said, "It's okay John, I'll go check it out."
"Really, Kayo?" John said, raising his eyebrow in disbelief. "You want to go?"
"Sure, the kid would get a blast out of it if even one of us shows up and I love a good haunted house," she said sincerely. "Scott let Alan and Gordon go to a haunted house all the way in California for fun. It's my turn."
"What if it's a prank?" he suggested.
"I'll be ready - as I always am," she said with a knowing glint in her eye.
"Alright," John agreed, switching frequencies, "Good news Sir, we have an agent on the way to help you find your friend."
"That's awesome! I don't know how I could ever thank you - I'm so worried about her," said the man, the sincerity sounded so genuine that John believed that it really wasn't just a prank to get an IR selfie.
"What is your friend's name?"
"Oh, her name is Morticia!"
The astronaut blinked and turned. "Did you hear that Kayo?" John asked on her frequency.
She laughed softly, "FAB, I'm afraid to ask what her last name might be!"
"Ten to One, its either 'Munster' or 'Addams.' Have fun Kayo."
"FAB!" Kayo was suited up and taking off from Tracy Island's cliffside in seconds.
Kayo's Halloween
After an uneventful flight, Kayo landed Thunderbird Shadow in the middle of the street in front of the large haunted house.
A classic double-decker bus out for the festivities had to go around and beeped their horn. The haunted house goers thought the big dark plane that landed on two legs like a big bird was part of the show and cheered.
Kayo waved as she jumped down. She was dressed in a variation of her uniform, and all black suit, to blend in better in the haunted house and avoid curious onlookers.
The young man ran forward from the other onlookers and cried, "You're here! Thank you! I still haven't seen Morticia!" said Herman, wringing his hands.
"You have to be the one who called in." Kayo looked the 20-year-old over. "But you are older than I thought you'd be."
The man didn't seem to hear her comment as he continued. "What if someone kidnapped her? Or she fainted or something - No one would ever find her in the dark inside that place."
"Did you tell them that you thought she was missing? They can turn on the lights and help you find her," Kayo asked.
"No, I didn't think of that. I just ran out." Herman said, embarrassed. "I couldn't find her or call her so I panicked."
"Let's go in and find her together." Kayo said, "I'll buy." She started to jog toward the house but had to stop and wait for the man.
"You want me to go back in there?" The man said, his voice shaking and his finger shook when he pointed at the entrance.
"Sure you need to stay with me - I might need backup," Kayo suggested, smiling gently at the anxious young man.
"Well, if you put it that way. My name's Herman."
"I'm Kayo. Well Herman, let's go find your girl." Kayo smiled. She was looking forward to going through the haunted house. She just hoped that they wouldn't find his girlfriend with a different boy somewhere inside.
Kayo bought their tickets and handed Herman his as they entered. A tall, thin man with long grey fuzzy hair and a hump on his back stood near the entrance and greeted them.
"Welcome to the House of Fright. If you have any problems with strobe lights, smoke or have a known heart condition, please do not enter. Black lights…"
Kayo walked by the greeter while he was still talking. She pulled Herman along behind her by his hand.
Right in the entryway where the coat closet was, a candle moved sliding from one end of a narrow table to the other. There was a mirror behind it on the wall covered in cobwebs.
It looked like a mirror, but Kayo noticed that no one had a reflection. First smoke and then a hologram of a scary face appeared in the mirror - appearing to be moving toward them from a long way off.
She laughed softly when Herman jumped. "That's pretty awesome. This haunted house has some great effects. Do you know who organized it?"
Clinging closely to Kayo's back Herman said, "No, I have no idea who came up with this crazy place."
They were walking under black sheets suspended over their heads and now and then, what appeared to be a bunch of rodents ran around over their heads on the sheets. With a black light above them it made their bodies glow and cast shadows.
"I've never seen glowing rats before!" Herman said ducking with his head covered.
They entered the room full of snakes again, and he jumped when someone grabbed his ankle. Feeling a tap on her shoe, Kayo chose to put on her helmet. She turned on the thermal scanner, and found it was people on the floor grabbing at their feet.
Kayo continued to walk calmly, standing up straight. "What did you expect to find in a haunted house?" she said, confused. "Is this your first one?"
"Yeah, I mean, I don't know - Guys wearing sheets pretending to be ghosts? Why are we doing the tour again? We have to find Morticia!"
"We're taking the tour to retrace your steps. As we go through, you try to remember everything you did and where you were, okay?"
"I'll try," said Herman, nervously looking around.
After a few turns, he pulled on Kayo's hand to make her stop and said, "Right here, I remember this hallway was the last place I saw her. I stopped. I pulled this part of the curtain back to show her there was nothing there. But there was something there! A vampire! She screamed and ran away - I did too, but she outran me."
Kayo pulled the curtain back suddenly. Herman yelled and covered his head as he stepped back clear to the wall behind them.
"Herman, there's nothing here," Kayo said, giggling softly.
"There was before! Maybe this isn't the right place."
"Well, just in case it is, you stay here for a moment let me go ahead alone."
"Are you sure?" he said nervously, not wanting the stronger willed International Rescue agent to leave him alone.
"That's what you did, right? You said that she went ahead of you."
"Yeah, I guess." Herman reluctantly agreed. He looked very small standing in the center of the hallway all hunched up with his elbows pulled in tightly to his sides.
"We'll be alright - we want to find out what happened to Morticia, right?" Kayo started to walk away from him but had to pause for several children dressed as aliens to go on through.
Not wanting to be there alone, he started to follow her. She had a sense that he would try to follow and paused, and showed him her palm. "Stay there," she reminded him, not turning around.
Herman stopped, and Kayo continued. She walked along, patting the curtains. She found the Vampire in another 10 feet. The actor gave it his best, but she smiled at him and covered him back up with his curtain.
Hearing the vampire's confused grunt he didn't scare her, Kayo flashed a grin and continued on.
Herman was close enough to see what happened and looked down at his shoes embarrassed.
In a short distance, the hallway ahead was too dark for Herman to still be able to see Kayo, with her black hair and wearing all black.
Herman started to go back out through the entrance but decided to wait instead. He paced nervously in the hallway as a group of four girls dressed as Girl Scouts passed him, giggling.
"This is so dumb, but I better do what that lady from International Rescue says. Boy she is tough." Herman said. He decided to stay where he was, though he hoped no monster would come by to scare him into moving forward.
The Girl Scouts hurried past Kayo too nearing the end of the hallway. After they disappeared to right, Kayo vaguely saw someone all dressed in black moving around.
She again put on her helmet, and scanned ahead. "Definately one person hovering around down there. And two ways out of this hallway. Another hallway to the right, and a room with a stairway going down to the left… interesting." She took her helmet off and hung it back on her hip.
Kayo found herself at the end of the hallway, with only one way to go, the door to her left. She peeked behind the curtain and saw more lights and activity down the hallway. But the door to the left was inviting her to enter.
The creaky door opened before her, revealing the same dark room that Morticia had seen. Kayo sensed that there was still someone standing nearby, between the curtain and the wall. She wasn't surprised when a strong arm grabbed her around the waist. Kayo struggled slightly but sensed movement to her right in her line of sight and quietly inhaled.
She felt a strong hand cover her mouth with a small wet cloth in its palm. Kayo inwardly sighed in relief that she took a breath and held it before she inhaled any of the chloroform.
Struggling slightly to keep up the ruse, Kayo could tell that it was a man holding her, he hesitated a moment in the hallway, drawing back the curtain on the right side and closing the curtain over the door he would take Kayo through to hide it again.
Apparently this guy is sending young women a different direction in this haunted house. I wonder why? She thought. Realizing the creep might be getting suspicious, still holding her breath, she pretended to pass out.
She stayed limp in the attacker's arms, intending for him to take her to the same place that he took Morticia.
He took his hand away and dropped the small sedative-soaked cloth. Happy to breathe again, she cracked one eye open every few feet and only saw darkness.
When they came to the stairway going down that she had seen in her scans it was hard for her not to tense up as her heels bounced down as she was dragged, but she did it. She could tell without opening her eyes that the room they had entered had dim lights on, probably candles she reasoned.
She stayed relaxed and limp as her would-be captor stood her up against something cold and metal.
She felt him take her helmet off of her belt and heard it hit the floor. He lifted her arm to snap a cuff around her wrist, and she came to life.
The man grunted in surprise as she removed her arm from his grasp. Using both hands she grabbed the top of the contraption for leverage and kicked with both feet.
Her captor fell back into a coffin with a grunt. Kayo ran forward and gave him a boost the rest of the way inside with her foot.
She slammed the top closed and fastened it with him pounding on the sides, demanding to be let out.
"Your turn for a rest," she said, smiling briefly as she looked around.
The thing he'd tried to put her into was vaguely human-body shaped like a narrow cage with handcuffs at the top.
"A gibbet? How Medieval." Kayo thought picking up her helmet and putting it on her head. She heard muffled whimpering and looked behind some wooden crates, to see several human figures all dressed in costume.
"Wax figures?" Kayo mumbled, but looking closely, the female figure on the 'rack' was moving and making soft sounds behind a gag.
"Oh my – You must be Morticia!" Kayo ran to her and used her laser-cutter from her belt to release her hands and feet from the iron cuffs. She stiffly pulled her hands in over her chest and drew her knees up before rolling onto her side. Kayo pulled the gag off and took the cloth from inside her mouth when she opened.
"Are you hurt?" Kayo asked.
"No, I don't think so, just sore from being laid out on this thing for hours!" said Morticia, grabbing Kayo's shoulder in panic. "That guy! That guy is crazy! Where is he? We have to get out of here!"
"He's having a time-out in that coffin over there," Kayo said gently, vaguely waving in that direction.
"Are you sure that you're alright? I can get medics down here to get you out on a gurney."
"No, whatever he drugged me with wore off a long time ago. I am sore and a little sick to my stomach, but I can walk - I can run to get out of here!"
"I know someone who is anxious to see you!" Kayo said, smiling.
"Herman?" she said, beaming.
"Yes, just sit still for a minute though. I need to make sure that you're alright." Kayo said with a smile and tapped her wrist. "Thunderbird Five, this is Shadow."
"How's the haunted house, Kayo?" John answered.
"Just fine - found Morticia, and bad guy in custody – send the GDF would you? I have a couple of young lovers to reunite."
"Of course Kayo! You mean there actually was something going on there?" John said, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. EOS was getting the GDF on the line for him.
"Yes, a creep chloroformed her and chained her to a fake 'rack'" said Kayo. "The fool tried to kidnap me the same way too."
"Were you drugged?" asked John, concerned for his sister.
"No, I held my breath. He however is now resting in peace - not literally, but in a coffin."
"Poor guy. Will it take him long to recover from his encounter with you?" John asked, teasing.
"Not long, I think. It depends on how tough he is." she said. "It might be a long time before he tries to sneak up on a girl again. Morticia said she feels alright, but I'm sending you a scan to be sure."
"FAB, Kayo."
Kayo used her helmet to medically scan Morticia's vital signs with the sensors in her helmet. She sent the data to John.
"Morticia still has trace amounts of the chloroform in her system, but is uninjured," he said as he looked at the scan. Frowning he added, "She is dehydrated. Get her some water and keep her warm, Kayo. I'll let the GDF they may have a patient when they get there."
"FAB," Kayo confirmed.
"I can get water up front, I want to get out of here," said Morticia stubbornly.
Kayo suggested she rest, but Morticia refused and got up. She walked as though she was sore but determined to leave, she walked anyway.
Kayo shrugged and just walked with her until they saw Herman ahead, waiting where Kayo had told him to.
Morticia actually ran ahead. "HERMAN!"
He in turn looked up and smiled broadly. "MORTICIA!"
The couple cried to each other in greeting when they met in the hallway. Dracula opened his curtain and watched the reunited pair. He decided to leave the two alone, having overheard the conversation earlier.
While they answered each other's questions and made sure they were both alright, Kayo slipped out and silently lifted off in Shadow to head back to Tracy Island. "This has started out to be a great Halloween!" she said to herself, then contacted Thunderbird Five saying she was returning home.
The GDF landed, and four officers ran inside without paying, much to the greeter's unhappiness. His attitude changed when they told him what was going on.
He called someone on the radio and all the lights came on, the actors came out of their hiding places to see what was happening. The visitors were led to the exits, and when some complained about the no refunds policy, the mansion promised that they could get back inside without being charged again when the emergency was over. Morticia told the officers where to find their 'suspect.'
On the way back to Tracy Island, Kayo dictated a report and sent it to GDF headquarters.
Late into the night, Scott and Brains were in Brains' lab and heard loud voices coming from Thunderbird One's hangar. They walked out to see what was going on, and found Gordon and Alan arguing.
"Sounds like you two had fun," said scott as he walked toward them.
Gordon saw their eldest brother before Alan did and cried hysterically, "It was great! You should have seen Alan. I think he wet his pants!" Gordon laughed.
"I did not - check if you want to!" Alan argued and gestured toward his pants. "That mummy grabbed me! I didn't think they were allowed to touch us!"
"Who do you know that can make a mummy follow the rules?" Gordon teased.
"I bet Kayo could! Anyway - I know it wasn't real!" Alan said, clenching his fists in anger, he insisted, "It just surprised me."
"After seeing you pee your pants, it would be hard to make me believe that!" said Gordon, smirking.
"I did not! Oh yeah - I've never seen you freak out so much or scream so loudly as when you entered the room full of spiders! You almost fainted like a girl!" Alan yelled back. He was heading to the showers to take his gear off and get cleaned up for bed.
"Shut-up," Gordon's voice went up and down and had a sing-song quality to his tone.
Alan ignored the warning tone in his brother's voice and turned around. "Yeah - you nearly did a girly faint afterward." he said, taunting.
The aquanaut glared and started to charge, but was stopped by a sharp whistle. "Gordon-Alan!" Scott interrupted, warningly.
Scott said it to break his youngest brothers up before they wound up in a wrestling match on the floor of the hanger. Seeing the two pause and look at him, Scott continued. "It sounds like the two of you had fun, overall."
"Gordon had fun - laughing at me." Alan conceded, yelling from the shower room in the lab. "Lisa won't ever want to see me again!"
"Who's Lisa?" Scott asked. Gordon answered, "He hoped she'd be his girlfriend – but he really shouldn't have put her between himself and that Frankenstein!" Gordon snickered after he said it.
"I heard that Gordon!" Alan yelled before he stormed off to the shower. He started the water running to avoid any more taunts.
To Be Continued . . .