The morning sun filtered into the bedroom, casting a warm glow over the still figure sitting on the edge of the bed. Jeff let his eyes close as the warmth washed over him, erasing the chill of the dream that still lingered in his mind.

He had been back at the facility. Back in the tank, the Hood staring in at him with eyes that pierced right through his soul. He couldn't move, paralyzed like a bug pinned to cork board, silently screaming against the thick oxygen mask that kept him barely alive. Even he couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear anything over the pounding rush of blood in his ears swallowing up everything before the blackness fell.

Jeff had awoken, gasping in the dark of his room. Four am wasn't his usual wake up time, but after the nightmare, there was no chance of falling back to sleep. He'd resigned himself to simply meditating, gazing out over the shadowed landscape, the moon barely casting enough light to see the swaying trees. The island hadn't changed. He was safe. There was nothing to worry about as long as he had his family and friends.

Deciding it was time to get up, the sun creeping over the calm waters, Jeff grabbed the cane from his bedside and stood on tired legs. Even without the light on, he knew where his closet was, flicking on the light once the door swung open. The mirror bumped gently against the door as it hit the wall.

Jeff scanned the wall of shirts and pants, still too large to fit his recovering form. He knew it would only be a matter of time before they would fit as comfortably as before, but the regret was still present. He grabbed a new pair, purchased after his discharge from the rehabilitation center, along with a dark blue polo. Carefully, he got dressed, using the chair just outside the closet.

As menial as the task was, Jeff found solace in being able to complete it himself. He'd spent a month having it done for him. No, he would take pride in being able to do this one thing.

Finally finished, he slipped his feet back into his loafers and stood. Pulling the door back, he froze, eyes falling in the reflection before him. A frail, white haired man, cheeks sunken from years of malnutrition and eyes bruised with exhaustion, stared back with the same expression of disbelief. A hand shot up, fingers digging into his eyes, trying to erase the image. Not real, it's not real…

Slowly, Jeff remove the hand, now shaking with the rush of panic. The image that met him was his own, much healthier, pepper grey hair only lighter than before the Hood had taken him. Relief flooded his senses, making his knees feel weak. Clutching the cane and taking one last look in the mirror, he closed the door.

You're home… you're safe…

The sunlight shown just a little bit brighter as he began his trek downstairs to make sure his family was still there.

OoOoOoO

Mornings came and went, his strength building with each passing day. Jeff was finally beginning to feel like his old self again as he took his seat at the desk.

The chime range again and he looked towards his eldest, seated in the lounge. Scott simply smiled, giving him a small nod of approval. For some time, Jeff had questioned if he could even be the head of IR again, but his son's had never pushed it. They'd simply encouraged him to try when he felt ready. They would stand beside him the whole way.

His finger grazed the comm, sending the hologram of John to the center of the room. The red head sent his father a warm smile before delving into the information.

"We've got a situation." He spoke, regarding the others in the room, before a globe appearing in his place. "A group of archeologists in Australia have been trapped after the cave they exploring collapsed. No reported injuries, but they're going to need a lot of heavy lifting to get the entrance cleared."

Almost in unison, all eyes turned to him. Scott looked ready to jump in, but Jeff had been watching them prepare for rescues since he'd made it back home. He could do this.

"Scott, you and Virgil take Thunderbird 2 and one of the pods." He was surprised how comfortable he was, giving the instructions with a steadiness that had be absent weeks prior. "Contact base when you've arrived." His throat began to tighten as his boys stood, moving to their prospective launch positions, the words on his tongue feeling thick, but he needed to say the. "Thunderbirds are go."

Pride didn't touch the emotions that crossed his sons' faces, along with relief that Jeff was finally able to return to the dream he had created. The Hood had done a lot of damage, but there was no taking the astronaut out of International Rescue.

He watched Scott disappear, Virgil already sliding towards his 'bird. Brains stepped over, a comforting presence as they monitored to globe, the rescue icon blinking over the southeastern part of Australia.

The launch sequences sent the familiar flutter through his chest, the view of his Thunderbirds flying off to save the day never growing old. The scientist was speaking to them, reviewing some new equipment he'd designed. Besides some stronger sensor tech, Brains had created a matter disrupter, capable of shattering stone be sending electric pulsed and sound vibrations through the surface. Not only could it tell the user the best place to strike, it could alter the composition enough that one strong hit would reduce the object to gravel.

Jeff had simply sat there, listening so intently to his friend's words. In Jeff's absence, Brains had spent the majority of his time improving the ships, creating new gear to keep his children safe, and making it easier for them to save lives. All while dealing with the loss of the man who had once encouraged him to reach far past the research program he had started out in. This man had flourished beyond his expectations.

"Brains." Jeff absentmindedly grabbed the top of his cane, fidgeting with it.

"Y-yes, Mr. Tracy?" The connection had already been cut as the boys headed toward the cave in.

"I think- I would like to see some more of your…" The word wouldn't come, the bitterness behind it so ingrained, he realized he might never say it again. Thankfully, today he didn't need to.

"Experiments?" The engineer filled in the gap. Jeff simply nodded, feeling the heat in his ears. One word shouldn't have this much power over him. "I-if you're sure, we c-could go to my lab?"

Jeff took a breath, trying to steady his increasing heart rate as he stood. He needed to do this. He needed to feel normal again. "Yes, I'm sure."

Brains nodded, his face alight with relief. He was acutely aware how much his family wanted him to feel comfortable in all his decisions, letting Jeff take it slow. There were no words to express how grateful he was for that consideration.

The two walked towards the elevator, content in the quiet of the house. The tapping of his cane was starting to become so familiar, he barely heard it anymore.

"Any news from Thunderbird 3?" No matter the anxiety he felt thinking of Gordon, he was still concerned with the progress of their journey. They'd been in radio silence for far too long for his liking, solar activity interfering with any transmissions.

"N-nothing yet." The engineer frowned as he activated the elevator. I've been w-working on boosting the s-signal from Tracy island. Unfortunately, we don't have the p-power source necessary."

With a growing sense of dread, Jeff scrubbed a hand over his face. He understood how unforgiving space could be. The longer they were out of contact, the higher probability his sons could be flying into danger. They needed a solution beyond the resources of International Rescue.

And he had one.

"Brains." The click of the cane was solid as Jeff stepped off the lift with a new sense of purpose. "Get a hold of the GDF. There's a satellite, not in their available roster, that has the range you'll need."

The information seemed to peek the engineer's interest, increasing his pace as they stepped down the hall. "You m-mean, a top s-secret satellite?"

Jeff nodded. "I helped them design it a while back. It was only supposed to be used for recording deep space transmissions, but they wanted to keep it under wraps." They stepped into the lab and he was certain this was exactly what they would need in order to contact his boys.

Within minutes, he was talking to colonel Casey, the woman still shocked to see him so well after his rescue. Jeff wasted no time with pleasantries, diving headfirst into his request.

"Jeff… you realize this would be breaking protocol." It was more a statement than an inquiry into how much he knew about the project.

"I understand, colonel." He kept his voice steady, hand gripping the cane to help maintain his calm demeanor. "These are my sons. We've been out of radio contact for almost a week, and I can't just sit around doing nothing if there's the slightest chance of reaching them."

She raised a hand to indicate no further commentary was needed, a smile tugging at her lip. "I'll see what I can do. You still have clearance to operate the satellite. Once I receive approval, you'll simply need your access code."

Jeff nodded, recalling the procedures they had set up so that no single individual could use the device. There would always need to be someone within the GDF to activate it.

Col. Casey gave a quick goodbye before severing the link to discuss the plan with her superiors. Jeff found his impatience growing with every passing moment, the need to speak to his boys almost too much now that he had the means.

A gentle hand came to rest on his arm and he looked to the bespeckled man's sympathetic face. An apologetic smile was all Jeff could muster, trying to fight back the anxiety. His grip loosened on the cane and he took a seat at the closest desk, letting his head fall in his hands, fingers brushing back through his hair as he thought through his plan. He would contact John as soon as he received the go-ahead, which he had no intentions of not receiving. Thunderbird 5 would have to relay through the satellite for them to have any chance of hearing from Alan and Gordon.

They sat in silence for a while, hoping the call would come through, Col. Casey, all smiles and good news. Five minutes passed with no word from their friend. Brains was the first to break away from the surveillance.

"I think I'll g-go work on some equipment I've b-been tinkering w-with." The engineer stood, already heading for one of the supply cabinets Jeff instantly recognized as their prototype storage units. He watched Brains pull out a pair of blue gloves, shutting the door behind him and moving to one of the tables.

"What are those?" Jeff couldn't help the sudden surge of curiosity, feeling slightly drained from the stress of waiting.

"Ah, these allow the w-wearer to stick t-to walls." Brains handed one to him to inspect. "They c-currently work well enough, b-but I would like to see s-some improvement in speed."

Jeff rolled the material between his fingers, inspecting the mechanics of it. "Magnets?" It was a pretty simple guess, the engineer nodding.

"Y-yes." Brains adjusted his glasses. "The d-difficult part is allowing the individual an e-easier way to d-deactivate one glove and reattach it at a much faster r-rate than I've been observing."

"So." Jeff smiled at the thought. "My boys want to go faster when climbing the side of a building, is it?"

A laugh from Brains told him he'd hit the nail of the head. Leave it to his sons to follow in his footsteps when it came to going fast.

"Well, with these," he held up the gloves. "It all depends on the strength of the wearer how fast they can get themselves up the surface. What do you think of a neural link for activating the electromagnets?"

Brains seemed to contemplate this idea, a finger tapping out the invisible equations on the table. Finally, a grin like a kid at Christmas spread over his face. "Yes! With your help, I c-could design the hardware. Then i-it would only b-be a matter of coding neural inputs."

Jeff nodded. "I believe I may have some notes from an old colleague on that subject. They should come in handy."

He felt his heart flutter in his chest as a sense of calming excitement washed over him. It felt so right to be talking to his friend about this. For so long he'd kept it hidden, locked behind so many doors to keep the Hood away from it. Now, the doors were wide open and it felt so liberating.

They were pulled from their planning by the chime of the communications array. Jeff quickly hit the key to answer and was delighted to see Col. Casey's image appear, a grin on her face.

"I take your smile as a yes, then?" Another flutter as her grin grew.

"You have the approval of the GDF to do whatever you need to do with the satellite." She sounded as though she was handing him a birthday present. "Send the activation codes when you're ready."

"Will do. Thank you, colonel." Jeff couldn't have hit the button to end the call any faster, his fingers already moving to contact his John.

Time to find out what was happening on Thunderbird 3.