Everything was almost ready. Jeff's dream of a worldwide rescue organisation was almost complete. All that was left now was the last minute fine-tuning and setting up.

Thunderbird Five was up and running and, with John's help, had the most advanced computer ever built to watch over the world, seeking out distress calls and signals of potential disasters. His son's unique ability meant that he was able to link with his systems. Neural link, John called it. Even in Jeff's wildest dreams, he wasn't able to imagine a more efficient system than the one John had set up. And up in space, in zero gravity, his second son seemed to be in his element. Admittedly, he'd had a few stumbles at first, just as Jeff himself had on his first trips into space. He'd unfortunately learned the hard way how difficult it was to adjust to being weightless… and about space sickness.

That was a few weeks ago though. Whenever Jeff called up to John now, it was as though he'd been up there for months. He seemed to be able to manoeuvre himself through the command centre where the bulk of the signal monitoring occurred with ease, almost gracefully.

The rest of the Thunderbirds were ready to go as well. He'd had misgivings at first, after the loss of the TV-21, but now that the five separate vehicles were ready and in front of him, he realised that this method was far better. And each vehicle suited one of his boys perfectly.

Scott, his fast-flying, highly responsive son, was in charge of the reconnaissance vehicle, Thunderbird One, designed to arrive on site first to assess a situation.

Virgil, his powerhouse of a boy, had been given the heavy transporter, Thunderbird Two, capable of carrying out pretty much any rescue scenario they could think of while carrying auxiliary equipment.

And Thunderbird Four, their deep-sea capable submersible, went to Gordon who was most at home beneath the waves anyway.

Jeff was to take on the spaceship, Thunderbird Three. As a former astronaut, it made sense that he'd take on any situation involving outer space rescue. It was his hope that one day, when Alan was old enough, he'd train up to join him and eventually take over.

Obviously, none of this could take place on the farm in Kansas. An organisation like this needed a modicum of secrecy. It would be a bit obvious if a spaceship suddenly took off out of the barn, even if their closest neighbours were miles away.

Tracy Island was the ideal choice. It was remote and, being an extinct volcano, it was honeycombed with tunnels and caves which had been adapted to create the hangars and tunnels they needed to navigate to each vehicle while remaining hidden on the surface.

Kyrano had been invaluable in his help in setting up the security on the island, not only for the vehicles but for his family, too.

As Tanusha had grown from a girl into a woman, she had played a pivotal role in this area as well. Her impressive skills meant she was able to spot any flaws in their systems or communications almost as quickly as John could. Her stealth abilities had developed over the years to encompass a natural ability with security systems. And all the while, she was being trained by her father to take over from him.

But it was a young man, known to them as Brains, who had played the most vital role of all. Jeff had had the dream and vision of creating the organisation, but it was Brains who had designed the vehicles to the exact specifications Jeff had wanted. Better, even. Jeff wasn't certain if he'd managed to find another man with abilities like his sons had, but the man's IQ was off the scale.

And so now, they were ready to go.

Jeff stood on the raised walkway that lined the perimeter of the hangar, looking down at the vast machine that was Thunderbird Two beneath him. The vehicles were all ready, the set up was complete and the island itself only had a few last minute cosmetic things left to do, things that wouldn't affect their ability to act should John contact them with a situation.

He looked down below him and watched as Scott and Virgil worked together to tidy up. They'd been examining the pod vehicles Brains had designed and Jeff had insisted that, although they each had their own vehicle, they should all have at least a basic familiarity with all of them should the need arise. Naturally, Scott and Virgil had jumped at the chance to check out all the new toys on offer, as Scott had described all the equipment.

A smile quirked his lips as he saw Virgil pick up the bright yellow base pod vehicle and take it back to the module in which it lived, while Scott picked up the tool kit and flew across the hangar to put it away. With a shake of his head, he made his way down there.

"Hey, Dad," Scott said, landing again as he spotted their father.

"Hi, Scott," Jeff replied.

"Something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head.

Jeff looked between him and Virgil who was approaching, having heard them. "Not… wrong. I'm just a bit worried."

"What's worrying you, Dad?" Virgil asked, exchanging a glance with Scott.

"This is all gonna work out just fine," Scott said, eagerly. "These machines are incredible and we're gonna do so much good in the world. Just think how many people we can help!"

Jeff smiled at his attitude but shook his head. "It's not that I'm worried about," he admitted, looking between them again.

Virgil caught Scott's eye then returned his gaze to his father. "You're worried about us, aren't you?"

There was a small hesitation before Jeff answered with a nod. "Yeah, I'll admit I am. I'm worried that something might happen out there and you'll react instinctively and give yourselves away."

"Dad, we're careful. We always are," Scott said.

"I know that, Scott, but what if you're on a call to a cliff somewhere and you see someone fall? Would you be able to stop yourself from flying off after them? And Virgil, there's only so many times you can claim an adrenaline rush to excuse lifting a car off someone."

His two sons exchanged glances again and both sighed.

Jeff nodded. "My point exactly."

"But…" Scott ran a hand through his hair. "Is there nothing that can be done?"

"I don't know. But I know one thing. I will not put you in danger."

Virgil couldn't help but smile slightly. "Dad, isn't sending us out to rescue people pretty dangerous?"

Jeff looked at him with an eyebrow raised but Virgil's demeanour did calm him a little. "You know what I mean, Virgil. It's one thing for you boys to go out and risk yourselves to help other people, but I worry that if you're caught using your unique abilities, well…"

"Not everyone is as tolerant as you are," Scott finished quietly.

Jeff turned his gaze on him and nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

Scott sighed, nodding in turn. "It's a fair point," he said.

Virgil looked between them, concern on his face. "So, what? Does this mean we give up before we've even started?"

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose. "The thought hadn't even occurred to me until I saw you boys tidying up. You use your abilities as just an extension of who you are."

"But while we're out we know to be careful, we've done alright up until now!" Virgil countered.

Jeff shook his head. "And what of the time when you were almost caught at school?"

Virgil opened his mouth to answer then closed it again and sighed. He'd been in the garage at school doing work on a car when the jacks had collapsed on his friend. Without even thinking about it, he'd caught the car to stop it landing on the girl. They'd been able to explain it away by saying that the jacks had slipped before fully collapsing.

Jeff shook his head again and stepped back so he could sit on the crate behind him.

"So after all the work you've put in, we're just giving up on a simple what if scenario?" Scott asked, crouching in front of him.

"I don't think I could live with myself if you were taken from me."

"We're not gonna be taken from you, Dad," Scott replied, taking hold of his hands. "We won't let it happen."

"And how do you propose we stop that from happening? You jumping into the air is just as instinctive as catching something thrown at you."

"I-I think I might be able to, uh, help," a soft voice said from the corner of the room.

The three Tracy men turned to seek the source and spotted Brains approaching, holding a tab computer.

"What do you mean, Brains?" Jeff asked.

Brains didn't say anything, but handed over the computer. Jeff took it and looked down at it, Virgil and Scott looking over his shoulders. Displayed on the screen were schematics for several personal devices. "What's this?" Jeff asked.

"That's a jetpack," Scott said, swiping back to the first page.

"Like the one Uncle Lee designed?" Virgil asked, referring to Captain Taylor who served on the Moon and Mars with their father.

"S-similar," Brains said. "I contacted him and got the specifications for the one he designed. It's essentially the same except this one has the function to, uh, look like it's working when it's not."

"Why would you need it to do that?" Virgil asked, tilting his head.

A slow smile had formed on Scott's face as he listened. "It's for me, isn't it? To disguise my flying."

"Indeed," Brains responded. "It has hand controllers so it can be used a-as a proper jetpack, so if challenged you can prove it works, but there's a biometric panel on the controllers so that when you're using it, it will only look as though it's working, saving both, uh, fuel and the need to explain how you can fly."

The small smile had transformed into a grin as Brains had explained it. "Brains, you're amazing!" Scott said happily.

"A-and this is for Virgil," Brains continued, sliding a finger across the screen to display what looked like a mechanical exo-suit. "As with, uh, Scott's, this will work for anyone when challenged, but there's biometrics in the hand controllers again so that it just acts as a disguise when you use it, Virgil."

"What does it do for others?" Virgil asked, looking at it.

"It's designed to augment one's own natural strength, meaning that the, uh, user can lift and shift almost anything. Obviously, you can do that anyway, but, again, if anyone were to ask, it can be used by anyone and work as though it was just a strength aid."

Jeff stood up and put his hand on Brains' shoulder. "You're a literal life saver, Brains," he said. "Not only could I not have done any of this without you, you're now meeting the needs of my sons' safety."

Brains smiled shyly. "I didn't want to, uh, see them get into any trouble just for helping people."

"Nor do I," Jeff replied.

Scott and Virgil exchanged glances, grinning. "So, International Rescue is still go?" Scott asked.

Jeff turned back to him and tilted his head with a grin of his own. "Hmm. How about Thunderbirds are go!"

Brains left the three men to return to the villa with his computer while he himself went back to his lab to start working on the prototypes for the designs he'd shown them.

"I can't believe this," Scott said excitedly. "That guy just seems to think of everything!"

Virgil nodded. "I know, and he always pulls something out of the bag just when we need it, too."

Jeff chuckled. "What would we do without him?"

"Has he done anything for Gordon and John? And what about Tanusha?" Scott asked.

Jeff glanced back down at the computer as they entered the living room. "It would appear so," he said, then looked around. "Anyway, where is Gordon?"

"He's probably in the pool," Virgil replied.

Scott went over to the window and looked out over the large garden. "Nope, pool's empty. The beach perhaps?" he suggested, turning back round.

"That would seem to be the case," Virgil said, pointing back out the window. They all turned to look and watched as the water-loving man wandered happily up the path that led from the beach back to their home.

"He really should tell me when he's going out there," Jeff muttered, making his way to the stairs that would take him down.

"You're such a worrier," Scott said, grinning at Virgil.

"Only so I know where he is, I'd say the same about all of you," he replied as he descended. He caught up with Gordon as the younger man passed the pool. "Had fun?"

Gordon smiled widely. "Oh yeah! I was testing myself, see how deep I could go. I made it right to the bottom and I could still see!"

"Gordon, it's not that deep round here," Jeff said.

"It's deep enough that it's darker down there. Not like Mariana Trench full-on darkness, but dark enough. And I could feel the change in pressure but it didn't affect me."

"You do know you have to live on land, right?" Jeff asked.

Gordon laughed. "I know," he said. "But how cool is it that I can go down that deep! Imagine the possibilities!"

"I have been," Jeff responded quietly. "But it would seem Brains anticipated my concerns and has created certain devices to help you."

"Oh?" Gordon asked, noticing the tablet in his hand.

Jeff beckoned him over to the recliner next to the pool and they both sat down, the elder opening an image and showing the younger. "By the looks of this, he's designed you a deep sea exo-suit. You'd have to speak to him for the specifics, but if it's anything like the things he's made for Scott and Virgil, it will act just as it looks like it should, but will also conceal your abilities so you can still use them without any awkward questions."

"You're always so worried about us being kidnapped and thrown into some kinda of laboratory experiment, aren't you?"

Jeff chuckled but shook his head. "Yeah, I am," he responded quietly. "But I also trust you boys to be careful."

Gordon nodded. "We're not gonna go flaunting ourselves in front of anyone, Dad," he said.

"That's what Scott said," Jeff said. He sighed a little and put a hand on Gordon's shoulder. "I'm your father, I'll always worry about what's best for you guys."

"Yeah, but it's turning you grey, Dad," Gordon teased.

Jeff shoved him gently. "None of that, young man, I can still ground you, you know."

Gordon just grinned again. "Yes, sir," he said, saluting. "Anyway, I came back up because I'm hungry. I'm going inside for food then I'll go see Brains. You said he'd done stuff for us three, what about John and Kayo?"

"You know, I think she's quite fond of that nickname," Jeff commented. Gordon had given her that title after she had managed to knock out both Scott and John during self-defence training with her. Two K.O.s in one session so Gordon started calling her Kayo, which seemed to stick with the younger two. It was starting to catch on with Virgil and sometimes John would call her that as well, but Scott was still calling her Tanusha, despite her instance that she actually quite liked the name.

Gordon just shrugged. "Try telling Scott that," he said with a smirk.

Jeff chuckled. "Indeed, but in answer to your question, yes he has. Kayo's seems to be stealth based. He's looking into some kind of optical camouflage for her uniform so that if she's ever caught turning invisible, she can show people it's just a technology. Not that I think that'll ever be a problem. Even if someone sees her turning invisible, she'll have vanished so can't be tracked."

Gordon laughed again. "Fair point. And what about John?"

"Well, I'm not sure to be honest. He's unlikely to go into the field like you boys and it's authorised entry only to Thunderbird Five, but it would appear that his uniform has incorporated biocircuitry to hide the fact that he's literally linked himself up to his computer."

"That computer up there is something else," Gordon said. "I mean, that on its own is way more powerful than anything else I've ever seen, but then add John's abilities into the equation and we'll never miss a call for help from anyone anywhere ever!"

"Indeed," Jeff replied.

They sat together quietly for a moment before Gordon spoke again. "D'you think Al will ever show any signs of anything?"

Jeff looked down at him. "I don't know. Perhaps. But he might not."

"Yeah," Gordon said quietly.

"Why?"

The younger man looked up at him. "I guess I feel kinda sorry for him. Our abilities have increased over the years and he's getting left behind."

"He's not being left behind, Gordon," Jeff said softly. "Because you boys aren't leaving him."

"I know, but I've seen him watching Scott flying around. The look in his eyes, Dad, it's not jealousy as such, but, you know, like he wishes there was something he could do."

Jeff nodded. "I know, Gordon, I know, but we just have to make sure we never let him feel left out."

"Yeah," Gordon murmured, then looked up towards the villa. "Is he upstairs?"

"He was in his room doing some homework last I checked."

"Can I go see him? I don't wanna disturb him if he should be working, but I wanna see him."

"I think we can make an exception," Jeff said, smiling. He watched as Gordon got up and went back towards their home. He was so proud of his boys. His plans would never have worked if his children had been the sort of siblings that constantly argued, fought and bickered. But as it was, they all seemed to work together well and look out for one another.