The helijet continued to buzz low to the ground, scaring FAB3 and making him bolt.

"Gracious!" gasped Penelope. "Easy, boy!"

"What is that pilot playing at?!" Parker shouted.

FAB3 raced off across the lawn with Penelope holding on for dear life whilst the helijet chased after them. he darted right out of the open grounds gate and into the woods on the opposite side.

Penelope felt a bit scared, not so much for her safety, but for FAB3's. I think someone's after FAB3, she thought to herself. But who could it be?

Before she had time to think any further, two black motorbikes burst out from within bushes and also gave chase. As fast as he was, FAB3 couldn't outrun them or the helijet.

"They're gaining on us!" Penelope called to the frightened horse. "Go for it, boy, go for it!"

FAB3 picked up a little more speed, but it wasn't enough as the motorbikes and the helijet could still keep up. Then as Penelope looked ahead, she froze. There was a dark green horsebox parked in a clearing up ahead with two men waiting by it. She now realised that someone was indeed after FAB3 and that the motorbikes and the helijet were simply there to guide them towards it.

Penelope hoped to surprise the pursuers and escape them before they could do anything, but she never got the chance. As they entered the clearing, the motorbike on the right raced past and swerved to a stop in front of FAB3. They were cornered! The horse then let out a loud NEEEIIIIGGGGHHH! and reared up throwing Penelope off.

"UUUGHH!" Penelope cried as she was thrown to the ground.

"GRAB THAT HORSE!" shouted the man on the motorbike.

The two men by the horsebox ran forwards and grabbed hold of FAB3 before guiding him into the box whilst the two men on the motorbikes made sure Penelope stayed on the ground.

Penelope luckily wasn't hurt from the fall, but she was very angry. "You cowardly thief!" she hissed at the biker who'd pulled round in front of them. "If anything should happen to my horse…"

"You'll get him back after the race," said the biker. "If you behave yourself. And that means no calling for help!"

There was nothing Penelope could do but watch helplessly as the horsebox was driven away with FAB3 locked in the back of it. The two motorbikes raced off in another direction and the helijet flew away as well.

"Well, that went better than expected, didn't it, Terry?" said the man driving the horsebox.

"Indeed it did, Bill," agreed the man in the passenger seat. He could see Penelope in the wing-mirror. "We'll be long gone before she can get any help!"

Penelope wasn't alone for long though when she heard the sound of another motorbike engine along with dogs barking. She turned round and saw Ian Appleby riding towards her on his motorbike with Parker riding in the sidecar. The barking was from her nine beloved dogs – Sherbet the Pug, Meg the Border-Collie, Bonnie the Cocker-Spaniel, Lance the Greyhound, Millie the Great Dane, Alfie the St Bernard, Pongo the Dalmatian, Tess the Brown Labrador and Harry the Black Labrador. They gathered around Penelope, wagging their tails, happy to see she was okay.

"M'lady!" cried Parker as he scrambled out of the sidecar. "Are you okay?"

"Physically, yes!" said Penelope, still shaking with fury. "But those horrid men took FAB3!"

"Who did?" asked Ian. "Did you recognise them?"

"No," Penelope replied. "But I'm guessing they belong to one of the rival teams from the race this afternoon. One of them said I'd get him back after the race."

"Yeah, right!" fumed Parker. "When h'I get my 'ands on those…"

"Not now, Parker!" Penelope said sharply as she climbed into the sidecar. "I don't care what he said. I AM going to call for help. Parker, get behind Ian. Ian, take us back to the mansion. I've got a call to make."

"Hold on tight, m'lady," said Ian once Parker was sat on the bike behind him. He turned the bike around and headed back through the woods towards the estate with the dogs following behind.


The news of what had happened to FAB3 had already reached the mansion by the time they got back. Mrs Appleby, Annette and the rest of the maids were standing on the stone steps waiting for them.

"Oh, your Ladyship, thank goodness you're safe!" exclaimed Mrs Appleby as she helped Penelope out of the sidecar. Normally Parker would've done this but in his haste to get off the back of the motorbike had lost his footing and fallen over. Luckily for him, Penelope hadn't noticed as Annette raced forwards to make sure Parker was okay. He was, but his smart butler's uniform now had dust from the gravel on it so she began to work quickly trying to dust it off.

Penelope entered the Drawing Room. She'd told Mrs Appleby and the other servants not to disturb her as she had two important calls to make. She was going to have to call her friend Chantelle Cutler who was FAB3's rider and trainer. She needed to be told what had happened to him. But before she did that, Penelope had a more important call to make – to the other side of the world.

Whilst it was daytime in England, it was night-time on Tracy Island. Daniel was up late as usual having been filling in a report on a mission they'd done the day before. He was just about to turn in when the radio bleeped. The eyes on Penelope's portrait on the table by the sofa were flashing at a much faster rate than usual. This told Daniel that the call was important.

"Go ahead, Penny," said Daniel.

"Daniel, I need your help," said Penelope. "This is most urgent."

"Sure, what's the problem?" Daniel asked.

"It's FAB3," said Penelope. "He's been stolen!"

Daniel was shocked. "What?! How?!"

"I was exercising him ready for the Grand National this afternoon," Penelope explained. "Then this helijet came down and startled him. It chased us into the woods where two motorbikes appeared and they herded us to a waiting horsebox. They made him throw me off his back and loaded him into the box before racing away!"

Daniel gritted his teeth. "Those…devils!" he exclaimed. "Do you want us to help you find him?"

"Yes, please," said Penelope. "I know it's late where you are and I'm really sorry if I'm disturbing any of the girls, but please, help me find him!"

"Don't worry, Penny, we will," promised Daniel. "How long until the race?"

"About four hours," said Penelope. "That's not a lot of time."

"Let's hope it's enough," said Daniel. "I'll contact Kerry once we're airborne and maybe she can locate the horsebox."

"I'll do that," said Penelope. "FAB3's got a tracker in his collar so it should be easy for her."

Daniel nodded. "Very good," he said. "Keep in touch, Penny. We're on our way."

After Penny had signed off, Daniel pressed some buttons on his desk. He didn't want to disturb the whole team so only selected Laura, Katie, Wizzy, Rosie, Leanna and Jodie. It wasn't long before they arrived, all in their nightclothes and looking sleepy.

"Dad, what's going on?" Laura asked. "I thought we were having a quiet night in?"

"Sorry, Laura, but I've just had a call from Penelope," said Daniel. "FAB3 has been stolen."

All of a sudden, the girls were no longer sleepy and looked at Daniel with the exact same expression that he had had when Penelope had told him of the news.

"FAB3 stolen?!" exclaimed Wizzy. "You're kidding?!"

Daniel shook his head. "Afraid not, Wizzy," he replied. "Penelope's rather distressed by it – especially as he's booked to appear in the Grand National during the afternoon. Penelope's going to get Kerry to track FAB3 and guide us to him. Now let's get going, we don't have much time."

"What pod should we take?" asked Katie. "We don't exactly know what we might have to do."

"I suggest Pod 2," said Jodie. "That has the interchangeable pods in it. Then you can custom-build the vehicles you need when you come to it."

"Excellent idea," said Daniel. "Now let's go!"

Laura hurried over to the revolving wall panel that led to the revolving elevator that would take her down to Thunderbird 1. After having turned through the wall and standing on the elevator, robotic arms attached her uniform to her as it went down. At the same time, Katie, Rosie, Leanna and Wizzy hurried out of the lounge to make their way down to Thunderbird 2 whilst Daniel hurried over to the large rocket painting on the wall. He leant back against it and it began to tilt backwards sending him sliding down into a harness which took him down a long green tunnel. Robotic arms worked to attach his blue uniform with green utility sash as he went down. Once all that was complete, the rail his harness was on moved from the bottom side of the tunnel to the top side. Laura was now in her uniform and being carried out on a retractable walkway to Thunderbird 1. She sat down in the seat which was then moved inside before the hatchway sealed. The trolley that Thunderbird 1 stood on began to move taking Thunderbird 1 up the diagonal tunnel towards its launching bay under the swimming pool. Daniel then reached Thunderbird 2's silo and swung down through the hatch in the top before closing the hatch behind him. He hurried to his seat and sat down before selecting Pod 2 on the computer. The pod conveyor activated moving Pod 1 underneath. Once Pod 2 was in position, the main body of Thunderbird 2 was lowered down onto it. Whilst all this had been going on, Katie, Wizzy, Leanna and Rosie had travelled down express elevators from the mansion to the silo and like Daniel had been changed into their uniforms on the way. They were now able to join Daniel in the cockpit and were ready to go. The rocks concealing the entrance to the hanger were lowered to allow Thunderbird 2 to taxi out onto the runway. As it came out, the palm trees were tilted back to allow it to pass. Up by the house, the swimming pool was opening up ready for Thunderbird 1 which was just coming into position on the launch pad. Thunderbird 2 was now on the launching ramp which lifted up into position. The wings folded into position and the blast shield rose into place behind the rocket engines.

5…4…3…2…1!

The rocket engines of Thunderbird 1 fired and it lifted up off the launch ramp, though the gap where the swimming pool had been before climbing high into the night sky above Tracy Island. Thunderbird 2's own engines fired and it lifted up off the ramp to join its sister-ship.

"Thunderbirds are go!" said Daniel as the two ships headed North-East to begin the long journey to England.

Jodie sat at Daniel's desk keeping one eye on her watch when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the lounge. "Two minutes, thirty seconds," she said as Beth, Adrienne and Joanne walked in.

"Did we just hear Thunderbird 1 take off?" asked Beth.

"You sure did," said Jodie. "Thunderbird 2's gone out as well. They're going to England to help find FAB3."

"Lady Penelope's racehorse?" asked Adrienne. "Why, what's happened?"

"He's been stolen," Jodie explained. "And he's due to run in the Grand National later in the afternoon. Penelope's asked for our help to find him."

"Oh, God!" exclaimed Joanne. "I hope they find him."

"Who'd want to steal him though?" asked Beth.

"Well there's only one possibility, isn't there?" said Jodie. "It has to be one of the rival horse owners. I'd heard FAB3 is one of the favourites to win the race so to remove him from it would give the others more of a chance."

They had to agree that Jodie's theory was probably correct.


As Thunderbirds 1 and 2 raced across the Pacific, Daniel got in touch with Kerry for an update on the situation. "Thunderbird 5, I presume you've spoken to Penelope?"

"Sure have, Thunderbird 2," answered Kerry. "I've been scanning the area around the Creighton-Ward estate but I'm not having much luck so far. I can't seem to get a fix on FAB3's tracking beacon either."

"Keep trying, Kerry, he has to be there somewhere," said Daniel. "What's Penelope doing right now?"

"She said she was going to see FAB3's rider," said Kerry. "Then she's going to join us in the search."

"F-A-B," said Daniel. "The sooner we find FAB3, the better chance he's got to take part in the race."

"Couldn't we take him there?" asked Katie. "I mean no other horse has ever arrived in style."

"That'll depend on how long it takes to find him and also what condition he's in," said Daniel. "We don't know if those crooks have harmed in any way."

"They better not have!" said Leanna. "I can't stand injured animals."

"Even that would be beyond my skills," agreed Rosie. "I may be a doctor, but I'm no vet."

"Penelope will know where to get one if need be," said Daniel. "But let's just hope it doesn't come to that." he paused and looked out the window. "Hmm – I hope the rider's okay."

"What makes you say that?" asked Wizzy.

It was a few seconds before Daniel answered. "I don't know, Wizzy," he said. "But I've got this strange hunch. And I hope I'm wrong."


FAB1 was driving down the country road towards Cutler Cottage on the outskirts of Foxleyheath. Penelope had not said a word since they'd left the mansion. Parker had noticed that she'd had her mobile phone against her ear for some minutes now.

"Still no word, m'lady?"

"No, Parker, nothing," Penelope replied. "This isn't like Chantelle at all. They must have already left for Aintree."

Parker was having bad thoughts as well. "You don't suppose that she might also…"

"Parker, don't you dare even suggest that!" Penelope snapped. "To have this happen to FAB3 is bad enough!" She dialled Chantelle's number again before placing the phone back to her ear. "Come on, Chantelle. Pick-up for heaven's sake!"

Parker stayed quiet until he caught sight of the white-painted cottage further up the road. As they pulled up outside, they noticed two cars were parked near the garage – dark green Ford KA and a dark blue Ford Focus.

"Well, they're both still 'ere, m'lady," said Parker as he opened the door to let Penelope out.

Penelope strode up to the front door with Parker following behind. It seemed very quiet. There wasn't even any birdsong which Parker thought was unusual. Then as Penelope knocked on the door, it moved slightly. Penelope frowned. It hadn't been closed properly. "Parker…" Penelope said in a low voice. "There's something wrong here. Go and check around the back whilst I check inside."

Parker nodded and headed off to search around the garden whilst Penelope cautiously went inside. She armed herself with her stun-pistol just in case there was someone in the house that wasn't meant to be.

"Hello?" Penelope called out. "Anyone there?"

Nobody answered. Penelope felt uneasy as she made her way through the cottage. She checked the lounge, the kitchen, the dining room and even had a peek in the cupboard under the stairs. Nobody was there, and she couldn't see any signs of there being anything wrong. She paused by the stairs when her watch beeped.

"M'lady, I've checked the gardens h'and there's nobody 'ere," said Parker. "It's way too quiet."

"No luck here either, Parker," Penelope replied. "I'm going to check upstairs. Hold on…" She listened hard. Now that she was standing still, she could just make out a faint sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like music. "I think someone is here," Penelope said quietly. "I'm going to check upstairs."

"Be careful, m'lady," said Parker. "I'll be with you h'in two ticks!"

Penelope carefully made her way up the stairs. As she did so, the sound of the music became a bit clearer. She recognised it as one of the 'Planets' Suites by Holst. There were four doors along the landing, the first led into the bathroom, which was empty; the second had Chantelle's name on the door but that was also empty. The third door had Tegan on it – she was Chantelle's little sister. This room wasn't empty, for the young girl was sleeping soundly in her bed. Penelope's blood ran cold for a moment as she went to inspect her. However, she didn't appear to be drugged or anything and was just sleeping. Penelope then went to the fourth door which was where the music was coming from. She placed her hand on the door, ready to see what terrible thing she was about to discover on the other side.