Hour Four
The following takes place between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
11:00:53
John had never seen anything that strange in all his life. The Cleansing Ritual, Ebony had called it. It seemed like a perfectly normal occurrence to everyone else present. It looked like Ebony was in charge of things in this strange place with a large chasm in the center and no ceiling overhead. There was a man, shorter than Ebony with a Chinese look to him. And there were others as well, big Asian-looking men standing on either side of the chasm completely naked.
Well, at least that made John feel better about being naked during the whole thing.
He'd been cleansed in a large, wooden tub of cold water. His hair, washed. His body, washed. He'd stared at the women washing him, but not one of them ever looked him in the eye. They were all attractive and young, he noted. They had dried his body with their hair. Something he didn't think had ever been done to him before, though he was definitely having trouble remembering.
Ebony stood in what he could only describe as an all-black catsuit. It hugged every curve and for the first time he was afforded the opportunity to gape openly at her supple movements, very much cat-like themselves. For indeed she was a beautiful woman. She had large, doe-like eyes and smooth, dark skin. He had seen her hair in three different styles by now, but this look with the hair hanging straight down behind her to her ass was the most becoming yet, he thought.
She spoke in a language he didn't recognize as the ritual continued. He couldn't even determine what region the language might be from. That bothered him for some reason, but it fled his mind as she turned to face him, her hands slick with scented oil. When she touched him, he gasped at the tingling sensation, as though the oil were somehow setting his skin on fire, bringing every nerve ending to life.
Her movements were slow, methodical. She knew exactly what she was doing.
And John's body betrayed him.
He wondered why it didn't bother him that she had aroused him here in this place with all these people around. Then she touched him, hands slick with more oil, and coherent thought fled. Every inch of him burned with need. But he couldn't move. He could only stand there staring at her face through the mist in his eyes as she pumped him over and over, saying something so quietly he could barely hear her over the blood rushing in his ears.
It had been so long since someone had touched him...
Again, something niggled at the back of his brain. That somehow, for some reason, this whole thing was wrong. That he didn't belong here. That Ebony should not be touching him.
But then it came. His orgasm hit and he exploded like a firecracker, a great cry shooting up through the open roof into the night...
...shattering the silence of the jungle.
11:10:05
Scott partially hid the hover bike behind a grove of trees, crouching beside it. He could see the safe house at the end of Hunters Croft, but his father was nowhere in sight. He signaled him through the watch. Within moments, his father's face appeared.
"Scott, where are you?" he whispered.
"Behind some trees about thirty feet from the house."
"Stand by."
Scott soon heard some rustling across the street. He looked, and his father darted over to crouch next to him. "Dad," Scott breathed. "I'm glad you're okay."
Jeff's responding smile soon disappeared. "Son? What is it?"
"Well, Virg came up with an idea, Dad. A bad one."
"A bad idea?" Jeff was clearly confused.
"Dad, what exactly did Penelope tell you when you talked to her on the phone?"
He thought for a moment. "She said that Parker was dead and that they took John."
"So she was right there when it happened."
"She must've been. Why?"
"Dad, doesn't it strike you as odd that this Ebony character would raise hell to kidnap John but leave Penny behind, only to track her down an hour later, raise more hell and kidnap her?"
The wheels of Jeff's mind were clearly turning. Scott could almost see the instant the light bulb went off over his head. "So Virgil thinks Ebony kidnapped John but not Penny."
It wasn't a question. Scott knew his father already believed it.
"But who would take her?" he asked. "If Ebony is trying to get at us using John, why would someone else take Penny so soon afterwards? It's got to be more than a coincidence."
"Well, you guys did sort of broadcast your relationship to the world. It could be someone's grabbed her to get money from you. Any crazy on the street who watches TV or reads the news on line would know of the Creighton-Ward/Tracy connection. The timing could just be a coincidence."
Jeff's mouth opened but no sound would emerge.
Scott took the opportunity to scan his surroundings. To the naked eye, everything seemed quiet and in order. "I should take the lead on this, check out the house. See if I can find Sir Jeremy."
"Already done. He's in the living room. He's dead."
Jeff rose to his full height, his son following suit.
"Dad, you were supposed to wait for me!"
Jeff looked up into his son's eyes. Scott couldn't remember ever seeing that much anguish reflected back at him. Not since...
"I couldn't wait, Scott. I had to know if she was here. If she was...dead."
Scott swallowed hard. "You didn't find her?"
Jeff shook his head. "I...I have to find her, Scott. She's more than what you boys think. More than just my girlfriend or my lover."
Scott stared at him in confusion. Jeff's eyes fell to the ground.
"She's my wife."
11:19:32
"You mean you really think someone besides this Ebony has Penny?"
"Yeah, Gordon, I do. And Scott agrees. I'm sure by now he's told Dad. I want us to have something...anything...by the time they call in."
"But Virg," Alan complained from his video portrait, "we don't have a damn thing to go on where John's concerned, other than a woman named Ebony, and if your theory's right, absolutely nothing where Penny is concerned. What the hell are we supposed to—?"
Alan darted away from the monitor as all eyes turned to where his empty chair now sat.
"Alan?" Virgil rose to his feet, hands resting on the desk in front of him. "Alan, what is it?"
"Hang on!" was his hollered reply.
"Virg?"
"What, Gordon?"
"I don't want to just sit here anymore. I can't. Virg, we have to go...do."
"And what, you think that I do want to just sit here?" Virgil's temper flared. "If there was something to do, I'd be doing it!"
"Hang on, guys," Alan said excitedly as he reappeared on-camera. "I think you may just be getting your wish."
"What?" Gordon and Virgil asked at the same time.
"I just picked up a transmission," Alan explained as he frantically punched something into the keyboard in front of him. "Someone mentioned Penny by name. I'm having 5 pinpoint the source as we speak."
Virgil sprinted around the corner of the desk, his back to his painting so fast it took a moment for the others to figure out where he was. "Gordon, Tin-Tin, you're with me. Kyrano? Think you can handle the web searches?"
Kyrano nodded.
"Grandma, take over with the papers. Alan, you're in charge of Base, initiate remote access. And give me whatever you have as soon as I've launched."
"F.A.B., 5 out."
While Gordon and Tin-Tin ran for the passenger elevator in the hall, Virgil upended into the chute that would lead him to Thunderbird 2.
At last! Something for him to do!
11:27:27
The ride back to Thunderbird One was silent. Unspoken questions hung in the air between Jeff and his eldest son like a tangible thing Jeff was wont to swat away. Scott's look of surprise was understandable. His look of sympathy, testament to the big heart thumping beneath a hero's chest. But his look of betrayal was something Jeff wasn't prepared for. And now, he didn't know how to respond.
They arrived at the great silver rocket plane and Jeff mulled over the fact that there hadn't been a single clue anywhere in the vicinity of the safe house to help them try to identify Penelope's kidnappers. Not a scrap of fabric or a dropped cigarette butt...nothing. Scott's voice, terse and disbelieving, broke him from his reverie.
"How could you not tell us we had a stepmother?"
Jeff watched as his son stowed the hover bike in One's hold. "We...given all the hoopla surrounding what we did on international television, we figured getting married would just bring way too much of a spotlight on International Rescue. On all of you."
"Bullshit."
Jeff started, his own anger beginning to rise. "What did you just say to me?"
"Dad, you and Penny didn't think a goddamned thing of kissing in front of a television camera. Why the hell would a quiet ceremony on the island have brought more of a spectacle to our lives than you two had already created?"
"I don't have to explain my actions to you, Scott. Not where my personal life is concerned."
"Goddammit, Dad, this isn't just about you!" Scott retorted, slamming One's hatch closed with a bang. "Just because it's your personal life doesn't mean it doesn't affect your family! I mean, look at this!" He waved his arms around, indicating the current situation. "This is all happening because of—"
Both their watches beeped, cutting Scott off in mid-sentence.
"Thunderbird One here," he ground out, turning away from his father.
"Scott! It's Alan! I think I may have something on Penny!"
Jeff rushed to his son's side and peered around to the watch face. "What about her, Alan?"
"5 picked up a transmission where those involved said her name. I've got the location pinpointed within a twenty square mile area. Virg, Tin-Tin and Gordo are already on their way in 2."
"Good work, Al. What did they talk about, whoever was in the transmission?"
"It was two men and they were speaking Malay."
"Malay?" Jeff repeated in astonishment.
"Yes. I got it translated with Kyrano's help, though I'm not entirely certain how accurate it is..."
"Alan, just give it to us!" Scott ordered.
Alan turned slightly to look at a different monitor and read back what he'd figured out. "Lady Creighton-Ward is en route. The car will be there in fifteen minutes. Make sure they weren't followed."
"That was it?"
"Yes," Alan nodded. "The transmission was coming from somewhere around Chop Gate right there in the UK, in the vicinity of the B1257."
"Wait a minute," Jeff interrupted, his voice deathly quiet. "Chop Gate?"
"Yes, Father."
"Dad?" Scott turned to face him. "What is it?"
"We..." Jeff looked at Alan. "Nothing. Nothing, I just thought I recognized that name. I guess not."
Alan shrugged like it made no difference, but Scott's lips pressed into a thin line. Their father was hiding something. He could feel it.
"Alan, I want you to keep monitoring, and send Agent 12 to the area you've outlined. How far out is Thunderbird Two?"
"ETA of Thunderbird Two now one hour, forty minutes. Virgil and the others have been briefed."
"F.A.B. Scott out." He whirled on his father. "What is it you didn't want to say in front of Alan?" Jeff ran a hand down his face. Was Scott mistaken, or did his dad's eyes seem to be glistening? "Dad? Come on, I know you know something. What is it about Chop Gate?"
"About a week after we were married," Jeff began, not knowing quite what to do with his hands, "Penny and I decided to just go driving around the countryside. You know, take in the sights, spend some time together." Jeff hesitated.
This feels so awkward. Why can't I talk to my own son about my wife?
Jeff swallowed the lump in his throat.
Because it's not his mother I'm talking about anymore.
He looked up. Scott nodded, encouraging him to continue. Jeff let the air whoosh out of his lungs. "We stopped at a small eatery in Chop Gate," he finally said. "It's in the North York Moors National Park. After we ate dinner, we decided to keep going. One of the locals there at the eatery had told us about the River Seph not too far south. He said it was quite sight to see at sunset because of the unusual color of the river's water." Jeff shrugged. "We decided to give it a go."
Scott would've considered the gesture romantic had they not been in the middle of a fiasco just now. "And?" he prompted.
"Well, I guess we didn't really think much of it at the time, but we arrived at the river well before sundown. So we decided to hike around, check out the woods. That area is known for its native wildlife. We saw a lot, too." He stopped, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair which seemed now to have much more salt than pepper.
"There were a couple of times we thought we heard someone behind us, as though we were being followed. But both times, we were able to attribute the sounds to an animal. The first time it was a big 15-point buck. The second, a doe with her fawn. We, uh..." His face flushed crimson as he looked away, shifting back and forth from one foot to the other.
Scott just looked at his dad. His chest heaved and he hacked out a stifled cough as his father turned away. "You didn't!"
"Well, it's not like we're teenagers, for God's sake." Jeff's face was now the color of Tin-Tin's Ladybird plane and Scott nearly hurt himself trying not to laugh, partially because of his own discomfort, but partially because it was funny as hell to be having this type of conversation with his father.
"You mean I was right? You guys..." He ended with a wave of his hands, thoroughly enjoying his father's discomfort. How many times had Jeff grilled him like that when he was in high school? And he'd been merciless.
"Scott Jefferson Tracy!"
Whoops. Game time's over.
Scott cleared his throat, his face becoming a mask of stone.
Jeff glared at him as if he dared his eldest to take it any further. When it appeared Scott wouldn't be doing so, he continued. "Later we watched the sun set over the moor. Just like the man in Chop Gate had said, it was breathtaking."
She was breathtaking.
"There's something else."
"Well, it was just one of those feelings, you know?" Jeff replied, dragging his mind back to the present.
"Were you followed?"
"I...we couldn't be sure. Besides, we were so...you know..."
Well, no, truthfully, Scott didn't know. But he could easily guess. "It's okay, Dad. I understand."
"You do?" Jeff blinked. "But a minute ago you wanted to sock me."
Scott half-grinned. "Dad, I didn't want to sock you. Yell at you, maybe, yes. But not sock you."
Jeff eyed his son and was suddenly consumed with pride over the man he was. Jeff knew he wasn't altogether responsible for who Scott Tracy had become, but he was his oldest boy, and as such he couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry, Scott. Really, I am." Jeff turned his face up toward Thunderbird One.
"Let's go find her, Father."
Jeff smiled. "Yes. Let's go."
As they boarded One through a hatch in her belly, neither Tracy noticed they were no longer alone.
11:41:08
Ebony walked into the room and shooed the female servant away. Left alone with the silence of her own thoughts, she reflected upon how well things were going – how easily John succumbed to her power. She hadn't been certain how well she'd be able to control him, but it had turned out to be almost a non-issue. He found her fascinating...at least, he did when she had control over his mind. And it was so easy, too. He barely resisted. It amazed Ebony that most people never even tried to make their minds stronger. She reasoned she could probably overtake the minds of 90 of Earth's population if given the chance.
But of course, she wouldn't be given the chance, because once her goal was reached...once she finished doing what she'd set out to do...her master would be back. And you never, ever messed with his agenda. Not unless you wanted to die.
A soft sound from the opposite side of the room startled her. She cursed herself for being so on edge. Smoothing her robes, Ebony seemed to glide across the bedroom until she reached her destination. She reached down and picked up a young child, cradling him in her arms.
"Hello," she said softly, gazing at him lovingly. "How are you?"
Suddenly the bundle moved. Before she knew it, two small arms were wrapped around her neck, and one excited word was heard.
"Mommy!"
11:46:49
They had stopped.
What now?
Voices spoke in a language she thought sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Her tears had long ago dried up, as she'd chided herself for behaving so foolishly. She may have lost both Parker and Sir Jeremy, but she still had a husband and stepson out there, one of which was most certainly bordering on frantic, the other...well, there was no way to tell if John were even alive, let alone how he was faring if he was. She could only hope he was well.
A sound from outside made her nearly stop breathing. She heard a button being pressed, followed by a small beeping sound. It kept beeping. And beeping. And beeping and beeping and beeping.
Oh, my God.
The voices spoke again, but faded as though their owners were walking away from her position.
...beep...beep...beep...beep...
"A bomb," she whispered hoarsely. Her body tensed as the beeping continued. She began kicking at the lid of the boot with all her might. It was locked tight. She kicked harder, trying desperately to gather enough saliva to wet her throat. "Help me," she said, more of a loud whisper than anything else.
...beep...beep...beep...beep...
"Help me!" she said, a little bit louder.
poundpoundpound went her feet on the walls of her tiny prison.
"Help!"
...beep...beep...beep...beep...
11:50:11
"Come, Little One," Ebony purred as she carried her son out of his bedroom. They walked down a hall and into a large, cavernous room filled with statues made of precious stones and metals. The walls were lined with expensive original artwork, blood-red velvet draped along the walls and ceiling. To their left was a dais surrounded by water, eternal flames floating on golden saucers around and around something hidden from view by a multi-colored beaded curtain.
Ebony placed the child on the floor next to her. His skin was not nearly as dark as hers, and his eyes were smaller, but the resemblance was obvious to anyone who might've seen them together. "Your father taught me this only once," she said, raising her arms above her head. Bitterness filled her voice. "He was taken away before I could perfect my skills."
Slowly the beaded curtain before her parted, revealing the bronze statue of a man. "Let us see if we can contact your uncle, shall we, my son?"
The boy giggled in delight as his mother's eyes closed. He watched in adoration as she uttered but one word.
"Kyrano..."
11:57:38
...beep...beep...beep...beep...
"Blast!" Penny cursed, desperately twisting her arms behind her. She almost dislocated her shoulder and cried out in pain. Flipping to her side, she pulled her legs up and struggled to thread them through her arms, but it was nearly impossible given how cramped the space.
...beep...beep...beep...beep...
"Help me!" she yelled, somehow having found her full voice at last. "Please! Someone help!"
One last, great shove finally sent her legs through so that now her arms were in front of her. She banged desperately at the strong metal above her.
poundpoundpound
Jeff, Jeff, where are you?
She wrenched her hands askew to one another, trying to pull one of them out of the bindings.
Please don't let me die here. Please. It's too soon. Please!
"Help! Help me! There's a bomb! Please help me!"
The beeping grew faster. Louder. More insistent.
It's about to go off. Oh, God, NO!
"HELP!"
...beep...
11:59:58
...beep...
11:59:59
...beep...
12:00:00