Chapter Eight

"So Bob was not ill after all Mr Tracy?"

"No Tin-Tin, he wasn't. It looks like it was a bogus call to get Thunderbird One out there so this guy could kidnap Scott and steal Thunderbird One."

Jeff, John and Gordon Tracy had returned to the island base of International Rescue after leaving Tony and Bob Williams with their father at the state hospital. Mr Williams was deeply unconscious and the boys had begged to be allowed to stay with him, as he was their only blood relative. The hospital authorities would ensure that they were cared for until their father recovered...........or until other arrangements needed to be made.

"Williams should have let us know something was wrong when he called. After getting the boys out of that mine last year and saving his precious photographs for him he should have warned us."

Alan Tracy's eyes blazed as he looked down from the vid-portrait on the wall, his face creased with anger.

"Now hold on Alan. I'm as worried about Scott as you are but maligning the innocent won't help. From the looks of things Williams wasn't responsible for his own actions when he called and we still don't know if he's even going to recover."

"What do you think was in that injection the guy gave him dad?"

"I don't know for sure Gordon, I'm hoping Brains will be able to tell us more once he's analysed the blood sample. My guess is it was some form of mind-control drug. Tony and Bob said he made that call to us a few minutes after the injection – that must have been enough time for the drug to work and turn him into a tool of his attacker."

"He must have used the drug on Scott as well" The lounge fell silent. Virgil stood in front of the desk with his two brothers and Tin-Tin, his face betraying the anger he felt against his brother's abductor. "That would be the only way that he would get Scott to take off in Thunderbird One without letting us know first. That must have been the guy that Alan saw using Scott's chronometer – he must have seen the visual alert flashing and wondered what it meant and then activated the comms link by mistake."

"Does it matter how he got him to take off or how he used the chronometer?" Gordon's voice was impatient as he broke in. "Both Scott and Thunderbird One are missing. We've got to find them fast before this creep hurts Scott any more or discovers all our secrets and finds out who we are. International Rescue will be finished if our identities leak out. How are we going to find them father?"

"We've already got all of the listening stations around the world looking for any trace of Thunderbird One Gordon. A 'plane like that will be difficult to hide for long." Jeff looked up at his youngest son. "Has there been any response from them yet Alan?"

"No father. I've told them all to contact us as soon as they find something that might help."

"Good, keep listening son. Now the rest of you – we've got to find these guys fast – and more importantly find Scott. I want all of our agents alerted immediately, wherever they are. We need any information they can give us about anyone that has been showing any prolonged interest in International Rescue lately or anything that they hear that might help. Meanwhile I'm going to contact the World President"

The protests were immediate and loud, the brothers crowded around Jeff's desk all talking at the same time. Jeff brought his hand down onto his desk and there was instant silence.

"Now listen all of you. Your brother is missing and International Rescue is facing a major breach in security. But as vitally important as those two things are there is something else important here that we cannot lose sight of."

He looked grimly from one to the other, holding their gaze for a brief moment before moving onto the next person.

"We don't know the motivation of the person who has done this but we cannot presume that it is anything other than malevolent. One of International Rescue's machines and operatives has fallen into what we can only presume are enemy hands. I have no doubt that he will now do whatever it takes to make Scott reveal everything he knows about this organisation including the Thunderbird machines. That information is dangerous. The technology in those machines would be an extremely potent weapon in the hands of anyone who chooses to use it."

Jeff held up his hand as his sons strove to interrupt.

"I know Thunderbird One is only one machine – but one is enough – more than enough. We must let the World President know what is happening so they can be prepared. We've no way of knowing what this criminal is planning but after what happened with those two spies who masqueraded as International Rescue to steal secret plans I'm not taking any chances. I do not want innocent people to suffer at the hands of technology stolen from International Rescue – not if I can do anything about it. Besides, they may be able to help us."

Help us father?" John frowned as he looked at Jeff "How?"

"Their forces cover a fair bit of this globe John, in many of the inhospitable terrains where our agents simply do not go. Thunderbird One will have to be kept somewhere and somewhere inhospitable and remote would be likely as a hiding place. The World Army may well be our best chance of finding Thunderbird One, and with it, Scott."

Jeff looked down at his desk and picked up the chronometer that sat there. As if to draw his eldest son back to him from wherever he had been taken, Jeff closed his fist over it and brought it up to his chest. Swallowing once he looked back at his remaining sons.

"Now get to it boys, your brother's depending on you."

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The next hours passed slowly for the occupants of the Tracy villa. Although all of the International Rescue agents had been alerted, none knew of anything that might help and could only promise to call in as soon as they did. Lady Penelope set Parker to contacting all of his old 'colleagues' from his life of crime to see what the criminal underworld knew of the abduction of Scott Tracy and Thunderbird One. The World President was shocked to learn that an International Rescue machine had been captured and promised the help of the World Army in checking for places where the machine could be hidden.

Re-calibrating the sensors of Thunderbird Five to try to detect any of the components of the rescue ship yielded no help – there was nothing that was specific enough that could be tracked. Waiting was now the only course open to them.

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John Tracy raised his head from his arm as the sound of a soft footstep reached his ears. The lounge was in semi-darkness, lit only by two small table lamps, one next to the sofa at the back of the room where John was stretched out, the other at his father's desk where Virgil sat with his head resting in the heel of one hand, eyes closed. His night vision affected by the proximity of the lamp John could see only darkness beyond the circle of light cast by the lamp.

"That you Gordon?"

"No, it's not. Why are you two still up, don't you know it's nearly three o'clock in the morning?"

John sat up and swung his feet to the floor as Jeff stepped further into the lounge, frowning at his two sons.

"I thought you both went to bed hours ago?"

"We did, but we can't sleep Dad, not with Scott out there by himself with heaven knows what happening to him." Virgil raised his head and looked at his father through bloodshot, weary eyes. "What if he manages to call in? Someone's got to be here – he might not have much time to talk."

"If Scott manages to call Alan will tell us." Jeff looked across to where John was still sitting on the sofa, his mouth opening to object further. "I know you're worried about your brother but when we get a line on him I need you both at your best, not so tired you can't stay awake. Now, off to bed with you."

With a reluctant nod John slowly stood up and moved towards the sleeping area. As he drew alongside his father he stopped and looked at Virgil who had not moved.

"Both of you"

Virgil hesitated a moment longer then rose from the desk. As he drew level with John, Jeff placed a hand on each of his son's shoulders. Blue and brown eyes looked back into the steel blue eyes that regarded them fondly.

"Don't worry boys, we'll find him" The hand on each shoulder tightened comfortingly to impart strength and hope "We'll find him and we'll bring him home."

Silently Virgil and John nodded once then moved off towards their rooms. Left to himself Jeff crossed the lounge and stood looking out at the quiet ocean laid out before him. The words were more a prayer than anything else.

"We'll find you Scott – wherever you are, we'll find you. I promise."

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Several hours later Jeff sat at the kitchen table with his sons, nursing a cup of strong, black coffee. He almost dropped it in surprise as a voice broke into his thoughts.

"E....e...excuse me Mr, uh Mr Tracy?"

Jeff turned in his chair, his sons looking up from their plates, to find the young scientist of the group standing in the doorway, looking pale and tired and holding a sheaf of papers.

"Brains, come on in. Have you eaten?"

"N....n.....no Mr Tracy. I, uh, I've got some news for you." As he saw the hopeful expressions that appeared on the faces around the table he hastily added "It, er, it is not very good news I'm, uh, I'm afraid."

Jeff's face fell and then hardened as he prepared himself to listen.

"OK Brains, come and get some food and tell us what you've found."

Gordon cleared a patch of table next to him while John loaded a clean plate with toast and a muffin and then got up to prepare a cup of tea – Brains' preferred drink in the mornings. Brains smiled his thanks as he seated himself next to the aquanaut.

"Thank you, er, er, Gordon, John." He shuffled his papers, cleared his throat and then looked across at Jeff. "As you know Mr Tracy, L...L...Lord Silton's doctors found traces of a foreign substance in his blood but Doctor Blain and, uh, Doctor Thomas could not agree on what that substance was. H...h...however, the, uh, blood sample that Gordon took from Doctor Brady also held a...a...a foreign substance as did that of Mister Williams."

The young scientist paused to take a drink from the cup that John had placed in front of him. Gordon continued to eat, giving the impression that he was only partially listening to Brains but Jeff, Virgil and John all sat as still as stone, waiting for him to continue. Slowly Brains put down his cup and returned to his sheets of paper, reluctant to met the eyes of his employer.

"As the, uh, the blood samples of Doctor Brady and Mister W...W...W...Williams were taken much closer to the, uh, the time when the injections were carried out, the samples were much easier to analyse and we, uh, we think that we ....uh....we....uh.... have managed to identify what they were injected with."

The Tracy men waited for Brains to continue but the young man just sat and looked at his papers, as if desperately trying to find something different in them. His fingers shook slightly and he frowned deeply, desperately seeking the words to convey his news. Puzzled, and increasingly concerned, Virgil, Gordon and John exchanged worried glances before turning back to their friend. Jeff's gaze had not left Brains' face and as he observed the young man's discomfort his heartbeat increased and a knot of dread began to form in his stomach.

"OK Brains, let's have it. What is this substance?"

When Brains looked up he did not meet Jeff's eyes but instead looked nervously over Jeff's shoulder, seeming to focus about five feet behind him.

"Doctor, uh, Doctor Thomas is already working on finding an antidote that, uh, that may be able to counteract the effects of the, uh, the drug. He has a ...a...a great deal of expertise in the area as you know Mr Tracy. Doctor, uh, Doctor Blain has a...a...agreed to give him whatever help he can and they are hopeful that....."

"Brains" Jeff's voice was gruff and strained as he sought to stop the flow of words coming from the scientist. "Brains, son...............I need to know. What is this substance?"

Drawing a deep breath Brains focussed on the eyes of his employer. Jeff drew in a sharp breath as he saw the mixture of dismay and fear displayed on the face of the young scientist.

"The, er, the exact scientific name does not really matter. It, uh, it is a combination of an, uh, a derivative of a so-called truth serum widely used during interrogations in the last century and of a, uh, mind-control drug, devised by an Australian scientist, a....a....an Ian Master. It, uh, it has the ability to enable someone to control the physical actions of the, uh, subject in much the same way as hypnotism does. However its, uh, side-effects led to it being o...o...outlawed and banned from, uh, use twenty years ago."

Jeff's blood felt as if it had been turned to ice in his veins

"What side effects?"

"The , uh, the drug was used experimentally on life-term prisoners in, uh, in Britain, Finland and, uh, Australia as the, uh, World Justice System was trying to find, uh, some alternative to the death penalty. As a result only, er, only very few examples of its use have been documented and studied." Brains paused and shuffled his papers again, dropping his eyes down to them once more. "Of the, uh, fifty people on whom this was previously known to have been used, only, uh, twenty recovered fully after the first a...a...administration of the drug."

"Recovered fully? What of the others?" Jeff's voice was grim as he asked the question, sure that he did not really want to know the answer.

"Of the remaining thirty subjects, twenty, uh, suffered mental traumas and lapsed into prolonged periods of unconsciousness. When they awoke they had suffered some, uh, physical or mental impairment as a result of brain damage caused by the drug."

"What sort of 'impairment' Brains?"

Brains turned towards the blond beside him, his face grave

"The, uh, the damage inflicted varied from individual to individual. Basically the drug appeared to damage the transmission of signals along the neural, uh, pathways in the brain but which pathways were affected appeared to be somewhat random. A few were affected in their sight, having it severely damaged or....or.....or even destroyed altogether."

"They were blinded?" John's shocked voice was barely a whisper.

Brains nodded sadly "Y....y....yes John, I'm afraid so. In others the damage left the subjects partially or completely paralysed as the, uh, motor neurones were damaged."

Gordon, on the other side of Brains, sucked in his breath sharply, his own memories of lying stricken in a hospital bed, unable to move resurfacing in his brain. Shifting uncomfortably Brains continued, his words becoming more uncertain and reluctant as he observed the effects of his revelations on his listeners.

"However, it was not o....o....only voluntary movements that were a...a....affected. In the, uh, the last ten cases the, uh, the autonomic nerve pathways were damaged. As these control the, uh, the many automatic processes that occur in the...the... body to keep it functioning the effects of the, uh the disruption caused was somewhat more severe.

The eyes of his listeners widened with shock as they listened to the dreadful damage inflicted by this noxious drug and as Brains hesitated yet again in his revelations their faces started to drain of colour in dread at what remained unsaid. Gordon, his voice little more than a whisper, asked the question.

"What about the last ten Brains? What happened to them?"

Brains swallowed hard before raising his eyes to meet Jeff's eyes once more.

"They, uh, they didn't survive Gordon. They all died after being given the drug."

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Author's Note:

Please note, the Gerry Anderson characters belong to someone else, they do not belong to me. That includes both the main characters and anyone else you may happen to recognise. Anyone you don't recognise is doubtless a figment of my imagination.