Author's note: Ha! Sneek attack, I got this one up in less than a week. Thanks again for the reviews.

/

Campfires were usually a special occasion. As children, their father would take them out, often with their mother into the wilds or at least that's what they'd said. In practice, Gran Roca Ranch was probably less than a hundred yards away. Still, when they were young, it had felt well and truly like the wilds of the desert itself. They would sit out there together, close and warmed by the fire and tell stories. Dad would tell ones of his numerous adventures, mom scary ones and grandma and grandpa a bit of both when they came out. When the fire died down to its embers, they would lie there looking up at the stars, wondering if one day they would get to go out there. Usually, half-asleep, they'd finally stumble back to their ranch and tumble into their respective beds from which they wouldn't emerge until mid-morning. Sometimes however, if things were just right. They would lie out there and fall asleep.

The tradition had been continued back on the island. Some quieter nights - not that they were treated to many - when everyone still had a bit of energy left, they would get together, gather some wood and a couple of pans and prepare their food down on the beach. It was a relaxing spot, free from the concerns which even in the house sometimes continued to linger on their minds. It was hard to forget that you were International Rescue. Still, they would make the effort. Things just seemed so much calmer down by the ocean. They could almost pretend to live normal lives. As they toasted marshmallows and chattered, reminisced and told stories about before… Some nights, it almost felt like their parents were still there with them.

The magic was gone now.

They were still by the sea and a fire was indeed lit but any notion that this was a fun and charming evening had been dispelled some time ago. No words were exchanged as they prepared the meal. If hunger had been a notion a couple of hours ago, the entire group had abruptly lost their appetites. The only reason that they were bothering to cook at all was due to some vague notion that they had to eat if they wanted to keep their strength up. That and it gave them something to distract themselves with, preventing them from dwelling on what they had seen as much as they might otherwise have done. Sadly, it wasn't quite enough.

There was no forgetting the images that they had born witness to. The entire world had been able to watch as Scott Tracy and Tanusha Kyrano were lead along bound and gagged to be handed over to the Mechanic. There could be no doubting that he had intended to let them know that he had two of their own. That much had been strikingly obvious. If he had desired secrecy, he could easily have obtained it. "Psychological warfare" Parker had dubbed it and none of them had been able to contradict the statement. Their enemy was playing with them, no doubt trying to provoke them into doing something rash and stupid. Ironically, that was the sort of action that his prisoners were a little more prone to than the rest of their family. Despite that, the pain and the rage had worked their magic and it had taken Grandma's level head, Penny's logic and some firm arguments from both Kyranos that had stopped a rapid launch of Thunderbird 2.

Instead, they sat round the fire. They had barely exchanged a word since agreeing not to go on a foolhardy and unprepared rescue mission. There was another problem of course. They still hadn't the foggiest idea of just where their enemy was hiding. John and EOS had checked, not even the GDF knew. The prisoners and their escorts had gotten into an unmanned and remote controlled craft which had flown them to their destination, leaving little to no evidence of where it had been. Even those who had accompanied the captured members of International Rescue found themselves unable to even remotely guess where they might have been. In short, it was a dead end. They had been forced to fall back upon their initial plan.

That's what Brains was doing. Working tirelessly on his algorithm. He hadn't even contemplated resting since starting up some time ago. Unfortunately, it left the rest of them with precious little other than waiting to do. That task, although simple proved to be difficult to tolerate given what was going on. Thunderbird 5 and its occupants were still present but provided nothing more than a transparent blue ghost-like presence. Even high above Earth's atmosphere, they were pray to the same restrictions and problems as their brothers on the ground.

That left them sitting round the campfire. They had given their guests some blankets. True, it wasn't particularly cold out but the shock could make even the warmest of nights seem a little chilly. If nothing else, it provided something of a comfort. Kyrano had barely spoken since they had picked him up. There was a listlessness there which nobody knew how to address. What could you say to a man who had been forced to abandon his daughter, knowing full-well what it might mean? Lady Penelope had informed them about everything that had happened. The thrill of seeing both her and Parker again had promptly vanished when the family had learned of their brother and friend's fate.

Gordon's brown eyes fell upon the figure of the outcast amongst their group. The man had wisely chosen to isolate himself, sitting somewhat further back from the rest of them. Revulsion formed in the pit of his stomach if his attention rested upon the man for too long. He was sensible enough to realize that currently, they were all in the same boat. That didn't mean he had to like it however nor was he about to forget the crimes committed against his family. A cold glare was all that the man received on the rare occasions he chose to take any interest in what the rest of them were doing. It wasn't a pleasant situation. None of them pretended that it was. Even Virgil, sitting there staring at the flickering flames seemed incapable of speech.

They all knew what needed to be asked. There was only one man here who knew the Mechanic. He wasn't speaking because he hadn't been asked. Whilst they might be able to expect some cooperation, the man certainly wasn't about to start sharing information without being prompted to do so that he didn't deem essential for them to know. As such, it was Grandma, taking a sip of some rather strong coffee who finally spoke:

"What's the Mechanic's plan?"

"Right now. To eliminate all of those standing in his way." Yellow eyes flickered round to look at them. "That means your family and me, probably your friend colonel Casey too once he's done with her. After that, I'm afraid I don't know."

The elderly woman nodded slowly, accepting the statement without argument. That much was painfully obvious. Eradicate, if not all of his enemies, then at least those capable of fighting back. With International Rescue gone, there would be few crafts capable of challenging his own. The Hood would also pose a threat, the villain was unlikely to care about project Sentinel blowing up a city and was unlikely to accept a world under the ownership of anyone other than himself. That and there seemed to be a fair bit of bad blood between the two of them if what Scott had told them about the two's battle inside the dam was true. Now the tables had turned completely, their old enemy was with them not because he found their company enjoyable but because it was the only place he was still safe and they were the only ones who stood a chance against the Mechanic.

Alan shifted uneasily on board of Thunderbird 5, drawing John's attention. He was acutely aware that his youngest brother was distressed. They all were. This was something they had never faced before. It wasn't an eventuality their father had ever prepared them for. How could he? He had warned them all that it was dangerous but now they found themselves faced with the very real prospect of having lost two of their own:

"So you mean Scott and Kayo are..." The words snagged in the back of the youngest brother's throat, he found himself unable to continue.

Ridley gently placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the youngest brother somewhat. It was a gesture that John felt he should have done. Unfortunately, he found himself rooted to the spot (metaphorically at least, it was hard to be rooted to anything in space). He could only stare at the faces of the holograms of his family and long for an answer of some kind. As strange as it was, it felt that anything would do. The uncertainty caused his stomach to turn. It was true terror which gripped him in those few moments. Scott had always been there for them, literally always. In many ways, he had been more present than even their father. Kayo too, she was the one who was supposed to protect them. They couldn't be gone… They simply couldn't.

The Hood shook his head slowly. For a terrible moment, John thought that it might actually be a confirmation that there was no point in holding out too much hope. The man explained himself the briefest of moments later but it had still been enough to allow some terrible images to be conjured up in the remaining brothers' minds:

"The Mechanic is nothing but a practical man." The Hood shook his head dismissively. "He lacks finesse and vision. If he wanted your brother and my niece dead he would have had the GDF kill them as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He won't risk anything grandiose or get caught up in petty revenge. Too much room for mistakes. If they're still alive then he'll want them for something."

"What?" John wasn't too sure if Alan's question was due to innocence or simply trying to fool himself a little longer.

"Information, probably concerning our location. Then he'll kill them."

It came as little surprise to any of them. Naturally, they had imagined that he was unlikely to simply want them locked up. Prisoners were a hassle that he could likely do without. Asides the risk that they might escape, he would have to feed them and give them water if he wanted them to survive. Both were tasks that the GDF would be able to fulfil adequately. If he wanted them, it was because he felt that there was something which only he could get from them. There were only a handful of things that could be worth the risk of not killing both of them outright. That sort of information was the kind that they were realistically never going to give away willingly. Knowing that, it was a fair bet that the Mechanic would have ways of convincing them to do otherwise.

There was an unpleasant silence where they shared those thoughts. It was impossible not to imagine nightmare situations the likes of which they had witnessed only in films. Torture. That was what it would take to get either of them to even cooperate in the least. It was something best not thought about given that both of them were likely in their foe's hands by now. It was the second eldest of the brothers who cleared his throat, speaking for all of them in an attempt to give them some more courage.

"They won't talk." Virgil's statement left little room for debate.

"Won't they? You boys are naïve. Just ask your friend colonel Casey how long it takes for them to get someone to crack and the Mechanic won't have half of their qualms." He allowed his words to hang there for a moment, to sink in with all of their sinister meaning. "Your brother likely won't last three days. Kayo maybe a little longer..."

Nobody dared speak. Probably because they knew that he was right. As courageous as both of them were, there was only so much which either of them would be likely to be able to endure. Their family allowed themselves the luxury of imagining that it was more than the average human being. It was still something which they would much rather not picture their loved ones going through. The lingering and painful silence made it all to clear that they were all trying to block out similar images from their minds. Virgil found himself cursing under his breath that he hadn't persevered and gone after them. With Thunderbird 5, they might have been able to track the craft that the two of them were travelling on and rescued them. The logical part of his brain told him that the Mechanic was no fool and would have thought of that. Still, the doubt still lingered. He tried to tell himself that there was nothing he could have done.

Both were strong. Both were brave. Neither would talk, at least for a while.

The Hood seemed to be the only one who could keep on talking. Initially, Virgil much like Gordon had assumed that he didn't care about his niece. Upon further study however, the second eldest brother wasn't quite so convinced any more. There were circles under the man's eyes which spoke of him not having slept much these past few days. Additionally, he was quiet. Although he didn't know Kyrano's brother all that well (something he was grateful for), he had imagined that the man would likely be rubbing it in a great deal more than he was. Instead, he was remaining rather quiet about the whole thing. Looking down at his hands, Thunderbird 2's pilot eventually mumbled:

"That gives us two countdowns: one until they break and he kills them. Another until he finds us."

The lack of an answer only seemed to confirm his statement. He let out a heavy sigh. Time wasn't something they had on their side. They needed to move as quickly as possible. If only to spare Scott and Kayo some torment. Somewhere in the back of their minds was the knowledge that even right now, as they were speaking, there was a chance that their brother and sister in all but blood were being put through hell in an attempt to get them to talk. Focusing on it would be pointless, they couldn't do anything about it. Instead, they should have been concentrating on finding a way to save the others. They needed some manner of a plan to do that.

One of the main issues they had right now was not knowing where the Mechanic had taken their loved ones. Brains was working on that. They couldn't do much until he had finished. It would be difficult to formulate a plan not knowing where they were heading, what the terrain was like or even what they could expect. The only things they were sure that they were almost certain to encounter was trouble and a fight. Without GDF backup or their head of security, they would have to rely on a mix between Lady Penelope, Parker, Kyrano and even reluctantly the Hood. International Rescue was hardly a combat outfit after all. The mere thought was somewhat dizzying.

"Does the Mechanic have any exploitable weaknesses?" Penny's question was a welcome one allowing them to concentrate on anything.

"He's still mortal if that's what you mean." The Hood rubbed his forehead. "The problem is he's clever. Taking him out might not be as easy as you think."

That much was true. They didn't have the best track record against the Mechanic. He had crippled their craft on more than one occasion. Even when they succeeded in the rescues, there was rarely a feeling of victory when they made it back to the island. In many ways, he actually felt more dangerous than the Hood. The latter was evidently cautious around his ally turned enemy. If he didn't view the man as a threat then he wouldn't be here with them. That in its own way was rather terrifying. They were forced to think back on the few small victories they had achieved.

"We can cut him off from his machines..."

John's statement was based largely off of the events that had taken place with the Earthbreaker. They would have to rely on EOS to try and override his systems. The little AI certainly packed a fair punch as they had discovered to their cost. If they were careful, they might be able to cut him off from the mechs which obeyed his every command. In order to do so however they would have to be able to access the mainframe which would naturally require them to get close to him and his base. They were still stuck until Brains was able to preform some of his magic and do whatever he was planning to do with Kayo's data to allow them to locate their foe.

"I sh-should be able to triangulate his position in a few hours." Brains didn't even look up from his work as he spoke. "We have to be caref-ful… We don't want him tracing it back to us."

"In that case… You boys should probably get some sleep."

Their grandmother's suggestion was met with looks of astonishment. They struggled to process just what she was saying. It wasn't that they weren't tired. They were exhausted. Physically as well as emotionally. These days were taking their toll on them like no others had done before. The absence of two of their own only made it more painful. Despite that however, the notion that they could ever possibly find sleep here seemed abhorrent to the brothers. They couldn't rest until their family was safe. They should have been spending every waking moment preparing for the rescue, making plans, trying to think of every possible scenario to ensure that they were ready to face their enemy. It went without saying that they couldn't do any of that whilst they were asleep.

"But grandma!" Gordon was the first to protest, almost jumping to his feet in outrage.

"No buts!" The elderly woman spoke calmly but firmly. "You boys will need to be on top of your game if you're going to go up against the Mechanic. You can't do that if you're falling asleep. There's nothing we can do until Brains locates them. So you might as well make the most of the situation to rest a little."

There was a firmness behind the woman's eyes which left little room for arguing. The Tracy siblings exchanged glances. In their heart of hearts, they all knew that she was right. They wouldn't be a match for the Mechanic if they were exhausted. He was a fearsome enough foe to fight when they were at their full strength. Right now, not only were they minus the safety of the island but also missing Thunderbirds 1 and Shadow and more importantly their pilots. Kayo would have been almost essential for a mission like this. Her loss was a double nightmare in that respect. Grandma was right, they would need to be on top form. They wouldn't be capable of that if they were running on fumes. In many ways they already were.

Reluctantly, the boys one by one left. They said very little. Even Virgil, usually docile only muttered an unenthusiastic "good night". Their grandmother smiled softly, wishing each of them sweet dreams no matter how much they might resent it. She still had a fair amount of power over the boys. The elderly woman remained sitting outside. Ideally, Penny and Parker should have tried to get some shut eye but given that they had been amongst the last to see Kayo, she decided against labouring the point. With the brothers safely out of earshot, there were some matters which could be talked about without potentially causing tempers to flare and the brothers to become desperate. They needed to try and keep a level-head. No doubt their enemy was counting on them getting emotional and charging in. She looked up at the sky for a moment, wondering what the boy's mother and grandfather would have said if they had been able to see them now… Hopefully, they were still up there, watching over them.

"Aiman…" The woman's eyes fell upon the man who had been silent pretty much since arriving. "Do you need anything?"

"My daughter..." The man's voice was almost broken it was so quiet. "I need my daughter to be safe."

The elderly woman said nothing but nodded slowly. She could relate somewhat to the man's pain. After all, she knew what it was like to lose a son. That caused her to avoid labouring the point any further. A brief glance in Parker and Lady Penelope's direction confirmed her guess: things were indeed dire. It was hard not to slip into despair as they sat there under the moon and stars, not knowing just what the rest of their family was going through or even if they would see them again. She allowed her attention to drift back over to Brains, the young man was continuing to work tirelessly. It was on him that they now placed all of their hope. Letting out a sigh, she found herself closing her eyes and longing for sleep. She forced herself to stay awake however aware that the night had only just begun. Her grandsons could sleep. She couldn't afford the luxury.

Quite some time ago now, she had accepted the rather difficult task of Tracy family matriarch. If ever there had been a need for her to play that role it was now. Looking up at her moon, a strange but small smile appeared on her face:

"You two stay strong… We're coming to get you."

Would her words reach them? She didn't know but she dared to hope that somehow it might. They would need courage. They all did right now.