Another huge thank you for all of the support and reviews, especially to those whom I can't respond directly too, they are very much appreciated, thank you.

"Everyone in position?" Scott's voice was low and anxious, despite reassuring his father before they set off that he was more than confident the plan was going to work. Despite everything, he knew he was risking his brothers' lives over this, something he was far from happy about. Whilst he knew that he would have never been able to carry it off on his own – even he couldn't be in two places at once – he just wished he wasn't effectively using the younger two as bait whilst relying on Penny and Brains to keep them safe. He liked to be in control, and yet was offering himself up just as much as the other two. The sooner this was over and the Hood was behind bars, the better he would sleep at night.

"Set." Gordon's voice came back first, clipped and sharp. It was not a tone Scott was used to hearing from his second-youngest brother, but there were occasions when the redhead could show just how deadly he could be. His reaction to seeing the Hood try to shoot Alan was evidence enough of that. How many of them would have been able to just throw themselves off the platform without their body refusing to make the jump, knowing the chances of surviving the impact were slim? But then again, Gordon had always defied the odds. The fact that he was alive was a testimony to that.

"Set." Virgil followed suit almost immediately, his voice also carefully controlled. Despite Virgil not having gone through the same military regime as Gordon and himself, Scott wasn't worried. Their own training practically matched it. No one would be a threat to Virgil who wasn't also a threat to his older and younger brothers. Even so, when Scott had gone wandering at midnight due to being fed up of tossing and turning, he wasn't the only one up. Virgil, despite not protesting to the plan, clearly was no happier about it than John was. There had been a look in his brother's eye during their midnight conversation that made Scott seriously consider whether he was making a big mistake.

"In position, Scott." Penny's response came next, and Scott had to smile. She sounded so calm, so casual. It was as if she was doing nothing more than having Parker take her for a spin through the crowded city. He wished he had her confidence. Or more importantly, her ability to sound confident and in control of a situation that even Scott would admit was way out of their hands. They had no idea what they were about to walk into, and he would be responsible if anything happened to any of them. Vaguely listening to Brains' stuttered confirmation, Scott instead prepared himself for patching through to John.

He couldn't help but feel guilty about the way he had treated his brother in all of this. He knew John had only been speaking sense when he had voiced his concerns about the plan, especially considering that he had literally only just arrived back on the planet at the time. Scott had been grateful for the way John had managed to get him to calm down - and what had he done but thrown it back in the blond's face?

"Everyone set then?" Ever the professional, John sounded cheerful enough. Scott knew his brother had already arrived in New York; they had sent him off the night before to make sure everyone would be ready to act at the same time. It would be no good if John was caught up somewhere when the rest of the team put their plan into action.

"We're all ready. How about you?" Swearing under his breath with the hope that John wouldn't hear him, Scott hated how uncertain he suddenly sounded. What was he doing?

"It will work, Scotty." Ever the mind-reader, John was immediately back on his case. It was the same in all the rescues. Virgil might be the one there physically with him, but when things fell apart, it was John keeping him grounded.

"I know." Flicking a switch on his communicator, Scott connected all of the lines together, including the link back to Base. "Everyone knows their role. Don't take unnecessary risks, especially you, Gordon. We do this fast, but pull out on the first sign that things are going against us. John, send the signal when you are back in the jet. Brains, make sure we know the second you have traced the signal. Same for you, Penny. As soon as you get there, let me know."

"F.A.B." Virgil and Gordon's voices chimed together, Penny's more English response being lost.

"Be careful. All of you." Jeff knew he couldn't let them go without having the final word. He wished he could be out there with his boys, his team, fighting for the very survival of his family and International Rescue. But someone still had to man the Base, and Jeff knew Scott would be able to handle the situation. He was thrown into similar positions every time there was a rescue, but on this occasion he had the time to plan it out.

Everyone split up and spread out, but kept in constant touch as per Scott's instructions. With Virgil heading south and Gordon west, Scott himself took the road leading north, making sure he passed every camera that he could see. For once, he was not the faceless rescuer. Instead, he was making sure the Hood saw his face. He was making sure the maniac came after him and him alone. Slipping his hand under his shirt, his face was grim as he closed his fingers around the comforting weight of the gun. He had strictly forbidden the younger two from carrying arms, but this man had threatened his brothers. No one got away with that. And if Scott had his way, the man would never again see the light of day.

TBTBTB

The Hood watched with detached interest at three of the screens, trying his utmost to mask his expression into one of neutrality. It was hard though, even for him. Everything he had ever wanted was just about to be delivered to him on a plate, and it would be Tracy's own sons that did it. They were playing right into his hands. Watching the oldest pass the camera deliberately, the Hood leered. That one would be so easy to destroy, despite how tough everyone else seemed to believe him to be. It was the younger ones who worried him more – although of course he would never admit to such a thing. Especially the redhead, he was reckless. The Hood couldn't plan for recklessness, and whilst he would take great delight in taking that one – for breaking him would certainly be an interesting challenge – it was another of the brothers the Hood wanted.

His eyes fixed on the screen and he leered unpleasantly. Virgil was only just in camera shot now, clearly attempting to stroll along as if he hadn't a care in the world. Even through the poor camera visibility, the Hood could make out his eyes bouncing around anxiously, though. That was a man on the lookout for anything slightly out of the ordinary. A man on the edge. Especially if the way his hand kept drifting to his watch was anything to go by. The Hood knew enough about their technology to know that was how they contacted each other. He would be making good use of that technology very soon, of that he was in sure.

"Commander, are your men in position?"

"Yes, sir."

The response came immediately as the Hood flicked a switch with nothing more than a thought, nodding in satisfaction. The man certainly would get his just reward, albeit not the one he was expecting. The Hood would have no use for servants once he had the secrets of International Rescue, and would take great delight in relieving them of their service.

First however, he had to gain those secrets.

"Carry out your orders then. Do not fail me."

As the man confirmed his understanding, the Hood smiled. He knew International Rescue would be attempting to track the signal, but he was one step ahead of them. They would track it alright. Though it wouldn't be him they stumbled across, but a rather unwelcome surprise. Smirking in satisfaction at a job well done, the Hood strode purposefully from the room, pressing a button on a panel on his way out. He knew he couldn't completely outwit the mind behind the Thunderbirds - the signal really did lead here. But as the automatic timer flicked on the second he shut the door behind him, he knew that he was still the one calling the shots. The first person to open that door would take the full blast of the charges laying within. It wouldn't be enough to kill them, but the Hood's men were on standby in the area. As soon as the explosives detonated, they would move in. Five sons, five Thunderbirds. It was just a shame that he wouldn't be able to reach the fifth member of their pathetic team, but the Hood knew he would be victorious in the end. Jeff Tracy wouldn't be able to stand a chance if his enemy had all four of his Earthbound sons.

TBTB

John had the package firmly tucked under his arm as he strode back down the street, trying to look as normal as possible. There was nothing wrong with him picking up a package at his father's head offices. No one should have any cause to be the slightest bit suspicious. There was no sign at all that he was holding some of the secrets to the most advanced machinery that anyone had ever seen. Even so, John couldn't help but wish it was Gordon making the collection as it was supposed to have been. His younger brother was far more used to this than John was, for it was not often a collection coincided with his time on Earth. John just supposed that if anyone was watching, it would work well for the pretence, for no one would be expecting him to be the one taking on the delivery.

He had almost made it back to the hotel to collect his things and escape to the safety of the Island when a squeal of tyres made him look up sharply. The car was cannoning towards him, clearly out of control. For a moment, John could only stay frozen to the spot as it came rushing, his brain not being able to form a reaction. Out of all the things the family were up against, he was the one that got stuck with the idiot driver!

Suddenly realising the car was literally heading towards him, John cursed, throwing himself to the side as he did so. He was in luck; there was a small alleyway to one side. It was only short, leading to nothing but a high brick wall, but it was enough to allow him to escape the wild car. The driver must have been drunk, John couldn't help but think. The car still didn't slow or even swerve to try and avoid the buildings on either side of the alleyway. Watching it open-mouthed, John felt a rush of fear when he momentarily locked eyes with the driver. Seeing him looking, the man leered, a deliberate action as he bought the car smashing into the brickwork. Immediately, he slumped forward, clearly unconscious if not worse.

But John had other things on his mind. The man had known he was there. And yet he hadn't made any attempt to turn away. It was only then John realised precisely what the car had done by hitting the buildings. The only way he now had out of the alleyway was to scramble over the car. Glancing at the package in his hand, the blond knew he had to act fast.

"Base, we've got a problem!" Speaking frantically into his watch, John swallowed hard when he heard a car door open. He hadn't even noticed that there had been passengers in the vehicle, but three men soon got out. Two were on his side, the third vaulting casually over the car. All three were armed.

"Come nice and quiet now, kid, and you won't get hurt."

His eyebrows rising in disbelief, John dropped the package with the intention of freeing up his hands. He knew there was no way this could be a random attack, not with what was going on with his brothers in Malaysia. The men were advancing on him now, and despite every training scenario Scott had put them through over the years, John knew he was in big trouble.

"Don't fight us, boy." The first man was speaking again now, brandishing his gun in John's face as he backed the blond up against the wall. His eyes darting towards the package and then back up to the men, John locked eyes with the man coldly.

"Go to hell."

That was when all three closed in on him.

TBTB

"What do you mean; you've lost contact with John?" Keeping his voice low, Scott ducked down a side street, making sure there were no cameras following him here. He couldn't believe what his father was telling him. John should have been safe; it was the reason why Scott had sent him to the other side of the world. He was not about to let his brother walk into something that could get him killed when he didn't even agree with the plan. This certainly shouldn't be happening.

"He reported in there was a problem, and now I can't get anything," Jeff repeated as calmly as he could. He was feeling exactly the same way as Scott, but with the boys still out in Malaysia, he knew the panic couldn't be heard in his voice. If Scott was distracted, they could all be killed. He had contemplated not telling the Field Commander that the signal had been cut from John's watch, but knew that if Scott tried to get through to his brother and received no response, it would be a lot worse.

"So what... hang on, Dad, Penny's calling me. Go ahead, Penny."

"Brains has traced the signal." Ever the calm one, Penny gave no indication of the danger she could potentially be in. Scott knew that she and Parker would be hidden outside the building Brains had directed them to, making sure that no one left without their say-so, but not going anywhere near until the brothers arrived. It wasn't her fight, and Scott knew that both Virgil and Gordon felt the same way as he did when it came to wanting to bring this creep down.

"Okay..." Trying to get his head around the turn of events, Scott took a deep breath. "Dad, Penny's in position. Do I call this off?"

"It's up to you, Scott," Jeff said gently, knowing that at the end of the day, Scott was going to do what he thought was best, regardless of what Jeff said. "But just think of how far you have come. The signal has been traced, meaning the Hood knows you are there. This could be our only chance."

"Right. Penny, hold your position. Virgil, Gordon, come in."

Waiting for his brothers' responses, Scott stole back onto the street, running swiftly as he headed towards the co-ordinates Penny had just sent him. "We've got a lead on the creep, move into position."

Disconnecting the line from everyone, Scott focused on his running, putting his worry not only for those present into his strides, but for John as well. If the Hood was involved in this in any way, Scott was going to make sure he was personally the one to snap the handcuffs on. No one came after his brothers, not on his watch.

He reached the scene at the same time as the other two, all having made good time from their various reactions. He hadn't told them about John, wanting to make sure their minds were focused on the task at hand. They had no reason to need to contact their brother; Scott was the one everything was being run through. He knew that hiding things from them was part of the reason why they were in so much trouble to start with, but this time he had a good reason. It wasn't an argument he was worried about should they be the slightest bit distracted from what they were doing, but their lives. Any slip-up now could be fatal.

One glance at his watch, and Scott knew Penny and Parker were holding their position on the other side of the building. The pair would wait for the three Tracys to go in before taking up the rear, covering their backs, so to speak.

"We ready to do this?" Virgil whispered, beginning to creep forward. Gordon and Scott immediately fell into step with him, and silently, the trio advanced on the building.

"Brains, confirm this is the right place?"

"C..confirmed, uh, Scott. He g...gave the c..c...commands from here."

"F.A.B." Shooting his brothers a very grim smile, Scott nodded. "Ready when you are."

They used the building as cover, keeping their backs pressed to it as they crept around. Nothing was said, for none of them had anything to say that wouldn't sound completely false. They had no idea what would be waiting for them when they opened the door. All three were aware it was naive to hope that they would find the Hood just sitting there unaware of what was about to be sprung on him, but they still held onto that hope, for it was all they had left.

After creeping around what felt like three sides of the building, Scott finally felt his fingers reach a door. Stepping away, he nodded at Virgil, causing the younger man to move into position. Whilst Scott and Gordon flanked the door, Virgil took a deep breath, stretching out his hand. For a second, it hesitated over the handle, but finally, Virgil let the cold metal become enveloped in his hand and gave the door a sharp tug.

Only to be blasted off his feet with a cry, landing on his back ten paces away from where he had started, all of the breath driven out of him.

"Virgil!" Scott's shout almost sounded muted to the artist, a ringing in his ears blocking everything else out. For a long moment, he didn't move, trying to work out if anything hurt. It was then he decided that everything hurt, and tentatively pushed himself into a more upright position.

"I'm okay," he called back, only to realise his brother was crouched next to him. When had Scott moved? Virgil certainly hadn't seen or heard anything that indicated movement.

"Scott! Incoming!"

It was Gordon shouting now, and, twisting his head around at the same time as Scott, Virgil echoed his brother's curse. At least a dozen men were pouring from the trees behind them.

"Penny, we're under attack!" Scott had no time to say anything more than that before he suddenly found himself locked in the fight for not only his life, but his brothers' as well. He certainly didn't hear Penny's response as he ducked a fist aiming for his head and floored the man instead.

But that was when the gun shots started.

TBTB

John winced as he felt the cold steel of the blade pressing against his wrist, but with one powerful flick, his watch went flying off, snagging his skin slightly in the process and causing yet another hot trickle of blood to trail down his arm. He was lying on his side, his wrists tied behind him and a gag around his mouth to stop him from crying out.

He was now more than sure it was a planned attack. The men had access to the garages lining the alleyways, and John had been dragged through one and pushed to the floor, out of sight, before he had time to even think about what was happening. There was no way a careless driver would happen to have armed men in the car that had successfully blocked him in, men who in turn were able to access the only entrance that could be reached. They had been after him all along, no doubt waiting until he was right where they wanted him. John knew he had been played all along, and he was fuming.

"Take that ahead to the boss and tell him we've got him."

John could only grimace as the tip of a boot connected with his side, then felt his heart sink as he witnessed his watch being tossed over and one of the men disappearing from view, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Ought to thank you, kid, you gave us an easy target. But don't try and go anywhere now, we've got a van to catch," the man continued, pulling John into an upright position and leaning him back against the wall. Laughing at the indignant expression on his prisoner's face, he stood up again, striding to the entrance of the garage to converse with the remaining man without John overhearing. Tugging against his bonds, John froze, glancing over towards the men once again.

There had been a slight give in the rope. Now all he needed was time.

TBTB

"Virgil! Drop!" Scott wasn't sure whether his shout had carried over the noise, but his brother did indeed drop to the floor as bullets seemed to be whizzing over their heads. Grabbing Gordon by the scruff of the neck, Scott threw them both to the floor, his hand flying to his belt. Within seconds, he had pulled out his own gun, ignoring Gordon's whistle of disbelief. Scott took aim and the man standing over Virgil didn't stand a chance as his leg suddenly gave way, blood pouring from the wound in his thigh.

"Are you mad?" Gordon bellowed as another man turned towards the pair. Scott didn't even have time to raise the gun before the man stumbled away again, blood pouring from his shoulder. Glancing around in bewilderment at the sudden silence, Scott realised they were alone again, apart from a handful of men moaning on the ground.

"Nice shooting, Mi'lady."

"Thank you, Parker."

His jaw hitting the floor in astonishment, Scott's eyes fell on Lady Penelope. She had an advantageous position on the crest of the small mound next to the brothers, and even as Scott watched, she handed Parker a slightly smoking pistol, brushing her hands off and climbing to her feet.

"Everything under control, boys?"

"Control?"

Scott heard Gordon gasp slightly and one look at his brother showed that Gordon's eyes were also on Penny. Climbing to his feet, Scott took a good look around him. All of their attackers had either fled or were clutching some sort of bloody limb, although Scott could tell at just a glance that no one was that seriously hurt. Virgil was shakily climbing to his feet again, and as he turned, Scott winced. His brother was covered in small burns, ash streaked through his hair and across his face from the explosion. None of the burns looked serious, but he knew it would be enough to give their grandmother a field day.

"He knew we were coming," Virgil said quietly, locking eyes with the only older brother present and causing Scott to nod heavily.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely audible. "I made you do this, and look what happened."

"Don't even go there!" Gordon snapped, also getting to his feet. "We knew what might happen when we said we were coming along. But hey, we're all still in one piece. Well, Virg might have lost a bit of an eyebrow there..."

Even Gordon's change of tone didn't make Scott feel any better. Not when he knew what he still had to tell them.

"Let's go home," he said heavily, but Virgil saw straight through him.

"What aren't you telling us, Scott? You've been hiding something ever since we met up, I can see it in your eyes. I let it go earlier, but I'm not boarding that plane until you tell us what is going on."

"Dad can't get through to John."

Scott refused to meet their eyes as he muttered the words. Instead, he moved past them, checking Penny was ready to go with just a look.

"What?"

"You heard me, Gordon."

"Scott, stop!"

It was Virgil, sounding annoyed now, and Scott found that he did stop, slowly turning to face his brothers. They were right behind him, clearly having raced to catch up with him when he had started walking.

"What's going on?"

"John said there was a problem, and we haven't been to get in touch since."

"Scott, get us home." It was unusual to hear Gordon speak with such authority, but no one dared to disobey him. The five of them set off in silence, Scott knowing Penny had already been in touch with the local authorities to get the men taken in for questioning. Needless to say, the police didn't really know what they were questioning them about, and Scott knew they wouldn't crack - fear of the Hood ran deeper than that from all he had been able to discover.

It was a silent flight home for most of the way. Scott's usually steady hands only just managed to keep the plane under control, but no one dared say anything, even if Virgil and Gordon exchanged concerned glances from time to time. When the radio crackled into life, it was harder to say who jumped the most when their father's voice came floating over, tense and anxious.

"Virgil?" he practically barked, worry lining his tone. "Penny told me what happened. How badly hurt are you, son? I'll have Brains on stand-by when you touch down."

"Dad, I'm fine." Virgil was quick to reassure his father, but his brothers knew it was more to do with the fact that he didn't want to end up being banished to the infirmary for a few burns. "Couple of bruises, nothing more."

"That had better be the truth."

Gordon couldn't help it, he had to laugh. Jeff never listened to them when they were assessing their own injuries. Knowing that Virgil would hate it if he was forced to sit out of whatever was coming next, Scott sighed.

"He really is okay, Dad," he muttered quietly, receiving a grateful smile in response. For a moment, there was silence, but finally, Jeff sighed.

"Exploding door indeed... Keep in contact until you land, I want to know precisely what happened out there and we don't have time to wait."

The rest of the journey was filled with quiet voices as the boys all gave their accounts of what had happened. As much as they knew, anyway, for none of them were precisely sure what had happened, apart from the fact they had clearly walked straight into a trap. But why had the men come after them? As much as it gave him the shudders even to think about it, Scott knew the Hood could have rigged that door to kill Virgil. Surely that was what he had been after all along? So why let them go? Finally though, the plane landed.

Knowing Brains would handle the checks, the three boys sprinted up to the office, leaving Penny and Parker to follow at a more leisurely pace. Gordon was the first through the door, immediately being crushed in a somewhat fierce and unusual embrace from his father. Scott grabbed Virgil by the back of his shirt just in time to save him from the same treatment, but Jeff still seized his son by the shoulders, his eyes running anxiously over the burns. Virgil couldn't believe his luck when his father let go again. The fact that he hadn't immediately been sent to the infirmary - as was the norm for any kind of injury, no matter how much they protested – just went to show how bad the situation was.

"Anything?"

"Nothing."

"Jeff!" Their grandmother's frantic call quickly had them all scurrying through to her. Virgil had been thankful for the way she had managed to break through the awkward tension that had fallen over the room, but when he saw what was waiting for him, he wasn't so sure.

The vid-screen was flickering. No one was touching it, yet someone was trying to reach them. Shakily reaching out a hand, Jeff twisted a knob, only to leap back in surprise as an image gradually came into view. Gordon gasped and Scott swore, but Virgil stayed silent, his heart racing.

They were looking at a watch. And not just any watch, but one they knew belonged to their brother. It was splattered with blood, yet the owner was nowhere in sight.

"I hear you've been looking for me." A somewhat icy voice came floating over, although the figure it belonged to stayed firmly out of sight of the camera. "Let me tell you that was a bad idea. I'm sure you can see I have your son, Tracy."

"Liar!" Gordon yelled, making to stride forward, only to have Virgil grab him by the arms, holding his little brother back.

"I do not lie. How else would I have come by his precious watch, one I know you are all so fond of, if he wasn't in my possession?"

"John's not a possession," Scott growled, only to find that he was mirroring Gordon's position as Kyrano held him back. Jeff shook his head slightly, a clear sign that he didn't want any of the boys in shot of the screen. He still couldn't get the image of Gordon dropping to the floor in agony out of his head. They didn't know how powerful this man was, and Jeff wasn't going to risk him hurting the boys from afar.

"No. You're right. He's not. He's a bargaining chip. I want the designs of the Thunderbirds, Tracy. Or your son will pay." A fist entered the camera now, and before anyone could say anything, it smashed down on the watch, shattering it into hundreds of pieces.

"Don't make me wait. I'll be in touch." And with that, the camera went dead.

"Dad..." Virgil's voice was barely more than a whisper, but Jeff merely stared stonily ahead, his face closed. "Dad? John..."

"We're getting him back!" Jeff declared furiously, a strange light dancing in his eyes that his sons had never seen before.

"How?"

The fury died as fast as it had been awakened and Jeff sat down heavily, running a hand over his eyes.

"I have no idea."