Hour Twenty-One
The following takes place between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
4:01:32
Penelope and Lao stared in wonder.
"Gordon?" she whispered as loudly as she dared. It was then she noticed the ring on her right fourth finger blink rapidly three times before going dark again. In spite of Gordon's curious current state of being, Penny smiled.
"Did your ring just light up?"
"It did."
"What does it mean?"
"That our Ace in the Hole has arrived."
Lao cocked an eyebrow at her. "Ace...in...the Hole?" he repeated slowly. "What does this mean?"
"It means we're not yet dead in the water."
Thoroughly confused, Lao looked back up toward Gordon just as he slowly began floating downward. "I do not know about water, Lady, but your Gordon is returning."
Penny raced over as Gordon's body became level with her face. He turned slightly so his legs were pointed more toward the floor, then continued his descent. She reached out and grabbed his hands as Lao moved behind him and supported his back. Whatever had been holding him up suddenly disappeared.
The two held him upright as Penny checked his carotid. "Steady pulse," she breathed. "Thank God. I wonder what happened to him?"
"I would suspect magick," Lao replied. She looked around Gordon's body at him, surprised to find that he looked quite serious.
"Gordon," she said, squeezing his hands. "Gordon, wake up."
His eyelids fluttered, but he didn't move.
"Gordon, please. Wake up for me. We have to get your father and John. Please, Gordon."
"I'll help him, Penelope," a female voice echoed in the cavernous room.
Lao jumped, nearly dropping Gordon in the process. They turned to see a thin figure clad all in black from head to toe. Only her eyes were visible, and they were hazel.
"Tin-Tin, thank heavens. I wasn't certain you were coming."
"Right on schedule, Penny," she replied, staring for a moment at the statue of her father on the nearby dais. "Tell me, what happened here?"
"He just floated into the air," Penny reported. "Right in front of this statue."
"Excuse me. Who is she?"
"Oh, forgive me, Lao. This is Tin-Tin Kyrano."
"The half-niece of Gaat?"
Penny nodded, turning her attention back to Tin-Tin. "This is Lao. He and a woman named Zi are the sole remaining members of the House of T'ang."
"Sworn enemies of my half-uncle," Tin-Tin breathed. "Yes. Father told me of you. I am pleased you are here."
Lao bowed as Tin-Tin did the same.
"Penny, tell me," Tin-Tin continued as she righted herself, "did he say anything at all?"
"No. We were headed into the hall to find the ceremonial room when I realized he'd disappeared. Then we saw him floating high above the ground."
Tin-Tin nodded. "Please lay him flat." Once they'd done that, she knelt next to him, closed her eyes and placed one hand palm-flat on his forehead.
Lao and Penelope exchanged looks.
"You may go to find the chamber," Tin-Tin said softly. "Gordon will be quite well with me. We will join you shortly."
Penny nodded as she and Lao rose to their feet, continuing upon their previously-walked path toward the hall.
"What is she doing?" Lao asked.
"She's Kyrano's daughter," Penny replied. "She could be doing anything."
4:12:14
So far Jeff had complied with everything asked of him. He stood by silently and watched as John lit various bowls of incense and extinguished certain candles while leaving others lit. He sprinkled some sort of water-like substance on an altar made of black onyx near the front of the rectangular room and, to Jeff's disgust, proceeded to rip a chicken's head from its body. He took the blood and smeared it all over the room's two other altars, both made of marble.
It didn't just surprise him that anyone still did this kind of thing in today's day and age...it surprised him that his son somehow didn't react to what Gaat was doing in his body. Killing...smearing blood...shoving an innocent woman off a roof...Jeff couldn't fathom that his John could still be in there somewhere given everything he was doing.
And yet he knew he had to still be in there. The whole point was that Gaat had to perform what was looking to be a sick cult-like ritual or he wouldn't be able to take permanent control of any body, be it Jeff's or John's.
When John...or what looked like John...drained the last of the chicken's blood into a cup and drank it, Jeff could stand it no longer. He closed his eyes and turned his face away.
John, come back to me, he thought, trying desperately to swallow his fear. Please.
4:17:01
"Scott? What on Earth?"
Megan hurried into the hall outside Operating Room 1 on the hospital's fifth floor. "Dr. Craven told me he barely got the bullet out of your leg before you bolted up here on him. What were you thinking?"
Scott nodded toward the OR. "I just had to check on him."
It sounded for all the world like a big brother just mentioning checking out his little brother after night-night time. Megan couldn't help but smile fondly. "You guys sure have been through the wringer. Do you have days like this often?"
"No," he responded, then turned and looked at her, narrowing his eyes. "And it seems awfully funny that you're around whenever we do."
"You know, Scott Tracy, if you don't get your ass back into that bed they assigned you, I'm going to have to call your father and—"
"Oh!" Scott exclaimed, eyes widening.
"Oh, what? Scott?"
"Dad! My God, I didn't...he doesn't...shit!"
"What?"
"We've got to contact him, and fast!" He clapped a hand to his wrist. "My comm watch...where the hell is it?"
"I-I took it off in sick bay."
"Okay...we've got to get back to Two." Scott looked back up at the OR, then back at Megan, surreptitiously biting his lip.
"You want me to stay with him?"
He opened his mouth as if to reply, then clamped it shut again. "He'll be okay. Right?"
Megan nodded. "From what I hear, so far he's checking out. They're running the final scans on him, but it looks like he'll be back to your Virgil in no time."
Scott half-smiled, looking once more toward the operating room.
I'll be back, Virg. I promise.
"Come on, let's go."
"Scott, you've got a hospital gown on!"
"Well...oh, shit, who cares?"
Megan's face turned beet red as the two of them ran through the hospital halls, rode down the elevator and went as fast as Scott's leg allowed out through the ER automatic doors. Scott apparently didn't remember that the backs of hospital gowns...didn't close...
4:21:36
Lao and Penny crept down a hall filled with smoky incense and the smell of blood. Penelope's nose wrinkled as they drew closer to the room at the end of it. Just as they were about to peer inside, her ring lit up. She shrank back against the wall, Lao mimicking her movements. Hurriedly she ran back the way they'd come. Finally she stopped and twisted the gem of her ring so that it was perpendicular to the band.
"Penny here," she said softly.
"Thank God! Penny, it's Scott! I can't raise Dad, what's going on?"
"Oh, Scott, where are you? Where's Virgil?"
"He's in the hospital here in Kuala Lumpur. We've just gotten back into Two. Penny, what's happening over there?"
"We made it to the temple, Scott, but we were separated. Gaat has taken over John's body and he's preparing for the Joining ceremony with Jeff as we speak. Lao and I were just entering the chamber when you contacted me."
"Lao?"
"He's a friend," she replied, flashing a smile at her companion. He nodded in reverence. "Tin-Tin's with Gordon...hang on, here they come."
"Penny, is that all you have? You, Lao, Gordon and Tin-Tin? Against Gaat?"
"Well, yes, at the moment." She heard Scott's frustrated sigh. "I don't know, Scott. I'm uncertain as to our chances for success."
"I have an idea. How long can you stall before you try taking Gaat on?"
"I don't think we have much time."
"I'm going to send for reinforcements and then we'll be on our way to help."
"F.A.B., Scott. Penny out."
"How are they?" Tin-Tin asked as she and Gordon approached. "The way Thunderbird Two took off from that clearing, I wasn't sure any of them had survived."
"Virgil's in hospital, but Scott sounded okay and I gather Megan's with him unharmed as well. How's Gordon?" she asked, peering into the copper-haired man's eyes.
"I am fine," Gordon said softly, with just a hint of an accent.
"Penny, right now Gordon's only about half himself."
"Who's the other half?"
"My father."
"Kyrano?" she asked incredulously.
Tin-Tin nodded. "He is using Gordon temporarily for transport. You must safely get him into the ceremonial chamber or he can be of no assistance to Mr. Tracy."
Penelope nodded. "Right, let's be off, then. Lao and I know exactly where it is."
4:28:44
As his son approached, Jeff's nerves started to fray. What if something happened and Kyrano wasn't able to help? What if Gaat successfully summoned whatever dark powers he needed and moved from John's body to his? John would surely be killed as soon as the ceremony was completed, and all would have been for naught.
Not to mention the damage that would be done to millions as the supposed head of both Tracy Corp and International Rescue used his wealth and power to take over the world. He had to resist. As John approached, Jeff's mind raced.
What would John want me to do?
He knew the answer without question.
Save yourself, Father.
He could almost hear John's voice in his head.
There's no reason for both of us to die.
I can't, John.
He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, staring at the face of his son...a man who had, over the years, become somewhat of a confidante as well. The time they'd spent together...time spent in discussion, talking about business, working through Corp paperwork...
John, I can't just leave you here.
Father, go.
No...
Go. Go now!
Just as Belah was within arm's reach of him, Jeff turned on heel to run. The sight that greeted him at the chamber entry made his heart lurch, and he skidded to a halt. For there stood Penelope, Gordon, a tall Chinese man and a woman clad all in black. He knew from her eyes who she was.
Belah roared in fury as Tin-Tin darted to the left, Penny to the right and Lao, straight ahead. Not knowing where to look, Belah first watched Tin-Tin, who catapulted up onto the wall, defying gravity itself until she reached a red velvet curtain and used it to swing along the wall down to the floor. Quickly she approached the onyx altar.
He looked ahead of him and growled when he saw the emblem of the House of T'ang. "I killed the rest of your repulsive family!" he yelled, raising his hands into the air. "Now you shall perish too, mongrel!"
Lao raced past Jeff and lunged for John, who rolled out of his way and sprang back to his feet, cat-like, as Lao skidded to a halt behind him. John reached out and grabbed Jeff's arm just as Penny circled in from behind him. He whirled on her, yanking Jeff into his body.
"Try anything and he dies," he snarled at them, daring anyone to test his mettle.
"You can't kill him," Penelope said, still approaching. "If you do, your dreams of heading International Rescue are dead in the water."
"Ah!" came a voice from behind him as he continued to turn in a circle. "Dead in the water! Now I understand the meaning!" Lao was grinning as he, too, drew closer.
Belah stopped when he saw that Gordon had somehow gotten close enough that he could actually touch him. Jeff's eyes widened when his son spoke.
"Radzi Belah, you have no power on this plane."
Is it just me, or does he sound a lot like...Kyrano?
Gordon gave his father a quick wink and Jeff nearly laughed out loud.
He said I'd know!
"Your ceremony is doomed," came Tin-Tin's voice. "Release John Tracy and be gone back to Hell!"
Belah whipped back in her direction. "I don't know how you have managed this, Kyrano," he said over his shoulder to Gordon, "but you have failed. The incantation has already been read. The rest of the ritual doesn't matter!"
With that, Belah swiveled Jeff so their eyes were locked.
What? I...no...John...John! I see you...I see...what's happening...colors...the colors...
Jeff's eyes closed and went limp in John's arms.
"Move in!" Tin-Tin yelled.
John swung his arm around and a shockwave sent them hurtling across the chamber, slamming into walls and altars with thuds and oofs of pain. Only Gordon stood steadfastly, unaffected by the display of dark magick.
"You shall not win this day, Radzi."
"Don't call me that!" Belah spat. "I have already won...brother."
John lifted Jeff, carrying him to the onyx altar. He stood next to him and grasped Jeff's hand. "Kurnaiai jasad, gelap kudrat. Beralah Jeff Tracy. Jasad hak saya!"
"Father! Do something!" Tin-Tin cried.
Gordon moved slowly across the chamber until he stood right next to John. John's head rolled back, oblivious to those around him. Belah continued to mumble in Malay, his hand firmly holding Jeff's. A bluish-white light came from nowhere, surrounding Jeff, Belah-in-John and Kyrano/Gordon in its protective bubble.
That's when Kyrano...and Gordon...struck.
4:41:16
Jeff's eyes opened to find two of his sons above him. John had hold of his hand and he just barely caught the glint of metal as Gordon unsheathed a knife and raised it in the air.
"No!" Jeff cried, using John's grip to pull himself up.
"Jeff, no!" Penny cried.
But all Jeff saw was one of his sons trying to kill the other. He launched off the table, tackling Gordon to the floor. John's eyes snapped open. Tin-Tin moved closer and cried out. "No! John!"
A gray puff of smoke hanging above John's head dissipated rapidly back into his mouth and the crystal blue eyes that had just been there turned black once more. Belah's voice laughed heartily.
"Tracy, you fool!" he crowed. "You have just sealed your doom!"
"What?" Jeff gasped, rising from the floor while Gordon rose to his feet.
"I am here as promised," Gordon said.
Jeff's eyes widened. "Oh, dear God, what have I done?"
Gordon pulled his father close. At six feet even, the two were eye-to-eye, noses nearly touching. Their eyes bored into one another's, Gordon's arms holding his father as close as possible.
"Jeff," Gordon whispered. "Let me in. Gordon is injured and too weak to fight him."
Jeff gulped. He could almost see Kyrano behind Gordon's eyes. "It's time?"
Gordon nodded, the ghost of a smile on his face. "It is time, Jeff."
Jeff nodded and placed his hands on Gordon's shoulders. "Then do it."
"No!" Belah cried, lunging for them.
Lao came at him from the back, Tin-Tin from his left and Penny from his right, tackling him to the floor as his hand swished along Jeff's golden robe. They struggled to hold him down, Penny getting one hand, Tin-Tin the other as Lao literally sat right down on his back.
"Get off me!" Gaat nearly screamed, fighting for all he was worth. "Get off!"
Jeff and Gordon stared into one another's eyes. Jeff had never felt anything like it. Ever.
It's so beautiful...it's Heaven...this is what Heaven must be like...look at the beauty, golds and silvers...blues and greens...this is where Lucy lives...this is...Kyrano...
He heard his old friend's voice in his head...I enter now, Jeff...
Suddenly Jeff was filled with so much joy, so much compassion...so much strength...he couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up within him. He backed away from his son's arms, lowering Gordon gently to the floor as he collapsed from the effort. He turned to face Radzi Belah Gaat, no longer alone in his own body.
Belah screamed the scream of a banshee, freeing his arms enough to slap Tin-Tin and Penny roughly to the sides and buck Lao from his back. He rose to his feet, flinging one arm toward Tin-Tin, who screamed as she flew into the front wall, hanging against it as though from a hook...yet nothing held her. Nothing visible.
"Tin-Tin!" Penny cried as she, too, was lifted off her feet with a fling of John's arm. His eyes glowed red as she slammed into the opposite wall. Without a second thought, he whirled on Lao and twisted his neck with a sickening crunch. The man dropped to the floor.
"You need not have killed him," Jeff said.
"So you have taken my prize, brother," Belah spat. "You think Jeff Tracy's body is any match for his son's? In this body, I am the younger and stronger one."
Jeff smiled knowingly. "We shall see."
Infuriated, John lunged for Jeff, managing to get one hand around his throat. "I'll crush your windpipe just as I did to that bitch Ebony!"
Jeff's hands clawed at the back of John's before he swung his leg, hooked it around his adversary's robes, and took his feet out from under him. The men fell to the floor, simultaneously recovering themselves and springing back up to their feet.
"This is a picture," Belah said sarcastically. "Jeff Tracy trying to kill his middle son."
"Not kill," came a voice that sounded much too much like Kyrano's. "Save."
"You will not prevail, Kyrano. For as I banish Tracy's soul, so shall I banish yours!"
His eyes glowed red again and he raised his arms level with Jeff's chest. Jeff dropped down on all fours as a shockwave left John's fingertips. He cursed as Jeff rolled to the side then scrambled on all fours to John's legs, effectively pulling him off-balance once more.
Belah howled as Jeff elbowed him in the gut, his arm in a chokehold around John's neck. "Give it up, Gaat," he growled. "Let my son go!"
"Not without a replacement!" Belah ground out as he felt his airway constricted further. "Kill me...kill your son!"
Jeff's grip released just enough for Belah to land a punch square on his jaw. He reeled back, letting go of John completely. Belah took the opportunity to fling his arm at Jeff, but Kyrano reacted just as quickly, holding his hands palm-out toward his half-brother. Their forces clashed in the air between them, sending sparks shooting up and out like a fireworks display.
Both men's chests heaved as Tin-Tin and Penelope watched from where they were stuck against opposite walls of the chamber. Neither woman could believe what they were seeing. Penelope was horrified that son was pitted against father while Tin-Tin began to wonder if her father really could beat her uncle once and for all.
"You will release John now," Jeff said quietly, standing straight. "You cannot win, my brother."
Belah roared and his eyes started glowing red. They became brighter...and brighter...and brighter. His face turned heavenward and the howl he emitted slowly turned into a snarling scream. Hands raised toward the ceiling, fingers curved like claws as a wind came from nowhere, swirling around John's body. The crimson robe whipped against him in its ferocity. John's head suddenly began to expand and bubble, fingers disappearing as claws took their place...legs turning into scaly haunches...mouth elongating into dragon-like chops.
A forked tongue hissed from between his lips as the crimson robe ripped, black-gray skin tearing through it and shedding it like a discarded rag. What stood before them was neither John Tracy nor Belah Gaat, but...a creature.
A creature from Hell.
It opened its mouth and cried out a scream that was heard for miles. With one three-fingered and clawed hand, it reached out and swiped Jeff's face, the force of the blow throwing him across the room into the onyx altar. There was an audible crack as his back struck the edge.
Jeff Tracy stopped moving.
4:59:58
4:59:59
5:00:00