Unforgotten

AN – Well this has been a little while coming! I've been on holiday so I haven't been able to upload – although luckily I did keep writing so I've managed to get a few chapters lined up again! The bad news is I'm still coming to the end...although I find myself delaying the end as much as possible so it will still be a little way yet!

Disclaimer – I don't own Thunderbirds

Chapter Thirty Nine – The Mountain

Thunderbird 2 felt crowded. The cockpit was spacious, but with four occupants and on their way to pick up a fifth it did feel small today. John wasn't sure if it was the actual physical presence of the people in it or the weight of the tension that oppressed the air.

He was sat behind and to the left of Gordon. His younger brother was the epitome of concentration as he guided Virgil's juggernaut through the air. Out of the window John could see the tail fins of Thunderbird 1 flying just in front of them as they travelled in formation.

They were aiming for somewhere in England called Wister Woods where there were some small tracks they could land on. Angel would be meeting them there. According to Alan, this was where she had been staying since she left Tracy Island. John assumed she had some belongings she needed to collect. As it was a secure location belonging to an International Rescue agent it was as good a place as any to pick her up.

Thunderbird 2 skimmed over the dark forest, Gordon searching for the clearing. Thunderbird 1 in front suddenly disappeared beneath the canopy, as they approached the tracks stood clear in front of them. Alan had parked Thunderbird 1 on the end and left plenty of space for '2 to muscle in next to her.

A small figure dressed in dark clothes stood on the runway with a bag slung over one shoulder. As John lowered the access stairs to the cockpit, she moved closer and within moments was in the craft. Almost immediately Tintin was hugging her.

"Thank you so much for looking for them," Tintin gulped back a sob. "I'm so sorry my uncle-"

"Hey," John interrupted. "We can't choose who we are related to." Tintin smiled weakly at him in return.

Angel's eyes swept around the cockpit. She cut an imposing figure despite her short stature, her black figure hugging jumpsuit leaving very little to the imagination and her expression fiercely focussed. "Alan is in Thunderbird 1?" She asked, John nodding in response.

"He's the better pilot out of the two of us," John confessed. "Gordon is pretty much the only one comfortable in this thing too, which makes me the navigator. So, where are we going?"

"Nepal," Angel confirmed. "I'll mark your charts, we won't be able to fly all the way. We will need to stop and walk the final stretch, there will be nowhere we can land the aircraft."

"F.A.B.," John noted, passing her a chart of Nepal on a tablet. "Will this do?"

"Perfectly." She sat down on the remaining spare seat next to John, her finger tracing contours on the map as Gordon slowly took off again. A second roar and Thunderbird 1 was also in the air next to them.

"So, Not-Annie," Gordon started conversationally once they were airborne. "John tells us you and Scott go waaaay back."

Angel cast her eyes to John. "They needed to understand," he said apologetically.

"Yes, we do."

"And Parker seems to think you are somebody called the Cat Burglar…"

Angel snorted. "Nosey would be the one to realise. Yes, I have been called that."

"Which begs the question of what we should call you. Not-Annie is a bit of a mouthful, Cat Burglar sounds like a job title."

Angel hesitated. "You can call me Angel. But only when we are alone, if anyone else is around then Cat will suffice."

"Angel, huh?" Gordon made some adjustments on the console unit to pick up the right bearing. "That's more concise. I can live with that. What else are you good at, other than burglary? The way Parker's eyes lit up, you must be good at that."

"Many things. But you don't really want to know. And I don't particularly want to tell you."

"Oh, I do want to know," Gordon reassured her, shrewd eyes looking at her reflection in one of the console screens. Angel didn't respond, just passed the chart back to John.

"We need to go there," she stated, pointing at a location deep within the Himalayas.

"Sure," John replied, moving some icons around until he could get a location. "Area 247, point 36 alpha Gordon."

"F.A.B." More minute adjustments and the craft changed course slightly once more. Out of the window Thunderbird 1 was still tracking the larger Thunderbird.

The journey continued in tense silence, Tintin clutching Brains' hand tightly while Angel gazed out of the window. Gordon seemed to have finished his questions for now, he just concentrated on flying.

John felt the atmosphere oppressive and cast around for something to do. "Say Gordon, did you manage to contact that scholar?"

"Oh yes! His name is Armen, not Armand, and he said that he had heard rumours of the hypnotic powers. He said most sources refer to a power nexus or something that would render the powers useless if broken."

"Did he know how you could avoid being hypnotised?"

"He said the power was reported to come from the eyes and that the victim had to make eye contact."

"That wouldn't explain father." Tintin stated, still holding Brains' hand tight.

"No, but he also said that he didn't have any definitive sources, just because they didn't know doesn't mean it isn't possible. Not the most reliable of information."

"But better than nothing. Good work," John complimented his brother. "How are we getting on now?"

"We should be there soon…estimated time to location is fourteen minutes."

Soon, the great green craft was throttling back, coming into land. It wasn't a particularly easy landing but Angel had identified somewhere that at least was remotely flat and could accommodate the two Thunderbirds. They disembarked, looking around cautiously. The mountains towered above them with white peaks shining in the afternoon sun. The area they were on was a rough, gritty surface with rocks strewn around.

"What now?" John asked Angel, who was looking up at one of the mountains. Before she replied, she walked over to a particularly large boulder and sat on it.

"Now, we wait." She said, calmly looking around.

"Wait?" Alan had joined them by now, Thunderbird 1 parked behind her bigger sister craft. "Every moment that we wait dad, Scott and Virgil could be getting into more trouble!" He kicked a rock, grimacing at the pain in his toe.

Angel watched him impassively. "They know we're here, we just have to wait for them to come to us."

"Them?" John queried again but Angel only shook her head, indicating that she wouldn't be providing further information. Gordon huffed and stood with arms folded, whereas Tintin and Brains simply held each other.

They had waited for around fifteen minutes when a gentle cough caused them all to spin around. The man they saw was dressed simply, in a plain grey tunic that had caused him to blend into the rocks he had appeared out of. Whilst they all looked at him, he only had eyes for Angel. While the rest watched, he moved closer to her and said something in a language they didn't understand. She replied, slowly at first but then more confidently as she went on. Eventually the man nodded his head and turned to the rest.

"Come," he uttered and began to walk away into the rocks. Angel shouldered her bag and followed him closely.

"We're not actually just going to follow this random guy, are we?" Gordon hissed to John. John could only shrug in reply.

"I trust Angel, and she obviously trusts him. Unless you want to just wait in Thunderbird 2 I don't see that there is much choice." That said, John followed Angel along the small track that led up the edge of the valley they were in. Looking back he could see that the others were following, Tintin and Brains close by with Gordon and Alan bringing up the rear.

He rounded a corner on the track to find to his consternation that Angel had disappeared. He was about to panic when a light touch on his arm showed that she had actually ducked into a crack in the side of the mountain. He followed suit, taking a lit torch off her as he entered the cave properly. The torches were old fashioned wind up ones, not very powerful but enough to make out the uneven floor so that he didn't trip. He in turn passed torches back to those behind him before following Angel as closely as he could. John couldn't help but notice that unlike himself and those following, Angel and their guide barely made a sound as they continued through the narrow cave.

Eventually they came back out into daylight, causing John to blink whilst he adjusted to the light. They were in a kind of secluded valley, high mountain walls surrounding it to all sides. There were several small buildings dotted around, a much larger one in the centre. It was to this central structure that their guide led them.

Trying to surreptitiously look around, John could see more figures wearing the same grey tunic as their guide. Many stopped to watch their progress; the bright blue uniforms of International Rescue stood out here more than ever. Tintin moved closer to Brains, feeling uneasy under the scrutiny.

As they reached the building another figure came out, this one an elderly man with a long white beard. Their guide spoke to him in the same language as before, before bowing and moving away. The old man came up to Angel and placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. Once her released her face she bowed low, similar to when she had faced off against Kyrano on the beach on Tracy Island.

To everyone's surprise, when Angel straightened up the man swept her into a hug. No one looked more shocked than Angel herself, who stood there stiffly for a moment before reaching her arms tentatively around him to reciprocate.

"We did not expect you to return," the man told Angel, his English affected by a strong accent.

"I have news of Gunung Suci, master," she replied. Gordon mouthed 'master' to John curiously. The man took a sharp breath.

"Do you indeed? That is a discussion we must have inside. Come, your companions may accompany you."

Angel nodded and gestured for the rest to follow with her hand. John led them indoors as they passed through a rustic corridor into a large central room. Low cushions were spread on the floor and Angel sat delicately on one, crossing her legs in front of her. John took the cue from her and did the same, looking around with awe. The room had carved figures in all of the wooden support struts that held up the ceiling above. The ceiling itself was painted in bright colours with intricate shapes and patterns. It all had a certain crudeness about it, although John thought the overall effect was charming.

Once they were all seated, Alan flinging himself down with a small huff, the older man looked over at them all. John felt that he was sizing them all up, judging them with their uniforms and clean cut hair. He squirmed under the scrutiny, noticing that his brothers were doing the same. Eventually the man spoke.

"Interesting company you are keeping, Angelique." He then rattled off a few quick words that John didn't understand.

"The man who took Gunung Suci has taken someone from me, from us." She replied, maintaining eye contact with the man. "He is Tintin's estranged uncle," here she swept her arm back to indicate Tintin, the younger girl sitting up straight and tall. "He has some control over her father and is rumoured to have hypnotic powers."

"I see." The man steepled his fingers together under his face, his top fingers gently brushing the underside of his chin. "But that does not explain why you are here."

"I am going to Gunung Suci and I am going to take them back." Angel's expression was determined. "With or without your help, but this is an opportunity for you to avenge your brothers. Help us find the lost temple."

The man didn't move for a moment as he regarded Angel. He eventually sighed and signalled to a doorway to their side. A second, younger man entered and bowed respectfully. The first man spoke to him rapidly, causing the younger man's eyes to widen as he bowed and disappeared.

"There are some medications that your father can take to protect his mind." The elder spoke directly to Tintin. "If you stay with us for a few days we will be able to teach you. Even if Angelique is successful, your father's mind will have been weakened."

Tintin nodded. "Thank you so much, sir."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "You may call me Master Tenshou, or simply master. It is a stain on our monastery that we have lost Gunung Suci, even more so that we have not regained it over all these years. It is our responsibility and we must make amends for it. But it is a complicated thing to learn and will take a few days, we will provide you with accommodation of course."

"A-and me," Brians said, still holding Tintin's hand. "I'll stay with Tintin."

Master Tenshou regarded him for a few moments before inclining his head. "Very well, we will accommodate you both."

"What about us?" Alan interrupted, glaring at the man. John could see Angel's fleeting exasperated expression before she schooled it into her usual neutrality.

The man turned to Angel. "He will go with you."

Angel nodded her head. "Yes, Alan and John will come with us but remain in the aircraft. They can provide communications support and can make sure the aircraft are ready to depart when we are."

Alan was obviously about to protest loudly but Gordon grabbed his arm and shook his head minutely. John felt relieved. He wanted to help, he really did, but he was as astronaut and astronomer. He couldn't bring many skills to bear – except for his ability with communications.

The old man's gaze now fell on Gordon. "But you will take him in with you."

Angel also looked at Gordon, seeing the resolved expression on his face. "Yes," she replied quietly. "He will be able to do what has to be done."

John didn't like the implications of that and, from the looks of it, neither did Alan. Gordon, on the other hand, had his face set into a determined line and he nodded his head curtly, once.

"You are not taking many people," the man continued, regarding Angel again. She simply returned his gaze, not flinching under the weight of his eyes. Eventually he sighed and stood elegantly.

"I see. Well we will help as we can, but for now it is time to eat and rest. You may return to your quarters Angelique, we have left them for you. Your friends will be housed similarly."

"We're just waiting around? But that man could be doing anything to the others!" Alan jumped to his feet as he gestured impatiently. John cringed although, to her credit, Angel's expression didn't change. The master simply smiled in amusement.

"The young have no patience," he commented to Angel. "There are things you need to learn before you leave, you will stay here tonight and depart tomorrow evening. You will want to make your raid at night." He directed the last comment to Angel who nodded in reply. "Very well." He clapped his hands and three more men entered the room. He spoke to them in the language that John couldn't understand and they bowed to him.

"They will guide you to your quarters," he explained, gesturing to the new arrivals. "Angelique, you will assist an old man?" Angel stepped forwards and took his arm. He nodded and left the room with Angel.

John watched them go, then realised that one of the men was standing by his elbow, watching him intently. "I should follow you?" John guessed, the man nodded slightly. Another man was standing with Gordon and Alan and the third with Tintin and Brains.

The man showed John into a small hut, one rustic bed and a small basin. John dropped the small bag he had brought with him and looked around. There was no obvious sign of a light and the evening was beginning to darken. A knock on the open doorway had him spinning back to the entrance. There was no door, simply a curtain providing a small amount of cover against the night outside.

In the doorway a man stood with a small tray. With a bow, he placed it on a small table by the door and left. On closer inspection, John saw that the tray contained a small bowl of something that looked like a stew with a jug of water. Gratefully, as he suddenly realised he was very hungry, John fell upon the food. It was simple but tasty enough.

Afterwards he simply lay on the small bed in the dark room. It was really too early to sleep, the time zones having messed up his internal clock completely, but without knowing where the others were it was impossible for him to go and find them. He wondered where his dad and brothers were, hoping that they were still safe and unharmed. Eventually he fell into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning on the small cot late into the night.