GRANDMA was busy doing Jeff's hair ready for his evening out with Colonel Casey. Both were startled by the rumble of engines from above. They looked out of the window in time to see Thunderbird Shadow flying off into the distance.

"Where's she off to in such a hurry?" asked Grandma.

"The boys going off on missions is a regular occurrence," Jeff replied. "But Kayo launching Thunderbird Shadow can only mean one thing - trouble!" He reached over to the table and tapped the small holo-projector. "Base to Thunderbird Shadow. Do you read me, Kayo?"

Kayo's hologram appeared. "Sorry for the sudden launch, Mr Tracy, but we may have a situation which could put your date tonight in jeopardy."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked anxiously.

Kayo sighed inside. She had hoped to get to the bottom of this without Jeff being too aware of it, but that was too late now. "I had a call from Captain Rigby right after the boys took off," she explained. "I don't know the full details but it involves Colonel Casey. He's asked me to meet him at Aquatraz."

Jeff and Grandma exchanged worried looks. "Well, whatever the problem is, keep me informed," Jeff said and he signed off.

Kayo sighed again. So many thoughts were going through her head right now. Could Colonel Casey actually be trying to release The Hood? Was she a secret double-agent? Was she the spy in the GDF that had leaked information to The Hood and The Chaos Crew? No. That last one was far too ridiculous, Kayo decided. There had to be a more simple explanation.

Thunderbird 1 soon reached the Bonneville Salt-Flats. Despite the vastness of the area, locating Team Speed's base camp was easy thanks to the smoke billowing from the roof of the makeshift hangar where the car was being kept.

"Aw, man, that looks bad!" observed Alan from the passenger seat in Thunderbird 1.

"Thunderbird 2, what's your ETA?" Scott asked.

"Eight minutes, Scott," Virgil answered. "How does that roof look?"

"Not good," said Scott grimly. "The fire's spreading slowly but it won't be long before the entire roof is consumed."

At the instruction of John, Mr Gillespie the Project Leader of Team Speed had moved everyone away from the building in order to protect them. They had all been very anxious until they saw Thunderbird 1 coming down to land.

Scott and Alan exited the craft and ran over to the worried crew. "Hi there," Scott said. "International Rescue at your service. What happened here?"

"Thank goodness," said Mr Gillespie. "Some of my team were performing a welding repair on the roof but one of them slipped and set fire to it. We need to stop that roof from caving in and damaging the car inside."

"With respect, sir, we're here to make sure you and your crew are safe, not to save the car," said Scott.

"I understand that," said Mr Gillespie. "But that car cost half a billion dollars to design and construct."

"And didn't John say it was full of fuel?" added Alan.

Mr Gillespie nodded. "I've got my crew to remove as much of the octangal fuel as they can," he said.

"Is there any in the hangar?" asked Scott.

"No, just the car," said Mr Gillespie. "But its four fuel tanks are full to the brim. Sure it might take a while for the heat to ignite it but if the roof falls in and damages the fuel tanks…well…we're toast basically."

Scott and Alan looked over at the hangar. The fire had covered the entire left side now and was slowly spreading over to the right.

"Why didn't you simply drive the car out before the fire became too much?" asked Alan.

"Ah, that's the second problem," said Mr Gillespie. "In my panic I may have forgotten to mention this to your colleague. The doors are jammed. We cannot get them open. The fire must have fried the electronics."

Scott quickly formulated a plan. "Okay then. When Thunderbird 2 gets here they can take care of the fire and the roof. Alan, you and I will need to cut through the doors and then somehow get the car out."

"You can use our Tow-Truck," Mr Gillespie said, pointing to a small purple truck with a crane on the back nearby. "GILES! THE KEYS FOR THE TOW-TRUCK!"

At that moment, Thunderbird 2 appeared over the mountains. "Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 1. We're on final approach now," said Virgil. "What's the plan, Scott?"

"Good timing, Thunderbird 2," Scott replied. "I need you to put out the fire on the roof and then hold it in place whilst Alan and I get the speed-car out of there. The fire may not damage it but if the roof falls on it and ruptures the tanks, we'll all be blown into the next decade!"

"F-A-B!" said Virgil. "Hayley, can you work the foam-sprayers and grapple?"

"You got it, hun," said Hayley.

Virgil lined Thunderbird 2 up with the hangar and approached it cautiously. A hatch opened underneath and two foam-sprayers were lowered. Using the targeting computer, Hayley aimed the cannons at the burning hangar and pressed the button. Two powerful jets of foam were sprayed from Thunderbird 2 onto the roof and in a matter of seconds the flames had been extinguished.

"Fire's out," said Hayley.

"F-A-B," said Virgil. "Now let's grapple the roof." He moved Thunderbird 2 forwards as the sprayers were retracted. Then once they were hovering directly overhead, Hayley moved another lever which lowered the big yellow magnetic grapple from within Module 3. Everyone on the ground watched as the grapple reached the roof and was locked into place. "Grapple in place, Scott," Virgil said over the radio.

"Nice one, Virgil," said Scott. "Now hold it as steady as you can. Alan and I will work on the doors."

Now that the roof was being held in place, Scott and Alan could begin their part of the rescue. Having been told that the way to open the doors manually was actually inside the building, they needed to cut their way in through the small maintenance door built into the main doors. This too was electronically controlled due to the need for top security and only being accessible via a keypad. Alan went to get the Tow-Truck after being given the keys whilst Scott used his laser to cut through the door. As he worked, he could hear groaning and creaking coming from above which told him the roof was weak and potentially unstable. He could only hope that Thunderbird 2 would be able to keep hold of it until they at least got the car out.

Captain Rigby was waiting on one of the Aquatraz Landing Pads when Thunderbird Shadow arrived. "Well done, Kayo," he said. "You managed to beat her here."

"Beat her here?" repeated Kayo after climbing out of Thunderbird Shadow. "I thought she was already here?"

"No, but she will be soon," said Rigby. "Quick, camouflage your ship. We can't let her know that you are here."

Kayo tapped her wrist-controller and Thunderbird Shadow went into camouflage mode. The two then entered an elevator that would take them down to the main command centre of the underwater prison complex.

"So what's going on here?" Kayo asked. "What makes you think Colonel Casey's going to release The Hood?"

"Her secretary," explained Rigby. "She overheard the Colonel talking in her office one day. She said that she sounded rather distressed. When she asked the Colonel about it when she came out, she was abruptly cut off by her. She then left the Headquarters building and wasn't seen for twenty-four hours. When she returned this morning she ordered for a Flyer to bring her directly to Aquatraz for an 'inspection' so she said."

"What makes you think she's going for The Hood though?" asked Kayo.

"Because the secretary overheard something about 'You can't do this' and 'He would be released over my dead body' and things like that. Then she suddenly became panicky and…almost like she was begging."

"And I'm guessing the secretary told you?"

"Yes," Rigby said. "I've been discreetly keeping tabs on the Colonel and once I heard she was coming to Aquatraz I thought this would be the perfect place to catch her in the act. That's why I asked you to come. You are the only other person who knows about this."

"Well who else knows?" asked Kayo.

"Only the Warden," said Rigby, and he's agreed to remain silent on the matter until the time comes. He has also put two guards outside The Hood's cell so that Casey will have to confront them. When she does, we will move in."

The elevator reached the bottom and they exited before going into an express transport car that would take them to Block D where The Hood was being held.

"I still don't understand it," said Kayo in a hushed voice. "Colonel Casey is the most competent leader the GDF has ever had. It doesn't make any sense for her to suddenly turn like this."

"I doubt she's doing it voluntarily," said Rigby. "I reckon she's being blackmailed into doing it."

"By Havoc?" asked Kayo.

"Who else?" replied Rigby. "It's not like The Hood's got any other allies."

Kayo thought for a moment. She suddenly had flashbacks to the previous year when she had been on jury service. That had been a carefully planned set-up by Havoc in an attempt to keep Kayo out of the way so she could try and liberate Fuse. She had done this by murdering one of the other jurors and then taking their place by using one of The Hood's cloaking devices. "There's another possibility," she said. "When Casey left the HQ, she may have gotten ambushed by Havoc and is being held captive somewhere whilst Havoc is using her as a disguise in order to try and break The Hood out."

"It's possible," said Rigby. "But we have anti-disguise scanners in the security booths. If she is Havoc in disguise she'll be found out straight away."

"But then again," Kayo continued. "If she is being blackmailed…what is Havoc using to control her?"

After reversing the Tow-Truck up towards the main doors of the hangar, Alan climbed out of the cab and hurried over to join Scott who was just finishing cutting his way through the maintenance door. "How's it coming, Scott?"

"Almost there, Alan," said Scott as his laser reached the bottom of the door. "That's it. Stand back!" He then gave the door a hard kick with his right foot and the door fell inwards. "We're through!" said Scott.

Both brothers peered inside the hangar and Alan suddenly found himself getting hit by almost the exact same feeling he'd had when he'd first seen Sophie. "Great space!" he gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. "Look at that!" What he had seen was in fact Speed-1. This was the car that was to undertake the land speed record. It had been such a closely guarded secret that not even the press had been allowed to see it, so they were now the first people outside the Speed team to actually lay eyes on it. And for Alan, it was like looking at whatever his interpretation of heaven looked like. "I'd sure love to take that for a spin!" Alan went on.

"Wake up, Alan!" Scott barked as he scrambled inside. "This is no time for day-dreaming! Help me get these doors open and then hook up the Tow-Truck!"

Snapping out of his trance, Alan began to use the handle on the door where the maintenance door was located to open it whilst Scott did the same with the one on the other side. The doors were heavy and it was quite a struggle for them to move. It soon got to a point where Alan had only got his halfway before he stopped due to exhaustion, "Scott? Maybe we should…have done one door…at a time…and together?"

"No….time for….that," Scott said back. He glanced over. "That should be….far enough. Go and get the…tow cable…and attach to the…Speed Car!"

Alan did so. He gathered what strength he had and hurried outside. He took the cable off the back of the Tow-Truck and carried it as quickly as he could to the front coupling point on the front of Speed-1. "Cable secure, Scott!"

"Good!" said Scott as he finished moving his door. "Now jump in the cockpit and operate the steering wheel! I'll drive the Tow-Truck."

"Guys, hurry it up!" Hayley said sharply over the radio. "We're not going to be able to hold the roof for much longer!"

"F-A-B!" Alan and Scott said together and they hurried to their respective positions.

Alan had left the keys of the Tow-Truck in the cab so all Scott had to do was climb in, shut the door and put it into gear. All Alan had to do was climb into the open cockpit of Speed-1 and was momentarily distracted by all the dials and buttons on the dashboard. "Wow! This thing looks amazing!" he remarked.

"Alan? Are you in position?" Scott's voice asked over the helmet radio.

"What?" Alan jumped back to reality. "Oh, yes, Scott! I'm ready!"

Scott revved the Tow-Truck's engine and gently eased the vehicle forwards whilst the cable took up the slack. The Speed-1 was very heavy. At first nothing happened, but then slowly but surely it began to ease forwards with Alan adjusting the steering to make sure it would head out through the gap in the doors.

The Speed crew watched nervously from a safe distance as the Tow-Truck gradually pulled the large blue car which resembled a large jet-engine with four big wheels and a big booster attached to its back end out into the open.

"How are you coming, Alan?" asked Scott.

"A few more inches, Scott," Alan replied as he watched the wall of the hangar disappear out of his view. "There!" he said. "We're clear!"

Scott stopped the Tow-Truck and the Speed-1 stopped as well. "All clear, Thunderbird 2!" said Scott. "Take her away!"

"F-A-B!" said Virgil. He increased power to the VTOL engines and pulled the remains of the burnt out roof off the walls of the hangar. He then fired the main boosters and carried it away from the site. He flew for about a mile to the North before Hayley released the grabs and the pieces of roof fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Phew!" gasped Hayley. "That was a near one."

"Agreed," said Virgil. "But dropping it here is a lot safer than letting it fall into the hangar."

The Speed Team cheered now that they knew their prized car was safe.

The doors of the Travel Car tube opened and Colonel Casey stepped out into Block D. Normally she would have a pair of GDF bodyguards by her sides as she walked about, but this time there were none for she had ordered to explore the facility alone. Any attempts by her subordinates to question why were met with vicious threats of strict discipline, something that she was not known for.

Colonel Casey made her way up the many levels of gantry walkways between the numerous suspended metal cells containing some of the world's most dangerous criminals before reaching the top and making her way to the top most walkway, she approached the far end of the block where the cell containing The Hood was located. She had been walking, almost unblinking on her way up, but when she reached the top and turned to face the long walk to the cell she stopped momentarily at seeing the two guards standing outside the cell. After a few moments she continued to walk towards it, her face clearly showing signs of unease. She did not notice Kayo and Rigby hiding behind two of the other suspended cells by their support cables, watching her every move.

"Gentlemen," said Colonel Casey to the two guards. "Please move aside. I need to speak with The Hood about a very important matter."

"Sorry, Colonel Casey," said one of the guards. "But we've been expecting you. All contact with The Hood is prohibited."

"On whose authority?" demanded Colonel Casey.

"The Warden's," said the other guard. "And we've given instructions to arrest you should you resist."

Colonel Casey glared at the pair. "Move aside. Both of you!" she demanded and began reaching for her sidearm. As the guards then produced their own.

"Stand-down, Colonel!"

Colonel Casey froze before turning slowly around to see Captain Rigby and Kayo standing there with four more guards having appeared on the gantry as well. "Rigby? Kayo?" said Colonel Casey. "What the hell are you two doing here? This doesn't concern you!"

"Where my uncle is involved it concerns me and International Rescue, Colonel!" said Kayo sternly. "The Hood cannot be allowed out of that cell."

"Please, Colonel," said Rigby. "This doesn't have to get ugly. Just come with us quietly, please."

There were a few moments of silence as all eyes watched Colonel Casey whilst her own seemed to burn with an uncomfortable fury. "NO!" she shouted suddenly pulling out her side-arm and shooting at Kayo. Kayo dodged and the blast hit one of the guards behind in the arm. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

Rigby lunged at Colonel Casey but had to duck as she turned her weapon on him and fired. It quickly became apparent that she wasn't shooting warning shots either. The two guards by The Hood's cell used Colonel Casey facing away from them to their advantage. They both fired stun-blasts from their weapons causing her to cry out and fall to the floor. She dropped her side-arm as she fell. She was down but not out and she tried to reach for the gun only for Kayo to kick it away from her.

"Stop this, Martha!" Kayo ordered. "This isn't you! Whatever Havoc's making you do, snap out of it!"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT!" roared Colonel Casey, scrambling back to her feet despite having taken two stun blasts to her back. She took a swing at Kayo but Kayo blocked the attack. The two women were now locked in a tight and fierce battle.

Kayo had never seen Colonel Casey fight, but it became very clear that she was almost a match for her. "Er, Rigs? A little help here?" she called.

Rigby had now picked himself up after diving to the floor. He grabbed Colonel Casey's other arm. "Stand down, Colonel!" he ordered. "Don't make us take you down!"

"GET…OFF…ME!" bellowed Colonel Casey as she tried to fight the two off.

All the while the guards, apart from one who was tending to the wounded one, watched on in disbelief at the fight that was going on. Even the prisoners in their cells who could see were watching and trying to figure out what was going on.

Eventually, Rigby decided enough was enough. Next to where they were fighting was an empty cell. Using one arm to try and keep a hold of the Colonel, he reached over and typed in the code that unlocked the door. The door opened and with an almighty effort, he and Kayo managed to shove Colonel Casey inside of it. She fell on her back on the floor of the cell and scrambled to get up again only for Rigby to then seal the door and trap her inside.

"LET ME OUT!" Colonel Casey screeched, banging her fists on the door in desperation. "I'LL HAVE YOUR HEADS FOR THIS! LET ME OUT! LET ME-" That was as far as she got before the Warden, who had been watching on CCTV activated the prisoner containment measure by releasing a light sleeping gas into the cell. Colonel Casey soon succumbed to the gas and slumped down onto the floor.

Rigby and Kayo were both panting in order to get their breath back. Neither of them had expected it would have gone down like this.

"Well…that happened," gasped Rigby.

"She wasn't holding back either," agreed Kayo. She looked over at the wounded guard who was now being taken away for medical treatment. "She was using live rounds as well!"

Virgil and Hayley had landed Thunderbird 2 after dropping the roof away from the site and joined Scott and Alan to admire the giant Speed-1 as well as get thanked by the many members of its crew.

Mr Gillespie was especially pleased. "I cannot thank you enough, International Rescue," he said. "A lot of time and effort would have been wasted if not for your quick work."

"And not to mention that everyone is safe and accounted for," added Scott.

Mr Gillespie nodded, before his face turned into a scowl. "Of course," he said, slowly turning towards two of his crew, "none of this would have happened if you two had been more careful!"

The two young men, who were called Patterson and Dinklage looked startled.

"But, sir, you can't possibly blame us for this?!" protested Patterson, who had been the one using the welding equipment.

"Well nobody else was on the roof when it happened!" snapped Mr Gillespie. "I've told you before that the roof can be slippery and yet you still managed it!"

"He didn't slip, Mr Gillespie," said Dinklage. "I saw the welding cable move sharply before he fell. It was like someone down below had grabbed hold of it and pulled."

Hayley frowned at hearing this. She then looked over towards the now roofless hangar. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked over towards it. Nobody saw her go because they were too busy trying to make sense of Patterson and Dinklage's claims.

"A likely story!" growled Mr Gillespie. "Clearly you two aren't man enough to ADMIT TO YOUR MISTAKES!"

"Easy, sir," said Scott. "Without hard evidence you can't prove that they're lying."

"They can't prove they're not lying either!" retorted Mr Gillespie. "I hand-picked every single one of these people because of their honesty, loyalty and to be hard-workers. Clearly these two aren't as up to it as I originally thought."

"There is of course the possibility that this was just an accident," Virgil pointed out. "The way I see it, there's no right or wrong that can be proven right now. Innocent until proven guilty."

Mr Gillespie seethed as he had to admit Virgil had a point. But before he could say anything, a shout got everyone's attention.

"GUYS! YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE THIS!" Hayley called and beckoned them to come over.

The three brothers, Mr Gillespie and a number of the crew came over to see what the matter was. "What is it, Hayley?" asked Alan who arrived first.

"Trouble," Hayley replied. "Mr Gillespie, what reason did you say you couldn't open these doors for?"

"No power," Mr Gillespie said. "The fire must have fried the circuits."

Hayley frowned. "With respect, sir, that's rubbish," she said, taking everyone by surprise. "One - I just made a scan of the walls and interior of this building. None of the wires go anywhere near the roof. And two…" She paused for a moment as she reached for the access panel on the main door beside the smaller one that Scott had cut away. "I'm pretty certain that a fire couldn't have done this." She pulled the cover off to reveal a number of wires inside. There was no fire damage, but they'd all been ripped out.

"What?!" exclaimed Mr Gillespie as he stared at the panel in disbelief. "What is this?!"

"It means, Mr Gillespie," said Hayley shortly, "that by adding this to what Mr Dinklage was saying about seeing the cable get pulled, it is my belief that you have a saboteur somewhere around here!"

This caused a great deal of uncertainty amongst the Speed Team who immediately began muttering to each other nervously. Mr Gillespie in particular had gone pale. He turned to one of the crew. "Giles, I need you to do a head-count," he said. "I want everybody here right here and now. We need to get to the bottom of this!"

Giles nodded and hurried off to round up every single member of the Speed Team.

"Well done, Hayley," Virgil said. "I don't think anyone else would have noticed that."

"It was just a hunch," Hayley replied.

After having been put to sleep by the gas, Colonel Casey was removed from the cell and taken to one of the many interrogation rooms inside the prison. This particular one was in Block D. She sat at the table with handcuffs preventing her from getting up despite her furious attempts to break free once she'd reawaken. She then realised that she wasn't alone because Kayo was standing by the door, glaring at her. "Get me out of this, NOW!" she demanded.

"No, Colonel," said Kayo firmly. "Not until we get to the bottom of what's going on here."

"What's going on is none of your concern!" Colonel Casey snapped.

"Trying to release my uncle is none of my business how exactly?" Kayo asked as she walked over to the table. "Ever since we brought him here you've made it your mission to make sure he stays here. Now here you are trying to get him out. What's Havoc got on you?"

Colonel Casey flinched. "Ha-Hav-Havoc?"

"Yes, Havoc," said Kayo. "Pardon me." She then pinched Colonel Casey's left cheek.

"OW!" shrieked the Colonel. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Making sure you're genuine," said Kayo. "I thought maybe you were Havoc in disguise."

Colonel Casey flinched again at the sound of Havoc's name. Then she began to quiver. "P-Please," she said, her voice trembling. "You have to let me go, Kayo. I need to finish this. It's a matter of life and death." She then began to produce tears from her eyes.

Kayo was taken aback. This was definitely not the Colonel Casey she had come to know and respect. She placed a hand onto one of the Colonel's hands. "Martha. Tell me what this is all about," she pleaded. "Then I can help you. Please."

Colonel Casey sobbed and wiped her eyes. She then took a deep breath and confessed. "You're right of course, Kayo," she said miserably. "Havoc is behind this. She's got my children! She says she will kill them if I don't release The Hood and hand him over to her. And I know she means it. She's already killed their father. My former husband."

Kayo's stomach churned. "I didn't even know you had children," she said.

"Rita - 28 and Noel - 22," Colonel Casey said. "Rita lives in Colorado. Noel is studying in Michigan. After I got the call from Havoc I hurried to my house to find them both there along with Havoc who has them both captive. She told me they would be released unharmed if I turn The Hood over to her."

"And where is the handover to take place?" asked Kayo.

"I don't know," Colonel Casey replied. "She said I am to contact her once I have The Hood and she will give me the location details. But….how do I know she's going to keep her end of the bargain?"

"Knowing Havoc, she probably isn't," Kayo agreed. "But regardless, we need to make sure we get Rita and Noel back safe. Let me help you, Colonel."

"I can't," Colonel Casey moaned. "If she even gets a hint that you or anyone in the GDF is helping me, she will kill them." She sat back and sobbed. "Kayo, I just don't know what to do."

Kayo thought long and hard. "I have an idea," she said. "It's risky, but we may get away with it. Here is what we can do, if you agree to it?"

Giles soon rounded up all the Speed Team members that he could find and they gathered in almost a military-like parade. All thirty of them stood in rows of six so that all their names could be identified. They did not even need to do that though for as soon as the rows were made up, they quickly saw that one person wasn't among them.

"It looks like you do have someone on your team who's been causing trouble, Mr Gillespie," observed Scott. "They seem to have done a runner."

Mr Gillespie's nostrils flared up angrily. "I want to know who that person is!" he barked to Giles.

But Giles's answer was not what Mr Gillespie had been expecting. "Er, Boss, you're not going to believe this but…Mike's missing!"

Mr Gillespie stared. "Mike?! But…that's not possible! It cannot be him!"

"And why not?" asked Alan.

"Because he's the driver!" cried Mr Gillespie. "He's the one who was given the honor of driving Speed-1 on her record-breaking drive this afternoon!" He ran his fingers through his hair in despair.

"So…we saved the car but lost the driver?" asked Virgil, confused.

"Why would a designated driver even try to sabotage the speed attempt?" asked Hayley. "That doesn't make sense."

"Perhaps he could secretly be a mole for a rival team?" suggested Scott.

"Impossible!" said Mr Gillespie. "The very idea! Yes, there is another team who has tried to hamper our efforts but the security on this site is second to none! Nobody gets within our boundaries without vigorous searching."

Scott looked out across the vast salt-flats. "Well unless he took a vehicle, he can't have gone far," he said. He activated his radio. "Thunderbird 5, come in."

"Go ahead, Scott," answered John. "What's up?"

"John, can you scan the area around our location?" Scott asked. "One of the Speed Team is missing. We think he might have been the one behind this possibly and is trying to escape."

"Okay, stand-by," said John. "Commencing area scan." He watched as the scanning equipment spread a blue line out across a hologram map of the entire area of the Bonneville Salt-Flats. Within a few seconds a small signal appeared that wasn't anywhere near the other lift-contacts. "I've got something," he said. "It's a life-sign. And it's very weak. Whoever it is doesn't appear to be moving."

"You mean he tried to escape on foot?!" exclaimed Scott.

"In this heat?" said Virgil. "How far away is he?"

"About two miles," said John. "Scott, I think you'd better get him before he succumbs to exhaustion."

"If he's down he shouldn't be too difficult to apprehend," said Scott as he put on his helmet. "Which direction is he in, John?"

"West-North-West," John replied. "I'll send the path to your helmet."

Through the heads-up display, Scott saw a green line showing him where to go. "Thanks, Thunderbird 5," he said. He then turned to Hayley, Virgil and Alan. "You three stay here and watch the car. I don't know why but this somewhat feels like a trick."

"To lure us away so that the car could be tampered with?" said Virgil. "Got it!"

"Go get him, Scott!" said Alan.

Scott activated his jetpack and began to make his way away from the Base Camp across the open salt-flats, following the green line as he went. As he made his way along, flying about three metres above the ground, he noticed something strange. There appeared to be wheel-tracks in the salt. Two in fact, within a short distance of each other, and going in the same direction as he was. Strange, he thought. Maybe our saboteur did try to escape with a vehicle and has crashed?

The answer came moments later when the scanner in his helmet soon detected a body lying out on the salt a few hundred yards away. Scott could tell immediately that the figure wasn't moving so he hurried as fast as he could to reach it. He was in for a surprise when he reached the figure. It was a man with short brown hair and wearing the grey and orange suits that the rest of Team Speed were wearing. The name MIKE could be seen in large yellow letters on his back. He was also tied up and had a very nasty bump on the back of his head. As Scott landed and began to untie him, he noticed that his hand had also been badly injured.

"My God…" Scott said out loud to himself. "This is Mike alright, but who the hell's done this to him?"

Mike appeared to have been unconscious, possibly having passed out from the heat of the Sun, but as soon as Scott had finished untying him he began to come around. "W-W-What's…happening?" he asked in a dry, hoarse voice. "I feel…so weak…"

"Easy there, buddy," said Scott as he gave the dehydrated man some water from a flask. "You're in a bad way." He tapped the IR logo on his sash. "Hayley, you there?"

"Hello, Scott?"

"I've found him," said Scott. "He's in a bad way. I'm going to carry him back carefully. Could you be ready with your medical kit? He's got a hand injury and a possible head-wound."

"F-A-B," said Hayley and she hurried off towards Thunderbird 2 to fetch it.

Virgil and Alan, who were still standing guard over Speed-1 were confused.

"Hand and head injuries?" remarked Alan. "That doesn't sound like a saboteur to me?"

"No…" agreed Virgil. "But it's the sort of thing that a saboteur would do to someone." He looked at the rest of the Speed Team who were talking anxiously amongst themselves. "Which means the actual saboteur might still be amongst them!"

Colonel Casey, The Warden, Kayo and Rigby approached the cell containing The Hood. Several guards stood in rows behind them. A special portable containment cell had been brought with them. When it came to The Hood, no chances were taken.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Miss Kyrano?" asked The Warden.

"Yes," said Kayo. "It's the only way."

The Warden sighed. "Very well," he said and reluctantly activated the special keypad.

The outer door of the cell opened to reveal the glass one behind. Sitting behind it on the bed stood the figure of a bald-headed man. One that had caused International Rescue and the Global Defence Force no end of trouble. And yet now, he was what they needed for Kayo's plan to work.

The Hood looked up from his bed and turned his head towards them. He then stood up and approached the glass with interest. "Kayo? Colonel Casey? Warden? Captain Rigby? This is a surprise," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Spare me any small-talk, Uncle," said Kayo. "If you are in any way involved with this diabolical plot that Havoc is undertaking then more years will be added to your sentence."

The Hood looked puzzled. "I haven't spoken to Havoc in months," he said. "Not since the last time we tried to escape…which you foiled, Tanusha."

Kayo grimaced. "Listen to me, Uncle. And listen well. Havoc has got Colonel Casey's children. And YOU are going to help us get them back."

"What's in it for me?" asked The Hood, curiously.

"If you're lucky, I'll persuade the board to reduce your sentence by ten years," said Colonel Casey.

"And no funny business," warned Rigby. "We will not hesitate to use force on you if you try anything stupid."

The Hood nodded. "Havoc has been nothing but a failure to me," he said. "I am at your service. Just tell me what you need me to do."