IT was almost shortly before 9am by the time FAB1 returned to London having collected The Mechanic from his hideout in the Nevada Desert. He'd brought with him a large metal box although he had yet to reveal what it contained.
"We're h'almost there, m'lady," said Parker as they passed the chimneys of Battersea Power Station.
The Mechanic had been sleeping during the flight. He opened his eyes and looked out over the city. "London," he remarked. "I haven't been here in a very long time."
"Afraid there'll be no time for sightseeing until after the operation," said Penelope.
"Of course," agreed The Mechanic. "I wasn't expecting to sightsee anyway."
Upon landing and driving into the hospital car park, the trio left FAB1 under secure lockdown and headed into the hospital. But when they reached the observation room beside where Jeff was being monitored, they found a very tired-looking Scott trying to keep himself awake whilst slumped in a chair. Grandma was snoozing in another chair and Kayo was nowhere to be seen.
"Hello, Scott," said Penelope.
Scott jerked himself awake. "L-Lady Penelope," he spluttered as he stood up. "My apologies. I must have drifted off."
"My dear Scott," said Penelope with concern, "don't tell me you've been awake all night?"
"Pretty much he has, yes," said Kayo as she walked in with two cups of coffee, one of which she gave to Scott. "Hello, Juan."
"Miss Kyrano," The Mechanic answered.
Everyone then turned towards the room and looked in at Jeff, who was in the exact same position he had been when everyone had left during the night.
"How is he?" asked Penelope.
"No change," said Scott. "He's no better, but gotten no worse either."
The Mechanic looked at Jeff. "I don't know if we can ask if it's possible for me to perform a body scan of him before the operation?" he asked. "It might give me more of an idea of what we're dealing with."
Scott pressed a buzzer beside the door separating the rooms. "I don't see that being a problem," he said. "Just so long as they're okay with it."
"I hope Dr Wilkin has had enough rest," said Kayo. "This will take all the skill she has. There'll be no room for errors."
The booked taxi for Dr Wilkin pulled up outside the house on the street in West Ruislip. Normally Dr Wilkin would be standing outside waiting for it ready to simply climb in and they'd be on their way. But today she was nowhere to be seen, much to the confusion of the taxi driver. He waited for a few minutes then sent a text message to the doctor's phone. No response came so he tried ringing her mobile. No response. Then he tried the home phone. Still no response. Getting worried he stepped out of the taxi and walked up to the front door, rang the bell and knocked.
Footsteps were heard inside the house and then the door opened to reveal Dr Wilkin. "Yes?" she said, sounding irritable. "What is it?"
"Dr Wilkin?" said the taxi driver. "I've been trying to contact you. You're needed at the hospital."
"They'll have to wait," snapped Dr Wilkin. "My son is terribly poorly this morning and I have to tend to him. Have my apologies sent to the Tracy family. I'll make my own way in once I've sorted him out." And with that she slammed the door shut, leaving the driver confused and even more concerned as he walked back to his taxi. He had not heard the muffled screams coming from the dining room.
Dr Wilkin walked back into the dining room, took out a small red device and pushed a button, changing the holographic image back to the proper body of The Hood. He exhaled. "Blasted taxi drivers," he remarked. "Always there to inconvenience you, even if you're not even using them!" He looked at the captive family, still bound with Dr Wilkin having been done so after being caught by Havoc. "Now, Doctor. Now that we have made ourselves acquainted, shall we say, it is time to reveal our intentions." He gave a nod to Havoc who ripped the tape off Dr Wilkin's mouth causing her to cry out in pain.
"Look, I don't know who you are, and I do not care," Dr Wilkin said. "But take whatever valuables you want and then please let us go."
"Valuables?" repeated The Hood. "My dear doctor. I am no petty burglar. I'm after something much more personal than that."
Dr Wilkin glared at him. "What do you mean?" she demanded.
"You were due to perform an operation on the great Jeff Tracy this morning, weren't you?" The Hood said.
Dr Wilkin's eyes widened. "H-H-How do you know about that?" she stammered.
"Because we're the ones who put him in there," said Havoc. "Well, not us exactly but the other member of our little team."
"And we happen to know that you are the only qualified brain surgeon currently working in St Thomas's Hospital," added The Hood. He stood up and began to walk around the table. "I've read up on you, Doctor. You're quite brilliant. You have performed eighteen surgeries for life-threatening illnesses such as removing brain-tumours and that kind of thing. But the mighty Jeff Tracy would most certainly be your biggest success to date if you were able to perform it."
"I get it," said Dr Wilkin. "You've kidnapped me and my family so that I cannot perform the operation and to make someone less qualified than myself do it instead with the odds of success being minimal?"
"A good guess, Doctor," said The Hood as he got back to where he started. "But no. You see, you will be doing this operation. But two hours later than scheduled. And on no sleep whatsoever."
"But that's nuts!" said Dr Wilkin. "If I make the slightest little mistake, I could kill him!"
"Precisely," said The Hood. "That's exactly what I want you to do. Jeff Tracy dies and everyone will think that it was purely an accident."
Dr Wilkin was furious. "Never!" she said. "You may as well gag me again. I would rather be tied up with my family than be a puppet in a murder plot!"
"Not murder, Doctor," said The Hood. "Execution! Jeff Tracy ruined my life. He made me what I am. I have spent the last two years cooped up inside Aquatraz prison, thinking of nothing but getting revenge on the man. And I intend to have it, by ANY means necessary!"
"I will not do it!" said Dr Wilkin defiantly. "Kill me if you must, but let my family go at least."
There was a moment of silence as The Hood looked at Marcus, Adrian and Mollie before looking at Havoc. "Well then, if that's the case. Who should we kill first?" he said to Havoc.
Havoc pondered. "Well I found taking out Colonel Casey's ex-husband rather satisfying whilst watching the kids squirm," she said. "I'd love to do it again. She activated her electronic glove and began to move towards Marcus who began to struggle against his bonds and cried out muffled protests whilst Mollie and Adrian began to let out panicked muffled cries as well.
"What are you doing?" demanded Dr Wilkin.
"You said you wouldn't help us, Dr Wilkin," said The Hood plainly. "So punishment must be served."
Dr Wilkin watched with horrified eyes as Havoc's hand edged closer and closer to Marcus's face, his own eyes wide with terror at the look of pure evil on the villainess's face.
"STOP!" Dr Wilkin shouted. "Stop, please!" She burst into tears. "I'll do it. I'll do it, just…please, let them go."
Havoc looked at The Hood who indicated to her to stop. She deactivated her glove, letting out a sigh of disappointment.
"That's more like it, Doctor," said The Hood. "You'd better freshen up. Can't have anyone think that there's anything wrong with you when we arrive at the hospital, can we?"
"And no tricks!" warned Havoc. "The boss and I will be in contact all the time. You try to chicken out or make any attempt to warn International Rescue or the GDF about us, I will not hesitate to end their lives!"
The poor Wilkin family had never felt so helpless in all their lives.
"What do you mean she's not coming?!" Scott demanded.
"I'm sorry, Mr Tracy," apologised the Sister, "but that's what she told the taxi driver to tell us. Her son is very ill and he's her number one priority."
"But what about my son's operation?" asked Grandma. "We can't afford to postpone it!"
"Mrs Tracy, I totally understand your frustration," said the Sister. "But Dr Wilkin is the only person who's qualified to perform this kind of brain operation."
"Then find somebody else who can do it!" barked Scott.
"There is nobody else available right now," said the Sister, shaking her head. "I'm really sorry for you all. But until we can find someone else, we'll just have to wait and hope. Excuse me." She hastily left the room.
Scott let out an angry bellow and kicked the water machine, knocking it over. He then collapsed onto some chairs and began to bang his head against his fists in frustration whilst Grandma tried to comfort him.
Kayo, Parker, Penelope and The Mechanic all looked at each other.
"Very distressing," remarked Penelope.
"Of all the laws of sod!" agreed Parker.
"Rat."
"I beg your pardon, Kayo?" said Penelope.
"Rat, Lady Penelope," said Kayo. "Can't you smell it?"
Parker began looking anxiously around his feet. "Where? Where h'is it?" he asked nervously.
"No, Parker," said Kayo, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't what the Sister said smell like a rat?"
"What do you mean?" asked Penelope.
"Don't you think it's kind of strange for someone who has promised us to do everything in their power to help make Mr Tracy better? And now they're saying their son is more important and cannot come to perform the operation?" said Kayo. "It all seems rather off to me."
"Family does always come first, Kayo," Grandma pointed out.
"Yes, I know," Kayo replied. "But all the same, my gut is telling me something's not right."
"You think there might be more to it than what we know?" The Mechanic asked.
Kayo nodded and activated her wrist controller. "Kayo to Tracy Island. Come in, please."
Virgil, Brains, Gordon and Alan were gathered in the lounge around the table when Kayo's call came through.
"What's the news on Dad, Kayo?" asked Virgil.
"No change to your Dad's condition, Virgil," Kayo said. "However we have a problem. Where's John?"
"He's g-gone up to Thunderbird 5," said Brains. "He found that he c-could not relax down here."
"That's not surprising," remarked Kayo. "I'll get back to you." She signed off leaving the four rather puzzled.
"Why do I get the feeling something bad is going to happen?" asked Gordon.
John was surprised when he got a call from Kayo, and even more so when she gave him a request. "You want me to do what?"
"John, I know spying on people's homes isn't what we do, but we need to make an exception this time," Kayo said. "Dr Wilkin isn't coming to perform the operation on your dad. She says her son is ill but I've just got this feeling that something isn't right."
"Awfully coincidental if it is," said John. "Okay, you win. I'll send a stealth probe down to do a check on Dr Wilkin's house. Stand-by." He turned away from the talk-screen. "EOS, launch a probe and send it down to West London. Make sure its in stealth mode so nobody can see or detect it."
"Understood, John," said EOS. "Probe away."
The small probe was launched from Thunderbird 5. The space-station had already been positioned above the United Kingdom so all it had to do was drop straight down as it entered the Earth's atmosphere.
Dr Wilkin had been freed from her bonds and was having a shower to try and freshen herself up. She felt awful having had no sleep whatsoever that night. Her wrists were red from where the rope had been tied around them and her mouth felt strange due to having had tape over it for hours. She had no phone or any kind of communication device with her to ensure that she didn't try to call anybody and warn them what was going on.
Havoc was standing on guard outside the bathroom, waiting impatiently for Dr Wilkin to come out. "Hurry it up, Doc! We don't have all day!"
The Hood was downstairs with the remaining hostages. He went over to the kitchen and helped himself to a glass of milk. "Mmmm. Good stuff this is," he said to them.
Nobody, not even Havoc or The Hood realised that an invisible probe was now hovering outside the house, scanning it to reveal their locations to John.
John's blood ran cold when he saw the heat-signatures of the people inside. "Oh, no…" he said as his heart rate began to increase. He then pressed a button to call everybody. "International Rescue - we have a hostage situation!"
"You were right, Kayo," John said after showing everyone the holographic scan image caught by the probe. "It looks like Dr Wilkin and her family are being held captive."
"And I don't need to be a betting man to guess who those intruders are!" growled Scott.
"Havoc and The Hood!" said Kayo.
"Then what the hell are we sitting here for?" asked Alan, jumping to his feet. "We have to rescue them so Dr Wilkin can operate on Dad!"
"Even if we do manage to rescue them, what state of Dr Wilkin is going to be in?" asked Virgil. "We have no idea how long they've been held for. They're going to be terrified. Dr Wilkin won't be in any shape to operate on Dad after what she's going through."
"Well we have to do something!" said Gordon.
"Yes, but what, G-Gordon?" asked Brains.
Gordon opened his mouth to answer, but closed it after realising he had no answer.
Scott paced around the room. He looked like he was trying to rip pieces of his hair out. "Perfect! Just damn perfect!" he fumed. "Will there be no end to this nightmare?!"
Nobody said anything for a few moments as nobody could think of a solution. It seemed that maybe a situation had arisen that not even International Rescue could solve.
To everyone's surprise, it was The Mechanic that broke the silence. "I have an idea," he said. "I think I might have a way to save Jeff Tracy without needing to perform any operation."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean?" asked Grandma.
The Mechanic cleared his throat. "Before I go any further, I must warn you that what I am about to say will be beyond anything you've ever heard of before, and you'll probably dismiss it straight away, but could you at least hear me out first?"
There was a pause as everyone looked at each other.
"Dad's dying and we're out of options," Scott said, looking painfully at Jeff through the window. "I am open to any suggestions right now. What do you have for us, Mechanic?"
The Mechanic cleared his throat again and then showed them some images from a device he'd been holding in his left hand. "Before we were told about Dr Wilkin not coming here, I'd completed my scan of Jeff's body," he said. "It confirmed my suspicions. The Scorpion-Mecca is indeed a design I started on sometime ago when I was working for The Hood. After he betrayed me, I planned to perfect them and have one injected into his body to make him my puppet at payback for what he made me do. It would seem that he must have made digital copies of some of my designs when he was in my head and gotten someone to make his own meccas. Now he has used them to try and kill Jeff Tracy."
"But Dad's still alive?" said Virgil over the hologram projector on Kayo's wrist.
"For now, yes," said The Mechanic. "But the longer he stays like that, his brain will eventually shut down and he'll become completely inactive. If that happens there won't be any way to reverse it."
"But do you have a way to stop it?" asked Scott.
"One chance," said The Mechanic. "I would need to get hold of the device and upload one of my own viruses into the mecca in order to try and disable it for good. But in order to get to it, we're going to have to get inside Jeff's body - literally."
Everyone stared at The Mechanic in disbelief.
"Wait, wait, wait!" said Alan. "Did you say INSIDE Dad's body?"
"Yes," said The Mechanic. "I did warn you this would sound crazy. A small team of us will have to shrink down to the size of ants and actually go inside Jeff's body, travel to his brain and take down the device before it can harm him permanently."
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Gordon said. "How the hell are we supposed to shrink? None of us are Ant-Man, you know, Mechanic!"
"With these," said The Mechanic, opening the box he'd brought and taking out a small silver disc with a blue dial in the middle. "I created these during my isolation time. Observe if you will." He walked over to one of the chairs in the room and placed the disc on the side. He then fiddled with the dial. "Thirty seconds should be enough," he said as he stepped back and took out a small remote control with a timer on it. "Can everybody see?" Everyone, including those on Tracy Island and Thunderbird 5 nodded. "Good," said The Mechanic. "In three, two, one!" He pressed a button on the remote. A blue glow emitted from the disc and covered the chair. Then with a small WHOOSH and a flash of blue light it vanished.
Everyone gasped in surprise.
"Coooooooooooor!" exclaimed Parker.
"What the blazes?!" said Scott.
"Where did it go?" asked Alan.
The Mechanic stepped forwards to where the chair had been and bent down before picking something up off the floor which he then held out to everyone. Scott, Kayo, Penelope, Grandma and Parker all peered in at the palm of his hand and gasped again. There was the chair, sitting in the middle of his hand, the size of an ant.
"You've shrunk the chair!" gasped Grandma.
The Mechanic nodded as he backed away and placed the tiny chair back on the floor before stepping back again. He then checked the timer. "Five, four, three, two, one!" he said. There then came a tiny blue glow from the floor followed by another WHOOSH and another flash of light as the chair reappeared back to its original size.
"Woah!" said everyone, awestruck.
"That's…that's incredible!" said Brains. "You have to s-show me how you created those."
"Maybe afterwards, Brains," said The Mechanic. "If we use these to shrink, we can then enter Jeff's body and try and remove the mecca attached to his brain."
Scott's eyes lit-up. "Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's do this!"
"Er, Scott?" interrupted Virgil. "Sorry to be a party-pooper, but how exactly are we going to move around inside Dad's body and what effect would those shrink discs have on our bodies?"
"The particles in the disc won't directly make contact with our bodies," explained The Mechanic. "I've created special suits that can withstand the energy they give off. As for moving around inside Jeff's body…" he paused impressively. "We're going to need your submarine craft for that."
Everyone blinked again in astonishment. "THUNDERBIRD 4?!" they all said together.
The Mechanic nodded. "That's the one," he said. "We wouldn't be able to be injected directly into Jeff Tracy's head. We would need to enter his body lower down and work our way. If I recall, your Thunderbird is built for extreme environments?"
"Apart from when you ripped it in half," remarked Alan. He gulped and fell silent when everyone turned their heads and scowled at him.
"Yes, well, er," The Mechanic said, embarrassed. "Sorry about that."
"Technically speaking it was the previous Thunderbird 4-" Scott began but Kayo elbowed him to keep quiet.
Brains scratched the back of his head. "I will admit, I never b-built Thunderbird 4 with the intention of having it getting shrunk down to enter the human body," he said. "But she would be s-strong enough to survive in that kind of environment."
"What do you all say then?" asked The Mechanic. "Is this too ridiculous for you all or should we try?"
"It's ridiculous all right," said Scott. "But Dad's life is at stake. I'd say we try it."
"I agree," said Gordon. "Any chance is better than none."
One by one everyone agreed to it. Even Grandma.
The Mechanic smiled. "Very well," he said. "But we're going to need to move Jeff to a secure location so that if The Hood tries anything he will have some protection at least."
"There's one other thing," said Kayo. "Dr Wilkin and her family. We can't leave them as prisoners?"
"That will require a stealth operation," said John. "I'll keep monitoring the situation there. Kayo, Lady P and Parker. You could sneak up to the house, one of you can create a distraction, then perform a double takedown of The Hood and Havoc provided we have the element of surprise on our side."
"It's risky, but it's worth a shot," said Penelope. "They are in trouble and we have a duty to help them."
"That's settled then," said Scott. "Just one last problem. Where are we going to take Dad and how do we get him there?"
"To save time I suggest we borrow a Medical Helicopter," said The Mechanic. "I can direct us to the location of another of my hideouts and have the GDF come with as back-up for defence. I will also broadcast my personal signal so that the rest of you know where to find us."
"Sounds good to me," said Virgil. He stood up. "Alan, Gordon, gear up and meet me in Thunderbird 2. Are you coming, Brains?"
"As m-much as I want to, I'd better stay here and keep watch over the island with MAX and Braman," said Brains. "But I'll be on the link all the time. I want to see how this goes."
"F-A-B," said Virgil. "See you guys at The Mechanic's hideout."
John glanced back at the probe's scan of the Wilkin house. "Hold up, guys, something's happening," he said. "Looks like Dr Wilkin is leaving the house. And she's not alone. I think The Hood's going with her."
"Perhaps they're coming here?" said Grandma.
"If they are that means Havoc's still with the husband and kids," said Kayo. "I'd better stay here. Lady Penelope, can you and Parker take out Havoc?"
"Consider it done," said Penelope. "Let's go, Parker."
"Yus, m'lady!"
Scott headed out of the room as well. "I'll go and ask the hospital staff if we can borrow their chopper," he said.
"And I'll call Colonel Casey and brief her on what we're going to do," finished Kayo. "But first, I'm gonna need a change of clothes…and my ride!" She pressed a button on her communicator.
Kayo's signal was relayed via Thunderbird 5 to the remote-control on the Shadowbike, sitting in its bay on Tracy Island. The lights came on as the systems started up. The engine revved and it remotely rocketed down the tunnel before stopping on the elevator and getting lifted into place inside the main body of Thunderbird S. The conveyor then moved the craft backwards up the launch tunnel before stopping on the rotating cliff which swivelled out to face the front of the cliff and the yellow turntable platform turned so that it was facing upwards.
Whilst all this had been happening, Virgil had gone down his launch ramp, been changed into his uniform and was now inside the cockpit of Thunderbird 2. After closing the hatch he rushed to his seat and selected Module 4 from the conveyor list. The conveyor moved the modules underneath the main body before stopping with Module 4 underneath. Virgil lowered the main body down onto the module and locked it into place just as the elevator arrived bringing in a suited Alan and Gordon who took their positions in the cockpit. The cliff-ace opened and Thunderbird 2 taxied out onto the runway as the palm trees folded back to let it pass. Once upon the launch ramp, it was lifted into place and the blast shield rose up behind the boosters.
5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
Thunderbird 2's engines roared as it lifted off the ramp and began to climb into the sky. A moment or so later, Thunderbird Shadow's engines fired up and the clamp holding it in place was released. The ship dropped backwards vertically before remotely switching to horizontal and racing off away from the island.
"Thunderbirds are WOAH!" exclaimed Virgil as Thunderbird Shadow zoomed past Thunderbird 2 and startled the three brothers. "I, er, meant go!"
"Sorry, boys," said Kayo over the radio. "But it looks like The Hood's forcing Dr Wilkin to go somewhere. I'm gonna need my suit and my ship if I'm to have any chance of confronting him."
"That's okay, Kayo," laughed Virgil. "Just maybe give us a head's up next time?"
"F-A-B," chuckled Kayo.
John had managed to get a licence plate lock on Dr Wilkin's car so he was able to track its progress as it slowly made its way towards Central London. "Lady Penelope, it definitely looks like they're heading into the city," he reported. "Might I suggest you take a different, more direct route to Wilkin's house. We can't risk The Hood spotting you."
"F-A-B, John," said Penelope. "Stealth and flight-mode, please, Parker."
"Right h'away, m'lady," said Parker. He pushed a button. FAB1's wings opened up and the thrusters came to life. The pink car lifted up off the ground, much to the surprise of those in cars and on the pavement on the street they had been driving down. "FAB1 is h'off!" said Parker. He then pressed another button that activated the daylight camouflage mode turning FAB1 invisible. Now they could fly to West Ruislip without anyone being able to see them.
The Medical Helicopter made its way across South-East London heading towards Kent. It was soon under heavy escort from two GDF Flyers - one of which had Colonel Casey aboard. The other had Captain Rigby.
"Well, Mechanic. Now you've got us together, where exactly are we going?" asked Colonel Casey.
"I have a hidden base underneath the abandoned airfield at Manston," The Mechanic explained. "I have not been there for some time so it may be a little untidy. I may have to activate my mechanical cleaners to make it a bit more suitable for Jeff Tracy."
"And I'm guessing this will be the last time you use it?" Scott asked. "After all, it won't exactly be a secret anymore."
"I don't have anything of value there anyway," replied The Mechanic. "Nobody goes there so it should not really matter."
"Sir, I have a lock on the location!" called the pilot of the helicopter. "We'll be there in ten minutes."
"Good," said The Mechanic. "How's the patient, Mrs Tracy?"
Grandma had been with Jeff's bed in the transportation bay of the helicopter. "He's hanging on," she said, gripping Jeff's hand tightly. "Just like he always does. He survived eight years in space all by himself. I have faith that he can survive this too."
The Mechanic smiled, but secretly he was extremely nervous. His idea was just as dangerous as it was ambitious, and he'd not fully explained the dangers to everybody. As he and Scott were alone in the passenger part of the helicopter, he felt the need to confess. "Scott? I should warn you that whilst I have the technology for this, I cannot fully guarantee it will be a success. I have conducted a few experiments, but never actually done this for proper."
"It's okay, I understand, Mechanic," replied Scott. "This is uncharted territory that we're heading into. Whatever happens, I know you'll have done your best." He held out his hand for The Mechanic to shake.
Surprised, but grateful, The Mechanic shook his hand. "Thank you," he said. "That means a lot to me."
"Don't mention it," Scott replied with a friendly smile.
It wasn't long before the helicopter reached the abandoned airfield at Manston and touched down along with the GDF Flyers. The cargo bays of the three aircraft opened. Jeff was wheeled out on his bed by Scott and Grandma whilst The Mechanic brought his box of equipment. He thanked the helicopter pilot and sent him on his way with the helicopter heading back to its base in London. The Flyers meanwhile offloaded trucks and mobile control units, setting up a perimeter around the site. They set up anti-air weapons and groups of troops with laser-stun weapons. They soon had the ground and the air above them covered, determined to fend off whatever nasty surprises might come their way.
The setting up was just being completed as Thunderbird 2 arrived. Virgil brought the green leviathan down and lowered Thunderbird 4 down from the module close to the hold hangar which The Mechanic had opened up. The hangar was vast, empty and full of cobwebs. "As I predicted," The Mechanic remarked. "One moment please." He opened up his box and took out some unusual looking drones which Scott recognised as Fly-Meccas. "This is what I originally designed them to do," he said as he activated them. The meccas zoomed off into the hangar, darting left, right and centre and hoovering up every last cobweb as they went.
"Impressive," remarked Grandma. "That would certainly save us time with the cleaning."
"This way please," said The Mechanic. "The air's reading healthy now." He walked inside with Scott and Grandma pushing the bed with Jeff on inside.
Thunderbird 2 landed on the overgrown grass beside the hangar. Virgil, Alan and Gordon left to help move Thunderbird 4, which had been mounted on a special trolley and wheeled it inside.
"Okay, Mechanic, we're here," said Virgil. "What's the next step?"
The Mechanic took two small boxes out of the big box and gave one to Gordon. "This contains the shrink-suit," he explained. "You'll need to put it on before we board your craft."
Gordon looked with uncertainty at the box. "If you say so," he said. "Is there anywhere I can change?"
"In the back of Thunderbird 4?" suggested Alan.
"Good idea," said Gordon as he scurried around the back of the yellow submarine. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Virgil turned to The Mechanic. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Yes," replied The Mechanic. "You see those canisters with hoses over there?"
Virgil and Alan looked and then nodded. "That's a special spray that will help protect the outer hull of Thunderbird 4 against the shrinking particles. Could you take one each and spray the entire outside of the ship?"
"F-A-B!" said Alan and Virgil together. They hurried off to get the canisters.
"Oh, and put on your helmets, please!" The Mechanic called out after them. "That stuff can be harmful to skin."
"Noted!" Virgil called back.
Kayo had remained on the helipad on the roof of St Thomas's Hospital ever since the Medical Helicopter had left with Jeff and the others. She was waiting for Thunderbird Shadow to arrive. "John, what's the position of Dr Wilkin's car?"
"Approaching Piccadilly Circus," John replied from Thunderbird 5. "They're not too far away now."
"Don't worry, I'll be ready for them," Kayo said. "Lady Penelope, how are you getting on?"
"We're in position, Kayo," Penelope responded. "We landed FAB1 in the playing fields behind the house. Parker's made a small hole in the fence and we're hiding in the undergrowth. Are you ready, Kayo?"
Kayo looked across the River Thames at the Houses of Parliament. In the distance she could just make out a familiar stealth-fighter-like shape approaching. "I will be in about a minute," she said as she signed off.
Thunderbird Shadow swooped across the Thames and landed on the helipad. Kayo walked up to her ship and pressed a button on the side of the hull. A small chamber was lowered and a door opened revealing an internal changing room with a spare uniform for her. She went inside and the doors closed to change. About a minute later the doors reopened to reveal a fully suited Kayo, ready for action. "This is Thunderbird Shadow," Kayo reported. "I'm ready." She stood at the side of the helipad and kept a watchful eye on Westminster Bridge. Any one of the cars crossing it could belong to Dr Wilkin, and carrying her hated uncle inside of it as well.
Penelope and Parker concealed themselves in the bushes inside the Wilkin's back garden. Using a pair of x-ray binoculars, Penelope was able to see where Havoc was, still walking around the table where Marcus, Adrian and Mollie were still bound to their chairs. She could tell from her body movements that Havoc was not only bored but also tormenting the hostages at any opportunity.
"We're only going to get one shot at this, Parker," Penelope said in a hushed voice. "We have to make it count."
"I h'agree, m'lady," replied Parker. "What did you 'ave h'in mind?"
Penelope looked closely at the house. "If I can get up on the roof and conceal myself above the conservatory, you could throw something at the window just to grab Havoc's attention. Then when she comes in to investigate, I'll drop in and pay her a visit."
"Be careful, m'lady," Parker said. "I'd rather you not get 'urt with h'all that glass."
"Don't worry, Parker," Penelope said. "My boots will do the work. Now let's get into position."
Gordon and The Mechanic were soon dressed in their protective suits and Alan and Virgil had finished spraying the hull of Thunderbird 4 with the chemical that The Mechanic had told them to. Gordon then entered the cockpit of his craft whilst The Mechanic set up a control link from the passenger bay in the back of the sub. They had also attached the numerous shrink discs to the hull in the locations that The Mechanic had instructed them to.
Virgil and Alan came over to see Scott and Grandma who were tending to Jeff. "How is he?" Virgil asked.
"Not good," Scott replied grimly. "Since leaving the hospital he's started to get weaker. We have to remove a lot of the tubes feeding him liquids that were keeping him stable."
Alan looked at his Dad and grabbed his hand. "It's gonna be okay, Dad," he said, doing his best to sound brave. "Gordon and The Mechanic will save you."
Jeff remained motionless, just as he'd done since he'd collapsed at the restaurant the night before.
As Scott did not have his uniform or communicator, Virgil volunteered to maintain a radio link to Thunderbird 4. "Thunderbird 4. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Gordon said as he fiddled with Thunderbird 4's controls. "At least I think I am anyway. Can't say I ever thought I'd be doing this kind of mission before. Mechanic?"
"All set up here," said The Mechanic. "I have a positive green light on all the discs. They are ready for the shrinking process. All I need to do now is start the timer."
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.
"Timer?" repeated Scott. "What timer?"
"Do you see that portable digital clock I installed by your father's bed?" asked The Mechanic.
Scott looked. "I didn't, but I do now," he said. "What are we timing?"
"Set it for thirty minutes, but don't activate it until I say so," The Mechanic said.
"You still haven't said what we're timing for?" Scott went on.
"The window that we have to do this operation," The Mechanic said.
"Hold up," Gordon said. "You never said we had a time window?"
"Thirty minutes to what?" Alan asked. "Is that how long Dad has left to live?"
"No, that's how long the shrinking discs will last before they run out of power," said The Mechanic. "I have never been able to make anything shrink longer than thirty minutes."
"What happens when it reaches zero?" asked Virgil. "You get stuck shrunk forever?"
"No…" The Mechanic said again. "Anything shrunk would return to normal size."
All of sudden the reality of what they were actually going to attempt then hit everybody like a building had just collapsed on top of them.
"But if you're still inside Dad's body when that happens…" Alan said. He fell silent as they all looked at Jeff's body. "Then Thunderbird 4 will-"
"Risk we have to take," Scott cut him off. "We've come too far now to turn back."
Gordon winced, but he knew Scott was right. "Let's do it," he said. "Just say the word, Mechanic."
"Very well," said The Mechanic. "Here we go then. Preparing for miniaturisation." He pressed a button on his holographic control panel. The little shrink discs on the hull of Thunderbird 4 began to power up with a number of blue glows radiating from it.
Colonel Casey and Captain Rigby entered the hangar to watch. They hadn't been fully briefed on what was going to happen but due to how hectic things had been they'd thought better than to ask.
"Power levels at maximum and stable," The Mechanic said. "You ready, Gordon?"
"Ready," Gordon replied. He tightened his grip on the controls. "Do it!"
The Mechanic took a deep breath. "Miniaturising in three…two…one!" He pressed the button.
There came a blinding bright light and a number of WHOOSHES as the discs activated. As Scott, Alan, Virgil, Grandma, Colonel Casey and Rigby's eyes had recovered, Thunderbird 4 had disappeared.
"Huh?!" exclaimed Rigby. "Where did it go?"
"Miniaturisation complete," The Mechanic reported. "Start the clock." He and Scott pressed the buttons on the clock at the same time and the thirty minute countdown began.
Using a magnifying glass, Alan soon located the tiny ant-sized Thunderbird 4 on the hangar floor. "I see them," he said. He bent down and picked Thunderbird 4 up off the ground.
"Woah, this is weird," Gordon remarked from inside the shrunken submarine. "For once you're bigger than I am, Alan."
"Oh, yeah!" Alan said. He then tried to peer inside Thunderbird 4's cockpit. "Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?"
"AHHHH! STOP! STOP!" Gordon cried. "I DON'T WANNA GO THIS WAY!"
"Alan, stop goofing around!" barked Grandma.
Alan coughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," he said as he placed Thunderbird 4 inside the special syringe that The Mechanic had provided for them.
Grandma took the syringe. "Thunderbird 4, stand-by for introduction into Jeff's bloodstream."
Gordon and The Mechanic braced themselves as Grandma pushed the syringe up against Jeff's right arm and pressed the button. The liquid in the syringe was injected into Jeff's skin and the current created by it took Thunderbird 4 in with it.
For a few moments there was darkness, but then everything cleared and Gordon could now see that they were in some kind of red tunnel, surrounded by liquid and they were cruising along. Gordon turned on the powerful lights and fired up Thunderbird 4's thrusters to make their way along the tunnel.
"Woooooooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhh…" Gordon said in awe. "This…is…surreal…"
"Thunderbird 4, are you there?" Virgil asked over the radio.
"Huh?!" exclaimed Gordon, snapping back to reality. "Sorry, yes. I'm here."
"Are you in?" Virgil asked.
"Affirmative," Gordon said as he steered Thunderbird 4 along the tunnel. "But I have to tell you, this is so strange." He then realised something. "Er, where exactly am I and where am I going?"
Brains answered that question. "You are in one of the veins inside your f-father's right arm, Gordon," he said. "I am sending you a holographic m-map of his body along with the route that you will need to follow in order to reach his brain."
"Ah, thanks, Brains," said Gordon. "I doubted that my GPS would even work in-" He broke off. "Hang on a second. There's something coming towards us." A round white object was spinning through the tunnel towards them. It looked like a large football that was half the size of Thunderbird 4. Gordon moved Thunderbird 4 slightly to the side in order to let it pass, but to his surprise it attached itself to the hull. "Er, guys, whatever this thing is, it seems to have taken a liking to my ship!"
"It's one of your father's w-white blood cells," Brains said. He was watching the live camera feed from Thunderbird 4. "It's p-part of his natural defence system."
"No problem," said Gordon. "I got this." He then steered Thunderbird 4 over towards the wall of the tunnel.
"Gordon, w-wait!" Brains cried, but it was too late. The impact against the side destroyed the white blood cell.
"There!" said Gordon. "That's got rid of it!"
Scott grabbed Virgil's communicator. "Gordon, you fool! Now Dad's immune system will see you as a threat.!"
"An infection, ready to be d-destroyed!" added Brains.
Gordon gulped as several more white blood cell balls began to appear and charge towards Thunderbird 4. They circled around the small yellow craft and began to attach themselves to it. "There's too many!" cried Gordon. "I can't see where I'm going!"
"If we don't get them off, they'll dissolve right through the hull!" The Mechanic said.
Gordon shuddered. "Ugh," he said. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"
Kayo watched from her vantage point on top of the hospital as she saw Dr Wilkin's car approaching the staff car park. "They're arriving," she said into her communicator. "I'm going down to the room where Mr Tracy was in. Are you ready for your part, Lady Penelope?"
Penelope adjusted her position on the roof of the Wilkin's house. She had managed to get up onto the roof without attracting any attention and was positioned above the conservatory. "In position, Kayo," she said into her watch.
"Good," Kayo said. "Make it quick. We need to secure Havoc and save the family before I confront The Hood. I suspect he and Havoc are in contact with each other."
"F-A-B," said Penelope. "We're going in." She turned off the watch and then nodded towards the bush where she knew Parker was hiding. Parker, concealed by bush, nodded back and then threw a stone across the garden which landed on the roof of the conservatory.
Havoc and the hostages all jumped at the sound of the stone hitting the roof. "What was that?" Havoc asked. She looked at the hostages who all mumbled and shook their heads to say they didn't know. Havoc gave a scowl and then walked cautiously into the conservatory. The glass roof was tinted so Havoc couldn't fully see properly through it but she could make out the stone where it sat. "Huh," Havoc remarked. "Some bird must have dropped it." She turned to go back inside.
CRASH! The roof shattered as Penelope dropped down from the roof and smashed through into the conservatory and landed right on top of Havoc.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!" Havoc cried as she was slammed onto the floor, bashing her chin against the wooden frame of the doorway and causing it to bleed.
"Got you, Havoc!" said Penelope. She used Havoc's stunned state to quickly move away to unlock and open the conservatory door so that Parker could get in. She also noticed a roll of black tape sitting on the dining table. "Parker, throw me that roll of tape and then free the hostages!"
"Yus, m'lady!" said Parker. He walked from the conservatory into the dining room, deliberately stepping on Havoc's hand as he went and causing her to scream loudly again in pain. He grabbed the roll of tape and threw it to Penelope who then began to use it to bind Havoc's arms and legs. Parker then turned his attention to the hostages. "Now don't you worry," he said as he began to release Mollie first. "I'll 'ave you out of here in h'a jiffy!"
As Havoc struggled to try and free herself from Penelope she noticed Parker untying Mollie. "Damn it!" she cursed. "Boss! It's Lady Penelope and her manservant! They're in the house! Boss? BOSS?!"
Penelope then wrapped the tape around Havoc's mouth silencing her. "Be quiet!" she ordered. "You've done enough damage!" She then activated her watch. "Lady Penelope to Thunderbirds 5 and Shadow. "Havoc is secure. The hostages are safe."
"F-A-B!" said Kayo. "Now for The Hood."
"Well done, Lady Penelope," said John. "I'll alert the GDF to come and collect Havoc from you. Make sure she goes nowhere."
"F-A-B!" said Penelope.
Dr Wilkin walked nervously through the corridors of the hospital with The Hood, disguised as another doctor that nobody recognised close behind her.
"How far are we?" The Hood asked.
"Just around this corner," replied Dr Wilkin. "But I do hope you know that you won't get away with this."
The Hood chuckled. "Of course I will," he replied. "I have planned this conspiracy to the finest detail. Trust me, Doctor. Nothing is going to deny me my revenge."
They rounded the corner and passed the Nurses' Station. All eyes turned to look at them as they passed.
"Dr Wilkin," said the Sister. "Is everything-"
"No time for explanations, Sister!" barked Dr Wilkin. "We are behind schedule as it is! I want Jeff Tracy moved to Operating Theatre C on the double. MOVE!"
"I was going to ask who's this?" said the Sister pointing at the man walking one pace behind the doctor.
"Oh, excuse me, Sister. I am Doctor Hodo. Dr Wilkin asked for me to assist her in the operation," said The Hood.
Dr Wilkin then reached the door leading into the observation room. "In here," she said, hastily entering.
The Hood gave a flirty smile at the nurses and Sister before following the doctor inside.
The Sister then nodded to one of the nurses. "Shut the door," she whispered. "And lock it!"
Dr Wilkin and The Hood entered the treatment room beyond the observation room. "Come on, people!" barked Dr Wilkin. "It's time for-" She broke off abruptly and froze. "What?!"
The Hood stopped dead too and stared at the empty room and slightly darkened room that stood in front of them. "What is this?" he demanded. "Have you taken us into the wrong room?"
"N-No, no I haven't!" stammered Dr Wilkin nervously.
There came a clunk that made them look back through the door to see the outer door to the observation room get shut and then came a click of a key locking it.
"They've locked us in!" cried Dr Wilkin. "Why would they do that?"
"Because I asked them to."
Dr Wilkin and The Hood spun back round just as Kayo emerged from the darkness. She fixed her disguised uncle with a glare.
The Hood let out a growl. "Kayo?!" He then grabbed Dr Wilkin and placed his red device up against the right side of her head. "Where's Jeff Tracy?!" he demanded.
"He's not here," Kayo said. "We couldn't wait for Dr Wilkin to arrive, so we moved Jeff to a secure location. One where you couldn't find him. You've lost…Uncle."
"Lost?!" growled The Hood as Dr Wilkin quivered in his grip. "Not yet I haven't. You've just secured the fate of the good doctor's family."
"NO!" cried Dr Wilkin.
The Hood squeezed her tighter. "QUIET!" he snapped. "Havoc? Kayo's found us out! Kill the hostages!"
But the response that came over his radio was not the one he expected. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid Havoc cannot come to the phone right now. Perhaps I could take a message for you?"
The Hood's skin went white. He knew that posh voice at once. "Lady Penelope?! But…how?!"
"Simple," said Kayo, slowly advancing on the pair. "The taxi driver informed the hospital staff about Dr Wilkin's son being ill. I had a gut-feeling that something wasn't right so I got Thunderbird 5 to send a stealth probe to Dr Wilkin's house to check up on her. When we saw six figures inside, we immediately guessed that you and Havoc were the ones who'd taken them hostage. We then decided to move Jeff to a secure location so that you can't get to him. We realised you were on your way so I decided to wait here for you to arrive allowing Lady P and Parker to take down Havoc and release your hostages." She looked at Dr Wilkin. "Your family is safe, Doctor."
Dr Wilkin let out a gasp of relief and began to cry. "Oh, thank God!" she said whilst The Hood seethed with fury.
Kayo turned back to her uncle who had now removed the holographic disguise of Dr Hodo. "How could you, Uncle?" she sneered. "I gave a chance to help us. It would have gotten you a reduced sentence! And yet you played us for fools. You've been planning this for months, haven't you?"
"Yes…" sneered The Hood. "Yes, I have, Kayo. Havoc and I have been secretly communicating through a special link she installed some months ago. We played this whole thing. To use me in an attempt to switch for Colonel Casey's children, then to help me get revenge on the man who destroyed my life - Jeff Tracy!"
"A clever conspiracy," said Kayo. "But once again you underestimated us, Uncle. It's over! Jeff is safe and right now The Mechanic is probably disabling the scorpion mecca you had implanted on to his brain as we speak."
The Hood's eyes widened. "The Mechanic?!" he exclaimed. "NO!" He then threw Dr Wilkin against the wall and dashed out of the room.
Kayo tried to decide whether to check on the doctor or pursue him. She decided to check the doctor. "Are you hurt?" she asked. A sudden screech was heard in the next room followed by a crash and screams from the nurses outside. "What the?!" Kayo asked.
Dr Wilkin shook her head. "I'll be fine," she said, gasping for breath. "Just get him!"
Kayo nodded and then sprinted out after The Hood. She saw that somehow he'd smashed the door of the observation room off and had escaped. A discarded white lab coat lay on the floor by the doorway. Running out into the corridor she saw the nurses and sister crouching terrified on the floor.
"He went that way!" called the Sister behind the desk.
Kayo looked and saw The Hood disappear through a door leading to a flight of stairs. "He's heading for the roof!" Kayo said as she ran after him.
Using a nearby elevator, Kayo managed to beat The Hood up to the roof by mere seconds. When he burst through the doors leading out onto the helipad, he was out of breath. He then saw Kayo and snarled. It was now that Kayo noticed what he was wearing. A dark green and black exo-suit with sharp spikes on his boots that looked weirdly like the talons of a bird of prey.
"Interesting suit," Kayo observed. "What are you supposed to be? An eagle?"
The Hood laughed. "Not quite," he said. "A vulture more like."
"Give it up, Uncle," Kayo said. "You have nowhere to go."
"Au contraire!" replied The Hood. he pressed a button on the suit and a pair of long metallic wings emerged from a thruster pack on the back of the exo-suit. Thrusters then activated and he began to rise up off the roof. Kayo froze, startled. Then she saw his cybernetic right eye flash yellow. "Hmmm. Manston in Kent," he said. "Bingo!"
Kayo's stomach churned. "What?!"
"My cybernetic eye has a link to the Scorpion-Mecca in Jeff's brain!" The Hood called down as a nanotech helmet with a bird-like helmet covered his head leaving only a small gap for his eyes which was covered by a blue laser shield for protection. "It's going to lead me right to him. Goodbye, Tanusha!" He then turned and fired the jetpack thrusters to pull power, rocketing away from the helipad and into the distance, heading in the direction of Kent.
Kayo was horrified. "Oh, my God!" she cried as she ran for Thunderbird Shadow which was concealed and parked nearby. "Kayo to International Rescue. We have a situation! The Hood's got a flying exo-suit! And he has a cybernetic link to the mecca in Mr Tracy's head. He knows where you are! He's coming!"
You could have heard a pin drop at the former Manston air base. Everyone exchanged worried looks. Now time really was running out - faster than expected.